Twelve Forever - Pilot Episode

T W E L V E   F O R E V E R

Here's something new worth keeping an eye out for. This pilot episode for Twelve Forever is hoping to be made into a Cartoon Network series. 

An enthusiastic young girl named Reggie, who never wants to grow up, is given a magic necklace that can transport her to a secret place where she doesn't have to.

WATCH THE PILOT EPISODE BELOW:

Sir Christopher Lee dies at the age of 93

Sir CHRISTOPHER LEE

(May 27, 1922 – June 7, 2015)

[Source: blastr.com] We're all truly saddened today to report the news that legendary actor, horror movie icon and heavy metalsmith Sir Christopher Lee has passed away at the age of 93.

The actor had been hospitalized for respiratory problems and heart failure at London’s Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, where he died on Sunday. The Guardian reports that the news was made public only today so that his wife could first inform the family members (not, as many have contended -- only half-jokingly, I'm sure -- to be sure that he wouldn't rise from the dead after three days). They had been married for more than 50 years.

Lee shot to fame in the late 1950s, when he starred as Dracula in a slew or classic Hammer horror films which introduced many a generation to the Prince of Darkness, but he's perhaps best known to younger genre fans as the face of Saruman in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films and Count Dooku in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. 

Sir Christopher Lee was born in 1922 and went on to serve in the Second World War. He turned to acting in 1947, and his first notable role was in a gothic romance called Corridor of Mirror. The actor began his association with Hammer not as Dracula, but by playing The Creature in 1957’s The Curse of Frankenstein. He became the legendary vampire for the very first time the following year in Horror of Dracula. His other appearances as the infamous Count included Dracula: Prince of Darkness, Dracula Has Risen From the Grave, Count Dracula, Dracula A.D. 1972 and The Satanic Rites of Dracula.

Other horror flicks Lee took on (outside of his relationship with Hammer) were The Mummy, Rasputin, The Mad Monk and The Hound of the Baskervilles. Lee also played Dr. Fu Manchu in the late 1960s, and turned in an unforgettable performance in Robin Hardy's classic horror movie The Wicker Man. He also appeared in the 1974 James Bond movie The Man With the Golden Gun, in the role of Scaramanga. 

Christopher Lee was (re)introduced to a whole new generation of moviegoers starting in 2001 when he played Saruman the White in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies. He also played Count Dooku in the Star Wars prequels Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. The actor even made a notable cameo appearance in Tim Burton's Dark Shadows in 2012. Lee had a wide-ranging career (he has more than 281 credits to his name on IMDb), from the theater stage to the silver screen to the big screen. He was absolutely indefatigable.

Sir Christopher Lee also made some very notable TV work — he began appearing on the small screen in the mid-1950s — and made some guest appearances in The Avengers, Space: 1999, Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, The Tomorrow People, Tales of Mystery and Imagination, Gormenghast and more.

The actor also did some voice-over work for Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride and Alice in Wonderland, as well as numerous videogames (his most recent being LEGO The Hobbit). He also had a prolific music career, which included two heavy metal albums -- Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross and Charlemagne: Omens of Death. He was awarded the "Spirit of Metal" honor at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods ceremony in 2010 ... at the age of 88. That rules.

Lee was knighted in 2009, and in 2011 he received a BAFTA fellowship. Lee promised that he would never retire from acting and once said: "I hate being idle. As dear Boris [Karloff] used to say, when I die I want to die with my boots on."

There are many things the actor dabbled in, but acting was his first love, and the thing for which we most loved him. But he was also a huge nerd who read The Lord of the Rings once every year, knew entire passages by heart and actually knelt before J.R.R. Tolkien on meeting the author by chance in a pub, and we loved him all the more for it. I think it best to leave it on another quote, from a 2013 interview: "Making films has never just been a job to me, it is my life. I have some interests outside of acting — I sing and I’ve written books, for instance — but acting is what keeps me going, it’s what I do, it gives life purpose."

R.I.P., sir. You shall be missed.

Star Wars: Uprising

STAR WARS: Uprising

Fills the Story Gap After 

Return of the Jedi

Daniel Erickson is the developer of a brand new Star Wars game, but when he talks to me about working on his project with Lucasfilm, he sounds more like a secret agent.

“For some of the story stuff, literally, I have to go into a room by myself and carry nothing, and read a script or a piece of paper, or a description, in a white room under guard, and then walk out with nothing.”

Erickson is the senior design director on Star Wars: Uprising, an upcoming mobile game that takes place directly after Return of the Jedi. Its storyline is canon – official Star Wars lore – and to ensure Uprising doesn’t contradict the stories told in other properties, like The Force Awakens, Erickson is occasionally treated to very, very private bits of story.

“There are times that we will try to do something, and [Lucasfilm] will say ‘Hey, you can’t do this because of blank and blank.’ And we’ll say ‘Okay, that makes sense.’ And then there are times we’ll try to do something and they’ll say ‘You can’t do this because of… reasons.’ That means something above our clearance has happened.”

Since Lucasfilm wiped away most of the old Expanded Universe in 2014, new canon has been created through books like Lords of the Sith, shows like Rebels, and comics like the Darth Vader series from Marvel. Kabam, the developer of Uprising, has the unique privilege of creating and sharing some of the first official details to follow the last chronological film, Return of the Jedi.

I asked Erickson for some tasty Uprising story details. Here's what we know:

After Episode VI, word of the Emperor’s death quickly spreads throughout the galaxy. When the news reaches the Anoat sector – which contains classic Star Wars film locations like Hoth and Cloud City – local Imperial Governor Adelhard locks down the entire region. This “Iron Blockade” stops all incoming and outgoing space traffic and communications, trapping the people within.

Adelhard denies all “rumors” of the Emperor’s death and kills anyone who speaks otherwise. According to Erickson, Adelhard is a “true believer who mourns the death of Vader and cannot imagine that somebody would want to live in chaos.” In his own private world he’s made for himself, the Empire is still all-powerful. Life is normal, and he maintains control with his enforcer, Commander Bragh, the leader of the Purge Troopers.

The Rebels were chased from the Anoat sector following their defeat on Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back, and their presence in this part of space is still relatively weak. Instead, Erickson said, “the smuggler groups, the local assassin groups, the different crime cartels, and the former nobles of the sector have all banded together to form this very unlikely uprising – a rebel group of their own.”

Uprising uses a “no-fault” leveling system. Your levels are separate from the gear you collect, and you can swap out your skills at any time. If one skill is nerfed, and some other build is the new hotness, you’re free to switch points around and experiment. The catch? You can only have so many abilities slotted at any one time. Like swappable gear sets in RPGs, you’ll have swappable abilities to tailor to different situations.

“You can go out there and decide, hey, you know what, for the next couple of months I’m just going to try to become the best Bounty Hunter I can – and then hard pivot and say, nope, now I’m going over here and I’m going to be a Hutt enforcer. I’m going to learn these skills, and I’m going to get a really cool vibroblade and try that for a while.

Star Wars: Uprising will begin a beta roll out in select territories in the upcoming weeks. If you’re interested in playing, you can sign up here. When the full game is released this fall, it will include two chapters. The script for the third chapter is already in Lucasfilm’s hands, Erickson said, and plans to support Uprising “go years into the future.”

For more, head over to our Star Wars wiki for full details on all the Star Wars canon.

Tetsuya Nomura's new Batman figure

You can pre-order Tetsuya Nomura's

crazy Batman figure right now

Square Enix revealed Kingdom Hearts creator and Final Fantasy designer Tetsuya Nomura's bold take on Batman last year, and now you can actually purchase the thing. Square Enix's Variant Play Arts Kai Batman is up for pre-order through the company's online store.
 

Nomura's take on Batman stands about 11 inches tall and comes with a few extra accessories, like alternate hands. Best of all, it  comes with a fun description from Square Enix:

Based on a radical interpretation of BATMAN, this figure boasts a second set of arms that extend from the back to shapeshift between a closed "deactivated mode" and a wide-open "activated mode." When combined with the included wrist pieces, the figure seems to express emotion through it. The paintwork consists of a rich black and a deep red, with a translucent visor and thick coat of glossy paint which brings out the intensity of this dark hero. The blades in his arm, an acceleration booster on his chest, and an arsenal of Batarangs stowed in his leg compartment are a sight to behold. The sheer presence that exudes from this figure reflects the impactful creativity that flows out of Tetsuya Nomura.

Square Enix is selling the Variant Play Arts Kai Batman for $249.99 and expects to ship the figure this October.
 

If you'd like to get Nomura's Batman sooner and cheaper, you could always import the toy from Japan. Retailers like Amiami are selling the figure for 18,900 yen, which — thanks to a favorable exchange rate — comes in at around $150.

Should you prefer your Batmen more traditional, Square Enix has another offering up for pre-order: the Batman: Arkham Knight Play Arts Kai Batman. It's priced at a more reasonable $99.99.

Square Enix is also selling a San Diego Comic-Con exclusive version of that figure — still $99.99 — that won't actually require you to go to the con next month. They'll just ship it to you. 

Cosplay Insanity at ChinaJoy

China cracks down on cleavage

at cosplay convention

(CNN) Organizers of Asia's largest digital entertainment expo -- where scantily clad models usually dress up as characters from comic books, movies and video games -- say they will levy a fine of $800 on women who reveal "more than two centimeters of cleavage."

Men are not exempt from the crackdown on exposed flesh. 

They will face the same penalty if they wear low-hanging pants or expose their underwear. If models are caught dancing in cages or around a pole they will be fined a whopping $1,600, as will anyone caught striking vulgar poses. 

It's the latest example of what appears to be a government campaign for stricter morality in China. 

This year's Shanghai Auto Show banned "car babes" -- scantily clad models who in previous years had posed provocatively on car hoods to draw crowds.

And in December, government censors pulled a historical TV show off air for the ample cleavage it featured. 

READ: Car babes banned? China wants eyes on cars not models at auto show

"The Empress of China" depicted the life of the only woman to rule China. Her reign was during the seventh century Tang dynasty -- when an ample female bosom was the prevailing aesthetic. 

When the series returned to air, the cleavage was gone. Instead, viewers saw crudely edited scenes where women were only shown in close-up to avoid revealing their chests.

'We can't use vulgarity'

New Silk Road, one of China's biggest model agencies that said it provided showgirls to ChinaJoy and vetted other model agencies used by the show, confirmed the new regulations to CNN.

Yang Ou, a spokesperson for New Silk Road, said it set the rules.

"It's a formal exhibition. We can't use vulgarity to attract attention," he said. "We ought to offer 'positive energy' to the public."

It's wasn't clear who would be tasked with measuring the cleavage on display but Yang said more details would soon be released in an official notice. 

While primarily a trade show, ChinaJoy is also known for its annual cosplay competition -- participants, either solo or in teams, emulate their favorite characters and are judged on their costumes, routine and the response they received from the audience.

Last year's event attracted a quarter of a million people over three days.

Tightening grip

Guo Weiqing, a professor of political science and public policy at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou told CNN that the crackdown on scantily clad models and actresses was linked to President Xi Jinping's tightening grip on the media, Internet and ideological issues.

Guo said that China didn't have the same set of unwritten conventions on what's acceptable in public that many Western countries have. 

"There has never been a public discussion," he said. "As time passes, it all falls under the government policy, which is decided by the current leader's ideology."

In October last year, Xi addressed an delegation of actors, dancers and writers, making it clear that he believed "moral values" were more important than commercial success.

"Popularity should not necessitate vulgarity," Xi told them. "Pure sensual entertainment does not equate spiritual elation."

READ: Xi Jinping's 2015 hit list: Corruption, cleavage

The ChinaJoy expo opens in Shanghai on July 30. It's not clear whether the skimpily dressed models the show is renowned for will cover up or simply disappear. 

They may want to join the car babes, who protested their ban from the Shanghai Auto Show in April by pretending to be beggars in ripped clothing. 

Their placards read: "We want to survive." Another lamented that all their efforts to lose weight were for nothing.

CNN's intern Evonne Liu contributed to this report

More Pics From STAR WARS Disney Infinity Game

Disney Interactive Releases New Information and Assets for

Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition:  

STAR WARS

Rise Against the Empire Play Set

Game Spans Iconic Destinations From Classic Star Wars Trilogy, Takes Open World Exploration and Space Combat to New Heights with Overhauled Vehicle Mechanics

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Disney Interactive released new information and assets for Star Wars™ Rise Against the Empire, one of three Star Wars Play Sets to be released for Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition this year.  Developed by Studio Gobo, in partnership with Avalanche Software, the game takes iconic moments inspired by the originalStar Wars trilogy, Episodes IV-VI. 

Star Wars Rise Against the Empire will take players on galaxy-spanning missions with legendary Jedi Luke Skywalker, Rebel leader Princess Leia Organa, heroic smuggler Han Solo and his trusty co-pilot Chewbacca to help defeat Darth Vader and overthrow the evil Galactic Empire.

Non-stop, action-packed adventure awaits players as they explore open world planets like Tatooine on foot or on a Bantha, take down AT-AT walkers aboard a snowspeeder on Hoth, out-maneuver stormtroopers on a speeder bike on Endor, and partake in epic space battles in an X-wing starfighter to destroy the Death Star.

The Star Wars Rise Against the Empire Play Set includes Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia Organa figures. Han Solo, Chewbacca and Darth Vader will be available and sold separately.

Two additional Star Wars Play Sets will be available for Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition this holiday, including Star Wars™ Twilight of the Republic and Star Wars™ The Force Awakens. In addition, players will be able to unlock the ability for all Star Wars characters to play inside all of the Star Wars Play Sets, as well as in the newly enhanced Toy Box, along with all characters previously released for Disney Infinity. 

The Star Wars™ Twilight of the Republic Play Set, rated E10+ by the ESRB, is included in theDisney Infinity 3.0 Edition Starter Pack available this fall for $64.99, which also includes theDisney Infinity 3.0 Edition Base, Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker character figures, and a web code card that unlocks content for PC and mobile devices.   

A Play Set based on Disney•Pixar’s upcoming film Inside Out and a Marvel Play Set featuring Hulkbuster, Ultron, and other Marvel characters will also be available. Additional Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition figures and Play Sets will be announced in the coming months.

Knights of Sidonia Season 2 on Netflix

K n i g h t s   of   S i d o n i a

Netflix picked up the first year of acclaimed Japanese anime series Knights of Sidonia not long ago, and now we have our first peek at Season 2.

The debut trailer for Season 2 has officially been released, and the story picks up as the seed ship Sidonia continues to search for a new home for humanity among the stars while escaping life forms that destroyed our solar system more than 1,000 years ago. The anime series is based on the popular manga series by Tsutomu Nihei. 

The logline for Season 2 teases that a hero will rise to save a world (or spaceship) that is under siege by an alien threat. Judging by the first trailer, it looks to bring the trippy, deep-space battles you’ve come to expect from the series. Seriously, those are some nifty action sequences. The new, 12-episode season will premiere in its entirety on July 3. The first season is available now for binge watching.

Kung Fury: The Movie

Kung Fury is an over-the-top 80’s action comedy that was crowd funded through Kickstarter. It features Kung Fury, a Kung Fu renegade cop who travels back in time to kill his Nemesis, Hitler. The film features nazis, dinosaurs, vikings and cheesy one-liners.

The campaign that was launched in December 2013 was backed by more than 17,000 people who together gave more than $630,000.

The Good Dinosaur Teaser Trailer

THE GOOD DINOSAUR

"The Good Dinosaur" asks the question: What if the asteroid that forever changed life on Earth missed the planet completely and giant dinosaurs never became extinct? Pixar Animation Studios takes you on an epic journey into the world of dinosaurs where an Apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend. While traveling through a harsh and mysterious landscape, Arlo learns the power of confronting his fears and discovers what he is truly capable of.

THE GOOD DINOSAUR opens in theatres November 25, 2015!

Shocking Twist to Han Solo's Background

Marvel's Star Wars comic just dropped a

thermal detonator about Han Solo's past

Warning: Big comic book spoiler to follow

[Source: Yahoo!Movies] Turns out Han Solo wasn’t so solo after all. The most recent Star Wars comic (No. 6) marks the debut of a new character named Sana Solo — who introduces herself as Han’s wife. Since this comics series is set between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, the revelation (provided it proves true in future issues) casts Han and Leia’s budding romance in a whole new light. 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sana arrives at the end of the book, interrupting a flirty moment between Han and Leia. “The name is Sana Solo. I’m his wife,” announces the blaster-wielding newcomer. (See image below.) The same character appears on the cover of issue No. 9 (above), suggesting that she’s a major player in the storyline to come.

"My name is Sana Solo. I'm his wife."

Right now, Sana Solo has only appeared in the Marvel comics — but she could have a direct effect on the Star Wars films. Disney and Lucasfilm are treating the current comic series as canon, meaning that anything that happens in the comics, officially happened in the movie universe. So even if we didn’t know it until now, Han could have been secretly married during the entirety of the first Star Wars film. (That two-timing, scruffy-looking nerf herder!)

Ironically, an early version of A New Hope hinted that Han had other love interests. In rough, later-excised footage from the Mos Eisley Cantina scene, Han is seen kissing an unnamed woman (whom fans have dubbed “Jenny” after the actress who played her, Jenny Cresswell). She leaves the booth before Han’s negotiation with Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, never to be seen again. Watch the scene here.

Harrison Ford with Jenny Cresswell, who played Han Solo's love interest in a deleted scene from 'Star Wars.'

And Japan's Official Ambassador of Tourism is...

G O D Z I L L A !

In a move which immediately makes me interested in visiting Tokyo's Shinjuku ward, Godzilla, King of the Monsters, was recently appointed that region’s official 'tourism ambassador'...   

Godzilla is now the recipient of this proclamation announcing that he is welcome in that area...

AnimeNewsNetwork offers this translation: 

Name: Godzilla
Address: Shinjuku-ku, Kabuki-cho, 1-19-1
Date of birth: April 9, 1954 [the year of the release of the very first Godzilla film]
Date of becoming a Shinjuku resident: April 9, 2015
Reason for special residency: Promoting the entertainment of and watching over the Kabuki-cho neighborhood and drawing visitors from around the globe in the form of the Godzilla head built atop the Shinjuku TOHO Building.
Previous visits to Shinjuku Ward: 3 times; Godzilla (1984), Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah(1991), Godzilla 2000 Millennium (1999)

In other words, this amounts to a citizenship certificate, per BBC.

Static Shock fan film

Static Shock Fan Film

If some of you are still reeling from the news that Jaden Smith (After Earth) will be playing Static Shock in the upcoming live-action digital series from Warner Bros., then you should take a look at this excellent fan-made movie to cleanse your palate. But if you’re one of those onboard with the news of Smith's casting (nothing wrong with that), then you should still watch this -- because it's good.

The interesting part of the short, titled Electrogenesis, is the fact that it doesn’t follow a powered-up teenager but, rather, an older Virgil Hawkins, who learns to embrace his powers again following a tragic event in his life. What you have here is not an epic summer blockbuster movie, but an electrifyingly cool (see what I did there?) little character piece with visual effects that are rather well done for a low-budget fan flick. Check it out:

Electrogenesis: A Static Shock Fan Film. Our film follows Virgil Hawkins at a time where he is not Static. A time between being just a normal teenager and a leader within the Justice League. It's a journey of a man who has forgotten his destiny, to his revival as the hero he was always meant to be.

Made possible by your donations, over the course of 4 days. We've taken this film to Long Beach Comic-Con, Cannes, and now we release it to the world. Thank you for your patience, your energy, and for believing in us. And thanks to Dwayne McDuffie for creating an enduring icon to the power of diversity, determination, and drive.