It was beginning to look like Blu-Ray was winning the next generation high definition DVD war.  Sales of the PS3 had given the Sony-backed format a handsome lead in the sales race and Blockbuster had recently announced that they were getting behind the format.  Now things look set to change.

In a major coup,  the HD DVD camp has managed to win over Paramount to produce content excuslively for their format.  It’s long been argued that HD DVD provides end-users with more functionality than the rival format and that there are worries about the compatibility of first gen Blue Ray players with upcoming disks. This news seems to confirm that.

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Posted in Blu-ray & HD DVD, Movies, Sci-Tech & Video Games •

According to the Associated Press, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling may have started working on a crime novel.

Rowling’s neighbour and fellow author Ian Rankin was quoted as telling a British Sunday paper ‘My wife spotted her writing her Edinburgh criminal detective novel’. Apparently Rowling was spotted with pen and paper in a café - the same surrounding in which she wrote much of the Harry Potter series. ‘It is great that she has not abandoned writing or Edinburgh cafes,’ Rankin said.

Rowling has previously confirmed that her future writings would go into a different direction than the Potter books.

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Posted in Books & Comics •

New details of the Palio di Siena shoot for the new James Bond film that took place in Italy’s Tuscany last Thursday have emerged on Dark Horizons.

As previously reported, a crew was in Siena to film background shots at the famous bareback horserace, which would serve as a backdrop to one of the film’s major action sequences that will involve Bond chasing a villain through steep and narrow cobbled streets and across the rooftops on foot.

What’s been newly revealed is that preceding the chase will be a scene of Bond traversing the city’s underground alleys and medieval aqueducts in his Aston Martin. One of the chase locations will be the ‘bottini’, a network of under-city tunnels that will be reconstructed in Pinewood Studios when actual filming commences in December.

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Posted in James Bond, Movies •

Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig have both signed on for two sequels to The Golden Compass, reveals the August 24 issue of Entertainment Weekly. A scan of the relevant page can be viewed on GoldenCompassMovie.com.

New Line Cinema’s big budget fantasy movie, arriving in cinemas this December, is an adaptation of the first book in author Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy. The second and third books are titled The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass respectively, and it looks as though the studio wanted to make sure that their two main stars would reprise their roles in the adaptations of those two - which are likely to go into production if The Golden Compass makes an impact at the box office. 

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Posted in His Dark Materials, Movies •

NBC has cast former Veronica Mars star Kristen Bell in their hit-series Heroes, reports Variety.

Bell has been hired for a key multi-episode arc of the show’s upcoming second season. The actress will make her first appearance in October playing Elle, a character described as a sexy, mysterious young lady who has ties to the supposed death of Peter, H.R.G.’s past and the future of Claire. Elle will kick off her arc by committing a serious crime, though it’s unclear whether she’s good or bad.

‘This was not easy to pull off,’ said Heroes creator-executive producer Tim Kring. ‘But since we’re an ensemble show, with many arcs playing out through the year, we found a way to jump into a small window in (Bell’s) schedule.’

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Posted in Heroes, Television •

Heroes star Zachary Quinto spoke with USA Today’s Celeb Watch with Will Keck about the upcoming Star Trek film in which he plays Mr. Spock:

‘I really identify with Spock’s struggle. We’re going back to a time before anything (Nimoy did in the original series) was established. These characters are in a completely different stage of their lives.’

Quinto will go from Hero to Trekkie in November, when director J.J. Abrams commences the project’s 85-day shoot, two weeks of which will be spent in Iceland.

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Posted in Movies, Star Trek •

Director Jon Favreau has confirmed that the footage of his Iron Man movie that was screened at Comic-Con will soon be available online in high-definition quality:

I am happy to report that both Marvel and Paramount have agreed to get a version of the footage out to you very soon. I will report the specifics when I get them. Thanks for your enthusiasm and patience.

Favreau explained the delay in getting the footage released on the net is due to the amount of proper approvals needed from all parties involved in such a big project. Click here to read a description of the footage.

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Posted in Iron Man, Movies •