Joss Whedon Tosses Hat in the Ring for ‘Terminator’ Rights

As we reported earlier today, Halcyon Holding Group will be auctioning off the rights to the 'Terminator' franchise later this month. The expectation is that it should net at least $60M…and several major studios and players have shown interest.
Plus one.
Buffy, Firefly and Dollhouse creator Joss Whedon says he's ready to take over this franchise as well, and he's got $10,000 to prove it. In an open — and very tongue in cheek — letter to Halcyon Holding Group, reproduced over at Deadline.com, Whedon promises he will write a check today to take the 'Terminator' rights off Halcyon's hands.
"No, you didn't miscount," Whedon says. "That's four — FOUR! — zeroes after that one. That's to show you I mean business."
Whedon goes on to describe exactly what he'd do if he were in charge of the franchise…
1) Terminator… of the Rings! Yeah, what if he time-travelled TOO far… back to when there was dragons and wizards? (I think it was the Dark Ages.) Hasta La Vista, Boramir! Cool, huh? "Now you gonna be Gandalf the Red!" RRRRIP! But then he totally helps, because he's a cyborg and he doesn't give a s#&% about the ring — it has no power over him! And he can carry it AND Frodo AND Sam AND f@%& up some orcs while he's doing it. This stuff just comes to me. I mean it. (I will also offer $10,000 for the Lord of the Rings franchise).
2) More Glau. Hey. There's a reason they're called "Summer" movies.
3) Can you say… musical? Well don't. Even I know that's an awful idea.
4) Christian Bale's John Connor will get a throat lozenge. This will also help his Batwork (ten grand for that franchise too, btw.)
5) More porn. John Connor never told Kyle Reese this, but his main objective in going to the past was to get some. What if there's a lot of future-babies that have to be made? Cue wah-wah pedal guitar — and dollar signs!
6) The movies will stop getting less cool.
To read how Whedon sums up this obvious exercise in levity, click here.

Dan O

Dan O’Bannon, science fiction screenwriter and director, passed away on December 17, 2009 in Los Angeles. He was best known for his work in the science-fiction and horror genres, with hits that included Alien, Total Recall, and The Return of the Living Dead.
O’Bannon made his first splash in 1974 with Dark Star, which expanded a low-budget, 45-minute short co-written with fellow USC student John Carpenter. Although the film had sci-fi trappings, such as a space ship and cryogenic freezing technology, Dark Star was essentially a quirky, black-hearted comedy about the ship’s misfit crew members. The movie became a cult hit; and not only did O’Bannon work on the screenplay, but he had an acting role as a character named Sgt. Pinback.
A few years later, after working on special computer animation and graphic displays for a little feature called Star Wars, O’Bannon wrote the script for Alien, based on a story penned by himself and Ronald Shusett. It was a career saver at the time, as an Alejandro Jodorowsky-helmed version of "Dune" he had been supervising special effects for had fallen apart.
Released in 1979, the Ridley Scott-helmed Alien put O’Bannon at the forefront of sci-fi/horror screenwriters, and is still considered particularly innovative. "With Alien, I figured out quite simply that, as an audience member, what you DON'T see scares you more than what you see," O’Bannon once observed. "In horror films, the scares that really grab the audience and build the tension for them don't come from the monster jumping out of the shadows! The terror comes from the slow times in between those pay-off scenes in which the characters are talking and planning—waiting for something to jump out at them!"
During the 80’s, O’Bannon penned the scripts for Blue Thunder, as well as the alien encounter-turned-vampirism film Lifeforce, as well as the remake of Invaders from Mars, the latter two both for director Tobe Hooper. However, with 1985’s Return of the Living Dead, O’Bannon jumped into the director’s chair himself for the first time. The result was a successful zombie flick that spawned several sequels.
O’Bannon re-teamed with Shusett on Total Recall, the 1990 Arnold Schwarzenegger blockbuster based on "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale", a short story by Philip K. Dick. The Paul Verhoeven-directed film grossed over $100 million US in 1990. In 1992, O’Bannon helmed his second feature, a low-budget horror film called The Resurrected, inspired by the writings of H.P. Lovecraft. In 1995, he received a co-screenplay credit for Screamers, based on another Dick story, "Second Variety".
At the time of his death, O’Bannon was working on the Alien prequel due out in 2011. He was also known for writing "The Long Tomorrow", a mid-1970’s short story comic book with artwork by Moebius, which blended elements of noir and cyberpunk. Both Ridley Scott and William Gibson have said their respective works — Blade Runner and Neuromancer — were influenced by "The Long Tomorrow".

Online Movie Viewing Improves in Canada

On Wednesday, Sept. 22, Netflix officially opened its virtual doors in Canada.
And despite the public relations disaster at the Toronto launch of the service, Netflix does change the game in Canada.
At Cdn$7.99 for unlimited viewing, the offering to Canadians is cheaper than what is available to Americans — US$8.99 — but that's also because the content offering isn't as deep north of the 49th parallel.
Netflix is not extending its mail-order service to Canada, for one thing, but only online streaming to computers, Apple handheld devices and to televisions connected to PS3 and Wii gaming consoles. Support for the Xbox 360 will be added later this fall.
And while Netflix co-founder and CEO Reed Hastings quipped that the catalogue available in Canada was "more than any person could watch in a lifetime", the movies and television shows in that catalogue are older titles.
A Canadian company, Zip.ca, provides a mail-order service for DVDs and Blu-ray, but has not yet rolled out an online service.
Canadians looking for more streaming video options for the living room might be better off with can look to Microsoft and Sony, both of which offer rental and purchase options of both movies and television through their respective Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 entertainment consoles.
Microsoft's video content is delivered through its Zune brand and has been available in Canada for a couple of years.
Sony's Video Delivery Service was launched in Canada this summer, and delivers movies and television to users through PS3 and PSP handhelds. It offers movies and television for rental or purchase,
Content — in standard and high-definition — can be rented — movies start at Cdn$3.99 — or purchased — Cdn $9.99 and up for movies, Cdn$1.99 and up for TV shows — and is all delivered digitally.
And the PlayStation Network keeps track of your purchases, so you're able to re-download purchases if you need to.
When it rolled out, movies like Avatar and Kick Ass, which had just hit video stores, were available. As of today, Date Night and Russell Crowe/Ridley Scott version of Robin Hood are on offer.
The viewing options in Canada available from PlayStation Canada and Xbox Canada are much more timely than what is available through Netflix currently.
But Netflix's one price for all you can eat strategy will make them a serious contender as they sign more licensing deals, and build out the catalogue of content available to Canadians.

Dark Knight Envy? Buy Your Very Own 1966 Batmobile

Back on January 7 we reported a story about CarInsurance.org's marketing campaign that compiled a list of [nearly] every single version of the Batmobile ever created. We didn't editorialize about our personal favorites, but for the purposes of this story it would have to be either the Tumbler — as featured inBatman Begins, The Dark Knight…and we presume the forthcoming third film in the trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises — or the original 1966 Batmobile featured in the Batman television series, based on a 1955 Lincoln Futura show car.
Coincidentally, if you missed it, around the same time Gizmodo published a story about a company called Fiberglass Freaks who are making build-to-order Batmobiles that are identical replicas to that same 1966 Batmobile.
We're not talking about 1/18" replicas. We're talking about actual, life-sized, functioning, driving cars. The car comes with some pretty significant extras including rocket exhaust flamethrower, a detect-a-scope…and for that contemporary touch, a DVD player and high-end stereo. This particular Batmobile is built from a 1970's Lincoln Town Car that they provide (so that gives you some idea of what sort of size and ride to expect).
It’s more than just a “kit car.” The wheel wells are enclosed with steel tubs. The doors are finished inside and out, and the doors even sound solid when they latch. The rocker panels are attached to the floor pan with steel and fiberglass. When you sit in the car, your head doesn’t hover over the front windshield, and you have plenty of leg room, too. We wet sand the car by hand to remove any surface imperfections in the paint, then we buff and polish the car to an incredible shine.
For some fascinating behind-the-scenes photos of custom car builder George Barris constructing the original 1966 Batmobile, go here…and scroll down the page almost half way.
While this strikes us as the ultimate fanboy indulgence, it's also pretty damn cool (we'll admit, we want one). And if you have a spare $150,000 burning a hole in your Batsuit, they'll build one for you, too.

NIGERIAN IDOL WINNER TO EMERGE THIS WEEKEND

For the first time in the history of reality TV in Nigeria, two ladies- Yeka Onka and Naomi Mac are the final two contestants slugging it out for the final prize And this Sunday March 27, 2011, a winner in the first season of Nigeria’s biggest music talent show ever!.
The TV reality show which has been the talk of the town since kicking off in November 2011 is finally coming to an end this Sunday and the
producers are seeing to it that the grand finale is a remarkable one for TV viewers in Nigeria, UK and America.
Already, the evicted 11 finalists- Ola, Nina, Chito, AJ, Tonii, George, Zoe, Alex, Glory, Bibi and Emmanuel are on camp at the Dream studios rehearsing for the final show and recording a team song with Naomi Mac and Yeka Onka
The winner will be announced at a star-studded event holding at the Dream studios in the presence of select key guests which will include
the crème de la crème of the entertainment industry, sponsors of Nigerian Idol and of course friends and relatives of the final contestants.
Aside the fact that fast rising stars like Praiz and Retta will perform; there promises to be performances from two special A list artistes- an international act and a Nigerian superstar.
The show which debuted on Sunday November 21, 2011 has gone through raw auditions to theatre auditions to workshop phase, to top50 phase, to the top 10 phase; wild card twist to top 13 phase to evictions!
“Numerous talents came for raw auditions; and with the help of the judges and the viewers, we have been able to cut it down to 100, then
50, 13 and now we present to you two divas- Yeka Onka and Naomi Mac who will be slugging it out for the grand prize” Rotimi Pedro MD of Optima Media Group says
And even though both ladies have their eyes on the grand prize of a recording contract, 7.5Million naira courtesy Etisalat and Royal Exchange, a brand new car courtesy Tom Tom and a Sony entertainment TV center, there is no denying the fact that the ultimate prize is an opportunity to become an international music star, and a proud global ambassador of contemporary Nigerian music.
Who wins this Sunday? Yeka Onka or Naomi Mac?
PROFILE OF FINALISTS
YEKA ONKA
Onyeka Gilbert a.k.a Yeka Onka looks like a model straight from a fashion magazine. Her looks don’t lie because Yeka is indeed a former beauty Queen. She was crowned Queen of Abia at a beauty pageant in 2006. Winning the beauty pageant opened up a lot of doors for her but according to the tall, dark beauty being the Queen of Abia didn’t really pan out well as she expected.
The beauty pageant was an aside for her really. Her real passion in life had always been music. From a tender age, she had been singing with her family band. “My father was the leader of the band and he played the saxophone, guitar and the piano very well. My mum was the
lead vocalist while me, my sisters and my brothers were backups.”
The family band however ‘part-disbanded’ in 2001 at the death of her mother and then fully so at the death of her father 5 years later in 2006. After her parents died, Gospel reggae artiste, Buchi took her under his wings and became her mentor.
Yeka’s confidence was not dented by her orphan state. The word ‘no’ simply does not exist in her dictionary. Rather than accept ‘no’ from the Idol judges at the audition stage, the 26 year old beauty embarked on an ‘Idol mini tour’ that took her from Enugu to Calabar and finally Lagos where she eventually got her ‘Yes’! She says she probably couldn’t have done it alone but for the chance meeting with an Idol crew member after her first rejection in Enugu. The crew member had encouraged her then by saying “it’s not how hard you fall but it’s what you do after you fall”. With that mentality she is giving Nigerian Idol all that she’s got.
NAOMI MAC
Naomi might be the youngest contestant in Nigerian Idol now but her confidence and carriage doesn’t betray her 19 years of age. Born and
raised in Ajegunle (a fact that she is very proud of), the smallish singer bashfully confesses that she has never been to her home state
of Bayelsa. She started singing at age 7 when she and her sisters formed a group.
The group of sisters started singing in their church and later in other churches in other states.“I actually found out that I had a talent, a gift…so I decided to develop and do more with it”, says Naomi, who is the third child of her parents, of why she chose to be a singer. It seems she chose the right path because as the girls’ band success began to increase; their father who was a photojournalist had to quit his job to become his daughters’ road manager. Her mum is a traditional masseuse. On being on Nigerian Idol, she says she “feels great and honoured” to be part of the epic music reality show. “It’s like a dream come true for me.” She tags her most memorable performance as the one where she had to dress like a guy so she could perform an R.Kelly number.
She is currently in a relationship and proudly states that her boyfriend, who she met in church, is the reason behind her success and has watched her perform a number of times during the competition. As of now she worships at The Father’s House and her favourite judge is
Jeffery Daniels because he is “young at heart”.

Is Eedris Abdulkareem living on past glory?

This was the question on the lips of some Ilorin residents, who came in their thousands to witness the Glo Rock n Rule concert, which was held at the ancient city penultimate weekend.
Eedris was well received when he sauntered on stage for his performance, as he went on his knees to recite Suratul Fathia, a popular Muslim prayer. Mr Lecturer, as he is fondly called, actually held the crowd spellbound, as he took them down memory lane with performances of some of his old hit tracks.
The crowd was yelling for more and Eedris maintained the tempo, as he did a solo performance to Shakomo, Sade and other hit songs that popularised ‘Remedies’, the defunct hip-hop group that was made up of himself, Eddy Montana and Tony Tetuila. Surprisingly, while some people actually commended his swagger on stage, many condemned Eedris solo performance to ‘Remedies’ hit songs. Besides, his performance of Calabar Girl, his new song, which featured Kenny Ogungbe, and saw almost all Kennis Music artistes on stage, attracted more jeers than cheers. Although it was not altogether a bad outing for Eedris Abdulkareem, the Ilorin fans expected fresh vibes from the Jagajaga crooner

Is this woman causing trouble in Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore's marriage?

September 29, 2011 | 12:26 PM ET
Is this woman causing trouble in Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore's marriage?
(Pacific Coast News via RumorFix.com)
The entertainment website RumorFix has posted photos of a woman they say is Sara Leal.
TheDirty.com reported earlier this week that Ashton Kutcher and Leal were having an affair, and that Kutcher was with her the night of his sixth wedding anniversary with wife Demi Moore.
The images were taken in June 2011 outside The Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles after Kutcher attended David Arquette’s “Beacher’s Madhouse” variety show there with a group of friends.
PHOTOS: Ashton’s Ladies.
Several reports say Kutcher and Moore have parted ways after Kutcher spent their anniversary partying in San Diego.
Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher arrive at the premiere of "The Joneses" in Los Angeles on April 8, 2010. (Reuters)
An independent source confirmed to FOX411’s Pop Tarts column that Kutcher checked into the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego on September 26 with former “That’s 70’s Show” co-star Danny Masterson.
A source also said something went down at the Moore/Kutcher residence on Wednesday as the scandal broke, with extra security being called in as “the issue” was being dealt with behind closed doors, raising speculation that Kutcher could be packing his bags.
Radar Online reported that Leal has met with an attorney to “explore her options.”
Kutcher and Moore’s reps did not return calls to FOX411’s Pop Tarts column. But Kutcher has since added a couple of messages to his popular Twitter feed.
First he put a link up on Twitter to the Public Enemy classic “Don’t Believe The Hype.” He also tweeted “When you ASSUME to know that which you know nothing of you make an ASS out of U and ME.”
Read more: http://entertainment.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/09/29/is-this-woman-causing-trouble-in-ashton-kutcher-and-demi-moores-marriage/#ixzz1ZPARZXH8

Nancy Grace 'Slips' on 'Dancing': Most Embarrassing Wardrobe Malfunction?

We're not quite sure what all the fuss is about here.
A clip of HLN host Nancy Grace jiggling out of her costume on Monday's "Dancing With the Stars" is going around, but it wasn't obvious on the air and you can't see much in the video (boo!).
SODAHEAD SLIDESHOW: See the most embarrassing wardrobe malfunctions.
That said, something happened, which you can tell by the way they cut to the audience AND host Tom Bergeron's quip: "On the European version that would be perfectly fine."
But Grace denies that a "wardrobe malfunction" ever took place.
"There was a little tiny movement, but it did not equate to a wardrobe malfunction," Grace, 51, told People magazine. "I would be mortified."
On Twitter, Grace sent a note to former DWTS contestant Lisa Rinna saying, "It was during that hopscotch when seismic shift occurred in my bra."
She also tweeted a photo of herself holding "Breast Petals" and once again "vehemently" denied a malfunction.
Indeed, it certainly seems tame compared to Janet Jackson's infamous 2004 Super Bowl debacle.
PHOTOS: See the latest celebrity pictures to hit the Internet.
From Grace to Jackson to Nicki Minaj, let us know: Who had the most embarrassing wardrobe malfunction?

Abuja Lover delivers baby girl for 9ice

It’s a baby girl for singer 9ice and his Abuja-based partner Bukky!
Although the pair would prefer to keep it hush hush, we can reliably tell you that they are taking their relationship a step further with the arrival, early last week, of their first baby together.
Sources close to 9ice tell us the singer -who’s separated from his wife Toni Payne – has been a regular visitor to Abuja, since Bukky – a fair-complexioned older woman – took in last year.
The relationship has never been public, even though those close to the singer are well aware they’re seriously dating.
We cannot tell for now, if the pair is planning to get married; especially as 9ice and Payne are still legally married.
Multiple sources tell us this lady is the reason the singer has been a regular visitor to Abuja; and that his ex Toni Payne is – unhappily- aware of the relationship. ‘In fact almost all the ladies close to him know of her. She herself even went out of her way to contact them‘, our source offers.
Sources say Bukky’s baby, a girl, was delivered on Monday March 21. The baby is 9ice’s second. His first son named Zion was delivered on Thursday December 4, 2008, at Presbytarian Hospital, Southern California, United States of America.
I can tell you for sure that 9ice has gotten the girl pregnant, and she has put to bed. Toni knows. But even her is keeping quiet but it’ll be a source of embarrassment for her‘, one of 9ice’s close friends tells us. He does not want to be named.
I can’t tell if he’ll marry her or not. But she’s very close to him and I believe they’re serious‘. He disclosed.
9ice’s manager Dehinde Fajana through a telephone conversation, Fajana claimed that he is ignorant of the situation and questioned the existence of his boss’ Abuja partner.
‘Is there any partner there? Does 9ice have any partner in Abuja? I’m sorry, I don’t know’ Fajana responded.
9ice did not immediately respond to our enquiries.

Porn company builds porn bunker to ride out forecasted

Debbie Does End of Days”?
San Fernando Valley porn purveyors Pink Visual may be the only adult film company equipped to release such a title, as they are planning on “riding out the 2012 apocalypse in style” by building an “enormous underground bunker” in anticipation of the December 21, 2012 apocalypse.
“Our goal is nothing less than to survive the apocalypse to come in comfort and luxury,” Pink Visual spokesman Quentin Boyer told CBS’ Los Angeles affiliate. “Whether that catastrophe takes the form of fireballs flung earthward by an all-seeing deity, extended torrential rainfall, Biblical rapture, an earthquake-driven mega-tsunami, radioactive flesh-eating zombies, or some combination of the above.”
Boyer told the LA Weekly that the X-rated bunker will be filled with “multiple fully-stocked bars, an enormous performing stage, and a sophisticated content production studio.”
With nothing to lose on that fateful night, Boyer suggests that those invited to the bunker may participate in an end of the world orgy. “Inevitably, I suppose, that will happen,” he muses. “It’s hard to say how people would respond to an actual apocalypse.”
Pink Visual’s guest list will be limited 1,500 VIPs said Boyer, adding that “Pink Visual performers, active site members and Twitter followers (will get) priority over the general public.”
Good thing they have over a year to plan for the event, as Boyer admits that they’re “still working on oxygen, that kind of thing.”
The exact location of the bunker has not been released due to “security concerns.”

And hey–there are worse places than Van Nuys to spend your last hours on earth. “If nothing else, it’ll be a fantastic one-night party, after which we’ll emerge from underground, red-faced, to go home, and the company will be left behind with the coolest bunker known to man,” Boyer said.