�Toy Story 3� beats Sandler, Cruise at box office

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Marvel launches small screen division

Marvel Television will develop programmes and short films based on lesser known characters.

LOS ANGELES, June 30 � Marvel Entertainment has created a small-screen division, Marvel Television. The company named award-winning comic book and TV writer Jeph Loeb at the head.

He will oversee turning Marvel�s comic book characters into television shows for both live-action and animation formats.

Loeb has written comics for both DC and Marvel. He won awards for �Batman: The Long Halloween,� �Batman/The Spirit� and �Superman for All Seasons.�



With television, he has worked as a producer and writer on Lost, executive producer on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Animated Series, and most recently as an executive producer for series Heroes.

Also, Marvel Studios plans to release film shorts featuring lesser known comic book characters such as Doctor Strange, Dazzler, Black Panther, and Power Pack, according to the websites Latino Review and Cinematical.

These short 10-minute films could be run before Marvel�s major movies, such as Iron Man 3 and The Avengers. It is considered less risky than producing a full-length film and an inexpensive way to introduce newer characters.

These shorts will be both live-action and animated films and could also be released online.

Based on the success of Pixar�s �Night and Day� film short that is running with the theatrical release of Toy Story 3, other studios may follow. Recently, Warner Brothers announced it will produce a series of new Looney Tunes shorts in 3D to be attached to upcoming feature films. Bugs Bunny is one of its best-known animated characters

The Showbuzz: Shrek Forever After

Movie review: 'Shrek Forever After' aims for

 
The last installment of the "Shrek" franchise finds the green ogre (voice of Mike Myers) in a world in which he has never been born thanks to villainous Rumpelstiltskin

The Shrek we meet at the start of "Shrek Forever After" is a shell of an ogre: mean and green on the outside, but all mellow yellow inside. Married life and fatherhood have made him soft, and no longer scary. Gone are the angry mobs who used to chase him with pitchforks, replaced by some obnoxious brat at his triplets' birthday party, who keeps demanding, "Do the roar!" as if Shrek were just another celebrity with a worn-out catchphrase.



Can this be the monster that we know and love, or is he merely going through the motions, catering to the clamoring crowds that want to see him do what he's always done, one more time?

The same thing might be asked of the movie, the fourth and supposedly final chapter in the animated series. Has "Shrek Forever After" still got it, or is it just a crass attempt to cash in on a now-tired franchise?

Believe it or not, there's life in the old boy yet. After a disappointing third outing, this "Shrek" brings the cycle of fairy-tale-themed films to a fine finish.

The premise itself will sound familiar. Not from earlier Shrek movies, but from the 1946 "It's a Wonderful Life." In an attempt to get back some of his mojo, if only for a day, Shrek (voice of Mike Myers) finds himself in the position of George Bailey, in a world in which he has never been born.

That's because he makes a magical deal with Rumpelstiltskin (Walt Dohrn). Shrek gets 24 hours to live the life he used to have, before fame and family came along. In return, Rumpelstiltskin gets to take a day from Shrek's life.

Our hero should have read the fine print more carefully. Rumpelstiltskin picks the day Shrek was born, meaning that, while Shrek now finds himself in a world unencumbered by diapers and responsibility, it's also a world in which all the good he's done has had no effect. He wasn't there to rescue his wife, Fiona (Cameron Diaz), from her tower prison. Rumpelstiltskin is now king, and his kingdom is a police state, run by witches who hunt down ogres and toss them in jail. Fiona is the Amazonian leader of the ogre resistance movement.

Fortunately, there's an escape clause: If he and Fiona share one "true love's kiss," Shrek gets his old life back. All he has to do is make Fiona fall in love with him -- all over again. If he doesn't, he'll evaporate come sunrise.

That much is reminiscent of the first two movies, which also revolved around the power of a transformative kiss. But there's enough here that's clever and new -- and at times very funny -- to keep things from feeling stale.

Many beloved old characters return, only much transformed. Gingy the gingerbread man (Conrad Vernon) is now a scarred professional gladiator, fighting animal crackers in an arena for sport. Donkey (Eddie Murphy) is a mangy beast of burden, pulling the paddy wagon into which Shrek is thrown after he's captured. Most hilariously, Puss (Antonio Banderas) can no longer fit into his boots, having put on well more than a few pounds as Fiona's pampered pet.

Among the new characters, Rumpelstiltskin makes for a perfect villain. Vain, insecure and ridiculous in an assortment of constantly changing wigs, he's a pleasure to boo and hiss at.

The Pied Piper also makes an indelible debut, without ever uttering a word. Hired by Rumpelstiltskin to round up ogres, he carries a high-tech flute with him -- it has settings for rats, witches, ogres, etc. -- that makes dancers out of whatever and whomever he wants, to consistently amusing effect. If you liked the episode of "Glee" where the football team shakes it, improbably, to Beyonc�'s "Single Ladies," you'll love the sight of hulking, line-dancing ogres.

Have we heard some of this before? Sure. But as with the best fairy tales -- the ones that bear repeating again and again -- the delight in "Shrek Forever After" is not in the tale itself, but in the telling.

*** PG. At area theaters. Contains slapsticky action and bathroom humor. 98 minutes.

With Diaper Stunt, 'Family Guy' Just Trying to Get Fined by FC

'Family Guy' aired its 150th episode on Sunday, but instead of celebrating, the show is under fire once again by a family oriented watchdog group. The Parents Television Council claims the hit FOX sitcom was intentionally trying to needle the FCC when they released 'Brian and Stewie,' in which one character eats the others (oh no, please don't say it) feces.

Broadcast decency laws apply to anything depicting content in which excretory functions are used in an offensive manner.



"It seems as though 'Family Guy' creator, Seth MacFarlane, carefully reviewed the legal definition of broadcast indecency and set out to violate it as literally as he could," said PTC President Tim Winter on their website.

We don't take pleasure in describing what occurs between Brian and Stewie in the episode, but in a nutshell, the pair are stuck in a bank vault when Stewie makes a deposit in his diaper. He somehow convinces his canine companion to eat the diaper's contents, then shockingly coaxes him to clean his bottom using ... his ... tongue. (Pause to gag.)

There is also vomit and the eating of said vomit.

"Given the patently offensive depictions of one character eating excrement out of a diaper, then eating vomit, and finally licking the remaining excrement from a baby's bottom -- while the baby expresses physical gratification from having his bottom licked -- we believe that the broadcast decency law has been broken," Winter said.

The FCC has so far not filed an official complaint against FOX, but the PTC is calling on all concerned parents to boycott the show's sponsors.

"We will also hold publicly accountable the corporate sponsors which underwrote this feces-eating broadcast, ironically a number of which were restaurants."

FOX and McFarlane have so far declined to comment on the controversy.

"How to Train Your Dragon" is proving hard to slay -- claiming the top box-office spot in its fifth weekend in theaters,

SOARING AGAIN: Hiccup and Toothless in "How to Train Your Dragon" are back on top of the box office after weeks in second and third place.

"How to Train Your Dragon" is proving hard to slay -- claiming the top box-office spot in its fifth weekend in theaters, studio estimates released yesterday show.

The animated film earned $15 million, dropping just 23 percent from last weekend's take.



Jennifer Lopez's "The Back-up Plan" made $12.3 million, while the action comedy "The Losers" opened short of expectations, at $9.6 million.

"We couldn't be more thrilled," said Anne Globe, head of worldwide marketing for DreamWorks Animation SKG, which produced "Dragon."

"The Back-up Plan," Lopez's first screen venture since 2006, opened within industry expectations. The singer/actress stars opposite Alex O'Loughlin.

Released by CBS Corp.'s film division, it was made for $35 million and ruled Friday night -- only to lose the lead as families streamed into matinee showings of "Dragon."
"How to Train Your Dragon" worked its way back into first place at U.S. and Canadian theaters this weekend, Bloomberg reports. "How to Train Your Dragon" debuted as the top movie on March 28 before dropping to third place and then inching its way into second place last weekend.

Weekend Total
in millions of dollars
1. How to Train Your Dragon (5) 15.0 178.0
2. The Back-Up Plan (1) 12.3 12.3
3. Date Night (3) 10.6 63.5
4. The Losers (1) 9.6 9.6
5. Kick-Ass (2) 9.5 34.9
6. Clash of the Titans (4) 9.0 145.6
7. Death at a Funeral (2) 8.0 28.4
8. Oceans (1) 6.0 8.5
9. The Last Song (4) 3.7 55.4
10. Alice in Wonderland (8) 2.2 327.5

Muslim Group Issues "Warning" to "South Park" Show-Alleged show Prophet Mohammad in a bear outfit doing violence to females.

South Park




Muslims consider any physical representation of Muhammad to be blasphemous

A U.S. Muslim group has issued a dire Internet "warning" to creators of the satirical animated TV show "South Park" over a depiction of the Prophet Mohammad in a bear outfit.

"We have to warn Matt (Stone) and Trey (Parker) that what they are doing is stupid and they will probably wind up like Theo Van Gogh for airing this show," said a posting on website RevolutionMuslim.com.The website posted a graphic photo of slain Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh, who was killed in 2004 by an Islamic militant over a movie he made that accused Islam of condoning violence against women.

See the video with the alleged scandal clips.Below.




It also posted link to a news article with details of a mansion in Colorado that Parker and Stone apparently own, suggesting the Web posters know where to find the South Park creators.

The episode in question aired last week on cable channel Comedy Central of the 200th episode of "South Park", in which the Prophet Mohammad was depicted in a bear outfit.

"South Park" has a history of aiming biting satire at politicians, celebrities and the media, and its episodes have often drawn criticism.

The website of Revolution Muslim was down on Wednesday because of what a leader of the group called a traffic overload.

Most Muslims consider any depiction of the founder of Islam as offensive.

The head of Revolution Muslim, Younus Abdullah Muhammad, 30, defended the posting.

"How is that a threat?," he told Reuters. "Showing a case study right there of what happened to another individual who conducted himself in a very similar manner? It's just evidence."

According to U.S. law enforcement officials, the federal government rarely prosecutes threat cases. The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution gives broad protections to free speech, and what constitutes a threat is often subject to interpretation.

In Ireland, police last month arrested seven people in connection with a suspected plot, involving the Internet, to kill Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks. Vilks' 2007 sketch of the Prophet Mohammad with the body of a dog drew anger from Muslims.

First Look: New `Shrek' premieres at Tribeca-Shrek hit my midlife crisis,Pussy is fat.

From left, actors Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, Mike Myers and Antonio Banderas attend the premiere of "Shrek Forever After" during the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival in New York, on Wednesday, April 21, 2010.


In this film publicity image released by DreamWorks Animation, Shrek, voiced by Mike Myers, left, and an over-fed Puss In Boots, voiced by Antonio Banderas are shown in a scene from "Shrek Forever After." 

One thing hasn't changed with "Shrek": Puss in Boots still steals the show.

The fourth and supposedly final "Shrek" film, "Shrek Forever After," premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on Wednesday night at New York's Ziegfeld Theatre.

It was a glitzy affair for the film, the first in the franchise to be released in 3-D. Given the box-office boost 3-D films have seen � particularly since "Avatar" � the film's studio, Dreamworks, expects a 3-D "Shrek" to be a hit, capping a franchise that has already earned more than $1 billion at the domestic box office.

"Shrek Forever After," which will be released May 21, returns the voice cast of Mike Myers (Shrek), Cameron Diaz (Fiona), Eddie Murphy (Donkey) and Antonio Banderas as Puss in Boots, the Zorro-like feline.



The film takes the shape of "It's a Wonderful Life." A mid-life crisis comes to Shrek, now a father of three, who laments the loss of his younger, wilder days as a fearsome ogre. The evil magician Rumpelstilskin (Walt Dohrn) makes a dubious deal with Shrek, the result being that Shrek was never born and never married Fiona.

The bizarro world Shrek encounters � something like the sideways shifts of ABC's "Lost" � is a mishmash of mostly the familiar fairy tale characters, but with different twists of fate. The Gingerbread Man, so meek in previous "Shrek" movies, is now a kickboxing warrior.

Puss in Boots, too, has been inverted. In this "Shrek," the debonair swashbuckler has turned out an obese house cat, too lazy to shoo a mouse drinking from his bowl. He doesn't even have his namesake's footwear.

The character, something of a sensation after his debut in "Shrek 2," won many of the laughs at the premiere of "Shrek Forever After."

Shortly before the premiere, Banderas said he believed the "Shrek" films have been popular because they're enjoyed by both kids and parents � "but most especially by the parents." He credited a loose atmosphere for the films' tone.

"We are absolutely not conditioned to say the lines in a specific way, but they allow us to improvise a lot," said Banderas. "I know that is not the method used in all animated movies."

"Shrek Forever After" continues many of the familiar characteristics of the franchise � the pop song allusions, the fractured fairy-tale storytelling � but moviegoers can expect Puss in Boots to again be a memorable part of the experience.

The premiere was the opening night for the Tribeca Film Festival, which was co-founded by Robert De Niro. The festival, in its ninth year, runs through May 2.