If you look for a good speech now, you undo me.

esc_key @ 2014-04-13T13:39:00

2014-04-13T17:39:48Z

Do any of you guys remember when I was in college, I posted about this guy in my romantics class who said asshole things about Emma? I feel like it was a series of asshole things he said.

But I just went to look for them and I couldn't find them. Apparently I didn't tag. This is making me sad. If I find, I'm going to tag the shit out of them.

What's a good tag name? Emma asshole? Annoying Guy in my English class? IDK. I want something snappy.

LJ: Scrapbook Changes

2012-04-28T19:28:42Z

Originally posted by outoftime at LJ: Scrapbook Changes

Originally posted by green_queen at LJ: Scrapbook Changes

Originally posted by zeitgeistic at Livejournal, come on.

I'm just going to put out this PSA:

Livejournal Scrapbook is going away and will be replaced by the mysterious "Photo Album". Your 10GB of Paid Member space is now 2GB. If you care, there is an explanation in Russian on the Russian news page. There's also a user-submitted translation.

+ You will no longer have access to your Scrapbook once this goes live.
+ Your images will redirect, but the URL will be different.
+ Unable to tell what will happen to any photos you have that put you over the 2GB limit.
+ Back up your Scrapbook just in case.
+ If you want your photos transferred over now instead of waiting, let them know here.

esc_key @ 2012-03-11T18:34:00

2012-03-11T22:34:20Z

Please nominate for this year's chickfight!

esc_key @ 2012-01-19T23:40:00

2012-01-20T04:42:13Z

I hope everyone knows this already but DO NOT click on any links to "new" MegaVideo sites.

I suppose some people think it's fun to annoy the tech people at companies that may or may not lobby for SOPA/PIPA. But I don't think it's the best way to respond to legislation that sounds good in theory but would actually destroy fair use in copyright law as we know it.

See these companies are saying we're a bunch of pirating, illegal downloading criminals. I don't think more illegal activity is going to help matters.

esc_key @ 2011-12-16T14:15:00

2011-12-16T19:15:36Z

Today my icon is sad. Joe Simon, co-creator of Captain America, has passed away. I'm slightly irritated that Christopher Hitchens died today and stole the death limelight. Did he ever create a superhero who punched Adolf Hitler in the face?

I was going to quote some stuff from this article but maybe you just ought to read the whole thing?

But if you are lazy, here are some fun facts about Captain America:
1. Cap was the first superhero to have a comic book named after him.
2. The first issue appeared a good year before the US entered World War II. Steve punched Adolf while America was still trying to stay out of it (sort of).
3. There was a hilariously terrible "Captain America" movie produced in the 1990s in which Steve Rogers was played by Matt Salinger, the son of author JD Salinger.

esc_key @ 2011-11-23T11:28:00

2011-11-23T16:28:22Z

RIP Anne McCaffrey.

So weird.

esc_key @ 2011-11-02T15:20:00

2011-11-02T19:20:16Z

I'm sad. No one told me that Celebrity Autobiography was bac. I want to go. There is another one November 21.

AVENGERS: Who Are These People?

2011-10-25T22:42:36Z

All day I'm like, "Why has no one updated their LJ?" and I go to post this, and it turns out LJ has logged me out. Damnit.

Anyway I hope and pray this is the last part. Though maybe it should've been the first part?

I will begin with a short recap of the heroes you should already know, but go into more detail with the newer ones.

Our Titular Heroes

Name: Anthony Stark
Codename: Iron Man
Bio: Genius billionaire, playboy philanthropist.
Superpowers?: None
Signature Weapon: Super suited up!
Appears In: Iron Man (origin story), The Incredible Hulk post-credits scene, Iron Man 2, The Consultant Marvel One Shot
A Note on Allies: It was originally reported that James Rhodes/War Machine (Don Cheadle, formerly Terrence Howard) and Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) were contracted for The Avengers. Appearances by them are possible, but it now it seems that Marvel decided they had enough characters to deal with. Though there may be references, especially since Tony is in a "stable" relationship with Pepper at the end of Iron Man 2.

Name: Doctor Bruce Banner
Codename: The Hulk
Bio: Regular nerd turned into giant green rage monster by his own research.
Superpowers?: As Hulk, yes. As Bruce Banner, no.
Signature weapon: Fists for smashing.
Appears in: None? Actor Mark Ruffalo will be making his first appearance. The Incredible Hulk, with Edward Norton, is kinda-sorta still canon. Hulk starring Eric Bana is definitely not.

Name: Thor Odinson
Codename: Thor
Bio: Your regular Norse God.
Superpowers?: Oh yeah. And a fancy hammer.
Signature weapon: Aforementioned fancy hammer called Mjölnir.
Random Fact: I told my sister this and she thought I was crazy, so of course I must repeat so you'll think I'm crazy too! Contrary to popular believe, Thor cannot fly. He throws his hammer really hard and holds on. Being a weather god and controlling the wind might help too. But mostly the hammer thing!
Appears in: Thor
Allies: Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) will definitely appear in The Avengers. So will Thor's brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston). Unclear if Thor sees Loki as a true "villain", especially considering that he learned An Important Lesson(tm) about the value of peace in Thor.

Name: Steven Rogers
Codename: Captain America
Bio: Itty Bitty Man turned into Super Soldier. Frozen in time, yadda, yadda, yadda.
Superpowers?: Yep.
Signature weapon: Star-spangled shield.
Appears in: Captain America: The First Avenger
A Note on Allies: Been asleep for 70 years so most of his pals are dead and not expected to be in The Avengers. But don't count out James Barnes/Bucky (Sebastian Stan); he has a tendency to not stay dead in the comics. If you see a dude with one arm...

Avengers Without Their Own Movies (Unless This Avengers Thing Really Catches On)

Name: Natasha Romanoff (sometimes Natalia Romanova)
Codename: Black Widow
Superpowers?: Unclear. In the comics, Natasha is "enhanced" and made to heal easily and be resistant to aging, etc.
Appears in: Iron Man 2
Bio: Natasha Romanoff was born in Russia. She was trained as a spy and assassin by the government. Originally, she was a villain in the Iron Man comics, hence the murderous nickname. (Notice, it is not said who she is working for in the beginning of IM2, it was supposed to be a "twist" that she was already with SHIELD and not with Vanko.) Then she switched sides and became a SHIELD agent. She's an expert in all martial arts, marksmanship, gymnastics and ballet.
Signature weapon(s): Natasha has guns and will shoot you in the face. She also wields some higher tech weapons including (but not limited to): "Widow's Bite" taser-type bracelets on her wrists, "Widow's kiss" knock out spray, grappling hooks and wire, and various discs on her belt that contain all sorts of surprises.

I couldn't find a good clip of her fight scene in IM2. She can be seen using the Widow's Kiss spray, Widow's Line wire and belt discs. But not the bracelets--frowny face.

Braaaacelets. Handy accessory.

Name: Clint Barton
Codename: Hawkeye
Superpowers: Nope.
Appears in: Thor, very briefly.
Signature weapon: Bow and arrow.
Note on signature weapon: This isn't a straight Robin Hood kind of bow and arrow. Hawkeye has trick arrows. I know for a fact that the trick arrows will be seen in The Avengers because actor Jeremy Renner said in the EW article that Hawkeye has tranquilizer arrows designed for the Hulk. That means if the Hulk goes on a rampage there is at least one Avenger who can take him down. Good thinking, Nick Fury.

Cartoon Hawkeye likes to bait the Hulk, for the lulz.

Bio: Clint Barton is the world's greatest archer. (Well, Marvel's greatest archer. Green Arrow is giving me a face.) Clint wanted to become a superhero and set out to study marksmanship. I've seen some people on the intertubes mocking him because he learned his trade from carnies and at the circus. Apparently that does not make you a superhero. (Obviously these people have not seen The Cape, so I'll point out that Dick Grayson was also a circus boy.) Then he was kind of literally seduced into a life of crime by... oh! It was Black Widow! When she was evil!

When left to his own devices, Hawkeye uses his carnie powers for good. He joined the Avengers and SHIELD, even though he has a bit of a problem with authority figures.

Sometimes it takes the Avengers to define a person. And sometimes you don't know that something like the Avengers is exactly what you need until you have it in your life.
--Hawkeye

SHIELD and Agents
SHIELD is Marvel's fictional spy/military/superhero government organization. It's a little bit CIA, a little bit Department of Defense, and a lot like CONTROL if Agent 99 ran the place. (How awesome is Barbara Feldon, guys? Right?) In the movieverse, it stands for Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. In the comics it has meant, Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, Law-Enforcement Division and Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate. Basically, Marvel wanted an organization called SHIELD and put random important sounding words together to form that acronym.

Name: Nick Fury
Superpowers?: No.
Appears in: Iron Man post-credits scene, Iron Man 2, Thor post-credits scene, Captain America: The First Avenger.
Signature weapon: Does the eye patch count?
Bio: Sergeant Fury cut his teeth leading the Howling Commandos during World War II. Of course, in the movieverse the Howling Commandos worked with Steve Rogers in Captain America: The First Avenger instead of Fury. In the mid-60s, Fury was promoted to Colonel and became a spy for SHIELD.

Capt. America and His Howling Commandos?!: 4 of these guys used to be Fury's. Jim Morita, Jacques Dernier, Dum Dum Dugan, and Gabe Jones. (Ignore Bucky and Montgomery Falsworth/Union Jack, aka the British guy)

During this time, Nick Fury had the great good fortune to be drawn by perhaps the most acclaimed comic book illustrator, Jim Steranko. Steranko's art is super cool and, as a result, Fury became super cool. So when he was made-over for The Ultimates, the creators intentionally based his appearance on Sam Jackson who they thought was the "coolest." They also made him a General, just because.

Memorable Depictions of Nick Fury: Howling Commando Days, Steranko & the Ultimates

Depictions of Nick Fury I'd Like to Forget: The original design of Ultimate!Nick Fury, who is apparently a John Travolta impersonator or something, and David Hasslehoff's TV movie which I actually watched for some reason

Name: Maria Hill
Superpowers?: No.
Bio: Maria Hill is a relatively new character to the Marvel Universe. I was kind of surprised Joss Whedon brought Cobie Smulders in to play her for The Avengers. Maria Hill was appointed Director of SHIELD following Nick Fury's departure. (In the animated series, she is portrayed as his second-in-command and I assume that is what they are going with for the film.) Initially, the Avengers did not like her at all. But eventually she began to earn the trust of Tony Stark. Maria supported the superhero registration act and is, she ordered Captain America to lead the Avengers to capture superheroes that didn't cooperate. Cap refused. Tony supported Maria. The result was Civil War and a dead Captain (I don't know why I like posting that so much).

Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill and Sam Jackson as Nick Fury on-set with Joss Whedon

I'm sure some fans would describe Maria Hill as kind of a bitch. She's the kind of lady who will ignore a direct order from the President if she wants to. She makes snarky comments to aliens who are about to kill her. So on the one hand, bitch. But on the other hand:

Also, in the comics Maria has had teh sex with Iron Man. I don't know if they'd go that way in the movies since Cobie Smulders is much younger than Robert Downey Jr., but we'll see.

A Note on Another SHIELD Agent: When it was announced that Amanda Righetti (Friday Night Lights, The Mentalist) would be in Captain America: The First Avenger and The Avengers, some people assumed she would be a superhero of some kind. She makes a very brief appearance at end of Captain America: The First Avenger as the female agent who sounds the alarm when Steve wakes up in the present day. Some fans have speculated that she is supposed to be Agent 13, Sharon Carter. Sharon is Peggy Carter's (played by Hayley Atwell) niece. She's also Steve Roger's current love interest in the comics.

However, Righetti is credited as simply "SHIELD agent." The only thing that makes me think she could be Sharon is the fact that "code 13" is called as Steve rises from his sickbed and escapes into Times Square. (She certainly doesn't look like Sharon, who is a blonde in the comics.) So until Marvel tells me otherwise I am going to assume Righetti is playing a background SHIELD agent assigned to Steve Rogers.

Is this Peggy's protege?

Other Heroes & Films
The Avengers might be the capstone of "Phase I" of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it's not the last movie, duh. At the Avengers panel at NYCC, Kevin Feige intimated that there would be some kind of post-credits teaser on the film. Iron Man 3 is supposed to go into production soon, so that is the best bet. Thor 2 is on the horizon as well, and the Captain America sequel is supposed to take place in present day so Cap is sticking around after The Avengers.

I'm sure Marvel would also like to make another Hulk movie. There was talk of a sequel to The Incredible Hulk with The Leader (who was played by Tim Blake Nelson) as the villain. Although it's unclear who would be the Hulk in that case, Ruffalo or Norton? Anyway, if you see a guy with a giant head, that's what that's about.

According to Marvel, Dr. Strange is also in development. Strange is, of course, the magician of the Marvel Universe. It's possible that Phase II of the MCU will be more mystical, whereas this phase has been more technology based, even attempting to rationally explain Asgard by talking about astrophysics and using phrases like "Einstein-Rosen bridge." (It's a handwave but a science-y handwave!)

IS HE NEXT?: Dr. Strange

MCU Sequels Planned

Iron Man 3

Thor 2

Captain America 2

Possible Spin-Offs

Black Widow

SHIELD

Nick Fury

War Machine

Winter Soldier (Bucky Barnes)

[Y No Hawkeye?]

Planned Films Whose Heroes May or May Not Join the MCU

Dr. Strange

Luke Cage

Black Panther

The Sub-mariner

Iron Fist

[Y No Ladiez?!]

Planned Films That Would Not Be Part of the MCU

The Wolverine

The Amazing Spider-Man

X-Men: First Class 2

The Inhumans

Deadpool

Kick Ass 2

Fantastic Four Reboot

AVENGERS: About the Team and stuff

2011-10-24T21:26:12Z

Part two of the Avengers post. This one is about the team in general.

EARTH 616 (Main Comic Continuity). The Avengers is the Marvel Universe's superhero team, similar to DC's Justice League. They first "assembled" in 1964. The team back then was Thor, Iron Man, the Hulk, Wasp and Ant-Man. The Hulk literally left in the next issue, and Captain America replaced him in issue #4. The roster is always changing. Pretty much every hero in the Marvel Universe has been an Avenger at one point or another. (See: list of Avengers team members) I think that is what makes the Avengers different from the Justice League. There is no trinity (Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman) who are (almost) always present.

Also, the creation of the Avengers came from a different place. Most of the Avengers heroes didn't have their own comic books. Iron Man made appearances in "Tales of Suspense," while Wasp and Ant-Man appeared in "Tales to Astonish." Thor was created for "Journey into Mystery" which eventually became "The Mighty Thor" a few years after the Avengers debuted. Publication of Captain America had ceased in the 1950s. The Avengers found him and revived him—both in the comics and out. I like that aspect of the team. They support each other and make one another better. (I think this is also why Marvel's "big" heroes like Spider-man and Wolverine did not become part of the Avengers until recently. The book was a place to keep well-liked characters from dying, not another showcase for the super successful ones. That's just my impression though.)

In an interview about how to bring the Avengers to the big screen, Joss Whedon said he'd been looking at the first issues, but also The Ultimates and some others.

One thing that the first Avengers book and the film had in common was that bad guy: Loki. In the comics, Loki (being the trickster god and all) tricked the Hulk into rampaging and destroying a railroad line (oh noes! Not the trains!). I doubt that's a big enough menace to be the plot of the film but I do hope we get to see Loki messin' with the heroes' heads. It's just fun.

I digress. As I said, in the beginning the team was:

Iron Man

Thor

Ant-Man

Wasp

The Hulk

(Captain America)

The ACTUAL "First Avengers": Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Ant-Man and Wasp

Compare that to the Film Team

Captain America (Steve Rogers)

Iron Man (Tony Stark)

Thor (Thor Odinson, aka Donald Blake)

The Hulk (Dr. Bruce Banner)

Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff)

Hawkeye (Clint Barton)

WHY ARE ANT-MAN AND WASP NOT IN THIS? Long story short: They have not been in Marvel Cinematic Universe films!

Longer answer, they've pretty much been replaced by Hawkeye and Black Widow. Old schoolers, like George RR Martin, are upset about this. I'm not really sure how I feel.

Henry Pym (Ant-Man, also called Giant Man) is a scientist and discovers something he calls "Pym Particles" that allow him to grow really, really tall and really, really small. Also, he can talk to insects. Janet Van Dyne (Wasp) is his girlfriend. He grafts wings to her back and shows her how to turn really, really small. Originally she couldn't grow really, really tall like he could (I guess you needed a penis for that) but now she can.

I honestly can't explain it better than this COMICS, EVERYBODY!

Marvel is still trying to make an Ant-Man movie, like they have for years. Though I believe the studio heads have said they are now looking to make it more of a comedy film. It's kind of sad that he and Jan can't get the same respect as the other heroes. But on the other hand, he talks to ants. There's no way that's not hilarious. (Recent news about the Ant-Man movie)

THE ULTIMATES. In the 2000s, Marvel rebooted their top titles under the Ultimate imprint. First was "Ultimate X-Men" then "Ultimate Spider-man." The Avengers became simply "The Ultimates." The first two books in the Ultimates series are not bad, though I have issues with the dialog (in particular, there is one scene that fanboys love where Captain America mocks France which I think is not only out of character for Steve but also ignores the fact that he fought with many French officers during the war, but whatever, I'm seriously digressing). The Ultimates team is the same as the original comics team.

A big difference between the Ultimates and the original Avengers is that the team was actively put together by Nick Fury and SHIELD. The MCU!Avengers are similar in that regard. Fury and SHIELD have sought these heroes out and are kind of forcing them into a team dynamic.

The Ultimates

The other thing of note is that "The Ultimates"' diversified the characters. By that I mean, Nick Fury the director of SHIELD has turned into a black guy and Wasp is suddenly Asian. That's probably the main contribution to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, that the illustrators based the appearance of Ultimate Nick Fury on Samuel L. Jackson, so when it became time to cast him there was only one choice. There is even a kind of clunky scene in which the Avengers sit around and talk about who should play them in the movie.

(For the curious, here is how it breaks down: The guys choose Brad Pitt for Captain America (Steve doesn't know who that is), Fury thinks Johnny Depp would make a good Iron Man, Matthew McConnaughey is tapped to play Ant-Man, Wasp is Lucy Liu (though Jan complains that all Asian people do not look alike), and Hank picks Steve Buscemi for Bruce Banner. The only one who actually gets his way is Nick Fury, who obviously picks Jackson for himself being modeled after him and all. And also because he is in charge.)

FUN FACT: However Robert Downey Jr is mentioned in the Ultimates. When Captain America breaks Nick Fury's nose, Fury tells him not to worry about it because his nose has "been smashed more times than Robert Downey Junior." (Though it's a stupid thing to say since Steve probably doesn't know who that is either.)

The Ultimates also has Bruce Banner as a scientist working for SHIELD. He hates turning into the Hulk and hopes that finding Captain America and recreating the Super Soldier Serum will cure him. Anyway, this is sort of similar to the MCU in which Banner was working on replicating the Super Soldier Serum but wasn't properly informed about the nature of the project by General Ross. Steve's DNA is unable to fix Banner, and he turns into the Hulk in the middle of an alien invasion (as you do), so he serves as an antagonist more than a team member in this series.

In the animated film Ultimate Avengers, based on "the Ultimates," the plot is kept pretty much the same except that Black Widow is added to the team. She and Steve Rogers are considered to be the only professionals on the team, and the others are referred to as "civilians." (Natasha believes their tomfoolery will get them killed.) I mention this because she serves at Nick Fury's eyes and ears on the team in the animated movie, and it appears she plays a similar role in the MCU. (See: Scene from Ultimate Avengers in which the team screws up its first mission from SHIELD and Natasha has a hilarious moose and squirrel accent.)

WHO IS IN CHARGE HERE ANYWAY? The Avengers team has had a couple of different team leaders. Right now, in the comics the official team according to Marvel's website is Maria Hill. (While Luke Cage leads the "New Avengers" and Steve Rogers leads the "Secret Avengers." You can see how this gets confusing.)

Anyway, since we're talking about the movie and that rules out people like Luke Cage, there are two distinct possibilities: (Well, three if you count having Nick Fury lead the team from afar; I call that wussing out): Iron Man and Captain America.

Steve is the leader in "The Ultimates," for example. And Tony is the leader in the current animated adaptations, Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes and The Super Hero Squad Show.

You'll notice the trailer is already teasing a rivalry between the two. The two have been at odds in the comics as well. We just got over the Marvel Civil War storyline that had Steve leading one faction of superheroes and Tony leading the opposing team. It ended with the much publicized death of Captain America*:

Captain America is shot

*Don't worry he was only comic book dead not actually dead. He came back to life.. oh, right! In time for the movie. What a coincidence?

Long story short (too late!) on the who is in charge: I don't know. Joss Whedon? We'll see.

But! For the sake of lulz, I will tell you that shippers are already going nuts with Steve/Tony in the wake of Civil War, and now the movies are making it worse. Every so often some irritated fanboy will get SUPER mad because superheroes are NOT GAY (like Batman and Robin!). It's hilarious. I wanted you to be able to point and laugh too. You're welcome.

If Tony Had Been Born a Woman, Civil War Never Would've Happened
aka How Legalizing Gay Marriage Could Have Saved Captain America's life

UP NEXT: Part III: Who the fuck are these people?

AVENGERS: How the films work together

2011-10-23T20:38:24Z

lnbw wanted me to do an "Avengers" primer post. But it got kinda long... bordering on tl;dr which is not the point. Like at all! So this is part one! Connections in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe
1. Iron Man (2008)
2. The Incredible Hulk (2008)
3. Iron Man 2 (2010)
4. Thor (2011)
5. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
6. The Avengers (2012)

The events of Hulk, Spider-man and various X-Men movies are not considered to be part of the MCU. According to IMDb, Marvel attempted have Wolverine and Magneto—both who had significant involvement in World War II—cameo in Captain America but they could not work out the rights situation.

Iron Man: The major connective thread in this movies is SHIELD. In this film, SHIELD stands for Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. Not the same as the comics. It's introduced via Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg). Coulson was not a character from the comics (though he has since become popular enough to get a digital comic of his own, and, in addition to the films, Clark Gregg will voice the character in the new Spider-man animated series).

Samuel L. Jackson makes a brief appearance in the after credits scene as Nick Fury, the director of SHIELD.

The director, Jon Favreau, thought too many superhero films had been set in New York City (see: X-Men, Spider-man, etc) and decided to have Tony Stark live in California. In the comics, his base of operations is Stark Tower in Manhattan. In the trailer for The Avengers, we see Stark Tower. I assume his change of residence will be explained. At least, it won't be difficult since Stark owns many homes.

Stark Tower, from the trailer

The Incredible Hulk: Of all the MCU movies, The Incredible Hulk is probably the one that is least important. Obviously, Ed Norton isn't coming back. The post-credits scene in which Tony Stark approaches General Ross about "a team" had to be explained away by "The Consultant" one shot, in which Coulson intentionally sends Stark knowing he will piss Ross off.

Ross is apparently a fan of Captain America. He has a portrait of Cap in his office, a storage tank marked Dr. Reinstein (the original name for Dr. Erskine). On the DVD, I’m told—since I don't have it—Steve Rogers can be seen buried in ice in a deleted scene. (Bruce Banner journeyed to the Arctic to commit suicide, but this was "too dark" for film audiences.)

In the opening, there are cuts to emails from Nick Fury and designs for a Jeep specifically designed to take down the Hulk (later used on the Culver University campus) marked as "Stark Industries." This explains why Tony Stark seems to know about the Hulk in the "Avengers" trailer even though his existence is technically a secret.

Stark Industries hunts the Hulk

A note on the timeline: Though this film was released before Iron Man 2, both films take place at about the same time. The scene in which the Hulk rampages at Culver University can be seen as "live" news footage at the end of Iron Man 2. Thus the battle at the Stark Expo took place just before the Hulk fought Abomination in Harlem. That was probably a bad week for New Yorkers (and the US in general, since the events of Thor also took place directly after Iron Man 2.)

However, in the recent clips from The Avengers shown at New York Comic Con, Bruce Banner—now played by Mark Ruffalo--states that he has not had an episode in over two years. Either the Avengers takes place two years after IM2/Thor/TIH OR the canonicity of The Incredible Hulk is completely shot.

Iron Man 2: There were a lot more references to the larger Marvel Universe in IM2 than in the first film. Many people noticed that Tony Stark apparently has a prototype of Captain America's shield in his garage, to the dismay of Coulson.

In that same scene, Coulson tells Stark he is going to New Mexico. The post credits scene shows him finding Thor's hammer. This scene is replayed in Thor. Of course, we also get more screen time for Nick Fury and are introduced to another SHIELD agent, Black Widow, who poses as Stark's new assistant. Widow doesn't actually get to show off her moves much, except in one battle scene.

ScarJo beats up the bad guys

IM2 also has John Slattery playing Howard Stark. A young Howard Stark will be portrayed by Dominic Cooper in Captain America: TFA.

Thor: Coulson heads to New Mexico to deal with the hammer situation. Even though half the film takes place in Asgard, Thor is heavily populated with references to the other films.

Thor explains the nine realms to Jane Foster by drawing Yggdrasil, the Tree of Life. Red Skull finds the Cosmic Cube in another depiction of Yggdrasil, at the beginning of Captain America. It is said to have the power of the gods, making it a fairly good weapon for Loki who, of course, stumbles upon it in the post-credits scene. (Kenneth Branagh has said the Cube was there because that is where Odin put it. The canonicity of this is debatable.)

When the Destroyer appears at the end of the film, a SHIELD agent asks Coulson if it is "one of Stark's" to which Coulson replies, "I don't know. Guy never tells me anything."

Hawkeye makes his first appearance in the MCU. When Thor attacks the SHIELD base, attempting to get his hammer back, Coulson asks for "eyes in the sky." That is when Agent Barton appears with a bow and arrow. Apparently he won't have trouble getting along with Thor in The Avengers. He tells Coulson that he is "starting to root for this guy." Jeremy Renner is not credited for his cameo. It's very short; he has, by far, the least screen time of any of the Avengers.

Renner as Hawkeye

While Coulson connects Thor to Iron Man, Dr. Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) connects him to Bruce Banner. When the SHIELD agents take Jane Foster's equipment he says he knew an expert in Gamma radiation who was never heard from again after being approached by SHIELD. Banner, of course, had to go into hiding after he was turned into the Hulk. Since we know that Dr. Selvig returns in The Avengers, with Loki possessing him, this might come up.

Captain America: The First Avenger: Cap's movie ties into just about everything. In the final scene, he meets Nick Fury. Dr. Erskine's work is never duplicated after his death; and the Hulk is the result of a failed attempt to recreate it. The Cosmic Cube, used by Red Skull throughout the film, belongs to Odin, Thor's dad. And, of course, Steve also knows Tony's dad.

Dominic Cooper initially plays Howard Stark much like Robert Downey Jr's Tony. In his first scene, he has dancing girls behind him much like Tony's Ironettes in IM2. At the end of the film, a grim-faced Howard is seen searching the Arctic for Steve. This may account for his change in demeanor later in life. Tony described his father as a hard man. And it's clear from IM2 that Howard was attempting to prepare Tony for some greater battle.

Howard Stark searches for Steve Rogers

Tony, you're too young to understand this right now, so I thought I would put it on film for you. I built this for you. And some day you'll realize that it represents a whole lot more than people's inventions. It represents my life's work. This is the key to the future. I'm limited by the technology of my time, but one day you'll figure this out. And when you do, you will change the world. What is, and always will be, my greatest creation is you.
– Howard Stark's video message to his son.

AVENGERS ASSEMBLED: Thor, Black Widow, Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Hawkeye

ETA: Howard finds the Cosmic Cube at the end of Captain America but does not find Steve. Agh.

NYCC Walking Dead Panel

2011-10-17T01:50:59Z

Walking Dead is airing its season premiere right now (in the Eastern time zone) and it reminded me I didn't write up the Walking Dead panel from yesterday.

The panel consisted of Robert Kirkman (the author of the comic series), Gale Anne Hurd (producer), Greg Nicotero (makeup designer and now a director). They showed a clip from the premiere. If you are curious it was the scene on the road that just aired, ending with Andrea stabbing a zombie.

The cast members in attendance were Jon Bernthal (Shane), Laurie Holden (Andrea), Steven Yeun (Glenn), Lauren Cohan (new character, Maggie), Chandler Riggs (Carl), and Norman Reedus (Daryl).

My notes aren't as extensive as they were for The Avengers panel. I just jotted down my favorite moments.

Laurie Holden talked about Andrea. I was interested because, in the comics, Andrea is my favorite character. She's awesome in the show too but she hasn't been as proactive as comic book Andrea is. She said that the zombie she stabs in the premiere is the first zombie Andrea kills (she described it as "the first of many") and in season two she will learn from the "alpha males" how to not be a victim. I was excited.

Steven Yeun talked about Glenn. He said Glenn had a certain attitude toward life in season one that is going to change now that he meets (spoiler) Maggie and realizes he has something worth holding onto. He looked really cute with his huge hipster glasses, I must say. I love Glenn.

They spoke to Norman Reedus about Daryl. Daryl is kind of a jerk but a useful guy to have around on the show. Reedus described him as "a guy who needs a hug but would stab you if you tried to hug him." I LOLed. Moderator Chris Hardwick also said that earlier in the day Reedus had been playing paintball with his son and his friends. When asked who won at paintball, Reedus responded that he "shot the shit out of those little [deleted]."

The whole cast was asked what their weapon of choice would be in an actual zombie apocalypse. Youngster Chandler Riggs who plays Carl (Rick's son) won, in my opinion. Everyone else was saying guns or a crossbow and he threw down "flame thrower with a bayonet on it." Win.

An audience member asked about comic book favorite Michonne, who appeared at the end of the first volume of the comics but didn't show up in the series. The creative team said that they "all" want to see Michonne on screen and that she will come around eventually. The TV series just isn't going to follow the comics exactly. Earlier they had mentioned that this season has a lot of the Hershel's farm storyline from the comics, but that everything is changed because obviously Shane is still alive. I was relieved about this as well because Michonne is my second favorite character after Andrea.

Greg Nicotero said he hopes to do more webisodes. He directed them. He is also the guy behind the super makeup on the show. He said that sometimes he will see someone with great bone structure and think "She would make a great zombie." (He often picks the zombies for having certain memorable features.) Chris Hardwick joked this was a great pickup line.

Chandler Riggs said he used to make himself cry or be upset by thinking about his dog being dead. He was adorable on the panel; very serious and grown up. One of my favorite moments was when Norman Reedus did bunny ears behind his head. He's obviously the more mature of the two!

Another audience member asked if the zombies would be "evolving" on the series. The producers said they wouldn't be using the same zombies or anything like that, and there would always be new makeup tricks happening but that the zombies wouldn't be "learning" or anything. I'm relived. I hate fast/smart zombies.

Also one audience member who said she had never seen the show or read the comics got up to ask a question (why she admitted this to everyone, I do not know) and the whole crowd booed. Kirkman shouted, "Go home, newbie!" which made me laugh. The producers also said that they had convinced Kirkman to move to Los Angeles so he could be more involved in the writing and plotting of the show. This made me happy even if he was described as the "Joss Whedon of zombies" because he is always doing horrible things to his characters.

Watch The Walking Dead on AMC at 9pm.

ETA: I almost forgot. Another thing that made me happy. The panel confirmed that Merle is NOT the Governor.

esc_key @ 2011-10-16T20:06:00

2011-10-17T00:06:38Z

Marvel One Shot #2: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer

Full version of what was teased a few weeks ago. I wanted to ask Clark Gregg if there would be more of these at the panel yesterday (he said on Twitter he was working on something with Joss Whedon, but I'm not sure if he was kidding or not). But the line for audience questions was redonkulous.

I love Agent Coulson.

The Avengers Panel at NYCC

2011-10-16T03:40:48Z

I have a lot of posts to write up about NYCC.

Speed dating (flocked)

Walking Dead Panel

Sony/Ghost Rider and general thoughts

An Avengers primer for lnbw

Don't let me forget!

The Avengers panel was scheduled for 6:30 in the "IGN Theater" (it's a big room with lots of chairs, not an actual theater). People lined up for miles and miles. It was very confused because people lined up, but then it turned out a lot of people had just sat in the "theater" all day, so there were not many seats left. And they were very bad at pointing people to the stray empty seats that someone had vacated. (People who wanted to get into Walking Dead: There were seats available. The Ushers failed you.) My friend Ellen wasn't able to get in, which sucks. Especially since she has the awesome camera that is good for pictures. Internet, you have lost out. Send your complaint letters to Reed Exhibitions and the Javits Center.

Then the panel started like 40 minutes late. That's fine, but I wish someone had gotten up and told us why and how long we were going to have to wait. There wasn't a lot of communication from the staff. I think that was the major problem.

Anyway, around 7:10 the panel finally started.

In case you missed the press release: the panel was scheduled to be Chris Evans (Captain America), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Cobie Smulders (Maria Hill) and Clark Gregg (Phil Coulson), along with Kevin Fiege, who is the head of Marvel Studios. The NYCC website said there might also be "special surprise guests" but I sort of thought that was left over from before they knew who was coming. But my sister said, "Mark Ruffalo should be there. He lives in New York."

Well guess who the surprise guest was? Mark Ruffalo (Hulk). Score one to my sister. The crowd went pretty wild when he came out, because we haven't seen him as the Hulk yet; only a few glimpses here and there.

The moderator of the panel was Chris Hardwick (who you may remember from Singled Out and Web Soup). He was there to moderate the Walking Dead panel because he's doing the Talking Dead tv show. I was glad that they brought him back for the Avengers because he was a very good moderator. He's a geek and he knows his stuff, but he's also a comedian and puts the guests at ease and is able to turn crappy audience member questions into comedy gold. (I could do a whole blog post about how I hate audience questions at cons.)

Hardwick brought Kevin Feige out first. Then they opened by showing the trailer which was recently released on iTunes. People screamed at all their favorite parts. It was a lot of fun.

Then they introduced the cast. Clark Gregg looked pretty cool in a leather jacket. Cobie Smulders was beautiful as always (I still love her, even if she refused to sing "Let's Go to the Mall"). Tom Hiddleston came out in all black, looking somewhat villainous. Chris Evans had a baseball cap on, which upset the ladies who wanted pictures of his pretty, pretty eyes. Then they introduced Ruffalo. Everyone got lots of applause.

Hardwick asked about why Marvel thought they could do this. Feige said the idea was first floated in 2006, when they were first starting production on Iron Man. It was a kind of pie in the sky thing. But Joss Whedon has been amazing and Hardwick pointed out he is pretty much the only guy who could do a superhero ensemble movie.

Then attention was turned to the other Chris (Evans). He was asked what a typical day on the set was like. He said the cast was great. But the best days were days when he got to wear "normal" clothes because when you're in the costume, you have to plan out all your bathroom breaks. Tom Hiddleston backed this up. Evans said on Captain America he was really the only one of the guys in a full-on costume but here they got to share the misery.

This lead to Hiddleston talking about Loki (and his complicated costume). He said he never had a plain clothes day. He said Loki is "not a happy man." That he was confused as to his place in the world in Thor. Everyone has daddy issues; even gods. He was really pleased that the studio thought he was good enough in Thor to bring him back again. Now he's the bad guy. He takes on everyone.

Hardwick then asked Cobie a question. This was when the "Let's Go to the Mall" chanting began. I fully support my fellow nerds who did this but she wasn't going to sing. Darn. This was her very first comic con, so I hope we didn't scare her too much. We demand singing because we love, really. Again back to costume talk, she said her costume was kind of easy, but she was amazed at the whole process to create it. The best thing, according to Cobie, was getting to work with Joss Whedon who she'd known socially but had never worked with.

We of course had to discuss how Clark Gregg's amazing super power is the ability to turn one small role in Iron Man into bigger and bigger parts. I think by the end of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the movies are just going to be Coulson. If he needs to interact with other people, they will get Clark Gregg to play those parts too.

Anyway, he expected to have one line in Iron Man but the character ended up being more important. Then he was on Iron Man 2 and the script had him leaving for New Mexico and when he asked what that was about, he found out he was going to be in Thor. Then Joss Whedon came up to him at San Diego Comic Con two years ago and said "I wrote a pretty big part for you in the Avengers."

He made a fake spoiler joke about a Romulan Princess. Ruffalo pretended to beat him for giving it away. Then Hardwick, with much support for the crowd, guilted Gregg into singing his Avengers theme song. Apparently, he had been jokingly coming up with words while they were backstage. I personally loved his rhymes and I fully expect the Clark Gregg theme song to appear on the soundtrack.

Then we go to Ruffalo. There was a raging erection joke and he laughed that was a good way to describe the Hulk. He cited all the other actors who have played Bruce Banner and said he was building on what they did but still "Ruffalizing" it. [This is now a verb. Someone put it on Urban Dictionary.] Edward Norton had told him the Hulk was like Hamlet and everyone was going to get to play it. (Which I think was very cool. Both because I'm a Shakespeare English Major Nerd but also because it's very gracious.)

Ruffalo said this Bruce Banner is more mature. He's learned more about himself, how to control the Hulk to a certain degree (not totally), and he's a bit nerdier like the Ultimates version of Bruce Banner.

And that was a good time to throw to a NEVER BEFORE SEEN CLIP! Because it featured Mark Ruffalo's ruffalized Bruce Banner.

I don't want to give away too much about the clip. It wasn't an action scene. Banner is in a foreign country, staying off the grid and he is approached by Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson). She says that SHIELD needs Banner because the cosmic cube gives off trace levels of Gamma Radiation. It's not detectable to most people, but Banner is the expert on Gamma.

Then the screen cut to another montage of scenes. I assume since the "We have a Hulk" line was featured that it was pretty much the same footage that was shown at D23. Tony Stark delivers his line about how Loki has managed to piss off the various Avengers (with clips of them fighting as Stark mentions them), to which Loki replies, "I have an army" and Stark quips, "We have a Hulk."

There was also another scene at the end. The group is in what appears to be the Helicarrier. Captain America--obviously irritated--asks Stark if everything is a joke to him. Stark replies, "Only things that are funny."

That was the end of the never before seen footage. (Sad.) I suppose they couldn't show us the whole darn movie but I wish they did. It'd be awesome to see it with comic con people who really care about it and know their stuff. I always end up sitting in front of some guy on a date with a dumb girl who is like "Who is that person in red white and blue?" "Why are they fighting?" "How long is this movie?" Blah.

Hardwick asked Evans about working with the group. And he said it was nice to share the work load a little. They all agreed that when they were on set together in costume that it was really cool. Though Ruffalo said that usually when they all suited up everyone else would look great but he'd be wearing "gray pajamas" (the CGI suit). But he's proud that he's going to be the first actor to play both Bruce Banner and the Hulk, since they will base the CGI Hulk on his actual performance. That's how you ruffalize it!

Chris Evans then got hit with the inevitable "Who is better: Captain America or the Human Torch?" question. (For those of you living under a rock, he played both in the films.) He said it was hard to choose because you have to become very invested in every role you play; it's like picking which is your favorite child. Later, he said he forms a "serious and deep attachment to all his characters." But after prodding he did admit that Cap was the way to go. The crowd went wild. Steve Rogers got way more love from the crowd than Johnny Storm.

Then the entire panel was asked who their favorite male and female superheroes were. I noticed--and this is possibly because the Marvel Studio boss was sitting right there--that no one picked non-Marvel heroes. In fact, most likely to be picked were people on that very panel. Imagine that! But if you're curious, here's how it broke down:

Feige: Bruce Banner and Maria Hill
Ruffalo: Bruce Banner and Black Widow
Gregg: Agent Phil Coulson! And Warlock and Maria Hill and Natasha Romanoff*
Smulders: Maria Hill and Iron Man
Tom: Gave a shout out to his brother Thor. For a female he chose Loki as a woman, or Sif
Evans: Iron Man and Maria Hill

*Gregg earns extra nerd points for picking someone not in the MCU.

An extra from Cleveland got up to ask a question. She wanted to know how Tom felt about the different Lokis in the comic book universe (she specifically mentioned child!Loki and female!Loki). He said he liked all of them and drew from all of them, but obviously he didn't have the cleavage to pull of female Loki.

There were a few more questions for Tom. He was by far the most popular panel member (if I go based off of number of questions asked, which surprised me because I would've thought it'd be Evans). He was asked about some of the deleted scenes in Thor and how Loki has grown as a character. Hiddleston said that Loki knows who he is now: a bad guy.

The next question, also for Hiddleston, was about which Avenger was the hardest to fight. He repeated that each Avenger needs to be handled in a different way. They are all different styles of fighting and Loki has to adapt. He said the fight scene between Loki and the Hulk was particularly memorable. Ruffalo laughed here but they wouldn't say more about it. Damnit, now I'm curious. How does Loki fight the Hulk?

They were asked about the pressure of filming such a big movie. Cobie said it was a really good time but when they were filming on the Hellicarrier (which she wasn't sure she could even mention until Kevin Feige okayed it) with everyone it was overwhelming. Clark Gregg agreed and said when he'd walk onto set with all the guys in costume he felt like he was at a Make-a-Wish Foundation Event and no one told him he was dying.

Tom Hiddleston (with apologies to Chris Evans) said that when they were all in New Mexico, Evans sent them all a text that said simply, "ASSEMBLE." And they all went to a club. He then did a funny impersonation of a random guy in the VIP room when he saw Scarlett Johansson dancing. Hiddleston said mostly everyone danced by when he looked back Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth were in the back talking about their work out routines. Evans was asking Hemsworth what he did during his workout to get his arms into that godly arm porn situation Hemsworth has going on. Hiddleston imitated Hemsworth's Australian accent saying, "I don't know. I just work out and stuff."

Some stuff Kevin Feige said, in response to various questions gave some insight into what is to come with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He was asked if there would be a post credit "snippet" in Avengers and if so what would it be leading up to? He wouldn't say anything specific but he said he "likes tradition." When asked about other movies in the works and how they would tie into the whole universe he said they would have to see. He was asked about Wolverine being in a Captain America film, since the characters fought together in WWII in the comics, and he said that was a rights situation but he'd love to see it happen. Also, the upcoming movies like Iron Man 2 and Thor 2 are ideally going to culminate in Avengers 2 the same way the first ones did. So I guess if a second Avengers is greenlit, it won't come about until after Cap 2, etc.

Also! Tom Hiddleston sang the Pure Imagination song from "Willy Wonka." I don't remember why. But it got me thinking that there should definitely be an Avengers Sing-a-long Blog (like Dr. Horrible). I know Robert Downey Jr sings really well. Cobie Smulders can sing, even if she refused to do so at the panel. Chris Evans sang some in The Losers. Clark Gregg obviously wrote this wicked Avengers theme song.

I don't know, I think I'm onto something here. We should start a petition or something! MORE SUPERHEROES SHOULD SING!

ETA: Here is a video of the actual panel (sans the clips from the film, which are under copyright, obviously). Now you can judge me about how well my recap lines up to the actual thing.

esc_key @ 2011-10-10T10:59:00

2011-10-10T14:59:57Z

It's fearthainn's birthday! Happy birthday, Fear! Remember last year when we were in Paris for your birthday? ... Why did we leave?

Get ready for the Hug!

2011-09-20T03:06:38Z

I luff you, Agent Coulson.

PS. Pringles cans--whether or not they shoot lasers--are very dangerous. I cut my hand on one when I was a kid (this was before they had peel off tops, and were more like canned goods) and I had to have stitches. I still have the scar. True story.

esc_key @ 2011-09-19T21:03:00

2011-09-20T01:04:31Z

All true!

esc_key @ 2011-09-19T19:53:00

2011-09-19T23:54:17Z

Only seven minutes until HIMYM!! I'm so excited; I need a life.

But check out this awesome gif I found on Tumblr!

esc_key @ 2011-09-12T12:38:00

2011-09-12T16:39:01Z

Surprising no one!

In which Game of Thrones house do you belong? Your Result: You belong in HOUSE STARK - Winter is Coming House Stark is the most influential and notable power in the North. From their stronghold at Winterfell, the Starks guard the old ways against the dishonourable and fractious houses of the Seven Kingdoms. Their devotion to honour and the old gods wins them few friends in the court of King’s Landing and beyond, but this very same dedication to tradition commands respect from the lords of the North. Those Northmen who bend the knee to Eddard Stark have been hard won with respect, devotion, and justice. His sons show signs that they too will be well-respected and beloved leaders in the North upon ascending to the lordship of this enduring and storied house.
You belong in HOUSE ARRYN - As High as Honor
You belong in HOUSE TARGARYEN - Fire and Blood
You belong in HOUSE LANNISTER - Hear Me Roar
You belong in HOUSE BARATHEON - Ours is the Fury
In which Game of Thrones house do you belong? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

For Amy

2011-09-10T01:41:52Z

Best wishes! Good luck! Have fun tomorrow, Amy!

(this is the only gif I have that is wedding related. but if the doctor shows up at your wedding, I will be so bummed that I missed it.)

esc_key @ 2011-09-06T13:03:00

2011-09-06T17:04:31Z

Thing that made me laugh:

Avengers Set Photos

2011-09-03T00:00:19Z

I heard through reddit that they were building "The Avengers" sets on 40th and Park in NYC today. Since I was already on my way to Grand Central, I thought I'd swing by and see if I saw Joss Whedon. They were still painting the set when I got there, so it wasn't ready for filming or anything. But it was kind of cool to watch. It's neat to see how much work goes into these things.

It appears to be some sort of crash site.

I also took a photo of the no parking notices. I know they have to put these out when they film in NYC. It's supposed to say what the project is and when they will be working there. I noticed this one said the Project name was "Group Hug." That made me LOL. I'll be sad if there is no Avengers group hugging now.

esc_key @ 2011-09-01T15:08:00

2011-09-01T19:09:24Z

Help save a children's library destroyed by Irene.

ETA: Link fixed. No longer a pic of HIMYM, which is here if you are interested.

esc_key @ 2011-07-28T21:50:00

2011-07-29T01:50:45Z

Dragonstone Earrings - $10 (?)
Each sterling silver earring is one polished red stone with two gray Swarovski crystals.

Riverrun Earrings - $10 (?)
Blue and red Swarovski crystals adorn stainless steel earrings. One is shaped like an anchor (red stone) and one like the wheel of a ship (blue stone).

Gallant Green Pendant - $5
Glass bead. I just really liked the shape of this and wanted it to stand on its own.

Tyrell Bracelet - $15
Three colors of Swarovski crystal bicone beads on wire—two greens and gold Antiqued silver clasp adorned with rose charm.

Summer Snow Necklace - $15
This is a gray and white necklace with four types of beads. There are small, white seed beads, clear glass beads, gray polished stone beads, and two clear Swarovski crystals to add sparkle.

Dragonstone Necklace - $15
Polished red and "smoke" colored stones, mixed together with black seed beads. Can be a set with the Dragonstone earrings or worn alone.

What do you think? Should I put any of these up on Etsy? Which would you buy? Prices okay? Etc.

esc_key @ 2011-07-19T11:19:00

2011-07-19T15:18:57Z

Hee. I love this Daily Show interview with DanRad. Jon's like, "Do you ever play the Quidditch lawn sport?" And Dan's like "JESUS NO!"

I don't understand the RL Quidditch. I like my nerdiness to happen in doors; sunlight burns my skin.

esc_key @ 2011-07-18T19:42:00

2011-07-18T23:42:32Z

What the shit is this commercial?