Geek Bits: Close Encounters, Real Steel, Journey 2, Walking Dead, Star Wars, Star Trek and More [Links]

Here are this week’s stories you might have missed in the blogosphere.

What order should a newbie watch the Star Wars series in? What rating did one reviewer give “The Rock’s” Journey 2? Would you have bought a Star Wars basketball? Are you looking to buy a superhero costume for your pet? What rare comics did two brothers unexpectedly inherit? Who’s bummed out by the recent Star Trek 2 leaks? Where in the world is Alex J Cavanaugh? What famous superhero sold corn flakes? How many good-looking Korean actors are in Real Steel?

1. Trivia Question

In the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind, which actor turned down the starring role of Roy Neary because he couldn’t cry on clue?

(Answer at the end of the post)

2. Motivational Geek Quote

“Never give up! Never surrender!” – Jason Nesmith Galaxy Quest (1999)

Never give up on your dreams and never give in to your fears.

3. Links

• Happy Anniversary! The Mary Sue is One Year Old this week!
• Blastr says, See Walking Dead’s opening credits recut as an upbeat ’80s sitcom
• Huffington Post reports on Brothers Unexpectedly Inherit $2 Million Comic Book Collection including Captain America No. 2 (Cap punching Hitler) and Action Comics #1 (First appearance of Superman).
• Tyrannosaurus Press has an article about Artificial Intelligence and Emotions
• Let’s get Out of Here has a post on Maniacal Movie Poster Monday #56 which includes The Rocketeer!
• Marvel Entertainment Announces Super Hero Pet Program from Comic Book Resources



• Gallery: Rejected ‘Star Wars’ Merchandising Ideas  from /Film including inflatable Emporer thrones, Death Star basketballs, Darth Vader bag clips and ice cube trays.

• Star Trek 2 Sequel Clues and Movie Shots by Sci Fi Blog has a bunch of juicy details on the upcoming film.
• In related news, ‘Star Trek’ Leaks Are ‘A Bummer,’ Zoe Saldana Says  from MTV Movies Blog after it was leaked that ****SPOILER
  Benedict Cumberbatch and Zachary Quinto were seen fighting oin the set of Star Trek 2 ****
• Superman Shills for Corn Flakes and Peanut Butter in Old Commercials [Video] from ComicsAlliance.com

• A review of Real Steel. (Rock’em! Sock’em! Ding Ding Ding! TKO!) from From These Hollows points out the only good-looking Asian actor in the film.

• Actress Lucy Lawless (Xena) arrested for her Greenpeace protest from Blastr
• Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Geordi LaForge (LeVar Burton) tells us ‘the only thing wrong’ with Abrams’ Star Trek movie from Blastr. Surprisingly, it’s because the new movie ignores the timeline. Who knew an actor hoping for a cameo would get upset about that?
• Turns out my question about how my son should watch Star Trek is a common one. One possible answer is this Star Wars Saga Viewing Order from Neatorama which says Episode IV, V, I, II, III, VI. This sticks the prequels right after the BIG REVEAL. 
  

  Effectively, this order keeps the story Luke’s tale. Just when Luke is left with the burning question “how did my father become Darth Vader?” we take an extended flashback to explain exactly how. Once we understand how his father turned to the dark side, we go back to the main storyline and see how Luke is able to rescue him from it and salvage the good in him.

   Good idea.

• Movie: The Movie  from io9 which is a parody trailer Jimmy Kimmel made to sweep the Academy Awards.

• Alex J. Cavanaugh’s big blog tour for his new sci-fi novel CassaFire by doing a blog tour. So far he’s visited
  http://www.ciaraknight.com,
  http://edisbooklighthouse.blogspot.com,
  http://isisrushdan.blogspot.com
  http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com/
  http://slckismet.blogspot.com 
• All Things X has a touching tribute to X-Men fan Jason Trent who died in a tragic car accident. He created a bunch of Storm wallpapers (Trent’s favorite character) in memorium. Visit the link to see them all.

4. Trivia Answer

Steve McQueen liked the script, but turned down the role because he couldn’t cry on demand and a key scene required it. Ironically enough, the scene where his wife discovers him crying, fully clothed, under a running hot shower was cut from the theatrical release of the film. It’s restored in the “Director’s Cut” of the film.

McQueen was Spielberg’s first choice and the role was turned down by many actors like Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, and Gene Hackman. Spielberg would later say “Dreyfuss talked me into casting him.” The actor’s strategy involved walking by the director’s office and whispering things like “Al Pacino has no sense of humor” or “Jack Nicholson is too crazy.”

Source

What do you think of this week’s news?