Christmas can’t stop coming early:

Saturday just got a whole lot better.

Click it for the large version and believe all over again.

The X-Files: I Want to Believe opens on July 25!

What? Christmas is today? What what?

Obama Obama Obama

Barack Obama is going to be at my alma mater tomorrow, Wednesday, April 23:

Town Hall with Barack Obama

Indiana University Southeast Activities Building
4201 Grant Line Rd.
New Albany, IN 47150

Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Doors Open: 10:45 a.m.
Program begins: 12:45 p.m.

The event is free and open to the public. However, seating is limited and tickets are required. Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis. Please RSVP using the form to the right to receive a free e-ticket via email.

I’ll be there.

I hope you’ll be there, too.

Our Lady of Sorrows

That’s the answer.

What’s the question?

It has something to do with the new X-Files movie that comes out July 25.

And you might not want to know.

And you can turn back right now.

X-Files in EW, plus the plot summary?

Our friends at X-Files News have got the scoop on Entertainment Weekly’s new article about The X-Files: I Want to Believe, which is out this July 25.

Click here for their report.

And!

They also scored the plot summary for the novelization, which doesn’t really reveal anything huge but does give a pretty good indication of what the nature of the case is going to be.

So click here for the summary and some commentary if you’re feeling a little saucy.

Indiana John and the Earthquake of WEAK

I was awakened this morning by the earthquake.

From the Associated Press:

5.4 earthquake rocks Illinois; also felt in Indiana

WEST SALEM, Ill. (AP) — A 5.4 earthquake early Friday rocked people awake as far away as Indiana, surprising residents unaccustomed to such a large Midwest temblor.

The quake just before 4:37 a.m. was centered 6 miles from West Salem, Ill., and 66 miles from Evansville, Ind. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

“It shook our house where it woke me up,” said David Behm of Philo, 10 miles south of Champaign. “Windows were rattling, and you could hear it. The house was shaking inches. For people in central Illinois, this is a big deal. It’s not like California.”

The quake also shook tall buildings in downtown Indianapolis, about 160 miles northeast of the epicenter.

Indiana State Police spokesman Sgt. Todd Ringle in Evansville said there were no immediate reports of damage.

And that’s really all I’ve got to say about that. I honestly thought it was a malfunction of my neighbor’s washing machine making my wall shake a little.

Carry on.

Excellent Indiana Jones article in Entertainment Weekly

Head over to Entertainment Weekly to read one of the better — maybe the best? — articles I’ve read about Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which we’re going to see on May 22:

Indiana Jones: The Untold Story

The article also features this brand new photo of one of my favorite actresses, Cate Blanchett, as the evil Irina Spalko.

It’s good stuff! I still don’t know what you’re waiting for.

Ed Norton for president!

Oh, man.

So, first of all, the New York Times writes an overblown article a few days ago making a big deal about the disagreements Marvel Comics and writer/star Ed Norton are having over the final cut of the new Incredible Hulk reboot that’s out on June 13:

What’s Big and Green, and Desperate to Be a Hit All Over?

Really, Brook Barnes?

Come on.

But of course the article spread like wildfire, sparking all kinds of rumors and bad buzz over a movie that’s already got enough to overcome. Namely, the disastrous 2003 Ang Lee Hulk movie that this new film/franchise thankfully ignores entirely.

The bottom line seems to be that Norton and director Louis Letterier want a longer film that gives the characters and the story room to breathe, while Marvel Comics wants a shorter movie that’s bigger on action.

Marvel Comics has released some of the absolute worst comic book movies of all time. The Punisher, Ghost Rider, the lazy Fantastic Four films and Spider-Man 3, which is one of the worst movies of any kind ever made.

So, even though I don’t know a single detail, I’m going to side with Ed Norton on this one, especially after his comments about honoring the spirit of Bill Bixby that you can read right here.

Anyway, the point of this whole thing is that movies are collaborations and of course there are going to be disagreements, and it’s a shame that the Hollywood press tries to sometimes doom movies before they even debut.

Enter Ed Norton, who released this awesome statement yesterday:

Like so many people I’ve loved the story of The Hulk since I was a kid, so it was thrilling when Marvel asked me to write and help produce an altogether new screen incarnation, as well as play Bruce Banner. I grew up reading Marvel Comics and always loved the mythic dimension and contemporary themes in the stories, and I’m proud of the script I wrote.

In every phase of production, including the editing, working with Louis Leterrier has been wonderful…I’ve never had a better partner, and the collaboration with all the rest of the creative team has been terrific. Every good movie gets forged through collaboration, and different ideas among people who are all committed and respect the validity of each other’s opinions is the heart of filmmaking.

Regrettably, our healthy process, which is and should be a private matter, was misrepresented publicly as a ‘dispute,’ seized on by people looking for a good story, and has been distorted to such a degree that it risks distracting from the film itself, which Marvel, Universal and I refuse to let happen. It has always been my firm conviction that films should speak for themselves and that knowing too much about how they are made diminishes the magic of watching them.

All of us believe The Incredible Hulk will excite old fans and create new ones and be a huge hit…our focus has always been to deliver the Hulk that people have been waiting for and keep the worldwide love affair with the big green guy going strong.

And there you go.

Well said, sir.

I can’t wait to see this thing. I love the Hulk and Norton’s one of the most talented actors we’ve got. And if the suits at Marvel Comics get their way, and we get a chopped-up version of what Norton and Letterier worked so hard to make, at least there’s hope of a longer cut on DVD.

The Incredible Hulk smashes the theater near you and me on June 13.

While we’re on the subject …

… let’s do one more new image from The Dark Knight, highlighting Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne:

Click it to see it big.