Beloved Author and Illustrator Maurice Sendak Dies at 83
There are a lot of former children in mourning today for Maurice Sendak, author of some of the best beloved picture books of the last half century and illustrator of even more, who died today of complications related to a recent stroke.
James Cameron Says He’ll Possibly Make a Fourth Avatar Movie, Then No More James Cameron Movies
James Cameron has announced that he is officially tired of making all that money and winning all those awards. In an interview with The New York Times, the big-budget filmmaker said that he might make one more Avatar movie after the second and third movies he has planned -- and then that's basically it. Because he's really into deep-sea diving these days, and also, he has made more money than any one person should, so it's probably cool to retire now. Well, can we blame him?
Terrifying Driverless Cars Have Preceded Flying Cars, and I Am Not Happy About It
Google has been developing a driverless car, operated by software that replicates human driving ability and judgement (hopefully not any humans from Long Island*) and is operated by Google engineers in California. The car, a Toyota Prius, is being tested in Nevada, where it -- meaning, the car -- has just been issued an official drivers license. The driverless car has a drivers license. A car got a drivers license before we even got to drive a flying car. Life is so unfair. Stupid science.
*The author is a car driving human from Long island.
Meet Caitlin “Meathook” Kelley, A 9-Year-Old MMA Fighter Who Can Kick You Into Next Week
She's nine years old, she has pink hair, and she loves Justin Bieber. But don't let that fool you into thinking Caitlin Kelley isn't into something a little more badass. Kelley, who lives in Tampa, Florida, is actually a very accomplished competitive MMA fighter who pounds a punching bag with her bare hands. If she could, she'd train every single day, but when would she have time to do her homework? Something tells me she'd squeeze it in somehow.
Things We Saw Today: Zombies Hate Unicorns & Vice-Versa
We discovered a new book. It is called Zombies Hate Stuff. Thank you for writing this and illustrating it so brilliantly, Greg Stones. For the record, zombies also hate hippies, technology, and dodgeball, among other things. (via /Film)
Brave’s Princess Merida Has Started Showing Up At Disney Theme Parks
Ok, so we joke around here at The Mary Sue that I look like Merida from Disney-Pixar's Brave but I'm bouncing up and down with glee now that I've see the women Disney has chosen to play her at their theme parks. Here's a video of one of them filmed at Epcot Center but soon, she'll head to the Magic Kingdom. According to Orlando's Attractions Magazine, " In a couple of weeks she'll start appearing in the Fairytale Garden in Fantasyland, where guests will engage in archery lessons and other activities until it's their turn to meet her. Joining Merida will be the three bear cubs from the film, who will also interact with guests." Hit the jump for yet another castmember taking on Merida. The hair, my god, the hair!
Artist Tamer Elsawi calls his Darth Vader series "Vaderism" but what we see is the Star Wars character taking a small trip through time. Hit the jump to see what we mean.
7 New Actors Join Disney’s Maleficent, One Is Rita Skeeter, Another Is Dolores Umbridge
All we needed in a Maleficent film was for Angelina Jolie to play the evil queen. We got that, so everything else after is just candy. Well, the new casting announcements make it feel like Halloween! Six new cast members have been added to the Disney production, among them Imelda Staunton and Miranda Richardson. Yup, Dolores Umbridge and Rita Skeeter from Harry Potter! Can you guess who they'll be playing?
LEGO people are notorious for having stiff, plastic hair. While that's not something human beings usually strive for, that's exactly what these women got. Design firm Elroy Klee decided to create hair out of LEGO. See some other results after the jump!
Because we all need a pickup this morning after the news about Maurice Sendak, and the tiny fingers on the ends of elephant trunks are just the ticket. Meet Shanthi, a thirty-six year old Asian elephant mom who really does seem to like playing the harmonica.
(via The Frisky.)
Well this is very interesting. PBS' Off Book series recently touched upon the wonder that is fan art and fan fiction. It's a really respectful look at the trend while speaking to Brad O'Farrell (Keyboard Cat), Adam Juresko (No Supervision), Jonah Block (Biotwist), Sam Spratt (Gawker), and Fred Seibert (Adventure Time). There's just one thing we find lacking here and as you can probably guess from that list, it's women. Don't get us wrong, it's a great video, but considering how many women are hugely into fan art and fanfic, it seems a glaring omission (in the Sherlock section alone). They even mention Adventure Time's character designer Natasha Allegri's fan art illustrations of the gender-swapped cast that eventually got its own episode...but didn't choose to speak with her. Like we said, really interesting video, just lacking a certain voice.
(via Laughing Squid)
No, Really: This Is a Funny Batman Musical Parody [Video]
The creative minds behind the very funny A Very Potter Musical, the Starkid Productions, have done what sounds like it should never work: a genuinely funny Batman musical. Called Holy Musical B@man (see what they did there?), the play is posted in 10-minute (or so) parts on YouTube, the first of which we have posted above for your viewing pleasure. It does contain some NSFW language, but it is embedded within awesome musical songs that are about Batman. This is your call to make, folks!
(via Starkid Productions on YouTube)
Well this is just plain adorable. Reddit user Doodiescoop (aka Becca Jones) drew what would happen if Futurama's Fry and Leela decided to have children. (via io9)
A Dalek Impersonator Appeared on Britain’s Got Talent, and That’s All You Need to Know [Video]
So, this happened on British television, and we are jealous, because we're pretty convinced that it would never make it onto American television. Martyn Crofts is a mortgage inspector who wanted to try his hand at the music business and audition on Britain's Got Talent. He is also a Dalek impersonator, and wanted to sing Roger Miller's "King of the Road" as a Dalek. What ensued was a rare, unicorn-like sight: show judge Simon Cowell giggling into his hands, a few seconds before turning Mr. Crofts down.
You may not have won the battle, Mr. Crofts. But you have won the war.
(via Geeks Are Sexy)
Last week we brought you a collection of superhero fashion. They included some Avengers-inspired sketches, a comic strip dress, and some high-fashion Kirby-like designs but one of our readers created her own dress that's almost like a combination of the three. Read on for some details on her creation she put together especially for Free Comic Book Day, including where she found that fabulous print!
Here is a paper doll of Stephanie Brown and her alter-ego, Batgirl. Artist Kyle Hilton also did a Chris Hemsworth Thor version so, you know, you can mix and match their outfits. Check out the a whole bunch more including a Maggie Smith/Violet Crawley from Downton Abbey! (via Comics Alliance)
Well, The Avengers made a disgusting amount of money (more on that tomorrow) but it's just the latest in a long line of superhero or comic book films. YouTube user sleepyskunk decided to put together a video showcasing...a whole lot of them. Hit the jump to be wowed by the huge list captured in this almost five minute video, which isn't even all of these types of movies in existence.
Editor’s Note: We're now onto the second half of HBO’s Game of Thrones Season 2 and big things are going to start happening very fast. Amy Ratcliffe is back with her recap of last night's episode as well as some extra thoughts on changes from the book series. Spoilers ahead of course, (book talk is at the very end if you want to avoid it) and don’t forget to catch up with last week’s recap if you missed it!
The Pentagon Snubbed The Avengers Because They Didn’t Know Who Was in Charge — Them or S.H.I.E.L.D.
The American military is generally pretty cool with cooperating with Hollywood on making military stories look as authentic as possible (while still making the military look honorable). And while they have lent their expertise and image to many fantastical kinds of movies -- including Marvel's Iron Man -- there was just something bugging them about where they fell in the food chain in The Avengers. Namely, were they going to have to answer to the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury? Because apparently, this was unclear, and the military brass were not cool with that. And that's why the highest level of "official" crimefighting came from the New York National Guard.
Long weekend? What got you, kitty? Was it Star Wars Day, Free Comic Book Day, Cinco De Mayo, The Avengers opening, or the second season of Sherlock finally actually having an American premiere that got you?
Tell me about it, I still haven't had time to reading the Buffy/Alien crossover. But I did watch two of the Twilight movies (with Rifftrax, obviously).
Immortalize Yourself In Carbonite (With Han Solo’s Body) At Disney’s Star Wars Weekends
You can now place yourself in the scene that might have given you nightmares as a child! (Or was that just me?) At the end of The Empire Strikes Back, (Spoilers! Ha!) Han Solo is encased in carbonite to be shipped off to Jabba the Hutt. Now, Disney theme parks are offering you the chance to see what you'd look like in the famous alloy by creating a personalized toy. But will you have to live with seeing your head on Han Solo's body to do it? Hit the jump for pictures and more info.
It’s Not Just You: Many People Are Cutting Their Cable Loose In Favor of Streaming (Legal and Otherwise)
If you have found yourself making the decision to dump your cable company and just see what's available online, you are part of a growing TV audience that is moving further and further away from conventional cable. About 1.5 million households canceled their cable subscriptions in 2011, which is a small but significant drop in the cable-viewing audience. Instead, these defectors are moving on to online streaming on sites like Hulu (for now, at least), Netflix, iTunes, and other -- ahem -- less legal venues. Some say it's a direct result of the recession, and cable companies might want to do a little soul-searching to retain -- and regain -- their audiences.
Tina Fey Sits Between Two Ferns With Zach Galifianakis [Video]
Comedy Central made the excellent decision to turn Zach Galifianakis' Funny or Die series, Between Two Ferns, into an extra-long and extra-awkward TV special for our viewing pleasure. The one-time special aired before the Comedy Awards this week, and one of Galifianakis' guests was the one and only Tina Fey. They discussed her decision to have a second baby as well as women in comedy, and it was all 100 percent uncomfortable. Therefore, it was a success. After the jump, about two minutes of an interview that looks like it was a mistake.
The Avengers Officially Has the Highest Grossing Opening Weekend
Time for some celebratory Middle Eastern food: The Avengers has, by all preliminary reports, smashed the box office record for opening weekend grosses by a lead of $35 million. The previous record was held by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, at $169.2 million, which, yes, means that The Avengers pulled in $205 million dollars this weekend, not counting the $650 million it's already pulled in overseas.
That means that, within this weekend and US audiences alone, The Avengers has almost recouped its operational budget.
Did the Dinosaurs Create Their Own Climate Change Troubles by Farting?
Hold on to your butts: Liverpudlian scientists are positing a new wrinkle in how we understand the climate of ancient Earth, specifically in the Mesozoic period, which, as many five year olds can tell you with perfect clarity, was a time when giant lizards dominated the planet's ecosystems. Dave Wilkinson and collaborators believe that the enormous, long necked herbivores known as sauropods and titanosaurs, with their accompanying enormous digestive systems, may have been responsible for the higher temperatures of the period by turning the entire world into a Dutch Oven.
Join us, ladies and gentlemen, for some hard theoretical numbers on dinosaur farts.
Terminally Illin’: A Graphic Novel About a 20-Something Battling Cancer
A cancer diagnosis at any time is unfair and bad news, especially when you're a young adult in the prime of your life, ready to take on anything. Kaylin Andres was one such person, and after surviving her own battle with cancer, she's fictionalized the experience in the form of a comic book, Terminally Illin'. Along with collaborator Jon Solo, she's running a Kickstarter campaign to create a digital version of the comic and spread the word. After the jump, more details and pictures from the project.
Guillermo del Toro Says Prometheus May Have Already Eaten His Lunch; Cthulhu May Slumber a While Longer
If you're a follower of the career of Guillermo del Toro, which we certainly are, from Hellboy to Pan's Labyrinth to his involvement in the very early concept stages of this December's The Hobbit, you might be aware of one of his longest gestating projects, At the Mountains of Madness. Shelved once again in March of last year, the adaptation of the most famous work in of H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulu mythos, has continually had trouble getting greenlit, as a conceptual horror movie about the ultimately uncomfortable relationship between mankind and the rest of the universe that would require a large budget, big special effects, and an R rating.
Wait... that sounds familiar...
In fact, all of those things could also apply to Ridley Scott's long awaited return to the Aliens universe, and del Toro feels this makes the market a bit to saturated.
New Game of Thrones Actor Rose Leslie Opens Up About Getting Cast As Ygritte
If you haven't read George R. R. Martin'sA Song of Ice and Fire and prefer to go into the HBO series Game of Thrones completely fresh, you may want to turn away now. We won't be posting any spoilers for tonight's new episode but we will be giving some information on a brand new character played by actress Rose Leslie. Read on for how the actress landed the role of Ygritte and what her favorite part of playing her is.
Catching Fire Script Getting A Rewrite From Toy Story 3 & Little Miss Sunshine Screenwriter
Last week, Lionsgate made their official announcement stating that director Francis Lawrence would be taking over from Gary Ross on the Hunger Games movie franchise. But an interesting development happened this weekend. It seems the studio is looking for rewrites on the script for Catching Fire and has chosen Toy Story 3 writer Michael Arndt for the job.
Star Trek Captains Kirk & Picard To Travel In Space, For Real, As Action Figures
Captain Kirk and Captain Picard have shared screen-time before in the beloved Star Trek franchise but now they'll travel to space together in real life. No, actors William Shatner and Sir Patrick Stewart won't be boarding a space craft, their action figures will.
