Joss Whendon Spills First 'Avengers: Age of Ultron”

'Ultron' won't be based on the Marvel comic series of the same name and will have a darker tone than the original film.JossWhedon could have escaped Comic-Con a hero simply by taking the stage in Hall H on Saturday and announcing the title of his next Marvel flick, "Avengers:Age of Ultron."

But on Sunday at the Con, the director decided to pull back the curtain on his plans for the superhero sequel during a chat with Marvel LIVE, and for that we salute him.

"Ageof Ultron," he revealed, will start shooting in London at the end February or the beginning of March (ahead of the film's summer 2015 release date). Read on for the rest of the news Whedon revealed about the film.

'Ageof Ultron' Will Not Be Based on 'Age of Ultron. "Age of Ultron," a recent Marvel event penned by Brian Michael Bendis, shot up the Amazon sales chart after Saturday's announcement. Those eager buyers might have acted a bit too swiftly.

"[That's] not the case," Whedon said of basing the movie on the book. "We're doing our own version of the origin story of Ultron....We were crafting our own version of it where [Ultron's] own origin comes more directly from the Avengers were already know about."

HankPym Isn't Involved. Since a) an "Ant-Man" movie is in the works, b) Ant-Man is a creator of one version of the robot Ultron, and c) HankPym is one alter-ego of Ant-Man, many people assumed Pym would play a role in Whedon's "Age of Ultron." Not true, said Whedon.

"The other thing is in the origin story there was Hank Pim, so a lot of people assumed he was going to be in the mix, but he's not," he said. "We're basically taking the things from the comics for the movies that we need and can use. A lot of stuff has to fall by the way side."

Ultron Was An Obvious Choice.We'll let Whedon take this one: "Ultron has been their chief villain when I read the book. He's been the Avengers villain. I was amazed anybody was surprised it was going to be him in the movie. Since before I even took the job of making the first one: 'I don't know if I want to make this movie but the second one should have Ultron in it.' "

He added of the character's physical appearance in the film, "Ultron is definitely someone who evolves, so we're going to get a couple different iterations."

Ultron Was Obvious.The script is almost done, according to Whedon — and it will likely look and feel quite different than the 2012 original.

"It'sa little bit darker than the other film since Ultron's in the house," he said. "It's got a sci-fi element to it that's a little bit stronger than the other film. Getting the team together was so rousing. But seriously, keeping the team together is a completely different problem."

Source: mtv

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Phil Mickelson wins first British Open

Instead of another excruciating loss in a major championship, Phil Mickelson got a chance to celebrate early.

A brilliant closing round at challenging Muirfield made it possible.

Mickelson won the claret jug for the first time and his fifth major championship with a 5-under 66 on Sunday, matching the best round of the tournament on a day when the other contenders -- including TigerWoods -- faded away.

Lefty birdied four of the last six holes, winning by three strokes and emphatically erasing the memory of all those close calls that didn't go his way -- the latest one just last month when he was runner-up at the U.S. Open for a staggering sixth time.

"This is such an accomplishment for me," Mickelson said. "I never knew if I'd be able to develop the game and the shots to play links golf effectively. To play what is arguably the best round of my career, to putt the way I putted, to shoot the round of my life, it just feels amazing to win the claret jug."

Overall, Mickelson has eight runner-up finishes in the majors, including one at golf's oldest major championship just two years ago.

Now, at age 43, he's finally got his name on the claret jug, three-fourths of the way along to a career Grand Slam and assuring he'll go down as one of the greats of the game.

"I putted soooo good," Mickelson said.

He began his amazing finish with a 8-footer for birdie at the 13th, getting his score back to even par and giving him a score that he thought would be in the mix at the end if he simply parred out.

Mickelson did much better than that, rolling in a 20-footer at the 14th for another birdie, reaching the green in two at the par-5 17th to set up yet another birdie, and closing it with a 10-footer on the final hole for a 3-under 281 total.

Even though there were still four groups still on the course, Mickelson knew he had done more than enough to win. He pumped his fists and let out a yell. His caddie burst into tears. His wife and kids celebrated just off the green.

Lee Westwood began the day with a two-stroke lead but was again denied his first major title. He struggled to a 75 that left him four shots back, and Mickelson's victory was assured when Westwood didn't come close to making the eagle he needed on the 17th.  Woods was two shots out at the start but a 74 left him five shots behind the winner.

Mickelson was the only player to break par over four days at a baked-out course that bedeviled the world's best golfers.

Everyone but Mickelson, that is. Henrik Stenson was the runner-up at 284. Ian Poulter and Adam Scott finished another shot back.

"Phil must've played really well," Westwood said. "Five-under par is a good round of golf this afternoon."

Source: fornews

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Box Office Report :”R.I.P.D” Digs early grave: 'The Conjuring' Eyes Spectacular $38.2 Million Debut

James Wan's supernatural horror pic The Conjuring -- costing a mere $20 million to produce -- stole the show on Friday as it opened to a spectacular $17 million for a projected weekend debut of $38.2 million, far more than expected.

The New Line and Warner Bros. pic received an A- CinemaScore, unusual for a horror film. The R-rated movie stars VeraFarmiga and Patrick Wilson as paranormal investigators who help a family terrorized by a dark force. Ron Livingston andLili Taylor also star.

For Universal, the Friday box office delivered wildly different news.

Just as Despicable Me 2 celebrated racing past $500 million worldwide, Robert Schwentke's action-comedy R.I.P.D.became the latest big-budget casualty at the summer box office, grossing a dismal $4.8 million to come in No. 6. for the day. Earning a C+ CinemaScore, R.I.P.D. is anticipating an abysmal $12.2 million weekend.

The $130 million movie, based on the comic book Restin Peace Department by Peter M. Lenkov, stars Ryan Reynolds andJeff Bridges as deceased police officers who must protect the living from evil spirits who refuse to move on. Drawing comparisons to Menin Black, R.I.P.D. also stars Kevin Baconand Mary-Louise Parker (who appears in Red 2 as well).

Universal can certainly withstand a box-office flop, considering the profits it will reap from summer hits Despicable2, Fast & Furious 6 and The Purge. And once the studio realized R.I.P.D. was in trouble, it scaled back its marketing spend.

R.I.P.D. isn't the only box office disappointment of the weekend.

Despicable 2 is making life virtually impossible for new animated entry Turbo, from DreamWorksAnimation and 20th Century Fox. The 3D family film, which opened Wednesday, grossed $6.5 million on Friday to place No. 3 and is anticipating a $21.4 million weekend for a five-day total of $31.1 million, one of the lowest showings ever for a DWA title.

Despicable2 took in $7.4 million on Friday to place No. 2, where it's supposed to stay for the weekend. The toon is now the No. 1 animated title of the year domestically, besting Monsters University.

Turbo -- battling a glut of animated product -- opens only two weeks after Despicable Me 2 and four weeks after Monsters University. Fox is counting on Turbo to have strong legs, noting that it received a glowing A CinemaScore and an A+ from moviegoers under age 18.

The film, directed by David Soren and costing $135 million to produce, is about an ordinary garden snail whose dream of racing in the Indianapolis 500 comes true. Reynolds voices the title role; Paul Giamatti, Snoop Dogg, Michael Pena, MayaRudolph, MichelleRodriguez  and SamuelL. Jackson also lend their voices. DWA is playing up the fact that Turbo is an original story.

Source: holluwoodreporter

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The Pioneering White House journalist Helen Thomas dies at 92

FamedWhite House journalist Helen Thomas has died at the age of 92.

The Gridiron Club and Foundation, a journalistic organization in Washington, D.C., confirmed Thomas' passing to NBC News on Saturday.

Thomas died on Saturday morning at her Washington apartment after a long illness, the club said in a statement. A former president of the Gridiron Club, Thomas broke a long line of all-male leadership when she was chosen for the position in 1993.

Thejournalist who scored a front-row seat at White House press briefings after years of reporting for wire services had been in and out of the hospital recently, a friend, Muriel Dobbin, told the Associated Press. The daughter of Lebanese immigrants, Thomas had grown up in Detroit before moving to Washington, D.C., where she broke several barriers for female correspondents.

Known for her persistent style of questioning, Thomas was most recognized for her work with United Press International, and covered nine presidents over her long career. She started as a copy girl at the Washington Daily News, moving to what was then called the United Press in 1943.

She spent her last 10 years in journalism writing a column for Hearstnewspapers, a post she retired from in 2010 after she was caught on a videotape saying that Israel should “get the hell out of Palestine.” Her comments spread quickly on the Internet, and Thomas announced that she would retire shortly before her 90th birthday.

In a statement issued later, Thomas said she regretted her comments: “They do not reflect my heart-felt belief that peace will come to the Middle East only when all parties recognize the need for mutual respect and tolerance. May that day come soon.”

A 49-year veteran of the White House press, Thomas was known for getting the last word at presidential news conferences: “Thank you, Mr. President.”

She saw the nation's leaders at their best and worst from her front-row seat to the executive branch.

“I have witnessed presidents in situations of great triumph and adulation, when they are riding the crest of personal fulfillment, and I have seen them fall off their pedestals through an abuse of power or what President Clinton called ‘a lapse of critical judgment,'” Thomas wrote in her memoir.

Her husband, The Associated Press’ Douglas Cornell, died in 1982.

Source: nbcnews

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Ratings Rat Race Update:”Teen Beach Movie”

DisneyChannel’s unveiling of Teen Beach Movie last night clocked an average of 8.4 million viewers. That’s more than five times the crowd that came to the unveiling of Syfy’s Sharknado! But sadly, Damon Lindelof did not live-tweet the Teen Beach Movie premiere, so the press largely declined to live-hyperventilate as it was premiering. TBM attracted 1.6 million viewers in the 18-49 demo, 4.6 million kids 2-11, 3.9 million kids 6-11, and 3.4 million tweens (9-14) — in case you’re wondering who’s watching TV on Friday nights.

With that in mind, the broadcast networks Friday aired reruns and originals of news programs, workplace reality series, and procedural crime dramas — real kid-magnet stuff. CBS wound up with the largest primetime crowd among broadcasters with a lackluster 4.5 million viewers — because, turns out,Undercover Boss, Hawaii Five-0 and Blue Bloods are no Teen Beach Movie.

ABC’slineup — a Shark Tank repeat, What Would You Do? and 20/20 — was the night’s leading broadcaster in the 18-49 demo with a nothing-to-write-home-about 1.0 rating. Did we mention Teen Beach Movie did a 1.5 rating in the demo?

Following TBM, Disney Channel’s preview of new sitcom Liv& Maddie logged 5.8 million viewers — 3.2 million of them kids 2-11 and 2.4 million of them tweens.

Source: deadline

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Despicable Me 2: What the Critics Are Saying

The Minions return for a second go-around in DespicableMe 2, the animated sequel to the popular Universal property.

Steve Carell returns as villain-turned-hero Gru, who is now being recruited by the Anti-Villain League to thwart an up-and-coming criminal mastermind, El Macho (Benjamin Bratt). Carell is joined by returning stars Kristen Wiig, Miranda Cosgrove, Russell Brand, Steve Coogan and Ken Jeong.Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud repeat their turns as directors and the inspired voices behind the scene-stealing Minions.

The first film was a critical and box-office success to the tune of a $543 million gross and an 89 percent Fresh rating by top critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Will the anticipated sequel live up to the hype set by its predecessor?

DespicableMe 2 is set to be released Wednesday, but critics have already weighed in, generally praising the Minions’ expanded role but acknowledging that the sequel lacks the heart and originality of the 2010 film.

The Hollywood Reporter’s Michael Rechtshaffen writes he is a fan of the returning crazy characters, including the film’s star.

“While the new edition doesn’t quite catch that inspired spark, there’s still plenty to enjoy here courtesy of those zippy visuals and a pitch-perfect voice cast led by the innately animated Steve Carell.”

Rechtshaffen adds that the film benefits from “an irresistible Looney Tunes-style nuttiness -- one even more prevalent this time around in the absence of a more substantial plotline.”

Peter Howell of The Toronto Star was more critical of the film’s uninspired recycled style, one that leaned on the fan-favorite Minions.

“What begins as inspiration in Hollywood inevitably turns to calculation. So it is that Despicable Me 2 feels slightly less fresh and more formulaic than its predecessor. DespiteGru’s warning, it has gotten older. The beguiling basics are still there, including the goofy gadgets and sly references to other films. But there are a few major twists and changes of emphasis -- Gru’s babbling Minions, once a sideshow, now come close to stealing the show. “

Stephen Holden of The New York Times offers a rare negative review, claiming Gru’s transformation is just one example of the sequel turning too sweet, “trying so hard to double your pleasure.”

“The film … is consistently diverting and so cute you’ll want to pet it. Yet it is also weightless and lacks a center. … It is not a good sign for the future of this franchise that Despicable Me 2 might as well be waving a sign that pleads, “Love me, love me, love me!”

In his San Francisco Chronicle review, Peter Hartlaub underhandedly criticizes the film’s central narrative, which is lacking or even absent.

“It's a credit to Despicable Me 2 that the writing can be so funny in the moment, that it takes time to realize there's no cohesive story, zero dramatic tension and nary a practical lesson for either the characters in the film or the people watching in the theater.”

The writer also calls out the visual animation team behind the sequel, stating, “The animation isn't elite, so the filmmakers go for broke with the 3D presentation, which harkens back to the comin'-at-ya gimmickry of the 1950s and 1980s.”

Stephen Whitty of The Newark Star-Ledger provides rare commentary as well, declaring that he was fonder of the sequel due to the depiction of the villainous protagonist in the original material. (“The film called him Gru, but grow on you he never did.”)

“Gru -- now a good guy, kind of the way Jimmy Cagney joined the G-Men -- is developing his own, non-Fester identity. The ‘minions’ -- the bright yellow, humanoid nubbins that do his bidding -- are more distinguishable too. And, even better, the nicely eccentric art -- characters turned into boldly geometric jumbles of cones and spheres, perched on spindly legs -- has not only survived but thrived.”

Despicable Me 2 opens in theaters in 3D Wednesday.

Source: hollywoodrepoter

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Rangers trade Christian Thomas to Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens have acquired forward Christian Thomas from the NewYork Rangers for prospect Danny Kristo.

Thomas played one game for the Rangers last season, spending most of his time with the AHL's Connecticut Whale where he had 19 goals and 35 points in 73 games last season.

He was drafted by the Rangers in the second round of the 2010 draft.

''Christian Thomas is a gifted goal scorer with lots of speed,'' Canadiens generalmanager Marc Bergevin said. ''He has been very productive offensively at the junior level with 137 goals before adding 19 more as a rookie with Connecticut in the AHL last season. This young 21-year old forward has shown tremendous character.''

Kristo had 26 goals and 52 points in 40 games with North Dakota in the 2012-13 season.

Source: yahoo

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