Spike & Eggers

Okay, I take back everything from yesterday's blog. Instead, I replace it with today's. "WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE TRAILER (!!!)" (FilmDrunk). See the screenwriters too.

Three Stooges coming soon

I can't possibly explain why this (Variety) gets me excited.

MGM gets its 'Stooges'
Penn, Carrey, Del Toro part of studio's plan
By MICHAEL FLEMING

MGM and the Farrelly brothers are closing in on their cast for "The Three Stooges."

Studio has set Sean Penn to play Larry, and negotiations are underway with Jim Carrey to play Curly, with the actor already making plans to gain 40 pounds to approximate the physical dimensions of Jerome "Curly" Howard.

The studio is zeroing in on Benicio Del Toro to play Moe.

The film is not a biopic, but rather a comedy built around the antics of the three characters that Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Howard played in the Columbia Pictures shorts.

The quest by the Peter and Bobby Farrelly to harness the project spans more than a decade and three studios. They first tried at Columbia, again at Warner Bros., and finally at MGM, where Worldwide Motion Picture Group chairman Mary Parent championed the cause and bought the WB-owned scripts and made a deal with Stooges rights holders C3.

Production will begin in early fall for a release sometime in 2010. The Farrellys, who wrote the script, are producing with their Conundrum partner Bradley Thomas, and Charlie Wessler.

C3 Entertainment principals Earl and Robert Benjamin will be executive producers.

Project will get underway after Penn completes the Asger Leth-directed Universal/Imagine Entertainment drama "Cartel." He hasn't done a comedy since the 1989 laffer "We're No Angels."

The Farrellys have long had their eyes on Del Toro to play Moe. Del Toro, who's coming off "Che," showed comic chops in the Guy Ritchie-directed "Snatch."

The surprise is the emergence of Carrey to play Curly. Howard established the character as a seminal physical comedian, from the first time he appeared in the first Stooges short in 1934 until he suffered a stroke on the set in 1946.

Weekend in Pop Culture

Just back from a beautiful weekend in Charlottesville, so thanks to all who came to the Virginia Festival of the Book and introduced themselves. Was one of my favorite events in a long while.

On the plane, was submerged in pop culture, which really just seemed to be peeking since I was eating it all at once:

• The end of Battlestar Galactica - Loved and felt totally satisfied (even ignoring my minor geek tweaks), and made me wish more shows ended before they overstay.
  
• My MacBook (yes, made the switch 10 months ago), but this was the first time I felt it, when, in the airport, I realized I'd only downloaded half the Battlestar ending on iTunes and had to get the final half before I boarded the plane. Love the internets.
  
• Favorite new show to replace Battlestar: Friday Night Lights. Football, jocks, remake of a movie -- all of these things kept me away from the show, but (and I'm halfway through season 1, so don't ruin it), this is clearly the best written show on TV for me. I love it. I love it. It shouldn't work, but it all does. Amazing that I love this like I love The Wire. (I said it).
  
• Wrote the intro for Absolute Promethia (such goodness)
  
• And just digging the hell out of Kings, by my pal Michael Green. Go support him!
  

Disney and Elmo

Just back from a week's vacation in Disney, where the clear high point was the stop in Sea World. Why? Because when I was 15 years old, I spent all my free time (and four years of high school) scooping ice cream at the Häagen-Dazs in the Aventura Mall. It taught me to hate rich people and to be nice to anyone serving food of any kind (except for those Orange Julius pricks). But the highlight was my best pal at work, a fellow 15 year old who always said his lifelong dream was to train the whales and dolphins at Sea World. He even wore a cheesy gold whale tail around his neck (don't make fun, I used to wear a Superman charm. It was a gift, Snoopy).

Twenty years later, he's at Sea World. The star of the whale and dolphin show. I cry every time I see him.

So go be nice to the ice cream guys. Tip 'em too. If you're a jerk, we used our pinkies to break the bottom of your cone so it'd leak on you by the time you hit JC Penney. Eat that.

Also, here's Ricky Gervais and Elmo.

Saint Dave

Of all the Watchmen news over the weekend, I think I've been most impressed by all-around amazing guy Dave Gibbons. In addition to being said nice guy and all, he has really stepped as an ambassador to comics. Every interview he does he keeps bringing it back to the comic (instead of just focusing on the movie).

Take a look at it here (Time Magazine).

As polite as he has been about the whole thing, I'm so happy that he said out loud what we all know -- and that's that a movie is not the highest aspiration a comic (or novel) can achieve. A book is a book. If it's a movie, great. But aspire to what's really important.

Bigger Than Watchmen

Here's the true biggest story in comics today. And it'll have far more of a lasting impact on the industry than any new movie: The New York Times Graphic Novel Bestseller List.

Brad Saw Watchmen

Saw Watchmen last night. You have to go see it and decide for yourself. You have to. Don't read reviews. Don't be influenced. Make your own decision (just like when the comic came out).

But let me just say this -- seeing the film is like seeing, twenty years later, the girl/boy from junior high that you had your biggest crush on. It's thrilling. And gets your blood flying -- really flying. But what stands out most is what's different and imperfect and therefore (unfairly or fairly) outstandingly wrong.

What they get perfect is so damn perfect (it's insane how perfect). What they get wrong feels like lemons on your papercuts. But go see. You'll know.

Brad Seeing Watchmen Tonight

Going to see Watchmen tonight. Cone of silence has been on for nearly a year now: no previews, no stills (except for the street scene I saw in Wizard), no casting (except for Kelly from Bad News Bears), no moving images. Caught one tiny look at the Entertainment Weekly Nite Owl cover, but that's IT. And it's taken work. Like avoiding sunlight. So for good or bad, my eyes will be drinking deep tonight. Full report tomorrow.

Also, my pal Bryan Gruley's Starvation Lake launches tomorrow and every new author needs your help, so please do give a look. Got a great review here.