The Curious Case of WESLEY SNIPES and a BLADE 4 Rumor

In what appears to be an old school tabloid gossip column on NYDailyNews.com called “Confidenti@l,” the News reports that “sources close” to actor Wesley Snipes say it’s “looking good” that he’ll close a $3m (“plus a cut of the profits”) deal to reprise his role as Marvel’s vampiric ‘daywalker’ in a Blade sequel.  

The rumor, buried in the middle of the column and not headlined, has been picked up by a few outlets, including MSN, with little qualification. And qualification is likely wise, because there appear to be significant issues with the story. First and foremost of course, is that Marvel Studios reportedly now owns the film rights to Blade, not New Line who made the first three films.  

In May 2013, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige told Entertainment Weekly about getting the rights to Ghost Rider, Blade, and Daredevil back, “Whenever a character comes back to us, it’s usually because the other studios don’t want to make the movies anymore – and that usually means the [previous] movies may not have been particularly well-received. They all have potential, but we’re not going to say ‘We got it back – make it.’”  

 

I would be quite happy to see another Blade movie, especially with Wesley Snipes back in the role.  My secret hope is that Marvel will continue the continuity of the first two movies, but ditch the third (not a fan of Trinity).  

Rila Fukushima the New KATANA in ARROW

There’s a changing of the guard going on at Arrow, as one of Oliver Queen’s possible trainers and allies, Tatsu “Katana” Yamashiro has a new actress. Devon Aoki is out due to an ambiguous “scheduling conflict,” and Rila Fukushima is in.

You may remember Fukushima from 2013’s The Wolverine, where she played another brash lone warrior’s ally. As Yukio she wielded, appropriately enough, a deadly katana, and in her first scene showed off her skills with her sword named “Separator.”

I applaud this move as it shows an attempt at greater diversity on the small screen.

Katana is a DC comics superheroine who is often associated with the Outsiders (a superhero group founded-depending on what continuity is under discussion-by Batman).  

How Does Your Favorite Star Trek Series Fare on the Bechdel Test?

A little over a year ago, with the help of a few other Trekkies I met through Tumblr, I took on a huge but super-fun project: running each and every live-action Star Trek episode—from The Original Series through Enterprise—through the Bechdel Test. In case you’re not quite up to speed, the Bechdel Test started as a tongue-in-cheek commentary by Alison Bechdel on the state of mainstream media in her comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For. In order for a movie to pass:

• There must be at least two (named) women characters;
• Who talk to each other;
• About something other than a man.

It’s not a test of whether or not a movie is feminist (Star Trek [2009] only passes because Uhura and her roommate Gaila talk about a science project while Kirk is hiding under their bed secretly watching Uhura change). But if a show or movie can’t even meet this extremely basic standard, it can indicate a lack of women characters and/or that the ones who are there might be tokenized, stereotyped, or one-dimensional.

I knew the Trek movies didn’t stack up very well, but no one had tested the episodes. Trek still has a huge place in our culture, impressive fan series are coming out all the time, we’re expecting another movie in 2016, and the rumors that we might one day get another series persist. So it’s important to figure out what worked and what could’ve been improved in terms of representations of women and other underrepresented groups. The future society portrayed in Star Trek was supposed to show greater equality for women (as well as people of color, although it seriously overlooked LGBT characters). But inequality behind the scenes, as well as trying to market a show based on conventional wisdom about what modern audiences want (more catsuits, maybe?), created tensions with that egalitarian vision.

 

Check out the results. They may surprise you.

Large-Scale Hack Lands Stolen Nude Photos Of Jennifer Lawrence & Other Celebrities Online

Read the whole thing.  And remember, if you come across any of those images, don’t look at them. None of the people who’s images were leaked consented and whoever leaked those photos committed a massive violation of privacy.  Please do not add to that violation by being one of those people.

Which Wonder Woman Will We See In Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice? The Comics Choices

Which one indeed?

The version I want to see is the compassionate diplomatic warrior that would prefer non-violent means of conflict resolution (while recognizing the need to engage in battle and, depending on the severity of the threat, the use of lethal force).

Here’s hoping.