THE RANT: ‘JOHN CARTER’s’ MASSIVE FALLOUT: Who’s to blame for Disney’s ‘$200-million’ bomb (THE RANT)

THE RANT: ‘JOHN CARTER’s’ MASSIVE FALLOUT: Who’s to blame for Disney’s ‘$200-million’ bomb By Michael Cavna

SOMETIMES BAD FLOPS happen to good people. Even those hideous, avert-your-eyes flops that cause you to question how so much talent can go to so much disgraceful waste. Amid the commercial carnage that follows the CGI blood-splatter, even Hollywood’s best coroners are sometimes stumped by the precise cause of staggering box-office death.

They walk away, shaking their heads, chalking it up to fickle audiences or muddled plots or who-knows-what-exactly? Commercial death comes, as it must, to all serial big-spenders backing gargantuan movies. But in the case of “John Carter,” it didn't have to be this way.

Disney still has its Imagineers. But where in the Martian world were the studio’s marketeers? “John Carter” may go down as one of Hollywood’s biggest movie flops ever. But it should rightly go down as one the town’s biggest marketing flops ever.

Did someone at the Mouse House dial the E.R. instead of PR? The Mouse House announced this week that it anticipates that “John Carter” — its new film about Edgar Rice Burroughs’s Civil War “Martian” — will “book a loss of $200 million” for the quarter. Meaning in Hollywood dollars, it’s on track to be one of the biggest money-losing ka-booms ever. “John Carter” had grossed nearly $190-mill globally as of last weekend — but had a whopping production budget of about $250-million, plus its $100-million marketing price tag, the AP reports.


READ WHAT MAY HAVE GONE WRONG:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/comic-riffs/post/the-rant-john-carters-massive-fallout-whos-to-blame-for-disneys-200-million-bomb/2012/03/19/gIQAOKf6VS_blog.html

Foreign Box Office: 'John Carter' Repeats as No. 1 for Second Consecutive Weekend But Slips in Key Overseas Markets (THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER)

1:32 PM PDT 3/18/2012 by Frank Segers

Getting a gentler box office reception on the foreign theatrical circuit, Disney’s John Carter took the No. 1 spot overseas for the second consecutive weekend, grossing $40.7 million from 54 offshore markets and lifting its international gross total to $126.1 million.

Weekend action for the $250-million-plus live action animation fantasy-adventure directed by Andrew Stanton was down more than 40% from its foreign debut last round. It slipped from first place to No. 4 in the U.K., where it took in an estimated $1.8 million from some 460 spots for a market cume of an estimated $6.3 million.

In Australia, where Carter also opened No. 1 last round, the film placed second this time, dropping about 51% to an estimated $1.6 million on the weekend. Carter also dropped from No. 2 to No. 3 in South Korea and Germany, from second to fourth in France, and from third to fifth place in Italy.

Overall, Carter’s overseas reception remains considerably kinder so far than the comparable $13.5 weekend tally and $53.2 million cume-to-date meted out in the U.S. and Canada.


READ MORE:  http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/foreign-box-office-john-carter-dr-seuss-lorax-21-jump-street-301492

Liam Neeson: Trailer for Battleship (MYSPACE)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=u7N-33PbR-g

Battleship opens May 18th, 2012. .

Synopsis: Peter Berg (Hancock) produces and directs Battleship, an epic-scaled action-adventure that unfolds across the seas, in the skies and over land as our planet fights for survival against a superior force. Inspired by Hasbro’s classic naval combat game, Battleship stars Taylor Kitsch as Lt. Alex Hopper, a Naval officer assigned to the USS John Paul Jones; Brooklyn Decker as Sam Shane, a physical therapist and Hopper’s fiancée; Alexander Skarsgård as Hopper’s older brother, Stone, Commanding Officer of the USS Sampson; Rihanna as Petty Officer Raikes, Hopper’s crewmate and a weapons specialist on the USS John Paul Jones; and international superstar Liam Neeson as Hopper and Stone’s superior (and Sam’s father), Admiral Shane.

READ MORE:  http://www.myspace.com/whats-hot/2012/3/13/a-new-trailer-for-battleship-starring-rihanna-and-liam-neeson

Downton Abbey: OOOPS! and John Carter flops (LOS ANGELES TIMES)

DOWNTON ABBEY
Oops? Did NBC blow an opportunity to have "Downton Abbey," the British import that has been a hit in the U.S. on PBS?

The Philadelphia Inquirer notes that the show is produced by NBC sister company Britain's Carnival Films, and says the network passed on it, "believing that American audiences wouldn't have the appetite for a very British historical drama set in a country manor in Edwardian England."

That said, the story offers little evidence that NBC ever considered the show. A spokesperson at NBC told the Inquirer that the decision not to air the show was made by a previous administration. Beyond that there are no comments in the story -- on the record or on background -- from anyone from the previous administration or at Carnival saying it had been shopped to NBC at all.

JOHN CARTER
John Carter" a non-starter. Walt Disney Co.'s "John Carter" -- one of the biggest bets in movie history -- opened with a disappointing $30.6 million at the box office, finishing a distant second behind Universal's "The Lorax," which earned almost $40 million in its second weekend of release.

"John Carter" is projected to lose as much as $165 million, according to one Wall Street analyst. The only good news for Disney is that "John Carter" wasn't the only flop of the weekend. The horror movie "Silent House" and the comedy "A Thousand Words" also bombed. Box office coverage from the Los Angeles Times, New York Times and Movie City News.


READ MORE:  http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2012/03/the-morning-fix-john-carter-box-office-.html

Movie Review: John Carter (FIREFOX NEWS)

By Aubrey Ward III
Published Yesterday


Look Out Luke Skywalker. There's A New Galactic Savior In Town.

John Carter opens with a brief overview of Barsoom (aka Mars) and the civil war that has raged between the righteous city of Helium and the tyrants of Zodanga. The scales are tipped in Zodanga's favor when “Zodangan” Prince Sab Than (Dominic West) is given a powerful weapon by a mysterious figure named Matai Shang (Mark Strong). With new technology and Matai Shang's remarkable resources Sab Than's conquest of Barsoom looks promising.

We then head back to Earth, circa 1800's, where John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) has passed away and left his fortune to his nephew, Edgar Rice Burroughs (Daryl Sabara). Edgar begins to read John's memoir that explains how John managed to get to Mars and his adventures there upon his arrival.

I'm not an Edgar Rice Burroughs expert so I don't know how faithful this film adaptation was to the original series of novels. I watched the film as a total virgin to the John Carter saga so my view is of someone who likes Disney films, special effects extravaganzas, and science fiction adventures.

I found John Carter to be interesting. It's easy to say the plot is familiar because there have been plenty of flicks that featured a human being as the unlikely savior of an alien race. Then I have to put into perspective that the source material for this film was written in the early 1900s. So it's probably a more fitting claim that films like Avatar (2009), The Last Starfighter (1984) and Green Lantern (2011) were actually inspired (unintentionally or not) by Mr. Burroughs' works.

Nevertheless, the theme has been done before so John Carter is the same kitchen sink but with a different polish; new guy lands on foreign soil through extraordinary circumstances, quickly learns the customs and then becomes the unlikely hero that rallies the troops into a victorious frenzy. Despite the familiarity of the basic plot I enjoyed John Carter's adventures both off and on Mars. John's efforts to escape from his military duties leads to some thrilling yet amusing episodes with Colonel Powell (Bryan Cranston) and his troops.

Then comes the trip to Barsoom where John gets a crash course on Martian etiquette from a tribal race known as the Tharks. The green skinned, four-armed peoples are pretty brutal and aggressive but have a strong sense of honor when it comes to religion and customs. Thankfully, the Tharks are much closer in concept to the Navi in Avatar (2010) than the Gungans in Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace (1999). The Tharks are presented in a mostly serious tone. They are a tough, rugged people and the combination of CG and voice acting is done well enough to make the Thark people a very natural part of the cast rather than just a dazzling gimmick.


READ THE ENTIRE REVIEW;  http://firefox.org/news/articles/3674/1/Movie-Review-John-Carter-2012/Page1.html

Alan Rickman: Wait, What? ‘Galaxy Quest’ Was Initially R-Rated (GEEKS OF DOOM)

Speaking with Lindsey Collins—producer of the massive Disney blockbuster that hit theaters this weekend, John Carter—recently, Collider’s Steve Weintraub was informed of some long-lost buried treasure of sorts.

Apparently Galaxy Quest, the fantastic 1999 sci-fi comedy starring Tim Allen, Alan Rickman, Sigourney Weaver, Sam Rockwell, Tony Shalhoub, and Daryl Mitchell (as well as a slew of other familiar faces) as the stars of an old sci-fi TV series (a la Star Trek) who inadvertently find themselves beamed out to space to help very real aliens put an end to the ongoing threats of an evil being named Sarris and his crew, was initially an R-rated comedy before being cut down to the PG version fans know and love.

Collins explained how she came to find out this information while dining with Weaver: “We had lunch with Sigourney, who was telling us that there actually used to be an R-rated version of that movie which was awesome. It was the director’s cut and it was R-rated and everybody was swearing and there were sex scenes, and the whole thing. They didn’t know what to do with it, so they had to re-edit the whole thing and made it what it is today. We were like, ‘How do we get our hands on the R-rated version of Galaxy Quest?’ She said ‘I don’t know!’ and we were like, ‘Come on, Sigourney!’”


Read Further:  http://www.geeksofdoom.com/2012/03/10/wait-what-galaxy-quest-was-initially-r-rated/

John Carter Movie Review (VISALIA TIMES DELTA)

“John Carter” is one wacky movie. It features an unwieldy plot that throws in elements of “Flash Gordon,” “Star Wars,” “Indiana Jones,” “Avatar” and “Conan the Barbarian” for good measure.

And even though it clocks in at well over two hours, the film feels over-stuffed and rushed because of all the disparate story lines. Still, in spite of its crazed plot and at-times bloated running time, it’s mostly entertaining.

This is a movie aimed at the 13-year-old boy with a healthy imagination and a thirst for action. “John Carter” features visits to other worlds, sword fights, gun battles, 12-foot-tall, four-armed green creatures with a propensity for violence and a scantily clad princess whose outfit would make even Princess Leia via “Return of the Jedi” blush.

The movie, directed by Andrew Stanton of Pixar “Finding Nemo” and “Wall-E” fame, is based on Edgar Rice Burroughs’ “John Carter of Mars” series, which was first published starting in 1912. The novels obviously influenced a wide swath of future sci-fi series, including the aforementioned “Flash Gordon” and “Star Wars.”

To describe the plot is almost a losing proposition. It revolves around a Civil War veteran transported to Mars, which is the middle of a civil war between the kingdom of Helium and the mobile city of Zodanga. Turns out the civil war in manipulated by malevolent spirit forces led by Matai Shang (Mark Strong).

To stop the civil war, Helium’s leader (Ciaran Hinds) agrees to marry his lovely daughter Princess Dejah (the scantily clad Lynne Collins) to the evil Zodanga warlord Sab Than (Dominic West).


Read further:  http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/article/20120307/ENTERTAINMENT02/120307015

Film Review: John Carter 3D (Coventry Telegraph)

(12A, 132 mins) Action/Sci-Fi/Romance. Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Mark Strong, Dominic West, Ciaran Hinds, James Purefoy, Daryl Sabara, Willem Dafoe, Samantha Morton, Thomas Haden Church, Polly Walker. Director Andrew Stanton.

INTENDED as the first instalment of an action-packed trilogy, John Carter is a fantastical and fantastically dull battle beyond the stars based on the novel A Princess Of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

Oscar-winning director Andrew Stanton, who collected golden statuettes for Finding Nemo and WALL-E, makes a lacklustre live action debut with this sprawling epic.

The miasma of digital effects, which hopes to emulate Avatar by immersing us in an eye-popping alien world, feel flat in 3D and the quality of the computer trickery doesn't match the ambition of Stanton's own script, co-written by Mark Andrews and Michael Chabon.


Read further:  http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/whats-on-coventry-warwickshire/cinema-film/2012/03/06/film-review-john-carter-3d-92746-30472281/

'John Carter' will be difficult to pull off, says Ciaran Hinds (Digital Spy)

Published Friday, Jan 6 2012, 9:34am EST | By Simon Reynolds and Morgan Jeffery |

© ITV

John Carter star Ciaran Hinds has said that the forthcoming Disney blockbuster will be a difficult movie for director Andrew Stanton to "pull off".

The Northern Irish actor appears as Tardos Mors in the science fiction epic alongside Rome co-stars Polly Walker and James Purefoy.

Hinds told Digital Spy that Stanton first approached him to star in the movie after seeing him perform in a stage production of Burnt by the Sun.

© Disney

"Andrew Stanton came to see a play I was doing three years ago at the National. God love him, he sat through a big Russian epic," he said.

"I met him afterwards and he'd seen [HBO drama] Rome and he wanted to use some of us, because he wanted these people on Mars - Jeddaks - to be almost Roman."

"I [then] realized that this is the Andrew Stanton who did Finding Nemo and WALL-E. Those were two of the most beautiful films I know - they touch adults and children alike."

Hinds confessed that Stanton has a challenge on his hands juggling the movie's huge visual effects demands.

© Disney

"I think John Carter is going to be a difficult thing to pull off, but he's a very brilliant man," he commented.

"It's moving three different things. It's moving animation with computer digitalisation and real live-action. How you do that seamlessly I've no idea, and then how that reads through this big interplanetary story... it remains to be seen."

> Ciaran Hinds Above Suspicion Q&A: Silent Scream is a rollercoaster'

Watch the John Carter trailer below:

       


http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/news/a358573/john-carter-will-be-difficult-to-pull-off-says-ciaran-hinds.html

Martin Freeman reveals his first encounter with Gollum in The Hobbit! (Morning Spoilers)

A Community star might be in the new Evil Dead. What do action figures reveal about the plot of The Dark Knight Rises? Damon Lindelof breaks down the Alien connections in Prometheus. Plus lots more on Bryan Fuller's Munsters reboot!

Spoilers from here on out!

The Dark Knight Rises

I can't believe there's an inside source on this, but someone is claiming to have seen an early list of the figurines Mattel is making for their 6" Movie Masters line... wait, no, I actually can totally believe that. Anyway, the list reportedly features all the expected names — Batman, Catwoman, Bane, Joseph Gordon-Levitt's police officer John Blake, and Alfred — along with one unexpected entry: Ra's al Ghul. Assuming this is true - and again, I'm kind of dumbfounded we're now debating the veracity of a list of action figures — this raises the question of whether the figure will look like Josh Pence, who is playing the young Ra's in the film, or Batman Begins actor Liam Neeson, who has been widely rumored but still completely unconfirmed to appear in this third film. Either way, this might indicate that Ra's al Ghul plays a larger role in the film than previously expected... or it could just mean that kids really love Liam Neeson and/or Josh Pence, which I could also totally believe. Anyway, as always, grains of salt at the ready. [Comic Book Movie]

The movie has also been given an official release date of July 20, 2012 in both 2D and IMAX formats. [Coming Soon]

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The Avengers

Tom Hiddleston discusses the moment where Loki has to just throw Tony Stark out a window:

I did get to throw Tony Stark [Iron Man's alter ego] through a window - which you can see in trailers — all I can tell you is he deserved it. He's got a sharp tongue, that Tony Stark. I had the privilege of throwing Robert Downey Jr. out of a window. So, it's pinch-me moments all the way.

[New York Daily News]

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Prometheus

Writer Damon Lindelof talks some more about this movie's connections to director Ridley Scott's original Alien, something the just released trailer didn't make any clearer:

"One part of me sort of wants to be working on something where I can say, ‘This is exactly what this is' without being secretive or mysterious but I think that with the genesis of this a couple of years ago - when Ridley announced that he wanted to make an ‘Alien' prequel - that's where this began and where it's evolved to is this conversation: Is it or isn't it [an 'Alien' prequel]? And I think this little sort of dance that we're doing basically existed prior to anybody seeing anything. Now that people are seeing stuff I think the material kind of speaks for itself. If you're looking at it through the prism of ‘I want it to be that,' you'll notice the way the word ‘Prometheus' comes up [in a way that resembles the 'Alien' classic logo] or look at the production design and the way the whole thing feels. If you're looking at it from the perspective of wanting it to be something more original, I think the trailer accomplishes that by being pretty cool to people who have never even seen ‘Alien.'
"It's accomplishing what we set out to do. I wish that we didn't have to be so mysterious about it but mystery can be a good thing as long as you've got the goods to back it up. In this case, when the movie arrives, one of the most visionary filmmakers in the history of cinema will be putting his cards on the table and I'm just kind of standing behind him with my arms folded."

[Hero Complex]

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The Hunger Games

It turns out Taylor Swift and the Civil Wars aren't the only ones contributing original songs to this movie's soundtrack. Other contributors will reportedly include the Decemberists, Win Butler and Regine Chassagne of Arcade Fire, and star Jennifer Lawrence herself, who will sing the song "Rue's Lullaby." Again, how much, if any of this, will actually find its way into the movie itself is an open question. [EW]

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Robocop

Director Jose Padilha promises this movie will retain all the social commentary of Paul Verhoeven's original film, and it will indeed stay in Detroit to do it:

"The satire element of RoboCop is, I think, needed today. That kind of social, aggressive satire I haven't seen done well in movies lately. And it's almost like the politics and violence in the world is asking for this: 'Someone please make some satire now!' So we're going to keep that edge."

[Telegraph]

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Gravity

Alfonso Cuaron's stranded astronaut movie, in which Sandra Bullock and George Clooney are the lone survivors of a destroyed space shuttle desperately trying to reach the International Space Station before their air runs out, has been given a release date of November 21 in 2D, 3D, and IMAX formats. [Coming Soon]

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John Carter

Full size

Here's another image of star Taylor Kitsch as John Carter. [Comic Book Movie]

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The Hobbit

Bilbo Baggins actor Martin Freeman discusses the first scene he filmed, which just happens to be one of the most crucial scenes in the film:

"The first thing I filmed was finding the ring in Gollum's cave. It's good to know, but not play, the importance of the Ring. I'm trying to put a bit more heaviness into it. It's not all comical."

Gollum actor and the film's second unit director Andy Serkis also talks about Freeman's performance in the scene:

"It was great for Martin to start off with that chamber piece. He could find Bilbo within the confines of a one-on-one scene. It was almost stranger for me: for the first couple of days it felt like I was doing an impersonation!"

Finally, Freeman notes the particular challenges of playing Bilbo Baggins, which involves a lot of unusual hobbit-related prosthetics:

"In the normal run of things, there'd be quite a lot going on for me. I've got ears, the wig and the feet, which three more things than an actor normally has… But then I look over at the dwarves and see what they're lugging! They're absolute troopers."

[Comic Book Movie]
The movie's release date is now officially set for December 14 in 2D, 3D, and IMAX formats. [Coming Soon]

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Jack the Giant Killer

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Warner Bros. has released a promo image for Bryan Singer's gritty fairy tale movie, which has been given a release date of June 15, 2012 in 2D, 3D, and IMAX formats. There's also an official synopsis below. [Coming Soon]

"Jack the Giant Killer" tells the story of an ancient war that is reignited when a young farmhand unwittingly opens a gateway between our world and a fearsome race of giants. Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing the young man, Jack, into the battle of his life to stop them. Fighting for a kingdom, its people, and the love of a brave princess, he comes face to face with the unstoppable warriors he thought only existed in legend-and gets the chance to become a legend himself.

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Dark Shadows

Full size

Here's a high-res version of the cast promo photo that was released a while back. Also, we now know the movie's release date is May 11, 2012.

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Evil Dead

This is just a rumor, so take it with all due grains of salt, but two actress reportedly auditioned for roles in the film. Specifically, Community costar Gillian Jacobs and Friday Night Lights actress Jurnee Smollett reportedly auditioned, though it's not known if they were trying out for the part of Mila, the drug-addicted young woman who kicks off the demonic possessions, or one of the other characters. [Destroy the Brain]

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Journey 2: The Mysterious Island

View the gallery

Here are some promo images for the sequel to Journey to the Center of the Earth, which will be released February 10, 2012 in 2D, 3D, and IMAX.

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Wrath of the Titans

Here are some promo images for the upcoming Clash of the Titans sequel, which has been given a release date of March 30, 2012 in, yes, all three formats. Coming Soon]

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Woman in Black

View the gallery

Here are some promo images from the Daniel Radcliffe starring horror movie. [ShockTillYouDrop]

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True Blood

Writer Alexander Woo says he's currently working on episode four of the fifth season, and he will be doing another episode later on this season. He also talks generally about what to expect in season five:

We have gathered to discuss the storylines and themes of Season 5, and scripts for the first half of the season are being written. We are preparing to shoot Episode 1 right now...I've read episodes 1 and 2, and I'm very excited about them...Some of the things that people loved in the first four seasons of ‘True Blood,' you'll be getting more of. And there will also be some surprises that will hopefully delight everyone. We have a sense of what the fans have already enjoyed in the previous seasons, and we're doing our best to give our fans more of that but also leave some room for novelty and surprise.

[Inside True Blood]

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Chuck

Full size

Here's a new promo photo for this Friday's episode, "Chuck vs. the Baby", featuring Cheryl Ladd as Sarah's mother alongside Zachary Levi's Chuck. [multipleverses.com]

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Grimm

Here's the official description for episode eight, "Game Ogre", which airs January 13 and kicks off the second half of the season:

AN ESCAPED FUGITIVE'S MURDEROUS RAMPAGE LANDS AT NICK'S FRONT DOOR — An escapee returns to Portland seeking revenge against those who put him behind bars. His unusual strength and high tolerance for pain makes Nick (David Giuntoli) take notice. As the case escalates Nick and Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch) are put in danger, and Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) is called into action to help put an end to the convict's deadly rampage.

[KSiteTV]

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The Munsters

A ton more details have come out about the Munsters reboot Bryan Fuller is working on for NBC. Assuming this isn't all an elaborate work of fan fiction, check out these details on the rebooted Herman Munster, which seems to give a pretty fair idea of what to expect from this show:

Think Dawson Leery's compassionate, all-supportive dad (from "Dawson's Creek") crossed with Frankenstein's monster. Was created by Grandpa; no other man, besides one he puts together, would of course be good enough for his daughter Lily. Doesn't much look like Fred Gwynne's Frankenstein-looking fellow from the original. This Herman is more of a stud – albeit one with scars. He's a skinny, but rather attractive man in his '30s – though he's stitched together from the body parts of other men and has a mechanical steampunk heart – one that is breaking down. Though Herman does get a heart replacement – thankfully a few of those ‘dead hobo's' turn up under the swimming pool – he's not doing well (he loves too much and it's killing him). Believing he has no choice if he wants Herman to live, Grandpa finds a nice man with a "good heart" for Herman (if you get my drift). A big old softie that adores his family, Herman is his son's best friend and has a passionate relationship with the Mrs.

Look, I liked Pushing Daisies as much as the next guy, but my goodness, if this is true... well, it sounds like it has all the makings of a misfire of David E. Kelley's Wonder Woman proportions, honestly. But hey, judge for yourself - there's much more at the link. [Moviehole]

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Additional reporting by Natalie Baaklini and Charlie Jane Anders.

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http://io9.com/5871506/martin-freeman-reveals-his-first-encounter-with-gollum-in-the-hobbit/