by Garrett Faber

“I have to confess that I find pornography a bit dull. I always feel that I should be a participant rather than an outsider looking in. I tend to have very vivid sexual dreams, and these interest me far more than somebody else’s staged fantasies.”
– Irvine Welsh

Irvine Welsh is one hell of a prolific writer. He literally doesn’t know what writer’s block is. In an era where the printed word is in question this man still churns out sweet decadent filth with no signs of stopping. His newest work Skagboys is the prequel to Trainspotting, which also has a sequel called Porno.

Irvine’s definitely got a unique writing style which may be a bit much for some to digest, but it’s still highly entertaining and almost other worldly. This is Irvine’s third SG interview, the first one done by the late great Daniel Robert Epstein and the second on by me. Irvine is definitely a writers writer; I’m still waiting for him to write a couple issues of Hellblazer.

Read our exclusive interview with Irvine Welsh on SuicideGirls.com.

by A.J. Focht

Step aside Doctor Strange, Marvel announced their next big secret project is Guardians of the Galaxy. Marvel is expected to make it official this week at Comic Con. The Guardians of the Galaxy are an interstellar team that protects the galaxy. Originally sources were saying the release date would by May 15, 2014. But most recent reports say the release was pushed back a few months to August 1, 2014.

Marvel may have announced Guardians of the Galaxy, but that doesn’t mean they have given up on Ant-Man. Rumor is that Edgar Wright has directed a test reel that will be previewed at Comic Con. Next week, we’ll know if this is true or not, and we’ll know more about where the Ant-Man project really stands.

New concept art for Iron-Man 3 suggests that the Extremis storyline will be a major part of the movie. Extremis was a storyline in which Iron-Man makes himself into the weapon by fusing the suit into himself. Iron-Man 3 is scheduled for release May 3, 2013. Disney and Marvel have released the title previews for all their upcoming sequels, Hulk didn’t make the cut.

Just over a year ago, DC Comics announced their major comic reboot, The New 52. Now it is Marvel’s turn as they launch Marvel NOW – but don’t call it a reboot. Marvel is avidly fighting off the word, even though they will be launching several comic titles at #1 starting in October, often several each week. The main comic heroes are also going to be getting new costumes. So far Marvel has announced three comics: Uncanny Avengers, All New X-Men, and Avengers. But remember, it’s not a reboot. Marvel will also bring Jean Grey back via time travel.

Entertainment Weekly has released their Comic Con preview, and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey took the cover. There were also several new preview pictures in the magazine. The film is released on December 14th this year.

The long awaited Ghostbusters sequel is still in the works. Ghostbusters 3 once again has a new writing staff. The project has been in process for quite a while now, and this is the third time I’ve heard about a new writing team, so who knows where the project really stands.

The writing and directing genius behind The Fifth Element Luc Besson is stepping back into the science fiction arena. Besson is working on an adventure about a time travelling secret agent. The internet is labeling the project as a cross between James Bond and Doctor Who which sounds about right.

While Community creator Dan Harmon won’t be on board next season, the full cast is confirmed as returning. The thirteen episode Community season is set to start on October 13.

Titan Magazine and Skybound have announced the launch of The Walking Dead, The Official Magazine. The publication will be based off the comic series, graphic novels, and the AMC television series. The first issues comes out on October 23rd, and will feature 100 pages of Walking Dead news, access, and scoops.

by Daniel Robert Epstein

“Every film for me is very personal.”
– Stephen Chow

Stephen Chow is one of the most hysterical filmmakers working today. The film that first broke him out, Shaolin Soccer, is a huge cult hit in America and his latest film, Kung Fu Hustle, is getting the right kind of release from Sony Pictures Classics.

Kung Fu Hustle has some brilliant imagination behind it. As the co-writer/director/star Chow has a lot on his plate with this, his most personal film. It’s about a hapless wanna be gangster; Sing [Chow], who must overcome his inability in order to become a member of the notorious Axe Gang. The Axe Gang, meanwhile, want to reign supreme by occupying the most coveted territory, which is a sacred street protected by an unlikely cast of characters, many of whom are highly skilled kung fu masters disguised as ordinary people.

A personal kung fu film may seem like an oxymoron, but Americans have to realize that China’’s entire film culture is 95 percent kung fu flicks. They represent the zeitgeist of China’’s entire history and are as iconic to them as the Western is to us.

Read our exclusive interview with Stephen Chow on SuicideGirls.com.

by Daniel Robert Epstein

’”Whenever I’’m with my mom in a public place and there is a 20 year old around she will pimp me out as Cleveland.”
– Mike Henry

Mike Henry has one of the best jobs on Earth. He is a voice actor, writer and producer on my favorite primetime cartoon ever, Family Guy. In addition to doing the voice for Peter Griffin’s neighbor Cleveland, he does a myriad of other voices including Herbert the aging pedophile, and the Greased up deaf guy.

Read our exclusive interview with Mike Henry on SuicideGirls.com.

by Alex Dueben

“Making other people happy is not your goal”
– Sara Gran

Sara Gran has been writing for many years, but it’s her most recent novel Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead that has taken her to a new level. The book, just out in paperback, is set in post-Katrina New Orleans and stars Claire DeWitt, a woman who is arguably the world’s greatest detective. This isn’t quite the major accomplishment that many people might think; most people who know Claire tend to hate her or think she’s crazy. A devotee of Jacques Silette, a French detective who wrote about the nature of mysteries and their investigation, Claire’s story is as much about the nature of mysteries and why we’re captivated by them as it is about this particular crime.

In her previous novels, whether she was writing about being young and screwed up in New York City, a woman who finds a demon controlling her, or a recovering drug addict in fifties New York, Gran doesn’t shy away from dark corners or rough edges. In her books there’s violence and drugs, addiction and tragedy, but also possibility and change. The heroine of her latest novel is a brilliant creation. Like Gran herself, Claire, as a woman who marches to the beat of her own drum and isn’t afraid of walking into dark places, is the perfect epitome of a Suicide Girl. The book is original, hypnotizing and addictive. The second book in the series comes out next year.

Read our exclusive interview with Sara Gran on SuicideGirls.com.

by Daniel Robert Epstein

’”It’s not a movie about pornography but how our individual sensibilities get formed.”
– Brian Grazer

I was very excited to talk to Brian Grazer. Not only has he worked on some of my favorite films such as Night Shift, Armed and Dangerous and Bowfinger, it’’s just so rare to get to talk to a person that only produces. I get to talk to actors, writers and directors everyday but a powerful producer on par with Joel Silver and Jerry Bruckheimer, almost never.

It’’s to be expected that Grazer would come out to promote the documentary Inside Deep Throat because it’s been a passion project of his for many years. In fact at one point he had the rights to do a biopic on Linda Lovelace, but that didn’t work out.

Read our exclusive interview with Brian Grazer on SuicideGirls.com.

by Fred Topel

“I think boredom’s great.”
– Greta Gerwig

Indie film darling Greta Gerwig already has two movies out this year, one of them being Damsels in Distress, in which she starred. I actually got to meet her for that film when I was interviewing Whit Stillman. While they were paired, Sillman commented on her character in the Arthur remake, as an example of how studio movies give characters silly traits.

In Lola Versus Gerwig stars as Lola, a woman whose fiancé (Joel Kinnaman) cancels their wedding sending her on a spiral of casual sex, dating, drinking and disaster. This is not one of your Kate Hudson wedding movies.

The impressive credentials of Greta Gerwig include a magna cum laude honor from Barnard College. As an actor, she starred in notable indies like Hannah Takes the Stairs and The Duplass Brothers’ Baghead. Noah Baumbach’s Greenberg got her enough notice to land big Hollywood movies like No Strings Attached and Arthur.

Curled up in a hotel chair, Gerwig remembered me, since we’d only met two months prior. We sort of continued the conversation where Damsels in Distress left off. Durning our conversation, Gerwig got us thinking about how awesome it is to be bored, which was a most exciting and unexpected twist.

Read our exclusive interview with Greta Gerwig on SuicideGirls.com.