by David Seaman

As I pointed out on my illustrious Twitter stream earlier today, MSNBC has literally gotten to the point where their bottom-of-the-screen Chyron declares that Obama “owned” Romney in the debates (very journalistic, guys!), while a quick pass over to ideological arch-rival FOX News shows basically the exact opposite: Romney. Strong. Leader. Family Man. Whatever.

The cable networks are vampires screaming as the light hits their overly make-upped, ideologically whored out faces.

You can’t avoid the light.

Rather than being lied to by television news “personalities” with little control over their own programming, it’s time to wise up, own up, and pursue those that are committed to telling you the truth. Here are some of my personal favorites. Follow all of them if you prefer truth to lies.

Abby Martin – RT America’s Breaking The Set

This ruthless truth slinger delights in slamming multi-billion dollar biotech conglomerates, corporate corruption, military-industrial complex lies, and everything else wrong with (mostly beautiful) America. With journalists like Martin at the helm of their own TV shows, we might actually be able to reverse the rot and fix some of the problems here at home. Follow @AbbyMartin and watch the show over at youtube.com/breakingtheset, unless your cable provider has RT America, in which case watch her at 6 PM EST on weekdays.

Ben Swann – Fox 19

Ben Swann is the proverbial mainstream media badass. He’s an impeccable broadcaster who has never sold out to hyperbole, lies, or corporate pressure. Follow @Fox19BenSwann and watch his show at youtube.com/user/BenSwannRealityCheck. He is one of the few, if not the only US journalist, to question President Obama on-camera about the NDAA’s imprisonment without trial provisions.

Joe Rogan

A podcast heavyweight and a public intellectual with some interesting day jobs (Fear Factor and UFC host). Subscribe to the nearly 3-hour long “Joe Rogan Experience” on iTunes, Stitcher, or go over to joerogan.net. Seriously one of the better life decisions you will ever make. You’re welcome.

Glenn Greenwald

Well, here’s an excerpt from Greenwald’s bio: “Glenn Greenwald is a columnist on civil liberties and US national security issues for the Guardian. A former constitutional lawyer, he was until 2012 a contributing writer at Salon.” This fearless man of letters is everything right with online media. Follow @ggreenwald and go to guardian.co.uk/profile/glenn-greenwald constantly.

Amber Lyon – Former CNNer

Amber Lyon keeps it real @AmberLyon, championing Freedom of Speech issues and campaigning against the NDAA. A three time Emmy Award winning journalist, Amber is fearless in her protest coverage, be it in Anaheim or Bahrain. She has been crushed, pepper sprayed, and shot at during the course of her work. A media empire is coming soon.

Suicide Girls

But you knew that already.

[..]

A.J. Focht

Avengers 2 has started casting and Emily Blunt and Ruth Wilson are both up for the new female role. The current rumor is the part will be Ms. Marvel, the Marvel movie universe’s first ‘super powered female’ (as Black Widow was just a master assassin). While the Marvel movie properties are currently divided between several companies, the X-Men producer would love to see a compromise made between Disney and Fox so the X-Men and the Avengers movies can crossover.

Iron Man 3 has resumed production in Miami, Florida. With only about seven months left until its release, the first trailer will premiere on the internet on October 23. Iron Man 3 will be the first of the movies in Marvel’s phase two, premiering on May 3, 2013.

Guardians of the Galaxy will be the next franchise Marvel launches into its cinematic universe. One of the most recognizable characters from the series is a fury little fellow with an affinity for explosions, Rocket Raccoon. Michael Rooker, who plays Merle in The Walking Dead, has tossed his name in the hat for the role. He pitched his case in a recent interview, having experience both doing motion capture and working with director, James Gunn.

Amazing Spider-Man 2, has already begun casting, and it looks like the part of Mary Jane Watson is up for grabs. Shailene Woodley is currently in talks to play Spidey’s girl next door. The movie is set to hit theaters on May 2, 2014.

Mary Jane isn’t the only important comic movie roll rumored to be filled. The Justice League may be set to feature Armie Hammer as the next Batman. The movie will supposedly start off a few years into Batman’s crime fighting career and is looking to be in theaters sometime in 2015.

The first look at Deadshot from the new TV series Arrow based on the Green Arrow has hit the internet. Unlike the loose take used in Smallville, it looks like Arrow’s Deadshot is going to be sticking with a more comic look. Arrow premiered this week on the WB.

Dr. Horrible 2 is moving forward. Maurissa Tancharoen Whedon gave an update saying they intended to finish the script and everything else this year so they can start shooting next year. There is no current release date set for the second movie, although the TV debut of Dr. Horribles Sing-Along was on the CW this week.

This Sunday October 14, The Walking Dead premiers its third season on AMC. The newest trailer has turned up the action, and sets a promising tone for the new season. The Walking Dead magazine will debut later this month. Check back in a few weeks for more coverage and review of the first issue.

Last week, I reported the NBC Munster’s remake, Mockingbird Lane has been put on ice. That might not be entirely the case. NBC is now trying to salvage the $10 million put into the project and they are looking at a made for TV movie.

Some legal issues in the comic world, Stan Lee’s former company, Stan Lee Media, Inc. has filed a claim against Disney for rights to some of the Marvel characters. It’s not clear yet what properties are tied up in the mix, the statement given mentions hundreds of characters created by Stan Lee:

“Defendant The Walt Disney Company has represented to the public that it, in fact, owns the copyright to these characters as well as to hundreds of other characters created by Stan Lee. Those representations made to the public by The Walt Disney Company are false.”

Source: CBM

A new web series, Batgirl: Spoiled premiered its first webisode this week. The series is a fan web-series not affiliated with DC or Warner Bros. at all. It follows the adventures of Stephanie Brown Batgirl, and her life in Gotham after a close call and a falling out with Oracle and Batman. The first episode is a great watch that I’d highly recommend you view.

A.J. Focht

CW’s show Arrow based on the Green Arrow from DC comics will be premiering next week on October 10. Before it premiers, catch a first look at the story of Oliver Queen’s return after five years exiled on an island. There is also a first look at Kelly Hu as China White. Jessica de Gouw, who is playing The Huntress, talked about the difficulties with the role, citing she researched the comics for her role.

Thor is Marvel’s premier fantasy based title. The movie blended the fantasy element with reality, and the sequel, Thor: The Dark World, is set to delve even deeper into the fantasy side. It has recently been announced the film will take place across all nine realms, not just Earth and Asgard. Producer Kevin Fiege hopes the studio’s choice to go with Game of Thrones director Alan Taylor will pay off in bring out the fantasy element. Thor: The Dark World is scheduled for November 8, 2012.

Superman is returning to the silver screen on June 14, 2013 in Man of Steel. “What Christopher Nolan and I have done with Superman is try to bring the same naturalistic approach that we adopted for the Batman trilogy. We always had a naturalistic approach, we want our stories to be rooted in reality, like they could happen in the same world we live in. It’s not that easy with Superman, and actually this doesn’t necessarily mean we will make a dark movie. But working on this reboot we are thinking about what would happen if a story like this one actually happened. How would people react to this? What impact would the presence of Superman in the real world have?” – Collider

A few months back, I reported there were talks of remaking The Munsters into a new show called Mockingbird Lane. It’s sad news with Halloween around the corner, but it looks like the series will not happen after all. The pilot was directed by Bryan Singer and starred Jerry O’Connel, Portia de Rossi, and Eddie Izzard as the Grandpa. NBC axed the show reportedly due to its ‘high-concept premise.’

On a final note, Stan Lee, in an effort to be more like Tony Stark, has had an electronic pacemaker put in. Lee took a short break from his convention schedules last week, and announced the news on Twitter. Lee comments that the pacemaker is “to insure that he’ll be able to lead thee for another 90 years.” I for one am glad the Generalissimo is doing well, and hope that whatever incidents that led to this (besides wanting to emulate Tony Stark) are now all fixed.

by Damon Martin

Over the past four seasons, Sons of Anarchy has been a show that has developed its cast along with its storylines. Creator Kurt Sutter has always created formidable villains inside and outside of the outlaw motorcycle club, but for Season 5 he upped the ante when introducing all new big bad Damon Pope.

Described as the biggest gangster in Oakland, Pope’s name was first introduced at the end of Season 4 when enforcer Tig Trager took out his daughter accidentally when gunning for the leader of a rival gang. Now, Pope wants payback and he’s getting it with devastating results, with all of the members of SAMCRO falling victim.

Veteran actor Harold Perrineau, who portrays Damon Pope, has worked for some of the best show-runners and directors in all of Hollywood, but he knew he had to be ready when stepping onto a set headed up by someone with the presence of Kurt Sutter.

“I’ve been saying this all along that I need to show up and know my lines because Kurt Sutter, he writes the shit out of that show. I’m really glad everybody really liked it, but that first episode Damon Pope is no joke,” Perrineau said in a recent interview with SuicideGirls.

The first episode officially put a face to the name Damon Pope, and his reaction when coming head-to-head with the man who killed his daughter was nothing less than incendiary.

With his enemy Trager tied up in chains, Pope revealed that he had kidnapped his daughter and put her in a pit alongside several other victims. After dousing her with gasoline, Dawn Trager awoke, but only for a few seconds, before Pope stared at her father and said, “Know my pain,” as he tossed his lit cigar into the pit, burning the young girl alive.

In his veteran career, Pope had seen a lot and acted in some very tough and even disturbing scenes, but even he was taken back when he read the script to the first episode he would appear in as the ominous Damon Pope.

“Kurt and I had the conversation after I got the job, and he said ‘listen, your character’s going to do some heinous things. Don’t judge it, hopefully just go with us.’ I was like, ‘I was in prison in Oz, on Lost on the island, you probably couldn’t scare me with anything,’ and that first thing I was like ‘Oh my god!’. I was flipped out as soon as I read it. I was like here we go,” said Perrineau.

We’re now well into Season 5, and Pope hasn’t slowed down with his systematic destruction of the Sons of Anarchy. Perrineau promises that burning a girl alive may seem harsh, but that’s nothing compared to what’s ahead.

“Without giving away anything, he’s definitely a different character. It was really interesting when I got the gig, and people asked me if I knew how to ride bikes, and if I looked really cool on a bike. I said ‘You won’t see Damon Pope on a bike.’ When you do see Damon Pope you’ll know why,” Perrineau stated. “So this is a different kind of monster for SAMCRO and it’s going to be tough for them to deal with him. All I can say after the first episode is it just gets worse.”

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Sons of Anarchy’s Theo Rossi Says Juice Is ‘Crying Clown’ In Season 5
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by Fred Topel

“We’re just acting like a bunch of idiots.”
– Lake Bell

The four season run of Childrens Hospital on Adult Swim has also mirrored Lake Bell’s rise in popularity and success in the entertainment industry. What began as a web series created by Rob Corddry is now an Emmy winning television mainstay. While playing Dr. Cat Black on the comedy, Bell has appeared in big movies, comedy and drama, and this year she directed two episodes of Childrens as well.

Childrens Hospital is ostensibly a comedy set in a hospital, though not a children’s hospital. It’s named after Arthur Childrens. And the characters are doctors, but the random episodes can put them in a horror movie, a courtroom drama, whatever. Bell plays Dr. Cat Black, who at one point died, but then it turns out she didn’t really die. That’s Childrens Hospital.

Bell was at the Creative Arts Emmys on Saturday, September 15 where Childrens Hospital won the Emmy for Outstanding Special Class: Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Program. That’s a mouthful. It means the best show under 30 minutes. Adult Swim airs blocks of 15 minute shows. After the big night, Bell returned to the editing room on the film she directed. She also took on a kick ass role in the upcoming film Black Rock, about women on a camping trip fighting for survival, which premiered at Sundance.

While putting the finishing touches on In a World…, Bell chatted about her creative growth on Childrens Hospital and what’s still to come this season. She also shared a good perspective on her sex appeal, which has gotten her on the cover of Maxim and other provocative photo spreads. Childrens Hospital airs Thursdays at midnight on Adult Swim.

Read our exclusive interview with Lake Bell on SuicideGirls.com.

A.J. Focht

Marvel’s next new movie project will be the Guardians of the Galaxy. There have been a lot of rumors and worries in the fan community when it comes to Marvel’s space superheroes. It’s now official that James Gunn is rewriting the script as well as directing. If that doesn’t put your mind at ease, know that Joss Whedon has full faith in Gunn being the man for the project. As for the many rumors, there is one that we can put to rest. Nathan Fillion has confirmed he is likely to be too busy with his day job (Castle) to star in the film.

Has Marvel decided to retcon the death of Agent Coulson? In the Marvel Avengers Assemble UK release, the film has been edited to exclude the blade sticking out of Coulson’s chest. This could be a censorship issue, or it could be Marvel making the change in order to keep Coulson in continuity. The Avengers releases on DVD and Blu-ray in the US on September 25 and then we’ll know if the US version was edited as well.

Captain America is now President! Oh wait that was a SPOILER for this week’s issue of Ultimate Captain America. Despite this being a major event change in Marvel’s Ultimate Universe, they felt the need to spoil it for everyone a day early. The news of the story broke a full 24-hours before the issue hit shelves and it came straight from Marvel.

Arrow, the new CW show about Green Arrow starts on October 10. There have been many rumors of what characters would appear in the show, and now eleven have been confirmed. You can expect all of the following lineup: Black Canary, Huntress, China White, Constantine Drakon, Deadshot, Deathstroke, Felicity Smoak, Merlyn, Speedy, and Walter Steele. There are still some rumored characters not confirmed, and no one knows much about John Barrowman’s character, other than he’s being called the ‘well-dressed man.’ There are also reports the Royal Flush Gang will be in the show and Kyle Schmid will play Ace.

The upcoming Star Trek film has an official name: Star Trek: Into Darkness. The J.J. Abrams sequel has finished initial shooting and will include most of the original cast, including Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and Zoe Saldana. Star Trek: Into Darkness is scheduled to release in theaters on May 17, 2013.

Speaking of Star Trek, Michael Dorn, who played Worf on Next Generation, has been cast in the Castlevania movie. Dorn will be playing a werewolf in the Konami game inspired film, for which there is no current release date set.

One last bit of Star Trek related news. NASA is working on a warp drive. That’s right, a real life warp drive. Keeping the science simple, NASA wonders if we can indeed warp space and time to harness the power of warp bubbles. Essentially, the ship compresses the space ahead of it while expanding the space behind it to move forward at speeds of 10c (10x the speed of light). We are probably a long ways off from this technology, but we now know NASA is actually researching it.

This weekend at the comic store I work at, All C’s Collectibles in Aurora, Colorado, J. Scott Campbell will be doing a signing with all proceeds going to Aurora Rise. Campbell is best known for co-creating and writing Danger Girl, but he has done cover art for several comics including The Amazing Spider-Man and Witchblade. SuicideGirls was in attendance a few weeks ago when Aurora Rise had their first benefit event and silent auction, which raised $20,000 that went directly to the victims of the shootings. Campbell was unable to make the first event, but wanted to come out and support the victims of the shootings on his own time. While the second event will be smaller, it will include a silent auction with specialty items from Todd MacFarlane and much more. The signing takes place this Saturday, September 22, between noon and 3 PM MST. For more details visit the Facebook event page.

by Damon Martin

Season 5 of Sons of Anarchy is in full swing, with the debut episode breaking all records for ratings for any show ever airing on FX. Now as the heat turns up with the new big bad Damon Pope making all kinds of trouble for the boys in SAMCRO, more stories from previous seasons will rear their ugly heads.

Last season was the toughest, but most telling for Juan-Carlos ‘Juice’ Ortiz, as he had to suffer silently as the cops twisted him in the wind with threats of telling his club that he actually had an African-American father unless he turned informant. The race issues broke down barriers in terms of telling the inner workings of biker clubs, or any social club really, but at the center of it actor Theo Rossi shined as a tortured soul who lived with shame while trying to deal with the fact that he was ratting out his friends at the same time. Ultimately, the cops decided to let him go from his obligation after the entire operation was shut down at the season’s end, but that doesn’t mean you get out from under the thumb of law enforcement so easily.

“Juice is just the clown crying on the inside. He’s trying to act as if. Like when he came into that chapel at the end of Season 4 and Jax said ‘are you alright?’ and he says ‘yeah, I’m good,’ and he took that picture of his father and the ATF, and realized it’s all good and got rid of the files. You know, that’s not the case,” Rossi told SuicideGirls in an exclusive interview. “So this is a guy who’s living with secrets and secrets eventually turn to shame and how that all plays out we’ve just got to watch and see.”

Juice already felt the sting from last season in the debut episode when Sheriff Eli Roosevelt looks for a little ‘good faith’ help from his past informant when trying to find dirt in the new found war between the Sons of Anarchy and the Oakland street gang the One-Niners. The new president of the motorcycle club Jax Teller also knows there was something dirty going on within his group from a drug sting that only could have happened from the inside.

Will Juice’s dirty little secret be revealed this season or is he destined to face the wrath of SAMCRO if they find out he was the rat that outed their drug scheme to the cops?

Sons of Anarchy Season 5 continues every Tuesday night at 10 PM on FX.

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