A certain degree of dedication isn't unusual among comics fans, but one Venezuelan man's devotion to the Marvel supervillain Red Skull apparently exceeded his devotion to having a sense of smell.
For weeks, I've been reminding you all that The Avengers is on the horizon — it doesn't take a box office psychic to realize a film of this magnitude will do well. And wouldn't you know, The Avengers' Friday take was $80.5 million, making it the second biggest Friday opening of all time. (Number one remains Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, because wizards are cooler than superheroes, clearly.)
This was a weekend of strange creatures warring with each other and, though they don't seem remotely evenly matched, they actually kind of are! Also, Miranda July has done well for herself, as has Emma Stone.
It was a patriotic explosion of patriotism at the box office this weekend, with our ultimate superhero and protector soaring to high heights. Those blasted British wizards still did good too, unfortunately. And some red-blooded American youths played all right as well.
As most of the country melts under the Heat Dome (screw you, Seattle), the best thing to do to beat the heat is head to the multiplex and sit in the arctic AC for a while. To entertain you this week we have a superhero, a super couple, and a supernatural tale of woe.
A lot is riding on Captain America's shoulders. Will it give us the morale boost we so desperately need to get our economy moving again? Or will subpar dialogue and bloated, confusing action sequences send us wandering out of chilly multiplexes feeling disappointed, apathetic, and confused, setting us on a collision course with a dystopian future in which we're forced to live in discarded Ikea boxes and eat our own children to survive? The choice is yours, Chris Evans. Our tomorrow is in your hands. In the meantime, read the Top 10 list. You do that good. [Late Show]
Paramount and Marvel Studios have a bit of a marketing challenge on their hands with their upcoming Captain America: The First Avenger. Namely, how do you sell a pro-U.S.A superhero movie to the many regions of the globe that can't stand us? Their solution was to play it safe, and release the film in all foreign markets as just "The First Avenger."
Here's a full-length trailer for Captain America, Marvel's square-jawed "first Avenger" who fights Nazis, particularly those led by the terrifying Red Skull, a guy with a red skull. But ol' Red Skull is not the most terrifying thing in this movie!
This oft-overlooked demographic may just finally get the TV show they deserve. Also today: a new Charlie's Angels is bad for America, more news about Law & Order: Los Angeles shake-up, and superhero sneak peeks!
· Just in time for the Re-Branding of the U.S.A.™: Effects legend and The Wolf Man director Joe Johnston has been hired to direct First Avenger: Captain America. [THR] · The guys behind The Tudors are developing another Showtime series based on Camelot, the Arthurian, not Kennedian, legend. [Variety] · Still in a perpetual state of contract limbo, SAG is "vigorously" enforcing the ban on any non-union work for its members—particularly in new-media productions. So you can forget that arc on David Faustino's Star-ving, OK? [Variety] After the jump: What polarizing cable pundit will be with us for four more years?· Keith Olbermann has renewed his MSNBC contract for four more years, despite losing the title of handsomest host at the cable network to its newest sensation, Rachel Maddow. [Variety] · Lifetime has picked up a full season of its mom-in-a-garage-band sitcom, Rita Rocks. [THR]
Continuing the proud tradition established by the Hollywood Walk of Fame's own Head-Butting Chewbacca and Picketer-Baiting Batman, Melbourne, Florida's Genital-Touching Captain America has taken a place of honor in the Fake Superhero Justice League with his recent arrest, detailed by The Smoking Gun, on counts of drunken handsiness, marijuana possession, and third-degree package misrepresentation for his stuffing of a burrito into his tights during a costumed pub-crawl. TSG also has video of the booking, in which the disgraced defender of America is subjected to a humiliating, symbolic surrender of his crimefighting uniform's cowl and red boots.
