There is an old saying in the industry for writers; it’s easy to write for your own demographic, but when writing for another, it’s very difficult to get it right, especially if it’s the other gender, which is 100% true for men writing women characters. Throughout TV history, women have usually been stuck in stereotypes such as mom/wife/talking pair of tits, which has evolved into the famous 4 categories: Mothers, Virgins, Sluts, and Bitches. (www.youtube.com/watch?v=vO8jBcL0oAQ)

But in the almost 100 year history of the medium, there have been a handful of characters that have broken stereotypes and become not just strong, independent characters, but also act as inspiration for women across America that you don’t have to be pigeonholed into one of the 4 categories and can be your own person. Here are the top 5 Female Protagonists in Television History. (WARNING! THERE ARE SPOILERS IN THIS ARTICLE. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.)

#5 Buffy Summers – Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Buffy Summers; a “not-so-average” teenage girl who also happens to be a Vampire Slayer and is responsible for fighting everything supernatural/dangerous going on in her perfect little town known as Sunnydale. While handling her other worldly duties, Buffy attempts to have a normal teenage life with school, friends, and boys (well in Buffy’s case… men who are hundreds of years old). Buffy makes the list because she is a person who had the ability to run with the popular crowd (Harmony and Cordelia, and the rest of the cheer squad) but chooses her destiny instead. Although she usually hates her supernatural life and complains about it constantly throughout the series, she puts the world’s safety in front of her own, which a lot of characters in general would be too selfish to do.

But getting back to the subject of the article, another reason why Buffy makes the list is because she not only takes shit from none of the men in the show, but also makes sure that every single one of them remembers it. Whether it’s a vampire, a fellow teen at Sunnydale High, or one of the members of the Initiative, even if they KNOW she’s the Slayer, they rarely take her seriously because she is a petite girl. But what sets Buffy apart is that she doesn’t allow this to get to her one bit, and her response is usually a roundhouse kick to the head. Buffy LITERALLY kicks misogyny in the face. And this doesn’t just limit herself to her enemies; she also holds this attitude to anyone in authority that she believes has crossed a line (even her own bosses on the Counsel). And if you look at the Scooby gang as the series goes on, you can see that Buffy’s confidence leaks into the other women involved in her life as well. Buffy is always pulling them all up to levels they could never have dreamed of and making other powerful women no man would ever want to meet in a dark alley. (Cordelia, Willow, Faith, all of the potential slayers and even, arguably, Anya and Tara,). While she does whine a lot and has the tendency to fall into some of the common female stereotypes, Buffy is always quick to tell anyone watching the show “Yes I’m a girl. Yes I can kick your ass. And yes, running isn’t a bad idea when it comes to facing me”.

#4 Lucy Ricardo – I Love Lucy

 From the humble beginnings of the nuclear family sitcom, Lucy is one of the first women displayed on television who always held her own and went after her dreams… no matter how crazy her plans would be to achieve them. Lucy Ricardo is married to Ricky Ricardo (his name is MUCH longer in the show) the leader of a bandstand in a local club who is always trying to keep Lucy out of trouble. But to anyone familiar with the program, you already know that Ricky fails constantly throughout the show’s run. Lucy makes the list not just because she is a woman who is trying to chase after her multiple dreams, she is also doing it in the 1950’s.

To sum it all up, in a time where racism was as common as breakfast cereal, and women had just as much social rights as a piece of wood, Lucy Ricardo came out to thousands of viewers every week and told them “Just because my husband said I can’t be in his show, do you really think that’s gonna stop me?” It never EVER did and that’s why we love Lucy (pun intended). Thinking back to all of the mayhem she caused whether it was putting on a moustache and hat to sneak onto the set of her husbands performance to be involved, working at a chocolate factory, or being so set on becoming an actress that she got drunk while filming a commercial. (www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmOLpeKwWGI)

Lucy never gave up and never surrendered to anyone who tried to stop her. And if she failed, then she would bounce back up and chase after something new. But because of the time period she resided in, she still had all of the stereotypical duties of a wife and mother with laundry and cooking and cleaning and such. There have even been some episodes where Lucy’s problems revolved around fixing something before her husband got home with the threat of Lucy being punished. Nevertheless, Lucy was one of the first modern role models for women (whether they knew it or not at the time) and reminds people today that there’s nothing you can’t achieve with a bit of humor and a fake moustache.

 #3 Leslie Knope – Parks and Recreation

I dare you to find any person on Earth (fictional or not) who is half as positive or bubbly as Leslie Knope. This is incredibly important for someone who works in the tedious and corrupt world of government, especially when the administration of your hometown is run and resided by a bunch of idiots. Leslie Knope makes the list at #3 because of her ‘turn the other cheek’ and ‘love all serve all’ attitude to her job. Parks and Recreation takes place in the obese and dysfunctional town of Pawnee, Indiana where the only people who care less about its citizens than their government, are the citizens themselves. Although she works with people who don’t care about the welfare of the people, or just hate the government in general, Leslie is the shining example that the government can help without ulterior motives.

But what makes Leslie one of the most powerful and inspirational characters in television history, is the fact that she is so passionate about her job and loves her town so much, that she will never let it be swallowed into darkness, no matter how much the town hates her. And trust me, the town of Pawnee HATES Leslie Knope and are always trying to make her job of fixing the town as difficult as possible. Whether it is turning a dangerous, ugly pit into a park, passing laws to decrease the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and STDs, bringing gender equality to the sanitation department, or just creating programs for the entertainment of the towns children, Leslie rarely gets a thank you or praise but almost always gets attacked for her deeds.

For example, when Leslie Knope is headed toward the end of her first year on the City Council, we learn about how much good she has done for the town of Pawnee such as a very successful Harvest Festival, decreasing health issues for the citizens, and even made it safer with the decrease of raccoon attacks in their schools and hospitals. But at the end of that same episode titled ‘Are You Better Off?’, Leslie learns that all of her hard work and dedication has not paid off and lead to a huge campaign to have her recalled (displayed by an offensive float during the founder’s day parade). To which she is, but STILL continues to fight for Pawnee’s welfare, and working to make it the best she can, even without the power she previously had.

But Leslie’s enthusiasm for her work and her town is incredibly infectious, and has given the same amount of hope to her Parks and Rec department’s pessimism for the towns future. Leslie took everyone who was close to her and made them a priceless member of her team to fix the local government, no matter how much the rest of the town tried to stop her. Leslie is a prime example that even if everyone is kicking you when you’re down and throwing up every obstacle they can to stop you, if you truly believe in your cause, absolutely nothing can stop you.

Plus, she is obsessed with Waffles and Candy. If that doesn’t make her an awesome character, then I don’t know what else does.

#2 Mary Richards – The Mary Tyler Moore Show

Taking another step back in time to the “good ol’ days” of television, The Mary Tyler Moore show is considered one of the top programs that have changed television, society, and acted as a catalyst for gender equality (primarily in the workplace). The MTM show was about Mary Richards, a single woman in her 30s, moving to Minneapolis and working as an associate producer on one of the biggest news stations in the city. In the show, Mary had to struggle with sexism at the station from several of her male coworkers, the more common issue talked about in the show is about female independence. While women being single in their late 20’s and early 30’s is more commonplace today, it stuck out as odd for anyone in the 70’s era Midwest where it immediately becomes a common talking point when introduced to someone of that demographic. The pilot, for example, has several references to this issue including Mary’s interview with Mr. Grant for the producers position is why she wasn’t married at the age of 30, her discussion with her new best friend Rhoda where she explained that her mother had a notarized letter saying that she was an old maid for not being married at the age of 21, and the list goes on from there throughout the series. In fact, in that pilot episode, Mary was visited by her ex-boyfriend of 2 years who refused to consider marriage. But when he goes to her new apartment to try and get her back, Mary ends any possibility of them reuniting as a couple and lets the audience know that she knows what she wants, and that she would rather be alone than this a man she didn’t love. Instead of settling, like a lot of people would still be doing by that age in that era, Mary made it clear that she was more important to herself than the idea of not being alone. Unlike the other women on this list whose problems directly stem from “You’re a woman and thus you are inferior”, Mary’s primary concern was “You’re still single? Why? What’s wrong with you?”

 This is a different type of sexist problem that a lot of women don’t think about today because it’s not unusual to get married later and later in life. But Mary laughed in the face of it and consistently reminded everyone in her life that she doesn’t need a man to be complete. And, more importantly, just because you’re alone doesn’t mean there is anything missing from your life. The Mary Tyler Moore Show was a shining example of a woman’s independence movement where no matter what age you are or what your social status is, you can still be a successful person, ring on your finger or not.

#1 Veronica Mars – Veronica Mars

 Whether you agree with my choice for the most important female character in all of television or not, no one can deny Veronicas ability to be a take it or leave it/what you see is what you get type of girl. It’s what gives her strength and the power to be who she truly is. A little backstory for those who aren’t familiar with the show, Veronica Mars is the only child of the disgraced ex-sheriff of the incredibly rich/snooty/upper class city in Southern California called Neptune. (Yes, her name is Mars and she lives in Neptune, and yes they do seize the opportunity when she is driving a Saturn). Veronica has reached the edge of darkness and returned stronger than ever on multiple occasions surrounding her loss of social standing, the death of her best friend, the absence of her alcoholic mother, and getting raped… twice (and this is just the pilot folks). But Veronica has persevered through all of the pain and torment and is always at her A-Game every episode, no matter what the 09ers can throw at her. 

But what makes her stand out from the other 4 fantastic females on the list? All of them have faced adversity and stood up to their beliefs and who they were, how is Veronica any different? Simple, for the majority of the series, Veronica had to go it alone. Besides her father Keith Mars (who has created the greatest father-daughter relationship in all of television. But that’s for another list) Veronica has never had a relationship with a person that hasn’t flipped flopped from friend to enemy (or in some cases, just incredibly distant) and that has never stopped her from figuring out every case that’s handed to her. After the death of her best friend Lilly, Veronica had to make a decision when her father was dishonorably fired from his job as sheriff. Either to stand by her friends and remain popular, or lose everything she had in high school and stand by her father. By picking the latter, Veronica’s life went into shambles. But unlike most people in that situation who might have given up entirely or resorted to do anything they could to get back into their group of friends, Veronica metaphorically flips them off and survives high school on her own terms.

So unlike Buffy and Leslie or Lucy and Mary who had a steady support team backing them up in their everyday lives and in the goals they pursued, Veronica only had fleeting allies and was mostly on her own. Giving some examples for those of you Marshmellows who might not agree with me, let’s first look at the 09ers. Obviously they stand as Veronica’s core antagonists throughout the show since being labeled as an outcast, but there are a very small number of them whom she hasn’t helped in one enormous way or another (whether to see if someone was cheating or helping to disprove a murder charge). And then after all of the help and time she had her life on the line, the status quo was always reset, leaving Veronica in the same social situation she was in before the case. Next we have Wallace, who throughout most of the series acted as Veronica’s best friend and loyal confidant. I mention him because of the disappearing act he created in the middle of season 2, where he not only got up and left for Chicago, but he also completely ignored Veronica during her time of need trying to figure out the bus crash incident. It would be one thing for Wallace to leave Neptune and call/email Veronica often to keep in touch, but for MONTHS he went completely off radar, once again causing Mars to lose another ally. Finally there is Logan, whose situation goes without much saying acting as Veronica’s on again/off again boyfriend and on again/off again antagonist throughout the entire series (even into the movie). And we still never know where Logan lands with Veronica until the very end of the movie, and he STILL leaves her for an unknown number of months. (Yes he is coming back, but this still supports my point). Mac is the only person who acts as an exception to this rule, but that was not until after her diabolical creation of mayhem at Neptune High regarding the purity tests.

Overall, Veronica Mars is clearly the most powerful, and #1, female protagonist in all of television history. Ms. Mars is always acting with her gut and though she listens to what people have to say, she only does what she thinks is right and what she knows she has to do. Veronica fights for justice and protecting the people around her from sabotage, slander, and even death with the knowledge that they most likely will still be against her after all of her hard work. She is the prime example of standing up for what you believe in, even if you’re alone against the world. Veronica is not a bitch, a slut, a mother, or a virgin. She is only Veronica Mars, a force to be reckoned with and the person whose bad side you do not want to be on. “It’s all fun and games till one of you gets my foot up your ass.” – Veronica.

Think I missed someone? Do you have a suggestion on who should make the list? Mention it down below in the comments section to make your case.

In terms of superhero/nerdy movies, Marvel really has a monopoly on the market right now. With the success of the Avengers films and DC gasping for air with their recent casting choices for Batman vs. Superman, it is safe to assume that a Marvel film will be a lot of fun is usually a good bet. Last year, comic book fans saw the release of the first movie after the events of The Avengers AKA Iron Man 3, and Robert Downy Junior’s “supposed” final performance as Tony Stark. While a lot of people raved about the film and its amazing special effects, the dozens of Iron Man suits, and RDJ’s undeniable charm, the movie missed a real opportunity to become more than just a Super Hero movie and have more credibility with the world of cinema in 2013. In this article, I am going to explain how Iron Man 3 could have been less like the mediocre X-Men 2, and more like The Dark Knight.

The movie takes place not long after the ending of The Avengers where Tony is reeling over the revelation that humans are not only alone in the universe, but they are also immensely outgunned. We find him living in his lab working around the clock on more and more suits running only on caffeine and fear. When his trusted assistant (and more recently lover) Pepper Potts comes down to check on him and figure out what he has been doing in the lab for so long, Tony responds with “But threat is imminent, and I have to protect the one thing that I can't live without. That's you.”

This statement is the springboard for the entire movie from Tony’s new collection of super suits, to Pepper’s capture, to Tony using everything in his power (or in some parts of the movie, lack of power) to fulfill this theme and save her life from this new threat. Looking at this layout of the film and after watching the film you wonder, how could this movie be pulled up from its pedestal of mediocrity and lifted to the legendary mountainous heights that hold up The Dark Knight?

Simple, Pepper Potts should have died.

But why kill off Pepper? Isn’t the point of any super hero movie to save the girl, save the day, and live a happy ending until the sequel? Well, that is the mindset where Comic Book Mediocrity lives and thrives and is not necessarily the making of good cinema. The reason why Pepper should have (and in my opinion NEEDED to die) is not just because it would have made the story stronger but it also would have made the ending make sense. Remember this scene?

When Tony arrives at the final battle scene (cleverly placed in a shipping yard) to save Pepper, he brought everything he could to the fight against his villain. Not just one… but all 42 Iron Man suits came into play to fight Aldrich Killian and rescue his true love. At the start of the fight, Tony jumps from suit to suit and uses every advantage each suit was designed for to fight this super powered menace. But despite all of this, Tony isn’t able to catch Pepper when she hung from the rafters of one of the shipping cubes, and plummets to the ground below.

What sets off the third act of the film is Tony’s reaction to Pepper’s death where he goes completely berserk on Aldrich Killian and throws everything he can at him, including one of his suits (literally). The audience has never seen this part of Tony Stark before because he has never in his life lost something he has cared about. His attitude has always been that life was about him, and he could buy/build anything he wants. If it breaks? Who cares! I’ll buy/build another one!

Pepper is the first and ONLY thing Tony ever cared for outside of his comfort zone and when he thinks she dies, he lost something he cannot buy or fix and we see a side of Tony no one (not even Tony) has ever seen before. The raw emotion in his fighting and the rage that fueled his tactical mindset in the battle was nothing we’ve ever experienced. Then, when Tony had the idea to put a suit on Killian and have it blown up? That should have been the END of the fight scene because Tony would have won after putting everything on the line and living with the consequences for it.

Ending here, the fear Tony had to keep building weapons in order to protect Pepper comes true and because of this, the end of the movie actually makes sense. Without someone to protect, Tony would get the surgery to remove the shrapnel from his chest, stop making machines, and hang up his Iron Man helmet for good. If he kept going on with the Arc Reactor and making better and cooler suits, what would be the point anymore?

At the end of Iron Man 3, Tony returns to the cliff where his house once resided but now all that remains is a pile of rubble. He looks at his Arc Reactor, the source of all his power and genius, and throws it into the water never to be seen again. If Pepper had actually died, this symbolic moment would have been a lot more powerful because it represents how he has given up the life he had that, in a sense, was given to him by Pepper. With this scene in mind, Tony would not care what happened to himself or anyone else because he has lost his will to fight and would want nothing to do with Iron Man ever again.

Looking at the movie AS IS, Tony trashes all of his suits to stop his villain to no avail, but Pepper jumps in at the last minute to save the day. (Which was a great twist and it’s always amazing to see Pepper Potts kick some ass.) But then after this, the movie continues to see Tony getting the surgery to remove the shrapnel from his chest, hanging up his helmet for good, and throwing his Arc Reactor into the ocean. The problem with this is, why the hell would Tony do all of this and take away his identity of being Iron Man?

This all goes back to Tony’s quote in the beginning of the film “But threat is imminent, and I have to protect the one thing that I can't live without. That's you.” At the end of the day Pepper only lived due to Tony and his suits because without them, Pepper would have died in Killian’s “Red Glowing Super” machine and Killian would have ruled the world. If anything, that fight sequence where Pepper survived proved that Tony not only needs the Iron Man suits, but he needs to expand and make them better, stronger, faster, etc… Just because Tony no longer is Iron Man (no matter how public he announces it) this does not mean the villains are going to stop coming to his door to kill him or his loved ones. This movie says that the threats against Tony and the rest of the world are getting more perilous and that he needs to be ready to face them. But his response is throwing in the towel and not caring anymore. Either way we wouldn’t have an Iron Man for Avengers II.

…or would we?

Looking at Nolan’s Batman Trilogy, we end The Dark Knight knowing that Rachel has died and then at the beginning of The Dark Knight Rises, that Bruce has hung up his cowl for good. But it isn’t until the most terrible threat to Gotham rears it’s ugly head that the Caped Crusader returns to save the day. Now imagine all of that happening to Tony Stark, the man who always had his own selfish attitude and, after the death of Pepper, is wallowing in the deepest depression we have ever seen.

My final reason why Pepper should have died is because it robs Tony of his Phoenix moment that could have happened in The Avengers II Age of Ultron. When the Hulk, Thor, Captain America and the rest of the team are trying to take down a new threat to Earth and realize they cannot do it alone, they go to Tony to try and bring him out of retirement. But it wouldn’t be until Tony pulls himself up and rises from the ashes, that he dawns the suit once more and helps the Avengers save the world for the second time and becoming a hero we have never seen before. With Pepper dead, Tony would develop into a deeper, more interesting human being and watching him fight his inner demons and guilt in order to become the man he blames for his love’s death to rescue his friends, THAT is good cinema.

The fate of Iron Man and Robert Downey Junior in his Marvel career is uncertain. We know from the end of Iron Man 3 that while Iron Man is gone, Tony Stark will return for the Avengers sequel. Will Tony still suit up to join his team to save the day? Only time will tell….

-Greg

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First off: Hello friends!  It's been weeks (cough cough months) since I've written.. I've been busy graduating from college, attempting to break into the film industry, and be social.......  It's been en exhilirating few months to say the least.

I've been interning for a small production company in Studio City... I've met quite a few awesome people, even some that have taken an interest in Frak Earth. Over the next few weeks Frak Earth is going to have some big changes... Stay tuned for some badass changes!!!

In the mean time, stay nerdy, Nerfherders.

Shiny.

-C

Fan favourite Tom Hiddleston has confirmed that Loki will not be making an appearance in Joss Whedon’s highly anticipated Avengers: Age of Ultron. Fans of Hiddleston (commonly referred to as Hiddleston’s Army) are sure to be devastated since Loki practically stole the show in The Avengers.

Hiddleston confirmed to EW that Loki would not be making an appearance in Avengers 2.  But the British actor didn’t seem too upset, “Here’s the thing: I don’t think there’s anything else Loki could contribute to The Avengers, narratively. Joss gave me so many wonderful things to do in that first film that we’d only be trying to repeat ourselves, and probably less well in the second one.”

Loki was an enormous part of The Avengers, but at what point should Marvel decide to face off the Avengers against new villains? Hiddlseston understands the need to move on from the franchise telling EW “Hans Gruber wasn’t in Die Hard 2.” Although Loki won’t be in Avengers : Age of Ultron he will be reprising his role in Thor: The Dark World.

Thor: The Dark World hits theaters on November 8th!

Is it your first time to Con? If it is, well congrats and welcome to the biggest nerd party on the planet!  Now that you're in, I'm going to fork over some valuable tips that will help your time at Con to go as smoothly as possible. 

PLAN YOUR SCHEDULE IN ADVANCE:

Pick one panel, autogrpah or sreening that you don't want to miss MUST for the day, and plan your day around it.  Understand that this means choosing either Hall H or Ballroom 20 ona given day, instead of attempting to do a panel in both rooms.  That's going to be nearly impossible and you'll end up wasting your whole day in lines without a gurantee to get in... 

ARRIVE TO PANELS EARLY 

This is a given as I'm sure you've been reading all over tumblr and twitter about the dreaded HALL H LINE.  It really is just as scary as those nerds warnings, but if you plan your day and arrive at Hall H between 4-6 AM you should be just fine and guaranteed a decent spot. When you arrive at Con first and formost you need to find the correct line to stand in.  There will be a line for Hall H, a line for Ballroom 20, a line to enter the Exhibition Hall and possibly another line for signings. Ask the person in front of you what the line is for to confirm before you waste an hour standing in the wrong line.

PACK FOOD/SNACKS

If you're planning on camping out all morning/day for panels, don't forget to eat and drink normallly!  The easiest way to accomplish this is to pack a lunch the morning of and bring it to Con.  Buying food is expensive at the convention center and if you leave and head to the Gaslamp you'll be leaving Con! (Sometimes you need the break, but in the case of hunger, pack you own lunch!) You can never have enough water so bring extra bottles each day in order to stay hydrated.  

HELP!  I WANT A FOX/WB SIGNING!

This is a bit tricky folks.  I'll be very honest guys, getting in line for a ticketed signing can be dangerous.  The lines are long and the chances of you actually winning a signing are slim to none.  Most of your best chances for signings are going to be you happening to be in the right place at the right time.  NerdHQ is also an excellent opportutnity to see the stars you love close up, and also possibly have the chance for an autograph.  The ticketed signings  are going to be in the Sails Pavilion so head there to find out where your signings line is. 

What is SWAG and how do I get it?!?!

Great question.  First of all SWAG is free stuff!!  Most of the booths, espeicaly the bigs ones like FOX, Showtime, and Marvel, will be giving things away all day.  Swag can range from free comic books to free t-shirts.  Booths usually like to stagger giving away the best swag, so if you like something from a booth don't be afraid to go ask if/when they'll be giving out that awesome swag you missed out on. If you're planning on hitting up the Exhibition Floor exclusivily, make sure to plan a great route to the best booths quickly and early.  

I hope this list was helpful to all you awesome nerds!  If you've still got questions please email them my way [email protected]

Cannot wait to see you all at Con!

With less than two weeks before Comic-Con is set to open in San Diego, Thursday's full schedule has been released.  It's going to be a very exciting first day of Comic-Con with plenty of choices between Hall H and Ballroom 20. This year, Comic-Con has opted to separate TV shows between Ballroom 20 and Hall H, Dexter has a late Hall H start, whereas X-Files has settled for Ballroom 20.  You can check out the full schedule here. 

I'm probabaly going to be spending my morning and beginning part of the afternoon in Ballroom 20 with Sherlock and X-Files. Unforunatley that means I'll be missing out on Ender's Game and Dexter which are both set to hit Hall H later that day.  Ender's Game has a 3:50 panel start time, which directly conflicts with the 3:30 X-Files Panel in Ballroom 20. Although the official Con schedule does not list David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson as confirmed, they've been confirmed multiple times on twitter.  I'm crossing my fingers for a X-Files 3 movie annoucment since Chris Carter and his two lead stars are set to make the panel.  

Dexter's panel on Thursday is set to be the shows last so I'm sure lines for Hall H will be pretty insane. And with Harrison Ford headlining the Ender's Game panel, I'm sure nerds will be lining up for hours to see their favorite scoundrel make his second appearance at Comic-Con. 

Choose wisely when deciding where to spend your first day at Comic-Con.  If you choose Dexter understand you're probabaly giving up an entire day on the floor or in Ballroom 20, unless you want to risk lining up late and not getting into Hall H.  

I'd be willing to bet that Ballroom 20 will be insane until after the X-Files panel.  I bet that will clear out, but fans are probably going to pack in to catch a glimpe of Lost fav Josh Holloway at the Intellegnce Panel and the Sherlock panel is shaping up to be a can't miss panel. I somehow doubt that Martin Freeman will be in attendance now that there will be no Hobbit Panel this year, but could Sherlock himself possibly be announced???  Okay, Benedict Cumberbatch showing up is a bit of a long shot, but how damn cool would that be?!

What are you planning to do Thursday at Comic-Con??!!

Doesn't it seem that every available job is an unpaid internship? As someone attempting to break into the industry, I understand that most jobs I'm applying to are internships.  And most of those internships will be unpaid positions where I would be expected to work 15-20 hours or so a week.  Most young people entering any industry are prepared to work for a few months for free if that means creating contacts and a resume that leads to a full-time paid job.. But a New York judge ruled that Fox Searchlight Pictures violated the state's minimum wage laws during the production of Black Swan.

Unpaid interns have become almost the norm around movie productions and among most other industries.  The judge ruled that the work done by the two prosecuting interns was indeed work and that they deserved to be paid by the studio.  Their responsibilities were close enough to the other employees to warrant being paid. 

Although Fox plans to pursue a reversal on the ruling, many agree with the Court's decision.  In most cases, interns are working as many hours as employed workers and are receiving none of the benefits besides experience and possibly college credit. 

Eric Glatt, one of the Black Swan interns who brought the case forward stated:

“I’m absolutely thrilled. I hope that this sends a very loud and clear message to employers and to students doing these internships, and to the colleges that are cooperating in creating this large pool of free labor — for most for-profit employers, this is illegal. It shouldn’t be up to the least powerful person in the arrangement to have to bring a lawsuit to stop this.”

The New York State judge based his ruling on the belief that there are very few times when Internships are legal.  Unpaid internships should remain in learning environment and not job positions that could be filled by a regular employee.  

This is the first step the country has taken to stop the recent trend of unpaid internships.  It seems every job a college student/recent grad can apply to are all unpaid positions.  As a recent graduate, I'm not sure how I, or any of my just-graduated-peers, can afford to live on an unpaid salary.  This new standard may decrease the availabe entry positions in the industry at first, but hopefully studios understand how beneficial and coveted internships are to passionate young people looking to enter the industry. 

For years the trend of doing the unglorified grunt work (Answering phones, answering mail, getting coffees, etc.) has been reserved for unpaid interns.  The consequences of the Court's ruling have yet to be properly understood.  Will studios still offer unpaid internship positions with strict guidelines that would place it in the unpaid category? Or will the Court's ruling begin to strike down unpaid internship positions on the grounds that the work done is equivalent to a paid employees?

What does this ruling mean for the future of film production? 

Source: Cinemablend

Although it doesn't seem possible, sources close to WB Studios are claiming Man of Steel 2 will be released in 2014.  Warner Bros green lighting a sequel isn't that shocking as the movie has made over $120 million opening weekend, but assuming the movie will come out some time next year seems absurd!  Director Zack Snyder and writer/producer David S. Goyer have both been confirmed for the sequel, with shooting set to begin January of 2014.

WOW.  This is starting to seem rushed, isn't it?  Unless WB has been sitting on a completed script or secretly started production just as they'd done previously with Harry Potter, rushing Man of Steel 2 into production will not produce as great of a film as one that has the full 2+ years to be completed. 

Warner Brother's decision to move up Man of Steel to 2014 places an even bigger question on the reality of a Justice League of America movie that would compete with Marvel’s The Avengers.  The source close to the studio claims that Man of Steel 2's release date has been fast-tracked to keep JLA on track for a 2015 release. This would place JLA directly against Avengers 2. 

But would Warner Bros be ready to release a Justice League of America movie?  If I'm not mistaken, the only movie that is currently cannon for JLA is Man of Steel. Is JLA going to be just Cavil’s Superman against the world? 

Who is the Batman?  Joseph Gordon-Levitt?! Or is his Robin going to make an appearance in JLA?   And how about Catwoman?  I can't be the only fan that is dying to see Anne Hathaway get her own movie!  And no Justice League movie can be complete without Wonder Woman!

If Warner Brothers wants to directly compete with Marvel they'd push Justice League of America back to 2017 and announce two or three untitled DC Superhero movies for 2015-2016. This allows Warner the ability introduce crucial members of the team before JLA. Marvel didn't attempt to push out Avengers two years after making its extremely successful Iron Man in 2007 that directly set-up the eventual team-up movie.  They waited five years and made an additional three movies that introduced characters who would be center stage in Avengers.

Would a movie essentially rushed into production be as well received as Man of Steel?

 Source: WSJ

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Not even the Man of Steel can keep the Avengers out of the spot light this week!  In argubly the best youtube video I've seen in months, the Avengers are mashed up with Daft Punk's biggest hit. 'Get Lucky.' 

Just wait for it.  Trust me.

Now you can enjoy your day!!!

Source: youtube

Man of Steel. Superman. Hadn’t we all seen it before? And not that long ago, it seemed... But alas, Zack Snyder and crew have accomplished the impossible. The Superman reboot, which we didn’t realize we wanted, we got, along with much, much more.

Man of Steel was the just about a near-perfect Superman movie. It didn’t spend too long being an origin story that we’d all already seen before. Instead, the movie opened with an awesome sequence on Krypton and seemingly never stopped to catch its breath.

Once Kal crashed to Earth we time jumped to meet an older Kal, one with the familiar name of Clark Kent. I really enjoyed how Lois and Clark met during the course of his journey to understand his history. Lois Lane is a brilliant reporter who was wonderfully brought to life by Amy Adams. Not only did Adams have a bit of the same spunkiness that Margot Kidder brought to the original Superman movie, she also managed to hold her own against the primarily male cast.

And how great is it that it takes Lois all of four days to put the pieces together and find Clark’s real identity?!! It was refreshing to see Lois as a real character, and not just a young dumb woman who falls for Superman.

The Man himself, Henry Cavill as Superman, was easily the best part of the movie. Cavill is Superman. The Superman suit was flawless and Cavil looked pretty damn awesome in it. Zod was the perfect villain for Superman to be facing up against. Zod challenges Clark to choose a new life on Earth (humanity) or a chance to rebuild his lost home (Krypton). Snyder and Christopher Nolan led us on a journey to understand how Clark becomes the man he needs to be to defeat Zod. Although we don’t fully see Clark raised by the Kent’s, we do see flashes of moments through flashbacks.

Without giving away any spoilers, I can say that the fight scenes are spectacular.  Finally a Superman movie multiplie awesome fight sequences.  Zod and Superman are fairly evenly matched.. It was exciting to see Superman actualy tested by an equal.  

Man of Steel is probably going to be the biggest movie of the summer. And it rightfully deserves that honor. I’m normally a Marvel fangirl, but after tonight's viewing I’m ready to see what else DC can do. We’ve all heard the Justice league rumors, but what is the possibility of a Catwoman movie staring Anne Hathaway?

Earlier this week, I was a bit shocked to read that WB had already green-light a second MoS and would be shooting in early 2014. But after viewing the movie I can safely say the WB execs are correct in making another awesome Superman movie just like this one.

Man of Steel is in theaters now!