Christine Cavanaugh, Voice of Chuckie from ‘Rugrats,’ ‘Babe,’ Dies at 51

Christine Cavanaugh Obit Dead

Christine Cavanaugh, best known for her prolific vocal work — including memorable roles as the titular character in “Babe” and lovable scaredy-cat Chuckie Finster on Nickelodeon’s “Rugrats” — died on Dec. 22 of unknown causes at her home in Cedar City, Utah. She was 51.

In addition to 1995’s “Babe” and her enduring role on “Rugrats” from 1991-2002, she also voiced Marty Sherman (“The Critic,” 1994-95), Oblina (“Aaahh!!! Real Monsters,” 1994-97) and maniacal child genius Dexter on Cartoon Network’s “Dexter’s Laboratory” from 1996-2003. In addition she made live-action guest appearances on shows including “ER,” “The X-Files” and “Everybody Loves Raymond.”

Cavanaugh broke into the business as an actress in 1988 after attending Utah State University and University of Hawaii. Her first prominent casting came in 1991 as Gosalyn Mallard on Disney’s animated series “Darkwing Duck.”

Cavanaugh retired from her voice career in 2001 in order to be closer to her family.

Cavanaugh is survived by her father; her sister, Deionn Masock and her children, Alec, Nash and Madison; her brother, Kirtis Johnson and his children Felicia and Amanda; and a number of half siblings.

A memorial ceremony was held in her honor on Antelope Island in Utah.

Darth Vader Sixth Scale Figure by Hot Toys

 

902320_press01Darth Vader is one of the most iconic characters in the Star Wars saga and has frequently been regarded as one of the greatest villains in cinema history. Following the release of “The Circle is Now Complete’ teaser earlier last month, Star Wars fans have already been eagerly waiting for the official reveal of the Sith Lord!

And now Hot Toys is welcoming fans to the dark side and officially introduce the highly-detailed and amazingly-crafted Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope: 1/6th scale Darth Vader Collectible Figure complete with the Sith Lord’s iconic breathing sound effects and LED lighted functions!

The movie-accurate collectible figure is specially crafted based on the image of Darth Vader in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope! It features a sophisticatedly-crafted Darth Vader armor and helmet, specially tailored suit, built-in sound effect function with Darth Vader’s breathing sound, LED-lighted lightsaber and belt, a finely-made Interrogator Droid, and a specially designed figure stand.

Embrace the dark side and add the infamous Dark Lord of the Sith to your Star Wars collection!

 

The Darth Vader Sixth Scale Figure specially features:

  • Authentic and detailed likeness of Darth Vader in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
  • Body with over 30 points of articulation
  • Approximately 35 cm tall
  • Built-in sound effect function playing Darth Vader’s iconic breathing sound
  • Nine (9) pieces of interchangeable gloved palms including:
    – One (1) pair of fists
    – One (1) pair of open palms
    – One (1) pair of palms for holding lightsaber
    – One (1) pair of posing palms
    – One (1) Force choking right palm

Costume:

  • One (1) specially crafted Darth Vader armor and suit
  • One (1) black cape
  • One (1) system function belt with LED light-up function (white light, battery operated)
  • One (1) pair of black boots

Weapons:

  • One (1) LED-lighted red lightsaber (white light, battery operated)
  • One (1) lightsaber hilt

Accessories:

  • One (1) Interrogator Droid
  • Specially designed figure stand with Darth Vader nameplate and movie logo

 

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New Photo of the Millennium Falcon in Star Wars: The Force Awakens

New Photo of the Millennium Falcon in Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Fortune magazine has debuted their latest profile piece, focusing on Disney CEO Bob Iger, and along with it comes a new shot of the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Iger and the fabled ship also landed on the cover of the magazine. You can check out both photos below and learn how the image of Iger and the “hunk of junk” was created by clicking here.

Starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, Kenny Baker, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Max von Sydow, Lupita Nyong’o, Gwendoline Christie, Crystal Clarke, Pip Anderson, Christina Chong and Miltos Yerolemou, the J.J. Abrams-directed film will debut in theaters on December 18, 2015.

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Hulk Villain Abomination Almost Appeared in An AVENGERS Film

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In a recent interview with Tim Roth, who played Emil Blonsky, the soldier who becomes Abomination in Marvel’s The Incredible Hulk, he reveals that the villain could have appeared in an Avengers movie from Marvel.

Edward Norton‘s Hulk movie is considered a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but a lot has changed since it was made. Apparently at one point they were looking to give it more of a connection than little mentions here and there by possibly including Abomination in The Avengers 2. This is what Roth had to say about it in a interview with Crave Online:

“They were going to do it. They did do that. They were thinking, in The Avengers 2 or something. There was a movie we could do that at one point, but way back when. It just kind of got swept under the carpet I guess. That would be hilarious.”

I’m sure Marvel was coming up with all sorts of fun and strange ideas when they were trying to figure out what to do with their cinematic universe early on. I’m not sure how Abomination would fit in the current MCU, but I’m sure there were a few ways that they considered bringing him back to the big screen. They do reference Blonsky being locked up in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which was something I completely forgot about until it was pointed out to me.

The Hulk film set up some big plans for some characters in the film such as Blonsky, and then there was Tim Blake Nelson’s Dr. Samuel Sterns, who was being set up as future villain. Whatever they were looking to do seems to no longer play a huge role in the current MCU that fans are enjoying. This is a fun bit of trivia, though, that I thought might interest some of you.

Steven S. DeKnight Likens the Tone of Marvel’s Daredevil to The Wire

Marvel’s Daredevil Officially Wraps Production

2014 has been a massive one for Marvel Studios. It saw, on the big screen, the release of both Joe and Anthony Russo’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier and James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy, and, on the small screen, the continuation of ABC’s “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” 2015, however, is looking to be an even bigger year for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In addition to Joss Whedon’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, Peyton Reed’s Ant-Man, the new limited series “Marvel’s Agent Carter” and even more “S.H.I.E.L.D.,” Marvel will be hitting Netflix with five new shows, beginning with “Marvel’s Daredevil.” Today, EW spoke with several of the key creative talents involved in the new Netflix show, revealing a few details about the superhero series.

“It does take place in the Marvel cinematic universe,” says Jeph Loeb, Marvel’s Head of Television, “It’s all connected. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that we would look up in the sky and see [Iron Man]. It’s just a different part of New York that we have not yet seen in the Marvel movies… Within the Marvel universe there are thousands of heroes of all shapes and sizes, but the Avengers are here to save the universe and Daredevil is here to save the neighborhood… There aren’t going to be people flying through the sky. There are no magic hammers.”

Although previous reports mentioned that we won’t be seeing Bullseye on the series, showrunner Steven S. DeKnight offers an update that he may appear in future seasons. This season’s arc will focus primarily on the rise of Matt Murdock’s “Man without Fear” and Wilson Fisk’s Kingpin.

“Fisk has very many different aspects so it’s not all, ‘I want to conquer the city and make a lot of money,’” DeKnight continues. “In our story, we tell the story of how he met his wife Vanessa and how they fell in love — our antagonist actually has a love story. That’s the love story you’re following, the one you’re invested in, and seeing how that affects him and changes him… We really wanted to take our cue from [films like] ‘The French Connection,’ ‘Dog Day Afternoon,’ ‘Taxi Driver,’ and make it very, very grounded, very gritty, very real. We always say we would rather lean toward The Wire than what’s considered a classic superhero television show.”

DeKnight also says that, while having the series go to Netflix offers a lot of creative freedom, “Marvel’s Daredevil” isn’t going to be overtly violent.

“When I came onto this there was no way I wanted to make this hard-R or NC-17,” he says. “I don’t think the material warrants that. It is a little grittier and edgier than Marvel has gone before, but we’re not looking to push it to extreme graphic violence, gratuitous nudity or anything like that. The story does not require that and I think would suffer if you pushed it that far.”

Starring Charlie Cox (Matt Murdock), Deborah Ann Woll (Karen Page), Elden Henson (Foggy Nelson), Rosario Dawson (Claire Temple), Bob Gunton (Leland Owlsely aka The Owl), Vondie Curtis Hall (Ben Urich), Toby Leonard Moore (Wesley, Wilson Fisk’s right hand man), Ayelet Zurer (Vanessa Fisk), and Vincent D’Onofrio (Wilson Fisk), “Marvel’s Daredevil” follows the journey of Matt Murdock, who was blinded as a young boy but imbued with extraordinary senses, now fighting against injustice by day as a lawyer, and by night as the super hero Daredevil in modern day Hell’s Kitchen, New York City.

“Marvel’s Daredevil” is produced by Marvel Television in association with ABC Studios for Netflix and will debut in 2015.

Emily Blunt on Captain Marvel and the Two Marvel Roles She Turned Down

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Emily Blunt has had two chances so far to play a Marvel character, but she turned both of them down. The first role was Black Widow, which she had to turn down because she was contractually obligated to star in another movie at 20th Century Fox. That movie was the horrendous Gulliver’s Travel with Jack Black. Personally, I think she would have made an amazing Black Widow. Don’t get me wrong! Scarlett Johansson is great as Black Widow, and she owns the part, but after seeing Blunt kick-ass in Edge of Tomorrow… damn, I could see her being a great Black Widow, as well. The other role that she walked away from was Peggy Carter.

The two roles came up in a conversation with Vulture, when they asked if she had been offered the chance to play Captain Marvel, to which she replied:

“No one’s offered me that officially, so it’s… very unofficial. I think it’s fan-casting, which is always very nice. But nothing official has been offered, for sure. If I get it, thank Meryl [Streep] for it!”

I’d love to see her in the role of Captain Marvel. The studio obviously wants to bring her into their cinematic universe. There’s always a chance that Captain Marvel could be their chance. She then talked about why she turned down the first two offers from Marvel, saying,

“It was never the right time, really, and it just didn’t work out scheduling-wise with those two. It’s always a difficult thing to talk about, because it’s not fair to the actresses who ended up playing them, you know? It just wasn’t the right time.”

Even if Blunt doesn’t play Captain Marvel, I’m sure one day she will be introduced as a character in the MCU. The question is, who will it be?!

new ant man banner reveals yellowjacket

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A new promo banner has been released for Marvel’s upcoming film Ant-Man, and it gives us our first official look at what the villain Yellowjacket will look like in full costume. This image confirms a photo of the character that leaked last month, which you can see here. The actor portraying Darren Crossa.k.a. Yellowjacket, is Corey Stoll, and you can read an interview in which he talks about the character here. The banner comes from British sleepwear company Aykroyds and Son (via CBM).

Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, master thief Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) must embrace his inner-hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats. Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym and Lang must plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.

The film also stars Evangeline Lilly (The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies), Judy Greer (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), Bobby Cannavale (Chef, Blue Jasmine), Michael Pena (End of Watch, Fury), Martin Donovan (Inherent Vice, Insomnia), Wood Harris (Dredd, Remember the Titans), John Slattery (Mad Men, Iron Man 2), and Gregg Turkington (Gravity Falls).

The film is set to hit theaters on July 17th, 2015. Hopefully we get to see a trailer for this movie soon! I’ve heard rumors that it’s coming early next year.

Paul Feig Updates on His Ghostbusters Reboot, Hints at an Expanded Cast

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The female-driven Ghostbusters reboot is moving forward at Sony Pictures with Paul Feig set to direct. The Bridesmaids and The Heat helmer has spoken with Empire about his plans for the film, revealing that he wants to make it scarier than the original, target a PG-13 rating and offer a Ghostbusters team that may be significantly larger than fans might be expecting.

“Right now, honestly, there could be 50 Ghostbusters,” Feig tells the magazine (via CBM). “I’m just waiting to get our first draft of the script together to go, ‘Who makes sense in these roles?’ If I put the list in front of me of people that have said they want to do it, talk about a Sophie’s Choice. When you do a movie like ‘Ghostbusters,’ people get very interested.”

Feig also offered further confirmation that the new film will be a total reboot.

“I have too much respect for the original one,” he says. “There’s also the feeling that once the world knows ghosts and has seen them busted on such a large scale, they run the risk of becoming pedestrian. There’s something fun about introducing our world, which has never seen ghosts to the phenomenon of ghosts. I love origin stories and to introduce new characters.”

Tonally, Feig says that he’s aiming for something that’s both funny and truly scary, although he’s not looking to push for an R rating.

“I want ours to be scarier than the original, to be quite honest,” he continues. “Katie Dipold and I are so focused on wanting to do scary comedy. We don’t want to hold back… The reason I do a lot of R-Rated comedies is that you want a movie to feel honest. But the Ghostbusters world doesn’t need that level of swearing. We’ll have to be PG-13 with this one. I would like to make it R-Rated, but I won’t. You want the biggest number of people to watch it and not be put off by it.”

Back in September, original Ghostbusters star Bill Murray revealed his own “fan cast” for a female-driven franchise reboot, listing Melissa McCarthy (BridesmaidsTammy), Kristen Wiig (BridesmaidsThe Secret Life of Walter Mitty), Linda Cardinelli (“Freaks and Geeks,” “Mad Men”) and Emma Stone (The HelpThe Amazing Spider-Man) as his top choices. Since then, Pitch Perfect star Rebel Wilson has revealed that she has met for a part, although no official casting has, as of yet, taken place. As always, check back for details as they become available.

Sam Raimi Admits to Messing Up with SPIDER-MAN 3, Calls It “Awful”

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Last month I watched Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3 for the first time since it was released in theaters. The movie just left such a bad taste in my mouth, I was in not rush to see it again. I have to say, though, after the next time I saw it it wasn’t really as bad as I remember. In fact, the first half of the movie was pretty damn awesome. There were some really fun elements, and it wasn’t until Peter Parker went all emo that the movie started to lose me. It really could have been a much better film than what it turned out to be, and Raimi knows it.

In a recent interview with the Nerdist podcast, Raimi had a long discussion about everything that went wrong with Spider-Man 3. He points out many of the mistakes that he made with it, but he seemed to have a pretty good sense of humor about it.

The Spider-Man 3 discussion starts around the 1:04 mark, and Raimi begins by saying,

“Working in that big budget arena, with so much at stake, with much beloved characters that Stan Lee created, people really hold them so dear to them that you don’t want to mess up and I messed up with that third Spider-Man. People hated me for years. They still hate me for it.

“… It’s a movie that just didn’t work very well. I tried to make it work, but I didn’t really believe in all the characters, and so that can’t be hidden from people who loved Spider-Man. If the director doesn’t love something, it’s wrong of them to make it when so many other people love it.”

Even though the movie wasn’t the best it could have been, I wasn’t one of the guys that hated on Raimi. That guy has been and always will be one of my favorite filmmakers. He just makes really fun flicks. As for the characters he didn’t believe in, I assume he’s talking about Venom, who was added at the studio’s request. It sounds to me like Raimi pretty much checked out of the third film, as he went into it not loving what he was getting himself into.

The director then talks about topping the second Spider-Man film, which was amazing, explaining:

“I think [raising the stakes] was the thinking going into it, and I think that’s what doomed us. I should’ve just stuck with the characters and the relationships and progressed them to the next step and not tried to top the bar. I think that was my mistake.”

I do respect the fact that Raimi is owning up to his role in the issues the film has. The thing is, you learn from your mistakes and move forward. If a person doesn’t admit that he made a mistake, how are they supposed to change and do better? He went on to humorously admit that the movie was awful in the following exchange with Chris Hardwick:

Raimi: Directors don’t like to talk about their bad films.

Hardwick: I don’t think that ‘bad’ is the right word.

Raimi: Awful.

The whole interview is worth listening to, so you should check it out if you get a chance. I especially enjoyed the part where he talks about what Bruce Campbell was like when he was younger.

What do you think about  Spider-Man 3?