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Category: Books (81-90 of 189)

Jun 21 2011 01:47 PM ET

Where will 'The Death of Spider-Man' rank compared to the great superhero deaths?

by Darren Franich

Tags: Comic Books, Geekery, This Would Never Fly In Sweden, Books

Image Credit: MARVEL Comics

Spider-Man is going to die tomorrow. Marvel confirmed today in a press release that the iconic web-headed superhero will bite the bullet in Ultimate Spider-Man #160, which hits stores tomorrow. There are two reasons that this news should not necessarily freak you out. First, tomorrow’s issue is the conclusion of an eight-issue story arc called “The Death of Spider-Man,” which follows in the great the-spoiler-is-in-the-title tradition of “The Death of Superman.” Secondly, even though Spider-Man will be dying, it’s not quite Spider-Man Spider-Man, if you get my meaning. READ FULL STORY »

Jun 15 2011 12:00 PM ET

Samuel L. Jackson reads 'Go the F––k to Sleep'

by Darren Franich

Tags: Awwwwww So Cuuuuuute, Things That Are Awesome!, Books

Image Credit: Courtesy of Akashic Books

The literary sensation Go the F–k to Sleep takes aim at horrible annoying children, sort of like how Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle took aim at horrible heartless plutocrats. Now, actor/Marvel mascot/general man-about-town Samuel L. Jackson has recorded a complete audiobook version of Adam Mansbach’s book, which is currently downloadable for free at Audible.com. Jackson prefaces his reading by explaining that, when he was reading stories to his daughter in her early years, he actually would tell her, “Go the f–k to sleep.” (Of course he did.) Jackson’s slow-burn parental exasperation — simultaneously tender, badass, and helpless — is truly ear candy. Dear Hollywood: When you try turning Go the F–k to Sleep into a sitcom and/or a film franchise, we might take you seriously if Jackson comes along for the ride.

Follow Darren on Twitter: @EWDarrenFranich

Jun 14 2011 06:50 PM ET

Tom Cruise as Lee Child's rugged Jack Reacher? Count us in!

by Thom Geier

Tags: Book, Movies, Tom Cruise, Books, Movies

Image Credit: Michael Tran/FilmMagic.com

Tom Cruise is in talks to star as rugged former U.S. Army cop Jack Reacher in writer-director Christopher McQuarrie’s adaptation of Lee Child’s 2005 novel One Shot for Paramount, EW has confirmed. (Deadline first reported the news.) Cruise has apparently been circling Reacher for some time, which may come as a surprise to fans of Child’s best-selling thriller series. But even though Cruise doesn’t fit the physical description of Jack Reacher in the books (6’5″, 250 pounds, not particularly attractive), I think the now-middle-aged star would be terrific in the role. READ FULL STORY »

May 31 2011 12:10 PM ET

'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo': Like what you see in the teaser??

by Darren Franich

Tags: Movie Trailers, Movies, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Books, Movies

The hotly-anticipated American adaptation of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo doesn’t hit theaters until December, but the first teaser for the film appeared on the internet over the weekend, in a shaky-cam bootleg video that looked positively wiki-leaked. (Or maybe not: Oh, clever studios and their viral campaigns!) The teaser quick-cuts throughout the movie, plummeting between austere snow-covered landscapes and people covered in blood. But the question is: After reading the book and watching the much-praised Swedish film, does this first peek at the new movie leave you wanting more Tattoo? Rewatch the teaser here, and then take our poll after the jump… READ FULL STORY »

May 16 2011 06:15 PM ET

ESPN tell-all: Keith Olbermann = Chevy Chase

by Jeff Labrecque

Tags: Book, Sports, Television, The Bad Man Scares Me!, Books, Television, TV

With just a week before Little Brown’s release of James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales’ warts-and-all oral history of ESPN, it’s becoming clear that former SportsCenter anchor Keith Olbermann is this story’s Chevy Chase. Recall that Miller and Shales collaborated on Live From New York, a most-excellent uncensored history of SNL that described the clash of egos when Chase, the show’s first star, went on to bigger, if not necessarily better, things. In Olbermann’s case, he wasn’t the network’s first breakout star — that would be Chris Berman — but his on-air brilliance was unrivaled, according to the first excerpts of Those Guys Have All the Fun in GQ. “The guy who made ESPN a household word, the guy who made ESPN mean something in the market to everyone, was Keith Olbermann,” said ESPN producer, Bill Wolff. READ FULL STORY »

May 16 2011 12:30 PM ET

'Castle' and Marvel team up for your mom's first graphic novel: 'Richard Castle's Deadly Storm'

by Mandi Bierly

Tags: Book, Castle, Comic Books, Merchandising, Television, Books, Castle, Television, TV

Forget that Nikki Heat movie. Somewhere Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) is smiling because Marvel has announced that come Sept. 28, it will publish a 112-page hardcover graphic novel based on his Derrick Storm mystery novels. “I am honored and humbled to see Derrick Storm join the ranks of some of the greatest heroes of all-time,” Castle says in the press release. “Being a part of the Marvel family is a childhood fantasy come true for me.” He’ll reveal the cover (pictured) on tonight’s season finale (ABC, 10 p.m. ET). Castle: Richard Castle’s Deadly Storm is cowritten by Brian Michael Bendis (Avengers, Ultimate Comics Spider-Man) and Kelly Sue DeConnick (Captain America and The Secret Avengers), with interior art by Lan Medina (Fables) and cover art by Carlo Pagulayan (Planet Hulk). Marvel sees the partnership as an opportunity to create new fans of comic books. So if your mother joined Twitter just to follow Fillion, this is definitely your best shot at getting a graphic novel in front of her. READ FULL STORY »

May 9 2011 05:21 PM ET

Will you re-read 'The Hunger Games' after casting is complete?

by Aly Semigran

Tags: Book, Casting, Movies, The Hunger Games, Books, Movies

I have a shameful confession to make, PopWatchers: I only just read The Hunger Games for the first time a few weeks ago. If you’ve found it in your hearts to forgive me for this major pop culture blunder, I’ll continue.

After months of endless urging from friends and colleagues that I would love these books (they were, as per usual, right) I finally read them. A funny thing though, I read the books — in record time, I might add — right before all the major casting news about the feature film adaptation broke, when all the casting rumors were still running rampant.

In fact, just as I was getting familiar with Katniss Everdeen, Oscar-nominee Hailee Steinfeld was one of the top names being thrown around to play the part of the heroine. I immediately changed my image of how Katniss looked in my mind to Hailee, which no doubt hindered my interpretation of the book and the character (Katniss all of a sudden had a True Grit-like accent). Alas, Hailee did not get cast, and my visualization was blown to bits worse than some poor souls in the Reaping. READ FULL STORY »

May 5 2011 01:15 PM ET

Betty White talks Robert Pattinson and her successful career at TimesTalk event

by Breia Brissey

Tags: About Last Night, Betty White, Book, Robert Pattinson, Saturday Night Live, Television, Things That Are Awesome!, Things That Are Classy, About Last Night, Books, Television, TV

Image Credit: Cindy Ord/Getty Images

Betty White’s new memoir, If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won’t), hit shelves Tuesday. And considering the 89-year-old has shown no signs of slowing down, it wasn’t a surprise that she stopped by The Times Center last night for the TimesTalk event “A Conversation with Betty White.” The seven-time Emmy award-winning actress, interviewed by Frank Bruni, talked about her career, her new book, and shared several stories that kept the audience laughing. White summed up her seven-decade career simply, “I’m the luckiest old broad on two feet.” Here are a few highlights from last night’s chat:

On Robert Pattinson:
The back cover of her book features this praise from Twilight star Robert Pattinson: READ FULL STORY »

Apr 27 2011 04:10 PM ET

'The Hunger Games': Why Kristen Bell should absolutely play Johanna Mason.

by Aly Semigran

Tags: Casting, Geekery, The Hunger Games, Things That Are Awesome!, This Could Be Interesting..., Books

Image Credit: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic.com

I never thought I’d say this, but I so want to hear Kristen Bell’s name called for the reaping.

When SlashFilm.com reported on Tuesday that the actress — currently seen cutting it up in Scream 4 — has started campaigning for a part in the eagerly anticipated adaptation of The Hunger Games, my immediate thought was: Isn’t the part of Effie Trinket supposed to go to Elizabeth Banks? Both would be perfect! How would could I possibly decide between the two?! Thankfully, the Veronica Mars star has made my life uncomplicated, as she’s setting her sights set elsewhere. Apparently, Bell, who is a self-proclaimed Hunger Games super fan, wants to play Johanna Mason, the cunning former Games victor and District 7 tribute. (Bell has not yet responded to EW’s request for comment.) The no-nonsense Johanna finds herself in the Quarter Quell alongside HG heroine Katniss Everdeen, where the two flip-flop between their trust — or lack thereof — for one another.

Well, you don’t have to convince me, Kristen. We’ve seen the actress play a character you don’t know whether to love or hate on the big screen before (see: Forgetting Sarah Marshall), and now that I’ve imagined her as Johanna, I honestly can’t see anyone else playing the role. READ FULL STORY »

Apr 25 2011 06:10 PM ET

'Water for Elephants' ending: Was it what you were expecting?

by Mandi Bierly

Tags: Book, Movies, Robert Pattinson, Books, Movies

Image Credit: David James

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t seen Water for Elephants (or read the novel it’s based on), stop reading now. As the headline suggests, we’re discussing the ending.

READ FULL STORY »