IESB.net has posted a report from ShoWest, directly from Warner Brothers, updating us on the in-development Superman: The Man of Steel.

First is that it is confirmed that Bryan Singer is 100% on as director for the sequel. Also, the writers picked to replace Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris, will be Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman who wrote Transformers and the upcoming Star Trek film.


The pair are apparently in talks and have had "several meetings" regarding the film. No need to worry about a lack of action from these two!

Good start getting Bryan Singer. This movie is already better than the last one.

Um, Bryan Singer directed Superman Returns.

Kind of surpirsed if Orci and Kurtzman are writing it, they seem like they're already pretty busy with producing Star Trek, writing Transformers 2 and their series Fringe.

EmpireOnline.com spoke with Bryan Singer about the sequel to "Superman Returns". The article confirms that Bryan is directing the next movie, and is currently in the development phase.
He also talks about how the next film will differ from "Superman Returns"...


"The first one was a romantic film and a nostalgic film," he says. "I'll be the first person to own up to that without making any apologies for it. I knew it was going to be that from the outset. And now that the characters are established, there's really an opportunity to up the threat levels...Clearly there'll be a body count [laughs]. From frame one, it will be unrelenting terror! All those teenage girls who found the movie and mooned over James Marsden or Brandon? Well, I'm going to wake them up!" He may be joking about the unrelenting terror.

I watched the first Superman movie last night again. I noticed that Superman doesn't punch anyone in that film either. If history repeats itself, the next will please

Superman Dean Cain has returned to his hit '90s TV series to find love after a series of romantic disasters.

The single dad is reportedly romancing actress Jessica Collins, who co-starred with Cain on Lois + Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman over a decade ago.

The pretty 37-year-old has been spotted with Cain, 41, on a number of dates recently - and even fed him with her fork during a lunch meeting at a cafe in Los Angeles, according to the Globe.

But it was what happened away from the glare of the paparazzi that really turned heads - after driving away from LA's Urth Cafe, the couple parked up and started 'making out' in Collins' red mini.

An eyewitness tells the publication, "They were passionately kissing each other and didn't seem to care if anyone noticed."

The romance is good news for Cain, who once romanced Brooke Shields and was engaged to country star Mindy McCready. He has an eight-year-old son by former model Samantha Torres.

Why The Man of Steel is Still Super

Superman is 70 this month. He doesn't look a day older than when I met him, but I guess that's why they call him Superman.

Why has he lasted so long? Why is he still relevant to a modern audience, decades after teenagers Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster first imagined the Samson from outer space in the 1930s?

It's not because he was the first superhero, although a lot of people falsely credit him that honour. Popeye had super strength and invulnerability, Tarzan talked to animals, the Shadow turned invisible, and Philip Wylie's pulp hero in his 1930 book Gladiator (see sidebar) could leap over a barn, stop bullets with his skin, and lift a car over his head, all long before Superman showed up.

As for the costume? The Phantom wore the tights-and-trunks years before Action Comics No. 1 hit the stands in April 1938, as did Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers every Sunday in colour. The Shadow even wore a cape. So why has Superman left them all behind in history? Why did he age so well when they didn't?

What sets Superman apart from all those who came before and after him, is that he is the personification of the most deeply rooted human belief there is: that there are gods in this world, and if we pray to them, they might help. The wonder of Superman is, that when we ask for HIS help in fighting something so big or dangerous that we poor humans can only fail, he shows up and helps. Instantly. On time. And everybody lives at the end of the story. He is god in a cape. The living answer to our prayers.

The trappings are all there: As a baby, he is sent to us by a father who lives in the sky. His spaceship/basket lands in the reeds of a Kansas cornfield, to be found by a barren woman and her husband who adopt him and create a virgin family. He learns to Americanize his birth name (Kal-El becomes Clark Kent) and "pass" for a member of the dominant culture, hiding his true identity and language. This God-as-American-immigrant spends the next few decades performing miracles, saving lives, and telling people to do good for each other. Much later, he dies saving the world from a monstrous evil named Doomsday, and a year later, is resurrected to live among us again. It's something I'm sure two Jewish kids living in Cleveland (one of them, artist Shuster, being a former Torontonian) didn't see coming when they cobbled Superman together from early science-fiction sources and Depression-era power fantasies, but they invented the American Jesus.

Throughout history, the supernatural creatures and gods of this world have been created and re-created in our image, and Superman is no exception. It's the other secret of his staying power: his adaptability. In every era, he's fought against whatever gives anxiety to that generation. And as he moves through history, he takes on the manners and attitudes of his fellow citizens and continues to be the modern American man. In the '30s, he was a Depression-era brute, but a champion of the downtrodden masses who'd been handed a bad deal by the privileged classes and the world in general. His first stories were about corrupt senators and unsafe coal mines and wife-beating husbands. He was a Superman for the little guy.

In the '40s, he took on a world war. Famously, in a 1943 issue of Look magazine, Superman abducts Stalin and Hitler and makes them take responsibility for the suffering they've caused. Throughout the '50s and '60s, Superman fought against technology and the sense of future shock Alvin Toffler said we were all feeling. Lex Luthor becomes a brilliant but evil scientist with no sense of morality, the ultimate villain for the space age.

On television, Superman was a father figure, benign and wise for an era that still respected dad. In the '70s, the time of the Me Decade and the sexual revolution, Superman focused more on the Man, and less on the Super. Christopher Reeve made Superman a romantic hero. The father figure became a sex symbol for the Studio 54 set.

In the '90s, Superman became the supporting character to the new era of empowered women, in Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. In the comics he got MARRIED, returning the father figure of a bygone era! And now, in the 20th century, in the age of 24-hour infotainment-Web-media, Superman remains king of all media. What other character has his broad appeal across so many different formats? You want hit records? Five for Fighting's "Superman (It's not Easy)" became the anthem for 9/11 rescue workers. Eminem, 3 Doors Down, The Flaming Lips and Our Lady Peace have all had Superman hits in the last decade. And movies? Bryan Singer's Superman Returns grossed a mere $400 million (U.S.) worldwide, which disappointed the executives at Warner Bros., only because they'd spent $200 million making the movie, the largest budget in film history. What about TV? He's in the eighth season of his prime-time series, Smallville.

All is not completely rosy in Metropolis. Superman is famously considered one of the worst video game characters around. And though the Last Son of Krypton stars in at least five different titles selling in the comics market's top 50, he still has nothing in the top 10. It's been years since Superman was a sales monster in the funnybook biz, like Wolverine or Spidey. In the comics shops Superman is sometimes considered too old school, like an aging relative who isn't as in touch as he should be, and when he's handled poorly, he comes off as a little dull.

All of which might be true. But in the hands of brilliant creators, Superman recently won the 2007 Eisner Award (the comic industry's version of an Oscar) for Best Continuing Comic Series, duly recognizing the excellent work of current All-Star Superman creators, Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely. Morrison and Quitely have been telling an EPIC Superman story, full of grandeur and godlike behaviour, with every page sparkling with inventive plotting and gorgeous art. Give them a couple more issues and they'll take my man Supes back to the top.

He's got a zillion fansites and e-zines and webrings on the net. And whatever the limitations of a character this powerful in a video game, he's still starred in more than 20 different titles for a half-dozen gaming systems. Someone's enjoying him in computer form.

Finally, for the record, he's still one of the top-selling pyjamas, and the No. 1 comic book-related tattoo in the world. After 70 years, this American God, Superman, is here to stay. He's so basic, everyone "gets" him. He's a part of all our childhoods and will be part of our kid's futures. Happy Birthday Kal-El. Stick around for a while, at least while we still need you

'Lois Lane' Accuses Money Man of Fraud
By SAMUEL MAULL, AP
Posted: 2008-04-17 10:03:24
Filed Under: Celebrities in Court
NEW YORK (April 17) - An actress who was the 1940s cartoon and radio voice of Lois Lane, the reporter with a crush on Superman, has accused her financial adviser of losing and stealing tens of millions of dollars of her money.


Classic Toon: Lois Kidnapped



Joan A. Stanton, 90, claims in court papers that Kenneth Ira Starr, "accountant and financial adviser to the rich and famous," ingratiated himself with her to take control of her fortune, then shielded her from the advice of others, including that of her children.

Stanton's late husband, Arthur Stanton, was a businessman who left her $70 million when he died in 1987, the lawsuit says.

The court papers claim that Starr used Stanton's money as "his own unrestricted endowment," putting millions in speculative pet projects that he or his friends controlled instead of the conservative investments she wanted.

Starr and other defendants ran a scheme in which they would solicit investors, direct the money to their own undisclosed uses and then declare the investments as failures, the court papers say.

Starr failed to reveal adequately the nature of these "self-interested" deals and "at times left her (Stanton) so cash strapped that he had to take out a line of credit on her behalf to satisfy her tax obligations," court papers say.

"And for these services, Mr. Starr charged hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in fees to Mrs. Stanton," says the lawsuit, filed Tuesday in state Supreme Court in Manhattan.

The lawsuit names as defendants Starr, financial adviser Keith Barish and several companies the two control. It accuses them of fraud, breach of contract, professional malpractice, unjust enrichment and other misconduct.

Stanton's lawyer, David E. Mills, said he does not know how much Starr and others took, because, as court papers say, they "continue to deny full access to the books and records" of investments or the $6.3 million in expenses they claimed.

Starr's lawyer, Peter Parcher, said the woman's lawsuit was without merit and will be vigorously defended. During the 20 years that Starr was Stanton's adviser, he said, "her assets grew considerably. It will become clear during the course of this litigation that Mrs. Stanton was well advised."

Barish's lawyer, Dan Katz, said Stanton's "allegations are without merit, and we will vigorously defend against them in court."

Stanton, who acted under the name Joan Alexander, was best known as the voice of Lois Lane in the 1940s radio show "The Adventures of Superman." She also was the first actress to play Della Street, Perry Mason's Girl Friday, on the radio version of the "Perry Mason" detective series.

Stanton later reprised her role as the voice of Lois Lane in the 1966 animated series "The New Adventures of Superman."

She is the mother of novelist Jane Stanton Hitchcock.

Thomas Tull, founder, chairman and CEO of Legendary Pictures (the company jointly responsible for producing the films 'Batman Begins', 'Superman Returns' and '300'), spoke to Hamilton students on April 17.

Tull showed clips from 'The Dark Knight' and also talked about upcoming projects like 'Watchmen', 'Akira' and the 'Superman' sequel. Apparently, Tull told students that the new Superman movie would refocus on the man of steel as "an angry god".

The article is sparse on further details, but that declaration is interesting in and of itself.

In the early 2000s (around 2002) there was big talk about a new Superman movie set to star Brendan Fraser as Superman/Clark Kent with a script written by J.J. Abrams to be directed by Brett Ratner. Obviously it never happened.
Now, MTV.com has posted a video interview from NYCC with Brendan Fraser in which he discusses this period in time. He talks about having tried on the Superman suit, his audition process, the script itself and more.


"I wore the suit," he admitted about his screen test for Ratner. "They were so top secret about it. Somewhere probably in a vault is my screen test."
And apparently he nailed it in Ratner's eyes because he says he had the part. "First they offered it to me. Then they didn't offer it to me," he laughed. "Then a huge swath of guys came in to put the suit on. We acted scenes as Clark Kent and [Superman]."

Fraser said the script at the time was the one by "Lost" creator J.J. Abrams and described it as "really really really cool." So in the end did he really want to join the ranks of George Reeves and Christopher Reeve? "Oh yeah. Everybody did. Everybody in town was up for this," he said.

Brandon Routh has admitted he is hoping for a more action-packed return as Superman when he dons the cape to play the man of steel again.

Shooting is set to begin on a sequel to 2006's Superman Returns early next year and Routh, who drew acclaim for his dignified performance as Kal-El in Bryan Singer's film, has said improvements could certainly be made when the Krypton-native returns to the screen.

Talking to ComingSoon.net while promoting his new film Lie to Me, Routh stressed that both he and audiences are waiting for Superman "to actually be able to lay a punch on someone or something".

"I was filming and I thought, 'I haven't really hit anything. I feel like I'm going to need to let some of this anger out'," he said.

"So I'm happy that I think that's going to be a central part of the sequel, getting a good villain that we can actually have physical altercations with."

Routh revealed that Singer is planning to produce a script for the next Superman film - thought to be called Man of Steel - once post-production has finished on his historical drama Valkyrie, and said also said he hopes for a more human angle to be added to the sequel.

"I'd like more humour from Clark [Kent] or just more of Clark and Jimmy [Olsen]. A little bit more of Lois [Lane] and Clark, how we used to see them, a bit more of buddies," he explained.

"Perhaps things will be smoothed over with Superman and Lois and she can afford to be a little bit nicer to Clark.

"I think that's something that people want to see and those are some of the great moments from previous Superman films."

Is John Williams Returning In "Man of Steel"?

A report at Boston.com indicates that John Williams may be returning to the world of Superman to compose the score for the next Superman movie.

Williams, now 76, was conductor of the Pops from 1980 to 1993. According to industry reports, he remains a busy man, with soundtracks for "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," "Jurassic Park IV," and "Superman: Man of Steel" all scheduled for his touch.

Unless John Ottman was otherwise occupied, I find it hard to believe that he would not score the sequel to "Superman Returns" as he was not only the composer on that movie but the editor as well, and is a long-time collaborator with director Bryan Singer.

ZeeNews.com reports that Bryan Singer may have offered Indian actress Priyanka Chopra a role in the sequel to "Superman Returns".

Priyanka Chopra is likely to play Superman's love interest in the flick's upcoming sequel.
According to our sources, Priyanka has been offered the role of Superman's leading lady in the latest sequel and she has almost given her final nod though the official statement is yet to be released.

Speaking to Spicezee, a source said, "The filmmakers had been looking for an Indian face for quite long as the role is of an Indian scientist. When they came to know of Priyanka shooting in the US for Dostana, the director of Superman went to the shoot to judge her work."

Impressed by the sizzling beauty, Priyanka was offered the role. However, there is no official word out as yet.

In an interview with MTV.com, Will Smith jokes about why the role of Hancock suits him better than playing Superman...

"The last 'Superman' I got offered," Will Smith revealed recently, reminiscing about the time he passed up the "Superman Returns" role that eventually went to Brandon Routh, "the script came, and I was like, 'There is no way I'm playing Superman!' Because I had already done Jim West [of 'Wild Wild West'], and you can't be messing up white people's heroes in Hollywood!"
Laughing, the king of the 4th of July weekend added, "You mess up white people's heroes in Hollywood, you'll never work in this town again!"

Now, instead of taking up residence in the Fortress of Solitude, Will Smith has a park bench. Instead of blue tights, he's wearing shorts and a tattered knit cap. He still gets to stop bullets with his skin, fly through the air and engage in his own Man of Steel heroics - but when Hancock goes dark, he makes Christopher Reeve's "Superman III" bar scene look like a "Teletubbies" rerun.

here's my Superman collection so far, except for my Superman T-shirts and all comics/graphic novels I didn't feel like taking pic of

here is a pic of my Superman mugs and drinking glasses



This is a pic of my Superman pillow, night light and a couple Superman graphic novels



Superman mousepad



Superman lightswitch



Assorted Star Trek and Superman Toys and Busts



Superman photo that tells about the first Superman movie



My Superman Wallet



Wasn't able to fit it all in, but everything on the top shelf are Superman related DVDs



Smallville Clark Kent and two Superman Key Chains



I also have about four more Superman action figures and a Superman steering wheel cover that I don't have a pic of. I may take pics of them later

Newsarama.com has posted an article and aerial photo of the Superman Celebration's "Largest Gathering of People Dressed as Superman" world record, with an interesting angle on how the record was achieved.

The minimum necessary was 100 people and they had to wear authorized Superman costumes. No red towels for a cape with a hand-drawn "S" was permitted. The Guinness folks are a might fussy. And it had to be a SuperMAN costume, no SuperGIRL costumes were allowed.
The registration started at 3 p.m. with the final event scheduled for 5 p.m. At 3 the folks showed up and had their costumes scrutinized. Like some Superman story from the mid-1950s, the town was populated with fat Supermen, skinny Supermen, Supermen old, young, men and women, boys and girls.

But there were not enough of them. By Sunday, a lot of people had left already. Around 4 p.m. Jamie was told that only 68 people had signed up.

"We wanted to break the record, but we were coming up short and there were no more costumes for sale anywhere," he said.