Taking a plunge into the Pop Blender...

Billy Bob Thornton as the new Freddy Krueger - That seems to be the popular rumor this week, that Thornton will don the sweater and fedora to become horror's most popular child killer in the planned re-make of Wes Craven's classic Nightmare on Elm Street.  While I think Thornton could be an interesting choice, the reality is that Freddy Krueger is and always will be Robert Englund.  Unlike other movie monsters like Leatherface and Jason, Englund's voice and cackling laugh are as much as part of the charm of the character as anything.  He's not a hulking killing machine as much a satirist in murderer's clothes.  Englund has said on record that he's likely too old to continue playing Krueger, but no matter who is cast, Englund should be tapped to voice over the character's voice.  Englund is Freddy, no matter who is wearing the burnt makeup.

Final Performance of "Rent" to be filmed for Big Screen Release - The final performance of the truly groundbreaking musical will be screened over two weekends in late September.  If you've never seen the show, an adaptation of "La Boheme" as a rock musical centered in New York City with the backdrop of the AIDS crisis set in the early 1990s, it's something you really should go out of your way to see.  For more information, look for Sony Picture's new Hot Ticket series.

Star Wars - The Clone Wars opens Friday - There's a lot of attention being given to the first animated Star Wars feature, good and bad.  Diehard fans are happy to have anything new while jaded fans are quietly hoping for something more along the lines of the Original Trilogy.  With a plucky new sidekick given to Anakin as they searched for a kidnapped Hutt baby, I'm not expecting anything along the lines of The Empire Strikes Back, but there's something special about seeing the new Star Wars film at the strike of midnight along with a sold-out group of fans likewise waiting to hear the first chords of John Williams' classic theme.  Good or bad, Star Wars is still a hell of a lot of fun.  You know where I'll be this Thursday night when midnight comes around.

Red Hulk Absolutely Rules - With all the complaints I have about DC Comics, I have to admit I still prefer that over Marvel Comics.  I appreciate the classic Marvel characters but have never fallen in love with the idea of say, Spider-Man having to worry about paying his rent.  I read comics to get lost in fun stories, not to read a reflection of real world, mundane issues.  Still, Marvel has really done a bang up job this year compared to my beloved DC as their Secret Invasion storyline has been a lot of fun as has the continuing Captain America saga in the wake of his murder.  Still, the storyline I've enjoyed so far has been the current "Red Hulk" storyline in The Incredible Hulk series.  Bruce Banner is in government custody but a mysterious Red Hulk has appeared and murdered long-time Hulk foe the Abomination...with a gun.  Who is this Hulk and how does Banner play into it?  It's been a fun mystery and now that the apparent culprit has been revealed, it's a fun twist.  The battle has captured the attention of Thunder God Thor, leading to one hell of a Red Hulk vs. Thor battle.  It's been a truly fun read.  That's what comics are supposed to be - FUN - something that a lot of publishers have forgotten about of late.

Robert Downey Jr.  didn't like Dark Knight.  In an interview with Moviehole.net, the "Iron Man" star commented, "My whole thing is that that I saw 'The Dark Knight'. I feel like I'm dumb because I feel like I don't get how many things that are so smart. It's like a Ferrari engine of storytelling and script writing and I'm like, 'That's not my idea of what I want to see in a movie.' I loved 'The Prestige' but didn't understand 'The Dark Knight'. Didn't get it, still can't tell you what happened in the movie, what happened to the character and in the end they need him to be a bad guy. I'm like, 'I get it. This is so high brow and so f--king smart, I clearly need a college education to understand this movie.' You know what? F-ck DC comics. That's all I have to say and that's where I'm really coming from."   In response, clueless DC Comics head Dan Didio announced Downey would be taking over the editing reigns for the Vertigo line.

Tropic Thunder comes out Wednesday - In other news, everyone still plans to go see Dark Knight.

Speaking of Dark Knight, DAMN YOU CHRIS NOLAN - As Dark Knight comes close to knocking my beloved Star Wars - A New Hope out of the #2 spot for highest grossing picture of Nall time, all I can say is damn you Chris Nolan, for making such a damn great movie.  Even as I sob over Luke Skywalker being dispatched down into the #3 spot with a mere $421 million (although there is that 3-D release coming!) in its coffers, I realize that perhaps Batman can finally take down the biggest nemesis Uncle George Lucas has ever faced - Titanic.  Help me Bruce Wayne-Kenobi, you're my only hope....throw a batarang at Leonardo DiCaprio and take him OUT!

Mike Johnson is watching South Park Season 11 and singing the "Imagination" song as you read this.