The KOTOBUKIYA Iron Man MK IV ARTFX Statue

April 30, 2010

I recently attended the 2010 WizardWorld Anaheim ComicCon and one particular item at the convention really caught my eye. It was a very realistic Iron Man Mark IV statue at the KOTOBUKIYA booth. The stance and pose of the figure was both imposing and impressive. The statue looked just like the actual Iron Man from the movie and not a cheap poorly made imitation.

I contacted the company and they were very kind and responsive so you can imagine my excitement when Fed Ex arrived today asking me to sign for a package from Tokyo, Japan. The solid well made statue was carefully packaged in a protective box that was a piece of art on its own. Within the confines of the box was an easy to assemble pre-painted, snap-fit ARTFX Statue of ol’ Shellhead.

Sculpted by Ryoichi Ito, the Iron Man figure stands approximately 13 inches tall (1/6th scale) atop an exclusive cylindrical Repulsor Transmitter base.

The red and gold Mark IV includes actual working LED lights in the eyes, chest, fists, and base (batteries are included)! My pictures do not do justice to the statue; you really have to see it for yourself.

Robert Downey Jr. will be reprising his role as Tony Stark in Iron Man 2 next week. The hero will be fitted with a new and improved sleek cutting edge armored suit. Do yourself a favor a take a piece of the movie home with you with this impressive figurine that will be the cornerstone of your collection!

The awesome KOTOBUKIYA Iron Man MK IV ARTFX statue can be ordered HERE for $119.99.

5 Comments | Collectibles, Comic Books | Permalink
Posted by Larry Fire

No Go On Paramount’s Anchorman 2

April 30, 2010

Writer/director Adam McKay has just twittered that the studio turned down a proposal for a sequel to the comedy, even after McKay had confirmed that Will Ferrell, Steve Carell and Paul Rudd would take paycuts. Plans had been underway to start production in February.

Here is McKay’s Twitter: “So bummed. Paramount basically passed on Anchorman 2. Even after we cut our budget down. We tried.”

Leave a Comment » | Movies | Permalink
Posted by Larry Fire

First Official Still From The Thor Movie

April 30, 2010

Here is the first official still from Kenneth Branagh’s live-action adaptation of Thor featuring Chris Hemsworth.

Leave a Comment » | Comic Books, Movies | Permalink
Posted by Larry Fire

Marvel Artworks New Release Party At Every Picture Tells A Story On Thursday May 6th

April 30, 2010

Just hours before the opening of the new Iron Man film,

Every Picture Tells A Story officially debuts the newest limited edition prints from its stellar line of Marvel ArtWorks with an intimate reception on Thursday, May 6th from 6-7:30 PM.

Join them for a first-look at new art from Alex Ross, Mike Kungl, Steve Ditko, Gabrielle Dell’Otto, a chance to win a Marvel Classic Cover and refreshments.

If you can’t be there in person, you can preview all the new releases online. For more details please call 310-451-2700.

Leave a Comment » | Art, Comic Books, Event | Permalink
Posted by Larry Fire

Gideon Slife’s LOST Poster Series

April 30, 2010

LOST fans everywhere will appreciate the major task that Gideon Slife is undertaking. His goal is to create an art poster for every single episode of LOST.

His prolific collection is both minimalistic and humorous.

Leave a Comment » | Art, Television | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by Larry Fire

Stephen King’s Dark Tower Series To Be Directed By Ron Howard?

April 30, 2010

Stephen King, Imagine Entertainment and Weed Road are in discussions to create a movie trilogy initially for the big screen and then follow up with a TV series based on King’s “The Dark Tower” series. Universal Pictures is in talks to distribute.

Ron Howard is slated to direct the script written by Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind, Cinderella Man and The Da Vinci Code). Howard’s Imagine Entertainment partner Brian Grazer will produce with Goldsman and King.

At the age of 19, Stephen King wrote an epic that incorporated “The Lord of the Rings.” The “Spaghetti Westerns of Sergio Leone” and a poem written by Robert Browning entitled, “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came”.

The seven book series was written and published separately over a period of 22 years.

The first book entitled “The Gunslinger,” introduces the heroic character Roland Deschain of Gilead as he pursues the “Man in Black” through the mountains that separate the desert from the Western Sea in an apocalyptic world that is similar to our own world.

The series was once developed by J.J. Abrams and his “LOST” team of Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse but they realized they wouldn’t be able to do an adaptation justice, and they gave the rights back to King.

Stephen King commented on The Dark Tower movie on his site today:

“It looks good. Things are happening and they are happening fast but any reports you see might be taken with a grain of salt for the next couple of weeks. You will know the news from the official source as soon as we are able to post it.”

I’ll wait to report further about this film until I receive confirmation from the best reliable source.

Leave a Comment » | Books, Movies, Stephen King | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by Larry Fire

Free Comic Book Day Is Tomorrow, May 1st, 2010

April 30, 2010

Free Comic Book Day is an annual promotional effort by the North American comic book industry to help bring new readers into independent comic book stores scheduled on the first Saturday of May.

The event will be on Saturday May 1st, 2010.

On Free Comic Book Day, participating comic book store retailers give away specially printed copies of free comic books, and some offer cheaper back issues and other items to anyone who visits their establishments.

Check HERE to see which comic store near you is participating.

Here are some of the free giveaways this year!

Leave a Comment » | Comic Books, Event, Free | Permalink
Posted by Larry Fire

The Trailer for Jonah Hex

April 29, 2010

Warner Bros. Pictures has released the trailer for Jonah Hex opening in theaters on June 18th.

In the Jimmy Hayward-directed film, Jonah Hex (Josh Brolin) is a scarred drifter and bounty hunter of last resort, a tough and stoic gunslinger who can track down anyone… and anything. Having survived death, Jonah’s violent history is steeped in myth and legend, and has left him with one foot in the natural world and one on the “other side.” His only human connection is with Leila (Megan Fox), whose life in a brothel has left her with scars of her own. But Jonah’s past is about to catch up with him when the U.S. military makes him an offer he can’t refuse: in exchange for his freedom from the warrants on his head, he must track down and stop the dangerous terrorist Quentin Turnbull (John Malkovich). But Turnbull, who is gathering an army and preparing to unleash Hell, is also Jonah’s oldest enemy and will stop at nothing until Jonah is dead. Based on the legendary graphic novel, “Jonah Hex” is an epic adventure thriller about one man’s personal quest for redemption against the vast canvas of the battle between good and evil.

Leave a Comment » | Comic Books, Movies | Permalink
Posted by Larry Fire

A Young Mad Scientist’s First Alphabet Blocks

April 29, 2010

Introducing Xylocopa’s Young Mad Scientist’s First Alphabet Blocks ($38.95). These lovely blocks contain many carefully engraved illustrations of the equipment, training, and activities that a budding mad scientist will require, combined with a clever alphabetic introduction to the concept depicted.

Each block measures 1 3/8 inches square and depicts six mad science concepts and the appropriate letters. The set includes all 26 letters of the alphabet on five blocks (six illustrations per block).


Leave a Comment » | Toys | Permalink
Posted by Larry Fire

Jon Stewart – Appholes

April 29, 2010

Jon Stewart rakes Steve Jobs and Apple over the coals for the raid on Gizmodo editor Jason Chen’s home in connection with “lost iPhone” scandal.

Leave a Comment » | Funny, Gadgets, Video | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by Larry Fire

The 2010 TIME 100 World’s Most Influential People List

April 29, 2010

TIME Magazine has just published their 100 world’s most influential people list for 2010.

Some of the people you’ll encounter on this list are influential in the traditional sense — heads of state like Barack Obama, corporate leaders like Robin Li, CEO of the Chinese search-engine company Baidu. But the magazine also sought out people whose ideas and actions are revolutionizing their fields and transforming lives — like Matt Berg, who is using text-messaging technology to improve community health monitoring in Africa, and Rahul Singh, whose organization GlobalMedic was among the first on the ground after January’s Haiti earthquake, providing millions of gallons of water to those most in need. You might not have heard their names before, but their innovations and efforts will help change the world for years to come.

The 2010 TIME 100 boasts some innovations too. The issue has multiple covers, wrapping front and back around the magazine. The list is now consolidated into four categories — leaders, artists, thinkers and heroes.

You can see the list HERE.


Leave a Comment » | Books, Celebrities, Environment, Finance, Inspirational, Lists, Magazines, Medical, Politics, Popular Culture, Sports & Recreation | Permalink
Posted by Larry Fire

Kindle 2.5 Software Update Coming At The End Of May

April 29, 2010

Amazon just announced a 2.5 software update for its Kindle and Kindle DX readers. At the moment, it’s rolling out the update to a “limited group” of Kindle users with a general release coming at the end of May. Enhancements include the ability to organize books and documents into “collections,” pan and zoom within PDFs, Kindle password protection, two additional fonts, and just what you’ve always wanted: the ability to “share book passages with friends on Facebook and Twitter.”

Leave a Comment » | Books, Gadgets | Permalink
Posted by Larry Fire

This Week’s Issue of Entertainment Weekly Features Iron Man 2

April 29, 2010

With Iron Man 2 set to kick off the summer movie season on May 7th (and rule the box office with an iron fist), several of the movie’s key players — including stars Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Don Cheadle, and director Jon Favreau — got together for a spirited and superpowered roundtable in this week’s issue of Entertainment Weekly. The issue will be on sale on Friday April 30th.

Leave a Comment » | Magazines, Movies | Permalink
Posted by Larry Fire

New Poster for Christopher Nolan’s Inception

April 29, 2010

Warner Bros. Pictures has released the new poster for Christopher Nolan’s Inception, opening in conventional and IMAX theaters on July 16th. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger and Michael Caine. Inception is a contemporary sci-fi actioner set within the architecture of the mind.

Leave a Comment » | Movies | Permalink
Posted by Larry Fire

Star Wars Video Greeting Cards From Hallmark

April 28, 2010

Coming in May, Hallmark will introduce a Star Wars Video Greeting Card just in time for Father’s Day!

This new card houses an actual video screen that plays a humorous montage of clips featuring Star Wars characters in “father-like” moments from the original movie trilogy combined with a light-hearted message to dad. The actual card design combines Darth Vader graphics with poster art from A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back.

These new Hallmark video greetings combine video technology with the heartfelt emotion that Hallmark is known for — it’s a gift, a keepsake, and the ultimate greeting card all in one!


Leave a Comment » | Cards, Gift, Holidays | Permalink
Posted by Larry Fire

New Book In The 39 Clues Series To Be Released In October

April 28, 2010

The 39 Clues, the best-selling multimedia adventure series aimed at kids 8-12, was scheduled to end with the 10th and final book, Into the Gauntlet, to be released Aug. 31st. But publisher Scholastic is extending the franchise. Today, it’s announcing a guidebook to the series, about a family that has secretly dominated the world for the past 500 years. The 39 Clues: The Black Book of Buried Secrets will be released Oct. 26th. The introduction is by Rick Riordan, who wrote the first book, The Maze of Bones, in 2008 and outlined the arc of the rest of the series for nine other authors. DreamWorks has bought the movie rights.

4 Comments | Books | Permalink
Posted by Larry Fire

Scary Shower Curtain

April 28, 2010

Get creeped out every time you go in the bathroom with this pee-your-pants scary shower curtain ($28). It’s semi-opaque and topped with a shadowy figure screened at the front. Complete with hooks for hanging.

3 Comments | Grooming, Home | Permalink
Posted by Larry Fire

Listen To An Excerpt From The Audio Edition of Stephen King’s Blockade Billy

April 28, 2010

“I love old-school baseball, and I also love the way people who’ve spent a lifetime in the game talk about the game. I tried to combine those things in a story of suspense. People have asked me for years when I was going to write  a baseball story. Ask no more; this is it.”

–Stephen King on Blockade Billy

Listen to an excerpt from Blockade Billy HERE.

Leave a Comment » | Books, Stephen King | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by Larry Fire

HP Buys Palm

April 28, 2010

HP has just announced that it’s acquiring Palm to the tune of $1.2 billion, which works out to $5.70 per share of Palm common stock. The deal is planned to close by July 31, which marks the end of HP’s third fiscal quarter of the year. Current Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein is “expected to remain with the company,” though it’s not said in what capacity. HERE is the press release.

“Smartphones are a part of the equation but this is really about the Web operating system,” Shane Robison, HP’s chief strategy and technology officer, told Forbes. “It’s a change in our business model to a connected device model.” HP, he said, is assuming a world in which almost everything needs at least the potential to connect to the Internet.

Leave a Comment » | Finance, Gadgets | Permalink
Posted by Larry Fire

Where Happy Meals Are Illegal

April 28, 2010

A county law in Santa Clara, California breaks the bond between toys and fast food. Watch the video HERE.


Leave a Comment » | Food & Drink | Permalink
Posted by Larry Fire

AT&T Posts Details of iPad Wi-Fi + 3G Data Plans

April 28, 2010

AT&T has posted a document online (PDF Link) with details of the company’s wireless data offerings for the iPad Wi-Fi + 3G. Notably, the data plans renew automatically, so users will have to manually cancel if they choose to use the data option on a non-recurring basis, and the charges will appear on users’ credit card bills. If a user goes over the amount of data in his or her selected plan before the 30 day period is up, they can choose to purchase another 250MB of data, or move to an unlimited plan, either of which will be good for 30 days from the date and time they activate the new plan. In addition to including either 250MB or unlimited data, both plans include unlimited access to AT&T’s network of over 20,000 Wi-Fi Hot Spots across the U.S.

Leave a Comment » | Gadgets | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by Larry Fire

Pixar Promotes New Toy Story 3 Character With Fake 1980s Toy Ad

April 28, 2010

What do you do when you have a highly anticipated third Toy Story film coming out on June 18th and you want to incorporate a “classic” toy that’s never actually been released?

If you’re Pixar, you create a fake distorted 1980s era television commercial.

Do you remember Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear? No? Well, that’s because it never existed, until now. But judging from this commercial posted on YouTube, it would appear to be a childhood favorite.


Leave a Comment » | Advertising, Movies, Video | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by Larry Fire

Jim Lee Talks About All-Star Batman & Robin And The Variant Covers To Legion of Super-Heroes

April 28, 2010

Jim Lee talked to Newsarama about the continuation of the All-Star Batman & Robin project which unfortunately ended abruptly and his variant cover ideas for the new Legion of Super-Heroes series.  You can watch the video interview HERE.

Jim Lee’s idea for the Legion of Super-Heroes cover variants is to spotlight a Legionnaire from a different era.

The first cover features Saturn Girl in her 1970s outfit designed by the late, great Dave Cockrum.

Leave a Comment » | Comic Books, Video | Permalink
Posted by Larry Fire

Spoiler Alert: What Appears After The Credits In Iron Man 2

April 28, 2010

Movie fans are already wondering what will appear in a “secret” post-credits scene in “Iron Man 2″? Here is a description:

The scene begins with a black car speeding across the desert, eventually pulling up to the camera. Its New Mexico license plate reads 8RE-2Z1, and features the slogan “Land of Enchantment.”Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg), who has an expanded role in “Iron Man 2,” steps out of the vehicle. He looks out over a massive crater, surrounded by various vehicles.”Sir, we’ve found it,” he says into his phone.The camera pans out to reveal what’s at the center of the crater. It’s…Mjolnir, Thor’s hammer!

Just in case the video gets taken down (which it very likely will), here’s what it looks like:

Leave a Comment » | Comic Books, Movies | Permalink
Posted by Larry Fire

THE FIRE WIRE Turns 2

April 28, 2010

I would like to thank everyone for the kind words and support they have given me since I started this blog two years ago.

Initially the blog was meant to be a repository that friends and family could check out to see things that I thought were interesting to me or possibly to them.

I could not believe it a few weeks later when 200 people would check out THE FIRE WIRE each day.  Were there other people that actually liked the eclectic and geeky stuff that I liked? Apparently so.

Now two years later, we clocked over 3,400,000 hits and have developed some great relationships with our readers.  We are so appreciative of the generous entertainment and gadget companies that have provided us product samples and invitations to events.

I have always suffered from “First Kid On The Block” syndrome.  If it was shiny, new and cutting edge, I needed to know about it, hold it, test it, etc.  The blog has been a creative expression of that desire to share “what’s new”.

Hopefully you enjoy reading THE FIRE WIRE as much as I enjoy writing it! If you have any suggestions or tips, please feel free to contact me and again, thanks!

5 Comments | Event, Web Site | Permalink
Posted by Larry Fire

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