NEW YORK, Feb. 19, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Maintaining a wealthy client's brand loyalty and encouraging them to keep spending during economic slowdowns often requires a vendor to "offer an experience money can't buy," according to Herb Karlitz, President of Karlitz & Company.

Filed under: Action, RumorMonger, Celebrities and Controversy, Fandom, Scripts, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels

It would seem that the biggest enemy The Punisher faces is not the criminals of New York and villains of the Marvel Universe, but ... Hollywood scriptwriters? Punisher: War Zone is due to hit theaters in September 2008, already bearing the scars of development hell. Thomas Jane dropped out of reprising the title role, reportedly because of script problems. Ray Stevenson of HBO's Rome stepped into the combat boots, much to the skepticism of fans. Paddy Considine was dismissive about the five minute offer he received for the part of Jigsaw. Early stills failed to inspire much excitement.

Now, Kurt Sutter, one of War Zone's writers, has elected to take his name off the project. Over on his blog, Sutter claims that not only does he not deserve credit, as his original script has been rewritten out of existence, but he no longer wants credit or any association whatsoever with the project. In fact, he has few kind words for the film whatsoever. In his words, War Zone is a "simple story, very obvious dialogue and the inclusion of as many characters from the anthology that a movie will allow." It's a very tight script, he notes, but not very unique and not something that he could take any pride putting his name on. Sutter's dismissal of the current script earned him the ire of Punisher fans, though it is a bit perplexing as to why ducking out of WGA arbitration should earn you a death threat. Perhaps it was the seeming dismissal of comic book films and fans in general, or the implication that Jane left the project because of his draft.

Continue reading 'Punisher: War Zone' Writer Despises New Film

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NEW YORK, Feb. 19, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Razor & Tie Entertainment today released KIDZ BOP 13, the latest volume in the best-selling children's music series. Like its predecessors, the album will feature today's most popular songs sung by kids for kids. KIDZ BOP 13 will be enhanced with a special music video montage for the original song, "Kidz Bop World" which features footage from the KIDZ BOP LIVE tour. The tour's first leg recently wrapped and will pick up again in the summer.

ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 19, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- RedChip Companies, Inc., today announced the launch of a daily radio program featuring small-cap companies. RedChip Real Radio can be heard every trading day from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on Washington Business Radio 700 AM and RedChip's national online audio stream at www.redchip.com.

Does this sound like a legal firm or what? In the wake of Heath Ledger's unexpected death, director Terry Gilliam has chosen to fill the actor's role in "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" with not one but three replacements: Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, and Jude Law. The development was first reported by Ain't It Cool News in its typical heavy-breathing fashion; other media outlets soon chipped in more details.

Well, this is typical Gilliam, isn't it? Faced with yet another filmmaking cataclysm, he saves his creative bacon not by limiting his options but tripling them. "Parnassus," co-written with the filmmaker by Charles McKeown -- the two previously collaborated on "The Adventures of Baron Munchhausen" -- originally cast Ledger as Tony, a mysterious stranger who arrives at the traveling carnival of wonders run by Christopher Plummer's title character and is altered by stepping through a magic mirror. In Gilliam's revamp, the three new actors will play the "transformed" versions of Tony, leaving open the possibility that their performances will stand as a sort of tribute to the late actor.

For Depp, it means he finally gets to be in a Terry Gilliam movie other than "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" -- you may recall that "The Man Who Killed Quixote" didn't turn out so well.

Regardless, I now await "Parnassus" with a kind of fascinated dread. Gilliam's last film, "Tideland," was nearly unwatchable and one of his worst. The one before that, "The Brothers Grimm," was splattery and dank and a mess, and I rather liked it -- not least the quietly alert performance of the bookish Jacob Grimm by a young actor trying to break out of the hunk-of-the-week sweepstakes. His name was Heath Ledger.

RICHARDSON, Texas, Feb. 19, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Fossil, Inc. (Nasdaq:FOSL) (the "Company") today reported net sales and earnings for the thirteen-week period ("Fourth Quarter") and 2007 fiscal year ended January 5, 2008.

Filed under: Action, Warner Brothers, Celebrities and Controversy, Fandom, Newsstand, Home Entertainment, Movie Marketing, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels, Images

Though it's only been a week since Heath Ledger was permanently laid to rest, Warner Bros. is slowly bringing back its marketing campaign for The Dark Knight. Mattel has revealed images of its Ledger-inspired Joker dolls; the first of which will retail at $7.99 and features a rocket launcher that can be placed in the Joker's hand. The second doll (pictured to the right) is a slightly larger, more detailed version created by action-figure designers the Four Horsemen. It will retail at $10.99. The image comes from The New York Post, who revealed it along with a quote from the Ledger family: "Heath was very proud of his work in the film, and his family is aware and supportive of Warner Bros. and its partner's plans for the movie." Mattel will sell two versions of the doll, with both hitting toy shelves this May (two months prior to The Dark Knight landing in theaters on July 18).

Mattel claims Ledger's death is "not exactly a marketing point," and that "kids are going to buy the toy if they like the movie." Yes, but the toy comes out two months before the movie does. Then again, the character is so recognizable, I really don't think it matters. But what do you think:

Should Mattel and Warner Bros. have waited until closer to the film's release to shovel a Ledger-like doll onto toy shelves? Or is this marketing tactic a normal one?

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