Blake Lively as Star Sapphire In "Green Lantern?"

Vogue magazine recently ran a feature about actress Blake Lively, current it-girl and co-star of Martin Campbell's highly anticipated DC Entertainment/Warner Brothers entry Green Lantern. In it, the young starlet spoke out about the production and there was a little hint within about her character, Carol Ferris, and her eventual alter-ego Star Sapphire. Read on for the quote:

"Our director likes it real—the fights close and dirty," she explains, and for added veracity aerial stunts are being filmed in the rig created for The Matrix. "I'm 40 feet in the air, spiraling around. That's the best workout you can ever do because it's all core," she tells me. "You do that for ten minutes and you should see your body the next day! It's so exhilarating, so thrilling—and nauseating,"






Might this hint about wire work and mid-air spiraling mean that Ferris will make the transformation to Star Sapphire in the film? It's hard to tell, as she could simply be talking about filming a rescue scene in which she's free falling in mid-air before Hal Jordan swoops in for the save. It does have us thinking about what the GL origin story would be like with Sapphire, as well as Sinestro and Hector Hammond in the mix. Just something to think about...






Green Lantern, starring Ryan Reynolds, Peter Sarsgaard and Tim Robbins, opens June 17th 2011.

Megan Fox Out of Transformers 3

Variety reports that Megan Fox will not appear as Mikaela in Transformers 3.

Paramount Pictures reportedly decided not to pick up her option as the studio and director Michael Bay want to take the story line in another direction and plan to cast another actress as the love interest for Sam Witwicky, played by Shia LaBeouf.






The trade says the decision "was unrelated to a September interview with a British magazine in which Fox compared Bay with Adolf Hitler."






After the news hit, TheWrap posted an interesting bit of information:






Prince of Persia star Gemma Arterton is the front-runner to replace Megan Fox in Transformers 3, TheWrap has learned.






An individual close to the casting process says the actress has already had discussions with Bay about the coveted role. Other possible replacements for Fox include models Bar Rafaeli, Miranda Kerr and Brooklyn Decker.






The third installment is scheduled to hit theaters on July 1st, 2011.

Oldman to Join Kung Fu Panda Sequel

An all-star cast of voice actors helped propel 2008's Kung Fu Panda to critical and commercial success. Adding more star power is the next logical step and The Hollywood Reporter scoops that Gary Oldman is the first newbie to sign on for the sequel.







Jennifer Yuh Nelson is directing Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom, slated for a summer 2011 release.






The story centres on Po's (Jack Black) search for other pandas and his run-in with a group of bandits.






Oldman voices a character named Peacock who helps Po find the bandits but is more than he seems.

The actor most recently lended his voice to the animated alien comedy Planet 51 and Disney’s retelling of A Christmas Carol, both of which were released last fall.

Essay Entry: Arts have a tremendous positive impact on society.

Hey guys! I'll be entering an essay contest being held by TIMES Newspaper (not magazine). This isn't the real essay entry, but I'm trying out a few practice exercises. Let me know what you think about it, and please be a fair judge on it because I could really use some constructive criticism. Thanks and cheers!

- Shannon



Arts have a tremendous positive impact on society.

     An array of critics cringed as Batman daringly jumped off a 40-something-story building and adeptly swooped across the dim skyline of Hong Kong, kidnapping a rich swindler in his arms. They immediately forgot that they have been bewitched by the beauty and attraction of the film they were being paid to criticize. In the summer of 2008, the award-winning director Christopher Nolan completely altered the course of cinema with his widely praised masterpiece “The Dark Knight.” Never would we have guessed that a spoiled-rotten playboy dressed as a bat fighting a clown dressed in purple would be so dark, edgy, and profound.






     Audiences worldwide were moved, and started fiercely debating about many aspects of the film. Even after the film moved out of the theatres, the debate continued, making it nearly impossible to go on the Internet without spotting a blog article on the subject matter. For a while it seemed like everyone in the world was united under the wingspan of Batman. Nevertheless, after seeing the majority of male adults dressed up as Batman in the following Halloween, we cannot help but question: Why are people making such a big deal out of a movie?






     Note to oneself: fantasies exist, even in the coldest, most rational minds of the society. All of us at one point have conceived how life would have turned out if we had all the money in the world, if we were as breathtakingly beautiful as Renaissance sculptures, or if we had any superpower we longed for. Unfortunately, those dreams were crushed as soon as we woke up in a world of mad competition, pokerfaced misconceptions, and unsolvable paradoxes. We instantaneously gather ourselves up with unconscious dignity and try to present our flattering side to the commonality. In the contemporary world, fantasizing is reduced to nothing more than a guilty pleasure, a secret hobby, due to the lack of time and investment shriveled up by the restless corporate world. People keep their mirages to themselves, the same way they used to hide love letters in the closet when they were bright youths.






     Nevertheless, there is a ray of light to the seemingly depressed human race: art. Art has been in existence since the beginning of mankind, and has provided us a vital way to express ourselves. It is defined as the process or product of deliberately arranging elements in a way to affect the senses or emotions. It has been a mirror to our minds, giving us a much-needed break from the real world. We can all account to a moment when we felt a true connection to a form of art, whether it was music, literature film, photography, sculpture, of paintings. The moment of spark sent down chills down our spines, making us feel like we could conquer the world with blunt creativity.

     Art is a rainbow palette that stretches our wings. We root for creativity and originality in a world of plagiarism and blandness. Art is one of the only devices left we could utilize to represent our fantasies, and that’s why the public craves so much of it. Art is a crucial part of the modern society, especially cultural phenomenons such as “The Dark Knight.” Such works of art provides an ample opportunity for the public to come out of their shells and voice their opinions. Art is created by humans, therefore we feel a deep connection to it. It has never been nothing more than just aesthetics; it always has been, and will be, a mirror upon ourselves.

A Philosophical Ponder

The earth revolves with no purpose, I must admit. The essence of time is now reduced to a point where all that matters is about numerous ways to satisfy ones’ desire, greed, and selfish emotions. What a small world it is. Black and white governs the commoners’ daily lives, yet there are so many things left stranded in between. Prejudice, gluttony, and bureaucracy have formed such fated ties, resulting in extreme isolation amongst ourselves. ‘Every man for himself’ is right. Mankind’s foolish attempts to make their lives more convenient has created a mad jungle, in which only the fittest survive in an insanity they themselves don’t have a full grasp on.