With Glee getting nominated for tons of awards since it’s premiere last spring, they’ve delivered time and time again with performances and guest spots. Many feel that the Kristen Chenoweth guest appearance last year was one of the best episodes of the season, and it may get even better next season.

E! Online is reporting that Neil Patrick Harris has been confirmed for a guest stint on the upcoming season, and with his ever growing popularity of Joss Whedon’s Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog, you can expect his appearance on the Fox series to be a memorable one. From E!

Hold on to your track pants, Sue Sylvester! ‘Cause one solid Glee insider tells me that Neil is playing a character who is “really funny and really mean.” I’m told he will be “much more of the Dr. Horrible variety than Doogie Howser, M.D.”

So not only will we get the How I Met Your Mother star to sing and dance on the show, but he’s going to be evil like Dr. Horrible? Not sure how this could get any better. The Glee writers are currently penning the episode, so expect more details to hit soon.

Glee returns to Fox on April 13th.

In what is surely great news for fans of director Neil Marshall and those who love movies where armored gladiators kick lots of ass (I count myself in that group, btw), Magnet Releasing has acquired the U.S. rights to Marshall’s latest film Centurion. The film, which features Michael Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds, 300), Dominic West (300, The Wire), David Morrissey (Red Riding Trilogy), and super hot Bond-girl Olga Kurylenko (Quantum of Solace) tells the story of Roman soldiers and Pict teribesmen who battle for control of Britain.

Fassbender stars as Quintus Dias, a fearsome gladiator who leads a group of soldiers on a raid to rescue a captured general (West). The son of the Pict leader is killed during the raid, and the Romans find themselves hunted by a seemingly unstoppable group of the Pict’s most vicious and skilled warriors. The group, led by a beautiful and deadly tracker (Kurylenko), are hell bent on revenge and will stop at nothing to see it done.

And yes, along the way a lot of blood is spilled and there are fight scenes galore. Sound awesome. As someone who’s a huge fan of Marshall’s work, particularly Dog Soldiers, I couldn’t be more interested in this film.

Magnet is launching Centurion as the 6th entry in the second “Six Shooter Film Series,” a collection of six worldwide action films which also includes Bronson, Red Cliff, Ong Bak 2, District 13: Ultimatum and The Warlords. A summer theatrical release for Centurion is planned. Rest assured, I’ll be there.

Former The Shield writer/producer and current Sons of Anarchy creator/exec. producer/writer Kurt Sutter has a blog and on it he tells it like it is about working in Hollywood, making the show, the motorcycle culture and pretty much anything else he damn well pleases. He’s also recently posted a list of frequently asked questions about his show, Sons of Anarchy, that he obviously gets asked, well, frequently.

The questions are some of the typical ones a successful person in Hollywood who is producing a well-known and respected show gets asked. In fact, he’s probably heard these questions so may times he’s lost count. Hence, the FAQ. Really, if you think about it, Sutter is not only providing a great show for us to watch but also a valuable public service as well. Gotta hand it to the guy.

Some of the highlights of the FAQ include:

I have a great idea for the show, can I send it you?

No. I cannot accept any ideas, pitches, stories, scripts, notions or dreams from anyone. It’s a legal issue. It protects me and you. If you send it, post it or email it — it will be shredded, removed and deleted. Sorry.

I want to be an actor on your show, how do I audition?

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Ben Stiller and Robert Downey Jr. seemed to strike gold when they had actor Justin Theroux co-write Tropic Thunder. The film got rave reviews from the critics and even took in a large chunk of change at the box office. To repay him, Downey decided to step up to the plate for Theroux by having him pen the script for the soon-to-be released Iron Man 2 for Paramount.

Now it seems that Stiller is taking interest in the young actor/writer/director by having him write and direct the sequel to 2001 comedy Zoolander, also with Paramount. From Deadline Hollywood:

I’ve learned that Ben and Justin are working on the script together, and Theroux is going to Fashion Week in Paris to “immerse himself on what is current in fashion”. ”It’s got momentum,” a studio source just told me. Everyone’s hoping Owen Wilson co-stars again but no deal is set. The villain likely will be Jonah Hill who’s in negotiations.

No word yet on who or what else they have planned for the sequel, but with names like Will Farrell, Billy Zane, Jon Voight, Milla Jovovich, David Duchovny, and dozens of others in the first film, you can expect to see some of Stiller’s new on-screen companions such as Jack Black, Tom Cruise, and Matthew McConaughey pop up in between glances of Blue Steel.

Mark your calendars Nintendo fanboys (and fangirls). After a slow start to 2009, Nintendo finished with a vengeance with the release of New Super Mario Bros. for Wii. Not wanting to give Sony or Microsoft any time to regain the top of the NPD sales charts, Nintendo has announced release dates on their biggest titles for the first half of 2010.

According to Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing: “Nintendo finished 2009 with a bang, and we’re continuing our momentum into 2010… With Nintendo DSi XL, Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Metroid: Other M coming in the first six months of the year, we’re making sure all our fans have great game content to enjoy year-round.”

Here’s what we have to look forward to from Nintendo in the next 6 months and what Nintendo has to say about them.

March 23rd – Nintendo DSi XL
Suggested Retail Price: $189.99
The screens of the Nintendo DSi XL are 93 percent larger than those of the Nintendo DS Lite model, providing a more vivid and engaging play experience. The screens of the Nintendo DSi XL also feature a wider viewing angle, letting friends and family members join the fun.

The new system launches in both Burgundy and Bronze colors, and comes loaded with pre-installed premium software Brain Age Express: Arts & Letters, Brain Age Express: Math and Photo Clock, as well as two free applications: the Nintendo DSi Browser and Flipnote Studio. Nintendo DSi XL will also come with a larger pen-like stylus that allows for a more comfortable grip and enhanced ease of use when playing games that use the Nintendo DS touch screen.

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The Coen Brothers’ latest film, a remake of the 1969 western True Grit, has found its Mattie Ross, the spunky teen who enlists the aid of alcoholic US marshal Rooster Cogburn to avenge her father’s murder. The role, played by Kim Darby in the original, will be filled by relative newcomer Hailee Steinfeld.

With two short films and a small role on the cancelled FOX sitcom Back to You, Steinfeld will certainly have her work cut out for her taking on the major role of Ross, described by the casting call as “tough, strong, and [telling] it like it is”–to say nothing of working with Hollywood heavyweights the Coens.

The casting of Steinfeld also comes after several other casting announcements, including Matt Damon as La Beouf, a Texas Ranger who joins forces with Ross and Cogburn (and played by Glen Campbell in the original); Josh Brolin as killer Tom Chaney (originally played by Jeff Corey); and Jeff Bridges as Rooster. The film is scheduled to begin shooting in the spring with a tentative release date of December 2010.

The original film, based on a 1968 novel by author Charles Portis, starred John Wayne as Rooster Cogburn, a role so popular it earned Wayne an Oscar (his only win) as well as a sequel, Rooster Cogburn, which also starred Katherine Hepburn as an elderly spinster.

We were pleased to give everyone a first glance at UFC 2010 earlier this month with the announcement of the game’s cover athlete, Brock Lesnar. Today, a new set of screens for the game was released that look to set the bar even higher than last year’s iteration.

The level of detail in the character models is amazing from the lines of sweat running down their bodies to the hair on their arms. Take a look below at the screens and try to tell us you aren’t excited to see what UFC Undisputed 2010 has to offer.

In somewhat related UFC news, former champion Frank Mir recently came under fire for a statement he made about Lesnar to the media. Mir was quoted as saying to WXDX-FM that he wanted Brock Lesnar, ”

UFC President Dana White said he was terribly disappointed in Mir, stating that, “Frank’s been with the UFC a long time, he’s a two-time heavyweight champion and a commentator for the WEC. I think his emotions are running high right now, he has a big fight coming up next month and he’s still upset about his loss to Lesnar. He’s been talked to, he regrets what he said, and he won’t be saying anything like that again.”

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Warner Bros. has released the second trailer over at MySpace for the upcoming horror remake A Nightmare on Elm Street, which stars Jackie Earle Haley as the iconic Freddie Krueger. And folks, it’s a pretty damn good one.

Not only does this trailer give us a bit more insight into the look and feel of the film, it also provides more than enough horror and terror for three trailer. In short, it makes me even more interested in seeing this movie when it comes out.

The remake, directed by Samuel Bayer, in addition to Haley features Rooney Mara, Kyle Gallner, Katie Cassidy, and Thomas Dekker as a group of suburban teens being haunted and killed in their sleep. See, this is why I try never to sleep.

Check out the full trailer after the break. A Nightmare on Elm Street opens April 30, 2010.

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When writer David Goyer left his post as showrunner for TV’s Flashforward there were rumblings about what he was up to. At the time the most obvious answer  was that he was helping director Christopher Nolan with the third Batman script. At the same time, DC had confirmed Nolan would be helping to get the Superman franchise back on track.

Well, today all the pieces are falling into place as we learn Goyer has been hired to write the next Superman movie.  A source confirmed the news to Latino Review and gave a little indication of what we can expect:

“I can tell you that Goyer’s story involves Luthor and Brainiac.  It is NOT an origin and assumes audiences already know about Lois, Clark, Jimmy and Perry.  I know the Daily Planet is struggling due to the internet.  And I know it sets up a huge Kryptonian mythology.”

Some other points of interest are that Bryan Singer and Brandon Routh will probably not return. Also, the film may be called The Man of Steel instead of Superman: The Man of Steel.  Contrary to prior rumors Mark Millar will not be involved  from the sounds of it.

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This week sees more new film and TV releases on Blu-ray and DVD. Among the ones we’re more interested in this week are Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, Dead Snow, The Box, Season One of Nurse Jackie and Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant (pictured above with John C. Reilly and Chris Massoglia).

Check out all the new releases below.

Movies

Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant ~ John C. Reilly, Salma Hayek (Blu-ray and DVD)

Dead Snow ~ Vegar Hoel (Blu-ray and DVD)

Dirty Harry/Magnum Force ~ Clint Eastwood (Blu-ray)

Everybody’s Fine ~ Robert De Niro, Drew Darrymore (Blu-ray and DVD)

Grumpy Old Men/Grumpier Old Men ~ Walter Matthau, Jack Lemon (Blu-ray)

Howards End (Criterion Collection) ~ Anthony Hopkins, Helena Bonham Carter (Blu-ray and DVD)

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths ~ Mark Harmon, Alyssa Milano, William Baldwin (Blu-ray and DVD)

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Seeing as how I use AT&T daily in Los Angeles and find the 3G service to be spotty and occasionally non-existant, I have a bit of a hard time believing that AT&T’s 3G network speed is actually the fastest. However, based on a recent study conducted by PC World, that seems to be the case.

The study, a collaboration between PC World and wireless analysis firm Novarum, took place from December 2009 to January 2010, and compares the four major U.S. wireless carriers (AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile) in Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Denver, New Orleans, New York City, Orlando, Phoenix, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, and Seattle on both mobile phones and laptop data cards

Highlights of the study include:

• AT&T: average download speed 1410 Kbps, average upload speed 773 Kbps

• Sprint: average download speed 795 Kbps, average upload speed 396 Kbps

• T-Mobile: average download speed 868 Kbps, average upload speed 311 Kbps

• Verizon: average download speed 877 Kbps, average upload speed 434 Kbps

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My Name is Nobody looms large among spaghetti western and Sergio Leone fans — and probably Henry Fonda’s too, since it was the last Western this legendary range rider appeared in. The legend of its creation is an amusing one, and a rare one among directors who are generally sensitive about the worlds they created. Leone, appalled at the spaghetti western industry that he had wrought, decided to gleefully destroy it with his protege,  Tonio Valerii.

If the Italian western was going to become a joke led by actors dubbing themselves Flint Westwood, then by Tuco they were going to make it the biggest joke of all. And the film certainly is. It’s like Mel Brooks by way of Leone — every sacred scene of Leone’s films is mocked and beaten dead of its coolness.

The only thing missing is that they never shoot a blonde fellow in a serape, or kick around a guy smoking a big yellow pipe. Perhaps they couldn’t quite bring themselves to do it. There’s a crying clown under all the pranks, and when Fonda’s character gives his grand speech about the dying West and its romantic gunslingers, you know that Leone, Valerii, and Fonda mean every word of it.

They also refused to slum it. They may be burying the genre, but Leone and Valerii couldn’t resist showing their country copycats how it was done. It may be a satire, but every shot is perfection. Leone personally directed the opening scene, and I think even a blind film fan could tell. It oozes the tension and raw sound that always made his openings a thing of epic, cruel beauty.

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