I imagine most writers dream of being the star of their novel or screenplay — unless the lead is  some kind of unrepentant serial killer, and even then I suspect it’s still a sleazy kind of catharsis. But unless your name is Jason Segel, your dreams of headlining the poster and getting the girl will never be fulfilled.

But don’t be too bitter. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Segel didn’t nab that sexy of a lead.  He’ll be starring in the untitled Muppet movie he penned for Disney, so the only girls he might get will be made of felt. Not much is known about the film, which will be directed by James Bobin, except that it centers on a man (Segel) who seeks to reunite the Muppets so that they can save their studio.

We can laugh that he penned himself into the leading role, but he does love the Muppets,  so it’s only natural.   I know I dreamed of being of in a Muppet movie. In my heart of hearts, I probably still do.

Then again, he did write and star in Forgetting Sarah Marshall too. Look what that got him.  A posh Hawaiian shoot. Beautiful actresses.  Cool costars. Fame. Fortune. A Muppet movie.  He’s going to have an enviable habit of this, isn’t he?

Oh well.   Again, let’s not begrudge him.  Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to finish that script about a entertainment reporter who has to choose between  Hugh Jackman, Gerard Butler, and Viggo Mortensen before nabbing the female lead in a remake of The Outlaw Josey Wales ….

This week in New York City, the annual Toy Fair convention hits the Jacob Javits Center and thousands of new and popular toys and toy properties are shown off. There were, of course, some less-than-interesting booths, but we know what you want to see, so we went straight to the newest lines of toys and statues based on some of the upcoming movie and TV properties.

Obviously, Toy Story 3 had a huge presence at the show, given the fact that it’s the best hybrid of toys and film out there today. Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland had some great new figures of the whacked out Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter. LEGO stepped up their game with some brand new LEGO Star Wars playsets, including a great “Luke on Hoth” scene.

Diamond was also in attendence with some great new Ghostbusters products, including a new Ghostbusters replica sign for those hardcore fans. Finally, there were some great new 12-inch figures for the upcoming Jonah Hex film, including our first look at John Malkovich from the film.

Check out our Movie Toys picture gallery from the show after the jump, and be sure to check back in tomorrow to see what else we’ve got to show you from this year’s Toy Fair.

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Going off to college is never easy. It’s even harder when your most beloved childhood toys get donated to a day care center, and that’s the situation Andy and his toys Woody, Buzz, and the gang are facing in the third installment to Pixar’s oldest franchise, Toy Story 3. A new trailer popped up on the Apple Trailers site today, giving us an even deeper peek at the film.

It’s more than appropriate that Andy would be going off to college, as Toy Story fans (myself included) have all grown up and left our own toys behind. But with the toys also facing big changes like making new friends and learning to use the internet, Toy Story 3 looks like it’ll please both fourth graders and college freshmen.

Directed by Lee Unkrich (Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc.) and starring Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, John Ratzenberger, Joan Cusack, and Wallace Shawn, Toy Story 3 flies out of the toy box and into theaters and IMAX 3D June 18th. In the meantime, you can watch the brand new trailer after the jump.

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While Disney may be closing it’s doors to one of their studios, we can expect to see plenty more from the giant as they plan for one of their biggest release years in some time. First up may be Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland, but where some fans may be excited for that, there are many more for the upcoming Toy Story 3.

The upcoming sequel will be the first time that Pixar and Disney would return to the franchise since 1999, and nearly 15 years since it got kick-started with the first film. The whole gang will be back this time, with the exception of Jim Varney, who passed in 2000.

This time around, the toys find a new home as Andy moves to college. They find out what life is like from the clutches of toddlers in a day care…and it’s not pretty. With a script from Little Miss Sunshine’s Michael Arndt, the film is set for a release (in both IMAX and Disney’s trademarked 3-D) on June 8th.

In the meantime, check out some neat new character posters for the film, starring some of our favorite toys, after the jump.

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Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland is certainly turning heads with every new image and trailer that the film has to offer. Mostly because of how outrageous Burton’s style seems to be with this timeless classic, and of course his continued success when partnering up with Johnny Depp.

Fans of both Depp and Burton will get an eyeful in this new clip that’s been released for the film. In it, we get a glimpse at Depp, while he talks about Burton’s take on the classic. Also, some great shots of Twiddle-Dee and Twiddle-Dum, as well as the Cheshire Cat and even Crispin Glover as The Knave of Hearts.

The film also stars Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hatheway, Alan Rickman, Kingdom’s Stephen Fry, Christopher Lee, and Mia Wasikowska as the titular Alice.

Check out the clip after the jump, and be sure to see much more from Burton’s wild new world as time draws closer to the March 5th release date. There are also rumors that Disney is buying time during next Sunday’s Super Bowl for an extended trailer, so be sure to get your DVR’s ready!

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There haven’t been many inspiring kids’ books in the past decade that hold the same timelessness as “Where The Wild Things Are” or “Hop on Pop.” There were a few that were later made into decent films, such as Rober Rodriguez’s Shortz or of course any of the Harry Potter films. With the newest trailer for Diary of a Wimpy Kid finally out, it looks like one more to add to the list.

The film is based on the series of “cartoons” or basically comic strips, about a kid who just can’t seem to get a grasp of his life in middle school. The books were all written and illustrated by Jeff Kinney, who was also named one of Time’s 100 most influential people of the world for his work on the four books.

The film looks to stay true to it’s source material, with Zachary Gordon as the titular character Greg. Gordon has been in quite a few things as of late, from an appearance on Robot Chicken to How I Met Your Mother, even to work on last year’s indie comedy The Brothers Bloom. The film also stars Steve Zahn, Rachel Harris, and Kick-Ass’ Chloe Moretz.

Check out the first trailer for Diary of a Wimpy Kid after the jump, which is set for an April 2nd release date.

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While the name does sound pretty imaginary, the character is quite real, and will be voiced by an even more real actor, Timothy Dalton. Fresh from playing the big bad in the Christmas Special of BBC’s Doctor Who, Dalton will be taking on one of his most difficult roles yet: a porcupine in lederhosen named Mr. Pricklepants.

We’ve already gotten a glimpse at the very first trailer, as well as an extended clip from the film. Now we get a new special preview, with words from director Lee Unkrich. In the film, the story picks up years later, as Andy is getting ready to move to college. He makes the decision to get rid of his toys by donating them to a daycare. From there we get to see what kind of a nightmare toddlers can be from the perspective of toys.

Check out the featurette after the jump, be sure to catch more previews of brand new characters as they come our way. All getting you ready for Toy Story 3 in theaters and IMAX on June 18th.

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I defy you to find an 80’s child who doesn’t recognize it when someone poses for the “Crane Kick.” The move was made legendary when it was used to win the “All Valley Karate Championship” at the end of 1984’s The Karate Kid. The film was the beginning of a franchise that became an institution for tons of teens during that decade, and now they’ve gone and remade it.

The reboot stars Jackie Chan as “Mr. Han” and Jaden Smith (The Day the Earth Stood Still and Will Smith’s son), as “Dre Parker.” It’s an updated story that takes the setting from Southern California to Beijing. Mr. Han will be teaching Dre karate (or maybe it will be kung-fu – most American audiences don’t know the difference) and putting him through workouts that might strain Jean Claude van Damme.

The movie also features Taraji P. Henson (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) as Dre’s mother and has Harald Zwart (The Pink Panther 2, One Night at McCool’s) in the director’s chair. I have to admit there are a couple of cute and funny moments in the trailer, all involving Chan’s interaction with Smith.

There’s even a nice nod to the fly-catching scene in the original film. The only problem I see so far is that the “Crane Kick” seems to have been replaced with a high-splits kick – which just isn’t as cool.

Check out the trailer and let us know what you think.

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Disney-Pixar’s Toy Story 3 looks more and more amazing with each new footage we get to see. The film seems to be retaining everything we loved about the previous adventures, while feeling fresh enough to captivate both old and new fans. While this extended clip was supposed to air on ABC during a special airing of The Incredibles, it has now found it’s way onto the web for your repeat and/or enjoyment.

Without spoiling anything, it looks like the third film in the Toy Story franchise will center around Andy going away to college, and how Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen), and the rest of the toy gang deal with a now uncertain future.

Toy Story 3 will be in theaters and IMAX 3D on June 18th. In the meantime, check out the new clip after the jump, thanks to our pals at ComingSoon.net, introduced by director Lee Unkrich.

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We’re in what most fans like to call a “Muppet Lull” right now. Hard to believe, but The Muppets haven’t been in theaters since 1999, when Muppets in Space was panned by critics. Sure, we’ve been given a few TV movies to snack on in the past few years, but they barely hold a candle to the originality of The Great Muppet Caper or Muppets Take Manhattan.

Then, suddenly about six months ago, a few Muppet viral videos started popping up on YouTube, in which the famed Waldorf and Statler would comment on certain “new” and “hip” Internet fads. Those videos became instant hits, and Muppet Studios started putting out more and more.

As of late, on of their more popular videos surfaced in the mainstream, in the form of a “Bohemian Rhapsody” spoof. The video tallied over 20 million views, and the faith in the Muppet generation was immediately revitalized.

Last week, the epic studio released a new holiday song. Carol of the Bells, in Muppet form. Starring some of the fan favorites that aren’t necessarily the A-list characters; Swedish Chef, Animal, and Beaker. Check out the new video below, and if this doesn’t get you into the holiday spirit, nothing will.

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