All the pop culture news you really need to know in one post. This section of the site is designed for people who like to batch process things. Enjoy.
In excellent news for everyone involved, Benedict "Sherlock" Cumberbatch is the villain in Star Trek 2. The other person they mentioned auditioning for it was Edgar Ramirez. So this is the same role that Abrams wanted Benicio Del Toro for? That was rumored to be Khan...and then it looked like it had been confirmed...and now it looks like it's a rumor again. So who knows? Either way, this is very pleasing news. Source: Variety.
Bag of Bones is scheduled to hit DVD on March 13th. It's available for pre-order here.
Drive is hitting home video on January 31st. A lot of people liked it more than I did--and so be it--but Albert Brooks is a revelation, no matter what. Here are: DVD and Blu-Ray pre-order links.
You know, this would have made Music Monday if I found it earlier in the week. But c'est la guerre. It's Daft Punk's "Derezzed" from Tron: Legacy...the Floppy Drive Remix.
Houdini is coming to Broadway starring Hugh Jackman. Aaron Sorkin has written the book, Stephen Schwartz (Wicked) is working on the music and lyrics. The plot is reportedly about Houdini vs. the spiritualists. Nice. Should hit 2013-ish. Source.
Juan of the Dead has been picked up by Focus for North American distribution. Fantastic. No date yet, but the fact it's coming at all is excellent news. No idea why we didn't just post the trailer last time we talked about it, but have it now. Source: Variety.
Les Miserables is getting a Cosette--and an Eponine: Amanda Seyfried and Taylor Swift are both in talks to join the cast for those respective roles. Oddly, I thought we had already related this, but yes, this is the musical. Hugh Jackman is Valjean, Russell Crowe is Javert, Helena Bonham Carter as Madame Thenardier, Sacha Baron Cohen as Thenardier and Anne Hathaway as Fantine. Tom Hooper (King's Speech) is helming. Our own Cosette was unavailable for comment at press time. Source: Variety.
Reminder that the Immersion Edition of Pink Floyd: The Wall, all seven discs of it, hits February 28th. Remastered original album and the live release from the 1980-1981 tour, two entire discs of demo versions (!), and a DVD with bonus videos. Plus the booklet, tour replicas, cards and so forth. Ridiculous. Want it. Pre-order it here.
Puss in Boots is due to hit home video on February 24th. This link takes you to where all the flavors are available for pre-order.
If you're in New York and were wanting to check out the massive Studio Ghibli retrospective they have going on there...they've been selling boatloads of tickets. So much so they've had to add showtimes. It's going for another week, so if you've ever wanted to see these animated films on the big screen, find tickets here. Hey, IFC...take it on the road, why don't you?
Take Shelter, starring Michael Shannon of Boardwalk Empire, is a film I meant to see but couldn't fit it in while it was in cinemas. But it's hitting home video in time for Valentine's Day. DVD and Blu-Ray pre-order links provided.
Tower Heist, the rather enjoyable caper flick, hits home video on February 21st. Here's are the Blu-ray and DVD pre-order links.
Brad Pitt wants World War Z to be a trilogy. Just remember, folks: everybody always wants bloody everything to be a trilogy. I don't care if the book is big enough to support a trilogy...they Always Say That. Source.
Widgett Walls is Need Coffee's Chief Cook and Bottle Washer. He is the author of the novel Mystics on the Road to Vanishing Point, and two collections of short stories, Magnificent Desolation and Something Else: The Complete First Season. He is also co-author of the children's book There's a Zombie in My Treehouse! All of those books are available in paperback or for the Kindle from Amazon. He is also the narrator and publisher of the first unabridged recording of Seneca's letters, available here. He is active on both Twitter and Facebook. (If you befriend him on Facebook, do say you came via Need Coffee.) He lives and works in Atlanta, Georgia. He hardly ever sleeps.
