Nothing hurts the credibility of the film blogosphere like bad rumors. Not even supercilious comments from Armond White or Peter Bart (before he gave in and started blogging himself) have cut so deep as the embarrassment of believing word about an E.T. sequel, Daniel Radcliffe being cast as Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit or Megan Fox signing on to play Wonder Woman.

In the past 24 hours the film blogosphere experienced what I believe to be the worst movie rumor of all time: a “supported” claim by MarketSaw that George Lucas is planning a new Star Wars trilogy that would be shot in digital 3-D and directed by such prestigious filmmakers as Lucas buds Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola. Fortunately there wasn’t a whole lot of people fooled and the rumor was debunked right away, but it still made me slap my forehead to see so many sites running the story, even if to comment on how unlikely it sounded or to relay its lack of truth.

Of course, by featuring the topic for this Bloggery post, I’m contributing to the unfortunate attention the rumor is receiving. But with a week left before SpoutBlog discontinues original content, I figure it’s more important than ever to focus on what’s wrong with the movie blogs, so others are able to fluorish.

To add my own two cents to the concept behind the rumor, though, I’d just like to say that nobody should ever be excited about the idea of either Spielberg or Coppola helming a Star Wars movie. We’re already aware that the former can make a terrible flick out of Lucas’ writing, and you must realize that Coppola’s installment would be more Captain EO (a 3-D movie co-written by Lucas) than The Godfather. Or, worse, like Jack in outer space.

Check out the other film blogs’ coverage of and response to this ridiculous hoax after the jump:

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As if the problems with Fox’s “Avatar Day” promotion weren’t enough, the marketing of James Cameron’s Avatar continued to hit snags today with the faulty debut of the film’s trailer. Despite there being a literal countdown until its premiere, at 10am EST this morning Twitter was abuzz with complaints that the thing not only didn’t work, but that it was a massive failure on the part of Fox, Apple and whoever else was responsible. Not helping matters was the fact that while we waited for the thing to be available on Apple’s site, we looked around the page and noticed the embarrassing copy that reads “FROM THE DIRECTOR OF THE ‘TITANIC.’” Meanwhile, others found they could view the trailer on a French MSN site.

Then came the biggest fail of all: the trailer was a disappointment! Derivative visuals aside, the movie looks to be a letdown in terms of its responsibility to be a groundbreaking work of cinema. Of course, there could have been no other reaction coming off so much hype. And it is indeed possible that the backlash will turn back around once people see some of the film as its meant to be seen, in 3D. But that’s just the problem of this marketing blunder. While some are saying the trailer shouldn’t have hit the web before “Avatar Day,” I think this particular trailer shouldn’t have been made, let alone released, at all. As I wrote earlier this year in anticipation of Avatar’s marketing, “You really don’t need to show one second of footage. Because we’ll be there no matter what.” However, now that I’ve seen a disappointing mess of CGI and familiar-looking footage, maybe I won’t be there after all — unless I hear legitimate reason to bother (fortunately, I’m sure I will hear one).

Check out what the rest of the film blogosphere has to say about the trailer’s failure — or success — after the jump:
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James Cameron’s Avatar is supposed to be like nothing we’ve ever seen before. So why does it look so familiar? One of the most disappointing things about the film’s promotion so far is how derivative the film looks in the trailer that (eventually) debuted online today. And much of what we’re reminded of wasn’t even that great to begin with. To help illustrate our feeling of déjà vu, we’ve captured a few screenshots from the trailer and, where available, put them next to their older visual counterparts.
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Get your introduction to the future of cinema in little more than a weeks time, if you’re lucky. Apparently, as the LA Times reported yesterday, “Avatar Day” will consist of a mere two screenings of the 16-minute sneak preview of James Cameron’s Avatar next Friday, one at 6pm and one at 6:30pm, only in IMAX theaters. And the only way to get in is to acquire one of the first-come, first-serve tickets made available this Monday via the film’s website.

I’ve never been very good at getting tickets for high-demand concerts and events, so I’m going to assume I’ll be missing this special promotion. Which is fine by me. I’m pretty much over the entire idea of being teased by movie marketing. Besides, the current hype circling this “groundbreaking” 3D sci-fi movie has me expecting to be disappointed. And judging by some of the comments posted around the blogosphere, there are many people not interested in making the effort Monday.

Seriously, let’s just wait until the whole thing arrives in theaters this December. And in the meantime, go see another, more modest harbinger of the future of science fiction cinema this weekend: District 9.

Also, check out a sampling of film blog commentary on and commenter responses to the details of “Avatar Day,” and whether it’s really that anticipated, after the jump:
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I would title this Bloggery “Comic-Con 2009 Day 2,” but I’m going to reach back a little to the second half of Day 1 since yesterday’s post went up before the Avatar panel, plus people are still talking about that New Moon presentation more than 24 hours later. Unfortunately, there’s so much news and hype coming out of the Con today (Gary Oldman spills Batman 3 beans! Saw VII is greenlit!) that I may ignore some the stuff I care less about, like all the “awesome!!” responses to movies that will more than likely be commercial failures (like the ten listed here). Unless they’re really hilarious or profound.

Without further ado (I have little to say in this intro because I’m not at the Con), check out my favorite coverage from San Diego from the last 24 hours after the jump:
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Since today has been pretty light in terms of hype, and no stories have excited the internerds enough to truly qualify for an interesting roundup, I’m going with a topic I really enjoy writing about: the state governor training program popularly known as the movie Predator. Ever since Arnold Schwarzenegger took his political seat in California, making him the second cast member from the 1987 sci-fi actioner to be elected governor of a state (Jesse Ventura was the first), I’ve been waiting for the announcement that Carl Weathers, Shane Black, Richard Chavez, Elpidia Carrillo or Bill Duke is campaigning for a similar political position.

Former porn actor Sonny Landham, who played the Navajo soldier “Billy” in the movie, actually ran for Governor of Kentucky back in 2003, but he lost, which leads me to believe no more than one Predator costar can be in the office at any given time (Ventura led Minnesota up until 2003, the year Schwarzenegger took over in California). So, Landham should certainly try again in two years, as the “Governator” will be done with his second term in 2011.

If he wins, who shall be the next in line? I’m really hoping for Duke to run in his home state of New York. But if none of the original actors are interested, we can always depend on a whole new roster of candidates, thanks to the newly confirmed reboot of the Predator franchise, which Robert Rodriguez will be directing at some undetermined time (I’ve got serious doubts that it’ll really be rushed for the reported Summer 2010 release date). Any strapping young actors out there with dreams of a future in politics: tell your agents they need to get you in this movie.

Okay, enough of my own political dreams; and on to the few fresh responses to the reboot (particularly its titular pluralization) after the jump:

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With all the blockbuster movie trailers that debuted last week (they were officially released to be placed ahead of Watchmen), were you surprised not to see one for James Cameron’s Avatar? I wasn’t, but that’s because the to-be-groundbreaking 3-D sci-fi film won’t be released until this fall, and I’m expecting to see very little from it until at least midsummer. Well, it turns out that the main reason we didn’t see a trailer isn’t because it’s so early in the year; rather, it’s (rumored to be) because Cameron apparently can’t decide on how to market the thing. He’s supposedly passed on eight attempts at a trailer and is now at work on his own cut.

Here’s my idea: show as little as possible. You’re James Cameron and you haven’t given us a feature film in 12 years. And this one’s a return to outer-space sci-fi, not another sappy romantic disaster film. You really don’t need to show one second of footage. Because we’ll be there no matter what.

However you do it, though, as a result of this rumor you have to give us something. The geeks are restless:

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Yesterday, for the second time in two weeks, In Contention’s Kristopher Tapley confessed to being done with 2008 and noted a bunch of anticipated 2009 films. These aren’t necessarily titles he’s looking forward to seeing, though; it’s basically a preliminary jump on next year’s Oscar season. Because apparently this year’s Academy Awards are all but handed out, the winners properly predicted and expected, and now it’s time to think about what will be up for what in 2010. Those titles Tapley lists are Rob Marshall’s Nine, Peter Jackson’s Lovely Bones, Michael Mann’s Public Enemies, Clint Eastwood’s “Mandela“ (formerly The Human Factor), Richard Curtis’ The Boat That Rocked, Scott Cooper’s Crazy Heart and the latest from Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life), Steven Soderbergh (The Informant), Paul Greengrass (Green Zone), Martin Scorsese (Shutter Island) and James Cameron (Avatar).

Oh, and then Jeff Wells had to go and hint that Spielberg’s Lincoln is likely to arrive by year’s end. What and who else is being foreseen as nominated this time next year? Check out the links after the jump.

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I found it unnecessary yesterday to be the billionth blogger to link to the Christian Bale tirade, but today I want to roundup some of the damage control, both direct and indirect, that should hopefully water down the seemed significance of yet another recording of yet another actor having yet another bad day. Because when big media like the Daily News finds it newsworthy and gets poll results from readers believing it to be more “bad attitude” than “bad day,” it’s necessary to spin the positive and concentrate on what we should be concentrating on: the actual movie being made.

• So, first direct your attention to some cool Terminator Salvation images recently published by Wired, and specifically focus on the image of the “Hydrobot” (thanks to I Watch Stuff for spotlighting it). Is this some kind of special tribute to two of James Cameron’s other great films? And should we be on the lookout during the film for sinking ships and flying Piranhabots?
• Nikki Finke has updated her initial post with a quote from an unnamed source: “Christian and the DP are all good now. It happened. It was one isolated event. He regrets that he lost his temper.”
• 1st AD Bruce Franklin, who was somewhat involved in the incident, also defends Bale to E! News as simply having had a bad day: “He is so dedicated to the craft. I think someone is begging to make some noise about this, but I don’t think it’s fair. The art of acting is not paint by numbers, it’s an art form.”
• Similarly Terminator Salvation costar Terry Crews comes to Bale’s defense on Hollyscoop: “He is a class act! He is one of the greatest actors ever. You can catch anyone on a bad day.”
• Heckler Spray’s Stuart Heritage believes that after last year’s arrest coinciding with the release of The Dark Knight, this rant is merely Bale’s latest means of film promotion: “Christian Bale’s next movie is the Michael Mann film Public Enemies. Lord alone knows how he’s going to promote that one, but we’d wager that it’ll involve a tank of petrol, a lighter, a box of puppies and some sort of tribal dancing.”
• Rope of Silicon highlights both Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo and the David O. Russell/Lily Tomlin incident as proof that blow-ups like this are not uncommon.
• Cinematical’s Scott Weinberg and William Goss have made a parody audio that shows just how common such work-related tirades can be. Yes, even bloggers have bad days.
• Of course, others are using this as an opportunity to show how perfect their own sets are. On The Today Show this morning, Matt Lauer and friends shared a similar incident involving a wandering crew member that didn’t result in bad behavior. Watch the better-than-thou display here.
• Finally, the best way to positively spin a negative story such as this? Dance remix! Check it out after the jump.
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• Ben Stiller is replacing Mark Ruffalo as the male lead in Noah Baumbach’s comedy-drama Greenburg, which has also just lost female lead Amy Adams. Between this and the news that Stiller’s directing The Trial of the Chicago 7, it appears he’s headed for a more serious course. If so, he should try and get that Zoolander sequel made before he becomes the next Tom Hanks. Joking aside, though, this could be good for those of us who prefer his performances in Permanent Midnight and Your Friends and Neighbors.
• Hollywood is making yet another apocalyptic alien invasion movie, yet the latest, a comic book adaptation called Atlantis Rising, involves a threat from beneath the ocean. Obviously, it’s labeled a cross between two James Cameron films, Aliens and The Abyss.
• Oliver Stone’s latest documentary about a controversial world leader will focus on Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who he’s been filming for six months. There’s also rumor that he’ll follow that up with a doc on Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
• Speaking of Stone, for those who wished Will Ferrell had played the lead in W., HBO is airing a live telecast of Ferrell’s upcoming Broadway show You’re Welcome America. A Final Night With George Bush. The date of the telecast is still unrevealed, but it’s likely to be in March.
• Oscar ratings in France should be huge this year, because Jerry Lewis has been named to receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Academy Awards.

McG and Bryce Dallas Howard, “This is our new baby, we named him T-600 McG-Dallas-Howard.”

The world of Terminator fandom let out a collective groan when the news was announced that McG, director of the Charlie’s Angels films, is at the helm of the upcoming Terminator Salvation. The film, the fourth in the more than twenty year-old franchise, stars Christian Bale as John Conner. Bale unfortunately did not join the rest of the cast in promoting the film at Comic-Con. There was a press conference immediately following the big announcement panel, and the star of the show, surprisingly, was director McG.

When asked about the overall feel of the film, McG said, “I’m tremendously influenced by Children of Men, hat’s off to that picture, I think it’s fantastic… By the same token, this isn’t designed to be an art picture, it’s for audiences the world over, so you’ve got to find a balance between that artistic take and what’s right for a film to be seen by a great many people around the world.”

Many fans are concerned that McG’s take will further derail the franchise, rather than improving upon the rather dismal third film. McG seemed more than prepared to address these fears, making explicit his interactions with James Cameron, the creator and director of the first two films. “I did not want to move forward on this picture if Jim were like, ‘Fuck you, what are you doing?’ It’s very simple, I would have acquiesced and said, ‘You’re right, you’re the creator of what this is, and I respect that.’ And he was very encouraging, we talked at length about the story, we talked about Sam [Worthington], and most particularly, we talked about his experience on Aliens, and the idea that you can’t live in fear, you’ve got to move forward.”

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• Charlton Heston died last weekend.
• Prompting Kevin to recall the best trailer mashup of all time.
• And making it a bad (or good) time to announce a new Ben-Hur miniseries dedicated to his honor.
• On Film Couch: Indie cinema has become cliched.
• Karina attended the Sarasota Film Festival, where she reviewed Throw Down Your Heart and Spine Tingler: The William Castle Story and they paid tribute to Liv Ullman.
• Then she went directly to the Moving Image Institute in Film Criticism and Feature Writing.
• Meanwhile she found time to pre-order the Mister Lonely book tie-in.
• A few anticipated films allowed our expectations to be lowered a bit, as Maggie Gyllenhaal dumbed down the Dark Knight marketing campaign and a script leak dumbed down Oliver Stone’s Bush biopic.
• I support Uwe Boll’s filmmaking (however, the number of people who want him to die stop making films is now up to 180,000).
• Congratulations to the Webby nominees.
• Pierrot Belmondo is 75.
• Errol Morris makes fiction comedically while James Cameron makes 3D seriously.
• New York was only well represented on film in the 70s. Undestroyed, anyway.
• Watch an Alicia Keys documentary for free.
• Watch a Kanye West video using 2046 footage he may have gotten for free.
• Watch an unspectacular yet wonderful clip from Tarsem’s The Fall.

James Cameron is the sort of director who can make a movie just to prove a point. And he’s going to do so by making a straight drama that will be shot and exhibited in 3D — or as he calls it, in stereo (short for stereoscopic) — just to let the industry know that 3D is not only for special effects and animated pictures. He discusses the project in an interview with Variety:

I plan to shoot a small dramatic film in 3-D, just to prove this point, after “Avatar.” In “Avatar,” there are a number of scenes that are straight dramatic scenes, no action, no effects. They play very well, and in fact seem to be enhanced by the stereo viewing experience. So I think this can work for the full length of a dramatic feature. However, filmmakers and studios will have to weigh the added cost of shooting in 3-D against the increased marketing value for that type of film.

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• Dito Montiel has cast his A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints star Channing Tatum in his new film, a still untitled drama about underground street fighting. Tatum has a fervent teen girl fan base, who will surely delight at the prospect of seeing their guy shirtless and bloodied. I say the following in all sincerity: if they can land a PG-13 rating, this sounds like box office gold.
• Theater actor Stephen Lang, who unsuccessfully read for a role in Aliens over 20 years ago, has been cast in James Cameron’s upcoming motion-capture epic, Avatar.
• The Hollywood Reporter thinks The Bourne Ultimatum should easily clear $60 mil this weekend. Variety agrees that the third installment of the Matt Damon-starring franchise should come in at the top of the pack, but they’re not quite as gung-ho about it. Pamela McClintock points out that in this hyper-crowded blockbuster year, holdover business has been unexpectedly strong. So while a film like The Simpsons could easily continue to do “boffo” business based solely on consumer interest, it’s forced to give up screen space to new films. All this really means is that Hollywood is having a very, very good summer. “Title wave also points out that dire predictions made last year by such news orgs as the New York Times and Los Angeles Times that box office was dead simply never materialized.”