Credit: Warner Bros

From Livestream–

Warner Bros. Entertainment will be streaming live from the World Premiere of Green Lantern in Hollywood on Wednesday, June 15 at 9pm ET. Fans are invited to join in on the green carpet action, featuring interviews with the film’s stars, including Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong, Angela Bassett, Tim Robbins, Michael Clarke Duncan and director Martin Campbell. Viewers can watch the excitement live at http://www.livestream.com/greenlantern.

The livestream will also be embedded on the “GREEN LANTERN PREMIERE LIVESTREAM” page on Moniqueblog. Make sure to tune in!

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Warner Brothers is home to some of the most recognizable and loved characters. How about you spread that love by giving your sweetheart a personalized gift featuring their favorite WB character? Gifts can feature properties ranging from The Vampire Diaries, Scooby Doo, Superman, The Wizard of Oz, Looney Toons and more! Here’s a look at what you can make.

Like what you see and want to see more? Click here to get started personalizing!

September is Hispanic Heritage Month! All this month via On Demand (in the Hispanic Heritage Month titled folder) and for download on iTunes, you can watch Selena, the biopic of the beloved music icon, starring Jennifer Lopez and Edward James Olmos; the sci-fi fan favorite and Academy Award Winning Pan’s Labyrinth, directed by creative mastermind Guillermo Del Toro; and the Academy Award nominated, Stand and Deliver, also starring Edward James Olmos – only for download.

Other titles featured in the month-long presentation will include El Cantante starring Marc Anthony and The Sea Inside starring Javier Bardem. Make sure to take part in the celebration this month!

I didn’t review this show when it first came on, mostly because I was perplexed by it. It was a good perplexity, but still, I wasn’t sure how to take the revamping of the tried-and-true (at least most of the time) setup of Scooby-Doo. I may be a long-time Scooby-Doo fan,  but I did recognize the method, though effective, was tired and slightly broken, so I was thrilled to see a fresh spin on the series. Let me cut to the chase and get to why I am falling more in love with this show, even though there are some things that annoy me about it:

Things I Love

• The vintage look. I love how everyone and everything is pretty much straight from the late ’60s to mid ’70s.  It’s a nice throw back to the original series as well as a celebration of everything vintage. Sure, the Mystery Machine has a GPS and there are such things as cell phones in this world, but still, the vintage style is pretty awesome, and as a vintage lover myself, it makes me very happy.
• The fresher take on the characters and their personalities. Actually, it’s more like concentrated versions of their personalities. Everybody who knows even a smidgen about Scooby-Doo knows about the rumored-now-canon relationship between Fred and Daphne, the fandom relationship between Shaggy and Velma, Fred’s love of traps, etc. In this version of the show, Fred’s love of traps is more of a wild obsession, Daphne’s pining for Fred goes unrequited, and (gasp!) Velma and Shaggy are together. Also, the jokes are sharper, the stories are wilder, and even though the mystery’s payoff is still as hokey as the old show’s mysteries, the ride toward the end is actually much scarier.
• The overarching plotline. I really like that the plotline gives the whole show a purpose. Sure, episodic shows are great, and they make it so that you don’t have to watch every episode to keep up, which can be a relief sometimes when you’re trying to catch up on all of your favorite shows in one night. But the fact that there is a definite track for the characters instead of just solving the same mystery each time means that the show is going to be more serious and spookier. Also, there’s the anticipation of an even larger mystery that will make going through the smaller ones worth it (hopefully).
• Shaggy! My favorite character still has his integrity through the changes, and the change of Matthew Lillard from Casey Kasem as Shaggy’s voice is genius casting, especially since Lillard’s performances as Shaggy in the live-action movies was basically his audition. He keeps Kasem’s original spiritedness, which is awesome. Even more awesome-Kasem is still there as Shaggy’s dad. It’s like Leonard Nimoy passing the torch to Zachary Quinto in Star Trek.
• Frank Welker as Fred! The only original castmember from the first Scooby-Doo series is still as good as he was way back in the day. On this show, not only is he doing Fred’s voice again, but he’s also doing Scooby’s voice as well. Anyone who’s versed in cartoon history would know that Welker does all types of voices, including animal sounds (like Mulan’s horse Khan in Disney’s Mulan).

Things That Are Annoying

• Velma. This is odd, since I’ve always liked Velma. She was the smart one that wore glasses, and as a kid, I figured I was most like her. But now that she’s actually with Shaggy, she’s become almost unbearable to me. Like, I can take her snark and monotone voice, since that was always part of her character; that’s what makes her her. But, I can not take her bossing Shaggy-her boyfriend-around. Doesn’t he deserve some respect?! He could dump her, and then she can see where she’ll be. I understand that some boys need prodding, as well as the fact that some boys actually like being bossed around, but forcing Shaggy to not say “Like” and wear his trademark pants (when she still wears the same unflattering turtleneck)? UNBELIEVABLE! At the very least, he did stick up for himself and reclaim his pants and “Like”. But hopefully, there will come a time in the series when he puts his foot down about the bossiness.
• Velma and Shaggy’s relationship in general. Not to beat an almost-dead horse, but even though I kind of like the idea of them together (I did ship them at one point in my life, although now I’m more with the unconventional Shaggy/Daphne), but I don’t get why Shaggy’s so afraid of telling everyone he’s with Velma, just because he doesn’t want to upset Scooby, his best friend. I doubt that Scooby will care in the long run (in one episode, it seemed like he did know, since he was telling Shaggy that he wouldn’t tell Velma about Shaggy eating junk food, yet another thing she wants to strip from his personality and way of life. If she wants a healthy prep, she should’ve dated a healthy prep!). While I don’t like Velma being all bossy-pants, I don’t like how Shaggy’s afraid of telling people. No one will care. They might be mildly shocked, but no one will care so much that they’ll be up in arms.
• Angel Dynamite. I should say first-off that it’s not that I hate her; actually, I like her a lot. But her purpose? The reason why the gang hangs out at the radio station with her while she’s doing her show? None of that is explained. I’m sure her purpose has to do with the overarching plot, but as to why the gang knows her? I wish that was put in some exposition somewhere.

So that’s that. What do you guys think? Also, you can check out Scooby-Doo! Mystery, Incorporated on Cartoon Network every Monday at 7 p.m. eastern time/6 p.m. central time. If you happen to miss episodes, Cartoon Network throughout the week; check the schedule for exact times.

Clash of the Titans is about to come to theaters April 2 (and the 1981 version is out for download on iTunes), probably signaling a revived interest in classical Greek characters and stories. Will new-school Titans go down as a classic among the other Greek stories that have graced Hollywood? Here’s a list of some of the more recent films Hollywood has to offer in Greek-themed movies:

Disney’s Hercules

The story of Hercules has been redone and remade plenty of times, the most thought-of version being the television series that acted as a bookend to Xena: Warrior Princess, but never was the story of Hercules given such a colorful twist as when Disney molded the story to fit its “Love Conquers All” mantra. Sure, the mythology was watered down for children (who wants to see Zeus as the affair-ridden husband and Hera as the harpy they actually were? (although Disney made Hercules’ randy satyr trainer Phil fill in for Zeus’ roving eye)), and Hercules actually killed Megara later on the original story, but the Disney version is the one that makes you happy to know a little bit about Greek mythology as well as the fact that Disney can make any story happy and upbeat. And, come on, how can you hate on Disney when they made Hercules into a cute, naïve farm boy? I dare you to hate!

300

300 is based on the historical Battle of Thermopylae about the battle waged between 300 Spartans and a sea of Persians over control of the land. The graphic novel was groundbreaking, and the movie even more so, if only for the effects used to create a visual reiteration of the graphic novel’s inking and coloring style. Since its big-screen debut, the film has become one of the quotable movies of the 21^st century. Who doesn’t love screaming, “THIS…IS…SPARTA!” or “Tonight, we dine in Hell!”?

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

A newcomer to the trilogy movie set, Percy Jackson, based on the book series of the same name, is about a boy who finds out that he’s related to Greek gods. The movie is poised to take over the spot Harry Potter will leave behind once the last of the movies are rolled out, and it seems like it’s fitting into its upcoming role very nicely already.

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Not initially thought of as a riff on Greek literature, Brother is based on the epic The Odyssey, where hero Odysseus travels to mythical places and encounters magical women and goddesses in his quest to get home. In the film, three escaped prisoners embark on a journey to recover $1.2 million one of the prisoners stole from an armored car. The film is now a modern classic, and the soundtrack earned the film an Oscar win.

Troy

While not an esteemed movie by any stretch of the imagination, this film is probably only popular with those who like to see Brad Pitt without a shirt and pants (ditto for Gerard Butler in 300). The film is based on the Trojan War, taking material from the Homer’s Iliad and the Virgil’s Aeneid. Even if the film flopped stateside, it did receive a lot of love from the international circuit.

My Fair Lady, Weird Science, Mannequin

All of these movies vary in how classic they are in the scope of film literature, but they’ve all got the same origins in Greek literature. These stories of men falling in love with women they’ve changed/created is based on the story of Pygmalion from Ovid’s Metamorphoses X, who falls in love with a statue he carved. This story has been riffed on more than just in these three movies; this story is probably the most popular story conceit as well as the easiest to reproduce in different, modern ways.

What other movies can you think of that have been influenced by ancient Greece? While you’re leaving your comments below, don’t forget to see Clash of the Titans April 2, and download the original Clash of the Titans (including a sneak peek of the upcoming remake) from iTunes.

Information from Wikipedia:

Films list

Troy

Pygmalion

Battle of Thermopylae

WB has now released the DVD set Clint Eastwood: 35 Films, 35 Years in stores as well as for download. This impressive collection features great films like Million Dollar Baby, Dirty Harry, Unforgiven, and Any Which Way but Loose. Click here for more information.

Want to rewatch the 2009 NFL season? Go to the wbshop.com to buy the AFC and NFC Championships! The games are the original, commercial-free broadcasts and ship within five to seven days, so make sure to get your football snacks and comfy position on the couch ready!

MGM has teamed up with WB Digital Distribution to release classic movies such as The Wizard of OZ, Singin In The Rain, Gone With The Wind, and countless beloved favorites such as Poltergeist, North By Northwest, 2001 Space Odyssey as Digital Distribution releases! In celebration of MGM’s 85th anniversary, WB and MGM have combined their extensive catalogs to offer 100 classic films that showcase MGM’s film legacy via On Demand and Digital Download. Click the picture below is the sizzle reel to show the films that will be available for download.

Click here to get to the MGM 85 iTunes store

Click here to get to the MGM 85 website, which includes the full selection of titles to choose from

Watch out, Conan O’Brien! A new late-night show, Lopez Tonight,  is premiering on TBS November 9 at 11/10 c. Lopez Tonight is hosted by comedian/actor  George Lopez.  Don’t know who George Lopez is ? (How can you not!) Maybe you’ll recognize him here:

Also, Michael Bearden, the musical director for Michael Jackson’s THIS IS IT tour, will be the show’s band leader. Lopez Tonight will be half late-night show, half party, where the audience will be part of the action.

For more about George Lopez and Lopez Tonight, click here, and remember to watch Lopez Tonight at 11/10 c November 9 on TBS.

The Blu-Ray release of Natural Born Killers 15th Anniversary Director’s Cut is October 13, and in celebration of the release, WB has created a special game for all die-hard NBK fans-the Natural Born Killers Quiz Show! I thought I was knowledgable about the movie, but apparently, according to the quiz, I need to bone up on my trivia. Try your hand at the quiz; take the challenge at naturalbornkillersdvd.com.