In a story that’s been developing since the formal announcement in 2007 of Doctor Who’s fifth series, followed by the news that David Tennant will be relinquishing the role after 2009, we now know who the new “Who” will be: newcomer Matt Smith has been tapped to step in as the Time Lord’s 11th incarnation.

With this announcement, viewers of 2008 Christmas special “The Next Doctor” who were outside of the BBC’s broadcast authority last Christmas (and were unable to procure it through other means) will be completely robbed of the only dramatic tension the new episode has to offer — perhaps for the better.

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Remember 3 years ago when we first got wind of what was going on with a Transformers live action movie? How some people cried and said it was all wrong? How some of those people are still saying that?
I join their ranks today. Cowboy Bebop is becoming a Hollywood movie and they’ve got a 44 year old washed up Keanu Reeves to play 27 year old Spike Spiegel. Lets do this movie a solid, get Shia Labeouf as Jet Black, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Vicious and just purposely try to make it the worst thing ever.
I know in my heart this movie will not get made, like so many other anime and comic adapations with bad casting or direction from the get go. But mark my words, if this reaches the screen it will make that Dragonball movie look like Heat.

Variety: Keanu Reeves set for ‘Bebop’

It appears as though the possibility of a new Zelda game, or some new big Zelda news, may very well be on the horizon. On a sub-site for the Japanese company “Marvelous Entertainment”, most famously known for the Harvest Moon video game series, a single page has been launched featuring an odd yet obvious rendition of the iconic TriForce symbol in the form of a clock that seems to be counting down to a date a little over 6 days from now.

Whether this means that a new game is on the brink of being announced, or there is some other meaningful Zelda news to be released, is anyone’s guess. We’ll be sure to keep you all updated on this tidbit of news.

Just a friendly reminder to He-Man fans. MOTU Classics Skeletor will go on sale today at noon (EST). He-Man and Beastman effectively sold out a few days ago so don’t wait until the next figure to combine on shipping. Chances are he will not last the month and you know Skeletor is going to be a hot item.

Monzie himself here to review the new My Pet Monster DVD set, and talk about a hidden gem, a live action My Pet Monster movie that actually predates the animated series.

This DVD set is a Canadian exclusive, but it can still be ordered through the Canadian Amazon.

Anyway… check out these My Pet Monster cookies I made…
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It’s time for the 2008 Poppies! The Poppies are the Pop Culture Collectibles Industry Awards developed in 2007 by Michael Crawford of http://www.mwctoys.com. Each year judges from all aspects of the industry – from the artists that create them, to the companies that make them, to the retailers that sell them, to the media outlets that report on them, and even to the collectors that buy them – come together to vote on their favorites in over a dozen categories. For 2008, those categories include:

Best Overall Company
Best Overall Line
Best Male or Female Figure 18” and above
Best Male Figure 12 – 18”
Best Male Figure 5 – 11”
Best Male Figure under 5”
Best Female Figure (any size under 18”)
Best Build A Figure
Best Vehicle or Playset
Best Statue
Best Bust
Best Designer/Vinyl Figure
Best Prop Replica
Best Misc

This year, there are 147 judges from within the industry, from every aspect of the business and from across the globe. They have begun their voting as of January 5th, and will complete the process on January 14th. The votes will then be compiled, and the final results announced on January 20th.

But there’s also a chance for readers to give their input! Once again this year, Michael will be running his People’s Picks awards, only this time the readers will be voting using the same categories and nominees as the Poppies Judges. You can vote now for your favorites by going to:

http://www.mwctoys.com/poppies_peoplepicks_2008.htm

Or by going to http://www.mwctoys.com and following the link from the main page. People’s Pick voting will be available during the same period (January 5th until January 14th), and the announcement of winners will also occur on January 20th. Vote for your favorite pop culture collectibles now!

Note: This game is also available on Xbox 360, but not for the $20 price tag. It has exclusive maps and characters, but there is no support for user-generated content like in the PC and Playstation 3 versions.

Unreal Tournament was one of the first FPS game to focus exclusively on competitive multiplayer. Offering modes such as Assault, Capture the Flag, and Domination, Unreal Tournament gave gamers more than just the standard “kill everyone else as many times as you can” deathmatch modes seen in other FPS titles’ multiplayer components. Subsequent entries in the series have added more unique gameplay types, far-out locales, and even vehicles. Unreal Tournament’s unique weaponry, excellent graphics, and modding capabilities made the series a hit amongst gamers and critics as well. Unreal Tournament 3 (which is actually the fourth Unreal Tournament game) is no exception, and it has the added bonus of having the awesome power of the Unreal Engine 3 behind it.
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A step that has not only been high on the wish lists of not only Konami fans, but oldschool NES fans in general, Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse was released today for the Wii’s Virtual Console for the low purchasing price of $5 US.

Favored in the series for its early take on RPG elements and a vast array of stages and a varied cast of playable characters to be unlocked beyond top-class Belmont whip-toting compliments of Trevor Belmont, Dracula’s Curse has not only been desired for a VC release, but also has been highly demanded by fans to be the next installment in the “Chronicles” sub-series. At the very least, now we have the 1st part of that request. Here’s hoping the 2nd will be in the near future. For now, we have one more installment of classic Castlevania NES goodness to tide us over. REJOICE!