R.E.M. Caps Its 31-Year Recording Career With Its First-Ever Definitive Greatest Hits Album, Due From Warner Bros. Records on November 15th

After R.E.M. ignited the blogosphere last month with the news that they had decided to “call it a day as a band” via a statement on their website, the beloved band have announced that they will release their final album, R.E.M., Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage, 1982 – 2011, on Warner Bros. Records on November 15th, 2011.

The album is a 40-song career-spanning retrospective that collects, for the first time ever, songs from R.E.M.’s entire back catalog, including the pioneering American band’s years on both the IRS label (1982 to 1987) and Warner Bros. Records (1988 to 2011). The album is currently available for pre-order on Amazon here. A brand-new song, “We All Go Back To Where We Belong,” goes to radio and will be available for sale on October 18th.

R.E.M. formed in 1980 when singer Michael Stipe met guitarist Peter Buck in an Athens, GA, record store where Buck worked. After recruiting bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry, R.E.M. released its first single, “Radio Free Europe,” in 1981, followed by 1982′s Chronic Town EP, capturing the imagination of a new generation of music lovers and bringing “guitar pop back into the underground lexicon,” as All-Music put it. Widely credited with inventing the college-rock genre, R.E.M. became the most influential American alternative rock band in history — inspiring such artists as Sonic Youth, Pavement, Nirvana, and Radiohead — for achieving multi-platinum mainstream success while maintaining their distinct identity.

Over the course of its career, the band has released 15 studio albums: Murmur (1983), Reckoning (1984), Fables of the Reconstruction (1985), Lifes Rich Pageant (1986), Document (1987), Green (1988), Out of Time (1991), Automatic For The People (1992), Monster (1994), New Adventures in Hi-Fi (1996), Up (1998), Reveal (2001), Around the Sun (2004), Accelerate (2008), and Collapse Into Now (2011). They have sold more than 85 million albums worldwide.

“Working through our music and memories from over three decades was a hell of a journey,” says Mike Mills of choosing the songs that appear on R.E.M., Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage, 1982 – 2011. “We realized that these songs seemed to draw a natural line under the last 31 years of our working together.”

In addition to liner notes written by band members Berry, Buck, Mills, and Stipe, the album also features three new songs that R.E.M. finished after they completed their last album, Collapse Into Now: “A Month of Saturdays,” “We All Go Back To Where We Belong,” and “Hallelujah,” which were recorded over the summer in Athens with Accelerate and Collapse Into Now producer, the estimable Jacknife Lee. The band came roaring back with those two albums in the last two years, achieving some of the best reviews of their career and enabling them to go out at the top of their game.

The track-listing for R.E.M., Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage, 1982 – 2011 is as follows:

Disc 1:

1. Gardening at Night
2. Radio Free Europe
3. Talk About the Passion
4. Sitting Still
5. So. Central Rain
6. (Don’t Go Back to) Rockville
7. Driver 8
8. Life and How to Live It
9. Begin the Begin
10. Fall On Me
11. Finest Worksong
12. It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
13. The One I Love
14. Stand
15. Pop Song 89
16. Get Up
17. Orange Crush
18. Losing My Religion
19. Country Feedback
20. Shiny Happy People

Disc 2:

1. The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite
2. Everybody Hurts
3. Man On the Moon
4. Nightswimming
5. What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?
6. New Test Leper
7. Electrolite
8. At My Most Beautiful
9. The Great Beyond
10. Imitation of Life
11. Bad Day
12. Leaving New York
13. Living Well Is the Best Revenge
14. Supernatural Superserious
15. ÜBerlin
16. Oh My Heart
17. Alligator_Aviator_Autopilot_Antimatter
18. A Month of Saturdays
19. We All Go Back to Where We Belong
20. Hallelujah

Famed Book Designer Chip Kidd To Pen Batman Graphic Novel, “Batman: Death By Design” To Be Released In 2012

Though best known for countless award-winning book designs, logo designs and book editing projects, Chip Kidd may immediately call to mind a different form of accolade for superhero comic readers: that of Batman fan #1.

For years, Kidd has drawn on his extensive collection of Dark Knight memorabilia for a number of praised book projects including the behind-the-scenes “Batman Animated” book looking into the iconic ’90s animated series, the cultural phenomenon-exploring “Batman Collected” and the recent revelation of Jiro Kuwata’s lost Batman comics amid the Japanese products on display in “Bat-Manga!” But despite brief work on comics such as a backup strip in the “Mythology” coffee table book he did with Alex Ross, Kidd has never actually written a fully fledged Batman comic — until now.

Announced at DC Comics’ Batman panel this past weekend at New York Comic Con, Kidd will team with artist Dave Taylor (“Batman & Superman: World’s Finest”) for a new original graphic novel called “Batman: Death By Design” to be released in 2012. Comic Book Resources News is happy to share an exclusive first interview on the book with Kidd. Below, the writer talks about how film and architectural design of the 1930s influenced the look and story of the book, how he created new foils to fill in the story of the Wayne family’s Gotham legacy and how his first major Batman writing project hopefully won’t be his last. Read more HERE.

Morgan Spurlock Talks About His New Documentary, Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope

With the likes of Joss Whedon, Kevin Smith, Matt Groening and Guillermo Del Toro as interpreters, Morgan Spurlock explores what’s become a pop culture mainstay in his new documentary, Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope.

Commonly, and mistakenly, considered the domain of smelly dudes in freaky costumes, Comic-Con has emerged as the epicenter for pop-culture influence and a hotbed for creativity. A convention that started humbly 41 years ago, drawing a mere handful of hardcore comic book collectors, the Con now sells out months in advance, draws over 150,000 of the fanatically inclined, and has become a must-attend event for the Hollywood power elite–whether they know why they need to be there or not.

However, unless you’ve ever navigated the sprawling city-sized convention, it’s been hard to understand the real Comic-Con. Organizers had routinely denied previous requests to document the event, fearing a public mocking of a misunderstood subculture.

But that all changed when Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me, The Greatest Movie Ever Sold) came calling with the support of his “geek dream team”: comics legend Stan Lee, Ain’t It Cool News’ Harry Knowles, writer Jeremy Chilnick, and wunderkind producer Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly). The result is Spurlock’s latest documentary feature, Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

As a self-described misfit-made-good, Spurlock set out to get inside a world he personally holds dear, determined not to ridicule or create caricatures of the people who embrace their fandom. “This is a world I regard with great reverence,” says Spurlock.

Read more HERE.

James Cameron Discusses Avatar 2

Director James Cameron talked to ABC’s “Nightline” recently about Avatar 2, which won’t be coming to theaters until December of 2014. While we wait, he offered up some details of what we can expect from the follow-up to the film that earned $2.782 billion at the worldwide box office.

Asked what he can tell us about the sequel, he said, “It’s on Pandora. Well, I’m really writing the second and third films together, so it completes a kinda three film story arc. And we will see the oceans of Pandora, which we haven’t seen at all and that’s an ecosystem that I’m dying to start designing because it’s going to look spectacular.”

He added that the next film “narrows the spotlight instead of just nature in general or the rainforest. It focuses it a little more on ocean issues, because we have a planet that’s a blue planet. From a distance, you look at it, the Earth is a lot more blue than it is, you know brown, the land mass. We’re making the oceans unsurvivable for a lot of the species right now. For a lot or reasons. It’s just a way to focus a little energy in that direction.”

He then revealed a bit more in the interview. “And there will be other planets as well, besides Pandora. It will be a cornucopia, a treat for the eyes,” he said. Read more HERE.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Noses

Say hello to my favorite site of the day, Teenage Mutant Ninja Noses a tumblr that manages to find “heroes in a half shell” on celebrity noses. Little did I know that the nose is actually the perfect shape for renderings of Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael.

Foogos, Pop Culture & Sports Team Logos Made From Food

Foogos are quite simply, logos made out of food. From the Oakland Athletics logo in mustard and relish to the Hellboy logo done up in chili and cheese, the anonymous artist behind Foogos enjoys making everything from sports teams to comic art logos out of food.

Classic Monster Mosaics

Stained glass pop artists, Mark Bloom and Maggie Rickard of Velvet Glass, handcrafted this series of Classic Monster Mosaics based on the horror films of the 1930s. Frankenstein, The Bride of Frankenstein, The Mummy, Dracula and The Wolfman are all beautifully represented in monochromatic black-and-white stained glass mosaics.

Each hand made mosaic measures 18″ x 22″ and costs $450.

Martin Ansin’s Artist Copies of The Mummy Poster On Sale Today

Martin Ansin will be releasing a few artist copies of his poster for The Mummy today Monday October 17th. It’s a 24″ x 36″ screenprint. The regulars will be $75, the variants will be $100, and the wood copies will be $200. Because of the VERY low numbers, an exact time will not be announced. These go on sale today at a random time in the early afternoon (Central Time). Follow HERE on twitter for the announcement.

iPhone 4S First Weekend Sales Top Four Million

Apple today announced it has sold over four million of its new iPhone 4S, just three days after its launch on October 14. In addition, more than 25 million customers are already using iOS 5, in the first five days of its release, and more than 20 million customers have signed up for iCloud, a breakthrough set of free cloud services that automatically and wirelessly store your content in iCloud and push it to all your devices.

“iPhone 4S is off to a great start with more than four million sold in its first weekend—the most ever for a phone and more than double the iPhone 4 launch during its first three days,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “iPhone 4S is a hit with customers around the world, and together with iOS 5 and iCloud, is the best iPhone ever.”

iPhone 4S’s new features include Apple’s dual-core A5 chip for fast performance and stunning graphics; an all new camera with advanced optics; full 1080p HD resolution video recording; and Siri, an intelligent assistant that helps you get things done just by asking.

Word as Image Book by Ji Lee

Word as Image ($14) is a new book by Ji Lee. Lee challenged himself to create images out of words, using only the letters in the word itself. The designer used only the graphic elements of the letters without adding outside elements.

This book showcases nearly 100 of Ji Lee’s head-scratching word images, along with tips to help you create your own and share them at www.wordasimage.com.

Where Do Monsters Come From?

Every Halloween, America is invaded by boogeymen, spooks, ghouls, and goblins. Yet when these creatures of the night turn back into ordinary little children and ask their parents where, exactly, werewolves came from, not too many moms and dads have the answer.

So for anyone curious about the origins of the ghastly creatures we fear and hate today, HERE’s where monsters come from.

Justice League Comics To Be Featured in Specialty Marked General Mills Cereal Boxes

DC Entertainment has announced an exclusive partnership with General Mills cereals. In specially marked boxes of various Big G cereals such as Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Golden Grahams, Honey Nut Cheerios, Lucky Charms and Trix, custom Justice League comic books will be made available.

DC is printing 12 million copies of the comic books. There are four books in the free-with-purchase cereal series, bearing titles like “Unstoppable Forces” and “Breakout!”

And in a “digital age” twist, the stories being told in each of the four comic books will be continued online on a microsite, or special Web site, biggcerealheroes.com.

The comic books inside the cereal boxes are smaller than the comic books sold in stores. The Big G editions are 5 inches by 7 inches, compared with a standard comic’s dimensions of 6 5/8 inches by 10 3/16 inches.

The custom comic books run 24 pages and carry no advertising except for a mention on Page 2 that they are “brought to you by Big G cereals.”

Free Audiobook Samples of Stephen King’s JFK Assassination Book

Alex Sharp from the Audio/eBooks section of suite101.com posted this information regarding free audiobook samples of Stephen King’s JFK Assassination book:

“Simon & Schuster Audio started a Stephen King 11/22/63 audiobook promotion. Stephen King fans can download free book excerpts. Readers can download seven audiobook samples from 11/22/63.”

King’s book goes back to November 22, 1963 when three shots rang out in Dallas and President Kennedy died, and the world changed forever. The novel asks the question, “If you had the chance to go back in time and change the course of history, would you?”

Would the consequences be worth it?

Excerpts of the upcoming book will be available on Stephen King’s website every Monday through Friday until October 24, 2011. (Source)

Puppet News Visits New York Comic Con

The Daily’s puppet news team paid a visit to New York Comic Con this weekend.

Monsters in the Movies Book

Celebrate a century of cinematic nightmares with John Landis! From cinema’s earliest days, being scared out of your wits has always been one of the best reasons for going to the movies. From B-movie bogeymen and outer space oddities to big-budget terrors, Monsters in the Movies ($40) by legendary filmmaker John Landis celebrates the greatest monsters ever to creep, fly, slither, stalk, or rampage across the Silver Screen. Landis also surveys the historical origins of archetypal monsters, such as vampires, zombies, and werewolves, and takes you behind the scenes to discover the secrets of the special-effects wizards who created all those monsters in the movies.

With help from his friends Christopher Lee, Joe Dante, David Cronenberg, Sam Raimi, Guillermo Del Toro, Ray Harryhausen, Rick Baker and John Carpenter, Monsters in the Movies is an extraordinary look at every monster on film from Hollywood’s most accomplished and influential monster makers themselves.

From the very first silent films to today’s blockbusters, the movies have continued to populate our nightmares with fantastic creatures of every shape and size. Each and every monster’s photograph is accompanied with the author’s own fascinating and entertaining insights into its meaning and creation. The book is filled with an astonishing variety of illustrations; movie posters, film stills and photographic portraits, with many startling and never-before-published images.

With chapters on everything from what defines a monster to makeup and special effects, as well as special photo essays on subjects from staking vampires to monsters carrying women, Monsters in the Movies takes a look at everything from A(pes) to Z(ombies). This highly collectible 320 page volume is the perfect book for any budding filmmaker or movie buff.

Marvel Announces Thor 2 Director & Release Date

Marvel Studios announced this week that Patty Jenkins will direct “Thor 2,” which will be released in theaters on Friday, November 15, 2013. Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman will return to star in the film along with Tom Hiddleston. Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige will produce the sequel to this summer’s blockbuster “Thor,” which has grossed over $448 million worldwide to date.

Patty Jenkins previously directed “Monster” starring Charlize Theron, who won an Academy Award for her performance in the film. Jenkins, who received an Emmy nomination for directing the pilot of AMC’s acclaimed series “The Killing,” has also directed episodes of “Entourage” and “Arrested Development.” Most recently, she directed “Pearl,” one of the five short films that comprise Lifetime’s original movie “Five.”

In addition to “Thor 2,” Marvel Studios is currently scheduled to release “Marvel’s The Avengers” on May 4, 2012, and “Iron Man 3″ which is slated for release on May 3, 2013.

The Art of Walt Disney: From Mickey Mouse to the Magic Kingdoms and Beyond

First published in 1973, The Art of Walt Disney ($85) is one of the most successful and influential illustrated art books on American popular culture ever published. This 504 page book was the first to reveal the wealth of concept art, animation drawings, and archival material created in the course of animating films. In this newly revised edition, author Christopher Finch has thoroughly reworked every chapter to incorporate the vast achievements of The Walt Disney Company in filmmaking, theater, and theme parks, from Walt’s day to the present, including all-new exciting chapters on Pixar Animation Studio and Walt Disney Animation along with extensive interviews with their chief creative officer, John Lasseter, and president, Ed Catmull. Offering hundreds of new images and unparalleled access to leading filmmakers and artists at The Walt Disney Company, The Art of Walt Disney will once again capture the imaginations of animation fans young and old.

Mondo Poster Fever: It’s No Mystery By Leonard Maltin

Respected film critic and animation historian Leonard Maltin discusses and praises Mondo Posters in this great article.

“Everyone seems to be catching Mondo fever. They were just written up in The New York Times and their work is being archived by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. It’s a long way from a t-shirt store to a world-class operation but that’s what they’ve become…and as a longtime poster collector and aficionado, I say “Bravo!””

I was lucky to be in attendance for Leonard’s introduction to Iron Giant at the Mondo Mystery Movie held at the New Beverly Theater last Saturday night and get this amazing Kevin Tong poster seen below.

Please follow Mondo on Twitter for future poster and event announcements.

Chan Hwee Chong’s Amazing Spiral Illustrations

To demonstrate their Artist Pens, Faber Castell had Singapore-based art director and designer Chan Hwee Chong create meticulous spiral recreations of three masterpieces: Girl With A Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer, Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci Mona Lisa and Portrait of the Artist by Vincent van Gogh using their pens.

IDW Partners with Father And Son Authors Stephen King & Joe Hill To Publish Road Rage Adaptation

IDW Publishing is proud to announce Road Rage, a new partnership with best-selling authors Stephen King and Joe Hill, to produce a comic-book adaptation of their co-written adventure tale, Throttle.

This monthly two-part series begins in February, and will be followed by two issues adapting the story that inspired Throttle, Richard Matheson’s classic tale of suspense, Duel, beginning in April.

“Throttle is a story that really begs for a visual adaptation: it’s got bikes and badasses and lots of expensive rolling iron blowing up and getting smashed,” said Hill. “Who doesn’t get off on that? I can’t wait to see IDW get behind the wheel and take the thing out for a spin.”

Throttle, the first collaboration between father-and-son King and Hill, was not only inspired by Matheson’s Duel, it also only appeared in print in a limited-edition anthology honoring Matheson’s works, He is Legend. Throttle and Duel were subsequently released as an audiobook called Road Rage, which is the banner title the comics will also carry.

Throttle tells the story of a motorcycle gang pursued by an unseen assailant in a big rig, but as might be expected knowing the talent involved, things aren’t exactly as they seem.

“Working with the great Joe Hill (I can say that because he’s my kid) on such a kick-ass story was a terrific treat, and this version takes it to whole new level,” said King. “Rev up and climb on!”

Adapting the story alongside Hill and King is Chris Ryall, IDW’s Chief Creative Officer and the editor of Hill’s New York Times best-selling graphic novel series, Locke & Key. Handling art duties is Nelson Daniel, whose own collaboration with Hill and artist Zach Howard, The Cape, was nominated for a 2011 Eisner Award. Daniel will handle full art and colors, and provide a cover. Acclaimed artist Phil Noto will also provide covers for the two-part series. Ryall, who received a 2006 Eisner nomination for his and Ashley Wood’s adaptation of Matheson’s “Blood Son,” will also adapt Duel, with artist Rafa Garres for that two-part series. As a special bonus on the King/Hill story, artist Tony Harris will paint two incentive covers that show the authors themselves on a motorcycle road-trip.

“Like Joe and Steve, Richard Matheson’s Duel had a huge impact on me as a kid,” said Ryall. “And so did the works of Stephen King. Add to that mix the chance to continue working with Hill and Daniel, two of the very best creators of my generation, and you’ve got the makings of a project that’s very special to me. And as long as I don’t screw up my part, it’ll hopefully be as special for all their fans when it comes out. Otherwise, you know who to blame…”

Road Rage: Throttle will be released in February and March, with Road Rage: Duel to follow in April and May.

The Muppets Final Trailer

Here is the final movie trailer for James Bobin’s upcoming Jason Segel/Nicholas Stoller-penned Muppets movie.

The film, which stars, Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, Rashida Jones, a whole bunch of guest stars, and, of course, the Muppets, is set for wide release November 23.

Poster for Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace 3D

Lucasfilm has debuted the poster for the 3D rerelease of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, opening in theaters on February 10, 2012. They also revealed that the trailer will hit theaters next week with The Three Musketeers on October 21st.

Stephen King’s Bag of Bones Coming To A&E On December 11th & 12th

This post is for my brother George who has been asking me for years when the Bag of Bones movie will see the light of day

A&E Network presents “Stephen King’s Bag of Bones,” a four-hour epic miniseries based on The New York Times #1 bestselling novel, and featuring Pierce Brosnan’s return to television. The two-night event from Sony Pictures Television premieres on Sunday, December 11 and concludes on Monday, December 12, airing at 9PM ET/PT on both nights.

“Bag of Bones” is a ghost story of grief and lost love’s enduring bonds, about an innocent child caught in a terrible crossfire and a new love haunted by past secrets. Melissa George (“In Treatment”), Annabeth Gish (“Brotherhood”), Anika Noni Rose (Dreamgirls), William Schallert (“The Patty Duke Show”), Jason Priestley (“Beverly Hills, 90210”) and Caitlin Carmichael (“True Blood”) also star.

In “Bag of Bones,” bestselling novelist Mike Noonan (Brosnan) is unable to stop grieving after the sudden death of his wife Jo (Gish). Suffering from writer’s block, a dream inspires him to return to the couple’s lakeside retreat in western Maine. While there, Mike befriends an attractive young widow, Mattie (George) and her daughter Kyra (Carmichael), and becomes involved in a custody battle with the child’s enormously wealthy grandfather, Max (Schallert). Though his ability to write suddenly returns, Mike is plagued by ever-escalating nightmares and mysterious ghostly visitations from Sara Tidwell (Rose), a blues singer whose spirit lingers in the house. As he is haunted by the many secrets at the lake, Mike comes to realize that his late wife still has something to tell him.

Check out the Behind-the-Scenes Preview Video HERE.

Check out BewareTheLake.com

Die Hard 5 – A Good Day to Die Hard Due On February 14, 2013

The fifth entry in the Die Hard franchise officially has a title and a release date, with 20th Century Fox revealing that the film will be called A Good Day to Die Hard and will hit theaters on February 14, 2013.

The film, drafted by Skip Woods (The A-Team, X-Men Origins: Wolverine) will be directed by John Moore (Max Payne) and is officially described as follows:

Since the first Die Hard in 1988, John McClane has found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, with the skills and attitude to always be the last man standing, making him enemy #1 for terrorists the world over. Now, McClane faces his greatest challenge ever, this time on an international stage, when his estranged son Jack is caught up in the daring prison escape of a rogue Russian leader, and father and son McClane must work together to keep each other alive and keep the world safe for democracy.

The film is expected to begin production in January of 2012, filming on-location in Russia.

New Banners for Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Here are two new character banners for Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, opening in theaters on December 16.

Directed by Guy Ritchie, the mystery action adventure stars Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Jared Harris, Eddie Marsan, Stephen Fry and Rachel McAdams.

Sherlock Holmes (Downey Jr.) has always been the smartest man in the room… until now. There is a new criminal mastermind at large—Professor Moriarty (Harris)—and not only is he Holmes’ intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil, coupled with a complete lack of conscience, may actually give him an advantage over the renowned detective. When the Crown Prince of Austria is found dead, the evidence, as construed by Inspector Lestrade (Marsan), points to suicide. But Sherlock Holmes deduces that the prince has been the victim of murder—a murder that is only one piece of a larger and much more portentous puzzle, designed by Professor Moriarty. The cunning Moriarty is always one step ahead of Holmes as he spins a web of death and destruction—all part of a greater plan that, if he succeeds, will change the course of history.