The Slug

Happy Halloween from The Slug!

(AP Photo)

It's the day we've been excited about and/or dreading for months! Today is both Halloween and the death of our pimp: asap, The Associated Press' premium multimedia news service. Celebrate this bizarre day with this YouTube link to Tim Curry's performance from "The Worst Witch." For those of us privileged enough to have had HBO back in the 1980s, you can't deny you squealed fervently every time this came on.

Loose Ends

(AP Photo)

Look out! asap's endingstravaganza has begun! The Associated Press' premium multimedia news service is nearing its final hour with content all about conclusions. Online now, you can find a list of great literary outcomes, a story about the death of indie rock, an essay discussing the end of a meal and videos about the finales of wars and movies. Stay tuned. Later today, The Slug will reveal our favoritest TV finales.

"Star Trek" Shows Its Bones

(AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)

The Enterprise is ready to engage. With the official announcement that Chris Pine will indeed play Kirk and that Karl Urban from "The Lord of the Rings" films has been cast as Dr. "Bones" McCoy, that means all the roles of the starship's senior officers have been filled. Honestly, we don't have a problem with any of director J.J. Abrams' hot young not-too-too-famous choices. We can't wait to see them in uniform— and find out what this big-screen reboot's secret plot is all about.

 

Real Estate for Sale in Middle-Earth

(AP Photo/HO/Turbine)

You'll soon be able to own your own virtual home in Middle-earth. That's because "Lord of the Rings Online" is introducing player housing on Oct. 24. The homes will cost up to 20 gold pieces. The interiors can be customized and decked out with hundreds of items. Dwarves will dwell in Ered Luin. Men will maintain residences in Bree-land.  Elves will exist in The Tower Falls. And hobbits will hang in The Shire. How precious! 

"Sex and the" Spoilers

(AP Photos/Darla Khazei)

It's not a good time to live in New York. That's because the much ballyhooed "Sex and the City" movie is currently shooting in the Big Apple — and it's tough to avoid being spoiled from certain plot points when Carrie Bradshaw is running around the street in a wedding gown. Gasp! Is she really gonna marry Mr. Big? Why is she attacking him with her bouquet? What's that bird on her head? Questions! Questions!

Maybe the filmmakers are just shooting a fake scene to deceive nosy bystanders? Maybe it's just a dream sequence? (Yeah, right. Since when did "Sex and the City" ever do dream sequences?) We're just not that into being spoiled. However, if you're not like us and wanna know every Cosmo-soaked morsel, strut your Manolos over to this blog entirely devoted to the film.

Meet (Most of) the New "Star Trek" Crew

(AP Photo/Reed Saxon/Matt Sayles/Jason DeCrow/Carolyn Kaster/Ahn Young-joon)

Spock. Chekov. Uhura. Scotty Sulu. The bridge of J.J. Abram's Enterprise is almost full. According to Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, Simon Pegg from "Hot Fuzz" and John Cho from "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle" have joined the new "Star Trek" film as Scotty and Sulu, respectively. Previously, Eric Bana was announced as the film's villain, Nero. And blue-eyed Chris Pine is reportedly in talks for the role of Kirk. According to The Hollywood Reporter, "The lead roles remaining to be cast are Christopher Pike, Kirk's predecessor, and Kirk's parents." Hey, what about Dr. McCoy!?

Favoritest Photo of the Week: Hands On

(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

The Slug doesn't care whether Jake Gyllenhaal and Reese Witherspoon are, aren't or were ever a special item. However, we did think this candid image of a bearded Gyllenhaal getting touchy on the "Rendition" premiere red carpet was cute enough to proclaim our Favoritest Photo of the Week. Grab the original caption:

Actor Jake Gyllenhaal, left, moves the camera away from photographer Steve Granitz to see who was yelling "It's me" at the premiere of "Rendition" in Beverly Hills, Calif., Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2007. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

"Kane & Lynch: Dead Men" at Work

(AP Photo/HO/Eidos)

Already finished "Halo 3" and ready to move on to another first-person shooter? Well, The Slug recommends "Kane & Lynch: Dead Men," which comes out Nov. 20 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows PC. Earlier today, game publisher Eidos gave us a firsthand sneak peak at the game's violent action, inspired by the likes of "Heat" and "Pulp Fiction." We like that "Kane & Lynch" feels more like an interactive movie than a sprawling game. And we're sorta sick of battling aliens and German forces, so bring on the hasty hoodlums and contemporary coppers!

Favoritest Photo of the Week: Elite Squad

(AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

Our Favoritest Photo of the Week comes to us from Rio de Janeiro where movie posters are apparently gigantic. We love the proportions in this image — OK, OK — and the woman just strolling by in her bikini. The controversial movie advertised here is about the shady workings of Rio's Special Operations Police Battalion. It's caused quite a stir in Brazil. Here's the original caption:

A woman walks past a billboard advertising the film Elite Squad at the Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Thursday, Sept. 20, 2007. Elite Squad, a feature film about the shady workings of Rio's Special Operations Police Battalion, wasn't supposed to be released until Thursday, but pirated copies illegally leaked before the premier proved so controversial that police tried to keep the film out of theaters. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

One Way to Celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day

(AP Photo/HO/Disney)

It's Sept. 19. Happy Speechify Like a Freebooter Day! If you're unsure o' how ter actually speak like a buccaneer, check o' this nifty "Pirates o' th' Caribbean Online" buccaneer translator. Arrr! All here this blog post was run through the translator. That's probably why ye weren't able ter savvy any o' it, ye mute frog-lickin' scallywag. Yes, it e'en translates ill language.