So says director Joe Johnston to SCI FI Wire:

"We need to cast it soon," Johnston said. "We have a very short list, but we're still juggling actors here. I'd say within the next couple of weeks we'll have ourselves a Captain America, I hope."

(Shooting begins at the end of June for release on July 22, 2011.)

They need to cast someone who's entirely believable as a leader of men. And they need to cast someone whose screen presence can match that of our Iron Man, Robert Downey, Jr., when the Avengers movie eventually happens.

Mr. Johnston's newest film, The Wolfman, opens February 12. For a list of his very impressive film credits, click here.

My reviews of the January issues of the three monthly Batman titles I do for Bill "Jett" Ramey, the hardest working Batman fan on this or any other planet:

Review: Detective Comics #861

Review: Gotham City Sirens #8

Review: Streets of Gotham #8

I'm sort of in love with Batwoman.

An owl on my car.

In my building's parking lot.

On busy Bardstown.

Let's see how many years it is before I do another of these.

Alexander Nevsky — the actor, author, producer, and bodybuilder with whom my writing partner Kevin Rice and I are scripting what's going to be one hell of a Hercules movie — is beginning his 2010 as busy as always.

Yesterday he began rehearsals for his upcoming stint on the Russian version of Dancing with the Stars, and he's been in Russia for months doing publicity for his own reality show and his best-selling book on women's fitness.

Here's video of Alexander talking about his book on Good Morning Russia, and you can read articles (with photos) about his book tour here, here, and here.

He also recently filmed a role as a Russian journalist in the upcoming film Somewhere by director Sofia Coppola (The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation).

Alexander will be back in the United States in a couple of weeks to attend the Golden Globes, and we just have might have some Hercules news to report.

Stay tuned!

I knew that my lovely and talented cousin Alissa Nutting's debut collection of short stories, Unclean Jobs for Women and Girls, was on its way from Starcherone Books this year.

I can't wait.

What I seem to have regrettably missed, however, is that Starcherone featured Alissa not once but twice on its blog in August.

Click here and here to read all about the brilliant work she's got in the oven.

I'm so proud of you, Alissa! You've been a great friend and confidante (who listens and gives great advice over Mexican food), and I can't wait to see your wicked wits and ways with words splashed across printed pages.

I'll post more details about Unclean Jobs for Women and Girls, including its release date, as soon as I've got them.

And I'm sure I can arrange an interview with the author when the time comes.

In the early minutes of 2009, I said to myself, with great humility and terrible exhaustion, "At least this year won't be as awful as 2008."

The universe heard me and apparently mistook my quiet little plea for some kind of brazen challenge or dare, because 2009 began badly and progressively found new and increasingly inventive means of dishing out cruelty. I'm glad it's over, and I'm glad it's gone.

So, 2010, I'm the one who's challenging you to be better. I'll certainly be doing my part. Can you rise to the challenge?

Hopefully I'll have some Hercules news I can share with you in the near future — it's going to be awesome. My writing partner Kevin Rice and I are working on some other things, too, that I can't tell you about until I can. But it's all good stuff.

Sometime this week I'll try to do Top 10 lists for the music and movies of 2009. Or maybe not. I don't know. One of my resolutions for 2010 is to spend less time in front of a computer, and if the ghost town this blog became in 2009 is any indication, it shouldn't be that difficult a goal to accomplish.

Bad things (and people) that happened in the last two years aside, the good people in my life continue to remind me constantly that we've all got a lot to be thankful for.

In fact, let's listen to our good friend Glen Phillips sing a song about it.

Here's to your amazing 2010, and to mine.

Onward and upward!

I'd once again like to thank Bill "Jett" Ramey, the hardest working Batman fan on the planet, for giving me the gig of reviewing three of DC's monthly Batman titles for his website, Batman on Film.

Here are my December reviews for the three titles I'm assigned:

Review: Detective Comics #860

Review: Gotham City Sirens #7

Review: Streets of Gotham #7

I think Detective is the best comic book on the market today, and that Batwoman is currently the most interesting (and most certainly hottest) character out there. Check it out!

Gaaaaaaaah.

Every day I think of 11 things I'd like to write about on here, but I'm so busy writing things everywhere else that I never get around to it, which makes me even sadder that what I'm finally writing about is this.

Brittany Murphy died today at the age of 32. She was beautiful and wonderful, with a smile as engaging and as mesmerizing as her talent. I haven't seen nearly everything she was in, but I loved her in everything I did.

And I always thought she'd have made an amazing Harley Quinn in a Batman movie.

As much as I enjoyed seeing her on film, my favorite performance was one that came from behind the camera. No matter how busy the rest of her career became, she always made time to record her lines as the voice of Hank's sweet, endearingly naive niece, Luanne Platter, on King of the Hill.

She was truly something special, and that's forever.

Links here:

Review: Detective Comics #859

Review: Gotham City Sirens #6

Review: Streets of Gotham #6

More stuff coming soon!

Along with the usual disclaimer: I wish I had more time to write things here, but I'm writing more than I've ever written in my life, and as always, I'll talk about those things when I'm able to. Things are good.

In the meantime, here's my latest round of Batman comic book reviews written for my friend and fellow Batman fan, Bill "Jett" Ramey, who remains the hardest working Batman fan on the planet.

Review: Detective Comics #858

Review: Gotham City Sirens #5

Review: Streets of Gotham #5

Hey! DC Comics! Bring back Bruce Wayne as Batman!