Your Morning Linc: Muse at MSG, Star Trek Into Darkness Trailer, Iron Man 3 Clip, Jamie Foxx as Electro

Good morning! As I was beginning to write this post I received an e-mail from Titan Magazines, publishers of the Star Wars Insider (to which I have been a subscriber since Issue #37 in 1999). Apparently, thanks to my participation in a survey a month or so ago, I've won a whole bunch of books and an action figure! Thanks, Insider!

My own copy was signed by Ian McDiarmid himself!

Well, that was a great way to start the day! And now onto the news!

1. Muse at Madison Square Garden

Speaking of being extremely lucky, I was fortunate enough to go with a few friends last night to see the British alt-rock  band Muse at Madison Square Garden. I've been a fan of theirs for a while now, and really love their style of music. This tour, for their newest album The 2nd Law, was a feast for the eyes, ears, and soul. Imagine a giant ziggurat descending from the sky, changing shape and color, and syncing up with phenomenal music. That was this concert! Singer Matt Bellamy, drummer Dominic Howard, and bassist Christopher Wolstenholme were in rare form...or not so rare, as Muse puts on fantastic shows on a regular basis. New songs like "Madness" and "Supremacy" were great to see live, and classics like "Knights of Cydonia", "Plug-In Baby" ,"Hysteria", "Resistance", and others got the crowd jumping and singing like nothing else. Visually stunning, audibly incredible, and performed with such passion and love for the fans, Muse's The 2nd Law Tour cannot and should not be missed! Check out some pictures below:

Hat tip to opening act Biffy Clyro who were actually pretty good.

2. Star Trek Into Darkness Trailer: Sherlock's Gone Bad

The latest trailer for Star Trek: Into Darkenss is out and it...is...awesome. Now I'm not normally a fan of the Trek, but J.J. Abrams has done such a masterful job with the series it's hard not to appreciate it. While we still don't know who Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch is playing (rumors are it's a certain name worth shouting angrily), he certainly is at his most villainous in this movie. Check out the trailer below, and watch for around the 1:13 mark for a serious "holy crap!" moment:

 

3. Iron Man 3 Clip at MTV Movie Awards

And while we're talking trailers, let's take a look an exclusive clip of Iron Man 3 that was shown at this year's MTV Movie Awards. Nothing to say but it looks like Tony is in a biiiit of a pickle:

Get More: 2013 MTV Movie Awards, Latest Movie News, Robert Downey, Jr.

4. Jamie Foxx: Electro Unchained

And rounding out the news, take a look at the first pictures of Jaime Foxx as Electro in The Amazing Spider-Man 2:

And, for comparison, Electro in the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon:

And that's it for now! Hope you continue to have a great day!

- Joe

Your Morning Linc: Disney To Shut Down LucasArts? Plus, I Join A Podcast and Discover A New Fandom

Good morning one and all! Got some late breaking news last night that needs to be shared:

1. Disney To Shut Down LucasArts?

In the wake of the cancellation of the Clone Wars and the disbanding of the Lucasfilm Animation team, rumors are quickly spreading that the next division on the chopping block is none other than LucasArts. Games Industry International is reporting that hiring has been frozen and the slate of games has been reduced solely to Star Wars 1313, though the fate of that game (like that of the rumored First Assault) is in question.

"Legend says they dropped The Clone Wars team down there..."

LucasArts brought in $150 million in revenue (with operating income of $90 million) in 2012 due to titles such The Old Republic MMORPG and Lego Star Wars III and division heads have adamantly denied the claim. But an ex-employee has been quoted as stating that the company suffers from "no stomach for a truly original product and a slender means to produce their previous cash cows - Indy and Star Wars".

More on this as it develops. I remind everyone to be patient and wait for official confirmation of anything before storming the castles at the Disney theme parks.

2. The Missing Linc On the Positively Nerdy Podcast Panel

A podcast 2 + Years in the Making

So someone thought it was a good idea to let me speak on a podcast. Last night I was invited by my friend Ryan Porter onto his podcast, Positively Nerdy, to discuss a very interesting topic: At what point does Anakin Skywalker become Darth Vader? Joining me was Star Wars artist Joe Hogan and Hughes the Force producer Ruark Dreher. Joe and I met both Ruark and Ryan at Celebration V in Orlando way back in 2010. Being able to debate about Anakin's turn to the dark side felt like we were back at Miller's Ale House on International Drive. When the podcast is released you can bet that I will post it here. I'm looking forward to many more Star Wars chats to come!

3. The BBC Might Just Control My Life: I Finally Discover Sherlock

Well, it was inevitable. Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat and writer Mark Gatiss teamed up in 2010 to give their take on the famous resident of 221B Baker Street. The result was Sherlock, and it is marvelous.

Much like Holmes' fashion sense.

Benedict Cumberbatch (possibly the most British name ever?) does a phenomenal job playing the great detective. He can rattle off deductions with impressive speed and keeps the character mysterious and intriguing. He is, as always, supported by his friend Dr. John Watson played by Martin Freeman, a former army doctor who does his best to keep up with Holmes and remind him to be human every so often.

And not a dwarf song to be heard.

The interplay between the two is great, as one definitely relies on the other throughout the series. Supporting characters such as Holmes' brother Mycroft (Gatiss), who is a high-ranking intelligence official, the doting landlady Mrs. Hudson (Linda Jean), the masterfully played Moriarty (Andrew Scott), and the seductive Irene Adler (Lara Pulver) quickly become favorites as well.

On Netflix, each episode is about an hour and half long (three episodes per season, so far), but they fly by. Holmes uses modern day technology to unravel the clues, sometimes even sending Watson off to a crime scene only to Skype back the details. And a really cool part of the show is watching Holmes deduce something from seemingly mundane pieces of information. Words and symbols literally appear to the viewer and you can begin to see the inner-workings of the mind of a genius like Sherlock. Check out the trailer for Season 1 below (with Muse's "Uprising" playing in the background!)

The show is definitely worth a look for anyone who enjoys mystery and suspense with some great characters and humor thrown in. 

Update: Benedict Cumberbatch also did the voice and motion capture for Smaug and the Necromancer in his pal Martin Freeman's movie The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and will reprise both roles in the sequel. He will also portray John Harrison, the main antagonist in Star Trek: Into Darkness

Enjoy the rest of your day, guys!

-Joe