Justice League On Film

LYNDA CARTER GETS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

SOURCE: Lab Business Week
DATE: November 9, 2008
The National Museum of Women in the Arts will present a Lifetime Achievement Award to Lynda Carter Friday, November 7 at NMWA's Annual Fall Benefit. At the event, Lynda will perform a variety of pop and Broadway hits from her current Cabaret show.
   Before winning our hearts as Wonder Woman in the television series, Lynda was an accomplished singer performing in Las Vegas and clubs around the country. After the series ended, Lynda had the distinction of starring in five of her own network television specials, several of which were Emmy-nominated. She has performed onstage with many of the world's most popular singers, including Tom Jones, Kenny Rogers, Ray Charles and Ben Vereen.
   Lynda Carter made her professional singing debut at 14 in Tempe, Arizona. She studied classical dance for seven years at the School Ballet of Phoenix. She also studied piano, and had her dramatic training with Laura Zucker, Stella Adler, Charles Conrad, Milton Katselas, Lieux Dressler, and Greta and Sandra Seacat. In 1973, she won the Miss World-U.S.A. title and shortly thereafter outdistanced hundreds of other actresses for the part of "Wonder Woman."
   The iconic Wonder Woman character has been featured in contemporary art works such as Dara Birnbaum's 1978-79 video, Technology, Transformation: Wonder Woman. Birnbaum's work was part of the landmark exhibition WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution, which was on view at NMWA in fall 2008.
   The 2008 NMWA Annual Fall Benefit celebrates the 10th anniversary of its Shenson Chamber Music Series. A portion of proceeds from the benefit goes to fund the series, which offers concerts featuring emerging and established composers and musicians from around the world.

MEGAN GALE VS. MEGAN FOX AS WONDER WOMAN?

SOURCE: The Daily Telegraph (Syndey Confidential)
DATE: November 7, 2008
AUTHOR: Holly Byrnes & Joel Christie
Megan Gale might want to keep the whip at the ready after fighting off an online challenge by comic geeks to lasso Transformers femme Megan Fox into her role as Wonder Woman.
   Warner Bros, the US studio behind the stalled production of Justice League of America, in which Gale is signed to star, has been forced to deny web reports and a convincing poster campaign which features Fox as the lycra-clad super-heroine.
   Fox, rated as one of the sexiest women in the world, was mocked up in the movie-style trailer which teased fans this week with political-type slogans, including ``it's time for a new `W''' and an Obama-esque ``A real change is coming''.
   But the rumor on Wonder-Who.com has been exposed as a fake produced by comic fans attempting to force studio executives to cast Fox over Gale.
   The campaign was deemed credible in movie gossip circles, given the trailer featured the company logos of Warner Bros, Legendary Pictures and DC Comics -- all with links to the Wonder Woman story.
   However, London's The Guardian newspaper exposed the fan fraud in a blog entitled: ``The week in geek.''
   Confidential yesterday sought Gale's comment over the cyber push to unseat her from her Wonder Woman role, but her publicist said her Justice League contract with Warner Bros prevented her from speaking on the controversy.
   “Megan has an agreement with Warner Bros that she cannot comment on details of film projects that she's been linked with and she has to respect that request,'' her publicist said.
   The movie's Australian director George Miller did not return calls, but has previously backed Gale as his first choose to debut as the alter ego of character Diana Prince.
   “She got the job because she blitzed her screen test. I had no idea she was so good. She was brilliant,'' Miller told Confidential in August.
   “Once she read we all looked around at each other and said, `Well, there's no question.''' The success of Batman movie The Dark Knight and issues over local film subsidies have contributed to the Justice League project being put on hold.
   While Warner Bros is still committed to making the all-superhero movie, Gale revealed last month it had to be put back.
   “Batman [the central character in The Dark Knight] is part of the Justice League and so there are a lot of other things that have to be taken into consideration before they shoot,'' she said.
   Gale, the brand ambassador for David Jones, is also planning to firm up her contacts with studio executives and directors with another trip to Los Angeles this year.

BULLETS & BRACELETS

Hello everyone, it's Raffy with some updates to share right here on voicesfromkrypton.com regarding the First Lady of Superheroines, Wonder Woman.  First off- The Wonder Woman Movie !!
   By now, I'm sure many of us have read that the Justice League live action movie is off and that Warner Brothers is now planning to take a similar route as Marvel Studios when it comes to producing Superhero movies.   So George Miller is off Justice League and Australian model turned actress Megan Gale will not be playing Wonder Woman after all. Over on darkhorizons.com (http://www.darkhorizons.com/news08/080910r.php), there's news that producer Leonard Goldberg, who is working alongside Joel Silver. is waiting for a new script they can use for Wonder Woman: The Movie.  Goldberg describes himself as being "old school" and that he wants to get a completed new script first that can be presented to directors and see who among them has a take on it that blows then away.
   The Wachowski brothers, who thought they might have an idea on how to do Wonder Woman ,ended up working on other projects and never followed through.  Joel Silver bought a spec script from Matthew Jennison and Matt Strickland, whose setting was World War 2, decided to hire these same two writers to write a new script set in the present and featuring the origin of Wonder Woman.   But Goldberg said unlike the spec script, they are not going to use the same plot for the rewritten version (that Steve Trevor crashes on the island and Diana saves him from being executed by the Amazons), but will use a plot we have seen (with the Origin intact).  They plan to cast an unknown as Wonder Woman, firmly believing it’s the character and not a particular actress that will draw in the public. When all of this is supposed to happen is anyone’s guess, but maybe there’s some solace in the fact that we have the Wonder Woman Animated Movie to look forward to.
Coming in February of 2009 is that highly anticipated DC Universe direct to DVD Wonder Woman animated movie  starring the voices of Kerri Russell as Wonder Woman, Nathan Fillion as Steve Trevor, Virginia Madsen as Queen Hippolyte, Rosario Dawson as Artemis and Alfred Molina as Ares, the Olympian god of war.  The feature will present for the first time a full length version of the origin of Wonder Woman, exploring the attraction between Diana and Steve Trevor, the Tournament of the Amazons and legions of Ares’ creatures pitted against amazing Amazons.  Lauren Montgomery  (Superman: Doomsday) directs this movie and even designed the new look of the characters.  The story is by fan Favorite and award-winning writer Gail Simone (comic scribe of Birds of Prey and Wonder Woman) and features a script by Michael Jelenic (Legion of Superheroes, The Batman) and is Executive produced by Animation legend Bruce Timm. The movie will be available in both DVD and Blue Ray formats. (source: wonderwomanmovie.com)
   Lastly, in about two months, the great six-part story arc saga “Whom Gods Forsake” will begin with Wonder Woman # 26, featuring part one, “Rise of the Olympian”.  Written by Gail Simone, the saga will finally answer many of the questions that have come up in the past few months such as where the Amazons have disappeared to, who is the so-called “Male Wonder Woman” and why the Olympian gods have chosen a new champion.  We will also see the ramifications of Diana’s new allegiance to Polynesian god, Kane Milohai, and the problems this cause between Diana and her original Olympian patrons as well as the continuing courtship between Tom Tresser (a.k.a. Nemesis) and Diana herself.  The entire six part arc will be illustrated by Aaron Lopresti, whose breathtaking art clearly fits the overall theme of this series.
   Yes, indeed, it’s great to be a Wonder Woman fan these days.  Action figures, animation, film, comics and other merchandise abound.  So that’s all for now folks.  Feel free to comment  or ask other Wonder Woman related questions right here on voicesfromkrypton.com

Raffy Arcega
Phoenixmarvel2002.tripod.com

BULLETS & BRACELETS

by Raffy Arcega
Wonderfans have so much to be happy about nowadays.
   Not only do we have an amazing writer on the Wonder Woman comic book series, but we have one who has proven herself to be one of the most enthusiastic, most exciting writers ever to handle this assignment.
   I’m talking about the one and only Ms. Gail Simone !
    Our Wonder Woman journey with Gail began with the story arc called “The Circle” (WW Vol. 3, Issue #14), which provides as aspect to Diana’s origin that we never knew before — that Hippolyte once had a royal guard comprised of excessively fanatical Amazons intent on trying to kill the infant Princess Diana on the eve of her birth. To make matters worse, there is a conspiracy within the Secret Society of Super-Villains to not only destroy Diana, but take control of Paradise Island as well by utilizing an old Captain Marvel villain — Captain Nazi and his army of superhumanly enhanced Neo Nazi Storm Troopers. Just awesome! Nazis are always the best villains and this aspect of the story pays homage to Diana’s Golden Age stories.
   Fans have always said that to showcase Diana's prestige as Wonder Woman, she needs to have Super-Villains and stories that are worthy of her mettle. And any challenge a hero can win despite overwhelming odds makes her a Wonder Woman indeed.
   From the inception of the current series, the notion of a non-superpowered Diana Prince was brought back into the mix as a means of providing some vulnerability for Wonder Woman. This element was no doubt inspired by the Lynda Carter WW TV series where “in the persona of Diana Prince…she is vulnerable.” But the current comics version under Gail Simone did the TV show one better — as Diana Prince she continues to have her martial arts skills and remains an excellent hand-to-hand combatant. In one scene of this story arc, we see Agent Prince pinned to the wall by the Metahuman, Captain Nazi. Refusing to allow herself to be beaten, she uses the element of surprise and Judo throws Captain Nazi while launching a smoke bomb that cleverly hides her long enough to transform into Wonder Woman (ala Lynda Carter, of course). 
   Why does this scene work? Because it demonstrates that with or without powers, Diana of Themyscira is a genuine Wonder Woman and this particular vulnerability prevents her from being too Kryptonian-like. Admittedly when this element (the result of a curse from the witch Circe) was introduced, it seemed underwhelming, but Gail made it work from the start and continues to do so.
   The story arc also explores the professional life of Diana Prince, Special Agent for the Department of Metahuman Affairs, where she works under the command of Sarge Steel and an old friend, Etta Candy. Also introduced are a group of Albino Super-Gorillas from Gorilla City, who begin as Diana’s foes, but through her nobility, bravery and compassion have become unlikely allies (some going so far as to live on Paradise Island as Queen Hippolyte’s protectors). As a result, we’re provided a double-dose of superheroic action without sacrificing characterization or the character’s overall direction.
   Speaking of direction, the coming months will explore what happened to the Amazons, where the Olympian Gods went, the ramifications of Diana’s allegiance to Polynesian god Kane Milohai, the courtship of Tom Tresser, an exploration for the Black Horizon and the reasons that Diana must ally herself with Beowulf and Claw the Unconquered. Additionally, we’ll learn why the magic lasso is one of the deadliest weapons, the location of her invisible jet, why the Secret Society is collecting soil samples from locations around the world where genocide was committed and, most importantly, the identity of Genocide.
   Without spoiling too much for those who haven’t read Wonder Woman under Gail Simone’s run, this series can’t be recommended highly enough. If your association with the character is purely based on the live action series or such animated fare as Superfriends or Justice League Unlimited, you’re going to be pleasantly surprised.
   It all began with Wonder Woman (third series) Issue #14 to the present Issue #23 and beyond. The series is written by Gail Simone and illustrated by fan favorites Terry Dodson and Aaron Lopresti. For brief descriptions of the Black Horizon story arc, visit
http://phoenixmarvel2002.tripod.com
   Thanks for listening Wonderfriends.