'Superman' actress Margot Kidder dies in her sleep at 69

LOS ANGELES - Actress Margot Kidder, best known for playing Lois Lane in the "Superman" films in the 1970s and 1980s, has died at the age of 69, triggering affectionate tributes from Hollywood.

Kidder's manager Camilla Fluxman Pines said the actress died peacefully in her sleep on Sunday at her home in Livingston, Montana. The cause of death was not given.

Canadian-born Kidder appeared in more than 70 movies and TV shows, including "The Great Waldo Pepper," "The Amityville Horror" and the 2014 children's TV series "R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour," for which she won an Emmy award.

Kidder began her acting career in her 20s and shot to international fame playing the intrepid reporter Lois Lane in 1978's "Superman," opposite Christopher Reeve, and in three sequels.

"Thank you for being the Lois Lane so many of us grew up with," DC Comics, the home of the "Superman" franchise, said on its Twitter account.

"Star Wars" actor Mark Hamill tweeted "on-screen she was magic. Off-screen she was one of the kindest, sweetest, most caring woman I've ever known."

Reeve died in 2004 from complications from a spinal cord injury in 1995. The Reeve Foundation, which funds research into such injuries, said it was saddened by Kidder's death, adding, "Fly high, our friend, shine bright."

Kidder was unable to work for two years after a serious car crash in 1990, and eventually became bankrupt. Six years later, she suffered a mental health breakdown and in a highly publicized episode she disappeared for four days and spent time as a homeless person. She was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

After her breakdown, acting work dried up for several years, but Kidder later re-emerged with a guest starring role in TV shows like "Smallville" and "The L Word" and on stage including a 2002 Broadway production of "The Vagina Monologues."

She also was a prominent political activist, campaigning against the Gulf War, energy fracking and in support of Democrat Bernie Sanders in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Kidder became an American citizen in 2005.

She was married three times, including a six-day union in 1979 with actor John Heard. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Superman confronts a new villain: white supremacists

WASHINGTON - No longer are planet-destroying extra-terrestrials or billionaire evil geniuses the villains: Superman, the DC Comics superhero, has a new mission protecting hard-working immigrants from white supremacist bullies.

In the latest edition of the "Action Comics" series, which has published Superman's adventures since 1938, the "Man of Steel" intervenes to stop an out-of-work factory worker as he is about to kill some immigrants.

Wearing a blue work shirt and red-white-and-blue bandana, the moustachioed cartoon villain embodies all the cliches of the poor blue-collar American.

Gun in hand, he threatens veiled women and rails at Hispanic workers, accusing them of stealing his job.

"You work cheap, don't speak English so you can't talk back or even ask for a penny more. You cost me my job! My livelihood! For that… you pay!" he says, as he opens fire.

Just then Superman steps in, bullets bouncing off his chest, to save the day.

"The only person responsible for the blackness smothering your soul is you," Superman tells the white supremacist.

The passage echoes the recent violent protests by American rightwing extremists.

In August, a 32-year-old woman was run over and killed by a Nazi sympathizer after a violent "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

In 2015, Dylann Roof, a white supremacist, shot and killed nine black worshipers at a Charleston, South Carolina church.

American comic books have often taken on social issues, finding up-to-the-minute material in contemporary public conflicts and debates.

Marvel Comics, for instance, launched a new version of Spider-Man in 2011, making him half-black, half-Hispanic.

In 2016, DC Comics published a seven issue mini-series called "Superman: American Alien."

In it, Kal-El (Superman's real name) struggles to reconcile his extra-terrestrial origins with his new life on Earth.

Superman is in effect an immigrant, who left his doomed home planet Krypton when he was a baby and was taken in and adopted by an American couple in Kansas, in the rural US heartland.

Superman's creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, were both Jews of European descent, and Superman's story parallels the flight of European immigrants in the 1930s seeking peace and prosperity in the United States.

"The Man of Steel," whose caped costume is inspired by the Stars and Stripes, grows up on a farm and embodies the American dream

But Superman's patriotism, like that of Marvel Comics' Captain America, has been interpreted differently at the hands of the various writers who have scripted his adventures.

In the 1986 series "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns," for example, Frank Miller presents Superman as president Ronald Reagan's elite fighter, deployed to combat the Soviets or to restore order in the United States, neutralizing Batman.

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source: news.abs-cbn.com

Atom Araullo graces magazine cover

MANILA – ABS-CBN News reporter Atom Araullo gets a makeover as he graces the cover of Mega Man, the men’s edition of the local fashion magazine Mega.

Araullo was photographed in Divisoria for the cover, where he is seen wearing a blue blazer and an orange polo paired with denim jeans.

A blurb on the magazine referred to Araullo as “that guy in the rain,” referring to his daringcoverage of super typhoon “Yolanda” (international name Haiyan) last year.

“We admit we caused traffic on the busy roads of Divisoria when we shot this month’s Mega Man cover. It wasn’t surprising that news reporter Atom Araullo literally stopped people in their tracks. With an undeniable charm and humor to boot, he has risen to become a leading man of sorts, albeit reluctantly,” a write-up on the magazine’s website read.

In a newspaper interview last December, Araullo declined the “Superman” tag given to him by netizens for braving the strong rains of “Yolanda” and helping residents cross deep floods.

“I’m not a hero. I was just one of the guys covering the storm,” he stressed.

Araullo, who started his television career via the ‘90s educational show “5 and Up,” was hailed by the lifestyle website Spot.ph in 2010 as the “cutest newsman” in the Philippines.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Warner Bros pushes Superman-Batman film back to 2016

LOS ANGELES - Warner Bros. pushed back the release date of the still untitled film that will bring together superheroes Superman and Batman, delaying it by almost a year to May 2016, the studio said on Friday.

The sequel to last year's hit Superman film "Man of Steel" was revealed at the Comic-Con convention last July by director Zack Snyder, who said the two DC Comics' caped crusaders will face off against each other.

Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner Inc, said in a statement that it needed to move back the date to allow "the filmmakers time to realize fully their vision, given the complex visual nature of the story."

The decision was made after the start of production was moved to the second quarter of this year, Warner Bros. said.

The superhero-duo was originally slated for July 17, 2015, and Warner Bros. said it would put a still untitled Peter Pan adventure into that slot.

"We are happy to take advantage of these coveted summer dates, which are perfect for two of our biggest tentpole releases," said Dan Fellman, president of domestic distribution.

"Man of Steel," starring British actor Henry Cavill as Superman/Clark Kent, premiered in June 2013 and grossed $668 million worldwide. In the North American market, it was the fourth-biggest film of 2013, with ticket sales of $291 million.

In the first encounter of the two superheroes on the big screen, Cavill returns to play Superman, while "Argo" actor and director Ben Affleck has been cast as Batman in a controversial choice that split fans.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Dark 'Man Of Steel' reboots Superman franchise

LOS ANGELES - "Man of Steel," the latest iteration of the Superman series, lands on the big screen in the US on Friday with the hopes that the dark, action-heavy film can revive the classic comic book superhero as a Hollywood franchise.

But director Zack Snyder, who is best known for 2007 action film "300" and 2009 superhero flick "Watchmen," told Reuters that it was a delicate balance staying faithful to Superman's story without retreading earlier film and television versions.

"I think a mistake would be to consciously ask, 'What mistakes have they done in the past?' That type of reactive approach - that's going to end in disaster," Snyder, 47, said.

"The way we looked at it was like, 'Let's say we just found these comic books under our bed and this character, Superman, seems pretty cool to make a movie about,'" he added.

The Superman comic, which artist Joe Shuster and writer Jerry Siegel debuted in 1938, has been brought to the big and small screen about a dozen times, most notably in the four-film series starring Christopher Reeve from 1978 to 1987.

"Man of Steel" tells the origin story of the DC Comics superhero, played by British actor Henry Cavill, setting up the film as a springboard to reboot a franchise that failed to take off in 2006 with director Bryan Singer's "Superman Returns."

Studio Warner Bros. enlisted director Christopher Nolan - whose three Batman films grossed more than $2 billion worldwide between 2005 and 2012, according to box-office tracker Boxofficemojo.com - as a producer and story writer to help shepherd the film along.

"He treated me probably how he would want to be treated," Snyder said of Nolan. "If I had a problem he was there to say, 'What's going on? What about this?' offering advice and counsel whenever I needed it."

All-American alien

"Man of Steel" begins with Superman's birth as Kal-El on the planet Krypton. As the last hope for his society's survival amid an insurrection, his parents send him to Earth where he is raised as Clark Kent in Smallville, Kansas.

By framing "Man of Steel" as a coming-of-age story, Snyder is also able to tap the science-fiction unique to Superman that other superhero stories, like Batman, do not have.

"He's able to look at humanity objectively because he's not human, and that element combined with the sci-fi school made me really go after that aspect of it as hard as I could," he sal elaid.

The film documents the young life of Clark Kent from bullied and sensitive schoolboy to itinerant loner endowed with otherworldly strength, laying the groundwork for a consistent, relatable Superman that Snyder said he wanted in the character.

"We didn't have to have this crazy transformation go on when he became Clark Kent," he said. "He's not even aware of it ... I feel like in a weird way, he's also easier to hook onto because he's coming from the same point of view all the time."

Snyder also said he leaned on Clark Kent's all-American values and farm-boy upbringing by Jonathan (Kevin Costner) and Martha Kent (Diane Lane) when it came time for Superman to emerge to save the planet from Kryptonian warlord General Zod.

"He's like a first-responder. ... He's a volunteer in a lot of ways, and I think that because he's that ultimate, selfless character, you end up (with) a personality type that goes along with that," Snyder said.

"I think as soon as you start to work on him it's going to be muddy and weird," Snyder said about his reluctance to modify Superman from his comic book origins. "There's a pure thing inside of the Superman character."

"Man of Steel" also stars Amy Adams as Lois Lane and Michael Shannon as General Zod.

Warner Bros. is part of Time Warner Inc.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pacquiao is no "Superman"

Manila, Philippines - The smoke has cleared and the Pacquiao-Marquez trilogy is done and over with. Or is it?

To this day, people still stand divided on the outcome of the said bout, something that has already been justified in a scientific way but unaccepted by people who believe otherwise.

Many say that Saranggani Congressman Pacquiao was not deserving of the win, booed and seemingly a recipient of backlashes that have somehow tarnished his credibility.

Known experts have shared their sentiments. They say that he has slowed down and that he was outboxed by the 38 year old Mexican boxer, Juan Manuel Marquez.

Some claim there is a mafia going on, others say that is bad for boxing. But is Pacquiao really guilty of anything?

After the statistics were released, some sanity may have come out of it all. Pacquiao’s crime may only be that he vowed to beat up Marquez which technically he did as we could see in Marquez’ battered face when the bell rang.

Everyone was looking for a knockout, or even perhaps just a knockdown. It never happened. From the looks of it, one knockdown may have changed how people saw it.

Pacquiao said it straight that people cannot expect him to dominate all the time. Actually he does have a point considering that not all boxers have their shining moments in the sport.

Just look at Mike Tyson and "Marvelous" Marvin Hagler for example. They had their ups and downs, plus losses too right?

MB Online asked some experts on their thoughts. First up was renowned Boxing Anchorman and sportscaster Noel Zarate:

“At first, I was shocked that Manny won coz I had it at 115-113 for JMM. But looking back, there were a few rounds (3, 6, 7, 8, 12) that could have been coinflips. Plus when the compubox results came in, it showed Pacquiao ahead” said Noel.

“Now I believe that Manny won but not by much--even Roach was not satisfied, even Arum hinted at a 4th fight because this was even more controversial than the previous 2. Now I think this even did more good for Marquez because many will now view him as a robbed victor” he added.

“I believe pagnahimasmasan yan paguwi, he'll see it in this light. For Pacquiao, this not so convincing showing may even make Mayweather believe that he can defeat Pacquiao. So instead of viewing this now as a botched job by the judges, it may even work out well for those involved.”

For Hardball sports talk show host and sports analyst Mr. Boyet Sison:

“Unfortunately, the result had a lot of us unconvinced with the win, and the drama continues. Marquez showed what a brilliant fighter he is, and Pacquiao, though he won, was not the same fighter we all love to watch. For national pride, i'm happy, but for the sport of boxing, I am not.”

Last is Mr. Butch Maniego, a long-time figure in sports:

“I felt that as the defender, Marquez has to beat the champion, Manny Pacquiao, convincingly. failing that, the champ should keep his title. yes, Marquez boxed very well but not well enough”

Let’s take a look at the other side of the fence. Did Marquez knock down Pacquiao? Yes he did leave a nasty cut to Pacquiao’s eye but look at him. Wasn’t he banged up as well?

Pacquiao may not be at his fastest in this fight, with this one to which his camp revealed that the Filipino boxer was suffering from cramps.

People say that is seems weird that Pacquiao was making excuses but he is still human after all. Give him the benefit of the doubt if his leg cramped up.

Was Marquez robbed of a victory? Well statistics don’t lie and looking at it from another angle, judges did not rely solely on sound judgment and what they saw. To that they should be commended.

Yet despite all these points here and there, many are still unconvinced that Pacquiao won the match was fair and square which may eventually lead to a Pacquiao-Marquez IV.

Will this happen? It all depends though. For one, Marquez said that he might retire, or not. Everthing is still up in the air.

If not, many feel that this could all the more lead to a much awaited Pacquiao-Mayweather fight. Filipinos are waiting for Floyd to say his piece on the fight and perhaps lay down the cards for a much wanted fight.

To date, Floyd Jr. has been strangely quiet.

Then there is Tim Bradley as well who bared that he deserves a shot at Pacquiao.

But as per Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum priority is to give Marquez another crack at Pacquiao, that is if he still wants one.

Marquez deserves respect for sure. He showed it. However, beating a champion like Pacquiao may take more than boxing him for 12 rounds.

He is the challenger but if he was able to knock down Pacquiao even just once, then perhaps the outcome may be something truly controversial.

How about a draw?

Perhaps. But with statistic on punches, jabs and powerpunches to rely on, there is no question how the three judges came up with the supposed “controversial” decision.

It was not a typical Pacquiao fight but regardless, he still came out the winner.

Questionable? Then before we go to Mayweather, give Marquez one more chance to show fans who the clear victor really is then move forward.


Source: mb.com.ph