Pop Culture Safari!

Cobie Smulders to play Nick Fury's sidekick in Avengers film

Cobie Smulders from TV's "How I Met Your Mother" will play Samuel Jackson's sidekick in the upcoming Avengers movie, reports Empire mag.'

For those without an encyclopaedic knowledge of the Marvel universe, Hill is an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D who eventually becomes executive director of the organisation after Nick Fury goes into hiding following a massive scandal. She’s a superb fighter and able negotiator, but also has a mean streak and has never been above blackmailing superheroes to get her way.

It’s not known how much time Smulders will have in the Avengers – after all, she’s sharing the screen with Jackson, Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Chris Evans and Mark Ruffalo – but in true Marvel fashion, the deal for the Hill role also comes with a batch of options for other films.

CD, download and vinyl new releases Feb. 8, 2011

Doctor Who: Series 5

Jailbreak: Deluxe Edition Thin Lizzy

Bitches Brew LIVE Miles Davis

At the Cotton Club Duke Ellington

Stan Getz Quintets: The Clef & Norgran Albums

Mink Hollow Road The Mummers

DVD new releases 2/8/2011

Doctor Who: The Movie (Special Edition)

Doctor Who: The Mutants (Story 63)

Awesome update to animated Superman film

A great update to the Fleischer Studios super toons:

Antiques Roadshow features Jack Kirby comics

A description for this week's episode, check your local listings. I don't know if this has aired previously, but it's new to me:

Host Mark L. Walberg and appraiser Nicholas Lowry head to San Diego's Allen Airways Flying Museum to look at some of the earliest-known posters of mechanical flight. Highlights include "Captain America" and "Fantastic Four" co-creator Jack Kirby's personal collection of comics from the 1930s to the 1970s; a set of circa 1915 Cartier cuff links, buttons and studs; and an original Hortus Eystettensis, the groundbreaking collection of botanical illustrations published in 1613, valued at $250,000 to $350,000.

Bone creator Jeff Smith working on Superman project

Jeff Smith posted the following sketch on his blog, saying it's from an upcoming project for DC. That's all we know so far, but I'm looking for to learning more!

Captain American: First Avenger movie poster unveiled

Tim Burton plans Dark Shadows film

Director Tim Burton is reportedly working on a big screen adaptation of the cult 1960s vampire TV show "Dark Shadows." Johnny Depp would star as lead vamp Barnabas Collins. Actress Eva Green may play Angelique.

New Captain America movie pictures

Some new images of Chris Evans as Captain America from Empire mag:

Beach Boys version of Smile album on the way

I take Beach Boys news with a grain of salt, particularly when it comes to rumors about Smile, the band's legendary, never officially released album of 1967. But in this case, details come from Al Jardine, a former member of the band:

Capitol Records plans to issue a Beach Boys version of Smile sometime this summer to begin the celebration of The Beach Boys’ anniversary. Smile is the Holy Grail for Beach Boys’ fans, so it will be good.

I don’t have many details on it, although we didn't do any new recording. I'm happy to see it finally come out. Brian’s changed his mind about releasing the material, but it was inevitable, wasn’t it? (Al chuckles)."

Beach Boys leader completed and released his own newly recorded version of Smile a few years back and it's marvelous. The Beach Boys, during the 60s and 70s, released various songs from the project and a few tantalizing fragments turned up in the 1990s Beach Boys box set. And there are tons of bits and pieces available on bootlegs.

So, putting together a "finished" version wouldn't be too terribly difficult, especially if you use Brian's new version as the template of how it should be organized. Of course, it could be done as a multi-disk set, too, including a "finished" version on CD and outtakes and fragments on additional disks.

I hope it happens!