The Curious Case of the British Newspaper Report
The U.K.'s Daily Mail says that Jackson's body will be embalmed and transformed into plastic to become part of Gunther von Hagens's London exhibition, which already houses the body of Bubbles, Jackson's pet chimpanzee.
Verdict: This has hoax written all over it. Why would Von Hagens have been talking to the Jackson family "months ago," when no one had any idea he'd die so young? Besides (as the readers at BoingBoing note), turns out Bubbles is alive and well. Doesn't this qualify as libel or something?

Time to Remake Let the Right One In, Which Came out Last Year
This moody, haunting movie about a preadolescent vampire was widely acclaimed, beautifully shot, heartbreakingly acted -- and in Swedish. So, of course, it's already up on the block for the dubious honor of an American remake. Stepping into the chair? Matt Reeves, who directed Cloverfield . . . and wrote Under Siege 2.
Verdict: Is there any possible reason to do this besides a cynical cash-in? It's an exact parallel to La Femme Nikita (1991, bracingly original, good acting, surprising, made $5 million) versus Point of No Return (1993, exactly the same, middling acting, oddly dull, made $30 million). Come on, people. Do not fear the subtitles.

Hollywood's Next Hot Property? Asteroids
Yes, this Asteroids.

Universal just won a bidding war for the rights to the 1979 videogame, beating out Fox and Sony, who'll have to fight over Pong or something. One of the producers behind such masterpieces as Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and GI Joe is in charge, which is good, because he's used to making huge budget movies about nothing.
Verdict: This is a great idea. We all know how good video game movies tend to be. And one with a plot that consists of "spin" and "shoot"? Terrific. It makes that Monopoly movie they're talking about sound like A Passage to India. Next up? Dig Dug: The Musical.

The Maxx Debuts Online
In 1995 MTV aired a 13-episode animated adaptation of the Sam Kieth comic The Maxx, about a superhero who might just be a homeless guy, and his social worker, who might be the Jungle Queen of a possibly imaginary place called the Outback. It was never released on DVD and pretty much dropped off the face of the earth for fifteen years, but MTV just put the first six episodes online, with the rest on the way.
Verdict: A deep, funny, provocative story that should have been bigger than it was. I actually have a crappy VHS tape that I recorded off the TV every week (gather round children, for I speak of a time before ye Tivo and yon DVR); now I can finally watch it without those ads for the Bedazzler.

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