Spider-Man is…TWILIGHT?!

Yes, folks, you read that right. As I’m sure most of you have heard by now, Sam Raimi has decided to no longer continue with the Spider-Man franchise and thus, it is getting a reboot ala Hulk and Batman. Okay, I have to admit that both of those movie franchises desperately needed a refresh. But does Spider-Man really need one already? I might be in the minority, but I didn’t find the third one was actively offensive enough that it destroyed the entire series or anything like that.

Oh, and the rumored choice for Spider-Man? Robert Pattinson. You’ve been warned.

Source:

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Robert-Pattinson-as-new-Spider-Man/H1-Article1-497397.aspx

Conan O'Brien not an Easy Sell to Fox's Local Stations

Although NBC has not officially released any details on the fate of its newest “Tonight Show” host, many people seem to believe the host will leave NBC and settle in on the FOX network perhaps as early as next September.   However, this may not be as easy of a move as people might think.  According to sources in the entertainment world Fox will have a lot of convincing to do in order to be able to start up a late night show with Conan O’Brien.

Currently, Fox does not have a late night show. Instead its local stations air reruns of sitcoms during its late night hour after 10pm.  These reruns are often stable profit generating shows for the local stations.  This reliability may be hard to give up, especially in a year when local TV has been struggling to turn a profit.   In order for the network to be able to offer O’Brien a late night venue the network’s executives will have to somehow make an offer lucrative enough to convince its 205 stations to drop current money making programs and gamble with a late night show that may or may not make money for the network.

Even though the hype about O’Brien moving to Fox is just that, some of the stations at Fox are already voicing their concerns over the potential to lose money if the network takes on a late night talk show.

So this is definitely an interesting situation, with O’Brien most likely to wrap up his “Tonight Show” this Friday January 22 his future in the late night scene seems very uncertain.   A night without Conan in the television line up is like cookies with no milk.

—Matthew Casey

Watch Out! Pedestrian/Vehicle Accidents Are on The Rise!

There doesn’t really seem to be a good way to get around in Toronto.  If you drive you have to put up with traffic jams, if you commute using public transportation it is overcrowded, and if you use your feet to get you places, then one must really be careful!  So far in the last seven days seven pedestrians have been involved in fatal accidents.

One of the big reasons for vehicle-pedestrian accidents according to the Ontario Safety League President Brian Patterson, in an interview with the Toronto Star, is a lack of communication between drivers and people walking.

Everyone seems to be so caught up in their own little world that they don’t see or hear what is going on around them.  People walk with earphones blasting music in their ears and drivers are distracted by all kinds of devices within their cars.   All it takes is one quick glance away from the road to initiate a chain of events that can’t be stopped.

Another big reason is that people are simply in too much of a rush.  Cars are whizzing down streets at incredible speeds in a frantic attempt to arrive somewhere on time.  To this effect, Toronto speed limits on city streets seem to be quite high as they are posted generally at 60 km/h.  The faster the cars move, the more likely an accident will be fatal.  A Toronto city councillor Bill Saundercook is proposing an idea to have speed limits reduced in the city by at least 10 km/h.

In an article in the Toronto Sun Councillor Saundercook says that he doesn’t want people to be afraid to walk.  I believe that if the city is trying to encourage people to reduce their carbon footprint, then they should make the streets more pedestrian friendly.  I believe that a reduction in speed limits is wise, and also police should enforce a zero tolerance for people who choose to go faster than the posted limit.

Even with slower speed limits accidents are not one hundred percent avoidable, but hopefully a reduction in speed limits will also reduce the number of fatal accidents to lower levels.

—Matthew Casey

With information from:

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/752506–why-7-pedestrians-have-died-in-7-days

http://www.educationforthedrivingmasses.com/2009/09/toronto-councillor-calls-for-lower.html