Spider Man

The brief announcement that Disney plans to add a Marvel-themed land to Hong Kong Disneyland in 2017 raises a host of questions: Will Iron Man, Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and the X-Men be getting their own rides? When will the Marvel characters be coming to Anaheim, Paris, Tokyo or Shanghai? And why, of all places, Hong Kong? Many of the most basic questions remain unanswered, in part because the announcement was made by a Hong Kong government official rather than Disney.

Director Julie Taymor has reached a settlement in her epic legal battle with the producers of the Broadway musical "Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark. " In a joint statement released Wednesday, the two sides said that the pending litigation between them has been settled by "mutual agreement of all parties. " No terms of the settlement were announced. However, the statement said that Taymor's claims against the musical have been resolved "with respect to both the current New York production and subsequent productions.

After all the debate, the questions and the cage-rattling about whether Marc Webb's "The Amazing Spider-Man" was a good idea, audiences this holiday weekend spoke. People (a lot of people, $140 million worth of people) bought tickets to "The Amazing Spider-Man. " And the great majority of them enjoyed it. Like, A- CinemaScore enjoyed it. None of that will be enough to move most skeptics from their position that the Sony movie should never have been made in the first place.

A Los Angeles jury failed to reach a verdict Friday in the trial of Leonard Hall Jr., accused of fatally shooting a 5-year-old boy dressed as Spider-Man on Halloween. The judge declared a mistrial after the jury announced it was deadlocked following a little more than two days of deliberations. Aaron Shannon Jr. was showing off his Spider-Man costume to relatives in the backyard of his great-grandmother's South L.A. home on Oct. 31, 2010, when two men opened fire from an alley.

After all the hype, money and bodily injury, it turns out "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" is kind of lame. ( Los Angeles Times ) Ladies and gentlemen, here's your Oscars class of 2011. ( Los Angeles Times ) Sunday's Super Bowl was the most-watched TV event in U.S. history. ( Los Angeles Times ) Some dinner guests bring a bottle of wine; according to Josh Brolin, John Travolta brings his magical Scientology healing ability. ( Wall Street Journal ) Prince pulls Kim Kardashian on stage during his Madison Square Garden show, realizes she has no talent, boots her off the stage.

Webb to weave Spidey Marc Webb has caught the job of "Spider-Man" director. Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios announced Tuesday that the "(500) Days of Summer" director will helm the next "Spider-Man" film following the departure of Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire, the director and star who worked on the previous three Spidey films. The fourth installment is set for a 2012 release and will focus on a younger version of the superhero. Webb said in a statement he was not taking over the series from Raimi but instead wanted the "opportunity for ideas, stories and histories that will add a new dimension, canvas and creative voice to 'Spider-Man.

Like a superhero after a bad beat-down, the Broadway musical starring Spider-Man has dusted itself off and is fighting back against perhaps its greatest nemesis ? its own complications. After the first preview performance Sunday, in which "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" had to be halted five times because of technical glitches, two subsequent shows have each been stopped only once. "We've worked out 80% of our bugs," says lead producer Michael Cohl. "We're way ahead of the game.

Bad luck has struck the Broadway musical "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" again: Another cast member has been hurt in a production that has been plagued by injuries. This time, lightning has struck twice in the same role. Rick Miramontez, the show's spokesman, confirmed Tuesday that T.V. Carpio, who plays Spidey's nemesis Arachne, was hurt March 16 "during an onstage battle scene with a fellow actor. " She is expected to sit out the next two weeks on doctor's orders, with America Olivo taking her place.

For proof of income inequality in America, look no further than the take-home pay of Batman and Spider-Man . Bruce Wayne is a 1 percenter, with an estimated annual income of $102 million. And that excludes the potential extra riches to be had from stock options. Spider-Man, by contrast, can't afford a Batmobile. He's clinging to a modest $50,000-a-year salary - barely enough to cover his tuition at New York University. The figures come courtesy of a blogger at H&R Block and appear to have as much - or as little - basis in reality as the comic strips themselves.

The warring parties in the "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" lawsuits -- one-time director Julie Taymor  and the show's producers -- have reached what appears to be a tentative settlement. Judge Katherine B. Forrest issued an order Thursday reporting that the two parties have reached an agreement in principle, according to a court spokeswoman. The spokeswoman said she could not elaborate on the order. An official spokesman for "Spider-Man" said there was no comment on the matter.

The expected legal settlement between the producers of the Broadway musical "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" and director Julie Taymor has failed to materialize, leading a federal judge in New York to set a new trial date for the ongoing battle. Judge Katherine B. Forrest has ordered that a trial date be set for May 28 in New York. The order, which is dated Friday, states that the two parties have until May 1 for the discovery process. The news was first reported Tuesday by the New York Times.

The brief announcement that Disney plans to add a Marvel-themed land to Hong Kong Disneyland in 2017 raises a host of questions: Will Iron Man, Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and the X-Men be getting their own rides? When will the Marvel characters be coming to Anaheim, Paris, Tokyo or Shanghai? And why, of all places, Hong Kong? Many of the most basic questions remain unanswered, in part because the announcement was made by a Hong Kong government official rather than Disney.

SUNDAY Films from "Amour" to "Zero Dark Thirty" will vie for best picture at "The 85th Annual Academy Awards," hosted by - What the deuce?! - "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane, himself a nominee in the best original song category. (ABC, 5:30 p.m.) MONDAY There'll be no need to apologize when "Independent Lens" presents the 2012 doc "Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry," a profile of the artist whose activist ways have put him in hot water with government officials in his native China.

Since being fired in 2011 from the Broadway musical "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark," director Julie Taymor has kept a relatively low public profile, her time presumably occupied by the ongoing lawsuit between her and the show's producers.  Taymor might be considered damaged goods when it comes to Broadway, but her trademark innovative style still has its fans. In her first directing gig since the "Spider-Man" debacle, Taymor will return to her roots by staging a new production of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at Theatre for a New Audience in Brooklyn.

After 50 years of spinning webs and catching a who's who of criminals, Peter Parker is out of the hero game. But Spider-man is still slinging from building to building - reborn, refreshed and revived with a new sense of the old maxim that Ben Parker taught his then-fledgling nephew that "with great power, comes great responsibility. " In Issue 700 of the famed comic book, out Wednesday, Parker's mind is trapped in the withered, dying body of his nemesis, Doctor Octopus, a.k.a.

The animated feature "Brave" debuted at the top of the DVD sales chart, but couldn't knock "The Amazing Spider-Man" from the top of the rental chart. Pixar's "Brave" was the top selling DVD and Blu-ray disc in the U.S. during the week ended Nov. 18, according to research firm Rentrak, but the No. 4 rented movie. In its second week on shelves, the "Spider-Man" reboot fell to No. 2 on the sales chart. Other high-profile new releases were the Oliver Stone-directed drama "Savages," which debuted at No. 3 on the sales chart, and Ben Stiller-Vince Vaughn comedy "The Watch," which launched at No. 4. Neither was immediately available to rent from Redbox or Netflix and thus did not make Rentrak's rental chart.

Director Julie Taymor has reached a settlement in her epic legal battle with the producers of the Broadway musical "Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark. " In a joint statement released Wednesday, the two sides said that the pending litigation between them has been settled by "mutual agreement of all parties. " No terms of the settlement were announced. However, the statement said that Taymor's claims against the musical have been resolved "with respect to both the current New York production and subsequent productions.

The release of "The Amazing Spider-Man" overseas in late June and domestically in early July pushed Sony Pictures to an operating loss during the second quarter. Revenue for the Culver City studio increased 6% to $1.9 billion thanks in part to the box office performance of "Men in Black 3," which has grossed $619 million worldwide (although given its hefty budget of nearly $250 million and participants like Will Smith and Steven Spielberg taking a share of revenue, it's not clear how big a profit Sony will make on the picture)

DVD and Blu-ray sales were dominated by the debuting "The Amazing Spider-Man," while rentals were ruled by the returning "Prometheus. " Holdovers "The Campaign" and "Disney Fairies: Secret of the Wings" were strong sellers, and "Magic Mike" and "The Avengers" were still strong rentals after many weeks on the charts. Below are the DVD charts for the week ended Nov. 10 (sales) and Nov. 11 (rentals), with data provided by Rentrak. Top 10 DVD and Blu-ray sales 1. "The Amazing Spider-Man" (Sony)