RandySF
RandySF's JournalMarvel Is Committed to Doing a Black Widow Solo Movie
Captain America: Civil War is in theaters now, and fans can expect nine more Marvel movies to release between now and 2019. In an interview with Deadline, Marvel president Kevin Feige was asked which characters might be next to get their own solo movie after the cinematic universe's third phase.
"Where we go beyond [2019] are ongoing discussions that we'll focus on in the next few years because we have a lot to do before then," Feige said. "Of the characters that you've just mentioned [Falcon, War Machine, Black Widow, and Hawkeye] I would say certainly the one creatively and emotionally that we are most committing to doing is Black Widow."
Feige added that Marvel thinks "she's an amazing character" and that "Scarlett Johansson's portrayal of her is amazing."
"She's a lead Avenger and has amazing stories in her own right to tell that we think would be fun to turn into a standalone franchise," he said.
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/marvel-is-committed-to-doing-a-black-widow-solo-mo/1100-6439580/
Review: 'Captain America: Civil War' sets standard for superhero team-ups
Still, after a stretch where superhero movies have produced headache-inducing sequences with almost abusive computer-generated imagery, "Civil War" maintains a sense of humanity. The fights are fast, frenetic, and crowd-pleasing, but mostly avoid the trap of becoming hollow animated constructs. In that, the Russo brothers seldom lose sight of the fact it should feel like there are people underneath those masks and armor.
Nor should the movie's sheer scope be taken for granted. This marks a significant departure from the genre's past, even as recently as a few years ago. In those days, lone crusaders would usually be introduced -- complete with origin story -- and battle a single threat. Superheroes were James Bond, just with a more garish wardrobe.
What's changed? Special effects have obviously made the spectacle of multiple characters feasible. Growing international box office has also emboldened studios by increasing the likelihood that they'll see a return on these massive investments of $200 million or more on production.
While the idea of a DC-Marvel rivalry has been overstated -- as in the comics, there's room for both -- the former hurried the process in "Batman v Superman," while Marvel assiduously built up to it. The result is a film that honors its comic-book origins while feeling like a massive spectacle. Moreover, "Civil War" touches on darker thematic elements without becoming grim or weighted down by the density of its mythology.
Simply put, when it comes to juggling multiple superheroes in a single movie, Marvel's latest comes close to setting the standard. And the studio, as well as the villagers, should have cause to rejoice.
http://money.cnn.com/2016/05/05/media/captain-america-civil-war-review/
Mary Matalin, Republican Strategist and Pundit, Changes Political Parties
Mary Matalin, a high-profile political pundit and veteran strategist for the Republican Party, changed her party registration to Libertarian from Republican, she said on Thursday.
But in an interview with Bloomberg Politics, which reported on the switch, she emphasized that her decision was not connected to Donald J. Trump’s being the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
She described herself as a voter as a “provisional Trump” and a “never Hillary,” referring to the leading Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton.
Pressed on Thursday about why she switched political parties, Ms. Matalin told Bloomberg Politics that she was a Republican in the “Jeffersonian, Madisonian sense.”
“I’m not a Republican for a party or a person,” she continued. “The Libertarian Party represents those constitutional principles that I agree with.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/06/us/mary-matalin-republican-strategist-and-pundit-changes-political-parties.html?_r=0
TPM: The Electoral Map Is Looking Pretty Darn Good For Clinton Right Now
The Cook Political report is out with its new projections of the electoral map for November's presidential election, and it's is looking better and better for Hillary Clinton.
Cook moved 11 states in Dems' direction Thursday and redefined critical swing states Colorado, Florida, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin from being toss-up to lean Democratic. They also moved two congressional districts that allocate electors. In Nebraska's Second, Cook moved the district from solid Republican to tossup. Maine's Second moved from solid Democratic to likely Democratic.
It's early and all is subject to change as Clinton and Donald Trump pivot from the primaries to the general election. But, according to Cook–which analyzed polls and demographic shifts to project their electoral model–the election is moving in Democrats' direction at the moment. Cook also notes that it may not have always gone Clinton's way. Cook writes that Clinton "is very vulnerable and would probably lose to most other Republicans." Trump, however, has far greater deficits as he struggles to pick up support from women and Latino voters.
"With these changes, 190 Electoral Votes are in the Solid Democratic column, 27 are in Likely Democratic and another 87 are in Lean Democratic - enough for a majority," the Cook Political Report team writes.
The Cook Political Report also moved New Mexico from Likely Democratic to Solid Democratic and North Carolina to toss-up. Arizona, Georgia and Indiana remain in the Republican column for now, but were all moved to being less solidly Republican.
Clinton's expanding map could also give down ballot candidates a leg up. In states like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Colorado, Florida and Arizona where there are competitive Senate races, the Clinton campaign's ground game infrastructure could be a major support system for Democratic senate hopefuls.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/the-electoral-map-is-looking-pretty-darn-good-for-democrats-right-now
Rick Perry says he would join national ticket with Trump
No link yet. I don't know how much worse this ticket can get.
The worst thing about a Trump nomination
The Republicans will lose badly in November and point the finger at Trump instead of themselves for enabling his rise by allowing birthers, racists, homophobes and xenophobes run the place. A country needs more than one sane party to maintain a healthy Democracy. And until their absolute best candidate loses, the GOP will keep running around the room with sharp objects.
Clinton plots swing-state ambush for Trump
In recent days, the Clinton campaign has finalized a series of senior hires around the country, expanded the size of her central swing-state planning team in New York, and hundreds of thousands of dollars have been transferred to strategically important state parties from the Democratic National Committee. She’s also scheduled a series of public speeches and private meetings in states that will be crucial to her general election campaign.
Many of the moves had been in the works since early spring, when campaign officials began the process of hiring swing state operatives and more closely coordinating with state parties — the building blocks of the fall campaign’s field organizing infrastructure.
According to operatives and elected officials in eight battleground states, the switch flipped after Clinton’s 16-point win in New York last month — and Trump’s own romp there. In the days after that April 19 victory, some of Clinton’s state directors — who had previously operated only informally and without the campaign’s imprimatur — started meeting with local political leaders and planning the fall fight.
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/hillary-clinton-swing-states-trump-222772#ixzz47hBToyS5
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Can we all agree this would not be a change for the better?
From this: Sasha and Malia Obama
To this: Donald Trump, Jr.
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