The biggest problem for Mitt Romney is that every time he or his surrogates open their mouths it only digs the hole a little deeper. An “explanation” of the discrepancy in date in which Romney left Bain Capital based upon a claim that he “retired retroactively” his did not help Romney:
“There may have been a thought at the time that it could be part time, but it was not part time,” Gillespie said.
“He took a leave of absence and in fact he ended up not going back at all, and retired retroactively to 1999 as a result,” he added. “He left a life he loved to go to Salt Lake City and help a country he loves more, and somehow Chicago… is trying to make it something sinister.”
I believe that retiring retroactively is something like shaking away his position at Bain on an Etch-A-Sketch. Retiring retroactively probably does make sense to someone like Romney who has practiced baptizing the dead.
George Bush is kicking himself for never thinking to say he quit the Air National Guard retroactively.
In other bad news for Romney, numerous conservative politicians and pundits (including Bill Kristol, George Will and Matthew Dowd) are calling on him to release his income tax returns. There is speculation that John McCain might have chosen Sarah Palin after seeing what is in Romney’s tax returns. We don’t know if there is anything criminal in those old returns. My bet is that, at very least, they will show a pattern of tax avoidance which resulted in a tax rate far closer to zero than the 15 percent he has admitted to.
Barack Obama continues to refuse to a apologize to Mitt Romney for telling the truth about him.
Above is the Season Five Trailer for Fringe, which begins immediately after the events in last season’s episode, Letters of Transit. Here is more on the Fringe Panel:
It’s official: Season Five will take place in the future we saw in the episode “Letters of Transit,” where the Observers have taken over and the Fringe team, after being encased in amber for 20 years, is freed by Henrietta “Etta” Bishop, Peter and Olivia’s daughter (played by Georgina Haig) and Simon Foster (Henry Ian Cusick). We saw the proof-of-concept reel that the production team made as a pitch to the network, featuring the Fringe team, Leonard Nimoy’s William Bell, our new FBI agents, and plenty of Observers. Walter delights in firing some futuristic weapons; Olivia says that Etta is “Everything I ever hoped for;” Peter says, “Let’s create some Fringe events of our own.” At one point, Walter, looking up from his research in a much more brightly lit lab than we’re used to seeing, says, “I know how to get rid of the Observers.” At the end of the reel, Walter sets, and an Observer happens upon, what appears to be an antimatter bomb.
Executive producer J. H. Wyman revealed that Season Five picks up the day after “Letters in Transit.” We’ll learn much more about the Observers, who may not be as bad as we think. When asked if we’ll see any female Observers this season, Wyman replied that we’ll get the answer to that question fairly early on, and “the reason will become apparent.” He also announced that an Observer book is in the works, exploring the series from September’s point of view. We’ll learn about his feelings and views on the characters, and we may be surprised.
The actors spent much of the panel reflecting on the last four seasons. Jasika Nicole expressed immense relief that her character hasn’t been killed off, a fate she’s feared from the beginning. Anna Torv became teary-eyed when describing her favorite scenes in the series, Nicole’s performance in “Making Angels.” Lance Reddick actually became so choked up as he discussed Astrid’s conversation with her alt-universe version before returning home to her father that he almost couldn’t describe it. Joshua Jackson took a different tack when describing his favorite moment, a scene in “Snakehead” where Walter pulls a long, wormy creature from a body. The effects were so convincing that Jackson hadn’t realized the body was a mockup and not a real person, and nearly lost his lunch during the initial take.
The cast also spoke about the possibility of a Fringe movie. #fiveseasonsandamovie
The Doctor Who panel is above. For those just looking for Karen Gillan’s Dalek inpression, the clip is below:
More information on the Doctor Who panel here and here.
Ben Kingsley is playing the Mandarin in Iron Man 3. More on Iron Manhere. Release date is May 3, 2013. The title of Thor 2 will be Thor: The Dark World with a planned release date of November 8, 2013. Captain America 2 will be titled Captain America: The Winter Soldier, suggesting Bucky will be brought back. Target date for release is April 4, 2014.
The best news so far out of Comic Con is that there is hope that NBC won’t force the new show runners to destroyCommunity after firing Dan Harmon. Here’s good news from David Guarascio and Moses Port:
“Listen, a couple of months ago, we were a lot like most of you, just huge fans of the show who thought it was one of the most special things on television,” Guarascio said. “The only thing we care about is keeping it this weird, wonderful gem … That’s not gonna change.”
“Like no other show, the fans influence what [gets on the show],” he continued. “So, thank you, it’s been a beacon.”
Added Port: “It’s not us coming in and taking it on by ourselves. It’s the best cast on television.” “We could be really, really crappy and this would still be a great show,” Guarascio said.
To that end, here’s what the pair has already planned for Community’s fourth season: a visit to Pierce’s mansion (“We’ll get to see the twisted world where he lives,” Guarascio said), a trip to the Inspector Space Time convention, and, yes, more inventive animation is on the way.
As for graduation? It will definitely happen, and it will definitely be emotional. “We’ll explore some new relationships, some real significant relationships. One might involve the dean and Jeff,” Guarascio said. “And the show will keep going, even if they’re not all at the school at the same time. They’ve become this real family that will exist no matter what happens.”
Inspector Space Time convention? It still sucks that Harmon got fired, but I am certainly interested in seeing the upcoming season. #sixseasonsandamovie
Then, all our suspicions about the show were confirmed when executive producer Russ Krasnoff said, “When Dan Harmson first talked to us about a show, he pitched time travelers and aliens from space, and then this one . . . but we didn’t know he would put it all in Community.” So even the execs have figured out that Community is basically a science fiction show.
McHale also dropped a hint about his father. “Eddie Murphy will be playing Jeff’s father,” he joked. “Pluto Nash himself.” Was he joking? You never know.
Howard and Bernadette
Astronaut Howard “Fruit Loops” Wolowitz will spend the first few episodes in space, exec producer Bill Prady says, noting that his living arrangements with new bride Bernadette will come up relatively quickly upon his return to Earth. “All of those things that we thought might happen at the end of Season 5 are happening in Season 6,” he says. Exec producer Steve Molaro noted that the issue — whether the couple will continue to live at home with the nagging Mrs. Wolowitz or find a place of their own — won’t be resolved quickly. “He’s torn between two really powerful, strong women who both adore him,” Prady says, noting that he doesn’t want to disappoint his mother or let his new bride down. Says Helberg: “He’s going to piss someone off a lot, whether it’s his wife or his mother. He’s got growing up to do. … Either way there’s going to be someone yelling at him from another room.”
As for his outer space experience, it won’t all be smooth sailing for the Mama’s Boy. “Howard learns that even though he makes it all the way to space, all the issues of life that plague him won’t stay on Earth and have a way of following him all the way up to the space station,” Molaro warns. Meanwhile, Helberg notes that Howard will encounter some rough space travels as he’ll bear the brunt of the jokes on his mission — both from his fellow astronauts as well as from home. In terms of what will happen once he does return home? Expect a boosted ego from the former leader of the wolf pack. “I don’t think he’s going to burry [that he was in space] and it sounds like he’s going to be bullied in space,” Helberg says. “He’s definitely going to hype [having gone to space] … he’s going to wear the NASA shirt to take the trash out.”
So could kids be something that comes next for the new Mr. and Mrs. Wolowitz? Melissa Rauch said the union could make for some noisy offspring. “With the vocal tone of Bernadette and the Wolowitz family, that baby’s cry would break glass,” she said with a laugh.
Leonard and Penny
“They have a complicated road,” Prady warns of what’s to come for the fan-favorite couple following Leonard’s spur-of-the-moment proposal. “If Sheldon and Amy’s relationship is baffling and Howard and Bernadette’s is traditional, Leonard and Penny’s is rocky,” he says. “They adore each other as people and friends and it keeps drawing them together and when they get together, they keep being unsure how to proceed there.” Adds Cuoco: “I hope down the line, at the end of the show, that they’re together but right now it’s probably not right.”
For his part, Galecki says timing continues to be a problem for Leonard, with Penny facing an entirely different issue. “I don’t know that emotional maturity is Penny’s strong suit right now; she seems to run away right now to any kind of proposal — like when Leonard professed his love for her and she shut it down,” he notes.
Sheldon and Amy
“A lot of the Sheldon-Amy relationship has to revolve around Sheldon, so in terms of [their relationship] expanding, that has to foster from Sheldon; whether that means he’ll learn new things about himself, learn new limits to his boundaries or new boundaries, it’s unclear. But I love the sparring that Amy and Sheldon have and the non-romantic elements of their relationship,” Bialik. “There’s never been any mention of Amy’s attractiveness — or lack of attractiveness — to him; he likes her as she is, it’s irrelevant to him and he’s truly in love with her mind.”
Raj, the Odd Man Out
Executive producer Chuck Lorre teased that there would be a new romance for Raj during Friday’s Comic-Con panel in Hall H, but that was news to his portrayer, Kunal Nayyar. “That was the first time I heard it at the panel,” he told THR. “He did say, ‘Excited to see it,’ so I don’t know if it is the person or thing he’s going to fall in love with or the actual relationship.” Raj always used Howard as his crutch and he’s going to have to lean on something, so whether he actually goes out there and risks his heart on some love, we’ll see. As for who he’d like to see as his potential love interest, it’s a short list: former Big Bang Theory guest stars Danica McKellar and Summer Glau or any “geek icon” since “Mayim Bialik is taken,” he joked.
No confirmation from the BBC yet, but Matt Smith said at ComicCon today that Doctor Who will resume airing in August. A Doctor Who cast interviews can be seen above, the second interview conducted by John Barrowman.
Karen Gillan will be staring in a horror film named Oculus:
The plot begins 10 years after a horrifying family incident left two young children orphans. Although authorities charged the brother with murder, his sister, Kaylie, believed that the true culprit was a haunted antique mirror. Now rehabilitated and in his 20s, the brother is ready to move on but Kaylie is determined to prove that the mirror was responsible for destroying their family.
Last week we learned that Diana Rigg will be appearing in Doctor Who. She is also to have a role in Game of Thrones. She play Olenna Redwyne, the Queen of Thorns, the grandmother of Margaery Tyrell. More on the Game of Thrones panel here.
“New” Big Bad: Another Trinity killer is on the loose! Not exactly. In Season 7, Dexter is stalking a killer who “ritually murders on New Year’s Eve.” Whatever happened to resolutions like joining the gym?
A Little Help From a Friend: Strahovski is guesting as Hannah McKay, “a woman of mystery with a dark past,” explained the beautiful Aussie actress explained. “She meets Dexter and helps him with an investigation in an old murder mystery” — presumably the NYE killer. “She’s not working with the police,” Strahovski clarified to Zap2it at a Showtime party following the panel. “This is why the role was so enticing to me. The last five years I’ve played a CIA agent on ‘Chuck — it’s the complete opposite.”
No Seconds Wasted: Season 7 picks up immediately from last year’s shocking finale: Deb discovering her brother murdering Travis (Colin Hanks). Dexter tries to justify it as an act of self-defense, but considering Travis is “wrapped in plastic on an altar,” he has some splaining to do to his incredulous sister.
Incest Is Best:[Why!!!!!!] Sorry, it doesn’t look like “Dexter” producers have any plans to course-correct the show’s new controversial storyline: Deb realizing she has romantic feelings for Dexter. “There was certainly a fascination that I thought Deb had with Dexter, so it didn’t feel like it was so bizarre to play that last season,” Carpenter reasoned, before adding, “I think him stabbing somebody trumps those thoughts.” [I hope so].
Daddy Dearest: Dexter’s son, Harrison, is still “in the picture” this season, Hall confirmed. (And “very cute,” Carpenter piped in.) Being a serial killer parent to a growing boy “becomes a dicier proposition every day,” said Hall. “As someone who is also Harrison’s guardian, Deb now has a sense of what she’s dealing with her brother that changes things as well. He has someone encouraging him to face what he is trying to pull off as a parent.
“Dexter’s powers of denial are pretty strong, but he would be hard pressed to really argue that being a serial killer is an ideal hobby for a parent,” Hall concluded drily.
Neil Gaiman announced he is doing a Sandman prequel in the video above:
Twenty-five years after The Sandman, Neil Gaiman’s critically acclaimed series of graphic novels, first appeared, the award-winning author is returning to the books that helped make his name.
The very first Sandman comic, published in 1988, tells the story of how Morpheus, or Dream, is captured and imprisoned by an occultist. Gaiman stopped writing the popular and award-winning books more than 10 years ago, but announced yesterday at San Diego Comic-Con that, in 2013, a new mini-series will tell the story of Morpheus before he was captured. JH Williams, who has worked on Batwoman and Promethea, will illustrate the new stories, which will be published by DC Comics’ imprint Vertigo.
“When I finished writing The Sandman, there was one tale still untold – the story of what had happened to Morpheus to allow him to be so easily captured in The Sandman No 1, and why he was returned from far away, exhausted beyond imagining, and dressed for war. It was a story that we discussed telling for Sandman’s 20th anniversary … but the time got away from us. And now, with Sandman’s 25th anniversary year coming up, I’m delighted, and nervous, that that story is finally going to be told,” said Gaiman.
Joss Wheden is uncertain as to whether he will return for the sequel to The Avengers. More from the Firefly panel here. More on Marvel super hero movies here. Iron-Man news here. A movie is also to be made of ♦–info here.
Bad things are still happening in Storybrook even after the curse was broken. Once Upon a Time season 2 preview above. Information from the panel here.
