It’s a bit bizarre that Twitter is so polarizing when it’s just a tool.  It’s such a weird thing to get mad at and the accusation that it’s furthering the ADD of our culture is just silly because we were gone further it anyway.  But like all tools it can be useful.  That’s why instead of sending out a press release, Marvel Editor-In-Chief Joe Quesada and prolific comic writer Brian Michael Bendis can quickly give their thoughts about Kenneth Branagh’s upcoming adaptation of Thor.  For instance, here’s what Bendis had to tweet: “Thor movie meeting with Ken Branagh [sic] was over the top amazing. Visited the sets! I was in Odin’s chamber!”  It’s really good news that one of Marvel’s top writers is so enthusiastic about a movie based on a Marvel project and I don’t have to re-tweet something like, “Thor movie looks like an abomination.  What have I done with my life?  Goodbye Crool World.”

But in news that was unexpected as well as exciting, @JonFavreau all but said we’re getting the first trailer for Iron Man 2 with Sherlock Holmes on December 25^th.  It makes sense seeing as folks love the Robert Downey Jr (as well they should) and he stars in both movies. This is the power and the glory of Twitter.  This is straight from the director.  Not the rumor mill, not from a leak, but from the director making use of a new technology to get fans excited.  You can also follow me on Twitter and you can follow Steve!  The possibilities are endless!

Earlier tonight I was on the red carpet for Spike TV’s 2009 Scream Awards. While there I was able to interview a number of people and the one you’re about to watch is with Stan Lee. While we broke the news months ago about Stan Lee’s cameo, if you missed our story or you’re trying to stay spoiler free…DO NOT watch this interview! That’s because right at the beginning Stan Lee talks about who he plays in the film. Also, he says he’s already met with director Kenneth Branagh about his “Thor” cameo, but he doesn’t know what the cameo will be.

But if you don’t mind learning who Stan Lee plays in “Iron Man 2″, hit the jump and watch him discuss the role.

MTV has confirmed what many of us already knew: Jon Favreau is not going to direct “The Avengers” movie. While fans were holding out hope that somehow Jon would find the time to take on the project, with his involvement in “Cowboys and Aliens” after he finishes “Iron Man 2″, he’ll only be executive producing “The Avengers”. The other bit of news is Jon saying Edward Norton will not be making an appearance in “Iron Man 2″. While many have tried to keep that rumor going, I’m glad we can finally kill it off. More on the story after the jump:

Hey Entertainment Tonight, this is how you do it. While ET posted a few “Iron Man 2″ set visits, CanalPlus in France also visited the set and it’s a much better report. Not only do they show footage from the set that we haven’t seen, but their interviews with both Robert Downey Jr. and Jon Favreau are informative and revealing. Both talked about how they’re planning to raise the bar in “Iron Man 2″ and Jon talks about the challenges of sequels. Even if you know a lot about one of the most anticipated movies of 2010, I think you’ll get something out of this report. Watch the video after the jump.

Would you like to see some trailers?  Maybe even just a teaser?  How about a poster?  Too bad!  You get photos.  Yes, photos: the perfect way to start a marketing campaign.  I’ll be shocked if we don’t see teaser posters and teaser trailers for “Iron Man 2″, “Date Night”, and “Clash of the Titans” before the end of the year but until we do, you should enjoy these new photos that just landed online.  I want to focus on the ones for “Clash of the Titans” because the photos for “Iron Man 2″ and “Date Night” are good but you already have a sense of those films.  The photos for “Clash” confirm what I’ve heard: the film restores the epic.  After the mid-2000s rushed attempts to copy LOTR’s success, “Clash of the Titans” looks like it might actually pull it off as we close out the decade.  So don’t call COTT a rip-off even though it’s highly likely that the group pictured wouldn’t want to be called a “fellowship”; they’d probably prefer the term “alliance”, or “coalition”, or maybe even “outfit” if they prefer 1920s-30s gangster slang.

Check out all the photos after the jump.

Entertainment Tonight must have gotten a ton of hits on their first two “Iron Man 2″ set visits as they’ve released a third video and it focuses on Mickey Rourke as Whiplash. In the new video you’ll see the same scene from the first two (Mickey as Whiplash attacking Tony Stark’s car), but you’ll see the cast talk about working with him and how lucky they were to get him in the movie. Also, ET finally put Jon Favreau in a video, and you can see him talk about Mickey and how he got involved in the movie. It’s after the jump:

Entertainment Tonight has posted their “Iron Man 2″ set visit and you can watch it after the jump. If you’re a fan of the franchise and have been reading about the movie, you’re not going to get too much out of this report. However, there are a few new shots that are worth checking out like Scarlett Johansson and Robert Downey Jr. in Tony Stark’s home and Mickey Rourke as Whiplash attacking Tony Stark’s car at the racetrack. But the set visit is mostly the cast talking about how they got ready for the film and what’s new in the sequel. Watch the video after the jump:

Scarlett Johansson is not just a beautiful actress.  Well, she’s mostly that, but she’s also an ambassador for the charity Oxfam.  I think they do stuff with food.  As part of her charity work, Ms. Johansson announced today that she will be auctioning off two tickets to the 2010 premiere of a little movie called “Iron Man 2″.  The winner of the coveted seats will also get a chance to chat up the Black Widow in a personal meet-and-greet before the show.  Find out how to get your hands on Johansson’s…tickets after the jump.

I did not attend this year’s Comic Con.  Of course, I followed all the news that came out of it.  But I was certain one of the huge surprises of the Con would be some “Iron Man 2″ footage in 3D.  Iron Man just screams 3D in my mind and I was let down that the 3D reveal never happened. “Oh well,” I said, “There is always chance for an Iron Man 3D next time.”

So, I am happy to read that there is a new rumor (which is probably true) that “Iron Man 2″ might be in 3D after all when it flies into theaters next year.  If this wasn’t cool enough, we might also be getting the first “Iron Man” in 3D too. You can read the rest of the details when you click on the jump.

So this is gonna be Big, Insane Story Week, huh?  Yesterday we learn that Disney bought Marvel Studios and today we’re learning that Robert Downey Jr. and Jon Favreau will delay “The Avengers” and a potential “Iron Man 3″ to do Alex Kurtzman Roberto Orci, and Damon Lindelof’s adaptation of Fred Van Lente and Andrew Foley’s graphic novel, “Cowboys & Aliens”.  I don’t know if I can take another insane story this week so click the jump as I try to process this one.

We’ve all seen the picture that was released of Mickey Rourke wearing part of his Whiplash suit and now thanks to some concept art that was released to promote the latest Iron Man comic book miniseries, we might have a better idea of how Whiplash will look like when the film hits theaters next year. Full picture and more after the jump.

The other night, at the Director’s Guild in Hollywood, AMC held a premiere party for their hit shows “Mad Men”, whose third season launches August 16^th. In attendance were the entire cast, series creator Matthew Weiner, and tons of celebrity fans.

As a huge fan of the show, I asked to cover the event and while some red carpets are a crap shoot, this one turned out great as I got to speak with everyone. So the first interview I’m posting is with John Slattery and it’s the one all you comic book fans will care about. The reason? In “Iron Man 2″, John plays Howard Stark!

While he was quite guarded with his answers, I think I was probably the only one to ask him about working on “Iron Man 2″. I even wore my Stark Expo ‘74 t-shirt that I got at Comic-Con to see what kind of reaction it would get. Watch the interview after the jump:

I am so happy I interviewed Sam Rockwell at this year’s Sundance for “Moon” and “The Wining Season“. It’s because of those two interviews (and a random meeting at the Park City Einstein’s Bagels) that Sam remembered who I was when I ran into him backstage at this year’s Comic-Con. So even though I wasn’t scheduled to talk with him about “Iron Man 2″, he asked his publicist to give me some time and that’s why you can watch an exclusive interview with this great actor.

During the interview we talked about the critical and commercial success of “Moon”, what was making “Iron Man 2″ like, what can fans expect in the movie, and he reveals he still uses an acting coach to help him prepare for each role. If you’re a fan of this great actor, I promise you’ll love the interview! Take a look after the jump:

Everything I’ve seen from “Iron Man 2″ makes me think director Jon Favreau has made a movie critics and audiences are going to love. The reason? While “Iron Man 2″ is going to have incredible action scenes, he is putting story and character first and getting great actors to play all the critical roles. And joining the cast of “Iron Man 2″ is the beautiful Scarlett Johansson. In the film, Scarlett plays Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow and it’s still a guess whose side she’s on.

Anyway, at Comic-Con I participated in a small roundtable interview with Scarlett and it’s after the jump. During the interview she talks about wearing the form fitting costume, filming her action scenes, was she nervous about signing a multi-picture deal, the history of her character, and a lot more. If you’re looking forward to “Iron Man 2″, you’ll love the interview.

If you saw the first “Iron Man”, you saw Terrence Howard playing James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes. In “Iron Man 2″, Don Cheadle is replacing him. While some may have some issues with an actor being replaced, if you were in Hall H when the cast was introduced, fandom didn’t seem to mind. And after I saw some footage of Don Cheadle playing the part, I don’t mind either.

As you might imagine, the subject of Terrence came up during the roundtable interview I participated in with Don Cheadle at Comic-Con, but many other subjects were covered like what was his reaction to seeing War Machine for the first time and how did he prepare for the role. We also tried to find out more info about what happens in the movie and was he nervous about signing on for a multi-picture deal. If you’re looking forward to “Iron Man 2″, you’ll love the interview. Read it after the jump:

I was supposed to write up my “Iron Man 2″ set report tonight. But due to Comic-Con kicking my ass and the fact that I’ve got like 30 video interviews to edit and get online, I’m going to have to push back the write up till next week. But don’t worry, I’ll get to it. I’ve got a lot to say on the film and it’s all positive.

But to hold you over, Paramount has released a new “Iron Man 2″ image and it’s from the night I was on set. In the picture, you can see Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark looking over a model of his father’s 1974 Stark Expo. If you went to Comic-Con, perhaps you got a Stark Expo t-shirt if you went to the “Iron Man 2″ panel. Trust me, it plays a big part in the new movie. Take a look at the new image after the jump.