Break out the bullwhip and dust off the fedora. Indy is back. And the lovable old coot has some great gals with him along for the ride. The teaser trailer for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was released last week, and while it may not show us a lot, it sure brings up a lot of nostalgia.

Well, gosh, that looks fun. Twenty-seven years after the first Indy adventure and nineteen years after its third and seemingly final installment, the franchise is back with a couple of new faces and a welcome old one. The teaser trailer gives us our first look at Oscar winner Cate Blanchett and Indy’s Raiders of the Lost Ark love interest Karen Allen in action. While the plot is rather hush-hush, the film is set in 1957, and Dr. Jones is up against Russian Cold Warriors, including Cate’s character, Agent Irina Spalko.

I have to send a huge thank-you bouquet to whoever listened to my pleas and put Cate in uniform. See, it never hurts to ask. Also, with her severe bob and order-barking attitude, I get a little dominatrix vibe off her Agent Spalko. Oh, and then there is her skill with a sword. Hello. … continue reading

Is it Monday? No? It sure feels like it. So here's some eye candy to help while away the day.

1. Annie Leibovitz snaps Cate Blanchett on the set of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull:

I need that picture to be much, much bigger. (From Vanity Fair — see more here.)

2. All you need to know about Lost in 8 minutes and 15 seconds (ha): … continue reading

I’ve always been a little afraid to go to Comic-Con because, frankly, I’m afraid I’d geek out permanently and wind up in the fetal position mumbling, “Strangers in Paradise is over ... Strangers in Paradise is over ...”

But Comic-Con is about much more than comics these days. It’s become a forum for film studios to promote geek-ish movies directly to their fan base. Thursday’s Indiana Jones video, created especially for Comic-Con, revealed the wonderful news that Karen Allen will reprise her role of Marion Ravenwood for the still-untitled fourth Indy flick.

Although the video has yet to turn up on the web, Whitney from PopCandy.com reports that most of the buzz around the short is about how great Karen Allen looks. Don’t we know it? … continue reading

Cate Blanchett, bad girl? If you can believe the rumors swirling around her role in the new Indiana Jones IV film, then yes, and — might I add — rowwwr.

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The latest news on the yet-untitled Indy 4 project is that Cate will not play Dr. Jones’ love interest, as some expected, but will instead be the film’s main villain. Wow, if this is true, that is some inspired casting.