Transformers Prime to Return in February

A new Transformers: Prime commercial that aired with a repeat of episode 1 finally explains why The Hub has not provided the regular time slot for the cartoon series. It turns out it simply doesn't have one. Once the initial five episodes of the opening "Darkness Rising" story arc airs this week, the series is going on hiatus until February 2011. Very odd scheduling decision to air five episodes in one week then wait two months to air more as it negates any momentum the mini-series might have generated. At this point I give up on trying to figure out what the Hub scheduling brain trust is up to. (via TFW2005's Soundwave9)

Bay Denies 3D Problems, Dates Trailer

Michael Bay has once again popped up on his forums denying the recent report that his 3D footage for Transformers: Dark of the Moon was unusable. On top of that, he reports that "the Transformers announcement piece", aka the teaser trailer will premiere with The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (December 10th) and Tron: Legacy (December 17th).

Wow, I read these morons on the internet who think they are in the know. "We have problems with our 3D????” Really? Come into my edit room and I will show you beautiful 3D. There has never been a live action show that has pushed the boundaries of 3D like Transformers 3. We shot the entire movie with 3D cameras. I actually loved shooting in 3D.

I will give full details of my process and why I liked 3D in the next week right before the Transformers announcement piece comes out on Tron and Narnia.

And don't watch this movie in 2D, we made it for 3D.

Michael

The forum specific links are here and here. While some may claim he is lying, in this case I don't see any reason to. As said before, they had a 3D viewing rig on location at all times that easily allowed them to catch any problems with the footage. Also don't forget that Bay had a 10 minute or so edit of the footage put together for the cast and crew early in filming; another chance to find any problems and make corrections. It doesn't make much sense that Bay and his 3D consultants (many from the Avatar crew) would not have discovered any problems until now. Mini-controversy over with the most important piece of this whole thing being we are about two weeks away of getting our first look at Transformers 3. Thanks to everyone for the heads-up.

Transformers 3 With Real 3D Problems?

A report from IESB.net suggests that Transformers: Dark of the Moon is starting to have a problem with 3D footage for the film which has entered the editing and CGI phase of the post production process. Ironically, they are not talking about the critically panned conversion process but the actual real 3D footage that Michael Bay filmed, calling it nearly useless as it "looks like shit." The information comes from "insider" sources which general prove to be unreliable so usual grain of salt caveats apply.

Our post production insiders are telling the IESB that Michael Bay is doing some scrambling trying to salvage the footage that was shot. "The 3-D looks like shit and we don't know if we will be able to use all of it the way it is," our insider tells IESB.

"Avatar set the standard very high for 3-D films and even though some of the best people in the 3-D business were brought aboard for TF3 but with Michael's quick, aggressive style of shooting without any real past experience has caused hiccups," our insider added.

To end on a positive note one of our sources up at ILM have told us that the FX work looks insane and that the story and plot is far superior to the two previous films. Which is great since I love the first Transformers film...really didn't care for Revenge of the Fallen.

While I could see some footage having problems just as a result of the film making process, I find it hard to believe all it is rubbish mostly because Bay did have a 3D video set up on set that allowed him and his team to review the 3D footage as they filmed it. I find it difficult to believe they would not have noticed problems early on and made corrections accordingly. Thanks to rumah for the link.

Another reason do not believe the report is because of Alberta Film Classification website (via TFW2005) has posted a running time of the first trailer (but sadly no premiere date) that indicates a running time of 2:24 and a PG rating, which guess means someone has at least watched it. I think if there was footage problems, getting a trailer prepped would not be high on the to do list as one is not really necessary at this time (but sure wouldn't mind it). Thanks to Teddy for the link.

Transformers Prime Making Of

The team of Transformers: Prime has posted a tongue in cheek behind the scenes of Transformers: Prime with the team of Bob Orci and Alex Kurtzman as they help put the show together and "create" the animation for the cartoon. The first two episodes aired today, the rest next week with a mini-marathon of the first five episodes on next Saturday. I don't get the Hub and so far have not discovered any online distribution that the network is using for their programming so I guess most of us will just have to wait until the DVD release. (via AllSpark)

Black Friday Transformers Deals

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

If like many, right after turkey and football you might be prepping for the biggest shopping day of the year, aka Black Friday. What is a shopping spree without a few Transformers? If looking to buy, below are highlights sorted by product but didn't bother to list things like Speed Stars or items that were tagged as a "sale" but it’s really just the regular price. A comprehensive list can be found at BFads.net. If you are looking for great electronic deals, Engadget has a roundup of deals here. If are aware of any others, please drop a note in the comments.

Battle Ops Bumblebee
KMart - $39.99
Meijer TG - $34.00
Target - $49.99
Toys R Us - $49.99
Walmart - $49.00

Transformers Deluxe Class
Target - $9.00
Walmart - $9

Powercore Combiner 5-packs
KMart - $14.99
Walmart - $15.00

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen figures
Toys R Us - 50% off or Buy 1 Get 1 Free (depends on class)

War for Cybertron DS Autobot & Decepticon
KMart - $10.00 each
Toys R US - $9.99

Wii War for Cybertron
Walmart - $29.99

Transformers: Prime Episode Summaries, Review

Seibertron received advance copies of the first two episodes of Transformers: Prime and decided to write up spoiler rich summaries of each with lots of screenshots. "Darkness Rising" is the name of the first five episodes of the series as it lays out the characters and circumstance of this new cartoon series. These first two parts premiere on Friday at 4pm EST (repeat at 6PM EST) on The Hub with the remaining three airing the next week. The confusing schedule can be found here. Still not entirely clear what day and time the show will start airing on a regular basis after that as The Hub PR department is doing an awful job on making schedule info available.

Update: Variety posted a review of the cartoon. In short, they liked it, saying the cartoon "proves unexpectedly sharp -- better than the movies (admittedly damnation with faint praise), thanks to the arresting CGI animation, which proves especially well-suited to rendering shiny robots and their vehicular alter egos." Full review here.

Based on the description, the series starts off with a bang with a death, call to arms, and Decepticons on the move. If you don't mind the spoilers the summary of Darkness Rising part 1 is here and part 2 is here. Thanks to Christopher for the link.

TF3 Not in Native IMAX

Over at the MB.com forums, admin Nelson reminded everyone that while Transformers: Dark of the Moon will be in real 3D, it will not be in real IMAX, "There will be a 3D reel but it's not in IMAX format (70mm). IIRC, they did not use Imax cameras this time around."

Now this doesn't mean the movie will not be released to IMAX theatres, it just means that there are no scenes specifically shot for IMAX's 70mm format (I believe standard movies are 35mm) like was done with Revenge of the Fallen were scenes such as the forest fight and Devastator had been filmed in 70mm for IMAX release. The experience was somewhat duplicated for Wal-Mart's "Big Screen Edition" Blu-ray edition of the film. So news, but not really news as I think Revenge was the last film to do anything IMAX specific as it pre-dated the current 3D craze.

Sector 7 #3 Preview

Thanksgiving Eve brings new comic books to shelves and one of them is Transformers: Sector 7 #3. The mini-series gives the history of the organization by following the many generations of Simmons that have worked for it. The current issue brings events up to the Prohibition era. Click here for the covers and first five pages of the issue.

John Barber (w) • Joe Suitor (a) • Brian Rood (c)
Let us tell you a story of two bank robbers named Bonnie and Clyde--and their transforming death car! When young Margo Simmons helps her estranged father investigate mysterious rumors in Texas, she finds herself caught up in jailbreaks, Tommy-guns, and nonstop action as she tracks down the legendary outlaws and comes face to face with the most vicious Transformer ever made!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Transformers Linkfest

More toy reviews, galleries and news.

Transformers Happy Meal Toys
Once again McDonalds will be issuing Transformers related toys as part of a Happy Meal promotion. The six figure set will be Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Ironhide, Starscream, Megatron, and Blackout. Not exactly sure when they will be released nor even if they can actually transform. More images of Prime and Megatron can be found here.

Generations Kup Gallery
Hit the link as the Kup finally returns to the Transformers line with G1 appropriate Truck alt mode. Very cool looking figure and now at the top of my to get list.

Official Hasbro Galleries - Powercore Combiners | Reveal the Shield Legends I | Reveal the Shield Legends II | Reveal the Shield Deluxe, Voyager |
Hit the links for Hasbro official images of their various upcoming wave of toys. Of the stuff coming up, probably the Reveal the Shield Legends toys interest me the most since they are essentially the tiny re-release of Generation One toys.

IDW February Transformers Comics

IDW Publishing has released their publishing plans for February. The month continues their "Infestation" storyline that has their version of zombies invading the worlds of their various properties including the TF universe. Overall 4 Transformers books are being offered. If you are interested in the books, just let your local comic book store know. For the full details of IDW's other books including GI Joe, Star Trek, Angel and more click here.

TRANSFORMERS: INFESTATION #1 (of 2)
Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning (w) Nick Roche (a) John K. Snyder III, Nick Roche with Gabriel Rodriguez (c)
The biggest event in IDW Publishing's history infects the TRANSFORMERS universe with this two-part, bi-weekly series written by Infestation architects Abnett and Lanning! BOOM! BAM! SMASH! Buildings are falling, and the dead are rising! When Big-Bad GALVATRON crash lands on Earth, something ain't right. It's up to our 'Bots-in-blue to run to the rescue or... well... EVERYONE to fight off not just Galvatron, but the zombie horde spreading through Las Vegas!
2 regular covers will be shipped in a 1-to-1 ratio | FC 32 pages $3.99

TRANSFORMERS: INFESTATION #2 (of 2)
Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning (w) Nick Roche (a) John K. Snyder III, Nick Roche with Gabriel Rodriguez (c)
It's 106 miles to Vegas, They've got full tanks of gas, half a pack of energon, it's dark, and they're wearing disguises. HIT IT. Zombies are the latest show on the Vegas Strip, and it's going to be an action-packed battle of machine and mayhem to get this town cleaned up! Don't miss the conclusion of TRANSFORMERS: INFESTATION! The concluding issue of the bi-weekly TRANSFORMERS Infestation tie-in! And wait'll you see where new writing mainstays DnA take the TRANSFORMERS next month!
2 regular covers will be shipped in a 1-to-1 ratio | FC 32 pages $3.99

TRANSFORMERS #16
Mike Costa (w) Don Figueroa (a) Figueroa, Nick Roche (c)
MEGATRON's plan enters its second stage as the AUTOBOTS continue to fall under attack from heavily armed humans. Elsewhere, STARSCREAM attempts to initiate a plan of his own with an old ally. Costa and Figueroa aren't bringing everyone out of this issue in one piece as the "Revenge of the Decepticons" continues!
2 regular covers will be shipped in a 1-to-1 ratio | FC 32 pages $3.99

TRANSFORMERS #1 Hundred Penny Press Edition
Mike Costa (w) Don Figueroa (a & c)
Re-visiting the launch of the ongoing series that kick-started a brand new era for the TRANSFORMERS saga! The Earth has been rebuilt, the Autobots are in hiding, and fans will want to see where it all started!
FC 32 pages $1.00

Transformers 3 Toyline Release Date

Hasbro toy inserts in the latest wave of toys that are now starting to hit toy shelves has revealed the intended release date of the first group of Transformers: Dark of the Moon toys. The inserts show a towering image of Optimus Prime, with message "Look for official licensed products starting the week of May 16, 2011!" This aligns with around the time the toys hits shelves for the previous two movies. Even if the toys do not interest you, it mostly means that we will learn the names and bios on the names of various new Autobots and Decepticons that have joined the latest outing. Thanks to Udana for the link.

Transformers 3 Over Budget? (Updated)

An interesting article for Marina City Online, building complex on State Street in Chicago, suggests that Transformers 3 may have gone over budget during production leading to stunts being cut. A planned stunt for August 8th in Marina City's west tower parking deck that involved throwing four burning cars off the deck but was cut, apparently due to time and budget issues.

Rich Moskal, director of the Chicago Film Office, says it was the film’s director, Michael Bay, who backed out of the stunt. “As far as I know, it was all set to go,” said Moskal Tuesday evening after giving a presentation at DePaul School of Digital Cinema.

“Michael Bay is always trying to do more and more,” he said, “but it was one of those things where they said, ‘do we really need to do this?’” Bay apparently had to get to a location in Detroit, a mansion that was a popular tourist destination and offered a limited opportunity for him to film there. “He had a shopping list and they were running out of time and they were way over budget to be honest with you.”

Bay, says Moskal, remembered Marina City from The Hunter. “The funny thing was, he said, ‘they did one car, I want to do four. And I want them to be on fire. I want there to be four burning cars.’ And it just kind of came down to, how much time do we have and how much more do we really need? And they did some pretty hairy stuff. It’s not like they were starved for yet another spectacle of explosions or flying cars or stuff like that.”

Other scenes for the movie, expected to be released next July, were planned but never filmed. “Their final scene was supposed to be in the reflection of the Cloud Gate sculpture at Millennium Park where they wanted to see the city [on fire] and smoldering.”

The Millennium Park scene was probably cut because that was around the time production shut down for about a week due to the extra being injured in Indiana. It is also possible that the deck scene was repurposed for another location as the description seems to match some of what was filmed at another parking deck location a week later.

The idea of Transformers 3 scenes being cut or altered is not big deal as that is common for any movie. What would be surprising is if the movie is over budget as Michael Bay takes a great deal of pride in getting his movies completed on time and under budget. If Dark of the Moon is currently over budget, will steps be taken to get it back under control by possibly making cuts on post-production decisions with cuts for possible visual effects heavy scenes? Since every second of Transformers robot action is literally 10s of thousands of dollars being spent, there are many different cuts, both big and small, that could be done to get the film budget back on track. Thanks to rumah and Ray for the link.

Update: Michael Bay once again did one of his quick drive-by's on his forum and explained the situation:

Why did I cut the stunt, because the building wanted a $40,000 location fee. I told my producer we are not paying that - Why? Because I like to stay on budget, and I also don't like to get ripped off. So there's the truth. And yes, we are are still under budget today.

Michael

Transformers Linkfest

Sorry for the long delay, between linkfests so this one is extra long with more toy reviews and galleries. The highlight is probably a new auction of G1 Transformers scripts and cels. Also have video reviews for new Prime, 'Bee, Jazz, and more.

G1 Transformers and G.I. Joe Cartoons Document Auction
A new auction that seems to have started might be of huge interest to those that have a deep love for the original 80's cartoons as it will contain original shooting scripts, art work, bios, and more from Transformers, Transformers: The Movie, and G.I. Joe. The auction comes from Ron Friedman who developed and wrote for the various properties. Hit link above for the press release details, and click here for the Heritage Auction Transformers results. I wasn't able to find a way to see all that Friedman was selling in one search but doing a simple search on terms like "Transformers" and "GI Joe" brought up interesting results like scripts, audition dialogue, the movie script, paints cells and more cool stuff.
Update:: All Spark is organizing a donation drive to try and buy up these historical Transformers items so that it be be available for the public online instead of lost in some private collection. Any money left over will be donated to charity. If interested, click here for details. Thanks to General Tekno for the heads-up.

Toy Galleries - Highbrow & Fallen | Grapple | Jazz | Wheeljack, Rumble, Frenzy, Scourge, Laser Prime
More galleries to upcoming releases for the Hunt of the Decepticons, Reveal the Shield, and Takara's Transformers United (aka Generations) lines, most of which are repaints. Reveal the Shield still has this odd tendency to re-release Classic 1.0 and 2.0 molds as repaints but not putting under the "Generations" moniker. Not really sure why they are choosing to go with this type of brand confusion as it seems up to this point they had spent years making a clear distinction between movie inspired toys and the rest. No idea if the Takara United molds will make a stateside visit but would be really surprised if they didn't. More Classic toys the merrier so bring on more Reveal the Shield, United, and Generations

Transformers 3 At The United Nations

Principle photography may have completed (aka lead cast completed their work) for Transformers 3, but that doesn't mean filming is finished. According to On Vacation Locations and Inner City Press, Transformers: Dark of the Moon filmed in the General Assembly auditorium on Saturday.

The middle section of the General Assembly hall was full of extras, in suits and native dress, while a camera on a mechanical arm panned the crowd and then the three faux speakers on the rostrum. From the photo booth on the GA's third floor, Inner City Press heard stage directions, saw the vote tally board lit up.

On Vacation Locations mentions that Dame Judi Dench was spotted but I highly doubt it. Based on the description it sounds like part of the "Autobots - Go Home" plot point that is rumored to include Congress making their presence illegal in the States and now seems to include the UN too. Does that mean Transformers get banned from the entire planet? Or maybe it is for the end of the film and the Autobots are given planetary wide amnesty?

Six Transformers: Prime Promo Videos

Transformers: Prime debuts in a touch under two weeks from now and The Hub has begun ramping up the advertising push with four videos that highlight Arcee, Bumblebee, Cliffjumper and a human character. There are also two new commercials. The first five episodes star airing on November 26th with a rather creative and confusing schedule.All videos below. Over all while the CGI isn't much of an improvement over Beast Wars from a decade ago; it looks like a show with lots of entertainment potential. If you don't get The Hub (like me), hopefully they will do like a lot of networks nowadays and make them available online. (via Seibertron)

Hasbro Details Video Game Plans

Hasbro held its "Investors Day" conference call that highlighted some of their upcoming Transformers related projects for the next year or so. TFormers provided the highlights of the call. Many of them we already could guess with a toy line for Dark of the Moon and the "Ultimate Transformers Experience" theme ride that is being built for Universal Parks with Singapore debut of 2011 and Hollywood in 2012. The conference call also verified that three video games are planned around Transformers.

One of them is Transformers Online, an MMORPG that is currently limited to China and other countries in that region for a 2011 release but may be ported for other countries (which ones not detailed). Activision is also working on Transformers: Dark of the Moon game for release around the time of the movie. For those that found the movie related games lacking will be pleased to know that War for Cybertron 2 is scheduled for 2012 release. Thanks to NHLfan for the link.

Injured TF3 Extra Leaving Hospital

Gabriela Cedillo is on the verge of finally being released from the hospital according to Hollywood News. The set extra suffered a head injury on the Indiana set of Transformers: Dark of the Moon back in September that resulted in brain damage that required surgery. The update comes from the family attorney, Todd A Smith, who is currently suing Paramount for the accident.

In regards to her care he added, “Gabriela is still in the Rehab Institute of Chicago but she’s about to be released home so she can be taken in for outpatient physical and speech therapy. She’ll have to go in multiple times a week for extensive rehabilitation care. She continues to have paralysis issues on her left side.”

On the whole it sounds like somewhat good news as gives hope that she will eventually make a full recovery but still a long road to go as rehabilitation from these kinds of injuries can take a very long time. Best wishes to her family on a successful recovery.

Transformers 3 Principle Photography Wraps

Tyrese Gibson has tweeted that Transformers: Dark of the Moon has officially wrapped principle photography today in Los Angeles.

His first tweet (around 11am EST) on the subject said:

I'm up. On set with what we all hope to be on the last day of filming of Transformers 3. I will keep you updated!!

This was followed five hours later with:

Confirmed::: Today will be last day of shooting Transformers 3.. Yippy!! God is the greatest .. We made!! Fans we won't let you down!!

Finally at about 8:50pm EST, he made it official:

Ladies and Gents we have officially wrapped the filming of Transformers 3! Cheers to my cast and entire crew! We did it baby!! God bless u!

Congrats to the cast and crew of Transformers 3 for their long and eventful shoot. Now the post-production process begins with editing the film, sound, Industrial Light & Magic and Digital Domain doing their CGI magic and much more. The actors may be done but Bay and company still have a lot more work ahead of them. Thanks to Feris and Ann for the heads-up.

Shia and Co. On LA TF3 Set

Just Jared and The Daily Mail have each posted galleries from the Culver City in Los Angeles set of Transformers: Dark of the Moon as Shia LaBeouf, Tyrese Gibson and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley continued to film what looks like more blue screen work for the film. The stunts including something along a building wall, sliding down a facade (say a building as it falls) with other NEST troops, and Shia doing his screaming thing inside Bumblebee. Hit links above for the galleries. Thanks to rumah, Katie and Mauricio for the links.

Transformers #13 Preview

All is very quiet on the Transformers 3 movie news front. A few tidbits indicate filming is occurring in New York but no specifics beyond that. In the meantime, if need your TF fix, at least can hit your local comic book store Wednesday for the latest issue of the ongoing Transformers series with #13. Seibertron has the covers and first five pages here.

Mike Costa (w) • Nick Roche (a) • Don Figueroa, Roche (c)
RODIMUS might be impulsive, but he’s not stupid. The last anyone saw of him, he was rocketing off Earth in disgrace and a stolen ship. In this issue we finally see where he went, what his plan was, and which long-absent DECEPTICONS he came up against. Mike Costa and fan-favorite artist Nick Roche deliver a stand-alone issue that sets up the entire second year of the hit ongoing series.

More Legal Related Bad News for Transformers 3

Two new legal related stories have broke today regarding Transformers 3. One is a personal injury lawsuit and other involves potentially using a gun runner as a consultant for the film.

WGN and Chicago Tribune is reporting that William Kennedy is suing Paramount Pictures and others for $150,000. The paper says, "Kennedy alleges that a temporary control panel in the building where he was working, at 2558 W. 16th St., was "negligently wired" to supply 220 volts. He claims nobody warned him before he plugged in the 110-volt grinder." The accident occurred on July 25th and alleges he suffered "severe and permanent damage to his arm." Paramount has not commented on the story and doubt they will until after it is resolved as that is the standard advice any lawyer gives to clients. Thanks to rumah and Katie for the links.

The other story is a touch more bizarre. It seems Transformers: Dark of the Moon may have unintentionally hired an alleged gun trafficker as consultant for the film. From MovieWeb:

Petty Officer 1st Class Nicholas Bickle is a thirty-three year old rogue Navy SEAL who was discovered to be supplying AK-47s and handguns he allegedly smuggled in from Iraq and Afghanistan. It was also discovered that one of his unmanned accomplices was keeping live C-4 explosives hidden inside his house. While this was all going on, Bickle was working on the set of the currently in-production Transformers: Dark of the Moon as a Navy SEAL consultant and extra.

For unknown reasons the tone of the article suggests that TF3 production should have been aware of his history and not hired him. Or something. If not for the Transformers 3 angle, doubt this story would have even passed local news muster for a five second blurb. Suffice it to say, Paramount and Michael Bay have not commented on the story and hopefully will not bother as it ultimately has nothing to do with them. Sadly these two things, along with the tragic extra incident and the Bumblebee accident, give the impression of a trouble set. The end result is next year's promotional tour for the film is going to be an interesting one for Bay and the cast. Thanks to Mauricio for the link.

New Transformers: Prime Commercial

Transformers: Prime will finally debut at the end of the month (with an odd mini-series schedule) and as a run up to that The Hub has debuted a new commercial. It gives you a decent look at the Autobots and full of Peter Cullen voice over goodness.



Update: MSN TV has posted very brief summaries for the five episodes of the premiere run of Transformers: Prime. (via TFW2005)

Darkness Rising: Part 1 - The return of the Decepticons.
Darkness Rising: Part 2 - The Autobots are met by Megatron.
Darkness Rising: Part 3 - Bulkhead tries to rescue Agent Fowler.
Darkness Rising: Part 4 - Megatron and an army to fight against the Autobots.
Darkness Rising: Part 5 - The fate of the earth hangs in the balance.

Transformers 3 in New York?

For the last few weeks, Transformers: Dark of the Moon has been filming in Los Angeles and now it seems that production may move to New York City, at least going by a possible casting call for the movie. From On Location Vacations:

Grant Wilfley Casting is seeking the following for background work on TRANSFORMERS 3: the Dark of the Moon:

* Arabic/Middle Eastern, South Asian/East Indian, and African men and women with traditional ethnic wardrobe for work on Nov. 12 or Nov. 13.

Email a recent picture and contact information to casting@gwcnyc.com. Write the role for which you are submitting in the subject line of your email. Filming the week of November 8 in NYC.

This is a different casting company then used for previous extra calls. Usual caveats about scams and the like with the biggest being any requests for money makes it a fraud. Maybe it is a quick pick-up scene but highly doubt it is a major sequence or they would have fit it into the schedule when moving all the Transformers vehicles, pyrotechnics and the like all over the country when filming during the summer. Gearing that up again would be very expensive making the standing NY set in LA a better alternative if a large scale action sequence was needed.

Two Fan Made Trailers

The news about Transformers: Dark of the Moon has clearly slowed down to a crawl so here are a few odds and ends for your entertainment. Below is a fan made trailer by Colin Hinkle who used his videos of TF3 filming in the Windy City. Another fan made trailer (despite its title) was found by Mauricio that takes a much different slant on the movie using the first movie's trailer as a template. Embedding on it was disabled so click here to view.

In a slightly related note, here are two pictures from Sam where he froze two images from the ET report from Chicago and zoomed in on the uniforms. As the pics show, two uniforms show reversed US flags. Does it mean anything plot wise? Update: No, as pointed out in the comments. From that, to Google and USFlag.org, "..when authorized for application to the proper uniform the American flag patch is to be worn, right or left shoulder, so that “the star field faces forward, or to the flag’s own right. When worn in this manner, the flag is facing to the observer’s right, and gives the effect of the flag flying in the breeze as the wearer moves forward. The appropriate replica for the right shoulder sleeve is identified as the ‘reverse side flag’.” Always cool to learn something new. Makes me wonder now how many other movies/TV shows with military gets that detail right.

A last note, Shia was recently spotted on the Transformers 3 set in LA on October 28th. The gallery shows nothing of value, but if a fan of Shia, click it for pics of him shirtless. Thanks to Michel K. for the link.