Author: Mary Anne Butler

Mary Anne Butler (Mab) got her start in album reviews and live concert coverage for a nationally published (print) music magazine as a teenager. She eventually transitioned to online media, writing for such sites as UGO/IGN, ComicsOnline, Geek Magazine, Ace of Geeks, Aggressive Comix (Editor-in-Chief), Bleeding Cool (News Editor), Nerdbot (as Editor-In-Chief), and now [Bad]Influencers, where she is Editor-in-Chief. Over the past 15 years, she’s built a well-known reputation at conventions across the globe as a cosplayer (occasionally), photographer (constantly), panelist and moderator (mostly), and reporter (always). Interviews, reviews, observations, breaking news, and objective reporting are the name of the game for the founder of Harkonnen Knife Fight, a Dune-themed band. She also produces award-winning immersive events, including Wasteland Weekend and Neotropolis.

Following a Warner Bros. Pictures panel at CinemaCon in Las Vegas today, the first trailer for the upcoming “Joker” sequel has been released. Director Todd Phillips returns to helm “Joker: Foile à Deux,.” Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix also returns as the Clown Prince of Crime. This time, he’s joined by Lady Gaga, who will be playing the one and only Dr. Harleen Quinzel, aka Harley Quinn. In the first film, Arthur Fleck (Phoenix) is an aspiring comedian battling some serious mental health issues. We watch as he slowly slides down the rabbit hole of becoming one of DC Comics’ most notorious villains, The…

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TV

In another bit of HBO shelving something news, sounds like yet another one of those “Game of Thrones” spinoffs is NOT happening now. First revealed back in June of 2022, a Jon Snow-centric spinoff series titled “SNOW” was pretty much confirmed by author George RR Martin. Likewise, series star Kit Harrington seemed pretty sure this was a done deal. But, as time has moved forward and “House of the Dragon” is all the rage, it sounds like maybe “SNOW” isn’t happening. “Currently, it’s off the table, because we all couldn’t find the right story to tell that we were all…

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TV

Hey there, Vaultdweller. Looks like you could use a spot of good news today. How about if we told you Prime Video has moved up the release of their “Fallout” series? A full DAY early! The news was announced by the official Prime Video social medias, using a familiar face. “Fallout” is the story of haves and have-nots in a world in which there’s almost nothing left to have. 200 years after the apocalypse, the gentle denizens of luxury fallout shelters are forced to return to the irradiated hellscape their ancestors left behind — and are shocked to discover an…

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TV

At long last, we finally know who will lead HBO’s next “Game of Thrones” spinoff series. Titled “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight,” this show will center on the tales of Ser Duncan the Tall and Aegon V Targaryen, otherwise known as Dunk and Egg. Fans of both the books and show will no doubt recall how often the pair are mentioned. This is actually one of the spinoffs we’re really looking forward to. (The other being the Nymeria-centric show, which we’ll probably never get. The HUMAN Nymeria. Although one about Ayra’s giant she-direwolf would be pretty…

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Today marks a very special day for “Star Trek” fans. According to series lore, April 5th 2063 marks the day humans first achieved warp flight, and in doing so, caught the attention of Vulcans, who came to Earth to see the ‘primitive people’ who had done this great thing. So I guess we could also say it’s from this meeting one of Starfleet / the Federation’s most stringent rules comes from- The Prime Directive. That rule prohibits Starfleet / Federation members from interfering with the natural development of alien civilizations. Specifically, if a planet or people are pre-warp technology, you…

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We knew director Denis Villeneuve wanted to make a third “Dune” film. In fact, he’s been talking about actively working on the script for his version of “Dune Messiah” for years. With the success of “Dune Part Two,” it was only a matter of time before Legendary Pictures confirmed it was definitely in development. That’s what we’re hearing now. Buried in coverage of Villeneuve’s possible next film project- “Nuclear War: A Scenario” – the usual suspects dropped the Lisan al Giab news. Before we dive into “Messiah,” let’s look at what this other project is. Based on a Pulitzer Prize…

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We have some sad news for bargain shoppers. The 99 Cents Only retail chain of deep discount stores is closing all their locations. This is largely due in part to a variety of things, including inflation, opperational costs, and low sales.All 371 stores, located in California, Texas, Arizona, and Nevada, will close. “99 Cents Only Stores, together with its financial and legal advisors, engaged in an extensive analysis of all available and credible alternatives to identify a solution that would allow the business to continue,” the company said. “Following months of actively pursuing these alternatives, the company ultimately determined that…

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We finally have our first look at Maggie Gyllenhaal’s upcoming movie for Warner Bros. Pictures, “The Bride.” Starring  Jessie Buckley, Christian Bale, Penélope Cruz, Peter Sarsgaard, and Annette Bening, this film aims to tell a later tale for Adam, the Creature of Dr. Frankenstein. Reportedly, a lonely Creature (Bale) travels to 1930s Chicago to seek the aid of Dr. Euphronius, to create a companion for him. The two re-animate a murdered young woman, giving rise to the Bride of Frankenstein (Buckley). The issue is, that she is beyond what either of them intended. It’s not clear if this is a direct remake…

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This just in-yet another big question for Marvel Studios’ upcoming “Fantastic Four” film has been answered. We know who will be playing the Herald of Galactus, the Silver Surfer.According to all the usual suspects, Emmy winner Julia Garner (“The Americans,” “Ozark”) will be taking on the role of Shalla-Bal, one of the Marvel Comics versions of the Silver Surfer. Technically, Shalla-Bal is the wife of  Norrin Radd, the og Silver Surfer. Shalla-Bal and Norrin end up BOTH possessing the power of the Herald due to some cosmic meddling by the High Evolutionary. (Yes, we know this is Juno Silver Surfer, but…

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