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Flashback

Every Monday, Flashback brings you up to speed with the buzz and latest news on all things arts and entertainment you may have missed during the weekend.

Who Watches the Watchmen? Hopefully, everyone come March 2009.

NPR’s movie critic Bob Mondello interrupted his vacation in Argentina to discuss El Caballero de la Noche. As he explains, “you gotta flip over Batman, you just have to,” no matter where in the world you may be. Right on, Bob!

Speaking of The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan’s movie set all kinds of new box-office records: Biggest midnight show opening (easily edging out previous record holder, Star Wars: Episode III), biggest opening-day gross—$66.4 million!—and biggest three-day opening gross. As anyone who saw the movie everyone can attest, The Dark Knight is the ultimate superhero movie…

…at least until Watchmen opens next March, that is. The Zack Snyder (he of the so-so 300 and the excellent Dawn of the Dead reboot) film based on the canonical comic written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons is given a first look by EW’s Doc Jensen. We wholeheartedly agree with Moore, who’s quoted in the article as saying: “There are things [in Watchmen] we did that could only work in a comic, and were indeed designed to show off the things that comics can do that other media can’t,” but we can’t deny that we let out a colossal shriek of excitement when the trailer for the film came up during previews for The Dark Knight (sorry to everyone who was at the AMC Mazza Gallery show we attended!). 

While on the topic of comics-to-film: Frank Miller will be screening scenes and a special trailer from his adaptation of Will Eisner’s The Spirit at this year’s Comic-Con convention. Eisner, considered by most as one the giant’s of the medium (and credited for coining the term “graphic novel”), created this 1940 strip about a police officer who comes back from the dead looking for justice.

Dark Horse Comics, the little comic book company that could, is given its due in the Los Angeles Times’ Hero Complex blog. The Milwaukee-based company is home to contemporary hits like Hellboy, Sin City, 300 and season eight of Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

OMFG! Gossip Girl’s new advertising campaign does not disappoint. We’ve got to give it to the show’s marketing department for making 41 days seem like an impossible wait. Now for the million dollar question: Who’s the hottie Blair’s making out with?!

The revamped version of 90210 (yawn) just got interesting: Shannen Doherty Brenda Walsh is officially back as the school’s guest drama teacher. No word yet (but we’re crossing our fingers!) on whether Brenda will be kicking the crap out of Kelly Taylor.

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