Maguire, Raimi out of 'Spider-Man' franchise (AP)
Source: AP Mon Jan 11, 2010, 9:27 pm EST

Actor Tobey Maguire poses for a photo in Beverly Hills, Calif. on Thursday, Jan. 7, 2010. Maguire has being in all three Spider-Man movies. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

LOS ANGELES - Tobey Maguire's web-slinging days are behind him.

The 34-year-old actor and "Spider-Man" director Sam Raimi will not be returning to the superhero franchise next year. Instead, Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios announced Monday that a new "Spider-Man" film based on a script by James Vanderbilt that focuses on Peter Parker in high school would debut in the summer of 2012 with a new cast and filmmaking team.

"I am so proud of what we accomplished with the 'Spider-Man' franchise over the last decade," Maguire said in a statement Monday. "Beyond the films themselves, I have formed some deep and lasting friendships. I am excited to see the next chapter unfold in this incredible story."

The announcement of a reboot comes after reports that "Spider-Man 4" production stalled amid script revisions. The original "Spider-Man 4" release date seemed unlikely last week when Paramount Pictures announced that "Thor," another big-screen Marvel superhero adaptation, had hammered out the same May 6, 2011, release date as the fourth Spidey installment.

"Working on the 'Spider-Man' movies was the experience of a lifetime for me," Raimi, who directed all three "Spider-Man" films, also said in a statement Monday. "While we were looking forward to doing a fourth one together, the studio and Marvel have a unique opportunity to take the franchise in a new direction, and I know they will do a terrific job."

Maguire said in an interview last week that there was "great stuff in terms of story and script" for the fourth chapter and the plan was to still release the film in 2011. He also said he had specific ideas about the evolution of the character on the big screen.

"Thor" experienced its own upheaval over the weekend. Stuart Townsend departed the adaptation because of creative differences, according to two AP sources close to the production. Townsend, who had been cast as an ally of the Norse god, was replaced by Joshua Dallas.

The three "Spider-Man" films continually snared moviegoers, earning over $1.1 billion combined. After glowing reaction to the first two films, critical response to "Spider-Man 3" was so-so. Raimi said he was undecided about returning to the franchise after the third movie but later said he didn't like thinking about somebody else making the Peter Parker story.

Sony said it would have more news about the next "Spider-Man" movie in coming weeks.

Officials are investigating whether the Austin, Texas, plane crash was an intentional act, an NTSB official told Fox News.

An NTSB spokesman, however, told FoxNews.com that "we can't confirm any of that."

Authorities said they have identified the pilot as Joseph Andrew Stack.

A small single-engine plane crashed into a seven-story office building in Austin around 10 a.m. local time Thursday.

I choose to not keep looking over my shoulder at “big brother” while he strips my carcass, I choose not to ignore what is going on all around me, I choose not to pretend that business as usual won’t continue; I have just had enough.

I can only hope that the numbers quickly get too big to be white washed and ignored that the American zombies wake up and revolt; it will take nothing less.  I would only hope that by striking a nerve that stimulates the inevitable double standard, knee-jerk government reaction that results in more stupid draconian restrictions people wake up and begin to see the pompous political thugs and their mindless minions for what they are.  Sadly, though I spent my entire life trying to believe it wasn’t so, but violence not only is the answer, it is the only answer.  The cruel joke is that the really big chunks of shit at the top have known this all along and have been laughing, at and using this awareness against, fools like me all along.

I saw it written once that the definition of insanity is repeating the same process over and over and expecting the outcome to suddenly be different.  I am finally ready to stop this insanity.  Well, Mr. Big Brother IRS man, let’s try something different; take my pound of flesh and sleep well.

TULSA, OK –– Tulsa Police say out of numerous potential witnesses, only one person had any information to offer in a shooting overnight Sunday at the Chicken Hut restaurant, 1500 E. Apache. The shooting victim, 27-year-old Valentino Verner, later died of his wounds at a Tulsa hospital.

Restaurant patrons even shoved past emergency workers, stepping over the victim to get their food.

Police, firefighters and ambulance personnel responded to a call of shots fired at the restaurant at about 3 a.m. They say when they arrived at the Chicken Hut, they found Verner lying on the ground in front of the restaurant's pick-up window.

He had been shot multiple times, according to Tulsa Police Sergeant Mike Eckert.

They had a difficult time getting through the crowd to provide aid to the victim, and no one was trying to help the injured man, Eckert said. People were instead stepping over Verner to get to their food orders.

Eckert said customers even shoved past emergency personnel as they went to the take out window.

After questioning the crowd, they found only one person – a relative of the victim - who had any information about the shooting. That man could only say the suspect was a man in a blue jacket with a hood.

"Exactly one person chose to call 911 to advise us of the shooting," Eckert said. He added that there were more than 100 people in the parking lot when emergency personnel arrived.

"Nobody wants to talk to us. No one wants to give us any information," he said.

Police are investigating the shooting. Anyone with information on this crime is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 918-596-COPS

http://www.newson6.com/global/story.asp?s=12058604