Let the word ring out through the land—the third Incredible Hulk trailer has arrived!! Whoo hooo!!

But wait. This one looks strangely like the ones that came before, all of which look pretty much like the Hulk movie of 2003, which, as you may remember, sucked. So I’m not sure what the excitement is all about. Now, I’m assured by Hulk fans that this new movie will make me see the light and understand why this character (which I never liked, even as a kid) is so popular. I do like the presence of Ed Norton, but I also understand that he is unhappy with the final cut of the movie. So....that ain’t so great.

Anyway, here’s the trailer. Why not? It’s free and just a click away.

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Sweet. Someone at Marvel or DC should have thought of this one themselves. Some fan boys come up with a cute little ripoff of the Microsoft/Apple commercials, staring Batman and Superman.

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...same as the old Hulk trailer.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m a Ed Norton and a Tim Roth fan, but I still can’t quite figure out why they are making this new Hulk film. This trailer, much like the previous one, basically gives the plot away. At least it looks like they will not be getting into Daddy issues, like director Ang Lee did in the Hulk movie from 2003.

At any rate, click on the video below to check it out.

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Ryan sent me this video. Watch this. It may be the greatest piano recital in the history of piano recitals. I leave you to judge for yourself.

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Well, well, well. Now I am as much a capitalist as the next guy, and I say anyone can spend their money any way they want. But theres no doubt that from a public relations standpoint, Tom Cruise continues to be a moron. He and wife Katie Holmes recently spent $100,000—that’s not a typo—on a birthday party for daughter Suri. Of course, she’s one TWO YEARS OLD. So other than photos she looks at years from now, she’ll have no recollection of the $45,000 spent on food and the 1,000 butterflies that flew around her.

You can’t make this stuff up.

Read all about it right here.

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That’s the title of a new video that is rising up the viral video charts today on the Internet. Now usually I make fun of these sort of videos, but this one is so strange I can only watch in awe. Check it out by clicking on the screen below.

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You never know what’s going to capture the imagination of Internet surfers. Obama Girl? Animated cats? People freezing in Grand Central Station? Yes, it’s a rich and complex world of deep thought and understanding. And this week, it’s a time lapse video of a man trapped in an elevator for 41 hours. The employee at McGraw-Hill (he was a production manager for Business Week) had gone out for a smoke break at 11 p.m. On his way back, the elevator stopped. What was it like?

Watch the video and see.

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This just in: the summer movie lineup looks like a season of suck.

That is, with one exception: “The Dark Knight.”

I speak with some authority. I just spent the last few days watching all the available trailers and clips from some of the big movies this summer in preparation for a story that is running in our Friday Extra! magazine. Frequent readers know that while I spend a lot of time reviewing books and Oscar-caliber movies (the latter of which, to tell you the truth, doesn’t mean what it used to mean), I am a complete sucker for blockbuster films done well. There’s just something wonderful about a two hour-plus piece of filmmaking that knows it is nothing more than sheer, unadulterated, “soak in it until your fingers get all wrinkly” entertainment. Like, say, “Jaws” (the first of the modern day summer blockbusters). Or “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”

Or, more to the point, “Batman Begins.”

Yes, I realize more was going on in “Batman Begins” than most super hero movies, especially the “Batman” movies directed by Joel Schumacher, which are abominations (Just looking at the movie poster gives me chills. Childhood heroes corrupted, and all that). Still, though, we’re talking about a guy dressing up as a bat. And while director/writer/creative force Christopher Nolan took the topic seriously, taking an hour to introduce us to Bruce Wayne before Batman even shows up, he still included this line from villain Ra’s al Ghul when confronted by Wayne in the Batsuit: “Well, well. You took my advice about theatricality a bit… literally.”

Pulling off that sort of self-deprecation is always a sign of a good summer film, and “Batman Begins” certainly accomplished what it set out to do: reboot a weary franchise and also along the way make one of the best superhero films, one you don’t feel embarrassed telling people at school or in the office that you enjoyed.

And now we come back to this summer. For laughs there are the same-looking entries from Will Ferrell (“Step Brothers” ) and Adam Sandler (“Don’t Mess With The Zohan” ). For the kids, Pixar (“Wall-E” ) and DreamWorks (“Kung Fu Panda” ) are back. There’s a new “The Incredible Hulk” and Harrison Ford is teaming up with the Lucas/Spielberg juggernaut for a new “Indiana Jones” movie. That last one is sort of sweet and all, but watching Harrison Ford jump around at 60 seems more sad than exciting, like watching Alec Guinness have a saber “battle” with Darth Vader in the first “Star Wars” movie.

And then, tucked in the middle of all this, coming on July 18, is “The Dark Knight,” a zone of non-suckage. If you think at this point I am going overboard with praise — or maybe I’m just a fan boy disguised as a newspaper guy — than I challenge you to take some time and watch all the trailers for the new summer movies. Which one sticks with you? Which one looks like it has the best single performance (Heath Ledger as The Joker)? Which one has the entire great cast returning (Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman) and has actually upgraded one key role (Maggie Gyllenhaal replaces Katie Holmes)?

This also is the closest I think anyone has come to making something that looks and feels like “The Killing Joke,” the Batman graphic novel by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland. In fact, if you really want to geek out, check out the look and line at about 1:08 in the trailer — the “Where is he?” bit. That’s right out of “The Killing Joke.” Ledger apparently studied the comic, and you can see it in the intensity of his performance. One can only hope they go where the comic went — The Joker trying to prove to Batman that he is just as insane as the criminals he pursues.

Here’s the trailer, which I posted before but who wants to scroll down, right?

This is far and away our best hope for the summer movie season. Unless it’s “The Pineapple Express,” but that’s just a whole other story.

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In its way, this clip might be genius. I’ve watched “Lost” so much I don’t even know anymore.

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We just got an email here this morning telling us that “Valkyrie,” the new movie starring Tom Cruise, won’t come out in October as planned. It is now set for a February 2009 release.

This was after it had already been moved from the summer 2008 schedule.

There’s no explanation for why, but I can tell you what it usually means: this movie sucks. Why else would a movie planned for the lucrative summer schedule get moved to the no man’s land of February, the dumping ground month for the movie industry (well, what they don’t dump in January).

By the way, the movie features Cruise—who you perhaps know best as the pompous, slightly manical man on the Scientology video on You Tube —as a German officer involved in a plot to execute Hitler. Catch the trailer here, and make sure you wait around for the line: “The SS will pull you apart like warm bread.” Heh heh, now that’s some dramatic writing!

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Within the first 24 hours of release, the DVD for the “Alvin and the Chipmunks” movie sold more than 2.6 million units, making it the #1 release of the year, according to Fox Home Entertainment.

That’s insane, of course.

But maybe not so much. After all, kids loved the movie — it won movie of the year at the Kids Choice Awards earlier this year — and parents are always on the lookout for something the kids will sit through (never underestimate the “I need some peace and quiet” factor). Plus, hey, it has Jason Lee. Um, OK that only helps “My Name Is Earl” and old Kevin Smith movie fans, but still.

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It’s fairly straightforward — people will link to a video that begins as something else, but then goes into the video for the 1980s hit, “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Ashley. I know, I know. Once again, the fact show us that the Internet is the greatest time waster in the history of people looking for time wasters. And that’s saying something, considering how much people enjoy wasting time.

Anyway, this trick is called a Rick Roll, and You Tube took the joke to a new level on April Fool’s Day, making every one of its “featured videos” a link to the Astley video, no matter what it advertised. I know there are some of you saying: Who’s Rick Astley? What song? I slept through the ‘80s, what are you talking about?

For you, I give you the following link. Be warned: it will stick in your head ALL day. I’m not saying it’s good, I’m saying it sticks. By the way, in case your wondering, I didn’t embed it because You Tube will no longer allow it.

Just click here.

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Dude. George Michael.

When I came in today, I learned that the ‘80s star — he was on the level of Michael Jackson back in the day – is coming to the Forum on Aug. 2

Truth is, I was never a huge Michael fan back in the day, because, well, by then I was into R.E.M., the Replacements, Husker Du, They Might Be Giants, Pixies. But now, and by now I mean actually today, I realize I know right off the top of my head at least six Wham! and George Michael songs. So, I guess it’s time I admit the dude could write some catchy tunes.

Here’s the video of one of those (my wife REALLY loves this one). It’s Michaels doing his version of a jazzy torch song. Proves the dude could (can?) sing.

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Frankly, the planned “A-Team” movie is yet another sign that Hollywood should be embarrassed. Why? I’ll you why: it means that Hollywood’s best brains cannot come up with a better movie idea than a bucnh of television writers did MORE THAN 20 YEARS AGO.

Embarrassing.

That said, the one thing that DID interest me was the question of how one replaces MR. T, who played B.A. Baracus, perhaps the baddest of a bunch of butt kickers. But now the clouds have parted and I can see clearly. Ice Cube, he of N.W.A., a great solo musical career and an uneven film career, could play B.A. Baracus. In fact, he wants to. He even says he’ll wear the mohawk.

If this happens, I will go see this movie.

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The film Intent—a suspense thriller being filmed in Tampa starting in September—will feature four up and coming stars, according to the press release the Pop Culture Diva forwarded to my inbox. They are: Madison Mason, Kirk Woller, Tim Kelleher and Muse Watson.

Yeah. I didn’t recognize those names, either.

But, I’m letting you know this far in advance so you can do some research and find out who these people are so, when they are in town, you will know them when you bump into them. Or when you’re standing across the street from the set, trying to get a glimpse of them (as people did when John Travolta was in town for “The Punisher").

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