Big thanks to our sister site Cinematical for news on the latest addition to the live-action Speed Racer flick. Richard Roundtree, Shaft himself, has joined the cast as Ben Burns, a former racer who now works as a commentator at the track.

The cast also includes Emile Hirsch as Speed, Matthew Fox as Racer X, Christina Ricci as Trixie, John Goodman as Pops, Susan Sarandon as Moms, Roger Allam as Royalton, and Scott Porter as Rex, Speed's brother who becomes Racer X (played by Matthew Fox, as mentioned).

The Wachowski brothers, the men behind the Matrix trilogy, have said they want Speed Racer to be a family movie, and apparently that's exactly what it will be with its G rating. Also, based on the design of the Mach 5, it would also appear they're trying to emulate the original cartoon series as much as possible.

The film hits theaters May 9, 2008.

A huge disappointment for South Park fans everywhere: Isaac Hayes has quit his role as Chef. It's no big shock that, as a Scientologist, Hayes was offended by November's "Trapped In The Closet" episode. However, many, including the South Park creators, are shocked that Hayes chose now to stand up against the cartoon's disrespect toward religion. To back out of the job and say that the material is personally offensive is one matter, but to scold the show for making fun of religions after doing season after season of jokes about Christians, Mormons, Buddhists, Hindus, and everything else under the sun, is downright preposterous (and it takes a hell of a lot to make me use "preposterous"). Frankly, I am saddened by both Hayes' decision and his reasoning.

Chef has always been one of my favorite characters... I'm too distraught to even make a chocolate salty balls joke.

Isaac Hayes, the singer, composer and actor who is most recognized these days for providing the voice of Chef on South Park is being treated for exhaustion in a Memphis hospital. Hayes won an Oscar in 1971 for composing the theme to the movie Shaft and still tours with his band. He recently did an interview with The Onion where he talked mostly about his music career and his response to South Park's recent tirade against Tom Cruise and Scientology (Hayes is himself a Scientologist). As it turns out, he has a sense of humor about it. I always kind of figured as much.