Where would we be without the hallowed television Christmas special? We would be engaged in enthralling conversations with relatives who like to give the backstory about the gall bladder operation pictures they still carry in their wallet. We would be playing defense against every breakable item in the house while the neighbor's kids get enough sugar in their systems to power the Space Shuttle. We would not only have to muster the courage to taste Grandma's homemade rum and Kahula fruitcake, but also to pretend that we like it without our stomach turning inside out, crawling up our esophagus and out of our mouth.

Even if those scenarios will be true for you on Dec. 25, I offer you my pity as my Christmas gift. Plus, you still would rather spend it listening to ol' Uncle Hernia Scar than watching one of these holiday hams.

Via Digg comes news that Legendary Pictures has its eyes on both Brad Pitt and Gerard Butler (300) for the role of He-Man in yet another movie version of the popular '80s half-hour toy commercial animated series.

The original He-Man and the Masters of the Universe aired from 1983 to 1985, but He-Man first appeared in DC Comics and as a line of action figures. In 1987, a live-action film was made with Dolph Lundgren as He-Man and Frank Langella as Skeletor. Updated versions of the original He-Man cartoon aired in 1990 and 2002.

While it borrows a concept from shows like Space Ghost and Sealab 2021, "The Skeletor Show," an independent effort with three episodes currently on YouTube, doesn't quite stand up to those programs. Nevertheless, the show has some great moments and I found myself laughing out loud more than once. Dubbing new voices over footage of the old He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon, the creators turn evil Skeletor into the star of his own wacky sitcom along with Evil-Lyn, Beastman, and the occasional special guest. Like I said, it's not as good as the shows it tries to emulate, but it's also much better than it has any right to be. I also like how the episodes sometimes address comments, such as Orko's hilarious response to one comment which simply read, "This sucks, you faggot."

[via Boing Boing]

As anyone who reads IMDb knows, many of the titles listed as "in development" or even "announced" have to be taken with a grain of salt. So when you see the entry for a He-Man movie being directed by none other than John Woo, you have to ask yourself, "OK, who posted this crap? And if it's not crap, dear gods why are they making this?" Kryptonsite got news from the person listed to play Skeletor, John Glover (of Smallville), and he knows nothing about this movie. In any case, I hope the studios remember the first time such a task was attempted. Ugh.

[via JoBlo]