And I thought that Star Trek apartment was pretty insane. Our fellow Weblogs site Green Daily has posted about a fully-functional Hobbit house. Talk about uber fandom. I mean, it would've been a feat to just replicate a Hobbit house, but to make it an actual home? That's super-cool and environmentally friendly dedication.

It seems that Wales resident Simon Dale wanted his family to live greener lifestyles and be closer to nature. What else is there to do but envelope yourself in bright green moss, and every little bit of nature? The new home is made from mud and rocks found right there. Solar panels store juice for computers and other electrical needs. Underground air keeps the fridge cool. Water is run, by gravity, from a nearby spring. Their loo contains a compost toilet. And it's damn beautiful inside. Check out the house's details here.

Methinks Guillermo should get this guy to help with the new film. How cool would it be if they just made a real community of Hobbit homes for future residents, rather than making sets to strike down and waste?

Yeah, okay. So this isn't the first Fan Made post about carbonite. Erik has already shared George Lucas frozen in the tough stuff, but this new Fan Made is a whole lot tastier (I presume). I mean, George could be a conversation starter and all, but it's also a little bit scary, I imagine very pricey, and you can't eat it.
But you can eat the above.Today a friend sent me a link to Michele's Confectionary Delights, where I found the super-awesome cake above. While it's not a spitting image of Han Solo, I just love this cake -- it's a good example of a little ingenuity trumping over exact replicas. That being said, I can't imagine how hard it would be to cut into the sucker -- not because it's covered in carbonite, but because it looks so darned good.

Have any of you ever received a cake so cool? Maybe if you live near that Ace of Cakes dude...

[via Boing Boing]

I'm not one of those waiting for Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen with a whole lot of anticipation. I feel bad about saying that, but let's face it, Transformers passed me right by as I was playing with Strawberry Shortcake. Many have tried to re-educate me on the awesomeness of Optimus Prime, and failed.

Nevertheless, even I have to admit it's pretty cool when a screenwriter drops in among their fans for a good sequel chat. That's what Robert Orci, one of the scriptwriters for Transformers 1 and 2, has done over at Transformer World 2005. The dedicated can sift through what is currently 82(!) pages of script Q&A, by the time you read this, it will probably be 182. Much of it is hints as to which robots might factor into the sequel -- including a tease that Arcee, the girl Transformer, might appear. On the other hand, he's careful to remind fans that anything you hear about the film is probably careful disinformation, but well meant. "It is fun to 'play' with fandom, not to toy with fandom -- I do not hand out disinformation."

But there's a few reliable sounding bits in here. According to Orci, the sequel will be more "global" in scale, and that there won't a lot of re-introductions. "The first movie is all about the mystery and reveal of the Transformers as a concept and a species, which means we had to hide them a lot in the first hour. In the second movie, now that everyone believes in the universe, we can jump right into the world of the Transformers." The movie will be firmly rooted in Transformers mythology, but will also maintain the "liberties" taken with it in the first film.

He insists they're listening to fan input, so anything you want to see, now's the time to demand it. I'm going to go ahead and demand Arcee, if only to ponder how Transformers can have gender, and whether she will be pink.

No, Twilight fans -- it's ok! This is good news and it isn't going to result in a delay of the movie. Summit wouldn't break your hearts like that. Even though the clock is ticking, the studio is taking a bit of time to smooth out the movie's kinks. According to MTV, they're going back and filming some extra scenes, months after principle photography wrapped -- a move planned long before Twilight snagged the vacant Harry Potter date.

It isn't because anyone's dissatisfied with the film -- the cast insists the opposite is true. "They liked it so much, they are bringing us back for some encore time - to beef it up," says Peter Facinelli, who you all know better as the vampire Carlisle Cullen. "A little salt and pepper." Taylor Lautner, the head of this whole "Team Jacob" thing, says that rehearsals for the new scenes were "a ton of fun" and that they're just to clarify a few plot points. "I know they've been showing it to some people, and some people go, 'I want to see a little more of this,' or, 'I don't quite understand this,' " he explained.

None of the cast members could reveal what the new scenes were, but you Twilight fans can probably guess from the hints, such as Facinelli's being a flashback. "It gives us a little bit of history of the Cullen family. They are just shooting a couple of different added scenes, and the scene I'm in, I can tell you it's me and Robert Pattinson ... Rosalie and Emmett are in that scene."

The ending is also being tweaked to include Lautner. "I am going to be in the prom scene now, at the very end of the film," he said. "At first we didn't film that, and now some people are saying they want to see a bit more of Jacob, and they want him in the prom scene at the end."

It drives me nuts not to know what any of this means, which means it's time to borrow the book from someone. In the meantime, Twilight fans, discuss these developments among yourselves.

As I exited the screening of Traitor, the terrorism thriller starring Don Cheadle that opens on Wednesday, I noticed something odd in the closing credits: story by Steve Martin and Jeffrey Nachmanoff. The second guy is the film's director. But that first guy ... Steve Martin? The Steve Martin?

I knew the one-time Wild and Crazy Guy was a renaissance man. In fact, lately I've enjoyed his writing, which is clever, nuanced, and intelligent, more than I've enjoyed most of his movies. He apparently is not as selective about his film projects as he is about his writing. His novella The Pleasure of My Company is one of my favorite recent books, and Shopgirl (which was made into a film) is another surprisingly emotional gem.

But a terrorism thriller about Muslim extremists and FBI investigations? Even with the understanding that "typical Steve Martin" territory extends much further than the casual fan might realize, this was not typical Steve Martin territory. Checking out the film's website, I found this explanation:

"Traitor began its journey to the big screen when Steve Martin presented an intriguing idea to producer David Hoberman while they were working together on the blockbuster comedy Bringing Down the House. Martin's "what if?" scenario immediately captured Hoberman's imagination with its provocative contemporary themes and surprising final twist."

The production notes go on to describe Nachmanoff and Don Cheadle doing a lot of reworking of Nachmanoff's script, which had been based on Martin's original concept, so I don't know how much of Martin's idea is in the finished product. (He's also credited as an executive producer.) But either way, as a huge fan of Martin's, it's always exciting to see him do something new. It's also nice to know that something positive came out of Bringing Down the House.

Just like films that keep us guessing in exasperation (I'm looking at you, Mr. Richard 'Before Sunset' Linklater!), television shows often tap into the curious determination of fandom. But often it's after a myriad of seasons and at least a few years worth of investment into a group of characters. But then there are shows that inspire rabid fandom without many years on the little screen, and not because of fan loyalty to a certain star, or director (like, say, Joss Whedon's Firefly). I'm talking about Spaced.

The show only has 14 episodes, dating all the way back to 1999, and yet it's become a huge phenomenon recently. Why? Because it's just that good. Centered on the idea that two almost-strangers decide to pretend that they're a couple to secure a new apartment, Spaced is a cornucopia of geek fandom, weirdness, and laughs. And intermingled in the buzz that the show has captured recently, there's been talk of a continuation. But the big question is: Will it continue on the boob tube, or on the big screen?

It is called Fantastic Fest, and porn is pretty fantastic, so I guess it's a perfect match: Kevin Smith's new comedy, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, will have its U.S. premiere as the opening-night film at the raucous genre fest in Austin on Sept. 18. Smith will be there to introduce the film and take questions afterward, so start coming up with good Jersey Girl zingers now.

Afterward, they're holding the Air Sex World Championships there at the Paramount Theater, and audience members are invited to join. Air Sex is like Air Guitar, only dirtier, and requiring less musical ability. If you wanted more proof that Fantastic Fest is not your typical film festival, there you go.

Zack and Miri stars Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks as platonic friends who decide to raise money by making a sex tape; hilarity ensues. Smith has promised that the film is the filthiest thing he's ever done, which is no minor feat. The film opens theatrically on Oct. 31.

Fantastic Fest runs Sept. 18-25. The Zack and Miri gala is part of the package for badge holders, and individual tickets will go on sale this Saturday. Check out the fest's website for more details, then prepared to get really bummed if you can't go. I've only been to Austin for South By Southwest, and while that's always a raging good time, I'm jealous of the Cinematical crew that gets to indulge in Fantastic Fest. Maybe if I ask Scott Weinberg really nicely he'll bring me back a severed-head prop or something.

Woody Allen's latest film, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, has earned mostly rave reviews, and it's doing well at the box office -- or, that is, it's doing well for a Woody Allen film. It opened in 10th place for the weekend of Aug. 15-17, the first time an Allen film has cracked the top 10 at all (let alone opened there) since Small Time Crooks, eight years and eight movies ago. And Small Time Crooks was the first one since Husbands and Wives, eight years and eight movies before that.

I wouldn't say there's ever been a time when Allen's films routinely made the top 10 -- he's always managed to release a total flop here and there to break up the streak -- but it certainly used to occur much more frequently than it does now. Manhattan opened at #1 in 1979, possibly the only Allen film ever to do so. (I can't find specific weekend data on Annie Hall, which is the only other likely candidate.) Various others have spent at least a couple weekends in the top 10. Still, no Allen film has ever been what you'd call a "blockbuster." His biggest hit, Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), made $40 million and never got higher than 5th place at the box office. Granted, if you adjust for inflation, Annie Hall's $38 million would be about $120 million today, and that would be considered fantastic for a low-budget indie. But it's still not commensurate with how beloved and acclaimed Allen is.

Consider this: Woody Allen has directed 38 theatrical features. The Dark Knight has made more money than all 38 of them combined. Isn't it strange that one of the most iconic American filmmakers of all time can barely scrape together a crowd to actually watch his movies?

Cinematical has just received this exclusive clip from the upcoming film Choke, based on one of my personal favorite Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club) books. Choke stars Sam Rockwell as Victor Mancini, a snarky sex addict who cons well-to-do folks out of their money by fake-choking in restaurants while subsequently feeding off the sympathy of others. He then uses this money to help pay his mother's (Anjelica Huston) mental hospital bills. In the clip above -- which is one of a few flashbacks in the film -- young Victor and his mother visit the zoo ... at night ... and they're not exactly there to buy cotton candy. You can learn more about Choke over at its official website. I saw the film back at Sundance and liked it quite a bit -- especially Rockwell's off-the-charts performance as Mancini. Definitely see this one when you get the chance; it arrives in theaters on September 26. Additionally, watch the trailer and another clip over on Moviefone. Enjoy.