It was just a few days before Christmas that Screen Gems gifted Underworld fans with a bounty of new material for Underworld Awakening starring Kate Beckinsale, the next installment in the Lycans vs Vampires saga opening on January 20. The gift basket included a clip called Underworld Legacy, designed to catch up anyone unfamiliar with the series, the first tv spots and a brand new trailer (which is now showing in theaters in front of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), with more footage from the film, including a better look at the monstrous mega super Lycan and Eve, (India Eisley, The Secret Life of the American Teenager) the Lycan/Vampire Hybrid at the center of the film. Well, today, as a little pre-New Year’s present, they’ve released a few more hi-res stills.

Beckinsale returns as Selene in all her leather and latex glory. She’s a bad ass vampire or ‘death dealer’ and in Underworld Awakening, she escapes imprisonment to find herself in a world where humans have discovered the existence of the Vampire and Lycan clans, and a war to eradicate both species commences. The vampire warrioress leads the battle against humankind.

Underworld Awakening, directed by Mans Marlind and Bjorn Stein (The director of the first two, Len Wiseman returns as a producer. He’s also one of four credited writers) also stars Michael Ealy, Theo James, Stephen Rae, Charles Dance and Sandrine Holt. It opens January 20 in IMAX, 3D and 2D, everywhere.

Sony/Columbia has released some new hi-res stills from The Amazing Spider-Man. Some of them you may have already seen since we brought the versions with copy from EW or Empire. These are crisp and clean. We also have some new posters and concept art.  I have to say, Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, despite the fact that both are in their mid to late twenties  (she’s 23, he’s 28), look convincing as high schoolers.

This version of Spiderman, directed by Marc Webb, goes back to the web slinger’s angsty teenage roots:

“Like most teenagers his age, Peter (Garfield) is trying to figure out who he is and how to be the person he is today. In his journey to put the pieces of his past together he uncovers a secret that his father (Campbell Scott) held… a secret that will ultimately shape his destiny as Spider-Man. This is the first in a series of movies that tells a different side of the Peter Parker story.”

The Amazing Spider-Man stars Garfield, Stone, Rhys Ifans (as Dr. Curt Connors in the first film in which the character becomes The Lizard), Denis Leary, Irrfan Khan, Annie Parisse, C. Thomas Howell, Embeth Davidtz, Martin Sheen and Sally Field. The screenplay is by James Vanderbilt and Alvin Sargent and Steve Kloves, based on the Marvel Comic Book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. It’s scheduled for release on July 3^rd in the US, 4^th July in the UK, in 3D, of course.

While some studios are still in the thrall of awards-season desserts, Warner Brothers  is giving us some amuse bouche from their 2012 menu. Kicking off the 2012 movie season, Warner Bros.  has released some new images from horror thriller The Apparition with Ashley Greene, Sylvester Stallone's action thriller Bullet To The Head, the musical Rock Of Ages, and the latest Nicholas Sparks based, four hankie tearjerker, The Lucky One, starring Zac Efron. A little something for everyone?

The Apparition is about a couple Kelly (Ashley Greene) and Ben (Sebastian Stan) who discover they are being haunted by a presence that was accidentally conjured during a university parapsychology experiment. The horrifying apparition feeds on their fear and torments them no matter where they try to run. Their last hope is an expert in the supernatural (Tom Felton), but even with his help they may already be too late to save themselves from this terrifying force…  Written, produced and directed by Todd Lincoln (who has nothing else to recommend him. I have no idea what that indicates), The Apparition also stars Julianna Guill, Rick Gomez, Anna Clark and Luke Pasqualino. It opens August 24

The Lucky One stars Zac Efron as USMC Sgt Logan Thibault who returns from his 3^rd tour of duy in Iraq with the one thing he credits with keeping him alive- a photograph of he doesn’t know. He learns her name (Beth played by Taylor Schilling) and where she lives. He shows up on her doorstep and takes a job at her family’s kennel. A romance blossoms, giving Logan hope that Beth could be more than just his good luck charm. It also stars Blythe Danner, Adam Lefevre, Jay R. Ferguson and Riley Thomas Stewart and is directed by Scott Hicks (Shine). The Lucky One (not to be confused with The Lucky Ones from 2008 also having to do with returning soldiers (plural this time) and starring Rachel McAdams, who is in that other Nicholas Sparks movie for 2012, The Vow) opens in theaters on April 20.

Rock of Ages tells the story of small town girl Sherrie (Julianne Hough) and city boy Drew (Diego Boneta), who meet on the Sunset Strip while pursuing their Hollywood dreams. Their rock 'n' roll romance is told through the heart-pounding hits of Def Leppard, Joan Jett, Journey, Foreigner, Bon Jovi, Night Ranger, REO Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Poison, Whitesnake and more. It stars Russell Brand, Paul Giamatti, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Malin Akerman, Mary J. Blige, Bryan Cranston, Alec Baldwin and  Tom Cruise as aging rock legend Stacee Jax. Rock of Ages opens on June 1. Russell Brand appears to be playing some variation of himself, but I love Alec Baldwin’s wig.

Bullet To The Head, directed by Walter Hill (The Warriors, 48 Hrs. The Driver), stars Sylvester Stallone, Jason Momoa, Christian Slater and Sung Kang  is based on a graphic novel and tells the story of a New Orleans hitman (Stallone) and a New York City cop (Momoa – I think) who form an alliance to bring down the killers of their respective partners. It has an April 13 release date. We showed you the first image last week of Momoa trying to split Stallone like a cord of wood. In this one, Sly has a big gun and is obviously trying to outdo my Hawaiian Volcano in the tatts department.

Matthew McConaughey is engaged! Starcasm

Jennifer Hudson turned down precious role Amy Grindhouse

Jessica Chastain doesn't realize she's a celebrity Film Experience

Is Nicole Scherzinger leaving X-Factor? Have U Heard

McFly naked on Christmas Tabloid Prodigy

Stars who take family vacations for Christmas Girls Talkin Smack

Drake gets Aaliyah portrait on his back Diva Artist

Bar Refaeli's Christmas in Brazil (site NSFW) Celeb Gurlz

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Roman Polanski’s Carnage is one of the few remaining awards contenders that I have yet to see and am really looking forward to. If it feels like we’ve been talking about it forever, it’s been since about July. Carnage, starring the Oscar heavy cast of Kate Winslet, Jodie Foster, Christoph Waltz and John C. Reilly, made its North American debut as the opening night selection of this year’s New York Film Festival back in October after it had already played at festivals all over the world, including Venice. It’s currently playing on seven screens in NY and LA, but I can’t find a wide release date for the US. It will open on 3^rd February in the UK. Meanwhile, both Jodie Foster and Kate Winslet have been nominated for a Golden Globe in the Best Supporting Actress Musical/Comedy category.

Carnage is set in New York (actually a single apartment in New York) and is based on Yasmina Reza’s 2009 Tony winner for Best Play,”God of Carnage” (Le Dieu du Carnage).  It’s about  two sets of middle-class couples who meet for dinner after their children get into a fight at school. (One of them hits the other in the head.)  Given the cast and the plot one might think that this will be a straight drama but, not if you know that it also won the Olivier Award in 2009 for the London production for Best Comedy.  All is definitely not what it appears with these people, perhaps even ‘not quite right’. This is a satirical look at upper middle class New Yorkers, something along the lines of a slightly less venomous “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf”.

Enjoy the pics. It might be all we get on this side of the pond, until dvd. We’ll keep you posted.

Lil Kim is coming bitches and she's letting you know. She tweeted a shot for her upcoming 2012 album with Christmas wishes to her fans:

Celebrity photographer Mike Antonio took the shot. She looks like a sexy poodle in her black tight leotard and puffs. She's ready to bring it in 2012 with a 5 track EP. No word on exactly when the album will drop but it's obviously sometime in 2012.  I wonder if Nicki Minaj will buy a copy? Hmmmm

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