O Bumblebee, Where Art Thou?

Seeing John Malkovich, Frances McDormand, and John Turturro on a cast list, you'd think the next Coen Brothers picture was starting production. But believe it or not, this time it's Transformers 3, which stars mechanical beings incapable of expressing emotion. There are also giant robots. Ba-zing!

Verdict: Is Bay finally giving in to the critics, or is this just his ultimate diabolical plan? Turturro embarrassed himself thoroughly in the first two -- can Transformers 3 bring down two more of Hollywood's indie elite?

I Love the Smell of Iron Man in the Morning

In the weirdest movie tie-in since the Rorschach kids' lunchbox, Diesel's ultramacho (tee-hee) "Only the Brave" perfume will be coming out in a special edition red and gold Iron Man 2 edition.

Verdict: What would a blockbuster be without pointless tie-ins? Bring it on. I can hear the marketing team now: "Hey, don't call it perfume, or I'm telling! Mom!"

Just Imagine Gil Gerard's Belly in 3-D

Buck Rogers' last on-screen appearance was the '79-'81 series starring Gerard and Erin Gray (biddy-biddy!), but that was hardly the first. Starting out in a short story in the pulp magazine Amazing Stories, Rogers has been a comic strip, a radio show, a feature at the 1933 World's Fair, a movie serial, a series of novels, and a TV show (twice). Now Paul W.S. Anderson, the director of video game knockoffs like Mortal Kombat and the Resident Evils, is back for another crack, and surprise! It'll be in 3-D.

Verdict: Normally this wouldn't feel like the usual hacky reboot, maybe because the character has been around for 80 years, and every couple of decades someone comes up with a new version, some good, some bad. (Colonel Wilma Deering, I love you!) But putting it in Anderson's hands seems like they don't even want it to be good.

Robert Culp Dies

After injuries suffered in a fall near his home, the 79-year-old actor and writer died on Wednesday. Culp was best known for his role opposite Bill Cosby in the iconic '60s series I Spy, the first to feature a black and a white actor as co-leads in primetime. From his beginnings in early classics like Death Valley Days and The Outer Limits he went on to shows like The Greatest American Hero and Everybody Loves Raymond, and even made a voice appearance in Robot Chicken in 2007.

Verdict: It might be hard to believe now, but in 1965 starring opposite Cosby was a big deal, and with the playful, improvised banter that was the show's trademark, Culp made it not look like a big deal, which was a big deal too. It's not too often that a TV star actually plays a part in changing the country's attitudes, but Culp was one of them.

Update: Tim Burton Is Making The Addams Family ... Maybe?

Last week I pointed to a Deadline Hollywood story that the Alice director had made a deal to Burtonize The Addams Family, but by the time it was posted, MTV.com had an exclusive up that Burton's representatives had unequivocally denied the deal. Deadline is sticking to their story, saying that whatever whoever is saying to MTV now, the deal has already happened. And then the reporter called MTV.com names. Drama!

Verdict: I thought Burton "reinventing" Charles Addams was way too obvious, so I was relieved when it was debunked. But Deadline Hollywood is pretty reliable, and they have sources everywhere. This one's too close to call.