SUPERMAN: Still Controlled by Warner Brothers

Maybe the "S" on his chest should be replaced by a "W.B." With the latest big-screen reboot bounding into theaters this summer, Warner Brothers won another significant legal battle on Thursday that gives the company complete commercial control of the storied franchise.

According to a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit of Appeals, the heirs of Superman co-creator Jerome Siegel are bound to a 2001 letter penned by the family's attorney in which he agreed to Warner Brothers' offer for half of their share of Superman, despite the fact that it was never actually formalized into a contract.

This latest ruling voids a 2008 court decision that gave the family control of key elements of the Superman story, including his costume. If that deal were still in place, Warner Brothers would have to cut an expensive new royalty agreement with the family.

Source: Associated Press

MIKE TYSON: Takes Another Swing at Acting in Law & Order: SVU

Mike Tyson's found a role he can really sink his teeth into. The former heavy weight champ will play Reggie Rhodes, a murderer on death row in an upcoming episode of NBC's Law & Order: SVU. Ed Asner also guest stars in the episode.

This marks the first major acting gig for Tyson, who's previously made cameos as himself on TV in Who's the Boss, Entourage and Breaking In and in The Hangover films.

Source: Deadline Hollywood

SNAKE ON A PLANE: 10-Foot Python Hitches a Ride

In a real-life episode that seemed like a cross between the 2006 film Snakes on a Plane and the old Twilight Zone episode about a gremlin on a plane's wing (also re-made for the 1983 movie), a 10-foot python hitched a ride on a two-hour flight from Australia to Hong Kong.

No human was hurt as the snake stayed outside the plane, wedging itself in between the plane's fuselage and wing. But it ended badly for the reptile. In a video shot by passenger Robert Weber, blood is appears by the end of the clip, suggesting that whipping around during flight -- and the cold and high altitude -- got the best of the beast.

Source: International Herald Tribune

THE FLU: Vaccine and Tamiflu Shortage

The worst flu season in America in 10 years has created a high demand and shortage for vaccines and the Tamiflu treaments for children. Although the vaccine may be hard to come by, doctors are urging those who haven't been vaccinated to keep searching and get a flu shot.

However, that may be difficult. Sanofi SA, the largest maker of flu vaccine in the U.S., said on Thursday that it had sold out of four of the six different dosages of Fluzone due to the high demand. Michael Szumera, a spokesman for the company, said on Thursday, "At this point we are not able to any more vaccine because we are gearing up for next year's vaccine."

Source: Reuters

TRENDING NOW

The Oscars, Taylor Swift's latest break-up and gun-loving Ten Nugent top trends on Google and Twitter.

• Oscar Nominations: Beasts of the Southern Wild piqued interest with its four nods.
• School Shooting: The latest high-profile shooting was at Taft Union High School in Kern County, California.
• Ted Nugent: The pro-gun rocker has drawn ire for equating gun owners to Rosa Parks.
• Bethenny Frankel: Estranged husband Jason Hoppy says the The Real Housewives of New York City star has the hots for one of her female cast mates.
• Harry Styles: Taylor Swift's latest ex is on a Utah ski getaway for some bromance time with Justin Bieber.
• Taylor Swift: She tweeted that she's back in the studio -- to record a song about Harry?
• Justin Upton: The Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder used his contract's no-trade to reject a deal that would have sent him to the Seattle Mariners.
• Bobby Jindal: The Louisiana Governor Jindal has proposed ending state income tax.
• Justin Timberlake: He tweeted that new music is in the works. It's been six years since he released FutureSex/LoveSounds.

TOP CELEBRITY TWEETS ()

Seth MacFarlane's Hilter trouble tops celebrity tweets.

• Seth MacFarlane: "Lotta flap over that Adolf joke. Look, Amour was a great film, so how about this: Austria, we'll give you the Oscar if you take back Arnold [Schwarzenegger]."
• Taylor Swift: "Back in the studio. Uh oh..."
• Roger Ebert: "What is is about Les Mis that makes people love it or hate it?"
• Ricky Gervais: "Instead of hosting the Golden Globes this year, I will be filming in a room full of muppets...The difference between most Hollywood actors and the average puppet is that a puppet usually has a man's hand up its arse. Oh...wait."
• Jimmy Fallon: "Obama came under fire from the GOP over the lack of diversity in his cabinet. Obama was like, 'You know I'll be there too right?'"
• Lisa Lampanelli: "New Zealand couple married in the nude. They must be what they call 'nudists' or 'naturists.' Or as I sometimes call them -- douchebags."
• Dane Cook: "True love means never having to admit when you're wrong."
• Brad Pitt: "Sometimes, just getting some space is what you need to realize what you really want."

GOLDEN GLOBES: Stars Out Sunday

Golden Globes get awarded on Sunday. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler co-host the 70th annual event that’s being televised on NBC.

• Big studio films are the best bets this year. Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln leads the pack with seven nominations, including a nod for Best Drama. Other top contenders also come from big-names, like Ben Affleck’s Argo, Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, Ang Lee’s Life of Pi and Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty.
• Hollywood A-listers also command the acting categories, with nods for Lincoln stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones, as well as Leonardo DiCaprio for Django Unchained, Alan Arkin for Argo and Denzel Washington for Flight.
• TV also gets honored at the gala, with the Sarah Palin drama Game Change leading the contenders with five nominations, including acting nods for Julianne Moore, Woody Harrelson, Ed Harris and Sarah Paulson. Homeland is the main competitor, with a Best Drama nomination and acting nods for Claire Danes, Damian Lewis and Mandy Patinkin.

10 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT THE GOLDEN GLOBES

• 1: The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, based in Los Angeles, was formed in 1943 as a way for international journalists to band together, exchange ideas and gain access to Hollywood stars.
• 2: The organization's first awards took place in 1944 with an informal ceremony at the 20th Century Fox studios.
• 3: In conjunction with the Golden Globes presentation, the HFPA held its first gala social event in 1945 with a formal banquet at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
• 4: Going My Way was Best Picture, and Ingrid Bergman and Alexander Knox won Best Actress and Best Actor in 1945.
• 5: The actual Golden Globe award appeared in 1946, when HFPA President Marina Cisternas came up with the idea of using a statuette of a "golden globe" with a film strip encircling it.
• 6: In 1952, the HFPA created the Cecil B De Mille Award to recognize "outstanding contribution to the entertainment field."
• 7: The first recipient was De Mille himself.
• 8: In 1955, the Golden Globes began honoring achievements in television as well as film. Honorees in the best television show category that year included Lucy & Desi and Davy Crockett.
• 9: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is the only film to win the Globe in all five major categories (Best Picture, Actor, Actress, Director and Screenplay).
• 10: Meryl Streep has won the most Golden Globes (eight), followed by Jack Nicholson (six) and Francis Ford Coppola, Shirley MacLaine, Rosalind Russell and Oliver Stone (five apiece). Marlon Brando refused his best actor Globe for The Godfather in 1973 to protest U.S. "imperialism and racism." He also refused his Oscar statuette that year.

Source: IBNLive.com

TREASURY SECRETARY: Obama Taps Lew, Jokes About His Signature (o)

As expected, President Obama nominated current White House chief of staff Jack Lew as the next secretary of the treasury on Thursday. If confirmed, he'll replace Timothy Geithner.

Lew's background includes experience in fiscal policy working on deals that included Social Security and budgets for former House Speaker Tip O'Neill and President Bill Clinton.