A Warner Bros. studio executive is quoted by the UK’s Telegraph as saying “Cher is Nolan’s first choice to play Catwoman. He wants to her to portray her like a vamp in her twilight years. The new Catwoman will be the absolute opposite of Michelle Pfeiffer and Halle Berry’s purring creations.”

It is also being suggested that Johnny Depp will be starring as The Riddler.

If the rumor that Cher is under serious consideration is true, and if she portrays Catwoman as this aging vamp of a troublemaker for “The Batman,” then having her in the role could prove to be quite interesting. However, if Cher succumbs to ego and insists on trying to pull off a younger, more athletic Catwoman, then the franchise will simply slip back into the doldrums that Nolan originally rescued it from.

Of course, having Depp in any film is always a treat to watch and an automatic upgrade to the next notch in filmmaking.

BURBANK, CA – NBC.com premiered the 100th “Heroes” graphic novel this week. This seminal edition begins the series that will reveal the secret identity of Evs Dropper, the central character in Heroes Evolutions.

These graphic novels set the stage for the “Heroes” season premiere, September 22, 9/8C on NBC. The Company is in the midst of an Agent mutiny, and the aftermath will have repercussions affecting the entire Heroes universe, both on-air and online.

Graphic Novel Schedule:

Evs Dropper:
The guide for fans engaged in the “Heroes” digital storyline, her identity is revealed in the 101st graphic novel. Evs was introduced following the death of Hana Gittleman, the previous guide who spanned on-air and online. She communicates with fans via blogs, message boards, email, and SMS messages.

Heroes Evolutions:
The online “Heroes” story deepens and enriches the on-air experience through graphic novels, original video, and multiple in-universe websites such as:

Heroes Evolutions has twice been a finalist for the Emmy in Outstanding Creative Achievement In Interactive Media by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, and has also been recognized by the Webby Awards and TV Guide Online Video Awards.

Using the same kind of 3D glasses technology found in IMAX theaters when viewing 3D movies, the gaming industry has come aboard the true 3D bandwagon for some of its newest entries for the PC and MAC computer gaming users.

Some of the 3D games featured at the expo for attendees were “Spore,” “Call of Duty: World at War,” “Race Driver Grid,” Devil May Cry 4,” and “Unreal Tournament 3.” Adding to the thrill of playing 3D was the use of several 73-inch Mitsubishi 3D Ready 108″0p DLP TVs and Viewsonic 3D Ready 120Hz LCD displays.

“Battlestar Galactica” actress Tricia Helfer (Six) was on hand to explain how 3D technology is influencing Hollywood. Helfer, a spokesperson for 3D technology, starred as General Kilian Qatar in Electronic Arts’ “Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars” game.

“What they’re doing with visual computing is transforming a lot of industries,” said Helfer. “I see on the set in Hollywood every day what computer technology is doing for entertainment.”

Attendees were treated to a special 3D showing of 2005 Microsoft’s PC strategy game “Age of Empires III” and marveled what the popular castle siege looks like in high-def quality true 3D.

Also highlighted were next generation multiplayer online games (MMOG) in the various new 3D technologies. Some of the games showcased for the CON were “EverQuest II,” Pirates of the Caribbean” and the ever-popular “World of Warcraft.”

“Stereoscopic technology will have gamers going back two or three years and playing older games just to see how they look in 3D,” said Jen-Hsun Huang, CEO of Nvidia. “We believe the notion of an MMO and a social network will converge and create a new type of virtual world where people can meet and hang out and just chat with their friends,” Huang added.

[Reuters Photo: shows attendees playing video games while wearing Nvidia 3D glasses at the NVISION 08 conference in San Jose, California on August 28, 2008]

[Pictured in the ABC Photo are: Craig Horner as Richard Cypher and Bridget Regan as Kahlan]

“Legend of the Seeker” picks up during the aftermath of the brutal murder of his father told in “The Sword of Truth.” According to author Terry Goodkind, ( who is also the writer for several of the TV series scripts), a mysterious woman, Kahlan Amnell, appears in Richard Cypher’s forest sanctuary seeking help…and more. His world, his very beliefs, are shattered when ancient debts come due with thundering violence. In their darkest hour, hunted relentlessly, tormented by treachery and loss, Kahlan calls upon Richard to reach beyond his sword-to invoke within himself something more noble. Neither knows that the rules of battle have just changed…or that their time has run out. This is the beginning. One story. One Rule. Witness the birth of a legend.

The series begins airing in syndication beginning November 1, 2008. Check your local listings for time and channel.

[Pictured in the ABC Photo are: Craig Horner as Richard Cypher and Bridget Regan as Kahlan]

“Legend of the Seeker” picks up during the aftermath of the brutal murder of his father told in “The Sword of Truth.” According to author Terry Goodkind, ( who is also the writer for several of the TV series scripts), a mysterious woman, Kahlan Amnell, appears in Richard Cypher’s forest sanctuary seeking help…and more. His world, his very beliefs, are shattered when ancient debts come due with thundering violence. In their darkest hour, hunted relentlessly, tormented by treachery and loss, Kahlan calls upon Richard to reach beyond his sword-to invoke within himself something more noble. Neither knows that the rules of battle have just changed…or that their time has run out. This is the beginning. One story. One Rule. Witness the birth of a legend.

The series begins airing in syndication beginning November 1, 2008. Check your local listings for time and channel.

Now passing over $109 million (12 billion yen), the film is on track to surpass current champ “Spirited Away,” also from Miyazaki. First Ponyo must overcome the third and second place animated films “Howl’s Moving Castle” and “Princess Mononoke,” and that seems very likely to occur by as early as this upcoming weekend.

“Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea” is very popular with entire families coming together to view the movie.

Purchase “Transformers” on Blue-ray.

One of last season’s surprise television hits was the geek-oriented sitcom “The Big Bang Theory.” Now the complete first season becomes available on DVD this Tuesday. The show follows the daily lives of a group of highly intelligent geeks who love any and everything sci-fi and sci-tech. The show is smart, witty and full of great SF one-liner references at just the right times. The show has captured an audience beyond the expected geek crowd and has become a favorite with all audiences. the shows three main stars of this ensemble cast include Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons and beautiful across the hall neighbor, Kaley Cuoco. All 17 episodes of the first season are available on this three-disc set that includes some behind the scenes stuff and cast interviews.

Purchase “The Big Bang Theory — The Complete First Season on DVD.
Purchase “The Big Bang Theory — The Complete First Season on Blu-ray.

“Ghost Whisperer: The Third Season” starring the beautiful Jennifer Love Hewitt as someone who talks with the dead hoping to ease their transition to the other side as they work with her to complete the unfinished business that is keeping them tied to Earth.

Purchase “Ghost Whisperer: The Third Season” on DVD.

“Supernatural: The Complete Third Season” — continues the story of two brothers, payed by Jared Padelecki and Jensen Ackles, as they resume their battle against ghosts, demons and other creatures from the great beyond.

Purchase “Supernatural: The Complete Third Season” on DVD.

Purchase “Supernatural: The Complete Third Season” on Blu-ray.

A real children’s favorite for over four decades the Charles M. Schultz classic “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” returns in a new DVD edition of the perennial Halloween special. This Remastered Collectors Edition includes a featurette tracing the long history of this classic animated icon.

Purchase “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” on DVD.

Finally, not SF (although the Zen-like nature of the series feels like it sometime) but a real favorite of our Slice of SciFi fans is the release of “Life: Season One,” the story of a detective wrongly accused of murder and sent to prison. After 12 years behind bars new evidence proves his innocence and he is released with a big fat check in the multi-millions given him from the courts. Super rich and back on the force, he secretly begins tracking down clues that will lead him to those really responsible for the murder he was charged with, and it looks like fellow cops, who are now in powerful positions in the city government and police force, were behind it all. Extras include commentary and deleted scenes. “Life,” is truly one of the best from last season and it begins season two this September.

Purchase “Life: Season One” on DVD

“X-Files” and “Californication” star David Duchovny has checked himself into rehab to undergo treatment for sex addiction.

“I have voluntarily entered a facility for the treatment of sex addiction,” Duchovny said in a press statement. “I ask for respect and privacy for my wife and children as we deal with this situation as a family.”

A vast region of the Amazon forest in Brazil was home to a complex of ancient towns in which about 50,000 people lived, according to scientists assisted by satellite images of the region, says a report from Reuters. Scientists looking over the imagery described clusters of towns and smaller villages connected by complex road networks and housing a society doomed by the arrival of Europeans five centuries ago. It is likely the inhabitants were scattered or killed off by the arrival of Europeans and the diseases they carried with them from the Old World. These ancient settlements, consisting of networks of walled towns and smaller villages organized around a central plaza, are now almost entirely overgrown by the forest.

“These are not cities, but this is urbanism, built around towns,” University of Florida anthropologist Mike Heckenberger said in a statement. “If we look at your average medieval town or your average Greek polis, most are about the scale of those we find in this part of the Amazon. Only the ones we find are much more complicated in terms of their planning,” Heckenberger added.

Sony Pictures is auctioning off a Spider-Man 4 VIP experience on eBay to raise money for cancer research. The package includes a visit to the set, a one-hour meet and greet with the cast, a walk-on role in the film, a trip to the New York premiere and designer outfits to wear on the red carpet. The proceeds from the auction will go to benefit “Stand Up to Cancer” with bidding starting at $5,000. All bids will close on September 5 at 7:00PM PT.

Astronomers have captured images of a powerful collision of galaxy clusters and say it may shed light on the behavior of dark matter, according to science reporter Maggie Fox. The scientists used NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope to study the cluster, known a MACSJ0025.4-1222. They can see a clear separation between dark and ordinary matter, answering a crucial question about whether dark matter interacts with itself other than via gravitational forces.

Screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, known for such hits as TV’s “Lost” and the big screen success of “Transformers,” recently told an interviewer that when their friend J.J. Abrams commissioned them to write a script for the next big “Star Trek” film, a prequel to the original series and its characters wasn’t what they had in mind so much as a revisiting of familiar characters at a time before they became these iconic characters in the pantheon of sci-fi mythos.

“…it was amazing when we went back to look at ‘Star Trek,’ no one had ever done the story about how the original crew came together,” stated Orci. “[…] there’s five thousand hours of ‘Star Trek’ and no one ever covered how they all met. So in a way that was liberating in that no one had stated how that happened exactly,” Orci continued. “And because we had been fans truly-who knew all those years sitting in front of the TV watching ‘Transformers’ and ‘Star Trek’ that we weren’t wasting our time. It was all tax deductible. It was daunting, but we thought, if we can’t do it, then no one can! No, not exactly. But it was like we had been called to duty and it would have felt cowardly to back away just because ‘it has been forty years, what can we do?’”

Kurtzman added that when approached with this daunting task they were both a bit taken back and frightened, mostly because they didn’t want to screw it up.

“At first, we were scared, not because we didn’t think it was worthy, it was we didn’t think we were worthy of it.” said Kurtzman.

“Star Trek” premieres on May 8, 2009.

The actor first heard about the development following series producer John Wirth’s panel at ComicCon and thought, at first, it was a joke.  However, the major character death is happening and while Dekker won’t reveal anything about who might die, he promises viewers will be “shocked at what this specific death signifies in the scope of the ‘Terminator.’”

But beyond the death of a character, what can fans expect when “Sarah Connor” returns on FOX a week from Monday?

Dekker says that this season will show the growth of John Connor into the hero he becomes in the movie series.

“In the first season, my intention was to almost frustrate people by not giving them the savior or hero of the world that they were looking for. I wanted him to be weak and young and slightly immature and impulsive,” he said. “But this year, the hero that will eventually save the world will emerge and it doesn’t happen just by accident.”

“I wanted so badly to play the anger and the strength and the power and fight of my character, and finally, that’s all I’ve been doing this year,” said Dekker. “Everything has become much heavier for John. I’ve gotten to do a lot of action and fighting, but more importantly, I’ve gotten to do some strong scenes with the other actors.”

Dekker says that he and the rest of the cast have gelled well and are comfortable with their role inside the larger “Terminator” universe.   Dekker went on to say that he feels the series is worthy addition to the “Terminator” universe, standing with or even exceeding the popular movies.

“I think we feel a little bit more confident this year because we’ve established ourselves as our own entity,” said Dekker. “Before, we were so concerned about staying true to the film, which we still are, but I think we feel that we can be more experimental now and more confident in taking risks.”

Fans can judge for themselves when “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” kicks off its second season, Monday September 8 at 8 p.m. EST on FOX.