The CW have released the following first look at 'The Dark Archer' from the upcoming January 22, 2010 episode of Smallville entitled "Disciple".

Actor Chris Noth (Sex and the City, Law & Order & The Good Wife) stars as the voice of Lex Luthor in the upcoming animated feature film "Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths". The actor was recently in Los Angeles to record his 100-plus lines for the film and took time during the marathon session to discuss his first animated role. Here's an excerpt from the interview:

Question: You’ve had an extensive career in a number of acting mediums – is this really your first animation voiceover experience?
Noth: I think I did about three lines of Mike Logan on Family Guy. That was a quick little gig. The character (Stewie) on the show carries a picture of Mike Logan in his wallet, so I was very flattered by that. But that was just a few lines – so Lex is pretty much my first real animated role.

Question: Did you take a different approach to this Lex Luthor – a good guy Lex – than you would’ve taken with a typically villainous Lex?
Noth: I was extremely excited to be playing the ultimate villain from my youth. I remember how Gene Hackman portayed Lex Luthor with such great delight in the films, and I thought I’d be getting that Lex. So I was surprised to see that in this script, Lex is actually on the right side of the law. It required a whole new thinking on my part on how to approach him. I mean, he's a super hero who's in this very complex, parallel universe. He's actually trying to save all of reality from being destroyed. So I just took that adjustment and said, “Wow, I need to get up to date on my super heroes.” I'm guess I'm a little bit retro.

Question: Do you feel any special significance to be joining the canon of actors – Gene Hackman, Kevin Spacey, Michael Rosenbaum, Clancy Brown – to have brought Lex Luthor to life?
Noth: Initially when I heard about the role, I thought about that great tradition of actors associated with Lex. And I really feel honored to be a part of that group. But this is a complete departure from those performances. This time, Lex is on the right side of the law. He's worlds away from the old Lex.

Question: You’ve done your share of Shakespeare. Can you characterize Lex within the context of some of the great literary or stage heroes/villains?
Noth: Not this Lex. I find super heroes to be more archetypes of values of courage and fortitude and things like that. It’s interesting to me that the new world of animation, compared to when I was growing up, is so much more diverse in its characters. There’s so many more of them, and it’s a much more complicated world. The old comic books that I grew up on had these characters that were in many ways Shakespearean. They were very big with their evilness in the same vein as Richard III in Shakespeare. Those characters relished being bad, and that's always fun to play.

Kristen from E! Online reported in her spoiler column this week that she heard "on good authority" that The CW "most definitely wants a 10th season" of Smallville.

Smallville season 9 has been doing well for CW on Friday nights, surpassing their expectations and pleasing some long time fans by having Clark beginning to fulfill his destiny and finally hooking up Lois. Now if only they would drop the Alfred Gough and Miles Miller rule of "no flights, no tights" we would move up the scale from "pleased" to "happy."

Congratulations to Travis Kraft who was chosen as the winner of the November contest for one (1) DVD copy of "Justice League: The Complete Series". Your prize is on it's way to you!

For our December contest, we have teamed with Fossil to give away one (1) 2006 Limited Edition "Superman Returns" watch.

Watch Details:
On June 6, 2006 Fossil announced the pending release and pre-order of the Limited Edition Fossil Superman Watch (Model number LL1003) to commemorate the "Superman Returns" movie.

Fossil produced 1,000 pieces of this extremely popular model. In less than a month, the watch sold out on the Fossil.com website.

This watch features a silver-tone stainless steel Superman logo on the dial, a Certificate of Authenticity and an engraved limited edition number on the caseback. It has a silver-tone stainless steel mesh bracelet and is packaged in a black textured box with a Superman emblem on the top.

The 2006 list price was $125.00 while auctions on eBay for this model have ranged in price from $200 to $335.

According to IMDB, Ken Lawson will be playing Wesley Dodds, the Sandman, in the upcoming Smallville television movie "Absolute Justice" that introduces us to the Golden Age Superhero Team, Justice Society.

He joins other Society members - Hawkman, Dr. Fate and Stargirl. The movie will air January.

In related news, Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has revealed that Carlo Marks has been cast to play Steven Swift, also known as "Warrior Angel." And yes, this is Chloe's new love interest. Mark's previously appeared as Chloe's fiance in the alternate-reality episode "Apocalypse" back in Season 7.

Wikipedia offers the following 'Sandman' description:

Sandman (Wesley Dodds), is a fictional superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first of several DC characters to bear the name, he was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Bert Christman. Attired in a green business suit, fedora, and gas mask, the Sandman used a gun emitting a sleeping gas to sedate criminals.

"Smallville" shares a good first look at two members of Justice Society of America (JSA) who will appear in the two-hour event next year. Brent Stait and Britt Irvin dressed up in costume to portray Doctor Fate and Stargirl respectively in episode "Absolute Justice", airing February 5.

Doctor Fate, in the comic version, possesses mystical powers which can be associated to sorcery. With the Helmet of Nabu, he is resistant to injury and has super power strength. Meanwhile, Stargirl is a trained gymnastic and thus she has the agility needed to fight. She also has a Cosmic Converter Belt which can shoot stars.

Along with the still of Fate and Stargirl, The CW has also released a look at a confrontation between Hawkman and Green Arrow. "They have completely different views on just about everything you can imagine. Hawkman has this sort of antiquated, conservative point of view, while Oliver is the 'liberal bleeding heart'. Together, they are a match made in hell," Justin Hartley who plays Green Arrow said.

Other members of JSA will be presented as "glimpses", Executive Producer Brian Petersen confirmed. "We wanted to make their entrance into the series relevant, so they show up in a time when our fledgling League, that has not named itself or coalesced into anything, is having a few growing pains," the showrunner said. "So they are coming in to teach all of our heroes a lesson about family and leadership from the mistakes of their own past."

In a recent interview with TV Guide, Smallville executive producer Brian Peterson discussed the highly anticipated "Absolute Justice" episode, and even hinted at the possibility of a tenth season of Smallville.

"It is one of the most exciting things we have done in the nine years we have been on," Peterson exclaimed."

"We have an enormous [episode]," he went on. "Geoff Johns is writing the big Justice Society of America episode for us, and when we got into it, we realized that is so much bigger than just one episode. We have basically turned it into a mini-movie. And from the footage that is coming in, it looks as good if not better than any hero movie that has been out in the last two years."

The JSA is bound to take the reins on the upcoming episode, but Peterson assures us that it's only to help our heroes improve. "We wanted to make their entrance into the series relevant, so they show up in a time when our fledgling League, that has not named itself or coalesced into anything, is having a few growing pains," the showrunner revealed. "So they are coming in to teach all of our heroes a lesson about family and leadership from the mistakes of their own past."

Now the past is one thing, but the future of Smallville? "I think our plan right now is a reflection over the 9 years and taking him out of the darkness that we've had, with him in the black suit and where he went after Jimmy's death, and taking him to a place of balancing his Kryptonian side and his human side--which he's not doing perfectly this year," Peterson said of the tenth season.

"It would be him learning how to be Clark Kent and the entity that will be known as Superman."

At long last the ribbon-cutting ceremony that took place last in July 2009 is available to purchase for your own DVD collection Includes the FULL ceremony as well as an interview with comic book writer and leader of the cause Brad Meltzer. And at $15 it’s a great value. Here’s the official description:

Ribbon Cutting ceremony at the house where Superman was created on Kimberly Avenue in the Glenville area of Cleveland, OH July 11, 2009. Features speeches by Siegel & Shuster Society President Dick Pace, the Plain Dealer’s Mike San Giacomo, Mike O’Shesky, Joanne & Laura Siegel, Shari Cloud, and Kevin Conwell.

Click here to purchase your copy of the DVD today!

During the last few months, Warner Bros has been releasing statements about how the studio will not pursue a "Superman Returns" sequel anytime soon. Now, Thompson on Hollywood has found out Warners' real plan for the franchise.

The project is currently on hold until the studio resolves all the legal issues with the heirs of the character's creators. The goal is to settle with the Siegel and Schuster families, and then work out a deal with them to merge all the Superman rights.

Executives at Warners are eager to get a new "Superman" movie off the ground and have been gathering pitches that have been coming in. And even though the studio already lost the rights to Superman's origins, after the merger, Warner Bros are likely to reboot the franchise, which will once again include the origins that we have seen hundreds of times.

Warner Home Video have released the promotion pictured right for "Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths" featuring the DVD & Blu-Ray covers for the new animated film.

Coming to stores February 3rd, the movie is an original story from award-winning animation/comics writer Dwayne McDuffie ("Justice League") rooted in DC Comics' popular canon of "Crisis" stories. Bruce Timm is executive producer. Lauren Montgomery and Sam Liu are co-directors.

A "good" Lex Luthor (Chris Noth) arrives from an alternate universe to recruit the Justice League to help save his Earth from the Crime Syndicate, a gang of villainous characters with virtually identical super powers to the Justice League. What ensues is the ultimate battle of good versus evil in a war that threatens both planets and, through a diabolical plan launched by Owlman (James Woods), puts the balance of all existence in peril.

Mark Harmon voices Superman, William Baldwin is Batman, Gina Torres plays Super Woman and Bruce Davison voices the President.

"Superman Returns" raised a lot of questions about what kind of sequel might follow the 2006 film and who would come back, as well as whether Warner Brothers would simply start from scratch with the next film about the Man of Steel. "Ninja Assassin" director James McTeigue was once rumored to replace Brian Singer, but DC Entertainment President Diane Nelson recently said the company doesn't "have any current plans for Superman."

Well, Kevin Spacey doesn't have any Superman plans either, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't return to the role of Lex Luthor.

"If I ran Warner Brothers I could tell you definitively we’d be making that movie," Spacey told MTV News. "But I don’t, and they haven’t called me to tell me."

The "Men Who Stare at Goats" star sounds like he's in the same boat Superman fans are, waiting to read a headline with some good news.

"Literally all I know is what I’ve heard from press reports," Spacey said. "I can’t even confirm whether those are true or not because I haven’t spoken to Bryan [Singer]."

If Singer were to be a part of the package, though, he would be open to revisiting the part.

"I don’t know what the situation is," he explained. "If they do it again and Bryan directs, I’d be delighted to come along for the ride. But who knows?"

In a recent interview, Dallas Theater Center artistic director Kevin Moriarty spoke about the status of the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre's top-to-bottom, side-to-side reworking of the short-lived 1966 Broadway production, "It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman".

Moriarty revealed that next week, he and writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa will head to New York City to read the work with its original authors -- Charles Strouse (who wrote the music), Lee Adams (lyrics) and Robert Benton (who penned the story with David Newman) -- and figure out whether they've struck gold or hit kryptonite.

"We'll divide the parts," says Moriarty, who adds that the confab will take place in Strouse's living room. "That will be our first time for all of us to be together to see what we have. That'll be exciting. It could be terrifying. But it will be fun. Not only will we hear the thing out loud, but we'll also brainstorm and share ideas. And it's possible we'll discover we need maybe two, maybe three new songs or that the old songs need really radical lyrical adjustments."

Aguirre-Sacasa -- a playwright, a comic-book scribe for Marvel and one of the writers of HBO's Big Love -- took several months to bang out a first act, due, in part, to the fact Big Love returns in January. The hardest part of the process, says Moriarty, was figuring out the time frame in which to set the piece and finding the tone most appropriate for a musical about Superman. After originally setting the piece post-World War II, they settled on 1939 -- a year after Superman made his debut in Action Comics No.1.

"That's because the plot we have crafted now takes place on the one-year anniversary of Superman's arrival in Metropolis as an adult," he tells Unfair Park. "This is the first year in which Lex Luthor's not being anointed Man of the Year, and he's having to to deal with the fact he's seen his importance and stature in the community go from being the single most important man in Metropolis to the second-most important man. And it's still early in the relationship between Lois and Clark Kent and Lois and Superman, both of which have become very important. They have enough history. They've already fallen in love, and that love triangle -- Clark loves Lois, but Lois is in love with Superman, who, of course, is Clark Kent -- has become the beating heart at the center of the piece.

Those who recall the '66 original, whose soundtrack remains in print, will discover all of the songs remain -- only, they're no longer performed by characters who performed them in the original. In fact, most of Benton and Newman's characters are long gone, replaced by, among others, Lex Luthor, Daily Planet gossip columnist Cat Grant (who didn't make her comic book debut till 1987) and The Scarlet Widow (a holdover from the Superman radio show of the 1940s).

"When Robert handed me the first draft of Act One, I said -- and this was no surprise -- I told him he absolutely nailed the tone and the spirit of the Superman comics in the script," Moriarty says. "He had that instantly. Honestly, the story and justifying a song and a character arc is something any good writer has to be able to do over a couple of months. On the other hand, capturing the tone of Superman for most theater people is an incredibly elusive thing. But this absolutely encompasses Roberto's voice; I can see his personality. It isn't the exact same as when he's writing for Marvel or Big Love. You can hear the color of his voice -- the tone, the point of view. He's writing in a style that's true to the style, the hope and optimism and very consciously trying to hit a Front Page kind of witty, fast, sparing, late 1930s patter. That's been something I had always hoped for.

More from the interview will be posted later this week in which Moriarty talks about his expectations for It's a Bird following its run at the Wyly Theater and how he could have only staged a production like this on a Dallas stage.

For production dates and ticket prices, visit ArtandSeek.org.

To save our world and all those like it, SUPERMAN, BATMAN and their caped colleagues must go toe-to-toe with their evil mirror images in "Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths", the seventh entry in the successful ongoing series of DC UNIVERSE Animated Original PG-13 Movies coming February 23, 2010 from Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation. The full-length animated film will be distributed by Warner Home Video as a Special Edition 2-disc version on DVD and Blu-Ray™ Hi-Def for $24.98 and $29.99, respectively, as well as single disc DVD for $19.98. The film will also be available On Demand and Download.

"Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths" is an original story from award-winning animation/comics writer Dwayne McDuffie rooted in DC Comics’ popular canon of “Crisis” stories depicting parallel worlds with uniquely similar heroes and villains. Bruce Timm is executive producer. Lauren Montgomery and Sam Liu are co-directors.

In Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, a “good” LEX LUTHOR arrives from an alternate universe to recruit the JUSTICE LEAGUE to help save his Earth from the Crime Syndicate, a gang of villainous characters with virtually identical super powers to the JUSTICE LEAGUE. What ensues is the ultimate battle of good versus evil in a war that threatens both planets and, through a diabolical plan launched by OWLMAN, puts the balance of all existence in peril.

The movie features an all-star voice cast led by Mark Harmon as SUPERMAN, James Woods as OWLMAN, Chris Noth as LEX LUTHOR, William Baldwin as BATMAN, Gina Torres as SUPERWOMAN and Bruce Davison as the President.

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths - 2 Disc Special Edition version will have more than two hours of incredible bonus features, including:

1) DC Showcase - The Spectre: The first animated short in the all-new DC Showcase series focuses on a detective story with an ethereal twist, featuring the otherworldly character originally introduced by DC Comics in 1940. The short is written by Steve Niles, and the voice cast includes Gary Cole and Alyssa Milano.
2) Featurette – “The New World”: From Identity Crisis forward, DC Comics raised the stakes with talent writers, editors and artists pushing the boundaries of what it means to be a modern day Super Hero. This documentary covers the riveting and often harrowing tale of New York Times bestselling author Brad Meltzer’s “Identity Crisis,” and why this story struck the right chord with the comic book audience. The story is a personal one for the creator, as well as the DC Comics executives’ fortunate enough to have been a part of this mature comic book publication. While revealing the strategy and sentiments behind this comic book, the documentary film goes a step further to explore the continuing and recent publications of “Infinite Crisis” and “Final Crisis,” while crafted with the narration of “The Dark Knight” Executive Producer Michael Uslan. The tension is high, the story is personal, and the stakes have been raised!
3) Extended Sneak Peek at the next DC UNIVERSE Animated Original PG-13 Movie.
4) Digital Copy Download
5) Widescreen (1.78:1)
6) Two Episodes of Justice League Unlimited hand-picked by animation legend Bruce Timm

"Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths" Blu-Ray versions will have more than three hours of bonus materials, including all the great extras from the 2-disc Special Edition and two additional episodes from Justice League Unlimited, both personally selected by fan-favorite Bruce Timm, plus television pilot episodes from the DC live-action shows: Wonder Woman, and Aquaman.

“Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths is an outstanding representation of the DC Universe series of groundbreaking animated films coming from creative forces within DC Comics, Warner Premiere, Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Home Video,” said Matt Bierman, Senior Vice President Production, Warner Premiere. “It is a testament to the team effort between those four divisions that brings forth a feature-length animated original PG-13 film bursting with great storytelling, memorable characters and impressive animation. This is truly a blockbuster animated film.”

"Adventures of Superman" star Jack Larson will be traveling to New York City during the week of November 30 through December 4 where he will be guest starring in an episode of NBC's "Law and Order".

Jack is said to be excited and looking forward to the experience, but admits he is brushing up on his dramatic acting skills. It's been a long time since Jack dug himself into a dramatic role but he is very pleased with the opportunity to act again.

He will be playing a grandfather who's grandson is spreading Aids to women. The episode, entitled "Quickie" will air on Wednesday, January 13, 2010. Check your local television listing for time and station.

In related news, actress and dancer Leslie Caron, a dear friend to Jack will be receiving a Star on Hollywood Boulevard on December 8, 2009.

Ms Caron has starred of films such as Gigi (1958), directed by Vincente Minnelli and also starred Maurice Chevalier and Louis Joran, An American in Paris (1951), again directed by Mr. Minnelli and starred also Gene Kelly, Daddy Long Legs (1951) with Fred Astaire, Fanny (1961) with Maurice Chevalier, Charles Boyer and Horst Buchholz and Father Goose (1964) with Cary Grant to name just a few. In 2006, Ms. Caron appeared on NBC's "Law and Order" for which she won an Emmy Award. Ms. Caron was instrumental in Jack's upcoming guest appearance on this series.

Mr. Larson will be on hand to make a presentation at Ms. Caron's star induction on Hollywood Boulevard. Her Star will be next to super star performer legend Mr. Gene Kelly.

Thanks to The Adventures Continue for the lead on this story.

Writer J. Michael Straczynski has revealed that DC Comics will launch a new Superman project in 2010.

The scribe, who is currently penning Batman series The Brave And The Bold, confirmed that he has agreed to work on a new venture featuring the Man of Steel.

"There's something I'm writing that'll be coming in late 2010 that should be of interest to a lot of folks, and it does have something to do with Superman - in graphic form, not film - but that's all I can say about it pending any announcements from DC," he told Newsarama.

Prior to his dealings with DC, Straczynski exclusively worked for Marvel, earning critical acclaim for his runs on Spider-Man and Thor. His contract with the publisher expired earlier this year.

DC Comics is expected to make an official announcement on its Superman project in the coming months.

Brian Austin Green's Metallo, the villain with the heart of Kryptonite, is returning to Smallville, TVGuide.com has confirmed.

Green first appeared in the Season 9 premiere as Metallo's alter ego, journalist John Corbin. He was killed off the following week after accidentally ripping out his Kryptonite-infused heart while trying to kill Clark Kent (Tom Welling).

At the time, Dr. Emil (Alessandro Juliani) noted that Corbin had become more machine than man, so the possibility of his survival — and Green's return — seemed possible, if not inevitable.

Green will appear in Episode 18, which is scheduled to air in the spring.

The Superman Super Store is currently offerring up the following items at reduced prices as part of it's "12 Specials of Christmas" sale: