Remember the glory days of your toy-collecting-youth when nothing beat the figures of the late '70s and early 1980s? Today it's a strong competition amongst the toy companies as to who can do the best likeness, color schemes or articulation. The modern era of action figures is perhaps becoming stale but no toy line is getting me more excited than seeing what Funko/Super7 has in store for us! Instead of competing with the others, they're doing something very original by going back to creating a retro look that we loved so much as kids!

This retro look will be confusing for anyone born after 1985, since you really had to have studied and played with retro figures to understand them. These retro figures with generic bodies, lack of detail, plain packaging and basic articulation might sound lame to today's youth but to us older toy collectors, these are dead-on perfect representations to our greatest toys from our childhood!


Out this August, we will see these great new Terminator ReAction figures and I'm hopefully for a Comic Con exclusive reveal any day now!

"I can't spoil the surprise just yet," Allison Nehls of Funko tells TheArnoldFans. "I can tell you that we definitely have some very exciting ReAction exclusives planned for SDCC this year! I think everyone will be pleased."

I asked this Funko Marketing Coordinator if Funko has any plans for Terminator or Predator Playsets. I suggested a "Tech-Noir nightclub playset for a future possibility.

"Thanks for the suggestion," Allison Nehls began. "We've been asked about Playsets several times and we love the excitement, but we are focused on the figures we have coming out this year! It would be cool to do it in the future and we are exploring options."

Just how difficult is it for the sculptors to create the perfect blend of character likeness with homage to a retro design? Reis O'Brien, the primary artist on ReAction, answers our question.

"It's very difficult because I have to find a balance of nostalgia and modern design sensibilities which can be quite tricky," says O'Brien.
 
Funko also has a couple new Wacky Wobbler Christmas characters coming. As any fan of Christmas films knows, a TurboMan Wacky Wobbler should do very well - especially how hot previously released Jingle All the Way merchandise has sold. Naturally we suggested this toy too so let's hope for a 2014 or 2015 Turbo Man from Jingle All the Way by Funko!


Funko picked up many other great licenses to expand their ReAction retro line of figures including Back to the Future, Escape from New York, Buffy, The Goonies, Firefly and Predator! Get your figures at your local comic book and hobby stores soon. See you in San Diego, Funko so shut up, take our money and save us some exclusives!

His name is Tony Doherty and like Arnold, he is a rags-to-riches story. Like us Arnold Fans, SCHWARZENEGGER was his idol growing up but now he is business partners with Arnold! This is Tony Doherty: Bodybuilder, IFBB Pro Promoter, Host of Muscle TV and father of four. This is his Story.

When it comes to Bodybuilding and Fitness Promotion in Australia, there is only one man behind the biggest and the best: TONY DOHERTY. Here is the story of a man who had a dream to move to Melbourne from country Victoria, opened a gym, nearly went broke and 20 years later, through blood, sweat & tears, has become the most successful sports promoter in Australian history. Next year his Australian IFBB Pro Bodybuilding Competition and previously titled 3 day "Fit X" Expo becomes THE FIRST ARNOLD CLASSIC AUSTRALIA held on March 13, 14th & 15th.


Part ONE: THE BEGINNING

Tony is like Arnold Schwarzenegger in many ways; Family man from a small quiet town who had big dreams, big ambitions and went from bodybuilder to entertainer and successful business man. Tony started out in the gym business in 1985, the year Commando blasted onto the big screen. "Let off some steam Bennett".  He remembers in the early '80s watching TV with his dad and seeing a man come onto the screen with these big muscles & popping veins and asked his father, 'who is that? How did he get like that?' His father said that is Arnold Schwarzenegger and it takes many years in the gym and dedication to get like that. Tony decided then...that's what he wanted to be!

Arnold was out in Australia promoting his book "The Education of Bodybuilding" and Tony wanted it. In fact, that was all he wanted and that's what he got for Christmas. Tony read that book back to front until it fell apart. Arnold had changed the direction of Tony's life. He wanted to be like Arnold.

Flash forward a few years: He had been working at a fitness centre in my home town of Bendigo and an opportunity arose to buy it, so he did. It was a good business but in the next few years Tony went from having 1 competing gym in the area to 9!  If this was a big city, it wouldn't have hurt so much, but in a small rural town of 100,000 it was nearly fatal.

By 1994 things had become really bad. The town was over saturated by gyms and two more had opened up in his street. Things were looking bleek. But Tony was becoming well established as a bodybuilding promoter in Melbourne and knew that he needed to move quickly on this other passion or lose the lot...so he sold up the gym in his little home town and moved to the city.

Tony got into a small warehouse in Brunswick in Melbourne with lots of worn-out equipment, zero members and a dream. All he needed was somewhere to train, somewhere to live and a Harley Davison motorcycle ...when he could afford it.

The first year he lost everything to keep the doors of Doherty's Brunswick open...he lost his house, car, furniture, you name it. The phone and power got cut off regularly so he slept on the couch at the gym most nights.

Over time the gym was starting to get better. Members slowly built up and he was doing personal training. He had paid back most of the bills that he had bought with him. He would buy a piece of equipment every time that he had some money in the bank and after 6 years he started to pay himself a regular wage.


 PART TWO: THE COMEBACK

It was 1996 and Eraser was in cinemas. What a champion; still in great shape and what a great movie "Your Luggage". By now, Tony had met Amanda (his wife to be) and life was looking up, food was on the table, but still no car or flashy living.

By 1998 he had out-grown the small building and the landlord wanted to turn it into apartments... So after FINALLY getting ahead...and getting the "Dohertys Gym" name out there, they had to move.  He found the current building. It was three times the size and the rent was also three times the size. "However, I have always thought that you have to risk something that matters". Like Arnold, he took a risk to make it big. So with that he moved into Weston Street and it was like starting all over again.

They immediately went 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It's all the rage now in 2014, but he did it back when it was unheard of.  It was a good gym but with the overheads going up so much, it was impossible to make a buck. For the next three years he fought every day, worked twelve hour days and did everything myself, cleaning, maintenance, graphics, mail-outs, contests and day to day management. Things slowly started to turn around.

"I kept my policy of buying equipment every time I could, I would scour the internet and auction sites to find the best stuff I could at the right price. I kept pushing myself and by the time my first child was born in 2002, I was earning wages every week and business was looking better than before," says Tony.

In 2001, Tony held his first pro bodybuilding show and the brand started to get known worldwide. He started to attract all types of athletes from Olympians to AFL footballers and power athletes from everywhere. In 2004 he launched Muscle TV and over the next 5 years kept buying equipment and expanding the gym.

"To this day, I own every piece in every gym and don't lease any equipment at all. It keeps your overheads down and takes away most of the stress," he says.

In 2007 & 2009 he had the opportunity to buy a couple of old hardcore gyms that were rundown and going broke. Great locations and just needed some love and attention. They are both now very busy day and night. The city Doherty's has in recent years seen Tiger Woods train there for two weeks during a Golf Tournament, WWE Wrestler John Cena and many other celebrities, world class athletes & movie stars have trained at a Doherty's Gym.  Tony now has close to 100 staff across his FIVE gyms, so these days his focus is on what was formally "Fit X" and next year will be "The Arnold Classic Australia".
 

PART 3:  AUSTRALIAN BODYBUILDING PRO AND FIT X BECOMES THE ARNOLD CLASSIC

Tony started the First Australian Pro Bodybuilding Pro in 2000, which is now the third longest running pro show in the world and he always had this vision of turning Fit X into an Expo like the Arnold Classic.  He makes no apologies that he had been to many Arnold Classics in Columbus, Ohio and modelled as such, hoping that one day he wants to bring this to Australia.   "This year's Expo saw close to 30,000 people through the doors over 3 days".  When it got announced in early 2013 that Arnold had grand plans to take "The Arnold Classic" Global – Brazil, Asia and Australia... The call came from Arnold's partners that they wanted to meet Tony in Las Vegas. He had no idea what it was about, but when Arnold calls you, you go...and when he arrived he thought 'maybe they want to open The Classic in Sydney or on the Gold Coast?' Nope, they heard great things about Tony's Fit X Expo and wanted Tony to join them and make it even bigger by making it the Arnold Classic. While Tony was hesitant as Fit X was "his baby", the more Arnold & his partner talked, the more it made sense.

So March 2015 becomes "THE ARNOLD CLASSIC AUSTRALIA" and the Austrian Oak himself will be here for it. It is anticipated that over 50,000 fans will come from all over Australia and the world to be a part of this historic event.  

The 2015 Arnold Fitness EXPO will feature more booths than Australia has seen before. The latest in supplements, fitness equipment, apparel and more. Entertainment areas that host unique, non-stop competitions and entertainment that combine to make the Arnold Fitness EXPO the heart of the Arnold Sports Classic multi-sport festival weekend. The Arnold Classic EXPO at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, has joined with Fit X to become the nation's largest sport and fitness expo. It not only entertains but also showcases leading businesses and organisations showcasing the latest trends in the associated industries.

Tony has never forgotten where he came from and loves to see others reach their potential.

"I still spend every day in the gym and wouldn't change it for the world. I am still working on the gym to make it better and will never stop trying to improve the product and the brand."

Before finishing the interview, I asked Tony, what's your favorite Arnold film?

 "I love them all," he says. "As a bodybuilder, I love Pumping Iron. I know every line back to front.  Honestly, I cant think of a Schwarzenegger film I didn't enjoy. But nothing beats T2. Yeah, he was great in the Conan's and Terminator 1, but it was Terminator 2 where he looked like a movie star, became a global success and had arrived."

So not only do we get to see Arnold return in 2015's Terminator, we get him back on Australian shores and i'll be there to report it all for the Arnold Fans Worldwide! Thanks to Tony Doherty for the great interview and make sure if you are in Australia get to the Arnold Classic in Melbourne in March!

Now check out these links!

http://www.arnoldclassic.com.au
http://www.arnoldclassic.com.au/buy-tickets
https://www.facebook.com/arnoldclassicaustralia
https://www.facebook.com/dandeltoid

In the early 90's, Jeff Dawn, the Academy Award-winning lead make-up artist who transformed Arnold into cyborgs for the first three Terminator films, hired Jonathan Bickart to sculpt two bronze busts. Over many weeks, Jeff worked with Jonathan and a pile of photos to capture the perfect essence of The Oak. One was given to Schwarzenegger by Jeff Dawn as a birthday present and he kept the other. The one Jeff gave to Arnold lived in his office for years and could still be there. Yet there is another and Jeff kept the second one for all these years…until now.

Here is the really cool part. Dawn, a friend, and loyal Arnold supporter, gave me a fantastic surprise the other day with his news as to who would be the next owner.

“I couldn't think of a better recipient,” Dawn told me. "For so many years you have taken such great care of the Arnold world. Thank you!"

The Terminator make-up legend then sent me a 21" tall, 45 lbs solid bronze Arnold head – the TWIN brother to the very sculpture Schwarzenegger owns!  The base is 6" x 6" of solid marble and cost Jeff thousands in the early ‘90s when he commissioned artist Jonathan Bickart to create them.

Jeff singed the back of the head for me before he sent it and now this sculpture rests in TheArnoldFans headquarters. In fact, “Arnold” is watching me know as I type. Thank you so much, Jeff, for thinking the world of Arnold’s fans. Your generous act will never be forgotten and will live on until the end of days. What would the Terminator films be without you? As a make-up artist and thoughtful friend, you’re the best!

The bronze artist who sculpted this piece was also kind enough to send me a message with a little more backstory. 

Check out the other fantastic work of bronze sculpture artist Jonathan Bickart HERE! 

Once again, it’s time for Arnold Day, the annual and wildly popular celebration of all things Schwarzenegger. But, this year they are celebrating a milestone - one decade of celebrating Arnold’s birthday with a 14 hour movie marathon, costumes, quotes, beer/food specials, sponsors, t-shirts, and of course - cake.

Arnold Day started out modestly 10 years ago with two friends, one 19-inch TV, one VCR and many beers at what the two friends still dub the greatest pizza and beer establishment in Orlando, “nay, the world” – Lazy Moon, in Orlando, Florida. As the two college juniors sat around eating slices and watching one Schwarzenegger flick after another, customers, friends and employees came by to stop, watch and toss around epic, Arnold one-liners. By the end of this day, to be remembered as Arnold Day I, seven films were watched and approximately 1,000 lines were quoted, re-quoted, and quoted again. It was a blast. 

Speed forward to 2014. The two college-aged guys who started this are well out of school (thankfully) and fully engrained in their local communities with successful businesses and a thriving love for Arnold-based pop culture. Each year, on the weekend of Arnold’s birthday, a celebration is held.  As anyone who grew up watching the cult hits made by this man knows, Arnold is a hero. Arnold Day supporters and the proprietors of Lazy Moon invite everyone to join them this year to celebrate a decade in the making of one of the baddest ass of bad ass parties. 

Note: All opportunities for Arnold quotes have been withheld from this article so they can be enjoyed in full on Saturday, July 26. 

What: Arnold Day X

When: Saturday, July 26, 2014 | 12:00p.m. until 2:00 a.m.

Where: Lazy Moon | 11551 University Blvd | Orlando, Fl 32817

For more information go to ArnoldDay.com

Ever since the round of leaked photos from on and near the set of the new Terminator movie, it seems that measures have been taken to clamp down on security and secrecy, as very little has come out of New Orleans lately. While that unfortunately means I haven't had much to post about here, I'm actually happier that we're not seeing too much information leaked, since even little things like seeing which characters are in a scene together and makeup effects can be spoiler-ish.

However, that hasn't stopped other sites for rushing to post second or third-hand information, given that this is such a big movie that the world can't wait for! Recently, there have been reports claiming that the title of the movie has been decided, and it is simply "Terminator." This seems to have started from the licensing expo I reported about last time who likely had little to do with the actual production of the movie, but rather, was kind of a placeholder that there will be Terminator related merchandise next year. Now, people have claimed "multiple sources" saying the name is "Terminator" but it only seems to be echo-chambering of this licensing angle. Well, we checked with our source who is closely tied with the production, and the Gillinator is telling you now that these are indeed bogus claims and while I don't yet know what the title will be, it is definitely NOT just "Terminator." But don't worry, it will still contain Terminator in the title. Anyone saying otherwise has not done their homework, and here's how to easily tell: if an article title is worded as a yes/no question, the answer is always "No." 

While we're talking "negative" instead of "affirmative" T-news, TAFs also has confirmation that the new Terminator will NOT have a panel or any official presenece at San Diego Comic Con later this month. However, there is a possibility for NYCC, which is in October. It's disappointing that they'll miss out on the maximum exposure to fans that SDCC provides, but understandable given they're right in the middle of filming and wouldn't be able to say or show much at all to keep the plot under wraps. T3 and T4 both had a Con panel, San Diego and NY respectively, the year before their release (yours truly was at the T4 one in which McG practically humped me on stage), so NYCC seems like a shoe-in. Arnold himself showed up at the T3 panel, and given the high profile of him being back in the franchise, it's a pretty safe bet he would come again. Randy Jennings will be at SDCC for Expendables and other cool stuff- myself and the other East Coast TAFs staff will take care of NYCC, so we've got any possible Terminator infiltration covered.

"So, do you have any hard data in that neural net processor?" I hear you asking. Well, yes, I do. I have an exclusive image of the official studio mascot of the new Terminator film. I give you: Reese!

OK, it's not earth-shattering, but at least it's not random conjecture, and come on, isn't he the cutest? Reese now belongs to director Alan Taylor. You need some dogs around to detect the Terminators, right?

One more thing came up recently, a short film called "Final Transmission: John Connor" was created for an incredible mere $400 by "A Rock & Roll Fable" and has some pretty impressive composite FX for that kind of money. The setup is decent too: John Connor's last recorded message as he is dying in the future war and he conveys his emotional state and necessary information to start the events that begin the Terminator saga. It doesn't hold up too well, acting-wise, but is a fun 12 minute diversion in the Terminator universe nonetheless. Watch it below: 

That's all for this report. I'll be back, if only to disprove more internet click-bait!

Although there will not be a Lionsgate Expendables Comic Con panel this time at San Diego's Comic Con, that does not mean there will not be a strong EX3 presence there. It is unfortunate that the lead actors and biggest box office draw from the film (Stallone and Arnold are not confirmed to attend), we know a few of the actors will still be on hand to meet their fans and sign autographs. We can at least expect Terry Crews and Dolph Lundgren to be at the Lionsgate booth but if we're lucky, these guys and a few others will also be at the "Nerd HQ: Conversations" pane -l an offsite event located near the convention center. I attended this event 2 years ago and asked Terry Crews about working with Arnold. That's me with the red had on the monitor speaking to Crews.


The Lionsgate booth should also be stocked with free Expendables 3 promos including posters and a few other surprises. Previous year's promos included shirts, posters, dog tags, temporary tattoos and bandanas. Go, get to the Lionsgate booth!

We put this poster up on Twitter and our Facebook page a few days ago but in case you missed  it, here's the final one-sheet poster for Expendables 3! Chances are good you'll be able to pick this poster up for free at Comic Con from the 23rd - 27th. See Expendables 3 on August 15th!

Finally, speaking of Twitter, there's a Twitter war going on right now with Arnold Vs Jason Statham as the ultimate Expendables badass. This face-off is being promoted by the official @Expendables3 twitter account and right now it's in the FINAL ROUND. Ford, Stallone, Snipes and the rest have been eliminated and now it's just Arnold and Statham who remain. All you have to do is tweet our the photo below of Arnold Vs Jason and use the hashtags #EX3 #TeamSchwarzenegger @Expendables3.  It's that simple to show the world that Arnold is still the world's biggest badass! So if you're not already on Twitter, this is the perfect time to sign up and SUPPORT our favorite action hero! Do it NOW!

See you at Comic Con!

We've got some celebrating to do, Arnold fans! It's JULY and that means two things: NUMBER 1. SABOTAGE will be released Tuesday the 22nd!  NUMBER 2. July also happens to be Arnold's birthday month! Thanks to our friends at Universal Studios, they've given us an "Arnold Action Pack" blu-ray collection to award an awesome fan! The Blu-ray pack includes the following movies: SABOTAGE, CONAN THE BARBARIAN and TOTAL RECALL! All you have to do to enter is bake Arnold a birthday cake (or cupcake) OR make Arnold a hand-drawn birthday card (no photoshop) and write on top "Arnold, Happy 67th Birthday!" It can say a different message however the number 67 must be there.  All cakes and cards (even sloppy ones) will be entered and the winner will be declared on Arnold's birthday (July 30th)! Please email us a photo of your cake OR hand-drawn birthday card by 7am PST on the 30th. 

Arnold follows us on Twitter so we'll also tweet all or most of these birthday creations to him on the 30th. Read below for SABOTAGE Blu-ray details!

Arnold Schwarzenegger (Expendables 3, the Terminator series) stars as the leader of an elite DEA task force whose members are targeted by a mysterious killer in Sabotage, an edge-of-your-seat action thriller coming to Blu-ray^™ Combo Pack, including Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital HD with UltraViolet^™ and On Demand on July 22, 2014 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment.  The Blu-ray Combo Pack includes a Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD with UltraViolet.

BONUS FEATURES (BLU-RAY^™ and DVD):

·       Making Sabotage – a behind-the-scenes look at the production.

·       Alternate Endings

·       Deleted Scenes 

Directed by David Ayer, the acclaimed director of End of Watch and screenwriter of Training Day, Sabotage centers on DEA agent Breacher Wharton (Schwarzenegger), who leads a daring raid on a heavily-armed drug cartel safe house. The raid seems to go off seamlessly, but when the agents involved start turning up dead, everyone is a suspect—even members of their own squad. 

Arnold Schwarzenegger stars in the pulse-pounding action film Sabotage, from the director of End of Watch and the writer of Training Day. When DEA task force leader Breacher Wharton (Schwarzenegger) storms a heavily armed cartel safe house, rogue members of his team use it as a cover to steal $10 million in cash. But just when they think their secret is safe, agents are killed off one-by-one, and everyone is a suspect, including the squad itself.  Schwarzenegger is joined by an impressive supporting cast including Sam Worthington (Terminator 4), Olivia Williams (Hanna, “Dollhouse”), Terrence Howard (Iron Man, Red Tails), Joe Manganiello ("True Blood"), Josh Holloway (“Lost”) and Mireille Enos (World War Z, “The Killing”). 

TECHNICAL INFORMATION – BLU-RAY:

Street Date: July 22, 2014

Copyright: 2014 Universal Studios.

Running time: 1 Hour, 50 Minutes

Layers: BD-50

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen

Rating: R for strong, bloody violence, pervasive language, some sexuality/nudity and drug use

Languages/Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French Subtitles

Sound: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 

On Wednesday morning, TheArnoldFans will be off to San Diego to attend our 9th consecutive Comic Con and to bring the fans the best possible coverage for everything in the Schwarzenegger universe. Many of you action hero fans are pumped hitting the Lionsgate booth to pick up a bunch of free Expendables 3 swag but there's so much more to look forward to at this 4.5 day pop-culture mega event! If you're going to the Con this year, you'll want to follow my "Schwarzenegger Survival Guide" to be sure you get the ultimate experience! 

In addition to the free promotional EX3 items, fans can meet several stars from the film. It is confirmed that these actors will be signing posters at the Lionsgate booth on 

Thursday, July 24, from 4PM-5PM.

From the official Expendables 3 Twitter account:  "Going to ‪@Comic_Con? Go to the ‪#EX3 booth to see Snipes,‪@Dolph_Lundgren, ‪@Randy_Couture, ‪@kellanlutz & ‪@VICIOUSortiz."

Arnold will not be at Comic Con but his Trench Mauser clothes gun may be!  The leading entertainment auction house Profiles in History will head to San Diego's Comic-Con 2014 in July with a sizable display of character costumes from the third installment of The Expendables franchise. Over 150 items from the three films will be auctioned in September but many will be on display including tactical costumes, weapons and gear worn by the famous mercenary characters: Barney Ross, Lee Christmas, Yin Yang, Gunner Jensen, Hale Caesar, Toll Road and Trench. The costumes will be exhibited at the booth permitting fans a chance to pose for the perfect "Instagram," "Twitter", "Snapchat" or photo-opportunity. Profiles in History will be at San Diego Comic-Con from July 24th to the 27th, located at booth 1605. 

Brian Chanes of P.I.H. : "We are taking Arnold's elaborate tactical costume ensemble from The Expendables 3.  That is the only Arnold piece we will have in our booth, but it is a fresh costume from a film that has not yet been released so it should garner some attention.  In our September sale (but not on display at Comic Con) we have one of Arnold's hero T2 jackets with bullet hits, a Conan sword from Conan the Barbarian and a complete Turboman costume with jet pack from Jingle All the Way."

Now here are the Comic Con Panels with Arnold’s co-stars!

THURSDAY

SCORPION (Ballroom 20)                                                                          

Exclusive Premiere Screening & Panel – Discover the new CBS drama coming this fall, based on the true story of Walter O’Brien, an eccentric genius with the world’s fourth-highest I.Q. who has created a company of brilliant misfits who use their mental muscle to defend the planet against complex high-tech threats of the modern age. O’Brien’s team uses their exceptional brainpower to solve the nation’s crises, while also helping each other learn how to fit in.  The exclusive screening of the pilot episode will be followed by a panel discussion with the real-life Walter O’Brien and series stars Robert Patrick (“Terminator 2”). 12:05 PM-1:10 PM 

 1984's Greatest Geek Movies: (Room 5AB)

The great geek year of 1984 as they look back at such films as The Terminator, Gremlins, Repo Man, Ghostbusters, Dune, Splash, This is Spinal Tap, Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom, Star Trek III, Buckaroo Banzai, Body Double, The Karate Kid, Red Dawn, Night of the Comet, Once Upon a Time in America, This is Spinal Tap, and, of course, the incomparable Purple Rain. Celebrating the fact that they still love the '80s will be Ashley E. Miller (new Terminator TV series) and others. July 24, 2014 2:00pm - 3:00pm  

Paramount Pictures (Hall H)

Paramount Pictures will provide an inside look at their upcoming films. Although there is no Terminator panel, who knows, maybe they'll at least flash up the new official title logo on the big screen? 3:00pm - 4:00pm  

FRIDAY:

The Superheroes of Legacy Effects (Room 28DE)

Take a look into the art and imagination behind many of your favorite films with special effects industry leaders, Legacy Effects. Studio co-founders and industry veterans Alan Scott, John Rosengrant, Shane Mahan, and Lindsay MacGowan show you some incredible behind-the-scenes footage from some of your favorite films. From superheroes to fantasy and sci-fi, Legacy Effects has designed and created many of the coolest iconic characters to come to the silver screen. Get a rare look at on-set images, super secret B-roll footage, and even a few screen-used props from several films such as Avatar, Iron Man, Pacific Rim, Captain America, and many more. You may even have the chance to win some special prizes and swag.

6:00pm - 7:00pm 

Nobility on Earth: (Room 5AB)

To premiere the new sci-fi series Nobility, the cast-including Doug Jones (Falling Skies, Pan's Labyrinth), Walter Koenig (Star Trek: TOS, Babylon 5), Cas Anvar (Assassin'sCreed, Lost), Adrienne Wilkinson (Xena: Warrior Princess, Star Wars: The Clone Wars), Darren Jacobs (Starship: Rising), and James Kyson (Heroes)-will appear in character to entertain you. The second half of the panel will be a Q&A with the cast, director Neil Johnson (Starship: Rising) and series creator E. J. De la Pena (Jingle All the Way)

7:30pm - 8:30pm

SATURDAY:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 30th Anniversary

In 1984, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird published the first issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The comic book was an overnight success, and three decades later, the Turtles are more popular than ever, starring in a hit Nickelodeon television series, an award-winning toy line, monthly comic books from IDW, and a new live-action movie later this summer. Join TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman and Ernie Reyes Jr. (Red Sonja).

Costume Design (Room: 23ABC)

Get the inside scoop on designing costumes from the costume designers of some of the biggest blockbuster television series and movies. Panelists include Lizz Wolf (The Expendables 3) and others. 11:00a.m. – 12:00p.m.

COMICS:

Robocop Vs The Terminator. (Darkhorse booth)

11am – 11:50 (Thursday) signing with Walter Simonson

Conan and Red Sonja (Darkhorse booth)

5:30 – 6:20 (Thursday) signing with Jim Zub

Groo Vs Conan. (Darkhorse booth)

10am – 10:50 (Friday) signing with Sergio Aragones.

 TOYS

Finally, we have to be on the hunt for some toys and merchandise. Stop by the Funko booth to pick up an exclusive  "If it Bleeds" Clear Predator. There may also be Terminator prototype figures on display. NECA's booth will have a new exclusive AHAB Predator and will possibly debut upcoming Arnold-related figures. Then get ya ass to the Sideshow collectibles booth to see if there are any new Terminator products or announcements for the 2015 film. Last but not least, head over to the FOX booth. They tell TheArnoldFans something special might be ready in time for Comic Con. If you're in San Diego this week, tweet us your pictures! Have fun everyone! Let's party!

At last, our ultimate action hero has reached the perfect age to play King Conan! We'll share promising Conan news soon but let's first focus on the big day. That's right, Arnold Schwarzenegger is 67 today so let's celebrate by honoring the international stud by watching his movies, hitting the gym, and blowing up his Twitter account with your birthday messages to the Austrian Oak! Show him your love and support on this day of July 30th, 2014.

Arnold, In celebration amongst your fan community, please allow us to inform you how TheArnoldFans.com is honoring your big day.  On the day of your birthday, we're kicking off A.R.N. (Arnold Radio News), a weekly podcast with celebrity interviews, contests and the latest news to promote your projects. We're happy to give a little something back to you (and to your fans) for all the great entertainment and good deeds that you provide - so please enjoy this new weekly radio show. 

You can listen to the premiere episode in the player below, but make sure you also SUBSCRIBE to our podcast to get new episodes by pasting or typing this URL into your favorite podcast player: http://feeds.feedburner.com/ArnoldRadioNews
(You can't search and find it in iTunes YET. We are submitting it to Apple so it should show up there in the future.) 

 

Over the last several weeks, we collected a lot of birthday messages from the stars - including messages from Jack Black, Wesley Snipes, Sven-Ole Thorsen, Lou Ferrigno, Jim Lorimer and MANY others! Listen to our podcast to hear all of these birthday well-wishes to Arnold. Most of these stars also signed Arnold's birthday card!


We even got the Howard Stern Sirius XM gang to say hi to Arnold for his special day. Special thanks to Richard Christy for recording the nice birthday message for our podcast show. Sal Governale also TRIED to record a message but he accidentally hit the stop button on the recorder. But it was a funny birthday message and we gave the show producer Gary Dell'Abate (Baba Booey) a Daniel Marshall cigar.


Let us know what you think of Arnold Radio News. If enough fans like it and want to hear more of these interviews with the stars, we'll eventually get some better recording equipment. Sorry if it's not the best recording right now. Maybe we'll eventually get some big sponsors to pump up our sound quality.
 
In addition to the release of A.R.N., TheArnoldFans also sent Schwarzenegger a box of COOKIES! Randy from TAFs freelances for a cookie business called Crazy Cookies and they took his Arnold art and made it into a 4 inch character cookie. 67 is printed on his bicep and the After-School All-Stars initials are on his chest.

Have a fantastic birthday, Arnold!  We're looking forward to your new future surprises, health tips, your crusade on environmental issues and new films. Now get to some sword practice for KING CONAN!

OK, OK. I'm just having fun with the sensational article titles that purport to have information that is in no way backed up, but just complete speculation. Which is happening a lot with Terminator since the secrecy level is clamped tighter than an endo-crushing hydrolic press. So what informaiton do we know? Well, as I talked about in the premiere episode of our new podcast, "Arnold Radio News," filming has picked up in the San Francisco area after wrapping in New Orleans, and early this week was taking place at Oracle headquarters in Redwood City. The tip was reported by the San Jose Mercury News last Friday, who also kindly referenced my Arnold interview about Terminator from the Classic in the article! David Ellison and Megan Ellison, producers of the new Terminator, are the children of Larry Ellison, co-founder of Oracle, which likely played a part in getting this location to shoot. Notices were sent out to residents in the area, since there would be "Gunshots and related special effects," as expected of a Terminator movie. It is not known if Arnold was or is still part of the filming there. One commenter on the Mercury News article, who is perhaps a local resident who received a notice (though it may be B.S. but seems legit), said, "All other filming will be interior, with some lighting on the exterior of the Oracle buildings after dark. The interior filming is now scheduled for Thursday, July 31, through Saturday, August 2.July 31 filming will be from 2:00pm to 2:00am August 1 - 2 will be from 5:00pm to 6:00am." 

We also know that the actor playing Danny Dyson, Miles Dyson's son, Dayo Okeniyi, posted an image on Instagram Wednesday of him with Jason Clarke (John Connor) and David Ellison, with the caption "Twas a pleasure creating with these #Kings #JasonClarke and #DavidEllison That’s a wrap on #DannyDyson over and out. On to the next one. TerminatorGenesis." 

He also posted a photo with Emilia Clarke (Sarah Connor) and Jai Courtney (Kyle Reese). These have since been deleted from his Instagram stream. 

My belief is that Arnold was likely there for some of the filming, and that Oracle, as others have posited, seems a likely candidate for being Cyberdyne in this new film. The buildings are already modern looking and belonging to a big tech company, just the kind of upgrade you'd expect from the buildings used in T2, from when Cyberdyne was more of a startup, to what must be 15-20 years later given how old Danny Dyson is. Who knows what's actually going on there, but I for one am excited at the possibilities!

Oh yeah, to fulfill the crazy title reference, Weird Al has a new album out, and it's great. Not Arnold related? Well... remember this? Go buy it while you also pick up the Sabotage Blu-ray!

In less than two weeks, we’ll all be able to finally watch Expendables 3 on the big screen, the way it was meant to be seen! It’s unfortunate that the film has leaked online but TheArnoldFans discourages any fan from stealing it when the cast and film crew worked so hard to bring you an adventurous theatrical experience. Bottom line, if you downloaded the film, you owe it to Arnold and the other action heroes to PAY for a full price ticket of EX3 on opening weekend! If you don’t, YOU FAIL as a true fan. Support your screen heroes in the box office and show the world that these types of action films are still in high demand.  Please don’t download the movie; hold out until the REAL theatrical release, see it on the big screen, with your friends and family, with the best sound system and make it a special event! 

We have a couple new contests here at TheArnoldFans so here's our first one: Arnold soundtracks! Courtesy of BuyTheSoundtrack.com, we were given five soundtracks to award Schwarzenegger fans! We have TWO for Sabotage and THREE for The Last Stand!

Our contest ends on August 15th but if you don't want to wait around to see if you're a winner of a free copy, click HERE to buy The Last Stand (composed by Mowg) or click HERE to buy the Sabotage soundtrack!

Email us HERE with the subject heading: "Arnold Rocks" and include your name, address and the answer to these two questions: 1. What town is Arnold the sheriff of in The Last Stand?  2. What mythical creature tattoo does Arnold have on his back in Sabotage? The lucky fan with both correct answers will be put into a final drawing. Contest is now open. Only one entry per person and per email. Contest ends on August 15th, 2014 and the winners will be notified by email. Good luck!

At last, the radio silence from the new Terminator film has ended! After several days of filming happening in downtown San Fransisco, with crowds gathered to watch, Arnold himself broke the news that filming has wrapped (at least his part). He posted the following image and message to his Twitter and Instagram accounts, which give us a tease of his look AND.... finally an official title.

See, we were right when we told you that the title would not be Genesis... heh heh. Anyway, it's great that the film's social promotion can now kick into gear. I'm sure it will be heavy on teasing for the next several months, but if the marketing team is good, they could have some fun things planned that slowly reveal different elements of the movie's plot/characters without spoiling the big secrets. The first thing we can debate about now is what the heck is up with the spelling of Genisys? The cynical point of view that has already been espoused by some critics on Twitter and the like is that it is just a goofy spelling in an attempt to be hip and vaguely tech-y, and screw proper spelling! Personally, I do not think this is the case. The obvious homage the spelling could be making is to is the beloved tech company that brings about all this machines-taking-over-the-world mess, Cyberdyne SYStems. But my guess is that it's more than that-- there have been photos of the name Genisys (without "Terminator") on a street banner on one of the shoots in San Fransisco, and it's not typical of a production to blantantly advertise what they are filming, so this seems to be part of the set decoration. Therefore, the name "Genisys" must be an integral part of the movie. Maybe it's a Cyberdyne competitor, making their own neural net powered robots, starting an arms race of AI? Or, a company that's partnering with Cyberdyne in order to help make the "living tissue" part that's over the metal endoskeletons. OR maybe it's a brand thought up by a PR company in the movie to lull the public into accepting the whole SkyNet plan (kind of like the brilliant "commercial" for Cyberdyne you see in the T2:3D pre-show area). Being one of the first things released about the film, I'm sure more puzzle pieces about it will fall into place as the marketing continues. But seeing Arnold in silhouette with the leather jacket is just the perfect thing to build excitement at this early stage and get people talking.

UPDATE-- We have a photo of the official Terminator Genisys wrap cake!

Meanwhile, we're back in our second episode of Arnold Radio News!! We don't discuss the Genisys name as this was recorded before that news, but there's still lots of good stuff, including our own Randy Jenning's article in the Daily Mail and an interview with Michael Papajohn!

You can stream it below, but don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to get new episodes right away. You can find it in iTunes by searching "Arnold Radio News" or "TheArnoldFans." Also, please rate and review us in iTunes so we can improve our ranking there and build a massive Oak-sized audience! Finally, contact us to tell us what YOU would like to hear on the show!

Got your EXPENDABLES 3 tickets yet? There are screenings Thursday night, even well before midnight, so grab some friends after work and SEE IT so it can have a nice B.O. return this weekend! We were at the Hollywood premiere and will have coverage about that soon... but now we have news about MAGGIE's premiere! It will screen at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September.

Here's the description: A Midwestern farmer (Arnold Schwarzenegger) stays by the side of his beloved teenage daughter (Abigail Breslin) even as she slowly turns into a cannibalistic zombie, in this audacious, genre-bending debut feature from director Henry Hobson.

This is really a different kind of film for Arnold-- it's obviously a zombie themed movie, but much more focused on drama and characters than action, and should have some creepy horror aspects, too, so it makes sense to have a different tactic for premiering and marketing the movie. It also has a MUCH lower budget, estimated at $8 million (less than Arnold's fee alone on other projects) and a first-time feature director, Henry Hobson. This is all great news, as it means we could be in for something special and a new kind of performance from Arnold. He's pushing himself in his acting and it's a risky move, but we all know that Arnold lives to take risks and challenge himself in new areas. Hopefully, this one will pay off! 

The TIFF takes place Sept. 4-14, and the list of films has been announced, but no set schedule, so we don't yet know which day MAGGIE will screen. We also don't know about a solid release date in theaters yet, but October would make sense for a zombie movie. Since it is more of an independent "art-house" film, it will likely be a limited release at first, then spread wider if it does well. That will make it even more important for us fans to seek it out and spread the word to others. It has big potential with the zombie craze alive and well, and this would give people something different than just high body counts and special effect-laden set-pieces. It might even get people's attention who have not cared to check out Arnold's return to action roles, and maybe get some award nominations. We'll keep you informed as the premiere gets closer!

To help you get pumped for all of Arnold's upcoming films and celebrate Franco Columbu's birthday, here is Arnold Radio News (ARN) episode 3!

Although Arnold did not do red (actually black) carpet interviews for online press THIS TIME, we were still very happy to see him attend the Expendables 3 Hollywood premiere. Schwarzenegger was not on the “Who’s Coming” call sheet which we received a couple of weeks ago so we were pleasantly surprised that he did still come out! And even though Arnold only had time to do television network interviews, TheArnoldFans would not go unnoticed by our favorite action hero. After Arnold greeted the fans with autographs and handshakes, and before he would enter the theater, I was greeted with a mighty smile and thumbs up for our support on the red carpet. That’s right, this is my thumb in the lower left as we exchange a battle of who’s thumb is more manly. I lost BIG TIME! 

In my next report, I’ll tell you who I interviewed amongst the cast, crew and Arnold’s fellow thespian friends. But of all the A-listers and  mega talent on the carpet who stood before my microphone, I must say my favorite people to interview this night were the Expendables 3 writers: Katrin Benedikt and Creighton Rothenberger. This married writing couple were so friendly and pumped for this big night that they were bubbling over with hidden script gems.

One cool thing I unearthed was hearing about an extended Schwarzenegger scene, which was written but didn’t make it into the final film. Read on as it’s not a spoiler but it might make more sense to read or reread this after you see the film in theaters this weekend.

Rothenberger: Yes, after Sly gets out of the water and he goes back to the hanger. We had a scene where Sly gets ambushed by a bunch of guys and Arnold takes them all out. He (Trench Mauser) says, "I see you got friends." Arnold blasts: BOOM, BOOM, BOOM... "Now, dead friends." Not everything we wrote made it in or you'd have a four hour movie.

Benedikt: And there's a line too where Arnold is standing by the fuel and he's smoking and Sly says, "I can't believe you're smoking next to a fuel tank," and Arnold says, "That's the least of my problems." So there were little lines like that that got tweaked or cut out. 

But perhaps the coolest thing they revealed to TheArnoldFans is the film’s bloodiest action scene to get “cut” from the film for the PG-13 rating.

Benedikt: Oh, I'll tell you. We had a scene where Jason Statham got to use one of the villain's big giant knives.

Rothenberger: Yeah, well, he has a knife fight with someone who had a bigger knife. What was the set-up line?

Benedikt: Yes, I know because this was my thing. At the end, in essence, he takes the larger knife from the villain and cleaves the villain in half where his body falls like this (spits) and his body falls down and Statham says, "oh, what do you know, size does matter." It was a cheesy line but it actually worked and paid off there. It was a very gory moment. But we're hearing the blu-ray is going to be R and it will be something so different that what we're seeing in the theater. 

We're not sure if this scene was filmed but when we spoke to the director of Expendables 3, Patrick Hughes told us of a similar Jason Statham sequence that he shot when we asked him what gory scene he wished remained in the film. Is it possible this is the same scene only described differently from each source or are these two entirely different Jason Statham gory fight scenes? 

Patrick Hughes: Hmmm, I think Jason's kill. Jason's fight scene. There was a knife into the neck and then a kick to the head into the wall with the knife. That will make it into the R rated DVD.

Expendables 3 opens TONIGHT: August 14th! Have fun and tell us what you think of the all new Arnold performance and film! If you were a bad guy and illegally downloaded, you owe Arnold 1,000 push-ups and a MINIMUM of TWO full-priced EX3 theatrical viewings to contribute to the opening weekend box office! 

Welcome to my PART 2 report from The Expendables 3 WORLD PREMIERE in London. It is time for the interviews! On Monday, August 4^th, in addition to speaking with a couple of Expendables on the red carpet, I also spoke with Escape Plan's Vinnie Jones and UK's boxing champ, David Haye! But first, let's chat with Antonio Banderas who was more than happy to stop and share Arnold tales.


TheArnoldFans: Are you an Arnold fan and what was it like working with him on Expendables 3?Antonio Banderas: It was so much fun, just look at the guy! What can you say, it was just extraordinary that you have so many big names in this movie.

TheArnoldFans: Did you spend any time off set with Arnold? Did he share any of his cigars?
Antonio Banderas: Actually we did sometimes at the hotel, when we weren't shooting. But I met Arnold many years ago when he came to my house. I made him paella! But it was a long time ago.

TheArnoldFans: Can you think any scenes you filmed that were deleted and didn't make the final cut of the movie?
Antonio Banderas: I don't know, I haven't seen the movie yet!

TheArnoldFans: So this is your first time seeing the movie tonight?
Antonio Banderas: No because I'm leaving as soon as we've presented the movie here in London. I'm out of here and on a plane to Malaga and then tomorrow we have to start the same process again, promoting the movie all over the world!

TheArnoldFans: It sounds like a busy time for you!
Antonio Banderas: It is but that's our profession, it's what we do. The fans are so loyal and turn out and wait for hours so they deserve it!

I didn't get the opportunity to do an interview with Wesley Snipes but Click HERE to see the video I shot of him answering my Blade question.

TheArnoldFans: Wesley, will Blade BE BACK?
Wesley Snipes: You never know!

I also spoke with "Escape Plan" bad guy, Vinnie Jones! Jones, a good friend of Jason Statham, answered a few questions for TheArnoldFans.


TheArnoldFans: I loved Escape Plan and your role was really menacing and devious. How was it working with legends like Arnold and Sly?
Vinnie Jones: It was brilliant! But it was tough and it was hard work. We did long days.

TheArnoldFans: Did you have to train a lot for the role and did Arnold convince you to lift any more weights in the gym?
Vinnie Jones: Yeah we had to. We had quite a lot of fight scenes Sly and myself so it was full on and all of us had to put hours and hours of effort in every day. Arnold was a gent.

TheArnoldFans: Would YOU like to be in the next Expendables movie? Has Stallone approached you about it?
Vinnie Jones: Well it's just nice being in the Stallone family you know. But you never know with Sly who he wants to be in the next one so who knows. But yeah it'd be great.

TheArnoldFans: Who would YOU like to see in an Expendables 4?
Vinnie Jones: I would love to see Vin Diesel get into the mix and I'd love for Steven Seagal to lose his ego and sort of become involved. But honestly, I want the Expendables to end up in the zombie apocalypse. I just want to see them run loose and start blowing away pieces of people!

I also spoke with David Haye, the UK Boxer about Arnold's past and upcoming film projects!

TheArnoldFans: Arnold is currently filming the fifth Terminator movie. If you could pick any role for him to come back to, what would it be?
David Haye: I like the Terminator, especially the first you know, seek and destroy. He was a killer, so scary and menacing, he didn't say a word, he just got in there and did the job. So I'm happy he's gone back to the Terminator!

TheArnoldFans: Would you be interested in teaming up with Schwarzenegger in a movie if you ever took up acting?
David Haye: Yes, I'd love to! I also loved Predator.

TheArnoldFans: Would you like to see Arnold return in the new Predator movie that is being written?
David Haye: Yes, 100%! Predator is one of my favourite films of all time, I love it, every bit of it. I've watched it over a thousand times and I know every word!