One of the only cool things about the first AVP: Alien vs. Predator was that Lance Henriksen co-starred. Of course, he didn't play "Bishop", his beloved android character from Aliens (or even Bishop II), but it was still a nice touch to have him in there. That is why it's disappointing to hear that none of the past Alien or Predator actors will be appearing in Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem. In an interview with the MTV Movies Blog, AVP2 co-directors Colin and Greg Strause revealed that they attempted to cast some surprise guests, but were unfortunately unable to do so. The brothers wouldn't name names, but said that one person sought after was too expensive -- even for a cameo? -- and another "shockingly" blew them off. Funny, because aside from Sigourney Weaver, Winona Ryder, Bill Paxton and Ian Holm, I can't imagine many of the Alien series players being too high profile that they couldn't do a fun little throwback appearance. Maybe the Strause Brothers were aiming too high, but surely they could have even made attempts for Charles S. Dutton, Ron Perlman, Veronica Cartwright, Tom Skerritt or even Paul Reiser, not to mention tons of others. And what about Carl Weathers, for the Predator way around? After seeing his recurring role in Arrested Development, I believe he would have been up for such an idea.

The Strause Brothers also discussed with MTV the title, although they didn't even mention the lame "Requiem" part. They only said that Fox is currently not into numbering their sequels and that the pluralization of "Alien" is directly referencing James Cameron's Aliens. Other highlights from the interview (as pointed out by Movieweb) include an acknowledgment that the studio -- not just the Strauses -- thought the first AVP was a disappointment for fans and that the R rating is a response to that (Colin: "I mean, we chest-burst a little kid!"), a discussion of the Alien/Predator hybrid (aka "The Predalien") and a hint that the duo want to do another sequel set in space. MTV Movies Blog has also been sharing some exclusive fight-scene photos from the upcoming sequel (out this Christmas) that are pretty neat.

Here's the new poster for The Comebacks, Fox Atomic's ragtag football comedy starring David Koechner (the sportscaster from Anchorman) and Carl Weathers (Rocky; Happy Gilmore), directed by Tom Brady (The Hot Chick) and written by sitcom vets Joey Gutierrez and Ed Yeager. To view the poster bigger, click on the image above. It reminds me of a few movies. One is Necessary Roughness. Like that movie, The Comebacks features a girl who plays football (Noureen DeWulf). That definitely isn't her in the poster, though. It looks more like Kathy Ireland, who appears in that forgettable football film from 1991.

The poster also reminds me of Committed. Back when I worked for a Manhattan art house, we were asked to take down the Committed poster from the wall of the managers' office because it could potentially cause a sexual harrassment suit. Nevermind that the poster had already been in public view inside and outside the theater. I have a feeling that this poster for The Comebacks would be even worse for the workplace. I can't even imagine it being displayed in most multiplexes. It isn't too lewd, but it's always good to play it safe these days.

Personally, I'm waiting for the day when Bill Duke is elected governor of any state but California or Minnesota -- but that is just part of my dream for all of the cast of Predator to follow in the footsteps of Jesse Ventura and Arnold Schwarzenegger (including Kevin Peter Hall, in the costume, of course). With my dreams far from plausible, though, I'd at least like to see Duke stick to appearing onscreen. Sure, he's been somewhat successful behind the camera with films as diverse as Hoodlum, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit and The Cemetery Club, plus a ton of television episodes, but not successful enough for him to be absent from the eyes of moviegoers. Maybe it is just the unfortunate time we're in that Hollywood doesn't utilize talented, distinct-looking character actors as much as it used to, or maybe there's just too many bad-ass dudes who can fill the detective roles he's been limited to in the past twenty years.

Anyway, enough about my love for Duke (at least I got to see him on Lost last week). The truth is that he's probably doing better for himself as a director, and hopefully his films will get better, too. He has already picked his next project (to produce and probably direct), for which he's optioned the book Push, a self-published "street lit" novel written by a guy named Relentless Aaron while he was incarcerated in a New Jersey federal prison. It follows an inner-city vigilante named Push, and Duke is hoping to make a franchise out of the character, possibly extending to sequels, a television show, comic books and video games.

I guess he's going to be too busy to run for office any time soon.