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On this New Comic Book Day, here are some of the non-Joss Whedon related headlines that are making waves today:

– Not long ago, after the Marvel-Sony deal was struck over the usage of Spider-Man, it seemed a surety that Sony would hang onto Drew Goddard to helm the newest entry. Not so, reports Deadline, as they’ve uncovered what is reportedly Sony’s director shortlist for the film:

Jonathan Levine – Warm Bodies, 50/50

Ted Melfi – St. Vincent

Jason Moore – Pitch Perfect

John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein – Vacation

Jared Hess – Napoleon Dynamite

From this list, it seems like Sony is still aiming for the comedic-slanted mindset that brought us the Marc Webb entries. We all saw how that turned out. Hopefully this is an incomplete list and Goddard is still in contention. With a 2017 release date, a decision will have to be made by January at the very least, if not much sooner.

– Following in the footsteps of Peter Serafinowicz and Chris O’Dowd, British actor Martin Freeman (The Hobbit Trilogy) is stepping into the Marvel Universe, as he’s joined the cast of Captain America: Civil War in an undisclosed role. Considering the cast is already fit to burst at this point, I have a hard time imagining he’s playing anything beyond a utility player (like the above two actors). Your guess is as good as mine.

– Machinima, the online network that is already producing the animated DC series Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles, set to debut next month, announced this week two more DC related programs that will go into production in the near future along with a second season of Gods and Monsters Chronicles. The two new series include #4Hero, a modern adaptation of Dial H For Hero (this time it’s based out of a smart-phone app) and The DC Hero Project, a contest show where eight competitors must battle it out in elimination challenges to develop a short video based on their own interpretation of characters from the 90’s Starman series.

– For those thirsting for more X-Men: Days of Future Past, you’re in luck! The “Rogue Cut” that restores all of Anna Paquin‘s cut scenes from the feature, and adds 17 minutes to the film, will hit stores on July 14th. That date is also the 15th anniversary of the release of the first X-Men film. Now, don’t we all feel terribly old?

Machinima (like YouTube for gamers, Machinima videos feature custom branded content that mimic the style and tone of video games) (Ad Age, Reg. required) - Facebook concedes control (to users after the TOS debacle. Now members will have a say over... Read the rest of this post

The speech that Kevin Rudd delivered at Parliament house yesterday was even more moving than I could have imagined. I cried. I never thought this would happen during my life time. I’m so full of hope for the future I feel like I could burst.

Here’s the whole thing: the four minute apology and then the twenty minute speech. It’s really worth watching all of it.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Thanks to everyone who’s written to me from home and elsewhere. It’s wonderful to discover that yesterday’s historic events had an impact outside Australia. It was a great day.