Tons of Movie News from various websites

This past weekend, many of the major movie websites were out in L.A. on the set of the Transformers movie. I'm writing this news article blind because I still don't have access to the site since it hasn't resolved yet with SBC/AT&T on the new server. I have access to my design site still and access to the live database. Please bear with me if it's not formatted correctly.

LatinoReview stated that the scene of the movie that they saw filmed this weekend was "... part of the conclusion of the film when all threads of the story converge onto the city streets of downtown Los Angeles. Shia, Megan, Josh and Tyrese share this scene and without giving anything away will have the audience at the edge of their seat."

IGN.com stated that "The scene being filmed was one near the end of the movie as the battle between Autobots and Decepticons rages in the streets of Los Angeles. The specific shots we saw were of mayhem and terror - extras running through smoke, the military folk reacting to the carnage, and the Autobots - in vehicle form - ostensibly getting in position for combat.

Michael Bay informed LatinoReview.com about how a few of our favorite Transformers measure up:
Jazz : 13 feet tall
Bumblebee: 17 feet tall
Ratchet: 24 feet tall
Iron Hide: 26 feet tall
Optimus Prime: 28 feet tall
Megatron: 34 feet tall

Jazz is indeed the Pontiac Solstice, which is no surprise since Chevrolet (Camaro - Bumblebee), GMC (GMC 4x4 Truck - Ironhide) and Hummer (H2/H3? - Ratchet) are already represented in the predominantly General Motors lineup per their agreement with Dreamworks.

According to MovieBlog.com, the producers stated that Hasbro had the final say on all character designs. That should hopefully be some good news for fans who were disappointed with the leaked images of the various Transformers. None of the producers seemed to be concerned about the negative fan reaction. One Producer summed up his feelings like this: "It's like a child who throws a tantrum because he thinks he's getting something he won't like on Christmas ... but I'm the parent who knows that when they open that box they're going to be blown away". Or like the Christmas where my Dad got me knock off He-Man toys instead of the real thing because he thought they looked the same.

We've been a little hard on Don Murphy. Sometimes he deserves it ... but he is one of the original people who shopped the idea of a Transformers movie back around 2002. Love him or hate him, we wouldn't be where we are today if it wasn't for Mr. Murphy.

Josh Duhamel: "Make no mistake, this is the Robot's movie... not ours".
Michael Bay stated Transformers will be "pretty edgy for a family film" and will be PG-13.

Producers talked about "story structure, Transformers designs, key elements from the series that must be preserved, and whether there are already sequel plans."

Don Murphy stated that they are definitely looking into getting Frank Welker to voice Megatron.

Furbys will be sacrificed in this movie.

Full trailer to hit theatres this upcoming holiday season between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Film is seeking permission to be 1st movie to film the exterior of the Pentagon since 9/11. The movie will also shoot in various cities, including L.A., Chicago, Detroit and Washington." (though this is the first we've heard of these other cities)

SciFi.com: "The film will feature a top-secret military unit called Sector 7."
SciFi.com: Spike's Grandfather plays a key part in the beginning of the story.

Here are the links to the various articles about this weekend on the set of Transformers

John's Transformers Set Visit Notes (8/26/2006)
http://www.themovieblog.com/archives/2006/08/johns_transformers_set_visit_notes.html

Transformers Set Report (8/26/2006)
http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/728/728564p1.html

Transformers Set Visit Preview! (8/26/2006)
http://www.latinoreview.com/news.php?id=907

Transformers Spoilers Revealed
http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=3&id=37687

Did Your Favorite Make The Cut? 'Transformers' Writers Reveal Robot Roster (8/18/2006)
http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1538947/story.jhtml