A Tough Guy for Everyone

Sharp performance from Jackman saves stale X-Men spinoff from total mediocrity

(NEWSER) - A charismatic Hugh Jackman gamely slashes his way through X:Men Origins: Wolverine, say critics, but he's let down by a stale script and effects that fail to lift the movie above generic superhero fare.

• Hollywood.com: The "action-filled spinoff delivers on the brawn but not the soul of the X-Men franchise that spawned it."

Aspiring superhero ready to try on Amazon's outfit for size

(NEWSER) - There’s no film in the works yet, but Beyoncé has made her intentions clear: She wants to be the first big-screen Wonder Woman. The star shared her ambitions with DC Comics and Warner Bros. after being wowed by Linda Carter’s original costume at superhero-themed museum exhibition earlier this year, reports the Los Angeles Times. More»

People 'sometimes hold themselves back,' use racism as 'excuse'

(NEWSER) - Herman Cain insisted in an interview yesterday that racism in America isn't significantly impeding economic progress for minorities. “I don't believe racism in this country today holds anybody back in a big way,” the presidential candidate declared on CNN . Many "have a level playing field," he added. "I absolutely believe that." But he acknowledged there are still "some elements" of racism. "It gets back to if we don't grow this economy, that is a ripple effect for every economic level, and because blacks are more disproportionately unemployed, they get hit the worst when economic policies don't work," he added. More»

James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender star in Matthew Vaughn's film

(NEWSER) - Critics are largely impressed with the latest installment in the X-Men series: X-Men: First Class is certainly an improvement over the last few. A sampling of reviews:

• “After a close call with franchise death, the X-Men film series has bounced back to life with its fifth installment, rescued with a straight injection of pop,” writes Manohla Dargis in the New York Times . The film “indulges in period nostalgia as it gazes into the future, using the backdrop of the cold war to explore how the past informs the present (while also blowing stuff up).”

But not minority women—they have kids

(NEWSER) - Illinois Republican leaders are calling for their state Senate candidate, Tea Partier Al Reynolds, to step down in the wake of his racially insensitive remarks at a candidate forum last week. Asked about the lack of diversity at public colleges, Reynolds explained that minority women were more motivated than minority men. “And it’s a pretty good reason. Most of the women who are single parents have to find work to support their family. The minority men find it more lucrative to be able to do drugs rather than do education. It’s easier.” More»