TVSquad

Director Sam Raimi, the man who created such gut-wrenching horrors as The Evil Dead trilogy and Spider Man 3, takes his talent for disemboweling innocent people and chopping off limbs with a dull ax to television ... for a reality show?!?

13 - Fear is Real premieres tonight January 7 on The CW at 8 p.m. eastern. It puts 13 innocent (not really) people in the middle of a fake horror movie, and the last one standing on their bloody stumps takes home the grand prize.

The reality show aims to do for horror movies what Next Action Star did for action movies - rip them off and turn them into another schlock reality show that requires little to no creative ideas or thought.

I'm not a fan of most "big" movies. You know, those movies with a ton of special effects, babes and explosions but very little plot? However, that doesn't mean decent "big" movies don't exist, and I think the Spider-Man films are a good example. Also, nobody brings a comic book to life better than Sam Raimi (perhaps some of my comic book-loving readers will disagree, though).

Anyway, I mention Spidey on this TV blog because FX has garnered the rights to broadcast Spider-Man 3 in 2009. How much FX ends up paying for the movie depends on how much money the movie itself brings in. As of this writing, the movie has brought in $161,401,784. The deal between Sony and FX could also allow Sony to sell the film to other broadcast networks.

Just out of curiosity, who saw Spider-Man 3 and what did you think of it? I liked it quite a bit, though I think it's probably the least of the series so far: a little too much story for one movie, but it did maintain that "old comic book" feel I love so much. I have a lot more to say about it, but I'll turn it over to you guys in the comments. Opine.

"Loan Wolf": Paul Wolfowitz is in a spot of trouble at the World Bank. Resident Expert John Hodgman, sporting yet another snazzy tie, stopped by for the first time. I don't like seeing Hodgman on television anymore, because each appearance teases me and reminds me that his new book isn't coming out any time soon. Obviously, I am often reminded.

• People often ask me what's the hardest part of doing TV Squad, and my answer is always the same: pulling myself away from reading Cinematical! They do such a great job over there.
• Adam has a message for movie critics: stop annoying him! How can a movie be called a "hit movie" or a "blockbuster" before it's even released?
• Some people want Lindsay Lohan to eat a sandwich.
• Peter's Geek Report has news on Alan Cumming and X3, Thomas Haden Church and Spiderman 3, and news about Nicolas Cage's role in Ghost Rider.
• Spielberg and Lucas aren't fighting.
• Karina gets the lowdown on the good and bad of the new IFC Center.