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Neil Gaiman and cartoonist Skottie Young will collaborate on a children's novel. The pairing will be part of the Coraline writer's new five-book deal with HarperCollins, according to Publishers Weekly. Young will illustrate Fortunately, the Milk, which Gaiman described as "an ode to the pleasure and wonders of storytelling itself". Gaiman's first book will be the Adam Rex-illustrated Chu's Day, which will debut in January. The later releases (more)...

Rihanna (Battleship) and Jim Parsons ("The Big Bang Theory" and a small but crucial cameo in The Muppets) will topline the voice cast of DreamWorks Animation's Happy Smekday! The 3D animated film is about an alien race who is hiding from their enemy on Earth. When one of the aliens accidentally reveals their whereabouts, he is forced to go on the run with a teen girl and tries to fix his mistake. In the process, he learns what it's like to be human. Over the Hedge director Tim Johnson will helm the comedy. Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember adapting the screenplay from Adam Rex's picture book "The True Meaning of Smekday."Audiences will be saying "Happy Smekday!" to one another at the end of the year in 2014, when Dwa plans to release the movie.

Rihanna has a new man in her life, and, no, it's not Chris Brown ... or Drake. (Insert shocked gasps here.) Word around Tinseltown is that the songstress-turned-actress will join Jim Parsons, of "The Big Bang Theory" fame, to star in DreamWorks Animation's "Happy Smekday!"

While neither one of their gorgeous mugs will actually appear on-screen since it's animated and all, we have a feeling they'll be a true dream team.

Based on Adam Rex's children's book, "The True Meaning of Smekday," the story finds a group of aliens invading earth on Christmas Eve and renaming the holiday "Smekday" after being booted from their own planet by a villainous race called Gorg. The events are all recounted via an essay penned by an 11-year-old boy named Tip who travels cross-country with the alien that inadvertently put Earth on the Gorg's radar. Oops.

According to Collider, heavy-hitting "Get Smart" scribes Tom J. Astle...

Jim Parsons and Rihanna will play the lead voices in DreamWorks Animation's "Happy Smekday!" which Tim Johnson ("Antz") is directing for a Q4 2014 release says Heat Vision.

Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember are penning this adaptation of Adam Rex's award-winning book "The True Meaning of Smekday" which deals with a friendly alien race invading Earth and using it as a hideout from their mortal enemy.

When one lowly alien accidentally notifies the enemies of his whereabouts, he is forced to go on the run with a teenage girl, embarking on a comical road trip across a postapocalyptic America.

Chris Jenkins ("Rio") and Suzanne Buirgy ("Kung Fu Panda 2") are producing.

• Today in odd movie couple-dom, Jim Parsons and Rihanna will lend their voices to the DreamWorks Animation production Happy Smekday!, an adaptation of Adam Rex’s acclaimed children’s book The True Meaning of Smekday. The premise: Earth’s been invaded by a race of “friendly” aliens called Boov, who have come to our planet to escape their nemeses, the Gorg. After one Boov inadvertently tips off the Gorg that they’re on Earth, he ends up traveling across America with a teenage human girl. As one does. [THR]

• Since we’re discussing DreamWorks Animation projects, Jason Schwartzman has been offered...

DreamWorks Animation today announced that Emmy® and Golden Globe® winner Jim Parsons (Harvey on Broadway and The Big Bang Theory) and international superstar Rihanna (Battleship) will star in the leading roles in Happy Smekday!, a feature film based on the critically acclaimed book “The True Meaning of Smekday” by Adam Rex. The studio plans to release Happy Smekday! during the fourth quarter of 2014.

Tim Johnson (Over the Hedge, Antz) will serve as the film’s director. Chris Jenkins (Rio, Surf’s Up) and Suzanne Buirgy (Kung Fu Panda 2) are serving as producers and DreamWorks Animation’s Head of Development Gregg Taylor is overseeing the project. Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember (Get Smart) are currently writing the screenplay.

“Adam’s hilarious book is the perfect recipe for a compelling animated feature and we are ecstatic that Jim Parsons and Rihanna will contribute their immense talents to the production,” said Bill Damaschke,...

If the star of my least-favorite TV show and one of modern music’s worst artists really need to converge, this is probably the best option. According to THR, Jim Parsons and Rihanna — the latter of whom, from what I’ve heard, was not all that terrible in Battleship — will be lending their voices to DreamWorks Animation’s Happy Smekday!, the studio’s CG take on Adam Rex‘s book, The True Meaning of Smekday.

We’re still in the early days on this one — a late 2014 release is currently on the docket, after all — but Matt Ember and Tom J. Astle (Get Smart) are already penning the script; Tim Johnson (Antz, Over the Hedge) will direct. In Smekday! (God, I hate that title), an alien race — whose invasion of Earth was part of an attempt to hide out — accidentally alert enemies of their location. The actual alien responsible for...

Rihanna and Jim Parsons have been cast in an upcoming DreamWorks Animation project. The 'Where Have You Been' singer will lead the voice cast of Happy Smekday! along with the Big Bang Theory actor, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film is an adaptation of the award-winning book The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex. Antz and Over the Hedge co-director Tim Johnson will helm the project. It is expected to be released by the studio in late 2014. The original book follows a friendly alien race who invade Earth in order to hide from their enemies. When an alien (more)...

Singer will appear alongside Jim Parsons in 'Happy Smekday!' based on a novel by Adam Rex.

By Jocelyn Vena

Rihanna

Photo:

Rihanna battled some bad aliens in "Battleship," but now it seems she'll be tackling a much friendlier extraterrestrial life form in her animated flick, "Happy Smekday!" She's set to play the lead alongside "Big Bang Theory" Emmy-winner Jim Parsons.The flick, based on Adam Rex's book "The True Meaning of Smekday," follows an alien race who come to Earth to hide away from their enemies. When one of the aliens accidentally spills the beans about their hideout to the bad guys, he must go on the run with a teenage girl. The twosome then goes on a road trip through a dystopian America, learning about humanity along the way.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film is slated for a 2014 release. "Antz" and "Over the Hedge" director...

He’s currently best known for playing a quirky physicist on TV’s The Big Bang Theory and cameoing briefly in The Muppets, but Jim Parsons is now headed for leading man status in the 'toon world, snagging a prime role alongside Rihanna in DreamWorks Animation’s Happy Smekday!It’s not a toned down, family-friendly version of Red Dwarf’s most famous curse word. Smekday is part of Adam Rex’s book The True Meaning Of Smekday, which will serve as source fodder for the script written by Tom J Astle and Matt Ember.The plot finds a friendly alien race arriving on Earth and using it as a hiding place from their mortal enemies. But then one lowly alien accidentally lets slip the information about their location and must go on the run with a teenage girl. Hilarity, one assumes, ensues and life lessons are learned.Over The Hedge...

Rihanna is taking over Hollywood! Ok, not really; but she continues to get gigs, much to the chagrin of a lot of you folks. Although, maybe the fact that, this time, she'll only be providing the voice of an animated character, may not hurt so bad. The Twitter superstar is set to play the lead voice in DreamWorks Animation's Happy Smekday!, an adaptation of the award-winning book The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex. Co-starring voice in the flick will be Big Bang Theory star Jim Parsons in a story that centers on... ... a friendly alien race [that] invades Earth and uses it as a hideout from their mortal enemy. When one lowly alien accidentally notifies...

DreamWorks Animation today announced that Emmy and Golden Globe winner Jim Parsons ("Harvey on Broadway" and "The Big Bang Theory") and international superstar Rihanna ( Battleship ) will star in the leading roles in Happy Smekday! , a feature film based on the critically acclaimed book "The True Meaning of Smekday" by Adam Rex. The studio plans to release Happy Smekday! during the fourth quarter of 2014. Tim Johnson ( Over the Hedge , Antz ) will serve as the film's director. Chris Jenkins ( Rio , Surf's Up ) and Suzanne Buirgy ( Kung Fu Panda 2 ) are serving as producers and DreamWorks Animation's Head of Development Gregg Taylor is overseeing the project. Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember ( Get Smart ) are currently writing the screenplay....

Pop superstar Rihanna dusted herself off following the disastrous box office of her action actress debut, Battleship. She also jumped genres with The Hollywood Reporter confirming her co-starring voice work in the upcoming DreamWorks Animation movie Happy Smekday!, an adaptation of the Adam Rex book The True Meaning of Smekday!, about a friendly alien hiding from his enemies on Earth and making a cross-country road trip with a teenage girl. Jim Parsons of The Big Bang Theory and the Broadway revival of the classic comedy Harvey also joined Happy Smekday! in a co-starring role.

Singer will appear alongside Jim Parsons in 'Happy Smekday!' based on a novel by Adam Rex.

By Jocelyn Vena

Rihanna

Photo: James Devaney/ WireImage

Rihanna battled some bad aliens in "Battleship," but now it seems she'll be tackling a much friendlier extraterrestrial life form in her animated flick, "Happy Smekday!" She's set to play the lead alongside "Big Bang Theory" Emmy-winner Jim Parsons.

The flick, based on Adam Rex's book "The True Meaning of Smekday," follows an alien race who come to Earth to hide away from their enemies. When one of the aliens accidentally spills the beans about their hideout to the bad guys, he must go on the run with a teenage girl. The twosome then goes on a road trip through a dystopian America, learning about humanity along the way.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film is slated for a 2014 release. "Antz" and "Over the Hedge...

I so much wanted to like in Fat Vampire - a tale about typical teen outcast Doug Lee who is attacked by a desperate vampire, and soon finds himself cursed with being fat and fifteen forever. Afraid to actually kill anyone, he hopes to find some goth chick with a vampire fetish to feed on. But when that fails, he resorts to sucking the blood of cows under cover of the night.

But sadly, after the set-up, the book becomes dull and rather pointless. Author Adam Rex had a great chance to create a humorous and maybe thought-provoking tale that takes on teen angst, sexuality, identity, love, and the undead, but the premise sinks under what turns out to be some very unlikable characters, including its lead, Doug.

And it could have been a great parody on the whole vampire genre that has gone through the young adult section since Twilight,...

Although Sundays are known as "Kids' Day" at the San Diego Comic-Con, there's still enough horror oriented content being offered on the final day of the 2010 show to keep fans sticking around "America's Finest City" for at least one more go-around our massive Convention Center.

Sunday – July 25

10:00-11:00 Emily The Strange — Get your last day of Comic-Con off to a strange start with Dark Horse's Emily the Strange panel! Meet Emily's creator Rob Reger and Dark Horse editor Shawna Gore, and come prepared to quench your curiosity about all things Emily. Exciting announcements, wacky wordplay, and tasty news bits are all on the menu for this early bird panel! Room 3

10:00-11:00 Spotlight on Rick Riordan — Comic-Con special guest Rick Riordan discusses his blockbuster book series Percy Jackson & the Olympians as well as his recently released The Kane Chronicles series and the upcoming all-new The Heroes of Olympus series.

Here it is gang! The full schedule for the final day at Comic-Con, Sunday July 25th. There really isn't much happening on Sunday, it looks like it's gonna be a pretty relaxed day. There's a few panels we are going to catch, but I think we'll be playing catch-up on some articles. Sunday is traditionally known as Kids day, which features 27 Special Programs just for Kids. I've highlighted all of the events we hope to attend below. We are also planning a meet-up at Comic-Con with all of our readers. Details on the meet-up will be revealed soon. Check out the full Sunday schedule below and start planning out your day!

Sunday July 25th

Last changed: Sun, Jul 11, 8:51am

10:00-11:00 Emily The Strange— Get your last day of Comic-Con off to a strange start with Dark Horse's Emily the Strange panel! Meet Emily's creator Rob Reger...