John Cusack is Edgar Allan Poe in ‘The Raven’

Castmembers from left, James McTeigue, John Cusack, Alice Eve, and Luke Evans pose for photographers during the panel for the movie, "The Raven," during Comic Con Friday, July 22, 2011, in San Diego. - AP Photo

SAN DIEGO: John Cusack says Edgar Allan Poe was something of a rock star in his day. Cusack is playing the writer in ”The Raven,” which filmmakers previewed Friday for fans at Comic-Con. It is set for release next year.
”He was world famous and he had a huge ego and he did love the women he loved, so he had a charisma to him,” Cusack said from the stage in front of some 6,500 fans. ”And he was funny. Some of his writings and stories had a very sardonic, sick, twisted, really, really funny side to them.”
Cusack said Poe’s ”unflinching ability to delve into the abyss and come back, to play with the edge,” reminds him of Hunter S. Thompson.
The 45-year-old actor said he was eager to take on the role of the ”godfather of Goth” in this fictionalized account of Poe’s final days. In ”The Raven,” the writer forms a reluctant partnership with a police detective to catch a murderer who kills his victims by following elements of Poe’s stories. Alice Eve plays Poe’s love interest, Alice, and Luke Evans plays the police detective. The film is directed by James McTeigue.
Cusack described the dark thriller as ”an art movie and a popcorn movie at once.”
Comic-Con continues through Sunday at the San Diego Convention Center.

Beavis & Butt-head return to MTV feisty as ever

In this undated file photo originally released by MTV Films, the animated MTV iconic characters Beavis and Butt-head visit the Washington Monument in a scene from the movie, "Beavis and Butt-head Do America." - AP Photo

SAN DIEGO: When the ever-adolescent Beavis and Butt-head return to MTV in the autumn – nearly two decades after their heyday – even their own network won’t be safe from the trash-talking duo’s mockery.
Creator Mike Judge came to San Diego’s Comic-Con on Thursday to talk about the reboot of his beloved animated characters and offer a peek at the new season, which is set to premiere in October.
In their new incarnation, the two perennial teens – still wearing their AC/DC and Metallica shirts – riff on music videos, YouTube submissions and MTV shows such as ”Jersey Shore” and ”Teen Cribs.”
”They’re also watching UFC fights,” Judge says.
The 48-year-old writer, who also voices many of his characters, says that besides Beavis and Butt-head, he hopes to tackle live-action dramas in his creative future. Comic-Con continues through Sunday.