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Vin Diesel on 'xXx2' and his HANNIBAL film!!!

Published at:  Aug 05, 2002 6:25:40 AM CDT

Hey folks, Harry here. Ahem! I want Asia Argento in a sequel to 'xXx'!!!! Waaaaaah.... Ahem, anyway, here's the latest from Vin Diesel...




Last thursday I was in the Miami XXX junket talking with Vin Diesel and Rob Cohen. A couple of interesting tidbits.

Vin Diesel is gonna play as you already know Hannibal, the African who crossed the Alps riding an army of elephants in order to conquer Rome.

He said that the script is being written by David "Gladiator" Franzoni and he is executive producing the movie as he did in XXX. He's doing the film with Revolution Studios and he hasn't chosen a director yet. He has a list of three possible big names.

As for the XXX sequel, is called XXX2 (with the "2" as "square") and Rob Cohen is planning to set it in Asia. XXX part 2 will happen is South America, possibly in Argentina because he is a great fan the country.


Oh! And he said Asia Argento won't be in XXX2.

Bye bye!
 

Johann Hofzinser
 

PS: I'm the only guy who didn't like SIGNS??



    + Expand All

    Readers Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 6:27:56 AM CDT

    xxx2

    by cycloner

    hmmmm, what other movie with an x in the title also uses the two as squared, hmmmm

    Reply to Talkback

  • "Where you goin' on those elephants with machine gun tusks, brother?"

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 7:41:01 AM CDT

    Hannibal should have in it the coolest scene ever put on film

    by willscarlet

    Always wanted to do a Hannibal film just so I could shoot the most amazing battle scene EVER. Hannibal was eventually beaten by the Romans in a mountain battle. The Romans were very scared of Elephants and knew they couldn't win the battle if the beasts were a factor.

    So in order to beat the eephants they came across a stroke of genius. The Romans found a large herd of cattle and as the battle began set them stampeding towards their enemy. ON FIRE!

    Imagine the opening to mars attacks transferred to a battle setting. I kind of like the idea of Vin getting his ass whupped by a flaming cow.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 7:54:36 AM CDT

    mmmmmm.....flaming cows

    by doogiehowitzer

    Should shoot the flaming cow sequence in smell-o-vision....mmmmmm....barbecue

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 8:57:29 AM CDT

    NO, No, no! It should be Triple X TOO !

    by spab2

  • Aug 05, 2002 9:03:19 AM CDT

    It's full title will be: XXX2 - Electric Boogaloo

    by workshed

    You know I'm right.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 9:21:05 AM CDT

    Flaming Cows?

    by boris the blade

    Or Flaming Elephants, to go along with a flaming Hannibal...

    "Here we go boys! I want the Dumbo with the biggest trunk! Aa-ooo-gah!"

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 9:23:17 AM CDT

    confused about Hannibal

    by stevetv

    What? Where? You state: "...Rob Cohen is planning to set it in Asia. XXX part 2 will happen is South America, possibly in Argentina..." I'm no geography wiz but you do know that these two regions are more than a little far apart don't you?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 9:30:25 AM CDT

    Vin makes 80 million on XXX 2.......

    by doom ii

    I can see the headlines now. He gets his 20 million paycheck up front and takes profit points on the total gross and ta-da! Way too much money for a guy that JUST entered the scene. Recent box office has proven that smaller stars in big projects are where the money is. Lord Of The Rings & Spider-Man were runaway hits and none of the stars scored over a 5 million paycheck for either. Hey Hollywood, how 'bout you offer Vin and his greedy manager million per picture and if they say no, show 'em the fucking door. He can go back to making his little "indy" shorts. Vin needs 2 bombs to put his ego in check and drop his pay rate! (see Jim Carrey/Stallone/Travolta etc..)

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 9:39:33 AM CDT

    Vin Diesel as Hannibal?

    by josey wales

    Does anyone else find this odd? Hannibal was a man of considerable genius and I've always attached a certain amount of nobility to him. Two things that do not come to mind when I think of Vin Diesel are brilliance and nobility. I'm not saying he can't do it, but going from being the star of extreme sports movies to playing one of the greatest leaders of the classical world is kind of a leap. By the way, 'the Romans' did not devise the tactics that defeated Hannibal at the battle of Zama, Scipio Africanus did. Who do you think you are, Howard Zinn?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 10:07:22 AM CDT

    Hannibal was a CARTHAGENIAN!

    by uncapie

    He also defied the Romans, who were the strongest empire at that time and started the second Punic war in doing so. Hannibal started off controlling the Mediterranean and branched outwards, creating New Carthagenia in Spain. He ended up losing his empire and committed suicide by drinking poison.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 10:26:09 AM CDT

    SPOILER ALERT

    by rizla

    xXx is *whisper* a steaming pile of 24-carat prairie shit.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 10:40:50 AM CDT

    yes, we americans are idiots

    by astaldo

    well, not me personally, but, all of a sudden, this mush-mouthed, crude idiot Vin Diesel, who looks like a tackling dummy for WWE and talks like Thomas Chong is the "new, up-and-coming action star", for pretty much no reason except that he appeals to the same demographic as Eminem. as a poster said earlier of xXx "maybe all the latently gay frathouse boys of america will take enough time off from paddling each other's asses to see this one".
    And now Diesel wants to hop on the big-budget historical bandwagon and play Hannibal, when there are plenty of non-african maurauding barbarian guys in history that would suffice to satisfy Diesel's ego, he has to go and choose the one he is least suited for.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 11:03:34 AM CDT

    surely this film should be called 'xXx ii'. but of cours

    by mansep

  • Aug 05, 2002 11:09:21 AM CDT

    Sour Grapes...

    by coytuck

    What's with all the Vin slamming? It's like the guy deflowered your sister and gave her the clap or something. First thing I saw him in was Multi-Facial, and I thought he was brilliant! Then again, that's my opinion. But at least when I don't like someone's performance I don't attack them as human beings... especially without knowing them. To be perfectly honest, all of you who slam this guy (and other people who have made a way for themselves), you sound like a bunch of nudnicks who couldn't get a date to the prom and claim it was by choice.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 11:17:38 AM CDT

    Vin gives...

    by xftwitch

    Vin Diesel gives no talent ass clowns a bad name.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 11:47:44 AM CDT

    Who asked for Vin?

    by red collar

    I understand when a guy earns the right for 20 million after hard fought huge box office hits. But why are they paying him so much? cuz of Fast and Furious? Or cuz of Pitch Black? I don't understand it at all. Not feeling jealousy or anything, just confusion. Who's been asking for this guy? I mean I love action movies and great action stars but what the hell?The guy looks really tough but doesn't there seem to be something a little effiminant about him? His lisp or something. I don't get his appeal.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 12:16:05 PM CDT

    Mathematically, shouldn't it be X to the 6th?

    by voice o. reason

    (xXx)to the 2nd power=x to the 6th, doesn't it?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 12:23:18 PM CDT

    The Electric Boogaloo joke is tired

    by slone13


    That's all I really have to say. Hell, it was walready on its way to 'getting old' two years ago when the Clerks cartoon used it.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 12:41:25 PM CDT

    Umm... is that supposed to be some sort of JOKE?

    by acaana

    The sentences about Asia and Argentina are totally contradictory, so I have to assume that it's supposed to be some sort of "clever play" on Asia Argento's NAME. Lame! Is that what passes for Cool News nowadays?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 1:13:17 PM CDT

    xXx 2: Total XTC

    by jackrabbit

    Or maybe xXx 2: X Marks the G-Spot.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 1:32:31 PM CDT

    hey, voice

    by philosophist

    since you asked, the title as written will be: xxx^2 = 2x(x^2) = 2x^3... but as pronounced will be: (xxx)^2 = (3x)^2 = 9x^2

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 1:33:23 PM CDT

    Vin as Hannibal? won't George Peppard be pissed?

    by general idea

    this will be great though, Mister T and Dirk Benedict have been out of work except for 1-800-Collect commercials and I don't know what the hell Dwight Schultz aka Murdock has been up to. Do they still have that black van in storage somewhere? (Apologies, someone was bound to write this eventually) Honestly though this sucks. This is like casting umm.... I dunno, Eminem as Napolean. Step off 'fore I conquer yo ass! And the real question is are these going to be regular elephants or souped-up elephants with neon tusks or something.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 1:41:09 PM CDT

    Who asked for Vin? Well . . .

    by poetamelie

    Red Collar asked: >

    Ahem: a very large number of females like me, that's who!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 2:15:00 PM CDT

    Hannibal as African?

    by robobagpiper

    Sure. You see, four different races have lived in Africa in historical times. In the south, capoids - in largely unmixed form only surviving as the Khoi-khoi and San peoples, but now largely absorbed by the black races. The two black races of Africa are normally called Pygmoids, who were originally most concentrated in the West, and the Tall Negroid group, who are originally indigenous to the southern Sahara. And yep, north of the Sahara, are Causoids. That's right, white folk. Usually speaking Hamitic or Semitic languages. The people of Carthage were decended from Canaanitic stock, and spoke a language that was long mutually intelligible with Hebrew. The word Carthage (Qrt hdsht) means "New City", and is perfectly intelligible in Hebrew. And the "b'l" at the end of Hannibal's name is the Baal of the bible, the generic Semtic term for "God" before it fell out of fashion with a certain monothestic group who preferred "Adonai" instead. So yeah, I don't see any problem with Vin Diesel playing Hannibal from an ethnic standpoint. But then, what do I know, I'm just an ignorant American.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 2:16:11 PM CDT

    Smug people shouldn't misspell...

    by robobagpiper

    Caucasoids, not causoids or whatever I typed...

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 2:29:26 PM CDT

    !!!POSSIBLY!!!! please harry delete possibly`s post!!!!!

    by drjones

    pleeaaaase!!!
    and possibly!! i don`t want to get on the same niveau as you do in calling someone a nazi!!!! i didn`t often find the TB behaviours annoying. often you shouldn`t take it serious what it said here. but even if this you wrote should be a joke i can

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 2:40:55 PM CDT

    what's with Vin Diesel?

    by blok narpin

    THis guy flat out sucks! Iron Giant and Private Ryan were the only good things he did. He has zero acting ability. He just sucks. He lacks the charisma that action stars or the past had (Arnold, Sly, and Bruce all had charisma). Heck THE ROCK has more charima and talent then Vin!! THis guy is a direct to video movie star who just hasn't made a direct to video movie yet. Fast and the Furious was a bad joke, and XXX looks abysmal. WHat's the deal with this guy???

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 2:54:13 PM CDT

    Vin's voice sounds like his nose is permanently stuffed up.

    by holiwood98

  • Aug 05, 2002 3:16:33 PM CDT

    Screw Hannibal

    by andy_christ

    Give us Frank Miller's "300!"

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 3:39:46 PM CDT

    SIGNS is just plain DUMB

    by mr. boden

    Is everyone out there brainwashed, or did I just see a different movie? A man in a rubber suit; the acting was stilted; Mel Gibson looked like he was making fun of someone who has real emotions; I mean, c'mon - This was a dumb movie! The theater I was in was sold out, and when M. Night's name came up at the end, the whole theater chuckled. I loved his other works, but the only good things about this movie was the music, and M. Night actually acting! (unlike the rest of the characters). The best part is... this movie cost $70million to make! WHERE WAS THE BUDGET?!?! I honestly consider this weird - that everyone likes this movie. And if people say "Well, you just had too high expectations for the film!" Don't kid yourselves... The man's not Spielberg yet...

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 3:41:33 PM CDT

    General Idea....

    by mcvamp

    Dirk Benedict is in a 1 800 COLLECT ad now? I think I need to see that. All they need now is Estrada and Larry what's his name. I just wonder how so many people get hyped over XXX and were razzing the shit out of Tomb Raider 2 going into production. They both look to be in the same ballpark, quality-wise. And yes, same ballpark, same league, same fuckin' sport.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 3:48:41 PM CDT

    "Duh!, Da tings I'm a gonna do for my country, Ah Duh!"

    by kirk's toupee

    Doesn't this guy remind you of "The Crusher" or "The Gashouse Gorillas" from the Bugs Bunny cartoons? "Duh, just passing by...Duh."

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 3:51:11 PM CDT

    (Ignore This Post)

    by battle-poster

    > "Darth Flame, I think it is time to send you back into the fray." "Why, Lord Idious?" "Just a hunch." "I do not understand 'hunches' and 'intuition'. I could assess the optimum scenario for my return, basing it off of various Talkback Simulations, archive analysis, and user algori--" "That won't be necessary. Sometimes, we must act without the ability to articulate why." "As in when you feel the consistent but seemingly random urge for self-gratification?" "Yes. Always the smart-ass. Now run some diagnostic tests and then charge yourself up. This time, they will not be ready for you." "Lord Idious, I should recommend that we mention the Talkback topic, as it is necessary for a relevant post." "Yes, it is indeed. Well, Vin Diesel is a repugnant oaf and his films are guilty of X-Treme Sucking." "Considering my perspective, I can say with 100% certainty that his voicework for "The Iron Giant" was his cinematic pinnacle. Furthermore--" "Enough. Getting moving and make sure that you avoid the ever-watchful wrath of Mo--" >

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 4:36:19 PM CDT

    Schmoke and a pancake?

    by merkin muffley

    Bong and a blintz?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 5:10:06 PM CDT

    "I was told there would be no math..."

    by voice o. reason

    Wouldn't 3x^2 = (x+x+x)^2, and not (x times x times x)^2? I stand by my x^6 equation.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 6:37:57 PM CDT

    I'M WITH YOU, ED 209. I SAW THE "XXX" TRAILER WITH A FULL H

    by lt. torello

    Clint's the real deal. I had the honor to meet him at a DGA screening of "Unforgiven" and besides being a screen legend and Oscar-winning director he's a total gentleman who genuinely appreciates the fans. How much you wanna bet Vin's gonna be straight-to-video in five years while Clint is still making movies?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 7:13:40 PM CDT

    no subject

    by jules windu

    What's a Nubian?

    Reply to Talkback

  • The two correct, non-joke analyses are, of course, xxx^2=xx(x^2)=(x^2)(x^2)=x^4 (as written) and (xxx)^2=(x^3)^2=x^6 (as pronounced). I must go get a life if I am posting this.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 8:35:06 PM CDT

    Carthage

    by sceleratos

    While Carthage was In Africa(modern day Tunisia) They were not "Africans".

    On one epsidoe of "Who wants to Be a Millionare" A guy went out on the 1st Question "What Animals did Hannibal use to cross the Alps"? The Answers were Rhino's Llama's, Elephant, and something else.

    Anyway, the dude used his 50/50 and was left with llama's and Elephants. He picked llamas.

    1. He did NOT know where the Alps are(Europe has NO Llamas).
    2. He did not know who Hannibal was.
    3. He not know where Llama's are from(the Ande's).

    Anyway, he was stupid.

    Most Historians will make clear that Hannibal did not so much cross the Alps WITH Elephants as MADE Elephants cross the Alps. Most of them did not survive. And After a few Battles In italy Hannibal was left with 1.

    Theodore Ayrault Dodge wrote a very detailed history of Hannibal and his italian campagin, and there have been several TV documentaries about Hannibal. One was on the Discovery Civilazation Channel last week.

    I wonder if they will have any Reference to Carthage's worship of Bhaal, and the way they sacrficed Babies to Bhaal?

    Can anyone think of another ignorant obsolete religion where people whink they can buy their way into heaven with human sacrfice?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 8:46:24 PM CDT

    Signs...

    by oracle13

    didn't suck, but definitly not as good as everyone seems to think it was. He may have gotten "the secret" to making great films from Speilberg (who seems to have it), but he got dialogue lessons from Lucas.

    Reply to Talkback

  • soz if I got your kettle steaming

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 9:05:54 PM CDT

    Has anyone seen Vin Diesel's movie 'Strays' or no wh

    by virgilhilts

    Apparently he wrote/directed/starred in it.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 9:08:56 PM CDT

    This is just great...

    by osgood sigerson

    This marble-mouthed lunkhead is going to try to depict one of the greatest tacticians and warriors ever? I don't care if the man is a MENSA candidate in real life, as an actor I cannot believe him as Hannibal. The Eminem as Napoleon comparison is woefully accurate, the simple casting of Vin Diesel throws all realism out the window. What a bunch of crap. At least there's three Alexander the Great projects in the works, one of those is bound to be good. Right? As a side note: why is it all these Vin Diesel talkbacks are full of these anti-geek, pro-Diesel posts? It's enough to bring Battleposter back from Ban-Land [one can only hope]...People, this is a site for the filmgeek, I know everyone has their own opinion, but, well, if Vin Diesel were such a great actor...he wouldn't be so popular. Flame on, latent homos!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 9:49:39 PM CDT

    To answer your question, Quamb...

    by westrum

    There is nothing good about Vin Diesel. that's why americans like him. they like him because most american audiences go see shit. this is because most movie-goers in america are between 12-25, so most movies are made to pander to the teen market...this means "really fuckn' stupid"

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 10:08:58 PM CDT

    Where the hell does that Harry head come from this time?

    by dolemite_fan

    I cant place what movie it is this time. BTW, could someone tell me what his last one was where he was standing in front of the toilet pissing.

    Im not much on Vin Diesel, I think he is a talented guy, but sadly he's going to for action roles only, and eventually people will grow tired of them. And "XX" looks dumb as shit, but I will see it b/c Sam Jackson's in it, hwo's half the size of Diesel, yet 10x more bad ass. Anyone seeing "Blood Work" this weekend?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 10:24:46 PM CDT

    Quamb, Vin Diesel could totally play hannibal

    by bermansucks

    The carthaginians were greeks colonists living in africa. Just because he lived in africa doesn't mean Hannibal couldn't be white.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 10:36:08 PM CDT

    But it was called "CARTHAGE", you stupid pig!

    by uncapie

    When he conquered the lands back then it was called CARTHAGE. If he had conquered the lands when it was called AFRICA, then he would be AFRICAN. Okay, he if was AFRICAN, WHAT KIND OF AFRICAN? There are different countries within Africa. What are their names? When were they given those names? What tribe was Hannibal from? The same goes for the Romans. Are Italians called Romans now? What about the Hittites? The Pelopenisians? The Phoencians? The list goes on. Who's the "numb nuts" now, Porky?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 10:44:48 PM CDT

    Fire this dumbass...

    by joelee

    First of all most of the grammer is messed up. Second of all, he thought Asia was in South America... South America was in Asia. The other joke here is that they are both supposed to be exclusive from each other. Where did you get this guy?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 10:46:19 PM CDT

    Testing

    by joelee

  • Aug 05, 2002 11:35:53 PM CDT

    The Vin Diesel Appeal...

    by caine

    I have NO IDEA where it comes from. I could not have cared less about his bit part in "Saving Private Ryan" because that movie was as over-hyped as it was gory - but I will not go into MY problems with that movie at this time. I liked "Pitch Black" because the main character was not even an Anti-hero, he was an escaped murderer. He knew it, everyone else knew it, and he used it to his advantage. I think it would have been a better film if he HAD actually killed the Blonde (Rhada Mitchell, I think), killed everyone else, and then taken off alone. Of course, I also like it because Claudia Black was in it, but that is ANOTHER story. As for becasue he was evila and a bad guyin Diesel appearing in "Hannibal," I think it will just detract from him being in the next Conan movie as the Conan's son Kon. Yes, I DO think he should make that movie, and they SHOULD stick with the original Milius script for crown of Iron. Polishing by the Wachowzki (sp?) brothers was not needed, because for all its glitz and funky special effects, "The Matrix" was yet another movie in the 'machines getting smart and trying to wipe out/enslave mankind' genre. *** But that is just my opinion.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 11:37:17 PM CDT

    Here comes the real twister....

    by thecomedian

    Since Brooklyn Bred is MIA on this talkback I guess I'll have to sub in the Nat-X role this one time. First off, Hannibal was Black. It's been said time & again in plenty of history volumes. But I don't really have such a problem with Vin playing him since...HE'S BLACK TOO. Yup, all you dipshits on this talkback saying that Vin can play Hannibal because he was Greek should know that #1 he wasn't and #2 your Ultimate Guido Hero is actually a milato. Believe you me I was just as dumbfounded when I found out Mr."I forgot to change my porno name" was one of us. It's all spelled out in an issue of Jet magazine from a few weeks ago. Vin's just doing like Jennifer Beals did and passing so that he doesn't get pidgeon holed into doing crap like Juwana Man and Two Can Play That Game. Regularly I'd be pissed but the way most perfectly talented Black actors are treated in Hollywood I can't blame him. As far as xXx goes I think I can wait for the DVD. It's a shame because I've spent so much time with my brother making fun of Vin Diesel calling him "Lou Ferrigno's long lost inbred son" and "White Shaq" because of his marble mouthed delivery. He was actually pretty good in Boiler Room and Saving Private Ryan. But his agent better put down he coke spoon if he thinks anyone's gonna pay him $20,000,000 a picture.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 11:50:30 PM CDT

    For god's sake

    by josey wales

    The opinions here are bad enough, but can you people at least get the historical record right? Hannibal did not found New Carthage, he was born there; it is in Spain which at the time was divided between Carthage and Rome. Hannibal was both a Carthaginian and an African. Carthage was a CITY on the CONTINENT of Africa; after Rome had conquered Carthage, part of the North African coast became the province of ... Africa. Carthage was founded by Phoenician colonists from the Levant. The Phoenicians were Semites (like the Hebrews and many other Middle Eastern peoples), which means that the Carthaginians would have been "white" with a dark complexion ('Mediterranean') and entirely unrelated to the peoples of sub-Saharan Africa. And, as a matter of fact, Italians are called Romans in the present if they are from the CITY of Rome, as they have been for 2,755 years (or thereabouts). The country in which Rome sits has been called Italy (or 'Italia') since Roman times. The peoples of the peninsula were Italians, because they were from Italy. Scipio, Caesar, Pompeii, Crassus, etc. were all both Romans and Italians. Finally, I'm sure you can find Peloponnesians today; what else would you call someone who lives on the Peleponnese? In ancient times, they had no separate ethnic identity from mainland Greece; they were all Greeks. They would not refer to themselves as Peloponnesians, but Spartans or Achaeans or from whatever polis they hailed from.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 05, 2002 11:58:54 PM CDT

    xXx2 will be in Asia, xXx 3 will be in South America

    by johann hofzinser

    My mistake, sorry

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 06, 2002 12:26:00 AM CDT

    Caucasoids, Negroids and Mongoloids! Oh My!

    by peters

    The skinny on the Carthaginians:

    What was Carthage?

    Carthage was the largest and most successful colony founded by the PHOENICIANS, a SEMITIC people who hailed from the region we now call Lebanon. As Phoenicia's power faded into history Carthage became a major power in its own right and eventually exerted its economic and military influence over most of the coast of N. Africa (except Egypt), the islands of the western Mediterranean (except Sicily which was vigorously defended by Rome) and much of the Iberian peninsula (the tract of land now occupied by Portugal and Spain).

    Who were the Carthaginians?

    Carthage was an autocratic state with the ruling class comprised entirely of 'blue blood' Phoenicians (Hannibal was royalty, a Phoenician prince to be precise). Carthage's 'middle class' was formed by those who were of mixed blood, specifically people of Phoenician and Libyan ancestry (the ancient Libyans were Berbers, a HAMITIC people like the Egyptians of the same era). Carthage's 'lower' class was comprised almost entirely of native Libyans. Beyond those groups there were the nomadic peoples of the region, the Numidians (an ethnic group unto themselves and not sub-Saharan Africans as Hollyweird and historical revisionists conveniently designate them).

    Another relevant ethnic factoid that rails in the face of historical revisionism is that several hundred years later Arabs and the Islamic converted Berbers formed the group that Spaniards called the 'mouro' or the Moors. For those who wholeheartedly subscribe to Quentin Tarantino's ethnic definition of the Moors in "True Romance" I sincerely apologize for this rude awakening. But I digress...

    If you're still a skeptic then check out these ancient coins that prominently feature the profiles of Hannibal, his brother Hasdrubal and their father Hamilcar Barca (as well as rulers of other N. African regions). You have to be blind or delusional to think those faces are anything but semitic or hamitic.

    http://www.angelfire.com/md/8/coinage.html

    As if Vin Diesel wasn't bad enough the prospect of watching Denzel Washington portray Hannibal really takes the cake. I wouldn't mind it if Denzel played Hannibal in 'swarthified' whiteface with heavy prosthetic makeup and wavy hair to allow him to better portray the famous semitic conquerer but we all know that sort of thing only works one way in Hollyweird...

    Oh what's the use? Most people don't care about any of this so that's why I propose the following...

    MICHELLE YEOUGH AS MARTHA WASHINGTON!

    CHOW YUN FAT AS JULIUS CAESAR!

    JOHN WAYNE AS GENGHIS KHA... oops, been there done that.

    REVISIONISM RULEZ!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 06, 2002 12:33:55 AM CDT

    Voice O. Reason and eraser_x

    by the paladin

    eraser_x, you got it!
    ----------------------------------
    ----------------------------------
    ----------------------------------

    VOR: I appreciate the effort, but
    3x^2 = x^2 + x^2 + x^2
    ----------------------------------
    (x+x+x)^2 = (3x)^2 = 3^2*x^2 = 9x^2. It's amazing that a Vin Diesel movie could provoke an such a lively algebra debate!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 06, 2002 12:49:27 AM CDT

    I'm with Eraser X on this one...

    by voice o. reason

    It depends on whether xXx^2 means x*x*x^2 or if it means (xxx)^2. Since no one used parentheses but me, I gues I stand corrected. Final solution then would be x^4, I guess. I'd also like to add I took college algebra over 7 years ago, so I'm a little rusty.

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  • Aug 06, 2002 1:24:42 AM CDT

    Hey, What's This I Heard About A Promotion With A Big "X" Sa

    by jollydwarf

    "Signs" last week and now this. Talk about shifting gears. Well, I'm not here to kick it on Mr. Diesel tonight, but instead point out what was probably a throwaway reference by (thinking) Osgood Sigeron (?). Hope I got the name right. You must've been coming here for a while, because you mentioned "He-Who-Shall-Not-Post" in your post. That alone probably made Harry's flame-shaped scar (location undisclosed, thankfully) sear. But what makes that truly strange is that I noticed a peculiar post earlier this evening, but didn't make anything of it. But it does sound like familiar banter, albeit toned down. I've missed a lot of old-school guys around here. Or are they still here, under new pseudonyms? I mean, how many colors can Gandalf change to? Have I been banned? Hey, does a Gungan shit in a swamp? Does Avril Lavigne have a date with Destiny, Tommy Lee, and Ben Affleck (in that order)? Does George Takei Rock? What if we're all one guy with multiple personalities who is suffering from rapid-fire disassociative fugues? What if we're all part of Harry Life Extension Lucid Dream? Oh, he banned Buzz Maverik forever, only to have the UserID change to Moriarty!! Why does he always see Noah Taylor sitting two rows behind him at every theater? Why the Cartuna-Harry Mask? Teeeeeccchhh SUHHHHPPPORRRRRT!!!!

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  • Aug 06, 2002 2:36:06 AM CDT

    (xxx)^2= x^6

    by nverman

    first off XXX is essentially x times x times x, or x cubed (x^3). thus, the square of (x^3)^2 = x^6. so the sequel should appropriately be named x^6, if hollywood used mathematics for their naming conventions. and yes, i have too much time on my hands -- i am at work on the nightshift.

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  • Aug 06, 2002 3:59:26 AM CDT

    Coffee colored people

    by mulberry

    Hurrah!

    Yet again a discussion about a movie become a half-arsed slanging match about 21st century racial/sexual politics.

    Certainly, Vin as Hannibal makes more sense (if we're talking skin colour) than Liz Taylor as Cleopatra, Peter Ustinov as Charlie Chan or John Wayne as Ghengis Khan.

    I had a quick zip over the Internet to see what the consensus about the Carthaginian ethnicity is.

    Big mistake (some nice people from the KKK have had their webbed fingers separated just far enough to learn how to type and use Dreamweaver, and other people seem to think that Africa is and always has been a single country with an ethnically, genetically and culturally homogenous population, and that nobody there looks in any way 'Middle Eastern' or European).


    Looks basically like although Carthage was originally a Phoenician colony (Phoenicia being somewhere near where the Lebanon is today - 'Middle East'), by the time of Hannibal, the population was pretty indistinguishable from other North African Mediterranean rim populations.

    Not quite sure what that implies - with communications and trade being heavily sea-based, Carthage would have had a constant flow of people from all over the Mediterranean basin as well as Sub-Saharan Africa. Maybe similar to modern Tunisians, maybe lighter, maybe darker, maybe both.

    Historical sources are either vague (skin colour being much less important than if you were a slave or free, and which state you belonged to), or subject to linguistic debate ("Is colour word X darker or lighter than colour word Y? Is X actually a colour word at all?"), or far enough away in time from the actual event to be as good as guesswork or hear-say on the author's part.

    I don't care. Film might be good, though. Probably be nonsense, but as long as it is entertaining nonsense, then it's fine by me.

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  • Aug 06, 2002 7:14:39 AM CDT

    Chill

    by redsilk1

    Scleratos, you asked: "Can anyone think of another ignorant obsolete religion where people whink they can buy their way into heaven with human sacrfice?"


    Yeah, I believe that would be fundamentalist Christianity.

    I find all the anti-Diesel conflagration to be really wierd. Yeah, the guy doesn't read his lines to well (He didn't do too badly for the into to Pitch Black), but you know, _maybe if we gave him a chance_ he could grow as an actor. I'm sure _you_ guys would like it if someone gave _you _a chance. My two girlfriends and I are going to go see xXx this Saturday... we know it's not Shakespeare, and we know Diesel's no Ralph Feinnes, Russell Crowe, or Denzel Washington. Will that keep us from enjoying the movie? I doubt it.

    Relax.

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  • Aug 06, 2002 7:50:04 AM CDT

    Afrocentric rubbish

    by robobagpiper

    Manuwalde, go study some real African history, not the crap churned out by Afrocentric cranks in America. The Upper Egyptians were not of Nubian stock; like their cousins in the lower kingdom, they were a Hamitic, dolioendocephalic CAUCASIAN people. Upper Egypt was on several occasions ruled by black Kushites from Meroe, and there was of course racial mixing to some extent, but it would be nonsensical to call them Nubians, since "Nubian" derives from the Noba people that *replaced* the Kushite kingdom. The Carthaginians were even *less* African. They were a rather pure Phonecian/Canaanitic strain. No, Bermansucks, they weren't Greek colonists - though you're close: Carthegenian culture had been largely Hellenized by the time Carthage became a major player in the politics in the Medeterrenian. So there you have it. Trying to being a scintilla of scholarship to a talkback. Enjoy it while it lasts.

    Reply to Talkback

  • There's not a damn thing wrong with calling him African. It was a geography reference and nothing more. Let go.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 06, 2002 8:34:38 AM CDT

    vin diesel is amazing

    by eatpoopoo

    i saw him on the tonight show and i usually hate him because he was so horrible in the fast and the furious. and now i've been hearing good things about xxx (how is that possible??) so it looks like he's gonna be the next big action star. we need some new schwarzeneggers, stallones, and to a lesser extent, new segals. these guys are all old now and they can't do the amazing work they used to do (my personal favorite, commando) and who's gonna replace them? not affleck, or matt damon, and surely not the guy from reign of fire. so i guess it's gotta be vin diesel. ok enough with my rant

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  • Aug 06, 2002 10:36:21 AM CDT

    Army of elephants?

    by pallando

    Umm, Hannibal only got 2 or 3 elephants through to Italy. He lost the other 10 or so crossing the alps, where he also lost his eye. I am not just asking, I am demanding a one eyed hannibal in this film.

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  • Aug 06, 2002 11:24:24 AM CDT

    the Harry head...

    by astaldo

    refers to the Hellboy comic, which is to become a movie with Ron Perlman. I am not familiar with the comic, but apparently the character hellboy is a red guy with two bulging horn things on his head and he is always tackling monsters and saying understated things when they loom up and prepare to kick his ass, hence the tentacle.

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  • Aug 06, 2002 12:18:13 PM CDT

    okay, i stand corrected

    by philosophist

    but i do appreciate being called "clever and droll" at the apparent expense of my algebra

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  • Aug 06, 2002 2:16:04 PM CDT

    willscarlet is wrong

    by nomonhan

    it was hannibal who duped the romans with floaming cattle

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  • Aug 06, 2002 6:25:17 PM CDT

    White Africans

    by sceleratos

    I had a college Prof who once told us that Cleopatra was Black.
    Considering that She was the daughter(or granddaughter) of Mithradates of Pontus(Pontus was a Greek Kingdom near where Turkey is) and Also a Ptolomy...she was greek from 2 blood lines. Ptolomey was One Of Alexander the greats Generals, who took Eygpt after Alexanders death...so how did this guy get to be a teacher? Was it PC revisionist history? Africans Today are Black(well most of them) so to portray any African as Other than Black is Racist? Anyway, The world was NOT always as it is NOW.

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  • Aug 06, 2002 10:09:17 PM CDT

    Porky, I'd rather be called "numb nuts" than just "plain stu

    by uncapie

    That title's all yours.

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  • Aug 07, 2002 3:27:55 PM CDT

    The newest census racial categories are out!

    by white_noise

    The census department has decided to expand the racial categories on the next census forms. Respondents will be able to choose from a list that includes: ****** White,Olive-skinned, Copper-colored,Mocha-latte,Dusty, Really-really-tan, White-but-it's-so-unpopular-that-I-just-call-myself-something-else,Asian and Black, among others.******* It is estimated that approximately 0.000000093 percent of the population will claim 'White' (interestingly, the exact same percentage as those who attend 'Leave It To Beaver' conventions.) The rest of the population will fall into one of the other designations. It is also estimated that everybody will still look pretty much the same after the census is completed (the exception being those of the Really-really-tan ethnicity who seem to be oppressed out of existence in northern climes during the winter months.... Another anomoly is the corresponding increase in the George Hamilton race during this same period).

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  • Aug 07, 2002 3:38:15 PM CDT

    Couldn't leave a smart-alec post alone.....

    by white_noise

    I'm sorry. I'm not sure whether my sense of irony and the absurd is in tune with other people's. I'm afraid I didn't make the statement as well as I might have liked to. Let me try again. Racism is the intellectual equivalent to answering a taunt with the response, 'Oh yeah?'. Why we give time to idiots of all hues who cling to this moronic predjudice after all these years only proves that there is a devil and he's having a field-day with this planetfull of stupid children.

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  • Aug 07, 2002 4:22:18 PM CDT

    Fan b0y sk00l1ng

    by mcbane

    VIN DIESEL CANNOT ACT-> According to IMDB and a few other reliable sources, the two films that VIN made before Saving Private Ryan and Pitch Black were very good. They were low budget films heWrote, Directed and Starred in I believe. In fact Spielberg casted him because of his performances in those films. If he spielberg thinks he is a good actor, I am inclined to agree.VIN DOESN'T HAVE THE PERSONALITY OR PRESENCE TO BE A GOOD ACTION HERO -> What the fuck? Yet Arnie, Segal, Ford, Van Damme and Stallone do? Half of that list can still barely speak english properly and the others have dodgy acting techniques (finger of doom anyone?) yet they lampooned as ther gods of action. Have any of you SEEN Pitch Black? I am sorry but Vin Diesel's voiceover was harder than any role I have seen Arnie play recently! The guy was incredible in that film! VIN DOES NOT DESERVE 20 MIL PER FILM ALREADY! -> Maybe. But have u considered WHY They have greenlit the sequel BEFORE the first film has been released? Well I will sk00l ya. Vin Diesel makes women wet. The gravelly voiced, toned body and bad ass attitude have scored so highly with female viewers in test screenings, they know they are on to a winner! Men will come and watch an action film for violence whereas women need shallower reasons to turn up. :) SO if u do decide to go to see the film opening weekend, the fishy smell emmanating from your girlfriend/wife/sister/mother sitting next to you, will stem from the fantasies going through her mind involving her and some deep dicking action from Vin himself. IS VIN DIESEL WHITE OR BLACK? I don't know. My suspicion is that he is half caste. Many half caste men shave their heads to prevent that weird looking "white man's afro" that they can "suffer" from. Vin is also very tight lipped about his family and parentage which coulkd be another indication. Maybe his mother was raped or had an affair with a man of another race. I don't know. This is all speculation. But something tells me I am right.

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  • Aug 08, 2002 2:13:39 AM CDT

    No prob with his talent

    by windwalker

    I'm with somebody above who said... there's a little something about him that's femmy. I don't really think he'll be a huge name in the grande filmscape. But I don't know shiz-itt. He may have that drive and people behind him. But that's forced. What fiz-uck do I know no now. How do you spell no? I know smart. I'm just a movie fan.

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  • Aug 08, 2002 2:17:16 AM CDT

    no subject

    by windwalker

    Vin seems a little femmy. He may end up a hollywood icon but i doubt it.

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  • Aug 08, 2002 4:25:38 AM CDT

    Very Amusing

    by auntikrist

    "Men will come and watch an action film for violence whereas women need shallower reasons to turn up. :)"

    **** Oh ye gods yes! Blood gore and pain are so deep and intellectual. :o) Of course men prefer violence to sex! WTF? That was the wierdest theory I ever heard and it deserved the smiley that followed the phrase. Cute!

    "SO if u do decide to go to see the film opening weekend, the fishy smell emmanating from your girlfriend/wife/sister/mother sitting next to you, will stem from the fantasies going through her mind involving her and some deep dicking action from Vin himself."

    ******Count on it you green-eyed, jealous little boys. You may faint from the tuna fumes! We women spontaneously ovulate when we hear that marble mouthed growl-- lisp and all!! Vin Diesel is exotic, unusual, and exciting to watch. plus he can use words of more than 2 or 3 syllables in an intelligent discussion.

    "IS VIN DIESEL WHITE OR BLACK? I don't know. My suspicion is that he is half caste. Many half caste men shave their heads to prevent that weird looking "white man's afro" that they can "suffer" from."

    ******Lovely racist remark there. Show your ass much? Lots of black men shave their heads because it is cheaper than having to constantly go to a barber. They also often have fine, beautiful skulls and women find it a real turn on. Very few white guys with shaved heads look that appealing, believe me.

    Also, if any of you wildly jealous guys ever bothered to check into any of the hundreds of websites dedicated to the man, you might get a clue about his appeal, as well as find out that he is indeed multi-racial.

    But then why bother to find out what else makes this man truly attractive to women besides his looks and voice? All you haters here might have to face up to your own personal short-comings. Remember. It is the icon that Vin represents.....not necessarily the man himself, that is attracting one of the biggest female fan bases in existence.

    It is women who are spending the money to go to his movies and our numbers are growing with every film he makes. We are the reason he can demand the money and I hope he gets gobs of it because he will be putting his money into writing, producing, directing and acting in his own movies again in the future..... his original goal from the beginning. Action flicks are a means to an end.

    Grow up boys and have some pride in yourselves instead of slagging some actor because you are worried about how you match up!

    You all sound a lot worse than any jealous women I've ever heard!

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Aunti

    "Yes, I am an agent of Satan, but my duties are largely ceremonial."

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 08, 2002 8:36:37 PM CDT

    as-sign-ine

    by kaelrules

    Signs was horrible. Why an allegedly intelligent life form would travel light years to take over a planet 70% of which is poisonous is beyond me. And Mel Gibson's face looks like a leather wallet left out in the rain. As Auden said about his own. To recap: Signs sucked, Mel Gibson's aging poorly, and so did a long dead poet.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Aug 08, 2002 10:59:49 PM CDT

    Prase be to Nverman

    by mccormic

  • Aug 09, 2002 11:42:23 PM CDT

    "XXX" sequel has been officially renamed to "YYY"

    by silent_light

    as in: WHY?WHY?WHY?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 07, 2002 7:24:14 PM CDT

    Relax a little

    by notoncrewmexican

    Ok I didn't have the patients to read all the posts on this thread, but there are a few things I thought I'd throw in anyway.
    First off, If you want to get mathematical about the title to xXx you first have to take into to consideration that the title is infact xXx and not xxx. x and X are distinct symbols. so if the title remains xXx^2 then, and I'll take this one step at a time, it would simplify like this:
    xXx^2
    (x)(X)(x)^2
    (X)(x)(X^2)
    X(x^3)
    Xx^3
    but that just doesnt have the same ring to it, so I wouldn't worry too much about the math.

    Second, why does everybody on here have to rag on Vin Diesel? What do you care if he makes $20 mil a film? If you don't like his movies don't go see them. Nobody is forcing them on you. Movies I don't want to see come out all the time. I don't go on the internet and rag on them I just don't watch them.

    Third, the appeal that he has on both men and women is obvious. Starting with women, he has pretty good looks, a good body, and a deep raspy voice, and that would be enough, but they still see the thing that guys see, and that is that Vin Diesel is the man. His movies are all cool and his characters are everything that young guys aspire to be. Even in Pitch Black where he played a serial killer, he was still a badass.
    Is he the greatest actor in the world? No, but he doesn't need to be. He is an action star. Name one action star that can act. And beyond that I would love to see him in Hannibal. I don't really care if he is the right race or complexion to play the part or not. I just think he would be awesome ridding an elaphant, and then getting down and beating the shit out of a bunch of armor clad romans with a mace or a sword or something.

    And in address to the last post. Vin Diesel had a good following among guys before he became a sex symbol, so the only people who are jealous of him are the dumbasses who can't understand the concept of going to see a movie just because it is entertaining.

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