Ever since Will Ferrell confirmed Ron Burgundy will return to the news desk in a long-awaited sequel to 2004's hit, we've been waiting for more news about "Anchorman 2." 

Sure, we know the entire cast (including Christina Applegate) is returning and that Kristen Wiig is reportedly joining as another love interest for Ferrell; however, we had no clue about a release date until now. 

Yesterday, Paramount finally announced "Anchorman: The Legend Continues" will hit theaters December 20, 2013.  

There's no new preview out … yet. 

So, for now, settle for this first clip.  

Stay classy, planet Earth.

SEE ALSO: The most successful films of 2012 >

Please follow The Wire on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

North Korea's first-ever video game (according to Shanghaiist) let's you drive through a virtual Pyongyang. The game is produced by Nosotek, a western IT company based in North Korea, and you can play it for free on the website of Koryo Tours.

We gave it a try and will share our impressions.

The first thing that's clear from the game is that Pyongyang is a welcoming place. There are lots of exclamation points and friendly statements welcoming the player and potential tourist. The soundtrack is a tinny, exuberant, and bizarre symphony, typical to mid-90s video games, except in this case it may be what North Koreans actually listen to.

The controls are simple enough, as is the directive to plow into petrol barrels so that your car doesn't run out of gas. There's also a warning that if you crash into ten other cars you will lose (more on this later).

I get off to a bad start. After trying to drive off the road to explore uncharted areas of Pyongyang, and getting teleported back to the road, my steering wheel gets stuck to the side and my car keeps veering to the side and teleporting back again.

The game scolds me: "Pity they can't teach you to improve your driving."

As I cross the first intersection, I meet an attractive traffic lady. She too scolds me: "Drive straight on. Don't stare at me, I'm on duty."

In the background there is a large propaganda poster. I can't help but notice Pyongyang is a ghost city.

Chafing against the reins of this totalitarian society, I crash my car into the first vehicle I see. The traffic cop reappears and she isn't pleased. "If you hit three vehicles, you will be stopped for bad driving," she warns me.

Three?? I seem to remember the instructions at the start of the game saying ten.

Driving around I encounter certain tourist attractions, like the famous Pyongyang Gymnasium.

I see a billboard that suggests that they have car dealerships that sell Volkswagens in North Korea. Can this be true?

Game over.

Play for yourself >

Don't miss: These Pictures Give A Rare Glimpse Into North Korea's Changing World >

Please follow Business Insider on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

A Christmas Story's legendary bully is headed to court, saying a company that licensed the rights to make toys based on the film has been cheating him for years.

Zack Ward, the actor who played Scut Farkus at age 12, says producers ended up making the role of Farkus bigger than it was originally intended to be but failed to upgrade his contract to include more rights to any publicity materials associated with the movie, The Hollywood Reporter reported Wednesday.

Ward, now 42, says he's shocked over the fact his likeness has been used in everything from an action figure to a calendar and is suing National Entertainment Collectables Association, alleging the company tricked him into signing away rights for the action figure.

A judge denied in October Ward's attempt to get money on claims he suffered from emotional distress stemming from the violation, meaning the case could be headed to trial in the new year, according to THR.

He also sued Warner Bros. but dropped that case in January, THR reported at the time.

And while NECA is saying both sides have reached a tentative settlement, Ward's legal camp is insisting there are "major issues" that still need to be worked out.

“People have to be accountable,” Ward told THR. “You can’t just bully people all the time and get away with it.”

DON'T MISS: Shakira's Ex Claims She Cheated Him Out Of $100 Million >

Please follow Law & Order on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

• Former Miss Rhode Island and current Miss USA Olivia Culpo was crowned Miss Universe Wednesday night in Las Vegas, becoming the first American to do so since 1997. The 20-year-old Boston University sophomore tweeted after the competition: "What an honor! This night was a dream come true. Thank you everyone for your support tonight!! USA finally did it!"

SEE ALSO: 'Anchorman 2' finally gets a release date >

Please follow The Wire on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

The second trailer for Baz Luhrmann's "The Great Gatsby" has been released and it's better than the first.  

Sure, it still opens to Kanye West and Jay-Z's "No Church in the Wild" – which may seem a little silly; however, for a Luhrmann film, it works. 

The trailer reminds us partially of Luhrmann's "Moulin Rouge" – the outrageous partying, a warped over-the-top love song in the form of "Happy Together," and the outright over-extravagence –  and we have no qualms with that. 

The film, which was originally set for a Christmas release, was pushed back to a May 2013 release after Warner Bros. said it felt the film would perform better in the summer. The other, more logical reason to move the film back is so it wouldn't directly compete with both "Les Misérables" and DiCaprio's other movie, "Django Unchained," the same day. 

We've been hoping Luhrmann could breath life into Fitzgerald's tragic tale of the mysterious Mr. Gatsby after the 1974 adaptation of the film featuring Robert Redford. 

We just don't want to wait until May 10 of next year for the film. 

The film also stars Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, and Joel Edgerton. 

Watch the trailer below:

If you're itching for more on Gatsby, Warner Bros. has slowly been unveiling new character posters for the film.  

Yesterday, the film's Facebook page released posters for both Daisy (Mulligan) and Gatsby (DiCaprio).  

We haven't seen DiCaprio look this young since prior to "The Departed."

SEE ALSO: The release date for "Anchorman 2" >

Please follow The Wire on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

Just in time for the holidays we're giving you have a chance to win an iPad mini.  Become a newsletter subscriber now and you'll have a chance to win Apple's latest tablet.  If you're the lucky winner you will have all of these great features at your finger tips and can stock up on our favorite iPad mini apps.  Click below to enter and to start receiving one or more of our newsletters to keep up to date with the news you need to know.

Entry deadline is December 21.

As a newsletter subscriber, you'll get daily updates and alerts on topics that matter most to you. You must subscribe to at least one newsletter to be eligible, so if you have not already, be sure to choose one or more newsletters before submitting your entry.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER >

On or before December 21, 2012, we'll announce the lucky winner.

You must be a legal resident of the U.S. and a newsletter subscriber to win.

Please follow Business Insider on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

Home Alone's Kevin McCallister was every little kid's hero growing up. He gets abandoned by his family and then has to defend his home against two dimwitted but tenacious thieves.

Kevin does everything from shoot the thieves with a BB gun to cut them down with swinging gallons of paint.

But would anyone be able to survive those injuries and go right back for more, a la Marv and Harry?

The Week sat down with Dr. Ryan St. Clair of the Weill Cornell Medical College to discuss the injuries and the effect they'd have. While the entire analysis is worth a read, Clair's comment about Kevin resorting to heating a doorknob until it glows bright red really brings the movie into perspective.

"If this doorknob is glowing visibly red in the dark, it has been heated to about 751 degrees Fahrenheit, and Harry gives it a nice, strong, one- to two-second grip," Clair said. "Kevin has moved from 'defending his house' into sheer malice, in my opinion."

Check out Clair's full analysis over at The Week.

DON'T MISS: The Bully From 'A Christmas Story' Says He's Been Tricked Out Of A Lot Of Cash >

Please follow Law & Order on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

Just in time for the holidays we're giving you have a chance to win an iPad mini.  Become a newsletter subscriber now and you'll have a chance to win Apple's latest tablet.  If you're the lucky winner you will have all of these great features at your finger tips and can stock up on our favorite iPad mini apps.  Click below to enter and to start receiving one or more of our newsletters to keep up to date with the news you need to know.

Entry deadline is December 21.

As a newsletter subscriber, you'll get daily updates and alerts on topics that matter most to you. You must subscribe to at least one newsletter to be eligible, so if you have not already, be sure to choose one or more newsletters before submitting your entry.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER >

On or before December 21, 2012, we'll announce the lucky winner.

You must be a legal resident of the U.S. and a newsletter subscriber to win.

Please follow Business Insider on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

With 5,731,011 followers and counting, Kim Kardashian is the most-followed user on Instagram.

But with everyone, especially celebrities, up in arms over the photo-sharing app's updated terms of service, Kardashian is threatening to leave Instagram and take her millions of followers with her to a rival app.

And it's a lot of followers, considering Justin Bieber has 4.3 million followers — more than a million fewer than Kim — and President Obama has just 1.8 million followers.

"Kim is telling friends she's considering leaving unless its new policies are drastically revised, ASAP," reports TMZ. "She's thinking about shutting down her Instagram account, going to a rival photo-posting company ... and taking all of her followers with her." 

After news of the new service terms broke on Tuesday, Kardashian tweeted her initial concerns:

As did Kim's sister Khloé:

If Kim leaves Instagram, it's likely her family members will too, which could be a big blow to the app as Khloe, Kylie, Kendall and Rob Kardashian are all in the Top ten most followed on the site.

Take one last, long look while you still can:

SEE ALSO: Celebrities tweet their outrage over Instagram's new terms >

Please follow The Wire on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

"Zero Dark Thirty" has been slammed by several senators for its depiction of torture, but the issue only appears to have helped it at the box office.

Director Kathryn Bigelow's dramatization of the hunt for Osama Bin Laden racked up an estimated $124,848 in five theaters in New York City and Los Angeles on Wednesday. That's an average of  $24,969 for each theater, making it one of the biggest limited mid-week openings in history.

Other Oscar-bait films in limited release scored far less in their debuts. "American Beauty" grossed $73,000 in 6 theaters and  "Little Miss Sunshine" grossed $66,000 in 7 showings on their opening days.

The film arrives in theaters boasting four Golden Globe nods, including a nomination for Best Motion Picture - Drama, and a boatload of strong reviews.

In Slate, Dana Stevens praised the film for its unflinching depiction of the global manhunt.

"Zero Dark Thirty, as single-minded and emotionally remote as its heroine, plays its cards so close to its vest that it’s impossible to tell," Stevens wrote. "But this is a vital, disturbing, and necessary film precisely because it wades straight into the swamp of our national trauma about the war on terror and our prosecution of it, and no one -- either on the screen or seated in front of it -- comes out clean."

Not everyone has loved "Zero Dark Thirty"s' moral ambiguity, however. Senators John McCain, Dianne Feinstein, and Carl Levin have criticized the film for seeming to argue that torture helped the CIA locate bin Laden.

In a letter to Sony Pictures chairman and CEO Michael Lynton, the senators said that the studio should state that the film is a work of fiction and its depiction of torture's role in the operation to find bin Laden is fictitious. 

In a statement provided to TheWrap, Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal said critics were taking the torture scene out context.

"This was a 10-year intelligence operation brought to the screen in a two-and-a-half-hour film. We depicted a variety of controversial practices and intelligence methods that were used in the name of finding bin Laden," the statement reads. "The film shows that no single method was necessarily responsible for solving the manhunt, nor can any single scene taken in isolation fairly capture the totality of efforts the film dramatizes."

"Zero Dark Thirty" stars Jessica Chastain, Joel Edgerton and Chris Pine. It opens in wide release on Jan. 11.

SEE ALSO: The Latest Trailer For 'The Great Gatsby' Will Make You Wish It Wasn't Pushed Back Until Next Year

Please follow The Wire on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

An appeals court has ruled  Barbara Walters did not defame her daughter's childhood friend in her 2008 autobiography "Audition: A Memoir," The National Law Journal reported.

Nancy Shay, who claimed to know Walters' daughter in the 1980s, objected to passages describing how Walters' 15-year-old daughter, Jackie, befriended a student named "Nancy," according to the Hollywood Reporter.

One of the passages included: 

"Jackie started to refuse to come home on weekends. She had a new friend named "Nancy," whom the school kicked out midterm for bad behavior. She and Jackie had been found in a nearby town, high on God-knows-what. My daughter, though, was not told to leave. The school obviously did not want to lose Barbara Walters' daughter."

Shay claimed that she got severely depressed following her expulsion and that the memoir brought it all back. She also claims that Walter's book was inaccurate, and she says she's asking the Supreme Court to hear her case.

SEE ALSO: The Best Legal Quotes Of The Year Comes From Dominique Strauss-Kahn's Never-Ending Courtroom Saga >

Please follow Law & Order on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

Kim Kardashian may have built a business on her sex appeal, but her brother Rob has started a new company based on his ... socks appeal.

The sole male Kardashian offspring has started a high-end, brightly-colored sock line named Arthur George, available exclusively at Neiman Marcus.

While the average male dress socks from say, Target, cost $2.99, Kardashian's socks wll put buyers back  $30 for a single pair.

In his defense, 25-year-old Kardashian's socks are pretty snazzy. Take a look:

But before the wild-patterned feet warmers can hit the shelves at high-end department store Neiman Marcus, a lot of work first goes on behind-the-scenes. 

Kardashian, who is very hands on with his sock line, spoke to Racked, and revealed how the line comes to life.

"I know this third-generation Armenian guy, his name's Jonathan, and it's his family business. I'm Armenien and there's a trust [level] in the Armenian community. He's my manufacturer and he's been in the business for so long. I learn from him. I have full control, though. I make sure to go to the factory, meet everybody, and to our warehouses here. I want to know what's going on. It's hard but it's good because it's what I want to do and it's my thing."

Kardashian says he finds creative inspiration in everyday things, like, "The wallpaper at the Beverly Hills Hotel." 

As for this being his foray into fashion — unlike his sisters who own and run women's clothing store DASH — he says, "I've already made so many changes in packaging and length that I'm eager for those to come out. It is my first project so I'm learning and it's trial-and-error, but it's doing well." 

Kardashian tells Racked his five-year-plan for the line:

"I don't want to compare myself to anyone else, but there's Paul Smith who I think does a great job. I feel like once I sort everything to the best quality, I'll be able to compete with them. I mean, there really aren't too many sock companies. Eventually there will be pajamas and probably handkerchiefs. You have to start small."

And as for his ideal customer? "In a dream world, probably Karl Lagerfeld. That would be pretty cool. He probably doesn't wear socks, though. He's very Euro."

But regarding that famous last name of his, Kardashian says he wanted to try this endeavor on his own — hence why he shed "Kardashian" in favor of the name "Arthur George."

"Arthur George honestly [came] really quickly to me. I don't like to use my last name. I don't like it attached to things because people think you can just stamp your name on something and it's not organic or that you're just doing it for money. I would do this even if I wasn't on TV or in the limelight. I mean, I can't get away from my name—it is what it is. But at the end of the day, I don't want people to associate [Arthur George] with my sisters' brand."

But it sure doesn't hurt to have famous relatives push the merchandise to their millions of followers ...

SEE ALSO: Kim Kardashian, Instagram's #1 user, is likely leaving for rival photo app >

Please follow The Wire on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

Pop star Rihanna has just bought a Pacific Palisades estate that was on the market for $12 million, Trulia reports.

The 11,000-square-foot, seven-bedroom mansion was built in 2010 and has an awesome elevated pool area.

We hope the singer has better luck with this home than her last one; she listed her Beverly Hills mansion last year at a $2.4 million discount after filing a lawsuit saying the home was unlivable after it flooded during a rainstorm.

Here's what the house looks like from above. There's a sundeck on the top floor and a 6,000-square-foot yard.

The biggest perk is the pool area, which has a spa, BBQ and bar.

The house has seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms.

Please follow The Life on Twitter and Facebook.

If you forgot to flip the page on your Mayan calendar this month, we have some bad news.

The world is coming to an end on Dec. 21 thanks to the preordained Mayan Apocalypse. At least, that's what dubious sources have spent the past few years alleging.

But if the apocalypse means widespread fear and panic to the average person, it means something else to Hollywood: Great entertainment.

So just in case tomorrow isn't the last day Earth exists, here are six recent movies that will let you the enjoy the end of the world vicariously.

1. Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World (2012)

It's probably too late for you to find your own new friend for the end of the world, but you can revel in this underrated, underseen romantic dramedy, which stars Steve Carrell and Keira Knightley as neighbors spending their last weeks together before an asteroid destroys Earth.

2. Melancholia (2011)

If the thought of Earth's complete obliteration bums you out, you'll feel right at home with Melancholia.

Kirsten Dunst plays a deeply depressed young woman whose life is altered by the announcement that a mysterious planet, dubbed "Melancholia," has emerged from behind the sun — and may be on a collision course with Earth.

3. The Road (2009)

Doomsday enthusiasts can't agree on the form the so-called "Mayan Apocalypse" will take, which makes The Road— a post-apocalyptic film in which the cause of the cataclysm is never explained — ideal viewing.

Viggo Mortensen stars as a man trying to protect his son from cannibals, scavengers, and thieves.

Please follow The Wire on Twitter and Facebook.

Most critics Hollywood's version of the hunt for Osama bin Laden have honed in on its implication that 'enhanced interrogation techniques' (i.e. torture) indirectly led to the discovery of bin Laden's Abbottabad safe house, even though most experts say torture is counterproductive.

John McCain said the movie made him sick and co-wrote a letter with two other senators that stated the film was "grossly inaccurate and misleading."

Those points are fair, but my main gripe is that it's just not a very good story.

The main emotional tensions are the need to "protect the homeland" — accentuated by broadcasts of various terrorist plots over the years — and the brief grief when seven CIA agents are killed during a botched bribe.

The rest of the plot reads like a John Yoo memo.

One of the first lines of the movie is "He has to learn how helpless he is." That strategy is known as inducing "learned helplessness," which famed DoD interrogator Air Force Col. Steve Kleinman said comes from "a system drawn specifically from the communist interrogation model that was used to generate propaganda rather than intelligence."

So during the first hour, which involves a steady stream of suspects being waterboarded, crammed in boxes, etc., one presumes that the torture provides context but information gained will be largely useless. However, the characters subsequently take the torture intel and buy a Kuwaiti prince a Ferrari to get more intel, which helps them track down Osama's courier and eventually kill bin Laden.

Game. Set. Match.

What's making critics angry is that the movie never says torture didn't help catch bin Laden, and seems to imply the opposite by laying out how the CIA tortured a bunch of people, then caught bin Laden.

What bothers me as a viewer is that there is no tension in how the issue is portrayed — talk of torture disappears after President Obama is shown in 2008 saying "We do not torture" — despite the potential to riff on a controversial issue.

Nevertheless, there are some cool parts. I enjoyed the emotional payoff — star agent Maya sitting alone on her post-raid flight and crying after being asked where in the world she wants to go.

In that moment she seems to realize how flat of a character she is.

SEE ALSO: 10 Fascinating Details In 'Zero-Dark-Thirty'

Please follow Military & Defense on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

Jake Tapper, senior White House Correspondent for ABC News, is leaving the network to join CNN.

It is CNN President Jeff Zucker's first marquee hire since taking over the struggling cable news network. 

ABC News President Ben Sherwood sent out an email announcing the change.

To fill the gap left by Tapper, the network has named Jonathan Karl as its new Chief White House Corespondent. Martha Raddatz will take on an expanded role as Chief Global Affairs Corespondent. 

From the email:

Jake is leaving ABC News for an opportunity at CNN.  You’ll hear more about his new anchor role from his new network.  For years, Jake has set the pace for the White House press corps.  A ferocious reporter – and now a best-selling author – he has built a reputation as one of the most prolific and multi-talented journalists on the beat, scoring scoop after scoop. 

CNN has reportedly been making overtures to Tapper since as far back as May of this year. Tapper was rumored to be waiting to take over for George Stephanopoulos as the host of This Week, ABC's Sunday political talk show. 

Please follow Politics on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

Remember when Sandra Bullock was feted as the Best Actress (an Oscar for "The Blind Side") and the Worst Actress (a Razzie for "All About Steve") of the year? 

Consistency is a tricky business for screen actors, and more often than not, movie stars find themselves careening from notable work to terrible. 2012 offered no shortage of such yin-and-yangs, with five actors in particular meriting notice for giving some of the year’s best and worst performances.

Anne Hathaway's Best: "The Dark Knight Rises"

The Catwoman's transition from sultry siren to woman-on-top badass can lead to success (Michelle Pfeiffer) or ignominy (Halle Berry). Hathaway scored with a sexy, dangerous Selina Kyle, whether channeling Audrey Hepburn in a series of slinky gamine-about-town outfits or credibly battling Christian Bale’s Caped Crusader.

Anne Hathaway's Worst: "Les Miserables"

Will Hathaway win an Academy Award as the long-suffering Fantine? Quite possibly. Does she embarrass herself with a hammy, grimacing, oxygen-sucking, back-balcony-playing, self-serving, eyelid-fluttering, oh-so-noble death scene as she belts out “I Dreamed a Dream”? You betcha.

Robert De Niro's Best: "Silver Linings Playbook"

After decades of this venerable legend phoning it in, it's a treat to get such a rich and hilarious performance as the shaky patriarch of a deeply dysfunctional Philadelphia family. De Niro never smooths out the rough edges or takes cheap shortcuts to audience likability.

Please follow The Wire on Twitter and Facebook.

Given the oppressive fans, the creepy stalkers, and — all too often — the deranged death threats that the famous endure, abject anonymity has its charms.

John Lennon may be the biggest celebrity to die at the hands of an obsessed fan, but dozens of stars have been the targets of elaborate extortion, kidnapping, and even murder plots — most of which are, thankfully, thwarted by police before they can be carried out.

Here's a rundown of stars who have allegedly been the target of psychotic conspiracies.

1. Justin Bieber

New Mexico police revealed on Dec. 13 the grisly details behind an alleged plot to kidnap and murder Canadian teen star Justin Bieber.

The plan was reportedly conceived behind bars by 45-year-old fan Dana Martin, who has a tattoo of Bieber on his leg and had grown embittered that his letters to the star went unanswered.

Martin, who was convicted of the rape and murder of a 15-year-old girl in Vermont in 2000, allegedly coerced Mark Staake, 41, who was released on parole in October, to be his hit man.

Staake, with the help of his nephew, allegedly intended to capture Bieber and his bodyguard between Bieber's Nov. 28 and 29 Madison Square Garden concerts in New York City.

They were then going to strangle the victims with a paisley tie — Martin's signature murder weapon — and then castrate the men with garden clippers.

The elaborate plot, however, was foiled when the would-be assassins got lost in Vermont and were stopped by a U.S. border agent who arrested Staake due to his outstanding warrants in New Mexico.

2. Joss Stone

In 2011, neighbors of British singer Joss Stone spotted a dubious-looking car driving around her English country estate's narrow lanes and reported it.

Police found the car, which reportedly contained a selection of maps and aerial shots of the area as well as swords, rope, and a body bag.

The two men connected with the car were apprehended and charged with conspiracy to rob and commit grievous bodily harm in a suspected plot against the 24-year-old singer.

3. Shawn Johnson

Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson had a frighteningly close encounter with an obsessed fan in 2010.

While the retired gymnast was practicing for her Dancing with the Stars stint on the ABC studio lot, 36-year-old Robert O'Ryan allegedly jumped a fence and broke into the building in an alleged attempt to kidnap Johnson.

He was apprehended before making it to the star, but his car was found nearby loaded with a handgun, shotgun, and bulletproof vest.

O'Ryan claimed that Johnson communicated with him telepathically during the 2008 Beijing Olympics and that he was just fulfilling her wish to be with him and bear his child.

In June 2010, O'Ryan pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to felony stalking and burglary charges.

Please follow The Wire on Twitter and Facebook.

According to modern interpretations of the ancient Mayan calendar, the world was supposed to end this morning at 6:11 EST.

Well, pinch me if I'm dreaming, but it looks like we're still here.

Which means those crazy theories were wrong.

Earth was NOT sucked into a giant black hole. The sun did NOT enter an apocalyptic "galactic phase." Solar flares did NOT reverse the poles and fry us. Earth did not smash into a giant planet called Nibiru.

The Mayan Apocalypse will go down as just another false doomsday theory, along with those of Harold Camping, Pat Robertson, and many more.

Of course, some doomsday theories have yet to be disproved, so don't sell your canned food and post-apocalyptic vehicle yet.

See what the Mayan Apocalypse could have looked like below:

DON'T MISS: 14 Predictions By Nostradamus, The Greatest Analyst Ever >

Please follow Science on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

To Infinity ... and beyond?

We think that's what's on Disney's mind.

We've been wondering for a while whether or not Disney Infinity – the company's rumored upcoming expected video game changer – was real. 

Our question was answered yesterday when we were sent an invitation to an event for Infinity.

(If you want to get a full look at the moving invitation, Joystiq has a cool gif of the invitation in action.)

From the press invite: 

"Please join us for an exclusive event to unveil a new gaming initiative from Disney Interactive."

Pixar head John Lasseter (the brain behind the lucrative "Toy Story" franchise) will lead the discussion January 15 in California along with co-President of Disney Interactive, John Pleasants.

Given the project is coined "Infinity" – half of "Toy Story" moon man Buzz Lightyear's ubiquitous "To Infinity and Beyond" catchphrase – it only seems fitting Lasseter would be part of the big announcement.

The news comes a few months after the start of changes to Disney's troubled interactive segment – it laid off some 50 employees in September and soon after redesigned its entire website.

Earlier this year, Bloomberg reported the segment has lost Disney $1.39 billion in the past five years, so changes to the division are long overdue.

Hints of Infinity had been dropped from Disney heads for the past few months.

In September, CFO Jay Rasulo made mention of a future game-changing interactive unit during a question and answer session at Goldman Sachs' Communacopia Conference.

"We start the year right out with a big title "Epic Mickey 2," and another big title that hasn't been announced yet, but coming mid-year, and continuing to grow in the social space."

CEO Bob Iger again hinted at an innovative new platform with the code-name "Toy Box" coming to the company in October to The New York Times promising the failing interactive segment will become profitable next year.

So, what will Infinity be? 

There's a lot of speculation essentially calling Disney's future game initiative will be a "Skylanders" killer. 

If you're not familiar with Activision's current child goldmine, the game which is based on Sony's popular dragon character "Spyro," has brought in $500 million in sales to date. 

Since its release in 2011, Activision has said more than 30 million toys have been sold, overtaking the top "Star Wars" action figure line. 

The rumor going around is that the game will allow Disney and Pixar characters to interact and be playable on game platforms including xBox 360, and PS3.  

Similar to "Skylanders," consumers would possibly be able to purchase physical figurines of popular Disney and Pixar characters that could be scanned or entered into a gaming console for play. 

Forbes reports that such characters may include Sulley from "Monsters Inc." (There's a prequel for the film out next year), Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean), and Mr. Incredible ("The Incredibles").   

Basically, if this is what the game would entail, it has the potential to be Disney's successful "Kingdom Hearts" (KH) franchise on steroids.

KH, of course, already allowed fans to traverse the multiple worlds of its most famed Disney classics from "The Lion King" to "Beauty and the Beast," playing as the protagonists alongside Final Fantasy characters.

However, the addition of purchasable figurines would add another depth (and profit) unattainable by the KH franchise. 

With Disney's $763 million acquisition of Playdom back in 2010, the mouse house also has the ability to make this into a viable online venture in addition to a platform-based game, much like their very successful Club Penguin aimed toward younger kids. 

Since Pleasants will also be in on the announcement, we expect Disney Infinity to be a social game across networks. 

However, the addition of purchasable figurines would add another depth (and profit) unattainable by the KH franchise.  

With Disney now in control of the "Star Wars" property, we wonder if there may be an added connection to the valuable Lucasfilm franchise.

SEE ALSO: The highest-grossing films of 2012 >

Please follow The Wire on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »