Nichols edged out other contenders like Cloverfield’s Jessica Lucas and the L Word’s Sarah Shahi.

According to the leaked casting breakdown from last year…

Tamara is 18 to 24 years old, Caucasian or Middle Eastern, open to all ethnicities; beautiful, studious, correct, a novitiate of a Greek influenced monastery. A master of martial arts, she has been trained to be the Queen’s servant, bodyguard and best friend. She and many other female bodyguards to the queen have been in hiding most of their lives because of the curse of Acheron, which would take the queen’s life to bring almost immortal power to its king. When Khalar Singh, a powerful warlord with ambitions to become the king of Acheron, storms the monastery and captures all of the novitiates, she is separated from Ilira, the one she must protect. With all of her strength and will, Tamara is determined to find and rescue her. She finds herself in league with Conan because of a mutual need to find Khalar Singh. She is not in the least intimidated by Conan’s size or grim demeanor and their alliance eventually blossoms into something that surprises them both… LEAD

Source: Latino Review

Screencaps from G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra will be added later this coming week.

“I cannot wait for fans of Star Trek to check out the home entertainment release of the film. The behind-the-scenes features on the DVD — and especially the Blu-ray — give a wonderful look at the crazy hard work and incredible fun that went into making this movie,” said J.J. Abrams. “The cast and crew were truly extraordinary to work with — watching these special features, you’ll see why. And for people who didn’t catch Star Trek in the theater, I hope they do now, as Paramount has done an exceptional job with this release; the picture and sound quality are both excellent.”

Available in single-disc and two-disc DVD editions and a three-disc Blu-ray edition, extras on the two-disc DVD and three-disc
Blu-ray include in-depth explorations of the reimagining of the franchise, the cast, the action sequences, the score and the aliens, commentary by J.J. Abrams, the writers and producers, a gag reel and a digital copy of the film. Additionally, the discs feature deleted scenes that reveal a side story involving Nero with a first-ever look at Abrams’ version of the infamous warrior Klingons.

The Star Trek Blu-ray also offers over three hours of bonus footage including branching pods that allow for enhanced exploration, more features on the starships, planets, props, costumes and sound of Star Trek, as well as a Starfleet Vessel Simulator and access to the latest NASA news about real-life space exploration via BD-Live.

The two-disc DVD and three-disc Blu-ray will also offer a home entertainment first: groundbreaking augmented reality technology. Using a webcam, a Star Trek visual cue will morph into a 3D holographic tour of the U.S.S. Enterprise on the screen, providing a unique immersive and interactive experience.

Single-Disc DVD

* Anamorphic Widescreen
* English, French and Spanish DD5.1 Surround
* English, French and Spanish subtitles
* Commentary—By director J.J. Abrams, writers Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman, producer Damon Lindelof and executive producer Bryan Burk.
* A New Vision— J.J. Abrams’ vision was not only to create a Star Trek that was a bigger, more action-packed spectacle, but also to make the spectacle feel real. Every aspect of production—from unique locations to the use of classic Hollywood camera tricks—was guided by this overall objective.
* Gag Reel—Bloopers featuring the entire principal cast.

Two-Disc Special Edition DVD – As above plus a second disc with the following content:

* Digital Copy
* Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary
o Spock Birth
o Klingons Take Over Narada
o Young Kirk, Johnny and Uncle Frank
o Amanda and Sarek Argue After Spock Fights
o Prison Interrogation and Breakout
o Sarek Gets Amanda
o Dorm Room and Kobayashi Maru (original version)
o Kirk Apologizes to the Green Girl
o Sarek Sees Spock
* To Boldly Go— Taking on the world’s most beloved science fiction franchise was no small mission. Director J.J. Abrams, writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, producer Damon Lindelof, and executive producer Bryan Burk talk about the many challenges they faced and their strategy for success.
* Casting— The producers knew their greatest task was finding the right cast to reprise these epic roles. The cast, for their part, talk about the experience of trying to capture the essence of these mythic characters. The piece concludes with a moving tribute to Leonard Nimoy.
* Aliens— Designers Neville Page and Joel Harlow talk about the hurdles they faced creating new alien species, recreating the Romulans and Vulcans, and designing the terrifying creatures on Delta Vega for the new Star Trek.
* Score— As a fan of the original series, composer Michael Giacchino embraced the challenge of creating new music for Star Trek while preserving the spirit of Alexander Courage’s celebrated theme.
* DVD-Rom:
o STAR TREK D-A-C Free Trial Game for XBOX 360
o Weblink to the STAR TREK D-A-C Free Trial Game for PC
o Weblink to the STAR TREK D-A-C Free Trial Game for PlayStation Network

Blu-ray Disc

Disc 1: Main Feature

* 1080P Widescreen
* English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD
* French and Spanish DD5.1 Surround
* English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles
* Commentary—By director J.J. Abrams, writers Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman, producer Damon Lindelof and executive producer Bryan Burk.
* NASA News— This BD-Live feature gives viewers access to the latest NASA news about real space exploration. Learn about new mission developments and check out featured imagery from around the universe.

Disc 2: Extra Features

* To Boldly Go—See description above.
o Branching Pods:
+ The Shatner Conundrum
+ Red Shirt Guy
+ The Green Girl
+ Trekker Alert!
* Casting—See description above.
* A New Vision—See description above.
o Branching Pods:
+ Savage Pressure
* Starships—Abrams and production designer Scott Chambliss were careful to pay tribute to the design of the original Enterprise, but they also wanted to make it futuristic and cool for a modern audience. This chapter focuses on the unique stories behind the creation of the film’s starships.
o Branching Pods:
+ Warp Explained
+ Paint Job
+ Bridge Construction Accelerated
+ The Captain’s Chair
+ Button Acting 101
+ Shuttle Shuffle
+ Narada Construction Accelerated
* Aliens—See description above.
o Branching Pods:
+ The Alien Paradox
+ Big-Eyed Girl
+ Big Bro Quinto
+ Klingons
+ Drakoulias Anatomy 101
* Planets— From the frozen landscape of Delta Vega to the desert plains of Vulcan, Scott Chambliss and the art department had a number of radically different planets to create. Abrams’ desire to shoot on real locations whenever possible led the production team to a number of strange and surprising locations.
o Branching Pods:
+ Extra Business
+ Confidentiality
* Props and Costumes— Property master Russell Bobbitt had the unique challenge of designing props that were both true to the original series and pertinent to today’s technology. Likewise, costume designer Michael Kaplan talks about how he designed costumes that paid homage to what came before yet were relevant and timeless.
o Branching Pods:
+ Klingon Wardrobe
* Ben Burtt and the Sounds of Star Trek— When famed sound designer Ben Burtt was hired to create sounds for the first Star Wars film, he took his inspiration from the original “Star Trek” series. Burtt jumped at the opportunity to pay tribute to the sounds that sparked his career with the sounds he created for the new Star Trek.
* Score—See description above.
* Gene Roddenberry’s Vision— J.J. Abrams, Leonard Nimoy, previous Star Trek writers and producers, and scientific consultant Carolyn Porco describe and commend the optimistic and enduring vision of Gene Roddenberry.
* Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary—See details above.
* Starfleet Vessel Simulator—Explore extensive data on the U.S.S. Enterprise and the Romulan ship, the Narada. Submerse yourself in breathtaking 360° views and close-ups and review detailed tech information.
* Gag Reel—See description above.

Disc 3: Extra Features

* Digital Copy
* STAR TREK D-A-C Free Trial Game for XBOX 360
* Weblink to the STAR TREK& D-A-C Free Trial Game for PC
* Weblink to the STAR TREK D-A-C Free Trial Game for PlayStation Network

The ultimate elite fighting force hit the big screen to defend the world and ended up conquering it in the worldwide smash hit G.I. JOE: The Rise of Cobra, which earned over $280 million at the global box office. The action-packed, visually arresting adventure based on Hasbro’s immensely popular action figures including DUKE, SNAKE EYES, STORM SHADOW and the BARONESS makes its eagerly-awaited Blu-ray and DVD debut in two-disc sets and a single-disc DVD on November 3, 2009 from Paramount Home Entertainment. Directed by Stephen Sommers (The Mummy), G.I. JOE: The Rise of Cobra stars a hot young cast including Channing Tatum (Public Enemies), Marlon Wayans (Dance Flick), Sienna Miller (Factory Girl), Joseph Gordon-Levitt ((500) Days of Summer), Rachel Nichols (“Alias”) and Ray Park (X-Men), as well as veteran actors Dennis Quaid (Vantage Point) and Christopher Eccleston (Gone in Sixty Seconds).

The G.I. JOE team travels the world from the Egyptian desert to the polar ice caps and the streets of Paris in a high stakes pursuit of COBRA, an evil international organization threatening to use a technology that could bring the world to its knees. Armed with the coolest hi-tech gadgets and weapons, including jaw-dropping accelerator and camouflage suits, G.I. JOE is the last line of defense against those intent on world domination.

The G.I. JOE: The Rise of Cobra two-disc Blu-ray and DVD include a digital copy of the film, commentary by director Stephen Sommers and producer Bob Ducsay, “The Big Bang Theory: The Making of G.I. JOE”, which takes viewers behind-the-scenes for a look at how the filmmakers turned the perennially popular action figures into a summer blockbuster and “Next-Gen Action: The Amazing Visual FX and Design of G.I. JOE”, which showcases the incredible work that went into creating over 1,650 visual effect shots and the challenges the filmmakers faced in bringing the world of G.I. JOE and COBRA to life. The film also will be available on a single disc DVD, which includes the commentary.

The two-disc DVD and Blu-ray packages will also feature augmented reality technology that will allow owners to participate in an exclusive 3D holographic G.I. JOE combat experience, utilizing their webcams and a special website. Fans will be able to choose between SNAKE EYES and STORM SHADOW, two of the most popular G.I. JOE and COBRA characters, and battle against their enemies one-on-one in an immersive 3D video game.

Two-Disc DVD & Blu-ray:
The G.I. JOE: The Rise of Cobra two-disc and single-disc DVDs are presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, French 5.1 Surround and Spanish 5.1 Surround with English, French and Spanish subtitles. The two-disc Blu-ray is presented in 1080p High Definition with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital with English, English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles. The following special features are in standard definition:

Disc 1:

Feature commentary by director Stephen Sommers and producer Bob Ducsay

Disc 2:

Digital Copy
The Big Bang Theory: The Making of G.I. JOE— Join the G.I. JOE team as they set out to “Sommer-size” the summer action epic and bring G.I. JOE to the big screen.

Next-Gen Action: The Amazing Visual FX and Design of G.I. JOE— With over 1,650 visual effect shots, G.I. JOE was a truly massive endeavor. Showcasing the hard work and creativity of the film’s effects and design team, this piece looks at the unique challenges of bringing the world of G.I. JOE and COBRA to life, while immersing viewers in the incredible thrills and various FX challenges of the film’s major action sequences.

Source: JoBlo.com

Unde the cut – Rachel Nichols on PIX 11 News on August 3!