You’d think since the show took a break for a few weeks that the Dixon boys would have too, but that wasn’t the case. They did an awful lot of gum flappin’ during their time off. (We ain’t complainin’, mind you.) Norman especially – he crossed the Pacific spreading zombie cheer the world over and even filmed a Super Bowl commercial. So, in case you missed it – here are some of the highlights…

Photos

AMC has released some photos of the upcoming mid-season premiere: Yahoo! TV has 3 exclusive images, Entertainment Weekly has another 3 exclusive images and TODAY’S “The Clicker” has some great behind-the-scenes shots. If you want to remain completely spoiler free you might not want to look at any of the new photos, and uhh…you might want to erase the image at the top of this post from your memory too. OUR BAD.

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AMC’s Q&A – Michael Rooker (Merle Dixon)

“Sometimes my lines are written by an individual who might not be from the South. They are always colloquialized, and it’s part of my job to keep it honest and real, and that goes for everything verbally.”

Esquire Q&A: The Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus

“The amount of Daryl love I get is great. It makes me work harder.”

LA Times: ‘Walking Dead’ star Michael Rooker on tough love, Merle’s code

“Merle for me has always been not at all what I think most people think of Merle, as somewhat of a cliched Southern bigoted redneck…”

Wetpaint: How The Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus Got an Angry, Hissing Alley Cat to Love Him

“His character is not in the comic books, so it’s not like his fate was sealed there. It’s quite possible the fan reaction will guide what we do with Daryl.”

MSN Q&A: Michael Rooker of ‘The Walking Dead’

“What do you mean, “Do I like Merle?” (Laughs) You know you love Merle. Say you love Merle. Merle’s not a bad guy. He’s tough. A little bad at times but he’s not the same man he was on that roof.”

Audio

Michael did a podcast interview with James and Eric of Walker Stalkers. He took questions from fans and offered some possible glimpses into Merle’s future and how he may handle Rick and Daryl’s relationship and becoming a contributing member to the prison group. Download the podcast on iTunes. Mike (along with Steven Yeun and IronE Singleton) was also on Matty Ps Radio Happy Hour talking about all things TWD.

Video

We’ll start things off with a little Dixon Brothers Q&A from the Austin Comic Con…

Actors Norman Reedus and Danai Gurira Answer Social Media Questions on Larry King Now…

Norman Reedus Talks To Access Hollywood On The ‘Nuts’ Midseason Return Of The Walking Dead & His Fantasy Carol/Daryl Spin-Off…

Norman Reedus talks to Spike TV about fan weirdness and how AMC hunts him via satellite…

Norman Reedus Talks movies and zombies with Mtv…

On February 5, 2013 the cast and crew of The Walking Dead did a live panel-style webcast for emmys.com.  Norman Reedus (along with Gale Anne Hurd, Robert Kirkman, Greg Nicotero, Andrew Lincoln, Laurie Holden, Lauren Cohan, Steve Yeun, Danai Gurira, David Morrissey and Talking Dead Host Chris Hardwick) answered questions and gave us some teasers for the second half of Season 3. You can see photos from the event and (thanks to Vixen Gaki!) we have full video…

Above image credit: Norman’s Instagram.

A few days ago Norman Reedus tweeted and instagrammed some images taken during the filming of a commercial which will air during the Super Bowl. Although it was initially reported by some blogs that AMC purchased the $4 million 30-second spot, today Time Warner Cable confirmed to Business Insider that the commercial will be for them and a 3 minute Walking Dead themed commercial posted for Bright House Networks (see below) seems to confirm that. We imagine the commercial to air on Super Bowl Sunday will be much different than the segment below, as a 3 minute commercial for this year’s Super Bowl would run $24 million (which is deep even for Time Warner’s pockets).

Update – February 2, 2013: Here’s the actual commercial that ran in select markets…

We have blogged before about Activision’s The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct video game featuring the Dixons. Well, good news! Although we previously had heard that Michael Rooker would not be lending his voice to the project it seems that has now been remedied as Mike is back on board! (Phew! It just wouldn’t be the same with someone else voicing Merle!) AMC has also posted some updated information today on their blog: The game is available right now for pre-order and is set for release March 26 (in North America) and March 29 (in Europe). There is also a new teaser video (below) with Norman Reedus and Michael Rooker…

UPDATE – February 6, 2013: Entertainment Weekly has an exclusive look at a new game trailer.

Entertainment Weekly posted the above image today for the upcoming issue of the official Walking Dead magazine (Issue #3 – available in March). Sounds like quite a Dixon-centirc issue – we’ll be sure to pick up a copy! (Or several.)

Anderson Cooper had Norman as a guest on his show Anderson Live today, and Anderson was just the most adorable drink knocking over fanboy ever. (We had a meeting, and it’s been decided: Anderson, you’re totally an Honorary Mixen.) You can watch the interview clip (and then some backstage footage) below. It’s pretty simple: Norman Reedus + Anderson Cooper = AWESOMENESS. It’s mathematically proven, y’all.

Well, our Dixon boys hit the Big City this past weekend for the whirlwind that is known as the New York Comic Con! Here’s a brief round up of some of the media flurry that ensued…

Interviews…

Michael Rooker bluntly asks Mania…

Who says Merle wants to be back in the group?

Mike also did some Merle defending to Comic Book Resources…

What makes you think Merle is awful? I’ll give you an example of why — because I beat T-Dog up in the beginning. I called him a bad name. Big deal. You know what? It’s the post-apocalyptic era — politically correct doesn’t exist anymore. Here’s another newsflash for you — it could have been anybody coming up on top of the rooftop, telling Merle to shut up, and he would have been in their face right away. Another thing — Merle didn’t throw the first punch. I didn’t start the fight. As a matter of fact, it was a fair fight and then when three or four other people jumped in, it became even more fair!

 Norman talked to the NY Times on what it takes to keep Daryl Dixon fit and, um, styled…

Yeah, running around the woods of Georgia all day long, constantly sweating and carrying a 50-pound crossbow is a pretty good workout. Even when we are shooting nights, I’m still running, punching, stabbing and killing. That keeps you a lean, mean animal.

Photos…

Video…
 Interview with Mike & Robert…

…interview wirh Norman and Gale…

…and video of the TWD panel (in case you missed the live stream of it)…

Y’all, Merle and Derle will finally be together again, and we ain’t talkin’ in Season 3 of TWD either – we’re talkin’ action figures baby! A scant few details have been announced for the new Merle Dixon figure (which will appear in McFarlane Toy’s Walking Dead Series 3 set) except what Dread Central has to report.

The only images available are also stamped “FIGURE PENDING APPROVAL – IMAGES ARE NOT OF FINAL PRODUCT” so we are not even sure how true-to-life this action figure will be, but if this imagery rings true we will be super psyched as it looks pretty close to Michael Rooker. We don’t know if Mike posed for his figure like Norman did, but I am sure once official information is released we will get some more dirt on the design of the doll.

The description of the Merle figure…

Left for the dead in Season 1 by Rick and the rest of the survivors, Merle Dixon, the estranged brother of Daryl Dixon, makes his full return in Season 3, and this time he is re-armed and ready for action! This action-figure comes with 20 points of articulation, prosthetic arm w/ removable bayonet, assault rifle, pistol, and knife.

UPDATE – February 7, 2013: Idle Hands has photos up showing the Merle action figure in its packaging with all the accessories. The action figure will be released March 1, 2013, but you can pre-order your Merle now.

Supposedly last season – to hear Robert Kirkman tell it – we had some sort of Foxy Boxing thing going on with the Boondock Betties. This season – according to a recent interview with Mike and Norman – it appears there will be a Roller Derby between us and the Rookerholics. (What’s next? Jello wrestling? A Wipeout marathon?) Well, we Vixens are up for anything and although we may not be the best at sports – we can certainly be good sports about it. So, we decided to roll with it (HA!) and – because our hearts are bigger than our quads – we’re gonna do it for charity.

Super talented artist (and Vixen) Tracey Gurney stepped up to the plate to design our “uniforms“. Wanna be on TEAM VIXEN? All you gotta do is buy a shirt, button or sticker and wear it proudly! All profits from the sale of Vixens On Wheels merch goes directly to Right To Play – an organization which aims to improve the lives of children in some of the most disadvantaged areas of the world by using the power of sport and play for development, health and peace. Tracy will even keep a running tally on her website so you will all know how much Right To Play will be getting! (Thank you Tracey for continuously kicking creative ass and for donating your time & talent, thank you to Mike and Norm for coming up with such kooky cool ideas, thank you Dalton Ross of Entertainment Weekly for giving them the forum to share those ideas and thank you to everyone who buys some VOW merch to help out Right To Play!)

ORDER VIXENS ON WHEELS: T-Shirts | Buttons | Stickers

Hey, by the way guys, our health insurance companies want to contact you. Something about accepting liability for injuries or something? Who should they call?

Yeah, that’s what we thought.

UPDATE: October 14, 2012 - Thank you to the Atlanta Rollergirls for pimping out our cause via their Twitter account! These ladies are the real ass kicking deal, folks!

UPDATE: October 18, 2012 - Tracey has shared with us the totals so far… Shirts: 12 sold (raised $90), buttons: 13 sold (raised $35), stickers: 15 sold (raised $22.50). TOTAL RAISED FOR RIGHT TO PLAY SO FAR: $ 147.50! Thank you to everyone who has made a purchase!

UPDATE: December 17, 2012 - As of today we have raised $358.50! THANK YOU EVERYONE!

We are in the Red Zone and are steadily marching towards the October 14th goal line, Vixens! Just a couple more grueling weeks of Training Camp and we will be ready for Sunday Night Prime Time, baby! Wait, what? Sorry, I’ve been watching too much football to get myself ready for the emotional roller-coaster that will be Season 3. Anyway…

Over the past month AMC has been releasing some trailers here & there and we’ve gotten some new photos to gander at, but the guys have also been busy calling plays on all things TWD S3. So let’s break it down on the virtual chalkboard, shall we?

In print…

Comicbookmovie.com interview with Michael Rooker

Merle started out as one episode and they just didn’t have a lot budgeted for the character. And then it turned into something wonderful…a challenging role that I am honored to play.

IFC interview with Norman Reedus

I sat around in Florida doing that film and all I wanted to do was go back to Georgia and be Daryl Dixon again. So, my heart’s really in Daryl Dixon.

Smashing Magazine interview with Michael Rooker

There are monsters out there that will eat you. You’re no longer the head of the food chain, baby. They’re eating your ass up, so survival is key and Merle is the ultimate survivor.

Dixon’s Dolls interview with Michael Rooker

It feels like the worse Merle is the more people like him.

Audio…

Variety Radio Online interview with Michael Rooker

Fangirl Radio’s interview with Norman Reedus

Video…

The cast talks about Season 3:

Norman says to Entertainment Weekly:  “Not being a character from the comic book is kind of cool for me because I can do what I want to a certain extent. I can sleep with everyone. I can kill everyone. I don’t know when I’ll die.” [watch the video on the EW website]