In a blog update, Simon Furman focuses on the script for the IDW Arcee Spotlight that his putting the finishing touches on. He talks about robots and genders, as well as gives a broad (very broad) overview of the plot for the Spotlight. From the sounds of things, we can expect a vastly different Arcee from the one we've come to know.

You can see the blog entry here. 

From multiple news sources, including TMZ.com, comes this item from the "Law and Order" cutting room floor.  Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen star Shia LaBeouf was arrested early Sunday morning and charged with misdemeanor criminal trespassing.  Police said the 21-year-old child star turned budding A-lister and giant robot sidekick refused to leave a downtown Chicago Walgreens store and appeared drunk.  Shia, please tell us this is just a brief drunken episode.

Actually, "brief drunken episode" is exactly what this sounds like at this point.  According to news reports, police characterized him as "very courteous and polite" after his arrest.  LaBeouf posted bond a few hours after he was cuffed and is scheduled to appear in court in Cook County, Illinois toward the end of this month.

JRS Toyworld has started a discussion thread at the Allspark Forums, including a link to another account of the story from the Chicago Tribune.

Dark days are ahead in 2008... TFormers has a low-res photo of an upcoming Allspark Power Deluxe named "Overcast." The toy is a repaint of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Deluxe-class Dreadwing, with a new solid black and yellow color scheme. No picture is provided of the back of the box or the character's bio, so about all we know is he's still a Decepticon.

View the full-size image at TFormers, and discuss in TriBlurr's thread.

TFW2005 has posted an exclusive interview with Hasbro Transformers Senior Designer Eric Siebenaler. Siebenaler discusses his history with the company, from his ill-fated design debut with Armada Laserbeak through the current Animated line. He also offers thoughts on  his dream projects, a summary of the design process, advice for aspiring designers, and even a fashion tip. 

Read the full interview on TFW2005, and discuss in Dreadwings' thread.