Ypulse Essentials: Marvel To Develop Short Films, Teen Blogger Champions LGBT Lit, Urban Outfitters Does 'Bodega Chic'

Marvel may test drive secondary characters (in a series of live-action short films to help pick out potential big-budget franchises. Meanwhile a Doctor Strange movie is apparently already on the way.  And in rival comic news, DC Comics asks readers to campaign for their towns to be featured in a new Superman series) (Slash/Film) (THR) (USA Today)

- DreamWorks Animation picks Trolls (as the latest retro toy franchise to come to the big screen. Also the AV Club reports the “Footloose” remake will live on... with an unknown taking over the lead from Gossip Girl star Chace Crawford) (Variety, reg. required)

- Great spotlight (on a gay teen blogger voicing the need for LGBT fiction in schools and public libraries. Plus a fictionalized YA account of Anne Frank’s life comes under fire for sexual content that some, including a living relative, feels exploits the holocaust memoirist) (Pinched Nerves) (New York Times, reg. required)

- Urban Outfitters goes ‘bodega chic’ (with themed storefronts on the Upper West Side. Reminds me of the liquor store repurposed by J. Crew in TriBeCa, but somehow comes off more gimmick-y. Speaking of.. “Jersey Shore ” star The Situation is launching a clothing line) (WSJ) (MTV News)

- MTV.com to live stream ‘Eclipse’ premiere (And Volvo revs up its cross-promotion engine with a new Twilight-themed online game and ads. Plus Burger Kings continues its promotion of the Twilight saga as well.) (MTV News) (MediaPost, reg. required) (Promo)

- Nice to see a positive spin on the McAfee study (on recent developments in teen online behavior, including a decline in cyberbullying. Maybe this will help inspire more understanding on a global scale… and less talk of “Internet Addiction Plaguing Chinese Youth”) (CNET) (Information Week)

- Microsoft teams with Passenger to oversee Project Kin (“a private online community built to gain insight into the lifestyle and mobile communication preferences of Generation Y.” Hmm… maybe those 2,000 Millennial minds can help them go back to the drawing board? Also check out teen style blogger Tavi guest blogging her thoughts on non-fashion stuff on Jezebel this week)

- Do toys in happy meals encourage poor eating habits? (After the study we cited in Essentials earlier this week, I’m inclined to think so.. But does that make it illegal? Similarly troubling is this new study finding that despite the healthier options available, McDonald’s staffers assume kids “want fries with that” Happy Meal) (Boston.com) (USA Today)