I’ve been catching episodes on Sky Atlantic recently and while the picture quality highlights the show’s age, the jokes are still hilarious and relevant. But what if they hadn’t bid farewell in 1998? Or they returned for a 10^th season for the show’s 15^th birthday? Now we don’t have to imagine – well sort of.

If you are on Twitter, I recommend you follow the account @SeinfeldToday. Jack Moore and Josh Gondelman are behind the account and regularly tweet modern day plotlines that really fit the Seinfeld humour checklist.

Here are just some of my favourite plotlines from the last couple of weeks:

Kramer pitches Amazon a Kindle with no screen that reads books out loud. JERRY: “You mean audio books? That’s audio books! We have those.”

January 24, 2013 10:17 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@SeinfeldToday

Modern Seinfeld

When George’s gf refuses to send him a naked photo, George tries to stealthily take one when they’re in bed together. The flash goes off.

January 22, 2013 4:00 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@SeinfeldToday

Modern Seinfeld

George doesn’t know his phone sends all pics to Facebook. JERRY: “I knew your life was sad…But not this sad. GEORGE: “Oh it’s SAD, JERRY!”

January 20, 2013 2:38 am via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@SeinfeldToday

Modern Seinfeld

George learns his dad is on eHarmony when Frank’s matched w/ Elaine. G:”What are you doing? What about mom?” ESTELLE:”Oh, I’m on there too.”

February 5, 2013 9:27 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@SeinfeldToday

Modern Seinfeld

Kramer’s obsessed w/ figuring out the Super Bowl Gatorade color to win a bet. K:”What do you think, Jerry?” J:”I think you have a problem.”

February 3, 2013 8:45 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@SeinfeldToday

Modern Seinfeld

Kramer gets hooked on “Homeland,” starts seeing the actor who plays Abu Nazir everywhere. K:”He’s up to something Jerry!” J:”He’s an actor!”

February 2, 2013 8:35 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@SeinfeldToday

Modern Seinfeld

There have been an awful lot (in both senses of the word) of parodies uploaded to Youtube. But here’s the legendary Jim Carrey playing Jerry.

And here’s Kramer listening to dub-step in his car.

And here’s the episode of Seinfeld when they reunited for Curb Your Enthusiasm.

I’ll just leave this script someone created here (warning, if you are a grammar Nazi, you may not want to read this).

Do you think creating a 10^th season of Seinfeld is a good idea? Tell us in the comments section below.

Image grabbed from Youtube video embedded below

As a Brit it pains me say it… the US version of Being Human is quite simply superior to the original UK show. That’s not to say that the original isn’t a great show, it is; it just happens to be the case that the American version is a tremendous show.

Last weeks’ season premiere was a whirlwind affair packed with major developments and serious upheaval: there’s a vampire plague that’s killing them all off; Aiden got out of his underground prison only to be used as a one man blood bank; Josh has been cured while Nora hasn’t; and in the biggest twist of all, Sally’s back from Limbo complete with a real live body.

Things were far less dramatic this week as the show took a little time to get its breath back and let the characters settle back into something resembling normality… we at least until the end, which had a real sting in the tail.

Anyway, this week’s major developments were that Henry is still alive. Yay! I’m quite amused that it still amuses me so much that they cast Henry the heroic vampire from Blood Ties (Kyle Schmid) as a vampire. Called Henry. Casting genius. Anyway, he’s still alive and was keeping an uninfected human locked up to feed from, until Aiden let her out. Go good guy Aiden!

We also got to meet rather interesting new character – Liam Mclean, a pure-bred werewolf and father to last seasons’ lupine loonies Connor and Brynn. He’s understandable a bit miffed that his daughter is missing and that someone killed his son, cut of his head and gave it to the Amish vampires.

And what exactly is going on with Sally? Did she suck the life force out of Trent with a kiss or is she inadvertently laying a death curse on anyone from her old life simply by meeting them? While it is nice to see Sally rejoin the land of the living, I’m pretty sure she’s going to have to die… again.

Liam threw a spanner in Josh’s proposal plans when he gate-crashed Nora’s fool moon party and disappeared with her? Has he killed her, taken her hostage or maybe convinced her to go all wild and feral again? Whatever it is that’s happen you can be sure that Josh isn’t going to like it… and surely that it’s going to cause Josh to get himself turned back into a werewolf.

Let’s face it the whole premise of the show is a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost sharing a home. At the moment we’re two supernatural beings short.

Anyway here’s a promo for season 3:

What did you think of the episode? Does Sally have to die? Will Josh need to be turned? Leave a comment and let us know.

Producer, writer, director and special effects pioneer Gerry Anderson was a man of great vision and imagination. His work inspired generations of children and will be a lasting legacy.

He is perhaps best remembered as creator of  Thunderbirds (1965), but he was also involved in a wide body of model and puppet based work including Supercar (1961), Fireball XL5 (1962), Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons (1967) and Joe 90 (1968).

These shows employed Supermarionation techniques where actors would pre-record dialogue and a solenoid inside the head of the puppets would synch their lip movements with the dialogue. Although these shows are enduring and fondly remembered, Anderson was not fond of the puppets himself. He used the technique to gain recognition as a gateway to making live action shows and features.

Through Gerry Anderson, children could believe in heroes working for secret organisations who saved the world from evil geniuses. Just as the opening to Stingray said, when watching a Gerry Anderson show “anything can happen in the next half hour.”

Much of the model work in his shows still stands up today demonstrating the scale and ambition of these projects and there is little doubt he sparked the imaginations of many of today’s directors.

He got this opportunity in 1969 with the creation of UFO. This series was aimed at an older audience, but it failed to make a large enough impact on American audiences to justify a second season. However, much of the work done for a proposed second season became Space 1999 which ran for two seasons from 1975-1977.

In the 1980s, he co-created and terrified a generation with Terrahawks, another future set children’s programme this time employing sophisticated latex hand puppets.

In 1995 came Space Precinct, a big-budget live action Police procedural set in 2040 with a human detective working in Demeter City police force on the planet  Altor. Although a hit in Europe, the American Sci Fi channel couldn’t work out the target audience so scheduled it inconsistently leading to low ratings and no second season, a fate similar to that suffered by his earlier live action efforts.

In 2005, Anderson revived Captain Scarlet in a new computer generated, or Hypermarionation, series. The budget was one of the biggest ever for a children’s programme and merchandising deals promising a bright future. However ITV scheduled the show within existing shows and split episodes in two meaning it never really gained the traction it deserved.

More recently there was talk of a revised Thunderbirds but this never came  to fruition.

Below, are just a few of the reasons that Gerry Anderson will never be forgotten.

Supercar

Fireball XL5

Stingray

Thunderbirds

Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons

The announcement came via one of Smith’s latest podcasts with lifelong co-star Jason Mewes, Jay & Silent Bob Get Old, when the Clerks director was explaining exactly what was happening with the two-film hockey movie epic since he first announced it around three years ago.

Smith explained that after he had Pirates of the Caribbean producer and fellow hockey fanatic Jerry Bruckheimer read over the script for the first Hit Somebody movie, he realised how hard it would be to get one film based around the popular sport funded, let alone two. It was at this stage that the filmmaker began to “reign it in” and started cutting the script down, much to his dismay.

Smith describes the Hit Somebody story as “massive” and notes that the script “plays like a novel, but if I condensed it down to what it was supposed to be, it was never going to be anything.” It was at this point that actor Jason Mewes suggested the bright idea of turning it into a mini-series.

Retelling a conversation Smith had with Mewes about his frustration with getting the script down to a workable level, Mewes suggested that Kevin “stop hacking it down — why don’t you make it a mini-series?” After a dramatic pause and cheering from the crowd, Smith notes that he has “started restructuring Hit Somebody thusly,” and “it looks like we’ll be going into production next year.”

The filmmaker has been working away at the restructure for the past 6-8 months and has found a home for Hit Somebody on a network, which he currently isn’t revealing. With his good relationship with AMC, who produce his other TV show, Comic Book Men, we wouldn’t be surprised to see an announcement from them soon.

Game of Thrones television series co-creator David Benioff comments that season three of the HBO series is the one that he and writer D.B Weiss “have been anticipating from the very beginning.” Weiss states in the video that he “always envisioned season three as the place that we needed to get to” and if “they can do season three right, then it will all be worthwhile.”

Other integral Game of Thrones actors share their thoughts on the third season of the show in the featurette, including Richard Madden (Robb Stark), Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister), Maisie Williams (Arya Stark) and Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen).

Executive producer Frank Doelger states that this season will “introduce a handful of new locations” that have been shot primarily in Northern Ireland, particularly around Belfast. The cast and crew have also returned to Iceland for shots of King’s Landing, and Morocco. Weiss noted that “There’s such a constant influx of new characters, and new locations, and sets especially – it’s hard not to get excited by that stuff.”

Game of Thrones season 3 is scheduled to arrive March 31st 2013 in the US, meaning that a UK air date should be expected shortly after. I know that I’m excited to see just how the game has been upped.

What are you looking forward to most in Game of Thrones season 3? How are you passing the time until March 31st?  Let us know in the comments below.

BBC One Saturday night drama Merlin is coming to an end after it’s current fifth series. There will be a two-part finale shown over the Christmas period to say goodbye to Camelot. While many fans will mourn a show cut down in its prime, they can be glad the show never had the chance to slide into mediocrity.

Merlin began in 2008 and at that time the writers stated they had a five year plan. They modelled the show on Smallville and planned to show how the legends came to be. The young Wizard Merlin (Colin Morgan) arrived in Camelot to be tutored in controlling his magic by his mother’s old friend Gaius (Richard Wilson).  The kingdom is ruled by Uther Pendragon (Anthony Stewart Head) who has outlawed the use of magic. Merlin soon becomes servant to the young Prince Arthur (Bradley James) and comes to know Uther’s ward the Lady Morgana (Katie McGrath) and her servant  girl Gwen or Guinevere (Angel Coulby).

Five years on and much of the Arthurian legend has fallen into place. King Arthur is married to Guinevere, he has pulled a sword from a stone, and fights the now dark side Morgana with some Knights who all sit at a Round Table.

Seeds have been sewn with vague prophecies (I’m looking at you Dragon) and the man who will kill Arthur Pendragon, the young Mordred, is now a Knight. Many will be hoping the Merlin finally reveals his magic to Arthur before the end, or that Arthur at least notices that all the rock falls, horses rearing and general not dying he does every week might have some connection to his servant.

So rejoice that the show gets to go out while it still feels like there’s potential rather than sliding towards nothingness with cast changes and diminishing returns. Who’s enjoying this season of Supernatural?

This might not be the end. The writers are planning a trilogy of films to tell more tales in the Arthurian legend. However, as any showrunner knows, getting your small screen project onto the big screen can be a massive struggle.

Merlin series 5 currently airs on Saturday nights on BBC One and will premiere on Syfy on January 4th 2013

Image from screen grab of the video below

When I heard that Green Arrow would be coming to the small screen, I got pretty excited; it isn’t every year we get new show based on a well-known comic book superhero. Going in to the pilot I had high hopes, but after watching it (I didn’t stop 10 minutes in) I would have to say I was firmly on the fence.

My main problem with the pilot was that it felt like it was rushing us through the plot without giving us time to really get a feel for the characters. That is kind of understandable when consider that they were trying to fit Green Arrow’s origin story into one show. For me though, the show would have really benefited from a two episode back-to-back pilot. Spending a little more time developing the characters would have given the events of the pilot much more emotional impact.

To be fair though, there were plenty of plus points, the foremost of which were the action sequences. They were well directed and well choreographed, the use of parkour was impressive and the actions sequences could rival many you’d see in the cinema.

After watching episodes two and three, I can confidently say that I’m off the fence and firmly on the pro Arrow side. The show’s not perfect; it could do with a bit more drama and emotional weight, but it’s certainly heading in the right direction.

It looks like the writers are going to be using flashback scenes throughout the season to help show how spoiled rich kid Oliver Queen becomes the hard as nails fighting machine that is Green Arrow. The story unfolding in these flashback scenes really has caught my attention and I’m optimistic that these scenes will really give the character more depth and help us connect with him.

I’ve also got a feeling that the Arrow writers have a few very interesting plot twists up their sleeve which could add a bit of spice to the show.

If you like superheroes and action sequences then Arrow will be right up your street, if you’re after drama and emotional depth you should probably give it a miss.

Here’s a clip from the pilot to whet your appetite:

Have you watched the first few episodes? Would you recommend it? Leave a comment and let us know.

Anyway, Rory’s father Brian, as played by Mark Williams, was introduced early in the season and despite limited screen time, quickly became a fan favourite. With the bittersweet departure of his son and daughter in law, fans demanded to know if he ever learned of their fate. Well fans, your requests have been answered.

A short scene was written by Chris Chibnall to fill in some of the gaps. It was never filmed but now you can get the idea with some storyboards with a voice over by Rory himself, Arthur Darvill.

Are you missing Amy and Rory or just looking forward to new Who at Christmas? Tell us all the things in the comments section.

The Episode

“Trojan” kicked off the new series of Red Dwarf all sparkling and new. Although the ship is the same, the set has been updated and it looks “a million dollars”. The actors settled into their old familiar roles well and it felt like the series had never been away.

The episode follows the team as they come across an abandoned ship and hear a distress call from Rimmer’s old adversary. The episode then follows the trails and tribulations of saving them while presenting the viewer with daily life in the ship.

Reviews

As per usual with classics like this, views are mixed so we will present you with a mix of views and opinions across the web:

Den of Geek:

“This is Red Dwarf as it should be; four blokes (Well, one bloke, a hologram, a cat person and an artificial intelligence) in space, with humour that comes not from an increasingly outlandish set of circumstances, but from the characters themselves and how the situations they find themselves in affect them. It’s fun, it’s funny, and if we can have another five like this then Red Dwarf XI (and beyond!) is going to be welcomed with open arms…”

Digital Spy (contains spoilers):

‘Trojan’ doesn’t come across as a cheap cash-in – in fact the show looks slicker than it ever has before – and fans will be pleased with the format changes, tone and camaraderie among the cast. So as long as you don’t go in expecting something to match rose-tinted memories of the programme’s glory years, it shouldn’t disappoint.”

On the Box (minor spoilers)

“The jokes come fast and thick, and are for the most part spot-on and hilarious if you disregard the first part of the show, which is somewhat obvious and immature in comparison. However, putting aside this shaky start, Red Dwarf is very much back with a bang”

Geek Native (spoilers)

“All credit and praise to Craig Charles, Chris Barrie, Robert Llewellyn and Danny John-Jules. There’s no denying they’ve not played these characters in a series (Back to Earth, the exception) in years and yet the characters felt familiar; the same and as fresh as ever.”

TekGrabber:

“It’s safe to say that these six new episodes will never reach past highs (see the video below), however, at TekGabber we’re happy to start this latest adventure with optimism and smiles all-round. Especially considering that the cast have indicated the often-questioned cliffhanger in series 8 is to be addressed in the last episode of series X.”

Radio Times:

Clips from future episodes and rough plot outlines suggest that there’s a lot to look forward to in Red Dwarf X, but I found Trojan strangely underwhelming.

 

I think the overall view is that it had many classic Red Dwarf elements, brilliant one-liners and cult-fans are delighted it is back on their TV’s and it still feels British. However, the episode was slightly watered down in order to help new viewers to learn about the characters, daily life in the ship and the relationships between the characters. This is only the first episode and there are high hopes for future shows.

We have created a bundle of the reviews and our favourite clips of Red Dwarf as well as a GIF we created in homage to the show:

What did you think about the new show? What did you like or dislike? Are you a new fan of Red Dwarf or a loyal supporter? Let us know your thoughts in the comments…

Original image by: JD Hancock

Reeling from the conclusion of the latest series of Doctor Who, it is time to re-visit that age old question - Which Doctor Who is the most kick-ass? - with part two of the Who’s Who (har har) of space-time continuum fame…

Sixth Doctor: Colin Baker, 16 March 1984 – 6 December 1986

Number of episodes: 27

Average viewers per episode: 6 million

Most obscure episode title: Terror of the Vervoids

Critical injury: Injured after an attack on the TARDIS by old enemy Rani

Verdict: The sixth incarnation of the Doctor died under mysterious circumstances, although I suspect long-suffering companion Peri smothered him to death with a pillow due to him being the egotistical flatmate from hell. We’re also still not entirely sure what a vervoid is, but the plant-like creatures do indeed look ridiculously terrifying. This may have been deemed a disaster-riddled run by some, but the hilarious title sequence in itself earns him a consolatory high five.  Legend Rating: 1.5/5 

Seventh Doctor: Sylvester McCoy, 7 September 1987 – 6 December 1989

Number of episodes: 42

Average viewers per episode: 4.84 million

Most obscure episode title: The Happiness Patrol

Critical injury: Injured in a San Francisco gang shoot out before botched hospital operation

Verdict: He may not have looked like much, but there was more to the seventh Doctor than met the eye. Unfortunately, surgeons didn’t realise this when they mistook his second heartbeat for fibrillation, sealing his departure from the space-time continuum whilst attempting to save his life. As companion Ace put it, the seventh Doctor was “well devious”, duping his foes into underestimating him with his bumbling façade. Unfortunately, his audience apparently underestimated him too, with the ironically titled Survival being the last episode in a 26-year run before the show’s cancellation. Legend Rating: 2/5

Eighth Doctor: Paul McGann 27 May 1996

Number of episodes: 1 TV movie

Average viewers per episode: 7.35

Most obscure episode title: N/A

Critical injury: Ambiguity?

Verdict: Although only appearing in one TV movie, the eighth incarnation of the Doctor had quite an impact on the fate of the universe, successfully seeing to it that long-time nemesis ‘The Master’ was sucked into the Eye of Harmony before he had the chance to destroy everybody’s New Year’s Eve plans by annihilating the planet earth at the end of the millennium. Additional props have go to the eighth Doctor for being the first to steal a cheeky kiss from one of his companions. Unfortunately, it turns out he was a bit of a thief. It’s always the bad boys, isn’t it? Legend Rating: 3/5

Ninth Doctor: Christopher Eccleston, 26 March – 18 June 2005

Number of episodes: 13

Average viewers per episode: 7.31 million

Most obscure episode title: The Empty Child

Critical injury: Kisses companion Rose in order to remove the absorbed harmful effects of the time vortex energies. Suuure…

Verdict: After a 16-year absence, an edgier, leather-jacket donning tenth Doctor appeared, modernising the foppish, camp images instated by his predecessors. Although only surviving one series, the tenth Doctor earned his place in the Doctor Who hall of fame, zooming around time and space, encountering Dickens to Daleks to the future implosion of the world. He also survived a good handbag beating from his companion’s mum after being mistaken for an internet predator due to a series of unfortunate errors. Shame he couldn’t survive a ‘Kiss from a Rose’. Legend Rating: 4/5

Tenth Doctor: David Tennant, 18 June 2005 – 1 January 2010

Number of episodes: 44

Average viewers per episode: 8.67 million

Most obscure episode title: The Idiot’s Lantern

Critical injury: Sacrifices his life to save his companion’s grandfather, William Mott, by exposing himself to 500,000 rads of deadly radiation.

Verdict: Don’t be fooled by the high-maintenance hair styles of the slightly foxy tenth Doctor Who. This incarnation of the Doctor teaches travelling time-lords worldwide that one must not sacrifice fashion in the face of fearsome foes. Despite his easy-going manner, this Doctor had a vengeful streak, sending a stream of enemies to their doom for breaching his strict “one warning code.” Even after selflessly absorbing a ton of radiation, the superstar time-lord finds the energy to visit several companions, spreading joy and saving lives on his path to regeneration.Legend Rating: 4.5/5

Image by: mightyohm

Eleventh Doctor : Matt Smith, 1 January 2010 – Present

Number of episodes: 33 (aired)

Average viewers per episode: 7.62 million

Most obscure episode title: Dinosaurs on a Spaceship

Critical injury: None as yet…

Verdict: The youngest incarnation of the Doctor yet has stood up to be counted with the big boys, battling faster and stronger versions of vicious assailants from Doctor Who history – all of whom have grown evermore terrifying since technology surpassed the time when egg cartons glued onto a barrel could evoke a fearful reaction. As if contending with his regular stream of formidable foes wasn’t work enough, the eleventh doctor has also had to deal with the added headache of people being erased entirely from time and space due to a crack in the wall. Talk about a rough day at work. Legend Rating: TBC…

Conclusion: Smith is set to play the Doctor until at least 2014, by which time he might just steal the crown for the new kids on the block…  but for now it looks like the golden age of Doctor Who still belongs to the oldies. Honourable mentions go to Pertwee and Tennant, but  Tom Baker clinches it as the most kick-ass Doctor Who.

Do you agree with our legend ratings? Which Doctor Who would you crown the most kick-ass?