Kick-Ass

The final character poster has been revealed to give us purple-haired, plaid skirt-wearing Hit Girl. She still kind of looks like Stephanie from Lazy Town. [/Film]

Daybreakers

The human blood shortage means something more monstrous than vamps forgoing their bloody snow cones. The one sheet below depicts a subsider, the horrific creatures vampires become if they go too long without feeding. [ShockTillYouDrop]

The Book of Eli

Mila Kunis looks much more appropriately post-apocalyptic in these stills than in the character posters. [SpoilerTV-Movies]

X-Men: First Class

Not only has Bryan Singer signed on to direct the new prequel, it also has a writer: Jamie Moss, who has been working with DreamWorks to develop a live-action version of Ghost in the Shell. [THR]

Toy Story 3

This new still reveals little, except that Buzz Lightyear's helmet has seen better days. [/Film]

The Phantom

Character breakdowns for the miniseries reveal a great deal about the plot. Chris Moore, the biological son of the Phantom, takes up his father's mantle after his adoptive parents are killed by the Singh Brotherhood and his girlfriend Renny's life is put in danger. Guran has an unbreakable mystical connecton with Chris, and serves as his most trusted ally. When Able Vandermaark, Chris' conservative mentor and keeper of the ways of the Phantom, forbids Chris from returning home to protect Renny and her father, it is Guran who ensures Chris gets his wish. Meanwhile, as Chris chafes under Vandermaark, Chris begins to question his mentor's true intentions.

Paramedic Renny was Chris' elementary school crush, and is later reunited with him at the scene of an accident involving Chris' friend Jordy. Their flirtatious quickly turns to a passionate relationship, but then Chris suddenly disappears at the same time Renny's father is wounded in a shooting. Renny's father is treated for his injury in Bengalia, and that is where Renny learns Chris' identity as the Phantom.

Raatib Singh is of course the leader of the Singh Brotherhood, and he attempts to keep wars and social and economic upheaval churning so that the Brotherhood can reap a profit. He is obsessed with the implementation of a technology called "Flicker" and has plans to assassinate Jalil Ben David, a politician who could bring stability to the Middle East. But he doesn't regard the Phantom as a real threat, and that leads to his assassination plans being foiled. The Brotherhood's latest asset is Dr. Bella Lithia, who developed the Flicker technology. Flicker can turn ordinary citizens into deadly assassins, but it has its limits. But when Singh refuses to heed Lithia's warnings and tries to control the technology himself, Lithia tries to outsmart him. [PhantomSite]

Doctor Who

The BBC six o'clock news interviewed David Tennant about his final episodes and gives a behind-the-scenes look at "The End of Time," including a fiery moment with the Master. [Blogtor Who]

True Blood

Mad Men actress Shannon Welles has been cast as "a mysterious old woman who lives in the middle of nowhere." It sounds like Bill will be shacking up at her place following his abduction. [EW]

Dollhouse

We'll be seeing more of Alan Tudyk's Alpha in the "Epitaph Two" finale. [EW]

Being Human

The vampire, werewolf, and ghost flatmates return in January, and here's a new one-sheet. Poor Annie is still stuck in that same outfit. [Den of Geek]

Lost

We will soon find out how Mikhail lost his right eye, but someone whose name is three letters long already knows (Ben?). [EW]

And here are a few more of those casual wear photos. [Lyly Ford]

Fringe

Fringe's second season is going on hiatus early in the new year, but on January 11th, we'll be getting an unaired episode from the first season, titled "Unearthed." [Spoiler TV]

Chuck

Chuck tests out his new powers — and encounters a bar full of spies — in images from the season premiere "Chuck vs. The Pink Slip." [Spoiler TV]

And glittery streamers and beach torches aside, everyone looks very serious in the second episode, "Chuck vs. The Three Worlds." [ChuckTV]

And everyone (including Ellie and Awesome) get fancied up in the season's third episode, "Chuck vs. The Angel de la Muerte." [Spoiler TV]

Syfy president Dave Howe explains to the Hollywood Reporter:

"We've always been keen on vampires and werewolves, and we loved the originality of Being Human, the fact that the fantastical creatures in it are very young, accessible and charming."

They loved the originality of it so much, they decided to remake it.

Syfy has ordered 13 episodes of a remade Being Human, which could appear on screens as early at next fall. Across the pond the original Being Human gears up for its second season this January. Howe promised this won't be a poor recreation of the series, seeing as most Syfy watchers probably have seen the original, but we've been burned before.

I was one of the loudest haters of the American-ized Office before it aired, because British humor and sensibilities don't translate well in the States. But the show hired good writers, invested in the production and found a wonderful cast. It's engaging, even though it lacks that dry British wit that made me fall in love with the original, and despite the lack of Ricky Gervais and the arguable fact that the American version has been around for far too long, it's still funny. (Though I shudder to think of Jim and Pam, "the baby years.") That said, for every successful Americanized show, there are many dismal translations, such as Life on Mars, Coupling, and a host of other terribly translated or poorly copied series.

Being Human is a completely different show from The Office. You can not translate the kind of dark humor that parallels the main characters lives, without the flippant British style that manages to just slip in a turn of phrase here and there. That humor is what makes the whole idea that a ghost, vampire and werewolf all living together in real life believable, the whole casualness of it all.

The writing is woven together so perfectly. Take the shocking weirdness that comes when we see one character's vampire porno, in which one person cannot be recorded because they're a vampire. The vampire porno itself becomes a whole other plot point, which I won't ruin here. But it's a good example of how Being Human blends darkness and humor together so perfectly. I highly doubt we can make these kinds of jokes on the Syfy Channel, with American writers and actors.

You can also bet that any and all edge will get stripped away, in hopes of garnering more viewers, so kiss the amazing sex scenes goodbye, along with violence, blood and realistic humor.

Plus you will never, never, never be able to recreate the chemistry and timing the trio over at Being Human have. It is by far one of the better ensemble casts working today.

In short, this is a disaster. The worst case is, we'll end up with just another CW-esque dramedy show about pretty white kids and their magical issues. To me, this is on a par with an Americanized Doctor Who, — it's not needed, and all but impossible to adapt properly.

How can this be saved? If Syfy decided to spend lots of money on hard working writers and producers that can actually Imagine Greater. Even then, they'd have to attempt at translating the dark humor without throwing in a green screen, adding reality-show components or trying to make it any darker than it already is. Then they have to cast three people who can sell this crazy premise. But they could always take that money and create new material, and just air the original Being Human along with said new series, instead of butchering a great UK show. Because if it ain't broke...

If this makes more people watch the original, then that's one thing this new reboot has going for it. Still I honestly just don't think it can be done. And now with the internet making foreign shows more accessible to the masses, I think there will be a surprising amount of push-back from U.S. fans.

Monday:

Clash of the Gods -
On a realllly slow night, catch up on what made Hades keeper of the Underworld, as well as Greek beliefs in the afterlife. On History Channel at 10 PM.

Movies:
Watch Paul W.S. Anderson's Death Race starring Jason Statham and dream of what the prequel/sequel will be like. On Cinemax at 8:15 PM.

Tuesday:

Nova -
Learn about personal genetic profiles, which could predict your likelihood of certain diseases, and discover a Texas algae farm, where they turn the green stuff into biofuel. On PBS at 9 PM.

Warehouse 13 -
Pete and Myka have to repossess a samurai sword that is about to be given to the President, and they discover an evil version of their Warehouse. There's a rival "collector" competing for their items — maybe we'll finally get a recurring adversary for our duo. That's on Syfy at 9 PM.

The Universe -
A new season of Universe begins with dying stars, stars turning supernova and their effects, and the real threat posed by Earth's nearby stars. Discover a whole new danger, on the History Channel at 9 PM.

Movies:
An earthquake drops a little-league baseball player into Camelot — yes, that Camelot — in A Kid in King Arthur's Court. The best part is keeping your eyes peeled for appearances from Kate Winslet and the newest James Bond, on Disney XD at 5 PM.

Wednesday:

MonsterQuest -
Large tigers, or maybe jaguars, which roam the eastern states, take a bite out of the season finale on the History Channel at 9 PM.

Movies:
Isaac Asimov's stories "inspired" the 2004 Will Smith vehicle I, Robot, but will you be inspired to watch it on FX at 5:30 PM?

Thursday:

CSI: -
On an extremely slow night, CSI is a repeat of an episode that sends the team to Comic Con-esque convention where a TV producer who's planning on remaking a beloved science fiction series is murdered. Watch to make fun of the obvious stereotypes, and keep an eye open for Ronald D. Moore, on CBS at 9 PM.

Movies:
It's scifi movie throwback day on FMC, beginning with 1956's On the Threshold of Space at 10:30 AM and culminating with the attack of live mold from space in 1958 in Space Master X-7 at 8 PM.

Friday:

Eureka -
Allison's baby shower means eco-friendly gifts! Also, drowned scientists are found, where drowning isn't really the most logical explanation. Time to celebrate, on Syfy at 9 PM.

Monk -
Monk faces is up against what may or may not be an alien abduction, when a girl goes missing a and small town has reports of a UFO, on USA at 9 PM.

Movies:
Soothe your apprehensions about the upcoming "next generation" sequel by watching the original Ghostbusters, on AMC at 8 PM.

Saturday:

Being Human -
Mitchell gets sucked into the vampires plot and before he learns a tad bit about what they're really all about, he's recruiting the terminally ill. Meanwhile, George struggles not to tell Nina about his ... time of the month. Annie has had enough of the household poltergeisting and decides to put it to good use, but with mixed results. On BBC America at 9 PM.

Movies:
Syfy continues it's epic run of original movies with Phantom Racer. It's a beautifully fast race car with 550 horsepower, that only runs ... on blood. Yes, I just said blood. Starring Greg Evigan of My Two Dads fame — watch the racer's hood clamp down on people at 9 PM.

Or if possessed cars aren't your thing, Batman Begins is on AMC at 8 PM.

Sunday:

True Blood -
Hell is itching to break out in Bon Temps as Bill, Sookie and Jason return home to town controlled by a very different power. Sam and Andy, meanwhile, have been lured to Merlotte's and are avoiding the bloodthirsty townfolk at all costs. Maryann can't be controlled by a simple glamour (did anyone except Bill really think she could?); Hoyt and Jessica confront Maxine; Sookie reaches out to Tara. Hopefully we'll see the return of fighting Tara and stronger Sam soon, because this maenad is seriously getting on my nerves.

Defying Gravity -
When does stop mean stop forever? The crew decides where their own limits are, way out in space, on ABC at 10 PM.

Movies:
The Showtime series about a girl who turns into a grim reaper and collects souls has a movie wrapping up loose ends: Dead Like Me: Life After Death is on Syfy at 9 PM.

Monday:

Shark Week: Deadly Waters -
Survivorman's Les Stroud takes on the deadliest water in the world. Using historical data, he will test the hotspots of the ocean and try to discover just why these spots are the deadliest on Earth, on the Discovery Channel at 9 PM.

Shark Week: Day of the Shark 2 -
Divers are trapped inside a shark cage after a great white breaks out of it — while a different shark attacks a former Navy Seal, and a bull shark joins a spear-fishing trip in the Bahamas. Without careful attention, your ocean trip can easily turn dangerous, on Discovery at 10 PM.

Movies:
Biker werewolves hunt down a boy who is the missing link between man and their species, and is destined to destroy their kind. Skinwalkers, starring Jason Behr of Roswell, is on TMC at 8:15 PM.

Tuesday:

Warehouse 13 -
Need a Stargate fix? Tune into Warehouse for a guest spot by Joe Flanigan, aka Sheppard — don't worry, his hair is still a scraggly mess. But Shep's not the only newcomer — last week's new cute hacker, Claudia, joins the team...Will the latest additions to the Warehouse churn up some sexual chemistry? Most likely, this is what Flanigan's hair was put on this Earth to do: relive the SGA glory days on Syfy, at 9 PM.

That's Impossible -
Death rays and laser cannons, oh my! Weapons from science fiction movies are examined in this show that discovers just how probable stuff of fiction really is, on History Channel at 10 PM.

Shark Week!: Sharkbite Summer -
Shark attacks from 2001's Summer of the Shark are recounted, using first-hand accounts of what happened and visits to the scene of the attacks. A shark bites "clean through a boy's arm," on the Discovery Channel, at 9 PM.

Movies:
Two San Franciscans (well, kinda, since one is a humanoid) hunt down an extraterrestrial murderer in Alien Nation on FMC at 8 PM.

Wednesday:

Monsters Inside Me -
A parasite nom nom noms on your brains. Zombie parasites! Someone watch and let me know because the last episode of this "if you eat, breath or touch this, it could kill you" show kept me indoors in a sanitized tent for days. Monsters is on Animal Planet at 9 PM. Watch if you dare.

Shark Week! Man vs. Fish -
In the debut of this reality show, extreme fisherman Matt Watson heads to New Zealand to face off with a mako shark ... while aboard a sinking raft, all on Discovery at 10 PM.

Movies:
Three old men discover the healing properties of the pool next door, and the aliens who own it, in Cocoon on FMC at 10 PM.

Thursday:

Shark Week! Shark After Dark -
Aiming to learn more about how sharks behave after the sun sets, a team of divers tracks sharks around the world with the latest technology, to try to learn more about the aggressive animals, on Discovery at 9 PM.

Movies:
A man pops out of a board game and brings with him a stampede of elephants, monkeys driving cop cars and a hairy creature named Robin Williams. Jumanji is on AMC at 8 PM.

Friday:

Eureka -
The town's teenagers have been manipulated into building a strange structure out of electronics and scrap metal, on Syfy at 9 PM.

Movies:
Paleontologist Alan Grant is headed back to the infamous dinosaur island, accompanied with a group of idiots whose main purpose seems to endanger the lives of others, or create interesting plot points. JP3 is on MTV at 10 PM.

Saturday:

Being Human -
Annie meets another ghost, and she learns why she has been stranded here on Earth, and how to move on. Meanwhile, the forever miserable Mitchell continues to wean Lauren off blood, on BBC America at 9 PM.

Movies:
James Cameron's Oscar-winning sequel Aliens about returning to the space colony where it all began 57 years before is on Spike at 8 PM.

Cameron night continues, as we watch John Connor growing up in Terminator 2. Is the "mimetic polyalloy" T-1000 the best Terminator ever? We say yes. T2 is on Bravo at 9 PM.

Sunday:

True Blood -
In Dallas, Sookie's trials take a turn when Eric shows up just before the Fellowship's lockdown. Back home, Sam discovers a gruesome thing in his bar, and there doesn't appear to be anyone leaping to his defense. But more Jessica and Hoyt hook-up time is promised (yay!).

Raging Planet -
This new series premieres with two episodes, beginning with the dissection of tornadoes and their paths of destruction and followed with an episode about lightning, including some cool footage of how it's "born," on the Discovery Channel at 9 PM.

Defying Gravity -
A strange force on the crew's ship Antares begins to have extreme results on the astronauts' biology and personalities. More sexy space dreams, on ABC at 10 PM.

Monday:

Spectacular Spider-Man -
Venom is back, and talkin' like a frat guy. Spidey and Venom will have a bro-off, after Venom totally frames the wall-crawler. Meanwhile, alien spores infect John Jameson. The latest episode is on 7:30 PM on Disney XD.

Torchwood: Children of Earth -
Finally, your chance to watch the miniseries that's gotten rave reviews in the U.K. Tonight, discover a whole new side to Captain Jack Harkness, the slutty blue-eyed rogue who's a friend to both the women and the boys. Meanwhile, one morning, all the children of the world freeze in their tracks, and it's up to the team to figure out why — before the world ends. New Torchwood is on BBC America at 9 PM, and it's preceded by "Inside The Hub," a one-hour special that'll give you a crash course in all things Torchwood. Also, after the episode ends at 10:15, there'll be an extra 15 minutes of behind-the scenes featurettes and interviews.

Movies:
Matthew Vaughn, director of the upcoming Kick-Ass, brings us a not-so-sweet story about a man who finds a fallen star that turns into a beautiful woman (Claire Danes), in Stardust. Unfortunately an old witch, played by Michelle Pfieffer, wants nothing more than to cut said star's heart out for her own use. Plus Robert De Niro like you've never seen him before. The movie airs on TMC at 8 PM.

Tuesday:

Warehouse 13 -
The freak of the week on Warehouse 13 is forcing people to act our their subconscious desires. Meanwhile everyone's favorite crazy uncle, Artie, manages tries to discover the source of those wild power surges. America's attic airs on SyFy at 9 PM.

Better Off Ted -
Veronica is fighting the CEO of another big company (who happens to be her father). I know, we're as shocked as you are — we always assumed beautiful, gorgeous, comedic genius Porita was chemically made, like that bio computer from a few months back. Phil and Lem look for a cure for baldness, and we have to meet Ted's father in the show I now call, "Please get off my TV, title character, you're wasting my Phil and Lem time," on ABC at 9 PM.

Torchwood: Children of Earth -
Part Two begins on BBC America at 9 PM. Trust me you. won't. want. to. miss. it.

Movies:
Robin Williams desecrates our dead Presidents, and Stiller doles out more of that wacky "bup bup boop boop" delivery that was so successful for some reason in the early 00s. But that being said, the tiny living dioramas are delightful. It's like Mannequin, but you don't want to sleep with Teddy Roosevelt. Night at the Museum is on FX at 8:30 PM.

Wednesday:

Monsters Inside Me -
You know why people wear shoes? So they don't get threadworm which travels up your esophagus to reproduce in your lungs and basically hang out in your body for years without being detected, so that's why. Learn to fear the ground on Animal Planet at 9 PM.

Not The Specific One, But The Same Idea

MonsterQuest -
Feral-dog packs that attack humans are investigated on the History Channel at 9 PM.

Torchwood: Children of Earth -
In part three, everything the show's been building up to so far comes to fruition, and we get our first glimpse of the mysterious 456. Plus, Captain Jack has another shocking revelation, one which may change how you view him forever. Part Three begins on BBC America at 9 PM.

Movies:
Jackie Chan's remake of Around the World in 80 Days features a cameo from Arnold Schwarzenegger. Who wouldn't want to miss that? On Disney XD at 5 PM.

Thursday:

Moments of Impact -
Watch teens flee an erupting volcano, and a traffic stop becomes a gunfight — all in super-slow motion, on the Discovery Channel at 9 PM.

Naked Science -
An analysis of NASA's Project Constellation, the government's lofty aspiration to establish a human outpost on the moon by 2020. On National Geographic Channel at 10 PM.

Torchwood: Children of Earth -
If you thought the first three parts were shocking and upsetting, part four ups the ante quite a bit more, with an ending that will leave you screaming at your television set. That's on BBC America at 9 PM.

Movies:

Joss Whedon's masterpiece sendoff for the Pirate Space Western series Firefly airs tonight. Gather up your loyal browncoats and practice swearing in Chinese on the SyFy Channel at 6:30 PM.

Friday:

Eureka -
Carter's love life perks up with the introduction of Dr. Tess Fontana, who's brought in by Allison to re-open Section Five. When something more sinister is opened, Carter and Tess learn the secret behind the objects that move on their own. On SyFy at 9 PM.

Torchwood: Children of Earth -
The world descends into anarchy and the future of the human race is in jeopardy, when Part Five begins on BBC America at 9 PM.

Movies:
Matthew Broderick uses his considerable war games skills to fight Godzilla. He teams up with some people to prevent the radioactive lizard from destroying Manhattan, but who's going to stop Roland Emmerich from desecrating an icon? Find out on FX at 6 PM.

Saturday:

Kings -
The end is here. You may weep openly. Once you dry your tears, though, watch Jack preparing to be crowned — when Silas turns up alive. David sets out to warn him about the plot against him, and the biblical show finishes its run on NBC at 8 PM.

Primeval -
The series finale sends the team back in time to prevent the poisoning at the hands of Helen Cutter of the earliest humans, to stop their evolution. On BBC America at 8 PM.

Being Human -
The U.K. comedy series finally gets its American debut. A werewolf, vampire and a ghost share a flat, and together they learn how to deal with their "special needs" like transmorphing under a full moon or needing to feed on human blood. Make sure to tune in to BBC America at 9 PM, to give this hilarious show a warm American welcome.

Movies:
Goblin sharks attack Malibu, when a tsunami brings them to shore. Oh, and a massive wave cuts lifeguards and construction workers off from what we can now call "the mainland." Malibu Shark Attack is on SyFy at 9 PM.

Stay up late and catch Park Chan Wook's I'm A Cyborg But That's OK, which I sadly missed last week (thanks to everyone who pointed that out). Adorable Young-goon believes that she is a cyborg, and has therefore stopped eating, etc. Now it's up to another slightly demented patient to bring her back to humanity. See the robot/human love on the Sundance Channel at 1:30 AM.

Sunday:

True Blood -
Daphne wants Sam to come out of his monster closet, while our favorite star-crossed pair of lovers (Hoyt and Jessica) play out their unrequited love on the small screen. Bless you for being so ridiculous, True Blood, on HBO at 9 PM.

Dr. Who -
UPDATE: Sorry this sort of disappeared in the morning craze, but it's back. Dr. Who's Planet Of The Dead premieres in America this Sunday on the BBC America at 8 PM. The Doctor in the middle of a desert alien with the bionic woman and they gotta get away before they're victim to the swarm.

Additional reporting by Caitlin Petrakovitz.

Amazing news: Doctor Who's outgoing star and show runner, David Tennant and Russell T Davies, will be on a Comic Con panel this year in San Diego. This is absolutely huge news, and just one more amazing announcement for SDCC. This could very well be the year that the most influential people will visit the overcrowded halls of the convention center. So mark your calendar, the Who panel's on Sunday July 26, at 10 AM.

Tennant's not the only BBC family member making a cameo: Torchwood and Being Human [about a werewolf a vampire and a ghost living together in Bristol] will also have panel time.

But that's not even all! Besides Peter Jackson and James Cameron's appearances at the Con, remember the never-before-seen Dollhouse season finale, "Epitaph One," featuring Felicia Day? It's getting its own special screening. Fingers crossed friend-to-geeks Day will make an appearance. And if you can't make that, then go to the screening of the pilot for the alien reboot V.

And if that wasn't enough, there's the fact that you'll be spared listening to the cast of Heroes explain just what happened this past season. There won't be a Heroes panel there because they couldn't all get together, which sounds about par for this series.

Everything is coming up roses right now for SDCC — July 23 through the 26 is sounding pretty great, and we can't wait.

The series, which literally is about a young werewolf, vampire and ghost all sharing a flat in Bristol together, is like Friends, if the cast mates sometimes murdered people and turned them into bloodsucking immortals and wolf people.

The bumbly little fellow who plays the mild-mannered werewolf, George, is awfully endearing, you should tune in just for him. The ghost is a obnoxious dead lady, but pehaps I would be too if I was stuck wearing the same clothes forever. All in all, its a cute little series (from what I've seen) and if it stays on the "troubles with dating a werewolf" path it will continue that way. Sadly it looks like it's veering off into some strange vampire war that I can't particularly understand, and I'm not sure I care for.

George "Turning" In The Apartment:

Being Human premieres Saturday, July 25, at 9 PM on BBC America.

On February 1, the BBC premieres the new comedy series Being Human. (Get it? Because none of them are.) To be honest, I don't know why it's taken so long to get this show into motion — who doesn't want to see a ghost a vampire and a werewolf try and balance curses, blood hunger pains and dating?

Here are the character bios from the BBC:

Mitchell (Vampire)
Aidan Turner plays the good-looking and laid-back Mitchell who, in contrast to George, has the gift of the gab and an easy confidence with the ladies. But he is also a blood-sucking vampire struggling with going cold-turkey from the blood he craves.

George (Werewolf)
Russell Tovey reprises his role as the lovable George, battling with his double identity as a mild-mannered and geeky hospital porter who for one night a month is transformed into a flesh-hungry, predatory werewolf.

Annie (The Ghost)
Completing the flat-share trio is Annie, played by Lenora Crichlow, a talkative ghost lacking in self-confidence and desperate for company. Annie is still pining after her boyfriend, whom she was due to marry before the fatal accident that left her with her ghostly affliction - and who happens to be the landlord of their flat.

Enjoy this clip, and the BBC is hosting the pilot on their site. I'd like to take this time to say: Thank you, BBC, for making my drunken TV wishes come true.

[BBC via Quiet Earth]