Star Wars: Clone Wars:

Ahsoka calls her teacher, Anakin, "Sky Guy" and is cocky. The Anakin in Clone Wars is like a mix of his son Luke and Han Solo. When Anakin and Ahsoka crash-land on Tattooine, Anakin has a moment of darkness when he remembers his mom. "I was hoping I'd never have to lay eyes on this dustball again," Anakin says. [Newsweek]

The Dark Knight:

It's the last day for Dark Knight spoilers, and we've pretty much already covered every spoiler in the movie already. But in case you want a last bit of spoiler overload, here's a super-insanely detailed rundown of everything that happens in the movie. [That Girl Site]

Terminator Salvation:

A British article refers to Sam Worthington's mysterious character in Terminator 4, Marcus, as a "Decommissioned Terminator." Which sounds like confirmation of the earlier spoiler that Worthington plays a quasi-Terminator who's wrapped in the skin of a guy who was on Death Row. But maybe the article is just mistaken? Also, it mentions that John Connor and Marcus have to travel to the heart of Skynet and uncover the secret behind the extinction of humanity. [ITN]

Lost:

The Lost producers once again said season five of the island castaway show is about the Oceanic Six trying to get back to the island, and how the island is "drawing them back." It will be like The Twin Towers of the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, linking the past and future of the show. [Spoilers Lost]

Also, splitting up the Lost cast (by having some people off the island and some people still there) is interesting, but can only be done for so long, the producers say. (Which implies it might not take Jack and Co. the whole season to get back to the island. That would be interesting, since up till now we've been told the whole season will be the O6 trying to get back there.) And we'll see Jin next season... in some form, says Damon Lindelof. In "human form," adds producer Carlton Cuse. But it's ambiguous enough to make people wonder exactly how we'll see Jin. [Doc Arzt]

Knight Rider:

Are you pumped up for this fall's Knight Rider relaunch after our extra-juicy spoilers yesterday? (By the way, that post now accepts comments. Sorry about the mix-up.) Maybe this will get you that little bit more pumped. Here's KITT showing off his "Turbo Boost". [Knight Rider Online]

Sarah Jane Adventures:

Here are some details of season two of Doctor Who spinoff Sarah Jane Adventures. The first two-parter features Maria and her dad (who then leave), plus a rumored cameo by David Tennant. And episodes three and four feature Spellmans Magical Museum of the Circus, plus that creepy clown from the trailer. Episodes 5 and 6 feature Martin Trueman, a spiritualist or medium, who does a show at the East Acton New Theatre. Episodes 7 and 8 introduce Clyde's family, including his dad, who gets scary blue veins and white eyes. Episodes 9 and 10 are the ones featuring the Sontarans, Miss Wormwood and Sir Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart from Classic Doctor Who. And then episodes 11 and 12 feature the return of the Graske, that mischeivous little guy. [Life, Doctor Who and Combom]

Fringe:

J.J. Abrams' science-conspiracy show Fringe put out a casting call for Hispanic females who are comfortable with being inside a drawer at the morgue for at least 15 seconds. There's also a white female with a "sleek model look" to play someone's personal assistant. [Spoiler TV]

Life On Mars:

More details about how the American version of British head-injury time-travel show Life On Mars will change from its original pilot. First and foremost, the character of Annie will be changing — in order to make it believable that she's an American cop in the 1970s, the writers are going to make her more closely connected to the "Women's Lib" movement. Which sounds like an interesting idea. And the show won't be science fictional, per se. Sam will come up with dozens of theories to explain why he's suddenly stuck back in 1972. [Sci Fi Wire]

Smallville:

Not only does Melissa, the superpowered woman formerly known as Maxima, have her sights set on Clark, but she kisses him as well — in spite of his efforts to resist. [Kryptonsite]

Transformers 2:

The stakes will be higher in Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen, and the bad guys will have a more coherent plan. Plus it'll be more science fictional, and we'll see way more of the giant robots, and less of the humans. (Yes!) Instead of building up to revealing the Transformers halfway through the film like the first movie, the sequel will start right out with some Transformer action, says writer Roberto Orci.

Arcee, the female Transformer who turns into one or three motorcycles, was in an early script draft, but may or may not be in the final movie. But Soundwave is definitely in the second movie, although he may not still turn into a tapedeck. And it's possible we'll spend some time on the Transformer homeworld of Cybertron, but Orci wouldn't say one way or the other. Which would be totally wild and awesome. More details at the link. [Sci Fi Wire]

As Transformers 2 begins, Shia and Megan Fox have been dating for two years, and they're like an old married couple, says Megan Fox. [JoBlo]

The Dark Knight:

Some more Dark Knight spoilers from some guy on a message board: Rachel does die. Harvey/Two-Face gets "closure," including a funeral scene at the end. And we don't really get to see what happens to the Joker at the end, after a SWAT team shows up and the Batman leaves. Does the Joker get arrested? He just sort of disappears from the movie. [ZGeek]

Star Trek:

In the new Star Trek movie, we'll see how Kirk and Spock became "so connected." And Spock will make you cry with his dense, rich performance. [KREN and E! Online]

Star Wars: Clone Wars:

Here are a couple of Clone Wars posters. Nothing much new, except maybe a glimpse of space-shippy action. [IESB]

Fringe:

In the course of solving the case that threatens the life of Olivia's partner John, Olivia discovers there's a whole branch of Homeland Security devoted to investigating the mysterious chain of events known as The Pattern, which call into question the nature of reality. We'll learn more about Olivia's complicated past as she tries to figure out if anybody is behind all these events, or if they're just natural occurrences.

Mad scientist Walter Bishop may have suffered a mental breakdown 20 years ago, as a result of the harm his oddball research was doing. And since then, he's been exposed to extreme therapies that may have damaged his mind further. Meanwhile, his former partner, William, is super-rich and runs a company called Massive Dynamics. William's chief operating officer, Nina Sharp, takes a maternal interest in Olivia and is aware of the Pattern. She may be trying to protect her company from it, or possibly harness it for profit or some other reason. [Newsarama]

Doctor Who:

Rumors for guest spots in the 2009 one-off specials include the Sea Devils, the Judoon, the Master, Winston Churchill, the eighth Doctor, 1980s companion Ace... and Brian Blessed, either playing the barbarian King Yrcanos or a new character. And here's a new trailer for the Sarah Jane Adventures season two, including a (shudder) clown. [Planet Gallifrey]

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles:

The first episode of Sarah Connor Chronicles season two will make huge changes to every character. Sarah Connor will have massive biceps this time. John Connor will have a new love interest, Riley, who shows up in episode 2, and she won't know John's apocalyptic secret. She'll have a bit of a love triangle with John and Cameron. Also, Sarah Connor's war is "grander and more complicated" than she had believed. [Wired and TV Guide]

Smallville:

Remember Warrior Angel, that superhero movie they were filming at the Kent farm on Smallville? We get to see a fundraiser tying in with it in episode three of the new season ("Toxic"), but Green Arrow (Ollie) gets poisoned at the party, and Clark and Chloe are also there. Characters being cast for the episode include Marcos, Angelica, Megan, a guard, a reporter and a cop. And then the following episode will feature Maxima — the name of an alien queen who demanded to marry Superman in the comics — according to a casting call. But then the casting call changed the character's name to "Melissa." Hmm. [Kryptonsite]

The Middleman:

Wendy actually wears the black catsuit you can see her wearing in The Middleman's opening credits, in an upcoming episode. And the Middleman actually goes on a date with Wendy's roommate Lacey, which makes Wendy uncomfortable. We'll learn more about the mystery about Wendy's missing father, and we'll see more of Tyler, the guy who almost got Wendy's job but ended up with three-day amnesia instead. [New York Post]

Additional reporting by Lauren Davis.

You won't have to watch the first three episodes to understand episode four, Abrams promised. The show will have an overall storyline and an "endgame," and there will be arcs. But individual episodes should stand alone. And Abrams will be heavily involved in the show, writing scripts and doing rewrites when necessary, especially where "arc" episodes are involved.

Separately, the show's producers insist they didn't put the pilot episode online on purpose, and the final version will be somewhat different. They also explained why the pilot was shot in Toronto (as Boston), but the series is being shot in New York (as Boston): tax incentives. [THR Feed and 660 News]

The Spirit:

Sand Saref is the "first love of the Spirit's life" who turned to crime, and the Spirit has to bring her down. [IGN]

The Dark Knight:

Honest cop Jim Gordon gets to drive the awesome SWAT car. And at one point, he gives a crime scene to Batman over his own cops and detectives, letting Batman have it to himself for five minutes. At the end of the movie, Batman agrees to "take the fall" for a bunch of deaths, says actor Gary Oldman. (This seems to confirm a spoiler we reported ages ago that Batman takes the blame for Two-Face's killings.) And if there's a third Batman movie, Gordon will have to be hunting Batman publicly, but meeting with him privately. [CHUD]

There's a scene where Batman wants to spy on millions of Gotham City residents by wiretapping their phones. Lucius Fox is horrified by this notion, calling it "too much power for one person." [Delaware Online]

Meanwhile, the HBO "First Look" special has turned up on YouTube:

Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen:

Matthew Marsden plahs Graham, a British Special Forces officer who's attached to Lennox's team and fights the Decepticons at that Chinese factory (the Pennsylvania steel plant where they were shooting.) And he doesn't die in the movie. [IESB]

Watchmen:

Prison scenes in the Watchmen movie include Nite Owl and Silk Spectre II taking on a phalanx of prisoners to bust Rorschach out of prison. But also a convict's arms being sawn off through the bars of Rorschach's cell. Also, the Owl Ship has guns that can fire 2,500 rounds per minute, and swiveling VTOL engines that allow a smooth take-off and landing. [IGN]

Star Wars: Clone Wars:

The Clone Wars animated movie and TV show won't just deal with Anakin Skywalker and his student Ahsoka, because we know what happens to Anakin and we can guess that something will happen to Ahsoka before Revenge Of The Sith. Rather, it follows a bunch of other minor characters. (And Jar Jar Binks may show up.) We'll learn how Yoda became such a bad-ass and what the attack droids and clones were like before they became naughty. [Sci Fi Wire]

Battlestar Galactica:

You'll find out the identity of the final Cylon sooner rather than later when Battlestar Galactica finally returns. [SyFyPortal]

The Prisoner:

In AMC's remake of the 1960s show The Prisoner, the imprisoned spy Number 6 "finds his way back," and we learn what the village is, says actor Hayley Atwell. She plays the "love interest" in the program, a woman who works for a very important corporation. She's not what she seems. She turns up in the Village blind, with a number. Asked whether her character stays blind the whole time, Hayley answered cryptically: "She's in a parallel world, and it's actually a different part of her." Also, the new show will be about post 9/11 security concerns, the same way the original was about the Cold War. [MTV Movies]

Dr. Horrible's Singalong Blog:

Just a reminder that Joss Whedon's Dr. Horrible launches online today! The titular villain vlogs, bungles experiments and studies with a voice coach to perfect his evil cackle. [Wired]

Fringe:

The mad scientist in J.J. Abrams' mad-science show Fringe, Walter Noble, used to work out of a major university and was part of a U.S. Army experimental project called Kelvin Genetics. And then he was institutionalized for nearly 20 years. [Zap2It]

Lost:

In spite of Lance Reddick showing up on Fringe as a regular character (FBI boss Broyles), he'll still have time to show up on the island as Matthew Abaddon next year. [E! Online]

Heroes:

Here's another new Heroes trailer that shows more of the "Villains" plotline, plus a glimpse at Future Claire in all her messed-up glory. [Heroes Spoilers]

Smallville:

As we mentioned, the Justice League will rescue Clark at the start of Smallville season eight, led by Green Arrow. Also, Jimmy will propose to Chloe, and she'll accept. New LuthorCorp CEO Tess will have an assistant, named Kat. Clark will work with a man named Nicolai on a boat in the Arctic, and there'll also be a scientist, guard and researcher in the Arctic at the start of the season. [Superhero Profiles]

Also, this season we'll glimpse how Green Arrow's early rough times are coming back to haunt him. And he'll team up with Clark more than in previous seasons. Clark isn't leaving his hometown for good. [Newsarama]

Eureka:

A main character on Eureka dies this season. Also, the first episode is about a "rogue robot" that's causing trouble. [Spoiler TV]

Additional reporting by Lauren Davis.

According to a recent article by chemtrail activist Carolyn Williams Palit:

Chemtrail activists collect evidence that the chemtrail spray contains not only germs but conductive metals, blood cells, carbon powders, sedatives, nano-particulates, crystalline substances, alumina particulates, barium powders, and a kind of polyethylene-silicon fiber . . . The chemtrail fibers are a kind of infant, “pre-Morgellons” fiber. The Morgellons fibers are more developed, but the fibers are related to the type of nanotechnology that assembles nanowires.

So you're breathing in fibers from secret experiments, and then those fibers are self-assembling in your body and growing out of your skin. Also, Palit, reminds us, scientists have said that nano-fibers can enter your bloodstream and go INTO YOUR BRAIN. I think you know what that means.

Chemtrails and Some of Our Worst Nightmares [via Weazl's Revenge]

According to Horizon Media's annual speculative report on the year's new shows, the three shows showing the most hit potential are Fringe, Jerry Bruckheimer's remake of UK science drama Eleventh Hour and, interestingly enough, ABC's Life On Mars, despite its current creative overhaul.

The series spin-off from February's Knight Rider revival isn't expected to do so well, but NBC can take some small level of comfort from Horizon's bleak prediction that no new show is going to win its timeslot in the all-important 18-34 age demographic. If they're still paying any attention to Horizon, that is: Last year, the report suggested that the big hit show of the year was going to be NBC's Bionic Woman, and we all know how that turned out.

Report: 'Fringe,' 'Eleventh Hour' will lead fall shows [Hollywood Reporter]

The Dark Knight:

Here's another Dark Knight trailer that includes a teeny amount of new footage, including the Joker with a rocket-launcher (I think that's new) and one new Joker-ism: "When the chips are down, these civilized people will eat each other alive." (I think it may have been quoted in articles before, not sure.)

Battlestar Galactica:

The reveal of Battlestar Galactica's final Cylon will feel organic, and he/she won't be some "day player from season one," promises a Sci Fi Channel exec. Meanwhile, here are the first two photos from the BSG prequel Caprica, which turns out to have a 1950s look and feel to it. Look at the outfits lawyer Joseph Adama and ubergeek Daniel Graystone are wearing. And then check out the diner, serving real Caprican and Gemenese food. Just like mama used to make. Also, there are some pics of the Athena Academy, where the Adama and Graystone daughters go to school. [Galactica Sitrep and The 13th Colony]

Also, there are more pics from the filming of that scene featuring President Roslin in what looked like Caprica. She actually walks into the (disgusting) pool and under the specialy added fountain. [Paulman]

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles:

As you may have guessed, Summer Glau's Terminateen survived being blowed up at the end of the first season of Sarah Connor Chronicles. But she won't emerge unscathed, and Sarah, John and uncle Derek have to repair her. Plus there's a car flip, auto mayhem, lots of flames and and crazy stunts, according to TV Guide. Meanwhile the software exec that Shirley Manson plays may be involved in the creation of Skynet. And Uncle Derek starts discovering the pleasures of a pre-apocalyptic world, but he won't have any romance with Sarah. Plus, this season is all about the mission of preventing Judgment Day. And here's a new promo. [Spoiler TV]

Lost:

Jack's dead dad Christian and Penny's dad Charles Widmore will both be back as recurring characters in Lost season five. And there's talk that they may be series regulars in the show's final season. This may be because Widmore wants the island's magical-ish properties to stave off his own impending death, or because the ghostly Christian is clinging to half-life. Jack may have to end up convincing his dad and half-sister Claire to move on. [EW]

The Middleman:

In the Aug. 11 episode of superhero show The Middleman, the one where Kevin Sorbo shows up as a cryogenically frozen sexist 1960s Middleman, star Natalie Morales wears a white bikini. But her character, Wendy, doesn't have any romantic tension with the regular Middleman until at least season five. There will be sex in an upcoming episode, however. [SpoilerTV again]

Kyle XY:

I'm so bummed this teen-superhuman family drama isn't coming back this summer. It's an acquired taste, but actually pretty awesome once you check it out. When season three finally does start, we learn that mad-science group Latnok kidnapped Kyle's girlfriend Amanda, and he has to rescue her and try to shut Latnok down. In the process, Amanda may learn that Kyle's a superhero, and in general his secrets will start unraveling. Kyle may have to give up Amanda and his host family to become the person he needs to be, especially once he learns what Latnok chief Michael Cassidy has planned for him. [SpoilerTV]

Knight Rider:

The supercar show Knight Rider is back this fall after a successful TV movie, and there will be more smart car tricks. KITT's windshield turns into a touchscreen you can interact with while driving 300 miles per hour. We'll learn about Mike Tracer's past as an Iraq War veteran, and meet some new characters including techie Billy Morgan (Paul Campbell from Battlestar Galactica). Instead of ad-hoc calls for help, the gang will be pulling off missions as a team... just like on last year's Bionic Woman remake. [Spoiler TV yet again]

Heroes:

Here are a couple of new Heroes promos which show Mama Petrelli being very sweet to a bound Sylar. And Ali Larter in a sexy Playboy bunny-ish outfit. [Heroes The Series]

Smallville:

Oliver Queen, aka Green Arrow, turns out to have a surprising connection to Tess Mercer, the new CEO of Lex Luthor's company and the absent Lex's devoted acolyte. [Spoilergeeks]

Also, next season will feature a Chloe/Jimmy/Doomsday love triangle, in which the non-serial killer guy will win out in the end. Also, there will be a lot more comedy, as Lois and Clark get into wacky scrapes. Wacky! [EW]

Eureka:

That corporate fixer we mentioned who comes to the town of Eureka, Eva Thorne? Turns out she's there because the belt-tightening Global Dynamics is turning to making household gadgets for profit. She's nicknamed the Fixer and has some secrets about the founding of the super-smart town. Also, as we mentioned, Sheriff Carter's free-spirited sister shows up and is a bad influence on his daughter. There'll also be some three-way drama between the Sheriff, Allison and her ex Nathan Stark. Meanwhile, Carter has a new love interest on the way. Plus there'll be a contest to design the most flea-ridden dog, a drone who acts like a rebellious teen, and a "hapless superhero." [Spoiler TV again]

Stargate:

A few new Stargate Atlantis season five spoilers. The dying clone Dr. Carson Beckett gets thawed out to fight a deadly plague. SG-1's Daniel Jackson teams up with Rodney McKay to solve a mystery, Hardy Boys-style. And the Vegas episode (the hundredth?) finds Lt. Col. John Sheppard in the midst of a CSI-type investigation. [SpoilerTV]

Plus there are a few new pages of leaked script from SGA episode 15, "Remnants." They're pretty much as we described before. Commander Woolsey flirts awkwardly with Vanessa Conrad, a woman who turns out not to exist. (Including mentioning "Yahtzee.") Meanwhile, Sheppard gets tied up in the forest and has a run in with the evil Kolya.

Just when Woolsey starts to doubt himself and wonder if he's under an outside influence, Vanessa explains she's "the manifestation of your subconscious romantic and sexual ideals... You're not crazy. You're really seeing me." Meanwhile, "Kolya" explains to Sheppard that he was just distracting him, and it's the masochistic Sheppard's fault his mind went to the most horrendous situation possible.

They both explain that the race known as the Sekkari foresaw its own extinction tens of thousands of years ago, and launched over 50 genetic and cultural seed-carriers, equipped with subspace communicators. All 50 of them failed, and Conrad's unit malfunctioned after surviving reentry. Since the SGA crew woke the unit up, she's been studying Woolsey to figure out if he can help complete the seed carrier's mission. Now that Woolsey knows the truth, he has a decision to make. [ScribD via SpoilerTV]

Lots of Gross, Cool Pseudo-Science
Though our hero Olivia points out in this scene (above) that she's not dealing with "pseudo-science," but rather "fringe science," I think we're mincing words here. Nobody wanted to name the show Pseudo, so they came up with something edgier. I love this list of "sciences" in an "area called fringe science" that Olivia spouts off as she tells soon-to-be-protagonist Joshua "Dawson's Creek" Jackson all about his mad doctor dad and his experiments. It's pretty much a here's-what's-coming sign for the entire show. So get ready for some invisibility, mutation, astral projection, resurrection, etc. This means hours of amusement for people who understand real science (I couldn't stop laughing when Olivia did a search online for "dissolve + flesh"), as well as a renewed sense of purpose for people who have missed the X-Files' spooky blend of government conspiracy and para-scientific bullshit that basically boiled down to REALLY COOL ALIEN STUFF.

In the pilot episode of Fringe, I can guarantee that you will get to see no fewer than three charmingly improbable pieces of "fringe science," one of which involves somebody taking a giant dose of Ketamine mixed with LSD and lying in a sensory deprivation tank. (Hello, Altered States?)

Add Alias Intelligence Ninja, Then Sift in Some Acid-Fueled Freakery from Lost. Stir.
Inevitably, people are going to compare Fringe to X-Files, and with good reason. But I think it's much closer to being a perfect blend of two previous Abrams projects: Alias and Lost. Olivia is practically a mirror-image of Sydney from Alias — she's got the smart-newbie thing going on, as well as the hot babe in a ponytail look. Though Sydney could be an annoying character, she was likable because she was a total ninja as well as being vulnerable. Like Sydney, Olivia is clearly going to be a smartypants rule-breaker who gets some hot spy-on-spy lovin' when she can manage to overcome her trust issues.

Here's the really good news for people who enjoy Lost's what-the-fuck quality but are sick of mysteries wrapped in enigmas swaddled in conspiracies painted over with secrets. Fringe is seemingly built to be episodic. Yes, there will be an overarching mystery — probably for the whole first season — involving the "pattern" and a Genentech-esque company called Massive Dynamics. There's some kind of conspiracy, a bunch of weird "turn you into a skeleton" experiments, and Olivia and her scooby gang have to figure it out. But each week promises to solve at least one mystery, or at least if the pilot is any indication it will. Hopefully, Abrams has finally found a format where he can give us a lot of standalone episodes without sacrificing those epic, Byzantine plot arcs he loves so much.

Suddenly DHS Is Totally Awesome
Do not expect any form of realism from Fringe whatsoever — not scientifically, and not in terms of how spy shit actually works. In the pilot episode, there are a series of rapid-fire discussions of how the people involved in the "incident" Olivia is investigating are from the CIA, DHS, and the FBI. Plus local police. Olivia is a "liason" of some nebulous description, which basically means that one week she's with DHS and the next she's with the Feds or SD-6 or SHIELD. Most of the pilot, however, focused on DHS, which is probably because most people have no idea what the hell the DHS does, except for maybe wave the USA-Patriot Act around a lot. And indeed, there is some waving of the USA-Patriot Act, which apparently has the power to get you into insane asylums to interview mad scientists.

It's Not Just a Government Conspiracy — It's a Corporate Conspiracy
In the post-government terrorist era, nobody would really believe that the US could muster up enough of a spy conspiracy to satisfy TV fans week after week. So Fringe adds corporate conspiracies on top of its blooming FBI/DHS potential conspiracy. Olivia is investigating a runaway chemical compound that reduces everybody to jelly. Turns out that the elder mad scientist in her scooby gang knows how it works, and he also worked on it with the elusive, Craig Venter-esque zillionaire who runs Massive Dynamics. (A road sign helpfully tells us that Massive Dynamics "does everything," but in the episode they mostly do creepy things with genetics and cool things with bionic arms.) Somehow Massive Dynamics is working with the FBI or maybe some other even more shadowy government agency. But the point is that the conspiracy stretches beyond the spies and into the crazy terrain of Big Science. I can't wait for Fringe to do an episode about some Google-esque company that is injecting evil code into the astral plane.

Bottom Line: The pilot was creepy, cool, and kind of gross. The scooby gang could use some work: Do we really need to have the irritating Frasier-esque banter between rebel scientist son and crusty old mad scientist dad? Also there is an unexpected and wonderful use of sans-serif fonts. Really awesome.

Are we finally ready to admire the scientific process the way we do medical diagnostics or forensics? A key feature of the doctor/lawyer/forensic show is the fetishization of jargon, the obsessive examination of evidence and the attention to process. Are we ever going to see television shows stare deeply into the process of scientific experiments, posing hypotheses, and making discoveries in the same way? (In a present-day setting, I mean — not aboard the Starship Enterprise or a far-future Earth.)

I say a TV show about heroic scientists could be more political than doctor or lawyer shows, much less forensics shows, because of the range of hot-button issues they could tackle. Issues ranging from stem-cell research to climate change promise to be hot-button issues in the presidential campaign. And the focus of these debates is often over whether we believe scientists when they talk about global warming, and whether we trust them not to clone a million babies for unethical research. So it's a good thing if we're seeing more admirable scientists on television.

We may be taking the first baby steps towards the heroic-scientist show with a few new shows coming this fall.

First there's Eleventh Hour, which is a remake of a British show that starred Patrick Stewart. In the American version, Rufus Sewell plays a heroic biophysicist named Jacob Hood, who's on call for the FBI to investigate "scientific crises and oddities." (For a while, it seemed like CBS was changing the name of this show to Elemental, but the network seems to have gone back to the British title.) According to the CBS Eleventh Hour site:

His jurisdiction is absolute and Hood is dogged in his pursuit of those who would abuse and misuse scientific discoveries and breakthroughs for their own gain. His passion and crusade is to protect the substance of science from those with nefarious motives. He is called in at the eleventh hour and he represents the last line of defense.

He's helped by his sexy bodyguard Rachel, who beats up unethical scientists for him.

And then there's Fringe, another show featuring the FBI. In this show, FBI agent Olivia Dunham needs to enlist the aid of a mad scientist, Walter Bishop, who's been institutionalized for years. She learns to trust him after she takes part in one of his weird experiments, involving donning electrodes in her underwear. Judging from what I've heard so far about the pilot, Bishop is unorthodox and maybe a little freaky, but he and his son Peter become Olivia's main helpers. Bishop gets all the best lines in the show's trailer, and all the coolest images involve his electrodes and weird substances.

The final new show featuring a heroic scientist is the ongoing Knight Rider TV series, based on the "backdoor pilot" TV movie that aired last year. Its hero is Mike Trace, who drives the super-intelligent car KITT. But Mike's main helpers are super-scientist Sarah Graiman and her dad Charles, who built the car. Here's how actor Deanna Russo describes Sarah's credentials in an interview:

Sarah is an assistant professor although it's not quite exactly stated what she teaches but it has something to do with nano-technology. She’s also the daughter of Charles Graiman, played by Bruce Davison. And the two of them built the initial algorithms for KITT.

I love that on television, you can be a professor of science, without going into detail about what type of science.

There have been a few present-day shows with heroic scientists in the past — Surface, NBC's one-year wonder about weird sea creatures, comes to mind. The Sci Fi Channel's Eureka has a whole cast of loveable scientists, who sometimes create some genuinely useful inventions in between causing crises and calamities. And CBS still has The Big Bang Theory, a nerd sitcom which includes some likeable scientist characters. But hourlong dramas in which scientists are the main characters or major supporting characters are still pretty rare.

There have been tons of novels about heroic scientists, meanwhile, going back as far as Sinclair Lewis' 1926 novel Arrowsmith, in which a gifted doctor turns to research and develops a new type of anti-bacterial phage. Many "hard science fiction" novels feature a heroic scientist who invents something or solves a presing problem. It's permissible, in written fiction at least, to look up to scientists.

The real question is: Does having a scientist hero mean that TV shows are going to show how science can make the world a better place? Based on a cursory examination of the three new shows, I'm going with "no." At least, not necessarily. Eleventh Hour and Fringe both feature our heroes fighting against evil science. In the Eleventh Hour clip that's already been released, Rufus Sewell discovers human cloning is going on, and calls it an abomination. In Fringe, there's a mysterious science conspiracy that sees the world as its laboratory, and the fringe sciences our heroes investigate include "mind control. Teleportation. Astral projection, invisibility, genetic mutation, reanimation, fertility." Weirdly enough, the only one of these shows where the scientists have developed something unequivocally good is Knight Rider. Who doesn't love a smart car?

It's not surprising that Bad Science, or the misuse of good science, will be the enemy in these new shows. (In the case of Knight Rider, some bad guys want KITT for their own.) In the traditional white-collar drama, the specialist knowledge of the hero is instrumental in putting all the pieces of the universe back where they belong. The specialist restores the status quo.

This is especially true of a doctor-drama like, say, House, where the patients have a mysterious and baroque illness, and the doctor has to puzzle it out. The courtroom drama, meanwhile, usually seems to be half about untangling the truth of a knotty situation, tangled by lies and omissions, and half about solving complicated social dilemmas. And the forensic drama is more straightforwardly about reconstructing the past, often miraculously, thanks to science's ability to turn tiny clues into a coherent story. None of these genres are about changing the world, or creating something wholly new.

So could we eventually have a TV show about a science hero who does leave everything better at the end of an hour than at the beginning? Probably not — the more I ponder the mechanics of an hourlong TV drama, the more I think the best we'll ever get is a noble scientist hero who defends our way of life against scientific abuses — and maybe occasionally invents a slightly useful gadget. But what do you think?

After having been announced last week in the unlikely pages of USA Today, yesterday's release of DC Comics' official solicitations for September means that we can find out a little bit more about the comic book version of JJ Abrams' new Fox SF thriller, Fringe. Admittedly, it is literally just a little bit more, but why shouldn't a comic based on a show about mystery be somewhat mysterious itself?

The solicitation text for the series (released under the same Wildstorm banner as the current Chuck tie-in comic) reads a little something like this:

From J.J. Abrams, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, the team behind the upcoming film Star Trek, Mission: Impossible III and the hit show Alias, comes Fringe, a new TV series that will thrill, terrify and explore the blurring line between science fiction and reality. The mysteries start here, in a special miniseries leading up to the premiere of Fringe on FOX on September 9!

For a miniseries leading up to something happening on September 9th, this has a somewhat unexpected release schedule, with only the first issue hitting stores before that date (The first issue is released August 6th, with the second following all the way later on September 24th). Unlike the usual format for solicitations, there is no mention of who is writing or drawing the series; instead, there's this tease:

Watch for a special announcement on this miniseries' creative team, coming soon!

Don't be surprised if that special announcement comes during this year's San Diego Comic-Con, where the Fringe crew are also expected to be.

Fringe #1 [DC Comics]

Incredible Hulk 2:

The Incredible Hulk sequel (if it happens) will feature Sam Sterns, aka the Leader, as its main villain — to the surprise of nobody, since the first film clearly set Sterns up for that role. [Entertainment Weekly]

Transformers 2:

Just how badly do you want to see what Arcee, Transformers 2's pink motorcycle robot, looks like in her "vehicle mode"? Badly enough to wade through a four-minute music video about Michael Bay and how much he rocks our universe? Well then, this is your lucky day. There's a few seconds of Arcee goodness (around 3:22) in this otherwise paintastic video. [TFW2005]

And hey, here are some incredibly boring set photos, including Sam Witwicky's frat house! [The Faded Silver Screen]

Battlestar Galactica:

The Battlestar Galactica season finale got a sneak preview in L.A. the other night, and someone posted a full recap. Since by the time you read this, you'll be able to watch the whole episode over at SciFi.com (showing hourly from 9 to 4 EST) I'm not going to bother retyping the whole summary, but it's here. [Sci Fi Heaven]

Wanted:

Fox, the character Angelina Jolie plays in Wanted, is unhappy because her father was killed, and she's obsessed with the assassin's code she lives by. Fox doesn't talk much — mostly because Jolie insisted on editing most of her character's dialog out of the script.

Dragonball:

Some new Dragonball photos have cropped up. There's also a leaked script, but apparently it's a fake. [Dragonball Movie Blog]

Fringe:

Here's a behind-the-scenes video for Fringe, J.J. Abrams' new evil-science-conspiracy show, including some new footage from the pilot. [Spoiler Geeks]

The Middleman:

In the fourth Middleman episode, airing June 30, Wendy goes to train with Sensei Ping, a martial arts master. But Ping gets kidnapped by Lucha Libre wrestlers seeking revenge. The Middleman goes looking for Ping — and gets captured too. So it's up to Wendy to rescue them both. [Spoiler TV]

Doctor Who:

The long-secret title of Doctor Who's twelfth episode came out just after our deadline yesterday: It's called "The Stolen Earth." And here's the plot synopsis:

Earth's greatest heroes assemble in a time of dire need, in tonight's penultimate episode in this series of Russell T Davies's Bafta Award-winning time-travelling drama. But can the Doctor's secret army defeat the might of the new Dalek Empire?

With battles on the streets and in the skies, the Doctor and Donna must brave the Shadow Proclamation to find out the truth. However, a fearsome old enemy waits in the shadows...

Fearsome old enemy, presumably = Davros. [BBC, via MTemplar]

In this Saturday's Doctor Who, Donna decides to stay behind by the pool on a resort world, while the Doctor goes off in a shuttle journey to visit a sapphire waterfall. (Donna's hardly in the episode at all.) The shuttle has 10 people on it, but by the end of the episode, there are only 6 left. It's like the inside of a 1970s or 1980s jumbo jet, and an evil entity breaks in and takes over. Someone has to make the ultimate sacrifice. Singer Rafaela Carra appears as the shuttle's "entertainment packae." And someone (Rose?) calls the Doctor's name from a viewscreen, but he doesn't hear. Also, in the following episode, Donna has a "time beetle" on her back. And apparently the founders of the Shadow Proclamation are the Shadow Architects.

And here's a rumored storyline for episode 11, "Turn Left": The Doctor dies fighting the Racnoss (back in the 2006 Christmas special), because Donna isn't there to help him. And the Judoon take over the hospital, killing Martha, because the Doctor's not there. Sarah Jane Smith also dies somehow. The Sontarans nearly kill everybody, and the Torchwood team all die. The Titanic crashes into Earth and causes a nuclear disaster. The Adipose wipe out America because the U.S. is full of fatties. And then the stars start to go out, because it's the end of the universe. And Rose/Bad Wolf comes back. [Doctor Who Forum]

And hey, here are some promo pics from "Turn Left" [Spoiler TV]

Also, the BBC put up a new "FAQ" that actually includes some spoilers. There are "no plans" to bring back the Master. (Really?). The Doctor may have more than 13 lives now that the other Time Lords are gone. You'll see extra areas of the TARDIS (the Doctor's ship) in upcoming episodes. And the Doctor really, really is half-human on his mother's side as the 1996 TV movie established. [BBC]

The Dark Knight:

Here's a new featurette about the Imax filming in The Dark Knight, which includes some new footage of Harvey Dent playing with his psychotic good/evil coin. (A lot of it is stuff you've seen before, but there's a few new bits.) [Comcast via Slashfilm]

Incredible Hulk:

Some early Incredible Hulk reviews are up at Ain't It Cool News, with a few random spoilers. Jokes include Bruce and Betty misusing a Spanish word and (unless I misunderstood) the phrase "You wouldn't like me when I'm hungry!"

The Hulk (voiced by Lou Ferrigno) actually says "Hulk smash!" The Hulk realizes at some point towards the end of the movie that he can control his inner beast and not become totally evil like the Abomination, the film's other big green guy. And yeah, Tony Stark turns up towards the end and says, "We're putting together a team." [Ain't It Cool News]

Fringe:

Here are some pics of Fringe, J.J. Abrams' new weird-science-conspiracy show, that I don't think we've posted before. [Daemon's TV]

Smallville:

Some more casting news for Smallville season eight. Green Arrow/Oliver Queen will be a series regular this time around, and storylines will focus on who he is and where he comes from. And there's more confirmation that Lana will be in six or seven episodes next season. [E! Online]

Doctor Who:

Doctor Who's annual "Doctor-lite" episode, where star David Tennant takes a week off, is actually sounding pretty intriguing this year. Here's the official synopsis: "Donna's entire world collapses, but there's no sign of the Doctor, as Russell T Davies's Bafta Award-winning time-travelling drama continues. Instead, she finds help from a mysterious blonde woman – a traveller from a parallel universe. But, as Donna and Rose Tyler combine forces, are they too late to save the whole of creation from the approaching darkness?" [Spoiler TV]

Spectacular Spider-Man:

The studio sent us some more promo pics from Spectacular Spider-Man, showing how the alien black costume starts taking over Spidey gradually — you can see the costume's pattern change from the traditional webbed background with a smaller white spider to a bigger spider with no webs. And then here's also a better quality pic of Venom.

Chuck:

It looks like Bryce, Chuck's ex-friend who stuck him with the spy directory in his brain, is back in the third episode of the new season. Bryce comes to Chuck, Sarah and Casey, asking for help to get a decrypted microchip from a man named Von Hayes, before the evil Fulcrum can get their hands on it. Bryce and Sarah go undercover at a party thrown by Von Hayes, making Chuck so jealous he almost blows his cover as a waiter at the party. Sarah gets put out of commission, but Chuck brokers a deal for the microchip — but things don't entirely go to plan.

Meanwhile, Buy-Rite has a new manager, Emmett, who's an "efficiency expert" from corporate HQ. And Lester has newfound upper management skills, which he uses to force Morgan to take on an unpleasant task — getting the guys from the SportsJocks store to stop using the home theater room as their personal frat house. But the lead SportsJock disses Anna, and all bets are off. [Chuck TV]

Get Smart:

Here's a new Get Smart trailer, that includes a ton of awesome new footage, including a weird Kim Jong-Il joke. I'm already starting to forget there was ever a movie with "Almighty" in the title.

Transformers 2:

Some guy (who was hanging around at 4:00 AM looking for info) got some details of the Transformers filming: there are some new Transformers, including a red Acura NSX, a grey and black Audi RS6, and an old Chinese ice-cream truck that splits into two Autobots. (Really. An ice-cream truck double-Autobot.) There's a scene where a Hummer in a military convoy gets flipped over, and a firefight ensues. In another scene, Megan Fox and Tyrese get chased up the stairs that run along the steel plant's blast furnace. [Seibertron]

Incredible Hulk:

Another new Incredible Hulk TV spot was airing on the Sci Fi Channel today. Among the bits that I think are new: A very stoned guy describes the Hulk, and maybe coins his name for the first time. Liv Tyler's Betty seems a tad whiny. We get to hear the Abomination talk. And the Hulk does his trademark super-destructive handclap (near the end of the clip.)

Heroes:

What would make you excited about Heroes season three? If you answered, "Ali Larter dressed as a cheap hooker," then you're the show's new target demographic. Someone caught a few seconds of footage of the show's filming, in which she's out on the street in an over-the-top outfit, and then she gets handcuffed by a man in uniform. Which of her personalities is this one, do you think? [Hollywood Bubble]

The Middleman:

Among the monsters that The Middleman and his sidekick Wendy fight are: ancient Chinese terracotta warriors, aliens, succubi and a gorilla. Wendy has a special Middleman uniform she wears to fight crime, but sometimes the call comes when she's lounging around in her leisurewear. (What are you gonna do?) Her friends start to suspect something when they see her toting a gun around. She's not your typical sidekick, and is more of a female Han Solo-type character, says actor Natalie Morales. [Slice Of Scifi]

Doctor Who:

Here's a new clip from this Saturday's Doctor Who episode. I literally found myself shouting at the screen when it ended at the worst possible moment. What do you want to bet we don't actually find out what she whispers to the Doctor on Saturday, if ever? [Ebbyzone]

Smallville:

A ton of new Smallville season eight spoilers have come out. Clark learns about a new superpower, and finds a new love interest halfway through the season, which makes Lois take another look at him. Lois will be in 13 of the season's episodes, and will be "a little catty" with a new female character. (That new villain, Tess, or someone else?) Lana may be back for six or seven episodes, which will wrap up her story arc forever. The Martian Manhunter will only be back for a couple of episodes, and we'll see the Justice League again — with three new members.

Lex won't be back at all, but producers are still hoping Michael Rosenbaum will agree to turn up in the show's final episode, so he can turn out to be the evil mastermind behind everything that's happened. Brainiac will also be back for a couple of episodes.

We'll see Martha Kent again. And Chloe will mention that she's been in touch with someone surprising. And the show will break one of its own rules towards the end of the season. [SpoilerTV]

Also, a new audition scene has turned up for Tess, that new villain who's going to play a major role in season eight. Tess is speaking with Oliver Queen aka Green Arrow, and she says she knew Lex "before," but didn't realize what bad things he'd been up to all these years. Oliver says he's sorry the state declared Lex dead. Tess doesn't believe Ollie, considering what he thought of Lex. But Ollie says he never wanted Lex dead, scumbag though he was.

Tess won't believe that the Lex she knew could be such a bad guy, but Ollie tries to convince her that the "good Lex" didn't really exist. Tess says maybe Oliver doesn't understand what it's like to get to a point where you just give up on yourself. And then she decides that actually, maybe Oliver does understand after all. She winds up asking Ollie to let her hold onto the Lex she knew. [Chocolate 84]

Fringe:

Here are a couple of new TV spots for Fringe, J.J. Abrams' new FBI/mad-science show. [Spoiler Geeks]

It's Variety's Cynthia Littleton who pointed out that anyone looking for a new Mulder and Scully was headed for disappointment:

About five minutes in to the [press] screening, I realized I've done this show a terrible injustice with the loglines I've been using the past few months, and the suggestion that it would be very "X-Files"-ish. It's not. It's right there in the patented Abrams-conspiracy chiller/thriller/action milieu with a wildly intricate plot. It's a good sign that the pilot — penned by Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci and helmed by Alex Graves — does not feel too derivative of "Lost," even as it opens with mayhem on a commercial airline flight bound for Boston's Logan airport.

Casting really is the strongest suit here. The pilot script and story is very compelling. It's not "Lost"-level instantly addicting, but it leaves you very curious about what's gonna happen next week. There's a big twist toward the end of the pilot that I never saw coming. The direction is very fast-paced and not-showy. There's a few stretches that seem over-loaded with action-action-action but I'm guessing that's easily fixed in the editing process... There's a bit of wooden-ness here and there in the dialogue...but again, nothing that probably can't be fixed in post.

Fringe: First impressions [Variety]

So now that we solved the problem about the individual spoiler pages turning up in your RSS feed, we've decided to try this new format for the next week. Let us know how you're liking it. I thought it was a good sign that we had comment threads happening in the individual spoiler posts, which wouldn't show up on the front page as featured comments. Also, this gets around the "videos all start playing at once" problem. But let me know what you think!

Avatar:
Wanted:
The Dark Knight:
Doctor Who:
Lost:
Heroes:
Fringe:
Marvel Secret Invasion:

Transformers 2:

Incredible Hulk:

Battlestar Galactica/Caprica:

Stargate: Atlantis:

Fringe:

Kyle XY:

Doctor Who:

G.I. Joe:

Here are a couple of set pics of Sienna Miller as the Baroness from the filming of G.I. Joe. Note the blood, the huge-ass gun, and the weird personal explosive device. [WENN, via IESB]

Transformers 2:

Apparently for the filming of Transformers 2, they've transformed a Pennsylvania steel mill into a Chinese industrial city, with Blackhawk helicopters and a new concept car and stuff. Here's an early photo. (The top of the building says "Entrance/Exit," which doesn't really make sense as the name of a factory, but okay.) [Transformers Live, via IESB]

The Happening:

Here's a new plot synopsis for M. Night Shyamalan's next movie, The Happening:

It begins with no clear warning. It seems to come out of nowhere. In a matter of minutes, episodes of strange, chilling deaths that defy reason and boggle the mind in their shocking destructiveness, erupt in major American cities. What is causing this sudden, total breakdown of human behavior? Is it some kind of new terrorist attack, an experiment gone wrong, a diabolical toxic weapon, an out-of-control virus? Is it being transmitted by air, by water...how?

[For] Philadelphia high school science teacher Elliot Moore what matters most is finding a way to escape the mysterious and deadly phenomenon. Though he and his wife Alma are in the midst of a marital crisis, they hit the road, first by train, then by car, with Elliot's math teacher friend Julian and his 8 year-old daughter Jess, heading for the Pennsylvania farmlands where they hope they'll be out of reach of the grisly, ever-growing attacks. Yet it soon becomes clear that no one - and nowhere - is safe. This terrifying, invisible killer cannot be outrun. It is only when Elliot begins to discover the true nature of what is lurking out there - and just what has unleashed this force that threatens the future of humanity — that he discovers a sliver of hope that his fragile family might be able to escape what is happening.

Fringe:

Here's a second trailer for J.J. Abrams' FBI/mad science show Fringe, which shows more of that horrible airplane disaster (not to be confused with the pilot for Abrams' Lost.) [01-18-08]

And here's another sneak peek, showing a pretty non-descript rooftop chase:

Lost:

In this week's Lost finale, there will be more casualties. And the island castaways will face one obstacle after another in their quest to get off the island, so it seems like a miracle when the Oceanic Six finally do escape. [Spoilers Lost]

And here's a British trailer for the two-hour finale, which shows some new footage. [Spoiler Geeks]

Doctor Who:

There's a rumor that archeologist River Song (Alex Kingston) in Doctor Who's upcoming library two-parter is actually a Time Lord with ties to the Doctor. So one fan speculates that she could be Romana, the Doctor's long-lost Time Lord companion? [Romanafen]

Another weird rumor about RIver Song: She's someone who's gotten to know a future version of the Doctor very well — so she's from his future, and he's from her past. And she tells him that in the future, they'll get married. [AutumnRae63]

Giant Size Astonishing X-Men:

The final issue of Joss Whedon's X-Men comic comes out next week, and it includes the Avengers, the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man. We wrap up Whedon's "Breakworld" plot, and the metal-skinned Colossus has to make a major decision about the barbarian world's fate. [IGN]

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed:

Here's a summary of the novelization of the forthcoming Star Wars: The Force Unleashed video game, which gives a few more hints as to the game's storyline:

Set in the dark times between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, this stand-alone novel delves deeper into Darth Vader's history, revealing the origins of his secret Apprentice and Vader's ultimate plans for him.

Trained from childhood by Vader himself, the Apprentice is ready for the final test: he must hunt down and destroy the last of Vader's old enemies-the Jedi. Aided by Imperial pilot Juno Eclipse and the droid PROXY, the Apprentice has no qualms obeying his master's commands-until he has a fateful epiphany that will change everything he knows about who he is...and what he is meant to accomplish.

Shedding new light on events in the Star Wars universe, this exciting novel will rev you up for the action-packed video game!

G.I. Joe:

Just Jared has some pics of the filming of G.I. Joe, in which the latex costumes do look sort of ridiculous. There are way more pics at the link. [Just Jared, via Slashfilm]

Lost:

Spoilerslost/Dark UFO posted another batch of their insanely detailed Lost spoilers, this time for next week's season finale. In a nutshell, our flash-forwards pick up where the season three finale left off, with Kate and Jack discussing whether they need to go back to the island. It turns out the "he" who's now dead had approached both Kate and Sayid, telling them they have to go back to the island.

Back on the island in the present, the others including Alpert attack Keamy, along with Kate and Sayid. The people on the freighter realize there's a bomb that will explode if Keamy dies, but Michael sprays some gunk on it to keep it from exploding for a while. And then Ben kills Keamy. Locke convinces Jack that if he gets off the island, he has to lie about the island, to protect the people who remain there.

Ben finds a giant wheel covered in ice which he can turn to move the island in time as well as space. But when he de-ices and turns the wheel, Ben is teleported as well (presumably to the desert, where we saw him wearing a parka.) We see the island and its surrounding islands all shift around. Meanwhile, Lapidus picks up Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Sayid in his helicopter — but the chopper is damaged and can't hold all of them, so Sawyer elects to stay behind. Sawyer and Kate smooch.

When Keamy's bomb goes off, Michael is killed, and Jin is thrown in the water. Jack, Kate and Sayid make it to the freighter and grab Sun and Aaron — but they decide not to go back for Jin, who may still be alive, because Jack says there's no room in the chopper.

And then we're back at the scene from last year's finale, where Jack is looking down at a coffin. Ben approaches and tells Jack they have to take the person in the coffin back to the island, when they go back... and the person in the coffin turns out to be Locke!