Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen:

The packaging for a forthcoming Optimus Prime toy includes a bit of a spoiler for the movie's set-up, although it doesn't explain how the Fallen gets involved:

With the destruction of Megatron, Optimus Prime thought he was finally, after millions of years, at peace. Little did he know that the escape of Starscream would draw dozens of new Decepticons to Earth. The desire that burns brightest in his spark is that the war will soon end. He is determined to see that end come, and so he works with his human comrades and the other Autobots to hunt the Decepticons that have come to Earth, and destroy them, one by one.

[Seibertron]

Thor:

Rumor has it, the movie about the thunder god from another dimension/planet has been revised to include Thor's human alter ego, Dr. Donald Blake. Whether it's a major role or a minor one remains to be seen. [IESB]

Battlestar Galactica:

What's going on with Roslin's eye in this new promo banner? It looks sort of like those Bionic Woman ads with the cyber-eye. [Battlestar Blog]

Dollhouse:

Here's a new behind-the-scenes feature about Joss Whedon's mindwiped puppet-for-hire show. Note: I think the clips of Eliza Dushku and Tahmoh Penikett are from the pilot that won't actually be airing. [The ODI]

Lost:

Apparently, Hurley tells his mom the truth about the island, but she may not believe him. [Doc Arzt]

Here are a new (I think) promo with some spoilery footage:

An anonymous source (who supposedly has the hookup) answered a ton of fans' questions about the first two episodes. With a slight pinch of salt, here ya go:

Among other things, the island is traveling backwards in time, but its time travel is unstable at first, so you will see short snippets of different time periods. And Daniel Faraday is able to do something in the past that affects the future. We see a past Dharma station, but don't see the island pre-Dharma.

The crying baby (from Marvin Candle's video shown at Comic-Con) puts in an appearance. Ana-Lucia appears as a ghost/vision (to Hurley) but not on the island. We don't see Desmond, Penny and their baby all together, at least in the first two episodes. Daniel and his raft make it back to the island, but we don't see the Black Rock arriving on the island (in the first two episodes, anyway) or the Oceanic Six getting back. We see a flashback of Kate on Penny's boat, thinking about Sawyer, but there's no romantic vibe to it.

The following characters don't show up in the first two episodes: the smoke monster, young Ben, Radzinsky, Frank, Cassidy, Danielle, Tom, Christian Shepherd, Nikki, Paulo, any dead characters besides Locke and Ana-Lucia. The opening scene of episode one is shocking only because it's happening on the island.

We don't find out who's behind the "flaming arrow attack," but it's not Rousseau's people, and it's not the Hostiles. It may or may not be the Black Rock crew. Neil Frogurt dies during the flaming arrow attack. Also, "The Hooded Character" writing on a board is Miss Hawking, and she's on the island. [SpoilersLost]

In a slightly more reliable set of spoilers, Empire Magazine visited Oahu and talked to people. Producers say the new season is about what happens if and when the Oceanic Six get back to the island — and time is not what we think it is. "Like, if you took string theory, tied it up in a huge knot, and threw it up in the air," says producer Jack Bender. More concretely, you'll see scenes and have to figure out when they each take place, and how they connect up. Or put it another way, the island is like Narnia, while the real world is like Britain — time runs at different speeds in each place.

The new season is "more than usually complicated," warns actor Michael Emerson. "We are all over the map in a temporal and geographical sense. [Empire via SpoilersLost]

Doctor Who:

Some tidbits about the next special, "Planet Of The Dead." Apparently the Radio Times says, "Dark forces are gathering. The Gate is waiting, and life will never be the same again." And it's the Doctor's maddest adventure yet, with no TARDIS and no companion. You'll watch sparks fly with new character Christina, according to one recent episode commentary, and writer Russell T. Davies joked that new character Malcom will get his own spinoff.

And rumor has it the episode happens on a desert planet where humans are being abducted (and maybe the Doctor gets whisked there sans TARDIS?). And UNIT may be in it, possibly including the return of Colonel Mace and Captain Price. Also, could the Brig turn up? (Rumor or wishful thinking? Your call.) [Planet Gallifrey]

Torchwood:

Here's how John "Captain Jack" Barrowman describes the upcoming mini-series:

The next series is about Torchwood fighting the government rather than just aliens and is a lot darker. Jack has to make a decision no parent - that's a big hint - should have to make.

[People]

Smallville:

Writer Geoff Johns talked to Wizard Magazine about his episode "Legion," in which Clark meets those super-teens from the 30th century, the Legion Of Super Heroes. The teens have come back to see the legendary hero they've read about for so long, but Clark doesn't seem like the guy they've heard so much about. They tell Clark a bit about his future deeds, and help him realize his true significance is that he builds a bridge between Earth and the rest of the universe by being a friendly alien.

The Legion's flight rings are right, and there are tons of little references — like they mention Polar Boy's home planet of Tharr. Johns also stuck in some easter eggs from his Action Comics storyline "Brainiac," like Pa Kent's trunk full of Clark memorabilia, and one line of dialogue which Garth says to Rokk. And we see Clark and the three Legionnaires inside the Kent farmhouse together in act one of the episode. [OSCK]

Kyle XY:

OMG I'm so excited this show is coming back! Here's a clip from season three:

Reaper:

We reported this ages and ages ago, I think. But yes, Batman is coming to Reaper. Or rather, Armie Hammer, who was supposed to play Batman in the abortive Justice League movie, is showing up. TV Guide has the deets:

After battling a demon rebellion, seeing his father buried alive and learning that the Devil (Ray Wise) might be his real dad, our slacker hero might find it increasingly difficult to look on the bright side this season. "It's him dealing with, 'What if I really am the son of the Devil?' and 'Can I get anything out of that?'" says executive producer Michelle Fazekas. "The answer is no - no benefits. He is not going to make anything easier for you." On a brighter note: Sam's mortal dad isn't gone for good. "Dad will end up playing a big role in trying to help Sam."

Complicating the situation is the arrival of the Devil's suave, crooked son, Morgan (Armie Hammer). "Morgan is sort of jealous of Sam," Fazekas says. "It's really about two brothers competing for their dad's attenton." But is Sam really a part of this unholy family? "We'll have an answer by the end of the season," exec producer Tara Butters promises. And with only 13 episodes on the docket, fans won't have to wait until Hell freezes over.

[Reapersite]

EW.com spills that the first character will be:

Caesar, a dangerous, physical and extremely intelligent male between the ages of 35 and 45. Although his intentions are unclear, this much is certain: He's as skillful at charming people as he is at killing them. He also has a dark past, but, c'mon, that much was a given.

The second addition is:

Ilanna, a European female in her late 20s to early 30s who possesses great intelligence, but who's also dangerous as all get out. She's alluring and apparently used to getting her own way.

Ah, the island of confusing and dark pasts. If this place really existed, how uncomfortable would the dinners be? Almost everyone has killed someone or done terrible things in his/her past. What do they talk about all day: knifing people, manipulating the masses? Remember that time I tried to shoot you but the gun didn't work? Fun times. [EW]

The script pages are "casting sides," which means they're script pages sent out to casting agencies to be used in auditions. But they appear to be actual pages from Joss' script for the new Dollhouse pilot. It replaces the original pilot, which will become the show's second episode instead. It does a good job of introducing the show's concept, which is that Echo has had her personality erased, and now she can be imprinted with any personality, including any skills, her clients require.

We see Echo embody two people in the new pilot. At the start of the episode, she's the dream date of a guy named Dave, who's kind of a nerdy hipster with rich friends. It's his birthday weekend, and she spends the whole weekend with him. (There are supposed to be "no strings attached," but that rule gets thrown out along with the "no ropes" rule.) Echo lets Dave beat her in a motorcycle race to a party where a bunch of his friends are, and then everybody watches Dave and Echo flirt and dance. Dave gives her a classy little gold heart pendant, and she's really touched. She tells him he's a great guy, and he says he almost believes it, coming from her. Then Dave realizes that Echo's time is almost up, but she says the night is still young. And then her face gets a blank expression and she walks out of the room, like a robot. Dave watches her go, and then a friend asks where she went. He explains that it was time for her carriage to turn into a pumpkin, or words to that effect.

But that's not the creepy part — the rest of the episode supplies that. After she's finished being Dave's ideal dancing kinky-sex-loving woman, Echo gets reprogrammed to be an expert on saving kidnapped little girls from kidnappers. She's Ellie Penn, who has a million degrees in hostage negotiation and years of experience handling difficult situations. She rattles off a huge list of (fake) qualifications to rescue little girls — but we quickly realize that Ellie, Echo's fake personality, has a more personal reason for knowing all about child-molesters who kidnap little kids. Even though she keeps control over the situation at all times, we see her struggling with her (fake) childhood abuse trauma and at one point a single tear rolls down her cheek. It's actually quite disconcerting to see Echo go from sex kitten to survivor of child sexual abuse — and I think that's the effect Joss Whedon is going for. But will anybody go for it?

Echo's child-kidnapping-expert persona is needed because a wealthy Latino businesssman, Gabriel Cristejo, has had his daughter Davina kidnapped by an evil guy named Mr. Sunshine. Cristejo is a shady character, because he has a menacing bodyguard named Chui, but also because we're told he can't go to the police about the kidnapping because of his business interests. But we also know he's a caring father, because we see him admonishing his daughter not to watch some crappy reality show in an early scene. She shouldn't melt her brains with that garbage (does Joss have an axe to grind?) but should be a good kid and be rewarded — with knowledge! It's actually a very cute scene.

So the evil Mr. Sunshine kidnaps Davina and demands $5 million. At first Gabriel Cristejo is unwilling to accept Echo's help — I'm guessing he doesn't know she's just a mindwiped pretender — but she wows him with her expertise. And then she takes charge of the negotiations, offering Mr. Sunshine $8 million and forcing him to call her Ms. Penn. She short-circuits his macho crap and tricks some information out of him. At one point, Mr. Sunshine lets Gabriel talk to his daughter, but Echo cuts off the conversation before Davina can try to tell Gabriel anything and endanger herself. Finally, they make the exchange, the money for the girl, and it predictably goes wrong. Some script pages are missing, but it sounds as though Gabriel and Mr. Sunshine both get shot.

At last, Echo shows up at the cabin where the kidnappers are hiding, along with an old man in a Deerskin mask. She knows all about them, including the fact that they're hiding Davina in the refrigerator (with the power off and the shelves removed.) She knows all about the old man, too, because he's the one who kidnapped her and abused her when she was a child. (And yes, this is just another part of her imprinted fake personality.) She confronts him:

ECHO: I know everything. All the girls he kept, till he was through with them, till he got bored or just broke them down... I even know about the one he dumped in the river... before he was sure she was dead.

The old man looks stricken.

ECHO: It's over. You can't hurt me any more.

He pistol whips her, but she turns back, not even feeling the cut on her cheek.

ECHO: (for his ears only). You can't fight a ghost.

This confrontation convinces the other thugs that the old man will turn on them and kill them, so he can have Davina to himself and abuse her the way he did those other girls. They shoot the old man, allowing Echo to rescue Davina. Later, Echo talks to Davina about overcoming the trauma of her horrible experience. Echo says some parts of it, you just have to do on your own, and other parts, you can't do on your own. Davina asks Echo how she copes, and she says she takes it one day at a time, and the hardest part is avoiding alcohol. Because if you can't control your demons yourself, what good are you?

And then we cut from Echo's speech about not drinking to a shot of Echo in a ballgown, drinking champagne at some fancy event, already a totally different person.

The episode also introduces us to Tahmoh Penikett's FBI agent, Paul Ballard, who's asked about his progress in the Dollhouse investigation. The scene is intercut with a scene of Ballard kickboxing some random guy, almost losing but then rallying at the last minute. We learn that Ballard didn't volunteer to investigate the Dollhouse but was assigned to it instead, and he can't be removed from it because powerful people believe the Dollhouse is real and poses a threat. So far, all he's come up with is incomprehensible scientific reports and hearsay. He's assaulted a senator and caused a major diplomatic incident, but his bosses can't touch him because of those aforementioned powerful people.

So all in all, after reading those script pages, I'm more convinced than ever that Dollhouse will be an addictive viewing experience — and that it may just be a little too weird for most viewers. Although I might have said the same about Lost, so you never know. You can read the pages (out of order) here. [Spoiler TV]

Ain't It Cool's source says the Enterprise bridge has a bigger viewscreen than the original series version, and it's closer to the captain's chair and the forward consoles. The Enterprise escorts some freighters towing giant cargo crates at warp speed, and on the bridge, the viewscreen shows a streaky warp effect with some rainbow tinges, not unlike Star Trek: The Motion Picture's warp effect. Everyone on the bridge is in a cadet's uniform except the captain (Pike, I presume), who's in his thirties or forties. So is this a training exercise or something?

And then some bad guys attack, smashing the unshielded freighters and destroying the U.S.S. Yorktown, which is a Constitution class ship. We see the Yorktown with its nacelles and top half of its secondary hull trashed, with smoke coming out. And then a human-looking bad guy appears on the viewscreen.

In the second scene, the captain exchanges verbal jabs with the bad guy, whose ship is pointy with three nacelles. The Enterprise launches a huge photon torpedo, twice the size of the original series versions. And then fires phasers, which are yellowy-orange and makes the bad guy's ship (the Sunfire?) shake. The bad guy fires photon torpedos back, and both ships' shields are flashing electric white, and cadets are being flung everywhere on the Enterprise.

More details on these scenes (which sound cool, if real) at the link. [AIn't It Cool News]

Eckhart told reporters:

To work with Christian (Bale) all over again, and the cast, would be phenomenal. I think this movie is a movie of a lifetime.

So, are there some obstacles to Harvey Dent's big return to the public eye? Sure. There are always obstacles in politics, but a true leader doesn't let a few setbacks stop him.

(And here's the spoilery bit.) Just google the phrase "Harvey Dent faked his death" and you'll see the rampant speculation online. Just because there's been a funeral doesn't mean that Harvey can't bounce back in B3. Trust him — he's got an honest face. [Hollyscoop]

So hmmm... If these pics are real — and they do look real to me, even though Harvey Dent's hand isn't scarred — then I can't wait to hear the dialog in this scene. The Joker traipses in, in his crisp looking white nurse dress, and it looks as though he revels in Harvey Dent's condition. Since the Joker's aim is to turn the forces of law and order into avatars of chaos like himself, he has to be pretty stoked to see Harvey looking all messed up and crazed. It makes me wonder if we'll see more of Two Face in this movie than we originally thought, since this scene looks like it would lead somewhere interesting. Way more pics at the link: [SpoilerTV-Movies]

The Dark Knight:

The Hollywood Reporter review of The Dark Knight explains some plot points. The Hong Kong sequence in the movie isn't just about Batman tracking down the mob's bag-man, Lau. Sal Maroni (Eric Roberts) also takes refuge with a Hong Kong gangster, with Batman on his heels. But when Batman takes the Triad gangster down, Maroni flees back to Gotham and turns to his last hope: the psychopathic Joker. And yes, the Joker's aim is to bring the Batman over to the side of chaos. [Hollywood Reporter]

Plus some new TV spots include even more Joker-isms: "Never start with the head. The victim gets all fuzzy." "I don't want to kill you! What would I do without you?" "I'm a guy of simple taste. I enjoy dynamite, gunpowder, and gasoline!" Plus Bruce Wayne kicking much ass without wearing the mask.

Star Wars: Clone Wars:

Star Wars fansite TheForce.net has posted a complete synopsis for the Clone Wars movie, which opens August 15 and is also the first three episodes of the new animated TV series. Here's a quick summary:

Obi-Wan and Anakin are fighting the droid army on the planet Christophsis, when Yoda sends them a new Padawan: Ahsoka Tano. At first, they think she's Obi-Wan's new student, but it turns out she's Anakin's instead. She tells them to return to the Jedi temple at once, but first they have to take out the droid army. Anakin and Ahsoka smash the droids' shield generator, while Obi-Wan and Captain Rex fight the spider droids of general Whorm Loathsom. (Yes, that's really his name.) Obi-Wan pretends to surrender, but tricks Loathsom and takes him prisoner, just as Anakin and Ahsoka complete their mission.

Then Yoda turns up and tells them Jabba the Hutt's son Rotta has been kidnapped. Anakin and Ahsoka have to travel to the planet Teth to lead the rescue mission, while Obi-Wan meets with Jabba on Tatooine. Jabba tells Obi-Wan he wants his "punky muffin" back. (No, really. Punky muffin.) And Anakin and Ahsoka discover separatist battle-droids behind the muffin's kidnapping. The Jedi duo have to scale a vertical cliff, with AT-TEs, fighting the droids all the way. They head to the dungeon to rescue Rotta, but the evil Asajj Ventress is waiting for them. She tells Count Dooku everything is going according to plan, and then she asks Anakin if he knows he's walking into a trap. He's like, duh, yeah.

In spite of that, they find Rotta, leading to a "comedy scene" involving a wet baby Hutt. But Rotta is ill, and he'll die without urgent help.

Meanwhile, Dooku visits Jabba and shows him footage of Anakin and Ahsoka putting a sobbing, sick baby Hutt into a backpack. The video is edited to make it look as though the Jedi kidnapped the punky muffin in the first place. Dooku offers to get the kid back, in exchange for an alliance with Jabba. But Anakin and Obi-Wan have figured out Dooku's plan, and they decide to get Rotta back to Jabba before he dies on them. Too bad "vulture droids" have destroyed Anakin's ship, and battle droids are attacking.

They flee, but Asajj Ventress blocks their escape, first by pretending to be Captain Rex (?) and then by attacking them. Anakin and Asajj fight, and then R2D2 sends them all falling through a hole in the floor. They fight and fight and fight. Meanwhile, Ahsoka tries to get Rotta out of there, but finds herself facing a rancor... which eventually collapses on top of Asajj after being hit with lightsabers and lasers. Rotta throws up and nearly hits Anakin, hilarity ensues.

Then our heroes almost get away, but the vulture droids destroy their spaceship... again. Finally, Obi-Wan shows up with a Star Destroyer, and the ever-sicker Rotta points to a hidden ship on a mountain top: the Twilight. Anakin grabs a a sort of flying insect thingy and flies down to the others. Asajj attacks again, but has to flee when the landing pad collapses. So our heroes finally get away. Rotta burps. More fighting with battle droids.

Finally, Asajj decides to grab Rotta and return him to Jabba herself, to win him over to the Separatist cause. Obi-Wan shows up, and they fight.

Finally, Anakin and Ahsoka get to the Twilight and take off. But Obi-Wan's Star Destroyer thinks they're another enemy ship, and there's a wacky misunderstanding. And then then the Star Destroyer is damaged when a Separatist fighter crashes into its hangar bay. So they have to fly Rotta home aboard the Twilight.

Asajj contacts Jabba and tells him Rotta is dead, and the Jedi are heading to Tatooine to attack him. Dooku promises to take care of those Jedi for Jabba. When the Twilight arrives at Tatooine, some droids attack. The ship is damaged, and crash lands, so the heroes have to walk to Jabba's castle. Meanwhile, Padmé Amidala meets with Jabba's uncle Ziro and tries to convince him the Jedi are on the level. No luck, but then she spies on him meeting with Dooku. She's hauled off to Jabba's dungeon.

Dooku and Anakin fight, while more droids attack Ahsoka, who's carrying the punky muffin. Anakin steals Dooku's hover-bike and runs off to rescue Ahsoka. Jabba is about to execute Padmé, when clone troopers show up and rescue her. And take Ziro prisoner.

Anakin confronts Jabba and holds his light saber to Jabba's throat. Then Ahsoka runs in with the punky muffin. Jabba's delighted... but still wants the Jedi killed. They fight Jabba's guards, until the captive Uncle Ziro calls and admits he was involved in the kidnapping. Jabba finally agrees to an alliance with the Republic. Anakin and Padmé have a moment. Dooku says curses, etc.

Much, much more insanely detailed spoilers at the link. [TheForce.net]

X-Files: I Want To Believe:

Here's the tracklisting for the soundtrack to the new X-Files sequel, which may reveal some juicy plot twists:
1. Moonrise
2. No Cures/Looking For Fox
3. The Trip to DC
4. Father Joe
5. What If You're Wrong/Sister
6. Ybara The Strange/Waterboard
7. Can't Sleep/Ice Field
8. March and Dig/Girl In The Box
9. A Higher Conscious
10. The Surgery
11. Good Luck
12. Seizure/Attempted Escape
13. Foot Chase
14. Mountain Montage/The Plow
15. Photo Evidence
16. The Preparation
17. Tranquilized
18. The Axe Post
19. Box Them
20. Home Again [Shock Till You Drop]

G.I. Joe:

There may actually be two versions of Destro, the masked villain, in the G.I. Joe movie. David Murray, who was originally slated to play the present-day Destro but had to bail out due to visa issues, will still play Destro's ancestor, who also wore the menacing mask. And Christopher Eccleston, of course, will play the present-day Destro. [IESB]

Dragonball:

Here are some new Dragonball pics that appeared in Japan's Jump SQ magazine. [DBTheMovie]

Heroes:

More hints that serial killer Sylar is turning good on superhero soap opera Heroes. Also, another suggestion that slack-jawed polymath Peter Petrelli may be turning evil — and it looks like he gets a wicked slash across his forehead. [E! Online]

And here are two new promos that show Sylar in restraints and Knox busting out of his cell. Level 5 is the only place that can hold the baddies... until it doesn't any more. Also, Sylar says: "Hello, Claire."

Battlestar Galactica:

Here's a video from the BSG wrap party that supposedly includes some spoilers for the second half of season four. There seems to be some shots of people running around in a field, maybe on Earth. (Or it could be Kobol, from the filming of season two?) I honestly can't make out a word anybody is saying. Can anyone out there lip read? [Galactia Sitrep]

The Galactica TV movie, to be shot this September, will be set during season one, says Aaron Douglas, who's probably going to be in it. [Livejournal via Galactica Sitrep]

Doctor Who:

Is it really a spoiler to say that David Tennant will play the Doctor in the Christmas special and the 2009 specials? Well, he will. [Daily Express]

Stargate:

More details about the direct-to-DVD movie Stargate Continuum, coming out July 29: the SG-1 crew are attending the execution of the last System Lord, Ba'al, but then they're suddenly transported back to Earth in an alternate timeline, without Vala or Teal'c. A fleet of Goa'uld motherships soon shows up, led by none other than Ba'al, Queen Qetesh and First Prime Teal'c. (Vala only shows up at the beginning and end of the DVD, but we see lots of her Goa'uld counterpart Qetesh.)

In this alternate timeline, Ba'al managed to take over the System Lords by promising Teal'c to free the Jaffa. The only System Lord who still resists Ba'al is Apophis, who's killed by having the top of his head sliced off. Some Goa'uld who are dead in the regular timeline turn up, including Ra, Camulus, Lord Hu, Nirrti and Kronos. The late Don Davis turns up as Gen. Hammond. So does Brigadier General Jack O'Neill, but he dies early on. (But then we see Jack's alternate self later.) Some nice moments include a meeting with General Landry, a Daniel calling his alternate self, and some cool shots of the nuclear sub and F-15s. Also, the look on Ba'al's face, going from happy to shocked, when Mitchell shoots him in the head. [TFW 2005 forum]

Stargate Atlantis' new leader, Richard Woolsey, is an abrasive, by-the-book bureaucrat. He has trouble with the city's technology at first, and can barely open the doors. By the second episode, he's already broken protocol five times during his first crisis, and has to recognize that the rulebook doesn't always apply. [Sci Fi Wire]

A minor Stargate Atlantis spoiler: Renegade leader Larrin (Jill Wagner) may return to the Stargate SG-1 spin-off... but not until season six in 2009. [SliceofScifi]

In the third episode of the new season, "Broken Ties," Ronon comes under the spell of the Wraith and the team meet an old adversary in the process of rescuing him. In the fourth episode, "The Daedalus Variations," the team finds a ship's log of a captain of the Daedalus, who abandoned ship. He's not someone the team recognizes, so they investigate. And in "Ghost In The Machine," the Replicators try to take over Atlantis when they find a way to ascend. Weir is with them. [SpoilerTV]

Smallville:

In the first episode of Smallville season eight, we'll see an unshaven Clark, since months have elapsed since the previous episode. Also, in the second episode, we will indeed meet the explosive Quebec separatist Plastique. In this version, she's a 15-year-old street kid, who's injured in an explosion, and then Chloe invites Plastique to move in with her. (Chloe's already out of the stir by this time.) [Kryptonsite]

The 13th. Colony fans noticed that the arrangement of rocks and pools looks awfully similar to Caprica, from the original miniseries. Is this a flashback to life on Caprica? Is that why Laura Roslin is there, still alive and not wearing her presidential-ish clothes? Or have they recreated Caprica on Earth? You can see more pics over at the 13th. Colony page, and decide for yourself. [The 13th. Colony via Underwire]

The Dark Knight:

The Orlando Sentinel posted the first five minutes of The Dark Knight, which director Christopher Nolan showed off a few months ago. The quality isn't that great, but much better than previous postings. Check out that gorgeous swooping shot into the window, right before it explodes afterwards. This sequence, involving the clown-masked baddies robbing a bank, will probably look fantastic in IMAX: The sense of scale makes Gotham City feel more real than it ever has. And I love the Joker's henchmen gossiping about him and mulling over double-crossing him, never realizing he's among them. And how you can tell which guy is the Joker just by his crazy loping gait. [Orlando Sentinel]

Heroes:

Heroes producers Joe Pokaski and Aron Colette spilled more of what's to come on their superhero soap opera. We'll learn who shot flying politician Nathan Petrelli right at the start of the season, but the first episode will actually start off four years in the future — alternating with a few minutes before Nathan is shot. We'll see more of clairvoyant artist Isaac's sketchbook around episodes 9-11, and we'll meet a new artist, with a familiar subject.

Also, since Claire share's Adam's healing abilities, she may also be immortal, like him. When Claire meets her mom again, they'll bond over being superpowered, even as Claire pushes her non-powered stepmom away. We'll see more of the contrast between Claire and Elle the electro girl, with Elle being like Claire's dark side, in season three. And Elle and Claire's uncle Peter will "kinda" meet again. As for Peter, he'll find his near-limitless power starting to corrupt him more.

When Hiro and Adam were in the Company's vault last season, we saw Adam grab a gold key, and there was a wooden horse figurine. The gold key will be super important in Heroes season seven. (If any.) And the wooden horse is full of tiny Greek men. Also, we may see something of the Company's files on the Petrelli family and Matt Parkman.

Claude the invisible guy is still alive, but we won't know for a while whom Claude was hiding from Noah when Noah shot him. Also, we'll learn more about the Haitian's life and character this year.

If there had been a second half to season two, we would have seen Peter try to rescue the plucky Irish barmaid Caitlin from the alternate future she was stranded in — but he'll be too busy in season three dealing with other problems. (Bros before hos, in other words.) In season three, we'll either learn what happened to Peter and Nathan's dad, or more about Linderman's wife. We will see Arthur Petrelli in a flashback by episode eight.

We'll continue to see Suresh trying to come up with technobabble terms for people's powers (which makes it sound like he won't actually die, as some have feared.) [Comic Book Resources

Papa HRG takes Claire to school in a new Heroes promo that just came out. [Heroes Spoilers]

Brea Grant, who plays Hiro's arch-nemesis speedster Joy, says she steals something Hiro needs for his quest. And her character will intersect with other main characters besides Hiro, and might actually do the right thing some of the time — even as some of our heroes will find themselves doing the wrong thing occasionally. Whenever she goes into a room, there's a blast of air blown onto everyone and then suddenly she's standing there. She sticks around at least as far as the sixth episode of the season. [Entertainment Weekly]

Doctor Who:

Here are a few more images from Saturday's Doctor Who season finale. Looking at these pics, I have one question: When Captain Jack meets Davros, is the immortal rogue going to hit on the Daleks' creator? (That would be so great!) [BlogtorWho]

And here's a snippet from the episode's script:
FRANCINE: What are all those numbers?
MARTHA stands, starts hoisting the Indigo Project
MARTHA: Grid reference. Now Jack's explained the base code, I know how this teleport works. I think. But you stay indoors, there's no Daleks on this street, you should be all right, just keep quiet. [Planet Gallifrey]

And here's a super brief clip from the episode, which follows on from the clip we showed earlier, of Sarah Jane, Jackie and Mickey in the clutches of the Daleks. [Spoiler TV]

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles:

We may see more of Jonathan Jackson as Kyle Reese in the Terminator TV show. (He popped up in the future segments of the episode "Dungeons And Dragons.") [TV Guide]

Smallville:

The first two episode titles of Smallville season eight are "Odyssey" and "Plastique." That second title leads people to speculate we'll meet Plastique, a DC Universe villain from the Firestorm and Captain Atom comics. (Didn't she date Captain Atom for a while?) Plastique wore a very skintight costume made out of plastic explosive, which she could trigger at will — but later she gained the less-clunky power of projecting explosive blasts at people. Also, she was a Quebec separatist. Meanwhile, it sounds as though Lex's disappearance leaves a power vacuum in Metropolis, which a ton of new villains rush into. That brings both Oliver and Clark to Metropolis to sort things out. [Babettew54]

Meanwhile, remember how we told you that extraterrestrial powerhouse Doomsday, aka Davis Bloome, was going to be a sexy bartender who flirts with Lois? Apparently he's also a paramedic — or maybe the "bartender" thing was just for his audition scene. He's now being described as a charismatic paramedic who confronts the ominous darkness within himself in his spare time. Everybody needs a hobby, I guess. Also, Tess, the woman who takes care of the missing Lex Luthor's affairs, is actually acting CEO of LuthorCorp. [TVZine]

Also, the theme of this season is "double identities," and we'll see Clark evolving the "Superman" identity as he tries to maintain the semblance of a normal life while fighting baddies. [TV Guide]

Stargate Atlantis:

Stargate: Atlantis will revisit the Weir storyline that was left hanging in in season four's "Be All My Sins Remembered" — but will do it without Torri Higginson, who refused to come back. But that episode will also mark the return of Fran. We'll also be catching up with Jeanie. Also, new female characters in SGA season five include Nicole "Dax" DeBoer as Dr. Alison Porter, and Leela Savasta as Capt. Vega. [TV Squad]

In the fifth new SGA episode, Ronon undergoes a terrible ordeal when his former friend Tyre captures him and delivers him to the Wraith. It's up to Ronon's friends to plan a rescue mission. [Spoiler TV again]

The Dark Knight:

The Dark Knight's "third act" involves multiple tense hostage situations, and it's not just a huge concluding fight scene. [Comic Book Resources]

More Joker-isms from the film: "You can't let me go." "In their last moments, people show you who they really are." The Joker does a deadly and stomach-churning "pencil trick" when he introduces himself to a room full of Gotham mobsters. He induces city-wide evacuations and "social experiments" that involve driving citizens to kill each other. [New York Post]

Watchmen:

It's almost as if director Zack Snyder read our rant about how superhero odyssey Watchmen should be about the history of superhero movies the way the original graphic novel was about comics history. (Although I'm sure he didn't.) In an interview with Collider, he mentions that Ozymandias' costume has nipples on it like the Joel Schumacher Batsuit, and this is part of an effort to acknowledge "where comic book movies are right now," the same way the graphic novel did for comics. Color me intrigued, actually. [Collider via Comic Book Resources]

Star Wars:

In the eagerly awaited Star Wars video game The Force Unleashed, Darth Vader travels to the planet Kashyyyk to track down one of the last surviving Jedi (after Revenge Of The Sith.) That's when you have your first major "boss battle" in the game. And then Vader is about to strike the killing blow, and a small child disarms him using the Force. Vader sees potential in the kid, who becomes his Secret Apprentice, going on missions and hiding from the Imperials as well as the Rebels. In the course of the game, you'll see important events like the birth of the Rebellion. [Comic Book Resources again]

Dr. Horrible's Singalong Blog:

Some more details about Joss Whedon's online serialized musical Dr. Horrible have emerged. Dr. Horrible's real name is Billy, and when we first see him he's practicing his evil laugh in hopes of being taken seriously by the Evil League Of Evil. And he reads snarky emails from his skeptical online following.

He sings, "The world's a mess and I just want to rule it." He works on a freeze ray that will stop time and "stop the pain," as he sings at one point. But really, Billy's heart belongs to Penny, a goody two-shoes whom he meets at the laundromat. But whenever he's around Penny, he's bashful and stammering — and of course she falls for his arch-nemesis Captain Hammer, who's a boorish cad who says things like, "I don't go to the gym. I just naturally look like this."

Buffy The Vampire Slayer producers Marti Noxon and David Fury, who had cameos in the Buffy musical episode, show up as snarky newscasters. [Seattle Post-Intelligencer]

Heroes:

Remember how we said Heroes' Ali Larter would be back, but not as Niki Sanders? Turns out her new personality is named Tracy Strauss. Meanwhile, psychic cop Matt will end up in the desert with a nameless horse and a tortoise. Matt's story is about to get super trippy. [E! Online]

Chuck:

The fifth episode of the new Chuck season starts with a flashback to 1983, and a much younger Jeff winning the Moto Industries Missile Command video game championship, sporting a mullet and mustache, with bikini-wearing babes on each arm. In the present day, a virus is sweeping through Moto Industries' computers. Chuck and Casey go undercover as Nerd Herders to find out what's going on, but in the end it's Sarah's blonde wiles that get the inside scoop. Turns out terrorists have hacked a dormant satellite and want to launch nuclear missiles, causing World War III. The key to stopping the satellite can only be found on the final level of Missile Command. Chuck must beat the game and save the world, but to do that he needs the music of a certain Canadian band. [Chuck TV]

The Middleman:

Spoilers for the awesome new superhero show The Middleman: The Middleman and Wendy's roommate Lacey go on a date in episode seven, and he sneaks milk into the restaurant in a flask. In another episode, someone climbs into the Middle Mobile and presses "autopilot." The possible destinations are the creamery, the duck pond and church. Upcoming villains include a haunted tuba, a boy band that's actually five banished intergalactic dictators, a vampire ventriloquist dummy and a haunted sorority where the Middleman gets possessed by one of the girls. [NY Post]

Stargate: Atlantis:

The 15th episode of the new season of Stargate: Atlantis is called "Remnants," and some alleged details have leaked out: Sheppard finds himself tied up in the middle of the forest, while Woolsey struggles to flirt with a newly arrived attractive female colleague named Vanessa Conrad. Sheppard gets free, but his gun and radio are gone, and he's got unpleasant company, in the form of Mr. Koyla, nearby, who's eager to torment him. Meanwhile, Woolsey can't find any trace of Vanessa, the woman he was crushed out on, and he begins to doubt his own sanity.

It turns out Vanessa Conrad is just a manifestation of Woolsey's romantic and sexual ideals, from an alien "seed carrier" that a civilization that was on the verge of extinction sent out across the galaxy thousands of years ago, to start over. The "seed carrier" lay dormant at the bottom of the ocean for centuries, until Sheppard's jumper woke it up. The vision of Koyla was meant to distract Sheppard, since as a military man he might use force against the seed-carrier's vessel — but any torment Sheppard experienced was of his own making. (Sort of, it's confusing.) Meanwhile, the seed-carrier connected with Woolsey, to study him and maybe enlist his aid. In the end, our heroes have to make a tough decision of some kind. [Notes... Written On Water]

Here's the rumor: Marcus Wright is a man who's executed on death row in 2003. His body is donated to science and collected by Project Angel, a project of the evil cybernetic intelligence Skynet. Marcus is reanimated, but with a Terminator skeleton. His organs are all still there and pumping, but he's now half-Terminator. At the end of the movie, John Connor is killed in battle fighting a T800. Not wanting the hope of humanity to die with Connor's body, the leaders of the resistance rip off Marcus' skin and replace it with Connor's. Now Marcus has Connor's face and body. Gross.

Although Ain't It Cool News proclaims this ending is only an rumor, the plot seems to line up with the past reporting. First the news was leaked that there will be a new Terminator with a endo-skeleton and the fact that Marcus' character was a man whose last memory is of being on death row. So it's very possible that this could be the real ending. It would also give Christian Bale a lot to work with in the last two movies. [Ain't it Cool News]

The movie's extra, writing for Comic Related, has also provided a virtual "tour" of the movie's sets. We've already seen pictures of the Watchmen sets and a video of their building, but the extra took a ton of pictures of the whole block of buildings that were built for exterior shots. You can see quite how run-down and destroyed these buildings look, which adds to the sense of a dystopian New York. There's even a complete map of the sets that were built. I've labeled all the pics, to make it easier to figure out what is what:
These are just a few of the set pics. To view all of the pics, go here and here.

And our intrepid extra also spilled some plot details.

• The supplemental material at the ends of each chapter in the comic will be reproduced as newsreels, either in the opening credits or interspersed throughout the film.
• The scene between Nixon and Kissinger, discussing Dr. Manhattan leaving Earth and the tensions with Russia, has been reproduced using prosthetics to make the actors resemble the real-life figures. They hear about a potential doomsday scenario for the East Coast of the U.S., and Nixon cackles, "Let's see those bastards at Harvard figure a way out of that one." There may actually be a limited nuclear strike.
• We'll see Rorschach's tragic childhood in detail, and Zack Snyder's son plays the young Kovacs. We see the whoring mother, the bullies and the eventual employment in the garment industry where Rorschach finds his mask. We also see Rorschach use his "interrogation methods" in a bar, resulting in broken fingers. And Snyder has "upped the ante" for Rorschach's confrontation with Big Figure (Danny Woodburn): as in the comic, Rorschach binds Big Figure's henchman's arms in the cell door — but in the movie, Figure's other flunky cuts the guy's arms off with a circular saw. Rorschach makes his escape the same way as in the comic, and Big Figure dies off-camera in the restroom.
• Veidt's domed Antarctic retreat appears in the movie, but there's no greenhouse, and he doesn't murder his three accomplices. Nite Owl and Rorschach have to walk to Veidt's retreat from Owl's ship, instead of using hoverbikes. Dr. Manhattan will crash through the ceiling of the retreat, and he'll be 100 feet tall. Veidt catches the bullet Laurie shoots, but doesn't break Nite Owl's nose with a plate. Veidt fights Nite Owl, Rorschach and Laurie at the same time. And Rorschach meets his "explosive demise" at the hands of Dr. Manhattan. (Update: Not Veidt as we erroneously reported before.)
• And finally, the biggest spoiler: "The squid is in." The climax of the graphic novel, where Veidt unleashes his "hideous brainchild" on New York, has been filmed.

Fans have already gone through the video frame by frame, and they think they've spotted the shooter in the baseball hat: Nathan's brother Peter. Has Peter gone over to the dark side? Or was this a concerted plan between the Petrelli brothers? Or is this just an unrelated baseball-hat moment?

BTW, we debated whether it was a "spoiler" to mention that Nathan got shot. But we think the statute of limitations has run out on this one. Feel free to disagree in the comments. [Heroes Spoilers]

Here's a complete list of episode titles and writers for the first half of the season.

Starbuck: The first few episodes of season four are "all about Starbuck," says Jamie Bamber. She believes she's only been gone a few hours, but it's been seven months for everyone else. She's not the same as she was before, and may actually be dead. And not only does she claim to have been to Earth, but she has photos which she took from Earth orbit showing the pattern of the stars — matching the pattern they found in the Temple of Athena. She insists she's not a Cylon, and Ron Moore has pretty much confirmed it. But the President suspects her. It doesn't help her case that her Viper is in pristine condition.

And at one point, Starbuck gets locked up in the brig and has to break out. She may take the president hostage. There are lots of clips of her freaking out and shouting that the fleet is heading the wrong way, and they're going to have to kill her to shut her up. She worries she's been brainwashed or turned into a infiltrator..

At some point, Starbuck gets enough trust back to be put in charge of a Das Boot-esque ship called the Demetrius. She finds out about the prophecy that she's the herald of the apocalypse. Oh, and a leaked call sheet says later in the season, she finds a crashed Viper with her own dead body in it, and she puts fake dog tags on the body and lights it on fire, and Leoben is with her.

(Side note: Bamber mentions in the above clip that even Ron Moore and the other writers had no clue what was going on with Starbuck coming back from the dead, until they started working on season four. What the frak?)

Col. Tigh: We know, from preview footage, that he's incredibly paranoid about being found out as a Cylon — and he's scared that Starbuck knows. He insists in one clip that he's not going to let those bastards program him to go against his principles. But we've also seen preview footage of him pointing a gun at Admiral Adama in the CIC, and one source suggests he may actually shoot the Admiral non-fatally. He gets some scenes with his dead wife Ellen, which may just be dream sequences, and also screams for her in a pool of water. And at one point, the Cylon Six and Ellen sort of blend together. He did not pick this frakking life. Oh, and he's not hearing that frakking song any more. Thank the gods.

Baltar gets his own cult of worshippers. And maybe takes a non-Cylon lover. But even though he becomes a religious leader, he also preaches that the gods don't exist. (See clip.) (Maybe he preaches mono-theism?) And at one point, he gets captured by some fanatics who threaten to slit his throat, so he can give his life so God will save an innocent child. He chooses to give his life to spare the child's, and it gets as far as his throat actually getting cut. At some point, he meets up with the Caprica Six, and somehow he can see the Gaius Baltar that she sees in her head. The two of them even interact.

Anders has similar issues with being a Cylon. And when he's out flying in battle, he runs into a Cylon fighter, which scans him with its "eye" and refuses to attack him in the clip we featured a while back. (And we're guessing he's the hidden Cylon who "jumps ship" in the first few episodes.) Anders tries to come out to Starbuck as a Cylon, sort of, by telling her that he would still love her if she was a Cylon. But she doesn't react in the yay-Cylons the way he was hoping. And this causes a split between the two of them.

President Roslin is Starbuck's biggest doubter, judging from the clips. She seems to be asking Bill Adama at one point whether he's willing to risk his own death just to avoid losing her again. And Lee Adama seems to be accusing her of being power-mad and ruthless in another clip. She questions Cylon Six about the final five, and Six says they're in the fleet. Six can feel they're near. Meanwhile, her cancer comes back, and in episode six, "Faith," she's stuck in a sick bed next to Emily, played by Deep Space Nine's Nana Visitor, who annoys her by listening to all of Baltar's radio broadcasts religiously. But the two bond eventually.

The Cylons decide not to attack the human fleet any more, because the final five Cylons are on board and may not be able to resurrect. This supposedly leads to friction between Six and the other human-looking Cylons.

Six, meanwhile, gets a new incarnation this season, called Natalie, who wants to lead a Cylon revolution. Six opposes Brother Cavill because she decides his treatment of the Cylon raiders is unethical, and encourages the robotic Centurions to kill the other skin jobs. We've featured clips of her leading some of the robotic Centurions into a room full of other skin-jobs. There's a rumor that the Centurions are going to rise up against the human-looking Cylons in episode four, "Escape Velocity," because the skin jobs tried to restrict the Centurions' free will. The "skin jobs" debate what to do about the Centurions, and Brother Cavill says they're tools, not pets. Cavill gets a new love interest, whom he makes out with.

The second episode of the new season is called "Six Of One," and includes the Caprica Six and her mental version of Baltar.

Meanwhile, the Boomer version of Sharon is back in a big way, and does something to shock the other Cylons in one of the clips we've seen. Also, at some point the Cylons un-box the Lucy Lawless Cylon to find out what she knows. But two Cylon models may get wiped out altogether by Six's coup. At the same time, someone (Six?) wants to unite all the Cylon models.

Admiral Adama has a crisis of faith, maybe revolving around Starbuck's return. He's tired of turning away from the things he wants to believe in.

Lee Adama didn't take this job to help someone undermine the president. And he's made a decision that he can't explain, but which he knows he has to do. He does not return to active flight duty this season.

Does Lee Adama's new life path have something to do with the spoiler we reported this morning, that Tom Zarek leaks classified information to "a new colleague" for nefarious purposes?

Romo Lampkin comes back at least once during the first 10 episodes, and again during the last 10. And it sounds like his voice in that one promo clip telling someone they're a beacon of hope, and hope should be extinguished.

Cally is rumored to die in the third episode, "The Ties That Bind," probably by suicide. And the Cylonitude of her husband may be what drives her to it. (And it may not be coincidence that we reported this morning a leak that "someone" finds out the identity of three of the secret Cylons in that same episode.)

Misc.: There are all sorts of rumors about what happens when the fleet finds Earth. It's in ruins. It's in our 22nd century. There will be some kind of snakey plot twist. "Everybody's dying in season four, and I wouldn't be surprised if the ship was blown apart," says Edward James Olmos. There's a rumor the name of the thirteenth colony in the scriptures is "Cylon." Oh, and we totally predicted back in November that the final Cylon wouldn't be one of the big characters. (And that poll's still open!)

There's more than one crystal skull, and EW repeats (but doesn't confirm) the speculation that they're extraterrestrial. Also, the skulls may give you psychic powers. Or just look really great under black light. Meanwhile, Shia may or may not be Indy's son, and Cate interrogates Indy, who gets Stockholm Syndrome. And there may be giant ants.

[JFX Online]

I like shows, like BSG, that move quickly on story lines and then get off them and never return (which was why I hated season one of Sharon and Helo running and running and running... we get it!!!! They're on a planet running... Jesus... get off it now. Or the love 4 some with Apollo Anders Dualla and Starbuck.... Ugh.... move on please....). That honest enough?

There are "rumors from the writers" that Chief Tyrol and Boomer get back together, says Douglas. But he emphatically doesn't want to see those characters get back together, and he doesn't think they need/deserve any resolution. He also says these are the favorite lines he utters in the first half of season four:

• "Daddy's sorry..."
• "Drop your dicks and grab your sticks (although that might not make the edit)"
• "I guess he told them..."

[Lyly Ford]