Tonight

Superhero action-comedy The Middleman is having its most scifi episode to date at 10 PM on ABC Family. This would be a hot contender for the best show on TV during the fall season, but in the summer it's simply unmissable. "A group of peaceful aliens with an addiction to plastic surgery are being hunted down by a homicidal entity. Meanwhile, Ben puts his and Wendy's break-up video on the internet: Wendy is not thrilled." Okay, just take a moment and let that sink in: plastic-surgery-addicted aliens, plus Ben being more of a dick than ever. Equals ruleage. If you don't believe me, here's a new featurette to back me up:

Why is The Middleman banished to 10 PM? Why, so ABC Family can show the all-important Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. Which may actually have some scifi content to it, especially since it features a "mad scientist" named Jonathan Jacobo. Did you know Freddie Prinze Jr. and Sarah Michelle Gellar made a Scooby sequel? I didn't. Wikipedia says Seth Green and Ruben Studdard are in it. And apparently, a direct-to-DVD Scooby 3 is in production. Really?

And at 3 AM, Sci Fi has a new Charlie Jade: "And Not A Drop To Drink." Here's what happens:

Charlie's leads draw him further into the series' dark world, Reena undergoes torture, Jasmine wants to remain free, we get a glimpse of Gammaverse politics, and we finally witness 01 Boxer travelling between worlds.

Movies: AMC has the original Escape From New York at 6 PM, so hurry home from work. Spike is still showing the Star Wars movies. The Sci Fi Channel is showing Lawnmower Man 2 at 3:00 Tuesday morning. I've never seen it, but I bet there's trippy VR sex. But no Pierce Brosnan (sob).

Tuesday

The History Channel has a rerun of The Universe, about stars beyond the Milky Way, at 8 PM. Followed by a new Mega Disasters, about a "deadly jet collision," at 10 PM.

Movies: TCM is showing 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea at 9 AM. HBO has the Simpsons Movie at 8 PM. And TMC has Mission: Impossible III at 2:40 Wednesday morning, written and directed by J.J. Abrams. And at 5:00 AM Wednesday, there's Hold On!, a 1966 British comedy about a rock group who are going to have a spaceship named after them.

Wednesday

The Sci Fi Channel is bringing back a long-canceled show called Scare Tactics, which uses Hollywood special effects to frighten and confuse people. Tonight at 9, a medical assistant thinks she's delivering Satan's baby. Yeah. I know.

There's a new Nova ScienceNOW at 9 PM on PBS, tackling various topics including saving the Hubble Space Telescope, the first primates, and whether we're going to run out of effective antibiotics. Here's a clip:

Or you could watch a new MonsterQuest on the History Channel at 9, all about the "Black Beast of Exmoor." Your call.

Movies: HBO has Galaxy Quest at 2:45, and Encore has the original Stargate at 4:05 PM, just in case you want to bone up on all things Gate-y before Friday's Atlantis premiere.

Thursday

HBO has a half-hour special about the new Batman movie The Dark Knight, at 10:30 PM. Also, we're totally not mentioning that spy show Burn Notice is starting its second season on USA at 10 PM. Even though it does have scifi hero Bruce Campbell in it. And Battlestar Galactica's Tricia Helfer. And there are some pretty scifi-ish MacGyver-y gadgets. Anyway, not mentioning it. Moving on.

Movies: FX has Hellboy at 8 PM and 10 PM. And at midnight, USA is showing The Nutty Professor — the Eddie Murphy version. Isn't that so much better than sleeping? Also, it's not really scifi, but I have to mention Witches of Breastwick 2, another midnight movie, just for the title. Apparently it's about "seductive women." Speaking of seductive, Jeff Goldblum is on fire in The Fly, on Cinemax at three in the morning, and that's followed by Children Of Men at 5:10 AM.

Friday

At 9 PM, the Sci Fi Channel has the best Doctor Who episode of 2008, "Midnight." Without giving away spoilers, it's an episode that looks like it was made for about 50 pence, and it substitutes freakish drama for special effects. I was blown away, as you can see from the link above. Here's the first few minutes:

And then at 10, Stargate Atlantis returns, picking up where it left off last season. Can they rescue Teyla's baby? Also, Robert Picardo from Star Trek: Voyager joins the cast as a regular and immediately starts making everybody's life difficult. We reviewed the first episode a while back, and you can read our write-up here.

Movies: The Disney Channel is showing the live-action Thunderbirds movie, starring America's favorite polygamist Bill Paxton, at 8 PM. And at the same time, the Cartoon Network has Ben 10: Secret Of The Omnitrix.

Saturday

The Cartoon Network has a new Ben 10: Alien Force at 10: the Forever Knights find themselves unable to capture an escaped dragon, so Ben tries to help. Only to feel conflicted when he hears both sides of the story.

Movies: The CW has X-Men at 1 PM. And USA has Jurassic Park at 8.

Sunday

At 11:30 PM, there's a new Venture Bros.: "The Ant Farm, or What Goes Down Must Come Up." And that's about all I can find out about it. It's followed by a new Metalocalpyse at midnight: "Dethdad." Toki hears that his dad is dying, so he journeys to Norway, and the rest of the band comes along to get "album inspiration" and put off actually working on their album.

Here's the first picture of Keanu Reeves as Klaatu in The Day The Earth Stood Still. Oddly enough, he looks just like Keanu Reeves. (Click to enlarge.) [Film1.nl via New Film Dimension]

The Dark Knight:

Today's Joker-isms: "Does it depress you, how alone you really are?" (to Batman I guess) and: "You had plans. Look where that got you." Plus: "This town is mine now." They come from an exclusive Domino's Pizza trailer for The Dark Knight, which I guess you're only supposed to be able to see, on the Domino's site, if you order some really crappy pizza. But look, it's on Youtube:

X-Files: I Want To Believe

Here's a new TV spot for the second X-Files movie, which gives a few snippets of new footage. Including a body in a tank, for just a split second. [Shocktillyoudrop]

Battlestar Galactica:

A few new snippets about the rest of Battlestar Galactica season four from the Battlestar wiki: The next few episodes are rumored to be called "Sometimes A Great Notion," "The Disquiet That Follows My Soul," "The Oath," "Blood On The Scales," "No Exit," and "Someone To Watch Over Me." And Laura Roslin is still alive (or appearing as a ghost) by episode 15, "No Exit," judging from a call sheet.

Also, BSG was just filming some last-minute scenes in and around Kamloops, BC a couple of weeks ago — Kamloops was the setting for the Algae Planet in "The Eye Of Jupiter" and "Rapture." The scenes, believed to be from the series finale, required a lot of extras who were either clean-cut and athletic, or slim with long hair or dreadlocks. [Battlestar Wiki]

Lost:

When castaway drama Lost finally ends, the ending will take place on the island, according to actor Naveen Andrews. [Hellhound's Lair]

Doctor Who:

Some tidbits from British magazine articles: "Casualties mount" in this Saturday's season finale, and prophecies abound that one of the Doctor's companions will die. (Also, doom is "predicted for Donna," says one magazine.) And the Doctor is "effectively out of action" after getting zapped. "Lots of questions will be answered," including questions about the Doctor and Rose, says producer Russell T. Davies. It's the story of "how far you would go to save the people you love, with the greatest loved one of all being the Doctor." [Blogtor Who and Spoiler TV]

And here are a few new pics from Saturday's episode. [Digital Spy]

An "official" press release announces that Robert "Trainspotting" Carlyle will be replace David Tennant as the Doctor in this Saturday's Doctor Who episode. He'll also appear in the Christmas special, but not in the 2009 specials, which will only feature Tennant. And then Carlyle will take over as the Doctor full time in 2010. The press release is supposedly embargoed until July 6, and it contains a couple of spelling errors... so it's probably not real. [Doctor Who Forum]

Oh, and is it significant that in his Doctor Who Confidential interview, it looks like David Tennant is wearing his costume, but has dyed his hair black? Does his regeneration just change his hair color??? [The Zen Room]

Meanwhile, I feel like I want to defend the honor of spoiler-wranglers here. A lot of websites and newspapers are saying that nobody predicted the Doctor would regenerate in last Saturday's episode. In fact, the idea of a "botched regeneration" happening in episode 12 has been floating around on message boards for months now, and morning spoilers mentioned it at least twice. Spoiler pride!

Eleventh Hour:

And here's a new trailer for Eleventh Hour, Jerry Bruckheimer's remake of the British show about a scientist who steps in at the last minute to stop abuses of science from going too far — with his sexy bodyguard at his side. [Spoiler TV again]

The Middleman:

In the July 21 episode of The Middleman, not only does a boy band (Varsity Fanclub) turn out to be a group of exiled intergalactic dictators — their foul-mouthed 14-year-old superfangirl turns out to be an alien warrior sent to prevent their escape from Earth. But then it emerges that if the girl's plan to prevent the boys from returning and wreaking havoc on their homeworlds succeeds, the Middleman's trusty Ida will be destroyed. [Middlefan]

Eureka:

Season three of genius-town comedy Eureka will be lighter than the tense season two, and the ongoing story arcs will be less blatant. The mortality rate in Eureka will remain three times the national average, but you won't see as many characters in hospital beds. You'll see a lot more gadgets and weird experiments, and glimpse more of the secrets of Global Dynamics. And this year's over-arching mystery may be smaller than the "artifact" was.

As the season begins, we'll get resolution on whether Henry will go to prison after being hauled off by the feds in the second season finale, and we'll get back the happy-go-lucky Henry from season one. We'll also get closure on whether Alison will say yes to Stark's marriage proposal, and the love triangle between Stark, Carter and Allison. Alison and Carter will be working together more closely, and they'll be like the town's Mulder and Scully.

The show also will introduce a new character, the Fixer (Frances Fisher), a corporate shark brought in by the government as an outside consultant, to make Global Dynamics more profitable. [Spoiler TV again]

Gotham Knight:

Here's a new featurette about the direct-to-DVD animated anthology Gotham Knight, showing how Batman has become "like Hamlet" due to dealing with his villains. Ohh kay then. But it still looks mighty purty. [Comic Book Resources]

Next Avengers:

Do you care about Next Avengers, the direct-to-DVD movie about the kids of the Marvel Comics' Avengers superteam? If so, there's a new trailer, and the tracklisting for the official soundrack includes some spoilers. It sounds like Ultron creates his own version of the Avengers called the Iron Avengers, and the Next Avengers have to fight them. The Next Avengers also have to wake up the Hulk so he can help them fight Ultron. [Comic Book Movie]

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]

Tonight

As usual, the week's TV highlight is a new episode of superhero show The Middleman, at its new time of 10 PM on ABC Family. This time around, the Middleman's sidekick Wendy is supposed to learn fighting from Sensei Ping, but he's kidnapped by a band of Mexican Wrestlers — who also get their hands on the Middleman himself. If you like fun, then I highly recommend The Middleman — I had high hopes for the series, but it's actually surpassed them, mostly thanks to Natalie Morales' engaging performance and the incredibly high-density clever scripts. But don't take my word for it, here's what Henry Jenkins has to say. He's a professor, after all:

The scripts for the series, not to mention the comics, are full of one laugh out loud one-liner after another, most of them playing on precise and pithy references to popular culture: I haven't seen a script this dense with injokes since early Joss Whedon... The performances consistently live up to the quality of the script: everyone gets a few memorable lines and moments in the spotlight in the opening episode and I can't wait to see where the characters go from here.

And here's a trailer for the new episode:

Also tonight, Spike is showing Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones. The six Star Wars films are appearing almost every night on Spike this week, so if you missed their earlier showings, you can stop panicking and start watching the rise and fall of Anakin.

And at 3 AM (!!) the Sci Fi Channel is showing a new (to Americans) episode of dimension-shifting noir show Charlie Jade. Charlie Jade thinks that 01 Boxer, the dimension-jumping psycho, killed Elliott Krogg, who's become the scapegoat for a bombing that killed a lot of people. Meanwhile, back in Charlie's dystopian home dimension, Jasmin is grappling with the fact that a woman of her social rank is not supposed to be self-sufficient, and she has to decide whether to use sexual favors to survive.

At almost the same time Tuesday morning (3:15), Cinemax is showing My Super Ex-Girlfriend, to get you in the mood for Hancock. Marvel at Hollywood's cluelessness, and maybe get a few chuckles out of an airborne Uma Thurman.

Tuesday

The ever-reliable History Channel is serving up yet another dose of paranoia and mega-science, with a new episode of Mega Disasters at 10 PM. It's about "airborne attack," and it may make you want to wear a breathing mask if you live in the city. Here's the description:

Anthrax is the most feared of all the biological weapons—spores entering the body through the lungs are lethal. In 2001, a simple letter, sent through the US mail, paralyzed a nation, when anthrax spores were found inside. Experts predict that anthrax released over a populated area would result in unprecedented loss of life—a few pounds of anthrax released under the right conditions could kill hundreds of thousands of people. Will anthrax be used to create a worldwide disaster?

There's also a rerun of The Universe, focusing on the moon, at 8 PM.

AMC is showing the Don Knotts space comedy, The Reluctant Astronaut, at 3:45. Here's a giant chunk of that movie:

Wednesday

Tonight it's the battle of the science programs! Two different shows are airing at 9 PM — will you watch the respectable, highbrow science of Nova ScienceNow on PBS? Or a new MonsterQuest on History, focusing on "Super Rats"? Well, let's see... Nova ScienceNow includes segments on personal DNA testing, pulling excess carbon out of the atmosphere, which are sort of hot-button topics right now. On the other hand, MonsterQuest has evidence that rats used to be huge — and these massive, cat-sized rats are making a comeback. And they have an appetite for anything... even human flesh!!

Hmmm... serious science. Or cat-sized people-eating rats. What will it be? Does this sample of Nova ScienceNow help?

Another scheduling smackdown: FX is showing I, Robot (the Will Smith movie) at 5:30, and TMC has Starman, the movie about a widow and an alien on the run, at 6:30. Somehow, I'm not guessing that's much of a dilemma, for anyone who gets TMC.

Thursday

Tonight at 10 PM, there's a new episode of horror anthology series Fear Itself: "Eater," directed by Stuart Gordon. (Director of everything from Robot Jox to Reanimator.) In "Eater," a rookie cop has to watch over a serial killer called the "Eater," but her fellow cops start acting weird and she realizes nobody is whom they seem. (This website says "Eater" already appeared June 5, but the TV listings and IMDB both say it's a new episode as of this Thursday.)

The Sci Fi Channel is showing episodes of the classic Twilight Zone all day today and tomorrow. I wonder if they'll show that one with the twist ending? And the aliens?

We've talked a lot about how much we love C.S.A.: Confederate States of America, the alternate history movie about a world where the South won the Civil War. It's a wicked satire, but also a sharp-edged mirror on our real world, because it shows how different its alternate world isn't in many ways. And now you can check it out for yourself, on IFC at 7:45.

After showing the first two Planet Of The Apes movies a bunch lately, AMC is finally showing a different one, Escape From The Planet Of The Apes. Unfortunately, it's at 5 AM. Get up early and psych yourself up for work with some ape-action.

At 12:10 Friday morning, Encore has 12 Monkeys, Terry Gilliam's weird time-traveling plague movie starring Brad Pitt and Bruce Willis. I'm probably the only person who didn't like this movie — I found it a little too precious, and felt like it was an inferior remake of Gilliam's Brazil. But maybe I'll take this chance to watch it again and see if I was too harsh. And your chance to watch it again and remind yourselves how wrong I am.

And then at 12:30 AM Friday, Cinemax has Alien Sex Files: Aliens Gone Wild. Here's the plot description: "Lusty extraterrestrials explore human sexuality." It doesn't actually mention anal probes at all. Also, the HBO page says the movie features "gorgeous, sex-starved aliens" who cause an "explosion of erotic activity."

And at 3 AM, TCM is showing the 1941 version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. See where the Hulk came from, and brace yourself for some classic 1940s science horror. Or you could just hold out for an hour and watch Mortal Kombat on TNT at 4 AM.

Friday

Tonight at 7 PM, ION Television has Gadgetman, starring Marina Sirtis from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Admit it, you wondered what she'd been up to apart from the Trek movies and occasional Voyager cameos. And just look at this great synopsis: "When a gadget-inventing professor is kidnapped for his latest invention, a wallet computer, his son enlists the help of a detective who is not all she appears to be." Marina probably shows whole new facets of her personality here. Or you could just watch The Fantastic Four and Spider-Man 2, back to back on FX.

Also, the Sci Fi Channel has more Twilight Zone all day today, plus all evening until midnight. Clear lots and lots of space on that TiVo, and then cancel those weekend plans.

Continuing its excursion into the later Apes movies, AMC is showing Battle For The Planet Of The Apes, at 9 AM.

Saturday

At 10:30 AM on Cartoon Network, there's a new Transformers: Animated, the first half of a two-parter called "A Bridge Too Close."

In his plan to take over Cybertron, Megatron captures Bulkhead. The Autobots plan a rescue party and discover that the Blue Racecar is actually an Autobot called Blurr.

And here's a chunk of the episode, complete with a funny Decepticon initiation ceremony:

Also, Encore has the underrated RoboCop 2 at 10:50, followed by Stargate, the movie that launched a huge TV franchise, at 1 PM and 10 PM. And Sci Fi is showing Resident Evil at 5 and Resident Evil: Apocalypse at 7.

Sunday

We'll never get Robert Rodriguez's version of Barbarella, but at least you can watch his movie The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lava Girl today at noon on the Disney Channel, and you can try and picture Rose McGowan in silver lame kinky boots in the middle of all that. Rodriguez collaborated with his kids to create this superhero fantasy, which is supposed to be one of the worst movies ever, but I've never seen it. Maybe it's only really in the bottom 20 percent.

There's another new Venture Bros. tonight at 11:30, called "What Goes Down, Must Come Up," but no other info is available. And then at midnight there's a new Metalocalypse, called "Dethsources." Those are both part of Cartoon Network's Adult Swim lineup.

In the Middleman world, there are plastic surgery addicted aliens, gorillas addicted to mafia movies, and more. But the most random thing Morales has had to do throw down with a fish. "The strangest thing I've had to do as Wendy is punching a fish," Morales explained. "As Natalie it would be getting into a fight with a fish that wasn't actually there." What did this fish do to Morales? Apparently it was part of an illegal energy drink conspiracy where evil creators of an energy drink put a venom that turns you into an undead trout zombie into their drink, along with the antidote. The consumer becomes addicted, so if you don't have more of these drinks you become a trout zombie.

In other Middlmania, Morales explained a bit more on Kevin Sorbo's role in an upcoming episode. "Kevin Sorbo was great on the set," Morales said. "He is awesome he is a Middleman that came before Matt [Kessler] and he's come back to help us out on something. Its a really interesting role and the script is amazing... And the villain is really awesome. The villain in this episode is The Candle and he has a ray gun that can melt a melt a whole city." Besides Sorbo, another new face on set was Todd Statchwik (The Riches) who joins the cast for an episode.

Expect more character development from Wendy Watson, including a new love interest in the very next episode, "You're going to see more character development from Wendy, and loads more layers of her personality." Including a deeper look into Wendy's serious Daddy issues. Morales speculates there may be a big cliff-hanger Poppa reveal in the shows finale (which was a large part of The Middleman comic).

We asked why Wendy sometimes wears glasses and sometimes goes without. Said Morales, "It's kind of a Clark Kent thing. Whenever I'm doing Middleman-type work they are off, but sometimes I take them off when I'm not working."

Natalie Morales gets to deliver most of the show's funniest lines, and she also understands what her role means to other girls out there, "I like the fact that they wanted a Latina for the girl, and that I didn't have to play the stereotypical smoking hot Latina. Wendy is a regular girl, like a lot of my friends." Down with stereotpyical characters and up with the fish beatings. Middleman airs on Mondays at 10 PM, on ABC Family.

WALL-E:

A new interview with WALL-E director Andrew Stanton includes some new spoilers. In the film, humanity has gotten so pampered that people are totally disconnected from each other, using technology all the time and avoiding personal encounters. Says Stanton:

I thought, what if technology got so advanced that everything that makes us have to get up and survive has been figured out—longevity, health, food. So all you're doing is living in a perpetual vacation for all life with not point of living. So I thought that perfectly put humanity in a state where it would only help WALL*E look like he's the only person or the only thing truly living in the universe.

In an earlier draft of the script, humans were just huge see-through non-speaking blobs due to bone-loss, but then Stanton ended up with a "big baby" look instead. [Ain't It Cool News]

And here's a new WALL-E featurette that includes a smidgen of new footage:

The Dark Knight:

Rolling Stone posted an early review of The Dark Knight (it rules) and included a few spoilers. When the movie starts, Bruce Wayne is fed up with being Batman, especially since the public thinks he's a vigilante. He's happy to leave the crime-fighting stuff to District Attorney Harvey Dent, whom he's trying to keep from moving in on his girl, Rachel Dawes. Bruce's butler Alfred harbors a secret that could crush Bruce's spirit. And Lucius Fox finds his own standards being compromised.

The Joker tells Batman: "I don't want to kill you. You complete me." And he means it. The Joker prefers to kill using a knife, so he can savor the moment. And (as you may have seen in the trailers) he says "Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stranger." Another Jokerism: "I choose chaos." The Joker wants Batman to choose chaos as well. (Shades of The Killing Joke, where the Joker tries to drive Jim Gordon as crazy as he is. And in fact, in Dark Knight, the Joker targets Gordon because he's the ultimate good cop.)

And finally, a brutal death is what pushes Harvey Dent over the edge into becoming Two-Face. (Does anybody think this death isn't Rachel's? Who else could it be: Commissioner Loeb?) [Rolling Stone]

Star Wars: Clone Wars:

IGN has a few details about the Star Wars: Clone Wars animated series, which debuts as a movie this August before moving to the Cartoon Network. As you may have gathered, gangster Jabba the Hutt threatens to launch a clan war against the Jedi unless they get his kidnapped son back. Also, Anakin Skywalker's squeeze Padme will show up. Also, it's explained that Asajj Ventress didn't die during her showdown with Anakin in the previous Clone Wars animated series — she was just badly injured. But she got better. The new series includes a tentacled spaceship that "swims" through space. Oh, and the film includes some smoking, according to the ratings board. [IGN]

Transformers 2:

Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen may include a cameo by Beetlejuice, aka Lester Green, a regular on the Howard Stern Show. And comedian Kim Whitley also has a small role. [Ain't It Cool News and IESB]

Doctor Who:

Here's another clip from Saturday's episode of time-travel action comedy Doctor Who, showing what happens when the Dalek fleet aproaches Earth and all the Doctor's old crew start picking up a scary message:

Also, you'll be shocked to hear that ageless rogue Captain Jack hits on Sarah Jane Smith, the Doctor's sexiest ex-companion. Not only that, but they hold hands when they first meet Davros. Aw! Actually, I wonder if there's a moment that acknowledges hat Sarah Jane knew Davros back when he was young and sorta cute. And meanwhile, this season's final two-parter may be Sarah Jane's final meeting with the Doctor, says actor Elisabeth Sladen. [Doctor Who Magazine via Doctor Who Online]

Battlestar Galactica:

Battlestar Galactica producer David Weddle, who co-wrote the midseason finale, seems to think they found Earth, judging from a new interview. Also, there's more talk of Ron Moore's series finale being split into two or even three episodes. The Sci Fi Channel confirms the episode has overrun its time constraints, and they're evaluating different options. [SyFyPortal]

Chuck:

Some more info on a couple of guest-stars that we'd mentioned for Chuck season two. First, remember that storyline about the jocks from the sporting goods store who turn the home theater dept. at Buy More into their own personal lunch/game room, until Morgan has to go confront them? Turns out Super Bowl champion Michael Strahan plays Mitt, the sporting-goods store manager, and he did such a great job he may become a recurring character.

And then there's the former high school classmate of Sarah's who spills some of her secrets. She'll be played by Nicole Ritchie, and she's a "snarky and spiteful girl" who tortured Sarah in high school. According to People Magazine, Sarah "must face her fears when she's forced to attend her high-school reunion" on a mission with Chuck as her date. Nicole will be "diabolically evil and kick some butt." [Chuck TV]

Kyle XY:

Am I the only person who was crushed that superpowered teen show Kyle XY didn't come back for the summer? In any case, season three (which starts in January) picks up right where season two left off, at the prom. (And it's only planned as 10 episodes right now.) [TV Guide]

Stargate Atlantis:

The 100th episode of Stargate: Atlantis may take place in Vegas, as rumored, and may explore "the best of both worlds — or galaxies as the case may be." (Borg reference? We'll see.) [TV Guide again]

The Middleman:

In the July 7 episode of ABC Family's superhero show The Middleman, a rich socialite goes missing, and the Middleman and Wendy investigate the world of plastic-surgery addiction. They discover that someone is hunting a group of exiled aliens whose only vice is a compulsion to get cosmetic surgery. Meanwhile, Wendy's upset that Ben (her sorta boyfriend) posted their breakup video online. And she has to avoid Lacey her roommate, who is channeling her inner therapist. (Finally, an episode about aliens instead of demons!) [Middlefan]

Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen:

Here are some some new set pics from the Transformers sequel, showing Shia LaBeouf as a diligent college boy, fumbling with his books while talking on the phone. And Megan Fox was also around filming scenes at Princeton. [Flynet and JustJared]

There's also a new motorcycle, an Aprilia RS 50, that was spotted near the Princeton shooting location. It has no license plate and was kept in a special location. Could it be important to the film's storyline? Besides Shia and Megan, Ramon and Isabel were also on location. There was a Saturn Astra, which Shia seemed to be driving, including one scene where it gets driven into a pole. Also, there's tons of video of the Saturn Astra tearing down the street, along with the camera Go-Kart. Megan filmed a scene where she gets out of a taxi.

And then there are spoilers/rumors about what happens to tear Shia away from his happy college life in the weird fusion of Princeton and UPenn. Sam touches some kind of Transformers-related object and starts freaking out in class and drawing weird symbols the same way his grandfather did. He gets hauled off to prison or an asylum, and needs to get busted out. There are also references to the return of Megatron. [Transformers Live via Seibertron]

Wall-E:

Here are some new Wall-E images, including one nice spaceship pic and a nice view of the glitzy human habitat. [IGN]

The Avengers:

Marvel is talking about having 2011's Avengers movie star Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, Thor and Ant-Man... or basically, all the heroes who are starring in their own movies, says Iron Man director Jon Favreau. [USA Today]

The Dark Knight:

IGN interviewed Christian Bale right after he filmed a scene where he and Gary Oldman (Jim Gordon) compare notes on the Joker's daring bank heist. Batman throws some money to Gordon, who catches it. Bale says Bruce is "a little older and he's coming to realize that maybe he's not quite as in control as he believed himself to be." And Batman has to question whether he's part of the problem, or part of the solution. And we'll still see more of Bruce's billionaire playboy facade. Along with Bruce's splashy new digs, there's a new Batcave. [IGN]

Four new TV spots for July's Batman movie give a bit more footage of the Jokery being zany. Is it just me, or is Heath Ledger's Joker actually more menacing the less you hear him talk? Although, it actually looks as though he drops Maggie Gyllenhaal off a building in a couple of those trailers — could it be true that she actually dies? [Reel Movie News and Guess Which Movie]

Doctor Who:

In this Saturday's Doctor Who episode, Earth and 26 other planets are snatched away somewhere. The Doctor and Donna arrive in the TARDIS, hovering in bewilderment in the empty space where Earth used to be. Meanwhile, on Earth, everything is mass panic and hysteria, and some of the Doctor's past companions start to band together. Rose, meanwhile, pays a visit to Donna's family, but she does get reunited with the Doctor at some point.

Also, a woman we know very well gets exterminated this week. (My guess: Jackie Tyler.) And we learn where the bees have gone. And finally, there's no K-9 in this episode, which means that spoiler about K-9 going to rescue the Doctor's daughter was definitely fake. [Digital Spy]

And here's a short scene from the episode, courtesy of kids' show Blue Peter. Sarah Jane, Jackie and Mickey are all prisoners aboard the Daleks' Crucible! OMG! [Cathode Ray Tube]

The Middleman:

More details about the July 14 Middleman episode about the zombies who crave trout instead of human flesh. Turns out the trout-craving zombie epidemic is due to an energy drink that has weird side effects. M.M. and W.W. scramble to stop the distribution of the problem drink before it's too late. Meanwhile, Lacey and Noser feel abandoned because Wendy isn't helping them with their annual art crawl exhibition. [Spoiler TV]

Eleventh Hour:

Here are a couple of promo pics of Rufus Sewell and Marley Shelton as the scientist and bodyguard in the Jerry Bruckheimer remake of anti-mad-science thriller Eleventh Hour. [Spoiler TV again]

Chuck:

In Chuck season two, there'll be more of a season-long arc, and less of the episodic hijinks. At the start of the season, something huge happens to shake up the characters, and it sends them on a big mission. By the end of the season, we won't see the characters the same way again. [TV Guide via Spoiler TV]

Knight Rider:

Some new casting calls have come out. Episode one includes a "Euro trash guy" who goes to meet with Kelli, the ex-special forces soldier, and does an exchange with her. (Maybe this has something to do with the guy who has the magic cipher-cracking DNA?) Also, episode two, includes a good-looking "counterculture physicist" in his thirties named Ryan Arrow. I met a counterculture physicist, and it's never a good idea to eat any dark-matter cookies they may offer you. [Spoiler TV]

Thanks to Lauren Davis for research help.

Because one person demanded it, I'm going back to the "days of the week" format for now. I reserve the right to experiment with it again at some point. And since it's the summer doldrums, I may occasionally have Wednesday's entry just be a LOLcat or something.

Monday

Pretty much the only new thing on TV this week — aside from shows that previously aired overseas — is the second episode of The Middleman, ABC Family's show about a straight-edge, milk-drinking superhero who battles the forces of suckitude. And tonight's episode (at 8) features the Terracotta warrior rampage you've heard so much about. And in case you missed the first episode (You fool!) they're showing it again at 7 PM. Here's a shiny clip!

Also tonight at 8, the Disney Channel is showing Minutemen, the original TV movie about a group of kids who develop a time machine and use it to go back and rescue other kids from social disasters. Over time, they realize that they've upset the natural order of the cosmos, because the now-disaster-free nerds are getting too big for their own britches. Oh, and there's a whole in the space-time continuum, yadda yadda. I watched this movie last time it was on, and it's just as dumb as it sounds, but sorta cute in a disturbing way. Here's a trailer:

Right now, as you read this, the Sci Fi Channel is having a daytime marathon of Threshold, the short-lived alien-invasion show from Star Trek's Brannon Braga and starring Brent "Data" Spiner. (It's also produced by Batman Begins scribe David S. Goyer.)

And tonight at 1 AM, TBS is showing Eight-Legged Freaks, the actually quite decent film about spiders terrorizing a small town.

Tuesday

Tonight at 10, the History Channel has the most thrilling-sounding episode of Mega Disasters ever, called "Glow Train Catastrophe." Tell me you wouldn't go see a band with that name, without even knowing what type of music it played. Here's the synopsis:

The U.S. Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission plan to transport 77,000 tons of nuclear waste to a permanent storage facility 950 feet below Nevada's Yucca Mountain. If the plan goes through, much of the cargo will travel through Las Vegas, making an accident there a very disturbing possibility. If history has taught us anything, it's that transporting dangerous goods can sometimes have catastrophic results. Take a look at the potential disaster that such a rail accident would have in Las Vegas.

If Vegas was full of radioactive mutants, would anybody notice?

Sci Fi is continuing its tribute to canceled-too-soon shows by showing a ton of episodes of John Doe, the Fox show about an amnesiac guy who knows the sum total of all human knowledge.

Wednesday

Tonight, PBS has the premiere of a new show, Nova ScienceNOW, which seems to have a sort of "magazine" format. Tonight's episode deals with new findings on dark matter, recovering your lost memories, digital forensics, and the wisdom of crowds. Check your local listings for time. Here's a podcast:

And for those of you who are unemployed, sick or working out of your homes, Encore has a double feature of Bio-Dome and RoboCop, starting at 11 AM. The contrast between the two movies should be... interesting. Meanwhile, AMC is competing by showing The Day The Earth Stood Still, followed by Species, starting at 1:30 PM.

Thursday

FX has The Mask Of Zorro at 5 PM, followed by Batman Begins at 8. Since Zorro was one of Batman's main inspirations, it would be interesting to watch them back to back and see how they present their respective heroes' backstories. Plus, Antonio Banderas and Christian Bale!

Today's daytime Sci Fi marathon covers Stargate: SG-1.

Friday

Tonight is possibly the last time the Sci Fi Channel will show South African/Canadian dimension-hopping show Charlie Jade at a reasonable hour, at 8 PM. We learn more about 01 Boxer, the only person who can jump dimensions without any help, and his mysterious conspiracy. I have to admit one sad thing about these long-canceled foreign programs appearing on Sci Fi (like Odyssey 5 last year) is that you know in advance how many episodes there will be. At least in the case of Jade, apparently, the season ends with a fairly satisfying resolution, although some questions are left dangling.

And then at 9, there's another foreign import, but one which shows no signs of going away — Doctor Who has the second part of its Steven Moffat haunted-library story. After a very cohesive first part, the story sort of scatters in many directions for part two, with Donna's storyline barely intersecting with anyone else's. Here's my writeup of the episode — many, if not most, people seemed to like it a lot better than I did. Here's a big chunk of the episode to get you warmed up:

Also this evening, AMC has Escape From New York at 8 PM and E!TV is showing the Will Smith Hollywood Story at 9. And you can see Smith in action in Men In Black, on TNT at 8.

Also, the Sci Fi Channel is showing a passel of Dark Angel episodes while you're at work.

Saturday

On the Cartoon Network at 10:30, there's a new Transformers: Animated, "Sari, No-one's Home":

When the Autobots are away fighting Blitzwing, Sari must defend the Autobots' home base from the invading Constructicons.

And here's about half the episode, thanks to an overseas airing:

Supergator airs at 7 on the Sci Fi Channel. Sorry, I sort of misled you: it has nothing to do with torts or corporate litigation of any kind. It's purely about a really, really big alligator stalking some people in Hawaii. From some of the same people who brought you Carnosaur, Mansquito, Mastodon and so many other great Sci Fi Channel original films. Here's a clip:

Sunday

Speed Racer: The Next Generation seems to be showing new episodes again on NickToons, even though TV Guide says it's a rerun. I'm pretty sure this episode, "The Fast Track part 2," has never aired before. Strange events at the Redwood Rally startle Speed, and he begins to suspect that someone is tampering with the virtual track. Then Speed and Annelise get trapped on the virtual track together. That's at 9:45 PM.

And there's a new Venture Bros. on the Cartoon Network at 11:30. It's called either "Enter The Bad Seed" or "Dr. Quymn, Medicine Woman," depending on whom you believe. And it's followed, at midnight, by a new Metalocalypse. "Nathan's attempts to date again are ruined by the band."

Transformers 2:

There's a ton of new Transformers 2 spoilers. A description of the movie's video game confirms that now the Transformers will have vehicle, robot or "weapon" modes. And it's pretty definite that Arcee, the girl-robot, will split into three different pink motorcycles when she's in vehicle mode. There's a new character, Leo, who seems to be getting cozy with Mikaela (Megan Fox) — which may indicate that Mikaela and Sam are no longer dating in the second movie. And fans caught the first glimpse at a scale model of Starscream, the Decepticon that's also F-22 Raptor. Here are a couple of pics. [Slashfilm]

Doctor Who:

Those Doctor Who pics we featured the other day, of evil scientist Davros and his red Dalek creation, have now appeared in British tabloid The Sun. Which makes them slightly more official. [Outpost Gallifrey]

There are some new British magazine scans that give some clues about the last few episodes of season four. In "Turn Left," Donna's on an alien planet and she goes to see a fortune teller, who delves into her past. (And according to one interview with writer Russell T. Davies, the fortune-teller "casts a spell" on Donna.) And then suddenly we see Donna in a world where she's never met the Doctor. Instead, she meets Rose, who calls her the "most important woman in creation." There's a "circle of mirrors" that Donna has to go back to, to make everything right.

In the season finale, we may get some closure on that interrupted conversation between the Doctor and Rose in Bad Wolf Bay, from the end of season two. (Where she told him she loved him, and he was conveniently cut off.) Also, Martha Jones' cellphone, still aboard the TARDIS, will be "very important" to the season finale. There's a nice moment that emphasizes how much the different companions mean to the Doctor, and how he needs them in different ways. And here's a nice pic. [Spoiler TV]

Knight Rider:

There's a casting call for the first episode of NBC's smart-car show Knight Rider. The episode will include a bad-ass ex-special forces soldier named Kelli, who hijacks "the package" from Mike and doesn't kill him only because she owes him. (Although he doesn't remember meeting her.) As for "the package," his name is Jay Hunt, a nervous guy whose DNA holds "the cipher that can decipher any code." Really. And then there's Jackson, an ex-military henchman who's willing to do whatever it takes to find Mike. [Spoiler TV]

Meanwhile, Paul Campbell (Billy from Battlestar Galactica) will play the head research technician at Knight Industries. [TV Guide]

The Middleman:

And there's also a casting call for the ninth episode of straight-edge superhero show The Middleman. We meet Guy Doddard aka 69, who's a former Middleman cryogenically frozen in 1969. He's a hard-drinking, smoking sexist whose unfrozen to fight one of his old enemies, whom everyone thought was dead. And then he's unwilling to cede his power to the current Middleman, and may try to trick the gullible Wendy into helping him with some nefarious scheme.

We also meet Derek, who lived near a supervillain named the Candle, who could melt anything at room temperature. When the Candle died, Derek inherited his raygun and was instructed to use it for the good of humanity — but couldn't resist using the gun to rob a jewelry store instead. And then there's Lord Jeremiah Purcell, a foppish British arms dealer who runs an arcane card game that's often played to the death. He welcomes the undercover 69 and Wendy as new players, but turns ugly when he realizes they're hiding something. [Spoiler TV]

Heroes:

In Heroes season three, archvillain Sylar will have a "change of heart" and turn out to be connected to one of the heroes we already know. [Superhiro.org]

Lost:

Captain Gault, the freighter captain who died towards the end of Lost season four, will be back for a few scenes in season five, probably in a flashback. [Lost Room 23]

The Avengers:

Could the Hulk be the villain of the Avengers movie? Incredible Hulk director Louis Leterrier thinks so. Just look at Ed Norton's green-eyed evil grin at the end of the Hulk film — he's someone who could potentially enjoy his mayhem a little too much. [Comics2Film]

Wanted:

Here's a new clip from Wanted that cropped up on Entertainment Weekly, involving Angelina Jolie in a giant train crash. [Entertainment Weekly via Comic Book Resources]

Transformers 2:

Want to know what happens in Transformers 2? Do you not care if what you're reading has any conceivable relationship to the truth? Then check out this allegedly leaked treatment for the Transformers sequel, which is probably a fake. In a nutshell, Sam goes to NYU and gets drawn into the world of street racing. And Megatron gets resurrected thanks to Soundwave's "mystic healing" harmonizing his particles. It turns out that Las Vegas' glittery lights were powered by the Allspark, and there's still enough stored Allspark-energy to power Vegas for generations — but the Decepticons and Starscream are coming to claim Vegas' power source for themselves. There's a massive battle for Las Vegas, and specifically the Luxor casino, which is the gateway to the remaining Allspark energy. The U.S. Army tries to trigger an EMP, but fails, and Vegas is trashed. And Sam's girlfriend Mikaela is killed. The movie ends on a downer note, with our heroes in disarray until the third movie... but Mikaela miraculously comes back to life at the last moment. [Scribd via CobaltSS]

G.I. Joe:

UGO has one of its patented spoiler round-ups for the G.I. Joe movie, and this time there's a fair bit of info we haven't reported, maybe because we weren't covering this movie much until recently. The main villains are Destro and Baroness, with Cobra Commander as a shadowy manipulator behind the scenes. Cobra Commander is played by Joseph Gordon-Leavitt, and it's rumored he's General Hawk's best friend and a former G.I. Joe who fell from grace. (He and Hawk went on a mission to stop Destro, and Cobra Commander was scarred horribly and turned evil, the way people do when their faces get scarred.)

The rivalry between the two ninjas, Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes, forms the heart of the movie — it's rumored they studied with the same sensei and fought for two days without landing a single blade. But Snake Eyes made a mistake and was deafeated, so he went to Brazil and learned a new weapons-free discipline. The evil organization Cobra enlists the aid of the mercenaries known as Dreadnoks, led by Zartan and his brother and sister, Zarana and Zandar. Zandar has the ability to change his skin color to blend in with his surroundings. There's more at the link. [UGO]

The Descent 2:

Here's the first look at the Crawlers from The Descent 2, in which a traumatized Sarah emerges from the caves covered with blood. The police force her to go back into the caves to help them look for her five missing friends, but she starts having flashbacks and remembering more of the horror she endured there, as the group gets closer and closer to getting trapped in the dark with those monsters. [Fangoria]

Battlestar Galactica:

In the remaining 11 Battlestar Galactica episodes, airing next year, we'll see the relationship between Bill Adama and Laura Roslin deepen. And we may get more of a sense that Laura has been grooming Lee Adama as her successor all along, despite their disputes. And Roslin actor Mary McDonnell definitely seems to think they just found Earth. In the rest of the season, she says, "whatever has been complicated becomes more so." [Zap2It]

We haven't seen the real reactions of our characters to their discovery in last Friday's episode yet. "Revelations" and the next episode fit together closely, like a two-parter, and they're meant to be seen a week apart, says writer Jane Espenson. [TV Squad]

Lost:

Actor Cynthia Watros (Libby) accidentally refers to her Lost character as Annie. Was this a slip of the tongue... or did she let slip something by accident? And apparently we may see more of Libby at some point, and have some of our lingering questions answered. [Spoilers Lost]

Heroes:

It turns out Claire isn't the only character on Heroes who's adopted. And the discovery of another adopted character will change... everything! We'll see more of Monica and Nana Dawson (Nichelle Nichols) in episodes focusing on their relationship with Micah. But we probably won't see any more of Claire's beau West. [E! Online]

Chuck:

In the fourth episode of Chuck's second season, an old high-school friend of Sarah's named Heather shows up at the Orange Orange, Sarah's new job. And Heather blurts out Sarah's real name, shocking Chuck, who has fun almost blowing Sarah's cover and finds out more about Sarah's background. Heather is married to another high-school classmate of Sarah's, a nerd who turns out to be more than he seems when Chuck meets him and "flashes" on him.

So Sarah and Chuck have to go undercover at Sarah's high-school reunion, to foil the sales of high-tech bombs to evil Russians. Chuck manages to look like a hero while Casey fumes, and Sarah confronts her high-school demons. Meanwhile, Lester teaches the nerds at Buy More about "friendly negotiations" with customers, with unexpected results. [Chuck TV]

The Middleman:

Says Middleman star Matt Keeslar of upcoming episodes:

We have a Peruvian flying pike that, when it injects its venom into a victim, the victim turns into a trout-craving zombie. We have several different aliens from different planets. From one planet they happen to look like people on Earth who have had a lot of plastic surgery. From another planet they're a boy band. From another planet they embody a 14-year-old. And then there are, of course, other more fantasy-type characters, like an ancient terra cotta warrior who comes back to life to find and bring the heir to the Xing Dynasty to the underworld.

Just a wild guess, but I think he meant Qing Dynasty, not Xing. [Comic Book Resources]

The Middleman:

The biggest development of the week, without any doubt, is tonight's debut of The Middleman on ABC Family at 8 PM. It's the most anticipated superpowered show since Heroes. (Weirdly enough, it doesn't feature a webcam girl who sees her evil alter ego in the mirror — how did this ever get greenlit?) Instead, it's all about a straight-edge crime-fighter who drinks milk and battles outlandish foes including Chinese Terracotta warriors and Mexican luchadores. And his sidekick Wendy, who's an art student and office temp who becomes his equal in the saving-the-world biz. We couldn't possibly be more excited about this show, especially after watching some of its wacky Public Service Announcements. Here's a trailer:

Documentaries:

Once again, the biggest documentary of the week is another batch of When We Left Earth, the National Geographic Channel's sweeping look at NASA's history. (This time it's just two hours, not four.) The show features exclusive footage and insider accounts. It starts at 9 PM Sunday, and this week's installments include the Challenger disaster, the building of the International Space Station, and NASA fixing up the Hubble Space Telescope. Here's a clip:

Other big documentaries include Tuesday's rerun of The Universe on the possibility of space travel, on the History Channel at 8. At exactly the same time on PBS, Nova has a rerun of an episode about "Megavolcanoes," so take your pick — space exploration or Earth-bound disaster? And then on Wednesday at 9, History has a new MonsterQuest, about the "Ohio Grassman," who's like Bigfoot, only more likely to wind up in Cheech and Chong's bong. And finally, on Friday at 8, History has a new Modern Marvels, all about "Corpse Tech," which is what coroners and medical examiners use to solve crimes and save lives. Including a trip to the "body farm," where decomposing bodies are studied. Yum!

Fat Guy Stuck In Internet:

Tonight's the first 15-minute episode of Fat Guy Stuck In Internet, at 12:15 AM in the Cartoon Network's "Adult Swim" lineup. It's just what it sounds like, and we featured a clip from it last week. The first installment includes jokes on Tron and Star Wars.

Doctor Who:

Quite probably the best episode of this season of time-traveling action-soap-comedy Doctor Who airs on Friday at 9 PM. "Silence In The Library" is written by uber-scribe Steven Moffat, who's taking over as the show's head writer in 2010. Without giving away too much, it's a spooky slow burn that takes place in an abandoned planet-sized library, where death lurks literally behind every bookcase. And we meet someone who turns out to have great significance in the Doctor's life. Here's my spoiler-filled recap (I liked this episode better than the second half of the story, which airs next week) and here's the first nine minutes or so:

Also, if you need to catch up, Sci Fi is having a Doctor Who marathon all day Thursday. (And a Stargate: SG-1 marathon all day Wednesday, and a Jake 2.0 marathon during the day Friday.)

Charlie Jade:

There's a new episode of South African/Canadian alternate-universe noir show Charlie Jade on Sci Fi at 8 PM Friday. Charlie Jade tries to figure out how he traveled to an alternate universe (which is almost exactly like our universe) and the key seems to be a renegade Vexcor scientist — but 01 Boxer, the only person who can travel between universes without any help, also wants to find that scientist. Here's a clip:

Animation:

There's a new Transformers: Animated at 10:30 on the Cartoon Network. Honestly, this plot synopsis might as well be in Swahili for all the meaning I can derive from it. So for those of you who might understand it, here it is:

Optimus Prime teams up with Grimlock to get something for Blackarachnia when she springs Meltdown from prison in her latest attempt to get rid of her organic half.

And here's the first half of the episode:

There's also a new Venture Bros. as part of the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim lineup, on Sunday at 11:30 PM. It's called "My Dinner With Hatred," and not much is known about it, but fans are speculating it focuses on Sergeant Hatred. Says one viewer:

Promos show what appears to be Sargent Hatred's hover tank, and Brock beating up what appear to be Sargent Hatred's henchmen, my guess is that these are from this episode.

And then at midnight Sunday, there's a new Metalocalypse on the Cartoon Network. Here's the synopsis:

The guys visit bomb victims in a hospital and are targeted by a terrorist organization.

Random movies:

Sci Fi is showing The Man With The Screaming Brain at 3:00 AM tonight (or tomorrow morning depending on how you look at it.) It's Bruce Campbell doing what he does best, with one of his most outlandish plots. Sleep is totally overrated. And Earth Girls Are Easy is rocking Showtime tomorrow at 1:30 in the afternoon. You don't have anything else to do during the day, do you? It's Julie Brown! USA is showing a double feature of K-Pax (11:30) and Weird Science (2:00) Thursday during the day. Which movie is creepier? Which one will make you more likely to go on a bombing spree? TiVo them and let us know.

Finally, the Sci Fi Channel has a ton of movies next weekend, but the one I have to single out is Dinocroc, opening at 11 PM on Sunday. DINOCROC!! Yes, it's exactly what it sounds like, and it's produced by Roger Corman. It's better than Carnosaur, more powerful than Grizzly Rage, hungrier than Maneater, thingier than Man-Thing. Don't believe me? Watch this:

Transformers 2:

Here's a silver concept car that was spotted on the set of Transformers 2 in Philadelphia. Fans speculate it's a 2009 Saturn Astra sedan, or a Corvette C7. (More at the link.) [Transformers Live via Seibertron]

And some other set photos show Bumblebee and Shia, plus a shot that required exact measurements of elbow-to-car-door distance. [Flickr via Latino Review]

Another set report involves a scene at a frat party at "the Castle," where Shia has parked Bumblebee in the bushes. Some cute coeds walk past, oohing and aahing over the cool car. And then Bumblebee's alarm sounds, and Shia runs outside. Some frat boys get pissed that a freshman parked his car in the bushes, but Shia says it's a friend's car and he just parked it there for a moment. The frat boys are all like, "why don't I park my foot in your ass?" and Shia says he'll move the car. Then he roars off to deal with some Decepticons. [Tformers.com]

G.I. Joe:

Remember that G.I. Joe drill vehicle we showed you from the New York Licensing Show? Apparently it's called the Mole Pod, and Cobra operatives — possibly including Destro and Storm Shadow — use it to tunnel into G.I. Joe headquarters at the Pit. Here's a video. [The Man Room]

Wall-E:

Here's a new Wall-E featurette that talks about the cinematography (with the help of industry legend Roger Deakins), but more importantly shows a bit more of the Tomorrowland-inspired world the humans live in — which is jammed with consumerist holographic banners for Buy'n'Large stuff, including some gross-looking fast food. [First Showing]

The Spirit:

Remind me again how Frank Miller's The Spirit movie isn't another Sin City? Here's a new poster that showcases how Scarlett Johansson will look as Silken Floss, and apparently she's a naughty dominatrix. Click to enlarge:

Doctor Who:

Supposedly these are leaked pictures of Davros and the new Red Dalek from the end of the current season of time-travel dramedy Doctor Who. They look pretty genuine to me, for what it's worth. [Cathode Ray Tube]

And Digital Spy once again has nine true spoilers and two fake ones for next Saturday's Doctor-lite episode, "Turn Left." It makes sense that we'll once again see characters from "Smith And Jones" and shots of the Titanic crashing from "Voyage Of The Damned," since we'll be revisiting those episodes without the Doctor's involvement. And it seems plausible that Rose would warn Donna that Davros "lives." [Doctor Who Hideout]

Meanwhile, there are non-jerking-around spoilers for "Turn Left" in a British magazine article. The episode is "bookended" by scenes in "our" reality, but the rest of the episode takes place in an alternate reality. Donna drives in a different direction (turns left instead of right) on the day she met the Doctor — so she never meets him. She starts seeing flashes of a mysterious blonde woman (Rose) who warns her that time and space are fracturing. Rose won't say her own name, and says she can't say certain words in certain places because of the unraveling of the space/time continuum. And Donna has a beetle thingy on her back. The episode ends with a ginormous cliffhanger back in the "real" reality. (And I'm actually quite looking forward to this one — I love alternate reality "what if" stories.) [Bad Wolf One]

The Middleman:

Some more spoilers for The Middleman, the superhero show that starts tonight on ABC Family. One minute Wendy is answering phones at a laboratory, the next she's fighting "a tentacled beastie with 10 eyes." The Middleman, impressed with her prowess, tries to recruit her and tells her supervillains are real. How come she never knew this before, she asks. He replies: "People want to believe reality’s normal. The ones who don’t are freaks and no one believes them, anyway." Wendy accepts a gig fighting crime at his side, but more just because she needs the work. Also tonight, a killer is gunning down scientists and leaving a banana peel at the scene of each crime — and an ape lab run by Mary Jo Rajskub (24) may be involved. At one point Wendy asks someone, "Did you skinny dip in the stupidity pool?" and there's a black-and-white homage to the 1960s TV show The Avengers, with John Steed and Mrs. Peel. [Boston Herald]

Also, apparently the whole first episode is available as a free download on iTunes. But you have to give them a credit card number, which I refuse to do. [iTunes, via Buzzsugar]

Heroes:

In the new Heroes season, Greatest American Hero star William Katt plays a seedy reporter who chases after Nikki Sanders (Ali Larter), in whatever personality she's expressing this time around. [Newsarama]

And Linderman, the shadowy Vegas manipulator played by Malcolm McDowell, will be back for five episodes in Heroes season three. Yes, nobody is ever gone forever from that show. (Although it could be flashbacks only, you never know. McDowell seemed to hint his character would be back for realz though.) [Superhiro]

Babylon A.D.:

Here are a few new stills from Vin Diesel's new post-apocalyptic movie Babylon A.D. [DVD Forum via IESB]

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