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The 1990 television adaptation of Stephen King's horror novel "It" may be best known for Tim Curry's performance as Pennywise, who made an entire generation seriously terrified of clowns, but it would be nothing without the heart and soul of the Loser's Club. In the 1950s, a group of misfit kids growing up in Derry, Maine are brought together, partially because they don't belong anywhere else, but also because they happen to be targeted by the malevolent force that haunts their town, stealing and murdering its local children. Together, they have to face off against Pennywise to stop the killing once and for all. That's what they think, anyway. But despite defeating Pennywise as children, they're forced to return to Derry as adults and once again confront the terrors of their youth.

As a result of this, "It" has an interesting casting dilemma of finding not only seven...

Sad news to report as it was announced that David McCallum died this morning at New York Presbyterian Hospital at the age of 90. The actor was best known for playing Chief Medical Examiner Donald “Ducky” Mallard on NCIS, as well as Ilya Kuryakin on The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

David McCallum’s son, Peter, released a statement on behalf of the family.

He was the kindest, coolest, most patient and loving father. He always put family before self. He looked forward to any chance to connect with his grandchildren, and had a unique bond with each of them. He and his youngest grandson, Whit, 9, could often be found in the corner of a room at family parties having deep philosophical conversations.

He was a true renaissance man — he was fascinated by science and culture and would turn those passions into knowledge. For example, he was capable of...

There are a few films that successfully derived the formula of The Karate Kid while making a name for itself with its own identity. One of those movies is the quaint 1992 Chuck Norris film, Sidekicks, a movie recently featured on our list of the Best Chuck Norris Films. This movie would feature an added plot element where the young protagonist finds himself often daydreaming of having adventures alongside his biggest influence, Chuck Norris, that playfully parodies the different films that Chuck has made throughout his career. It would all culminate in getting to meet the Texas Ranger himself as dream becomes reality, and the two team up in a karate tournament.

According to ComicBook.com — the man, the myth, the legend — Chuck Norris recently appeared at Nashville Comic-Con. During his panel, Norris was asked by ComicBook.com’s Chris Killian, “What do you feel is your most underappreciated film? For me,...

Chaim Topol, who earned an Academy Award nomination for his performance as Tevye in acclaimed musical Fiddler on the Roof, has died. He was 87.

Although born in Israel, Chaim Topol gained his greatest prominence in American and British movies. Following Fiddler on the Roof (for which he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy), he played astronomer Galileo Galilei. But it was his appearances in 1980’s Flash Gordon and the 1981 Bond movie For Your Eyes Only that gained him a new fanbase.

In Flash Gordon, Topol played disgraced scientist Hans Zarkov, a useful ally to the titular hero. The following year, at the insistence of producer Alfred R. Broccoli’s wife, he landed the role of Milos Columbo. The smuggler Columbo, like Zarkov, proved a necessary aid to the protagonist, saving James Bond’s (Roger Moore) life in the last act. Always a rich man of character,...

Conventional wisdom dictates that Irvin Kershner's 1980 film "The Empire Strikes Back" is the best feature in the long-running "Star Wars" film series. Although only the second film -- the third if you count "The Star Wars Holiday Special" -- "Empire" startled audiences by announcing itself as "Episode V." It wouldn't be until 1981 that 35mm prints of George Lucas' "Star Wars" would attach "Episode IV: A New Hope" to the beginning. 

Fans of "Empire" appreciate its relatively bleak tone when compared to the rollicking, traditional, 1930s-adventure-serial vibe of the 1977 film. The tone is grayer, the heroes are less assured to win the day, and the film ends without concluding, leaving audiences hanging right when Han Solo (Harrison Ford) is apprehended by the mob, and after Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) has his hand severed in a fight with the evil Darth Vader. Darth Vader also claimed to be Luke's father in that scene,...

If there is one thing that becomes crystal clear as you watch “Deadly Women,” it is that crime has no gender. This crime show focuses on acts of crime — murder primarily — committed by women, which explains the title.

“Deadly Women” comes highly rated among TV series within the crime documentary genre — like “American Crime Story” and “Homicide Hunters.” If you love crime documentaries then this has got to be on your watch list.

Currently, “Deadly Women” just finalized its fourteenth season — the finale aired on September 9, 2021.

Will there be another season of “Deadly Women?” This article discusses that as well as other interesting info you need to know.

What’s “Deadly Women” About?

“Deadly Women” tells the true crime story of female murderers who killed their victims either out of greed, revenge, or just sheer obsession like that of the Hungarian, Elizabeth Báthory — profiled in season one, episode one — who...

We’ve teamed up with our PC-building friends (and experts!) at ModyMyMods for a brand new PC building giveaway!

Looking to start a brand new PC build? Or looking for a new home for your hermit crab of a gaming PC? Our friends at ModMyMods are offering the chance to win a free be quiet! 900 Computer Case, which is an excellent choice for any PC gamer or PC building enthusiast. Enter via our official entry form below!

ModMyMods / Den Of Geek – Bequiet! Darkbase 900 Case Giveaway

This weekend marks ten years of HBO’s hit series Game of Thrones. Check out some epic merch to celebrate the show’s Iron Anniversary.

“On April 17, 2011, Game of Thrones premiered on HBO, bringing equal parts acclaim and controversy along with it. Now, 10 years later, audiences have braved a wild journey featuring White Walkers, dragons, and Dothraki warriors, to name a few. And what better...

By the time she turned 13, “Punky Brewster” star Soleil Moon Frye had done more to impact pop culture than most Americans will in their lifetime. But once the show was canceled in 1988, things stalled. That’s roughly when Frye started carrying a video camera practically everywhere she went, documenting a one-in-a-million adolescence that was anything but the squeaky-clean, always-sunny sitcom that had made her famous. Nor will it seem very relatable to those who idolized the fellow celebs she called friends, even if you spent the decade with their faces pinned to your walls.

With “Kid 90,” Frye opens “Pandora’s box” — as she calls the archive of video cassettes, diary entries, answering machine messages and so forth that she kept locked away for more than 20 years — bracing herself for what she might find, and how those memories might make her feel. The resulting film, which hits Hulu amid a...

The Telluride Horror Show's "Shelter-in-Place Edition" kicks off on October 15th, and it's packed with new horror features and shorts, along with special events you won't want to miss, including a live conversation with Max Brooks & Daniel Kraus:

"Telluride Horror Show has announced the complete lineup of films, guests, and events for its 2020 "Shelter-in-Place" Edition, scheduled for October 15-18.

The festival welcomes actor Ted Raimi, who will host "Deathly Spirits", a virtual cocktail hour offering viewers an opportunity to mix Ted's drink recipes and engage with the genre favorite after the screening of his new short film Red Light. In addition, Telluride Horror Show alum and Colorado filmmakers Daniel Goldhaber and Isa Mazzei will return to the festival with Red Rum (starring Christina Ricci) and a conversation about their Colorado episode for Sam Raimi's 50 States of Fright.

The 2020 "Shelter-in-Place" Edition will also feature Brandon Cronenberg's Possessor Uncut,...

We're back with another installment of Horror Highlights! In today's feature, we have an exclusive clip from Housesitter: The Night They Saved Siegfried's Brain, details on the Blair Witch table-top experience, and a clip from The Wolf of Snow Hollow!

Exclusive Clip from Housesitter: The Night They Saved Siegfried's Brain: "Filmed entirely in 1987, Housesitter...The Night They Saved Siegfried’s Brain sat unfinished for thirty-two years. Now, with post-sound from Skywalker Sound and final picture from Paramount Pictures color department, it is at last completed.

Combining 1980’s horror and 1950’s sci-fi, it is the story of Andy, an idealist medical student with a serious Elvis obsession, who is determination to perfect his rat-to-rat brain transfer to “help mankind and change the face of modern science”. After his final experiment fails and blows up, Andy loses his chance to travel abroad and study at the prestigious Reinhardt Institute. With his future in doubt,...

Richard Herd, an instantly recognizable character actor who recurred as Mr. Wilhelm on Seinfeld and appeared in All the President’s Men, The China Syndrome and several Star Trek projects, among many other credits, died Tuesday in Los Angeles of cancer complications. He was 87.

Herd’s death was announced by his wife, actress Patricia Crowder Herd.

Herd is probably best known to TV audiences for his role as Mr. Wilhelm on Seinfeld, George Costanza’s New York Yankees boss who in one memorable episode is recruited by a religious cult (1996’s “The Checks”) and in another (1995’s “The Hot Tub”) is convinced George is cracking under the stress of the Big Leagues. Herd appeared in 11 Seinfeld episodes during it last four seasons, including the finale.

Herd appeared as the leader of the Watergate burglars in 1976’s All the President’s Men and as the duplicitous nuclear power plant boss in 1979’s The China Syndrome.

Richard Herd, a character actor best known for his role as Mr. Wilhelm on “Seinfeld,” has died at the age of 87.

A representative told TheWrap that Herd died of cancer-related causes at his home in Los Angeles with his family present.

Herd recurred throughout several seasons of the sitcom as Mr. Wilhelm, supervisor to Jason Alexander’s George Costanza during his time as an employee of the New York Yankees. He appeared alongside the show’s caricature of former Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, who was voiced by Larry David.

Also Read: Hollywood's Notable Deaths of 2020 (Photos)

Herd also starred in the original “V” miniseries in 1983 as John, the leader of the alien Visitors who come to occupy Earth. He later reprised the role in the 1984 sequel “V: The Final Battle.” His other TV credits include recurring roles on “seaQuest Dsv” and “Star Trek: Voyager,” as well as a series regular...

Veteran character actor Richard Herd, best known for portraying Mr. Wilhelm on “Seinfeld,” died on Tuesday at his Los Angeles home of complications from cancer. He was 87.

The Boston native broke into show business as a stage actor in New York. He made his film debut in 1970’s “Hercules in New York.” Herd was hired as Richard Long’s replacement for the part of Watergate burglar James McCord in Alan J. Pakula’s “All the President’s Men.”

Herd’s big-screen credits included “The China Syndrome” (1979) “F.I.S.T.” (1979), “The Onion Field” (1979), “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” (1987) and “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” (1997). He portrayed Supreme Commander John in the 1983 NBC miniseries “V” and its sequel; the Klingon L’Kor on “Star Trek: The Next Generation”; Admiral William Noyce on “seaQuest 2032”; and Admiral Owen Paris on “Star Trek: Voyager” and “Star Trek: Renegades.”

Herd made 11 appearances on “Seinfeld” as Mr.

Comcast and NBCUniversal are pushing Peacock out of the nest starting Wednesday, April 15, promising to unfurl a rich plume of 15,000-plus hours of streaming content, first for the cable giant’s own TV and internet customers.

Peacock is then slated to be available across the U.S. on July 15 — while NBCU is mulling the possibility of moving that up sooner — in various three tiers across mobile, web and connected-tv devices: paid with ads ($4.99 monthly); paid with no ads ($9.99 monthly); and completely free with ads with a truncated content lineup. With the national launch, Comcast (and Cox) subscribers also will have the option to get an ad-free version of the service for an additional $5 per month.

So what’s on the menu? Peacock will include live and on-demand content across current and past TV shows, movies, news, and late night programming, with some live sports once they resume post-pandemic. Most of...

Stars: Adam Rayner, Eliza Dushku, Roger Moore, James Remar, Thomas Kretschmann, Enrique Murciano, Sammi Hanratty, Kirsty Mitchell, Yani Gellman, Greg Grunberg, Beatrice Rosen, Ian Ogilvy, Alec Secareanu, Sonalii Castillo, Christopher Villiers | Written by Jesse Alexander, Tony Giglio | Directed by Ernie Barbarash

An expanded version of a failed TV pilot, whose first trailer debuted waaay back in 2013, this iteration of The Saint is already on the backfoot before it begins. You have a rejected pilot, “fixed” with reshoots, Twice(!) – which is why Ernie Barbarash is now the credited director and not Simon West (Con Air, Tomb Raider) who is now credited as Executive Producer instead – and featuring not one but Two previous Saints in the cast, Roger Moore and Ian Ogilvy, just to remind you of how good both actors were in the role… Oh, and then there’s memories of the Val Kilmer movie to sour the audiences view...

Paul Bullock Dec 15, 2016

We continue to salute Steven Spielberg's 70th birthday, with a look at the decade that transformed his career: the 1990s

The 1990s delivered everything Steven Spielberg could have hoped for to enjoy a successful third decade in the film industry. He restated his position as Hollywood's King of the Blockbuster with Jurassic Park, he found critical and awards success with Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan, and he used the platform the former offered to set up a charitable organisation (The Shoah Foundation) that’s gone on to become one of the most significant Holocaust resources in the world. By anybody's standards, that's a pretty solid ten-year stint. And yet, the 90s stands as arguably Spielberg's weakest period, a time of unqualified success and curious lethargy, a time of enriching experimentation and self-defeating regression. At times, Spielberg consciously seemed to take one step forwards and another backwards.

Veteran drama series showrunner Rockne O’Bannon has signed with Paradigm. He previously was with Wme. O’Bannon is a respected genre writer who created and executive produced cult Syfy series Farscape as well as the CW’s Cult, and NBC’s Seaquest 2032. He most recently served as consulting producer on NBC’s DC drama Constantine and also has worked on ABC’s V as well as CBS’ 1980s version of The Twilight Zone and…...

Ash Williams’ pop is no less than The Six Million Dollar Man.

TV vet Lee Majors has boarded Season 2 of Starz’s Ash vs. Evil Dead in the role of Brock Williams, the title character’s father, it was announced on Wednesday.

RelatedCable/Streaming Renewal Scorecard 2016: What’s Coming Back? What’s Cancelled? What’s On the Bubble?

Also joining the horror dramedy is Ted Raimi, who has appeared in all of the Evil Dead features (in assorted roles) and here will play Ash’s childhood Bff, Chet Kaminski. (Raimi’s older brother Sam, of course, is the Evil Dead auteur himself,...

Two groovy new additions have been made to the Season 2 cast of Ash vs Evil Dead, as Starz has announced that Lee Majors will play Brock Williams, the father of Ash, while Ted Raimi—who appeared in the first three Evil Dead movies—will play Chet Kaminski, Ash's best friend from childhood.

Press Release: Beverly Hills, Calif., February 10, 2016 - Starz has announced today that Lee Majors (Do You Believe) will play the role of Brock Williams, Ash’s father, and Ted Raimi (“Xena: Warrior Princess,” Spider-Man) will play the role of Ash’s childhood best friend, Chet Kaminski, in the Starz Original series “Ash vs Evil Dead.” The series was previously renewed for a second season and will return in 2016.

Majors started his television career in “The Big Valley,” going on to “The Men from Shiloh,” to “Owen Marshall Counselor at Law,” to “The Six Million Dollar Man,” to “The Fall Guy,...

Starz has announced today that Lee Majors (Do You Believe) will play the role of Brock Williams, Ash’s father, and Ted Raimi (“Xena: Warrior Princess,” Spider-Man) will play the role of Ash’s childhood best friend, Chet Kaminski, in the Starz Original series Ash vs Evil Dead. The series was previously renewed for a second season and will return in 2016.

Majors started his television career in “The Big Valley,” going on to “The Men from Shiloh,” to “Owen Marshall Counselor at Law,” to “The Six Million Dollar Man,” to “The Fall Guy,” to “Tour of Duty,” to “Raven” and countless television appearances on many series, specials, award shows and movies. He began his film career with Will Penny and Charlton Heston. Majors recently completed filming two movies Almosting It and Do You Believe. Majors will start filming on two feature films this summer, plus he has a lineup of...

​Science fiction is more of a big deal now than it's ever been, thanks to our pals from that galaxy far, far away.

But as lucrative as sci-fi is on the big screen, the genre has found even more success on television. From "Star Trek" to "Lost," there is no short supply of space-set or time travel-y TV.

As "The X-Files" reboot approaches, here is a definitive ranking of the best sci-fi TV shows ever made. (Spoiler: "SeaQuest Dsv" isn't one of them. Sorry, Darwin fans.)...

Sleepy Hollow has a new head — and, more importantly, a future.

Fox on Wednesday renewed the history-twisting drama for an 18-episode third season after closing a deal with The Glades‘ Clifton Campbell to take over as showrunner.

Related2015 Renewal Scorecard: What’s Coming Back? What’s Getting Cancelled? What’s on the Bubble?

Campbell replaces Mark Goffman, who stepped down earlier this month in the wake of Sleepy‘s rocky second season, which saw ratings slide 40 percent versus Season 1.

Before creating A&E’s The Glades, Clifton had exec-producer stints White Collar, Profiler and SeaQuest 2032.

“I had the pleasure...

Your first thought of Roy Scheider may be Jaws or SeaQuest Dsv, but for me it will always be Blue Thunder. The 1983 action movie about a pilot using an enhanced military helicopter to patrol Los Angeles was one of my favorite movies growing up as a kid. The John Badham movie was not the greatest movie made but it had some pretty awesome aerial sequences. Now, the movie is being remade at Columbia Pictures with a significant change to the technology. According to The Hollywood Reporter,...

Paul Napier, an actor and originator of the Mr. Goodwrench character for General Motors’ ad campaign, died Saturday. He was 84. A cause of death was not announced. During a decades-long career, Napier appeared in more than 400 commercials and numerous TV shows, including Kojak, Dynasty, Knots Landing, L.A. Law, Coach and most recently Seaquest Dsv (1994). He was tapped to portray the original Mr. Goodwrench for Gm in 1977. His film work includes Old Grace, The Secret Life…...

Michael Ironside is one of the most recognized faces among genre fans. He’s become known as the fearsome baddie who gives everyone’s hero a run for their money. Among his 229 film credits, many of those include appearances in sci-fi and horror productions like Scanners, Total Recall, Highlander II: The Quickening, Terminator Salvation, and many more.

The Canada-born actor has also racked up a number of roles in mainstream Hollywood fare. He starred in Top Gun, The Next Karate Kid, Free Willy, and others. His many appearances on television include, ER, The A-Team, V, SeaQuest 2032, Vegas, Community, and many more.

One of Ironside’s latest projects was an apocalyptic sci-fi gore fest entitled Turbo Kid. He plays the sadistic and self-proclaimed leader of the Wasteland named Zeus. The movie revolves around the Kid, a young solitary scavenger obsessed with comic books that must face his fears and become...

From the creator of Farscape and Seaquest Dsv, prepare to immerse yourself in the world of Defiance, an epic fantasy drama combining the scope of a sci-fi blockbuster with the intimacy of a small-town drama, and the first original TV series to air on the SyFy Channel since Battlestar Galatica. Starring Grant Bowler (True Blood), Jaime Murray (Hustle), Julie Benz (Dexter) and Stephanie Leonidas (Whitechapel), Defiance: Season 1 is released on Blu-ray and DVD on 15 July 2013 from Universal Pictures (UK).

We have three copies of the Blu-ray to give away to our readers.

Set in the near future, this epic drama introduces a completely transformed planet Earth, inhabited by the survivors of a universal war. Forced to co-habitate, the disparate group struggles to build a new society among the devastation. At the centre of this world is Lawman Jeb Nolan (Grant Bowler), who enlists the help of deputies and occasionally...

Interview Ryan Lambie 9 Apr 2013 - 07:21

With the launch of the Defiance series and TV show imminent, we spoke to producer and director Michael Nankin about its making...

The Syfy Channel is about to air what is surely its biggest experiment yet. Called Defiance, it’s a sci-fi series which not only employs some proven industry talent - not least writer Rockne S O’Bannon, of Alien Nation and SeaQuest Dsv fame, director and producer Michael Nankin, who previously helmed episodes of Battlestar Galactica and Alphas - but also coincides with the launch of the online shooter of the same name.

In a media first, Defiance the TV series and Defiance the videogame will share characters and storylines, with events in the show replicated in the online experience, too. It’s a concept that has roped in the creative minds from both Syfy and Trion Worlds, cost an undisclosed sum of money,...

Review Ryan Lambie 8 Apr 2013 - 07:15

This month sees the premiere of Syfy's major new series, Defiance. Here's our spoiler-free review of the pilot episode...

Note: although free from spoilers, this review does touch on minor plot points from the pilot's first 45 minutes or so.

Launching a new television series can’t be an easy task. And when that show happens to be in the science fiction genre, you’re adding another tricky proposition into the mix: setting up an entire new world as well as introducing compelling characters and conflicts, all within a 60-to-90 minute package tidy and eye-catching enough to attract a healthy audience.

Syfy’s Defiance has a sterling pedigree, having sprung from the mind of Rockne S O’Bannon (he of Alien Nation and SeaQuest Dsv fame), while its executive producer and sometime director Michael Taylor previously wrote episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Battlestar Galactica.

Emmy-winning set decorator Leslie Frankenheimer has died. Also the wife of entertainment attorney John Frankenhemer, she died January 22 after a long battle against leukemia, according to the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Her age was not disclosed. During her more than 30 year career, Frankenheimer won 4 Emmys — for the ABC series Max Headroom in 1987, CBS’ Buddy Faro in 1999, the TNT movie James Dean in 2002 and the HBO series Carnivàle in 2004. She was also nominated in 2002 for the NBC series Emeril. Frankenheimer joined the TV Academy in 1995 and began serving on its Art Directors/Set Decorators Peer Group Exec Committee in 2002. She was elected governor of her peer group in 2011 and was recently re-elected to a second two-year term. Frankenheimer’s numerous other TV credits included Scarecrow And Mrs. King, L.A. Law, SeaQuest 2032, Star Trek: Voyager, Come on, Get Happy: The Partridge Family Story, Karen Sisco, The Closer, Kitchen Confidential,...

Why couldn't the Viper vipe her nose? Because the adder had her... yeah, you've heard that one haven't you?

With a nod to our good friends over at Canada’s marvelous Space channel, we wanted to bring you the image below that is apparently from the long-anticipated Battlestar Galactica spin-off Blood and Chrome. Space and several other websites published the image today in connection with a leaked trailer for the (presumably) upcoming show.

We are expecting more action in this BSG incarnation than we saw in the short-lived and underrated Caprica and so much is suggested by the little that the image shows us. What it does indicate is that the series—which we hope to see officially revealed at a press event soon—will give nods to both Ron Moore’s reimagined BSG and the original series.

On the original blog post on the Space website there is also...

*full disclosure: a DVD screener of this film was provided by Indican Pictures for review.

Director/writer: Oscar L. Costo.

Cast: Vivian Wu, Richard Burgi and Honglei Sun.

Shanghai Mystery (originally titled Shanghai Red) is one of those hugely character driven films where, if director Oscar L. Costco ("Seaquest Dsv") was driving, he must be moving at 20 miles per hour. The type of film he developed may not be for everyone. What he creates is a slow mystery drama that starts with a lady in a slinky red dress.

She arrives at a penthouse in Shanghai, shoots a 'client,' and gets caught. The rest of the film bounces between her time in prison, talking to a lawyer, and revealing her life in flashback.

Mei Li's (Vivian Wu, Strange World) life is explored in exquisite detail. Viewers first learns that her husband was killed during a business trip that she urged him to take.

As a teenager, I learned about computer geeks through Jonathan Brandis’ role on SeaQuest Dsv. Blue-eyed, blond-haired, and metrosexual, he was a marketable hacker created by network television in response to the growing presence of the internet in the mid-90s. Lucas Wolenczak’s mainstreaming of cyberpunk resembles the slickness of our modern, advertisement-laden World Wide Web. Furthermore, Jonathan’s attractiveness makes the viewer sympathetic to Lucas on a journey that leads to supporting corporate and military structures.

Brandis admitted to being “the farthest thing from a computer genius”; he doesn’t resemble his cyberpunk predecessors. For instance, Case—the drug-addicted hacker from William Gibson’s 1984 novel, Neuromancer—is often told he “looks bad.” Lucas utilizes hair gel, sports an earring in the season two premiere, and often wears the most memorable piece of nineties fashion: the flannel shirt. During a romantic encounter, a female hacker said she “expected brilliance,...

Spielberg is all around these days, from summer hit Super 8, which J.J. Abrams sold on his name, to holiday tentpoles The Adventures of Tintin and Oscar frontrunenr War Horse. But there are two Spielbergs, posits Vulture, which lays out the Four Ways Steven Spielberg TV Shows Feel Like Bad Spielberg Knockoffs. While his film work "usually transcends the vaguely sanitized, family friendly clichés many associate with his brand," writes Vulture, his TV shows (i.e. Seaquest Dsv, Falling Skies, Terra Nova) "feel like you're watching the result of an executive yelling at some TV journeyman, 'Gimme something that feels like Spielberg!'" The executive in that case would be--of course--Spielberg. Shower yourself with some Spielberg love below. Check out these four go-to Spielberg themes (Keeping the ...

We all have our favorite TV shows. But let's take things one extra step: do you have a show that you can say influenced your life?

Though it's a great escape, television can be a lot more than just a form of entertainment. There are examples out there of people who have considered careers, or changed how they thought, or gone on to do something awesome, or even just tried something new, because of something that they watched. I know of a few cops who became police officers because of the Fox show Cops (including at least one who was later on the show!) and others who said they thought about the career because of NBC's Third Watch. One of my friends wanted to be a marine biologist because of SeaQuest Dsv.

As summer arrives and we celebrate the holiday weekend, let's share some of those stories. They're the ones...

With the recent release of Tron: Legacy on blu-ray & DVD Disney held a virtual roundtable with Visual Effects Supervisor Eric Barba, check out the Q&A below and if you haven’t done so already go pick up your copy of Tron: Legacy now.

Eric Barba

Now that Tron:Legacy has been viewed by the masses, how was the reception of Jeff Bridges’ rejuvenation?

Eric Barba: The overall reception to Clu was good. We had all types of reactions of course, but most enjoyed the character.

What are you working on right now, and what are its challenges? What experiences from Tron Legacy are valuable to you now?

Eric Barba: I’m working on a few projects with Joe Kosinski actually. I’ve learned so much over my time on “Legacy” that all carries forward. I’m not trying tobe vague, but there really is so much I learned from the experience.

To celebrate the release of Tron Legacy on Blu-ray and DVD on April 5, The Movie Pool recently had the chance to sit in on Q&A sessions with the Oscar-winning minds behind the sensational visual effects in the film. The first is with Tron Legacy Visual Effects Supervisor Eric Barba of Digital Domain. Barba won an Academy Award (shown below) for his work on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. It is one of many David Fincher-directed projects that Barba has worked on, including Zodiac and a number of his commercials. His other credits include The Fifth Element and Supernova.

Rather than editing down Barba's comments, we decided to present the Q&A in its entirety. Questions asked by The Movie Pool are identified. To read our second Q&A with Head of Animation Steve Preeg, click right here.

Q. Now that Tron Legacy has been viewed by the masses,...

To celebrate the release of Tron Legacy on Blu-ray and DVD on April 5, The Movie Pool recently had the chance to sit in on Q&A sessions with the Oscar-winning minds behind the sensational visual effects in the film. The first is with Tron Legacy Visual Effects Supervisor Eric Barba of Digital Domain. Barba won an Academy Award (shown below) for his work on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. It is one of many David Fincher-directed projects that Barba has worked on, including Zodiac and a number of his commercials. His other credits include The Fifth Element and Supernova.

Rather than editing down Barba's comments, we decided to present the Q&A in its entirety. Questions asked by The Movie Pool are identified. To read our second Q&A with Head of Animation Steve Preeg, click right here.

Q. Now that Tron Legacy has been viewed by the masses,...

The Last 10 Emmy Winners for Best TV Theme Song

2010 -- "Nurse Jackie" (Showtime)

2009 -- "Great Performances" (PBS)

2008 -- "Pirate Master" (CBS)

2007 -- "The Tudors" (Showtime)

2006 -- "Masters of Horror" (Showtime)

2005 -- "Desperate Housewives" (ABC)

2003 - 2004 -- "Monk" (USA Network)

2002 -- "Six Feet Under" (HBO)

2001 -- "Gideon's Crossing" (ABC)

2000 -- "West Wing" (NBC)

The same person, Russ Landau, composed the theme songs for "SeaQuest Dsv," "Survivor," and "Fear Factor."

Alan Thicke, known to some as Jason Seaver in "Growing Pains," and others as Robin Thicke's Dad, composed the theme songs for "The Facts of Life" and "Diff'rent Strokes." He also performed the theme song for "Diff'rent Strokes." Moreover, he also composed themes for the game shows "Celebrity Sweepstakes" and "Joker's Wild" in the 70s.

In addition to writing the theme for "The Simpsons" and "Tales from the Crypt," Danny Elfman also wrote the theme song for "Desperate Housewives."

Andrew Gold...

The premise of V is so inherently juicy — those nice well-mannered aliens secretly want to kill us all! — so it was a real bummer that season 1 of the sci-fi reboot turned into such a go-nowhere slog. But a new creative team, headed up by showrunner Jonathan Rosenbaum, managed to inject some thrill juice in the season finale, and although last night’s premiere was far from perfect, it was the show’s most consistent outing yet. It was darker, funnier, faster than last season. Best of all, it was weirder: In one pivotal scene, the show took a decisive (and...

There’s been a great disturbance in the Force. Irvin Kershner, director of the penultimate film in the original Star Wars trilogy, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back has passed away at the age of 87. Kershner is survived by two sons, David Kershner and Dana Kershner.

Most of us know Kershner’s work from the aforementioned pinnacle of Star Wars films, of course that was not the only project that the director helmed in his career. Kershner manned the director’s chair on the James Bond film, Never Say Never Again starring Sean Connery, RoboCop 2 starring Peter Weller, among others. His final directorial gig was on a 1993 episode of SeaQuest 2032 entitled, To Be or Not to Be. Kershner more recently taught screenwriting at the University of Southern California while continuing to produce, write and create still photographs.

Creator of the Star Wars universe, George Lucas reacted...

The passing of Irvin Kershner on November 27 is being recognized by Star Wars fans around the world who came to appreciate the director who brought The Empire Strikes Back to life.

While Kershner will be best remembered for directing what is arguably the best of the Star Wars films, the Philadelphia native had a varied career that earned the respect and admiration of many who worked with him.

The USC film school graduate was given his break into directing by B-movie mogul Roger Corman. He would go on to direct episodic television for several years before making small, mostly independent films. He directed Raid on Entebbe in 1976, an excellent television film that told the true story of the rescue of Israeli hostages held by terrorists in Uganda. The film earned Kershner an Emmy nomination for directing.

He directed Faye Dunaway in The Eyes of Laura Mars in 1978 before George Lucas asked him to direct Empire.

The passing of Irvin Kershner on November 27 is being recognized by Star Wars fans around the world who came to appreciate the director who brought The Empire Strikes Back to life.

While Kershner will be best remembered for directing what is arguably the best of the Star Wars films, the Philadelphia native had a varied career that earned the respect and admiration of many who worked with him.

The USC film school graduate was given his break into directing by B-movie mogul Roger Corman. He would go on to direct episodic television for several years before making small, mostly independent films. He directed Raid on Entebbe in 1976, an excellent television film that told the true story of the rescue of Israeli hostages held by terrorists in Uganda.

He directed Faye Dunaway in The Eyes of Laura Mars in 1978 before George Lucas asked him to direct Empire. Lucas was Kershner's student...

George Lucas will always be known as the genius behind Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Darth Vader. But it was Irvin Kershner, a professorial and genteel man of the old school, who directed the film most Star Wars aficionados consider the greatest chapter in the saga, 1980′s The Empire Strikes Back. It was to Kershner’s credit that he never jockeyed for the limelight or clawed for the credit. He was a quiet craftsman who believed in letting the images he put on screen speak for him. The news that Kershner passed away earlier today leaves a giant black hole...

Director Irvin Kershner, best known for directing everyone's favorite Star Wars film The Empire Strikes Back has passed away in Los Angeles at the age of 87 after a long bout with illness.  The Afp cites his goddaughter, but does not really report on a specific cause of death.

Born in Philadelphia in 1923, the filmmaker trained in music and photography before making documentaries and features starting in the late '50s. His breakout came exactly thirty years ago when George Lucas hired him to helm Empire Strikes Back. That was followed by the unauthorized James Bond flick Never Say Never Again, starring Sean Connery. The last feature film he directed was RoboCop 2. His final directorial credits were episodes of the TV series Seaquest Dsv.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family. ...

When he was hired to direct the sequel to Star Wars, no one in fandom knew the name Irvin Kershner. By the time Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back had rolled out in theaters in the summer of 1980, director Irvin Kershner had been assured of his slice of immortality.

Widely regarded by film critics and the general Star Wars fanbase to be a superior sequel to an already great first movie, The Empire Strikes Back took the characters that George Lucas had created and gave them maturity, inner complexity and raised the personal stakes that they were fighting for. Without Empire the final Star Wars film in the original trilogy, Return of the Jedi, and even the following prequel trilogy, would have turned out differently.

Born in 1923, Kershner began his directing career by working in television in the 1950s. He began to build up a positive reputation as a solid...

The Associated Press is reporting that Irvin Kershner, director of the critically-acclaimed sequel to Star Wars, has passed away in Los Angeles following a long illness. He was 87.

Born in Philadelphia, Pa in 1923, Kershner's first love was music. He studied the violin, viola, and composition at Philadelphia's Temple University. He later moved on to painting and then photography, where he attended the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles. Finally, Kershner began his film career at University of Southern California's acclaimed School of Cinematic Arts.

After a foray into government-sponsored still photography projects in Iran, Kershner returned to the States and co-developed a documentary film series called Confidential File. This led to Kershner directing the short-lived television series The Rebel, as well as several TV pilots, including Peyton's Place and Philip Marlowe. A feature film career followed, with Kershner at the helm of such films as The Flim-Flam Man,...

Irvin Kershner, who directed the first (and best) sequel to Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, has died in Los Angeles. The Afp [1] reports that he had been suffering from a long illness, citing his goddaughter, but does not otherwise report a specific cause of death. The director was born in Philadelphia in 1923, and had early training in music and photography before starting his directorial career as a documentary filmmaker in the '50s, when he made films abroad for the United States Information Agency. He developed and directed a good deal of television (directing the pilot for Peyton Place, for example) and made several successful films in the '60s and early '70s. Mr. Kershner's best-known stretch of films are now the unlikely trio he made between 1978 and 1983: The Eyes of Laura Mars, The Empire Strikes Back and the 'unauthorized' James Bond film Never Say Never Again,...

Irvin Kershner, the director behind Star Wars sequel and fan favourite, The Empire Strikes Back, has passed away aged 87.

Born in Philadelphia in 1923, Kershner’s background was a mixture of music and art before beginning a film career at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, teaching photography and taking cinema courses.

Briefly starting out in TV, Kershner then moved on to feature films. Amongst his successes were sequel The Return of a Man Called Horse, critically acclaimed TV movie Raid on Entebbe and The Eyes of Laura Mars, but he was best known for helming the second film in the Star Wars saga.

Originally turning down George Lucas’s request to direct (he had been one of the then young director’s film teachers at USC) Kershner eventually agreed after Lucas told him he would leave directorial control to him. This proved to be a smart decision on Lucas’s part,...

To celebrate the 30th birthday of The Empire Strikes Back this coming Friday, Ryan finds out what happened next for those involved...

How about this for making some of us feel old? The Empire Strikes Back got its maiden cinema release on May 21st 1980. That, at the time of this article going live, is tomorrow. Tomorrow, one of the finest science fiction blockbusters of all time is going to be 30.

It's testament to the many strengths of the movie that it's still talked about so frequently three decades on, and many, of course, rate it as the finest Star Wars movie of the lot. But what happened to those who worked on it, in front of and behind the camera? We decided to celebrate the film's birthday by finding out...

Mark Hamill - Luke Skywalker

Following the massive success of the Star Wars original trilogy, Hamill spent much of his...

Legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg hasn't had the track record in television that he's had on the big screen ("Seaquest Dsv" comes to mind), but he continues to try and match the critical acclaim he's found with mini-series such as "Band of Brothers" and "The Pacific." According to a Fox press release, "the action-adventure series follows an ordinary family on an extraordinary journey back in time to prehistoric Earth as a part of a massive expedition to save the human race." That's not much to go on for now, but with producers Peter Chernin, Brannon Braga ("24," “Star Trek: Enterprise”) and David...