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Must See HDTV (June 17th - 23rd)

Richard Lawler — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 19:20:00 -0400

Yes, Game of Thrones is over, but there are still a few other interesting shows on TV. While Futurama begins its farewell tour, Wilfred and Copper return for the summer and Discovery kicks off a new reality show that drops contestants off in the jungle with nothing -- and by nothing we mean no clothes. Look below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames.

Futurama
Yes, sadly, Futurama has been canceled again. The 13-episode final final season starts Wednesday on Comedy Central and will feature the show's entire original voice cast. Special guests this season include Larry Bird, Emilia Clark, George Takei and more, check out a clip from the new season embedded after the break.
(June 19th, Comedy Central, 10PM)

Whodunnit?
It's a reality show -- wait, wait, this one might be different! This time ABC is taking on the murder mystery genre, as 13 players compete to solve a different mystery each week. Solve it and survive to proceed to the next episode or else face elimination.
(June 23rd, ABC, 9PM)

NBA / NHL Finals
And then there were two. The NBA finals are almost over as the Spurs have pushed the Heat to the brink of elimination, while on the NHL side the Blackhawks and Bruins are tied 1-1 after two overtime contests, with Game 3 tonight. Enjoy your sport of choice while you still can, before the long offseason begins.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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Futurama gets canceled a second time, finale to air on September 4th

Nicole Lee — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 18:27:00 -0400

Bad news, everyone. Five years into Futurama's revived presence on Comedy Central, the animated sci-fi series is getting the boot for the second time in its long and tumultuous history. Long-time fans will remember the first series finale ("The Devil's Hands are Idle Playthings") on Fox in 2003, the show's brief rerun stint on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim, the foray into four direct-to-DVD movies (which were separated into sixteen episodes for its inaugural season on Comedy Central) and its eventual deal with the cable network that brought us South Park and The Daily Show. But even after stunts like playing on our gadget obsessions and coming up with a brand new mathematical theorem, it seems the fine folks over at Planet Express just couldn't slake Viacom's thirst for viewers. So, with a heavy heart, we await the series finale (dubbed "Meanwhile") to air on September 4th. But hey, maybe someone can convince Netflix to give life to yet another brilliant-but-canceled series?

Update: To check out a preview of the show's final season -- to debut on June 19th -- take a peek at the second video after the break.

Filed under: HD

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Source: Entertainment Weekly

Must See HDTV (June 18th - 24th)

Richard Lawler — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 18:05:00 -0400

NBA Finals
The NBA Finals rolls into week two with two more games in Miami, and Game six sunday night in Oklahoma, assuming the Thunder can score a win or two to keep the series going. So far both sides have lived up to our expectations in creating a competitive series, with any luck we'll see it extended to all seven games before it closes out next week.
(Tuesday / Thursday / Sunday, ABC)

Futurama
After being cancelled and brought back on the air, Futurama is ready to kick off its seventh season on Comedy Central. The Planet Express crew is up to its usual misadventures, and a quick preview of the premiere episode (embedded after the break) shows Bender playing with his kid, hopefully this turns out better than the last time his mini-me's nearly destroyed the world.
(June 20th, 10PM, Comedy Central)

The Newsroom
Aaron Sorkin is back with a new TV show as The Newsroom premieres Sunday night, taking a peek at the behind the scenes lives of employees at a fictional cable news channel. Jeff Daniels is the lead, an anchor forced to contend with a new team after his co-anchor starts a rival program and takes much of the existing staff with him. Hmm, sounds kind of ridiculous if you ask us. Check out a video trailer after the break, although we're pretty sure Sports Night, The West Wing and Studio 60 fans have already circled their calendars.
(June 24th, HBO, 10PM)

Filed under: HD

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Japan builds a better robot bender, still doesn't run on beer

Sean Buckley — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 13:41:00 -0400

Futurama may have set an unreasonably high bar for the next-generation bending unit, but Opton's T-WIN20 KDM inches slightly closer to the perfect drinking buddy of tomorrow. Unlike traditional robot benders, the T-WIN20 KDM can process and bend objects without the need for human assistance. It won't run off (or brew) Beer like MomCorp's premier bending unit, but forgoing meatbag assistance is a start. Check out the ¥15,500,000 ($194,000) pipe mangler after the break.

Filed under: Alt

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Robots podcast interviews Futurama head writer David X. Cohen

Joseph L. Flatley — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 13:43:00 -0400

The kids at the Robots podcast have released a pretty enjoyable interview with Futurama executive producer and head writer David X. Cohen, and we'd be remiss if we didn't make sure you had a chance to check it out. Are you ready for some frank discussion of the role of robots on television, Cohen's vision of the future, and any other number of geeky and / or hilarious subjects? Hit up the source link.

Filed under: Alt

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Futurama writer devises (and proves) math theorem to save The Professor's and Amy's mind

Ross Miller — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 12:14:00 -0400

Sure, you could prove as-of-yet-unsolved mathematical problems (why hello there, P≠NP), but where's the entertainment value for the rest of us? Cue Futurama staff writer Ken Keeler, who used his PhD in "Math Blasters (in N Dimensions)" to create and verify a theorem that served as the crux of the plot for the recent Prisoner of Benda episode, wherein minds and bodies can only be switched in one direction and order must eventually be restored. Thus we are at a crossroads, dear reader: you can either brush up on your Group Theory and related permutations and expressions... or alternatively, just take a chill and enjoy a hilarious moment in science fiction. Next up, let's explore the ramifications of Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle being disproven when a peanut butter sandwich fell into the large hadron collider, and by some stroke of luck scientists were able to simultaneously determine its momentum, position, and crunchiness.

Filed under: Alt

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EyePhone reference mysteriously disappears from online clips of Futurama

Laura June — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 12:49:00 -0400

Remember how awesome and clever Futurama was the other night? Well, if you missed it, your chances to see it in its original form might be slowly dwindling. It seems that Comedy Central has wiped out the reference in the dialogue to the "EyePhone 2.0." So, while we don't have any conspiracy theories brewing about what happened, it's a pretty odd thing to scrub, and we figure there are two possibilities: either Comedy Central is trying to cover their on this one, or they got a late night email from... someone. Thankfully, nothing disappears on the internet, so you can check out both clips and see for yourself after the break.

[Thanks, Henry L.]

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Futurama critiques modern gadget and social media obsession using 1950s technology (video)

Thomas Ricker — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 01:56:00 -0400

Like gadgets? Ever stand in line for one or over-consume just to slake your obsession? Yeah, us too. Then prepare for a humorous yet brutal look at yourselves, and the impact of your lifestyle, in the newest Futurama episode that aired tonight on Comedy Central television. We suggest curling up into a protective fetal position before clicking through for the video scraps.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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Futurama's next flick will be the first on Blu-ray

Richard Lawler — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 19:22:00 -0400

As if the wait for Futurama's return wasn't bad enough, the wait for its Blu-ray debut has been almost unbearable. The good news out of Comic-Con is that the next movie, Bender's Game is coming day and date on Blu-ray November 4. /Film's early peek at the trailer brings word of jabs at high energy prices and Lord of the Rings parodies, no official release from Fox yet -- or hints about the previously released movies coming to HD -- but in the meantime check out the full ad and mark down 11/4 on your calendar.

[Via TheHDRoom]

Filed under: Blu-ray, HD

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Venturesome DIY'er building Futurama's Bender

Darren Murph — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 07:43:00 -0400

Futurama fans (and Bender freaks in particular) may need to be sitting down when viewing this one, as we're fairly certain you'll be at least somewhat blown away by what lies ahead. On a whimsical request from a friend, a pioneering lad set out to not only create a lifelike rendition of Bender, but to "give it a brain" and make it brew beer (saywha?). Judging by his other endeavors, this won't go down as the first alcohol-related project he's undertaken, but he's well on his way to creating what's sure to be a fanboy's dream. The creature is being constructed with an assortment of MDF, glue, polystyrene balls, fiberglass, paint, and all sorts of electronic internals, and while it's not quite complete as of this writing, feel free to bookmark the read link and tag along as the process unfolds.

Filed under: Robots

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The Leela case mod

Donald Melanson — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 22:54:00 -0400

We don't cover that many case mods 'round here, but once in a while one comes along that's just impossible for us to ignore. After completing his Bender case last year, would-be Zapp Brannigan here decided to tackle a member of the Futurama crew a little closer to his heart for his next project, crafting this likeness of Leela out of nothing more than a store mannequin and pressure foam. Like the best case mods, it also incorporates some added functionality with Leela's eye serving as a webcam, LCD displays fitted into her arm bands, and a removable thumb that doubles as a literal thumb drive (we must have missed that episode). Alright, now who's gonna be the first to put Richard Nixon's head on their desk?

Filed under: Desktops

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