What is Movie News After Dark? It’s a nightly hand-in-hand stroll down Newsworthy Lane, with a stop at the Noteworthy Café for a bite to eat. Then we’ll head back to my place and I’ll show you my signature move, the Well-Researched Scoop (I have two sources that will confirm its quality on the record). What do you say, baby? We begin this evening with part of a new midseason poster for The Walking Dead. Which brings to mind the question of the hour: Is anyone still exciting about this show? Sure, it has the occasional zombie and it was nice to see Glen “make a friend,” but beyond that, it’s become tired, has it not?

On the Zooey Deschanel-led New Girl, titular character Jess Day is an aloof, offbeat, and (let’s face it) awkward twenty-something, forced to move in with three random guys after a tough breakup. She wears thick-framed glasses, watches Dirty Dancing on a loop, and even weaves Lord of the Rings quotes into regular conversation at the blink of an eye. On paper, well, she’s not that far from myself- another Woody Allen-loving, Star Wars-quoting, sometimes bespectacled gal. So why is it that week after week, I find myself increasingly annoyed with her overly twee behavior?

Editor’s Note: After more than a year, Merrill Barr will be leaving the Reject Family and moving on to bigger and better things. We wish him all the best. And now the series finale of Channel Guide… Finale. A dangerous word in the world of television. Dangerous because it comes with a hefty amount of baggage for those working on a show that ‘s coming to an end. Everything a series has been working towards, whether serialized or episodic, has to be fulfilled in the finale. And somehow, the writers have the terrible job of making everyone feel like the journey was worth it. When broken down, there’s really only two things necessary in order to deliver on a good series finale, stability and closure. Stability refers to where the characters end up. Whether its happily ever after, in the grave, in the after life or on the run, the audience needs to know that however we leave the characters is how they will remain for the remainder of their fictional days. This isn’t to say that the audience needs to know every single detail, but a general idea needs to be available (or at least the tools necessary to draw a conclusion).

What is Movie News After Dark? On most nights, it’s average. Tonight, it is slightly above average. We begin tonight with an image from a movie you’re not looking forward to, but only because you probably don’t know about it yet. I know about it and am very much looking forward to it. And based on the transitive property of fandom, that means you’ll want to see it, too. It’s a first image from No Way Out, a short film by Aaron Morgan that was announced as part of the Fantastic Fest 2011 Shorts Program. I was in an Aaron Morgan joint once, and I can tell you that he’s a true professional, especially when it comes to the casting couch. Though I doubt AJ Bowen had to go through the same “rigorous” “casting process.” He’s legit and I was a newcomer.

What is Movie News After Dark? It’s a nightly round-up of entertainment news and tidbits written by a Doctor Who obsessive. But you already knew that. If you didn’t, you’re about to. The sixth season of Doctor Who debuts this weekend on BBC and BBC America (at the same time!!) So of course I’m writing something about it. I just found out that season passes for ‘Part I’ of the Matt Smith-led sixth frame are available on iTunes, for those (like me) who eschew the bonds of cable providers. Also, if you’re looking to throw a Doctor Who premiere party — and invite your favorite film blog publisher — the BBC America page has Doctor Who recipes, including Ginger Companion cookies and Radioactive-Spuds with Cool Avocado Cream. Don’t put these in front of me, because I would easily EXTERMINATE! them. Get it? I’m like the Daleks of food.

Hey, you. Yes, you. No, not that person behind you who seems curiously intent on strangling you with a stand of fishing line. You. I’m guessing you are here because you want to know what’s going on in the world of movies? And chances are you’ve had about enough of the “Film School Rejects attitude” seen in other, more wordy editorials. I’m here to rescue you and give you only the news that you crave as we both stare up at the moon together. And just as you realize that the guy behind you was, in fact, killing you this whole time, you are also going to realize something else: I’m delivering the news with attitude, as well. What can I say, it’s late…

Today’s entry into the Great Geek Gift Countdown of 2010 comes as a complete surprise. Prior to this morning, I had zero intention of featuring my favorite television box set of all-time as part of this series. It’s been on the market for some time now and I had been living under the impression that everyone had forgotten about it for a while. Then Amazon went and made it today’s Gold Box Deal. It left me no choice but to throw it in here as a public service.

As much as anyone who is not a Yankees fan strongly disliked the gigantic personality of George Steinbrenner III, I can’t help but feel a twinge of sadness at the news of his death earlier today. Steinbrenner was, for better or worse, an American institution by himself. And certainly a character that flowed throughout the world of pop culture. But he was no more beloved than when he appeared (via the voice acting of Larry David) on Seinfeld. Big Stein (as I like to call him) was always a wonderful bit player in the world of Seinfeld, mostly because he played around (inadvertently) with the insecurities of one George Costanza (Jason Alexander). He was a favorite, and like Seinfeld, he will be missed. For more than just his work in the world of baseball, but for the big personality that, by proxy, gave us so many laughs. Click through the jump to watch some highlights of Larry David’s work as George Steinbrenner on Seinfeld.

Twenty years ago yesterday (May 31), Seinfeld premiered on NBC. It was 1990 and I was only 7 years old, so it wasn’t a significant moment in my life. But it was a significant moment in the world of television.

In a time of dwindling ratings, bisected seasons and cancellation fears, fans of the television show Lost were given a nice present this week. ABC execs have announced that there will be three more hours in the countdown to the end of the show.

I have always been a public advocate of not watching too much television. Many who know me have heard the phrase “Watching television is unproductive” escape my lips on more than one occasion. And its true, I have always fronted as an anti-TV, pro-Cinema goon who hypocritically owns a nice HDTV and subscribes to HD cable. It is a terrible element of my life, thus I must seek some retribution.

Larry David and Evan Rachel Wood join the cast of Woody Allen’s latest film, and the universe stops to ponder just exactly where things started to go wrong. Signs point to the Duckbilled Platypus.