“Life’s like a movie, write your own ending. Keep believing, keep pretending”. ~ Jim Henson When Jim Henson died in 1990 there was speculation about the fate of Kermit the Frog. Had Kermit died with his creator? Could Kermit, Henson’s alter ego, survive the sudden loss of the man who had lent him his voice? The answer was Kermit and his Muppet family would carry on, even without the brilliant creative force that was Jim Henson. The art of puppetry goes back thousands of years, but it’s an ancient art that Jim Henson revolutionized. What makes the Muppet world so believable even when we know we’re looking at fabric creatures? For starters Henson’s use of fabric made his puppets malleable and expressive; the faces of his puppets aren’t static. Henson also understood the power of television. On stage the puppeteer is hidden behind a curtain in a puppet theater environment. That carried over to television with, for example, the classic Kukla and Ollie puppets of Kukla, Fran and Ollie fame. Henson was inspired by them, but he didn’t use the static traditional puppet theater. He opened it up by having the cameras focus on the puppets. By keeping the puppeteers out of the frame, Henson liberated the puppets and their puppeteers, allowing them to move more freely and take on a life of their own.

So it’s October and that means only one thing – it’s Anytober at Subway, where any regular Subway sub is just $5. Wait, we’re not sponsored by Subway? Fuck that then, it’s October and on AMC that means the return of the critically acclaimed series The Walking Dead, based on the tremendous Image comic series. I say critically acclaimed because most critics don’t really enjoy horror movies and for some reason they can stomach The Walking Dead and are celebrating it. As a dyed in the wool horror fan (blood red), I’m not afraid to say that The Walking Dead on AMC is tremendously boring, not good horror, not good zombie action, and not even close to being a good adaptation. To fans of the graphic novels, what’s transpiring on the screen is bordering on being offensive. AMC has made a lot of great television, but this ain’t it.

In a recent Movie News After Dark, good ol’ Neil Miller posted a link to an article explaining that the modern cable box is one of the most power draining items in the modern home. While this is not surprising in the least, it did get me thinking. Why hasn’t the way television is delivered to us moved to the “cloud” yet? Now, the “cloud” is a word that gets kicked around a lot in modern computing, and I’m sure if you’re reading this you already know what it is. But in case you don’t, in a nut shell (at least defined by Wikipedia) the “cloud” refers to  ”access of multiple server-based computational resources via a digital network.” In other words, if I put my new Limp Bizkit album on one computer, I can then access it on another computer or mobile device. So what about television? I think we can all agree that unless you’re over the age of thirty five, you probably don’t get your television delivered to you in the traditional sense. That traditional sense being the formula of you + couch/bed/chair + remote + TV + (depending on your servce) receiver box = entertainment. No, for the new age the formula is iTunes/Amazon/Hulu/Netflix/any other VOD service you use + internet + mobile device/computer + (any location on earth) = entertainment.  And that’s what this is all about.

Last week’s episode of Game of Thrones got my attention by having Gregor Clegane cut off a horse’s head, and this week’s had me staring slack jawed as Daenerys Targaryen ate a raw, bloody horse heart while all of the Dothraki surrounded and cheered. I’ve never seen so much horse brutality in all of my life, but at least Game of Thrones has made it count. Clegane’s casual decapitation of his steed really hammered home how dangerous and evil he was at his core. And Dany’s choking down of a bloody heart this week showed how strong and determined she can be when backed against a wall. She needs the Dothraki to be loyal to her, so she does whatever it takes to earn their respect; even if it’s taking part in a horrific, bloody ritual. Her brother Viserys, by contrast, feels that respect is owed him due to his royal bloodline. Where Dany digs down and finds strength when faced with adversity, Viserys pouts, yells, and makes an ass of himself when he doesn’t get what he wants. It has been said that due to his weakness, Viserys’ older brother Rhaegar was the last dragon. Daenerys might soon prove that train of thought wrong.

At the end of the fourth episode of Game of Thrones I felt like the feeling out process was over and that the fifth would be the one in which characters finally started playing their cards and coming into direct conflict with one another; and boy was that true. This episode felt so much different than the previous four in the series. Fewer characters get face time, the focus is narrowed, and the war between the Starks and the Lannisters steps up to take center stage. The pacing has been pushed forward, there are fewer scenes of pondering and pontificating, and the violence has been amped up to gross levels. Awesomely gross levels, but gross levels nonetheless. With this episode it feels like the writers are taking a step back from explaining themselves so much, and from this point on the viewers are going to have to hold on and keep up. Most of the people who I talk to about this series have said that they really love it, but there have been a few holdouts that think it’s a little too sleepy. If you’re one of those bored naysayers, and this episode didn’t manage to wake you up, then I suggest you cut your losses and find yourself another series to watch. For the rest of us… did you see The Mountain cut off that horses head?!

This week, on a very special episode of Reject Radio, we have a surprise visit from FSR publisher and beard enthusiast Neil Miller who reminds everyone why he’s really a big softie beneath that rugged exterior. Instead of the usual news and reviews, the show is one large Segment Three where we give thanks for the cinematic wonders of 2010 (and the fact that the year is almost over). If you’re heartbroken that we didn’t review Burlesque, please pick up your consolation prize on your way out. Listen Here: Download This Episode

When not sitting in the cinema or the drunk tank, you can often find me claiming some couch space and settling in for some television, either live or on the DVR. It’s quite the life, let me tell you. During the down time of television seasons, you’re no doubt beside yourself with what to do. Go outside? No thanks, Mr. Sun. Hang out with friends? Who? No, it’s best to watch old seasons on DVD until the new episodes roll around. Then once they’re here, celebration! After a six or eight month hiatus, it’s time for a welcome reunion with favorite characters and engaging storylines. It’s time to settle in for a solid 12-22 weeks of brand new amazing adventures! Well, maybe a decade ago. Or even five years ago. But today it seems that whoever is in charge of the network schedule isn’t so much a fan of Connect Four as he is of Scattergories. If you’re not down with the game parlance, what I’m trying to say is almost no channel just runs a straight season anymore. Virtually every cable network runs a scatter shot program, three episodes here, a two week break there, a marathon on Saturday, and then another four episodes in a week.

Robert Fure once again proves he’s angry and full of dirty, dirty words, though surprisingly he manages to be rather civil for 96% of this rant against censorship.

When it comes to zombie movies, there is often a lot of talk that happens for a long time without much to show it. Think World War Z. Thankfully, The Walking Dead has cast of the curse of development and has moved into the actual filming process under the guidance of director Frank Darabont. Now we’ve got photographic proof.

One of the longest running dramas on television just got canceled. Will you miss it when it’s playing 11 times a day on TBS?

So you’re one of the most talked about shows on television and you’re heading toward a highly anticipated finale? Better not drop the ball.

A 24 hour news channel? What next, TV shows about the lives of celebrities? There are just some things we’ll never watch.

Robert Fure takes his TV watching seriously and you’d better too, or he will hit you. Really.

Last night I was invited to a screening of a pilot for a television series as part of the Independent Television Festival, and it might just be a peek into the future of television development.

This article will run from 11:01am to 12:24pm. Set your DVR accordingly. Programming Note: Article may start early or late and end whenever it feels like. You can’t win.

Get ready for your shot to win some awesome Patrick Swayze swag in celebration of his turn on the small screen in A&E’s new FBI Drama The Beast.

Robert Fure finds the cure for “The Andromeda Strain.” Don’t watch it.

The strike could be over soon. But when are we going to get our damn TV shows back?

Fun Fact: The Simpsons series is older than Bart, Lisa and Maggie combined.

When it comes to comic book adaptations, the big-budget Hollywood movies can’t hold a candle to their animated series counterparts.