It’s hard to believe the journey that Scrubs, the once sophomore sitcom on NBC, has gone through. After hanging on for it’s life at NBC and then making the epic leap over to ABC the show is now in it’s 9th season and getting a complete overhaul, including losing 3 stars and adding 4 new ones.

Going into a 9th season meant that Zach Braff, Neil Flynn and Judy Reyes would all be leaving the show, with Braff guest starring in the first few episodes to help ease the transition. With those losses, come a few new additions to the cast. Kerry Bishe will be taking on the role of Lucy, the newest main character, with Michael Mosley taking on the role of Drew, the older, cooler med student. James Franco’s younger brother Dave will also be joining the cast as the cocky Cole.

The show will even be getting a change in location. The new setting won’t be Sacred Heart hospital anymore, but the college campus, where the returning cast joins as professors to the up-and-coming med students. Think of this as the show getting a Saved By The Bell: The New Class makeover.

After the jump, check out an exclusive new scene from the season 9 premiere, which happens on December 1st. In it, Turk and J.D. show that though things may look different around them, their love is still as everlasting.

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There are several things that director Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow) doesn’t seem too concerned about in the bloated, CGI-laden disaster movie 2012. These include, but are not limited to:  plot, character development, plausibility, restraint, and subtlety. I kind of understand why he chooses to ignore these elements. If you get bogged down with all these pesky details, how are you supposed to focus on THE SPECTACLE?

THE SPECTACLE is the star of this film, and clearly every resource available was used to ensure that this movie looks good, everything else be damned. 2012 is a full 2 1/2 hour visual assault of CGI, destruction, chase scenes, and every natural disaster a geophysicist could possibly imagine. It’s chalk full of action movie clichés, right down to the brooding and estranged ex-husband who happens to be near his old family when disaster strikes, and must lead them to safety. Not only is the movie wholly unoriginal, but it actually feels like Emmerich just cherry-picked his favorite scenes from action movies he likes, and found a way to throw them all into a threadbare story.

This is director indulgence gone too far. The movie is an hour too long, and a few key scenes would have had far more impact if there were not an action scene thrown in every 3-4 minutes. It’s as though Emmerich is saying to the audience: “You are going to sit there in your seat, and you are going to watch the crap out of this movie.”

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One of our own Chris Ullrich’s favorite films this year, Solomon Kane, has apparently been acquired for U.S. distribution by Lionsgate, a studio known for supporting genre and independent movies. According to Fangoria, who broke the news, there are rumblings that the film may even get a theatrical run prior to a DVD release.

Horror aficionados might be familiar with director Michael J. Bassett, who previously directed Deathwatch (2002) and Wilderness (2006). Soloman Kane is a character originally created by pulp fiction author Robert E. Howard, of  Conan the Barbarian fame. Stories about the character appeared in Weird Tales magazine in the 1920′s.

James Purefoy stars as the title character, who roams the earth trying to wipe out evil after the devil acquires his soul and he has a change of heart about his evil ways. The movie also stars prolific actor Max Von Sydow (Flash Gordon, Dune, The Tudors). No release date has been given yet but we’ll keep you posted on all the developments.

DreamWorks Studios, with plans for a Fright Night remake, have signed Mad Men writer-producer Marti Noxon to write the script about a horror-obsessed teen who thinks his neighbor means something altogether different when sipping some red.

Noxon, no stranger to vampires herself since she was a writer-producer for both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and it’s spin-off Angel, will keep the comedy/horror vibe the original had when it was released in 1985, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film went on to be a surprise box office hit, trailing only A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge in the horror department that summer.

Producers Michael De Luca, Michael Gaeta and Alison Rosenzweig had signed onto the project back in May of this year, while overseeing the project for DreamWorks will be co-president of production Mark Sourian. No word on a potential release date or casting as of yet, but we’ll keep you posted.

Buzz has been surrounding Square Enix’s upcoming MMO title, Final Fantasy XIV, ever since the trailer was revealed earlier this year at E3. While the game won’t be out for awhile, details have been slowly leaking, and recently the official website released some details on some new classes and the weapons they’ll wield in Final Fantasy XIV.

The first new class revealed is the gladiator. This class favors close-range combat, using a wide range of blades to hack and slash at their opponent. They also sport shields and throwing knives. Another class, the pugilist, has also been revealed. This class uses its bare fists or hand-to-hand weaponry to take down their adversaries.

Their weapon of choice, himantes, are regulation weapons, soaked in tallow for increased durability. Final Fantasy XIV will be available in Japanese, English, French and German for Windows PC and Playstation 3 sometime in 2010. Check out some of the new classes and weapons after the jump.

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Game publisher Activision and game producer Infinity Ward have announced that their new game, the hotly-anticipated Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 , has become the biggest game launch in history with estimated sales of $310 million in North America and the United Kingdom in the first 24 hours. This according to internal estimates at Activision.

As you probably know, unless you’ve been living in a cave, Modern Warfare 2 was released on Tuesday, November 10th at over 10,000 retail outlets in the U.S. which held midnight openings to meet consumer demand. In its first day, it sold approximately 4.7 million copies in just North America and the United Kingdom, again according to internal Activision estimates.

Obviously, the folks at Activision were pretty excited about all of this.

“The shattering of these entertainment records is a testament to the compelling, cinematic and uniquely engaging experience that the Call of Duty brand delivers,” said Mike Griffith, CEO, Activision Publishing, Inc. “Modern Warfare 2 has taken interactive experience to unprecedented heights setting a new standard for entertainment.”

Works for us. Hey, we got our copies of the game here at The Flickcast HQ gaming lounge, how about you?

Here’s one gift that Mac and PC users can both enjoy. Google, everyone’s favorite search giant, announced this week that during the holiday season, it is sponsoring free Wi-Fi at 47 airports around the United States, as well as on every Virgin America flight. This all starts now and ends January 15th.

In addition, Google has set up a way for travelers at each airport to donate to charities Engineers Without Borders, the One Economy Corporation and Climate Savers Computing Initiative while enjoying its generous gift of free Internet access. Google will also match each airports donations up to $250,000 and will also give the most generous airport $15,000 for the charity of its choosing.

Full details, including a list of airports, the contest and the charity drive, can be found at FreeHolidayWiFi.com. Fortunately, I don’t plan on doing much travelling during the holidays but this is still something that may people will take advantage of. So, no matter if you’re a fan of Google or not, its still a nice thing when you get something for free — especially during the holidays.

Welcome to another edition of The Pull List Comic Reviews! We’ve got a lot off good issues to get through, so let’s get to it. As always, WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD.

PULL OF THE WEEK:

S.W.O.R.D. #1 – Marvel Comics – $3.99 US
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artists: Steven Sanders, Jamie McKelvie
Score: 9.0

Spinning out of Joss Whedon and John Cassaday’s seminal Astonishing X-Men run, S.W.O.R.D. is the new title focusing on the organization entrusted to ensure that alien invasions are kept to a minimum. The Sentient World Observation and Response Department’s co-commander, Abigail Brand, has enough on her plate as it is, but having Henry Peter Gyrich – yes, THAT guy – as your co-commander simply can’t be a good thing.

After making a name for himself with the critically acclaimed Phonogram series, Marvel thought that writer Kieron Gillen would be able to handle the launch of a new, ongoing series that has a lot of ties to it, and boy were they right. The juggling parallels between what Agent Brand must endure and the various plot threads that Gillen must keep going wasn’t lost on me; in fact, I’d say it only added to the story’s flow. Imagine Men In Black done up right.

So new that he could be considered a rookie, artist Steven Sanders is anything but. Sharp, clean pencils fill this issue from cover to cover, and while his interpretation of how Beast looks takes a little getting used to, ultimately it’s nit picking on an otherwise near-perfect comic. His rendition of Gyrich, especially, should be noted, as the character has never looked more dick-ish.

About as entertaining as an issue can be, this first issue manages to draw you in with quirky moments – Beast’s lovesick commentary, Lockheed’s binge drinking – and stunning revelations – hello, Kitty! – made this an incredibly easy selection for our Pull of the Week.

OTHER PULLS:

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We’re pretty big fans of the first season of Batman: Brave and the Bold, which is showing on Cartoon Network. The show, being the only one of DC’s animated properties still on the air, has proven itself to be a great blend of both comic lore, and comedic animation for all ages. If nothing else, we were hooked with last week’s musical episode starring Neil Patrick Harris.

This week, we’re treated to another special guest star as Greg Ellis lends his voice as Dr. Fate to help Batman take down the evil Equinox in a planet-wide battle. In the episode, Fate and Batman team up with just about every other hero Batman has ever worked with to take down a plot to pit order versus chaos throughout the whole world.

We’ve got three new clips from Friday’s episode, the first of which has James Remar (The Warriors) stepping in as one of Batman’s more famous of enemies. In the second clip, Dr. Fate and Batman go head-to-head on whether magic or science can be used to solve this problem. And in the final clip, Equinox’s evil scheme is finally revealed as the duo look in on some trouble brewing in Atlantis.

Check out the three clips after the jump. Be sure to catch “Fate of the Equinox” on Cartoon Network Friday, November 13th, at 7:30PM/6:30PM Central.

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Lionsgate has really stepped up on the marketing for their newest Marvel comic-turned-film, Matthew Vaughn’s Kick-Ass. In a matter of a week, we’ve already gotten a peak at four new character posters, the brand new website, the first official teaser, and now we’re getting yet another poster to check out.

For those not in the know, the film is based on the Mark Millar (Wanted) comic where superheroes are all about as real as they are in the real world, except there are a few who feel they need to take vigilante justice into their own hands. That’s where Dave Lizewski comes in. Dave is a less-than-average highschooler who has never really done anything with his life, until he dons the identity of Kick-Ass, and takes to the streets.

The film will be an interesting test to see if the regular audience is ready for a sardonic and gritty comic book film. Watchmen was able to obtain a small amount of the Dark Knight carryover, but not nearly enough in the box office. Kick-Ass could be a way for fans to one day see comics like Fables and The Boys turned into feature films.

Check out the poster in full after the jump. Kick-Ass, starring Aaron Johnson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Nicolas Cage, hits theaters on April 16th, 2010.

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Fans of comedy and episodic TV have nothing but good thoughts come to mind when they hear the names Steve Carell and Tina Fey. Both The Office and 30 Rock have dominated comedy on network TV for quite some time now, so it would only make sense that a film showcasing both of them together would be epic, no? Probably not, after seeing the trailer for their newest film, Date Night.

The film is about a bored and boring married couple who decide to spice things up by lying to a hostess at a restaurant about their reservations, thus taking another couple’s name and table. One crazy happenstance after another then occurs, and our beloved couple is now on the run from gangsters. Add to that premise the reluctant hero from Get Smart and the neurotic lead from Baby Mama and you’ve got this 90-minute comedy.

The film is padded with a pretty big supporting cast, hoping to drag the audiences in. Mark Wahlberg, James Franco, Ray Liotta, Mark Ruffalo, Mila Kunis, Leighton Meester, and even Olivia Munn are all in the film, with Shawn Levy, director of the Night At The Museum films, sitting in the director’s chair.

Check out the first theatrical trailer after the jump, Be sure to catch Date Night in theaters on April 9th, 2010.

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There have been plenty of optioned films over the past few months that don’t make a lot of sense. Peter Berg will be directing a film based on Battleship, Michael Bay is producing Ouija, and Kevin Lima (Enchanted) is directing Candy Land. One other that has struck a “huh?” chord more than others is Ridley Scott’s directing of a movie based on the game Monopoly.

Scott, who is best known for directing such epic (and not family-oriented) films as Alien, Blade Runner and Gladiator, was supposedly sold on the film during a pitch meeting with Universal and producer Frank Beddor (There’s Something About Mary). In an interview with the LA Times, Beddor goes into detail on the pitch that got Ridley Scott so interested.

“I created a comedic, lovable loser who lives in Manhattan and works at a real estate company and he’s not very good at his job but he’s great at playing Monopoly. And the world record for playing is 70 straight days – over 1,600 hours – and he wanted to try to convince his friends to help him break that world record.

They think he is crazy. They kid him about this girl and they’re playing the game and there’s this big fight. And he’s holding a Chance card and after they’ve left he says, ‘Damn, I wanted to use that Chance card,’ and he throws it down. He falls asleep and then he wakes up in the morning and he’s holding the Chance card, and he thinks, ‘That’s odd.’”

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