Yeah, we know. It seems a lot like ‘HBO Day’ around here. Well, what can we say, we like a lot of the shows on HBO. Sue us.

One of those shows we like, no surprise, is The Newsroom. Created by Aaron Sorkin, this show has it all: compelling characters and storylines, suspense, drama, humor and all that snappy Sorkin dialog we’ve come to know and love.

In the new season, the staff of “News Night” chases a mysterious tip, which leads to a story that ultimately spins out of control. And with the second season With season about to debut, the folks at HBO have sent us some videos to get things started off and to help get you ready. Check them out after the break.

The Newsroom, which stars Jeff Daniels, Emily Mortimer, Sam Waterston, John Gallagher, Jr., Alison Pill, Thomas Sadoski, Olivia Munn and Dev Patel returns to HBO on July 14th.

If you’re as big a fan of writer/genius Aaron Sorkin as we are here at The Flickcast, this news will make you very happy. HBO has picked up Aaron Sorkin’s hourlong cable news network pilot and will take it to series.

In case you haven’t been following the developments of this show, it is as yet untitled (but used to be called More As This Story Develops) and centers on a cable news anchor (Jeff Daniels), his new executive producer (Emily Mortimer), his newsroom staff (Alison Pill, John Gallagher Jr, Olivia Munn, Dev Patel, Thomas Sadoski), and their boss (Sam Waterston).

In true Sorkin fashion this ragtag team of individuals gradually comes together as they explore the world and the news taking place around the, and, in some cases, right in front of them. The number of episodes is yet to be determined but it is generally believed to be at least 10.

This is great news but not really that surprising. Sorkin is a well known commodity and coming off an Oscar win for The Social Network so it’s not hard to believe HBO would be interested in working with him.

It’s also a great deal for Sorkin as well as he can finally have a series on a newtork where ratings are not all that important. Sems like a good fit and we can’t wait to see the show.

How the mighty have fallen.  In 1999, M. Knight Shyamalan was poised to become Hollywood’s next great director. His breakout hit The Sixth Sense energized audiences with its iconic twist and fresh premise.  Some maintain that he peaked with that first film, although he went on to make Unbreakable, Signs, The Village, Lady in the Water, and The Happening.

Even though his latest movies have not fared well critically, I have held out hope that he could recapture some of the magic we saw in the early days of his career.  The Last Airbender took those hopes, smashed them to the ground, and pissed on the ashes.  I was stupefied that someone so talented had actually made such a piece of junk. I’m still reeling.

Before I go further, I would like to make it clear to fans of the series that this is a critique of the movie, not the series. I have always believed that even if a movie is based on source material, the movie should speak for itself, and be worthy of a watch based on its own merit.  A lot of people go see movies based on books, comics, and other source material, and a movie should be accessible to anyone who buys a ticket, whether they know the source material or not.

This film is a dismal failure when it comes to storytelling, direction, acting, set design, and the post-production 3-D, and it cannot possibly do justice to the animated series upon which it was based.  I’ve heard nothing but wonderful things about it, but you won’t cull that knowledge from this movie adaptation.

Thirty minutes into the film, I had no clue what it is about. Worse still, I didn’t care to find out.  Not because I’m lazy, but because the script is so convoluted and did such a poor job of convincing me that there was anything compelling to the story.