It has been a while since I posted The Pit and things have been pretty slow recently (with the TV season ending and are any films even shooting?). Here is a new and slightly beefy-er edition of The Pit. Enjoy!

• It is official! Mariska Hargitay and Chris Meloni will both be returning for the 11th season of Law & Order: SVU. Unlike the other Law & Orders, I can’t imagine SVU without Hargitay and Meloni. Their characters and chemistry separate SVU from the Criminal Intent and the original L&O.

• Awesome awesome awesome Lost news! We’ll be getting a full extra hour in the sixth (and final) season! The producers felt that they needed a little extra time to tell the whole story. I’m game for how ever much time they need.

• The hip hop magazine Vibe will be closing its doors, according to the New York Times, and the recession is to blame. Or is it another sign of the print medium dying?

• Will Dimension Films be remaking or franchising An American Werewolf in London? While I wouldn’t mind seeing another semi sequel like An American Werewold in Paris, I’d hate it if they just tried to remake the original.  Not only does it hold up well with time, but it’d be impossible to improve it, so what would be the point?

• It has been a while since I’ve reported any 90210 news (and sadly it looks like neither Dylan nor Brandon will be coming back next season), Abercrombie and Fitch model Trevor Donovan has been cast as Teddy, a pretty boy tennis player and son of a movie star. Could he be the guy driving the car that witnessed Annie run over something in the season finale? We’ll find out on September 8th, when the second season of 90210 begins.

• Speaking about casting, I really like the idea of Noah Wyle leading a group of soldiers and survivors against an unknown alien force in Steven Spielberg and TNT’s upcoming sci-fi series.  Between this and V, it looks like aliens are battling vampires for the entertainment monster spotlight.

One of the most innovative channels on television, the FX Network, has revealed their fall start dates for their comedies Sons of Anarchy and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and the twisted medical drama Nip/Tuck.

Anarchy, which stars Charlie Hunnam, Katey Sagal, and complete badass Ron Perlman, will begin airing new episodes on September 8th (a Tuesday) at 10pm. The series focuses on the lives of a Northern Californian motorcycle club. This will be the comedy’s second season.

Sunny is easily one of my favorite shows on TV. It is consistently funny while crossing way over the line.  It returns to it’s Thursday  10pm time slot (although I prefer to Tivo it and watch it on Sundays with my coffee and breakfast). It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia was created by and stars the team of Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton, and Charlie Day.  The series co-stars comedy legend Danny DeVito, and Kaitlin Olson. It focuses on a crude group of friends that own a bar in Philly.

The final season of Nip/Tuck will not start airing until October and will only consist of 10 episodes that will wrap up the lives of plastic surgeons Dr. Sean McNamara (Dylan Walsh) and Dr. Christian Troy (Julian McMahon). Sadly, I fell out of touch with the show in its forth season (the show is entering its sixth season). The storylines were outrageous from the beginning, but by the forth season, none of the characters were remotely likable. With no one left to root for, what is the point? I’m going to give the new season a chance and I really hope they they can recapture some of the energy and balance that the first two seasons had.

Are you excited for new episodes of any of FX’s fall lineup?

While we might not get many new shows during the summer, at least we get some really good ones, like Burn Notice (and it helps that Bruce “The Chin” Campbell co-stars in the series).  The series has a great blend of action, drama and comedy. It airs at 9pm on the USA Network. In tonight’s episode, Michael infiltrates a gang to try to take down a dangerous and sought-after criminal, while Sam’s past catches up with him. Yeah, I have no idea how the above picture ties into the episode.

Also on tonight (barely anything):

8PM

• ABC: Samantha Who?/In The Motherhood (Comedies)
• TNT: Wedding Day (Reality)

9PM

• FOX: So You Think You Can Dance? (Reality)

10PM

• NBC: The Listener (Drama)
• USA: Royal Pains (Medical Drama)

As an audience member, I love watching movies on the big screen (and even more so on an Imax screen or in 3d).  The sprawling landscapes, epic battles and high octane chase sequences, the beautiful dances and choreography, the fear and horror, the edge of your seat thrill rides, and tales of romances. Nothing is worse than when you take your seat and the film is out of focus.

Every filmmaker’s body is their most important tool, and it is key to look after yourself to ensure that you’ll be able to get through grilling 20 hour days. As a filmmaker it helps if you have a clear vision (not only with the story and theme of your current project), but your actual vision helps too.

If you wear glasses or contacts, have you ever looked into getting a LASIK procedure to correct your vision?  Modern LASIK, also known as iLASIK, has made huge advancements in the  technology that can save you money in the long run. Did you know that over a lifetime, a 25 year old wearing extended wear contacts will end up spending as much as 20 thousand dollars? The iLASIK procedure uses two lasers combinded with Wavefront mapping technology that makes it a completely unique procedure that is tailor-made for every paitent. Not only that, but it is also covered by most health savings accounts, offering a tax deductible way to pay for it. Compare that to spending as much as 20 thousand dollars.

Having better vision can help when you are making films, whether it is when you are operating a camera, or even when you are just reading a script.

We’ve focused on the hysterical guys over at Sans Pants Productions before. This video, Let Me Get That for Ya, takes bathroom humor to a new level. It might not be safe for work (depending on where you work). Enjoy!

Have a funny video? Share it with us through our Contact page. And you can check out all of our picks for Funny Videos by heading over here.

Only a couple more days to vote…

Summer is officially beginning and we are preping our first July contest and we’d like to hear from you guys! Please post a comment below with which item you’d like us to give away in our next contest. Thanks!

• “Dead Until Dark” by Charlaine Harris. This novel is the first in the Sookie Stackhouse series that the hit HBO series True Blood is based on. If you are unfamilar with the series, it is based around a small town in Louisiana and how it is effected after vampires “come out of the coffin” and into the public eye after a synthetic blood is developed.

• Face / Off on Blu-Ray.  My favorite John Woo film stars John Travolta as an FBI agent who must do the unthinkable to stop an evil terrorist’s plan, he must become him.  The disc contains a bunch of special features that you’ll never watch including commentaries by the director/writers, deleted scenes, an alternate ending, the trailer and more.

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer season one DVD. The classic vampire series by Joss Whedon focuses on the slayer (Sarah Michelle Gellar), one girl in all the world that is chosen to fight vampires and other demons.

• “Intensity” by Dean Koontz. In this #1 New York Times bestseller, a “young woman staying as a guest in a Napa Valley farmhouse becomes trapped in a fight for survival with a self-proclaimed homicidal adventurer, and races to warn his next intended victim. Unrelentingly terrifying, this book lives up to its name.”

• Bee Movie on Blu-Ray. This charming animated film is from the mind of Jerry Seinfeld and co-stars the voice of Renee Zellweger. The disc contains a bunch of features including storyboards, triva, commentaries, deleted scenes, and an alternate ending.

And last but not least…

• Chicken Run on DVD. This stop motion animation from the creators of Wallace & Gromit stars the voices of Mel Gibson and Timothy Spall. Included in the special features is a “read-along” of the script.

So, which of these items would you like to see us give away? Don’t forget to vote in the comment section of this article!