Cult sci-fi animated series ‘Futurama’ is set to return for a new series of 26 episodes. The series was originally thought up by Simpsons creator Matt Groening in the mid-1990s. He later enlisted former Simpsons writer and producer David X. Cohen (now Futurama head writer and Executive producer) to help devlop the idea. For anyone who hasn’t seen it, the premise of the series is a pizza delivery boy, Philip J Fry, who is accidentally (later revealed to be deliberately) cryogenically frozen in 1999 for 1000 years until New Year’s Eve 2999. The series revolves around his adventures adjusting to life in the 31st Century. The best character, in my opinion, is the alcoholic robot Bender. After showing for four seasons from 1999-2003 the series was cancelled and later syndicated for reruns where its fan base grew and it attracted a devoted following.  After reruns the series was revived with four straight-to-DVD films, Bender’s Big Score, The Beast with a Billion Backs, Bender’s Game and Into the Wild Green Yonder. The new series is set to begin airing around mid-2010. Producing studio 20^th Century Fox has announced that the new series will air on Comedy Central. Initially the original voice cast were said to be not reprising their roles. Protests were made at this news, including a ‘Save the Voices of Futurama’ Facebook group. It has now been confirmed that the entire cast are returning. Thanks for reading.

By now, surely you’ve heard the news: Futurama is coming back!

Comedy Central has signed the dotted line, ordering 26 episodes brand spankin’ new shows.  Maybe you’ve heard the other news: Fox threatened to recast all of the original voices. The voice cast includes John DiMaggio, Maurice LaMarche, Billy West, Tress MacNeille and Katey Sagal.

Well fear not, Futurama fans! A compromise agreement was made with the studio – the studio agreed to pay slightly more for production, while the actors agreed to accept less.

In the official statement, creators Matt Groening and David X. Cohen said, “We are thrilled to have our incredible cast back. The call has already gone out to the animators to put the mouths back on the characters.”

The return of the show will mark the first real new episodes in 6 years. The new stuff will begin mid-2010.

Score one for fans everywhere, ’cause more Bender is never a bad thing.

If you’re a fan of Futurama then you already know about Fox’s idea to recast the voices of Futurama for the upcoming return of the series.

IGN caught up with actor John DiMaggio who plays ‘Bender’ on Futurama to ask him about the controversy, but because they are still negotiating, he’s not able to say a whole lot:

When I asked him what he could say about the situation, DiMaggio first broke into song, singing some famous Elvis Presley lyrics: “Caught in a trap. I can’t walk out! Cause I love you too much, baby!” He then smiled and told me, “In other words, no comment. I really can’t talk about it. All I can say is that Matt [Groening] and David [X. Cohen] have such a wonderful project and I love it dearly – love it to death. And hopefully we’ll be able to work it out. And I think we will. It’s just going to take a little time and that’s about it.”

I mentioned to DiMaggio how tremendous the fan support has been for the actors since the story broke and DiMaggio nodded, saying, “Yeah, the fans have been really wonderful and that’s really great. But you know, that’s just the way it goes. That’s just the way this show business works. And we’ll see what happens. Hopefully… I have a good feeling it’s going to turn out for the best. That’s about it. That’s all I’ve got. That’s all I have to say about that!”

Después de su paso por el DVD, el legendario show animado Futurama volverá a su formato serie. La nueva temporada encargada por Fox constará de 26 nuevos episodios de media hora de duración, tal y como ha anunciado Comedy Central. La serie creada por Matt Groening y David X. Cohen, ya se emitió en la cadena desde 1.999 a 2.003, convirtiéndose pronto, gracias a su humor subversivo y ácido, en todo un producto de culto que ahora regresa, tras el éxito de sus películas en DVD, a la pequeña pantalla. En Futurama seguimos las aventuras de Philip Fry, un peculiar repartidor de pizzas que en 1.999 cae por accidente en una máquina criogénica para despertar 1.000 años después. En ese extraño futuro, pronto se hará amigo de una serie de extravagantes personajes, entre los que se encuentran una aventurera alienígena de un solo ojo, un médico crustáceo, un viejo inventor que dirige una empresa de transportes y un robot cleptómano, borrachín, pendenciero, mujeriego y terriblemente carismático, que le ayudarán a comprender ese nuevo mundo.

Long live Futurama. Thanks to the show’s increasing popularity and its already strong fandsxx base, the animated series will return with new episodes in 2010 on Ceomedy Central. The Matt Groening (Simpsons) and David X. Cohen project has found itself amdist a  revival of popular cartoons that had previously been pulled off the air.

This is a great sign for Futurama fans. Although I think the show is hit or miss, I have to admit that I have enjoyed watching the repeats on Comedy Central. Hopefully, they’ll keep the same wit and humor that made the show so popular in the first place.

that’s right. you read it right. futurama has officially made the “family guy” comeback that we’ve all been waiting for.

futurama has been signed for TWO more seasons just to start, that’s 26 new episodes. the new season is said to pick right after the storyline of the last futurama movie “into the wild green yonder.”

writer/creator david x. cohen had some reassuring words about the upcoming writing direction:

“what we will try to do is go a little bit back to pure comedy, characters and sci-fi.”

that’s good to hear. i really liked the four movies that they released, but they were a bit out there. now granted it is a show that takes place 1000 years in the future with aliens, mutants, robots, monsters, and disembodied heads in jars of people from our time, but the direction that they took the movies was less grounded then the series was. it’s just like how the simpsons became; they exhausted all of the everyday story lines so they started doing wacky out-of-this-world stuff. i’m really excited to see what they come up with, especially considering how they resolved most of the key story arcs.

this post doesn’t even touch on a fraction of how excited i am about this. this is like how normal people would feel about having kids or whatever the devil you people usually do.

the new series will start sometime in the middle of 2010.

stay tuned for updates.

The title screen of the last episode that aired on FOX.

Good news everyone! New episodes of Futurama will be returning to the airwaves; however, instead of going back to FOX the show will come to Comedy Central, which currently airs the Futurama reruns and movies.

After the last of the four Futurama movies there was speculation about whether or not the show’s increasing popularity and DVD sales would be enough for the “Family Guy” effect – returning to TV with new episodes after being cancelled. Comedy Central struck a deal for 26 new episodes over two seasons, and they will air starting in mid-2010.

All of the key voice actors and writers are expected to return to work on the new episodes. Creators Matt Groening and David Cohen are reportedly already at work on new stories. I can’t wait to tune in!

Source: Variety

20th Century Fox TV plans to produce 26 new episodes of Futurama to air on Comedy Central in mid-2010. Creator Matt Groening said he and co-creator David X. Cohen already have potential storylines that they never got around to producing during the show’s original incarnation. “It’s sweet, and basically everybody who has worked on the show wants to come back,” Groening said. “I choose to believe it’s more than the economic situation. People had a good time working on this show.”

“We discovered that, like ‘Family Guy,’ there’s a passionate core audience and a tremendous pent-up demand to see more ‘Futurama,’” said 20th Century Fox TV chairman Gary Newman. It took cable channel Comedy Central airing all 72 off-net episodes of as well as the DVD episodes in January 2008 to get Fox’s attention. “The animation on ‘Futurama’ has always been so intricate, and there are costs associated with that,” Newman said. In order to make the deal work costs were trimmed — leading to a smaller writing staff and shorter delivery schedule, among other changes. “Across the board, everyone is doing a little belt tightening,” Newman said. “That’s what’s necessary to get this thing into production … no one is going to make a big payday on the show, including the studio.”

As part of the deal, 20th still has an option to license the new episodes’ original runs to a broadcast network (such as Fox). If the show does go to broadcast, Comedy Central’s license fee will be reduced. “It’s a deal we’re all happy with,” said Comedy Central programming senior VP David Bernath. “It’s a bigger win for us promotionally if we wind up going first … but if we wind up in second position, then the economics work out for us as well.” Comedy Central’s rights run well into the next decade, which is why the net was so invested in the production of new episodes.

Writing has already begun on the show. Groening said he was inspired by Star Trek and that the updated Futurama may take a similar approach to explain the re-launch. Voice actors Billy West (who played Philip Fry), Katey Sagal (Leela) and John DiMaggio (Bender) have all signed on to return.

“Well, get ready for some good news. No wait, get ready for some great news. No, great doesn’t really describe it. Here is some grantasticularly wondergasmiclicious news! (And my 12th grade English teacher said I’d never amount to anything as a writer.)

Comedy Central has ordered all brand new episodes of Futurama, and the show has officially gone back into production.”

via Bender’s back, baby! New Futurama episodes are in our future – TV Squad.

The long-standing rumors of Futurama’s potential return to Comedy Central have been confirmed by Collider.com, although all the attention appears to have brought down their site. It looks like creator David X. Cohen is ramping up production for a 13 episode run that will air at an undetermined date in the future. Based on my limited knowledge of the production cycle for shows like this, I would anticipate something in early 2010. Based on Comedy Central’s scheduling, I wouldn’t be surprised if Futurama shares the South Park timeslot on Wednesdays at 10/9c.

UPDATE – It’s official. 26 episodes are coming in mid-2010.

This is the last of the commissioned feature-length direct-to-DVD episodes of Futurama, which came into effect several years after the cancellation of the TV show. They have largely been a mixed bag, providing a certain amount of laughs and ideas, while also having trouble grappling with extended plots that also must serve as independent episodes when the ‘movie’ is split into 20 minute sections for syndication. The result has been choppy at best (arguably The Beast With a Billion Backs) and self-indulgent at worst (the otherwise enjoyable Benders Big Score), whilst also exhibiting a slightly tedious reluctance to progress the status quo any further.

The plot this time round revolves around Fry’s new-found ability to read minds, leading him to discover he’s the only one capable of preventing the ‘Dark One’ from preventing the birth of a creature that can sustain all extinct and endangered life. Meanwhile, Leela joins a tribe of eco-feminists bent on sabotaging Leo Wong’s planet-sized miniature golf course, which is threatening a surprisingly fertile asteroid. Bender also has a fling with Fanny, girlfriend to the head of the Robot Mafia, in a subplot that gleefully goes nowhere.

As ever, we’re treated to a litany of high-concept gaggery, most of which do hit the mark. Unfortunately it isn’t enough to support a rather weightless plot that squanders it’s most promising revelation; the identity of the ‘Dark One’. It’s by no means an unpleasant or impenetrable watch, but one that certainly fails to match or assail the admittedly formidable heights of the original show. This isn’t to suggest it’s not suitable for a feature-length format, but the decision to construct it as four conjoined episodes must surely lead to the unsatisfying plotting on display.

The added significance of this being the ‘last Futurama’ has surprisingly little impact upon the tone of the film, save for an ending that does attempt to resolve the odd lingering thread before suitably leaving the door wide open for future adventures. Other than that, there is little in there to serve as any grand conclusion. This is perhaps just as well, given the redundant whirligig of self-referencing that was Bender’s Big Score, but leads to a kind of emotional short changing where long-awaited payoffs feel cheapened slightly. It’s a rather nebulous point to make given the amount of fun there is to be had here, but overall there isn’t enough to keep coming back to. Borrow it from a friend.

Just finished watching the latest (and potentially last) Futurama movie, Into the Wild Green Yonder. This feature length animated adventure was just released today on DVD and hi-def BluRay. After the first two movies, which were enjoyable with sections of tedium, and the third, which was plain unwatchable, I must say I had my reservations about this title. After all, Futurama is one my favorite television series of all time, and this is potentially the final sendoff. Well, I’ve got to say that this was easily the best of the 4 DVD movie releases. Enjoyable from start to finish, the characters stay in character, the jokes don’t fall flat and you finally feel like you’re watching a genuine, classic episode of Futurama. Oh, and the end is a nice wrap up for the series, if this does wind up being the final hoorah. Kudos, Futurama crew. It’s been a long, strange ride!

-Jackie Cous

"Des idiots et des anges", film d'animation de Bill Plympton

LE REPORTAGE COMPLET ICI

Pourquoi titrer sur Bill Plympton dans le plus pur style patois rastafarian ?

Hermes Conrad - Futurama © Matt Groening, David X Cohen

Je pensais à “Futurama”, l’épisode où Fry et ses acolytes soutiennent avec une banderole “You the mon” le comptable jamaïcain Hermes Conrad dans une compétition de limbo.

“Futurama”, création folle et géniale du scénariste David X Cohen et du papa des Simpsons, Matt Groening. Matt Groening, celui qui affirma un jour que dieu s’appelait…

… Bill Plympton

Un cheminement tortueux, n’est-il-pas ?

Bill Plympton était en France en ce début d’année pour présenter “Des Idiots et des Anges”, son dernier long métrage d’animation.

Si l’idée que l’on de fait d’un dieu est celle de l’inaccessible, Plympton est une pâle divinité. On débarque avec son Nikon à la galerie Chappe devant un grand type jovial de 62 ans qui vous autorise toutes les photos que vous souhaitez et vous donne même 10 à 20 secondes de grimaces plymptoniennes, rien que pour vous.

Des dessins originaux à vendre s’amoncellent sur la table tandis qu’il signe sans faiblir des dédicaces depuis deux heures. “Pour être un bon animateur, il faut être un bon dessinateur et un bon businessman”, c’est lui qui le dit.

Le site de Bill Plympton

Le Trailer de “Des Idiots et des Anges”

Un bon papier du “Figaro”

"Des idiots et des anges", film d'animation de Bill Plympton

Pour conclure, juste avant de vous ruer dans les salles obscures, considérez ceci. Un homme qui porte de telles chaussures ne peut être mauvais. Amen, dirait Groening

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Futurama (from Matt Groening and David X. Cohen)first hit the airwaves on March 28th of 1999 and I vividly remember viewing the premiere of the series even if it is approaching 10 years since the Planet Express Crew first launched into action. The series revolves around the adventures of a man named Phillip J. Fry (or simply referred to as Fry), a former Pizza delivery boy with no aspirations for the future. The story begins the day before the new millennium (2000) and Fry is having a terrible day that takes a rather odd twist when he is called upon a Cryogenics Laboratory via a prank delivery call and is accidentally frozen and set to awake in 1000 years. Fry awakens in the future and now must learn and conform to society’s new standards. In the year 3000; space travel is possible, robots and aliens walk amongst the human race, and the overall state of society reflects that of a desensitized nature.

The series essentially addresses the problems of today and increases the overall magnitude and exaggerates it greatly to reflect upon the possibilities of tomorrow’s issues. Fry finds his only living relative, Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth (referred to as The Professor), and through a slew of events becomes a delivery boy for Planet Express (the professor’s delivery company) alongside a robot that is named “Bender Bending Rodriguez” (referred to as Bender) and a alien later revealed to be a mutant named “Turanga Leela” (referred to as Leela). Amy Wong (intern for Planet Express), Dr John Zoidberg (the delivery company’s medic), and Hermes Conrad (the company’s accountant) are all introduced, as well. One particular aspect I dig about the character’s are the unique context in which they are displayed and the iconic nature of their personalities and overall design, as well.  Essentially, the series follows around the core cast as they deliver packages, save the world, and get caught up in often odd and complex situations.

The series often follows in the vein of many Science Fiction films and novels by featuring a rather complex storyline that takes advantage of it’s fictional setting, while also staying true to the rules and general logic set in place. Despite the blatant point that the series is fictitious material to begin with; it still manages to play upon issues of today, magnified for the world of tomorrow. The entire television series is a tribute and nod to various Sci-Fi series and films of the past. The show is also notable for developing it’s characters and integrating humor within the actual development in a rather seamless manner. That said, it’s a rarity for animated shows to actually put some thought into the characters as the average individual in the target demographic of a television program is generally fine with half baked humor that destroys the very core and soul of their characters, in the process. And for those who have no idea what I just said, refer to “Family Guy” as the prime example for this “cheap” kind of humor.

Considering the series contains the budget of an average television program, the top notch quality of the animation is almost perplexing as it’s a rarity to spot any apparent shortcuts taken. One particular technique I found rather intriguing was the implementation of CGI in shots that are far too complex for 2D imagery. The animation is stylized to fuse right in with the hand drawn animation and is rather impressive as the creators could have very well left the two types of animation in different styles and ignored the blatant inconsistency or simply stick to one style of animation to save the headache of blending the two together, seamlessly.  In a world where we expect the staff to cut corners wherever they can and only meet the status quo or below; Futurama stands out as presenting a decent presentation. Granted, it’s not perfect and mistakes are still present; but it more or less is equivalent to a well crafted structure with a few issues aesthetically that is forgivable because the core of the actual structure is still solid, regardless of a few minor issues.

Despite the positive aspects of the series, the executives at 20th Century Fox at the time of the show’s lifespan, declined to renew it after it’s fourth and ultimately final season. The primary reason of the show’s “cancellation” was chalked up to “ratings” even though Fox aired the series in an erratic manner and often placed it within the 7:00 time slot on Sunday night. If a particular game happened to last longer than anticipated; the series would often be skipped over for the next show in the slot for the evening. There were reportedly a few executives, at the time, that held disdain for the show due to it’s overall style which wasn’t particularly the “norm” expected. It was around the time of the show’s cancellation that Cartoon Network acquired syndication rights to air the series in it’s entirety on their late night adult programming block entitled “Adult Swim.” The series found new life on cable television and the eventual DVD release was met with rather decent sales figures.

With the positive buzz surrounding the series long after it’s production lifespan eventually led to talks of reviving it in some shape or form. This was of course after a few shifts in power within the executives at 20th Century Fox and the decent sales figures came in on the DVD box sets. Originally, it was suggested that the creators should revive the series as a single direct-to-DVD feature length film. After a bit of a time and discussion, it was then decided to create four straight to DVD films which would then be re-configured and edited into four separate episodes a piece, equaling a total of 16 episodes and would serve as a fifth season for broadcast purposes. Comedy Central purchased the exclusive right to air the series, including the new films. The first feature length film’s title was announced as “Bender’s Big Score” and was dated for November 28th, 2007.

After more than four years, “Bender’s Big Score” emerged as the official return of Futurama. Visually, the show still holds a high caliber of quality even when it has been stretched out to an hour and a half run time. Fortunately, the same animation studio was able to return as was the original voice actors. This grants a smooth and relatively seamless transition between the series and films rather than forcing the audience to shift through a few awkward clunks. The film was also animated in high definition and created specifically for the widescreen format, as well. The only actual difference is the removal of a live orchestra for the score, which isn’t blatantly obvious nor does it make or break the actual quality of the film.

The story to Bender’s Big Score is rather complex and essentially serves as a tribute and “thank you” to the many fans that have followed the series over the years. We’re first greeted to the introduction of the Planet Express Crew, followed by a jab at the executives at Fox and the newly remastered theme song. The plotline flows fairly well and succeeds in running in the same vein as the series. Instead of merely attempting to strike the particular “spark” that fueled the core of the series and failing; the film succeeds in capturing that same “spark” and further driving the particular essence fans enjoy. To put it simply, if you’re familiar with the original television series, you’ll enjoy this film, despite it’s shortcomings.

It’d be rather bias of me to not state the negative aspects of the film which, unfortunately, are noticeable. The average episode of Futurama typically had about 20 minutes or so granted and the jump to a feature length direct-to-DVD film requires the series to now stretch to roughly 90 minutes. While this is a welcome addition, the lengthening seems to be rather new to the writers as there were times where the overall pacing slowed down to a perplexing halt. There were noticeably long intervals of the feature where the amount of laughs staggered down to a meager grind that ultimately felt as if it they were awkward transitions to each separate act rather than a well crafted story, as a whole. To the film’s credit, these few moments generally do have purpose to those who are familiar with the series; but ultimately alienates the casual fanbase or those unfamiliar with the show, to begin with. However, these are only minor gripes. If your already a fan, you’ll definitely enjoy this film. Though I would not recommend it as a “hook” for new fans.

To put it simply, Bender’s Big Score is a film for the fans and serves as the grand re-introduction of the series thought to be permanently just a distant memory. While it does not constantly deliver laughs, the film has numerous thematic elements present that helps it soar in other aspects. The entire story takes various twists and turns with a numerous laughs along the way. And while the pacing could have used a bit of work, the tone of the film fits well enough in context to it’s original intent and allows one to be more forgiving of the slower moments of the feature length epic. Overall, Bender’s Big Score serves as a very good start to the return of the series. If you happen to be a fan, then you’ll certainly enjoy it; if not, then I recommend you give one of the greatest Sci-Fi induced televisions series of it’s time a shot.

Pro’s: Production value is on par with the series, story is an overall fun ride, fans will enjoy the numerous nods and cameos, and the “genuine” ending ties the entire complexity of the plotline together in a well crafted manner.

Con’s: Pacing is iffy, the removal of a live orchestra gives the score more of an artificial feel, and the editing could have been tightened up a bit.

Conclusion: Despite a few flaws, the film serves as a well crafted and much needed return to one of the greatest Sci-Fi induced series of it’s time. As a fan, you’ll certainly enjoy this feature length epic as it strikes that very same spark the series always succeded in capturing.

Like many of the Futurama episodes, this film is full of playful irreverent nonsense. As always, it’s fun to tune-in and turn off the rational part of the brain that would reject most of the absurd ideas of what the future will be like. But unlike the previous episodes that are bizarre and hilarious, this feature film seems content on just being ridiculous and nostalgic.

The answer, naturally, is 15. If you’re talking about the Burnt Pancake problem, that is. (And the sequence actually starts 1, 4, 6, 8… but I left off the initial 1 because otherwise you would have known right away that something was amiss.)

The Burnt Pancake problem involves pancakes of different sizes, each with one burnt side, piled up on top of one another. Here’s how famous math guy and Emmy winner David X. Cohen initially described the problem in this interview with Sarah Greenwald:

The question was how do you sort these disks to get the biggest pancake on the bottom and the smallest pancake on top [with all the burnt sides down] if they start in an arbitrary disordered state, and the only thing you’re allowed to do is put a spatula somewhere in the middle, pick up the ones above it, flip them over, and put them down, as a group. Doing that repeatedly, putting a spatula in different places, you want to sort this out. So a very physical thing, that got me excited when I found out that no one knew the answer in general for how many flips it takes to sort this thing.

Here is help us visualize this problem is our friendly neighborhood Godzilla. He’s going to use oreos with tops removed to simulate the pancakes.

With only one “pancake”, if it starts like this

the “burnt” side is already at the bottom, so it needs 0 flips to get into the proper position.

If, instead, the pancake starts “burnt” side up, it needs one flip:

(Don’t you think that Godzilla looks a little bit like that guy Craig from Hell’s Kitchen?) As the Big G has just demonstrated, if you have just ONE burnt pancake then it could take as many as, well, 1 flip to orient it correctly. That’s where the 1 in the sequence 1, 4, 6, 8, … comes from.

Now let’s look at what happens with two burnt pancakes. We want to end up with the larger pancake on the bottom, and all the burnt sides down like this:

But what will happen if the pancakes start off in a different configuration? How many flips have to be done? It turns out that it could be as many as 4 flips:

Suppose your pancakes start off in this pile: , with the burnt parts on top. The first thing Godzilla does is to put the spatula on the bottom and flip the pile over.

Now the pancakes have the burnt side down, but the smaller one is on the bottom. The big top pancake will have to be flipped:

(Godzilla’s being a little sloppy here: he should only be picking up the top pancake.) After this maneuver the burnt parts are on the “outside” but big pancake is still on top. The entire stack needs to be flipped to get the little pancake back on top:

Now the little pancake is on the top and the burnt parts are on the “outside”, so the top pancake must be flipped:

And now voilà, the pancakes are in the right order!

See how happy Godzilla is! He knows he gets to eat these oreos when all is said and done.

With a different starting configuration (there are 2!·2²=8 ways they initially could be piled up, with the smaller pancake on the top or the bottom, and the various burnt sides up or down), it turns out that it will take at most 4 flips to get them in the correct order. That’s where the 4 comes from in 1, 4, 6, 8, ….

What happens if you start with three pancakes of different sizes? The desired ending configuration is this:

There are 3!·2³=48 different ways the pancakes could start out. Some of them could be turned into the proper configuration after just one flip:

but other configurations require more. This one, for example:

The cookies are in the right order, but it just takes a lot of maneuvering to get the burnt parts on the bottom instead of the top: 6 flips. That’s the most it would take no matter how the pancakes started out.

So for one pancake it could take as many as 1 flip, for two pancakes it takes up to 4 flips, for three pancakes up to 6 flips, for four pancakes up to 8 flips, for five pancakes up to 10 flips, for six pancakes up to 12 flips, and for seven pancakes up to 14 flips.

Then for eight pancakes, it only takes up to 15 flips. And for nine pancakes 17 flips, then for ten pancakes it goes up to 18 flips (according to the Online Encylopedia of Integer Sequences). But by 11 pancakes there are over 81 billion different initial configurations, so checking by hand to find the smallest number of flips for each configuration is tough. Fortunately, as described in this earlier post, we have E. Coli to help us figure it out. [They give the E. Coli a configuration, let them do a specific number of flips, and any E. Coli that get the virtual pancakes in the right order become resistant to the antibiotic tetracycline in honor of their good effort. Then the scientists add some tetracycline and if any of the E. Coli survive, they know that the pancakes could be put in order after that particular number of flips. The animation E. Hop gives the whole scoop.]

Meanwhile, Godzilla is going to take a little break. Bon appetit!

This year's TV output has ranged from the excellent (Bleak House) to the diabolic (Rome), the witty (Weeds) and the downright mean (More 4's opening shot at David Blunkett's messy love life).

Thanks to my Sky Plus; I've watched every episode of Bleak House and it is as good as it could be. I hadn't read the book, but from the moment the opening credits rolled, I was hooked on the drama.

Charles Dance's Tulkinghorn embodies both evil and something even more frightening – the law itself. Gillian Anderson gives a brilliant performance as the damaged and desperate Lady Dedlock.

Even Esther, whose goodness one could easily learn to despise, walks the tightrope and stays with the angels. The lesser characters all work to perfection, captured in short, pithy scenes where every element pulls magically together to convey so much more than the individual parts.

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I agree Bleak House was excellent – apart from the last episode which ruined it for me. With its "happy ever after" ending and hackneyed chocolate box images it was sickly sweet and seemed to be written and directed by someone from another planet to the team who made the brilliantly dark and intriguing preceding episodes. Charles Dance as Tulkinghorn was superb and Gillian Anderson as Lady Dedlock a revelation but once she was dead the whole thing seemed to unravel. Shame.
Jonathan Langley

Surely the best thing that the BBC put out in 2005 was the hugely popular and hugely acclaimed Doctor Who?
Richard Barnes, Wellington, New Zealand

To Andrew Walker: No, you're not the only one to think Little Britain isn't funny. I'm ashamed to belong to the same race as those who voted Little Britain as Best Comedy. It is juvenile, unoriginal, and repetitive. However, I'm also one who thinks Rome is great fun, a lot closer to Hollywood history than reality, but its great escapism.
Dennis Fisher, Scotland

I loved Tales from the Green Valley, the series about the 16th Century farm. It was a wonderful way to realise social history with such clear explanations and to see how it could have been to live then. It was superb entertainment as well as being informative.
Mavis Greenhalgh, Newbury

As an avid fan of anything involving swords and sandals, I was positively foaming at the mouth with anticipation when I heard about the imminent arrival of Rome to our screens. Unfortunately, it turned out to be utter drivel. I can contend with the blatant historical accuracies, the dodgy acting and the rubbish battle scenes but what really turned me off was how slow and boring it was.
Andrew Beadnell, London

I love both Rome and Bleak House. And even if Rosie didn't like it, the fact that most of the money was put up by HBO has nothing to do with it. HBO Showtime has produced some great drama in recent years. And no mention of Lost? Or the superb Doctor Who? Typical highbrow view from a Newsnight Review contributor I'm afraid.
Daniel Platt, Bracknell

I know everyone else seems to have gone mad for Bleak House, but as the weeks went by, I found it increasingly disappointing. It was both interminable and curiously empty and repetitive – the plot that drives the novel seemed to have been whittled away to nothing. With the decision taken to stuff it with well-known actors, it was inevitable that a number would be badly miscast. And, as always with Andrew Davies, there were the usual anachronisms and reductions to make you suck your teeth in dismay.
Ian Brown, Birmingham,

I am shocked that the new HBO/BBC series Rome can be labelled diabolic! It took a few episodes to get going but it is another fantastic collaboration of HBO and BBC (as was Band of Brothers). The actors, costumes and storylines are very entertaining. It is not in the same league as the Sopranos but is excellent drama none the less.
Steve Taylor, Thatcham

Watching it has reminded me of being glued to the box for Charles Sturridge's adaptation of Brideshead Revisited and, even further back, the Forsythe Saga in the 1960s. Every week this autumn I have looked forward to watching the next episode, something that, sadly, is a rare event.

Rome

I set my Sky Plus to catch the first episode of Rome and settled down to watch. The hype had been enormous, far bigger than for Bleak House and I expected to find the same brilliance again.

It was hard to believe that this rubbish had come from the same stable. The plot was chaotic, the sex ludicrous, the costumes hammy and the violence both crude and insistent.

Robert Harris, author of Pompeii, condemned the series as being as historically accurate as depicting Clemmie Churchill having sex with Ribbentrop and poisoning Chamberlain before the Second World War.

It seems to me that it is no excuse to blame some of Rome's excesses on the fact that it was a £60 million co-production with HBO, to which the BBC contributed a mere 9 million.

Something went horribly wrong and the fact that the BBC only contributed one sixth of the overall costs is no excuse for broadcasting such a disaster. I don't know what the overall budget was for Bleak House, but £9 million must have been a very decent chunk of it.

I hope someone is losing a little sleep about squandering the public dosh so badly.

Weeds

Weeds, screened on Sky One this autumn was a terrific follow on to the gap left in my viewing life by the end of the first series of Desperate Housewives.

Like Housewives, Weeds concerned a white middle class community with problems.

The heroine of Weeds has suddenly been widowed and her late husband's insurance policies don't cover the costs of running her home and her children. To make ends meet she starts dealing grass to her friends in the neighbourhood and there the fun starts.

The characters in Weeds make the inhabitants of Wisteria Lane look tame and some of the conversations made me gasp. (Mother to daughter: "Perhaps I should have had an abortion, you're such a pain). But it was slick and fast, with racy dialogue and genuinely risqué moments.

One of the best documentaries I saw this year was Storyville's Sir, No Sir. I had had no idea just how extensive and powerful the anti-Vietnam war movement had been among the GIs themselves.

Sir, No Sir took us on their journey of understanding as first tens, then thousands, saw that they were fighting an unjust war. It was brave of young Americans to refuse the draft, but even braver I think to go there and then rebel.

There was brilliant footage from the war and from Stateside protests as well as clips from Jane Fonda's concerts that she put on for pacifist troops.

All these references to Sky look like product placement particularly from someone who claims never to have read Bleak House. I enjoy Rome. It is very thrilling. It shows you what Bodies or The Thick of It would be like if people were less civilised, but there is a certain resonance in the way inconvenient people get despatched. I look forward to Rome every week. Congratulations to the people who produced it.
James Williams, Nottingham

I think Rome is doing OK overall as season two has already been commissioned. Shakespeare it is not, but Up Pompeii style antics it is. Great fun.
Neil Higgins, Birmingham

TV highlight of the year? The Rotters' Club. Yes, it occasionally allowed itself to wallow in a nostalgia-fest, but the young cast were a delight, the script was sharp and funny, and the depiction of 1970's Britain was terrific. Now for an adaptation of The Closed Circle.
Ken Kimber, Swindon

Bleak House has been great, although I've missed a couple on Fridays, because, like the excellent The West Wing, early Friday is bad for my memory. Rome has been what I expected it to be, a 21st Century Borgias entertaining & amusing at the same time.

Am I the only one to think that Little Britain series 3, isn't funny? Worst Week of My Life gets better & could run & run. My children enjoyed Shoe Box Zoo & watch Strictly Come Dancing. My 8-year-old daughter also loves Third Rock From The Sun on ITV 3, which shows the incredible John Lithgow at his best.

I have caught the odd Larry Saunders repeat which is still brilliant, Peep Show, darkly disturbing & have watched all the Brideshead repeats. Overall, the new programmes on terrestrial have been better than the last few years. However, I like the Freeview channels, because they seem to show the best old stuff – including The Sopranos.

Can Paul Abbott do another political thriller in 2006?
Andrew Walker, Altrincham

I agree with Roy from Portsmouth both programmes have been entertaining and to some degree enlightening. A real breath of fresh air on the box. By the way what's all this advertising SKY PLUS?
Barry Tebbs, Leeds

I am not surprised Rosie would not like Rome as it is most definitely a male orientated action series whereupon Bleak House (which I also like) is a female orientated series. They are both a breath of fresh air instead of the usual fodder or soaps et al.
Roy Cole, Portsmouth

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The UK government is proposing to give people more influence over the way local council budgets in England are spent – an idea that has been around for some time in Brazil.

The best known example of this is in Porto Alegre, the capital of the state of Rio Grande Do Sul, and a city which has one of the highest standards of living in the country.

Porto Alegre is the birthplace of the World Social Forum, set up in 2001 to provide an alternative voice to the World Economic Forum in Davos.

But in terms of giving a greater voice to its own people, the city is also associated with an innovative form of "participatory budgeting" that began in 1989. It is sometimes known as "popular administration".

Essentially the scheme aims to involve thousands of people in making decisions about at least some of the spending by their local authority.

It was developed by the Workers Party of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and other activists, but its strength was such that it has continued even after the party lost power in the city in 2004.

The policy works through public forums in which people can control and guide some of the local budget, specifically money that is set aside for improving quality of life in the area.

There are 16 forums in total, divided by geographical area and there is a parallel process which looks at particular issues or needs.

Each district elects two members to a special budgeting council which helps oversee the process. When both the community and the local government have decided on their priorities, the proposals are sent to local councillors for a final decision, but they normally accept the recommendations.

Local people can also have a say on how and when the proposals are carried out, and the government participates in the whole process providing technical advice if needed and presenting its own requirements.

In the first year of operation, early priorities included sanitation and paving and there was often a vigorous debate.

But the scheme was so well received in its initial years, the discussions were opened up to include issues such as transport, urban and economic development, education and culture.

In the year 2000 alone, the process is said to have involved around 30,000 people. In recent years decisions have been made involving hundreds of millions of dollars.

The priority given to sanitation appears to have achieved results – 98% of the city is now connected to the drinking water system for example. In 1989, only 46% of the population had sewer connections, now it has almost doubled to 85%.

This kind of local democracy has spread to over 100 municipal areas in Brazil, some reports say more, and to many other places in Latin America, but there are also indications that it has not always had the same results as in Porto Alegre.

"The main weakness is that it is very hard to replicate this – it is not just a question of getting the model right," Rebecca Abers, professor of Political Science at the University of Brasilia, told the BBC News website.

"What they are doing in Porto Alegre is discussing the infrastructure that many cities in England probably already have. The main danger is thinking you can copy the model without adapting it to local circumstances."

"The reason the model works in Porto Alegre is that it keys into issues that are important in people's lives."

Agreement 'difficult'

Rualdo Menegat, a professor at the Institute of Geosciences at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, sees strengths and weaknesses in this kind of decision making.

"What is very good about this is the process of popular participation," he said.

"It established a process that involved all social classes in the city.

"What is not good is that the participative budget made it hard to get a view from the whole city, you sometimes got the perspective of one neighbourhood, and it was difficult to get agreement."

It seems this experiment in democracy has a mixed track record in Brazil, but now in one part of the UK at least, the government believes it is an idea whose time has come.

More people than ever in the UK are living alone, government statistics have found. One in three households now have just one member, compared to one in five at the start of the 1970s.

But that is just part of the picture, for along with the shift to single-living have come a number of other ways society has changed.

PROPERTY

The increase in single-occupancy properties has naturally had an impact on housing supply, says a spokesman for the National Housing Federation. This has meant more flats being built, or houses being converted into flats. But the impact may also have been felt on house prices generally. "There's such an under-supply of affordable housing in many parts of the country that anything that restricts the supply is going to have an effect on prices," he says.

READY MEALS

Nearly half the meals eaten in the UK are now eaten alone, research found last year. In the past 20 years, the number has soared from 4bn to 12bn, much of which is due to the explosion in "meals for one". One analyst said: "We have reached the situation where people no longer even buy dining tables because they have effectively become redundant." Half of all the money spent on ready meals in the EU is spent in the UK, a report last year found, with Brits shelling out £7,000 a minute on them.

COOL URBAN LIFESTYLE

The term metrosexual, usually applying to men who live in the city, love the style of urban living, care a lot about their appearance, and have the disposable income to indulge their passions (clothes, entertainment, technology, restaurants, nightclubs, low cost airlines, adventure holidays, alcohol). The female equivalent is, according to author Sasha Cagen, is the "quirkyalone" – women who celebrate being alone, and "resist the tyranny of coupledom".

ENTERTAINMENT

Bridget Jones is just the tip of an iceberg. Forget mainstream family entertainment, the words of books, films, and television now cater more than ever for the type of folk who live alone. The trend still has legs (with the second Bridget Jones film yet to be released), but with the passing of Ally McBeal and Sex and the City, its days may be numbered.

DATING

But the generation of people living alone is getting inventive about how to meet partners. As well as the ever-growing phenomenon of internet dating, you can meet potential dates by speed dating (where you spend just seconds with a loser before moving on to someone else), dating in the dark (where you don't find out how ugly people are until you've got to know the real them) and quiet dating (where you must write down what you want to say, if you are happy to be judged by your handwriting).

BREAKING UP

It's not all bright young things, however. One factor which is behind the increase in single-living is the break-up of relationships. Research indicates that by 2011, more than 60% of marriages will end in divorce. But with an increase in life expectancy for men, more of them will outlive their partners. By 2020, the percentage of men over the age of 60 living alone is expected to be about 30%. Ikea is just one of the firms cashing in on the growth in people living alone – it famously encouraged people who were disillusioned with their partner to make a fresh start (and buy a flat-load of Swedish furniture and knick-knacks in the process).

Add your comments on this story, using the form below.

If so many people are living alone, why are we then subjected to extortionate prices when travelling solo. Not everyone wishes to go on a package holiday. Especially when you do pay a single supplement and get the broom cupboard overlooking the carpark!
J. Jones, UK

So much for us sixties types who thought we would be living in communal settings. Perhaps people are less forgiving of a partner's faults and quirks these days than in the past. Polygamy and polyandry could become the vogue. You get tired of one, move on to the next, or you get them all ganging up on you.
Nick Bell, US

I love being single and have never viewed it as a second-best situation. I enjoy living on my own as I can choose when I want company, What I do hate is:
– the fact that property (especially new-build) is squarely aimed at "couples" on dual incomes and that single people are expected only to aspire to a 1-bed flat with no garage. It's very hard to afford a flexible property on a single income now;
- the fact that supermarkets think that people only cook from scratch for families of four and singles only need ready meals. Try buying one portion of mince for a chilli when there's only one of you! Not least because I've been there and done it, I'd have to think very hard before moving in with someone again.
Mark Antony, England

We are probably all guilty of looking for Miss World or Mr Universe in our potential dating conquests – without too much regard for the underlying personality. Then again it is hard to get to talk to somebody in a crowded bar with booming music!
Jake, Wales

This article was spot on. I am single, live on my own and now all my darkest thoughts are confirmed. Misery…
Chris McCahill, Britain

I love living on my own, and seeing as I have such a small flat, wouldn't have it any other way. I love the feeling of being able to listen to the music I want, eat when I like and stay up all night writing if I so choose. I don't miss co-habiting or sharing with a group of friends, because catching up with your man/mates is what going out's for. As for that misery guts Bridget Jones you've got at the top of this article, she should relish her time alone while she has it. Oh, and join a gym instead of subjecting us to her calorie intake.
Emerald, London, UK

I agree with this article. I am 31 years old and live alone. I do not have a dining room table and I believe that I am still single because no one understands me except IKEA.
Jamison Maeda, United States

But Ikea is a store that is designed for couples! Try paying for a shed load of stuff and leaving it by the very crowded pick up area while getting the car.
Shaun, UK

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