The producers of the wildly popular CBS comedy How I Met Your Mother finally have an answer as to the fate of their series.  Creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas began writing the current eighth season as if it would be the show’s last, and they’ve been patiently waiting for the network to come down with an answer regarding whether or not they needed to plan for one more season, or wrap things up in May.  Dealing was complicated as contracts for both Bays and Thomas as well as the entire cast were up at the end of this year, but CBS made no secret of the fact that they would be keen on ordering another full season for the ratings-smash show if all the deals could be renegotiated.

Now it looks like the long-awaited answer to the statement posed in the title won’t come until 2014, as How I Met Your Mother has been renewed for a ninth and final season.  Hit the jump for more details.

1999’s American Pie spawned an unlikely trilogy that concluded in 2003 as the film’s popularity seemed to peak and the story had few places left to go. Cut to nearly ten years later, and it feels like the studio said “it’s still a viable franchise, right? Let’s find out.” Franchise filmmaking is the meat and potatoes of studios these days, and American Reunion also goes the Fast Five route by bringing back the entire cast from the first movie. The film fizzled at the box office for a number of reasons, foremost would be that characters are thirty now, and there’s no innocence left to lose and there’s way less hope. Which means sex-hijinks are not as much fun. Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott, Alyson Hannigan, Chris Klein and many more return for the film, and our review of American Reunion on Blu-ray follows after the jump.

I feel compelled this week to use the Top 5 opening paragraph to ask our readers a moderately sized favor: if you have any interest whatsoever in the American horror genre and its future, please do your best to find a way to catch The Cabin in the Woods in theaters when it officially opens next weekend. I’m not asking this as a way of manufacturing some hyperbolic scenario in which the success or failure of said film will literally make or break the genre as we know it. Rather, I’m hoping to use it as a reminder that opening weekend box office dollars are one of the best ways that a moviegoer can have his/her voice heard by the film industry’s powers that be. If you’re tired of remakes of remakes and reboots of those remakes, then do your best to financially support something that isn’t afraid to turn genre conventions on their respective heads. Now, all favors aside…

Waiting on the other side of the Top 5 jump this week is a recap of our visit to the set of The Avengers, the first Total Recall trailer, video interviews with the cast of American Reunion, the first trailer/images from Seth MacFarlane‘s Ted, and a batch of new images from Prometheus. You know the drill, a brief recap and link to each of the above awaits…

American Reunion, the nostalgia dripping thirteen-plus year sequel to American Pie (nine years since American Wedding, three since the DTV American Pie: Book of Love), leans heavily not only on the past iterations/bonds/adventures of its many characters but more-so on the audience’s own relationship to the original film.  Numerous references to American Pie abound: hey remember the time when Jim failed to seal the deal with Nadia over a webcam or Milf #2 or ‘That Time at Band Camp’?… – because American Reunion sure does and it pulls at every heartstring to make sure you do too.  In the sequel – Jim and Michelle’s marriage has hit a sexual lull, Stifler is now stuck working a dead end job, Oz is a C-level celebrity, Finch has disappeared without a trace and Kevin is just beginning to settle into boring normal adulthood. Of course their high-school reunion tests these status quos – upending some, reaffirming others…

At the recent press day in conjunction with our partners Omelete, I was able to speak with the entirety of the American Reunion cast.  Today’s interview: Jason Biggs & Alyson Hannigan (Jim & Michelle).  In the interview, the duo reminisce about the first American Pie, discuss the art of humiliation and preview where they see Jim and Michelle ten/twenty years from now.  Hit the jump to watch.

In the raunchy comedy American Reunion, East Great Falls High’s Class of 1999 is back, more than a decade later. Husband and wife duo Jim (Jason Biggs) and Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) have come home to reminisce with Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas), Vicky (Tara Reid), Oz (Chris Klein), Heather (Mena Suvari), Finch (Eddie Kay Thomas) and Stifler (Seann William Scott), who out of all of them remains the same as he ever was, while Jim’s dad (Eugene Levy) gets to know Stifler’s mom (Jennifer Coolidge) a little better. In one long-overdue weekend, they will learn that time and distance cannot break the bonds of friendship.

At the film’s press day, co-stars Jason Biggs and Alyson Hannigan talked about the ways they most related to this story and their characters now, how it was about time for Biggs to be showing his penis, and what they thought of their dominatrix scene. Check out what they had to say after the jump.

A new red-band trailer for American Reunion has gone online. Not a ton of footage is revealed in this new look at the fourth (real) entry in the American Pie franchise, but there are a few gags here and there that make it worth your time. I’m especially fond of Stifler’s reaction to his old hook-up buddy, and a much welcomed Stifler/Finch/Stifler’s mom moment. Earlier today we posted a Funny or Die video that featured Jason Biggs and a talking pie out for revenge that’s incredibly funny, so I’m hoping the same kind of humor carries over into American Reunion. Everything we’ve seen thus far has me optimistic that Reunion is a worthy successor to the previous three Pie films, and I’m eager to check the sequel out.

Hit the jump to check out the new trailer, and if you missed our interview with writer/directors Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg be sure to take a gander. The film stars also stars Seann William Scott, Alyson Hannigan, Chris Klein, Thomas Ian Nichols, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Tara Reid, Mena Suvari, Eugene Levy, Jennifer Coolidge, Katrina Bowden, Dania Ramirez, and Shannon Elizabeth. American Reunion opens on April 6th.

With the upcoming release of American Reunion, the first three American Pie films have been put to Blu-ray, all offering both theatrical and unrated cuts. The films follow Jim (Jason Biggs) and his best friends Oz (Chris Klein), Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas), Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas) and Steve Stifler (Seann William Scott) as they quest to get laid. In the first film, Jim is just looking for sex, in the second he finds love, and in the third he gets married. Alyson Hannigan, Tara Reid, Jennifer Coolidge, Mena Survari, Shannon Elizabeth, January Jones, Natasha Lyonne, and Eugene Levy also star. And our review of the American Pie trilogy on Blu-ray follows after jump.

With writer-directors Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg‘s American Reunion opening in a few weeks, Universal has just released five clips.  In the sequel, the original gang return to East Great Falls for their high-school reunion and as the synopsis says, “In one long-overdue weekend, they will discover what has changed, who hasn’t and that time and distance can’t break the bonds of friendship.”  I’m a big fan of the first film and looking forward to seeing Jim, Oz, Finch, Kevin, Stifler and of course Stifler’s mom again.

American Reunion stars Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott, Alyson Hannigan, Chris Klein, Thomas Ian Nichols, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Tara Reid, Mena Suvari, Eugene Levy, Jennifer Coolidge, Katrina Bowden, Dania Ramirez and Shannon Elizabeth.  Hit the jump to watch the clips.

Though I hadn’t given American Reunion much thought after it was announced, the first trailer hooked me with its nostalgia-laden claws and has yet to let go. I’m happy to see the whole gang’s back together, and I’m eager to find out where all the characters stand as they firmly plant themselves into “adulthood”. Universal released a batch of new images from the film today, giving us a peek how Jim, Oz, Finch, Kevin, Stifler and of course Stifler’s mom are faring these days. We also get a look at new additions Katrina Bowden and Dania Ramirez.

Hit the jump to check out the images. The film stars Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott, Alyson Hannigan, Chris Klein, Thomas Ian Nichols, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Tara Reid, Mena Suvari, Eugene Levy, Jennifer Coolidge, and Shannon Elizabeth. American Reunion opens on April 6th.

A new trailer for American Reunion has gone online. I would never have guessed that the American Pie franchise would feel so sentimental, but the marketing materials for American Reunion have been just incredibly nostalgic. This new trailer delves a bit more into the plot, as we see Jason Biggs’s Jim tempted by the girl he used to babysit who’s now turning 18. Seann William Scott looks like he’ll once again steal the show, and it really feels nice to see all the characters back together again. The overarching tone appears to center on where the characters are now as opposed to where they thought they’d be when they were wide-eyed high schoolers, and I’m interested to see how far they take this. Of course the crux of the films is the humor, but there was a sweetness to American Pie that looks to be prevalent in American Reunion. Time will tell, but I’m genuinely looking forward to this (likely) final installment of the main franchise.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer. The film also stars Alyson Hannigan, Chris Klein, Thomas Ian Nichols, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Tara Reid, Mena Suvari, Eugene Levy, Jennifer Coolidge, and Shannon Elizabeth. American Reunion opens April 6, 2012.

An international trailer for American Reunion has gone online. The fourth entry in the American Pie franchise sees the return of basically every cast member from the first film as the characters come together for their high school reunion. This international trailer has a couple new scenes that we haven’t seen in the US trailers, and we also learn that in the UK the pic is called American Pie: Reunion (brand recognition!). I’m pretty excited for this fourquel as I was a fan of the first three films. The trailers evoke an odd sense of nostalgia and I’m intrigued to see how these characters reconcile the idea of “growing up.” Also, dick jokes.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer. Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott, Alyson Hannigan, Chris Klein, Thomas Ian Nichols, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Tara Reid, Mena Suvari, Eugene Levy, Jennifer Coolidge, and Shannon Elizabeth. American Reunion opens April 6, 2012.

Last month, Universal released a red-band teaser trailer for American Reunion, and once again showed that masturbation isn’t for everyone and certainly not for Jim Levenstein (Jason Biggs).  Now an all-audiences trailer has gone online and it looks like A) Seann William Scott will once again be the scene-stealer, and B) any jokes that aren’t R-rated are sitcom-level.  Even though I’m tired of the characters, I’m willing to give American Reunion a shot since writer-directors Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg earned my goodwill with the first two Harold & Kumar movies.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  The film also stars Alyson Hannigan, Chris Klein, Thomas Ian Nichols, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Tara Reid, Mena Suvari, Eugene Levy, Jennifer Coolidge, and Shannon Elizabeth.  American Reunion opens April 6, 2012.

The red-band trailer for American Reunion has gone online.  It serves as a helpful reminder that Jim (Jason Biggs) should never masturbate ever again.  He’s just not very good at it.  However, it does lead to a good gag involving a sock.  There’s not much else to say about the trailer since there’s no footage beyond the scene I mentioned.  It’s really more of an announcement that people in their 30s are making a teenage sex comedy.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  The film also stars Seann William Scott, Alyson Hannigan, Chris Klein, Thomas Ian Nichols, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Tara Reid, Mena Suvari, Eugene Levy, Jennifer Coolidge, and Shannon Elizabeth. American Reunion opens April 6, 2012. [Update: We've added hi-res versions of the images we ran yesterday.]

The first images from American Reunion have been released. The fourth (real) installment in the American Pie franchise brings the entire gang back together for their high school reunion. The images basically give us a glimpse into how everyone looks eight years after American Wedding. An American Pie image gallery wouldn’t be complete without Stifler’s mom, so she’s there as well. The first trailer for the pic hits tomorrow, so we’ll get a better idea of the film then. If you haven’t seen the surprisingly affecting, nostalgia-inducing slideshow for the film, I encourage you to check it out.

Hit the jump to see the images, and be sure to check back here tomorrow for the full trailer. The film stars Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott, Alyson Hannigan, Chris Klein, Thomas Ian Nichols, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Tara Reid, Mena Suvari, Eugene Levy, Jennifer Coolidge and Shannon Elizabeth. American Reunion opens April 6, 2012.

Set photos from the upcoming non direct-to-DVD American Pie sequel, American Reunion, have gone online.  They’re not photos from filming, but simply the cast looking directly into the camera while on the set and showing us all what a grand time they’re having.  The photos also show that John Cho is returning, although I’m left to wonder if his role will be as minor as it was in the original movies.

Hit the jump to check out the set photos.  The film reunites Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Eugene Levy, and almost everyone else from the original movie.  American Reunion opens April 6, 2012.