If you haven’t seen this yet, you should. He makes nerds everywhere proud. It’s long, but you’ll be laughing the whole time.

In honor of Futurama being officially renewed, I have decided to break down exactly what you need to get, from head to toe, so you can be unfrozen in the proper attire for a year 3000 Halloween party.

• Orange Hair
  Fry’s most noticeable feature, and probably the trickiest part of the costume, is his hair. Unless you happen to naturally have a unique shade of fluorescent orange hair, you’ll probably want to pick up the above linked hairspray to help out. My suggestion would be to style your hair with heavy styling mousse (unless of course you make your own), to get a nice large wave in the front, let it harden, and spray the hell out of it with the can of orange hairspray.
• A White T-Shirt
  It doesn’t get more basic than a plain white tagless (may as well be comfortable, too!) Hanes t-shirt. I’m sure Fry has more than one, or he’d likely make Zoidberg smell clean in comparison.
• Red Windbreaker
  He’s got it on in every episode, so it must be a pretty nice jacket. The jacket I linked to above is just about a perfect fit and, just like about every other part of this costume (save maybe the hairspray) will fit in to your wardrobe flawlessly after it’s use in the costume. Wear it, keep it unzipped, stay warm.
• Light Blue Jeans
  Pretty much any jeans will do as long as it’s a light blue color. You’re going to spend the whole party in them and will probably want to wear them more than once, so make sure they’re comfortable.
• Black Low Top Shoes
  I don’t know that it’s ever been truly revealed, but Fry’s shoes have got to be based of a classic pair of black Converse low tops. If you’re really anal about it, lace them up using the straight easy lacing method.
• Accessories
  What, you thought you just needed the clothes, the hair, and that’s it? No way, mister! You’re going to need some accessories to go with that costume. First and foremost, you should work hard at developing a nice healthy addiction to Slurm. You’re also certainly going to need a space ship for your new job as an intergalactic delivery boy. Last, but certainly not least, you’re going to need to dump your old friends and embrace your new best friend, Bender Bending Rodriquez.

There you have it! Everything you need to show up to your next costume party as everyone’s favorite unfrozen fool from the stupid ages, Philip J. Fry.

It’s been a long time coming and Comedy Central has, according to an exclusive report at Collider.com, ordered 13 new episodes of what, in this writers opinion, is one of the best animated series ever made. I would like to think I did my part in helping it return by buying all four of the movies and, apparently, I was not alone. Comedy Central’s appetite for the series just could not be whet when they just recently aired the final movie and they, like all of the fans, they needed more. No news yet on when it’ll be back or if the usual suspects will continue doing the voices, but I’m sure that info will be available soon. In the mean time, I’ll just be wandering around with a stupid grin on my face.

UPDATE 6/10/09: A spokesperson for 20th Century Fox Television has confirmed that they have ordered 26 new episodes of Futurama to start airing (again!) in 2010.

UPDATE 6/11/09: Here’s the official press release from Comedy Central…

“FUTURAMA” RETURNS TO PRODUCTION WITH AN INITIAL ORDER OF 26 NEW EPISODES TO PREMIERE MID 2010

Emmy Award-Winning Animated Comedy Series Confirmed To Run On COMEDY CENTRAL; Broadcast Network Run Also Possible

NEW YORK, June 10, 2009 — 20th Century Fox Television, the animation powerhouse that brought “Family Guy” back from the dead five years ago, has done it again: Matt Groening and David X. Cohen’s brilliantly subversive animated sci-fi comedy “Futurama” will return to production on 26 new half-hour episodes more than six years after the series aired its last original episode. The move comes on the heels of the series’ blockbuster performance on DVD and on COMEDY CENTRAL; the announcement was made today by Twentieth Century Fox Television Chairmen Gary Newman and Dana Walden, and David Bernath, senior vice president, programming for COMEDY CENTRAL.

“Futurama” was a staple of Fox’s Sunday night animation block from 1999 to 2003 before ceasing production on original episodes. In June 2006, COMEDY CENTRAL acquired the rights to the existing 72 episodes of the series, which the channel began airing in January 2008, and four recently-produced extended length “Futurama” adventures: “Bender’s Big Score,” “The Beast with a Billion Backs,” “Bender’s Game” and “Into the Wild Green Yonder,” which enjoyed enormous success both on COMEDY CENTRAL and in DVD release. This new deal marks the show’s return to episodic series production on original episodes. “Futurama” becomes only the second series in the history of the medium to go back into production based on the strength of its DVD sales and repeat airings on cable.

The new episodes will be available in mid 2010 to be shown on COMEDY CENTRAL. Twentieth Century Fox Television retains the option to license the original runs of the new episodes to a broadcast network.

“We are excited to continue our relationship with Matt, David and 20th Century Fox TV and to be able to offer COMEDY CENTRAL viewers the first opportunity to see new episodes of ‘Futurama,’” said Bernath. “As evidenced by the strong performance of the extended length epics, there remains a deep and passionate fan base for this intelligent and very funny show that matches perfectly with our audience. It’s fantastic that we can add brand-new installments of Leela, Fry and Bender’s adventures to our existing library.”

Quipped Matt Groening, “We’re thrilled ‘Futurama’ is coming back. We now have only 25,766 episodes to make before we catch up with Bender and Fry in the year 3000.” Added David X. Cohen, “We’re excited and amazed that the show is coming back, perhaps due to some sort of mysterious time loop. We look forward to working with COMEDY CENTRAL and 20th Television to make this the best iteration of the loop yet!”

“When we brought back ‘Family Guy’ several years ago, everyone said that it was a once-in-a-lifetime thing – that canceled series stay canceled and cannot be revived,” commented 20th Century Fox TV Chairmen Gary Newman and Dana Walden. “But ‘Futurama’ was another series that fans simply demanded we bring back, and we couldn’t have been happier when Matt and David agreed that there were many more stories yet to tell.”

“Futurama” focuses on the life of Philip Fry (Billy West), a 25-year-old pizza delivery boy who accidentally freezes himself on December 31, 1999 and wakes up 1,000 years later with a fresh start at life and a “diverse” new group of friends including Leela (Katey Sagal), a tough but lovely one-eyed alien and Bender (John DiMaggio), a robot who possesses human characteristics and flaws. The series aired for five seasons on Fox (1999 to 2003) earning Emmy® nominations each season while winning three times, including “Outstanding Animated Program” in 2002. It featured guest stars such as Sarah Silverman, Hank Azaria, Bob Odenkirk, Pamela Anderson, Beatrice Arthur, Lucy Liu, Beck and Coolio.

“Futurama,” created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen, is produced by Twentieth Century Fox Television, with Rough Draft Studios, Inc. contributing the animation.

20th Century Fox Television, a division of News Corp, is a leading supplier of entertainment content domestically and around the world.

COMEDY CENTRAL, the only all-comedy network, currently is seen in more than 95 million homes nationwide. COMEDY CENTRAL is owned by, and is a registered trademark of, Comedy Partners, a wholly-owned division of Viacom Inc.’s (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B) MTV Networks. COMEDY CENTRAL’s Internet address is www.comedycentral.com. For up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs visit Press Central, COMEDY CENTRAL’s press web site at www.comedycentral.com/press.

MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is one of the world’s leading creators of entertainment content, with brands that engage and connect diverse audiences across television, online, mobile, games, virtual worlds and consumer products. The company’s portfolio spans more than 150 television channels and 350 digital media properties worldwide, and includes MTV, VH1, CMT, Logo, Harmonix, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, Noggin, The N, AddictingGames, Neopets, COMEDY CENTRAL, Spike TV, TV Land, Atom, Gametrailers and Xfire.

Maybe it’s the fact that I really like this show (No, not just for the gratuitous female nudity, that’s just a bonus.) but this overseas advertisement is one of the best and most creative public ads I’ve seen in quite some time. Why can’t more American advertisers and marketing firms be this creative?

Yes, you read the title of this post correctly. Today, being William Shatner’s birthday, shall henceforth be known as “International Talk Like William Shatner Day.” Maurice LaMarche, the genius behind this new holiday, is best known for work on Futurama and Animaniacs (The Brain) and is self-declared the third best imitator of Shatner in the world. I fully support this new holiday and will celebrate it by doing my absolute best Shatner impressions throughout the day, even though they will certainly pale in comparison to those done by Mo. So, without further ado, here’s the vlog that started it all. Watch it, share it, and spread it like wildfire.

Shamrock Aftershock – noun
The minty fresh breath that one experiences when belching after the consumption of a Shamrock Shake. The Shamrock Aftershock is often an unexpected yet pleasant minty surprise; Dude, I think I drank my shake to fast and I feel a shamrock aftershock coming.

Fuglycakes – noun
How the first few round or two of pancakes looked when my wife first learned to make them. Fuglycakes can be identified by features such as being partially folded over before fully cooked, partially burned, fused together with another pancake, torn while flipping, or being cooked against the edge of the pan giving it an odd shape; This morning we’re having pancakes for breakfast, but Jessie has made them so many times that there aren’t any fuglycakes in this batch.

While stumbling around the Internet just now, I saw some random comic strip that had Superman in it and a question that I cannot seem to answer for myself popped in to my head: If Superman can take a bullet to the eye without damage, how can a simple razor shave his beard?

There is not a geek alive who at one point hasn’t wanted to dress as Mario for Halloween. Sure, you can go the easy route and pick up a generic pre-made Mario costume, but it is more fun and looks more authentic to piece it together yourself. The following guide will walk you through exactly what you will need to dress yourself as the most recognizable video game character ever.

• The Hat
  It just doesn’t get any closer than this one. If there were an award to be given out to companies attempting to replicate hats worn by video game characters, this company would win it. The only thing it is missing is Mario’s distinctive white patch with the red “M”. To solve this issue, cut out a white piece of cloth or iron-on patch from any fabric store in a circle with approximately a 1.5-2.5″ diameter and carefully draw the “M” on to it with a red sharpie. Once done, either iron or sew it on to the front of the hat. That’s it! You now have Mario’s legendary hat.
• The Gloves
  Every plumber needs a nice pair of perfectly white cotton gloves. This pair is cheap and fits the character perfectly. If you’re going all out, there are probably higher-quality pairs out there that still look the part, but I wouldn’t recommend spending to much on the gloves unless you plan on wearing them again.
• The Overalls
  Just about any blue overalls will work, so shop around and find a good comfortable pair. If, like me, you’re not keen on buying pants online, there are plenty of brick and mortar stores that still that carry these perpetually out-of-fashion pants.
• The Shirt
  Just about any long sleeve red shirt will do the trick and, unless you’re really in to overalls, this is the one part of the costume that you may wear out in public after you’re done with the costume, so pick something comfortable.
• The Boots
  Most people probably already have this part of the costume in their closet, but if you don’t, any good pair of brown work boots or hiking boots should look great.
• The Mustache
  You’ve really got two options here. Look around and find a fake one that looks convincing, or grow your own. Personally, I like the “grow your own” route, but if you can’t or you’re impatient, there are plenty of convincing fake mustaches available online, in party stores, or at any of the generic Halloween stores that pop up at the end of September and disappear after October.
• Other Accessories
  There are some absolutely terrific toys out there that will perfectly compliment a Mario costume. Some of the better ones include the sound effects keychain, stars, mushrooms, and goombas.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and if you do decide to use this as your next costume, please post pictures!

Here’s the final result:

The following picture was taken of a recent absentee ballot sent out to about 300 residents of Rensselaer County, New York.

Notice something wrong there? Your eyes aren’t deceiving you, that does actually say “Barack Osama“. I’m willing to accept the word of the officials responsible for this that it was indeed accidental, but there’s just no way that this was a simple wrong key press. “S” and “B” are no where near each other on the keyboard – you don’t even type them with the same finger. Someone clearly was thinking Osama when they typed his name and typed it wrong without realized that their id had overpowered their conscious mind. That happens. There are plenty of times when I’ve wanted to type one word and my mind just typed out something else, but I always catch it with good old fashioned proofreading.

So what’s the lesson to be learned here? With something as important as a Presidential election ballot – especially in the shadow of the 2000 election fraud that elected George W. Bush – any and every ballot being shipped out to early voters or presented to them at the voting booth should be thoroughly proofread by multiple officials.