That graveyard scene near the end of “Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster” has become one of the most classic moments in X-Files history overnight - literally. Not only was it a heartwarmingly thought-provoking deconstruction of the bizarre purposelessness of human life in the digital age, but it was also freakin’ hilarious to boot. Cheeky social commentary aside, it’s also a moving tribute to the man who put the The X-Files on the map: legendary TV director Kim Manners, whose name appears in bold on the headstone Mulder stands (and drinks) in front of. Manners dir ... [Continua a leggere]

When The X-Files returned to Fox, it brought more than just Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) back with it. Eagle-eyed fans can tell you this. In "Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster," not only did the show bring back stoner characters played by Tyler Labine and Nicole Parker, but it also cast Alex Diakun in a new role, featured Mulder in red briefs (never forget) and had callbacks to Scully being immortal, her dog and the 1970s series Kolchak: The Night Stalker. And that's not all. Two familiar names were featured on tombstones in the graveyard: Kim Manners and Jack H ... [Continua a leggere]

Kim Manners looks into his monitors as yet another take is completed on "Audrey Pauley," episode 13 of the ninth season of The X-Files. "Cut — Print it! Next!" he yells after doing that little karate move with his hands that everybody around the set imitates. The crew immediately picks up and begins to arrange the next setup, seemingly willing to do anything to 'Mind Their Manners.' The director comfortably steps aside for an interview as his crew happily prepares another shot. It's a virtual Kim Manners Love fest on Stage 5 at 20th Century-Fox. Actress Annabeth Gish (Agent Monica Reyes ... [Continua a leggere]

In season seven’s first stand-alone, Vince Gilligan tells the tale of a monster’s tragic eating disorder. Vince Gilligan has everyone fooled. The X-Files writer/co-executive producer best known for quirky episodes like Seasons Four’s “Small Potatoes” and Season Five’s “Bad Blood” projects an unmistakable Southern charm; in person, he is amiable, easy-going, good-natured. But lurking somewhere deep within his psyche is a villainous imp. There must be. There’s simply no other explanation for how someone so unassuming could send ... [Continua a leggere]

The Cool View Motel is not the kind of place you would expect to find outside the balmy, bustling activity of Los Angeles. A breeze rustles leaves belonging to a thick stand of trees nearby. The gravel lot shifts uncomfortably as the occasional truck rumbles over its skin. The decor is anything but trendy. The Cool View us a rustic stop somewhere in the middle of nondescript territory. Its only distinguishing feature on this mid-October evening is the remarkable sunset consuming the Western sky, an explosion of red hues that is the inadvertent result, a random passerby mentions ... [Continua a leggere]

It's a Golden Globe. Not a weighty one, like the statues for best drama, best actress and best actor hauled in during this year's X-Files takeover, but a gold-plated key-chain reproduction that comes gift-wrapped in a Tiffany's box and is purchased by idly rich knickknack buffs or Fox executives flush with the show's success and hellbent on sustaining a little momentum. The trinket rests in its container, which sits in David Duchovny's tidy Airstream trailer on the X-Files set. Duchovny surveys the tchotchke for a moment and then reads the accompanying card. "Dear David," he says. "We're prou ... [Continua a leggere]

Behind the scenes of the show’s popular “comedy of horrors.” We’ve seen some pretty way-out things on The X-Files in the past two years. Morphing aliens, exploding facial boils, possessed kids, and lots and lots of glowing green bugs hungry to drain our body fluids… everything is grist for the gloomy X-Files mill. But nothing could have been a more extreme possibility than what arrived on our TV sets on March 31, 1995: a funny episode of The X-Files. Funny? The X-Files? Well, why not? Comedy attempts to manage pain and chaos, and from the pilot on, ... [Continua a leggere]