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Were you as pleased as we were that the judges saved the Mantis on the April 5 episode of “The Masked Singer”? We liked this fellow from the moment he strode on stage and blew the roof off the joint with his rollicking rendition of “Old Time Rock and Roll” by Bob Seger.

We were disappointed when he lost the Battle Royale to Dandelion after they duelled on the ditty “(I’ve Got A) Golden Ticket” from “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.” But then we were delighted when Robin Thicke rang the Ding Dong Keep It On bell and kept him in the competiton.

We’ve rewatched both of the performances by the Mantis as well as his clues package. Forget those guesses by the judges that Dandelion is Kevin Bacon, Dennis Quaid,Keanu Reeves or Bruce Springsteen. We are convinced we’ve cracked the code and know the name...

While the fall holiday has already come and gone, it's never too early (or late) to celebrate John Carpenter's 1978 horror classic Halloween. Two filmmakers known collectively as "Jack and Justin," a.k.a. Justin Nijm and Jack Bishop, have taken footage from the original Halloween movie, and re-edited it to make it look like a movie from director David Fincher. This news comes just as a new Halloween movie is being put together, which brings back Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode. Here's what the filmmakers had to say on their Vimeo page about this fan edit.

"What John Carpenter's Halloween (1978) might look like if directed by David Fincher. Contains footage from Halloween (1978) directed by John Carpenter, re-edited, stabilized and color corrected to emulate the look and feel of a David Fincher film. Title sequence consists of various stock footage intercut with effects elements, photographs of Michael Myers and animated text.

Digital producers cheered last year when the Television Academy expanded its short-form programming categories. But then they saw the nominees and winners.

Most of last year’s short form contenders didn’t come from digital-first producers or platforms, but came from traditional networks and talent. Adult Swim’s “Childrens Hospital” led all nominees, followed by the History channel’s “The Crossroads of History” and AMC’s “Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462.”

“Childrens Hospital” ultimately won the Outstanding Series category, which included just one independent contender: “Her Story,” about two transgender women living in Los Angeles. Besides “Crossroads of History” and “Flight 462,” the two other nominees were behind-the-scenes looks at popular TV shows: “Hack into Broad City” and “UnREAL The Auditions.”

In the short form nonfiction or reality series, another marketing series won, FX’s “Inside Look: The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.”

That wasn’t quite what...

Aymar Jean Christian is part of the inaugural class of Peabody Fellows, distinguished media scholars who provide fresh perspectives and commentary on behalf of the Peabody Media Center, the outreach and media production arm of the prestigious awards program based at the University of Georgia. He is an assistant professor of communication studies at Northwestern University.

You know you’re a TV nerd when your most anticipated awards announcements are the Writers Guild Awards. TV is a writer’s medium. Every TV fan awaits the Emmys, and some even bother to care about the Golden Globes, but most don’t know the major Guilds give out statues to television producers.

Nerdier still, I’m most interested in the nominees almost nobody writes about: web original short form comedies and dramas.

So while you probably could not imagine my disappointment when the WGA released their nominees for original short-form new media this year,...