Watching Heroes

The Heroes cast is back at work, and one of the most wonderful things about the technology we have now is that many of the Heroes cast Twitters! Our favorite telepath Greg Grunberg has a twitter account and loves to update it with what’s going on in his life. Posted late last night was:

Finished up Episode 2 of Season 4 today on #Heroes. Love working with Zach, Lisa, Baby Matt, etc. Fun, scary fun…

Zach? Wait, he’s filming with Sylar? Interesting…and Baby Matt is back? I love baby Matt!

Also posted was the photo above, with a statement that he was there.

There? As in on the ceiling? Interesting. And I’m really curious as to where that is. Is it in New York City? Why do I want to say that it looks like part of the ceiling in Grand Central Station? Any native New Yorkers have any idea?

Also included are photos of Zachary at the beach recently hanging out with a friend.

Hi everyone! I want to introduce myself - my name is Randi and I’m the new writer for Watching Heroes! I’ve been a fan of the show from day 1 and have always loved the idea behind it as well as the actors who take these roles and make them so real.

While I may be new here, I’ve been a blogger for a long time. My two biggest blogs are the Brad Pitt Watch blog, and Watching House (unlike the Heroes actors, most of the House actors truly go on hiatus during the summer, which is why I’m so happy to be able to write about these actors, who are constantly busy!)

To start things off I’ve got some new photos for you! Here’s Ali Larter at the DJ Hero premiere yesterday (DJ Hero? That’s gotta rock), and some of Hayden Panettiere and Zachary Quinto at the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday.

It is with heavy heart that I announce that I am leaving Watching Heroes.  This site is so near and dear to my heart and has been my baby for almost 2 years now.  It is so hard for me to say goodbye.

BUT…

I have always wanted to run my own tv site and now I am finally doing that.  I just launched Crazy4TV.com where I will be covering all of my favorites including Heroes as well as Grey’s Anatomy, Chuck, Fringe, The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, and (many) others.

I’m not sure who will be taking over yet at Watching Heroes but be sure to show them some love when they do. 

I hope you’ll come over and check out the new site and give me some feedback.

Thanks for reading and sharing Heroes with me!

A renewal isn’t official yet, but EW’s Michael Ausiello already has some scoop on season 4! 

Bryan Fuller says that the producers have been doing a lot of talking about what season 4 will look like.  In the final moments of the season 3 finale, the stage will be set for what’s to come in the fall. "Basically, the last act of episode 25, similar to what’s been done in the past, opens up a new chapter of Heroes. It sets up arcs for a variety of characters.” 

And that is especially true for Claire, he says. "We set all the pieces up in terms of Claire’s attitude and what her trajectory is going to be in season 4. You will have a very strong idea by the end of this season’s final episode where Claire is going and what’s going to be happening with the Petrellis."

NBC entertainment president Angela Bromstad said the network is planning to bring Heroes back for a fourth season, adding that plans are to order 18-20 episodes of the show for next season.

Despite a drop in ratings this season, the show is still tied with The Office as the network’s top-rated series among adults 18-49 this season. 

The network is also considering Jesse Alexander’s pilot project Day One, about a group of survivors in the wake of a catastrophic global event, as a companion piece to Heroes, hoping the popularity of Heroes could help a new series like Day One find an audience, especially if it airs as part of the same Monday night block.

"Day One is a big event and we’re looking at that to come into the Heroes spot," Bromstad said. "It’s right now being looked at as a 13-episode run — something people could commit to and we could make a big splash with."

Bromstad also cited the show’s global popularity as working in Heroes favor.  "Every single place you go has heard about Heroes — whether you’re in China or Japan or Russia," she said. "And to me, that is global content."

The network has privately discussed setting a series end date for Heroes, which has worked in the favor of the quality of shows like Lost and Battlestar Galactica. But even if NBC ever made such a move, Bromstad said, they wouldn’t want to make next season the conclusion.

Of course, this is not yet an “official” renewal, but barring any drastic ratings drop, the show seems safe for renewal at this point.

Via The Live Feed

Here’s the latest on Heroes from EW’s Michael Ausiello:

Question: I may be the only person on the planet who watches Heroes anymore, but could you please offer up some scoop? –Sarah
Ausiello: It’s a shame, too, because the show is actually getting good again. And later this Spring it’s going to get really good when Angela Petrelli receives the "Company Man" treatment via her very own origin episode! "We’re going to understand her in a way that we hadn’t before," teases consulting producer (and author of Heroes‘ original "Company Man" ep), Bryan Fuller.

Question: Could you please tell me if Tracy (Ali Larter) is one of the two major deaths planned for the current Heroes volume? –Justin
Ausiello: There are actually three deaths coming up — two real and one a fake-out. I’m not saying which category Tracy falls under.

It’s pilot season in Hollywood and every day we are hearing about another show that has added cast.  Several former Heroes regulars and prominent guest stars are among the names that have been mentioned.  Here’s a rundown:

Dania Ramirez (Maya Herrera, seasons 2 and 3) has been added to cast of ABC’s untitled Daniel Cerone drama which centers on a detective who gets help from his brilliant 11 year old brother. Brad William Henke and Patrick St. Esprit will also star.

Tawny Cypress (Simone Deveaux, season 1) has joined CBS’ drama House Rules.  The show will tell the story of the freshman class of Congress. Cypress will play a former servicewoman who was stationed in Iraq. Sean Bridgers will also star a congressman from Georgia who won a recount.

Jayma Mays (Charlie Andrews, season 1), Jessalyn Gilsig (Meredith Gordon, seasons 2-3) and Dianna Agron (Debbie Marshall, season 2) have all joined the cast of Fox’s Glee, which has already received  a series order.  The comedy series focuses on Will (Matthew Morrison), a thirtysomething Spanish teacher at an Ohio high school who has the daunting task of taking over the school’s glee club, which has become a haven for outcasts.

The Los Angeles Times has a piece on their site today about the Twitter phenomenon and how it has caught on with celebrities. Heroes stars Greg Grunberg and Brea Grant are featured in the piece that also mentions James Kyson Lee, David H. Lawrence XVII, Propmaster James and Makeup Artist Wendi.

Speaking of Twitter, Grunny caused quite a stir with a couple of his tweets last week.  He first mentioned that it was hard to wrap for the season not knowing if any or all of the cast and crew would be back, then quickly backtracked and assured fans that the show was coming back.  Now there are articles on the web questioning the fate of Heroes. Among those who have mentioned it this week are TV Guide and E! Online’s Kristin Dos Santos.

Never fear though, TV by the Numbers eerily accurate Renew/Cancel index shows Heroes safe for renewal.  They say that NBC’s horrible scripted line up will work in Heroes favor, but it might be facing big budget cuts.  "It…may not look like the current show, but I think it will be back."

David H. Lawrence XVII was interviewed by Chicago’s Pioneer Local. In the article, he mentions that he will appear in the first Bryan Fuller episode "Cold Snap" on March 23 and it "will be one that’s going to be talked about for years.  It’s a romantic scene, a poignant scene, it is the heart of whole show," he said. "It’s so beautiful, I’m tearing up now, which says something because I’m usually jaded. It’s why Bryan Fuller is in such big demand. You’ll know the scene when it happens; it’s just amazing."

Ali Larter was awarded Cosmopolitan Magazine’s Fun Fearless Female award at a ceremony and dinner at the SLS Hotel last night in Beverly Hills.  The Fun Fearless Awards recognize entertainers for their bold career choices and Cosmo-sized confidence.

Ali was the lone female honoree, while the magazine honored a long list of Fun Fearless Males that included actors Aaron Eckhart, Blair Underwood, Mario Lopez, Bradley Cooper, Rainn Wilson, Chace Crawford, NBC exec Ben Silverman, and musicians Timbaland and Adam Levine.

E! Online’s Kristin Dos Santos caught up with Ali on the red carpet last night and asked her about the future of the show.  She is as in the dark as the fans as to whether the show is coming back but commented that cancellation would be "terrible" in her book.  "The cast just loves the show. We have such amazing writers. Bryan Fuller is coming back, which is so incredible. He wrote Nikki the first season. I connect with him on so many levels, and I think he’s going to bring a strength back to the show. If the network doesn’t want to bring us back I’ll be really sad, but you know what, I just can’t even go there. I think that the show was so strong first season, and we’ll come back and get it back to where it should be."

When asked what’s ahead for her character, she said, "Lots of water, lots of water. We did an incredible episode that Greg Yaitanes shot and that Bryan Fuller wrote. It’s his first episode back. It’s just so complex. It’s so compelling, and he really has come up with another interesting power—another interesting way to understand what these characters are going through."

Here’s a look at Ali, looking stunning as ever, from the red carpet:

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In her latest Heroes Redux feature, E! Online’s Kristin gives us these tidbits about what’s coming up on Heroes:

• Matt Parkman’s painting showing him as a suicide bomber will come true next week, but Matt Parkman doesn’t know anything about it.
• Sylar will finally meet his bio dad next week, as played by John Glover. As I reported yesterday, Samson Gray has a major health problem (lung cancer) that will affect the relationship between he and Sylar.
• Nathan will need to regain Tracy’s trust next week, or they will have the Hunter after them both.

The new issue of TV Guide arrived in my mailbox today and inside I found a sneak peek at John Glover as Sylar’s dad.  Not only do we get a first look at Sylar and Samson together, we also find out from the article that the elder Gray will be dying of lung cancer and on a portable oxygen tank – but he’ll still be chain smoking.  Glover describes his role as a “juicy part” and Tim Kring is quoted as saying that watching the two of them together was like “watching two great boxers.”

Here’s a scan of the piece:

The March 9-15 issue of TV Guide magazine is available starting tomorrow. It features David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel of Bones on the cover.

Members of the cast and crew of Heroes will be taking part in the upcoming charity event Heroes For Autism.  The event will feature photography from the cast and crew of Heroes and artwork from members of the autistic community. The evening will include a silent auction, VIP cocktail hour and performances by the Band From TV (featuring Heroes stars Greg Grunberg and Adrian Pasdar) and Wendy and Lisa (the artists who score Heroes).

Heroes for Autism will be held on April 19, 2009 at The Avalon Hollywood, located at 1735 Vine Street in Los Angeles.  VIP tickets are $200 and general admission is $70.  VIP tickets will include general admission, VIP cocktail hour, early bids on silent auction items and a limited edition Heroes for Autism book.

For more information, or to purchase tickets, check out www.heroesforautism.com.

Here’s a little of what some of the Heroes stars have been up to over the last month:

Hayden Panettiere attended Superbowl XLIII at Raymond James Stadium on February 1 in Tampa, Florida.

Milo Ventimiglia was on hand for a special screening of Kristen Bell’s new film, Fanboys, at the Clarity Theatre in Beverly Hills. Here he is with Chewbacca.

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This week’s edition of TV Guide magazine includes a 2 page spread on Heroes Hunter, Zeljko Ivanek.  The article reveals that we will see Danko and Sylar sharing a scene in which they team up to track down a shape-shifter on the loose in a crowded nightclub. 

Here are the scans (click to enlarge):

The March 2-8 issue of TV Guide, with Cheryl Burke on the cover, is on newstands now.