Watching Heroes

This Wednesday, March 26 at 9pm EST on The Movie Blog: Uncut LIVE show at TheMovieBlog.com,  Heroes’ Peter Petrelli (aka Milo Ventimiglia) will be on hand to answer your questions and take phone calls live on the air. He’ll be discussing his work on Heroes, along with his upcoming movies Pathology, and Game. He’ll also be taking questions from the fans. Joining Milo will be Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, who wrote and produced Pathology and are directing Game.

I’m sure there will be many who will inquire about what we can expect in Season 3 and a few brave souls who will ask about his relationship with Hayden. Whether we’ll get a straight answer about any of that remains to be seen.

To find out how you can call in or join the live interactive chat board, or just watch the interview, visit TheMovieBlog.com.

Good news and bad news for Ali Larter. The good news: Ali has been honored with a 2008 Gracie Allen Award by the American Women in Radio & Television. The awards honor achievement in programming by, for and about women. Other honorees included Miley Cyrus, Maya Angelou, Kathy Griffin and Holly Hunter. National winners will be honored at the Gracies Gala on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 at the New York Marriott Marquis. A complete list of winners can be found at www.awrt.org.

The bad news: E! Online is reporting that Ali was one of nearly 800 people exposed to the Hepatitis A virus at Socialista, a hotspot club in the West Village. A bartender at the club has tested positive and a health alert has been issued to anyone who was in the club on February 7, 8 and 11. Ali, along with other celebs, was a guest at Ashton Kutcher’s birthday party at Socialista on February 7.

Hayden Panettiere has signed on as the new spokesperson for Candie’s. Candie’s is a juniors clothing line sold exclusively in Kohl’s stores. Hayden will appear in their print and television advertising. Former Candie’s reps include Hilary Duff, Fergie and Destiny’s Child. Here’s a peek at her first ads: (more…)

The latest 2 chapters of the graphic novel are “The Ten Brides of Takezo Kensei,” which looks at the relationships Kensei has had over the last several hundred years, and “The Golden Goose,” which delves further into the character Richard Drucker. View them now at NBC.com.

NBC also has several features devoted to the new Heroes novel, Saving Charlie, by Aury Wallington. You can read an interview with Wallington, view a trailer previewing the book or send a Saving Charlie e-card. They will also be posting 4 complete chapters of the book for readers to sample. Chapters 2 and 8 are available now with 9 and 16 coming up over the next couple of weeks. 

Remember Claire’s friend Zach? The actor who played him, Thomas Dekker, will be starring in the new Fox series Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles as John Conner. The series debuts Sunday night, January 13 at 8pm eastern with another episode airing on Monday night at 9pm eastern. Since there will be no new Heroes episodes to watch, you might as well check it out.

Metro Weekly, a gay and lesbian publication in the Washington DC area, has a great interview with George Takei. There isn’t much Heroes discussion, but he talks a lot about Star Trek, his involvement with different causes over the years, and what his life has been like as an “out” gay man. It’s a good read. 

Heroes ratings for Monday were down again. They lost another 500,000 viewers from last week bringing in only about 9.8 million and earning a 4.9/11. I suspect this will creep up with the buzz about this week’s show and the promise of the “Four Months Later” episode. It’s the one we’ve all been waiting for, after all. I don’t have to tell you who won the night, do I? I’ll give you a hint - in involves dancing.  

My favorite Hero, Greg Grunberg, did an interview with Buddy TV this week. Greg talked about how the writers strike is affecting production, Parkman’s newly expanded powers, and his relationship with his TV dad, Alan Blumenfeld (Did you know Alan played Greg’s dad on Felicity, too?).

James Kyson Lee, who plays Ando, will be making an appearance at Pacific Media Expo (PMX) this Sunday, Nov. 11. Lee will greet fans with a “rare, intimate two-hour panel and autograph session.” For more information, you can visit PMX’s website: http://www.pacificmediaexpo.com./ (Thanks to Heroes-TV!)

If you want to be spoiled about who may be dying sometime in the next few episodes, Use Your Ability has a very revealing photo posted. (Don’t click if you don’t want to know!)

Greg Beeman reveals some interesting things about Isaac’s paintings and how they create them in his blog this week and has fantastic photos of cast and crew, as always.

The latest chapter of the graphic novel is called “Quarantine.” It tells the story of Howard LeMay of Homeland Security, who I suspect may be the DHS officer who interviewed Peter in Monday’s episode. I can’t find anything to verify that this was Mark Harelik’s character’s name in that eppy though.

I haven’t seen a sneak peek of next week’s episode yet but I suspect it may surface later today. I’ll share it with you as soon as it’s available.

It looks like the rumors that Tim Kring had left Heroes were, as rumors tend to be, grossly exaggerated. While Tim is supporting the writers strike and walking the picket lines, he hasn’t quit the show. In fact, on Monday he called in to Entertainment Weekly from the front lines of the strike to give them an interview.

He wasn’t calling to squash the rumors of his demise though, or even to talk about the strike and what it means to Heroes. He was calling to talk about Heroes ratings decline and the fan frustration with this season’s storylines. He was calling to apologize to fans! 

Here’s what he had to say about the major fan complaints:

THE PACE IS TOO SLOW ”We assumed the audience wanted season 1 — a buildup of intrigue about these characters and the discovery of their powers. We taught [them] to expect a certain kind of storytelling. They wanted adrenaline. We made a mistake.”

THE WORLD-SAVING STAKES SHOULD HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED SOONER The premonition of nuclear apocalypse created a larger context that unified every story line last season. Kring now sees that Volume 2 (the first 11 episodes of season 2) would have been better served if Peter’s vision of viral Armageddon had appeared in the season premiere rather than episode 7. ”We took too long to get to the big-picture story,” he says.

THE ROOKIES DIDN’T GREET THEMSELVES PROPERLY New Heroes Monica (Dana Davis), Maya (Dania Ramirez), and Alejandro (Shalim Ortiz) ‘’shouldn’t have been introduced in separate story lines that felt unattached to the show. The way we introduced Elle (Kristen Bell) — by weaving her in via Peter’s story line — is a more logical way to bring new characters into the show.” (That said, Kring says a few newbies won’t make it beyond this second volume, which wraps Dec. 3.)

HIRO WAS IN JAPAN WAY TOO LONG Hiro’s (Masi Oka) time-bending adventure in 17th-century Japan — where he mentored samurai hero Takezo Kensei (David Anders) — finally came to an end on Nov. 5. But Kring says it ‘’should have [lasted] three episodes. We didn’t give the audience enough story to justify the time we allotted it.”

YOUNG LOVE STINKS Kring regrets sticking Claire (Hayden Panettiere) with a super-dud boyfriend and forcing Hiro to moon over a cutesy princess. ”I’ve seen more convincing romances on TV,” he admits. ”In retrospect, I don’t think romance is a natural fit for us.”

As they say, it takes a big man to admit when he’s wrong. I’m glad to see that Kring has sense enough to listen to fans rather than insisting that his creative vision is right and viewers are wrong. It’s the viewers that make or break the show after all.

Check out this behind-the-scenes video of the making of a TV Guide cover, featuring illustrator Tim Sale. He discusses this season’s lurking “Helix” symbol, the 8 mysterious Isaac Mendez paintings, and his contribution to the Special Edition TV Guide Heroes covers.

The covers hit newsstands on Thursday, but we’re hoping to give you a sneak peak before then.

Our friends at TVGuide.com have contacted us to let us know that new Heroes collectible covers are coming soon. The set of 4 covers will hit newstands on November 8 and will feature the artwork of 4 different comic book artists. The covers will be available seperately or in a bundle pack. You will also be able to order these online.

TVGuide.com has promised to give us an exclusive sneak peek later this week, so check back with us!

TVGuide.com also has a new interview with James Kyson Lee. He talks about the changes in Ando for season 2, what we can expect for his character, Star Trek and George Takei, and his upcoming non-Heroes Projects. In case you haven’t heard, James is Korean and didn’t speak Japanese. He talks a little about that and the feedback he has received.

As I told you last week, Heroes was nominated in several categories at Spike’s Scream 2007 Awards. They took home honors in 2 of those categories on Friday night - Best TV Show and Breakout Performance (Hayden Panetierre as Claire Bennet). The show will air on Spike tomorrow night and features appearances by many of our favorite Heroes stars.

The Chicago Sun-Times has a nice article about Noah Gray-Cabey (Micah) and his work with Action in Music. Action in Music is a foundation designed to help young inner-city musicians travel to poor countries to raise money for charitable causes.

Buddy TV talked with Shalim Ortiz (Alejandro) about his role on Heroes. They talked a little bit about where his character is headed, what his power is and how he felt about the fan backlash against Maya and Alejandro. You should give it a read if you have a chance.

Kristen Bell makes her debut on tonight’s episode. Fanboy’s everywhere are squealing - can you hear it? Buddy TV talked to Kristen last week and Use Your Ability has put together this quick list of things that were revealed in that interview (Possible Spoilers):

1 ) Bell’s Chracter Elle is “a little bit off”
2 ) Elle will find Peter
3 ) Elle has a “very interesting dynamic” and a much “deeper relationship” with Claire than people think. Joking but accidently hinting they might be sisters!!
4 ) She appears in Episode 5, but will not return until Episode 8 & 9.
5 ) Bell is signed for only 13 episodes so far.
6 ) Vol. 2 Generations will end by Episode 11 with cliffhanger to Vol. 3
7 ) Fans should “fully expect” to see some of the characters leave
8 ) We will see more of the 12 in the picture.
9 ) Joanna Cassidy could possibly be the person standing next to Mr. Parkman
10 ) Bell mentions she was “not offered” a role on LOST
11 ) Bell says she wants to work with Quinto (Sylar) and face off against him because they are good friends in real life.

Want a sneak peak of Matt’s meeting with his dad? Check out this clip, which was shown during Greg’s appearance on The Tonight Show last Friday. (Thanks to HeroesRevealed)

*The Heroes spinoff will apparently not be called Heroes: Origins. The Chicago Tribute is reporting that a representative for the network said that a title for the new series has not yet been chosen. In the same article there is a nice interview with Kristen Bell.

*Speaking of Kristen, it seems to be her week. She has interviews in the Tribune as mentioned above and in People Magazine. She was also named “TV Babe of the Day” by IGN today.

*And if that’s not enough Kristen Bell for you, she talked to OK Magazine and told them that Hayden Panettiere and Milo Ventimiglia are NOT dating. She says they are just “great friends.”

*Ali Larter made Entertainment Weekly’s list of the top Butt-Kicking Babes. She comes in at #22 for her role as Niki/Jessica Sanders on Heroes. The site her skills as “a reservoir of strength and ruthlessness.” That and her lap dancing skills…

*Set your TiVo’s because the Heroes are making the talk show rounds. Here’s a schedule for the next few weeks (check your local listings for times):

10/19 - Greg Grunberg on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
10/22 - Adrian Pasdar on Live with Regis and Kelly
10/25 - Ali Larter on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (this is a repeat of her 9/19 appearance)
10/26 - Greg Grunberg on Ellen
10/29 - Zachary Quinto on The View
11/2 - Zachary Quinto on Jimmy Kimmel Live

*And finally - here is a five-minute preview for the next episode, “Fight or Flight.” More Parkman! Yay! (thanks to Heroes-Revealed.com)

My MySpace friends at TV Watercooler posted a bulletin today alerting fans that Zachary Quinto (aka Sylar) will be stopping by their show tonight. It airs on TV Guide Network at 8pm Eastern and repeats at 11pm Eastern.

Also Zach fans - check out this YouTube video of a behind-the-scenes look at Zach’s recent TV Guide photoshoot. He appears in the current issue, on newstands now! Thanks to the Heroes_fan MySpace page for the heads up on this one!

*Heroes Fans can expect action figures based on the show sometime in 2008. Mezco reportedly says figures will come in 7-inch and a larger deluxe size. Heroes figures in the 3 3/4-inch size will be featured in Mezco’s “Screen Grabs,” dioramas depicting scenes from the show.

*Cristine Rose (Angela Petrelli) talked to Filmnut.com in a live interactive interview yesterday. She talked about her career and fielded some questions about Heroes and her character. You can watch the video on the Filmnut website.

*For an upcoming feature on Heroes, TV Guide wants to know what you are dying to know about the show. Go to TVGuide.com to leave your questions (Limit 2 questions per TVGuide.com member).

*Speaking of TV Guide, Michael Ausiello has some scoop about 2 new characters, one good guy and one bad guy.

*E! Online’s Kristin has a few hints for upcoming episodes as well, including the poop on Mr. Muggles.

*Heroes a Soap Opera? That’s what Mark Perigard at the Boston Herald says.

*Parody Press Comics has a hilarious Heroes parody comic book entitled “Hewoes.” You can watch a video with some of their characters, like the Pastrami brothers and Styler, on You Tube.

*Mark your calendars for October 19 because Greg Grunberg will be stopping by the Tonight Show that night to chat with Jay Leno. Set your TiVo!

*And finally, here are a few scenes from the next episode, “The Kindness of Strangers.”

*Chapter 54 of the graphic novel is up at NBC.com. This time it features Peter Petrelli and is called “Petrified Lightning.” This edition picks up where we left off with Peter and Caitlyn in “Kindred.”

*Greg Beeman has another picture-filled blog up. Oh and he talks about “Kindred” in there as well. He also talks about Milo and his directing aspirations and gives him a plug for “It’s a Mall World,” which he directed for American Eagle Outfitters.

*New cast member Shalim Ortiz (Alejandro) is interviewed in Entertainment Weekly. In it, he talks about being a “Wonder Twin,” what it’s like to be on Heroes, and introduces us to the actor.

*FADPOV, which is a Sci-Fi site written by women, has a great interview with Dana Davis, who will be playing Monica in the New Orleans storyline. Dana discusses her character, working with Nichelle Nichols and the rest of the cast and how she was a Heroes fan before being cast.

*Entertainment Weekly also spoke with the youngest Hero, Adair Tishler who plays Molly. She talks about working so closely with Sendhill and Greg, how her brother will break her arm if she quits Heroes (read and find out!) and, of course, about Molly.

*Monday’s ratings are in. Dancing With the Stars continues to dominate the night (which completely baffles me). In the 9pm slot, CBS’ comedies, Two and a Half Men and Rules of Engagement averaged the highest viewers with 13 million (4.4/10) and 10.7 million (3.8/9) respectively. Heroes averaged nearly 10.8 million (5.0/11) total viewers in the hour, and won the coveted 18-49 demographic, as usual. But Heroes has lost almost a quarter of its audience since the season premiere. Will they pick back up once the stories get beefier? It remains to be seen.

*Speaking of ratings, Nielsen has reversed its decision to allow networks to combine the ratings of an original broadcast and a rebroadcast after the outcry caused by the use of the new rule by Heroes in premiere week.

Watching Heroes, NBC Heroes, Ratings, Nielsen Ratings, Dana Davis, Adair Tishler, Shalim Ortiz, Greg Beeman, Graphic Novel

My MySpace friend, Greg Grunberg, just alerted me that TV Guide Network will be broadcasting a behind-the-scenes look at the second season of NBC’s Heroes tonight. It will include cast interviews with Greg, Masi Oka, Santiago Cabrera, Ali Larter and Noah Gray-Cabey and more.

Here are the dates and times. It replays several times this week in case you can’t catch it tonight (all times are eastern):

Mon, Oct 8 @ 11:00 PM
Wed, Oct 10 @ 4:00 PM
Thu, Oct 11 @ 3:00 PM
Thu, Oct 11 @ 7:00 PM
Fri, Oct 12 @ 9:00 PM

Watching Heroes, NBC Heroes, TV Guide Network, Heroes: The Return

The web is buzzing with Heroes interviews, news about Heroes: Origins and more!

*Pulp Secret has revealed more about the Heroes: Origins series. As we had heard before Eli Roth, Kevin Smith, Michael Dougherty, and John August will be writing, but he has also revealed that Jeph Loeb (who we already know from Heroes and Smallville) will also be contributing an episode. They also tell us that each episode will feature two stories, and will pay homage to Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone. The six episode series will run following the regular Heroes season.

*Cleveland.com’s The Plain Dealer talks about the Nerds who are taking over Monday nights and television in general. He mentions our favorite nerd, Hiro. It’s a great piece, especially for people like me who consider themselves a nerd.

*The Ventura County Star has a piece on Zachary Quinto on its website today. It mostly discusses his upcoming Star Trek role as Spock, but has a little Heroes talk in there as well. As a bonus, there is a small blurb about Jimmy Jean-Louis (The Haitian) at the end of the article.

*Ali Larter is featured in a piece on the Boston Globe’s site. In it, she discusses why she finally has women fans, where her character is headed and what we can look forward to with Niki/Jessica this season and how much she loves working on Heroes.

*The Boston Herald interviewed Milo Ventimiglia (Peter Petrelli) about growing up. Milo has bulked up, adding 20 lbs of muscle to his body (as we could all see in last week’s episode…rawr!). He said he’s tired of playing high school punks and is ready to be a man. Well, Milo, I think the plan is working.

*Broadcasting and Cable inquired why NBC and Heroes, famous for their prominent placement of Nissan’s, would plug the iPod after their much publicized dispute with Apple. NBC says it was pure coincidence and, unlike Claire’s Nissan Rogue, we won’t find out what happened to the shipment of iPods.

*And finally, I leave you with a clip, posted by NBC, from tonight’s episode where we finally see Niki and Micah…AND we get our first glimpse of Nichelle Nichols as Nana.

Yeah, I know, that title is waaaayyyy too goofy, but give me a break. It’s early! Anyway, here’s all that “news you can use.”

*TV Guide has an interview with Dania Ramirez up right now. Dania talks a little bit about Maya’s powers, the possibility of an on-screen romance, and battling Halle Berry in X-Men 3.

*GameLoft has released an official Heroes mobile phone game. The eleven level game allows you to play as Peter Petrelli, Hiro Nakamura, Niki/Jessica Sanders and Officer Matt Parkman. You can see screen shots and get more info HERE.

*George Takei (Kaito) has had an asteroid named after him. The asteroid, formerly knows as 1994 GT9, is situated between Mars and Jupiter. It has been renamed 7307 Takei by the International Astronomical Union’s Committee on Small Body Nomenclature.

*Ratings for Heroes second episode dropped off a little from last week’s premiere. ABC’s Dancing with the Stars won the 9 p.m. timeslot with a 13.8/20, CBS was second with Two and a Half Men, 8.4/12, and Rules of Engagement, 6.6/10. Heroes came in third (but was the night’s top show in the key 18-49 demographic). K-Ville brought a 3.7/5 over at FOX.

*The latest chapter of the Graphic Novel is up and it features The Haitian. We get to see what transpired between he and Mohinder and what happened between the time he left Mohinder and showed up with Bennet. The title is The Crossroads.

*Greg Beeman has a new blog up for episode 2. As usual, he has some awesome behind-the-scenes photos up as well.

*If you have missed either of this season’s episodes and need to catch up, full episodes are available online at NBC.com. You can also watch last season’s finale in case you missed it. Also, even if you’ve already seen the episodes, go back and watch with commentary.

*And finally, here is a 3 minute sneak peak of the upcoming 3rd episode, “Kindred.”

Watching Heroes, NBC Heroes, Dania Ramirez, Mobile Game, George Takei, Asteroid, Graphic Novel, The Crossroads, Full Episodes Online, Sneak Peek, Kindred