Heroes Return: Event Series #2

Heroes Return: Event Series #2

© The Weirding, 2015

Heroes' and Star Trek's Zachary Quinto Announces He is Gay

Actor Zachary Quinto announced that he is gay this weekend. Quinto is best known for his roles as Spock in the new Star Trek film, and rose to fame as Sylar in TV's Heroes. He can now be seen in American Horror Story, where he has a recurring role as a gay ghost.

© C Harris Lynn, 2011

Heroes' Future Will Not be Televised

A Heroes TV movie or mini-series does not appear to be going forward, according to a recent report. While series creator, Tim Kring, briefly discussed the idea back in May and indicated that many of the show's stars were interested in returning to "wrap-up" the mythology, NBC is apparently not interested in the project. Kring "did not sound particularly hopeful about a spinoff" when asked about the idea in June, according to Entertainment Weekly.

There is the offhand chance that Heroes may pull a Buffy and head to the comic book world, but nothing has been said about this by any of the creators directly involved with the show. Kring told EW (back in June): "The Heroes brand is an extremely broad premise. As a result, that Heroes universe is something that can be tapped into again in many ways."

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Graphic Novelist Suing Heroes for Copyright Infringement

Graphic novelist Jason Barnes, aka Jazan Wild, has filed a complaint against NBC Universal, seeking monetary compensation and an injunction against the further distribution of Heroes Season 4 (I wouldn't worry too much about that one, bud), claiming the season finale "knowingly and maliciously" ripped-off his graphic novel, Carnival of Souls. Carnival of Souls is a webcomic which Barnes obviously hopes to one day print.

Some of the similarities noted in the suit include a carnival which can appear and disappear at will and a circle of mirrors as a major plot device. In fact, Barnes suggests that some of the scenes from the series finale of Heroes appear to have been lifted straight from his source material.

NBC Universal called the suit "meritless." Heroes has been canceled by the network.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Chuck, The Cape, V, FlashForward, Heroes - TV News

NBC announced that Chuck will return for a fourth season, though (at this point) it is limited to a 13-episode run. NBC also picked-up The Cape, a superhero show about a cop who was framed for a crime he did not commit and takes up vigilantism beneath a mask.

ABC renewed V for a second season, and finally canceled FlashForward.

UPDATE: NBC also announced that they have canceled Heroes! The last episode, which aired in February, is apparently the series finale. Heroes ran for four seasons, all told, but never regained the momentum of its first season.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Kristen Bell Engaged

Heroes starlet, Kristen Bell, is engaged to her movie and TV -star boyfriend, Dax Shepard. No further details were provided by her publicist. Bell also appeared in Veronica Mars and was a presenter at last night's Grammy Awards. Shepard has appeared in numerous comedies, both on the big screen and the small one. The couple appear together in the upcoming When in Rome.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Heroes' Adrian Pasdar Arrested for DUI

Heroes star, Adrian Pasdar (Nathan Petrelli), was arrested at 3am this morning on suspicion of DUI. According to reports, police clocked him doing 50 miles over the speed limit and failing to maintain his lane. Upon approach, they claim to have smelled alcohol and gave Pasdar a field sobriety test. He was eventually arrested on suspicion of DUI, as Adrian Pasdar refused to take a Breathalyzer.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

BSG Star Worthy of Heroes

Former Battlestar Galactica actor, Rick Worthy, may be moving to Heroes. Worthy is set to take on the recurring role as policeman, Matt Parkman's, experienced partner. Worthy's character is described as a capable L.A. cop on whom Parkman can lean in times of need. It does not say if Worthy's character is a Hero or not, but knowing the show, he is. Or soon will be, at any rate.

An accomplished and storied actor, Rick Worthy played humanoid Cylon Simon on Battlestar Galactica and is a veteran of sci-fi fare, including Dark Angel, Enterprise, Odyssey 5, Stargate SG-1, and more.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Heroes Renewed, but for Shorter Run

Heroes remains tied with The Office as NBC's most-viewed show in the 18-49 age bracket, but its declining ratings have led some to speculate on its return. However, Heroes has been renewed for a fourth season - albeit for only 18-20 episodes. That is fewer episodes than any season so far (not including the second, which was cut short due to the writers' strike).

This is sad only because this season has truly turned things around. Heroes still has a long way to go, but this third season has seen a serious change, with the characters actually doing things, stories actually going somewhere - and some of them even taking the bold step of making sense!

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Heroes: Something Actually Happened

So I said I was over it - and I really was; the only reason Heroes won-out over The Closer when it returned is because I completely forgot The Closer was premiering! And yet something actually happened. For the first time in... at least a season and a half, I actually watched Heroes - even more, I enjoyed it!

So I've been watching it regularly once again. And, I am happy to say, I'm loving it!

Things are actually happening! Not the way they never did before - you know, "Next week, it all happens" and all that shit - but really, actually happening. People are using their powers, stories are developing, characters are being revealed almost as often as they are introduced.

Which reminds me: wasn't there a little black kid and a black girl from Louisiana or something at one point? And that chick whose eyes went black when she killed people - what happened to her? Is "Tracy Strauss" no longer the other 53 chicks? Didn't one of them die?

I'd heard Heroes was getting a much-needed reboot, but it was fairly imperceptible - maybe only because I haven't paid attention to the freaking thing in like two years - and suddenly, things are happening, people with superpowers are getting all crazy and using them, characters have motivations and goals and they are actually acting on and pursuing them... it's like a real TV show!

And I am loving it!

Still, they need to sweep back through and tie-up some of those loose ends before I can say Heroes is back on top. And where the hell is Eureka?

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Veronica Mars Movie On... Hold

Fans of Veronica Mars can... basically do what they have been doing since the cult hit was canceled: wait. Creator, Rob Thomas, told Entertainment Weekly he simply does not have the time to finish the project at this point in his career. Between his other projects (including Cupid 2.0) and a new baby, Thomas has been working 80 hours a week. Further, he said he has "hit a wall" on Veronica Mars, after he thought he had it all figured out. He will be working on it over the holidays though, so Mars fans - keep hoping!

Veronica Mars star and Heroes castmember, Kristen Bell, is dead. Sylar killed Elle last week and according to insiders, this is one death that will stick. Bell's character was never meant to be a permanent part of the cast.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Chuck is My New Hero

Wow! Chuck just keeps getting better and they're skipping an episode next week for some SNL election promo spot.

Tonight's episode was one of the best so far - definitely in the top three. I had no idea Rush was considered a "nerd" band until a few years back. I have always loved Rush (I am a drummer, after all), but I was no big fan or anything. In my experience, Rush was always more of a gearhead band (motorheads - you know, the guys always tinkering with their muscle cars - I just didn't want to say "motorheads" to avoid confusion with the band)... and, of course, potheads.

As for Heroes... honestly? It's only on because nothing else is. After last week, I gave up on it. Going on three years is a long time to invest in something when you are continually disappointed by it - my longest romantic relationship was only one year! And I hated her! (Still do, I guess... not so much, though.)

Seriously though, Heroes started out as one of those "healthy" addictions - like working-out or eating well - and halfway through the first season, it took on all the hallmarks of a bad one: I kept doing it just because it had become a ritual; I kept hoping for that original "rush" that hooked me in the first place and kept being disappointed; and it was just sucking my time and life away with no return.

Maybe I'm in a better place now? I mean, no other network is going to program anything worth watching against it, so as long as I don't let it suck me back in, I'm safe with it just being around, right?

But isn't that what all addicts say?

No, no - come on! It's a... it's just a TV show! I can handle this. I can turn it off anytime I want.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Heroes Season 3 Premiere - A Review

We can get the good out of the way on the front-end because the bad is ever the same.

For one, the dialogue is better. There were some truly touching scenes between several of the characters - notably Peter and Claire - and the sex scene was about as hot as a primetime serial featuring (basically four-color) superheroes can be without losing its target audience. I can easily give Heroes that much: the dialogue is smooth and natural. It doesn't have a problem with character interaction when the characters get along, the problem is that almost none of them do!

There was finally some action! And it was enjoyable, to boot. Peter and Matt started to get into one of those ridiculous head nodding fights, but it was subtler and over quickly (thankfully). Still, there is a tedious, frustrating restraint to most everything violent. I know this is a close to all-ages show - I get that, I applaud that, and I think Heroes actually does the teen thing very well - they manage to get the adult audience involved and keep us engaged without going too far with it, but... you really can't have a show featuring superheroes and villains where there is no violence. I'd almost rather see the old G.I. Joe routine, where the cats jump out of the planes as they explode - I mean, at least the vehicles blew up!

Things are actually happening! Granted, we have absolutely no idea what, but at least the story is going somewhere. The first two seasons, Heroes all but spun in place.

[SPOILERS]

Coolest shit:

When Peter saved Claire from the train.

Even cooler:

The bad guys are bad and Matt can hear animals' thoughts.

Even cooler:

Turtles are really nice.

Of course, now there's the bad...

Within the first half-hour, we were introduced to Claire's storyline: she was facing Sylar alone in her own home. A tense game of cat-and-mouse began and we swapped-out to begin Hiro's storyline. At a dramatic point, we switched to Dr. Surresh and his research. Then we came back to Matt's story as it intersected with Peter's, who then went on to continue the previous storyline involving Nathan. Then we came back to Hiro and Ando, when the speedster was introduced. She leaves and it's back to Surresh as he discovers what his father could not. We came back to Peter and Nathan and watched as it played-out into the church, where Nathan professed his newfound religious convictions.

Then we came back to Sylar and Claire. There was something like 15-20 minutes between when their story began and when it continued. By the time we got back to them, I had forgotten they were fighting!

Three years - three years - I have been complaining about this! And I only wish I were the only one! Yes, they dropped the storyline in the middle of a confrontation, so there wasn't much of a "bump" coming back into it, but all the tension was gone. They didn't even cut at a cliffhanging moment! If you can't juggle storylines effectively, stop trying!

In title runs (usually monthly), you can drop stories and pick them back up this way - it's done all the time - sometimes, the entire comic will be put on-hold for a single "filler" issue (usually with a guest artist). It works in comic books because the reader can simply pick up the last issue and reread it; it doesn't work on TV. Even with TiVo, it's far more a hassle to rewind, playback, and resume just to figure out what was happening in this storyline the last time it was on!

Also three years running for the impossible closed-captioning between Hiro and Ando. It's white... white! I hate that because Hiro's is consistently one of the better stories, but I had gotten into the habit of doing something else whenever they came on. By the second hour, I was back in that habit.

On an entirely different note, William Katt has not aged well.

What are Nikki's powers? How does she have different powers for each personality? I mean, she does, doesn't she? What are Peter's powers? Didn't he used to leech others' abilities by being in their general vicinity? What happened to that? Does just everybody have at least one power? Most of them seem to have an entire arsenal, but I would be remiss if I didn't note that everyone who becomes anything more than a bit-player winds up being a mega-powerhouse with indefatigable and undefined abilities that seem to change without a moment's notice. And they all time-travel or at least see the future.

Ah well... I guess it just wouldn't be Heroes if it made sense and we had any idea what was going on, huh? The show that takes the bold move of excluding the audience...

All told, I was somewhat disappointed because the storytelling is still so poor, but I have to admit, I couldn't look away. I was enrapt throughout, if for no other reason than that I had no idea what the hell was going on. But - like every episode in the second season - by the last thirty minutes, I was so lost, my mind was wandering. What did it matter? I had no clue who I was watching, what they were doing, or why! However, like the first season, the third shows enough promise that I have to see at least the next episode. I just hope they pull it together before I give up for good.

Heroes is at least consistent: it's the show on television I most want to love.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Heroes Tonight

Yes, it's that time again, and while sites across the Web are falling all over themselves to hype the event, the new season of Heroes has been surprisingly quiet for this to be the night.

There has been a rather steady leak of information and previews throughout the last year, but no major, "THIS IS THE SEASON WHERE EVERYTHING WILL BE REVEALED" campaign. And I'm grateful for that. I only hope it doesn't mean they're nervous as to how it will be received. Even those involved in the series admit season 2 was a total bust; hopefully they learned from that.

First is a behind-the-scenes "preview" of the show (7:00pm, CST) and then the two-hour, third season premiere. Of course, I will have things to say about all of it, but I have to be honest: I'm not all that psyched. I plan to watch it, I hope to enjoy it, but last season really left me non-plussed. Sadly, there is nothing on against it now that The Closer is over, so I'll be watching it even if it blows...

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Bride, George Takei

Star Trek's George Takei (also a character player in Heroes) married his long-term partner, Brad Altman, in a Buddhist ceremony earlier today in Los Angeles.

The two have been together for over 20 years and the reception was held at the Japanese American National Museum. The best man was Walter Koenig (Chekhov) and the matron-of-honor was none other than Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura). The couple was among the first to receive a wedding license when California lifted the ban on homosexual marriages on June 17^th.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

The Rundown on Seth Green's Projects

According to Entertainment Weekly, who caught-up with the Family Guy and Robot Chicken star at the VMAs, Seth Green has a lot going on that you will probably be interested in hearing about:

• He has joined the cast of Heroes, which started filming Monday. While he did not specify anything, he was growing a beard for the show.
• Robot Chicken has a sequel to the Star Wars Special premiering in November. Carrie Fisher will guest-star.
• There is no Brazilian Job. While Green notes that the sequel to The Italian Job has been listed as "in production" for over four years now, but that Paramount has shifted hands four times since the original was made. He does not believe making the sequel is a priority for the company, regardless of the success of the stars involved.
  

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

The Hayden Panettiere Situation

You obviously heard something happened with Hayden Panettiere and alcohol either over the weekend or yesterday and you may have wondered why I didn't pounce on it. After all, Panettiere is one of the stars of the wildly popular superhero TV show, Heroes, and I certainly cover that. And she's a celebrity in her own right, and I most certainly cover those. And there was alcohol and (alleged) woman-beating involved and, no, The Rundown is not above that, either.

Well, originally, the story broke that Hayden had been arrested for assault. According to those reports, it was some sort of club/bar fight. I was working on the site when that hit and figured I'd get to it. Within hours, the story changed to her having been arrested for assaulting either her mom or dad. Then it became her dad who was arrested for beating her mom. Now the two are walking around outside.

Now, I would love to link to all these breaking stories to prove my point, but they have all since disappeared. I'm sure you can find them through Google cache or RSS feed aggregators and such, but that's not the point; the point is that, once again, my procrastination paid off.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Heroes Season Three Premiered at Comic-Con

Series producer, Tim Kring, premiered the first episode of season three Heroes at Comic-Con today. Also premiering will be the new episode of this season's Lost. According to reports, this is only the second time a TV show has premiered at Comic-Con and lines wrapped the convention center.

Most reviews have been favorable and you can find a few spoilers here.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Heroes to Wed?

The celebrity gossip sites are all atwitter over a ring Heroes star, Milo Ventimiglia, bought Heroes co-star and girlfriend, Hayden Panettiere.

Gossip magazine, In Touch, carried a story in which it claims Ventimiglia confided in a close friend that he was planning to ask the 18-year old Panettiere to marry him. The source even said Milo has been shopping for an engagement ring since last month. He supposedly plans to spend around $200k.

However, other gossip sites went deeper and found that Ventimiglia did recently give Hayden a ring, but it was only a "friendship" ring. Specifically, a "Somerset Heart." The ring bears a heart set on a woven band of yellow gold and retails for around $2000.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

George Takei to Wed

When California announced they were lifting the ban on gay marriages, comedienne Ellen Degeneres announced that she and actress girlfriend (and smoking hottie), Portia de Rossi, are to marry. A few days later, George Takei announced the same of him and his male lover of 21 years.

Takei, known best for his role as Sulu on Star Trek, appeared as Hiro's father in the last two seasons of Heroes. He has been with his boyfriend, Brad Altman, for 21 years. Altman handles the business side of Takei's acting career and they have co-habitated for most of their relationship. The two cared for Takei's ailing mother in her final days and travel as a couple.

Takei announced and discusses the matter on his website.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008