EXCLUSIVE: He just starred on an NBC drama series with comic book mythology. Now Heroes star Milo Ventimiglia is back at the network as the star/executive producer of Rest, a new drama project based on a comic book series he co-created.
Ventimiglia will executive produce the project, which has received a script commitment with film/TV/Broadway producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (Footloose, Drop Dead Diva). Also executive producing are Ventimiglia's producing partner at Divide Pictures Russ Cundiff and Marc Silvestri and Matt Hawkins from Top Cow, the comic book publisher behind Rest. Writer Philip Levens (Smallville), who will also executive produce, is adapting the comic, which was created by Ventimiglia, Cudiff and Mark Powers based on a script by Mike O'Sullivan. It centers on John Barret (Ventimiglia), a normal twentysomething guy in New York City who spends every waking hour working. He enrolls in a testing program for a drug that eliminates the need of sleep and soon becomes addicted to it, which helps him accomplish more but also leads to serious consequences. Since the comic launched in 2008, there has been a lot of chatter among fans that Barret looks a lot like Ventimiglia and that Rest would be turned into TV series or film. Ventimiglia and Levens are with CAA.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
The Event S1E7: I Know Who You Are (recap)
If there's one thing I always say -- and I do always say this, and you should ask anyone who knows me -- about TV shows, it's this: "If you can't end an episode of your TV show with a little girl entering a mysterious apartment full of what appear to be other little girls but are actually some kinda weird old people in little girl drag, then your TV show is a complete failure." The list of shows which this old maxim could be applied to is incredibly long, including such illustrious series as "The Wire," "Mad Men" and "The Dick Van Dyke Show," and tonight, "The Event" joins their ranks, as Leila's little sister, whose name I haven't bothered to learn just yet, is ushered into an apartment that looks more like a library in an ancient country house, then confronted with the fact that all of the little girls there look like old women. (And some look like old men!) Cue the end of the episode.
I have no idea what any of this means, other than the fact that "The Event" just wants to keep tossing weird stuff at us in the hopes that we'll keep watching.
Tonight's episode was a decided step back from the last one, which at least suggested the series was figuring out its voice and its structure, so maybe this last scene was just a way to keep the weirdness quotient high. It happens. But in terms of making sense of anything or dragging the story forward or even making Leila's little sister a character who's something beyond "generic little girl," the scene didn't work. It was just oddness for oddness' sake, and the producers would surely be pleased if you tuned in for next week's episode, which is already going to the well of "let's watch the highly-rated pilot from a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ANGLE." Usually, shows don't go to this well until Season 3 or 4. There'd better be a darned good reason for "The Event" to be doing so so soon. (And, as we all know by now, there won't be.)
Anyway, this is the part where I'd theoretically summarize what happened tonight and talk about what sort of bearing it had on other events. Except, the thing is, pretty much nothing DID happen. The show wisely kept to the character-specific flashbacks of the last episode, this time letting us get to know Zeljko Ivanek's Blake Sterling just a little bit better, but the connection between the past and future storylines was far more tenuous this week than it was the last time around. In that last episode, Simon was the focus of both the present and past storylines, and the two of them commented on each other in interesting ways. In this episode, Blake is pretty much just hanging out around the edges of the present storyline, and all of the big decisions are made for him in the past (outside of one crucial one). It leaves the episode feeling oddly shapeless, especially since the main plot -- the aliens making sure that Simon isn't fingered as one of them -- has so little to do with Blake.
The flashback story for Blake isn't a bad one. Fourteen years ago, he was serving in the CIA under his father and happily married to a woman named Laura. Except, whoops, as it turned out, Laura was a Russian spy, embedded in a marriage to Blake to help leak U.S. state secrets to her compatriots back in just barely post-Communist Russia. Confronted with the truth of his wife's betrayal, Blake tells her that he knows everything about what she's done, but he believes she actually loves him. (Ah, we men! Always so stupid in these matters!) Of course she doesn't, and of course she bolts, and of course his father is lurking in the bushes to shoot Laura in the head. Blake's out a wife, but his dad offers to let him take credit for shooting the woman, the better to help him advance his career. Gee. That's great, dad.
Anyway, in the "present," Blake apologizes to the president for not realizing the mole (the recently framed Murphy) was in his department. He's usually better at catching these things -- since he's cultivated a "mole sense" after the thing with his wife -- but he let the country down this time.
This is all well and good, but it has so little to do with the major plots of the episode proper, which mostly have to do with Thomas coming up with a way to get Simon off the hook when he's so obviously guilty and Sean and Leila seeking out a mysterious dude who can help them find her sister, that it feels
inconsequential. It's nice to know more about the past of Blake, but it's simultaneously far from necessary. The title of the episode, "I Know Who You Are," is what Blake says to his wife when he finds out her terrible secret, but I think it's also meant to be applied to more and more of the characters, who reveal little things about themselves in this episode. (For example, as it turns out, Sophia is Thomas' mother, though I have this weird feeling we learned this before.) So, yes, it's good to know more about who Blake really is, but the best episodes of shows like this unite the past and present action through some sort of character and thematic continuity. This episode might have been better off as a flashback about Thomas, but it's obvious the series doesn't want to play that card this soon into its run.
So what we're left with is a centerless episode that doesn't do a lot to justify its existence. So little actually happens -- when the episode ends, we're basically where we were at the start of the last episode -- that it's tempting to write this off as yet another episode for marking time. Yet Ivanek is such a skillful actor and there are just enough neat little touches around the edges that I would rank this above the first few episodes of the show, where it felt like everything was just going to keep running in circles. And then there's that ending, which is just strange enough to make me want to see how it's resolved. (My prediction? The little girls are the ones from that encoded document Sean found, and the conspiracy dudes -- led by Hal Holbrook, who's mostly wasted but always a welcome presence -- have been trying various things to make them ageless, like the aliens, and have mostly failed.) This is a bland, shapeless episode of television, but it isn't as bad as it could have been.
The story in brief, in case you've checked out: It sure looks like Simon's the mole, which means that he's going to face some pretty horrific "enhanced interrogation" as Blake and his pals try to get information about the aliens' plan out of him. Thomas, however, has other ideas, and he spends much of the hour figuring out a way to get Simon off the hook, finally framing Murphy, the guy who caught on to what Simon was up to in the last episode, for the leaks. Oh, and Sophia is his mom. Blake, for his part, was betrayed by his wife 14 years ago -- she was a Russian spy! -- and then his dad killed her. Yikes. Sean and Leila spend most of the episode running around (when don't they?), but they at least find out that somebody somewhere was interested in girls around Leila's sister's age, right before the hacker they've turned to to help get this information blows up his apartment to stop the Feds, who are closing in. Oh, and Leila's sister? She's led to an apartment full of creepy old person kids. Yeah, we have no idea either.
--Todd VanDerWerff (follow me on Twitter at @tvoti)
Tonight's episode was a decided step back from the last one, which at least suggested the series was figuring out its voice and its structure, so maybe this last scene was just a way to keep the weirdness quotient high. It happens. But in terms of making sense of anything or dragging the story forward or even making Leila's little sister a character who's something beyond "generic little girl," the scene didn't work. It was just oddness for oddness' sake, and the producers would surely be pleased if you tuned in for next week's episode, which is already going to the well of "let's watch the highly-rated pilot from a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ANGLE." Usually, shows don't go to this well until Season 3 or 4. There'd better be a darned good reason for "The Event" to be doing so so soon. (And, as we all know by now, there won't be.)
Anyway, this is the part where I'd theoretically summarize what happened tonight and talk about what sort of bearing it had on other events. Except, the thing is, pretty much nothing DID happen. The show wisely kept to the character-specific flashbacks of the last episode, this time letting us get to know Zeljko Ivanek's Blake Sterling just a little bit better, but the connection between the past and future storylines was far more tenuous this week than it was the last time around. In that last episode, Simon was the focus of both the present and past storylines, and the two of them commented on each other in interesting ways. In this episode, Blake is pretty much just hanging out around the edges of the present storyline, and all of the big decisions are made for him in the past (outside of one crucial one). It leaves the episode feeling oddly shapeless, especially since the main plot -- the aliens making sure that Simon isn't fingered as one of them -- has so little to do with Blake.
The flashback story for Blake isn't a bad one. Fourteen years ago, he was serving in the CIA under his father and happily married to a woman named Laura. Except, whoops, as it turned out, Laura was a Russian spy, embedded in a marriage to Blake to help leak U.S. state secrets to her compatriots back in just barely post-Communist Russia. Confronted with the truth of his wife's betrayal, Blake tells her that he knows everything about what she's done, but he believes she actually loves him. (Ah, we men! Always so stupid in these matters!) Of course she doesn't, and of course she bolts, and of course his father is lurking in the bushes to shoot Laura in the head. Blake's out a wife, but his dad offers to let him take credit for shooting the woman, the better to help him advance his career. Gee. That's great, dad.
Anyway, in the "present," Blake apologizes to the president for not realizing the mole (the recently framed Murphy) was in his department. He's usually better at catching these things -- since he's cultivated a "mole sense" after the thing with his wife -- but he let the country down this time.
This is all well and good, but it has so little to do with the major plots of the episode proper, which mostly have to do with Thomas coming up with a way to get Simon off the hook when he's so obviously guilty and Sean and Leila seeking out a mysterious dude who can help them find her sister, that it feels
inconsequential. It's nice to know more about the past of Blake, but it's simultaneously far from necessary. The title of the episode, "I Know Who You Are," is what Blake says to his wife when he finds out her terrible secret, but I think it's also meant to be applied to more and more of the characters, who reveal little things about themselves in this episode. (For example, as it turns out, Sophia is Thomas' mother, though I have this weird feeling we learned this before.) So, yes, it's good to know more about who Blake really is, but the best episodes of shows like this unite the past and present action through some sort of character and thematic continuity. This episode might have been better off as a flashback about Thomas, but it's obvious the series doesn't want to play that card this soon into its run.
So what we're left with is a centerless episode that doesn't do a lot to justify its existence. So little actually happens -- when the episode ends, we're basically where we were at the start of the last episode -- that it's tempting to write this off as yet another episode for marking time. Yet Ivanek is such a skillful actor and there are just enough neat little touches around the edges that I would rank this above the first few episodes of the show, where it felt like everything was just going to keep running in circles. And then there's that ending, which is just strange enough to make me want to see how it's resolved. (My prediction? The little girls are the ones from that encoded document Sean found, and the conspiracy dudes -- led by Hal Holbrook, who's mostly wasted but always a welcome presence -- have been trying various things to make them ageless, like the aliens, and have mostly failed.) This is a bland, shapeless episode of television, but it isn't as bad as it could have been.
The story in brief, in case you've checked out: It sure looks like Simon's the mole, which means that he's going to face some pretty horrific "enhanced interrogation" as Blake and his pals try to get information about the aliens' plan out of him. Thomas, however, has other ideas, and he spends much of the hour figuring out a way to get Simon off the hook, finally framing Murphy, the guy who caught on to what Simon was up to in the last episode, for the leaks. Oh, and Sophia is his mom. Blake, for his part, was betrayed by his wife 14 years ago -- she was a Russian spy! -- and then his dad killed her. Yikes. Sean and Leila spend most of the episode running around (when don't they?), but they at least find out that somebody somewhere was interested in girls around Leila's sister's age, right before the hacker they've turned to to help get this information blows up his apartment to stop the Feds, who are closing in. Oh, and Leila's sister? She's led to an apartment full of creepy old person kids. Yeah, we have no idea either.
--Todd VanDerWerff (follow me on Twitter at @tvoti)
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
The Event S1E5: Casualties of war (Recap) (from LA TIMES)
"Casualties of War" has a couple of things that put it ahead of every other episode of "The Event" so far: a sense of purpose headed forward and a central question that puts its characters through something like the wringer. It's the best episode of the show so far because it slows down to tell something like an actual story, not just a long collection of events. And it centers that story on the two characters who actually make sense as characters at this point, Sean Walker and President Martinez. To be sure, most of the reason these characters are compelling has to do with the men playing them, not with anything the writers have done with them. But that doesn't mean that this episode isn't a fine showcase for the work of Jason Ritter and Blair Underwood, all the same.
The episode split down the middle like this: Sean tried to finally get Leila back, with the help of his FBI agent pal and, briefly, Vicky, while Martinez attempted to save the people from the plane, who were suffering from some sort of biological weapon and/or ailment. In the process of doing this, both men were forced to make some pretty terrible threats, and we were left to wonder if they would follow through. Meanwhile, the bad guys showed themselves capable of even worse stuff, and we got some nice glimpses into the past of the aliens, specifically their role in helping spur the Manhattan Project. There was some nice storytelling scattered throughout, and although the show continues to over-rely on hacky devices like the nesting-doll structure of the flashbacks, at least the episode more or less broke down into a concrete set of goals for the characters, and at least it didn't force a massive cliffhanger.
Let's start with Martinez. At this point, an idealistic president who confronts the limits of his ideals when he has to make a terrible choice to save the lives of hundreds of Americans is a TV cliche. The presidents on "24" and "The West Wing" both had to deal with these sorts of issues (fittingly, one of the show runners on "The Event" is a "24" alumnus), and numerous other tales of presidents facing down impossible threats have pivoted on similar plot points. So the idea that Martinez would have to confront his own desires to be a good man in the face of having to save the people on the plane was a bit of a nonstarter for me. Furthermore, within the universe of the show, Martinez has already compromised on his ideals. He was bent on releasing the alien detainees from their camp in Alaska, but he put a hold on that when he learned that there were more of them than he thought there were. Because he's already in a moral gray area he doesn't want to be in, I'm not sure his moral struggle had as much resonance as the show wanted it to, particularly when it came to handing over Sophia.
That said, Underwood really played the heck out of this moral calculus, this attempt to decide whether it was better to let everybody on the plane die and not have to compromise with the show's version of terrorists, or whether it was better for him to play hardball with the aliens by threatening to kill all of the detainees. Martinez knows the one option he doesn't have is to release the detainees, because that means that another species with far greater technology than his own will be calling the shots, and that puts him in a terrible position. Without the detainees, he doesn't have a bargaining chip, even as he wants to do the right thing. The weight of the decision to threaten the detainees was handled well both by the show and by Underwood, who played this with a kind of tense remove. The final moments, in which he and Thomas come to a kind of agreement -- he'll just turn over Sophia for the lives of all of the plane passengers -- were among the best the series has done, and I liked that the show let us know just how much these decisions weighed on Thomas as well.
Meanwhile, in Texas, Sean used the one bit of leverage he had to get Vicky to betray her own people. He knows about her son, who's not actually her son but, rather, a baby she rescued from a scene where she was supposed to kill everyone in the building. By threatening to expose her boy, Sean got Vicky to gun down her own men (a plot point that doesn't make a lot of sense, but whatever), then managed to get to Leila and finally rescue her. I'm glad the show hasn't stretched this out any further than needed, and that it seems like we're going to start getting some answers soon as to just why the conspiracy's so interested in Sean. A lot of this plot was pretty implausible -- mostly stemming from Sean's hacker friend's oh-so-convenient powers -- but at least it put Sean in the same place as Martinez, forcing him to make a terrible threat (of exposing Vicky's son) and then having us wonder if he'd follow through.
By far the most interesting development, though, has to do with the fact that the aliens destroyed their ship when they crashed in the 1940s and thus spent much of the 20th century trying to influence human technology in such a way as to reattain the kinds of parts they needed to rebuild their ship. This meant that the aliens got deeply involved in the Manhattan Project (of course they did), but we also got to see how Sophia originally sent Thomas out into the population at large, clearly not really knowing just what he would get up to once he was out there. It was a neat little flashback, and it mostly told one cohesive story of its own, something the other flashbacks haven't done.
I wouldn't say that "The Event" has risen to a level where I'm going to recommend it. This was still a bad episode of television in a lot of ways. But at least it was largely competent and told a story that mostly made sense. Sure, plenty of stuff was pointless and/or stupid, but there were some nice moments for much of the cast, and it gave a template for the show going forward. Plus, the cliffhanger -- which just involved Martinez putting Sophia on a train for Thomas to pick up -- was nicely small-scale, compared with the constant stream of cliffhangers involving the plane passengers. Every serialized show needs a sense that its story line breaks more easily into smaller components. This episode finally suggested that was true of "The Event," and I hope the show follows its lead going forward, especially now that the series has a full season order.
The story, in case you didn't bother to tune in: The president, after much hemming and hawing, finally cut a deal with Thomas to obtain an antidote for the passengers of the plane in exchange for turning over Sophia to the alien separatist leader (or whatever you want to call him). Meanwhile, Sean used his knowledge that Vicky's son was the sole survivor of a massacre that Vicky carried out to gain his girlfriend's safety, though the two were far from safe. Finally, it became clear that the aliens have been messing in human scientific development, the better to fix their ship and return to their home, wherever that may be.
-- Todd VanDerWerff (follow me on Twitter at @tvoti)
The episode split down the middle like this: Sean tried to finally get Leila back, with the help of his FBI agent pal and, briefly, Vicky, while Martinez attempted to save the people from the plane, who were suffering from some sort of biological weapon and/or ailment. In the process of doing this, both men were forced to make some pretty terrible threats, and we were left to wonder if they would follow through. Meanwhile, the bad guys showed themselves capable of even worse stuff, and we got some nice glimpses into the past of the aliens, specifically their role in helping spur the Manhattan Project. There was some nice storytelling scattered throughout, and although the show continues to over-rely on hacky devices like the nesting-doll structure of the flashbacks, at least the episode more or less broke down into a concrete set of goals for the characters, and at least it didn't force a massive cliffhanger.
Let's start with Martinez. At this point, an idealistic president who confronts the limits of his ideals when he has to make a terrible choice to save the lives of hundreds of Americans is a TV cliche. The presidents on "24" and "The West Wing" both had to deal with these sorts of issues (fittingly, one of the show runners on "The Event" is a "24" alumnus), and numerous other tales of presidents facing down impossible threats have pivoted on similar plot points. So the idea that Martinez would have to confront his own desires to be a good man in the face of having to save the people on the plane was a bit of a nonstarter for me. Furthermore, within the universe of the show, Martinez has already compromised on his ideals. He was bent on releasing the alien detainees from their camp in Alaska, but he put a hold on that when he learned that there were more of them than he thought there were. Because he's already in a moral gray area he doesn't want to be in, I'm not sure his moral struggle had as much resonance as the show wanted it to, particularly when it came to handing over Sophia.
That said, Underwood really played the heck out of this moral calculus, this attempt to decide whether it was better to let everybody on the plane die and not have to compromise with the show's version of terrorists, or whether it was better for him to play hardball with the aliens by threatening to kill all of the detainees. Martinez knows the one option he doesn't have is to release the detainees, because that means that another species with far greater technology than his own will be calling the shots, and that puts him in a terrible position. Without the detainees, he doesn't have a bargaining chip, even as he wants to do the right thing. The weight of the decision to threaten the detainees was handled well both by the show and by Underwood, who played this with a kind of tense remove. The final moments, in which he and Thomas come to a kind of agreement -- he'll just turn over Sophia for the lives of all of the plane passengers -- were among the best the series has done, and I liked that the show let us know just how much these decisions weighed on Thomas as well.
Meanwhile, in Texas, Sean used the one bit of leverage he had to get Vicky to betray her own people. He knows about her son, who's not actually her son but, rather, a baby she rescued from a scene where she was supposed to kill everyone in the building. By threatening to expose her boy, Sean got Vicky to gun down her own men (a plot point that doesn't make a lot of sense, but whatever), then managed to get to Leila and finally rescue her. I'm glad the show hasn't stretched this out any further than needed, and that it seems like we're going to start getting some answers soon as to just why the conspiracy's so interested in Sean. A lot of this plot was pretty implausible -- mostly stemming from Sean's hacker friend's oh-so-convenient powers -- but at least it put Sean in the same place as Martinez, forcing him to make a terrible threat (of exposing Vicky's son) and then having us wonder if he'd follow through.
By far the most interesting development, though, has to do with the fact that the aliens destroyed their ship when they crashed in the 1940s and thus spent much of the 20th century trying to influence human technology in such a way as to reattain the kinds of parts they needed to rebuild their ship. This meant that the aliens got deeply involved in the Manhattan Project (of course they did), but we also got to see how Sophia originally sent Thomas out into the population at large, clearly not really knowing just what he would get up to once he was out there. It was a neat little flashback, and it mostly told one cohesive story of its own, something the other flashbacks haven't done.
I wouldn't say that "The Event" has risen to a level where I'm going to recommend it. This was still a bad episode of television in a lot of ways. But at least it was largely competent and told a story that mostly made sense. Sure, plenty of stuff was pointless and/or stupid, but there were some nice moments for much of the cast, and it gave a template for the show going forward. Plus, the cliffhanger -- which just involved Martinez putting Sophia on a train for Thomas to pick up -- was nicely small-scale, compared with the constant stream of cliffhangers involving the plane passengers. Every serialized show needs a sense that its story line breaks more easily into smaller components. This episode finally suggested that was true of "The Event," and I hope the show follows its lead going forward, especially now that the series has a full season order.
The story, in case you didn't bother to tune in: The president, after much hemming and hawing, finally cut a deal with Thomas to obtain an antidote for the passengers of the plane in exchange for turning over Sophia to the alien separatist leader (or whatever you want to call him). Meanwhile, Sean used his knowledge that Vicky's son was the sole survivor of a massacre that Vicky carried out to gain his girlfriend's safety, though the two were far from safe. Finally, it became clear that the aliens have been messing in human scientific development, the better to fix their ship and return to their home, wherever that may be.
-- Todd VanDerWerff (follow me on Twitter at @tvoti)
The Event S1E5: Casualties of war (episode)
Sean and Agent Collier rescue Vicky while Martinez releases Sophia in order to save the lives of the Flight 514 passengers.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Heroes Update 10.16.10
So what's happening with our Specials during their extended hiatus.....?
Adrian Pasdar (Nathan) has moved to NYC. He, his Dixie Chick wife Natalie Maines, and their kids are shelling out $4.3 MILLION for a condo conversion in Chelsea.
The loft has exposed brick and expansive wood-beamed ceilings.
One also hopes its soundproof and has a landing pad.
"ERIC DOYLE.....COME ON DOWN!!!!"
Before David H. Lawrence became the kinda-sorta-semi villianous Puppetmaster on Our Favorite Show, he was a promo broadcaster in the Bay Area, as well as an in-demand voice-over genius. It will be those abilities that will be on display as Lawrence takes over as "guest announcer" on The Price Is Right.
David tapes his shows in late October and early November.
http://gameshows.about.com/b/2010/09/23/david-lawrence-another-guest-announcer-for-the-price-is-right.htm
By the way, these are the tape dates that we THINK David will be working:
October: 25, 26, 27
November: 8, 9, 10
Other dates could be added. Call 323-575-2458, Monday through Friday, 9am - 5pm PST and ask what dates David will be working, then go to http://www.cbs.com/daytime/the_price_is_right/tickets/ and find out how to get them. Remember these are the toughest tickets in town, if you get in you could be a contestant so bring your Drivers Licnece/ID and Social Security Card. Also find out if you can wear a Heroes T shirt to show David support.
Finally, Madeline Zima (Gretchen) will star in a new movie with Jane Seymour called "Lake Effects." Madeline will play one of Seymours daughter's in the drama about a family on one of those Lifetime Channel journeys of discovery...you know. Richard Moll co-stars. He played Bull on "Night Court."
Keep it lit!
The loft has exposed brick and expansive wood-beamed ceilings.
One also hopes its soundproof and has a landing pad.
Before David H. Lawrence became the kinda-sorta-semi villianous Puppetmaster on Our Favorite Show, he was a promo broadcaster in the Bay Area, as well as an in-demand voice-over genius. It will be those abilities that will be on display as Lawrence takes over as "guest announcer" on The Price Is Right.
David tapes his shows in late October and early November.
http://gameshows.about.com/b/2010/09/23/david-lawrence-another-guest-announcer-for-the-price-is-right.htm
By the way, these are the tape dates that we THINK David will be working:
October: 25, 26, 27
November: 8, 9, 10
Other dates could be added. Call 323-575-2458, Monday through Friday, 9am - 5pm PST and ask what dates David will be working, then go to http://www.cbs.com/daytime/the_price_is_right/tickets/ and find out how to get them. Remember these are the toughest tickets in town, if you get in you could be a contestant so bring your Drivers Licnece/ID and Social Security Card. Also find out if you can wear a Heroes T shirt to show David support.
Keep it lit!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
The Event S1E4: A Matter of Life and Death (Full Ep and Recap)
Does “The Event” exhaust anybody else? Every week, the individual scenes are crafted specifically to avoid giving the audience any helpful information. After the second episode – where we learned about the aliens and what happened to the plane – we’ve been getting an increasingly elaborate shell game, one seemingly designed just to keep the audience riding high on a buzz of constant plot momentum. But when the plot keeps circling the same five or six things, it just gets tiring to have to cheer loudly as the juggler at the center of the show keeps all of the balls (and chainsaws and what have you) in the air. Put another way, I’m pretty sure I could skip all but the first five and last five minutes of “The Event” and not really miss anything (well, I could, if it wasn’t my job to keep up with it). Everything in between is a long, long journey to nowhere.
“But, Todd!” you say. “Lots of other shows have had this ‘put the action up front and at the end’ structure, and you’ve liked many of them!” Indeed, I have. “24” was the epitome of the super-fun TV thrill ride (at least when it was good). “Lost” was one of my favorite shows ever, combining a bunch of genre tropes I really liked with some awesome plotting and mysteries. I even liked the goofy fun of the first seasons of “Prison Break” and “Heroes,” which were supremely dumb shows but at least sort of proud of that fact, as they just kept coming up with endless strings of insane plot twists. Honestly, if “The Event” were more like those latter two shows, I’d just be rolling with it. I’d know, deep down, that it wasn’t GOOD, but I’d at least be having fun. But look at those four shows I just listed. See how many characters you can name from those shows, just off the top of your head. Now see how many you can list from "The Event." Without checking IMDB, I get to Sean (because he's the main character) and President Blair Underwood before running out of room. Even the DUMBEST of those other shows - "Prison Break," if you're playing along at home - had a wealth of fun characters in it. But “The Event” wants to have its guilty pleasure cake and eat it too. It wants to be dumb and profound and thrilling all at once, and it’s failing at all three tasks.
Take tonight’s final plot twist, which might just be the dumbest plot twist in the history of plot twists. You know that whole thing where the evil Vicky (or whatever you want to call her) and her good pal Carter (played by the always enjoyable D.B. Sweeney) are apparently foiled by the feisty Leila, who breaks out after the latter leaves a giant chunk of glass in her basement prison, the better for Leila to cut loose her bonds and make her escape, shooting Vicky in the process, leading the evil one to tumble down the stairs. Of course, Leila goes to the cops, and of course, we’re suspecting that the cops have been turned (or the conspiracy is monitoring the phone lines). But what happens at the end is even stupider: The conspiracy has set up an elaborate ruse to get Leila to call Sean, so he’ll come and try to rescue her and they can … do something to him.
Let’s leave aside for the moment that the easiest possible way to get Leila to call Sean is to leave a cellphone within her reach. Let’s also leave aside for the moment that a global conspiracy could probably get a guy’s cellphone number if they really wanted to – regardless of whether that guy is on their radar or not. What makes this whole sequence so frustrating is that it exists purely to keep the audience guessing. Nothing can change, and everything has to be reversed because otherwise, there can’t be a series. Leila can’t escape. Sean can’t find her. The conspiracy must always exist because shows like this always have a conspiracy. It’s like there’s been no thought given to explaining to the audience why any of this is worth caring about or why any of these characters are worth our affection. Instead, every effort has been made to just keep plates spinning as long as possible, while the show tap dances.
Every week, I go into this show thinking that this will be the episode where I can turn off my brain and just go with the stupidity. Every week, I’m wrong. It’s simply a long chase sequence that sacrifices everything in the name of superficial forward momentum. Honestly, if you were to summarize everything that’s happened this season so far, you would probably cover less space than if you were to summarize the events of non-serialized shows like “Hawaii Five-0” or “The Defenders.” At least in those shows, the characters take on new cases from week to week. On “The Event,” everything is devoted to keeping up the illusion that things are happening, even as the show is constantly struggling to get back to the status quo. To take another exceptionally stupid example from tonight’s episode, just why would a threat be made to kill all of the people from the plane when they’ve been killed and resurrected once already (and had their memories wiped)? Why not have the alien leader guy use the death of the people on the plane as a legitimate threat? Or promise to use his technology to make all humans immortal? Or something other than just going a step forward, then immediately taking that same step back?
I write enough about what makes me angry about this show from week to week that I suppose it would be best to talk about some of the things I am still enjoying. Jason Ritter remains a likable presence at the show’s center, and his scene with Vicky’s son (yes, she has a son) was well-done. I like the occasional bit of story development when the show lets the audience figure something out for itself – like when we caught a glimpse of Sean’s phone being low on battery and were able to piece together that Leila wouldn’t get through to him because … his battery died. And I really enjoy the scenes between Blair Underwood and Laura Innes, even if they keep repeating the same basic lines of dialogue over and over. The actors are such pros that pretty much everything they’re handed ends up being more fun than it has any right to be.
But I headed into “A Matter of Life and Death” wanting to write about how I can sort of enjoy the show on that stupid level I did “Heroes” and “Prison Break,” before I realized that that’s simply no longer true. Maybe it was true in the pilot, and maybe it was true in the second episode, but by now, the series has put enough of its cards on the table that we should be getting into some truly insane stuff. Instead, it mostly just keeps having the same chase sequence over and over and over, with a little computer hacking thrown in for good measure. Sure, “Heroes” and “Prison Break” were stupid, but they weren’t afraid to blow stuff up. “The Event” keeps lighting fuses and then snuffing them out just as quickly.
The plot in a nutshell, in case you’ve been sensible enough to give up on this show: All of those people who woke up last week? They’re alive, but they don’t remember what happened on the plane. Until the possibly evil alien guy is all, “Look what I can do!” and gives them nose bleeds, which apparently will lead to their deaths. (You ever notice how often a nose bleed is a harbinger of doom on TV? Sometimes, a nose bleed is just a nose bleed.) President Blair Underwood receives a threat to this effect from a phone that was secretly placed in his kid’s backpack. The other aliens want Sophia and company, and they’ll do anything to get her. Torture keeps getting brought up obliquely because the show wants to seem like it has its finger on the pulse of modern America. (And when the president first met Sophia, she just wanted to be like any other immigrant – also topical!) Sean and his new FBI friend race all over, without really accomplishing anything (though they find Vicky’s mom and son), but Leila breaks out of her bonds on her own. It turns out it was a set up by the conspiracy to lure in Sean. And Hal Holbrook’s disembodied voice controls the conspiracy!
--Todd VanDerWerff (follow me on Twitter at @tvoti)
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2010/10/the-event-recap-dumb-plot-twists-galore.html
Monday, October 4, 2010
The Event S1E3 "Protect Them From The Truth"
On the third episode of The Event, Sean gained an ally in FBI agent Claire Collier (Heather McComb). Sterling wants to use unscrupulous means to get Sophia to talk, but the president and vice president have a different plan. We learn confusing new information about the victims of the "crash" of Avias Flight 514.
SEAN WALKER
Just seconds after the FBI agents were told to take an alternate route because of a "chemical spill" last week, an errant RV plows into their car. Sean escapes easily, but the agents are both trapped inside. He extracts Claire, but Claire's partner doesn't make it.
Sean takes Claire to a motel room, where he attempts to use her laptop to gain access to the bureau's facial-recognition software so he can identify the nefarious Vicky Roberts. Claire explains that he can only access it from inside the building. When Claire's colleagues arrive to rescue her, Sean appears to have escaped, but actually he has snuck into the agents' trunk. He's captured at the FBI building trying to identify Vicky, and Claire arranges for a transfer of the prisoner.
At the FBI office, a newscaster says that air traffic control lost contact with Avias Flight 514, aka Sean's flight, about an hour ago. Claire realizes that it has been four hours since Sean told her about it, so clearly this is some sort of cover-up. So she's starting to believe him.
As if on cue, the office erupts in gunfire, as what was expected to be a standard transfer is something else entirely. Nearly everyone is shot and killed, but Sean escapes with Claire.
PRESIDENT MARTINEZ
Speaking of a cover-up, the vice president is concerned that Sterling, left unchecked, will resort to unscrupulous means to get Sophia to talk. He's concerned because that's exactly what Sterling says he's going to do. The president says that the Martinez administration does not practice torture, and that he has a better plan. He makes an announcement to the detainees at Inastranka, promising to release whoever helps them solve the mystery of the plane crash.
Sophia says it won't work, but one prisoner, the erratic William, steps forward. He wants money and protection for him and his girlfriend Maya, who is also a detainee at Inastranka.
Simon visits Sophia and figures out that William hasn't revealed anything about what Thomas did to the passengers. "I know he hasn't talked, since we're all still alive," Sophia says. "And now you'll have to deal with him ... harshly," she tells Simon.
And he does. Maya is released from Inastranka, and just as the happy couple starts to plan their future together, Maya's face changes and she stabs William.
LEILA
It's still unclear who Vicky works for, perhaps some sort of governmental black-ops division. That said, whatever Vicky & Co. are doing, it is not in consultation with the executive branch — unless ... they're working on the sly for Sterling.
Vicky drives to a storage facility at the port, where she locks Leila into a marine storage container. She intends to return later to kill her once she hears that Sean has been eliminated, but since he escapes, they have to keep Leila alive a little bit longer.
MICHAEL
And she's not the only one. In the final scene of the episode, we see a soldier patrolling the temporary morgue for victims of the "crash" of Avias 514. As the camera pans over the corpses, we see that Michael is among the dead. But then we hear moaning — someone is still alive! And then one by one, each of the victims wakes up. Nobody is dead.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
No Ordinary Family S1E1: Pilot (recap & full episode link
The foursome returns to their suburban life. Jim’s unhappy that his family seems to be further disconnected despite the fact that they survived a plane crash together (not so for their pilot). Stephanie continues to skyrocket up the corporate ladder, receiving funding to research a flowering plant she found in the Amazon. (Their “vacation” originated as a business trip for her.) And the kids return to high school.
All seems unchanged until…
Jim’s at work in the precinct talking to his cop buddy Yvonne by the vending machines when an arrested thug brought in for questioning grabs a gun from a cop’s holster and fires it. Jim dives for Yvonne and catches the bullet as they fall to the floor. The both rise and Yvonne immediately starts looking for the bullet as Jim heads outside to get some air, furtively clutching the crushed bullet.
He meets his best friend, George (Romany Malco, “Weeds”) who also happens to be the district attorney, on a rooftop where he tests his super strength by jumping off and trying to fly, limbs outstretched. He falls to the ground instead, shattering concrete in an alley. Pushing off, he bounds back to the roof to George’s delight.
Return to Stephanie, who promised her husband a date night, which, of course, she cancels to have drinks with her new research funder. But there’s traffic on the freeway, so Stephanie starts running and soon she’s whooshing by cars. She halts and finds herself in the middle lane with cars zooming past.
“I need you to shoot me,” Jim says to George at the local batting cages. Jim’s rented them out for $200, ensuring he’s the only one there as he attempts to see if he can catch a 140 mph fastball. George can’t fire the gun and then misfires, and Jim leaps for the bullet as George faints.
Just as Jim confides in George before speaking to his wife, Stephanie looks to reveal her power to her research assistant, Katie (Autumn Reeser, “The O.C.”). On a horse track, Katie holds a radar gun while Stephanie runs circles in the dirt. “You’re doing a mile every six seconds,” Katie says. “Oh, I thought I was faster than that,” Stephanie replies, barely short of breath.
Another day passes. Stephanie finds herself finally able to help JJ with his homework, which he clearly doesn’t understand, nor does he seemingly want to. And then there’s Daphne who can’t comprehend why girls are flirting with her boyfriend.
Back to Jim, who’s stolen a police walkie-talkie and has the urge to use his powers to fight crime. He’s hot on the trail of a police chase when he lands on a suspect’s car, dislodges the door and tosses it, and the driver, into a pile of trash. He’s soon to be the hero until he’s shot at point blank range in the back of the neck. He starts to bleed and calls George for help. He’s then in bed, with George and his wife, who now knows why, at his side.
They call a family meeting to tell the kids, but the kids haven’t shown any signs of powers until…
Daphne’s on the basketball court warming up for a game with her team, when she begins to hear their thoughts and then, appropriately, freaks out. Still no power for JJ, though, who’s bummed. Stephanie’s now showing signs of actually being home, and comforts them both.
Back to Daphne, hanging out with her boyfriend, who’s clearly cheating on her with Emily, Daphne’s best friend. Daphne realizes this when she’s on the couch with Lucas, and begins to hear his thoughts. She then, promptly, storms out crying.
In the meantime, baby brother JJ (good news!), is in a math test and suddenly sees answers to formulas. He scrambles to write them all down before they disappear. Looks like he found his power.
Jim’s healed now, and he’s back on the job chasing Yvonne’s criminals when he encounters the man who shot him. After stuffing Yvonne in the trunk of his car, this man proceeds to fight with Jim in a parking garage, disappearing into a slippery cloud and reappearing in another place. “You thought you were the only one,” the man proclaims to Jim. But before Jim has a chance to absorb the statement, Yvonne frees herself from the trunk and shoots-to-kill the man, in disbelief that Jim’s there.
In the penultimate scene, the dead man is flat on a table deep in the bowels of a building with Dr. Dayton King, Stephanie’s mentor. The doctor is hatching a plan to cover up the body, never letting anyone know who or what this creature is.
The pilot ends with Stephanie and Jim in a therapist’s office, talking about their familial problems, the least of which is their newfound powers. The doctor suggests twice a week appointments, and the couple agree.
Until…next time.
Thank you ABC for not allowing us to post the episode on our site. Here's the link: http://abc.go.com/watch/no-ordinary-family/SH5572605/VD5588500/pilot
Monday, September 27, 2010
The Event S1E2: To Keep Us Safe
The Event is the newest show to leave you guessing and wanting more at the end of an episode. Last week's episode ended with questions, and this week's is supposed to have answers.
Where's the Plane?
When the plane disappeared in mid-air, it traveled to the desert, where it makes a rough landing. They realize part of the plane is on fire and everyone evacuates. Michael tells Sean that four days earlier, he was kidnapped and forced to fly the plane because they showed him Leila and threatened to kill his daughters like they did his wife. Vicky has Leila. Helicopters are headed their way but Michael says they're not there to help and tells Sean to go save Leila. At the end of the episode, Lee arrives on scene with other government officials, but no one else is there except for Michael. But then they find all the passengers dead, and not from the plane crash.
Who Are the Detainees?
Meanwhile, Secret Service hurries to get the President and his family away from the scene. President Martinez wants to know what happened to the plane more than he wants to know why it was headed his way. The government is already working on covering it up from the public. A burst of radiation was picked up where the plane disappeared, and they're trying to figure out how it could've been done. Blake Sterling may have the answer. In the 1940s, a plane crashed with 97 survivors (the detainees), who were determined to be "not of terrestrial origin." Though they look human, they age slowly and their DNA is different. They're being held because they're not saying why they're there.
What Happened to Leila?
Sean is now walking through the desert, but he collapses because of the heat. Flasback to the cruise: Leila's not feeling well. Vicky shows up and the two girls convince him to go snorkeling. Greg shows up with a hangover cure for Leila. He hits on her, but she tells him to leave. Security is waiting at the door, but the guard stabs Greg and Leila is taken. Sean wakes up in a hospital in Arizona, and he wants to talk to the police. When the nurse calls the police, the officer looks Sean up in the database and it turns out he's wanted for Greg's murder. The nurse tells Sean the police are on the way for his statement, but he can tell she's hiding something. When he sees the police show up, he runs. The nurse tells him of the murder suspicion and points the police in his direction. Flashback to five years earlier and Sean's swimming in Boston. He meets Leila and teaches her how to float. Sean is caught by the FBI by the exit. Sean tries to explain everything to the FBI agents, but they don't believe him. He says they're coming up to near where the plane landed but the road is blocked off for a chemical spill.
Interviewing Sophia
Flashback to when Sophia's plane landed: Sophia says she'll stay with the wounded while the others leave because not everyone can be caught. President Martinez enters Sophia's cell to question her. He's going to take responsibility and wants Sophia to do so as well. She says that they "mean...no harm" and saved his life, but can't say anything else. Sterling assigns Lee to head the operation into finding the others of Sophia's people. Flashback to Lee getting blood taken. He's applied to "Clandestine Services" in the CIA. He goes into the bathroom and pulls a tube out of his arm--is he one of these "aliens?" It's certainly looking like that could be the case. He meets with Thomas and says they had to take the plane, but wants to know where they are. Thomas says they're using the passengers.
Where's the Plane?
When the plane disappeared in mid-air, it traveled to the desert, where it makes a rough landing. They realize part of the plane is on fire and everyone evacuates. Michael tells Sean that four days earlier, he was kidnapped and forced to fly the plane because they showed him Leila and threatened to kill his daughters like they did his wife. Vicky has Leila. Helicopters are headed their way but Michael says they're not there to help and tells Sean to go save Leila. At the end of the episode, Lee arrives on scene with other government officials, but no one else is there except for Michael. But then they find all the passengers dead, and not from the plane crash.
Who Are the Detainees?
Meanwhile, Secret Service hurries to get the President and his family away from the scene. President Martinez wants to know what happened to the plane more than he wants to know why it was headed his way. The government is already working on covering it up from the public. A burst of radiation was picked up where the plane disappeared, and they're trying to figure out how it could've been done. Blake Sterling may have the answer. In the 1940s, a plane crashed with 97 survivors (the detainees), who were determined to be "not of terrestrial origin." Though they look human, they age slowly and their DNA is different. They're being held because they're not saying why they're there.
What Happened to Leila?
Sean is now walking through the desert, but he collapses because of the heat. Flasback to the cruise: Leila's not feeling well. Vicky shows up and the two girls convince him to go snorkeling. Greg shows up with a hangover cure for Leila. He hits on her, but she tells him to leave. Security is waiting at the door, but the guard stabs Greg and Leila is taken. Sean wakes up in a hospital in Arizona, and he wants to talk to the police. When the nurse calls the police, the officer looks Sean up in the database and it turns out he's wanted for Greg's murder. The nurse tells Sean the police are on the way for his statement, but he can tell she's hiding something. When he sees the police show up, he runs. The nurse tells him of the murder suspicion and points the police in his direction. Flashback to five years earlier and Sean's swimming in Boston. He meets Leila and teaches her how to float. Sean is caught by the FBI by the exit. Sean tries to explain everything to the FBI agents, but they don't believe him. He says they're coming up to near where the plane landed but the road is blocked off for a chemical spill.
Interviewing Sophia
Flashback to when Sophia's plane landed: Sophia says she'll stay with the wounded while the others leave because not everyone can be caught. President Martinez enters Sophia's cell to question her. He's going to take responsibility and wants Sophia to do so as well. She says that they "mean...no harm" and saved his life, but can't say anything else. Sterling assigns Lee to head the operation into finding the others of Sophia's people. Flashback to Lee getting blood taken. He's applied to "Clandestine Services" in the CIA. He goes into the bathroom and pulls a tube out of his arm--is he one of these "aliens?" It's certainly looking like that could be the case. He meets with Thomas and says they had to take the plane, but wants to know where they are. Thomas says they're using the passengers.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Kristen Bell update
The actress will be appearing in the new movie Burlesque, starring Christina Aguilera and Cher.
Despite the risqué nature of the film, she has made it clear that there will be no nudity.
Read more: http://www.thirdage.com/news/kristen-bell-disappoints-fans-no-nudity-burlesque_9-24-2010#ixzz10eZbieZt
In other Elle news:
Kristen Bell says she is a huge fan of Glee for reasons other than the catchy ditties: She used to date one of its stars!
PHOTOS: Love lives of Glee stars
"I actually went to college with Matty Morrison," she told UsMagazine.com Wednesday at the L.A. premiere of You Again. "We actually dated very briefly, so I'll have to say maybe Matt Morrison is my favorite part of Glee for various reasons."
PHOTOS: Can you believe these stars dated?
Today, Bell, 30, is engaged to Dax Shepard.
Has she picked out a dress?
"Not yet!" she told Us.
http://www.usmagazine.com/healthylifestyle/news/kristen-bell-reveals-she-once-dated-glees-matt-morrison-2010239
Finally, Kristen, as talented as she is, should never have left Heroes, if her Box Office record is any indication:
“Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” hauled in about $7 million on Friday to top the box office and put itself in position to hold number one over theweekend. Look for the Michael Douglas sequel to earn roughly $21 million over the weekend. According to Box Office Mojo, “Wall Street 2″ will be Douglas’ highest opening weekend.
“Legends of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole” is off to a disappointing start after earning just $4.5 million on Friday. The family film should do better business on Saturday, which should help raise it’s weekend box office to $16.5 million. Warner Brothers may have been looking for a new franchise, but with a $100 million budget and this opening is unlikely to win over sequel talks.
“You Again” is headed for a modest $8 million opening in fifth place for the weekend. After “When In Rome” struggled at the box office, Kristin Bell’s cred as a starring actress is dwindling quickly.
“The Town” and “Easy A” are holding up well, only dropping about 30% from it’s opening Friday. “The Town” will battle “Guardians” for second place this weekend, aiming at $16 million, while “Easy A” is headed to a $12 million second weekend. Not bad for budding actress Emma Stone, nor for a film with an $8 million budget.
The projected top 5 for the weekend:
1. “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” – $21 million
2. “Legends of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole” – $16.5 million
3 “The Town” – $16 million, $49 million total
4. “Easy A” – $12 million, $34 million total
5. “You Again” – $ 9 million
http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/entertainment/movies/2010/09/weekend-box-office-wall-street-tops-the-town-steady-you-again-at-back/
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
The Event S1E1: I Haven't Told You Everything
Sean Walker's girlfriend Leila goes missing during their romantic St. Lucia vacation. President Martinez plans a press conference to tell the world about the closure of a mysterious prison camp, and to introduce one of its prisoners, Sophia.
Monday, September 20, 2010
The Event S1E1
The Event Time Jumps Through Time
This is where we go for another time jump with him on a cruise and proposing to his fiancee just ass a woman starts to drown. He jumps in to saves her. The time jumps in this series in the first twenty minutes are enough to give anyone a headache! This earlier time is on a cruise, and everything looks to be perfect for the young couple in love. What changes between that day and the time on the plane in Miami? From their we go back to the plane where a marshal is trying to arrest the man trying to hijack the plane. He is very intent on getting into the cockpit. It looks to be too late though! Halfway through the episode and there is still no clue to what the big event is.
Whatever the big event is, it is known by those in Washington, but the President of the United States had no clue about it. There are ninety-seven prisoners being kept, and the CIA is in control of the project. Here in this world, the president is played by Blair Underwood, and he takes charge. He wants to meet these people being held. Once he meets them, he decides to go public and takes the leader of those captive for a press conference. Will this finally tell all what the event is? Not yet! There is an attack coming for the president, and it is the plane that was taken from Miami. It is crashing towards the location of the president. Someone doesn't want this information revealed!
Family Connections And Disappearances
Another time jump takes us back to eight days before the plane hijacking where the focus is on the family of the female half of the couple. There is trouble though as her father is too tense. He won't talk to his daughter, and his wife picks up on it just as people with guns come in and break into the house. This episode has so many twists. It is hard to keep up. We learn that the pilot of the plane is the father of the daughter Sean Walker is set to marry. Another twist! Has there been enough of those in this premiere? Could this series have too many twists to keep up with? The pilot locks everyone out of the cockpit, and then there is a time jump back to the cruise and the happy couple. Sean has joined their new friends on a watching trip. When he returns to the hotel, he is locked out of his hotel room. Turns out, he is no longer signed into that room. His girlfriend is supposedly still there, but when security takes him to the room, she is gone. There is no record of him or the girlfriend even being on board.
He calls her family, but there is a lot of blood and no answer. What is going on? Still no idea what the event is! The air force wants to take down the plane, and it is still on course to crash. Sean tries to reason with Michael, but he doesn't seem to get through to him. Whatever the event is, it is huge! The plane blows up or is somehow disintegrated. There is no debris from the destruction. What in the world just happened? Who saved them? Who is them? Another alien series? Is this possible? No idea yet, but hopefully all find that out soon. An okay start with a lot of twists. Will you keep watching to find out what "The Event" is?
Notes for the week
- The Event
- V
- Castle (Stana Katic ex-Wireless)
- Hawaii Five-0 (any episodes with Masi Oka)
Now you can't say that NBC is NOT giving The Event the HEROES treatment. The show is getting separate websites, starting with The Truthseeker. (http://www.truthseeker5314.com/) That will be a repository for any "conspiracy theories" lying about. Plus, NBC is planning to put a deconstruction video to break down the previous episodes.
NBC STILL has the various Heroes Links up. They are:
- Las Vegas Niki (http://www.lasvegasniki.com/)
- The Corinthian Hotel (http://www.corinthianlasvegas.com/)
- Nathan Petrelli's campaign site (http://www.votepetrelli.com/)
- Primetech (http://www.primatechpaper.com/)
- Pinehearst (http://pinehearstresearch.com/)
- Heroes wiki (http://heroeswiki.com/)
- 9th Wonders (http://9thwonders.com/)
- Main site (http://nbc.com/heroes)
Friday, September 10, 2010
News Update: Heroes Returns...but not on NBC, Bob and Elle, NBC still has a site.
Yes, friends. HEROES IS BACK...Ok..not in any new episodes, but the cable network G4 is excerising its off network rights and will now begin airing episodes of the series back to back EVERY MONDAY NIGHT.
For more information, go to http://g4tv.com/heroes/index.html.
It would also interest you to know that NBC still has the main Heroes site up at http://nbc.com/heroes. Also, there is a new grahic novel about Bob Bishop's sick experiments on poor little Elle. Find them here at http://www.nbc.com/heroes/novels/novels_display.shtml?novel=173.
Finally, the bad news. There will NOT be a Heroes Mini-series. Apperently NBC will NOT be going forward with those plans, according to Entertainment Weekly.
This is why giving the G4 airings a massive rating is critical. In the next days we will talk about this. But the fact that the actors were ready to move on this signals that it truly is NOT dead.
Remember, it was the impressive following of an audience for Star Trek AFTER syndication that got that series to the big screen.
Have faith. Heroes F1rst. Heroes 4EVER!
Shows We'll Be Following: The Event
Sean's quest will send ripples through the lives of an eclectic band of strangers, including newly elected U.S. President Elias Martinez (Golden Globe nominee Blair Underwood, "In Treatment"); Sophia Maguire (Emmy Award nominee Laura Innes, "ER"), who is the leader of a mysterious group of detainees; and Leila's shadowy father (Scott Patterson, "Gilmore Girls"). Their futures are on a collision course in a global conspiracy that could ultimately change the fate of mankind.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Shows we'll be tracking: No Ordinary Family
Monday, August 30, 2010
WE'RE NOT DEAD YET!
'Heroes' creator 'hopeful' for revival
By Morgan Jeffery, TV Reporter
Heroes creator Tim Kring has revealed that he is still in talks with NBC about the possibility of reviving the show as a mini-series.
The show was originally cancelled in May. Kring confirmed last month that he was meeting with NBC to discuss bringing the program back.
He has now told TV Guide that talks are still ongoing and that he is "hopeful" that the series will return soon.
"There's certainly talk about [a mini-series] right now and I am very hopeful," he said. "I strongly believe that the Heroes universe is a very big and very potent brand. It is for the fans that we feel that [the show] should continue."
He added: "NBC has expressed an interest in finding a way to wrap it up in a way that honours the fans and the show, and I'm very interested in pursuing that."
Kring hinted that if the planned television revival did not come to fruition, the show could return in another medium.
"It can continue in any number of platforms, not simply broadcast," he said.
The final episode of Heroes aired on February 8.
http://www.digitalspy.com/cult/s1/heroes/news/a256039/heroes-creator-hopeful-for-revival.html
Then this from Grunny:
Heroes: Greg Grunberg Still Believes the Movie Will Happen
Published: August 28, 2010
In a recent interview with the NY Post, actor Greg Grunberg said that he believes that a Heroes movie will eventually be made.
The NBC series was cancelled last spring after four seasons and a decline in ratings. Heroes creator Tim Kring has said that he wants to make a movie and would like to keep his fictional universe alive.
Grunberg said, “I think there has to be [a movie]… But I also predicted they wouldn’t just out and out cancel it, so what do I know?”
He continued, “It makes business sense to do something — there’s a huge fanbase that wants some sort of conclusion and I think the actors want to do it. It’s not about making a fortune to come back — we all appreciate the fans so much, I think if the call went out, we’d all be on board.”
http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/heroes-movie-greg-grunberg-17693/ \
Stay Tuned
By Morgan Jeffery, TV Reporter
Heroes creator Tim Kring has revealed that he is still in talks with NBC about the possibility of reviving the show as a mini-series.
The show was originally cancelled in May. Kring confirmed last month that he was meeting with NBC to discuss bringing the program back.
He has now told TV Guide that talks are still ongoing and that he is "hopeful" that the series will return soon.
"There's certainly talk about [a mini-series] right now and I am very hopeful," he said. "I strongly believe that the Heroes universe is a very big and very potent brand. It is for the fans that we feel that [the show] should continue."
He added: "NBC has expressed an interest in finding a way to wrap it up in a way that honours the fans and the show, and I'm very interested in pursuing that."
Kring hinted that if the planned television revival did not come to fruition, the show could return in another medium.
"It can continue in any number of platforms, not simply broadcast," he said.
The final episode of Heroes aired on February 8.
http://www.digitalspy.com/cult/s1/heroes/news/a256039/heroes-creator-hopeful-for-revival.html
Then this from Grunny:
Heroes: Greg Grunberg Still Believes the Movie Will Happen
Published: August 28, 2010
In a recent interview with the NY Post, actor Greg Grunberg said that he believes that a Heroes movie will eventually be made.
The NBC series was cancelled last spring after four seasons and a decline in ratings. Heroes creator Tim Kring has said that he wants to make a movie and would like to keep his fictional universe alive.
Grunberg said, “I think there has to be [a movie]… But I also predicted they wouldn’t just out and out cancel it, so what do I know?”
He continued, “It makes business sense to do something — there’s a huge fanbase that wants some sort of conclusion and I think the actors want to do it. It’s not about making a fortune to come back — we all appreciate the fans so much, I think if the call went out, we’d all be on board.”
http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/heroes-movie-greg-grunberg-17693/ \
Stay Tuned
Monday, May 24, 2010
Heroes 2.0?
But then this.
I was going through the ABC fall ske, being completly underwhelmed when I saw THIS:
http://abc.go.com/shows/no-ordinary-family
The show comes with a solid cast: Micheal Chikilis (The Sheild/Fantastic 4) are in it. Julie Benz (Dexter). But the series is about a family that gets....WAIT FOR IT....SUPERPOWERS!
Dad...who convienently is a COP....is indestructable....among other things.
Mom..is a SPEEDSTER....
The son is now a math wiz (and can probably do the family's taxes)
And the drop dead gorgeous daughter reads minds.
Oh...did I mention the daughter is a CHEERLE...oh, sorry...GYMNAST (close enough).
There is even a scene that.....well....looks VERRRRRRRY FAMILIAR.
So is this HEROES 2.0? A satire? Or enough to keep NBC/Tim Kring's lawyers busy?
You tell me?
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Mashed-up Heroes
And none of them had our Heroes.
Fortunatly, YouTube has a search engine:
KILL SYLAR
In this one Elle is the bride and our favorite cut up is the target:
THE SYLAR ULTIMATUM
In this one, Mr. Grey was Bourne to be bad:
HEROES: WATCHMEN
Who will watch the Heroes? Everyone if NBC renews:
But nothing tops the now-legendary Ginger Noodle
HEROES: THE DARK KNIGHT:
SIN CITY HEROES:
And if NBC really needs and idea for next season:
THE PETRELLI'S ELEVEN TRILOGY:
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
YATTA!!!!!!!
From the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER:
NBC still has a couple major titles on the bubble for renewal -- namely "Chuck" and "Heroes" -- but sources indicate both will probably return, with "Heroes" likely receiving a 13-episode "final season" order.
"It is all yet to be debated," Bromstad said. "Both of those shows make sense with the new shows we'll be bringing on."
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Would Heroes Lucky Number be.......24?
Sorry we have not posted here in awhile, but I have been busy with life.
Not not busy enough to give NBC a solution to its problem of how to save Heroes.
As a matter of fact, they may already be working on that solution as we speak...they just may not know it yet.
First, an update. The Heroes machine continues apace. The latest online bit is Hiro (through Yamaguchi) delving into the early years of The Company. One would assume that Samuel is twittering in jail considering that @Sullivan_Bros continues to tweet.
A few weeks ago, a drive spearheaded by the person connected with the Twitter account @weloveheroes managed to get the topic #Heroes100 trending on that site. #Heroes100 means a request to NBC to put 100 episodes in the can for syndication (though soon to be NBC-stablemate-via-Comcast G4 have those rights already). It even got a high-five tweet from Greg Grunberg
The best news is that the Hollywood Reporter claims an inside tip-off that NBC was 60% set in renewal.
But 60% is not 100%. Plus, NBC is doing much better now that Mr. Leno is back at 11:35 E/P (and so is Leno, by the way...sorry TeamCoCo).
So the question really is, what scenario would NBC accept to keep out specials on the air.
Then THIS comes up:
24 may live to see another day after all.
Multiple sources confirm to me exclusively that 20th Century Fox has approached NBC about picking up the series should Fox opt to cancel it — and the Peacock is considering it. “There’s definitely some interest,” says an insider close to the talks.
Earlier this week, reports surfaced that 20th (a.k.a. the studio) and Fox (a.k.a. the network) are nearing a mutual decision to end the serial thriller after eight seasons due to declining ratings and rising costs.
A move to NBC — while still considered somewhat of a long shot given the hefty price tag — would likely delay 20th’s plans to launch a Jack Bauer film franchise. From a production standpoint, 24 execs have long maintained that it would next to impossible to make a movie while the series was still on the air.
Reps for 20th and NBC declined to comment.
http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2010/03/12/nbc-24-fox-jack-bauer/
Verrrrrrrrry interesting.
So what does this mean for Heroes....follow.
First, under My scenario, Heroes would return, but NOT until after the NFL Season. This would give NBC and Tim Kring a chance to craft about 20 episodes that could defiantly end the series and move IT into a film franchise...or keep it open for another season. (plus, With Rasamurthy gone, NoMoHinder!).
Now the Grand plan: Pair Heroes on SUNDAY NIGHTS.......with 24!
Here's how it would work-
Feb 13, 2011....A Two hour 24 premiere that would go from 9-11. E/P, Following a one hour "Celebrity Apprentice" Preview special Then for 4 days after, a 24 marathon of new show Mon-Thur.
Feb 20, 2011...Heroes would premiere with a 2 hour special starting at 8pm-10, with 24 settling in on its new time of 10-11
Feb 27, 2011...The new Sunday Line up would be in place:
7-8: Dateline NBC or a Countdown Weekly with Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow hour
8-9: Celebrity Apprentice
9-10: Heroes
10-11: 24
This would continue until the end of May when everything would be wrapped up.
You can even start things off with a 4 part Cliff-Hanger for Heroes in November.
The promotion possibilities are endless: Imagine, for instance, Noah Bennett and Jack Bauer in the same promo.
Plus, it would give Heroes what it has needed for the last two years. A strong lead-in that can filter the audience down Heroes and 24.
And, lets take into consideration that, assuming things stay the way they are, NBC;s main competition would be the aging lineups at ABC and CBS.
If NBC works it right, it could look like a masterstroke.
Or just a dumb idea from some blogger in California.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Yes, we can....
By now the 19th and final episode of Heroes' 4th season has aired. Many of you watched live. Some are watching via Hulu.
Also by now you know that all the pleading, begging, cajoling, and such may have been for naught. Heroes only did a 2.0/5 in the 18-49 "money demo," and 4.41 million viewers overall, the second lowest rated program from the big 5 of the night (the host of THE lowest rated show was probably still scarfing Letterman's chips).
Not a good sign to an programming executive running a network in free-fall panic.
So for we who still believe this show is pretty much the only reason we have left to own a television set, things look gloomy.
But believe it or not, there is still hope. We still got a shot.
And it is a realistic one IF WE don't panic and look at all of the options Claire and the specials have. And they are many.
Stay the course..
Have NBC simply bite the big one and give us one last season. Claire's jump DID change everything...the entire paradigm of the series shifted with the act that pretty much opened this in the first place. The specials have now been revealed....now what. This might be the thing that will revive the show IF the stories are told right and there is more action and heroics and less trying to get an Emmy.
Move the show...and make it an event..
Starting now, you have as many as 12 months to get this right. Of course there are some things you'll have to settle...like trying to keep Hayden away from the CW as an actress (she is producing HMS for the former WB), but it can be done.
Then you make the show into an event, after the NFL season...put it on Sundays and build it up. The competition is not that keen on that night, and even if it falters, you have a great way to give the series the send off if deserves.
Move it to SyFy...
It makes sense. NBC owns the cable channel. And even if the audience is cut in half, it would still be about the same as BSG in its last season.
Move it to USA...
Comcast seems to want to make USA their flagship, not NBC. It can be packages with WWE Raw to keep it on Monday nights. Again, 4.3 million can get you canned at a broadcast network, but on a cablenet, it would make you look like a genius.
You might want to ask the guy who plays Kaito what happened when a similar situation befell an NBC show with a bug cult following. They decided to do a movie. Eleven in fact. And these movies did make a buck or two.
Or maybe ask Zackary Q. Right now he seems to be the only one in the cast with job security.
Also by now you know that all the pleading, begging, cajoling, and such may have been for naught. Heroes only did a 2.0/5 in the 18-49 "money demo," and 4.41 million viewers overall, the second lowest rated program from the big 5 of the night (the host of THE lowest rated show was probably still scarfing Letterman's chips).
Not a good sign to an programming executive running a network in free-fall panic.
So for we who still believe this show is pretty much the only reason we have left to own a television set, things look gloomy.
But believe it or not, there is still hope. We still got a shot.
And it is a realistic one IF WE don't panic and look at all of the options Claire and the specials have. And they are many.
Stay the course..
Have NBC simply bite the big one and give us one last season. Claire's jump DID change everything...the entire paradigm of the series shifted with the act that pretty much opened this in the first place. The specials have now been revealed....now what. This might be the thing that will revive the show IF the stories are told right and there is more action and heroics and less trying to get an Emmy.
Move the show...and make it an event..
Starting now, you have as many as 12 months to get this right. Of course there are some things you'll have to settle...like trying to keep Hayden away from the CW as an actress (she is producing HMS for the former WB), but it can be done.
Then you make the show into an event, after the NFL season...put it on Sundays and build it up. The competition is not that keen on that night, and even if it falters, you have a great way to give the series the send off if deserves.
Move it to SyFy...
It makes sense. NBC owns the cable channel. And even if the audience is cut in half, it would still be about the same as BSG in its last season.
Move it to USA...
Comcast seems to want to make USA their flagship, not NBC. It can be packages with WWE Raw to keep it on Monday nights. Again, 4.3 million can get you canned at a broadcast network, but on a cablenet, it would make you look like a genius.
Offer it to another broadcast network.
Iffy at best. CBS, no way. ABC? They're still trying to make V work. FOX? Possibly, but after being burned by Sarah Connor and Dollhouse, they may just take their one SciFi hit Fringe and be happy with it. The CW, however, would LOVE to have that 4.3 million. And since they now have Hayden as a producer anyway....
And if worse comes to worse....
You might want to ask the guy who plays Kaito what happened when a similar situation befell an NBC show with a bug cult following. They decided to do a movie. Eleven in fact. And these movies did make a buck or two.
Or maybe ask Zackary Q. Right now he seems to be the only one in the cast with job security.
The one thing, though....
DO NOT GIVE UP!
We have kept this going and going. We can still do this. Sign the petition (http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/saveheroes/) Follow the actors on Twitter and Facebook. Support former Heroes in their movies and series. And let them know that the show we love, like the Cheerleader, is truly indestructable.
Always, HEROES FIRST!
S4E19: Brave New World (recap)
Just when you thought you'd seen it all, the season finale of "Heroes" became a full-fledged 3-ring circus. So who prevailed in the Central Park showdown? Brace yourself for the madness and lets recap the circus acts one by one.
In the left ring...
While Sylar and Peter are busting out of their mental prison, Matt is upstairs entertaining a new visitor: Eli. He tries to mind-trick Eli into going away, but it doesn't work. Luckily for Matt, Sylar knocks the real Eli out and he survives another day. But while he should be thanking his nemesis, Matt's angry that Peter is Sylar's new BFF.
Because of this Peter is forced to go inside Eli's head and see what Samuel's planning. He tells them that Samuel is going to bury the crowd underground at Central Park. Matt doesn't want to let Sylar leave, but, Sylar convinces him to go inside his head. In the end Matt's still unsure of Sylar's true motive, but lets him go. And when they leave, he starts working on Eli.
In the center ring...
Still trapped underground, Noah is preparing to leave Claire fatherless. Now that he's about to die, he's afraid of what will happen when Claire's abilities are discovered. Claire still believes that people won't be averse to the specials. But Noah says it's human nature to turn on them. So before he bites the dust, he asks Claire to promise that she'll find a way to blend in. Claire doesn't make the promise before Noah goes unconscious.
She runs to the door, starts clawing through the dirt to escape and breaks a hole big enough for some water to seep through. Lo and behold, Tracy Strauss comes spilling into the trailer. She floods the Bennets' burial ground and they all float to the surface, where Lauren is waiting for them with a chopper to escort them to New York. Tracy needs a bit of time to regroup, so they leave her behind.
In the right ring...
Hiro has recovered quite nicely from brain surgery and is ready to recapture his simple life. He tells Ando they need to stop "butterfly man" Sam, but a nurse walks in and delivers a note from a patient down the hall. It's Charlie and she wants Hiro to stop by. When Hiro arrives at Charlie's hospital room, she has aged 65 years. She explains that Samuel transported her back to 1944, but that she had a good life. Hiro apologizes, but Charlie's just glad she got to see him before she dies. He offers to fix what Samuel, but Charlie has made her peace with it. Turns out, she had the life--and family--she always wanted, so Hiro lets her go. And he's just in time because Noah has called and they're needed in New York.
The Show Stopper
The Sullivan Bros. Carnival has arrived in New York and Samuel meets the day by delivering another rousing speech to his family. Once the carnies are on board, Samuel tells Emma that it's time for her to start playing the cello so that she can lure the poor, innocent New Yorkers to their deaths. Emma immediately realizes that Peter's dream is coming true and refuses to help. But Samuel employs puppet master Doyle to force Emma to play. Sam's so proud of his deviousness, but Edgar's skeptical about Samuel's intentions.
While Samuel readies himself for the show, Noah, Claire, Peter and Sylar arrive. Noah doesn't make it far before Edgar has him. And thankfully, he's ready to help Noah silence Samuel's nonsense for good.
Sylar send Peter to fight Samuel, while he heads to the house of mirrors to stop Emma. But he quickly realizes Emma's not pulling her own strings. Sylar asks Doyle to let him save Emma because she's going to kill thousands. Doyle's so drunk off of Sam's lies that he'd rather tango with the scalp-slitter. Eventually he loses focus and releases Emma, only to have her wipe him out with her cello. And Sylar becomes the hero he promised Matt he could be.
Claire arrives to face the carnies and make her final plea. This time, she reveals everything: that they are the source of Sam's power and that Sam killed Joseph. Samuel is so confident in his brainwashing that he denies the whole thing. That is, until Edgar, Noah and Eli (good job Parkman!) corroborate the story.
The carnies are convinced and they walk out, but Sam tries to unleash his fury before they get too far. Everyone, specials and humans alike, start running. Just when Sam's about to get nasty, Peter tackles him, absorbs his power, and uses it against him.
While they scuffle, Hiro and Ando finally arrive, Claire tells Hiro he must transport everyone out. Hiro is intimidated by such a large task, but Ando offers to supercharge his powers. With a shake of his head, the specials disappear. As for the butterfly man? He weakens without his precious family and collapses in defeat.
That's where volume 6 picks up. Peter and Emma reconcile. Sylar's feels good about his heroic turn and Lauren attempts to covers up the mess for the media. But, for the first time in Claire's life (not!) she's sick of hiding. So despite her father's plea, she draws the media's attention by climbing to the top of the ferris wheel...and jumping off.
It's a brave new world, indeed.
Well, that about wraps it up, kids. What did you think of the "Heroes" season finale? And who's hoping for another season?
(Don's note: I am)
In the left ring...
While Sylar and Peter are busting out of their mental prison, Matt is upstairs entertaining a new visitor: Eli. He tries to mind-trick Eli into going away, but it doesn't work. Luckily for Matt, Sylar knocks the real Eli out and he survives another day. But while he should be thanking his nemesis, Matt's angry that Peter is Sylar's new BFF.
Because of this Peter is forced to go inside Eli's head and see what Samuel's planning. He tells them that Samuel is going to bury the crowd underground at Central Park. Matt doesn't want to let Sylar leave, but, Sylar convinces him to go inside his head. In the end Matt's still unsure of Sylar's true motive, but lets him go. And when they leave, he starts working on Eli.
In the center ring...
Still trapped underground, Noah is preparing to leave Claire fatherless. Now that he's about to die, he's afraid of what will happen when Claire's abilities are discovered. Claire still believes that people won't be averse to the specials. But Noah says it's human nature to turn on them. So before he bites the dust, he asks Claire to promise that she'll find a way to blend in. Claire doesn't make the promise before Noah goes unconscious.
She runs to the door, starts clawing through the dirt to escape and breaks a hole big enough for some water to seep through. Lo and behold, Tracy Strauss comes spilling into the trailer. She floods the Bennets' burial ground and they all float to the surface, where Lauren is waiting for them with a chopper to escort them to New York. Tracy needs a bit of time to regroup, so they leave her behind.
In the right ring...
Hiro has recovered quite nicely from brain surgery and is ready to recapture his simple life. He tells Ando they need to stop "butterfly man" Sam, but a nurse walks in and delivers a note from a patient down the hall. It's Charlie and she wants Hiro to stop by. When Hiro arrives at Charlie's hospital room, she has aged 65 years. She explains that Samuel transported her back to 1944, but that she had a good life. Hiro apologizes, but Charlie's just glad she got to see him before she dies. He offers to fix what Samuel, but Charlie has made her peace with it. Turns out, she had the life--and family--she always wanted, so Hiro lets her go. And he's just in time because Noah has called and they're needed in New York.
The Show Stopper
The Sullivan Bros. Carnival has arrived in New York and Samuel meets the day by delivering another rousing speech to his family. Once the carnies are on board, Samuel tells Emma that it's time for her to start playing the cello so that she can lure the poor, innocent New Yorkers to their deaths. Emma immediately realizes that Peter's dream is coming true and refuses to help. But Samuel employs puppet master Doyle to force Emma to play. Sam's so proud of his deviousness, but Edgar's skeptical about Samuel's intentions.
While Samuel readies himself for the show, Noah, Claire, Peter and Sylar arrive. Noah doesn't make it far before Edgar has him. And thankfully, he's ready to help Noah silence Samuel's nonsense for good.
Sylar send Peter to fight Samuel, while he heads to the house of mirrors to stop Emma. But he quickly realizes Emma's not pulling her own strings. Sylar asks Doyle to let him save Emma because she's going to kill thousands. Doyle's so drunk off of Sam's lies that he'd rather tango with the scalp-slitter. Eventually he loses focus and releases Emma, only to have her wipe him out with her cello. And Sylar becomes the hero he promised Matt he could be.
Claire arrives to face the carnies and make her final plea. This time, she reveals everything: that they are the source of Sam's power and that Sam killed Joseph. Samuel is so confident in his brainwashing that he denies the whole thing. That is, until Edgar, Noah and Eli (good job Parkman!) corroborate the story.
The carnies are convinced and they walk out, but Sam tries to unleash his fury before they get too far. Everyone, specials and humans alike, start running. Just when Sam's about to get nasty, Peter tackles him, absorbs his power, and uses it against him.
While they scuffle, Hiro and Ando finally arrive, Claire tells Hiro he must transport everyone out. Hiro is intimidated by such a large task, but Ando offers to supercharge his powers. With a shake of his head, the specials disappear. As for the butterfly man? He weakens without his precious family and collapses in defeat.
That's where volume 6 picks up. Peter and Emma reconcile. Sylar's feels good about his heroic turn and Lauren attempts to covers up the mess for the media. But, for the first time in Claire's life (not!) she's sick of hiding. So despite her father's plea, she draws the media's attention by climbing to the top of the ferris wheel...and jumping off.
It's a brave new world, indeed.
Well, that about wraps it up, kids. What did you think of the "Heroes" season finale? And who's hoping for another season?
(Don's note: I am)
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