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 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

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.

No Ordinary Family S1E1: Pilot (recap & full episode link

Welcome to the Powell family, better known as ABC’s “No Ordinary Family.” Jim (Michael Chiklis, “The Shield”) is a police sketch artist, whose wife, Stephanie (Julie Benz, “Dexter”), is a successful research scientist. They have two kids; Daphne (Kay Panabaker, “Summerland”), a 16-year-old with a cheating boyfriend, and JJ (Jimmy Bennett, “Star Trek”), the 14-year-old self-proclaimed “idiot” of the family. The Powells were just a normal family until they took a sunset plane tour of the Amazon and crashed into some super special magical body of water, although they didn’t realize it at the time.

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

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.

Kristen Bell update

Kristen Bell is a cutie who has appeared in a sexy photo shoot with Maxim in the past, but don’t expect the blonde to be baring it all on the silver screen anytime soon.

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/

The More you Know

With familiar faces....