Tag: Heroes (71-80 of 95)

May 3 2007 07:47 PM ET

Director Milo Ventimiglia starts small, very small

204251__milo_lAccording to The Hollywood Reporter, Heroes star and current EW cover boy Milo Ventimiglia will be directing a "Web comedy series" called It’s a Mall World for American Eagle Outfitters. The series, 12 five-minute webisodes to premiere on the clothing company’s website (and as ads on MTV) in August, "explores the lives and relationships of a greeter/salesgirl at an American Eagle store, two employees at a fictitious independent record store, a ‘slightly psychotic’ girl who works in a similarly ersatz lingerie store called Glorious Chest, and a ‘bad-boy poseur from the requisite mall juice bar.’"

This sounds so, what’s the word we’re looking for— lame?— that it’s endearing. You can just feel how much he wants to direct, and how willing he is to do whatever it takes to learn the craft. You gotta respect that. EW readers already know Ventimiglia is comfortable behind a camera. A budding photographer, he chatted with me late last year about the photos he’d taken on the set of Rocky Balboa (two of which then appeared in our Holiday Movie Preview issue). He said he’d been watching how director Sylvester Stallone set up his shots, and that having a ringside seat to "the process" was one of the reasons he took the role.

Ventimiglia also told me he’s been taking pictures since he was in high school: "I was always the guy who would have a camera and document the event, to the point where my friends would be like, ‘Dude, stop taking pictures.’" He got serious about it a few years ago, and has been shooting behind-the-scenes of whatever project he’s worked on, including Heroes, ever since. Who’d happily sit through an album of those photos?

Apr 30 2007 05:28 PM ET

Happy Birthday, Adrian Pasdar!

203142__adrian_lAdrian Pasdar turns 42 today, and I’ve been trying to come up with the perfect way to celebrate the occasion. A group rendition of "Happy Birthday" won’t cut it, since he’s married to Dixie Chick Natalie Maines, and our version will come up short by comparison. We could all tune in to Heroes tonight, but weren’t you planning on doing that anyway? So instead, let’s watch some old YouTube clips (here, here, and below) from Pasdar’s terrific 1996 Fox drama, Profit, a series that was pulled before its time, but lives on thanks to the magic of DVD. Or, in my case, via VCR. Yeah, I’m one of the sad sacks who bought the entire (super expensive) series run off eBay long before it got an official DVD release. Not that I’m bitter or anything. Um, it was totally worth shelling out $100 for a tape of a tape of somebody’s grainy, pre-digital-cable recording — mid-’90s commercials and all. If that’s not enough to make the birthday boy’s day, then he could always get an ego-boost re-reading Mandi Bierly’s PopWatch item about how one of our colleagues plans to make a test-tube baby using some of Pasdar’s saved saliva. Would I make this stuff up?

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Apr 27 2007 01:05 PM ET

Ask Masi Oka anything! (Sort of)

Masi_lSo a few months back, EW.com tried out a nifty new feature in which O.C. fans got their questions answered by series creator Josh Schwartz — and that got us thinking of approaching other pop-culture favorites in the same way. It’s a win-win, if you’ll excuse the expression: It turns out you PopWatchers have some mad interviewing skillz, and by putting you to work, it allows me to take the occasional two-hour lunch breakspend more time reenacting cherished Arrested Development scenes with Annie “plate or platter” Barrett…brainstorm new adjectives with which to describe the current crop of American Idol finalists.So anyhow, we’re hoping your next interview subject will be Heroes‘ Masi Oka, whose winning portrayal of Hiro Nakamura has made him one of the biggest breakout stars of the current TV season. Try to be as specific as possible with your questions, and keep in mind we’ll be choosing career-related questions over personal ones. (In other words, we’re not subjecting him to the old “are you single?” routine.) So go ahead and post your best questions for Masi Oka about his career, his work on Heroes, and the burden of saving the planet — though don’t expect to ask a spoiler-y question and get an answer!

Mar 19 2007 02:31 PM ET

Don't let The Man take away Mr. Muggles' Emmy!

I’m barkin’ mad this morning, PopWatchers! Over the weekend, I caught up on a small backlog of Heroes episodes — in particular, Chapter 17 ("Company Man") — and was struck by the Emmy-worthiness of one performance in particular: the Bennet family’s prized pooch, Mr. Muggles. Yes, I realize Mr. Muggles is a Pomeranian, but even Heroes‘ producers know they’ve got the equivalent of a young De Niro on their hands. Take that scene where the Bennet residence goes up in flames, and the family huddles together for comfort and safety. Which cast member gets the loving closeup and the stirring (albeit concise) dialogue? Yes… Mr. Muggles! Didn’t his little "Arf!" cut to the heart of the Bennett family’s grief? Didn’t his dark, expressive eyes tell the tale of the American dream exploding in a radioactive blast? (Or is it, as one Heroes conspiracy theorist surmises, that Muggles is the most powerful, sinister hero of all?)

Now, however, it looks like Emmy is changing its rules to derail the inevitable Mr. Muggles Emmy train. Starting this year, nominees in major categories will be asked to submit a 250-word essay explaining their work to voters. Isn’t this counterintuitive to the entire process? Shouldn’t nominated thespians’ finest moments speak for themselves? My colleague Gary Susman suggests that perhaps Mr. Muggles can get a friend to write his essay, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, perhaps? "The Emmy is a fine award… for me to poop on!" Either that or he’ll just have to fill up a page with his delicate, evocative paw prints. Let’s not let this potential injustice go without protest. All together now (as you watch the Muggles tribute video)… slow clap. "Mug-gles! Mug-gles! Mug-gles!"

Mar 1 2007 09:55 PM ET

Exclusive: New "Spider-Man 3″ toys!

Spidey3_2pack_lWith great power comes great responsibility… to market the bejesus out of your superhero movie. On Monday, you can catch the new  trailer for Spider-Man 3 (out May 4) on NBC during Heroes. But until then, whet your appetite with our exclusive look at Diamond Select‘s Spidey 3 toys. The Minimates to your left go on sale in late March. And the detailed Sandman and Venom sculpture-bust-thingies pictured after the jump are all yours come late April. (There are also sculpture-bust thingie versions of red-suited Spidey, black-suited Spidey, and the new Goblin, but we think you get the gist.)

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Feb 13 2007 10:10 PM ET

Trend Watch: Falling is HOT!!!

155312__meredith_l(WARNING: This item contains possible spoilers from recent episodes of Heroes and Desperate Housewives.)

What is with the cliffhangers — literally — on ABC shows this past week?

First on Grey’s Anatomy, Meredith (Ellen Pompeo, pictured) got pushed over the edge of a dock by the convulsing man she was trying to treat at the scene of the ferry boat accident. And of course, we’re all left wondering if she’s going to drown to death or be saved by McDreamy and his hair.

Then, on Desperate Housewives, Mike and Orson threw fists at each other in a hospital parking garage, and their rumble eventually ended in Orson free falling out of what looked like the fifth level of the building. Cut to the end of the episode.

Finally on a random note, on Heroes (okay, so not an ABC show, but still), Matt was thrust through a window by Jessica — but luckily, we know he survived.

Which show do you think will be next to follow in this pattern? And are there any characters on TV (or even a reality show cast member) you wish would be sent for a flying lesson of their own?  I know I’d like to see Cecille on Beauty and The Geek be thrown off the balcony by Jennylee!

Feb 6 2007 05:38 PM ET

Snap Judgment: New songs by Hilary, Avril, and Hayden

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Girls_lAs I mentioned in my previous post, I’m going through a bout of self-loathing today, but instead of turning to the cilice (ouch!), I’ve decided to take a listen to new singles from three songbirds whom I’d typically avoid at all costs. (I’m not being snobby when I say that, BTW; regular PopWatch readers know I’m down with Fergie Ferg and Kylie, plus a whole bunch of divas who are probably working for change this very minute.) Anyhow, let’s all have a listen and see if any of ‘em will be securing a spot on my iPod, shall we?

- Avril Lavigne, "Girlfriend": Okay, yeah, so the chorus has a foot-tappingly cute beat, but does this song (streaming over at Idolator) have anything else to recommend it? I mean, even if the ghost of Janis Joplindescended directly from rock & roll heaven into Avril’s body, she’dstill have a hard time breathing life into lyrics like "She’s, like, sowhatever/ You can do so much better/ I think we should get together."Of course, then at least we’d be spared Avril’s affected pronunciationsof words like "bettah" and "othah." I dunno, I’ll take Kelly’s vastlysuperior "Text Message Breakup" if I want an angry white chick screaming over a danceable beat.

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Feb 6 2007 03:13 PM ET

Is the wonky logic of 'Heroes' starting to irk you?

204251__milo_lDon’t you just hate people who wait for your favorite TV show/band/book/movie to be embraced by the masses, then start pointing out everything that’s wrong with it? Yeah, I kinda hate those people too. Of course, right now, I’m going to be one of those people, and therefore, by the time I finish writing this blog item, I will officially hate myself. But that’s what a therapist is for, PopWatchers. And so, despite the rising urge to betch-slap myself the way invisi-guy Claude thwacked waffle-boy Peter (Milo Ventimiglia, pictured) during last night’s episode of Heroes, please allow me to point out the growing list of questions and inconsistencies that are detracting from my enjoyment of NBC’s Monday-night hit.

- Since turning herself in to the police (for a series of violent murders in which she tore her victims to shreds), Niki/Jessica has snapped a wooden baton in half and beaten the bejesus out of at least one guard. So how come her shrink was left alone in a room with her with only a taser?

- No one knows better than HRG that Sylar is a vicious murderer with unrivaled powers of escape. So how come he left that doctor dude all alone to treat Sylar? Why weren’t at least two or three armed guards stationed around the clock outside his glass cell, just in case the dude returned to consciousness and tried to bust loose? And how did Sylar get out of the paper factory without triggering an alarm system that would’ve alerted the Haitian or some other HRG cohorts?

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Jan 29 2007 03:17 PM ET

Who should die on 'Heroes'?

151423__mohinder_lIn TV Guide‘s latest story on Heroes, series creator and executive producer Tim Kring reveals that a regular character, "someone who has been with the show from the very beginning," will pay the ultimate price during February sweeps. And while I’ll be shocked (and shaken) if he’s planning to off one of my favorites (like Hiro or Nathan or Micah), there’s one player in particular whose death would be cause for celebration — the waffling, whiny Mohinder Suresh (he of the ludicrous dream sequences), who is coincidentally portrayed by the cast’s most wooden actor, Sendhil Ramamurthy (pictured)

Every time the guy pops up on my screen, I recall the words of my colleague Dawnie Walton: "Someone is Mo-hindering my ability to enjoy the show!" Seriously, one minute Mohinder is dropping everything to head to America and complete his father’s work, the next he’s decided it’s all a bunch of bunk. He’s supposedly paranoid about keeping the heroes’ identities out of the wrong hands, and yet he keeps a list of their names and a map of their whereabouts in an apartment that might as well be dubbed Break-in Central. The only constant is his droning, insipid voice-over narration. Plus, with the way Ramamurthy delivers his lines like he’s the third banana in a bad high-school production, I always find myself drifting off to the happy place during Mohinder’s scenes. So yes, in the Heroes‘ death pool, the man has got my vote. Are you with me? Or if you were Tim Kring, would you choose to exterminate a different character?

Jan 22 2007 08:49 PM ET

Things Hollywood Should Apologize For, Vol. 1

Moore_lLike they are in Washington, D.C., apologies in Hollywood are a dime a dozen, but true remorse is hard to come by. Which is why it was so pleasing to see Mandy Moore (pictured) genuinely own up to her shortcomings in a new Jane magazine interview, as quoted in this morning’s New York Daily News. We refer to the part where, in reference to her own hit songs, Moore reportedly said, "I feel bad that people wasted their money on such trite, blah pop music."

Mandy, we salute you. We can only hope that such a frank confession will result in further Hollywood/entertainment industry apologies. For example: Hey, NBC ad people, you need to apologize for putting us loyal Heroes fans through that whole, "Save the Cheerleader, Save the World" nonsense only to replace it with the infinitely less catchy "Are you on the list?" slogan. Also, Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu? You definitely need to say sorry for making me want to crawl into bed and cry after watching each of your films. Your movies are symphonies of pain.

Okay, PopWatchers, your turn. What would you like to see Hollywood apologize for?

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