TV Newsy Bits - Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Tonight I'm hoping that Lakisha Jones will make her own TV Newsy Bits on American Idol. After last week's tremendous performance, I'm eagerly anticipating how she's going to step up even more. If I were a wagering woman, I'd wager she's going to win it all.

Here are the TV Newsy Bits I found out there today as I peeked around the 'net:

• Reality News Online (RNO) has posted an interview with Kevin and Drew, recently eliminated on The Amazing Race 11: All Stars. Now, if I were tot title such an article, I'd call it "When Good Frat Boys Go Bad." I was so disappointed in them this time around after loving them in their own season. I just don't think Drew's heart or health was in it this time. He probably shouldn't have gone on the show.
• Despite Antonella Barba's revealing Internet photos being revealed to the world, she seems to still be on American Idol 6 according to Celebrity Spider. Heck, is Frenchie Davis too old to try again? She had more talent and a lot less scandal.
• Celebrity Spider also has the skinny on next week's Heroes episode. Hey, don't blame me if Simone comes back. Stephen King once said sometimes they return. Me? I'm just a paper salesman.
• Buddy TV has the goods (as opposed to the skinny) on a press conference with The Black Donnellys stars Olivia Wilde and Jonathan Tucker. I have mentioned how much I enjoyed the premiere, haven't I?
• And, for Friday Night Lights fans, Buddy TV has posted an exclusive interview with Connie Britton, Tami Taylor on the show. I'm a Law and Order: Criminal Intent fan, so their interview with Julianne Nicholson is of interest to me.

'Heroes' - "Company Man" - A BulletPoint Report

I don't think we've had a bad episode of this show yet and tonight's "Company Man" surely threw fuel on that fire. Lassie who? Now, Mr. Muggles, there's a professional doggy-actor!

Here's what happened tonight, hopefully I caught all the action:

• Ted Sprague and Matt Parkman searched for clues in the Bennet's house when said Bennets returned home.
• Sprague (Radioactive Hands) is sure that Bennet actually made them (the ones with powers) the way they are and convinced Matt (Mindreading Ex-Cop) the same.
• "I'm just a paper salesman," said Bennet. Oh, but no one believes him except his wife and son. I think even Mr. Muggles knows that's not the truth.
• The show utilized black and white flashbacks to tell HRG's backstory. 15 years ago he was hired as the regional manager of Primatech Paper as a front. The "real" job was "morally grey." Supposedly they wanted to keep the people with powers safe until it became necessary to kill them.
• HRG's (Bennet's) first partner was Claude, the Invisible Man.
• Since Matt can read minds, he could read Sprague's mind as he became more irritated at HRG. He also knows that Claire regenerates. When Sprague becomes determined to shoot Mrs. Bennet, Matt shoots Claire knowing she will live.
• Claire played dead after coming to and Bennet and Matt went off to Primatech to get the files Sprague wanted. Sprague insisted he be the one to stay with Lyle (Claire's brother) and Mrs. Bennet.
• The Haitian certainly was mute in the flashback sequences, but can definitely talk now. How? Why? Did I miss something? When he was discovered by Them as a teen, he couldn't talk but drew a picture of his power akin to "pulling memories like grubworms." In the teen shots, he had the same symbol on his clothes that we've seen on tattoos and Hiro's sword.
  
• In flashback, Bennet and his boss were at the fire scene where Baby Claire supposedly died. Later, he met up with Hiro's father (and a young child Hiro) on the DeVeaux Building roof where Hiro's father handed him young Claire to take care of until they want her back. "This is not a request. She belongs to us."
• Bennet tried thinking in Japanese so Matt couldn't read his thoughts at the house.
• Matt and Bennet know that Sprague is too volatile and could cause a nuclear explosion, so they sort of team up. Bennet wants to get a tranquilizer to shoot Sprague.
• In flashback, it looked like Bennet betrayed Claude (Invisible) to his boss saying he was "hiding one" - a powers person. The boss ordered Bennet to kill him. He drove him to a bridge where he shot him twice. It looked like a clean kill at the end, but Claude went invisible, so...
• Claire tried to rescue Lyle and her mother, but only Lyle escaped.
• Sprague realized that Parkman probably knew that Claire regenerates.
• Upon returning to the house, Bennet showed Sprague his file insisting although they abducted him three months ago, they didn't cause his affliction.
• Mr. Bennet's boss arrives, tipped off by him, shoots Sprague. Sprague totally freaked and nuked out. Everyone gets out of the house except for Bennet who tried to shoot Sprague with the tranquilizer. Claire ended up doing it because he couldn't get close enough.
• In flashbacks, it was three years ago Bennet needed glasses and told Claire she was adopted. She's the one who chose HRG - Hornrimmed Glasses.
• Bennet's boss told him it was time to kill another partner as the Haitian "stole" Claire after the scene at the house calmed down.
• Bennet followed them to the same bridge as the Claude scene and they all got out of their cars. It turns out that Bennet set it up to look like the Haitian shot him and escaped with Claire. The Haitian shot him in a non-vital abdomen area. Then HRG told him to go deep and erase any thoughts he might have.
• So Claire is now on the road with the Haitian and Bennet's memory is wiped.
  
• Both Sprague and Matt are recaptured and held at Primatech.

Wow. I don't know how efficient Primatech is, though. At about 10:30 PM ET I received an email from them saying it was urgent I read it before 9 PM. I haven't gone all through it yet, but think it probably tells a bit about the woman at Primatech who might have powers. Or, maybe it's about Mr. Muggles' powers!

TV Newsy Bits - Friday, February 23, 2007

It's Friday, it's cold. It's a good time to see what TV-related news stories are out and about on that good ol' Internet, right?

You do notice that for the most part, I'm avoiding both the Anna Nicole Smith and Britney Spears brouhahas, don't you? I actually only included mention now so that I could use the word "brouhaha." Gosh, I love that word. Fun to say and cool in context.

Now that's out of my system, here are today's TV Newsy Bits:

• In The Apprentice news -- TV Guide has an interview with the most recently fired candidate, Aimee Trottier. First season winner Bill Rancic and E! News anchor Giuliana DePandi will wed in September according to the Reality TV World website. There will be no show this Sunday evening (Feb. 25) and when it returns on March 4, it will air at 10 PM.
• In Heroes news -- Celebrity Spider has some mild episode spoilers for the next show. The New York Daily News has a great interview with Jack Coleman, the man who plays Mr. Bennet or, as we initially called him, HRG (horn-rimmed glasses). It's a very interesting read.
• Celebrity Spider has mild spoilers for the next episode of Lost.
• In American Idol news -- There's an newsy tidbit about voted off American Idol Paul Kim here. Buddy TV has transcribed a press conference held with the four contestants voted off of the show last night. Frenchie Davis got the boot a few years back for less than what Antonella Barba has done.
• This AOL Television News article says that the much talked about Stephen Spielberg and Mark Burnett reality show is scheduled for a May 16 premiere. In the show, aspiring filmmakers will compete for a million-dollar studio contract. This one sounds like it could be intriguing. Indie films can be cool.

'Heroes' - "Unexpected" - A BulletPoint Report

Now, this is edge-of-your-seat excitement in a television show. Tonight's episode flew by as if Peter was flying over the Empire State Building carrying Claude (Invisible Man). Oh, wait. That happened.

Here's the lowdown and dirty on the latest:

• Lionel Sprague (Radioactive Dude) met up with the newest hero, Hannah. She's called "Wireless." She can send transmissions such as emails, phone calls and such through her mind. She told him that "they" got to her, too. They decide she could wire them, he can nuke 'em and they team up together to save themselves and save the world.
  
• Mrs. Bennet recognizes Claire again.
  
• Isaac Mendez (Future Painter) called Mr. Bennet. Bennet arrives in NYC and sees Isaac's paintings of Peter Petrelli's footprints. "He's invisible!" Isaac, whether driven by jealousy or under Bennet's influence, believes that Peter will indeed blow up the city (by blowing up himself).
• Matt Parkman (Mind Reading Suspended Cop) gave his wife one of the rings from last week's Malsky incident. As she called him on the fact that it's worth 40 grand, he got a call to meet Sprague and Wireless. He teams up with them to save themselves and, of course, save the world.
  
• Sylar is still pretending to be Zane Taylor with Mohinder Suresh. They travel to meet a new hero, a woman named Dale who has super-hearing. She became uneasy around Sylar/Zane because of something she heard in his heartbeat. He did the metal-melting bit to show others have powers. Mohinder himself seemed a bit uneasy with Sylar as he talked about his father being killed by um... Sylar. Yes, of course, Sylar sneaked back to Dale in the evening and stole her brain and, thus stole her power. "What's that I hear in your heart?" "Murder." The power didn't set well with him. She had mentioned headaches and he had severe ones after stealing the brain.
• Meanwhile, back in Las Vegas, Hiro's Vulcan hand greeting was re-shown and I snagged a shot. Yay.
• Hiro teamed up with a reluctant Gaming Commission man to go find Ando and what's-her-name who roughly kidnapped Ando. The man lectured Hiro about how partners will always bring you down - if something happens, their blood is on your hands. They find them and a shootout ensues between the woman (Hope, was she?) and the Gaming Commission man. The pink bag was full of casino chips. Ando got grazed by a bullet and Hiro managed to stop a bullet. So his power is back.
• Alas, Hiro decides he has to be a hero on his own. Ando wasn't happy. He had gotten into thinking it was his destiny as well as Hiro's. (And I'd like it to be - I love the team of Hiro and Ando!)
  
• Ando takes the Versa and Hiro boards a bus all alone.
  
• The kicker to that scene was that the bus driver was none other than Stan Lee, the creator of Spider-Man and many Marvel Comics. I love it! I saw his name in the beginning credits and was watching for him. Perfect!
• Back at the Bennet's home, Claire's "mother" (Mrs. Bennet, not her real one) collapsed in the kitchen.
  
• Back in NYC, Peter and Claude (Invisible Dude) were wrassling on the roof of the DeVeaux Building (where the pigeons are). Okay, Claude claimed he wanted Peter to call on his powers. He's trying to make him use them to save himself and... the world. All of a sudden, Bennet and his henchmen are there with some special vision guns which can see invisible people. Who woulda thunk it? When they started to shoot, Peter grabbed Claude and flew away to safety. Oh, wait... Peter also showed that he has telekinesis and remembered that may have came from Sylar (he said the man who killed the cheerleader). Claude got ticked that Peter brought attention to him and vanished again.
• Claire called Bennet before he could go after Peter and Claude. She told him that her mother was in the hospital. The nurse told her that her mother had a subdural hemorrhage or bruise on the brain. Claire was sure the Haitian did it to her. She told the nurse, who probably thought she was whacked. When Mr. Bennet arrived, Claire went off on him. She doesn't trust him and thinks that he's going to be the ruin of the family. She must protect the family. She thinks he's evil.
• When the Bennet family arrives home, who's there? It's a confrontation by Sprague, Wireless, and Matt Parkman! With weapons and powers.
• Back in NYC, Peter confronted Isaac and they got into a bit of a battle. Bennet had given Isaac a gun to protect himself from Peter. But Peter turned invisible, used other powers and dodged the bullets. Remember, though, the promos for the show kept saying, "Someone dies." They didn't mean Dale.

• As Isaac tried to shoot the Invisible Peter, Simone came through the door. Twice to the chest, someone dies. Rest in peace, Simone. You can join your father.

Oh, I'm so loving this show!

'Heroes' - "Run" - A BulletPoint Report

Whoa! This was one action-packed episode. It's hard to remember who's on first or what's on second. It's a good thing I take notes, huh?

Here's the basic skinny on tonight's episode, although I tend to go by character storyline rather than the chronological order of appearance in the show at times. Tonight, some of the storylines really intermingled.

• In the Matt Parkman (cop who can read thoughts) storyline: Matt, suspended from the police department, took on a private security guard job. He took his gun along as he had to escort and protect a man who was going to the diamond district to buy diamonds. The man, Malsky, was carrying a large amount of cash. Little did Matt know...
• In the Jessica/Nikki storyline: Nikki is still trapped in the mirror. Jessica, working for Mr. Linderman, received a photo of the man Matt is escorting and is set to be a hitman... er, hitwoman. She's going to kill the guy.
• In the Claire/Real Mom/Nathan storyline: The FireMom told Nathan that she saw their daughter, Claire. He automatically thought, since the election is coming soon, that she wanted money. He offered $100,000. Trailer FireMom took the offer.
• Regarding Mohinder: He was trying to contact folks with powers and only one called him back - a panicky man named Zane Taylor. He agreed to go meet him. Little did Mohinder know...
• In the Sylar storyline: Sylar visited Zane Taylor first, impersonating Mohinder. He took the brain as he tends to do. The power is the ability to melt metal objects.
• When Mohinder arrived, Sylar pretended to be Zane even to the point of using the dead man for a DNA swab so Mohinder can "help" him. Sylar (as Zane) then suggested to Mohinder that he accompany him to find (and help) others with powers. Stupid, naive, stupid Mohinder.
  
• In the Hiro/Ando storyline: They're back in Las Vegas looking for Linderman when Ando (stupid, naive Ando) comes across a crying blonde Amazon showgirl named Hope.
  She gave them a sob story about her boyfriend beating her up and how she left her bag in his room, thus stranding her without money and such. The guys use the old room service trick to retrieve the bag. Hiro didn't want to do it all along, but Ando was smitten. It was a set up. They got separated; Hope punched Hiro and locked him in a closet, then tried to run off with Ando at last sight. It turns out that the "boyfriend" was an agent of the State Gaming Commission and that was evidence. He's the one who released Hiro from the closet. (Did I say stupid, naive Ando?)
• Back to the Matt/Nikki storyline: Matt read the thoughts of the dealer at the diamond place and knew it was a set up. Malsky grabbed the diamonds and threw the cash. Jessica chased after them. Matt heard Nikki talk to Jessica a few times, so decided there were two of them. He heard the thoughts of Malsky as he hid the diamonds. Malsky admitted to Matt that he stole the money from... who else... Linderman. Jessica tossed Matt out a window, but he lived. She shot Malsky and he died. After reading the investigating cop mind, Matt pocketed the diamonds himself rather than turn them in.
• Back to the Nathan/Claire/FireMom storyline: FireMom got her money, but didn't know that Claire was waiting outside in hopes of meeting her real father. FireMom showed Nathan the cellphone photo she took of Claire. He seemed to recognize her, but said nothing. Claire threw a rock at his car as he left.
• Back at Claire's house: Mr. Bennet called Claire out for the skipping school and fake tickets printed up on her computer. He grounded her. Later, after she returned to home from her trip to her FireMom, her mother (Mrs. Bennet) was abusing Mr. Muggles. Mrs. Bennet doesn't remember Mr. Muggles, nor Claire. It looks like the Haitian made her forget too much.
• Jessica received another photo for someone she's to kill (presumably for Linderman)... it's Nathan.
  

Those are the basics. No Peter, no Isaac, no Simone this time 'round. My absolute favorite bit was when Hiro greeted the Gaming Commission guy with the traditional Vulcan hand greeting as the man greeted him at gunpoint. All in all, this was a fast-paced, sit on the edge of the seat episode. Next week, they claim "someone dies." And, they forewarn - "no one is safe." They better not off Mr. Muggles!

I've received more information on files from Primatech Paper. I'll write about them soon.

Live long and prosper.

TV Newsy Bits - Friday, February 9, 2007

Brrr! Brrr! As you may or may not know, where I live hasn't made it up to the freezing point in over a week. This morning, neither did my apartment. Well, I exaggerate a bit. The temperature in here was in the 40s (F) as the building's boiler apparently decided to go whimper in the corner or something.

Thankfully, Zoetawny created a fireplace Newsy Bits graphic for me. And, more thankfully, the heat's on again... but I wouldn't call it warm in here. It's slowly creeping up to a normal temperature, though.

So... what do you all think of the sudden death of Anna Nicole Smith? What a shocker, eh? A train friend told me about it as I headed home from work last night. In some ways, I'm not surprised. I think her life was such a series of highs and lows and, especially since her son died, everything may have caught up with her. I wasn't necessarily a fan of hers, but she sure was a part of pop culture. It's a sad ending. Now Zsa Zsa Gabor's husband is claiming that her baby is his. Yikes.

In other TV Newsy Bits:

• One of the candidates from The Apprentice: L.A. dropped me a note about my Lost review/recap. He only briefly mentioned the Apprentice reviews. Since he's still on the show and didn't post to the Lost entry publicly, I won't reveal the name. But I will ask him for some sort of interview after either he gets fired or wins it all. After all, now I have his email address!
• I heard more from Primatech Paper. Apparently the two files I couldn't open before now can be accessed. When I check them out, I'll report back.
• According to an article on Reality TV World, it seems FOX itself blocked Akron Watson's golden ticket to Hollywood, not the producers of American Idol. An excerpt: "We are informed at the end of the day [by Fox] that you can't invite this person or persons, and we don't ask why," Lythgoe told reporters during a conference call on Thursday, according to Newsday. "To be frank, we're not interested [in why]. If Fox believes it will damage the show... then it's best they just don't come along." They also explain why his segment stayed in the auditions show. Hmmm... the plot thickens.
• Celebrity Spider is reporting that last night's Survivor 14: Fiji premiere won the ratings race in its time period, beating out Ugly Betty.
  
• In Big Brother news, the Jokers Updates site has what it says is the last chat transcript we'll see from Marcellas Reynolds. Do you think it's the last we'll see of him? Oh, well, I have a white robe which reminds me of him and there's a guy named Boo (as opposed to a gnome named Boo) on Survivor. I'll live.
• We haven't seen the last of George Takei on Heroes. Inside Pulse has an extensive interview with him.
  

'Heroes' - "Distractions" - A BulletPoint Report

I'll say it right now. This dog needs to be nominated for an Emmy. My personal theory is that Mr. Muggles, the Pomeranian, is secretly Mr. Linderman and possesses superpowers beyond the wildest limits of the imagination.

Or not.

Hey, you have to realize that one of my own graphic novel escapades was "Cats in Capes." How anthropomorphic of me, eh?

It was Chapter 14, "Distractions," on Heroes tonight. The happenings in this BulletPoint Report aren't necessarily in order of the appearance on tonight's show, some are by character storylines.

• In the Niki/Jessica storyline, the shrink was trying to convince Jessica to come out. And, though Niki didn't want to do it, let's just say, "Dead shrink." In a surprising turn of events, Niki got released from jail. A death row inmate confessed to her crimes and that DNA matched. She went home to Micah (didn't see D.L. tonight) and Jessica locked Niki in a mirror. Cue scary music now.
• In the Sylar/Mr. Bennet happenings, Sylar locked Bennet in his own cell. He threw him against the wall with a flip of his hand, taunted him about Claire once again and escaped. Sylar took Bennet's wallet and used his license to obtain his home address. More later.
• Isaac and Simone talked. He's jealous of Peter. He doesn't want Simone looking for him, but agreed he would as he must stop "the bomb." He's painting wildly. Simone told him that he makes the future, he doesn't just paint it.
• Claire and Zach got permission from her mother to skip school for "manatee research" in Lubbock. Instead, they headed to Kermit so Claire could meet her mother. Her mother lives in a trailer park and they shared their secrets -- Claire with her regeneration, Mommy is a firestarter. At the end of the show, it was revealed in a phone call from Mommy to Nathan Petrelli that he's indeed her father. (Okay, I was wrong with my Linderman guess.)
• Meanwhile, Sylar broke into the Bennets' home and scared Mr. Muggles. It certainly looked like he was one dead doggie.
  
• Mrs. Bennet returned home and got the flip of the hand from Sylar. Ouch. Mr. Bennet and the Haitian arrived to save the doggie... er, the day. Sylar escaped once again and the Haitian made Mrs. Bennet forget once again.
• In the Hiro/Ando storyline, Hiro's father tried to bribe him into being VP, then CEO of his company. Hiro's sister told him that he brought shame upon the family. Hiro is determined that his destiny must go by his own path. He turns the tables on it all and his sister, more worthy of the company slot, takes over. So much for George Takei. I believe he's heading back to Tokyo.
• The Invisible Man chided Peter for acting like a kid -- posters on the wall, his hair (good point!). He told him that he has the power he gathers and can use it at anytime. He wants Peter to stop being dependent on people and, they sneak to the roof... well, walk because they're invisible, spy on Simone and Isaac and crush Peter's heart.
  

• The Invisible Man threw Peter off the roof to force him to fly. But he didn't fly. He fell thirty stories onto a cab and regenerated by thinking of Claire.
  
• Peter told I.G. that he can't forget people as he needs that to harness his power.
• Isaac had already painted Peter falling on the cab before it happened (of course). While looking at his painting, he realized that the legs were vanishing. He called Mr. Bennet and told him they can't find Peter because he's invisible.

Those are the major happenings. No Mohinder Suresh this week, no mind-reading cop, either.

I haven't heard anything new from my Primatech Paper application this week.

Is it time for Chapter 15 yet?

'Heroes' - "The Fix" - A BulletPoint Report

When I watch Heroes, I feel the same sort of excitement I held as I watched the first season of Lost. Perhaps a bit more as I enjoy the graphics novels (read that as comic books) medium.

I have several friends in that industry and have dabbled in it a bit myself, albeit not quite the superhero genre. Comic books or graphic novels are a bit like soap operas. I have somewhat of a short attention span when it comes to continuity for long-lived characters. But, with an hourly television drama, I can indeed keep with it. (Just don't ask me about the Fortress of Solitude or pre-crisis or stuff like that.) "Can we ever change what we really are?"

Here's the BulletPoint Report on the latest Heroes episode, "The Fix," to get things up to snuff. These aren't necessarily in the order of appearance on the show, some are by storyline.

• We found out that the new hero, The Invisible Man, has encountered others like Peter, who can see him.
• In the Matt Parkman (cop who can read minds) storyline, he told his wife about his power, got suspended from work, and found out his wife's pregnant.
• Sylar's in bad shape hidden at the Odessa location (Primatech Paper). HRG (Mr. Bennet) instructed his henchman to keep him alive as per his boss.
• Zach is working with Claire once again. She's tired of lying to everyone (but him).
• She sought help from The Haitian and got a clue that her mother, Meredith Gordon, died in a fire 14 years ago in Kermit, Texas. He knew nothing about her real father.
• They lied to her father, HRG, and told them they were school science partners on a manatee project. A side note: she used wind chimes to signal The Haitian. He told her this would be their last meeting.
• Hiro seems to have lost his powers. He feels he must have the real sword to get them back. Ando and Hiro went on a mission to deliver an Isaac painting to the mysterious Mr. Linderman. They were pursued by really bad guys in a van.
• Mohinder and Nathan Petrelli agreed to work together to find Peter -- it was a reluctant agreement on Nathan's part. Despite the fact that the Invisible Man told Peter that he'd never see him again, he showed and hid Peter from Nathan and Mohinder Suresh.
• Ando got himself kidnapped by the Really Bad Guys and Hiro wouldn't desert him. He tried to take Ando's place, but ended up kidnapped with Ando.
• Niki was visited by a shrink in her padded cell. The shrink wants to explore the MPD factor (probably for her own means as well as Niki's). Niki refused to bring Jessica out to play. The shrink used the threat that she'll never see Micah again. (I don't like the shrink.)
• D.L. phased himself into Niki's cell trying to figure a way to phase both of them out. Niki refused to go.
• D.L. can't find a job, can't get money. He let Micah down as Micah knew his Mom had done whatever she had to do to support him. Micah took matters in his own hands and used his power to make a substantial withdrawal from an ATM. (Now if I tried that, it would probably come out of my own account! Overdraft fees, ack!)
• In a heart-tugging moment, D.L. and Micah talked and Micah promised he'd try harder. Then he dumped the money out for his father. "You know how you and Mom both have a secret? "I have a secret, too."
• HRG got a call that Sylar died. "Package him up." He wasn't happy. But, did Sylar really die? Heh.
• The kidnapped Ando and Hiro were told by the Really Bad Guys that they were the wrong ones for the mission, then offered first class tickets back to Tokyo. "You cannot bribe a hero. My spirit is unbreakable," replied Hiro. So, the Really Bad Guys brought Hiro and Ando to their boss. Uh-oh. It's Hiro's father, played by George Takei. It was the briefest of glimpses and that was the end of that storyline for the episode.
• Claire called all of the folks named Gordon in Kermit. She struck pay dirt. Her mother didn't die. However, her mother told her that she thought Claire had died.

• But, remember Sylar? Oh, he's not dead, either. He killed the lab dude, then confronted HRG when he came for "the package." You could see the shunt in the back of his head. "How's Claire?," he asked Mr. Bennet.
  

There you go. Those were the happenings. In the teaser for next week, Claire's real mother is on the phone to her real father telling him "our daughter found us." Of course, that leads me to the thought that Claire's real father might be Linderman? Hmmm...

I'm so loving this show! I got another note from Primatech Paper, giving me a password to look into the Mr. Bennet's files sort of how Zach and Claire were doing. The easily-revealed file was about an upcoming hero - a woman who can intercept transmissions and rado waves.

I noticed there were four files there, but the password given me would only open one. However, there were highlighted numbers/letters in her file. I put them together into a password and found it went to the last file of the four -- Sylar's file. In his file, nothing was highlighted, so I can't get into the middle two files. The site even (mock) yelled at me threatening me with legal action if I kept trying to hack their files. Uh-oh.

A Tale of Two Swords...

Oh, my goodness, I don't think I've ever had such a sword-filled Monday evening.

First there was How I Met Your Mother. The friends found a nude painting of Marshall that Lily had painted when they were in college. Although there was another storyline in which Ted was trying to fire his ex-boss Hammond Druthers, the painting was the true fun instigator of the episode.

When they "told" Marshall about finding the painting, the hints revolved around "I have a new dart." New dart, of course, is nude art. Yeah, it's a bit sophomoric, but funny nonetheless. Barney talked Lily into painting him nude; Lily and Marshall demanded money. In the end, Barney got the Ken Treatment. Little Barney never showed. But, his stance with the sword leads me into...

...Heroes!

Here's a quick bullet-point update on last night's Heroes (not necessarily in the order of occurrence) followed by some of my thoughts (feel free to share your own thoughts or ideas):

• Niki/Jessica is in jail. She turned all Jessica on the guards and eventually ended up in the good ol' padded cell.
• Micah still wants his Mom, D.L. isn't so sure.
• Matt Parkman, the mind-reading cop, teamed with his FBI buddy to raid HRG's (Mr. Bennett's) paper company in search of Sylar.
• Either HRG or The Haitian blocked their thoughts from Matt and the raid was a bust.
• Claire met up with The Haitian wanting him to restore Zach's memories of her. We find he can only erase memories, not restore them.
• Hiro, Ando, Isaac, Simone, and Nathan all met up at Isaac's studio.
• Peter was comatose at the beginning of the show, probably due to absorbing so many powers from his Sylar encounter, as well as with others.
• Sprague, the radioactive-hands dude, is in a shack in the desert.
• Sylar is indeed still alive and still a captive of Mr. Bennett and Company. He's not doing so well and there's huge cockroach crawling around in his "room." I'm talking one of those really huge ones like a Madagascar hissing cockroach or something.
• Mr. Bennett met up with Suresh in NYC and they both lamented over Eden. Suresh is leery of him.
• Hiro and Ando found the sword Hiro sought in a museum. Hiro slowed down time all around him to steal it only to find it was a replica, not a real sword at all. And, not only that, but a replica donated by the notorious Mr. Linderman. The incident showed that Hiro's encounter with the dinosaur took place in the museum, not back in time.
• Claire either tried to jolt Zach's memory or create a new knowledge of her powers by re-enacting the falls from the building videotape - "this is my first attempt."
• Peter's coma and fever broke and he ran from the hospital (really ticking off his mother).
• Peter started roaming the streets of Manhattan trying to make arrangements to fly to Las Vegas to a desert area as he's sure he'll be combusting soon.
• As he walked along, he spotted the newest hero - an invisible man (played by Christopher Eccleston of Dr. Who fame). Like Jessica of Jessica/Niki, he wasn't using his powers for good. He was pickpocketing and stealing. They struggle, Peter's eyes light up once more.

Okay, those were the basics of this episode, "Godsend."

First, I want to know more about the mysterious, yet notorious, Mr. Linderman. I'm beginning to get the feeling he may be Mr. Bennett's boss, but I could be off-base. Also, the sword replica. As you see in the photo of it, it bears the same design as the tattoos on Jessica and Matt Parkman (other places, too). What's the significance? It looks like the mangling of a Japanese character or perhaps the mix of two.

Remember the business card Mr. Bennett passed to Matt during the raid? Well, I went to the URL they listed for Primatech Paper - "Paper, People, Performance. Primatech, since 1962." There are a few things about this... first, if you call the toll free phone number on the card and then ask for the hiring department, you'll be given a code to open the application on the site. I did so and completed my application. I got a brief note back telling me they were reviewing my qualifications. On the phone they said they were looking for "motivated people with abilities to fit our needs." Huh, you don't say. On the application there's a place to sign up for newsletters or text messages. I signed up for the email newsletters.

The second thing about Primatech I'm wondering is the date. 1962. Is there any significance to that? Could it have been the year Suresh's Dad started his research? Or, perhaps the year that HRG (Horn-Rimmed Glasses, now known as Mr. Bennett) was born? I don't know. I can't recall any specific references to that year.

As for the characters, I'm so loving Hiro! I even like Ando; he plays so well off of Hiro. I'm glad that Nathan is perhaps not a bad guy, but bad gal Jessica can go far away. I'm not thrilled with that whole storyline although I enjoy Micah and D.L. I wish that Eden had stayed around instead of Jessica/Nikki, though. I'm hoping that Claire (whom I enjoy) can get Zach's memory back or rebuild the knowledge - I like Zach although he seems to be non-gay now. (That was a brouhaha before the hiatus!)

What will the new hero bring to the mix? Other than his invisibility, that is. He was shocked that Peter could see him. Now, if Peter hooks up with him, he can be invisible, too.

Peter Petrelli - Peter Parker -- coincidence or not? With great power comes great responsibility.

I'm looking forward to next week's show as the story is...
.... to be continued.

The Suspension of Disbelief and Good TV

Yesterday morning as I was heading to work, I was mulling an article idea in my head comparing Lost to Heroes and why I'm enjoying Heroes more these days. I know the main reason Heroes is faring better with me is that questions are being answered, unlike with Lost. Don't get me wrong; I'll still watch the new episodes of Lost when the time comes.

Last night when I got home from a long day's work, I conked out on the couch and, as the Soup Nazi would say, "No TV for you!" Or, at the very least, no primetime TV for me as I slept through it all. When I awoke at an odd hour past midnight, I channel-surfed and happened upon American Masters: Rod Serling on the New Jersey PBS affiliate. Perfect!

Although I was way too young (and possibly not born yet) for his live television plays, I was very young when The Twilight Zone first aired. I admit that I remember more episodes from reruns than the original airings although my parents, perhaps without thinking about the ramifications, allowed me to watch the show.

I recall, at about the age of seven or so, an episode which featured Telly Savalas and a talking doll which he thought evil and kept trying to destroy. At that time, I had my own first-on-the-market talking doll. I was very nice to it because, after all, "if you're not nice to me, I'll kill you, too." I had nightmares for months after seeing the show. Hey, it didn't matter that the doll on the show was Talky Tina and mine was Chatty Cathy. I didn't want it to kill me.

But, what made The Twilight Zone work so well for adults, as well as children? The PBS show touched briefly on the reason (in my opinion) last night -- an expression commonly used these days in the graphic novel or comic book medium -- the suspension of disbelief. Basically, that means that in a work of fiction, the reader willingly believes that which he knows is indeed not real. To a point, the suspension of disbelief exists everytime we read a book, everytime we watch a fictional television show.

The hardest obstacle to the suspension of disbelief aren't the fictional cop shows, which are often at least loosely based on real cop-doings. The hardest obstacle to overcome is the limit of imagination. I'm talking pure fantasy stories such as Harry Potter, comic book superheroes, or a boy who can will folks to the cornfield for thinking bad thoughts. In order for these shows or books to entertain the viewer or reader, they must immerse them into the plot and the characters. On a level, it must be believable even though it's just a fantastic journey within the limits of man's imagination.

And that's where I feel Lost is losing it. We're into the third season of the show. Too many questions remain unanswered; too many tangents have gone unexplained. Plot holes exist. The first season was a bold move into the suspension of disbelief genre -- a welcome respite from mainstream television at the time. It used the premise so successfully achieved by The Twilight Zone so many decades before. But, now I feel it's become a bit stagnant. It's not moving forward each episode; it's not satisfying me as a viewer. Yes, I'm hooked. I'll watch in hopes that some of the mysteries will be explained. But I'm not as enamored with the show as I once was.

Then there's the new show on the market this season, Heroes. Again, utilizing the suspension of disbelief, the show challenges the viewer in a respect. You have to believe there can be superheroes, there can be magical powers. The show parallels the graphic novel medium, but takes things one step further. In watching this show, I get lost in the characters. Yes, I know deep down that the powers are total fiction, but for an hour each week, I believe they do exist. I believe "save the cheerleader, save the world." I believe an excited Hiro can bend time and space. I believe the fantastic.

Why is that? I think it's because the show actually moves forward a bit each week, unlike Lost as of late. Questions are actually answered and each show ends with a cliffhanger making me hungry to devour the next episode. That's how the suspension of disbelief should work. It shouldn't be tossing notes in a hat to have a smoke monster one week and a giant polar bear the next, without an explanation for the existence of either. It shouldn't be a guessing game and tons of theories gone rampant on the Internet. For the suspension of disbelief to work well, a story needs to be believable to an aspect where the viewer (or reader) actually believes, if but for a moment in time.

I believe in The Twilight Zone. I believe in Heroes. At least I do when I'm watching them. Lost and Star Trek, not so much.