TV with MeeVee

Webisodes Set For "The Office," "Heroes"

The other networks are announcing their falls schedules this week. NBC shot their wad a few weeks ago, but they're still trying to get their share of press today with the Jimmy Fallon announcement and the Ryan Seacrest announcement. They're also hoping to whet our appetites for new shows like "My Own Worst Enemy" (with Christian Slater as a suburban dad/superspy); a stateside remake of the Aussie sitcom "Kath & Kim" (with Molly Shannon); the island adventure series "Crusoe"; and the "Knight Rider" remake (even though this spring's pilot movie sucked the big one). And of course "Friday Night Lights" will be back, after airing first on DirecTV, but we told you that back in march.

And there's also this from NBC Digital Entertainment: a second season of webisodes on NBC.com for fans of "The Office," featuring current cast members, and new webisodes for "Heroes," both coming this summer.

"The Office" webisodes will follows along as "Kevin (Brian Baumgartner, left) pursues a unique solution in an effort to pay back his looming gambling debts." This installment also stars Oscar Nunez (Oscar), Leslie David Baker (Stanley) and Craig Robinson (Darryl). The "Heroes" webisodes - titled "Manhunt" - focus on the discovery of a new villain - oh boy, more new characters on "Heroes!" - and leads directly into the third-season premiere.

NBC Digital is also promising more "top of mind content" for its "Saturday Night Live" political site and increased streaming choices, including a new site just for iPhone users.

"Heroes" Nabs Speedy "FNL" Cutie

It must be summer, because it's time for an endless stream of "Heroes" casting news. Blonder-than-blonde Brea Grant of "Friday Night Lights" is the latest to join the increasingly mammoth cast, word is she'll be playing a super-fast superhero who is described as the Joker to Hiro's Batman. The new character's name is Daphne, and she runs afoul of Hiro when she tries to rip off the Nakamura family.

"I'm stealing a secret that's been kept in Hiro's family for a long time that he's just now found," Brea Grant told The Associated Press during a break in filming in downtown Los Angeles. "He stops time right as I grab it, but in that second it took him to grab it, I almost make it out of the office."

It's going to be fun to see Hiro with an arch nemesis, especially a cute, female one. Daphne will be appearing in Season 3, which picks up where the truncated Season 2 left off. Since the title of the next volume of "Heroes" is "Villains," I'm guessing this won't be the last bad-guy casting we see.

Morning "Hillary, Girlfriend, It's Over" Links

• Speaking of cute but not especially talented dudes on "American Idol," as we have been for the last couple of days, Ace Young is going to get whacked on "Bones" next week. Another "Idol" runnerup who I don't even remember - Brandon Rogers? Really? - is also on the ep, which focuses on a barroom singing contest. But just to be nice I'll run a pic of Emily Deschanel from the ep instead. (TV Squad)
• The cops made it official against departing "CSI" star Gary Dourdan y'day. (TMZ)
• Who can afford to maintain an "Extreme Makeover" home?? (Philly.com)
• Bruce Boxleitner joins "Heroes." That ought to get younger viewers excited. Uh, not. (TV Guide)
• Dating show for the mentally disabled? Eeek. (TMZ)
• Sutton-at-Hone councilors in Kent can eat my shorts. (UK Daily Record)
• "Ugly Betty" crew members losing their jobs as the show moves to Taxbreakistan New York are bitter that California hasn't done more to keep productions. (Deadline Hollywood Daily)

Monday, Monday Links

• Finally, some inside dope on season three of "Heroes." (Buddy TV)
• Gossip columnists noted that last week's "Law & Order: SVU" suspect of the week seemed to be a thinly disguised version of Tom Brady as a closeted gay man. (Boston Herald)
• Judah Friedlander (right) talks about his "30 Rock" trucker caps. (NY Observer)
• Rebecca Romijn's role downsized and more news from "Ugly Betty." (Televisionista)
• Talking "Lost" ratings. (SyFy Portal)
• Interview with a geek from "Greek." (TV Addict)
• I link not to praise "Big Brother,"  but to bury it. (TV Squad)
• "Brothers & Sisters" and "Ugly Betty" once again score at the GLAAD awards. (AP)
• Paula Marshall, show killer? (TV Squad)

Good Morning, Campers!

• "Heroes: Origins" is dead, dead, dead. But you knew that, right? (New Film Dimension)
• Smart move by ABC, signing author Jennifer Weiner to develop a chick-friendly series. (Variety)
• Tuesday's "Idol" was down 12 percent, year-to-year, but still blows away the competition. (Televisionista)
• Kathie Lee Gifford's "Today" return, reviewed. (NYT)
• Best line of the morning: "Needless to say, the candy was more hard-hitting than Mary Hart." (Deadline Hollywood Daily)
• Kim Cattrall interview is not so exciting, but a good reminder that Daniel "Harry Potter" Radcliffe is on "Masterpiece Theater" this weekend in "My Boy Jack." (AP)
• For "Battlestar Galactica" fans only. (Billboard)

Morning reading

• Kristen bell sez she's got the "sickest" storyline evah on "Heroes." We're in. (TV Guide)
• Ahahahahaha. Reviewer likes HBO's "John Adams," except that Paul Giamatti is wrong for the title role. In costume, she says, he "looks like Shrek." (NYT)
• Rub a dub dub. Snoop hits a soap. "One Life To Live" for his 'hood. (AP)
• Les Moonves of CBS wants "American Idol" dead. Funny, I feel that way about "Big Brother," and I don't even have a network. (Hollywood Reporter)

"Heroes" Releases Album, Courts Hipsters

The excessively multi-media scifi show "Heroes" is all set to release a CD of your favorite music from the show. Like... that eerie sound effect, and Sylar laughing maniacally. I like "Heroes," but I have never once remarked, "ooo, great music" while watching an episode. Apparently it's not bad though, the soundtrack will include Wilco, Bob Dylan, Imogen Heap, and for people who like the pointlessly over-rated, there's even a Panic! At The Disco song. The album will also include The Jesus And Mary Chain's first new studio recording in more than a decade, "All Things Must Pass."

The CD releases March 18th, and is available for pre-order at Best Buy. The tracks will also be available on the Zune Marketplace if you were dumb enough to buy a Zune, but NBC assures us they will also be on "other digital service providers." I'm holding out for the "Pushing Daisies" soundtrack myself.

Morning Reads: Saturn Awards Find "Lost"

• "Lost" leads the TV nominations for the Saturn Awards from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy And Horror Films. Best Network Series nominees are: "Heroes," "Journeyman," "Lost," "Pushing Daisies," "Supernatural" and "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles." "Journeyman"? Really? (TV Addict)
• Lorne Michaels knows that "Saturday Night Live" is in a tough place as it returns to the air this week. (NY Times)
• Fox now has the highest average network rating for the season. Yikes. (AP)
• I guess "K-Ville" really isn't coming back. Anthony Anderson is going to replacing Jesse L. Martin on "Law & Order." (Hollywood Reporter)
• "Jericho" and "Big Brother" both had really bad weeks for CBS. (tvbythenumbers.com)

Back To "The Office": NBC Unveils Post-Strike Plans

NBC has announced the post-writers-strike fate of its shows. One press release unveiled premiere dates for series returning this spring. The other revealed that "Heroes," "Chuck" and "Life" will all return - but not till next fall, when they'll be beneficiaries of "major re-launch campaigns."

Unlike CBS, the network wasn't telling how many post-strike episodes of the spring series will be produced - with "Scrubs," in its final season, the big question mark there. Sez NBC:

"My Name Is Earl" (Thursdays, 8-8:30 p.m. ET), will return with a one-hour episode on Thursday, April 3; the Emmy Award-winning "30 Rock" (Thursdays, 8:30-9 p.m. ET) will begin on Thursday, April 10; likewise, the Emmy-winning "The Office" (Thursdays, 9-9:30 p.m. ET) also resumes with new episodes on Thursday, April 10; and "Scrubs" (Thursdays, 9:30-10 p.m. ET) will come back with original episodes beginning Thursday, April 10.

"ER" (Thursdays, 10-11 p.m. ET) also will come back on Thursday, April 10 with new episodes following the complete run of "Lipstick Jungle," which concludes on March 20.

"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (Tuesdays, 10-11 p.m. ET) will return with fresh episodes on Tuesday, April 15. "Law & Order" (Wednesdays, 10-11 p.m. ET) resumes with original episodes on Wednesday, April 23. Meanwhile, "Medium" (Mondays, 10-11 p.m. ET) continues in originals.

And a postscript: Specific plans for other NBC scripted series are currently being determined and will be announced later.

Writers Strike: So Now What About "24"? And "Lost"? And...

The staff of your favorite sitcom is champing at the bit to start writing new jokes beginning Wednesday, assuming writers vote tomorrow to end their strike. But serial dramas are in a very different place, as the shows with the most to gain or lose as Hollywood returns to work. In recent seasons, the networks found out that shows like "24" and "Lost" play best in big chunks uninterrupted by reruns, allowing viewers to get fully absorbed in the often complex storylines. But the strike screwed up networks' plans. So what's up with your favorite drama series?

Well, the showrunner - aka the producer who makes it all go - is probably figuring that out at this very second, or possibly staring at his telephone in agitation, waiting impatiently for a call from the network that will give him his marching orders. (Shonda Rhimes aside, most showrunners are still men.) But even though the situation remains unsettled, the contradictory plans for Fox's "24" and ABC's "Lost" will give you a feel for what's really going on out there.

The anti-terrorism drama "24" was due to air 22 straight from early January through May sweeps, tag-teaming the Nielsen ratings with "American Idol" as in years past. ABC and "Lost" producers had committed to three more seasons of 16 episodes each, this year and in 2009 and 2010, giving dubious viewers some assurance of an orderly wrapup to the mystery-laden series. "Lost" was due to start airing in late January or February with a more-or-less uninterrupted run until May.

Hayden Panettiere's Clothes For Whales

"Heroes" cheerleader and superhero Hayden Panettiere is selling her clothes and donating the proceeds to help save whales. Yeah, it sounds kind of fluffy, but this is sort of a radical whale-saving group - I think it's related to the same campaign that nearly got her arrested back in Japan. Most of the items have never been worn, some have been worn once, and - sorry pervs - there are no undies in the auction.

Below, video of Hayden talking about her animal rights campaigning:

Milo And Hayden Sitting In A Tree

For ages, we've seen rumors about whether Milo Ventimiglia and Hayden Panettiere are dating, and plenty of insistence that they totally aren't. The stars themselves have denied it, saying that they're good friends and it's natural that people would assume they're dating, but it just isn't so.

That is, until this week! The "Heroes" star was at a party and told friends he was dating his much-younger co-star, and they spent much of the evening holding hands. At least, that's what ContactMusic says. Personally, I'm not going to believe it until I see video.

Masi Oka Must Dress Like This On Purpose, But Why?

I know that "Heroes" time-traveler Masi Oka (a.k.a. Hiro) is a big techie in real life - in college he was a Computer Science major and he's now the OLPC goodwill ambassador. And I know his character is a nerdy guy on the show. But neither of those things adequately explains to me why Masi Oka was wearing his shirt and tie all wrong at the Kid's Choice awards last week.

A big TV star doesn't generally show up at a photo-op without a carefully chosen outfit. That suggests that someone deliberately knotted that tie too short, carefully folded the shirt collar over the jacket collar, and untucked the shirttail to hide his waist and make him look shorter.

Are Oka and NBC trying to make him look stupid? He seems dressed even more poorly than his character is on the show. I don't get it.

"Heroes" And "The Wire" Hot Links

Heroes
Brokenback Tango went to the Jules Verne festival and brought back a spoiler-rich report of some of the events that will be coming in Volume 3 of "Heroes."

The Wire
Heaven And Here has a lengthy discussion of genre and how "The Wire" is supposed to be a genre-bending tale, but couldn't exist without the roots it has in film noir and the broadcast-TV police procedural.

"Heroes" -- Victims and Villains

Heroes
Title: “Powerless”
First Aired: 12/03/07

The best thing that can be said for the end of "Heroes" Volume Two is that the last five minutes are so good that they very nearly make up for the fifty-five before them (forty, when you discount commercials). The show ends on a startling, emotionally-charged note, catapulting us into the next story with a whole new batch of questions. Unfortunately, it's hard to forget the leaden, nonsensical lead-in. The second season of "Heroes" suffered from a host of issues, many of which have been acknowledged by the show's creator. The two romance plots never really came together, the Japan plot dragged on, character motivations often didn't make a lot of sense. Sylar, one of the best characters on the show, was neutered and saddled with the incredibly dull twins, and Nikki, one of the worst, was given a bunch of extra plot with the New Orleans story, which never really fit into the rest of it.

Family Friendly Programming Awards - Not Bad, Actually

Too often "family-friendly" is a TV code word for "lame crap for the kids." But nearly a decade ago a group of major advertisers put their money where their mouthes were and funded the Family Friendly Programming Forum, which provides seed money for the development of family friendly TV scripts. The show gets on the air, the fund gets reimbursed. Simple as that. And the results have been pretty good, including "Gilmore Girls," "Friday Night Lights" and "Everybody Hates Chris." Separately, the group promotes the annual Family Television Awards, which were handed out Wednesday night in Hollywood, with the ceremony to be televised Dec. 27 on CW.

Now, you're not going to find "The Wire" or "Weeds" here (and ironically you won't find any CW shows either). But the winners mostly demonstrate that the Forum has been true to its word, making inclusive, family-friendly shows that regularly defy the "lame crap for kids" stereotype by being at least halfway decent and often very good. (This year, not surprisingly, it's Fox that brings the average down.) This year's winners are:

Comedy - "Ugly Betty," ABC
Drama - "Heroes," NBC
Actor - Zac Efron ("High School Musical 2," ABC Family)
Actor - Kyle Chandler ("Friday Night Lights," NBC)
Actress - America Ferrera ("Ugly Betty," ABC, pictured)
Miniseries or Special - "Planet Earth" BBC/Discovery
Movie Musical - "High School Musical 2," ABC Family
New Series - "Pushing Daisies," ABC
Cable Series - "Kyle XY," ABC Family
Reality - "Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?" Fox
Favorite Newcomer - Zachary Levi ("Chuck," NBC)

"Heroes" - Virus #138

Heroes
Title: “Truth & Consequences”
First Aired: 11/26/07

It's hard to review this week's "Heroes" without comparing it to last week's, which was arguably the best of the (probably truncated) season so far. Is it as good as last week? No. But then again, it's not as bad as the week before. The gooey-eyed twins make a reappearance, as does the ever-annoying Nikki in the New Orleans plotline, another of the weaker elements of this season. On the other hand, there's some good evil Sylar and evil Adam stuff, and Hiro gets to be Hiroic. As things heat up for the mid-season break/season ender (depending on how the strike goes), it's definitely starting to get ugly.

Paul Reubens, Hayden Panettiere, Kristen Bell, And The King Of Spain

The Pie Maker has details on an interview Paul "PeeWee" Reubens gave to The Journal News about his
role as Oscar the "olfactory expert" in "Pushing Daisies."  Yes, he had been initially tapped for a different role. No, he's not going to talk about that. Yes, he loves the role he's getting. The strike is putting a kink in the plans for him to really shine over the course of a full season, but still, it's good.

Meanwhile, in another interview, Hayden Panettiere and Kristen Bell talk "Heroes." What I love about it is that the tape starts from before the interview, while the crew is checking the mics. You get to see a few short unscripted moments before they go into their interview performances.

Finally, the best unscripted moment captured on video this month and possibly this year. Scene: The Ibero-American Summit, in Santiago de Chile. The Spanish prime minister is trying to speak, but Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez keeps interrupting. Suddenly, King Juan Carlos of Spain leans forward, turns to Chavez, and says what everyone is thinking: "Why don't you shut up?" It happens about halfway through the video below, and the moment has already inspired ring tones, parodies, remixes, t-shirts, and bumper stickers. If you never thought royalty could be cool, check again now.

¿Por qué no te callas?
Uploaded by joraupa

"Dancing With The Stars" vs. "Heroes"?

Separated at birth? "Heroes" cutie Hayden Panettiere looks an awful lot like "Dancing With The Stars" pro Julianne Hough, who's partnered with Brazilian racecar driver Helio Castroneves.

At least, they both have the same foofy blond hair, lip-gloss, and too much eye shadow.

"DWTS" spoilers after the jump.

"Heroes" -- Death Of A Salesman

Heroes
Title: “Cautionary Tales”
First Aired: 11/19/07

That sound you're hearing is thousands of "Heroes" fans breathing a sigh of relief and then screaming in horror at their television set. In one fell swoop, "Heroes" finally returned to the form it displayed in the first season, and delivers an impressive kick to the head. The weakest plots and characters are on the back burner and the plot is heating up. At least if the writers strike ends up forcing season two to end early, it won't be a total wash. Even West manages to be non-irritating and less creepy than usual.

"Heroes" and "Grey's" Previews!

Via Seriously OMG here are two previews. The first is "Heroes:" in tonight's episode, Claire finally stands up to her dad, and Molly starts to put the "nightmare man" behind her. The real point, though, is that "normal" is something none of the heroes can ever be. They're going to have to accept, even celebrate, their difference from the rest of the world. Hmmm, sounds like something the American Family Association ought to start investigating.

Second, "Vanished" star Gale Harold comes to "Grey's Anatomy", playing a paramedic who doesn't want to be examined by a black doctor. But he doesn't want to admit that he's a racist, you know.  That would be a little rude. Patients that try the patience of doctors are nothing new for the show, but I don't think I've seen anyone on the show act quite as stupid as this.

Too Cute For Commentary: Hayden Panettiere And Kristen Bell

"Heroes" hotties Hayden Panettiere and Kristen Bell did an interview for TV Guide which consisted of distilled cuteness and friendly banter. Plus, they talk about an upcoming hostage situation on the show - with a deadly climax. I really don't have a lot to say about it, because, well... it's just too cute for words.

I will point out, though, that Hayden is still wearing too much mascara. It takes her just across the fine line between "I'm impossibly good-looking" and "I know I'm impossibly good-looking."

See also: Hayden Panettiere with "Star Wars" storm troopers at Glitterati Gossip.

"Heroes" Cutie Hayden Panettiere In Trouble With The Law!

When "Heroes" star Hayden Panettiere turned 18, we all began to predict when she'd go off the rails. Would she get a DUI before she turned 21? Would she be filmed snorting cocaine? Would someone find nude photos or a sex tape? Well, no. She's kept her nose clean and her body clothed, and spent her extracurricular time helping puppies and kittens.

At least until now. Hayden Panettiere has finally had the brush with the law we've all been waiting for.

She recently traveled to Japan with renegade environmental group Sea Shepherd in an attempt to stop a dolphin cull in Japan. The protest she joined there has been deemed illegal, and authorities have issued a warrant for her arrest. The charge of "obstruction of commerce" is not serious enough to warrant extradition, so there aren't any serious repercussions for her, except that she isn't exactly welcome in Japan any more.

"Heroes" And What Happened In Between

Heroes
Title: “Four Months Ago”
First Aired: 11/12/07

In a more perfect world, this week's episode would have been the season premiere, and we wouldn't have been subjected to all the draggy mess - with shining moments of awesome in between - of the last half-dozen episodes of "Heroes." It's not that the idea of picking up four months later is inherently bad, but the execution, oh the execution. Fortunately, this episode brings back some of the best elements of the show. Mystery, uncertain loyalties, and the Haitian.

Writers Strike: All The Latest Bad News

It really is Apocalypse Hollywood. And Jack Bauer can't save us.

That's what I wrote last night, and it appears even more accurate in the cold light of day. The effects of the strike are being felt faster than anyone thought. Fox late yesterday announced a complete schedule re-set for the rest of the 2007-2008 season, which includes sliding Day 7 of "24" until next season.

Perhaps not a coincidence that the WGA has scheduled its first mass picket for Friday at Fox? (Scribe Vibe)
 

We'd like to bring you some hopeful news, but so far there isn't any. The strikers mock greedy moguls. Moguls mock the strikers. Just about everyone in the industry is caught in the middle - and/or looking to the writers to set the tone for their own looming negotiations. Oh, and oil is headed for $100 a barrel. Yup, nothing but good news.

THE LATEST:

• Will sad TV fans turn to MySpace? The producers of "thirtysomething" hope so. (AP)
• Are some soaps already hiring scabs who'll work behind the anonymity of email? (United Hollywood)
• Breaking down Fox's complicated plan. (TVG)
• Fox shuffle means only one more "Prison Break" in 2007. (Televisionista)
• Studios threaten to sue showrunners (who live on both sides of the strike). (Televisionista)
• Strike could be bad news for "Heroes" fans. (TV Squad)

The United Hollywood YouTube page is a great place to look for WGA strike video. Here's one with legendary comedy producer Garry Marshall:

Tim Kring Takes Time Out To Apologize For "Heroes"

Tim Kring took a few minutes away from his busy strike schedule to tell EW why season two of "Heroes" has been so spectacularly unspectacular. According to Tim the pace was too slow, the romance is boring, the new cast members are adrift, the "save the world" stakes took too long to establish and Hiro was stuck in Japan for way too long. It's hard to disagree with him, though you have to wonder what he thought went well so far.

It's great that Tim is stepping up and taking the responsibility, but I wish it didn't stink of desperation so much. The interview has a certain eau de infomercial about it ("If you don't like our romance, we'll throw in a fight sequence! Now how much would you pay?"), and scrambling to obey the capricious whim of the fans seems like a dangerous proposition. Is Tim using fan feedback to hone his skills, or is he just caving to peer pressure?

"Heroes" And The Grim Future

Heroes
Title: “Out Of Time”
First Aired: 11/05/07

This season of "Heroes" seems to be a little like the second album by a new band that hit it big with their first CD. A lot of what you liked to begin with is still there, but they seem to be faltering in their attempt to make lightning strike twice. You want to root for the little band that could, but you can't help feeling a little bit like they sold out.

Speaking of sold out, please, for the love of god, check out Claire's new phone, since it's clear from the absolutely desperate way that it's being thrust at us that lives depend on people noticing how neat-o cool that phone is. Seriously, that phone is very important.

"Heroes" Stars Act Heroic To Children, Dolphins

Masi Oka, who plays time-traveler Hiro on "Heroes," has signed up to be a publicity ambassador for the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative, says BusinessWire.  OLPC, a group known for developing a "$100 laptop" (it actually costs a little more than that) and trying to get cheap, energy-efficient computing to children in developing nations around the world. Oka, who studied math and computer science at Brown, will appear in public service announcements about the project.

Meanwhile, Hayden Panettiere, who plays the invincible cheerleader Claire Bennett, has gotten involved in saving dolphins from Japanese fishermen. In Japan, dolphins are regarded regular fish, and there is a legal season during which they can be captured. The US and many other countries, however, regard dolphins as cute, and therefore more worthy of sympathy and protection. Hayden and a number of other protesters from the Save Japan Dolphins campaign went to rural Japan and paddled out on surfboards to a hidden cove where local fishermen were preparing to butcher dolphins they hadrounded up. They failed to save any dolphins this year, but did manage to draw the attention of news media around the world:

Halloween's-Scariest-Trick-Is-The-Writers-Strike Links Fest

• Nikki Finke says no strike for a couple of days, anyway. (Deadline Hollywood Daily)
• "Heroes" continues to slip in the ratings. (Televisionista)
• Deep thinking about "Reaper." Yup. (TV Squad)
• "Dancing With The Stars" results recap. (BuddyTV)
• People are getting really sick of Jerry Seinfeld shilling for "Bee Movie." He's lost the funny. (The Hater)
• Beatboxer Blake Lewis, the 2nd place finisher on "American Idol" last year, has an album coming out. (Buzzsugar)
• Ugly Betty is incredibly hott! (Seriously OMG)
• "Samantha Who?" gets a full season from ABC. (Hollywood Reporter)
• "Jericho": not good, but you know you can't stop watching (Slate)
• You did WHAT in my house? You hid WHAT in my couch? You met my mother HOW? (Seriously OMG)

"Heroes" And The Past, Present And Future

Heroes
Title: “The Line”
First Aired: 10/29/07

If there's anything that "Heroes" has down, it's the final 60 seconds of an episode that takes your breath away. There were bits and pieces of this week's episode that lagged, but when it came to the final shot, "Heroes" didn't let us down. Things are getting worse, lines are getting crossed, and we're beginning to get an idea what the big catastrophe of the season is going to be.

West/Claire
Speaking of things that dragged, I just can't get into West. In order to maintain Claire's lie to her dad about making the cheerleading squad, they have to actually get Claire on the cheerleading squad. After Claire is comically rejected by the two-dimensionally evil head cheerleader, the two cook up a plan to embarrass the head Heather and get her off their case. Fortunately, she plays perfectly into their hands, and is drunk on cheap wine when West flies up in a ski mask and pretends to kill Claire. So, evil cheerleader is vanquished and Claire takes her slot on the squad, yawn. Even with the extremely likely possibility that West is actually a sneaking evil bent on destroying Claire, I just can't care about her school shenanigans.

Dana Davis And Nichelle Nichols on "Heroes"

New to Season 2 of "Heroes" are Dana Davis as Monica Dawson and "Star Trek" alum Nichelle Nichols as Nana Dawson. The Dawson's are relatives of the late D.L. and Micah, and are providing the pint-sized hero a place to stay. This week, the two ladies sat down on a conference call with journalists to discuss "Heroes," "Star Trek," and the burden of telling a story in post-Katrina New Orleans.

On whether it was emotionally difficult to play characters who had been affected by Katrina:
Dana: I have to say in the beginning it was, because when I did my research, I watched some documentaries about Katrina. I'm the kind of person that when I see someone crying I cry too. I take on that emotion, so sometimes I run from it. And when I got this part I couldn't run anymore. It really made it real to me, because you know, “Heroes” is so surreal and it’s fun. Bringing in this element of reality, it was hard for me. So I have to find a way to kind of put it in a box so I could play this fun, upbeat character. But I think it makes the character more real.

Lunchtime Links: "Veronica Mars" DVDs, "Reaper" Pranks...

"Veronica Mars" season 3 DVDs are out and they look great. (BuzzSugar)

Sam is still a dumbass on "Reaper," but I love what Andi did to  the manager's car. (Seriously, OMG!)

"Heroes" just isn't ringing Kathie's bells anymore. Is the show going off the rails? (GMMR)

Troubled "Lost" actress Michelle Rodriguez was in and out of the bathroom at a party awhile ago, and bloggers said it must have been drugs. Wrong! She proved it by releasing drug test results. (TMZ)

"Heroes" And The Nightmare Man

Heroes
Title: “Fight Or Flight”
First Aired: 10/22/07

I've often been impressed by the powers on "Heroes." While he was a giant whiner, Isaac's power was unique and awesome, and many others seemed pretty cool.  However, this week's "Heroes" was the first time the revelation of a power provoked a response so strong I can't repeat it in print.

Oh yeah, and Kristen Bell's in the episode, which is wicked cool if you ask me (and by reading this, you basically did). We already know from our interview with Kristen last week that we won't see her again for another two episodes, but Elle's introduction doesn't disappoint.

"Heroes" Interview: Kristen Bell, Tim Kring

TubeTalk has a two part (one, two) interview with "Heroes" producer Tim Kring and hot new star Kristen Bell (formerly of "Veronica Mars").

Scintillating tidbit: They talk about the danger of too many characters, and the fact that they're probably going to kill a few people off in the near future.

No spoilers as to who it's going to be, though.

"Heroes" - More From Tim Kring On Season 2

Yesterday, Tim Kring and Kristen Bell talked to journalists about her role on "Heroes" and some of what will be coming up for audiences. Along with telling us all about Bell's Elle and the big plans for her this season, Tim Kring talked a little more about his vision for "Heroes" and some of the mysteries currently in the works.

On whether he's worried about frustrating fans who are waiting for answers:
“We actually are not a show that tries to keep answers away from the audience. Our feeling is that no answer is so precious that we can’t tell the audience what it is. That being said, there’s a certain amount of fun in drawing things out, and it keeps your interest. But our show changes and morphs all the time. One of the things we did this season that we didn’t do last season, last season we had one volume, Genesis, and it happened to be 23 episodes long… This season we’re going to have multiple volumes, we started with Generations, which started on episode one and ends on episode 11, where every question that was raised will be answered.”

Totally Frakked: Kristen Bell And Tim Kring Talk "Heroes"

Next Monday night, fans of geeky and cult shows will be in an orgy of joy as everyone's favorite girl detective meets everyone's favorite not-quite-caped crusaders. Kristen Bell of Veronica Mars fame will be joining the "Heroes" crew as Elle, a mysterious woman with a connection to The Company and a key to Peter's past. The geeky blonde bombshell herself, along with creator Tim Kring, sat down to talk to the press about what's in store for Kristen and the rest of the Heroes in the upcoming season.

Kristen on what it's like to play a character who's not so nice:
I have been crossing my fingers in hopes of getting a role where I could play someone who is, as Tim puts it, a little off or perhaps didn’t have the brightest and shiniest of intentions and I think the depths that they’ve written into Elle, this character is so conflicted and sort of comes across as such a vixen, it’s so much fun to play with.

Kristen on how she got the part:
I was a huge fan of the show. I watched it from the premiere episode and I joked with the writers that "Heroes" was always the water cooler conversation at "Veronica Mars" on set, and they had said that among many of the writers, "Veronica Mars" was the water cooler conversation when they were working at "Heroes." I certainly put feelers out there during Comic Con and let them know what a fan I was of the show, I think with the secret hope that I could someday be a part of it and then it was ultimate flattery when they came forward and said, "We might have something for you to do."

Totally Frakked: "Heroes" And The Boogeyman

Heroes
Title: “The Kindness Of Strangers”
First Aired: 10/15/07

Ding dong, the beard is gone. Much thanks to Nathan Petrelli's adorable little boys, who lodge the same objection that everyone watching the show did and finally convince Nate to ditch the Amish-style beard. Also thanks to the writers, who gave us fewer storylines to follow this week, which makes everything easier to follow (not to mention recaps easier to write).

Also back in force are the patented "Heroes" coincidences, which are busting out all over the story to the detriment of our friendly superpeople. You can tell the show is back in full swing by the gasps of shock as unexpected connections appear. You can also tell the show is on point when you're pretty much certain that almost no one can be trusted, and I'm pretty much certain of that.

Morning Links Exchange

Julian McMahon talks about the upcoming season of "Nip/Tuck." (Buddy TV)
And is "Nip/Tuck" the new "Love Boat?" Uh, no. (TV Addict)
The Times, of all places, offers a bracingly sardonic assessment of a reaction to a recent tragedy/normal Darwinian interaction on "Meerkat Manor." (NYT)
Goodman asks his blog readers which of their favorite shows are going off the rails this season, and "Heroes" and "Friday Night Lights" and "Rescue Me" all come up a lot. Some smartass also complains about the current season of "Veronica Mars." (SFGate)
Recap of the third episode of "Reaper," which I haven't seen yet because I watched "House." (Buddy TV)
Myself I lost track of "Damages" a long time ago - no rooting interest - but here's every twist and turn of this week's ep. recounted in advance of the season finale. (TV Squad)
We've mentioned the way DVR ratings have been roiling the waters. Now comes word that the execrable soap "Gossip Girl" has been renewed mainly on the strength of its live+ ratings. (Televisionista)
Cable ratings good for "Brotherhood." (Hollywood Reporter)
And last week's top broadcast shows. (AP)
"Bionic Woman" ratings could use a power boost. (E! Online)

Bonus Afternoon Links Festival

• An interview with Michaela Conlin (right), who plays Angela on "Bones." (Buddy TV)
• Love "Mad Men" on AMC. Brilliant. Deep. My favorite new show of the year, so far. Only two eps left this season. But at least we'll be getting the max out of the Oct. 18 season finale. (TV Squad)
• The three funniest words ever written about Victoria Beckham. (Glitterati)
• Spoilers for tonight's "House." (BuzzSugar)
• Proof that us reviewers know what we're talking about: "Journeyman" ratings are down. Proof that we don't: "Chuck" and "Heroes" are also sagging. (Televisionista)
• Proof that the jury's still out: "Cavemen's" fate will likely be revealed tonight, when its second episode airs. last week's big numbers reflected poorly on all of u