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DVD Recommendations for the 2009 Summer

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 15 May 2009 01:06:00 +0000

Summer is just beginning — and with it, the slew of summer blockbusters, flops, and everything in between. However, if you don’t want to pan out $10 to go to the theater, there are still movies that you can order from Netflicks or get at the video store. Here are just a few summer recommendations.

The Action: “Die Hard”

New York cop John McClane goes against the odds to rescue a group of people held hostage by terrorist in an LA office building.

Explosions, fights, nonstop action and a Bruce Willis that’s 24 years younger—what else do you need for a great action film? It’s the kind of film that when you watch it the first time, you’re on the edge of your seat—after that you’re still cheering for Willis’s character. What’s more, the film provides you with a few laughs as well. This popcorn film is just what you need for those boring nights.

The Comedy: “Without a Paddle”

Three friends take a hilarious misadventure down the river in search of famed airliner hijacker D.B. Cooper missing $194,200.

I’m somewhat picky in my comedy, but I can say I enjoyed this. It’s entertaining and does require too much thinking, and if you’re just looking for a good laugh sometime during the summer, this fits the bill.

The Romance: “The Notebook”

In a modern-day nursing home, an elderly man named Duke reads a love story from his notebook to a female fellow patient, about two young people who met one summer, were separated, and eventually come back together again.

Call it sappy, but most females can’t resist a good love story. The tale of Noah and Allie might have been told a thousand times over a number of different ways, but it doesn’t stop the emotion you get from watching it. You’ll laugh, cry, and sigh. It’s a great movie to for ladies to watch with their girlfriends.

The Classic: “The Princess Bride”

A grandfather reads a classic fairy tale—complete with “fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chase, escapes, true love, and miracles”—to his ill grandson.

One of my all time favorite movies, this highlighted movie of the eighties can be enjoyed by both sexes. Men will like the fighting and intrigue and women will sigh over the love story. It’s the perfect movie for those nostalgic moments when you want a little of everything.

The TV Show: “Heroes”

Normal people find out they have extraordinary abilities. DC Comics meets NBC drama.

If you’ve never seen it before, summer is a great time to start. That way you can watch as many episodes as you want at your convenience (in my experience and the experience of people I know, once you start watching, you have a hard time stopping) —or if you have a responsibilities, it’s like watching a summer superhero flick all through the summer.

Have fun watching!

"The Bachelor" Shocker

noreply@blogger.com (Christina Jenny) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 06:10:00 +0000

Wow, what a rollercoaster ride it has been watching this season of "The Bachelor".

On tonight's finale, Melissa and Molly got to meet Jason's family, Deanna came back to tell Jason she made a mistake and that he still has a chance, and Jason proposes to Melissa. On the After the Final Rose, however, Jason breaks up with Melissa and tells her he still has feelings for Molly.

Where oh where do I begin?

Let me start with how great Melissa was with Jason's family, especially with Ty. I could see them being a family together. Ty adored her. Melissa just had this motherly quality about her that made me know she was the perfect one for Jason. The one he truly needs.

Deanna came back on "The Bachelor" finale to let Jason know she made a mistake and she should have chosen him, but she didn't follow her heart or her head. She said she got caught up with someone she thought she was going to have fun with. Deanna advised Jason to LEAD his heart and to look further in the two girls. This was by far the smartest thing I've ever heard Deanna say.

I was happy when I saw Jason propose to Melissa, although I had a feeling my happiness was not going to last very long. Jason did seem genuine about his feelings for her because he tells her he is completely in love.

Well...on the After the Final Rose show, Jason told Chris Harrison that Melissa knew Jason felt differently. He also told Chris that he is still in love with Molly and that he would always regret not asking Molly "what if?"

When Melissa came out, she looked as if she had no idea what was going on. Jason proceeded to tell her that they aren't right for each other and that the chemistry is gone between them. He told Melissa he still has feelings for Molly and if he could control his heart and his head he would, but he can't.

What?! Jason, seriously? How could he tell Melissa he loved her, and then break up with her on television? How could this happen? Especially since he knew Melissa had always been the dumpee in her past relationships. Why would he put her through this torture?

I've come to the conclusion that Melissa is Deanna's Jason. Melissa is a warm, caring woman that Jason ultimately needs. The one that would have been perfect for him.

Molly on the other hand, is Deanna's Jesse. Molly is the sporty, exciting wild card, but I really, truly, can't see a future with them. Not a lasting one at least. I just can't.

While watching the After the Final Rose, I could tell that Melissa was really hurt. She asked Jason how he could put a ring on her finger, ask her to marry him, and then tell her it won't work without trying. Jason really did not try at all with Melissa. If you really love someone you will try your best to make things work and if that fails, you try again and again. Jason obviously didn't try with Melissa, especially since after he broke up with her he tells Molly he still loves her and that she is the one he wants to be with. How could he change his mind so quickly?

What Reality Steve said about Jason contacting Molly while engaged to Melissa makes TOTAL sense. If he really wanted Melissa and felt horrible about hurting her, he wouldn't bring Molly to the SAME show to tell her he wants another chance, then KISS her passionately when she says they can see where things go.

I really liked Jason before tonight. Like many fans, we watched the show because we supported Jason and wanted him to find true love. Okay, so maybe he will find "true love" with Molly, but we didn't expect him to break someone's heart on national television in the process! After he proposed to her!

After watching Melissa leave the After the Final Rose show, I felt disgusted with Jason. We thought Deanna was messed up for letting Jason get down on one knee only to reject him, but THIS? Breaking up with a woman you proposed to on television? We thought Brad not choosing any of the women in the finale was bad. Ha! THIS is bad. Jason could quite possibly be the worst bachelor...ever.

At least Melissa left the show with class and integrity. Before she left, she told Jason good luck in the future and good luck with Molly. She was obviously upset, but kudos to her for being extremely classy because if that happened to me, all hell would break loose.

Reality Steve was absolutely correct in his speculations about the outcome of the show. To the fans, how do you all feel about the After the Final Rose? Are you satisfied? Will you be watching future episodes of "The Bachelor"?

I pretty much think this season has done it for me. I don't think I'm emotionally ready to handle this show.

Reality Steve Discusses "The Bachelor" Finale

noreply@blogger.com (Christina Jenny) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 17:03:00 +0000

SPOILER

This guy known as Reality Steve has been posting Youtube videos about "The Bachelor" finale. He claims that he knows the outcome of the Final Rose Ceremony where Jason dumps Melissa and dates Molly. Reality Steve says that ABC was behind this all along and told Jason to go for Melissa even though he already knew he wanted Molly.

As we know, "The Bachelor" finale is on tonight at 8 p.m. and the After the Final Rose will be on right after. Many fans have posted on "The Bachelor" community blog saying they believe Reality Steve's speculations about the final outcome. Personally, if all of this is correct, I will feel so lame for telling everyone how great Jason is and how sorry I was for him when Deanna broke his heart. If Jason really does break up with Melissa on T.V. and lets her know he is with Molly, I will lose so much respect for Jason and feel my excitement for this season was a waste of time!

If you think about it though, many fans knew Melissa was going to win. Reality Steve says this is correct. Jason does propose to Melissa, but breaks up with her on the ATFR. ABC probably knew fans would figure out it was Melissa, but why would they make it so easy?? Of course they would have a twist! It makes perfect sense.

But we don't REALLY know what happens until we watch tonight's show, so we'll just have to wait and see if Reality Steve has been correct all along.

What are your thoughts? Do you think Jason was really in on this? Do you think he dumps Melissa for Molly?

I am bubbling inside! I'm nervous about watching tonight's episode and the ATFR because I don't want Reality Steve to be right. However, like everyone else, I can't wait to see what will happen. Especially since Deanna comes back to talk to Jason.

Reality Steve has four videos posted. Here they are.

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"Heroes" Volume 4 - "Fugitives"

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 20:51:00 +0000

Another Heroes volume, another three months of twists, turns, and alleyways of what we call the morally grey. So far Nathan Petrelli, with the help of the American government, is rounding up heroes with plans to imprison them in a facility, and placing the heroes on the run.

The last few episodes bring up the big question on whether “the greater good” is worth everything. Within the last few weeks, we’ve seen Nathan’s plan to contain those with abilities bring the destruction of lives and the imprisonment of innocents — including his own brother, Peter. He truly believes in what he’s doing but his actions are — at best — questionable. What’s worse, he’s enlisted the help of “the Hunter” a former military man who is like a wild dog on a leash just waiting for the chain to break. Despite Nathan’s call for no bloodshed the Hunter obviously lusts after it. That alone makes him beyond dangerous. Nathan, for all is political power, will not be to control this man for long.

To protect his daughter Claire, Noah Bennet — aka Horned Rimmed Glasses (HRG) — agrees to help Nathan after the Company is destroyed. This is no surprise there. Since the beginning of the show, we’ve questioned about how far he’s willing to go to protect his daughter. He’s kidnapped, murdered and tortured people for her, and yet we accept it because of the bond between father and daughter. We will definitely see how far he is willing to go to “prove his loyalty” to Nathan and the Hunter, and I think sometime this season he’ll have to make the ultimate sacrifice for her: this life.

Scared, vengeful and determined to fight back, Mohinder, Peter and Matt kidnap HRG to figure out what’s going on. Matt, torn up by the kidnapping of his girlfriend Daphne last week, is more determined than any of them to “do whatever it takes” to find out what’s going on. Using his mind-reading powers, he interrogates Noah in a way that’s almost torture — threatening to mess up the man’s brain if he has to. His actions lead him and Peter to be caught and Mohinder to be captured.

Each of these characters made choices because of a number of different reasons: for the greater good, for truth, for protection. They are willing to forgo what we might call “human mortality” — good/evil and right/wrong — to get what they want. Is it worth it? On the one hand, things get done, outcomes are made. On the other, people get hurt. Badly. These heroes see themselves in a time of war. In times of war, hard decisions are made. I’m almost positive that soon they will have to make even harder decisions before too long.

"The Bachelor". Only two roses left.

noreply@blogger.com (Christina Jenny) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 04:00:00 +0000

SPOILER

In tonight's episode, bachelor Jason Mesnick brings the remaining three bachelorettes -Molly, Melissa, and Jillian to New Zealand!

Date #1 with Jillian:

Jason and Jillian go on a helicopter ride overlooking snowy mountain tops and New Zealand. Jason is glad Jill is with him to experience this moment. They sit on a cliff that overlooks New Zealand and discuss their relationship. Jillian says she has never connected with anyone more than she has with Jason. She says she is looking for someone who can be her best friend and thinks Jason can be that best friend. How cute... Jason says he is looking for someone more than just a best friend. Hmmm.....hint hint?

He wants to find out if him and Jill have PASSION. If they have romantic chemistry.

So Jason brings Jillian to a winery. Jill tells Jason that when she is with him, she gets butterflies. She never expected them to have so much fun and have such a great connection with each other. It's something different that she has never had. She tells Jason she is crazy about him. Jason smiles at what he hears and invites her back to "The Fantasy Suite" where they can stay the night as a couple.

She hopes Jason can handle all her "fire." Whoa Jill hoooooold your horses!

Then they head over to the hot tub where things get pretty heated. Passion? Yes. Romantic chemistry? Yes. Best friends forever? I don't think so......

Date #2 with Molly:

Jason covers Molly's face and to her surprise, they are on a bridge and their date consists of bungee jumping! Molly is scared, but they count to three and fall...Molly screams "Let's do it again!" Molly says her parents love Jason (they didn't love or like her last boyfriend). Molly has a list of questions to ask Jason such as, "What is your favorite ice cream?" "Or..What is your favorite place in the world?" Etc, etc, etc. She saves one last question for their evening date.

Jason says he adores Molly and can picture her as his wife. He needs to know that she cares about him the way he does for her. He is scared she'll shy up. Molly says she wants to let her guard down for Jason. Molly finally breaks down her wall and admits she is falling in love with him. Woo. Kudos for Molly letting her guard down. Molly's last question was to ask Jason to stay the night with her. He still insists to show Mol the "Fantasy Suite" and thanks Mol for opening up to him.

Date #3 with Melissa:

Melissa runs and jumps into Jason's arms. In last week's episode, Jason did not get to meet Melissa's parents because they weren't comfortable with the public-ness of it all. Melissa knows she can get hurt but is willing to put her heart out there for Jason because he is worth it. Their date consists of going to a hot pool/tub where they discuss Melissa's parents. Jason is disappointed he didn't get to meet Melissa's parents. Apparently, she has not yet spoken to her parents since last week's episode. Melissa wishes they could be a part of her experience with Jason. Jason says he can fall in love with Melissa without meeting her parents but it can only go so far. In their evening date, Melissa tells Jason she was terrified to tell him he would not be able to meet her parents. She asks him if it's a big deal and he responds with, "it's hard because I met everyone else's families and it's really important to meet your parents." However, he got to see Melissa's friends, which he wasn't able to do with the other girls. Jason gives Melissa the "Fantasy Suite" card. Of course she says "ABSOLUTELY." In the "Fantasy Suite" Melissa tells Jason she has never felt like this before and that she has fallen in love with him.

Jason meeting with Chris Harrison:

When Jason goes to talk to Chris Harrison, Chris tells Jason the three women have made personal video messages for him. The girls' last plea! Jason watches the videos and gets emotional. He doesn't know how he will send anyone home.

In the Final Rose Ceremony:

Jason gets choked up once again. He tells the girls he has fallen for all three of them but has to send one home. Jason gives his first rose to Melissa. He gives his last rose to...dun dun dun...Molly. And then there were two.

My thoughts: I absolutely love Melissa. She is adorable and anyone who watches "The Bachelor" can tell they have sparks flying everywhere. Melissa is the most genuine when it comes to her feelings. I think Molly is cute, bubbly, and goofy, but I don't think she's right for Jason. I think they have great chemistry, but he has more with Melissa. Jillian I liked as well, but I'm pretty much betting on Melissa. Actually, I KNOW it's Melissa. I've read it on Jason's Myspace, I've even seen a video of it! According to the website The Hollywood Gossip, some guy posted up a video of his evidence to support his conclusion that Melissa does in fact win "The Bachelor."

Here's the link and the video:

http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/videos/the-bachelor-spoiler-melissa-wins/

"Heroes" Episode 11

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 22:47:00 +0000

Chapter Eleven “The Eclipse – Part 2”

Spoiler Alert

Summary: The eclipse is still messing with everyone’s powers. With Nathan captured, the Haitian and Peter make plans to rescue him from Baron Samedi. Hiro tries to get his memory back with the help of a couple of comic geeks. Furious with their part in Claire’s struggle to survive, Noah goes after Gabriel and Elle with plans to destroy them. Matt must come to terms with Daphne’s condition. Mohinder tries to escape confinement.

• The eclipse goes away a little more than halfway through and everyone gets their power back. I personally would have wanted them to be powerless until at least the very end of the episode. I would have wanted to see their vulnerability go on longer, but perhaps with the volume coming to an end before the six-week hiatus, that wouldn’t be a good idea.

• I really liked Hiro’s scenes in the comic store with comic geeks Sam and Flack . Some are complaining about the “Hiro-thinking-he’s-10” arch, but I think he’s adorable. The Masi Oka does such a good job at portraying a both childlike wonder (examining a box full of comics and chanting “Best. Day. Ever.”) and vulnerability. Hiro locking himself in the bathroom because he doesn’t want to grow up was very touching. What child can look at what his adult self has done as a hero (remember that the Hiro’s story was seen ahead of time by the precog who died in the first season, Isaac Mendez, and he drew it all in the “9th Wonders” comic books) and not wish for them to not happen? Sam’s speech about the Hiro giving people hope really echoes what fans love about the series in general. After examining the very first “9th Wonders” issue, Sam and Frack realize that Hiro must take Claire to the past, and does so without hesitation.

• Nathan gets captured by Baron Samedi, aka the Haitian’s brother. I have to tell you, I give the writers props for writing such badass villains this season. Samedi has just the right amount of arrogance and brutality to make you hate him without overdoing it. Peter’s character does a fine job at expressing why he came with his brother: to prove that he could be a hero without powers. He and the Haitian manage to rescue Nathan, and with the Haitian’s powers (taking memories and making powers ineffective), the Baron, who called himself a god, is vanquished. In only one of the week’s many “wth” moments, Nathan decides to join his dad, saying that with Formula H they can give powers to good people and keep bad ones from getting them. I’m sorry, as much as Nathan wants this to be true, it’s extremely naïve. The fact is it’s not whether your good or bad that determines whether you get something, it’s those who have the money. If someone has the money, they’ll get powers, I guarantee it. My hope is that Nathan will see the light before it’s too late.

• Turns out before Daphne got her powers, she couldn't walk, and with the eclipse, she has to walk on braces again. She’s scared that Arthur did this to her, and thinks deserves it. She tells Matt that he can’t help her, and to stop trying. Once the eclipse is gone, she has her powers back and she disappeared. Matt has his powers back, so he realizes her dad thinks it’s his fault she left, and hears Daphne’s thoughts in the cornfield. In a really touching scene with Daphne, Matt, and a scarecrow named Ray (Daphne made him when she was 13 to save the cornfield), Matt convinces her that powers or not, they’re all flawed, but where it counts she’s a good person. He tells her she needs her father’s forgiveness, and Daphne goes back to the house to hug her dad. It’s funny how amongst all the drama, fights, rescues, etc., the Daphne/Matt arch can still be sweeter than a jar of honey and not seem out of place.

• When Matt and Daphne go to the comic book store, Hiro has disappeared. Sam tells Matt, Daphne, and Ando that the latest issue is the last one Isaac Mendez created, but that he “heard it from a dude, who heard it from a dude, who heard it from another dude at a convention somewhere” that the day Isaac died, he gave is sketch book to a delivery boy. Find the sketch book, and they can find the last story. I’m really interested about this. It should be really interesting to see where this goes, because I don’t think they would have mentioned this if they weren’t taking it somewhere. My question is though, are they going to show it this volume or the volume that states in February?

• Claire is taken to the hospital after the gunshot she received last episode causes her to have an infection in her body. (A shot out to the make-up people who did a great job making Claire look like absolute crap.) Her body overcoming to the wound so quickly might point out that her power’s are blocking off something wrong with her body (or more likely that the wound was worse than her dad made it out to be). She eventually dies, but once the eclipse is over, she comes back to life. When her dad returns, she’s angry that he wasn’t there for her. Then Elle and Gabriel turn up, powers now a-blazing, to take Claire to Pinehearst. Hanging from a wall, Noah shouts that Gabriel is NOT a Petrelli. Another “WTH” moment. I don’t buy it. Sorry, but Noah has a history of being a notorious liar, so unless otherwise proven, Syler's still a Petrelli. Then Hiro interrupts, and takes Claire to the past, where it looks like he and Claire will be working together for the first time next episode.

• Elle and Sylar are getting it on, but are interrupted by Noah, who’s not happy at them for shooting his daughter. I’m sorry, as good as the intentions of Claire’s dad are, it kind of proves he values vengeance over his daughter’s life. His daughter’s in the hospital and he decides to go man hunting? It’s no wonder Claire is ticked. Noah follows the two of them to the storage room of a grocery store, and while Gabriel locks Elle in a lift, he fights Noah. Obviously he looses, and Noah slits his throat. But once the eclipse is gone, he comes back to life (remember that he has Claire’s invincibility power) to chase after Claire. Hiro interrupts the fight in Claire’s house. The look on Gabriel’s face when he appears, along with Hiro calling him “Bad Man” before taking him and Elle to a beach somewhere, is hilarious. In perhaps the biggest “WTH” moment, perhaps because what Noah yelled to him about not being a Petrelli or because his powers came back, he decides that his “good guy” personality was just temporary, and starts his head-slicing trademark on Elle. The writers took a big risk getting rid of Elle. She has a massive fan base and the writers can't afford to loose anymore viewers. Personally, I can do without her. What I've a problem with is the sudden turn around. (I'll explain more in "Complaints.")

• Through out this whole thing, Mohinder, who was turning into some scaly thing from the Black Lagoon, lost his ability and went back to normal, and made attempts to escape Pinehearst (he’s being held there against his will). He does by beating the crap out of Flint, only to come back again when the eclipse leaves and he gets his powers and scales back. Now the scales are growing on his face. His ability to beat up Flint even without his powers perhaps shows that he’s not only turning into a monster, but that there’s an emotional monster inside him. I’m interested in seeing the full effect of his transformation, but on the other hand, I’m not.

Praise: Like I said, I really was interested in the whole showing the heroes in their most varable, and I think Papa P got it right when the eclipse showed them who they really are. Some appeared to pass the test, while some didn’t. It’s all apart of the heroes journey.

Complaints: This whole ending was my only complaint about the whole episode. I actually liked “Good Guy Gabriel” vs. “Evil Sylar” (though I’m sure the “Evil Sylar” fan base are having a party about now), and I’m not quite sure what caused the sudden change. With two more episodes, I hope they explain this properly, because I don’t like this flip flopping when it comes to him. Is he a Petrelli, or isn’t he? Can he be a good guy or is he doomed to be evil? We'd like to know!

Favorite Part: Lot’s of good ones, but I have to say my favorite was the scenes that took place in the comic books store. Sam and Frack were really enjoyable and I hope we’ll see more of the in the future.

Grade: B+

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"Heroes" Episode 10

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 22:15:00 +0000

“Chapter Ten: The Eclipse - Part 1”

Spoiler Alert

Summary: The global eclipse brings huge changes for the heroes. Papa P draws a bunch of pictures showing the future. Peter and Nathan go to find the Haitian. Hiro, Ando & Matt follow Daphne to Kansas. Papa P sends Gabriel and Elle to find Claire.

• If fans will remember, many — if not all — of the heroes’ powers manifested after an eclipse in the first season. Well, another eclipse flies onto the scene and does the opposite. Now the heroes have to deal with being normal again. Perhaps the most artistic scene of the whole episode was a montage showing the pictures that Papa P drew and the heroes who starred in them, and the eclipse. It brought back a lot of memories of the show’s pilot.

• Tracy, who’s joined Papa P, informs Papa P of Nathan’s mission. When Mama P finds her talking on the cell phone, I’m sure she knew what Tracy’s doing. (She’s an ambitious string-puller herself, after all.)

• Mama P sends Nathan to Haiti to find the Haitian — the man with the ability to stop powers, and in this case, the only person who can stop Papa P. Peter wants to come, and reluctantly Nathan lets him. After the eclipse, Nathan can’t fly, and he gets him and his brother lost. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen some good Nathan/Peter brotherly interaction, and I enjoyed seeing it again. Peter, who’s been acting like a moron most of the season so far, really put Nathan in his place for once with his “you’re dad’s puppet,” and “you’ve always done what dad wanted” comments. I think hearing that will really have an effect on Nathan in future episodes.

• The brothers run into the Haitian, who won’t leave until he’s captured Level 5 escapee and Haiti warlord, Baron Samedi. Also known as the Haitians brother, it turns out. While the three of them wander in the jungle, they get shot at by Baron’s men, and Nathan gets captured. There’s an obvious parallel between the Haitian and his brother and Peter and Nathan. The Haitian is perhaps an extreme version of Peter (they both seem to have the tendency to “jump first, ask questions later,” anyway), while Baron is perhaps the extreme version of Nathan (both are natural leaders and somewhat arrogant, but Nathan is not nearly as blood-thirsty).

• Claire’s dad, Noah, takes Claire to a safe house (remember last week it was discovered that her blood was the “Catalyst” part of Formula H — the only way to make it work correctly). Claire’s sulky that she’s not fighting, but Noah gives her a reality check: that she’s indestructible, but it’s made her careless and puts others in harms way. So, he begins to show her the proper way to fight. Gabriel and Elle arrive, suddenly without their powers, and Noah easily overtakes them. When Elle tries to shoot Noah, Claire gets in the way. But without her power, she’s just as helpless as anyone else. Noah takes her home, and while he goes after Elle and Gabriel, Claire starts to bleed out. It’s been a while since Claire and Noah have been in a “heart-to-heart” scene. I think Noah was saying a lot of what audience members are thinking about her attempts to fight back. She needed to hear them, and as mad as she has been at him lately, I think he’s the only one who she would listen to.

• Gabriel is trying to be a good little agent while on the hunt for Claire, but Elle encourages him do and take what he wants. When the attempt to catch Claire fails, he seems like he’s genuinely happy he doesn’t have them anymore. Elle, on the other hand, is upset that “they can’t take what they want anymore.” Gabriel says “Said who?” and out of blue starts kissing her. As they’re making out, Noah’s aiming at them outside the window with a sniper’s gun. It’s interesting that Gabriel doesn’t mind not having powers. It shows him coming a long way from him wanting to be “special” in the first season, to just wanting to live without the hunger of his ability. If there’s one thing we know about Noah, it’s don’t mess with his daughter. Now that Gabriel doesn’t have his ability, he’s just an ordinary person — and a rather weak one at that. I’m predicting a lot of pain and suffering on Elle and Gabriel’s part at Noah’s hands.

• Ando and Hiro, who still thinks he’s ten, arrive at Matt’s apartment thanks to the “9th Wonders” comic book that Ando and Hiro have been using as their guide. Matt can’t seem to help him. Daphne, scared of what Papa P could do to them, the fact that their shot at saving the world thinks he’s ten, and that Matt may not trust her, runs away. Matt uses his mind power to find out she lives in a corn farm in Kansas. The comic book says that Ando and Hiro are supposed to go to Kansas, and so the three of them teleport just before the eclipse. Matt can’t read Daphne’s Dad’s mind when he tries to get in. He doesn’t have his power anymore, and feels he can’t save Daphne without his “mind-thingy.” Hiro convinces Matt not to give up, and later that evening, once Daphne’s dad leaves, Matt tries again. She calls him in, and in the weekly “wth” moment, it turns out that without her power, Daphne is a cripple. I think this moment has a lot more than the “surprise!” factor we’re used to. This answers a bunch of questions: why Daphne always chickened out when Papa P talked about sending her to her old life, and why she seems to value freedom so much. It’ll be interesting to see how Matt takes it next episode.

• While Matt’s tries to save Daphne, Hiro and Ando go to a comic book store to find the latest issue of “9th Wonders.” Where they find a couple of comic geeks (Seth Green and Breckin Meyer from “Road Trip”) who recognize them from the same comic. I’m a big fan of both Green and Meyer, so I’m really excited to see them in the next episode.

Praise: This episode is really monumental in terms of the true relationship between the heroes and their powers. Like Peter when he lost his abilities, most of the characters have come to value their powers a lot more than they care to admit. Nathan wishes he could fly to make their search easier. Matt thinks he can’t save Daphne without his powers. Elle feels like she has no control on getting what she wants. As much as they gripe and complain about how much the abilities are a bother, they have come to really depend on them. It’s like a person who grew up without a microwave. He/she finally gets one, only to have it taken away shortly afterwards. In a hero’s quest, there’s always a point when the hero must be vulnerable and show their worth as a hero, not just a person with heroic abilities. This is that moment for all of them, and I’m looking forward to seeing who it ends.

Complaints: The constantly going back to the eclipse every five minutes was slightly tiring after a while. We know it’s a bad thing without having to be constantly reminded. And there is a little confusion about the whole eclipse/powers connection. First the abilities are because of the genes in their adrenalin, now it’s because of an eclipse? I’m not sure what’s going on and I'd wish the writers would make up their mind.

Favorite Part: When Hiro tries to convince Matt to save Daphne and “fulfill his mission,” powers or no, there’s an amusing scene where Hiro tosses corn at Matt and yells that the “corn will keep coming” and “only you can stop it.” Afterwords, when Matt finally does, he looks really pissed and Hiro gives him a funny “please don’t hurt me” look. I thought the thing was really funny, and it involved three of my favorite characters, so that made it even better.

Grade: B+

Justin Timberlake shows up on 'Saturday Night'

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 03:09:00 +0000

Justin Timberlake excited the viewers of Saturday Night Live's 'Weekend Update' on Saturday. Timberlake came on as a compromise for backing out of hosting next week's program. It's a shame he wasn't able to considering the mayhem he caused the two other times he took on the hosting role. Four words: "D*** in a Box."

For his piece, Timberlake came on the fake news and did a three minute montage of what his hosting contribution would be.

Here is the clip of his first appearance on the program:

He may not be very good at doing his impression of the target lady, but Timberlake truly shows his talent for acting, voice parody and musical talent in 180 seconds.

His next cameo came in the form of a skit with Beyonce, Paul Rudd, Andy Samberg and Bobby Moynihan. Beyonce played herself filming a music video for her single, "Single Ladies." Rudd was the director. Samberg, Timberlake and Moynihan were backup dancers complete with turtleneck leotards and black high heels. Samberg's thunder thighs sure were a highlight. It is an absolute shame nbc.com and hulu.com neglected to release the videos online.

To make up for it, here's a refresher on Timberlake's tried and true hit, just for old time's sake:

(It's the censored version, so it's safe for work.)

Briana Monasky can be reached at bmonasky@statehornet.com.

"Heroes" Episode 9

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:10:00 +0000

Chapter 9 “It’s Coming”

Spoiler Alert

Summary: Ando tries to help Hiro to relearn his powers and get his memory back. Sylar and Elle confront each for the first time since their encounter a year before. Nathan and Tracy confront Arthur. Claire and Peter run from villains Flint and Knox. Matt tries to take Angela out of her coma.

• After witnessing the past, Hiro is found by Arthur, who shows up out of no where, and begins mind wiping him. While Arthur stops to look at a painting Utsu made of an eclipse, Hiro and Ando escape to a bowling/waffle place in Tokyo. Unfortunately, Hiro thinks he’s 10-years-old, and Ando has to teach him his powers again. (There’s a great moment when Ando tells him his power, and Hiro says “That’s stupid power I've ever heard of.) When Hiro learns his powers, he takes them to a comic book store, where they find the “9th Wonders” comic book (remember that the pre-cog in the first season, Isaac Mendez, wrote and illustrated the comic book before he was killed) that shows them in the same situation they are now — word for word. I thought having Hiro think he was 10 was a clever idea, providing some great comedic lines. That said, however, it seemed a little out of place within the gist of the rest of the episode. Hiro and Ando were always used as comedic relief, but at least they were trying to be serious. Everyone else is doing all this heroic stuff and Hiro’s throwing spitballs and stuffing himself with waffles. It seemed a little ridiculous.

• Turns out Arthur knew that Sylar kept Peter from dying when Sylar threw him out the window. He wants to teach his son how to gain powers without cutting off people’s heads — through empathy. He puts Sylar in a locked room with Elle, the lighting chick, cuffed to the floor. Seeing him (remember, Sylar killed her father), she zaps him with all she’s got. This goes on for a little bit, and Sylar just stands there and takes it the whole time. Finally, Elle lets so much into him that they both collapse. Elle begs for him to killer and “make the pain stop.” Instead, Sylar takes off her cuffs, and says that he can’t kill her — one, because he wants to be a good person and two, because she saved his life in the past. He forgives her for basically helping the Company use him as a guinea pig, and that she needs to forgive herself. She does rather quickly. Elle’s pain stops and it turns out Sylar has the electricity power. It ends with Elle teaching him a few lightning tricks. I think it’s safe to assume from this point on, we can safely call Sylar by his born name, Gabriel. “Sylar” is associated with slicing people’s head open, and “Gabriel” isn’t. Since Gabriel found a new way to control the hunger, I find it hard to see him returning to the “dark side.” I thought the Elle/Gabriel scenes were great. They really have a lot in common (both have screwed-up parents, both are extremely powerful, both are dying for some affection, etc.), and it’ll be interesting so see where they go from here. Elle is the mosther of Future Gabriel’s son, for sure.

• Mohinder is trying out Formula H on a test subject, but it’s not working the way it should — the subject has some kind of barnacles all over his face. Mohinder tells Papa P that they need some kind of catalyst to make it work. But this catalyst is not something — it’s someone. I’m glad that the Formula H is not as easy to make as it seems. But I have to say that the test subject was the ugliest being that I've ever seen

• Matt and Daphne go to the Company headquarters, where they find it virtually empty. In an interesting twist, Matt sees Usutu, and he follows him to the coma-induced Mama P. Daphne goes to Papa P and tells him that Matt is trying to help his wife. She wants him to leave Matt out of it. She runs back, and Matt invades Mama P’s mind. In a rather cool dream sequence, he finds Angela chained to a chair in a locked room. Suddenly, a vision of Daphne shows up, and stabs Matt. Back in the real world, Matt begins to bleed for real. Real Daphne enters the dream too, and tells him to wake up. The Dream Daphne turns into Papa P, and tells Matt that Daphne told him were he was. The real Daphne says that she “couldn’t go back to her old life,” but she didn’t want him killed, either. She admits she loves him. The scene changes to an office, where Angela tells Arthur that they were once like that, and that deep down, he still loves her, and for him to let her go. Arthur does, unexpectedly. I’ve said before that I really Matt and Daphne together, but I admit that Daphne's confession is … a bit sudden. I can somewhat see why on Matt’s part — he’s so enchanted by their life together in the future, so that somewhat quickens his like for her — but I had expected a bit longer wait before Daphne said it. I guess the fact someone cares for deeply for her might quicken the affection. I thought Arthur letting Angela go was not something I thought would happen. Since she’s awake, she can try to stop him, and he’s been dead set against taking down those against him from the beginning. I’m thinking we’ll see more of “Ghost Usutu” in the future.

• Nathan and Tracy go to Pinehearst to confront Arthur. Arthur tells him he wants to give half the world powers and have Nathan as president. Nathan isn’t sure, since the last time he listened to one of the Company elder’s, he almost helped blow up New York. He flies away to the Company Headquarters to see his mom, and that Tracy should go to Washington. Instead, in the weekly “w.t.h. moment,” she heads upstairs to Papa P, and says that right now Nathan’s on a fence, and that she can push him to the “right side.” I’m really starting to appreciate Nathan a lot more than I have in the past. He really does want to the right thing, but unlike Peter, he tends to learn from his past and think things through before taking action. I totally didn’t expected Tracy’s turnaround though — I wonder what she has cooked up.

• Peter and Claire are still in an apartment, and Peter tells his niece to go home. Claire, of course, doesn’t want to. Flint and Knox show up, and they escape to a sewer. Claire tells Peter to leave and that she’ll hold them off. Turns out they’re not after Peter, but her instead. As they make their way out of the sewers, Peter stops them, and Flint tries to light up, but they realize too late Peter’s let a gas pipe. While the fire flames at the villains, Claire ducks and they’re off to the Company headquarters. There, they run into Matt, Daphne, and Angela. Angela tells them about the catalyst, and that Kaito (Hiro’s father) is the only person who knew it was. Claire thinks it’s her. I’m really starting to recognize a pattern when it comes to Claire: she tries to fight — she gets captured — she gets saved. Talk about same old, same old. I almost want to see the badass Claire of the future — at least she could handle a gun. I’m not sure whether I’m quite ready to believe she’s the catalyst, because it almost seems too obvious.

• In Pineheart, Arthur, with his new pre-cog abilities (taken assumedly from Peter), to draw a picture of an eclipse. In the first season, most the powers seemed to manifest during the last eclipse, and from the promo for next episode, the phenomenon will have the opposite effect. I'm actually really interested in how this goes, because they've had their powers for two years, enough to get use to them — now they have to go back to being "normal." Oh the angst!

• There's a really cool ending where the villains march in a room, one by one, between shots of the heroes in Angela Petrelli’s room. Right now, the two sides appears to stand as follows: Team Company has Nathan, Peter Matt, Daphne, and Claire, with Angela Petrelli as team captain. Meanwhile, Team Pinehearst has Knox, Flint, Sylar, Elle, and Tracy, with team captain Arthur Petrelli. Time will only tell if these will be the same team that face off during the inevitable “Big Battle." Because you can't have teams like this and not have a battle.

Praise: I really enjoyed this episode. It was nice seeing all these characters intertwining in some really interesting ways, and then most of them come together into a larger group. The small “Villain-hero” montage at the end was probably one of the coolest "curtain-closes" to a “Heroes” episode that I’ve seen since the show’s beginning. I’ve been saying it — “Heroes” is back on track.

Complaints: Like I said, Hiro’s subplot seemed a little “out there” within the context of the rest of the episode.

Favorite Part: Loved the Gabriel/Elle scenes. In real life, the actors who play them are really great friends, and that might add to the excellent chemistry they seem to have. And it showed that whatever side he’s on, Gabriel has really turned over a new leaf.

Grade: A

"Heroes" Episode 8

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 18:27:00 +0000

Chapter 8 “Villains”

Spoiler Alert

Synopsis: Hiro experiences his spirit walk by witnessing the past. Eighteen months ago, Mama and Papa Petrelli try to kill each other. A year ago, Claire’s mom is separated from her brother, one of the level 5 escapees. A year ago, we find out Sylar and Elle have a history.

• In a cool twist, the into credits with the “Heroes” title and eclipse was replaced with a “Villains” title and the genome symbol. So ultimately, not only was this the name of the episode, but the name of the “show.” I can see why, since the heroes were pretty much in the back seat throughout the whole episode.

• We first go back 18 months, to the relationship between Mama and Papa Petrelli. Turns out that Papa P. was trying to kill Nathan for digging into the illegal business he was dabbling in with Linderman. But the attempt failed, and while the two men were discussing it, Angela overhears. Somehow Papa P. already had a Parkman-like ability, and uses these mind powers to control his wife into forgetting/agreeing with what he has to do – including that Nathan has to die.

• Linderman, in a weird stroke of pity (I think he did it because he wanted Arthur out of the way), uses his healing power to fix Mama P's brain so she remembers everything. She poisons Arthur to keep him from killing Nathan. This was kind of interesting, because it seems like even though sometimes she has nothing but contempt for her sons. But she does really care about them. Unfortunately, instead of killing Arthur, he goes into the bedridden paralysis we first met him in.

• Go back a year, and we find out Flint, the fire-handed escapee from Level 5, and Meredith, Claire’s biological mom, are brother and sister. When the two of them are robbing a store, Meredith is captured by a man from the Company, Thompson, and is convinced to become an agent, even though she hates the Company. Things are going fine until she sees that they captured her brother too, where he’s told he’ll be an agent too. Thing is, she knows he’s out of control, so she breaks him out (one of the best lines from the episode is from Meredith during this scene: “What did Daddy tell you? ‘God gave you a big sister, instead of a brain'”), and the two of them escape on a train. They’re followed by Thompson, and while Flint escapes, Meredith is captured again. She says the reason she hates the company is that they killed her little girl, Claire. Thompson, knowing Claire is not dead, let’s Meredith go.

• At the same time the Flint/Meredith business is happening a year ago, Gabriel, who we know as Sylar, is about to hang himself after his first kill. Elle, the lighting chick, saves him just in time. Oddly though, she seems to show empathy for the first time ever when Gabriel’s moaning about killing a guy with a power he wanted. The two of them actually seemed to like each other. Of course, Elle is working with Noah Bennet, a.k.a HRG, who’s watching their exchanges through a camera in the wall. HRG says they need to see his power in action, and to do that, Gabriel needs to kill again. Elle doesn't want too, but brings in a guy named Trevor who looks like he can shoot invisible bullets with his fingers. While Elle gushes all over Trevor, Gabriel gets jealous and begins his head slicing thing. Elle escapes, but not before Gabriel figures out she has a power too (up until now, Elle pretended not to). And thus we find out that the killing spree Sylar is so famous for was caused by Elle and HRG.

• Quick theory: Remember the episode that took place in the future, where it shows Sylar had a son? The fact that Elle and Sylar had a history might prove that Elle is that boy’s mom. And now in the present, Elle and Sylar are both in Pinehearst — I’m looking forward to an interesting confrontation between the two of them.

• After Hiro wakes up from witnessing all this, there’s a scream, and we see a headless Usutu. Then Papa P. pops out from no where, and takes a hold of Hiro’s head, and we leave him screaming in pain.

Praise: I really liked seeing more of the villains pasts, and really explained some of the motives surrounding these characters. Funnily enough, when I first heard there was Papa P. with powers in the first season, I always imagined him as the “Good One,” while his wife — considering she tried to help blow up New York in the first season — was the “Bad One.” I couldn’t have been more wrong. Mama P. is Slim Shady compared to “Mambo Bad” Papa Petrelli. Watching the relationship between the two added a whole new dimension to Angela especially. I also liked the references they made to some of the episodes in the first season — such as the train wreck where Claire rescued a passanger — it brought back a lot of memories.

Complaints:: It seemed to be another one of the slow down episodes we’ve been experiencing the last couple of weeks.

Favorite Parts: the scenes with Mama and Papa P. together were really cool.

Grade: A-

"Heroes" Episode 7

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 16:17:00 +0000

Chapter 7 “Eris Quod Sum”

Spoiler Alert

Synopsis: Hiro meets Usutu a.k.a. “The African” and is sent on his own Spirit Walk. Daphne is sent to kill Matt. Sylar is sent to rescue Peter, who’s powers are now lost. Mohinder is hired by Pinehearst to make a new formula. Tracy and Nathan are hanging out at Mohinder’s lab. Elle, once an agent of the Company, and Claire head to Pinehearst so they can have their power problems fixed.

• Hiro refuses to travel to the past, so Usutu gives him the “Precog Paste” that he gave Matt a few episodes ago so he can go back to the past without physically going to the past. From the look of the Episode 8 promo, it features this little trip. These little flashback episodes always interesting, so I’m looking forward to this one.

• Daphne is sent to kill Matt because he won’t join the villains, but Matt convinces her not to. Matt uses to use his “mind mojo thingy” to make one of the villains (Knox) think that’s he and Daphne is dead, and they plan on taking Pinehearst down. Only it turns out it was all planned by Arthur Petrelli, to make Matt think they she was on his side. I’m predicting a “She’s All That” road here, and Daphne will end up falling for Matt before the season’s over.

• Mohinder takes Maya to Pinehearst to help her. Then he’s hired by the company to make a new kind of Formula-H, with No-Power-Peter as his test subject. I’m actually growing tired of the Mohinder plot-line, to be honest. Either turn into a cockroach or don’t for goodness sake.

• At least Arthur Petrelli did the one thing Mohinder couldn’t and took away Maya’s power. It looks like she’s left the scene for awhile so she can do some good in the world in the world.

• Mama Patrelli convinces Sylar to rescue Peter from the Pinehearst fortress, which he does. Only while Peter escapes, Sylar is captured by his father, and he tells his son that Mama tried to kill him as a baby. So Sylar switches sides. As I’ve said before, I like the depth they’ve shown with Sylar, but it turns out that underneath it all, he’s a bit of a mama/papa’s boy. Even though he’s switched sides, I think he’s taken his brotherly duty seriously (see next bullet).

• Peter refuses to join his father’s team, so is locked up. After Sylar rescues Peter and is captured. Peter does the right thing and comes back for Sylar, only to be thrown out the window from seven stories. And even though he doesn’t have his powers, he survives. It seems like Sylar kept him from dying by slowing the fall.

• Elle, the electric-controlling chick from last season shows up again and apparently can’t control her powers anymore, and fries herself more often than not. So she head’s to Claire’s house to find her father, and the two of them end up heading to Pinehearst to get fixed (remember that Claire can’t feel pain). They conveniently are there to witness Peter being thrown out a window, and while Claire tries to help Peter get away, Elle goes in to have her power taken away. Elle and Daphne seem to be sort of anti-heroes here, because they are extremely powerful and do have some good in them, they are both are very self-serving and fearful. Should be interesting to see what’s cooked up for Elle. My guess she may regret her decision.

• Nathan and Tracy are trapped in Mohinder’s lap for a while, until Noah (Claire’s adopted dad) and Meredith find them. Claire gets a hold of Nathan (who’s her bio-logical father) to tell him about Peter. He finds out from his brother that their father is still alive, which makes him head for Pinehearst to confront him. He’s going to get his butt kicked, I just know it.

• Interesting fact: “Eris Quod Sum” is Latin for “I am what you will be.” Which I guess has something to do with Sylar and that according to Arthur, “revenge is in [the Petrellis] blood.”

Praise: The interaction of the characters is really neat to see, and the way the heroes started apart and are now swarming coming together are really interesting.

Complaints: Less faster-paced than in the past, with some parts (like the encounters between Mohinder and Maya) a little listless. However, it's nice to take a rest stop after a long ca rride.

Best Part: Sylar’s break in to rescue Peter was pretty cool.

Grade: B

Fallout 3: get your dose of post-apocalyptic mayhem

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 18:07:00 +0000

Fallout 3 has been in the making for the last 10 years since its predecessor was released in 1998. This is a game that was kept so top secret, that my first hint at its existence was a vague poster (seen left) in the Bethesda booth at the 2006 E3 convention in Los Angeles. Bethesda is best known for the Elder Scrolls games, including their best selling fourth chapter, Oblivion.

At first I was angry that Interplay, who owned the licenses for Fallout 1 & 2, would sell their best franchise to a company that tends to slap the same user interface and game engine on everything they produce. Was my favorite turn-based, post-apocalyptic, violence simulator going to be ruined by a company looking to make a few million dollars by releasing a graphical, cross-console powerhouse?

Now for the good news, with the game only a week away from being released, and around 20 minutes of in-game footage available from Bethesda, Fallout is looking as good as it ever did. Not only did it receive a much needed graphical update, changing from 2d conversation screens and octagon based combat tactics to a full-blown 3d world, with rendered shadows, particle effects and the ability to change between third and first person views at anytime; but it also kept the black humor, gore and targeting combat system that made Fallout the amazing game it was.

For fans of the original games, Fallout 3 picks up in the year 2277, which is about 30 years after the second game, outside of Vault 101. For new players, Vaults are large underground shelters that were created by Vault-Tec, a company spawned by the threat of a nuclear world war 3. Vault-Tec is also responsible for the Pipboy 3000, which is a wrist-bound piece of technology that acts as your "character sheet" in-game.

In Fallout 1, you are asked to leave your vault in order to find a replacement part for your water purifier – at the end of the game, you return to your vault with the part and in return they refuse to let you back in, claiming you have been corrupted by the irradiated remains of society. In Fallout 2, you play as a descendent of the original “Vault Dweller” and are sent on a quest to find the Garden of Eden Creation Kit (G.E.C.K.). You return with the G.E.C.K. and create a utopian society in the wastelands of the New California Republic.

Fallout 3 has no ties to the stories of the first two games, it just happens to be set in the same world. That world happens to be the ruins of Washington D.C. You start the game being soothed by the voice of your father, voiced by Liam Neeson, who has suddenly disappeared from Vault 101. The overseer of the vault decides that it would be best for you to venture out into the unknown and search for your missing father.

Within the first ten minutes of the game, you are assaulted with the visual intensity of a large vault door breaking its 100-year old seal, spraying smoke and dust into the air around you. As you step out into the cave the vault door was built in, you see the skeletal remains of people who tried to get into the vault before being killed by radiation, raiders, mutants, giant scorpions, two-headed cows or any of the other creatures you’ll see in the Fallout world. As you turn the corner in the cave, you’ll be nearly blinded by the first natural light that your character has ever seen. The game simulates the blur and brightness of light in the game, especially in this scene, but anytime your characters goes from a dark to brightly lit areas. As you leave the cave and step out into the world, you're given a panoramic view of what used to be downtown Washington D.C. In the distance you can see the shattered remains of national monuments and smoke coming from small camps and cities that have been set up by those who survived the nuclear holocaust.

Besides the opening scene of the game, and a few other clips detailing character design, conversation and combat, Fallout 3 feels like a modernized version of the originals. With the new Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System (VATS), players can choose to pause live combat and select body parts they would like to attack. Based on the part chosen, a chance to hit will be given, and if successful, will change camera angles for a cinema-style close up on the attack.

Fallout has been known for its gore in the past, and Bethesda has made it even bloodier. In one of the sample combat videos, you can see a raider getting their arm blown off by a shotgun, and the blood just flows from the removed arm. There is so much gore, that as of July 4, Australia has officially banned the distribution and sale of Fallout 3 (almost 4 months before it was even released). VATS is an amazing improvement from Bethesda’s past combat systems, and is something that Fallout veterans and newbie’s can both enjoy.

There’s nothing I can say to make you pick up Fallout 3, but if you are a role-playing fan, first person shooter fan or just a casual gamer looking for some black comedy kicks, Fallout 3 is a game that caters to all types of gamers. Since Fallout 3 will be coming out on the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC, there’s no excuse to not play it when it comes out on October 28.

"Heroes" Episode 6

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 14:49:00 +0000

Chapter 6: “Dying in the Light”

Spoiler Alert

Synopsis: Hiro gets his first mission from Pinehearst: kidnap the Seer from Africa. Matt leaves Africa to rescue Daphne, who’s on a recruiting streak for Pinehearst company. Claire and her mom go to rescue Meredith (Claire’s biological mom) from the Puppet Man. Peter tries to take on the guys at Pinehearst to rescue his mom — only to make a shocking discovery. Nathan and Tracy visit Mohinder, who has a sinister use for them.

• Claire finally shows her stuff. After what seems like a lifetime of being the victim, she finally gets to catch a bad guy. True, she and her mom get caught into the clutches of the Puppet Man, Eric Doyle, but her power finally had some use. I’m a little curious as to why Claire’s mom hesitated shooting her daughter in the forced “’Round-and-‘Round-the-Gun-Goes” game, if she knew Claire couldn’t die. I’d like to hear more on the Meredith/Doyle history—Doyle’s definitely a piece of work, probably the scariest villain next to past-Sylar. Looks like we might see more of Meredith if she’s being hired to be Noah Bennet’s (Claire’s father) partner.

• Nathan and Tracy are drugged by Mohinder, who want to use them for his experiments, when they visit him for help. Applause to Tracy for using her power to escape the bonds, but it looks like next episode she and Nathan are going to have a heck of a time getting away.

• Matt somehow manages to fly home thanks to his “Spirit Guide,” the turtle (I think this his really hilarious), and meets Daphne at an airport, where he tries to rescue her from getting killed in the future. I’m not sure that Matt should have just blurted out everything he saw in the future (especially the whole “soul mate” thing) because you could tell she was uncomfortable. It looks like the road to romance will not be easy one — but it’s always better that way. Matt was so sweet you wanted to hug him. Daphne was right — he’s too good-hearted to be part of a company like the evil Pinehearst. And so it she, it seems like — I mean, she steals stuff, but she doesn’t like killing people, which is more than what you can say for the other villains. I think the only reason she working for them is because she needs them to help someone else.

• I knew there was no way in hell Hiro would stab Ando — using the fake sword and blood was a clever plan. Poor Hiro — I’m surprised he hasn’t gotten a concussion from all the times he’s been hit in the head this season — twice in this episode by the African man. Of course, it turns out it was a test. I liked the African’s statement that Hiro was relying too much on his powers and that he needed to use his head. I think it applies to all the heroes — especially Peter at this point.

• Sylar takes Peter out of his coma to help their mother, which may or may not have been a bad idea. I definitely like Sylar a whole lot more. He’s really trying hard to change, and his fondness for his mother — who he hardly knows — shows it. I’m wondering why he was given up for adoption, though. It sucks that he lost the fight against Peter, because for once I actually wanted him to win. Peter’s so nuts now that I’m not sure it’s safe having him outside the company.

• Peter … ugh. He was never my favorite, but now he's just annoying. I mean, he blames Sylar for the hunger when it was Peter who forced Future-Sylar to give him is power in the first place, and then when Present-Sylar tries to stop him from going into Pinehearst with his guns drawn, he beats the crap out of him. I hope loosing his powers will be a humbling experience because I my really sick of his “I know all” attitude.

• Arthur Petrelli’s power is definitely interesting — apparently he can suck life force and powers from others. Not only did he kill the immortal Adam Monroe (rather anti-climatically, considering the man lived for 400 years), but in a WTH moment, he steals Peter’s powers by hugging him. He kind of has another version of Peter and Sylar’s power: Peter can mimic powers, Sylar kills to steal powers, and Arthur can take powers away completely.

Praise: A good episode. I really feel after the “Sophomore Slump” of last season, “Dying in the Light” proves the writers are really on track to making the show as good as the first season, by having some plot development, a little bit of action and mystery, a heck of a cliffhanger, and showing how ordinary these characters really are on the inside.

Complaints: This episode Peter wasn’t that smart at all. I mean, sure he thought Arthur (his father) was dead, but why would Peter hug him? I mean, father or not Arthur’s the head of an evil company — wouldn’t Peter think something was up?

Best Part: Like I said, the Daphne/Matt exchanges were sweet, but I think the best part was the fight between Peter and Sylar. Peter’s obvious enjoyment of beating Sylar up (not to mention his, “I’m the most special" statement) shows how the two of them have literally switched roles since the beginning of the season.

Grade: A

The real Sarah Palin debuts on SNL

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 21:14:00 +0000

Sarah Palin can't seem to stay out of the spotlight, whether it be on the campaign trail or on NBC's 'Saturday Night Live.' Oh wait, that was Tiny Fey playing her all this time? It was, until Saturday when the Vice Presidential candidate of the GOP showed her face at 30 Rockefeller Plaza.

Saturday's latest episode of 'Saturday Night Live,' full of humor through political and social criticism, had me double taking more than usual. Fey's Palin may have made millions of Americans laugh, but really, it made millions of Americans think as well. In case you missed the first appearance from the actual Palin, here it is:

The cast of 'SNL,' in particular, head writer Seth Myers, Poehler, and 'SNL' alumna Fey are the ultimate in current political dissenters. Fey's version of Palin has garnered quite a bit of attention, and for good reason. For many Americans, Palin may feel comfortable. For others, it's difficult to see this type of persona fling itself into politics. She seems archaic to many Americans, and it's a beautiful thing to live in a country where citizens are able to take those voices of dissent and broadcast them nationally. It's even better when bloggers are able to make these videos go viral.

Later, in the "fake news" portion of the show, Palin returned and "chickened out" of a rap she was to perform while an uber-pregnant Amy Poehler took over, doing the gangster rap inspired by the Vice Presidential candidate. At every moment during the rap, I wondered if Poehler was going to be sent into labor. Luckily, she made it through without her water breaking.

Here is that sketch:

Seeing Palin on the program said something to me about who she is a politician. She certainly isn't the first public figure to appear on SNL following negative portrayals, but she was the first I've noticed roll her eyes while a cast member portrayed her. Did you notice that in the cold open, too? Perhaps it was for effect. Perhaps it was planned. But, it looked a little too real.

Beyond that, as Poehler does her thing, thugging it up during 'Weekend Update,' Palin blindly waves her hands in the air, raising the roof. I'm sure she approved everything Poehler said, or well, sang. I assume it's always better to be a part of joke than just sitting there watching it from the campaign bus, but this made me wonder if she really gets it.

Ultimately, her appearance left me a little disappointed. And, after seeing her on the show I kept wondering, is it possible that Tina Fey is a better Palin than Palin herself?

'Heroes' Episode 5

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 16:03:00 +0000

Chapter 5: “Angels and Monsters”

Spoilers Alert

Synopsis: Claire goes to take down her first villain, with her father and Syler closing in right behind her. Mohinder continues to try to undo his transformation — by dastardly means. Hiro tries to get Adam Monroe’s help getting ‘Formula H’ back. An unexpected person is discovered to lead the Company’s rival, Pinehearst — the same company that hired Daphne to recruit people with abilities.

• It turns out Nathan was a guinea pig. While his brothers were born with abilities, he had his given to him — thanks ‘Formula H’ (the unofficial nickname for the formula that gives normal people abilities). Of course, he’s not happy, and Mama Petrelli shows real regret for the first time ever. Of course, she could just be disappointed that Nathan isn’t helping her get back Formula H. Her dream at the ending was really interesting — very creepy.

• Mohinder seems to be going down the ‘Dexter’ road by experimenting on ‘bad people’ — in this episode, a drug dealer — and taping them on the wall, via ‘sticky-goo,’ to get rid of his powers. I really don’t like ‘psycho-Mohinder.’ When I read that he was getting powers, I thought, ‘That should be cool.’ Now, the first thing that comes to my mind every time I see him is ‘Ew.’ Nathan’s comment that “He’s harmless,” when he and Tracy go to see him is kind of ironic.

• After absorbing Future-Syler’s powers, Peter show’s just how out of control he is. He’s all hacked off at Mama Petrelli for keeping secrets away from him and tries to slice open her head. Syler shows more of his good side by saving her. I’m officially off the Peter-liking wagon right now.

• The first time that Claire tries to help and stop some of the villains, of course it goes … well, it wasn’t a success, but it wasn’t a complete disaster — at first. If nothing else, it makes you wonder how she went from the ‘Hesitant Claire of Today’ to the ‘Shoot First Ask Questions Later Claire of the Future.’ It was kind of sweet how she tried to help the ‘villain’ find his family, if a bite naïve. I don’t she’s likely to forgive her Dad for his ruthlessness any time soon.

• Stephan Canfield, a villain with a pretty cool power — he can make black holes — turns out not to be a villain. More like a pathetic guy who can’t control his power. He was probably one of the most honorable person in the episode, when he offed himself rather than have Noah — aka Claire’s dad, aka Horn-Rimmed Glasses (HRG) — force him into killing Syler. The audience knows what Syler’s done, but Stephan doesn’t, and makes him pretty honorable.

• Syler is like the ‘Mighty Mouse’ of the episode with all the victims he has to save. But his motivation is a little unclear. I mean, the last few episodes he’s tried to turn his back on his ‘bad guy’ reputation (last week’s episode proved he could), but I think just when seems like he’s turned completely ‘good’ — he’ll go right back to the Bad Boy fans all know and love. His evil smirk trademark towards the end kind of proves it.

• Anyway, last episode Hiro and Ando opened the coffin that he had locked Adam Monroe in last season, and convinces him to help them get the formula back. They walk into a bar, and almost immediately Adam escapes, only to be caught by Knox, one of the villains that escaped from Level 5. Hiro and Ando run into Knox and Daphne, and Hiro tries to convince the villains that they’re ‘badass.’ Well, Knox says to prove it, Hiro has to kill Ando. So Hiro stabs his best friend with the sword. Besides the ending, his was definitely the WTH moment of the episode. I have no doubt that Ando is not dead — because, really, it would be COMPLETELY out of character for Hiro to do something that cruel. Something’s going on, otherwise I’ve seen everything.

• We meet another level-5 escapee — Eric Doyle, a man who can control other people by having them mimic what he does. Based on the promo for next week, we should see more of him.

• Last thing, since episode two, Linderman, a character that was killed off in season one, has been following Nathan around as his ‘guide.’ Turns out he’s just an illusion cooked up by Matt Parkman’s dad, Maury, who has a more mature version of Matt’s mind-reading ability. And the orders he’s following is Arther Petrelli’s — the father of Nathan, Syler, and Peter, who seems to be on life support in a hospital somewhere. The master plan is to have Daphne to find people with abilities and recruit them for some kind of army. Whoa.

Praise: We definitely saw a lot of what this volume is all about: how the line between ‘good guys’ and ‘villains’ is very blurred, bringing the show to a whole new level.

Complaints: It was a lot like the sudden drop you get after a sugar rush. Last episode was off the charts great, and this one was … eh. Plus, it seems like everything’s out of control, with Syler becoming ‘Mighty Mouse’ and saving each distressed soul while Peter’s trying to kill everyone.

Best Part: Probably the part when Hiro was letting Adam out of the coffin. Hiro’s “Okay, in you go,” every time Adam misbehaved made me laugh.

Grade: B — only thing saving it from a B- was the cliffhanger.

Photo from www.nbc.com

'Heroes' Episode 4

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 16:20:00 +0000

Chapter 4: “I Become Death”

Spoilers Alert

Synopsis: Future-Peter (F-Peter) takes Present Peter (P-Peter) to the future where everyone has abilities. Meanwhile, in the present, Hiro and Ando try to escape ‘Level Two’ of the Company’s prison, Nathan and Tracy get closer, and Mohinder tries to find a cure for his transformation.

· I almost feel sorry for Mohinder — the one time he let’s his weakness take over (remember that he gave himself powers with his newly discovered formula), and he has to go all crusty. On the other hand, he should have listened to Maya and gotten rid of it. I think the guy he just about kidnapped at the end will be Mohinder’s guinea pig — this new Mohinder would do it.

· If you remember, one of the WTH moment from last episode was learning Tracy was ‘created.’ It wasn’t clones, thank goodness, but still a little. Apparently, Tracy was one of three triplets whose birth parents had died and were treated as ‘test subjects’ for the ‘Hero Making formula (here on out called ‘Formula H’). The other two triplets were Niki and Barbra. The fact that there’s three of them makes me wonder if they’re going to eventually kill of Tracy and replace her with Barbra.

· Speaking of Tracy, it was kind of interesting seeing Nathan go ‘Superman’ and save her from killing herself. For me, it’s always kind of nice to see Nathan’s flying ability, because out of all the heroes he probably uses his the least. Their small make-out session was a little unexpected.

· Thank God that Hiro finally got his act together and apologized to Ando. It made me forgive him for all the stupid stuff he’s done so far (loosing both halves of Formula H, for one). It was kind of interesting seeing Mama Petrelli give Hiro the run down, but why is Adam — the immortal that Hiro locked in a coffin last season — ‘the key’ to solving everything?

· Switching to the future, turns out everyone is either born with or buys their powers. I completely despise Peter now. Why in the world would Future-Mohinder (who looks like he’s turned into a cockroach of some kind) tell him that Sylar’s power (which is to figure out how things work) is dangerous if it wasn’t? Even Future-Sylar told Peter it was a bad thing to have, because it gave the person ‘the hunger.’ And Peter shows he can’t control it when he slices Future-Nathan’s head, Sylar-style. This little change in personality was probably this week’s WTH moment.

· Future-Sylar was probably the most interesting character on this episode. I mean, simply because he’s been the Big Baddie of the show since the beginning, and in this future he has a son and is making waffles. It’s like Hannibal Lecter taking up knitting. With Mohinder becoming super-aggressive, is it possible that the roles could be switched — with Mohinder as the villain and Sylar the kind of anti-hero?

· I have a whole new respect for Hayden Panettiere, the actress who plays Claire. She played out Claire sadism and anger, especially when she sliced up P-Peter towards the end, in a very believable way. It good to see her as someone other than the victim — even if she did kill F-Peter.

· Last, I’m so proud of myself and my predicting ability. Remember that the African had painted a happy future for Matt, and then changed it to him holding a dead chick’s body? Matt wanted to see how he could the future and the African gave him some kind of fruit so he could see the future. I knew the chick in the painting was Daphne, and they make an interesting couple. Matt’s a mild-mannered kind of guy and Daphne’s a cheeky little thief. I think it’ll be interesting when she and Matt meet (because you know they’re going to eventually), and Matt tries to ‘save her.’

Praise: Probably this season’s best episode so far — showing complete turnaround for some of these characters made this chapter.

Complaints: None. For once, I was completely happy.

Best Part: There was so many, but my favorite has to be the scenes with Future Sylar. I’ve never been a Sylar fan, but this episode brought out a new depth and sympathy towards his character.

Grade: A+

Photo: Lionel Hahn/Abaca Press/MCT

'Heroes' Episode 3

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 05:44:00 +0000

Episode 3: “One of Us, One of Them”

Spoilers Alert

Official Synopsis from NBC: When four ruthless, powerful Villains — "Knox", Flint, The German and Jesse — bust into a bank and take hostages, Angela sends H.R.G. and his shocking, new empowered partner in after them. Determined to derail a cataclysmic future, Peter must first find what he lost along the way. Meanwhile, Hiro and Ando track Daphne and part of "the formula" to Germany, but run afoul of The Haitian. Horrified by her ability, Tracy Strauss leaves Washington, D.C. to search for answers about Niki. A distraught Claire asks Meredith to teach her how to fight. As his romance with Maya intensifies, Suresh finds himself unprepared when his experiment yields some unexpected results.

· The biggest, worst villains the Company has escapes for the first time, and the best they can come up with is to rob a bank? Kind of cliché, actually. That Knox fellow gives me the creeps.

· Poor Peter — always trying to do the right thing. Knox’s ‘no one’s that heroic’ line is kind of ironic. Though since Future Peter’s old life has been changed, who knows what kind of future they’ll see.

· I never like Mama Petrelli much, but literally handing Skyler a power a la Unexpected Victim was a bit below the belt. She’s more ruthless than I thought. “He’s just misunderstood.” Bull. I’m not sure who she’s kidding — Skyler’s too much of a psychopath for her to even think about controlling him. You don’t give a gun to a murderer. A good though not unexpected choice to make H.R.G. his partner.

· Speaking of moms, Meredith’s showed a side I hadn’t expected in this episode. She’s a little naïve if she thinks she can show her daughter some tough love and that’ll be it. Claire more stubborn than that. Though we might have seen her — and maybe Skyler’s — only weakness: They can suffocate.

· Hiro 0. Daphne 2. Oi — if Daphne has the other half of the formula, it doesn’t look good. He’s got to learn to stop arguing with Ando after they’re almost done with a mission. I can understand why they’re both being jerks. Ando’s slightly resentful, because up until recently, Hiro almost always listened to him, and now he’s stuck being the Robin-who-can’t-do-much. On the other hand, Hiro’s distancing himself because of what he saw in the future. It’s natural for both of them to act this way. But they’ll both need to get over it soon if they’ll have any chance of winning anything.

· Matt has his very own stalker! Just kidding, but it’s strange that Matt’s the painter’s — turns out his name is Usutu — only subject. It’s hard to tell, but at the beginning, the chick holding the baby with Painting-Matt looked a lot like Daphne. Up until the Tracy surprise, the w.t.h. moment was when Matt got the ‘Fish Eyes’. Dying to find out what he sees in the future.

· The Tracy-Micah moment was kind of sweet — though I kept thinking Micah would turn into a Popsicle at any moment. How was Tracy ‘created?’ I hope it isn’t clones — clones are overrated and tacky.

Praise: It was kind of cool seeing the characters pushed in places they hadn’t before. I’m looking forward to seeing where they go next.

Complaint: Moved slightly slower than the last two episodes. Maybe I’m loosing it, but I don’t remember the scenes with each character being so short.

Best Part: “You’re telling us your plan? What kind of over-confident nemesis are you?” – Hiro. Also thought Skyler’s fake accent was an unexpected surprise. Both made me laugh.

Grade: B+

'Family Guy' losing its way

noreply@blogger.com (Mikhail Chernyavsky) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 19:00:00 +0000

Sunday was the premiere of "Family Guy" season seven. It was funny and as always, enjoyable. However, it just doesn't feel like the same old "Family Guy" that I came to love all those years ago.

Most fans will agree that the show has never been the same after season three. For those not aware, the show was canceled. Then, it was later revived after huge sales of the show on DVD. It was considered too edgy for its time. Now, the first three seasons seem tame.

It seems that after the return, the writers felt that they could do whatever they want and it won't matter. There is no doubt that "Family Guy" delivers a funny product; but, what about the characters and plots?

For example:

When is the last time that the show had a real plot line?

The show has taken on ADD, and filled its story lines with short random subplots. Apparently it's too difficult to pay attention to one major plot line.

Didn't Stewie want to kill Lois?

Sure we got that two-parter, but what happened to his diabolical plans? It is as if Stewie went from being Brain to Pinky ("Pinky and the Brain" was also an amazing show). Stewie can't be Pinky, because Stewie was evil. What happened?

Also in season three, we saw Stewie's sexuality being explored. Again, I say explored. When did he become a complete homosexual? More so, why is she trying to hook up with Brian?

And what happened to Brian?

He was the dry, sophisticated, satirical comic relief. Now he is just a bitter and angry jerk. It seems that the writers have lost the ability to write smart, witty, jokes for Brian.

As for the rest of the cast, they just seem to be more exaggerated as the seasons go by. Peter becomes more of an idiot. Lois just doesn't seem to care what goes on. Meg isn't as much of a punching bag as she used to be.

Even shows can't help but change over time. As I recall, the last time I saw this happen was with "The Simpsons."

Photo credit: Handout/MCT

'Heroes' returns: episode one recap

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 02:45:00 +0000

After nine months, the wait is over. “Heroes” is back, and has rolled onto the scene bigger and grittier than ever before.

I won’t bore you with a complete recap of the last two seasons, because I’m going to assume you’ve seen them. I’m not even going dish out the whole episodes, either, because even then it’s like 10 pages long. This is just where I can gush, complain, and/or predict about one of my favorite shows. Those who have not seen season three’s “The Second Coming” or “The Butterfly Effect” should leave now.

You can watch the full episode at www.nbc.com.

Huge spoiler alert past this point.

“The Second Coming:”

• First scene a great way to start off — it brings the mystery right in. I’m a little curious as to what Future Claire said about being “special.” As if never dying isn’t special enough?

• Future Peter shooting his brother never occurred to me. I always thought it was like Elle on her father’s orders or something.

• I’ll admit that Hiro is one of my two favorite characters, but seriously, for once, Ando had it right. “Don’t open the safe” is not code for, “Ignore this DVD message.” Why is it that no one ever listens?

• Speaking of which, Daphne . . . I’m waiting a few more episodes before I place my verdict of her, because right now she seems like another Elle to me, and she’s not one of my favorite character. Although it makes sense for the one who tries to embody the most of what a superhero should be like to have an “Arch-nemesis.”

• Syler finally got what he wanted in the beginning: Claire’s powers. It seemed a little anticlimactic. I mean, season one’s all about that not happening and a year and a half later, boom — Syler’s prodding Claire’s brain like a science student at dissection day. Glad to see Syler doesn’t eat brains. I mean, the whole thing is gross I don’t get as many images of those cheesy old alien movies. The real question is why didn’t he kill her—and I don’t think it’s because of some kind of warped kindness, either.

• Another season wouldn’t be complete without at least one miraculous resurrection. This time it’s Nathan, who, upon his awakening claims to have found God. Now all I need is the squirrels dancing the cha-cha and I’ve seen everything.

• Knew something was fishy as soon as soon as week lost sight of Present Peter, but anyone else thrown by where he was? Should be interesting as to how Present Peter gets out of that one.

Praise: What a way to begin the new season! Without missing a beat the show goes into its tug-a-war with answering questions and bringing up more. Just like being in a comic book, we’re thrown from one character to the next so fast it hard to keep track of everyone. But I think that’s a good thing, because if this keeps going, we could look forward to a much faster paced season than last one.

Complaints: After last season I’m slightly sick of time travel. It seems like whenever the writers want a plot, someone has to go forward or go back in time and screw things up. It’s a bit too recurring for me.

Favorite Line: Syler: “Eat your brain? Claire, that’s disgusting.” – (Come on, you’ve got to enjoy the irony.)

Final Grade: A-

Photo Credit: Chris Haston/NBC/MCT

Continuing with 'Heroes' episode 2

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 01:02:00 +0000

For the record, all entries will either be made the night of or the morning after each episode. This tardiness will not be normal.

“The Butterfly Effect.”

Again, spoiler alert.

• Emo-Claire is already getting annoying. I mean, I know having your brain picked at is no fun and all, but really all she is feeling sorry for herself and lately that’s all she seems to do. I do agree that she does need to learn to fight. “Victim!Claire” is getting old.

• Personally, I like Mama Petrelli’s power, and her dream was definitely a chill-factor. Her observation of Future-Peter hit the spot: “You’re not as smart as you think you are.” A bit harsh but true.

• Three words about Mohinder’s power: Spider Man, anyone? But he finally seemed to grow some and not even halfway through he’s hitting the sack with Maya. You’d think after her last fiasco of a relationship she’d be a little careful. Whatever. Mohinder’s bad case of skin peeling at the end brings to mind the old saying “Be careful what you wish for — you just might get it.”

• I’m interested in what Matt Parkman, another favorite character of mine, is going to experience in the next few episodes. Could be the start of some more character development. I loved his exchange with the painter in the middle of the desert. “Do you know Britney Spears?”

• Hiro redeems himself slightly from last episode’s stupidity by realizing the importance of a high school metal. His reference to her being Cat Woman was interesting, because there was always a little bit of a love-hate relationship between her and Batman. Foreshadowing, maybe?

• One more note on Hiro: anyone else thought that the last two episodes tried a little too hard to make Future-Ando seem like the baddie? One thing I’ve learned about this show is that almost nothing is as it appears.

• Last episode we caught a glimpse of Tracy Strauss, who works for the governor, looks remarkably like Niki, and personality-wise seems like a less psycho-version of Jessica. How’s that happening? I rule out cloning, but I might somewhat accept if she were a twin. The “Mr. Freeze” thing is interesting. Does this mean that she can’t touch anything without turning it into an icicle, or was it entirely because of the adrenalin thing?

• Linderman showing up was one of the “what the hell?” moments, and my guess he’s got his fingers in a few more pies than what’s first shown. The way Linderman responds to Nathan’s insistence that “he’s in control” seems almost mocking. Hopefully, whatever Linderman the White has planned doesn’t include blowing up anything. Of course, since Nathan is the only one to see him, it could just be a figment of the imagination.

• Of course, the biggie of the episode was the villains escaping in level 5. We didn’t see much of them, but what we did makes me feel for the next poor soul to come across them. Looks like things just got a whole lot messier.
• Number 1 “What the hell?” moment? Mama Petrelli has another son. Hint: he’s had plenty of practice in dissection.…

Praise: Even better than “The Second Coming.” We saw a new side to many of the characters, and the familiar “wth?” moments. In a way, ending the way it did made me remember how I somewhat missed the chapter cliff hangers.

Complaint: I wish those who were dead would stay dead. It’s getting harder to believably explain why they’re alive (not that anything in the show is “believable,” but even then there comes a point).

Best Lines: Entire Matt/African painter exchange — corny or not I couldn’t help laughing.

Grade: A

Anyone has any thoughts, feel free to post — I’m interested in hearing from my fellows.

Some laughs and some reviews

noreply@blogger.com (State Hornet Blogs) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 00:42:00 +0000

It was a busy week for the the entertainment-obsessed staff of The State Hornet. We managed to secure an exclusive interview with Carlos Alazraqui, a Sacramento State alum known best for his work as Officer Garcia on Comedy Central's "Reno 911!"

We also knocked out a couple reviews this week for a pair of films each boasting a dynamic duo of leading men.

Alazraqui, a traveled comedian and voice actor, and his partner in crime Jill-Michele Melean were on campus to cap off the week's Phlagleblast events with a free comedy show. Apparently, they were so good they set off the sprinkler system.

"Burn After Reading" and "Righteous Kill," which both opened this weekend, left our reviewers a little sour despite the collective star power of George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino.

Visit The State Hornet to get more great entertainment coverage.