The Heroes world tour is in full effect. Earlier today, a quarter of our favorite actors greeted fans on Tokyo:
Sendhil Ramamurthy, Ali Larter, Masi Oka and Greg Grunberg smile for the camera during a stop in Japan.
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Hayden Panettiere turned 18 this week.
And the Heroes actress didn't waste any time posing provocatively in FHM. Take a look:
Also last week, Hayden Panettiere stood alongside Masi Oka for a cool comic book-like cover shot. But she's on her own this time.
Thanks to all readers that submitted an entry in last week's Heroes Caption Contest.
But one effort stood out from the rest: reader "Greg C." submitted the line posted underneath the photo of Hiro below. It made us laugh out loud instantly.
We appreciate all entries and encourage everyone to play every week.
Thanks and enjoy!
To Wong Foo,
Thanks for everything.
Hiro Nakamura
The following interview with Zachary Quinto took place a few weeks ago. It was held at the after-party for the Web series "It's a Mall World," directed by co-star Milo Ventimiglia...
It seems like the entire cast hangs out when you're not shooting and you're all friends outside out work. That's very cool considering it isn't always like that.
Zachary Quinto: It's very true, yeah. Yes definitely. The cast is incredibly supportive and incredibly connected and really drawn to one another outside of work as well. I think it's part of the reason the show is so successful and people sense that in the work that we do as well.
Why do you think that is?
You can never sort of predict in that dynamic of a group of people when they're brought together. Tim Kring set out to create a specific kind of world and themes of that world are themes of unity and hope. I think the people that fell into place and fell into the step of those themes are the kinds of people who enjoy hanging out with one another. I think also everybody on the show is grateful to be a part of it and being a part of each other lives. We enjoy each other at work and enjoy each other when we're not at work.
You're friends with Kristen Bell, right?
I am.
Did you have anything to do with [her joining the show]?
I'd certainly like to think so. That was a joke by the way. I think that Kristen has a real following obviously in this world and then in television in general so I'm sure that she was somebody that they've talked about along the way. We were at Comic-Con at the same time this year and we came back on the train with a couple of the writers and they ended up talking about this new character that they were going to have on the show. She was sort of talking to them and she forged her own relationship with them and I think that also had something to do with it.
Will you two get to work together at all?
I'm not sure. I don't know what their plans are in terms of our characters' trajectories. I think it's possible down the line, but you know I'm only going to be around so long on the show before I have to leave to do the movie. I'll be taking some time off.
How is shooting the movie going to work out with your schedule?
They're in the process of figuring that out now. I'm not exactly sure. I think the movie starts shooting in November, by then we'll probably be around episode 13 so I'll be available and present and on a lot of the episodes before then. Then we'll see what happens. I don't know what their overall plan is.
Did you audition for the role and have to campaign to get Spock?
I do think I campaigned for it. I definitely put it out there that I'd be interested for it. I think there was a progression that made sense to the people that are making the movie in terms of exposure and my experience of the show and the nature of the show and the sort of crossover fan base. I went in and put myself on tape for the casting directors back in April.
Then, I left the country a couple of days after that for a while to travel during the summer. Immediately when I got back, like two days later they had set up a meeting. J.J. had called to set up a meeting. Two days later, there was a lot of negotiating and figuring out schedules. June 7th I think is when the offer came in and then July 26th or 27th is when we announced it at Comic-Con.
Season two of Heroes is less than a month away - but that's far too long for serious fans of the show.
If you need a sampling of one of this year's main story lines, a new five-part NBC Web series should do the trick: It's called Sword Saint and it's s currently streaming online at YamagatoFellowship.org.
"It's a fake documentary actually it's more like a Ken Burns mockumentary that explores the legend of Takezo Kensei," says Heroes creator Tim Kring, referring to the iconic samurai whom Hiro (Masi Oka) will encounter this fall in 17th-century Japan.
"Like Burns, we use academic professors, only ours are actors, and they share their historical insight against a background of paintings, tapestries and graphics. It's a chance to dig a little deeper into the new season. Part of the social currency our fans trade on is their knowledge of the show, and this is a fun, cool way to know a lot more than the next guy."
It's pretty darn cool.
The series unfolds in three- to four-minute installments. It follows the super-swordsman as he takes on a number of Herculean labors - battling snake women, climbing a massive frozen waterfall, single-handedly defeating 90 cannibals - in order to find and slay White Beard, a Genghis Khan-wannabe who is trying to conquer Japan.
The site describes Kensei's life in a series of bullet points, as well. For instance:
When Heroes on September 24, Kensei will be played by former Alias star David Anders, a Caucasian. But this is not some politically incorrect casting mess.
"I promise you'll get the scoop behind this in the season premiere," says Kring. "We're going to reveal why contrary to legend Kensei is not Japanese."
Here is a closer look at what you can find on the Heroes Season One DVD (on sale tomorrow!)...
Extended Pilot with Optional Commentary: This version of the show's pilot runs 73 minutes and includes several extra plotlines. In addition, scenes from the aired pilot sometimes get cut in this version, which was put together by creator Tim Kring. It's very different, even to the point of having another actor playing Sylar (and we're glad that went with Zachary Quinto). There's also a commentary with Kring, who outlines the changes and gives some anecdotes.
Video Commentaries (HD DVD Exclusive Feature): Universal offers picture-in picture commentaries on eight of the season's 23 episodes (for the curious, they appear on "Godsend," "The Fix," "Distractions," ".07%,", "Five Years Gone," "The Hard Part," "Landslide," and "How to Stop an Exploding Man"). These commentaries feature many of the show's cast and crew in rotation. Personally, I quite enjoyed all of these, as it's clear that everyone is really excited about being part of the team and have some good things to say.
U-Control (HD DVD Exclusive Feature): This is Univeral's interactive feature that they have included on many of their high profile releases. Often, we get a lot of fluff and little substance, but that's not the case with Heroes. Probably the coolest U-Control feature is the ability to take a closer look at any of Isaac's paintings. This is really cool, as you can zoom in while you're watching the episode. Considering how vital these paintings are to the series, it's a great way to go more in-depth.
There's a "Character Connections" chart which is more useful than it sounds. Each episode, a few of the characters from each area interact with each other, many of them unaware that they are doing so. This feature charts their meetings in a way that resembles the map made by "Papa" Suresh, with intersecting lines criss-crossing around. Considering how often the characters bump into each other, I found this to be very useful indeed. The final aspect is also the least interesting. Throughout the show, a Helix symbol appears (it's most easily noticed on the cover of the book "Activating Evolution," as well as Jessica's shoulder) and this feature points the symbol out every time it shows up.
Web Enabled Content (HD DVD Exclusive Feature): All HD DVD players are required to have an ethernet connection, which is how Universal is able to put web content on the Heroes HD DVD set. There are two sections to this. One is a "Genetic Abilities Test," which asks you questions and then determines if you too have special abilities (more likely than not it will tell you that you have them). You can then register your powers and your profile online for others to see.
The other part is a download area, which currently has a trailer for Heroes Season One and the upcoming Universal films Talk To Her and White Noise 2. But Universal has promised that more content will be made available in the future. As to whether or not that actually pans out, only Isaac knows.
Deleted Scenes: Most of the episodes contain deleted scenes, some of which are just a few lines of dialog, but others are very substantial and would have done well if included in the actual broadcasts. A mixed bag, but worth going through for the best scenes.
Making Of: Here's where the supplements start to whittle down. This featurette is 10 minutes and it's just fluff, especially if you've gone through the commentaries and Unaired Pilot.
Nick D'Agosto is a lucky man:
He gets to have a super power and make out with Hayden Panettiere. Not bad for a young actor.
Here's a clip of the new Heroes cast member talking about this great role...
Over at HeroesWiki, Ryan Stewart has interviewed Jason Kyson Lee, the actor that portrays Ando on our favorite show.
Here are highlights from the discussion...
You're in a select little group of characters that don't have powers on Heroes. There's Ando, Mr. Bennet, and Mohinder. You guys are the three main ones that have no powers. I think it's fantastic that you represent the everyman, the viewer.
Yeah, it does balance out the show. I think you'd get a little too carried away if everyone and their dog [had powers]. The next thing you know, Mr. Muggles zaps little light bulbs from his eyes. You know what I mean? It would just be La La Land. I think that's part of the appeal of the show, that it is somewhat rooted it in reality in the sense that all of these circumstances and happenings and are still somewhat believable. We're able to latch on to these characters.
How do you relate to your character then?
[laughs] You know, it's funny. Someone from the Comic-Con asked what we bring from our real life. I guess my answer was I bring my enthusiasm for women. I don't know. [both laugh] But Ando's a character that went through quite a bit of character growth in Season One, starting out as sort of a reluctant participant, coming out to a foreign world, and really becoming a believer. I think towards the later [part] of the season, he really kind of swapped roles with Hiro at times and started spearheading.
There were times when Hiro was really down and Ando sort of became the encourager and the inspiration so that Hiro could do this. It got to the point where he went out to go face Sylar by himself because he thought Hiro wasn't going to do it. [laughs] You know, it's been a really fun transformation. I try to bring different aspects of myself to it, of course, incorporating all the imagination of our writers. But we'll see. I think it's going to be very interesting and we'll see how things progress.
How do you want Ando to grow in the next season?
I'd love to learn more about his background and his family. Also, it seems like Hiro and Ando have known each other since they were younger than maybe some people have realized. They could have been coworkers at work, but Hiro does mention the fact that Kensei is a childhood hero that they both grew up reading about. Of course, we have the comedic elements in the show, which I think just adds a different layer to the show entirely. And Ando and Hiro have this really great dynamic relationship. I'd love to be part of more action, you know?
Naturally, I'm an athletic guy and I love being active. So I'd love to see Ando incorporated in more of that and just maybe kind of go out there and fight. You know, when we had the future episode, Hiro got to do a lot of the battle stuff. I think it'd be fun to see Ando get in the mix on some of the action stuff.
Yeah, I agree with you, I think that would be very neat. You mentioned Ando's family. Is there any chance of seeing any other Masahashis in Season Two?
You know, I have no idea at this point. We only just finished episode six and a lot of things are still under wraps. But I'd love to see maybe a love interest in Japan, or, I don't know, I'd love to see the storylines being expanded more. But we'll see. With this show, you never know what's going to happen, man.
You mentioned that Ando went off to fight Sylar (Zachary Quinto) on his own. How'd you feel when you saw that storyline?
Yeah, at first I was really excited, and then I was like, "Oh, wait a minute. Could this be the end?"
And then that coupled with that picture of you dead and mangled!
Right, right! In the futureluckily it was a future that we avoided. [both laugh] I think Adrian said once that he thought he was coming on a show called Heroes, but he didn't realize it was called Survivor. I mean, any of us can go at any time, and I think that's what keeps the show exciting. They're able to bring in new characters and flush out new storylines.
So we hope that this is a long run... [laughs] but definitely, sometimes you get the script and you're like, "Oh my God, where is this headed?" But maybe that's part of the excitement. It's like one of those roller coaster rides where you have to have faith and just jump on.
Weeks before season two of Heroes, a pair of of its bigger stars sat down for an interview.
Here's what Ali Larter and Sendhil Ramamurthy had to say about the past and future of their characters - and our favorite show...
IGN TV: How far into production are you on Season 2?
Sendhil Ramamurthy: We're in the middle of the third episode.
IGN TV: A year ago you were here with the show before it premiered, having no idea how it would go over. What's it been like in the past 12 months seeing it explode the way it has?
Ali Larter: I'm always anxious to hear what everyone else says to these things. It has been an absolutely amazing year. What I think is so incredible is that I feel stimulated creatively, and we took a lot of risks on the show in the first season. And to be able to feel fulfilled on that side of it is for me the most important thing as an actor. But to also have this appeal, on this global level, is extraordinary. It's extraordinary that we really touched a cord.
Ramamurthy: Bouncing off her and what she said about a global level, it really is like a global thing. I was traveling around over the hiatus and I was in France and England and Mexico, and everybody knew the show; everybody knew who we were. I mean it really is nuts. You can hope to be on a hit show, but to be on a show that's kind of like branched out, like this has, I don't even know
IGN TV: Sendhil, I remember talking to you on the set before the show had debuted, and you were telling me how you and Milo Ventimiglia were so excited just to see the big billboard painting on the side of NBC, and were going there to take pictures of it.
Ramamurthy: I still have that picture on my phone!
IGN TV: I know you guys have to be very secretive, but can you talk at all about where Season 2 picks up?
Ramamurthy: Season 2
I can tell you this. Season 2 picks up four months after Season 1 ended.
[At this point Larter taps Ramamurthy on his shoulder and nods towards some nearby girls]
Larter: These girls just looked over and went "Oh my god! Oh my god, there he is!" I swear!
Ramamurthy: [Laughs] The best thing about the show is standing next to her.
Larter: [Miming fans] "Ahhh!" Sendhil, do the girls come up to you and fawn? Because as a girl, you know guys aren't like "Oh, you're so lovely." They're like "How you doing?" or they hit on you.
IGN TV: But the girls get into more of the shrieking thing, right?
Ramamurthy: Listen, they pretty much leave me alone, because I'm mostly out and about with my wife. But a few come up
Larter: And she's got a big ol' ring on her finger.
Ramamurthy: Yeah, exactly.
We're inching closer and closer to season two of Heroes.
As fans count down the days, and read up on Heroes spoilers and alerts, NBC has released a few promotional photos of new and old stars.
Kristen Bell, formerly of Veronica Mars, will come aboard as Elle.
Dania Ramirez will portray Maya, another new character on the show.
And the rest: Hayden Panettiere, Masi Oka, Adrian Pasdar and the Heroes cast prepares for season two.
