Zachary Quinto and Milo Ventimiglia have established worldwide fan bases after just a year on Heroes.

For the former, however, this wasn't the first role that got him excited. Aside from a recurring gig on 24, Quinto also appeared on the Tori Spelling quasi-reality show, So NoTORIous. Here's how the actor described his initial reaction to the role:

"When I first got the script for So NoTORIous, I was like, ‘I can't believe that in the middle of pilot season when I'm juggling like three auditions a day, my agents expect me to go in on a Tori Spelling show. This is ridiculous!"

After a quick read through, however, Quinto did a complete 180. He loved it:

"I couldn't put it down! I laughed so hard. I called them back and said, ‘I'm sorry! I can't believe I was so snotty!'"

The versatile actor's turn as Spelling's gay pal kept viewers laughing, but failed to actually keep them glued to the TV. Of course, the show's cancellation paved the way for Quinto to land Heroes' Sylar. We think it was a good trade-off.

For Milo Ventimiglia, meanwhile, his path to Heroes was carved as soon as he read the script.

"They had these extraordinary abilities, but what really drew me in was the human story behind these characters, the fact that they have to go through their daily lives with this stigma for being different and just how that makes you live your life," Ventimiglia said.

We couldn't have put it better ourselves.

No one can argue with the success of Heroes after just one season.

But further proof of this program's popularity lies in how many new shows on the fall schedule appear to be influenced by the NBC hit.

Other network look to have studied the Heroes model. Characters with extraordinary powers can be found in:

• ABC's Pushing Daisies
• CW's Reaper
• CBS' Moonlight

NBC will also schedule two such series with Heroes on Mondays: Chuck and Journeyman.

"We've got to be a little careful that just because a Heroes works in Season 1 that 10 shows like that can work," says Steve McPherson, president of ABC Entertainment.

Still, it makes sense that others would hope to piggyback on the wild success of this show. But are there limits to how far NBC Universal can extend the Heroes brand. What about a theme park ride, for instance?

"No one has talked to me yet," creator Tim Kring says.

The man behind Claire Bennet, Sylar and company also dismisses the notion of a movie version of his program. And that's probably a good thing for now.

Let's at least give season two of Heroes a chance to captivate us first.

Tawny Cypress is probably off Heroes for good…. but you never know.

Simone could return at some point, considering this is a show that involves time travel and super powers.

But if the producers do wish to resurrect this character in any way, they'll have to pluck the actress from the set of K-Ville, the new FOX drama Cypress is starring in this fall.

She'll portray a New Orleans cop. Here's a promo shot of Tawny in her latest role:

We love hearing from Ali Larter. And we hope Heroes fans do, too, because there's another interview with this blond bombshell below...

Crave Online: Where are you at in the season? How many have you read?
Ali Larter: We are shooting the third right now and they're amazing. They're introducing new characters. The writers on our show are so creative and they just are unleashed I feel like in the writer's room, so it's great.

Crave Online: How are things between Niki and D.L. now?
Ali Larter: They are interesting. They're interesting. You're going to find a lot out this year about their past and what happened.

Crave Online: Will the Nikki/Jessica dynamic continue at all?
Ali Larter: They're coming into one character. It's only Niki and I think the writers are so smart on this show that they really looked at what worked and what didn't. To be able to focus on the one character is I think going to be the best move.

Crave Online: How is the work different this year, only playing one character?
Ali Larter: I really am enjoying it. We went down a lot of different roads last year and it was really creative for me that I got to do those scenes where I was in jail and some of the stuff with my son. Playing Jessica, some of the stunt stuff, I feel like I actually jumped through genres at times within the season last year. So I think it was really fun. I think we took risks and chances. I think some worked. I think some didn't. I think this year, the writers are going to look at all that and focus it. I think it'll be great.

Crave Online: How difficult was that to shift in mid scene?
Ali Larter: That was one of the fun challenges that I was talking about being scared of. It could have looked like a soap opera. Not that soap operas are bad but in my work, I try to go for a little bit more realism. So it was challenging but it was such a great year all around, honestly, I feel like most of the cast must be saying that. We were all pushed different ways creatively. The response that we had in the States and around the world is just incredible.

Crave Online: What do you want to see happen for Niki?
Ali Larter: You know what? What I love about the show is when they let the characters breathe. I love the action packed side of it but I like the dialogue. I'm an actor so I love the dialogue. I love just moments that you can have between actors so I just hope that there's always room for that within all the [action].

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It started this week with the episode "Collison."

And for the rest of the summer, we'll be treated to reruns of Heroes every Monday night in its usual time slot.

The shows won't be unfolding in chronological order, however. Instead, various cast members will host the hour and present us with their favorite episodes from season one. Here's the schedule:

• Monday, August 20 Hayden Panettiere and Milo Ventimiglia host "Homecoming." (A photo from this episode is featured below.)

• Monday, August 27 Masi Oka and James Kyson Lee host "Six Months Ago."

• Monday, September 3 Jack Coleman and Greg Grunberg host "Company Man."

• Monday, September 10 Sendhil Ramamurthy and Zachary Quinto host "Parasite."

Get ready, Heroes fans in Canada. You're getting close to your only chance to meet a quartet of stars from your favorite show during their worldwide tour.

At noon on August 31, at Toronto's Yonge-Dundas Square, the following four cast members will descend on hockey's homeland:

1. Zachary Quinto
2. James Kyson Lee
3. Noah Gray-Cabey
4. Dania Ramirez

These stars will greet fans and autograph copies of the Heroes: Season One DVD at the special event, hosted by ET Canada's Rick Campanelli.

Fans can submit questions for the actors at globaltv.com.

The spotlight will be on Quinto, who has signed on to play Spock in JJ Abrams' upcoming Star Trek XI.

Ramirez joins the cast this season as Maya Herrera, a woman plagued by a threatening ability that forced her and twin brother Alejandro to flee their homeland for America.

Wow. It's so nice to be able to recap a Heroes episode for readers again.

Sure, it was a repeat of the fourth show from season one, "Collision" - but it was just refreshing to see Peter, Nathan, Niki and company back on television, wasn't it?

Just in case you were looking for that memorable quote from last night's episode, or wanted to read a recap of it, the staff here at Heroes Fanatic has you covered. As always.

Follow the links to our official episode guide to "Collision," along with our list of memorable quotes from the episode and image gallery.

Don't forget to vote on your favorite quotes and pics and come back every week for a similar episode review. And every day for news items and Heroes spoilers/information. Enjoy!

The Heroes cast is has already filmed a few episodes of season two, but many of them also spent part of the summer or past year starring in movies that are about to hit the big screen.

Ali Larter, for example, will be in Resident Evil: Extinction.

Meanwhile, Milo Ventimiglia will appear in Pathology. The film is about a group of medical school students who play a game to see which can commit the perfect murder. Sounds intriguing, as Milo stars as one of the students.

Here's the movie poster for it:

E! Online is typically good for a few Heroes spoilers. So let's get right two the following pair of nuggets, each of which involves Niki Sanders (Ali Larter):

Q: Anything on Heroes?
A: Expect all the regulars who didn't share scenes last year to spend time together onscreen this year. The producers are looking to weave the various story arcs together more tightly. Most notably, Niki leaves her family troubles behind and connects up with the show's larger mythological mysteries.

Q: Dying for more Heroes dish, if you've got it…
A: Claire and Niki finally cross paths.

Might Claire Bennet be going all Sylar on us in season two of Heroes?

It's doubtful. But that would be the case if it were up to Hayden Panettiere.

Panettiere's desire to play a villain stems from her typecasting as a pretty, blond cheerleader. It's one she's growing tired of.

"When you're blond, you don't play villains unless you're Sharon Stone," Pannettiere said. "It would be just exciting for me. People look at me as very sweet sometimes, and I say, 'I would never in a million years describe myself as sweet.' But I think it would be a blast. I think it's so much more fun to be bad."

Zachary Quinto would probably agree with that sentiment.

Speaking of villains, the second season will come with its own roster of new evil-doers, but how could they possibly be worse than Sylar, Hayden?

"Oh, it's possible," Panettiere teased, explaining that there are at least two new villains in the coming season, one of which will be the "boogeyman" Molly Walker hinted at towards the end of last season. Panettiere said the new villains are "freakier in a different way, kind of a mind trip."

Overall, this young actress says her character has changed a lot already. In what ways?

"I think she really grew up. If you guys don't have kids or haven't noticed, teenagers are selfish, and I will vouch for that. She wanted what any teenager would want, she wanted to be normal, she wanted to be popular, she wanted to date the quarterback of the football team," Panettiere said.

"And over time she realized that by dismissing her power like that, that she was risking a lot of people's lives, and that there was so much more she could do if she just came to terms with that. And she just really evolved, really grew up, learned to stand her own and stick up for herself. She matured, and hopefully she'll keep doing that."