Gah!

Such a headache. Hard to concentrate. Good thing it's Friday.

Bryan Fuller is apparently going to save Heroes . I'll believe it when I see it. Lauren Graham's getting a new show. And Joss says no talking about the final Cylon on the Dollhouse set.

It's 4pm on a Friday

...and it's snowing. Who's doing work, honestly?

I'll spare you the politics, even though I have three days of newspaper reading, and just give you the fun stuff.

This may very well explode my geeky brain: Tricia Helfer (from BSG) guest-starring on Chuck. Eeee!!!

Kiefer Sutherland points out how ridiculous it is to think that people actually elected a black President because of 24. And, of course, more on the 24 movie. Plus, why the name changed from Exile to Redemption: "Somebody at Fox didn't like it." Ha.

Here's the second half of that Christian Kane interview I posted a while ago.

And finally, I haven't really spent much time on Heroes since I stopped watching the show, but I couldn't resist commenting on these two things. First, I saw this quote from a recap of a recent episode: "Why does Sylar get to be the new force of great justice in this show, while Hiro is consigned to the role of cutey clown?" Uh... because Sylar is awesome and Hiro is unbelievably not? I don't understand why people are getting so worked up about Hiro being a 10-year-old. (No, I have no idea how that happened, and I don't care.) He's always acted like a pre-pubescent idiot, so really, what's the difference?

And second, wow. If I hadn't already lost interest, this would have been the final nail in the coffin. In fact, Tim Kring pissed me off so much that I almost wish I were still watching just so I could quit in protest.

Afternoon update

A couple articles I found that couldn't wait to be posted - first, how to fix Heroes, because lord knows, it needs it. And second, it's Smurfday!

Break out the Sudafed

I'm very, very tired today, and if the number of tissues I've gone through today is any indication, I think I'm getting a cold. But I persevere to bring you these important links: the movie "Once" is headed to Broadway and Zeljko Ivanek (from 24 and Damages) is headed to Heroes. (But I won't be watching him because I'm DONE with Heroes!! I almost reconsidered when Chuck ended last night... I was like, "Eh, too lazy to find the remote." And then they killed Adam off in the first 7 minutes, and I was like, Click. That was just the thing I needed. No more Adam means no more reason to watch.)

Now, for a show I DO watch: a review of The Bro Code, written of course by HIMYM's Barney Stinson.

Okay...

That was a little bit mean, since I know Kelly doesn't care about politics. So here's some TV talk, too.

Let's see, the last time I checked in, I was almost caught up with all the shows I'd missed. Since then, I managed to watch all the recent episodes of Chuck, which I'm still a big fan of. I'm still bummed that it's on at the same time as HIMYM, because those two shows have become the only bright spot on a previously packed Monday night.

This is partly because I've given up on Heroes. Not even the digging up of Adam Monroe can save it for me. I watched it last Monday, and about halfway through, I realized I didn't have a clue what was going on (mostly because I'd zoned out a few times, but also because the show makes no logical sense). And more importantly, I didn't care. So, yeah. I'm done. I'm slightly bitter that I even bothered to get invested at all, going against my instincts that it wasn't as awesome as the hype, only to have the show spiral into such nonsensical drivel that even people who were completely obsessed with the first season are now calling it crap.

My other Monday night hopeful was the Jekyll and Hyde spy show, My Own Worst Enemy, starring my beloved Christian Slater (I met him!! In London!! There are pictures!!). Maybe watching Heroes right before it meant that I was already in a troubling state of ennui, but my reaction was pretty meh. It was decent, but not outstanding, with several logic holes that could've been glossed over had the show been more interesting.

Elsewhere on TV, I watched the first episode of Life on Mars. I was really afraid of this one, because those imported Brit remakes rarely go well, but this one was pretty good. I guess it helps that I've never seen the original (which I do plan to rectify eventually). I missed the second ep last night, because Danielle called me so I was on the phone for the first half of it, but I liked it enough to catch up online.

Also, somewhat confusingly, I'm enjoying Life (confusing because of the titles, not because... never mind). I'm noticing the trend seems to be heading towards "procedurals with a twist." It's not enough anymore to be a dry, impersonal CSI or Law and Order, but people seem to be leery of serial shows after the post-Lost spate of serials crashed and burned a couple years ago. So now it's all "cop show... except one cop is from 2008, transported to the 1970s" or "spy show... except the spy has a split personality." Even older shows like Bones and House seem to fit into this pattern. And with Life, it's "cop show... except one cop just got out of jail after being wrongfully imprisoned for 12 years." I watched the whole first season on DVD, and then what's aired so far of the second season online, and it's great. I thought it would be an "I can wait till it comes out on DVD" show, but I'm totally into it. It's on Friday nights, which is a bummer, but that's what the internet is for, right?

And finally, I'm still watching Fringe, but I pretty much agree with this article on how it could be much better.

Remember when I watched TV?

Before I went on vacation, that is. I've spent the last few days catching up on the hours and hours of fall TV that I've missed, so here's a quick rundown:

HIMYM: Love it, even though Ted totally dissed New Jersey last night. But Marshall's hilarious rant about being too big for New York completely made up for it. Plus, I didn't think it was possible to love Barney even more, but OMG how cute is he being in love with Robin while still being very, very Barney. (Also, I think my Dr. Horrible love is bleeding through.)

Heroes: Holy God. I didn't think these characters could get any stupider, but wow, did I underestimate them. With Peter, we now have double the stupid (and sadly, Future Peter shows that he only gets MORE stupid as time goes on), Hiro almost won the stupid-off hands down when he opened the safe, but Mohinder once again reclaimed the lead by injecting himself with superhero juice. HRG still rocks my socks, and I like the speedster chick (though I question her judgment being married to Parkman in the future). Also, Sylar as a '50s housewife totally makes up for the rest of the Four Years Later plot totally sucking. I can't wait for Elle to show up again (she IS coming back, right?) and OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG Adam!!!!! I can't tell you how much I love him, mostly because he's always trying to kill Hiro.

Fringe: I'm still into it. My love of Joshua Jackson is strong, even though the show itself isn't as compelling as it thinks it is. Anna Torv bothers me, though (she reminds me a lot of what's her name, who played Kate on 24).

Bones: Started off shaky (much as I love London, that season premiere was weak), but I am LOVING Sweets this year. I was so happy to see Zack back as well, even though he creeps me the fuck out. The revolving door of assistants has been hit or miss. Hodgins and Angela just need to get back together - the reason they broke up was stupid in the first place. And is it just me, or have they been focusing on Seeley's "Cocky" belt buckle an awful lot lately?

Dirty Sexy Money: So far, I've only seen one episode, and this show is kind of on the bottom of my list of shows I care about. I do love Peter Krause and Donald Sutherland, but it seems to have gotten more soap opera-y and less funny.

The Office: Again, only one episode, but at least they seemed to be better with the pacing on the hour-long ep than last season. Still funny.

Mad Men: OMG I love this show. Watch it. That's all.

I still haven't caught up on Chuck, but I'll probably do that tonight. I'm also working on season 1 of Life, which so far seems good, but probably not must-see. I may just wait for the second season to come out on DVD. Ditto for House and Brothers & Sisters. I also started watching Arrested Development. I only got in a couple episodes before I left for vacation, and so far I'm finding it funny, but not nearly as brilliant as everyone's made it seem.

Counting down...

...till I get out of here. Spent most of the weekend packing, although it feels like I spent it on a Stairmaster. Sheesh, you'd think I'd be in better shape for hauling 3 loads of laundry up and down 10 flights of steps. (Note to self: Never do laundry when elevators are out of service.) I also managed to get stuck in the elevator, which was my main reason for taking the stairs, so that was a lot of fun.

Anyway, the increasingly negative and false statements from the McCain campaign are generating more buzz. They're also generating more humor, as is Sarah Palin.

But I know what we really care about is what Kristen Bell's up to on Heroes. In other TV news, I watched Fringe last night, and I'd say it won me over enough that I'll be disappointed to miss the next three episodes. My teenage crush on Josh Jackson has apparently not gone anywhere, particularly as he was spouting some of the best lines in the episode. But God, a 2 hour premiere seems long, even with limited commercial interruptions. I noticed that with the Bones premiere, too.

So, I counted it up, and I'm going to be missing approximately 15 hours of television while I'm away. Dude, that's a lot of television. Okay, it's like 5 hours a week, which is one hour per weekday, which doesn't seem like a lot. But wow, I wish I had Tivo.

Weekend!!!!!11!!

I'm really tired today, and I've already mentally checked out for the holiday, so I'll just say yay Obama, and also, WTF McCain? (For those who don't bother with the news, he chose Alaska governor Sarah Palin to be his VP.)

Actually, although the choice seems to come out of nowhere, it actually could be a pretty good one. She's young and inexperienced, sure, but I'd bet McCain would say, "Wouldn't you rather have an experienced President and an inexperienced VP than the other way around?" Plus, she's definitely a Washington outsider, which combats Obama's message of post-partisan change. I'm sure they're counting on her bringing in some women voters, but aside from their gender, she really doesn't have a thing in common with Hillary, so I wouldn't count on her drawing anyone that wasn't already in the "sore losers for McCain" camp. What good is a woman candidate if she doesn't support women's rights?

Listening to her speech, I thought she had great presence and felt very conversational - just the right person to portray the "I'm just like you" message and make people forget about McCain's 7 houses. Her political positions seem to be pretty in-step with the Republican party (anti-abortion, pro-gun, pro-oil drilling in her own state), so other than being a woman, die-hard conservatives ought to like her.

The ethics thing is a little curious. Sure, she supposedly has a great record on ethics standards and stuff... but she's being investigated! She's been accused of improperly using her office to have her ex-brother-in-law fired from his state trooper's job. As part of the fall-out, the state commissioner who was asked to fire him was then fired himself.

Also, I don't know that holding this event on McCain's 72nd birthday was a good idea. Way to remind us that he's friggin' old.

Anyway, in other news, Aaron Sorkin now has a Facebook group (it's research for the movie I mentioned yesterday), and you can ask him questions, and he'll answer. Also, more Heroes spoilers, an interview with Chuck creator Josh Schwartz, and an interview with Josh Jackson about Fringe.

Promo time!

Thought you might be interested to watch the promo for Heroes season 3, as well as the promos for the Bones season premiere (the London eps!).

Really, I'm still alive

Okay, since I apparently have people wondering if I'm okay, here's an update to prove I'm still kicking. Haven't had much to say about anything lately, hence the lack of chattiness. It's not like I've missed much... okay, the Olympics started, but I don't really care, John Edwards imploded a little bit, but when is a politician having an affair news?

My mother had a birthday - but I'm not allowed to say how old she is. I went home for the weekend to celebrate it, Mom liked my presents (jewelry and hair product stuff she asked for), and my dad made a cake (which totally fell apart).

The Mole had their season finale last night, and I totally called the mole... and it only took me three tries. I have to say, Craig was the best mole ever on this show. I'm also a little relieved to hear that Nicole and Paul were deliberately being obnoxious to arouse suspicion and/or throw people off their game. I did actually like them by the end - they definitely toned down the bitchery, and even started to get along, which made me think it might be strategy rather than actual personality flaws. I even kind of wanted Nicole to win. Mark, although he played a good game, was just too psycho obsessive about it for me to really like him. I guess it's better that he won, though, because I think his head might've exploded otherwise.

I also (sort of) called the My Boys season finale, except that I didn't realize the season was only 9 episodes long, so I didn't realize it WAS the season finale. But Bobby totally had second thoughts about the wedding, and he totally found out about PJ and Jack, and all the ensuing angst that I predicted will surely happen next season (or the second half of this season... it's still unclear whether this was an actual finale or just a "summer finale." Cable's so weird).

I'm also addicted to Mad Men (which just keeps getting better and better) and Psych (omg Steven Weber as Shawn's uncle!), so my summer TV watching has been somewhat sparse, but quality.

Generally, a Heroes casting announcement elicits a groan, but I'm super excited that Seth Green might be coming on board. My life needs a little more Seth Green in it.

I think that's all I've got, unless anyone wants to give me boy advice. (Seriously, he was obviously interested in me, called me and texted me a LOT last week, and yet was incapable of asking me out on an actual date. He was busy the two times I invited him out with my friends, and hasn't returned my call since Saturday. Boys are stupid.)

This is so nice, I just might sleep with the same girl twice...

Yep, still using Dr. Horrible quotes for titles.

So, OMG. I had a pretty crappy weekend, but it was Comic-Con weekend in San Diego, which means I have a shitload of links. Let's try to keep this organized.

Okay, first of all, TV Squad has a report on just about every panel, including Dollhouse, Heroes, Bones, and Dr. Horrible. Most important announcement from the entire weekend: There will be more Dr. Horrible! (Which is very good, because I'm running out of quotes.) Also, Dr. Horrible's remote control thingy (which he used to operate the van to steal the Wonderflonium) is a website he pulled up on his iPhone.

The Watcher has another report from the Heroes panel, as well as Battlestar Galactica.

There's lots of stuff about Dollhouse, including these video clips of interviews with Eliza, Joss, and Tahmoh, and another visit to the set. EW also has an interview with them (in which Eliza sings), as well as a two-part interview with David Boreanaz.

Um, Mario Lopez is on Extra now? That's a shame. But he's talking about Dr. Horrible, so he still gets cool points.

Random summary of everything

In case you live under a rock, Hillary endorsed Obama on Saturday. Also, Dennis Kucinich wants to impeach President Bush. There seems to be hardly anything in the news about it, but Daily Kos has some info.

In the world of TV, Heroes may be staging a Veronica Mars reunion, as Francis Capra (Weevil) is set to guest star next season. Yay! There's also an interview with Jane Espenson about last week's Battlestar Galactica, which I haven't read, because I was away all weekend and didn't watch the episode yet. Steven Weber is going to be guest-starring on Psych, which is awesome. And finally, a fun feature on what it's like in the writers' rooms of your favorite TV shows.

I watched the second episode of The Mole last night. It's not quite as good as the Anderson Cooper years, but I'm still enjoying it. There are definitely more people on there who do the reality TV thing - like "I'm on TV so I have to act obnoxious to get noticed," but less so than on other shows - possibly because this game is all about behavior and trying to be suspicious or throw the others off. I think Nicole is pretty much crazy, concluding the episode with this stellar threat to Paul: "I'll kill you in your sleep...I can do it and not leave any forensic evidence." Mark is either the mole, or he's taking this shit way too seriously. Also, Bobby is a whiny little bitch.

This post is entirely thanks to Kristin...

...Kristin at E!, that is, who interviewed lots of interesting people.

If you're still angry/upset/shocked/whatever about the Bones finale, check out this interview with Eric Millegan. I'm so sad that he's leaving.

Also, lots of Heroes news - Jack Coleman talks about taking down Kristen Bell and the beatings he's received for revealing spoilers, Milo Ventimiglia warns us that season 3 will "melt your brains," and the Pasdar lets it slip that he will be the cheerleader next year (also, Ma Petrelli does a Hiro impression).

'Bout damn time we heard something good!

Okay, it's not a network announcement, but this article has the magic words in relation to How I Met Your Mother: "a pickup is considered a given." Squee!

In other news, that chick who dated Landry on FNL is gonna be on Heroes next season.

I went on a shopping spree this weekend, good old retail therapy, and came home with new clothes, matching earrings, perfume for myself and my mother (Mother's Day is coming up), and a new toaster oven! I also went grocery shopping, but that was less fun.

Speaking of Mother's Day, my mom called me yesterday to see if I was coming home. I said no, since I just went home two weekends in a row in April, and we're going to DC in a few weeks. So Mom gives me the mopey, "Oh well. Another Mother's Day you're not going to be home."
Me: But I'll see you when we go to DC. We can celebrate then.
Mom: Oh, well, maybe next year we'll celebrate your birthday the week after, too.
Me: Uh... that's what we did this year, remember? Since it was a waste to celebrate my birthday and Easter on separate days?
Mom: Oh yeah...

And speaking of birthdays, shout-out to Megan, whose is tomorrow! Yay!

Lots of newsy goodness

I was away from my computer all day at a symposium on crime and violence, so I've got some catching up to do.

First, the Jericho series finale was Tuesday night. The ending was obviously rushed, as they had to condense an entire season into 7 episodes, and tie up as many loose ends as they could, but I think they did a good job. We have the specter of civil war ahead, which could make for a potential season 3 if by some miracle they get picked up on cable, but there's also the satisfaction of knowing that they saved the town and exposed the conspiracy and we can all assume the good guys win the war and everybody lives happily ever afterish. Besides, Jake and Hawkins are made of awesome, and that's really all that matters. Plus - surprise appearance by George Mason! (That's the guy from 24, played by Xander Berkeley... the only person I've ever heard called "Xander" in real life.) It was cool seeing him again, even if it was only a brief role and he shot awesome Hawkins.

Now I'm catching up on Battlestar Galactica before season 4 starts on April 4th. I have to admit, I wasn't a big fan of the whole settling-on-a-planet thing - I felt like it threw a lot of things out of whack, and I'm really glad everyone's back in space. If you want to catch up, there will be two TV specials this Friday night on Sci-Fi, and for the truly dedicated, there's also a marathon all next week, leading up to the premiere.

Speaking of BSG, Helo is gonna be on Dollhouse! Cool beans. Don't really know who the rest of those people are, although I think I saw Fran Kranz in a movie once. He was playing a bad actor, though, so it's hard to judge his actual ability. Still waiting to hear about those Buffy alums...

How many pilots can Rob Thomas make? Well, at least three, apparently. This one is another remake, of a New Zealand show called "Outrageous Fortune."

I'm super excited that one of my fave guys is coming back to Heroes next season, but if you're afraid of spoilers, don't read the article. I'm also a tad concerned about TWELVE new characters. Um, didn't we learn our lesson with the Mexican wonder twins? Unless they're only being introduced so that Sylar can kill them. That is acceptable.

In what I think will be my final reference to the Paley Festival, you can read recaps of the Dirty Sexy Money and Damages panels.

And in the "random" category, some genealogist has figured out which celebrities are related to the Presidential candidates. Hmm... I wonder if I'M distantly related to Brad Pitt, too...

Here's your damn update

So, it was ever so kindly brought to my attention *cough*Kelly*cough* that I haven't updated in a while. There's a very good reason for that. Normally, I update at work, when things are slow and I have time to troll the half-dozen websites I usually look to for news and random fun. But lately, I've been super-duper unbelievably out-of-control busy in work. So much so that I don't even have time to finish my actual work, let alone keep you people entertained.

BUT since Kelly demanded asked so nicely, I took some time after work today to check out what's been happening in the past... week? Ish.

I guess everyone knows by now that Heath Ledger died. It's absolutely shocking, especially since he never struck me as the drug-overdose kind of guy, even accidental. He was a talented actor, and always seemed to have his head on straight, unlike a lot of the out-of-control celebrities his age. It's a terrible shame.

Someone thought now was a good time to remind us all that Heath's first major role was in a short-lived TV show called Roar, which I mention because it was the first thing I ever saw him in, and I remember loving that show and being disappointed when it was canceled. And then, when everyone fell in love with him in 10 Things I Hate About You, I was all, "Hey, I saw him first!"

In happier news, NBC is having another auction, where you can bid on merchandise from their shows, including Friday Night Lights, Heroes, and The Office. Guess whose birthday is coming up? *grin*

Also on Friday Night Lights, this article pisses me off. It drives me crazy that TV has become all about franchising. That's the exact thing that kept me from watching Heroes at first. I'm glad there are no FNL trading cards or board games or... vibrating brooms? What? (Wow, Harry Potter fans are kinky...) Anyway, it's the simplicity of the show, the genuine reflection of everyday life, that makes it so wonderful. Turning it into a soulless commercialized franchise would totally destroy the magic, and I resent the fact that this purity is what keeps it from being a hit show. I felt the same way about Veronica Mars -I was so sorry to see it canceled, but at the same time, I would hate it if the show compromised its values and quality just to become a trashy hit. I worried that FNL was going that way in the beginning of season 2, but I think they've recovered, and I'm once again finding myself completely charmed by this little show. Don't take it away from me, you evil corporate bastards!

Okay, then. Jericho has two possible endings, one in the event it is canceled after its 7-episode 2nd season, and one if it's picked up for a third. Good plan, really, because God only knows how many nuts would be shipped to studio execs if the show got canceled on another cliffhanger.

Are you starting to feel the effects of the strike, as all of your favorite shows disappear from the prime time schedule? This feature might help you find a new show to watch. (I think my favorite is, "If you like Heroes, try Buffy the Vampire Slayer." I'm already into season 3 in rewatching my Buffy DVDs. Thanks, Strike!) Also, I'm throwing out my personal recommendation for Battlestar Galactica. I just watched all of the first two seasons on DVD, and now I'm ripping my hair out because season 3 doesn't come out on DVD until March. The fourth and final season airs starting in April.

Well, that should keep you busy at least until the weekend. I'd talk about politics, but that'd probably be a whole separate post (makes it easy for you all to ignore it that way, lol).

Most unproductive day ever

Friday before Christmas, kids. The only day that's going to be deader than today is Christmas Eve. I'd probably have posted before this, except we left for about a 2 hour lunch.

So, random things today. There's going to be a movie of The Hobbit, and also a sequel. The sequel thing kind of scares me. Don't mess with my Tolkien! Just film the book as written and then get the hell away.

Also, here's an interview with "Grumpy Dave" Boreanaz. I don't know if it's the interviewer trying to make him sound mean, or if he's being tongue-in-cheek and it just doesn't come across in print, or if he was just uncharacteristically cranky that day. Usually, DB is a big ball of enthusiasm in his interviews (witness the insanity that was Graham Norton).

And finally, the 10 worst powers to have on Heroes. I don't know, given the whole proclivity to accidentally explode, don't you think Radioactive Ted should've been higher than #6? I will admit, though, a psychological disorder is a pretty crappy power (if you can call it a power at all), so Niki/Jessica probably does deserve to be at the top of the list.

Post Script

One more Heroes-related thing: Here's an interview with Tim Kring about the finale and what's coming up in Volume 3. While we're on the subject, something I forgot to mention in my rant - why the hell did Peter give himself a nosebleed trying to telekinetically (is that a word?) open the safe, when he could have just phased through the wall or teleported? Then, he could have destroyed the virus without Adam getting his hands on it, thus eliminating the need to put his trust in someone he was starting to question. OR, if Adam almost releasing the virus was absolutely essential to the dramatic tension, he could've phased or teleported Adam WITH HIM. And hey - we could even still have the big confrontation, because Hiro can teleport, too - and he could take Parkman and Nathan with him.

*sigh* It annoys me when the Heroes don't use their powers.

Speaking of which, I read on one of the comment threads (I think it was on TV Squad) the theory that Mohinder's "power" is actually extreme stupidity, and Peter absorbed it after spending time with Mohinder last season. I'd totally believe that.

Last Heroes rant until who-knows-when

Heroes is making me uncomfortable. I'm starting to feel weird about always cheering on the bad guys and rooting for people to die. Thanks, Show.

For instance, I was rooting for Peter and Adam all night last night, even though I *knew* Adam was going to release the virus. I can't help it. I love them both, and let's be honest, of Team Hiro/Parkman/Nathan, the only one I can tolerate is Nathan (and he will lose my love if he doesn't cut his damn hair! Seriously, is there some sort of "conservation of hair" principle in the Petrelli family?). And when Sylar is the only person in the room that I *don't* want to die, that's not good. News flash to Mohinder, Molly, and Maya - it's really sad when your character is so annoying you make a serial killer look good.

Also, how cool was Elle last night?? I loved how she got so excited when she realized she'd done something good. It seemed like she was more pleased that she'd redeemed herself in her father's eyes than the fact that she actually saved three people's lives, but hey, it's progress, right? At least she's zapping the bad guys now.

Mohinder has now permanently secured his position at the top of my "too stupid to live" list. Admittedly, the look on his face when Sylar started being nice to him was hilarious. But why he didn't DO something about it, I'll never know. Yes, okay, Maya is there and doesn't think Sylar's a bad guy. But she's a teeny little girl - what exactly is she going to do if Mohinder tries to kill Sylar? Hit him over the head with the frying pan? (Sidebar: OMG, I was so pissed when they killed Maya and then brought her back to life. You have no idea how thrilled I was to see her dead, and then they TOOK IT BACK, the bastards.)

Okay, yeah, so then, Sylar's all, "Gimme the blood," and Mohinder's like, "You can't just inject it! The wrong dosage could kill you!" Okay, Mo? Think about that one for a second. Shut UP! Just do what the bad man tells you and kill him!! God. And THEN, when he realizes that Sylar has escaped with Claire's blood, his first thought is, "*gasp* Niki!" Instead of, oh, I don't know, "Holy shit! A psychotic, evil mass murderer just found a way to get his powers back and become unstoppable again!" Too. Stupid. To. Live.

So... back to the dynamic duo. I admit, I'm glad that Peter destroyed the virus (WTF did he do? That was pretty awesome. Can he disintegrate all kinds of shit or just test tube viruses?) but I'm also glad that Adam's not dead. Probably a mistake on Hiro's part, burying him alive instead of killing him (maybe he didn't realize he could?), but you just know that someday, somebody's gonna dig up Adam, and after months/years/decades of being locked in a box, he'll be even more batshit crazy than he was before. Fabulous!

I have found a new reason to dislike Hiro, not that I needed one. Two seasons in a row now, his plot line has been all over the place and mostly irrelevant to the overarching story, and then he pops up in the finale, waving his goddamn sword around, all, "I wanna be a hero!!" It pisses me off. Like, either be a part of this or don't be, but don't just show up at the end and expect to save the day when the rest of these people have been risking their lives and working their asses off for 13 episodes now.

Nathan. *sigh* I did think it was cool that both Claire and Nathan had the idea to hold a press conference (like father, like daughter), although I think it would've been better for all involved if Claire had been the one who got shot. I wouldn't write him off just yet, though. There are still two people in the world who can save him, and they're both related to him. If Peter's smart (I know, that's asking a lot), he'll figure out that his blood can heal, too, just like Adam's, since he's absorbed the regeneration power. If not, then there's always the chance that Claire will see the assassination on the news, and SHE knows for sure that her blood not only heals, but can bring people back from the dead. I wonder if there's a time limit to how long a person can be dead before they get regenerated. Would it not work if they wait too long? Could Claire, like, bring back people who've been dead for years?

And, for the final death of the episode - Niki. Wow, pointless much? That entire plotline was dumb and overwrought. I don't understand why Monica couldn't use her kung-fu fighting skills to get OUT of that situation in the first place. But more importantly, all that over a few comic books? Really? I'm sure there must have been something more going on, but since they didn't tell us what it was, I'm left thinking it was remarkably contrived. I guess it's noble and all, that Niki, who was gonna die anyway, went in to save Monica, but it really didn't belong in the final episode of this arc.

So, that's it for Heroes until next year, and with the writers' strike, who knows when we'll get new episodes. At least we got a decent finale to hold us over.

TV overload

Lots of stuff today. First of all, Chuck has been picked up for a full season, which totally pleases me, because as I was watching it last night, I realized that this was the best, funniest new show of the season. It had a little bit of a shaky start, but it's been consistently funny, and the last several episodes have developed the backstory, giving it a depth that sets it above an equally funny show like Reaper. I especially love watching it with Kelly on IM, so we can repeat the one-liners to each other and giggle, over and over. Plus, as I've mentioned before - ADAM BALDWIN. But really, the entire cast is awesome (to use Captain A's favorite word).

It's also nice, because it gives me a solid block of television to watch, along with Heroes, which is steadily getting better. (How excited was I that Sylar killed Annoying Boy Twin? One down, one to go! And who ever thought I'd be rooting for Sylar? Sometimes it's nice to have a crazy fucker around to thin out the riff-raff.) I'm pretty sure Adam is evil, but I completely don't care, because I love him and Peter, and if Hiro kills either one of them, I will be very, very cross. They keep saying two more Heroes will die (and, presumably, stay dead, otherwise it's just kinda silly). I just can't narrow it down. Hiro, Annoying Girl Twin, Mohinder, Parkman, Niki... I'd kill off any of them. Just don't touch Peter, Claire, Adam, Nathan, HRG, or Elle and I'll be happy.

One Hero we haven't heard much from lately is Nathan. I guess he's still wandering around Ireland looking for Peter. Come back, Nathan! I miss you! And what a hot trifecta you'd make if you joined up with Peter and Adam. Hey, did you know that the Pasdar wrote and directed a Civil War musical? He's multi-talented. Also, here's a nice article about the actor who plays the Haitian. Turns out, he's really from Haiti.

So, what's on TV tonight? The big Bones kiss, of course! I have a sense of foreboding about this. I may be one of the few people who doesn't want Booth and Bones to get together. I really like their brother/sister relationship - Bones never really had a family, and it's nice that she has someone that she can trust and care about and who cares about her, without it being sexual. I've repeatedly felt like the sexual tension between them seems manufactured solely to get us to want them together, when really their natural relationship is an intimate friendship that works really well. And I want it to stay that way.

Damages is coming out on DVD! I've said it before, and I'll say it again - you should watch this show. Glenn Close, people! Not to mention the twistiest, double-crossingest high-stakes mystery ever. Strike notwithstanding, the second season should premiere sometime next summer, so you'll have plenty of time to catch up. The DVD comes out January 29th.

And finally, when worlds collide: what TV shows do the presidential candidates watch? Well, Hillary has totally won the vote with my HGTV-obsessed parents. John McCain's comment about wanting to break out of prison was awkward... and kinda sad. And I'm mildly disturbed that, of all the candidates, I find myself mostly agreeing with Dennis Kucinich. But does anyone else feel like Fred Thompson should've mentioned Law & Order??