Several of our favourites are being recognised by the 2008 SyFy Genre Awards, particularly BSG (back with a vengeance!), Doctor Who, Torchwood and the Star Trek fan webisodes. Also, my latest obsession - Supernatural - got two first time nods for Best TV Show and Jensen Ackles (Best TV Actor). They're up against pretty stiff competition though!

On the downside, Heroes and Stargate (SG-1 or Atlantis) were notably absent, esp. since last year's wins by Joe Flanigan, Amanda Tapping, Masi Oka, Ali Larter, Hayden Panettiere and Richard Dean Anderson. This time, the only nominations were for Claudia Black (Best Supporting TV Actress), George Takei (Best Episode Guest Star), Hayden and Noah Gray-Cabey (Best Young Actor).

Full list of nominations here and video announcement with scene clips here.

Vote for your favorites once a day between June 25, 2008 and July 25, 2008 at www.SyFyPortal.com.

Masi Oka, Greg Grunberg, Sendhil Ramamurthy and Ali Larter from the TV series Heroes were in Singapore from August 30 to September 2, 2007 as part of the Heroes World Tour. As one of the sponsors on Star World's Heroes broadcast in Asia, we had a chance to attend the gala dinner at the Four Seasons Hotel on Friday. For more details on the other tour events, visit this earlier recap.

( COCKTAILS & DINNER )

( Q&A, PREVIEWS & PHOTOS )

( Cast highlights )



All in all, it was a fun night. The cast were great sports, given what must have been a tiring Asia tour, and especially after the mobs at their all-too-brief appearance in Vivocity earlier in the day.

Masi, Greg, Sendhil and Ali were in town, and I finally got to meet them!

( See here for more )

For those of you locals, the Straits Times also published a Heroes feature in Satuday's Life! on Sept 1 (paid registration needed for the online article, but you can check out their vodcast here). Meanwhile, try catching them as they tour the town this weekend, according to the vodcast. Among the stops: Merlion, Raffles Hotel, the Esplanade!

In just a few days, Heroes fans in sunny Singapore (well, generally sunny... except for today) will be visited by Tim Kring, Masi Oka, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Greg Grunberg and Ali Larter. Since I may get to chat with them while they're here, I thought I'd do a canadian_turtle and open the floor for folks to ask questions for these fabulous five. I'll try my best to get them answered, esp. since there's a few of us going. (Sadly, this picture from the Tokyo World Tour doesn't have Tim in it so maybe he isn't coming?)

Also, for those of you in Singapore, if you missed the Star World/Nokia Heroes contest, you can still win a chance to meet the cast via the Straits Times Stomp! OR stalk the Singapore World Tour - details here. NBC also has a site for fan accounts from all the world tours.

The cast will fly here on Thursday 30 August and be given the red-carpet treatment by airport authorities who will stage a special presentation for the stars in Changi Airport at 4pm. On Friday 31 August the visiting Heroes will meet winners from a regional online contest before taking part in a press conference at Singapore’s Four Seasons Hotel, starting at 9am. For fans eager to see their idols in person, the Heroes will make a public appearance at VivoCity at 3:30pm (best to be there from 2-5p). In their final official engagement, the stars will dine with invited guests at a gala dinner sponsored by STAR World.

Lastly, catch the latest Heroes buzz here, Herosite's S2 spoiler round up and this new teaser with a tantalising view of nekkid!chained!Peter?! Pheew.

The Heroes World Tour contest in Asia is offically open - see the Star World Asia site for details on how to win a chance to meet the cast!

Heroes cast members Masi Oka, Ali Larter, Greg Grunberg and Sendhil Ramamurthy, along with the show’s creator, Tim Kring, will arrive in Hong Kong on Tues, 28 August. On Wednesday, 29 August, they will participate in a press conference and take part in a series of public appearances.

Fans in Singapore can look forward to welcoming their Heroes on Thursday, 30 August. On 31 August, the actors will attend a press conference and make a public appearance at Vivocity at 3:30p. More details here.

There's also a SciFi Wire clip with most of the cast (what's up with all the cropped hair?) talking about the upcoming tour and Season 2. Nice comment from Sendhil and Zach about everyone wanting to go to Southeast Asia! Sadly, as we can now confirm, only Masi, Ali, Greg, Sendhil and Tim will be on this side of the ocean.

Hope to see some of you there!

Where can you find your favourite science fiction, fantasy and horror films all at once?

The Saturn Awards of course!

Superman Returns led the list of nominees for the 33rd annual Saturn Awards, with 10 nominations, including best fantasy film, the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films announced on Feb. 20. X-Men: The Last Stand and Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth followed, with six nominations each. Other nominated films included Casino Royale, Mission: Impossible III, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Stranger Than Fiction, which each received five nods. In the television categories, ABC's Lost led the nominees, with six nominations. NBC's new hit series Heroes garnered five, and SCI FI Channel's original series Battlestar Galactica earned four nominations. Stargate SG-1 receives one final nomination for Best Syndicated TV Series in its last - and historical 10th - season. The winners will be announced at this year’s Saturn Awards which takes place on Thursday, May 10, 2007 in Universal City. Actor Greg Grunberg and comedian Jeffrey Ross will be hosting the event.

( Nods for BSG, Heroes and Stargate )

The full list of nominations is available here. Previous Heroes awards and nominations are here.

Is your head spinning? That was part of the hillarious chat between George Takei and Masi Oka, who were interviewed along with Tim Kring and Milo Ventimiglia while (or just after) filming for Ep 13 (The Fix). Thanks to a fan on YouTube for sharing! No major spoilers. Those are here.

( George Takei and Masi Oka )

( Milo Ventimiglia and Tim Kring )

Hubby and I share a love for comics and just found out that my parents are bringing the collectors edition of Frank Miller's 300 (based on the Battle of Thermopylae), as well as BSG and Stargate gifts from everyone in the US when they visit us over Chinese New Year (i.e. mid-February). Whee! We also spent Sunday afternoon surfing for upcoming comic film trailers.

( Upcoming trailers we're excited about )

I've also been reading the rest of Wizard Entertainment's Heroes interviews which contain gems from both the cast and writers. Excerpts from the writers: Jeph Loeb, Jesse Alexander and Aron Coleite are below, with insights on the creative process, Tim Kring, the writing staff, cast and crew. No major spoilers (they're too good at the dance!) though if you read between the lines and definitely the other cast interviews, there may be a few hints. Also, even if you don't watch Heroes but are curious about TV storytelling, this will definitely be of interest for you.

( Parts I love - No major spoilers )

According to just_katarin, I'm your Heroes Pimp Master. Hee. I'll try to live up to the task!

NBC just released several new video clips featuring the Heroes cast, characters and Tim Kring:
1) Several Ep 12 behind the scenes interviews followed by the same (previously seen) trailer. I guess NBC figured instead of hunting down "illegal" uploads on YouBoob, they did it directly themselves. Spoiler warning! Some of the interviews have clips from upcoming eps.

2) A new Heroes portrait clip at the NBC Heroes website. "Ambition, deception, betrayal, and confusion…Meet the characters behind the Heroes." Unfortunately, it's US access only so I couldn't view this. For those who can, please let us know what it's about! (I suspect it's a compilation or a duplicate of what they already have online at NBC/YouTube or with the individual commercials)

3) New and improved Heroes character profiles at the NBC Heroes website. This came out earlier (posted here), but I'm adding it to the list since it's related and in case others missed it before.

More accolades are pouring in for Heroes. What a superheroic effort by fans, cast and crew!

People's Choice Awards: The people have spoken and Heroes is our Favourite New TV Drama! See some photos from the event (thanks to HeroSite) and watch an interview clip of the cast backstage and the award presentation with speeches by Hayden Panettiere, Masi Oka and Tim Kring in the clip below (thanks to elizabethswan_). Sadly, Milo wasn't there though we'll see him on Jan 15!

2007 Golden Globe Award nominations: Heroes is up for Best TV Series - Drama, Masi Oka receives a nod for Best Supporting Actor, while Ali Larter, Adrian Pasdar, Hayden Pannettiere, Sendhil Ramamurthy and Milo Ventimiglia will be presenters. Though Masi's is an individual acting award, I feel these nominations truly reflect the accomplishments of everyone involved. Guess our crossed fingers, Eden persuasion and Hiro squinting worked! See these Access Hollywood reaction clips of Masi Oka and the Heroes cast. In a strange twist, I'm more interested in the TV nominations than the motion picture ones this year, e.g. Grey's Anatomy, House, Big Love, Weeds, The Office, Ugly Betty, etc. Also, a shout out to Chiwetel Ejiofor (the Operative in Serenity) who received two noms for very different roles - a true class act.

Entertainment Weekly's Best and Worst of 2006 (Closed Poll): Heroes was voted the Best New Show and narrowly won the Heroes v. Lost faceoff. Also nice to see the Dixie Chicks's Taking the Long Way coming a close second as best music album of 2006.

Writers Guild of America (WGA) nominations for outstanding achievement in television and radio writing for 2006: Heroes is up for Best New Series while Battlestar Galactica's 2-hour season premiere, Occupation/Precipice gets the nod for Best Episodic Drama (One Airing). IMO, it would've been either that or the following Exodus Parts 1 or 2 as BSG started out strong before S3 lost its way. I'm also pleased to see the Big Love pilot in the latter category - I enjoyed that HBO series when it first came out.

American Film Institute's Official Selections: Heroes and BSG have been included in 2006's Top 10 TV Programs.

I've a soft spot for girl bands. I was in one back in college, and we'd frequent record stores and instrument shops, plan road trips to nearby concerts and occasionally jam at "coffeehouses" in and around our campus in New England. The Indigo Girls' Closer to Fine was one of the songs that defined my undergrad years. (See links to music video and lyrics here).

These days, the Dixie Chicks have sung their way to my heart. Emily Robison, Martie Maguire and Natalie Maines are the first female group in US chart history to have three #1 debut albums. Not only are they talented, they use their music to stand for what they believe in and have survived harsh criticism about "free speech vs. patriotism" and corporate and grassroots boycotts. The backlash started after Natalie, their outspoken lead singer, said "We're ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas" at a London concert prior to the US invasion in Iraq (March 2003). Despite all that, the trio continue to speak their mind, break records, and even released a documentary film "Shut up and Sing" this year. This November, Natalie told a Vancouver crowd "Either the beer is free or you're happy that Donald Rumsfeld resigned today." (See their documentary trailer below and my political commentary via music over at my personal blog here).

The Dixie Chicks are currently on their Accidents and Accusations Tour (Nov 27-Dec 5), making stops in Phoenix, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. And guess what? Our Heroes dig the Chicks too! (Didn't think I could find a way to mention them, did ya?) Adrian Pasdar (Nathan Petrelli) is married with kids to Natalie and attended the LA concert this week with Heroes buddies Greg, Hayden, Masi and Milo. Great to see the Heroes cast continue to bond with and support each other off-set. Side tangent: If you read the Access Hollywood report, notice how Peter's the only one without a clear "power or role"? Guess the Access Hollywood folks are just as confused as we are as to what Peter truly is and can do!

Here's a good fanvid of the Dixie Chicks set to the music of Easy Silence, my favourite from their latest album, Taking The Long Way. (See link to lyrics here and fan video below. Spot photos of Adrian and their boys!)

Once again, popularity rocks the vote! And I'm not talking about the US midterm elections here. Not only does Heroes continue to be this season's most watched new TV show (raking in 16 million viewers last week), the entire cast of Heroes drew illustrations of their characters to help raise funds for Greg Grunberg's Pediatric Epilepsy Project (which he started to support his oldest son). The organisation was formed with a single, all-important mission: to raise funds, provide financial support and increase community awareness to help sustain the Division of Pediatric Neurology at UCLA. Bidding has now closed, with - no surprise - the highest bids going to your most popular heroes!

All the illustrations and bids can be seen here.

Hayden Panetierre's Claire tied with Masi Oka's Hiro for first place @ $915. (Click each one for larger images)


Kudos to all the cast for participating and creating some really fun sketches. I certainly can't draw so am doubly impressed that they all did this!  My favourite remains Milo Ventimiglia's sketch of Peter though which came in 4th @ $515. I may be biased (I kinda like the guy, couldn't you tell?) but I thought his art was pretty good with a witty message too: "Perfect your power before you use it. Don't be like Peter."

Who says Masi Oka (Hiro) doesn't get the women?! Masi's been on many interviews lately, but Thanksgiving was special because he had both the lovely and literally multi-talented Ali Larter (Niki/Jessica) and Tawny Cypress (Simone) with him. Check out their banter with Al Roker during his regular weather update for the Today Show throughout the Macy*s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

For Masi and Ali: Select Part 4 from this link and move to about 2/3rds of the way in for the weather update (i.e. their Heroes guest spot). Additional screen caps can be found here. Highlights: They joke about a new power to control the weather, send birthday greetings to Ali's nephew (who just turned 5!), wish Happy Thanksgiving to the Heroes cast and crew, and spill teeeny spoilers on what's coming up next.

As for Masi and Tawny: Their spot aired during the parade, which was after the Today show. If anyone has a clip, caps or transcript of that, let us know!

Cross-posted here at heroes_tv

Our two most unlikely yet adorable Heroes - Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka) and Peter Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia) - were in New York City this week for a signing and several TV talk shows. Masi's evidently also staying on for the Macy*s Thanksgiving Parade.


I've included YouTube clips of all their interviews below. They're all fun though short, and I thought the best were Masi's chat with Conan O'Brien and their joint interview on The Today Show. Don't miss Masi on Hiro's teleporting face scrunch, his own search for "love," vocal percussion demo and Time Magazine whiz kid feature; and Milo on Peter as a caregiver, how he'd save (or destroy) the world with the power of persuasion and what he really thinks of guys in make-up.

The Today Show | Video
NBC Experience Store Signing | Video | Photos | Fan Report
The View | Video
Late Night with Conan O'Brien (Masi only) | Video
TV Guide's Mike Auseillo (Masi only) | Video
CW11 New York Morning News (Milo only) | Video

Since we're on a Masi and Milo roadtrip, here's an oldie but goodie of them at the San Diego Comic Con 2006 for the Heroes pilot preview:

Cross-posted here and here at heroes_tv