Kristen Bell: From PI to Hero

The following contains spoilers pertaining to Kristen Bell’s new character on HEROES (but no other plot spoilers). Read at your own risk.

I don’t know about you, but I am more than a little excited about Kristen Bell’s HEROES debut next Monday. If you aren’t familiar with Bell from her days as the title character on VERONICA MARS then you are in for quite a treat. Kristen Bell is a special actress that has so much charisma and natural talent that she’s going to have you wrapped around her little finger in no time.

Yesterday I had the distinct pleasure to join reporters from all over the globe in a call with Kristen, and HEROES creator Tim Kring during which we discussed Kristen’s role on the hit NBC show – how she came to join the cast, a little more about her character, and just how being a hero is different than a PI. Continue on to see a sneak peek of Kristen’s HEROES debut!!

Just Another Hero…
For Kristen Bell, joining the cast of HEROES was a no brainer since she’s been a fan of the show since the premiere. It seems that Heroes was quite the watercooler conversation during her days on Veronica Mars, and our favorite heroes were also fans of the pesky PI from Neptune, CA. Having heard what a great show Heroes was to work on from long time friends Zachary Quinto (Sylar) and Hayden Pannetierre (Clarie), Bell put out feelers during last year’s Comic Con – just letting the powers that be know that she was interested…you know, in case they were wondering.

Creator Tim Kring, who was already a fan of Kristen’s work thought she would be a great fit for a character they created named Elle. But according to Kring the character has evolved from what was initially on paper, “When you cast an actor as talented as Kristen Bell then there’s a lot more that the actor can bring to the character.” But enough of the mutual admiration society over there, let’s talk about Elle. What do we know about this mystery woman? Very little. To date, most of the details have been kept under wraps, but here’s what we do know.

Just Who is Elle?
We’re going to have to wait until next week (and probably longer than that) to get the goods on Elle, but Bell and Kring let us in a little on her character saying that she’s unlike most of the heroes we’ve seen to date as she really loves and has embraced her power. Elle was raised by The Company and serves as a cautionary tale of what can happen when someone is fully aware of all her power her whole life and doesn’t just discover it on her own. As for what her power is, Bell and Kring wouldn’t confirm (although there’s been rampant speculation that Elle’s power is somehow related to electricity), but they did say that Elle is “a little messed up in the head” and has “very few boundaries”. Added Bell, [Elle] “doesn’t have the ability to decipher right from wrong” and her intense personality lends itself to Elle’s moral ambiguity. Elle is strong in her convictions and her actions and whatever she is doing she wholeheartedly thinks she’s doing the right thing. Whether she’s a hero or a villain might not be obvious at first…but is it ever?

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Star Wars the TV Series

The Force may soon be coming to a television near you. George Lucas said Tuesday he is planning a live-action television series spinoff of the “Star Wars” film franchise.

Lucas told The Los Angeles Times he has “just begun work” on the series, which will not include the films’ major characters Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader. “The Skywalkers aren’t in it, and it’s about minor characters,” Lucas told the Times. Lucas wouldn’t reveal details, but joked that the series would be about “the life of robots.”
Lucas already has another television series in the works. Lucas Animation has been working for months on the computer-animated “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.” (Source: Variety)

So GMMRers, would you be up for watching a Stars Wars series weekly on TV? I imagine this will be a big hit with the fanboys, but for me to watch it’s going to have to have some really depth to the stories. I mean at the first sight of Jar Jar Binx I’m out.

What to Watch…Wednesday, October 17, 2007

After last night’s TV respite, it’s back to the daily grind. At least I don’t have to watch my beloved Red Sox lose again tonight (and don’t even thinking about gloating here today Indians fans…I have the power to delete comments). Some of my very favorite shows are on tonight and I can’t wait to watch Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money and Gossip Girl among others.

What’s on your TV agenda tonight?

Pushing Daisies| 8pm on ABC
“The Fun in Funeral”
Ned looks into a mysterious death at the Schatz Funeral Home. Meanwhile, Chuck concocts a plan to invigorate her aunts, Lily and Vivian. (Video Promos | Episode pictures)

Gossip Girl | 9pm on The CW
“Dare Devil”
Dan goes above and beyond while planning for his first official date with Serena. Meanwhile, Jenny attends Blair’s sleepover, where a revealing game of truth or dare is played; and Lily turns to Rufus when Eric goes missing from his treatment center.

America’s Next Top Model | 8pm on The CW
“The Girls Who is Afraid of Heights”
The models learn to pose in the air using a trampoline and later pose while being lifted in the air by an ice skater. The photo shoot takes place on top of a building where the contestants pose as fashion gargoyles.

Bionic Woman | 9pm on NBC
“Faceoff”
While on an assignment to rescue an American doctor in Paraguay, Jaime learns the truth about her life expectancy. (Note: This might be the last week that “Bionic Woman” stays in the top picks. The show just isn’t holding my attention).

Private Practice | 9pm on ABC
“In Which Addison Has a Very Causal Get-Together”
Addison invites her new colleagues to her house for a get-together, but no one RSVPs; Violet’s ex-boyfriend’s wife seeks medical treatment at Oceanside; Cooper counsels a lovesick young patient.

Life | 10pm on NBC
“What They Saw”
While investigating a murder, Crews and Reese get conflicting accounts from the victim’s neighbors and discover a suspicious homeless man with a link to the deceased. Elsewhere, Constance confronts Crews about their relationship.

Dirty Sexy Money | 10pm on ABC
“The Chiavennasca”
Nick and Lisa travel to Italy, but being accompanied by Karen and Freddy ruins the vacation. Meanwhile, Tripp learns Letitia has been unfaithful and becomes obsessed with confirming whether he is the biological father of his children.

Also playing…

• Back to You | 8pm on Fox
• Kid Nation | 8pm on CBS
• Til Death | 8:30pm on Fox
• Criminal Minds | 9pm on CBS
• Kitchen Nightmares | 9pm on Fox
• CSI: NY | 10pm on CBS

…what will make it’s way on to your TiVo tonight?

GMMR’s daily “What to Watch” is powered by MeeVee’s interactive TV listings.

TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLE Premieres in January

Just received a note from Josh Friedman, the Creator and Executive Producer of TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES who let me know that the show has just received its premiere date – Monday, January 14th @ 8pm on Fox.  The show is being paired with 24 on Monday nights.  Sarah Connor and Jack Bauer – that’s a pretty bad ass Monday.

A few weeks ago I spent the day on the set of “Sarah Connor” and it was a blast.  Check back later in the week for a full account of my day including some really fun pics.

Is the PRICE IS RIGHT Rigged?

Drew Carey took over for the legendary Bob Barker today as the new host of THE PRICE IS RIGHT, but were things just a little too perfect for his first day on the job? Are we to believe that all the contestants who came on down just happen to walk away winners? Something is a little suspect here.

Check out a montage of today’s big winners courtesy of BestWeekEver.TV.

CHUCK Recap: Chuck vs. The Wookie

Original Airdate: 10.15.07
GMMR Recapper: SB

Oooohhhh … you guys, this one hurts a little. I didn’t like it as much as the first three. I mean, I still LIKED it, but I was just way more meh this time. But I’ll get into it after I get ye olde plot synopsis out of the way.

So there is a DEA agent in town (WTF? Since when are DEA agents badass? And since when does Microsoft Word recognize “badass” as an actual word? That is so badass.) and she breaks into Sarah’s apartment to have a gratuitous chick fight and to tell her that she needs her help stealing a diamond. Sarah and Casey get briefed by their bosses on the situation and tell Sarah and Casey to help Carina get the diamond (which they think is connected to a drug ring) but not to let her have it. Sarah and Casey both have a history with her, Casey’s being a little more sordid and involving Prague and her being a bit of a … wildcard. By the way, I have never heard the word “wildcard” sound any hotter than it did right there. I mean, it was so hot that it made hell sound like a cold shower.

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Poll: What’s Your Favorite New Fall TV Show?

Fall TV has been in full effect for a few weeks now. Hopefully you’ve had a chance to check out most of the new Fall shows. Now is your chance to tell us what YOU think about the new batch of programs. Are there any stand out favorites? Are there any that should just be canceled now never to be heard from again?

Answer the poll below and let us know what your favorite new Fall TV show is. Leave a comment telling other GMMR readers about your favorite new show(s) and WHY you like it, and/or what you think of the 2007 Fall TV season and enter to win swag from the GMMR Online Store*.

*This poll will end on Tuesday, October 23rd. Five (5) winners will be chosen at random from all comments and will choose one item from the GMMR Online Store.

What to Watch…Tuesday, October 16, 2007

For some of us Tuesday is the TV breather day. It usually is for me, but not tonight. Not with the Red Sox down 2 games to 1 in the ALCS.

Red Sox vs. Indians | 8pm on Fox
The Red Sox need knuckleballer Tim Wakefield to bring his best stuff tonight or their chances of advancing to the World Series are all but over.  Game 4 is tonight against the Indians at The Jake. Keep the Faith!!

Carpoolers | 8:30pm on ABC
“Who Would You Do”
Gracen asks his wife a provocative question in an attempt to spice up their sex life. He gets an answer that throws him for a loop.

Reaper | 9pm on The CW
“Magic”
Sam must capture an escaped soul who’s taken the form of an evil magician. Meanwhile, he desperately tries to get a date with Andi and negotiates with the Devil to peek at his contract so he can see if he gets vacation time.

The Office | 10 & 10:30pm on TBS
“The Client” @10pm
Michael is a surprising asset in helping Jan woo a client. But while he’s out, staffers find and act out his screenplay.
“Halloween” @ 10:30pm
Halloween becomes more frightful as Michael agonizes over an order to fire someone before day’s end.

Also playing…

• Cavemen | 8pm on ABC
• The Singing Bee | 8pm on NBC
• Beauty & the Geek | 8pm on The CW
• NCIS | 8pm on CBS
• The Biggest Loser| 8:30pm on NBC
• The Unit | 9pm on CBS
• Dancing with the Stars | 9pm on ABC
• Boston Legal | 10pm on ABC
• Cane | 10pm on CBS

John Krasinski & Milo Ventimiglia Love Hockey

I can guarantee you that if I were at last weeks Boston Bruins vs. LA Kings hockey game in L.A., the last thing I would be doing is watching some guys skating around a little puck on the ice. Not when I could be watching THE OFFICE’s John Krasinski and HEROES star Milo Ventimiglia looking hot as all sin at the game. So are these two GMMR faves buds or just taking advantage of the NBC kickass seats?

The hotness is off the charts. And in the second pic I think they’re both looking right at me, sweet!!!

 

Missing from the pictures is the gentleman sitting to John’s left, fellow OFFICE star Steve Carell. Krasinski and Carell, both Boston boys there to root on the Bruins, were interviewed during the game.

P.S. JKras…would it kill you to swap that black hat out for a Red Sox cap during the playoffs.  I know that’s your favorite hat, you wear it all the time, but the boys need all the support they can get!!

Source: PerezHilton.com. Thank to Becky for the tip.

Attention HEROES & Fans of Kristen Bell

Bright and early tomorrow morning I’m going to have the opportunity to speak with new HEROES star Kristen Bell and HEROES creator Tim Kring.  If you have any questions for Tim or Kristen, be sure to leave a comment tonight and let me know.  I suppose the questions should be about HEROES, but I’d really love to talk to Kristen about the Veronica Mars ending and her stint as narrator on Gossip Girls.  Is that wrong?

Come on you HEROES fans, I know you’ve got some questions…let’s hear them!!

And Now a Word From Our Bloggers

What’s James Van Der Beek doing to celebrate his return to TV on this week’s Ugly Betty? How about tailgaiting and shotgunning beers with Justin Timberlake! I kid you not. You think Jessica Biel and The Beek are still buds from their WB days? (Deadspin.com)

Fox cut the order for their new comedy series “The Return of Jezebel James” from thirteen episodes to just seven before it even premiered. Is the show worthy of being cut? (TV with MeeVee)

Want to hear a little from your favorite Heroes? Check out more of The TV Addict’s interview with Zachary Quinto, Noah Gray Cabey and Jeph Loeb. (The TV Addict)

Buffy has been silenced! Find out why Buffy fans won’t be singing the show’s praises anymore. So sad. (Ducky Does TV)

Are you a fan of ABC Family’s “Lincoln Heights“? If so, enter to win a script signed by the cast. (Ramblings of a TV Whore)

Did you know that Dancing with the Stars pros Derek Hough and Mark Ballas have a band together? Check ’em out. (Seriously? OMG! WTF?!)

Want your blog gossip on TV? Now you can!! No, GMMR sadly hasn’t landed out own show yet, but TMZ has. And now you can see Britney, and Paris, and Hayden all the time (oh wait). (Buzz Sugar)

Did anyone catch Drew Carey’s premiere on The Price is Right today? I actually wanted to TiVo it but forget. And I’m not that heartbroken over it. But if you’re looking for a breakdown of how Drew did, then TV Squad can hook you up. (TV Squad)

I Spy CHUCK

Access Hollywood was on the set during this week’s episode of CHUCK.  Here’s a short video of what we can expect in tonight’s episode: “Chuck versus the Wookie”.  I can’t wait!!  More Zachary Levi!!

[gv data=”AFTFZKgLO-E”][/gv]

In Case You Missed It…

Just a few items from last week that I wanted to make sure you didn’t miss.

Ready for the first GMMR/Ducky podcast of the Fall season? We finally…finally were able to get together last Wednesday night for a little TV chit chat.  We hope you’ll check it out and then leave us some feedback. (Ducky/GMMR TV Podcast)

VERONICA MARS fans came out in droves last week to share their favorite memories of the show and to enter to win S3 on DVD.  I’ve got three copies to giveaway and there is still plenty of time to enter. (Enter to Win)

Last week I pointed you in the direction of The BS Report – a podcast by ESPN writer Bill Simmons.  Simmons’ guest was SNL star Seth Meyers.  During the podcast Bill offered up an SNL sketch idea.  And guess what?  It made it into this week’s show.  Nice work, Sports Guy. (Behind the scenes of SNL)

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS fans love Tim Riggins.  Last week I created some fun WWRD (What Would Riggings Do) t-shirts, mugs, etc in the GMMR store and they have been selling like crazy. Do you have yours yet? (Get your WWRD stuff)

Jimmy Kimmel Live with Regis & Kelly

Jimmy Kimmel is insane! This entire week, the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live will be sitting in for a vacationing Regis Philbin and co-hosting with Kelly Ripa on Live with Regis & Kelly. Crazy, right?! Host a show in the morning and then your own talk show at night? Well, what if I reminded you that Kimmel tapes his talk show in LA and Regis & Kelly tapes in New York? Now that’s just certifiable. But Kimmel is up for the challenge.

Each day this week, Jimmy will co-host with Ripa during the live 9am EST show and then board a plane and fly back to LA in order to host his late night gig there. When he’s done with this own show he jumps back on the plane and flies back across the country for the morning show in NYC. In case you lost track, that’s two cross country flights a day for 5 days straight. Talk about exhausting!!

Says Kimmel, “you can easily get in a rut when you’re doing a show every night and this is definitely not rut territory,” he said, adding, “if you give me enough advance notice, I will agree to almost anything.”

As for how he’s going to prepare for his late night show, he says, “For whatever we lose from not being able to prepare for a long time, I think we’ll gain in stories and stunts as it happens,” he said. “People can tune in and watch me collapse on air.”

And don’t think this gig isn’t without its perks. If there’s a good guest on “Live with Regis and Kelly,” he said, “I might force them on the plane and make them come back to L.A. with me.”

Best of luck, Jimmy. I’ll be watching you everyday on both coasts.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS Redux: “Bad Ideas”

I know it’s Monday and we should have already talked FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS already, so please forgive me.  Not a lot to say about this past week’s episode that hasn’t already been said before.  The writing is amazing, the acting is probably the best on television and Connie Britton deserves an Emmy.  Done and done! This show consistently delivers week in and week out.

If we want to get into it a little I suppose there are a few things to discuss.  Where to begin…

• Julie is a selfish pain in the ass and I want to smack her (and I may not be the only one if you saw next week’s previews).  But kudos to Aimee Teagarden for playing what is perhaps the most realistic teenager on TV today.  Julie is supposed to be moody and inconsiderate because that’s what teens are for the most part.  And it just goes to show that it doesn’t matter how amazing your family is, teens will be teens.  It did make me sad to see her break things off with Matt Saracen though.  He was so heartbroken.  And hello…how old is the Swede? Get in my van little girl…that’s a bit creepy.

• The tragedy that is Matt Saracen‘s life continued this week.  Sadly, being dumped by Julie wasn’t the only thing this boy was dealing with.  It seems his request for some in home help finally came through, but I’m not sure Matt was counting on the help moving in and taking over their lives.  I don’t know who this woman thinks she is but she came really close to getting physical with Grandma Saracen which is not ok. Don’t make me come to Dillon (actually who am I kidding, I would love to go to Dillon). Will someone please give Saracen a break already?!

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