See, I really hate that as an excuse, because I hold comics to a higher standard than that anyway. 'Comic' shouldn't be an excuse for lazy writing; see Alan Moore for reference. :-\

Mr. Kring, go listen to cillian Murphy speak...that's how Cork people are supposed to sound like...idiot.

I can't believe Reese's pop might be involved! Eek!

Oh and I could be wrong but I believe you're in hospital at the moment. Get well soon buddy.

When I got there, about 2 dozen people were in a line waiting for...something. Initially, I thought Hayden Panettiere would resume her autograph session at 11 or so (she had signed stuff Saturday for about 3 hours straight). Then I noticed somebody else popped into view in the ballroom that looked like they just got there. It was *Bell*, and the line was for an unscheduled 10:30AM autograph signing with her! It wasn't on the convention program, and I had stumbled onto it by pure, dumbfucked luck. Instant attack of butterflies as I was major worried I would get all flustered/tongue-tied. Luckily, I didn’t, and she signed my Veronica Mars season 3 DVD box. I told her that it was only right to dress appropriately for the occasion, so I opened my winter coat off which revealed my "Team Elle" T-shirt I purchased from CafePress.com. Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head when she saw it and said "wow", among other stuff. Kristen said there were crew members on the show that wore ‘Team Claire’ shirts, so she was totally jazzed by that. And I gave her an opposite-of-belated Thanksgiving card. She took the time to talk to everyone who was on the line. So, so nice, that was. That was encounter #1. For about a half-hour afterward, you could not wipe the smile off my face as I returned to the main convention floor.

The lines for Bell and Panettiere's scheduled photo-ops (individually and together, I opted for just the pic with Kristen) got so long that the panels that were supposed to take place wound up getting vaporized, including KB's own; most of them were probably relocated downstairs to the main convention floor. To make a long story less long, when it came time for my picture with Kristen, she held out her arms..and we hugged. Again, just to repeat: Kristen Bell hugged me. I'm not quite sure how I made it out of there, but the T-shirt made a definite positive impression on her. So those who had their pictures taken had to wait around about 45 minutes for them to develop. I have to say, the line moved with almost military precision; there had to be a few hundred people that the convention folks ferried through. Encounter #2, then.

A lot of us were milling about a bank of elevators on the 18th floor, about 20 yards or so from the ballroom waiting to pick up our photos. At 3 or so, there’s a slight commotion, as the convention's appointed security guy walks by, and Kristen needed to take a restroom break. Understand at this point, that save for lunch, she had been signing and posing for pictures for 3 1/2 of the prior four hours. She sees me, and I swear to gods, she smiled at me as she passed by. At this point, if a meteor had hit the hotel, I could die a happy guy. Exaggeration there, but you get the idea.

We all got our pictures, then, and a second autograph session with Kristen awaited. I handed her the photo-op pic, and...I'll post the pic a bit later on today or tomorrow. I told her Assassins’ Creed was on my to-buy list, and that it was worth getting up so early and traveling from Philly to meet her. Then I said, since she was on G4's Heroes Post-Show at the Maxim party for the release of AC, can you play NHL08 for the PS3? I made the mistake, then of saying about me being a Flyers fan; as you know she’s a huge Detroit Red Wings fan. Kristen said she just purchased a PS3, and was slowly getting the hang of how it worked. And said when she did eventually get online, she was gonna kick my ass as the Red Wings. :D

All in playful, delightful jest, but it was the perfect capper on a perfect day. I’m gonna upload the photo-op pic to her MySpace page this week and drop a note with my PS3 handle (BSG2008) so the prospect of a Pennsy v. K-Bell online Flyers-Red Wings game might inch closer to reality. Thing is, I didn’t have the heart to tell her that playing as Philly, I beat the Red Wings, 3-0 for my first NHL08 win on the pro setting a week or so ago. From hugging me to kicking my ass...we CONNECTED. I thanked her one last time, shook hands with the security guard who was watching the scene, and headed home.

Maybe this wasn’t raunchy enough for some on here, but to a guy who has had very little go right for him of late, this day was one of the best of my entire life. The train gridlock that happened yesterday (downed wires between NY and Newark) happened just five minutes or so after I de-trained in NYC. Normal service resumed when I got to Penn Station. It was an emotional ride home, as I thought how things could have gone so wrong. Some things were just meant to be. I will never speak ill of Kristen Bell, and unashamedly call myself her #1 fan in Philly. I hit a home run. Everything that could have broke the right way for me did. And the, “It was your day” in the subject? That was what my dad told me after I laid out the entire day's events in front of him last night after I got home.

As for tonight, bring the frak on Elle v. Claire.

Wait, I'm supposed to be on strike now, right? Crap.

Unless, of course, she ever does a TB session. In which case we'll all tell her! Bwahahahahaha!

But that's unlikely to happen. So tell us.

Can't you just imagine the tears of pure joy in Pennsy's eyes when he typed that?

The autograph prices were $25/item for both Kristen and Hayden, but with all these "force majeure" letters being sent out to NBC-Uni actors (and who's to say both of them didn't receive them by now, too?), this was one circumstance where I couldn't begrudge them.

but if they say "its because we haven't seen any real news reports in their world, so they are talking about it, we just don't have time for that"

then i'll punch a camel, arnie-style.

the other excuse is they could simply end the season with every body in ny getting powers from the radiation - comic style.

thats not an excuse for why noone remembers, but it'd be distracting enough for why ny isn't.. know.. FUCKING EVACUATED!

a nuke is fine,

people in ny get bird flu, they fucking leave? punch a fucking camel.

and claims that he turned kate fischer [google her with the words sirens or elle macpherson] down after she came onto him..

then again I've made 'lovesick' eyes at Megan gale, when she was in lingerie.

but i was the only straight guy there, and clearly knew nothing about fashion, so I was a novelty..

point being, celebrities are better than us.

BY the way, Megan smiled back at me.

in lingerie.

forgot to add that.

I have some writing i have to do tonight so we'll see how much I get to watch, but thankfully I can pick up the central time and mtn time zone feeds (my cable company thankfully gives me both for NBC) so between the two I should be able to catch most of tonight's ep

Pennsy you're a strongr man then me, crap I probably would have just melted if I had been in your shoes

Further more, pretty fucking pissed no Sylar story. Because I think everyone wanted to know how he ended up with that fat chick and was in the middle of the jungle, then suddenly landed on a Mexican street. I would have rather seen that then see stupid DL.

Further more, not that I care about Matt, but nothing on him getting blasted with bullets and how him and Saresh became lovers and adopted Molly.

I demand another Four Months Later episode, or just fucking axe half of the cast (the uncompelling half) so when we do have these episodes, we don't feel frustrated that there are too many characters for one episode to cover.

They could have shoved other stories in overtop of Kristin Bell's pointless scenes, sure she's got nice boobs, but really, I'm watching a superhero show, I'm too fucking geeked out to care about that.

if you play against her, tell her you'll bet a steak dinner that yoou can kick her ass, loser buys the winner dinner.

then lose.

then meet.

then get ready to be in the magazines as k-bell's latest boytoy!

...

then post 'private' pics of her or 'home movies' on here!

Xiphos, I didn't notice that much makeup on her and she was just smokin' hot, even with her winter coat on, which she wore even as the photo-op took place. She's really 5'1", if that, so when you see the pic of us together, I bent down a little bit so our faces would be somewhat even.

My thoughts exactly. Probably the least interesting episode of the season. Then again, since I enjoyed all the previous episodes, one meh episode for me isn't a showstopper. Here's to the next three.

And no offense to the fans of Pushing Daisies, but the talkbacks have like 20 comments and die a quick death. I myself could probably post 20 comments to the Reaper talkback and I'm sure this crew could push it into the 100s.

Heed my call for a Reaper Talkback!

btw excitement for tonight is tarting to build a little bit more as it gets closer and closer

chrth, I agree, reaper is growing on me I'd like to see a TB for it

Why is he even working with HRG? He could destroy the company in 10 minutes!

Okay, Noah has a plan, The Cheerleader thinks arougt something, Hiro finds out somethng we already know, Matt has an internal struggle and Mohinder decides something. Yep, that's the kind of slam-bang action that made super-hero comic books so popular in the first place.

This show needs Elle-tricity Lass in a shock resistant latex dominatrix outfit circa the 1992 "bad girl comics" trend. Also, more lesbian cheerleaders who last more than one episode.

Okay, seriously,, I know comics and TV genre show geeks are supposed to be uinsular and single minded, but can you believe all the "Where's Sylar" "Why no Sylar? "I want Sylar" comments? Uh, kids, you have heard that the actor who playes Sylar is off making a movie, right? I mean, it was in the news and everything.

The photo-op of me and Kristen will be uploaded to her MySpace page and the general internets ($1 to Keith Olbermann) a little bit later on tonight.

The Noah/DOH'hinder/Bob/ElleBelle showdown is getting set up nicely, too. Though DOH'hinder's motivations are baffling still.

You think Noah's kicked ass in the past? Tonight he makes the Punisher look like a crossing guard.

Xiphos- Vegans and Veggies aren't delusional, where'd you get that idea? (I'm not either, but I know plenty of both) They tend to be pretty normal folk in my experience. Vegans tend to be pretty good cooks, since their options are so limited. Kids who try it out tend to fuck it up, and do it for simple-minded reasons, but the adults I know who are serious about it aren't loony tree-huggers or anything.

I've always concentrated on the Noah/Claire storyline, but when you look at it, almost every major character is involved in this aspect one way or another. Even if it's just the impact a father had on a protaganist's life. It's very refreshing.

Did I mention tonight's ep kicks all kinds of ass?

Since I'm from the Sol system, I am not a Vegan. Although iirc Jodie Foster was talking to Vegans in Contact.

(Because I was laughing. Not because I'm disabled or incapable of swallowing. Thought I better make that point clear.)

And now he's turning in to a mind manipulating dick

She's a south London girl and so, assuming that it was her native accent which she used, that's what it should have been.

You know, I've heard about Friday Night Lights but - for some reason - assumed that it was a bit like your Saturday Night Live show. If this isn't the case then I'll check it out so thanks! (I'm off to Google it!)

LOL.

"You do this, you over there"

Love the seeds of doubt in Elle's mind now concerning her father. Anyone else catch that during the funeral coda? I'll watch that again when it runs in it's normal PST time to make sure I didn't miss anything.

This ep was about fathers and childrens, and what's shared between them. Hiro took Kaito back in time, so that the father got to learn something from his son (referencing the lessons Hiro had learned in the coda). Likewise, Noah has now been healed and come back from death, something that Claire has experienced.

While Kaito may have had a different power, he got to see the world through the eyes of the next generation. By the same point, Claire (well, her blood, really) has given her adopted father an insight into what she's really all about. I mean, you can raise your kids and know them, but you don't really know them, dig?

Credit for this idea comes from my wife, who is (at best) a part time Heroes fan. And very pregnant.

A lot of badassery in that episode. Parkman took the name from Mama Petrelli! (took me a second to get that) HRG Lives! (I knew that was going to happen though). Hiro figures out something we knew two episodes ago! (although seriously, Hiro's part was handled very well) Even Elle got some badassery in, although her uppance also came!

But THIS Season,, Holy Crap, what a Schizophrenic Lunatic! Let's examine the mind behind the poor decision-making we have witnessed for the duration of the season:

Ew.

Why do I get the feeling that Parkman will end up being the sleeper of the show? Underwhelming for so many, but then he goes from zero to fucktastic in no time at all. Way to be badass and stick it Angela!

I missed what he said right before the blackout. Was it, "OH!"?

Call him Pusher.

Sylar seems pretty absent this season, even with the twins plot - I noted he seemed to only have a small bit in next weeks EP too (?) I wonder if they're just going to backburner Sylar, stick with the Adam Kensai plot, and use him much more in Season 3 (and the end of S2 will just be his setup - finding out something about the person-in-the-sewer). Great stuff!

BTW, I'm sure Suresh didn't bring HRG back without Bob's help; HRG was in one of the cells previously occupied by Peter and Adam.

So did he have an exit wound or what? And if not, is the bullet still in there, rattling around in his brains? When Peter healed from being shot, his body rejected the bullet, Wolverine-style, then healed up.

FUCK! Stuff like this NEVER bothers me. Sorry, fellows.

I HATE not being able to just go with things, but for some reason, that little tidbit really took me out of things. Thankfully, it was in the closing seconds of the episode, so not much harm was done. P'raps they'll explain it in next week's episode. Right after they explain how a radioactive detonation can go off in the lower atmosphere without electrical disruption or the notice of NORAD and the Governments.

DAMMIT!

And Kristen brought her A-game tonight, didn't she? Heroes has its own Elizabeth Mitchell; someone who is kick-ass good, multi-layered performances; here's hoping she gets a Best Supporting Actress Emmy nomination in 2008.

Personally, I was looking forward to the Origins series, so that we would see more of the one-and-done shows, instead of the normal, serialized format.

Maybe that's just me.

For now, at least.