PROGRESS IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL

Whenever I think about how much I like to write, I'm always reminded that I never seem to do it enough. I'm always thinking about things to write about, but I never seem to get around to my blog. What has inspired me to blog after a few weeks absence (and its not about the lack of showtunes in my life)? I can't believe what I'm going to say, but I am now obsessed with Heroes. Yes, I am. For reasons obvious to some of you, I'm not an advocate of most shows on a certain network, but now I can't say enough positive things about Heroes.

For sometime now, I've been the one chuckling about the "Save the cheerleader, save the world" nonsense and ignoring all the people around me who have been chatting non-stop about how great and innovative Heroes is. I never understood it. My dad recently Netflix-ed the first DVD of the show and couldn't stop praising it. He said he couldn't get enough of it and even upped the number of DVDs he received on Netflix each week just so he could get his Heroes fix. One evening while we were chatting on the phone (for the umpteenth time) he told me I really should give the show a chance..."its really not all that science-fiction-y" he said..."you'll really like it, just give it a shot." His sales pitch went on for another 10 or so minutes as he tried to sell the creative, comedic and even the Japanese American actors on the show to me. Finally, in an attempt to appease him (and be the good daughter that I am) I agreed to give the show a chance. I got a hold of the entire first season of the show from my peeps and after having had the discs for a few days finally sat down and settled into the show.

"If you watch one episode and aren't intrigued by the show, something has got to be wrong with you. I bet you'll be hooked," were the words my dad spoke to me of Heroes. I intended to watch one episode and then to study for class. Five episodes later, at 2:30 in the morning, I was still watching. I wanted to watch more, but I was beyond exhausted. It was the kind of fatigue where you can't think straight, your head hurts and your limbs start to feel numb...but it said "to be continued..." how could I stop?! (I finally did at like 3 a.m.-ish). Let me just say, other than caffeine I have definitely found my new addiction. What's good about Heroes? Let's take a brief look at the two key components:

Story: Its fresh, inventive & innovative. Pick a genre cos Heroes has it from action, adventure, science fiction, foreign, comedy, the show has it all. It doesn't shove any one specific genre down your throat that you feel exhausted from the sheer experience. I've watched Alias and Lost in its day...but I was never hooked. Neither of those shows had the kind of writers and hooks to keep me interested. After the first 5 episodes, I was done when it came to those shows. Heroes keeps you hooked...the story stays fresh and exciting through all 23 of the first season. Producers throw twists and turns into the storyline that makes you pay attention and tuned-in.

Acting: (Almost) every actor on this show is amazing. Of course there are levels of amazing but first of all, I love Masi Oka. No, this isn't a plug for my peeps (though it really should be). Masi plays a great fobby paper pusher from Japan named Hiro Nakamura who is sweet, funny, virtuous, determined and you can't help but to love him! Lets just say that the entire cast is incredible (especially Sendhil Ramamurthy -- love him too) and one of the best ensembles I've seen in years. Jack Coleman and Zachary Quinto play evil and creepy incredibly well! Hard to believe that Zachary is the same guy who played Tori Spelling's BFF on So NoTORIous. Thankfully I think the better job for him is this one (as Sylar).

Ok, even though there are story lines that I like less than others (Nikki/Jessica Sanders), I'm still impressed by it. Who knew Ali Larter was such a good actress? She's really good! And finally, I'm glad to see Greg Grunberg with a good meaty role. I loved him as Sean on Felicity and I thought he was underrated on Alias...but who else could play Matt Parkman other than Grunberg?

All around, what a great show. I generally don't have the patience to sit through a 1-hour drama, but Heroes is one of the few shows that I can't stop talking about and make Mondays not so bad too! I said my peace...now I'm tired...catching up on this show is hard work! Heh...