I attended the Heroes World Tour event in Toronto today. Here are some of my photos from this event!

The Best Buy Booth was giving out (limited copies) of the Limited Edition Comic Book. Those things went like hotcakes and ran out pretty fast.

There was a digital photo booth, where you could get yourself inserted into a Heroes cast photo.

(Later I looked closely at this photo and I think Greg Grunberg was removed from this photo to make space for "you".) :)

Apologies to whomever is pictured here, I just thought it was a little funny, since he's wearing green in front of a "green screen".

That's all the time I have for now. I'll post some more pictures in a couple of days!

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In a continuation of last week's post, here are more questions answered by Hayden Panettiere.

A word of warning that the following questions and answers may be considered "spoilery" to some.

Fred Topel, Crave Online: Jack Coleman told me that HRG is sort of back up to his old tricks in Season 2. How do you feel about that dynamic coming back?

HP: Well, I think we all have proven that in this show, we all have our dirty little secrets.

Him going back, you know -- I think him becoming the house dad, you know, wouldn’t be very exciting. The good dad, you know, people like watching good bad people and you sometimes want to hate Jack’s character and you sometimes, you know, love him. And it’s kind of a toss-up, depending on what side you're on.

But how do I feel about that? I think it’s exciting. I think it’s exciting for him. I'm not sure if that’s exactly what’s going to happen, but, you know, as I said, everyone always has their dirty little secrets. But I'm excited to see what happens with everyone.

I wish I could turn bad. I’d turn bad in a second. I’d be like, “Yeah.” I’d be the villain.

Matt Mitovich, TVGuide.com: When Season 2 picks up, where is it in Claire’s life that we find her, and how do we build up to this new relationship with the new guy, West?

HP: Well, it’s four months from where we left off last season. And Claire is really trying to be, you know -- just trying to get in touch with her inner teen self once again, you know. She hasn’t given that up, and I think it’d be a sad thing if she did.

And she’s – you know, struggling to fit in but not stand out and, you know, obviously they’re still hiding and running from these people. And West -- you know, I think the funny thing about Claire is that she’s really -- as much as she has that beautiful naivete about her and as sweet as she is, she does have that spitfire. She has that -- yeah, that sass about her. And so it’s fun to watch her.

But I think when she meets West – I mean, you guys will see.

Matt Mitovich: So we’re going to see her meeting him -- they’re not already together yet, or anything like that?

HP: No, no. It’s a gradual meeting, yes. It’s teenage angst.

Paige Albiniak, New York Post: I'm just wondering, you guys are allegedly getting two new villains this year. Do you know anything about them that you could tell us, and how is it possible to be worse than Sylar?

HP: Oh, it’s possible. I think there’s – I think there’s one hint, actually, in the first season.

Paige Albiniak: The Bogey Man -- with Molly?

HP: Maybe.

But it’s definitely possible to be worse than Sylar. You know, I think – I think Sylar, you know, Sylar, looking back, he was a pretty good seemingly person. He was just kind of lost in the beginning when, you know, you first found them and then went crazy – (loopy loosey) -- on us.

But I -- they’ll be bad, they’ll be real bad.

Paige Albiniak: These villains are more globally minded than Sylar. Because Sylar was pretty just out for himself.

HP: I think they’re freakier in a different way. I think it’s kind of a mindtrip, you know. And in a way, you know, Sylar is very physical. And these characters are just creepier. From what I've seen of them, from what I've heard about them. I have absolutely no idea otherwise.

Ann Oldenburg, USA Today: Just wondering if there’s anything more you can tell us without spoiling anything about Claire for Season 2. I take it she’s still a cheerleader?

HP: Well, well, not in Odessa anymore. I wouldn’t say goodbye to the cheerleading outfit quite yet, but she’s not in that one anymore.

Ann Oldenburg: Anything else in terms of her growth? I know you said she’s matured and she’ll have a boyfriend, I guess.

HP: Well, I think – you know, this season she’s really looking to -- to figure out more about her powers, more about what she can do, how far she can push it, what happens when she does it.

And, you know, there are still some unanswered questions for her about her ability, whether -- you know, how far her pain tolerance can go or if she can actually die, if something happens. I think we've actually figured that one out by now, that, you know, there’s a specific spot that if you - you know, like Peter, we saw Peter in the first season, he had a shard of glass in the back of his head and not until we pulled it out did he come back to life. But the question is, you know, how long can he survive with that piece of glass in his head before he can't regenerate anymore.

So I think she’s really just pushing to find answers, pushing to find answers and, you know, that’s all I've seen her doing so far. I mean that’s one of the things I've seen her doing. But on that level, she’s just trying to figure out who she is and what she’s doing and what she wants to do with her life and her ability.

David Winnick, Wizard Magazine: I actually was wondering -- since we saw that Peter and Nathan are still alive, for those of who went to Comic Con -- is there going to be an attempt on Claire’s part to get back with them and create more of a family than previously, you know, what with her attempt to find them in the first place?

HP: I have absolutely no idea quite yet. We have not gotten that far. They’re dealing with – both dealing with really interesting storylines.

So -- it could be a little bit, but I'm sure she hasn’t seen the last of the Petrelli’s. It is her family.

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NBC held a phone conference with Hayden Panettiere last week, and our very own bozinka was there to ask a question!

Here is her question along with several questions Hayden answered from other journalists.

9th Wonders: You, at the beginning of the call, confirmed that you're going to be going to Europe for the Heroes World Tour? Can you confirm possibly like who might be going with you, and what are you most looking forward to about the world tour?

HP: It’s me, Milo, Jack, and Adrian. And - and what am I looking forward to? Getting out of this country. I’m so serious. At least out of California.

I'm - you know, I’ll be 18. I think it’ll be exciting, it’ll be fun -- you know, just to get away and be with my cast members, it’s going to be so much fun. I can't even imagine.

You know, just seeing those beautiful countries and just being able to be there and, you know, staying at the top hotels in Paris and London and Munich. I mean, what more could you ask for, honestly?

But I'm excited to be with my cast mates. I'm excited to have time with them like that. We haven’t really spent that kind of time together. You know, we see each other all the time and we do spend a ton of time together, but not days consecutively. We’ll see who’s mad at each other by the end of the trip -- how many fights there have been, how many people are cranky.

On Heroes Fans:

Bill Harris, Toronto Sun: As you listen to everybody dissecting everything about the show and about your character, is there any part of you -- even though I’m sure NBC loves the attention for the show -- for you personally, do you go in the back of your mind, "For the love of God people, get a life?"

HP: I’m sure it’s crossed my mind. But I think it’s very cool that they like it. And I think it’s because of the fact they like it so much that -- you know, it’s almost – it’s pat on our back, you know, every time that they say something about it and love it. It’s, you know, it’s -- besides from, like, award shows, you know, we’re behind the camera, you know, we’re the ones filming it in the studio and you don’t, you know, it doesn’t always click to you that 15 million people are watching the show. And so you see them and you hear from them.

So, it’s cool to hear from them. You know, it’s definitely our kudos and our pat on the back.

On the Heroes DVD:

Matt Mitovich, TVGuide.com: What sort of special extras did you get involved with for the DVD release? And was it your first time doing that type of stuff?

HP: There are commentaries and there’s a ton of deleted scenes which I didn’t knowingly participate in. (Editors note: There are 50 deleted scenes on the DVD.)

Matt Mitovich: Like foul-ups, bleeps and blunders-type stuff?

HP: It’s -- no, no, not outtakes. They’re just deleted scenes that were never used. And it’s incredible. Looking back at it now, I’m actually – I’m not going to lie, I’m watching it right now. And it’s incredible how many scenes you just totally forget were deleted. And you're like, “Oh, that’s where that scene went!” But it’s really fun to watch because we really had limited time, you know, it’s only an hour show and especially with the pilot and stuff, you have such limited time to explain all this information that you need to know before you can really get into the gut of the show, which is why we have the two-hour pilot which we showed at Comic Con as well, which is great. And it really - it explains other characters and explains -- you know, it goes more in depth to other things, but unfortunately didn’t have time for it.

Heather Turk, What’s On Magazine: I wanted to go back to the DVD -- I know you're watching it right now and it’s loaded with a ton of bonus features. Out of what you've seen so far, what would you recommend people starting with? What’s your favorite feature?

HP: I would say - well, it would depend if they’ve seen the show or not. If they haven’t seen the show, I would say watch the pilot - the two-hour pilot. I would say watch that first. And then maybe the deleted scenes, ‘cause I'm having fun watching the deleted scenes – but that’s probably only because, you know, I know what was deleted and what wasn’t.

There’s some great stuff -- there’s some goofy commentaries, like I'm talking goofy commentaries. I mean, I think I remember my commentary and I think they probably edited it, but, you know, everything on it is great. You know, you just - I love, you know, DVDs and you get to go and look at the extras and, you know, find certain things.

But people have fun with it. There’s a lot of stuff on this.

On Claire, non-spoilery:

Abbie Bernstein, Heroes Magazine and Dreamwatch: What would you describe as the biggest changes in Claire’s character that have occurred in the first season?

HP: I think she really grew up, you know? She - I definitely for a while there was getting sick of crying. I don’t know about anyone else who watching the show, but I was tired of seeing her cry.

And, you know, she just kind of went from that naïve teenage girl who only wanted -- you know, if you guys don’t have kids or haven’t noticed, teenagers are selfish, and I will vouch for that. And, you know, she wanted what any teenager would want. She wanted to be normal, she wanted to be popular, she wanted to date the quarterback of the football team, you know.

And, you know, over the time, she realized that by dismissing her power like that, that she was risking a lot of people’s lives -- that there was so much more she can do if she just came to terms with that. And so she just really evolved. She just really grew up. She learned to stand her own and stick up for herself.

So, yeah, I mean she’s matured and hopefully she’ll keep doing that.

Jon Lachonis, BuddyTV.com: During Season 1, Claire got into some pretty gory predicaments. How was it like working with all that makeup, and is that something we’re going to see more of in Season 2?

HP: Um, it was sticky. Very sticky. You can imagine it’s actually corn syrup -- like it’s basically made out of the same thing, with red dye. And so you can imagine what that does to your hair and your body after 10-1/2 hours working.

But, you know, it was - I think it was more - it was the most fun when like me and Milo…when we got to do it together and we got to be sticky together. And, you know, it’s just - it kind of - it was fun in the beginning, but when you have directors like Greg Beeman who like to go a little over the top with the blood. I just remember the look on his face when he got that blood bottle in his hand and he just looked at me like he was going to attack. I was like, “Oh no”, and then he just poured it over my head.

But it looks great at the end of the day. It’s not always the most fun or comfortable thing to do, but that’s my job, so...

Jon Lachonis: Is it something you think they will continue to put the limits on with the second season?

HP: Well, of course -- that’s her ability, you know. And I think the more she - the longer she has it and the farther it goes, then the less she really is conscious of it, the less she thinks about it, the less, you know, she notices when - that she can't do certain things -- the less, you know, it clicks in her head.

So trust me -- you will see plenty of blood. Plenty of snaps and pops and crackles.

Posted by idallia at 07:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

9th Wonders: Comicraft is credited with the lettering in all of the online graphic novels over at NBC.com. Is that Comicraft credit basically you?

JG: Yes, I've lettered all the Heroes comics so far, with the help of fonts we created based on (of all people!) Tim Sale's pen and brush lettering.

9th Wonders: Is there a favourite story out of all the "novels" you've lettered?

JG: I've really liked the latest batch, written by the Man of Action Studios guys. I think they've taken the stories to new levels. I got chills during parts of "It Takes a Village".

9th Wonders: Is there a particular comic's artist or artwork you liked the best?

JG: I really like Tom Grummett's art. He did "Walls" a few months back, and part 2 of the upcoming "Golden Handshake". We lettered his 100 issue(!) run on Superboy in the '90s, which was a lot of fun. He can go from cartoony to gritty with ease, and is a great storyteller -- meaning it's always easy to follow the action from panel to panel, which makes my job as the letterer much easier!

There's going to be a book collection of all of them in the fall too.

9th Wonders: I read about that recently, I think it'll be very popular.

JG: Which surprises me, because all the content's still online for free!

9th Wonders: People like to have things they can flip through. I think some were hoping for the comics to be included in the DVD.

JG: There is a small comic I designed for the DVD with three of the online stories, plus an interview with Tim Kring by Jeph Loeb. I don't know if it's a limited thing, or if it will be included with all of them. The content is the same as the limited comic they're giving out at Comic-Con, so be sure to get one!

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Here is part 2 of my interview with John 'JG' Roshell.

9th Wonders: How and when did you become involved with 9thWonders.com (and the design of the 'prop' comics)?

JG: Ah, good story!

Comicraft has lettered all the comics Jeph Loeb writes for many years, and we have a great working relationship with him. Completely outside of work, Jesse Alexander's family and mine are friends. Since he and I are both big geeks, we've always thought what the other does for a living is immensely cool. So when the subject of comic book design for Heroes came up, Jeph and Jesse both insisted that I do it.

The funny thing was, neither of them knew that the other one knew me, so apparently they went back and forth for a while, like: "my guy will do a killer job on this", "no, my guy's the one we want" and it turned out they were both talking about me. :) One of the proudest moments of my career, for sure.

9th Wonders: That is awesome. So you must have been approached well before Comic-Con in order to prepare the prop comic?

JG: Yeah, must have been around April or May. But we really had to scramble to get the site done for Comic-Con. Jeph and Jesse, and some of the other writers on the show, really knew what they wanted to do with the "viral" marketing and such. They knew how important the comic fan community's support could be for the show. They told me it's possibly the first time that the writers of the show have been given a promotional budget, let alone be involved in the strategy, but I guess it worked!

9th Wonders: How long did it take you to come up with the design for the original site? Did you come up with one basic idea, or did you have a few designs that got narrowed down?

JG: One try. I just did exactly what I thought it should look like, and they said "yes!"

9th Wonders: Well let me chime in and say I think you've done an amazing job. I love the comic book banners.

JG: Thanks! It's really nice to know people dig it. I've actually had a lot of fun getting to do something extremely "comic-booky" for the show. Because, ironically, most comic book creators want their comics to look like something else -- usually a movie or TV show, like they'll be taken more "seriously" that way. Meanwhile these TV guys want their stuff to look like it's a comic book!

But I really like the whole 1960s-70s comic book look -- I grew up reading Amazing Spider-Man, and I think those comics are great. And now these TV show creators want their stuff to look like it's a comic book!

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