Telly Visions: Kristen Bell

“Heroes” seems to have the knack of casting attractive female leads. It’s better at it than, say, the revamped “Doctor Who”! Ouch!! But, it’s true. The obvious names to mention, regarding the American show, are Hayden Panettiere and Ali Larter. And, I’ve already discussed Nora Zehetner and Katie Carr in previous posts. For me, I’m sorry to say, Billie Piper will always be the female forerunner of Lil’ Chris! Although, admittedly, the Swindon lass is nowhere near as cringe worthy and tedious as that pint-sized pin brain. I can imagine Russell T. Davies mistakenly casting him, in the role of companion, had the executive producer stayed on with the Brit series. And, that would’ve been a fate worse than Adric!

The latest sex kitten on the “Heroes” block is Kristen Bell, playing cunning little vixen Elle Bishop, introduced during Season Two, and I’m pleased to see she’s to continue into the next season. I was already aware of the actress from “Veronica Mars”, which I’d wanted to see but have only recently started watching. Kristen played the title role for three seasons before it was cancelled due to poor viewing figures. Joss Whedon, best known as creator and lead writer of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, praised the writing standard of “Veronica Mars” and the pilot episode is certainly a clever little construct.

Following the cancellation of “Veronica Mars”, Kristen voiced an interest in appearing in “Heroes”, because she was a fan prior to being cast. She’s also friends with future Mr. Spock Zachary Quinto (Sylar), as well as Hayden, which no doubt wasn’t going to go against her! For my money though, Kristen has a far more interesting face than her cheerleader co-star. That’s not to say I don’t like Hayden. I do. But, Kristen is just that little bit more quirky. It was Ms. Bell’s aspect that had me interested in “Veronica Mars” in the first place! Here’s hoping “Volume Three: Villains”, of “Heroes”, will be saved by the Bell!!

Save the Cheerleader, Save the World!

The smash-hit US drama series “Heroes” makes champions - and villains - of ordinary people, by gifting them with extraordinary abilities: a Japanese office worker able to manipulate time; a cheerleader with incredible regenerative powers; a struggling single mother with a deadly alter ego; a drug-addicted artist whose work predicts a catastrophic future; and a serial killer capable of absorbing all their abilities. Meanwhile, geneticist Mohinder Suresh continues the work of his murdered father - have these gifted men and women entered a new phase of evolution, or are their abilities the result of something far more sinister? Hayden Panettiere is Claire Bennet, the high school cheerleader from Texas with a key role to play in uncovering the truth…

Of particular interest to fans of “Doctor Who”, ninth Doctor Christopher Eccleston joins the cast of “Heroes”, midway through its first season, as Claude for five of its twenty-three episodes. The former Time Lord appears in “Godsend”, “The Fix”, “Distractions”, “Unexpected” and “Company Man” (episodes 12, 13, 14, 16 and 17). And, of note to “Star Trek” fans, Sulu-actor George Takei also guest-stars in five episodes, as Kaito Nakamura, namely “The Fix”, “Distractions”, “Company Man”, “Landslide” and “How to Stop an Exploding Man” (episodes 13, 14, 17, 22 and 23). I draw your attention to the fact that three episodes (13, 14 and 17) feature both actors, though whether or not they are in any scenes together remains to be seen! “Heroes” starts on Wednesday 25th July at 9pm, on BBC TWO, with a double bill comprising “In His Own Image” (broadcast in the States as “Genesis”) and “Don’t Look Back”…