# My Wife is in TV Guide - Who Wants To Be A Superhero 2



## Mistwell (Jun 3, 2007)

I don't usually brag, but I am just so jazzed that my wife made the TV Guide this week that I wanted to share with the community here.

She is the girl in the center, in light blue.







and from Sci-Fi Magazine:


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## Mark CMG (Jun 3, 2007)

Pass on the congratulations!


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## Crothian (Jun 3, 2007)

Big Congratulation's!!  When does the show start back up?


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## Ed_Laprade (Jun 3, 2007)

Congrats to the little super woman.


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## Alzrius (Jun 3, 2007)

Congratulations Mistwell, you must be so proud!

So, when are you going to post her _Mutants & Masterminds_ stats here?


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## horacethegrey (Jun 3, 2007)

Whoa. I admit to not watching that show (in fact, I have a distaste for reality TV in general), but that is wonderful that your wife is on it. Big congratulations!


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## Angel Tarragon (Jun 3, 2007)

That is very cool Mistwell. Good luck. I'll be tuning in and rooting for your wife!


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## Mistwell (Jun 3, 2007)

Last year's winner, Feedback, is a D&D player by the way.  And at least one participant this year is also a D&D player.  My wife is not a D&D player, but she has played Stargate d20, so knows the d20 system well enough to play D&D.


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## Mark CMG (Jun 3, 2007)

Alzrius said:
			
		

> So, when are you going to post her _Mutants & Masterminds_ stats here?





Yes.  We must have stats.  And they must be debated.


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## Piratecat (Jun 3, 2007)

That's too cool! And ditto on the stats.  

I'd be really interested in hearing about the casting, concept and auditioning process if it's something you're willing to share. I'm totally rooting for her now.


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## Emirikol (Jun 3, 2007)

That's cool dude!  Tell her congrats!

jh


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## xmanii (Jun 3, 2007)

Very very cool!


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## Mistwell (Jun 3, 2007)

Piratecat said:
			
		

> That's too cool! And ditto on the stats.
> 
> I'd be really interested in hearing about the casting, concept and auditioning process if it's something you're willing to share. I'm totally rooting for her now.




Well, you can hear the initial audition here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1A2apIybYH8

It's a bad recording someone did.  It was an open audition outside of Universal Studios here in Los Angeles, and she was chosen to get a public audition with Stan Lee.


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## Piratecat (Jun 3, 2007)

You realize, of course, that this gives you a great out on housework for the next few months.

"Honey, will you please sweep the deck?"
"I'd love to, but I live with a cleanliness-obsessed superhero. I bet SHE'LL do it!"

Hee. Make a Hygiene-Symbol with a flashlight, and turn it on next time something spills at the dining room table. See how long it takes before she steals it and gives you a noogie!  

Actually, this does put tremendous pressure on you guys. If I was the TV producer, I'd visit Hygenia's house to see what her secret lair looked like.


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## Relique du Madde (Jun 3, 2007)

Mistwell,

Just wondering, do you ever wonder why Mr Clean hangs out under your kitchen sink, given that your wife is Ms. Hygenia?


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## Mycanid (Jun 3, 2007)

Stats! Stats! We must have stats!    

Umm ... please?


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## Thornir Alekeg (Jun 4, 2007)

Piratecat said:
			
		

> Actually, this does put tremendous pressure on you guys. If I was the TV producer, I'd visit Hygenia's house to see what her secret lair looked like.



Well, since it is a _secret_ lair, the producers wouldn't be able to find it.  Of course of Mistwell's house is a mess, it is simply part of her cover:  "Now I, The Cobweb can be rid of Hygenia forever!  Wait, this cannot be Hygenia's lair, this place is a pigsty!  Dustbunny, you fool, you told me this was where she lived!"


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## bento (Jun 4, 2007)

WAHOO!

We're such big fans of WWTBASH at our house that it was the theme of my son's 6 year old B-Day party!  I've been telling my kids that I "know" someone who's wife has a good shot of getting on the show!


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## D.Shaffer (Jun 5, 2007)

Thornir Alekeg said:
			
		

> Wait, this cannot be Hygenia's lair, this place is a pigsty!  Dustbunny, you fool, you told me this was where she lived!"



...I SO have to make up a superhero named 'Dustbunny' now...


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## DonTadow (Jun 7, 2007)

D.Shaffer said:
			
		

> ...I SO have to make up a superhero named 'Dustbunny' now...




That's cool. I'll be rooting for her. 

Now that she's a real superhero, you'll have to make sure that you wash her uniform in your thong.


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## Mistwell (Jun 16, 2007)

First commercial is up:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGsYh7aq6gw


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## Mistwell (Jun 29, 2007)

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno covered the Los Angeles open auditions last night.  They sent Ross the Intern to interview the auditioners and to try out himself.

Ross ends up interviewing my wife, Hygena, along with Green Gamer, who is a d20 fan that was at one time an EnWorld user.  It's actually pretty funny and worth watching.  He also interviews Basura, who ends up on the show as well.  See:

http://www.myspace.com/hygena_superhero

Just click on the videos section.

Alternatively, a higher quality version is located here on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW63l6nkdpw

Finally, there is an edited down version (that is also higher quality) on the official NBC Tonight Show site:

http://www.nbc.com/The_Tonight_Show_with_Jay_Leno/video/#mea=124914


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## Brown Jenkin (Jun 29, 2007)

D20 guy was very strange.

and of course Dirt Devil
O My God, Jinx.  very good interview.


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## Mistwell (Jul 25, 2007)

Two days to the premiere!


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## Brown Jenkin (Jul 25, 2007)

Since Gen Con is having the top three from last season as Media Guests of Honor, maybe you will get a free ride to Gen Con next year on her coattails (or apron strings as the case may be).


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## bento (Jul 25, 2007)

We have it marked on our calendar!  We'll be rooting for Melody!


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## Mistwell (Jul 26, 2007)

Brown Jenkin said:
			
		

> Since Gen Con is having the top three from last season as Media Guests of Honor, maybe you will get a free ride to Gen Con next year on her coattails (or apron strings as the case may be).




Now THAT would rock!  I heard Feedback was going.  He is a D&Der by the way...so I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up playing in some games...


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## Mistwell (Jul 26, 2007)

Set your Tivos and DVRs to SUPERHERO tonight 

We are off to Comic Con.  Full report when we return.


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## Richards (Jul 27, 2007)

And we're off to a good start!  My son and I had both called who was going to be sent home first during the robbery interview.  Looks like it's new costumes already next week -- should be good!  Some of the current costumes really need to go (I'm thinking primarily Parthenon's, which looks pretty cheesy, and Mindset's, which looks cumbersome).  Actually, having gone over to the SciFi website to refresh my memory of Mindset's name, it looks like their "improved" costumes are already there on the site, if anybody's interested.

Johnathan


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## Relique du Madde (Jul 27, 2007)

HOLY SMOKES BATMAN!  I know who plays Basura!! I gotta worship her tomarrow if I see her at "Bats"


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## Felon (Jul 27, 2007)

Not bad, although I notice there's not much in the way of "eye-candy" heroes like we got with Lemuria and Major Victory last season. Probably not a great move for sustaining viewership.

Seems like an even spread of "serious" heroes with Tick-refugee self-parodies. The latter type of characters always struck me as having voluntarily entered the batter's box with two strikes against them. After all, the ultimate goal is to produce a marketable character; when it came down to Feedback and Fat Momma last season, I think we all knew who had it sewn up.

I also noticed that once again Stan eliminated applicants that were really committed to their in-character personalities, like Homeless Man. I guess the show's producers doesn't really want this to have a LARP feel to it. Perhaps that's for the best, since you'd wind up with a room full of loud attention-seekers all trying to upstage each other.


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## D.Shaffer (Jul 27, 2007)

Felon said:
			
		

> Not bad, although I notice there's not much in the way of "eye-candy" heroes like we got with Lemuria and Major Victory last season. Probably not a great move for sustaining viewership.



Basura wasnt bad, but yes I noticed that too.  Most of the eye candy appears to be for the female viewer, and I'm not sure how well that works out fo them.



> Perhaps that's for the best, since you'd wind up with a room full of loud attention-seekers all trying to upstage each other.



Some of them seemed to be hamming it up quite nicely as is, right from the beginning.


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## Felon (Jul 27, 2007)

D.Shaffer said:
			
		

> Basura wasnt bad



There's something about the whole "Garbage Girl" motif that's sort of a turn-off, y'know?


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## jaerdaph (Jul 27, 2007)

The first episode was very good. I'm looking forward to cheering on Melody to the very end.


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## Relique du Madde (Jul 27, 2007)

Felon said:
			
		

> There's something about the whole "Garbage Girl" motif that's sort of a turn-off, y'know?




Don't worry, I'm pretty sure that she will be picked to become the super hero turned villan... if not, than I'm going to place my bet on Chrome dome (or what ever the psionic guy's name is).


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## Nareau (Jul 27, 2007)

Felon said:
			
		

> Perhaps that's for the best, since you'd wind up with a room full of loud attention-seekers all trying to upstage each other.



Hang on--I thought that was the entire appeal of reality TV in the first place!  

Nareau


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## Felon (Jul 27, 2007)

Relique du Madde said:
			
		

> Don't worry, I'm pretty sure that she will be picked to become the super hero turned villan... if not, than I'm going to place my bet on Chrome dome (or what ever the psionic guy's name is).



Mindset was picked by popular vote in an Internet poll, so I suspect they won't taint his shot at the win.

I think they'll have separate super-villains this go round, like the bee lady. Note there is one fewer cast member than in the previous season.


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## Felon (Jul 28, 2007)

So, has Feedback ever gotten either the comic book or TV movie he was supposed to get out of the deal?


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## Goodsport (Jul 28, 2007)

Felon said:
			
		

> So, has Feedback ever gotten either the comic book or TV movie he was supposed to get out of the deal?




He's already gotten the comic book, the TV movie ("Mega Snake") is scheduled to air next month and an action figure of him (along with Fat Mama and Major Victory) will be released at some point soon.


-G


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## Felon (Jul 28, 2007)

"Megasnake"? What the...?

Does Sci-Fi have some kind of heavy investment in giant snake stock or something?


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## Mistwell (Jul 28, 2007)

I think you will find, as far as eye candy goes, that there will be a large following for Basura, and Ms. Limelight (once she gets a costume change next week - I think the wig throws things off a bit for her).  On the men's side, the girls LOVE Hyper-Strike (and some boys love Parthenon).

Last night at the viewing of the first episode at Comic-Con International in San Diego, Hyper-Strike was just there to watch the episode (because he had not gotten a chance to see it the night before).  When Feedback from the podium, seeing him in the audience with Hygena, called him up on stage a huge chunk of the audience spontaneously broke into a chorus of "FLIP FLIP FLIP" At one point.  So Hyper-Strike, a bit embarrassed at first, agreed to do a flip in front of people.  One thing led to another and he is suddenly doing front flips, back flips, spins, and balancing someone's huge sword on his nose for them! He concluded the night by yelling "Anime Rocks!" to some cheers from the audience, who clearly loved him. He was swarmed by cute girls wanting his autograph.


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## Firebeetle (Jul 30, 2007)

Congratulations to you and your wife. 

Who is the other D&D player? Is it Defuser or Mindset. Defuser's power description includes actual ranges (as does Hygena's), so my money is on him.


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## Brown Jenkin (Jul 31, 2007)

Ok thoughts so far:

I am rooting for Hygena

After 1 episode Defuser is the frontrunner (but I also thought Major Victory was as well).

Basura is definitely the eye candy for guys, although there is something to be said for maid uniforms as well.

What is with Mr. Mitzvah?

Ms. Limelight will probably go about 2/3 of the way through.

Are you entertaining any questions about the show? Not who wins or loses (which I am sure is covered by NDAs and I wouldn't want to know anyways) but on productiobn questions like were the contestants really surprised by Feedback when he told them they were on the show at the begining?


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## Relique du Madde (Aug 1, 2007)

Brown Jenkin said:
			
		

> What is with Mr. Mitzvah?



I think he is a throwback to when ethnic characters had to be based on extreme ethnic/racial stereotypes.  So basically he's a jewish exploitation superhero.

The interesting thing is that according to Wikipedia Mr. Mitzvah's creator DID NOT create him for the competition... he was created for the show. (I know that sounds strange so hear me out.)  appearantly, after getting accepted to join the show he was asked to give up the copy right for his original character, Peaceman, but refused.  So as a result he came up with Mr Mitzvah and agreed to let the show's producers copyright that name.

If you think about it... that was a brilliant and ballsy move, after all, if Mr Miitzvah turns out to be as bad as I think he will get, I seriously doubt he would have made it onto the show in the first place.


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## Mistwell (Aug 1, 2007)

Firebeetle said:
			
		

> Congratulations to you and your wife.
> 
> Who is the other D&D player? Is it Defuser or Mindset. Defuser's power description includes actual ranges (as does Hygena's), so my money is on him.




Yeah it's Defuser.


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## Mistwell (Aug 1, 2007)

Brown Jenkin said:
			
		

> Ok thoughts so far:
> 
> I am rooting for Hygena
> 
> ...




I am covered by a pretty heavy NDA.

I can I think however answer that particular question (since I was not under an NDA at that point I think).  Yes, my wife was very shocked by Feedback.  I snuck him into the house, and she did not hear us coming up behind her at the time.  That is the actual genuine look of shock on her face that you see.  And she really was baking cupcakes at the time (for my office).


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## Thornir Alekeg (Aug 1, 2007)

Mistwell said:
			
		

> I am covered by a pretty heavy NDA.
> 
> I can I think however answer that particular question (since I was not under an NDA at that point I think).  Yes, my wife was very shocked by Feedback.  I snuck him into the house, and she did not hear us coming up behind her at the time.  That is the actual genuine look of shock on her face that you see.  And she really was baking cupcakes at the time (for my office).



 Nice to hear that.  I always wonder how much things like that are staged in reality shows.  My prime suspect for staging the "surprise moment" is Extreme Home Makeover.  When they show up at the house and shout for the family to come out, the family members always run out together.  If they really surprised them, I would expect that people would come at different times as they came from different parts of the house.


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## Brown Jenkin (Aug 1, 2007)

Thornir Alekeg said:
			
		

> Nice to hear that.  I always wonder how much things like that are staged in reality shows.  My prime suspect for staging the "surprise moment" is Extreme Home Makeover.  When they show up at the house and shout for the family to come out, the family members always run out together.  If they really surprised them, I would expect that people would come at different times as they came from different parts of the house.




Or on Pimp My Ride where they come out of the house wearing mic packs on thier backs.


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## Firebeetle (Aug 2, 2007)

Relique du Madde said:
			
		

> I think he is a throwback to when ethnic characters had to be based on extreme ethnic/racial stereotypes.  So basically he's a jewish exploitation superhero.
> 
> The interesting thing is that according to Wikipedia Mr. Mitzvah's creator DID NOT create him for the competition... he was created for the show. (I know that sounds strange so hear me out.)  appearantly, after getting accepted to join the show he was asked to give up the copy right for his original character, Peaceman, but refused.  So as a result he came up with Mr Mitzvah and agreed to let the show's producers copyright that name.
> 
> If you think about it... that was a brilliant and ballsy move, after all, if Mr Miitzvah turns out to be as bad as I think he will get, I seriously doubt he would have made it onto the show in the first place.




I checked into this guy too, "Sir" Ivan Wilzig, he's way more interesting than his character. He's a son of a wealthy financier who left business to become a musician (described as "technippy", techno with hippy lyrics) and founded the "Peaceman Foundation" to pursue world peace. He dresses up as Peaceman for events (check out the website below), but naturally wasn't willing to give up rights to the character. He also lives in what is referred to as "The Castle" because that is what it looks like.

Here's his site:
http://www.sirivanmusic.com/flash.html 

Peace out.


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## Kahuna Burger (Aug 2, 2007)

Relique du Madde said:
			
		

> I think he is a throwback to when ethnic characters had to be based on extreme ethnic/racial stereotypes.  So basically he's a jewish exploitation superhero.
> ...
> If you think about it... that was a brilliant and ballsy move, after all, if Mr Miitzvah turns out to be as bad as I think he will get, I seriously doubt he would have made it onto the show in the first place.



Actually, I think the Mr Mitzvah character could appeal to Stan pretty heavily. After all, the former Mr Lieber (or Lieberman, depending on the source you check) and his artistic partner the former Mr Kurtzberg spent the first part of their careers including Christmas specials for their universally "christian lite" characters to appeal to the broadest audience possible. He might find a jewish superhero drawing his heroic inspiration from taking the mitzvah (good deed) to it's furthest conclusion kinda cool.


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## jonathan swift (Aug 3, 2007)

So far, I've got to say Defuser and Hyper-Strike are the forerunners. Hyper-Strike maybe the most. He has a mix of Major Victory's charisma and Feedback's likeable nerdiness.


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## trancejeremy (Aug 3, 2007)

Defuser is too pushy, IMHO. It's going to catch up with him eventually.


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## jonathan swift (Aug 3, 2007)

trancejeremy said:
			
		

> Defuser is too pushy, IMHO. It's going to catch up with him eventually.





Probably. But last year I thought Major Victory was a shoe-in.


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## jonathan swift (Aug 3, 2007)

Hyper-Strike didn't like his costume, could be bad news for the fan favorite!


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## trancejeremy (Aug 3, 2007)

jonathan swift said:
			
		

> Probably. But last year I thought Major Victory was a shoe-in.




Yeah, but he was robbed.


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## jonathan swift (Aug 3, 2007)

Limelight is staying in this one. It's Mitzvah or Mindset. I'm leaning towards Mindset getting the boot for being a jack.


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## trancejeremy (Aug 3, 2007)

Spoiler



Good guess!


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## jonathan swift (Aug 3, 2007)

It could have gone either way. I think what pushed him over was how arrogant he came off. Mitzvah isn't gelling with the group, but isn't as outright antagonistic as Mindset was.


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## Richards (Aug 3, 2007)

Spoiler



Yeah, of the three of them, Mindset had two strikes against him: picking on Ms. Limelight and putting his teammates in danger in that spelling bee.  Compared against Mr. Mitzvah protecting his face (which didn't actually prevent him from hitting the buzzer anyway) and Ms. Limelight basically just being a ditz, he was the logical choice to go.  (Arguing that Stan was wrong after he had already made his decision didn't help matters either.)



And great job, Hygena, on making it past the claustrophobia and the fear of bees!  I thought it was pretty funny, up on the roof at the end, when right after Stan first admonishes one of the heroes, he then says "Hygena" and she kind of jumps, like "Oh no -- what did I do?" only to have Stan praise her for a job well done.

I'd say the following are on the short list for near-future elimination: Ms. Limelight (she's not really heroic at all, and pretty much a ditz), Whip-Snap (I'm getting tired of the "poor me" sob story all the time and the turn-on/turn-off tears), and Parthenon (he seems more concerned about his "bling" than about being a superhero).  It'll be interesting to see how it turns out.

Johnathan

Edit: Are we editing for spoilers now?  I kind of assumed this was a thread for discussion about the particulars about the show, for those who had seen it.  Oh well, I guess it won't hurt to be safe.


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## Felon (Aug 3, 2007)

Kahuna Burger said:
			
		

> Actually, I think the Mr Mitzvah character could appeal to Stan pretty heavily. After all, the former Mr Lieber (or Lieberman, depending on the source you check) and his artistic partner the former Mr Kurtzberg spent the first part of their careers including Christmas specials for their universally "christian lite" characters to appeal to the broadest audience possible. He might find a jewish superhero drawing his heroic inspiration from taking the mitzvah (good deed) to it's furthest conclusion kinda cool.



I think you just illustrated pretty aptly that Stan (who favors his pen name unilaterally) probably isn't too interested in that direction.  Also, note how his take (i.e. retcon) on Mitzvah was that he gets his power not from a divine source, but from "life"--something nice, generic, and non-denominational.


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## Felon (Aug 3, 2007)

trancejeremy said:
			
		

> Yeah, but he was robbed.



As I stated previously, heroes who go the self-parody route are setting themselves up. Major V is a cautionary tale.


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## Felon (Aug 3, 2007)

jonathan swift said:
			
		

> Hyper-Strike didn't like his costume, could be bad news for the fan favorite!



His original outfit was pretty much a Dragonball refugee outfit. Stan gave him a westernized bonafide superhero outfit that was very Kirbyesque. I like it, except perhaps for the headband, which is maybe too big and doesn't need that large white splotch.


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## trancejeremy (Aug 3, 2007)

Richards said:
			
		

> Edit: Are we editing for spoilers now?  I kind of assumed this was a thread for discussion about the particulars about the show, for those who had seen it.  Oh well, I guess it won't hurt to be safe.




I don't know, I just realized that there wasn't "Spoilers" in the title thread, so I thought better to be safe than sorry.


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## trancejeremy (Aug 3, 2007)

Felon said:
			
		

> As I stated previously, heroes who go the self-parody route are setting themselves up. Major V is a cautionary tale.




Yeah, but he lost to Fat Mama, who was total parody...

I agree with you though. Joke-superheroes seem less likely to be the overall winner than serious ones.


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## bento (Aug 3, 2007)

trancejeremy said:
			
		

> Yeah, but he lost to Fat Mama, who was total parody...



FM never struck me as parody.  A parody makes fun of, or is a weak imatation of the real thing.  FM was sincere and showed a lot of strength.  Major V on the other hand, while my favorite, never really took the show as serious as FM or FB.

My pick so far is *Hygenia* as she seems to be the most level headed among the bunch.  She's not going to knock the others over like Defuser, but she seems to assess most situations really well and take action.  My son has picked *Parthenon* as his favorite so far and my daughter's still holding out on picking someone.

Thoughts on the others:
*Mindset* - pride was his downfall
*Mr. Mitzvah* - get's on my nerves and is my pick for the next to go
*Limelight* - will probably be around for a couple more episodes 'cause she's so sweet (and better looking in the new costume)
*Hyperstrike* - might get the boot soon if he doesn't stop being so mopey 
*Defuser * - needs to be more careful or his headstrong ways will get him in trouble in some of the more subtle contests sure to be coming up
*Whip Snap* - will probably make the top three as she has determination that I don't think will let her stop
*Basura* - needs to also step up or she'll get shoved back by some of the other more agressive heroes

Looking forward the the excitement next week!


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## Tuzenbach (Aug 3, 2007)

jonathan swift said:
			
		

> So far, I've got to say Defuser and Hyper-Strike are the forerunners. Hyper-Strike maybe the most. He has a mix of Major Victory's charisma and Feedback's likeable nerdiness.



 I hate to disagree, but neither will win. However, it's not for the reasons you think it is!






***POSSIBLE SPOILERS***






See, I actually have a special "predict the outcome" power. Unfortunately, this sometimes impedes my ability to enjoy TV shows, movies, or books. Anyway.....






[sblock]From the very first episode, when there was reference to a "Doctor Dark" badguy, and knowing what I know from last season's plot, I realized that one of the "contestants" wasn't actually competing. If you don't want to know WHO, read no further!!![/sblock]





****READ BELOW TO RUIN THE SHOW!!!*****





[sblock]Folks, it's COMPLETELY obvious that "Hyper-Strike" isn't with the group. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that, like all the other contestants, he went to the special audition with a costume and everything. However, unlike the others, I'm willing to wager that he begged and pleaded with Stan to "play the bad guy". 

Anyway, when I saw the body language of "Doctor Dark" and contrasted it with 'Hyper', I saw a match. Also, his "real-life" occupation is.........a "circus performer"? C'mon! Does Stan 'The Man' take us for complete fools?! Also, out of the whole group, 'Hyper' has the best physique. His "shame of tights" act is just that......AN ACT!!![/sblock]





PS: "The Defuser" won't win 'cuz he's a cop. Unfortunately, cops always uphold the law, whether or not the laws hurt or help people. And while most laws by their very nature are designed to help, the contrary is sometimes the case. In short "law" does not always equate to "good".


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## Tuzenbach (Aug 3, 2007)

Hey, how do you do that thing where you can make the text only readable if you click & drag?

I think that technique is much more appropriate for what I've posted above.....


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## Relique du Madde (Aug 3, 2007)

Tuzenbach said:
			
		

> Hey, how do you do that thing where you can make the text only readable if you click & drag?



  you mean the spoiler tag?  There is also the sblock you can use..


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## Tuzenbach (Aug 3, 2007)

Relique du Madde said:
			
		

> you mean the spoiler tag?  There is also the sblock you can use..



 Hey thanks! Those work great!!!


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## Relique du Madde (Aug 3, 2007)

Tuzenbach said:
			
		

> <Snip>
> 
> [sblock]Folks, it's COMPLETELY obvious that "Hyper-Strike" isn't with the group. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that, like all the other contestants, he went to the special audition with a costume and everything. However, unlike the others, I'm willing to wager that he begged and pleaded with Stan to "play the bad guy".
> 
> Anyway, when I saw the body language of "Doctor Dark" and contrasted it with 'Hyper', I saw a match. Also, his "real-life" occupation is.........a "circus performer"? C'mon! Does Stan 'The Man' take us for complete fools?! Also, out of the whole group, 'Hyper' has the best physique. His "shame of tights" act is just that......AN ACT!!![/sblock]




[sblock]
Actually from what I found on the net he actually IS a circus performer for a small chicago based troupe called Midnight Circus... however he also appeared in a small budget action film called Shadow Fury.  

I do also think that he might be Doctor Dark since doctor dark seems to have a very slender  fram and he also appears to have large feet. Also as it was pointed out Hyperstrike had regrets over losing his his old costume (his dark one).

[/sblock]



> PS: "The Defuser" won't win 'cuz he's a cop. Unfortunately, cops always uphold the law, whether or not the laws hurt or help people. And while most laws by their very nature are designed to help, the contrary is sometimes the case. In short "law" does not always equate to "good".




I see him winning, after all several Marvel superheros are all about following the law and doing whats right.  However, the true test would be if Defuser would be required to "break" a law to do what is right.  If he is unable to do this, then I'm sure he will loose.


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## Felon (Aug 3, 2007)

Tuzenbach said:
			
		

> I[sblock]Folks, it's COMPLETELY obvious that "Hyper-Strike" isn't with the group. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that, like all the other contestants, he went to the special audition with a costume and everything. However, unlike the others, I'm willing to wager that he begged and pleaded with Stan to "play the bad guy".
> 
> Anyway, when I saw the body language of "Doctor Dark" and contrasted it with 'Hyper', I saw a match. Also, his "real-life" occupation is.........a "circus performer"? C'mon! Does Stan 'The Man' take us for complete fools?! Also, out of the whole group, 'Hyper' has the best physique. His "shame of tights" act is just that......AN ACT!!![/sblock]
> Well, thanks for providing us with a "spoiler" that's actually based on pretty flimsy evidence. The body language of Dr. Dark means little, since it'll probably be played by a body double until the point of revelation. And was I the only one who noticed that
> ...


----------



## Felon (Aug 3, 2007)

Btw, if you thought Mindset was a jerk, check out the Aftershow with Feedback. He vindicates himself somewhat.


----------



## Tuzenbach (Aug 3, 2007)

Felon said:
			
		

> Well, thanks for providing us with a "spoiler" that's actually based on pretty flimsy evidence. The body language of Dr. Dark means little, since it'll probably be played by a body double until the point of revelation.




FWIW, I have a LOT of theatre experience & a degree in psychology. I know an actor when I see one. Also, 



Spoiler



of the ten participants, Stan mentioned all of them during episode 1 EXCEPT Mindset & Hyper-strike. Statisically speaking, these two were bound to be the focus for episode 2. However, the root cause of Hyper-strike's being mentioned can be summarised as "someone who doesn't like the way they look". Last year, Stan chided Tyveculus specifically for NOT telling the truth about his costume. He can't scold the participants for two sides of the same damned coin! Something's fishy!!!






			
				Felon said:
			
		

> And was I the only one who noticed that
> 
> 
> 
> ...




No, you weren't! But 



Spoiler



"effeminate" & "young adult male" can sometimes pass for one another under the correct circumstances! Oh, and if Miss Limelight turns out to be Doctor Dark I'll take a dump on my lawn & eat it! I'm sorry, but the most difficult thing to do for any actor is to convincingly pull off "ditzy". You have to be VERY smart to do it, and usually, people see right through the facade. It's like Christina Applegate's character of 'Kelly Bundy'. We knew nobody could be THAT inane.

BTW, if you're going to state "The body language of Dr. Dark means little, since it'll probably be played by a body double until the point of revelation" as a point against my argument, then it makes little sense for you to use the same body language hypothesis as a means of supporting your own argument! Otherwise, you merely come across as a hypocrite. Sorry dude, you did it to yourself......






			
				Felon said:
			
		

> How very insightful. Now, what's any of that got to do with the price of peanuts in Peoria?




Erm......you tell me?





			
				Felon said:
			
		

> I can't see Stan saying "Defuser...you always showed a desire to lead, but sometimes a hero has to step back and allow other to show their strengths...and also, you're a cop, and because law does not always equate to good, law enforcement agents cannot be heroes. Sorry, I forgot to mention that earlier. Guess I kinda wasted  your time. Oh well. Turn in your costume, jack-booted pig.




No, smart@ss! Of course Stan's not going to say that, but that's how the circumstances will play themselves out. Cops can't think outside the box. If they did, they'd make pretty lousy cops, wouldn't they? "Hmmmm, let's see......you've 'sort of' broken the law, so I'll 'kind of' let you get away with it this time". I'm sorry, but that's not a cop. That's a soon-to-be-unemployed-cop.


----------



## Tuzenbach (Aug 3, 2007)

Felon said:
			
		

> Btw, if you thought Mindset was a jerk, check out the Aftershow with Feedback. He vindicates himself somewhat.



 I wouldn't say Mindset was a jerk, merely acting to the best of his abilities. The dude lacks social skills. That's the unfortunate side-effect of being super-logical. Developmental psychologists are calling this phenomena "Asperger's Syndrome" and actually place it on the extreme high end of the Autism spectrum:

Extreme #1: Very social, but no language & very little cognitive development.
Extreme #2: No social skills whatsoever, but extremely advanced in terms of logic & reasoning. In short, Intelligence:20, Wisdom:4. 

Bill Gates has often been theorized as possessing this "malefaction", and I use the term loosely because it's not really a disease, moreso than a [no pun intended] "mindset".


----------



## Tuzenbach (Aug 3, 2007)

Relique du Madde said:
			
		

> [sblock]
> Actually from what I found on the net he actually IS a circus performer for a small chicago based troupe called Midnight Circus... however he also appeared in a small budget action film called Shadow Fury.
> 
> I do also think that he might be Doctor Dark since doctor dark seems to have a very slender  fram and he also appears to have large feet. Also as it was pointed out Hyperstrike had regrets over losing his his old costume (his dark one).
> ...



 Hmmm. Interesting. No, I just don't see it. I think the final 4 will be Basura, Parthenon, Hygena, & Whip Snap. 

One of the reasons why The Defuser won't win has to do with bringing order out of chaos. That's what cops do. It's why they take the job in the first place. 

The interchange between Limelight & The Defuser, superficially, seemed like a "heroic" act. But was it heroic, or was it simply someone 'homing in' on chaos & systematically imposing order? Was the interaction more beneficial to Limelight or The Defuser? Afterall, if everything goes according to his plan, The Defuser won't have to hear Limelight whine for a whole day! Is controlling people to get what you want from them truly heroic?


----------



## Silver Moon (Aug 3, 2007)

Mistwell, your wife is adorable!     It's a really good sign that she hasn't been singled out for the bottom three in the first two episodes - I'm rooting for her!


----------



## Thornir Alekeg (Aug 3, 2007)

Tuzenbach said:
			
		

> Of course Stan's not going to say that, but that's how the circumstances will play themselves out. Cops can't think outside the box. If they did, they'd make pretty lousy cops, wouldn't they? "Hmmmm, let's see......you've 'sort of' broken the law, so I'll 'kind of' let you get away with it this time". I'm sorry, but that's not a cop. That's a soon-to-be-unemployed-cop.



  I will disagree with you on this.  Having an Uncle who is a cop I think I'm in a decent position to say that many cops are very capable of outside-the-box thinking.  Many real world cops do not just sit there and take a strict interpretation of the law as the only thing to guide them, but use common sense and their judgement to make decisions about how to handle different situations.  They know they have the law behind them if they need to take that stance, but there is some flexibility if they can defuse a situation or prevent further problems another way.


----------



## D.Shaffer (Aug 3, 2007)

Limelight...Very cute and all but her constant giggling is starting to get a little annoying.  Can we have Defuser ask her to NOT GIGGLE for 24 hours?  :\ 

I actually liked Hyperstrike's old costume better then the new one.  Maybe if he got to wear the scarf again? Scarfs are almost as good as a cape.


----------



## Felon (Aug 3, 2007)

Tuzenbach said:
			
		

> No, you weren't! But
> 
> 
> 
> ...





Spoiler



Yes, but the circumstance we're talking about wasn't one of them. Might be a red herring, but it was pretty darn girly.



> BTW, if you're going to state "The body language of Dr. Dark means little, since it'll probably be played by a body double until the point of revelation" as a point against my argument, then it makes little sense for you to use the same body language hypothesis as a means of supporting your own argument! Otherwise, you merely come across as a hypocrite. Sorry dude, you did it to yourself......






I'm not proposing a "body language hypothesis". You were referring to body language, which is natural and unconscious. I was referring to behavior that I referred to as "staged", as in it was intentionally set up by the director to look like a young lady was on the phone (either as means of a clue or red herring). 



> No, smart@ss! Of course Stan's not going to say that, but that's how the circumstances will play themselves out. Cops can't think outside the box. If they did, they'd make pretty lousy cops, wouldn't they? "Hmmmm, let's see......you've 'sort of' broken the law, so I'll 'kind of' let you get away with it this time". I'm sorry, but that's not a cop. That's a soon-to-be-unemployed-cop.



Your tone and your naive attitude both undermine your claims of experience and erudition. Cops think outside the box all of the time, and have to exercise discretion whenever they get a call.


----------



## bento (Aug 3, 2007)

Tuzenbach said:
			
		

> The interchange between Limelight & The Defuser, superficially, seemed like a "heroic" act. But was it heroic, or was it simply someone 'homing in' on chaos & systematically imposing order?



I thought it was his opportunity to hit on the "cute chick".


----------



## jaerdaph (Aug 3, 2007)

My thoughts after the first two episodes:

[sblock]
Hygena - she's America's sweetheart and consistently displays all the traits of a superhero - I want her to win it all!
Defuser - this Stan Lee kiss ass comes across as a little fake to me, but he'll be around for awhile.
Mr. Mitzvah - what a schmuck! Next to go I hope.
Mindset - loser from the begining. Glad he's gone.
Hyperstrike - what a whiney little baby. And he makes Parthenon look like Andrew "Dice" Clay in comparison. I hope he goes after Mitzvah.
Parthenon - he'll probably last to the middle of the series. If anything, his personality will make one of the others snap and get them booted for it. 
Whip Snap - what you see is what you get. She's got honesty and integrity, and I love her journey towards self confidence. She'll be around awhile.
Limelight - It is obvious she doesn't have what it takes and should never have been there in the first place. She'll be gone eventually.
Basura - needs to step up because she doesn't stick out. Can't get a good read on her.
Braid - hardly knew her, but that's moot now. 
[/sblock]


----------



## Wombat (Aug 3, 2007)

Anyone with the poise to overcome two phobias working at once and _still_ pull of a proper superhero Message Line like that has earned all my votes!

Here's to Hygena!


----------



## Relique du Madde (Aug 3, 2007)

Tuzenbach said:
			
		

> The interchange between Limelight & The Defuser, superficially, seemed like a "heroic" act. But was it heroic, or was it simply someone 'homing in' on chaos & systematically imposing order? Was the interaction more beneficial to Limelight or The Defuser? Afterall, if everything goes according to his plan, The Defuser won't have to hear Limelight whine for a whole day! Is controlling people to get what you want from them truly heroic?




But you also have to look at it this way, during the first episode Stan Lee told everyone that they will be tested all the time, so as a result the Defuser might have wondered if Mind Set causing Limelight to brake down was a test.  So, when he saw that no one else was acting on the situation he stepped up and did the "heroic" pep talk BECAUSE that was that was the right thing to do. 

If he didn't, and no on else decided to step up, I'm pretty sure Stan would have made everyone know that he was displeased since a true hero would care about the well being of another person and would defend them from bullies.


----------



## F5 (Aug 3, 2007)

Relique du Madde said:
			
		

> ... I'm pretty sure Stan would have made everyone know that he was displeased since a true hero would care about the well being of another person and would defend them from bullies.




He probably would, kind of like he had just finished chiding them for missing the Lost Dog in the last episode.  But, didn't the Defuser give Limelight the Pep Talk BEFORE Mindset upset her?  It looks like Defuser saw an opportunity to take on the Fearless Leader persona, and Mindset decided to try to get in on the action too...and failed, because he was a jerk.

That, or Defuser was just trying to hit on the cute, ditzy girl.  Could go either way...


----------



## Tuzenbach (Aug 3, 2007)

Relique du Madde said:
			
		

> But you also have to look at it this way, during the first episode Stan Lee told everyone that they will be tested all the time, so as a result the Defuser might have wondered if Mind Set causing Limelight to brake down was a test.




Very insightful but for one thing: AIUI, Mindset was the fan "vote-in". For Mindset's actions to have been an intentional test (and thus, for Mindset to have been 'placed' there by the show's producers), the fan voting would have to have been rigged. I doubt Stan Lee would have allowed a thing like that to transpire.


----------



## Felon (Aug 3, 2007)

Silver Moon said:
			
		

> Mistwell, your wife is adorable!     It's a really good sign that she hasn't been singled out for the bottom three in the first two episodes - I'm rooting for her!



OTOH, we actually didn't get to hear much about Hygena during Stan's interview, did we? Nothing about her origins or powers. See, if it hadn't been for Stan's praise-heaping, she'd be prime suspect for the mole role IMO. But it makes little sense to give such high marks to a plant that's supposed to go rogue.

Hey, maybe we got it all wrong. Maybe it'll be Braid, the exile.


----------



## Tuzenbach (Aug 3, 2007)

F5 said:
			
		

> ".....Mindset decided to try to get in on the action too...and failed, because he was a jerk. ....."




I didn't make this abundantly clear in my previous post, but Mindset definately is NOT a jerk. He's simply lacking in social skills. I liken it to the interaction between Mr. Spock & the shuttle crew in the Star Trek episode "The Gallileo Seven". In Spock's view, he did everything in the exact, correct way, yet everybody was pi$$ed at him & nothing was turning out as planned. And he couldn't figure out why. 

One of the more obvious signs of Asperger's Syndrome is a failure to recognize when either your words or actions hurt those around you. Mindset stood there and kept saying those words to Limelight until she broke down & cried and he didn't seem to be either concerned or apologetic. It's as if (a) he didn't realize he was causing her pain, or (b) her being in pain was inconseqential to Mindset. Either way, persons of this "mindset" believe that everybody should be like them, never vice versa. Thus, neither empathy nor sympathy will ever be a motivation for them. It doesn't mean these people are "jerks", because they aren't "choosing to be mean". Rather, they're being who they are regardless of how it affects those around them. And their way is, according to themselves, the best way to exist.

Additionally, person's with Asperger's Syndrome cannot knowingly tell lies, regardless of the outcome. 

They're not "bad" people, they're just who they are. Because they'll never possess the ability to understand us, we have to put forth the effort to understand them. 




			
				F5 said:
			
		

> ".....That, or Defuser was just trying to hit on the cute, ditzy girl.  Could go either way... ....."




OK, you're the second person to state this. As you may have gathered from my previous posts, I generally don't hold cops in high esteem. But seriously, the guy is married & has children. The last thing he's going to do is flirt with a girl half his age on national TV. Maybe I'm stereotyping him, but that's the LAST thing a cop would do......


----------



## Tuzenbach (Aug 3, 2007)

Felon said:
			
		

> Your tone and your naive attitude both undermine your claims of experience and erudition.





Erm....Felon? 




			
				Felon said:
			
		

> ".....Well, thanks for providing us with a "spoiler" that's actually based on pretty flimsy evidence. ....."







			
				Felon said:
			
		

> "..... How very insightful. Now, what's any of that got to do with the price of peanuts in Peoria?....."





And finally, vitriolically quoting a hypothetical (i.e., it never happened) comment by Stan Lee....


			
				Felon said:
			
		

> ".....  ...and also, you're a cop, and because law does not always equate to good, law enforcement agents cannot be heroes. Sorry, I forgot to mention that earlier. Guess I kinda wasted your time. Oh well. Turn in your costume, jack-booted pig. ....."





Felon,

I'm truly sorry to have upset you, but if you don't realize that my tone and attitude were merely in response to that of your own, then I'm afraid I cannot help you. If you wish to make war, that's fine. Just know that I view textual sparring with someone on the Internet as very low on my list of priorities. Good day, sir.


----------



## Milagroso (Aug 3, 2007)

Congratulations! I will be rooting for her. I'm a little jealous too. I've been dying to tryout for that show myself and I think I'd make an excellent superhero. Its nice to know that us gamers are being represented at the tryouts and on the show.

Again, congratulations and good luck!!


----------



## bento (Aug 3, 2007)

Tuzenbach said:
			
		

> I didn't make this abundantly clear in my previous post, but Mindset definately is NOT a jerk. He's simply lacking in social skills.



Then's instead of being a jerk, Mindset was coming across as a jerk to all of us not afflicted by Asperger's Syndrome. 



			
				Tuzenbach said:
			
		

> OK, you're the second person to state this. As you may have gathered from my previous posts, I generally don't hold cops in high esteem. But seriously, the guy is married & has children. The last thing he's going to do is flirt with a girl half his age on national TV. Maybe I'm stereotyping him, but that's the LAST thing a cop would do......



Married or unmarried, some people come across as flirtatious.  Doesn't mean they are "on the prowl," its just how they communicate.  Look at the sterotypical waitress calling everyone "honey."


----------



## Richards (Aug 3, 2007)

Tuzenbach said:
			
		

> Additionally, person's with Asperger's Syndrome cannot knowingly tell lies, regardless of the outcome.



That would definitely explain his reaction at the spelling bee, then.

Johnathan


----------



## Felon (Aug 4, 2007)

Tuzenbach said:
			
		

> I'm truly sorry to have upset you, but if you don't realize that my tone and attitude were merely in response to that of your own, then I'm afraid I cannot help you. If you wish to make war, that's fine. Just know that I view textual sparring with someone on the Internet as very low on my list of priorities. Good day, sir.



Your tone and attitude are your own, because your choice of how to respond is your own. That's pretty basic psychology. 

I'm not upset with you, I'm just challenging the flaws in some of your remarks. In particular, your remarks about peace officers reveal a need for enlightenment. I no longer see your post about how you hold them in low regard, so perhaps you edited that out. Good for you.


----------



## Felon (Aug 4, 2007)

bento said:
			
		

> Then's instead of being a jerk, Mindset was coming across as a jerk to all of us not afflicted by Asperger's Syndrome.



Well, in the devil's advocate department....Mindset doesn't have Asperger's. He's just not a quiche-eater.   

I'm a sucker for a crying girl as much as the next guy, but we really only got a little sound bite of what he said to Miss Limelight, followed by her weeping. I'm not convinced she didn't overreact to him simply trying to be frank with her about her ditzy act. I hate to steal an assessment that Adam Karola used to make on "Love Line", but any adult woman who's still doing the "little girl voice" is putting on an act to some degree.

As to his refusal to misspell words, he cleared that up in the Aftershow. Like Braid in the previous episode, he was trying to figure out what the "catch" was. And he points out that as it turns out there simply wasn't one, it was just a spelling bee where they got honey dumped on them. That observation, along with his follow-up remark that it was a little too "Nickelodeon", earned him some of my empathy. I can see where caving in to the villain and playing her insidious game of misspelling could have been seen as unheroic by Stan. In general, he was pretty articulate and good-natured, if also kind of headstrong.

This show places an extremely high standard on sensitivity awareness--you might recall that in the first series, Feedback got put on the block by Stan for making a minor joke with one of his cohorts--that would get just about any of Stan's own heroes booted. The fact that you can't have a wisecracking Spider-Man, a confrontational Hawkeye, or a headstrong Thor type of character on this show kind of diminishes its entertainment value.


----------



## Mistwell (Aug 7, 2007)

I liked the aftershow as well.  I still think he deserved the boot, but perhaps not that early.


----------



## Relique du Madde (Aug 7, 2007)

Mistwell said:
			
		

> I liked the aftershow as well.  I still think he deserved the boot, but perhaps not that early.





I agree.  They should have booted Miss Limelight.  Not knowing why you a superhero and then crying on cue (when you realize you might be eliminated) is not super heroic.


----------



## Mistwell (Aug 7, 2007)

Relique du Madde said:
			
		

> I agree.  They should have booted Miss Limelight.  Not knowing why you a superhero and then crying on cue (when you realize you might be eliminated) is not super heroic.




I disagree.

First, I think she knew her superhero powers, she just blanked when faced with Stan Lee talking to her. 

Second, I do not think she was faking her crying.  It's intimidating to stand up there and face elimination.  It can cause one to cry...particularly an 18 year old girl from the midwest who recently move to Los Angeles alone and is suddenly on a television show facing a childhood hero figure who is judging her as possibly unworthy.


----------



## Christoph the Magus (Aug 7, 2007)

Here's something that I've always wondered:  What is the time frame for the "shoot."  In other words, how many days/weeks are these people contracted for and how much real time passes as we watch the show?


----------



## Brown Jenkin (Aug 7, 2007)

I think Ms. Limelight will last somewhat longer because she has some growing to do. Stan will feel that he shouldn't eliminate her until that happens (or until it is apparent it won't). She did show growth with the bee encounter and defuser's challenged helped so Stan can see there is some growth potential.

Next out will hopefully be Mr. Mitzvah.


----------



## Piratecat (Aug 7, 2007)

Felon said:
			
		

> Your tone and your naive attitude both undermine your claims of experience and erudition.



You can disagree with someone's opinion without insulting them. I wish you had here. No more, please.


----------



## jonathan swift (Aug 7, 2007)

Christoph the Magus said:
			
		

> Here's something that I've always wondered:  What is the time frame for the "shoot."  In other words, how many days/weeks are these people contracted for and how much real time passes as we watch the show?




If I remember correctly I think the whole thing lasts just a week or two.


----------



## Mistwell (Aug 7, 2007)

Christoph the Magus said:
			
		

> Here's something that I've always wondered:  What is the time frame for the "shoot."  In other words, how many days/weeks are these people contracted for and how much real time passes as we watch the show?




I'm not sure what I can say.

I think I can say that according to the contract they can be there at most a month, but the show is set up to film for less than that period of time if everything goes as planned.


----------



## Mistwell (Aug 7, 2007)

I am saying this as a fan, and not as someone with insider information.

As a fan, I noticed that "DEFUSER" can unscramble to spell "REFUSED".  Not sure if that is meaningful or not.


----------



## KaosDevice (Aug 8, 2007)

Relique du Madde said:
			
		

> I agree.  They should have booted Miss Limelight.  Not knowing why you a superhero and then crying on cue (when you realize you might be eliminated) is not super heroic.





I would agree, that all felt a bit contrived and wounded bird to me and I think Stan might be a bit of a sucker for that act, at least early on. Mindset leaving, eh, I saw it coming.  I see Parthenon as the Major Victory of this season, comic relief, but not a winner. (Although, honestly, I did want the Major to win just because he made me laugh so much).


----------



## Christoph the Magus (Aug 8, 2007)

Mistwell said:
			
		

> I'm not sure what I can say.
> 
> I think I can say that according to the contract they can be there at most a month, but the show is set up to film for less than that period of time if everything goes as planned.




Wow.  That short of a timespan, huh?  Thanks for the info.  I'll keep that in mind as I watch.


----------



## Relique du Madde (Aug 8, 2007)

Christoph the Magus said:
			
		

> Wow.  That short of a timespan, huh?  Thanks for the info.  I'll keep that in mind as I watch.




If you think about it, since the shoot is sort it now makes sense why Mr Mitzpah did not pack a second pair of pants.


----------



## Mistwell (Aug 8, 2007)

Relique du Madde said:
			
		

> If you think about it, since the shoot is sort it now makes sense why Mr Mitzpah did not pack a second pair of pants.




One pair of pants for a MONTH? FOUR WEEKS (at most)?


----------



## bento (Aug 8, 2007)

Mistwell said:
			
		

> One pair of pants for a MONTH? FOUR WEEKS (at most)?



Maybe his second pair of pants was at the dry cleaners?


----------



## Brown Jenkin (Aug 8, 2007)

Christoph the Magus said:
			
		

> Wow.  That short of a timespan, huh?  Thanks for the info.  I'll keep that in mind as I watch.




That is not unusual for reality shows (audience vote shows being the obvious exceptions). Most of them say in dialoge that somthing is happening this week or next week but that is for the viewing audience. Alot of them will compress things to 1-2 days of contest plus 1 day of interviews per "week." For game shows they might film several episodes per day.


----------



## Thornir Alekeg (Aug 8, 2007)

We figured out from some comments made back in their hotel that Top Chef has one challenge every day.  Assuming they give them the weekend or at least one day per week off, that means the season could be filmed in three weeks.


----------



## Mistwell (Aug 8, 2007)

It is unlikely that they get a day off 

My wife will be on the Today Show, tomorrow (Thursday) in the 9am hour, probably in the 9:30am segment.  Another contestant, Parthenon, will also be on the show.


----------



## Brown Jenkin (Aug 8, 2007)

Mistwell said:
			
		

> It is unlikely that they get a day off
> 
> My wife will be on the Today Show, tomorrow (Thursday) in the 9am hour, probably in the 9:30am segment.  Another contestant, Parthenon, will also be on the show.




Just to clarify you are talking about Eastern time? I might need to record that.


----------



## Relique du Madde (Aug 9, 2007)

Mistwell said:
			
		

> One pair of pants for a MONTH? FOUR WEEKS (at most)?




Yeah, at least for the "starter outfits" which I assume each contestant created themselves (and thus only had access to what they brought with them).  However, once the costuming department got involved (the "improved outfit") I'd expect they had between 3 to 7 outfits (or maybe even up to 14 max, if not more) each due to wear and tear purposes.  Since I doubt the "secret lair" requires the same type of scrutiny as the real life house does, I'm pretty sure that the contestants might have been allowed to bring in several outfits of "civilian clothing" which they may have been allowed to wear when not filming.


----------



## Mistwell (Aug 9, 2007)

Brown Jenkin said:
			
		

> Just to clarify you are talking about Eastern time? I might need to record that.




Both times.

You can watch it here:

http://video.msn.com/v/us/msnbc.htm?g=210eb83a-12ca-496a-9989-4bc37d403b56&f=05&fg=rss


----------



## jonathan swift (Aug 10, 2007)

Oh noez! Mitzvah is hurt.


----------



## Felon (Aug 10, 2007)

Brown Jenkin said:
			
		

> That is not unusual for reality shows (audience vote shows being the obvious exceptions). Most of them say in dialoge that somthing is happening this week or next week but that is for the viewing audience. Alot of them will compress things to 1-2 days of contest plus 1 day of interviews per "week." For game shows they might film several episodes per day.



Right. Four weeks is a lot of time. A great many folks would be hard-pressed to take that long of a break from their normal lives. I know I'd question the priorities of any employee who asked for six months off to go be on a reality show.


----------



## Felon (Aug 10, 2007)

Two eliminations in one night is kind of lame and pointless. I keep getting really puzzled about some of the decisions that Stan (and the rest of this show's producers) make, as they often seem to be to the detriment of the show's entertainment value. They're trimmed off two of the most colorful personalities in one fell swoop.

And I gotta say, I seriously suspect that if Hyper-Strike had tried to encourage Mitzvah to "conquer his fear", he would have been dinged for being more concerned with winning the challenge than he was about his comrade's feelings.


----------



## Richards (Aug 10, 2007)

Felon said:
			
		

> A great many folks would be hard-pressed to take that long of a break from their normal lives. I know I'd question the priorities of any employee who asked for six months off to go be on a reality show.



Yeah, if I remember correctly, last season Feedback couldn't get the time off from his company to be on the show...so he quit his job.

As for tonight's episode, I was kind of sorry to see 



Spoiler



Mr. Mitzvah go, since I kind of like him, but I'm surprised Stan didn't point out what I thought was one of his greater failings: when he hurt his leg, he blamed it on Dr. Dark having put oil on the ramp.  Making up lies to cover your own failings is generally not seen to be proper superherolike behavior.  As for Ms. Limelight, I'd say it's about time.  I'd have given her the sack an epidose ago.



And Mistwell, I have to admit that your wife continues to impress me more and more each episode.  (Stan, too, apparently -- I think this is three weeks in a row now that he's praised her on the rooftop while everybody else is worrying about how they did and whether or not they're going to have to go stand on the red block.)  Go Hygena!

Johnathan


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## Relique du Madde (Aug 10, 2007)

Felon said:
			
		

> Two eliminations in one night is kind of lame and pointless. I keep getting really puzzled about some of the decisions that Stan (and the rest of this show's producers) make, as they often seem to be to the detriment of the show's entertainment value. They're trimmed off two of the most colorful personalities in one fell swoop.




Considering the series is only going to have 6 episodes, I don't think the double elimination was that bad, although its execution was horrible.  Not only was it was pointless to have Hyper Strike join the block of three for the second elimination (just so he could be scared as punishment), but can anyone tell me why Mr Gestapo (aka the Defuser) was allowed to stand unblemished and smug even though he basically got half of the group to turn on Mitzpah (like a true super villain manipulator) who obviously felt guilt ridden over his previous lies and his failures.  Right now, I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out that Defuser WAS actually a mole. 

What I also find perplexing is how that the producers built up Limelight so much only to have her go out like a punk just because she didn't know how to read an amusement park map.  Come on, who HASN'T gotten lost or frustrated while trying to find one's way in that god forsaken maze known as Magic Mountain?


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## Brown Jenkin (Aug 10, 2007)

First I taped the Today show just to see the bit. Glad your wife got picked to do the show. I hope you got a free trip to NYC as well. She did a good job with the interview and I liked her dusting the host at the end.

As for the episode, I wasn't expecting the double elimination. I had no poblems seeing Mr. Mitzvah go but Ms. Limelight surprised me. I realize that she is not neccesarily the brightest bulb in the group but she is young and still figuring things out. She overcame another fear and wen't out with alot of grace. It also seemed Hygena truely cares about her even after just a few days of knowing her. You have a very good wife there.

I am not so sure about next week. The show has culled all of the obviously weak players and I have no idea who will be up next week. I am now thinking that the Defuser has lost his frontrunner status but at this point I expect to see him in the final three with Hygena and Hyper-Strike.


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## jonathan swift (Aug 10, 2007)

Brown Jenkin said:
			
		

> I am not so sure about next week. The show has culled all of the obviously weak players and I have no idea who will be up next week. I am now thinking that the Defuser has lost his frontrunner status but at this point I expect to see him in the final three with Hygena and Hyper-Strike.




Agreed. Though Basura and Pantheon both have dark horse potential I think. I can't see Whip Snap lasting much longer though.


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## jaerdaph (Aug 10, 2007)

My thoughts after last night's episode:

[sblock]
The double elimination: wasn't expecting that but it makes sense if they have less episodes this time around. Mr. Mitzvah - from Stan's mouth to God's ears! I'm glad that schmuck finally turned in his costume. Ms. Limelight - she was a sweet kid but again, she never belonged there. Why delay the inevitable?

Defuser: Last week I got the impression he was a Stan Lee kiss ass and a phoney. This week confirmed it for me. Did you see how he rolled his eyes on the block as Mr. Mitzvah made his plea to stay to Stan? Then when Stan announced that Mitzvah would be leaving the lair, Defuser had a look of shock and false sympathy on his face. Pathetic. I hope he goes next. 

Basura: This week we finally got to see more about who she is. I'm not sure she has what it takes though. 

Whip-Snap: I really wish she got on that rollercoaster and tried to overcome her fears and insecurities like she's been doing up to now. 

Hyperstrike: a little less annoying this week, but he still makes Parthenon look like John Wayne. 

Parthenon: He had his moments and I now think he will be around longer than I initially did.

Hygena: She has superhero written all over her. Kudos for figuring out "the mole" was just a trick.  

[/sblock]


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## bento (Aug 10, 2007)

I don't consider discussing last night's episode a spoiler, so I'm not going to block it.  *If someone hasn't seen the episode, they shouldn't be reading our discussions first.*

I believe the first and third episodes of season one each had two eliminations, so last night's double hit wasn't much of a surprise for me.  Neither were the choices.  This was either the second or third time when asked why he should stay, Mr. Mitzvah response was an excuse for his failure during the competition, rather than why he stay on.  Suck it up and move on is a better move - no one likes a whiner.

As for Limelight, she just couldn't get a grip when put into a stressful situation.  Yes she was a colorful character, but maybe her color has kept some of the other contestants from shining a little more.  I've had a tougher time getting to know some of the other contestants because of her drama.  Now that she's got the boot, maybe Parthenon or Basura will get a little more attention.

Kudos to Hygena once again.  She always seems to say what needs to be said and takes the right action.  Defuser on the other hand, was a bull in a china shop in the mole situation.  I think I've commented on this before - contestants really need to think outside the box on this show.  His methodical style will eventually lead him off a cliff if he doesn't watch out.  Look how he took a note from the super-villain at face value and started going after Mitzvah.

I have to give Parthenon a props for commenting that he didn't like talking about Mitzvah behind his back, but stopping to take pictures with the tourists should have gotten him into more trouble.  He (and Basura) should have remembered the robbery from episode one (victim talking too much) and graciously bowed out of the situation.

I'm liking the premisis of this season a little better than last.  Having the challenges wrapped around catching villains works better than just taking them to a site and having Stan say "do this."


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## Mistwell (Aug 10, 2007)

Relique du Madde said:
			
		

> Considering the series is only going to have 6 episodes,




Eight this year.



> I don't think the double elimination was that bad, although its execution was horrible.  Not only was it was pointless to have Hyper Strike join the block of three for the second elimination (just so he could be scared as punishment), but can anyone tell me why Mr Gestapo (aka the Defuser) was allowed to stand unblemished and smug even though he basically got half of the group to turn on Mitzpah (like a true super villain manipulator) who obviously felt guilt ridden over his previous lies and his failures.  Right now, I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out that Defuser WAS actually a mole.




Hygena hasn't spoken to me about this issue at all, so it really is pure speculation on my part. That said, I think Mr. Lee was doing for Hyper-Strike what he felt Hyper-Strike should have done for Mr. Mitzvah - encouraging him to reach his potential. I don't think Hyper-Strike was in any danger of being eliminated during that episode, but Mr. Lee may have thought that having him face the red box might be the motivation Hyper-Strike needed to push past any mental barriers he had to assuming a leadership role.

Leadership is a difficult thing, and it usually comes with experience and time. There are events in life that can teach it, and that red box nomination may have been one of them for Hyper-Strike.


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## Mistwell (Aug 10, 2007)

Brown Jenkin said:
			
		

> First I taped the Today show just to see the bit. Glad your wife got picked to do the show. I hope you got a free trip to NYC as well. She did a good job with the interview and I liked her dusting the host at the end.
> 
> As for the episode, I wasn't expecting the double elimination. I had no poblems seeing Mr. Mitzvah go but Ms. Limelight surprised me. I realize that she is not neccesarily the brightest bulb in the group but she is young and still figuring things out. She overcame another fear and wen't out with alot of grace. It also seemed Hygena truely cares about her even after just a few days of knowing her. You have a very good wife there.
> 
> I am not so sure about next week. The show has culled all of the obviously weak players and I have no idea who will be up next week. I am now thinking that the Defuser has lost his frontrunner status but at this point I expect to see him in the final three with Hygena and Hyper-Strike.




Ms. Limelight is great.  We have met with her here in Hollywood a couple of times since the show ended filming, and I really like her.  She is not a ditz.  She is just young, and new to Los Angeles and entertainment stuff, and she really was just getting terribly nervous all the time and it was causing her to panic and blank out on stuff.  She had, for example, calmly told everyone her superhero powers and backstory before she was asked to tell Stan Lee, and then she just blanked on it all.


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## Brown Jenkin (Aug 10, 2007)

Mistwell said:
			
		

> Ms. Limelight is great.  We have met with her here in Hollywood a couple of times since the show ended filming, and I really like her.  She is not a ditz.  She is just young, and new to Los Angeles and entertainment stuff, and she really was just getting terribly nervous all the time and it was causing her to panic and blank out on stuff.  She had, for example, calmly told everyone her superhero powers and backstory before she was asked to tell Stan Lee, and then she just blanked on it all.




She did seem like a realy sweet person. Sometimes you can't tell what someone is really like from seeing them on TV and sometimes you see people who really are genuine. She definitely seemed like one of those genuine people. I chalked most of her problems to her just being so young. She did seem to have learned a bunch of things in just those few episodes as well. She also seemed to be the person who was most pyched to just be on the show and I will miss her upbeat attitude in future episodes.


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## Mistwell (Aug 11, 2007)

A post I made over on the sci-fi board that I thought some folks here would like to read:

I've frequently heard the comment about some of the heroes on this year's Superhero show that they are too "silly" to be compelling characters, and to frivolous and satirical to make a good comic book. In particular, I have heard this about Hygena, Ms. Limelight, Basura, and Mr. Mitzvah, and I even heard it a couple of times about Parthenon. Last year of course we heard it about a lot of the heroes, like Fat Mama (and even Feedback to a certain extent).

I disagree with that notion, but I have been trying for a while to articulate why I find that to be a shortsighted opinion. This is my attempt to substantiate my opinion that these hero concepts are just as valid as the more "modern" concepts.

In the comic book world, I think you can sort of divide superheroes into two "types", which I will call Modern and Post-Modern.

"Modern" superheroes are, in my mind, the kind you found in the Golden Age of comics. Superman, Wonder Woman, Captain America, the original Human Torch, Sub-Mariner, and those kinds of heroes. Great heroes all, who started around the 1940s.

"Post-Modern" superheroes were started, for the most part, by Stan Lee and Marvel Comics in the Silver Age. They include Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, Iron Man, Fantastic Four, and those kinds of comics. Also great heroes, who started around the 1960s.

Modern Comics usually took people who were already extraordinary, and made them even more extraordinary. They were already heroes to begin with, and they were just made into "Super" heroes. Superman was an alien (and extraordinary thing), and made into a Super alien. Wonder Woman was an Amazon, made into a Super Amazon. Captain America was a soldier, made into a Super Soldier. The original human torch was an android, made into a Super android. The Sub-Mariner was a noble water-breathing "man" who ruled an underwater kingdom, who gained power even on land. In every case, the character started out already as a supernatural or extraordinary being of some kind. They were already people that could have been in novels and television shows and movies at the time as heroes, and becoming superheroes just amped up their existing greatness to a new level. Modern comics didn't change the context of the character when they made them superheroes, it just amplified the context they were already in.

Post-Modern comics did something different. They entirely changed the context of the individual from one thing to an entirely new other thing. Spider-Man went from a nerdy weak high school kid to a super powered athlete. Hulk took a brilliant scientist and made him into a mindless beast. The X-Men took ordinary awkward but accepted teenagers and made them into super-powered beings suddenly shunned by society. Iron Man took a healthy, wealthy man and gave him a weak heart and alcoholism. The Fantastic Four took a private family and made them super, and the focus of the attention of the world. In each case, someone (or a group) was taken out of one situation, often an ordinary one, and placed into a new extraordinary context.

There are of course exceptions to this description (like Batman in some respects), but I think it makes for a fairly accurate general rule.

Current comics are a mix of modern and post-modern superheroes. Some new heroes are, in my opinion, throw-backs to the golden-age modernist style. For example, there is a string of sort of anti-heroes that have achieved some popularity: Punisher, Ghost Rider, Deadpool, and others. However, to me, these are usually just a sub-set of modern heroes, but with an anti-hero twist. Punisher and Deadpool were both special forces extraordinary men who became even more extraordinary. Ghost Rider was a famous stunt rider who became an extraordinary stunt rider (in addition to the supernatural aspect of the character). Heck, even Spawn was a top CIA agent who draws on what he learned in the CIA to further what he does. To me they are just the old type of modern comics (special into super-special), but with the twist of being more in the line of vigilantes than particularly law-abiding. Mind you, I don't think that makes them uninteresting, just not new a new type (more of a vigilante sub-type of modern heroes).

So now we finally come to the point of this post. Much like current comics, the current crop of Superheroes on the show are a mix of modern and post-modern heroes.

On the one hand you have some modern heroes who start as extraordinary people and become even more extraordinary: Defuser is a police officer who becomes an extraordinary police officer; Hyper-Strike is a martial arts expert and acrobat who becomes a super martial arts expert and acrobat; Mindset is a man with all the knowledge of the future who comes back in time as an even more powerful present-day being. All three characters start as something already special (from our perspective), and they become something even more special.

On the other hand you have some post-modern heroes: Hygena is an ordinary orphan maid who is magically changed to a super crime fighter; Basura is an ordinary woman with nothing on the streets who becomes someone that can communicate with insects and transform garbage into tools; Ms. Limelight is an ordinary teen who likes movies who gets the powers of characters in the movies she watches. All three characters start as something ordinary, and they are transformed into something special. Rather than amplifying their existing lives, the context of their lives is entirely changed into something new.

Post-Modern is not, in my opinion, "better" than modern, just different. However, there is a distinction usually present between the two types that is often overlooked: explaining a post-modern hero can be much more complicated than explaining a modern hero, due to the necessity of focusing on both the ordinary and extraordinary aspects of the character.

For example, If you had never heard of the concept of Spider-Man, and I told you this short summary of the character, how would you honestly feel: "High school nerd gets bitten by a radioactive spider and gets spider superpowers to go on to fight his arch villain, the Green Goblin, who throws explosive pumpkins at him." To me, that’s a pretty silly premise for a character, told as that short summary.

However, once you get to know the details of the Spider-Man character, his personality, the contours of his powers and the universe he lives in, his background, the contrast between his ordinary life and extraordinary life and the problems that can cause, and other surrounding information, only then does Spider-Man really become a compelling character. And because the story depends on both the ordinary and the extraordinary to explain it, it doesn't lend itself to a compelling quick summary of the character. Modern characters tend to be easier to explain in a short period of time ("Special Forces Soldier becomes Super Soldier") than some post-modern heroes.

And that is why I think some folks are selling the post-modern characters on this Superhero season a bit short when they dismiss certain characters as too "silly" to make for compelling comic book stories. These types of characters on the show are not intended as satire, but as real post-modern heroes. When explained in a short summary, they often sound silly (just like Spider-Man). But if you give them a chance, if you get into the character and the world they live in and the contrast between their ordinary lives and their super-lives and the problems that come with that change, I think you would find any of the post-modern characters just as compelling as the modern characters.

So I'd ask that people give all the types of heroes on this show a chance, and not dismiss any of them as too silly to make a compelling comic book series. There is a lot more to all the heroes than the shallow summary you might get from the show (due to time constraints). You never know what quirky-sounding idea ends up as the most compelling kind of tale, and I think that is where Stan Lee has always been coming from when he chooses his super-heroes, in both comic books and on this show. Trust that Stan Lee knows a bit about what he is doing when he selects superhero concepts - he helped invent some very compelling superheroes that sell in the top 10 comics even to this day, may of which sounded fairly silly in short summary to begin with. Give them all a chance, and I think you will be surprised how three dimensional and deep any of these characters can be.


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## Silver Moon (Aug 14, 2007)

Mistwell, that was very well said!

And your wife is doing great!


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## Fedifensor (Aug 16, 2007)

I find it interesting reading different message boards about the show.  Here, people seem to 'get' what Stan is looking for.  Ironically, people don't get it as well over on the City of Heroes message boards - you'd think people would really grasp the essence of a superhero there...

Anyway, here's what I posted over there:


> I think a lot of people are missing what Stan is really going for, and so far every contestant who was eliminated missed this as well. He is looking for the person with the traits of a hero. Powers are irrelevant. Backstory is mostly irrelevant, save for how it affects your ability to show those superheroic traits. Honesty. Bravery. Putting others ahead of yourself. Ability to focus on the true goal without distractions.
> 
> Defuser is probably the strongest contender, but he has two weak spots. First, he has a bit of tunnel vision when it comes to goals (when the cars were sabotaged, he was so focused that he missed all the people who needed help). Second, his cop background is working against him as he moves a little too quick to put people in the 'suspect' category.
> 
> ...




As for Basura, I really haven't seen enough of her to make a judgment.  She got drawn into the 'picture' trap with Parthenon, but she seems a bit more heroic and less concerned with image.


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## Relique du Madde (Aug 17, 2007)

Wow..  I'm amazed how good tonight's episode was (when you put aside the fact that the first half was basically an E-surance commercial).  Its getting harder to pick who will be in the final three now that everyone except for Parthenon has been on the cutting block (I'm betting next week will be his first time).

I have to admit, I love the  design for every character's comic book version except for Defuser and Parthenon; which is not really a problem because I want Defuser to loose.  All I have to say is that if Hygeia wins... she will hate the fact that many issues of her comic book will get soiled.. 

Oh Mistwell, I have one question, 



Spoiler



Did you know you were going to be on the TV when Hygena called?


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## bento (Aug 17, 2007)

Mistwell - you're going to get me in trouble with my wife you sweet-talking guy!   

After your brief phone call scene, my wife told me to give you a big "thumbs up" on one of the most honest and touching moments we've seen on TV in a long time.     

Yes I too rolled my eyes on the whole E-Surance conspicious product placement, but considering their "spokes-toons" are somewhat super-heroe-y, it wasn't as bad as it could have been.  Imagine if it was Snuggles the Fabric Softener bear instead giving our heroes instructions!   

Good challenge, but I'd wish they make a better effort with their model's disguises.  That hair and wig was pretty apparent at least from our living room.  I knew the instance that Basura wasn't giving her attention to the woman though that it was her turn to leave the show.  Not handling emergencies like this has always proven to be about the biggest no-no on this show.

As for the remaining heroes:
*Defuser:* Continues to be the bull in the china shop.  I don't think he can turn off what he's lived as a police officer for years to really get the nuances of being the kind of super-hero Stan is looking for.  I think he'll make next week's challenge, which looks Fear-Factor-ish, but loose it on getting along with others.
*Hyper-Strike:* don't think he's going to make it to the end as he always seems to go in a little funk on every show when he he receives criticism or has a clash with another hero.  He needs to let it roll off his back a little better.
*Hygenia:* My and my wife's favorite pick to win it all.  Stan calling her out on last night's show was just a formality and I don't think she's in any danger of leaving in the next couple of shows.
*Parthenon:* he's been good, and lucky, but I'm not sure his luck will continue.  Some of his actions, like the photo op from last week's could easily derail his efforts.  Anyone remember Monkey-Woman from season 1?  Everything going well until she slipped up and told someone she was an aspiring actress when waiting on food. That was probably the lamest kick-off I had seen to date.
*Whip Snap:* If she can keep it together during some of the more stressful challenges, she could easily be in the top two.

Can't wait for next week.  Excelsior!


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## Wombat (Aug 17, 2007)

Mistwell, I am to pass on huge hugs and promises of cooked breakfasts from my sister for your phone call with Hygenia on last night's episode.

You are, in her words, the perfect husband.


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## Mistwell (Aug 17, 2007)

Relique du Madde said:
			
		

> Oh Mistwell, I have one question,
> 
> 
> 
> ...






Spoiler



I knew I might be on TV, and not just from this episode.  When they came to pick up Hygena at our house for the first episode, they filmed me and some of our friends, and said they might use that footage and might not.  So, I knew all along it was a possibility.


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## Glyfair (Aug 17, 2007)

Out of curiosity, is anyone else distracted by Hygenia's glitter?  I keep thinking she's in tears when anything upsetting happens, and then realize it's just the glitter (most of the time anyway).


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## Relique du Madde (Aug 17, 2007)

Glyfair said:
			
		

> Out of curiosity, is anyone else distracted by Hygenia's glitter?  I keep thinking she's in tears when anything upsetting happens, and then realize it's just the glitter (most of the time anyway).




I also noticed that.  It also doesn't help that her "shocked expression" looks genuine compared to Mr Gestapo slacked jawed disgustful expression.  Every time they camera zooms in on his reaction I just cringe.


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## jaerdaph (Aug 19, 2007)

I have a confession to make. I teared up a little during Melody's call to Mistwell. All right, I balled my eyes out. A couple years back Mark and Melody had to deal with a difficult pregnancy and then a terrible personal tragedy - the loss of a baby, and Mistwell shared a lot of what they were going through here at EN World. I was really touched by how supportive you both are of one another then, and your true love for one another really showed during the call. 

I hate reality shows. One of the reasons I love Who Wants to be a Superhero is because it breakes the reality show mold by promoting values and encouraging people to always do their best and continue to learn and grow. Melody's call to Mark WAS reality, and it's nice to know that level of love and devotion exists. 

I wish you both decades and decades and decades of happiness together.


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## Felon (Aug 20, 2007)

Fedifensor said:
			
		

> I find it interesting reading different message boards about the show.  Here, people seem to 'get' what Stan is looking for.  Ironically, people don't get it as well over on the City of Heroes message boards - you'd think people would really grasp the essence of a superhero there...
> 
> Anyway, here's what I posted over there:



Marketable aspects of a character such as powers will definitely play a part in the final decisions. Sounds like you're buying into Stan's explanations as being the full story. What we get are edited episodes that skew the focus to however the producers want it to look. Any little innocuous bit of activity (or inactivity) can be removed from its context and magnified into a huge blunder, and that's a common practice in reality shows (The Apprentice is really bad about that). I think that's what happened with Mindset and Limelight's little exchange. Heck, everything Stan says seems pretty obviously not to be extemporaneous speaking, but rather some scripted remarks inserted in the digital cutting room. Mistwell, feel free to chime in on that.


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## Mistwell (Aug 21, 2007)

Stan's comments are live.  No idea if he has a script, but he is interacting with the contestants on a live basis, not taped, and responding to things they say.  They do edit things, and the conversations go on longer than what you see of course, but that is what they are saying to each other, and he does appear on the screen in front of them.


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## Brown Jenkin (Aug 21, 2007)

My take on the remaining heroes as well

*Defuser:* His overagressive leadership will be his downfall. He has been warned about it and if it happens again it could be his ticket off the show.

*Hyper-Strike:* Right now I see him winning. He has both marketable talents and powers and has been doing pretty well in the show.

*Hygenia:* While I think Stan really does care about the personality I think he also cares about marketability. While I find Hygenia the most heroic and personality I think her powers will result in her coming in second. 

*Parthenon:* He is coming off as a pretty boy. I think he could make the top three but I see him more in the vein of Major Victory and not Feedback. In otherwords he is coming off as a parody and not the genuine thing.

*Whip Snap:* Her comments about thinking she shouldn't be there are probably her downfall. Any more indications that her heart isn't there will result in her leaving. While her personal story is sad that should not be a reason to give her the win.


And congrats to Mistwell as well for becoming a TV star with a face and a voice even if it was really short.


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## trancejeremy (Aug 21, 2007)

I dunno just how big marketability is a factor - I mean, does anyone seriously think the winner will become a serious, long running comic? Probably just a one shot, along with the movie.  Which they aren't even trying to be serious with - "Mega Snake"?  They just took one of their lousy critter movies, slapped Feedback in it.


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## Silver Moon (Aug 22, 2007)

bento said:
			
		

> Mistwell - you're going to get me in trouble with my wife you sweet-talking guy!
> 
> After your brief phone call scene, my wife told me to give you a big "thumbs up" on one of the most honest and touching moments we've seen on TV in a long time.



We just watched it.   My wife cried during your phone call.


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## Relique du Madde (Aug 22, 2007)

trancejeremy said:
			
		

> I dunno just how big marketability is a factor - I mean, does anyone seriously think the winner will become a serious, long running comic? Probably just a one shot, along with the movie.  Which they aren't even trying to be serious with - "Mega Snake"?  They just took one of their lousy critter movies, slapped Feedback in it.




I Blame mega snake on Sci-fi channnel's wanting to cash in on Snakes on a Plane.., which would have made sense if it was released last fall..


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## Glyfair (Aug 22, 2007)

trancejeremy said:
			
		

> I dunno just how big marketability is a factor - I mean, does anyone seriously think the winner will become a serious, long running comic?




Judging by the first comic, I'd say zero.  I think the original _Champions_ comic (based on the RPG game) was better done.


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## trancejeremy (Aug 22, 2007)

Relique du Madde said:
			
		

> I Blame mega snake on Sci-fi channnel's wanting to cash in on Snakes on a Plane.., which would have made sense if it was released last fall..




Well, they've also made:

Basilisk: The Serpent King
Boa vs Python
Fire Serpent
Project Viper (not about the car)
Snake King
Snakehead Terror (okay, actually a fish, but )
Python II

I think they just have a thing for snakes.

But my point was, rather than thinking of the winner as actually being a marketable commodity, and making a superhero movie about him/her (like they implied during the first series), they simply stuck him in one of their monster movies (hopefully more than just a cameo as a victim, but that's what it looks like in the trailer)


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## Villano (Aug 22, 2007)

Please, please tell me that Mega Snake is *a* Feedback movie and not *the* Feedback movie!  

I also read that the Feedback comic was terrible and he didn't even have the superpowers he created (gaining the abilities of video game characters), instead he had generic electric or magnetic powers.  Can anyone confim this?

If this is all true, then what's the point?  You win a chance for your character to appear in a comic book and not be at all like the character you created, and you get to appear in a cameo in a bad CG, giant animal movie.   I feel like quoting Peter Boyle from Everybody Loves Raymond when his wife referred to herself as a "trophy wife".  Boyle asked, "What contest in hell did I win?"   

*Sigh*  Sorry for being so negative.  Anyway, back to the show itself:

I didn't really watch the first couple of episodes because I couldn't stand Mr. Mitzvah.  And I'm hoping Defuser goes next because, well, he's kind of a jerk.

I'm sad to see Basura go.  I was rooting for her (because she's cute   ), however, I can't complain since she failed such an obvious test.   Now, I'm kinda hoping Parthenon wins (just because I'm curious how Stan would handle his sexual orientation).

The comic covers all look good.  I hope the contestants get to keep their's.  BTW, are they any sites with all the covers?  I'd like to get another look at them.

Anyway, if Hygenia wins, I hope she gets her own movie and isn't stuck in *Bionic Head Lice* or something.


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## bento (Aug 22, 2007)

Villano said:
			
		

> Now, I'm kinda hoping Parthenon wins (just because I'm curious how Stan would handle his sexual orientation).



Considering how many characters Stan was part of creating or writing that broke racial and other stereo-types, I don't think there would be that much of a problem.  

Back in the early 1970s Stan or Roy Thomas hired black artists and writers to create and contribute to comics like Giant-Man and Power Man, and women artists and writers for Night Nurse, Beware the Claws of the Cat and Shanna of the Jungle.  He's progressive like that.

But then again, that whole aspect of Parthenon might get white-washed over just like Feedback's powers.


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## Villano (Aug 22, 2007)

bento said:
			
		

> But then again, that whole aspect of Parthenon might get white-washed over just like Feedback's powers.




I can imagine a "boyfriend" reference turning up, but nothing beyond that (like, say, a gay kiss).


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## trancejeremy (Aug 22, 2007)

Villano said:
			
		

> Please, please tell me that Mega Snake is *a* Feedback movie and not *the* Feedback movie!
> 
> I also read that the Feedback comic was terrible and he didn't even have the superpowers he created (gaining the abilities of video game characters), instead he had generic electric or magnetic powers.  Can anyone confim this?
> 
> If this is all true, then what's the point?  You win a chance for your character to appear in a comic book and not be at all like the character you created, and you get to appear in a cameo in a bad CG, giant animal movie.




You also get an action figure!

But yeah, it seems like something of a con.  And I really think that a proper Feedback movie would have gotten better ratings than "Mega snake".

I guess some of it is that what if the winner turns out to be a regular person, not an actor? (Season 1 was mostly part time actors). Could they handle doing a movie? Although then they could have done an animated feature, I'd guess.


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## Felon (Aug 23, 2007)

Mistwell said:
			
		

> Stan's comments are live.  No idea if he has a script, but he is interacting with the contestants on a live basis, not taped, and responding to things they say.  They do edit things, and the conversations go on longer than what you see of course, but that is what they are saying to each other, and he does appear on the screen in front of them.



That is good intel. Thanks.


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## Felon (Aug 23, 2007)

bento said:
			
		

> Considering how many characters Stan was part of creating or writing that broke racial and other stereo-types, I don't think there would be that much of a problem.
> 
> Back in the early 1970s Stan or Roy Thomas hired black artists and writers to create and contribute to comics like Giant-Man and Power Man, and women artists and writers for Night Nurse, Beware the Claws of the Cat and Shanna of the Jungle.  He's progressive like that.



It's not a matter of being progressive so much as trying to cash in on a new market (though it does admittedly take some of the former quality to move forward with the latter). Power Man certainly did not break stereotypes, after all. He was a jive-talking high-school dropout from the ghetto. It was just part of an attempt to cash in on blaxploitation films. Similarly, his stabs at fem heroes was attempted during the height of the "women's lib" movement. Look at early portrayals of Invisible Girl and the Wasp to see how Stan initially treated female characters.


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## Felon (Aug 23, 2007)

trancejeremy said:
			
		

> You also get an action figure!
> 
> But yeah, it seems like something of a con.  And I really think that a proper Feedback movie would have gotten better ratings than "Mega snake".
> 
> I guess some of it is that what if the winner turns out to be a regular person, not an actor?



Well, they can be a bad actor in a bad movie, I guess.    

This season, it's almost certain that the winner will be an oddball of sorts. I suspect Parthenon's gaiety would be among the easier things to gloss over...particularly if he's just going to wind giant gerbil food.

Met Major Victory at GenCon. He was checking out the Fallen Earth MMOG.


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## Relique du Madde (Aug 23, 2007)

Villano said:
			
		

> I'm sad to see Basura go.  I was rooting for her (because she's cute   ), however, I can't complain since she failed such an obvious test.   Now, I'm kinda hoping Parthenon wins (just because I'm curious how Stan would handle his sexual orientation).




I was rooting for Basura because I know her.  What sucks is that I haven't seen her in like several months since she vanished from the goth scene during the filming of the show.  What I think was funny is that her super hero outfit was basically how she always dresses up when she goes clubbing.


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## Richards (Aug 23, 2007)

I was incredibly surprised to see Basura in her "civilian attire" after she turned in her costume.  She looked like a young spinster librarian!  (Great for a secret identity, I suppose.)

Johnathan


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## Richards (Aug 24, 2007)

Last night's episode was interesting.  It seemed kind of odd that the Defuser was called out for "giving away parts of his costume" - that seemed a somewhat arbitrary complaint, as he was basically entertaining children and doing PR.  I wasn't surprised at all as to who was asked to leave the lair - it had been a long time coming, in my mind.  Furthermore, I was amused to see the difference in attitude on the show and the clip of the interview with Feedback (I'll paraphrase in both cases):

On the show:  "I've had a great time, Stan, and I thank you for the opportunity to work with true superheroes.  I have no regrets."

In the interview:  (Hands balled into fists) "It's not fair!  I WAS ROBBED!"

Johnathan


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## bento (Aug 24, 2007)

Last night was about splitting hairs.  Any little slip up going forward will land a player on the hot seat (or is that box?).

Not surprised about the elimination, but I've been thinking about a few things that makes me go "hmmmm?"

*Leadership* - this is something that's often brought up on the show.  Either someone is being too much of a leader, or needs to step up in the leadership department.  IMHO this is a totally unqualified area to judge the candidates.  If everyone is trying to be "the leader" then no one will follow.  If you look at most superhero teams, there are tactical leaders (like Cap America), business leaders (Iron Man) and strategic leaders (Mr. Fantastic).  Most superheroes though play a supporting role to the team.  Thor, while a god, assumes the part of taking out the heavy hitter villains, and will take orders from Cap, who is a master tactical officer. 

*Flawed Heroes * - thinking back on the great heroes Stan created or co-created, most all had some kind of flaw.  Spider-Man was angst-ridden, Invisible Woman doubted her strength, Hawkeye a loudmouth bagging on Cap's ability to lead, etc.  Yet our contestants are drummed out for little infractions.  Yes Whip Snap has doubts about her strength and Defuser can be bullheaded, but these are the kinds of heroes Stan would create when he was at his peak in the 1960s.  When I look at last season's winner, Feedback, and this season's Parthenon, it's "bleh" for me.  These heroes would work much better in 1960s DC comics.

*We're all a Team* - We get this in the show all the time, how much everyone likes each other, but the fact is, someone has to leave every show.  In the first season every loss was really at the person's own hands, and most of this season's was the same.  Now that we're down to the final five though, the knives are starting to come out.  With this added "team report" component, its the opportunity for the people behind the capes to show their colors.  We know Defuser has cast dispersions about his fellow players, but I wonder what kinds of reports the others are writing.  HELLO FOLKS - only one of you is going to win the game, so you better do your best to get out front even if it means throwing a little dirt.

So here's my take on this week's performance:
*Defuser * - didn't learn from Captain Victory's example, that the costume (and gadgets) are not to be toyed with.  Respect the uniform and your gear.  I think next week will be his "moment of truth."
*Hygena* - now the final female contestant on the show and not in a strong position.  I think they're playing up her "well your getting the challenges done but not as fast as the other heroes" a bit much to create more suspense.  I think that she's not "playing a leader" is a strength and weakness for her.  In her guise, you don't really expect her to be "the leader" because she represents all those that play support roles in our life.  She's sorta hampered, BUT she's always there to provide support.  I'd like to think she's going to make it to the end, but I think she'll make the top three.
*Parthenon* - not my favorite as he's a little "bleh" for me as a hero.  I don't think he has very much "leadership" potential, but then again, I think this is the least of the criteria any of these players should be judged on.  The harshest stuff they could come up with is a pirate room?  Dear God - he must have paid his friends off before he left for the competition to not come up with anything more scandleous.  He certainly must have had something a little more risque that the producers could have found.
*Hyperstrike* - He's learning how to play the game better and better every episode.  Telling WhipSnap that he was one of the ones to finger her as a weak link got him points in the competition.  The truth hurts, and he's doing everything he can to get into the lead.  Right now he's my pick for winning it all.

*Whip Snap * - sorry to see her go, and while I haven't seen the post-show wrap up, it doesn't surprise me she's a little pissed.  Her admitting she "commendered a car", which did not come up in the video part of the scandelous section of the show, was enough to hang her in my book.  

So what was your take on last night?


----------



## Relique du Madde (Aug 24, 2007)

First off...

Mistwell, does a Hygena burlesque show include a French maid outfit, or is it squeaky clean?.  Lol.  Was it me, or did Stan Lee look like he was trying not to crack a smile when you were talking about Hygena taking an interest in sexy dancing?

Now, I personally think that there is more to the Pirate room BUT it was censored out.  That is, to make it more TV friendly.  I mean.. think about it, a gay man with a "pirate" themed room that only has a treasure chest and a pile of coins?  COME ON we are not THAT stupid.  Where's the swords, the pirate flag, where's the ropes, cannons and antique guns? That room had to do less about being a pirate then it did about  treasure (aka "booty").  Also, the fact that they didn't spin it to make it seem like Parthenon is all about taking treasure ("Diamond's aren't only a girl's best Friends! It's all about the Bling!") makes me think that they only used that room because of the obvious gay joke.

After all, didn't his back story say that he "found" the arm guards that made him into parthenon? Its almost like the producer is too afraid to bring Parthenon down considering that the secrets scene put a huge focus on Mr. Gastapo's previous law enforcement required observed drinking.


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## Mistwell (Aug 24, 2007)

Richards said:
			
		

> Last night's episode was interesting.  It seemed kind of odd that the Defuser was called out for "giving away parts of his costume" - that seemed a somewhat arbitrary complaint, as he was basically entertaining children and doing PR.




I had he same reaction at first.  But after thinking about it more I see where Stan Lee is coming from. 

Stan tells them in advance they are being watched and their actions will be judged and they have to act like a superhero while there.

Defuser says to the kid "This is a weapon, throw it at a villian and it will stop them".

In the fictional superhero universe, where he is a superhero being judged as a superhero, and  where that is really a weapon, he just gave a weapon to a little kid.  That kid will likely turn around and chuck it at his littler brother the moment they get outside 

Anyway, fun episode.


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## Glyfair (Aug 24, 2007)

I have to admit, I was pretty sure who was getting cut after 5 minutes in the episode, just by what they focused on.

My calls

*Defuser* - Lots of strong qualities, but a few negatives ones as well.  I expect that without any surprises he's one of the next to go.

*Hygena* - The stress of being there seems to be wearing on her. She hardly every is shown smiling in the last couple of episodes. I think she'll be next to go.

*Hyperstrike* - Seems the front runner right now.  He seems to have the right approach of emphasizing the character, but playing the role as well.  He also is clearly having fun, without blowing off the superhero role.

*Parthenon* - He gets my vote for "under the radar" pick.  He hasn't really stuck out too much in either a good or bad way.  He's gotten some spotlight time, but nothing to make him seem like a sure pick for the winner.  I pick him to make 2nd or 3rd place.

Of course, from the first season we know that there are sometimes surprise eliminations because of revelations in the episode.  Also, it's hard to judge how much they are trying to influence our POV because of how they cuth the episode.  

Still, with what we know I predict the final rankings will be.

1.  Hyperstrike
2.  Parthenon
3.  Defuser
4.  Hygena


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## Brown Jenkin (Aug 27, 2007)

This week looks to have the potential to catch someone off guard. I can't be sure but the ending segment of last week with the evil clone of Stan plus the previews for this week lead me to believe the evil Stan clone is ordering the superheros to do unheroic things. While Glyfairs rankings may be correct based on where we were at, if my guess is the correct there is the potential for any of the 4 to get the boot this week for doing something innapropriate for a superhero.


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## Felon (Aug 30, 2007)

Richards said:
			
		

> Last night's episode was interesting.  It seemed kind of odd that the Defuser was called out for "giving away parts of his costume" - that seemed a somewhat arbitrary complaint, as he was basically entertaining children and doing PR.



Major Victory received similar criticism in the first season. In one case, he took off his cape in a chivalrous gesture so that a woman could avoid stepping in a puddle, and in another he did something like take off his gloves so he could perform one of the tasks better. Got dinged by Stan both times. Keeping one's costume inviolate is apparently one of the implicit rules of the game, if not explicit.


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## Felon (Aug 30, 2007)

So, Mist, were you aware they were trying to use some of the interview footage to dig up dirt? Personally, I find that using friends and family that way--basically, getting them to try to say something that will get their loved one kicked off the show--to be a questionable.


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## Richards (Aug 31, 2007)

Wow - tonight's episode was a bit of a surprise.  I was really worried for Hygena at the end, as it kind of looked like the case was stacked heaviest against her remaining.  I'm glad that wasn't the case, but I was a bit concerned.

Two-hour finale next week already?  Man, this season seems to have blown by!  Still, I'm looking forward to "rampaging giant clone Stan" - that ought to be entertaining.

Johnathan


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## Mistwell (Aug 31, 2007)

Felon said:
			
		

> So, Mist, were you aware they were trying to use some of the interview footage to dig up dirt? Personally, I find that using friends and family that way--basically, getting them to try to say something that will get their loved one kicked off the show--to be a questionable.




At the beginning we had a small group of friends of Melody and myself involved with the show (five people total), and we were all asked to come up with embarrassing things about her.  Having seen last season, we knew how it was likely to be used.

In fact, they didn't like ANY of the stuff we taped about her, and asked me to reshoot based on what Hygena had written in her own show-journal.  I had actually forgotten about her curiosity with burlesque dance, but since she had written about it to the shows producers I figured she thought it was OK for me to talk about it.  So, during the reshoot I did talk about that (and the time she had gone to work dressed as minnie mouse for halloween only to find not a single other person in the entire company of 100 people had dressed up).


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## Relique du Madde (Aug 31, 2007)

"A super hero never reveals their true identity..."

I know it was mentioned last year... but DOES STAN EVEN READ MARVEL COMICS!?!?!?  If he does, at least we know which side of the civil war he was on...


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## Silver Moon (Aug 31, 2007)

Relique du Madde said:
			
		

> but DOES STAN EVEN READ MARVEL COMICS!?!?!?



No, he reads Dark Horse comics - haven't you been paying attention?  He only goes to Marvel movies!


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## bento (Aug 31, 2007)

Last night's show continues to leave me scratching my head about this whole "leadership" quality they keep dinging players on this season.  Players are berated for not stepping up, and berated for being too bossy.  I think the producers should let this criteria drop as it's nearly impossible to satisfy.

Here's my recap of last night:

*Meet the Kids / Solve the Puzzle * - well three out of four contestants got it right off the bat - let the kids lead in solving the puzzles.  Sure the questions were easy, and that was the point.  It was too bad that Parthenon didn't pick up on this, seeing he's in the education field.  Mr. Rush-Rush-Rush was first to get the answers, but made those kids feel like they were in the background.  It was good to see Hygena let the kids lead so much that she actually took their wrong answers and had the time to re-work them.  Big no-no on Hyperstrike for telling the kids his last name.  Didn't he see last season?  

*Hi-Jinx in the Park* - there are limits to what orders a person should follow, so when Hygena stopped traffic and Parthenon left the cane on the trash can we were screaming at the TV!  Wow, I'm really surprised that none of the four thought it through and stopped playing Evil Stan's game.  I wonder if Hyperstrike caught on because they didn't show much of his antics.  Parthenon on the other hand, went way over the top.  Treating another person's cane in such a manner makes me wonder where his head is.

*In the Box* - I was glad to see everyone come through in the time allowed.  I really wanted to see Hygena step up more in this, and when she didn't I thought she might be the person that leaves this show.  Once again, it's this big "leadership" situation that makes it hard because who'll listen when everyone's barking orders?  It was good to see the Defuser stepping back, and I was glad he told Stan this at the end.

*Moment of Truth * 
While *Parthenon* was a little bland for my tastes in heroes, I was a kinda sad that he didn't make it through to the final three.  I thought he has been doing the best in the challenges, and he hadn't been up on the box until tonight.  I didn't like his reason for staying on the show as it was very arrogant - I want this more than anyone else.  But I would have kicked him off the show for leaving someone's cane on a trash can.  How rude!  
*The Defuser* for once didn't get called on the box, a little surprising.  I think he's finally acting on what he's been called on the box for in past episodes.
*Hygena * I thought would get the axe this show because she's still holding back, which Stan has warned her about several times.  I'm glad she's in the final three, but she's probably got the weakest position going into the last show. 
*Hyperstrike * is my pick to win it all right now.  He's the most positive of the final heroes, and he's got those acrobatic moves working for him.

What was your take on last night and picks to win it all?


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## Brown Jenkin (Aug 31, 2007)

I an pretty much agreement with bento. As I was watching Parthenon and the kids I was thinking that that could be what gets him kicked off the show. I also see Hygena coming in third, Defuser second and Hyper-Strike winning. Sorry Mist but maybe Gen Con will bring the top three back again. I don't think the show will try to fool anyone again but my prediction could be wrong and someone could still mess up by doing  something particularly stupid for no reason.


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## Mistwell (Sep 1, 2007)

It's very difficult to respond at this point without violating the NDA.

Just remember, you are seeing a story that the director wants you to see.


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## Shalimar (Sep 1, 2007)

Is Stan Lee the director?


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## Kahuna Burger (Sep 1, 2007)

Relique du Madde said:
			
		

> "A super hero never reveals their true identity..."
> 
> I know it was mentioned last year... but DOES STAN EVEN READ MARVEL COMICS!?!?!?  If he does, at least we know which side of the civil war he was on...



I think it's pretty clear that Stan is not looking for a "modern gritty antihero" type - he showed that with Iron Enforcer last season.

The classic everyman superhero does not reveal his secret identity in order to protect his non superheroic loved ones. Now, there are superheroes who don't actually have secret identities per se, even if they have other names. Steve Rogers has outlived all his loved ones in iceberg cryogenics, many of the X Men seem to have no relatives who aren't also superheroes, etc. But looking at the model of superhero he is shooting for, I have no problem with the secret identity argument.

One of the most moving issues of Spider Man ever did involve him revealing his secret identity at the end - after much agonizing, to a little boy who was dying. If Stan has told them the superhero type he is seeking (and I don't see any sign that these rules are coming out of nowhere just in time for eliminations) then yeah, don't give away your identity for a flirt oppertunity or an ego stroke.


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## Kahuna Burger (Sep 1, 2007)

bento said:
			
		

> *Hi-Jinx in the Park* - there are limits to what orders a person should follow, so when Hygena stopped traffic and Parthenon left the cane on the trash can we were screaming at the TV!  Wow, I'm really surprised that none of the four thought it through and stopped playing Evil Stan's game.  I wonder if Hyperstrike caught on because they didn't show much of his antics.  Parthenon on the other hand, went way over the top.  Treating another person's cane in such a manner makes me wonder where his head is.



My main thought is that if he was gonna pull a Milgram on them, it should have been earlier in the show - the first episode or possibly the one where they got their new costumes. It could have been a major event that set the stage for character development, rather than a hurdle for the final 4. 

Also, putting it earlier in the show would have given a better chance of someone taking a stand and at least asking "Stan" why they needed to do this. Sadly, with such a small group, the statistical likelyhood of getting a non-obedience response on orders that didn't physically hurt anyone is very low.  :\


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## Crothian (Sep 1, 2007)

It'd be nice if they had an insult besides calling the heroes zeros.


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## Mistwell (Sep 1, 2007)

Shalimar said:
			
		

> Is Stan Lee the director?




No, Rick Telles	 is the director.


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## Relique du Madde (Sep 2, 2007)

Personally I think the main flaw with the entire "don't give away your secret identities" bit is the fact that the website HAS each contestants secret identity posted on it AND the fact that Dr. Dark has already discovered the idenitity of the super heroes.

Realistically speaking, at this point, a true supervillain has already started ruining the lives of everyone attached to the each hero while Stan Lee forces them to go through with his little game show.  The would be sent home expecting to return to their normal lives only to find out that the lives of everyone they knew are shattered.  Meanwhile Dr. Dark would be laughing hysterically at the pure brilliance of the destruction he caused, because not only has each unsuccessful hero lost their powers, but they also lost everything they held dear, and it was truely Stan Lee's fault because he put vital info on each super hero in a dossier within a defenseless secret base and then placed real names of each of his heroes on a website.


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## bento (Sep 2, 2007)

Relique du Madde said:
			
		

> The would be sent home expecting to return to their normal lives only to find out that the lives of everyone they knew are shattered.  Meanwhile Dr. Dark would be laughing hysterically at the pure brilliance of the destruction he caused, because not only has each unsuccessful hero lost their powers, but they also lost everything they held dear, and it was truely Stan Lee's fault because he put vital info on each super hero in a dossier within a defenseless secret base and then placed real names of each of his heroes on a website.



 

Too true!


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## Mistwell (Sep 2, 2007)

Relique du Madde said:
			
		

> Realistically speaking, at this point, a true supervillain ...





You're the dude at the gaming table who likes to argue the physics of spells, right?


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## Thornir Alekeg (Sep 4, 2007)

Relique du Madde said:
			
		

> Realistically speaking, at this point, a true supervillain has already started ruining the lives of everyone attached to the each hero while Stan Lee forces them to go through with his little game show.  The would be sent home expecting to return to their normal lives only to find out that the lives of everyone they knew are shattered.  Meanwhile Dr. Dark would be laughing hysterically at the pure brilliance of the destruction he caused, because not only has each unsuccessful hero lost their powers, but they also lost everything they held dear, and it was truely Stan Lee's fault because he put vital info on each super hero in a dossier within a defenseless secret base and then placed real names of each of his heroes on a website.



 What none of you realize, is that this did happen, but Mistwell was so traumatized by what Dr. Dark did he won't talk about it.  In fact the acronym NDA actually stands for "No, Don't! Agghh!"


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## Mistwell (Sep 4, 2007)

I forget if I posted this article from last week in Hawaii.  It's a pretty good read, and he is a good writer and knew his comic book stuff:

http://starbulletin.com/2007/08/31/features/story03.html


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## Relique du Madde (Sep 5, 2007)

Mistwell said:
			
		

> You're the dude at the gaming table who likes to argue the physics of spells, right?




Nope, I'm the guy that saids, "I don't care if he's telling us his entire plan, he's flat footed, so I sneak attack him."


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## Mistwell (Sep 5, 2007)




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## Relique du Madde (Sep 5, 2007)

Is it me or does Hyper-strike look evil in that ad?


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## Felon (Sep 5, 2007)

Well, congratulations on making the final three, which I think is all that seems to really matter--the final three were at both GenCon and DragonCon this year. Beyond the ability to milk some $25 autographed 8x10 glossies out of conventions, I'm really beginning to wonder what else is to be head out of the deal (something I say with much disappointment).


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## Brown Jenkin (Sep 5, 2007)

Felon said:
			
		

> Well, congratulations on making the final three, which I think is all that seems to really matter--the final three were at both GenCon and DragonCon this year. Beyond the ability to milk some $25 autographed 8x10 glossies out of conventions, I'm really beginning to wonder what else is to be head out of the deal (something I say with much disappointment).




Well there is the guest appearance in _Mega Snake 2_ or will that be _Mega Snake vs. the Ice Spiders_.


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## Mistwell (Sep 5, 2007)

Felon said:
			
		

> Well, congratulations on making the final three, which I think is all that seems to really matter--the final three were at both GenCon and DragonCon this year. Beyond the ability to milk some $25 autographed 8x10 glossies out of conventions, I'm really beginning to wonder what else is to be head out of the deal (something I say with much disappointment).




They don't charge for autographs.

For me, it's a hope that they will send us to San Diego Comic-Con, Gen Con, and Dragon-Con for free (transportation, room, per diem).  That would be a HUGE prize for my wallet!

The winner gets an action figure from Shocker toys, an appearance in a sci-fi original movie, and a comic book written by Stan Lee about their character to be published by Dark Horse comics.


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## Mistwell (Sep 6, 2007)

Sweet, Feedback is coming over to my house tonight to watch the final two episodes with us!


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## Umbran (Sep 7, 2007)

Dude, through to the finals!  Excellent!


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## Brown Jenkin (Sep 7, 2007)

While Defuser may be the winner of the show, after watching Hygena's interview with Stan I have to say Melody and you are the real winners fromm the show. Talk about courage. You are a lucky man to have such a wife and I wish the best for you two in the future.


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## bento (Sep 7, 2007)

Well it was a great second season finale for WWTBASH!  

Congrats to Melody for making it to the final episode.  I liked that everyone got closer at the end and was pulling for their friends.  I did not like to constant "da-dant" music and clip scenes that we had to wait through to get to the good stuff.  I joked at the end that next year I'll just Tivo it all and go straight to the final five minutes of the final episode!   

I really liked that no one was eliminated on the penultimate show and have all three go to the end.  In the first season when Major Victory left it took a lot of steam out of the show.  Fat Mama had already threatened to quit, so having her as the final competitor sorta tainted Feedback's victory (don't tell him that).

Mark - looks like you've had a very busy summer!  Can you spill some of the beans now or does the NDA last for a while longer?


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## TwinBahamut (Sep 7, 2007)

Well, congrats to Defuser. Beyond anyone else in either season of the show, he really responded well to criticism and changed his attitude to match.

Also congrats to Hyperstrike and Hygena. Both were great. I had no idea who Stan was going to pick, and I would have been happy to see any of those three win. They really were a great set of heroes. I was glad there was no penultimate elimination. Choosing the hero, rather than the loser, makes the ending a lot better.


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## Chimera (Sep 7, 2007)

Brown Jenkin said:
			
		

> While Defuser may be the winner of the show, after watching Hygena's interview with Stan I have to say Melody and you are the real winners from the show. Talk about courage. You are a lucky man to have such a wife and I wish the best for you two in the future.




I wholeheartedly agree.  Congrats Mark and Melody.

After Stan did not eliminate anyone for the final, I was really hoping that at the finale, he would do the same thing and declare all three to be joint winners, even as I knew that they were only going to go with one.  But as the show progressed, it was patently obvious to me by the length of the introductions that Defuser was going to be the winner.  They spent more than twice as much time on him as either of the other two.


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## Relique du Madde (Sep 7, 2007)

Chimera said:
			
		

> I wholeheartedly agree.  Congrats Mark and Melody.
> 
> But as the show progressed, it was patently obvious to me by the length of the introductions that Defuser was going to be the winner.  They spent more than twice as much time on him as either of the other two.




I had the same feeling, also I think that the fact that they made him go first was also a hint.  I have a feeling that the defuser's background story and his heroic surge was what quenched the win for him.

Also... that encounter with Doctor Dark was pitiful.  A super villain should never go down like a 'jobbing' punk without using his powers at least once during a fight.  I've seen 4 year olds give a better fight then he did.


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## jaerdaph (Sep 7, 2007)

Brown Jenkin said:
			
		

> While Defuser may be the winner of the show, after watching Hygena's interview with Stan I have to say Melody and you are the real winners fromm the show. Talk about courage. You are a lucky man to have such a wife and I wish the best for you two in the future.




Well said! Mark and Melody, I wish you both all the best on your next big project. Here's to hearing the pitter patter of little feat from Little Mistwell and/or Little Hygena around EN World very soon!   

God bless you both.


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## Kahuna Burger (Sep 8, 2007)

Random note on the episode. I was cooking while the Kahuna Meatball and the Hubby watched the finale. I hear barking from the living room, and think "oh, the dog part, hope it's not too scary."

Then it starts... "Those dogs are BAD! Bad doggies!!" And "Stop being bad!" When the Hubby does not succeed at making the TV doggies behave, he runs to the gate to the kitchen. "There are BAD doggies, mommy!" Goes back to check the TV, runs back to report, "Doggies being MEAN!"

He was eventually convinced that the doggies were not bad, per se, they were just trained to act that way in special circumstances and they were not actually going to hurt the heroes. But it was an amusing way to expereince the action from afar.   

[disclaimer] no preschoolers were given dog phobias in the making or watching of the TV show.  [/disclaimer]


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## Angel Tarragon (Sep 8, 2007)

I am beyond pissed over the fact the The Defuser is the new 'superhero'.


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## Relique du Madde (Sep 8, 2007)

Frukathka said:
			
		

> I am beyond pissed over the fact the The Defuser is the new 'superhero'.




Look at it this way, we'll get to see him play a rent a cop in _Sci-Fi Channel Presents: Mega Roach_ and not a super hero.   Too bad that if there is a WWTBASH 3, he'll end up taking Feedback's job.


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## Mistwell (Sep 9, 2007)

Relique du Madde said:
			
		

> Look at it this way, we'll get to see him play a rent a cop in _Sci-Fi Channel Presents: Mega Roach_ and not a super hero.   Too bad that if there is a WWTBASH 3, he'll end up taking Feedback's job.




Not necessarily.  Major Victory was actually supposed to do the Aftershow, but things fell through on that and Feedback took over.  However, the Aftershow films here in LA, about 5 minutes from our house.  Defuser lives in Austin Texas, and has a full time job as a police detective with no plans to move that I am aware of.  Hyper-Strike lives in Chicago and is ont he road with the Circus most of the time, though there is a chance he would move to LA.  So....who knows!

I am happy with Defuser's win.  He's a great guy.  A MUCH better guy than what was portrayed on the show.


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## Fedifensor (Sep 9, 2007)

Frukathka said:
			
		

> I am beyond pissed over the fact the The Defuser is the new 'superhero'.




The Defuser is actually a pretty good guy - and has gamed for the past 25 years.  He currently plays City of Heroes, and one of the reasons you saw him hugging Mindset near the end of the show is that Mindset also plays CoH, and they were glad that one of them won.

The donut he flies through in his movie trailer is actually a badge location in City of Heroes.  So it was more than just the fact that he's a cop... 

Here's a link to one of his posts on the CoH boards.


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## Fedifensor (Sep 11, 2007)

By the way, Mistwell, the obvious question to ask the gamer with the famous superhero wife is...

...do you have game stats for Hygena?


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## Angel Tarragon (Sep 11, 2007)

Fedifensor said:
			
		

> The Defuser is actually a pretty good guy - and has gamed for the past 25 years.



 :\ Doesn't mean squat to me.


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## Felon (Sep 22, 2007)

Mistwell said:
			
		

> They don't charge for autographs.



Wow, after seeing some all of the folks at Dragon Con who make bank off of autographs for the bit-parts they played in old sci-fi shows that lasted one or two seasons, I gotta say that's one missed opportunity. 

FInally got to watch the final episode. It was a lot of fun, although I went in knowing who the winner was. OTOH, I noticed that the final episode followed the formula used in the first episode. I think that they need to consider making a few changes in the third season (if indeed there is one).


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## Mistwell (Jan 12, 2008)

*Season Finale up for Director's Guild Award*

Very Cool!

http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/news.html?d=134142

DGA Announces Nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement In Movies for Television, Dramatic Series Night, Comedy Series, Musical Variety, Reality Programs, Daytime Serials, Children's Programs, Documentary and Commercials for 2007

REALITY:

Craig Borders - Who Wants To Be A Superhero ("Episode 208") (Sci-Fi) Stage Manager: Thomas Goodrich

The winners will be announced at the 60th Annual DGA Awards Dinner on Saturday, January 26, 2008 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.


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