Episode 21: Orientation/Jump, Push, Fall (Return of The Company)

We are BACK!

The Company has finally returned and we’ll be doing weekly podcasts again!  This week we start with the Season Premiere of Heroes.  We cover the first two hours of Volume Five “Redemption” titled “Orientation” and “Jump, Push, Fall” respectively.

We hope you enjoy!  Please excuse the disorganization as we get things together on our end.  We are changing location, staff, and format…so please bear with us!

As always send your mp3 voicemails or e-mails to thecompanypodcast@gmail.com

Thanks!

-Demi

Episode 20: Cold Snap/Into Asylum

Bryan Fuller is back and so is The Company!

In this episode we cover the first two episodes starting after the return of Heroes godsend, Bryan Fuller:

Cold Snap and Into Asylum.

Some things we discuss:

• The Cinematography of Heroes: How has it changed?  Is it better?
• The Writing:  Are characters becoming smarter, or is it just wishful thinking?
• The Story: Where does it go from here?  What do we want to see happen?

Your hosts for this episode are Woo and Demi, Engee will be joining us for further episodes.

We hope you enjoy!  We are glad to be back!

-Demi

Episode 19: Dual (Volume 3 Finale and Return of Engee)

This seems to be a bad habit of mine, but I got caught up with a lot of holiday related things and didn’t get this podcast out in time.  My apologizes to our listeners!

This week we cover the the highly anticipated Volume Three finale entitled, “Dual”.

Some things we cover:

• Engee returns to host an ENTIRE episode!
• Sylar as Jigsaw?
• Ando: Ultimate Sidekick
• Daphne…Supergirl?
• Voicemail: Marshal from Toronto.
• and much more…

Sorry again for the lateness.  Look out for our interview with David H. Lawrence in the coming week.

-Demi

Episode 16: It’s Coming

We know its been a while, but due to some diplomatic and technical difficulties, we were unable to bring you our discussion of episode 308: “Villains”.

However, we are back with our thoughts on episode 309 entitled “It’s Coming” (no pun intended).

Some things covered:

• Status of the show during Thanksgiving
• The return of Heroes Unreal Tournament
• Hiro’s Blast to the Past
• Sylar’s empathetic experience with Elle
• Father and son reunion
• Mohinder…Dr. Frankenstein?
• Did this episode mark the “jumping the shark”?

All this and more (including a special guest host)!

As always, please e-mail us your questions and comments at thecompanypodcast@gmail.com.

Send us a voicemail by either calling 205-383-4781 and following the prompt, or by sending an mp3 file to our e-mail.  Voicemails should be under 60 seconds and be either about The Company or Heroes, but we’ll pretty much take anything.

Episode 15: State of the Show

Okay everybody, it had to happen.  There was a break in Heroes, which caused us to look back and contemplate everything that’s happened so far, and it has resulted in the longest podcast episode yet.

How has Season 3 up to this point?  We delve into the good, the bad, and the just plain stupid on this week’s episode of The Company.  We even have a special guest host this week!

Some things covered:

• The amazing three hour episode of Deal or No Deal (hint: it doesn’t exist)
• Major Heroes News and Rumors including the recent firings of Jeph Loeb and Jesse Alexander, who might come on board to replace them?
• What Season 3 is doing right.
• What Season 3 is doing wrong.
• What needs to happen for Heroes to turn it around.
• Community Participation! VOICEMAILS!!!!

As always, feedback is appreciated.  Please subscribe to the podcast using the RSS/iTunes links to the top-right of the website, and be sure to check out the forums on the top navigation bar.

Also, voicemails are awesome and we need more! Send us a voicemail over the phone at 205-383-4781, or send us an mp3 file attachment to our e-mail address: thecompanypodcast@gmail.com (You can also send us text-based stuff there too). Typically voicemails should be questions or comments under 60 seconds in length dealing with either the podcast itself or Heroes the television show.

If you didn’t get to check out the Jimmy-Jean Louis interview we had, you can check it out here:
http://www.thecompanypodcast.net/2008/11/06/special-edition-03-exclusive-interview-with-jimmy-jean-louis/

Or you can see all of our past episodes/interviews by clicking the “Podcast” tab on the top navigation bar of the site.

Hope you enjoy!

Special Edition #03: Exclusive Interview with Jimmy Jean-Louis

We are proud to bring you another great interview. This week we’ve got Jimmy Jean-Louis, who plays the Haitian on the show.

Jimmy is awesome and we’ve done an interview with him before, so if you’d like to hear our first interview where we discussed his work on Seasons 1 and 2 as well as how he got the part of The Haitian, check it out here.

We talk with Jimmy about a lot of things including:

• What was it like to come back to Heroes after the Strike?
• How is it to have all the new people on board? Was it nice to finally work with another Haitian?
• Heroes in Haiti, how many episodes and what seemingly out of place characters pop up in Haiti?
• Will we see some of The Haitian’s family, and if so, will there be anything “special” about them?
• Jimmy shares with us his thoughts on Brea Grant, who we interviewed earlier.
• Thoughts on every Haitian’s favorite sport: Football! (Soccer for you Americans :-P)
• We discuss some of Jimmy’s other non-Heroes projects including:
• Jimmy’s new non-profit organization to aide a Haiti in Crisis.
• and much more!

Hope you enjoy! Be sure to check out Jimmy’s website for information on his other projects and his non-profit, “Hollywood Unites for Haiti”.
http://www.jimmyjeanlouis.com

PS:
This is the picture we mention and the one Jimmy says is a good representation of a possible Jimmy Jean-Louis/Black Panther.

This interview was recorded on Thursday, October 30, 2008.

Episode 14: Halloween Special (Eris Quod Sum)

This week is the long awaited Halloween Special!

And by that we mean that we dress up…and talk dirty.

Of course, since there was an episode we do discuss it and this podcast covers the events that took place in Eris Quod Sum, Episode 307 of Heroes.

As always voicemails are accepted at 205-383-4781, or you can e-mail us (or send us an mp3 voicemail) at thecompanypodcast@gmail.com.  Join us on the forums at the link at the top of the website!

NBC Fires Two “Heroes” Executive Producers

Variety is reporting that NBC fired Jesse Alexander and Jeph Loeb, two of the most notable members of the Heroes staff, on Sunday.

The two have been heavily involved with the show since its first season taking on daily showrunning tasks for series creator Tim Kring.

It is believed that the reason for the firings is due to a lack of satisfaction with the two by NBC regarding the creative direction of the show and the recent tendency to go over-budget despite slipping ratings.

First the drop in ratings, and now this?  Is this showing the end of the line for Heroes or a new beginning?

One thing is for sure:

This does not look bright to fans or advertisers.

Source:

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117995152.html?categoryid=14&cs=1

Fright or Flight Week at The Company

So this week is the week of Halloween, which means its time for a bit of celebration, Heroes-style!

We here at The Company are throwing in our hats to the celebration of the event by presenting a special week of festivities we are calling “Fright or Flight Week” (if you are Heroes fan, you should get the reference..if not..check out a Season Two episode list).

Everyday (starting today) this week, The Company website will feature a different Halloween themed video on the right bar of the website.

The blogs this week will feature some sort of Hallow’s Eve subject involving Heroes.

All of this leads up to this Friday October 31st and the release of our highly-acclaimed Halloween Special.

Last year we dabbled, but this year our Halloween podcast will not only cover tomorrow’s episode, but will also feature a variety of Halloween content including costumes, discussions on things like “Scariest Moment in Heroes”/ “Scariest Character”, and also a special return of Heroes Masterpiece Theatre!

Join the festivities by sending us a voicemail at 205-383-4781, hitting up our e-mail at thecompanypodcast@gmail.com, or joining us on the forums at the link on the top of the site!

Two New Actors Joining Heroes in Volume Four: Fugitives

Looks as though two more actors have been cast for the upcoming “Fugitives” storyline.

Michael Ausiello from EW.com reports that Dan Byrd from Aliens in America will be cast as David, a teen with a bad streak:

Sources confirm to me exclusively that Byrd has been cast on Heroes in the recurring role of David, a dark and twisted kid who tells lies easily and has a cruel streak. Word is he’ll be a possible apprentice to Sylar (Zachary Quinto).

EOnline confirmed that Emmy Winner Zeljko Ivanek of Damages has been tagged to join the cast as a mysterious new character named “The Hunter”. Kristen Dos Santos says:

According to insiders, the Hunter’s first appearance is in episode 14, which kicks off Volume Four: Fugitives. (Heroes creator Tim Kring is writing the Fugitives premiere!)

Am I the only one that instantly thought of Kraven on that second one? And what’s with creating a new character that sounds and looks similar to West?

Ivanek is a very impressive actor though (He has many acting credits to his name, the least of which includes literally getting hit by a bus on Lost), so the talent seems to be stepping up throughout this third season, unfortunately the Sprint product placement will probably compensate in order to pay for such talent.

Sources:
http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2008/10/dan-byrd-joins.html
http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/watch_with_kristin/b64432_emmy_winner_comes_heroes.html

Heroes on the Net: Top 5 Pieces of Content Created By The Cast of Heroes

As you know, we are a fan-created production based around Heroes.  As our disclaimer at the end of our episodes says, “We are in no way associated with Tim Kring, NBC, or in anyway directly involved with Heroes.”  Would we like to be?  Hell yes.  Sadly, we are not.

However, for the purpose of this blog, I’d like to highlight those members of the Heroes cast that go above and beyond the call of contract and reach out to fans over the internet.

These productions are “home-made”, as in the actors, for the most part, either make or participate in these productions themselves, on their own time.

The following is a Top 5 (5 being good, 1 being amazing) list of content created by Heroes’ actors:

5.  “Rapper’s Delight” - Greg Grunberg (from celebrity group Band From TV)

This video is amazing.  It’s not just amazing because of the special guest vocals from Jorge Garcia, the rockin’ bass from Adrian Pasdar, or even the awesome blues piano skills from Hugh Laurie during “Shake Ya Tail Feathers”.  What makes this performance truly phenomenal is the same thing that makes an Oreo cookie absolutely delicious:

The delicious, white, creamy middle.

In the middle of this final closing song to what seems to be a fantastic concert full of special guests, delicious, creamy-white Greg Grunberg (Matt Parkman on Heroes) recites a series of lines from “Rapper’s Delight” WHILE playing the drums.  The only thing even close to “average” about this band is the main vocalist (who’s main credit includes The Bachelor), and this performance was NOT a letdown.  Check this out.

4.  “Star Wars/Comic-Con” - Milo Ventimiglia

So, there are a variety of things that make this video hilarious.  Unfortunately, one of the main ones is Russ, Milo’s friend who does not actually count as a “Heroes” cast member.  Therefore, this seemingly top-tier video has to be dropped to fourth place due to its heavy use of outside sources.

Despite it being fourth place, seeing Peter Petrelli as a Jedi solves a lot of Heroes questions. 
Also, why didn’t Russ play Doyle?

3.  “Mail bag!” - Brea Grant

It’s no suprise that Brea would crop up on the list after I so highly talked of her website in both my recent interview with her and the latest podcast episode.  Brea really epitomizes geek chic.  Chic as in the style, not internet slang for “girl” or the Canine Health Information Center.

She uses her website and blog to interact with fans in such a natural way.  One of the best ways she’s found to do this lately is through her “mail bag!” segment.  Sure its easy enough to answer e-mails on a blog, but Brea takes it a step further by reading them on screen!  She then loads them up on YouTube so that you know that it, in fact, is her.

2.  “Dr. Oh No” - Adrian Pasdar

Clever James Bond reference be damned, Adrian Pasdar can make some videos!  His channel on Youtube (perhaps even more hilarious) “buckshotwon” showcases videos from the life and times of Adrian Pasdar, usually from the perspective of himself.  The best of these deal with the Heroes set.

This particular video is no exception.  “Dr. Oh No” came out almost two months before the season premiere of Heroes: Villains but provided some shocking insight into the character of Dr. Mohinder Suresh.  I’m not going to lie, its where my original thoughts of “Spiderman Suresh” came from. I didn’t just pull that out of my ass like the Heroes writers did.

The music also adds a slight bit of irony to the mix as at the time of the video’s release, nobody quite understood why the song was used besides the apparent comedy of using such a ridiculous song to show the setting.  Now we know that it actually exists as a reference to Suresh’s mad hormone levels as a side effect of giving himself powers that lead to sexual interactions between himself and Maya which, fittingly, resulted in him “webbing” her. I can only assume that the line “I hope my boyfriend don’t mind it” is referring to Matt Parkman.

What makes Adrian’s videos really rise above the rest is the level of quality the videos present.  While there are some that are short, sweet, and mostly unedited, there are many that have a variety of cuts and edits which provide a sense of drama, as shown in this video.

1.  “Crazy Bunny” - Milo Ventimiglia

I’m not going into the background of why the video exists, you can find that out for yourselves. I’m also not going to explain why its number one, it’s obvious.

‘Nuff said.

Edit:

Honorable Mention
“Grunny TEARS IT UP” from Adrian Pasdar (filming) and Greg Grunberg

Episode 13: Dying of the Light

Oh my gosh. An episode…on time?

No vidcast again this week. Give me a week to get the video feed caught up and we’ll start doing them again.

This week we talk about:

• Our Interview with Brea Grant and her website.
• Hiro and Ando learn a new magic trick.
• Matt comes home with some Turtle Power!
• Daphne gets a stalker.
• We see Arthur Petrelli’s Power! And Adam gets a taste of it.
• What does this all mean for Angela’s visions?
• Sylar and Peter’s new relationship/circumstance.
• We all agree on one character Heroes needs to kill off. You won’t believe who it is.
• New Weekly Feature: The Company Assignment. Go to the forums to participate.
• Send us a Voicemail: 205-383-4781. E-mail us: thecompanypodcast@gmail.com

Hope you enjoy it! If you like the podcast, please show your appreciation by donating or reviewing us our iTunes!

Music by cdk from ccMixter.org

Episode 12: Angels and Monsters

Hey guys, huge delay I know.  It was a very busy week and weekend, but here it is!

This week we talk about Episode 305 of Heroes: “Angels and Monsters.”

We discuss:

• Peter feels the hunger, and Sylar feels the love.
• Angela sees the future and isn’t able to move!
• Arthur Petrelli is alive? Well, what is his power???
• Claire sees the lines of good and evil blurred between Level 5 and her father.
• Daphne starts her quest to assemble the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.
• Hiro betrays his best friend…What a hypocrite!

We also talk about our blogs! If you haven’t seen them, check out the main page for links to them!

As always, please leave a voicemail at 205-383-4781 with a question or comment and join the forums at the link on the main site!  We also accept e-mails including mp3 attachments for voicemails at thecompanypodcast@gmail.com!

Enjoy!

Five Powers Arthur Petrelli Doesn’t Have, But Should.

As of yet, we don’t have any real credence as to what Arthur’s power is, and because I don’t have any real idea to what it is either, I devised an excellent way to better hypothesize what his power may be.  After growing my hair out and donning a robe, I became the “Noah” of animal cage fighting.  Gathering five of each animal, I brought together sloths, pot bellied pigs, penguins, bunny rabbits, and minature horses.

With ducktape and a sharpie, I slapped theories on to every animal.  Using my bathtub as a ring, I put one of each animal in to the tub and waited for the victor to stand, well,  to stand victorious.  I repeated the process four more times.  Miraculously, a different species won each round, go figure.

Match 1 Winner: Miniature Horse-Never Defecate Theory

To prove the age old adage wrong, size doesn’t matter with this horse.  After whinnying his opponents to death, he kicked the hot water knob on, and subsequently drowned his opponents.  You may try to argue that the penguin should be able to swim, well, after the first match, lets just say I paid more care as to where I slapped the strip of ducktape on each animal.

As to the theory, well, Arthur would save a lot of money on toliet paper.  Plus, he would never have to worry about eating too many pork & beans before a three hour wedding.

Match 2 Winner: Penguin-Perfectly Fold Clothes Theory

Penguin went into the match with ferocity only the above picture can portray.  Yeah.  Needless to say, penguin managed to brutally eat all his opponents’ livers, letting them bleed to death slowly.

The power on the other hand would allow Arthur to live in domesticated bliss with the woman of his life, Angela.  Let’s be honest, we all know Angela kicked Arthur out of the house for being a slob, if only he could have folded his dress shirts, tear.

Match 3 Winner: Sloth-Flawlessly Floss Theory

Sloth used her brute strength and ripped the tiny legs off Minature Horse.  She quickly followed the delegging death of minature horse with the clubbing deaths of the remaining competitors.  It was a gruesome cycle, the way she attacked the furry critters, swinging her unnaturally long arms extended in length by minature horse legs.  After not watching the sickening process for what seems like minutes, I felt it was safe enough to open my eyes.  My eyes looked out and saw that Sloth had eaten everyone.   She was now flossing her teeth with dental floss, which was oddly symbolic of what was written on the ducktape.

If Arthur had the power to flawlessly floss, he wouldn’t have to worry about going to that job interview with greens stuck in his teeth.  He could also go on that date with that chick and not feel utterly useless in life when he gets dumped because he has steak all up in his teeth and tried to kiss her then he gots sprayed in the face with bear mace then he went to the hospital crying and lost his self respect.  Wow, I think that sentence could use a few commas, but it was important to get off my chest.

Match 4 Winner: Bunny Rabbit-Power to Waive ATM Fees

Bunny rabbit wriggled his cute ears.  The other critters exploded at the awesome display of sheer cuteness Bitches.

Now, the ability to waive atm fees, not a cute power to have, but essential none the less.  Postulate with me for a second, ok?  If Arthur has to buy twenty billion dollars worth of Pez despensers, he’ll have to go to the atm and withdraw all that cash, because I’m told that’s how it works.  Now, if he only has twenty billion dollars in his account, and he withdraws exactly twenty billion, he will still be charged a few dollars for atm fees.  Thus, his account is now overdrafted, and bunny rabbit will have to kill someone.

Match 5 Winner: Gary Coleman-Live Forever…………Stuck in Prepubescence Theory

In an unexpected, and very unfortunate series of events, Gary Coleman entered the bathroom after a night of many refusals and putdowns at the bar, and, urm, he grabbed Minature horse by the legs and<<<<<<<CENSORED>>>>>>>.

You might think being stuck in prepuberty would be a bad thing, but think of all the lollipops you would get at the drive-thru bank teller, or all the discounts for being young and stuff.  Arthur would be able to go to Chuck-E-Cheese and not have to worry about getting stuck in all those plastic tubes.  Great times.