Finally NBC is announcing the premiere dates for its fall 2009 shows! The new season starts over a two-week period starting with Sunday Night Football, and continuing the series premiere of its new shows “Community” and “Trauma”.

“Heroes” premieres on September 21 for a two-hour season opener from 8-10 p.m., but resumes its regular time slot on September 28 at 8-9 p.m. to give Trauma its 9pm slot. “The Jay Leno Show” fills the late-primetime at 10 pm. every night.

Also, NBC Universal Media will launch its fall season with the Summer Press Tour on Wednesday August 5 at the Langham Huntington Hotel & Spa in Pasadena.

Here’s the first two weeks of the NBC Fall Season:

SEPTEMBER 13
7-8:15 p.m. – Football Night in America
8:15-11 p.m. – NBC Sunday Night Football

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14
10-11 p.m. – THE JAY LENO SHOW (Series Premiere)

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
8-10 p.m. – The Biggest Loser
10-11 p.m. – THE JAY LENO SHOW

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
8-8:30 p.m. - Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday
8:30-9 p.m. - Parks and Recreation
9-9:30 p.m. – The Office
9:30-10 p.m. – COMMUNITY (series premiere – moves to Thursdays 8-8:30 p.m. on October 8; 30 Rock returns October 15, 9:30-10 p.m.)
10-11 p.m. – THE JAY LENO SHOW

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21
8-10 p.m. – Heroes (two hour premiere, then TRAUMA premieres 9-10 p.m. Monday, September 28)
10-11 p.m. – THE JAY LENO SHOW

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
8-9 p.m. – PARENTHOOD (Series Premiere)
9-10 p.m. – Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
10-11 p.m. – THE JAY LENO SHOW

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
8-9 p.m. – Law & Order
9-10 p.m. – Southland
10-11 p.m. – THE JAY LENO SHOW

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
8-9 p.m. – Dateline NBC
9-10 p.m. – Drama encore broadcast
10-11 p.m. – Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (encore broadcast)
11:30 p.m. - 1:00 a.m. - Saturday Night Live

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28
8-9 p.m. - Heroes
9-10 p.m. - TRAUMA (Series Premiere)
10-11 p.m. - THE JAY LENO SHOW

We had plenty of Heroes-related news this week!

First, it’s almost time for the great summer Comic Con at San Diego and of course, Heroes as a panel. Early release of schedules didn’t include Heroes, but now it looks like the show is back, and into SDCC. ODI writes the panel will be on a Saturday and Tim Kring will bring a smaller cast.

Speaking of cast, another actor joins Heroes this fall – Battlestar Galactica’s Rick Worthy. He’ll be playing Matt Parkman’s new partner as an experienced L.A. cop. My feeling is that Worthy’s character won’t have powers, but he’ll find out about Matt. 

And in still another spoiler, James Kyson Lee talked to TV Guide this week to promote his Sci-Fi original movie “Star Runners”. James lets on a spoiler about him and Hiro starting a business that involves “glitter spandex”? Totally weird.

Image: Newscom

Heroes has been filming these past few weeks and it’s great to finally see some scenes-in-the-making! Today’s feature…Hayden Panettiere as Claire Bennet at her Washington DC campus.

Claire Bennet is finally growing up, and she’s a college freshman at a yet-undisclosed Washington DC college. It looks like freshman orientation week and Claire is checking out the ‘field’.

This season on “Heroes”, Claire Bennet (Hayden Panettiere) will be involved in what Tim Kring spoils as “campus suicide”. That’s going to cost Claire her chance at a normal life, on top of the trouble brewing at home between Dad Noah and Mom Sandra Bennet. On campus, Claire will have two roommates, an edgy outsider named Gretchen (Madeline Zima) who will be at orientation with Claire, and Annie (Rachel Melvin). I think one of these girls will be the suicide victim, and my bet is on the outsider. Sorry, Madeline…

Check out the rest of the photos after the cut… and also some more shots of Claire Bennet on campus at my other site – HaydenRocks.com.

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The fourth season of “Heroes” is still months away, but NBC is already at work to keep us viewers in the loop of things to come. In fact, I finally signed up for “Heroes All Access” after reading about Tim Kring’s newsletter sent out to exclusive members where the creator spoiled details about the next volume “Redemption”!

So, according to Kring, “Redemption” is all about the characters returning to a normal life, after finally, getting rid of Sylar (or so they thought!). Some will attempt to go back to some normalcy, while others will embrace exposing their powers to the world.

Take Claire Bennet. She’ll be starting college in Washington DC so that’s some semblance, right? Well, Kring says not so, because the Bennet parents are splitting up! And then there’s a mysterious suicide on campus that puts Claire “in the crossfire”.

And then, Matt Parkman has his family now. A new baby, and maybe reconciling with Janice… except Matt is living with the guilt of what he did to Sylar, and that’s no way to start fresh.

And then, of course, Nathan Petrelli is trying to live his old life, except he’s not really Nathan! I wonder how Sylar breaks free of Matt’s mind power. Oooh, and can you imagine what Sylar will do to Matt once he finds out the truth? Now that should be early in the season, and let all hell break loose!

Oh, and golden-hearted Peter Petrelli embraces his heroism and saves lives! Wooohooo! Finally someone is able to use their powers for good. But I bet nothing that good lasts. Who is this “powerful woman” that gets attached to Peter? Can we please give this guy a chance at love?

Now wait.. what is that I read about a new Company? Headed by Noah Bennet with Tracy Strauss and Angela Petrelli, what a trifecta! There’s bound to be power-struggles at every turn. So is this a good company now, just “connecting with others who have powers”? It’s like the ISIS Foundation for meter-freaks from Smallville (ooops, sorry for the cross-over).

And there is another yet again covert organization that poses threat in a “potentially deadly way”. Sigh. Sometimes, I really just want the Heroes to start to have normal lives, and help save lives, man!

So are excited about the coming season?

Image: Newscom

NBC’s fall shake-up schedule is sending shockwaves through fandom!

“Heroes is moving up an hour earlier – from 9:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and will run for only 19 episodes in the fall. “Heroes” finishes right before the Winter Olympics, and then, “Chuck” will take over midseason in the same time slot. “Chuck” was saved by a sponsorship from Subway, which was became part of the fans’ ‘Save Chuck’ campaign.

But, in a shock to viewers and producers, both “Medium” and “My Name is Earl” get cancelled!

“Heroes” moves aside to let the new medical action-drama series “Trauma” take over its primetime schedule. Later in the midseason, the apocalyptic thriller “Day One” will replace “Trauma”.

NBC has had sinking ratings in the past three years, and a daily 10 p.m. slot by “Jay Leno Show” hopefully will improve the peacock network’s standing. Unfortunately, the daily nighttime comedy means there’s going to be a tighter schedule, and some shows were cut from the line. Most surprising is “Medium” and “My Name is Earl”!

I thought “Medium” and “Earl” had good following too, but apparently NBC co-chair Ben Silverman thought the shows had “an aging franchise, without a single fan letter, with no passion." Man, that’s harsh! But at least, CBS saved “Medium” so fans can still hop over the other network…

What do you think of this new shake-up at NBC? Does moving “Heroes” mean NBC still believes in the series or has the show begun to lose it’s grip with the powers-that-matter?

Image: NBC/Chris Haston

Milo Ventimiglia talks about the latest issue of “Berserker”, the first full-length comic book that DividePictures published with Top Cow.

“Berserker” is a very graphic and brutal series about Americans who seem to have inherited the Viking warriors’ abilities to have uncontrollable rage. Said Milo in an interview with Top Cow, the story of “Berserker” centers around two modern-day warring families that lead up to a huge battle called Ragnarok.

The first issue came out with a limited signed (by Milo) variant cover to support the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

Have you guys read “Berserker”?

Heroes episode 3.25 “An Invisible Thread”
Airdate: April 27, 2009

Tonight, Heroes ends its season with a showdown between heroes, and someone’s going down! Claire Bennet vowed that she will find a way to get Sylar killed. Will she do it? Can she? Matt Parkman warned that Nathan Petrelli is gone forever. What does that mean?

Next on Heroes, the season 3 finale “An Invisible Thread”. Here are some photos and trailers to keep us on the edge of our seat!

[Description]
[Promo Trailer- US] [Promo Trailer- Canada]
[Pictures]

Image: NBC/ Trae Patton

Heroes episode 3.25 “An Invisible Thread”
Airdate: April 27, 2009

The Canadian promo for Heroes season 3 finale reveals so much, so I need to warn you it’s full of spoilers!

Claire warns Sylar that he is going to die, but that only seem to provoke the pyscho-killer. Now an ‘epic battle’ pits Sylar against the Petrelli brothers… Angela Petrelli shouts a heartbreaking “NO!” and HRG mentions that “Nathan is gone forever.”

GASP!

Heroes episode 3.25 “An Invisible Thread”
Airdate: April 27, 2009

It’s the final showdown for Heroes! Next Monday, the final episode for the volume “Fugitives” pits the heroes against Sylar. Yet again! Sylar plans on becoming President and the Petrellis are bent on stopping him. The promo trailer showed Claire and Sylar sharing a moment, but that’s not gonna last once Sylar goes after Nathan and Peter. 

Meanwhile, Ando and Hiro are about to storm the Hunter’s lair in Building 26, and they’ll be surprised to find Mohinder victimized.

The photos below show a little bit of spoilers, so we can start talking about what might be going on.

Sylar against the Petrellis. Claire and Peter seek refuge in what looks like a hotel or a nice house, but Sylar is right behind them. Peter seems to have a cut above his eyes, so Sylar must have gotten to him. Did Claire stop Sylar from sawing off Peter’s head? A very frightened Claire closes the door to hide from Sylar, but that’s not really going to help is it?

Maybe, the last photo shows what I think is about to happen.

Images: NBC/ Trae Patton

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Heroes episode 3.25 “An Invisible Thread”
Airdate: April 27, 2009

So, it’s back to the Sylar Wars again. He’s hungry for power and he wants it all. Sylar is now hell-bent on becoming President, and the heroes must stop him. But how do you kill an immortal like Sylar? Arthur Petrelli would have come in handy, to absorb his powers. Oh, wait. Sylar already killed him.

And, it’s up to the Petrelli clan to stop a man like Sylar. But what can a flying man and power-copier/flying man do, really? Unless Peter absorbs Claire’s invisibility, or Claire gets the guts to fight another immortal like herself, the Petrellis are no match for the pyscho who has some serious self-esteem problems.

Meantime, there is still the Hunter, you know.  Who’s gonna stop him?

Watch the trailer and see if you can catch anything about how this season is going down.