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Dilraj

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=8236154957222159794&postID=7619101998299198942

Saz:

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Anjali:

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Neelema:

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Kiran:

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Nathan Petrelli for Congress

http://www.votepetrelli.com/index.shtml

Memorable Quotes

• "Do not pull a Roger Clinton on me, man. I'm eight points down in the polls."
  Nathan (Genesis)
• "Yes, I know you! Nathan Petrelli. Election. You win! Very big win! Mud-o slide-o."
  Hiro
• "Two million dollars makes me a candidate in your pocket. Four million makes me a congressman."
  Nathan
• "I can offer you more than just information, Nathan. You're gonna win your election. I'll see to that. And two years from now, through a series of fluke circumstances, you will find yourself in the White House. A heartbeat away from the presidency. A life of meaning, Nathan. Think about it. The choice is yours."
  Mr. Linderman (Parasite)

Feminist critique of TV show "Heroes"

Some blog that i found.... essay on Heroes!!

For those unfamiliar with the show, it is about a group of everyday people who wake up to realize that they have special powers. In terms of mere content analysis, the men with special powers far outweigh the women with powers on the show. There are currently two women alive with superpowers (two have been killed) and there are eight men with powers. Only two main character “heroes” have been killed and both were women. The first, Charlie (Jayma Mays) had the ability to memorize and learn facts at astonishing rates, and though the male character Hiro tried to save her from being murdered, she ends up being the stereotypical female victim.
The show’s tagline, “Save the cheerleader, save the world,” refers to the character Claire, a high school cheerleader with the ultimate power of indestructibility. The show’s tagline alone posits Claire, even though she is arguably one of the show’s most powerful characters, as someone who needs to be saved. Women are often represented as either vulnerable or as victims and the show’s tagline heightens this notion. The “heroes” that band together to “save the cheerleader” are all male characters on the show. Yes, Claire may be the key to saving the world, but the fact that she holds one of the highest powers on the show begs the question of why she needs to be saved instead of doing the saving herself. Claire’s character is fraught with gender stereotypes. We first see Claire in the pilot through the screen of a handheld camera which “controls” her by making her captive to the small screen and also heightens the notion of her as an object for the male gaze (the camera is being operated by a male character, Zach). (Could refer to theorist Laura Mulvey) As a cheerleader she is almost always seen in her cheerleading uniform (short skirt with v-split and tight top) which puts her natural beauty at conflict with her unnatural power. Her objectification is most obvious in the opening sequence of the episode “Collision” where the show’s title is literally printed on her abdomen.While the male “heroes” are delighted with their new powers or generally feel blessed by them, Claire sees her new power as a curse; she is concerned with still appearing feminine and dainty and her power threatens that. When asked by Zach if she is being overdramatic, Claire responds emphatically, “No, I don’t think.” This sort of dialogue continues for Claire as she is portrayed as a mere object, incapable of real thought – her sole purpose, it seems, is to be “saved” by the other characters. When asked by one of the heroes, Peter, who comes to her rescue, “By saving you, did I save the world?” Claire frankly replies, “I don’t know. I’m just a cheerleader.”In a sense, Claire’s power is actually a disadvantage rather than a benefit. When the football captain Brody tries to rape her, and eventually pushes her down, he kills her, but Claire’s regenerative powers actually redeem Brody for his crime. Since she heals, he is not a murderer. Her power is of great benefit to everyone around her, but not to herself.The show’s use of female gender constructs is most obvious in the character Niki Sanders. Just like Claire, Niki is first introduced to the audience through the screen of a camera, (again portrayed through the "male gaze") but her “confined” appearance continues throughout the show. Niki is an internet stripper – she sells her image for money – who realizes that she has a split-personality that is unnaturally strong and murderous. Niki’s character represents woman’s double bind; she is punished both for being good and when she strays from cultural norms. Here, as a superhero she has the double identity, but her power is completely out of her hands (she blacks out and doesn’t remember what happens).Her violent personality is named Jessica, after her sister who died when Niki was young. Niki blacks out anytime she feels threatened or vulnerable and Jessica takes over, resulting in men with torn limbs and random sexual encounters. (Social wider contexts - schizophrenic) A later episode reveals that Niki has developed this split personality as a result of the abuse she suffered at the hands of her father; Jessica was created to protect her from the evils around her – this is a common comic book superheroine trait where women get their powers as a result of abuse or rape. One could argue that Niki is not even a superhero, just a woman with mental illness. Even her super-human strength is used only to protect or save her son, Micah, which could be argued as the phenomenon that sometimes occurs when women’s children are endangered.In order to portray Niki’s split-personality, she is often seen in mirrors (or otherwise reflected in water, glass and other means) showing that she is visually split and therefore not to be trusted. The mirror shots both represent her feminine self-absorbed narcissism and her duplicitous nature. (Niki is portrayed as vain and to have deceptive behaviour) The idea of her being visually split is constantly thrown in the audience’s face; we see her reflection in an elevator door with the line down the middle, in three-piece mirrors where her image is extended over the panels and in broken mirrors where she is fragmented into pieces. The mirrors also work to contain her threat and danger; it is when Jessica breaks free from containment of the mirror that she is real trouble to those around her.

This essay can go on forever...

http://the-new-f-word.blogspot.com/2006/12/feminist-critique-of-tv-show-heroes.html

"Shocking lack of women"

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=665854

A Forum where people have discussed the lack of women in Heroes. There only seems to be two main female characters, other than that there are very few female characters, and none at all who actually have any superpowers. "don't women get to evolve as fast as the mighty men in Hero-world?"

There is also the argument of the representation of woman, stereotypical blonde women, the teenager being a cheerleader.

The gender of superheroes tends to reflect the masculinity and femininity of the characters, as both female characters show more emotion, however characters such as Nathan Petrelli (who can fly) is portrayed as "touch" and powerful.

Cast Interview

Prime time...

Audience
Heroes is being aired at the 9pm watershed on BBC2, this is prime time for many adults and teenagers to watch TV. As it is being shown on a terrestrial channel, there are also more viewers.

However Heroes had previously been shown at 10pm, well after the watershed... Here there is the question raised of whether Heroes is suitable for children. The program often shows scenes of a sexual nature, and also gruesome scenes of blood and violence. Yet some parents are still allowing their children to watch it.

Distribution - audience

The (NBC owned) UK Sci-Fi channel has the Pay TV rights to air the show. And now the BBC have come in and bought the rights to show the first series on BBC2 straight after it has finished airing on Sci-Fi.
According to show creator Tim Kring, Heroes is mapped out for at least 5 seasons, so with NBC confirming it’s been picked up for at least 1 whole season, the show looks as though it could run for a few years. The series is filmed in Los Angeles and California and has so far generated very good ratings. The pilot attracted over 14 million viewers, the highest for an NBC drama in 5 years, a fact that was clearly realised by BBC2 bosses. Channel controller Roly Keating said “We’re really looking forward to bringing this innovative and compelling fantasy drama to a terrestrial television audience later next year.”

http://www.heroesrevealed.com/tag/bbc2

BBC Two puts its faith into Heroes

Review of BBC2 airing Heroes.

Heroes, the top-rating new series for the coveted 18 to 49 year old age group in America this season, is to be screened on BBC Two next year.

This epic drama, chronicling the lives of ordinary people who discover they possess extraordinary powers, has been licensed by the BBC from NBC Universal International Television Distribution.

As the number one new show of the season and one of the highest-rated programmes on US network television, Heroes currently pulls in 14.3 million viewers, with a 6.2 rating/15 share among Adults 18-49.

It has also been a critical success, with The Los Angeles Times describing it as "a cleverly naturalistic approach to a superhero story" (17.09.06) and the Associated Press saying: "Something fresh and skillfully executed, Heroes is like nothing else on TV" (22.09.06).

Sue Deeks, BBC Television's Head of Series, Programme Acquisition, secured the free terrestrial television rights to Heroes in the UK for the BBC.

She says: "Heroes is a fresh and imaginative take on the superhero theme and features amazing special effects – BBC Two is the perfect home for such an intriguing, intelligent and irresistible drama.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/11_november/23/heroes.shtml

Character map

http://www.heroesrevealed.com/stuff/heroes-character-map/

pretty useful...

Masculinity and Femininity...

The role of the masculine is to lead and the role of the feminine is to follow. When the masculine does not lead, the feminine will lead. The feminine will take charge in areas where the masculine does not take charge. The feminine may not like it but she will do so because someone has to do it. According to the law of conservation, whatever the masculine is meant to perform but doesn’t, the feminine will take over. It is the masculine that gives direction to the feminine. When a man does not play his role as a man for his woman, she will become her own man.
http://www.mindreality.com/relationship-between-masculine-and-feminine

Wonder Woman

The first widely recognizable female superhero is Wonder Woman, from All-American Publications, one of three companies that would merge to form DC Comics ...This article caught the attention of comics publisher Max Gaines, who hired Marston as an educational consultant for National Periodicals and All-American Publications, two of the companies that would merge to form the future DC Comics. At that time, Marston decided to develop a new superhero. In the early 1940s the DC line was dominated by superpowered male characters such as the Green Lantern, Batman, and its flagship character, Superman. According to the Fall 2001 issue of the Boston University alumni magazine, it was his wife Elizabeth's idea to create a female superhero:

William Moulton Marston, a psychologist already famous for inventing the polygraph (forerunner to the magic lasso), struck upon an idea for a new kind of superhero, one who would triumph not with fists or firepower, but with love. 'Fine,' said Elizabeth. 'But make her a woman.'

Claire

Claire saving a man from a fire, shows that although she a female, she is taking heroic actions, and is not the typical passive female character.

Hiro

First time Hiro teleports himself, and goes to New York, definately an important scene... as he discovers his own powers.

The Cast

Hayden Panettiere - Claire Bennet
Power - Healing/Regeneration

Masi Oka - Hiro Nakamura
Power - Time travel

Adrian Pasdar - Nathan Petrelli
Power - Flying

Milo Ventimiglia - Peter Petrelli
Power - Absorbing other peoples powers

Ali Larter - Niki Sanders
Power - Alter Ego

Santiago Cabrera - Isaac Mendez
Power - Paint the future

Zachary Quinto - Sylar
Villian

Sendhil Ramamurthy - Mohinder Suresh
Scientist

My opinion...

I generally do agree with this review, Heroes is a new and fresh program, with a new surprise in each episode, and the characters all being intertwined with each other makes it all the more enigmatic. However, I don’t actually like the idea of having more “action” its not Harry Potter, there’s no need for the characters to be humorous. And I don’t think Heroes is slow paced at all, if anything I would say the story line is moving too fast, there seem to be a loss of too many characters, some of which I was fond of… Can’t wait for season 2 though!

Heroes Review

Reviewed by Peter M. Bracke
Say hello to 'Heroes.' Ten ordinary people who are about to discover they have newfound extraordinary powers. There's Matt Parkman (Greg Grunberg), a Los Angeles police officer with the ability to hear other people's thoughts. Isaac Mendez (Santiago Cabrera), a New York artist who can "paint" future events during precognitive trances. Claire Bennet (Hayden Panettiere), a small-town high school cheerleader who has a spontaneous regenerative ability (aka, "Save the Cheerleader. Save the World!"). And the hopelessly optimistic Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka), a programmer from Tokyo with the ability to manipulate the space-time continuum -- and who is convinced that with other "special persons," he can be a hero and change the future.

The serial nature of television allows 'Heroes' great latitude to explore the complexities of its characters in a way that would be impossible for a theatrical feature. The benefit is that it's almost impossible not to become emotionally wedded to their otherworldly predicamentd, and to root for their survival. From the initial realization of their superpowers in the pilot, through the physical hardships that are by turns hilarious and harrowing in subsequent episodes, 'Heroes' arguably digs deeper into the inner lives of its protagonists than any other serial currently on television -- and certainly any comic book movie ever made. 'Heroes' is just as intricately plotted as 'Smallville,' but far less reliant on the soap opera melodrama that can often be so formulaic on that show. Without being limited to a single superhero to explore, 'Heroes' also has a far more expansive range of character notes to hit -- and it never fails to surprise.
If I have any reservations about the show, it's that it doesn't have any big, flashy comic book villains, nor much action. Not that I need a silly pro-wrestler in tights, or a repetitive monster-of-the-week structure each episode. But there are times when 'Heroes' becomes so self-absorbed in the anxieties of its characters that it forgets to have fun, and teeters on the brink of being downright morose. Of course, 'Heroes' will never be -- not should it be -- camp. But a bit more humor would be welcome... because, after all, this is a group of superheroes we're talking about, not investment bankers.
Regardless, 'Heroes' is certainly the most exciting new show on television. And for having only been on one season, it's remarkable how quickly it has made inroads into becoming a mainstream phenomenon. There are enough water-cooler moments that it's the kind of show you feel compelled to watch, if only not be left out.

'Heroes' is television's breakout hit of the year, and for my money, it's just about the only TV comic book series that's ever been any good. Sure, it can be a bit slow-paced at times, and sometimes the characters' unending neurosis get a bit tiresome. But this is still genuinely compelling television, and I certainly will be tuning in for season two.

How is the masculinity and femininity of characters portrayed in superheroes, with close reference to "Heroes"

Media Language – high key light creates a realistic effect
Costumes – characters do not wear typical superhero outfits e.g. the cape

Ideology – How women are portrayed as weaker or subordinate, main characters being male, and the president taking on the alpha male role.

Genre – superheroes – action – sci fi - fantasy (hasn’t got the typical love story)
Unlike other films/programs it does not have just one hero, as many of the characters have super powers.

Representation – Both men and woman, only two main female characters, however the main focus is on the “cheerleader.” However the masculinity is emphasised more in the male characters Peter Petrelli, who has powers such as flying, super strength, and can absorb other peoples powers. Propps theory has been used in the sense that there is a villain, however there is not just one hero.

Audience – 16 – 30 year olds as primary target audience, as heroes has many adult themes ( multiple personality) There may be more male viewers as the genre is superheroes appealing to them more.

Institution – Heroes was first aired in the USA on NBC, which is a large institution, created by Tim Kring.

Narrative – Heroes is a TV series, and does not really have a linear narrative structure, as at the end of each episode there is an enigmatic ending. There are also flashbacks, and characters go back in time, therefore it does not follow Todorovs narrative structure.

Social - deals with more contemporary issues such as Isaac who can paint the future, similar to “The man who predicted 9/11 – Nostradamus”
Double personalities – schizophrenic

Historical -

Economical – high budget program produced in the USA

Political – The role of the president, and corruption, e.g. when votes being changed in order to slant the win.