Lost: Ten Favorite Duos

Okay, again I am kind of stealing another's idea, but oh well. I read on Entertainment Weekly some time ago a top ten list, because they've got a bunch, of the best Lost duos. It seemed to be a list of the pairings of two specific characters whose chemistry just really clicked. Some of their choices worked for me. Some did not. Some of the reasons for the choices worked for me. Some reasons did not. I will give you my favorite duos and my reasons, which pairs really clicked with me. So we begin.

10. Sayid and Danielle

Though they didn't meet on the best of terms (then again we met all of the original characters as they escaped the exploding wreckage of a plane crash), Sayid and Danielle became pretty well working allies. Their first meeting was chockful of irony, as the expert military interrogator is captured and interrogated by an insane French chick. However, Danielle began to trust Sayid to some degree and was especially pleased with him when he used his whiz kid skills to fix her music box. In that one episode these two torture, threaten, accuse, help, open their hearts to, and eventually make peace with one another, and from there on out I liked it when these two worked together. They had good chemistry I thought. Most of Sayid's family was killed by the very army he aligned with; Danielle was betrayed by and forced to kill her "infected" partners and husband. Sayid was looking for his long lost love Nadia; Danielle was looking for her abducted daughter Alex. They were both battle hardened survivors who had softer, vulnerable sides. It was nice seeing these two work as partners in their mutual battles on the Island. It ended sadly when Danielle was abruptly killed by Martin Keamy...along with Karl.

9. Jack and Juliet

A lot of people responded very well to the unexpected love between Sawyer and Juliet in season 5, I did too eventually. But still I felt they didn't make enough time for it, they show the relationship beginning and then cut to three years later where they are madly in love. It was cute and touching, and in the S5 finale and from that point on it was really emotional. But somehow I was fooled into thinking the Jack and Juliet relationship that had a full season and half of the next season to develop would have worked. I liked that Jack started out as hating Juliet, his captor. He even tried to kill her a few times; and she didn't exactly scream trustworthy either. But Jack slowly learned that Juliet was a prisoner like him. When it seemed as if she was abandoned by her people, Jack brought Juliet with him, watched out for her and stood up for her. I liked how they acted as partners in their war against Ben. Jack kissed Juliet on two occasions. The first was a somewhat quick, "if we don't see each other again" kiss that caught me off guard. The second was when Juliet was made very vulnerable by how dangerous and manipulative Ben could be toward her. She expressed her worry for Jack. Jack then kissed her more passionately, assuring that he won't let anything happen to her. She later remarks to Kate that it was nice, but she knew Jack was only trying to deny his feelings for Kate. That was sad. I thought that they had a pretty good bond and I always thought that Jack's will they-won't they romance with Kate, while good, was a bit too obvious. Oh well, Suliet was still satisfying.

8. Locke and Eko

The two men of faith together at last. Will they solve the mysteries of the Island? Will Eko see visceral apparitions of his long dead brother? Will he later be smited by Smokie? Will Locke be turned off of faith? Will he have himself a near apocalyptic poutfest? Yes to all. The two men of faith weren't as similar in ideology as they first appeared to be. Though Locke was in the position of bringing Eko up to speed on all things important, Eko was also unfortunate to catch Locke at a point where his faith is being tested. Eko has the same problem but shows more determination to fix it than Locke. When Locke's faith is jeopardized, he becomes angry and destructive. When Eko's faith is jeopardized, he seeks to reclaim it with servitude to the Hatch. These two men needed each other not to join forces to fulfill a journey, but to find out who they are supposed to be. Eko realized by following Locke that he is meant to instill meaning and continue what Locke didn't finish. Locke realized that he was supposed to keep his faith and continue his search for destiny. Had it not been for Eko's sacrifices, Locke would never have continued his Island adventures. It was intense and exciting to see these two men very similar in a relationship that very much like Locke's relationship to Jack. Locke learned though, like Jack would one day learn, that when you are at your worst someone needs to step in to help you find your way.

7. Jacob and The Man in Black

We get a Cain and Abel brotherhood story that morphs itself into a God and Devil type conflict. I really enjoyed seeing the scenes between Jacob and his dark brother. When they were both shrouded in the mystic and the mysterious, they behaved a lot like I thought God and Lucifer may act. They are bound to participate in a seemingly endless battle, where they can occasionally get together and hint at their shadowy plans. It was fun. Than we saw their origin, where they were loving and loyal siblings. They were soon divided by different ideas about their "mother" as well as their ideas about people and the world. Eventually The Man in Black committed a grave and impulsive betrayal/retribution that Jacob impulsively reacted by tossing his brother into the one place no one should be tossed into. The Source of the world and humanity's essesence. It turned The Man in Black into a Monster, a supernatural entity that haunts the Island and has the same goal as his human self: escaping the Island. I liked the epic quarrel between these two. I really loved how they were both introduced like they were just two guys sitting on a beach talking to each other. Than all of a sudden MIB states his intention to kill Jacob. It was a brotherhood that turned into a rivalry that turned into an epic game in which the fate of the world rested in the hands of the winner. Fortunately, Jacob made this game so damn complicated that before his evil brother could figure it out a spinal surgeon and a fugitive turned mom managed to kill him. Their duo was especially dynamic.

6. Rose and Bernard

Rose has always been the biggest voice of reason among the castaways, but she really opened up when she got her husband Bernard back. Rose is bound to the Island due to the Island having healed her of cancer, which also binds Bernard, who had been trying to do that himself. They make for the show's second best couple in my opinion. And surprisingly they are only recently married when we first meet them. You'd figure they'd been together for ages (though it seems as if they have been). They really shine after the Island starts jumping through time and they are seperated from everyone else. They live out in the jungle for three years and remain in peace. I liked the fact that someone was just enjoying what they had and not trying to get mixed up in all of the Island nonsense. These two provided the most genuine and wise reaction to the exploits of our heroes: "It's always something with you people." Indeed it is, Rose. Rose and Bernard are just great.

5. Desmond and Penny

If I had to rank the show's best romance, Desmond and Penny would be #1. They still get props as being characters who work well together. For the most part we are with Desmond as he tries to get back to Penny, and in flashbacks we see how he screwed up his relationship to her. But this was a couple we wanted more than anything to be together so they could really be A couple. While their relationship went from sweet to tumultuous in the flashbacks, they were extremely touching and beautiful in the present. That feeling doesn't fade at all once they reunite after three years, spend another three years together, marry and have a son. As parents and fugitives from Penny's father, they make an excellant and effective couple that work together as a team, no each other like the back of their own hands, and love each other more than anything. Who doesn't adore Desmond and Penny?

4. Kate and Sawyer

Once again, Jack and Kate have always had good chemistry and I've always liked seeing them together (you know when Jack isn't bossing her around so she can just defy him later), but I never thought that their chemistry was better than the electricity she had with Sawyer. They do have a lot in common: they both have tragic memories of their parents, they are both intelligent and dangerous criminals, and they both found the perfect hiding place in the Island. Throughout season 1, the love-hate relationship between the two was very witty and fun. When their feelings ran deeper for each other, they became even better. Not only were they sly rogues but they were friends who looked out for each other. Of course it was also fun when they got serious too. Gotta say, even though it was probably the worst time or place to do it, the steamy bear cage love making was very sexy, along with just about every time they kiss. Speaking of which, Sawyer kissing Kate before he jumped out of the helicopter was probably one of the best ever. It seemed like one a man would reserve only for the time when he is about to die. It was very sad. Maybe this passionate duo couldn't hold their own in the blindsiding world of Lost, but it was still one of my favorites. Just goes to show that what we want to be isn't always what is supposed to be.

3. Locke and Ben

Again these two are so similar: Both born premature to a mother named Emily, both repressed and beaten down by the world practically since birth, both chosen for great things at early ages, both drawn to the Island where they believe their destinies wait, both inevitably fooled by the show's most malevolent villain. But more importantly, these two are just awesome to see duking it out. It's a great game of wits and oneupsmanship (word?). Whether it's Ben toying with Locke's head while also fearing his link to the Island, or Locke calling out Ben's transparency and powerlessness while also needing his knowledge, it makes for a great war. They are two anti-heroes who have battled each other, fought together, and discovered new things about themselves in the middle of it all. It all came to a head when Ben manipulated a very vulnerable Locke for the last time and then killed him. Very sad that Locke, a man no one really cared about despite his importance, was only truly respected after his death. And also sad that Ben, a man who lost everything in pursuit of one purpose, realized too late that everything he did only made him bad and despised.

2. Hurley and anyone

Everybody loves Hurley is the main theory. Who couldn't? Even if they don't like him at first, they lighten up to him. The laidback lug can find a way to connect with anyone through his friendliness. He became best friends with Charlie, who seemed to be using him at first, over time and were both deeply saddened when they realized at different points that they'd never see each other again. When people like Ana Lucia or Juliet are immediately outcast by his friends, Hurley usually sits down and talks to them. People like Sawyer and Miles first look on him as easy prey, but after awhile take on a certain responsibility to him once they see him as an ally and friend. I liked that he and Sayid were the first to be friends; he continued protecting Hurley throughout the series. And who could forget Libby, that was always sweet. Hurley was even able to almost instantly forgive her killer, Michael, another former friend. Then there are the two crowning relationships: Jack and Ben. Jack and Hurley were loyal friends since they first met, they began the show as loyal partners and ended the show as loyal partners. Though Hurley didn't trust Ben like everyone else, he still showed enough compassion to share a candy bar with the diabolical mastermind. I guess Hurley later saw Ben's redemptive side when the former villain risked his life to save Hurley from a falling tree. The scene where the newly appointed Island Protector Hurley appoints Ben as his right hand man and we are led to believe they were friends who probably kept the Island safe for centuries after that. So yeah, if anyone needs a best friend, look no further than Hurley.

1. Jack and Locke

I know I stole this from EW, but they kind of have it right. I don't think any other two had an even greater dynamic that resonated with the entire show and was always exciting to see. It's man of science vs. man of faith and it is always awesome. The quarrel between these two was a powder keg for each season that would explode eventually. The very polarized actions of these two would often direct philosophies, plot threads, and sometimes even the entire show. On one hand we have the mostly sensible Jack, who tries to deal with things logically, though it's frustrating when he does that with the things that have no chance of being logical. And then there's Locke, who tries to discover the very obvious mystery of the Island, while really not considering the lives and destinies that he jeopardizes with his quest. They resented each other, pitied each other, often hated each other, and Jack even tried to kill Locke once. But Jack also saw my point in that he only learned to appreciate Locke after the man had died (it is although a little surprising to me that Locke's death prompted Jack to nearly kill himself). The real sadness, which I think Locke shared, was that these two never teamed up. If they could just agree and stop bitching at each other, they probably could have worked together taken control of the Others, found out what The Monster was, kill it, and save the Island. It would have been a partnership for the ages, Jack and Locke side by side. Jack might make a better Island Protector, and I think Locke would be a badass advisor and leader of The Others. But these are two of the most tragic and flawed men the show has presented and there really was no realistic way they could have ended things well between these two. Too bad. But the time in which these two were fighting for leadership or just plain being right, was some of the best moments of Lost.

So those were favorite duos. Hope you've enjoyed. More Lost to come from Your Modest Guru.

Toy Story 3 Review

"Now guys, we all knew this day was coming." - Woody

We all have a childhood (unless yours is horribly scarred by a confidence man named "Mr. Sawyer"), and in my childhood there was Toy Story. And it was awesome! It had colorful, lovable characters that had dimension and personality. It had computer generated imagry that was new and exciting for its time. It had a story that was not only fun, but compelling and sweet. It was a kids film at its finest, it began the long string of great movies from Pixar Animation, and few animated features can hold a candle to it to this day. But like most successful and marketable movies, a sequel had to come along. And it did, in the form of Toy Story 2. Now I actually was able to go to the theatre to see this when I was about six or seven and it was great too. Just as fun, just as lovable, and just as personal. That was around 1999. Rumors of a third Toy Story were floating around throughout the eleven years of thinking another would never come along. But surely enough, just recently in 2010, Toy Story 3 has come to theatres again. And I just got back from it.

Though I had my doubts when I first heard another TS was in the works, I couldn't help but smile whenever I saw promos for the film. Thankfully I was able to see it and I don't think I would've forgiven myself if I hadn't. Even if the film was going to suck, I was personally obligated to watch this movie on a towering screen in dark room with a bag of popcorn and a Coke in my hands. I did all of that, and in 3-D too. Did Toy Story 3 let me down? Hell no! It's the best movie I've seen in awhile and the last movie I saw in theatres was Iron Man 2 months ago. But yeah, I had no idea how tight my bond with these characters still was until the beginning scenes (and you'll know what I'm talking about). It has been one of the most lovely animated experiences I've had in awhile and probably one of Pixar's best.

After the really touching scenes of child Andy living out his fantasies with his toys, who joyfully play along, we flashfoward to when Andy is a seventeen-year old going off to college. The toys (Woody, Buzz, Jessie and Bullseye, Rex, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, Slinky, Ham, and Barbie) haven't been played with in years. They all feel like they will never be loved or played with again and are prepared to let go of Andy as he seems to have let go of them, all except Woody of course. After a series of unfortunate events, almost all of the toys are accidentally sent to the Sunnyside Daycare Center. At first it seems like heaven: a perfect little home where kids will play with them for ages and they can interact with new and interesting toys. A place where they will always be loved and cherished. But it quickly turns out that the kids are too young and their idea of play is the toys' idea of a massacre. Not only that but the local toys aren't as friendly as they seem. So, being the only one who didn't stay to get trapped, Woody embarks on a quest to save his friends and get them all back to Andy before he leaves for college. And trust me, you will be reeled into this plot. It's too fun, sweet, and very often suspenseful to not get into.

Many of my online sources have called this movie "epic" and I agree after watching it. It is an epic movie. One of the best of the year, if not THE best so far (still holding out for Inception). There are scenes in here that call back to two previous films and every one is not the least bit subtle but are still funny and touching. You'll hear the Little Green Men talking about "THE CLAW" quite often and every time they do you will no doubt chuckle or at the very least smile. The opening scenes once again are the biggest and best call back scenes of all though. If you aren't brought back to the time when you were little and watching the first movie or when you were younger and watching it with your kids there must be something wrong. As for the suspense, it had as much if not more suspense than the other two. That place wasn't Sunnyside Daycare, it was Shawshank Prison for toys. It might as well have been a house of little Sids. The toys are brutalized so bad by these kids it almost makes you cringe and be ashamed of the time when you were that age and so careless. In the past there have been sole villains for the Toy Story movies, but now we have a Legion of Doom of toys, they can be found in the highrise vending machine. Most movies I can read and see the bright and shining exit sign for the characters, but not in this one. There is a point where I was afraid the toys weren't going to survive this movie (just watch out for the fires of miniature Mordor). It is intense and I liked it. There is nothing worse than a kids movie that talks down to children like they were nothing but ignorant children. Disney and Pixar very rarely do that, they prefer to treat children like responsible kids. Their movies can break our hearts in one moment and lift our spirits in the next. Toy Story 3, and 2, and the first are movies like that. If you aren't in tears or choking up by the end of this movie you don't have your heart in it.

Now for the technical passage. The effects were done as well as ever. They kept the original designs and added a fresh and wild world of modern CGI around them. It's safe to say all our favorite characters look just as they did in the 1995 original. If anything was touched up a bit it was the effects on the "people" people. As far as voice acting goes, it was just as great as it has always been. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen make Sheriff Woody and Buzz Lightyear practically live and breathe. Few characters have been better fit together. All of the other actors make their character just as lively as ever. The one exception may be Joan Cusack as Jessie, who I never have thought was all that great. We have two new star actors in voice roles here, Ned Beatty as the shifty Care Bear reject Lotso and Michael Keaton as the feminine but repressed Ken doll. Both are great actors and fit perfectly into these roles. You can spot Lotso's true intentions just based on the fact that he's voiced by Ned Beatty. You know, Ned "Squeal like a pig!" "YOU HAVE MEDDLED WITH THE PRIMAL FORCES OF NATURE!" Beatty. Yeah, let's not trust him. So yeah animation and voice actors are pretty much top notch like the rest of this movie.

In closing, Toy Story 3 is a wonderful film. If you have the misconception that this is a movie just for little kids, you are very wrong. I'd recommend this movie for people aged 1 to 80. It is a delight, a fun ride, and a bittersweet end to a part of our childhoods. Odd that this is the second beloved group of characters I've had to say goodbye to this year, after Lost. Funny when fictional characters become like old friends who one day you'll have to part ways with hugs and handshakes and fond farewells. I had Woody and Buzz Lightyear action figures for christ sake's. I think if this movie had one message it was that at some point we all have to grow up, let go, and move on, another slight Lost parallel. I was two when I saw the first Toy Story and today I am sixteen watching the last Toy Story. Saying goodbye is never a good thing, but it has to happen. Finally, I will say go out and see Toy Story 3 as soon as you can. If I'm right, you won't be disappointed.

This has been a bit of a nostalgic review from Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading.

Perez Hilton = Nemesis

Before I begin I could justify my subject's actions by using a line from my favorite character from Lost, John Locke: "Who are we to tell anyone what they can't do?"

Then again, since I, and hopefully any sound individual reading this will soon understand why I have a retort against my ultra wise television hero with: "If that thing keeps talking bad about me, I'm gonna fuckin' smash it!" A line from Leonard Church, another hero of mine from Red vs. Blue who coincidentally has an ongoing arc very similar to Locke's. That line basically sums up the feelings of the people the subject has wronged.

So what am I talkin' about, if you didn't catch the heading. Only a subject that I have felt the urge to speak up on since the beginning of my blog but always told myself not to. I am talking, of course, but my flamboyant, highly offensive, but infinitely more recognizable blogging rival Perez Hilton. Perez Hilton is one of the those bloggers who rose to fame in the media and is now found talking everywhere. I first paid attention to him during that whole Miss USA controversy, which I was on his side initially. I didn't really think much of him at first until I thought I'd do a little research. After all, I didn't really know any other bloggers I could take a lot notes from. What I found was less than flattering regarding Mr. Hilton. He's a pretty solid douchebag.

Granted he isn't a Rush Limbaugh, but he's not a good guy either. One of Hilton's main goals in his blogging efforts is to out the celebrities he "believes" or are rumoured to be homosexual. Hilton is a gay man himself, and believes that closeted people keep the gay community from gaining further recognition. In this sense, he feels the personal feelings of the people he tries to out in pursuit of making the homosexuals all over the world more open. The end does not justify the means, naturally. Tom Cruise is one of his targets. How very cliche. Actor Neil Patrick Harris did come out of the closet after Hilton's relentless tirade against him. The same thing also happened with singer Lance Bass. He and Dick Cheney should hang out, I mean he seems like the only gay man Cheney would try to make a good impression on rather than snarling and burning a cigar out in his arm like everyone else. I may not go to rallies or anything, but I am in favor of same sex marriage and don't have any objection against homosexuals or lesbians in general. I would hate for someone to judge who I choose to love. But I would also hate it for someone to invade my private life to find out who I choose to love. Mostly because I think most people would be surprised by the answers. Though I do often ask myself how I can oggle women like Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Lopez and then do the same to Nancy Pelosi of the White House. I don't know, maybe it was that appalled, "NOM, NOM, NOM" gaze she gave to the politician who shouted "You Lie!" to Obama that one time. Guess I do like a woman who doesn't feel the need to keep her emotions close to her chest just as much as I like a woman who has A chest. Wow. I think I have totally altered my readers' opinion of me just by writing this. Ahh, I don't care. Nancy Pelosi = Yum, yum! I'll just further distract you with more of Perez Hilton's douchebaggery.

Awhile ago, Perez Hilton had bad blood with singer Stacy Ferguson, who wrote a song, "Pedestal" that is allegedly about and arguementive toward him. He didn't take kindly to this (oh but who could argue with those abs of hers.) and he backlashed against her with hurtful comments. Fergie's former musical partner and friend, will i. am later approached Hilton to talk to him about this. A pissy Hilton called the otherwise peace bearing Mr. am a "faggot" (yeah, one to talk). A nearby person, either a fan or friend of will i. am's, attacked Hilton. During the ensuing chaos, Hilton managed to get on Twitter and tell people about it instead of, oh I don't know, calling the police. I also guess Hilton didn't know that people could assualt others physically and not just verbally; silly little man. He later said that during his confrontation with will i. am that he thought he should have called him a "nigger" instead of a faggot. Classy man, huh? Being a Latin American, homosexual man who frequently claims he is helping the gay community (a community that even more frequently shuns him for his actions), Hilton really is hypocritical.

Even worse than being a douchebag, Perez Hilton is a frequently stupid and/or inaccurate writer. During the time when Fidel Castro was getting ill and his brother was even taking over his position temporarily, Hilton claimed on his blog that Castro had died of his sickness. Not only that, but Hilton also claimed he was the only one in America, if not the world, to have gotten the information. Yes, I'm sure the Cubans immediate choice to alert of Castro's death would be none other than Perez Hilton. Of course Castro wasn't dead, and he soon recovered from his illness. This still is not really a good thing as Castro is a communist dictator. The point is Hilton was very, very wrong. Now in a case where being wrong is not the point as much as being horribly offensive, Hilton had something to say about another very recognizable figure who had gotten ill. Michael Jackson. Hilton claimed that the illness was nothing more than a publicity stunt fabricated by the King of Pop. But you better fucking believe Hilton was deleting that post when he heard Michael went into cardiac arrest. Of course he was too late and was already getting a lot of heat for what he had said. One such backlasher was another muscian, Pete Wentz of Fallout Boy. So yeah, add stupid to Perez' laundry list of flaws.

But what has really sparked me into finally writing out my built up disdain for Hilton? As I have heard, pop star Miley Cyrus, aged seventeen, had a very embarrassing photo taken of her. To be blunt, an upskirt shot of her vagina. Jesus, do paparazzi try their best to go as far as possible; they've already killed Princess Diana, got Sean Penn, Marlon Brando, and Woody Harrelson to raise fists, and drove Britney Spears to near insanity. But you wouldn't guess who got a hold of those photos and immediately posted it on his blog for all to see. Yeah, you know who. A short time ago, Miley Cyrus, while all for same sex marriage and other good stuff, obviously did not like the way Perez Hilton did things; I think Hilton wronged the music industry in some way because a lot of singers and musicians don't like him. Hilton whined like a little bitch once agian, leaving the much younger Cyrus to resolve the situation and try to make amends. So I guess this recent indecency is a nice little "fuck you" to the young star. Hilton has done stuff like this with other celebrities (altered topless photos of Jennifer Aniston; a Colin Farrell sex tape) but this is too fucking far. Miley Cyrus is a seventeen year old girl, a star loved by millions across the country and it seems Perez Hilton didn't even bat an eye before posting something that will no doubt victimize the poor girl in one way or another. Hilton has removed the photo from his blog, but was less than apologetic in the aftermath. He claimed not only that he felt it wasn't wrong for photos like this to be taken, but since Miley Cyrus is "almost eighteen" she should be as revealing as possible, even to the point where he suggests she should expose her breasts at some point. Yeah, you heard right. Once again this is a girl who is still technically a child. This could be seen as pedophilic. All I can say is shame on you, Perez, you creepy little fuck. You are a monster. You are a cold, inconsiderate, insensitive monster. And if you were right here, right now, I would go will i. am fan times ten on you.

This is disgust that has built up quickly over time and after hearing about this Miley Cyrus thing I had to get it off of my chest. Perez Hilton is a blight in so many ways. Still I cannot and will not try to escape the fact that, despite my dislike or even hatred of him, I share his flaws. I often gossip here and there about the media and entertainment, and have done so in a derogatory fashion. In my defense I will say I am usually derogatory when it comes to someone within the media or entertainment acting in ways such as Perez Hilton. I also have admitted before that I am not a very smart blogger; I don't always have my facts straight and strive only to at least make a gist of what I am talking about. Hilton may be an even smarter blogger than me, but I do think I am much more compassionate than he is. I also suffer from selfishness like him in one way, but not in as big a way. I am selfish in that I have the delusion of me and Hilton, as bloggers of similar things, being rivals. It's something I feel compelled to believe in. So yes, while my actions are not always good, I can at least say I'm a lot better than Perez Hilton. You know I hope by some miracle he finds my blog. I hope he tries to retort. I hope the conflict I have been dreaming draws near and I can go up against my rival in the world of bullshit blogs. Only time will tell.

Waiting patiently, this has been a declaration of war from Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading.

Summing Up Heroes Characters

Well Heroes has been denied another season after the last mediocre one, so that little journey ended right along side Lost and Dollhouse. But let's take a look back at the characters of the show and their very flawed traits. This is another issue of Sum Ups.

1. Peter Petrelli

A former hospice nurse who discovers he has the ability to mimic other peoples' powers. I've gotta say, in the end Peter was the only real hero on the show Heroes. I mean he has his obvious personal problems that he tries to deal with, but also he is the only one who can deal with those problems while going out and saving people. No one else on the show had as much initiative to save others like Peter, they were all just too easily distracted or stupid. Oh Peter, why couldn't the rest be as badass as you?

2. Hiro Nakamura

The nerdy Japanese cubicle worker who discovers he has the very confusing and limited ability to control space and time. Next to Claire, Hiro was kind of the poster boy for Heroes. He was a comic book obsessed, geeky, and often childlike young man with big dreams of saving the world. Unfortunately those dreams that were very well into his reach were always overshadowed when he decided to go on roadtrips with his buddy Ando, accidentally time travel to an upcoming plot point, or go on supposedly important missions that just end up wasting time. Seriously, Hiro has as much control over his time travel powers as the raiders had over the Lost Ark. Also he is just stupid. Sure there are moments when he seems like he's growing up and learning, but due to inconsistant writing, he never learns from his mistakes and is always incompetent. One of the last examples of the stupid things that happen to Hiro: a kinda-sorta telepathic person tries to alter Hiro's mind so that he will be on the side of evil. What happens though? Hiro instead had his mind scrambled so that he would only speak and act in a hyper fanboy way, meaning Hiro would say random things like "there can be only one," call his best friend "Robin," a mental asylum "Arkham," and the villain "insert comic villian name here." To the telepath with confusing powers who tried to turn Hiro to the dark side I ask: HOW DO YOU FUCK UP THAT BAD!!!

3. Claire Bennett

Like most of the characters, I started off really liking Claire. She was a rural teenage cheerleader who was deeply troubled by her powers of invincibility and healing. This made her character nuanced and interesting. There even times when she showed true heroism and bravery. Then, like most of the characters, her motives and wants became confused and illogical. Claire went from wanting to live a normal life to accepting who she is and wanting to be a hero back to wanting a normal life and again and again and again. I'm not even sure where she was last we left her. And her idealism wasn't the only thing left in question at the end. They really tried to make her possible bisexuality near the end as ambiguous as possible. Just say yes or no, Heroes.

4. Gabriel "Sylar" Gray

The one character who keeps you interested even when he is being illogical or confusing. Sylar began as the show's primary boogieman villain. His main power is intuitive aptitude (meaning he can figure things out very easily, idk) but his main function is finding people with powers, killing them, cutting open their skulls, and doing...something to their brain so that he can steal powers. With this element, Sylar is usually the most dangerous character. Sylar has a streak Ben Linus later adopts, except when Ben adopts it he remains consistant. There are times when Sylar is either easily manipulated (season 3) or randomly disillusioned with his actions (final season) so that he tries to be a good person. The first time he looked as if he was seriously on the path to being a hero, but then he realized he'd been fooled (where was your intuitive aptitude then) and went back to slicing heads. Then finally near the abrupt end of the show Sylar realized he'd grown tired of causing so much pain and suffering and wanted to be a good person. Honestly, I could accept Sylar as either villain or hero. As a villain he plays cold and sadistic very well; he's a villain you absolutely love to hate. As a hero you can hear the regret and newfound kindness in his voice, you want him to stay this way but at the same time if he does we lose out on the show's best bad guy. I think I best liked him, surprisingly, when Peter timetraveled to the future and found that Sylar had repressed his psychotic urges and was now a single, stay at home dad. That was nice. Guess we'll never know what will become of this indecisive man in black.

5. Nathan Petrelli

He is the politican with the power of flight, he is also Peter's brother and Claire's biological father. I felt about Nathan kind of the same way I felt about Jack Shepherd from Lost. I had a love-hate relationship with his character, constantly going back and forth between really liking him to being extremely frustrated with him. Nathan ended up with a lot of the same problems as Sylar. His ideals were often changed very easily. He went back and forth pursuing very righteous and noble causes to being very faschist like and corrupt. In the end, well sorta, he gets John Locked. When he and his brother reconcile and go up against the then insane Sylar, tragedy occurs. Peter is thrown away from the fight, leaving only Sylar and Nathan. But of course Nathan is no match, allowing Sylar to slit his throat. Sylar is later taken down by Peter, but the majority of the characters don't know where Nathan is. Nathan's anti-hero mother Angela and Noah Bennett manage to convince telepathic Matt Parkman to remove the unconscious Sylar's mind from his body and replace it with Nathan's. With this new mind and a shape shifting ability he picked up, Sylar is theoretically erased and convinced that he is Nathan Petrelli = so the Heroes main bad guy now looks like an important heroic figure. In the final season, Sylar does make his way back to his body, leading Peter to try to finally erase Sylar and get his brother back. He almost succeeds, but Nathan doesn't want to fight to keep Sylar suppressed and lets the last bit of himself die. It was a sad end to a character I felt a lot for in the end.

6. Noah Bennett

An agent working for a company that monitors and/or detains people with super powers so as to protect them and the rest of the world. Noah is also the adoptive father of Claire who does everything in his power to protect her from...well just about everything. I grew to like Noah a lot over the course of Heroes. Sure, I mean, he never tells anyone the truth when him doing so wouldn't even have that many reprecussions, but he's still a good character. He always means well, but he's just too violent. But they really fuck up his backstory near the end of the last season. It's actually the second backstory, the first one was in the first season showing him being hired by The Company, his work alongside a superpowered agent, his attempts to keep his true identity secret from his family, and ensuing betrayals in the line of duty. That was a good episode and a good backstory. This is the REAL backstory they thought had to be added: Noah started out as a playwright/car salesman with a loving wife and a baby on the way. Wifey is killed along with the baby when they are robbed by a telekinetic thug. Noah goes out seeking revenge and ends up killing a dangerous superhuman (but never the one who killed his wife I guess) and that was what got the Company's attention to him. Wow...that's pretty bad, Heroes.

7. Matt Parkman

Matt Parkman was kind of like Peter for awhile, a man who could really do stuff with his powers. A police officer, having telepathy was probably a valuable asset for Matt. He can tell what a criminal is thinking and know whether they are innocent or guilty. But like Hiro, they don't do much with these powers. Matt does have his crowning mometns of heroism though. He was the one who tried to remove Sylar's mind from his body and replace it with Nathan's. This ended up leaving the deranged Sylar, Matt's nemesis since the show's start, inside of his own head. This allowed Sylar to take over his body and threaten his family and others. Not wanting any more deaths on his conscience or hands, Matt eventually does tell Sylar where his body is, but is also able to cleverly double cross him by having Sylar alert the police (it's confusing). In this moment, Matt is prepared to sacrifice himself to kill Sylar by forcing the police to shoot his body which would kill them both. Of course they both survive though, because Heroes couldn't very well do something like kill two main characters in one episode because what other show would do that (coughSayidcoughSuncoughJincough). Oh Matt, why couldn't you have had more to do.

8. Mohinder Suresh

A well intentioned, but frankly boring scientist from India who basically fills the role of intelligent-brown skinned man that Lost made popular. Mohinder instigates a lot of what happens in the Heroes saga by trying to take up his dead father's research and find people with superpowers. He even eventually gets superpowers himself, having increased strength, speed and agility by using a formula that gives people powers. This formula also turned people and even himself into grotesque freaks, but of course he was cured of that. So near the end of the show what did he have to do: he argued with his girlfriend, tried to burn a film, got stuck in a mental asylum, and fixed a compass. Riveting.

9. Nikki Sanders/Tracey Strauss

The two hot identical twins who never got a chance to meet each other. Nikki was first introduced and I thought she was an interesting, cool, and emotion investing person. Her main motive was to protect her family with her superhuman strength, but she unfortunately had a split personality of a sister she did know named Jessica who did various psychotic things that really made no sense. Just as Nikki was furthering her path of redemption she gets killed and we are introduced to her long lost twin Tracey, a political advisor/political whore/controller of ice who we really don't care about. In the final season, Tracey is mainly used as a deus ex machina who shows up whenever Noah Bennett needs her help. Pretty disappointing.

So that's the main round up of Heroes. I hoped they didn't confuse you too much. I kept up with Heroes and they confused the hell out of me. But that didn't mean they didn't have their good moments. They were all played by pretty solid actors and the characters were good, so I mostly just blame the writing that got progressively dumber as the show went on.

This has been more TV shit from Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading.

Goodbye Coleman and Hopper

Within the last few weeks we've lost very memorable celebrity faces. Former childstar Gary Coleman died of an epidural hematoma on May 26, and actor Dennis Hopper died prostate cancer on the 29th. My heart goes out to their families.

Now I, and most everyone, mainly know Gary Coleman from the 1980s sitcom Different Strokes, a show I never watched unfortunately. But really, you didn't have to watch the show to know Coleman's unforgettable pop culture imbued (right word?) catchphrase: "What you talkin' 'bout, Willis?" Few people have not used a variation of that catchphrase in the past. Although, it begs the question as to whether or not we might find the epitaph on Gary Coleman's tombstone reading: "What you talkin' 'bout, Willis?" Still, because of his fine performance on Different Strokes, Coleman was labeled "one of TV's Most Promising Actors" in the 80s and even got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. However, Coleman's career after Different Strokes was not that great. I mean sure everyone knew who he was and he was a celebrity but there weren't that many people calling for Coleman as an actor, unless it was some kind of parody of his Different Strokes run. This gave way to a less than charmed life in which Coleman unsuccessfully ran for Governor of California (showing Californians may never be swayed by a short statured African American man, but there is never enough room for a large, muscle-bound, white Austrian) as well as having himself numerous legal issues: car wrecks, assualts, attempted suicides. Even with these problems, it's not like nobody liked Coleman. I thought he seemed cool whenever he made appearances. He may not have been that big of an actor, but a life is a life and Gary Coleman lost his and, with that said, my hat is off to him.

Now for a man I am a lot more familiar with. Dennis Hopper. Here's a guy I am even more saddened to have gone. Hopper had acted, directed, wrote, and produced for over forty years. Many probably remember him, especially from my homeland of Indiana, from the basketball film legend Hoosiers, in which he played the drunken but nevertheless basketball savvy Shooter. I'd only watched Hoosiers recently (so sue me) but I really did think Hopper was the film's best actor, even surpassing the powerhouse Gene Hackman. Hoosiers was good, but I most remember Dennis Hopper for his zany, wild, often intimidating roles. Roles like the hippie biker Billy in Easy Rider (which he also co-wrote and directed), the unstable Photojournalist from Apocalypse Now, the infamous psychopathic gangster Frank Booth from Blue Velvet, Rusty James and The Motorcycle Boy's disillusioned father in Rumble Fish, the very weird character of Feck from River's Edge, and the villainous Howard Payne from Speed. Most villains, all insane, all fun to watch. Recently he'd done voice acting in video games and such, as well as starring in the short-lived series Crash, spun off from the 2005 best picture winner. Also, in his last years, Hopper gained wide fame as a wonderful artist and photographer. Just a couple of months before his death, he had his own star put on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, neighboring the also deceased Gary Coleman. It was sad to hear of his death. He has always been a film favorite of mine and it's sad when anyone you like passes. Dennis Hopper was a cool, talented, and versatile celebrity with many years of work behind him and my hat is off to him as well.

May both of these men rest in peace. This has been another goodbye from Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading.