A Lot About Nothing

Okay, I’m not referring to the well-known Bonnie Tyler classic. I’m talking about one of the best prime time shows ever aired: Heroes! I’m a big comic book/sci-fi fan… used to watch X-Men religiously every Saturday morning at 11am on Fox. When Tim Kring’s Heroes hit the airwaves last Fall, I didn’t know what to expect. I just hoped it would be 100% better than the dreadful Mutant X that came out back in 2001. I was wrong–it was a 1000% better! The show has got me hooked. All the characters are so interesting, and seeing newfound, super-human powers developed and used on the small screen by ordinary people is super-cool to watch.

There are obvious parallels between Heroes and X-Men (come on… how many unique über-cool powers can you come up with?), but Heroes relates to much more of the human-side of their characters as they struggle with their powers. It’s not all zip-zip, boom-boom (don’t get me wrong… I love action), but Heroes is almost like a soap opera in that way.

I can’t wait to pick up the DVD of season 1 tomorrow when it’s released. On Friday, August 31st, the Heroes World Tour hits Toronto. If you’re among the first 100 people to buy the Heroes Season 1 DVD at the Bay & Dundas location of Best Buy, you’ll get a wristband entitling you to have your DVD signed at the Heroes World Tour Fan Event at Yonge-Dundas Square on August 31 from 12pm - 2pm.

I can get the DVD set cheaper elsewhere (a legit copy of course), so there’s no way I’m going to shell out $50 at Best Buy. Am I going to head down to get an autograph? We’ll see. There’d be no question if I’d reach if Milo Ventimiglia (Peter) was going to show up (he’s a hottie ) But I probably will head down to Yonge-Dundas Square to check out the Q&A with the cast that will be hosted by Entertainment Tonight Canada’s Rick Rick Campanelli.

The cast members that will make an appearance in Toronto are Zachary Quinto (the evil Sylar), James Kyson Lee (Hiro’s sidekick, Ando), and musical child prodigy Noah Gray-Cabey (the adorable Micah). One of the newest cast members of Heroes is Dania Ramirez (Maya). She’ll also be signing autographs at the World Tour. You may have recognized her from The Sorpranos or X-Men: The Last Stand (she played Callisto).

Check out the official Heroes site for more info on the show and visit GlobalTV.com for info on the Toronto World Tour event.

Season 2 of the highly acclaimed show will air September 24th at 9pm. My PVR is ready!

And here’s a clip of the intro for the 90’s X-Men cartoon series… just for the heck of it.

I’m never in so much anticipation for a mini donut than I am come mid-August. That’s right, The Ex is in town once again, and yours truly had the joy of heading down for the opening festivities today.

Now in it’s 129th year, the Canadian National Exhibition once again brings loads of fun, food and entertainment to the entire family. Ferris wheels, midway games and roller coasters have kicked off at the Exhibition grounds in Toronto and will be there until September 3rd (Labour Day).

With over a million visitors each year, The Ex is sure to provide a wide selection of events for everyone. My visit today consisted of a trip to the Food Building (first and foremost of course). This large establishment is definitely not for the calorie-conscious… so make sure you eat a large, healthy breakfast before you leave your house, so you won’t be tempted to gorge out on fair food the entire day. I had myself a nice mixed veggie roti from one of the Caribbean booths in the multicultural Food Building and a mango bubble tea to wash it down. My cousin, who’s up visiting from Jamaica, got some tasty Chinese food. The Food Building is certainly one of a kind with over 90 vendors.

Of course I had to stop at the infamous Tiny Tom Donuts on the way out of the building. $4 for a dozen of the most delectable morsels of dough… you can’t go wrong! Then it was off to the Warehouse Outlet in the Direct Energy Centre to tackle some shopping. Boy was I glad that I went… I picked up the Scene It DVD game that I was looking for–70% less than the regular price! I also scored some nice deals on summer clothes from BlueNotes and Sirens (Bikini bottoms, 3 for $5!).

Nearby was The Farm which houses every farm animal imaginable, including some adorable piglets and chicks. Watching street performers the Aquarêves walk down Princes’ Boulevard was cool (I wish I knew how to skip and bounce with giant pogo sticks attached to my feet). The Canadian Forces Display was very interesting. I got a chance to put my head through an army tank and sit in the cockpit of a fighter plane! We passed through the midway, being very good not to spend our hard-earned dollars trying to win a 5″ tall stuffed animal. I was tempted to purchase a deep-fried chocolate bar, but then I remembered how many calories and saturated fat I’d be consuming so I passed (and the fact that it cost $6). Also walked by the corndog stand, as much as I wanted one.

I wish I had more time (and energy) to visit the rest of the grounds, but there’s so much to see and do. Perhaps, next time I visit I’ll tackle climbing the rock wall they have up, or try my luck at the Casino. I’d also like to see the International Air Show. I’ll be back for sure before Summer comes to an end. After all I have to meet the stars from The Young and the Restless.

Make sure you visit on one of the 17 remaining days left this year. You won’t be disappointed. Tickets can be purchased online at the official site of The Ex, or on site for $14 (adult) $10 (children/senior). The gates are open from 10am to 10pm daily, with the exception of labour day (10am-7pm).