[Sci Fi Channel] "Who Wants To Be A Superhero?"

[trancejeremy]

Hah. Um, Trance, they very clearly overlay a sort of "picture in picture" when editing the show to remove the "flicker" effect.

I have no doubt the guys really are talking to Stan on a TV or monitor or on those blackberries, but they see the real thing, and WE see the cleaned up and overlayed picture in picture, which most likely has the PERFECT version of what Stan says (meaning its recorded sepratly from their live interactions to give it a more polished look).

Well, yeah, that was my point. I was replying to

nd I'm fairly suspicious about the likelyhood that they're having direct one-on-one conversations with Stan by closed-circuit TV, with Stan always using perfectly chosen words with never a stumble or moment of hesitation. Stan's eloquent, but he's not that flawless a speaker (nobody is). A lot of that's edited in.

Just too lazy to quote. I was trying to point out yeah, it looks like picture we see has been altered at least enough to clean up the flicker. Which means it could have been changed to clean up any gaffes as well.

 

[BrooklynKnight]

ah ok.

 

[Felon]

Spoiler

The fact that the contestants are aspiring actors/actresses actually makes the show better than what it could've been.

Despite being a reality show, the contestants still have to act like superheroes to an extent (which already differentiates it from most reality shows where there isn't really a set way that the contestants are "supposed to" act). I would imagine that there's not that many "real people" (i.e. non-actors) that can really do that, despite their belief to the contrary (similarly to how most auditioners for American Idol think they can sing but truly can't): most real people have an inate inability to constantly crack clever one-liners and act even somewhat superheroic, instead mumbling "Uh... I guess.", "Yeah.. whatever.", "Um... okay.", etc. and basically acting like their ordinary selves. There might be some exceptions to that rule, but not likely as many as would be believed.

And even if it's true that some of the contestants could be "plants" ala Iron Enforcer/Dark Enforcer, it may be a necessary evil for this particular show. It certainly doesn't make the show any less entertaining - in fact, their ability to at least act out undoubtedly makes it more entertaining than if most of the contestants constantly only said "Uh..." and such.

-G

I agree with all of this. Of course, I'm watching episode 3 and some of the "revelations" here are very entertaining.

And for those who do see it--is it just me, or does Lemuria's new costume expose more cleavage than it did last week?

 

[Felon]

OK, episode 3 is over now. So, does anyone still have the first episode available for review? Considering that Stan came down on Monkey Woman for stating that her occupation was "real estage agent", I'm curious to know what the stated occupations of the other characters were. I wonder if anyone identified themselves as actors? Of all the remaining superheroes, only Fat Momma has no screen credits (to my knowledge).

The real kicker here is that Monkey Woman could very well have been a real estate agent; aspiring actresses have to make a living somehow after all, and both are transient occupations for many people. I was really routing for her, so it's unfortunate to see her go.

I suppose it was more of a test to see who would break character. I suspect that the contestants were given the rules of the game in advance to the show's start, and those rules stated that they not disclose their real names while in costume.

Lemuria showed a bit of an ugly side, and that last comment of hers flaunting the fact that her act of self-sacrifice was a sham seems to clinch her eventual downfall. I think you can tell who's going to win by how their confessional comments are edited together. Stan doesn't want his newest superhero to be an unlikable boor, after all.

 

[Goodsport]

I also just finished watching Episode 3.

• When Stan Lee scolded the contestants that Superman and Spiderman would never reveal their true identities (or secret identities, as it were): Uh, Stan....

• It was funny to see the rooftop lady in distress screaming for help, for someone to hurry up and help her - only for her to then tell the contestants to "Take it slow" when they started crossing the beam toward her.

• It looks like Lumeria and Fat Momma are gonna square off at some point soon.

Next week: the contestants apparently meet real convicts.


-G

 

[trancejeremy]

Well, after watching ep. 3, I bet the Iron Enforcer is actually a stuntman (or something along that lines).

And is it me, or did Monkey Woman's eyebrows get bigger?

Anyway, for me, they ruined it because I missed the show in prime time, but watched it 1 am, and they showed a promo for next week's episode just before it. Which means I saw which heroes were around next week (and which weren't).

 

[Umbran]

Notice how they have "confessional scenes" where the characters are speaking in the present tense about events that clearly aren't taking any place near the confessional?

As is made rather clear in the third episode, there's frequently quite a bit of time between when a challenge is introduced, and when they actually go through it. If they do two challenges a day, that leaves most of the hero wannabes standing around most of the time doing nothing. They can do the interviews during that time.

 

[Felon]

• When Stan Lee scolded the contestants that Superman and Spiderman would never reveal their true identities (or secret identities, as it were): Uh, Stan....

Heh. I think it's becoming clear that Stan's notions about superhero tautologies are rather bogus. His breakthrough heroes, the Fantastic Four, were intentionally designed not to have secret identities. In fact, they weren't even intended to wear costumes (they are depicted in plain clothes on the famous cover to FF#1).

It was funny to see the rooftop lady in distress screaming for help, for someone to hurry up and help her - only for her to then tell the contestants to "Take it slow" when they started crossing the beam toward her.

I wasn't really sure what the point of having those twins was, what with the characters being blindfolded and sent downstairs while the whole gimmic was set up.

And is it me, or did Monkey Woman's eyebrows get bigger?

Lots and lots of makeup on her...even more slathered on Creature.

 

[Richards]

I missed episode 3 (I was away from home on a business trip, and we had a mandatory dinner that night), but thankfully, it looks like it'll be rerun on Sunday night. I need my wannabe-superhero fix!

Johnathan

 

[Tuzenbach]

Wow, ep 3 was pretty painful to watch. Lemuria is NOT a nice person at all. And now Fat Momma feels all alone with 4 actors. She & Lemuria are throwing some pretty intense negative vibes back and forth. I don't see either one of them winning this.

Feedback should change his name to Highstrung.