(Ready for some Heroes Redemption?)

Volume Five of Heroes could be a major improvement on the previous episodes seen last season during "Fugitives". This upcoming volume which kicks off Monday, September 21st, 2009 is entitled "Redemption". It follows the various characters as they look to re-adjust back to normal living, now that they are no longer being hunted. There will be a storyline involving a new band of characters who are part of a carnival, looking for redemption and vengeance, as well as others like them to join their cause.

Volume 5 Heroes Redemption also sees the return of Tracy Strauss (Ali Larter), the "Ice Queen" as she seeks vengeance against the people who tried to kill her. Additionally, there will be the story of Claire (Hayden Pannettiere) wanting a "normal life" (ok not so new), and Nathan/Sylar trying to figure out who he is exactly. Angela Petrelli, HRG, Matt Parkman, Hiro, Ando and from the looks of the preview, Danko, all make returns for the new season. The first Volume 5 Heroes episode on NBC 9/21/09 will be a special 2-hour season premiere.

There's a great four minute sneak preview of Heroes Volume Five here at NBC.com.

There's also another promo clip here for Redemption which claims Heroes will be "back at its best". Let's hope so as the previews definitely looked intriguing and like this season may have strong potential for a return to form...

(Ali Larter's famous whipped cream sundae scene)

If you saw the 1999 football movie Varsity Blues, then you saw Heroes star Ali Larter in one of her earliest and maybe best roles as Darcy Sears. She also was made famous in the first couple "Final Destination" horror flicks as well. The reason she gained fame in Varsity Blues was because she played the conniving cheerleader who was trying to sleep with the new star quarterback, behind her boyfriend's back (the seriously-injured quarterback).

In one particular scene Darcy (Larter) tries her best to seduce Mox (James Van Der Beek), the new star quarterback. She soon comes out wearing nothing more than a few splats of whipped cream, in bikini form. The Ali Larter whipped cream bikini scene continues to be a favorite of many of her fans. Larter told an interviewer from the Daily Mail the following regarding that scene:

For my first-ever movie scene I was completely naked except for a bikini made of whipped cream (pictured). That was my first scene in Varsity Blues and I had no clue what I was supposed to do. I knew if I started crying it would be hard to stop – so I cried for seven hours solid before filming started. The scene must have worked OK because so many people remember it.

While we won't see Larter donning whipped cream in the next installment of Heroes, we may see her in wet, water form. If you recall the last episode of Fugitives started with a sneak peak of a watery villainess entering into an agent's apartment in water form. Headlines revealed that someone was killing off agents, most likely the new Larter-sister character seeking vengeance for the death of her sister Tracy Strauss.

Still want more? Check out the Ali Larter Whip Cream video here at YouTube!

Get your copy of Varsity Blues from Amazon.com.

Even though her character Niki on Heroes seems to have ended in Season 2, Ali Larter is on cloud 9 in real life. The 31 year old Heroes star is engaged according to news reports. Hayes MacArthur is the lucky guy, a comedian and actor who's been featured in the movie "The Game Plan" and on TV shows such as MAD TV and Medium. A representative for Ali confirmed the rumors of their engagement saying" It's true, They're thrilled". (Source: Zap2it.com)

Larter has also been a part of the movies "Legally Blonde", "Varsity Blues", Final Destination 1 & 2" and recently "Resident Evil Exctinction". It's unknown if she'll reprise her role as Niki and Jessica on Season 3 of Heroes. She was last seen rescuing Monica Dawson from a burning building. Monica escaped but Niki was presumed not to have as the building blew up. But of course we know in the superhero world, heroes never die.

With Heroes in between seasons you can still stay up to date on the show and learn more about it. Titan Magazines has released Heroes the Official Magazine as of November 20th. The premiere issue features a Heroes Group interview, Season 1 episode guide, and creator Tim Kring discussing how he was inspired to create the series. The cover shown above features Peter (Milo Ventimiglia), Claire (Hayden Panettierre), Nathan (Adrian Pasdar) and Hiro (Masi Oka). Issue #1 is a special 100 page collector's item.

Here's several of the exclusive extras you'll find in the new magazine:

- Latest Heroes news - the latest movie and TV projects of the cast members as well as news on the Heroes show and Heroes: Origins

- Hiro timeline - One of the most confusing aspects of the show for fans may be Hiro's time travel adventures. This guide will help you figure out where Hiro was at what time chronologically during the series.

- Heroes World Tour - featuring discussion and a behind the scenes look as the cast toured Europe.

- My Hero - a special feature where various cast members discuss their real life heroes and role models. Issue 1 features Mr. Bennet (HRG) played by Jack Coleman.

Described as a "comic book style" magazine, Heroes the official magazine currently offers a 6 issue subscription (4 normal issues and 2 special) for $32.95 a year. Head to the Titan magazines website to check it out, or order a subscription.

For more Heroes merchandise, Click Here for NBC Universal Store.


Also see: 5 Gift Ideas for Heroes Fans

It's a shame, but the blond bombshell and bad girl, Niki Sanders, played by Ali Larter is taken. She not only kicks ass on the show Heroes but is also a star of the new sci-fi action thriller, "Resident Evil Extinction". Ali talked to San Jose Mercury news about her sci-fi role and career. The super-strong hero used to be best known for her whipped cream scene in "Varsity Blues", and in fact E! Online has a Heroes related "whipped cream poll".

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It seems gossip sites, mags and TV shows can't get enough of the sexy Heroes cheerleader Hayden Pannetiere. Gossip Girls has a recent October 10th pictorial (paparazzi style) of the indestructible cheerleader visiting the spa. She must have taken her Heroes' boyfriend West's advice about getting her nails done safely. Check out Hayden Panettiere Hits The Spa at Gossipgirls.com.

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Yet another blond to worry about on the show, the super sexy Kristen Bell has yet to appear on the 2nd Season of Heroes but will be in the near future. She currently has lost her mind in a new role, literally. She stars as a snowboarder who suffers a bad head injury and loses her memory in 'Mnemovore'. Footage was shown at a recent film festival in Portland.

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And let's not forget the deadliest girl of them all, Maya, dubbed the Wonder Twin by EW in her interview. Maya is the young woman capable of unleashing a terrible plague on everyone around her, except her brother, Alejandro, who has the antidote inside of him. The plague is almost as bad as spam and phishing on Myspace, where (Maya) played by Dania Ramirez maintains her own profile.

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Sexy Hayden Panettiere Bikini & Cheerleader Pics

Sexy Kristen Bell Bikini & Lingerie Pics

Sexy Dania Ramirez Bikini Pics

NBC's smash hit show Heroes will return for its second Season on September 24th at 9PM EST. If you're just tuning in for Season 2 of Heroes or need a refresher, this is a good primer* for the various heroes and characters you will see on the show.

Peter Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia) - ability to remember and use powers of those he comes in contact with. As of the end of Season 1, Peter was a human bomb as he had come in contact with a radioactive hero previously. His brother Nathan flew both he and Peter up into the stratosphere to save New York from the explosion. Peter's status is unknown as of the start of Season 1, as the last we saw from him was a huge explosion up in the air.

Nathan Petrelli (Adrian Pasdar) - ability of human flight. Nathan won a landslide New York election just before flying his explosive brother out of New York, preventing a massive explosion. Nathan's status is unknown for life/death or injury.

Matt Parkman (Greg Grunberg) - Matt is a former police detective who has the ability to hear people's thoughts. At the end of season 1, he had tried to shoot supervillain Sylar, but Sylar used telekinesis to throw the bullets back into him. Parkman's status is unknown for life/death or injury.

Niki/Jessica Sanders (Ali Larter) - Niki has a dual-personality she assumed after the death of her sister, Jessica. Jessica often comes out in Niki's personality as the vindictive, greedy individual. Niki/Jessica has the power of superhuman strength and often would fly into blind rages where she blacked out and didn't realize the damange she had caused.

Micah Sanders (Noah Gray-Cabrera) - Micah has the power to manipulate electronics devices. He has been seen making ATM machines spit out money and making broken electronics items work. He also helped to rig/throw the election which Nathan Petrelli won by altering the computer voting system with his power.

DL Hawkins (Leonard Robeters) - Hawkins is the husband of Niki and father of Micah and has the power of phasing (moving himself or body parts through solid objects). At the end of Season 1 he had been shot in the stomach area by villain and mob boss Mr. Linderman. His status is unknown for season 2, but he is not listed amongst the cast members as of this entry.

Claire Bennet (Hayden Panettiere) - Claire has the ability to regenerate/heal from all injuries. Considered the "invincible cheerleader". Claire is also the longtime missing daughter of Nathan Petrelli (niece of Peter) and they had been reunited prior to the finale.

Noah Bennet, HRG (Jack Coleman) - HRG stands for "Horned Rimmed Glasses". Noah was an agent for Primatech, a corporation which was tracking the Heroes and trying to get rid of certain heroes. HRG later ditched his company and teamed up with the heroes to help them in their fight against Sylar. Coleman was injured in the battle against Sylar when Season 1 ended but did not appear in critical or serious condition.

Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka) - Hiro has the power of teleportation and time-travel. At the end of season 1, he had stabbed the villain Sylar with his ancient sword, just before Sylar used telekinesis to fling Hiro towards a building. Hiro quickly teleported away and ended up in ancient Japan, amongst Samurai Warriors. It is believed Season 2 will start and take place here for Hiro for a short time.

Sylar/Gabriel Gray (Zachary Quinto) - Sylar was the supervillain and serial killer in season 1. Originally a simple watchmaker, he has the ability to take the powers of heroes by stealing their brains. It is believed he may ingest them to take over their powers. At the end of season 1, Sylar had been beat up and then stabbed through his midsection by Hiro Nakamura. However, Sylar's body was shown missing on the street, with a trail of blood leading to an open manhole.

James Kyson Lee will reprise his role as "Ando" the friend/sidekick of Hiro Nakamura. Ando did not have any known powers in Season 1. He was left in Japan by Hiro Nakamura before Hiro did battle with Sylar. Hiro told Ando they would meet again.

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List of a few of the new cast members/characters for Season 2:

* Takezo Kensei (David Anders), a legendary 1,000 year old warrior.
* Maya Herrera (Dania Ramírez), a Dominican who is on the run from the police. She has superhuman abilities, although they have not yet been revealed.
* Monica Dawson (Dana Davis), described as a "young hero" who is willing to "give up everything to help the people around her." She is a relative of D.L. Hawkins.

Note: Santiago Cabrera (Isaac Mendez), Tawny Cypress (Simone Deveaux), and Leonard Roberts (DL Hawkins) are not listed as part of the main cast.

**There may be other names added into the mix and Heroes we don't see back from the list above.

Ali Larter (Jessica/Niki) stopped by Fox and Friends morning news show this past week. Larter discussed "Dove's Real Women Campaign". The goal is to teach women to embrace the hair they have and build self esteem about themselves. Larter says alot of work goes into Hollywood images and they just aren't real. Larter said she will be "going real" at the Emmy's this year, she'll be doing her own hair without the use of a stylist in support of her new campaign with Dove.

Brian of Fox and Friends asked if she could have one superpower what would it be. Ali said she'd like to be able to fly all over the cities. Brian joked they would get her a jetpack for the Secret Santa.

More info on Ali's new campaign is available at doveloveyourhair.com.

Digital Spy, a UK website has a quick article on Ali Larter who told the site about how she loves the Heroes show's popularity and meeting new fans.

From digitalspy.co.uk:

"I'm so excited by it. When I read something I don't think of the outcome. I just thought that Niki Sanders was such a dark, interesting character so I was fired up by that," Ali told The Sun.

"People now approach me in the street and, you know what? It's wonderful. It's great that people love the show and that they are excited to meet you. It's so flattering so you have to be gracious. I have been to the comic conventions and it's amazing how much people there love the show. For me, it's a privilege. I want to get down there and meet them."

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The site also had this bit of recent news involving actor David Anders, who will play the 1000 year old noble warrior Kensei on Heroes for the upcoming 2nd season.

"Alias alumnus David Anders has been upped to series regular status on NBC's Heroes, TV Guide has reported.

Anders, who played devious terrorist Sark on ABC's Alias, is understood to have been promoted from a recurring cast member to regular after he put in impressive performances playing the character of 1000-year old Kensei during production on Heroes' sophomore season."

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Ali Larter on Rachel Ray Show

Ali Larter appeared on this morning's Rachel Ray show. Ali who plays the dual role character of Jessica/Niki didn't really drop any hints about season 2. She discussed that she didn't even know she'd be playing the dual role until filming the 2nd episode of the first season. Larter said if she could choose a power it would be "having a clean house everyday" and then later said she'd like invisibility or a different power each day. After discussing her trip to Malaysia to learn how elephants are trained, Rachel Ray and Ali made Turkey Florentine Meatball Heroes (get it?).

Heroes season 2 will premiere at the end of September on NBC.