scott porter

(S02E01) And we're back for another season with the Dillon Panthers. You have to think that there is some pressure on the folks behind the show as they kick off this new year. The renewal was great and all, but I suspect it came with some helpful suggestions as to the kind of numbers the network is looking for on Friday nights. It should be interesting to see how the show performs on the new night.

Over the summer we lost eight months of Texas time, but that really doesn't matter. For the most part, we pick up all of our ongoing stories where we left off last spring. Anything we really need to know is handed off to us as we are reunited with these characters again. Since the show kicked off with Matt and Landry at the pool, let's start there.

The first ingredient in a successful TCA party is to have it near the hotel where the tour is taking place. After sitting in panels and conducting interviews all day long, a shuttle bus ride to a faraway restaurant isn't really enticing.

So kudos to NBC for making a smart move by having its all-star gala on the roof of the Beverly Hilton's parking lot. It's an elevator ride away and the area is wide open. The party music isn't so loud that it's going to drown out any interviews. Nice.

Swag alert: guests received mini handheld fans upon arriving, but they weren't really needed because there was a nice evening breeze in the air.

Following earlier casting news regarding the addition of Emile Hirsch (Speed), Christina Ricci (Trixie), Matthew Fox (Racer X), John Goodman and Susan Sarandon to the Wachowski brother's Speed Racer movie comes news that Scott Porter of Friday Night Lights has joined the film as Rex, Speed's brother.

A picture of the Mach 5 was recently released, and as many fans have pointed out, it looks almost identical to Speed's car from the cartoon series. The Wachowski's themselves have said they intend to make the movie family-friendly, and with a "retro future" look and feel.

The movie comes out May 9, 2008. It is currently filming in Canada.

UPDATE: Just to clarify, Porter will play Rex, who eventually becomes Racer X (played by Matthew Fox).

(S01E19) After a short break, we are back for the final run of the season. There were answers to a couple lingering question, the avoiding of another one, and, as the title says, changes are in the air for many of the residents of Dillon. There was so much going on for everyone this week, it's hard to know where to start. Let's talk about Street.

There will be no trip to Beijing in Street's future, and I'm happy about that. His progress on the rugby adventure has seemed rather quick, so I liked hearing Herc's explanation for Street not making the team. He's not comfortable in the chair, and given how recent his injury still is, he really shouldn't be. That scene with Herc was very good. They do share in a lot of ribbing of each other, but they've developed a nice friendship. Herc is rough around the edges, but you can tell he wants what's best for Street. I also liked his line, "This is championship QB, not therapy."

Former TV Squad blogger Ryan J. Budke made a visit to the set of NBC's Heroes for Netscape.com. Ryan interviews Masi Oka (Hiro) and gets a couple hints about what is coming up for his character on the show. They also talk about his background in visual effects and other projects he has worked on. Then Masi is joined by Scott Porter (Jason Street) from Friday Night Lights who does his best Michael Winslow. The interview does have one small spoiler for the show, so be warned.