KEY POINTS:
Item one: How good is Heroes? Yes it may have started off as some answer to Lost while ripping off X-Men and alluding to all sorts of pop culture geekery - did you see George Takei aka Star Trek's Mr Sulu turn up as Hiro Nakamura's dad the
other week? How cool was that?
But what a fantastic, puzzling, multi-level show. Even when this week it made the big leap into time-travel, revealing which of the Heroes would become anti-Heroes should the original Heroes fail. Phew.
But it has remained riveting, kind of like Lost used to be before its makers figured they could really stretch this thing out into a career. And so much better in its own comic book episodic way than any comic book movie has managed, including the X-Men, the third film of which - where the X-persons are offered a cure from their mutancy - had parallels to that last episode. Only in Heroes, it's much more sinister, and more pointedly political with its post 9/11 allusions.
It's heading towards the end of the first season, which its producers promise will wrap up the nuking-New York storyline - the fact that it's Japanese guy Hiro trying to save an American city from atomic devastation is enough to give you warm fuzzies isn't it? - before figuring out something new with the second.
Meanwhile, over on Lost island, cue character flashback followed by mad dash through the jungle ... and repeat.
Item two: How bad is Pop's Ultimate Star? Yes, the TV2 show featuring a couple of TrueBlisters, some idle Idols and a Shortland St guy who won some celebrity singing show doesn't start until Sunday night.
So let's be predictive: How bad an idea is Pop's Ultimate Star? Surely, the various ex-Idols don't need the work after TV made them famous? Oh right.
Okay, maybe the involvement of various Dudes (Peter Urlich) , Hello Sailors (Harry Lyon and a guest spot from Graham Brazier) in the judges panel will make this a rock'n'roll boot camp for the pop warblers? You know like that Rockstar Supernova programme? "In tonight's episode the contestants must face a braying crowd at Mt Maunganui on New Year's Eve ... " Quite.
But like these reality shows often do it could prove infectious. It's certainly got the acronym for it - PUS.
Item three: The Tuesday after next week's Dancing with the Stars final, TV One has got another episode of This Is Your Life hosted again by Paul Henry who guided Jonah Lomu through the selected highlights of his life a few weeks back.
The jury is still out whether Henry is the man for such a job.
Anyway, the subject will no doubt be another New Zealander of historic significance still enjoying widespread support and affection. We can see it now:"So David Bain, do you remember this voice?"
Item four: Star Wars is 30 years old tomorrow. It should prompt guys of a certain age to swap the-first-time-I-saw-Star-Wars stories.
Here's mine. I saw it in New Plymouth at what was the old State Theatre. It was January - in those days it took months for big Hollywood movies to arrive on these shores. I had already spent my pocket money on the "novel" of the movie which came complete with pictures. Heck of a book.
I went with 30, possibly 40 mates. Why so many? I was part of a busload of scouts returning from a jamboree in the South Island to Northland. We were staying in New Plymouth for the night. Our leaders insisted we wear our uniforms to the picture. Any movie that could erase the embarrassment of turning up to the flicks wearing woggles had to be fantastic. It sure was. And I got my film reviewer's badge soon after, which of course led to greater things.