Who Wants to be a Superhero?

[ToSeek]

The next reality series:

Who Wants to be a Superhero?

Comic-book creator Stan Lee, producer of SCI FI Channel's upcoming reality series Who Wants to Be a Superhero?, told SCI FI Wire that he was quite impressed with the imagination of the potential superheroes who showed up to audition in Hollywood, Calif., on April 4. About 120 contestants braved a torrential rainstorm to try out at the Sunset Gower Studios, but the weather didn't stop Monkey Lady, Bubble Man or Ice *****. "I defend the environment and can imprison you in icicles," said the white-haired woman with "IB" on her chest, who is really Lisa McLaughlin from Sherman Oaks, Calif. "I teach those who are teachable and punish those who are not."

In Who Wants to Be a Superhero?, a group of people dressed in costumes of their own design will take part in a series of weekly challenges. At the conclusion of each episode, Lee will appear and, much like Donald Trump on NBC's The Apprentice, dismiss one of the contestants. The winning contestant will have his character immortalized in a comic book to be published by Lee's Pow! Entertainment.

[Gillianren]

You know, I respect Stan Lee for what he's brought us in the past. I just don't much want to hear him talking. For example, I think he should be banned from ever saying the word "tiger" except in a strictly zoological context. No quoting MJ, Stan; it's just creepy.

Or, in the words of the Comic Book Store Guy, "I wish you had the power to leave my store."

[ciderman]

Thought of this by Willian Blake,
http://www.eecs.harvard.edu/~keith/poems/tyger.html

[Nowhere Man]

Tom Smith's comic opera The Last Hero on Earth is probably better. The libretto is here. I've heard it, the CD is pretty good. Think of Tom Smith as the Phil Foglio of filk.

Fred

[hewhocaves]

There was a great book titled "How to be a superhero: save the universe in 30 days or your money back". Absolutely hilarious send up of the genre. If you can find it in a used book store, well worth picking up.

ISBN #: 1-56163-051-9

and there's a hilarious short on being a superhero on the City of Heroes website done in the style of a 1950's public service video titled "your superpowers and you!" it won as best comedy in their second film festival.

http://www.cityofheroes.com/gallery/...ners_2005.html

both are well worth the effort.

[Redtail]

(Actor side of me talking.)

Shoot me in the head a get it over with.

[parallaxicality]

Anyone who'd want to make a fool of themselves in public that badly really shouldn't be rewarded for it. It's unhealthy.

I'm kinda curious as to how these people are going to overcome their various challenges with their non-existant superpowers. And anyway, isn't competing for a reward sorta against the whole superhero ethos?

[HenrikOlsen]

How to make money…

Announce reality show concept, open doors, deluge.
Remove obviously sane people, remove obviously boring people, adjust level of obviousness, repeat from start of sentence until target number reached.
Run show until below target ratings, adjust concept repeat from start.

[Gerrsun]

If anyone has NOT tried City of Heroes, the Online game, I can recommend it. Next to Asheron's Call, it is the longest MMO I have ever paid to play.

Easy interface, fun environment, and you CAN find adults or at least people who act like adults, on it, unlike a lot of other MMO's.

More adults on Heroes than Villians, as you will inevitably see lots of Dracula's, VampireDeath0100's, KillMasta's, and what not's.

[GDwarf]

If anyone has NOT tried City of Heroes, the Online game, I can recommend it. Next to Asheron's Call, it is the longest MMO I have ever paid to play.

Easy interface, fun environment, and you CAN find adults or at least people who act like adults, on it, unlike a lot of other MMO's.

More adults on Heroes than Villians, as you will inevitably see lots of Dracula's, VampireDeath0100's, KillMasta's, and what not's.

Pshaw! Guild Wars is far superior, and with no Monthly fees, either!

*ahem*

I must also say that this concept strikes me as just plain stupid, I mean, they don't have super powers, so it's sounds like it'll just be Fear Factor with costumes...

[Redtail]

If anyone has NOT tried City of Heroes, the Online game, I can recommend it. Next to Asheron's Call, it is the longest MMO I have ever paid to play.

Easy interface, fun environment, and you CAN find adults or at least people who act like adults, on it, unlike a lot of other MMO's.

More adults on Heroes than Villians, as you will inevitably see lots of Dracula's, VampireDeath0100's, KillMasta's, and what not's.

Oh Yes the lil lady and I play it all the time.

[R.A.F.]

...isn't competing for a reward sorta against the whole superhero ethos?

I'm not surprised that the "ethics" of being a Superhero are being ignored for the sake of making a "buck". Stan Lee, himself, certainly has no qualms about making money using "questionable" means. I am referring to the movie Stan Lee's lightspeed which premeres tonight on the Sci/fi channel. The hero has the power to run at the speed of light.

Not only is that extremely bad science, it's also an obvious rip-off of the DC comic character THE FLASH.

I must also say that this concept strikes me as just plain stupid, I mean, they don't have super powers, so it's sounds like it'll just be Fear Factor with costumes...

I must agree...I wonder if they'll be forced to eat bugs.

[Gillianren]

I must agree...I wonder if they'll be forced to eat bugs.

They'll be eating bugs for justice!

[ToSeek]

They'll be eating bugs for justice!

[Gerrsun]

[QUOTE=GDwarf]Pshaw! Guild Wars is far superior, and with no Monthly fees, either!

*ahem*


I could just never get into Guild Wars. Largely again due to the server population full of Llegolas's, Lleglas', Logolas', Ipwnedu, etc...


but, since it's free I might load it back up one of these days.

However, since I have yet to develop my mutant super abilities, <Evolution is really letting me down here ,man!>, the closest I have found to being able to fly and blast bad guys from the sky is COH.

And I LOVE being a super bad guy as well.

[Tog]

If anyone has NOT tried City of Heroes, the Online game, I can recommend it. Next to Asheron's Call, it is the longest MMO I have ever paid to play.

Easy interface, fun environment, and you CAN find adults or at least people who act like adults, on it, unlike a lot of other MMO's.

More adults on Heroes than Villians, as you will inevitably see lots of Dracula's, VampireDeath0100's, KillMasta's, and what not's.

I'm in a huge SuperGroup on one of the servers in City of Heroes, and I agree. There are a lot of grown ups that play it, and most are very easy to spot. In our Group we have about 40 active members, of those more HAVE teens, than are teens.

And if anyone is interested, I have a huge website geared for new players that lays out a lot of the basics for getting started. Available via PM.

[GDwarf]

I could just never get into Guild Wars. Largely again due to the server population full of Llegolas's, Lleglas', Logolas', Ipwnedu, etc...

Unfortunately there are still many names like that, although they're rarer then in, say, WoW (I'll never forget logging onto a PvE RP server, and seeing everyone named 'wtfpwned' and such.) Actually, the latest craze seems to be to name yourself after Drizzt... I really wish that Salvatore had never written any books about him, the Drow have suddenly become a noble race.

[ToSeek]

Washington Post coverage (may require free registration):

Anyone Got Some Kryptonite?
Sci Fi's 'Superhero' Competition Isn't for Those With X-Ray Vision

Spandex is the No. 1 reason the world doesn't have superheroes. If you've ever walked on Hollywood Boulevard and had a tranny Wonder Woman or a lumpen Captain America offer to pose with you for a picture, then you know: Off the page, humans have just never looked right in those costumes -- even in big-budget movies and with big-budget trainers and big-budget codpieces.

[Gerrsun]

Washington Post coverage (may require free registration):

Anyone Got Some Kryptonite?
Sci Fi's 'Superhero' Competition Isn't for Those With X-Ray Vision

Yes, I am having a hard time reconciling my disgust for reality shows with the strange dsire building in me to see this one. Maybe I'm getting senile.

I suspect I'll cave for the first episode and then scrub my eyes with a Brillo pad afterwards.

[parallaxicality]

The heroes are assembled in a tricked-out group house (in this case, a "secret lair" above a Los Angeles sweatshop)

I think that line says more about the absurdity of this premise than anything else.

[Redtail]

Actually, the latest craze seems to be to name yourself after Drizzt... I really wish that Salvatore had never written any books about him, the Drow have suddenly become a noble race.

GASP! But then we wouldn't have Enteri! (Besides it's minor now Imagine if they ever make the "Icewind Dale Trilogy" movies.)

[R.A.F.]

I'm not surprised that the "ethics" of being a Superhero are being ignored for the sake of making a "buck".

After viewing the first episode I must change my opinion...the "ethics" of being a superhero is what the show is all about.

I am surprised to say that I actually enjoyed it...darn you Stan Lee.

[Doodler]

Unfortunately there are still many names like that, although they're rarer then in, say, WoW (I'll never forget logging onto a PvE RP server, and seeing everyone named 'wtfpwned' and such.) Actually, the latest craze seems to be to name yourself after Drizzt... I really wish that Salvatore had never written any books about him, the Drow have suddenly become a noble race.

Gah, that's a regurgitation of an old fad. I dealt with a dozen different Drizzt variations back when Neverwinter Nights was hot.

Thankfully with Warcraft, I've seen only one "Zaknafein" on Argent, and the names on RP servers tend to be better policed than most. Some names I hear on the PvE servers make me question the mental competence of the players.

The real fun ones should start popping up when the Burning Crusade expansion hits and Blood Elfs Paladins start popping up. We've already seen people starting up their new "Emo-din" storylines.

And it will be nice that we might actually be able to walk through Goldshire and not see an endless row of Night Elf strippers on the fences during the Darkmoon Faire...

[GDwarf]

Gah, that's a regurgitation of an old fad. I dealt with a dozen different Drizzt variations back when Neverwinter Nights was hot.

Heh, the server I played on had a very strict naming (and RPing) policy, so that was never a problem.

Thankfully with Warcraft, I've seen only one "Zaknafein" on Argent, and the names on RP servers tend to be better policed than most. Some names I hear on the PvE servers make me question the mental competence of the players.

Evidently Argent Dawn has improved somewhat, when I played (back in... Oh, it must've been January, when massive swarms of new players joined), it was split about 75/25 for good names/bad names.

The real fun ones should start popping up when the Burning Crusade expansion hits and Blood Elfs Paladins start popping up. We've already seen people starting up their new "Emo-din" storylines.

That sounds more like the Argent Dawn I used to know.

And it will be nice that we might actually be able to walk through Goldshire and not see an endless row of Night Elf strippers on the fences during the Darkmoon Faire...

Yes, especially since I'm sure that all of them were played by men...

[Doodler]

Heh, the server I played on had a very strict naming (and RPing) policy, so that was never a problem.

I co-ran and designed the New Arbington server on Social, it was....unique...some of the names that would pop up.

Evidently Argent Dawn has improved somewhat, when I played (back in... Oh, it must've been January, when massive swarms of new players joined), it was split about 75/25 for good names/bad names.

There's a buncha names Hordeside that'll raise your eyebrows, but its still an order of magnitude better than some pure PvE servers.

That sounds more like the Argent Dawn I used to know.

Yeah, the "dark" Paladins still walk among us...its almost enough to make me want to pull up an alt to replace my current Paladin main.

Yes, especially since I'm sure that all of them were played by men...

Wouldn't doubt it.

I dunno if I'd call it improved, or if its been bled out like an old fever patient. It was a VERY high population server that was the seed for a few of the newer RP and PvP-RP servers. Lost some good people, but it took enough of the fools with them to leave a fairly decent bunch behind. I played there from November to February before returning for one last gasp of SWG before I finally closed that door. I've been back since mid-May, and its been fairly pleasant overall, except when Blackrock crashes and the Idiot Gnome Brigade invades Ironforge.

What's hurting most right now is the population disparity. There are almost more Night Elves alone than there are Horde players in total. Same for Humans. Something like a 2.5 to 1 ratio overall.

[soylentgreen]

After viewing the first episode I must change my opinion...the "ethics" of being a superhero is what the show is all about.

I am surprised to say that I actually enjoyed it...darn you Stan Lee.

I agree totally.

After months of promotion and generating the expectation of some silly Fear Factor/Amazing Race knockoff(in which case like EVERY other reality show, I'd ignore!), they actually created a clever premise. I left Sci-Fi on in the background and when it came on I was too lazy to bother changing channels. The intros were just interesting enough to get my curiosity and after the first quick surpise elemination they seemed to be going in a nifty direction, so I gave it a chance. The first official challenge was clever and I'm definately going to give the show a chance.

[Redtail]

I agree totally.

After months of promotion and generating the expectation of some silly Fear Factor/Amazing Race knockoff(in which case like EVERY other reality show, I'd ignore!), they actually created a clever premise. I left Sci-Fi on in the background and when it came on I was too lazy to bother changing channels. The intros were just interesting enough to get my curiosity and after the first quick surpise elemination they seemed to be going in a nifty direction, so I gave it a chance. The first official challenge was clever and I'm definately going to give the show a chance.

God help me but I have to agree with you guys. My Fiancee is a costume designer so she wanted to watch at least 1 episode, and after the ethics of superheroes and the first challenge I was impressed.

*****Spoiler alert!*****



And last night when he called "Iron Enforcer" (who had been chastised for having a really big gun and suggesting killing people) to the elemination block and told him that he wasn't well liked in the house, I thought to myself "Well he'll be safe because the Reality formula is to keep "the jerk" around for ratings. Stan suprised the heck outta me by kicking him off then making him the Super Villian. Genius.

[Van Rijn]

*****Spoiler alert!*****







And last night when he called "Iron Enforcer" (who had been chastised for having a really big gun and suggesting killing people) to the elemination block and told him that he wasn't well liked in the house, I thought to myself "Well he'll be safe because the Reality formula is to keep "the jerk" around for ratings. Stan suprised the heck outta me by kicking him off then making him the Super Villian. Genius.

Continued *spoiler* discussion:




I suspected something odd was going on when Iron Enforcer stopped just short of the door. I suspect the fix was in already. Later, the outfit comments and the reasons he was put on the box just looked even more suspicious. Though I didn't quite get where they were going until they actually announced he was going to be the villian.

[Mellow]

To answer the question posed by the thread title... not me!

[parallaxicality]

This thing seems to be turning into a live-action version of "Drawn Together."