Heroes Happenings: Whose Out, Whose In, More

TV Guide’s resident TV critic Michael Ausiello has given his report on his recent trip to the Heroes set with other journalists. (I guess my invitation got lost in the mail again…) Among the more notable things that he relates is that actress Lyndsy Fonseca, who was scheduled to play Claire’s gay cheerleader pal on the show, has left Heroes for a regular stint on ABC’s Desperate Housewives. More from Ausiello below:

• The entire cast was present with the exception of Leonard Roberts (D.L.), although Kring cautioned reporters not to necessarily “read anything into that.” Well, considering this is the second Heroes press conference Roberts has bailed on this summer, I’m guessing D.L. is a goner.

• New Hero Dania Ramirez revealed that when we first meet her character, Maya, “she’s on the run from the cops.”

• Zachary Quinto was neither confirming nor denying reports that he’s in line to play a young Spock in Damon Lindelof and J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek pic. “I’m under strict orders not to say anything,” he said. Luckily, my BFF Greg Grunberg was under no such gag order. “How exciting is that?” he enthused. “Now I’ve got to beg, plead and scrape to get in that movie! I mean, what’s wrong with me as Scotty? Down in the engine room, rotisserie chicken…. ”

• One movie that Abrams is casting Grunberg in is the buzzerific disaster flick known only by its myriad working titles (i.e., Cloverfield, 1-18-08, Slusho). “It’ll probably be something where no one will be able to tell it’s me,” he said. “As you know, J.J. calls me his good-luck charm, so he’s got to put me in there somewhere. I actually went to the set the other night, and it was really exciting and cool. The budget is not astronomical. But they’re doing incredible things.”

You can read Ausiello daily here.