The Comic-Con “Heroes” panel was the place to be Saturday, so much so that “Chuck” star Zachary Levi sneaked in to enjoy the festivities from the side of the Hilton Bayfront’s Indigo Ballroom.

G4′s Blaire Butler as moderator introduced the panelists: creator Tim Kring, Jack Coleman, Masi Oka, Hayden Panettiere, Adrian Pasdar, Zachary Quinto, Milo Ventimiglia, and guest stars Robert Knepper, Dawn Olivieri, Ray Park and Madeline Zima.

With an inconsistent (to say the least) third season and a polarizing season finale, “Heroes” will appropriately enter into Volume Five, “Redemption” for the upcoming season, which debuts Sept. 21.

Kring offered a few words about a “new wrinkle in the mythology of the show.” Apparently, another group of people with special powers have led a different life from our heroes. This group has learned to live among us regular folk without arousing suspicion or fear because they wield their powers under the guise of a carnival show.

“What better way to fit in, but in plain sight,” explained Kring, who added, “And now they’re ready. The carnival will come out and present themselves.”

Also, part of the arc involves everyone going back to normal lives, stripping away those odder story elements that made the show harder to relate to. Kring promises that there will be less storylines per episode, which will allow the show to delve deeper into the characters’ lives. He also says that some upcoming casting will satisfy one audience member’s request for more female diversity.

Fans were treated to a sneak peek trailer for the new season, consisting of scenes from only the first three-and-a-half episodes. From these clips alone, already Season Four looks to be better than the last one. Thank God.

A quick rundown of some of what was in the trailer: Claire goes to college, gets a friend, displays her power to her and kisses her. Yup. You read that correctly. Claire finally gets a degree of normalcy in her life! Peter is back to being a paramedic, and somehow a mysterious compass tattoo appears on his arm. Knepper’s character is the creepy head honcho of the gifted carnival gang and encounters Hiro and also Peter: “The name is Samuel and I think we’re going to be great friends.”

Meanwhile, Nathan is hanging out with Swoozie Kurtz for some reason, while Sylar is yelling at Matt Parkman a lot and hanging out with a worried-looking baby. We see Samuel using power to bury Nathan, and in the last scene of the trailer, a hand bursts from the grave and out pops Sylar.

Wow.

Below is a breakdown of what’s going on with each of the actors and their on-screen alter egos:

Madeline Zima as Gretchen Berg – This college freshman seems to already know about Claire’s reputation, but the become very close friends and confidants. There’s that kiss thing too. “I love working with Hayden. I also once worked with Jack, which was fun because he’s scary. He killed a fly with one hand. It was very ninja of him.”

From Zap 2 It

Any truth to the rumors about Heroes’ Claire becoming a lesbian? -Norm, Escondido, Cal.
Well, Norm, according to Hayden Panettiere (Claire), the persistence of fans like you has paid off. “I think the writers are feeling a lot of pressure now to do it, because everyone’s talking about it,” she says. “And I certainly wouldn’t complain.” The non-alcohol induced action (“just a kiss,” says creator Tim Kring) will happen in Episode 5 between Claire and her new college roomie, Gretchen (Madeline Zima). Hayden describes Gretchen as “an odd duck who’s obsessed with death and shows like CSI.” “They’re really cute together,” Kring says. “If Gretchen reveals her sexual orientation to Claire, Claire might want to reveal her own secret.” In addition to fighting evil (more Heroes on page 33), Claire will also pledge Alpha Chi Delta, where preppy pledge master Becky is guarding a secret of her own. Hayden’s only edict for college: “I’ll never wear a cheerleading outfit again!”

From Oh No They Didn’t

You can stream the new red-band trailer for Madeline’s upcoming movie “The Collector” below. Please remember, this trailer may not be suitable for people who cannot handle gore and other adult material.

The movie “follows the story of handyman and ex-con Arkin, who aims to repay a debt to his ex-wife by robbing his new employer’s country home. Unfortunately for Arkin, a far worse enemy has already laid claim to the property—and the family. As the seconds tick down to midnight, Arkin becomes a reluctant hero trapped by a masked ‘Collector’ in a maze of lethal invention—the Spanish Inquisition as imagined by Rube Goldberg—while trying to rescue the very family he came to rob.”

The film is being released on July 31st and you can see the official website at TheCollector-Movie.com.

Madeline is going to be a part of the “Heroes” panel at the Comic-Con festival in San Diego, CA.

The details of the Heroes panel at Comic-Con have been revealed. There had been some questions at first as to whether there even would be a Heroes panel this year, but the answer is yes – and it will include both series creator Tim Kring and several core cast members, including Jack Coleman (“Noah Bennet”), Masi Oka (“Hiro Nakamura”, Adrian Pasdar (“Nathan Petrelli”) and Zachary Quinto (“Sylar”). They will be joined by four actors with notable new recurring roles, including Robert Knepper (Prison Break), Dawn Olivieri (How I Met Your Mother), Ray Park (The Phantom Menace) and Madeline Zima (Californication).

The Heroes panel will be held Saturday, July 25th at 3:15-4:15pm. It will be in the Indigo Room at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront. This year marks the first time Comic-Con is holding panels outside the San Diego Convention Center, presumably because the increasingly large convention has simply run out of room for panels within the center itself. The Hilton is located right near the Convention Center, but it’s still going to take some extra planning time if you want to attend the Heroes panel and then need to quickly return to a panel back in the Convention Center, so plan accordingly…

Madeline is set to make an appearance at the LA Shorts Fest ’09 in Los Angeles, CA. The festival runs from July 23 – 31 and contains diverse genres and subject matter contained in over 280 short films, music videos and commercials by established and emerging talent from around the globe.

Hollywood stars igniting the screen at this year’s festival, both behind the camera and in front of it, include: Scarlett Johansson, Courteney Cox, Demi Moore, Kirsten Smith, Lena Headey, Malin Akerman (Watchmen), Anna Faris (The House Bunny), Zachary Quinto (Star Trek), Kevin Bacon, Laura Dern, Elizabeth Perkins, Sean Young, Isabella Rossellini, Enrico Colantoni, Dana Delany, Sir Derek Jacobi, Olympia Dukakis, Patrick Warburton, Bill Engvall, Nick Cave, Rumer Willis, Madeline Zima, Stephen Graham, Brittany Snow, Elizabeth Perkins, Sean Young, Kristy Swanson, Sarah Wright, Dana Delany, Sarah Paulson, Rhys Darby, Will Patton, Linda Hunt, Rupert Evans, Paula Malcomson Michael Stipe (R.E.M.).

Madeline has placed #5 on the FHM 100 Sexiest Women in the World list! The poll was conducted online and fans were asked to vote for their favorite women. Madeline made history by being the highest placing new entry to the list – ever! Congratulations Madeline!

10 – Katy Perry
9 – Anne Hathaway
8 – Heidi Montag
7 – Elisha Cuthbert
6 – Adrianna Lima
5 – Madeline Zima
4 – Jessica Biel
3 – Scarlett Johansson
2 – Jessica Alba
1 – Megan Fox