So after seeing the L.O.D., I was inspired to look back at the Superman villains who have appeared on the show. While the movie franchise has only battled Lex and Zod multiple times, over the last decade, Clark has encountered pretty much everybody in Superman’s rogues gallery, including such iconic Supes villains as Bizarro, Doomsday and Darkseid. And he ain’t even Superman yet.

Of all the villains who’ve been portrayed on the show, however, two stand out as the best* and worst. We’ll start with the bad news first.

*I’m forgoing covering Lex since you could check out here and here for my take on Lex Luthor’s most villainous moments.

The Worst:
Mxyzptlk
We’ll start our rundown with Superman’s silliest nemesis, Mr. Mxyzptlk. As we go down the list of Superman villains, Mxyzptlk is by far the wildest divergence from his comic book counterpart. Whereas the comic version is tricksy imp from the Fifth Dimension, Smallville‘s version, as seen in the fourth season episode “Jinx,” is a hunky foreign exchange student, played by Trent Ford, who has mind control powers that can only be stopped by a swarm of locusts. Yes, really. After he’s defeated, Lex Luthor recruits him to join his mysterious Level 33.1 (a precursor to the Legion oF Doom, perhaps?) Clearly, Mxyzptlk existed during the era of the show when the creators felt less beholden to established comic book lore.

The Best:
Brainiac
In the fifth season, we were introduced to the show’s first recurring Superman villain not named Luthor. Brainiac’s first appearance on the show was actually in the fourth season finale “Commencement” as the “Black Ship” that crashes during the second meteor shower, though James Marsters officially debuted (in his Milton Fine persona) in the fifth season opener “Arrival.” As the main threat throughout season five, Brainiac would torment Clark off and on for the next three seasons until he was finally dealt with by Clark and the Legion of Super-Heroes in the eighth season “Legion” episode. Unlike his comic counterpart, Smallville‘s Brainiac is an artificial intelligence being created by Jor-El and later corrupted by Zod so he also has all of the Kryptonian powers under a yellow sun. In fact, in the SV-verse, BrainIAC is an acronym for the “Brain InterActive Construct.” Marsters would resurface again in the final season, but this time as the good guy version, Brainiac Five.

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Keith is the Editor-at-Large of the groundbreaking graphic novel anthology SECRET IDENTITIES and Outreach Director for SIUniverse Media. Visit the official Secret Identities blog to keep up with Keith and the rest of the SI team.

My fears were confirmed later in the day when TVShowsOnDVD.com followed up with an interview with WHV regarding the lack of blu-ray mentions in the press release. TVShowsOnDVD.com’s David Lamberet even quoted a WHV exec:

“The special effects were created and output for standard definition broadcast using the tools and formats of that time. Elevating the special effects to an acceptable level for HD may require going back to original film elements and re-creating new special effects from scratch to marry with the film elements, which is extremely costly.”

Come again?

In other words, Warner Bros. is to cheap to author new blu-ray discs for seasons 1-5 (you’d think Season 5 on blu would be a no-brainer at least since it was already made for the failed HD-DVD format). Also, the bit about the special effects being “created and output for standard definition broadcast” rings hollow because early seasons of Smallville have been airing on HDNet and available as HD downloads on iTunes for several years now.

Not to mention this article from 2003 that talks about how the Smallville post-production SFX team simultaneously worked in both HD and SD in order to “future-proof” the show for future broadcasts in HD (and presumably High Definition media). In fact, according to the article, the studio had been working in HD from the very beginning.

The financial impact of protecting and posting for two aspect ratios is significant for anyone planning workflow. Tim Scanlan, coproducer on Smallville for Warner Bros. Television, says WB asked for delivery of that show on both HD and SD masters from a Super-35 shoot. “Fortunately,” he says, “WB agreed to subsidize part of the cost increase — estimated to run about 25 percent more.” Even though the primary viewership remains entrenched in SD, the extra cost is justified to guarantee the show’s future syndication viability.

I’m sure the bean counters at Warner Home Video thought twice about recouping the costs of what would likely be a hard sell. I admit 10 seasons worth of blu-rays would likely be a bane on anyone’s wallet. But I am more than ready to blow a wad of cash on a complete series blu-ray set. I can’t be the only one, can I?

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Keith is the Editor-at-Large of the groundbreaking graphic novel anthology SECRET IDENTITIES and Outreach Director for SIUniverse Media. Visit the official Secret Identities blog to keep up with Keith and the rest of the SI team.

Though the show initially started out with a “no tights, no flights” rule, that edict was pretty much abandoned in Season Six with the debut of Justin Hartley as Green Arrow. Though other DC characters had appeared in the five previous seasons, Green Arrow was the first time one of those characters actually looked like a DC character, opening up a whole new box of toys for subsequent seasons to play with. And we can all thank designer Andy Poon for initiating the silver age of costumed heroism on Smallville.

Recently, I had a chance to talk with the Vancouver-based artist about developing some of the superhero looks on the show, including the creation of the iconic Green Arrow costume and his work on the Booster Gold costume seen in tonight’s episode.

So how did you get involved with Smallville?
I believe the costume designer, Caroline Cranstoun, got my name from another costumer in the department. They were probably aware of the work I had done on the Will Smith movie I, Robot several years earlier.

Were you a fan of the show before you started working on it?
Yup. Pretty hard to pass on a show about a young Superman.

What was your first reaction when you learned you were the guy who was going to adapt Green Arrow for live action? That must have been pretty cool.
Oh it was! I had a funny phone conversation with Caroline. She called and asked if I was available and if I had heard of Smallville. And I instantly said “yes” without even knowing what I’d be doing on the show. As soon as she mentioned Green Arrow, and me being a comic book fan, I said instantly that I’d have sketches ready by the next morning!

How close were your initial designs to what we ultimately saw on Justin Hartley?
It was actually pretty close. I initially did four rough sketches of the suit, knowing that they wanted something practical and more modern—like the way they portrayed hero suits in X-Men. We eventually landed on more of a motorcycle suit look. I think both the producer and I mentioned about the hood and thought it would be something that was not too cheesy a disguise. And of course the shades to act as the old school mask!

Also, GA’s been known to wear a hood in the comics, so it was still pretty comic accurate at the same time.
Which is also appropriate because in the comics he was essentially based on Robin Hood. So the hood just came naturally.

Speaking of comics, did you ever see the cover of Green Arrow #31?
No! They actually used the suit?!

Mauro Cascioli’s original art for the cover was your design. I don’t think Ollie actually wears it in continuity though.
That is awesome! And they have the goatee!

Heh. I do kind of wish Justin would have grown some facial hair during his time on the show!
Yeah, I believe they want to keep him clean cut and handsome for the ladies!

So how did your work on “Arrow” lead to what you did with the JLA in the episode “Justice?”
After “Arrow,” I was pretty much the “super suit guy” for the show.

Were you happy with how the “Justice” suits turned out?
Yes, it works for the show. “Arrow” had the highest budget because he was a long term character. Impulse, Cyborg and Aquaman were kind of one-offs, and they were all designed and built for that one episode so the budget had to be split into three different costumes. So part of it was to design the best I could within the budget limitation. But I think it all worked out well. I do wish they chose fabric that wasn’t as bright though.

What’s one example of a costume that changed from design to production?
On Aquaman’s suit, I originally had a mesh overlay on top of his side panelings to create the illusion of his costume’s signature scale pattern.

Wow! That would’ve looked amazing! By the way, how cool was it when DC Direct released action figures based on your designs?
Oh yeah, I was shocked because I remembered the first wave wasn’t very good at all. But the JLA figures were pretty cool!

Were you involved with the designs of other DC heroes — like Black Canary, the Legion or the JSA?
No, unfortunately. There was a bit of a transition period when I didn’t work on the suits for various reasons. There was also a budget cut because the show was heading toward the end of the whole series. However, I did work on Warrior Angel, and I did a concept for when Lex was possessed by Zod. I wish I got to be involved with Dr. Fate and Hawkman, though! I thought they were a little too literal and old school for my own taste, especially Stargirl.

Interesting. What would you have done differently?
I think I’d just stay away from the spandex look a little more. I actually really liked Dr. Fate! And for Hawkman, I would have probably done most of the body plating with leather instead of one molded piece. The wings are supposed to be always attached too, but I understand why they had to make them detachable wings, so that’s just me talking as a nerd!

How did you approach Booster Gold when you got the call?
The writers had the idea of Booster as a celebrity superhero so I thought I could definitely play up his cheese factor! They really liked Green Arrow, so they said to do something similar, but I wanted his suit to look more obviously like human muscles, but still look like a racing suit.

What did you think of the way the actual suit turned out?
Pretty good. I was hoping it would be a bit more different on the textures of the different materials instead of an overall shiny material. And the way I drew the gold shoulder pads turned out closer to a racing suit than a hero suit. But I understand their limitations on time and budget so it works well for the show. I was really hoping I could do something that retained his popped up collar.

So since season six you’ve designed the costumes for Green Arrow, Aquaman, Flash, Cyborg, Lex-Zod and Booster Gold. Did I leave anyone out?
I also did an illustration for Supergirl when she first landed in Smallville. And Warrior Angel, though he’s not really a superhero.

A lot has changed since season six. When you worked on “Justice,” having DC heroes on the show was a rare occurrence, and even when they showed up, they had a very Smallville look to them. Now, the DC characters that show up look more comic accurate. Do you wish you were able to make the JLAers look closer to their comic counterparts?
I think, if it was up to me, I would have gone the other way and updated the rest of the characters’ looks to suit more in the Smallville universe. In other words, I would make the DC characters look more modern and grounded rather than so accurate to the comics.

Did you have any hand in designing Clark’s “Blur” outfits?
No. I think I just missed it. I remembered getting a call about it while I was away.

From the promos (and even earlier this season) it looks like the show is going with the Brandon Routh costume from Superman Returns rather than designing a new one for Welling. If you were given the job, how would you have redesigned the Supersuit for Smallville? Would you go with a more comic accurate costume for Superman himself? Or reimagine it like you did with the League?
I had a concept for the Supersuit that I did on my own that fits with the Green Arrow style. I mean, it is the Superman suit after all. You can’t change it too much! I would have probably gone with more of the Alex Ross “Kingdom Come” symbol too. The suit wouldn’t be so bright except for the cape and all the red parts. My other idea was to have Superman always have the red heats vision eyes to kind of hide his identity.

Since you live in Vancouver, were you ever able to visit any of the sets or meet any of the cast and crew?
I have been on set a few times, but usually they are in tight schedules so it’s pretty hard to sneak in. Oh, I actually went to school with Kristin Kruek. She was a year older than me. We had mutual friends.

As a fan of the show, and as a DC fanboy in general, how would you describe your experience working on Smallville?
It’s a childhood dream come true to be a part of the comic book world, and be able to project my own creativity into it. And the crew is very creative! It was great!

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Keith is the Editor-at-Large of the groundbreaking graphic novel anthology SECRET IDENTITIES and Outreach Director for SIUniverse Media. Visit the official Secret Identities blog to keep up with Keith and the rest of the SI team.

I admit that when I was little, I was a big fan of the show Dukes of Hazzard. At the time, it didn’t really register in my six-year-old brain that they were driving around in a Dodge Charger named after Robert E. Lee or that they were smuggling moonshine across county lines. I, like most kids in my town, had the little die-cast General Lee and tried on more than one occasion to slide across the hood of the family station wagon and jump in through the window. So when it was announced that the former Bo Duke was playing Pa Kent in a new version of Superman, I was intrigued for sure. Mostly because in 2001, John Schneider was 40 years old and honestly, a little young to play a character who had always been portrayed as a senior citizen in most iterations of the mythos. Throw in Annette O’Toole as Martha, and it was clear that The WB had reinvented Ma and Pa Kent and decided to make them kinda hot. (Needless to say, when Zack Snyder decided to go with Diane Lane and Kevin Costner as sexy versions of Ma and Pa Kent in the new Supes movie, us Smallville fans merely yawned “been there, done that.”)

People might dismiss the influence Smallville has had on the Superman legend in general, but I think de-aging the Kents was a genius move by the show’s creators. Having the Kents actually portrayed as Clark’s parents (rather than his grandparents essentially) made the family drama more relateable to modern audiences. And isn’t that always the knock against Superman? In 2004, when DC Comics launched “Superman: Birthright” (a modern reinterpretation of Superman), Mark Waid and Leinil Francis Yu took a page out of the Smallville playbook and also brought Ma and Pa into the 21st century. And for a time, young Jonathan and young Martha carried over into mainstream DC continuity as witnessed by this panel from “Superman/Batman” #16. Of course, the Kents have reverted back to being portrayed as the elderly type in the comics, but the casting of the movie implies that the Schneider/O’Toole paradigm is still in full effect.

It’s unfortunate that Smallville had to kill Jonathan off in Season Five. I think that decision was made in a misguided effort to line the Smallville mythos up with “Superman Returns” which was premiering the same year and using the Richard Donner/Christopher Reeve continuity as a jumping off point. One of the things I always appreciated about Superman in the comics was that his superhero persona wasn’t born out of tragedy (unlike, say, Batman). I liked that he could fly to Kansas in an instant and have dinner with Ma and Pa. I was hoping the Smallville folks would continue in that tradition (because seriously, what’s the point of de-aging the Kents in the first place?) Sure the show has evolved a great deal since the Kents were cast regulars, but it still would be nice to see Ma and Pa working the farm again instead of being ghosts from an alternate universe or clandestine agents of the government. It’s the little things that make me happy.

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Keith is the Editor-at-Large of the groundbreaking graphic novel anthology SECRET IDENTITIES and Outreach Director for SIUniverse Media. Visit the official Secret Identities blog to keep up with Keith and the rest of the SI team.

Coincidentally, The CW’s Pilot rebroadcast isn’t the only Smallville Season One episode making the news. A couple of weeks ago, word broke that a former Freak of the Week from the episode “Craving” was cast as the new Lois Lane in Zack Snyder’s Superman reboot. What’s that? You didn’t realize multiple Oscar-nominee Amy Adams played a fat-sucking meteor freak in the early days of Smallville? But now that the former Jodi Melville is now Lois Lane, I thought I’d take this week to look back at other current Hollywood stars who graduated from Smallville High. But first, let’s look back at our new Lois Lane’s first trip through Smallville.

AMY ADAMS
CRAVING: Season 1, Episode 7
As Jodi, Adams played a Smallville High student struggling with her weight. After drinking a kryptonite-infused protein shake, though, Jodi sheds the ill-fitting fatsuit and becomes an instant object of desire for all the jocks in the school. Unfortunately, one of the nasty side effects of the krypto-shake involves Jodi having to use her mutated lizard jaw to vacuum the fat out of any living organism. Who knew that sucking the lard out of roadkill and high school football players would be a precursor to Disney Princesshood and Oscar red carpet glory?

ADRIANNE PALICKI
COVENANT: Season 3, Episode 22
Alas, Amy Adams isn’t the only future DC Comics heroine to cross paths with Clark over the last decade. Back in 2004, Clark met the upcoming Wonder Woman when Adrianne Palicki guest-starred in the Season Four Finale “Covenant” as the mysterious Kara — though not the Supergirl version (she’d debut three years later and be portrayed by V‘s Laura Vandervoort). Instead of being Kal-El’s cousin, though, this Kara was actually a girl named Lindsay who Jor-El had “reprogrammed” to seduce Clark in order to, and I’m guessing, mate and populate the Earth with Superbabies? Why Jor-El named his seductress after Clark’s cousin, I’ll never know. Either way, she’s Wonder Woman now.

COBIE SMULDERS
BOUND: Season Four, Episode 9
Speaking of Wonder Woman, an actress who was long attached to the role — especially when nerd messiah Joss Whedon was in charge of the flick — is the star of How I Met Your Mother Cobie Smulders. Though she never got the chance to don the tiara, bodice, or golden lasso of truth, Smulders still gets to be a comic book character since she’ll be S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Maria Hill in Whedon’s mega-superhero opus “The Avengers” next year. But before she was Robin “Sparkles” on HIMYM, she was setting Lex Luthor on fire on Smallville. In the episode “Bound,” Smulders played Shannon Bell, one of Lex’s scorned lovers who exacts her revenge after getting blown off one too many times by taking Lex to the mall! Maybe I’m getting my shows mixed up.

LIZZY CAPLAN
X-RAY: Season One, Episode 4
In the first season episode that introduced Clark’s x-ray vision, True Blood star Lizzy Caplan played Tina Greer, a shape-shifting freak of the week with an unhealthy Lana fixation (surprise!). Tina proved to be such a popular villain, she was brought back in the second season episode “Visage,” masquerading as Lana’s boyfriend Whitney. Though her mutation was never sufficiently explained, it was never clear on how Lana went from wanting to be like Lana to wanting to be with Lana. But back in the first season, it was never important why all of the kids in school wanted to be with Lana anyway. Other than the fact that she was played by Kristin Kreuk.

EVANGELINE LILLY
KINETIC: Season One, Episode 13
Since we’re talking about Whitney, it makes sense to bring up “Kinetic,” the sole Smallville episode that featured him in the main narrative. But how is this episode relevant to the topic of the post? Apparently, in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo, the future Kate Austen played the girlfriend of one of the krypyo-tatted jocks who were getting Whitney in trouble. I don’t recall if Lilly had any lines. But I do know that she was only credited as “Girlfriend,” so I’d assume the answer is no.

IAN SOMERHALDER
ASYLUM: Season 3, Episode 9
Believe it or not, Kate isn’t the only future Lostie to find themselves in Smallville, Kansas before boarding Oceanic 815. Before he played a dead guy on Lost, he played an undead guy on Smallville. Introduced in the episode “Asylum” as a potential love interest for Lana, speculation soon followed that Somerhalder’s Adam Knight character was actually a sly way for the producers to sneak Bruce Wayne on the show. (Get it? Adam–as in West, and Knight–as in “The Dark…”) Eventually, Somerhalder’s multiple-arc run on the show witnessed Knight’s (d)evolution from potential Lana boyfriend (and proto-Batman) to a zombie with an addiction to an experimental serum created by Lionel. And now he’s a vampire on The CW. Wasn’t Boone a ghost on Lost too? Maybe Somerhalder should play a werewolf next.

PAUL WESLEY
PRODIGAL: Season 2, Episode 15
Somerhalder’s not the only vampire to have been a central figure in the Smallville universe. Back in Season 2, The Vampire Diaries‘ Paul Wesley played Lucas Luthor, Lionel’s illegitimate son. While both Lex and Lionel each tried to use Lucas as a pawn in their ongoing family feud, in this episode at least, they both conveniently forgot about Lucas in later seasons. And once the show introduced even more illegitimate Luthor kids — season 7′s Julian and season 8′s Tess — it seemed that the writers forgot about Lucas as well.

ADAM BRODY
CRUSH: Season 1, Episode 19
It’s interesting to look back at Smallville’s inaugural season and see how many meteor freaks ended up starring on other hit shows. Before playing The O.C.‘s pop culture-referencing fanboy Seth Cohen, he was Justin Gaines, a freak of the week with a Chloe obsession. (What, was Lana absent from school that day?) Since Seth was a huge comic book nerd on The O.C., I wonder if he watched Smallville?

JESSE METCALF
EXTINCTION: Season 3, Episode 3
Another popular villain to make multiple appearances on Smallville is Jesse Metcalf’s Van McNulty. In a twist on the meteor freak formula, McNulty was introduced in Season Three as a meteor freak hunter rather than a kryptonite-imbued teenager with a Lana obsession. He came back six episodes later to team up with other FOTW HOFers Eric Summers (X-Men‘s Shawn Ashmore) and Ian Randall (Jonathan Taylor Thomas. Yes, JTT himself!). Metcalf parlayed his Smallville guest spots into a recurring role on ABC’s Desperate Housewives and will be playing a lead role as J.R. Ewing’s son Christopher in TNT’s Dallas reboot this fall.

CORY MONTEITH
THIRST: Season 5, Episode 5
Before he was a Journey-singing quarterback at McKinley High on Glee, the future Finn Hudson was spotted at Metropolis University in a blink-and-you-miss-him cameo in Smallville‘s Season Five homage to vampires (of the Buffy variety and not the sparkly kind). Credited simply as Frat Cowboy, I couldn’t tell you what Monteith did on the episode or if he even interacted with any of the main cast. To be honest, this whole post was an excuse to run that ridiculous photo. Frat Cowboy, indeed.

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Keith is the Editor-at-Large of the groundbreaking graphic novel anthology SECRET IDENTITIES and Outreach Director for SIUniverse Media. Visit the official Secret Identities blog to keep up with Keith and the rest of the SI team.

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Conner Kent
Not sure which direction the show will go in during the episode “Scion,” but this teaser image was released a few weeks ago. Needless to say,it strongly alludes to the fact that the Lex clone (played by Lucas Gabreel) may have had some of Clark’s DNA mixed in (mini-Lex’s last appearance in the episode “Beacon” revealed that he possessed invulnerability). Whether or not the showrunners are really going with the Conner Kent/Superboy angle remains to be seen. Still, Kon-El won’t be the first member of the House of El to be on the show.

Jor-El
Way back in season two, Clark first heard the voice of his biological father (played in voice-over by Superman the Movie‘s Terrence Stamp) emanating from the rocketship hidden in the Kent Farm’s cellar. Later, Jor-El’s disembodied voice found a home in a series of caves underneath Smallville. Finally, Jor-El’s voice was located to the Fortress of Solitude in Season Five and has remained there ever since. Like past live action incarnations, “Jor-El” is merely an A.I. program coded into the Fortress of Solitude to impart the “total accumulation of all knowledge spanning the 28 known galaxies” to Superman. Unlike past versions, though, Smallville‘s Jor-El was a bit of a jerk. When A.I. Daddy didn’t get his way, he’d usually do things like strip Clark of his powers, or freeze him in a block of ice, or suspend him inside a cave wall. Stuff like that. In the ninth season, though, we learned that Jor-El wasn’t really as douchey as his artificially intelligent avatar. As played by Julian Sands, Jor-El on Krypton was, like his comic counterpart, actually quite noble and heroic. Turns out that when Jor-El created his artificial parenting program, he didn’t imbue the crystals with his “personality,” only his “knowledge.” And apparently, Jor-El’s “knowledge” is a hardass.

Lara
Somewhat less of a hardass parent was Kal-El’s birth mother. The first mention of Lara was actually in the great Season Three episode “Memoria,” in which we learn Clark’s earliest memory was being placed in the rocketship by his parents as Krypton was collapsing around them. In the Smallville tradition of casting Superman alumni in important roles, the actual Lara El was portrayed in several episodes by former movie Supergirl Helen Slater. Smallville‘s version of Lara was a bit flightier than she’s been portrayed before. Maybe I’m just biased because I thought Season Seven’s whole “House of El” soap opera was a lowpoint in the series’ history. What do I mean by “soap opera?” Well…

Zor-El
Turns out that the House of El was a tiny bit more dysfunctional than we were led to believe in the past. None more so than Jor-El’s younger brother Zor-El. While he’s a fairly minor character in the comics (other than siring Supergirl, what else did he do?), the Zor-El of the Smallville-verse is a megalomaniacal mad scientist who was not only directly responsible for the destruction of Krypton, he also had a thing for his sister-in-law Lara. After his (creepy) romantic advances were rejected by Lara, Zor-El promised her they’d be together one day. THROUGH SCIENCE! What does that even mean? That’s a mad scientist for you. Trust me, that whole House of El melodrama was a weird story arc all around.

Kara/Supergirl
All of that family drama was backstory for the addition of Laura Vandervoort as Kara Zor-El to the main cast. Laura’s Kara is not to be confused with the fake “Kara” (coincidentally, played by future Wonder Woman Adrianne Palicki) who seduced Clark in the Season Three finale “Covenant.” Also, it’s pretty weird of Jor-El to name the naked chick he sends to get freaky with Clark after his only cousin. What part of Krypton are they from? West Virginia? (sorry all of my readers in WVA!) Anyway, the Kara intro’d in Season Seven was the real deal and her Smallville-verse origin was very similar to Supergirl’s Jeph Loeb-penned re-introduction to DC Comics. Introducing a teenaged Kara to the show also gave the writers a chance to rehash many of the high school coming-of-age stories that the main cast had outgrown. After only lasting one season in the main cast, Laura returned for a cameo in Season Eight and again this season as a full-fledged superhero called Supergirl. That’s right, in this universe Kara is called “Supergirl” before Clark is called “Superman.” Hey, I never said the show got everything right!

Krypto/Shelby
They did get the dog right, however. So he isn’t really Krypto. But Shelby is the name of the Kents’ family dog in the comics at least. And while this Superdog doesn’t have superpowers (anymore), he does have the meta-canine ability to be freaking adorable!

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Keith is the Editor-at-Large of the groundbreaking graphic novel anthology SECRET IDENTITIES and Outreach Director for SIUniverse Media. Visit the official Secret Identities blog to keep up with Keith and the rest of the SI team.

DESCENT
Season 7, Episode 16
As we saw in many of the episodes recapped last week, Lex spent his first six and a half years in Smallville as a conflicted young man who just wanted a hug! Well, by the time we find him in this pivotal season seven episode, Lex has fully succumbed to the dark side. He even kills Lionel before the teaser is over! But by far, the most disturbing scene occurs when Lex literally kills his own conscience. Remember how Lex was split into a good version and an evil one in the episode “Onyx?” This is the episode where we learn which Lex would emerge from that internal struggle.

ARCTIC
Season 7, Episode 20
The seventh season finale was, until this season’s finale, also Michael Rosenbaum’s last hurrah as Lex Luthor. In the culmination of the season-long “Veritas” storyline, in which we learned that a secret group of the world’s most powerful people were charged to be caretakers for a prophesied alien “Traveler,” Lex’s series-long suspicions were finally confirmed: Clark Kent had indeed been hiding his true nature from the world. Thinking that this deception proved that Clark was a threat to mankind, Luthor descends upon the Fortress of Solitude to confront his onetime best friend. Welling and Rosenbaum’s final scene, while epic, also felt somewhat anti-climactic. As the Fortress crystals crashed down all around, millions of Smallville fans around the world were thinking, “Is this really how Lex was going to go out?”

REQUIEM
Season 8, Episode 14
While “Arctic” was Rosenbaum’s last episode of Smallville, it wasn’t the last one to feature Lex Luthor. We first assume Lex is still alive in the eighth season episode “Bride” when a mysterious bald man hooked to feeding tubes is shown watching footage of Chloe and Jimmy’s wedding. Several episodes later, it’s revealed that Lex had indeed survived the Fortress collapse and was currently planning his revenge on Clark and Lana. He even goes so far as to plant a kryptonite bomb/death trap on the roof of the Daily Planet! Luckily Lana saves the day by absorbing all of the krypto-radiation for Clark. Wait, what? Since Rosenbaum was done with the show at this point, the writers decided to go with Darth Vader-esque version of Lex, breathing mask and distorted voice included. Oh, and no sooner do we find Lex alive then the show ups and kills him again! Ollie plants one of Toyman(!)’s bombs on Lex’s tractor trailer of terror and blows him up real good this time. And unlike the end of “Arctic,” when Lex’s body was never recovered after the Fortress collapse, Lex’s DNA is literally all over the place after the explosion. So yeah, they kill off Lex, turn Lana into a kryptonite-infused superheroine, and make the Green Arrow into a cold-blooded killer all in one episode. Maybe I should rethink this being on the list after all. This episode sounds horrible.

LAZARUS
Season 10, Episode 01
So after “killing” Lex. Twice. Season 10 kicks off with more revelations that Lex is an evil genius. Turns out he had been cloning himself at Cadmus Labs for some time now. The Luthors’ affinity for creating clones has been an aspect of Smallville since the second season’s “Accelerate” and reared its head in the sixth season’s super soldier plotline and seventh season’s Julian Luthor subplot. So it was only a matter of time before Lex would use the technology to bring him back from “the dead.” We’ve also known Lex wasn’t dead (despite being blown up by Ollie) when Dr. Fate pretty much confirmed as much in the season nine mini-movie “Absolute Justice.” And Lex not only cloned himself, he apparently cloned himself a bunch of times. One such clone is a less than stable one and is able to escape Cadmus and wreak havoc on the citizens of Metropolis. And this particular Lex clone has a predilection for death traps too! In the episode’s action climax, Lex clone has Lois strung up in a corn field (in a nice callback to the pilot) and is about to be set on fire Joan of Arc-style. Meanwhile, he has conveniently rigged the Daily Planet globe to explode at the same time. What’s a Superman to do? Personally, the clone saga that’s set up in Smallville’s final season premiere was a rather ingenious way to bring Lex Luthor back to the show after the creators had kind of painted themselves into a corner by killing him off. Twice. And while Mackenzie Grey did an adequate job portraying an older, imperfect Lex clone. Michael Rosenbaum, he ain’t. Which is what makes the next ep on the list the most anticipated episode in the show’s long history.

FINALE
Season 10, Episodes 22-23
It’s all but guaranteed that the Lex that went kablooey in “Requiem” will be revealed as merely a clone. At least I hope so. Because Rosenbaum should only come back if he’s playing the one and only Lex Luthor. We won’t know until May 13. What I do know is that Friday night can’t come soon enough!

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Keith is the Editor-at-Large of the groundbreaking graphic novel anthology SECRET IDENTITIES and Outreach Director for SIUniverse Media. Visit the official Secret Identities blog to keep up with Keith and the rest of the SI team.

Seriously, for a few hours Friday night, “Michael Rosenbaum” and “Lex Luthor” were two of the highest trending topics on Twitter, out-trending the likes of Egypt and even Justin Bieber! So it’s good to know we have our priorities straight. What made the announcement that much more shocking was the fact that, just days earlier, Entertainment Weekly was reporting that Rosenbaum had turned down any and all offers to return, to the dismay of most of his fans.

So in honor of the original Lex Luthor, and to prepare for his imminent return to Smallville, over the next two weeks, we’re going to look back at ten of Lex’s most iconic moments and defining episodes in the history of the show. Today, we’ll count down the first five. So let’s start at the very beginning.

PILOT
Season 1, Episode 01
This is where it all started, way back in October 2001. Smallville‘s pilot episode firmly established that the show would be a 21st century retelling of the classic Superman myth. The biggest twist Al Gough and Miles Millar added to their interpretation was actually a throwback to DC Comics’ Silver Age: Lex and Clark were friends in Smallville. “Pilot” explained how Lex came to Smallville and witnessed the first time Lex Luthor met Clark Kent (after Lex smashed into Superman in his Porsche and careened of a bridge). Lex even got the chance to play hero by saving Clark from a meteor rock-infused hazing by Smallville High’s douchebag brigade. In fact, the early years of Smallville expertly set up Lex Luthor as a sympathetic, almost heroic, protagonist which would make Lex’s gradual descent to the dark side six seasons later that much more powerful. Most importantly, we learned that Smallville was not only a show about Clark Kent becoming the world’s greatest superhero, it was about how Lex Luthor would become Superman’s greatest enemy.

HOURGLASS
Season 1, Episode 06
“Hourglass” is essentially another throwaway “freak of the week” episode that aired frequently during Smallville‘s freshman season. The plot had something to do with a de-aged senior citizen who was murdering folks all over town. Also, there’s an old lady at the senior center who can see people’s future. Pretty silly, actually. However, the only reason this episode makes the list is for its last scene. After the story is all wrapped up, Lex decides to pay a visit to the soothsaying senior and learn about his future. Unfortunately for Cassandra, the vision is so intense, she dies. Fortunately for us, we’re treated to those visions: Future Luthor in the White House, surrounded by death and a sky full of blood.

SHATTERED
Season 3, Episode 08
You may have noticed that I completely skipped Season Two. Usually, I claim that season as my favorite because it was mostly about Clark discovering his Kryptonian heritage. While it was a very Clark-centric season, I don’t recall anything important in Lex’s development. In the third season, though, we started to see cracks in Lex’s psyche. He started the season stranded on a desert island, after being swindled by a gold digging doctor in the second season finale, and in a declining mental state. This plotline culminated in the episode “Shattered.” In addition to Rosenbaum’s bravura acting as a Lex slowly descending into madness, we also find out that Lex’s fractured psyche has as much to do with his dysfunctional relationship with his father as with anything else. Lex also learns the truth about how his grandparents died–Lionel conspired with Morgan Edge to murder the elder Luthors for the insurance money–which establishes the Luthor tradition of patricide, and will come full circle in Season Seven. Another seventh season plotline was seeded in this episode when we learn that Lex blames himself for the death of his baby brother Julian. Finally, the episode’s closing montage is one of the best uses of Johnny Cash’s cover of “Hurt” on a TV show.

ONYX
Season 4, Episode 17
As stated earlier, Smallville is as much about Lex’s fall as it is about Superman’s rise. And for three and a half seasons, viewers only saw flashes of Lex’s dark side. In the Season Four episode “Onyx,” we finally got a taste of what kind of evil lurks inside a Luthor. After conducting some heat experiments on green kryptonite, Lex and his scientists accidentally discover black kryptonite, which in turn, splits Lex into a “good” version and an “evil” one. Needless to say, having a Lex Luthor run around Smallville unburdened by guilt and free to let his villain flag fly made for some great television. And it was nice to get a glimpse at how Rosenbaum would play Lex as a fully realized super villain. Heck, evil Lex even sported the iconic kryptonite ring from the comics! Bad Lex’s confrontation with the Kents has to go down as a classic moment in the series.

VESSEL/ZOD
Season 5, Episode 22
Season 6, Episode 01
Smallville likes to do a lot of “possession” episodes because it allows the show to have on new characters without having to actually hire new actors. In the fifth season finale and sixth season premiere, the show got away with introducing the second most infamous villain in Superman’s rogues’ gallery without having to cast a young Terrence Stamp. Instead, Lex, with the help of Brainiac, became the vessel for the phantom of General Zod. At the time, introducing Zod this way meant we got a chance to see Rosenbaum play a badass again. Who knew that a few seasons later, we’d get Callum Blue to play a younger version of Zod? The second half of these two episodes also featured an actual superfight. Such depictions of super powered figts are rare in Smallville, so it was neat to see Clark and Lex go at it in such a fashion. Even if it wasn’t really Lex. Or really Zod either.

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Keith is the Editor-at-Large of the groundbreaking graphic novel anthology SECRET IDENTITIES and Outreach Director for SIUniverse Media. Visit the official Secret Identities blog to keep up with Keith and the rest of the SI team.

Clark (Tom Welling) is surprised to see Martha (Annette O’Toole) on the news speaking at a pro-vigilante rally. However, surprise quickly turns to horror when he and Lois (Erica Durance) watch as Martha gets shot on national television.

Granted, the writers of the show came up with the idea long before the tragic events of Tucson, but the parallels are eerily similar. For those of you who don’t watch the show (what are you doing reading these columns anyway?), you might be wondering why Ma Kent is getting shot on national television in the first place. And what does any of that have to do with what happened to Congresswoman Giffords? Well, you see, in the Smallville-verse, Martha Kent is a U.S. Senator from Kansas. Yep. That’s right.

Since its inception, it’s no secret that Smallville has followed its own version of the Superman legend. When it comes to borrowing characters from the DC Universe, the producers have been pretty good at finding a balance between comics accuracy and new interpretation. That said, the writers have not been shy to wildly re-imagine longstanding Superman characters either. Some of these changes have worked out. And some have gone spectacularly wrong.

I’ve always loved Smallville‘s take on the Kents. The family dynamic between Jonathan, Martha, and Clark was my favorite part of the early seasons of the show. They were Clark’s moral center and taught him what it meant to be human. It also helped that the casting was spot on. John Schneider embodied the salt of the earthiness that is Jonathan (I was a huge Dukes of Hazzard fan as a kid–see, I grew up in the South). And Annette O’Toole depicted Martha as a loving mother and wife, but a woman torn between life on the farm and life in the big city.

Things took a turn for the weird some time around Season Five when Jonathan decided to run against Lex Luthor for a state senate seat. Also, in a nod to appease the creators of the forthcoming blockbuster (flop) Superman Returns, the Smallville braintrust decided to kill off Jonathan the night he was elected. This chain of events led to Martha taking over her husband’s seat. Somehow along the way, this ascension to local office eventually landed Martha in a U.S. Senate seat (thanks to some of Lionel Luthor’s machinations).

Senator Ma Kent is weird on several levels. For one thing, you’d think that with all the scrutiny that surrounds national politicians, having an alien son with super powers would be a constant topic on the Smallville-verse’s version of The Glenn Beck Show. It also begs the question: Why is Martha still a Senator when various government agencies–from Checkmate to the Department of Domestic Security to the Vigilante Registration Agency–know that Clark Kent is the Blur? One reason may be that Martha’s election to higher office isn’t her only claim to fame. In the Season 9 episode “Hostage,” it was revealed that Martha was also the mysterious Red Queen.

So that’s Ma Kent’s character progress on the show: a farmer’s wife -> local politician -> mysterious manipulator -> assassination target. A crazy ride, for sure. Still, it’s way more interesting than playing Scrabble with Ben Hubbard.

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Keith is the Editor-at-Large of the groundbreaking graphic novel anthology SECRET IDENTITIES and Outreach Director for SIUniverse Media. Visit the official Secret Identities blog to keep up with Keith and the rest of the SI team.

Anyway, barring any last minute scheduling changes, tonight’s Smallville marks the start of the final push towards Clark Kent’s red, blue, and yellow destiny. Since I’ve been a fan of the show from the beginning, I figured I’d use this space to talk about the show that single-handedly reinvigorated my love for the Superman universe. So what better way to kick off a weekly Smallville column than by discussing the casting of Henry Cavill as Superman? Wait, what?!

The Superman Exists. And he is British.
Last week’s announcement of The Tudors star Henry Cavill being cast in Zack Snyder’s Superman reboot definitely sent shockwaves throughout the fanboy community. Most observers seem split down the middle, with many objecting to the fact that Cavill hails from the U.K. Personally, I have no issue with this fact. So far, I’m digging what I’m seeing from Andrew Garfield as Spidey, and my mancrush on Christian Bale’s Batman is well known. So the fact that Cavill wasn’t born in Kansas has no bearing on his ability to play the Last Son of Krypton. With Snyder at the helm and Christopher Nolan behind the scenes, I have no doubt that The Man of Steel will be the Superman movie fans have been waiting 30+ years to see. The casting also clearly breaks the Snyder/Nolan Superman from the Richard Donner Superman films and their misguided quasi-sequel Superman Returns. (Duh, it’s a reboot, after all!)

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s… the Blur?
Now that we have a new Superman in our midst, what does that mean for the guy who’s already (almost) Superman now? Well, the show itself has basically become a Superman show in its own right. Even though Clark hasn’t put on the red and blue pajamas yet (though the costume was finally introduced in the season premiere), he does sport a nifty leather jacket emblazoned with the crest of the House of El. Aside from Clark’s dual identity, other iconic aspects of the Superman legend already embraced by the show include: Clark and Lois’ romance, the two working as partners at the Daily Planet, the Fortress of Solitude, and even shirt rips and phone booths! The producers are also feverishly trying to reinsert Lex Luthor back into the mix after “killing” him off three seasons ago (though Michael Rosenbaum is still not committed to returning to the show). All that’s missing are the tights. And the glasses. And the flying. Okay, so there are still a few arrows left in the Superman quiver (hands off, Oliver!) but with only eleven episodes left, will the writers be able wrap up season-long story arcs (you know, little story bits like Lex clones, the Suicide Squad, the Vigilante Registration Act, Clark and Lois’ wedding, the return of Lionel Luthor, the return of Zod, and um, Darkseid!) introduced this season and still give fans the expected Superman iconography by the finale? It’s a daunting task for sure. And these last eleven hours are the Smallville crew’s last shot at truly defining their version of Superman. Especially since there will be yet another version of Superman coming in December 2012.

A Smallville Superman movie?
I’d imagine that the odds that Smallville gets a two-hour series finale is pretty high. I mean, last year’s Justice Society episode was expanded into a “two-hour movie event” so why wouldn’t the culmination of ten years of Clark-teasing not get the same treatment? If we do get a two-hour finale, then my request to the showrunners is that they make sure the finale is the Superman movie Smallville fans have always wanted.

It’s no secret that I always thought WB should’ve migrated the Smallville cast to the big screen a long time ago. When the show began in 2001, original creators Al Gough and Miles Millar often talked about their “five year plan” for the series. This would have been ideal since it would have cut down on a lot of the times in which the show was treading water and keeping Clark from being Superman because it kept getting renewed by the network. If they stuck to their five year plan and then took Smallville to the big screen in 2006, we might have also been spared Superman Returns. Though, many fanboys wouldve probably hated a “Smallville” movie just as much.

But since I’ll never get to see Tom Welling and Erica Durance portray Superman and Lois Lane on the big screen, I hope that we are treated to an epic series finale with all the iconic Superman beats we’ve all come to expect. With all the Superman iconography that has already been on the show, especially in the last three seasons, waiting until the last second of the last scene of the finale to reveal Welling in the red and yellow S-shield will be unacceptable. I want a full on Superman movie for the last two hours of Smallville, damn it!

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Keith is the Editor-at-Large of the groundbreaking graphic novel anthology SECRET IDENTITIES and Outreach Director for SIUniverse Media. Visit the official Secret Identities blog to keep up with Keith and the rest of the SI team.

“From the right, this guy comes dashing in, wearing this skin-tight rubber, black and gold suit, and starts chasing him away,” Dan said.

Dan’s rescuer was Phoenix Jones, a.k.a. Phoenix Jones the Guardian of Seattle, a “Real Life Superhero” and leader of the Rain City Superhero Movement. Almost every night, the 22-year-old Jones, who keeps his real identity a secret, enters a secret compartment in the back of a Lynnwood comic book store and emerges, in uniform, to patrol the streets. (Watch video of Jones in action here.) His suit includes a bullet-proof vest and “stab plates,” and he carries a taser nightstick, mace and tear gas. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports that Jones also sports a “ballistic cup.”

“I symbolize that the average person doesn’t have to walk around and see bad things and do nothing,” Jones said. He told reporters that since he began his patrols nine months ago, he has been stabbed and had guns drawn on him.

Jones isn’t alone in his crime-fighting enthusiasm. There’s an entire movement of Real Life Superheroes out there, across the country. Activities appear to range from handing homeless people water bottles to actually stepping in and trying to stop violent crime. The website rlsh-manual.com defines a Real Life Superhero as “whoever chooses to embody the values presented in superheroic comic books, not only by donning a mask/costume, but also performing good deeds for the communitarian place whom he inhabits.” Reallifesuperheroes.org urges visitors to “Let out your inner superhero and join or support our cause.”

A sad day for music fans, as we mourn the loss of R&B singer Teena Marie, who has died at the age of 54 yesterday, in her Pasadena, California home. Rising to popularity in the late 70s/early 80s as part of Motown, she was responsible for such hits as “Lovergirl”, “Portuguese Love” and “Square Biz”, as well as performing with mentor Rick James on “Fire And Desire”.

Truly a great artist that has left us, that will be remembered always.

So I figured I’d let this one ride out until after the Christmas holiday and see if maybe, just MAYBE, Julri could have caught up. But Tehmeena held it down the whole extra week to win the title and close out 2010 with a bang.

And don’t think we haven’t appreciated the participation, ’cause we love all y’all bastids! Maybe I’ll bring back the Showdown in a few months, but let us know. We’re here for you, cotdammit!

Now, in the past, I’ve gotten a fair share of feedback from folks who believed I didn’t showcase anyone but light-skinned video hoes and pin-up chicks, and you know what . . . that’s what I gots for ya today!!!

Tehmeena Afzal

Honestly, I’m not surprised I haven’t come across this one sooner. Her credits include a slew of rap videos I’ve never seen (or for songs I thought sucked, so I never bother to watch the video if it ever came on), and a number of model mags that, oddly, I don’t subscribe to. But she is quite the looker!

VS.

Julri Waters

Now here’s one I’ve spotted quite a few times, but kept forgetting her name!! I wonder why . . . .

For my list, I’m looking back on the year that was and listing the 10 Asian American entertainers who, I feel, had the biggest impact on the pop culture zeitgeist. So, without further ado:

10. Team Jumba
2010 is definitely the year YouTube crossed over into the mainstream. Nevermind the Justin Bieber phenomenon, the Fall 2010 television season featured two YT stars making the jump to network television. While (my 757 homeboy and former Indian River High School student) Jay Pharaoh made waves on Saturday Night Live, Kevin Wu (better known on the interwebz as kevjumba) and his dad quickly became fan favorites on CBS’ reality competition franchise The Amazing Race.

And though TeamJumba only finished in 7th place, Kevin and his dad, Michael, were definitely the most likable team in the race. Too bad they got eliminated before they had the chance to visit Hong Kong (where the statue of Bruce Lee on the Avenue of Stars in Tsimtsatsui was one of the destinations.) Still, Kevin and Michael also did something only Yul Kwon had done before: get me hooked on a CBS reality show that I’d never watched before.

PS: Honorable mention goes to Kat Chang, one-half of Team Doctors, who won season 17 of The Amazing Race, making them the first all-female team to win the American version of the show. Congrats Kat!

9. Alex Wong
Speaking of reality shows… One show I’m not ashamed to say I watch is FOX’s summer hit So You Think You Can Dance. Every year, there always seems to be a standout Asian American dancer — heck, half of the members of Quest Crew have already been on the show! Unfortunately, none of them had ever taken the crown (though Season 4′s Katee Shean came the closest, finishing in 3rd place).

This past season, however, the ballet phenom known as Alex Freakin’ Wong was a shoo-in to at least reach the finals. Especially after capturing the public’s hearts with this hip-hop routine. Sadly, those same hearts were broken a few weeks later when Alex suffered a season-ending injury. Boo!

8. Harry Shum Jr. & Jenna Ushkowitz
It seems like FOX was the place to find hot Asian guys dancing on TV in 2010. I’m pretty sure the search term “Mike Chang’s Abs” broke Google shortly after the cultural behemoth that is Glee debuted its second season this past September. Moreover, the Asian American blogosphere was atwitter (literally) over the fact that Harry Shum’s Mike and Jenna Ushkowitz’s Tina were going to be romantically linked in the new season.

While the two’s romance has been a one-note joke so far this season (uh, they’re both Asian. Get it?), the relationship has led to a bigger role for the uber-talented Shum. So much so that Mike Chang has been bumped up to series regular for the show’s next season. Here’s hoping that means more development of the only Asian American couple on primetime television. But I’m not holding my breath.

7. Olivia Munn
In 2010, mainstream audiences learned what fanboys have known for years, Olivia Munn is hot and funny. After scoring small parts in the films Date Night and a little known indie called Iron Man 2, the Comic-Con crush and longtime host of G4′s Attack of the Show brought her comedic talents to Comedy Central, debuting as The Daily Show‘s “Asian correspondent” in June.

A month later, Munn published her memoir, Suck It, Wonder Woman and a few hundred of her closest friends stopped by New York’s Midtown Comics to say hello. In the meantime, Olivia’s been shooting a leading role in the NBC mid-season sitcom Perfect Couples, set to premiere on the Peacock in January.

So, there’s a good chance Olivia will be back on this list next year.

6. Dileep Rao
Why is Dileep Rao on this list? Simple. The man is box office gold. In 2010, his films grossed over $3.65 billion worldwide! That’s billion. With a b. And he was only in two movies! Granted, those films happened to be James Cameron’s Avatar ($2.8b) and Christopher Nolan’s Inception ($825m). And if you throw in 2009′s Drag Me to Hell, dude averages $363 million per movie. The man sure knows how to pick his projects. He’s also scored the fanboy trifecta having appeared in movies by nerd-favorite directors Sam Raimi, James Cameron and Chris Nolan, respectively.

In any case, not only did Rao star in two of the highest grossing films of the year (or ever, frankly), in both cases, he was able to portray significant and heroic characters without resorting to cultural stereotypes. Seriously. Am I dreaming?

5. Ken Jeong
It’s pretty safe to say that Ken Jeong is one of the most instantly recognizable Asian American actors working today. Not only has he been part of Judd Apatow’s comedy troupe for years, he’s also a series regular on NBC’s Community and recently as “Slim Chin,” became the face of Adidas basketball alongside NBA All-Stars Dwight Howard and Derrick Rose. Basically, Jeong is on this list because he’s freaky like a lady pyramid.

Jeong also kicked off the year winning an MTV Movie Award for “Best WTF Moment” for his role in The Hangover. Shockingly, Jeong gave a pretty emotional and heartfelt acceptance speech. Perhaps forgetting he was at the MTV awards. Here’s to Slim Chin, the Mars Blackmon of the 21st Century. After all, Fast Don’t Lie.

4. Maggie Q
When I first heard the CW was doing yet another remake of the La Femme Nikita franchise, I have to admit that I was pretty skeptical. Having been a big fan of the original film by Luc Besson — and conversely, not a fan of the Bridget Fonda remake or the early 90s USA series with Peta Wilson — the idea of another retread of the character originally brought to life by Anne Parillaud was less than exciting. Then I found out who was playing Nikita. Needless to say, having Maggie Q portray the badass Nikita was definitely an intriguing twist. The pre-release promotional campaign — featuring a scantily clad Q brandishing all sorts of firepower — didn’t hurt either. In fact, those ads were too hot for some local communities.

But the main reason Maggie Q is on the list is because she is the only Asian American lead on a major* network’s primetime schedule. That’s a pretty big deal. Moreover, Q’s Nikita is just as cool and complex a hero as her white, male counterparts on other shows. Plus, being one of Jackie Chan’s protegees means that Q can kick copious amounts of ass. Which she does week to week. In essence, she’s Jack Bauer in a catsuit. Also, Nikita has proved to be one of the most compelling new shows of the Fall 2010 season. So despite my initial reservations, Nikita has quickly shot to the top of my DVR.

*Granted, the CW doesn’t have the reach of the Big Four — ABC, CBS, NBC & FOX — but it’s still a network. Mostly.

3. Daniel Dae Kim
The next person on the list actually is on a real television network. Two of them actually. At the beginning of 2010, Kim and the other survivors of Oceanic 815 began their final journey off the Island (and wouldn’t ya know, straight into purgatory). And while Lost‘s final season was a polarizing one for fans, one thing is clear: Jin and Sun had the most shocking and heartbreaking death on the show. Poor Ji Yeon :(

Not content with being on only one blockbuster television drama filmed in Hawaii, Kim went straight from Lost into a prominent role on the #1 new show on TV: CBS’ Hawaii Five-0 remake. As Chin-Ho Kelly, Kim spends most of the time with Kono (Grace Kim) backing up the main leads McGarret (Alex O’Laughlin) and Danno (Scott Caan). It’s a fun show. Just wish the writers gave the APAs (other than being gangsters and terrorists) more to do on the show. CBS’s pre-season marketing assault definitely led one to believe that both Kims (Daniel and Grace) would be big parts of the show. To be fair, their prominence in the network’s marketing campaign has a lot to do with catering to each actor’s fanboy constituency (thanks to Lost and Battlestar Galactica) as well.

Either way you slice it, if you combine the millions of people that watched Lost and the millions more who are currently watching Five-0, that’s a lot of eyeballs on a positive portrayal of an Asian American on television. And at least this time, Kim gets to speak English!

2. Far East Movement
In 2010, Kev Nish, Prohgress, J-Splif and DJ Virman were able to accomplish a feat that no other Asian American hip hop act (including FM’s fore bearers such as Jin and the Mountain Brothers) had ever done before: score a #1 single on the Billboard Hot 100. But on October 30, Far East Movement did just that when the ubiquitous club-banger “Like a G6″ hit the top of the charts and stayed there for two more weeks.

Having signed a major record deal with Cherrytree/Interscope records in February, it was pretty clear early on that 2010 would be FM’s breakout year. Over the last couple years, FM’s music was sneaking its way into film soundtracks and popular television episodes, paving the way for “Like a G6″ to achieve world domination (in addition to the US, the single was a top ten hit in ten countries and hit #1 in New Zealand, South Korea and the UK’s R&B chart).

To me, though, the two signs that Far East Movement had officially joined the pop culture zeitgeist were 1) type “what is” into Google and the second auto-complete phrase that pops up is “what is a g6?” and 2) at my local grocery store recently, I overheard two white sorority girls in line talking about getting “slizzard” while belting out the song’s hook.

Oh, and speaking of catchy hooks…

1. Bruno Mars
If you were anywhere near the vicinity of a radio in 2010, chances are you heard a song that Bruno Mars had a hand in creating. From B.o.B.’s #1 single “Nothin’ on You” to Travie McCoy’s “Billionaire” and his own #1 hit “Just the Way You Are,” Bruno Mars dominated the charts this year. And those are just the singles that featured Mars as a vocalist. His other massive hit, Cee-Lo’s “Fuck You” (which Mars co-wrote), was nominated for four Grammys. Mars will be up for a total of seven Grammy Awards–as a performer, writer and producer–next February.

Ironically, Mars’ first outing as a vocalist was on the Far East Movement’s “3D” off the album Animal. In fact, FM’s latest single, “Rocketeer,” was written by Mars, though strangely, he isn’t the featured vocalist on the track. Speaking of FM, when their “Like a G6″ hit #1 in October, guess who they knocked off the perch to get there? Bruno Mars’ “Just the Way You Are” was the number one song in the country for four weeks prior to FM’s ascension. That means for seven weeks in October and November, Asian American artists were dominating the pop charts.

Oh yeah, and in September, Mars was busted for cocaine possession in Las Vegas. So, he was dominating the tabloids too. I’m pretty sure that means Bruno’s place in the pop star pantheon is pretty secure.

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Keith is the Editor-at-Large of the groundbreaking graphic novel anthology SECRET IDENTITIES and Outreach Director for SIUniverse Media. Visit the official Secret Identities blog to keep up with Keith and the rest of the SI team.

I honestly thought this would have been a tighter race, but dammit if Mila didn’t hold onto that lead from day one. Finally catching Black Swan yesterday, I’d say I’m in full agreement of this decision. Both ladies are absolutely delightful, don’t get me wrong, but you definitely get this energy from Mila that’s as alluring as it is frightening. And let’s face it, Friends With Benefits is going to be a far superior f*ckbuddy comedy to Portman’s No Strings Attached, for no other reason than the fact that it features Justin Timberlake singing “Closing Time” by Stereophonic to Mila’s cooter.