Zeroes

Zeroes

Zeroes is a parody video of Heroes produced by NBC.

About

Ordinary People with Ordinary Abilities

Zeroes chronicles "ordinary people with ordinary abilities". The video begins with Cindy, a Claire lookalike, who can fit her entire fist into her mouth. She says, "That was attempt number 43. Next time I'm gonna try my foot." An Indian-sounding voiceover announces the existence of ordinary people with relatively pointless powers. They cannot fly or teleport (though that would be nice), but they can touch their tongue to their nose, can kick the back of their own head, and "can do a stomach thingy". The voiceover ponders, "If you could balance a flip phone on your nose, would you use it to save the world?" "Will others use their bendiness for evil purposes?" "How is the foot-writer connected to the straw-playing guy?" Finally, the video ends with the title overlaid on an eclipse.

Open Auditions

A second video was released in which "Mohinder" holds an open audition, searching for other "genetic mutants" with pointless abilities. Among the motley crew are a woman who can wiggle her eyes, a man who can burp the alphabet, and a woman who offends "Mohinder" with her Indian dialect.

Zeroes: Chapter One

It opens with Mohinder telling us about Zeroes being annoying and losers. Than Cindy, the Claire lookalike, fits her entire hand into her mouth in a different setting than the preview. Two girls watching nearby talk about how Cindy obviously doesn't look like a high school girl and they begin to taunt her with no recognition from Cindy. Then we see the man that can kick himself in the back of the head standing on top of a building like Peter. As soon as his foot makes contact with his head he wakes up and is in an office. A woman (the sentence finisher) asks him why he isn't at a meeting and orders him to get to it. Later the same woman is at the meeting and begins to finish all the sentences that her boss is saying. Another painter, like Isaac, is in his loft. He has many painting of stick figures. He paints a city exploding and a person falling into a birthday cake on the same page. The video closes with Mohinder talking again about the Zeroes but the sentence finisher is finishing all his sentences so Mohinder cuts to black.

Zeroes: Chapter Two: The Second Chapter

In a meeting room, a red-headed woman is shocked to learn of her ability to mumble everything a person says after they say it. She excuses herself from the meeting, and heads to the roof, where a man shouts for no one to try to stop him. The woman asks what he's doing, and he mentions that he has a power. She tells him that she does as well, and demonstrates it to him. The man shows his head kicking ability and the woman claims her power is much better. The scene fades to a stick figure drawing of the previous two people. The man who drew the picture states that he must find him... that they have to save the birthday cake. In a break room in Omaha, Nebraska, a woman named Brenda is folded up in a cabinet, scaring a man named Jerry. She claims that her talent is cool, so Jerry shows her his ability to bring a bean from his mouth to his eye. As the scene ends, Brenda asks, "What's happening to us?"

Zeroes: Chapter Three: The Third Chapter

In the meeting room, Mr. Skylar talks about their company. The red-headed woman continues to mumble everything Mr. Skylar says until he gets fed up. Before he fires her that "kicking himself in the head" man tells Mr. Skylar the reason. "She has brain cancer." Mr. Skylar adjourns the meeting and the red-headed woman asks why he said she has brain cancer. Before the "KHINBOTH" explains himself, the red-headed woman tells him to shut up. Mr. Skylar storms into his office angry and saying to himself that the red-headed woman will not stop him and that the plan will move forward. He puts a post-it that says Omaha Nebraska, on a United States map with neatly stuck post-its on parts of the map. In the next scene Cindy walks in Vladimir's apartment while Vladimir is tired from his paintings. Cindy wonders why he is late for lunch and she asks what the paintings are. He tells her his art can predict the future. Cindy then shows him her ability but Vladimir thinks it is just slutty. He then shows her a painting of her putting her hand in her mouth. Cindy tries to talk with her hand in her mouth while Vladimir is trying to guess what she is saying.

Zeroes: Chapter Four: The Fourth Chapter

In Mr. Skylar's office, the boss is talking to the "KHINBOTH" man and the mumble woman. Mr. Skylar tells them that they are very disrespectful and have no respect for authority. Mr. Skylar talks about Lucky Charms when they first hit the stores but the "KHINBOTH" man drifts off and sees himself kicking himself in the back of the head in the boss's mirror. The mumble woman interrupts Mr. Skylar only to find out that Mr. Skylar can counteract her power by making her say what he wants her to like, "Mr. Skylar, your the best boss ever." He sends them away and while their walking he makes the mumble woman say, "We love you Mr. Skylar." Later Mr. Skylar talks about the plan to a man who can style any hat. The man assures Mr. Skylar and laughs evilly. The man continues to assure Mr. Skylar while wearing about 6 hats. Mr. Skylar is a little creeped out by the man but likes the hat that says, "F-emale B-ody I-nspector." They both laugh evilly for an extended amount of time, and the hat man finishes off by saying, "Hats!"

Memorable Quotes

"That was attempt number 43. Next time, I'm gonna try my foot in my mouth."

- Cindy

"Okay, I--I don't know how you got ahold of my necklace, but, uh, at this point you can keep it."

- "Mohinder"

"Lord, Jesus!"

- "Mohinder"

"That's it? So you can swallow a pinto bean, okay. What the f—!"

- "Mohinder"

"If these genetic mutants hold the key to our future, we, are seriously boned."

- "Mohinder"

"Oh my god, someone is going to fall into... a birthday cake."

- Vladimir

Notes

• According to Variety, Zeroes was created by Vince Manze, part of the NBC marketing team. The project, unbeknownst to Tim Kring, cost about $17,000 and was created to mimic viral videos--no NBC logo, no credits, etc.
• According to "Matt" (aka Digestor2365) the production was originally intended to release three-minute episodes every couple of weeks. The first two videos were "promotional" previews.
• Cast members include:
  • Ed Alonzo as Jerry, the man who can put a pinto bean in his mouth and take it out of his eye
  • Johanna Braddy as an office worker
  • Terrence Edwards as Jim, the man who kicks himself in the back of his head
  • Stephen Full as Vladimir, the man who "paints" the present
  • Rafael Kalichstein as Mr. Skylar, the boss
  • Mercy Malick as Brenda, the contortionist
  • Dana Powell as Lindsay, the mumbler who says things as other people say them
  • Amanda Pratt as an office worker
  • Rob Chester Smith as Mr. Fantastic Hat
  • Diana Terranova as Cindy, the cheerleader who can stick her fist in her mouth

Galleries

Ordinary People with Ordinary Abilities

Zeroes features people who can:

• 
  Fit their fist in their mouth...
• 
  ..."thread" their mouth...
• 
  ...touch their tongue to their nose...
• 
  ...kick their own head...
• 
  ...balance a flip phone on their nose...
• 
  ...be bendy...
• 
  ...write with their foot...
• 
  play the straw...
• 
  ...do a stomach thingy...
• 
  ...and escape danger, limbo-style.

Open Auditions

"Mohinder" auditions people who can:

• 
  Play classical music through their nose...
• 
  ...move their clavicle without saving the world...
• 
  ...roll their eyes at rather quick speeds...
• 
  ...pass a necklace through their mouth to their nose...
• 
  ...burp the alphabet...
• 
  ..play bagpipes while drinking a pint...
• 
  ...speak in an Indian dialect...
• 
  ...pierce potatoes effortlessly...
• 
  ...contort their armpits around...
• 
  ...and teleport a pinto bean from their mouth to their eye.

External Links

• Zeroes -- YouTube
• Open Auditions -- YouTube
• Article about Zeroes -- Variety
• Zeroes: Chapter One -- YouTube
• Zeroes: Chapter Two -- NBC.com
• Zeroes: Chapter Three -- NBC.com
• Zeroes: Chapter Four -- NBC.com
• Interview with Diana Terranova, actress who portrays Cindy