Comic-Con 2008 (Super late, I know)
Oh, sweet fishsticks. I have no good reason to justify why this post is going up a month and a half after Comic-Con. To distract from the lateness, under the cuts are are more photos, videos, and fangirling out than you can shake a stick at. It's not dial-up friendly despite my best efforts of omitting and giving up on resizing photos. Also, it's horrendously long. Like, I-thought-I-would-reach-LJ-word-limit long. Don't say I didn't warn you.
That said, I have even more and bigger versions of pictures and videos available for the hardcore fans out there. Ask and ye shall receive. (auntof3, remind me to send you any and all items I have with GG in them.)
Without further ado…
Thursday, July 24: (Sorta but not really) Doctor Who, Torchwood
Well, I already got the gist of this day down in my entry from the day of. To sum up: really, really bad traffic; great traffic mates; me with my dour mood; and missed panels. But hey, the day started well enough with Bagel telling me as we got on the freeway, "You should see my boob. It's crazy." The context of the quote involves a tan line, but I think it's better enjoyed on its own.
The 2-hour-turned-6-hour car ride was far more fun than it had any right to be, all thanks to Bagel and my sister, two first-time Con-goers who created a couple of new dances (the Strobe Light and the Talking/Miming Natural Robot Trapped In A Box) and insisted on singing along to music turned up with the windows rolled down. Thank you, Mika and random '90s pop music. Yes, we were stuck in traffic forever, but I'd like to believe we made a few people smile that day. Especially all the friends Bagel made on the freeway. That girl smiled at everyone, most of whom probably thought she was flirting with them.
Taken while in traffic. It taunted us passengers who really, really needed to pee like race horses
Obviously, Bagel's generally happier disposition and significantly lower love of Who aided in her being a more pleasant person in traffic
I'm assuming my sister took this during one of my bouts with annoyed disappointment while in traffic
All the while, we hoped out loud that panels were postponed to accommodate the dozens of Comic-Con goers that were no doubt stuck in traffic. By 1:00, though, I'd practically given up all hope of seeing either of the panels. In any case, we finally broke past the traffic and booked it to Downtown San Diego to drive in circles for parking. By the time we were in the building with our passes, it was 2:30, a half an hour after the Torchwood panel. While we were there, I figured we should go over to the nearby autograph tables to see if we could get a glimpse of the Doctor Who/Torchwood autograph session.
Steven Moffat! Naoko Mori! And both are looking quite dapper, if I may add.
Julie Gardner, Moffat, and Naoko. It's here that I realized that Uncle Rusty wasn't there, and possibly, maybe the panel wasn't as awesome as it could've been...? Obviously, I was still lying to myself.
One more snapped picture before I went on my disappointed way
There's something odd in seeing actors/writers/producers you know in person. It feels like you're watching them on TV although that obviously isn't the case. They're in front of you. Tangibly. And you know what? That means they can see you, too. You can't point, make comments about how awful their hair looks today, declare that you want to have their babies, talk loudly about them, unashamedly geek out, or stare. Because they'll see you in all your flail-y glory. This was a tad difficult to remember during my 3-day Con stint.
Anyway, with no other panels to see, we hit the exhibition floor in search of free stuff. It kind of made my day that we got the big purple bags from the Sci-Fi booth that read, "Big Frakkin Bag" a la those "Big Brown Bag" bags from Bloomingdales. Also, in a really random turn of events, we saw Cory Feldman signing autographs at the WB booth.
At the BBC America booth, I bought a little TARDIS cell phone charm that spins and lights up whenever I get a text or call. Unfortunately, it also regularly “searches for a signal” by lighting up and spinning, so it’s quite distracting. I love it. Also, as it was, Naoko Mori and Steven Moffat were set to do signings later that day, but they required vouchers that were already given out, so we missed that, too.
We were wandering through the aisles when I saw the cover of Barrowman's autobiography shining down on the Comic-Con floor like a bright, gay Torchwood beacon. I exclaimed something to the effect of, "Holy crap, I found Barrowman!" and followed that cover like a Whovian to a blue police box. Nearby, there was a sign saying that there could be no flash photography, no pictures with the actors, no hugging the actors, and no touching the actors. Hence, my attempts of taking pictures of them while walking past.
Bagel said Barrowman looked kind of snobby. I told her he just has the fabulous gay attitude.
If you look really, really closely, you can see Gareth David-Lloyd in the middle there
Another attempt to surreptitiously take a picture while walking by. I'm sad that I didn't get at least one non-blurry picture of Gareth David-Lloyd. BTW, on a shallow note, he's back to his Torchwood skinniness after the slight chubbiness of the S4 Who finale, which is to say that I totally wanted to jump him
Barrowman!
We got in line for autographs but quickly realized that you had to buy something overpriced from the booth so they could sign it. We politely declined and walked away, instead choosing to fawn over Gareth David-Lloyd (Iaaaaaaaaaantooooooooooo!) from afar before spending the rest of our time perusing the floor, collecting more free stuff, and oogling Attack of the Show! host Kevin Pereira during their live taping at the G4 booth.
It's a life-sized figure of Indiana Jones. Made out of Legos. Awesome.
Of course I couldn't leave without getting at least one photo of Tennant
I had work at 8 PM, so the day went rather quickly. I'm sad that Bagel's first Comic-Con experience was so short and laden with my foul mood. Hopefully next year we'll do better for her.
And yeah, call me a broken record, but it still kind of stings to think about it. There were circumstances beyond my control, I know, but I can't help but thinkinig we could've made it on time if I bothered to check traffic before we left. But enough about that. On to happier days.
***
Friday, July 25: American Dad/Family Guy, Bones; plus squee about the Joss Whedon panel that I didn't even get into but still love because of Nathan Fillion and Neil Patrick Harris
We left home a little later this day because 1) I was mothereffing exhausted from the night before; and 2) We were only really aiming for the Bones panel at 4:30 PM. Still, we tried to make it for the 1:30 PM Joss Whedon panel on the very good chance that Nathan Fillion and/or Neil Patrick Harris would be there for Dr. Horrible.
Turns out that they were there, not that we knew that until afterwards because by the time we got to Ballroom 20, the 4,500-seat room that held the Joss Whedon and Bones panels, the line to go in was insane. In retrospect, we probably could've gotten in if we went in line. I'm trying not to dwell on that too much, though.
Anyhoo, my sister and I decided to hit the convention floor for a little while to collect more free stuff while killing time before the Bones panel. We were again unsuccessful in getting the WB bag, but we did manage to snag a Heroes bag, which is essentially a large black gift bag with the S2 DVD cover on it. We passed by the WB booth and saw the Big Bang Theory cast signing, which was cool because, unlike my sister, I actually like that show. They hooked me with a Doctor Who reference, and I’d been sold ever since.
A couple of hours before the Bones panel, we went upstairs to get in line for the American Dad/Family Guy panel that preceded the Bones panel. Truthfully, I could care less about American Dad, but Family Guy is one of the funniest shows on TV.
On the way there, we passed through the autograph area and spotted Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes at a table. I paused briefly to silently fangirl and to consider whether or not I should bum rush the table to ask Jessica Hynes what it was like to kiss David Tennant. Rationality won out, and we went on to get in a very long line for the panels. The guys in line behind us were a group of pigheaded, sexist, disgusting nerds, but I won’t get into that.
I texted darlingsaila to ask where she was. She inquired about our location and (rightfully) bragged about their awesome seats. I agonized over whether they’d let us in the room at all and begged Kaia and an_an0maly to try to save us a couple of seats. In the end, my sister and I got in to partake in their front row seats in time for the American Dad panel. Yes, I owe Kaia and Nikki puppies and kittens and rainbows and all of that good stuff.
Seth McFarlane, who, admittedly, was a bit more attractive than I anticipated
The American Dad panel foreshadowing how much of the Bones cast I wouldn't be able to see from my seat
The panel itself was okay. They broke down an episode in three acts: the first act was a table read, the second act was shown as a rough animation with a recorded audio track, and the third act was the aired version. It was an okay episode, I suppose. All I remember about the episode is that mild incest and chickens getting hit by cars were involved.
After the panel, some American Dad character came onstage. I'd say that I wish I knew the name of the character, but that would be a lie
One of the cast members tossed a couple of the scripts on the table to the edge of the stage. We nearly shoved Nikki out of her seat to get one, but she was able to not only get a script, but the script of the genius himself, Seth McFarlane. Very cool souvenir. Next, the Family Guy people came out.
Moderator guy, Seth Green, and the voice of Cleveland
Seth Green taking pictures of the audience because he's an adorable geek
They screened the first 10 minutes or so of an upcoming episode involving Peter hilariously and continuously singing the Trashmen’s “Surfin’ Bird.”
Then Seth Green, the adorable man that he is, left his seat to sit on the ground and watch on the big screen. At one point when the episode went to black, he exclaimed, "Is that it?!"
The panel was a lot of fun, as expected from the guys responsible for Family Guy and Robot Chicken.
And because LJ won't let me embed videos under cuts, Family Guy panel video links!
* Seth McFarlane talks about upcoming storylines: Stewie, Brian, and a Jewish friend take a trip to 1940s Poland. Also, Brian Griffin ('s voice) makes a quick panel cameo (1:24)
* Seths Green and McFarlane discuss the (non-existent) differences between Family Guy and Robot Chicken: Seth Green uses that hilarious crude humor we love to prove that there's "nothing but love" between the shows
As it was with the American Dad panel, afterwards, Family Guy characters came onstage. This time, giant!Stewie and giant!Brian
There wasn't much seat switching in the front because a lot of us were there for the Bones panel. Once again, I offered cookies and rainbows to Kaia and Nikki for saving us seats.
Before long, the lights dimmed, and the large screens flanking the stage began playing an episode that started with a truck driver arguing with his wife over the phone. I won't say much about the episode other than it wasn't the 2-hour Season Premiere that was filmed in London, but rather one of the first ones of the season involving a blown-up outhouse and a body submerged in a pool of poop. It looks as disgusting as it sounds.
Thus, we didn't see much of the fallout from the Zack thing other than an annoying newbie intern (*sob*) and went straight into Booth banging on Brennan's door at 6 AM, only to find her with a sexy case of bedhead and an even sexier half-naked man walking out of her bedroom. Also, I heart Sweets, but they're starting to throw him into lab situations that he has no right being around other than because he's a billed cast member and must be present a lot.
I don't think many people expected to see that much of an episode. Whenever the screen faded to black, we would cheer and then laugh awkwardly when the episode continued. BTW, I don't think I was the only one who cried a little inside when Eric Millegan's name wasn't in the credit sequence. Anyway, about 15 minutes in, the screen faded to black and stayed that way so the cast could be brought out. [insert squee here]
Moderator Whitney Pastorek (Entertainment Weekly) introduces the cast. Not only was she a great moderator, but she was also obviously a fan of the show, which, I guess, is why she was a great moderator to begin with
Michaela Conlin looking all gorgeous
This is the last time I saw her from my seat until the end of the panel
John Francis Daly! I wish I took video of his entrance. He adorably ran onstage with his arms in the air amidst the screams of fans who I suspect both love Sweets and are still smitten with Sam Weir from Freaks and Geeks
Not to be outdone, David Boreanaz ran onstage in much the same fashion as John Francis Daly but with more muscle. Much, much more muscle
Rawr.
Tamara Taylor looking quite fashionable
David Boreanaz pouring water for the panel because he's just that nice of a guy.
This is my view of the panel from my seat. I imagine John Francis Daly and Michela Conlin were looking adorable and gorgeous, respectively, behind the screen
Yes, there were parts of the panel I missed because I was starting at him.
I was so focused on Boreanaz that I apparently missed Hart either saying something of interest or performing his rendition of "I'm A Little Teapot"
At one point, David's rambling took an odd turn, so he stopped himself by saying they needed more water onstage. A few minutes later, a random stage hand came out to give water bottles to the panel because David Boreanaz is just that powerful at Comic-Con
Sadly, the panel had to end. But hey, at least we got to see John Francis Daly and Michela Conlin again
Panel notes and video links (even though I hear the panel is available online, but I already uploaded videos, so here you go anyway):
* During the discussion of what happened to S1's Chinese food restaurant [insert uninteresting explanation of money-saving sets], Hart said that David hates "standing sets." What David heard, though, was "outstanding sex." The misunderstanding was cleared up when he proclaimed that he, in fact, has no problem with outstanding sex. (Hart: "David only likes mediocre sex.")
* Hart wants to bring old characters back, including Goodman. Curiously, he implied that he wants to bring a lot of people back at the same time for one episode. Theories, anyone?
* David Boreanaz is way more of a nerdy goofball than I ever anticipated. I can't count how many times a diatribe of his would be met by an audience pause, followed by "...What?" It only makes me adore him more.
* No word on why Emily Deschanel wasn't there. Too bad, too. I wouldn't loved to see her and David Boreanaz be hilarious with each other.
* "David, what do chickens, fish, and double-decker buses have in common?": Somehow, this led to David Boreanaz going into a rant about filming in London, only we only found out later that he was ranting in character. (2:10)
* More prattle and rambling: Scoop about Booth and Brennen being nekkid in bed together, the truncated S3 storyline, the Gormagon debacle/Zack, and the overly complicated filming schedule (3:53)
* "How has your character changed your personality?": Boreanaz shows us his socks, John Francis Daly displays his adorableness (1:17)
* Cast pet peeves about each other: Hiarity ensues (2:20)
* This is what happens when they just let David Boreanaz talk: David on the Booth/Brennen relationship, possible role playing, and going undercover as a woman (1:33)
* I still don't understand what happened here: David Boreanaz speaks nonsense just to get Michela Conlin to talk more; Hart kills the moment by seriously answering the question of the realism of the bodies on the show (2:06)
After this, my sister and I wanted to go to the Robot Chicken panel that happened to be in the same area as the Prison Break panel, so I held on to Kaia's backpack and followed them through the Convention Center. I was not kidding when I called them the GI Janes of Comic-Con. They ducked, weaved, and nearly plowed their way through hundreds of people. It was very impressive.
Here, my sister and I parted with Kaia and Nikki. We quickly realized the Robot Chicken line was far too long, so we retreated back to the exhibition floor for more free stuff.
During our wandering, I noticed the crowd around the Fox booth. Peeking my head in, I saw a familiar-looking man and woman whose names I couldn't place signing autographs. Beside me was a girl on the phone and a guy bouncing on his heels saying to his female companion who obviously wasn't listening, "Oh, my God, it's the Bones chick. I'm freaking out right now." Confused because Emily Deschanel wasn't even at Comic-Con, I looked into the booth again and realized it was Sarah Wayne Callies and Dominic Purcell from Prison Break. I didn't have the heart to tell the guy he was flailing over the wrong people, so we went on our way.
A view of the exhibition floor and the madness that is the crowds
My sister saw a short line to get a canvas bag and suggested we go get one. The line was right next to the G4 booth during a live taping of Attack of the Show!, though, so I told her to go get a bag while I oogled Kevin for a bit. I managed to stealthily avoid the Comic-Con workers who were not allowing anyone to do like I was: stop in the middle of traffic to oogle the AotS! hosts.
Comic-Con god Mark Hamill
Another blurry snap-and-walk-by shot of Kevin and Olivia on the G4 stage
Knowing we had to get up super early for the Heroes panel, we headed home, but not before seeing a cheesy but smartly placed ad outside of the Convention Center.
Yes, that is a dummy bloody corpse being dragged by a trailer truck. It was an oddly appropriate way to end our day.
***
Saturday, July 26: Heroes, Paul Feig, Pushing Daisies, Mythbusters; Honorable Mentions: The Office, Life on Mars (US Remake, *sigh*), Kyle XY, The Middleman, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
And so my sister and I left the house as the sun was rising at 5:50 AM. I booked it all the way to SD, so that by the time we got parking, picked up our passes, and found Kaia and Nikki in the Heroes line, it was just past 7:30 AM. Don't ask me how fast I drove.
At 7:30 in the morning, this is what greeted us outside of the parking garage: roughly 2,000 people already in line for the Heroes panel that didn't start for another 3 hours. Those people in front apparently started camping out when Comic-Con closed the night before. The amount of dedication is both astounding and worrying, especially because a lady at the front of the line had a baby with her. I really, really hope someone just brought the baby to her
A few exchanged text messages ("we're in front of the giant face. like right in front") and a phone call with darlingsaila later, my sister and I joined her, Nikki, and their friend in a their impressively up-front spot line. The next hour was spent chatting and being nostalgic over the Alias fandom. Oh, Crazy Rachel, fandom wars, Blake, SD-1, and Jinnie. Those were the days. I really don't miss the drama.
Before long, they started letting us in Hall H. The best line of the entire Comic-Con came when we were filing into the building. As we passed through the doors, a passerby yelled, "Hey, is this the line for the Unicorn Forest?" Yes, the Unicorn Forest, indeed.
The view from our seats in Hall H, a room that seats 6,500 people, I'd say we were in a pretty good spot.
This picture does not sufficiently capture how ginormous that room was.
We passed the time making small talk with the friendly/kind of cute guys in the row in front of us. At one point, I looked over to the aisle and saw a friend from UCI pass by. I flagged him down, and he told me he got off work at midnight the previous night, drove down, went to a bar for an hour, slept for another hour, and lined up for the panel. That, my friends, is dedication.
A little past 10:30, the lights dimmed. Amidst cheers, we watched the third and final part of a Heroes webcast that I didn't know existed and a trailer for the S2 DVDs. To stall for time, Co-Exec Producer Jeph Loeb's dorky-cute assistant came out to ramble a little and hand out free stuff. Jeph Loeb himself came out before long and stalled for time, too, because the cast was apparently negotiating an uncooperative elevator. I suspect they tried to shove all 2897502435 of them in the same elevator car, and the elevator decided that, yes, there were too frakkin' many of them.
Finally, finally, finally, the cast made it onstage.
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Greg Grunbert, Ali Larter, Zachary Quinto
Hayden Panatierre, Adrian Pasdar hovering creepily over her shoulder, Sendhil Ramamurthy (*fans self*), Tim Sale (I think; he's hiding behind Sendhil), Jack Coleman with his camera, Masi Oka
Co-Exec Producer/Moderator Jeph Loeb, Greg Grunberg, Ali Larter
MILO VENTIHOWEVERYOUSPELLHISNAME!
Jeph Loeb, Writer/Creator/Genius Tim Kring, and a dramatic metal suitcase containing the Holy Grail of Heroes at the moment: the season premiere
I don't know about everyone else, but I figured they'd show us a S2 trailer or even the first act of the season premiere. But then Kring said they were going to air the entire thing, and my head nearly imploded from trying to comprehend that amazing concept. Kring had an assistant run the DVD over to the A/V booth while they tried to shuffle the cast off the stage
Apparently, they didn't know what was going on, either. I find it hilarious that most of the cast have their "I dunno what's going on" expressions on
The lights dimmed, Future!Peter (complete with scar) graced the giant screens, and 40 minutes of sheer kickass awesomeness began. And oh, man, was it a fantastic ride. It's the best the show has been since S1's 'Five Years Gone,' methinks. I'm not just saying that because I barely remember S2. Without giving too much away--it's better everyone sees the twists for themselves, and I'm sure someone else has posted more detailed spoilers on the Interwebs anyway--practically everyone is in it, save for David Anders and Kristen Bell, but Weevil Francis Capra makes an appearance. Characters die and come back to life within the span of one episode. Character(s) everyone thought to be dead is/are revealed to be very much alive. Characters gain powers. Also, in a moment of sheer awesomeness, we find out the answer to the question of whether or not Sylar eats brains. It was more comedic than usual, and that's very much a good thing, especially given the heavy tone the episode could have.
There is nothing like watching something you love at its best with 6,000 other fans. (I'm convinced the other 500 people in the room were only there for the Lost panel afterwards.) The collective bated breaths and appreciative applause are beautiful things.
After the episode, the cast came back onstage amidst cheers and scattered standing ovations.
Jack Coleman filiming the audience, which became a regular occurance during panels. Apparently, we're as interesting to them as they are to us
During audience questioning, despite the warning that no personal requests could be made, one girl told a sob story about how she's legally blind and only wanted to see Milo up close. There were about 6,000 groans from the annoyed audience, but Milo, being the sweetheart he is, jumped off the stage to not only give the girl a hug, but also take her camera to take a picture with her
Lucky bitch, generous bastard
Brand-new regular Christine Rose, AKA Mama Petrelli
The audience started getting impatient during Q&A. When one guy came up and started blabbing about how he was at the front of the line last year, people started booing. As soon as he said he didn't have a question, only a statement, the boos got louder, and his mic was shut off. But then, this little boy came up to the mic, all excitement and adorableness, to yell about how much he loved "Silo." He yelled, "Silo rocks!" Everyone was thoroughly charmed, of course.
Zachary Quinto mirroring the boy's "Silo rocks!" gesture. The next guy who asked a question had a question for "Sylar," too, but Zachary Quinto corrected him with "I believe it's Silo."
Let's see if I can get all the names off the top of my head: Jack Coleman, Hayden Panatierre, Milo Ventimiglia, Masi Oka, Greg Grunberg, Adrian Pasdar, Chick who plays Maya, Zachary Quinto, Ali Larter, Sendhil Ramamurthy, James Kyson Lee, Christine Rose, Tim Sale, Tim Kring
And what do you know? More video links:
* The cast is asked to describe S3 in one word: I'm convinced that if you look closely, Milo tells Masi to say it in Japanese (2:56)
* An audience member asks the cast whose power other than Peter's they would take. Ignore the people standing up in front of the camera to line up to ask questions (1:16)
The panel ended a little later than expected, and my sister and I opted to miss out on them handing out Heroes goodies to haul ass across the Convention Center--roughly a football field and a half--to get in line for The Office panel. Much weaving, ducking, and power walking later, we found a very long line to get into a very small room. We gave it a shot and went in line anyway. If anything, we would've stayed in the room anyway for the Pushing Daisies panel that was luckily in the same room later. We were outside, but thank goodness the weather wasn't that brutal that day.
We chatted with the guys in line in front of us, who were pretty cool. It turned out that they were the same guys I saw the day before dressed as Lego men. We all debated whether to leave the Office line to go to the Attack of the Show! panel. ("Guys just want to go to oogle Oliva [Munn, co-host of AotS!]." "Well, yeah." "That's okay. I want to go oogle Kevin [Pereira, co-host]." "You think Kevin's hot?" "Um, yeah." "Really? I don't think he's hot." "That's because you're a guy.") Surprisingly, we even had a few inside jokes by the end of our time in line even though I never got their names. Such is the magic of Comic-Con.
In the end, the room was too full, so we didn't get into the Office panel. My sister and I stayed in line, though, for the panel before Pushing Dasies. We got in for that panel, Comics Across Other Mediums...or something. Very surprisingly, it turned out to be a very interesting panel with an apperance by Paul Fieg, creator of Freaks and Geeks/director of awesomeness such as Arrested Development and The Office/Mr. Gene Pool from Sabrina the Teenage Witch
Whitney Matheson (USA Today's Pop Candy Blog, Paul Feig(!), David Goyer (Batman Begins writer), Chip Kidd (*mumbles "I dunno"*), Brad Meltzer (see previous credit)
I was just really excited to see Paul Feig. I'm not sure what else went on in this panel.
There wasn't much seat shuffling after that panel because most everyone was there for Pushing Daisies.
The lights went down, and a video started playing on the screen. At first, I thought they were playing a summary of S1, but then I realized it was all looking terribly familiar. Turns out they accidentally started playing the Pilot again.
More stalling for time, this time by Creator/Exec Producer Bryan Fuller and Exec Producer Barry Sonnenfeld, who told the A/V guys to start playing the S2 preview they brought
I don't remember much about the preview other than there were lots and lots of bees. And running. Apparently, the trailer was designed for the Comic-Con crowd, so it was darker and more action-packed and not necessarily reflective of the rest of the season. In any case, it was very exciting to see the gang back in action.
Part of Jan Jinks, Bryan Fuller, Chi McBride, the gorgeous Anna Friel, and the amazing/adorable/talented Lee Pace
At the other end of the table: Swoozie Kurtz, Ellen Greene, Kristin Chenoweth (awww!), Dan Jinks, Bryan Fuller, and Chi McBride
Chenoweth is just about the cutest thing ever
The panel was as adorable and fun as the show itself. They all seem so genuinely happy to be a part of the show. Even Field Cate (Young Ned) was sitting a few rows in front of me in the audience. I won't go on about it, though, because I think the video clips speak for themselves:
* Introductions: Barry Sonnenfeld introduces the cast and producers who, of course, enter in their own unique ways (4:33)
* "Are there any surprises about your character that you didn't expect them to be going?": Anna calls Lee "Piemaker," S4 spoilers, Anna speaks with a "fake British accent," Chi references a movie only this audience would appreciate and calls out his over-dressed castmates (4:07)
* Adorableness, thy names are Anna and Lee: Quite possibly my favorite moment of all of Comic-Con. A fan asks about DVD special features. In response, we're treated to a story of how Ned and Chuck decided to play Russian Roulette in the Pilot, plus Anna Friel and Lee Pace's adorable reactions. (1:44)
* We all saw this one coming: Of course, someone asks Kristen Chenoweth to sing, which she does brilliantly to "Somewhere Under the Rainbow." It's sweet that she's a Broadway star who looks embarrassed that everyone thinks she's so amazing (1:40)
* Dead Like Me and Wonderfalls Shout Outs!: Optimistic Ned and Chuck as opposed to cynical Jaye Tyler and George; Wonderfalls casting spoilers for S2 (1:08)
* Lee Pace discusses the craft of acting: (e.g. finding the truth, beauty, and honesty in the moment and all that jazz); "I get to fall in love all day." Excuse my background scoffing. I get that way whenever actors talk about "the craft," no matter who it is (2:39)
* So, "contraptions," huh?: S2 spoilers involving certain contraptions for Chuck and Ned to be more "intimate" (0:55)
After the panel, everyone bum rushed the stage for autographs, which the cast was kind of enough to accommodate despite their immediate signing at the WB booth
Boob shot. Yes, I'm 12-years-old
And of course, like the stalker I am, I followed them out the side door
Bryan Fuller with Lee Pace lurking in the background
My sister and I hauled ass, once again, across the Convention Center to get to the exhibition floor. As we pushed our way to the WB booth, I glanced at another booth and saw some guys who looked oddly familiar. I probably pissed off some people behind me by halting so suddenly, but I couldn't help it--I stopped in my tracks and exclaimed, "Holy crap, it's the [It's Always] Sunny [In Philadelphia] guys!" And sure enough, there they were, signing autographs.
Look, it’s what’s-his-name! (campjinx25, help me out here.)
And look! The other two guys!
The guy working in the booth saw that I recognized them and somewhat excitedly asked if I was going to the panel on Sunday. I said that I couldn't because it was the one day I wasn't going to Comic-Con. He dropped the PR voice and said, "Yeah, it was the only day we could get." I laughed and said, "Aw. I just thought you guys hated me."
I made small talk with the guy next to me who was trying to get a good picture of all three guys to show his friends. Unfortunately, there was always a person or two passing by to get autographs, effectively always blocking at least one of them. I wryly wished Photographer Guy good luck on his quest and went on my merry way to the now-in-sight WB booth. We couldn't find the autograph line, so I settled for sneaking pictures at the edge of the booth. A really nice PR lady saw me and told me I could slip in in front of her to take photos.
It's a slightly creepy picture, but the man wouldn't stop smiling
I can only imagine Chi McBride is saying something vaguely sarcastic and hilarious to Young Ned
One of my favorite, favorite pictures of Comic-Con. I really wish it wasn't so blurry. It's Lee Pace (Older Ned, obviously) and Field Cate (Young Ned) sitting next to each other in practically the same position. It's the cutest thing ever and makes my Who-learned understanding of time to believe that reapers will soon come and take advantage of the time paradox that is taking place. Still. AWWWW!
I let a girl behind me go in my spot so she could get her turn to take pictures and joined my sister on her quest to find the booth that sold those orange knit hats (like Jayne from Firefly wore) we’d been seeing all weekend. We found the California Browncoats booth but found out they were sorely overpriced. As we turned to leave, I thought the girl at the booth looked familiar.
Turns out it was Felicia Day, Penny from Whedon’s Dr. Horrible series.
We went on to bide our time in the Mythbusters panel room. We walked in on a panel with a comic artist whose name sadly escapes me. I might have nodded off during it. Before the next panel, a TV Guide-sponsored thing, started, the guys next to us randomly and jokingly apologized in advance for blocking our view of the TV Guide panel when they’d get up to use the restroom.
Playing along, I told them that it was rude and absolutely unacceptable to interrupt the upcoming Kyle XY/The Middleman/predestined awful Life on Mars remake experience I was about to have. Dropping the act, I agreed that we were there for Mythbusters, too, and no offence to the TV Guide people, but their panel was just one long bathroom break for most of us in the room. As became the theme of the day, I made small talk with the guys. It was quite surprising how easy it was to talk to them in my sarcastic way. I guess it was because I was among my people, the nerds.
It became clear quite early on that this “TV Guide Hot List” panel was little more than a marketing ploy to generate interest in these shows. I’d say that no one in the room was really interested in these shows, but there were fans who asked questions and seemed to genuinely be there for non-myth busting-related reasons.
As my sister pointed out, the guy from Kyle XY was a bit stupid-cute.
Jason O’Mara (America’s answer to John Simm, apparently) and the guy responsible for possibly ruining Life On Mars
It turns out they're switching the setting from LA to New York and recasting pretty much everyone but the lead actor. Not a good sign.
At one point, Jason O'Mara said the sci-fi show he grew up with was Doctor Who. And suddenly, he was my favorite person on the panel who instantly made me want to give the Life on Mars remake a chance. What can I say--I'm easy to please.
The TV Guide panel came and went without much fanfare.
A stage hand put these up in the interim between panels. Just in case we doubted who we were there to see.
Panel moderator Bill Prady, Exec Producer of The Big Bang Theory
Jamie and Adam started off the panel normally, but then decided sitting at the table was too formal. Thus, their decision to break said table…
…and have an informal panel
Adam showed some pictures he took at Comic-Con, most notably some of a guy dressed as Hellboy. In the last photos, he revealed that Hellboy was none other than Adam himself
Random notes:
* Tory, Grant, and Keri apparently really, really wanted to be there but weren’t for any given reason
* It’s no secret that Jamie and Adam aren’t friends who hang out outside of the shop, but it never stops hurting to hear =/
* Jamie and Adam talked about the beginning of Mythbusters, their background work in special effects, and Jamie’s birth during the Civil War and subsequent childhood with feral cats
* Mine and my sister’s favorite part of the panel was when Jamie and Adam were asked what they wanted to be when they grew up-it was a better question than it sounds on paper. Jamie, sitting on the table and swinging his legs like a kid, simply said, “I just wanted to run free.”
* There was a long line of audience questions. Surprisingly, pretty much all of them were intelligent and thought out. Those are Mythbusters fans for you.
* There is an upcoming episode where they explore sobering up myths. Of course, Adam is the guinea pig. And let me just say that the high-speed of a drunken Adam running and falling off a treadmill is one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen on Mythbusters. I really, really, really hope they air it in its entirety
A couple more video clips:
* People getting hurt is usually funny: The worst Adam's been hurt; upcoming sobering up myths, high-speed of Jamie slapping Adam sober (1:46)
* Who would win in a fight--Adam or Jamie?: That title says it all, really (1:01)
My sister and I snagged a poster before leaving. We were going to go back to the exhibition floor, but by this time, it was 10 PM-ish, and it was closed. We decided that we'd had enough Comic-Con fun and headed home.
Sure, tt got off to a shaky start. Needless to say, though, it was a very fun, fangirlish weekend.
That said, I have even more and bigger versions of pictures and videos available for the hardcore fans out there. Ask and ye shall receive. (auntof3, remind me to send you any and all items I have with GG in them.)
Without further ado…
Thursday, July 24: (Sorta but not really) Doctor Who, Torchwood
Well, I already got the gist of this day down in my entry from the day of. To sum up: really, really bad traffic; great traffic mates; me with my dour mood; and missed panels. But hey, the day started well enough with Bagel telling me as we got on the freeway, "You should see my boob. It's crazy." The context of the quote involves a tan line, but I think it's better enjoyed on its own.
The 2-hour-turned-6-hour car ride was far more fun than it had any right to be, all thanks to Bagel and my sister, two first-time Con-goers who created a couple of new dances (the Strobe Light and the Talking/Miming Natural Robot Trapped In A Box) and insisted on singing along to music turned up with the windows rolled down. Thank you, Mika and random '90s pop music. Yes, we were stuck in traffic forever, but I'd like to believe we made a few people smile that day. Especially all the friends Bagel made on the freeway. That girl smiled at everyone, most of whom probably thought she was flirting with them.
Taken while in traffic. It taunted us passengers who really, really needed to pee like race horses
Obviously, Bagel's generally happier disposition and significantly lower love of Who aided in her being a more pleasant person in traffic
I'm assuming my sister took this during one of my bouts with annoyed disappointment while in traffic
All the while, we hoped out loud that panels were postponed to accommodate the dozens of Comic-Con goers that were no doubt stuck in traffic. By 1:00, though, I'd practically given up all hope of seeing either of the panels. In any case, we finally broke past the traffic and booked it to Downtown San Diego to drive in circles for parking. By the time we were in the building with our passes, it was 2:30, a half an hour after the Torchwood panel. While we were there, I figured we should go over to the nearby autograph tables to see if we could get a glimpse of the Doctor Who/Torchwood autograph session.
Steven Moffat! Naoko Mori! And both are looking quite dapper, if I may add.
Julie Gardner, Moffat, and Naoko. It's here that I realized that Uncle Rusty wasn't there, and possibly, maybe the panel wasn't as awesome as it could've been...? Obviously, I was still lying to myself.
One more snapped picture before I went on my disappointed way
There's something odd in seeing actors/writers/producers you know in person. It feels like you're watching them on TV although that obviously isn't the case. They're in front of you. Tangibly. And you know what? That means they can see you, too. You can't point, make comments about how awful their hair looks today, declare that you want to have their babies, talk loudly about them, unashamedly geek out, or stare. Because they'll see you in all your flail-y glory. This was a tad difficult to remember during my 3-day Con stint.
Anyway, with no other panels to see, we hit the exhibition floor in search of free stuff. It kind of made my day that we got the big purple bags from the Sci-Fi booth that read, "Big Frakkin Bag" a la those "Big Brown Bag" bags from Bloomingdales. Also, in a really random turn of events, we saw Cory Feldman signing autographs at the WB booth.
At the BBC America booth, I bought a little TARDIS cell phone charm that spins and lights up whenever I get a text or call. Unfortunately, it also regularly “searches for a signal” by lighting up and spinning, so it’s quite distracting. I love it. Also, as it was, Naoko Mori and Steven Moffat were set to do signings later that day, but they required vouchers that were already given out, so we missed that, too.
We were wandering through the aisles when I saw the cover of Barrowman's autobiography shining down on the Comic-Con floor like a bright, gay Torchwood beacon. I exclaimed something to the effect of, "Holy crap, I found Barrowman!" and followed that cover like a Whovian to a blue police box. Nearby, there was a sign saying that there could be no flash photography, no pictures with the actors, no hugging the actors, and no touching the actors. Hence, my attempts of taking pictures of them while walking past.
Bagel said Barrowman looked kind of snobby. I told her he just has the fabulous gay attitude.
If you look really, really closely, you can see Gareth David-Lloyd in the middle there
Another attempt to surreptitiously take a picture while walking by. I'm sad that I didn't get at least one non-blurry picture of Gareth David-Lloyd. BTW, on a shallow note, he's back to his Torchwood skinniness after the slight chubbiness of the S4 Who finale, which is to say that I totally wanted to jump him
Barrowman!
We got in line for autographs but quickly realized that you had to buy something overpriced from the booth so they could sign it. We politely declined and walked away, instead choosing to fawn over Gareth David-Lloyd (Iaaaaaaaaaantooooooooooo!) from afar before spending the rest of our time perusing the floor, collecting more free stuff, and oogling Attack of the Show! host Kevin Pereira during their live taping at the G4 booth.
It's a life-sized figure of Indiana Jones. Made out of Legos. Awesome.
Of course I couldn't leave without getting at least one photo of Tennant
I had work at 8 PM, so the day went rather quickly. I'm sad that Bagel's first Comic-Con experience was so short and laden with my foul mood. Hopefully next year we'll do better for her.
And yeah, call me a broken record, but it still kind of stings to think about it. There were circumstances beyond my control, I know, but I can't help but thinkinig we could've made it on time if I bothered to check traffic before we left. But enough about that. On to happier days.
***
Friday, July 25: American Dad/Family Guy, Bones; plus squee about the Joss Whedon panel that I didn't even get into but still love because of Nathan Fillion and Neil Patrick Harris
We left home a little later this day because 1) I was mothereffing exhausted from the night before; and 2) We were only really aiming for the Bones panel at 4:30 PM. Still, we tried to make it for the 1:30 PM Joss Whedon panel on the very good chance that Nathan Fillion and/or Neil Patrick Harris would be there for Dr. Horrible.
Turns out that they were there, not that we knew that until afterwards because by the time we got to Ballroom 20, the 4,500-seat room that held the Joss Whedon and Bones panels, the line to go in was insane. In retrospect, we probably could've gotten in if we went in line. I'm trying not to dwell on that too much, though.
Anyhoo, my sister and I decided to hit the convention floor for a little while to collect more free stuff while killing time before the Bones panel. We were again unsuccessful in getting the WB bag, but we did manage to snag a Heroes bag, which is essentially a large black gift bag with the S2 DVD cover on it. We passed by the WB booth and saw the Big Bang Theory cast signing, which was cool because, unlike my sister, I actually like that show. They hooked me with a Doctor Who reference, and I’d been sold ever since.
A couple of hours before the Bones panel, we went upstairs to get in line for the American Dad/Family Guy panel that preceded the Bones panel. Truthfully, I could care less about American Dad, but Family Guy is one of the funniest shows on TV.
On the way there, we passed through the autograph area and spotted Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes at a table. I paused briefly to silently fangirl and to consider whether or not I should bum rush the table to ask Jessica Hynes what it was like to kiss David Tennant. Rationality won out, and we went on to get in a very long line for the panels. The guys in line behind us were a group of pigheaded, sexist, disgusting nerds, but I won’t get into that.
I texted darlingsaila to ask where she was. She inquired about our location and (rightfully) bragged about their awesome seats. I agonized over whether they’d let us in the room at all and begged Kaia and an_an0maly to try to save us a couple of seats. In the end, my sister and I got in to partake in their front row seats in time for the American Dad panel. Yes, I owe Kaia and Nikki puppies and kittens and rainbows and all of that good stuff.
Seth McFarlane, who, admittedly, was a bit more attractive than I anticipated
The American Dad panel foreshadowing how much of the Bones cast I wouldn't be able to see from my seat
The panel itself was okay. They broke down an episode in three acts: the first act was a table read, the second act was shown as a rough animation with a recorded audio track, and the third act was the aired version. It was an okay episode, I suppose. All I remember about the episode is that mild incest and chickens getting hit by cars were involved.
After the panel, some American Dad character came onstage. I'd say that I wish I knew the name of the character, but that would be a lie
One of the cast members tossed a couple of the scripts on the table to the edge of the stage. We nearly shoved Nikki out of her seat to get one, but she was able to not only get a script, but the script of the genius himself, Seth McFarlane. Very cool souvenir. Next, the Family Guy people came out.
Moderator guy, Seth Green, and the voice of Cleveland
Seth Green taking pictures of the audience because he's an adorable geek
They screened the first 10 minutes or so of an upcoming episode involving Peter hilariously and continuously singing the Trashmen’s “Surfin’ Bird.”
Then Seth Green, the adorable man that he is, left his seat to sit on the ground and watch on the big screen. At one point when the episode went to black, he exclaimed, "Is that it?!"
The panel was a lot of fun, as expected from the guys responsible for Family Guy and Robot Chicken.
And because LJ won't let me embed videos under cuts, Family Guy panel video links!
* Seth McFarlane talks about upcoming storylines: Stewie, Brian, and a Jewish friend take a trip to 1940s Poland. Also, Brian Griffin ('s voice) makes a quick panel cameo (1:24)
* Seths Green and McFarlane discuss the (non-existent) differences between Family Guy and Robot Chicken: Seth Green uses that hilarious crude humor we love to prove that there's "nothing but love" between the shows
As it was with the American Dad panel, afterwards, Family Guy characters came onstage. This time, giant!Stewie and giant!Brian
There wasn't much seat switching in the front because a lot of us were there for the Bones panel. Once again, I offered cookies and rainbows to Kaia and Nikki for saving us seats.
Before long, the lights dimmed, and the large screens flanking the stage began playing an episode that started with a truck driver arguing with his wife over the phone. I won't say much about the episode other than it wasn't the 2-hour Season Premiere that was filmed in London, but rather one of the first ones of the season involving a blown-up outhouse and a body submerged in a pool of poop. It looks as disgusting as it sounds.
Thus, we didn't see much of the fallout from the Zack thing other than an annoying newbie intern (*sob*) and went straight into Booth banging on Brennan's door at 6 AM, only to find her with a sexy case of bedhead and an even sexier half-naked man walking out of her bedroom. Also, I heart Sweets, but they're starting to throw him into lab situations that he has no right being around other than because he's a billed cast member and must be present a lot.
I don't think many people expected to see that much of an episode. Whenever the screen faded to black, we would cheer and then laugh awkwardly when the episode continued. BTW, I don't think I was the only one who cried a little inside when Eric Millegan's name wasn't in the credit sequence. Anyway, about 15 minutes in, the screen faded to black and stayed that way so the cast could be brought out. [insert squee here]
Moderator Whitney Pastorek (Entertainment Weekly) introduces the cast. Not only was she a great moderator, but she was also obviously a fan of the show, which, I guess, is why she was a great moderator to begin with
Michaela Conlin looking all gorgeous
This is the last time I saw her from my seat until the end of the panel
John Francis Daly! I wish I took video of his entrance. He adorably ran onstage with his arms in the air amidst the screams of fans who I suspect both love Sweets and are still smitten with Sam Weir from Freaks and Geeks
Not to be outdone, David Boreanaz ran onstage in much the same fashion as John Francis Daly but with more muscle. Much, much more muscle
Rawr.
Tamara Taylor looking quite fashionable
David Boreanaz pouring water for the panel because he's just that nice of a guy.
This is my view of the panel from my seat. I imagine John Francis Daly and Michela Conlin were looking adorable and gorgeous, respectively, behind the screen
Yes, there were parts of the panel I missed because I was starting at him.
I was so focused on Boreanaz that I apparently missed Hart either saying something of interest or performing his rendition of "I'm A Little Teapot"
At one point, David's rambling took an odd turn, so he stopped himself by saying they needed more water onstage. A few minutes later, a random stage hand came out to give water bottles to the panel because David Boreanaz is just that powerful at Comic-Con
Sadly, the panel had to end. But hey, at least we got to see John Francis Daly and Michela Conlin again
Panel notes and video links (even though I hear the panel is available online, but I already uploaded videos, so here you go anyway):
* During the discussion of what happened to S1's Chinese food restaurant [insert uninteresting explanation of money-saving sets], Hart said that David hates "standing sets." What David heard, though, was "outstanding sex." The misunderstanding was cleared up when he proclaimed that he, in fact, has no problem with outstanding sex. (Hart: "David only likes mediocre sex.")
* Hart wants to bring old characters back, including Goodman. Curiously, he implied that he wants to bring a lot of people back at the same time for one episode. Theories, anyone?
* David Boreanaz is way more of a nerdy goofball than I ever anticipated. I can't count how many times a diatribe of his would be met by an audience pause, followed by "...What?" It only makes me adore him more.
* No word on why Emily Deschanel wasn't there. Too bad, too. I wouldn't loved to see her and David Boreanaz be hilarious with each other.
* "David, what do chickens, fish, and double-decker buses have in common?": Somehow, this led to David Boreanaz going into a rant about filming in London, only we only found out later that he was ranting in character. (2:10)
* More prattle and rambling: Scoop about Booth and Brennen being nekkid in bed together, the truncated S3 storyline, the Gormagon debacle/Zack, and the overly complicated filming schedule (3:53)
* "How has your character changed your personality?": Boreanaz shows us his socks, John Francis Daly displays his adorableness (1:17)
* Cast pet peeves about each other: Hiarity ensues (2:20)
* This is what happens when they just let David Boreanaz talk: David on the Booth/Brennen relationship, possible role playing, and going undercover as a woman (1:33)
* I still don't understand what happened here: David Boreanaz speaks nonsense just to get Michela Conlin to talk more; Hart kills the moment by seriously answering the question of the realism of the bodies on the show (2:06)
After this, my sister and I wanted to go to the Robot Chicken panel that happened to be in the same area as the Prison Break panel, so I held on to Kaia's backpack and followed them through the Convention Center. I was not kidding when I called them the GI Janes of Comic-Con. They ducked, weaved, and nearly plowed their way through hundreds of people. It was very impressive.
Here, my sister and I parted with Kaia and Nikki. We quickly realized the Robot Chicken line was far too long, so we retreated back to the exhibition floor for more free stuff.
During our wandering, I noticed the crowd around the Fox booth. Peeking my head in, I saw a familiar-looking man and woman whose names I couldn't place signing autographs. Beside me was a girl on the phone and a guy bouncing on his heels saying to his female companion who obviously wasn't listening, "Oh, my God, it's the Bones chick. I'm freaking out right now." Confused because Emily Deschanel wasn't even at Comic-Con, I looked into the booth again and realized it was Sarah Wayne Callies and Dominic Purcell from Prison Break. I didn't have the heart to tell the guy he was flailing over the wrong people, so we went on our way.
A view of the exhibition floor and the madness that is the crowds
My sister saw a short line to get a canvas bag and suggested we go get one. The line was right next to the G4 booth during a live taping of Attack of the Show!, though, so I told her to go get a bag while I oogled Kevin for a bit. I managed to stealthily avoid the Comic-Con workers who were not allowing anyone to do like I was: stop in the middle of traffic to oogle the AotS! hosts.
Comic-Con god Mark Hamill
Another blurry snap-and-walk-by shot of Kevin and Olivia on the G4 stage
Knowing we had to get up super early for the Heroes panel, we headed home, but not before seeing a cheesy but smartly placed ad outside of the Convention Center.
Yes, that is a dummy bloody corpse being dragged by a trailer truck. It was an oddly appropriate way to end our day.
***
Saturday, July 26: Heroes, Paul Feig, Pushing Daisies, Mythbusters; Honorable Mentions: The Office, Life on Mars (US Remake, *sigh*), Kyle XY, The Middleman, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
And so my sister and I left the house as the sun was rising at 5:50 AM. I booked it all the way to SD, so that by the time we got parking, picked up our passes, and found Kaia and Nikki in the Heroes line, it was just past 7:30 AM. Don't ask me how fast I drove.
At 7:30 in the morning, this is what greeted us outside of the parking garage: roughly 2,000 people already in line for the Heroes panel that didn't start for another 3 hours. Those people in front apparently started camping out when Comic-Con closed the night before. The amount of dedication is both astounding and worrying, especially because a lady at the front of the line had a baby with her. I really, really hope someone just brought the baby to her
A few exchanged text messages ("we're in front of the giant face. like right in front") and a phone call with darlingsaila later, my sister and I joined her, Nikki, and their friend in a their impressively up-front spot line. The next hour was spent chatting and being nostalgic over the Alias fandom. Oh, Crazy Rachel, fandom wars, Blake, SD-1, and Jinnie. Those were the days. I really don't miss the drama.
Before long, they started letting us in Hall H. The best line of the entire Comic-Con came when we were filing into the building. As we passed through the doors, a passerby yelled, "Hey, is this the line for the Unicorn Forest?" Yes, the Unicorn Forest, indeed.
The view from our seats in Hall H, a room that seats 6,500 people, I'd say we were in a pretty good spot.
This picture does not sufficiently capture how ginormous that room was.
We passed the time making small talk with the friendly/kind of cute guys in the row in front of us. At one point, I looked over to the aisle and saw a friend from UCI pass by. I flagged him down, and he told me he got off work at midnight the previous night, drove down, went to a bar for an hour, slept for another hour, and lined up for the panel. That, my friends, is dedication.
A little past 10:30, the lights dimmed. Amidst cheers, we watched the third and final part of a Heroes webcast that I didn't know existed and a trailer for the S2 DVDs. To stall for time, Co-Exec Producer Jeph Loeb's dorky-cute assistant came out to ramble a little and hand out free stuff. Jeph Loeb himself came out before long and stalled for time, too, because the cast was apparently negotiating an uncooperative elevator. I suspect they tried to shove all 2897502435 of them in the same elevator car, and the elevator decided that, yes, there were too frakkin' many of them.
Finally, finally, finally, the cast made it onstage.
Greg Grunbert, Ali Larter, Zachary Quinto
Hayden Panatierre, Adrian Pasdar hovering creepily over her shoulder, Sendhil Ramamurthy (*fans self*), Tim Sale (I think; he's hiding behind Sendhil), Jack Coleman with his camera, Masi Oka
Co-Exec Producer/Moderator Jeph Loeb, Greg Grunberg, Ali Larter
MILO VENTIHOWEVERYOUSPELLHISNAME!
Jeph Loeb, Writer/Creator/Genius Tim Kring, and a dramatic metal suitcase containing the Holy Grail of Heroes at the moment: the season premiere
I don't know about everyone else, but I figured they'd show us a S2 trailer or even the first act of the season premiere. But then Kring said they were going to air the entire thing, and my head nearly imploded from trying to comprehend that amazing concept. Kring had an assistant run the DVD over to the A/V booth while they tried to shuffle the cast off the stage
Apparently, they didn't know what was going on, either. I find it hilarious that most of the cast have their "I dunno what's going on" expressions on
The lights dimmed, Future!Peter (complete with scar) graced the giant screens, and 40 minutes of sheer kickass awesomeness began. And oh, man, was it a fantastic ride. It's the best the show has been since S1's 'Five Years Gone,' methinks. I'm not just saying that because I barely remember S2. Without giving too much away--it's better everyone sees the twists for themselves, and I'm sure someone else has posted more detailed spoilers on the Interwebs anyway--practically everyone is in it, save for David Anders and Kristen Bell, but Weevil Francis Capra makes an appearance. Characters die and come back to life within the span of one episode. Character(s) everyone thought to be dead is/are revealed to be very much alive. Characters gain powers. Also, in a moment of sheer awesomeness, we find out the answer to the question of whether or not Sylar eats brains. It was more comedic than usual, and that's very much a good thing, especially given the heavy tone the episode could have.
There is nothing like watching something you love at its best with 6,000 other fans. (I'm convinced the other 500 people in the room were only there for the Lost panel afterwards.) The collective bated breaths and appreciative applause are beautiful things.
After the episode, the cast came back onstage amidst cheers and scattered standing ovations.
Jack Coleman filiming the audience, which became a regular occurance during panels. Apparently, we're as interesting to them as they are to us
During audience questioning, despite the warning that no personal requests could be made, one girl told a sob story about how she's legally blind and only wanted to see Milo up close. There were about 6,000 groans from the annoyed audience, but Milo, being the sweetheart he is, jumped off the stage to not only give the girl a hug, but also take her camera to take a picture with her
Lucky bitch, generous bastard
Brand-new regular Christine Rose, AKA Mama Petrelli
The audience started getting impatient during Q&A. When one guy came up and started blabbing about how he was at the front of the line last year, people started booing. As soon as he said he didn't have a question, only a statement, the boos got louder, and his mic was shut off. But then, this little boy came up to the mic, all excitement and adorableness, to yell about how much he loved "Silo." He yelled, "Silo rocks!" Everyone was thoroughly charmed, of course.
Zachary Quinto mirroring the boy's "Silo rocks!" gesture. The next guy who asked a question had a question for "Sylar," too, but Zachary Quinto corrected him with "I believe it's Silo."
Let's see if I can get all the names off the top of my head: Jack Coleman, Hayden Panatierre, Milo Ventimiglia, Masi Oka, Greg Grunberg, Adrian Pasdar, Chick who plays Maya, Zachary Quinto, Ali Larter, Sendhil Ramamurthy, James Kyson Lee, Christine Rose, Tim Sale, Tim Kring
And what do you know? More video links:
* The cast is asked to describe S3 in one word: I'm convinced that if you look closely, Milo tells Masi to say it in Japanese (2:56)
* An audience member asks the cast whose power other than Peter's they would take. Ignore the people standing up in front of the camera to line up to ask questions (1:16)
The panel ended a little later than expected, and my sister and I opted to miss out on them handing out Heroes goodies to haul ass across the Convention Center--roughly a football field and a half--to get in line for The Office panel. Much weaving, ducking, and power walking later, we found a very long line to get into a very small room. We gave it a shot and went in line anyway. If anything, we would've stayed in the room anyway for the Pushing Daisies panel that was luckily in the same room later. We were outside, but thank goodness the weather wasn't that brutal that day.
We chatted with the guys in line in front of us, who were pretty cool. It turned out that they were the same guys I saw the day before dressed as Lego men. We all debated whether to leave the Office line to go to the Attack of the Show! panel. ("Guys just want to go to oogle Oliva [Munn, co-host of AotS!]." "Well, yeah." "That's okay. I want to go oogle Kevin [Pereira, co-host]." "You think Kevin's hot?" "Um, yeah." "Really? I don't think he's hot." "That's because you're a guy.") Surprisingly, we even had a few inside jokes by the end of our time in line even though I never got their names. Such is the magic of Comic-Con.
In the end, the room was too full, so we didn't get into the Office panel. My sister and I stayed in line, though, for the panel before Pushing Dasies. We got in for that panel, Comics Across Other Mediums...or something. Very surprisingly, it turned out to be a very interesting panel with an apperance by Paul Fieg, creator of Freaks and Geeks/director of awesomeness such as Arrested Development and The Office/Mr. Gene Pool from Sabrina the Teenage Witch
Whitney Matheson (USA Today's Pop Candy Blog, Paul Feig(!), David Goyer (Batman Begins writer), Chip Kidd (*mumbles "I dunno"*), Brad Meltzer (see previous credit)
I was just really excited to see Paul Feig. I'm not sure what else went on in this panel.
There wasn't much seat shuffling after that panel because most everyone was there for Pushing Daisies.
The lights went down, and a video started playing on the screen. At first, I thought they were playing a summary of S1, but then I realized it was all looking terribly familiar. Turns out they accidentally started playing the Pilot again.
More stalling for time, this time by Creator/Exec Producer Bryan Fuller and Exec Producer Barry Sonnenfeld, who told the A/V guys to start playing the S2 preview they brought
I don't remember much about the preview other than there were lots and lots of bees. And running. Apparently, the trailer was designed for the Comic-Con crowd, so it was darker and more action-packed and not necessarily reflective of the rest of the season. In any case, it was very exciting to see the gang back in action.
Part of Jan Jinks, Bryan Fuller, Chi McBride, the gorgeous Anna Friel, and the amazing/adorable/talented Lee Pace
At the other end of the table: Swoozie Kurtz, Ellen Greene, Kristin Chenoweth (awww!), Dan Jinks, Bryan Fuller, and Chi McBride
Chenoweth is just about the cutest thing ever
The panel was as adorable and fun as the show itself. They all seem so genuinely happy to be a part of the show. Even Field Cate (Young Ned) was sitting a few rows in front of me in the audience. I won't go on about it, though, because I think the video clips speak for themselves:
* Introductions: Barry Sonnenfeld introduces the cast and producers who, of course, enter in their own unique ways (4:33)
* "Are there any surprises about your character that you didn't expect them to be going?": Anna calls Lee "Piemaker," S4 spoilers, Anna speaks with a "fake British accent," Chi references a movie only this audience would appreciate and calls out his over-dressed castmates (4:07)
* Adorableness, thy names are Anna and Lee: Quite possibly my favorite moment of all of Comic-Con. A fan asks about DVD special features. In response, we're treated to a story of how Ned and Chuck decided to play Russian Roulette in the Pilot, plus Anna Friel and Lee Pace's adorable reactions. (1:44)
* We all saw this one coming: Of course, someone asks Kristen Chenoweth to sing, which she does brilliantly to "Somewhere Under the Rainbow." It's sweet that she's a Broadway star who looks embarrassed that everyone thinks she's so amazing (1:40)
* Dead Like Me and Wonderfalls Shout Outs!: Optimistic Ned and Chuck as opposed to cynical Jaye Tyler and George; Wonderfalls casting spoilers for S2 (1:08)
* Lee Pace discusses the craft of acting: (e.g. finding the truth, beauty, and honesty in the moment and all that jazz); "I get to fall in love all day." Excuse my background scoffing. I get that way whenever actors talk about "the craft," no matter who it is (2:39)
* So, "contraptions," huh?: S2 spoilers involving certain contraptions for Chuck and Ned to be more "intimate" (0:55)
After the panel, everyone bum rushed the stage for autographs, which the cast was kind of enough to accommodate despite their immediate signing at the WB booth
Boob shot. Yes, I'm 12-years-old
And of course, like the stalker I am, I followed them out the side door
Bryan Fuller with Lee Pace lurking in the background
My sister and I hauled ass, once again, across the Convention Center to get to the exhibition floor. As we pushed our way to the WB booth, I glanced at another booth and saw some guys who looked oddly familiar. I probably pissed off some people behind me by halting so suddenly, but I couldn't help it--I stopped in my tracks and exclaimed, "Holy crap, it's the [It's Always] Sunny [In Philadelphia] guys!" And sure enough, there they were, signing autographs.
Look, it’s what’s-his-name! (campjinx25, help me out here.)
And look! The other two guys!
The guy working in the booth saw that I recognized them and somewhat excitedly asked if I was going to the panel on Sunday. I said that I couldn't because it was the one day I wasn't going to Comic-Con. He dropped the PR voice and said, "Yeah, it was the only day we could get." I laughed and said, "Aw. I just thought you guys hated me."
I made small talk with the guy next to me who was trying to get a good picture of all three guys to show his friends. Unfortunately, there was always a person or two passing by to get autographs, effectively always blocking at least one of them. I wryly wished Photographer Guy good luck on his quest and went on my merry way to the now-in-sight WB booth. We couldn't find the autograph line, so I settled for sneaking pictures at the edge of the booth. A really nice PR lady saw me and told me I could slip in in front of her to take photos.
It's a slightly creepy picture, but the man wouldn't stop smiling
I can only imagine Chi McBride is saying something vaguely sarcastic and hilarious to Young Ned
One of my favorite, favorite pictures of Comic-Con. I really wish it wasn't so blurry. It's Lee Pace (Older Ned, obviously) and Field Cate (Young Ned) sitting next to each other in practically the same position. It's the cutest thing ever and makes my Who-learned understanding of time to believe that reapers will soon come and take advantage of the time paradox that is taking place. Still. AWWWW!
I let a girl behind me go in my spot so she could get her turn to take pictures and joined my sister on her quest to find the booth that sold those orange knit hats (like Jayne from Firefly wore) we’d been seeing all weekend. We found the California Browncoats booth but found out they were sorely overpriced. As we turned to leave, I thought the girl at the booth looked familiar.
Turns out it was Felicia Day, Penny from Whedon’s Dr. Horrible series.
We went on to bide our time in the Mythbusters panel room. We walked in on a panel with a comic artist whose name sadly escapes me. I might have nodded off during it. Before the next panel, a TV Guide-sponsored thing, started, the guys next to us randomly and jokingly apologized in advance for blocking our view of the TV Guide panel when they’d get up to use the restroom.
Playing along, I told them that it was rude and absolutely unacceptable to interrupt the upcoming Kyle XY/The Middleman/predestined awful Life on Mars remake experience I was about to have. Dropping the act, I agreed that we were there for Mythbusters, too, and no offence to the TV Guide people, but their panel was just one long bathroom break for most of us in the room. As became the theme of the day, I made small talk with the guys. It was quite surprising how easy it was to talk to them in my sarcastic way. I guess it was because I was among my people, the nerds.
It became clear quite early on that this “TV Guide Hot List” panel was little more than a marketing ploy to generate interest in these shows. I’d say that no one in the room was really interested in these shows, but there were fans who asked questions and seemed to genuinely be there for non-myth busting-related reasons.
As my sister pointed out, the guy from Kyle XY was a bit stupid-cute.
Jason O’Mara (America’s answer to John Simm, apparently) and the guy responsible for possibly ruining Life On Mars
It turns out they're switching the setting from LA to New York and recasting pretty much everyone but the lead actor. Not a good sign.
At one point, Jason O'Mara said the sci-fi show he grew up with was Doctor Who. And suddenly, he was my favorite person on the panel who instantly made me want to give the Life on Mars remake a chance. What can I say--I'm easy to please.
The TV Guide panel came and went without much fanfare.
A stage hand put these up in the interim between panels. Just in case we doubted who we were there to see.
Panel moderator Bill Prady, Exec Producer of The Big Bang Theory
Jamie and Adam started off the panel normally, but then decided sitting at the table was too formal. Thus, their decision to break said table…
…and have an informal panel
Adam showed some pictures he took at Comic-Con, most notably some of a guy dressed as Hellboy. In the last photos, he revealed that Hellboy was none other than Adam himself
Random notes:
* Tory, Grant, and Keri apparently really, really wanted to be there but weren’t for any given reason
* It’s no secret that Jamie and Adam aren’t friends who hang out outside of the shop, but it never stops hurting to hear =/
* Jamie and Adam talked about the beginning of Mythbusters, their background work in special effects, and Jamie’s birth during the Civil War and subsequent childhood with feral cats
* Mine and my sister’s favorite part of the panel was when Jamie and Adam were asked what they wanted to be when they grew up-it was a better question than it sounds on paper. Jamie, sitting on the table and swinging his legs like a kid, simply said, “I just wanted to run free.”
* There was a long line of audience questions. Surprisingly, pretty much all of them were intelligent and thought out. Those are Mythbusters fans for you.
* There is an upcoming episode where they explore sobering up myths. Of course, Adam is the guinea pig. And let me just say that the high-speed of a drunken Adam running and falling off a treadmill is one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen on Mythbusters. I really, really, really hope they air it in its entirety
A couple more video clips:
* People getting hurt is usually funny: The worst Adam's been hurt; upcoming sobering up myths, high-speed of Jamie slapping Adam sober (1:46)
* Who would win in a fight--Adam or Jamie?: That title says it all, really (1:01)
My sister and I snagged a poster before leaving. We were going to go back to the exhibition floor, but by this time, it was 10 PM-ish, and it was closed. We decided that we'd had enough Comic-Con fun and headed home.
Sure, tt got off to a shaky start. Needless to say, though, it was a very fun, fangirlish weekend.