Saturday is always
the jam packed day here at Comic-Con. It
is purposely loaded with programs and shows due to the enormous crowds that can
make the Saturday schedule. So in knowing
this little tidbit, my brother and I made sure we arrived early enough to get
ready for our day at Hall H. The
schedule for today was piled up with things we needed to see. First on the docket was the Heroes panel,
followed by Lost, then Terminator Salvation.
There was a small break in there where Disney/Pixar was showing off
their stuff, but Universal was next preceding Sony. The hall did not open until
the early time of
Hall H had twisted and turned all the way around the convention center and
looped until it reached
the
area,
is roughly 3 miles from the convention center.
After about ten minutes of walking and not seeing the end of the line,
we decided that maybe we ought to resort to plan b and head for the upper
ballroom and catch the Futurama panel.
Every year it gets worse and worse.
They over sell the hell out of this event and every year more and more
people try and cram themselves into the hall.
Upon arriving
upstairs at Ballroom 20, we were met with yet another line. This was not near as bad however, as it only
wrapped around two times. Ballroom 20 is
the second largest venue at the convention center and can hold roughly six
thousand people. We were seated in the
second to last section from the back, but only a few rows from the jumbo
projection screen so our view was not too skewed. As it is every year, the Futurama panel began
with the introduction of the entire cast of voice over actors as well as the
genius team of Matt Groening and David X. Cohen. The team discussed their plans for the final
two Futurama films as well as the other projects the cast was working on at the
moment. Futurama is a fine show that
pushes the envelope of animation. The
best way to describe it, is The Simpsons, but with a more intelligent
edge. David Cohen assured us that if we
pleaded enough, maybe Fox would here us and bring the show back on the
air. I see no reason to with all the
other crap Fox is green lighting these days, not to mention the crap being put
out on other networks. The panel was
only slated for a short forty-five minute time slot as The Simpsons were coming
on for the final forty-five. We said our
goodbyes to the cast and welcomed back Matt Groening and his writing cast as
they appeared on stage to talk Simpsons.
As per the usual,
we were given information regarding the slew of celebrity guest stars the show
had lined up for its twentieth season on the air with Fox. It seems hard to imagine that this show has
been running for so long, but it is true and it has the record for the longest
running television series ever. If that
wasn’t long enough, writer Al Jean assured us that they have signed the cast to
a four year deal, so we have at least that many more years to enjoy our
favorite animated family. When asked by
a member of the audience if he was intimidated by the Seth McFarlane franchise,
Mat Groening professionally answered, “I think it is great that we have so
much room for animated TV. We need more
animated shows in primetime.” An
answer I don’t think any of us were expecting due to the amount of success
Family Guy is having at this moment in time, but if he truly love the medium,
then that is the perfect response. So we
have many more years to come from the great show that brought us,
“cowabunga” and “Eat my shorts”
Before I start this
next topic, I must say that I believe Dean Koontz is a brilliant author and
storyteller and I in no way mean him any disrespect, but he was not the panel I
came to see. As I have said in the past,
you tend to learn many tricks coming to this thing every year and Ballroom 20
has its ways around things. After every
show there is a line waiting outside to see the next one. Usually, if you don’t want to sit through a
panel that lies between two you want to see, you are forced to sit through it
anyway or lose your seat. Ballroom 20
has a loophole however. If you get up to
leave, they give you a bathroom ticket to bypass the line and get back in as
long as it is during the timeslot stated on the ticket. In our case, we wanted to see the Futurama
and Simpson’s panel, but not the Joss Whedon or Dean Koontz ones, but we did
need to see the Battlestar Galactica one.
So we devised a plan. We leave at
the beginning of the Joss Whedon panel, grab a ticket, wander the exhibit hall
and get a bite to eat for an hour, and then return just before it ended to
validate our tickets and get our seats back.
Then when the Dean Koontz panel began, we would leave again, grab a ticket,
get a bite, and then return at the end to get our seats ready for the
Battlestar panel. We never waited in a
line all day. I am sure we are not the
first to think of this, but at least we did.
Knowing full well
that this would be the must-see panel of our day, we settled in and got our
camera ready. Much to everyone’s
surprise, the moderator of the panel was none other than the film maker fan
favorite, Kevin Smith. For those of you
who do not know, Kevin Smith is the creator of View Askew productions, makers
of such films as Mallrats, and Jay and Silent Bob Strike back. His cockiness and blatant disregard for
humility made for quite the interesting panel.
He started off by saying what everyone who has ever watched the show
thinks, “Welcome to the panel of the greatest show ever shown on television.” He then introduced the cast as well as the
directors and writers, Ronald Moore and David Eick. Most of the cast was there including, Tricia
Helfer, Katie Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Michael Trucco, and Tahmoh
Penikett. There were mixed emotions as
the cast spoke of their final days aboard Galactica and the goodbyes that were
made by each of them to end the saga that is Battlestar. Kevin Smith put them all on the spot asking
if they ever had awkward moments on the set and if since ‘frack’ is such a
great word, they had a Battlestar equivalent for cocksucker. After all the questions had been answered and
the goodbyes said, Ronald Moore showed off his new spin-off series to debut in
the next year titled, “Caprica”
It takes place fifty to seventy years prior to the events of Battlestar
Galactica and follows the lifestyles of the galactic civilization prior to
cylons and AI. It centers on Joseph
Adama, father of Bill Adama, as he makes his way through life as a lawyer. I All in all, the panel was a blast, and I
cannot wait for Caprica. You can see all
the pics from the panel here.
As soon as the
panel ended, my brother and I sauntered down to see if Hall H had some
openings. To our surprise, not only did
the place have no line, but there was plenty of room. We went in and sat right down. We began our time in Hall H by seeing
trailers from Universal pictures, showcasing some great films. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor staring
Brendan Frasier and Jet Lei looks to be another mummy picture not unlike the
previous two. If you liked them, you’ll
like this one. Next was the
remake of Deathrace staring Jason Statham, as he plays a NASCAR driver framed
for murder, so he may race in this futuristic prison race for freedom. Finally, there was the film adaptation of
of
Ferrell. All great movies by Lionsgate,
most of which will be released in the next year.
The final panel of
the day was for Sony Pictures.
Underworld: Rise of The Lycans, showed very much promise as it tells the
story of how the events of the original Underworld came to be. But the most interesting panel of all was for
Pineapple Express, a film by Judd Apatow and staring Seth Rogan and James Franco. It tells the story of two pot smoking buddies
where one witnesses a murder and the other helps him escape death to get to the
authorities. Seth Rogan is a hilarious
man to say the least and can hold a crowd like no other. His quips are unmatched and cannot be
outdone. He also was there to plug his
new film adaptation of the comic book, The Green Hornet, where he stars as the
masked detective. Pineapple Express
premiers in two weeks on August 8th.
Don’t miss it.
That’s all I have for now.
Check back later for Day 4. The
Final Day!
-T