Comic Con 2009: Chuck

I mostly wanted to see the Chuck panel because of Adam Baldwin. Since I got to meet him yesterday, I wasn’t as desparate to get in, which was good because the line to get was ridiculously long. I thought my chances were slim to none, but luckily Ballroom 20 holds more than 4,000 people and I scored a seat in the back.

Wow, am I glad I did. One word: Jeffster.

Watch this on YouTube.

It was the best opening of any panel I’ve seen and the crowd ate it up. The rest of the cast was excellent, Zachary Levi is adorable, even with a beard, and personally, I think Adam Baldwin stole the show.

My favorite bit (from what I remember):

Audience member: Are there going to be any Chuck action figures?

Zachary Levi: That would be cool.

Adam Baldwin: Ha. I need another one. *Laughs*

*Loud cheers*

Zachary Levi: Oh, I’m Adam Baldwin, I was on Firefly, everyone loves me.

*More cheers*

Zachary: I hope I get an action figure just so I can throw it in this guy’s face. Grrr, take that Jayne! Not so shiny now! (Pretends to have his action figure kick Adam’s action figure’s ass.)

*Crowd goes crazy and Adam Baldwin has a good laugh.*

I love Adam Baldwin.

Update: Found this clip on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfcOGPf1Umk

Watch more Chuck:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AY3cXpPqGss

Comic Con 2009: Joss Whedon & Dollhouse

Joss Whedon rocks my world. I’ll admit, I am not a huge Dollhouse fan. Of everything he’s done, this is probably at the bottom of the list of my favorites.

But.

We got to see the never-aired 13th episode of Dollhouse, and then entire world has changed. Felicia Day is in it, and Zack Ward (“Scut Farkus staring out at us with his yellow eyes. He had yellow eyes! So, help me, God! Yellow eyes! ” – I love “A Christmas Story”) and depending on how season two starts, it could be like a whole new show, so I’m excited.

After the screening, Joss and Eliza Dushku talked and answered questions, and Eliza came off much better this time than she did the day before on the Wonder Women panel.

Joss said that yes, he very much wants to continue with another Dr. Horrible (yay!), and that Firefly lives through the comics, including a series on Shepherd Book, so maybe we’ll finally find out what his story was.

Best line of the night:

Audience member asks some question about time paradoxes and whether playing with time on Dollhouse could be too confusing for audiences.

Joss: “I think as long as we don’t send anyone to feudal Japan, we’ll be ok.”

And the great thing was, the whole big geeky crowd got it and went crazy with laughter and applause.

Did I mention that Joss Whedon is incredibly funny? YouTube this one if you can find it.

Comic Con 2009: Bones

David Boreanaz wasn’t here for this one because his wife is about to have their second child, but he did record a long, rambling message. He seems like a nice, goofy guy.

So it was just Emily Deschanel, a writer and a moderator, but they were good. At one point Emily was afraid she was ignoring part of the room so the three of them spread out, leaving big gaps in this huge table, but then that was weird, so they sat together again.

I mostly wanted to hear if there were any good Sweets stories coming up, but they didn’t talk about him, so I guess I’ll just have to watch and see.

Comic Con 2009: 24 with Kiefer Sutherland

Starbuck and Mr. SMG are joining 24.

I only saw this panel because I wanted to have a seat for Bones and Dollhouse, but I’m glad I was there to catch this bit:

Freddie Prinze Jr: “I’ve always been a big fan of 24. I remember watching the show with my wife…”

*Huge cheers*

FPJ: “Ha. Oh yeah. I forget, she’s big here.” *Big grin*

*More big cheers*

(Freddie is married to Sarah Michelle Gellar – Buffy – if you didn’t know. And yes, Buffy is big here, especially in a crowd full of people waiting to see Joss Whedon.)

Another good line came from BSG alum Katee Sackhoff: “I’m going through the script, and it’s good, but I went to the writers and said, “At some point, I’m going to need a gun. Because I’m starting to feel naked without one.”

Comic Con 2009 – Farscape 10th Anniversary Panel

Ben Browder

This was another tough decision. There was a Stargate panel for the new show at the same time as this one, but I just couldn’t pass up a chance to see Ben Browder and Claudia Black.

Along with them was one of the writers and Brian Henson, Jim’s son, who sounds like a cross between Kermit and Rizzo the Rat. Very cool.

Claudia and Ben clearly adore each other, sharing jokes and whispering to each other during the chat, and everyone on the panel was clearly still dedicated to Farscape and doing whatever they can to keep it alive, either in comics or animation or whatever they can pull off.

Farscape is back on DVD in a new box set soon, so keep an eye out.

Claudia Black

Comic-Con 2009: Burn Notice & Psych

Scenes from panels:

In the Wonder Women panel, Sigourney Weaver taught Eliza Dushku a thing or two about grace, class, and how to kick some real ass.

 

Uhura and Juliet also talked about women in Hollywood. There was no sign of Spock or the Dharma Initiative.

Even without its two stars, the Burn Notice panel brought the house down, making it - unexpectedly - my favorite of the day. Bruce Campbell and Matt Nix were fantastic.

James Roday was far more subdued than I expected, but the Psych panel was still fun. Dule Hill even tap danced.

Shawn & Gus

Comic-Con 2009: I Love Weasleys!

This kid made my day:

I saw a lot of wonderful things, but he was one of my favorites. I love Harry Potter, but I *super* love Ron/Rupert. I love the twins too, but you don’t see many of them.

I actually passed this guy in the exhibition hall early in the day, but by the time I fought through the crowd to get a picture, he was gone. I kept my eyes open though and when I saw him later in the day I said, “I’ve been looking all over for you!” I hope I didn’t scare him.

Comic Con 2009 – Scenes From the Floor

Oh, man. The crowds here are like ten county fairs put together. You can barely move on the exhibit hall floor, there are lines all over, and half the time I asked people what amazing thing they were in line for, they said, “I don’t know.”

Some lines are for freebies, some are for purchasing, and some are for activities or photos or something else. Looking at the schedule for the next few days, and imagining all these people trying to get into the things I want to get into, I can pretty much guarantee that this isn’t going to be a relaxing vacation.

I’m having fun though, and feel incredibly lucky that I just happened to notice a sign as I walked past a booth earlier that said “John Barrowman Autographs”. It wasn’t a BBC or Torchwood booth, just a booth that’s hosting him for two afternoons to do autographs. I got my ticket and am super excited to see him in person. He’s awesome.

Here’s some other highlights from Preview Night:

The Simpsons are all over the place.

 

Transformers are still very popular.

 

Exterminate! Exterminate!

 

Darth Vader is a little too lifelike for me.

 

Voldemort is also scary.

 

I can't wait for the Dr. Horrible sing-along!

Comic Con 2009 – What’s This Line For?

A prop/promotion for Peter Jackson's District 9.

We made it! Max and I got into San Diego, dropped things at our hotel, grabbed lunch at Horton Plaza Mall then headed to the Convention Center to get in line for our badges.

Already I’ve seen some very cool costumes, including an excellent Dr. Horrible and some martiany looking people. There are more older people and families here than I expected too.

It’s toasty out, so luckily they let us in a little early. We collected out badges and bag o’freebies (just a program and a Blackest Night comic from DC Comics) and then saw that people were walking into another line. There was no sign (lack of signage at events like these is one of my pet peeves) so I asked and it’s the line to get into the Exhibit Hall for Preview Night.

Inside the Convention Center

Now we have three hours to sit on a concrete floor and wait to be let in. Thank goodness for free wi-fi. At least I can tackle some emails.

Comic Con 2009 – Here I Come!

Comic-Con 2009

I’m at the airport, waiting for my flight to San Diego and the first day of Comic Con. I’m super excited to meet up with friends, see some celebrities, learn a little bit about comic books (I’ve heard of Stan Lee, but that’s about it – I mostly want to see the TV and film stuff), and hopefully see some of San Diego in between.

Already, my cousin Max and I have spotted some Comiconners at the airport. There’s a girl in a Star Wars ATAT shirt, a couple of guys in Manga shirts and a couple of loners that just look geeky. I decided to go Muggle, at least for the first day, and maybe I’ll go crazy and buy a Battlestar Galactica uniform or something to wear the rest of the time.

Nah. Probably not.

There’s wi-fi at the convention center and in my hotel, so look for updates and photos over the next few days!