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2009 Comic-Con Wrapup: My Top 10 Favorite Things

BuzzSugar — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 09:40:23 -0700

Now that all the hubbub has subsided and I'm nestled back up in San Francisco, I'm processing all the exciting, strange, and just . . . interesting stuff I saw and heard at Comic-Con in San Diego. Sure, there was a lot of waiting in line, but it was worth it for the chance to sit in on panels with actors, directors and writers who I truly admire, and to check out some footage of upcoming projects. Most of all, though, it was awesome to witness the enthusiastic love from die-hard fans who traveled far and wide for their favorite things. Now you can check out a slideshow of my favorite things that happened at Comic-Con.

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Chuck and His Friends Rock Out at Comic-Con

BuzzSugar — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 15:30:45 -0700

The award for rowdiest panel that I saw at Comic-Con went to the cast of Chuck. After teetering on the edge of cancellation, Josh Schwartz and his band of merry geeks/spies couldn't have been jollier about shooting the breeze with fans - and with each other. The panel started with a hilarious performance by Jeffster (watch the video after the jump!), and everyone was on their feet as Vik Sahay and Scott Krinsky took on Queen's "Fat-Bottomed Girls." That was just the beginning, though, so read on for more Chuck goodies.

First of all, this was by far the most crowded panel I saw all weekend. The fact that the full cast was there in addition to Josh Schwartz and co-creator Chris Fedak really showed how much the actors care about the show and appreciate their fans. As Zach Levi put it, "We're here because of you guys. I felt cautiously optimistic, but when you have the best fans in the world who will go and eat multiple Subway sandwiches and start grassroots campaigns, and stay with you from thick and thin and believe in you as a cast and a crew . . . you guys are incredible, I love you so much. Thank you so much."
There was no shortage of name-calling, goofing around, and teasing on stage. You could tell that these guys are a family and enjoy each others' company. Adam Baldwin (Casey) seemed to be a common target and Schwartz even joked that with the new budget cuts, "we can only afford for Adam to grunt."
Schwartz hinted that something "emotional and traumatic" will have happened between Chuck and Sarah when the show returns. That's a tease if I ever heard one.
On the bright side, Schwartz also mentioned that the show might be returning sooner than originally planned (right now it's set to start after the Winter Olympics). Yay!

For more details on season three, just read more.

Twist alert: There's a "glitch in the system" and apparently Chuck's new powers (like the newly named "chuck fu") aren't exactly permanent. When he flashes on something, he'll only have the power for a set period of time before losing it.
Now that he's in on the secret, Devon will find himself in the midst of the spy world a lot more. All together now: awesome.
Even though Chuck left the Buy More in the dust, the store will still be a part of the show.
Looks like we'll get more of Sarah's backstory, and even get to meet that sister she mentioned.

Jeffster!

2009 Comic-Con: Iron Man 2 Blasts In

BuzzSugar — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 09:30:02 -0700

One of the most hotly anticipated panels at Comic-Con was the one for Iron Man 2, which included director Jon Favreau, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Don Cheadle, Sam Rockwell - and some footage from the upcoming sequel.

First, however, Favreau rolled out a cheeky fake teaser trailer, complete with cheesy graphics and little to no new footage from the movie. The audience cheered anyway, before RDJ took the stage and - after leading the crowd of six thousand or so Comic-Conners in a round of "Happy Birthday" for Favreau's son - made Favreau roll out the real deal: not a trailer, per se, but plenty of new clips and scenes to sufficiently whet fanboy appetites. Here are some bits and pieces from the panel:

The video footage featured appearances by some exciting characters like Justin Hammer (Rockwell), Whiplash (Mickey Rourke) and Black Widow (Johnansson). Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is in it, of course, and so far it looks like Jackson and RDJ make a hilarious duo. And finally, it appears that Don Cheadle is awesome as Rhodey/War Machine. Certainly more intense and intriguing than Terrence Howard's admittedly brief depiction in the first movie. There's a quick visual scene of War Machine going machine-gun-crazy and I don't think you have to be a super-fan to think it looks really, really cool.
On the subject of Cheadle taking over for Howard, Cheadle said he tried to just focus on what this script called for, though he also called himself a "vampire," siphoning out as much as he could from Howard's performance.

More thoughts and observations if you read more.

Scarlett Johansson looks fantastic in the movie, though the footage we saw didn't include any dialogue. On the panel she said she wanted to do her own stunts whenever possible because that's what she likes to see when she watches movies. Apparently this role required "lots of egg white omelets. . . . And blood, sweat and tears."
A couple of the actors emphasized that Mickey Rourke was great to work with, and RDJ added, "I thought I was eccentric!"
The footage looks as though this movie will have the same healthy combo of humor and action that was so enjoyable in the first Iron Man, with a lil' bit of heartwarming stuff thrown in. Cheadle noted that one of the main themes of the movie is "no man is an island," as Tony Stark starts to realize that he can't do everything alone. Even Iron Man needs friends.

Get Ready to Drink Up More True Blood, Literally

PopSugar — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 13:30:44 -0700

Anna Paquin celebrated her 27th birthday with her fellow True Blood costars at Comic-Con yesterday. The panel started off on an exciting note when Alan Ball announced that the official True Blood drink (it'll be "blood orange" soda) was a go, and the fun continued from there. It was interesting to see the scariness of the show combined with the cast's funny anecdotes about fang malfunctions, and it was even more exciting to see the very real chemistry between Anna and Stephen Moyer. We were treated to a sneak peek at the second half of season two - check out the video here - along with lots of fun tidbits from the cast, producers, and author of the True Blood books, Charlaine Harris. Here are some highlights:

First of all, Stephen Moyer is even hotter in real life than he is on the show. The British accent doesn't hurt either.
Harris has signed a contract to write three more books in the True Blood series, which means a lot more material for the show!
It sounds like the Eric-Sookie-Bill love triangle is going to come to a head. One perceptive fan even noted that in the sneak preview it looks like Sookie is sharing a bed with a certain blond someone. . . .
Anna on playing Sookie: "She's stronger. She's tougher. She's been through a lot. Unfortunately, she still gets herself in situations where she's likely to be killed, which is why it's good she has a vampire boyfriend. As far as how I play it, I just try to imagine what it would be like to go through what she went through."
According to Alan Ball, confirmation on season three is likely to be announced soon! Ball also hinted at what we can expect to see, including werewolves and a closer look inside the world of the Mississippi vampires.
The Comic-Con panel wouldn't have been complete without a Twilight mention. When one fan asked whether or not we can expect a half-vampire, half-human baby, Alan Ball scoffed, "On our show, vampires are either full-out vampires, or they're not vampires." Well played.

Lost Takes Comic-Con For the Last Time

PopSugar — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 16:52:33 -0700

The final Comic-Con Lost panel ever was filled with such warmth and humor and mutual appreciation (between fans and executive producers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof) I didn't want it to end. Though there was of course no new footage of the next season, there were plenty of surprises for us fans. Some of these fans were even visited by Cuse and Lindelof last night as they camped out for early entry into this morning's Lost panel.

Some of the video footage that they did show included: A commercial for "Lost University," a promo for a fake old ABC show called "mysteries of the universe," an America's Most Wanted clip about the "armed and dangerous murderer" Katherine Austen, a montage of clips from fan-made Lost video stuff, an Oceanic Airlines commercial, and an "in memoriam" video about the characters who have died on the show, ending with Charlie just before, of course, Dominic Monaghan took the stage.

In addition to Monaghan, the panel featured fun appearances by Jorge Garcia, Michael Emerson, Nestor Carbonell and, after a delicious clip montage, a surprise appearance by Josh Holloway, my beloved Sawyer. So you can probably guess what was my favorite part of the panel.

To read some more tidbits from this very funny, very happy Comic-Con event, just read more.

One fan's question had to do with season six bearing similarities to the first season and the producers confirmed this, to a degree, saying that they want to "close the loop" of the show with a final season that reflects the first in some ways. Cuse mentioned that there will be some of the "emotional discovery" that was found in the first season while Lindelof promised we'd see some characters in season six who we haven't seen in a while. He added that their goal is to have us watch the final season and not know what they're going to do, so in that sense, they want to return to the "unpredictability" of seasone one.
Having said all that, they aim for season six to be something different altogether from all other seasons: "The time travel season is over, the flash forward season is over, so season six will be something totally different."
When a self-proclaimed "Faraday Fangirl" asked if we might see Faraday again, maybe alive and happily married with children, the producers reminded her that Faraday really is dead so it would have to be a "zombie wedding." However! Lindelof assured us that Faraday will be on the show next season nonetheless.
After showing up in a fake commercial for Mr. Cluck's, Jorge Garcia appeared at the microphone to "ask a question" about whether Jack's plan really did work because if it did, "that would be, like, a real big cheat." The producers urged Jorge to just trust them, to which Jorge fired back, "Yeah but last time I trusted you guys you said Paolo and Nicki were going to be totally awesome." He wanted to know if they would answer all the questions next season, and Lindelof said they would answer "all the questions that matter."
There was, of course, a question about Richard Alpert and the producers assured us we will see a lot of Richard next season, with Cuse adding, "I think we would be remiss if we didn't give you Richard's backstory." They then showed a funny video of Nestor Carbonell pitching a fit because someone gave him the "cobalt" eyeliner to use instead of his usual "onyx."
One male fan gushed about having "cried like a sissy" when Juliet fell and he declared any man in the room who said otherwise a liar before asking if they could just bring back Juliet. All Cuse/Lindelof said in reply was that Elizabeth Mitchell will be on Lost next season.
One fan asked if Jacob has ever appeared as any other character like, say, Claire. Lindelof answered "no," and they gave the fan their one prize for the day: a wooden seagull with the little note Claire wrote (the actual note used on the show) rolled up and attached to the gull's foot.
And finally, in a moment of fondness that made me feel a little teary, the producers thanked Lost fans again and again, saying "Lost exists because of you and for you," and that Lost fans have proven that audiences don't need or want "lowest common denominator" kinds of shows. Aww.

Comic-Con Day Two Closes At the Dollhouse

BuzzSugar — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 20:00:20 -0700

I wrapped up another long but amazing day at Comic-Con with the Dollhouse panel. Joss Whedon was a character as always, and both he and Eliza Dushku constantly reiterated how thankful they are to their fans for saving their near-canceled show. We were treated to screening of season one's "lost" episode, "Epitaph One." It was eye-opening to say the least, set in the year 2019 and showing a far different world than what we saw in the first episode. Here are a few highlights from what we learned:

Naturally, there were lots of questions for Joss about Buffy and his affinity for recycling his favorite actors. He revealed that Alexis Denisof will be joining the cast next season, and Eliza chimed in about being excited to kick his ass. Apparently Joss is also trying to get Summer Glau on board.
Spoiler alert! According to Joss, Victor is going to get better quickly.
Eliza on which characters she enjoyed playing most: "I'm a tomboy, so I do like when I'm in action, and I loved 'Man on the Street.' I loved all the characters in that. Joss loved the doily dress so much. I also had a really nice time shooting 'Haunted' with Olivia Williams. The last episode was kind of awesomeness as well."
Joss on how the theme of social justice is portrayed in the show: "More and more, we're interested in dealing with the abuse of power and the various ways that people can do that and what it can really bring out in characters when they are pushed to the edge."
Finally, Joss played coy about what we can expect in season two but did say that "no one is to be trusted, especially in the Dollhouse" and revealed that the audience will begin to question the veracity of the character's memories.

Sounds like there's plenty of fun in store for season two. Be sure to keep checking back in for more updates live from Comic-Con!

Photo courtesy of Fox

2009 Comic-Con: Sherlock, Wild Things, The Box, and More!

BuzzSugar — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 16:35:29 -0700

Today at Comic-Con, Warner Bros. provided a closer look at some of its most-anticipated upcoming films. In a packed 90 minutes, we got sneak peeks at Where the Wild Things Are, The Book of Eli, The Box, Jonah Hex, and Sherlock Holmes. The panels were chock-full of celebs, which made for a lot of fan excitement and some interesting questions (including multiple marriage proposals for Megan Fox and Cameron Diaz). Here are my thoughts:

Where the Wild Things Are: We didn't get a full panel and Q&A for this one, but the clips were more than enough to satisfy fans who have been dying to see more of Spike Jonze's newest project. I was so excited to find that the scenes were just as touching and mesmerizing as as the film's trailer. Basically, I can't wait for Oct. 16!
The Book of Eli: This morning I showed you all the trailer for the movie, but having the cast on hand was even better. Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman seemed to have a great relationship - the perfect balance of mutual respect mixed with a lot of goofing around. When asked what it was like to work together, they quipped:

Washington: "It was like good sex. We had a ball together. Sometimes we do the scene as English gentlemen . . ."
Oldman: "Sometimes you do it with the slang African-American, sometimes it's the English gentleman, sometimes it's the thespian . . . like good sex."

It should be awesome to see these two duke it out on the big screen. Oh, and Oldman also revealed that he'll start filming the next Batman next year - adding "But you didn't hear it from me."

Want to hear about The Box, Jonah Hex, and Sherlock Holmes? Of course! Just read more.

The Box: Cameron Diaz and James Marsden came out along with director Richard Kelly to answer questions about the upcoming creepy sci-fi flick. We got the first taste of the film's eerie score, which is done by The Arcade Fire, and Frank Langella's scarred face was even more haunting than I remembered it from the trailer. Diaz isn't exactly known for supernatural thrillers, but she talked a bit about why she loves the genre. She said:

"What I really love about sci-fi is that it comes from the creative, artistic intellectual who is trying to answer all of these existential questions that we have. When I read Richard's script, I thought, 'There's so much about humanity in this script and so much we're trying to understand about ourselves just pushing a button'. . . It was just so big. . . I loved that about it, and that's what I love about sci-fi. I grew up on sci-fi. My dad was a sci-fi reader. It's always been something I've really enjoyed."
Jonah Hex: This creepy-looking Western doesn't hit theaters until next Summer, but I'm not surprised that it's already garnering interest. Josh Brolin stars as the title character, an intimidating cowboy with swagger, a bad attitude, and a mysterious scar (a hole, really) on the side of his face. Megan Fox plays his prostitute love interest, and while the trailer made me a bit squeamish, I have to admit that I was intrigued. Brolin seemed effusively proud of the project - almost to the point of arrogance - while Fox sat pretty on the panel and tried to dodge questions from drooling fanboys.
Sherlock Holmes: Robert Downey Jr. needed no introduction, and he ate up all the cheers and applause with the charm and charisma that makes him so great. The movie footage was really just an extended version of the trailer, but the panel was more than enough to reaffirm my enthusiasm. RDJ, along with the film's producers (including his wife, Susan Downey) and Rachel McAdams, reiterated again and again how hard they worked on the film. They cited the biggest challenge as staying true to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original portrayal of the characters, but not before Downey joked, "This is how sick I am: I don't think there's anything that can be too challenging for me. I have an illness of confidence."

Stay tuned for more from San Diego all weekend!

Comic-Con: New Moon and Other Fun Day One Highlights

BuzzSugar — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 17:00:44 -0700

Well, it wasn't easy, but after a loooong wait outside of the Comic-Con convention center in San Diego, I finally scored a spot at the Summit panel, aka the New Moon event! But before that, we got a peek at Astro Boy, a fun new cartoon starring Kristen Bell and Freddie Highmore - who has really grown up since his sweet performance in Finding Neverland. We also watched a clip from Sorority Row, a slasher film about a sorority prank gone wrong. Audrina Patridge from The Hills stars in this one, which I think pretty much sums it up.

Of course, the main event was New Moon, and Summit certainly didn't disappoint. Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Ashley Greene, and Kristen Stewart took the stage to ear-piercing screams and answered a lot of questions from the fans. We were also treated to not one but two new clips from the film, featuring shirtless scenes for both Robert and Taylor. I was excited about both of the new clips, which now give me even more hope that New Moon will be an improvement from Twilight. Overall, the stars were gracious, though Rob and Kristen both seemed a bit uncomfortable in the spotlight. Here are a few tidbits:

Rob on the movie's special effects: "All these machines did the acting for me, which is the way I like it."
Kristen on Bella: "Bella is intense on doing what she needs to do for herself and not being ashamed of herself. She's sort of everywhere - talk about mood swings. But she doesn't have to explain herself. She just feels what she feels."
Rob on how he's similar to Edward: "I look a bit like him."
Taylor on the fan response: "When we were making Twilight, we knew what we were making but didn't know the reaction we'd get from you guys. So we're really thankful for what you guys have done. And in New Moon, we knew what we're doing, and now you guys are supporting us. So we were more confident because we knew we had you behind us, but I'd be lying if I said I never got nervous, because we all want to please you and live up to your expectations."

There's more from the panel over on Pop, so click here. After the Twilight mania had finally died down, I got a chance to check out some footage from James Cameron's new 3-D movie, Avatar. The film, which has both live action and digital, felt like a cross between a sci-fi flick and a video game, and the special effects were outstanding - I'm definitely curious to hear more about this one. Next on the schedule are panels for The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and the next season of Dexter, so stay tuned!

Live From Comic-Con 2009: Girls Rule

BuzzSugar — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 15:10:02 -0700

Hello from muggy San Diego! For one of my first activities here at Comic-Con, I attended a panel led by Entertainment Weekly titled "Wonder Women: Female Power Icons in Pop Culture" and featuring Sigourney Weaver, Eliza Dushku, Zoe Saldana and Elizabeth Mitchell in the hot seats.

The lively discussion began with appreciative cheers for each woman and a standing ovation for Sigourney Weaver, which, to be honest, made me feel a little choked up, right off the bat. In its entirety, the panel was nothing short of enlightening and inspiring - two things I didn't totally expect from this one.

Here are some highlights:

Television is light-years ahead of the film world when it comes to women's roles: All four women agreed that it's exceptionally cool that women can play more kickass roles now than ever before, though they all acknowledged that opportunities are greater on television than in movies. Sigourney Weaver: "Our society is changing much more quickly than Hollywood understands. . . . it's starting in television because television is a more exact reflection of what's going on in the world."

Eliza Dushku talked about working with Joss Whedon, Dollhouse's next season, and sexuality in storytelling: In answer to the question of whether there are more opportunities for women in sci-fi these days, Dushku stated that "it's really about who you work with and who the writers are and who your creators are," which is why she sought out Joss Whedon for her next role. "Ask and ye shall receive! I asked Joss to make me the most kickass, multi-dimensional character he'd ever written and he delivered." She explained that her character on Dollhouse, Echo, "has become a product of all of the personalities," but next season "absolutely will have Echo having a self-awareness." On the topic of sexualizing women in sci-fi: "I think sexuality is something that . . . can be manipulated and it can be disgustingly portrayed and it can be very beautiful and feminine and powerful. . . . Sex is part of our society and . . . it can be used in a smart and thought-provoking and realistic way. . . . it can be used as a tool."

For more intriguing bits and pieces from the panel, read more.

Sigourney Weaver's awesomest quotes:

After the moderator introduced her as the "single most successful female action franchise of all time" - "I know MTV named [Ripley] the second biggest 'badass' after Clint Eastwood but you know, I think she could take him." Roaring cheers ensued.
In regard to the "challenge" of writing good female characters - "The challenge that some writers take on very well . . . they're not trying to write a woman action figure, they're creating a character that has a certain drive and . . . ferocity. . . . I never thought about being 'a woman,' I was just playing a person. . . . There's a hero in each of us."
She added that "Hollywood goes a little crazy trying to figure out what you're supposed to wear" as a female action hero. "I'm just glad I got to wear clothes" in the Alien movies.
On the "glass ceiling" - "I think the sky is open, I don't believe there's a ceiling and if there is one, we'll just kick. Our. Way. Out."
When asked whether she hopes Hollywood will bring forth more roles for gay and lesbian action heroes and superheroes - "I think it's a mistake to look to Hollywood as a breaker-down of sociological [boundaries]." She encourages people to just make their own projects with their own kinds of characters because Hollywood is always many steps behind, and we can't look to Hollywood to be a leader.

Zoe Saldana talked about women's roles progressing through education: Saldana talked much about how far women have come in entertainment and that when it comes to progressing further, "Everything starts with education, and instead of fighting against a room full of men and try to convince them that I should wear pants . . . you have to learn how to fight these battles and it's all through education and putting them in our shoes." When an audience member asked why they have to cast Megan Fox as Wonder Woman instead of someone older and more regal, she replied, "I happen to have a huge crush on Megan Fox, I'm not hating on that possibility" but that "60-year-old men want to see tiny 25-year-old little girls and . . . those are the ones who cut checks."

Elizabeth Mitchell talked about her role on Lost and getting better roles after the age of 30: Mitchell was predictably coy when answering any question about her role as Juliet on Lost, a role that the EW moderator called "morally slippery," and "the most complicated female character that any woman has had to play on television." Mitchell explained that she likes playing "complicated women, they're enticing to me," and that she was told by Lost producers to say that Juliet's fate "just depends on whether Jack's plan works or not." When the issue of age came up, she emphatically stated that "I have played better roles now after the age of 30. . . . I was called sexy for the first time at the age of 38 and I was thrilled! . . . I think we're allowed to be sexier, I think we're allowed to be all of those things after the age of 30. That has, of course, been in television," she added, acknowledging once again that opportunities for women in TV are greater than those in movies.

Comic-Con, Here I Come!

BuzzSugar — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 13:15:10 -0700

Tomorrow I'll be making second my annual pilgrimage to San Diego for this year's Comic-Con! I couldn't be more excited to wander the halls again, checking out panels full of the talent behind some new movies and TV shows. I'm just hoping I don't get caught in a stampede of Twilight fans! Barring that, I'll be bringing you updates all weekend long. Here's a list of hot topics I'm hoping to check out this year:

A discussion about women who kick ass? Sign me up! EW's Female Power Icons in Pop Culture panel will feature Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana, and Lost's Elizabeth Mitchell.
Speaking of Lost, it's been a Comic-Con staple since the year it premiered, and this year brings the show's final panel. (Sad face.) I can't wait to hear more about the upcoming season, and I expect the room to be packed when this show takes its place of honor at Comic-Con one last time.
The Twilight panel made a splash in '08 (just ask Robert Pattinson himself), so it's no surprise that Summit Entertainment has a spotlight on New Moon. They'll be showing brand new scenes from the film, and a few surprise cast members will apparently be on hand. This would be where I'm most likely to be crushed by Twihards, but I'm willing to risk life and limb to bring you a fix.
Warner Bros. is trotting out some of the most anticipated films of the year. I've been dying to hear more about Sherlock Holmes and Where the Wild Things Are, so this should be wonderful.
We'll finally get a peek at the much-hyped Flash Forward, which could very well take the place of Lost as TV's new sci-fi cult favorite.

That's just a start! For more of what's on my radar this weekend, read more.

There's lots of TV-related stuff going on, including more on Chuck and Fringe and a look at the new Witches of Eastwick and V. Dexter and True Blood will be there too. I hope I can fit it all in!
Speaking of which - the Glee kids will be at the hotel next to the main convention center with an all-new episode!
Kevin Smith is back! Though I'm not sure if Lucy Lawless will be giving him the what-for this time around.
In other big-director news, Peter Jackson will be on hand for District 9, and Terry Gilliam is coming to talk about Heath Ledger's final film, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.

That's just a bit of all the fun in store, so hold tight here and on Twitter all weekend long!