BuzzSugar

EW's Television Visionaries Talk Sci-Fi and Pies

BuzzSugar — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 05:30:36 PDT

Yesterday, I told you about the rowdy panel of filmmaking greats I attended at Comic-Con. Today, I've got some notes from the television "Visionaries" event, which brought together showrunners Josh Schwartz (Chuck and Gossip Girl), Josh Friedman (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse (Lost), and Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies). Here are just a few of the highlights:

A running joke throughout the panel was teasing Josh Schwartz about Gossip Girl in any way possible. At one point, when the show came up in a question, he said he thought that mentioning it was "a little verboten at Comic-Con," which led the - considerable! - GG fans in the audience to make their presence known. Later, in response to a question about so-called "genre" shows getting lots of buzz over the past few years, Schwartz quipped: "Serena is now a cyborg."
On a related note, plenty of people (rightly) saw the Q&A portion of this panel as their best chance to ask questions of the Lost producers before the mad crush of the Lost-specific event the next day, prompting one panelist (I unfortunately couldn't see which one, as I was on the other side of the huge line) to point at the questioners and count them down, saying, "Lost, Lost, Lost, Piemaker, Piemaker, Lost . . . [mooney voice] Gossip Girl!"
Bryan Fuller is just a big bundle of cotton candy and flowers and goodness. Some various quotes summing up the sweetness: "I am a very sensitive soul. I couldn't do a series like CSI or Criminal Minds where you have to be in a negative headspace all the time. I just wanted to cram a show with as many things that make me smile as possible, like puppies and pie." And, later, "I think we need more awe."
Also, why is the piemaker not, say, a cake baker? "Cake is dry," Fuller said.

To find out which of these guys likes Project Runway, just

EW's Filmmakers Panel With Smith, Apatow, Snyder and Miller

BuzzSugar — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:30:03 PDT

Entertainment Weekly held a few "Visionaries" panels at Comic-Con that brought together some of the greats in the TV, movies and comic book worlds. At the filmmakers panel, it was mostly a kick to see Kevin Smith, Judd Apatow, Zack Snyder and Frank Miller all at one table. It turned into the Smith-Apatow comedy hour, but that seemed to suit the audience members (myself included) just fine. Check out some of the highlights below.

The whole panel was super bawdy and raunchy, mostly due to Smith and Apatow making dirty jokes about each other. And then there was the smiling, friendly-faced Zack Snyder, who awkwardly bumbled out an answer to a question, after which there were about three beats of silence before Smith said, "Thank God your visuals are so strong, man." Smith later marveled at how awesome Snyder's Watchmen looks, saying he could die once he sees that movie.
Apatow talked about his raunchy comedies: "You have to find out: how much penis can you show in a movie without clearing an entire room?" Meanwhile, Smith nodded, deadpan, like he totally understood.
Smith: "I go with my gut, but my gut has lied to me in the past, like, when my gut said, 'Yeah, Jersey Girl's a great idea!'"
Frank Miller: "Very early on I learned I was incompetent at anything else. So I started to make comic books."

More on comics, geek culture, and how comedians differ from rappers (according to Apatow), if you

Thursday Comic-Con Must Sees

GeekSugar — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 15:15:22 PDT

Hooray, it's the return of Comic-Con and all the madness that accompanies it! As usual, the show's schedule of events is packed this July 21-24, so we'll attempt to highlight the most exciting must sees. The convention starts with a huge bang on Thursday with the Twilight panel, though there are plenty of other events to add to the Comic-Con itinerary.

Twilight: Breaking Dawn, 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. - Hope you've already been camping out for this one, because fans began lining up days in advance. Expect new footage from the next Twilight film and a cast Q&A. Location: Hall H
Kinect Star Wars panel, 10-11 a.m. - First announced at E3, Kinect studio head Jorg Neumann and LucasArts lead producer Craig Derrick will share fresh news on the game, including a mystery announcement. All attendees will receive a limited-edition poster! Location: Room 32AB
Stan Lee, Yoshiki, and Todd McFarlane, 1-2 p.m. - Comic fans unite for the Q&A session with legends Stan Lee and Todd McFarlane, who are creating a new character, Blood Red Dragon, with rockstar Yoshiki. Location: Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront
Warner Premiere: H+ and Mortal Kombat: Legacy, 2-3 p.m. - A Comic-Con exclusive first look at H+, the new web series from X-Men producer Bryan Singer. The web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy will take the stage next for a panel discussion with the director, Jeri Ryan, Michael Jai White, and others. Attendees will see the final Mortal Kombat: Legacy episode. Location: Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront
Game of Thrones panel, 3-4 p.m. - If addicted to both the books and TV series, this is one not to miss. In attendance are cast members Emilia Clarke, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington, and Jason Momoa, as well as the show's executive producer and writer, George R. R. Martin. Location: Ballroom 20.
Beavis & Butthead, 5-6 p.m. - 2011: the return of the original bad boys of animation. Creator Mike Judge is on hand to offer a sneak peek on MTV's new episodes. Location: Room 6A
Batman: Arkham City, 5-6 p.m. - A preview of the gaming follow-up to 2009's fan favorite Batman Arkham Asylum. Location: Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront
Entertainment Weekly: The Visionaries: A discussion with Jon Favreau and Guillermo del Toro on the Future of Pop Culture, 6-7 p.m. - Cult favorite directors Jon Favreau and Guillermo del Toro discuss bringing geek life to the mainstream entertainment industry. They'll discuss their inspiration, current film work, and how technology is changing cinematic storytelling. Location: Hall H
Her Universe: What Women Want in Their Female Sci-Fi Heroes, 6-7 p.m. - Gone are the days of the "damsel in distress" sci-fi character (we hope). If you can't get into Hall H, check out the panelists with a background on Star Wars, Smallville, DC Comics, Universal Cable Productions, and Lost discuss the future of strong female characters in the genre. Location: Room 25ABC
History of the Modern Zombie, 7-8 p.m. - Beginning with the classic horror film Night of the Living Dead, zombies have become a large part of modern pop culture. Panelists including the author of Zombie Survival Guide, a UC Berkeley professor, and a Harvard Medical School psychiatrist will discuss the history of zombies in entertainment and why we're so interested in them. Consider it the most fun college lecture you'll ever attend. Location: Room 7AB

What's on your must-see Comic-Con schedule? Which panels and events are you looking forward to most?