Spartacus - every year this panel gets better and better

Every year the Spartacus panel manages to be more fun, and more entertaining than the year before. They pull of this marvelous feat while not only tempting you with what lays ahead on their show, but also taking moments to pay tribute to Andy Whitfield who played Spartacus in their first season before dying of cancer. Through their support of their friends memory, and in the case of Liam McIntyre the memory of the man whose role he came to fill, they show a gladiators strength and committment, and keep the panel rolling forward, letting those be moments of courage and might, not something that bogs them down but rather encourages and inspires.

 

 The panel is far from all serious, whether it is Manu persuading Liam to confess that they came virtually straight from the set to the airport, and as a result he had not managed to get all of his blood and guts make-up washed off before boarding their aircraft, so when moist towels were handed out for cleaning their hands and Liam used it to dab at his face -- his came away pink, and a very embarrased had to return what looked like a bloody rag to the stewardess, or Liam urging Manu to demonstrate for the audience the Mauri dance he does as a farewell for cast members when they leave the show, this panel is full of high spirits and moments that keep the audience both engrossed and on the edge of their seats, unsure what is coming next.


With Starz having announced this will be the final season of Spartacus they brought out Lucy Lawless to join the guys on stage. It was clearly a new phase of the panel, but there was still one more phase to come. To thank the fans who had made it to the panel for all their loyal viewership, they flew in from New Zealand ll of the Spartacus actors, including some 'dead characters' for last one time on stage.

Full cast appearances are, in general, one of the highlights of Comic-Con, and one of those rare experiences fans both look forward to and appreciate. For a show to do it when they know this will be their final season, and to bring actors who have no more filming ahead of them was a true nod to those who have been watching, a sign of appreciation that those around me could not stop marveling at.

Falling Skies -- Stop Looking At Me Like That!

There are some panels at Comic-Con that you walk out of thinking there was that one stand-out moment, and that's it, but what a moment! The Falling Skies panel was not that kind of panel.
Wil Wheaton was on hand to moderate, and while it was a tad disconcerting at first when he posed many of his questions to the actors in the form of "how do you think your character felt about...?" or "how do you think your character is going to move forward." that was mostly because it was such a different phrasing and approach to how many of the other tv panels had been done that day, so a moment was needed to adjust. However, when one of the behind-the-scenes folks from the show made a comment about red-shirts (in the context of whether or not Falling Skies would have any characters who were red-shirts in the coming season) Wil Wheaton's reaction was positively hilarious, and without a doubt, scene stealing, he was, after all, as he pointed out, the on the scene authority on red shirts, having starred on a Star Trek series! The audience members around me who had seemed a tad leary of Wil Wheaton moderating were suddenly sounding like die hard Wil Wheaton fans, and the turn around in their asides was, to say the least, entertaining.

But what 'stole the show' so to speak, was the way Will Patton (Captain Weaver) kept tossing glares at actor Connor Jessup (Ben) throughout the panel, every time the concepts of trust and aliens came up. It was both priceless and hilarious, especially when it started seemingly to unnerve Connor Jessup slightly and had him asking Will Patton to quit it. Moon Bloodgood confessed that her character and Noah Wylies would, finally, be moving their relationship that all important step forward, but it is hard to consider that much of a spoiler when the show has so clearly been heading in that direction since the pilot. Rather, it might be better stated that Falling Skies has spent every episode building a sense of community to the point that the audience cheers along side the characters for their victories and mourns alongside them in their losses.

Through their particulary strong creation of that sense of community, the show Falling Skies made me realize that it was that very sense of cohesion and community that a few shows I have felt disappointed by in the past were missing. Yet while watching those shows I could not place my finger on what it was they lacked, I simply felt some subtle touch lacking -- and yet, in Falling Skies whether it is when a scene has the camera moving down the line as trucks are being loaded catching snippets of conversation, or is moving down the chow line as people are serving plates, catching bits and pieces of interaction of friends and family, former strangers who are now interdependent neighbors, the show has relayed to their viewers that sense of tightness and community that I wish others had managed to have give me even half as well. There was joy on the faces of these actors as they talked about their craft, and their plotlines with the fans who had gathered to listen. Leading me to wonder if another layer of that sense of community that the audience feels when watching the show doesn't also come through simply from the fact these actors so clearly enjoyed working together.

Cult - Robert Knepper's Cult is Well Worth Joining!

Clicking photos in this article may lead to spoilers for the Cult

There are times when you watch a tv show and think 'been there, done that' -- Cult, a new show coming on cw mid-season is not one of those shows.
It's a bit of a creepy thriller, if you take the time to think and wonder if it could be real. And there is a great deal of potential for cross promotion and interactivity, from this show where the plot contains a show within the show, and fans who think that show within the show, might be real, or tied to reality in some very real way.

Robert Knepper (Prison Break's T-Bag, Heroes' Samuel Sullivan and Stargate Universe's Simeon) is at his charismatic best as Cult Leader Billy Grimm. As a special treat for the audience, before being properly introduced and coming out a video was played that Robert Knepper had pre-recorded, in character as Billy Grimm. It was an intense piece in which he implored the audience not to believe the liar who was about to come on stage -- the actor who played him, but was not him. It was a short piece, that was not a 'must do' by any means, and yet Robert Knepper had

played it so beautifully that an audience already eager to join Billy Grimm's cult having just seen the pilot wanted to leap from their seats when Robert Knepper came onto the platform. This ability to so completely embrace his character, and capture that charisma required to make the audience believe members of a cult would gather around him, follow him, and rally in support of him is pivotal in making or breaking a show like this -- and Robert Knepper showed both during the pilot, and during his appearance at Comic-Con that he had all those pieces of the character in place, without being over-the-top, without being creepy, without being the Robert Knepper we knew and recognized from Heroes, Prison Break and Stargate Universe.

It is inevitable at Comic-Con that people who want to get in to a panel for what is is about won't be able to because the room is full, and not every single person in that room will be there for what is currently going on. Sometimes they are there out of fear the room will be full for the next panel, and that's what they really want, sometimes they are interested in an actor, or artist, in the current panel because of some of their other work and are willing to endure talk about work they have either never heard of, or don't particularly care for. However, there are occasions, when those people who enter the room thinking they are of the uninterested variety find, at the end of the panel, they have been converted, or at the very least swayed and are now if not blatantly looking forward to what they've heard about, are suddenly inexplicably curious.

Such was the case with some of the people around me at the Cult panel. They came in talking about Vampire Diaries, and I had no idea why. It isn't a show I watch, or have ever seen an episode of, so I had no idea Matt Davis was an actor from the hit show until it came time to write this article and IMDB search the various actors for their credits in doing my research etc. But those same people who came in bemoaning how they were going to have to watch a pilot they had no interest in to get a mere 15 minutes with Matt Davis on stage, were saying when the panel was over that Cult was going on their must remember to watch for list.

In many ways that sums up the magic of a great panel at Comic-Con. When you, and the people around you, come out... wanting to join a Cult, and encourage others to do so.

As any of the ones who know the secret of the Cult would warn you -- do not click on the photos, if you do, notice the warning and do not watch this!

As with all wb panels, check the wb website for video of this panel

666 Park Avenue

Over the past few years I have found myself wishing the SyFy channel was heavier on Science Fiction and lighter on Horror. I have even wondered at times if the line between the two genres is blurrier in the minds of some than it is for me.
During the airing of the pilot for 666 Park Avenue was the first time I found myself thinking a similar series of thoughts of fantasy. I wanted it to be more mystical and magical. More fantastical and less... bloody. I do not know if I was hoping for too much, but the premise seemed to lend itself to so many fantastic possibilities within this apartment building at 666 Park Avenue that is owned and run by a couple portrayed by Terry O'Quinn (Lost, and more recently recurring on Hawaii 5-0) and Vanessa Williams (Desperate Housewives) that I wanted the writers to grasp hold of those possibilities and play with them. It seemed there was gratuitous gore and unnecessary violence and bloodshed when mystical magical possibilities lay just around the proverbial corner that could have fulfilled the same role in the story without making me wince and want to cover my eyes, or worse, groan and mutter "really"? Not that my aversion to such things should dissuade those made of sterner stuff, I simply wonder why when so many possibilities existed, and when the premise seemed tailor made to both explore and exploit them, the show instead took what almost seemed an easier out instead. That said, I was intrigued, and curious... and after the pilot had finished playing, and the cast came out, was positively laughing my head off when an audience member, in an effort to be polite, and not offend, and perhaps even be politically correct, tried to phrase a question so they did not ask Terry O'Quinn if he would be playing the Devil in the show, and in the process accidentally came across as asking if Terry O'Quinn would, instead, be playing God. The answer was delightful and charming as Terry O'Quinn demured, saying no, he would be playing someone who worked for that other fellow, you know, the one who converses with the man up stairs on a regular basis. That sense of humor, aplomb, and charm was typical of the panel, and made it a delight to attend.

The panel ended with the moderator asking everyone in the audience to sing Happy Birthday to Terry O'Quinn, who was then handed a birthday card. After reading it he quipped, "You know, I actually have my deal with the devil. I'm actually going to be 127. This is my first Comic-Con, I missed you all during Lost, but I'm glad we all got to catch up now." Just another example of the class act this entire cast/panel presented to those in attendance.





As with all wb panels, check the wb website for video of this panel

Haven Fan Fest

If you want to see delighted fans amidst clicking shutters and women attempting to shush their own squeals of delight while their friends are pinching themselves to see if they really are where they think they are, attend an event like the Haven Fan Fest.

eOne took over Sidebar in San Diego on Market Street and to the delight of numerous fans of the tv show Haven, those fans got to rub elbows, and enjoy snacks and drinks along side the stars of the show and other celebrity guests. It was a night, to say the least, that those fans will remember for a lifetime.

When I asked one lady wearing a Haven Fan Fest t-shirt how she came to be at the party she murmurred "I'm not really sure, it was the most amazing thing, I mean, I'm this huge fan of Haven, and it was like they knew, or I said something or somehow something happened and here I am and this is just so incredibly amazing and now Eric Balfour is coming in and... where's my camera!"

After a walk down the proverbial red carpet, posing for the press and cameras outside, each of the actors came in the party. As we walked up we could catch glimpses of Emily Rose on the red carpet being asked by various photographers to turn this way and that, "smile for me" and so on. And she sparkled like a million dollars with that mega-watt smile of hers. It was no wonder, when the energy of the red carpet came inside the fans were thrilled beyond measure with this fantastic treat.

Comic-Con - visible at a distance on San Diego Skyline

For years as I have attempted to explain the San Diego Comic-Con to would be attendees I've used phrases like "over 100,000 people in one building at one time," or "the size of several football fields side by side, all under one roof" yet I could tell from their expressions the full weight of what I was trying to explain, the sheer size of San Diego Comic-Con, aka Comic-Con International, was not truly sinking in. Then again, if you have never experienced that large crowd of people, the huge displays for movies, tv show, and, of course, comic books, how can you truly grasp what is going on without someone telling/showing you?

This year we arrived early in San Diego and decided to visit a favorite old spot for viewing the San Diego skyline, Cabrillo National Monument. When I lived in San Diego it was a favorite place to taking visiting guests so they could see the harbor and skyline and get a grasp for how large and spread out a city San Diego is. While they day we chose was foggier than I would have liked for taking pictures, I almost immediately realized I had found a place that shows better that I can say, just how big Comic-Con, and its accompanying advertising is.

As the crow flies, Cabrillo National Monument, which sits out on the end of a peninsula at the edge of the San Diego harbor, and basically overlooks the mouth to the harbor and greets ships as they sail in, is (my best guess) 5 miles from the San Diego Convention Center where Comic-Con is held.

Look towards the far right of the photo (click on the photo to see it larger) and you can see the logo for the NBC tv show Revolution which is on a HUGE banner taking up most of the side of a hotel next to the convention center. (Looking for the sails on the roof of the San Diego convention center may help you find it faster.

In this second view we zoomed in closer, overlooking the harbor, Coronado Island is still in the foreground, but the photo is now dominated by the San Diego convention center to the left, and the Revolution banner from the NBC show on the hotel to your right.

As we drove down Harbor Blvd. checking out the convention center area, we of course saw other banners, and realized that when we looked closely at our photos we could make out the red one for INJUSTICE that hung on one end of the Marriot. But the one for Revolution, perhaps in part because it was a single very large and simple logo, was easy to make out in the distance from Cabrillo.

Looking Over Convention Center & Revolution

And, for good measure, we had the lucky opportunity to take the "opposite" photograph, with the San Diego Convention Center in the foreground, the Revolution logo now on our left on the Bayfront Hilton, with the Coronado Bay Bridge just barely visible behind the hotel, and Cabrillo National Monument, and it's peninsula, off in the distance beyond Coronado Island.

Ever wished those get glue stickers were REAL???

It may be the one little detail that could easily get lost in this press release, and yet could take this from being a fun scavenger hunt to an oh so cool bit of swag!  The Get Glue stickers that we are used to seeing digitally on our friends facebook pages *could* become real swag... if you play by the rules, have a lot of fun, and experience a lot of what the WB has to offer at Comic-Con.

Don't have a clue what we're talkin' about??  Take a look:

OBSERVERS, PHYSICISTS, ROGUE AGENTS AND MORE AWAIT FANS WHEN
THEY CHECK-IN TO GETGLUE AT COMIC-CON 2012

 Fans Checking-in on GetGlue to WBTV Series Panels at #WBSDCC Will
Unlock Unique Stickers and Can Get Bonus Stickers by Visiting the
“Extra at Comic-Con®” Stage and the Warner Bros. Booth

 Collect Stickers for 666 Park Avenue, Arrow, The Big Bang Theory, Cult, The Following,
Fringe, Nikita, Revolution, Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries,
Childrens Hospital, DC Nation and MAD

 

Twitter Pitch: Unlock unique @getglue stickers @Comic_Con when checking-in at Warner Bros. TV series panels: http://bit.ly/NiYvoP #WBSDCC #SDCC

BURBANK, Calif. (July 5, 2012) — Comic-Con just got even cooler. This year, fans at Comic-Con International: San Diego — and even fans who are enjoying the action from afar — can check-in on entertainment social network GetGlue to unlock one-of-a-kind stickers for Warner Bros. Television series at their Comic-Con panel sessions.

• For a preview of the Fringe sticker, based upon the show’s Comic-Con 2012 poster designed by FOX, click here: http://bit.ly/NiYvoP

And if you forget to check-in at a panel because you got caught up in the excitement of seeing The Big Bang Theory cast in person or realized after seeing Nikita’s Maggie Q that looks really can kill, make like MAD’s Alfred E. Neuman and say, “What, me worry?” … because the special Comic-Con stickers will be available each day — for the duration of the day — during the Con on GetGlue, not simply for each individual event.

• Join Ryan Hardy (star Kevin Bacon) in the hunt for serial killer Joe Carroll (star James Purefoy) with a special sticker for highly anticipated new drama The Following, from executive producer Kevin Williamson

• See what stickers made it through the universal blackout with Revolution, from executive producer J.J. Abrams, Supernatural’s Eric Kripke and Iron Man’s Jon Favreau

• Find out what lurks between universes — yet exists on GetGlue — when you unlock the Fringesticker

• Check out comedy, music, video game demos and the Dark Knight’s ride at the Extra at Comic-Con stage located in Bayfront Park, and explore the custom surprises waiting when you check-in on GetGlue

• And much more!

To unlock these special stickers created especially for #WBSDCC, check-in to the following series panels during Comic-Con at the links below on the dates provided. And don’t forget to check-in when you visit the Extra at Comic-Con outdoor stage or the Warner Bros. Booth. And remember: users of GetGlue will get actual stickers mailed to them after unlocking 20 virtual ones. Now that’s something you can’t put in your swag bag!

 (the above emphasis was ours, just to make sure you found what we were talking about.)

WEDNESDAY, JULY 11

• Preview Night Sneak Peek Pilot Screenings (6:00–9:45 p.m. Ballroom 20):
• 666 Park Avenue: http://getglue.com/tv_shows/666_park_avenue
• Arrow: http://getglue.com/tv_shows/arrow
• Cult: http://getglue.com/tv_shows/cult
• The Following: http://getglue.com/tv_shows/following
• Revolution: http://getglue.com/tv_shows/revolution

THURSDAY, JULY 12

• MAD (12:45–1:45 p.m. Room 6DE): http://getglue.com/tv_shows/mad
• Nikita (6:00–7:00 p.m. Room 6BCF): http://getglue.com/tv_shows/nikita

FRIDAY, JULY 13

• Cult (11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Room 6BCF): http://getglue.com/tv_shows/cult
• The Big Bang Theory (12:05–1:05 p.m. Hall H): http://getglue.com/tv_shows/big_bang_theory
• 666 Park Avenue (12:45–1:45 p.m. Room 6BCF): http://getglue.com/tv_shows/666_park_avenue
• Childrens Hospital (1:00–1:45 p.m. Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront):http://getglue.com/tv_shows/childrens_hospital
• Arrow (3:00–4:00 p.m. Ballroom 20): http://getglue.com/tv_shows/arrow

SATURDAY, JULY 14

• The Vampire Diaries (3:30–4:15 p.m. Ballroom 20): http://getglue.com/tv_shows/vampire_diaries
• The Following (4:00–5:00 p.m. Room 6BCF): http://getglue.com/tv_shows/following
• Person of Interest (5:15–6:00 p.m. Room 6BCF): http://getglue.com/tv_shows/person_of_interest
• Revolution (6:00–7:00 p.m. Room 6BCF): http://getglue.com/tv_shows/revolution

SUNDAY, JULY 15

• Fringe (10:00–11:00 a.m. Hall H): http://getglue.com/tv_shows/fringe
• Supernatural (11:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m. Hall H): http://getglue.com/tv_shows/supernatural
• DC Nation (1:00–2:00 p.m. Room 6BCF):

• http://getglue.com/tv_shows/green_lantern_animated_series
• http://getglue.com/tv_shows/young_justice

For additional information about Warner Bros.’ activities at Comic-Con, follow us on Twitter@TheWBdotcom (hashtag #WBSDCC) and visit www.thewb.com/comiccon.

About GetGlue

GetGlue is a leading social network for entertainment, with over 2 million users, 350 million data points and a daily reach of 170 million through Facebook and Twitter. Users check-in and share what they are watching, listening to, and reading with their friends; get fresh recommendations and exclusive rewards from GetGlue.

GetGlue is based in New York City and is currently working with 75 major television networks and 10 movie studios to promote their shows and movies to fans. The company has received funding from Union Square Ventures, RRE Ventures, TimeWarner Investments, Rho Ventures, and a number of prominent angel investors.

For more information, visit http://getglue.com/about.

ALL SIX BATMOBILES!

On display in “The Batcave”: all six Batmobiles from television and film! For the first time ever, Comic-Con fans will have the opportunity to see all of Batman’s iconic onscreen vehicles live and in person, from Adam West’s 1955 Lincoln Futura to the Tumbler from The Dark Knight trilogy.

Adam West’s 1955 Lincoln Futura. Designed by George Barris, this original Batmobile was featured in the cult classic television series and 1966’s Batman, the Movie.

Michael Keaton’s Batmobile from 1989’s Batman and 1992’s Batman Returns. Sleek and powerful with a central turbine, the vehicles’ slightly retro design followed Tim Burton’s art deco look of the films.

Revamped for Joel Schumacher’s 1995 Batman Forever, with bat-lighting and extended fins, Val Kilmer’s hot rod had the ability to drive up walls.

Schumacher updated the Batmobile once again for George Clooney in 1997’s Batman & Robin. At 33 feet long and a top speed of 350 mph with afterburner thrust, this was the largest and fastest Batmobile on the road.

The Tumbler designed for Christopher Nolan’s 2005 Batman Begins and 2008’s The Dark Knight is the prototype military vehicle designed by the character Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman).

The unveiling of the replacement Camouflage Tumbler, to be seen in 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises, in theaters and IMAX July 20.

Talk about an exhibit that will have folks wishing they could take one out for a test drive!