CCI09 Sunday — Torchwood

BBC America Torchwood Website

 Trailer for Torchwood Children of Earth

Written by Alicia Glass

So Torchwood gets it’s own writeup for this panel, simply because there is much to discuss and yatter on about and it would be unfair to Being Human to do otherwise. (Personally, I think each show should’ve gotten it’s own panel as well, but by Sunday at the Comic-Con most people are too tired to think straight.)

Let us start off with a spoiler that rocked our world: Ianto’s death. Turns out, the night before the Torchwood panel, was when Torchwood Children of Earth Day Four aired on tv, and yes folks, our beloved Ianto died in that episode, in Captain Jack’s arms. And I admit, that surprised and dismayed even me. Ianto may not have been a largely pivotal character, but he was indeed a main character of the Torchwood work force, and killing him off left only Gwen and Captain Jack; a lot of us are wondering if that means Torchwood will return to tv at all. And if it does not, what a total bummer that will be.

And by the way, that chick who screams she’s NOT sad about Ianto’s death, is totally not me – I got stuck next to a very loudly opinionated fan.

 Russell T. Davies, Torchwood creator writer and executive producer, showed no remorse and even seemed to preen a bit when he basically told the protesting audience that it is effectively his show and he will do as he likes with it. Which, while it might be true, is never something you want to announce to a hall full of thousands of fans steaming for your blood. (And believe me, some of them were.) He took an almost perverse delight in announcing that Ianto’s death, the night Day Four aired, got more reactions on Twitter than even Michael Jacksons death. There was a moment I greatly enjoyed, that showed the true ingenuity of the young fan in a protest without violence, when Davies was first introduced to the audience. A trio of young boys stood up, pointed their fingers at Davies, and loudly announced in unison, “We! We want! We want Ianto!” If you have seen Torchwood Children of Earth, I think you can smile along with me at the irony.

CCI09 Friday — Fear Clinic

Check out the not-for-kids Trailer

FEAR Clinic begins on Fearnet.com in October

Written by Alicia Glass

So the last panel for my Comic-Con Friday was for FEAR Clinic, a new show that will be presented on Fearnet.com in October, starring Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, and Danielle Harris. For those of you not up on your horror actors, Danielle Harris played Jamie Lloyd in Halloween 4 & 5, and has also graced such recent films as Urban Legend and Rob Zombie’s Halloween & Halloween II. Kane Hodder is best known for his portrayals of Jason in the latter Friday the 13^th movies, although he’s been in quite a few horror movies of late. And honestly, if you have to ask who Robert Englund is, turn in your horror-fan badge right now.

Moderated by a writer from Fearnet.com, Spider, Englund and Hodder and Harris, along with director Robert Hall talked about the upcoming series, showed a trailer on the jumbo-tron, and talked about their favorite horror movies and their own fears. Robert Englund, in his usual tiredly amused fashion, spoke of being afraid of snakes and Sex and the City, while Harris ashamedly said she was afraid of everything from birds to elevators, director Robert Hall said he had mild claustrophobia, and of course the extra large and scary Hodder proclaimed he was afraid of not a damn thing.

 Poor Clive Barker, who was the main reason I was there after Robert Englund, barely managed to make the panel at all. Because really, traffic to the San Diego convention center during Comic-Con is impossible, especially around the time most people are trying to leave. Barker did manage to make it for the latter half of the panel, although why he was there other than being a horror icon, as he isn’t involved as yet with FEAR Clinic, I have no idea. It was a good panel, all things considered, though I have to question the wisdom of doing this new interesting-looking series in 5-10 minute increments on the internet only. Sanctuary tried that and the show actually got picked up for syndication, but I doubt FEAR Clinic can do that unless it was picked up by like HBO, due to the graphic violence and bloodshed the show promises. And with that in mind, a lot of horror fans who would greatly enjoy seeing Robert Englund as a mad psychiatrist with his own clinic that promises to rid people of their fears “one way or another”, will miss out because they simply haven’t heard of it or don’t have good computer/internet access.

CCI09 Saturday — Dune

An Official Dune Site

Winds of Dune hit stores August 4^th 2009

Written by Alicia Glass

 After three days of sheer insanity at the Comic-Con, the panel I most enjoyed, that set the tone for the rest of the day, was the Dune panel featuring Kevin J. Anderson and Brian Herbert, talking about their latest book Winds of Dune, and the entire Dune legacy as begun by Brian’s father Frank Herbert. The hall in which this panel was held was considerably smaller than the Halls they had been stuffing thousands of people into for Iron Man 2, but that created a nice close and intimate atmosphere. Herbert and Anderson had no need of a moderator or handler, I saw very little security in the hall itself, and for an amazement, there were no children whatsoever. (But then given the Dune tendency toward seriously adult concepts, perhaps that isn’t so surprising.) Blessedly quiet, highly intelligent and totally lacking the sweat of desperation to touch an omg celebrity, the Dune panel satisfied my need for an intelligent but not arrogant hour or so, in the midst of a lot of juvenile pandering.

 Herbert and Anderson spoke of their latest labor of love, Winds of Dune, an interquel tetralogy book from the Heroes of Dune books, sandwiched between Dune Messiah and Children of Dune. Originally titled Jessica of Dune, no mention was made why they changed the name but the co-authors did stress Jessica’s role in this latest book and the challenges she faces as the mother of Mua’Dib, regarded as both savior and destroyer by the Empire.

After Winds of Dune, next to come out is Throne of Dune (replacing the previously named Irulan of Dune) and then Leto of Dune. Herbert and Anderson also spoke of the distinct possibility of more Dune prequel books, way back in the beginning after the Butlerian Jihad, to center around the Mentats, the Bene Gesserit, and other pivotal figures of Dune and their origins. Which made me totally fan-squee, I loved the Dune prequels probably the best.

 And yes you crazed movie fans, get ready for it, Anderson dropped that Paramount Studios had picked up the rights to make another Dune movie, this one to be directed by Peter Berg, director of Hancock, Friday Night Lights, and The Kingdom. No word on the cast or which Dune book the movie will be based on, although the movie itself is slated to be out in 2010.

CCI09 Saturday — Boondock Saints 2 All Saints Day

Written by Alicia Glass

That’s right you rabid BDS fans, finally, after ten long years of waiting, the pivotal moment has arrived: Boondock Saints 2 All Saints Day has been made! Movie mainstays Sean Patrick Flannery, Norman Reedus and Billy Connolly graced the panel with their accents and cheerful profanity, and director Troy Duffy took great delight in introducing new additions to the cast in actors Julie Benz and Clifton Collins Jr.

 Check out a little of the panel, but be warned I did mention a lot of cheerful obscenity!

The crowd, most of whom were those people that your sainted (don’t kill me) mother warned you about, the ones who turned Boondock Saints from a cult classic to a whole visceral and required experience, roared their approval of recounted stories of mishaps on set. And in response to indications from the director and cast, when they first were offered a panel at Comicon and were unsure if anyone would show for it, every last disenfranchised person in black fishnets and eyeliner shot to their feet and reaffirmed their approval in a roar!

Boondock Saints 2 is slated to come out All Saints Day, November 1^st 2009.

CCI09 Friday — 24

Website: 24

 2 Night 4 Hour Season Premiere begins Sunday January 17^th, 9/8c on Fox

 Written by Alicia Glass

 Spoilers!

 The highly anticipated series 24 is back to grace is with another heart-pounding day with Jack Bauer trying to save our world! And boy is the next season starting off on a different note, given all the things that happened last season. For example, Season 8 is slated to open on a decidedly high note, with Bauer still alive and living *gasp* happily with his daughter and her daughter. And then it all goes to hell with yet another presidential assassination attempt, of course during a peace conference at the UN, because after all that’s 24’s bread and butter. Season 8’s new president Omar Hassan, played by Anil Kapoor, has a decidedly ethnic look that the show seems to enjoy portraying.

So Season 8 starts off with Jack and his daughter Kim finally having reconnected, and things appear to finally be getting back to the way they should be. CTU, Counter Terrorist Unit, has been reinstated by the government with a whole new facility and some brand new cast members to staff it! Katee Sackhoff of BSG fame stars as new CTU data analyst Dana Walsh, engaged to CTU Field Ops newcomer Cole Ortiz, played by the indomitable Freddie Prinz Jr. We still have Mary Lynn Raskjub as Chloe, and of course noone can replace Jack Bauer himself, but other than that the show seems to be running out of original characters. You know, all that betrayal and death and all.

 Seeing Kiefer Sutherland in person was one of the major highlights of Comic-Con for me, having not been able to get into this panel two years running. Sutherland himself was quite warm and engaging, and seemed very pleased that there are, yet still, a legion of 24 fans eagerly awaiting the next save-the-world situation to throw Jack Bauer into!

CCI09 Friday — Battlestar Galactica “The Plan” & Caprica

Trailer: BSG The Plan

Trailer: Caprica

Written by Alicia Glass

 Coasting on the wildly popular fame of Battlestar Galactica, and I mean the recent remake where Starbuck is a woman, this next Comic-Con 09 panel features Battlestar Galactica: The Plan directed by Edward James Olmos, and a look at the new series spawned from BSG, Caprica, featuring Esai Morales in one of the lead roles.

As far as I can tell,  BSG’s “The Plan” is a two hour long miniseries, directed by the awesome Edward James Olmos, that’s basically the latter half of the BSG series told from the Cylon point of view. As in, their plan to get the humans killed and become the dominant race in the universe, and where it went wrong; that’s what I gathered from what little they said. Which, hey, I’m a huge BSG fan, I’d love to see things from the Cylon POV. Although I wasn’t thrilled that Olmos kept instructing everyone to go out and buy “The Plan” on Blu-ray instead of DVD. But he probably had to, and that’s a whole nother rant. Battlestar Galactica’s “The Plan” is slated to hit stores October 27^th, 2009.

Somewhere during the course of the panel, after they went from “The Plan” on to Caprica, everyone’s favorite Korean-American actress Grace Park graced the stage with her illuminating presence.

Then the panelists spoke of the new BSG offshoot of a sorts, Caprica, explaining that it’s much more of an emotional soap opera-like drama series, set 58 years before the Cylon-human wars of BSG. Esai Morales, who’s playing Admiral Adama’s father on the show, spoke laughingly about his reaction to his new starring role: “It’s just a job right?” To which he was smartly reminded, “It’s a religion, you’re going to be an action figure!” Caprica is slated to begin Friday January 22^nd in 2010 on the SyFy channel.

Con through a wheelchair

by Angie Quidim

It was a difficult time for me this year as this time I was handicapped for the convention.  I had gone through surgery the week before Comic Con and would have to endure the convention with limited sight and a wheelchair.  I have to applaud all the disabled that went through the whole convention dealing with the general public.  I can tell you that it certainly wasn’t easy. 

The first thing I encountered right away is that people are less than sympathetic.  It’s bad enough you are trying to deal with physical hardship and doing what you love.  It’s another thing when the same people who share your love of whatever you are into are battling you.  For example, I witnessed two teenage girls scoffing at a handicapped mom and her daughter on line at Hall H because they got disabled privledges to see the Twilight panel.  Did any ever think of why that needed to be.  Of course they are too young to understand or too stupid to care about the well being of another person.  Hell, even on the show floor people didn’t care if they overturned a wheelchair just to get at a stupid bag that was handed out at the Warner Brother’s booth. 

Without the help of Comic Con officials and security I might have been one of those victims.  At least someone is looking out for everyone else!  Kudos to those managing the crowd.  It isn’t easy and I have to admit even I got huffy with them at times but in the end I knew they were just doing their job. 

I was talking with several people as we were waiting in line for a panel asking them what they thought of the whole predicament.  I asked them how do they deal with the crowds and getting around.  The better question is how much of a fan were they.  They really didn’t care about how people treated them.  They were just like everyone else.  They wanted to be close to the celebrities, authors and artists who made their imaginations come alive.  Don’t get me wrong, they are clearly aware of the way they were being treated but the allure of their passions for pop culture gave them the reason for being there.

The Pros and Cons of the Comic-Con

 

Cons —

1. The Lines – Yes, everyone who has been to the Comic-Con before knows, the lines are atrocious. The CC booklet, and anyone who’s ever been before can tell you, be prepared to stand in line for at least two hours for those major panels you want to see. What they don’t tell you is, most of the extra huge lines for the worth-waiting-for panels is, the lines are outside. Sunscreen is an absolute must, and you might as well bring an ipod or something to read, snacks and omg make sure you have plenty of water. Sometimes CC girlies walk the lines with free stuff too, that’s a nice added bonus. Just don’t lose your place in line running after them.

And I swear, by the pointy ears of Spock even, that if next year there’s another line with mini pup tents and sleeping bags, all for a panel that’s literally two days away, I will lodge a serious protest.

 2. The danger of the word FREE – Comic-Con is known for the free stuff given out. Practically every booth in the main hall, where one can go insane with the shopping, has nifty free stuff they give out to advertise their company, game, or whatever. However, a lot of the incredibly popular booths have chosen to give away their free stuff on a set schedule, which they don’t normally tell anyone. (This year the Star Trek booth had a printed schedule for their free stuff, go them.) And if you do get wind of that schedule, well of course whatever free thing you really do want to get in that horrid line for, is happening at the same time as the Iron Man 2 panel or whatever. Gah!

 3. The People – Comic-Con is a haven for the crazed fan boy or girl, and they encourage it for everyone, doesn’t matter what age you are. Unfortunately, this has a tendency to lead to crushing lines, loud opinionated fans with the dumbest questions on the planet, and utter rudeness when tempers fray, as they inevitably will. Try and remember that if you keep your tongue civil when others don’t, it may catch on. Saying “scuse me!” three billion times in one day, while it might get on your nerves, really does improve the experience for other people even a little, which will in turn make yours more bearable.

 4. Security – Those peoples in the red shirts, the ones that deny you entrance to a line or harriedly tell you to step back from the edge of the line and don’t feed the celebrities. They’re doing an impossible job and I seriously doubt they get paid anywhere near as much as they should be for taking on a job from hell like the Comic-Con; give them a break. Try not to stand there and scream at the red shirt guys (I know you Star Trek geeks just want to kill them already), it doesn’t help and it could get you tossed from CC altogether. You’d be amazed at the reaction a simple, “Hello, I’m looking for thus and such, could you tell me where it is?” and a smile gets from those poor security folk.

 

Pros –

 1. Hall Seating – For the most part, the seats in the Halls where the panels are held are pretty good. Most are made of metal and lined with cushioned fabric that covers a good portion of the back and buttocks. The halls themselves are maintained by a legion of cleaners and thankfully most people really do clean up after themselves when they leave a panel. After all, everyone wants CC to continue, noone wants to be accused of ruining Comic-Con for everyone because they left a half eaten sandwich and a scattering of crumb chips behind in a puddle of soda.

2. FREE STUFF – I came home from Comic-Con with my purse considerably lighter of money, yes, but also loaded down with 4 bags (also free) FULL of the inevitable FREE STUFF. Buttons, the bags themselves, postcard after advertising postcard, tons and tons of free posters, refrigerator magnets, stickers and ID cards, t-shirts, lanyards and jewelry oh my! Comic-Con is an insanity of free shwag, and the booths do encourage huge crowds of waving hands to reach out and snatch a t-shirt or rolled up poster. Just try not to get your elbow into anyone’s eye, that’s never a good thing.

3. The Celebrities – Every Comic-Con has panel after panel advertising the latest huge blockbuster movie, video-game, next season on your favorite show, award ceremonies and all sorts of other things. And the extra-cool thing is, if you happen to be lucky enough (or fanatic enough) to stand in line forever after you just saw the panel, to get your favorite celebrities’ autograph, most of them are actually very nice and talkative. A great number of celebrities appear almost awed at the popularity they have at CC and are consequently very down to earth and almost humble about the ten zillion autographs they have to do, and every single fan gushing “You’re so awesome, can I get a picture with you?!” Nevermind that most of these celebrities will have carpal tunnel and a migraine from the heat (autographs are usually done in the Sails pavilion, which is open to the air) by the end of the day. Every single person who gets their autograph and picture from their omg favorite celebrity, lights up like it’s Christmas in July and it never fails to make the famous person smile in return.

 4. The End of the Day – Yes, it’s 6pm and you feel like your feet are about to fall off. Your arms are so darn heavy, from carrying around free bags full of shwag all day. Your legs are screaming at you for standing in line after line for hours. The heat, even with powerful AC’s going inside the convention center full blast all day, has managed to insidiously sneak it’s way into your bones somehow anyway. You missed meeting up with some friend of yours to go see that one awesome panel together, yes it’s a bummer dude, but you did get into that panel anyway! Your foot’s been trodden on by the fanboys dressed as Darth Vader more times than you can count. The snacks you so fastidiously brought with in your CC bag are all gone and your stomach is loudly proclaiming feed me or ELSE. You still have to walk all the way past the convention center to the grassy knoll to wait for your ride, and be hassled by the cops while you’re sitting there. So why is that dumbass grin plastered on your face and by Tony Stark’s grace you just can’t get rid of it? Because, despite all that, or maybe because of it, you had a fantastic time! I know I did. And yes, we know next year will be just as insane, if not worse. We, ALL of us, are all still going to go!

Written by Alicia Glass

Cons….Can’t live with ‘em, Can’t live without em….

It was a month to ComicCon 2009….I was getting really excited.  Planning my outfits, checking what panels I couldn’t miss, making meet-ups with my friends….I couldn’t wait.  One week to con and I had all my ducks in a row.  However visions of Saturday 2008 were haunting my dreams.  The crowds, OH, THE CROWDS!!  It was like being in a zombie movie but with Star Wars toys instead of brains…

Friday I arrive at ComicCon 2009.  I had already gotten about 10 text messages saying how crazy it was inside.  The fear crept in.  Parking was like chosing what level of dante’s inferno I wanted to attend.  50 parking lots, all at various distances and ranging from $5-$30. Deciding I’m lazy and wearing heels, I pulled into a convient spot and stepped out of the comfort of my AC.  Crap.  It begins.

The first thing I noticed was the number of people dressed up was less then I had seen in previous years.  All around me con was filled with first-timers.  Each embracing their guides and talking about all the new things they’ve seen.  So many new people, and yet….where were the hordes of costumed fans?  Understand, there were cosplayers, but it seemed as though most of what I saw was half-hearted.

I headed to Hall H to check out the panels.  The line went in a million directions in order to shove as many people in a small space as possible.  Time to spend a few hours baking in the sun.  By the time I got inside my skin was burning.

So what’s the point of the observations?  Simply that even though so much was the same, the feel of con has changed.  Was it just me, or was it more hassle then ever before?  The heat was uncomfortable, the lines were impossible and security had a “move move MOVE” attitude (although there were a few ladies with a huge smile, keeping a positive attitude and shaking hands.  Gotta give it up for those ladies).

So was all of this just me?  Don’t get me wrong, I love con.  I love seeing my hero or buying things I don’t need.  Problem is, I end up so tired that for 2 days after I am super sick and swearing I won’t go again.  After that I tell epic stories of my adventures and prepare for next year.

**************

How was your con?  Did you get hassled?  Meet someone cool?  Get sunburn on your ears and blister all over?  Post a comment.  I’d love to hear all about it.

CCI09 Friday — Stargate Universe

Written by Alicia Glass

Website: Stargate Universe

 Show airs on the SyFy Channel Friday October 2^nd, at 10/9c

 That’s right folks, the Stargate franchise returns with a brand new cast and premise, to give us all something else to watch on Fridays! That said, this one is going to be, as the kids say, rather iffy. I mean, us die-hard fans stuck to SG-1 until the bitter end, and yes it was bitter indeed. And then there was Stargate Atlantis, which yes I did watch too, and the premise was mostly believeable and had its’ own villains and all, and that abruptly ended too. Now we have a brand new show attempting to capitalize on the whole thing, but of course this new show can stand alone on it’s own accomplishments while still maintaining the integrity of the admitted franchise of Stargate. That’s the theory. But why? Are we so starved for entertainment that we’ll swallow whatever the networks send our way? It’s looking that way.

 So this new show stars Robert Carlyle as Dr. Nicholas Rush, Brian J. Smith as 1^st Lieutenant Matthew Scott, Elyse Levesque as Chloe Armstrong, David Blue as Eli Wallace, Aliana Huffman as 1^st Lieutenant Tamara Johansen, Jamil Walker Smith as Master Sergeant Robert Greer, and Ming-Na as Camile Wray. Show producers Brad Writh and Robert Cooper were on hand at the panel too, and everyone was hopeful and forthcoming about the new show.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here’s the official synopsis from the website, as far as the opening plot of the show goes:

 A band of soldiers, scientists and civilians are forced through a stargate when their hidden base comes under attack. The desperate survivors emerge aboard an ancient ship, The Destiny, which is locked on an unknown course and unable to return to Earth. Faced with meeting the most basic needs of food, water and air, the group must unlock the secrets of the ship’s stargate to survive. The danger, adventure and hope they find on board Destiny will reveal the heroes and villains among them.

 Yes, Stargate mainstays Amanda Tapping and Richard Dean Anderson will be appearing in the first episode of the new Stargate Universe, and will reappear throughout the show periodically. Which, in my opinion, kind of totally defeats the purpose of a brand new show standing on it’s own, but whatever. Got to keep the total die-hard fans interested somehow. The new cast gleefully recounted their adventures at Comic-Con for the first time, including amusing anecdotes where Ming-Na and cast-mate Jamil Walker Smith went to visit the official Stargate booth and have their photo taken in the huge fake Stargate!