Thursday, July 30, 2009
San Diego Comic Con 2009 - Friday
Friday my friends and I decided to roam the convention floor, starting our day in the Sails Pavilion at around 10:00 AM. We immediately noticed everyone was in a mad scramble, trying to find out where raffles were being held to either meet celebrities or purchase exclusive figures. It was a mess! The Elite security crew handled it in their usual manner… with question marked faces proceeded by yelling at crowds. The Green Lantern figures were, hands down, the hottest ticket in town (considering they had a different figure daily to complete a set). So much so, that hordes of people were running towards random, ill-advised Elite security guards yelling, “GREEN LANTERN FOLLOW ME!” It was quite a spectacle seeing people run aimlessly for raffle tickets… especially for action figures.
The only raffle ticket I had my heart set on was for Adam West, which friends and I waited patiently for. Waiting patiently paid off, as I found out where the my raffle station was. I ended up winning a ticket to meet Adam West! From there, I made my way onto the main exhibit hall. Not even an hour of looking around, I got a call from my friend, “Hey, Olivia Munn… by the docks!” Like a mad man, I rushed from the main exhibit hall to where the OMFG (Olivia Munn Fan Group) crowd was.
If you don’t know by now, I love Olivia Munn! I met her last year at Comic Con, so seeing her again was a real treat. In this case, she wasn’t surrounded by hoards of fans the way I met her last year. It was a pretty intimate gathering, as her location was only announced to fans of her site. Luckily, my friend managed to find this secret meeting spot. I have to say, this was one of the highlights of my trip, as I got a hug, a kiss and even a threesome photo with Munn, my fiancé and I! I also signed my first non-disclosure-agreement, just in case we made it on television.
After about an hour of hanging out with Olivia, we went back to the main exhibit hall. Again, no direction, I just walked aimlessly on the main floor. I ended up making my way to the WB booth where a scheduled signing for WB’s upcoming film Jonah Hex was going to take place. At that point, I just wanted to rest, so I met with my friend who was already there. There wasn’t much of a line, as people weren’t aware of who was going to show up. After about thirty minutes, guess who was on screen getting ready to sign autographs? Megan Fox and Josh Brolin. I was a bit taken back, as we just came from meeting Olivia Munn. It occurred to me that we were meeting the top-and-bottom of the Maxim Hot 100 list (Olivia is still on top if you ask me). Meeting Megan Fox was great. She was very sweet, smiling and answering all questions. My photo with here was unexpected as she planted her head right on mine! Just as the day couldn’t get any better, it was time to meet Adam West.
Redeeming the raffle ticket I won earlier that day, I got to the signing area early enough to be first in line which was about an hour away from his appearance. When he finally arrived, he was dressed in a surgical mask which was a bit odd (assuming he wanted to hide his identity). They immediately announced that anything he was signing would require approval from his “people” and a mandatory $40 charge. At first, I cringed at the idea of paying for this, but my friend made a good point. Adam West is 80 years old, this could very well be the last time I ever see him in person. So I gladly paid the price for this once-in-a-lifetime chance. By the way, Jim Caviezel was actually signing at the same booth before Adam West’s appearance, he was kind enough to wave for a few pictures.
We decided to take time away from the convention and have lunch at Tin Fish. Walking by we immediately noticed the paparazzi frenzy that was going on near the entrance of the Hard Rock Hotel. We ended up seeing the following celebrities: Milo Ventimiglia, John Cho, Kenan Thompson, and
Dominic Monaghan (sporting a Godzilla mask to conceal his obvious identity). Milo was down to take pictures, unfortunately we were walking in the wrong direction, unable to take quick snap shots with him. I definitely appreciated his offer though, rather than completely ignoring us. I simply got away with a handshake. My fiancé and friend were able to take a picture with John Cho.
Friday evening, we took a stab at hanging out with the Hollywood crowd. Rather than waiting near the front entrance and the bar downstairs like the night before, we made our way into Float, the club upstairs in the Hard Rock Hotel. We ended up seeing Seth Green, Zachary Levi, Brandon Routh, Alison Haislip. In addition, we saw a TNA wrestling match of all things and a good number of scantily clad waitresses and promo girls.
As the evening came to a close, we decided to walk to the convention center, to see if people were camping out. Sure enough, a sea of sleeping bags, tents and camping supplies were laid out near the entrance of Hall H. It was already 2:00 AM, so we thought, why not make the most of this experience and camp out too! Of all my years of coming to Comic Con, this was my first time camping out for Hall H.
The only raffle ticket I had my heart set on was for Adam West, which friends and I waited patiently for. Waiting patiently paid off, as I found out where the my raffle station was. I ended up winning a ticket to meet Adam West! From there, I made my way onto the main exhibit hall. Not even an hour of looking around, I got a call from my friend, “Hey, Olivia Munn… by the docks!” Like a mad man, I rushed from the main exhibit hall to where the OMFG (Olivia Munn Fan Group) crowd was.
If you don’t know by now, I love Olivia Munn! I met her last year at Comic Con, so seeing her again was a real treat. In this case, she wasn’t surrounded by hoards of fans the way I met her last year. It was a pretty intimate gathering, as her location was only announced to fans of her site. Luckily, my friend managed to find this secret meeting spot. I have to say, this was one of the highlights of my trip, as I got a hug, a kiss and even a threesome photo with Munn, my fiancé and I! I also signed my first non-disclosure-agreement, just in case we made it on television.
After about an hour of hanging out with Olivia, we went back to the main exhibit hall. Again, no direction, I just walked aimlessly on the main floor. I ended up making my way to the WB booth where a scheduled signing for WB’s upcoming film Jonah Hex was going to take place. At that point, I just wanted to rest, so I met with my friend who was already there. There wasn’t much of a line, as people weren’t aware of who was going to show up. After about thirty minutes, guess who was on screen getting ready to sign autographs? Megan Fox and Josh Brolin. I was a bit taken back, as we just came from meeting Olivia Munn. It occurred to me that we were meeting the top-and-bottom of the Maxim Hot 100 list (Olivia is still on top if you ask me). Meeting Megan Fox was great. She was very sweet, smiling and answering all questions. My photo with here was unexpected as she planted her head right on mine! Just as the day couldn’t get any better, it was time to meet Adam West.
Redeeming the raffle ticket I won earlier that day, I got to the signing area early enough to be first in line which was about an hour away from his appearance. When he finally arrived, he was dressed in a surgical mask which was a bit odd (assuming he wanted to hide his identity). They immediately announced that anything he was signing would require approval from his “people” and a mandatory $40 charge. At first, I cringed at the idea of paying for this, but my friend made a good point. Adam West is 80 years old, this could very well be the last time I ever see him in person. So I gladly paid the price for this once-in-a-lifetime chance. By the way, Jim Caviezel was actually signing at the same booth before Adam West’s appearance, he was kind enough to wave for a few pictures.
We decided to take time away from the convention and have lunch at Tin Fish. Walking by we immediately noticed the paparazzi frenzy that was going on near the entrance of the Hard Rock Hotel. We ended up seeing the following celebrities: Milo Ventimiglia, John Cho, Kenan Thompson, and
Dominic Monaghan (sporting a Godzilla mask to conceal his obvious identity). Milo was down to take pictures, unfortunately we were walking in the wrong direction, unable to take quick snap shots with him. I definitely appreciated his offer though, rather than completely ignoring us. I simply got away with a handshake. My fiancé and friend were able to take a picture with John Cho.
Friday evening, we took a stab at hanging out with the Hollywood crowd. Rather than waiting near the front entrance and the bar downstairs like the night before, we made our way into Float, the club upstairs in the Hard Rock Hotel. We ended up seeing Seth Green, Zachary Levi, Brandon Routh, Alison Haislip. In addition, we saw a TNA wrestling match of all things and a good number of scantily clad waitresses and promo girls.
As the evening came to a close, we decided to walk to the convention center, to see if people were camping out. Sure enough, a sea of sleeping bags, tents and camping supplies were laid out near the entrance of Hall H. It was already 2:00 AM, so we thought, why not make the most of this experience and camp out too! Of all my years of coming to Comic Con, this was my first time camping out for Hall H.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
San Diego Comic Con 2009 - Thursday
Wow, blogging while at Comic Con was harder than I thought. I hope you don’t mind the delay, as I’ve decided to recap things a little later than expected.
Thursday was over like the blink of an eye as my Thursday ended on Friday at 2:00 AM. I decided to take a break from the main exhibit hall. I was on my feet all day, fighting through crowds and un-air-conditioned parts of the convention center and the San Diego heat outdoors.
Thursday started early, as my fiancé was determined to secure seats for the infamous Hall H. She headed to Hall H at 5:30 AM (her enthusiasm caught me by surprise). My friends followed her near 7:00 AM, as I got there at 8. Sure enough, the line was long, but surprisingly not uncomfortable. We were on soft grass and it was overcast, so waiting in line for 5+ hours went by with ease. This was my first year sitting in Hall H so early. In the past, I reserved Hall H for Saturday’s, as Hollywood never really expanded into other days. You can see how much has changed since then. Finally entering into Hall H at around 10:30, we ended up nabbing some pretty good seats, smack dab in the middle where we could still make out live faces, rather than relying on the video screens. This year, they changed the main screen, where they split it in two. I’m not particularly fond of it, especially if the center screen is your only option, but the new system offers higher resolution viewing as well as digital 3D. We were all given special glasses the moment we walked into Hall H. Here were the events that we saw:
A Christmas Carol 3D - Robert Zemeckis – The footage looked great, as Jim Carey plays eight different characters in this movie. It actually looked scary, which I’m really excited for.
Alice in Wonderland - Tim Burton and a surprise entrance from Johnny Dep. He was in and out like a ninja, as the sea of women, my fiancé, included screamed like little babies. “Tim Burton everyone!” is all he said while waving, then quickly exiting.
Cloudy With a Chance of Meat Balls - Adam Sandberg and Anna Farris
Astro Boy – Kristen Bell
Tron – Jeff Bridges, Olivia Wilde – They basically replayed the same trailer they showcased last year, which was awesome, because it was my first time seeing it.
Twilight: New Moon – Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Ashley Greene, Kristen Stewart. This was the reason most of Hall H was packed. Dubbed “Twihards,” these were the uber-fans of Twilight that mainly consisted of tweens and mothers. Not that I’m complaining or anything. Team Edward and Team Jacob shirts were at every corner. I have to say that I found the trailer awfully funny, because to an outsider looking in, it seems the whole movie is about Edward and Jacob is having a shirt-taking-off contest if that has ever existed.
Avatar – James Cameron, Zoe Saldana – Avatar looks awesome! James Cameraon came prepared with 25+ minutes of footage from the film.
The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnasis - Vern Troyer
As you can see, all of Thursday was spent in Hall H. I didn’t see direct sunlight until about 4:00 PM. The rest of the afternoon was spent in the crazy crowd of the main exhibit hall. That evening, my friend and I decided to take advantage of some of the after hour events. Mainly movies and such. We checked out “Kung Fu and Costumes” where an old dude pretty much showed highlight clips from old and current martial arts movies. I was really impressed by Ong Bak 2 (I had no idea a sequel was made). After about an hour, we moved onto the pilot screening of “Trick R Treat” a horror film featuring Ann Paquin. Pretty cool film, but it’s got “straight-to-DVD” release written all over it (which it is).
Later that night, we decided to roam the streets of the Gas Lamp, ultimately making our way to the Hard Rock Hotel. It turned out, this was where all the celebrities were staying, and partying. I ended up seeing Ashley Greene and Jeff Bridges. I ended up meeting Ray Park and Ernie Reyes Jr., both heavily sedated by the sauce. Funny thing, Ernie said what’s up to my friend and I as if we were long time friends. He was also wearing a green Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles shirt. Any guesses as to what he was promoting? Overall… good day! I will post pictures of Thursday soon, stay tuned!
Thursday was over like the blink of an eye as my Thursday ended on Friday at 2:00 AM. I decided to take a break from the main exhibit hall. I was on my feet all day, fighting through crowds and un-air-conditioned parts of the convention center and the San Diego heat outdoors.
Thursday started early, as my fiancé was determined to secure seats for the infamous Hall H. She headed to Hall H at 5:30 AM (her enthusiasm caught me by surprise). My friends followed her near 7:00 AM, as I got there at 8. Sure enough, the line was long, but surprisingly not uncomfortable. We were on soft grass and it was overcast, so waiting in line for 5+ hours went by with ease. This was my first year sitting in Hall H so early. In the past, I reserved Hall H for Saturday’s, as Hollywood never really expanded into other days. You can see how much has changed since then. Finally entering into Hall H at around 10:30, we ended up nabbing some pretty good seats, smack dab in the middle where we could still make out live faces, rather than relying on the video screens. This year, they changed the main screen, where they split it in two. I’m not particularly fond of it, especially if the center screen is your only option, but the new system offers higher resolution viewing as well as digital 3D. We were all given special glasses the moment we walked into Hall H. Here were the events that we saw:
A Christmas Carol 3D - Robert Zemeckis – The footage looked great, as Jim Carey plays eight different characters in this movie. It actually looked scary, which I’m really excited for.
Alice in Wonderland - Tim Burton and a surprise entrance from Johnny Dep. He was in and out like a ninja, as the sea of women, my fiancé, included screamed like little babies. “Tim Burton everyone!” is all he said while waving, then quickly exiting.
Cloudy With a Chance of Meat Balls - Adam Sandberg and Anna Farris
Astro Boy – Kristen Bell
Tron – Jeff Bridges, Olivia Wilde – They basically replayed the same trailer they showcased last year, which was awesome, because it was my first time seeing it.
Twilight: New Moon – Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Ashley Greene, Kristen Stewart. This was the reason most of Hall H was packed. Dubbed “Twihards,” these were the uber-fans of Twilight that mainly consisted of tweens and mothers. Not that I’m complaining or anything. Team Edward and Team Jacob shirts were at every corner. I have to say that I found the trailer awfully funny, because to an outsider looking in, it seems the whole movie is about Edward and Jacob is having a shirt-taking-off contest if that has ever existed.
Avatar – James Cameron, Zoe Saldana – Avatar looks awesome! James Cameraon came prepared with 25+ minutes of footage from the film.
The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnasis - Vern Troyer
As you can see, all of Thursday was spent in Hall H. I didn’t see direct sunlight until about 4:00 PM. The rest of the afternoon was spent in the crazy crowd of the main exhibit hall. That evening, my friend and I decided to take advantage of some of the after hour events. Mainly movies and such. We checked out “Kung Fu and Costumes” where an old dude pretty much showed highlight clips from old and current martial arts movies. I was really impressed by Ong Bak 2 (I had no idea a sequel was made). After about an hour, we moved onto the pilot screening of “Trick R Treat” a horror film featuring Ann Paquin. Pretty cool film, but it’s got “straight-to-DVD” release written all over it (which it is).
Later that night, we decided to roam the streets of the Gas Lamp, ultimately making our way to the Hard Rock Hotel. It turned out, this was where all the celebrities were staying, and partying. I ended up seeing Ashley Greene and Jeff Bridges. I ended up meeting Ray Park and Ernie Reyes Jr., both heavily sedated by the sauce. Funny thing, Ernie said what’s up to my friend and I as if we were long time friends. He was also wearing a green Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles shirt. Any guesses as to what he was promoting? Overall… good day! I will post pictures of Thursday soon, stay tuned!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
San Diego Comic Con 2009 - Preview Night
Preview night has come and gone, and I’m back at my condo with the sorest feet possible. I did a bit of everything, saw a bit of everything and simply tried to scope the layout which will set the stage for my target areas to concentrate most. From the Sails Pavilion, walking downstairs into the main exhibit hall always overwhelms me. They let you in, smack dab in the middle of the convention hall. Without a plan or prioritizing what you want to see before-hand, it’s easy to find oneself scatter-brained on what direction to follow and where to spend the most time, all while maximizing the relatively less crowded day of all days which Is preview night. “Less crowded” is quite the contrary however, as there were gangs of crowds scattered mainly around the mass media booths such as Warner Brothers, DC, Marvel, etc. At some points, it was elbow-to-elbow traffic (what else is new?). The exhibit hall grew crowded, exponentially, minute-after-minute the moment I hit the floor. Without further a due, here are a few pictures I managed to snag between moments of geeking out!
San Diego Comic Con 09 - Preview Line... err... Preview Night.
So I survived the plane ride to San Diego and settled into the beautiful 2 bedroom condo I stayed at last year (thanks Sam). It didn't take long to gather things and head to the San Diego convention center from there. My friends and I have recently gotten out of line to grab our passes, to wait in another line, to enter the main hall (same ol same ol). Not too bad considering how sleep deprived I am right now. I still have energy to keep going! Looking around, it's crowded, hot and tiring overall. But I can't help but think, no matter how inconvenient things can be here, I can't help but think how priceless it is to be here. There's something fun about meeting new people who are, for the most part, into the same things I'm into. Sharing similar stories of what "was" and what "will be" at San Diego Comic Con. Just a few more hours until they let us into the main exhibit hall! Stay tuned, pics to come!
New photo of Scarlet Johanson in Iron Man 2
Unfortunately, not clad in her Black Widow outfit, but just as hot! Check out Scarlet Johanson as Yelena Belova. See the rest of the teaser photos on Yahoo here. Iron Man 2 will be hitting theaters May 7th, 2010.
Comic Con 2009: Preview night just around the corner... and I'm still packing!
It's just before 1:00AM PST and I'm still packing my things to make the journey down to San Diego. Granted, I'm relatively close, as my flight is less than three hours, but I have to make sure I'm not missing the bare essentials. Sleep is going to be essential to staying sharp during this crazy week, I'll have to make it up at the airport and on the plane.
Toothbrush, check!
Deodorant, check!
Good to go!
Monday, July 20, 2009
New Batgirl in town!
So far, there have been five characters that have dawned the Batgirl costume. In chronological order, they were: Betty Kane, Barbara Gordon, Helena Bertinelli, Cassandra Cain and Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe. The Batgirl's I'm most familiar with are Barbara and Cassandta... more so Cassandra as I've always known Barbara to be Oracle. It looks like there's going to be a new Batgirl in August written by Bryan Q. Miller.
DC Movies versus Marvel Movies
Found an interesting article on the Hollywoodreporter.com about the status of future DC comic movies. DC and Warner Brothers comments on the breadth of iconic superheroes they have in comparison to Marvel. In the article:
"A year after The Dark Knight became a worldwide phenomenon, there are more DC Comics adaptations in the works than at any other point since the company was acquired by Warner Brothers in 1969."
"One of the things that has differentiated us [DC Comics] for most of the last 20 years is the depth of our library and the depth of the creative material that we've put out and the opportunities that creates for other media," DC Comics president Paul Levitz said."
Although the number of Marvel films to date outweighs the number of DC films, I feel DC has the advantage by being housed under one roof, as opposed to Marvel being owned by several different movie studios. If you ask me, I prefer quality over quantity. It looks like DC is ready to make the move on some big heavy hitter movie titles.
"This past fall, Warners quietly hired three of DC's biggest writers -- Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison and Marv Wolfman -- to act as consultants and writers for its superhero line of movies. The move involved taking back the reins on projects being handled by such producers as Charles Roven ("The Flash") and Akiva Goldsman ("Teen Titans")".
Read the full article here.
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