Comic-Con 2009

On Friday and Saturday of last week, I was able to take off to beautiful San Diego, CA to attend Comic-Con International.

It. Was. FANTASTIC!!

On Friday, I arrived at the convention center around 1:30, got my badge and decided to just orient myself to what's going on and to walk the exhibit hall. The exhibit hall was PACKED with costumed fans and amazingly expensive vendor booths. Below are some of my favorite booths I saw.

On Saturday, I woke up SUPER early and headed to the Con to stand in line for 3 hours with thousands of other attendees to get into Hall H. Hall H holds 6,500 people, but it fills up fast and ALWAYS has a line of about 1,000 the rest of the day to get in. I was BLESSED to get a great seat. First up in Hall H was probably the most anticipated panel of 2009, LOST. Since this is the final season of LOST everyone was psyched to see what Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof would present to us. They decided to that this last panel would be all about fan appreciation. After showing some ridiculously hilarious fan films (which I desperately hope they release at some point) they had some special guests ask questions:

After LOST was Solomon Kane, starring the very beautiful James Purefoy, which was featured in an earlier blog of mine, 'The British Are Coming! Yay!' They showed extensive footage of the film to inspire the Comic-Con crowd to create a buzz via word-of-mouth. The footage looked great, but they had me at "Purefoy." I'll see anything that man is in. Anyway, I think Solomon

Kane definitely looks worthy of a viewing. Hopefully, they can get distribution in the US and find a fan base for the duration of the trilogy.

Solomon Kane is another creation of Robert E. Howard (the same guy who created Conan the Barbarian). Kane is a 16th century Puritan whose adventures have been of the bloody, selfish kind. After a close run in with hell, he then straightens out his act and tries to walk the narrow road...while vanquishing some evil along the way.

Following the Kane panel, writer/director Mike Judge presented his newest film, Extract starring

Jason Bateman and Mila Kunis. To be honest, I wasn't sure why Extract was being presented at Comic-Con. But after being reminded that Judge is responsible for Beavis and Butt-head, Office Space, and King of the Hill, I understood his appeal to this audience. And also...there's Mila Kunis. Her cheers from the fellas rivaled Scarlett Johansson's later in the day. The clips they showed were funny and the film promises to do well. Jason commented that he wanted us to go see the movie, but added "we don't want your matinee money either! You go see it prime time"...I'll probably just wait for the DVD. Sorry Jason.

Next up was Zombieland. That film is going to be CRAZY!! Very bloody. Very Funny. Very fast zombies. By the clips they showed us, this film promises to be like no other zombie flick you've ever seen. The way they kill zombies should raise the bar for all other zombie flicks from here on out. Plus, it has Woody Harrelson in it. Yep. Crazy.

After Zombieland was the main event: IRON MAN 2. Everyone was psyched to see this panel. People literally stayed after the LOST panel (at 11:00am) just to see Iron Man 2 (at 4:0opm). But it was well worth the wait. Jon Favreau, Robert Downey Jr., Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson and Sam Rockwell were in attendance and the crowd went wild to get to see footage!

I would LOVE to give you the footage he gave us, but 1. I didn't want to get thrown out of Hall H, and 2. I love keeping secrets regarding things I hold dear to my heart. Just ask anyone who's ever quit watching LOST but have asked me if Jack and Co. get off the island. My response is always, 'I'm not telling. You've gotta watch." Anyway, Jon was gracious and excited, Robert Downey Jr. was delicious and "on" as usual, Scarlett was flustered and uninteresting, Sam was flat and uncooperative, and Don was the man! By the way, War Machine....RIDICULOUS!!!! They showed the footage twice and everyone roared both times they showed War Machine. You're gonna love him! Anyway, not to many good photos of this panel, but MANY, MANY good memories.

Anyway, hope you liked the run down of my trip to Comic-Con 2009. It was fantastic and I would recommend everyone go at least once. As for me, I'm planning on being there next year.

Much Love!

On the Road

The Exodus has begun. I've hit the road and completed my first leg on my journey in becoming a film editor. I have three more legs to go and then the hard part begins. Let's hope for the best!

MANY thanks to Jon and Rachel for allowing me to crash in Nashville for a couple of nights before the real traveling begins.

Stars and Stripes

Earlier this week I decided to visit our nation's capital as a side trip from our visit with family in nearby Maryland. As much as I'd like to say that Capital Hill fascinates me. As much as I'd like to say that the history of our nation drew me to it like a moth to a flame. As much as I'd like to say that my love of my country led me to see the red, white, and blue fly high around the Washington Monument...I can't. THIS is the real reason I went to DC:

...to see the original starship Enterprise at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. This sucker is huge! It's 11 ft long from the nacelles to the nose, 32 inches in height, and a shocking 200 lbs in weight (it's made from poplar wood). This is the model they used to film the special effects shots for the original Star Trek series. It's on display with the stand that held it in front of a blue screen. The shots of the ship were later superimposed onto a backdrop of space, and VIOLA we have a spaceship in space...the final frontier.

Anyway, if you want to behold this beautiful piece of history when you're in the DC area, head to the basement of the Air and Space Museum gift shop just off the Mall. Now, I also hear that the Air and Space Museum has other exhibits as well. Um, I don't really know what those could possibly be about, but it might be cool? Just a guess.

Live long and prosper.

The British Are Coming! Yay!

I don't know if you've noticed or not, but Hollywood is becoming an international town. It's not abnormal to have a British lead in an American film (Hugh Grant, anyone?), but when it comes to television, it's been a rare delight. After Hugh Laurie landed the now iconic role of Dr. Gregory House (on the aptly named House M.D.) Hollywood has been shipping Brits in by the truckload: Rufus Sewell (Eleventh Hour), Damian Lewis (Life), Jamie Bamber (Battlestar Galactica), Simon Baker (The Mentalist)....ok, so Simon is from Australia, but you get my point.

Although some shows starring Brits haven't exactly had the longevity their creators have hoped for, I think H'wood has found a great pool of talent from across the pond. Most British actors are classically trained and well-seasoned in ALL mediums made available to actors. It makes perfect sense that these are the professionals that Hollywood would want fronting their shows. The latest of these imports happen to be two of my favorites: Joseph Fiennes, starring in ABC's much hyped 'Flash Forward' and James Purefoy who carries 'The Philanthropist' for NBC. James Purefoy is best known for his portrayal of Mark Antony on HBO's 'Rome' and even for his small role in 'A Knight's Tale' as the benevolent, action-seeking king. Joseph Fiennes is best known for sizzling on the screen in pretty much any project he touches...God bless that man!

(Pictured above: (left) Joseph Fiennes, (right) James Purefoy)

This is an interesting time for TV shows in general. Movie stars have been gracing the small screen more often over the last 5 years, Glenn Close being one of the award winning notables. Bringing in British film stars is simply the next step, but Hollywood went above and beyond getting these two fine actors.

Well, I fully support Hollywood's stand on immigration. I'm gearing up to start a petition to rename California as New Britain and to allow all hottie actors dual citizenship and no-fuss marriages to the women of the United States. What do you think? Can America handle a British invasion? I know I'm ready.