It’s Friday, and to SDCC it means it’s a jam packed day full of TONS of panels, activities, parties and more! Oh, and this is where it gets more and more crowded.
5:15am – Woke up, brushed my teeth, combed my hair, got dressed and snuck out of our room without waking up my friend to head to the Convention Center uber early, to grab a spot in line for The Big Bang Theory panel. Having missed out on the Ringer panel yesterday, I didn’t want to take a chance and do the same for BBT, cause I can imagine how popular this panel could be. And of course, when I get there around 7am, there are already a thousand people in line, and keep in mind, the panel didn’t start until 11am.
Attempting to get a cast autograph for my friends
Also keep in mind, this is my first time attending a panel for BBT. I didn’t get into show until after my first Con in 2008. I knew they were also signing autographs at the WB Booth at the exhibit hall later in the afternoon. Since I already have my Chuck cast autograph from my first Con back in 2008, I wanted to give my two awesome friends back home @KristinStecyk and @TomTomHRGuy a chance to get a signed photo of the BBT cast. Unfortunately, it would not be possible this year, as the WB booth issues wristbands to secure an autograph, and in order to get one, you have to go enter a raffle in another room by selecting a number. If you’re number gets selected, you get a wristband. The WB was trying this out for this out for the first time, as they had numerous problems of people jamming the booth trying to fight for a spot for autographs, which then got chaotic last year I heard.
Anywho, before The Big Bang Theory panel came on, I had to sit through two show panels beforehand: Torchwood and The Walking Dead, respectively. Now, I have never seen either show, but I’ve got many friends who are fans of the shows and tried to get me into them.
My buddy Ryne’s a big fan of Torchwood, and sitting through this panel, watching the cast, I bet he wishes he was there with me. I was unaware who the cast members were, but I’ll tell ya, they put on a really good panel, as they funny, engaging and entertaining, and just having plain fun.
The Walking Dead panel was an intersting one. Going into this, I had no idea what the show was about. I do know that the first season only had about 6-8 episodes, and the show had become such as massive hit for AMC. They brought the cast and crew to the panel to celebrate the success of the first season, and talking about the upcoming second season. It was announced first at the panel that the new season would start in mid-October on AMC. They even showed a trailer too. Overall, despite not seeing the show, it looks pretty interesting, and I think I may have to get my hands on season 1 to watch.
Now, for the main event… The Big Bang Theory panel was awesome! They brought the cast and creators out, as they discussed the last season and what to expect to see this upcoming season. Again, this was my first time attending a BBT panel, and so far I was enjoying it. They also showed a blooper reel of the outtakes from last season as well. The panel lasted about an hour, but overall, fun panel. Too bad I never got a chance to get their signatures.
Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Jim Parsons at The Big Bang Theory panel, SDCC 2011
Turning to Facebook & Twitter
Before the panels started, I had a tough decision to make – what panel should I go to this afternoon? True Blood or The Amazing Spider-Man? I couldn’t do both, as they scheduled both panels around the same time, but in different rooms - True Blood in Ballroom 20 or The Amazing Spider-Man in Hall H. I was not pleased with the way they scheduled these panels this year, and to top that off, I absolutely could not decide which one to go to, so I turned to Twitter and Facebook. I held a voting process on what panel I should see, and had some great responses, but in the end the score was True Blood 10-8. Thank you to all those that voted!
Anna Paquin & Stepehn Moyer at the True Blood panel, SDCC 2011
Now, the True Blood panel was pretty cool with the cast showing up, talking about what to expect in the current season, as well as they showed a 5 minute preview of what’s to come. Everyone who attended received a True Blood bag that included inside a t-shirt, notebook and a novel. The cast also got to talk a bit about themselves in how they got to where they are now. It was awesome to finally see Anna Paquin live. It was also one of the Con’s most popular panels this year, probably more than Twilight, as the room was packed with every seat in the house filled. Man, I’ve gone too many Vampire panels this year… lol
Everyone who attended the True Blood panel at Comic-Con received this bag of swag!
If I had gone to The Amazing Spider-Man panel….
A part of me wished I did go see The Amazing Spider-Man panel, as from what I saw on YouTube, at the beginning of the panel, before the moderator could introduce the panel, some guy dressed in a Spider-Man costume went up to the fan Q&A microphone and interrupted him by saying how much he loves Spider-Man. The moderator looked annoyed and told him to sit down, but Spidey just kept talking and talking, then took his mask off to reveal that it was Andrew Garfield himself! Wow, great way to start a panel off.
Emma Stone was also there, and boy, she not only looked stunning as always, but was pretty damn funny up there: two rare qualities I like in a woman! Apparently, they showed the trailer, plus another Comic-Con exclusive trailer which showed way more footage from the film, including a look at The Lizard, which pretty much confirms he is the villain of the new rebooted film. Honestly, I’ve always been a fan of Spidey, and I loved the Sam Raimi version (except #3), but was against the new rebooted film for a while, but after watching this panel, I am now sold and looking forward to seeing this new version next summer.
Anywho, after these panels ended, I was wiped from going to all these panels today, so I left the Convention Center and walked around the Gaslamp District to check out some of the offsite events, then went back to my room and meet up with my friend, who was glowing and bragging how he got to meet the creators and the voice cast of the upcoming Batman: Arkham City video game at the WB Booth. I shouted out “Shut the Smurf up! You got in on a WB signing!?!” He showed me his wristband and the signed poster and even told me he was interviewed briefly by the theWB.com. Man, howcome most of my friends have been interviewed by someone at the Con but me?
Oh well, that didn’t matter. I went to bed early because Saturday was a HUGE day for me, the Chuck panel, the very last panel they’ll ever be at, with the showing ending and all.