It was around this time I finished seeing the entirety of the dealer room. Once that was done, I went to Hall A (the big hall that can hold around 4,000 people or so) to sit down and wait for the day’s panels. While waiting, I wrote notes and read my Supernatural novel. I eventually ran into some excellent Browncoat friends, such as Little Ewok and her family, who I always love to see. Then, the panels began…

10,000 BC/Get Smart Panel

I think they knew that no one would want to sit through the dreck that was 10,000 BC, so they put it in front of the panel that everyone WANTED to see, Get Smart. I have to admit I was very unimpressed with the footage of 10,000 BC, and as such the panel bored me. However, the real fun began when that panel was over. A representative from LucasFilm came out to show us a trailer for the upcoming animated Star Wars: Clone Wars animated movie and weekly cartoon, and it looks AMAZING. Definitelty one to watch out for if you’re a Star Wars fan.

Finally, the Get Smart panel began with the latest trailer, and it was AWESOME! I’m a huge fan of the show, so while I KNEW Steve Carell was an excellent choice for Maxwell Smart, I wasn’t sure if they’d get the feel of the show well in a new movie. However, the trailer put my fears to rest. It was funny as HELL, and the inclusion of both Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Alan Arkin just made it better.

Once the trailer was over, director Peter Segal, as well as stars Anne Hathaway and Steve Carell came out on stage, and the panel itself was so dang funny I pretty much forgot to write notes, except to say that a bunch of the dialog between Maxwell Smart and Agent 99 was improvised, which I think will make for a much funnier experience than if they stuck strictly to the script. Overall, it was an excellent panel and made me want to see this movie even more.

 

 

Once the panel was over, I worked my shift at the Browncoat table for a couple of hours, but was able to catch the last 20 minutes of the X-Files panel. Now, I’m not an  X-Files fan at all, having never seen the show (I know, I know, back off! ;), but with Chris Carter, Gillian Anderson AND David Duchovny in the room, you could just FEEL the awesomeness in your bones. Once the panel was done, I waited for the two panels I was most excited about, Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanmo Bay and Iron Man, and I wasn’t disappointed.

Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanmo Bay Panel

First, we were shown several clips from this movie, but I won’t say exactly what so as not to spoil some really good stuff. Suffice it to say, that if you were a fan of the first movie, you’ll LOVE this one, based on these clips alone. After the clips, the panel came out which included John Cho, who plays Harold. This was actually a REALLY funny panel, so funny that I forgot to write down notes (oops!). 😉 Suffice it to say, it was a really good panel and I wish I had more to say about it.

Iron Man Panel

This was the panel I was REALLY looking forward to all day. As soon as director John Favreau came out, someone yelled out "You’re so money!" This was a reference to the awesome movie, Swingers, which he wrote and starred in. He replied quickly with "You’re money too!" This got a laugh from nearly everyone in the audience. Mr. Favreau then went into how excited he is about the project, as well as the blessing he got from Sharon Osborne for using the Ozzy song, Iron Man.

Apparently he had to fight hard to get Robert Downey Jr. for the role of Stark. Once he got him though, thanks to the fan response, the studio and Marvel were "very comfortable" with them. This helps because Mr. Favreau wants to do more Iron Man movies, which is very good news for fans like us. Someone then asked about the jet boots shown in the Super Bowl trailer…which Mr. Favreau used as a cue to bring up new footage he brought of Stark trying out the boots.

I don’t want to go into too much detail about the clip lest alone anyone get spoiled, but it shows Stark going through various phases of testing the jets, from an initial failure (which was high-larious) to several successful tests. This is followed by a cut of Stark in the golden (Mark 2) suit, with several awesome exterior shots and interior shots showing Stark’s point of view. Stark’s POV is amazing, with all sorts of amazing Heads Up Displays (or HUD’s). After arguing with his onboard computer about being ready for flight, he takes off anyway, and wow, is it a sight to see. These clips were followed by more Q&A but I had to skip out a little early because I had some errands to run, so I missed the second part of the Q&A. Whatever the case, I am so jazzed for this move it’s not even funny.

After the panel, I had an hour to prepare for the room party in our hotel room before the premiere of Justice League: The New Frontier. I went with my friend Christina to a nearby liquor store and purchased a little over $100 of liquor (it’s the first room party I’ve run, I wanna do it right. Besides, Dwight will pay half). After getting the liquor back to the room (in POURING, TORRENTAL rain, mind you), both Christina and I head out. She to dinner, me back to the Moscone Center to see Justice League: The New Frontier.

 

 

Justice League: The New Frontier Premiere and Panel

I’d not seen the comic upon which this film was based, but if it’s a Bruce Timm project, I’m there. Suffice it to say, this movie was REALLY good. My only downer was that Kevin Conroy wasn’t doing the voice of Batman (that’s a really geek thing, since Batman: The Animated Series is my favorite cartoon ever). Anyway, the movie itself – with the voices of David Boreanaz as Hal Jordan/Green Lantern, Kyle MacLachlan as Superman, Lucy Lawless as Wonder Woman and Neil Patrick Harris as Barry Allen/The Flash – was REALLY good.

The movie had good pacing, and was MUCH darker than previous Warner Brothers animated films I had seen. If you’re familiar with it, it’s nearly on a level of darkness as Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker. It also had actual blood and some cursing, hence the PG-13 rating. I definitely plan on picking this one up soon. David Boreanaz was an EXCELLENT Hal Jordan, and if they have more of these movies (as they plan to), I hope he comes back to reprise the role.

The panel afterwards consisted of two of my favorites, Bruce Timm (the man behind Batman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Justice League and so on) and Andrea Romano (voice director for WB Animation. I didn’t stay for much of the panel, however, as I had still things to do to prepare for the room party.

I went back to the hotel and began filling the bathtub with ice, in order to keep the drink
s cool (I’m not going to even talk about the HORRIBLE Jack in the Box dinner I had…BLECH). This took a few trips back and forth from the ice machine. The items I had on hand weren’t big enough, so I went down to the lobby to get a garbage bag.

While I’m in the hotel, who should walk in? ANDREA FREAKING ROMANO! I was giddy like only a hard-core geek could get, so I said "Ms. Romano? I’m sorry to bother you, but I just LOVE your work, and the Justice League movie was AWESOME!" She was very gracious and pleasant, and asked if there was anything I didn’t like. Of course I said, "Kevin Conroy wasn’t Batman." She smiled, patted me on the arm and said "Just wait until our next project…" I was so giddy with delight I could barely contain myself. I’m mature…REALLY…stop laughing…I can be mature when I wanna be…

Anyway, after getting the ice and the stuff ready for the room party, I realized we were missing things, like cups, so I asked Dwight to get some on his way back from dinner. By the time he arrived, about ten people had already shown up, and over the course of the night we had about fifteen to twenty people in the room. I and several others got REALLY plastered, but everyone had a good time, so the party was a success.