Yes, it's that glorious time of the year once again! COMIC CON is upon us!!
This will be my EIGTH San Diego Comic Con since I started attending with my family back in 2007. What started out as a high school graduation gift has become an annual family tradition that I look forward to each year.
Here's my tentative Comic Con schedule for the next 4.5 days! If you're also going to the con, leave a comment or tweet me @winesosirius and say hi!
Wednesday - Preview Night!
Pick up our passes for the week
Explore the exhibit hall
SWAG time!
Meet one of my favorite cosplayers Yaya Han
Enchantment Under the Stars Party
Thursday - Wildcard Day (I'll mostly be playing this day by ear)
Game of Thrones Survive the Realm
Greendale Forever: Community panel (doubt I'll make it though)
Petco Park Interactive
Her Universe Fashion Show
MTV Fandom Awards
Blogger Meet Up Party
NERDHQ Fan Party
I'll probably only make it to one or two of the above four before lining up for Hall H alone :'(
(because my family can't do the camping out thing)
Friday - Hall H Day
If all goes well, I'll be camped out inside Hall H all day and seeing panels for two of my favorite shows:
The Walking Dead
Game of Thrones
Crave Online VIP Party
Saturday - Smaller Panel Day
Kodanshi Comics (3 words: ATTACK ON TITAN)
Norman Reedus
Rulers of the Realm
American Horror Story: Coven
Might try to see the Masquerade in one of the overflow rooms
Sunday - NERDHQ Day
Conversation with the Cast of Supernatural NERDHQ panel
With registration not starting until 3:30 and the Preview Night exhibit hall doors not opening until 6pm, my family and I had a bit of downtime today before all the impending Comic Con craziness.
I decided to record my July Ipsy Bag video on my hotel balcony. Oh, how I miss recording in natural light – so difficult to do in my NYC apartment because of how close all the buildings are together - they block out most sunlight from entering the apartment.
The view of the bay outside my balcony
Afterwards, my family all headed down to a local coffee shop called Lion Coffee. We discovered this place and their amazing croissant breakfast sandwiches about 5 or 6 years ago and it’s become a tradition to eat here every Preview Night morning since. If you’re ever in San Diego, I highly recommend checking this place out. Although we come for the breakfast sandwiches, the smoothies are also really good (my sister and I shared a Passion Fruit, Mango, and Strawberry one) and I’ve heard their coffee is not to be missed either – if only I drank coffee. Plus, the service is great - my mother asked for onions and lettuce on her sandwich and when she told them it didn't have any, they offered to make her a whole new sandwich (which we passed, no use wasting food) and gave us a card for a free drink next time we were there. Thumbs up.
Lion Coffee - one of many Comic Con traditions
Next up was Ralph’s for groceries. This is another Preview Night tradition. We learned early on how pricey Comic Con snacks and food can be, so coming to Ralph’s for fruit, sandwich making materials, and whatever else has become an essential part of our SDCC routine.
Picking out snacks for Comic Con
Passing the convention center on our way back to our hotel after grocery shopping
We headed back to the hotel to drop off our groceries and relax. For the first time since I started attending Comic Con, I have free Wifi in my hotel room! They always have it down in the lobby, but NEVER in the rooms. We are only on the fifth floor so I wonder if that has anything to do with it. Either way, I’m not complaining. Being able to post on my blog during the con is something I’m definitely not going to take for granted.
Registration goes quite fast so we weren’t in too much of a hurry to rush over. A little after 4pm, my dad, sister, and I (my mom only had a 4 day pass – no Preview Night) made our way to Hall E and entered the convention center. Getting our badges was a piece of cake and took less than two minutes. Between the three of us, we also got the exact three bags we wanted which were Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries, and The Big Bang Theory (for which I was propositioned twice as I waited for my dad and sister).
The line behind me to get into the exhibit hall
Just chilling with my Supernatural bag
Got all three bags we wanted - no swapping needed!
Then the waiting began to enter the Exhibit Hall. It really wasn’t all that bad though and before we knew it, we were already inside heading straight to our beloved WB booth. We picked up our usual Comic Con Exclusive TV Guide issues and what would be our biggest swag item of the night: a Batman iPhone 5 case.
Honestly, I was very underwhelmed with this year’s Preview Night. We made it into the very long and crazy Fox booth line so we did get plenty of posters and Bones coasters (ha, that rhymed), but WB stopped handing out anything but TV Guide issues very early. Also, the CBS booth which usually has fun bags and items for shows like The Big Bang Theoryand Dexter did not do any such thing this year. My sister and I barely even recognized the booth as being CBS. Each year, one of our favorite swag items to receive are t-shirts. My dad will usually pack only a few shirts in anticipation of receiving these shirts to wear during the con. Often times, we’ll go home with 20 shirts between all 4 family members. This year, we didn’t see anywhere that were handing shirts out.
In line for swag at the WB booth
The Big Bang Theory art gallery at the WB Booth
FOX booth craziness
I know this sounds like I’m being a bit greedy basing my opinion on how much free stuff was given out, but that’s why my family and I come to Preview Night. So we can go ahead and get all the cool free stuff early and enjoy the panels and events the rest of the week. If they’re holding or cutting items back to give out later in the week, it kind of defeats the purpose of why we do Preview Night. Aside from lack of freebies, the booths and displays seemed a step down from years past as well.
For the first time in seven years, I actually went back to my room early. After hitting up every booth that seemed to be giving away items, I separated from my dad and sister and walked from one end of the exhibit hall to the other, taking pictures, looking at merchandise, and even tried on a few pieces of a clothing (they actually had legit fitting rooms) at this super cute clothing booth for girl geeks called Her Universe. I didn’t buy anything at the time, but I may be back on Sunday…
Upon coming back to my room, I ate, downloaded my photos and vlogging footage from my camera and phone to my laptop, and began writing this post. My dad and sister returned shortly and we created a somewhat vague plan for the next day which seemed pretty underwhelming, as well.
I'm staying optimistic though and know by the time Friday rolls around, things will kick into gear overtime so I'm just going to enjoy this quiet before the storm. Greatly looking forward to tomorrow's Visionaries panel with directors Alfonso Cuaron, Edgar Wright, and Marc Webb along with Comic Con's last Dexter panel!
I've always wanted to be behind the wheel of a pirate ship
Today’s the day I’ve been looking forward to since, well, since 51 weeks ago. The day I leave to meet up with the rest of my family in beautiful, perfect-weather San Diego for this year’s Comic Con International.
For those unfamiliar with Comic Con - what started in 1970 as a small comic book convention has turned into the largest multi genre fan convention of its kind AND the world's largest pop culture event. The number of attendees was recently capped at 130,000! Whether you’re into tv, movies, comics, science fiction, fantasy, video games, anime, toys, or cosplay – you’ll find it in excess at Comic Con.
I’ve been going to Comic Con since I graduated high school seven years ago at 17. Every year I look forward to it. It’s nice to know that each year, no matter where I’m at in my life, my family will come together to attend this event.
Although Comic Con doesn’t officially start until Thursday, my family and I always make sure to snag Wednesday Preview Night tickets that give a limited number of attendees an early look at the convention’s grand exhibit hall. Movie studios, TV networks, video game and toy companies, etc all converge on the massive showroom floor. Along with getting enough free promotional items "swag" to fill two or three extra large suitcases, this is also where all the celebrity signings and cosplay sightings occur. Since the next four days are usually filled with attending panels, we like to use Preview Night as a way for us to go on and get all our swag and take pictures of booths, displays, and costumes early so we don’t need to worry about it later in the week.
We’ve realized arriving on Wednesday can be a little crazy so we usually arrive in San Diego on Tuesday to give ourselves a little time to get settled, buy groceries, and see the city a little bit before the Comic Con chaos begins.
Waking up today, I was still in shock that it was finally that time of year again to head out to the geek mecca. I hadn’t even packed when I woke up at 9am and my flight was at 12:30pm. I was bringing two large empty suitcases with me on the trip for my family to bring swag back to Florida and was only going to be able to bring back my little carry on. I’ve always been sort of an excessive packer so this task was especially difficult for me. I was doing pretty well until it got closer and closer to 10:30 and, in a panic, I threw some extra pairs of heels and clothing in one of the empty suitcases. Going to have to figure out a way to bring those things back to NYC. Oops.
After a 45-minute delay on the runway, my flight from NYC to my 2-hour layover in Houston was smooth and uneventful. I read, drank Cranapple juice, and watched two episodes of SVU (I really can’t stop watching that show). On the flight to San Diego, I watched more SVU…
Finally, I landed and was reunited with my family in the most beautiful city I have had the pleasure to visit each year. We took a taxi van (to accommodate our 8 suitcases) to our hotel – the Marriott Marina where we’ve stayed the last six years. Conveniently located, it’s attached to the convention center and near the bay, has an incredible view and breeze. We unpacked, ate, showered...I wrote this post...and now time for bed.
Looking forward to what tomorrow's Preview Night holds in store!
Here are a few pictures from last year's Comic Con.
With actress Lizzy Caplan
Doctor Who panel with cast and creators
With one of my favorite YouTubers, Joey Graceffa
Two of the most sweetest, genuine guys in Hollywood - Jared Padalecki and Zachary Levi
This has been quite a month! Here are just a couple of my favorite things from July: TV SHOW: Glee (This show's second season became a guilty pleasure of mine, but it wasn't till this month that I actually went back and watched the first season on Blu-Ray.) MOVIE: X-Men: First Class (Yes, I know this movie's been out since the beginning of summer. I saw this movie again at a dollar theater with my dad and sister. Still just as awesome as when I first saw it. Probably my favorite movie of the summer.) BOOK: Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw (I love My Fair Lady with Audrey Hepburn, but I prefer Shaw's realistic ending. Not even looking at the age difference, I have no idea why Eliza would choose Higgins over Freddy as suggested in the movie.) STYLE: Dianna Agron's Quinn Fabray from Glee (I've fallen in love with Quinn's feminine and put-together wardrobe while watching the show. Time to start saving up for some Anthropologie dresses and J. Crew cardigans of my own!) ACTOR: Michael Fassbender (This guy can act. I was very impressed with him as Magneto, the depth he brought to the character was incredible. With several upcoming films including Ridley Scott's highly anticipated Prometheus, his star is definitely on the rise.) MUSICIAN: Cameron Mitchell (I literally just watched the The Glee Project episode in which he quit. It was for admirable reasons, but it very much saddened me because I felt he was not only the most talented person on the show, but the most interesting, as well. Either way, he has an incredible voice and I can't wait to see more of him in the future.) FOOD: Watermelon (I've been so spoiled with my dad cutting up pieces of watermelon for my sister and I for our evening snack. I'm not at all handy with a knife so this is something I'm definitely going to miss once I head back to college.) TRAVEL: San Diego, California (Two words. Comic Con. It's like Spring Break for nerds. This was the view from our hotel, The Mariott.)
WHAT I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT MONTH... Back to school shopping, more reading, and being reunited with my APO Family.
Sorry for being a day behind, yesterday was exhausting and the hotel WIFI has been unreliable. Plus, I'm having to go through literally hundreds of photos - my family really like to take pictures. I'm going to do my best to post at least once a day though!
After the "Welcome to the NerdHQ" panel, my sister and I joined our dad in Ballroom 20 to camp out for the rest of the day. By the time we got into the VERY packed room, the Covert Affairs panel was just ending and Psych was just starting up.
Next up, was Sarah Michelle Gellar's new series, Ringer, which will premiere on the CW in September. The panel consisted of SMG, Ioan Gruffudd, Nestor Carbonell, Kristopher Polaha, and producers Eric Charmelo and Nicole Snyder. They first showed some clips from the show which showed some really good production values and actually looks pretty good. SMG was super energetic and friendly and seemed very comfortable during the panel. After viewing the clip and listening to SMG and the rest of the cast and producers, I am definitely interested in watching this show come fall. Here are a couple of quotes from the panel.
"It's hard when you have a show like Buffy that you love so much... you're not looking for a show to top it. I wanted to come back for a show that the fans would love, that would be different but still exciting." - SMG
"We'll just add some more hip music and better clothes." - SMG on moving from CBS to CW
"I...um...uh...no. But I'm naturally thrilled to be on the CW." - Ioan Gruffudd on ever having heard of the CW
"I love the twists and turn of this show. You never know where it's going - I never thought anyone would make a show like this." - SMG
"It's a tale of two sisters where one is driven by redemption and one is driven by revenge. Every character has a duplicitous nature. There's no heroes, no villains - it's shades of gray." - Producer Eric Charmelo
"If I dressed up as Buffy for Comic Con, you guys would tell me I was a lame version of Buffy." - SMG
"To get into another show where I don't know what's happening week to week is really amazing." - Nestor Carbonell
A few more interesting notes from the panel.... Kristopher Polaha came in second to Marc Blucas for the role of Riley on Buffy. SMG loves getting to use a gun on the show especially because "Buffy never got a gun." Also, there are no supernatural elements on the show - it's all reality-based, and apparently Michelle Trachtenberg is already interested in doing a role.
After Ringer was the much-anticipated Game of Thrones panel which consisted of castmembers NickolajCoster-Waldau, KitHarington, LenaHeadey, PeterDinklage, JasonMomoa, andEmilia Clarke; producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss; and author George R.R. Martin. I have not watched this show, but for having only completed its first season, it sure does have some enthusiastic fans. The panel was very funny and entertaining, the deadpan and recently Emmy-nominated Peter Dinklage getting some of the biggest laughs.
Finally, it was time for TV Guide's annual Fan Favorites panel. While I was excited to see the always funny and charming Zachary Levi on the panel, I was especially looking forward to seeing Matt Smith, the latest incarnation of the title character in Doctor Who. The panel consisted of The Vampire Diaries executive producers Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec; Lost alums Nestor Carbonell and Jorge Garcia; Zachary Levi; Johnny Galecki from The Big Bang Theory; Matt Smith; True Blood'sKristinBauer and Nelsan Ellis; and Leslie Hope. I scribbled several notes during the panel, here are some highlights for each show (beware of spoilers):
First, each panelist was asked when they realized their show was a fan favorite:
- Kevin: Twitter
- Julie: When Ian Somerhalder beat Robert Pattinson in a Favorite Vampire contest.
- Nestor: He joined the show when it was already a hit.
- Jorge: When he saw the pilot ratings and a flight attendant knew his character's name.
- Zac: The pilot was screened at Comic Con and received a standing ovation. He says most people were probably Firefly fans who came for Adam Baldwin and couldn't be more grateful to them.
- Johnny: First year at Comic Con. "Zac stole my answer."
- Matt: He jumped into something that had quite the legacy.
- Kristin: Seeing how filled the room was and all the cameras flashing, "I think it's starting to sink in."
- Nelsan: "I think I found out when you all told me."
- Leslie: Read on the Internet that 24 was popular.
The Vampire Diaries
Two clips were shown: one where Damon states he misses being human then bites into a girl and one where a character dies during a dinner scene. The producers commented on the importance of Twitter, and said there is a huge plot hole that fans have yet to picked up on.
Ringer
A clip was shown of Nestor's character along with Sarah Michelle Gellar's Bridget. When asked what attracted him to the show, he said he liked playing an interesting FBI character who had his own secrets and that it wasn't the same thing every day. Also, a fan during the Q&A gave the inspired idea that Nestor Carbonell would make an excellent Dr. Strange. I AGREE.
Alcatraz
A clip was shown. Jorge says he wanted to work with J.J. Abrams again because he believes in the "underdog." Someone jokingly asked him why he liked islands so much. Jorge compared Comic Con to a Renaissance Fair but "awesomer."
Chuck
Big cheers for Chuck and Zac, who was chewing gum. When the audio wasn't working for the Chuck clip, Zachary Levi and Jorge Garcia hilariously ad-libbed the dialogue. Zac stated that even though this is Chuck's last season which he described as "bittersweet", it won't be his last Comic Con. Advice to Zac from Jorge about Chuck's ending: "Don't go with the 'they're all dead' ending. It alienates some people, and they'll tell you over and over again how much they loved the series but hated the ending."
The Big Bang Theory
They showed an old clip from the "Rumors" episode. Johnny said Leonard and Priya are going to have a long distance relationship and that Leonard is definitely moving back in with Sheldon. He said there is actually a long and very detailed Roommate Agreement that continues to expand. He said he guests on 3 out of Entourage's 8 remaining episodes and had a lot of fun doing them. He was congratulated on his Emmy nomination and said on the day it was announced, he thought it wasn't for another week so he was asleep and his phone dead.
Doctor Who
A clip of the Doctor in the Oval Office is shown. Matt said taking on the role was daunting, but a good pressure. His favorite doctor is Patrick Troughton, along with Tom Baker, David Tennant, and Christopher Eccleston. His favorite episode is a new episode called "Let's Kill Hitler."He says he was indeed surprised about the River Song revelation. When asked where would he go if he could jump in time and travel anywhere, he replied he would go see Atlantis and the dinosaurs and pick up Frank Sinatra along the way. He said his favorite Daleks were the "stone" Daleks in episode 13 or purple, if he had to choose a color. He really enjoyed sitting next to Kristin and Nelsan, saying he loved True Blood and described Comic Con as having a "good spirit" and "strange and overwhelming." He also said that Doctor Who's 50th Anniversary was coming up and that we might see several Doctors back for an episode.
True Blood
A clip shows Pam with what looks like half of her face falling off being questioned about Eric's whereabouts by Bill. Kristin says her favorite line is coming up in episode 10 or 11 and is "the wrongest thing I've heard on television." She says Pam is not very happy about an amnesiac Eric. Nelsan says his character has been on quite a journey. He's asked what's it like playing a witch. He says we discover his powers soon. He says he's sitting at the table with some of his own personal favorites - he's watched every episode of The Vampire Diaries and he loves Johnny and Matt.
The River
There's a shaky cam clip. Leslie describes her character as one looking for her husband in the Amazon. She describes the show's pilot as "scary" but says it's not horror, more supernatural thriller.
Lastly, was the Showtime block that included Shameless, upcoming series Homeland, and fan-favorite Dexter. Panelists from Shameless included: William H. Macy, Emmy Rossum, and Justin Chatwin. Morena Baccarin from Firefly was there to promote Homeland. From Dexter, Michael C. Hall, C.S. Lee, David Zayas, and season 6 guest stars Colin Hanks and Mos Def (who joins during the Q&A) and executive producers John Goldwyn, Sara Colleton, Scott Buck, and Manny Coto. Highlights:
Shameless: At one point Justin Chatwin announces Emmy Rossum's hotel room number. By the shocked look on her face, we can assume it was real and that she will soon be staying in a new room.
Homeland: Very short panel, but Morena Baccarin looks gorgeous and the show looks interesting.
Dexter: Opens talking about the "Slice of Life" Facebook game. A trailer with religious undertones is shown for Season 6. The crowd loves Michael C. Hall, but he appears to be a little distant and curt during the panel and when answering the (mostly albeit lame) fan questions. Samples: Q: "Is the Trinity Killer ever going to come back?" MCH: "Um...as a ghost?" and another, Q: "Does Dexter fear that his son will inherit his need to kill?" MCH: "Yes." and one more, Q: "Any plans for a Dexter-Burn Notice crossover?" MCH: "No." Wow. Seriously. These fans... I don't even watch the show and could come up with better questions. At one point, an audience member mistakenly calls C.S. Lee "C.S. Lewis." Nice.
"I would love to find a way to do something with a body count of zero. I'm all for that." - MCH
And that ends my longest blog post up to this point! Hope you enjoyed reading! =)
The first official day of Comic Con is over - phew!! The clock says it's about 9:30, but, since I'm still on Eastern Time, it feels like 12:30. I'm usually a night owl who wouldn't be feeling tired for another couple of hours, but after my nonstop day, the energy is all but drained out of me... which is why I'm going to postpone a full post of today's events till...later in the week. However, I will not leave you empty-handed.
First thing today, my sister and I went to Zachary Levi's "Welcome to the NerdHQ" panel). In case you don't know what NerdHQ is, it's basically a mini convention set up by Zac and his company, The Nerd Machine, entirely separate from Comic Con for fellow nerds to come and hang out. Zac even recruited a bunch of his friends in the industry to participate in "Conversation" panels (many of which include signings) which you can attend for $20 per person. All proceeds go to Zac's charity, Operation Smile. Okay, now back to the Welcome panel...it consisted of Zac and the rest of The Nerd Machine gang. It was a very relaxed and intimate atmosphere. Zac and company answered questions from the audience, sharing funny and interesting stories (unfortunately, we couldn't tape anything since they were live streaming the panel). I didn't quite get everything, but I took a couple notes (of questions directed to Zac) while my sister took some pictures. Enjoy!
Please note that everything below is paraphrased.
Q: What story would you like to tell?
A: I would love to see an integration of live action TV with video game interaction.
Q: What is your favorite Chuck episode?
A: Chuck Versus the Beard.
Q: How do you find time to play video games with all of your various projects?
A: Lots of help from good people. (re: the others on the Nerd Machine team)
Q: Nerdiest Tangled moment?
A: Singing with Mandy Moore at the Oscars.
Q: Favorite superhero?
A: Hero – Gambit, Villian – Deadpool.
Q: What video games are you currently playing?
A: Just finished LA Noir.
Q: Will there be a Chuck musical episode?
A: I don’t know.
Q: Any advice for those wanting to get into the industry?
A: If you want to get into animation, draw. Want to become an actor, act. Want to become a screenwriter, write. Keep at it and good luck.
My family and I made it to San Diego safely late yesterday afternoon. After checking into our room at the Mariott, we all went to Ralph's, the nearby grocery store and stocked up on ramen, fruit, and sandwich ingredients for the next couple of days. Then it was time to go to bed. Getting a good night's rest was important last night, especially knowing that once Comic Con is in full thing, we'd better get used to going to bed around 12am and waking up at 5.
This morning, I woke up and decided to figure out the hotel's WIFI situation. I found out the hotel does indeed have free WIFI - WOOT (even if it can be a little weak)!! This means I'll be able to blog and post photos while here in San Diego!! I'll do my best, although, with the craziness that is Comic Con, you'll have to be patient with me.
Anyhow, today went very smoothly and was a good start to this year's Comic Con outing. As Preview Night inched closer, we picked up our Comic Con, as well as NerdHQ, badges. Zachary Levi was hanging outside the NerdHQ venue, talking and taking pictures with people in line (aww!). Then we waited in our first of many long lines to get into the Exhibit Hall. The place was, needless to say, packed and there were more lines waiting for us at every booth. Every year, people seem to get more aggressive about getting free promo swag and this year was no exception. At the end of the 3 hour sneak peek of madness, we managed to get a decent amount of swag, do a few interactive activities, and even got a quick superhero portrait done by artist Dan Conner.
Tomorrow, we head out first thing to the NerdHQ Welcome with Zachary Levi and then join my dad in Ballroom 20 for a day of various TV show panels. What am I looking forward to most? TV Guide's annual "Fan Favorites" panel. This year's guests include Matt Smith (Doctor Who), ZacharyLevi (of course), Johnny Galecki (The Big Bang Theory), Nelsan Ellis,Kristin Bauer (True Blood), NestorCarbonell, and Jorge Garcia (Lost). What a line-up!
