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 Nickolaj Coster-Waldau, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Peter Dinklage, Jason Momoa, and Emilia 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's Kristin Bauer 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! =)
