There’s so much to report and so little time, but I have to say, Comic Con so far has been everything I’ve expected, and nothing I’ve expected. Just like life.
Sure, I’m a San Diego Comic Con virgin, but not a Comic Con virgin. I did the much smaller one in New York. Still, I was told of the hazards of getting into events at this one, and it’s even worse this year. I couldn’t get into a thing. However, all it takes is a long walk through the exhibit hall and you know the allure of this con isn’t the TV and film panels, no matter how much Hollywood loves to hype. It’s the energy on the floor. The fans posing for constant pictures in costumes. The people of all ages pouring through the stack of old comics, posters, collectibles, and speaking with excitement with the artists involved. The gaming rooms and creative panels. This is what the spirit of the Comic Con has always been about. Everything else is just noise.
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Before I go into my experiences on Friday, let me cover Thursday first. That’ll take about two sentences. I didn’t go. The hubby and I took the kids to Legoland instead. Chances are an in-depth review of Legoland is coming by next week along with everything else. Two thumbs up! I saw all the Twilight events and hoopla on the local news that evening. I was satisfied.
I arrived in the late morning on Friday, and since my schedule was open until the afternoon, and press registration was surprisingly easy. So was traffic and getting dropped off by the hubby. The organizers at least have that part down. I decided to do what most everyone else was doing. I walked the massive exhibit hall floor, and took in the incredibly festive atmosphere and positive energy flooding the room. The crowd was jovial, laid back, and all in all thrilled to be there. Sure, some bitched about being shut out of all the big events, but for the most part, that wasn’t why they were there and even they admitted that.
Sure, there were tons of comic characters there, or as my seven son year son calls them, “a man in a funny suit,” but I couldn’t get pictures of any of them without someone’s kid posing in front of them. Besides, I ended up being more impressed with the Camaro from Transformers instead of the foamed in costume figures nearby that looked like one of those four year olds in front of them could rip them apart.
There were so many in costume I didn’t know what pictures to take, but the first characters I found were a very exhausted LARPing Mulder and Scully taking a break. I asked for a photo, and they graciously stood up, staying in dour character the entire time. They even flashed their badges! They won on in my judgment of costumes of the day, but then again, I’m a huge X-Files fan. Anyone can put on a Captain America costume. Not everyone can pull this off.
Around 1:30, after sheer exhaustion, I sat on the floor outside of Press Room 33, waiting for The Big Bang Theory panel to end. The one I didn’t get into. I didn’t have high hopes once I arrived here, so my low expectations were easily met. The Ballroom 20 line winded through the entire length of the upstairs pavilion, outside through miles of roped off twisting lines, and then back through the other side of the upstairs entrance. Needless to say, 1 ½ hours before the event was to begin, they told us getting in wasn’t gonna happen. Even the press.
This was to be expected though. On the schedule at 4:00 was Joss Whedon and his much buzzed about airing of the unaired Dollhouse episode “Epitaph One.” When a huge amount of people in line were sporting “I (Heart) Buffy” and “Whedonist,” t-shirts, chances stood they were dominating Ballroom 20 that day. Forget the fact that other high profile shows like Battlestar Galactica, Stargate, and 24 were all scheduled in that room for the same day. I’ve heard fabled stories about the Whedonites getting there early and saving seats all day. While I couldn’t actually get into Ballroom 20 to verify that, the fact that so few were leaving compared to those who wanted to come in, I had no reason not to believe those stories.
So, my consolation was I at least got into the press room at 2:15 to meet whoever from The Big Bang Theory was willing to talk to a small time blogger like myself sitting in the back of the room. Given this was my first press room, this was a surreal experience. We all flooded in once the doors opened, and those from the big outlets instantly setup in the front of the room with their cameras and microphones, some fixing their hair and checking makeup. Me, I congregated to the available seats in the back corner with other members of the media who weren’t buying into the circus either. We sat and waited, hoping at least someone would talk to us.
I was pleasantly surprised. We were only visited by three people, Bill Prady, Kunal Nayyar (Raj), and Simon Helberg (Howard) with some very impressive not Howard hair. These were nice up close conversations that turned out to be very enjoyable, especially creator Bill Prady, who we got a large amount of time with. I’m sure the others were hoping for Jim Parsons or Johnny Galecki to come along, but for me, just getting 20 minutes with a creative genius like Bill Prady was thrilling. Let the other media outlets speak to the top stars. I got something wonderful only a handful of us got. Below are the pictures, and with Bill Prady, the guy in the light suit walking away, I was so enamored with him that I forgot to take the picture of him until it was too late. At least I got something!
One big piece of news came from The Big Bang Theory publicist for Warner Brothers, who also does Smallville. Tom Welling is coming!!! Holy crap! Mr. Antisocial himself, the man who notoriously refuses to interview or sign autographs. Suddenly, others around me are joking he was doing it to show up those two guys from Supernatural. Grrrr. Where was Tom Welling the last two years? I asked her if there was still space in the press room. Nope. Considering their press room is after the Supernatural press room, which I do have a spot, we’ll see if they kick me out. I say this confident that no one from TPTB will read this. I was in the back of the press room. Which so far is working to my advantage.
The disorganization was apparent, for when the stars were whisked away for The Big Bang Theory, others started entering for the next press event, Dollhouse, without clearing those of us stragglers from The Big Bang Theory. Next thing I know Joss Whedon and Eliza Dushku are in the room, and I’m sitting down still in that back corner, writing about how Joss Whedon and Eliza Dushku are in the room. I sat there with a table full of Whedonites, all freaking out over “Epitaph One.” This business is so strange.
My afternoon closed with interviews with the creators of Hallmark’s hoops&yoyo, the colorful pink kitty and green bunny with the oversized heads featured on the company’s most popular e-cards. Yes, even animators of e-mail cards get to do Comic Con! It was the first time for artists Bob Holt and Mike Adair, and they were as blown away to be there as I was. It was a pretty cool experience talking with those guys and seeing them autograph posters for fans.
I’ll have far more detail coming in a few days on my interviews for The Big Bang Theory and hoops&yoyo, but as for now, I prepare for my super busy day tomorrow. In the meantime, there’s a hot tub at the hotel waiting for me. And a beer. Yeah, I could get used to this life.
