Day 3 is my final day here at the San Diego Comic Con and
duty keeps me away from the con proper for most of the visit. Below are some
highlights. It was , all in all, a good time, a fact I feel this blog may not have
emphasized enough. For all the thwarted attempts to visit panels, what I did
take in
11:00 A.M.: I have a late start today for
the best possible reason: I've scored an in-person interview with three of the
driving forces behind Mystery Science Theater 3000. Which
ones? What did they say? You'll have to wait for the interview. The show's a
favorite of mine from way back so getting a chance to do this was something I
won't forget. One detail: The guys' hotel suite was set up for TV crew, and the
set up included none other than Crow T. Robot. Since I'm a web and print
writer, they took Crow away before I could get a good look. My heart broke a
bit.
12:15 P.M.: Back at the con. I'm not
going to get into the panel for The Office but I'm going to
make it a point to make it to the Battlestar
Galactica panel, even if it means waiting a while. The
show's halfway through its last season, and I doubt this cast and crew will be
together again any time soon. (Maybe 20 years from now when they're living off
autographs.) The panel doesn't start for a while, so I mill about on the floor.
Today feels surprisingly mellow.
1:30 P.M. I'm in line. I'm going to be
here for a while. Someone wanders by carrying an 8 x 11 sheet of paper that
reads, "Richard Dreyfuss in person, Tomorrow, 11 – 6." That's a full
day's work. I hope Dreyfuss is up for it.
2:15 P.M.: Made it. Producers Ron Moore
and David Eick are met with applause that swells as cast members Jamie Callis,
Jambie Bamber, Tricia Helfer, Michael Trucco, and (especially) Katee Sackhoff
take the stage. (Tahmoh Penikett arrives later.) Kevin Smith serves as the
moderator. Smith's in full self-deprecating fanboy mode, which is usually
fairly charming but kind of sidetracks things here. Praising the word "frak" he
asks if we'll ever learn the Battlestar word for
"cocksucker." I'm not sure he's really asking the questions on everyone else's
mind here. And the less said of Smith's alternate title inspired by Callis' character's
womanizing way—Battleslut Galactica—the better.
It's a relatively enjoyable panel, however. No one's
revealing anything about future developments, especially the identity of the
fifth Cylon. But the way the cast speaks of crying when they read the final
episode certainly bodes well for the future.
3:15 P.M.: I need lunch. It's easy to
forget food here until the need creeps up on you. This means either buying
greasy, on-site pizza (which I did yesterday) or hitting San Diego's touristy-but-kind-of-charming
Gas Lamp district. I work my way toward a reliable Irish pub, which means
navigating street teams for Tru Blood, a new movie from Sid
Haig, and the Democratic Party, which is being helped by a Jedi wearing an Obama
mask. Know your audience, I guess.
4:45 P.M.: I'm scheduled to interview
David Gordon Green, which means working my way to far end of the convention
center on to a terrace. For all the people dressed up as Stormtroopers and
Pokémon characters, this is the part of the con that gives me the creeps. Some
of the attendees have caught on that this is where the movie stars hang out and
just kind of plop down to star watch. When I interviewed Samuel L. Jackson a
few years ago, his movement from a waiting room to the terrace created a small
frenzy, with one woman throwing herself against the glass as she screamed his
name. There's a La Dolce Vida vibe back here that's a little
unsettling.
Currently there's a small, red carpet-style interview area
set up for TV people. I watch a woman wearing tight leather pants and a
leopard-skin top interview… Somebody. Seth Rogen and James Franco are milling
about backstage and I think that's Bill Nighy over there. Is he here? I should
check? Amidst the rumors that Comic Con might someday leave San Diego, I hear
Las Vegas and Los Angeles bandied about as possible future locations. Am I
looking at the future of this event?
Green and I have a nice conversation, and my obligations
here are done since I'm leaving tomorrow. I've got 90 minutes left. I'm going
to go look at some comic books while there's still time.