Sunday, February 10, 2008

WonderCon returns

The time for WonderCon has once again come upon to San Francisco, and since I'm not planning on attending Comic Con in San Diego this year I had intended for WonderCon to sustain me. Unfortunately due to a few scheduling blunders which I am not thrilled about it looks like I might only get one full day at the convention. As usual the con is held over a weekend, (this one the 02/22 - 02/24) but I can't get the Friday off of work, and we already have plans for Sunday, including I hope an Oscar party. So it looks like Saturday might be my one big shot. Granted the program for Saturday Feb 23rd, looks pretty darn sweet.

Here's what I've picked out for Saturday that caught my eye. Obviously I can't go to everything, and most likely will stick mostly to the Hall A film panels, but I also intend to do a little shopping, my goal is to get a couple of books I've been missing for a while. And spend a little time just wandering the convention floor. So check out what I've got to work with:

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12:00-1:00 Warner Bros.: 10,000 B.C., Get Smart - Warner Bros. presents two of its most eagerly awaited films in this exclusive panel only at WonderCon!

10,000 B.C. is the epic adventure of a sweeping odyssey into a mythical age of prophesies and gods, when spirits ruled the land and mighty mammoths shook the earth! Director Roland Emmerich and stars Steven Strait and Camilla Belle appear live on the WonderCon stage to discuss this fantasy film, which opens March 7.

Get Smart features Maxwell Smart on a mission to thwart the latest plot for world domination by the evil crime syndicate known as KAOS. Director Peter Segal is joined by stars Steve Carell (Maxwell Smart), and Anne Hathaway (Agent 99), to talk live about this highly anticipated comedy, coming to the big screen on June 20.
- Hall A

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1:00-2:00 Disney: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and WALL•E - One year later for the Pevensie siblings. 1,300 years later in Narnia. The enchanted characters of C.S. Lewis' timeless fantasy come to life again in this second installment of the beloved book series, where a thrilling, perilous new adventure and all-new creatures and challenges await the Pevensie siblings. Watch exclusive new film footage from this epic adventure series! A very special guest will be on hand to introduce the footage and participate in an audience Q&A.

In WALL•E: The year is 2700. WALL•E, a robot, spends every day doing what he was made for. But soon, he will discover what he was meant for. From Academy Award®-winning director, Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo), WALL•E is the story of one robot's comic adventures as he chases his dream across the galaxy. Meet director Andrew Stanton as he presents exclusive new footage of Disney-Pixar's next adventure!
- Hall A

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1:30-3:00 Comics Podcasting Extravaganza— Want go behind the scenes of the most innovative and new form of comics entertainment? Podcasts are the new way to get all the latest scoops, interviews and opinions in and about comic books. We've got a star-studded lineup featuring some of the leading podcasters to tell you what it's really like to churn out hours of podcasting entertainment on a weekly basis. Comics writer/artist and panel moderator Rick Remender (Fear Agent) talks with panelists Lene Taylor and Logan Hall (I Read Comics), Ron Richards, Josh Flanagan and Conor Kilpatrick (iFanboy), Bryan Deemer (Comic Geek Speak), Jimmy Aquino (Comics News Insider), and Christopher Neseman (Around Comics).
- Room 220

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2:00-3:15 20th Century Fox: The X-Files and Shutter - The truth is out there, again—finally! A new motion picture based on the phenomenally popular, award-winning series The X-Files is in production. David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson—making their first-ever joint convention appearance—join director-writer-producer Chris Carter and writer-producer Frank Spotnitz to share their thoughts about the long-awaited film, and answer your questions.

Next, Joshua Jackson, Transformers' Rachael Taylor and Heroes' James Kyson Lee bring you a first look at the new horror/thriller Shutter, from executive producers of The Grudge and The Ring. They'll present special footage and answer your questions about the film, which, through its portrayal of the underground world of spirit photography, reveals that the most terrifying images are the ones that are real. Shutter opens everywhere March 21.
- Hall A

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2:00-3:00 Cartoon Network: Chowder - Join Carl Greenblat, the creator of the hit animated show Chowder, as he screens a very special episode and takes questions from the audience. It’s almost a full hour of culinary goodness, so you don’t want to miss this opportunity to ask such questions as, "What’s it like working for Cartoon Network?", "Aren’t you the voice of Fred Fredburger?", and "Just what the heck is Chowder, anyway?"
- Room 204/206

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3:00-4:00 The Spectacular Spider-Man: First Episode Premiere and Panel - Be among the first to see the series-opening episode of The Spectacular Spider-Man, a Culver Entertainment production coming to Kids' WB! on The CW on March 8. Get the Spidey sense behind the creative vision of the series from supervising producer Greg Weisman (Gargoyles), producer/supervising director Victor Cook (Hellboy: Blood and Iron), character designer Sean "Cheeks" Galloway (Hellboy animated films), and the new voice of Spider-Man, Josh Keaton (The Young & The Restless). Michael Vogel from Sony Pictures Television Animation will moderate.
- Room 104

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3:15-4:00 New Line Cinema: Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay - Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay marks the triumphant return of the two hilarious, slacker anti-heroes. The movie stars John Cho (as Harold) and Kal Penn (as Kumar), on an irreverent and epic journey of deep thoughts and a wild trip around the world that is as "un-PC" as it gets. New Line Cinema will show exclusive footage from the film and star John Cho, along with writers and directors Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, will be there to discuss the film.
- Hall A

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4:00-5:00 Paramount: Iron Man - Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment present Marvel Studios' Iron Man, starring Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Shaun Toub and Gwyneth Paltrow. The film's director, Jon Favreau, will appear live on the WonderCon stage to discuss bringing the Marvel Comics superhero to the big screen.
- Hall A

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4:00-5:00 Spotlight on J. Michael Straczynski - Writer, producer and director—and WonderCon special guest—J. Michael Straczynski comes off a busy year that saw him end a ground-breaking run on Amazing Spider-Man, and start his news series, The Twelve in comics. He wrote, produced, and directed the latest installment of the Bablyon 5 saga, Lost Tales, and he wrote three movies in 2007, The Changeling, Goliath: The Story of David, and World War Z. We’re guessing he’ll have LOTS to talk about and you’ll have just as many questions!
- Room 104

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4:30-5:30 TOKYOPOP and the Jim Henson Company Present Legends of The Dark Crystal and Return to Labyrinth - Last year, TOKYOPOP made waves among Jim Henson fans with their release of the debut volume of Legends of The Dark Crystal, an exciting manga prequel to Henson's classic fantasy film. Last year also saw the release of the second volume of Return to Labyrinth, TOKYOPOP and The Jim Henson Company's acclaimed manga sequel to Labyrinth. Join editor Tim Beedle and Return to Labyrinth writer Jake Forbes as they discuss the future of these two exciting series, provide insight on expanding Jim Henson's fantasy universes and preview art from upcoming volumes. As a special bonus, all panel attendees will receive a free Legends of The Dark Crystal poster.
- Room 220

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4:30-5:30 Animation Story Break ("Wait, does it HAVE to be a story?") - Go behind the scenes as writers take an idea for an animated superhero story from one-sentence premise all the way to a full-blown beginning, middle, and end. Then the real fun begins with audience participation! The crack writing staff features Charlotte Fullerton (Kim Possible), Michael Jelenic (The Batman), Dwayne McDuffie (Static Shock), and Matt Wayne (Justice League Unlimited). Moderated by Eugene Son (Storm Hawks). Expect laughter and tears - mostly the latter.
- Room 236/238

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5:00-6:00 Inside Lucasfilm with Steve Sansweet - It’s not over yet! With Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series hot on the horizon, not to mention all the other events and projects in the works at Lucasfilm, Steve Sansweet, the entertainment company’s head of fan relations, will have much to share at WonderCon. Sansweet’s presentation will be the first on his 2008 convention circuit, so look for fresh news and glimpses into all the Star Wars excitement to come.
- Hall A

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5:00-6:00 VERTIGO: Edgy and Evocative - With books like Fables, DMZ, American Virgin, Northlanders and more, VERTIGO continues the critical success of its monthly books with even more surprises up its sleeve in 2008! Come hear Bob Schreck, group editor—VERTIGO, Becky Cloonan (American Virgin), Steve Leialoha (Fables), Bill Willingham (Fables, Jack of Fables), and Brian Wood (DMZ, Northlanders), discuss their books and find out why VERTIGO is THE imprint for discerning readers.
- Room 104

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5:00-5:30 Sneak Preview of Starship Troopers: Marauder - The bugs are back! Writer/director Ed Neumeier (Robocop) and action star Casper Van Dien (Starship Troopers) host the world premiere of the trailer from the action-packed continuation of the Starship Troopers franchise, coming this summer from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment!
- Room 204/206


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5:30-6:00 Sneak Preview of Gabriel - First-time writer-director-producer Shane Abbess and leading man Andy Whitfield ("All Saints") introduce the Australian sci-fi thriller Gabriel to American audiences. Filmmaker and star will screen clips and answer questions from the crowd on this upcoming release from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
- Room 204/206

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6:00-8:00 WORLD PREMIERE! Justice League: The New Frontier - Witness the formation of the greatest fighting force in the history of comics at the WonderCon exclusive world premiere of Justice League: The New Frontier, the highly-anticipated DC Universe made-for-DVD release presented by Warner Premiere, Warner Home Video, Warner Bros. Animation and DC Comics. Inspired by Darwyn Cooke's best-selling DC Comics graphic novel, Justice League: The New Frontier features an all-star cast of characters and their all-celebrity voices, including Green Lantern/David Boreanaz (Bones, Angel), The Flash/Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother), Superman/Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks, Desperate Housewives), Wonder Woman/Lucy Lawless (Xena, Warrior Princess), Batman/Jeremy Sisto (Law & Order), Martian Manhunter/Miguel Ferrer (Bionic Woman), Carol Ferris/Brooke Shields (Lipstick Jungle) and King Faraday/Phil Morris (Smallville, Sarah Connor Chronicles). The film is rated PG-13 for action violence, and will be available to own on February 26. Immediately following the premiere, DC Comics' Gregory Noveck will moderate a panel that includes story originator Darwyn Cooke, executive producer/director Bruce Timm (Superman Doomsday), director David Bullock (Legion of Super Heroes), supervising director Michael Goguen (The Batman), writer Stan Berkowitz (The Batman), voice director Andrea Romano and, with a little luck, members of the voice cast. And remember … DC Universe animated film panels usually end with a glimpse of the future … and this time, it's an altogether new vision for a fan favorite!
- Hall A

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So thats all I caught on the programming schedule for the Saturday, what do you guys think is essential? Any one of those that I just absolutely should not miss?

I'm pretty annoyed that I'm not going to be there on Friday, as I'm missing a Bill Willingham talk, a Farscape panel (like seriously one of my favorite shows ever), a writing panel with JMS, the Wanted panel with guest James McAvoy, and the New Line panel featuring the new Journey to the Center of the Earth film. On Sunday it looks like I'll be missing out on such gems as a Tim Sale panel, 'from fan to creator' a goal setting workshop, the Fables panel, and a Terminator Sarah Connor Chronicles panel... sigh...


I should just be happy with all the cool stuff I will get to see, and try not to stress about the stuff I can't. besides having an Oscar party is a good idea. And hey, from what there is listed above I'm sure it will be a really fun day no matter what.
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