EW's Showrunners Panel - Parts 4 and 5

The panel, including Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, gives their props to Joss Whedon and Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog...




Josh Schwartz and Carlton Cuse discuss the Chuck - LOST crossover...

Waiting in Line at Comic Con '08

Here is a video created and edited by The ODI of all of us waiting in line for Hall H to see the Heroes and LOST panels. We made so many friends that morning it made the 5+ hour wait seem like nothing!

Thanks so much to Odes for making this...what a wonderful document!!!

Comic Con '08 OGR / Dharma Video with Dr. Candle

Here's my own version of the special Dharma video from the LOST panel. (It's a little better quality than some of the earlier ones that were added online due to the angle and proximity I had to the screen...)

Comic Con '08 - Outline of Events

As I wait for YouTube to process videos, I wanted to give you all an outline of what I was able to do and attend at the convention, so that you have an idea of what I will be posting in the near future. Besides a lot of fun photos of the exhbits and costumes, I went to several panels besides LOST and EW's Showrunners. I have info in some form or another to post for everything I saw. There were also a couple of surprises!

Here's the rundown:

FRIDAY
- Exhibit Hall / OGR Booth (didn't get the test though)
- Marvel 'Cup O' Joe'
- The Spectacular Spiderman
- EW's Visionaries - The Showrunners

SATURDAY
- Heroes
- LOST
- Terminator: Salvation
- Chuck
- FRINGE
- Special autograph signing with Sid and Marty Krofft
- Sarah Silverman Show
- Met Comedian Doug Benson

More coming soon!!!

EW's Showrunners Panel - Part 3

Part 3 from Entertainment Weekly's Showrunners panel at Comic Con '08.

Damon Lindelof continues to talk about why they create mobisodes/webisodes, and then drops an F-bomb...

EW's Showrunners Panel - Part 2

Part 2 from Entertainment Weekly's Showrunners panel at Comic Con '08.

Jeff Jensen asks the panel about their use and the importance of supplemental materials to their shows such as mobisodes and ARG's like the current "Octagon Global Recruiting" that just released its official website today after being introduced at the Convention.

Josh Friedman and Carlton Cuse answer...

FRINGE Panel at Comic Con - Photos

Here’s a description of the panel from the event guide:
------------------------------
Fringe Q&A and Trailer Screening— J. J. Abrams (Lost), Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman—the team behind Mission: Impossible 3, Alias, and the upcoming Star Trek feature—join fellow Fringe executive producers Bryan Burk (Cloverfield) and Jeff Pinkner (Lost), as well as stars Anna Torv (The Pacific), Josh Jackson (Shutter), and John Noble (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King), for an exclusive Q&A about one of the most anticipated new television series of the fall season, a drama that will thrill, terrify and explore the blurring line between science fiction and reality. The session will kick off with the screening of a trailer for the series. Television Week deputy editor and columnist Joe Adalian moderates.
------------------------------

I was able to get to the third row with Anna, Josh, and John directly in front of me! It was a very interesting discussion with J.J. doing most of the talking and fielding questions, of course. There were also some giggles about Dawson's Creek. I have videos and a general recap to post soon,(YouTube is very slow right now) but for now please enjoy the photos below!

Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse Get Team ODI Shirts

The ODI and Ron The Spoiler Hunter were fortunate enough to get a front row seat for the EW Showrunners panel. Thanks to the ODI for passing along some Team ODI t-shirts to Damon and Carlton...and here is even a video Ron filmed of him passing them our shirts!

EW Showrunners Panel - Part 1

Hi All!

Well I have returned home from San Diego will all kinds of goodies to share. For your appetizer, a small clip from the first panel I attended with Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse. Here's the description:

--------------
Entertainment Weekly’s The Visionaries: Showrunners— Carlton Cuse (Lost), Damon Lindelof (Lost), Josh Schwartz (Chuck, Gossip Girl), Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies), and Josh Friedman (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) are the television producers who are changing the face of television with deeply immersive entertainments marked by distinctive, cutting edge storytelling. They have also been at the forefront of bringing "genre programming" or "cult TV" to the mainstream. Prepare for a candid conversation about creative integrity in a commercial medium and the future of broadcast TV in an increasingly digital world. Spoiler Alert! Upcoming plot developments may be teased. Moderated by Entertainment Weekly senior writer Jeff Jensen.
--------------

This is also my first attempt at putting a video together, editing it, and publishing it on You Tube...so please bear with me as I am running on a 50-hour day. Once I get the hang of things I can build them better, stronger, faster...

The question asked by Jeff Jensen is in regards to the effect of the strike on each of the shows, and specifically asks Damon and Carlton about how they managed to tell their story in less time and if there was anything they were "bummed out about" that they didn't get to explore this past season.

This clip also contains a mild spoiler regarding some of the characters in next season who will have their stories fleshed out a bit more.

Enjoy!

Tales of a Comic Con...part Deux

Day 2: Arrived at the convention center promptly at 8:00am with the plan to hit the exhibit hall floor for the Octagon Global recruiting booth. Unfortunately, I did not know exactly where it was at first, and by the time I had circled around it and found the line, it was too late, and they ran out of spots about 10 people in front of me. Met Jay from the Jay & Jack podcast, as he and his woman were behind me and also saddened by the quickness of the line being cut off. Apparently, since the test takes several minutes, there are only so many spots available for the day. The ladies at the booth dressed in DHARMA suits were pretty cool.



The next step was of course the Grand Swag Hunt. Mission successful, as I procured many giveaways, posters, buttons, t-shirts, and other various promotionals. Let it be known this is truly the way to go if you wish to grab some FREE STUFF. The more people pile in, the more people shove their way to the booths and often the giveaways are gone quickly. Also grabbed some toys...2 exclusive Comic Con Dr. Who figures, and the exclusive Sylar figure from Heroes.



Here's another interesting tidbit: want a collectible? Well don't get in line just yet! You first have to go to the upper level, BUY a ticket, and then go back and get in line to see if you have the CHANCE of getting what you want. Pretty much the same goes for autographs...some required a purchased ticket. Weird...but since that's not really my thing, it was of no consequence.



Once I was truly burdened with STUFF, it was time to go to the hall and wait for the Entertainment Weekly panel, "The Visionaries". What's great about the large halls is that you can literally sit in there all day if you want. So I entered half-way through a panel for Marvel Comics with Joe Quesada about their upcoming plans. Though I am not super-familiar with all they were discussing in regards to character and plot developments, it was still entertaining.

After that panel ended, I moved up to the fourth row towards the aisle to secure a spot for the EW panel, but there was still one more to go. To my surprise this next group was for Spectacular Spider Man, a Saturday morning cartoon now about to begin its second season. Hosted by Michael Vogel, the panel included the talents behind the show in regards to direction, writing, art, and voice overs, including Robert Englund, a.k.a. Freddy Kruger, who does the voice for the Vulture. If I was up that early on Saturdays, I might try to catch it, as it seems really well written and a lot more adult in its overall humor. Great panel overall...I was glad I was there.



Finally at around 1:30 the LOSTies started piling in and it was good comradery. Met some fellow bloggers, exchanged info, and generally had fun just talking to the folks around me about their work and aspirations. It seems that a lot of people are really trying to "get known" and make money off of their blogging. I had to explain repeatedly it's a hobby for me...though it would be nice, I'm not as "protective" as some of the bloggers seemed to be.





The rest of Team ODI had made it to the front row of the center section, so between us we were flanking the panel with coverage! The panel was great and made the first day's disaster melt away. I'll be posting some videos as soon as I can compress them (800 nerds trying to post from this hotel at once is most likely the cause of my currently slower-than-slow internet connection). The ODI was even able to hand Damon and Carlton each one of our Team ODI t-shirts! Even though they also got to meet D&C later at the Octagon booth, I am still tickled ORANGE they now have something that I designed!



(I also noticed they kept looking over at my bright orange hair. Carlton, especially kept turning his gaze with this look of pleased wonderment. I wish I had an orange peel in my mouth so I could have given him the Locke Godfather smile. ;)



As I sit on my balcony typing this, overlooking the bay on a beautifully clear night, I realize I must go to sleep in order to rise again at 4:30am, and make it to the Con by 5:30 to line up for the Heroes/LOST extravaganza. As mentioned, I wish I had the capabilities to post my videos...I will soon enough.

I also wish I truly had a stunt double. This convention is too huge for one person, and no one can possible see it all. Prioritization is the key it would seem...as by the end of the 10-hour day I was too wiped out to even consider going back for the MST3K 20th anniversary reunion. Oh well. Maybe the 40th I'll make it!
:)

Until tomorrow...BIG ORANGE LOVE!!!
a.N

Comic Con or BUST (or, How I Learned I am a n00b)

As much as I want to roll over into my crisp hotel bedding and fall deeply asleep in the air-conditioned softness, I wish to share my tale for you while it is fresh on my mind. Because, as evident by my first day at Comic Con, I am a n00b at being this certain level of nerd only bestowed amongst those who typically brave this kind of scene - The CONVENTION.. And I want all of you to avoid the pitfalls that I had to overcome on my trip out to San Diego to join them.

NUMBER ONE: Go the night before it starts, instead of trying to arrive that day. Even though I thought I had my bases covered by getting into the city at 10am, the second panel I wished to see after LOST (and FRINGE) was for Dr. Who and Torchwood. Of course they would just have to be scheduled for Thursday from 12-2. So I figured on time being a little...tight...

However I did not count on getting into San Diego 7 hours later than I had planned. Which leads me to number 2...

NUMBER TWO: Don't trust air travel any more to get you somewhere on time if you are cutting it close. My first flight was delayed, which then caused a cascading snowball effect of missed flights and near misses. I ran through a total of not two but four airports today. What should have been a 5 hour tour was a 12 hour tour...and on 2 hours of sleep, and no food because the planes only sell little lunches and they dont even carry enough for all passengers.



But even after all that, I STILL got right back into a cab and headed to the convention center for the last hour before closing!! Better believe it! I was able to pick up all my badges for each day, plus scope out the must-see booths, must-buy merch, and must elbow-and-claw for schwag. Left with a few posters and whatnots. Of course there were no joker figures to be found anywhere, with signs like "SOLD OUT FOREVER!!" posted where they once stood. Met up with Princess Gwen, Wendy, The ODI and Spoiler Hunter for a lovely little dinner. It's so great to meet some of the folks I've been online with all this time. It's like we've been friends for years...



Oh wait...we have!
;)



Well, this scoop is pooped...must make an early day and I imagine this will make less and less sense as I type!

Till tomorrow...
a.N

4TF Comic Con Schedule

Hey hey LOSTies!

As you may have guessed by now, my focus here is on all things LOST.

That is except for that one very special time of year, when thousands of nerds, dorks, and geeks gather in San Diego to celebrate their nerdom, dorkdom, and geekdom at that carnival of overage children playing dress-up otherwise known as Comic Con International.

Besides helping out as part of Team ODI to cover the LOST panel with live blogging and photos, I also plan to cover several other events that touch upon my other various industry interests. Updates will be posted when possible, though most will probably be added after the events each night. I know a lot of you really wish you could go so I hope to share the experience with you the best way I know how!

In addition to the LOST panel, producers Damon and Carlton will also be taking part of a panel held by Entertainment Weekly. Another huge event will be the panel for J.J. Abrams's new show FRINGE. As a cross between the X-Files, the Twilight Zone, and Alias, this one is sure to be a hit as soon as it airs in September. I am already working on a sister blog to 4TF for what I am confident will be a brilliant new series.

Here is an idea of some of the panels and events I am planning to cover:


THURSDAY

* Doctor Who panel with writer Russell T Davies, executive producer Julie Gardner, and writer Steven Moffat

* Torchwood panel with writer Russell T Davies, executive producer Julie Gardner, writer Steven Moffat, and actors John Barrowman, Gareth David-Lloyd, Naoko Mori and Burn Gorman

* The Science Behind Science Fiction with Jaime Paglia (writer and producer of Eureka) and Phil Plait (badastronomy.com) and a panel of Discover Magazine editors


FRIDAY

* Spotlight on Max Brooks, author of World War Z (soon to be made into a movie)

* Entertainment Weekly’s The Visionaries: Showrunners with TV producers Carlton Cuse (Lost), Damon Lindelof (Lost), Josh Schwartz (Chuck, Gossip Girl), Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies), and Josh Friedman (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles)

* Entertainment Weekly’s The Visionaries: Filmmakers with Kevin Smith, Frank Miller, Zack Snyder, and Judd Apatow

* Mystery Science Theater 3000 20th Anniversary Reunion with creator Joel Hodgson, producer Jim Mallon and fellow writer/performers Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy, Trace Beaulieu, Frank Conniff, Mary Jo Pehl, Paul Chaplin, J. Elvis Weinstein, Bridget Nelson, and Bill Corbett...hosted by comedian Patton Oswalt


SATURDAY

* Heroes: Exclusive First Look at “Villains” and Q&A with the Entire Cast, Tim Kring, and Tim Sale

* LOST: If the most recent season finale was any indication of things to come, you will not want to miss this panel. Co-creator/executive producer Damon Lindelof and executive producer Carlton Cuse will discuss season 4 of Lost, leading up to the season finale. They will answer your questions and maybe even offer up some surprises of their own.

* 4:45-5:45 Fringe Q&A and Trailer Screening: J.J. Abrams (Lost), Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman—the team behind Mission: Impossible 3, Alias, and the upcoming Star Trek feature—join fellow Fringe executive producers Bryan Burk (Cloverfield) and Jeff Pinkner (Lost), as well as stars Anna Torv (The Pacific), Josh Jackson (Shutter), and John Noble (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King), for an exclusive Q&A about one of the most anticipated new television series of the fall season.


SUNDAY

* Supernatural Screening and Q&A with stars Jensen Ackles (Smallville) and Jared Padalecki (House of Wax)—along with creator/executive producer Eric Kripke (Boogeyman), co-executive producers Ben Edlund (Angel) and Peter Johnson (Supernatural: Origins comic book series), and supervising producer Sera Gamble (Eyes)

* Indyfans and the Quest for Fortune and Glory with filmmakers of the documentary

-------------------------------

These are my must-sees but I am sure there will be more, including the booth for Octagon Global Recruiting. Perhaps I will even leave as a new member of the DHARMA Initiative...


Thanks for tuning in and I will post more updates as they come!
a.N

LOST - The Synchronizing

Thanks to Kelli for sharing this video, posted on YouTube by its creator NDHatch. It's an amazing piece of editing, where you can, according to the description, "Relive the events leading up to the crash of Oceanic Flight 815 and see what happened on the ground and in the air at the same moment from multiple angles."

An excellent add to the 4TF video library, and we look forward to the update as well!