Category Archives: Exclusive

Exclusive interview with G.O.O.D. Music’s Malik Yusef

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Tomorrow (9/18) the highly anticipated G.O.O.D. Music album Cruel Summer drops. Earlier this week the album became available to preorder, and if you eyed the official tracklist you surely noticed a featured artist’s name you might not have seen before. On the eighth track “Sin City” G.O.O.D. Music signees John Legend and Cyhi the Prynce headline with Malik Yusef.

A five-time Grammy award winner, forty one year old Yusef is a longtime collaborator of Kanye West’s, having co-wrote a whopping seven songs from West’s impressive 2010 release My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. He also dipped his creative hand in helping produce West’s Runaway short film, and he went on to co-write two tracks off West and Jay-Z’s collab album Watch The Throne (2011). With a youth literacy foundation under his belt and an eye for high fashion, Yusef is a philanthropic member of West’s G.O.O.D. Music team, and his sense of style, word choice, and ear for a solid beat make him a vital member of the formidable team ‘Ye built in the rap community.

Jump after the break to read experience-it-all‘s exclusive interview with Malik Yusef. In it the spoken word artist discusses what it is like working with Kanye West in the studio, what G.O.O.D. Music stands for, he’s asked about the Chicago rap scene, and hypes a new, up-and-coming artist by the name of Tyran Brown. Continue reading Exclusive interview with G.O.O.D. Music’s Malik Yusef →

COMIC CON 2009: Wrap-Up

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Comic Con 2009 in San Diego has come and gone very quickly.  Although much went on at the show over the four day span, I will summarize the panels I saw and the time I spent on the convention show floor.

The first movie panel I saw was Disney: 3D Panel.  At the panel three upcoming Disney movies were shown off: “Disney’s A Christmas Carol,” Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland,” and “Tron: Legacy.”  In sum, each movie is being made to be seen enhanced in 3D, and this will provide for stunning visuals and a great experience at the theatre.  All three films will likely become very popular over the next few months as the hype for them beings to gain momentum post-Comic Con.  Personally, I am most looking forward to “Alice in Wonderland.”  I am a big fan on Tim Burton, and collaboration between him and Johnny Depp often leads to great filmmaking and exciting adventures.  The first official trailer (exclusive to Comic Con) looks amazing; the colors are vibrant, the soundtrack is perfect, and the acting looks to be supurb.  Disney has some great movies up their sleeves; I look forward with much anticipation to the upcoming 3D releases of these movies.

The second movie panel I attended was Sony Pictures Animation’s “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.”  Directors Chirs Miller and Phil Lord are young, hip guys who had tons of fun making this classic children’s book story come to life on the big screen.  With voices coming from the hilarious Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, and Anna Farris, “Cloudy” looks like a very fun film for young and old alike.  The animation has a cartoonish visual style to it with a mix of realism.  This imaginative tale of raining hamburgers and pancakes is something I am very much looking forward to seeing soon.

I attended one web series panel and one celebration of a past web series.  I sat on The GuildPanel which featured creator Felicia Day.  Season 3 of “The Guild” looks to be as funny, if not funnier, than the previous two seasons.  Felicia is leading the way in the evolution of how people watch original programming.  As TV shows make the move from the TV to the computer, things start to get tricky concerning money transactions and commercials.  Felicia keeps things simple by being sponsored by companies (Microsoft and Sprint), which allows her to reach different audiences on various mediums (Xbox Live, the Internet (MSN, YouTube) and share her creations for free.  “The Guild” is a very well written and hilarious web series, and I look forward to watching Season 3 and where “The Guild” will go from there in the future.

During late night at Comic Con, I sat in a room filled with tons of “Dr. Horrible Sing-Along Blog” fans and watched the entire screening of all three Acts and the DVD special, “Commentary! The Musical.”  “Dr. Horrible” is a web series created by the brilliant Joss Whedon (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Dollhouse”).  It gained much fanfare when it was originally released on its website, available free to stream online.  The talented cast includes Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion, and “The Guild’s” Felicia Day.  It is very, very well written and laugh out loud hilarious.  Watching the three Acts with many fans joining me in singing the songs and speaking the dialogue verbatim was very special.  Joss Whedon, and other “Dr. Horrible” contributors, revealed that they hold this series very close to their hearts and that they would be remiss not to continue it with a sequel sometime soon.

Then began the numerous TV panels.  I attended two new TV show panels and and five other show panels.  First up was “FlashForward.”  I cannot reiterate this enough: FlashForward is going to be the next big network TV show.  It pulls off all the stops: a great plot-line, a talented main cast, renowned writers and producers, and a well-developed hype train with tons of followers already.  With Lost off the air (gasp!) after this season, ABC found its next “shrowded-in-mystery” show with FlashForward.  Next was the new Fox show called “Glee.”  Glee is a very special show in that it is very difficult to compare it to anything else on air.  It incorporate various methods of storytelling including music and dance, involves many genres like drama and comedy, and it moves at an unconventional pace.  If something is expected to happen plot-wise, it is going to happen much sooner rather than later; this keeps things exciting and allows for new ideas and plotlines to form on a weekly basis.  After having watched the preview and premiere (Comic Con exclusive) episodes of Glee, I can assure you that this is a show you do not want to miss.  You have your CSIs, your reality shows…and now you will have Glee–a show that may very well invent its own type of genre and change the way stories are told.

I also attended TV panels for 24, The Big Bang Theory, Dollhouse, Lost, and Fringe.  24 Season 8 looks great.  Jack Bauer is back and there is a new threat, this time sprouting from the idea of possible world peace.  The second season of The Big Bang Theory will find Leonard, Sheldon, and crew funnier than ever and placed in more awkward situations that will lead to new directions  in the overall plot and relationships between the characters.  Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse Season 2 will likely land Dollhouse much better ratings this time around as Joss has now had the time to introduce the main story arc.  Layers of the dollhouse will be revealed and images of a post-apocalyptic future will change the direction of the show (but will keep the original storyline intact).  Lost begins its final season this winter and the show’s producers and cast members are excited for the big reveals ahead.  Everything will come full circle as Season 6 will harken back to concepts originally portrayed in Season 1, and we will see old characters revisit us in some form or other.  And then there is Fringe.  Fringe Season 2 will continue where Season 1 left off.  We will learn more secrets about the world of the alternate universe, and some characters will come to learn the truths about themselves as an oncoming war starts to brew.

On the convention show floor I visited many booths.  Some of them include video game booths like Microsoft, Sony, and EA; TV networks like G4, Fox, and WB; collectibles and figurines.  What I found most interesting on the show floor was the enormous showing of all the aforementioned booths and the lack of stations for what the convention was named after: comics!  There was a section towards the front of the show floor that contained many comic book booths and stations set up.  Also, many of the booths throughout the entire floor were showing off things inspired from comic books.  When you look at the big picture, though, what you come to find is that Comic Con has been taken over by TV networks, film studios, and other things that simply are not comics.  Granted, many of the movies and TV shows on the show floor and panels relate to sci-fi and other comic book-type genres.  No matter how you look at it, Comic Con has changed greatly from its original form.  For some, this change has had a negative effect on them.  They go to Comic Con for the comics and comic book-related material from DC, Marvel, and more.  For others (like me, in particular), I am highly enjoying the growth of Comic Con from a comics-only convention to a much larger venue that brings together fans of all mediums of entertainment that go beyond the comic book that include television, movies, and video games.  Comic Con has become a celebration of art in entertainment, and I am proud to be apart of it.

Comic Con: Day Three

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Today’s updates in bullet-point form.  Ready? Go!

11:00AM-12:00PM – Lost: The Final Season Panel (Hall H)  *Spoiler warning*

  • The Lost panel kicked off with a video clip of a fake 80’s ABC show called “Mysteries of the Universe” that focuses on the Dharma Initiative.  ABC will be posting new installments of the viral videos on the Lost website.  The first video (the video that was shown at Comic Con) is up on the website right now.  It’s description: “A project discussed for years in and around conspiracy circles. Once thought to be lost, this explosive documentary series has never been seen before…until now.”  After that, an Oceanic Airlines commercial was played.
  • Executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse (together, Darlton) told the audience how much they appreciate our support for the show and that the panel’s theme is all about the fan’s devotion to the show.
  • They present a video of user generated content relating to Lost.  Many of the video are very funny and creative.
  • The winner of the Lost mock theme contest is revealed.  The winning song is played over a short Lost montage.
  • Darlton places a small black box on the table and place a piece of paper in it claiming it reads the final scene of the Lost series finale.  It is to be read on Jimmy Kimmel Live after the finale airs to prove they did in fact know where the story was going from the beginning.  They wrap the keys to the box around their necks.
  • Q&A takes place; Lindelof – “We will be as honest and forthcoming as we never were.”  Ha!  First fan asked how season 6 will be related to season 1.  Darlton explained that season 6 will bring things full circle and that “You’ll be seeing many characters you haven’t seen since the first season.”  Hmm…Does that mean everything was in fact reset and Juliet was successful in detonating the bomb, thus bringing everyone back?  Cuse: “There was a certain feel [to season one].  They were running around in the jungle. Things felt intense and surprising.  We feel we have a way to do that in the final season of the show that we like, and we hope you will too.  Lindelof: “It’s really our goal to have you watch the final season of the show and not know what we’re going to do next.”  They promise much suspense and continued unpredictability.
  • Funnyman Paul Scheer (from “Human Giant”) presented Darlton a personal painting of Cuse, Lindelof, and a polar bear.  Funny, then not so much.  His website: http://damoncarltonandapolarbear.com/dcpb/
  • After another fan asked a question concerning flashbacks Carlton responded: “We are doing something different in season 6.  The time travel season is over, the flash-forward season is over. We have something different planned. Hopefully, you will like it, but we are not going to commit to what it’s going to be.”  Hmm, what will the new format be?
  • Three videos are played that spark new questions about possible alternate timelines: (1) An America’s Most Wanted host John Walsh talks about Kate Austin and her murderous ways.  Most important tidbit coming from this video–Kate did NOT kill her step father (Wayne Jansenn in the planned explosion earlier in the series.  Walsh says, “But fate would intervene on this tragic evening.”  Apparently, Kate’s stepfather sent his apprentice to lock up his house, and it was he who perished inside the house.  (2) An Oceanic Airlines video was shown.  It is mentioned in the commercial that Oceanic neverhad a crash.  (3) In this clip, Hurley appears in a commerical for Mr. Cluck’s chicken as the company’s CEO.  He is very cheerful.  Apparently he is very wealthy from the money he won in the lottery and his lottery numbers have only brought him good luck.  Hm..alternate reality = Juliet’s detonation of the bomb in fact reset the timeline??
  • As soon as this video is over, Jorge Garcia (Hurley) appears in the audience and has some questions for Darlton.  He ask if Juliet was successful in detonating the bomb and thus resetting the timeline for the Losties.  He points out that that seems like it will indeed happen after watching the Mr. Cluck’s commercial.  The numbers and lottery ticket bring Hurley fortune and success rather than bad luck and a ticket to the island in this alternate reality.  Very interesting..alternate reality, anyone?
  • Jorge Garcia also asks if every questions is going to be answered in the final season.  Damon responds, “Everything that matters is going to be answered.”  Whatever that means…
  • Michael Emerson (Ben Linus) then appears in the audience and starts having a mock argument with Jorge.  This confrontation leads to a video clip of a fake but hilarious resurfaced audition tape of Emerson trying for the part of Hurley before he was casted as Ben.  Although this is meant for laughs, this clip also alludes to an alternate reality, albeit one that involves Ben attempting to get the role of Hurley.
  • Darlton responds to a fan question about Juliet’s future on the show: Juliet will be back on the show.  They made sure to mention that if Juliet indeed set off the bomb (and Jack’s plan worked) she will be alive and well, and if she did not, she will definitely be a goner.  They added that the dead Daniel Farraday will also be back on the show in some form or other.
  • A fan asks about Richard Albert and wants to know if we will receive a flashback for him to learn his back-story.  The answer was yes.  (It was reported today that Nestor Carbonell will be a season regular and will appear in “16 of the 18 episodes,” he says.  “Obviously Richard doesn’t age, so I’m most curious to know how old he is and if he’s in fact pulling the strings.”
  • After a fan asks if Carbonell wears eye-liner off set, Darlton rolls a live feed on the big screen revealing Carbonell applying makeup backstage.  He mutters, “Richard Alpert’s not immortal. You are!”  After comically complaining about his stylist giving him the wrong shade of eye-liner he asked for, Carbonell joins Darlton, Jorge, and Emerson on stage.
  • A fan asks if the Lost fanbase is on the right path when they call the ‘man in black’ the biblical name “Esau.”  Emerson responds: “We sometimes deal in Biblical imagery, but we tend to dance in and back away from it. That might be too much, but I like the way your mind is working.”  Hmm…  (Quite impressed with his non-answer answer Damon nods to Emerson–“You’re good at this!”
  • Fan asks if we will learn more about the Dharma Initiative.  Darlton says they are moving away from the D.I. as much has already been explained about them in the previous season.  They recommended fans watch the announced “Mysteries of the Universe” videos to learn more.  Another fan asks where the Dharma food comes from and how exactly the food is dropped from the sky.  Darlton says that will be explained this season.
  • It is confirmed that Jacob has never been seen by the characters on the island embodied as someone/something else.
  • A quick clip is played; it is a montage of Sawyer.  Slowride by Foghat plays behind it.  Following the clip Josh Holloway (Sawyer) comes onto the stage, in character, and mock tazes Lindelof to steal the key around his neck to open the black box and read aloud the final scene from the finale.  Everyone could tell this was very much scripted, but that made it all the more enjoyable.  Holloway opens the box, takes out the peice of paper, and Emerson points out that he can’t even read!  Emerson takes the paper from him and reads it aloud (in a very creepy, Ben-like manner): “Exterior, circus tent, night… As the flames die, we find Sylar and Parkman…What the f–k is this?”  It is a scene from the TV show “Heroes!”  Ha!!  (And so it is confirmed, the whole final scene being written down was a fake out.)
  • The last clip is a “In Memorium” montage played over Boyz II Men’s “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday.”  Characters included were Michael Dawson, Libby Smith (this is the first unveiling of her last name), Ana Lucia, Daniel Farraday, and lastly Charlie Pace (who received the loudest applause).  Immediately following this clip Dominic Monaghan appeared on stage and joined the others.  Looks like Charlie will be back after all, in some form or other.  After a quick entrance, Darlton said their thank you’s and goodbye’s.  The final Lost panel is over.  “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” plays the audience out.

Although much was not revealed during the panel, the ode to the fans was very heartfelt and the videos and clips were very funny and entertaining.  Lost: The Final Seasons airs in January 2010 on ABC.  Destiny Found.

*Weird–>”The marketing graphic for Lost season six included all our favorite characters (heralding the return of many of them) but the important thing is that the last character added to the animation was Locke, and he was very obviously facing backward, while all the other characters were facing forward. Ahhh, Unlocke!” (Via EOnline)  I call him “not-Locke Locke.”  (Also, check out www.lostuniversity.org.  Flyers for this new viral campaign were handed out prior to the panel.  Likely an ARG (alternate reality game) leading up to the sixth season.)

 

1:30PM-3:00PM – Glee Panel (Indigo Ballroom)

  •  The season premiere episode was aired for the audience.  Will not give away spoilers, except that Kanye West’s Gold Digger is performed by Glee Club leader Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) and the other Glee Club members.  It’s an awesome rendition.  The episode itself was highly entertaining and very funny.  Four to five songs were performed.  The plot is furthered a lot by the end of the episode.
  • After the screening of the first episode, Glee’s producers and main cast were brought on stage.  Cast members included Matthew Morrison (Will Schuester), Lea Michelle (Rachel Berry), Cory Monteith (Finn Hudson), and Dianna Argon (Quinn Fabray).
  • This new show is going to be a hit.  It includes drama, hilarity, music, dance, and great cinematography.  It is a very differenttype of show.  It is very hard to compare it to any other show on TV right now (or ever).  Some of the cast mention “Freaks and Geeks.”  When a fan compared it to the “High School Musical” franchise Cory Monteith responded, “It’s like if ‘High School Musical’ had been punched in the stomach and had its lunch money stolen.”
  • When asked why the plot develops so quickly in just the first episode the producers stated that they do not intend to play games with their audience.  If something is highly expected to happen, it will happen when it should; nothing will be purposely dragged out over a number of episodes.  Sounds good to me!
  • So far, around 56 songs have been written and recorded.
  • Future plans for Glee: (1) The talented cast is going on a 12-day 10-city tour this summer to boost the hype for the show.  (2) A Glee soundtrack is set to release this November.  (3) The producers are booking many high profile guests for future episodes.  They include Josh Grobin, Kristin Chenoweth, and Victor Garber.  (4) The producers promise more musical hits for the episodes, including a late-season ep containing both Barbara Streisand and Rolling Stones renditions.

Glee is one of this season’s most anticipated new shows, and for good reason!  Glee is a fresh idea for a TV program.  It is a drama.  It is a comedy.  It is a musical.  Its two main stars, Matthew Morrison and Lea Michele, come from Broadway.  The entire cast are extremely talented actors, singers, and dancers.  It is so original and like nothing else.  The Glee season premiere airs on September 16 on FOX.  Spread the word of Glee!

 

 4:00PM-5:00PM – Fringe Panel (Ballroom 20)  *Spoiler warning*

  • The Fringe panel included executive producers Jeff Pinkner and J. H. Wyman, consulting producers Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci, and main cast members John Noble (Walter), Joshua Jackson (Peter), Jasika Nicole (Astrid), and the stunning Anna Torv (Olivia).
  • There was much discussion about the “alternate universes” conception and revelations.  Pinker: “I think we got there quicker than we anticipated.”
  • When asked about the controversial image of the twin towers standing during the season finale, Pinkner responded: “We wanted to immediately represent a different reality.”
  • When asked about what to expect in the next season: Pinkner: “This season is about maturation … about making decisions for yourself. There’s a lot at stake.”  Robert Orci: “…everyone taking control of their lives and pursuing their own truths.  And a war is coming…when you learn things that are unpleasant, you have to take a side.”
  • The Walter-Peter relationship will continue to grow, even more interestingly next season now that we know something Peter does not–the real Peter is dead.  (The Peter we have been witnessing all along is “alternate universe Peter.)  Jackson says eventually Walter’s secret is going to be spilled and this will obviously change the dynamic between the two characters.  Noble on the matter: “There will be no answers early on. We don’t want to let Peter in on that too early. I think it will be toward the second half of the season, I think it will be a massive episode, and I think it will be very ugly.”
  • A fan asked a very interesting and quite revealing question to the panel: He is pondering that alternate universe Walter has tried to come into our universe to bring alternate universe Peter back, and that the person who Walter saw in the asylum is the alternate universe version of himself.  When asked if any of this is true Pinkner responded with, “Yes, no and maybe.”
  • It was told that Walter and Astrid will share a “very sweet” scene together that reveals more about her and their relationship.
  • When asked about Olivia’s FBI partner Charlie Francis (Kirk Acevedo), Pinkner responds: “Rumors of Charlie’s demise were premature. But I do think that Charlie’s going to undergo some drastic changes, which hopefully will be surprising and entertaining. And we’ve already met alternate Charlie as well. He had a scar on his face. Kirk’s part of our family.”  (Kirk Acevedo was supposedly fired from the show after the first season.)  Glad to hear he is coming back!  Wonder what the new and improved (?) Charlie will be like..
  • Noble said that screenwriter Akiva Goldsman (A Time to Kill, A Beautiful Mind, i, Robot, Angels & Demons) wrote the season premiere.  Nice!
  • Noble on fringe science on the show: “The stuff we do is not that unreasonable,” he said. “Theoretically, it’s all possible.”  Sounds more like his character talking!
  • Fourth episode–> Walter and former lab partner William Bell will meet again.  Leonard Nimoy is locked in for season 2.  Sweet!
  • The producers mentioned that the series will never involve alien life forms.  That begs the question, What is the Observer (and Observer, Jr.)??
  • Also mentioned: Although David Robert Jones is dead, that does not mean we will not see alternate universe DRJ.  Ooooh.

Fringe had a fantastic freshmen season, and a sophomore slump is something that will most definitely not occur.  Season two looks to be a very entertaining and frightening tale that will continue the story between the warring alternate universes and further develop the intricate and layered character relationships.  I am pumped for Fringe season 2 which begins on September 17 on FOX.  And oh yeah, I met the entire cast!

 

Comic Con: Day Three is a wrap!  Leaving San Diego today; time to get much needed rest.  Be sure to check out the next and final post on Comic Con 2009 on Monday.  I will summarize all of the TV and movie panels I attended and give an overall rating of this year’s Con.  Have a great weekend, and look forward to normalcy starting to set back in by next week.  That’s right, I’m talking about the latest in tech, TV, movies, music, and hilarity!

Comic Con: Day Two

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Comic Con: Day Two was jam-packed with great stuff.  Let’s get right to it…

10:30AM-11:30AM – Meet The Guild Panel (Room 5AB)

The Guild is a very funny and highly inventive web series created by Dr. Horrible’s Felicia Day.  The panel opened with a Guild music video directed by Jed Whedon.  It was great; it actually made nerds (or people who play World of Warcraft) seems very, very cool.  The music video will be available as a free download on Xbox Live in August.  After the music video played, the entire Guild cast came onto the stage, that is, Felicia Day, Sandeep Parikh, Jeff Lewis, Amy Okuda, Robin Thorsen, and Vincent Caso.  To everyone’s surprise, the cast came out wearing detailed costumes of the characters they play in the show.  After a quick introduction, series director Sean Becker unveiled the first episode of Season 3 of The Guild.  It was freaking hilarious!  It’s great to see The Guild back in action.  In the final scene, Star Trek: TNG actor Wil Weaton made a surprise cameo as the leader of a nemesis guild.  After the episode, Wil Weaton joined the cast on stage.  There was a breif Q&A and then the guild dispersed.  Season 3 looks to be the best one yet.  If you haven’t heard of The Guild, check out their website (www.watchtheguild.com) or download the first two seasons for free on Xbox Live.  It’s great for WoW fans and non-fans alike.

 

11:45AM-12:45PM – FlashForward Panel (Room 6A)

One word: AMAZING.  FlashForward, known to many as “the next Lost” is going to rock everyone’s world this September on ABC.  The premise is simple yet compelling: The world wakes up to what seems like a totally normal day.  While everyone is going about their business, something strange happens.  Every single person on Earth falls unconscious and blacks out for 2 minutes and 17 seconds.  During this period of time, everyone sees a flash of their own personal futures, six months into the future to be precise.  Some people’s future are dark and sad, some are happy and funny, and some people have no future at all.  During this short period of blackout, something unknown attacks cities all around the world creating blazing fires and explosions all over the place.  Many people are injured and killed during this time.  At the panel we were shown three scenes from the premiere episode, as well as a trailer covering where the series plans to take us.  This footage is Comic Con exclusive and has never been seen before.  The main character of the show is played by Joseph Fiennes, an FBI agent who has the most interesting flash forward of them all: he sees clues (undefined and currently meaningless) as to what may have happened on that fateful day, thus leading me to believe that there is some sort of over-arching conspiracy theory to the cataclysmic turn of events.  His partner is played by Star Trek’s (and yes, Harold and Kumar’s) John Cho.  Also joining these two cast members on the panel were actors Christine Woods and Courtney B. Vance, and executive producers and writers Brannon Braga, Marc Guggenheim, and David S. Goyer.  While they did not reveal any spoilers, they did give us some information to ponder.  The writers already have an end game to the series; they know exactly where it is going and how it will finalize.  They say it could take as short as three seasons or as long as five seasons to tell the entire story.  Of course, all of this will depend on ratings and viewer reactions.  It was revealed (after being long rumored) that Lost’s Dominic Monaghan (Charlie) will be joining fellow Lost alum (Sonya Walger, who played Penny) as an important character in the show.  He turned out to be a surprise guest and he joined the panel with the others.  From the three scenes I watched during the panel, I can tell you that this new show has major potential to be huge hit this fall.  As sad and depressing it is that Lost will be airing its final season this year, it is equally uplifting and exciting that such a great new show will be taking its slot on ABC this television season.  The season premiere airs on September 24; don’t miss it.

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1:00PM-2:00PM – The Big Bang Theory Panel (Ballroom 20)

TBBT panel was exciting for all fans of the brilliantly humorous show made for geeks and non-geeks alike.  The panel included executive producers Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, and all main cast members including Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons (Emmy-nominated), Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar, and the beauiful Kaley Cuoco.  After a comedic reel of season two highlights, the panel took questions for the audience.  Not much was revealed about the current plot for the new season.  It was confirmed that Jim’s Sheldon will not have a girlfriend in the foreseeable future.  Very funny and entertaining panel.

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2:15PM-3:00PM – 24 Panel (Ballroom 20)

Day 8 here we come.  24 has survived on air for a magnificent seven seasons, and season 8 looks to be yet another exciting and pulse-pounding adventure for Jack Bauer and company.  The panel included Jack Bauer himself, Kiefer Sutherland, Mary Lynn Rajskub (Chole O’Brien), new cast members Freddie Prince Jr., Battlestar Galactica’s beautiful Kattie Sackoff, and Slumdog Millionaire’s Anil Kapoor, showrunner Howard Gordon, other executive producers, and composer Sean Callery.  I watched an exclusive, never-before-scene clip of the first episode of season 8.  Jack is back and better than ever.  Season 8 starts off shortly after last season’s cliffhanger.  Jack is healthy, thanks to his daughter Kim, and he is in a current state of restfulness (quite a change from last season).  While not much was divulged about the upcoming season, some tidbits of information was leaked out.  The over-arching theme of this season is “peace.”  The season starts out with a peace-making event in the UN between the President of the U.S., (still Alison Taylor) and the leader of Iran.  There will be an assassination attempt at this event, and that is where the action beings and when the blood starts pumping.  There will be tons of crazy explosions and things blowing up (duh!).  Elisha Cuthbert will return as Jack’s daughter, Freddie Prince Jr. will play Cole Ortiz, Kattie Sackoff will play Ortiz’s love interest, and Anil Kappor will play the representative from Iran.  This season of 24 will take place in a new location–New York City.  The main ensemble will be working in a brand new (and re-instituted) CTU, which by the way looks so awesome!  Kiefer made it clear that this season will truly bring things full circle, back to season one.  Everything that has happened in Jack’s life thus far will culminate in this season.  He also mentioned that a 24 movie is something he and the staff have thought about as a future franchise for the 24 universe.  Look forward to a reinvented 24, coming in January 2010.

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4:00PM-5:00PM – Dollhouse Panel (Ballroom 20)

Creative genius Joss Whedon presented the unaired episode thirteen of Fox’s Dollhouse titled “Epitaph One.”  It starred Felicia Day and show star Eliza Dushku.  It was awesome.  For those of you who have yet to see season one, do yourself a favor and purchase the season one DVD which includes the unaired episode.  The panel included Joss Whedon, Eliza Dushku, and special guests (other cast members) Fran Kranz and Dichan Lachman.  Joss is a very funny man and an ingenious visionary.  His latest creation Dollhouse will enter its second season this fall, picking up right from where it left off in last season’s finale.  On the brink of cancellation, Fox decided to keep Dollhouse and give it another shot for better rating with a second season.  Thank goodness for that.  He has many surprises and twists ahead hidden away in mind.  He says the show will take a new direction in season two that will continue the same story from season one but will also shed new light on the characters and relationships.  Let it be known: Eliza Dushku is smoking hot in person.  Just take a look for yourself in the gallery below.

 

All in all, Day Two was a great one.  So many new shows to look forward to, and so many classics making bold returns.  Tomorrow: the final Lost panel, among others!  Enjoy the image galleries here as you await my reporting from my final day at Comic Con.  Cheers.

Comic Con: Day One

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Comic Con: Day One included a few panels and a lot of walking around the show floor.  I am going to make this simple; I will list each panel I attended and delve into the details for each.  I will conclude by summarizing my trek on the show floor.

11:00AM – 12:30PM – Disney: 3D Panel (Hall H)

This panel was located in Hall H, the largest room at the San Diego Convention Center.  When I got to this event at around 8AM, there was a line of over 1500 people wrapped around the building!  Little did I know today would be my lucky day.  My first strike of luck came during this panel.  Somehow I bypassed the entire line by befriending some front-liners (who all slept outside overnight!) who kindly let me sneak in with them.  Once I got into Hall H, I was given 3D glasses.  Fun fact: This panel is the first in Comic Con history to shoe 3D visuals during the presentation.  Three upcoming Disney movies were discussed during this panel: “Disney’s A Christmas Carol,” “Alice in Wonderland,” and “Tron.”  The panel was moderated by Patton Oswalt; he sat with the director of each film and discussed its current state of completion.

First up was Robert Zemeckis, writer and director of “Disney’s A Christmas Carol.”  Zemeckis discussed the gorgeous animated film and how it relates to the term “uncanny valley.”  As technology continues to evolve every day, computer animation becomes more realistic and human-like.  The example he used for this particular movie was the retina (eye) movements.  They are very real and genuine movements.  To show off what he has in store for audiences, he revleaed a never-before-seen (and Comic Con exclusive) scene from the movie.  Simply put, “A Christmas Carol” looks fantastic in 3D and it will be a sure fire hit when it lands in regular, IMAX 3D, and 3D-optimized theatres this November.  The film stars an animated, but very real looking Jim Carey.  In fact, Jim Carey will be playing eight characters (including Scrooge and the three Ghosts of Christmas).

Next was Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland.”  One sentence sums it all up: This movie is going to ROCK.  After a very brief discussion with Oswalt, Burton unveiled the first official (and also never-before-seen, Comic Con exclusive) trailer for the movie.  The trailer was so good that it was played three times in a row, in 3D of course.  After the third showing, Johnny Depp made a surprise appearance on stage.  No discussion here; Depp said hello, goodbye, and left the stage.  Although this was a quick meeting with Burton, the trailer made it all worthwhile.  Up to this point, only stills from the movie had been shown; witnessing these strange and colorful characters come to life was magnificent.  Expect this gem to be released in regular, IMAX 3D, and 3D-optimized theatres in March 2010.

Last was Sean Baily and Steve Lisberger’s sequel to the 1982 film “Tron” called “Tron: Legacy.”  (Note: Baily and Lisberger are the movie’s producers.)  They discussed the premise of the film in short detail, quickly jumping to test footage and two bass-heavy and visually stunning trailers (again, both never-before-seen and Comic Con exclusive).  All I can say is that the reboot looks great.  The cast is very young and will bring a new and welcome vibe to the series.  Cast members include Garrett Hedlund (playing Flynn’s adult son), Jeff Bridges, the original Kevin Flynn himself, and the beautiful Olivia Wilde, who plays a confidante of the young Flynn.  Also worthy of noting is that the original score of the film will be composed by Daft Punk.  “Tron: Legacy” will be in regular and 3D theatres in 2010.

All in all, the Disney: 3D Panel was spectacular.  All three upcoming Disney 3D films look amazing; the visuals, audio, characters, and plot lines are very impressive and intruiging.  As much as I would like to share with you the images from the trailers and other on-screen footage, Comic Con policy states that I cannot do so.  However, please take a look at the image gallery below to view what I can share with you.

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2:00PM – 3:00PM – Sony Pictures Animation: “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” (Room 6BCF)

The main reason I attended this panel was to see the hilarious Andy Samberg and Bill Hader, the beautiful Anna Ferris, Role Models’ Bobb’e J. Thompson, and the smart dudes behind the cartoon “Clone High,” directors Chirs Miller and Phil Lord. (Hader could not make the panel due to an illness.)  Although this is a “kid’s movie” based on a classic childhood book, the film looks to be a very funny and visually pleasing adventure.  Miller and Lord showed some exclusive scenes from the movie, revealed some of the plot to put the scenes in context, and took questions from the audience.  Many questions were aimed at Andy Samberg and involved his famous SNL Digital Shorts and SNL career.  In the end, this was a fun panel filled with lots of laughs and what looks to be an exciting and hilarious animated motion picture.  “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” comes out on September 18, 2009 in regular and 3D versions.

8:00PM – 10:00PM – Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog (screening) (Room 6A)

First let me start out by saying this is where my second stroke of luck showed up.  When I arrived about half an hour before showtime, the line was capped; it was the second longest line I’d seen all day (the longest being the Hall H line in the morning).  Somehow, yet again, I got myself in the front of the line and was able to attend the screening of Dr. Horrible.  This was just flat-out EPIC.  Room 6A is a fairly large room; it can hold over 450 people).  So, the room was packed with tons of Dr. Horrible fans who knew all the lyrics to the hilarious and extremely well-written Internet sensation.  There was a fun “Rocky Horror Picture Show” -esque twist.  All attendees were given Dr.H goggles and a packet with lyrics for each song and callbacks.  After the screening of the 3-Act series, the DVD special “Commentary! The Musical” was played.  This was a nice treat to end the night on.  But there was one last surprise before everyone packed up to go home: Dr.H star Felicia Day stopped by, along with writers (and stars) Jed Whedon, Zack Whedon, and Maurissa Tancharoen.  After belting out all of the songs and laughing at all the jokes, it was time to leave the convention center to get some shut eye for Day 2.

In between the panels, I was able to walk the entire main show floor, grabbing pictures of everything in sight.  The images themselves tell the story of the show floor better than I can in words.  Take a look for yourself below.  It is worthy to note that I met Lost’s Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet)!  She’s awesome.

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Comic Con: Day Zero (preview night)

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Preview night was very, well, preview-y.  The San Diego Convention Center was quite packed for a “pre” -show; I can only imagine how crazy it’s going to be tomorrow through Sunday.  The only major event that happened tonight was WB’s screening of its three new shows coming to television this season.  I was planning on seeing the pre-screening of ABC’s “V” starring Lost’s Elizabeth Mitchell, but due to heavy traffic I arrived too late and missed it.  The other two screenings were “Human Target” and “The Vampire Diaries.”  I arrived at the convention center around 8PM and walked around the main exhibit halls until closing (at about 10PM).  I went by “The Guild” booth and saw all of the cast members, most notably, Felicia Day!  I also stopped by some of the gaming booths including Microsoft (nothing too exciting here tonight; Halo: ODST will be there tomorrrow!); Sony (they had the new PSP go! hardware in an enclosed glass case and some playable games); EA (they had “Brutal Legend” and others); Ubisoft (I watched a preview of Bioshock 2, looks great!).  Because I did not have much time to play, I did more looking than interacting.  That is what tomorrow is for; I plan on walking the exhibit halls from top to bottom, stopping at the most interesting booths, interacting with attendees, playing some games, and attending a few movie and TV panels.  I am PUMPED for Comic Con: Day One!

COMIC CON 2009

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I will be attending Comic Con 2009 in San Diego, California.  The Con runs from July 23 to July 26.  I will attend all TV, movie, and web panels worth covering.

Check back here nightly for each day’s full coverage.  Day Zero (Wednesday) is preview night; I will be watching the a pre-screening of the premiere episode of ABC’s new drama “V.”  Thursday, Friday, and Saturday include panels for new shows like “FlashForward,” “Glee,” and “V” and classics such as “24,” “Lost,” and “Fringe.”  That is just scratching the surface.  Comic Con is the place to be for the latest in TV, movies, and yes, comics.  I will try my best to cover as much of the insanity as I possibly can.  Remember, this blog is an extension of my interests that I enjoy sharing with YOU.  Look forward to my reporting on all the latest and exciting news at Comic Con 2009 over the next four days.

In the absence of my usual postings of flat-out hilarious videos, do yourself a favor and check out the video below.  It will surely brighten your day.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQcVllWpwGs&fmt=22

Louis Vuitton x Kanye West

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Kanye West recently teamed up with Louis Vuitton to create a modern, stylish collection of sneakers for thr rich and famous.  Each sneaker is named after an influencial player in Kanye’s life.  For example, the shoe pictured above is called the “Don,” after Kanye’s manager.  Others include “Mr Hudson’s” and “Jaspers.”  Prices range from $840 to $1140.  This collaboration with LV happens to be Kanye’s second creative venture with a major shoe company.  He previously worked with Nike to create the “Air Yeezy,” which sold for $220 and quickly sold out of Nike stores around the nation.  The LV shoes are also flying off the shelves.  I recently ventured into a Louis Vuitton store and tried on the Dons in grey and saw the Dons in red and white and the Jaspers in black.  Most common shoe sizes were sold out.  The Mr Hudson’s have yet to ship.  See below for three picture galleries; one contains official press shots of all the colorways, the second is personal spy shots of the Dons and Jaspers, and the third includes German photographer Daniela Muller-Brunke’s mesh of the press shots and a custom LV background.  After the break, check out a slideshow video of the sneakers played over “Say You Will.”

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[Via SneakerNews; HighSnobiety]

Continue reading Louis Vuitton x Kanye West →

Exclusive: AOTS’ Keyboard Cat Competition

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Attack of the Show announced the “Great American Keyboard Cat Competition” a few weeks ago.  Host Kevin Periera asked AOTS viewers and Keyboard Cat fans alike to send in artwork of the famous YouTube phenomenon that is Keyboard Cat.  The video above is a reveal of some of the first entires we received.  Can you spot me?  We have a room filled with boxes of Keyboard Cat goodness to open and review.  Many of the entries are amazing, beautiful works of art.  Our viewers have talent!  The winner will be announced live on Thursday’s show (G4, Attack of the Show, 7PM ET).  Look after the break for some exclusive shots of some other entires.  Also embedded are my favorite Keyboard Cat videos.

Continue reading Exclusive: AOTS’ Keyboard Cat Competition →

David Blaine Street Magic, part 4 – On Set

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Today I was the production assistant and body double for the new  David Blaine Street Magic video.  It was so much fun.  I had a great time.  We filmed in the valley, so it was SO DAMN HOT.  That aside, it was such an amazing experience.  Michael Naughton, Mikey Day, and Mitch Silpa were hilarious.  Street Magic part 4 looks like it will be the best one yet.  Check it out on YouTube at Those Lil Rabbits channel this July…YOU DEMON!  Check after the break for a couple behind-the-scenes shots. Continue reading David Blaine Street Magic, part 4 — On Set →

Exclusive: Palm Pre Unboxing & Hands-On

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Palm Pre front

On June 6th, Palm will be releasing its brand new smartphone device called the Palm Pre.  It will be available for Sprint for $199.99 after you sign up for a 2-year contract.  I got a sneak-peak hands-on with the Pre this afternoon.  To sum it up, the Palm Pre is simply the first cell phone that will truly rival the Apple iPhone.   Both the exterior and the UI are extremely sleek and modern.  Although the physical keyboard is rather small, the keys are bouncy and raised to make typing with them not too much of a hastle.  I was able to run a number of apps including Calendar, Email, SMS, Photos, Camera, Music, the browser, SprintTV, AmazonMP3, Google Maps, and YouTube.  The App Store was open, but I was unable to download apps from it.  Synergy, Palm’s signature way of bringing together everyone’s contact information into one entity, is quite impressive.  When you search a contact name, you get more than a picture of them, their phone number, email and address information.  Tagged with their name is also their AIM, Facebook, and other social networking services, if they have them, of course.  Think of it as a a bundle of ways to contact a person, all found in one place.  The “cards” are very fluid in motion.  You can easily flick an open app to the side for later use, or up and out of the way to exit it.  All in all, I am very excited for the launch of the Palm Pre on Sprint.  According to some rumors, the Pre will soon be available on other networks, such as Verizon, in the coming months.  Here’s hoping Palm will make a move Apple did not take advantage of–opening their device to a number of networks, to get a Pre in as many hands as possible.

Check after the break for the gallery of pictures.  They include the front and back of the device, as well as the official packaging of the phone. Continue reading Exclusive: Palm Pre Unboxing & Hands-On →