San Diego Comic Con 2003 updates

 
Don S. Davis and Amanda Tapping positvely charmed the audience that gathered to hear them talk about Stargate SG-1.

Not only did MGM announce Stargate will indeed have an 8th season, but the stars spoke of favorite scripts, the respect they have for their fellow cast mates, and the fun they have on set.

When asked how closely they stuck to the script Amanda Tapping commented on her co-star "Richard Dean 'Ad Lib' Anderson!" and Director Martin Wood said that a feature the writers had wanted on the DVDs was a little pop-up to tell you the rare occassions when a scripted line made it to the screen.

As you can see by this montage of images from the panel, there was fun, heart break (Amanda Tapping confessing "it's what I do" when the topic of her character's tragic love life came up. It was summed up quite well as she loves 'em and watches 'em die.) and deep thought as some serious topics were touched upon as well.

All in all a DEFINITE highlight of the 2003 San Diego Comic Con.
~posted by Kay

  As always -- a pure delight!

Erin Gray is one of my favorite people to see at Conventions. This woman has barely aged a day since she first graced television screens, and conitnues to be a remarkable presence.

Take a moment to check out Erin's official website where, among other things, you will find a calendar announcing her upcoming conventions -- including Dragon*Con in Atlanta Georgia August 29 - September 1.

And, for those wondering when they can catch Erin on television... why not catch a glimpse from days gone by. Check Sci Fi to see when they'll be showing Buck Rogers next.

In addition, it never hurts to check out TV-now.com's Erin Gray page to see when they've heard she'll be gracing our screens once more.
~posted by Kay

  The new Battlestar Galactica mini-series scheduled to air on Sci Fi this winter is a reimagining of the original series which aired many years ago.

Dirk Benedict, Richard Hatch and Herbert Jefferson, Jr., brought some wonderful characters to life, but I believe the audience will find that their characters NAMES may be the only real similarity that we will find between, for instance, the Starbuck of DIRK BENEDICT and that of KATEE SACKHOFF.

I am also unsure how the Apollo of Richard Hatch will compare to that of Jamie Bamber, but look forward to tuning in to find out.

For information on the Classic Series check out the section set up at Sci Fi's website. Where they also have information on the new mini-series




Be watching for PopArtsPlace.com to post OUR pictures of Angelina Jolie, and many others
but for now, check out these pictures from PosterNow.
~posted by Kay

 
One of the cool parts of the Battlestar Galactica panel was when the trailer was shown -- and the cast members turned around to watch it with the same interest as the gathered fans.

It is wonderful to see actors who care as much about the work they are doing as the fans do -- actors who seem as interested as the fans are in getting a great show to the screen.
~posted by Kay

  One of the many joys of the San Diego Comic Con for those of us who have been attending for years and years (I have been attending for over a decade and know MANY people who have been attending for a lot longer) is this annual opportunity to check in on careers that we enjoy following.

I still enjoy the autograph I got from Julie Caitlin Brown in 1996! If that was not the first time she attended San Diego Comic Con I believe it was certainly early in her Con attending days. Babylon 5 had been airing for a mere 2 seasons, and while she had left the character of Na'Toth she was asking fans to rally behind her as she sought to rejoin the show. Dozens of us took up her cause and went straight from her autograph line to that of J. Michael Straczynski, the God of the Babylon 5 universe, and delivered her message. We the fans enjoyed the character of Na'Toth and wanted to see Julie Caitlin Brown back in uniform.

In 1998 Julie Caitlin Brown rejoined Babylon 5 and dozens of fans delighted in believing that we had been a part of the reason she was back on the show.

So, for fans like myself, it is nice to see her continue to come to con -- especially when she is kind to those who have already gotten her autograph, and have supported her career for 7 years now, and many have not yet gotten that infamous 7-year-itch that prompts us to go in search of other careers to follow, and new and greater stars to look to.
~posted by Kay

  Photos Photos and yes... more photos!

We are getting ready to begin posting our photos from the San Diego Comic Con. over 1,000 pictures were taken, and now is the time for us to sort out the blurry images... and the ones where well meaning elbows and heads accidentally darted into the picture, and get the pics up for one and all to enjoy.

We shot extensively at the Stargate Sg-1 panel, and the Van Helsing panel, so look forward to (hopefully good) images of Amanda Tapping, Don S. Davis, Hugh Jackman, and Kate Beckinsale as well as Hallle Berry from the WB panel and autograph area and Angelina Jolie from the Tomb Raider panel.
~posted by Kay

  Amanda Tapping and Don S. Davis at Sci Fi Channels booth was a pure delight for all who had the chance to see them -- and their panel was full of fun and laughter. Stargate fans owe MGM, Sci Fi Channel, and Light Speed Fine Art a big thanks for having 3 cast members on hand throughout the weekend. (Tony Amendola spent several hours at the Light Speed Fine Art booth Saturday and Sunday and was positively charming! Bratac's commanding presence delighted fans left and right!)

The President of MGM announced that Stargate will in fact have an 8th season, and Amanda Tapping for one was thrilled to hear it!

Later in the day Saturday, Hugh Jackman was the "star" of the Van Helsing panel which featured almost the entire cast from the movie. Again laughter was plentiful, as was the fun on stage on off.

Above all else, when these talented folks come to the San Diego Comic Con it is evident not only that they appreciate the fans who enjoy their work, but they have fun making those fans so happy.



~posted by Kay

  Autograph area highlights yesterday, Friday July 18, included Patrick Kilpatrick who had his son with him -- and the two were a positively charming duo, Julie Caitlin Brown who seemed to be drawing spurts of attention -- and the Farscape cast members who drew a tremndous amount of attention just after their panel.

It is nice to see talented and wonderful actors hidden behind a mass of fans, sitting at their tables, selling photos to help cover the expense of their being here, and interacting with the fans.

Just as the fans pay to be here, the actors do as well, but they are not on salary at a job that gives vacation time, so every day spent at the con is a day they are otherwise unemployed -- and it is wonderful to see fans "rewarding" those they enjoy inviting into their home each week on television, thanks to either "live" programming, or thanks to newly released DVDs in reruns.

That said, most actors do a good job of understanding that not all the fans have loads of money to spend, and are happy to talk to those who can not buy a picture this year -- but have already bought the DVD, picked up a picture in past years, and support their careers all year long.

I know for myself, after seeing a few people at con over the past few years, I've gone in search of work they mentioned having done that I was unfamiliar with, and I specifically watch for projects featuring them, and check out imdb periodically to see just where I can watch them next.
~posted by Kay

 

A definite highlight Friday was the Battlestar Gallactica panel.

They did confirm that the concept was reimagined, and changed in a variety of ways -- but the goal was to keep it interesting, and alive, and to give viewers a 4 hour mini-series (airing in December) that they will want to tune in for.

Tricia Helfer (Number 6), Katee Sackhoff (Lieutenant Kara "Starbuck" Thrace) & Jamie Bamber (Captain Lee "Apollo" Adama) dealt very nicely with questions from the audience members, and showed they had truly enjoyed the making of this mini-series, and that they would enjoy continuing as these characters in a full series.

Something many of the audience members seemed to be greatly in favor of.


~posted by Kay

  Thursday at con

Michelle Scarbelli positively sparkled after arriving at con -- despite having hit horrendous traffic coming down from Los Angeles. She looked a tad tired if you glanced back over your shoulder, but when you were in her booth she was "on" and happy to chat.

Virginia Hey appeared to be having a wonderful time, as always, as the fans lined up at her booth. She smiled, told stories, and you could see men's knees start to sink a tad as she made them feel as though they were the center of the known world.

Lani Tupu was, as always, a wonderful, happy guy, seeming to have a wonderful time interacting the fans who found him, sitting quite a bit further from fellow Farscape actress Virginia Hey than one would expect -- so take your timein the Autograph Area, and go full circle to make sure you don't miss anyone.

Erin Gray had a lovely selection of photos out, covering two tables (a generous selection of pics on display compared to some who were confined to just one table because of booth size) and seemed to be enjoying the slow day at con. (Thursday is traditionally the slowest day of the four, with Saturday being, by far, the bussiest,)

Andrea Thompson from Babylon5, Tallia, is on hand and Thursday she signed at the same booth as Julie Caitlin Brown, Na'Toth from Babylon 5. Andrea's son came with her, and was offering to take photos for fans who wanted a picture taken with his mom. According to one and all he was a sweet young man having a wonderful day out with mom. As for Andrea -- as folks came out of the line, even those who were not huge B-5 fans, but had gone through the line to keep friends company were THRILLED to have met her.
~posted by Kay

  Tony Amendola has had to change from signing at the Light Speed Booth on Friday (today), to signing on both Saturday and Sunday! So Check out Light Speed Fine Arts on Saturday and/or Sunday to meet Teal'c's mentor!
~posted by Kay

 

We have arrived for San Diego Comic Con 2003!

Preview night was FULL of people compared to previous years -- so if the crowd in the hall last night is anything to judge by San Diego will have more people than ever before loaded into the San Diego Convention center for the next four days!

SciFi.com announced that Don S. Davis and Amanda Tapping will be doing Stargate signings at their booth SATURDAY, and Light Speed Fine Art announced that not only do they have some WONDERFUL Amanda Tapping and Don S. Davis photos for sale -- but also that Tony Amendola will be at their booth at noon-time Friday for a signing!

If you have not yet enrolled in the Stargate Fan Club-- Light Speed Fine Arts Booth is the place to go! (Light Speed Fine Art is booth number 3347.)
~posted by Kay

 
Why does PopArtsPlace.com make a point of checking out the San Diego Comic Con every year, and covering it for you? This latest announcement may just give you an idea...

The stars come out for Comic-Con once again …
4-day event features an incredible line-up
2003 is shaping up to be another major year at Comic-Con International. Hollywood is coming to the show in droves, and while you can expect the usual amount of surprises, we do have some major announcements to make. Our complete programming schedule will start to show up on this web site starting on Monday, July 7, so watch for that and detailed information on all of our programs. But in the meantime, how’s this for starters?

Friday, July 18 starts our big Hollywood blitz with panels featuring Stan Lee and Chase Masterson (Comic Books Into Movies, Room 6CDEF, 10:30 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.), Rob Zombie (Room 6CDEF, 12:00-1:00 p.m.), and some of the members of the Farscape cast (including Ben Browder, Lani John Tupu, Virginia Hey, Wayne Pygram, Jonathan Hardy, Francesca Buller and David Franklin, plus writer/exec. producer Richard Manning. 1:00-2:30 p.m., Room 6CDEF). We’ll also be taking a sneak peek at the new SCI FI event Battlestar Galactica from 12:00-1:00 p.m. in Room 6A, with actor Edward James Olmos among others.

Some of the great screenwriters who brought some of our favorite comics to the screen join the Creative Screenwriting Magazine panel from 1:00-2:30 p.m. in Room 6B. Included are David Hayter (X-Men), Michael Dougherty (X2), and James Robinson (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen). Disney takes the stage at 1:00 p.m. in our giant Ballroom 20 with sneak peeks at upcoming films including Haunted Mansion with producer Don Hahn. Special effects master Stan Winston takes the stage in 6A at 4:00 p.m. Friday is Star Wars Day at Comic-Con, so you can expect an incredible spectacle dedicated to all thing Lucas from 2:30-4:30 p.m. in Room 20. Also look for an exclusive sneak of Cartoon Network’s Star Wars related Clone Wars series featuring Genndy Tartakovsky.

The day ends with two big movie events: Miramax’s Kill Bill panel (in Room 20) featuring Director Quentin Tarentino, and cast members David Carradine, Daryl Hannah, Michael Madsen and Michael Jai White. Plus get the first news on a new film by Comic-Con special guests Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean, coming from The Jim Henson Company, MirrorMask. Plus we have 2 brand new animated premieres on Friday: Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman, and Jill Thompson’s Scary Godmother Animated Special.

So if you survived the sensory overload of Friday, get ready for Saturday, July 19! We start the day at 10:30 a.m. with a mega star, none other than Academy Award winning actress Halle Berry at the Warner Bros. Studio panel promoting her new film Gothika. And as if the star power of Halle alone isn't enough, next up at 11:30 is Angelina Jolie, the star of Lara Croft Tomb Raider The Cradle of Life. Then it’s 90 minutes of Kevin Smith from 12:30-2:00 p.m. Up next New Line presents Robert Englund talking about the upcoming Freddy vs. Jason (Mr. Englund is also the Master of Ceremonies for this year’s Masquerade!). New Line Home Video then takes the stage to talk about the DVD release of Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, with the man who helped bring Gollum to life, Andy Serkis.

At 4:00 p.m., it’s Sony and the man who made Spider-Man real, Sam Raimi, with a sneak peek at Spider-Man 2! Sony also brings us looks at 2 other upcoming movies, Underworld, with stars Kate Beckinsale and Scott Speedman and director Len Wiseman, and Hellboy with creator Mike Mignola.

And at 5:00 p.m. we end the day with a major bang: The cast of Van Helsing, Universal’s upcoming release. Appearing on the Ballroom 20 stage will be stars Hugh Jackman and Kate Beckinsale, and Director Stephen Sommers (The Mummy, The Mummy Returns). And that’s just one room (Ballroom 20)!

Think we’re forgetting about television and animation? Think again! Saturday includes a sneak peek at the first all-CGI animated show on TV, Game Over, which debuts in 2004 on UPN. Matt Groening, a Comic-Con special guest, sits down with some of his voice cast and crew members of both Futurama and The Simpsons, from 12:00-2:00 p.m. Cartoon Network presents looks at 2 new series, Duck Dodgers and Teen Titans, plus the return of a panel dedicated to its popular Adult Swim series. Mark Evanier presents his annual Cartoon Voices panel, this year with a reading of an actual script (3:30-5:30 p.m. in Room 6B). Television-wise, Dark Horse brings back Joss Whedon and we devote an additional panel to a whole bunch of the writers from both Buffy and Angel. J. Michael Straczynski talks about his Showtime Original Series Jeremiah. The Executive Producers of Smallville, Al Gough and Miles Millar, along with 2 of the writers, Jeph Loeb and Mark Verheiden make an appearance along with … well, let’s just say a major cast member or two (11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.). SCI FI showcases Stargate SG-1 from 12:30-1:30 p.m.

And on Sunday, we have a special event. Eliza Dushku joins us at Comic-Con to present the first-ever screening of the pilot for her new Fox TV series, Tru Calling! This event takes place in Ballroom 20 from 12:30-2:00 p.m.




~posted by Kay

  MGM has this to annouce for San Diego Comic Con:
Comic-Con Highlights:
STARGATE SG-1 STARS HEAT UP COMIC-CON 2003 IN SAN DIEGO-
Amanda Tapping, Don S. Davis and Co-Producer Martin Wood to Head Up SG-1 Panel
By Paul Gendreau

Comic-Con 2003 is set to roll at the San Diego Convention Center, July 17-20, with an incredibly diverse list of special guests from across the comic, science-fiction and fantasy spectrum. Stargate SG-1 fans will be especially interested in this year's Comic-Con with the announcement of an all-Stargate SG-1 panel featuring Amanda Tapping (Major/Dr. Samantha Carter), Don S. Davis (General Hammond), and co-producer Martin Wood on Saturday, July 19th. The show is premiering its seventh season at 9 P.M. June 13th on Sci Fi Channel; Dr. Daniel Jackson is back, and fans want to know what's in store for the SG-1 team.

Major Samantha Carter (expertly portrayed by Amanda Tapping) is the beautiful astrophysics genius who is every bit as tough as the men on her SG-1 team. Major Carter is an expert on Stargate technology, and her passion and drive adds that much-needed woman's perspective to the show. If you've never met Ms. Tapping, here's your opportunity to experience this remarkable woman, recently honored by Multichannel News for her excellence as an actress and for her commitment to the industry. She is as articulate as she is beautiful.

General Hammond (the incredible Don S. Davis) will be on hand to watch over Major Carter at the Comic-Con. Hammond joins Carter on the panel, showing that he is every bit as good out in the field as he is commanding his SG-1 team. A hardened military leader, Hammond is also a wise man that defends humanity at all costs. (In case you were wondering-yes, that was our own Don S. Davis co-starring as the dog-show judge of the final round in Christopher Guest's hit film "Best in Show." Here's your chance to find out if Don really knows the difference between a Norwich and a Cairn terrier!)

For those with questions about where season seven will take the SG-1 crew, co-producer/director Martin Wood will join Davis and Tapping on the panel. Wood, whose past series credits include Silk Stalkings and Jake and the Kid, has directed several Stargate episodes from past seasons ("The Serpent's Lair," "In the Line of Duty," "Prisoner") and takes the helm for a number of episodes in season seven. If you want to be the first to get next season's secrets, this is one Comic-Con you won't want to miss.

Comic-Con 2003 is at the San Diego Convention Center, July 17th - 20th, with a special preview night, July 16th. If you are a comic, fantasy or sci-fi fan, consider this your destiny, with over 350,000 square feet of space and 63,000 visitors. Visit the Comic-Con Web site (www.comic-con.org) for a complete list of confirmed guests, panels and activities. See you in sunny San Diego-and don't forget your sunblock!
~posted by Kay

  San Diego Comic Con has announced the Autograph Schedule

Check it out and see when your favorite stars will be there!

Angelina Jolie, Hugh Jackman and a host of others are turning out to make this one spectacular convention!
~posted by Kay