SCI FI Wire has posted a very interesting interview they did with Fran Kranz (doll programmer Topher Brink) of Dollhouse at Comic-Con last month. In it there's much discussion and spoilers for one of the infamous unaired episodes of the Joss Whedon show. But unless you're buying season one on DVD or Blu-Ray set, you want to be spoiled for the unaired ep "Epitaph One."
"Epitaph One" serves as the jumping off point for the second season of Dollhouse and the post-apocalyptic world will not be a place that's kind to Topher Brinks, according to Kranz. Click here to read the interview and enjoy a clip from "Epitaph One" below.
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus will always be remembered as the last film Heath Ledger worked on before his untimely death in 2008. Because of the fantastical nature of the film, writer/director Terry Gilliam (Monty Python, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) was able to complete work on the project, with actors Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell stepping in to portray Ledger's character Tony at various points in the movie.
The Imaginarium panel at Comic-Con was a mix of humorous and somber moments. Gilliam made sure to manage expectations by reminding the audience that the movie is Dr. Parnassus' (Christopher Plummer) story, not Tony's. The clips we saw had a distinctive visual look and were tantalizing snippets that gave only hints of the worlds to which the Imaginarium leads. Gilliam said that he had done the opposite of most Comic-Con presenters by choosing "boring" clips from the film so those of us in attendance would "get our money's worth" when the movie opens, but the footage we saw was far from boring.
Three clips from the film can be viewed at Yahoo! Movies. Four high-definition video clips of Terry Gilliam and Verne Troyer (Austin Powers trilogy) at the Imaginarium panel are now available on our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/popwenches. Here are a couple for your viewing pleasure:
Wrapping up some drips and drabs now that I've had a chance to breathe and catch up on a little sleep post-convention, and that means some new, short clips from the Avatar panel have been posted to our Pop Wenches You Tube channel at www.youtube.com/popwenches!
Check out one of the new clips below, and read up here on the almost 30 minutes of Avatar footage that debuted at Comic-Con and the free sneak peek on August 21.
We've got nine . . . count 'em, nine! . . . high-definition video clips covering almost the entire True Blood panel at San Diego Comic-Con. I haven't watched this show before (no HBO at home) but after seeing the panel, the way the cast interacts and the enthusiasm of the fans, I'm going to be adding the season 1 DVDs to my Netflix list. The clips are all embedded here, but can be watched in all their high-definition glory at the Pop Wenches YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/popwenches).
Make sure to subscribe to our Pop Wenches blog RSS feed or our YouTube channel to get updates each time we post new videos. And leave comments here and with each video if you enjoy the footage!
Six high-definition video clips from the Sanctuary panel with Amanda Tapping, Robin Dunne, Martin Wood and Damien Kindle at San Diego Comic-Con have just been posted to the Pop Wenches YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/popwenches. There are more high-def clips coming soon from the True Blood, District 9, Avatar, Stargate Universe, Legion, 9, Torchwood and Being Human panels. Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to get updates each time we post new videos and leave comments here and with each video to let us know which ones you like best (or hate -- we've got thick skins).
And for your previewing pleasure before you check out the Pop Wenches YouTube channel:
The hotel 'net connection is taking forever to upload the high-def video clips. Nothing is ever simple! I'm hoping to get a couple of clips loaded if I left them go overnight . . .
Just got out of a fun panel for Sanctuary, which airs on Syfy and is heading into its second season. The show, which was co-created by and stars Amanda Tapping (Stargate SG1, Stargate Atlantis), hasn't gotten me completely hooked on it yet, but it sounds like the new season may be the one in which the show hits its stride.
Enjoy the following notes from the panel (video and more photos to follow later)!
TV Guide moderator: Tell us about the journey of the show over the past two years. Amanda's "gobsmacked" at the support the show's gotten from fans, from when they started promoting the webisodes at a Comic-Con booth two years ago (Sanctuary got its start as a web series before being picked up by Syfy) to getting a second season pick-up. Sanctuary is the first show from a web series to get a second season.
Promo reel is played: - Lots of clips from last season becuase of the post-production time required for all of their episodes, so they couldn't give Syfy more than a few snippets of season 2 footage - Montage of clips with the phrases "New Dangers," "New Characters" and "New Relationshiops,"Had a surprising number of clips including Tesla and Watson.
Martin Wood says the 2nd season effects are way, way better than first season. The big discovery next season is that there are Sanctuaries all over the world (fans had heard this news previously). They wanted a "James Bond" feel ingthat the story could take place anywhere. Magnus has build dozens of Sancturaries during her life in places like Mumbai. All the Sanctuaries have a different look -- they did't just recycle the London Sanctuary..
Robin Dunne says that, with Sanctuary, when you pick up a script, you never know what adventure you're going on and with the second season "the boundaries have been pushed so much farther."
The eighth ep si called "Next Tuesday" and is a "helicopter ep" that was "sadistic" for Amanda and Robin. Will Zimmerman and Magnus are transporting a rare abmornal off of an oil rig (in Mexico?).The abnormal wakes up, gets upset and the helicoptor goes down in an oil well in the middle of the ocean, with the helicopter suspended above them and a nest of wires. Amanda, Robin and director Martin Wood spent five days in wetsuits for this sep and they did not use stunt people. According to Robin, by day 4 the water was really crowded with "debris." According to Martin, it was really impressive to see Amanda hold her breath for 94 seconds.
The season premiere includes a big car chase with Magnus behind the wheel, for which they used Damien Kindle's car and no stunt driver. Amanda did her own driving for the sequence and Robin says that his reaction in the passenger seat was not acting -- he was terrified!
[bxA]Also shot scenes for an episode on location Japan. They were there doing press for Syfy Japan and decided to take advantage of the opportunity -- had 76 hours. We'll get to meet the new head of Tokyo Sanctuary and the rebuilt Tokyo Sanctuary- Damien was dying when Martin told us this because Martin was revealing too much.
The scenes they shot in Japani were filmed almost guerilla style - Martin was working the camera, there were no permits and they were writing scenes onsite because they were having fun and wanted to maximize the opportunity. So when you watch the ep, just know that it's really Japan and not just stock footage and CGI.
Amanda directed an ep called "Veritas" in which Magnus goes "completely off her rocker." This ep really showcases Will's loyalty to Magnus -- "when the world turns it's back on her, he can be counted on to stick with her." Damien Kindler says that they wanted to deepen Will and Helen's relationship this season (in a non-shipper way) - they didn't want the relationship to be stagnant and just about capturing monsters.
Accordingg toRobin, "there's a groundedness to the characters this year" and "Will and Magnus are more honest with each other." Will will call her out when needed and tell her things she doesn't want to hear, but needs to hear.
Season two is more about the now instead of flashbacks, but according to Martin we get a "future flash." The future flash ep is "Padua Noctoris" which focuses on a probable future. Amanda says we'll see "Will unlike you've ever seen him before" and that it was "freaky",seeing Robin in character for this ep. It's set in a post-apocalyptic era and we'll see a decayed Sanctuary, Magnus' office destroyed, band -- most frightening --Will with mullet!
There's a new character - a woman of Indian descent who's a freelance op, a "Han Solo type" --and Magnus doesn't trust her in the beginning. The new, very blunt character "shines a light on the Sanctuary" and what they do and whether how they're going about it is right.
Shippers - Magnus held Will Zimmerman on her knee when he was 8! Magnus + Druitt is that character's big love affair ("she likes the bad boys"). There's also Count Olaff who owns a soccer team.
Zap2It questions:
What was up with Ashley in the season one finale? What happens to Ashley reverberates through the Sanctuary and affects the first three eps. It's a very physically and emotionally challenging season for Helen and Will.
Magnus had quite a high body count among her friends during the first season -- will they keep doing that next season? Reiterated that "nobody dies in scifi and they can bring back any if the great guest stars who died during the first season. Also have great upcoming guest stars for season 2. Michael Shanks guest ep. Not a lot of Michael & Amanda screen time.. Gun fight though. Mostly abt Michael and Kate. Michael's & Amanda's characters know each other and are happy when they meet though. Not the "Daniel and Sam show." Callum Blue will also guest and Amanda called him "yummy" before remembering that that was supposed to be an inside voice, not an announcement to the public. very cute!
Will Watson come back? He lived for a long time and they show backstories all the time and "we will see him again if we can get third season going."
Do any of them have any "cool stories" about scars or accidents since they're doing so many of their own stunts? Robin jokingly, but eloquqently replied, "Do you have four hours [to hear about all my injuries]?" Amanda said, "I'm the one woman who should NEVER have been allowed to do my own stunts and yet I have for the past 13 years. I have scars."
Friday’s most anticipated panel presentation (aside from the Twilight panel) was probably for James Cameron’s Avatar. Information on the animated sci fi feature film has been kept tightly under wraps during the entire production, and the Comic-Con audience was treated to the very first public screening of footage in 3D.
Cameron didn’t skimp on clips either -- announcing from the stage that the audience would get to watch between 25 and 30 minutes of finished scenes from Avatar.
The film revolves around a human, Jake Sully (voice and performance by Sam Worthington of Terminator Salvation), who joins his military peers on the alien planet Pandora, where the plants,the native creatures and humanoid residents (the Navi) are likely to kill you.
The wheelchair-bound Jake is one of several team members whose consciousness is transferred into cloned bodies that combine human and Navi DNA. From the clips we saw, it seems that Jake eventually “goes native” and befriends/presumably falls in love with a Navi female (Zoe Saldana, Star Trek), getting to know Pandora as part of the planet instead of as invader.
The footage was technically and visually stunning, showing us the hostile alien world of Pandora in vibrant blues, greens, purples and oranges. The performance capture is well done, with the characters’ distinctly alien body language and their facial expressions coming through clearly onscreen. The 3D effect was the most crisp and clean I’ve ever seen, with minimal ghosting thanks to the improved Dolby 3D glasses.
Following the current trend of 3D movies, the scenes we viewed had minimal objects flying out of the screen at the audience. The animation was beautifully layered, especially in the jungle scenes, which gives the movie a lush, deep feel. There were some wonderful camera moves as well, with one memorable shot that starts in the forest canopy above the protagonists’ heads. The plant fronds layered between the camera and the characters give the audience a sense of great height from the forest floor and distinctly feral point of view.
Spoilers and video clips after the cut!
[bxA]Some brief notes I jotted during the screening:
First scene played - military briefing with Col. Quaritch (Stephen Lang) as the head of the troops on Pandora - we learn that Pandora is an extremely hostile environment and that Jake Sully is wheelchair-bound for a reason not revealed in this scene - native humanoids of Pandora are the Navi, who use primitive but effective weapons and have naturally occurring carbon fiber strengthening their skeletons - Quaritch memorably tells the new troops, “It is my job to keep you alive. I will not succeed.” Bluntly telling them that some of them are going to die during this tour of duty.
Scenes 26-29 - Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver), a scientist and environmentalist, is introduced. She is the one who transfers Jake’s consciousness into its new alien-human hybrid body. Her consciousness is also transferred to a new hybrid body. - These hybrids physically resemble the Navi. Are around 10 feet tall and very slender and lithe, towering over the lab and medical assistants. Jake wakes up after the transfer and he is now very tall, very blue with darker blue stripes, yellow eyes, a tail, and long black hair that is tied back into a single braid. He is comically euphoric as he discovers this new body of his.
Scene 40 - New hybrid team (including Jake and Dr. Augustine) are in the forest, which is beautiful and lush with giant orange flowers that pop shut at Jake’s touch. They encounter a huge 4-legged creature with a head like a hammerhead shark that Jake faces down . . . until a larger, far more vicious predator attacks the team and a fast-paced chase and fight scene begins.
Scene ?? - Navi female (Saldana) is watching Jake while hidden up in the forest canopy. She is preparing to shoot him with an arrow (which we’ve been told is dipped in a potent, deadly neurotoxin), when a delicate, many tentacled critter that looks like a floating dandelion-type seed drifts over and lands on her arrowhead. This affects the female for reasons we don’t understand and she puts down her weapon.
Scene 55-60 - Jake is camping alone in the forest and is attacked by another predator. The Navi female, named Neytiri, springs to action and proves that she’s a fierce, skilled warrior as she slays the creature and protects Jake. Afterward, however, she’s furious with him for acting carelessly in the forest and making the animal’s killing necessary. She says that he’s “like a baby” but that she saved him because he has a strong heart with no fear, though we can tell there’s more to this. - Neytiri takes off through the forest and Jake follows, wanting her to teach him to live better in the forest. She refuses, but the forest lights up with beautiful phosphorescent colors and we see the Navi and the hybrids also have phosphorescent face and body markings. - When Neytiri tells Jake that she will not take him with her to her people, the delicate critters return en masse, landing on Jake and covering him. Neytiri tells him that they are “seeds of the Sacred Tree, very pure spirits” and takes him with her.
Scene 115 - Jake has “gone native” at this point. He’s wearing Navi clothing, not military wear. He is in the company of Neytiri and some of her people. - Jake ducks behind the backside of a waterfall and into a hidden area where many dragon-like lizard creatures live. Jake is here to claim a mount, with whom he will have a psychic bond Pern Dragonrider-style. - Once Jake has subdued the proper dragon, he has to connect a tentacle-like appendage on the creatures head to some tentacles hidden at the end of his long braid, establishing the connection between them. After some mid-flight missteps, Jake learns how to physically command his mount.
Avatar opens in theaters in 2D and 3D on December 18th, but movie fans worldwide will have a chance to watch a 15 minute sneak peek for free in select IMAX and 3D theaters on August 21. Watch Cameron’s announcement below:
Quickly posting the blog entry that I was just about to complete when the Comic-Con wifi gave me a swift and very hard boot. More to come after I finish going through my photos and videos from today . . .
At the first day of this year's San Diego Comic-Con and it feels even more crowded and manic than usual for a con Thursday, mainly because of the immense crowds who are here for the 1:45pm Summit Entertainment panel that will include Twilight and a rumored in-person appearance by both Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. I had planned on covering that panel and the other panels in the main hall this morning, but there was no way that anyone who got into that line after 9am was going to get into the hall, despite its large capacity.
Have been exploring the football-field-size dealers room instead, which includes impressive booths/areas for the big movie and TV studios (as expected). More updates to come . . .
The programming schedule for all four days of this year's San Diego Comic-Con has been posted. As always, there are a huge number and huge variety of panels covering a whole range of topics. A lot of exciting guests who will be there in person, including folks like Peter Jackson, Tim Burton, James Cameron, Nicolas Cage, Sigourney Weaver, Kristen Bell, Bruce Campbell, Elijah Wood, Jennifer Connelly, Peter David, Paul Bettany, Tyrese Gibson, Joseph Fiennes, John Cho, and Kiefer Sutherland.
Passes are sold out, but a few passes at a time are being posted to eBay by the Comic-Con organizers in these days before the convention starts.
Don't forget that Pop Wenches will be live blogging from all four days of the convention, which runs from July 23-26!
Aspiring musicians, songwriters and Losties have been invited to create the "ideal" LOST theme song in a new contest from ABC. The winner's song will be used in a "mock main title sequence" in a video that will be shown at San Diego Comic-Con in a couple of weeks.
LOST panels at Comic-Con have an established track record of surprises -- such as exclusive video clips that further the show's mythology and unannounced appearances by show stars like Harold Perrineau ("Michael Dawson) and Matthew Fox ("Dr. Jack Shephard") -- so the winning music will most likely debut at this year's panel and not in the dealer's room. The LOST panel is held in the main convention hall which holds close to 7,000 people (and I can vouch that the hall is always packed to the gills during the LOST presentation).
The music track must not be more than 60 seconds in length and, according to the official rules, will be judged on originality, musical talent, "coolness" and "Jacob"-worthiness. The submission deadline is July 16 and the contest is open to US residents only. For more information, visit the official contest site. [ABC.COM]
This summer Robot Chicken fans will have the chance to roller skate the night away with Seth Green, Brecken Meyer, Matthew Senreich and another special guest.
Yes, you read that correctly: roller skate.
The Robot Chicken crew is celebrating the July 21 release of Robot Chicken: Star Wars - Episode II on DVD with a nine-city roller skating tour. The first date is scheduled for July 25 in San Diego to coincide with Comic-Con. The remaining eight dates are scatted across the country from Los Angeles to Kansas City to New York and will feature performances from hip hop group Gym Class Heroes. [Adult Swim]
SCI FI Channel has released the schedule of panels it will be hosting at San Diego Comic-Con later this month. The schedule covers a wide range of their original programming and the talent from those shows, including Edward James Olmos and Esai Morales from Battlestar Galactica and Caprica; most of the cast of the newest installment in the Stargate franchise, Stargate Universe; and Sanctuary stars Amanda Tapping and Robin Dunne.
Schedule from SCI FI Channel as follows:
Friday, July 24
10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Stargate Universe Ballroom 20. A new chapter of the Stargate saga begins with the all-new original series Stargate Universe. Join stars Robert Carlyle, Brian J. Smith, Elyse Levesque, David Blue, Alaina Huffman, Jamil Walker Smith and Ming-Na alongside series co-creators Brad Wright and Robert Cooper.
11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. Caprica/Battlestar Galactica: The Plan Ballroom 20. The present meets the past as the makers of Battlestar Galactica deliver the highly anticipated original series Caprica and the two-hour event, Battlestar Galactica: The Plan, directed by Edward James Olmos. This is your chance to get the inside scoop on these exciting projects and see two generations of Adamas on stage together for the first time. Executive Producers Ronald D. Moore, David Eick and Jane Espenson sit down with Caprica star Esai Morales (Joseph Adama) and Olmos (Admiral William Adama) to reveal the truth about these two new chapters in the mythology of Battlestar. Moderated by Geoff Boucher, Los Angeles Times.
3:15 p.m.-4:15 p.m. Eureka Room 6BCF. Eureka is back this summer with all new episodes, and Salli Richardson-Whitfield (Allison Blake), Erica Cerra (Jo Lupo), Neil Grayston (Douglas Fargo) and Jaime Paglia (executive producer/co-creator) are stopping by to let you in on the fun. Moderated by Josh Gates, Destination Truth.
8:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m. SCI FI Screening Room 6DE. See Warehouse 13 and Eureka on the big screen. Join SCI FI for an exclusive screening of the next all-new episodes of the summer's two hottest series, along with best of clips from Ghost Hunters.
[bxA]Saturday, July 25
12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m. Sanctuary Bayside Hilton Indigo Room. Before Sanctuary returns for an all-new season, don't miss your chance to go inside the action and behind the scenes. Join stars Amanda Tapping (Dr. Helen Magnus) and Robin Dunne (Dr. Will Zimmerman) as well as executive producers Martin Wood and Damian Kindler for an exclusive conversation about one of television's most innovative shows. Moderated by Michael Logan, TV Guide.
2:15 p.m.-3:15 p.m. Warehouse 13 Room 6A. Join stars Eddie McClintock (Pete Lattimer), Joanne Kelly (Myka Bering), Saul Rubinek (Artie Nielsen) and Allison Scagliotti (Claudia Donovan), along with Jack Kenny (executive producer/show runner) and David Simkins (executive producer) as they reveal confidential information about America's most classified secret. Moderated by Michael Logan, TV Guide.
Tickets for San Diego Comic-Con are sold out, but don't forget that Pop Wenches will be live blogging from the event! [SCIFI Wire]
- Information about the television panels scheduled for next month's San Diego Comic-Con are starting to trickle out. The list so far includes Caprica, Chuck, Dexter, Dr. Who, Heroes, Lost, Mythbusters, True Blood and V, for starters. Pop Wenches will be attending the four-day convention, so expect lots of live blogging here from July 23-26! [E! Online]
- Oscar-winning actress Linda Hunt (The Year of Living Dangerously, Dune) has joined the cast of the spin-off drama NCIS: Los Angeles which stars LL Cool J and Chris O'Donnell. Hunt will be tech who provides LL and O'Donnell with all sorts of nifty gadgets before they head out into the field. [Associated Press via Yahoo! News]
- After passing on a One Tree Hill role, Brian Austin Green has kept in the CW family, joining Smallville as the villian Metallo. Green goes from fighting cyborgs to being one in at least the first two eps of Smallville's upcoming season. [TV Guide]
- The 24casting news keeps coming with the announcement that Clayne Crawford (Swimfan, Jericho) has been added to the show. Crawford "will play a bad boy from Dana Walsh's (Katee Sackhoff) past." Sackhoff's (Battlestar Galactica) addition to the 24 cast was confirmed earlier this month. [Hollywood Reporter]
- Bradley Whitford (West Wing) and Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle, Raising the Bar) are divorcing after almost 17 years of marriage and three children. [Associated Press via MSN]
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Wrapping up some drips and drabs now that I've had a chance to breathe and catch up on a little sleep post-convention, and that means some new, short clips from the Avatar panel have been posted to our Pop Wenches You Tube channel at 
Friday’s most anticipated panel presentation (aside from the Twilight panel) was probably for James Cameron’s Avatar. Information on the animated sci fi feature film has been kept tightly under wraps during the entire production, and the Comic-Con audience was treated to the very first public screening of footage in 3D.
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