The City of Ember Pulls Out All Stops on Promo Train Ride to SDCC
In one of those “blink and you’ll miss it” stories that was initially reported last Wednesday in Variety, Walden Media took advantage of Southern California’s usual traffic problems and the rail lines that connect Los Angeles to San Diego by hooking two train cars together, filling them with 23 entertainment reporters who were going to the convention anyway, and for the two-hour commute, bombarded them with clips, information, and interview opportunities for director Gil Kenan for the fall film based on a fantasy novel. Well, it worked, since I’m telling you guys about it, aren’t I?
Leading Actors for Magdalena Introduced During Top Cow Panel on Comics
During their panel on Saturday afternoon, president Matt Hawkins introduced actors Luke Goss (Hellboy II) and Jenna Dewan (Step Up) who will be playing Christoph and Patience, two characters from the upcoming movie based on the comic book. Mega-producer Gale Ann Hurd (the first three Terminator movies, and why wasn’t she on EW’s 10 influential people list?) was also on-hand to promise more information and more to show at next year’s Comic Con.
EW Staff Members at Front Lines of Most Popular Comic Con Panels
Reading Entertainment Weekly’s PopWatch coverage of Comic Con, you’ll notice the phrase “EW’s own” a lot when they speak of whomever is moderating the panel. As a journalist and a fan, that makes me feel a little uncomfortable knowing that someone who is already supposed to be an objective observer becoming part of “the inside” by directing what’s supposed to be a fan-friendly event. While I am a huge fan of the idea of moderated panels at genre conventions–because fans can sometimes ask the stupidest questions–fans have also provided some of the more memorable moments during panels (see the Samuel L. Jackson/Nick Fury comment that I posed about on Saturday). Besides, the only reason why the actors and directors are even at the convention is because of the 125,000+ people who spent a lot of their hard-earned money to go see them. It’s a dichotomy for the ages, I suppose.
Variety’s EIC Peter Bart Thinks He Gets Comic Con, But He’s Wrong
The editor-in-chief weighed in on what he thinks the myths are about the annual Nerd Prom in San Diego, and in my opinion, he not only fails at debunking the myths, he does so at the expense of the very audience that makes Comic Con so great. Examples include such bon mots as: “The geeks and freaks positively thrive on the frenzied overcrowding” and “The dweebs then feel hip!” If you don’t believe me, read the article for yourself.