While most children raised by the book recall fondly the adventures of Max through the jungles of the “wild things,” others remember it for its heated controversy over the disposition placed upon parents as incompetent to the “animal” behavior of the Max character. But despite all the ruckus the book managed to survive the scandal and earn the love of children everywhere who dared to go “Where the Wild Things Are.”

This week, latest trailer for the film go public, and once again it illustrates only a sample of what will certainly prove to gain critical acclaim. According to Maurice Sendak, himself, in the behind-the-scenes footage, the film will be as controversial as the books. From the material provided it is clear there will be a contrast between the world of him imaginings and the real world full of complex issues; issues including the relationships Max’s mother has with other men to the way Max copes with the confusion by biting people.

Based upon how Jonze has depicted his somewhat unconventional protagonists in his films like “Being John Malkovich” where the main character Craig Schwartz deals with his dismal life. Jonze is able to extrapolate the whole internal psychosis by projecting it with the legendary actor John Malkovich. The film is simply more than a story about a man’s escape, it’s more of a reflection on the way individuals cope with certain stages of their lives such as married life or work.

The importance in looking at Jonze’s work as any sort of indicator for “Where the Wild Things Are” will allow audiences to gain a sense of where the story will dictate itself. Certainly, one of the main important factors of Maurice Sendak’s work is the significance of deep emotions from early childhood such as depression or anger issues. Before the book, the image of childhood was very two dimensional as often the image of maturity was left to characters such as Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn. Children were never in the right, and the adults were always the authorities.

What Jonze seems to convey in the limited amount of footage is that same sort of depth riddled throughout “Where the Wild Things Are.” It is likely we will see the strains of Max’s relationship with his mother in a more discerning light. It is likely we will watch the world of Max’s imagination shatter or merge with his bitter reality. And whether one has read the book or not, this film will prove to be one of those surprising and insightful films that will get people talking this fall.

Although one shouldn’t count any proverbial chickens before they hatch, Spike Jonze’s “Where the Wild Things Are” is worth the bet! And lastly, a deserving nod should be given to Max Records, whose shared name with the main character of Max, will steal audiences attention as he gives a memorable performance.

And while the frenzy for all things vampiric hasn’t slowed down, as witnessed by the legion of “Twilight” fans awaiting Stephenie Meyer’s second installation in her series, “New Moon,” it begs the question as to whether “The Vampire Diaries” will pander to the popular trend or pave its own way?

Blast spoke with the cast and producers about this dilemma recently. When asked about concerns from fans about its parallels between the books and its depiction onscreen? Producers Julie Plec, Kevin Williamson and Bob Levy were happy to clear some things up.

“Well, the thing is there are very big fans of the books,” Williamson said.

“There was this ongoing joke about Damon and oranges on (a fansite) and I thought I had missed something in the books. So, I went back and tried to re-read everything because I didn’t want [fans] to think I hadn’t gone through it,” Plec added “So, that site posted it up, and I thought, ‘Perfect! Now at some point we can have Damon with an orange in a scene!’ So it’s just a little nod towards fans.”

Certainly one of the series’ strengths will be the books, themselves, which provide a strong enough platform to make television translation fairly easy. Anyone who has read them will notice that, while the obvious alterations have been made — as casting the heroine, Elena Gilbert, with a brunette actress instead of a blond — the context of the characters are very close to the books despite a few bumps. In fact, the whole debate about hair color is absurd when one realizes how wonderful Nina Dobrev is as the lead. She makes the character likable and interesting as opposed to the mean girl type Elena is in the books. For some this may be a good thing or a bad thing — along the same lines as defining whether Blair Waldorf is necessarily bad or good.

And for clarification, due to all the ruckus about blond versus brunette, Elena could have any colored hair as long as it bore the stark resemblance to a particular character. It’s supposed to have a deja-vu effect and serves nothing more than a plot device in the books. And insofar as romance aspect of the series.

“It’s really about the love story between these two characters (Elena and Stefan),” said Levy. On the possibility of the series getting darker: “I think this is a case where Kevin (Williamson) is at his best. He balances both aspects great. Overall, we will be focused on the relationships between the characters (and) blend them with the plot.”

For those curious as to whether we can expect Elena to do some action scenes like her leading men seen in recent promos: “You know, I’ve been asking that question too!” Nina Dobrev told Blast. “I’ve been asking the writers, ‘When will I get to jump off a roof too?’ You know I grew up with an older brother and played every sport imaginable. So yeah, I would like to do some action scenes. There are some things I can’t talk about but if you read the books, you’ll know it’ll surprise you. So not right now, but eventually.”

Paul Wesley may have gotten some of the action fighting, but so far he doesn’t necessarily have a favorite scene. “It’s a scene that hasn’t happened,” he revealed, “but when Elena eventually finds out Stefan is a vampire … when they get to that point, for me, that’ll be my favorite part because it’s such a big moment for them, because he truly loves this girl.”

There is something to be said for that comment considering the character he portrays, Stefan Salvatore, wears his heart on his sleeve, but his brother Damon is another story. “He controls life. Life doesn’t control him … except sometimes it stops, and makes him work a little bit harder,” said Ian Somerhalder who plays Damon.

On the traits of playing a more villainous character as Damon Salvatore: “It’s all about perspective, isn’t? It’s fun getting to play him. I mean Damon has an immense amount of strengths. He has mind manipulation powers, and can make you think whatever you want? How cool is that? But when that doesn’t work, it throws him off a bit. So the thing about about Stefan is he loses the love of his life, and there’s this vendetta for (more than one hundred years). I promise him an eternity of misery.” He added the last part with a grin, perhaps unintentionally.

“The Vampire Diaries” is not a series for all demographics. It’s catered toward a particular niche. That niche of viewers tuning to the series will be either of the nerdcore, whose love for vamps and the books know no bounds, or those looking for a weekly escape preceding the successful cult series, “Supernatural.”

The show needs time to grow outside of the shadow of “Twilight,” which has saturated the media beyond the popularity of the books and into the personal lives of the actors themselves.

“The Vampire Diaries” is set for Sept. 10 at 8 p.m. on The CW.

Playing a 50s housewife in the film, Thompson, 32, has gained critical acclaim with praise from the New York Times as well as a Leo Award for Best Supporting Performance by a female in a Feature Length Drama. Not too shabby for a girl who, in high school, thought actors were “losers and not very smart.” She went on to later catch the “acting bug” after appearing in several TV commercials, and the rest is history.

Set to release on DVD August 8, “Alien Trespass” also stars Eric McCormack as Thompson’s husband. He is a witty scientist who has his body taken over by an alien from a crashed UFO in the Mojave Desert. “Urp,” this alien, needs to stop the hideous, extra-terrestrial “Ghota” from destroying humankind with his voracious appetite. The story ensues as Dr. Lewis (McCormack) continues on his quest to be a hero and capture Ghota.

Speaking with Thompson, it’s obvious she’s smart. She is the kind of person you could sit and stare at all day, in sheer amazement at her energy level and motivation. Seemingly superhuman, like her blood runs a mix of Red Bull and espresso, she is a self-described Type A…but in a good way. She even managed to fit in a bit of woman-to-woman advice during the course of our interview. Without divulging all the details, let’s just say it’s now clear what kind of bra to wear when I’m headed out for a run with my baby in a jog-stroller.

“When I’m not busy I don’t feel fulfilled. It keeps my brain from turning to potatoes,” Thompson said. “Relaxing in the shade with a glass of wine would be nice, but it’s not my first choice.” Again — the motivation thing (as I sit typing away and drinking a glass of red)

With television credits including a recurring role on USA’s “The 4400” and appearances in “Stargate SG-1″ and “Stargate: Atlantis.” Her sci-fi trending is an accidental pattern. While Thompson is no stranger to the genre, playing Lana in Alien Trespass, however, was an entirely new and demanding experience. Describing it as “frightening,” Thompson says she struggled with trying not to overact the part. Corsets and other wardrobe accouterments, including a new Julia Child-esque haircut, helped her get into character. “It took a lot of research and physical adjustments,” she said. “It changes your attitude just by putting the wardrobe on.”

Thompson said it was a pleasure working with McCormack, best known for his part as the hilariously gay Will, in the sitcom Will and Grace. “He was like so cool. He like didn’t have any Hollywood stuff,” she said. “He was just funny the whole time.”

Doubly fortunate to have also worked with R.W. Goodwin, producer of the X-Files series, in this film, Thompson says she just really trusted him from the beginning. “He was so great,” she said. “He knows the genre inside and out.”

The film has done very well and was a big hit at this summer’s Comic Con International in San Diego. Goodwin and McCormack hosted the Alien Trespass panel, introducing it to viewers with a featurette about its origination in the 1950s and recent uncovering by construction workers.

So, is there any truth to the story? “I don’t think I will be in trouble for saying that’s part of the drama. It puts the viewer in the right frame of mind for approaching the work,” Thompson grinned.

An actress, mother and dog-trainer (yes she does that too), Thompson wears many hats. She is also a filmmaker and president of the International Filmmakers Institute. Her debut film, “Montana de Luz,” documents the stories of children in an orphanage in Honduras living with HIV. “If they can get through each day with positive attitude, there really isn’t any excuse for us,” she said.

Claiming to have had a difficult time playing the typical 195os housewife in “Alien Trespass,” its evident Thompson is deep down a caretaker. Whether it’s jogging with her 14-month-old son in the stroller, caring for her Alzheimer’s stricken mother, training her German Shepherds or making movies about disease-ridden children, Thompson is probably not an alien, but she probably has some superpowers.

With the stars and its producers at day three of Comic-Con International, Blast sat in and discussed
“Fringe’s” upcoming season and characters. The panel included J.H. Wyman, writers Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman and followed by cast members Joshua Jackson, Jasika Nicole, John Noble, and Anna Torv.

The second season of “Fringe” has already been plotted out by the, Wyman said.

“Peter (Bishop) is going to learn a lot about his existence, who he is,” Wyman said. “We have many things we have that we want to bank out here as a character, and then actually make him the hero he needs and wants to become.”

Wyman explained the fate of Peter (Joshua Jackson) who ended the season with a cliffhanger, leaving fans wondering about his identity. “There are many things beyond the ideas of aliens,” Wyman responded to the “no alien” stance from the show’s writers.

“The keys in the character and what is happening with the show and how it’s different than last year, is that we’re actually looking at the first season as a prologue,” Wyman said.

The basic theme of science, it’s catastrophic and uncontrollable nature, is the angle the show has taken and molded since it started last year. What makes it interesting is finding the show is developing its own groove.

“You’re really going to fall in love, this year we work with Walter’s emancipation,” Wyman said. “Peter is going to start to come into his own, and develop in an internal way … it’s really all delicious.”

The series tries to transcend science and be a show about people, building on the back stories of the characters. The writers described Peter and Olivia’s (Anna Torv) relationship as a “brother and sister” pairing.

There are no current plans to develop any romantic storylines between the characters at the moment, which in many ways is a godsend. What makes “Fringe” one of the most successful pilots is its focus on adding drama with the occasional humorous banter. Family also plays a pivotal role especially between Peter and his formally estranged father.

Joshua Jackson gave his views on the relationship between father and son: “There’s always this state of play,” he said. “The big reveal in the end of the season will inevitably lead to break up, until that break up we’ll see them getting closer and closer.”

The strength of “Fringe” is its ability to explore uncharted realms of science, bring them to life, and through it provide a mirror to the world and lives of its characters.

“Fringe” airs at 9 p.m. Thursday nights on Fox.

Note: This trailer very much deserves its red band rating, so don’t watch it if you will be offended by swears and inappropriate content.
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John Cusak ruled the eighties, so what better concept for a film than to bring him back to the era he reigned in? “Hot Tub Time Machine” is the story of a group of friends who travel back to 1986 after spending a night drinking Red Bulls and vodka in a hot tub where they partied in their youth. It is slated to hit theaters February 10, 2010.

Not since HBO’s first “True Blood” campaign has a poster not only made you laugh but made you want to know just what the hell the campaign is representing. Whedon is master of cult hits, and “The Cabin in the Woods” looks to be the next one in a very long list. If anything, those posters will make you laugh.

“I actually just recently watched (“Red Dawn”) for the first time,” said Palicki. “(Our version is) so different. Same characters, but very different. It’s more character-driven, different bad guys.”

Filming for “Red Dawn” begins in September according to Palicki, and the cast will be in Detroit for a three and a half month shoot.

Chris Hemsworth and Joshua Peck have already signed on to the film, but Palicki said the role of Robert was offered to “Slumdog Millionaire” star Dev Patel and the filmmakers were in talks with Kurt Russell about bringing him to the film.

“(The ‘Red Dawn’ remake is) huge. And it’s going to be more character driven, which is fun. You care about them a bit more,” she said.

“We just showed the trailer out there – or the teaser – and they went nuts,” he said. “I didn’t think we was gonna go wrong with having a director like Scott Stewart make his debut, who happens to own a special effects company.”

With Paul Bettany’s shirtless body plastered all around the convention center to promote the film, Gibson had plenty to say directed towards the actor – who happened to be sitting right behind him.

“Paul Bettany, just tell them how sexy you are, Jesus,” Gibson joked. “Tell them about that shirt that came with muscles.”

Later, he joked again about Bettany in regards to Scott Stewart’s visual effects capabilities.

“I told him listen, whatever you do, I know you’ve got to focus on a lot of effects, just make sure I have more muscles in this movie. Draw me a few more lines and ripples, and I think he delivered, and I’m excited about that,” Gibson said with a laugh. “I mean, he gave Paul Bettany a stomach for the cover, you know what I mean? Great CG work. Great CG work. [Bettany] worked out a little bit, but the CG work really took those abs to another level. And the whole film was sponsored by baby oil, so it was just crazy. It was a baby oil drought in the whole city of Albuquerque.”

On a more serious note, Gibson talked about the similarities between his character, Kyle Williams, and his own life. He said Williams is on his way to court to try to gain custody of his child – something Gibson is going through right now – when he stops at a diner and “all hell breaks through – literally.” But even with such serious topics, Gibson showed he was always in for a joke.

“So they’re trying to stop these spirits and these forces are trying to stop the birth of Jesus that’s in this woman’s stomach and then it gets revealed that it’s actually my baby,” said Gibson, pausing, and then bursting out laughing. “Oh no, I’m just playing. (laughs) Yeah! Everybody got quiet like, okay. I’m quick on the draw. (Adrianne Palicki’s Charlie) was only a couple months pregnant; we were stuck there for a minute, but we’re having a light-skinned Jesus. It’s going to come out half mixed; he’s going to be a half breed. It’s a beautiful collaboration.”
Scott Stewart said later Gibson always acted as hit cheerleader, flaunting Stewart’s visual effects abilities, and it was proven as Gibson kept coming back to the effects in conversation.

“(‘Legion’s) got some great effects in it. It’s not over the top,” said Gibson. “Unfortunately, we don’t get no Optimus Prime in this one, but you know, Bumblebee makes an appearance in the film – no, I’m just playing. Bumblebee with vampire fangs shows up. But yeah, it’s definitely got some great effects in it. You can’t go wrong.”

He added, “Crazy thing is, y’all didn’t hear this from me, a lot of directors and producers hire this guy and pay him big bucks to do effects on their films, but he hasn’t gave up all of the goodies; he saved them for his own damn movie. He’s got us doing some things in this film with some effects in this film, I’ve never seen before. He pulled out the bag of goodies for ‘Legion.’ I mean, the way this movie looks, you’d this movie cost $75 to $100 million, easy.”

When Blast tried to find out how big the budget for the film was, Gibson responded immediately, “I don’t know,” but then added with a laugh, “You said that so calm, you almost sucked me right into that.”

Gibson said it was great to work with Dennis Quaid again (who he worked with in “Flight of the Phoenix”) and talked about how his reputation is making sure everyone is having fun on the set of whatever film he is on.

“But that’s what I do: make sure the cast is having fun, then we all become good friends and we get each other pregnant,” he laughed. “I’m a human party on feet, man. Come on, baby, I can turn this into a party. I’ll pull out a speaker box in a minute. Come on, man, I will have someone in the corner beat boxing, and we will have this piece dancing, please believe that. Come on man, people take life way to serious. I like having fun.”

After the blockbuster success of “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” the upcoming release of “Mayhem” and the success of his music career, Gibson has much to be happy about.

“That’s right,” he said, “life is beautiful. Life is beautiful.”

Blast wasn’t lucky enough to get a look at the trailer, but coming from first-time director Scott Stewart who has a background in visual effects, it is sure to look amazing.

“Well he didn’t speak throughout filming the movie,” Palicki joked about Stewart’s background in visual effects, “he just kind of drew out what he wanted, and just pointed to it. No, he was really amazing as a director because he was very collaborative. It’s hard to find actor directors; people who are really good at communicating, and also, if we had issues, he was really great at discussing and finding happy mediums. It was really fun. You have to trust, especially in a movie like this, where you have to give birth and, you know, angels are coming after you, it’s nice to have somebody to trust in the high chair.”

Palicki described “Legion” as “Terminator” meets “Constantine;” a coming together of action and horror with a hint of religion and a dash of comic book flare.

“It’s a bit of a genre film, but it’s not a slasher movie,” she said of “Legion.” “There are some very shocking gory moments but it’s not, you know, gratuitous. It’s hard, like there’s such a fine line between a thriller and a horror. I lean more towards the thriller element of it.”

Palicki plays a not-so-virginal woman who is eight months pregnant with a Jesus-like messiah child. When asked who the father of the child was, she paused for a moment and hesitantly answered, “God?” before adding, “Who didn’t I have sex with in the movie?”

“The character, she is kind of loose, so you don’t really know who the father is, and she’s very shocked that she happens to be pregnant with this baby because, why her?” Palicki said. “She doesn’t even own a car.”

Palicki’s Charlie brings the forces of good and evil against each other as the archangel Michael (Paul Bettany) comes to Earth to protect her, and evil forces are coming to stop the birth of her child. Most of the film occurs in a diner where the other characters (played by Dennis Quaid, Tyrese Gibson and Kate Walsh, among others) must work together to stop the biblical apocalypse from occurring. The ensemble cast plays characters that don’t know each other who Palicki described as a bunch of “misfits.”

As far as the supernatural forces in the film, Palicki said they are pretty standard fare.

“The angels that you see appear as angels look like (Paul Bettany’s Michael),” she said. “But there are the others that kind of come through humans, and that’s different. I just, I can’t say too much about it.”
For a film that deals so heavily with religious elements, Palicki said the religion was more of a backdrop to the film.

“It has religious undertones, but it’s not about religion. That’s kind of just a fun back drop for the movie,” she said. “And so, I mean, of course, it’s a little nerve-racking. I’m ultimately playing the Virgin Mary, who is not at all a virgin. But ultimately, it’s fun, and it’s Old Testament-ish. It doesn’t portray God in a really bad light, it almost portrays us in a really bad light. I’m interested to see what people have to say about it, but I’m not overly concerned, because I think they’ll enjoy the movie. If they really watch it, they’ll enjoy the movie.”

The film all takes place during the night of Christmas Eve (“So, huh, weird.”) which sets up the possibility for the sequels Palicki signed on for.

“I signed on for three (films). Obviously it will depend on how well this does, and we’ll take it from there. I have no say. I’m legally bound to it anyways,” she said. As for the ending, Palicki said it leaves you asking for more.

“It ends with you going, “Where’s Legion 2?” but in a satisfying way, not like a “Lord of the Rings” kind of way, where it’s like I have to wait five years for the next one,” she said.

But don’t expect Charlie to be a helpless damsel in distress. Palicki said she will be getting in on the ass-kicking.

“I got a baby to protect, okay?” she joked.

Palicki, who was a regular on the TV show “Friday Night Lights,” said the shift from television to film wasn’t so bad.

“It was different, but the way we shoot on “Friday Night Lights” is very film-like. We don’t have the eight day episodes; we have six day episodes. We shoot very quickly,” she said. “We have an open dialogue. It’s actually not even like a TV show. But having worked with Scott [Stewart] was really exciting afterwards because he was really able to give and take and make us feel comfortable in that environment; make me feel comfortable in that environment.”

In jumping to film Palicki got to work with a wide range of actors as well.

“[Charles Dutton,] oh my god, he was just so awesome,” she gushed about her costar. “Every day I would sit there and I would talk to him and he had a different story. You know, he was in prison – that’s where he became an actor, and he formed this whole drama group in prison – I mean, he’s just like the most docile, sweet human being, you know? He was a blast. He’s such a great actor.”

“But you know, Paul Bettany’s a complete asshole and Tyrese (laughs) he’s so bad to look at, so no, everybody was so fun to work with. Mainly my stuff was with Lucas Black and Paul Bettany,” she added.

Though this was her first time in a panel for a film at Comic-Con, Palicki is no comics virgin.

“I love [Comic-Con]. I actually came last year just for fun,” she said. “My brother writes comics so I got into it at a young age. I think it’s hysterical; it’s so fun. Not hysterical like ‘Ha ha, look at you, weirdo,’ but like, it’s exciting to be in the element and walk around and just see everybody.”

Though she says “Legion” is more thriller than horror film, Palicki said she is a huge fan of the horror movie genre. As for her favorite scary movie, she said it was the original “Halloween,” hands down.

“I think Michael Meyers is the scariest mother fucker,” she said with a laugh. “It’s like, the tortoise and the hare; he just walks. He just knows he’s gonna get you. You can run, it’s fine: you can’t hide.”

“Legion” hits theaters January 22, 2010.

“Everybody else is showing up, talking on panels about their movies, and they’re leaving,” said Gibson. “I was out there seven hours, selling comic books yesterday on the floor.”

This year, Gibson was not only at Comic-Con to promote “Legion,” his new film with Dennis Quaid and Paul Bettany, but also to promote his debut comic book, “Mayhem.”

Gibson said it wasn’t until he came to San Diego Comic-Con last year to promote “Death Race” that he truly became interested in the world of comics.

“I’ve never been exposed to so much selfless, selfless passion for anything that someone believed in, ever,” he said of the experience. “I mean, I come from the world of music, done my share of films, but people don’t show up looking like Tyrese at a Tyrese concert. And so for people to be here, showing up looking like their favorite comic book character, says a lot about the level of passion that’s here for Comic-Con. (I’ve) never been exposed to it before.”

Saying he represents “the new generation of comic book fans,” Gibson admitted he wasn’t a fan of comic books growing up, but after his Comic-Con experience in 2008, he felt the need to become involved in the world.

He said Todd McFarlane and Robert Kirkman of Image Comics gave him “the opportunity of a lifetime” to create his own debut comic book, “Mayhem.” Citing 20,000 copies sold on presales alone, Gibson was enthused enough about his new comic book that he passed out free autographed copies to everyone in the press room.

Comic-Con exclusive Mayhem tribute to Jack Kirby

Showing he has done his research about comic book culture in the past year, Gibson said the Comic-Con exclusive cover of “Mayhem” volume one is a tribute to Jack Kirby, with the page rip added into the art in the corner. The cover art for volume one was done by Ton Rodriguez, but Gibson had some exciting news to share about volume two.

“Jim Lee was just in my booth today. We got him to do the cover of issue number two,” Gibson shared with an excited grin on his face. “Jim Lee is the founding partner of Image Comics. He parted ways and went over and did Wild Storm at DC. And for him to be doing anything at Image is a very big deal, and not only is he doing issue number two, we just revealed today on the Image panel, he’s doing the full wrap around graphic novel for Mayhem, too, which is a very, very big deal. So I’m excited.”

Gibson shared that the writing for volume four was already written, the artwork is completed up to issue three.

“It’s just kind of a process,” he said. “We’ve got to stay ahead of the curb. And so we’re rolling.”

“Mayhem” hits comic book retailers August 5.

Blast was lucky enough to get a chance to sit down with the Southern devil himself and talk about Sawyer’s turn as being a hero, what mystery Holloway wanted solved most and life as a new father.

On how it felt for Sawyer to be a hero:

Odd and a bit uncomfortable, but funny enough, it kind of just happened that season because I had a newborn on the way, my focus was split, so I didn’t really even realize it was happening because I was working so much and I was just thinking, “Man, Sawyer talks a lot in the 70s. What’s wrong with this guy? He’s lippy!” (laughs) But as the season developed, I was like, oh, okay, I see kind of where this is going, because they never let us know where it is going, it just kind of happens. But it’s been a great exploration. It’s been a lot of fun, and they’ve really allowed me such opportunities to explore different avenues and different perspectives from which he comes, so this is a different perspective, and more of a humane side of him. So that was an interesting exploration, but I’m ready to get back to salty dog, so it’s good. Now that he’s lost Juliet, I think the leader/hero thing is gone. I think he doesn’t give a shit to be anyone’s leader at this point. He’s heartbroken, he’s back to “the world sucks,” and maybe throughout the season, someone can redeem him again and bring him back from hell. Because right now, he’s in hell.

On Juliet coming back or not coming back in the sixth season:

Note: It was revealed in the “Lost” panel Juliet (Elizabeth Mitchell) would be returning in the sixth season for a few episodes, but above Holloway referred to Sawyer as having lost Juliet.

Yeah, I don’t know, ask those crazy people (creators Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof), what are they talking about now? No idea. Maybe she’ll be this beautiful angel that appears and they can have this erotic—maybe (laughs). I don’t know how they’re going to do that, but it will be brilliant. They’re smart, those guys, so they’ll figure it out.

On who Sawyer should be with: Kate or Juliet:

Well I married someone more like Kate, so I guess they’d more volatile than everything being rosy and good like it was with Juliet and I. Both are valid and actually, in my life, I like both, but yeah, maybe as I get older I’ll chill out like he was with Juliet (laughs).

On what mystery Josh Holloway wants answered most:

Wow. Where the hell are we? You know? Are we in Purgatory, are we in a time warp, are we… where are we? What is this? Is it the Bermuda Triangle? Who knows. It’s funny enough, I always feel kind of stupid when you ask me these questions because I quit asking questions years ago. I’m like, okay, whatever. I don’t have a theory. I totally follow the storyline and I’m always like, oh, that was great, but now… The only thing I ever got right was that the Island moved. And I remember saying that to Damon and he got weird with me. I said, it’s like the Death Star, isn’t it? It moves. And he got all sweaty and weird. This was years ago.

On Sawyer possibly dying:

Knowing Damon, Sawyer must die. Maybe Carlton with soften him. (I) absolutely (am okay with it). I always thought he should die, like I said before, saving a frog or a rat or something like that. But I don’t know how they’ll do it. I think he should die because really, him in society is never going to work, so why go back. If it did (redeem himself) and he became a priest, then yes (he should live).

On “Lost” ending and leaving Hawaii:

I’m working on my bikini tan and my surfboard business, but it’s not coming along too good. I’m not sure. We’re going to keep our place there; we have a home there, so we’re going to go in and out. We’re in love with Hawaii and we have very close friends there. I fish like mad. So we’re going to keep the place and go in and out, unless acting goes the way normally acting goes and I’m broke and I have to rent it. We’ll see about that.

On being a father:

Oh my god, its… I just can’t even answer it. So many things, it’s so rich and so difficult and wonderful. Now it’s just those smiles, every morning, when I first get to see the little bean smile, I’m like , Oh my god, it just makes my heart explode. It’s really just added richness to my life. I don’t care how everything else goes now as long as I’m a good father.

“Well Big Mike has to get his job back first, because right now he’s got a green shirt,” said Lawrence of the Buy More storyline. “I mean clearly he’s got to take Emmett down, so we’ve got to set that up, so I’m looking forward to the first few episodes to see how that works out.”

“I’m just hoping that there’s a slow, painful death for Emmett,” he added with a laugh.

When asked who would win in a fight, him or Tony Hale, Lawrence replied immediately, “Tony Hale wouldn’t have a chance. I’m thinking he’s screaming, crying. He wouldn’t want a (wrestling match). I was second in California – twice.”

As for what else he would like to see in season three, Lawrence said he’d like to see what’s new in Big Mike’s love life.

“Morgan is uncomfortable,” said Lawrence of the relationship Big Mike had been having with Morgan’s mom, played by Patricia Rae. “Of course, if my mom was in the next room with one guy who’s her boyfriend, I’d sleep in the car before I listened to that (laughs). Yeah so I don’t know, she did catch the bouquet at the wedding, so there’s the possibility that she’ll be around for a while, and she’s really funny. They really haven’t given her enough to do so you can really see how funny she is. It could be pretty cool.”

Lawrence was still giddy from the Jeffster performance he had just seen on stage. In “Chuck,” Lawrence plays the manager of Vik Sahay and Scott Krinsky’s characters, Lester and Jeff.

“(The performance) did make me want to get up and dance,” said Lawrence. “It’s so funny because Vik is so different outside of that character. It is amazing to see his transformation. (…) I’m going to try to talk them into opening for me on tour.”

In “Chuck,” Big Mike has a giant swordfish figurine which he loves that has played a significant role in several episodes. Lawrence said he does have a giant swordfish figurine himself, but it doesn’t have a place in his home.

“Here’s the funny thing though,” he said. “I was in Tommy Bahama’s and one of the guys that works there, he’s a fan of the show, and he goes, ‘Hey, in our other store we’ve got a bunch of stuff that we’re throwing away and one of them is a copper silhouette of a swordfish. I’ll get it for you!’ I was like, ‘Well how big is it?’ He’s like, ‘I don’t know, about seven feet?’ I was like, ‘No, that’s alright. My wife is not going to go for a big copper swordfish in the house.’ Baby, I think we’ll put it right over the bed, it’ll be alright (laughs).”

Now going into its third season, the fan following for “Chuck” has taken on a life of its own.

“After I saw the pilot, I thought, wow, this show could be huge. It’s the first time I’ve been on a show where I thought, this show has legs,” said Lawrence of the popularity of “Chuck. “I didn’t know what to expect (after the pilot). It’s like you look at this type of material and it’s the opportunities are limitless because what’s going on in the world you can tie right into stuff that is happening now, or you can make stuff up. And I think they do a good job of doing a little bit of both.”

With Krinsky and Sahay giving interviews together after the Jeffster performance, and Zachary Levi having confessed the Joshua Gomez, who plays his onscreen best friend Morgan, is his best friend in real life, it was clear that there was a lot of love going around between the “Chuck” cast.

“It’s the only time I’ve worked on a show with a cast this large, and one of the few times that I’ve worked with a cast that everybody gets along,” said Lawrence. “Because, you know, there’s a lot of ego in Hollywood, and everybody’s ego is bigger than the next, so it’s great to be able to go to work and do what you do with people that you love to work with, and with people that you love outside of work, so it’s pretty cool.”

Lawrence said he is finally beginning to get recognition for his role as Big Mike.

“In LA people see stars all the time so it’s no big deal, but being down here, I get stopped a little more often because of ‘Chuck.’ (…) But now (people say), ‘Hey, it’s Big Mike!’ or people go, ‘That’s the dude!’ So that’s kind of odd. But life goes on,” he said.

As for whether he fits in to the nerd-friendly tone of the show, Lawrence said the answer was a definitive yes.

“I went to USC on a debate scholarship, so (laughs) so I think I qualify as a nerd,” he said.

On taking Jeffster to the next level

SCOTT KRINSKY: Of course, with like a world tour, you know?

On Jeffster music videos

SK: I haven’t heard about doing some videos yet, but it sounds like a very good idea.

On covers they would like to perform

SK: I’d love to do some Journey.

VIK SAHAY: Yeah, “Don’t Stop.” I would say “Don’t Stop Believing.” Although, you know, all of this, I would have to sing this stuff, and that is a nightmare for myself and for everybody listening. It’s impossible for me to pick songs, although I did pick [“Fat Bottomed Girls”].

On the origin of Jeffster

VS: I think it’s my rock star vibe that gave that idea to the writers. We were approached, we jumped, we bit. I was afraid. (My first response was) terror. Utter, utter terror. The singing (was the scariest), because I was like yeah, great idea, more for us to do… wait a minute, I have to sing these songs.

SK: And I have to fake playing them. I am not a musician so, I hope I pulled it off.

(from left) Scott Krinsky and Vik Sahay

On Scott Krinsky’s similarity to Jeff

SK: I’m not a big gamer. I love the old school games, so the Missile Command, Galaga, Ms. Pac-man, Donkey Kong. Very old school.

On the future of the Buy More:

VS: You tell us.

SK: We know nothing.

VS: What did (Chris Fedak and Josh Schwartz) tell you when they came by?

SK: Do you think they tell us these things?

VS: Zero. You tell me what they said when they came by.

SK: I, like you, was hoping to learn something up there (at the panel) about what I am going to do.

VS: We were all listening.

On the “Indian lesbian” line used to describe Lester in an episode

VS: I died a little inside when I read that. You know but what I do realize is that when you’re a masculine, Harrison Ford type like I am, what they’re playing with is the comedy of opposites, clearly. Ah, yes. Is (an Indian lesbian) what I look like?

BLAST: How are you doing?

RYAN MCPARTLIN: Awesome. Awesome. I am doing great.

BLAST: I think it’s about time Awesome needs to get his own superhero symbol.

RM: You know what’s funny, is there were t-shirts made on, I think it was CaféPress.com or something, they started a year ago, it’s a lightning bolt. A yellow lightning bolt with a baby blue t-shirt and “Captain Awesome” across it. Of course, I had to buy a few for my friends. I can’t personally wear them; I should, but I can’t personally wear them because just in fear of being too tacky and not being awesome, because I don’t think you wear that you’re awesome if you are awesome. But I don’t know who’s getting money off that because we’re not.

BLAST: Do you ever get that where people see you and then just go, “Awesome!”

RM: Actually, I was auditioning for something else, the first season, I remember being on the street thinking I don’t know what’s going to happen with this “Chuck” show and there was some movie I was going in for and I just hear, “Awesome, we effin’ love you!” and I look around and go, “Oh my god,” and that was kind of the first moment for me to go, this might be catching on here. The fans are coming out, they’re just screaming “Awesome!” And now it’s become, I’d say a few times a day I just get stopped, like, “You know, I don’t want to say,” or “I didn’t want to bother you” or something, but I always love being bothered, I don’t care, at dinner, if they watch the show I’m a fan of theirs if they’re a fan of ours, you know, whenever somebody comes up and they go, “We love the show, it’s awesome,” and then they catch themselves saying awesome, and they go, “Oh, well it’s not… well yeah, it’s awes… but” and I’m like, “It’s okay, I know, I use it all the time, don’t worry about it.” But yeah, there’s people coming out of the woodwork now. It’s fun.

BLAST: It’s kind of funny how it developed from being an inside joke on the show to that basically being your name now.

RM: What’s funny is they never establish it. The writers will sometimes write themselves into a corner or not really realize the rules they’ve created for the world. And I remember like the second episode or the third episode I said, “Hey guys, I’m being called Captain Awesome, and I’m in the room and I can hear them calling me Captain Awesome. Is this intentional? Like, do I know I’m being called Captain Awesome or is this like a dig on me?” And then I remember Schwartz and Fedak look at each other and go, “Good question.” I don’t know. Here’s the deal: I think I know, and maybe they think it’s a little big of a dig. I think it’s flattering. I think it’s something like a great nickname, and that’s how I’m going to play it. And that’s always how I’ve played it and it just went from this small little two-dimensional character to now being a really significant part of the show. That’s so exciting for me. Like I said, I didn’t know what was going to happen with this. First episode I was like, I don’t know, this little part, I say awesome a couple of times, I take my shirt off, and I leave. And now it’s become this essential character that’s so fun for me and the cast.

BLAST: You’re actually the only person in Chuck’s personal life who knows about the spy world.

RM: I’m like Chuck in the first season now. I have to carry that weight of knowing his secret and keeping the home life intact. So it’s kind of a great part for them, because there’s only so much they can do with that before the fans become exhausted with Chuck carrying that weight and doing it. Now to see Awesome and how he’ll react and how all the people around him will react to that, it’s a whole new life for the show and that storyline itself because it’s such a fun thing. My favorite part of any superhero movie is the first act when they find out what their power is but can’t let anybody know. The third act is always disappointing in every superhero movie compared to the first act. And I feel like I get to carry that first act again that Chuck got in the first season.

BLAST: Do you think he can handle that weight?

RM: Oh, I don’t think so (laughs). I used to get to phone it in; come in, say “awesome” a few times, take my shirt off, do a few crunches-

JOSH GOMEZ: Do you ever stop? My god!

RM: [laughs] And then he takes his shirt off and I stand next to him and it’s fine. And then it got to the second season and I looked at the script and thought, oh my god, I have to act now. What is happening? I have to know Chuck’s secret? I was like, what is going on here? It’s a great thing. It’s a great thing. And I was very excited that I was trusted as an actor with carrying this weight on my shoulders.

BLAST: We heard earlier a Casey/Ellie romance might be brewing?

RM: Yeah, I don’t approve of that at all.

BLAST: What do you think would happen from Awesome? Do you think he’d let that happen?

RM: I think there would be a lot more fist fights between Awesome and Casey. It would be tough, because I know how strong he is now.

On giving the fans what they want:

Everything people asked for (at the panel) we now will deliver. Jeffster on the web; musical episodes; clearly Casey and Ellie can never even look at each other; Sarah and Chuck can never have any emotional issues, it can only be flowers and daisies and rainbows. Coming here this early in the season for us, we were sort of joking about taking ideas from people, but it was great to see what everybody sort of responds to and what the no-nos are. Things that people don’t want you to do are sometimes the most fun things to do, because it makes people really go crazy. I’m not committing one way to anything today, I’m just saying, expect the unexpected. I don’t know. I got nothing. [..] This show has benefited greatly from fan reaction and being in sync with the fans and we wouldn’t be back if it wasn’t for fans of the show, so we definitely do feel a real responsibility to deliver the show that everybody wants.

On bringing new fans to the show:

We went into this last year, you know, we had the writer’s strike and we only got to do 13 episodes and were really building our momentum, and then we had to go off the air for an incredibly long period of time, and we sort of reset the show in a way that hopefully didn’t feel redundant for viewers of season one but at the same time allowed you to join the show if you hadn’t, and we will do the same here, but obviously we just pushed the show forward in a big way at the end of the season, and next season will start as a direct pickup from “I know kung fu.” So we will pick up from there in a way that hopefully isn’t confusing to new viewers, and look, for something like this, we’re just hoping for word of mouth.

On the Jeffster panel performance:

They’ve taken on a life of their own. I think spin-offs is what Vik [Sahay] is going to be demanding.

On using Chuck’s new skills:

The biggest thing the new powers does for us is to be able to take advantage of Zach Levi’s gifts as, you know, you obviously saw him do the kung fu, so he clearly can move, he’s a very physical actor, but he’s also great into physical comedy. So there’s opportunities for these things to go awry and push him into like a Steve Martin place, where suddenly he doesn’t have control over his body in the same way, and that’s something we’re really excited for as well.

On the return of Bryce Larkin:

Well, he was pretty dead, at the end. You really do get to see him expire this time, but I guess you do never know. It’s all going to depend on how his show does on DNA. His twin brother, Lyce Brarkin. It doesn’t work as well.

On bridging the show’s break:

That’s one of the things we’ve talked about is, how can we create little episodes or vignettes or seeing somebody privately that at least will allow you to keep these characters alive. And then if we want to seed some storylines too, it’s like all of the sudden we’ve been given this great toy to play with, and I think we’re always looking for ways to kind of build out on the show and keep people, especially if we’re not going to be on, because who knows: we could be on in November, we could be on in January. So we want to be able to keep people interested; keep people invested in the show.

On keeping Zach and Josh’s beards:

We’re going to try to take advantage of his beard for at least three minutes of the first episode, and then we’ll do the classic “lose the beard” moment. We’ll see if he has a face left under there because that is a bushy, bushy beard.

On Chuck and Sarah being together:

I talked about a volatile Chuck/Sarah situation coming into this year and something is going to have happened that between where we pick up in real time and when we jump forward, there’s an expectation between them that is not fulfilled and that is going create a major issue. And that will keep you watching!

On couple’s spying:

It’s going to be a Mr. and Mrs. Smith situation, I think.

On when she found out about Chuck learning kung-fu:

About three days before we actually shot the episode. Yeah, they love to do that. We’re very informed on what’s going on. Actually, I know nothing at all about what’s happening in season three.

On doing stunts:

I would love to jump from a helicopter, that would be fun. I love doing all that stuff. I get really excited when I have to do a fight scene.

On getting in shape for the show:

I don’t think (Zachary Levi) has been preparing. Mind you, I haven’t either. I’ve got from between now and till the sixth of August to start lifting some weights or something, running around the block.

On Chuck and Sarah’s long-awaited love scene:

It’s so great watching it afterwards, seeing it all piece together because you kind of go along for the journey like everyone else is watching it. It’s hard for us because we shoot out of sequence, so everything is kind of in shambles until we see it. I think it was a great moment. There probably will be more of them I think in the third season. I mean, I hope. It’s good to kind of go up and down with the love scene.

On the cast:

I’m so separate from that world so much of the time because I’m in the spy world, you know, it would be nice to interact a bit more with the group as a whole.

On what could split Chuck and Sarah apart in season three:

I don’t know, maybe Sarah is pregnant.

Zachary Levi speaks at TV Guide Magazine Comic-con panel (Media credit/WireImage)

On who inspired the beard, Josh Gomez or Zach:

I think that I’ve actually inspired his [beard]. We’re both lazy. That’s really what it comes down to. I have to shave every day for work, so when I’m not having to work, I’m not shaving. I boycott shaving. I’ll trim it. I keep it clean. You’ve got to respect it. My girlfriend’s fine with it, so it’s like rock and roll. Do it.

On getting to join in the action:

It was really awesome. I’ve been sitting on the sidelines for the past two years watching Yvonne (Strahovski) and Adam (Baldwin) kick ass and I’m like, honestly, I’d really like to be a part of it at some point. I was kind of frustrated. We got to that scene and we didn’t have very much time to shoot it. I wanted it to be even more kick ass. I felt like it was good, it was cool and it was kind of half way between the comedy and the action, but I kind of wanted it to be straight action. I wanted to be awesome-born, and I was a little noodle-y. I was a little noodle-y and I wasn’t happy about that. But other than that, it was fun.

On the “Chuck” phenomenon:

I read the pilot back when I was unemployed and I was like, this is an awesome show. This is a show that I’d watch, this is a show that I’d love to be a part of, certainly not getting my hopes up too much at that point, and then I got the job and I was like, wow, hopefully the pilot will be good and we’ll get picked up and we did and then, coming down to Comic-Con the first year when we premiered the pilot, we were in one of the smaller halls, there were still a lot of people there but not anything like this. I think that it is such a blessing to be able to do what I do, but more than that, to be able to be a part of a show that people love like this. That they will come out in mass and fill an entire hall, wear Nerd Herd shirts and Jeffster shirts and all this. Some of them just make it at home, like [gestures like drawing on chest] Sharpie, you know? It’s amazing. And I just hope that we continue to do the show justice and the fans justice because we’re not a huge ratings juggernaut, but what we lack in numbers we make up for in just sheer fan passion and fervor and that’s the kind of thing I want to be a part of.

On whether a “Tron Legacy” poster will replace the “Tron” poster:

I don’t know about that. It’s kind of classic “Tron.” And Bruce was on the show, although he is going to be in the new (“Tron”).

On how much of season three is planned:

We know how, like last year, when we sat down to talk about [the season two finale], we knew our ending. I know my ending for the third season as well. So in some ways we go back and we build to that point of where we want to be. And it’s going to be super big and it’s going to be super exciting. We use super. I like super stuff. So we kind of know where we’re going. So right now the writers are half way through the season from a script-writing perspective, and then production will start; we’ll slow down.

On what season three will be about:

Chuck now has these abilities. How does he master them? Because it didn’t come with a manual – or maybe it did and we haven’t seen it yet. And he has Sarah and Casey, not only there to protect him, but also to be the sensai, to help him master these skills. This is like the super hero story told in a little bit of slow motion. […] [Season three]’s not going to so much veer away [from previous seasons], it’s going to evolve. For a story about a guy like Chuck, essentially you want to watch him get better at being a spy. You want to watch him master some skills, to be the guy who’s not just waiting in the car. And I think that that’s very much where the show is going. So it’s not much veering, but like an evolution. It should feel like this is where we want to go.

On whether the Buy More will be in season three:

The Buy More will still be an integral part of the “Chuck” story. We’re not losing the Buy More: it’s our most expensive set. We’ll definitely be going back there. We’ve always found that our cast is wonderful, and we want to see Chuck in that world almost as much as we want to see Chuck in the spy world.

On whether Tony Hale will return:

Tony Hale is going to be a part of season three. And he’s, umm… umm… That’s all I’ll say.

On the length of season three:

Right now we have an order for 13 episodes. NBC can extend that order like they did last season. If they decide to put us on after the Winter Olympics we could go longer. And there’s always a chance, because schedules aren’t written in stone, that they could move us up and have us come on earlier. … We do have a hurry-up office, yes. We start production in a week and a half, so we’re getting close.

On guest stars:

Last year when we started thinking about guest stars, thinking about the Michael Clarke Duncan’s and, you know, there was a lot of like crazy names out there. So this year, we’ve got this enormous list of just like all the people we love; you know, all our favorite actors, so we’ll go through it and figure it out. But we haven’t cast anyone yet but we’re circling the block. It’s not “Love Boat” but still. I love ideas. If there’s somebody you think should be on the show, you know … I think President Obama would be fantastic. However, someone who is an actor and somewhat available to the show, I don’t know. My “Star Trek” nerdiness means I would love Shatner. That would be fantastic. I don’t know. There’s so many people I think would be great for our show.

On Chuck kicking ass:

Zach (Levi) has been looking forward to kicking some ass for quite some time. I remember on the pilot explaining to him, “You know you don’t get to carry the gun, right?” and he was quite upset. We had many conversations. So he was super excited to have those abilities.

Adam Baldwin (left) and Zachary Levi at the Entertainment Weekly and Syfy invade Comic-Con party at Hotel Solamar on July 25

One of the big questions was whether there would be a romance brewing between NSA Colonel Casey and Chuck’s newly wed sister, Ellie.

“The way that sounded in the panel was just sort of a furtive glance. Like I said, I just do what they tell me to do,” Baldwin said. “I’ll do what they tell me. If it includes furtive glances, okay.”

In the second season finale, Chuck uploaded a new Intersect which gave him special kung fu powers — and many more that are sure to show themselves in the third season.

“It’s gonna kind of throw a wrench in the works of Beckman’s plans,” Baldwin said on the U.S. government’s response to Chuck’s new skills. “I don’t know. Like I said, he’s an asset even more so now, so we can utilize that. But it will be fun to watch him be sore. Aww, poor Chuck.”

The season finale was also the first time Casey had been seen with a military team that wasn’t Chuck and Yvonne Strahovski’s Sarah.

“I would love to have the team back, the SWAT team — new ones, yeah,” Baldwin said. “Casey’s looking for a way out, I think, but now that Chuck has extra skills, he might be even more of an asset, so he can use that, although there will be a rebooting period of lactic acid build up and sloughing.”

When asked if Casey will have a code word to shut off Chuck’s skills, Baldwin perked up and replied, “That’s a great idea,” and then yelling across the press room, “Fedak, write that down!”

“Will you submit that in an e-mail?” he asked.

The one thing he would like to see as far as Casey goes is to meet Casey’s mom, Baldwin said.

“I want to know who she is. Now, it’s either a Mindy Sterling type, and I keep pushing that name because I love Mindy Sterling — love her — either that or the woman who played the Trunchbull in “Matilda” would be a great Casey mom,” he said.

On who Richard is:

I was doing a scene last year before the series finale when Locke comes to the beach; I approach him and I’m happy to see him and the director says, “Ok that’s good, can you be a bit more suspicious of him?” I’m not even told on the day, in advance, why I’m told to play him in a certain way. I make it up every week; I make up a back story for my character; I play my role and what’s written. I’m completely in the dark and it’s a great exercise because I can’t plan anything at all … For so long I thought I was so authoritative, my character knew what was going on. One of the characters says, “I thought you knew everything,” and I say, “No, I don’t; I don’t know anything about time travel.”

On whether Richard is a hero or villain:

I think there is and I’ve always felt that even when I started killing Juliette’s husband, when they were recruiting her for the island, but even then I was justifying the means. There’s a higher purpose and I’ve sort of operated off of that monster from the beginning. If I am the villain it’s always more interesting to play him; someone who really thinks he’s doing it for the best reasons. I don’t know if they’ve changed the character because of the way I played him or if they’ve always known all along or if the character has ever gone beyond what he’s going to be. I’ve been happy to be along for the ride.

On the end of “Lost”:

I think they would be dissipating this mystery if they didn’t have an end date and I think it was smart of them to approach the network three years ago and give them the timeline.

On what question he is asked the most:

That certainly comes up; how old are you? Do you wear eyeliner? I get how old are you, who are you?

On where the eyeliner infatuation started:

Online. The eyeliner thing started online, someone said I was wearing it, and then it spread. They had been badgered so many times with questions about the eyeliner. I’ve been getting stuff about it since I was a kid, and they eventually just said, we have to put this in the script at some point.

On his “Lost” theory:

Do I have a theory? Someone mentioned it to me that I’m a descendant of the Black Rock. That’s not my theory, that’s someone else’s theory. I always thought I was an extension — an arm — of Jacob’s … Every time I think I have a theory, I’m completely wrong.

On joining the cast:

I remember when we were shooting scenes for when I was recruiting Juliette; I wasn’t a huge devotee, and I might have missed a couple shows and I knew there was this huge cult following. My wife was a huge fan at the time, and I was nervous. I walk onto the set, we’re in Hawaii with the most incredible and laidback crew, and it was the most relaxed vibe for any show. You would never feel like you’re on the “Lost” set.

On his favorite episode:

The episode that gripped me the most was “The Constant;” time travel, Faraday, Penny. (The episodes are) all compelling; every character is messed up, they’re all extremely dark, they all have a past. To me the one who provides the conflict is Michael Emerson. There’s so many complex parts to him; he’s the key to the show, but you can’t have the story without Jack. I think at the heart of it is that love triangle.

On “The Dark Knight”:

“The Dark Knight” was an amazing experience as well. But the fans of “Lost” are so devoted, extremely smart, unbelievably loyal; but if I’m recognized for most things, it’s for “Lost.” … I actually got the call for (“The Dark Knight”) when I was in the jungle for “Lost.” There’s a very similar audience for (“The Dark Knight”).

On future projects:

Nothing at the moment. I’m writing right now. I’d like to contribute in my own way. I’m writing a comedy. I’ll be going out with it in January.

Items work a bit differently too, with your character not so much holding the item in their hands as they have it in stock once it is picked up. These items give them special abilities–the one I picked up and used the most often during my three matches slammed a wave of energy into the opponents in front of me, knocking them over and allowing me to start wailing on them while they were defenseless. I was not given a chance to check out how robust the options set was, to see if matches can be handicapped, items can be turned off, lives can be used as a measure for success rather than a timer, etc.–as the demo version of the game used a defined set of rules.

The stages that I played on were fun and diverse, which is great for this type of game. One stage, which was Manhattan, had you fighting on rooftops. You could be knocked off of the central roof, but there were two taller buildings next to this one, which meant you could wall jump your way back to the stage with everyone else. I failed at this the first few times but picked up on it quickly, and the Ubisoft rep had a good handle on it from the start; it’s the kind of recovery move you would expect a ninja to be able to make, so it was nice to see it there. Another stage had the brawlers fighting atop a stage with support columns strewn about; you could destroy these columns through the course of battle (or just focus on them), and once they were all destroyed, they would smash through the center of the map, and cause you to fall to a completely different stage. This new stage had an electric ball in the center that would randomly choose one of the four fighters to shock; you could see which one by looking at which portrait it stopped on. Once it chose, if you were the one selected, you can hit the ball to stop from being turned into fried turtle; at that point it selects another brawler to roast.

Not all of the fighters were available to use–because not all of the fighters have been announced–but I spent some time with Raphael (my favorite turtle from my childhood) and Casey Jones. Raphael was quick, but with shorter range than the other turtles. He still had the big kicks and swings needed to take down other brawlers though. Casey was more of a heavyweight, with a big, slow swing of his hockey stick, but what he lacked in quickness and finesse he made up for with raw power. I got to see April O’Neill in action, as well as Splinter. Both characters were quick to the point where I had some trouble with them even as Raphael, but they didn’t seem to hit as hard. I didn’t play enough to know for sure, but that’s just my initial impression of their fighting style.

The fighting itself is similar to Smash Bros., which strong and weak attacks, grappling, and item use, but the characters seem to play differently, and it moves at a quicker pace than most Smash matches due to the speed of many of the fighters. It will be interesting to see how it plays once all of the characters are revealed, as right now it looks promising. It’s not a Smash Bros. clone, but it is similar to the point where the Ubisoft reps were telling Comic-Con attendees that if you like Smash Bros. you will want to play this. The strategy has worked though, as the booth has had lines of gamers waiting to give it a shot.

Word of caution: spoilers for “Lost” and “V” to follow.

On the nature of “Lost” and her character’s fate:

“My theory is what it always has been — that it’s some kind of place where people who have done bad things go to redeem themselves. But I could be wrong, but that’s what I’ve always thought. With or without me, or with me as the case may be.”

On how many more episodes in which Juliette will appear:

“I’m not sure, but it’s more than one.”

On her decision to join the cast of “V”:

“One of the reasons I chose it is because I don’t like to be bored. And I truly believe that it’s almost limitless. For me, as a woman against the bad guys kind of thing, which I am drawn to, but you also have a lot of interpersonal relationships. I haven’t even met on camera half the actors that I’m working with, so truly you have things that are the way they are now and could go in any different direction. So I think that the fact that they’ve made it a character-driven action show is exciting. I think it’s limitless. I cannot stand when things go into a formula. It’s starts to make me crazy. I like things to be active, I like to be interested, I like it to be sexy.”

On the differences between Juliette and Erica:

“Juliette has the weight of the world on her shoulders. She spent three years basically being tortured. She is someone who is shell-shocked yet still strides through life, continues to push through. And I’ve loved that about her. And playing someone who is that broken and yet is still walking around has been an incredible joy for me. What I enjoyed about Erica and how it kind of came to be is a little bit of the flip side of that. It’s someone who is not broken — yet. It’s somebody who every single day of her life spends every second trying to protect her world, trying to protect her people. She puts herself in harm’s way, she is very active in her life. She’s active with her son. She was probably so active in her life that her husband left her. She is not someone who has made these crazy, horrible choices so as a result it’s almost like we get to see someone at the beginning of this journey, which I like. And I like the fact that she’s tough, I like tough women, but she’s outwardly tough. She’s an FBI agent. She walks around. You don’t want to mess with her. You know what I mean? I love that Juliette was sneaky and I love that Erica is out there.”

On Erica’s relationship with her son:

“He’s fallen in love with the visitors, and who wouldn’t? They’re coming here, they’re curing diseases, they’re beautiful, they’re peaceful. All of these that we crave and we want so much, they’re going to just hand to us. Anyone you ever love who died or who is dying or who is sick, they’re gonna make all that better. So of course you love that. And the sad thing about this is that it’s not true, there’s a horrible price for that. And I think that that’s kind of what makes it fun for me is to think that here is this insignificant woman with a little bit of combat training, and she’s going up against people who are far superior in every way. Intellectually, their weapons are more superior, their technology is more superior. You know they probably think faster. (laughs) They definitely move faster. I think it’s neat.”

On the original miniseries “V” and its re-imagining:

“I don’t know what it’s gonna be. I know that they’re going to try and take the most iconic moments and make sure that they do service to them. That’s what I’ve heard. Although I’ve heard that Morena (Morena Baccarin who plays V leader Anna) say that maybe she wouldn’t be eating a guinea pig. And I think they said, maybe you will.”

On the degeneration of Erica’s FBI partner, played by Alan Tudyk, and the impact that will have on her character. Tudyk’s character is revealed as a V when he attacks Erica and she hits him with a bar, splitting the scalp to reveal reptilian skin beneath.

“That’s part of what I was saying and I love that you asked, what I was saying about the deconstruction of the character. Yes her husband left her, yes she does this, but she’s still a relatively active person. That’s gonna rock her. That’s gonna rock her to some degree. We’ll just have to see how she handles it. I think that the way it looked and the way it was set up is that he was the only person she trusted, he was the only person in her life. Everyone else had gone. And now that he’s gone, I don’t know. It’s gonna be really interesting. She may be angry, she may be bitter. Maybe not. Bitter’s hard to play. (laughs)”

Catch the final chapters of “Lost” next mid-season. “V” will air beginning in November.

“Universe” is the third television series in the “Stargate” franchise, and it centers on a melange of characters thrown together on a ship and forced to survive while at the same time embarking on the adventures that fans have come to expect from this particular science-fiction establishment.

The cast is comprised of all new faces to the series, a fact highlighted when a group of the actors, laughing, told the story of when they dropped by the “Stargate” booth in the Exhibition Hall. Not only were they not recognized by the booth worker, they were even asked if they were interested in entering a draw to win a guest spot on the show.

Blast spoke to two of the show’s female stars, Alaina Huffman (familiar as the Black Canary to fans of “Smallville”), who plays medic Tamara Johansen, and Elyse Levesque, who plays the character Chloe Armstrong. The conversation ranged from their thoughts on their characters, to “Battlestar Galactica,” to the oh-so-dreamy Robert Pattinson, and of course, geek culture.

The funny story of their trip to the “Stargate” booth was fresh in their minds when asked about their experience at the convention thus far. “That poor girl,” Levesque said. “We just didn’t have the heart to tell her, to set her straight. So we just kinda went along with it.”

Sympathetic, Huffman defended her. “Why would she know? Well…”

BLAST: Well she’s just working the “Stargate” panel, I dunno. You would have thought that standing in front of the “Stargate” would have jogged some memory.

Levesque: You’d think but no, no…

BLAST: Well how has your experience been so far? You’ve done the panel, you’ve done the Exhibition Floor…

Levesque: It’s unreal. It’s been such a trip! I didn’t really know — I don’t know if any of us knew the enormity of this, how big this actually is. One thing that’s been so surprising is how instantaneous the information is. Like, words-you’re-saying-words, and they’re already on the Internet. People are finishing your thoughts for you somewhere online. It’s just so massive. It’s really impressive to see all the people, all the fans and they’re so committed and they’re standing in line for hours and hours at the crack of dawn to meet you… It’s just surreal, for me.

Huffman: I found wonderful reception at the panel yesterday, and also at the autograph signing on the floor. I mean, it was a big room full of people. The energy was wonderful.

Levesque: Really positive.

Huffman: Yes, it was really positive. Like Brad said, we were all comic-con virgins, despite, you know, some of our science-fiction backgrounds. I thought I was going to be very, very nervous, and then I was kind of nervous, and then Brad and Robert got up there and just did what they do and I was like, I’m fine.

Levesque: It was that initial open the mouth and hope that a sound comes out. Yeah, once you kind of get over that hurdle it’s smooth sailing.

BLAST: Well I imagine going into a show like “Stargate Universe,” with two previous shows, you have an inbuilt fan base. Is that intimidating? Does that make you more excited to join the project, knowing at least you got those people somewhat in the bag?

Levesque: I think we’re actually lucky. So lucky to have such a loyal fan following.

Huffman: You can thank Brad and Robert and SyFy and MGM for that. They’ve really put in the work and written over 300 episodes.

Levesque: I don’t know how they keep coming up with new stuff!

Huffman: Not only do they keep up with it, but they keep coming up with it in way that attracts more fans and keeps the fan base. And it’s very impressive to me, I mean hats off to them. I think some of the reception, or some of the fanbase — you know there’s a population of them that are kind of like, “Oh, this new one, why is it dark, why is it different?”

Levesque: Um, 90210.

Huffman: Yeah, remember that horrible question about criteria, like, “You used to cast strong, intelligent women?”

(During the Q&A portion of the “SGU” panel, a fan asked this question, essentially wondering if these new cast members were up to the precedent set by actresses like Amanda Tapping)

Levesque: You know what’s funny is that it didn’t even really hit me at first, I was just like, tra-la-la and then I realized and went, “Aww.”

Huffman: But I think he just needs to watch the show and that population of people needs to watch the show. They’re the same guys. They know what they’re doing. They know how to develop great, deep women. These aren’t shallow female characters — my character is a first lieutenant, she’s a medic, she’s very confident and capable in what’s she doing. She’s put in, we all are, we’re put in a very extreme circumstance. We’re literally thrown aboard this ship unprepared. And we are along for the journey to discover the ninth chevron, and this is what the “Stargate” fan wants… and along with it will come the circumstances that we’re all put under and the pressures and the stresses and survival and what we have to endure. And you learn a lot about these characters and the bonds they make and the enemies they make.

Ian Somerhalder told Blast that he will be back as Boone Carlyle for the final season of “Lost.”

“I was literally 20 minutes ago talking with (“Lost” Executive Producer) Carlton Cues. Uh, yes. I will back,” Somerhalder said.

When asked about the number of episodes he’ll be in, Ian Somerhalder said, “That I don’t know… I’ll be back as much as I can.”

Keep in mind this may have been a major slip, because he hasn’t slept in pretty much two days, but there you have it.

The major high points of the panel included:

• Jorge Garcia was one of the first to line up to ask questions to the panel and what started as a humorous tug and war of words turned to excitement as Michael Emerson made a surprising entrance from among the crowd.
• Michael Emerson and Jorge Garcia joked about their roles on the show when Jorge informs the room Emerson originally auditioned for the role of Hurley instead of Benjamin Linus. Just at that moment, the producers announced the footage of Emerson’s “audition” spouting Hurley’s lines from the pilot season.
• In Memorandum, it was a bittersweet ending as the hall lights dimmed and flashes of “deceased” characters faded in and out to the music of Boys II Men.
• Charlie Returns! And wait, there’s Sawyer! Another set of special guests include Josh Holloway who got into the character of Sawyer without a hitch before the crowded hall. Finally, after the memorandum completed its course, the lights of the hall rose and to the surprise of the audience Dominic Monaghan came on stage. He was eagerly met with a standing ovation followed by the gathering of the panel.

The spoiler portion of the article follows.

• The return of Elizabeth Mitchell as Juliet, and Jeremy Davies as Dr. Faraday.
• Will Faraday be happily married? This question asked by a fan was responded by a statement from the producers, “In theory if Jack’s plan succeeds then Faraday would have a happy family. But Faraday will be back for the final season.”
• Richard Alpert’s storyline has been implied to be a part of the major storyline for the last season. Also there will be flashbacks which reveal his backstory.

Jim Parsons on his Emmy nomination:

“It was like an out-of-body experience. Even now it doesn’t feel completely like it’s something I’m doing! I mean for one thing there’s nothing to do, it’s not like a job you have suddenly. But it’s like — I don’t know. The first thing that really threw me was when somebody asked, “Do you know what you’ll wear?” Which number one I think is weird because won’t I just wear a tux? But number two, it was the first time it really hit me that I would have to go. I don’t know, it was something I thought I would have to do when I was fifty? I don’t know.”

On the geek love at Comic-Con:

“This year there’s more people, but last year was really intense too. I don’t why it surprised me completely but it did. The warm embrace, I keep saying, and it really feels that way. It wasn’t til we got here last year and we were watching the clip reel, and it was like, oh, we are playing people who would go to Comic-Con. For some reason it didn’t occur to me in the same way until we got here. But everybody knows so much about the show when they ask questions so they ask such smart questions, such intuitive and knowledgeable questions.”

On whether he’s become more geeky since playing Sheldon:

“Between the comic book characters and the science, and trying to get the most tenuous grasp of the knowledge of whatever it is so I know why I’m saying what it is that I’m saying. Now the comic book characters I might be able to find my way into, the science I can’t. I’ll never find a way to enjoying that and going, oh I get it! No, no.

I did have a scene in the comic book store once where I didn’t have much to say, and so I spent the time reading one. I don’t know which one it was because it was something I just picked up during shooting. But I had a good time?”

On the origin of his character’s quirks:

“I will say that there are things like the knock-knock-knock-Penny, knock-knock-knock-Penny, it’s chicken or egg. I don’t know if I did it or if they wrote it. There’s little things they put in there from seeing me or hearing me. But I’ve never pitched an idea for Sheldon, like “it’d be really good if he would..” or anything like that.”

Kaley Cuoco’s character Penny is the beautiful and geek-friendly next-door-neighbor to physicist roommates Sheldon and Leonard. As Cuoco puts it, “Penny is their path to the outside world.”

On her stature in the geek world:

“That is so hilarious. I don’t know what’s happened! I almost want there to be a doll of Penny! Then I’ll know I’ve made it.”

(a member of the press corrects, “Action figure!”)

“Sorry, okay, “Sheldon!” Action Figure!” (laughs)

On fans:

“This show has the best fans, they are so sweet. They know everything about the show! It’s kind of like you either know the show by heart or you’ve never seen it?”

On being recognized:

“I’m not aware of anything outside of this table! Really, I’m not — people are looking at me at restaurants and I’m thinking I have something on my face.”

On the so-called “geek chic” trend:

The geeks are coming out of the closet! They’re getting laid left and right! They’re kind fo the cool ones now. The world is changing, people!

And last but not least: are they ever planning to fix the elevator?

“I get asked at question all the time! And people always say, “if they’re physicists shouldn’t they be able to fix it?” I don’t know! I don’t know, I think one episode Penny’s gonna fix it.”

SAN DIEGO — “Epitaph One,” the unaired thirteenth episode of “Dollhouse” was screened today at San Diego Comic-Con International to thousands of fans and Joss Whedon devotees.

Without giving away too much (spoiler-heavy recap at the bottom), the episode depicts a group of previously unknown characters (one played by “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” star Felicia Day) who are traveling underground and through walls and generally in dark dirty places. Finally, they stumble upon a familiar location — the abandoned Dollhouse.

This is not where the season finale left off. “Epitaph One” is a leap into the future; in effect, the “Dollhouse” version of a certain moment in the “Battlestar Galactica” third season finale (and hopefully those of you reading this did not just get spoiled).

Throughout the episode, the characters that the first 12 episodes spent its time developing were absent save for flashbacks that began to fill in the blanks of the mysterious events both during the time between the season finale and “Epitaph One” as well as such moments as chief-personality-designer-guy Topher’s first arrival to the Dollhouse.

Presumably the next season will start where the season finale left off, though. Joss Whedon indicated that there will be flash-forwards a la “Lost” and that Felicia Day as well as some of the other new faces will be returning for at least the season premiere.

As Blast reported earlier, Joss Whedon did make some casting announcements during the “Dollhouse” panel. Not only will Whedon alum Alexis Denisof (Wesley Wyndham Price in “Buffy” and “Angel”) be around for at least a few episodes, but they are also working diligently to get fellow familiar face, Summer Glau (“Firefly,” “Serenity,” “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”) on board. Whedon didn’t say whether or not Glau would have a guest spot or a regular role.

This casting news, the new faces in “Epitaph One,” the reduced budget, the new Director of Photography (also announced at Comic-Con), as well as the huge plot developments all mean that “Dollhouse” will depart from the slick, highly-produced feel of the first 12 episodes, a change that Whedon discussed. The show was promised to become more gritty in order to fit with the post-apocalyptic flashbacks as well as the descent to that post-apocalyptic world.

And speaking of the dismal future portrayed in “Epitaph One,” here’s a quick list of what the heck is going on in “Epitaph One.” The intention was for a full recap but the scale of the changes and the ridiculous amount of game-changing materiel contained in that 45-50 minutes is just insane. Oh, right, Joss Whedon. Ought to have known.

• The Dollhouse is some kind of bunker for Adelle DeWitt, Topher Brink, and several of the actives we’ve seen who are now apparently restored to their original selves
• The Dollhouse tech has gone wild; everyone gets themselves imprinted or their selves imprinted into new bodies; this is alluded to when the head of the Dollhouse organization uses Victor’s body to tell Adelle about the new direction (and ten other bodies simultaneously to inform the other Dollhouses)
• “Actuals” are people who refuse to be imprinted and remain their former selves; they tattoo themselves with their names so as to always know their true identities.
• The scope of Echo’s ability to retain imprints and her self-awareness is revealed when she is given a non-English speaking Russian girl personality and then speaks to her handler-apparent Paul Ballard in both Russian and English. She lets him know her headaches are “getting worse,” indicating a possible side effect either to repeated imprints or to cramming so many personalities into one brain.
• Topher is broken. Needing some kind of medication (edit: Haloperidol, an antipsychotic), he is wracked with guilt for being the one to conceptualize remote imprinting and revolutionizing the formerly slow process. Childlike, he responds only to Adelle and spends his time in one of the sleeping pods used by the Actives.
• Adelle herself finally reveals some moral gumption. She vehemently opposes the new direction for the Dollhouse and appears as the leader of the Dollhouse safe house; she says that there is nothing she won’t do to protect the “souls” of the Actives who have signed away their bodies.
• Echo and Paul Ballard return to the Dollhouse and Echo leaves a copy of herself on a hard drive should something happen to her.
• Whiskey (aka Dr. Claire Saunders) stays behind when the Dollhouse and Adelle’s “Actuals” are imprinted; later, she is seen as a bizarre, ethereal kind of guardian/guide to Felicia Day and company when they break in to the abandoned “spa.” No longer scarred (and Victor isn’t either — he will be healed rather quickly, according to Joss), she is a blank Doll. When Echo-in-child’s-body (more on that in a minute) sees her, she asks, “Did I do my best?” in heartbreaking delivery. Echo responds, “Better.”
• The Actuals who discover the empty Dollhouse have with them a man and his daughter, the man seems out of it and they decide to imprint him with the memories left in the console of the imprinting-chair to figure out what happened. This is the source of the flashbacks.
• Meanwhile, one of the other Actuals takes the little girl to the bathroom and discovers the communal shower which is still hooked up to hot water. Deciding to take her first shower in a year, she sends the girl on her way and his viciously attacked, apparently by Whiskey who appears with blood on her hands saying “I found your friend” once the body is discovered by the remaining Actuals.
• Later, another of the Actuals is killed — this time when the little girl appears with a gun in the imprinting room, shoots the actual and frames her “father” who is still out of it in the chair.
• The deception is discovered by the second-to-last last remaining Actual and the little girl reveals herself as an imprint stuck in “this little bitch” (referring to the prepubescent body) and calls the Actuals “bigots” for their actions.
• With the help of Whiskey, they retrieve Echo’s hidden hard disk and imprint the little girl body with her stored personality. The three of them leave the Dollhouse once others start to discover it and make their way up the elevator shaft to the remnants of Adelle’s office; on the wall they see a 9/11-like memorial collage of pictures of people who have been lost. Among the photographs are Sierra, Victor, and Echo herself — little-girl-Echo takes her own photo and says, “I hope we find me alive.”
• They look out the shattered window and see a twisted, destroyed LA. Echo quotes what the de-Attic-ified Dominic said in a flashback about letting kids playing with matches and seeing the house burn down.

Remember how it was called “game-changing?” Now you see why.

You can see “Epitaph One” for yourself when “Dollhouse” season one hits the shelves on July 28.

Blast has felt since the beginning that the premise of Dollhouse seems limitless. The potential for a huge amount of different tacks and different angles for the conspiracy story, the detective story, the survivor story, the escape story makes “Dollhouse” wrought with possibility. Yet “Epitaph One” somehow managed to shatter even these lofty expectations.

Take our advice — prepare to have your mind blown when “Dollhouse” returns this fall.

The film takes place in New Orleans, where our heroine Tiana encounters the unfortunate Prince Naveen, who magically transformed into a frog after being tricked by Dr. Facilier, a voodoo magician. In an attempt to cure his curse he must kiss a princess and believes he finds it with the smart and clever Tiana. Unfortunately for her, the spell backfires and she too turns into a frog. The rest of the film is a journey as Tiana and Prince Naveen search together for the remedy to their problem.

What also makes “The Princess and the Frog” special is the fact this is the first pure 2D animation Disney has produced since “Home on the Range” — almost 5 years ago. At the helm of the film directing are John Musker and Ron Clements, who made such classics as “The Great Mouse Detective,” “The Little Mermaid” and “Aladdin.”

The duo gathered for a panel at the Comic-Con International this year to talk more about the film.

“We knew several things going into this project: We wanted to have it take place in New Orleans, and we wanted her to be Africian American,” Clements said as he answered questions about the film’s portrayal of the character Mama Odie — a 200-year-old voodoo priestess — with a thick Louisiana accent, which some critics claim is a caricature of African Americans. Musker and Clements had based the film according to their experiences living in New Orleans doing research, they said. They said the film captures the spirit of the city, rather than marginalizing its culture or characters.

“We didn’t think people would take it that way.” Musker said.

The soundtrack will include original works by Randy Newman, who is a native of New Orleans. During the main panel where attendees got a sneak peek of a musical number, it is clear Disney hasn’t lost its touch with grand musical acts. In this case it is Prince Naveen who foolishly takes the advice of a swindler in order to find a prosperous wife. There are brilliant colors in mardi gras palettes: purples, greens, and yellows. Shadows creep against a wall and assist the swindler, Dr. Facilier, into his chair. If one could envision a mesh between Ariel’s transformation scene with Ursula in “The Little Mermaid” added with a dash of “Beauty & The Beast,” it would be a fair representation.

“The Princess and the Frog” arrives in theaters December 11.

It was easy for Max Records to win the audience over, after he said he wrote down his speech on his hand.

The book originally caused an uproar when released in 1963 for its demonstration of rage being a part of children’s nature and growth. Some religious groups perceived the central character “Max” as depicting humans as animals — Darwinism. But readers fell in love with the book, which received the Caldecott Medal given by the American Library Association for the most distinguished American picture book for children.

Decades later, this book has settled comfortably into the role of beloved children’s classic. Now it’s up to Jonze, who appeared in a behind-the-scenes feature at this year’s Comic-Con International, to use his creativity to put “Where the Wild Things Are” on film.

In the convention featurette, Jonze demonstrates how the film was made and how he first got Sendak’s blessing to proceed with the production.

Jonze made it clear he did not want to produce a film which would tarnish the vision and scope of the classic. Audiences are also given a look into the life of Sendak.

The “Where the Wild Things Are” panel also featured a guest appearance of the actor who plays Max, the aptly named Max Record.

“This is the first time I have ever been to one of these things,” Records said at the panel, “so I wrote down what I wanted to say on my hand.” The audience immediately became smitten by the shy yet undaunted actor as a series of clips and the movie’s official trailer were played.

The film is first and foremost a surreal live action replica of the books. Jonze spared no creative or monetary expense in detailing the creatures’ costumes, as well as Max’s infamous pajamas. The scope of the production design is amazing, and it leaves one certain that, had this been made as an animated feature, it would surely be less impressive.

What makes this film such an amazing compliment to the literature is the immediate impression that the film will not candy-coat themes usually associated with coming of age films.

The film also stars Catherine Keener as Max’s mother who, through her brief scenes in the trailer, demonstrates the poignant moments as she tucks him in bed.

There is a poignant moment in one of the clips where Max explains “the death of the sun” to one of the creatures, much to the creature’s surprise. The exchange underlines the serious aspects of the film as Max shows his naivety toward the difference between being good and bad — how he is a biter and it got him in trouble. Records’ eyes and expression hanker back to another child star whose charisma pierced the screen with an immense vulnerability — the late River Phoenix, whose “Stand By Me” performance forever drew audiences to him.

“Where the Wild Things Are” is not going to easily be defined as a children’s film. In fact, it could easily be categorized as a PG-13 movie for its complex issues and themes. Fans of the books will love the translation, especially with Sendak’s approving nod and the way Jonze has used his own vision to bring this classic to the screen.

Miyazaki's attendance at Comic-Con meant attendees finally got to ask questions and gain insight into what inspires this gifted animator (Blast staff photo/Conception Allen)

When the news was made official that Miyazaki planned an appearance to promote the American release of the film “Ponyo,” (“Gake no ue no Ponyo”) fans of his films rejoiced all over the world. This also meant attendees would finally get to ask questions and gain insight into what inspires this gifted animator, whose beautiful sketches and storyboards have attracted the attention of Disney’s John Lasseter. Disney is producing and distributing the film worldwide.

Ponyo is a fantastic story full of magic and drama told through the view of Ponyo, a mermaid who leaves home and becomes marooned on shore without help until a young boy named Sosuke saves her. What gradually unravels is a love story full of lush imagery.

On Friday, audiences were greeted with an elaborate clip from the film which points to Miyazaki’s imaginative scope using color, movement and pace. In what is best described as a roaring undulant sea, shifting into shapes of large gigantic fish, a girl (named Ponyo) rides atop the crests effortlessly and freely. It is surreal, stark and beautiful. Alongside this image are a woman and child racing away from the threatening sea in a small vehicle. Audiences can feel the intensity as the waters tower and crash closely behind them.

It will be a memorable scene that American audiences will enjoy, especially when we hear it paired with the voice talents of Tina Fey, Liam Neeson, Frankie Jonas, Cate Blanchett and Betty White for the English version of the film.

Ponyo is a more traditional animated feature, not done in 3D or with computer graphics. When Lasseter was asked about the future of 2D and its relationship with rise of 3D animation, he said: “I’m always inspired by new technology. (We’re) the studio that completed the first animated film, and what I think is important is to let the filmmakers really understand the technology of what you can and can’t do with it.”

During the exclusive press round-table meeting, Blast asked Miyazaki about the nature elements in “Ponyo” and what else we’ll see in the film.

“The way nature and environment has been reflected in ‘Ponyo’ is that I thought Ponyo’s natural strength was connected to the sea and the ocean — the strength that the sea and ocean have,” Miyazaki said. “In many ways, if you look down deep, the strength of people is connected to nature and the depth of nature. And so, that is why when Ponyo comes to the land. She uses the strength of the sea to come. It’s not really a film that has environmental issues or ecological issues in it as much as the strength and the power of nature that I have conveyed.”

Miyazaki isn’t trying to make a statement about Global Warming or about the environment or politics. His film simply reminds us about the beauty of nature and the power of man’s own inner spirit — and that the two can be beautifully combined.

This combination of art, science, film and animation makes it fitting that Miyazaki has been given Comic-Con’s Ink Pot Award, one of the highest honors a guest can receive at this event.

“Epitaph One” has long been rumored to be a game-changing episode for the series, a rumor that was proved true both when the episode screened and when Whedon was asked if the episode could be considered a “second pilot” for the series.

“I wouldn’t call it a second pilot but it is definitely a different vision and it will contain a lot of things about the characters and who they are and where they’re heading that people might not have seen or expected,” Whedon said.

There are a lot of developments expected more specifically for the character of Echo, portrayed by Eliza Dushku. When asked if it was somehow the case that the other dolls and the other characters in the show were somehow “projecting” onto Echo, Joss replied, “Yes, you’re very right to say that they’re projecting on her. A lot of her life, not just because she’s a doll, but also just in general, has to do with the fact that people become obsessive about her. But we are going to learn and starting in this season that they’re not wrong, that there is something truly special about her and that she is going to be a major in factor in what happens to Dollhouse over the next few years.”

Tahmoh Penikett’s Paul Ballard, an FBI agent who was focused on finding the Dollhouse and eventually did, (In fact, at the end of the first season he appeared to be joining the Dollhouse in some capacity) is another character facing some changes for the new season.

“We had always intended for Paul to find the Dollhouse and for his interaction to change because we didn’t want him to be like the reporter in ‘The Hulk,’ showing up too late every episode,” Whedon said of the Ballard character. “And now they’ve been working on him from the outside with November and his alliance with Echo is going to be really tested, because he’s going to be in there with her partially to protect her but also to find out what’s really going on. You know you can gaze into the abyss or you can actually live in it, it’s going to affect you. so we are going to see that while (Echo) is starting to grow, we’re going to see that everybody else really starting to come apart a little bit.”

“Dollhouse” is certainly a kind of abyss — without a doubt, it is the only show on television to so brazenly portray such ethically questionable and morally deep actions and situations. This is not lost on Whedon.

“I think with this show, I want to say to the people who have, you know, felt a connection with me, that maybe you want to back away and avoid eye contact,” he said. “That maybe there’s something horribly wrong with me, and this is my very poetical way of expressing that. I think of it as a work that actually frightens me at times in a way that my shows seldom got to. At the same time I have that sort of jolly love of everything that’s going on and have to be reminded that what I’m doing is reprehensible. So it’s a mature work in the sense that I grew up and went insane.”

On a more serious note, the ethical dilemmas and the role of human nature embedded in the premise of “Dollhouse” are what interest Whedon and are what he will elaborate on more in the upcoming season.

“Well I think ultimately the thing that fascinates me is morality and personal politics; the politics of the personal, of the person in the moment as opposed to the statement,” Whedon said. “Yet I would say in terms of the second season, the abuse of power and the different kinds of forms it can take is going to become broader and more, in fact, political, and we’re going to see the Dollhouse in the world a bit more.”

Perhaps it is that same uncomfortable material that the show deals with that is partly to blame for why “Dollhouse” had a hard time getting renewed.

“I’d say it came extraordinarily close to being canceled,” Joss said. “I’d say it was probably pronounced on the table and we went, “Nooo!” (feigns CPR) and the camera pulled back and it went (gasps) and the music came up and we all cried,” Whedon dramatized. “It came down to some very simple numbers that people worked in a very complicated fashion to fudge laughs and ultimately the fact that my shows have never gone that big, you know they’re marathon runners, they’re not sprinters. This is the studio where I did those shows, even when they weren’t on that network. And they know that, so they fought hard to make it as easy for the network as possible. So it was really the hardcore fan base, the people who are here, to tip the scale. And that scale was tippy.”

Certainly Whedon is no stranger to one of his shows getting axed. The cancellation of “Firefly” infuriates embittered fans (and Whedon, himself) more than half a decade later. With “Dollhouse” so close to the brink, almost from day one, people did wonder if Whedon treated the new show differently than he did “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” or “Firefly.”

“I have been hurt before, it’s true. So I made the decision early on just to phone it in. I really feel that that’s better for me,” he joked. “No, you know what — I’m a little bit wiser and a little bit more removed in terms of how I deal emotionally with the whole business of it, but when I get into the story that’s the only world I live in. And I love the characters and I love the cast so much, so that when I get into the writer’s room, and we’re talking about them, that’s our life. And in the same way that’s our only life and all we do is get excited and come up with things that we’re a little embarrassed we thought of.”

Whedon on a “Dollhouse” comic book: “I don’t see it happening. I don’t care how good an artist is, they’re not gonna make an Eliza. Ultimately you know she doesn’t fly, she doesn’t shoot firebolts, except in that one episode — it’s gonna be awesome. So I think this belongs exactly where it is: on television… and in fanfic.”

Disney’s Lee Unkrich revealed little during a panel discussion. While most of the information is still a secret, he did allow audience members to find out about the new character to the franchise, Ken (Barbie’s counterpart) who will be voiced by Michael Keaton.

“We were not interested if it would have been simply an adventure on the road,” Unkrich elaborated on the motivations of this latest volume to the series in a round-table interview with Blast.

Unkrich elaborated that the film was personal to all involved and they wanted to create something worthwhile for audiences to enjoy as well as themselves.

“So much had past since the first film … all of us involved have had children, some of them have graduated,” he said.

And with the real passage of time, a new plot element unfolds.

Andy, the human boy character in the original film, is off to college in “Toy Story 3.”

This tidbit of information may be enough to offer fans an idea of how the film may go. With recent films such as “Up,” it is possible Disney may attempt to include more serious themes into its films.

As far as the technology, “Toy Story 3” is designed for a 3D audience. An exclusive clip of the film entertained audiences with visuals of Rex’s tail whipping around and the memorable little alien toys grasping their cute fingers outside the screen toward the audience. The clip even began with Buzz Lightyear walking into frame as if coming out from the corner of the screen and into the forefront.

Finally, while the third flick is far off, “Toy Story” and “Toy Story 2″ are currently being configured for 3D as well — illustrating Disney’s continued dedication to the format.

“Absolutely,” said Gibson when asked what was happening with a “Transformers 3.” “It’s in motion.”

In interviews following “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” director Michael Bay made remarks saying he wanted a break from big blockbusters, saying that he was in the process of working on a dark comedy. Gibson reassured fans that Bay would indeed be getting behind another “Transformers” film.

“Michael Bay, he definitely needs to take a break from (“Transformers”), understandably so, but this is the movie — the biggest movie he’s ever directed in his life,” said Gibson. “And so, he can keep producing all of these other projects, but he is officially the king of geeks.”

Gibson’s role in “Revenge of the Fallen” was markedly smaller than his role in the first “Transformers” film, a fact he claimed he was sure was going to be remedied for a third installment.

“I will absolutely be back,” he said, “and my part is going to be bumped up.”

The 43-year-old Angel and Buffy star will “cross blades” with Echo, Eliza Dushku.

Producers are also working on Summer Glau and want her really badly to be on the show.

This is breaking news. Stick with Blast for more on this story as it develops!

When small-town high school hottie Jennifer (Megan Fox) is possessed by a hungry demon, guys who never stood a chance with her, take on new luster in the light of Jennifer’s insatiable appetite. From the Oscar-winning screenwriter of “Juno,” Diablo Cody.

James Cameron, the director of Avatar, on the set

Avatar is the story of an ex-Marine who finds himself thrust into hostilities on an alien planet filled with exotic life forms. As an Avatar, a human mind in an alien body, he finds himself torn between two worlds, in a desperate fight for his own survival and that of the indigenous people. More than ten years in the making, Avatar marks Cameron’s return to feature directing since helming 1997’s Titanic, the highest grossing film of all time and winner of 11 Oscars including Best Picture. WETA Digital, renowned for its work in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and King Kong, will incorporate new intuitive CGI technologies to transform the environments and characters into photorealistic 3D imagery that will transport the audience into the alien world rich with imaginative vistas, creatures and characters.

The film stars Johnny Depp (who made a brief surprise visit during the panel — Burton later claimed that “Johnny decided to drop by” after having been in the neighborhood “walking around dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow,” though Burton’s grin proved this fan dream false), Mia Wasikowska, Anne Hathaway, and Helena Bonham Carter.

During the presentation Burton and panel host Patton Oswalt showed — three times — a trailer for the March 2010 film. Narrated by Depp’s Mad Hatter, the trailer gave glimpses of the Cheshire Cat (voiced by Stephen Fry), the Queen of Hearts, and a variety of scenes that appeared to be wholly original to this version, including a romp through a forest of mushrooms and a seemingly beefier role for the Mad Hatter, a character that only appears in a few Alice tales.

Certainly the question of how exactly Burton’s “Alice” compares to the source material, that is “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and the sequel “Through the Looking Glass” is on everyone’s mind.

When asked about his motivation to do the film as well as his connection to the source material, Burton said, “Seeing other movie versions of it, I never felt an emotional connection to it. It was always a girl wandering around from one crazy character to another, and I never really felt any real emotional connection. So it’s an attempt to really try to give (“Alice in Wonderland”) some framework of emotional grounding that has never been in any version before. So that’s the challenge to me. You know every character’s weird, but it’s to try and give them their specific weirdness so that they’re all different. All his characters indicate some kind of mental weirdness that everybody goes through, but the real attempt was to try and make Alice feel more like a story as opposed to a series of events.”

A lot of the intrigue with Burton’s “Alice” also has to do with the rumored changes he has made to the original story.

“It’s not a sequel because there are so many stories in Alice in Wonderland,” Burton said. “The goal was to take the randomness of the books, taking elements of the book and making it its own stories. A lot of it is based on the Jabberwocky poem in one of the stories. And that’s not a big part of the story, but we’re just using elements of all the books because that’s the nature of them, and they don’t really follow a specific linear structure.”

There are also a few changes being made to the famous Mad Hatter, which Burton calls an “iconic character.” Some of these changes can also be attributed to Johnny Depp. “(Johnny) tried to find a grounding to the character, something that you feel, as opposed to just being mad. In a lot of versions it’s a very one-note kind of character and you know his goal was to try and bring out a human side to the strangeness of the character. Any time I work with him that’s something he tries to do so that’s no exception.”

Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” is also going to be presented in 3D, though it was originally filmed in 2D and will be converted to 3D.

“We didn’t do it with a 3D camera. We did it where we got all our information from different cameras,” Burton said. “There are maybe three or four reasons for that. One was the time element, where you know we didn’t really have five or six years to make it. Also I felt the techniques we were using — the pure animation, the live action (but manipulating and doing strange things to that), plus the other elements we’re adding into it — it just gave us more freedom to get the depths and layers we wanted in the time we were dealing with. Plus for me I couldn’t really see the difference. This seemed the right technique and the right approach to do it.”

He went on to discuss his personal view of the growing trend of incorporating 3D technology into film.

“I’m personally not out to make it a gimmick. I think it puts you in this world more, plus with the Alice material, the growing and shrinking and the weird kind of spaces and places you’re in, it just kind of helps with the experience. The gimmick elements are kind of falling by the wayside. Now it’s just more about an experience. (We had) “Nightmare” (“The Nightmare Before Christmas”) converted to 3D and I mean, I felt it was almost the way it should have been. You felt the texture of the puppets more, you felt things that you actually felt when you were on the set. I think that that just enhances the experience and makes things — in a lot of cases with the textures and things — the way you wanted it to be.”

In closing, there is also a bit of news about Burton’s future projects. He’s been rumored to be going on to do “Dark Shadows” once “Alice in Wonderland” is complete, and he said once asked that “Dark Shadows is the plan, if I ever finish this one.”

There is also some potential for more original projects like Burton’s acclaimed “Edward Scissorhands.” When asked if he planned on beginning an original project, he said, “Oh yeah, I mean — you know those are always kind of inside. Yeah I’ve got a few lying around and I try to sneak them in somewhere. Yeah, um — yes. Yes. But nothing right at this moment.”

“Alice in Wonderland” hits theaters in March 2010.

Definitely, there is something definitely worth seeing for fans new and old. The original “Tron” took audiences into virtual world as its main character Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), a hacker and computer programmer, becomes digitized and trapped into a computer program of his creation. “Tron Legacy” promises to provide the same amount of action and innovating technology without losing the classic look and style.

Scenes screened for viewers at Comic-Con’s first ever 3D panel reveals more intense chase scenes and special effects. The premise for “Tron Legacy” takes the story to a new generation where Flynn’s son (Garrett Hedlund) takes measures to find his father. Also in the film is “House” star Olivia Wilde, whose character remains a secret.

At the press screening for the much anticipated film, director Joseph Kosinski, writer Steven Lisberger and cast member Jeff Bridges revealed more, even delving into the music behind the film, which will be headlined by French band Daft Punk.

“I think that cyberspace and that technology will continue to evolve,” said writer Steven Lisberger. “I think now is the right time for this film.”

This film will definitely build upon the strengths of the original, combined with the amazing capabilities of modern technology. Also at the panel, images and scenes from the film were displayed for fans, revealing the original and remodeled versions of the Tron Light Cycles.

As far as the vision and the context of the film, Lisberger revealed the movie will definitely explore the intermediary time between 1982 and 2010.

“For those unfamiliar with the Tron universe, this will be a standalone film. This film will take place in 2010 with the mystery of what happened in 1982 and 2010,” Kosiniki said.

“Tron Legacy” promises to give audiences a glimpse of the classic in a brave new world, and judging by the reception of its fans during the preview panel, this modern classic lives on.