SAN DIEGO — Last week Blast brought an inside look and review on the upcoming CW series’ “The Vampire Diaries” with a review of its pilot during the Comic-Con International in San Diego. Since then, the fledgling series has been the hot topic between loyalists of the books (“The Vampire Diaries” is based on a series by L.J. Smith), fans of its cast like Ian Somerhalder of “Lost” fame, as well as its producers like Kevin Williamson who brought another television hit, “Dawson’s Creek”.

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.

It was admittedly a challenge for Jody Thompson to play the character Lana in R.W. Goodwin’s “Alien Trespass,” a faithful retelling of a 1950s B movie.

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.

November 18, 2008 was a great day for gamers and zombie fans alike.

It was the day that Valve’s immensely popular Left 4 Dead title was officially released.

Since that fateful autumn day, both PC and Xbox 360 owners were finally able to truly know what it took to survive the zombie apocalypse.‚  With shotguns and health packs in hand, even the most average Joe (such as myself) were able to star in their own undead cinematic adventure while harming thousands of zombies in the process, leaving many wanting more.

Valve has recognized the zombie bloodlust they have nurtured and have started development on the sequel for Left 4 Dead, called Left 4 Dead 2.

I was lucky enough to get my hands on Valve’s next apocalyptic first-person shooter at San Diego Comic-Con 2009.‚  Though the game is still in development, the creators of Half-Life and the Source Engine did not disappoint with what they had to offer.

Taking place in what seems to be various parts of the southern region of the United States, Left 4 Dead 2 focuses on four new playable characters as they move from safe house to safe house, trying to survive until rescue arrives.‚  Each character has‚  their own back story and contributes some subtle Cajun twang, giving Left 4 Dead 2 an authentic southern feel throughout the game.

The first thing I noticed when getting my hands on Left 4 Dead 2 was how visually stunning it was compared to the initial title.‚  I believe Marc Normandin, my boss and temporary Comic-Con roommate, said it best by gasping, “This looks 100x better.”‚  The longer I played the game, the more I realized that I would not have to stare at dark, grainy NPC models and environments any longer.‚  It was truly a sight to see.

Helping with the previously too-dark-to-see nature of the original Left 4 Dead had an easy solution: making some of the movies take place during the day time.‚  In both of the abbreviated stories I played, my team fought through hordes of undead Southerners in almost broad daylight, evoking memories of certain scenes from 28 Days Later.‚  The motions of the zombies were “completely redone” according to Valve reps, allowing seamless transitions from resting to attacking states.‚  The developers also made the zombies’ detachable limbs more realistic and thoroughly more enjoyable.

Beyond the impressive visual qualities, Left 4 Dead 2 also had plenty of new content to enjoy.‚  Valve did every zombie fan a service by adding various melee weapons to the game.‚  Items such as chainsaws, cricket bats, axes and even frying pans have been added to the mix.‚  Though I didn’t have the pleasure of using the chainsaw nor the cricket bat, I can vouch for the high level of satisfaction that using the axe and frying pan can bring to the game’s experience.‚  Melee weapons can be used in two ways; a player can either use a normal attack or a power attack.‚  Normal attacks or quicker, but take multiple hits to kill enemies while power attacks are slower, but offer a faster and more gruesome takedown of the undead.‚  Melee weapons are carried similarly to the gas tanks in the original title; players can hold the weapon without having to drop their main gun, but will have to drop the frying pan/axe if they would like to access any other item in their inventory.

The folks at Valve were also kind enough to add some guns as well.‚  I had a chance to take a sneak peak at the new AK47 and grenade launcher weapons in the game and I was very impressed.‚  The AK47, though not noticeably different to the M-4 in the way it fired, added some diversity to the upgrade guns received when players progressed to the later parts of the stories.‚  The grenade launcher, or “friendly-fire hell” as a Valve rep described it, is a completely new weapon added to the game.‚  Shooting high-powered explosives, the grenade launcher can take out numerous amounts of zombie foes and, as I unfortunately learned, your teammates as well.

Those new weapons will be very helpful when taking out the added “special infected” enemies unique to Left 4 Dead 2.‚  The two new infected I battled were called the Charger and the Spitter.‚  The Charger looked like a mix between a Boomer and a Tank, attacking the survivors with power, speed and a terribly destructive arm.‚  Chargers focus on one character, stampede towards them and smashes them into the ground.‚  Though the Charger is virtually unstoppable when it is running towards you, teammates will be galad to know that it is fairly weak and can be eliminated quickly.‚  Spitters had the opposite approach when compared to the Charger.‚  Instead of running towards enemies, Spitters (shown below) shoot projectile similar-to-napalm saliva at their targets.‚  The substance covers the ground and does damage to whoever remains standing in it.

There are also unique-to-movie infected within the game.‚  In one of the movies, players will fight off zombies that are dressed in SWAT gear.‚  Though these undead officers look like your ordinary horde members, they are actually very difficult to kill as they are unaffected when the front of their bodies hit with bullets.‚  The quickest way to take them down is a melee attack, making the nearest frying pan your new best friend.

Valve also answered my prayer when it came to final showdowns.‚  In the first Left 4 Dead title, every movie ended with a final showdown that took place in a small building or shack.‚  Players would essentially have to hold the fort until help arrived every time they wanted to beat the game.‚  However, it seems that Valve has developed a new diverse collection of endings for their new game’s stories.‚  In one of the demos I played, the final showdown actually took place on a bridge.‚  My team and I had to run across the bridge, killing dashing zombies as they funneled through abandoned traffic.‚  Once you cross the bridge and survive certain doom, players board a helicopter and finish the movie.‚  This is a perfect example of how changing even the smallest details can satisfy the most hard-to-please gaming critic.

The Artificial Intelligence (AKA “The Director”) in Left 4 Dead seemed to be over hyped prior to its release in 2008 and, to a certain extent, I feel that there was legitimate disappointment in how it played.‚  Left 4 Dead 2 hopes to change my mind with its revamped AI 2.0.‚  Though I don’t have the specifics on the modifications in 2.0, I can say that Left 4 Dead 2 seemed more difficult than its predecessor when it came to spawning health items and pacing.‚  At worst, Left 4 Dead 2 should be a more exciting and challenging experience if the alterations to The Director are maintained.

A main concern for many fans the first Left 4 Dead title was that Left 4 Dead 2 would end up being what the original “should’ve been”.‚  While it would have been nice to see the enhanced graphical presentation in the earliest game, Left 4 Dead 2 seems to have plenty of features to be something more than a slight upgrade to the original.‚  As a fan of the original and optimist for the sequel, I am looking forward to picking up my copy of Left 4 Dead 2 when it drops in November 2009.

Valve’s Left 4 Dead 2 will be released in November 2009 exclusively for Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows.

SAN DIEGO — There is one thing certain, “Fringe” the Fox television show, is not the typical science fiction series. A year ago, this edgy drama introduced audiences to a taboo area of science termed “fringe science.” Its focus and practices include genetically mutated humans, deadly dreams, necromancy and teleportation. Though often compared to another beloved Fox series, “X-Files” the show takes the paranormal to a heightened level.

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.

SAN DIEGO — You all should know by now, we at Blast are huge fan of “Buffy” and “Dollhouse” mastermind Joss Whedon’s work. Be it by spiting the writer’s strike with “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along-Blog” or constantly giving us reasons to ogle Eliza Dushku and Nathan Fillion, Whedon is someone you should be aware of if you are not. Don’t believe me? Check out his marketing campaign for his new horror film, “The Cabin in the Woods”:

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.

Check out these new stills of Summit Entertainment’s “Astro Boy,” featuring the voice talents of Freddie Highmore and Kristen Bell.

“Astro Boy” hits theaters October 23, 2009.

SAN DIEGO — Josh Schwartz shocked audiences when he was able to switch from angsty teen dramas like “Gossip Girl” and “The OC” to the action and nerd filled NBC comedy “Chuck.” With “Chuck” now going into its third season, Schwartz sat down with Blast to talk about the fan response, the possible return of Bryce Larkin and what season three will contain.

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!

SAN DIEGO “" The epitome of every boy’s fantasy, Yvonne Strahovski plays Sarah Walker, Zachary Levi’s Chuck’s ass-kicking spy handler/love interest on NBC’s “Chuck.” Blast was lucky enough to get to sit down with her at San Diego Comic-Con to talk a bit about Chuck and Sarah’s (finally) consummated chemistry and what could be happening in season three.

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.

SAN DIEGO “" Elizabeth Mitchell, whose character Juliette on “Lost” was a part of the cliffhanger season finale, took a few moments to talk about her role on “Lost” as well as her new show “V,” also on ABC, in which she plays a single mom FBI agent named Erica.

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.

SAN DIEGO — One of the most anticipated presentations of San Diego Comic-Con International was the “Stargate Universe” panel, complete with creators Brad Wright and Robert Cooper and the “Comic-Con virgin” cast.

“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.

SAN DIEGO “" People are Tweeting it and spreading the rumor, but Blast got him to spill the beans.

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.

SAN DIEGO — Nostalgia hung in the air at the very start of the Lost panel this morning. Rumors flew around the hall chatted away about special guest appearances (Josh Holloway to Michael Emerson both showed up) at the last hurrah for this complicated television series, which has become a modern classic.

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.

SAN DIEGO — Blast learned moments ago that Elizabeth Mitchell will be in final season of Lost.

This is a breaking news update. Stick with Blast for more on this story!

SAN DIEGO — Jim Parsons and Kaley Cuoco from “The Big Bang Theory” were on hand at the Comic-Con International, and took a few minutes after their panel to talk to the media. Parsons was nominated for an Emmy for his role as fan-favorite Sheldon and “geek goddess” Kaley Cuoco plays Penny on the show.

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.”

Warning: This article includes spoilers for the thirteenth “Dollhouse” episode “Epitaph One” as well as mild spoilers for the television series “Battlestar Galactica” and Joss Whedon’s other shows: “Angel,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Firefly” and movie “Serenity.”

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.

SAN DIEGO — “The Princess and the Frog” is Disney’s latest animated fair tale. This time, however, the film will make history, featuring the first African-American princess in Disney’s history.

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.

SAN DIEGO — For the past 40 years, Comic-Con International has showcased celebrities and television veterans from Angelina Jolie to Joss Whedon. So it is a surprise to many that filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki of the beloved animations “Princess Mononoke” and “My Neighbor Totoro” has never made an appearance at Comic-Con. In fact, the elusive filmmaker didn’t even attend the Academy Awards ceremony when he won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature for “Spirited Away” (“Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi”) in 2003.

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.

SAN DIEGO — Before the screening of the fabled lost episode of Joss Whedon’s “Dollhouse,” “Epitaph One,” the man behind the hit show took a few minutes to talk to the media about the upcoming (and unexpected) season two.

“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.”

SAN DIEGO — “Toy Story” was landmark upon its release, which was already more than 10 years ago. Today, Disney introduced “Toy Story 3″ at Comic-Con.

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.

SAN DIEGO — Here’s what happened today!

SAN DIEGO “" With “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” a resounding box office success this year, it is only natural for conversation with one of the film’s stars, Tyrese Gibson, to shift to discussion of a third film.

“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.”

SAN DIEGO — Blast learned that Alexis Denisof will be in a couple episodes of Dollhouse Season 2.

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!

SAN DIEGO — “Jennifer’s Body” is in theaters September 18.

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.

SAN DIEGO — “Edward Scissorhands” director Tim Burton made his first-ever visit to Comic-Con International today and was welcomed with huge cheers from Hall H’s 6000-strong audience. Burton was there to discuss “Alice in Wonderland,” his highly anticipated re-imagining of the classic novel.

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.

SAN DIEGO — In the year since Disney teased us with a few seconds of video at Comic-Con 2008, fans have been anticipating the 2009 3D Comic-Con panel. Fans of the 1982 cult classic “Tron” waited with baited breath for details to emerge on the sequel.

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.

SAN DIEGO — One of the cool things about being a magazine is that we have super-fast access to some cool stuff like these photos.

SAN DIEGO — Being preemptive always bites the journalist in the butt, and of course immediately after our New Moon post went live, Chris Weitz showed the (almost) reunion scene between Bella and Edward and Italy.

And it was beautiful.

Proving that Taylor Lautner being shirtless is old news, the fan screams at Robert Pattinson’s Edward Cullen removing his shirt to incite a response from the Volturi nearly drowned out the sound of scene being shown. And it looks like Taylor wasn’t the only “New Moon” cast member hitting the gym: as the fan behind me repeatedly stated, “You can’t fake that definition.” RPattz has finally got his set of abs.

The scene showed Bella and Alice driving up in Alice’s famous yellow Porsche to stop Edward from revealing himself in the sunlight and causing the Volturi to kill him. Bella runs through a festival going on in Italy to try to stop Edward. Of course the scene ended before Edward saw Bella and they have their long awaited reunion, but the camera work and cinematography was breathtaking, showing a big step up from “Twilight.” Of course, being on location in Italy might have helped.

Chris Weitz needs to create more films not based on religion and relying on CGI. “New Moon” looks like it could actually be really, really good. Guess we’ll just have to wait until November 20 to know for sure.

SAN DIEGO — You know we’re going to put out a ton of articles, interviews, galleries and news stories on Twilight and specifically “New Moon” at Comic-Con International this week, but here’s the first batch of fresh baked photos from this morning.

SAN DIEGO — Comic-Con International 2009 has kicked off, and game maker Capcom has some news for Ace Attorney Investigation: Miles Edgeworth and Fate/unlimited codes.

Fate/unlimited codes will hit the PlayStation Store in early September for the PlayStation Portable. This is a fast-paced, weapons-based fighter. The game will be playable at Comic-Con.

Ace Attorney Investigation: Miles Edgeworth, will arrive on US shelves on February 16, 2010 for the Nintendo DS. You take the role of famous prosecutor Miles Edgeworth and investigate crime scenes to find the truth behind each challenging case.

Comic-Con attendees get to also download eight free quests for Monster Hunter Freedom Unite.

SAN DIEGO — This year’s Comic-Con International Preview Night included the exclusive screening of “The Vampire Diaries” which is scheduled to air on The CW Thursday nights at 8 p.m. starting September 10. It also marks the return of Kevin Williamson, whose “Dawson Creek” redefined drama for young adults in the 90s.

Despite a similar premise to “Twilight” about forbidden love and vampires, there isn’t too much “The Vampire Diaries” shares with it. The show is based on a series of young adult novels by LJ Smith, and while the show isn’t 100 percent true to the books, the literary fans will find that the spirit of the story remains intact and the transition to the television medium works well.

The pilot starts with an atmosphere of urgency. It’s classic Williamson with an isolated stretch of road, a couple and swift violence. Williamson grabs the audience’s attention immediately without being overindulgent.

As the stage is set with a “monster” on the loose we are introduced to Elena Gilbert (up-and-comer Nina Dobrev), a girl whose sudden loss of her parents leaves her life in chaos. Meanwhile, making matters worse is her younger brother, Jeremy, whose self-destructive behavior doesn’t help matters.

Nina Dobrev arrives at Liv Nightclub at the Fontainbleau Miami Beach on June 12 for The Vampire Diaries Kick Off Party

Elena meets the new guy in school, Stefan Salvatore (Paul Welsey) whose mesmerizing abilities prove he is not just another high school student. He is in fact, a vampire.

Just when it appears Stefan and Elena are getting closer, another attack takes place. From here, the story picks up at an exciting pace. Stefan is greeted by his brother, Damon (a charismatic Ian Somerhalder). It is clear with the first deadlock stare they share a rocky history. As Damon taunts Stephan by staking a claim on Elena, the brothers begin what is one of the best moments of the episode. The set up for the fight, the witty dialogue and the context of their relationship makes this a worthwhile storyline.

Overall, the pilot for “The Vampire Diaries” is a great start for the series. Audiences will love the hints of humor thrown into the mix of drama, Sommerhalder’s delicious bad boy taunts and the formulaic love story. Dobrev and Wesley are refreshing as their chemistry onscreen intensifies with each added scene. The only stark contrast is the narration of the diary entries which comes across as awkward at times. The atmosphere for the series is balanced, and the collaboration between talent and production are not over the top. There is a focus on keeping up the suspense until the final scenes.

“The Vampire Diaries” drew several cheers even from fans who were skeptical about a “Twilight” reboot. Each scene element demonstrates why this will certainly be the perfect show to take over the coveted slot formerly belonging to “Smallville”. If attendees for Comic-Con get a chance, for the Saturday showing of “The Vampire Diaries”? It’s worth the watch!

SAN DIEGO — The reboot of the 1984 miniseries “V” saw its pilot episode screened at Comic-Con International Wednesday evening to a crowd of several thousand attendees eager for the always anticipated Preview Night. Screened alongside the pilot for freshman series “Human Target” and “Vampire Diaries,” “V” was a standout thanks to its particularly solid cast.

Starring Elizabeth Mitchell (familiar as Juliet from “LOST” — and BLAST will be doing its best to get that question answered, by the way), Alan Tudyk (“Firefly,” “Dollhouse”), Morena Baccarin (“Firefly”) Morris Chestnut (“Boyz N the Hood”), and Scott Wolf (“Party of Five”).

Beware of Spoilers Beyond This Point

The pilot opens with sprawling overhead shots of cities with the provocative tag-lines: “Where were you when JFK was shot?” “Where were you on 9/11?” Then it finishes with “Where were you today?”

Shortly after, the sudden arrival of hovering alien motherships over Earth’s major cities triggers panic until the beautiful, otherworldly, and human-looking “Anna” (Baccarin) appears projected on the bellies of the massive ships (which are not as well rendered nor as cool-looking as the Galactica) and delivers a message. In gist, it’s “We come in peace” mixed in with “hey, Earth has something we need, but don’t worry we’ll be best friends with you and cure cancer and then be on our merry way.”

That certainly bodes well, doesn’t it?

We fast forward a few weeks to a point where humanity has largely welcomed and become enthralled with the “visitors” (“V”). This is the part that doesn’t ring quite true, even in context of this being a show about alien invasion. If giant alien spaceships that demonstrate clear superiority and just happen to electronically disable human jets that approach it, it seems difficult to believe that humanity as a whole would be, like, just so totally super excited to be, BFFs.

Thankfully, there are a few characters here and there who feel the same way. One of them is a doubting priest (Joel Gretsch) who questions the Vatican’s official position on the Vs (“we are all God’s creatures”) as well as one of his parishioners who staggers into the church, bleeding to death and begging the priest to deliver a package to a secret meeting.

Meanwhile Elizabeth Mitchell’s character, Erica Evans, is an FBI agent working with Alan Tudyk to uncover some kind of “sleeper cell” in a plot line that is very random and very unexplained. The lack of exposition is saved by the charismatic Dale Maddox, played by the always excellent Alan Tudyk (whose first appearance on screen prompted the biggest cheer of the night — Comic-Con is the natural environment for “Firefly” fans, after all).

The story moves along as V spokesman and leader apparent “Anna” encounters a middle-echelon broadcast reporter played by Scott Wolf. He asks her as she enters the UN if all the Vs are babes and she replies with, “You’re not so bad yourself.” The positive press coverage on her sense of humor inspires “Anna” in a very Big Brother-esque scene to announce to one of the other V’s that she chooses Wolf’s character Chad Decker to interview her.

One of the first hints of the Vs’ nefarious plots is revealed a few minutes before the interview is to take place. In short, Anna instructs Decker to ask only questions that cast a positive light on the visitors. When he tells her that it’s not a journalist’s job to spin, she threatens to cancel the interview and seduces the reporter with the promise of career advancement should he do as she asks. Decker casts away his scruples and relents.

The final act of the pilot culminates in Erica and Dale’s investigation leading them to some kind of warehouse. Erica enters first and discovers an anti-V rally, led by one guy who makes some very good points. He suggests that the Vs are reptilian-like creatures that cloned humans so as to appear human and asserts that the Vs’ reveal of themselves to Earthlings was merely the last stage in their plan to conquer the world.

Erica asks for proof and the doubting priest comes forward, bearing the bloody message given to him by his parishioner. Inside are photos of a mysterious terrorist suspect that Erica has been investigating and who she hasn’t been able to attach to any name or any of the many forged passports they found at a crime scene earlier. Just as the group of skeptics begin to put the pieces together — specifically that the man in the photograph is a V — they are attacked.

Shockingly, among these attackers is Dale Maddox, who tries to kill Erica until she manages to strike his head with a bar and discovers that the claim of the reptilian-like aliens wearing human skin is in fact the case.

The pilot ends with Erica and the priest, who both managed to survive the attack, realizing that they now need to form a resistance.

So what’s the verdict?

The potential for true drama and intrigue is definitely there. The interplay and politics of the Vs’ relationship with characters like Chad Decker and Erica’s V-obsessed teenage son could certainly be interesting and the gradual reveal of the Vs’ true intentions make for a promising story.

The bad?

For the most part the writing was predictable at best and flat at worst. Several of the characters suffer from LOST-imitation-itis, which is to say that the writers are clearly attempting to create a diverse ensemble each with a interesting to-be-revealed backstories but unfortunately fall short. Characters like Erica Evans’ son, the priest, Ryan Nichols (Morris Chestnut) are all plagued with dull and familiar dialogue (a possible exception being Nichols, who is at the end revealed as a “traitor” V, an alien who fights on the side of the humans) that serves to make them feel like filler characters.

On the other end, of course, is Morena Baccarin’s fantastic performance as “Anna.” She is unsettling and somehow nonthreatening at the same time. Creepy, yet pleasant. On the whole Baccarin is the standout performer and her character Anna is certainly one of the most intriguing and unique characters on the show.

Visually, the show is clearly a pilot — the CGI shots are uninspiring. The cinematography, on the other hand, was nicely done and on the whole the pilot was edited superbly. There were many moments of great storyline juxtaposition and parallels that really contributed a lot to the sense that there is a lot of story to be told with this premise.

In all, it earns a B rating. Certainly intriguing but ultimately hampered by its lackluster plotting and general predictability. Despite that, though, it is absolutely worth a try when it arrives on screen later this year.

SAN DIEGO — Electronic Arts’ Visceral Games teamed with Image Comics to announce the release of a Dead Space Extraction comic book.

“The Dead Space Extraction comic reunites renowned illustrator Ben Templesmith and writer Antony Johnston with the game’s cold and terrifying fiction,” the companies said in a statement. “This one-time special issue comic follows the successful partnership for last year’s Dead Space comic mini-series.

The comic will be on store shelves in September for $3. A limited edition version of the comic featuring exclusive cover art will be available for the special price of $2 at the EA Comic-con booth.

“There is so much more to the Dead Space universe than we could ever fit into one game and we’re excited to be working with Image Comics again to extend the story in Dead Space Extraction” said Steve Papoutsis, executive producer of Dead Space Extraction. “Ben and Antony did such a tremendous job with the original comic, we can’t wait for fans to get their hands on this special issue.”

Dead Space Extraction is the prequel to the award-winning Dead Space action/horror game. It ships September 29.

Five members of the Blast team are in San Diego for Comic-Con International!

This just in: revolutionary filmmaker Peter Jackson, who brought us the likes of “The Lord of the Rings” and “King Kong,” will be attending San Diego Comic-Con for the first time next month to promote his upcoming film “District 9,” due in theaters August 14.

The panel for the film will be held on July 24 in Hall H “" home to panels promoting the biggest and baddest of the Comic-Con events. Along with Jackson, who produced “District 9,” will be the film’s director Neill Blomkamp and star Sharlto Copley.

“After all these years, I’m thrilled that I finally have the opportunity to visit San Diego for Comic-Con. I am especially excited that I am attending to support District 9,” said Jackson in a press release. “I look forward to attending my first ever Comic-Con and I know that those who visit us on July 24 in Hall H will be in for quite a ride.”

“District 9″ takes place in a world 30 years after alien contact. Humans relocated the aliens “" refugees after the destruction of their home world “" to South Africa’s District 9. Patience over the alien situation runs out as a private company called Multi-National United tries to make the aliens’ weaponry work. MNU field operative, Wikus van der Merwe (Copley) contracts a strange virus that begins changing his DNA to that of the aliens, making him able to control the alien weaponry “" and thus the most sought after man in the world.