COMIC-CON 2010: ‘Burn Notice’ telefilm, ‘Caprica’ shots and James Marsters, Joss Whedon and J.J. Abrams
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A wild Bruce Campbell at “Burn Notice,” creators drinking shots at the “Caprica” panel and the epic dual delight of Joss Whedon and J.J. Abrams gracing the stage. Over at Hero Complex, they’re blowing out the Comic-Con coverage and have some television tidbits worth mentioning.
The “Caprica” panel, moderated by Hero Complex’s very own Geoff Boucher, dealt with themes of religion, polygamous marriage and what it meant to be human — all of which were represented in some fashion on the series — with panelists including executive producer David Eick and executive producer and creator Ronald Moore and actors Alessandra Torresani, Sasha Roiz, James Marsters and Magda Apanowicz. Marsters, who received a huge ovation, stopped to chat.
Of course, the deep conversation might have been helped by the fact that Eick and Moore opted to do a couple of shots from what appeared to be a bottle of tequila to kick off the festivities. (Sure, it’s early in San Diego, but it’s got to be after 6 o’clock on Tauron.)
The first session, which was moderated by series co-creator Robert Cooper, included actors Robert Carlyle, Alaina Huffman, David Blue and Ming-Na. Blue fielded the most questions from the Comic-Con crowd — probably because he was so much like his character, Eli, who was a lot like attendees themselves: a gamer, a fan of genre movies and TV and prone to making ironic pop-culture references.
“There are probably 8 million Elis running around here,” said Blue, who acknowledged that he, too, was a big gaming aficionado. “I wish I had more time to play, but I don’t want to die,” said Blue, a pleading statement directed at Cooper.
“Stargate Universe” will return in January, though it’s unclear when new episodes of “Caprica” will make their way to Syfy. As David Eick said, “The network did pick up a third season. We’re just still working on the second.”
Joss and J.J. - Two great tastes that taste great together
There may not be two bigger heroes for many of the Comic-Con faithful than Joss Whedon and J.J. Abrams. The mood was set for most of the crowd as songs from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s” musical episode and “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” played over the Hall H loudspeakers. The announcer rattled off a list of the duo’s separate accomplishments, each cheered to varying degrees, but the loudest roar came when Whedon and Abrams walked out to a packed house as part of Entertainment Weekly’s “Visionaries” series, answering a variety of questions from the audience and from moderator Jeff “Doc” Jensen.
The pair first met when Whedon was doing “Buffy” and Abrams was working on “Felicity” at the WB. A mutual admiration and respect was apparent, and as they answered questions, you could see their differing styles, their similarities and their defense and championing of the freedom to tell your own story.
“Burn Notice’s” Bruce Campbell: I’m sexy? You’re paid ... now where’s my TV movie
When Bruce Campbell hands out money from the stage -- in return for compliments from the audience on his sexiness -- you know the Comic-Con “Burn Notice” panel is going well. That was the case as the “Burn Notice” squad -- including Campbell, director-actor Tim Matheson, executive producer and writer Alfredo Barrios Jr. and series creator Matt Nix -- took the stage in Ballroom 20. Moderated by Chris Vance, who played the villain Gilroy in the show, the panel was lively, mostly spurred on by Campbell’s antics.
Breaking news: A “Burn Notice” executive came out on stage to announce that Campbell would be starring in a TV movie that would explore the life of his character, Sam Axe, before he retired, including his time in the military. It was an exclusive because, Nix explained, “We didn’t know if we’d even be announcing it an hour ago.”
-- Jevon Phillips
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