Arrow Makes Its Mark At WonderCon

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Sunday afternoon, WonderCon brought us a great panel for the CW series “Arrow.” Stars Stephen Amell, Paul Blackthorne, Colin Donnell, and Willa Holland, as well as producer Marc Guggenheim, were all on hand to share their thoughts about their characters and where the hit show is going as it works its way towards its first season finale. If the video presentation that they shared with us is any indication, we have a lot to look forward to and we won’t be disappointed.

According to Marc Guggenheim, there will be more flashbacks both to the island, as well as to prior to the fateful boat trip that set Oliver Queen (Amell) on his current mission. The sad part of the panel for me was when Guggenheim shared that they have a five-year plan for flashbacks to Oliver’s experience on the island. If I’m being totally honest, I’m already very tired of the island and don’t desire much further backstory as far as that goes. Four more years of it makes me cringe more than just a little. But, it’s not my show, so I’ll just suffer through those moments and hope they focus more on the present than the past.

We also learned through the producer and each of the cast members that there will be a lot of changes afoot as far as our beloved characters go. They teased a “character defining moment” for Thea (Holland) in the season finale. Does she discover Oliver’s secret? Does she see the truth about who her father was and what that means to her? Is it related to Roy (Colton Haynes)? Or, is it something else entirely? We shall all find out soon enough. I’m really glad that they are working to add more depth to Thea, as the season continues to progress. And, as Holland suggested, I hope she gets some bow and arrow time, too.

Additionally, there was mention of relationship changes for Tommy (Donnell) in the works, and we saw much of that come to pass in this past week’s episode “Unfinished Business.” Clearly the bromance between Tommy and Oliver has hit the skids, and his relationship with Laurel (Katie Cassidy) is wavering on shaky ground, as well. Turning to his father (John Barrowman) at the end of the last episode was definitely a defining moment and I know we’re all looking forward to seeing how that plays out in the finale and in season two.

Moving on to our hero Oliver, there was a lot shared at the panel and a lot that can be discussed. There has been much chatter amongst the fans regarding Ollie and his actions up until now in the series. His obsession with the list and the murderous vendetta that has transpired because of it, has led many to question his humanity in various respects. Is he a hero? Well, of course he is. However, has he gone round the bend in his vengeance? Many would say yes. I think they did a great job in the last episode of giving him back some of his humanity and goodness, by having him not kill The Count (Seth Gabel), who is clearly in no shape to be a threat to anyone. Oliver clearly wanted to kill him, though, after all of the problems that his drug Vertigo caused for both his family and Starling City at large. It was a simple moment, but one that was truly needed to keep Oliver more on the path of righteousness and less down the dark path.  I was happy to learn from the panel that the list won’t be around forever and that Oliver will start leaning away from revenge and towards more virtuous actions. I think we all look forward to that occurrence.

As far as winding down the season goes, Guggenheim said that they have been squirreling away funds to use on the last couple of episodes, to make for a blockbuster ending to their first season. Again, something we can all look forward to. And, in looking ahead towards season two and beyond, Guggenheim joked that “their board have boards” and they are tracking everything as they go along to make sure they have tight storylines that fit with what we already know, as well as the additional storylines that they would like to cover as the series progresses.

The show has greatly improved from its start and if how they’ve handled the season so far is any indication, we have a lot to look forward to with the future of “Arrow.” I would be greatly remiss if I didn’t mention the addition of Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Richards) to the series. She was barely touched on in the panel, but her character has made for a much better show. We all love her right?

“Arrow” airs on Wednesday nights on the CW network. If you aren’t watching, you really should be doing so.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**All photos in this post were personally taken by me. Please do not copy them for any purpose without my permission.

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WonderCon goes Under the Dome

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday night, at WonderCon, brought a panel and sneak peek for the new CBS series “Under the Dome.” Discussing this new summer series were Neal Baer, Jack Bender, and Brian K. Vaughan, executive producers, as well as stars Rachelle Lefevre and Dean Norris.

If the story takes place in a small town in Maine, it must be Stephen King. I think that’s a rule, right? I’m going with that as truth so, yes, this series is an adaptation of Stephen King’s book by the same name. The plot centers on the residents of a quaint town in Maine that is somehow, out of the blue, encased by an invisible force field. Brainiac must be responsible. LOL! If that makes no sense to you, see my WonderCon review post.

As the series progresses, we will see how the residents of the town deal with being cut off from the rest of society and the repercussions of that on each of them both physically and emotionally. We see some of the initial impact with the short screening reel we were shown during the panel presentation.  From the moment we first see the city sign announcing Chester’s Mill, it’s clear that the series is visually interesting.  One of the initial repercussions that we see, as the dome cuts off the town, is an airplane being sliced in half and the severed limb that it causes with part of the plane outside the dome and the rest inside.

After the little sneak peek, the panelists took over fielding questions and sharing their thoughts about the series. The producers shared on several occasions that this show is not intended to just be a summer miniseries and that they have a lot they’d like to cover over several seasons if they’re lucky enough to have them. They also spoke a lot about their collaboration with Stephen King. He seems to have pretty much given them free reign to do as they see fit with the adaptation of his novel to the small screen and suggested that they just use his book as a jumping off point. Two of my favorite moments during the panel were when Brian K. Vaughan spoke about all of the research they have done into how life under the dome would be realistically, if something like that were to actually happen. He said that when he was telling Stephen King about their desire to make things scientifically accurate, he responded by saying, “You know you can just make shit up, too.” Gotta love Stephen King. The second best, and most laughable moment, was when Rachelle Lafevre shared her story of asking if she could share a picture she took of herself and King on twitter. His response, “Homie don’t twit.” Again, gotta love Stephen King.

This series has a great potential to not only be a visually stunning and entertaining show, but to also be a great commentary on our society. How people react under unexpected and difficult situations has always been strong point of interest. Who rises about it? Who becomes a victim of it? Who takes advantage of the situation and others? Who works to make the situation better? These are the questions that we will no doubt see answered with the character centric nature that the producers suggested would be the focal point of the show. These are the moments where out true natures are exposed, showing the best and worst of each of us. Through the reactions of the characters we can see how we would react ourselves if placed in their situation. And, I hope it’s something we all ask ourselves as we watch. Which type of person would be become if this happened to us? Clearly it’s a question we can’t truly answer, as we often never really know how we’re going to react to something until we’re truly faced with it. Still, it’s a good point to contemplate at least so far as examining how you hope you would react.

Additionally, this series gives us a good opportunity to see the effects of being truly cut off from the rest of the world. What happens when the grocery store shelves are empty, when the water runs out, when we can’t connect via twitter and facebook? I’m assuming the air doesn’t run out, as it would be a pretty short lived series if it did, but how is it that it doesn’t run out? I’m curious to find out about that and a variety of other issues. I loved that Rachelle Lefevre brought up the point that there are already many places in the world right now where there isn’t enough food or water, as will ultimately be the case in the series. Is this show an opportunity to look at those sorts of current world issues and find new and different potential solutions to them? I think it is and I hope they make the most of that opportunity. That being said, the purpose of the show is to entertain and not solve the world’s problems in an hour a week. Still, I hope they’re able to well balance the entertainment aspect with the true world reality. It can make for better things all around.

“Under the Dome” will begin its 13 episode first season run on Monday, June 24^th. I look forward to watching. How about you?

 

**All photos in this post were personally taken by me. Please do not copy them for any purpose without my permission.

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Falling Skies at WonderCon

 

 

 

 

 

Who’s excited for the new season of “Falling Skies?” When the WonderCon schedule came out this year, this was the panel I was most looking forward to attending and it didn’t disappoint. The panel consisted of stars Drew Roy, Sarah Carter, and Seychelle Gabriel, along with executive producer/showrunner Remi Aubuchon and they provided some great insight into the much looked forward to season three of the TNT hit series.

I don’t know if the clips they showed were truly fabulous, or if it’s just that it seems like forever since we last visited with the 2^nd Mass. Regardless of the reason, the opening clips that were shown made me all the more excited for the new season to get started. Is it June yet?

After the initial video presentation, Remi Aubochon explained what we had seen and a bit of what we can expect. He said that the series picks up seven months after the end of last season finale and that the 2^nd Mass has been tasked with the duty of rescuing harnessed kids all over the country. Additionally, new father Tom (Noah Wyle) is now the president of Charleston. He also shared that the new aliens, which we got a glimpse of in the second season finale, seem to want to help the humans, but that their positive assistance is not likely to be believed by members of the 2^nd Mass. Certainly not unreasonable, as they have good reason to be overly cautious where alien beings are concerned. Are they truly friend or foe? We shall all find out together. One of the things I really love about “Falling Skies” is that we as the audience find out things just as the characters are discovering them. It makes for a much more exciting experience as a viewer to not know anything more than the characters know at any given time; and I really appreciate that.

We next learned a little more about what changes we can expect to see for the characters portrayed by the actors who were present. Saychelle Gabriel shared that Lourdes is now a full-fledged doctor and she’ll be doing a lot of work with the newly released harnessed kids, as well as trying to sort out what’s going on with Hal (Drew Roy). As you may recall, at the end of the last season, Karen (Jessy Schram) implanted Hal with a skitter device of some sort. The clip we were shown shows that Hal is working to physically get back on track, but we will have to wait and see what other physical and mental impact the implant will have on him.

Drew Roy continued the discussion about Hal by sharing that we can expect to see a lot of interesting changes for him. Not only is he dealing with the implant, but also his romantic relationship with Maggie (Sarah Carter), that is now officially out in the open, as well as complications with the emotional growth of his brothers and the arrival of his new baby sister. We also learned that Karen will reappear and that will no doubt cause more complications for Hal as well as Maggie. Sarah Carter then shared that much of Maggie’s goal, early on in the new season, is to keep Hal in check, as she realizes that something not right is going on with him. However, she’s afraid to call attention to it, and risk his potentially being ostracized, until she knows for certain what’s happening to him.

Remi Aubuchon then went on to share a bit more about a few of the other characters, both old and new, that we can expect to see. He said that they have added a new character, one of the freed harnessed kids, to serve as a friend and confidant for Ben (Connor Jessup). Additionally, he shared that John Pope (Colin Cunningham) will once again be a strong presence. He apparently has a lot of opinions about Tom as president, the new aliens and what he believes their intensions to be, as well as struggling a bit with his own internal conflict in regards to his connection to the group. Pope now owns a bar in town, which it was commented is the coolest set they have, and he’s struggling with allowing himself to get a little more comfortable and settled than he would like. I know we’re all looking forward to seeing that special conflict that only Pope can create. It should make for some great viewing to watch his internal struggles, as well as his continued clashes with Tom and the other members of the 2^nd Mass.

If the clips we watched, and the insights shared by Aubuchon and the cast, are any indication, we are in for a fabulous ride with the upcoming third season. I know I’m looking forward to it, how about you?

“Falling Skies” airs on TNT and season three will begin on June 9^th. 

 

**All photos in this post were personally taken by me. Please do not copy them for any purpose without my permission.

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The Wonders of WonderCon 2013

 

WonderCon 2013 was a fabulous feast for the fangirl and fanboy in all of us. With panels covering the gamut of television shows, upcoming feature films, authors, screen and comic writing, as well as artistry of all types, there was a little something for everyone. Even if your interest in pop culture is minimal, you would have found something of interest at this year’s event. The feast was literal, as well this year, with the addition of more concessions throughout the convention center itself, but more specifically with the addition of Food Trucks on the plaza area fronting the building. The offerings ranged from delectable desserts of cream puffs and crepes to panini sandwiches and lobster rolls. All around the weekend was a visual and culinary feast.

 

Over the three days of the convention I attended a great variety of panels, screenings, and events. The following is a list of those that I attended:

• Warner Archives Collection Presents Pulp Heroes of Film and TV
• The Disney/ABC’s of TV Writing: Through the Looking Glass of the TV Writers Room
• Exclusive Warner Bros. Television Screenings – The Following
• World Premiere of Superman: Unbound
• Living the Vikings
• Spotlight on Jim Lee
• Falling Skies
• Revolution Special Video Presentation and Q&A
• Sony Pictures: Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
• Sony Pictures: Evil Dead
• Criminally Entertaining: Mystery, Suspense, and Crime Fiction
• MTV’s Teen Wolf
• Under the Dome Sneak Peek and Q&A
• The 9^th Annual WonderCon Masquerade
• Much Ado About Nothing
• Nerdist Industries
• Arrow Special Video Presentation and Q&A
• BBC America’s Doctor Who Screening

I’m going to write up more in depth articles on a few of the panels that were of most interest to me (Falling Skies, Under the Dome, and Arrow) a little later, but I’ll touch on some of the other panel/screening highlights right now.

 

Disney/ABC’s of TV Writing

I had been looking forward to attending this panel and it did not disappoint. Its purpose was to give some behind-the-scenes insight into the TV writing room and more specifically give information about the Disney Writing Program. I found Ollie Ashtari-Larki, Talent Development Program Administrator at Disney ABC Television Group, to be the most informative. I found her insights and suggestions to aspiring writers to be not only motivating, but realistic. I especially love the idea of creating a personal logline for yourself. Now I just need to work on mine.

What was most unexpected for me, as said aspiring writer, is that what I learned via this panel is that I definitely don’t want to work in a TV writer’s room. As I continue to branch out and get a feel for what gives me the most joy as a writer, I was pleased to come to the early realization that this specific line of work is not for me.

 

Superman: Unbound

I’m not really a fan of Superman, per se, and I fully admit that the only reason I wanted to attend this panel/screening was that Molly Quinn was going to be there. How can you not love Molly? When they added Matt Bomer to the attendee lineup it was definitely a not to be missed event. Superman: Unbound is an animated movie and with Matt Bomer as Superman, Stana Katic as Lois Lane, Molly Quinn, as Supergirl, and John Noble as Brainiac, let’s just all agree that the voice cast for this film is phenomenal.

Going in, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this screening. I don’t know if it was the familiar voices that held my attention or the plot itself, but I ended up really enjoying the film. I think I could listen to John Noble talk all day about nothing, so no question his voice presence added to my enjoyment. I thought the plot premise of his character, Brainiac, taking cities and encasing them in domes was unique. That is, until the Under the Dome panel the following day, but I’ll be covering that in a future post.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Living the Vikings

This panel was for the History Channel’s new series Vikings. I have been intrigued by the ratings for this show, but until this panel I hadn’t actually watched any of the series. Not that I wasn’t interested, it just didn’t fit into my schedule so I didn’t bother. I’m not sure if this is a good thing or bad, but after hearing from the cast and watching the series recap and sneak peek into future episodes, I think I need to find a place in my schedule for it. Also, I may just be in love with Travis Fimmel. But, heck, regardless of the reason, this show is very impressive both visually and intellectually. If you haven’t watched it yet, give it a try. We can start watching together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spotlight on Jim Lee

I only have one thing to say about this panel and that is that Jim Lee is amazing and I wish I had a fraction of his artistic talent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

Author Cassandra Clare, actors Lilly Collins and Jamie Campbell Bower, and director Harald Zwart anchored this panel for the upcoming Sony Pictures feature film. I have not read the young adult book series that is the inspiration for this film, but I found the premise of the story, an ordinary teen who discovers her supernatural lineage, as well as the visuals from the preview, to be quite appealing. Pretty sure I’ll be going to see this film when it is released later this summer. I may even venture to read the book series.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Evil Dead

If it wasn’t for Bruce Campbell and director Fede Alvarez, I’d really have nothing to say about this panel or the film. Let’s just get this out of the way right now – this film is beyond gross. Yes, you know that going in, but even for me, a gal who grew up on horror films, the scenes they showed were enough to make me turn away from the screen; and that almost never happens. I’m not squeamish or easily shocked, but wow this movie is over the top graphic in its gore. Yep, that’s what it’s supposed to be and they accomplished it. If that’s your thing you won’t be disappointed. I’m worried about the people for whom that is their thing, though. Just YUCK! Okay, that being said, I love Bruce Campbell and I only attended this panel to see him. The man never fails to entertain. It was worth enduring the gore for the Bruce induced laughs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Criminally Entertaining: Mystery, Suspense, and Crime Fiction

Gary Phillips, Dana Cameron, and Stephen Blackmoore were the featured authors here discussing crime fiction and its subgenres. I read a lot, but have never read anything from any of these writers. That is about to change. One of the great things about these conventions is that you’re introduces to people you may never have discovered otherwise. I was completely enthralled by Gary Phillips and his tremendous depth and breadth of knowledge in a variety of areas. I can’t wait to start reading his newest book “The Warlord of Willow Ridge.” The other highlight of this panel for me was discovering Stephen Blackmoore’s “LA Noir” blog. I envision spending a lot of time there in the future. This final comment I was going to just let slide, but I find that I can’t. The lowlight of this otherwise fabulous panel was the moderator. If you don’t know the word chicanery, you probably have no place moderating a panel of authors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 9^th Annual WonderCon Masquerade

This was my first time attending the Masquerade and I’m glad that I did. Overall it was tremendous fun. Some of the costumes and skits/dances were great, e.g. Gangnam Style Star Wars and the Stray Cat Strut. Okay, second one may not have been the best, but any time I hear “Stray Cat Strut,” I’m yours.  Yes, it’s a weakness of mine. Now that you all know, please don’t use it against me.

 

 

 

 

 

The only downside was that some of the skits were extremely long. Even if the costumes were fabulous, by the time they were done boring me with the annoying lengthy skit I no longer cared about the costumes. My advice is to limit the contestants to 30 seconds max. The event will go more quickly and the audience will be better entertained, and more willing to stay for the entire thing. Yes, I left after contestant 35 strutted the stage and therefore have no idea who won the prizes. If anyone knows the results, please let me know.

 

My Favorite Quotes of the Weekend:

“I don’t want to hear CGI on this set.” Fede Alvarez – Evil Dead

“You know you can just make shit up, too?” Stephen King via Brian K. Vaughan – Under the Dome

“Oh, this is sad; he’s having a nervous breakdown. He thinks he’s making a movie at his house.” Clark Gregg – – talking about his reaction to the e-mail he received from Joss Whedon re: Much Ado About Nothing

“Homie don’t twit.” Stephen Kind via Rachelle Lafevre – Under the Dome

“I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs.” Stephen King– Under the Dome – This exact quote wasn’t used, but it was alluded to during the panel and I like it.

“Always believe you can accomplish absolutely anything.” Margaret Kerry to me

Yes, I do realize that half of these quotes are by Stephen King – Go Figure!

 

I declare WonderCon 2013 a success.

The entire weekend was informative, entertaining, and just plain fun. I know there are many out there who are still displeased with the venue shift from San Francisco to Anaheim. I’m not going to get into the specifics and the politics surrounding that, but as an attendee and a Bay Area native I get it. It has always been a San Francisco event (until last year) and people expect it to stay that way. And, being in S.F. means I don’t need to travel for it, which is a big plus. However, that being said, I personally couldn’t be happier with the move and I hope it is now permanently going to take place in Anaheim. As far as the facilities themselves, the Anaheim Convention Center (ACC) is much nicer than Moscone Center in every way. I always need to escape to the mall if I want to eat during the con when it’s in San Francisco, as the food options are minimal, pricey, and just not good. In Anaheim, however, the culinary options were great, allowing for more time actually spent at the convention. And, isn’t that why we’re there, to spend more time at the con. Also, the organization and line management is a million times better now than it ever was at Moscone. And, finally, the addition of panels/events taking place in the Arena at ACC won me over completely. I loved being in that venue not only for its size (I don’t think anyone who wanted to get into a panel in there was turned away), but also for the fabulous elevated seating. Win!!

This year’s WonderCon was so great that I wish they would add another day to it in the future, or maybe just a preview night like they have at Comic Con. The convention was definitely time well spent and I look forward to doing it again next year.

Did you attend this year? What were your experiences?

 

 

**All photos in this post were personally taken by me. Please do not copy them for any purpose without my permission.

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