San Diego Comic Con:
where: San Diego, CA
next date: July 22-25, 2010.
how many attendees? 125,000, give or take — the event always sells out.
registration costs: $100, although the "preview night" on Wednesday is already sold out.
hotel costs: $300 and up per night... if you're lucky enough to get one. Plus food always seems to be ultra-pricey.
airport hub? Nope. Southwest Airlines flies there quite a bit.
celebrity stalking factor: Infinity. Peter Jackson and James Cameron geeked out about directing movies together this year. Sigourney Weaver mentored Zoe Saldana live on stage. You cannot touch the celebrities, but you will see the celebrities, off in the distance.
extracurricular activities: Costume ball. There was a Harry Potter dance thingy with The Remus Lupins this last year.



(Both Comic-Con pictures above, by ParkaBlogs.)

New York Comic Con:
where: New York, NY
next date: Oct. 8-10, 2010.
how many attendees? around 77,000.
registration costs: currently just $45.
hotel costs: $150-$200, according to this article. Plus of course NYC is the most expensive city in America.
airport hub? Yes
celebrity stalking factor: Medium high. A lot of TV stars and producers came to NYCC 2009, along with many comics pros. An October event will be early in the summer movie hype cycle, so it's unclear how many movie stars will show up.
extracurricular activities: Costumes, fan panels... can't find much else listed anywhere.

Fan Expo Canada
where: Toronto
next date: August 27-29, 2010.
how many attendees? 59,000
registration costs: CAN$49
hotel costs: CAN$135-CAN$189
airport hub? Yes.
celebrity stalking factor: Moderate. Leonard Nimoy, Linda Hamilton and Bruce Campbell were there this past time.
extracurricular activities: Since it includes Anime Expo and Gaming Expo along with Science Fiction Expo and Comic Book Expo, there's presumably a lot of gaming and anime acitvities. There are also "sketching duels" between artists, special effects workshops and, of course, masquerades.

Wondercon:
where: San Francisco, CA
next date: April 2-4, 2010.
how many attendees? around 34,000, up from 29,000 the year before.
registration costs: $30 in advance.
hotel costs: Orbitz says a hotel near Moscone Center will run you anywhere from $78 to $200 the weekend of Wondercon, although some of those hotels are in a sketchy neighborhood. And San Francisco is the fifth most expensive city in America, according to Forbes.
airport hub? Yes, for United Airlines.
celebrity stalking factor: Moderate to high. Moving to April should mean more summer movie promotion - and 2009 had way more movie stuff than 2008 did. The cast of Star Trek showed up en masse, with J.J. Abrams.
extracurricular activities: Pretty much just costumes and panels. I don't remember much else.

Wondercon photo by Scott Beale/Laughing Squid.

Dragon*Con:
where: Atlanta, GA
next date: Sept. 3-6, 2010.
how many attendees? around 35,000.
registration costs: currently just $60.
hotel costs: Bad news! Three of the four convention hotels are already sold out for 2010. The remaining one is $159 a night. Overflow hotels will run you $100 to $185.
airport hub? Yes, for Delta. And everyone flies there.
celebrity stalking factor: Medium high. Leonard Nimoy made the trek (sorry) in 2009. The good news is, a lot of your favorite writers and personalities are surprisingly accessible. A few years ago, I was in a tiny party with that guy from Farscape for like an hour.
extracurricular activities: This is where Dragon*Con shines. There's Dragon*Con TV in your hotel room, tons of costume stuff, BDSM demos, filking, writing workshops, charity auctions, autistic karaoke superhero performances, GWAR concerts (sometimes), a whole huge LARPing and RPG area, etc. Plus a humongous blood drive. You could have a great time at Dragon*Con and never even see a famous person.

Wizard World Chicago aka Chicago Comic-Con:
where: Chicago
next date: August 12-15, 2010.
how many attendees? 58,000 in 2006, although it's alllegedly declined since then.
registration costs: around $45.
hotel costs: Since the con takes place out by Chicago O'Hare in Rosemont, hotels are pretty easy. Orbitz says they'll run you $87 to $126 right now. Plus Chicago is the sixth most expensive city in America, according to Forbes.
airport hub? Yes. Everybody flies into Chicago non-stop.
celebrity stalking factor: Moderate. Some pretty well-known actors are showing up in 2010, including
Nichelle "Uhura" Nichols, Edward James Olmos, Michelle Rodriguez and Ray Park, plus some well-known comics pros. This con got the first look at The Dark Knight in 2007, and might get a sneak peek at the next Chicago-filmed Batman, if and when it happens.
extracurricular activities: Tons of gaming stuff.

Worldcon
where: Moves around
next date: Sept. 2-6, 2010.
how many attendees? 3,370 people in 2009, according to SFSite.
registration costs: $225.
hotel costs: According to this site, many nearby hotels are already sold out for those dates, and the remaining ones will cost between A$239 to A$275.
airport hub? Yes. Several airlines fly direct into Melbourne.
celebrity stalking factor: WorldCons 2008 and 2009 were jam-packed with some of your favorite authors, and tons of famous writers who were quite accessible. Fewer writers might make the voyage to Melbourne, but Reno in 2011 should be mobbed.
extracurricular activities: Filking, writing workshops, costume ball, artists exhibition.

Star Wars Celebration
where: Moves around
next date: Summer 2010.
how many attendees? 34,000 or so people showed up to the 2005 event.
registration costs: $110 for a four-day pass, in 2005.
hotel costs: Hard to say. A few cities are bidding to be the location for this event, timed to coincide with the 30th anniversary of Empire Strikes Back — including Orlando, which has tons and tons of cheap hotels.
airport hub? Again, it depends which city gets the event.
celebrity stalking factor: A lot of Star Wars castmembers, including Carrie Fisher, tend to show up to these things.
extracurricular activities: Cool exhibits, tons of costumes, trivia contests, etc.

Fantastic Fest
where: Austin, TX
next date: Sept. 25- Sept. 30, 2010
how many attendees? N/A — I couldn't find this number anywhere.
registration costs: $285, or $170 for a "film pass" that doesn't guarantee you entrance to all events.
hotel costs: The official hotel of the con charges $135 per night.
airport hub? Nope.
celebrity stalking factor: Pretty high, especially if you love indy movies. Film-makers show up to promote their films, like Paranormal Activity and Zombieland this year around. Stars like Bill Murray also show up.
extracurricular activities: Boxing! Also, "Fantastic Feud" trivia contest pitting you against horror experts and "100 best kills," where you share your favorite gory moments.

Did we leave out a mega-con that deserves to be on this list? And what are your favorite cons you've gone to? Let us know!

I took my camera down to San Diego, came back, and ran it through the Disaster computer and this is what came out. Sure, you've read the news, seen the panels, watched the TRON Trailer, but did anyone make you feel like you were there?

And yes, it's long (for the internet). It's supposed to be long, it's supposed to be watched when you can relax and enjoy it like humans used to do with television. So go to the link for HD, and kick your feet up for a few minutes and relax. But don't worry, it's still geared for people with an unhealthy attention span. And gents, you'll be rewarded for sticking with it. But, if you only have minute to kill might I suggest this video.

And on a personal note, I just want to thank Kid Robot for handling their own Disaster like pros and I can't wait to get my Wood Labbit.

This is Garrison Dean saying SOMEONE PLEASE GIVE ME A FLYNN'S ARCADE SHIRT!!!

The above image is making the rounds on the internet lately along with claims that a Cap'n movie is on the way, possibly in 2010. Now let us crush your dreams. First of all, the location of said poster is allegedly at the Comic Con WB booth. We certainly didn't see it and neither did the hundreds of fans and journalists all on the floor. What we did see that the WB booth were these posters:

Clash of The Titans pic via Taringa

Notice the lack of Planet? Even if they did post this mysterious poster after preview night, I'm pretty sure someone out there would have noticed.

Also the bottom edge of the Titans poster is strikingly similar to Capn' poster, plus the lights are pretty askew. So, I'm calling folly and lies, with a bit of sadness in my heart because truth be told I really did want to see a live action "heart" ring subdue an angry rhino while a blue guy in a speedo uses his superpowers to put out a forest fire. Would be better than the chipmunks movie anyways.

Thanks for ruining my day internet. Go Planet.

The Comic Con video of the "Doomsday Armageddon Apocalypse" table read is a poor substitute for getting the actual episode, but at least now you get to hear some of that fantastic dialogue coming out of the mouths of the actors, the way it was meant to. Our favorite moment: Manservant Neville (Mark Sheppard) growls, "My plan is sheer elegance in its draconian complexity!" (Take that, Guy Goddard!). And of course, if the video's not enough for you, the whole thing has been released as a graphic novel as well.

The whole thing is on YouTube, and the playlist of all the segments is here.

We braved the insane lines at Hall H to check out footage of the year's upcoming slate of scifi films, including James Cameron's Avatar, Spike Jonze's Where the Wild Things Are, Tron Legacy, undead headbasher Zombieland, Diablo Cody's teenspeak horror flick Jennifer's Body, postapocalyptic The Book of Eli, foul-mouthed superhero adaptation Kick-Ass, supernatural Western Jonah Hex, and Robert Downey Jr.'s witty turns in Iron Man 2 and Sherlock Holmes — plus, saw Peter Jackson's District 9 in its entirety. We also talked to Scarlett Johansson about rolling around in Black Widow's catsuit, got the low-down on Tony Stark's death wish, learned how Josh Brolin nearly lost an eye filming Jonah Hex, chest-baring New Moon, got Peter Jackson to spill on his ever-growing pile of projects, got Sigourney Weaver and Zoe Saldana's secrets to strong heroines, talked to Shane Acker about life after 9, and heard James Cameron's quest to keep his aliens looking weird.

It was also a big, big weekend for movie announcements. Gary Oldman let slip the plans for a new Batman movie (much to the studio's chagrin). Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman gave us the scoop on a possible third Star Trek movie. Johnny Depp confirmed his plans for a Dark Shadows movie. The Avengers superhero line-up is starting to fall into place. And Roland Emmerich revealed the identity of his Foundation screenwriter.

On the television front, Lost was big news (with an even bigger line), with certain deceased characters returning to the show (including one that's a real blast from the show's past). There was giant pink elephant in the room at the Futurama panel, where everyone wanted to know if the original voice actors would be coming back. They didn't get satisfaction, but they did find out whether Fry and Leela ever get together. The BBC gave us a fresh trailer for Doctor Who's killer episode "The Waters of Mars." We finally saw Dollhouse's post-apocalyptic episode, which left us longing for more Felicia Day. Heroes tried to win us back with lesbianism and carnival rides, while Caprica intrigued us with promises of interplanetary war. We also learned more about new shows FlashForward, Vampire Diaries, Stargate Universe, and the updates of The Prisoner and V.

And it wouldn't be Comic Con without the comics (we hope). We heard talk of the new Batgirl's identity and learned all about Superman's increasingly science-fictional storylines. We found out the long-disputed Miracleman has found a home with Marvel — and wondered what it means for the character's future. And we sat down with Marvel's Joe Quesada and DC's Dan Didio to chat about what the publishers have in store.

From the floor, we found the best comic book deals, wondered at the priciest toys, and assessed the Avatar backlash. We saw the best advertising of the Con — and the very worst. We filmed the costumes and sketches of the Masquerade and stood in awe of the winners.

So, in the mess of celebrities, screenings, and big announcements, who came out on top? We have 10 winners who came out of Comic Con with even more buzz than before.

All in all, a fruitful and exhilarating Con. Now we're off to rest up for next year.

Blue was full of teases and analysis about his Major Zod - there's a time-travel element to the character's appearance in the show - but said that, for all his complexity, he's a very simple man:

I don't want him to have any question in his mind about what he wants to do. I don't want him to have any redeeming qualities or redeeming features. There's definitely a human side of him, he's insecure, there's a reason why he's a villain... The complexities of the character, the reasons why he wants what he wants and does what he does, that's what interests me. The human side of it. I think he's a very sad lonely character, but he doesn't ever let that show... There's a reason he's so shut down. Before I go on set, I'm in my trailer, working myself into a real emotional state, and then I go on set and try to cover that up, so there's always some fire going on within him, but there's a coolness as well... He knows what he wants. He wants everyone to kneel before him.

That famous line, in fact, is one of Blue's favorite things about the character:

I'm milking [Kneel before Zod] for all it's worth, I mean, I love that line. I've already said it in the show, it's in the first episode. [Zod's] not quite as cool as Terence Stamp yet, but he's growing into it... I remember the movie from being a kid, and remember being terrified of him. That steely coldness, he's not over the top at all in that movie, and that terrified me when I was a kid. I loved it.

It's also not the only thing he hopes to steal from the Zod we saw in Superman II:

My costume at the moment is army fatigues, because I have a whole army, kind of like the Fascist Party, and I'm the leader of it? So we all have the same outfit, with armbands... It's a different take on the costume. I guess when I start growing into being General Zod - I'm actually Major Zod at the moment - that's when the [movie's more familiar] costume will come in. And I'm hoping it's really low, like the one [from Superman II]. I'm going to do a few more weights before that.

Explaining just who Zod will be in season nine, and who will be there with him, requires some lateral thinking. Pay attention, all:

The Zod that took over Lex's body was the future me. This is where it gets confusing: Zod is in the Phantom Zone, Tess takes me from the past, where I haven't actually... Zod in the show has blown up Krypton, he's in the Phantom Zone for major crimes against Krypton, I think he's the one who destroyed the planet. I haven't done that yet in my body. But that will be happening... Faora... I think that's my future wife? She's in it, she's with me all the time. And the guy that doesn't speak - but he does speak in this version, Non. He's in it too. And they're great, they're my sidekicks and I boss them around a lot. But in the first couple of episodes, nobody knows what's going on, and I have to fight to get my power back. There's a huge speech, it's kind of a Hitler speech, and he gets everybody back on his side... Everybody turns against me because we've been promised these powers [on Earth] and we get there and we don't have these powers and we don't know why.

Smallville season nine - complete with Hitler-esque Zod, whom is fond of kneeling, premieres September 25th on the CW.

It's been a rough year for our favorite True Blooder, Lafayette, but we're happy that it sounds like things are looking up. But seriously — if L doesn't start kicking some major ass soon (and I think that may be the case) we are going to have to host a "you're better than this" intervention. Bring back the sass, bring back the scarves.

Also let's get excited for the first character on this show who actually deserves special powers to get his reward. Hello ,super strength L.

Very important side note: This interview happened the night before the infamous Bill makes his piano cat cameo episode that aired on Sunday. So I didn't get to ask about it because I had no idea what was awaiting me the next day. Apologies, but such is life.

We grabbed Eli at the Syfy Entertainment Weekly party and hounded him for more answers. He hopes to have Endangered Species out in the spring of 2011. We were happily surprised to hear that he's writing parts for actors he knows - he listed an amazing dream cast of Josh Brolin and Brad Pitt. Yes, we'd see that movie.

He said:

There are certain people that I really want to work. But we'll see. I'm writing the parts with certain people in mind and we'll see if they do it.. Well there's this guy Brad I just worked with, it would be wonderful to work with him again. Josh Brolin I'd love to work with him. Big fan of Josh and we each other's work and have been looking for something to do together. I like to write parts for the people I like and see if they're available.

Interview by Charlie Jane and Meredith Woerner (that's me on the end).

Costume designer Wanda Piety and prop master Dragon Drohnet were two of the judges for Saturday nights Masquerade, and were kind enough to give us a post-mortem on the show and offer their insight into what makes for a winning costume or performance. This is just a taste of the nearly four dozen entries to cross the Comic Con stage, but includes some of our favorites as well as the judges':

I honestly didn't know what to expect when I took the ten-minute cab ride from the Convention Center to the House of Blues, where Bear McCreary and the Battlestar Galactica Orchestra would be performing. I suppose, as much as anyone can be a fan of television incidental music, that I'm a fan of the music on Battlestar Galactica, but I was at a loss to see how such music could sustain two hours worth of concert. The only stuff I could actively remember was the opening music with the hymnal singing and the drums, that sort of Irish music they played when people were sitting feeling sad, and "All Along the Watchtower", which I wasn't even sure counted as orchestral music. (In case it's not clear, I know absolutely nothing about music.)

What piqued my interest upon my arrival was a sign outside the House of Blues announcing Edward James Olmos and Grace Park as the evening's masters of ceremonies. If nothing else, I would at least be able to get in a little stargazing. After some not particularly brief confusion over the House of Blues's photography policy, whether I could bring my 20-year-old friend with me into the show (I couldn't), and a misadventure that may or may not have involved me swiping a Coke Zero from the VIP area (I'm still not sure what happened there), I was standing on the floor beneath the stage, waiting for the show to begin.

It was hard to tell who were the local music fans and who were the BSG diehards in for Comic Con, although I guessed those wearing the T-shirts with toasters on them or the word "Frak" were among the latter. I appreciated the simplicity of a shirt that has nothing more than a pretend curse word on it, but none of this did much to dispel my worries that tonight was basically just a nerdy novelty act.

But then, a good hour after my ticket said the show would start (which is admittedly pretty good for your average concert), I heard a voice. Thankfully, it was Edward James Olmos, introducing himself in Spanish over the microphone. I suddenly realized that this really was going to be Edward James Olmost leading us through the night's activities, not Bill Adama. He was not here to recite a greatest hits of his work on Battlestar Galactica. There would be no talk of toasters or skinjobs, how all this had happened before and would happen again (although considering there were concerts on Thursday and Saturday as well, he actually missed out on a good advertisting opportunity there). He did lead us all in a hearty round of "So say we all!", but that seemed to be the exception that proved the rule. And no, I'm not sure where my life can go now that I've chanted "So say we all!" with Edward James Olmos. I'm pretty sure I've peaked as a nerd.

In any event, he was here because he genuinely loved the music of Battlestar Galactica. This was equal parts out of an obvious appreciation for great music (he spent much of his time castigating the people sitting in the balcony for not joining the standing section down below, which he felt had better acoustics) and out of his feelings for the show itself. This was just another manifestation of the same open, unreserved passion that had led him to talk a few hours earlier about Adama/Tigh team-up movies and a Blade Runner crossover.

The show began with an opening act called Brendan's Band. I was now really starting to suspect that, for all my doubts, these people had come to rock. The band played six songs that were hard, fast, and loud, and not a one had even a whiff of Battlestar Galactica about them. It was only with the last song that the opening act acknowledged the driving force of the night's events, as they sung about all the troubles on Caprica and Aerilon. To be sure, the presence of Bear McCreary's brother (the titular Brendan), wife, and who I would soon discover were other members of the Orchestra made it clear why Brendan's Band had gotten the opening gig, but even so. Brendan's Band had come out and rocked hard, by and large just playing whatever music they felt like playing. Maybe this wasn't going to be entirely geeky evening after all.

Not that Edward James Olmos could ever be considered too geeky, but most people lack his gift to turn obscure references to a low-rated genre show into the height of badassery. It was as though he was actively challenging himself with the seemingly least cool material he could work with, as he decided to just read the Orchestra's songlist, all of which were met with thunderous applause. I could understand - perhaps - the crowd wildly applauding a title like "The Cult of Baltar." But "Precipice"? "Epiphanies"? I might be able to explain at length the geopolitical tensions between the Twelve Colonies of Kobol prior to the Cylon genocide (I can), but even I was dumbstruck by this response. Did everyone else assembled in the House of Blues actually know the music well enough the recognize the pieces by title? Or was the applause just Comic Con's conditioned, Pavlovian response to the name of any creative work whatsoever being said out loud? (Hell, I had heard a similar reaction to Gossip Girl the day before, so it's certainly possible.) Or was Edward James Olmos's passion really that infectious? (That was probably it.)

He was interrupted midway through, first by the entrance of Grace Park, who is about a foot taller than Edward James Olmos and at least twice as pretty. (At least.) Before he could even resume his list, Bear McCreary jumped out onto the stage. His flowing hair and messianic pose made him look unmistakeably like Gaius Baltar addressing his followers, something I was far more comfortable with than I probably should have been. Bear just about summed up the tone of the evening with his greetings, which began with two heartily exhuberant screams of "So say we all!" which was quickly followed by a rather sheepish, "Hi, everybody." He was clearly here to be the charismatic leader, but I'm not entirely sure it was his natural role. Thankfully, he was far more at home as conductor of his orchestra, as I fast discovered.

Because then the band played. Edward James Olmos had noted the musicians here had been responsible for every single note of music played on Battlestar Galactica, with not a substitute or replacement among them. Their expertise was readily apparent, but I was shocked by their enthusiasm. They all looked like they were experiencing the giddy thrill of performing together for the first time, and it was hard not to get lost in the moment. I recognized some of the music (particularly when Bear McCreary's wife reentered to provide that haunting singing), but even that which I didn't was unmistakeably Battlestar Galactica. The crowd was going wild, and the energy in the musicians' performances was unbelievable, particularly that from the violins, flutes, and other instruments not typically associated with rocking the fuck out.

It was then that I properly understood. This was the Battlestar Galactica Orchestra, the group that had done the incidental music for a basic cable science fiction show, and they were all rock stars. At that moment, Battlestar Galactica was suddenly no longer nerdy. It was cool, and not cool in a nerdy way, nerdy in a cool way, or even frakking cool. For those two hours, as Bear McCreary's orchestra rocked out in the House of Blues, Battlestar Galactica was fucking cool, simple as that.

Images by AmyR_81 and Arrow Of Apollo on Flickr.

Additional reporting and pictures from Julia Carusillo, Ray Wert and Cailtin Petrakovitz.

While the themed menu was hideously overpriced and frankly we got a bit tired of the gimmicky menus awaiting us at every turn, the actual setup of Syfy's off-the-floor booth was amazing. They recreated Eureka's Cafe Diem with a white picket fence placed out front. The fully-functional diner was a nice break from the crowded Con.

Circular Stargate desserts at the MGM SGU Launch party were not only adorable, but delicious.

The Where The Wild Things Are Gold Crowns made everyone smile, except the movie's targeted sad indie kid demographic. Massive props to We Love You So for getting a picture of Spike Jonze's Wild Things audience in the actual crown.

We already told you all about Flynn's Arcade and the secret back room with the world's most beautiful light cycle. But playing the arcade's real life Space Paranoids was living the dream.

Half of the True Blood ads annoyed us, but this elevator button placement did not. Picture from imdb.

"The Fantastic Mr. Fox" fellas from Wes Anderson's flick, and their coveted fur ties, were a giant success. Let's hope they spark a khaki suit Con craze.

Zombieland hand sanitizer straight from the movie. Even though the director told us later it would do nothing for an actual zombie infection, still we like cleanliness and all that.

This little Star Trek USB was a great way to remember this year's Con - it even says Comic Con 2009 on the side. Frankly I think that's better than a t-shirt.

Finally this is more of an announcement, but we're still giddy about it. Tru Blood is going to be made and manufactured for $16.00 in packs of four and will taste like a blood orange soda. HBO is taking orders now. Oh, go buy some you big dork - I already did.

Forty-seven individuals and groups entered this year's Masquerade, showing off their most innovative sketches and costume designs. There were G.I. Joes and Skeletors aplenty, a singing Dr. Horrible and a singing Dr. Mrs. Monarch, and even a group that attempted to reenact all the best scenes from The Princess Bride. We'll have video of the performances soon enough, but here are the outfits the judges deemed best:

Honorable Mention: Excellence in Costuming — Red Death Phantom of the Opera

The Masque of the Red Death version of the Phantom of the Opera danced to "Masquerade," while occasionally pulling off his many masks, until he finally reached a skull.

Honorable Mention: Blast from the Past — Muppet Labs Masquerade Machine

Dr. Bunsen Honeydew took the stage, subjecting his hapless assistant Beaker to his Masquerade Machine while Statler and Waldorf heckled them from their portable balcony.

Honorable Mention: Technical Execution — ATST Scout Walker
The ATST wowed the judges with its jointed legs that walked as the person inside it walked.

Honorable Mention: Performance — Jawa Pimp
Jawa Pimp has his own theme song, which he boogied to while showing off his bling.

Honorable Mention: Workmanship — Toro the Minotaur

Honorable Mention: Recreation — The Hulk

Honorable Mention: Rock Golem

Best Young Fan — Samurai Jack vs. Aku
This father-son team was one of the big hits of the Masquerade, taking home several of the individual sponsored awards as well as a Comic Con trophy.

Best Novice — Aquaman
Aquaman surfed onto stage and into the judges' hearts with the song "I am Aquaman" and a full blond beard.

Most Beautiful — Mirka Fortuna "Trinity Blood"

Most Humorous — Welcome to the Dollhouse
A group of dolls from around the world marched on stage with Igor (toting his iGor mp3 player) and performed a perfectly choreographed rendition of "It's a Small World After All." That would have been funny enough, but they quickly burst out into an equally well-done "Thriller."

Best Performance — Bring It On (Rock the Mouse)
When you reimagine Disney heroes and villains as rival cheer squads and end it all with a rousing rendition of Toni Basil's Mickey, your sketch is full of win.

Best Workmanship — Lady of Pain "Planescape"

Best Original Design — Onigashima Baba

Best Recreation — Spawn

Judges' Choice — Looking Glass Wars

Best in Show — The Four Seasons

Images by Annalee Newitz and Melishina.

I seem to agree with the man, the whole thing seems like a total "head fuck."

The new show will follow the path laif out by Robert J. Sawyer in his original book, but what's changed in the television version? We asked a few members of the cast to give us some insight into what's ahead for the story, but no one would (or could) tell us much.

It seems FlashForward really is aiming to be the next easter-egg-heavy show with hidden tidbits everywhere, including easter eggs hidden in one character's flash.

Dominic Monaghan is appearing on this new would-be Lost replacement, as a man named Simon. But that's about all he's got for us, aside from saying it'll screw with your mind.

"I just kinda know what you guys know. A world event takes place where everybody passes out for about two and a half minutes and in that two and a half minutes people have visions of their potential future. So every one becomes a prophet of their life. And it's the story of what happens to the world when you know what's going to happen next. Some people are gonna have great lives; some people are going to commit suicide and (yet) they know they're alive in the future; some people are going to have a baby with some girl and in the future they don't have a baby. It's just a huge head fuck. Head fuck!"

Joseph Fiennes and John Cho, who play two FBI agents, stress that in producer David S. Goyer's world, the rabbit hole can always go deeper. Cho, whose character doesn't actually have any vision of the future, says while that doesn't bode well for his character, nothing is ever written in stone.

"Certainly my character's very scared that he's going to die, because he doesn't have a vision, but ... I don't know, I honestly don't know whether he will die or not."

"In Goyer's world," said Fiennes, "you have to remember that nothing is as it seems."

"Yeah, I wouldn't bank on him dying — because if it's implied, as you say, I wouldn't infer."

Producer Goyer also mentioned there is plenty to throw people off track, but many clues to keep them entertained. FlashForward has already incorporated a thousand (ok, like seven) easter eggs into the first 17 minutes of the pilot to keep people engaged.

Goyer says the writing team has careful mapped out where they want these rabbit holes to lead, which meant incorporating such things in the pilot as the company Red Panda and ... a kangaroo we see jumping across the street as Los Angeles lies in ruin.

The kangaroo, says Goyer, will definitely be back.

And Cho's words keep ringing in my head, as the perfect tagline for every dramatically secretive TV serial today: "If it's implied ... I wouldn't infer."

FlashFoward begins September 24 on ABC.

I think my favorite part is when Fox tells us all she knows we know the movie's making jokes at her expense, so you know she knows, right? Damnit, stop being so freaking hot and up for a laugh. No matter what you think, you have to admire her — even when she plays it to the audience. That's brand awareness pure and simple, my friends.

The rest of the night went pretty smoothly — Diablo Cody talked horror, and how her postmodern thriller started off darker:

It's funny, because when I first set out to write this, I wanted to write a very dark, very brooding traditional slasher movie. And then I realized, about a third of the way into the process, that I was incapable of doing that. [The jokes] just kept kind of sneaking in. I have a macabre sense of humor, a lot of the things in the movie that are horrifying are funny to me. I've always said that I think comedy films and horror films are kind of similar in the sense that you actually can witness the audience having physical release. They are laughing [or] they're screaming — it's not a passive experience.

Director Karyn Kusama made an interesting point about the female perspective of Jennifer's Body. It's all about taking it back.

A lot of horror is about femaleness, whether it's Carrie or Rosemary's Baby. I feel like there's a lot of fear of the female, or a celebration of it in some weird way. Something about this movie managed to take fear, and the sense that it's the female that ultimately survives, and sort of marry that in a very personal way.

Jennifer's Body will be released in theaters on Sept. 18th.

This was part of a group interview with Davies and director Euros Lyn, where we were lucky enough to be able to ask some questions. Oh, and if you still haven't watched the most recent Torchwood miniseries, A) You are wasting your life on vain pursuits, and B) There's a spoiler for them below.

Why is Rose the most special?

So we had the impression, watching Davies' era of Doctor Who, that he regarded Rose Tyler as the most important, or most special, of the Doctor's companions. She's come back a couple of times, she was referenced constantly in the season after she left, and she got to keep her own duplicate of David Tennant's Doctor. So we asked Davies why Rose deserves to be so extraordinary. He replied:

I don't think she has been [treated as special]. I don't think I feel any more special when I'm writing Rose than when I'm writing any of the others. I think there's an iconography about Billie Piper. When the programme came back, it was the biggest advertised, most hyped-up programme in the world [and she was at the center of the imagery]. I'd never prefer her to Donna or Martha when writing her. But she was enormously popular and so — let's be blunt — every time I brought her back, the ratings went up. It's my job to make people come back to watch this. Sometimes people roll their eyes and go, "Oh, you've got another returning character." [To which I respond] "Yeah, leave me alone with my millions, thank you very much." So you know, it simply works. Plus we like Billie... So simply by dint of being her, she's come back the most often. I think that was a very special chemistry between her and Chris and between her and David, and it's very fondly remembered.

Adds Euros Lyn: "In that first series, she was the Doctor's equal, and equally as interesting as the Doctor, which was a revelation in the Doctor Who world."

The death of Ianto

And of course, RTD addressed the ongoing controversy about the death of Ianto Jones in the most recent Torchwood miniseries, "Children Of Earth." And Davies' comments will not appease the fans who feel he's been callous and dismissive. He called the backlash "massively exaggerated":

You know the campaign to send [packets of] coffee [to the BBC] to save Ianto's life? There's a campaign, because he was a coffee boy. But do you know how many packets of coffee they've received so far? Nine. So I think people writing online might sound like thousands of people, but they are nine. And they have the proof in the office, they are nine. And so when you say "Lots of people hated it, I challenge you [to prove it.] And that's the way you talk from online reaction, which is why I never follow online reaction. It's just untrue.

Director Euros Lyn added that it was important to show the "moral cost" that Jack has to pay to defeat the 456, as part of a story about "sacrifice and death." Not taking the characters to that place would "sell them short."

Children Of Earth was risky

Davies said he was acutely aware what a risky proposition "Children Of Earth" was — and not just because of its heavy political themes. He's always aware, working for the BBC, that he's spending the public's money (collected thorugh license fees) to make television. And he insisted that this miniseries had to air consecutively over five nights, not spread out over five weeks, because of the way it was structured. The bosses at the BBC kept changing, and the new bosses would try to change Davies' mind and switch it to running every Friday — but Davies stuck to his guns. And he was terrified it would fail, and he'd have "damaged" a whole week of BBC One programming.

"I thought it was good, and I was proud of it," said Davies. If it had flopped and everyone had hated it, "I was willing to wear my martyrdom through Comic Con."

What's next for Torchwood?

Just like everyone else we've talked to, Davies was fairly uncertain about the future of Torchwood, despite its great ratings. But he did say he felt the show had "found its tone," so future outings would definitely be one continuous story - possibly five episodes, possibly longer. But definitely, there'll be no return to "monster of the week" type stories. He liked the way the miniseries had "Torchwood" followed by the subtitle "Children Of Earth," making it part of the show's title. So that'll probably happen again next time.

Added Davies: "Torchwood has become an umbrella for telling a good story. This wasn't anything to do with Cardiff, or the rift," or any other standard elements of the show.

If the show does come back, "everyone who survived" will return as well. But the show will also do what "Children Of Earth" did with John Frobisher and the other new supporting cast — introduce a whole new set of characters. Davies doesn't believe in replacing a character after he/she is killed off, because it seems heartless, like buying a new puppy right after your dog dies. That's why, in "Children Of Earth," he deliberately introduced a "replacement" for Owen — and then shot him.

Here's our conversation:

So what's next after 9? Are you sticking to animation?

I'm actually developing two things right now. One's live action, and one is animation... They're both world-making. They create different worlds, fantastic worlds. They have their own mythology, that runs in their own way. Which is what I love to do. So even if I do live-action films, I don't think it's going to be too far from my own inspiration, just like Tim Burton's live-action films are very pushed and stylized, and create unique worlds. I think that's my direction as well.

We can't wait to see whatever you come up with.

Let's hope they give me some money to do it.

So these films are science fiction?

They're both kind of fantasy with a little science fiction in them as well.

So will these two new projects have human characters in them?

The live-action one will have people. It's sort of an ancient. It's mythology. It's sort of an ancient tale. It's slightly pre-history, although it's early civilization type of pre-history, but rooted in an existing comic book franchise — and an actual literature franchise. But I can't really say yet [what it is]. And then the other animated film is also based on a comic book franchise.

So people are coming to you now and asking if you can take on their franchises?

Yeah, or it's properties that I find, that I'm really drawn to, attracted to. And I'll approach them and say, "Hey, I'm interested in developing this into a feature." The animated one is sort of like a blending of Dark Crystal meets Lord Of The Rings meets Secret Of Nimh, with a little touch of ancient Viking mythology and Old Testament. It's an Eden tale in some ways. It's the creatures of the forest, but in some way they represent humanity. If that makes any sense. It's fun, I have a lot of fun with it.

Wow, both of those sound great.

We'll see what happens. The climate in Hollywood is strange because of the economic downturn. Hopefully 9 does well, and it will open up the opportunities to make other films. Because if it does well, hopefully it'll let me do other, riskier properties, things that don't seem like easy sells in Hollywood. They might have a little more trust and faith that these things can find an audience, and that would be great — both for me and for other film-makers who are trying to do something different.

So I'm scratching my head, and I can't figure out what franchises he's referring to. The animated one could be Mouse Guard, actually. What do you think? We'll have the rest of our interview with Acker later this week. 9 hits theaters, not surprisingly, on 9/9/09.

Additional reporting, pictures and writing from Julia Carusillo, Ray Wert and Cailtin Petrakovitz

I have no Earthly idea why these women were recruiting for V. I mean, it's got aliens in it. That should be enough. No need to bring out the T&A just yet, are we that desperate already?

Kotaku reported on Dante's Inferno boob marketing fiasco called "Acts of Lust." A contest asking Conners to "snap photos of themselves with hot women at the comic-con," they later apologized.

What do surgically-enhanced women dressed in slinky, silver unitards have to do with a kid's game called "Mind Flex?" We don't know, but hundreds of interested convention-goers pushed the tykes out of the way to find out. Wait, what was that question we were supposed to be thinking about again? Sorry, we're distracted.

Speaking of petroleum-derived plastic orbs, SciFi SyFy has some serious balls touting their name change like this at Comic Con. Just look at 'em. They're huge!

Well, you certainly won't become the caped crusader wearing those hats.

Speaking of hats — "choose my identity?" Am I supposed to believe I really need a hat to tell me whether I'm good or evil? What is this, Harry Potter?

I would be seriously pissed off if I came outside to find a slew of "Dragon Age: Origins" decals adorning the side of my plumber's van. I know I certainly wouldn't be buying the video game!

A convention filled with people who draw things for a living, and this is the best Batman you could come up with? Really?

Wondering why this NBC Store moving billboard's included as an example of badvertising? It's a good-for-the-environment GEM electric car. The billboard? It's running off the huge gas-powered generator underneath it. That's like using a Tesla roadster to haul a HEMI dragster to the track.

What do roller-derby girls have to do with promoting District 9? No idea. We're going to assume they don't know either as they were also promoting Whip It. Which one is it ladies which one, I'm so confused.

Playboy and Comic Con? Sure, we see a match there. Playboy, Comic Con and ice cream? Not so much.

Save the cheerleader, save the popcorn? A Heroes carnival set up across the train tracks from the Convention Center? Next up SNOW CONE OF DEATH.

Clever. Kudos for taking it all the way my friend. Picture from the awesome Rad Nerd flickr stream. Funny crew over there — well done gang.

Nothing says "respect me" more than a Team Jacob or Team Edward Burger King Crown. Especially since the Where The Wild Things Are Crown showed them what was really up.

A SciFi SyFy fan gets the last laugh.

Gamer Raver Gear, sadly tragically unsexy in real life too.

Enough with the clever menu items, this was in an Indian restaurant.

Great, until someone stole my room key for the free episode.

I believe this funeral was for Criss Angel's new show, but I'm not 100% sure because when I hear the words Criss Angel I run in the other direction. But seriously, guys — super fun campaign.

Nothing says, let's kill a Nazi like a segway. Peace to you too man.

Additional reporting, pictures and writing from Julia Carusillo, Ray Wert and Cailtin Petrakovitz