So Saturday started out fairly rocky for us – we hadn’t gotten home until like 2:30am on Friday night after the Jay and Jack meet-up. So when the alarm went off for 7am to tell us that we had a half hour to get our asses in gear and get to the Chuck panel at 10am (Clif had left the meet-up early and was already in line for the panel or on his way out the door at this point, I believe), it just wasn’t happening. I thought I hit snooze but alas, I turned my alarm off. We woke up again at 8:30am and did a “Holy shit, it’s 8:30am, we’re going to miss the panel!!”
Despite our panic, we were in super slow motion. I skipped doing the Friday at Comic Con blog post that day to save time but it didn’t help. Getting ready took forever and I was in desperate need of coffee. We finally managed to get out the door at 9:30am when Clif texted us that we could probably get a spot in line with him but we had to get there ASAP because the line was moving quickly into Ballroom 20. Jay & I got downstairs and out the hotel door when I realized I left my Comic Con badge on the table in the room. I ran upstairs to get it and then sprinted a few blocks to catch up with Jay. We had offers through Twitter to find people in line but the issue was getting there before they all got in. We made it to the Convention Center pretty quickly but Clif had already gone in to sit down so he was out as an option. We scanned the line and sent out some Tweets but no luck. We had resigned ourselves to the fact that we were going to miss the Chuck panel for the second year in a row (last year we missed it because of the Lost panel). And then, just in the nick of time, came our knight in shining armor, one Miss Kelly Jo. I felt so guilty about jumping in line with KJ that I had to walk along the non-line side of the wall with my face down so I wouldn’t make eye contact with anyone. I’m a terrible cheater. But we made it in, so obviously my conscience was too bothered lol. It started with Jeffster performing Lady Gaga and then went into the panel.
The panel was awesome – the cast members of Chuck were even more into being at Comic Con than the True Blood and Hawaii 5-0 casts. They’re the people who get Comic Con and interact as such. They ripped on each other (After a fan asked Adam Baldwin a question about Firefly, Ryan McPartlin who plays Awesome piped in, “4th season into Chuck and we’re still hearing about Baldwin’s old show!”) and gave us “spoilers” (Linda Hamilton is going to play Chuck & Ellie’s mom) and freebies that we didn’t have to go all the way to the Marriott to pick up (they threw the same ‘Nerd’ t-shirt into the crowd that Zach Levi was wearing). Actually, one of the t-shirts fell – no joke – directly into my bag! It was fabulous. I wore the shirt to Disneyland on Monday. The only downside to the whole thing was that there was no time for audience questions because it started so late! Booo!
We walked around the Exhibit Hall for a little while after the Chuck panel was over and got some food before heading to the Jay and Jack panel at the Santa Rosa Room in the Marriott hotel. It sucked that they weren’t in the Convention Center BUT the Santa Rosa Room is really pretty nice. The upgrade in chairs alone was wonderful. The panel was, as always, a success. Really nice turnout and they talked mainly about the end of Lost. Ryan and Jen from The Transmission joined them and Clif filmed the entire thing.
It was nice to see some of the familiar faces of people who we get to see at each event throughout the years. Lynn came back for her 5th J&J Comic Con gathering (the meet-up in 2006 & the panels from 2007-2010). How awesome is that?!
We decided to check out the panel for No Ordinary Family, a new ABC sitcom with Michael Chiklis and Rita Julie Benz. They showed the pilot and had a quick Q&A. I liked it – I recommend checking it out; I think it’s going to really be a good one to watch this season.
We really wanted to stick around or go back to the hotel and then come back for the Kevin Smith panel that evening. Kevin Smith is always the best part of Comic Con. We were in line for the Lost encyclopedia panel with Jack, Ryan, Jen, Jo & a bunch of other Lost people when I got a text from Kolkie who was in line at Hall H for the Cowboys & Aliens panel (I think): “There was a stabbing in Hall H! Everything is shut down right now.” We checked the Twitter & found out some of what was going on and figured we’d play it by ear after the current panel was over. Sitting in front of us with Jo was none other than Sterling Beauman (Young Ben on Lost) who we had met at the Lost Finale party in LA back in May. He used to skate at the iceplex that Jay & his family worked at in La Jolla back in the day. Small world, eh? Anyway, after the whole thing was over, I took a picture of Sterling, Jo & Jay and their matching haircuts:
Which Sterling then proceeded to Twitpic for me on my iPad lol. Good times. He’s a cool, cool kid and I really hope he has a long career ahead of him.
After getting word that the Kevin Smith panel was delayed for a while, we decided to just go back to the hotel. It had been a really long day and we still had lots of partying to do ahead of us at the Media Junkyard/SHoE/10th Wonder meet-up at the Yard House that night.
After catching a ride back to the hotel with Aunt Cindy, Uncle Brett & Aunt Mary, a whole bunch of us left our hotel and headed to the Yard House. I LOVED the Yard House. It had a zillion types of beer on tap including Hoegaarden which I used to drink at the Beer Gardens (<3) in Astoria all the time. Ah, I miss Astoria and the Beer Gardens. Good freaking times. Moment of silence for respect.
…
Anyway, again, I’ll leave you with pictures from that evening. These are just the ones I had on my camera; a lot of people had way better ones, including Adam’s awesome shot that was my Facebook profile picture 😉
I friggin’ love Ryan & Jen and I’m so glad they came out with us!
I guess this is why it’s called the ‘Yard House.’ Awesome concept but awkward when you’re trying to finish it.
Jay’s awesome LA-based family came down for the Jay & Jack panel and to hang out 🙂
Jack and I with TV Guide’s Damien Holbrook & Andrea Gabriel (Nadia on ‘Lost’).
Jay with his own Lost podcasting idol, Dylan of Scott & Steve fame.
This table is like the Jay & Jack Proboards Hall of Fame table haha
BOSTON!
Boston’s Hot Wife!
Everything’s silly time.
*I know that other people have more pictures from later on in the night and check out the MJ vidcast part 2 for me & Christine and me & Jay doing our own “everything’s silly time” interviews on camera.*
