The SDCC Daily

28 JUNE 2016

Orphan Black wants you to join them in a Final Season Farewell at Comic-Con. The cast will be at BBC booth 4129 on Friday. They're also having a 4:30 panel on the same day in 6BCF - which means you'll have a tough time doing this panel and iZombie/getting in line for The Killing Joke.

BBC is also showing off Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency on Saturday at 4 in 6BCF. But will they reveal anything about The Living and The Dead, their spooky ghost story coming to America this fall? We don't know yet.

It's your big break, Sharknado fans: an audition to be on a Syfy Sharknado game show at Comic-Con. Yes, this is real even though the page looks weird. You will need to submit a photo and video, and have a valid SDCC badge. You don't need to be beautiful, but you do need to be "fun and outgoing" - i.e., be entertaining to watch on TV.

Let's talk exclusives. Entertainment Earth is giving us a really great-looking C-3PO. In the category of more unusual exclusives: Purridge the kitty doing his business in a litterbox. Mattel wants you to race these Death Star Hot Wheels on a racetrack far, far away. And there are only 100 of Archer's Enormous Package - so if you're coveting this box of Archer goods, maybe it's best to order now.

The 501st Legion is having an SDCC party Friday night, 22 July, at Maz's Place. This is a ticketed sit-down dinner with dessert and bar so you can't just roll in on a whim.

You can get a sneak peek at Luke Cage (and star Mike Colter) at the Con.

Nickelodeon wants you to relive your 90s childhood with a booth extravaganza that will feature:

• a Legends of the Hidden Temple virtual reality experience
• Hey Arnold! photo ops
• Trivia games
• Autographs with various cast members

Shows mentioned include Rugrats, Double Dare, Real Monsters, Catdog, Rocko's Modern Life, Invader Zim and "others." Fingers crossed that "others" will mean Are You Afraid of the Dark? and Action League Now!


Today's Toucan post about the updated Marriott facility might seem like a snoozer, but it can actually help you understand where to go. First-timers, Comic-Con in general is bigger than you expect it to be - and while attending a tournament or event at a hotel sounds like it would just involve walking into the lobby and following a sign, it can be more complicated than that.

Your nerdiest dog is probably dying for you to take him to PAWmicon so he can explore his cosplay passion.

Will CCI's friendship with Lionsgate help bring Hulu's Dimension 404 to SDCC? I hope so. This sci-fi anthology "aims to evoke that 3 a.m. feeling of wandering onto the weird side of the web, stumbling upon stories that cannot be explained in the world we know. Each episode will explore a different bizarre mystery, including an obscure cartoon that may hold the secret to time travel or energy drinks perhaps causing a global apocalypse." And Constance Wu is in it.

If you've been pining away for either Tom Hiddleston or Skull Island, you're in the luck: both will be gracing Hall H. Does anyone else remember when Skull Island was announced at Comic-Con a few years back and 2017 sounded so far away? And now the release date is less than a year out.

Oh and if you're headed for Orlando this summer, here's a sneak peek at the Skull Island attraction.

The SDCC Daily

11 JUNE 2015

Hopefully over the next few days we'll find out details on Comic Creator Connection, the Blood Drive, the IFF and get a look at the official SDCC 2015 t-shirts.  CCI has been rather stingy with information so far, though their post on scammers today was very useful.

In the meantime, we've learned...


Something we already knew: Ash Vs. Evil Dead and Outland will both be at SDCC. The Ash vs Evil Dead panel is Friday in 6A from 6-7 pm; Outlander is Saturday in Ballroom 20 from 4-4:45 pm.

Entertainment Earth is bringing us 2 Penny Dreadful figures: Ethan (with guns) and Vanessa (with Tarot cards). Let's hope a special version of Dorian Gray's portrait is on the way.

And of course we got to look at Stormtrooper this and that.

Conan O'Brien is hosting the Hunger Games: Mockingjay/The Last Witch Hunter panel on Thursday at noon.

As usual, Nickelodean is all about Comic-Con excess. What they have in store for us:

• Thursday will be Throwback Thursday all day long, with appearances from Kel Mitchel ("Kenan & Kel") and Stick Stickly and the Rugrats characters Tommy, Chucky and Angelica. Since they're celebrating the 90s, maybe they'll have action figures from Action League Now! (Probably not though.)

• Their booth will give fans a chance to contribute their voices to an animated show in a recording booth - and they'll be mimicked by their favorite animated Nickelodean characters.

• They're throwing a "Nickelodean's Variety Show featuring Breadwinners Live!" at the Horton on Saturday; tickets are free and you can pick them up in the autograph area of the Sails Pavilion. This is being called a "cartoon celebration" and it will feature a table read with the Breadwinners cast and the world premiere of Pig Goat Banana Cricket and The Loud House.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles panel is Friday; Saturday is SpongeBob; Sunday is Sanjay and Craig.

Tidbit for Comic-Con of the future: Sandman will be a "grand, spectacular action film" - and Neil Gaiman asked Joseph Gordon-Levitt to ensure Morpheus doesn't punch anyone. The fact that he even had to ask makes me nervous.

Archer will again be on Friday at 5 pm in the Indigo Ballroom. First-timers, Friday in the Indigo Ballroom is traditionally one long animation festival and a lot of people enter and never leave until after Archer. Just something to factor into your plans.

AHS & Scream Queens will be a Hall H Sunday panel at 12:30. Later in the day, we get Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll and The Strain at 3 pm. I hope this makes Sunday badge holders less disappointed about Doctor Who being on Thursday. Sunday's Hall H is still a great day without it.

We'll see what tomorrow brings.

 

Nickelodean contest & other events

10 JULY 2014
 
 
 
 
I can't tell if this really is the most event-ridden, news-heavy Con in history or if companies are just getting better at fluffing themselves up via press release. It seems like so much is going on. It's mind-boggling.
 
So let's look at a case in point: Nickelodean. No, the below isn't just for kids. For one, there's that awesome invitation to pitch them right from the floor. For another, they're offering a lot of fun activities that will appeal to any ages.
 
Such as:

  

• VO Your Favorite Show: This is a voice record booth where you can test your voiceover skills by recording a scene from a Nick animated show. The whole thing will be recorded and you'll get an email of the video featuring a side-by-side of the booth with the animated scene.

 

• Animated GIF booth: A photo booth with a spin; you can handpick Nick accessories or character cutouts and create a Nick-ified GIF to share across your social accounts.

 

• Tumblr Fan Art Contest: You can make art of your favorite Nick character, past or present, and upload it to  Tumblr using #NickFanArt and it might be featured at the Nick booth during the convention. The winning 10-15 pieces will be showcased on the main booth screen, as well as photographed with key talent/creators. Is there a prize beyond that? I can't tell. Still a contest, though.

 

• Autograph Signings: Stars of the Nickelodeon universe signing autographs; this includes SpongeBob SquarePants voice talent; The Legend of Korra creators and talent; Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles talent and executive producers; Sanjay and Craig creators and talent; Breadwinners creators, Pig Goat Banana Cricket creators and Bad Seeds creators; and Power Rangers Super Megaforce cast.

 

• Costumed Characters Appearances: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, SpongeBob SquarePants, Patrick Star and Power Rangers Megaforce characters will make appearances during the convention.

 

• Giveaways: Various products and prizes will be handed out over the course of the convention.

 

• Then there's "partner activity:" SpongeBob SquarePants and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles products sold at Funko booth; mini TMNT giveaway at Mega Blocks booth; TMNT IDW comic giveaway and Shredder build sold at Lego booth; TMNT banks and mini-mate figures sold at Diamond Comics booth; original black and white TMNT figures sold at Playmates booth; exclusive Bebop and Rocksteady vinyl figures sold at Kidrobot booth; Battle Damage Turtles sold at The Loyal Subjects booth; Just Like Me “Lil Mikey” sold at Mondo booth and Korra specialty merchandise and Aang figure sold at Dark Horse booth.

 

Oh, and if you're wondering how to find the Nickelodean booth - it's one of the loudest and showiest ones on the floor. Just look  for some mammoth exhibit in the center of the Exhibit Hall and you're bound to spot it even from a distance.

Nickelodean wants your pitches at Comic-Con

24 JUNE 2014

Here's something you don't hear too often - a major media company inviting your pitches straight from the convention floor. Nickelodean is holding an open call for original animated projects Thursday-Saturday of the Con, right there at their booth. Why? So they can greenlight a project for the global Animated Shorts Program.

Now - that's exactly what the press release says - they're going to greenlight A project. As in one. It also says the chosen pitch will be developed into a short with the "potential" to air on Nick on TV or online or even be turned into a full-fledged series. Potential is a word fraught with loopholes but I'm sure that's just a CYA term on their part. And who knows, even if your pitch isn't the lucky winner, you're still getting in front of an influential development team.

How it works:

The traditionally loud and hectic Nickelodean booth will have a windowed pitch room at its center with open call hours throughout the day. If you want to be in that pitch room, you need to register in advance at www.nickshortpitches.com by Friday, 18 July. (If past experience has taught you nothing else, you should know to register way before that.)

Here's a direct quote on the program: "Nickelodeon’s Animated Shorts Program, which is designed to identify and develop original comedy-driven content for kids, was launched in 2012 and took 600 pitches in its inaugural year. The program became global its second year. Concepts are received in all animation, styles from 2D, digital 2D, stop motion, CG and mixed media. Finalists are provided with the necessary artistic and production support teams to help them complete their fully animated original, humor-based and character-driven shorts."


You can find out more here, including a list of recent projects and artists discovered by the program.