MST3K Live Conquers Comic-Con

In the not too distant past, last Saturday A-D...
Mystery Science Theater 3000's live tour stopped off at the annual center of the pop culture universe known as San Diego Comic-Con. It was a big hit as both shows were slightly hotter tickets than Hall H on Marvel Day. That's pretty good, since they were competing with all the parties, screenings of Atomic Blonde, and a major Doctor Who bash.

Jonah Ray, Joel Hodgson and Felicia Day, along with lots of other cast members stopped by the Shout Factory booth to sign assorted things. Here's a look:

Clearly Jonah has a future in retail. since he accidentally sold several copies of Fargo.

As for the Saturday show, they had problems with the pre-recorded clips with Felicia and Patton Oswalt, but we could always pretend the feed from Moon 13 got scrambled a bit due to solar winds.
The live part with Synthia (Rebecca Hanson) and Terry the Bonehead worked much better.
UPDATE: Someone somehow got this recorded by iPhone or such...



Joel even appeared to announce there will be a comic book where the SOL gang will suddenly find themselves in bad comic books. They also lived up to the "Watch Out For Snakes Tour" name by shooting some really big snakes from a bazooka on some guy. At least they should have given him one to take home.

As for Netflix, still no word. That's odd, considering Comic-Con is the time for big news, like announcing certain shows will be back next year. Heck, it said all four Defenders will be back next year with new shows..and that The Punisher will even have his own show. It may be waiting until after the tour ends next month in Atlanta before we finally get the word.
Besides, Jonah didn't really...you know...at the end of season eleven, right? (If you don't know, that's what Netflix is for).

Also, since I had the "bronze" VIP level at a hundred bucks, I was supposed to get a VIP lanyard along with a tote bag and poster. Well, no lanyard, but I did get this...

May not be able to wear it, but it's a good consolation prize.
As for the souvenir stand, the snakes were pricey, but the t-shirts were reasonably priced along with the mugs and even pins. Chances are the choices will be different depending on the city. They also have a very nice photo book of the cast behind the scenes. Considering the tour is in its third week, it's impressive they got it out so quick.

So, what was the not-Eegah movie like?
Since the movie will be shown a few more times, we'll keep it vague. Let's say it involves a lot of Swinging Sixties stuff, constant changing of robes, and a completely stupid "plot". Oh, and it was interrupted a couple of times by a "Watch Out For Snakes" warning...but not long enough. We'll actually name the "movie" once the tour is done in a month. It's safe to say it's bound to appear in season 12.
The live segments were great, including a fashion show that even used Synthia and Terry quite well (this is not from San Diego, but this is what happened).



Maybe those two will turn on Kinga, or convince her there's a better way to make the experiment her cash cow....just as long as they don't use the word "Rifftrax".
Not only that, the Shout Factory booth showed trailers of upcoming movies the company will be selling soon. Two of them are Hercules movies with Lou Ferrigno. The first one, judging from this trailer, has got to be a guaranteed choice for season 12.

The live tour should be a success, but it should convince Netflix to give the Satellite of Love more episodes. After all, shouldn't Luke Cage, President Underwood or young Queen Elizabeth have a good laugh? MST3K would give them that.

Back From Comic-Con: Pretty Good Visit To Sauna Diego

This was the view from my hotel room at Comic-Con, and I still wonder why those two towers weren't forced to be a billboard for something, while the Marriott Marquis wasn't so lucky.

Actually, it was a pretty good Comic-Con aside from the heat. I was able to snag some bargains and won a couple of prizes, too. I was also able to actually provide some good video for Whedonopolis through covering a couple of panels on MST3K and Agents of SHIELD. I also was able to get inside Hall H and saw the Preacher Read-Through of last Sunday's episode.
Thing is, I got inside because Joss Whedon didn't sell out Hall H. There were actually many empty seats. That is almost as tragic as whatever happened at the Republican Convention that same week. Whatever project he has cooking, I sure hope it gets him back on top again.

My favorite moment was the MST3K panel where Joel revealed the new era will be at Netflix, also home to Marvel and House of Cards. That could be enough for me to dump my Amazon Prime subscription. It also inspired this..

Dr. Erhardt is so upset he's now the Brian Dunkleman of MST3K

If I'm disappointed about anything it's not getting into the premiere of Star Trek Beyond. I always wanted to know if an IMAX drive-in was possible. Since it turned out to be a hit, they're bound to try it again next year. The other bummer was not getting a ticket to a taping for Conan. I did manage to get one of his POP figures, so it worked out. I prefer to get one by being at the show, though. What surprised me is this..

Since Conan will be back next year, expect people to try to trade the 2015 Conan POPs for what's coming next year (like maybe a Conan Star-Lord maybe?).

Here's some of my other photos:

The last picture is the picture of irony, isn't it?

To be honest, I really wish Reno had a Wizard World even this year because it's not so crowded, and I can hammer out stories faster with better wi-fi from my house. I'll have to wait another year for that.
Still, I am pumped for next year. 2017 will be the year of the Slayer, and the 40th anniversary of Star Wars, among other things. D23 or not, Disney should show up for Comic-Con next year because that movie is the reason why San Diego's covered in Times Square-sized ads for a week.

Back at Comic-Con, How Things Have Changed

So far this is my favorite picture from Comic-Con. Just in case I can't pose next to Tom Servo and Crow, at least I have this.

Things have changed. As I have noticed, a basement at the US Grant Hotel was enough to house Comic-Con. Now, San Diego is barely able to house Comic-Con. It's wall-to-wall advertising with the hotels and restaurants being the billboards. It's like downtown is more Times Square than Times Square.

But we love it. We love seeing 20 feet tall Powerpuff Girls. We love a group of Mr. fSociety guys giving us their faces. We love having a chance to see a big movie early, rising dehydration to see Star Trek Beyond in Imax outdoors. That's never been done, and it will be enough to make Ghostbusters of any gender afraid.

It's just too bad it's almost impossible to see the panels we want because the lines are longer than Disneyland at the height of summer. Where else can people line up for Hall H panels for the next day before noon?? We all want that chance to see our favorite stars in person, and that's what made Comic-Con big.

I've been disappointed so far, but there's been good things. While I couldn't get a proper press pass (but can still help out with the annual "Once More With Feeling" showing with some very special added attractions), I still got some bargains and the Marvel posters I wanted, I missed out on Star Trek Beyond but saw SyFy's attempt to give fans nationwide a live taste of the event. Thanks to some quick thinking, I can still see the Con Man cast and Joel Hodgson thanks to special events. It'll be a miracle if I can see Joss Whedon at Hall H

The best thing, though, is that some big celebrities will be smart enough to appear in events where people don't need a Comic-Con badge. This will be helpful for Agents of SHIELD, who hopes this coming season won't be the last. MST3K also is going this route, although it doesn't need it that much.

So, my next plan for Friday is hoping to get a Conan figure by drawing the right ticket at the Hyatt. If that doesn't pan out, it's not too bad. I already have one. After that, I'm hoping to get a Time Lord's autograph, and who knows that else.

Comic-Con to Comic Cannes

When I went to San Diego Comic-Con the first time in 2004 to see Sarah Michelle Gellar, getting a ticket wasn't a problem. Sure, it was a great place to plug new movies and TV shows (it was the year of Lost, for example), but it was still a niche event.Those were the days where you didn't have to buy a ticket a year ahead of time to guarantee a spot. It was still an option, but not the only one. 

That was ten years ago, and those days ended once it was the place to promote movie franchises, from Harry Potter to Twilight, and now the Marvel-verse. Comic-Con tickets sold out months ahead of time The Super Bowl started to become jealous of Comic-Con.

Now, it's come to this...

this year's Comic-Con is making history by not selling four-day tickets, with preview night included.
This is the rate this year:

For adults: Preview Night is 35 bucks, Thursday through Saturday is 45 bucks, Sunday only 30 bucks.

For teens (13-17), people 60 and older and military, half that cost

That's the cost of massive popularity, and the chance of maybe meeting Robert Downey Jr., Joss Whedon, Angelina Jolie, or maybe the 12th Doctor...or maybe Stan Lee. 

That's why I came up with the Twitter hash tag, #ComicCannes

Comic-Con has been called "Cannes for nerds" for years, but now the rising cost, parties, off-convention events and free swag makes it complete. Getting to a sneak preview for a new movie is great, too. I still treasure the fact I was among the first in the U-S to see Inglorious Basterds in San Diego.
Despite higher ticket prices, people will figure out some way to get to San Diego in July, or Wondercon, which apparently has officially declared Anaheim its new home. Combining it with a short trip to Disneyland makes it more obvious. 

What people may be upset, aside from dropping two Benjamins for the week right off the bat, is that they may not be able to go to all five days. Also, preview night is now officially Day 0 of Comic-Con, including an admission price. Maybe the organizers may decide to add more events that day, aside from setting aside time for Warner Brothers to show its TV pilots. 

At least the amount of off-convention events, which are usually cheaper, may attract those without SDCC tickets. We should also thank websites that are smart enough to send us breaking news thanks to smartphone videos. It's how we learned about Tom Hiddleston brought the house down as Loki introducing the trailer for Thor: The Dark World.

However, making Comic-Con more expensive is good news for smaller cons, such as the Wizard World and Creation circuits. There may be less swag, but the chance of meeting a favorite actor is much better. 

When Sacramento has its first Wizard World event in March, people will get to see Stan Lee, William Shatner, James Marsters, and several people from The Walking Dead. Not a bad deal, and thanks to my status as a blog reporter, I get to check it out. I envy those who'll be at Wizard World in New Orleans, because Matt Smith, the 11th Doctor, will be there. 

It's also good news for DragonCon, which retains its status as Comic-Con without the glitz, but still filled with celebrities. 

High prices or not, I hope to get back to Comic-Con someday, mainly through being hired by someone despite my advanced age. For now, I'll look for any chance to see my favorite actors, in costume or not.