Comic-Con 2011: NA’s Thursday Schedule and Wednesday Jet Lag

Here we go! Comic-Con 2011. It seems like just yesterday I was at the Convention Center wading through a sticky sea of nerdery. The flight out to SD was a long one. We opted to fly out of Asheville NC where we were visiting family and didn’t arrive in San Diego until 5:30 pm. After missing the shuttle to the hotel, and then missing the shuttle to badge pickup, we eventually broke our bad luck streak and  arrived at the Convention Center where we picked up our badges for con. I think in the future from now on I’m going to arrive on Tuesday and use Wednesday morning to recharge a bit. After finally grabbing some food from The Tipsy Crow we picked up our NerdHQ passes (more on that in a second) and then made our way to Ralph’s for some groceries. Obviously every nerd on the planet got our memo because it was packed and out of control.

Thursday Schedule *NOTE these are planned events and I probably won’t make it to half of them

11:00-12:00 The Evolution of Web Series: The Guild to Dragon Age— Writer/actorFelicia Day (The Guild), actor Doug Jones (Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth), Dragon Age: Redemption director Peter Winther (Leverage), and Dragon Age executive producerMark Darrah discuss the secrets to The Guild’s success and what happens when you take that winning formula to the dark fantasy video game universe, Dragon Age, for the upcoming web series Redemption. Room 7AB

11:00-12:00 X-Play Live— Now into its 13th year, G4’s X-Play is TV’s longest-running and most watched video game show. Each episode is packed with brutally honest reviews, live demos, and of course intern humiliation. Hosts Adam Sessler, Morgan Webb, Blair Herter, and Kristin Adams and executive producer Wade Beckettmake their triumphant return to Comic-Con and promise a no-holds-barred live panel. They’ll take questions from the audience, debut a new comedy short, challenge the hardcore fans with trivia, and give out prizes to a chosen few. This hour of reflection and finger pointing is guaranteed to be a life-changing experience. Room 25ABC
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THE NERD MACHINE PANEL: With Zachary Levi, Danny Pudi, Jorge Garcia, Olivia Munn, Alessandra Torresani, and more

If this panel works out... I may lose my mind

1:00pm
The Men of the Nerdolution is becoming Friends of the Nerdolution
2:00pm
The Friends of the Nerdolution Signing
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BREA GRANT –
Thursday? HYPERLINK “http://www.aintitcool.com/” t “_blank” AICN Presents: Horror on the Paneled Page 1:30 to 2:30 Room 24ABC?Mark L. Miller (Ain’t It Cool News / Nanny & Hank) hosts a panel focusing on horror with some of comic books’ darkest writers and artists. The discussion will breach topics such as how to create successful horror comics, what causes chills and what doesn’t. Join Steve Niles (30 Days of Night), Joshua Hale Fialkov (DC’s upcoming I, Vampire), David Quinn (Faust), Tim Seeley (Hack/Slash), Matt Pizzolo (Godkiller), Brea & Zane Grant (We Will Bury You), Brandon Seifert (Witch Doctor), and a few surprise guests to find out what makes

12:00-1:00 Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning: Bringing Worlds to Life, From Concept to Pixel— Todd McFarlane (award-winning artist and creator of Spawn), Big Huge Games art director Tim Coman, and a panel of Reckoning designers discuss the artistic process of creating a massive fantasy epic in this all-new role-playing videogame. Room 25ABC

1:45-2:45 Ringer— Sarah Michelle Gellar makes her highly anticipated television return in the gripping new thriller Ringer, as a woman who, after witnessing a murder, goes on the run, hiding out by assuming the life of her wealthy identical twin — only to learn that her sister’s seemingly idyllic life is just as complicated and dangerous as the one she’s trying to leave behind. Be the first to see an exclusive sneak peek at the new series about family secrets and stolen identities, followed by a panel discussion with series stars Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy The Vampire Slayer), Ioan Gruffudd (Fantastic Four), Nestor Carbonell (Lost, The Dark Knight), Kristoffer Polaha(Life Unexpected), executive producer Pam Veasey (CSI:NY), and co-executive producers Nicole Snyder (Supernatural) and Eric Charmelo (Supernatural). Ballroom 20

3:30-4:30 Star Wars: The Old Republic : Join Us, It Is Your Destiny— BioWare and LucasArts are creating the most immersive MMO experience you’ve ever played withStar Wars: The Old Republic. Hear from BioWare developers as they discuss development of a story-driven MMO, debut new gameplay footage, and perhaps spring a few surprises along the way. Exclusive reveals, giveaways, guests, and Q&A!Room 6BCF

4:45-5:45 Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season Four Preview— The epic conflict of Star Wars: The Clone Warsintensifies in the upcoming season, as new battle lines are drawn, new threats arise, and old enemies resurface. Take an unparalleled first look into this fall’s action, drama, and adventure as the creators of hit series from Lucasfilm preview some of what will astound Star Wars fans in Season Four. Featuring supervising director Dave Filoni, CG lighting/FX supervisor Joel Aron, and other talents from behind the scenes at Lucasfilm Animation. Hosted by Pablo Hidalgo.Room 6BCF

6:00-7:00 Gears of War 3— Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinski, executive producer Rod Fergusson, and special guest contributors to the Gears universe offer a look ahead at the most-anticipated game of 2011. Includes a live game demo and key announcements. Moderated by X-Play (G4) co-host Adam Sessler. Room 6BCF

6:00-7:00 Her Universe: What Women Want in Their Female Sci-Fi Heroes— In the early days of sci-fi, female characters were the designated damsels in distress. Thankfully, today a new generation of creative minds are molding the strong, intelligent, and powerful female roles we see in some sci-fi films, TV shows, comics and other media. What are the differences between past sci-fi adventures with female characters and today’s feminine heroes that women can really connect with? How do you create truly interesting and unique female characters in the sci-fi universe? How are they different from their male counterparts? As the voice of a strong female role model, host Ashley Eckstein (voice of Ahsoka Tano, Star Wars: The Clone Wars) wants to bring this conversation to the forefront. Join Ashley for a dynamic panel of creative minds from television, film, and comics to explore this timely topic, featuring Dave Filoni (supervising director, Star Wars: The Clone Wars),Chris Sanagustin (SVP development and current programming for Universal Cable Productions), Bryan Q. Miller (executive story editor, Smallville; writer, DC’s Batgirl),Betsy Mitchell (editor-in-chief, Del Rey Books), Melinda Hsu Taylor (writer/producer,Lost, Medium; supervising producer, Touch), and Gail Simone (writer, DC’s Birds of Prey, Secret Six, Wonder Woman, and the new Batgirl comic). Room 25ABC

5:00-6:00 Batman: Arkham City— Get the inside scoop on Batman: Arkham City, the highly anticipated follow-up to Batman: Arkham Asylum, one of the top-selling games of 2009 and the Guinness World Record holder for the Most Critically Acclaimed Superhero Game Ever. Be among the first to see and hear new details about the next chapter in Batman’s gritty, immersive world — including some surprise game and character reveals — from panelists Mark Hamill (Star Wars), Kevin Conroy (Batman: The Animated Series), DC Comics co-publisher  HYPERLINK “http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_guests.php” l “LeeJim” Jim Lee, writer Paul Dini (Lost, Tower Prep), and game directorSefton Hill (Batman: Arkham Asylum, Batman: Arkham City).Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront

6:00-7:00 Inside the Voice Actors Studio— An annual Comic-Con favorite, Bang Zoom! Entertainment is proud to bring you this one-hour panel/workshop about voice acting that covers practical dubbing techniques, important issues such as studio protocol, and what to expect at your first audition. Here’s an opportunity for attendees interested in the voice-acting profession to get firsthand advice and experience from the pros in an intimate yet dynamic and exciting setting. You’ll also get some inside information on how to break in and what the industry is really like. This truly is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for fans and aspiring voice actors to interact with some of the most accomplished members of the industry. Celebrity panelists include renowned video game VO director Chris Borders (Gears of War), and actor Dee Bradley Baker (Phineas and Ferb, SpongeBob Squarepants), and moderator Tony Oliver (Robotech). Room 30CDE

6:00-7:00 Voltron Resurgent— The quintessential 1980s super robot anime series is taking the universe by cosmic storm in 2011, offering entertainment and collectibles to thrill original fans and inspire a new legion of Voltronfollowers. Comic-Con attendees will be the first to witness the full scope of Voltron’s global franchise resurgence in the form of the new Nicktoons animated series Voltron Force, THQ’s upcoming videogame, a cool Mattel line of toys, innovative comic books from VIZ Media and Dynamite Entertainment, and some blockbuster news of special Voltron events in the not-too-distant future. VH1 Big Morning Buzz Live / NGTV/ G4/ host Carrie Keegan moderates a diverse panel featuring World Event Productions’ supervising producer Jeremy Corray, Voltron Force story editor Todd Garfield and creative director Bob Koplar, THQ executive producer Peter Armstrong, Nicktoons general manager Keith Dawkins, Mattel design manager Michael Montalvo, design director Steed Sun, and artist/designer Brandon Sopinsky, VIZ Media editor Traci Todd, and artist Jacob Chabot . Pay homage to Voltron’s beloved origins, and get a glimpse of the franchise’s future. Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront