The Big 4: Metal in da Bronx!

Big 4, baby. The big day finally came and I was off to Yankee Stadium. The metal love was totally felt, even on the 4 train where kids in metal t-shirts gave nods to each other. We knew we were all headed to the Big 4. Where else would we be going?

First impressions: I splurged and got tickets for the floor (not the floor VIP -- which would have been even more) and it was totally worth it. Getting to stand in the outfield of Yankee Stadium (albeit on temporarily installed plastic flooring) was amazing. I literally could stand just shy of where Mark Teixiera would be by first base. Amazing.




First up: Anthrax!

Anthrax took the stage at 4:00 and we were off thrashing. Since a few of the boys in the band are from the Bronx -- it was officially declared as "Anthrax Day" in the borough. Joey Belladonna sounded great. Scott Ian and Frankie Bello got the crowd psyched up. The set was capped with a group photo -- complete with the band in Anthrax/Yankee shirts and jerseys. There was also a pinstripe banner with the Anthrax logo merged with a Yankees one. Pretty effin' cool.

[On the whole Anthrax using pentagrams thing -- supposedly a lot of fans are divided about them using this cliche so late in their career. Basically, someone designed it with an Anthrax "A" in it and it looked badass and stuck. Even though it's not the 80s and as controversial -- I think the perceived use of the pentagram symbol is more "horror film/ comic book/ metal fun" than anything more sinister. Case in point: Alex Ross -- one of my favorite comic book artists has done a few album covers with it. Also-- they are freakin' Anthrax. Fun guys of metal -- not gloom and doom.]

There were a few pits started -- but mostly friendly pushing and stomping. It was a quick 45 minute or so set -- with two songs from their new album. Highlights for me were "Caught in a Mosh", "Antisocial", and "I Am the Law" (about Judge Dredd -- tapping into the geek side!) -- a great way to start the evening.

Setlist:

1. Fight 'Em Till You Can't
2. Got the Time
3. Madhouse
4. Caught in a Mosh
5. Antisocial
6. The Devil You Know
7. Indians
8. Metal Thrashing Mad
9. I Am The Law

Next up: MEGADETH!

I have a long history with Megadeth. Admittedly, I was a Metallica fan first, but it wasn't much later that I got into Megadeth. I was always fascinated with the back story -- of how Dave Mustaine was originally in Metallica and how he got kicked out. He always seemed to have a chip on his shoulder because of it. (Famously caught on film in the Some Kind of Monster documentary.) His attitude -- all sneer and snottiness -- was pretty amusing to me. Add his struggle with addiction, the possibly career ending injury,  and his journey of faith (which really got me) and I was a fan for life. (For more on Mustaine-- check out his awesome, eponymous memoir that was released not too long ago.) I even won a contest and got a limited edition LP of Youthanasia back in college!  But the killer riffs and grooves were what got me hooked. (And the fact that they had a song about Hangar 18.)

Mustaine looked like Mustaine -- button down shirt with that head of hair. I was a little worried that they wouldn't play since he was injured over the summer. Mustaine said that he was due for surgery, but wanted to kick ass and play this last show for us. Thanks, Dave. I would have been really disappointed if they weren't on the bill. Great to see Dave Ellefson (The "Owen Wilson of Metal" -- as I'd call him) back with Mustaine -- it really isn't Megadeth without "Junior" in tow.

It was a pretty amazing hour of metal. The band sounded incredible and tight. Megadeth's music was definitely the most melodic of the day. The crowd even sang along to the guitar riffs of "Symphony of Destruction" with the chant of "MegaDETH, MegaDETH, I'm watching MegaDETH!!!" (it makes sense if you know the song). Vic Rattlehead even made an appearance at the end. (The "American Eddie --Iron Maiden's mascot"-- as I'd call him).

Dave came out at the end with hands in prayer and thanks and closed out the show with the band together. It was awesome. I really need to catch them on their own tour the next time they come around.

Highlights for me: "Hangar 18", "Symphony of Destruction", "Peace Sells",  "Holy Wars" (the only way to close out the set)

Setlist:

1. Trust
2. Hangar 18
3. She-Wolf
4. Public Enemy No. 1
5. Head Crusher
6. A Tout Le Monde
7. Sweating Bullets
8. Symphony of Destruction
9. Peace Sells
10. Holy Wars... The Punishment Due

Next up: Slayer

Okay, first off. I am not a fan. I'm sure any metalhead worth their salt has at one point bellowed out "SLAAAAAYYYEEERRRR!" -- but not me. Credit my scaredy pants growing up, my church upbringing, or my need for melodic singing in my metal (ie. hairmetal leanings) and it does not add up to a prototypical Slayer fan.

Slayer's album cover imagery, thematic choices for their songs, etc. -- to this 12 year old kid (when I first got into metal) -- was just too much. Over the years, I had too much music to get into that I never got around to giving them a try. Despite reports of Tom Araya and Dave Lombardo's Christian side band (if that was ever true or not) and my fascination with horror movies and comics -- one thing kept me from Slayer and that would be Kerry King's feud with Mustaine...and pretty much anyone he didn't like.

All-in-all -- they are ok in my book. I don't think I will ever be a fan, but I can appreciate why other fans like them and understand their influence (newer bands I do like: Slipknot, Lamb of God, Mastodon, etc.). All I can say is they no longer scare me (the 12 year old grew up...a little. * Funny thing: I went to the bathroom just before the Slayer set and stood on line for five minutes -- the sun was still out when I went in, when I came out the stadium was dark and the sun was down...and Slayer was on. Spooky!*)  and I do like a few of their songs, but that doesn't mean I am going to love them.

Setlist:

1. Disciple
2. Postmortem
3. Hate Worldwide
4. War Ensemble
5. Psychopathy Red
6. Mandatory Suicide
7. Chemical Warfare
8. Silent Scream
9. Dead Skin Mask
10. Snuff
11. South of Heaven
12. Raining Blood

Next up: METALLICA!

The big boys came out to a clip from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly and just ripped into it with "Creeping Death". I FINALLY got to see Metallica live. Ever since ...And Justice For All, I've been waiting to see them. So many years ago and so much has changed....but they sounded amazing.

My memories of Metallica are inexorably linked to junior high/high school, learning to play music, jamming and listening to music with my friends (Jack, Ben, Brian, Chris, Marisa, Danielle in particular), and making sense of the world and my place in it. Metallica offered something different ...and heavier (music and theme-wise) than what I had known before. I busted my fingers learning to play "Fade to Black." I read Dalton Trumbo's Johnny Got His Gun because of "One". I had a denim jacket with three patches: Def Leppard, Guns n' Roses, and Metallica. These are just some of my memories.

In the years that followed, Metallica has come and gone in my life. I've bought all their albums, seen their film, etc. But it wasn't the same as it was back then. But I am thrilled to have been able to see them live and in Yankee Stadium of all places. The old songs (and even some of the newer ones) really hit me and helped the adrenaline get pumping again. I kind of wished they were the Metallica from my memories: long hair, mustaches, with Jason Newstead -- but the current Metallica is as awesome as I imagined. (And yes, there was pyro -- especially during "Fuel" and "One" ... and there was a killer laser show during "Blackened".)

Highlights for me: "Creeping Death", "Fade to Black", "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)", "One", "Master of Puppets", "Blackened", "Enter Sandman"

Setlist:

1. Creeping Death
2. For Whom the Bell Tolls
3. Fuel
4. Ride the Lightning
5. Fade to Black
6. Cyanide
7. All Nightmare Long
8. Sad But True
9. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
10. Orion
11. One
12. Master of Puppets
13. Blackened
14. Nothing Else Matters
15. Enter Sandman
16. Overkill (Motorhead cover -- with Big 4)
17. Battery
18. Seek and Destroy

It was cool seeing the Big 4 come out to jam on a Motorhead song (though Mustaine was a no-show--likely due to his injury), but the song wasn't all that great. It was more novelty than anything else -- but considering the past feuds and egos, it was great to see some metal love. 

The way I see it: Metallica is the good looking brother that's got deep pockets; Anthrax is the class clown / little brother that is growing up; Megadeth is the black sheep / prodigal with something to prove; Slayer is the overweight scary uncle with a belt in hand. 

Whatever the case -- it was absolutely worth it. 7 hours of metal on our home turf. Flat out amazing. My neck still hurts. 

And like old school metal concerts of days gone by --- there were bootleg t-shirts! $10 bucks and I got me one. Now, that's effin' metal. 

 

 

GeekOmnivore rating: RAAAAAAAAAWWWWWK.

Heaven isn't too far away...

Been having a very metal week. (And I promise, I'll get to the second part of my "Soundtrack to Your Geekdom" post on heavy metal)  I finally caved and bought a ticket to the BIG 4 (Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax) at Yankee Stadium. I figured it was a once in a lifetime experience (getting to be ON the field at Yankee Stadium is going to be killer) and I've been wanting to see Metallica and Megadeth since I was in 7th grade. More on this after the show!

Well, that was the good stuff.

Jani Lane's death came as a big shock. One of those things that you come across on a newsfeed or something that you might not think twice about. The more I reflected on it, the sadder I got. Jani Lane was the former lead singer of 80's hairmetal band Warrant, probably best known for their ballad "Heaven" and the horny hit and karaoke standard "Cherry Pie".

But to me, they represent my adolescence. "Down Boys" was the first song I ever learned to play on guitar! I remember practicing it every day on the cheapo acoustic guitar that I got for my birthday in 6th grade. I played the song over and over on my stereo and played along with it until I got it "right". I also remembered changing the words to "Blind Faith" and playing it for my church group (!!). Sigh.Memories.

I actually own 4 or 5 of Warrant's albums (which qualifies me as a fan--since only their first two albums had any hits). I have a Warrant t-shirt somewhere in the attic. A souvenir from seeing them open for Poison some 25 years ago. And the video to "Cherry Pie" is probably responsible for me successfully making it through puberty. (And yeah, Jani Lane ended up marrying Bobbie Brown -- the girl in the video). Case in point:

But in all seriousness, Jani Lane's passing is incredibly sad. After years of struggling with addiction and weight issues (Lane even appeared on Celebrity Fit Club) he seemed like he was on a healthy path and ready for the next chapter in his career. He looked clean, healthy, and focused on his last appearance on VH1 Classic's That Metal Show (which aired shortly after his passing).

Weeks after Amy Winehouse's death, Jani Lane's passing might not be as newsworthy to some -- but it was to me. It made me think of some really great memories in my life that was associated with his music. I'm not going to pretend that he was a deep philosopher, but his music did teach me about fun and love -- especially in my most formative years. And for that, I thank him and will remember him fondly.

R.I.P. Jani.  We'll be playing "Heaven" here.

Where is the (geek) line?

 So, I've written about a lot of my geek obsessions. What I haven't mentioned is where I draw the line. Meaning: what won't I devote my energies to get to know at the "fan" level?


I have yet to write about anime (one of my great loves) and video games (love--but unfortunately, can't play at a really proficient level) -- but rest assured, I will get to those.

What I'm saying is -- where do I draw the proverbial line and say "NO, NOT THIS!"

Whether these are a product because of lack of time or lack of interest -- I cannot call myself a fanboy/geeklover of any of the below (though, I reserve my right to change):

• I used to pride myself on not becoming a Trekkie/Trekker (whatever is the PC term) and yet -- I do love the movies and would be interested in watching the original Star Trek series and TNG. 
• I have yet to see any of the new Doctor Who episodes, though I have seen some Tom Baker ones when I was a kid and was terrified of the Daleks. Will likely start watching sooner than later.
• Somewhat fascinated by the whole MMA and UFC thing -- but my WWF and WWE love would trump that (eh, it comes and goes, but when it comes down to it I'm still a Hulkamaniac)
• Love the Yankees and Knicks -- but can't watch every. single. game. like ahem...my loved ones. (You know who you are, you two.) And 6th grade Abe will always love the Mets.
• No fantasy sports for me! Meh. 
• PC RTS/RPG games-- dabbled, but never got into it.
• Scrabble -- again, meh.
• I can confidently say that I have never played Magic:The Gathering, Warhammer, or Dungeons and Dragons. 
• I have no interest in participating in Live Action Role Play (LARPing), Civil War re-enactments, Renaissance Faires (mostly because Asians would look kind of silly in the last two).
• No to cosplay.  

Any yays or nays for the list above? What should I try or avoid? 

So where do YOU draw your geek line? 

Louie, Louie.

I've been "aware" of Louis C.K. for years now. I knew that he did stand-up, was a writer for Chris Rock and Conan and produced some funny stuff. I wouldn't necessarily have called myself a fan, even though I thoroughly enjoyed his controversial HBO show Lucky Louie  back when it aired in 2006. I thought what he did was pretty, pretty good. But recently, I've come to appreciate his comedic and artistic genius because of his current (and now Emmy nominated) show, simply titled Louie -- absolutely brilliant.

**I'll take a step back and explain a bit. I'm going to free associate a bit and try to make sense of this: geekdom covers a wide scope of things. I've blogged about my typical geek passions: comic books, movies, music, tv shows, literature etc. But there are subgenres that if you think about it -- are genres unto themselves. I'd say, I am a bit of a COMEDY geek. (Which is a subgenre of tv, film, literature ..and yet, it expands into it's own genre. Does this make any sense? ) Some of my all time favorites: Arrested Development, Mr. Show, Spaced (see previous post), The Kids in The Hall, The State, The Mighty Boosh, Upright Citizens Brigade, Maria Bamford, Ricky Gervais, David Sedaris, etc.**

Louie -- if you haven't seen it already on FX -- has a loose format. There's bits of Louis C.K. (divorced with two kids, in real life and on the show) doing stand-up and then one or two -- I'd call them short films or vignettes -- that may or may not be related thematically to the bit of stand-up.The rhythm of the show, the way that it is shot, and the fictional vs. nonfictional elements of the show are completely unpredictable and wonderful.

Louie's comedy is filled with the lowbrow/highbrow stuff that I love. (And man, does he get away with a lot of mature themes on FX. Definitely not for kids!) He'll do an entire episode on masturbation that ends up being really thought provoking when he meets (and hits it off) with a woman from a Christian group that is against "self-abuse". He'll have a fight with a comedian who has conservative views and then spends the night in the hospital with him because their friendship is deeper than they can express. He will have a one night stand with a hot young lady who is into weird smelling old dudes. He will spend a night with an old friend who plans to commit suicide because his comedy career has failed. He'll have the absurd moments alongside the emotionally tethered ones -- equal parts pathos, joy, and fart jokes.

The show features some comedians and a guests that Louis has worked with. Ricky Gervais (who Louis worked with in The Invention of Lying) plays his inappropriate joke-spewing doctor. Todd Barry, Nick DiPaolo, Hannibal Burress and others also appear in episodes. Dane Cook was on the show and Louis addressed the controversy of Cook supposedly stealing from him -- in a very even-handed and hilarious episode. There aren't that many recurring characters (and sometimes actors change or play other characters -- there are no rules) other than his two daughters, a single mom character (played by the awesome Pamela Adlon -- who played Louie's wife on the HBO show and is also a consulting producer on the show), and a few others that return for more than one appearance.

 

The bottomline: His divorce and the realization that his kids are the reason for him to keep going is what he credits for his reinvigorated career. A lot of stand-up comedians spend their entire careers perfecting an hour of material and jokes that they can tell over and over. Louis does this every year--creates an hour set and won't repeat them the year after. He comes up with brand new material every year. Crazy.

Another major reason why the show is so appealing to me -- NYC is a featured character. The Comedy Cellar, the Olive Tree Cafe, Bleeker Street, Washington Square Park and other recognizable spots remind me of my days at NYU and working and living in the city. (Oh, wait! I live in Manhattan now! Sometimes, I forget. Always a Queens boy at heart.)


Recently, I listened to the Louis C.K. episodes on Marc Maron's awesome WTF comedy podcast.
The shows were about Louie's career and his (strained) friendship with Maron -- pretty great and revealing. Definitely check it out if you are a fan.

Which brings me to this: I'm a huge fan of Louis C.K. now and I'm hoping for good things for him in the future. I'm happy that he's hit his stride and getting the recognition that he deserves. I'd gladly share a pint of ice cream and some donuts with him. *manhug*

Geekomnivore score: Pizza-rific! (You shoulda finished that whole slice!) **Watch the show.and you'll get it.


*Images sourced from the Web. Gingers!

SPACED out

(Comic-Con 2011 is over...but here's more recollections of Comic-Con past...)

I've been an Anglophile for most of my adult life. I studied British lit, went to London for my year abroad, followed Britpop since I was a kid, worked for several British companies, etc. etc. And of course, I love me some British comedy.

Some of my fave Britcoms include: The Office, Coupling, Mighty Boosh, and Little Britain, but the one that gets me right in the geekribs is SPACED. The show featured comic books, video games, raves, zombies, Star Wars and plenty of 90s influenced geek and Brit pop culture -- and a love story. More importantly, it led to the creation of one of my favorite films of ALL TIME: Shaun of the Dead.

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (along with genius director Edgar Wright) were at the core of both of these (and the equally awesome Hot Fuzz) and I got the pleasure of meeting all three of them -- on separate occasions! -- at Comic Con 2010.

I actually interviewed Edgar Wright for Morgan's project and had a great time speaking with him. He was visibly exhausted and he expressed as much since he was promoting Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (anyone that attended SDCC 2010 was well aware that the film had intense presence all over -- from special events, giveaways, panels, etc. and the HUGE mosaic on one of the major hotels by the convention center -- the film didn't do that great at the box office, but it was amazing and a very close to the beloved indie comic series) and was still busy working on the film. Super nice. I hope he got some sleep that night though.

The next day, I was meeting a buddy for a drink at the Hard Rock Hotel's bar. (FYI: Lots of media folk set up camp at the Hard Rock and tons of celebs end up coming through all day) I go into the bar and practically walk right into Simon Pegg. (Funny thing: wasn't the first time I had run into him. I actually took a long elevator ride with him once -- he was promoting Hot Fuzz and I worked in the same building -- a little place called Madison Square Garden.) I could tell that he wanted to keep things low key and was avoiding the masses outside. We walked over to the bar and talked for a little bit and he told me he and Nick Frost were at the Con to promote Paul. I got a chance to tell him how much I loved his work. Cheers, mate. Awesome.

Not much later that day, I went out for a break and end up sitting next to Nick Frost and his wife who are having a cigarette. Ended up talking for a good 20 minutes about the Con and his love of geeky things. Turns out when he was younger he wanted to work in publishing and for my old company! We hung out for a bit and he told me a bit about their wedding and their trip to San Diego. Nick's wife actually took this picture of the two of us mugging for the camera. Such a cool couple that really took time to talk to me and be real.


The only thing that would have been cooler was to have taken a picture with all three of them and some zombies! The hat trick, the trifecta... only at Comic-Con.

Seeing stars...and stripes.

(We interrupt all the Comic-Con memory posts for a quick review.) 

I was lucky enough to get invited to a special early screening (thanks Pete and Doris!) of Captain America: The First Avenger Wednesday night. First off, it was pretty cool that Marvel rented out the ENTIRE theater and had some cool freebies for those in attendance (t-shirts and posters).

I'm more of a recent fan of Cap (meaning I wasn't exactly too big a fan when I was a kid) and especially love what Ed Brubaker and Mark Millar have done in the past few years. Therefore, I'm more receptive to change and don't hold things as canon as much as I might with other screen adaptions. I did go into the movie hoping that it would really be the beginning of the obvious and overt seeds for the Avengers movie coming out next year. And boy, did the film deliver on that.

***SPOILERS!!!!**

Right off the bat we know that the film ties in with Asgard -- as the "Tesseract" (really a retcon of the Cosmic Cube) is a mystical, powerful object of Odin's that is in the hands of the Red Skull (tying Thor and Cap in Marvel movie mythology). The Red Skull did seem like a bit of a combination of the traditional Skull with a lot of Baron Strucker tossed in (as in making the Skull the leader of Hydra/ Hydra now as a special section of the SS). Hugo Weaving did an amazing job and had the right amount of menace. (Though he sounds like he is doing an Arnold Schwarzenegger impression with the accent.) The Skull make-up effects are pretty on the mark. Looks amazing! Toby Jones also does his best as Arnim Zola (there is a nice little Easter Egg with a video screen and Zola's face -- Marvel nerds know what I mean). Tommy Lee Jones (in full "army guy mode") and Stanley Tucci (as Dr. Erskine) also have some great moments in the film as well.

Now, we get to the best parts of the movie: Steve Rogers' origin story. Now, it's pretty much ancient history that Chris Evans was PERFECT as Johnny Storm in the FF Movies. His wise-cracking, lady-loving, frat boy ways = FLAME ON!  (Not to mention that he has played other comic characters in the Losers and Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World) But, man -- does he do a good job as Cap. The first half of the film where a skinny, ill Steve Rogers tries all he can to enlist and serve his country -- this is where we see the heart and soul of Cap. The CGI that turned Chris Evans from leading man good looks to wimpy weakling are some of the best effects I have seen in a comic book movie. I was thoroughly convinced that it was Chris Evans and not face-replacement CGI. Stunning.

There were audible "awwwww!" moments from the ladies in the audience, but it wasn't all "poor Steve" -- he kicks major ass after he bulks up to Cap proportions. And unfortunately, the movie gets a bit more formulaic once Cap is in full action -- but that doesn't mean it's a bad thing! You've got the heart in the first hour, the second hour is about the brawn. Cap is the ultimate soldier in every aspect and represents the best of America -- on the inside and out.

(One of my favorite parts: The tongue-in-cheek propaganda machine that Cap becomes lets us see the famous "Cap punching Hitler" icon image and comic cover come to life.)

The heroine of the film is Peggy Carter (played by Hayley Atwell, who does a serviceable job) who definitely has some "tough broad" moments, but more interesting is if she may return in the Avengers as Sharon Carter -- Peggy's niece and in a twist of time and fate -- Steve's true love in the present day.

The breakout star -- as the media has been eager to crown -- is Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark. I may have to agree. His swagger and charm really worked for the character (but I don't know if he ages to look like John Slattery -- who plays Howard Stark in Iron Man 2) and he's got serious screen presence. Again, this ties Cap and Iron Man in the film mythology.

Stark has his hand in the development of the Super Soldier serum that transforms Cap, (the serum may be similar to what creates the Abomination in the most recent Hulk movie), and also creates his shield (which was famously seen in the Iron Man films), there is also an indication that the Tesseract/Cosmic Cube plays a part in repulsor energy stuff as well. We see Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury again and as already reported, the end of the film includes the first Avengers trailer.

So, what could the Avengers fill be about? We know Loki is in it. But is the Red Skull? Hmmm...could be. Will the Hulk be a hero or villain? Will there be other Marvel villains revealed? Thanos and Skrulls have been rumored. Ant-Man/Giant Man, Wasp, and other Avengers have yet to be cast (and may or may not be in the film after all).May 2012 seems so far away....

In the end, I loved Captain America. It is a great film in its own right (and ranks up there with some of the better comic book movies) and does a ton to sew the seeds of the Marvel Universe on film. Chris Evans has so much heart and it shows. I'm glad that the Marvel folks took a chance and more importantly -- the fans gave him a shot. And yes, there is a bit of concern that the film might not work in foreign markets because of the whole "America" thing -- but whatever. Go see it. To quote the modern geniuses Stone and Parker: America, F*** YEAH!

GeekOmnivore score: USA! USA! All the way!

View Askew-ed

Continuing my San Diego Comic-Con memories...

So, going into the project with Morgan, I ultimately got assigned to the celeb cyc (short for cyclorama) to get releases signed, talk to people while they waited to be interviewed, and jump in and interview people when needed. The most amazing job ever? Pretty dang close.

In any case, lots of folks came through our doors at the Hard Rock Hotel to be interviewed. Comic book creators, artists, writers, critics, Hollywood insider-types, actors, comedians, etc. Looking through the list of scheduled and possible interviewees....I spotted THE name.

Kevin Smith.

So, check it out: I saw Clerks in the movie theater back when it was first released. I own every Kevin Smith film on DVD and/or Blu-ray. I have seen Kevin Smith live several times -- including moderating a Battlestar Galactica panel at NY Comic-Con (nerdgasm). I have been to Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash in Red Bank, NJ. I own books, comics, posters, action figures from the Askewneverse. In short, I love me some Kevin Smith. He's one of my heroes.

But I had never met him.

He was the one celeb on the project that I HAD to meet. And Morgan, being the super cool dude that he is, made that happen. Scheduling-wise, I was there when KS arrived (through the secret back corridor!) and got to say hi to him, his daughter Harley, and his wife Jennifer. Amazing.

And if you look to your right, you'll see how happy I look. Finally, I got to tell the man how much his films and comic books had meant to me. The hours of laughs (and a few tears--come on! The dude is so much more than dick and fart jokes.) and just pure enjoyment -- I got to say thank you in person.

I knew without a doubt that Kevin would absolutely KILL it with the interview. I was all set to go and watch the magic happen, when things started going awry. With his interview running well over the allotted time and a schedule that was already packed, we were asking celebs to wait around. Um....

Pretty tough to do since everyone had just insane schedules to manage. But everyone that came in was completely cool and hung out. They had some drinks and snacks and talked to the crew (whispered, since filming was going on). Legendary sci-fi icon, Richard Hatch (from BSG) had to wait for a bit. Sci-fi hottie and IT-girl, Olivia Wilde had to chill for a bit longer. And they were awesome and loads of fun.

Though one person got bumped so Kevin could be interviewed. The guy was pissed. He started cracking fat jokes and talking smack. The crew got worried. The guy who was in a bad mood was Max Brooks, author of the modern classic World War Z -- I was a HUGE fan of his zombie apocalypse. And apparently, the only person in the green room who knew who he was.

I was asked to hang out with Max (at any other time, it would have been a thrill) and placate him while Kevin did his interview. We chatted about the book, the movie plans, how his fans were nuts and asked him to sign body parts (unattached), and general small talk. He made more jokes about Kevin Smith and the crew got more nervous. But after talking to him for a bit...I remembered one key detail. Max Brooks' father is MEL frakkin' BROOKS! 

Max was kidding the whole time -- definitely his father's son. He was just messing around and was a HUGE Kevin Smith fan. So when the crew needed to break, we went in and watched the rest of Kevin's interview. (Max's phone went off at one point. Which was kind of funny.)

Afterwards, I said hi to Kevin and Morgan. I asked the photographer (the amazing and gracious Alba Tull) if she would be so kind to take a picture of Kevin and me. She made my dream come true and took some awesome pics. (She thought it went so well, that we took some more pics of me and celebs. More to come next time.)

That first day working on the project was purely adrenaline-fueled and went by in a blur of awesomeness. I had such an amazing time and got to meet Kevin Smith.  Wow.

Stay tuned for more San Diego stories....*sigh* only at Comic-Con.