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NYCC 2011: Friday Recap – We Are Movie Geeks

Comic Con

NYCC 2011: Friday Recap

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As I left the Javits Center tonight, I realized that I did not have anything to eat or drink in nearly 10 hours. That just goes to show you how time seems to get away from you at the New York Comic Con. It also explains why I did not get to do nearly as much as I planned for the day.

I arrived at NYCC about 2 hours after it officially opened and I was off to a good start with absolutely no wait for press check-in. I thought I knew what to expect since I attended (and COVERED) NY Comic Con in 2009. The first thing I realized walking onto the show floor was just how massive this event has become. It has expanded to take up pretty much the entire Javits Center.

Unfortunately, it seems like the film presence at the festival has not increased much. I was surprised by the absence of booths for Fox & After Dark Films, which were two of my favorites in 2009. Most attendees probably do not care though since I know I am in the minority of those who attend the convention mostly for film rather than comics, anime, toys, collectibles & video games. Regardless, I still spent the first 4 hours wandering around the show floor and there are still film booths I need to hit up tomorrow like the one for the indie film, BOY WONDER.

I will do a full photo spread on Sunday with all the incredible costumes. For now, here are a few highlights from the show floor.

Really cool Amazing Spider-Man display as soon as you enter.

Part of the always crowded AVENGERS display.

Legendary Entertainment’s booth is full of awesome props like this one.

Furry Walls!

Around 5 pm, I made my way over to the IGN Theater for the ROBOT CHICKEN panel and waited on what may have been the longest line I have ever been on. But it was worth it. The presentation started with a preview of Season 5.5, which will be hilarious and so very wrong. I don’t want to spoil anything but one of my favorite sketches shown can best be described as a mashup of PRECIOUS and ATTACK OF THE 50 FT WOMAN.

The crowd erupted in cheers when they brought out the panelists: Seth Green, Matt Senreich, Geoff Johns, Kevin Shinick, Doug Goldstein, Macaulay Culkin, and Clare Grant. Early on Green warned the crowd that they do no prep for these panels and that they are here to meet the fans and answer questions. One of the very first people to the mic instead said “things I’d like to see” and began describing some sketches. The panel humored him at first but then Seth joked that this was “not a pitch session.” It was also added that if anyone suggests a sketch to them, they legally can’t do it. However, if you are a female writer, the ROBOT CHICKEN team is hiring. Next week they will post a tab on their official FACEBOOK PAGE where female writers can submit material.

Some other highlight from the panel was Seth doing a Peter impression following it up by saying “I don’t do Peter’s voice. Please don’t tell Seth (MacFarlane) I did that.” Someone asked if comedy in the Star Wars universe has been exhausted. Seth said it definitely wasn’t and he cannot wait for everyone to see the Star Wars animated series he has been working on. He also added that “George and LucasFilm have been pretty f-ing lenient” in terms of what they can get away with in sketches. Someone with a Green Lantern logo asked a question and several of the panelists reached over the table to take pictures. One of the final announcements of the panel was that the next ROBOT CHICKEN special will be about DC Comics. Based on the preview, which was edited together using DC Comics sketches already on the show, it will be called RC/DC.

The battery on my camera would never have lasted the full panel but I did get to record this very strange moment after a fan asks Seth Green and Macaulay Culkin to make a sexy pose.

ROBOT CHICKEN season 5 will be out October 25th on DVD & Blu-Ray, and it will include 9 episodes that have not even aired yet. They are also about to launch RobotChicken.com.

Following the panel, I made my way to the TROMA booth in hopes of running into low budget horror icon, Lloyd Kaufman. Lloyd actually made a small cameo in my film STUCK LIKE CHUCK, which you can watch right HERE for free! I ended up hanging out at the Troma booth for the last 40 minutes of the day since our conversation kept getting interrupted by fans that wanted a picture or autograph. (From Lloyd, not me) He will actually be at the booth for most of tomorrow and Sunday so I highly suggest anyone attending to stop by Booth 2007. Lloyd will also be moderating a panel from 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM on Saturday for A LIAR’S AUTOBIOGRAPHY, which is an animated 3D film from EPIX about Graham Chapman from Monty Python.

I could give you some more reasons why you should stop by the Troma booth, but instead I’ll leave you with this video of Lloyd telling you himself.

Jerry Cavallaro – www.JerryCavallaro.com

Born with a camera in hand, Jerry Cavallaro was destined to be a great filmmaker. Legend has it that he even filmed his own birth. He later went on to film the indie rom-com STUCK LIKE CHUCK, which is now available to watch for free on Amazon. Jerry brings his passion for movies, both behind the camera and in front of the screen, to every piece he writes for this site.