The Bad Influence Speaks

Dragon*Con 2012: Panels

BISis and I cut back some on the panels this year to reduce stress and line standing.

Celebrity Panels:

I think the celebrity panels get bigger and wilder every year at Dragon*Con. BISis and I started the con off with John Barrowman's 10 am Friday panel with Rob Levy and Kai Owen. He was a wild man who mooned everyone after being introduced. Then he spotted a guy dressed in a headdress and speedo part of the way through the panel and got him to come up and be hugged/groped. I didn't get any pictures since we were so far back, but I'll link a video of the panel (uploaded by cos2mwiz). It was too fantastic to miss.

 

 

I drug my sister to see the Friday Josh Gates Destination Truth panel. She doesn't watch the show, but loved the book when I lent it to her. He was as funny and charming as you'd think from watching the show. She actually drug me and AT to the Saturday panel. I think we would have gone to the Sunday one as well if we hadn't had Braves tickets. I don't have any pictures from either panel because the man does not sit still well enough, but I do have video from the Friday panel. It's uploaded in 6 parts. The first is embedded and the rest linked below.

  

Dragon*Con 2012: Destination Truth Friday Panel with Josh Gates part 2

Dragon*Con 2012: Destination Truth Friday Panel with Josh Gates part 3

Dragon*Con 2012: Destination Truth Friday Panel with Josh Gates part 4

Dragon*Con 2012: Destination Truth Friday Panel with Josh Gates part 5

Dragon*Con 2012: Destination Truth Friday Panel with Josh Gates part 6

 

 

We also managed to snag great seats for the Sunday Eureka panel. BISis got the time wrong and got us there early. We were 23 and 24 in line. This one I do have pictures from. Niall Matter, Tembi Lock, and Kevin Grazier were fairly silent. Colin Ferguson and Jaime Paglia stole the show and went on to prove that hung over panels are the funniest ones out there. I laughed so hard I cried through most of it.

 

Fan Panels:

This was a big year for me. Last year I was only on one panel. This year I was on three. It still feels weird to introduce myself as 'Maggie from badinfluencespeaks.com.'

The first panel was Celluloid Tales: The Year in Film on Friday with Matt Frasier, Ryan Guthrie, Alex Ware, and J.A. Steel (who is a producer).  We covered our thoughts on the movies that have come out so far including Brave, Hunger Games, Avengers, Amazing Spider-Man, and Dark Knight Rises, and briefly touched on upcoming movies (I'm really looking forward to Skyfall). J.A. is a producer and had some fascinating insight into the ins and outs of movie making.

Second panel was Eureka: No More Buttons For Fargo on Friday evening with Amanda Marron, Ryan Guthrie, Elizabeth Stacy, and Matt Frasier. I was much more active in this panel as we talked about our favorite moments from the show. I guess the fact that I can quote rather extinsively from it helps.

Third panel was on Saturday afternoon, Superheroes and Beach Blankets, with Henry Hanks,  Bill McIntire, Tom Morris, and Chris Snellgrove. We discussed the 3 superhero blockbusters of the summer, Avengers, Amazing Spider-Man, and Dark Knight Rises. Actually, Dragon*Con is the sole reason I saw DKR. I'm not much of a Batman fan, but I enjoyed the film. I'd love to see someone continue on where they left off. A audience member brought up the point that maybe [Robin was a code name so he'd know Bruce was all right and not actually his real name.]

I actually have a picture from this panel thanks to AT. My sister proved useless again this year at taking a picture of me on each panel. From left to right: Henry Hanks, Tom Morris (as Shrek), Bill McIntire (dragon hat), me, and Chris Snellgrove. (By the way, that Haven sign was a problem in every panel I sat on. It kept falling. I hope that isn't a bad omen for the show.)

Saturday Night Drive-In

I don't know who is chosing the creature features for this MST3000 style panel (I suspect Joe Crowe, the new head of the Sci-Fi Classics track). This year's movie, Mega-Python vs. Gateroid, might have topped Sharktopus from last year. Essentially it was Team Debbie Gibson vs. Team Tiffany. I'm Team Tiffany, by the way. It was truely and hysterically horrendous. I laughed myself silly. The production company also helped out by providing several DVDs to be raffled off. BISis won a copy of Abraham Lincoln vs Zombies. I can't wait to see it.

 

 

Dragon*Con 2012 posts:
Overview
Gadgeteers Showcase
Costumes

BIS Top 5 Reality TV Shows

I'd like to say that I don't watch reality TV. Sometimes I'll even make that claim but really I'm only talking about reality contest shows and those stupid housewives-jersey-bimbo-look-at-me-I'm-so-special shows. I watch the ones that will impart some interesting facts or are good for a laugh.

 

5. Top Gear, BBC

I'm not all that much of a car girl, but that hasn't stopped me from enjoying this show. Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond are three lovable (well, somewhat lovable) misfits who are all about cars. Besides reviewing various new cars, most of which aren't affordable for the average person or aren't available in America, they take on hilarious challenges from their producers. Some days I think their producers are trying to do them all in. For example, this weekend I enjoyed a repeat of the amphibious vehicle challenge where they had to modify their cars from the previous amphibious vehicle challenge (Jeremy: motorboat truck; Richard: camper van; James: convertible sailboat) and cross the English channel. It's amazing the hijinks that ensue. I've spent many an episode laughing so hard there were tears pouring down my face.

 

 

4. Holmes Inspection, HGTV

In my house, we're divided on which channel is better: HGTV or DIY. I watch DIY primarily, but BISis got me hooked on Holmes on Homes which, of course, segued into being hooked on Holmes Inspection. The premise of the show revolves around construction guru Mike Holmes inspecting houses that had good pre-purchase inspections but 'developed' problems soon after the sale. His foreman, Damon Bennett, then comes in to fix whatever issues were found. It's shocking how what looks like something small can balloon into something major. One older house had had renovations done before the sale to create an open floor plan which compromised the structural integrity of the building. It ended up requiring a complete gut and rebuild including the foundation. It was shown over 2 episodes and was insane.

 

 

3. Ghost Hunters, Syfy

Who you gonna call?

Okay, I couldn't resist that line. The show started with two plumbers and a few friends that investigated possible hauntings in their spare time. It has since skyrocketed them into high popularity. Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson begin investigations looking to debunk as many parts of the supposed haunting as they can. One of the things I've enjoyed most (well, besides Steve freaking out over spiders) is how they rarely claim a place is haunted without solid proof. Ghost Hunters has two spinoff shows: Ghost Hunters International, which investigates claims outside the U.S.; and Ghost Hunters Academy, which trains new investigators such as Adam Berry who now hunts with the team.

You can see a few episodes online at the link above. If you find any of their lighthouse episodes, you should watch them. They have pretty good luck with odd happenings at lighthouses.

 

 

2.  Mythbusters, Discovery

Do you know the breaking point of duct tape or how to make a lead balloon? Well, these guys do. Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage (along with co-hosts Kari, Grant and Tory) put myths to the test on this Discovery channel favorite. At some point in every episode, you know someone will get hurt, usually Adam or Tory. Their sense of humor keeps them in the saddle though (or once in Tory's case, drug behind it). Mythbusters is geek culture for the masses. Afterall, how can you not love a show that has done 2 duct tape and countless movie specials?

This show is also very responsive to fans who challenge how a myth was tested or suggest new myths to test. You can make suggestions on the community section through the link above.

 

 

1. Destination Truth, Syfy

Like monsters, ghosts, and drawled one liners?

You're going to love Destination Truth then. Josh Gates and crew travel the world investigating legends of monsters and spirits. I, admittedly, don't watch with the expectation of their finding proof. I watch for the humor and camaraderie. Even when things are bad, someone will have a wry comment. DT also has a few horror movie-like moments where you'll find yourself shouting at the screen, "No don't...(wander on the cliffside at night/traipse through the African wilderness in the dark unarmed/cross the frigid creek in the dark/etc)." How everyone survives relatively intact every time is occasionally a mystery to me. It's still a funny and exciting show though.

 

Check out other BIS Top 5 lists here.

Destination Truth: A Piratical Truth

(I can't believe spell check didn't protest that title).

Bonus scene from Destinaiton Truth season 4 from Syfy.com

 

More bonus scenes from Destination Truth season 4 at syfy.com