Here Are a Few Of My Favorite Things: Wondercon 2012

Cross-posted on Film.com


This weekend, Wondercon headed south to Anaheim where fans braved a stupidly intense storm and ridiculous traffic all weekend for the chance to see their favorite writers, creators, publishers, actors, directors, artists and personalities and hopefully take home a few souvenirs. We were on the scene from start to finish and compiled a list of the best this Wondercon had to offer. Details on the best finds of the floor coming in the morning.

Girl Power
Something that really stood out to me during Wondercon, especially in the main ballroom on Saturday, was the hearty amount of female empowerment. During the Sound of my Voice panel, co-writer, co-producer, and co-star Brit Marling talked about being fed up with the bland and sterotypical roles she was being offered, and after realizing her choices were get a sex change or create her own work, she began writing and producing, and soon both Another Earth and Sound of my Voice were born. The extremely well spoken creator struck me immediately as a great role model for disheartened aspiring artists out there, as well as fangirls in general. And fun fact - the film had a female DP in Rachel Morrison! Later panels saw Charlize Theron taking a real ownership of her take no prisoners sass, insisting that Michael Fassbender smells like "musk and chillies with occasional mint thrown in", and telling a small child who asked a question a. if he was single and b. if he would call her when he broke up with his girlfriend, Kristin Stewart talking about how great it was to play a strong character, and while never being unwise enough to insult Twilight, definitely seemed to have appreciated playing such a different character, and Milla Jovovich (headling the first ever series to have five films with a female action lead in Resident Evil: Retribution) discussing her weapon collection and love of She-Ra and Thundercats. Not to mention Maggie Grace and Emma Stone representing their respective movies without their male co-stars present. I felt some sort of unexpected camaraderie with the women on stage during Wondercon's Saturday that I don't recall ever feeling before. And that's not even taking into account the multiple female artists and creators with spotlight panels all weekend long, including Renae De Liz (debuting Womanthology!), Rebekah Isaacs, Carol Lay, Fiona Staples, Felicia Day and Jane Espenson. Hooray for fangirls!


More after the jump

Levity
Also very present in the main ballroom was a sense of levity. Charlize Theron and Michael Fassbender faux acting out the Prometheus trailer was silly fun and Milla Jovovich knowing all the words to Montage from Team America was a surprising bit of badassery. We also got to see lots of strong friendships inspire fantastic discussion, in the case of Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij and Rian Johnson and Joseph Gordon Levitt, and hearty laughs in the case of Seth Grahame-Smith and Benjamin Walker, and Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. The room had much more of a "I'm here cause I want to be" vibe instead of an "I'm doing what I'm told" one. This increased tenfold on Sunday when panels from Fringe and Community had fans in stitches, more details of which can be found in my articles highlighting those panels tomorrow.

Giveaways
One of my favorite parts of any convention is giveaways, and this Wondercon had an eclectic mix of awesomeness. Fox handed out Weyland Industries business cards and 3D mini posters for Prometheus and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Battleship handed out heavy duty mini posters, Once Upon a Time created notebooks reminisicent of the book from the show, the Sound of my Voice booth had tattoos like Maggie's in the film and posters demonstrating the secret handshake, and the Fringe panel gave out raffle tickets, rewarding 50 of them with a free Fringe comic penned and then signed by Josh Jackson. 

Watchmen Prequels Calming Fears
Wondercon seemed to act a coming out party of sorts for the Before Watchmen series, set to launch in June. The beautiful #1 covers for each character were displayed at the DC booth and at their Saturday panel, the creators showed plenty of concept art as they talked about the process. Lots of people have been complaining about this series, but I am all for it. Why should Alan Moore's characters be untouchable? He who created the League of Extraordinary Gentleman will not condone his characters being used by anyone else? Really? The talent behind the upcoming prequel series is INCREDIBLE and they all radiate passion for this project, Len Wein in particular. Newsarama live blogged the panel and I highly recommend checking it out to assuage any fears you may have. 

LOOPER
Perhaps the best panel of the entire Saturday was Looper. The debut trailer brought the house down, stealing the show for many more than just me, and I felt like I could listen to Rian Johnson and Joseph Gordon Levitt talk forever. The panel was a regular love fest, with Levitt comparing Johnson to Spielberg and Nolan, noting that all three truly love movies, which shows in their work. More than one question directed love for Hit Record towards Levitt, and the admiration for him only grew when he expressed his love of The Matrix, Quantum Leap, and Isaac Asimov. When the audience reacted to his sci-fi shout outs, Levitt noted "You know you're in a cool room when Quantum Leap gets a bigger reaction than The Matrix." Johnson gave a much appreciated shout out to Primer, a film he loves, adding "I'm convinced Shane [Carruth] actually knows how time travel works." Consider this film now in my top five most anticipated flicks of 2012. Well done, boys.

Cabin in the Woods Screening
Although it's a damn shame this movie had no panel, robbing thousands of the chance to hear Joss Whedon, Drew Goddard, and that incredible cast goof off and talk shop for an hour, since this is a movie to best go into totally cold, perhaps it is for the best that my first true exposure to any part of it was a screening itself. Hosted by Geoff Boucher of the LA Times, the Cabin screening held at the Ultraluxe theaters (supposedly the most state of the art theater around, and yet, the screen was too dim...hmmm) was one of the major highlights of our Wondercon experience. Attendees randomly received passes to the event in issues of the Hero Complex magazine being passed out in front of the Convention Center. And this movie. THIS MOVIE. An absolute treat for horror fans, but accessible enough to be enjoyed by everyone, I cannot recommend Cabin in the Woods enough. The film is distinctly a Whedon/Goddard joint, and will fit perfectly into the oeuvre of work from all the Buffy-creators-post-Buffy. Speaking of Buffy creators post Buffy, the lovely Jane Espenson was in the audience as well and we have it on good authority that she too enjoyed the crap out of the film After the screening, there was a Q&A with Whedon and Goddard that answered some lingering questions and provided plenty of laughs. 

Nowhere To Go
Although I disliked everything about the layout of the Anaheim Convention Center (despite there being two sets of two escalators connecting the 2nd and 3rd levels, you could only go up one set and down the other. Why not have one up and one down in each set? WHY?!) and disliked the fact that getting anywhere in Anaheim is a pain in the ass, the fact that no one had anywhere to go actually made hanging out at night a whole lot more manageable. The Hilton Anaheim acted as what the Marriott next to Comic-Con used to be - the main hub for all libation consumption. Being the closest hotel to the convention center, the Hilton lobby was where professionals and fans alike spent their evenings. This led to the afterhours having a nice communal, classic con feel. Oh and the photo of Tintin has nothing to do with this, I just had to put it somewhere because ZOMG CUTENESS.

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Paleyfest 2012 - Vampire Diaries, How I Is Hearts You!

Saturday night at the Saban Theater in Los Angeles, The Vampire Diaries, now in its third season, returned to Paleyfest for the second time. During their 2010 appearance, the only actors who appeared were Nina Dobrev (Elena), Ian Somerhalder (Damon) and Paul Wesley (Stefan). This panel had not only the original trio, but Candice Accola (Caroline), Matt Davis (Alaric), and Kat Graham (Bonnie), plus showrunner Julie Plec.

Side note: I originally had no intention of attending The Vampire Diaries panel at Paleyfest, but then this little thing called wisdom teeth surgery happened. Since I'm 26 and was supposed to get them out, oh, 10 years ago, the recovery process took roughly three weeks. So how did I spend this time? I watched ALL of The Vampire Diaries, from start to finish, until I was completely caught up. I resisted for so long, believing there was no way it could be as good as I had been told, even though the people telling me this had great taste. I couldn't be happier that I finally gave in because HOLY CRAP do I love it. The show moves incredibly fast, yet no relationship or storyline ever feels rushed, the writing is smart, the actors are all incredibly talented and appealing, which I find is kind of rare on television lately, the mythology hits the most important tropes and diverges in the most interesting possible ways, and almost never is good and evil black and white - everyone exists in a shade of grey and we never know who to trust - or who is going to die. I highly recommend taking this show for a spin, especially if you have a history of being obsessed with vampire shows (ahem, Buffy).

So of course, with my newfound obsession coursing through my veins, I was ecstatic to accept an invite to the evening and revel in finally getting to see these actors interact with each other off screen. But first, we got to see Thursday's brand new episode, 1912, of course. Julie Plec asked us to keep the big reveals in the episode to ourselves, but I will say this - despite a serious lack of Caroline and Klaus, it's a huge episode, that moves the serial killer storyline into place as the next major arc of the season - and not in any way you could possibly see coming.

After the episode, moderator Debra Birnbaum brought out the panelists and after 10 minutes of episode discussion, which will stay private, as it was extremely spoilerific if you haven't seen the epyet, they jumped into the main part of the panel, which was simultaneously streaming online. What started as a normal panel session quickly degenerated (in the best way possible) into an almost free for all, with the actors taking the reigns away from the moderator and simply being as silly as possible, delving into long form jokes about Match.com, the casting couch, and fan fiction. Each actor came off in a very distinct way - Accola as friendly and upbeat, Wesley as intelligent and funny, Somerhalder as goofy and charming, Dobrev as shy, but expressive, Davis as delightfully strange, and Graham as reticent, but sweet & engaging if encouraged. The evening was so chock full of awesome moments, we decided to break them down for you into a list of highlights.

Lost References

Okay, fine, there was only one. On discussing whether Alaric would make it through the season, Somerhalder threw out, "Good luck, buddy, I've been killed on television before," which drew a hearty audience reaction.

Elena and…Alaric?

I'm not the only one who thinks Alaric and Elena have chemistry. When a potential love connection between Elijah and Elena was brought up, Plec responded, "I think Elijah has to get in line behind Alaric" and the audience went INSANE.  Wesley then brought up the movie The Guardian, Somerhalder noting "They made out." Plec brought up Matt Davis starting an Alaric/Elena campaign over Twitter, commenting that if that happened, it would be totally unacceptable, Dobrev agreeing that it would be inappropriate. But Somerhalder shot back, "and yet - fanTAStic! When the ratings slip…!" Later, when Birnbaum asked if Elena would ever end up with someone who wasn't a Salvator, Somerhalder offered "Hopefully Alaric."

@ErnestoRiley

Beginning a shipping campaign for Alaric and Elena isn't the only thing Matt Davis is doing on Twitter. Through his account @ernestoriley, Davis writes Vampire Diaries Fan Fiction. Really. He does. Remember how I said he was a little strange? Just recently he wrote a piece where Alaric gave Damon some advice, to wait on pursuing Elena until she had time to grow up and learn more about the world, like who John Lennon is, cause why would a 165 year old man want to date a naive 18 year old anyway? Truer words, Matt Davis. Truer words.

When Your Friend's Wife Plays Your Love Interest

Somerhalder told us a story about how when Davis found out Alaric was going to get a love interest this season, he was apparently over the moon, wondering who it would be, excited to get a love story like everyone else and for Alaric to "get some". And then of course, his love interest was cast with "his buddy's wife" (Torrey Devito, who plays Meredith, is married to Paul Wesley.) Somerhalder noted how horrified Davis was when he found out, and Wesley joked "HE'S horrified? Forget him!"

Real Life Coupledom

There were also plenty of glimpses into Ian Somerhalder and Nina Dobrev's real life relationship during the almost ninety minute session. Somerhalder made a point to reference his relationship with Dobrev a couple times, first by making a joke about the women in his life torturing him before giving a glance at Dobrev, which can be found in gif-form here, and later by putting his jacket around her shoulders when he got cold. The audience went crazy both times, natch. Later, when Elena and Damon's evolving relationship came up, Plec noted, "Oh, [Damon] wanted to get in her pants from day one" to which Somerhalder replied "Who wouldn't?"

What Is To Come

This season Bonnie will be teaming up with Caroline a lot and will get a love interest that won't die! Or at least won't die yet. The love triangle may not come to THE head, but it will come to A head. Though if Dobrev had her way, Elena would travel abroad ("Gossip Girl did it!") to Italy and meet some non vampire Salvatores. But this season, "Maybe, she has a choice to make." We may also get to see a flashback of Elena's parents while they were still alive, and there was also a hint that not everyone is making it out out season three alive. On a lighter note, when the question was posed whether or not they would show off Kat Graham's voice in the future, perhaps with a drunken karaoke episode, Plec commented that everyone on the show is fairly musical, all the girls sing and back when David Anders was on the show, he played bongos, plus Plec obviously loves Once More With Feeling, and though she doesn't think they could pull off a musical episode, she would "LOVE a drunken karaoke night."

Riling Up The Audience

After Somerhalder joked about the show's low ratings, pissing off the loyal audience, Accola encouraged him to make it up to us by taking his shirt off, setting off perhaps the loudest I've ever heard an audience get outside of Hall H during a Twlight panel at Comic-Con. Note: He totally didn't follow through.

Industry Advice

Perhaps the coolest part of the entire panel was when an audience member asked about the experience of everyone on stage with getting yeses and nos, how they made it through the rejection, and any advice they can impart to the audience. What followed was a lengthy, fascinating discussion about the industry, including how Somerhalder bombed his network test so bad, he got a no, but Williamson fought for him to get a second chance, which led to him eventually getting the role. Somerhalder knew Damon was his and had to make it happen. Somerhalder, Wesley and Accola all offered great advice, Accola emphasizing positivity, with Wesley agreeing, "The single most important thing is believing in yourself." Accola also offered some extremely enlightened advice for aspiring artists "No doesn't mean never, it means not yet." Somerhalder reiterated the well known adage that luck is when opportunity meets preparation, so you as an artist must always be prepared so that when opportunity arises, you can grab it. He ended with "Every time you lose, you get better."

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Game Of Thrones Blu Ray Review: Easily A Must Own.

FINALLY. All of you non HBO subscribers out there who are sick of hearing about how awesome Game of Thrones is, without the ability to watch it, it is the dawn of a new era. An era where Game of Thrones Season one is out on DVD and all is right with the world. If you haven't seen the show yet, you may want to hold your horses now, as spoilers in this review are fairly inevitable - but heed these very important words: go buy or rent this blu-ray immediately and watch every episode. Don't walk, run. Don't drive, speed. Don't glide, fly. Don't take a mule, take a horse. I don't even KNOW WHAT I'm SAYING, just go WATCH IT.

For those of you who watched season one and are on the fence about picking up this Blu-Ray set? Well you can keep on reading and then your fate shall reveal itself. After the jump.

The Packaging

While not something like a mini Castle Black or King's Landing, that usually gets saved for the complete box set, the packaging for season one isn't half bad. An emblazoned slip cover brings a regal sense to this five disc set. Open it up and remove it from another protective piece of packaging and main characters grace the inside covers. Each disc contains episodes and bonus features, and a booklet with house/family trees and a map of Westeros is included to keep things straight for you first timers. Or second timers. Or any timers. Things can get confusing. Nothing too grand, but still a nicer than your standard Blu-Ray packaging.

The Episodes

Each episode has 5 options - play, play with in episode guide, play with commentary, recap of previous episodes, and preview of current episode, if you can't stay awake for that next episode cause it's 4am, but you need a little morsel of what's to come.

The Show

Few, if any television programs, have ever been made on this kind of scale, at this intense level of consistent quality. Granted we've only had ten episodes so far, but with full support from author George R.R. Martin and a creative team as talented as it gets, there is little doubt in my mind that when all is said and done, Game of Thrones will be widely regarded as one of the best television shows of all time. It is perhaps the only television adaptation to ever be so faithful to the source material, it is practically word for word, and staying true to this material is weaved into the very fabric of the series' existence. It would not exist were it not 100% faithful. It would make no sense. For a lot of shows based on books, it's the premise and characters that matter, with borrowed plot lines here and there, case in point Gossip Girl, True Blood or The Vampire Diaries. But Game of Thrones takes more of a filmic approach to adaptation. You wouldn't put Lord of the Rings on the big screen and change what happens to the characters. That would be sacrilege. Same with Game of Thrones. So far the only changes from the book have been whatever would facilitate it's journey into a new medium, but that's it. It's truly something wonderful to be behold, for fans of the book and non fans alike. Rewatching the show is just as riveting as the first time around, as there was endless foreshadowing of certain events that went right over my head the first time around.

Audio Commentary

With a show like this, commentary is a must. There is just SO much to learn, about the sets, locations, the costumes, the actors, the weapons, storyboarding, similarities and differences to the book, the process, continuity errors, fixing those errors, addressing specific complaints, and so on. There are mild spoilers for the books, but just little things like, mentioning that a character is still around in book five. The commentary is not only filled with information about the technical aspects of the show, but hooks you back in emotionally by mentioning when a scene is the last time two characters might see each other, or the only time three characters ever have a scene together. Very disappointed there is no commentary for episode nine, probably the biggest negative in the entire box set.

There are seven commentaries in total,

*Winter is Coming. Executive producers/writers David Benioff & D.B. Weiss - informative, production wise, especially about the differences between the original and reshot pilot.

*The Kingsroad. Lena Headey (Cersei), Mark Addy (Robert) and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime) - Hilarious. Be sure to count how many times Lena Heady calls various characters "shits", especially Joffrey.

*Lord Snow. Sophie Turner (Sansa), Maisie Williams (Arya) and Isaac Hempstead Wright (Bran) - Adorable. They sing along to the opening theme, and keep talking about how nice everyone is. I mean, amazing.

*Cripples, Bastards and Broken Things. Writer Bryan Cogman and Kit Harington (Jon Snow) - Where to get the writer's perspective on adapting specific scenes, introductions and relationships.

*A Golden Crown. Director Daniel Minahan, Peter Dinklage (Tyrion), Emilia Clarke (Daenerys) and Harry Lloyd (Viserys) - This is where to go for a lot of clever laughs and intelligent commentary and discussion, has a nice flow to it. Worth it just to hear them praising Maisie Williams.

*The Pointy End. Co-executive producer/author George R.R. Martin. Fantastic. This is where to go to hear most about the parallels to the books, and what didn't make the final cut deliberately, and what Martin wishes was still there.

*Fire and Blood. Benioff, Weiss and director Alan Taylor. A very comprehensive commentary track that goes into more technical aspects as well as discussing elements of the story and providing behind the scenes anecdotes. Also, keep your eyes peeled for George W. Bush's head on a pike.

Now, This is a given, but you know, worth saying. DO NOT watch the commentary if you haven't seen the show yet.  If you haven't seen the show, you can feel free to use the Inside Guide feature if you find yourself very confused.

In Episode Guide

Aside from audio commentary, the blu ray offers an In-Episode Guide, which follows the action and provides you with helpful hints regarding characters, lands and histories, letting you know who is in every scene and where they are, plus gives you the option of hearing one of 24 legends of Westeros told by the characters themselves, also watchable in the Complete Guide (see below) to help fill in some of the gaps. Even for someone who has seen all of season one and read the book, being able to get real time details on where you are and who you are watching at any given time was very cool. At any time you can exit into the Complete Guide and get even more in depth. If you are wondering, yes you can have the guide on while you listen to commentary, you just have to turn it on after the episode is already playing.

Recaps

You have the option of watching the "previously on Game of Thrones" recaps, which if you aren't watching every one in a row, is pretty helpful, as it reminds you of the specifics you need to know going into each episode, though I know some people consider this a spoiler.

Extras

Complete Guide to Westeros (Disc 1, over an hour)

FAVORITE ALERT: As I touched on earlier, at any time during the In Episode Guide, you can exit into the Complete Guide, which features all of the information on characters and maps that shows up in episode, but with a bit more detail, especially when it comes to the extensive maps that lay out and explain the land, plus thorough and engaging accounts of the houses and histories. The characters themselves are the ones recounting these stories with fantastic voiceover set to beautiful lightly animated sketches or art resembling a story book or stained glass. Pretty much the greatest thing ever. Helps you to understand any reference that has come up or will come up. Here, we also different perspectives on things like the Night's Watch, when the Targaryens overtook Westeros, and the Mad Kind Aeyrs. Seeing the history of just how Robert took the throne and getting a real sense of the scene for how Ned's father and brother were killed by the Mad King and witnessed by Jamie Lannister and the whole court, made my heart break thinking of Ned's own fate that would come years later, after surviving through Aerys demanding his head. FUCKING JOFFREY. The first person accounts, Mark Addy and Harry Lloyd in particular, do a stellar job with their memories of the rebellion. Plus, with the sketches, we get an idea of what they looked like when they were younger, which is kind of fun. You really get a sense of why everyone feels the way they do about everyone else.  This guide is so brilliantly stuffed with information, it'll make you feel like an expert by the time you are finished and have you completely prepped for the second season.

Character Profiles (Disc 1, 30:42)

Profiles on 15 characters that feature footage and interviews with each actor talking about their characters and how they feel about everyone else. The profiles play in alphabetical order: Arya, Bran, Catelyn, Cersei, Daenerys, Jamie, Jon Snow, Khal Drogo (the most amusing one since his normal accent is so pedestrian), Ned, Littlefinger, Robb, Robert Baratheon, Sansa, Tyrion, Viserys. Definitely worth watching all the way through.

Anatomy of an Episode: A Golden Crown (Disc 3, about 61)

One of the best features of the entire Blu-Ray and one I hope is added for every episode for season two. This reminded me a lot of Maximum Movie Mode, an extra I loved on the Harry Potter blu rays. It's essentially commentary with visual aids, picture in picture style, and getting to see every person talking allows a host of folks to speak about what's on screen, because it's not up to us to try and discern their voices from one another. This allows us to find out about specific fights, sets, special effects, and more, from almost every member of the production staff. My favorite bit of information was learning how four departments came together to make the golden crown sequence work.

Making Game of Thrones (Disc 5, 30:02)

A behind the scenes featurette with footage allegedly unavailable anywhere else - on set interviews with cast, crew, and Martin himself, plus tons of behind the scenes footage. We learn how the creators got involved (their love of the source material is so so evident), and about casting, locations (they scouted 14 countries!), score, production design, set decoration, art direction, construction managing, why the different kingdoms look the way they do and how they look the way they do, special effects, costumes, animal wrangling, fight direction, stunt coordination, prop managing, and more, talking to every member of the crew involved in any of that. Here we also learn that the composer is pretty hot. Plus, PUPPIES!

From the Book to the Screen (Disc 5, 5:14)

Interviews with Martin, Benioff and Weiss on adapting the books. Mostly an overlap with the longer Making Of featurette, but definitely goes into a tiny bit more depth on this specific subject for the last two minutes. I love how included Martin was in this entire process.

Creating The Show Open (Disc 5, 5:07)

Reasons behind the Emmy winning opening credit design with concept art and details on creation and development. Interviews with Benioff and Weiss, plus Hameed Shaukat, the producer of the credits, Rob Feng, the art director, Chris Sanchez, the lead designer, and Angus Wall, the creative director who conceived of the whole idea.

Creating the Dothraki Language (Disc 5, 5:27)

Some of this reuses footage from the featurette, but not as much as the Book to Screen bit. This section goes way more into the specifics of how the language was created. The man who came up with it was David J. Peterson from the Language Creation Society, based on the information about the Dothraki in the books. Fascinating what was taken into consideration while developing this language. Every translation had the spelling, plus the phonetic pronunciation and an mp3 of Peterson speaking it. Also a look at how speaking the language worked for the actors and were aided by the on set dialogue coach. This section rules.

The Night's Watch (Disc 5, 8:07)

More on the Night's Watch, the wall, the Wildlings, the Whitewalkers, and what lies north of the wall, from Martin, Weiss, Benioff, and the actors playing the men who have taken the black. Any extra featuring Martin talking about his creation is awesome in my book, and this definitely qualifies. Emphasizes one of the coolest things about the Night's Watch that I didn't realize - it's really the only place in Westeros where hard work can get you to rise in the ranks - doesn't matter where you came from, only what you do once you're there.

Hidden Dragon Eggs (Disc ??, ?:??)

So there are hidden dragon eggs spread across the 5 discs that offer more exclusive content, but HBO warned that they require skill, and I couldn't find any :(

This is one of those rare occasions where I would recommend buying this right now, no matter what. If you've seen the show and read the book, getting to hear the commentaries (especially George R.R. Martin's) and a look into the filmic aspects of the experience and how they adapted the books will be a dream. If you haven't read the books, it's worth it not only for that, but for the complete histories, that will help provide background and context. If you haven't watched the show, stop reading this immediately, go buy it, and watch the whole series in one day, and then enjoy all of the extras. You have till April 1st to be caught up! I wouldn't even wait for the box set of the complete series as people often do, because the extras are too good and informative to ignore before season two begins. Fantastic box set, clearly everyone involved with Game of Thrones cares about it to their very cores.

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The Third Annual Fangirl Awards - Nominations

These nominations do not reflect the opinions of the editors at All Things Fangirl, but rather the Fangirl Academy, made up of over 100 lovely ladies who follow us on Twitter, read the blog, or know us in real life. In the case of a tie for the final slot in a category, the ATFG editors acted as the tie-breaker. Some ladies couldn't get their ballots in on time, but the everyone in the Academy will be allowed to vote on the winners.

Ballots to pick the winners will go out this week & the results will be announced February 24th!

* - Editor's Choice - Certain categories have an extra nomination. These additions represent something one of the editors at ATFG feels passionately about that we want to encourage you to check out! Often, the editor's choice was in 6th place for the nomination.

Enjoy!

Best Picture

The Artist

Bridesmaids

Drive

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

The Help

Hugo

Midnight in Paris

Shame

Tree of Life

Honorable Mentions: We Need To Talk About Kevin, Captain America, 50/50

Best Actor

Gary Oldman - Tinker Tailor Soldider spy

Jean Dujardin - The Artist

Joseph Gordon Levitt - 50/50

Michael Fassbender - Shame

Ryan Gosling - Drive

Honorable Mentions: George Clooney - The Descendants, Brad Pitt - Moneyball, Tom Hardy - Warrior, Leonardo DiCaprio - J Edgar

Best Actress

Kristin Wiig - Bridesmaids

Michelle Williams - My Week With Marilyn

Rooney Mara - The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Tilda Swinton - We Need To Talk About Kevin

Viola Davis - The Help

Honorable Mentions: Meryl Steep - The Iron Lady, Charlize Theron - Young Adult, Elizabeth Olsen - Martha Marcy May Marlene, Kirsten Dunst - Melancholia

Best Supporting Actor

Alan Rickman - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Albert Brooks - Drive

Andy Serkis - Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Ben Kingsley - Hugo

Christopher Plummer - Beginners

Honorable Mentions: Benedict Cumberbatch - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Patton Oswalt - Young Adult, Tom Hiddleston - Thor

Best Supporting Actress

Berenice Bejo - The Artist

Carey Mulligan - Shame

Jessica Chastain - The Help

Melissa McCarthy - Bridesmaids

Octavia Spencer - The Help

Honorable Mentions: Helen McCrory - Hugo, Shailene Woodley - The Descendants, Marion Cotillard - Midnight in Paris

Best Director

David Fincher - Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Martin Scorsese - Hugo

Nicolas Winding Refn - Drive

Steve McQueen - Shame

Woody Allen - Midnight in Paris

Honorable Mentions: Terrance Malick - Tree of Life, Michel Hazanavicius - The Artist

The rest after the jump!

Best Adapted Screenplay

Hoissein Amini, Drive

Tate Taylor, The Help

John Logan, Hugo

Aaron Sorkin & Steve Zaillian, Moneyball

Steve Zaillian, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Honorable Mentions: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Best Original Screenplay

Will Reiser. 50/50

Mike Mills, Beginners

Kristin Wiig & Annie Mumolo, Bridesmaids

Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris

Diablo Cody, Young Adult

Honorable Mentions: The Artist, Shame

Best Score

Cliff Martinez, Drive

Chemical Brothers, Hanna

Alexandre Desplat, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Howard Shore, Hugo

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Honorable Mentions: Jane Eyre, The Artist, War Horse

World I Most Want To Visit

The Wizarding World - Harry Potter: DHP2

The Train Station - Hugo

1920s Paris - Midnight in Paris

Asgard - Thor

Xavier Mansion in the 1960s - X-Men: First Class

Honorable Mentions: 1920s Hollywood - The Artist, Level 3 - Sucker Punch, Muppets Studio - The Muppets, Dirt - Rango

Best On Screen Animal

Snowy - The Adventures of Tintin

Uggie - The Artist

Cosmo - Beginners

Puss in Boots - Puss in Boots

Joey - War Horse

Honorable Mentions: Rango - Rango, Winter, Dolphins's Tale

Best Chemistry - Romantic - Film

Rooney Mara & Daniel Craig - The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Kristin Wiig & Chris O'Dowd - Bridesmaids

Haley Atwell & Chris Evans - Captain America

Emma Stone & Ryan Gosling - Crazy Stupid Love

Anton Yelchin & Felicity Jones - Like Crazy

Carey Mulligan & Ryan Gosling - Drive

Mia Wasikowska & Michael Fassbender - Jane Eyre

Leonardo DiCaprio & Armie Hammer - J Edgar

Rupert Grint & Emma Watson - Harry Potter: DHP2

Emily Blunt & Matt Damon - The Adjustment Bureau

Honorable Mention: Ewan McGregor & Melanie Laurent - Beginners

Best Chemistry - Platonic - Film

Seth Rogen & Joseph Gordon Levitt - 50/59

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint - Harry Potter DHP2

Jude Law & Robert Downey Jr - Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows

The Bridesmaids - Bridesmaids

Hugo & Isabelle - Hugo

Erik & Xavier - X-Men: First Class

Simon Pegg & Nick Frost - Paul

Steve Carrell & Ryan Gosling - Crazy Stupid Love

Brad Pitt & Jonah Hill - Moneyball

Tom Hardy & Joel Edgerton - Warrior

Voiceover Performance

Antonio Bandares as Puss - Puss in Boots

Johnny Depp as Rango - Rango

Jamie Bell as Tintin - The Adventures of Tintin

James McAvoy as Arthur - Arthur Christmas

Steve Whitmire as Kermit, Beaker, Statler, etc - The Muppets

Honorable Mentions: Eric Jacobson - The Muppets, Dave Goelz - The Muppets

Epic Fail Movie

Breaking Dawn Part One

Green Lantern

The Hangover II

New Years Eve

Sucker Punch

Best Characterization of an Established Figure

Marilyn Monroe - My Week With Marilyn

Margaret Thatcher - The Iron Lady

Magneto - X-Men: First Class

Lisbeth Salander - The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Sherlock Holmes - Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows

Daenerys Targaryen- Game of Thrones*

Honorable Mentions: J Edgar Hoover - J Edgar, Dr Watson - Sherlock: Game of Shadows, Tyrion Lannister - Game of Thrones, Zelda Fitzgerald - Midnight in Paris, Ernest Hemmingway - Midnight in Paris

Best Fight/Battle Sequence

The Rainbow Bridge - Thor

Dom v. Luke - Fast Five

Battle of Hogwarts - Harry Potter: DHP2

Sherlock v. Moriarty - Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows

Hanna Escapes - Hanna

Honorable Mentions: Championship Fight - Warrior, Red Skull v. Captain America - Captain America, Jane v. Sabine - Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

Best Animated Film

The Adventures of Tintin

Arthur Christmas

Kung Fu Panda

Puss in Boots

Rango

Best TV Show - Drama

Dr. Who

Downton Abbey

Fringe

Game of Thrones

Homeland

Honorable Mentions: Boardwalk Empire, Breaking Bad, American Horror Story, Once Upon a Time, Walking Dead

Best TV Show - Comedy

30 Rock

Community

Modern Family

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Parks & Recreation

Honorable Mentions: How I Met Your Mother, New Girl, Happy Endings, Cougar Town

Best Actor - Drama TV

Matt Smith- Dr Who

Sean Bean - Game of Thrones

Peter Dinklage - Game of Thrones

John Noble - Fringe

Bryan Cranston - Breaking Bad

Honorable Mentions: Damien Lewis - Homeland, Steve Bushemi - Boardwalk Empire, Evan Peters - American Horror Story

Best Actor - Comedy TV

Nick Offerman - Parks & Recreation

Neil Patrick Harris - How I Met Your Mother

Jim Parsons - The Big Bang Theory

Ty Burrell - Modern Family

Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock

Danny Pudi - Community*

Honorable Mentions: Don Glover - Community, Joel McHale - Community, Elijah Wood - Wilfred

Best Actress - Drama TV

Jessica Lange - American Horror Story

Anna Torv - Fringe

Emilia Clarke - Game of Thrones

Michelle Fairly - Game of Thrones

Claire Danes - Homeland

Honorable Mentions: Lena Heady - Game of Thrones

Best Actress - Comedy TV

Alison Brie - Community

Sofia Vergara - Modern Family

Amy Poehler - Parks & Rec

Tina Fey - 30 Rock

Zooey Deschanel - New Girl
Casey Wilson - Happy Endings*

Honorable Mentions: Alyson Hannigan - HIMYM

Best Chemistry - Romantic TV

Eric/Sookie - True Blood

Chuck/Sarah - Chuck

Beckett/Castle - Castle

Tate/Violet - America Horror Story

Olivia/Peter - Fringe

Mary Margaret/David - Once Upon a Time

The Doctor/River Song - Dr. Who

Amy/Rory - Dr. Who

Mary/Matthew - Downton Abbey

Daenerys/Khal Drogo - Game of Thrones

Best Chemistry - Platonic TV

Abed/Troy - Community

Sam/Dean - Supernatural

Walter/Astrid - Fringe

Walter/Peter- Fringe

Amy/The Doctor/Rory - Dr. Who

Carrie/Saul - Homeland

Leslie/Ann - Parks & Recreation

The Boys/Jess - New Girl

Pete/Myka - Warehouse 13

Shawn/Gus - Psych

Best Guilty Pleasure

Revenge

The Secret Circle

True Blood

Glee

Sucker Punch

Honorable Mentions: American Horror Story, Fast Five

Actor I Most Want To Marry 2010

Joseph Gordon Levitt

Ryan Gosling

Chris Evans

Chris Hemsworth

Dan Stevens

Michael Fassbender

Tom Hiddleston

Benedict Cumberbatch

James McAvoy

David Tennant

Honorable Mentions: Nathan Fillion, Matt Smith

Woman I Most Want To Marry 2010

Emma Stone

Michelle Williams

Carey Mulligan

Tina Fey

Jennifer Lawrence

Marion Cotillard

Kate Winslet

Rooney Mara

Jessica Brown Findlay

Alex Kingston

Most Underrated

Community

Fringe

Jane Eyre

Happy Endings

Hanna

Honorable Mentions: Eureka

Best Graphic Novel

Hark! A Vagrant

One Soul

Batman: Knight & Squire

Love & Rockets: New Stories

Habibi

Best Comic Series

Buffy Season 9

Justice League

The Walking Dead

Batgirl

The Unwritten

Honorable Mentions: Angel & Faith, American Vampire, Uncanny X-Force

Best Video Game

Star Wars: The Old Republic

Uncharted 3

Skyrim

Arkham City

Portal 2

Honorable Mentions: LA Noire

Best Villain

Loki - Thor

Voldemort - Harry Potter DHP1

Evil Queen/Regina - Once Upon A Time

Lannister Twins - Game of Thrones

Kevin - We Need To Talk About Kevin

Bernie - Drive

Moriarty - Sherlock: Game of Shadows

Victoria Grayson - Revenge

Thomas - Downton Abbey

Melancholia - Melancholia

Honorable Mentions: Rumpelstiltskin - Once Upon A Time, Red Skull - Captain America, Klaus - Vampire Diaries

Best Musician/Band

Florence & The Machine

Bon Iver

Foster The People

Adele

Childish Gambino

Best Book

Dance with Dragons - George RR Martin

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? - Mindy Kaling

Bossypants - Tiny Fey

11/22/63 - Stephen King

Ready Player One - Ernest Cline

The Marriage Plot* - Jeffrey Eugenides


Most Anticipated Movie of 2012
The Amazing Spiderman
The Avengers
Brave
Cabin in the Woods
The Dark Knight Rises
Django Unchained
The Hobbit
Hunger Games
Much Ado About Nothing (Joss Whedon)
Prometheus

Honorable Mentions: Les Mis, The Great Gatsby, Dark Shadows

Most Romantic Line EVAR 2011

"What would you do if you knew you only had one minute to live?...I'd kiss you again." - Colter Stevens, Source Code

"Steve Rogers: You know, I still don't know how to dance. Peggy Carter: I'll show you how. Just be there." - Captain America

"Stay with me. Okay? Kate, I love you…I Love you, Kate." - Rick Castle, Castle

"I'm so mad at you. I'm really mad at you for what you did. But I'm mad at myself too. Because I should have jumped out of that car - I should have fought for you. Because you fight for your soulmates." - Cal, Crazy Stupid Love

"I offer you my hand, my heart. Jane, I ask you to pass through life at my side. You are my equal and my likeness. Will you marry me?" - Rochester, Jane Eyre

“I won't keep you long. I have to go somewhere now. I don't think I can come back. I just wanted you to know, just gettin' to be around you, that was the best that ever happened to me”. - Driver, Drive

“Let the record state that I, Leslie Knope, love Ben Wyatt. I love him with all of my heart. Did you get that?” - Parks and Recreation

“I can go through this door alone. You'll never see me or the people chasing us again, or you can come with me, and I don't know what's on the other side, but you'd be next to me and that's all I've wanted since the minute I met you.” The Adjustment Bureau

“I will never stop trying. Because when you find the one… you never give up.” - Cal, Crazy, Stupid, Love

"That's my girlfriend, you nipties!" - Ron, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Best Fan Outreach

Game of Thrones Food Truck

Nerd HQ at Comic-Con

Harry Potter 3D Glasses For HP:DHP2 Midnight Shows

Adventure Time at Comic-Con

@TheLarmy

"Join SHIELD" Booths/Viral

Boardwalk Empire Cruise

Andrew Garfield's Speech at Comic-Con

Team Erik/Team Xavier X-Men Shirt Giveaway at Comic-Con

Hunger Games Mockingjay Pin Giveaway at Comic-Con

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12 Most Anticipated Television Events of 2012

Cross-posted on Film.com


We’ve discussed the big guns 2012 will be rolling out in cinemas, but the silver screen isn’t the only arena fans are itching to jump in to. Expect 2012 to also be a fantastic year for television, as we see the return of some of the greatest shows the small screen has to offer, as well as the launch of some major new programming. 

1) The Long Awaited Return of Mad Men (beware spoilers)

I CAN’T TAKE IT ANY LONGER. Season 4, in my opinion the best season of Mad Men yet, turned just about everything on its head, a move that’s become somewhat of a tradition atMad Men, pressing the reboot button with every season. Who knows where Season 5 could possibly take us, but when we last left Don Draper and friends, our charming main character had just proposed to his secretary, the free spirited Megan. Can this work out even close to well for anyone involved? Anyone’s gotta be better than Ice Queen Betty, right? It’s been way too long since one of the best shows on television has actually BEEN on television and its return is one of the absolute most anticipated television events of 2012.

2) Game of Thrones Season 2

Can this be a close second? Game of Thrones season one took the EVERYTHING by storm with its groundbreaking guts, commitment to big budget genre and faithfulness to its material. It broke every rule in the book and did so with a beautiful gusto. Season two sees the introduction of a myriad of new characters, including one played by Rose Leslie formerlyDownton Abbey‘s Gwen, and the second book is supposedly so good that even old school fans of the book have been advising me to watch, not read, because seeing these events unfold for the first time on screen will be an unbelievable treat. Will I be wearing my Daenerys end of season one Halloween costume to the premiere party I’m throwing? You bet. Don’t worry though, it’s primarily a nude colored bodysuit. I’m not crazy.

3) Chris Meloni joining True Blood

Bringing some true class to the table, Veteran Purveyor of Awesome, Christopher Meloni, is joining True Blood for season 5. Season 4 graced us with sure to be an Emmy nominated performance by Fiona Shaw, so a gap had to be filled as far as brilliant guest star was concerned. Meloni, who will be playing “an ancient, powerful vampire who holds the fate of Bill and Eric in his hands,” more than fits the bill.

4) Downton Abbey Season 2 Comes to America, Season 3 Airs In Britain In The Fall

I obviously downloaded Downton Abbey Season 2 from across the pond as it aired, but LISTEN, it’s okay, calm down SOPA, I’m gonna buy the Blu-ray anyway AND watch it on American television anyway, so I repeat, everyone calm down. The Emmy winner for Best Mini Series that has since become a full fledged television series, is long form Jane Austen meets old timey British soap and it’s my favorite. Season 2 goes to some very dark, dramatic, pulpy places, which has turned off some viewers, but I’ve loved every moment. This is truly the best ensemble on television, and I encourage you to pick up season one, watch season two (and the christmas special!) and buckle up for season three come the fall. Mary and Matthew forevers.

5) Alcatraz

There has been lots of behind the scenes turmoil as far as this new offering from JJ Abrams and Elizabeth Sarnow (who has since left the show) is concerned, which has made the genre community start to worry, but I’ll be damned if I don’t give this new science fiction program a shot. This story about presumed dead Alcatraz prisoners reappearing in present day, having not aged one bit, stars newcomer Sarah Jones and everyone’s favorite magical island castaway , Jorge Garcia. I’m still hoping for the best, but won’t be surprised if it ends up falling just short of the mark.

6) Smash

Let’s be honest. Glee isn’t quite working out the way we hoped. They cut back on the number of songs per episode, which was always my favorite element of the show, and frankly, have ceased to make much narrative sense since season one ended, if it even made it to then. But I still love musicals, I still love song and dance, and oh yeah, I LOVE JACK DAVENPORT. Smash, from executive producer Steven Spielberg, looks like a show I will be obsessed with, but never admit to obsessing over. Since it’s about putting on a fictional Broadway musical (about Marilyn Monroe yet!), expect lots of fun New York locations and impressive theater related cameos. Oh and actual quality singing by professionals, none of this auto-tune crap. If you’re still “pshhhing”, it’s created by Pulitzer Prize nominated playwright Theresa Rebeck, who also co-produced and wrote NYPD Blue and wrote forDream On.Yes, she also wrote the story (just the story, not the horrific screenplay!) of Halle Berry’s disastrous Catwoman, but hey, the exception that proves the talented rule, okay?

7) The River

The found footage horror-mystery that has been described as Lost meets Paranormal Activity (and created by Oren Pell, the man behind the Paranormal trilogy) that made a splash at Comic-Con by screening its pilot and handing out fun mini branded flashlights, makes its debut on ABC this February. Bruce Greenwood plays an explorer who vanishes under mysterious circumstances. Six months later his family sets out to find him, fully funded by the explorer’s former producer, in exchange for them filming the whole expedition. They are assisted by a collection of supporting characters including the lovely Eloise Mumford, from the short lived Fox series Lone Star, who I’m thrilled to have back on my television set. Fingers crossed the eight episodes ordered by the network stick the landing with audiences.

8) (Formerly the House of Lies slot...but the pilot aired before posting so...) COUGAR TOWN IS COUGAR TOWNY!

I totally forgot Cougar Town was coming back because it's been so long and my whole self is so saddened by the lack of Penny Can, Big Joe (RIP), Big Carl and The Larmy that my mind simply blocked it out so I wouldn't be upset every day. If you're not yet convinced that Cougar Town rules, need I remind you about last season's Community/Cougar Town crossover? Come on, if Abed loves it, you KNOW it's good. The show brazenly makes fun of its title every single week in the opening credits, and has really found its grove as a slightly absurdist show about a bunch of friends who drink a lot of wine. Sometimes while wearing snuggies. Season 3 will see a guest star in Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke as Bobby's recurring love interest and newcomer Briga Heelan as someone Grayson got pregnant years earlier. ABC may have cut the episode order down to 15 from 22, but this show has a rabid and loyal following who know that each of those 15 episodes will be hilarious. GET IT TOGETHER, ABC. 

9) Awake

Perhaps my most anticipated new show of the mid-season, the show (known as REM when the pilot scripts were making the rounds) has gotten rave reviews over its season premiere, drawing positive Inception parallels when it comes to the subject of dreams versus reality, and it stars Jason Isaacs as a man torn between two worlds, one where his wife survives a horrific accident, one in which it’s his son that survives. But which is real? Also starring Laura Allen, Brooke English’s son who took Leo away from Greenelee on All My Children, and Jack Shephard’s son, Dylan Minnette. (This is how my brain works and I like it just fine.)

10) 30 Rock is Back!

30 Rock is one of those magical shows that is so good, I always doubt how good it is. I promise this makes sense. I always think to myself, there’s no way the show can STILL be funny. But it always is. Sure, there are off episodes and off storylines, every show has those, but ultimately, 30 Rock always brings the funny and it’ll be so nice to have Liz Lemon back in my life, making me feel a-ok about how much I love eating sandwiches and making noises instead of saying words.

11) Community Finishes up Season 3 and returns in the fall with Season 4

IF I SAY IT, IT WILL COME TRUE

12) Chuck and Desperate Housewives Come to an End

I have never seen an episode of Desperate Housewives. The fact that it is ending means nothing to me, but it was once a mega sensation, so its series finale is definitely worth a mention. The series finale *I* will be glued to the television for is none other than that of Chuck. Chuck lost me a little bit last season with the constant stream of EVERYONE’S A SPY! combined with EVERYONE’S A FAMOUS GUEST STAR! But this season has be right back on board and I’m loving every moment. I’m actually getting nostalgic for my deep obsession with the show and specifically Zach Levi that I felt during seasons one and two. I’m sad that it’s ending, but thrilled beyond belief that they squeezed five seasons out of NBC and are getting to finish the story they began. Jan 27, “Chuck vs. the Goodbye.”, I’m so there.


Honorable Mention: Paul Rudd comes to Parks and Recreation. Hat Tip: @oscar

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