Santa Maria Sun / Cover Story

Welcome to Nerd-dom

BY AMY ASMAN

View from the top Fans of NBC’s Chuck crowded the Warner Bros booth for a meet-and-greet with the cast. PHOTO BY AMY ASMAN

Outside the Convention Center, I’m quickly swept into a pulsating throng of euphoric fanboys and girls. Together, we swarm the entrance of the Con like a colony of ants on a sugar rush.

Let the Geekfest begin.

Operation: Comic-Con

Founded in the 1970s to showcase comic books, Comic-Con has grown to include a vast range of pop-culture elements: movies, television, novels, anime, manga, video games, collectible toys—whatever your geeky fancy, Comic-Con has it.

Pandora warrior A statue of Neytiri from James Cameron’s 3-D blockbuster Avatar towered over convention-goers. PHOTO BY AMY ASMAN

Still, reporting on Comic-Con might not be as glamorous as you think. Coming from a community alt-weekly, it’s easy to get lost among the crowd of big-name news affiliates.

My time at the Con was mostly spent trying to get into the press junket for Chuck, an NBC action-comedy about a nerd who becomes a CIA agent. It turned out the shiny press pass I was so excited to receive at registration didn’t count for much when it came to getting into events. Attempts to smooth-talk my way into the Q&A panel were equally fruitless. I have a feeling Convention Center staff were drilled rigorously on how to deflect pleas from journalists, small children, and even fan-mas (fangirl grandmas).

Not one to give up easily, I decided to channel the spies on Chuck and get resourceful. I started by tracking down a press contact at the Warner Bros booth in the grand hall. She gave me a phone number and bid me good luck. Clutching the scribbled-on piece of paper to my chest, I pushed my way back through the crowd and up to Ballroom 20, which I had by then nicknamed “The Impenetrable Fortress.”

Chuck and crew Zachary Levi (standing), who portrays the titular character in Chuck, fielded questions from reporters with his fellow cast mates (from left) Mark Christopher Lawrence (Big Mike), Joshua Gomez (Morgan Grimes), and Adam Baldwin (John Casey). PHOTO BY AMY ASMAN

I decided to try my luck again with the fortress guards. After listening skeptically to my spiel about the WB booth and some press lady named Phyllis, the head guard sighed and said: “OK. Press room is No. 33.”

But I wasn’t in the clear yet.

At the doorway to Room 33, I ran into a clipboard-wielding Warner Bros representative who informed me I had to be on a pre-approved media list to get into the junket. My name, of course, wasn’t on that list.

“We have 70 journalists signed up for this,” the media rep said matter-of-factly. “We’re all full.”

I must have looked like I was about to burst into tears because he quickly added, “I’m so sorry! Do you want my e-mail so you can get on the list for next year?”

Frustrated and dejected, I wrote down the e-mail address and wandered back out into the corridor. I had failed my journo-spy mission.

But suddenly, like clouds in a Super Mario Brothers game, my self-pitying haze broke—I’d left my purse in the pressroom.

Sheepishly, I shuffled back to Room 33 and peeked my head in the door.

“Uh, hi. I left my bag in there. Can I come get it?” I asked a media rep in designer jeans and a dark green pageboy cap.

Mr. and Mrs. Awesome Chuck stars Ryan McPartlin (Devon “Captain Awesome” Woodcomb) and Sarah Lancaster (Ellie Bartowski) talked about what it’s like to come to Comic-Con as actors. “We really bring the energy of the PHOTO BY AMY ASMAN

“Um, yeah, I’m Amy,” I blurted.

 “Sorry I missed your call,” the elusive Phyllis said. “I called to tell you we’ll probably have extra room if you want to interview the cast.”

Silently, I thanked the Comic-Con gods for spinning my forgetfulness into opportunity, and strode into the junket.

While waiting for the cast to arrive, I decided to strike up a conversation  with the journalist sitting next to me.

“Hi, I’m Amy. Who do you write for?”

“The Tribune.”

“Oh, cool! The San Diego Union-Tribune?”

Family portrait? Thunder Cats heroine Cheetara and Dr. Zaius of Planet of the Apes make an unlikely pair. PHOTO BY AMY ASMAN

“Oh.” Well, excuse me ... .

“Who do you write for?”

Let’s just say he’d never heard of the Sun. Thankfully, the actors chose that moment to arrive.

The first cast members I came into contact with were Ryan McPartlin and Sarah Lancaster (i.e. The Awesomes), who dished on the show’s upcoming season and expressed their gratitude toward the fans at Comic-Con.

“We bring the energy of the fans into the season,” McPartlin said. “We have a lot of early mornings and late nights, so it’s really important to have that energy to keep you going.”

Comic-Con, he said, is like a giant pep rally that kicks off the year.

“It really carries you through the season,” he added.

Getting into the true spirit of the Con, I asked cast members Scott Krinsky and Vik Sahay (Buymore employees Jeff and Lester, who together make up the cover band Jeffster) what they tend to geek out over.

Tron-mobile The new and improved motorcycle from Tron: Legacy was a favorite attraction at the Con. PHOTO BY AMY ASMAN

The rest of the interviews went by in a bit of a blur, but I do remember asking Adam Baldwin (NSA agent John Casey) what goes into his character’s iconic snarl.

The answer: “I have this mantra going in my head: ‘I hate people, I hate people, I hate people.’”

Leaving the pressroom after the interview, it was difficult to feel hatred toward anyone at that moment.

My mission was complete. Or at least, that mission.

While at the Con, I also hung out with Gandalf the Grey, got hit on by R2D2, and met a really slutty Max (or should I say Maxine?) from Where the Wild Things Are.

My other crowning achievement was sneaking into the Q&A panel for ABC’s Castle, where I got to ogle Nathan Fillion from the front row. But that, fellow geeks, is another story for another time. I have to keep some tricks up my sleeve for next year, don’t I?

News Editor Amy Asman is more of a geek than you think she is. Contact her at aasman@santamariasun.com.