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A Little Hollywood in San Diego Requires Much Patience

San Diego, CA. It's nice to have Hollywood visit our fine city for Comic Con 2008; Fox, Nickelodeon, CBS, NBC, Lionsgate, Disney, Warner Brothers, and other major studios were here to promote upcoming films and television shows. If you were after celebrity sightings, this was definitely the place to be this week-end.  Photos by Suzette Valle

The annual comic book convention had something for each of the 125,000 people who reportedly attended this year; Uglydolls and Yo Gabba Gabba for the younger set, plenty of blood and action figures for the older teens, and an endless collection of geeks, cooks and Storm Troopers to delight one and all.

To really take advantage of everything available for families at Comic Con you needed the same strategy used for a theme park; a lot of patience, and to choose your lines and attractions carefully.

One of the biggest draws to the convention center was "Twilight", a highly anticipated movie based on the teen-angst novel by Stephenie Meyer (Summit Studios, November 18th, 2008) with Robert Pattinson and Kristin Stewart. Cast members for TV shows like "Heroes", "Pushing Daisies" and "The Big Bang Theory" were also on hand to sign autographs and pose for pictures, but actually getting these was quite a different story; long lines to get tickets entitling you to an autograph or photo, another line to get it, and pushing and cutting in line were all necessary tactics to get the coveted moment with a celeb. 

Amidst all the celebrities and movie hoopla, Paul Pope, an alternative comic book artist voted Best Writer/Artist at the 2007 Eisner Awards (the comic industry's equivalent of the Oscars), and who's latest graphic novel, Batman Year 100 (DC Comics) won Best Limited Series, sat quietly at the Kidrobot booth signing the Comic Con 2008 exclusive Masked Karimbah vinyl figure he designed and sold for $125.

I asked him what he thought about Hollywood's invasion of Comic Con, and he told me he liked the influx of money to the overall event, and added, "For me, it's a value-neutral situation since I already work with a few Hollywood directors." (Referring to The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier And Clay, from Paramount Pictures).

The detraction from comic books to movies and TV shows at this year's convention was overwhelming; the spectacular logo-ridden studio and network displays overshadowed other artist's curtain-lined cubicles. Welsh actor Gareth David Lloyd of "Torchwood", a Sci-Fi British TV program, calmly sat signing pictures as the crowds mobbed studio booths to get free posters or buttons to carry in the Con's popular, larger than large bags!

When I asked Pope if the large crowds attracted by the movie studios was a good thing for his industry he replied, "Comic Con's gotten too big. It's like a really good [Wall Street] stock. It's ready to split".

We really enjoyed Comic-Wood this year. Let's hope the San Diego Convention Center is able to keep this bit of Hollywood glamour from splitting elsewhere!

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Nick Jonas plays the piano for the 3D cameras. Photo by Suzette Valle

JoBros Productions, Inc. know how to keep their fan base happy and hooked on their latest Disney prodigies: the Jonas Brothers. Fans are continually informed of the band's up-coming activities, appearances and iTunes releases by pre-recorded personal phone calls through Say Now, text messages, e-mails and fan club bulletins. The Jonas Brothers reached out to their fans once again, and invited a few hundred of them to be part of the filming for their upcoming concert movie in 3D.

Like many households with teen girls right now, ours is all about these Jersey boys, and the summer of 2008 is burning up with everything Jonas! My daughter Bianca Valle and her friends Jennifer Porras, Lili Strasser and Celeste Alvarado were among the loyal fans invited to spend quality time with the band as part of the casted audience during filming for the upcoming Jonas Brothers 3D Movie (said to be released in theaters in January 2009).

Last week-end, about three hundred teen-aged followers got the opportunity of a life time to join director Bruce Hendricks (who also directed the Hannah Montana: Best of Both Worlds Concert Movie in 3D), and the Jonas Brothers for rehearsals and filming which included meals and floor tickets to both concerts in Anaheim, California. Confirmation notices for those lucky to have been selected as part of the volunteer casted audience were sent out Saturday morning before the first of three concerts scheduled for Southern California.

“I waited over a year to meet Nick, Kevin and Joe, and kept telling myself my time would come. I never imagined it would come in such a big way!” said thirteen year old Bianca Valle of her experience meeting the siblings and becoming part of their first big screen movie. 

The Jonas Brothers and Bianca Valle Photo by Suzette Valle

This fan-exclusive experience at the Honda Center started at 2pm on Sunday, July 13th, with check-in and lunch for the casted audience, while watching the crew set up the stage for the concert that evening. All three brothers, and the ever-present Mr. Jonas, aka Papa Jonas, could be seen supervising the set. Nine cameras surrounded the stage and the teenagers on the arena floor that evening.

“The girls were on the floor right up against the stage. They were so close that Nick held Lili's [Strasser] hand and Bianca [Valle] grabbed Kevin's leg -LOL!  And Celeste [Alvarado] protected Bianca from fainting as the crowd of joyful fans began to push against the stage to get closer to the boys", said Javier Porras of Laguna Niguel, father and chaperon for the “Jonas Sistas 4 Life” team of casted teenagers. “The excitement was overwhelming and the anticipation well worth it - the concert was amazing. We still can't believe the girls were part of this historic moment”, he added.

Monday, July 14th, started with the casted audience checking in at 11am at the Honda Center. Fans had the opportunity to be up close and personal with Nick, Joe and Kevin as they performed portions of various songs for specific 3D shots in the movie. 

While taking a break from filming, the boys played Burnin’ Up, the single from their new album A Little Bit Longer to be released August 12th, and led the girls in a memorable sing-along which prompted Nick Jonas to quip “you are very good!”

Joe throws his glasses at the 3D camera. Photo by Suzette Valle

During this intimate moment with fans, the three siblings chatted and let their small audience in on some 'confidential' information about them and their song S.O.S. (Sorry, I’m not at liberty to say what this information was. I was sworn to secrecy by my daughter!)

“Nick even wished Jennifer [Porras] a happy birthday next week. Jennifer also asked Nick to homecoming and he smiled”, added Mr. Porras.  

Joe and Kevin Jonas during a break in filiming 3D movie. Photo by Suzette Valle

The Jonas’ exhaustion became noticeable when Nick forgot a few of the lyrics to “Play my Music”, and instead smiled for a moment while he recovered the tempo. Nothing escapes the attentive eyes and ears of their hard-core fans!

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