Just before lunch today, the jury in the Michael Allan Lamb murder case announced itself "hopelessly deadlocked" on whether the Public Enemy Number One (PENI) Death Squad member deserved the death penalty.

The vote was nearly tied after almost three days of deliberating. Six jurors wanted death; five wanted life in prison without the possibility of parole; and one person remained undecided.

Lamb kept silent, but studied his fingernails after the decision. Throughout the three-month proceeding, the 33-year-old hit man always appeared nonchalant. He was lighthearted even when the same jury convicted him on July 10 of the murder of a fellow gang member and the attempted murder of an Anaheim police officer. But when deputies hauled him back to jail, he turned to his mother in the audience and contorted his face into a huge smile. Cathy Lamb, portrayed by her son's defense as a longtime alcoholic who drank hairspray when she couldn't afford cheap booze, nodded happily.

Before jurors were excused, Orange County Superior Court Judge William R. Froeberg asked the foreman if there was "anything" the court could provide that might help the panel "resolve" its deadlock. The foreman, a middle-aged man, quickly replied, "No, sir."

Froeberg then questioned individual jurors if they agreed with the foreman, and there was one surprise. It sounded like Juror No. 3--a Latina who looked to be in her late twenties or early thirties--softly volunteered that she didn't believe in the death penalty. She was one of four jurors who quickly left the courtroom unwilling to answer any questions.

It's likely that Deputy District Attorney Ebrahim Baytieh, the veteran prosecutor on the case, will retry the penalty phase with a new jury after an Aug. 21 hearing. Baytieh believes Lamb will kill or seriously injury other inmates or guards with a life sentence. He wants to send him
to California's notorious death row at San Quentin State Prison. Until a decision is made, Lamb will continue to reside in the relative comfort of the OC Jail.

PENI's white supremacist gang members haven't had much luck avoiding law enforcement in recent years. That's no surprise. Many--if not most--are addicted to heroin, methamphetamines and Hilter, according to OC gang cops. The combination makes for bad teeth, worse manners, awesome tattoos but less than graceful social skills.

Jacob Anthony Rump--Lamb's pal in the murder and attempted murder case--is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 31. Like many Orange County judges, Froeberg is not known for dishing out light punishments. Rump, 31, faces a possible life in prison without the possibility of parole.

For previous coverage of the case, see "White Power With a Lisp."

Comic-Cons are a bit like film festivals -- most people there just want to go to the big-name stuff, but you really get more out of the experience if you mix it up a little. So rather than see Kevin Smith tell his stories about Jon Peters for the umpteenth time, it seemed a better use of the moment to go watch Ray Harryhausen do a live commentary while screening the new DVD of his 1957 movie 20 Million Miles to Earth. (It bows on Blu-Ray Dec. 4.)

Harryhausen is, of course, a living legend of cinema and arguably the most important special-effects man ever. Worked with King Kong animator Willis O'Brien, and in the pre-CGI era did every amazing movie monster there was, from the skeleton warriors in Jason and the Argonauts to Medusa and the Kraken in Clash of the Titans.

He got a standing ovation when his chair was wheeled into the room. But the room was only 1/3 full.

It may go without saying, but the announcement of a film entitled The Strangers that stars Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman wasn't exactly super-exciting. Especially when writer-director Brian Bertino comes in and he looks about 17.

But ever so slowly, the presentation started to warm this cynic's heart. The premise of the movie is that a young couple are terrorized in their home by masked assailants for no apparent reason. In theory, this seems like a good way to tap into fears about the randomness of terrorism without actually getting political.

The first clip shown involved Liv being terrorized. Fine and good, and the cartoon-little-girl masks the attackers wear are appropriately creepy, but the trailer tries to milk scares from a record player needle becoming stuck.

Riddle me this: How many couples Liv and Scott's age do you know, in 2007, who play records?

• Gore guilty: Al Gore III pleaded guilty Monday to possessing marijuana and other drugs when he was caught speeding in OC earlier in the month, reports the LA Times.
• This shooter's a giver: "Machine-gun Sonny" has mastered a shooting game at the OC Fair and wins mountain bikes nightly. But he doesn't keep his winnings, instead giving 'em to unsuspecting kids. The fair officials don't mind being cleaned-out, reports the Reg.
• See you in court, sea lion stabber: On Sept. 10, the Garden Grove man who allegedly stabbed a sea lion in Newport Beach will face a judge.
• Wacky headline: "Child, Chihuahua Witness Bust," reads a top item in today's Long Beach Press Telegram. The story's about one granny gone bad.
• Enough Geekdom! Fishbowl LA tells the Los Angeles Times and OC Weekly to 'roll up your Superman sleeping bags and get on the bus' now that Comic-Con is over. OK, fine. But after this last...post...

Well that sucks. Los Angeles Times pop culture reporter Geoff Bouche was covering the con when he got jumped on a sidewalk in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter. He writes:

"In the 15 years I have been writing for The Times, I have covered wildfires, riots, gang murders and plenty of other mayhem. I never got hurt. This weekend I covered a comic book convention in San Diego and I'm going home with staples in my head."

Yipes! Read the rest here.

Via LA Observed.

Weekly investigative reporter extraordinaire Scott Moxley just informed me that our fab Comic-Con blogger - LYT - made today's edition of USA Today.

His rainbow 'do is apparently a camera magnet. That's not too surprising. Couldn't help snapping a few of him myself. And Luke was sitting at Hall H for hours on end...an easy target.

Photo via USA Today.

The article's titled "It's Good to be a Geek at Comic-Con."

Rebelscum has a good image of it right HERE

Neil Gaiman and Henry Selick kick things off by announcing a special screening of some early footage from Coraline, their new stop-motion collaboration. It'll be later in the evening at a nearby theater, and passes can be had at the Rogue booth. Those sitting in Hall H all day at the actual panels are out of luck. They couldn't have just shown us a little bit here? Nahh, make us wait in line all over again for something else.

Tidbits: the voice cast includes Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Teri Hatcher, Ian McShane; plot involves "people with button eyes who want to eat other people's souls."

Balls of Fury had a funny presentation last year, and since the movie still hasn't opened, Ben Garant (director) and Thomas Lennon (cowriter/costar) are back, along with the lead actor Dan Fogler (character name: Randy Daytona), who has that Jack Black vibe, but probably comes cheaper to the studio than Jack Black.

..cles of Narnia!

Director Andrew Adamson is live via satellite from the set in Prague, alongside Ben Barnes, who plays the title character of the new Narnia movie Prince Caspian (and also appears in the upcoming Stardust. Barnes has the Episode III Anakin hair going.

Adamson says Caspian was a more difficult adaptation than The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (which, for my writing sanity, will hereafter be referred to simply as Lion). The structure of Lewis' narrative isn't as cinematic -- Adamson has fleshed out Caspian's past more, showing his battles in detail.

Kevin Feige. That's the Marvel president's name I couldn't get right earlier. In my own defense, how many people do you know named "Feige"?

Kevin, Avi Arad, producer Gale Anne Hurd, director Louis Leterrier, Liv Tyler, and Edward Norton were the panelists for the new Hulk movie, named, like the TV show, The Incredible Hulk. That's no coincidence -- the TV show will apparently be a bigger influence this time. And it isn't a sequel to the Ang Lee movie starring Eric Bana. Edward Norton is the new Bruce Banner...and the screenwriter too! (Rumors have long been that Norton essentially does heavy rewrites on most of his movies anyway; might as well make it official and just let him do it from square one.)

Liv Tyler had been onstage two panels ago (for The Strangers -- more on that in an upcoming post), but managed to change costumes in between.

Gale Anne Hurd, suggesting this movie will be more to fans' liking: "He's not going to be three different sizes in this movie." If she thought she was gonna get a big pop from the crowd, she was way wrong. Not sure why size-changing is a problem, actually -- Hulk changes size in the comics.

We couldn't do everything live -- still to come are write-ups involving Disney, the Incredible Hulk, Ray Harryhausen, Balls of Fury, and more.

But first, I must drive home.

Enjoy the slideshows in the meantime.

Fox may have pulled out of presenting the latest space monster free-for-all, but we have some news anyway...NECA has the toy rights, and that picture you see right there is the 2-up prototype for a 7" Alien figure.

I asked if this means that collectors of Movie Maniacs, Cult Classics, etc., can finally realize the dream of an 18" Alien or Predator...the NECA rep says that will probably depend on sales, and the success of the movie.

Though, as I pointed out, the success of this particular movie isn't the whole story -- as you can see, the alien looks just like it could've been in the James Cameron movie too, so even if fans don't like the newest movie, there's a market. A majority of sci-fi fans seemed to dislike the first Alien Versus Predator...but McFarlane Toys' line of figures sold out nonetheless.

A collection of costume photos for your perusal. More at our other photo galleries, of course.

Click the photo for some primo visuals:

Toys, freebies, collectibles ONLY at this year's con. You know the drill. Click the picture to see more snapshots:

Surprisingly easy to get into this panel, which doesn't necessarily bode well for the future of Jericho on CBS. Saved from cancellation by rabid fans, it's gonna need more support to survive a full second year.

I walk in on the tail-end of a panel for 4400 with Jeffrey Combs and blue-bearded Ira Steven Behr. Ira makes a crack about how Jeffrey isn't like the characters he plays -- he's actually really boring. Jeffrey responds that of course Ira would think that, "because you're not that smart." Ira plugs a new coffee-table book about Deep Space Nine that he says is the definitive guide, with answers to all the questions people have for him that he can't remember when asked.

Jericho, for those who don't know, is about a small Kansas town surviving the aftermath of a terrorist nuclear attack on America (13 bombs or so). Most fans agree that the first half of season one was a bit like the Hallmark version of the apocalypse, with a bit too much silly domestic drama, but then things picked up when shit started heading towards Mad Max-dom (the first Mad Max, where the world was still relatively stable but collapsing). The nearest town of New Bern declared war, and it was revealed that the mysterious character Mr. Hawkins infiltrated the terrorist group pre-nuke, and managed to steal one of the bombs which he has now hidden in Jericho. Skeet Ulrich stars as a hometown boy returning from some mysterious military missions.

Stargate Atlantis buzz cuts, Liv Tyler, slutty Sideshow figures and more. Click the photo for all that jazz...

Oh hell yeah! Fuckin' Sabbath! YES! Thith ith cool, huh-huh, huh-hu, DUN DUN DAH DAH DAH, DUNANUNANUNA DUN DA DA DAH!

Pardon momentary lapse into Butt-head-dom, but considering that the Transformers live-action movie failed to use the obvious theme song, one can never be too sure with Hollywood. But the clip from Jon Favreau's new Marvel movie Iron Man has the Black Sabbath tune of the same name, and all is right with the world.

Clip: Arms manufacturer Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is in a mountainous area with the military, probably Tora Bora. Telling troops that while some say it's better to be feared than respected, he wants both. Respectfully disagrees that the best weapon is one you never have to far; best weapon is one you fire only once. Says that's how America does it, and it's worked out pretty well so far (audience laughs). Next scene he's riding in a convoy, soldier asks if it'd be cool to get a picture with him. Stark says yes, it would be very cool. Tells soldier he wants to see the photo on his Myspace page. Soldier makes peace sign. Stark tells him no gang signs in picture, then says he's totally kidding, gang signs are fine. Basically Downey being Downey.

Convoy gets attacked, and Stark wakes up in a cave with his heart hooked up to a car battery. French-ish sounding guy says it's an electromagnet keeping the shrapnel from entering his heart. Then Stark starts to build the suit.

Saturday night is costume contest time at Comic-Con.Let's try live-blogging this mofo while vaguely inebriated.

Logging in a bit belatedly. Line for free nachoes was huge -- they went instantly.

Most costumes so far are cute li'l kids as Huntress, Rayden/Scorpion from Mortal Kombat, other similar heroes. Sand-People choir was funny.

Good Boba Fett to start.

Bollywood-style Medusa -- nice concept.

Dr. Who costume not so good -- but working Dalek w/lights is cool.

Ghost Rider w/bike -- nice comedy. Hosts think bike is falling on him for real, and help him out. Giant villain then shows up, and GR ropes it in with chain.

White Witch of Narnia, played by young black girl. Music starts as "Ice Ice Baby," then changes to more legit hip-hop

Iron Man -- decent homemade suit. Points off for not using Black Sabbath song. Flexes iron butt. Wait...now Sabbath is kicking in. Guy in costume looks pissed momentarily, then starts doing air guitar. Crowd loves it.

It's interesting to see how quickly some convention rats operate. Exclusive con action figures are already up on eBay, with the prices jacked up. It's an industry within an industry, really.

Take for instance, this guy's "buy it now for $40" option on the exclusive Hasbro Stan Lee as Spider-Man toy. I picked up the same thing yesterday for $14.99 for a friend.

Gee whiz, maybe I should hang onto it and plan on cashing in a few months down the line...already my pretty R2-KT is worth twice what I put down.

See more Comic-Con coverage here.

It's 1:30 a.m. late Friday night, and I'm lying on a sheet of cardboard in the back of a minivan, headed God knows where, amid sliding packages of toys, many of them mine that I've hauled around all day in addition to the laptop slowly eating its way through my shoulder till it will eventually cleave arm from shoulder. When offered a ride home, it never occurred to ask if there might actually be seats inside the vehicle of transit.

30 minutes earlier: I ask the driver if he knows where I'm staying.
"Yeah, Alvarado or something, right?"
"Doesn't sound like you do know." (check the directions in my pocket.) "Okay, yeah, Alvarado Canyon."
"Oh ye of little faith."

Now: "You're on Alvarado street, right?"
"Alvarado Canyon. Is that the same thing?"
No, says the other guy in the car.
"Me of little faith, right?"

I should point out that I would trust this particular driver with my life. But not, on this evening, with my directions.

This is relevant to Spike and Mike's Sick & Twisted festival of animation, and not just because that's why I'm still awake...

"What if mankind had to evacuate Earth, and somebody forgot to turn the last robot off?"

This is the idea behind Wall.E, which stands for Waste Allocation Load Lifter - Earth class (pronounced "Wally," as in George). Director Andrew Stanton is determined to capture the epic spirit and sense of wonder in the '70s sci-fi flicks he grew up with...but done PIxar-style.

yep, this is a Pixar-Disney production, and in the spirit of the MTV movie awards, is next year's "Best Summer Movie You Haven't Seen Yet."

Earth has been overrun with trash, and mankind evacuated to starliners, ostensibly for 5 years, while trash compactor robots like Wall.E re-terraform. But something went wrong, and humanity never came back. The last one of his kind still working, Wall.E is starting to develop feelings.

(Fans - check out www.buynlarge.com. Haven't been there yet myself, but they just announced it in a clip.)

• 777: The Gabrielino-Tongva tribe is coming to Garden Grove with a huge bag of Halloween goodies. What's the treat? $78 million-a-year to city coffers, 10,000 permanent new jobs and college scholarships to every graduating high school student in the city. The trick? Let the tribe--and some guys named Guido, Sal and Vito--build two Las Vegas-style casinos, 7,500 slot machines, two luxury hotels and a 10,000-seat stadium near Disneyland. Reporter Dave McKibben write in today's Times that the plan is “off the charts” and “far and away [the] most lavish plan for making Garden Grove a tourist destination.” Jonathan Stein, an executive with the tribe, told McKibben that casinos bring nothing but good news for everyone. But Frank Cardenas, who represents other individuals in the same tribe, said Stein is all talk. His money quote: “History suggests this is a man who is all hat and no cattle.” Very nice. Pro-casino folks shouldn't get too excited. Big hurdle: The tribe isn't even federally recognized yet and has no pact with the Guv of Cally-forn-e-uh.
• The Munchkin is at it again: Do you want to know what kind of life I have? I'm going to tell you anyway. The other day I was reviewing federal disclosure reports for U.S. Representative Ed Royce (R-Munchkinville). It's amazing how all the giant finance/insurance companies and their D.C. lobbyists fork over lots-o-$ to the petite Fullerton pol. Thankfully, campaign contributions don't influence congressman. So I wonder why last week Royce sponsored new federal legislation that the giant finance/insurance companies crave: the ability to opt out of state consumer protection laws by registering only with the Feds. Royce, you should know, hails himself as the most tight-fisted conservative congressman on the Hill, but his bill--The National Insurance Act of 2007--calls for the creation of a new federal bureaucracy. Local insurance agents are furious. They note that Congress pulled a similar stunt during the 1980s for the savings and loan industry. Taxpayers ended up eating more than $150 billion in losses to the likes of Charles Keating. Len Brevik, executive VP with the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents, asks a simple question: “Why would anyone want us to repeat this in the insurance industry?” Congressman?
• Sorry Charley: Fishing supposedly calms nerves, but for 31-year-old Hai Nguyen it was a outlet for violence. Just after noon on Friday, Nguyen dropped his fishing line in the water off the M Street Pier at Balboa Peninsula and caught a sea lion. Alicia Robinson of the Daily Pilot reports that an upset Nguyen “allegedly stabbed the sea lion with a steak knife several times,” and then continued fishing. An alarmed witness called the cops. Nguyen was arrest on suspicion of animal cruelty and could face federal charges. Sea lions are federally protected from nut jobs. The stab wounds were so severe that authorities were forced to euthanize the 150-pound creature four hours later.
• Building collapse: New housing construction has declined across California but the numbers in Orange County are shockingly dismal, according to a story by Annette Haddad. She reports today that construction permits for June sank 85 percent compared to the same month a year ago. Neighboring counties were hit hard too. San Diego and the Meth, er, Inland Empire slumped by 67 percent each. LA county dropped 37 percent. Haddad used an expert to translate the numbers: builders are being cautious. Thanks. And when you're hungry, eat something.
• Dana says this White House stinks! OC Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-Skipped Vietnam Combat Duty) has done just about everything he can to smear U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton for getting convictions against two border patrol agents who shot an unarmed drug dealer in the back, left the man to die in a ditch and then orchestrated a plan to cover up the shooting. Sutton, a career Texas Republican prosecutor and longtime W adviser, has fired back that Rohrabacher can't get his facts straight. (Dana botch facts? Eureka!) Now the congressman strongly suggests Sutton is a liar who fears going under oath about the case. While the White House bungles the Iraq War, Rohrabacher claims this closed criminal case represents “bureaucratic arrogance at its worst.” His money quote for the Daily Pilot: “It doesn't pass the smell test, and the stench seems to be coming from the White House.” Could be the diapers, Dana.
• Ouch: The Associated Press reports that a 44-year-old south Orange County man recently tested positive for West Nile. It's the first local human case of the virus this year. The dude had been trying to donate blood when routine screening discovered the problem. This nasty virus usually infects birds, but is spread by pesky mosquitoes to humans, horses, dogs, cats, bats, chipmunks, skunks, squirrels and domestic rabbits.
• Something to do: Catch the 2007 Honda U.S. Open of Surfing and Beach Festival in Huntington Beach today and tomorrow. The festival, which is partly sponsored by OC Weekly, includes more than 100 exhibits, athlete autograph signings, dance contests, DJs, live music, guest emcees and prize giveaways. Word of advise: stay far away from the steel-toed skinheads--and no, I'm not necessarily talking about the local cops--who huddle in HB. For a schedule of events and profiles of the participants, checkout: www.usopenofsurfing.com/.
• Green Thumb Alert! After the beach, race over to Roger's Gardens. This jewel of a shop is sponsoring a “friendly” garden contest tonight at 6. Folks there say you can meet fellow gardeners and compete to win the “honor of the Best Garden in Orange County.” About $4,000 in prizes is up for grabs. Drive to 2301 San Joaquin Hills Road, Corona del Mar (very close to Fashion Island and PCH). Or for more information, go to www.rogersgardens.com/gardencontest.
• And finally: Happy Birthday, Jackie O.

Bed at 2 a.m. last night. Up at 7 this morning for a breakfast in honor of the upcoming movie Death Sentence, based on a novel by the author of Death Wish, and directed by James Wan (the original Saw).

Unsurprisingly, the movie looks exactly like what you'd expect from the director of Saw doing a Death Wish-type movie. Which is good news, though some will cry about the violence. Lots of crazy shotgun blasts in the footage shown. Like, LOTS. The tagline could be "Oh yes. There will be shotgun blasts." And unlike Dick Cheney's pal, these people are not okay afterward.

Kevin Bacon stars, and was supposed to show for breakfast, but was delayed. But Garrett Hedlund's cool, even if you can't do six degrees of him. His most recent role was as a Mormon virgin opposite Lindsay Lohan in Georgia Rule.

Sideshow is doing 12" collector dolls based on Resident Evil 4. Photos were not permitted (though I have no doubt they exist online somewhere). Licensor approval is still pending, and Capcom are notoriously nitpicky.

Never got past the first level in the game, but the figures (I think) are two versions of Leon, chainsaw sackcloth-head guy, and a villainous type (Wesker? Is he in part 4? Looks like him.)

The level of detail on these things is higher than even Sideshow's usual standards. Expect them to be quite popular.

See more Comic-Con coverage here.

In addition to the Beowulf , more 3-D stuff was demo'ed. Oops, I mean "stereoscopic." That's the term the owners of the Real-D company prefer to "3-D."

The CEO and president were there. I didn't bother to take down their names because I doubt you care. Anyway, this is the new 3-D system that was used first on Chicken Little, then Monster House, Meet the Robinsons, and The Nightmare Before Christmas.

One day they hope to use it on an actual good movie. (Just kidding, they didn't say that -- but it's true.)

It's not clear how aware the rest of the world is of the new Beowulf movie, but it's quite the huge deal here.

Coming out in November in 3-D, 3-D IMAX, and plain old regular (not the way to see it if you can help it), this is a performance-capture animated film, a la Polar Express. I'm going to assume "spoilers" aren't a huge issue in the story of Beowulf, but if you don't know the names of the monsters he kills, possible spoilers ahead.

First, though -- the obvious question on most people's minds is probably "OMG will this be like teh Zombi kiddzors in PolarXpress LOL?????" First off, you all way overstate the "zombie kid" thing -- Polar Express was stylized to look like a children's book illustration, and did it fine. The Steve Tyler elf was the only really creepy character.

But this is a mixed bag. Beowulf himself is a character who solves the classic action movie dilemma of whether to hire a muscular actor or a good one. Pudgy Ray Winstone (Sexy Beast) is given the body of He-Man to play our hero. On the other hand, Anthony Hopkins' King Hrothgar looks exactly like Hopkins, and Angelina Jolie looks like herself, but possibly even hotter. Hrothgar's queen, though, is clearly supposed to be attractive but isn't, she looks mannequin-like. And she's not the only one. The characters who look like the actors are great, but the rest look a bit like the humans in the Shrek movies.

And then there's Grendel, played by Crispin Glover, working with director Robert Zemeckis for the first time since Back to the Future. Picture a giant Gollum, only he's got scales and is a zombie, plus his head is slightly Glover-shaped. There's an implication in what we saw that Hrothgar is Grendel's father, which I don't remember from the old story, but I never read the uncut original, so maybe.

So now, the footage...[remember, spoilers for those who don't know the legend]

Okay, so...upstairs at the Convention Center is an area called the Sails Pavilion. In the morning, it serves as a holding pen for people waiting to enter the exhibit hall. During the day, several B-level names like "wrestling superstar Virgil" have autograph booths there.

Part of the pavilion is roped off for an art show (no photos allowed). You can only enter this part through a couple of doors.

Posted on said doors is the following warning:

"This is access to nowhere but the art show. If you try to use this as a pass-through, you will be turned back -- even if you're Sam Jones."

So the star of 1980's Flash Gordon has been trying to break the rules?

"Security! Flash Gordon approaching!"
"Vhat do you mean...Flash...Gordon...approaching?"

Last night all eyes would be focused on Lee "Scratch" Perry's performance at the House of Blues in Anaheim. Honestly? I was only there to catch the all too brief performance by Mexican Institute of Sound. I had just arrived, roughly thirty minutes after the "arrive at 7" marker - and glancing up at the big screen tv, I see that my boys had already taken the stage.

Balancing a cup full of Stella Artois, Billy Joe ( happy birthday, cousin! ) and I dashed down the staircase and into a room of, well - NOBODY - fine, maybe ten people? Yes, ten frickin' stoic people! A damned shame. I wish my friend/former roomate, Rebecca could've joined me ( we used to dance to this album in our living room, almost daily ) or even Ofelia ( who jogs to this album on the weekends ) Le sigh...yup, they would've loved it.

It was a short but sweet set, including "Mirando a Las Muchachas" - a happy little mix that would make Austin Powers smirk with glee. If you have seen the movie, La Mujer de Mi Hermano, theirs' is "El Tiempo Es Muy Largo" - one of the main highlights of an already killer soundtrack - a liquid sound combined with a reggae beat and all the viscosity of a warm and delicious maple syrup.

Camilo Lara, head of MIS, is a charming and intelligent man - informing me on all aspects of his music and his beloved Mexico D.F. -his hometown and the source of inspiration. He melds bits and pieces of cumbia and cha cha cha snipets - set to electronica and other nostalgic samplings.

It's like a trip through Mexico City...

Before the release of his debut album titled, Méjico Máxico, he had collaborated on remixes for many bands, including Placebo. His second album, Piñata (in stores now) features "El Microfono" - a clanking, cooingly smooth track, featuring a playful freestyle rap session--also, a highly enjoyable, energy packed finale to their Friday night set. One of the many reasons to swipe up these albums as soon as possible.

Accompanying Camilo on this particular evening was redheaded Andres Sanchez, another resident of D.F. and fellow talented DJ. His, Sanchez Dub & The Bootsraps cd is an impressive mix of tracks, guaranteed to stir the imagination as you ride the waves of its' ambient sound.

Check them out!
www.myspace.com/mexicaninstituteofsound &
www.myspace.com/sanchezdub

How amusing to see the Los Angeles Times doing something silly and fannish on its Comic-Con blog.

They've dragged a plushie strip of bacon (which they've named "Shaky Bacon") to the convention, and have photos of their little friend's journey: from the car ride over to the arms of dolled-up con rats.

Cute. Very cute, MSM.

SPEAKING OF BACON, Luke's having breakfast with Kevin Bacon this fine morning.

It's Friday at the con and we're going batty. (OK, maybe that's just me.) Click the photo to see the crazy cool things (and people) we ran into today.

Need more eye candy? Check out our photo gallery page.

You know this shit's getting way overcrowded when people form a long line to see a re-screening of a Superman cartoon movie.

I didn't stay for the whole thing for fear of missing the last trolley home, but here's what I did see.

The movie's done in the Bruce Timm animated style used for JLU and the Paul Dini Batman cartoons, except Supes seems to have really hollow cheeks. Adam Baldwin is Superman, and he does a good job. James Marsters seems decent as Luthor. As Lois, Anne Heche sounds way sexier than she is.

Thye movie doesn't beat around the bush -- it makes very clear that Superman and Lois have a sexual relationship. They don't get naked or anything, but we see them waking up next to each other in matching red pajamas.

Then LexCorp accidentally digs up Doomsday from the center of the earth, and he beats the crap out of Superman till they both die. This was about where I stepped out, but I'm guessing there's a reason for the sex insinuations -- Super-pregnancy?

It's not the most complex thing, but a fun cartoon. I wouldn't want to pay money to see it or anything, but it's easy watching.

We waited for the American Dad panel for about an hour, and weren't even close to the front of the line. A short, well-suited man walked along the length of the line and randomly whispered something in a German accent to a guy a few yards behind me. It fell on deaf ears though, and the man walked away smirking.

Was I the only one who recognized that it was Dee Bradley Baker, the voice of Klaus (the goldfish), trying to amuse patiently waiting fans? What the hell, he went completely unnoticed!

The panel was supposed to start at 3:30, yet, at that time, people were still pouring into the ballroom.

"Get to know your neighbors" a Con staffer urged several times, suggesting we smush together. Nobody seemed to listen.

The American Dad panel started just a few minutes late. I'm sure its a lot harder to herd the thousand or so fans into organized rows of little blue chairs than it looks.

The series' theme song signaled the start of the event, but it was when the song strangely morphed into Elastica's Connection, that the cast ran across the stage, smiling and exuberant, like athletes before a game.

Every single person in the ballroom went absolutely nuts.

Hasbro just unveiled the new Indiana Jones figures, all three based on Raiders of the Lost Ark (Indiana Jones, Ceremonial Belloq with Idol, and Sallah). They're Star Wars scale, with high articulation (the only one not fully-posable is a version of Indy with whip-cracking action) and attention to detail.

The line will be launched with a mix of figures from Raiders and the new fourth film, but Temple of Doom and Last Crusade will be represented later. "No comment" on vehicles, but they do not have the old Kenner molds any more.

Photo to come later tonight. Photo's in.

I asked Mattel if their DC movie rights include Watchmen. The guy at the booth said he didn't know, but hoped so.

Nicole Kidman had a pre-taped greeting to promote The Invasion, Joel Silver's latest remake of the Body-Snatcher story in which the aliens are microbes this time. The interview was full of jump-cuts -- had the feel of something that was creatively edited after the fact. Nic had nothing interesting to say, just praised nearly every crew member by name. The movie is not impressive looking -- could it be the first Body-Snatchers movie to suck?

One Missed Call is a big-budget remake of a Takashi Miike movie, and looks about like what you'd imagine that entails. Really fucked-up looking demons, Zombie Jesus (yes, really. Don't ask), and scarier yet...lots and lots of close-ups of Edward Burns. The story involves an evil force that travels over cell-phones, leaving messages for you that are the audio of your death.

Shannyn Sossamon and Edward Burns are here to take questions. Someone asks about Shannyn's stint as an extra on Mr. Show, want to know "how it was working with gods walking on earth." Shannyn says it was just an extra gig at the time, she didn't really know much about it, but later had a crush on David Cross. The moral of the story is that if you're bald and nerdy, be really really funny and hot actresses might like you.

Trailer is shown for the Get Smart movie, starring Steve Carell. Looks like a big-budget deal. Anne Hathaway is super-hot as Agent 99; Terrence Stamp is Siegfried, leader of KAOS. The Rock is Agent 22, Alan Arkin is the CHief, and it looks like WWE monstrosity Great Khali is in there too.

Scenes in the trailer: 99 holds a gun to Smart's head, says "Freeze!" He says "freeze" back. She replies "No, you freeze!" Smart: "Freeze times infinity!"

Trailer's final money shot is Smart flying a jet fighter, puking into a barf-bag. Then teh barf bag collapses and vomit goes everywhere.

Panel initially appears to just be supporting players: Nate Torrance, Masi Oka, and Ken Davitian (Borat). But then the Rock comes out to a massive ovation, and Carell follows with an even more massive one.

Guy in crowd yells out "Dwayne, flex!"

Peter Segal, director, says he worked with Mel Brooks and Buck Henry to get the right feel, but doesn't want to replace their version, wants to be "the other car in the garage next to the classic convertible." Hymie the Robot and Agent 13 are in the movie.

Asked if he had any funny anecdotes, Carell says "Peter Segal never wore pants on the set, or any underwear. And I found that funny."

Rock: "Especially when he wants to be called Big Pete!"

Carell calls it "The most fun I've ever had doing anything."

Question about the budget. Davitian goes "You people got paid?" Carell says it was 14 trillion dollars. He compares it to a comedic Bourne Identity. Says the best part of playing a spy is "I get to look like I'm athletic, coordinated, intelligent and sexy, whereas in real life I am none of the above."

Gorgeous woman in the crowd asks Rock "How much can you bench?" He replies "How much do you weigh?"

Asked to describe his character, Davitian says "I got to wear clothes."
Rock: "...Thank God!"

Carell doesn't know much about next season of The Office, just says that now Ryan is Michael's superior, which will change the dynamic.

Billy Crudup as Jon Osterman; fully CG performance-capture when he's Dr. Manhattan
Patrick Wilson (Hard Candy) as Dan Dreiberg, Nite Owl
Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Supernatural, Kabluey) as Comedian
Steven McHattie as Hollis Mason, original Nite Owl
Malin Akerman as Laurie
Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach

Zack Snyder wants to film the pirate story; not guaranteed yet. Real sets, except Antarctica and Mars. Set in 1985 -- Snyder was the first to say it shouldn't be updated, made more accessible (good call -- that's what messed up V for Vendetta. "Mistake [with V] was to assume the movie knows better," says Snyder))

Snyder: "It's an adult movie, if you call me an adult, which is a mistake."

"We're not gonna make it accessible to teenyboppers for marketing reasons."

Hopes Alan Moore might feel "he didn't fuck it up that bad." Feels movie audiences now are comic-savvy, at the same place comic audiences were in 1985, ready for something more.

Production design is not like Sin City, more Se7en-ish.

Cast is young because of all the flashbacks -- easier to age up for the present than double-cast for two different eras.

Snyder talked to Keanu about Dr. Manhattan at one point.

Dave Gibbons promo poster unveiled -- it's Comedian being punched in the face, with several visual in-jokes. Should have images here soon. Photo added.

So I managed to misplace the little pink R2-KT toy I picked up at the con yesterday.

It had to happen. The gods were probably not pleased with the purchase - with which I was essentially dipping a toe into the mad figurine collector's realm.

It wasn't the priciest of toys at $10, but the loss of the cheery pastel R2-D2 knockoff (created for the Make a Wish Foundation) saddens me.

Hopefully this will be the last segment to my bad convention luck saga.

Update: Bit the bullet and bought a new one. Am not going home empty-handed!

Am still groggy from staying up for last night's midnight screening of The Simpsons Movie at Fullerton's AMC 20. Packed house, mucho laughs (although it's nowhere near genius, and South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut was much better) and you should make your Simpsons avatar soon. No