Billy Dee Williams spent his panel talking about the experiences of being part of so many great projects throughout the last quarter of the 20th century and up to the present. There were laughs about his work with Colt 45 alcoholic beverage and how Zach Braff really wanted to get Williams on the Scrubs television show. Williams gave comic book fans a thrill talking about his first time walking onto the set of Tim Burton's Batman in 1989; "to see the architecture of Gotham City brought to real life was surreal."
When the panel for NBC's television show CHUCK started, there was no surprise that the room was full of Firefly fans to see Adam Baldwin (who played Jayne Cobb before starring on CHUCK). Accompanying Baldwin was CHUCK director, Robert Duncan McNiell. After the two talked a little about the show, talking with Stan Lee the night before at a bar and then thanking the fans for helping to get a 5th season, the microphone was opened up to questions from the audience. Most questions were for Baldwin and he graciously answered with humor and anecdotes. He talked about how Stanley Kubrick taught him patience during the filming of Full Metal Jacket and how he found out that the filmmaker chose the actor for the part because he liked the way the then young actor wore an army jacket in the movie My Bodyguard. Baldwin also touched on how much fun the cast and crew of CHUCK are and that the heart of the show really is the leading star, Zachary Levi. Questions regarding Baldwin's Twitter and Blog came up along with his political statements he often makes. He shook his head at the audience suggestion that he run for President in 2012 stating that there are "too many skeletons in that closet" and he would not want to cause another "Weiner-gate" (a term he bet McNeill he could sneak into the panel answers that morning) every time he spoke his mind. A couple questions from children in the audience garnered some laughs as Baldwin shared that his favorite fruit is cherries (and least favorite is bananas) while McNiell likes "melons, sweet melons." Another question from a young audience member merited a text from Baldwin to the other actors on the show telling them "she says hi;" all three responded back with a greeting throughout the rest of the session. When asked about pranks taking place on the set both panelists clammed up and "blanked" on remembering any stories of the such; the audience had a hard time discerning if they were serious or trying to hide their guilt. Baldwin did add that he has a little feud with supporting cast member, Vic Sahay, who plays Lester on the show, "he likes to wrestle, specifically wrestle with me." An appearance of Adam Baldwin at a fan event would not be complete without a serenading of the actor with a loud rendition of the "Hero of Canton" song from Firefly to which the whole audience, and at one point even Baldwin, joined in to sing.
The exhibit hall floor was full throughout the day as attendees grabbed up those last minutes deals and found their must have items. Vendors throughout the room had specials and discounts for the last day. Cosplayers also filled the room, taking one last chance to show off their great costumes. Although not the capacity of the previous two days, Sunday's crowd was just as excited to be at Phoenix Comic Con.
For four days, Phoenix Comiccon filled (and sometimes overfilled) the convention center in Downtown Phoenix. Zombies took to the streets to claim their space in the world. Geeks dressed up and supported a good cause to great music at the first Geek Prom. Comic book and anime talents, celebrities, and experts shared their time with some of their biggest fans. Phoenix Comicon 2011 may be over, but everyone was already talking about Phoenix Comicon 2012!
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