G4 cancels Attack of the Show, internet shrugs

While I can’t I was ever much impressed with Attack of the Show after the horrific, embarrassing mess Kevin Pereira and Olivia Munn made of the SDCC Star Wars Spectacular back in 2009, but the news that G4 is canceling the show has made some minor waves in geekdom. Gaming program X-Play is also getting the axe as G4 looks to move into “a more upscale, sophisticated guy TV space.” Uh-huh.

Between them, the two shows helped defined the G4 network as one of the few places on TV regularly highlighting ‘mainstream’ geekdom. However, as The Mary Sue’s Jill Pantozzi points out, that void is already being filled online by people like Felicia Day and Chris Hardwick. Perhaps we’re all better served that way.

SDCC ’09: Continuing coverage of Muggs, stormtroopers, and roller-skating mechanical chickens

Robot Chick Skate Party / starwarsblog @ Flickr / Photo by David IskraNow that everyone’s settled back home and able to blog more easily, we’re starting to see a few more con reports. StarWars.com has recaps of The Empire Muggs Back and the Robot Chicken Skate party (which is now moving on to L.A.,) while Rebelscum posted a gallery of Sideshow’s customized stormtroopers. Meanwhile, Atom.com has recruited G4 hostess Olivia Munn to help with their Fan Movie Challenge. We can only pray that mullet-play is optional.

In EUish news, the Scribe Awards were also given out at the con, and Karen Miller’s The Clone Wars: Wild Space did not take the Best Novel – Adapted prize under Speculative Fiction. It went to an actual adaptation, Bob Greenberger’s novelization of Hellboy: The Golden Army. However, James’s Rollins novelization of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull did take the Adapted prize in the category of General Fiction. (How are aliens general fiction, again?) Congrats to Rollins and condolences to Miller, in any case.

Start planning for San Diego Comic Con!

Because we have a Star Wars schedule. The Clone Wars, The Old Republic and the Fate of the Jedi (with all three authors!) panels are all on Friday. And so is the Star Wars Spectacular, which basically means that all the ‘breaking news’ from it will already be public by the time it’s shown on G4. Nice, by which I mean something unprintable.

Comic-Con Star Wars Spectacular: George Lucas answering questions?

As previously discussed and dissected for hints, this year’s Star Wars Spectacular panel at Comic-Con was going to be hosted by G4’s “Attack of the Show” crew: Kevin Pereira, Olivia Munn, and Blair Butler, and the panel will be broadcast live on G4 on Friday, July 24. The panel will include a live read of a new “The Clone Wars” script by the voice talent.

The announcement on starwars.com came with the opportunity for fans to submit videos to G4 to be shown during the presentation, either telling fan stories, or asking questions about The Clone Wars to the show’s creators, like Dave Filoni.

Word from someone working for G4 is that George Lucas may be answering some of the fans’ questions submitted by video – via pre-recorded video of his own.

So get those questions in, submitted through the G4 site. Key things to note for submitting videos: < 90 seconds long, < 150 MB, and use a white background!

It’s nearly time for San Diego Comic Con…

'Strike a pose with Jabba' by kbaird @ FlickrSo the big SDCC news is of course that G4 will be airing Steve Sansweet’s Star Wars Spectacular panel. Good news for those of us geeks who will actually watch it! Now: Make this a trend. Free the cons! Some are worried that G4 will try to sleaze it up, but quite honestly… I can deal, because I’m about 90% sure we’re going to finally get a Celebration V announcement out of this thing.

  • It seems there are still Fan Club Breakfast tickets, if you’re up to being out and about at 7am on a Friday.
  • Nerf Herders Anonymous has a list of Star Wars guests attending the con. It’s mostly Clone Wars people, but hey, Mark Hamill. There are also at least a few authors attending.

(SDCC ’08 pic by kbaird @ Flickr)