"Enthusiastic" doesn’t come close to describing the crowd’s reaction to writer-producer Bryan Fuller’s new series for ABC, "Pushing Daisies," the pilot of which screened in full Saturday morning at Comic-Con. Although one of its stars, Kristin Chenoweth, dominated the fan Q&A (through no fault of her own, unless you count her talent), it was a big lovefest across the board. Anna Friel got in on the act, too, laying a big wet one on co-star Lee Pace, who was taken aback.
But first some backstory on the series, which went into production Thursday and debuts in the fall. "Pushing Daisies" centers on Ned (Pace), who discovers in his childhood that he has the power to bring dead things back to life. Years later, he has the opportunity to resurrect his childhood friend Chuck (Friel) after she is murdered, and having done so, he’s now forbidden to touch her again lest she be 86′ed all over again. It’s a tricky superpower. Friel and Pace have great chemistry, and their characters’ problematic relationship might best be described as aww-inspiring. Several times throughout the pilot, girls could be heard going "aww" when the two would find workarounds to not being able to hug, kiss or hold hands. So when one girl asked how their relationship is on the set, specifically whether Friel is a Method actor, Friel responded by kissing Pace — and the crowd went wild.
Co-star Chi McBride had some tough love for an audience member who asked a convoluted question about the "palindromic" nature of Fuller’s writing in the pilot episode. "I know this is Comic-Con, but break it down," McBride said, to raucous laughter.
Chenoweth, pictured, who had a handful of people in a row declaring their love for her, at one point sultrily pulled her top open to show one fan (well, it was meant for him but seen by 1,000 others) some cleavage. Then when he asked his question — about whether she would be a regular on the series — she turned to Barry Sonnenfeld to her left and did the same in his direction. "I’m pretty sure that just by showing the director that, I’ll be in the show," she said.
There is good news for Chenoweth’s fans: Fuller said a musical episode with this cast (which also includes Ellen Greene and Swoosie Kurtz) is "inevitable" and that he’ll find ways to get Chenoweth, who plays Ned’s neighbor and a waitress in his pie shop, to use those Tony-winning pipes. (Karen Nicoletti)

In addition to a Mediterranean feast at the "300" DVD party Friday night at Petco Park, organizers also gave attendees a feast for the eyes as a dozen guys dressed as Spartans and a few women who appeared to be the Spartan equivalent of pole dancers entertained guests. Among those guests were David Arquette, Paul Reubens and pretty much the whole cast of "Blade Runner" that had been on hand earlier in the day at the Warner Bros. Home Video panel. Hours into the party, I happened to pass by Sean Young — sporting a kicky coif and bright red lipstick — right as she approached Frank Miller with a smile, stuck her hand out and said, "Hi, I’m Sean." (Karen Nicoletti)

Danny Bonaduce stood in line like everyone else just to ask the cast of “Heroes” a question. That’s how big the show is.
I’ve been camped out in Ballroom 20 all day here at Comic-Con, though not necessarily by choice. Today at 12:45, the “Heroes” panel convened, and convention attendees were lined up hours beforehand and willing to sit through panels for NBC’s upcoming “Bionic Woman” and a TV Guide-sponsored panel about stars of popular sci-fi TV shows. With the end of each successive panel, fewer people were vacating the ballroom; by the time the “Heroes” presentation was ready, almost no one was willing to leave their seats for fear of losing them during the 15-minute intermission. The lights dimmed and the giant twin screens flanking the stage aired promos for the upcoming DVD release of “Heroes” Season 1, making fans even more anxious.
And then exec producer and writer Jeph Loeb took the stage, and the crowd started cheering and barely stopped. The excitement in the hall was palpable and far outweighed the vibe most attendees felt during some of the larger studio panels. Hands-down, “Heroes” was the biggest draw at Comic-Con.
Loeb introduced the series’ stars one at a time, and they strolled out to the most enthusiastic cheers of any event here. Fans were bouncing in their seats and snapping photos constantly as Masi Oka, Greg Grunberg, Adrian Pasdar, Ali Larter, Zachary Quinto, Hayden Panettiere, Milo Ventimiglia, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Noah Gray-Cabey, Jack Coleman and creator/producer Tim Kring bounded out from backstage and took their chairs. They barely had time to go down the line and just say hi without the crowd exploding all over again in the paroxysms of joy that seem to seize sci-fi and fantasy fans whenever they convene like this. The cast was also happy to be there, freely joking about the show while expressing their gratitude to the crowd. “Thank you guys for making this show such a hit,” Grunberg said.

Neil Gaiman may have conquered Comic-Con, but he’s still trying to figure out Hollywood out. The comics legend, creator of many great books from “Sandman” to “Stardust” — the film adaptation of “Stardust” hits theaters Aug. 10 — was on hand for a solo chat with fans Friday afternoon and described his experience in Hollywood as a bit tumultuous. In summary, it goes like this: Wanting to adapt “Death” for the big screen has taken him from Warner Bros. Pictures to New Line Cinema to Warner Independent Pictures and, most recently, to Picturehouse, where he’s been in talks with Bob Berney — as well as to Budapest, where for two weeks he got up close and personal with the “Hellboy 2″ shoot courtesy of Guillermo del Toro, who’s planning to take a producing role with the “Death” adaptation.
Saying he’s “rubbish at knowing what’s going to happen” as his books move from page to screen, Gaiman said it was the trip to the “Hellboy” set that really got him on track. (This after several recastings of the “Death” script to suit the various interested studios’ needs.) He told del Toro on the set that he gave him confidence: “I feel like Dumbo, and you’re my magic feather.” Gaiman said his friend’s response was, “Neil, I’m enormous. I’m your magic Dumbo.”

In the Gaslamp Quarter on Friday, a chalk artist fills in a drawing of the monster Grendel from “Beowulf” for the upcoming movie’s “anti-Grendel” campaign. (Karen Nicoletti)

Who said Comic-Con was about comics? It’s more of a convention for waiting-in-line enthusiasts. Take the line currently circling Ballroom 20 for the 12:45 "Heroes" panel. It started forming around 9 a.m., and two hours later, it’s seemingly snaking all the way through the second floor, past every other meeting room. Given the amount of people clamoring to see any new "Heroes" developments today, the panel might have been better suited for the larger Hall H, or Petco Park, for that matter.
With the streamlined though sometimes aggravating entrance/exit procedures in place this year, the lesson learned is that it’s essential to be skilled in knowing what time to show up for a line and have the fortitude to endure the wait. But in some cases, attendees will hold fort in a certain room for hours before a panel they really want to see.
The willpower involved should come as no surprise; it’s really just echoes of those long, communal waits for the "Star Wars" films and "Harry Potter" books. And even in this setting, the devoted fans will find things to occupy them, like getting their photo taken with a passing Storm Trooper or making bets on whether they’ll make it to their destination at all. (Karen Nicoletti)

I ran into former “Veronica Mars” star Jason Dohring, who seemed a bit aimless on the second floor, and just as I passed him, a boy in front of me tugged on his mom’s shirt, saying, “Mom, it’s that guy. It’s that guy.” Finally he said, “It’s Wolverine!” The crowd parted, and sure enough, there stood a guy dressed in the distinctive yellow-and-blue Wolverine garb. I guess this kid was a little young for “Veronica’s” target demo, but I was disappointed that he wasn’t in fact recognizing Dohring, who played Logan Echolls in the teen spy series.
Dohring is at the Con to promote the new fall series “Moonlight,” on which he plays the oldest vampire of the cast. Shooting on the first episode has just begun: Sophia Myles said the cast was filming until 6 this morning. At the presentation, an introductory “Interview With the Vampire” pseudo-docu screened to a bunch of — take that, Wolverine — very enthusiastic Dohring fans, who were yelling “Dohring” even before the panel had been assembled. Stars Alex O’Loughlin — who also had many a female fan hooting and hollering — Myles, Brian J. White and Shannyn Sossamon as well as executive producer Joel Silver also talked up the sarcastic vampire series, which will air on Fridays after “Ghost Whisperer” on CBS.
Answering one of the many questions about Dohring (about how he came to be cast in the series), Silver explained: “I wanted to find a way to keep Logan in my life.” (Karen Nicoletti)

“It was a bitch.” That was the kicker on the clip of the 3 1/2-hour making-of documentary “Dangerous Days” (as spoken by “Blade Runner” star Harrison Ford) that Warner Bros. Home Video brought to Comic-Con. Sounds like making the boxed set comprising “Blade Runner: The Final Cut” could be described that way, too, as the DVD’s producer, Charles de Lauzirika,” said he went through 977 cans and boxes of film to bring this alternate version to fruition.
On the five discs will be five versions of the film, including the Internet fave “work print,” 47 minutes of deleted scenes and, of course, the “final” movie as envisioned by Scott. (The final cut is set for a limited theatrical release Oct. 5 in Los Angeles and New York.) De Lauzirika also pointed out that instead of using scenes from the original movie in “Dangerous Days,” clips rescued from the cutting-room floor will flesh it out.
Scott, pictured, was on hand to show a few teasers for the massive DVD undertaking. While he said he would never dream of using new FX technology to improve upon the original film, he didn’t necessarily disparage those who have done so (George Lucas was who the questioner referenced).
Also revealed: A soundtrack release is in the works, and Scott said he’s still pursuing the adaptation of another Philip K. Dick book, “The Man in the High Castle.” Asked if a “Blade Runner” sequel is in the works, Scott said no but that there’s clearly “a story in the sequel,” keyed by the Edward James Olmos line “Pity she won’t live.” To that, replicant Sean Young, sitting all the way at the other end of the table, exclaimed, “Great, that means I’m going to be in it!” (Karen Nicoletti)