MovieMantz Rantz: Revenge Of The Nerd (July 24, 2006)

I’m sure you’ve noticed that there’s a common formula to be found in the stories we do on Access Hollywood. Sure, we cover red carpet premieres, awards shows, set visits to films and TV shows and backstage coverage of today’s top music acts. But beyond that, our coverage of the entertainment business basically comes down to who’s wearing what, who’s getting married, who’s getting divorced, who’s having a kid and who’s getting married to someone else’s kid (and what they’re wearing to the wedding).

Of course that’s fun stuff, and viewers seem to be genuinely interested in that sort of thing. But for a die-hard movie, sci-fi and comic book fan like myself, there are times when I feel like a man without a country.

That is, until now. This past weekend, more than 100,000 people from around the world converged on San Diego for the annual Comic-Con International – the largest comic book, science fiction and pop cultural convention in the world.

What started off in 1970 with just 300 people has ballooned to massive proportions, which is why Comic-Con is not just for comic book fans anymore. They’re for movie buffs too, which is why all the major Hollywood studios trot down to San Diego every year with exclusive footage from their upcoming films – and maybe even a few of their A-list stars.

This year was no exception. Two-time Academy Award-winner Hilary Swank traded in her Oscar dress for more casual attire to promote ?The Reaping,? her upcoming supernatural thriller for Warner Bros. Eva Mendes and Nicolas Cage (a notorious comic book fan himself) were brought down by Sony to preview footage from ?Ghost Rider,? based on the popular Marvel comic from the 70’s.

But without a doubt, the biggest movie at this year’s event was ?Spider-Man 3.? After the critical and commercial success of 2002’s ?Spider-Man? and its superior sequel, 2004’s ?Spider-Man 2,? Sony brought down the entire cast – including Tobey Maguire, making his first Comic-Con appearance – to preview exclusive footage from the highly anticipated third film, due in theaters on May 4, 2007.

Suddenly this man without a country had a place to call home, which is why I was the go-to guy when the senior producers at Access Hollywood needed someone to cover the event for the show. Sure, the other entertainment outlets sent their own crews, but at least I was a card-carrying nerd who knew what he was talking about. And where the other producers were dressed more professionally, I wore my Spider-Man tee shirt to display my passion.

Most of the interviews took place in closed off banquet rooms that were a far cry from the crowded exhibitors hall, which meant that while I was interviewing Samuel L. Jackson, who was on hand from New Line to promote ?Snakes on a Plane,? I missed a panel that featured the cast and producers of the Sci-Fi Channel’s excellent revival of ?Battlestar Galactica.? But you can’t be in two places at once, and that’s okay – I was just happy to be there, finally putting my knowledge of the genre to good use.

Since we didn’t have much time with the talent, I had to keep my questions short and sweet. Most were about the Comic-Con experience and about the movies they were there to promote, but I was able to appease my fellow producers at the home office by asking ?Spider-Man 3? co-stars Kirsten Dunst and Bryce Dallas Howard about their fashion tips for dressing ?geek chic? at Comic-Con.

But for me, the highlight of my experience was not meeting Tobey Maguire or Kirsten Dunst, but John Romita Sr. – the legendary Marvel Comics artist (pictured above with me) who defined Spider-Man back in the 60’s. After picking up a vintage copy of Amazing Spider-Man #70 from 1969, I waited in line for almost 2 hours for him to sign the cover. And about 20 minutes later, Spider-Man co-creator Stan Lee added his signature to Romita’s, making this old comic book the new prized possession of my collection.

So after 2 exhausting days of running all over the San Diego Convention Center, I drove back to the Access Hollywood offices in Burbank to drop off my tapes and rest up for what was bound to be a very busy Monday morning.

After all, I’m sure someone got married over the weekend.