San Diego Charging.

Looks like the biggest Con in the world is back on...and back in July, where it belongs. (Thanksgiving. Are you fucking serious?) Anyway...

Thursday

Rhapsody PR's 14th Annual Behind-the-Music Panel - 10:00am - Room 25ABC - Okay, so the panelists are mainly TV composers and Media Ventures graduates. Still, there are worse ways to start the Con.

8th Musical Anatomy of a Superhero: Film and TV Composer Panel - 11:00am - Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront - The second of the Con's three film music panels, breaking down the way to score heroes with a number of up-and-coming ladies and a couple of guys named Chris.

Ship-It Show Live with Tara Strong and Greg Cipes - 12:00pm - Ballroom 20 - Huh. I didn't even know they had a podcast. Maybe, she mentioned it in her Twitter feed, but I can't recall.

Animated Lives: John Musker and Ron Clements - 1:30pm - Room 10 - Together, they've put out an impressive array of animated features. Here's hoping that 2D isn't entirely gone. I'm sure they have one more masterpiece in them.

1982: Greatest Geek Year Ever First Look - 3:00pm - Room 5AB - I want to see this documentary, even with the small number of major movies from this year I've watched.

Animation Story Editors: What Do They Do? - 6:00pm - Room 9 - From the sounds of things, they do it all: hiring writers, approving storyboards, some light voice directing. No windows, though. 

Jaws: the Trial - 7:00pm - Grand 12 and 13, Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina - Peep this: "The Town of Amity is being sued by the families of shark attack victims! Was it right for Mayor Vaughn to keep the beaches open after the death of Chrissie Watkins? Was the medical examiner right to change Watkins’s cause of death to a boating accident?" Perhaps one of the most inventive-sounding panels of this year’s Con. I just hope the execution is up to snuff.

The 25th Annual San Diego Comic-Con Superhero Kung Fu Extravaganza - 8:00pm - Room 6A - Action scenes from all over the world. I am so in.

Friday

The Black Panel - 10:00am - Room 5AB - Where can we go from here and will it be worth the trip?

The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder - 1:00pm - Room 6A - I really should get around to watching this, huh?

Horror and the Inevitable Remake - 2:00pm - Neil Morgan Auditorium, San Diego Central Library - Based on Nothing New: A Remake Podcast, this panel explores the potential in delivering another go-round of a scary story.

Bob's Burgers - 3:00pm - Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront - I liked the movie and I really hope the show isn’t in danger of getting stale. 12 seasons is a lot, after all.

You're Wrong, Leonard Maltin - 4:00pm - Room 23ABC - The idea of defending something that he disparaged in his Movie and Video Guide is a fascinating one. 

Saturday

A Look Back at Animated Series from the 80s - 10:00am - Room 9 - Okay, so the major networks don't air cartoons on Saturday mornings anymore (schmucks!), but the writers behind a lot of these shows will no doubt provide some fascinating background info.

The Character of Music - 11:30am - Room 5AB - One can't help but think the blurb may be overselling this a tad. 'Lush adventurous soundscapes'? 'Emotional character themes'? I don't mean to be cynical, but are we talking about modern film music?

Spotlight on J. Michael Straczynski - 1:00pm - Room 7AB - Kind of a continuation of 'A Look Back at Animated Series' given his cartoon work, but he's been all over the map. Who wouldn't want to follow?

The Orville (3:00pm - Ballroom 20) - I really ought to get back into watching this. I've been hearing so much about the new season.

Spotlight on Phil LaMarr - 4:00pm - Room 23ABC - Been a fan of his ever since "Mad TV". It'd be so cool to hear his stories.

Becoming a Writer - 6:00pm - Room 11 - Not quite a spotlight as a Q&A session with J. Michael Straczynski on how to break in to writing.

Sunday 

I Hear Voices w/ Will Friedle and Christy Carlson Romano - 10:15am - Room 6BCF - Apparently, this is a podcast that the two of them have started and while I'm still not crazy about Ron's higher voice, the reunion episode with John DiMaggio and Nicole Sullivan was delightful.

Cartoon Voices 2 - 11:45am - Room 6A - Because why wouldn't I?

Starship Smackdown XXXVI: Battle of the Network Starships in the Multiverse of Madness - 2:45pm - Room 6A - I likely could care less about the subject itself, but the collection of guests (most of whom participated in the various 'Best Movie Year Ever' panels of the past) makes it a must-see.

And I must mention the B-team schedule of events:

Thur
Legends Talk Animation (2:30pm - Room 10) - A pair of veteran animators - based at Disney mainly - share stories from their careers. 
Fifty Years of Funny: The Cartooning Career of Scott Shaw! (3:30pm - Room 10) - Even as a child watching "Muppet Babies", it's hard not to notice a name with an exclamation point. Maybe, I'd get to find out what it means.
Making Magic: From Script to Screen in 2022 (7:00pm - Room 23ABC) - The truth about adapting a piece of literature or comic book into a movie. 
Battle Brackets: Best Pop Culture Pets (8:00pm - Room 28DE) - As everyone knows, the best pop culture pet is Tenchi Muyo's Ryo-Ohki. A combination of a cat and a rabbit that can turn into a spaceship. Anyone who chooses anything else is dead to me.
Psychology of Cult TV Shows: How to Cope with Loneliness Through Pop Culture (8:00pm - Room 25ABC) - Finding a sense of belonging and refuge in TV shows. Why else do people watch television?

Fri
Intro to TV Writing: From First Draft to Getting Staffed (10:00am - Room 4) - I've worked on a spec for an original series last year. Maybe, there's a way to break in.
The Multiverse of David Dastmalchian (3:30pm - Room 5AB) - His scene-stealing turns in The Suicide Squad and the Ant-Man duology could not have prepared me for his article in Fangoria (#11). Wow. I just know he'll have some interesting stories.

Sat
Inside the Writers' Room: Zooming Back to the Room (10:00am - Room 24ABC) - Various showrunners dish about how the sausage is made...but I don't watch as much television now as I did then...at least, nothing I can point to as appointment television.
Cartoon Voices 1 (1:00pm - Room 6BCF) - Fun fact: this was initially on the first string schedule, but then I changed my mind; one of these panels should be enough, right?
Mobile Filmmaking: How to Make a Movie Using a Smartphone (1:45pm - Grand 6, Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina) - I've had an iPhone for the last three years. Clearly, there's much that I need to learn.
Live Celebrity Game Show: Nerdy Match Game (6:30pm - Room 5AB) - First, there's no way in Hell I'm typing out that long-ass acronym. Second, this sounds like a neat twist on a classic.
Back with a Vengeance: Chucky (6:45pm - Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront) - Once I was past my initial issues (annoying characters, Brad Dourif's noticeably older voice), this was something of a blast. I'm definitely awaiting season two, especially with some of its promised guest stars.

Sun
Disney Classics Retold with a Twist (1:00pm - Room 24ABC) - A series of novels that pick up where the studio's animated movies leave off. Hands up: who'd like to see these on screen instead of remakes?
What We Do in the Shadows Exclusive Screening and Q&A (1:15pm - Hall H) - By Sunday, it may just be easier to get in than during the rest of the Con, which is just as well. I would brave most anything to watch this show.

Now, I may or may not be using SDCC as a canary to consider going back to Fan Expo Canada next month, but only time will tell.