Anything that I write this week will ultimately prove miniscule and severely unimportant in the wake of the Aurora, CO tragedy. While it’s an unfortunate truth that lives are senselessly lost every day for reasons that defy any and all logic, the fact that this particular incident took place in an atmosphere so many us of cherish and during an event that was so genuinely anticipated has made this all too familiar story one that really hits home. All of this said, I’ll refrain from pretending to know or understand the first thing about what the victims of the shooting are going through. Instead, I’ll just offer my sincerest condolences to all those involved.

In an impossible segue, this week’s Top 5 is headlined by The Dark Knight Rises while also shining our weekly spotlight on The Punisher‘s new short film Dirty Laundry, the first poster and new trailer for Paul Thomas Anderson‘s The Master, Joss Whedon taking out a giant one-eyed monster in the 5-year-old inspired short film Scary Smash, and an ode to our nearly infinite supply of Comic-Con 2012 coverage. A link and brief recap for each rests after the jump.

ABC’s freshman series Once Upon a Time came to Comic-Con as TV’s highest rated new drama and entertained their growing fan base.  The presentation opened up with an extended sequence of the title cards used over the last season, each of which features a nod to which character or fairy tale will be featured in that episode.  The panel, which included creators Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, also talked about characters and storylines in the upcoming second season.  Stars attending included Jennifer Morrison, Josh Dallas, Ginnifer Goodwin, Lana Parilla, Meghan Ory and Emilie de Ravin. Hit the jump for the full panel recap and be sure to click here for all of our continuing coverage of Comic-Con.

The cast of Futurama definitely wins the non-existent Comic-Con award for fan appreciation and involvement.  The panelists not only revealed a look at an upcoming episode, but treated the audience to a drawing contest between creator Matt Groening and director Steven Sandoval.  They even rewarded the fans in the audience who were dressed as Futurama characters by handing out swag and signed drawings by Groening himself.  Panelists also included Lauren Tom, Maurice LaMarche, Billy West, John DiMaggio and writers Patrick Verrone and David X. Cohen. Hit the jump for my full panel recap and be sure to keep up with all of our continuing Comic-Con coverage here.

Now entering their 25^th year, The Simpsons entertained fans at Comic-Con in a panel that included Matt Groening, Yeardley Smith and Al Jean, moderated by David Mirkin. As a long time Simpsons fan who has lost interest in recent years, it was nice to see that the jokes still land as the cast and creative team premiered an upcoming Halloween episode and the full release of the short, The Longest Daycare.  Hit the jump for more on The Simpsons panel and be sure to follow along with all of our continuing Comic-Con coverage.

Arrow is one of the most highly anticipated comic adaptations to hit the small screen in quite some time. Fans of Smallville expecting Justin Hartley to walk easily onto the new series were surprised to find a stranger in their midst. From co-starring roles as a prostitute on Hung to a firefighter on Private Practice, Stephen Amell takes on the role of the Green Arrow, Oliver Queen, and Katie Cassidy comes off a long line of less than savory characters to play the sweet girl that got away, Dinah “Laurel” Lance. Find out what they had to say about the show and their characters after the jump.

Roger Corman, known for producing over 400 movies over the span of 60 years, most of them schlocky B movies and creature features, was at Comic-Con schilling his new 3D film for Epix, Attack of the 50 Foot Cheerleader. If you like Corman, boobs and 3D, this is the film for you.  To find about Corman’s experience in producing Cheerleader, tops vs topless, and movies with messages, keep reading after the jump.

M. Night Shyamalan is not a popular director right now, as evidenced by the boos as soon as his name appeared on screen, but the world writer Gary Whitta (The Book of Eli) is building in After Earth might be enough to overcome that.  In Room 6A today a lively panel ensued discussing the film and the heights they hope to reach.  While sometimes they like to usher out big names for these panels, this was strictly the creative talent.  Joining Whitta on stage was cinematographer Peter Suschitzky and writers Robert Greenberger and Michael Freedman.  Also on stage was author and After Earth bible co-creator Peter David and Dynamite comic book illustrator Beni Lobel.  While what was shown might not convince someone, it was enough to shift my interest level to elevated.  Hit the jump to find out more about the reveals and all the work the crew did to give us a fully realized story that isn’t written on the fly.

Executive Producers Jennifer Levin (Felicity) and Sherri Cooper (Brothers and Sisters) sat down with us today at a roundtable interview to talk about CBS Television Studios’ exciting new fall series, Beauty and the Beast, starring Kristin Kreuk as tough NYPD detective Catherine Chandler and Jay Ryan as Vincent Keller, a former Afghanistan veteran with a terrifying secret.  The highly anticipated series is a modern-day reimagining of the 1980’s cult classic CBS television show and will premiere on the CW on October 11^th.

The producing duo told us how they set about developing the series for a new generation inspired by an idea that came from new entertainment chief, Mark Pedowitz.  They explained how they were drawn to the concept of a modern day Beast with a bad boy image, why Kreuk was always their first choice for the role of Catherine Chandler, and how Ryan’s character will only get ‘beastier’ as the story advances and more triggers are revealed.  They also discussed the challenges of striking a balance with a female lead who is a very capable detective but struggles with accepting someone who wants to protect them and why they believe the classic story still resonates today because it’s timeless and deals with forbidden love and yearning.  Check out our recap of the Beauty and the Beast panel and hit the jump for the interview.

Returning to Comic-Con for a big Hall H presentation, with its August 3^rd theatrical release imminent, Total Recall is now finished and ready for audiences, and the fans were able to get a good idea of what to expect when it hits the big screen. The film is about a factory worker, named Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell), who begins to suspect that he is a spy after a visit to Rekall – a company that provides its clients with implanted fake memories of a life they would like to have led – goes wrong and he finds himself on the run.

During a press conference with director Len Wiseman and actors Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel and Bryan Cranston, they spoke about how they decided what to keep from the original, identifying with such over-the-top material, what excited them about the script, Cranston’s horrible case of pink eye in both eyes (that had to later be digitally removed from the film), the theme of paranoia about the invasion of technology in our society, building a futuristic world, and whether the sci-fi genre still has a lower level of respect than other genres. Jessica Biel also said that it’s still a bit too early to say that she’s signed on as Viper for the Wolverine film. Check out what they had to say after the jump.  Also, check out our recap of the Total Recall panel.

Today at Comic-Con, Kristin Kreuk and Jay Ryan, the stars of CBS Television Studios’ highly-anticipated fall series, Beauty and the Beast, sat down with us for roundtable interviews. The new CW fall series is a re-imagining of the classic fairy tale loosely based on the late 1980’s cult-classic CBS television show that was a romantic love story with a procedural twist. This modern-day take centers on Catherine Chandler (Kreuk), a tough-minded NYPD homicide detective haunted by a tragic past, and the mysterious beast, Vincent Keller (Ryan), she discovers played a role in it and now leads a secret life in hiding.

Kreuk and Ryan told us about the challenges of telling a story that’s romantic and mysterious set in a high-tech age of Google, Facebook and Twitter, how the backstory for this updated version of Beauty and the Beast is more focused on the Beast’s humanity and his internal struggle with noble versus savage behavior, and why it’s exciting to bring a new Beauty and the Beast to a younger audience. They also discussed the extensive make-up required for the role of the Beast and what’s in store for his transformation as the series continues. Check out our recap of the Beauty and the Beast panel and hit the jump for the interview.

While at Comic-Con for a big presentation in Hall H, writer/director Rian Johnson (Brick), along with co-stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Emily Blunt, spoke to the press at a conference for their highly anticipated sci-fi film Looper. In 2072, when the mob wants to get rid of someone, the target is sent 30 years into the past, where a hired gun, such as Joe (Gordon-Levitt), waits to take them out. But, when Joe’s future self (Bruce Willis) is sent back in time as an assignment, he decides to let him go.

During this interview, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emily Blunt and Rian Johnson talked about layering the performance between Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis, the complex themes of the film, finding great female characters, and what’s so appealing about the action genre. Gordon-Levitt also talked about his new-found appreciation for how difficult it is to direct a film (he just finished his first feature as a director, called Don Jon’s Addiction), how grateful he is that filmmakers gave him a chance when Third Rock From the Sun ended its TV run, and how everyone reacted when they saw him with the prosthetics he wore to transform into Bruce Willis. Check out what they had to say after the jump.  Also, check out our recap of the Looper Comic-Con panel.

Saturday’s Hall H panel for Marvel at Comic-Con was billed as Iron Man 3, but from previous experience we all knew to expect more goodies from Marvel Studios than just IM3.  We were right, as the studio announced full, intriguing titles for Thor 2 and Captain America 2, confirmed Guardians of the Galaxy (including which characters will appear), and revealed test footage for Ant-Man with a surprise appearance by Edgar Wright.

Hit the jump for my full recap of this “update” portion of the Marvel panel. [Update: We've updated the article with concept art for the Guardians of the Galaxy movie as well as logos for all the upcoming Marvel films]

Today at Comic-Con, Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu sat down with us at a roundtable interview to discuss their starring roles in the upcoming new CBS television series, Elementary, which premieres this fall on CBS. In this latest re-imagining of the classic story, the legendary characters get a contemporary update cracking cases in present-day New York City. Miller plays the brilliant investigator fresh out of rehab and Liu plays his sober companion, Dr. Joan Watson, whose job is to ensure that he maintains his newfound sobriety. Together, Sherlock’s unique detective skills and Watson’s medical expertise form a formidable force capable of solving the NYPD’s most impossible cases.

Miller and Liu told us what attracted them to the project when they first read the pilot, why they think audiences will identify with the characters and some of the dark and edgy issues the series tackles, why Robert Doherty’s writing makes it easy to play the intelligent master detective, and why they think the network is taking a big risk with the characters. Miller also discussed his experience starring opposite Benedict Cumberbatch in the world premiere of Frankenstein, a new play based on Mary Shelley’s classic story, presented at London’s National Theatre under the direction of Danny Boyle.  Hit the jump for the interview.

Special features are a highlight of buying a home video these days for myself and many others.  Sometimes it can make the purchase worthy of the monetary value itself.  You can read as much as you want, but nothing compares to a visual medium explaining, showing, and telling you about a favorite film or television show.  Earlier today at Comic-Con I had the pleasure of sitting in during a special feature discussion in Room 5AB.  The panel began with moderator Bill Hunt introducing his compatriots at Digital Bits, Todd Doogan and Dr. Adam Jahnke.  He also went down the panel further, introducing Charles de Lauzirika (Prometheus, The Amazing Spider-Man), Cliff Stephenson (The Hunger Games), Robert Meyer Burnett (Star Trek: The Next Generation-Seasons One and Two), and Warner Home Video’s former senior VP of theatrical catalog marketing and current head of digital distribution, George Feltenstein.  Legal battles, film restoration, and the struggles to turn around a DVD and Blu-ray with special features already included before a film even hits theaters were among the topics discussed.  Hit the jump for more.

The Gallagher family isn’t necessarily a traditional one.  It’s laced with sex, drugs and felonies.  At the heart, though, there is love.  Well, some of the time anyway.  As they approach season three, the cast—William H. Macy (Frank Gallagher), Emmy Rossum (Fiona Gallagher), Justin Chatwin (Steve/Jimmy), Jeremy Allen White (Lip Gallagher), Cameron Monaghan (Ian Gallagher)— presented at Comic Con and Mike O’Malley (who acts on Glee and writes on Shameless) moderated the panel.  Hit the jump for a bullet point recap.