I got in line for Ballroom 20 at 6:30am today.  I was early enough to be twenty minutes late to the first panel, because Firefly fans are crazy.  They camped out en masse for the Firefly 10-year reunion—the third panel of the day—and effectively throttled the line for fans of any other properties.  For a show that was cancelled after one shortened season a decade ago, the Firefly crew—Joss Whedon, Nathan Fillion, Adam Baldwin, Alan Tudyk, Sean Maher, Summer Glau, writer Jose Molina and producer Tim Minear—sure does draw a crowd.  Could it possibly live up to the Comic-Con hype?  Hit the jump for the panel recap.

That’s right, it’s time for a resurrection. Or at least a celebration — first-time San Diego convention goers the Science Channel will be hosting a special 10-year anniversary panel for Joss Whedon‘s short-lived cult show Firefly. Serenity’s captain and crew will all be in attendance, from Nathan Fillion to Alan Tudyk, Adam Baldwin, Sean Maher, Michael Fairman and more. Whedon and his fellow executive producer and writer Tim Minear are also scheduled for the panel (occurring on Friday the 13th).

Additionally, the network promises never-before-seen footage, along with what is being billed as “numerous buzz-worthy surprises.” For more on the Firefly panel as well as Science’s other contributions to this year’s Comic-Con, hit the jump.

So, after two weeks of talking about it, I finally caught Steven Soderbergh‘s Haywire. My thoughts? I was satisfied. Not blown away. Not shaking my head in disappointment. Satisfied. Soderbergh’s fight scenes were as beautifully executed as can be reasonably expected. In my opinion, though, there just weren’t enough of them. David Holmes’ score was fantastic when set behind said fight/chase/action sequences so, by default, there just wasn’t enough of it. The same could be said for much of the ensemble cast. In large part, their screen time was time well served. There just wasn’t enough of it to go around. So, do I recommend Haywire? Sure. As long as you go in with the expectation of seeing a slick action/thriller that is somewhat light on action and thrills. Now, onto business…

…After the jump, you’ll find that this week’s “Top 5″ is comprised of the 2012 Oscar nominations, interviews from our Chuck series finale set visit, a number of interviews for both The Grey and Man on a Ledge, and an ode to all of our 2012 Sundance coverage. A quick recap and link to each follows.

With the two-hour series finale of Chuck airing this week, we can finally reveal that we were on set for the filming of that last episode, where we got to interview the cast and creative team about their experiences. While everyone was clearly proud of their work and time on the show, it was also obvious that they were sad to see it go.

During the interview with co-stars Yvonne Strahovski and Adam Baldwin, they talked about how what is happening between Chuck (Zachary Levi) and Sarah (Strahovski) in the finale is going to weigh heavy on people’s hearts, how they’ve done some really gross and inappropriate behind-the-scenes pranks, how hilarious the teaming of Casey (Baldwin) and Morgan (Joshua Gomez) has been, and how they’ll be leaving with a lot of memories. Check out what they had to say after the jump, and be aware that there might be some spoilers:

Today’s Amazon Gold Box Deal of the Day is Joss Whedon‘s Firefly – The Complete Series on either DVD or Blu-ray for 70% off.  If you’ve only heard the buzz on this great show, today is your best chance to check it out for a fraction of its regular price.  Here’s the links and hit the jump for the list of special features.  Firefly starred Nathan Fillion, Summer Glau, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Alan Tudyk, Adam Baldwin, Jewel Staite, Sean Maher and Ron Glass.

• Firefly – The Complete Seried DVD
• Firefly – The Complete Series [Blu-ray]

With the approach of Chuck’s fifth and final Season, I got a chance to sit down with cast members Zachary Levi, Yvonne Strahovski, Joshua Gomez, Adam Baldwin, Scott Krinsky, Vik Sahay, Ryan McPartlin and co-creator Chris Fedak, and intersect some knowledge to pass along to you.  For instance, the fifth Season will be comprised of 13 episodes with a major guest star in the form of Mark Hamill as a villain, and they’d love for Linda Hamilton to return to the show, depending on her schedule.  Much more after the jump.

Comic Con 2011: Chuck – the little show that could – held its final Comic Con appearance today. The event was bittersweet as the cast reflected on memories of the show past and previewed where the show will be headed during its final year. Creator Chris Fedak promised radical and life-altering changes for Chuck this season. For more from the revealing panel, hit the jump.

After an exciting opener for the fourth season of Chuck, the search for Chuck’s mother has come to a screeching halt almost immediately as the usual mission of the week formula has already taken over, and that’s not a bad thing. This episode has what fans of the action comedy series have come to expect: just some good fun. Never taking itself too seriously, the sex, action and comedy is amped up a bit this week by a supermodel, The Incredible Hulk and The Man Your Man Could Smell Like. Whether you’re just confused or keeping up just the same, hit the jump to get debriefed on Chuck’s latest mission.

After giving up his spy life for his sister’s peace of mind, Chuck Bartowski suddenly found himself caught up in an all-new secret as he discovers that his departed mother had left behind her family because she too was in the secret agent business. Of course Chuck has no other choice but to succeed where his father couldn’t and try to track her down. With the help of his best friend and somewhat spy capable co-worker Morgan Grimes, the two venture around the country only to find themselves back in Los Angeles with an abandoned secret bunker and no new information. Meanwhile, Mrs. Bartowski (guest star Linda Hamilton) watches them through a surveillance system at some unknown (though snowy) location. If this is already too much to handle because you’re not caught up on Chuck, then go no further as the captain has activated the Spoiler Alert sign. Otherwise, continue after the jump!

Though television will never have enough medical, crime and legal dramas, a solid action comedy series is usually pretty hard to come by. But for me, NBC’s Chuck delivers every time and I’m grateful that so many fans of the secret agent comedy series have done their best to save it from cancellation. Sadly, I’m an entire season behind on Chuck due to unforeseen circumstances which kept me from using the life-saving DVR to record every episode. I’ll be catching up as soon as possible before the series returns for its fourth season this fall, but for those of you who aren’t in my shoes, I don’t want to deprive you of hearing the series’ cast and creators talk about the show and tease a little bit of the forthcoming season. After the jump you can check out the entire 23-minute panel (though the teaser for next season isn’t included) featuring series creators and executive producers Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak along with stars Zachary Levi, Yvonne Strahovski, Joshua Gomez, Ryan McPartlin, Mark Christopher Lawrence, Vik Sahay, Scott Krinsky, Sarah Lancaster and Adam Baldwin.  It’s worth watching:

I’ve been on a fair number of conference calls and at most I’ve chuckled occassionally at something the talent has said.  But the conference call I was on with Chuck stars Zachary Levi and Joshua Gomez last week had me laughing throughout (thankfully, you’re on mute until it’s time to ask your question).  The guys are genuinely geeky (there’s a part of the interview where they jokingly explore Super Mario Bros. 2 as if it were the work of C.S. Lewis or J.R.R. Tolkien), have a great rapport, and it’s basically just two friends joking around, but not in a dismissive way about the questions they’re being asked.  I really hope that when you’re reading this, you’ll find the answers as funny as I did when I was listening to them and waiting to ask my question (which is the one at the end).

Hit the jump to hear Mr. Levi and Mr. Gomez discuss the Chuck and Morgan bromance, Zachary’s thoughts on directing his first episode, working with Christopher Lloyd (who will be in an upcoming episode), what kind of episode they would make if they had absolutely no restrictions (spoiler: it would be brilliant), and other delightful topics.

Chuck airs Monday nights at 8/7c on NBC.  Tonight’s episode, “Chuck vs. the Fake Name,” was one of my all-time favorites.

Wouldn’t it be nice to wake up and be a secret agent overnight?  As the titular lead of the television show Chuck, Chuck Bartowski would probably say it’s not so nice, but he’s had his fair share of adventure and lady love.

For those who need a download of information on the series, brace yourselves.  Chuck works for the Nerd Herd department of a Burbank Buy More store, an ode to Best Buy’s Geek Squad (which, by the way, does have a Burbank location).  Chuck had a simple life until he opens an email sent from his former college roommate and the whole of the United States’ secret information gets downloaded directly into his brain.   More after the jump.

With Chuck returning with new episodes on January 10th, NBC has started promoting the show by releasing three clips from the season premiere.  If you’re like me and a huge fan of the show, you’ll enjoy the clips as they showcase Chuck’s new abilities.

*Spoiler Alert* If you missed last season’s finale, it ended with Chuck getting a new version of the intersect that’s fundamentally changed the show.  Now, instead of Chuck helpless against the agents of Fulcrum, he’s going to spend this season as a super spy.  Should be a lot of fun.  Hit the jump for the clips:

Even though it’s only a month away, the January 10th 2-hour premiere for season three of Chuck still feels like an eternity.  To help make eternity feel not as long, NBC has released a six-minute super-preview of Chuck’s third season.  It’s not really spoilerific as it goes more into Chuck’s (Zachary Levi) new powers, how that will change his relationship with Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) and Casey (Adam Baldwin), what happens now that Awesome/Devin (Ryan McPartlin) knows he’s a spy, and a first look at some of the killer new guest stars including Brandon Routh, Kristen Kruek, and Angie Harmon.

Hit the jump to check out the preview.  Chuck returns for its third season on Sunday, January 10th at 9/8c with a two-hour premiere on NBC.

NBC has just announced Chuck will finally return to the airwaves on Sunday, January 10^th with back-to-back original episodes (9-11 p.m. ET) before the series moves to its regular day and time (Mondays 8-9 p.m. ET) beginning January 11.  For fans of the show, this is welcome news, as it’s getting back its original time slot and it’s being paired again with Heroes.

If you aren’t aware, NBC has loaded up this season with tons of guest stars like Angie Harmon (Law & Order), who will play Sydney, an enemy operative; Brandon Routh (Superman Returns), who is set to play CIA Agent Daniel Shaw; Robert Patrick (Terminator 2: Judgment Day) will play Colonel Keller, a soldier and spy from Casey’s past; Kristin Kreuk (Smallville), who will portray Hannah — a potential love interest for Chuck; Armand Assante as dictator Premier Goya, who is the target of an assassin; Steve Austin will portray Hugo Panzer, who becomes entangled in Chuck’s first solo mission; and Vinnie Jones (Snatch) will play Carl Stromberg, an arms dealer.

For more on Chuck, you can watch a preview of the new season after the jump!