Many, many people seated in Ballroom 20 at 11:15 on Friday were simply waiting for the Firefly 10-year reunion panel that was to follow.  But they are missing out.  Avatar: The Last Airbender is America’s entry into the world’s greatest animes, and the sequel series The Legend of Korra proved to be a fine follow-up that may sit right next to Airbender on the submission list.  Make no mistake, though: the Korra fans also came out in droves, and I saw dozens of great-looking Korras in the audience.

The panel featured creators Bryan Konietzko and Mike DiMartino; voice actors Janet Varney (Korra), David Faustino (Mako), P. J. Byrne (Bolin) and Seychelle Gabriel (Asami); producer Joaquim Dos Santos and voice director Andrea Romano.  Hit the jump for a panel recap, including a tease of Book 2: Spirits.  .

Sometimes you get what you want. If you have been a fan of the previous entries in the Final Destination series, the fifth entry is ready to prove that this franchise hasn’t given in to death just yet. A sequel like this one could feel like more of the same, yet the magnificence of going over the top with ridiculous deaths is half of the charm of the series. People are going to die, in a certain order, but the other appeal is that you never know what is going to get them and when. At least, that should be the setup, and that’s exactly what Final Destination 5 gets right. Director Steven Quale and screenwriter Eric Heisserer embrace the inevitability of the deaths, but don’t telegraph the how. Along the way we are treated to two outstanding set pieces, even more deaths, and pleasing use of 3D where it counts. The film plays as more black comedy than horror, but there are cringe worthy moments that don’t involve the gore. Hit the jump for my full review.

The online discussion of Final Destination 5, hitting theaters this Friday, has been largely dominated by complaints that this fifth film tells the exact same story as the previous four entries. And indeed it does: this time inserting a young chef into the lead and a bridge collapse into the premonition. But the dark comedy of the film elevates the rote plot elements of the franchise to the level of high-low art, turning what should be a schlocky cash-in sequel to a past-its-prime horror franchise into something more akin to an especially memorable rendition of the “The Aristocrats”.  You know the set up, you know the punch line, but it’s the gory details in between that you actually care about.  If this is your genre, this is a movie worth seeing in a packed theater and in 3D.  And I never recommend 3D.

A few days ago I sat down with Arlen Escarpeta, P.J. Byrne and Courtney B. Vance to discuss the film. During out interview we talked about the visceral impact of seeing the film with an audience, the effect of reading the script for the first time, the development of the death scenes, Bryne’s real life lothario antics, how the film cleverly subverts tokenism in its’ portrayal of minority characters and a lot more.  Hit the jump to watch.

With director Steven Quale’s Final Destination 5 opening this weekend, we’ve been provided with 5 clips from the film.  Since we all know what a Final Destination movie is about, I’m not going to try and explain the story.  The important thing to know is the movie was shot in 3D and based on the footage I saw at Comic-Con, it’s really worth paying the extra money to see it in 3D.  Trust me, the footage looked fantastic and 3D is the only way I’d see this movie.  In addition, Hunter covered the press junket yesterday and he told me that the film was great and the 3D added a lot.  Look for his video interviews with the cast in the coming days.  Until then, check out the 2D footage after the jump.

Final Destination 5 stars Emma Bell, Nick D’Agosto, Miles Fisher, Arlen Escarpeta, Jacqueline MacInnes Wood, P.J. Byrne, Ellen Wroe, Courtney B. Vance, David Koechner, and Tony Todd.

Final Destination 5 star Miles Fisher’s is also a musician and creator of viral parodies.  He’s blended both for his single “New Romance” where he and his fellow Final Destination 5 stars take on a Saved by the Bell look and promptly get slaughtered in a variety of hilarious ways.  It’s yet another acknowledgement that these movies may not be intended to scare as much as they’re designed for grotesque laughs.  Also, if you ever wanted to see Jessie Spano get destroyed by her own locker, this is the video for you.

Hit the jump to check out the parody.  The film and music video also stars Nicholas D’Agosto, Emma Bell, Arlen Escarpeta, P.J. Byrne, Ellen Wroe, Jacqueline MacInnes-Wood, and David Koechner in the Mr. Belding role.  Final Destination 5 opens in 3D on August 12th.

Last week I posted a ton of Final Destination 5 set visit coverage, but I’ve still got one more on set interview and it’s with P.J. Byrne and Miles Fisher.  In the film, the two play fellow office workers and in a surprise to no one, they’ll get killed.  Come on…it’s a Final Destination movie.  Did I need a spoiler warning?  During the interview they talked about who they play, making the movie, working with the 3D cameras, the previous films, their death scenes, and a lot more.

In addition, if you’re going to Comic-Con this week, Warner Bros. is holding a big Final Destination party and I’ve got a pair of tickets to giveaway!  The cast will be at the party and I’d imagine it will be open bar.  What I’m trying to say is…this is a contest you want to win.  Details on how to enter after the jump.

The new trailer for Final Destination 5 has gone online and as always, every thing can be boiled down to “Go to mundane location, bad things happen.”  The Final Destination franchise preys on our fears that we could die from a freak accident at any time.  I would love to see the Final Destination film where someone escapes the big accident at the beginning and then instead of the reaper getting him or her with a Rube Goldberg project of death, the person just dies from a long, protracted illness.  At least this one kind of raises an interesting moral quandary about whether or not you would kill an innocent person if it ensured your own survival.  And really, what would a Final Destination movie be without an arbitrary new rule that was never mentioned in the previous entries?

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  Final Destination 5 opens in 3D on August 12th.

The first trailer and poster for Final Destination 5 have gone online.  This time the big disaster is on a suspension bridge.  As always, those who don’t have the courtesy to die in giant disasters get hunted down by the grim reaper and eliminated in gruesome, Rube Goldberg-projects of doom.  In a hint that the series may be running out of creative ways to off its characters, Final Destination 5 preys on our fears of LASIK and acupuncture.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer and poster.  Final Destination 5 stars Emma Bell, Nick D’Agosto, Miles Fisher, Arlen Escarpeta, Jacqueline MacInnes Wood, P.J. Byrne, Ellen Wroe, Courtney B. Vance, David Koechner, and Tony Todd.  The film opens in 3D on August 26th.

Oh, The Last Airbender, you stupid movie.  You are the first thing most people think of when they hear “The Last Airbender,” and I hate you for that.  There’s such a fantastic mythology at the heart of the Nickelodeon cartoon Avatar: The Last Airbender, all of which was referenced but never explored in the lifeless film adaptation.

Avatar creators Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko are on a mission to reclaim the phrase “The Last Airbender” with The Legend of Korra, a new series set 70 years later when rebellious teenage girl Korra becomes the new avatar.  The voice cast has been announced: Janet Varney will play Kara — Kiernan Shipka, Daniel Dae Kim, David Faustino, Seychelle Gabriel , Lance Henriksen, P.J. Byrne, and JK Simmons will supply additional voices.

The Legend of Korra is scheduled to premiere sometime in 2012.  Check out two new images after the break.

New Line/Warner Bros. has announced filming is underway in Vancouver on director Steve Quale’s Final Destination 5.  The 3D film stars Emma Bell (Frozen, The Walking Dead) Nick D’Agosto (Fired Up!, Heroes), Miles Fisher, Arlen Escarpeta, Jacqueline MacInnes Wood, P.J. Byrne, Ellen Wroe, Courtney B. Vance, David Koechner and Final Destination franchise icon Tony Todd.

The studio has also sent out the first synopsis and it reads like every Final Destination movie:

In this fifth installment, Death is just as omnipresent as ever, and is unleashed after one man’s premonition saves a group of coworkers from a terrifying suspension bridge collapse. But this group of unsuspecting souls was never supposed to survive, and, in a terrifying race against time, the ill-fated group frantically tries to discover a way to escape Death’s sinister agenda.

While the 4th film was going to be the last in the franchise, after making $186 million at the worldwide box office, the studio changed their minds.  Hit the jump for the full press release:

Last week, we caught wind of some casting news from the production of Final Destination 5: Nicholas D’Agosto (Fired Up!), Ellen Wroe (Huge), and Meghan Ory (Dark House) joined Miles Fisher (Superhero Movie) and Arlen Escarpeta (Friday the 13th) in the young cast, and Warner Bros. reportedly had an offer to David Koechner (Extract) for a role.

Apparently Koechner like what he saw, because Heat Vision reports the funnyman has officially signed on along with P.J. Byrne (Dinner for Schmucks) to the sequel.  Fans of the series should be happy to hear that Tony Todd is likewise on board to reprise his franchise role as Mr. Bludworth.  This is director Steven Quale’s feature debut — fresh off his work heading up the second unit on Avatar — with a script by Eric Heisserer (A Nightmare on Elm Street). Final Destination 5 opens on August 26, 2011.