I love Battlestar Galactica. I had a few reservations about attending the panel, however. I don't watch the shows "live," I get them on DVD (no cable) and I don't like spoilers. None of that mattered, though. Despite the fact that I stood in line for an hour and a half, I wound up being about 20 people away from getting through the door. I just sat on the floor and watched the Lost panel on my iPhone (yes, it went online that fast) and playing Aurora Feint (obsessed) while I waited for the next panel: Chuck.

I keep getting stuck with Chuck! It's an interesting show and all, but I just haven't been sucked into it. And yet here I was watching the panel. It turned out to be entertaining, so I didn't mind sitting through it to secure a seat. I was really only hoping to be present for the final panel of the day: Fringe!

I'm totally excited for this show, I can't help it! The viral marketing has totally sucked me in (as has the fact that the team that created "Alias" is behind it). Unfortunately, I missed out on a massive Fringe-themed scavenger hunt that took place after the panel. D'oh! By the time I realized that the swag they handed me was actually a clue, I was already on the trolley out of town. Of course, when I went to seek clue #2 the next day it was over. By that time, though, I was feeling pretty rotten, so it was probably better that I'd slept.

J.J. Abrams is one cool guy. I like almost everything he's ever been involved with (and of course, he gave me the coolest laptop ever). Most of the panel questions were directed at him (it's hard to come up with questions for a show you haven't seen yet and for which they will offer no spoilers). He talked about his love of fan involvement in the form of mystery solving (duh) and how much he enjoyed finding the "Nina's" in Al Hirschfeld cartoons. He certainly offers his fans plenty of Nina's! He also told the story of the "mystery box:" His uncle (? I think) used to take him to a magic shop. They sold something called a "mystery box." It was a box that cost $15 and they promised that there was about $75 worth of stuff in it (these are the numbers I remember- don't kill me if they aren't accurate). He saved up the $15 and bought the box, but found that the mystery was more compelling than the actual booty inside. He has yet to open the box. Yeah, he's kind of my hero!

I still don't know a whole lot about the show. I didn't see the premiere, but I got to see enough at this panel to know that it is not an "X-files" ripoff, as some have suggested. I also know that Anna Torv is one of the most compelling people to look at. She didn't say a lot, but she kept catching my attention. She's gorgeous and has a "deep in thought" sort of aire. Josh Jackson and John Noble also have that feel to them. You know that thing where you see someone in a store and you think "wow, that guy looks like he could be an interesting character in a movie. He seems shrouded in mystery. Maybe he leads a double life! Yeah, he's a spy or a brilliant scientist whose views are too far-out for the mainstream scientific community, but he's actually got information that could save us all..." (Or am I the only one who sizes people up in this way?) Whoever is in charge of casting for his shows is brilliant, IMO.