God, Please Save These Troubled States

Sheesh! We are nerds here at Buzznet and we sure are proud of it. Comic Con 2008 was just this past weekend, so to commemorate the nerd fest, we asked you to geek out and elaborate on the theme of, "Revenge of the Nerds." How did you respond?

Results of photo assignment inside...

12:05: Lights went down and they previewed the special features on the new DVD. We'll be able to watch the flash-forwards in narrative chronicle order, as well as other stuff they won't tell us.

12:14: Most of the cast will be autographing on www.liveautographs.com for a charity whose name I just missed.

12:16: OMG!!! Dharma Initiative is presenting!!!

12:21: Hahahaha. Turns out the Dharma Initiative booth was mostly a joke where people were filmed asking ridiculous questions and they just showed the video of it. But 5 people were chosen and are on stage now.

GAHHHHH EVERYTHING I TYPED JUST DISAPPEARED. GASDH;FEJSFA;HEWYR ;F DS

Ok, so here's a brief re-cap of everything we learned:

- Jin and Farraday most certainly are in season 5, though we don't know what form they'll return in.
- Farradday knew about the island's secondary protocol hatch (with the poison) because Farraday has apparently traveled into the future. (This was hinted at in "The Constant," when they showed his notebook and it said, "Desmond Hume is my constant.") Lindeloff and Cuse stressed that Daniel's notebook is integral to season 5.
- We will 100% get Rousseau's back story in season 5, but it will NOT BE A FLASHBACK.
- In fact, while they'll use flashbacks and flash forwards, they're introducting a new storytelling device that no TV show has ever used for season 5.
- Richard Alpert will get more time on screen in season 5 and we'll learn more about his age and how many toes he has. (????)

So I was in line to ask a question when all this erased. Gah. My question:

"The big mystery at the end of season 3 was who was in the coffin. We found out it was Locke, but I thought it was more important that you named him Jeremy Bentham. Bentham was most famous for developing the Panopticon. My question is: Are the people on the island being watched and, if so, will we find out who is watching them?"

Their answer was interrupted by a Dharma video, in which Dr. Marvin Candle (who revealed his real name, which I forgot) confirms that the island's unique properties, based on Einstein's equations, allowed people to travel in time. They'd apparently done so and learned of the inevitable purge of the Dharma Intitiative by the hostiles; Dr. Candle warns that we must reinstate the Dharma Initiative and "change the past."

AHHHHHHHH!!

You know, since I'm at Comic Con (sorry this is late!), there's really nothing more relevant than a celebration of nerdiness! So this week's fourth Photo Assignment has a simple theme: Revenge of the nerds. Time to grab your camera and nerd out!

Photo assignment instructions inside...

So I'm sitting in line for the midnight screening of The X Files 2 and I'm surrounded by women. It's been years since the show ended and I'd forgotten how much it was adored by females. (Well, I have to be honest. The three gay dudes at my high school, myself included, all worshipped the show too. Go figure.)

This really is kind of a significant nerd moment for me. I've literally been following this show since 1993; my parents were huge sci-fi nerds and this was the one show I was allowed to stay up and watch. I was one of the first people in line when the first film came out in 1998. (Was it 1999? Whatever.) And, like any true X-Phile, I patiently awaited another cinematic installment to the one show that captured my attention every week for seven years.

It never came.

I just left a two hour chaotic panel for Robert Smigel's TV Funhouse, a show that's been ripped off ever since it went off the air. The highlight was hearing about Don's disgusting freak accident when dealing with a live goose on set that shat right in to his open mouth. Good times. Bob Odenkirk moderated and attempted to keep the discussion relevant, but that rarely happened. It was a refreshing break from a day full of rigorous schedules. And shit. It was funny.

So I've got two hours left until I spend 100 minutes freaking out over two characters I've missed dearly. And I don't really care if it's disappointing. Half the joy of Comic Con is being excited. And most of life is about the experience along the way. I'll enjoy the experience here and cherish this elusive anxiety that fills me with happiness.

Welcome to Comic Con.

Jesus, this year is so overcrowded. It took me nearly two hours yesterday just to pick up my Press Pass. (Why would you have just one dude for 3,000 journalists???)

I've only attended a few panels today and reserved most of my times trying to capture the creativity and the chaos of this place with my trusty Canon Rebel. Keanu Reeves seemed as clueless as ever during the panel for "The Day The Earth Stood Still," but the always-classy Jennifer Connelly restored my faith in the film. Mark Wahlberg was so hot, but I have no real interest in "Max Payne."

I was in the same room as Hugh Jackman. 'Nuff said.

I've already met a ton of cool people and I'm currently waiting for the TV Funhouse panel to begin. Then I'm hoping the line for tonight's midnight screening of "The X Files 2 isn't long, as I'll be joining that. (Momentary freakout: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Ok, enough of this. I'm posting on my Sidekick and Bob Odenkirk just came onstage. More later!

I'm currently sitting in Hall H and just discovered that this year, Comic Con International decided to ditch their ridiculous internet pricing plan ($15 a day?!?!?!?) to give us FREE PUBLIC WI-FI!!!! So, so awesome.

I'm awaiting a presentation for the remake of The Day The Earth Stood Still and the adaptation of the video game Max Payne into a movie. Jennifer Connolly will be here and I'll be damned if I don't sit here and geek out over one of my favorite actresses. (And Mark Wahlberg will be here for Max Payne, and I kind of have a teeny crush on him. DON'T HATE.)

I'll be here until Sunday, so if you need any help regarding the site, it's probably best to contact Richard or Bree; I'll only have limited access most of the time and I'll be busy live-blogging the crap out of the weekend. (LOST live-blogging ZOMGWTFBBQ!1!1)

Expect many pictures and many journals! Nerds unite!

PS: I get to meet OunceofWentz tomorrow! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Easily the most successful of our photo assignments yet, this week we see our members musing about what it means when you say, "You are what you eat." So what does the Buzznet community eat?

Food, food, and more food inside....

It's Friday and it's time for our third installment in our on-going community series. If you've got a camera, join us in interpreting this week's theme: "You are what you eat." Be literal, be ridiculous, and be creative!

Instructions inside...

You guys rule so much. The second Buzznet photo assignment is also a resounding success and the photos this time around are even better than the last time. So how did people interpret the theme, "A Single Dollar"? Only one way to find out....

See a single dollar inside...

Our last photo assignment did wonderfully; let's keep up the creativity this time around. Your theme for this week: A single dollar. Interpret that as you may! Photograph a dollar bill, buy something with a dollar, show the worth of a dollar....surprise us!

Read for instructions...

Whoa! Our very first photo assignment, Your Independence, was quite successful: 41 photos were submitted over the weekend and they're all quite wonderful. How did other people interpret the theme? There's only one way to find out!

How did Buzznet celebrate their independence?

I've posted a full update about what's going on around the site and how we're working to protect you and repair the bugs from this weekend:

BUZZNET BLOG!

Also, just add our Blog to your RSS reader or your bookmarks. It's all the rage!

http://blog.buzznet.com

Oh boy. What a fun Saturday.

The hacking is not working anymore. If your profile is still redirecting, PLEASE let me know. I will personally get rid of it.

UPDATE (SUNDAY) - The Friend List error is only affecting how your friends are displayed. Please note that you have NOT lost any of your friends. It's just an error with how many friends appear to you. We are working on fixing this error as soon as possible.

If you are continually locked out of your account trying to log in, please make sure you are using the right password. Did you change it recently? Did you recently ask Richard or myself to change your Buzznet user name?

Your passwords are safe and no one has access to your account. I should be around for a few more hours to help with any problems you guys have. I'm sorry this is happening and I'm doing my best to correct it.

If you have any errors not addressed here, you can always email Buzznet with your problems: support@buzznet.com

The mugshot of Gym Class Heroes frontman Travis McCoy has surfaced online; McCoy was recently arrested for physically defending himself against a heckler. Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz has also come to the defense of his best friend. The plot thickens!

More drama inside...

We'd like to try something new with our community this week and utilize all of our aspiring photographers: Weekly photo assignments! Tomorrow is America's Independence Day, but we'd like to have everyone celebrate their independence. What best represents your individuality?

Read for instructions for participation...

It's been confirmed by Rolling Stone that Gym Class Heroes frontman, Travis McCoy, was indeed arrested following yesterday's assault on a heckler who used a racist slur against him. The news of the Warped Tour incident hit our community hard; how did Buzznet react?

Travis McCoy mania inside...