At 1PM on Friday, Dragon*Con began with a full capacity crowd. Nearly a quarter of the powerhouse panel’s time was spent introducing panelists Jamie Bamber, Aaron Douglas, Jonathan Frakes, Kevin R. Grazier, Richard Hatch, Gates McFadden, Carlos Pedraza, Charles Root, Mark A. Sheppard, Brent Spiner, and Lee Stringer.

And the winners are:

Best in Show: "Kata Mari" by Carey Cauther, Shannon Pochrom, Madalyn Ayer, & Amanda Ayer
Most Popular Man: "Monkey of Steel" by Jonathan Carroll
Most Popular Woman: "Miss Kitty" by Mandy Cowart
Best Group, Heroes & Villains: "Pirates Group" by Pete Simpson

Jennie Breeden is the genius behind the web comic, The Devil’s Panties. She is a native of Atlanta, and can often be found after-hours roaming Dragon*Con with a leaf blower, hunting unsuspecting kilt-wearers.

On Saturday at 11:30, the actors from Battlestar Galactica took center stage in the Regency Ballroom for a lively discussion typical of the GQ’s from BSG. Aaron Douglas, Richard Hatch, and Jamie Bamber fired innuendos and complements like ordinance out of a viper.

Douglas confirmed that his last-minute visit to Dragon*Con had been influenced by his fans’ email campaign to get him to Atlanta after Katee Sackhoff cancelled.

Thursday is traditionally “get settled” day at Dragon*Con as people flood into the hotels and map out must-see events. To warm up attendees, first night programming focuses on music.

Mississippi based trio Cemetery Surfers played Centennial II-III at 9:30PM. Their odd mix of blues and beach music produced by guitar, bass, and synth/drum machine framed their horror-themed stage show. As the singer lamented, “This is the body of the one I love,” out came a corpse draped in cloth. An electric chair sat center stage awaiting its spotlight; however, this reporter didn’t stay for the gruesome finale. A few dedicated fans braved the dance floor, though the music was unreliably danceable.

Claudia Black made her first convention appearance in more than two years Sat in front of a capacity crowd in Centennial 1. After being moved to a larger room, fans still had to be turned away, but those inside were treated to 30 minutes with Claudia Black.

Crowds and lines were the norm at Dragon*Con 2007, but fans in the Walk of Fame Sunday afternoon were undaunted. Harry Potter fans waited patiently for James and Oliver Phelps and Matthew Lewis to return from a lunch break. The staff gave out numbers on slips of paper, so the fans could take a break, too.

Jack McDevitt is that rare commodity, an accomplished storyteller who captures you in his fiction while subtly challenging your intellect. Winner of the 2006 Nebula award for his novel, Seeker, he will be a guest at Dragon*Con for the first time this decade. Jack consented to an interview by email as an early introduction to Dragon*Con 2007.

After two major operations and multiple blood transfusions, Robert Heinlein started his convention blood drives in 1976 at WorldCon in Kansas City. He would only talk to or sign autographs for people who had donated blood. Since that start in ‘76, it has become a tradition at many sci-fi conventions.

This year, in addition to the Film Festival, the Independent Film Track brings you four feature-length movies: Vampira: The Movie, Pirates of the Great Salt Lake, The Signal, and Blood Car.