— Nickelodeon and The Splat–the network’s programming block dedicated to Nick’s legendary library of hits from the ‘90s and 2000s–are blasting open the vaults for a slime-tastic, immersive experience at Comic-Con International: San Diego 2016 that’s bound to be All That, and more. Headquartered at its 1,800 square-foot booth (#4113) on the convention floor, Nickelodeon will pay tribute to some of its most memorable shows and popular characters with activations, games, panels, talent signings and interactive design elements featuring: Legends of the Hidden Temple, Hey Arnold!, Rugrats, Double Dare, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, CatDog, Rocko’s Modern Life, and Invader Zim, among many others.
“Those who dare to pass through the sacred gates of Comic-Con will enter a world of nostalgic treasures, artifacts and trivia from Nickelodeon’s beloved ’90s archives,” said King Olmec, Keeper of Nickelodeon’s booth. “The choice to enter is yours and yours alone, loyal fans.”
Every day of the convention, Nick’s booth will feature: a virtual reality 360-experience where fans can step into the world of the upcoming Legends of the Hidden Temple live-action TV movie; an interactive trivia game featuring Legends of the Hidden Temple’s King Olmec, Keeper of the Temple; photo opps with a life-size replica of the Hey Arnold! stoop and the nose from Double Dare; a retail area, where attendees can purchase a variety of exclusive Nick, The Splat and ‘90s-themed gear and one-of-a-kind collectibles; costumed character appearances; and autograph signings with cast member from All That, SpongeBob SquarePants’ Tom Kenny, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles voice talent, Kirk Fogg from Legends of the Hidden Temple, and more special appearances to be announced in the coming weeks.
Nickelodeon will present four panels during the convention: Happy Happy! Joy Joy!, a look back at 25 years of original Nick animation featuring the creators of Invader Zim, Hey Arnold! and other legendary series; Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles–Return to New York, an exclusive first look at the current TV season; She Made That?: Nickelodeon hosts Women in Animation, featuring some of the genre’s female pioneers of the past and present; and a special reunion of cast members from legendary kids’ sketch-comedy series All That–with a surprise from Nick’s forthcoming Legends of the Hidden Temple TV movie.
The following is a full rundown of the panels and booth activity:
PANELS
• Happy Happy! Joy Joy!: 25 Years of Nickelodeon Original Animation
Thursday, July 21, 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. (Room: 6A) – For 25 years Nickelodeon has produced some of the most innovative and memorable animation in the history of television. Nick Animation Podcast host Hector Navarro finds out how and why four of the network’s most influential creators did what they did: Craig Bartlett (Hey Arnold!), Jhonen Vasquez (Invader Zim), Butch Hartman (The Fairly OddParents, Danny Phantom) and Arlene Klasky, who along with Gabor Csupo and Paul Germain, created Rugrats. Don’t miss the chance to see production art from the upcoming TV movie Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie; animation from Hartman’s new Bunsen is a Beast!; and the world premiere of Don vs Raph, a TMNT animated short written and produced by Jhonen Vasquez.
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles–Return to New York
Friday, July 22, 11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. (Room: 6A) – They travelled time and space to save planet Earth, and now the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles return home! Executive producers Ciro Nieli and Brandon Auman share sneak peeks of the epic adventures and new characters that await the Turtles when they return to the streets of NY in season four. On hand will be the extraordinary voice actors of the TMNT world: Rob Paulsen (Donatello), Greg Cipes (Michelangelo), Gwendoline Yeo (Shinigami) and Eric Bauza (Tiger Claw). Also, witness the world premiere of two never-before-seen TMNT animated shorts presented by TMNT co-creator, Kevin Eastman. The panel will be moderated by Andre Meadows (Black Nerd Comedy).
• She Made That?: Nickelodeon hosts Women in Animation
Friday, July 22, 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. (Room: 24ABC) – Join this group of innovative and pioneering female cartoon creators for a discussion on their careers and the opportunities for women in animation today. Panelists include women responsible for the original Nicktoons from the 1990s and others who are making some of today’s best animation for TV and the web. The panel will include Lauren Faust (My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic), Mary Harrington (Invader Zim, Hey Arnold!), Vanessa Coffey (The Ren & Stimpy Show, Rugrats), Rikke Asbjoern (Pinky Malinky), Margaret Dean (Women in Animation) and Maija Burnett (California Institute of the Arts).
• Back to the ‘90s: Nickelodeon’s All That Reunion and Legends of the Hidden Temple!
Saturday, July 23, 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. (Room: 6A) – Join Nickelodeon’s throwback programming block, The Splat, for a reunion of the trailblazing sketch comedy series’ major players, Josh Server, Danny Tamberelli, Lori Beth Denberg and Kel Mitchell, discussing all things All That, with a few added surprises. Plus, get the first look at Nick’s new TV movie based on Legends of the Hidden Temple and hear about it from returning cast members Kirk Fogg and Dee Bradley Baker, along with Isabela Moner (Transformers 5). The panel will be moderated by Entertainment Weekly staff writer, Marc Snetiker.
DAILY BOOTH ACTIVITY
• Legends of the Hidden Temple Virtual Reality 360-Degree Experience: This 360-degree experience transports fans into the world of the upcoming action-adventure TV movie inspired by the iconic game show, allowing them to experience the mysterious Mayan temple first-hand.
• Olmec Photo Opp/Trivia: Fans can interact with Legends of the Hidden Temple’s King Olmec and test their knowledge by answering trivia questions for the opportunity to win prizes.
• Hey Arnold! Stoop and Double Dare Nose Photo Opps: Fans can take photos on a replica of Arnold’s stoop from Hey Arnold! and with the nose from Double Dare (beware of boogers).
• Autograph Signings: Signing opportunities with Nickelodeon talent include: All That cast; Legends of the Hidden Temple cast; SpongeBob SquarePants voice talent; Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles voice talent and executive producers; Nick current series creators and executive producers (C.H. Greenblatt, Harvey Beaks; Chris Savino, The Loud House; and Dave Cooper, Johnny Ryan, and David Sacks, Pig Goat Banana Cricket); and Nick original animation creators (Butch Hartman, The Fairly OddParents and Bunsen is a Beast!; Craig Bartlett, Hey Arnold!; Arlene Klasky, Rugrats, Wild Thornberrys, Rocket Power; and Jhonen Vasquez, Invader Zim).
• Costumed-Character Appearances: The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Rugrats, SpongeBob SquarePants, The Fairly OddParents, Arnold and Saban’s Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Power Rangers Dino Super Charge will make appearances at Nick’s booth at select times during the convention.
• Retail: Attendees can purchase Comic-Con exclusive figures, t-shirts and more.
• Giveaways: Enter for a chance to win special prizes over the course of the convention.
Additionally, in celebration of the Aug. 11, 25-year anniversary of the launch of the network’s original animated series (The Ren & Stimpy Show, Rugrats and Doug), The Splat will feature brand-new commentary and behind-the-scenes information from the series’ voice talent and creators, along with themed programming and encore airings of these animated series every night during the month of August.
Nickelodeon’s The Splat is a multiple-screen destination spanning television, eight social media platforms and a dedicated web site aggregating the most loved Nick content from the 1990s and beyond. Celebrating the characters and shows that are definitional to millennials who grew up in the ‘90s, The Splat consists of: an eight-hour television block airing daily from 10 p.m.–6 a.m. (ET/PT) featuring landmark Nickelodeon programs and classic programming stunts; a fan-driven website (www.TheSplat.com) built around social conversations; a robust social media community on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, Tumblr, Twitter, Vine and YouTube platforms; and a fully integrated Splat-branded emoji keyboard with emoticons, stickers and GIFs.

TV
Top Ten Times Willow was the Worst

With all the discourse surrounding the much anticipated Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot, not
to mention Sarah Michelle Gellar’s and Alyson Hannigan’s joint interview on the Today show
discussing the show’s legacy! Many fans have revised their opinions on some of the
original show’s titular characters. One such character is Hannigan’s own, Willow Rosenberg. Once seen as the shy, lovable, nerdy sidekick, now her image is less than rosy. Manipulative? Petty? And maybe worst of all: a bad friend.
10. Easing us in with a somewhat annoying one. In Season 6, Episode 11, ‘Gone’, it is
morning in the Summers household. After throwing out most of Willow’s magical stash as
the fallen wiccan tries to go cold turkey with her magic addiction (more on that later). Buffy
is post-traumatic-resurrection trying to keep it all together after a night of hot,
passionate…fighting with a vampire. Willow appears to be living in the Summers’ home rent-free and is cooking Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) an apology omelette. She is making a
mess while cooking, as one does, but leaves her traumatised friend to clean up after her! Poor
Buffy (you’ll hear that a lot) was just lambasting herself for not noticing Willow’s self-
inflicted downfall. Buffy is literally chopping off her own hair in distress, and no one notices!
The audacity!
9. In Season 3, Episode 2, ‘Dead Man’s Party’, Buffy has returned to Sunnydale after her
secondment in LA. After a traumatic year, Buffy clearly just wants to hang out with her
friends like a regular teenager. Willow agrees to meet Buffy in town to re-bond over
shopping. Yes, Willow did say earlier in the episode that she had school work that she would
have to rearrange, which is fair enough, but at least cancel instead of leaving poor Buffy
(see?) sitting alone waiting for you!

8. Anya (Emma Caulfield), the ex-vengeance demon, was treated pretty coolly by the
Scoobies. Willow was clearly jealous of Anya’s relationship with Xander (Nicholas
Brendon), taking Xander’s attention from her. Throughout the final seasons, Willow treated
Anya like an annoyance at best and undermined her with cruel remarks at worst. In no
episode was this more obvious than Season 5, Episode 11, ‘Triangle’. Willow is brazenly
stealing spell ingredients from Anya’s and Giles’s (her friends) small business. Willow even
says herself she is not “stealing”, she is “…just taking things without paying for them. In what
twisted dictionary is that stealing?”.
Willow comes off as a bully throughout this episode, cruelly mimicking Anya and trying to
make Xander choose between his childhood best friend and his girlfriend. I want to mention
that not only is Willow gay, but has her own girlfriend at this point. So her possessiveness of
Xander comes off as particularly childish.
7. Willow’s irresponsibility with magic becomes a large feature of the series. Even her most
ardent fans can’t explain what she was thinking in Season 5, Episode 17, ‘Forever’ when she
draws Dawn’s attention to a dark spell book. This book encourages 15-year-old Dawn to raise
her mother from the dead. Culminating in what is, in my opinion, one of the creepiest scenes
in Buffy: the shadow of zombie Joyce walking past Summer’s curtained window, returning
home. Presumably, Willow knew the dangers but was fine with a child dabbling in dark
magic.
6. Back to Season 3, Episode 2 ‘Dead Man’s Party’. After not being satisfied standing Buffy
up, she also wants to rant at a clearly distressed Buffy that Willow’s now got a boyfriend and is
practicing witchcraft, AND had no one to talk to about it when Buffy ran away. Bear in mind
that Buffy had to stab her boyfriend through the heart and send him to Hell after months of
his evil alter ego psychologically torturing her. But Willow needs her gal pal.
Very similar to Season 7, Episode 19 ‘Empty Places’ when Willow joined the group pile on,
blaming poor Buffy (and again) for everything that’s gone wrong. And then throwing Buffy
out of her own house (you know the one she pays for?)! In the words of one Buffy fan ‘Y’all
hate her so much, why did you resurrect her?’
5. Going to my personal favourite season, Season 6 (I’m not arguing about it), Episode 10
‘Wrecked’. Willow is caught in the throes of magic addiction. Within the Buffy universe,
magic was a metaphor for lesbian sex, but the metaphor changes in Season 6 to substance
abuse. Willow takes Dawn to what is essentially a magical drug den and leaves her waiting
there for over an hour. Then, high on magic, he proceeds to not take Dawn home, instead
offering to teleport her back home. Willow then gets behind the wheel of a car with Dawn
while high and crashes the car.
Buffy was known to tackle social issues, and its handling of substance abuse was surprisingly
Realistic, mainly due to Alyson Hannigan’s amazing acting!

4. In Season 4, Episode 6, ‘Wild at Heart,’ we get to see the true darkness that appears to live
inside Willow. After being cheated on by her long-time boyfriend Oz (Seth Green), Willow
takes it upon herself to hex both Oz and his cheating partner, Veruca. She casts ‘in the name
of Hell’ wanting to break both their hearts and find no peace or solace…harsh. To be fair to
her, she does stop herself, but Willow, I appreciate you got cheated on, but we can’t just go
about hexing people.
3. And now to one of the best episodes ever! Season 6, Episode 8 ‘Tabula Rasa’ delivers
some serious comic gold, but the premise of the episode is rather disturbing. Despite
promising Tara (Amber Benson), her long-term partner, that she would give up magic for a
week, Willow casts a spell. Tara is understandably upset that the woman she loves cast a
memory spell on her to make her forget their arguments. Willow’s answer to this is to cast yet
another memory spell to make Tara forget the first memory spell (stay with me). Willow also tries to cast a spell on Buffy (you know her friend suffering from depression) to make her forget being in Heaven. As is a staple in the Buffy universe, the spell goes awry, making the whole gang forget who they are, leading to hilarious hijinks.
Yes, it’s one of the funniest Buffy episodes, but if the spell hadn’t accidentally been broken, then they all could have been stuck like that.
2. For such a trailblazing relationship, Willow and Tara have a lot of problems when
scrutinised. Almost everything stems from Willow’s overuse of magic. The relationship
gets darker the more you examine it. As Tara said in ‘Tabula Rasa’, Willow violated her
mind. Some fans have pointed out; not only was the flower Willow used to cast the forgetting
spell (Season 6, Episode 6) is in an oddly convenient place in their bedroom. This begs the
question: how many times has Willow cast these spells? Fans have also pointed out that if
Tara had sex with Willow after any spell was cast on her, she wouldn’t be consenting.
1. As a surprise to literally no one, the number one time Willow was a bad friend on top of
being completely irresponsible, resurrecting one Miss Buffy Summers. Now, many may
argue that after the finale of Season 5, ‘The Gift’, it would be understandable that Willow
would think Buffy was trapped in some Hell dimension.
Ok, let’s stay with that logic. Willow is aware that resurrection spells are extremely volatile,
presumably why the Scoobies have been planning it for weeks. Xander voices it perfectly, in
Season 6, Episode 1 ‘Bargaining Pt 1’, Buffy may try to “eat our brains”. Willow even
comments (Season 6, Episode 3) on how messed up Angel was when he came back from Hell.
Willow could have caused an emotional and physical catastrophe for them all by bringing
back a ‘wrong’ Buffy who still possesses super-strength and super-speed. Spike (James
Marsters) declares in the same episode that he shut down any idea Willow had about bringing
Buffy, back in case it went so badly, they would have to “get rid of what came back”. It’s bad
when the soulless vampire is more mature than you, isn’t it?

Willow Rosenberg is indeed a very complex character played expertly by Alyson Hannigan. Willow has her flaws, but it is those flaws that make her such a compelling character. I, for one, am very interested to see what they do with the character in the reboot.
Movie
Review: From the World of John Wick: Ballerina

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina is a stylish and brutal addition to the ever-expanding John Wick universe. Set between the explosive events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and Chapter 4, the film seamlessly slots into the timeline without feeling like a stopgap. Instead, it builds something fresh, introducing a new protagonist on a vengeful journey of her own.
Ana de Armas delivers a fierce and emotionally layered performance as Eve Macarro, a ballerina-trained assassin seeking justice for her family. While her motivations mirror Wick’s, the film avoids repetition by diving deeper into the Ruska Roma and High Table lore. It’s a testament to the world-building that this spin-off doesn’t just feel justified—it feels essential.
As expected, the fight choreography is at its peak—gritty, inventive, and ruthlessly beautiful. Every action set-piece hits with a kinetic energy that’s both thrilling and brutal. This franchise continues to prove that when it comes to stunt work and direction, it’s in a league of its own. Can the John Wick series really disappoint? So far, no.
The story is tight, the pacing brisk, and each supporting performance, especially the cameos from familiar faces, adds weight and continuity to the narrative. Ballerina proves that this universe is more than just one man’s war; it’s a whole underworld waiting to be explored.
With compelling characters, rich mythology, and jaw-dropping action, Ballerina is a strong 9/10—one of the best spin-offs in recent memory.
Movie
The Top 5 Movies of James Gunn — A Symphony of Heart, Humor, and Heroism

Few directors in the modern cinematic landscape have reshaped genre filmmaking quite like James Gunn. Known for blending irreverent humor with profound emotional depth, Gunn has left an indelible mark on both indie horror and superhero franchises. As he transitions into leading DC Studios, it’s the perfect time to revisit his five finest works—each a statement of his unique voice in an often formulaic industry.

1. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Rating: 9.5/10
A rare sequel that deepens its characters rather than merely expanding its universe, Vol. 2 is Gunn at his most personal. The film wrestles with the pain of abandonment, the search for belonging, and the complexity of father-son dynamics—cloaked in vibrant visuals and a killer soundtrack. Yondu’s “He may have been your father, boy, but he wasn’t your daddy” line alone secures its legacy.

2. The Suicide Squad (2021)
Rating: 9/10
Chaotic, gory, and gleefully anarchic, The Suicide Squad is a wild remix of the superhero genre. Gunn injects pathos into misfits like Ratcatcher 2 and Polka-Dot Man, proving his unmatched talent for humanizing the bizarre. It’s a subversive spectacle that doubles as an anti-war allegory—with a giant alien starfish to boot.

3. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Rating: 8.8/10
The film that redefined Marvel’s creative boundaries, Guardians took a gang of obscure comic-book characters and turned them into pop culture icons. With its perfect balance of humor, heart, and ‘70s mixtape vibes, it’s the origin story of Gunn’s mainstream rise and one of the MCU’s most beloved entries.

4. Slither (2006)
Rating: 8/10
Before superheroes and intergalactic misfits, Gunn gave us Slither—a grotesque and hilarious horror-comedy with serious B-movie charm. This film showcases his roots: practical effects, quotable dialogue, and an affection for the genre’s oddballs. It’s disgusting, delightful, and distinctly Gunn.

5. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
Rating: 8/10
An emotionally charged finale to the Guardians trilogy, *Vol