The Paramount panel had a full slate of material on hand for the 6,000+ packed into Exhibit hall H. With an emphasis on interaction, the main theme of the afternoon seemed to be celebrating the fans, as well as rewarding them for their loyalty. Here are a few of the highlights

Producers and screenwriters Neil Gaiman and Roger Avery rolled out the world premiere of their trailer for the CGI Beowulf, "the oldest story in the English language, told with the newest technology," in what will be the widest 3D release ever.

Although it sports an all-star cast (Anthony Hopkins, Angelina Jolie, and John Malkovich, to name just a few), I have to say the trailer's rather underwhelming. The technique of using CGI to "enhance" live-action performances leaves the film looking rather cartoonish, and not in a good way. Whereas 300 used this to better translate the graphic novel's gritty and stylized aesthetic, Beowulf's take merely ends up looking like a glossy Pixar film. We'll see if the look works any better in 3D. You can judge for yourself here.

Next up, we had the trailer for Drillbit Taylor, a new film from Knocked Up's Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen (who produced and co-wrote the film, respectively). Owen Wilson stars as a homeless guy hired by a group of high school friends to protect them from a particularly nasty bully.

It seems like with every picture Apatow does, his main characters keep getting younger and younger. First we had The 40-Year-Old Virgin, then the 20-somethings in Knocked Up, the high school seniors in the upcoming Superbad, and now the incoming freshmen in Drillbit Taylor. Given the critical acclaim Apatow and Rogen garnered for the short-lived "Freaks and Geeks" and how good Superbad looks, I doubt a return to high school will pose much of a problem.

Minutes later, Jon Favreau pleasantly surprised fans by triumphantly coming onstage to Black Sabbath. The Iron Man-helmer was coy about "animation tests" (which was really just a clip from the '60s-era TV show),