Thousands of fanboys (and girls) travel to Comic-Con each year to breathe the same air as their pop culture heroes, even if that means spending all day with 7,000 strangers in a San Diego Convention Center auditorium. The crowding was worth it though for anyone in yesterday's phenomenal Tintin panel -- where Steven Spielberg broke news of Jurassic Park 4 and offered inspirational wisdom to his audience -- especially for one lucky fan who was spontaneously welcomed onstage by the great filmmaker. Let's relive the adorable moment.
After an hour-long panel during which Tintin footage was screened, E.T. memories were shared and Spielberg fans were graciously thanked, the Comic-Con moderator took a final question. Audience member John Mazzoni stepped up to the mic and asked whether Spielberg planned to keep working on film instead of shooting digitally. Mazzoni was pictured on the auditorium's display screens as he asked his question. Upon seeing that he was wearing a customized t-shirt which read, "If possible I would love to meet Steven Spielberg just to shake his hand and say thank you very much," Spielberg laughed and said, "Get up here."
The audience cheered as Mazzoni, a Seattle resident, made his way to the stage and shared a few words with the director before Peter Jackson snapped a photo of Mazzoni's t-shirt and then another photo of the director and the fan shaking hands. The moderator joked, "This is the most well-directed picture in history."
On Mazzoni's Facebook page, he has listed Spielberg as the sole "Person Who Inspires John."