Adam Baldwin

Just returned from the super-fun Chuck panel at Paley Fest ’08. Highlights below!

Participants: Zachary Levi (Chuck), Yvonne Strahovski (Sarah), Adam Baldwin (John), Joshua Gomez (Morgan), Scott Krinsky (Jeff), Mark Christopher Lawrence (Big Mike), Julia Ling (Anna), Ryan McPartlin (Captain Awesome), Vik Sahay (Lester), Josh Schwartz (cocreator), Chris Fedak (co-creator), McG (exec producer) and a ski-capped Damon Lindelof (moderator).

MIA: Sarah Lancaster, who was sick.

Applause meter: No contest — Baldwin won by a landslide. Levi came in second, followed by Gomez and Strahovski.

Pitch imperfect: Schwartz feared NBC would pass on Chuck because, in the middle of their pitch meeting, Fedak went to take a sip of water and missed his mouth. "Talking and drinking — it’s hard," he acknowledged.

Geeking out: McG on the difference between a geek and a nerd: "Joss Whedon is a geek, J.J. Abrams is a nerd."

Best-laid plans: The show’s original premise had Chuck torn between Sarah and a steady girlfriend. Ultimately, Schwartz felt it was "too much for Chuck to have two girlfriends."

Name game: The show was originally going to be called Scenario 5, a title Fedak concedes would have been a "terrible, bad genre name."

Lost scoop: Lindelof satisfied the crowd’s appetite for Lost scoop by revealing the real reason the four-toed statue has yet to be seen again. After the monument first appeared "we got a note back from the network that said, ’This is too weird,’" he explained. "I was like, ’Do you watch the show? This is too weird?’ Essentially, they said, ’Could it be a six-toed statue?’ I was like, ’Someone explain to me why a six-toed statue is less weird than a four-toed statue?’ And they’re still noodling on that."

San Diego or bust: Schwartz confirmed that the Chuck gang will be heading back to Comic-Con this summer, where they will unveil a new six-part comic book and offer a preview of Season 2.

Speaking of Season 2… : The writers’ room at Chuck officially opened for business today. Production resumes in May. "The idea is to own the fact that we’ve been off the air for several months, so there’s a reset that’s going to happen," said Schwartz of the second-season premiere, slated for September. "We’re going to bring in some fresh new characters, some new villains." Regarding the latter, Schwartz said his dream "get" is Van Damme.

Same-gender lovin’: Asked what it is about male friendships (aka "bromances") that appeals to him (first Seth and Ryan, now Morgan and Chuck), Schwartz deadpanned, "There is no love more pure than the love between one man and another."

Kiss and tell: Levi publicly apologized to Strahovski for devouring a Philly cheesesteak mere moments before their first on-screen kiss.

Lipton scoop: Channeling his inner James Lipton, Lindelof asked Schwartz what he would like to hear God say when he arrives at the pearly gates. His response? "Chuck has been picked up for a Season 3."

Most surreal Paley moment so far: An, um, enthusiastic fan ended the session by doing a Hulk Hogan imitation that was equal parts disturbing and frightening.

Coming up tonight: Friday Night Lights!