Julie Benz

5:54PM: This afternoon’s DEXTER panel is hosted by the show’s number one fan, E! Online’s Kristin, who swears her love of the show is genuine and that she’s not on Showtime’s payroll. The panel starts off with a chilling trailer for season three, which you can check out by clicking here and with Michael C. Hall discussing our new Assistant District Attorney, and possible future victim of Dexter’s, Miguel Prado. Played by Jimmy Smitts, Prado is a man“committed to family values, committed to cleaning up the streets.” And more importanatly, may be Dexter’s first real ‘friend.’

6:01PM: Executive Producers Melissa Rosenberg and Clyde Phillips reveal that season three will focus on Dexter taking “Harry’s Code” and turning it into his own. Rosenberg and Phillips also reveal that Lundy won’t be back and Deb will be back on the market.

6:03PM: Apparently Deb will have a normal relationship but not with whom you expect. Translation, this TV Addict’s going to go out on a limb and guess that Deb will be switching teams this season. I mean can you blame her. The second to last guy she dated tried to kill her!

6:05PM: Ex-BUFFY/ANGEL star Julie Benz would love to work on Joss Whedon’s DOLLHOUSE. Shocker! Julie asks us to start an internet rumor. Which on a totally unrelated note reminds me…. anyone else hearing that Julie Benz has been offered a guest spot on Joss Whedon’s DOLLHOUSE?

6:08PM: E!Online’s Kristin, who’s doing a bang up job with hosting the panel by the way, inadvertently spoils the second season by [SPOILER ALERT] mentioning to the audience that Harry committed suicide after realizing what Dexter had become. Akward.

6:15PM: A fan in the audience asks where Michael C. Hall draws his inspiration from, pointing out that many great actors draw inspiration from their own life. Not surprisingly, Michael C. Hall is quick to point out, “that I’m not compelled to kill killers and chop up their bodies and dispose of them in the ocean. But I do know what compulsion feels like generally.” Being sure to add, “Who knows, maybe if I hadn’t been playing this part horrible things would have happened!”

6:20PM: Most interesting tidbit of info learned today. Executive Producer Clyde Phillips mentioned that they had a writer on the show who left after four episodes because she was bringing her writing home with her. Talk about your interesting dinner conversation, “Honey, this chicken sure tastes funny tonight, trying out a new recipe?”

6:24PM: The show will come to an end when Dexter starts to feel remorse and guilt for his actions. Something Showtime probably didn’t need to hear.

6:25PM: The first sign an audience question isn’t going to be good, when it begins with, “I wrote a paper about DEXTER back in College.” The second, when an audience member offers up the show-runners some free advice on writing. Because seriously, if there’s one person qualified give free writing advice, it’s an unemployed writer spending his Thursday afternoon dressed up as Darth Maul.

6:27PM: While the audience agrees that Michael C. Hall’s CBS/Showtime crossover idea titled “Dexter visits CSI: MIAMI” is hilarious. I gotta say, it’s the one thing that might get me to tune into CBS’s snooze inducing procedurals.

6:30PM: Executive Producer Clyde Phillips on the death of Doakes. “It was a natural evolution of their [Dexter and Doakes’] characters. From the moment Doakes was introduced in the pilot, telling Dexter that “I’m on to you mother f*cker,” he automatically had a short shelf life. Last season was simply the natural evolution of their characters.” Added Phillips, “When Erik King was called into my office he was a complete professional. I’ve never dealt with such a great actor. In fact, before we had our first table read this season, Erik called to wish us all good luck.” [An audience member yells, “flashback!”]

6:32PM: Michael C. Hall on Doakes, “I miss him too!” Cue audience “ahhhhhhh”

6:33PM: Funniest line of the panel goes to Julie Benz who elaborates on how her character might react if she found out about Dexter’s extracurricular activities, “I honestly believe that in a successful relationship every man needs a hobby. Some men play golf.”

Julie Benz on what attracted her to the role of Rita, “I had played all these horrible people for so long, well they weren’t even people, it was really just a great gift to play this real woman suffering with real issues. The growth that you see between season one, two and dare I say season three is because of Rita’s relationship with Dexter. He gives her the confidence to feel better about herself, to feel secure and to embrace all these things that had been beaten out of her for so long.

On the differences between Darla and Rita, “They’re kind of similar but on the opposite ends of the spectrum. They’ve both been very damaged by men in their lives yet one turned right and one turned left. Darla became very strong and did horrible evil things while Rita kinda fell apart. But at their core they are kinda similar.

Added Kristin, “Darla and Deter would be a pretty hot couple, not to mention have slightly more in common.” Which not only illicits a huge applause from the audience, but get me thinking that I really got to jump on this BUFFY/ANGEL bandwagon.

6:45PM: As is her modus operandi, Kristin does her best to end off the panel by prying some scoop out of the producers. To wit all they’ll reveal is that in the season premiere, Dexter and Jimmy Smits’ new District Attorney will set in motion a plan that they won’t be able to ever come back from. It will be a game changer, and a “huge shocking reveal!” Ummm… how many days until the show’s September 29th premiere?