71st WorldCon / LoneStarCon 3 Day 2

These are the continuing journeys of me, James Pickering, and Les Webster of The Fellowship of the Geeks, as we ply the crowds at our first 71st World Science Fiction Convention or known as Lone Star Con 3!

After a late start, Les and I headed out for a little lunch before hitting the con. Our choice of eateries was a little place called Schilo’s Delicatessen. This place has been in San Antonio close to a hundred years and has a great German history. On top of that, great food! After stuffing our faces, we headed out.

We took the street level, instead of taking the River Walk. Don’t why, but it seemed to be less humid at street level. Probably less breeze blowing through the lower area that the walk is located in. Either way, we arrived in much better shape (less sweaty) than we did the day before.

Today we hit panels. Les had a few that he wanted to hit and I checked out a few on the publishing industry. In between I bought a few books and talked to my friend Gloria Oliver. The night ended with the Shindig. Folks were everywhere dressed up in their best finery. The basic idea was to recreate the dance in the Firefly episode “Shindig.” San Antonio dance caller Lissa Bengtson and the band Lost and the Nameless Orchestra provided the music. Participants of all dance skills were taught the dance steps and then were turned loose. I got some great video and photos of costume winners to upload.

I’m trying to tweet more of what I’m doing and will be working on that tomorrow. If you want to follow the proceedings, you can follow me at @Galaxy_Dallas. If you have a Twitter account you can search the hashtags #WorldCon and #LoneStarCon to keep up with all of it, also. Stay tuned for more!

World Con 71 / LoneStarCon 3 Day 1

These are the continuing journeys of me, James Pickering, and Les Webster of The Fellowship of the Geeks, as we ply the crowds at our first 71st World Science Fiction Convention or known as Lone Star Con 3!

I’ve never been a very good planner. My wife was always the one that had every detail written down and every checklist checked. Very organized. Me? I relied very heavily on her. Ever since she passed away, I’ve been flying by the seat of my pants. This trip is no exception. I didn’t even know I was coming down here until about six weeks ago. I bought two tickets from Jaye Wells and Nicole Peeler. I didn’t have a partner to bring, but I figured it wouldn’t be hard to find one. Nope, wasn’t hard at all.

 

 

The hard part was booking a hotel near the convention. Where the convention website said that you could book rooms at the Marriott Rivercenter or Marriott Riverwalk, I found it necessary to book mine at the COURTYARD Marriott Riverwalk. Just a mere half mile from the hotel, but in the Texas heat, I might as well be humping a pack in the Sahara for the French Foreign Legion. By the time Les and I got there we were sweat-soaked. What else could we do? We bought t-shirts which were handily being sold right inside the doorways.

This is our first time at a WORLD convention, so we were a little under-whelmed at the crowd, but considering that it was a Thursday, the first day of a five day convention, I figured the real crowds would hit on Saturday. That’s fine. Gives me more time to browse, shoot video, talk to people and plan my purchases. And boy, is there a lot that I want to purchase. This is a book lovers paradise! And the authors walk amongst us. Gail Carriger came by us looking retro-fashionable as always. Minutes later, I’m staring at books and half-listening to a conversation between Les and Willie Siros, and never realized it was him. It wasn’t until much later when reading the con guide that I saw a picture of him and remembered. We got a chance to talk to Joe R. Lansdale at a table and later we’re gawking as George R. R. Martin comes walking through trailed by his entourage.

There’s a really cool Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Exhibit that I will have more information on in later posts and a history of the World Con. There’s just a lot to cover and after walking all the way down and all the way back and all the while we were there, we were pooped when we got back to the hotel. No parties for us this night. We came home cooled down and then went back out to have dinner at Waxy O’Connor’s Irish Pub. Great food! Get the Spinach Dip. I swear it’s got Guinness in it. Oh, and Les says try the Bangers & Mash.

For tonight, it’s good night and stay tuned for more updates.

ANIME FEST

AnimeFest 2013 will be held at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel Friday August 30th through Monday September 2nd. Guests are director Kenji Kamiyama and producer Tomohiko Ishii, with special guests voice actors Terri Doty, Alexis Tipton, Linda Ballantyne, Susan Roman, Greg Ayres, Stephanie Young, director John Stocker, artist Amelie Belcher, game show host Greg Wicker, musicians Ramen & Rice, and DJs DJ Blade and DJ Bleuewulf.

I’m not big on anime, but this looks to be a pretty good show, if anime is your thing. I’ve heard quite a bit of buzz about it and look forward to hearing the stories after this weekend.

Are you going? What’s the big draw for you?

The 71st Annual WORLD SCIENCE FICTION CONVENTION or LoneStarCon 3!

That’s right folks, the 71st Annual World Science Fiction Convention or as we in Texas will call it, LonestarCon 3 is happening, August 29th through September 2nd and guess whose going? Aside from the name, there is a lot to keep up with!

Major guests include Ellen Datlow who was editor of Omni Magazine in the ‘80s. My grandmother would pick up a copy for me every time she went to the grocery store. I even still have a copy or two around here somewhere. Another name that I recognized is one that you may, also. James Gunn who is directing GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY will be on hand as a special guest. Maybe we’ll hear some news that hasn’t made it anywhere else! Other guests include Willie Spiros, Norman Spinrad, and Toastmaster Paul Cornell, the only person to ever be nominate for a Hugo in prose, television, and comics. Special guests will be singer Leslie Fish and Joe R. Lansdale, with an honorary memorial guest spot for artist Darrell K. Sweet, who passed away after being booked for the show.

Then after that, you have hundreds of other guests that will be in attendance and masquerades, symposiums, book club gatherings, a film festival, the presentation of the Hugo Awards, a tour of Robert E. Howard’s home, and exhibits. Some of my favorites are:

• Firefly Shindig Contradance
• Masquerade
• Hugo Awards Ceremony
• Space Cowboy Exhibit with a replica of the USS Enterprise Bridge
• British SF Exhibit hosted by Paul Cornell
• TSR/Dungeons and Dragons Art Exhibit
• The Texas-Israeli War of 1999 – I’ve got my copy of the novel

There’s just so much to do! I will be taking photographs and on-the-scene noob reports, so look for all that when I get back!

Is anyone else headed to World Con? Want to meet up?

READ COMICS IN PUBLIC DAY 2013

What better way than to celebrate Jack Kirby’s birthday than to, also, celebrate comic books themselves! August 28, 2013, which would have been Jack’s 96th birthday, is the fourth annual READ COMICS IN PUBLIC DAY and started out as an effort to promote comic books and comics readership. Brian Heater and Sarah Morean of The Daily Cross Hatch, no longer published, decided to set aside a day when we would let strangers watch us do our thing; read comics!

This year, I will be doing my part in San Antonio at the World Science Fiction Convention, but I will make sure that I’m at a mundane location when I do it. Some folks will have meet-ups at a Starbuck’s and offer up issues of comics for others to read. How will you celebrate it? Know of any places that have plans such as the ones I mentioned? Let me know!

Texas Theatre Presents DREW: THE MAN BEHIND THE POSTER

A must-see documentary is the DREW: THE MAN BEHIND THE POSTER, about Drew Struzan who is responsible for so many epic movie posters. This documentary will discuss the artist, but in addition talk about his method, the creation process, the works, and the industry. The movie premieres Friday August 23, 2013 at 7 PM central time and Saturday August 24th at 6:30 PM at Texas Theatre. There will be a poster swap beforehand in the lobby.

Also, be sure to sign up for a signed Drew Struzan poster to be given away by Big Fan Boy.

 

 

www.drewstruzan.com

Recap of the Week–August 12–18 2013

This past week has been a busy one and very tiring. I turned forty-five on Wednesday and with all my birthdays, since number twenty-eight, my body has seen fit to give me gifts of aches and pains. This one was no different.

I spent Wednesday evening with my wife’s family for dinner and then left the Kid with them for a prolonged weekend stay. I had planned to use that time without her to work on more projects and hit some events, including Taffeta Darling’s birthday fling, but that was not to be.

Thursday had me up early helping a friend of mine with her internet problem, namely letting her come over to my house so that she could use my internet. One of the problems working from home is that the ‘net can’t go down, and if it does, the employer expects you to bend over backwards to find a solution.

It turned out to be a great day, because when she wasn’t actually working, we, including her son who came along, discussed the latest movies, tv shows, the upcoming Vampire Diaries convention which I did not cover and I apologize, and many other things.

That night I had overzealously double-booked a Rifftrax event and Taff’s Birthday party. I figured I could do both, even with only four hours of sleep the night before, so off I went. Les, from The Fellowship of the Geeks,  and I hit the Cinemark Legacy in Plano to watch the Fathom Events presentation of Starship Troopers with the guys from Rifftrax tearing into it. It was an awesome show and my stomach is still sore from all the belly-laughing and giggling.

The show was over by nine, but the lack of sleep and the fact that I turned forty-five caught up with me and I decided to head home instead of downtown. I figured that Taffeta was in good company and would still have a great party without me, though I would like to think that she did miss the geeky old man a little.

Friday morning put us at the AMC Firewheel 18 in Garland for Kick-Ass 2. When I woke up that morning, I felt like I DID go and hang out with Taffeta and her friends. Don’t know why I was feeling that way, but I ended up leaving my wallet at home. Thankfully, I had the AMC Stubs app and Fandango on my Droid. Stubs app for my Stubs card which gets me discounts at the snack counter, and the Fandango app let me buy tickets over my phone with Paypal. Morning saved and technology is awesome! Kick-Ass 2 was a great movie and I’ll have a review later for it.

Saturday was another full day with I Missed Comic-Con at Zeus Comics and our SciFi Club meeting that night. I Missed Comic Con was put together by Mark Walters of BigFanBoy.com and Richard and the crew from Zeus Comics and it was tons of fun. Free giveaways of posters, bandanas, t-shirts, pens, and other assorted movie promos were for the grabbing. A representative from the PR firm for Your Next was on hand with posters and animal masks. Creepy animal masks. The big draw for the event were the artists on hand. Lots of great art, and running with my friend Tom Branch that I hadn’t seen in awhile were reasons that I was glad that I went.

Later that evening, several of us met up at Comic Book Craze for our monthly DFW Scifi Club. We meet once a month to discuss movies, books, comics, and other assorted topics and I live for this meeting. I don’t think there are many things better than sitting around discussing your favorite things with friends. We talked of movies, but also, the conventions that are coming up and a little bit about panels that we would like to see at some of the cons.

As I said at the beginning, a very tiring week, but lots of fun. What are some of the events or things you like to do to satisfy your geek cravings? I’d love to hear about it and maybe discuss it here. Do you belong to any clubs or meetup groups? Let me know what you and your friends are doing!

The Guild: The Official Companion (Limited Edition)

Signed by the cast of the The Knights of the Good including Felicia Day!

I’ve been watching The Guild (off & on) on Youtube ever since I got back to my geek roots (2009) and immediately fell in love with the show (Felicia Day). Having been around since 2007, the web series follows a group of gamers and how they connect with each other in the real world. Now you can get the official guide to the show with an intro from Felicia, herself, interviews with the cast, and tons of pictures. The Knights of Good include Felicia Day, Jeff Lewis, Amy Okuda, Vince Caso, Robin Thorsen, Sandeep Parikh.

 

A little something extra is the tip-in sheet that comes with it. By the way, I didn’t know what a tip-in page was, but it seems to be a collection of loose pages that you can add to the main book, if you wish. Anyway, this set is designed by Jeff Carlisle who had done art for the show for over five years, and it comes autographed by all six of The Knights of Good. Titan Books will only be selling 500 of these worldwide, so grab yours now. I just did. Below is an affiliate link. This will allow you to browse the book and if you decide to purchase, I get a little something in return.

BigFanBoy.com Presents I MISSED COMIC-CON at Zeus Comics

I MISSED COMIC-CON is presented by BigFanBoy.com and will be held at Zeus Comics & Toys in Dallas. Join them August 17, 2013 11AM until 4PM for a chance to meet comic book creators and win cool giveaways.

If you can’t afford a trip to San Diego Comic-Con or aren’t fast enough to snag a ticket in the two seconds that they are available, then this is a little something for you. BigFanBoy.com and Zeus Comics & Toys will bring the Con to you, sort of. For what they are billing as the first of hopefully many, August 17 will be the day that you can get to meet some of your favorite comic book creators, get comics signed, and get free swag! BigFanBoy.com will, also, be giving away promotional items from movies, some signed items, DVDs, and a few items from San Diego Comic-Con. Here’s a list of guests:

• James O’Barr
• Kristian Donaldson
• Joe Eisma
• Ben Dunn
• Kez Wilson
• Scott Harben
• Robert Wilson IV
• Cal Slayton

For more information go to BigFanBoy.com’s I MISSED COMIC-CON page or check out the I MISSED COMIC-CON Facebook event page.

Syfy’s FANGASM

The first thing that hit me about this show was literally the first thing I read. “From the producer of JERSEY SHORE” This does not bode well. I picture J-Wow cosplaying one of the Doctors or The Situation as a Stormtrooper, complete with abs. Actually, in a sadistic way, that might be fun to watch.

FANGASM is a six-part documentary that according to the website “celebrates” fanboys and fangirls. That will be left to debate. We are still waiting to see how they treat cosplayers in HEROES OF COSPLAY, which airs tonight at 9:30 central on the Syfy channel.

The show takes seven geeks and pit them against each other for a chance to work with Stan Lee. They will be housed at an LA apartment and work together at Comikaze Expo which is Stan Lee’s baby. And as per shows of this type, you will have some big personalities and egos butting heads. As I read about the cast, their bios read more like for a dating service than most. Not really sure what I expect out of this, but I’m not optimistic.

FANGASM premieres September 24, 2013 at 10/9c.

HEROES OF COSPLAY Reveals the World of Competitive Cosplay

San Japan: Sinister 6

San Japan: Sinister 6 takes place August 16-18, 2013 in San Antonio, Texas. Billed as a convention that celebrates all things Japanese, but also the different forms of fandom that we geeks love; especially, anime. This will be year six for the con and it packs in the crowds every year. With celebrity voice actors, musicians, and cosplayers, you can find plenty of things to occupy your time. People of all different backgrounds and ages unite to celebrate and it looks like it will be a lot of fun to those that can make it.

If you’re headed that way, don’t forget to take advantage of these resources:

• Download the San Japan: Sinister 6 Mobile App
• The Convention Essesntials Checklist
• San Japan Location & Information
• San Japan Parking Information
• San Japan Convention Times & Layout
• San Japan Schedule

Will you be going to San Japan 6? What draws you to the con?

A Visit To The New Alamo Drafthouse Cinema

Well, we got our first look at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema today when we went to see FORBIDDEN PLANET. In amazing CINEMASCOPE! The way it was intended.

They are doing a soft-opening which means they are doing their thing, but there may be some last minute construction going on. Pardon their dust. They are putting into place a few last minute items and there will be a VIP soiree and ribbon-cutting this evening, but I’ve held off on taking any photos until they get their Sunday best on.

The movie was great and I got fried pickles for an appetizer. Very nice! Plenty of room even for a couple of big guys sitting next to each other. The small theater makes it more intimate and the sound is excellent. You’ll also not get your normal previews with this theater. Nope, we were treated to an old Star Wars-themed music video with dancing 3POs and Vaders.

I’m looking forward to more movie themes and special events from these guys. If you have been to the parking lot parties, then you know what to expect! Welcome to Dallas, Alamo Drafthouse!.

Simon, Nick, & Edgar at Shaun of the Dead/Hot Fuzz double feature.

Lewisville SciFi Book Club Discusses CATCHING FIRE by Suzanne Collins

Another month has come and gone and it is time to talks books. The Lewisville SciFi Club is hosted by Louis Barber and has a great core of people who like to talk scifi books and ideas. They meet up the second Friday of every month and discuss a novel that they have agreed upon beforehand.

 

 

 

 

This month the novel is CATCHING FIRE by Suzanne Collins, the second in the HUNGER GAMES TRILOGY.

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. ~Amazon.com

Lewisville Scifi Book Club

• Friday August 9, 2013
• 7:30 PM
• IHOP – 2345 Stemmons Fwy, Lewisville, Tx  75067

Feel free to join them as they discuss, even if you haven’t read it, or your in the middle of it. Louis and the group welcome everyone who wishes to join them.

Have you read the novel? Are you excited about the upcoming movie? Discuss!

Alamo Drafthouse Brings About the Robopocalypse!

This has nothing to do with the book ROBOPOCALYPSE by Daniel H. Wilson. This, instead, has to do with Alamo Drafthouse finally opening their doors, in what the industry calls a “soft opening,” meaning no fan-fare, just open the doors like we’ve always been here. On August 8, 2013, you will be able to select from robot-themed movies or at least movies that have robots in them. From the usual TRANSFORMERS – THE MOVIE  to the new ELYSIUM, you have quite a selection. But there are three that I’m pretty wild about.

My friends, Les and Thomas from THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE GEEKS, will be joining me as we partake in a classic from 1956 called FORBIDDEN PLANET. Later that day, LOGAN’S RUN with Michael York will be screened and an under-the-radar favorite of mine is one called ROBOT JOX. Check out the link below and tell me, which movie will you be enjoying?!

Robots! Announcing Alamo Richardson’s Soft Opening Programming

Keeping Up With The Cons!

Due to vehicle problems and other of life’s little ups and downs, I’m running short on writing time, but I did want to get this out there, just in case you haven’t heard. This is a really busy weekend in Texas.

For starters, here at home we are getting together and gaming at QuakeCon 2013. It’s being held at the Hilton Anatole and actually starts today and runs through Sunday, August 4th. Click the QuakeCon 2013 link to get more info. I’ve got a friend that helps set up the servers and other assorteds and he basically takes a vacation every year at this time, just to volunteer. Must be a pretty big deal!

Another big event is the STARFLEET International Conference being held at the MCM Elegante Hotel at Northwest Highway and I-35. The theme is “The Year of the Phoenix.” You can get more info about that at STARFLEET International Conference 2013.

We, next, head out of town and stop in Austin for the Austin Board Game Bash. It runs August 2 – 4 and is a weekend-long board gaming throwdown. It will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn just off of I-35 and 5th street.

And last, but not least, Space City Con in Houston has got a guest list a mile long. From authors to artists to celebrities to fan groups, there’s plenty to see here. Robert Picardo is Master of Ceremonies and Sylvester McCoy, wizard and Time Lord, head the list and there is no reason not to have a good time. Check out the Space City Con Guest List.