Saturday, July 24, 2010  0 Comments

Anime and Cosplay at Comic Con!

Saturday, at Comic Con in San Diego, there will be three halls dedicated to Anime screenings. as there will be tomorrow. Both Friday and Saturday have special late night showings of anime with mature themes or content, so no one under 18 will be allowed into the anime rooms…unless accompanied by a parent or adult legal guardian.

The Anime and Manga programming during Comic Con included Manga for Grown-Ups, Geek Girls Exist and Robotech History last night. Today you might be able to catch a moment with the mother of shojo manga, State of the Animation Industry panel hosted by ASIFA presenting Hollywood's annual overview of trends in animation. Vampire Knight and Iron Man somehow end up on the same day and an awards ceremony tops it all off.
Saturday is the big day with scheduled cosplay! 3:00-4:00 Avatar: The Last Airbender Fan Gathering— Meet fellow fans and enjoy myriad discussions and activities that will include a bit of trivia, Avatar: The Last Airbender-inspired haiku, official merchandise buzz, cosplay tips, and a sketchbook swap.

Do a search on “costume” and you’ll find lots of events to attend. But the Masquerade may be where you want to focus your time and attention. HBO's True Blood will be presenting the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International Masquerade.

“Comic-Con's Masquerade is staged in the style of a talent competition, with a Master of Ceremonies, a panel of guest judges, impressive trophies and cash awards, a large raised stage with theater-style lighting, and four giant high- definition video screens providing great close-up views. An audience of 4,200 always fills the Convention Center's Ballroom 20 to capacity, with even more people watching the show on large video screens elsewhere in the building.”

Check out the official website at http://www.comic-con.org/ for more information!

 

Thursday, July 22, 2010  0 Comments

Comic Con for Everyone

Sure, Comic Con in San Diego is sold out. But you can feel like you’re there if you catch all the coverage available! Here are some of your choices:

MTV.com has joined with MySpace to provide web viewers with what they call “the most immediate and interactive access” to Comic Con and all the activities to be found there. MTV.com says, “the shows will stream simultaneously on MySpace and MTV.com, and viewers can take part in the conversations firsthand and in real time by posting comments and questions for the chance to have their favorite celebrities answer live.”

And, if you’ve got the cable channel G4, they’ve got a whole line up of coverage for the people at home. "Attack of the Show" hosts Kevin Pereira and Olivia Munn will be delivering four hours of live, funny coverage from the convention floor on Saturday, July 24.

“On the web, G4 is offering comprehensive coverage at, where it will feature web-exclusive video interviews, the latest movie and TV trailers in HD, photo galleries and cosplay coverage from the show, live-blog from all the biggest panels including both the Attack of the Show and X-Play panels, game previews and coverage and all the latest news. Comic-Con content will also be available as a Podcast on the ‘Attack of the Show’ feed and on the new G4 iPhone app at http://g4tv.com/app.”

If you want a different angle, Screen Rant.com is covering the whole thing too. And you can always search Twitter for the realtime updates and posted photos in real time of cosplayers and costumed heroes. There will be a lot going on all over Comic Con, so you may see even more than people who are physically in attendance!

 

Monday, July 19, 2010  0 Comments

Scott Pilgrim Launch Parties TONIGHT

It’s time for Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour – the sixth and final volume of the Scott Pilgrim comic series due on July 20, 2010. To celebrate, there will be midnight release parties tonight, Monday July 19th, all across the continent and beyond. Deb Aoki reported on her Manga Blog about two big parties taking place -- one in Toronto, the home of Scott Pilgrim himself, and the other in Los Angeles, the new home of creator Bryan Lee O’Malley.

In Toronto, a shop called The Beguiling will be hosting a free block party, complete with live bands, a costume contest, and giveaways. If that weren’t enough, the guest of honor will be O'Malley himself, prepared to meet, greet, sign and answer questions about the upcoming Scott Pilgrim vs. The World movie, due in theaters on August 13, 2010.

And in L.A., Meltdown Comics in Hollywood will be offering refreshments and giveaways, including Scott Pilgrim t-shirts from Mighty Fine. Cool prizes will be awarded to the winners of the Scott Pilgrim cosplay contest
judged by Cosplay in America author Ejen Chuang. There will even be film crews documenting the festivities, and you can be one of the first to check out the variety of Scott Pilgrim goodies, including plush toys, tees, posters, etc. Meltdown is also offering all of the Scott Pilgrim books at 20% off, while supplies last.

Here’s a link to the trailer on YouTube of the film based on the Scott Pilgrim series: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, with actor Michael Cera (Juno) as Scott. Its August 13, 2010 release date is also the launch date of the new video game!

Read Deb’s Manga Blog for more info at http://manga.about.com!

 

Sunday, July 11, 2010  0 Comments

Celebrate Americana in July

We’re celebrating Americana: things “relating to America, esp. to its history, culture, and geography.” July 4th isn’t the only celebration of America this month, it also happens to be National Blueberry Month, National Hot Dog Month and National Ice Cream Month! If that doesn’t bring to mind visions of summer picnics, then add these dates into the equation -- National Fried Chicken Day on July 6, Barbershop Music Appreciation Day is on the 13th, and the 22nd is Hammock Day. A proper summer day in the U-S-of-A....hammocks, fried chicken and ice cream!

Speaking of picnics, July 10th is Teddy Bear Picnic Day, if you’d like to have a theme for your outdoor celebrations. That much-loved American icon Walt Disney gives us two reasons to celebrate in July— the 82nd anniversary of the premiere of Mickey Mouse’s first animated short, “Steamboat Willie” on July 29, 1928 and the anniversary of Disneyland’s opening on July 17, 1955 in Anaheim, California. Celebrate anywhere, maybe even with the Teddy Bears, (while wearing a Disney costume?).

If you’d like to commemorate some controversial Early American history, you can dress like a Civil War soldier on the 22nd to recognize the act of Congress that restored the citizenship, posthumously, of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in 1975 (very posthumously!). Or you can dress in American colonial garb to honor the 26th of July, when Benjamin Franklin became the first Postmaster General in 1775.

And nothing is more American than Baseball, so celebrate the anniversary of Mickey Mantle’s first Grand Slam in 1952 on July 26th by wearing a baseball uniform. Wow – you can celebrate Mickey Mouse AND Mickey Mantle in the same month!

 

Tuesday, July 6, 2010  0 Comments

New Spiderman in the News

Sony Pictures decided to toss out the costly combo of director Sam Raimi and actor Toby Maguire (not to mention Kirsten Dunst) and start over with the Spiderman franchise. They’ve chosen Marc Webb, who directed "(500) Days of Summer," and an actor well-known in Britain but less known in America: Andrew Garfield.

Andrew’s not completely unknown—you might have seen him in one-time Joker Heath Ledger’s final work, "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" and a handful of other films. While The Improper.com calls it a “Colossal Mis-Casting”, The Hero Complex told us that Amy Pascal, co-chairman of Sony Pictures, said in a statement: "From the first time we saw him in the upcoming film 'The Social Network,' to his glorious screen test, which floored all of us, we knew that we had found our new Peter Parker.”

Of course there were others considered for the role, like:
Josh Hutcherson from "The Kids are All Right" (not a remake of the The Who’s 1979 concert film….) Zac Efron from the "High School Musical" franchise (Spiderman the musical? Maybe sooner than we think...)

Shia LeBeouf from the “Transformers" movies (“More than meets the eye” to be sure – he’s already Indiana Jones’ kid and looking for more adult roles)
Aaron Johnson from "Kick-Ass" (Can he be taken seriously as a superhero after that?)
Jamie Bell from "Billy Elliot" (Graceful enough to play a ballet dancer…)

Marc Webb told People.com that, "Though (Garfield's) name may be new to many, those who know this young actor's work understand his extraordinary talents. Mark my words, you will love Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker."

So stay tuned for the new movie due in 2012 which will take Peter Parker back into high school where he’ll grapple with the sticky web of issues involved in being a teen and a super-human.

 

Sunday, June 27, 2010  0 Comments

Anime Expo in Los Angeles July 1st

Anime Expo is back at the L.A. Convention Center for the July 4th weekend! Cosplay
is a big part of Anime Expo. In fact, if you take part in the poll on their home page, you’ll see that over half of those who responded are most looking forward to some Cosplay.

Here’s the stuff they’ve got in store at Anime Expo 2010:

Masquerade
The biggest cosplay event in all of Anime Expo, you’ll see the most extravagant costumes and some of the best cosplay performances on stage in the Masquerade.

Pop Shock Masquerade
Cosplay is much more than Anime and Manga. Lolitas or Steampunks, Angelic or Gothic, J Rock or J Pop, this competition showcases fans of a wide spectrum of fashion genres in fandom.

Chibi Masquerade
The mini version of Masquerade, Chibi Masquerade is a great way to see great skits without the long lines and the stress of competition. This event is often a starting ground for the best and brightest in Masquerades to come.

Midnight Tea
This tea party offers table to table of enchanting characters, each brimming with faux treats that look good enough to eat. Each party has its own story to tell, limited only by their imagination and skill. This competitive event showcases cosplayers and crafters in an interior design challenge with a tea party theme. NOTE: No food or drink will be served.

They’ve also got AX Idol, Singled Out, Anime Trivia Show, Karaoke, Last Comic Standing and a Scavenger Hunt. There’s even an Otaku Parliamentary Debate to let you show off your insights as well your debating skills and make a persuasive argument from a variety of topics. There’s a ton more too! If you’re in the L.A. area, don’t miss Anime Expo 2010!

 

Thursday, June 24, 2010  0 Comments

Reserve Your Place at "Star Wars Celebration 5"

Star Wars Celebration V will be taking place in Orlando, Florida from August 12th to 15th, but if you want to take part in the costume contest, you have to have your applications in by July 4th! Hurry! You’ll want to look good too, since George Lucas will be in attendance.

He’s going to be interviewed on stage by Jon Stewart of The Daily Show, which promises to be both entertaining and informative. According to the L.A. Times Hero Complex column, "The last time Jon Stewart interviewed George Lucas, the great wizard of Skywalker Ranch revealed some startling late-night habits involving rubber and Jar Jar Binks headwear."

Other scheduled guests you’ll want to look good for include Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), Anthony Daniels (C3PO), Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), Jake Lloyd (young Anakin ) and Ray Park (Darth Maul).

They say on the website, “Have you spent the past year creating the ultimate suit of Mandalorian armor? Or do you prefer to simply wrap a bath towel around yourself and claim to be a Jedi? Either way, Star Wars costumers both veteran and amateur are invited to join in for two exciting costume contests at Star Wars Celebration! With two Costume Pageants to showcase the finest costumes in the galaxy, you’ll have more opportunities to model your finery. So make plans to either enter or attend these exciting events!”

Though the costume contest doesn’t allow cosplay (!whatever that means), it does include Star Wars adult and kids costumes, so the whole family can play.
They go on to say that, “All entries must represent a character or element in the Star Wars universe -- including the movies, TV series, books, comics, and video games. The contests will be judged solely on the quality of the costume. All adult contestants will go on stage individually, exhibit two center stage poses, and then exit while the emcee reads the entrant’s provided costume description. Child entrants must go on stage with a parent or guardian. No speaking or individualization of music is allowed.”

Labels: Cosplay costume contests, Star Wars, Star Wars and Sci-Fi Costumes

 

Tuesday, June 22, 2010  0 Comments

LARP at Origins Game Fair

The Origins Game Fair is returning for its 35th anniversary to Ohio June 23 – 27th. They’re one of the largest gaming conventions in the world, featuring “games of every variety: tabletop games, miniatures games, roleplaying games, LARPs, traditional games, collectible card games, and even some poker and LAN gaming.” We’re going to focus on the LARPs, since that’s where you get to dress in costume! And there are plenty of chances to do so. They’ve got about 145 LARPs scheduled over the course of the event.

5th Wall Gaming will be hosting LARPs that range from Sci-Fi and horror to national security, soap operas, mystery dates, the French Revolution and Cavemen. They’ve got a Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy LARP, or you can be a god, a fish, a robot, or combine them all in "Zombie Pirate Ninja Robot Cyborg Aliens". Needless to say, they’ve got something for everyone – even a LARP where you get to play someone who is trying to write a LARP.

The Kingdom of the Rising Winds is all about Armtgard, a medieval fantasy world that involves the use of combat, magic, role play, and various arts. Their combat system includes a number of archetypal classes, such as archer, warrior, wizard, and assassin, to name a few.

PST Productions is hosting a whole bunch of LARPs that feature TerrorWerks: Pirates of the Tycho Expanse.

Kettle of Fish Productions have got some robots in the wild west LARPs, Star Wars, Arabian Nights, and a fantasy of medieval Japan.

Zombie Buddy Productions kinda gives away what their specialty is in their name. They’re hosting a ton of chances to either be or battle zombies.

The Ohio Gamers Association lets you be an assassin, Rogue Cthulhu takes you into space, and The Camarilla: East Central Region takes you into the realm of the supernatural, with goblins and vampires, phantasms and changelings.

What more could you ask for?

 

Thursday, June 17, 2010  0 Comments

June Beginnings in History

In a list of costume-related events that fall in June:

June 1, 1926- Marilyn Monroe was born.

June 1, 1938 – Superman first appears in the comics. According to Wikipedia “the character first appeared in Action Comics #1 in June 1938.”

June 2, 1835 - PT Barnum's circus begins first tour of U.S.

June 8, 1957 - Scott Adams, cartoonist, created "Dilbert"

June 8, 1984 – Ghostbusters is released in movie theaters. This science fiction comedy film about three eccentric New York City parapsychologists-turned-ghost exterminators was an enormous box office and cultural hit.

June 9,1934 - Disney's Donald Duck makes his debut.

June 9, 1961- Michael J. Fox, actor, "Back to the Future" was born.

June 9, 1981- Natalie Portman, who played Queen Amidala in the most recent Star Wars trilogy was born.

June 10, 1922- Judy Garland was born, best known as the singer and actress who starred as Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz".

June 11, 1982 - The movie E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial was released

June 14, 1942 - Walt Disney's Bambi was released

June 16, 1989 - The premiere of Ghostbusters II