Blood at the Beach

Patrick Michael Strange and I traveled to Virginia Beach last weekend to attend Blood on the Beach III.   I've been to conventions for comic books, Star Trek, science fiction and anime but this was my very first horror oriented show.   I had a great time!

Among the many celebrities in attendance were Michael Rooker, Lew Temple, Vincent Ward, Travis Love, Theodus Crane, Diana Barrows, Tyler Mane, Michael Berryman, William Forsythe, Traci Lords, Julian Sands, Terry Kiser and the lovely Kim Poirier (in the pic above with me)!  We got interviews with Michael Rooker and a number of actors from AMC's The Walking Dead TV series.   

You'll see all our interviews as web exclusive content on the FANTASTIC FORUM site.   As you see, Patrick had some rather tense moments.

There was a meeting with Halloween's Michael Myers that you won't forget anytime soon, either!  While it may have been my first experience with horror cons it certainly won't be my last.  I'm already looking forward to attending again.  And the VA Beach locale makes it a lot easier to consider.  

On the production front, I just completed episode #47 this weekend.  It will be premiering next week on AIM in Arlington, VA.  And I've received word that we'll be available in Philadelphia, PA on PhillyCam in the coming weeks.  More on that later.  Keep watching, the best is yet to come!

Awesome Con DC!

This weekend marked the first annual Awesome Con DC!  The event was organized by Ben Penrod in response to the absence of a major comic convention in DC.  Ben is the mastermind behind the Annapolis Comic Con as well as the Southern Maryland Comic Con and he knows how to put on a good show.  The convention was well attended and very enjoyable.

FANTASTIC FORUM was there in support of our new hometown con.  I was delighted to be tapped as the moderator for Q&A panels featuring the likes of ERNIE HUDSON, BILLY WEST and PHIL LAMARR.  And I wasn't alone, either.  Producer/host Patrick Michael Strange was the emcee for the Kids' Costume Contest and Art Show.  Kudos to Patrick for performing double duty.  In addition to his convention assignments he was also conducting interviews all weekend!  We got some great material that you'll see in upcoming episodes and some racy bonus feature stuff, too.   And I'd be remiss if I failed to mention the excellent job of director/cameraman Alvin Jones.  Thanks, Alvin!

Ultimately, I can't say enough about the amazing job that Ben and the Awesome Con staff did in putting the show together and keeping it well managed through the weekend.  And the convention has already booked the Walter E. Washington Convention Center for next year.  To the delight of local fans it looks as if Awesome Con DC is here for the duration!  And knowing what I do about Ben I'm confident that the second annual installment will be even more awesome than the first.

Patrick and I took lots of pictures during the weekend.  And you can see 'em all by visiting the Fantastic Forum Facebook page!  Awesome Con DC Pictures Click Here!

Keep watching, the best is yet to come!

Next Stop, Valiant Entertainment!

Last Monday, Patrick Michael Strange and I visited the mid-town Manhattan offices of Valiant Entertainment.  As you may know, Valiant Comics re-launched late last year after a successful run in the mid-nineties prior to being bought out by video gaming company, Accliam.

To say that Patrick is a huge fan of the comics line would be a tremendous understatement.  He followed a number of the original Valiant comics storylines and is always giving the books a shout out on the show.  Patrick met and interviewed Valiant publisher, Fred Pierce, at the 2012 Baltimore Comic Con.  Afterwards, I reached out to Valiant CEO, Dinesh Shamdasani.

So we interviewed Dinesh, VP and Senior Editor, Warren Simons and Editor Jody LeHeup.  Marketing Director, Hunter Gorinson was also very helpful. The entire Valiant staff made us comfortable and we departed with a ton of great swag, some of which will be made available to viewers as the prizes in our next contest.  And we look forward to maintaining and strengthening our relationship with the gang at Valiant.  Now that we've spoken with management, we'll catch up with Valiant talent to create a special episode that is guaranteed to knock your socks off.  Keep watching, the best is yet to come!

FF Hosts Documentary Screening Event

Last weekend was another milestone for FANTASTIC FORUM as we co-hosted the advance screening of Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines.  The event was held at Brooks Mansion, the headquarters of DCTV in Washington, DC.  DCTV is, of course, our broadcast partner in the nation's capital and we are very grateful for their participation.  Thanks, also, to The Independent Television Service's Community Cinema initiative for having made this terrific documentary available to us.

As per the guidelines of Community Cinema, the screening was accompanied by a Question & Answer session.  Panelists for the Q&A were our own Billie Rae Bates, Devon Sanders and Associate Curator of Geppi's Entertainment Museum, Andy Hershberger.  The discussion was lively and highly informative.

The Q&A was moderated by Executive Producer, Ulysses E. Campbell, who also organized the screening with ITVS and DCTV.  Thanks, again, to DCTV, ITVS, the Q&A panel and everyone who came out to view the documentary.  Wonder Women! premieres on PBS television stations in April 2013.  

Meet The Author: Greg Cox

I enjoyed the privilege of meeting Greg Cox last week.  Greg is a prolific science fiction author who has penned a number of successful novels based upon Star Trek including well known, original stories about Khan Noonien Singh and omnipotent entity Q.  But he is perhaps best known for his novelizations of various hit movies among which are The Dark Knight Rises, Underworld and the soon to be released, Man of Steel.  

Greg had been invited to speak in a forum at the Library of Congress.  I heard about it through the grapevine and was able to attend the presentation which was entitled,  

Greg also counts among his many credits novelizations of several comic book series including Infinite Crisis, 52 and Final Crisis.  The presentation was very enjoyable and informative.  Afterwards, we lunched with LOC staffers and I got to tag along with Greg on a personal tour of the Main Hall.  Many thanks to Helen Hester-Ossa for arranging Greg's visit.  

Greg was kind enough to consent to talk on camera before departing our capital city.  Check out the FANTASTIC FORUM website for the complete interview with Greg Cox.  And you may learn more about him via this link:  Greg Cox Official Website 

A Wonderful Documentary!

I had the good fortune to catch a terrific documentary on Sunday.  The Washington DC Jewish Community Center through Community Cinema and in cooperation with ITVS screened Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines.  Produced by Kelcey Edwards and directed by Kristy Guevara-Flanagan the feature documentary traces the creation and evolution of DC's Wonder Woman and explores the concept of heroic women and their empowerment in the US over the decades.

Edwards and Guevara-Flanagan have succeeded in crafting an interesting and thought provoking look at elements of American history juxtaposing reality and fiction beginning with World War II and the plethora of superheroes that came into being.  The filmmakers review William Moulton Marston's lofty goals behind creating Wonder Woman and the character's longevity and effect on feminism.  The movie features interviews with Gloria Steinem, Trina Robbins, Lynda Carter, Lindsey Wagner and numerous other women who have had an impact on women and their portrayal in media.  Also included are women and girls who have been inspired and influenced by characterizations of heroic women.   

The documentary was financed through a combination of sponsorship and crowd funding.

To our cultural detriment, much of how we as Americans view ourselves is influenced by works of fiction.  Females especially have been offered far more narrow choices for heroic role models.   But it is impossible to watch this film and not come away in awe of the personal testimonies of women who have been inspired to strive for greater heights by the ideals and exploits of comic book and television characters.  I found the documentary to be informative and uplifting.

You don't have to be a comics fan to find something of value in this film.  I heartily encourage anyone with an interest in history, feminism and popular culture to watch Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines.  Check your local PBS listings during April for the premiere air dates and times.

      

Saturday, Katsucon. Sunday, Farpoint.

It was another big weekend for FANTASTIC FORUM.  Two conventions graced the DC/Maryland area as anime convention, Katsucon, was held at National Harbor's Gaylord Resort and sci-fi con, Farpoint, took place at the Crowne Plaza in Hunt Valley.  And I was nutty enough to attend both. 

Katsucon is the official home of the 2013 US Finals of the World Cosplay Summit.  And as one  might imagine, the convention is consistently one of the better shows for costuming.  In fact, I actually attended in costume myself.

This is significant as I am a longtime costumer and haven't done so in many, many years.  I decided to go all out as my 12 year old daughter (who is a big anime fan) learned that there wasn't a restriction against her attending and decided she wanted to go.  So we made this her very first convention.  She didn't have a costume but she already has a ton of ideas about what she wants to make.  Like father, like daughter.

The other show in the area this weekend was a wonderful science fiction con with Star Trek roots.  In fact, it takes its name from the pilot episode of TNG.  And I happened to enjoy an, "Encounter at Farpoint."  I've been a conventioneer since the first Marvel Comics Convention in New York City back in 1974.  I really hit my stride afterwards with a number of Creation Conventions and a couple of World Science Fiction Conventions.  But made some great friends in those heady days following the release of Star Wars in 1977 as we all were cosplaying Rebels or Imperials. 

Mike McPhail was one of the friends that I made and he and I reconnected at this show.  Mike is an author, editor, engineer and gamer and his wife, Danielle, is an award winning, genre author and editor.  You may visit her website at:  Danielle Ackley-McPhail Website     It was a delight to see Mike and meet Danielle.  They regularly attend conventions in the NY, NJ, PA, MD area and it's likely that you may have already run into them if you get out to shows in those areas.  

Farpoint is a fan run convention that was established in 1993.  Their focus in on fandom and their mission to educate, encourage and enable.  The show always features guests from the industries that bring imagination into the mainstream and this year was no exception.  Even though we arrived late, Billie Rae Bates was able to catch actor, Giancarlo Esposito, before he had to depart to make an airline flight.  You'll see it on an upcoming episode.   

So we're into the convention season in earnest.  A bunch of shows coming up in the next couple of months.   We'll hope to see you there.  Feel free to step up and introduce yourself.  Keep watching, the best is yet to come!