SDCC: At Death's Door - Sherrilyn Kenyon Interview

Photo Credit: JBN Media

New York Times and international bestselling author, Sherrilyn Kenyon, is a regular at the #1 spot. With legions of fans known as Menyons (thousands of whom proudly sport tattoos from her series and who travel from all over the world to attend her appearances), her books are always snatched up as soon as they appear on store shelves. 

Since 2003, she had placed more than 80 novels on the New York Times list in all formats including manga and graphic novels. Current series are: Dark-Hunter®, Chronicles of Nick®, Deadman’s Cross™, Nevermore™, Silent Swans™, Lords of Avalon® and The League®. Her books are available in over 100 countries where eager fans impatiently wait for the next release. The Chronicles of Nick® and Dark-Hunter® series are soon to be major motion pictures while Dark-Hunter®, Lords of Avalon® and The League® are being developed for television. 

        

#1 New York Times bestseller Sherrilyn Kenyon brings us the latest adventure in the Deadman's Cross saga with At Death's Door, an epic pirate fantasy perfect for her millions of Dark-Hunter fans

Welcome to the latest Deadmen’s Quest...

Valynda Moore was born cursed. So when she dies as the result of a spell gone wrong and is trapped in the body of a voodoo doll, she expects nothing else from her messed up life. Until Thorn, leader of the Hellchasers, offers her a chance at redemption and a new life.

But nothing has ever gone her way, for the Malachai, the very beast she and her crew of Deadmen have sworn to keep locked away, has risen. And this time he’s taken prisoners. Valynda must keep her wits about her or be denied her salvation and forced to watch as the entire world falls into the hands of absolute evil.

It’s a demon-eat-demon world where the stakes have never been higher and either redemption or the ultimate betrayal waits for her at Death’s Door.

Sherrilyn Kenyon with JBN Journalist, Joseph Flores during Comic Con.

THE JBN TEAM INTERVIEW WITH SHERRILYN KENYON
JOURNALIST: JOSEPH FLORES
LOCATION: SAN DIEGO, CA
CONVENTION DATE: COMIC CON JULY 17TH - 21ST
INTERVIEW: JULY 20, 2019

Video/Audio/Edit: James Vallesteros (@jamesvallesteros)

PRAISE FOR SHERRILYN KENYON

"Kenyon (Born of Legend) puts the lie to the old adage “Dead men tell no tales” in the jam-packed, appealing first book of her Deadman’s Cross historical fantasy series." —Publishers Weekly on Deadmen Walking

“Kenyon’s writing is brisk, ironic and relentless imaginative.” —Boston Globe

“Arguably the most in-demand and prolific authors in America these days.” —Publishers Weekly

“[An] engaging read.” —Entertainment Weekly on Devil May Cry

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Silicon Valley Comic Con 2016 - Review

Silicon Valley Comic Con 2016

March 19-21, 2016

San Jose McEnery Convention Center

by James Vallesteros
Photos by www.jamesvallesteros.com

March 27, 2016



Ever since Wondercon left the San Francisco Bay Area for the a more dominant market in Southern California’s Anaheim, nerds in California’s northern region have been waiting for a proper replacement for once was a staple of nerd gathering in the Bay Area. Enter Steve Wozniak and his venture for the inaugural Silicon Valley Comic Con emanating at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center.

For years, the alternative was the annual Big Wow! Comic Fest in San Jose but as a fan convention attendee for several years, it didn’t have the feeling that Wondercon delivers because of the machine behind it. However, the inaugural event fulfilled the expectations, and it garnered positive reviews from the people I talked to during and after the event.

Perhaps one of the most prominent offering was bringing the main cast of Back to the Future to one place for fans to share their love and passion for the franchise. As the main attractions, it brought in many fans flocking to see their favorite time-travelers, Doctor Emmet Brown and Marty McFly. A replica of the time-travelling DeLorean was on display and fans were able to get photos with the Flux-Capacitor Powered time machine.

Fan Conventions have been around for years, but cosplay has become one of the most popular attractions. Although the cosplayers are not officially part of the guest list, they are indeed part of the show. Many cosplayers brought their A-Game and showcased their artsy and innovated ways of translating costumes from movies, comics, and television to real life.

Photo provided by jamesvallesteros.com

Although the overall experience of SVCC was a success, there were a few things that attendees found to be overwhelming. The 3-Day Badge price was a major complaint having heard from others that it was too expensive for a first-time Fan Convention. The Parking situation in Downtown San Jose is horrible especially on Saturday. We spent more than an hour getting re-directed to finally get a parking space.

Overall, Silicon Valley Comic Con is a must-go Fan Convention. It has the star power and they deliver quality service inside the exhibit halls. Wondercon seems to be staying in Southern California but fans in Northern California are very content with SVCC. We look forward for next year and SVCC has quickly become of those “can’t-miss” conventions.

Photo provided by jamesvallesteros.com

For the latest news about Silicon Valley Comic Con, you can visit the official website at www.svcomiccon.com.

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SDCC: AMC’S ‘PREACHER’ Season 2 Trailer

AMC’S ‘PREACHER’ PRESIDES OVER SAN DIEGO COMIC CON

New Trailer Previews the Boisterous Blasphemy to Come this Season

As "The Grail” Joins the Frenzy

On Friday, July 21 at San Diego Comic Con in the Convention Center’s famed Hall H, Seth Rogen, Dominic Cooper, Ruth Negga, Joseph Gilgun, Ian Colletti and Graham McTavish, along with moderator Chris Hardwick, gathered together to discuss the successful second season of AMC’s hit series “Preacher.”

Hardwick kicked it off with a just-released trailer showcasing what’s to come on the rest of the critically acclaimed second season. Halfway through the panel, the audience was surprised when the principal cast was joined by ‘The Grail,’ portrayed by Pip Torrens(Herr Starr), Julie Ann Emery (Featherstone), and Malcolm Barrett (Hoover).

“Preacher” airs Monday nights at 9 PM ET/PT on AMC.

About “Preacher”
Based on the popular cult comic book franchise, Preacher tells the absurdly twisted tale of Jesse Custer, a small-town preacher inhabited by an angel-demon spawn that gives him the power to make people do his bidding, Tulip, his volatile true love, and Cassidy, a 119-year-old Irish vampire. After Jesse accidentally discovers that God is absent from Heaven, the three of them set out on a road trip to find Him, all while being hunted by the Saint of Killers, an unstoppable, mythical killer from Hell. The gang’s pursuit leads them to New Orleans, where they must dodge local gangsters, dangerous agents, and other unimaginable mayhem on their way to uncovering an even bigger secret.

About AMC

AMC is home to some of the most popular and acclaimed programs on television. AMC was the first basic cable network to ever win the Emmy® Award for Outstanding Drama Series with “Mad Men” in 2008, which then went on to win the coveted award four years in a row, before “Breaking Bad” won it in 2013 and 2014. The network’s series “The Walking Dead” is the highest-rated series in cable history and the number one show on television among adults 18-49 for the last five years. AMC’s other current original drama series include “Better Call Saul,” “TURN: Washington’s Spies,” “Halt and Catch Fire,” “Humans,” “Fear the Walking Dead,” “Into the Badlands,” “The Night Manager,” “Preacher,” “The Son” and the forthcoming “The Terror,” “Lodge 49,” “Loaded” and “McMafia.” AMC also explores authentic worlds and discussion with original shows like “Talking Dead,” “Talking With Chris Hardwick,” “The Making of The Mob,” “Comic Book Men,” “Ride with Norman Reedus” and “The American West.” AMC is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc. and its sister networks include IFC, SundanceTV, BBC America and WE tv. AMC is available across all platforms, including on-air, online, on demand and mobile. 

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SDCC: Stranger Things - David Klotz Interview

Photo Content from David Klotz

David Klotz is an award winning music editor with 5 Emmy Awards and 16 nominations. David has worked on Glee, Scream Queens, Entourage, American Crime Story, and currently on Game Of Thrones, American Horror Story, and Stranger Things. In addition to being a music editor, he is also a musician and songwriter for numerous alternative bands since the early 1990s.

    

When a young boy disappears, his mother, a police chief, and his friends must confront terrifying forces in order to get him back.

AWARDS & NOMINATIONS

OUTSTANDING SOUND EDITING FOR A SERIES - 2017
Stranger Things ― "Chapter Eight: The Mind Flayer" Netflix
David Klotz, Music Editor

OUTSTANDING SOUND EDITING FOR A COMEDY OR DRAMA SERIES (ONE HOUR) - 2018

Stranger Things ― "Chapter Eight: The Mind Flayer" Netflix

David Klotz, Music Editor

  

AWARDS & NOMINATIONS ― GAME OF THRONES

• OUTSTANDING SOUND EDITING FOR A COMEDY OR DRAMA SERIES (ONE HOUR) - 2019
  Game Of Thrones ― "The Spoils Of War" HBO
  David Klotz, Music Editor
• OUTSTANDING SOUND EDITING FOR A COMEDY OR DRAMA SERIES (ONE HOUR) - 2018Game Of Thrones ― "The Spoils Of War" HBODavid Klotz, Music Editor
• OUTSTANDING SOUND EDITING FOR A SERIES - 2016Game Of Thrones ― "The Door" HBO
  David Klotz, Music Editor
• OUTSTANDING SOUND EDITING FOR A SERIES - 2015Game Of Thrones ― "Hardhome" HBODavid Klotz, Music Editor
• OUTSTANDING SOUND EDITING FOR A SERIES - 2014Game Of Thrones ― "The Watchers On The Wall" HBODavid Klotz, Music Editor
• OUTSTANDING SOUND EDITING FOR A SERIES - 2013Game Of Thrones ― "And Now His Watch Is Ended" HBODavid Klotz, Music Editor
• OUTSTANDING SOUND EDITING FOR A SERIES - 2012Game Of Thrones ― "Blackwater" HBODavid Klotz, Music Editor

THE JBN TEAM INTERVIEW WITH DAVID KLOTZ

JOURNALIST: JOSEPH FLORES

LOCATION: SAN DIEGO, CA

CONVENTION DATE: COMIC CON JULY 17TH - 21ST

INTERVIEW: JULY 18, 2019

Video/Audio/Edit: James Vallesteros (@jamesvallesteros)

AWARDS & NOMINATIONS ― AMERICAN HORROR STORY

• OUTSTANDING SOUND EDITING FOR A LIMITED SERIES, MOVIE OR SPECIAL - 2018
  American Horror Story: Cult ― "Great Again" FX Networks
  David Klotz, Music Editor
• OUTSTANDING SOUND EDITING FOR A LIMITED SERIES, MOVIE OR SPECIAL - 2017
  American Horror Story: Roanoke ― "Chapter 1" FX Networks
  David Klotz, Music Editor
• OUTSTANDING SOUND EDITING FOR A LIMITED SERIES, MOVIE OR SPECIAL - 2016
  American Horror Story: Hotel ― "Checking In" FX Networks
  David Klotz, Music Editor
• OUTSTANDING SOUND EDITING FOR A LIMITED SERIES, MOVIE OR A SPECIAL - 2015
  American Horror Story: Freak Show ― "Curtain Call" FX Networks
  David Klotz, Music Editor
• OUTSTANDING SOUND EDITING FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE OR A SPECIAL - 2014
  American Horror Story: Coven ― "Fearful Pranks Ensue" FX Networks
  David Klotz, Music Editor
• OUTSTANDING SOUND EDITING FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE OR A SPECIAL - 2013
  American Horror Story: Asylum ― "Welcome To Briarcliff" FX Networks
  David Klotz, Music Editor
• OUTSTANDING SOUND EDITING FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE OR A SPECIAL - 2012
  American Horror Story ― "Piggy, Piggy" FX Networks
  David Klotz, Music Editor

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SDCC - David J. Schow Interview

Photo Credit: JBN Media

David James Schow was born in Marburg, Germany and was adopted by American parents then living in Middlesex, England.

After publishing non-fiction book and film criticism in newspapers and magazines, his first professionally published fiction was a novelette in Galileo Magazine in 1978. He spent the next decade honing his skills in the short fiction form. He won a Dimension Award from Twilight Zone Magazine (for most popular short story) in 1985 and a World Fantasy Award (best short fiction) in 1987.

He commenced screenwriting in 1989 with an uncredited dialogue polish on "A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 5: The Dream Child," after which both his first teleplay and first screenplay were bought and produced (the "Freddy's Nightmares" episode "Safe Sex" and the feature "Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III" respectively).

After inventing the rubric "stalk-and-slash" in 1977 to describe the genre later simplified as "slasher films," Schow similarly coined the notorious neologism "splatterpunk" in 1986. To reflect the shifting climate of the horror aesthetic during the early 1990s, he logged 41 installments of his popular "Raving & Drooling" column for Fangoria Magazine. This and other non-fiction op-ed material was collected in the book "Wild Hairs" (2000), which won the International Horror Guild's award for best nonfiction in 2001.

Schow is the foremost authority on the 1963-65 television series "The Outer Limits." The revised, updated 1998 edition of his "Outer Limits Companion" contains everything anyone would ever care to know about this cult classic.

Schow's published canon (by 2006) includes four novels, seven collections of his short stories, five books as editor (including the three-volume "Lost Bloch" series and John Farris' "Elvisland") and a number of pseudonymously published series and tie-in paperbacks done earlier in his career.

He wrote large text supplements for such DVDs as Reservoir Dogs and From Hell, contributed to several British documentaries for BBC4 both on- and off-camera, and appears as expert witness on DVD supplements for such movies as "The Dirty Dozen," "The Green Mile," "Incubus" and "Creature from the Black Lagoon." He co-produced and filmed much of the on-location supplemental material seen on the discs for "I, Robot" and "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe." He also makes sneaky cameo appearances (credited and uncredited) in his own films as well as those of friends.

      

CREEPSHOW TV SERIES 2019
A young boy's horror comic book comes to life in this anthology series of terrifying tales.

THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE BEGINNING
Before being sent to serve in Vietnam, two brothers and their girlfriends take one last road trip, but when they get into an accident, a terrifying experience will take them to a secluded house of horrors, with a chainsaw-wielding killer.

THE CROW
A man brutally murdered comes back to life as an undead avenger of his and his fiancée's murder.

David J. Schow with JBN Journalist, Joseph Flores during Comic Con.

THE JBN TEAM INTERVIEW WITH DAVID J. SCHOW
JOURNALIST: JOSEPH FLORES
LOCATION: SAN DIEGO, CA
CONVENTION DATE: COMIC CON JULY 17TH - 21ST
INTERVIEW: JULY 19, 2019

Video/Audio/Edit: James Vallesteros (@jamesvallesteros)

ABOUT STORM KING COMICS
Storm King Comics, formed in 2012 as a division of Storm King Productions, is headed by writer/producer and editor Sandy King. Along with her husband, director John Carpenter, King focuses on bringing the best writers from the worlds of comics, movies and novels together to bring their special brand of horror and sci-fi entertainment to comics. Their flagship comic book title John Carpenter’s Asylum has become a global fan favorite, followed by the award-winning annual anthology, John Carpenter’s Tales for a HalloweeNight, and most recently the monthly anthology series, John Carpenter’s Tales of Science Fiction.

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Fanime - B: The Beginning - Satomi Satō Interview

Photo Credit: James Vallesteros

Satomi Satō (佐藤 聡美 Satō Satomi, born May 8, 1986) is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. She is affiliated with Aoni Production's Junior Talent. She is a graduate of Tokyo Announce Gakuin Performing Arts College. She is also known as Sugar (しゅがぁ Shugā), as "satō" (砂糖) means "sugar" in Japanese. She is best known for her role as Ritsu Tainaka in K-On! and Wendy Marvell in Fairy Tail.

Photo Content from Satomi Satō

Satomi Satō is an actress, known for K-On! (2009), Fairy Tail: The Movie - Dragon Cry(2017) and Tales of Berseria (2016). She has been married to Takuma Terashima since 2017.

Satomi Satō quickly rose to fame with popular roles such as Ritsu “Ricchan” Tainaka from K-ON!, Wendy Marvell from FAIRY TAIL, Eru Chitanda from HYOUKA, and Manami Tamara from OREIMO. Her vocal talents can also be heard in ASSASSINATION CLASSROOM, SAILOR MOON CRYSTAL, SKET DANCE, THE IRREGULAR AT MAGIC HIGH SCHOOL, IS THE ORDER A RABBIT, and many other series.

B: The Beginning - In this anime series, scientists hope "new humans" will create universal peace, but they're kidnapped by an evil group with very different plans.

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Reflection is a movie starring Satomi Sato, Yukari Tamura, and Haruka Tomatsu. While Nanoha attends 5th grade, a planet is slowly dying.

Director: Takayuki Hamana
Writer: Masaki Tsuzuki
Stars: Satomi Sato, Yukari Tamura, Haruka Tomatsu 

Fairy Tail: The Movie - Dragon Cry - In the new film, based on the Hiro Mashima's manga, Natsu Dragneel and his friends travel to the island Kingdom of Stella, where they will reveal dark secrets, fight the new enemies and once again save the world from destruction.

K-ON is about 5 high school girls who become friends through the Light Music Club. Yui the lead guitarist, Tsumugi the keyboardist, Mio the bassist, Azusa the rhythm guitarist, and Ritsu the drummer. K-ON is the story of 5 aspiring musicians and their journey through high school together.

Stars: Aki Toyosaki, Yôko Hikasa, Satomi Sato

Satomi Satō with JBN Journalist Joseph Flores

ABOUT FANIME

FanimeCon, Northern California’s largest anime convention, is proud to be “By Fans, For Fans”. Packed with nonstop video programming, extraordinary costumes, music, games, tournaments, panels, and renowned international guests, this annual celebration of Japanese art and popular culture entertains a colorful spectrum of fans and friends. FanimeCon 2018 had over 34,000 enthusiasts who were a part of the festivities, and FanimeCon will return to downtown San Jose in 2019 Memorial Day weekend, May 24-27.

THE JBN TEAM INTERVIEW WITH SATOMI SATO
TWITTER | WEBSITE
JOURNALIST: JOSEPH FLORES
LOCATION: FANIME, SAN JOSE, CA

Video/Audio/Edit: James Vallesteros (@jamesvallesteros)

FanimeCon is brought together by a group of hard working fans. These fans come together every year to create a new convention to share with others with similar tastes. From the staffers and volunteers to the attendees, the passion for anime and Japanese culture brings them closer. Looking to meet other fans like yourself? Would you like a chance to give back to FanimeCon and help it grow? On this page you can find ways to connect to those who help create FanimeCon and others who share in similar passions.
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SDCC - Final Space - Tom Kenny Interview

Photo Credit: Brad Barket - © 2015 Getty Images

Tom Kenny grew up in East Syracuse, New York. When Tom was young he was into comic books, drawing funny pictures and collecting records. Tom turned to stand-up comedy in Boston and San Francisco. This led to appearances on every cable show spawned by the stand-up epidemic of the 80's and 90's as well as stints on The Dennis Miller Show(1992), The Pat Sajak Show (1989), Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993) and Late Night with David Letterman (1982). Tom was a regular on Fox TV's The Edge (1992) and spent a year as the host of NBC's Friday Night (1983). His mainstream television appearances include Brotherly Love (1995) and David Alan Grier's sitcom debacle, The Preston Episodes (1995). 

Tom supplies the voice for "Heffer" the cow on Nickelodeon's Rocko's Modern Life (1993) and Nickelodeon's SpongeBob SquarePants (1999), as well as regular performances on The Cartoon Network's Dexter's Laboratory (1996), Justice League(2001), The Powerpuff Girls (1998), and Johnny Bravo (1997). Tom joined the cast of Mr. Show with Bob and David (1995) where he met his future wife Jill Talley. Together they've teamed up on Comedy Central's The Mark Thomas Comedy Product (1996), the stage show "The Show With Two Heads", HBO's Not Necessarily the Election (1996), the Smashing Pumpkins' "Tonight, Tonight" video and Travis "Sing" video.

New animated series Final Space, an interstellar comedy created by independent filmmaker, actor, comedian and entrepreneur Olan Rogers. Final Space is being produced by Conan O'Brien's Conaco and New Form, in association with Turner's Studio T. Rogers and creative partner David Sacks will write the episodes, executive-producing them along with O'Brien, David Kissinger, Larry Sullivan and Jeff Ross of Conaco and Kathleen Grace, Melissa Schneider and Matt Hoklotubbe of New Form. 

Final Space is a serialized intergalactic space saga about an astronaut named Gary and his adorable, planet-destroying friend, Mooncake. The series will follow their adventures as they embark on a quest to unlock the mystery of "Final Space," the place where the entire universe ends.

JBN Journalist Rachel Litfin with Tom Kenny.

TOM KENNY AS HUE
HUE is the Galaxy One’s artificial intelligence — the voice of reason to Gary's non-reason. No matter how many times HUE proves to be smarter, Gary never listens. Without HUE, Gary is screwed. There is no Gary without his HUE.

THE JBN TEAM INTERVIEW WITH TOM KENNY
Journalist: RACHEL LITFIN AND KRISTIN CERCADO
Location: SDCC - SAN DIEGO, CA

Video/Audio/Edit: James Vallesteros (@jamesvallesteros)

TOM KENNY TRIVIA

• Grew up and was childhood friends with stand-up great Bobcat Goldthwait.
• Irish-American.
• He was in the running to host Double Dare 2000.
• In 1990, he auditioned for Saturday Night Live when the show had two openings.

PERSONAL QUOTES

• People are always saying that I must have been the class clown, with all these voices. No, I was way too shy to be the class clown; I was a class clown's writer.
• You have to remember we're just performers, that we seldom have any kind of grasp on real life.
• I seem to voice a lot of sweet, kind of dumb yellow characters for some reason.
• I just felt like there was a world of cartoon voices that had to be discovered by me.
• [on SpongeBob SquarePants (1999)] He's not a child but he's childlike, he's not a grown up, he's not a kid, maybe he sounds like an elf on helium, we'll play with it.

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SWCO 2017: Star Wars Celebration Orlando REVIEW

Star Wars Celebration Orlando

April 13-16, 2017

Orange County Convention Center - Orlando, Florida

April 22, 2017
by Marvee J. Ona, Jean Vallesteros

Star Wars Celebration was held in the Orange County Convention Center in the heart of Orlando, Florida. It was a huge event for the Disney franchise, that brought together fans from all over the world to take part in events all centered around Star Wars. Plenty of news and announcements were made during the convention leaving much excitement for the future of the franchise to linger long after the convention floor is cleaned up and emptied.

SWCO offered some very big panels that had many of the attendees and fans all over talking since it was being streamed live worldwide courtesy of their sponsorship with Verizon. To kick off the festivities was the 40th Anniversary Star Wars panel which had plenty of surprise guests. 

Amongst those were George Lucas, Warwick Davis, and even some first-time appearances from Harrison Ford and Hayden Christiansen. All with other cast members from the films, they relived some of their experiences and thanked the fans for their love and support of the past four decades. The panel ended with a tribute to Carrie Fisher and special orchestra lead by John Williams at the helm. The hype of the Star Wars franchise continues as ‘The Last Jedi’ reunited some of the cast for the eighth chapter of the storyline. Fans were treated to a new teaser trailer and new teaser poster for the movie set to be released in December.

To round off the weekend festivities, "Star Wars: Rebels" announced the next season will be its final season and the trailer teases that it has to come to end. Along with that, ‘Battlefront 2’ was officially announced with some fantastic game footage and the news that a campaign mode will be made available, which many fans have been longing for. These were some of the biggest things to come out of the Convention, but there was still product announcements of upcoming toys and collectibles including exclusives for San Diego Comic Con.

The Exhibit hall was filled with everything a Star Wars fan could want. The center piece of the showroom floor was the Starwars.com stage which was live broadcasting on the internet all four days of the convention. Hosted by Lucasfilm hosts from their web series, they had interviews from many of the celebrities that appeared for panels and plenty of giveaways to keep the attendees entertained all weekend long. A wide variety of exhibitors were on hand like Funko, Hasbro, Gentle Giant, Nissan, and even Disney was present with their own exclusives available. Along with that, fans got their chances for autographs and pictures with some of the biggest Star Wars Celebrities from all eras of the films.

Overall, the four day Celebration was fantastic. There were a couple hiccups when it came to crowd control, but Reed Pop acknowledged their mistake and apologized to the fans. More Entrances were mad available enabling more attendees to freely flow in and line up where they wanted to be. No official announcement was made as to where and when the next celebration will be, but that hasn’t stopped the fans wanting and yearning for more.

Visit www.starwarscelebration.com for the latest news and announcements regarding Star Wars Celebration.


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Wizard World Sacramento 2017 Review

Wizard World Sacramento 2017

June 16th - 18th

Sacramenti Convention Center

June 22, 2016
by Vanessa Mata
Photos by: Vanessa Mata

For the past three years, Wizard World has been making a stop in Sacramento during Father's Day weekend. To some, it has become a tradition in that short period of time. For others, it is their first taste of Pop Culture gathering. Although it only comes to Northern California once a year, it definitely leaves lasting impressions on those that attend. The convention only takes up one exhibitor hall of the Sacramento Convention Center, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t packed with unique vendors, big time celebrities, and creative cosplay. Despite the blaring heat, there was still a lot of people who made it out to attend Wizard World Sacramento.

Upon entering the convention hall, attendees are greeted by refreshing cold air and a burst of music and people talking. Right past the entrance door there was the main stage where cosplay contests were held, activities took place, and a little bit of musical performances. In the very back of the hall was a much smaller stage where featured cosplayers held panels such as “Cosplaying on a Budget.”

There was a pretty good ratio of art dealers to regular dealers who sold things such as POP! Figures and retro toys. One dealer in particular was selling the super popular mystery item boxes that are always seen with people carrying around at conventions. $50 dollars on a mystery box that looked like a retro Gameboy guaranteed a total of f 18 items. It contained items such as a Ghostbusters lunch box, Dr. Who items, an Attack on Titan toy and other items such as a toddler’s garden gnome costume and a “Wendy’s” girl red wig. The items within are worth more than it is being sold and each box is unique.

A major change from last year to this year is the elimination of the giant gaming center in the dead center of the exhibitor hall. This opened up for more variety and attracted a lot more vendors. The celebrity autograph/photo op area was right along the vendors. You were able to browse cool merchandize while walking right by top celebrities such as Val Kilmer, Kate Beckinsale, and Michael Rooker.

Although attendees are not allowed to take any pictures of the celebrities without paying a fee it was still a kick to be in such close proximity to them. The cosplay scene was below normal. Perhaps the high temperature weather played a factor or the tightened security with prop weapons, which is very important whether you are a cosplayer or not. Never the less the people that braved the heat brought out their creative craft and were greeted with loving reactions from others. The costume contest had its hands full as the audience watched in awe with the creative things people made of their favorite fandom.

If you got hungry and did not feel like venturing out into the heat for food, you didn’t have to go far. There was a min food area in the back corner of the hall with plenty of tables to sit and rest. The food was your typical convention food like hot dogs and nachos, but there was also kettle corn and iced coffee/smoothies.

In conclusion, it was an entertaining experience at Wizard World Sacramento 2017. The size of the actual convention was a lot smaller than most to which is beneficial as it makes it easier to navigate through and find vendors and locations a lot more easier. You could walk the whole hall in about an hour. The layout of the exhibitor floor was easy to follow and provided families endless amount of entertainment

The Wizard World conventions travels all across the US, so if you get the chance I would definitely recommend that you check it out. They say that good things come in small packages and I believe this is true for Wizard World Sacramento.

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