Rank: Top Ten Most Clicked Pics

No Pacific Rim Uprising Yet….

But I do still plan to see the film as soon as possible.  While I’m waiting for a chance to see the film (and review it), I thought that it would be interesting to take a look at the ten most clicked photos from my blog since I first started posting over four years ago!  I’ll give a brief comment for each photo and I’ve also included five honorable mentions that just missed the cut.  I hope you enjoy!

#1–Star Trek Continues Wallpaper

It’s no surprise that a Star Trek Continues wallpaper is my most clicked image.  All but one of my most viewed posts has something to do with STC.  It’s one of my favorite shows and it always will be.

#2–The Discount Dark Knight and Jinx (Curry Time Cosplay)

I’m absolutely, one hundred percent, tee totally sure that the reason that this is my second most viewed photo is because my alter ego, DDK, is in the photo.  It has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that the very lovely Curry Time Cosplay is in this photo…at….all.

In all honesty, this is just one of multiple photos from my post that highlighted a wonderful weekend at CoastCon in Biloxi, MS.  It’s my second most viewed post of all time, and this photo can attest to that!

#3–Another STC photo

Featuring four of the lovely ladies that were part of the STC crew, it’s no shocker that this photo was my third most clicked pic! (L to R: Kim Stinger, Kipleigh Brown, Michele Specht, and Cat Roberts).

#4–CoastCon Strikes Again!!!

DDK took a ton of photos at CoastCon a few years ago and once again, he’s pretty sure that the reason that everybody clicked on this photo is because he’s in it.  It has absolutely nothing to do with the lovely Wonder Woman cosplayer in the photo.  Oh, and if anyone knows her, let me know so that I can list her name and/or cosplay page if she has one.

#5–Jinkies!  CoastCon is dominating this list!

Velma never looked better than she did here at CoastCon.  If you know who this person is, let me know so that I can give her credit.  Based on the number of clicks on the photo, she was a hit with my readers.

#6–The Amorettes

Truth be told, I could have made a list entirely of photos of the Amorettes.  All of their photos that I have featured have been clicked multiple times, but this one surged into sixth place on my list.

#7–HaberPhoto

Todd Haberkorn has a lot of fans, so it’s not a big surprise to see that my photo that I took with him a couple of years ago made my Top Ten list.  Between his massive anime following and his loyal Star Trek Continues fans, it’s no wonder that plenty of people have clicked this pic….or because I’m in it.

#8–Mechacon’s Mascots, Jett & Zee

I’ve taken plenty of photos with Jett & Zee over the years, but this particular photo, taken at CyPhaCon a few years ago, obviously impressed my readers.  It zooms in at number eight on my list.

#9–You can’t keep CoastCon down!

CoastCon is back on the list in the nine hole with this photo of myself, Awkward Cosplay Girl and another wonderful cosplayer that I don’t have a name for at the moment.  Let me know who she is and I’ll give her full credit.

#10–Surprise, Surprise: CoastCon closes out the Top Ten

My good friend, Nick Foreman, better known as Toad Sage Cosplay, rounds out the Top Ten with yet another CoastCon photo.  Here he is as the good Doctor from Doctor Who, (#7 to be exact).  That means that five out of ten of my top photos come from my second most viewed post.

CoastCon obviously has some loyal fans….or they like to click on photos of me with lovely ladies, Scooby-Doo lady friends, or the Doctor!

Here are my next five honorable mentions in order by the number of views:

1-Me with the very lovely and extremely cool, Michele Specht, from Star Trek Continues.

2-Bryce Dallas Howard, probably because of her hair.

3-CoastCon still going strong with Lego Wonder Woman.

4-My favorite group of green ladies, Orion’s Envy, and myself.

5-The dashingly handsome Chris Doohan from Star Trek Continues.

I hope that you enjoyed this little break from my standard posts.  I plan on making a few more lists in the near future.  Thanks for reading!!!

 

Gulf South Convention Roundup!

All Over The Gulf States!

With a new year comes new geeky things!  One of those geeky things is a fresh round of conventions across the Gulf South!  In this post I’ll be listing a few of these conventions that will be hitting us within the next few months.  I’ll also let you know if I’ll be in attendance at any of them.

First off, let’s take a look at Pensacon in Pensacola, FL.  Although I’ve never had the pleasure of attending this particular convention, I’ve heard nothing but great things about it.  It has grown with each year and based on their guest list for 2018, they have no intentions of slowing down any time soon!

From The Walking Dead to Doctor Who and Star Trek to Galaxy Quest, there is a media guest for everyone.  Some of my personal favorites include the original Buffy The Vampire Slayer and all around gorgeous lady, Kristy Swanson, the Swamp Thing film’s Adrienne Barbeau, and Married….With Children’s own Marcy Darcy, Amanda Bearse.  Other guests include Jack Skellington himself, Chris Sarandon, Walter Jones (Black Ranger from the original Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers), Cooper Andrews (the wonderful Jerry from The Walking Dead) and a whole host of other excellent actors, authors, artists, and exhibitors.

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Seriously, this convention is loaded, and if any of my friends happen to attend, I want a full report on this convention (and maybe a phone call from Kristy Swanson)!  Once my crazy schedule dies down a bit, I hope to make the trip to sunny Florida to attend Pensacon!  Check out all of their wonderful guests, vendors, artists, and more here.  Pensacon happens next month, February 23-25.

Up next is one of my favorite conventions of all time, CoastCon.  Held in lovely Biloxi, MS at the beautiful Mississippi Coast Coliseum and Convention Center, this convention is celebrating its 41st year.  That’s right, kids.  This southern, fan-run convention has been kicking around as long as I have!

This year’s guests include anime voice artist, Bryce Papenbrook, and Sherrilyn Kenyon, author of the Lords of Avalon series and the Chronicles of Nick.  This is one of the most fan-friendly conventions that you can attend, and I love not only the convention itself, but the entire city of Biloxi.  This is the type of convention that you go to in order to hang out with friends old and new, and to attend panels covering all of your favorite fandoms.  Get information on guests, hotels, and more here.  The event will take place March 16-18.

Next up is the third incarnation of another one of my favorites, Southern Geekfest!  As of this writing, there hasn’t been much talk about this year’s event.  I’m hoping to actually make this event this year since I missed last year and because it is headed up by some wonderful people.  Hattiesburg, MS isn’t the first place one might think of when talking about pop culture, but there is a thriving fandom community in this wonderful Mississippi town.  Keep an eye out for more updates on this convention here.

Last but not least is the local con, CyPhaCon, in Lake Charles, LA.  From April 6th-8th, CyPhaCon will take place at the Lake Charles Civic Center.  This year’s event looks to be just as excellent as the last couple of years with guests such as Warehouse 13’s Eddie McClintock, Babylon 5’s Jason Carter, and Farscape’s Gigi Edgley.  Anime fans will get the chance to meet Ian Sinclair and J. Michael Tatum.  Kimberly Richardson and Mike Moreau are slated to attend as author guests.  Morgan and Danny Allain will be in attendance as artist guests.  Cosplay guests, fan groups, and the performance group Take One Productions will also be in attendance.

There are many more guests, including musical guests, to be announced, so be sure to look here for more information about this upcoming event.  I am definitely going to this event, so be sure to look for me.  When the event gets closer, I’ll let you all know exactly when I’ll be there.  My primary goal:  to get a hug from Gigi Edgley!  I loved her as Chiana on Farscape, and she stole my heart with her guest role on Star Trek Continues.

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That’s all for now, folks.  Thank you for reading my post.  If you’re attending any of these events, be sure to let me know how it goes!

My Geeky Christmas List!

Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-laaaaaaah!

I am not ashamed to admit that Christmas is my favorite holiday.  I love the music, the cheesy Hallmark movies, the gaudy decorations, and all of the wonderful smells that range from the pine of the Christmas trees to the cinnamon of the cookies baked for the holidays.  I also love the smell of frankincense that fills my church for Advent as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Oh, and I love presents, giving and receiving them, as well!

I also enjoy making a Christmas wish list.  I have one over on Amazon (but I’m not shallow enough to link it on this post) that my friends and family use as a guide for picking out a gift for me.  I also have one that includes things that aren’t always attainable in this world, such as peace for all mankind, warm food and shelter for the homeless, and at least one gift for every child in the world, no matter how big or small it may be.

For this post I’m going to be making a Geeky Christmas List.  Feel free to list any of your own wishes in the comments section below, and let me know what you think about my list as well!

First off, I hope that the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series will be at least as good as the last few.  From what I’ve read so far, the team’s dynamic will be changed.  How?  Raphael will be the leader in this series and Leonardo will have a “rebellious heart” (whatever that means).  It looks like Donnie and Mike will remain basically the same characters.  Look for Rise of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to hit Nickelodeon next fall.  I haven’t seen any artwork for the new series, but it will supposedly follow a more traditional animation style similar to the original 1980’s cartoon.  Here’s a look at the logo:

My next wish is that I hope that the upcoming Black Panther film (February, 2018) will bring back a more serious tone to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  With the latest Thor and Guardians of the Galaxy flicks laying on the humor to annoying levels (at least in my opinion), I hope that T’Challa and the people of Wakanda  cut back on the comedy a bit and focus on getting some serious work done.  After all, it’s the last move before Avengers: Infinity War hits the big screen (May, 2018).  You can’t tell me that Marvel will make Thanos’ attempt at conquering everything a buddy comedy, right?  Let’s hope that it’s pretty serious as well.

My next wish is that the upcoming Aquaman film (December, 2018) proves to be a success similar to this 2017’s brilliant Wonder Woman.  2017’s other DC film, Justice League, appears to be somewhat divisive among fans and critics.  I personally enjoyed it, but professional critics (and a lot of fanboys) attacked it for its CGI, what they saw as a disjointed plot, rushed story, and, my personal favorite, too much humor.  Let’s hope that Aquaman can bring fans and critics together once again.  Jason Momoa looked good as Aquaman in the JL film, and gave a nice balance of grit and humor to his character.  I believe that he has enough charisma to carry a film on his own, so here’s hoping for a successful cinematic run for Arthur Curry.

Another wish that I have for Christmas this year is that The Walking Dead finds its mojo when it returns for the second half of season eight.  With an “all out war” promised at the end of season seven, fans haven’t been offered much in the way of actual conflict.  Sure, the season opener featured an attack on the Sanctuary by the Kingdom, the Hilltop, and Alexandria, but it was nothing more than a drawn out action sequence.  There have also been character developing episodes that focused on Negan, King Ezekiel and Eugene, but unlike similar episodes in the past (and I know that I’m in the minority when it comes to enjoying these types of episodes), something is missing this time around.  At the end of this weekend’s episode, I was completely ready for Eugene to die.  He annoyed the fire out of me!  Let’s pray that the mid-season finale amps things up and that it will carry over into the second half of the season next year.

My next wish is a selfish one.  This year I was only able to attend one sci-fi/pop culture convention.  While I really enjoyed my time at Louisiana Comic Con, I sorely missed getting to visit with my friends at CoastCon, CyPhaCon, and Southern Geek Fest.  Wizard World has lost my interest thanks to crazy crowds and absurd pricing.  I’d much rather stick with the smaller conventions where I can actually here myself talk to other people.  Hopefully I will make it to at least one of my favorite conventions this year.

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My list continues with a wish that is really all on me.  I hope to catch up on all of the shows that I have fallen behind on over the last couple of years.  I’m way behind on Arrow, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, Gotham, and Doctor Who.  Peter Capaldi’s run as the Doctor turned me off to the show, but with a new Doctor on the horizon, I’ve decided to give Capaldi another chance and have started watching that show again.  As far as the rest of the shows go, I just need more time.  Between work and life, I don’t have time to sit down and binge watch shows like I want to.

I’m not a very big fan of anime, but I do enjoy watching it every now and then.  With Batman Ninja coming soon, I hope that it is better than the last Batman anime that I watched, 2008’s Batman: Gotham Knight, which is an anthology of six anime shorts.  I didn’t really care for any of the shorts that much, even with Kevin Conroy voicing the Dark Knight Detective.   The trailer for Batman Ninja was released in October of this year, and included a peek at a few of the villains that Batman will face, including the Joker and Gorilla Grodd.

Something else that I’m wishing for this year is a truce between Marvel and DC Comics fans over the films, the cartoons, and the comics of each series.  I highly doubt that this will happen, but a boy can dream.  I enjoy both Marvel and DC’s offerings for different reasons, and while I might be a hardcore DC fan, I won’t automatically dislike any Marvel work just because it’s from Marvel.  Let’s all work together to make this wish come true!

Speaking of comics, my next wish is that the Doomsday Clock series from DC Comics is good.  I haven’t read any of the DC Rebirth stuff yet (I’m still reading stories from the New 52), but I’m very intrigued by the combination of the Watchmen and the rest of the DC Universe, specifically the interaction of Superman with Dr. Manhattan.

A project that I’ve been waiting on for some time is about to come to fruition.  It’s the topic of my next wish, which is that I hope that the screen adaptation of Steve Alten’s first MEG book is successful.  I loved the first three books in Alten’s MEG series about Jonas Taylor and his adventures squaring off against Megalodon sharks.  The first book, MEG, is probably my favorite, but I also love The Trench.

The film is supposedly coming out in August of 2018.  It has been green-lighted, halted, restarted, etc. since the 90’s.  The version that is coming out next year will star Jason Statham (Snatch, Revolver, The Expendables) and Li Bingbing (The Forbidden Kingdom).  I’ve never been a fan of Statham’s work, but I’m hoping that MEG is more than just another action yarn in the deep blue sea.

Star Trek makes it to my wish list this year as well.  I haven’t watched Star Trek: Discovery other than the first episode that aired on CBS Television and probably won’t see it until it comes out on Blu-ray and the fan series Star Trek Continues ended last month, so I don’t have a whole lot of new Trek content to look forward to except possibly reading a Trek book or comic.  My wish is that CBS and Paramount come to their senses and loosen up the tight reins they’ve placed on fan produced shows.  Star Trek Continues was a brilliant show and it will be sorely missed.  Don’t let the good guys suffer for the actions of a greedy few.  I guess I’ll just watch some reruns of classic Trek until something new comes along.

My final wish is that all of you have a Merry Christmas.  I’ll probably do at least one more post this year for the upcoming Star Wars film, and possibly an End of the Year review.  Until then, I want to say that I appreciate each and every one of you that read my posts.  May all of your Christmas wishes come true!

It Will Continue In Our Hearts

Second Star To The Right

Star Trek Continues is one of my favorite Star Trek productions, professional or fan-created.  If you are a regular reader, you know just how much I love this show.  If you’d like an idea of just how much I love STC, read my old post here.

This particular post isn’t a happy one.  Nope, it’s very sad.  STC has ended its run and I don’t know what to do.  Vic Mignogna and company have crafted what I believe to be the greatest fan production of any series ever and now it is done.  The show’s finale, a two-parter entitled To Boldly Go ties up the original series and connects it to Star Trek:  The Motion Picture.  I won’t spoil it, but know that it is a tearjerker in more ways than one.  It was emotional for me because it signals the end of the series, but many of the things that happen in this particular episode made me cry as well.  You can check it out as well as all of the other episodes at this link.

I’m proud to have been a supporter of and donor to this series.  I genuinely believe that everyone involved put their heart and soul into the production and it shines through with each episode.  The attention to detail is mind blowing.  The costumes are perfect.  The music fits right in with the music from the original series.  The sets are bright and alive. Each episode leaves me wanting more.

The show also has an excellent cast including Mignogna as Captain Kirk, Todd Haberkorn as Mr. Spock, Chuck Huber as Bones, Chris Doohan as Scotty, and Kim Stinger as Uhura.  New characters were also added to the series including Dr. McKennah (Michele Specht), Lt. Smith (Kipleigh Brown), and Lt. Drake (Steven Dengler).  The addition of these and other characters only adds to Star Trek’s legacy.

The series also has a long list of  excellent guest stars that includes Clare Kramer, Lou Ferrigno, Gigi Edgley, Amy Rydell, Fiona Vroom, and Michael Forest.  The Enterprise even channeled Doctor Who with guests such as the sixth Doctor, Colin Baker, and Nicola Bryant, who happened to play one of my favorite Doctor companions, Peri.  I could go on, but you should check out the entire cast for yourself here.

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I truly will miss Star Trek Continues.  As I’ve stated in previous posts, I’ve met many of the cast and crew and none of them have disappointed me.  They care not only for Star Trek, but the fans and friends that have followed their journeys aboard the Enterprise.  I wish all of them nothing but success in their future endeavors.

As always, thanks for reading.  Be sure to check out Star Trek Continues and also check out the work of Hannah Barucky, whom I completely stole my featured image from (which was edited by James Kerwin) for this post.  I purchased one of her prints awhile back and you should too. All other photos were taken from random interwebs sites.

Live long and prosper!

May Update

Lake Charles, LA

2017 has kicked my tail.  I’ve missed every single convention that I hoped to attend so far and will not make it to Southern Geek Fest, either.  Why?  I’ve been really busy with work, family duties (which I’m not complaining about), and life in general.  Money is also tight as well.  With that said, I wanted to give another push for Southern Geek Fest.

SGF has a great lineup this year, and I’m really disappointed that I won’t be making the trip east to hang with my biggest and favorite geek family.  I know that I talk about this group more than most, but they really are that great.  If you can make it to Hattiesburg, MS at the end of this month, do so, you will not regret it.

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The slideshow above is only a small sampling of the wonderful guests that will be present at SGF.  Celebrities from Clerks, Stranger Things, The Walking Dead, and comic artists will be on hand, as well as authors, pro wrestlers, and much, much more.

In other news, Star Trek Continues recently released their latest episode, Still Treads The Shadow.  If you haven’t seen this episode (or any other episode for that matter), check them out here.  There are only a few episodes remaining, so be sure to experience this brilliant fan-made production of Star Trek.

Photo by Hannah Barucky

Oh, and that image above?  That’s a creation of the super cool Hannah Barucky.  I purchased a print from her awhile ago of Dr. McKennah (portrayed by the lovely Michele Specht).  I hope to one day meet this wonderful lady at a convention in order to thank her personally for her awesome work.  Check out her art, cosplay, and fashion work here.

Well, that’s all I have for now.  2017 has me beaten down a bit, but I’m not out!  Hopefully I will see a few of you in the real world very soon.  As always, thanks for reading!

It’s The Little Things

Over many years…

Well, I didn’t get to attend CyPhaCon like I hoped thanks to the fact that real life once again swooped in at the last second and dealt me a vicious blow that kept me from much of anything over the weekend.  With that in mind, I figured that I would give all of you a glimpse into my world.  I’m literally throwing this together at my office, so don’t expect any amazing photos.

Here goes….

Collector……Hoarder……Stockpiling Fool…..Call me what you will, but I like to collect things.  I’ve collected many things over the years and I don’t see myself stopping any time soon.  Many of my things are stored away, rarely seeing daylight.  Other things, particular mini figures and a few bobbleheads, are displayed either on my shelf at home or at my office.  My office usually features my current addiction, but a few things have managed to stay put over the years that refuse to go into storage.

I have an Ozzy Osbourne bobblehead that has been in my office since I first acquired it (which was roughly at the height of “The Osbournes” fame in the early 00’s).  He has rarely been dusted or even paid much attention to since I placed him on my desk, but every once in awhile I take a look at him and smile.

My office also features a number of recent Batman and/or DC Comics themed acquisitions such as a classic 1989 Batmobile and the recent 2016 BvS Batmobile.  I also have a ton of mini figures such as the DC Comics’ Lil Bombshells, Funko Pint Size Heroes, Mighty Meeples, and a whole host of other mini figs.

I’m a sucker for mini figures, but I also like larger figures such as the Star Wars 6″ Black Series figures, standard sized action figures, and the 6″ DC figure line as well.  I also enjoy collecting books, music, and just about anything else I can get my hands on, as the following photos show.

I’m also a collector of photographs and autographs.  I have binders that I keep all of my autographed photos in and even more binders that include photos that I’ve taken with both celebs and friends over the years.  One great tradition that has been going on since 2011 has been me getting a group shot with the members of Orion’s Envy.  I’ve befriended these wonderful ladies over the years and I probably have more pictures with them than I do with some of my family members!  It’s always fun to see them at conventions.

Below are a few of my photos with friends and celebs, as well as a few autographed pictures, and a special collection of most (but not all) of my photos with Orion’s Envy (and a couple with the Just Us League as well).

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As you might have noticed, my weight has greatly fluctuated over the years.  I’m constantly working on that.  In fact, if you read some of my earliest posts, I actually talk about my weight issues.

So, no CyPhaCon for me over the weekend, but hopefully you’ll accept this glimpse into my collection as an apology.  As always, thank you for reading.  I hope to see some of you out on the trail or at a convention very soon!

I’m Jealous!

Not At A Convention!

I have to admit that I am super jealous of all of my friends that have been attending conventions this year.  Many of them went to Wizard World NOLA earlier this year, but this weekend a ton of them headed over to Pensacola, FL for Pensacon!  It’s one of my wishlist conventions to attend because they seem to bring the big guns every year as far as guests go.

You don’t know how hard it was to see my friends taking photos with the likes of Sophie Aldred (frickin’ Ace from Doctor Who!), John Wesley Shipp (The Flash, the original frickin’ Flash!), and Lita Ford (a legend in hard rock and my ex-wife in way too many dreams).  It pained me to see Ming from Comic Book Men hanging out with my friends in Southern Geek and Southern Geek Fest.  It bruised my innards whenever I saw that the Nature Boy, Ric Flair, was also a part of the festivities.

To top it all off, Pensacon had the audacity to really rub it in my face by announcing guests for next year’s event (February 23-25) including Lou Ferrigno (The Incredi-frickin’-ble Hulk), Paul Blake (gosh darned Greedo from Star Wars), former WWE star Lita (she hangs out in my dreams with Lita sometimes!), and Frazer flippin’ Hines, Jamie from Doctor Who!  Don’t you dare click here to learn about this year’s event and to keep up with what’s happening next year!  Hopefully the scheduling gods will smile upon me and I’ll get to attend this wonderful event!

You’re probably thinking:  Ken, why don’t you just go to one of your all-time favorite conventions, CoastCon!  Brilliant idea, you!  Except for the fact that I have work scheduled for that weekend!  CoastCon truly is one of my favorite conventions.  It’s one of the oldest fan-run conventions in the southern United States and it’s celebrating forty years this year!

This wonderful event decided to stick it to me this year, inviting some of the coolest guests that they’ve ever had like Oded Fehr.  You know this guy.  He’s killed mummies in the flippin’ The Mummy franchise, taken on zombies in the Resident Evil franchise, and dominated in Showtime’s Sleeper Cell.  To make the fact that I’m going to miss this event even worse, they’ve added awesome authors like Claudia Gray and the Gothic Queen Supreme (and Facebook friend) Kimberly Richardson!  They’ve also thrown in stuntman, actor, and all-around cool guy (and friend), John Mangus!

This excellent event is taking place March 3-5 at the lovely Mississippi Coast Coliseum and Convention Center.  Visit their webpage for more information about this great, long-running convention.

Okay, okay.  So I missed Pensacon and won’t be able to attend CoastCon.  What about something a tad more local?  CyPhaCon, perhaps?

Yeah, it’d be awesome to attend CyPhaCon, which has consistently put on awesome events in Lake Charles, LA and will do so again from April 7-9, but work is going to prevent me from attending the bulk of the convention.  Hopefully I’ll get to visit on Saturday afternoon and meet Julian Glover (Star Wars, Game of frickin’ Thrones), Chuck Huber (Bones from Star Trek Continues and anime vocal mastermind), and the lovely Luciana Carro (Battlestar Galactica).  I’ve met Luciana at CyPhaCon before, and she’s an awesome lady.

To really bust my chops, CyPhaCon also added the very talented Jessica Von Braun, who happens to be one of my favorite artists.  My family loves her work as well.  There’s going to be awesome tunes, awesome authors, and all sorts of cool panels to attend.  Check them out here and see what all the fuss is about.

Despite missing all or most of some of these wonderful events, the month of May has graciously offered me a small window to attend another of my favorite events, Southern Geek Fest.  This one is close to my heart, as I’ve become good friends with many of the folks that are a part of this event and love the fact that Southern Geek, a Facebook group, gave birth to this wonderful convention.

Southern Geek Fest will feature tons of awesome artists, authors, and panels, as well as a lot of celebrity guests and cosplayers as well.  One of my favorite wrestlers of all time, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, will be in attendance, as well as Peyton Wich of Stranger Things, Victor Gischler (who has done work on titles such as Deadpool and The Punisher), and one of the loveliest, friendliest cosplayers on the circuit, Kimberly Battista.

Oh, and rumor has it that DDK will make his triumphant return to Hattiesburg, MS once again and turn it into Hottiesburg!  Visit SGF’s webpage to learn more about the event.  I promise that you’ll have a great time!

So, I might be jealous of all my friends at the moment, but whenever I return from SGF with an autograph and photo from Hacksaw and a pic with the wonderful Kimberly Battista, we’ll see who’s jealous then!

As always, thanks for reading.  If you happen to attend any of these events, especially CyPhaCon and/or SGF, be sure to drop me a line so that we can meet in person!

Louisiana Comic Con 2016!

Lafayette, LA

The second year of Louisiana Comic Con in Lafayette was something of a whirlwind for me.  Life has been throwing me some crazy curveballs lately and I wasn’t even sure if I’d be able to attend this year.  As luck would have it, though, my Saturday opened up just enough for me to attend for a few hours and they were awesome hours to say the least!

I decided to “cosplay” as Kylo Din (ner).  A quick trip to Walgreen’s to purchase a cheap mask that I had been looking at, a Star Wars spatula, and a “Kiss The Cook” apron, and I became the son of Han and Leia that turned in his lightsaber for a grill.  Very few people got the joke, but the apron would prove to be a brilliant later in the day (I’ll get to that later).

I stood in a very long line for a very short amount of time to purchase a ticket.  The Cajundome staff was getting people taken care of in swift fashion.  Once inside the venue, I ran into a good friend.  We talked for a bit and then I headed into the main area that featured vendors, cosplayers, artists, and celebs.  I made a quick trip around the entire area, seeing a nice line for the Cowabunga Factory (TMNT cosplayers), a long line for Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters), and a ton of fans lining up for Jeremy Bulloch, Deep Roy, and all of the other wonderful celebrity guests.

Once I figured out the general layout of the convention, I decided to look for a few more friends.  I ran into the wonderful ladies of Orion’s Envy, other friends that I haven’t seen in years, and a couple of folks that I see at just about every event.  I also took a few photos and checked out the vendor area.

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After playing catch up, I headed over to the table of the Library Bards.  Consisting of the lovely Bonnie Gordon and the dashing Xander Jeanneret, the Library Bards take pop hits and put a nerdy spin on them.  I spoke to Xander first, and I’ve got to admit that he was one of the friendliest people that I’ve ever talked with at a convention.  He even tolerated my terrible Star Wars jokes.

Then I got to briefly talk to Bonnie.  She was also very tolerant of my Star Wars jokes.  Both she and Xander signed a poster for me and I also picked up a shirt from them.  To top it all off, I took selfies with both of them and even got a kiss from Bonnie (thanks, Kiss The Cook apron)!

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I waved goodbye to the Bards and then headed over to Chuck Huber’s table.  I’ve met Chuck on a couple of occasions before, but he never had any photos of him as Bones from Star Trek Continues.  Well, this time he had them, and I just had to snag one to add to my ever-growing STC collection.  I swear that I’m not an STC stalker!

My day ended with hugs and goodbyes to all of my friends, and I jetted back home to assist my daughter with a few homecoming dance necessities.  Before getting home, though, I stopped in Rayne, LA for a quick bite at the local Mickey D’s.  If you know anything about Rayne, you know that they love frogs in that town, so it wasn’t much of a surprise to find Ronnie Macribbit sunning himself in front of McDonald’s.

Louisiana Comic Con knocked it out of the park this year.  Although my time there was brief, I could see happy faces all over the place.  Despite large crowds, lines moved smoothly and quickly.  Panels appeared to be well attended and parking was great.  I can’t wait to see what the convention has in store for next year.  I just hope that I can attend for more than a few hours!

As always, thanks for reading.  My next conventions won’t be until next year (CyPhaCon and Southern Geek Fest), so expect me to tackle everything from DC Animated movies, the return of Ten Burning Questions, reviews of books, films, and even a couple of albums.  Oh, and I’ll be attending the Texas Renaissance Festival again this year.  I’ll be sure to post pics and a review for that as well!

Star Trek’s 50th Anniversary

Space, The Final Frontier….

It has been fifty years since Gene Roddenberry first showed the world his idea of a bright and wonderful future.  While I wasn’t around for those early voyages, I was able to join up with the crew of the Enterprise when I went to the movies with my cousins to see Star Trek II:  The Wrath of Khan.  After that, I watched Star Trek:  The Next Generation off and on (when weather would permit), but my primary connection to Trek was through the films.

Within the last decade or so, I’ve really sunk my teeth into the adventures of not only the Enterprise, but of Voyager, Deep Space Nine, and Enterprise.  Voyager has become my second favorite Trek series (behind TOS), and Janeway is my favorite Captain.

I’ve written an extensive look into my relationship with Star Trek a good bit back, and you’re free to check it out.  For now, I just want to acknowledge the fact that Star Trek has had a huge impact on the world and share a few photos of my favorite characters.  Also included in this collage is a photo of the crew from the excellent fan production Star Trek Continues.  They are the only fan production that I’ve ever donated to, and I’ll support and promote them until the day I die!

John Billingsley as Dr.Phlox stars in ENTERPRISE on UPN. Photo:James Sorenson/Paramount Pictures. ©2003 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Leonard Nimoy

I hope you enjoyed these photos and, as always, thanks for reading.  I’ve neglected my blog in recent weeks due to work, but I promise to write more in the next few weeks.  In fact, there’s a convention coming up in less than a month in Lafayette, LA, and I plan to be there.  I hope to see a few of you there!

Bayoucon This Weekend!

Sulphur, LA

This weekend I will be pulling double duty as a Den Leader for local Cub Scouts on Saturday and as an attendee at Bayoucon in Sulphur, LA.  I plan on attending Bayoucon on Friday evening, possibly Saturday evening, and most of the day on Sunday. The bulk of my Saturday will involve wrangling Cub Scouts, so depending on how much fun I have with the Pack, I might not be able to make it to the convention on Saturday.

This year the convention boasts an impressive voice-over media guest in the form of Taylor Gray, the voice of Ezra Bridger on Star Wars Rebels.  This is quite possibly the biggest celebrity guest that this convention has ever pulled in for their event.  While many of the convention’s previous guests have been part of some major franchises including Star Trek, The Walking Dead, and Sabrina The Teenage Witch, few have been a part of a franchise that was currently on fire like Star Wars Rebels is at the moment.  I plan on visiting with Gray and hopefully sitting in on one of his panels.

Another guest that I am interested in meeting is actor and stuntman, Bobby Clark.  While Clark has portrayed numerous characters over the years, I’m most interested in the fact that he portrayed the Gorn Captain on the TOS Star Trek episode, “Arena.”  He also played characters in the episodes “The Return of the Archons” and “Mirror, Mirror.”  The Gorn Captain has always been one of my favorite Trek aliens, and it will be cool to meet one of the men that portrayed him.  Clark was also featured in Star Trek Continues, another series that I dearly love.

Returning this year will be Scott L. Schwartz and Robert Axelrod.  Both of these gentlemen attended Bayoucon in the past, and apparently they enjoyed themselves because they are coming back!

Aaron Roberts, a popular anime voice artist, was recently added to the lineup when it was announced that Ann Mahoney of The Walking Dead would be unable to attend this year.

Cute Classy Chaos will be returning as cosplay guests and will once again handle the cosplay contest.  While I didn’t get to meet either of these young ladies last year, I did sit in on the cosplay contest and they seemed to be having a blast on stage with the competitors.

Many other guests will be in attendance.  Comic artists, authors, and fan groups will be on hand as well as vendors selling their wares.

The convention will take place June 24-26 at the West Cal Events Center located just off of I-10 in Sulphur, LA.  If you’ll be in attendance, let me know and maybe we can hang out for a bit!  Also, I’ll be bringing a few Ten Burning Questions questionnaires with me and will hopefully get some juicy answers from some of the folks at the convention!

As always, thanks for reading.  Click on the highlighted links in the post to check out Bayoucon’s website, Taylor Gray’s Facebook page, and Cute Classy Chaos’ page as well!