Autograph Guests:

Lou Ferrigno – The Incredible Hulk
Richard Kiel – “Jaws” from the James Bond Films
Joyce DeWitt – “Janet” from Three’s Company
Priscilla Barnes – “Terri” from Three’s COmpany & The Devils Rejects
Kane Hodder – “Jason Voorhees” from Friday the 13th
Bruno Sammartino – Wrestling Legend
more guests to be announced.

March 19th-20th, 2011
Space Columbus, OH

July 8th-10th, 2011
Ikasucon Ft. Wayne, IN

July 29th-31st, 2011
Diversicon St. Paul, MN

Aug 4th-11th, 2011
Gencon Indianapolis, IN
Spocon Spokane, WA

Sept 2nd-5th, 2011
Dragoncon Atlanta, GA

“Most of us are at that age where our parents laugh if we want to dress up and go trick-or-treating,” said Event Organizer Ryan Kopf. “And anytime there is a Halloween Party for adults, it’s not an all-ages thing. We’re excited to give people something to do.”

Organizers also hope to encourage more conventions to hold events like this.

“There are lots of times that cons can hold mini-events that attendees really appreciate,” said Kopf. Kopf also runs a convention listing website at http://www.upcomingcons.com, and has studied convention organizing for the past few years.

The Anime Halloween Costume Ball Dance will take place at The
RiverCenter in the grand Mississippi Ballroom. The RiverCenter is among Iowa’s largest convention and events centers, with over 13,000 square feet in the Mississippi Ballroom alone, and a combined 100,000 sq ft sitewide when combined with the Adler Theater.

QC Anime-zing! is hosting an Japanese animation and cultural festival (shortened to anime convention) June 17-19, 2011 at the RiverCenter. The event spans three days covering a wide array of topics ranging from unique Japanese fashions to Japanese music to screenings of Japanese animation shows. Also featured will be American voice over actors, who voice translations of Japanese animation material. Other events include video gaming rooms, dances, and a snack-filled hospitality suite.

Tickets for the event are $7, and can only be purchased at the door. More information can be found online, at http://www.qcanimezing.com.

Clare Kramer, Amber Benson, Mercedes McNab Join “Buffyfest;” Fantastic Four’s Doug Jones, “Antique Roadshow” Appraiser Gary Sohmers And 100+ Celebrity Guests, Leading Comics Artists, Creative Directors To Attend

NEW YORK and BOSTON – Wizard World New England Comic Con, part of North America’s largest pop-culture tour, is set for Friday through Sunday, October 15-17, at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston. The event will bring together thousands of fans of all ages and plenty of celebrities and industry professionals to celebrate the best in pop culture: movies, comics, toys, video gaming, television, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more.

Six actors who have portrayed beloved characters in “Buffy: The Vampire Slayer” and “Angel” will appear at the event. James Marsters, Charisma Carpenter, Nicholas Brendon, Amber Benson, Clare Kramer and Mercedes McNab are all scheduled to appear at the “BuffyFest” festival being done in partnership with CineQuest.com. The six guests will greet fans, sign autographs, take photographs and participate in panels and discussions that highlight their roles in the popular Joss Whedon television series.

“This is one of the biggest collections of ‘Buffy’ stars in one place,” said Gareb Shamus, Wizard World CEO. “New England Comic Con appeals to fans of all aspects of pop culture, from comics to television to movies to music to toys to video games and more.”

Other popular New England Comic Con celebrity guests include Ernie Hudson (GHOSTBUSTERS), Luciana Carro (“Battlestar Galactica,” “Caprica”), Doug Jones (FANTASTIC FOUR, HELLBOY) and Gary Sohmers (appraiser, “Antique Roadshow”).

Fans can also meet their favorite comic creators and artists, including Ethan Van Sciver (“Green Lantern,” “Superman/Batman”), Greg Horn (“Blackest Night,” “Elektra,” “Ms. Marvel”), Michael Golden (“Wolverine: First Class,” “New Exiles”), Mark Texeira (“Moon Knight,” “Ghost Rider”), Arthur Suydam (“Marvel Zombies,” “Batman”), Alé Garza (“Fathom,” “Cable,” “Batgirl”), Renee Witterstaetter (Editor – “She Hulk,” Colorist – “Avengers”) and many other national and local creators.

Children and adult attendees are encouraged to come dressed as their favorite villain, superhero or pop culture personality for the chance to win special prizes in costume contests. Event-goers may also try their hand interactive product exhibits and shop for collectible comics, movie and television memorabilia, toys and games at more than 100 dealer booths.

Special events at New England Comic Con include the “Magic: The Gathering” card game tournament, professional photo opportunities (Photo Ops) with celebrities and others to be announced.

The Hynes Convention Center is located at 900 Boylston Street in the Back Bay section of Boston. New England Comic Con is the sixth stop on Wizard’s eight-city 2010 North American tour. Hours are Friday, Oct. 15, 5-9 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 16, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.; and Sunday, Oct. 17, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. (all times Eastern). Tickets are available in advance or by calling 1-866-882-5860 and online at www.wizardworld.com/newengland.html at up to a 15% savings over tickets purchased at the door. Advance adult single-day tickets are $25; three-day weekend tickets are $45, and tickets are free for children age 10 and under when accompanied by a paid adult (limit two children per adult). VIP packages with special entry and exclusive items are also available.

About Wizard Entertainment:
Gareb Shamus founded Wizard Entertainment in 1991. Today, Shamus publishes consumer magazines Wizard, ToyFare, FunFare and numerous books about pop-culture’s top talent, comic books and toys. Shamus also produces a North American Comic Con tour. Wizard World Comic Con – The Pop-Culture Capital of the World!

For the most recent event information please visit www.wizardworld.com and become a New England Comic Con Fan on Facebook.

Kumoricon 2011 will be moving back across the Columbia to the Vancouver Hilton and the Red Lion Inn at the Quay. The Hilton has hosted Kumoricon before, and is the current home of Game Storm, and the Inn at the Quay was Game Storm’s previous hotel, so both should be well-prepared to handle the otaku.

I have to say I had a pretty good convention. I think I said last year that I wouldn’t want to go back unless I was participating in some way because the programming had been so uninspiring, but it was much better this time, and in fact I went to none of the large daytime events other than opening and closing ceremonies because there were so many interesting panels to go to instead. Through a combination of a little planning and a lot of luck, I never had to wait in line more than a few minutes this year, though I understand some less fortunate people waited up to 4.5 hours to get to the pre-registration desk (which, unfortunately, is pretty common for anime cons of Kumoricon’s size).

I don’t know if I’ll be going next year, since the move to Vancouver will take it out of commuting range for me. But in the meantime, if you missed the previous link, have a look at these photos from this year.

Until September 1, pre-registration for AOD 2011 is only $20 for the full weekend- that’s like getting one day for free! For more information on AOD 2011 registration, please go to: Animation on Display

Hello all,
Welcome to the first of our monthly newsletter informing you on the upcoming North American Discworld Convention. This convention is a fan celebration of the works of Sir Terry Pratchett with profits going toward Sir Terry’s two favorite charities, The Alzheimer’s Research Trust (http://www.alzheimers-research.org.uk), and The Orangutan Foundation (http://www.orangutan.org.uk).

Ever since it was announced that Madison, Wisconsin would be the site of the 2011 NADWCon, we’ve been busy preparing for the festivities, which will be from Friday July 8th through Monday the 11th. The Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor’s Club has agreed to host our event and has a block of rooms set aside at a reduced rate for our convention goers. We have booked their entire second floor, and three double-sized suites to house the festivities.

Convention News:
Some events we have planned are the traditional Maskerade, Charity Auction and Gala Banquet as well as a dealers’ room of merchandise and an art show featuring Discworld specific pieces as well as other genre-appropriate art. Those are the programs that are guaranteed to happen, after all, we wouldn’t even bother having this convention if we couldn’t bring you those. We have much more in the works that will be announced on our Website (www.NADWCon.org) as well as our Convention News Community (http://community.livejournal.com/nadwcon2009) and
Twitterfeed (http://twitter.com/nadwcon). Also, don’t forget to visit our forum, (http://nadwcon.9.forumer.com) to chat with fellow members about Discworld, finding roommates and other things.
Why can’t we tell you more right now? Because our own Emily Whitten is currently in England attending the 2010 Discworld Convention, and booked some time to sit down with our guest of honor, Sir Terry Pratchett and discuss some of our ideas with him. We feel it would behoove us to get Sir Terry’s approval before we tip our hand. With any luck, Emily will be returning to the United States with a suitcase full of good news and a few treats for our convention.

Honored Guests:
Did you read that correctly? Did we say that Sir Terry Pratchett has agreed to attend this convention as our Guest of Honor? Why yes, I believe we did; but we’ve also confirmed that Bernard and Isobel Pearson (the Discworld Cunning Artificer and his better half), Terry’s UK agent Colin Smythe, plus Terry’s U.S. editors Jennifer Brehl and Anne Hoppe are also coming as well as Rob Wilkins, Sir Terry’s right-hand man. We will be announcing more guests as they are confirmed.

Igors (Volunteers):
Any convention needs volunteer help, and we’re no exception. If you have not yet contacted our Volunteer Coordinator and would like to offer your aid, please email volunteer@nadwcon.org and let Nelly know your contact information and what skills you might be able to offer. We are always on the lookout for anyone who can build, organize, plan, or just stand there and look like they know what they are doing. Your help will be greatly appreciated.

Membership:
Registration has been going beautifully. We have been taking a steady influx of memberships since the convention website went live two months ago, and are proud to say that we currently have over 150 members registered. Considering that the convention is still eleven months away, that is a pretty impressive number.
Currently our site, www.nadwcon.org, is accepting early registration for memberships. Price for adult membership (ages 12 and older) is $75 per person, and children between the ages of 4-12 is $45. More details on the treats you will be getting for your membership will be made available to you as they are confirmed.
Early booking is advised, and not just because we are showing such a positive turn out so early on. The weekend of the NADWCon is going to coincide with a big event here in Madison. The annual Art Fair on the Square (http://www.mmoca.org/events/artfair) will be taking place July 9 and 10 and will be within walking distance of our convention hotel. This is an outdoor art and craft show that brings in about a quarter of a million people from all over the country. Its a fun event for all ages with food, musical performances, and all sorts of things to do. If you happen to be in the Madison area, say… for a convention or something, and have an hour or so until the next program, Art Fair on the Square is certainly worth checking out. We have an expandable block of rooms at the Concourse Hotel reserved just for our convention members, but that is still a limited amount of space and with such a popular event taking place that weekend you should expect hotels in the area to fill up fast.

Apparently there are other conventions out there too:
The 2011 NADWCon committee is exchanging ideas and other things with the 2011 Australian Discworld Convention – http://ausdwcon.org/ as well as the upcoming 2011 Dutch Discworld Convention http://www.dutchdwcon.nl/ . If you can attend all three conventions we suggest you do, but for those of you that can’t you may be lucky enough to get your hands on some of the merchandise we are exchanging with one another. More info will be made available as it is confirmed.
For those of you that attended the recent Wizard World Con in Chicago on the 20th of Aug, you may have run in to some of the NADWCon committee handing out promotional material. Thanks to all those who helped us out and we were quite pleased with the results.
Also, we had a couple of Igors at Gen Con in Indianapolis earlier in August. You may have run into them handing out promotional material. Thanks for your help!
Our esteemed convention chairman Joshua Goes will be attending Edge Con (http://www.edgecomiccon.com) this Saturday the 4th with a booth of comics, artwork, and information on the 2011 NADWCon. If you keep your eyes open you may also spot him at Geek.Kon (http://www.geekkon.net) this Friday the 3rd. We hope to see some of you there.
Our Guest Liason Jon Manzo is chairing MadCon 2010 (http://www.madcon2010.com) Sept 24 – 26 with Guest of honor Harlan Ellison right here in Madison WI. This will be Mr Ellison’s final convention appearance so don’t miss it!

That’s not all, but it is all we can tell you right now. There is so much going on, and so many wheels in motion that we have already begin drafting our next newsletter! We certainly hope you are as excited about the 2011 NADWCon as we are, so we had better see you there!
Much more info to come, and thank you for reading.

The NADWCon 2011Committe

Pittsburgh, PA – September 2, 2010 – Horror Realm Convention is pleased to announce that it has been selected by New Films International to screen a sneak preview of the new horror film Chain Letter. The preview will take place on September 18, 2010 at 2 PM. The film will be released nationwide on October 1.

The film tells the tale of six friends who receive a mysterious chain letter via text messaging and in their email accounts from a maniac. With a warning that if they break the chain they will lose a life, the seemingly harmless email turns deadly when one by one the friends that do not forward the chain letter are hunted down and gruesomely killed by horror’s newest villain, the Chain Man.

Chain Letter features a great ensemble cast led by stunning Tinsel Town ingénue Nikki Reed (Twilight). A terrifying horror film that will leave audiences wondering if modern technology is as safe as we think it is, Chain Letter was created by Deon Taylor Enterprises and produced in association with the resoundingly successful Saw franchise.

In addition to Reed, the film stars Michael J. Pagan (How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Nite Tales), Noah Segin (Deadgirl), Matt Cohen (Boogeyman 2), Cody Kasch (Desperate Housewives), Betsy Russell (Saw III, Saw IV), Cherilyn Wilson (90210), Brad Dourif (Alien, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest), Keith David (Crash, Barbershop), with Michael Bailey Smith (The Hills Have Eyes) as the killer.

Chain Letter was directed by Deon Taylor and is being distributed by New Films International. The film is rated R. For details on the film including a trailer, photos and cast, visit www.chainletterthemovie.com.

Horror Realm, Pittsburgh’s modern horror convention, will be held at the Crowne Plaza Pittsburgh South on September 17-19. The convention features a dealer room, celebrity guests, Q&A sessions, horror author panels, tattoo room, film festival, contests and events. Horror Realm is sponsored in part by Library of the Living Dead Press. FEARnet, Rue Morgue and Magic Hat Brewing.

Horror Realm’s film program is open to all attendees and hotel guests. No one under 17 admitted without a parent or guardian. For more information, visit www.horrorrealmcon.com.