Tag: United States

[Torrance, CA] MacrossWorld 2016 is Here!

MacrossOriginalBy James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)

MacrossWorld’s official Facebook page has announced the return of MacrossWorld in 2016. This event will be held at the Torrance Cultural Arts Centre in Torrance, California on Saturday, October 15th. There will be cosplay performances, an amazing dealer’s room, special guests, and lower registration prices. There will also be tasty Japanese comfort food available from the Okamoto Kitchen food truck.

No official invitations have gone out yet for this event but that hasn’t stopped voice actors Brett Weaver and Richard Epcar from expressing interest in attending.

We’ll keep you posted.

MacrossWorld2016

To learn more about the event visit MacrossWorld’s official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Macrossworld/.

To visit MacrossWorld’s Facebook events page https://www.facebook.com/events/1641746736153220/.

To purchase tickets to the event visit https://mwcon.ticketleap.com/mwcon2016/dates/Oct-15-2016_at_1100AM

Source(s): Vintage Anime Fans Facebook group, Donald Yee, and MacrossWorld Facebook page.

Babymetal Shares Stage with Metal Legend Rob Halford

Babymetal2By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)

At the 2016 Alternative Press Music Awards in Columbus, Ohio audiences were witness to what could be considered a major event in the music industry. Japanese music has been gaining ground worldwide especially in North America, proving music is truly universal, it is a turning point to see Metal God Rob Halford of Juda Priest share the stage with Japan’s mini-metal mights Babymetal.

Halford with Babymetal covered two of Judas Priests’ classic songs, “Painkiller” and “Breaking the Law.” For “Painkiller” Halford performed with Su-Metal before Yuimetal and Moametal joined them on guitars onstage for “Breaking the Law”.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KG_fqkyJ-wo&w=560&h=315%5D
 
Su-Metal looked absolutely estatic to be performing with Halford and Babymetal’s backing band were exceptionally pumped during this performance. I guess sharing stage with one of the legends of metal will do that to you. Alternative Press rightfully called this collaboration as one of the top 14 moments that defined the awards ceremony.

This had been a long time coming and it’s shame an event like this couldn’t happen earlier. If it did perhaps Japan X would be in the position Babymetal is now. But much of this event is owed to bands like them who toured North America before Japanese music grew outside it’s own country. Groups like Puffy and even earlier than X or Puffy, Shonen Knife, introduced Japan’s music to the masses. In many ways Japanese garage band The Blue Comets were Japan’s version of The Beatles as they appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1968.

Norman Lovett of Red Dwarf Announced for Anglicon!

NormanLovettBy James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)

You may be forgiven if you only recognize Norman Lovett’s face and not the rest of his body. Lovett spent four series in the British science fiction comedy Red Dwarf delivering his deadpan humor from above the neckline. As Holly, the ship’s computer with an IQ of 6000, the crew of the Dwarf were sometimes left wondering why the other 5994 of it wasn’t used.

Born in Windsor, Berkshire, Lovett got a late start in the light entertainment business after becoming a stand-up comic while still in his thirties. Working with some of the top comic actors of the day (Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmondson, Lenny Henry) Lovett made early appearances on The Young Ones, Happy Families, Lenny Henry Tonite, Rab C. Nesbitt, and Keeping Up Appearances. Lovett originally auditioned for the role of Rimmer in Red Dwarf (the part went to Chris Barrie) but Producers Rob Grant and Doug Naylor realized Lovett’s unique comic style was perfect for the role of Holly the ship’s compter.

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Can You Keep it Under Your Hat; Disney’s Mad Hatter Billboard Really was Depp!

AliceThroughTheLookingGlassPosterVisitors to the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California were given a rare treat when a stationary billboard at the entrance to the park started talking to them. The billboard advertising Disney’s Alice Through the Looking Glass left park visitors in awe when the film’s character Mad Hatter reacted to the crowd. The trick was all down to 52-year-old actor Johnny Depp live streamed using current video technology and a little Disney magic. Depp will reprise his role as the Mad Hatter (due in theatres May 27th) from 2010’s Alice In Wonderland.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mo83rqYoAeU&w=560&h=315%5D

Alice Through the Looking Glass stars Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, and Sacha Baron Cohen. The film is directed by James Bobin with the screenplay by Linda Woolverton and based on the books of Lewis Carroll. Alice Through the Looking Glass will be in theatres May 27, 2016.

Source(s): Digital Spy and Disney Movie Trailers.

Video Source(s): Disney Movie Trailers.

Minna’s 25 Years as an Anime Club Deserves a Catbus Cake

CatbusCake1By James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)

Reality TV isn’t my thing but for a time I gave it a chance when I watched the TLC program Cake Boss. It’s a series about an Italian-American family run bakery called Carlo’s Bake Shop. Founded in 1910, the shop operates in Hoboken, New Jersey. I didn’t watch the show for the stories or even for the personalities, I watched the show for the astounding cake art that was produced. And one has to admit, if there was any reason to tune in to each episode, it was for the cake creations Buddy Valastro and his team were responsible for. For a time I was cake crazy. And as hard as I tried, I just couldn’t find cake art that was even remotely decent in my small city of Victoria, British Columbia.

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Climb Aboard to See Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage 50th Anniversary Concert!

Michael Dorn’s voice guided the show. Shatner and Patrick Stewart also provided pre-recorded voice over in some sections, and it helps underscore the meaning of what Star Trek Generations is truly about.

Star Trek at 50 Years Anniversary LogoApr 15 – Regina
Conexus Art Centre

Apr 16 – Winnipeg
Burton Cummings Theatre

Please check local listings for other venues.

No Star Trek fan will want to miss The Ultimate Voyage: 50th Anniversary Concert Tour flying to select cities all across North America and beyond. This event is now into a Canadian leg of their show and they will return to the United States with more performances in May before taking a break. The event will cumulate to a special performance September 25, 2016, at the Palais des Congres in Paris, France. Had the date been Sept 8th, the broadcast date of Star Trek, the true die-hard would have noticed.

The Paramount Theatre was used in the Seattle, WA show as a fitting nod to the studio who owns this special property. The stage was decorated to resemble the bridge of the Enterprise from The Next Generation, and there was an effervescence glow. The lighting changed to establish the mood of each orchestral score. The music played perfectly in sync with the video montage (all of which was gloriously remastered for the big screen in Digital Cinema Package) of the series. Whoever put together this presentation really knew each Star Trek episode and film. To see the music played as Spock fought Kirk in “Amok Time” brought the same chills in me as I saw it back then, on television, for the first time. Another pivotal moment which stirred my emotions was when Picard was being transformed into a Borg and led the charge in “Best of Both Worlds.” The last frames showed Locutus before Riker said, “Fire!”

Continue reading “Climb Aboard to See Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage 50th Anniversary Concert!”