Saturday, June 1, 2019

Lana Parrilla Instills Magic and Hope at MegaCon Orlando

Photographer: Amber Valois
In 2011, Once Upon A Time premiered on ABC and introduced a new land where fairytale characters discovered that they were cursed to live in a real small-town called Storybooke. By reinventing characters like Snow White and Prince Charming as well as Rumplestiltskin and Belle from Beauty and the Beast, the well-known fictional worlds we used to know in Disney animated films and classic childhood stories were given a new twist. From the beginning one of the most popular characters and performances to emerge was Lana Parrilla as the Evil Queen / Regina Mills. As someone who was devoted ONCEr who loved the things she learned about herself from the series, it was a real treat to finally see the queen in person at Lana's panel.

Let me say, the love and admiration for her vulnerable, strong, and determined character and for the actress was palpable. One of the special elements of Once Upon A Time was how fans united (and sometimes divided) over their favorite characters, ships, and storylines. Support of Lana as a performer and her character was sparked from the beginning when fans gave Lana a standing ovation as she first appeared on stage. There's nothing quite like being in a presence of a queen.

Friday, May 31, 2019

David Tennant & John Barrowman Should Be On Your Convention Bucket List


Every question and answer panel at a convention is different. Sometimes the atmosphere is intimate and feels like you're talking to someone you admire one-on-one, even if you're not the one leading the interview. Other times it can still be a regular question-and-answer panel, but the celebrity beams so much positive energy, it feels more like a party than anything else. Maybe you even feel like you're at a comedy club as the celeb takes centerstage to talk to the fans, tell adventurous stories, and even sings. Both of the latter is what you'll find with David Tennant and John Barrowman. So much so they should be must-attend events at your next convention.

Friday, May 24, 2019

MegaCon Orlando Community Zone Makes Fans' Dreams Come True

At the heart of every fandom, a sense of community remains an intricate element of every convention. At MegaCon Orlando, hundreds of thousands of attendees enjoy the opportunity to interact with local organizations to share in the love and craftsmanship of their favorite  films, television shows, anime series, or comic books.

The Community Zone at MegaCon Orlando exhibits a vast number of one-of-a-kind experiences for everyone. To benefit charities around the country, attendees can donate money in exchange to have their photo taken in front of an iconic piece of film history like the Batmobile or the Delorean from Back to the Future. Booths offer family-friendly activities like getting close to exotic wildlife to learn and donate to conservation efforts. Located in the midst of the retail section, autograph booths, and cosplay red carpet, fans act out their biggest dreams to help make the world a better place or learn something new. 

This year I discovered a few special places to geek heart that not only helped me become aware of the incredible work and craftsmanship that goes into my favorite fandoms, and also made a few of my biggest and geekiest dreams come true.

Ripley's Believe It Or Not Debuts at MegaCon Orlando 2019

For 100 years, Ripley's Believe It Or Not has drawn millions of curiosity seekers into its exhibits to explore bizarre, mysterious and weird discoveries. To celebrate its momentous anniversary, the exhibit debuted at MegaCon Orlando as apart of its event tour for the year.

Founded by Robert Ripley, the exhibit originally began as a newspaper panel and has grown into a chain of museums, comic books, and book series featuring nearly 20,000 photographs and 30,000 artifacts of unique artifacts, artwork, and props.

Every item at Ripley's Believe It Or Not exhibit comes with its own unbelievable 'you've gotta believe it' story. From the vaults of pop culture to the vast regions of history, the Ripley's exhibit included rare artifacts you couldn't find anywhere else. Guests attending the convention got up-close and personal to Indiana Jones's bullwhip and Marty McFly's hoverboard as well as a vampire killing kit and shrunken heads.

Wednesday, May 22, 2019

Epic Cosplay at MegaCon Orlando 2019

Cosplayers: Libina Cosplay, Pinky Pandemonium, Life Like Cosplay
Photographer: Amber Valois
You never know what kind of cosplay you're going to discover at MegaCon Orlando, where over 100,000 people are expected to attend. With the genre of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror being as vast as it is, there's a high probability you're going to experience a little bit of everything. That's exactly what myself and my assisting photographer Amber Valois found out in the open and strutting through the corridors at the Orange County Convention Center. From Disney and Harry Potter to Game of Thrones and Guardians of the Galaxy, and beyond, here are the epic cosplayers from MegaCon Orlando 2019. Which one is your favorite? Let me know in the comments below! 

Note: Credit has been attributed to cosplayers in the photo captions. Please check out their amazing work on social media. This post will continued to be updated as more cosplayers are identified.

Monday, May 20, 2019

Best of Game Of Thrones Series Finale Reactions

game-of-thrones-series-finale-reactions
After eight years reigning as the biggest show around the world, there was no way Game of Thrones could've managed to please everybody. But there was also no way of knowing how it would unpack, overlook, and swerve from all of our theories and expectations. As the series finale dawned, the last episode delivered plenty of moments to make us feel every feel across the spectrum from outraged and shocked to confused and blase to relatively pleased and content. While I'll be posting my fuller thoughts on watching the series for the first time upon its last season, these are some of the best reactions to the show's love-to-hate or hate-to-love-it goodbye. What was your overall reaction to The Iron Throne? Let me know in the comments. And, this post contains spoilers. Read at your own risk.

Friday, May 10, 2019

Spider-Man: Far From Home Trailer Reaction & Breakdown

Sony Pictures Releasing
The MCU is still reeling from Avengers: Endgame and probably will be for a long time. It's only fitting that the franchise starts moving on with the second installment for Spider-Man. Hitting theaters July 2nd, 2019, a much-needed and well-earned vacation for Peter Parker and his friends unravels some unexpected consequences from the universe snip-snapping back into place.

If you haven't seen Avengers: Endgame, it's a good idea to skip this trailer and post. Spoilers are ahead!