Steel City Con Returns April 7-9th

Steel City Con returns to the Monroeville Convention Center on April 7 – April 9, 2017 with guests including Jason Isaacs, Adam West, Burt Ward, Katrina Law, Anthony Daniels, Billy Dee Williams, Lindsay Wagner, Mena Suvari, William B. Davis, Caroll Spinney, Brian O’Halloran, Walt Flanagan, Michael Zapcic, Bryan Johnson, Ming Chen,  and many more!

The Steel City Con is the exclusive comic con of the Monroeville Convention Center. It is one of the largest comic cons in the United States with over 100,000 square feet of convention space and filled with 750 vendor tables, artist alley, and celebrity guests. At the Steel City Con you can meet TV and film celebrities along with experience celebrity Q&As, panels, celebrity photo ops, and the Artist Charity Quick Sketch. You can also take part in the Steel City Con’s cosplay, trivia contest and costume contests!

RSVP on Facebook!

Single day tickets or 3 day pass available now: www.steelcitycon.com/buy-tickets

Show Info: www.steelcitycon.com

Anthony Daniels & Riz Ahmed Join Star Wars Celebration

Anthony Daniels, who plays C-3PO, and Riz Ahmed, who played Bodhi Rook in Rogue One, will be at Star Wars Celebration!

Anthony Daniels; C-3PO: Star Wars Saga

The only actor to work on all eight Star Wars movies, Anthony is the heart and soul of the golden robot C-3PO. He is also the legs, arms and voice.

Leaving drama college in 1974, Anthony won a BBC Award, which gave him a place in their Radio Drama Company. After hundreds of productions, he left to go into theatre, shortly joining the National Theatre of Great Britain at The Young Vic. It was whilst playing in Stoppard’s Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, a story of two humble characters caught up in events beyond their control, that he got the call to meet George Lucas about a new sci-fi movie.

Lucas was interested in Anthony’s acting and mime skills. Anthony on the other hand wasn’t interested at all. Having asked for his money back after walking out of 2001 – A Space Odyssey, he had never been attracted by the worlds of sci-fi. Though he did eventually meet the director, it was a concept painting of the character that actually got his interest. He found the script incomprehensible but liked the golden droid and so was thrilled to be offered the role. The next day he was covered in plaster to make a mould of his body, the first step in creating the now globally recognised character. Six months later the costume was almost ready and filming began on what would become Star Wars: A New Hope. Later Lucas would try to replace Anthony’s on set vocal performance with the voices of various Hollywood actors. Eventually he decided nothing fitted the original like the original and asked Anthony to re-record his own character voice.

This led to him returning to the set of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. His participation in The Phantom Menace was as an off-camera voice but for Attack of the Clones he took over the arduous puppetry of the ‘naked’ C-3PO, subsequently re-shooting his scenes in the rusty suit, once again providing live action and voice. Fully gold and shining in Revenge of the Sith, Anthony is the only actor to feature in all eight Star Wars films.

Anthony has been involved in many of the spin-offs. Amongst other events, as the golden character he performed in the radio dramatisations, tap-danced on The Muppet Show, promoted measles and polio vaccines, wrote and produced anti-smoking commercials, danced with Donny and Marie Osmond, took part in the Oscar Ceremonies, befriended Big Bird on Sesame Street, filmed and voiced the animated figure in Disney’s original Star Tours ride attraction, recently being promoted to be the reluctant pilot in Star Tours – The Adventures Continue, became a breakfast cereal, Kellogg’s C-3POs, conducted the London Symphony and the Boston Pops Orchestra, and had his own cartoon series, Droids.

Anthony has been proud to work on and present The Magic of Myth, The Art of Star Wars and Star Wars – Where Science Meets Imagination and The Power Of Costume exhibitions in their various locations around the world. He has presented a variety of symphonic events and was the on-stage narrator for the international arena spectacular, Star Wars in Concert in its three North American, European and Japanese tours. He has also brought C-3PO to life in the animated Clone Wars, Rebels, Lego Star Wars and The Yoda Chronicles series. Most recently he appeared in 2016’s Star Wars: Rogue One.

Although the Star Wars saga has formed a major part of Anthony’s working life, he has interspersed it with a variety of television and stage appearances, ranging from sitcoms to more serious dramas, with forays into the world of horror cult movies. He was the voice of Legolas in the original Lord of the Rings animation. He is also a presenter, producer and creative designer of trade events and conferences and a visiting scholar at the Entertainment Technology Center at Carnegie Mellon University. He lives with his wife, Christine, in England and the south of France.

Riz Ahmed; Bodhi Rook, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Riz Ahmed is a three-time nominated Best Actor by the British Independent Film Awards for his lead roles in Shifty, Four Lions and Ill Manors. He was the lead of HBO’s breakout hit show The Night Of. Riz’ previous credits include Paul Greengrass’ Jason Bourne, Dan Gilroy’s Nightcrawler, John Crowley’s Closed Circuit, and Michael Winterbottom’s Trishna. Most recently he starred as a former Imperial pilot turned hero of the Rebellion, Bodhi Rook, in 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

For tickets and further information please go to the website: www.starwarscelebration.com

Star Wars Celebration Adds Lando, Hera, K-2SO & General Grievous

Star Wars Celebration welcomes Billy Dee Williams, Vanessa Marshall, Alan Tudyk, and Matthew Wood!

These new Autographing Guests will be in the Autograph Hall at Star Wars Celebration.  Celebration is very happy to be working with Topps on the Celebration Autograph Hall. For more information on purchasing Autographs and Photo Ops, please check out Star Wars Authentics.

Billy Dee Williams: Lando Calrissian, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back,  Return of the Jedi and Star Wars Rebels

Hollywood icon Billy Dee Williams was an exceptional addition to the cast of heroes in the Star Wars universe, backed by his powerful performance opposite Diana Ross in the films Mahogany and Lady Sings the Blues. Appearing in both Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, Williams brought the iconic character Lando Calrissian to life on the big screen.

Williams’ career includes roles in the films Undercover Brother, Nighthawks, Bingo Long, Batman, and Bryan’s Song. He’s been nominated for the Emmy and Independent Spirit Awards, and been presented the TV Land and Image Awards for his performances. In the world of television, Williams has appeared on Dynasty, Lost, NCIS, Night Shift, and Glee to name a few. He has voiced Lando Calrissian in video games, television specials, and in Star Wars Rebels.

Vanessa Marshall: Voice of Hera Syndulla, Star Wars Rebels and Rogue One.

An accomplished artist and author, Williams has been nominated for a Guggenheim Award and won an Hallgarten Award, an honor in the art world.

A graduate of Princeton University with a Masters in acting from NYU, Vanessa Marshall plays Hera in “Star Wars: Rebels,” Gamora in “Guardians of the Galaxy,” Mary Jane in “The Spectacular Spider-man,” Wonder Woman in “Justice League: Flashpoint Paradox,” Poison Ivy in “Batman: Brave and the Bold,” Black Canary in “Young Justice,” and Black Widow in “Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.” In the world of games, she voiced Olga in “Metal Gear Solid 2,” H.Q. in “Socom II” and Jan Ors in “Star Wars: Jedi Knights II.” She is currently the voice of Freeform, and she has also done promos for CBS, HGTV, and MTV.  As a stand up comic and former “plus-size” model, she also created a one-woman show “Got Phat?” – which ran successfully in both LA & NYC.  See www.VanessaMarshall.com for more details.  Follow her @vanmarshall on Twitter and @vanessamarshall1138 on Instagram.

Alan Tudyk: K-2SO, Rogue One

Alan Tudyk is a multi-dimensional actor whose credits span throughout stage, film, television and voiceover entertainment platforms. Over the span of his career, his films have garnered over $2 Billion at the Box Office.

In 2016, Tudyk appeared in Lucasfilm’s “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” as the scene-stealing and snarky, security droid, ‘K-2SO.’ Directed by Gareth Edwards, the film grossed over $1 billion at the global box office and is the first live action Star Wars spin-off. He also voiced characters in two Academy-Award nominated animated films, playing the ‘Duke of Weaselton’ in Disney’s “Zootopia” and the rooster ‘Hei Hei’ in Disney’s “Moana.”

Tudyk also stars as ‘Van’ in NBC’s new upcoming workplace comedy “Powerless,” opposite Vanessa Hudgens. Danny Pudi, Ron Funches, and Christina Kirk also star. “Powerless” is the first comedy series set in the universe of DC Comics, where the story follows the reality of working life for a normal, powerless person in a world of superheroes and villains. “Powerless” premiered February 2, 2017.

Tudyk is also the creator and star of the record breaking web series, “Con Man.”Executive produced by Tudyk, Nathan Fillion and author PJ Haarsma, the series was funded via Indiegogo, resulting in a record-breaking $3.2 million donation which had the support of over 46,000 fans from around the world. The second season of the series debuted on Lionsgate’s Comic-Con HQ on December 8th. Loosely based on Tudyk’s and Fillion’s experiences starring in “Firefly,” “Con Man” centers on the post-show life of ‘Wray Nerely’ (Tudyk), the co-star of “Spectrum,” a sci-fi TV series canceled before its time that later became a cult classic beloved by fans. ‘Wray’s’ best friend, ‘Jack Moore’ (Fillion) starred as the series’ Captain and has gone on to become a major celebrity, while ‘Wray’ continues to struggle to find his big break. While ‘Jack’ enjoys the life of an A-lister, ‘Wray’ is the begrudging guest of sci-fi conventions, comic book store appearances and different pop culture events. The series explores these events and all the crazy and real things that happen behind the scenes in the world of fandom. In 2016, Tudyk, along with Fillion, also launched “Con Man: The Game” based on the series. The game allows players to build and host their own comic book conventions and can be downloaded for free on iTunes and Google Play.

Tudyk has shown audiences wide versatility in numerous television shows and a plethora of feature films. Most recently he co-starred in the Jay Roach 2015 SAG Award nominated feature “Trumbo,” opposite Bryan Cranston, Diane Lane, Helen Mirren, John Goodman, Louie CK, Michael Stuhlbarg and Stephen Root as well as 2014’s “Welcome to Me” with Kristin Wiig. In 2013, Tudyk co-starred in the well-received Jackie Robinson biopic, “42,” as former Phillies manager ‘Ben Chapman.’ He made his feature film debut in 1998, when he first appeared opposite Robin Williams in “Patch Adams.”

Tudyk’s role in the Disney’s animated feature, “Wreck it Ralph,” garnered him an Annie Award for his role as ‘King Candy.’ He returned to the recording booth to voice ‘The Duke of Weaselton’ in Disney’s Academy Award-winning “Frozen.” He continued his work with Disney Animation Studios voicing ‘Alister Krei’ in “Big Hero 6” and will reprise his role in the upcoming “Big Hero 6” television series on Disney XD. He can also be heard as ‘Ludo’ and ‘King Butterfly’ on the Disney Channel series, “Star vs. the Forces of Evil,” which had its second season premiere on July 11th. Tudyk has also done voice work for many other features, television shows and video games.

His film credits also include: “Wonder Boys,” “28 Days,” “A Knight’s Tale,” “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story,” “Death at a Funeral” (the original UK version), “Knocked Up,” “Tucker and Dale vs Evil,” “3:10 to Yuma,” “Serenity,” “Premature,” “Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter,” and “Transformers 3.” Additionally, Tudyk motion performed the lead robot, ‘Sonny,’ in “I, Robot” opposite Will Smith.

In television, Tudyk was a series regular on the critically acclaimed ABC comedy, “Suburgatory” and he reprised his role in the Netflix revival of “Arrested Development” as ‘Pastor Veal.’ His work on Joss Whedon’s “Firefly,” has been highly lauded by fans and has gained him a strong cult following. Tudyk also appeared in “Strangers with Candy,” “Dollhouse,” “Frasier,” and “Justified.” He also was the host of “Newsreaders,” written and produced by Rob Corddry and David Wain, on Adult Swim.

Tudyk attended the prestigious Juilliard School in New York and has starred on Broadway opposite Kristin Chenoweth in “Epic Proportions,” played ‘Lancelot’ with the original cast in Monty Python’s “Spamalot,” as well as the lead role of ‘Peter’ in “Prelude to a Kiss” opposite John Mahoney.

Tudyk grew up in Plano, Texas and lives in Los Angeles.

Matthew Wood: Voice of General Grievous, Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith and The Clone Wars

Matthew Wood has been bringing digital technology to the forefront of filmmaking for over 25 years. As a film and journalism major in college, Matthew realized the potential for blending his creative studies with his lifelong passion for computers, and this innovative edge singled him out. He was invited to join Lucasfilm as a part of the Sound Droid development team at age 17 in 1990.

Through the ‘90s, Wood worked on The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, Mission Impossible (1994), Con Air, Eraser, and finally Star Wars: The Phantom Menace in 1997 as Supervising Sound Editor, a role he reprised on both Star Wars: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.

In addition to his work in sound, Wood lent his acting talents to the roles of Bib Fortuna and Ody Mandrell in The Phantom Menace and the voices of Magaloof and Seboca in Attack of the Clones. Revenge of the Sith would allow Matthew to expand his acting in the prequels one giant step further, landing the role of the voice of General Grievous for Revenge of the Sith.

Starting in 2006, Matthew started working on the Emmy award winning Star Wars: The Clone Wars, reprising his role as the voice of General Grievous and behind the scenes as Supervising Sound Editor.  He picked up new voices roles as all the battle droids, Wat Tambor and Poggle the Lessor.

In between Star Wars projects, Matthew supervised the soundtracks at Skywalker Sound on Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood as well as Disney/Pixar’s Wall*E which earned him a BAFTA and Academy Award nominations on both films.

After working with J.J. Abrams on Super 8 and Star Trek Into Darkness, Matthew was the natural choice to supervise Star Wars: The Force Awakens, garnering BAFTA and Academy nominations once again.

Currently, Wood has been very busy as the Supervising Sound Editor on the Star Wars Rebels animated series, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and Star Wars: The Last Jedi.  He is also voicing a main character “Roger” the battle droid on Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures.

For tickets and further information please go to the website: www.starwarscelebration.com

The Darkside invades MegaCon

The dark side of the force will be strong at MegaCon!

Spencer Wilding of Rogue One & Ray Park of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace join the lineup!

www.MegaConOrlando.com

Star Wars Celebration Orlando Kicks Off with Epic Tribute to Saga’s 40th Anniversary

Press Release:

A very special tribute to the 40th anniversary of Star Wars will kick start Celebration Orlando in grand fashion.

The panel, hosted by Warwick Davis, will feature Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy and discussions with some of the saga’s brightest stars, highlighting the impact of the galaxy far, far, away and the fandom that has propelled it for the last four decades. As is tradition, this marquee Celebration event will undoubtedly include many not-to-be-missed surprises. Fans will definitely want to mark their calendars for Thursday, April 13th and make the Star Wars 40th anniversary panel a priority for their Celebration weekend!

Star Wars Celebration Orlando will take place April 13 – 16 at the Orange County Convention Center. RSVP on Facebook!

MA – John Williams Conducts Boston Pops

Legendary film composer JOHN WILLIAMS conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra on Wednesday May 31st and Thursday June 1st, 2017. Tickets available online now!

RSVP on Facebook!

Press Release:

Boston Pops Laureate Conductor John Williams shares the podium with Boston Pops Conductor Keith Lockhart for this signature concert. The brilliant composer and conductor behind films including Jaws, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and the Harry Potter series, brings you a night of some of the most memorable movie music of all time. This is a concert not to be missed!

Boston Symphony Hall
301 Massachusetts Avenue Boston, MA 02115
617-266-1492

Stars of the Saga Join Star Wars Celebration 2017

Stars of the Saga Ian McDiarmid and Jeremy Bulloch Join the Lineup

Felicity Jones leads a galaxy of talent scheduled to appear at the Star Wars Celebration Autograph Hall this April. The star of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will sign autographs at the premier Star Wars fan event, The Topps Company and Authenticators, Inc. announced today.

Topps and Authenticators, Inc., the official autograph providers for the event, will host thousands of Star Wars fans from around the world at the Star Wars Celebration Autograph Hall in Orlando, Fla., from April 13-16. Fans can purchase authentic movie photos and officially licensed Star Wars memorabilia to get signed at the autograph pavilion as part of the StarWarsAuthentics.com launch.

“Having Felicity Jones at Star Wars Celebration to meet all the amazing Star Wars fans is important to us,” said David Leiner General Manager and Vice President of Topps North American Sports and Entertainment. “She’s become an integral part of the Star Wars universe and was immediately loved by fans around the world. We are proud to have her in our first group of announced guests.”

Ian McDiarmid, who portrayed the sinister Emperor Palpatine, and Jeremy Bulloch, everyone’s favorite bounty hunter, Boba Fett, join Felicity as the first in a long lineup up of talent from the iconic franchise scheduled to sign autographs for fans at the show.

Topps, Lucasfilm and Authenticators Inc., the industry standard verification service originally built by the MLB Authentication Program, recently announced a new collaboration, StarWarsAuthentics.com, a one-stop online destination for Star Wars fans to easily and securely order all of their official photo and autograph needs. StarWarsAuthentics.com includes a vast library of images direct from Lucasfilm, high-quality photos and exclusive autographs of fans’ favorite stars, printed using Topps’ technology.

Star Wars fans get officially licensed movie and authentic autographed photos at StarWarsAuthentics.com, which include more than a dozen options of Jones to choose from. In addition to Jones, Rogue One’s Forest Whitaker, Riz Ahmed and Donnie Yen autographs are available at the website, which also is the only place to find the first official dual-signed items of John Boyega and Daisy Ridley.

Stay tuned for Star Wars Celebration pre-order details and the announcements of additional signers that will be at the event. RSVP on Facebook!

CA – The Smartest Book in the World Signing

Greg Proops appears at Chevalier’s Books to discuss and sign, The Smartest Book in the World, on Thursday, February 23, 2017 at 7:00 PM.

Greg Proops is an internationally renowned comedian, best known for starring on the hit improv-comedy show Whose Line Is It Anyway? and for his popular award-winning podcast, The Smartest Man in the World, which Rolling Stone called some of the boldest comedy on the podcasting frontier right now. Proops is also a fountain of historical knowledge, a wealth of pop culture trivia, and a generally charming know-it-all.

The Smartest Book in the World is a rollicking reference guide to the most essential areas of knowledge in Proops’ universe, from history’s juiciest tales and curious backstories to the movies you must see and the albums you must hear. Full of eclectic and humorous knowledge, it is a concentrated collection and comic cultural dictionary of the essential Proops topics including poetry, proper punctuation, and Satchel Paige, all delivered with his signature style, making the full Proops experience complete.

Chevalier’s Books
126 N Larchmont Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90004
(323) 465-1334

CA – The Smartest Book in the World Signing

Press Release:

DIESEL, A Bookstore in Brentwood welcomes Greg Proops to the store to discuss, The Smartest Book in the World, on Tuesday, February 28th at 6:30 pm.

Greg Proops is an internationally renowned comedian, best known for starring on the hit improv-comedy show Whose Line Is It Anyway? and for his popular award-winning podcast, The Smartest Man in the World, which Rolling Stone called some of the boldest comedy on the podcasting frontier right now. Proops is also a fountain of historical knowledge, a wealth of pop culture trivia, and a generally charming know-it-all.

The Smartest Book in the World is a rollicking reference guide to the most essential areas of knowledge in Proops’ universe, from history’s juiciest tales and curious backstories to the movies you must see and the albums you must hear. Full of eclectic and humorous knowledge, it is a concentrated collection and comic cultural dictionary of the essential Proops topics including poetry, proper punctuation, and Satchel Paige, all delivered with his signature style, making the full Proops experience complete.

So if you’re stuck wondering why Alexander was so Great (well, he did conquer the world), which cinema bombshell would be the best shortstop (Hedy Lamarr, of course), what great work of art would be the best to steal (not that you would), or the finest way to prepare vodka-flavored vodka (add vodka), don’t fret, The Smartest Book in the World has what you need right now.

Greg Proops is a stand-up comic from San Francisco, best known for his unpredictable appearances on Whose Line Is It Anyway?. He has a chart-topping podcast called The Smartest Man in the World, which he has recorded live from around the world including Paris, London, Amsterdam, Oslo, New Zealand, Finland, Montreal, Brooklyn, San Francisco, Melbourne, Dublin, Edinburgh, Hollywood, a ship off St. Marten, and somehow, Cleveland. Proops has been a voice actor in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and played Bob in Bob the Builder. He has been a guest on @Midnight on Comedy Central, Red Eye, The Late, Late Show, and Chelsea Lately. He lives in Hollywood. It’s not that bad, really.

RSVP on Facebook!

Diesel Bookstore – Brentwood Country Mart
225 26th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90402
310-576-9960

Star Wars Celebration Europe 2016 Guest Schedules Announced

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