Omaha Sci-Fi Scene

OSFest 5’s Program Participants (3)

2012-01-20T05:13:00.001-08:00

It takes a lot of hard work on the part of a lot of folks to pull off a really great convention. The Omaha Science Fiction Education Society (the parent organization of OSFest) has been lucky in finding a lot of talented people to help us.

James Hollaman & Sherri Dean

What can you say about James Hollaman that has not been documented already by psychiatric wards. Artist, Writer, Fan and just a provider of odd thoughts. His art work can be found on the cover of the Bubba Chronicles by Selina Rosen, Marking the signs by Laura J. Underwood and half of the cards in the Bubbas of the Apocalypse card game. (Sherri Dean did the other half) His writing can be found in Flush Fiction, International House of Bubbas, Houston we have Bubbas and A Bubba in Time Saves None. (all of them are available from OSFest 5 will be July 27-29, 2012 at the newly remodeled Ramada Plaza (72^nd & Grover). I hope to see you there.www.Yarddogpress.com) James has also done the cover and has a story in a e-book anthology called I Didn't Quite Make it to OZ, which is available through Amazon or Smashwords.

James's mind usually is full of weird ideas. Some that help describe him. He had a Gallery Showing in OKC of what he calls Precocious Moments. This is Precious Moments of bad people or events. Some that was in the show was Hitler, JFK and Jackie at the time of his assassination, and the Uni-bomber. It was said that a woman walked into the gallery looked at his art and walked out muttering "there is to much evil in here". Another one of his ideas is called Room Con. A single night convention (party) held at various conventions. He has all the thoughts of a regular convention, Guest of honors, a Art show, even a hospitality suite. He usually has live music being played. He even brought Howard Waldrop to a Room Con.

Travis Heermann

Travis Heermann is a native Nebraskan writer. And like most good science fiction writers has a degree in science, in his case Electrical Engineering. But he has recently rounded that education out with a Masters degree in English. He has taught English in Japan for three years. His first fantasy novel as The Ivory Star in 1996. He published numerous short stories, magazine articles and gaming supplements until he published his second novel in 2009: Heart of the Ronin. Look for this multi-talented author on a lot of diverse panels this July.

But learning something new and interacting with new and old friends is what conventions are about. Attend as many conventions as you can, so you can meet new people. I hope to see you at OSFest 5 in July.

A Fannish Move Means Lots of Great Genre Bargains

2012-01-17T14:04:00.000-08:00

Sylvia Kostisin is moving from her long time residence on Pacific street and will not have room for the collections she has put together over the years of being a fan in the Omaha area. Her lose is your gain. Here is a description of her some of her items:

“So, the first auction will have my Star Trek books--I think just about all the paperbacks and most of the hardcovers, along my autographed books, mostly from Omaha Sci-Fi conventions. The last few years of Magazine of F&SF, and some other random books

The auction on the 28th should have the bulk of my SF collection, more ST, some SW, a lot of Dr Who, convention memorabilia, fanzines (mostly Robin of Sherwood, I didn't check the box real close), my Elfquest (all the comics, including #1, some paperbacks and HC, games, posters, t shirts, the video, calendars) Star Trek plates and a 3-D chess set, movie posters, artwork, and of course books and magazines.

Close to 3000 books, mostly paperback, and SF book club editions. Some of the old Ace Doubles, books going back to when they were 35 cents, all the old time major authors, Magazines from the 1930's on, Astounding/Analog, Galaxy, F&SF, If, Fantastic, Fantastic Universe, Imagination--no Amazing or Weird Tales.

I haven't looked in these boxes for about 15 years, so not much current--I throw things down there occasionally, but never looked to take anything out.

The auction house is Martindale Auctions, and the auction will be held at their Auction Building at 1305 S Main, Fremont NE 68025 the sales start at 9:30 am on Jan 28th.”

So check it out for some great deals.

The Usual Suspects Jan & Febr 2012 Film List

2012-01-12T13:13:00.000-08:00

January – As always January is a pick-up month, going back and getting caught up on the movie we missed over the Christmas Holidays starting with The Adventures of Tintin on the 7th and then The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The two new movies this month are Red Tails and The Grey.

1-14 - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Journalist Mikael Blomkvist is aided in his search for a woman who has been missing for forty years by Lisbeth Salander, a young computer hacker.

1-21 - Red Tails - A crew of African American pilots in the Tuskegee training program, having faced segregation while kept mostly on the ground during World War II, are called into duty under the guidance of Col. A.J. Bullard.

1 - 28 – The Grey - In Alaska, an oil drilling team struggle to survive after a plane crash strands them in the wild. Hunting the humans is a pack of wolves that see them as intruders.

February – This month usually has movies that are hidden gems or just dumping grounds for movies that could not make the Christmas Cut. Here we go from Daniel Radcliffe's first post Harry Potter movie to a reenactment of a real life Act of Valor told by the people who preformed it. In between we have a found footage superhero movie, spy(Kirk) vs. spy(Bane), a Rock in a jungle and Nicolas Cage with his head on fire. February also see the first re-release of the Star Wars Movies in 3D with The Phantom Menace.

2 - 4 – The Woman in Black - A young lawyer travels to a remote village where he discovers the vengeful ghost of a scorned woman is terrorizing the locals.

2 - 4 – Chronicle - Three high school friends gain superpowers after making an incredible discovery. Soon, though, they find their lives spinning out of control and their bond tested as they embrace their darker sides.

2 - 11 – Journey 2: The Mysterious Island - Sean Anderson partners with his mom's boyfriend on a mission to find his grandfather, who is thought to be missing on a mythical island.

2 - 18 – Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance - As Johnny Blaze hides out in Eastern Europe, he is called upon to stop the devil, who is trying to take human form.

2 - 18 – This Means War - Two top CIA operatives wage an epic battle against one another after they discover they are dating the same woman.

2 - 25 – Act of Valor - An elite team of Navy SEALs embark on a covert mission to recover a kidnapped CIA agent.

Unless otherwise announced, all showing will be the last afternoon priced matinee at the Aksarben Cinema. So join these guys for a feature film and a chance to talk about it afterward.

The Programming Begins

2012-01-10T14:03:00.001-08:00

It may seem like a long time until OSFest 5 over July 27-29^th weekend, but we need to start on the program schedule now if we are to have one worth your attendance. So Nick Schneider and I sat down and began pulling together interesting ideas that would make great events for you to be a part of. But we can't do it alone, nor can we prepare a schedule in a vacuum. We need you input. While I will be bouncing ideas through this blog over the next few months, now is the time to brainstorm, now is the time to come up with the ideas that can be fleshed out into great panels, and most importantly, now is the time for you to tell us what you are interested in and would like to see. After all the Omaha Science Fiction and Fantasy Festival is YOUR convention, now ours.

Yes, several old favorites will return: the Ultimate Starship Challenge, the Militarization of Space, and the Dating Auction to name a few. But the OSFest Programming staff is not plugged into YOUR network of influence and we can only guess what trips your trigger. We are looking for anything right now that falls under the genre of SF/Fantasy, Horror, Anime, Costuming/Cosplay, Gaming, or generally interesting to fans of the above. This is the brainstorming phase of programming, so no idea is too outrageous, we may not use it but we will consider it. Maybe with a little tweaking???

We are also looking for people who are knowledgeable in the ideas you suggest. So if you are an expert (or just someone with an informed passion) please let us know so we can keep you in mind for that panel. Also let us know if this is something you would just like to learn, that way we can look for the experts for you and have them available at OSFest.

Where should you make your suggestions? Posting a comment on this blog or on its Facebook site might get the word to us. The best way to do this is through the OSFES Forum at: http://osfes.org/Forums/index.php. This will allow Nick and I to rapidly find everyone's suggestion and others to give their feedback to what has already been suggested. Be an active forum participant and OSFES can keep bringing you great conventions year after year.

I hope to see you in July.

The Tale of Susan Satterfield

2012-01-05T14:20:00.001-08:00

Susan & the Roving Room Party

In 1977, Susan discovered a "little" convention called OKon and has been a part of fandom ever since that first exposure where she thought the Con Suite was for staff and guests only. She began her fannish life in Tulsa fandom. Here she not only chaired or co-chaired two Okons, a couple of MelloKons, and ran a party with another STARbase Tulsa member (Vicki Williams) called SuViCon, she also served in several capacities as an officer of the local club including Captain. Since that time, Susan and her husband Jim moved to the Kansas City area where she has gone on to co-chair three ConQuesTs with Becky Rickart, and along with Cindy McEldery, she has chaired 22 Contraceptions (Kansas City's adults-only relax-a-con). She has run many Masquerades for various conventions including Soonercon and ConQuesT and has worked on the committee for two World Science Fiction Conventions handling the Hugo Awards, run registration for two Nebula awards weekends, and in 2005, she was co-chairman of the World Horror Convention held in Kansas City, Missouri.

Susan Satterfield is the author of a number of published short stories including "Mirror of His Soul" and "The Changing," appearing in Eldritch Tales, and "A Perfect World," appearing in the Yard Dog Press anthology, Stories That Won't Make Your Parents Hurl. Her chapbook, Mirror Images, was published by Yard Dog Press in May of 2002. "The Lady Killer" and "Sweet Teddy" appeared in an anthology entitled Small Bites, which was a benefit for author, Charles Grant. She is also the author of "A Bubba Poet" found in The International House of Bubbas and
"What Goes Around" from the anthology Flush Fiction. Susan's short story entitled, "Close Encounters of the Bubba Kind," can be found in the Yard Dog Press anthology Houston, We've Got Bubbas. Her poem entitled "The Hunger: A Zombie Poem," appeared in October, 2009 in an anthology titled Vicious Verses and Reanimated Rhyme from Costcom Entertainment.
Her latest sale, "A Bad Case of the Munchies," can be found in the new Yard Dog Press anthology I Should Have Stayed in Oz.

Susan Satterfield graduated in 2001 with a Masters Degree in English from Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg, Missouri. Currently, Susan teaches at Longview Community College. She lives in Lee's Summit, Missouri with her extended family including dogs, cats, and assorted fish.

Join her and the many other guests this July 27-29th as we celebrate the fifth year of the Omaha Science Fiction and Fantasy Festival. See you then!

Independent Filmmaker News

2012-01-03T14:50:00.000-08:00

It has been a couple of years since Christopher Mihm has been about to make it to Omaha. But OSFest is still having an influence on his movie productions. Mitch Obrecht was an Associate Producer for Destination Outer Space and now James Hollaman is an Associate Producer of House of Ghosts and is currently highlighted in the Mihmiverse Monthly Newsletter at: http://www.sainteuphoria.com/newsletter/jan12.html.

One of the things we added last year to OSFest was an independent film festival to showcase the works of small film makers like Christopher Mihm, Star Trek Phase 2, and The Dead Hour. Giving them some exposure and making potential audiences aware that their work exists. This year we are in the process of adding a special contest running up to OSFest. We would like to offer a chance for high school students who want to produce genre films to have those films shown to a receptive audience.

So join us at OSFest 5: The Gathering and experience some of those independent visions. Then let's all talk about what's great about the genre.

Adopt a Fan

2011-12-13T15:01:00.001-08:00

The convention scene in Omaha is once again becoming crowded (look at the convention history of the 1990s). What's different this time the various conventions are working together to raise the bar on Nebraska's convention experience. But that doesn't mean Omaha has enough of a current con-goers base to support them all.

But we can grow that base!

Do you know anyone who reads SF/Fantasy/Horror/Manga or routinely watches similar programming, either it is live action or animated? Maybe it's time to introduce that person to your family of convention goers. Mentor them through a local convention. Guide them through the hazardous registration process, explore with them the map of activities (aka, the program book), navigate the expensive currents of the dealer's room and art show, lead them to the Sto'Vo'Kor or at least the con suite, and most importantly, introduce them to the friends you have made in the con-circuit. I know most fans when presented with a neo-con attendee, would likely bend his/her ear off telling them about the joys of conventions and do everything in their power to make them feel welcome and a part of our family.

If we want to keep the great variety of conventions that are now happening in Nebraska, we need to grow the base of fans that attend so we can afford the facilities we need. Believe me the hotels would rather book weddings; they are more profitable than us cheapo fans. So the next time you go to a local convention, bring a friend.

OSFest is a Science Fiction Convention with Something for Everyone. If we have missed your friends interests let us know. We have a forum: osfes.org/Forums/index.php, sign up today. Better yet have your friend do so also and the two of you can tell us how to make OSFest better. To help facilitate bringing a friend to OSFest, we are offering a Christmas Special this year. Between now and Christmas, you can purchase a membership for yourself AND one for a friend for a total of $50. That's a $60 value; we'll even throw in a certificate suitable to giving. Spread the joy, go to www.osfes.org/registration.htm and give the gift of fandom.

OSFest 5: The Gathering is July 27-29, 2012. I hope to see you their and your friend too.

OSFest 5’s Program Participants (2)

2011-12-08T16:06:00.001-08:00

Daniel Nielsen is another area author that has contributed his expertise in the field of epic Fantasy fiction. He has participated on panels like: Writer’s Tech, Slash and Sparkle, and What If? (A discussion panel where the panelists drew alternative reality questions from a hat to talk about). Daniel is a self-described writer of dark fantasy; he has two books to his credit: Darksteel Destinies and These Old Bones, as well as an assortment of short stories and poetry. After discovering the joys of world building at an early age and his community library to feed his mythological cravings, Dan took to regaling his classmates with his fantasy worlds while still in school. With literary influences such as C.S. Lewis’ Narnia series and Glen Cook’s Black Company books, this is a new author you need to take the time to get to know.

Patrick Kennedy is an old hand when it comes to SF conventions. He has been doing SF art for as long as I have known him. He also put together the first 3-day SF convention in Nebraska: Electracon back in 1980. For the last two years Pat has graciously taken people on tours of our Art Show, explaining how various artists create their works and how individual attendees can take home a collection of it for their own. He also loves to talk about books, media, and of course art. He is still from Kearney, NE where he started Nebraska conventions.

But learning something new and interacting with new and old friends is what conventions are about. Attend as many conventions as you can, so you can meet new people. OSFest 5 will be July 27-29, 2012 at the newly remodeled Ramada Plaza (72nd & Grover). I hope to see you there.

A Little Bit of Hometown Horror

2011-12-06T17:36:00.001-08:00

by Jason Burns

On December 4^th I once again got the opportunity to be a part of The Dead Hour a web based horror anthology filmed here in Omaha. This was my second time playing a background character in the show the first was in Fright Fest which kicked off the second season of The Dead Hour on October 18^th 2011 and now I’m going to be in All Hollow’s Eve which will launch on January 17^th 2012.

The Dead Hour was created by the same minds who made the indie horror movie The Wretched, Director Daniel B. Iske and Writer Scott Coleman. The Dead Hour is same vein as Tales From the Crypt and Creep Show it stars Melissa Holder as DJ Raven a radio talk show host that bring her audience tales of horror and suspense. The first season first launched on October 27, 2010 with the episode Donor followed by four more episodes Alcoholic Vampire, Cougar, The Hole and Cannibal Girls.

Second season launched on October 18, 2011 with Fright Fest and will consist of 9 episodes which will end with Fireside Lounge on February 28, 2012. The first four episodes have been launched with the next one being Gross Anatomy on December 13, 2011.

Season one of The Dead Hour was one of the shows we had at our 2011 indie film fest at OSFest 4 and season two will be shown at OSFest 5. During OSFest 4 we also had a panel on Make-up and Effects ran by Ryan Lacy of The Spider and The Fly FX who is now head of make-up FX for The Dead Hour.

The Dead Hour is a work of passion for the crew and they volunteer their time and money to create it and are always open to anyone who what to help in any way they can for more information on what you can do for The Dead Hour click the link below.

http://www.thedeadhour.com/getinvolved.php

OSFest 5’s Program Participants (1)

2011-12-01T14:32:00.001-08:00

The backbone of any convention's program schedule is the participants who volunteer to staff the various events and functions that go to make up the convention experience. Their expertise range from writing and collecting, through media analysis and costume creation; and they freely offer this expertise to everyone attending the panels they offer. Between now and July, I hope to feature as many of these great people as I can. Here are the first two.

An Omaha native and published author: Matthew Rotundo is one such Program Participant. With Matt having the experience of attending the Odyssey Writer's Workshop, he has been asked and agreed to run a writer's workshop each year at OSFest. So if you are interested in writing, come out this July and see what challenges he will have for you. He was also the 2008 winner in the Writers of the Future Contest, and has had several stories published. So he is able to talk about the craft of writing, like in "Redshirts: How to Kill Your Characters"; and with his passion for movies he is a natural fit for media related talks; like "The Magnificent Seven & The 7 Deadly Sins" and "Star Trek: Back to Basics. Does the Reboot Work?"

Kansas City based ConBarbie; Sherri Dean, is also a published author but first and foremost she is a huge fan. She has many convention based experiences to draw on while she helps with past convention panels like: "Top Ten Tips For Getting Published", "Fantasy: Zombie Iron Chef: Brains anyone?", and "Bump: There Goes The Neighborhood". This lady knows her way around a convention and how to get the most fun out of the time she spends with friends. Join her for "How To Enjoy A Convention" panel sometime and learn something new.

But learning something new and interacting with new and old friends is what conventions are about. Attend as many conventions as you can; OSFest 5 will be July 27-29, 2012 at the newly remodeled Ramada Plaza (72^nd & Grover). I hope to see you there.

Matt Mogk: Horror Guest of Honor

2011-11-29T13:52:00.001-08:00

Well this is a new catagory of GOH for us. We have a Horror Guest of Honor this year. Join us at OSFest 5 and meet the founder and head of the Zombie Research Society: Matt Mogk. While he holds a Masters Degree from New York University Film School, specializing in horror in cinema, he went on to receive advance combat and survival training from the French Foreign Legion
He earned a Masters degree from New York University Film School where he specialized in horror in cinema, before receiving advanced combat and survival training in the French Foreign Legion, the mercenary wing of the French Military.
Putting those two skill sets together with his lifelong interest in the Undead, Matt created the Zombie Research Society in 2007 where he is still their Head Researcher. The ZRS boasts a membership of over 60,000 zombie academics and enthusiasts on 6 continents, with dozens of local chapters. Omaha is fortunate to host one of those chapters.
But Mr. Mogk's talents don't end there. He has written two books: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Zombies and That's Not Your Mommy Anymore: A Zombie Tale. He also appeared on Spike TV's Deadliest Warrior, in the last episode of the third and final season: Vampires vs. Zombies. He along Max Brooks (author of World War Z) comprised Team Zombie.

We’re Moving Again

2011-11-24T11:04:00.001-08:00

Well we finally did it, signed a contract with a new hotel – a bigger hotel – a hotel that should be easier to get to. The Ramada Plaza Omaha – Hotel – Convention Center/CoCO Key Water Resort will be the gathering point for OSFest 5. We will have more and larger rooms (no more converting hotel rooms into programming space), a large suite for our con suite, real suites for attendees to throw parties in, and a grand foyer to spread out registration (and hopefully speed things up.

The only down sides are: people need to reserve their rooms early to get the discounted rate, and we will again have to make all our reservations by phone to the hotel.

The discounted rate for 2012 will be $84/night for a Standard room and $144/night for a suite. But they will be real suites not just enlarged standard rooms like at the Crowne Plaza. But to get these rates you will have to book your room by April 27, 2012 or the rates will revert to their standard prices of $94/night for a Standard room and $144/night for a suite (there was no early bird discount for a suite but they normally go for $180/night). Also the room block will be released on July 13^th, after which there will be no guarantee of availability. So get a room booked early and save, you will have up to 24 hours ahead of arrival to cancel your reservation without any penalties.

The rates and the room block are not available online. You will again have to actually phone the Hotel Reservations Center at either: 1-888-288-4982 or the hotel itself at: 402-547-5640. When you do be sure to ask for the OSFest or Omaha Science Fiction Education Society rate. If you use any online hotel reservation system, you will not be included in our room block. Being in that room block means our hotel guy can keep you close to the weekend's action. So droop him an email at: hotel@osfes.org, when you make your reservation so he knows your in the system and let him know if you have any special needs; like you want to throw a party.

Working together we can make the hotel experience at our new digs fun and undisturbed. Details will continue to go up at http://www.osfes.org/ until we have rocked the corner of 72^nd & Grover once more.

Cynthia Martin: Artist GOH for OSFest 5

2011-11-22T14:53:00.001-08:00

Cynthia Martin (aka Cindy Martin) is a comic book artist best known for her work on the Marvel Comics Star Wars title, where she drew the covers of issues 92 & 93, then went on to pencil issues 94-107.

She began her career drawing on Ms. Victory Special #1 for AC Comics in 1985. In the early 1990's she did some very memorable work for Marvel's Web of Spider-man series as well as the afore mentions Star Wars title. She has also worked for: DC Comics (on both Wonder Woman and The Blue Beetle), Eclipse Comics, First Comics, Topps Comics (Jason Goes to Hell – The Final Friday), Dark Horse Comics (GoGirl), and a number of other small presses. She even did a stint drawing the Camp Horror Queen: Elvira, in her comic series. She was one of the few women working in mainstream American comics during that time.Recently she has been illustrating for Capstone Press and How to Draw Comic Heroes for Edge Books. She worked with Lela Dowling on Dragonflight: Graphic, a graphic novel set in Anne McCaffery's Pern universe. Her current projects include books for ABDO Publications.

"Martin's clean lines and strong sense of movement during action scenes set her apart from other Star Wars artists of the time. Her work displayed the influence of Japanese manga long before it became common in American comics." from her Wikipedia page.So join us as we celebrate the accomplishments of this distinguished artist, July 27-29, 2012 at OSFest5: The Gathering.

Jack McDevitt: Author GOH for OSFest 5

2011-11-17T13:46:00.001-08:00

I was introduced to the writings of Jack McDevitt (born 1935) with the A Talent For War (1989). Despite the title this was more of a mystery story about past happening in a future universe. From there he took me on trips into a post-apocalyptic future earth, a journal through the halls of an ancient alien travel device, and the breakup of our moon. The last three are some of his stand alone novels; he also has a couple of long running series to his credit.

The Engines of God (1994), he introduced the idea of a universe that had once been teeming with intelligent life, but contains only their abandoned artifacts by the time humans arrive on the scene. Although it was initially written as a standalone novel, the main character of The Engines of God, pilot Priscilla Hutchins (Hutch), has since appeared in five more books, Deepsix (2001), Chindi (2002), Omega (2003), Odyssey (2006), and Cauldron (2007). These books became known as Jack's Academy Series of novels. The mystery surrounding the destructive "Omega Clouds" (which are introduced in The Engines of God) is left unexplored until Omega, but it is worth the wait.

His Alex Benedict series consists of the archaeology texts: A Talent for War (1989) (also published as part of Hello Out There), Polaris (2004), Seeker (2005) - winner of Nebula Award for Best Novel, The Devil's Eye (2008), Echo (2010) and Firebird (2011)

Jack went to La Salle University, where he won the annual Freshman Short Story Contest and was published in the school's literary magazine, Four Quarters. As McDevitt explained in an interview, "I was on my way. Then I read David Copperfield and realized I could never write at that level, and therefore I should find something else to do. I joined the Navy, drove a cab, became an English teacher, took a customs inspector's job on the northern border, and didn't write another word for a quarter-century." McDevitt received a Master's degree in literature from Wesleyan University in 1971. He returned to writing when his wife, Maureen, encouraged him to try his hand at it in 1980. Of course she was right.
Meet this entertaining author at OSFest 5 – July 27-29, 2012. And despite his self-described inability to write at David Copperfield's level, I know you find his writings intriguing and fun.

The Bones of Convention Art Shows

2011-11-15T14:51:00.001-08:00

One attraction seen at most conventions – Sci-Fi, Anime, and even gaming – is the Art Show. There you will find a mixed bag that might include oil paintings, acrylic, pencil, or computer generated illustrations, numbered prints, sculptures, hand-made jewelry, and even original work done right there at the convention (sometimes with input from onlookers). You can bid on the pieces, or sometimes just buy them outright.

But what goes into having an art show? Lots of things. All of the artists need to be contacted so they know where to bring their art – or where to send it if they won't be at the convention in person. Organization and planning are needed to make sure nothing gets lost. And when you purchase that glorious image, the artists need to get paid for their sales.

There is also some special furniture needed to put on an art show, called art panels, or "flats." Most of the art is in the form of paintings or drawings, and they need to be hung up on something. Hotels get pretty testy about driving nails into walls to hang art, so conventions bring in flats. It is rumored that the first art shows just had paintings lying on the floor, and you'd walk around looking down at them. That didn't end well.

OSFest used wood frame flats for the past four years. They had been constructed almost two decades ago, and served well at conventions such as Concussion, Nuke-con, AnimeNebrasKon, oh and OSFest. But wear and tear had taken their toll.

At OSFest 4 we decided to retire those venerable display boards and at OSFest 5, next July you will see art displayed on newly designed art flats. The design is very flexible, they will fit whatever room we happen to be using. It is also much lighter and compact for storage and transport. (Ask some of our volunteers how easy it was to move the old flats!) And they are intergratible with the art flats used by Constellation so either convention will be able to effective double its art show when possible.

Of course, you don't care about what the art is hanging on. The point is that a lot of work goes into producing the show, some of it as mundane as cutting PVC pipe to hang the pretty art, which is what you really want to see. So come to OSFest 5 and see what national artists have dreamed up for our enjoyment, you might even want to buy one or two to take home. See you in July.

AnimeNebrasKon

2011-11-10T14:27:00.001-08:00

Kudos go out to the staff of AnimeNebrasKon. Once again not only did they survive the weekend of November 4-6^th,2011 but they pulled off another great convention experience. I have yet to see the figures from the weekend but from some name badge numbers I do believe they broke attendance figures again. The dealer's room at the same time seemed bigger and more crowded, but there were still great deals to be had. I understand Dylan is still alive after delivering a remarkable assortment of panels, there were several room parties (including a Tron room) around the pool, and Rob Lewis duct taped the crowd for the "One Of Us!" parade on Sunday.

But you were there, Right? If so, you know what a great time it was and if not, why not? Fandom is a group adventure. A time to meet people, share what you love about the genres you have in common, and learn about genres you haven't experienced yet. Get involved in the fannish community. AnimeNebrasKon is the last Midwest convention for the year, so now is the time to plan your calendar for 2012. Look for one you like, get a membership, plan to meet the guests, for they are often really terrific people, then go and make new friends.

OSFest 5: The Gathering will be July 27-29^th, 2012, while our hotel is not confirmed yet, it will be in Omaha (it is the Omaha Science Fiction and Fantasy Festival). You can keep up with our plans at file:///H:/OSFES/Blog/2012/www.osfes.org.

ICON 36

2011-11-08T15:14:00.001-08:00

The last weekend of October brought us the latest edition of the convention that Joe Haldeman built; ICON.

This last decade has been a rocky time for this venerable old friend. Where ICON began its days as a Iowa City convention run by the Science Fiction League of Iowa Students (SFLIS), it was later moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa as SFLIS gave way to the Mindbridge Foundation. Mindbridge is the fan support organization responsible for both ICON and AnimeIowa. A few years ago with declining memberships, Mindbridge decided to pull the plug on ICON. Then a couple of dedicated fans came up with a plan to save this stalwart of Midwest fandom. And for the last five years that plan has given the community an engaging intimate convention experience.

ICON 36 was another successful event and a fun time. Imagine if you will the lobby of the Marriott Hotel converted into a open air art show, a femaleized Dalek, and a plethora of room parties. Great conventions are made by the great fans that attend them. We may be nearing the end of the 2011 convention season in the Midwest but the 2012 season starts in a couple of months. Check out at least one of the area conventions, preferably one that you have not attended before, and meet some of those fans that make the convention great.

OSFest 5: The Gathering is scheduled to come together July 27-29, 2012. Come and have a great time.

I'm Back

2011-11-03T19:11:00.000-07:00

Putting the wraps on OSFest, attending the 69th World Science Fiction convention in Reno, and taking care of a few medical problems has kept me from writing this column these past few months. But some new things are happening in the Omaha Fan community as well as OSFest 5. I will be sharing those changes and events with you over the next several months as we approach the celebration of Science Fiction and Fantasy next July 27-29th.

The first activity will help make the community stronger. This weekend at AnimeNebrasKon, we will be holding a Community Fan Forum. Join us Saturday at noon to talk about what is happening in the area and what you would like to have happen. Representatives of most of the conventions in the area will be present to listen to what you thought about their efforts and what you would like to see happen in the future.

If you can’t make that panel, there are other ways you can express your interest in the community. Join a forum, OSFES has one (http://osfes.org/Forums/index.php),
AnimeNebrasKon has another (http://forums.animenebraskon.com/viewforum.php?f=19)
and there are other groups with forums. But express your opinions or we won’t know what you want.

So let us know anyway you can. OSFest 5 will be July 27-29, 2012. Bookmark this blog or go to www.osfes.org as we keep making plans.

One For The Record Books

2011-07-29T12:43:00.000-07:00

OSFest 4.0 is one for the history books, even the record books. This year we blew the roof off attendance figures for Omaha based SF conventions. But none of that would have been possible without your help and support. Thank you for busting our attendance through the roof.

Yes we had our share of SNAFUs but I hope they didn’t mar your enjoyment of the weekend. If they did, please let us know so we can improve the experience for you next year. Go to the OSFES Forum at: http://osfes.org/Forums/index.php and let us know. Also if there was something you particularly liked, let us know so we can do it again.

Next year: OSFest 5 The Gathering will be held July 27-29, 2012. If it is anything like this year we need more people. If you are interested in helping run a convention or even just having a say in what happens; join the omaha_ne_scifi_con Yahoo group at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/omaha_ne_scifi_con/ and we will let you know when our planning meetings are. Just remember is you voice a really good idea, you may be asked to carry it out – with all the help we can give you of course.

But right now we want your thoughts about the convention and how we can improve it. So either drop me a line at jshoberg@cox.net or go to the OSFES Forum at: http://osfes.org/Forums/index.php and tell us what you think. Remember we only learn from our mistakes, so don’t be afraid to point them out to us.

We really can't say this enough. From everyone at the Omaha Science Fiction Education Society: Thanks!

OSFest 4.0 - Jail and Bail

2011-07-17T14:28:00.001-07:00

Conventions are an opportunity for various groups to raise funds for charitable causes. Since OSFES (the sponsoring corporation of OSFest) is a 501(c)(3) we are honored when a group approaches us to solicit funds for another 501(c)(3). Especially when they can make the activity FUN.

This year the Omaha Chapter of the Zombie Research Society will be holding a Jail and Bail fund raising event for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

If you have never participated in or heard of a Jail and Bail, the concept is quite simple. You go to the headquarters of the people running the Jail and Bail to swear out a warrant for someone. A fee/donation is charged to fill out a warrant and you have to let the arresting parties know where the person you want arrested is, also how they will know who they are. The Officers then go and arrest the person named in the warrant, return them to the designated Jail where they must stay for a period of time or Bail themselves out (another fee/donation). Then they are free to swear out a warrant against you and the fun goes on.

What will make this event unique to the Jail & Bails I have seen elsewhere is that the Arresting Officers will be Hordes of Zombies. This should be a really fun event happening on Saturday of OSFest 4.0: System Upgrade. I hope to see you there.

Local Groups: The Steampunk Society of Nebraska

2011-07-10T15:32:00.001-07:00

By Joe Carver

The Steampunk Society of Nebraska is a varied group of individuals drawn together under the banner of Steampunk. We have members drawn from many subcultures. Artists of many mediums, fashion designers, goths, makers, costumers, reenactors, academics, administrators, and just good ole salt-of-the-earth people can be found as members of the SSoN. We have been around for almost two years and have a membership of almost two-hundred people. We gather for occasions from picnics to socials to photo sessions and crafting events.

The Steampunk Society of Nebraska couldn't let an OSFest go by without coming out and sharing Steampunk with the community. We hope to spark an interest in the steamier side of sci-fi and fantasy and encourage people to join our happy little family.

Local Groups: The Zombie Research Society’s Omaha Chapter

2011-07-07T15:08:00.001-07:00

The Zombie Research Society (ZRS) was founded in 2007 as an international non-profit organization dedicated to raising the level of zombie scholarship in the Arts and Sciences. Their membership reflects the group's diverse backgrounds, interests, and research, but they are unified in their support of the ZRS' foundational principles:

A zombie is a biologically definable, animated being occupying a human corpse

The zombie pandemic is coming. It is not a matter of if but a matter of when.

Enthusiastic debate about zombies is essential to the survival of the human race.

Omaha has a chapter of this organization doing the research and training called for by the parent group. Part of their efforts is the production of a podcast: Undead Air. They also have monthly meetings, the times and locations of these are published on their Facebook page.

OSFest is honored to have these fine folks bringing and sharing their talents with us this July 22-24, 2011. In addition to a Leukemia Society fund raising event, they will be sponsoring a Zombie makeup workshop, offering tips to survive the zombie pandemic, and discussing our current love affair with zombie books and movies. They are a great group and you will have a fun time meeting them. So join us at the Old Mill Crowne Plaza this summer for OSFest 4.0: System Upgrade.

OSFest 4.0 Fan GOH: Becky Potter

2011-07-04T17:23:00.001-07:00

Becky Potter is the president of the Nebraska Japanese Animation Society and convention chair of Anime NebrasKon, the oldest and largest Japanese animation (anime) convention in the state of Nebraska. Becky's leadership in the anime community started while serving for four years as the president of Otaku Jinrui: The UNL Anime Club. In 2004, the club decided to host a one-day event for a fund-raiser. When 300 people attended, the club committed to the event's continuation and expansion.

The event, Anime NebrasKon, now in its eighth year, has over 2,000 attendees, over 150 activities, and 60,000 square feet of convention space at the CoCo Key Water Resort - Convention Center in Omaha, NE. Becky has served as the convention chair since its inception, and works with 30 preplanning staff and an additional 45 staff members the days of the convention. All of the staff members are volunteers who work diligently for the convention attendees. "Our goal is to offer a great event that has something for everyone, no matter how much that person knows about anime. We're all fans of something, and it's great to come together to share that fandom. We want to build more than an event; we want to create lasting friendships and a strong community." To fortify that community, NebrasKon has networked with conventions such as OSFest to offer free mini-events and to promote other local organizations and activities.

When she's not working on Anime NebrasKon planning, Becky can often be found at events around the region as an attendee. She has served as a panelist on the topics such as the state of local fandom, the process of running clubs and organizations, and perhaps most notably, the strategy of becoming an effective evil overlord. Outside of the fandom scene, Becky works on her "real life" (but cool!) job as a Human Resources Project Manager at Union Pacific, and spends her spare time creating a fantasy-genre novel.

So learn more about this industrious local fan at OSFest 4.0:System Upgrade this July 22-24, 2011. We hope to see you there.

OSFest 4.0: Ultimate Starship Challenge

2011-07-01T18:15:00.001-07:00

OSFest 4.0 will again see the Ultimate Starship Challenge (aka "the Starship Smashup") We will continue the tradition of matching the best starships from all over science fiction and letting them duke it out. In last year's championship match, the Super Star Destroyer: Executor commanded by Admiral William "Husker" Adama defeated a Star Defender commanded by Admiral Ozzel in the Mutara Nebula.

This year sixteen of science fiction's finest starships will be selected by the panelists and the audience to have at each other until one becomes victorious. The five panelists and the audience together will decide which starship in each match is the victor and which is debris.

Right now we need your help to choose the starships that will enter, which captains have enough moxie to command them, and what environments they will fight in. Please make your suggestions on our forum page by clicking this link. A copy of the rules can be found at http://www.osfes.org/programming_starship.html.

Will the U.S.S. Defiant commanded by Captain Jack Sparrow prevail over a Babylon 5 White Star commanded by Captain Crunch? You can help decide. Then watch mayhem unfold at OSFest 4.0 System Upgrade Saturday July 23 at 11PM. We hope to see you there.

Below is the video of last year's final round:

OSFest 4.0 Artist GOH: Sarah Clemens

2011-06-30T14:39:00.001-07:00

Bio from www.clemensart.com/bio.htm; check it out for examples of her art.

Sarah Clemens graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a degree in fine arts and art history, and the conviction that she would always be an artist in one capacity or another. She has freelanced in logo design and book cover illustration and photography, worked as the curator of exhibits at a science museum and for the last fifteen years been a medical illustrator.

But the need for self-expression is most important, and she began creating her own challenges, in the form of large oil paintings of friends and family members. Her realistic approach was second nature, after so many years of meticulous detailing in medical illustration. She has shown her work at galleries in Palm Beach, Florida and Boca Raton, Florida, Scottsdale Arizona and Beverly Hills, as well as exhibiting at the Society of the Four Arts in Palm Beach and the Armory Art Center in West Palm Beach and the Mesa Art Center in Mesa, Arizona. A recent move to the Southwest has been inspiring, and trips to the Grand Canyon for intensive photographic shoots are sure to show up in her paintings.

All this and she plays a Theremin too. So come and make this expressive artist welcome at OSFest 4.0:System Upgrade this July 22-24, 2011. Just beware of cats with small dragons as their friends.

OSFest 4.0 – Klingon Treasure Hunt

2011-06-27T16:12:00.001-07:00

For generations Klingon archeologists and treasure hunters have sought the Sword of Kahless (qeylIS), the original Klingon bat'leth. But little is known about the cloth used to protect that sword; the Shroud of the Sword of Kahless. Both the shroud and the sword were stolen by the Hur'q (a Klingon word meaning "outsider," a species reported to be from the Gamma Quadrant), when they plundered Qo'noS (the Klingon homeworld) in the 14th century.
A recently discovered prophecy says that the Shroud has come to Earth but that prophecy, written in ancient Klingon, has been split into many segments and hidden throughout the hu'Man hotel known as the Old Mill Crowne Plaza. Members of the Klingon Bird of Prey IKV Raptor's Heart, who have been sent from Qo'nos to investigate, need your help in retrieving the segments and finding the Shroud if it is there.

Here's how it will work: segments of the ancient prophecy will be hidden in the Art Show, Film Room, Con Suite, Dealer's room, Workshop area, and at various panels. Suspected locations will be highlighted in the OSFest 4.0 program book, so read your book. Then go out and enjoy all that the convention has to offer while locating the missing segments. Once you have located the segments; assemble them to reveal the prophecy. Use that knowledge to locate the Shroud and return it to the members of the IKV Raptor's Heart at closing ceremonies.

Remember: collect the segments, assemble them to reveal the prophecy, find the Shroud, return it to a crew member of the IKV Raptor's Heart and receive Honor Eternal.

Qapla

OSFest's 2nd Annual Date Auction

2011-06-24T13:10:00.001-07:00

By Kelly Schultze

That's right! The date auction is back for its second year. By participating in the date auction, you're helping OSFest earn some extra money to keep the convention going and improve it for the next year.

This year we will be offering advance application in addition to at-the-door application. To be "sold" in the date auction, you must provide the following information.

Name: (Your real name is required, but you can specify if you would like us to call you something else)

Age:

Short bio: (Give us some fun information on yourself so we can properly introduce you to prospective "buyers")

To be auctioned off, simply submit the information to Kelly Schultze at kschultze@unomaha.edu in advance or submit it to the registration table before the date auction.

Join us July 22-24, 2011 for OSFest 4.0. You're sure to have a great time, see you there.

OSFest 4.0’s Independent Film Festival 01

2011-06-19T14:13:00.001-07:00

In 2006, Rachel Grubb and Brooke Lemke, longtime friends and actresses who frequently appeared in the same productions, had an idea. "What if we made films for women, by women, and about strong women?" Silent But Deadly Productions was born.

Two of their short films, A Broken Family and Young Eyes will be presented during OSFest 4.0 Independent Film Festival. In addition, their first feature-length motion picture, Why Am I In a Box?, will have its Omaha premiere Saturday night.

Why Am I In a Box? is a non-stop thriller that will leave you guessing right up until the end credits. Don't believe me? Join us Saturday night and find out for yourself! Their synopsis of the movie: "Ellen Farnsby is a modern-day Scheherazade. And if she doesn't tell the story of a lifetime, someone else will be writing her obituary. She is kidnapped by Paige, a failed novelist with an ax to grind. Jeremy is a video store clerk whose one talent is fooling himself, and others, that he's an artist. He and a pop junkie of a detective named Lydecker are hunting for Ellen. Will Jeremy and Lydecker find Ellen before a vicious maniac edits her out of existence? Will Ellen write a brilliant novel or end up a tragic movie-of-the-week?"

The trailer is also available here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CssWeqwtn6o

The OSFest 4.0 Independent Film Festival is a part of
OSFest 4.0:System Upgrade this July 22-24, 2011, admission to all of the films shown is included in your convention membership. To see our current lineup, visit the Film Fest page here: http://osfes.org/film_fest.htm
We hope to see you there.

OSFest 4.0 Programming: Meeting Of The Minds

2011-06-09T13:24:00.001-07:00

From 1977 until 1981 PBS ran a television series created by the late Steve Allen that featured interviews and discussions with some of the greatest figures in history. Everyone from Cleopatra, Ulysses S. Grant and Attila the Hun were called to his round table to talk about the issues of the day. From the Steve Allen website: "Meeting of Minds encourages the viewer and reader, who may be historically illiterate, to become more familiar with the great thinkers and doers of the past and to whet their appetites for more research and study."

At OSFest this summer we are inviting several figures that are part of the science fiction universes we love to that round table (okay more like a pair of rectangular tables) where they can share their collective wisdom about the happenings of today. Join Jules Verne as he invites Anakin Skywalker, Kevin Flynn, Kaylee Fyre from the "Serenity", Vash the Stampede, a Ghostbuster, and Ambassador JaPa from the Klingon High Council, to a spirited conversation. While Monsieur Verne will begin the discussion, come prepared with your questions for our panelists for the discussion will rapidly opened up to the audience, to you.

This should be a really fun event happening on Friday evening shortly after opening ceremonies at OSFest 4.0: System Upgrade. I hope to see you there.

OSFest’s New Hotel

2011-06-03T11:01:00.001-07:00

One of the main system upgrades OSFES is making to OSFest 4.0 is a much larger facility. The Old Mill Crowne Plaza will allow us to expand the lineup of activities you have come to expect from Omaha's premiere genre convention.

The first thing you will notice is that each of the event areas will be larger, able to accommodate more fans at everything we plan. Instead of having one independent film in Main Programming on Friday night, we will have three days of continuous genre films created by fans just like you. And if you have an idea for a presentation, grab a camera and start shooting. We might feature you next year.

With a larger room for dealers, we will be moving the Artist Alley out of the common area and into our expanded dealer's room. We will even have room to hold workshops in the same room. And it will be away from programming so sound won't bleed through the walls and interfere with each other.

Tired of small gaming facilities, we are. Both the video and tabletop gaming rooms are double wide hospitality rooms. Each has a board room table and a lounge available, but don't worry we'll have enough tables in them to let you play as long as you like.

The con suite and party room floor will be moved to the top floor with an insulating floor between us and the regular hotel guests. So you can party to your heart's content. Just let our hotel liaison know you want to throw a party and he will arrange for you to have a room on the 6^th floor so you can.

So join us July 22-24, 2011 as OSFest 4.0:System Upgrade inaugurates our new hotel. It's going to be a great weekend.

OSFest 4.0 Programming: Independent Film Festival

2011-05-30T06:58:00.001-07:00

With great computer power comes great special effects – cheap. That means that more and more people are able to use this medium to tell stories with great visual appeal. Everything from YouTube wonders to fully imagined Hollywood style productions will be available for your viewing enjoyment in the OSFest 4.0 Independent Film Festival

Starting 3PM on Friday July 22^nd and running continuously until 3PM on Sunday July 24^th at the Crowne Plaza Old Mill, OSFest has brought together dozens of genre films produced by the folks who love them. Mitch Obrecht, the Festival Director, has arranged the films into six tracks.

Documentaries like Trekkies and Six Days in Roswell.
Short Films like Action Supremo, Play Dead, and A Cup of Hemlock.
Fan Films like Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning, Star Wars: Spirits of the Force Trilogy, and Browncoats: Redemption.
Action/Adventure/Drama like The Disk: Code Zero and Thieves Like Us.
Freaky Fun & Zombies like Motor Home From Hell, Brian Keene's The Ties that Bind, and The Dead Matter.
The Mihmiverse
with all six of Christopher Mihm's films.

And best of all, admission to this festival is included in your OSFest 4.0 convention membership. So join us July 22-24, 2011 at the Crowne Plaza Old Mill for a truly great time.

OSFest Fanzine Workshop

2011-05-26T12:49:00.001-07:00

By Trudy V. Myers

I've been asked to organize a 'fanzine workshop' for OSFest 4.0. I was asked because I used to publish a fanzine, 30 years ago.

Back then, one had to read the slush pile, select the stories one wanted, edit them, re-type the hard copies into the proper format, take the proofs to the printer, collate the results, staple them together... How could I possibly squish all that into a workshop?

But technology has made things easier. Submissions could be made by email, editing done on the computer, and then the final product could be posted on the internet, removing the copy shop from the equation completely. I began to think it could be done. Now, would there be any interest in such a workshop?

Actually, I see this workshop as serving three purposes; it would give people interested in the editing end of publishing a glimpse of what's involved; it would give some fledgling writers a chance for their work to be critiqued by a fresh set of eyes; and offer some interesting reading to the general public.

So, how about it? Is anybody interested?

Writers, would you like to submit a short story set in some well-known universe (not your own) to a market that doesn't pay anything, just for the learning experience? We're asking for stories under 7,000 words, standard format. Please also put the universe of your story on the front page, under your contact information, and send the story attached to an email as a .doc or .docx file. The email address is osfestfanzine@gmail.com. We will make an effort to find an editor who is familiar with that universe. (If you write in an anime universe, it wouldn't be fair for your editor to be familiar only with Star Trek and Star Wars.)

The basic format of the workshop is about an hour on Friday, where we will hand out manuscripts to the fledgling 'editors', and give some basic instructions on how to choose what stories they want to include in the final product. On Saturday, we'll discuss our selections and decide on layout, editing and so forth. Hopefully, there won't be a lot of editing to do, because we'll have to take turns in the hotel business center to do it. One final meeting on Sunday, where –I hope – we'll have a techno-geek available to help us upload the stories, so everyone can see how it's done.

So, editors, are you interested in learning a bit about editing and publishing a fanzine? If you are, please send me an email at the afore-mentioned address, osfestfanzine@gmail.com and let me know what universes you are familiar with, so I can try to match you up with submissions.

This workshop may be a little intense, but I'll try not to keep from enjoying too much of the rest of the convention.

OSFest 4.0 Programming Upgraded

2011-05-23T08:15:00.001-07:00

I'm sorry for not keeping up with happenings for the last couple of months. I have been busy getting the programming schedule pulled together for the Omaha Science Fiction and Fantasy Festival this summer. OSFest 4.0: System Upgrade is more than just a slogan; it's a commitment to bringing you the greatest possible SF fan experience possible. A lot of what we would like to do this year is interactive; we want to get you involved. Therefore I will be running a series of articles on our plans and how you can make the best use of them.

There has been a renaissance of fan groups forming over the last few years and several of them have agreed to share their fannish passion with us over the July 22-24 weekend. Interested in Medieval recreationism? We have Amtgard, The Barony of Lonely Tower, and the Kingdom of Riverheim coming do show us what they do. In addition to the typical fighting demos, these groups have agreed to show off their pageantry in what I am calling a Tri-Court. For one hour a medieval court will be held with each set of Royalties showing us how they administer to their recreational subjects. We will also have workshops on various arts and sciences the group pursue. Want to make a traditional set of medieval clothes for your next Renaissance Festival? Join the SCA in a T-tunic workshop. Amtgard will be teaching techniques in leather working, macramé and bead working. And of course The Kingdom of Riverheim will again teach people how to make chainmail.

But like I said their will be a wide variety of activities this year, many hands-on. Yet there will still be a lot of traditional programming and I will be talking about these in the weeks leading up to OSFest 4.0. I hope you will take some time and join us on our System Upgrade; July 22-24, 2011.

An OSFest 4.0 Fanzine?

2011-02-26T13:10:00.001-08:00

By Trudy V. Myers; editor and publisher of Ship To Shore

Somebody suggested that OSFES hold a 'fanzine workshop' at OSFest 4.0. Remembering the hours and hours of typing and layout I used to do, back when I did fanzines, my first reaction was, "No way! Can't be done!"

Since then, the back burner of my mind has been mulling it over and … maybe it could.

Very early fanzines were just a collection of content – letters, stories, whatever – slapped together, mimeographed and disbursed. There was little or no editing done on the contents. There may not have been a coherent page-numbering system or a cover or even a method of holding the pages together.

Certainly, something like that could be done. Would doing it serve any purpose? Because if you're going to offer this as a workshop, there should be some purpose, something people will learn from participating.

I see 3 groups who might be interested in how such a workshop did; the writers who might have their stuff in the 'zine, the workshoppers who want to learn how to do a 'zine, and readers who might be interested in the final product. And if done right, a workshop could benefit all three groups. The writers might get a clue how their writing is doing; the workshoppers might get a glimpse into the life of an editor/publisher, and the readers might actually have something decent to read.

Plans are extremely nebulous right now, but these are my rough thoughts on how such a workshop might work:

People who want to submit their work for consideration for the OSFest 4.0 fanzine would have to send them in early. I'm thinking we should keep the size of these stories short, maybe 2,000 words each, because I don't want the workshoppers to miss everything else happening at the convention as they try to slop their way through 100,000 words of stories in 24 hours!
People planning to attend OSFest 4.0 who want to participate in the fanzine workshop would need to check in with The Publisher on Friday to get their assignment. They would be handed their share of the stories in the 'slush pile' to read and decide what was 'good enough' to be considered. They would be given a few basic instructions, such as "If a story hasn't caught your attention by the end of the first page, stop reading; you don't have time."
In Phase 2 of the workshop, either Saturday night or Sunday morning, the workshoppers would meet again to make their final decision. Stories that did not 'make the grade' would be packaged up for the return home, perhaps with a few comments by the 'workshop participant' to the author. The others would be put together, pages numbered, a Table of Contents page added, and maybe a 'cover'. Then it would get shipped off to a copy shop for reproduction.
Would the workshoppers need to gather together one more time to correlate the pages and bind them in some way? Or would we ask the copy shop to do that?
At – or slightly before – closing ceremonies, the finished product would be available for sale at a price that would cover the printing costs.

I haven't worked out where the money comes from to get the printing done. And now that I've put some thoughts down on paper, I can see places where things could be done differently.

Any thoughts? Any interest? Speak now or I'll tell Programming to put this idea back on the shelf.

The Brigadier has passed

2011-02-23T15:26:00.001-08:00

William Nicholas Stone Courtney, better known to Dr. Who fans as Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart or just The Brigadier, died yesterday after a short illness.

Nicholas Courtney, the son of a British diplomat born in Cairo, Egypt in 1929, made guest appearances on The Avengers and The Champions before becoming a regular on Dr. Who. His first appearance on Dr. Who was in the 1965 serial; The Dalek Master Plan (most of which is missing, though a scene with Mr. Courtney still exists) as Space Security Agent Bret Vyon with William Hartnell. In 1968 he was the director's second choice for the role Colonel Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart in The Web Of Fear with Patrick Troughton. By The Invasion, again with Patrick Troughton, he had been promoted to Brigadier and formed U.N.I.T. This rank and organization would carry him through the entire run of John Pertwee and several episodes of Tom Baker. By the Peter Davidson era, the Brigadier had resigned from U.N.I.T. and taken a position as a school teacher. His appearance with Colin Baker was a "Children In Need" special called Dimensions In Time which is available on YouTube. Finally he donned his old uniform one last time to appear with Sylvester McCoy in Battlefield. He has also worked on radio plays with Paul McCann, allowing him to have worked with all the Classic Dr. Whos. His final appearance as the Brigadier was on a two-part episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures; Enemy of the Bane.

The interplay between Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart and whichever Doctor he was working with, took what could easily have become cardboard characters and breathed life into the roles. The world is a smaller place for the lose of his presence.

Omaha Costuming Day - Wrap Up

2011-02-13T06:16:00.001-08:00

I'd like to thank everyone who came out and made our first Omaha Costuming Day a success.

Three duct tape dummies were taped together, including a full-body one. Several cat tails were produced with men relearning the art of using a sewing machine. Talks on how to create costumes with resorting to needle and thread, and how to present you costume on stage were given. And the Steampunk Society of Nebraska help several of us begin construction of steam guns.

We had nice weather, good facilities, and good attendance. To everyone who attended; everyone who taught something; and everyone who helped in the planning: Thanks you. Costuming in Nebraska is growing strong.

But the fun will not stop here. Costuming, cosplay, garb are all terms for the creation of a persona; a persona of someone you would like to be. You learn from others how to accomplice that vision. So to help with the interaction between visionaries, the Nebraska Iowa Costuming Community has been created on Facebook. Be a part, share you hobby, ASK how others do their incredible creations. And we will find you the venues where you can bring your visions to life.

Omaha Costuming Day

2011-02-07T15:43:00.000-08:00

If you haven't marked your calendars yet, Omaha Costuming Day is this Saturday. Have you picked out the classes you would like to take yet?

If you need something to display your costume on or just hold it while you work on it, build a Duct-Tape Dummy. Wondering what you can do with fabric if you can't thread a sewing machine, we have a Non-Sewn Costume class. And Cassie has done wonders with having to prick her fingers on those sharp pointy needles. Need a prop to get your Steampunk outfit started, detail a squirt gun into a Steampunk Gun. If you have been collecting honoraries over the years and need show them off, create your own Klingon Honor Sash and wear them proudly. Feel like a cat in human skin, create a set of Cat Ears and Tail for your next convention foray. With Peter Jackson working on The Hobbit, now would be the time to get ideas about costumes from Middle Earth: Hobbits, Elves, and Dwarves, Oh My! Take scraps and build a wonderful head dress to compliment your costume-robe. Or just bring a project you would like some help on and we will have people ready to assist you.

But come and meet fellow costumers, even if you don't think you are one. They can be contagious and fun. See you Saturday!

OSFES' Bot Droppings

2011-02-04T06:10:00.000-08:00

Your update on OSFES events
&
OSFest 4.0: System Upgrade – coming in July.

OSFest is still months away but we are working hard to make sure our fourth convention has plenty of fun for everyone. Go to osfes.org for information on the (NEW!) hotel, registration, guests, etc. Coming in the next few days: details on our Science Guest of Honor. Hint - He can explain the physics of dark matter and has been to OSFest before. But you don't have to wait till the next convention to have fun...

OCD

Omaha Costuming Day is just around the corner

February 12, at the W. Dale Clark Library in Downtown Omaha, OSFES will be hosting OCD from 10AM - 5:30PM. If you cosplay, or are interested in checking it out, you're welcome to stop in and learn from folks who take this stuff way too seriously! Ever wanted to make a Duct Tape dummy, but were too shy to ask to be taped up by your boyfriend? We've got a workshop for that. Have you been lying awake nights because you don't have a cool Steampunk Gun? We've got a workshop for that. Need a sash to display all the terrific awards you've recieved, built a Klingon Honor Sash. Just want to learn how to better present your creation, we've got a class for that.

The event is FREE, but if you want to actually make something yourself to take home during a session, there will be a nominal ($3-$8) fee for materials. We've got some great instructors lined up to share their love for what they do, so come on out to join them.

For more details and a schedule of events see "Omaha Costuming Day" on Facebook.

Yours,

The friendly folks at OSFES

Creature Feature Live! The Night a Nebraskan Classic Returned

2011-02-02T13:53:00.001-08:00

By Jason Burns

On January 29, Aksarben Cinema presented Dr. San Guinary's Creature Feature Live! the first of what they hope will be a monthly event. For their first show, they did the 1957 Sci-Fi classic 20 Million Miles To Earth, starring William Hopper, Joan Taylor and Thomas Browne, directed by Nathan Juran, with visual effects by Ray Harryhausen. The movie is about the return of the first U.S. spaceship from Venus that crash lands in the Mediterranean Sea. The only survivor, Col. Robert Calder (Hopper), is rescued by local fishermen where they find out that a creature they brought back called Ymir has escaped and heading towards Rome.

Almost expected this being the first Creature Feature they had a few bugs to work out. The start time was supposed to be 10:30PM but people weren't let into the theater until 10:40 and then they had some problems with the timing of the show. The event was set up like the old Dr. San Guinary T.V. show where they had an opening host segment to introduce the movie. Local film historian Bruce Crawford read a brief acknowledgement from Ray Harryhausen and also had some actors perform a short sketch. As the night went on, they stopped the film in different places to do some more sketches and got smoother with the transition between film and sketches. After the movie, they moved the props out to the lobby, where they set up a met and greet with the actors and had photo ops.

Over all, it was a fun time, and I'm looking forward to future shows. Aksarben Cinema promises that they are working on other events similar to the Creature Feature and they announced that the next Creature Feature, on February 26, is going to be the original 1933 King Kong. The first show was sold out, so if you want to go to the next one, you might want to look into buying your tickets early.

Omaha Costuming Day

2011-01-31T15:31:00.000-08:00

While we suffer through this latest batch of horrendous weather, it is encouraging to remember that we are only two months away from the start of convention season. Naka-Kon is right around the corner, the weekend after OCD. Then April promises to be a very busy month: Willycon, Constellation, Demicon, not to mention Free Comic Book Day. So if looks like it's time to start thinking about your costuming wardrobe.

On Saturday February 12th we have just the event to help jump start you into a new costume or finish that cosplay character you have been working on. The Omaha Costuming Day (OCD)will have several workshops to give even the novice costumer something to wear at their next convention. Be it our Cat Ears & Tails workshop, our Headdress workshop, our Non-Sewn costume class, our Lord of the Rings costuming seminar, or build a prop in our Steampunk gun detailing workshop. Ww also have sessions on building a Duct-Tape Dummy to help you model your new design and a Presentation class to help you really impress the judges as you present your costume.

We will also have a specialist available to give you one-on-one help with whatever project you are working on. With sewing machines available to get it moving forward.

There is no site fee for this event. We will only be asking a small materials fee for some of the workshops to cover the cost of the supplies you will use. But then you will have something to take with you for that next convention.

So join us at the W. Dale Clark Library - 215 South 15th Street in Downtown Omaha. Meet lots of other people interested in costuming/cosplay and learn some new skills. It will be a fun day.

More Movie Stuff

2011-01-18T13:39:00.001-08:00

As people get ready for the return of Creature Feature with 20 Million Miles to Earth on January 29^th, there is another Ray Harryhausen classic film on TCM the prior Saturday. Jason and the Argonauts will be shown on Turner Classic Movies Saturday January 22^nd at 3PM. Before the use of CGI, nobody could do creature effects like Harryhausen. In fact the creature scenes in 20 Million Years to Earth were so well done that the film had to be edited for television, just like the original King Kong had been. I hope everyone gets to enjoy these two great films by the stop-motion master.

The Zombie Research Society, Omaha Chapter

2011-01-14T06:58:00.001-08:00

Last Saturday night I went down to the Attic Bar and Grill for the monthly meeting of the Omaha chapter of the Zombie Research Society to meet these guys and see if they were interesting enough to be a part of OSFest 4.0. What I found was a very enthusiastic and knowledgeable group of fans. They are going to be a great addition to the program participants at OSFest.

Who are they: The Zombie Research Society (ZRS) was founded in 2007 and is dedicated to raising the level of zombie scholarship in the Arts and Sciences. ZRS Members represent diverse backgrounds, interests, and theories, but are unified in their support of the Society's three foundational principles:

A zombie is a biologically definable, animated being occupying a human corpse.

The zombie pandemic is coming. It's not a matter of if, but a matter of when.

Enthusiastic debate about zombies is essential to the survival of the human race.

They are also responsible for the podcast: Undead Air.

So check them out and we'll see what this crew does to the Crowne Plaza this July 22-24 at OSFest 4.0 System Upgrade.

Victorian Valentines Social

2011-01-12T14:21:00.000-08:00

Victorian Valentines Social
----------------------------------
Friday, February 11 · 7:00pm - 11:00pm
--------------------------------------
Location: TBA
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Created By Steampunk Society of Nebraska
---------------------------
Last year's event was amazing

=- the gathering on Friday, the 11th of February -=

Come join Joe and Patty Carver for a Steampunk Victorian Valentines social. We will be gathering with all of our friends for a 1899 social.

Music will reflect the Steampunk genre as will the dress of the evening.

This is a free event in the potluck style. Bring yourself, a friend, a dish, snacks and/or drinks, but most of all bring a desire to socialize and have fun. Karaoke may be present as well.

There will be a contest at the event: "Sweets for the Sweets". Entries will be steampunk based candies, cakes, or other such desserts. The winning entry will get a prize.

Note: This event may have attendees under the age of 21.

Editor's Note: This would be a great way to view many excellent costumes and get ready for the Omaha Costuming Day on Saturday. Febr. 12th

The Gundam Modelers’ Workshop

2011-01-07T07:17:00.001-08:00

Omaha has become the home to several fannish activities and groups in the last few years, I'd like to think this is the influence of OSFES but it is probably the effect of a pent-up demand that is finally manifesting itself. Whatever the reason there is now more things to do than ever.

One of those activities is the Gundam Modelers' Workshop at Krypton Comics. Gerald Ngau has organized a time and place each month for modelers to come together and share techniques and tricks. When pressed as to why he builds these scale replicas of giant robots, he responded: "Humm, I never thought about that, I assume when you buy a Gundam model you should know the story and the kind of mobile suit you like to put together. What I can think of in my own perspective is that I enjoy building Gundam models because they are fun to put together, they all come in color and snap together with out using any glue, super articulate great for display, and they come in all sizes and price (ranges), the technology that goes into making the model kit is the most advanced and detail I have seen, they have been around for 30 years and there is a huge follower all over the world."

The Gundam Modeler's Workshop meets the second Saturday of each month at Krypton Comics at 2819 South 125^th Ave, # 261. You can contact Gerald for details at: neographix01@yahoo.com. But here are the guidelines as listed on the OSFES activities page:

• Bring your own Gundam (or any anime model kit.
• Bring your own paint and tool.
• Learn how to build a Gundam, share techniques on detailing and how
to post your model once it is complete.
• Showcase your best Gundam model.
• Bring any Hobby Japan or Gundam model magazine to help detail
your Gundam model.
• Exchange web site info.
• No glue require.
• Great fun for all age.
• Best of all the learning is free.
(Warning: We will be using sharp tools.)

The Usual Suspects – Jan-Feb, 2011

2010-12-27T13:17:00.001-08:00

The Usual Suspects are a group of movie buffs that meet weekly for the newest (or as close as they can get when you have a double release) genre film. Join them at the Aksarben Cinema every Saturday for the last matinee showing of the day. It will be a great time and a wonderful chance to talk about the film you have just seen and others you may or may not have enjoyed. Below is their January and February schedule for 2011:

January 1, 20011 - Black Swan (Psychological Thriller)

Director: Darren Aronofsky
Screenwriter: Mark Heyman, John McLaughlin
Starring: Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel, Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey, Winona Ryder

Nina, a ballerina in a New York City ballet company whose life, like all those in her profession, is completely consumed with dance. She lives with her retired ballerina mother Erica who zealously supports her daughter's professional ambition. When artistic director Thomas Leroy decides to replace prima ballerina Beth MacIntyre for the opening production of their new season, Swan Lake, Nina is his first choice. But Nina has competition: a new dancer, Lily, who impresses Leroy as well. Swan Lake requires a dancer who can play both the White Swan with innocence and grace, and the Black Swan, who represents guile and sensuality. Nina fits the White Swan role perfectly but Lily is the personification of the Black Swan. As the two young dancers expand their rivalry into a twisted friendship, Nina begins to get more in touch with her dark side with a recklessness that threatens to destroy her.

January 8, 2011 – Season of the Witch (Adventure, Drama, Fantasy)

Director: Dominic Sena
Writer: Bragi F. Schut
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Ron Perlman and Claire Foy

14th-century knights transport a suspected witch to a monastery, where monks deduce her powers could be the source of the Black Plague.

January 15, 2011 – The Green Hornet (Action, Crime, Thriller)

Director: Michel Gondry
Writer: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, George W. Trendle
Starring: Seth Rogen, Jay Chou and Christoph Waltz

By night, debonair newspaper publisher Britt Reid fights crime as a masked superhero known as The Green Hornet. At his side is martial arts expert Kato.

January 22, 2011 - The Way Back

Director: Peter Weir
Writer: Keith R. Clarke, Peter Weir, Slavomir Rawicz
Starring: Jim Sturgess, Ed Harris, and Colin Farrell

A fact-based story centered on soldiers who escaped from a Siberian gulag in 1940.

January 29, 2011 – The Mechanic (Action, Drama, Thriller)

Director: Simon West
Writer: Richard Wenk and Lewis John Carlino

Starring: Jason Statham, Ben Foster and Donald Sutherland

An elite hit man as he teaches his trade to an apprentice who has a connection to one of his previous victims.

February 5, 2011 – Sanctum (Action, Adventure, Drama)

Director:
Alister Grierson
Writer: John Garvin, Andrew Wight
Starring: Rhys Wakefield, Allison Cratchley and Christopher Baker

An underwater cave diving team experiences a life-threatening crisis during an expedition to the unexplored and least accessible cave system in the world.

February 12, 2011 – The Eagle (Drama)

Director:
Kevin Macdonald
Writer: Jeremy Brock
Starring: Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell and Donald Sutherland

In Roman-ruled Britain, a young Roman soldier endeavors to honor his father's memory by finding his lost legion's golden emblem.

February 19, 2011 – I Am Number Four (Action, Sci Fi)

Director:
D.J. Caruso
Writer: Alfred Gough Miles Millar and Marti Noxon
Starring: Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant and Dianna Agron

John is an extraordinary teen, masking his true identity and passing as a typical high school student to elude a deadly enemy seeking to destroy him. Three like him have already been killed ... he is Number Four.

February 25, 2011 – Drive Angry (Action, Thriller)

Director:
Patrick Lussier
Writer: Todd Farmer, Patrick Lussier
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Amber Heard and William Fichtner

A vengeful father chases after the men who killed his daughter.

The 2011 OSFES Book Discussion Group Reading List

2010-12-21T15:28:00.001-08:00

In case you haven't heard, OSFES is sponsoring a book discussion meeting once a month at the Borders on 72^nd & Dodge. We have a table set up on the second floor and we meet at 6PM the third Tuesday of each month. Reminders of this event are available on the Omaha_Sci-Fi_Fantasy_Discussions Yahoo group, I encourage you to join this group.

January 18^th:

Primary - The Last World War, by Dayton Ward

Alternate - Star Trek: Troublesome Minds, by Dave Galanter

February 15th:

Primary - Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris

Alternate - The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Millar

March 15th:

Your choice - any Science Fiction title

April 19^th:

Primary - Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey

Alternate - The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

May 17^th:

Your choice - any title to an OSFest guest, past or present

June 21^st:

Primary - On Basilisk Station by David Weber

Alternate - Off Armageddon Reef by David Weber

July:

Off for OSFest 4.0 System Upgrade

August 16^th:

Primary - The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

Alternate - Gone by Michael Grant

September 20^th:

Primary - Storm Front by Jim Butcher

Alternate - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

October 18^th:

Your choice - Any horror or "scary" title (meaning, whatever scares you, your

choice!)

November 15^th:

Primary - The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse by Robert Rankin

Alternate - The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

December:

Off for the Holidays

R.I.P.: Stargate Universe

2010-12-17T08:51:00.001-08:00

Below are a series of 5 tweets from the Syfy channel about the cancellation of Stargate Universe:

Announcement today: Syfy will end its original action-adventure series Stargate Universe when the show returns with the final ...
10 episodes of its second season in the Spring of 2011. The Stargate franchise -- consisting of Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis...
and Stargate Universe -- has aired on Syfy since 2002. Syfy has a slate of new scripted projects lined up for 2011 including ...
the series premiere of Being Human on January 17, the recently green lit one-hour drama series Alphas and the much anticipated...
Battlestar prequel pilot movie, Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome. Warehouse 13, Eureka & Haven will also return w/new seasons next year

Another take on this situation can be found on John Scali's blog: Whatever. Having worked with the show he knows a little about what is going on. And I have to agree with his reasoning for why this happened.

At one time Friday night was the death knell for a television series, look at how many Fox series were sent there to die. Then the SciFi Channel worked hard to build that time block into something SF fans would come to and watch. Now the Syfy Channel has turned it into Friday night wrestling and sent the shows they premiered there off to the four corners of the week. I know I find it hard to adapt to an ever changing schedule, missing a lot of the shows I used to watch when they moved to Tuesday (the night PBS airs NOVA). Because of this, I find myself more and more waiting for the DVD collection to come out and watch it then (without commercials and bottom of the screen nonsense), which of course, as John pointed out, doesn't help a show's ratings. So how can we let the corporate suits making the decisions know what we want to watch, if we don't want to use their calendar by using DVRs, Hulu, and DVD releases?

Another option is to do what anime series do. You get 13 or 26 episodes to tell your story arc and you need to wrap it up on your last episode. If your story needs longer, you negotiate that before you start production. Maybe then we will have fewer series end on a cliffhanger that never gets resolved.

Two More Great Film Icons Gone

2010-11-30T14:50:00.001-08:00

By now you have heard that Leslie Nielsen and Irvin Kirshner have died.

Today Leslie Nielsen is best known for portraying the bumbling detective; Frank Drebin in the Police Files TV series and Naked Gun movies. But he first came to fame as Commander Adams, Captain of the United Planets Space Cruiser C57D in the 1956 SF film Forbidden Planet. This is a must see movie for SF fans. Not only was it a prelude to Star Trek but many of the props and sets, like Robbie the Robot, were later used in such productions as The Twilight Zone. January 2, 2011 Turner Classic Movies will be airing this film at 5PM. Pull up a chair, set you DVRs, grab some popcorn and enjoy this wonderful collaboration between MGM and Disney Studios.

Irvin Kirshner was able to give us sequels that were as good as or better than the movies that preceded them. Not an easy task at a time when sequels were considered low-budget ways to make more money on a popular film. The Fly (1958 and not an Irvin Kirshner film but here as an example of what Hollywood though of sequels) was shot in color, its two sequels were both black & white knock-offs. Mr. Kirshner took the successful Star Wars franchise forward with the 1980 film The Empire Strikes Back (which many consider the best film of the franchise). Then in 1983; Never Say Never Again gave us a new look at an aging James Bond (even if the story was a recycled Thunderball). Finally in 1990 he takes Paul Verhoeven's RoboCop on another mission for OCP. While he made many films and TV episodes throughout his career, he is important for letting us know that a sequel doesn't have to be bad.

Surely, we will miss these guys.

Support a Small Press Publisher on Cyber Monday

2010-11-26T13:38:00.001-08:00

As you will find on the OSFES website, there are several small press publishers producing material from a variety of creative minds. They do not have the advantage to being picked up and sold in the major bookstore chains throughout the country. Even small bookstores find it difficult to stock their merchandise. That leaves few avenues to get their works into your hands; one is at conventions and another is the Internet. Cyber Monday, this year November 29^th, is the day for people to shop for Christmas on the Internet. So click on one of the small press publishers we have listed at: http://www.osfes.org/SmallPress.htm and find something new to read or a gem to exchange.

Some of those publishers will be offering discounts on the 29^th. I have received word on one from Yard Dog Press. Here is a direct link to their Cyber Monday page. And once you have read your new book, come to the 72^nd & Dodge Borders the third Tuesday of each month (except December) and talk about it with other like minds.

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-24T13:29:00.000-08:00

I would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Eat well but judiciously.

If you are looking for a movie this Saturday (Nov. 27th), Turner Classic Movies will be showing the film that won Tom Baker the role of Dr. Who; THE GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD (1974) at 2 PM. This is the second of the three Sinbad films made by Ray Harryhausen and stars John Philip Law as Sinbad with Tom Baker as the evil magician, Koura. Here, enjoy the trailer:

It was his smile, the BBC couldn't resist it.

A Brief Look at Some of December’s Movies.

2010-11-22T15:50:00.001-08:00

by Jason Burns

As always in December all the last minute Oscar contenders are in limited release and we will most likely not see any of them in Omaha till February or March. Out of all them the one that I would like to see is Black Swan. It is directed by Darren Aronofsky and stars Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey and Winona Ryder. Black Swan has Ryder plays a ballerina who is being replaced for the lead in Swan Lake with
Portman and Kunis who are two dancers that are both trying for the part. I have yet to be disappointed by Darren Aronofsky as a director and Black Swan has a good cast of leading ladies so I'm hoping for good things from this film.

Also in December we have two big sequels The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and TRON: Legacy. Dawn Treader is the third in the Narnia series and the first one made after Disney dropped the series. I'm not that big of a fan of the Narnia series but I'll be watching this to see if this can top the Disney films. TRON: Legacy is a sequel that comes 28 years after the first one and one of the more interesting effects this film will have is that Jeff Bridges is playing two parts Flynn as he is now and Flynn from 28 years ago.

Then there are other two book adaptations True Grit and Gulliver's Travels. I'll start by saying that I'm a Coen Brothers fan and will give anything they produce a try. There have been a lot of complaints about this film being remade but let us look at what we got. There is the Coen Brothers they share 4 Oscars, 2 for screen writing and 1 for directing, and 6 nods and their three leading men have been nominated for best actor Oscars. Last year Jeff Bridges won best actor, Josh Brolin was the lead in No Country for Old Men which won best picture in 2009 and Matt Damon stared in two of the last decade's biggest trilogies, The Bourne and Ocean's Trilogies. If I told someone that a movie is coming out star Jeff Bridges, Josh Brolin and Matt Damon directed by the Coen Brothers many would jump at the chance to see it. But when I say it's True Grit and they grab the pitch forks and torches.

Gulliver's Travels is one of three movies for December I'm calling out as avoid at all cost, the other two are Yogi Bear and Little Fockers. All three movies are poor excuses for comedy, where True Grit is trying to be faithful Gulliver's Travels says what would happen if Gulliver was a fat lazy slacker, what is passing for comedy in Yogi Bear you will never find in the cartoon, and the third movie is called Little Fockers, enough said there.

On December 10 a new movie theater will open in Omaha, the Aksarben Cinema and with the new Narnia the Usual Suspect's Saturday Movie will been seen there. We go to the last matinee on the Saturday of the opening weekend of the film if possible. The December movies are:

December 4: Faster @ the Rave 14

December 11: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader @ Aksarben Cinema

December 18: TRON: Legacy @ Aksarben Cinema

December 25: Christmas no movie

January 1: True Grit @ Aksarben Cinema

Anime Sunday is Still Going Strong

2010-11-20T07:41:00.001-08:00

By Jason Leinen

Just letting anyone who might not be aware that this Sunday (11/21) is Anime Sunday. That's a monthly showing that I help with over at the Dragon's Lair on Blondo St (8316 Blondo Street, Omaha, NE 68134-6339 (402) 399-9141). We start at 5:00 PM every third Sunday (of the month) and go until about 8:30, then a bunch of us get together afterwards at the Burger King on 72nd & Blondo for dinner and to shoot the breeze. This month we're starting a new series called Heroman and are showing a one part special called Black★Rock Shooter, so it's a good time to start. The complete schedule can be found at www.animesunday.org.

What Do You Want To Do At OSFest 4.0?

2010-11-18T16:06:00.001-08:00

A little known secret is that those 'balding, white-haired men in back rooms deciding what is fun for fans' really do want your ideas. A case in point is AnimeNebrasKon. A good deal of their program items are discussed and refined on their forum. Panel ideas are suggested and talked about, improved or pruned. OSFES has had a forum since its earliest days, but not enough people to make it an active community. Now we are giving that forum a stronger commitment in the hopes that it will make OSFest an even better fan event. So drop by the forum at www.osfes.com, sign up, and give us your input. If you don't like the setup, let us know. It is a wise man who is willing to learn from his mistakes.

What do you want to do at OSFest 4.0? Under the OSFest Forum there is a Programming Ideas Forum that is just waiting for people to send us the things they would like to do. Float your trial balloon here and see what others think – you might just end up as a Program Participant next July. The Omaha Science Fiction and Fantasy Festival is your convention, it is all about the genre and activities you enjoy exploring. So I ask you again; what do you want to do at OSFest 4.0? Let's upgrade the system together.

A Risk Taking Filmmaker has Died

2010-11-15T15:14:00.001-08:00

Dino De Laurentiis died on November 11 at the age of 91. 70 of those years were spent producing movies you may or may not have attributed to him. After World War 2 he produced a string of Italian pictures until the failure of his Dinocitta studio project. He then moved to the U.S. in the 1960's and where he eventually created DEG Studios in North Carolina, which also ended in failure.

Dino De Laurentiis took chances in making films and when his big spectacular pictures failed they were still a spectacularly. Consider King Kong and Dune, granted I don't think we had the special effects techniques he wanted to pull off a remake of the big ape and he ran into studio politics, where several studios recuts that proved "He who can destroy a thing, controls a thing". Frank Herbert did not live to see the final, theatrical cut of Dune but it has been written that he had said he liked the rushes that were available to him.

You can't work in filmmaking for 70 years just making commercial failures. He did have an impressive string of hits. Conan the Barbarian (if you can find the extended version – see it. The ending works better there than the shortened theatrical release.) Flash Gordon, Ragtime, Three Days of the Condor, even Army of Darkness. Click here for a full list of his films.

It's too bad that Hollywood doesn't have men like De Laurentiis today. They need more people willing to take chances and not bring us the same old homogenized films guaranteed to return a profit on every investment. We need to get away from predictable plots that are safe for the filmmakers' bottom line.

Or maybe that will be left to tomorrow's independent filmmakers? OSFest 4.0: System Upgrade will host an Independent Film Festival for science fiction, fantasy, or horror productions. As soon as we have a list of films to be run I will bring you that list. If you are an independent filmmaker, looking for a place to screen your SF/Fantasy/Horror film, drop us a line at films@osfes.org.

ICON 35, one of the many Midwest pop culture experiences

2010-11-12T06:43:00.001-08:00

Last weekend at the Marriott Hotel in Cedar Rapids, IA, I attended the thirty-fifth rendition of the convention that Joe built: ICON (This year: ICON 35 – A Steam Powered Convention of the Future). It was originally organized by the Science Fiction League of Iowa Students (yes, that is SFLIS – ask me about it some time. Or better yet ask Joe Haldeman). Later The Mindbridge Foundation was founded to run it and AnimeIowa. ICON, like Archon, ConQuest, Constellation, Contraception, Demicon, OSFest, Valleycon, Visioncon, and Willycon, has been a mainstay in the Midwest Science Fiction scene. AnimeNebrasKon, AnimeIowa, Nakacon, Sogen Con, and OtakuOmaha have featured the Anime side of Science Fiction. MageCon and Nuke-Con have brought great gaming to the Midwest. There is a major comic book convention in Kansas City; Planet Comicon. And in St. Louis a horror convention got its start this year: Contamination. So don't let others fool you. Science Fiction/Fantasy/Anime/Gaming/Horror conventions have been around in our area continuously since the early 1980s. They have not been missing! If you would like to see who has been doing them in Nebraska for the last thirty years, check out the OSFES history project at www.osfes.org/History.htm. Oh and if you have anything to add to it, please let me know. Remember to support your local fan run convention because without you they can never happen.

ICON 35: A Steam Powered Convention of the Future was themed for its Fan Guest of Honor, Susan Leabhart. There were several panels on Steampunk, many great costumes in the subgenre, and even a time-traveling airship (sequestered in a hotel room of course). She took us through what is Steampunk, its costuming, and what works (a steam powered computer?).

With a writer GOH like Cory Doctorow we had to get some serious discussions into the genre we love. Cory is a big blogger and he did a two-part panel on that subject, along with one looking at new media and how it affects our entertainment, he and Hugo winner Bill Johnson examined the economics of Star Trek and other future universes and finally looked at the "Black Box" phenomenon creeping into today technology.

Of course that's not to say that Dr. Who, bad (really bad) poetry, and Zombie panels didn't make an appearance, because they did. And while the number of room parties on Saturday night seemed down for this event, it was only because they had been moved to Friday night.

So overall, ICON was again a fun experience. But I am really glad they are moving their dates back a week so that I don't have to choose between ICON and AnimeNebrasKon next year like I did this year. ICON 36 will be October 28-30, 2001 and AnimeNebrasKon will be November 4-6, 2011 (but give them time to recover from their respective conventions before you demand an update of their pages). Back to back fun next year but you don't have to wait until then, OSFest 4.0 System Upgrade is July 22-24, 2011. Pre-registration prices keep your overall convention experience costs down.

The Restored Version of Metropolis

2010-11-03T13:17:00.001-07:00

In the 1920s, during the German expressionist period, classic cinema like The Cabinet of Dr, Caligari, Nosferatu, The Golem, and M brought a new usage of set design enhance the mood each film needed to tell its tale. The most famous of the films of this period was Fritz Lang's Metropolis.

Metropolis is a love story set against the backdrop of a man vs. machine and man vs. man story. Two classes exist in the post-modern world of Metropolis; the pampered ruling class and the toiling working class. The two classes must never meet! Maria, a girl from the underground working class finds her way into the Eternal Gardens of the ruling class and is noticed by Freder, a young member of the ruling class, before she can be spirited away. Freder becomes infatuated with Maria and follows her to the underbelly of his society and witnesses a tragedy kills many of the workers and no one cares about them only the machine they service. He becomes so distraught by this that he takes action to improve the workers conditions. This doesn't sit to kindly with his father, who has a robot built looking exactly like Maria to distract and discredit his son.

Metropolis is a 1927 film directed by Fritz Lang. It was produced in Germany during a stable period of the Weimar Republic (before Adolf Hitler's ascension to power), Metropolis is set in a futuristic urban dystopia and makes use of this context to explore the social crisis between workers and owners in a capitalist society. The film was produced in the Babelsberg Studios by Universum Film A.G. (UFA) and was the most expensive silent film ever made.

Metropolis was cut after it German premiere and many times after that, with much of the footage being presumed lost. After many attempts to restore the film to its original vision, a print was found in Argentina that contained 30 minutes of footage not seen in decades. The original running time was 153 minutes when it was released in 1927. The newly discovered version was announced to be missing only a few scenes but it was in deplorable condition. It currently has a running time of 149 minutes, very close to its original length, especially when you consider the hand cranking system used in the 1920s.

This newly restored version of Metropolis will be shown on Turner Classic Movies Sunday Novermber 7^th at 7PM. This is probably a great way to wind down from either of the conventions that were held that weekend; AnimeNebrasKon or Icon.

OSFest is working on an independent film festival this year. I have details as soon as they are sured up.

A Wake-up Call

2010-10-29T10:03:00.001-07:00

Right now members of the Klingon Assault Group (KAG) are locked in a desperate fight with an unseen enemy. The prize for this contest is what song will be used for the wake-up call on STS-133, the last trip to space for the Space Shuttle Discovery. The wakeup song has been a tradition of the space program since the days of the Apollo missions. Now NASA is giving us two chances to be a part of this history! NASA wants input as to what wakeup songs to use during the final missions of the Space Shuttle Program! Listen to the suggested tunes and cast your vote here.

Members of KAG have joined in a struggle to make the Star Trek Theme Song that song. This is not a single vote system; as Nichelle Nichols says "Someone said "Vote Early & Often" wasn't fair. 2 late 2 vote early & voting mult times is fine - just like Amer Idol. Using bots - not fair." (Forgive the shortened words, this came from a Tweet by her on the subject of multiple voting.) So the struggle is to get as many votes cast for the Star Trek Theme Song before Discovery's launch as possible. Klingons of KAG had opened the lead for the song about a week ago to a comfortable 100,000 vote margin. Then out of the blue came a push for Blue Sky (

a song written by the group Big Head Todd for an earlier shuttle flight). It is the relentless, inhuman voting pattern for this song that has lead some to question whether bots were being used to cast votes for it. But whatever the reason (at the time of this writing) Blue Sky has a comfortable 40,000 vote lead over The Star Trek Theme Song. with only a few days to go.

So Star Trek fans pass the word. Mobilize support and come to the aid of the Klingon Empire (who has been waging the battle up to now) and vote for the song you would like the Discovery astronauts be woken up to. I hope that you will make that the Star Trek Theme song (remember that the first Space Shuttle was named Enterprise), but even if it is not do vote. And do so as often as you are able!

Qapla'

KIM HARRISON'S 4TH ANNUAL HALLOWEEN COSTUME CONTEST

2010-10-27T14:56:00.001-07:00

From author Kim Harrison:

Can you believe it's that time year again already? I'm hosting my 4th annual on-line Halloween costume contest. If you've entered before, the su bmission guidelines will be familiar with just a couple minor changes, so, please take a moment to check them out so I won't have to try to track you down to find out little details like how you want to be identified, and as always, don't send me a picture unless everyone in the shot agrees that I can post it online with an identifying name. You can send me pictures from previous Halloweens, but not if you've entered them in previous years.

THIS YEAR'S CATEGORIES ARE:
Pets & Babies: If your child can't say Trick-or-Treat, please enter them here. Winner for this category will be picked at random.
Kids: If you knock on doors, say "trick-or-treat" and don't have a driver's license then, enter your picture here.
Over-The-Top: This is for the really elaborate ones that are good enough to find on a Hollywood set.
Make-Me-Laugh:
I'll give you a hint- Men in fuzzy outfits seem to win a lot.
Gruesome: Blood, missing parts, you get the idea.
Group Shot: Three or more. Be sure EVERYONE agrees to have the picture posted.
Hollows Shot: For those Rachels, Ivys, Jenks, Rynn Cormells and Nicks out there. I'll take group shots here, to, BUT- you must ALL be Hollows characters in the picture.
E2 (Everything Else): If it doesn't fit in the categories above, place it here.
Best Carved Pumpkin: Fairly self explanatory. Show me your best carving.

What You Could Win:

Category winners will receive a signed ARC of-Pale Demon

Please make sure your email is valid through November.

Legalish Mumbo - Jumbo:

There is no cash value for these prizes, and there's no need to purchase anything to enter. Odds of winning depend upon the number of entries received, and I pick the category winners depending upon my mood and the orientation of the moon. Submission indicates permission to put your picture up on the Internet. If you don't tell me how you want to be identified, I will use the name associated with your e-mail. (first name only)

How To Submit:

Cropping your picture to within 400 X 400 pixels and a file size of near 50 KB will get you a virtual hug from me. Then, send the pictures to "Guy" at his email address located in the "Submission Guidelines". Click the Submissions Guidelines link at the top of this newsletter.

2009 WINNERS

There it is, guys. Have fun!
--Kim

Virgin Galactic to begin Suborbital Flights

2010-10-23T12:39:00.001-07:00

Virgin Galactic, the spaceflight arm of Sir Richard Branson's empire, announced Friday that it would be the anchor tenant for the $198 million dollar space port building built 45 mile north of Las Cruses, New Mexico. Named Spaceport America, it will stretch across the flat dusty plain of the desert with a nearly two-mile-long runway designed to support almost every type of aircraft on Earth (or at least her skies). It will also provide support of day-to-day space tourism endeavors and payload launch operations.

Unlike today's space tourism ventures that require the tourist to plunk down $20 million dollars, ride up to the International Space Station and sit around in the Russian habit for two weeks. Virgin Galactic has commissioned Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites, the winner of the Ansri X-Prize, to design and build WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo. The first of Virgin Galactic's five ships will be named Enterprise and will carry 6 passengers and 2 pilots on a 2.5 hour suborbital flight where they will experience 5 minutes of weightlessness (the seats will retract to give the passengers the full use of the cabin for that 5 minutes) before returning to the New Mexican desert.

SpaceShipTwo, once it has been released from its lifting body WhiteKnightTwo at an altitude of around 9 miles, will reach a speed of roughly 2500 mph using a single hybrid rocket engine. Unlike the Space Shuttle that descends at 160,000 mph and needs a sophisticated heat dissipation system (the shuttle heat tiles), SpaceShipTwo will re-enter at speeds low enough to us a feathered re-retry system.

A ticket for one of these suborbital flights will be $200,000 and the company already has 380 individuals who have put down more that $50 million in deposits for a ride. Though Sir Branson says he and his family will be one of the first passengers to go.

Star Wars Celebration V Part 4

2010-10-22T10:44:00.001-07:00

The same person, who accused me of not knowing what a modern convention was all about, also said that he did not go to conventions to meet other fans. So attending both Celebration V and Megacon this year had me worried that each would be attended by an inhospitable crowd. That is not the case! Large professionally run conventions are still about fans meeting other fans. Everyone I had already known before the convention was finding online friends they had to link back up with. Everyone attending was easily approachable to talk about our joint interest and the things we do for it. Everyone there was there to have fun, make new friends and share what they do.

While I didn't pursue the topic but all of the fan displays present at the experiences were non-commercial. The fans responsible for them did not charge any fees for photographs and they weren't selling anything. Those that were selling related products were like Hasbro and had licensed their displays. A lot of booths were giving away related items, like the two photos I got of myself; one as Han Solo frozen in carbonite and another as Starkiller from The Force Unleashed II. They had a fan building area for the Hoth battle scene from The Empire Strikes Back (it was the 30^th anniversary of the film), afterwards people were able to take the sections they built home as souvenirs of the experience.

The 501^st organized a "Droid Hunt" the third day of the event, as a way to get not costumed attendees to play in the Star Wars environment. It was great fun. I understand a local member of the 501^st is trying to bring Droid hunting to all the conventions in Omaha. Make it work, Ben, it's sure to be a hit.

Since the area of the convention was so big you never really got an idea of how many people were in each of the recognized fan groups until they did their photo shoots in the main entrance or their parade around the facility. I don't think I got everyone in any of the photos I shot those days. These are people from around the world coming together to meet other people sharing their interest.

It really doesn't matter what part of fandom you are in. It is all about coming together and sharing our experiences with people who care about those experiences. Try describing what TARDIS means to someone at a NU football game. It is one thing to be a fan, but a much more encompassing experience to be part of fandom. Support your local conventions, like OSFest, and become part of our family.

October 23rd Fan Activities

2010-10-21T15:06:00.001-07:00

This Saturday there will be a couple of fannish happenings going on in our area.

The Strategic Air & Space Museum in Ashland, NE will be hosting a Halloween event. Around 10 AM they will have trick-or-treating around the aircraft, followed by a Costume Contest at 11 AM in their ConAgra Theatre. The contest is open to all ages. Everyone will have a chance to parade across the stage and showcase his or her costume for fun and a chance to win prizes. (Please remember that this is a family friendly event and they ask that you keep the costumes fun and appropriate.) Prizes include: Grand Prize $100.00 Store Gift card; First Prize $75.00 Store Gift card; Second Prize $50.00 Store Gift card; and Third Prize $25.00 Store Gift card. Members of the 501st Legion Star Wars Stormtroopers will also be on site throughout the morning for photographs and fun. But I also understand that Klingons for IKV Sun's Glory may also make an appearance.

For something more down to earth, Benson will again host the Omaha Zombie Walk. While the walk actually begins at 6PM, things will begin happening around 4PM. You can either come dressed as a zombie or they will have experts onsite to create a zombie persona for you (a $3.00 charge will apply to cover their costs). Around 5:45 PM the rules of the walk will be announced, with the walk commencing at 6PM. For a map of the route, just click here. After you return, there is a Zombie Hop in The Waiting Room until 2AM. Yes, there will be a costume contest for the best Female Zombie, Male Zombie, and 50's Themed Zombie. And DrSanGuinery.org is holding a Zombikini contest also as a fundraiser of the Muscular Dystrophy Association. They have the rules on their website and will have a booth at the event for last minute signup.

Next weekend is Halloween with its associated activities. Me, I plan to curl up in front of Turner Classic Movies for their weekend of great old horror flicks. Then we follow that with two conventions in our area. Icon is in Cedar Rapids and AnimeNebrasKon will be at the Holiday Inn Central the weekend of Nov. 5-7. So over the next few weekends, get out there and have fun. You have been warned!

Suborbital Flights Coming to a Caribbean Island Near You

2010-10-19T14:56:00.001-07:00

In their press release dated October 5^th, 2010 Space Experience Curacao (SXC) and XCOR Aerospace, Inc. announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding for the wet lease of the Lynx suborbital spacecraft. What exactly is a wet lease? A wet lease is a leasing arrangement whereby one airline (the lessor) provides the aircraft, the complete crew, all maintenance, and necessary insurance (ACMI) to another airline (the lessee), which pays by hours operated. So providing they can get the necessary U.S. Governmental approvals to station the Lynx on the island of Curacao, SXC plans to begin space tourism flight from Space Port Curacao by January 2014.

In a statement as to why XCOR was chosen, SXC Co-founder and Managing Partner Ben Droste said "SXC has chosen the Lynx due to its innovative but straightforward and robust design, as well as its enormous commercial potential and competitive viability. The combination of the Lynx experience with the beautiful and highly suitable location of the Caribbean Island of Curacao is a winning experience in our book. Spaceflight participants will not only have the incredible experience of flying in XCOR's Lynx spacecraft beyond Earth's atmosphere, they will have the added benefit of taking off from and returning to one of the world's best vacation destinations."

It may be time to start saving up for a real adventurous vacation.

XCOR Aerospace is a California corporation based in Mojave, CA. The company is in the business of developing and producing safe, reliable and reusable rocket powered vehicles, propulsion systems, advanced non-flammable composites and other enabling technologies. This is the company that OSFest 3's Science Guest of Honor; Art Bozlee is a part of and offering us looks into what they have been doing at the last two conventions.

Space Experience Curacao (SXC) was founded in 2008 to lead the world changing trend in providing commercial space launch facilities and suborbital flight services from the Caribbean island of Curacao in the Netherlands Antilles, and soon to be an independent governing entity as part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. SXC intends to offer suborbital space tourism flights and scientific research missions out of Space Port Curacao.

Five Million Years to Earth

2010-10-18T15:54:00.001-07:00

It was a long and pleasant night last Friday. I hope those of you who are interested in old horror movies, not the slasher films of today but the classic monster movies, were able to catch the entire collection of Hammer Films mummy movies.

This Friday, Turner Classic Movies is showing a different breed of Hammer films. They have more of a science fiction edge to them than the traditional Hammer films of this period. The 8:30 PM (CT) movie is an adaption of the third BBC serial in the Quatermass series; Quatermass and the Pit. It is the first of the Quatermass adaptions that was filmed in color and released in America in 1967 as Five Million Years to Earth. The film was directed by Roy Ward Baker from a script by Nigel Kneale (the man who created Professor Bernard Quatermass for the BBC) and finally replaced the American actor Brian Donlevy in the title role with Scottish actor Andrew Keir. Watch for a very young Julian Glover (General Veers from THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK and Walter Donovan from Indy 3) as Col. Breen.

Professor Bernard Quatermass is the head of the British Experimental Rocket Group in the 1950's and 60's. So while digging a new subway line under London an object suspected to be an unexploded bomb from World War 2 is discovered to have very unusual properties, Professor Quatermass is called in for consultation. Of course he believes it is a rocket though not a German one. So where did it come from and why?

The movie version of this story had a much larger special effects budget than the serial and it sets out to show us the answer to this question with disastrous results until Quatermass and his colleagues combine science and superstition to save London. Click here for the trailer.

There were four serials made, three for the BBC and one with Thames Television. THE QUATERMASS EXPERIMENT and QUATERMASS II have both been lost and the only versions of them available are the Hammer Films versions; THE QUATERMASS XPERMENT and QUATERMASS 2. Both were filmed in black and white ATARRING American actor Brian Donlevy. They are both characteristic genre films of that period. QUARTERMASS AND THE PIT still exists as a serial and movie, FIVE MILLION YEARS TO EARTH. The final entry in the Quatermass collection was a television serial simply named QUARTERMASS starring John Mills that was later released as a film by Euston Films as THE QUATERMASS CONCLUSION. If you follow Doctor Who really close, this is the character referred to in Remembrance of the Daleks (Sylvester McCoy) and Planet of the Dead (David Tennant).

As a kid, this movie gave me a great scare. Today it still holds its own as a well crafted tale. If you have the time on Friday night I believe you will enjoy a voyage that was Five Million Miles to Earth.

Star Wars Celebration V Analysis Part 3

2010-10-17T14:23:00.001-07:00

This was a very big convention, with a lot of fans in attendance. That means the security staff had a lot of headaches controlling crowds for special events. Yet the absolutely worst line that I was in the whole time there was the line just to get into the convention area each morning.

Staffers had set aside an entire hall of the Orange County Convention Center just to house that line. First this seems to me, as a convention organizer, a waste of resources. Why rent an entire room whose sole function is to run a line of people arriving at the facility, and only first thing in the morning. Okay, they were expecting, and I understand they got, a tremendously long line for fans wanting to attend the "Main Event". This was the interview of George Lucas by John Stewart. Since my wife and I could not stand in a line overnight to get into the live auditorium, we arrived at the usual opening time for the convention and were able to get into one of the several simulcast rooms. Yes it was a good interview, yes I would have loved to attend in person instead of watching on a theatre style screen, but as was pointed out to us in a panel the first day: would it have been worth the single hour's entertainment to lose the rest of that day to exhaustion from trying to stay in the overnight line. There was too much to do to lose a day like that.

So why did security have to run everyone arriving before 10:30 AM through a line every morning. Your first thought would be badge check. At Megacon (which was held in the same wing of the Orange County Convention Center) in March, they were using a wristband system to control who should be in the convention areas and so ran everyone through a narrow check point to view those wristbands. But Celebration V had a large, colorful badge that you were required to wear that had different Star Wars characters on them for the types of badges they were (Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 4-Day, etc.). This made them very easy to spot and interpret. I didn't notice security checking badges as the line filed in each morning and after the first arrivals had all entered the area, that room was not used again the rest of the day. After that I only noticed security checking badges when people entered the exhibits area. That is not to say they weren't checking them elsewhere, as the best security goes unnoticed.

Finally on this front was the closing of the back entrance to the convention center. The parking lots are behind the center and have an entrance with walkway (they have to go over the loading areas to get the front of the building and the exhibit halls). My wife and I used this entrance extensively at Megacon. She had limited mobility and the elevators and escalators helped her get to the walkway. We arrived the first day assuming that we would have no trouble using this method to get to the center's West Wing, where the convention was held, paid for parking, parked and found we were not allowed to enter this way. In fact we were routed around the entire center. Not a very handicapped friendly greeting for fans. Subsequent days there was a bus to shuttle people from the parking lot to the front, but even then the buses were not allowed to drop people off at the convention entrance. Fortunately, I was able to drop my wife off at the door, then park and take the shuttle myself, as I have not had to have one of my knees replaced. At the end of the day we were able to use the walkway and not have to walk again around the building. But it made for some tension to start off each day.

So what can we learn from this? Imagine yourself handicapped and limited in your mobility as you look at the facilities. Decide how you can overcome the limitations it imposes and don't add security procedures that aggravates those conditions for your attendees.

The Usual Suspects - Nov - Dec. Movie Schedule

2010-10-16T10:24:00.000-07:00

The Usual Suspects, a group of movie buffs that meet weekly for the newest (or as close as they can get when you have a double release) genre film. Join them at the Westroads Rave Theatre every Saturday for the last matinee showing of the day. It will be a great time and a wonderful chance to talk about the film you have just seen and others you may or may not have enjoyed. Below is their November and December schedule:

November 6, 2010 – Megamind (Animation, Comedy, Family)
Director: Tom McGrath
Screenwriter: Alan Schoolcraft, Brent Simons
Starring: Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, Ben Stiller
When super villain Megamind defeats his archrival Metro Man , the world should be his oyster. But instead, Megamind falls into total despair. It turns out that life without a rival is life without a point for him. So, he creates a new superhero rival, Titan. Unfortunately, the new hero wants to be a super villain, too.

November 13, 2010 – Unstoppable (Action, Drama, Thriller)
Director: Tony Scott
Screenwriter: Mark Bomback
Starring: Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, Rosario Dawson, Kevin Chapman
Unstoppable, a 20th Century Fox drama about a runaway train carrying a cargo of toxic chemicals. Pits an engineer and his conductor in a race against time. They're chasing the runaway train in a separate locomotive and need to bring it under control before it derails on a curve and causes a toxic spill that will decimate a town.

November 20, 2010 – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (Adventure, Fantasy)
Director: David Yates
Screenwriter: Steve Kloves
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Jason Isaacs, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Brendan Gleeson, David Thewlis, Julie Walters, Tom Felton, Bonnie Wright, Jamie Campbell Bower, Richard Griffiths, Matthew Lewis, Evanna Lynch, Fiona Shaw, Helen McCrory, David O'Hara, Natalia Tena
The final chapter of the "Harry Potter" film series begins as Harry, Ron and Hermione leave Hogwarts behind and set out to find and destroy the Horcruxes--the secret to Voldemort's power and immortality.

November 27, 2010 – Faster (Action, Drama) (Note: This movie goes into wide release on the 19th)
Director: George Tillman Jr.
Screenwriter: Joe Gayton, Tony Gayton
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Billy Bob Thornton
An ex-con is bent on avenging the death of his brother murdered 10 years earlier when double-crossed during a heist.

December 4, 2010 – Open

December 11, 2010 – The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Adventure, Fantasy)
Director: Michael Apted
Screenwriter: Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, Richard LaGravenese, Michael Petroni
Starring: Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, Ben Barnes, Will Poulter, Gary Sweet, Bruce Spence, Arthur Angel, Shane Rangi, Liam Neeson
This time around – Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, along with their pesky cousin Eustace Scrubb – find themselves swallowed into a painting and on to a fantastic Narnian ship headed for the very edges of the world. Joining forces once again with their royal friend Prince Caspian and the warrior mouse Reepicheep, they are whisked away on a mysterious mission to the Lone Islands, and beyond. On this bewitching voyage that will test their hearts and spirits, the trio will face magical Dufflepuds, sinister slave traders, roaring dragons and enchanted merfolk. Only an entirely uncharted journey to Aslan's Country – a voyage of destiny and transformation for each of those aboard the Dawn Treader – can save Narnia, and all the astonishing creatures in it, from an unfathomable fate.

December 18, 2010 – Tron Legacy (Adventure, Sci-Fi)
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Screenwriter: Eddy Kitsis, Adam Horowitz
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, Bruce Boxleitner, James Frain, Beau Garrett, Michael Sheen
"Tron Legacy" is a 3D high-tech adventure set in a digital world that's unlike anything ever captured on the big screen. Sam Flynn, the tech-savvy 27-year-old son of Kevin Flynn, looks into his father's disappearance and finds himself pulled into the same world of fierce programs and gladiatorial games where his father has been living for 25 years. Along with Kevin's loyal confidant, father and son embark on a life-and-death journey across a visually-stunning cyber universe that has become far more advanced and exceedingly dangerous.

December 26, 2010 – True Grit (Drama, Western)
Director: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Screenwriter: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Hailee Steinfeld, Barry Pepper, Paul Rae
Charles Portis' novel is about a 14-year-old girl who, along with an aging U.S. marshal and another lawman, tracks her father's killer in hostile Indian territory. While the original film was a showcase for John Wayne, the Coens' version will tell the tale from the girl's point of view.

NERDTRON DANCE PARTY: MONSTERS VS ROBOTS

2010-10-15T08:05:00.001-07:00

They're at it again. Those overly energetic DJs from Nerdtron are sponsoring another Rave/dance this Saturday at the Comfort Inn & Suites on 72^nd & Grover. On October 16th the living dead, the blood sucking, fire breathing, tomb crushing Monsters will go heads up against the Transforming, laser blasting, binary coding, combining, mighty morphing robots.

Since they have the facility all day they are planning a variety of activities. From 1-9 PM you are invited to come and hang out with the Nerdtron family (free of charge) for DJ meet up & open decks, hula-hoop, break dancing & poi (the art of spinning glow sticks) instruction/exhibitions, along with tabletop, board, & card gaming in the hotels common area.

There will an official photo shoot from 8 PM until Midnight with roving still and video cameras later.

The main event, for which there is a $5 charge, is from 10 PM until 2 AM in the Main Ballroom of the Comfort Inn. The Nerdtron DJs; Kid Dynamite and 2600, will be launching a full on robotic assault, giant robots and all, as they go heads on against: the Monsters of Re-animated, The Knights of Slam-A-Lot (from Kansas City), The Kandi Kid Assassin, and Willis Voodoo. (Sounds like one of the movies TCM is running over Halloween weekend – see my earlier blog.) All this and free glow sticks – remember the poi lessons?

This event is a benefit for the Omaha Science Fiction and Fantasy Festival, so come out and have a good time knowing that you are helping to keep a great SF convention in Omaha.

Hammer Films Festival

2010-10-14T14:54:00.001-07:00

I can go for months monitoring the schedule of Turner Classic Movies and not find anything I would like at a reasonable time of day. Earlier this year they ran a retrospective of Akira Kurosawa films and the ones I really wanted to see were on well past my ability to stay awake for. Then I let my eye wonder from the schedule and something like the Hammer Films Festival comes to the channel. So I missed the first two Fridays worth of movies but I (and you) still have three left.

Friday, October 15^th, they will be running the entire Mummy series of Hammer Films beginning at 7PM Central Time. THE MUMMY, the first in the series reunites Peter Cushing (as John Banning) and Christopher Lee (as the Mummy, Kharis) with direction by Terence Fisher (a name to watch for when viewing Hammer Films). It will be followed by THE CURSE OF THE MUMMY'S TOMB, THE MUMMY'S SHROUD, and BLOOD FROM THE MUMMY'S TOMB which is the order they were released in. If you can keep going, TCM is following those up with the 1984 film REPO MAN. This is a classic film well worth watching right up to the ending when they find out what is in the trunk of the car they have repossessed. With the SyFy Channel going to wrestling on Friday nights – this is a great alternative.

Friday, October 22^nd, we get four of the lesser known Hammer entries. X THE UNKNOWN, FIVE MILLION YEARS TO EARTH (a film adaption of the BBC miniseries Quatermass and the Pit. It scared the pants off me when I was a kid), THESE ARE THE DAMNED, and THE STRANGLERS OF BOMBAY. While Hammer films actually adapted the first three Quartermass miniseries into movies, which at that time was the only way American audiences could get to see them, FIVE MILLION YEARS TO EARTH was the best known and the only one filmed in color. It was directed by another directorial name to watch for Roy Ward Baker. It was written by Nigel Kneale, who wrote the script for both the movie and the TV miniseries. Have fun, be scared, but think nice thoughts about your neighbors – even if they are Martians.

Finally on Friday, October 29^th, after a full day of classic monster movies, TCM will be showing about half of the Frankenstein movies Hammer created. THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN, THE REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN, FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN, and FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED all star Peter Cushing as the good doctor as he prefects his reanimating techniques through 19^th century Europe. Terence Fisher is again the director of all these films. And the classic horror movies don't stop there. Right up through Halloween night TCM will keep the chills going with the horror movies we all grew up with. It's going to be a tough weekend to get through but it will be great fun.

Comp bra ti tion

2010-10-13T16:04:00.001-07:00

[komp-brah-tish-uhn]
noun~ the act or process of competing to make the most fabulous, awe-inspiring, funniest, or fanciest bra to raise money & awareness for the American Cancer Society.

Hello Everyone,

I think the majority of you who receive this email know me. My name is Chris Edmunds and I am a local costumer, seamstress, sci-fi fan and a cancer survivor. I am putting out a challenge to anyone who would like to participate, to help decorate bras for the local (Omaha) American Cancer Society. Locally some ladies have been decorating bras for a number of years and selling them at the Relay for Life every June. Now that I have become involved, I am hoping you all can help me get them more (and crazier) bras that they can either sell or auction at next year's event. The Relay for Life will be the second Saturday of June (11^TH) in 2011 at the new Elkhorn High School (Elkhorn South). The Relay starts at 5pm and goes all night (why? Because cancer never sleeps so the relay teams walk all night).

Since I am also new to this I asked a few questions and here are the answers:

We have found that padded bras are the easiest to paint/draw on. Most people that buy them at the event usually want them for souvenirs. But a whole bunch of people buy them and wear them over their clothes most of the night. It's really, really funny. Guys buy them and wear them too. (Everybody has fun with that).
We usually get the bigger bras (36-40 and C cup) but we are not picky. We hot glue anything and everything on them and when we paint we usually just use fabric paints
Nothing vulgar. This is a family friendly event and the bras must be the same way. But that doesn't mean you can't have fun with this.

I have attached some photos of what the local ladies have done in the past plus some ideas from other events across the country. I want to thank everyone who is willing to help donate and/or decorate these bras. Please email me if you are interested in helping with this project and I will keep you up to date on how this challenge is going.

My love to you all and here's hoping that cancer never touches your life.

Chris Edmunds

cedmunds@cox.net

HISTORY OF THE RELAY FOR LIFE

The American Cancer Society Relay For Life is a life-changing event that gives everyone in communities across the globe a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease. At Relay, teams of people camp out at a local high school, park, or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. Because cancer never sleeps, Relays are overnight events up to 24 hours in length.

Relay began in 1985 when Dr. Gordy Klatt, a colorectal surgeon in Tacoma, Washington, ran and walked around a track for 24 hours to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Since then, Relay has grown from a single man's passion to fight cancer into the world's largest movement to end the disease. Each year, more than 3.5 million people in 5,000 communities in the United States, along with additional communities in 19 other countries, gather to take part in this global phenomenon and raise much-needed funds and awareness to save lives from cancer. Thanks to Relay participants, we are creating a world with more birthdays, a world where cancer can't claim another year of anyone's life.

Change in Regime

2010-09-15T13:47:00.001-07:00

by Trudy V. Myers

"The King is dead! Long live the King!"

I heard that line in movies, read it in books, and it left me confused for much of the early phase of my life. Until I figured out that they meant, "The old King is dead! Long live the new King!" It was both a recognition of the way things had been, and an expression of hope for the way things would be.

OSFest is experiencing a similar type of change of regime.

History and The Plan – OSFest 1 had one chairman, John Shoberg. The second year (OSFest 2) had two co-chairs, collectively known as 'John²' (John Shoberg and John Pershing). The Plan was that they would take on another co-chair for OSFest 3, and then for OSFest 4, Shoberg would step down while another person became the third co-chair. Spread the work around, train some new blood, all that sort of thing.

Well, you know what they say about the best-laid plans of mice and men. For whatever reason, John² did not select a helper for OSFest 3.

I think they learned their lesson, because after the 2010 convention concluded, they started looking around for a new co-chair. Maybe they could get back to The Plan, if they could find someone to become a new chairperson.

They found two.

The co-chairs for OSFest 4 are John Pershing, April Lindloff and Trudy Myers. John Shoberg has stepped down and while he won't exactly be sitting on his duff, his duties will be (somewhat) less than in the past. He remains a valuable resource for us newbie chairpersons to learn from.

This actually fits in rather well with the theme for next year's convention, which is OSFest 4.0 – System Upgrade. We not only have new co-chairs, we also have a new hotel, with more function rooms, bigger function rooms. So, if you thought OSFest 3 had plenty to do … you ain't seen nothing yet.

It doesn't have the same ring to it, but, "Co-chair 1 is stepped down! Long live the Co-chairs!" Nope, not the same ring at all. But what do you expect? We're busy putting a convention together!

The Usual Suspects - Sept & Oct. Schedule

2010-09-02T14:05:00.000-07:00

Celebration V Analysis Part 2

2010-08-31T17:21:00.000-07:00

For a convention based on a single story line, Star Wars Celebration V managed to have considerable programming items but they no way made up the bulk of the experience happening those 4 days.

Buying stuff in their dealer’s/exhibitor’s area made up a small piece. Most of the stuff being offered were collectibles so anyone in finding something to add to their private collections had a field day.

What really made up the bulk of the Celebration V experience had to be the fan interactions. The R2-Builders came together internationally for Celebration V and outfitted a very large room with all the wonderful droids its members had created over the years. As well as several facades that complemented their mechanical men. The 501st legion had a similar sized room that allowed them to show off the costuming work their members have done along with appropriate set pieces to go with them. Fan built props were in abundance. The Rebel Alliance had a substantial area on the exhibition room floor and they too had fan-made costumes, props, and displays. All with members of their particular groups ready and able to answer questions about what they do, why they do it, and how someone new can get involved. Different chapters of the various groups had display areas in the exhibition hall; from a T.I.E. fighter and Millennium Falcon interior brought over by the Belgian 501st chapter, to life sized models of Jabba the Hut for Slave Leias to hang out on. Even Disney brought in some of their Star Wars props from Hollywood Studios and had them available for photo opportunities.

What can Omaha conventions take from this? We need to provide more toys for local fans to play with. Unfortunately no one convention can build all the props and displays that could be used over the course of a convention weekend. We have to rely on the local fan groups to help us with them. OSFest has had major contributions in this respect from both the R2-Central Builders and Brad Edmonds & K.I.T.T. While we built a TARDIS front façade, I am made to understand that the other three walls may be added by next year. Thanks Moose!

But there are other fan groups throughout the Omaha area. What would you like to see added to the convention scene in Omaha? What can you build and bring to conventions or parades? What would you like help getting started with? OSFES should have the resources to at least point you in the right direction and offer you a place to exhibit your creation. Fan feedback can be great, give it a try!

Celebration V Analysis Part 1

2010-08-28T14:51:00.001-07:00

A few years back I was accused of not knowing what a 'modern' SF convention was all about. And maybe that person was right; maybe I focused too much on the types of conventions I had grown comfortable with. So I made a decision to experience as many other types of SF conventions as I could afford to attend. To that end, I have been to a few Anime and Comic conventions over the last couple of years. Since it had been over twenty years since I attended a Media convention, I set my sights on the biggest one to happen this year: LucasFilms' Star Wars Celebration V. Thus I begin noting my thoughts on it: What they did differently, what they did well and what they got wrong.

Every few years, LucasFilms has a really big party for his fans; this year it was in Orlando, FL. As I own some time-shares in the Orlando area and needed to use them, I purchased a 4-day membership for my wife and myself, then headed down for a 2-week vacation. Before anyone asks; it is usually cooler over the summer in Orlando than in Omaha, so going down is a no-brainer (especially if you have annual passes to all the theme parks in the area). The Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) has three massive wings. The west wing, where Celebration V was held, alone is an order of magnitude larger than our Qwest Center and they used all of it. Effectively? Let's save that for later.

Programming: A convention is not a convention without appropriate programming. And you might have thought it would be tough to find multi-tracks of programming at a convention devoted to a single story line, yet they did it. Once you split the Star Wars universe into smaller chunks, you have topics for people to talk about and discuss. Collectors had a Collectors' Stage for them, fan groups had a Celebration Fan Stage for them, the Star Wars Classroom & Lecture Hall offered seminars by major authors and artists, and, of course, the celebrities had a special venue for their talks. All of this leads to the observation that the programming department arranged to keep all their tracks separated and within a designated room. If you were interested in a single track, you could stay in that room all day. For example, the Fan Stage had Droid building, 501^st indoctrination, Rebel recruitment, Mandalorian Merc training; one right after the other. This is a great idea for fans with limited mobility in a tremendously large convention facility like OCCC.

I liked the fact that they had a panel on How to Enjoy Your Convention Experience. It put a couple of program items in perspective and kept me from spending an overnight in a queue line, when I had other options to see that particular panel. It was also nice that a lot of the fan experience programming feed right into continuous showcases that those groups had elsewhere in the facility, and you could go to that showcase for more in-depth answers to any remaining questions you had.

The panels that I attended, and so are the only ones I can speak for, seemed well run, with time available for audience questions and feedback. And given the constraints of sticking to a single universe, they had a wide variety to panels to interest everyone.

What can OSFest take from this? OSFest 3 kept most of its costuming panels in the same room but not the other tracks. Would people like to see us try to keep our tracks within the single room or spread them around the hotel? Let me know how you want us to schedule your convention.

Upcoming Steampunk Activities

2010-08-24T14:19:00.001-07:00

By Joe Carver

The Steampunk Society of Nebraska (SSoN) is a group for greater Nebraska steampunks. The society, a growing group of steampunks with more than a hundred online members, gathers to meet other steampunks and share ideas. We host an easy to find Facebook group.

Steampunk brings together two themes: the romanticized era of Victorian England and the freedom of the punk movement. Gears and goggles, bustles and top hats permeate the fashion. Think Jules Vern's 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, H.G. Wells' Time Machine, or The Wild, Wild West.

Costume Crafting Day: 19 Sept, 12pm - 5pm
Steampunk Photo Day: 3 Oct, TBD
Costume Crafting Day: 24 Oct, 12pm - 5pm
Anime Nebraskon, Omaha NE: 5-7 Nov (Steampunk Costume Day)
Emerald City SP Expo, Wichita KS: 12-14 Nov

Costume Crafting Days are at the home of Joe Carver, located in Bellevue NE. The address will be sent to those who accept the event on Facebook or who contact Joe at his email address: joe_carver_2000@yahoo.com. These events are for working in a social atmosphere or getting help planning/crafting costumes. All costume work is welcome and Steampunk costuming, in particular, is encouraged. Please bring materials and tools needed for your costume.

Steampunk Photo Days are group photography opportunities. Costumed members gather at locations with a steampunk/historical atmosphere to show off their outfits and, if the opportunity presents itself, to recruit interested bystanders. If someone is interested in photography they are welcome to come along but use of images is protected by Creative Commons Attribution + Noncommercial (by-nc) license.

Many members of SSoN are plan to attend the Anime Nebraskon convention, 5-7 Nov. SSoN encourages all members to don their Steampunk costumes for the con and declares Saturday, November 6th as the group's official Steampunk Costume Day. If you are going to wear steampunk only one day then that should be the day.

Wichita, KS hosts the first Emerald City Steampunk Expo. The expo will be taking place at The Hyatt Hotel on the River with portions being held at the Victorian Village in Cowtown. Omaha was the origin of Professor Marvel, the Great and Powerful Oz, so it is only fitting we have a presence. The Steampunk Society of Nebraska will be in attendance. Come attend the closest all-steampunk convention to date.

More Local Happenings

2010-08-22T16:10:00.001-07:00

I hope everyone interested in the latest Star Wars Encyclopedia made it out to Barnes & Noble on Saturday. If you are interested in a different style of costuming there are a couple more events on the horizon.

Friday August 27^th at 5PM the Omaha part for the International Cosplay Day will be meeting at the Scooters on 12^th & Howard. Dress up in your finest Cosplay outfit, head on down to the Old Market, and bring your camera. They want you to post pictures of your creation, just to prove you were there. But if you don't have a costume head on down anyway, there is no better way to contract the costuming bug then seeing others in great looking garb. Plans include a run down to the Old Market Spaghetti Works and random acts of fandom in the Old Market. No matter what we will have a great time doing what fandom is all about – sharing ideas.

If you can make it Friday, then pencil the next Otaku Get Together on your calendar. They meet the first Sunday of each month from Noon – 3PM in the same Batcave, er Scooters Coffeehouse. Again this is a great crew to hang with, discuss costuming ideas, and cosplay throughout downtown Omaha.

Live the adventure called fandom – have fun!

A Book Event Saturday

2010-08-18T15:00:00.001-07:00

Before I get into a discussion about Star Wars Celebration V I need to let you know about an event at the Oakview Barnes & Noble this Saturday, August 21, 2010. Dorling Kindersley Publishing is holding a national launch event for STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS CHARACTER ENCYCLOPEDIA & STAR WARS: YEAR BY YEAR. The Barnes & Noble at 3333 Oakview Drive in Omaha and the South Pointe Pavilions Barnes & Noble at 2910 Pine Lake Road in Lincoln will be participating in this event from 2-4 PM this Saturday. According to their publicity (that I got at Celebration V) there will be costumed characters of the 501^st Legion and the Rebel Legion appearing. Giveaways including a Star Wars mimobot designer USB flash drive and other great prizes. Talking to a store representative I learned there will also be other activities going on and they are encouraging people to come in costume. This should be a chance for the Omaha and Lincoln SF fan community to come out and meet each other, even if you don't buy their books.

Travel Broadens the Mind

2010-08-15T13:42:00.000-07:00

Star Wars Celebration V has ended. And I am very tired having made it through all four days. Over the next few blog entries I will be talking about the lessons I will be taking away from the experience. They will include problems I saw in the conventions running and experiences I would like to bring back to Omaha and OSFest.

Before anyone jumps to any conclusions, I had a wonderful time at the convention and would have liked it to last at least another day. But I have run conventions and know how far you can stretch your staff. These have been four very enjoyable days.

There was some exciting news coming from Kansas City over the last few days. Members of KaCSFFS (The Kansas City Science Fiction and Fantasy Society) have launched a bid to bring the World Science Fiction Convention back to Kansas City in 2016, 40 years since it hosted it's last one: MidAmericon in 1976. In a posting from the Chairperson, Jeff Orth, if you are interested in getting ahold of the current committee and getting involved in this mutli-year and multi-phase effort, you can contact them at KCin2016(at)gmail(dot)com. It will be a grand learning experience for anyone volunteering and you will have a great time helping.

Now where is that hot tub?

Pre-Celebration V in Orlando

2010-08-11T13:13:00.001-07:00

One more day until Star Wars Celebration 5 here in Orlando, and it is hot and rainy just like the last ten days have been here in Orlando. I will be glad for the four days of indoor activities coming up.

The Last Tour to Endor is coming up this weekend when they will close Star Tours in Disney's Hollywood Studios to begin the refurbishing of it into Star Tours 2.0. And none of the park patrons know that it is going to happen. Since there were no announces in the park about it, I asked a few people while waiting in line. The only waiting though was during the pre-flight briefing before getting on the Star Speeder, the mid-morning time that Trudy and I went there was no queue waiting to get on the ride. Compare that with Toy Story Mania on the other side of Hollywood Studios where the queue line is always over 70 minutes and Fast Passes (shortened queue lines for a timed return) were all distributed by noon. Yes Star Tours needs an updating but I think it will be too bad not to save at least one of the simulators (oh, it is a motion simulator ride) for the original ride that has been there since the park opened in 1989. That might be a way to keep the ride experience fresh for ride goers by allowing them to mix the two ride experiences. According to park personnel, it will take around 9 months to refurbish the attraction. Hopefully it will be complete for next year's Star Wars Weekends, typically mid-May to mid-June of each year.

One more thought about the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal. This is perhaps the most consistently themed area of any of the parks I have ever attended. Usually designers take the elements for the park as a whole and wrap an area's theme around them. For instance, the exteriors of Toon Lagoon (again at Universal Islands of Adventure) are themed for the Sunday funnies the area is based on but once you get inside the gift shops they look like, well gift shops. Except for a few decorations Marvel Superhero Island and Dr. Seuss Landing gift stores could be interchangeable. But once you are allowed into any of the shops in the Harry Potter Island (yes, even the gift shops have a queue line), there is no mistakes them for anything else. Even the products inside have been themed to fit. We're bringing home a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. They came up with Butterbeer (crème soda flavored with butterscotch and topped with whipped crème. Click here for additional recipes but not what was used in the park.) and Pumpkin Juice (the ingredient list includes apple juice, apricot juice, and pumpkin puree. Click here for additional recipes but again not the one used at Universal). This is an area that some creative thought has gone into.

And maybe that is something the convention scene needs. If you have an idea for a SF/Fantasy/Anime/Horror item that should be included in next year's OSFest, let us know. But be careful, we just might put you on charge of it.

Where I have been.

2010-08-08T13:39:00.001-07:00

Things got kind of crazy in June and July as OSFest 3 approached and I endeavored to bring you the greatest schedule ever. In the process of doing that I lost touch with the Omaha Sci-Fi Scene blog for the last few months. Now it is time to get back to talking about the greatest community around; Omaha SF fandom.

I write this from Orlando, FL where I am visiting the theme parks here ahead of Star Wars Celebration 5 later this week. Several members of the Omaha Sci-Fi community will join me later this week and I am hoping to get a wide variety of impressions from this major SF event. I am looking forward to one of our own participating in one of the panels here this Thursday, as Moose Mendolia takes the stage with his brother R2-Builders.

Like I said before I get there I am checking out the theme parks in the area. Last June Universal Islands of Adventure opened their new Wizarding World of Harry Potter island. The first day, yes I survived the crowds to be able to claim I was there, was massively too crowded (five yard penalty for intentional overuse of adjectives) and I could not really get any kind of impression of the area. Last Tuesday it was still crowded, so I came back Sunday earlier than the park actually opened. I was able to enter the park and make my way around to the Harry Potter area prior to 9AM (the official opening time for Universal Islands of Adventure). The ride already had a wait time to 45 minutes (much less than the 120 minutes I had to wait after the 6 hour wait just to enter the area on opening day). This ride pioneers some new technology; therefore it stopped for a breakdown about four times while I was in line and once more while I was on it. Since it is a movie based ride, you are moved from one location to another interacting to the film shown; being stopped for a short time is still more entertaining than waiting in line, even if it is in Hogwarts Castle.

Okay it has its problems but it is a very entertaining ride once you get on it. It integrates film clips, animatronics, and simulated flying to give you the best simulation of being in J.K. Rowling's universe that I have yet experienced. But there are some down sides. Even the staff at Universal admits that the ride seats were designed too small. I can barely get secured into the seats and since this is quite a moving vehicle, you need to be secured properly. Though I have to admit that there are some inverting roller coasters that are easier to get secured into. It was above the pay grade to the individual I talked to as to whether Universal is planning on correcting this ride flaw. I really hope they do because I am afraid most of fandom won't be able to use those seats but will want to experience this ride.

More on the theme parks like the closing of Star Tours this Saturday. Then it is on the Celebration 5, as I learn more about types of conventions I have never before attended in the hopes that I can find new ideas for new experiences I can bring to OSFest.

Convention Preparedness Planning

2010-07-16T14:19:00.001-07:00

Convention checklist prepared by Robert Callaway

Membership: either preregister or have the money put aside for at the door weekend price ($40) or single day (Friday-$10; Saturday-$25; Sunday-$10).
Hotel room is booked (and you mentioned OSFest to get the cheaper rate), or crash site arranged with friends/strangers, or designed driver set up. If you think I'm crazy enough to drive myself home after the room parties your craziness just beat mine.
Dealers' room: bring money, lots of money, (note to self: Insurance is due August 1^st, put the sword back).
Art show: BRING MONEY, LOTS AND LOTS OF MONEY (There is no wall space, none! No you can't hang artwork on your closet doors. Why not? Because you… Oh I give up, just buy it).
Room parties: a chance to find a real life human being who gets the joke: "A Ferengi, a Klingon, and an Orion slave girl go into a bar……..". Plus someone who you can speak intelligently to about HOT JUPITERS,
Panels: try to remember good questions. The colors of an anime girls panties means you're as weird as the Japanese who made it. Also try to remember he/she wrote it so he/she should know what they meant by it.
HITTING the John's with BOPO weapons is a public service to keep their egos under control.
Getting legitimate time off from work. Calling in sick is a bad idea especially if someone who works with you sees you at the con. Management simply refuses to understand why they have to work your shifts this weekend, instead of taking their kids to the movies
Gaming: finding someone who doesn't know your tricks or you his/hers. This is a true test of your skills.
Filking: a chance to inflict your voice on someone other than your family pets, and relations.
FUN: A convention is about having fun, meeting new people who share your interests, seeing old friends, learning something new or teaching someone something. A chance to find something you want or discover something you never knew you needed until you saw it in the art show/dealers room.
Choose wisely, it's your convention.

OSFest 3 Hands-on Workshops

2010-06-09T03:58:00.001-07:00

There will be several hands-on workshops this year at OSFest. Some of them will require you to bring in a project you are working on or beginning and have experts offer advice on how you can do what you want to with it. This is how the Gundam modeling workshop and the Artist Jam will be run. Bring in your modeling project and get advice on how to detail them professionally. Draw with Fredd Gorham and get instant feedback on what you did righteously.

Have you ever heard of RIF tracks? Join Jason Burns as he runs you through the in and outs of adding commentary to your least favorite movies in the RIF Track Workshop.

With at least two demonstrations on fighting with boffer weapons, we will be having a workshop in their construction and deployment. Not necessarily a hands-on demo but once you see how it's done and who you can go to for advice, we expect to see you on the field of honor fighting for your Lady or Lord.

We will also have some that will allow you to keep what you worked on, for a small materials fee. Joe Carver is going to teach people how to convert a common (cheap) water pistol into an awesome looking steampunk prop. Check out the pictures of the style of pistol he is planning on teaching you to construct. Your $2 material fee for this workshop will provide all the materials you need to take this prop home and add it to that great Steampunk costume you have in your closet waiting for that ideal prop, or be the first of the pieces you are pulling together to create that awesome costume. This workshop will be limited to 20 attendees, so if you are interested in this make sure you contact programming@osfes.org and have us add you to the class roster.

Kevin Maurice from the Kingdom of Riverheim will be offering a chainmail workshop. Okay building a hauberk or even a coif would take longer than the entire convention, so he will be starting everyone out on a smaller piece of chainmail. He will have you building an item that you will be able to finish and an hour or two like a keychain or small purse, something that you can take home with you. Again there will be a material's fee, but again we will keep it nominal, about $2. Again space will be limited so please sign up in advance. If there are any empty seats when OSFest 3 begins, we will have a signup sheet available at registration

I Need Your Creativity (or OSFest 3 Programming part 2)

2010-05-26T16:35:00.001-07:00

We are planning a few panels at OSFest this summer that will require input.

"What If?" is designed to investigate various scenarios that will challenge the creativity and imagination of the panelists. Assorted "What-If" scenarios will be collected in a hat and drawn by the moderator. The panelists will that have to imagine the consequences of what would happen, determine the results and flesh out the events that lead up to their result. This is where I need your help. I would like suggestions on scenarios they could use. Things like: What if Dresden moved to Omaha? What if the Tardis materialized on Babylon 5 or 4? What if the Apollo program had not been cancelled? If you have any ideas, I would love to hear them. Email me at jshoberg@cox.net or programming@osfes.org and let's get them included.

What's your favorite starship? In "Starship Matchup" we will be pitting various war birds and battle cruisers against each other to see how they would stack up in a fight. Can the Enterprise under the command of James T. Kirk withstand the might of a Super Star Destroyer? Can the Serenity go toe-to-toe with Minbari Sharlin Class Warcruiser? Use the above email addresses to send us your favorite vessel and what ever stats you can find regarding their abilities and see who has the best ship in their fleet.

We will also have several trivia/game shows this year. Matt McKeever will be bringing the Match Game to fannish life. Dylan Nigh will be running a session of Ninja Assassination, along with Fanboy Feud and Password with Joe Carver.

There will be over a hundred activities this year at OSFest, over the next few weeks I hope to offer you a sample of many of them.

OSFest 3 Programming (part 1)

2010-05-24T17:19:00.001-07:00

I got a little behind on writing blogs this month because I have been working on the programming schedule for OSFest 3 this July. They have given me a couple more rooms to play with so I have been adding new ideas to the schedule for this year. Over the next few weeks I will be bringing you some of my thoughts on that scheduling and asking for your advance participation in some of it.

This year we have moved the video gaming room down to the Executive Board room and are converting two (2) hotel rooms into panel rooms. Readings will be moved out of the Con Suite and into one of these hotel/panel rooms and the "Coffee with…" will be in the Con Suite. We will be subdividing the hotel's breakfast area into Artist Alley, Table Top gaming, and a Workshop area giving everyone more chances to do things. And barring another storm event right before the convention, we will be doing demos in the Grassy Knoll right outside the pool area. There will be a lot happening this year.

Each year I break the schedule into Tracks. Tracks allow me to ensure a balanced agenda for everyone attending the convention. This year the Tracks include: Literary, Art, Costuming, Anime, Science, Gaming, Trivia Games, Fan, and Media events. Interspersed in those Tracks will be many opportunities to meet and talk with our Guest of Honor. The most intimate session will be the "Coffee with…" sessions in the Con Suite both Saturday and Sunday mornings. Be sure to stop by registration early to sign up for these to make sure you get a spot. Saturday morning we will have Coffee with the Author GOHs, Coffee with the Artist GOH, and Coffee with the Anime GOH. Sunday morning will be Coffee with the Science GOH and Coffee with the Toastmasters. Oh did I mention these will be held in the Con Suite, so there will be coffee (and much more) available.

Convention Season continued: Demicon 21

2010-05-16T07:14:00.001-07:00

I am sitting here having breakfast this morning of the final day of Demicon 21 staring at the USS Enterprise float from Trek Fest (held in Riverside IA) reflecting on the events that have already occurred.

I learned an important costuming lesson Friday night, adhesives used to hold Velcro to fabric won't hold on vinyl. I wore a newly constructed Klingon uniform to opening ceremonies and the decorative belt popped apart. I have now sewn the attachment into place for the next time I take the costume for a test drive. I am also going to have to learn how to comfortably wear my forehead ridge appliance.

This year, in keeping with their pirate theme, the Trans-Iowa Canal Company play pirated Vampire Hunter D. The actual title was Zombie Hunter D and it had all the puns and bad jokes that we come to love about the annual TICC skit. It was even approved by PETZ, People for the Ethical Treatment of Zombies – no zombies were hurt in the performance of their play.

The party floor was busy after that Friday night, the same night OSFest ran its room party. The Holiday Inn in which I am sitting is a five floor facility and they blocked off the five floor for their con suite and party floor. Always a good idea.

Their art show has greatly improved. Not that they have ever been slackers in this department but they have found some really good new artists to add to the ones they already had. Their Blinkie workshop has expanded their hours and were over both Saturday and Sunday (Yes, it will be opening again later today). There is a lot of pirate art(not pirated art) around the convention as their them is: Everything is Better with Pirates and their artist GOH is Don Maitz – who does a lot of pirate imagery in his art. I wonder if those kids in the Scavenger Hunt last night ever found the Klingon dressed like a pirate they were looking for?

Mai Tran prepared the OSFest room party in an Alice In Wonderland theme. But there were also some other interesting parties Friday night. John & Denise Garner had their Karaoke party both nights, as well as the Steampunk Airship: the Brass Falcon. Image the bridge of a dirigible, constructed inside a hotel room. They even offered to let me steer. The Chicago in 2012 Worldcon™ bid rounded out the parties, other than the Fan GOH, Greg Parmentier running through the hall with a portable keg of home-brew strapped to his back.

So, all-in-all, Demicon was the usual fun experience we have come to expect from the Des Moines Science Fiction Society. Save the last weekend in April/May1 next year and join in the fun.

Remember: OSFest Is Coming!

OSFest 3’s Poet Guest of Honor

2010-05-09T14:59:00.001-07:00

This year the two-fer on our Author Guest of Honor is Carolyn Clink. Carolyn is an accomplished poet as well as the wife of Robert Sawyer. Her poetry has appeared in ANALOG (July 1996 and October 1997), in all five volumes of NORTHERN FRIGHTS (Canada's acclaimed horror anthology series), in the SF anthologies TESSERACTS 4 and 7, in Weird Tales, in the webzine Chiaroscura (where she is also the Assistant Poetry Editor), in Tales of the Unanticipated, Star*Line, and Gaslight, and in the Canadian SF magazines TransVersions and On Spec. Her poetry has also appeared in the anothologies: TESSERACTS 4 and 7, THE STARS AS SEEN FROM THIS PARTICULAR ANGLE OF NIGHT: AN ANTHOLOGY OF SPECULATIVE VERSE, and LAND/SPACE: AN ANTHOLOGY OF PRAIRIE SPECULATIVE FICTION.

Her poetry has been collected in chapbooks: SNAPSHOTS (May, 2007) by believe your own press, and CHANGING PLANES (2000) by Junction Books.

She is a member of the Science Fiction Poetry Association, and the Algonquin Square Table poetry workshop. She studied Astrophysics at the University of Toronto and earned a Bachelor of Technology degree from Toronto's Ryerson Polytechnic University. She is currently working on an Honors Bachelor degree at York University and a Digital Imaging Certificate from Humber College

She had been Poet Guest of Honor at several conventions already, so she will know the ropes as we put her through her paces. Sorry, I guess it was the cowboy hat she's wearing in that photo. Let's all welcome Carolyn Clink to OSFest 3 this July 23-25, 2010. Memberships are still available at: http://www.blogger.com/www.osfes.org/registration.htm

2010 Convention Season: Free Comic Book Day

2010-05-02T14:41:00.001-07:00

Not all that happens within fandom happens at an actual convention; special events will draw fans together and give us the most important pieces of science fiction conventions – people talking to people. Omaha fans were out supporting local comic book retailers this weekend from here to Sioux City, IA. But more importantly fans came together to do what they do best. The costumes I actually saw and the ones I have seen on Facebook were truly awesome. I expect to see all you costumers this July at OSFest and in our Masquerade Contest, you guys are too good not to enter. Fans of Ray Park were lined up around Krypton Comics for a change to meet the man you brought several major villains to life, and train several heroes in how to beat them. Artists were lined up bringing life to the imagination they see with and giving us the vistas we all appreciate. But the most important activity of the day was fans having a chance to meet and share their lifestyle with others who dream of a better world. So if you didn't get to Krypton Comics yesterday, I hope you made time to go to Legend Comics, Dragon's Lair, Ground Zero Comics, or a comic retailer in your hometown.

What's coming up?

Next Saturday The Usual Suspect's movie crew will assemble for the last matinee showing of Ironman 2 at the Rave Theatre. Come and join them. The only thing better than seeing a great summer flick is seeing it with fellow fans so you can share your insights afterwards.

The following weekend – May 14-16 – will be the annual science fiction convention in Des Moines, IA: Demicon 21. This will be a full weekend of fannish interaction and only a two hour drive away. If you have an inkling to find out what conventions are all about, this is your chance. OSFest will be hosting an "Alice In Wonderland" room party on Friday night, so be there.

You have been warned, let the season continue!

OSFest 3’s Author GOH

2010-04-25T15:02:00.001-07:00

Imagine a world with a single land mass and the Eye of God watching over it. But only after a very long ocean voyage can you make the pilgrimage to witness your God's beneficence. Then your girl friend invents the telescope. Oh, did I mention you are a dinosaur. Robert Sawyer's, who is OSFest 3's Author Guest of Honor, Far-Seer trilogy brings us the last days of Land where a race of intelligent dinosaurs, the Quintaglio, learn about the heavens, their past, and how to save their future within the scope of a few hundred years. Just one of the many universes created by Hugo, Nebula, and John W. Campbell award winning author Robert J. Sawyer.

Are you enjoying the ABC TV series; FLASHFORWARD? Robert wrote the book on that one, the original novel it's based on. ILLEGAL ALIEN while starting out as a first contact story is a who-done-it with enough twists and turns to keep any mystery reader immensely happy. CALCULATING GOD brings an alien race of pilgrims to Earth in search of the divine. The ending will not let you down. In fact Robert has a propensity to deliver twists and turns as his books progress that you rarely see coming until you go back and see the clues he has left you. So who is this guy?

I'm glad you asked. Robert Sawyer is a Canadian writer of hard science fiction. He went to school wanting to be a dinosaurian paleontologist until he discovered how few of them actually made a living at it, only about 3 dozen. He then focused on a field that had several hundred professional members actually living off their work, science fiction authors. In 1982 he graduated from Toronto's Ryserson University with a Bachelor of Applied Arts degree in Radio and Television Arts, specializing in scriptwriting and taking a lot of psychology electives. From then until he decided to become a full-time SF author, he made a good living writing non-fiction for magazines and corporations. In 1989 he decided to make the change and has written over 20 published novels, numerous short stories and collected several writing awards for doing them.

So where should you start reading? FLASHFORWARD is similar enough to the TV series to evoke images, yet divergent enough to not give anything away in the upcoming episodes and spoil the TV series. ILLEGAL ALIEN is one of my favorites, STARPLEX brings together four intelligent races (two from Earth) to take you on a trip through the cosmos. Then come to OSFest 3 and learn more about this multifaceted writer by attending readings, participating in panels, and having coffee with our Writer Guests of Honor. You will have a great time doing it.

To Do or Not To Do?

2010-04-22T19:08:00.001-07:00

By Trudy V. Myers

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I've been thinking about Megacon the past few days. There was an impression I got from it that I just couldn't put a name to at first. I mean, my first few impressions were dismay at the parsecs one had to walk, panic at the sea of people that surrounded me, wonder at the amazing costumes I saw, and so on and on. But after all of that, after I attended the panels that looked interesting, wandered through the dealer's bazaar, talked to dozens of artists, studied costumes … what did I think of it?

It all jelled this morning as my husband was talking about some of our acquaintances back home. As usual, these people had something they wanted to do, and also had a million excuses why they couldn't do it. And then it hit me; the 'we can't do that' attitude seems to be a staple in Omaha. But here in Orlando, at Megacon, the attitude is much more "do it". Just take a look at some of the panels I attended:

Adventure Chefs – a new 'survivor/cooking' television show with at least 2 episodes in the can, currently in talks with various TV producers. This show was created, filmed, and in all ways put together by everyday people, not big Hollywood types. Look for information on it on You-tube.

Independent film making – two panels on this subject, by different groups of people. They had different ways they approached the subject, but I came away from both of them with the advice, "Just go out and do it!" Don't wait for the perfect camera, the perfect lighting system, the perfect script, someone to leave you a million dollars … use what you've got and make the best indie film you can do right now. And it certainly doesn't have to be 'feature length'. In fact, when you're first starting, a shorter film might be better, not so overwhelming an endeavor.

Costuming – generally, the idea was, 'don't look at what things are, look at how they can be something different'. On one panel, one guy was known for the 12 versions of 'rocket backpack' he had created over the years for his version of a superhero. It was said that at least one of those backpack rockets looked like he had strapped a vacuum cleaner to his back. (He hadn't.) Others talked about light saber handles and ray guns made from such things as plumbing supplies. Check thrift shops, surplus stores, and garage sales for items that could be used to produce the look you want.

Now, consider that almost every artist I spoke to (dozens of them!) had their own comic book.

I don't want to think it's completely a matter of environment. Yes, films and TV shows do get made in Florida; not so much in Omaha. Yes, there are at least two film/special effects/cgs schools in the Orlando area; I'm not aware of any in Omaha. Those things might make it a little easier, but lack of them doesn't make these things impossible. People can self-teach themselves, if they really want to know how to do something. THAT's what I wish I could bring back with me from my visits to Florida; the willingness to work for a dream. If you really want something, you can do it. It won't happen if you just sit around wanting to do it, but actually do nothing to make it happen. No matter how many excuses you have, doing nothing accomplishes exactly that – nothing. Is that what you want out of your life? As Yoda said, "There is no try. Do or do not."

2010 Convention Season: ConStellationNE

2010-04-18T16:11:00.001-07:00

You wake up in the morning, leave your bedroom and enter a magical realm where the literature you love is available, discussed and its creators honored. Food is available for the picking from metal trees trays, escape can be found in recorded performances or puppeteered games, and windows into alien realms await your viewing.

ConStellationNE was this weekend in Lincoln, NE. Brandon Sanderson, returned to his hometown of Lincoln to talk about writing and in particular finishing the Wheel of Time series of books for the late James Oliver Rigney, Jr. (aka Robert Jordan). The insanity that is Frank Wu and his wife Brianna Spacekat Wu ran rampage through the Guest House Inn and took us all on a ride that is their world. Patrick Kennedy offered the stability of a long time artist and convention-organizer who has worked had for our community of fans and his perspectives on its journey and future.

But ConStellationNE was not a great convention because of these guests; it was a great convention because of the attendee guests. Over one hundred and fifty fans of the literature, games, movies, and art that we love, came together to celebrate what these Guests of Honor had done and to teach each other what we could do. Interactive panels include costuming advice, writing and publishing suggestions, community outreach, and artistic demonstrations. ConStellation did not have eight contestants in their Masquerade, they had eight great costumers in their Masquerade. The Art Auction, scheduled for one hour, ran half again as long because of the vast number of pieces that people really wanted to take home with them. Looking for a good book? The dealer's room had several vendors with numerous great books, including those of the Guest of Honor available at reasonable prices.

A few blogs ago, I laid out some guidelines for judging of an event is a success. ConStellationNE happened; success. All the attendees of ConStellationNE had a great time; success. And I understand that ConStellationNE made enough money to break even or better (its still too early for a treasurer's report); success. Here's hoping that that success will be translated into another great Lincoln SF convention next year as we attend ConStellationNE 2.

Great work guys, you done the community proud!

The Usual Suspects' May & June Schedule

2010-04-14T15:22:00.000-07:00

The Usual Suspects are a group of movie buffs that meet weekly for the newest (or as close as they can get when you have a double release) genre film. Join them at the Great Escape Omaha Stadium 16 every Saturday for the last matinee showing of the day. It will be a great time and a wonderful chance to talk about the film you have just seen and others you may or may not have enjoyed. Below is their May and June schedule:

May 1, 2010 – MacGruber (Action, Comedy) (Note: This movie goes into wide release on April 23rd)
Director: Jorma Taccone
Screenwriter: Will Forte, John Solomon, Jorma Taccone
Starring: Will Forte, Ryan Phillippe, Kristen Wiig, Val Kilmer, Powers Boothe, Maya Rudolph
Only one American hero has earned the rank of Green Beret, Navy SEAL and Army Ranger. Just one operative has been awarded 16 purple hearts, 3 Congressional Medals of Honor and 7 presidential medals of bravery. And only one guy is man enough to still sport a mullet. Will Forte brings "Saturday Night Live's" clueless soldier of fortune to the big screen in the action comedy "MacGruber."

May 8, 2010 – Iron Man 2 (Action, Adventure)
Director: Jon Favreau
Screenwriter: Justin Theroux
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Jon Favreau, Mickey Rourke, Sam Rockwell, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Garry Shandling, John Slattery, Olivia Munn
With the world now aware of his dual life as the armored superhero Iron Man, billionaire inventor Tony Stark faces pressure from the government, the press, and the public to share his technology with the military. Unwilling to let go of his invention, Stark, along with Pepper Potts and James "Rhodey" Rhodes at his side, must forge new alliances -- and confront powerful enemies.

May 15, 2010 – Robin Hood (Action, Adventure)
Director: Ridley Scott
Screenwriter: Ethan Reiff, Cyrus Voris, Brian Helgeland, Paul Webb, Tom Stoppard
Starring: Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, William Hurt, Matthew Macfadyen, Mark Strong, Oscar Isaac, Lea Seydoux, Scott Grimes, Kevin Durand, Alan Doyle, Danny Huston, Max von Sydow
Robin Hood chronicles the life of an expert archer, previously interested only in self-preservation, from his service in King Richard's army against the French. Upon Richard's death, Robin travels to Nottingham, a town suffering from the corruption of a despotic sheriff and crippling taxation, where he falls for the spirited widow Lady Marion, a woman skeptical of the identity and motivations of this crusader from the forest. Hoping to earn the hand of Maid Marion and salvage the village, Robin assembles a gang whose lethal mercenary skills are matched only by its appetite for life. Together, they begin preying on the indulgent upper class to correct injustices under the sheriff.

May 22, 2010 – Shrek Forever After (Animation, Comedy, Fantasy)
Director: Mike Mitchell
Screenwriter: Tim Sullivan, Josh Klausner
Starring: Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, Antonio Banderas
A bored and domesticated Shrek pacts with deal-maker Rumpelstiltskin to get back to feeling like a real ogre again, but when he's duped and sent to a twisted version of Far Far Away -- where Rumpelstiltskin is king, ogres are hunted, and he and Fiona have never met -- he sets out to restore his world and reclaim his true love.

May 29, 2010 – Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (Action, Adventure, Fantasy)
Director: Mike Newell
Screenwriter: Doug Miro, Carlo Bernard
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Ben Kingsley, Gemma Arterton, Alfred Molina, Toby Kebbell
Set in medieval Persia, the story of an adventurous prince who teams up with a rival princess to stop an angry ruler from unleashing a sandstorm that could destroy the world. In his effort to save his own kingdom and redeem his fatal mistake, it's up to the prince and the princess to return the sands to the hourglass by using the Dagger of Time, which also gives him a limited control over the flow of time.

June 5, 2010 – Killers (Action, Comedy)
Director: Robert Luketic
Screenwriter: Melissa Stack
Starring: Ashton Kutcher, Katherine Heigl, Thomas Selleck, Catherine O'Hara, Rob Riggle, Martin Mull, Casey Wilson, Letoya Luckett, Katheryn Winnick, Sharan Masfield
A vacationing woman meets her ideal man, leading to a swift marriage. Back at home, however, their idyllic life is upset when they discover their neighbors could be assassins who have been contracted to kill the couple.

June 12, 2010 – The Karate Kid (Action)
Director: Harald Zwart
Screenwriter: Chris Murphy, Steven Conrad
Starring: Jackie Chan, Jaden Smith, Taraji P. Henson
12-year-old Dre Parker could've been the most popular kid in Detroit, but his mother's latest career move has landed him in China. Dre immediately falls for his classmate Mei Ying -- and the feeling is mutual -- but cultural differences make such a friendship impossible. Even worse, Dre's feelings make an enemy of the class bully, Cheng. In the land of kung fu, Dre knows only a little karate, and Cheng puts "the karate kid" on the floor with ease. With no friends in a strange land, Dre has nowhere to turn but maintenance man Mr. Han, who is secretly a master of kung fu. As Han teaches Dre that kung fu is not about punches and parries, but maturity and calm, Dre realizes that facing down the bullies will be the fight of his life.

June 12, 2010 – The A-Team (Action, Adventure) (This is an alternate movie for this date)
Director: Joe Carnahan
Screenwriter: Joe Carnahan, Brian Bloom, Skip Woods, Michael Brandt, Derek Haas
Starring: Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Sharlto Copley, Jessica Biel, Quinton Jackson, Yul Vazquez
A group of Iraq War veterans looks to clear their name with the U.S. military, who suspect the four men of committing a crime for which they were framed. Stephen J. Cannell, who created the show, will produce the movie with Jules Daly, Ridley Scott, with Tony Scott executive producing through their Scott Free banner.

June 19, 2010 – Toy Story 3 (Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Family)
Director: Lee Unkrich
Screenwriter: Michael Arndt
Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Don Rickles, John Ratzenberger, Laurie Metcalf, R. Lee Ermey, Ned Beatty, Michael Keaton, Timothy Dalton, Bonnie Hunt, Whoopi Goldberg
Woody, Buzz, and the rest of their toy-box friends are dumped in a day-care center after their owner, Andy, departs for college. As Andy prepares to depart for college, Buzz, Woody and the rest of his loyal toys are troubled about their uncertain future. It's pandemonium as they try to stay together, ensuring "no toy gets left behind." Meanwhile, Barbie comes face to plastic face with Ken (yes, that Ken).

June 26, 2010 – Jonah Hex (Action, Thriller) (Note: This movie goes into wide release on the 18th)
Director: Jimmy Hayward
Screenwriter: Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor
Starring: Josh Brolin, John Malkovich, Megan Fox, Will Arnett, Michael Shannon
Jonah Hex is a scarred drifter and bounty hunter of last resort, a tough and stoic gunslinger who can track down anyone... and anything. Having survived death, Jonah's violent history is steeped in myth and legend, and has left him with one foot in the natural world and one on the "other side. Jonah Hex is a Wild West character that first appeared in DC Comics' All-Star Western comics in 1972, who proved popular enough to have the title renamed Weird Western Tales. The character was later given his own comic series in 1977 and lasted for 92 issues as the last of the great American Wild West comic book series.

Convention Season Begins

2010-04-11T14:49:00.001-07:00

Once again Midwest fandom enters the convention season. We have patiently waited until that part of the year when snow is unlikely to disturb travel plans and cancel planned conventions. And now a whole string of activities have been lined up for us until that snow once again threatens to huddle us indoors until warm weather returns.

But now we have Willycon. This last weekend at Wayne State College in Wayne Nebraska the annual SF convention known as Willycon was held. And for three days we could again celebrate the friendships we have made over the years with other fans, meet new fans and begin the celebration with them, and learn a lot of interesting things. Oh, and we could buy a lot of stuff too.

The charm of this convention the amount of face time that each attendee can get with the guests the committee brings in each year. I spent much of this weekend hanging out with an artist that I admire the work of and finding a lot of similar interests. In addition to doing the wonderful Magnus and Loki series of art prints this friendly woman is well versed in the geekishness that is fandom. And what she doesn't know, she will quickly find out on her blackberry. Their Author Guest of Honor; David J. Williams, spend Sunday morning reading and critiquing the work of several neo-writers at the convention. Everyone hung out together at mealtime, continuing the fannish conversation.

Yes, they had panel discussions, game shows, and even a dance but Willycon is a small intimate convention with all the benefits of a larger one. If you were there you know what I mean. If you missed it, sign up for next year when the Guests of Honor will be alternate history author Harry Turtledove and artist Theresa Mather. The dates will be April 1-3, 2011 at Wayne State College - wildcat.wsc.edu/clubs/willycon/for more details. Though give them a couple of days to update things, they just ran a great convention.

I look forward to seeing everyone at ConStellation, next weekend in Lincoln, Nebraska. Look for the OSFest room party on Saturday night.

Maidens and Monsters Revisited

2010-04-09T05:32:00.000-07:00

The exhibit of original pulp fiction era art; Maidens and Monsters, at the Albin Polasek Museum in Winter Park, FL is about to go out with a magnificent visitor. Michael Whelan will make a two-day appearance in the area next weekend. I only wish I lived close enough that I could attend. If you do, please get out and visit this event. It is a wonderful experience that you will not regret (unless you miss it.)

What Do You Want To See?

2010-04-07T07:13:00.001-07:00

I have been working on designing the activities for OSFest this year and could really use your help. Of course I could come up with enough ideas to fill the three days of our festival but if I did would that be exactly what you want? We need to know what you would like to do before we can make the necessary arrangements. We will have panelists who are authors, voice actors, scientists, singers, artists, costumers, collectors, and long time fans of our genre. I am developing activities around man's presence in space; learning about how to do and appreciate artwork; collecting; making and using costumes; the business of writing and the fandom of writing; performances in both song and spoken words; and as many "how-to" activities as I can find DIY-ers for. But if what you want isn't filled by the activities or the panelists we have, we can find others if we can begin our search now, so drop me a line and let me know what you would like to see – or participate in.

Yes, you too can be a panelist if you have an area of expertise that would be interesting. The Omaha Science Fiction and Fantasy Festival is a SF/F convention with something for everyone and you are part of that everyone. What is it that makes you unique, or your group interesting? I want to share that with the fans in this area. I have room for discussions, workshops, demonstrations, and displays, so what would you like to do?

What kind of activities are we looking to attend? Activities that are writing related, media driven, artistically inclined, fan based, anime spawned, or scientifically motivated, where is your interest? That spans a very wide gap and if you have something that doesn't fit in any of those, maybe we need to develop a new category. We want your ideas; we want to bring you exactly what you want in a fun weekend. But you have to make that first step: get a membership, send us your ideas, then come and have a great time.

The Third Annual OSFest Writer's Workshop

2010-04-04T20:17:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to announce the return of the Writer’s Workshop for OSFest 3. For the past two years, new writers have had a chance to hone their skills with an interactive audience of other new writers in this round-robin critique system. Sunday morning they will be sequestered starting at 9AM and working until each and every story submitted has gone through the discussion mill. If you are someone who thinks they have the chops to be a writer and would like professional, as well as peer, feedback, look over the guidelines for this activity by clicking here. If you decide this is right for you, get a convention membership, contact Matt Rotundo to reserve a space and get your manuscript submitted by June 19th.

Yes, we will be scheduling the workshop early Sunday morning (9AM to be precise) but that is to allow everyone enough time to fully discuss each story.

If you think you would like to find out if you can write but haven’t been able to finish a story, we have been talking about a second type of writer’s workshop. This would be a more hands-on type of clinic that would actually require the participants to take a selection of plot and character ideas and work them into a scene. If this is something you would be interested in, please drop me a line at webmaster@osfes.org. We need to know if there is enough interest to include it in the schedule.

Of course if you would just like to come and hang with writers, that’s okay also. We will have several in attendance. Three day memberships are still a bargain at $30 for the entire weekend, but that price will expire by the end of June. So click here and get yours today.

Another View Of MegaCon

2010-03-31T18:44:00.000-07:00

Trudy V. Myers

I peeked at the schedule the day before the con, and at first glance, I thought, “There’s nothing here for me to do!” But we’d already bought our memberships, so I figured I’d just have to go and make the best of it.

HUGE dealer’s room! The room itself included an autograph section, an artist’s jam section, a section for ‘independent presses’ and who know what else, but the dealer’s area rivaled the size of a Worldcon dealer’s room, or maybe outstripped some of them.

No art show. Bummer.

Parking was also a bummer. I bitched continually about having to walk ‘from Scottsbluff to Omaha’ to get from the parking lot to Megacon. Why didn’t they build a parking garage for this convention center? Friday, we were in a parking garage, but it actually belonged to the neighboring hotel and was being used because the convention center’s parking lots were all full.

Costumes. WOW!!!

Why were the anime activities segregated from the rest of the stuff?

Nobody was allowed into the con until 10 AM, and nothing lasted past 9 PM. Food and drink, if bought from the convention center, cost an arm and a leg, but they didn’t say anything if you brought in your own. Tables and chairs were available for those waiting for the next panel to attend, but not nearly enough of them.

Staggered timing on the panels, which I’m not a big fan of. Even with the staggered timing, some panels’ stages were set up ‘at the last minute’, which makes you wonder about their organization.

It was fun. Different in some ways. Worth attending, at least this one time.

Dr. San Guinary.Org

2010-03-28T15:14:00.000-07:00

From 1971 until 1981, John Jones donned the mantle of Dr. San Guinary and hosted Dr. San Guinary's Creature Feature, a program of really cheezy monster movies starting at 10:30 PM Saturday nights on KMTV. Nirvana for adolescent science fiction fans. His show was moved back to midnight when NBC took the 10:30 time slot for SNL.

In 1995 Fredd Gorham created the Dr. San Guinary WebLab which is still available on the internet. With clips and photos from the shows run. Recently Amanda Shannon built a Dr. San Guinary’s Creature Feature Facebook page which has generated a lot of interest, not to mention over 5100 fans linked to it. Chris Palmer has been working on a biography of Dr. San Guinary which should be out either late this year or early next.

With all this interest coming together, Chris and Jason Jones (one of John Jones’ sons) decided it was time to bring fans together and build an organization that could further the charity work that John Jones did as Dr. San Guinary. DrSanGuinary.Org is the web site they built to facilitate this cause. They are hoping fans will work on events that will help generate donations to organizations like the MDA.

They first met in Donohue's Bar on Saturday, March 27th to kick things off. They plan to keep coming together, as that is what fandom is really all about: fans of whatever genre coming together to share their experiences with others like minds. And once we get the word out about these activities, sharing those passions with those who have never experienced them.

OSFest wants to help this group get rolling by getting the word out about them. We will be hosting a panel discussion about Dr. San Guinary, with Jason Jones, Fredd Gorham, and others. And possibly other events over the weekend to showcase the fun you can have with old “B” movies and charity activities. So join us the weekend of July 23-25, 2010 and learn about this fun part of your heritage.

What Can We Learn From MegaCon?

2010-03-24T16:16:00.000-07:00

I have attended conventions with what I had thought to be large crowds; 1500+ for Windycon or Archon these days and 3-4000 for the annual Worldcon but even I wasn’t ready for the estimate I got on the number of attendees for MegaCon this year: 75,000.

Where did they house all these people? I was told that a lot of them come for only a short while, day-passers that drop in and out quickly. They’ll drop in to see a particular panel or browse the exhibition hall. Even then, I would have to say the facility was crowded from the 10AM start until the Exhibition Hall shut down every night. I guess this explains why the Special Guests spend almost all their time at their tables in the Exhibition Hall. I don’t think any of them did more than one panel, and some weren’t involved in any panels.

So to allow people easy access during the day, the convention used wrist bands instead of name badges. For me, this is a shift in focus. Name badges at conventions are often ice-breakers, allowing attendees to quickly get a handle on what to call someone they never meet before and talk to them. Using anonymous wrist bands shifts the focus of the convention from fannish interactions to a more impersonal convention experience or one devoted to those you brought with you. While this is a good thing for the collector, there were lots of things to collect in the Exhibition Hall, from artwork and autographs to props and toys; I think a lot of the interpersonal aspects of a convention were missing. I noticed this mostly when I talked to a couple of the panelists after their panels and they welcomed me into their discussion, even though I lived 1200 miles away. One area convention organizer approached me hoping I had just moved into the area; he had noticed the Denvention 3 shirt I was wearing.

That is not to say that various fan groups had not bought into the MegaCon experience, several of them actually had:

The 501st Legion offered a Friday prop panel and officiated at the Universal Costume Contest, as well as a prop display exhibit.
The Wolf Pack Elite ran an exhibit and costuming panel.
Skiffytown did a live radio play as well as a costuming area in the Exhibition Hall. {Skiffytown also did a costuming panel – Trudy}
The R2-Builders had roving robots as well as a large prop exhibition area.
Alpha Ghost Team did daily Paranormal 411 panels along with their exhibition area.
Oklahoma and Tampa Bay Ghostbuster groups had displays both in a booth and around the convention area. {The Oklahoma Ghostbusters also did a panel – Trudy}
Anime Sushi organized the anime programming for the convention, including a separate cosplay event.
Willie’s Wenches gave nightly performances as well as host an exhibition area.
Doctrine Productions offered a panel.

MegaCon is Hall Costume nirvana! Whether you are a costumer or a photographer, you will have a long fun day, each day, enjoying the Hall Costumes. And they didn’t even have a Hall Costumes Contest. I will probably have to devote an entire block in the near future to showing off some of the costumes I photographed.

This area has two television/movie production studios and several film schools nearby. Therefore, it is no wonder that groups like Doctrine Productions get involved, especially since MegaCon has an Independent Film Festival as part of their lineup. This and their daily movie trailers events created a noise problem in a couple of the other panels I was attending. But it sounded like their attendees were having a lot of fun. They did not have the traditional video room like a lot of us think of, but they did have an anime video room.

I usually have to carry my PDA when I go shopping in a convention’s dealer’s room, but not at MegaCon. Except for comic or art books, I could find very few books for sale. There was also a lot of costumes and costuming accessories, collectibles, and DVDs. I do wonder if anyone polices the merchandise sold in these dealer’s rooms, I believe I saw at least a couple of DVD sellers with bootleg merchandise. I am not enough of an expert to judge the authenticity of the collectibles offered. I hope their high prices meant the goods were the real stuff.
So what can we learn from MegaCon? Number one; while big is good for managing your overhead expenses; it doesn’t mean that it will provide the best fan experience. Fan group buy-in allows the committee to turn over certain duties and give them a chance to focus on other things. Fans want to show off what they have accomplished, they need room and sometimes encouragement to do so.

Every convention committee does some things well and others not-so-well. We all need to help each other out to improve the fannish community no matter where we live. It is all a volunteer game; otherwise all conventions would be run by professional organizations. Remember it has been tried, even in Omaha and those of you who went to [ ] know how they turned out. Local, volunteer committees bring their heart and soul to the experience. We all need to keep supporting their activities but we also need to give them ideas we discover when we travel and experience what works elsewhere. Have you sent in your memberships for Willycon, ConStellation, OSFest, Nuke-con, and NebrasKon yet?

MegaCon Day 3

2010-03-21T16:10:00.000-07:00

I am at the three day comic convention held in Orlando annually known as MegaCon. These are my impressions of Sunday, the final day of the convention:

THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF GOOD CHARACTER DESIGN by Bryan Tillman was a well constructed look at the techniques that need to be considered when creating a graphic character. A lot of the techniques apply to literary characters; the most important is the back story the character brings to the moment that he/she is created. Using the STAR WARS saga, he expanded the character Jungian archetypes necessary to tell a good story. Some of his techniques were geared to artists and would apply to book cover design in addition to graphic character design, like color usage in the costumes worn by the characters and making the silhouettes they cast unique and recognizable. Mr. Tillman will have a book out next year on character design and I felt right at home whenever he said, “Buy my book.” ;-)

THE DOCTRINE FILM EXPERIENCE took participants through the process of making Independent film making. Using a green cloth sheet over a convention false wall they filmed a short scene and added the background and sound effects in a matter of minutes. Their message to every potential film-maker is to not wait for the best possible equipment, but get out there and start making movies. I had them take a look at the SLR camera I was carrying, and they said it was good enough to “Make it happen.”

This was a great convention for costumers. The last panel we attended on Sunday was WOLF PACK ELITE BRINGS YOU COSTUMING THE ELITE WAY. This costuming group shared techniques and ideas about creating great costumes from everyday items. They constructed the Black Widow’s sting cartridges out of wood dowels and cloth pins. They suggested websites where plans for building vacuum-forming machines can be found. And offered ideas about projects attendees were working on, Q&A not show and tell. Several members of the Wolf Pack are also members of the 501st, showing the cross-pollination of groups in areas outside of the Omaha area. Can we use conventions in our area to share our various expertises? Is there something you do that you would like to show off? Comment here or drop programming@osfes.org an email with your suggestions. Watch the programming page of the OSFest website as the schedule gets pulled together, and if you don’t see something you want, ask us to bring it to you.

I had tried to get into the panel with Levar Burton and Brent Spiner, but it was the only one that was too full for me to attend. I had no trouble getting into any of the STAR WARS panels or the Q&A with Nichelle Nichols or James Hong, so does this speak to the enduring popularity of STAR TREK-TNG? What do you think? Leave a comment or better yet, go to your favorite forum and start a discussion. If you’re not on an appropriate forum, join http://www.osfes.org/ and speak your mind.

Cosplay On Ice

2010-03-18T13:11:00.001-07:00

By Ellene M. Cudd

Cosplay on Ice was On March 6, 2010 at Mahoney State Park from 4 PM to 8 PM. About forty to fifty people showed up. Most were wearing cosplay and a few just had NebrasKon shirts on. The Cosplayers showed up from a variety of series such as Bleach, Vampire Knight, and InuYasha.

The ice rink had some melting problems when we first arrived at 4; but later in the evening, the ice refroze completely. They even brought out a Zamboni to smooth over the ice. Nearly everyone ice skated despite a few falls from a few people. When not skating, a group of otaku were hanging out upstairs and chatting. Everyone enjoyed themselves and the new friends that they made!

MegaCon Day 2

2010-03-17T11:31:00.001-07:00

I was at the three day comic convention held in Orlando annually known as MegaCon. Saturday was a very full day and here are my impressions:

The first panel I wanted to attend was cancelled but only after we got to the room and were ready to attend. There was no prior announcement, despite the fact that the start of panels were being announced on the public address system, which is a nice way to remind people of the panels they planned on attending so they don't miss them.

THE ART OF THE COVER was a talk by several very established comic book artists talking about what went into making a comic book cover the last line of the marketing of a comic. They talked about how comic book covers had evolved from explaining the story that would unfold within the pages of the magazine to an effort to get the magazine to shout "Pick Me" off the lineup that is now how retailers display them. They shared some great tips for aspiring artists while telling of their working relationships with editors and above.

EVERYTHING STAR WARS: Steve Sansweet moderated a Q&A with Jeremy Bulloch, Peter Mayhew, Maria de Aragon, Dave Barclay, and Ray Park. Steve and Jeremy began with verbal sparring until Ray Park arrived. Ray was the most physical of them and he entertained people moving from place to place on the two room stage. Of course there were plugs for the upcoming Celebration V in August.

SKIFFYTOWN STORY TIME, SUPERHERO RADIO DRAMA recorded a live radio broadcast for kids using costume performers and the audience. They later held a panel on COSTUMING YOUR OWN CHARACTER. They shared techniques that allowed them to create their unique costumes, which they could live in all day at conventions, on a modest budget. These tips were similar to some of the ones imparted yesterday by the 501^st in their prop creation panel. Keep your eyes open while shopping, particularly at thrift stores, and be ready to tear apart items to get the effect that you need.

There are many areas of SF fandom where I think the practitioners need to come together and either help each other out or teach the techniques that each has learned. This is one of the reasons that OSFest is a science fiction convention with something for everyone. We are trying to learn from other groups and share what we know. The MEGACON UNIVERSAL COSTUME CONTEST could have used a little planning help from the people who put on costume contests at literary conventions, like Worldcon. The costumes that were presented on stage were well made, but with a little effort in staging the event, they could each have shined. They had to share the stage with tables from the prior panel and had no theme music unique for each of them. The judges and MC did a good job, but the lack of a masquerade planning meeting with the contestants was evident. It was a good show, but it could have been a spectacular one.

You know it's a late night when Cthulhu puts in an appearance. HAMLET: ELECTRIC BOOGALOO by Willie's Wenches was an adult oriented comedy performance of Shakespeare's' Hamlet, complete with filked Disney songs. It was a very bawdy but entertaining performance to end the evening. A Cthulhu hand puppet was part of the cast.

Trudy's Comment: Not all that late, John, since after Hamlet, we had to walk 6000 miles back to car, drive back to the resort, and we still got there before 10 PM. I don't think Megacon did anything past 9 PM.

Megacon 2010 Day 1

2010-03-14T14:07:00.000-07:00

I am at the three day comic convention held in Orlando annually known as Megacon. This is Friday and here are my impressions:
Remember the noise problems that both OSFest and AnimeNebrasKon had between panel walls? If you didn’t experience them, where were you (go back and see Support Your Local Convention)? Well, it seems that major convention centers are not immune from such happenings either. I found it hard to listen to the five comic book artists talk about storytelling over the Indy Film Festival going on in the next room. The lesson here for all convention programmers is to schedule a buffer room between activities that will by their nature be loud and everyone else.

Okay, what is the fascination with celebrity Q&A panels? I attended two of them; Billy Dee Williams and James Hong. While I found them mildly entertaining, it is not something that I would seek out on my own. Normally, I like panels that will challenge me intellectually or teach me something. But I would love to have those people who like these activities to teach me and the rest of my readers how to enjoy them. So either leave a comment (or two, three, four) on this subject, or drop me a guest blog if you have a lot of information to relate. I, for one, want to hear from you.

The panel that I actually enjoyed the most on Friday was the Hardware Store Props panel presented by members of the Florida Garrison of the 501st. One gentleman showed how to build Star Wars replica weapons from parts found in a hardware store and did a resin cast of an assassin robot head in about ten minutes. Another individual showed off and discussed how he built several lightsabers from parts found in the plumbing department of the local hardware store. They were a couple of great guys inviting others to join their great hobby. To me, this is what fandom is all about.

More thoughts about this convention as the days pass.

Omaha Sci-Fi Scene

OSFest 5’s Program Participants (3)

A Fannish Move Means Lots of Great Genre Bargains

The Usual Suspects Jan & Febr 2012 Film List

The Programming Begins

The Tale of Susan Satterfield

Independent Filmmaker News

Adopt a Fan

OSFest 5’s Program Participants (2)

A Little Bit of Hometown Horror

OSFest 5’s Program Participants (1)

Matt Mogk: Horror Guest of Honor

We’re Moving Again

Cynthia Martin: Artist GOH for OSFest 5

Jack McDevitt: Author GOH for OSFest 5

The Bones of Convention Art Shows

AnimeNebrasKon

ICON 36

I'm Back

One For The Record Books

OSFest 4.0 - Jail and Bail

Local Groups: The Steampunk Society of Nebraska

Local Groups: The Zombie Research Society’s Omaha Chapter

OSFest 4.0 Fan GOH: Becky Potter

OSFest 4.0: Ultimate Starship Challenge

OSFest 4.0 Artist GOH: Sarah Clemens

OSFest 4.0 – Klingon Treasure Hunt

OSFest's 2nd Annual Date Auction

OSFest 4.0’s Independent Film Festival 01

OSFest 4.0 Programming: Meeting Of The Minds

OSFest’s New Hotel

OSFest 4.0 Programming: Independent Film Festival

OSFest Fanzine Workshop

OSFest 4.0 Programming Upgraded

An OSFest 4.0 Fanzine?

The Brigadier has passed

Omaha Costuming Day - Wrap Up

Omaha Costuming Day

OSFES' Bot Droppings

Creature Feature Live! The Night a Nebraskan Classic Returned

Omaha Costuming Day

More Movie Stuff

The Zombie Research Society, Omaha Chapter

Victorian Valentines Social

The Gundam Modelers’ Workshop

The Usual Suspects – Jan-Feb, 2011

Director: Dominic Sena Writer: Bragi F. Schut Starring: Nicolas Cage, Ron Perlman and Claire Foy

14th-century knights transport a suspected witch to a monastery, where monks deduce her powers could be the source of the Black Plague.

Director: Michel Gondry Writer: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, George W. Trendle Starring: Seth Rogen, Jay Chou and Christoph Waltz

By night, debonair newspaper publisher Britt Reid fights crime as a masked superhero known as The Green Hornet. At his side is martial arts expert Kato.

Director: Peter Weir Writer: Keith R. Clarke, Peter Weir, Slavomir Rawicz Starring: Jim Sturgess, Ed Harris, and Colin Farrell

A fact-based story centered on soldiers who escaped from a Siberian gulag in 1940.

Director: Alister Grierson Writer: John Garvin, Andrew Wight Starring: Rhys Wakefield, Allison Cratchley and Christopher Baker

An underwater cave diving team experiences a life-threatening crisis during an expedition to the unexplored and least accessible cave system in the world.

February 12, 2011 – The Eagle (Drama)

Director: Kevin Macdonald Writer: Jeremy Brock Starring: Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell and Donald Sutherland

In Roman-ruled Britain, a young Roman soldier endeavors to honor his father's memory by finding his lost legion's golden emblem.

February 19, 2011 – I Am Number Four (Action, Sci Fi)

Director: D.J. Caruso Writer: Alfred Gough Miles Millar and Marti Noxon Starring: Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant and Dianna Agron

John is an extraordinary teen, masking his true identity and passing as a typical high school student to elude a deadly enemy seeking to destroy him. Three like him have already been killed ... he is Number Four.

February 25, 2011 – Drive Angry (Action, Thriller)

Director: Patrick Lussier Writer: Todd Farmer, Patrick Lussier Starring: Nicolas Cage, Amber Heard and William Fichtner

A vengeful father chases after the men who killed his daughter.

The 2011 OSFES Book Discussion Group Reading List

R.I.P.: Stargate Universe

Two More Great Film Icons Gone

Support a Small Press Publisher on Cyber Monday

Happy Thanksgiving

A Brief Look at Some of December’s Movies.

Anime Sunday is Still Going Strong

What Do You Want To Do At OSFest 4.0?

A Risk Taking Filmmaker has Died

ICON 35, one of the many Midwest pop culture experiences

The Restored Version of Metropolis

A Wake-up Call

KIM HARRISON'S 4TH ANNUAL HALLOWEEN COSTUME CONTEST

Virgin Galactic to begin Suborbital Flights

Star Wars Celebration V Part 4

October 23rd Fan Activities

Suborbital Flights Coming to a Caribbean Island Near You

Director: Dominic Sena
Writer: Bragi F. Schut
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Ron Perlman and Claire Foy

Director: Michel Gondry
Writer: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, George W. Trendle
Starring: Seth Rogen, Jay Chou and Christoph Waltz

Director: Peter Weir
Writer: Keith R. Clarke, Peter Weir, Slavomir Rawicz
Starring: Jim Sturgess, Ed Harris, and Colin Farrell

Director:
Alister Grierson
Writer: John Garvin, Andrew Wight
Starring: Rhys Wakefield, Allison Cratchley and Christopher Baker

Director:
Kevin Macdonald
Writer: Jeremy Brock
Starring: Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell and Donald Sutherland

Director:
D.J. Caruso
Writer: Alfred Gough Miles Millar and Marti Noxon
Starring: Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant and Dianna Agron

Director:
Patrick Lussier
Writer: Todd Farmer, Patrick Lussier
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Amber Heard and William Fichtner