Celebrities
Wizard World
Sep 1st
Last week, I attended Wizard World Comic Con in Rosemont, Ill. Wizard World is a tremendously popular and well-run convention featuring celebrities, vendors, speakers and exhibitions. It all started in 1991, when Gareb Shamus founded Wizard Entertainment, and it has been growing ever since.
This year, the big guests were Adam West, Julie Newmar and Burt Ward from TV’s Batman, along with William Shatner of Star Trek fame. Long lines of fans waited to meet their favorite stars. Even some of the stars wanted to meet the other stars.
Pro-wrestler Shane Douglas was hoping to meet West, a childhood favorite. Douglas talked about his passion for comics and how excited he was to attend the convention.
Being the intrepid reporter that I am, I came away with a celebrity scoop. Actress Beth Horn, who appeared as ‘Venom’ in the 2008 season of American Gladiators, told me about plans for an American Gladiators movie next summer, and she will be auditioning. Horn is also excited about the upcoming release of her film Fancy Pants. Horn’s favorite vacation spot is Florence, Italy, because she loves the people and culture.
Not everyone is interested in the celebrity aspect, however. Attendees Dave Pauwels (of Sisters Grimm Comics) and Joey Rodriguez were more interested in the Artist Alley. Rodriguez thought the event was pretty cool, but was disappointed that Marvel and DC and some major publishers such as Darkhorse were not there. Hopefully, as Wizard World continues to grow, this will change.
Conventions like these are huge business. Unfortunately, attendance figures are not released. As an indicator, all hotels in the area were booked solid, according to the concierges. That doesn’t even take into consideration all of the local attendees.
Additionally, since most people spend a major portion of each day at the convention, they tend to dine nearby (thus bringing more money into the area). The total revenue it brought into the Rosemont area was tremendous.
In 2010, there were Wizard World conventions in nine major U.S. cities, and there are plans for adding five more cities in 2011. Wizard World keeps growing and improving every year. My friends and I are already looking forward to the first announcements about next year’s convention.
– John Wroblewski, distribution specialist
A Great Weekend
May 19th
I spent last weekend in Novi, Mich., for the Motor City Comic Con and some work. This was my fourth time at the event. Last year, my friend JayHawk Evans joined me. This year, Chuck “Cuzz” Gekas joined us.
After my work was done, I joined my friends at the MCCC. Cuzz and I meandered through the celebrity area, where he met one of his all-time favorites, Dawn Wells (Mary Ann from TV’s Gilligan’s Island). JayHawk is more of a Star Wars collector, so he spent much of his time perusing the vendor area.
As I have written before, the MCCC is possibly the best such convention. The vendor area is huge. The MCCC staff is pleasant and helpful. The Rock Financial Showplace is a great venue. The celebrities at the event are more talkative and spend more time with everyone than at any other show.
After the MCCC, we dined at Bagger Dave’s, a cool burger place. I had the best turkey burger of my life. It consisted of two fresh turkey patties topped with sauteed mushrooms and drizzled with blue cheese, all contained within a honey wheat bun. The unique menu at Bagger Dave’s allows you to create your own masterpiece by selecting from a myriad of options. JayHawk and Cuzz had their own burger creations. We split some regular fries and sweet potato chips. The food was outstanding.
After the meal, we headed to Comerica Park to watch the Detroit Tigers play the Boston Red Sox. We got to meet Tigers legend Willie Horton at a pre-game book signing. Cuzz is a lifelong Tigers fan, and he really enjoyed meeting a childhood favorite. The Tigers won the game in the 12th inning.
This was Cuzz’s first time at Comerica Park. It is a really beautiful baseball stadium. It features open-air concourses, some statues of Tigers legends in the outfield section, several displays honoring various events in Tigers history and great sightlines from virtually every seat. Other than having a boring food selection, you really couldn’t want much more out of a ballpark.
I know Detroit is going through a rough time, but Mayor Bing is doing everything he can to improve things. Events such as the MCCC bring in a lot of tourism money. Hotels are usually sold out all around the area. We also saw many fellow MCCC attendees at the game. I know other attendees were heading to Detroit for other reasons. I think we all came away with positive things to say, and most of us will be back next year.
I always enjoy this weekend. The MCCC and the Detroit Tigers are a nice start. Mix in some good food, great friends and few new activities each year and you get a winner. I certainly will be back in 2011.
– John Wroblewski, distribution specialist
An Icon Saved
Apr 30th
I may just be the only person who has ever visited Hollywood and missed the iconic Hollywood sign. Thanks to investors, including Hugh Hefner, the opportunity for me to someday catch a glimpse of the sign remains a reality.
When I was around 12, my parents, grandmother and I took a cross-country vacation. As an adolescent, I really could not have cared less about the national parks, geysers and buffalo. I remember really enjoying Mt. Rushmore and the Grand Canyon but being most excited about Hollywood — seeing the sign, wandering the Walk of Fame and visiting Universal Studios. Needless to say, I totally missed the sign as we drove through the area.
On my next trip to LA, with the Global Traveler staff, I still missed the sign, but I enjoyed hanging out the sunroof of a limo as we made our way down Hollywood Boulevard and comparing my hand size to those of the stars preserved in cement outside Grauman’s Chinese Theater.
The Hollywood sign is set in the Hollywood Hills area of Mount Lee. Each letter is 45 feet tall. It first went up in 1923 as an advertisement for a housing development but eventually was left up, becoming the icon it is today. The letters originally spelled out HOLLYWOODLAND, but the “land” was eventually dropped. Vandalism and the effects of weather eventually took its toll on the sign, which is now preserved and restored by the Hollywood Sign Trust.
Recently, investors were eager to develop the 138 acres. Outcry resulted in a worldwide fundraising campaign. Funds were about $900,000 short when it was announced Hugh Hefner had donated the money and the sign would be saved. Hefner also made a contribution in 1978 to help save the sign.
I had never really read up on the history of the sign before coming across this recent story, but now that I have, I must say it’s pretty interesting. The world has certainly pitched in many times to help save one of its most well-known landmarks.
– Kim Krol, eFlyer editor, circulation and public relations executive
