Eyecon On Artists On Demand

If you are a fan of The Vampire Diaries, then this is the place you want to be. Eyecon is one of the best celebrity autograph conventions around and is the only convention that allows you so much face to face time with the celebrities themselves.

"The best thing about Eyecon is the close interaction fans get to have with their favorite stars. It is an experience like nothing I have ever had." - Lisa B.

This time around, there is an all-star lineup like no other! Heading up the show is the Salvatore brother's, Damon and Stefan, played by Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley. Following them is other swoon worthy cast members, Steven R. McQueen, who plays Elena's little brother, Jeremy Gilbert, and fan favorite werewolf, Michael Trevino, who plays Tyler Lockwood.  Bringing up the end of the overly stuffed celebrity guest list is Lauren Cohen, who played the late Rose, and our favorite Mayor Lockwood, played by Robert Pralgo.

Getting the chance to mingle with your favorite celebrities is one of the highlights of the weekend and fans love to flock from all over for a chance to meet them, but also the interaction with other fans is a real treat as well. There have been many friendships that have spawned from Convention with fans living all over the world. 

"Eyecon gives you a chance to interact with stars that you admire and to mingle with other fans." - Lanaya S.


"I love that the interaction with the celebrities is on a more intimate basis than with other conventions." - Jessica S.

"It's where dreams come true. You get to interact one on one with your favorite celebrities. I even got a personalize video made and it made my year. Best experience EVER." - Nichole R.

  "I like Eyecon because of its friendly, personal service, and it's deliverance of top guests for dedicated fans." - Vicky G.

Aside from all the celebrities mingling around, another popular part of the conventions is the concerts. Many acts have graced the stage, but one keeps coming back for more. The Nova Echo, an electro pop rock band out of Asheville, NC, made their way down to Florida, onto the stage, and into the hearts of the fans in May of 2009 and are returning for their fifth Eyecon event. They will be playing a concert on Saturday night before the masquerade ball, so make sure to get your dancing shoes on and swing over. Merchandise, including CD's, shirts, and more will be available throughout the convention as well as at the concert. AOD staff will be hanging out with the band at their merchandise table throughout the convention, so make sure to stop by.

"I love going to Eyecon for The Nova Echo, because they are f****** amazing. I have been to Eyecon events for shows I have never seen just to see the band." - Sarah V.


"Eyecon, for me, is like playing a family reunion. The staff is wonderful, they always get the greatest stars, and they always take care of our every need." - Matt Hixon, Bassist, The Nova Echo


Also playing this convention is Jessarae, little brother to Vampire Diaries star Steven R McQueen. Jessarae will be performing an acoustic set during the convention so make sure to check that out as well.


Our very own Josh Reid-Davis, also known to many as Just Josh, is going to be MCing the event. This will be Josh's second time around with Eyecon and he is by far a fan favorite. He started off as another fan attending the event and is now fandom royalty!


"I like it because I get to meet fun, new, and exciting people from all walks of life who share the same passions that I do.  I enjoy MCing because its fun and we get to help bring people closer to something they love." - Josh Reid-Davis

This event is promising to be the best convention yet held by Eyecon. If you don't have your tickets yet, make sure to swing over to www.eyeconfla.com and purchase them. All information for location and schedules is on the site.

Make sure to tune in tomorrow, March 1st at 9 pm EST to get a chance to win a pair of tickets to the event. Tickets will be general weekend passes that get you into the main event all weekend. (Photos, autographs, and other events are extra costs). We look forward to seeing you all there.

Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" Music Video Premieres!

Lady Gaga's video of her hit single "Born This Way" premiered today, at 11:00 A.M. (EST) exclusively on VEVO. Lady Gaga's video was described to be a "profound, so inspiring and so incredibly beautiful." The video was directed by Nick Knight.

SOURCES: VEVO; LadyGagaVevo

Interview with Tanna Frederick

 

Tanna Frederick

by Lydia Rilea

Following my viewing of the Sierra Madre Playhouse production of Sylvia by A.R. Gurney, I sat down with the incredible personality of the lady behind the title character.  We conducted our interview on the run, as the stage manager of the playhouse was exhibiting infinite patience in trying to close the stage down and still accommodate our chat. 

Under these rushed, hurried and herded circumstances, I asked Tanna what about the role had so fascinated her to the point of taking it on. 

Tanna, it seems was looking for a show, and having lost their former lead, "Sylvia" was looking for a replacement.  Through an act of incredible serendipity, it worked.  Tanna explained that she'd been told on several separate occasions that she should play the character of Sylvia, it was a challenge which called to her.  She committed to a read through, and the character just simply fit her like a glove.

The night which I viewed the performance, there was a benefit funding the local Sierra Madre Humane Society, so I asked Tanna her opinion of the Humane Society and its work.

Tanna wasn't familiar with local Societies, but said that back home, in Iowa it was considered a huge deal.  With the many farms surrounding her home, she said animals were given priority and consideration and that the facilities and services were run very well, and she had great respect for the work they did.

I went back to addressing the character, and asked her if there was a particular item of wardrobe which helped her get into character.

Items were chosen from her own wardrobe as well as costuming to give her the various stages of this homeless character who suddenly finds herself set up, and taken care of in the lap of luxury, from frumpy sweaters, to tennies, to tutu's, and each variation in costume lent itself to the needs of the character in that portion of the performance.  Also, hair changes, insignificant to major also helped with the "feel" of the character.

As the character develops through the course of the performance, it is quickly apparent that the story hinges on the relationship between the title character Sylvia, played by Tanna, and the character of Greg, her owner (as played by Stephen Howard).  I asked her feelings on that relationship.

"My first impression of Stephen was that if I were a dog, I would choose this man, if I were alone in a park, and saw Stephen sitting on a bench, he's the perfect man to find.  The character of Greg needs Sylvia as much as Sylvia needs Greg, it's the quintessential love, adoration relationship everyone looks for." Tanna said.  Her hands waved enthusiastically showing as much affection as her words did. 

Talking about the interaction between Sylvia and Greg led me to wonder if Ms. Frederick had a pet of her own, which she does.  For the past three years, she has been the great friend of a Shiba Inu named Garbo.  It's her first dog, and she loves Garbo every bit as much as the character of Greg loves Sylvia in the show.

Tanna went on to explain that the closeness of the cast really lent itself to the incredible flow and smoothness of the production.  She said that everyone of them were fantastic actors, not only Mr. Howard, but also Cathy Arden who beautifully and endearingly plays "Kate" the pushed to her limit wife of Greg., as well as Frank Dooley who manages to take on several characters.  "Everyone has each others backs, and the comfort of knowing that keeps each scene flowing."

There is a moment in the show, when Sylvia breaks out in song.  Tanna Frederick has a lovely voice and I was curious to know if this was the first production which called for singing.  She cited Iowa again, explaining that there are fantastic music programs there, and she'd studied swing, show, chamber as well as choir.  This training helped in "Irene in Time" her second film, where singing was required.  She said she would love to do a musical, I personally hope she will get her chance soon. 

"Sylvia" is such an entertaining production that giving away plot points is something which I'd prefer not to do, however, I must point out that the "heat" scene is hilarious.  According to Tanna, the original play calls for the use of a lot of profanity.  The Playhouse preferred keeping it a "family" style production, so Ms. Frederick was left with the task of conveying a lot of the emotion without the language.  Her answer was flirty, evocative and hilarious.  I personally laughed so hard I was dabbing my eyes constantly to keep the tears from falling.

Though the production has closed at Sierra Madre Playhouse, there are hopes that it will move to a new venue under a new Director.  If you have a chance to see Tanna Frederick as Sylvia, it will be a treat like no other. 

I'd like to close by saying that my interview with Tanna was lovely.  She is a glowingly delightful person and anything she performs in, she would improve, no matter what it might be.  My gratitude to Ms. Frederick for both her time, and her kindness. 

And The Oscar Goes To...

After the glamorous night of bright stars, fabulous gowns, speeches and more stars, here is the recap of the 83rd Academy Awards:

Best Picture
* The King's Speech – Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, and Gareth Unwin


Best Director
* Tom Hooper – The King's Speech


Best Actor
* Colin Firth – The King's Speech as Prince Albert, Duke of York / King George VI


Best Actress
* Natalie Portman – Black Swan as Nina Sayers


Best Supporting Actor
* Christian Bale – The Fighter as Dicky Eklund

Best Supporting Actress
* Melissa Leo – The Fighter as Alice Ward

Best Writing – Original Screenplay
* The King's Speech – David Seidler

Best Writing – Adapted Screenplay
* The Social Network – Aaron Sorkin from The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich

Best Animated Feature
* Toy Story 3 – Lee Unkrich

Best Foreign Language Film
* In a Better World (Denmark) in Danish, Swedish, and English – Susanne Bier

Best Documentary – Feature
* Inside Job – Charles H. Ferguson and Audrey Marrs

Best Documentary – Short Subject
* Strangers No More – Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon

Best Live Action Short Film
* God of Love – Luke Matheny

Best Animated Short Film
* The Lost Thing – Andrew Ruhemann and Shaun Tan

Best Original Score
* The Social Network – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Best Original Song
* "We Belong Together" from Toy Story 3 – Randy Newman

Best Sound Editing
* Inception – Richard King

Best Sound Mixing
* Inception – Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo, and Ed Novick

Best Art Direction
* Alice in Wonderland – Art Direction: Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Karen O'Hara

Best Cinematography
* Inception – Wally Pfister

Best Makeup
* The Wolfman – Rick Baker and Dave Elsey

Best Costume Design
* Alice in Wonderland – Colleen Atwood

Best Film Editing
* The Social Network – Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter

Best Visual Effects
* Inception – Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley, and Peter Bebb

SOURCES: Oscar.go.com; 83rd Academy Awards

Furtado to Donate $1 Million to Charity

"In 2007, I received 1 million$ from the Qaddafi clan to perform a 45 min. Show for guests at a hotel in Italy... I am going to donate the $..." This was the content of Canadian singer and songwriter Nelly Furtado's message on her Twitter account earlier today. Furtado referred to the Libyan leader Muamman Gaddafi who had been condemned of using violence to suppressed the uprising of the people of Libya. Diplomats have estimated a death toll of 2,000 in nearly two weeks of fighting.

It was reported that Furtado's spokeswoman could not be reached at this moment to clarity to which charity the Grammy Award winner artist is designating her donation.

SOURCES: (Image) Reuters

NOH8 from the AOD Staff

On January 16 our very own Lisa Becker and Joshua Reid-Davis joined the fight for equal rights by participating in the NOH8 photo shoot with Adam Bouska & Jeff Parshley at the W Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia. In an email from the NOH8 staff they stated that Chicago still has the highest number of people who came out to a shoot, but Atlanta broke the record for largest number of photos taken!

The NOH8 campaign has been celebrity driven and so much of Hollywood has stepped out from Actors, Musicians, Artists, and even stretched to the Political world. Cindy McCain recently joined the fight, which is a great success because the McCain family is one of the most well known Republican families, Meghan (daughter to the McCain family) is also well known for her role as being a vocal proponent of marriage equality.

If you would like to join the NOH8 campaign visit www.noh8campaign.com this is your chance to learn more, spread the word, or even share your story about what NOH8 means to you.

Franco in "Rise of the Apes"

The very first screen cap from the upcoming "Planet of the Apes" prequel, "Rise of the Apes" which stars Academy Award nominee James Franco was released today. Franco portrays Will Rodman, the scientist with cutting-edge experimentation that led to the "development of intelligence in apes" and eventually caused the "onset war of supremacy" between human and apes.

"Rise of the Apes" is set to be released on November 23rd, 2011.

SOURCES: Screenrant; Image from Joblo.com

And Godric Returns

It is the current news among the True Blood fans- TVLine received an exclusive news from True Blood creator Alan Ball! Fan favorite, Danish actor Allan Hyde will be reprising his role as Godric, Eric Northman's forever young -looking vampire Maker. According to TVLine, Ball "isn't offering too many clues" but that fans will see "a different side of Godric." As of now, the specifics of how many episodes Godric will be appearing in much anticipated season 4 of True Blood is unknown, but Godric fans seemed to be satisfied to just know that they are going to have another chance to see one of their favorite Makers in a True Blood episode(s).

And to Godric/Allan Hyde fans waiting for True Blood's Season 4, you can catch Allan Hyde in Matthew Anderson's short film "Franky, Frankly" due to be released this spring.

SOURCES: TVLine; AllanHydeNews.com via True-Blood.net

Kevin M. Slee: A Director/Producer On The Rise

With the popularity of mainstream movies, stars and directors, let us take a step back and know some artists on the rise such as Kevin M. Slee- a 21-year old film/music producer and director from Laguna Niguel, California.

Slee, a Film Production and Political Science major at the Chapman University "has great passion for life and for storytelling" and his festival nominations and recognitions as a filmmaker, writer and actor can attest to that.

Slee had worked with talented actors throughout his young but rather fruitful film making career. Slee had collaborated with Emmy nominated filmmaker Steven Sprung (Entourage, Arrested Development), Ryan Healy, Drew Parkhill (Eli & The Golden Fish), Mikandrew Perdaris (Everybody Hates Chris), Bella Dayne and HBO's True Blood's very own, Allan Hyde (Godric).

Slee runs Artistic Analogies Film Co. as the co-producer. Among the films produced by Artistic Analogies Film Co. are The King of the Jews, Eli & the Golden Fish, Grey Matter, My Friend Johnny Keller, Election Day, Talons Rant, The Secret Life of Jonathan Sky, The Light In Their Eyes, and Buried Dreams.

One of the most recent projects from Artistic Analogies Film Co. is the short "Franky, Frankly".



"Franky, Frankly" “follows a young man drifting about the city, struggling to share something of meaning between his friend Madison and the beautiful, mysterious Chantal.”

The short is directed by Matthew Anderson and stars Mikandrew Perdaris (Franky), Bella Dayne (Chantal) and Allan Hyde (Madison) and is set to be released in spring.

The short film is scored by pianist/composer Vijay Venkatesh another spectacular artist under Other Records; the music label co-funded by Slee with the Grammy nominated Andy Hay.

Be sure to keep a look out on Slee's new projects as he plans to direct his first full length film in 2012. You can check out Slee on Twitter and Facebook. Slee also recently did an interview with AllanHydeNews.com as part of their collaboration and promotion of the short film "Franky, Frankly." Please do check it out!

SOURCES: Kevin M. Slee; AllanHydeNews.com; Artistic Analogies Film Co.

"Touch"; New Supernatural TV Drama

"24" protagonist Kiefer Sutherland was reported to star in a pilot for a new supernatural TV drama from the creator of "Heroes". Sutherland will also serve as the executive producer of the Fox series which is entitled "Touch." The series centers on a father who discovers his mute, autistic son can predict events before they happen. Due to Sutherland's Broadway commitment (he is currently starring in a revival of Jason Miller's "The Championship Season") the new TV series is expected to start production in late-May early-June.

SOURCES: Yahoo News/Reuters;Image

Franco and Hathaway: Grease at the Oscars!

Earlier today, Academy Award nominee for the Danny Boyle film "127 Hours", James Franco had posted a tease video on his Twitter account. The 19 seconds long clip showcased Franco and Academy Award co-host Anne Hathaway portraying Danny and Sandy from the classic musical "Grease."

The 83rd Academy Awards will be held on February 27th, Sunday, at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, California. The ceremony will be televised on ABC.



SOURCES: JustJared; Video

"The Social Network" wins at the 61st Annual ACE Eddie Awards

American Cinema Editors or ACE was founded in the 1950 and it aims to honor film editors "that are voted in based on the qualities of professional achievements, their education of others, and their dedication to editing itself." Since its foundation, ACE held annual dinners to honor film editors that are nominated for the Academy Awards. ACE started giving out their own awards back in 1962. The 61st ACE Eddie Awards was held on February 19th (Saturday) at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

It is said that The Eddies often predicts the winner of the eventual Best Picture at the Academy Awards as for the last 5 years (excluding in 2007), the Eddie and the Oscar have been a match. Among the categories the Eddie gives out are:

• The ACE Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award
• Career Achievement Awards
• Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic)
• Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy or Musical)
• Best Edited Half-Hour Series for Television
• Best Edited Miniseries or Motion Picture for Non-Commercial Television
• Best Edited One-Hour Series for Television
• Best Edited Documentary
• Best Edited Miniseries or Motion Picture for Commercial Television
• The ACE Student Editing Competition Winner

In the 61st ACE Eddie Awards, The Social Network editors Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter won the ACE Eddie Award for best edited dramatic feature. The other three ACE nominees that are also Oscar nominees for best editing and best picture are: Black Swan, The Fighter, and The King’s Speech. The other Academy nominees are The Kids Are All Right, Toy Story 3 (which won the animation category) and Inception. Last year, the Eddie gave out their first best edited animated film to Up which was also nominated for Academy Awards that same year. Up ended up winning two Oscars including the Best Animated Feature. This year Toy Story 3, an Eddie winner, is up against How to Train Your Dragon for an Oscar.






The complete 61st Annual ACE Eddie Awards winners are as follow:

Best edited feature film (Dramatic):
The Social Network
Angus Wall, A.C.E. & Kirk Baxter

Best edited feature film (comedy or musical):
Alice in Wonderland
Chris Lebenzon, A.C.E.

Best edited animation feature film:
Toy Story 3
Ken Schretzmann & Lee Unkrich, A.C.E.

Best edited half hour series for television:
Modern Family, “Family Portrait”
Jonathan Schwartz

Best edited one-hour series for commercial television:
The Walking Dead, “Days Gone Bye”
Hunter Via

Best edited one-hour series for non-commercial television:
Treme, "Do You Know What it Means"
Kate Sanford, A.C.E. & Alexander Hall

Best edited miniseries or motion picture for television:
Temple Grandin
Leo Trombetta, A.C.E.

Best edited documentary:
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Tom Fulford & Chris King

Best edited reality series:
If You Really Knew Me, “Colusa High”
Rob Goubeau, Jeremy Gantz, Hilary Scratch, Ken Yankee, Mark S. Andrew, A.C.E., Heather Miglin, John Skaare & Paul J. Coyne

Student competition
Ruben Jacques Sebban
A.F.I.

SOURCES: The Hollywood Reporter; Image by Merrick Morton/2010 Columbia TriStar Marketing Group.

Royal Couple's Guests List

And the invitations are out.

Delivered by the Royal Mail last Wednesday and Thursday, Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding invitation have revealed the guests list for their Royal wedding. It was reported that the Royal couple have invited close to 1,900 guests (more than half of whom are friends of the couple) and the list includes the King of Jordan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, the Sultan of Oman, the King of Bahrain, the Sultan of Brunei and the King of Saudi Arabia as well as the Emperor of Japan, the King of Malaysia, the King of Tonga and the King of Thailand.

There was a a talk of the famous couple David and Victoria Beckham being invited to the Royal wedding although sources that are close to them have denied that the couple received any invitation from the Prince and his wife-to-be.

Prince William and the Beckhams paired and lobbied hard, but unsuccessfully, for England’s 2018 World Cup bid. It was reported that "they got on famously."

If the Beckhams are invited, David, as the other gentlemen invited to the wedding, is required to wear uniform, morning coat or lounge suit while Victoria can flawlessly arrive in any majestic and fashionable dress she desires to wear as female guests do not have a dress code. Ladies attending, although, will be required to wear a hat for the wedding service.

The Royal wedding will be held at Westminster Abbey on April 29th, 2011, Friday at 11:00 a.m.

SOURCE: Daily Mail Reporter

Eyecon Confirms Ian Somerhalder

If Eyecon wasn't already one of the best things to look forward to so far this year, then it is about to be. Eyecon promoter, Kenny Smith, announced today that Ian Somerhalder, who plays Damon Salvatore in the hit CW TV show Vampire Diaries, has been confirmed for the upcoming convention.

Somerhalder joins his on screen brother, Paul Wesley at the upcoming event. The Salvatore brothers lead off the amazing list of cast members who are already attending. The other confirmed guests are Steven R. McQueen (plays Jeremy Gilbert), Michael Trevino (plays Tyler Lockwood), Lauren Cohen (plays Rose), Robert Pralgo (plays Mayor Lockwood), and Chris W. Martin (plays Zach Salvatore).

This all star lineup has people from all over the country flocking their way toward Atlanta in March. The event will be held at The Westin Atlanta Airport  in Atlanta, Georgia from March 25-27th. Somerhalder will also be there supporting the Ian Somerhalder Foundation, which "aims to empower, educate, and collaborate with people and projects to positively impact the planet and its creatures."

Also attending the event to provide even more entertainment is Jesserae, an up and coming musician who will be playing an acoustic set at the event and the fan favorite, The Nova Echo, who will be putting on their Saturday evening concert.

Make sure to swing over to the Eyecon Website and check out the lineup, the events, as well as purchase your tickets. With a celebrity line up like this, the tickets are going to go quickly.

PICTURE SOURCE

'I Am Number Four' Movie Review

I Am Number Four was getting mixed reviews from critics as well as the viewers. Well, this viewer gives it two thumbs up. I Am Number Four started off with a great back story, excellent cast, and good set. This is a movie for the guys who want to see an action flick or for the girl that wants a romantic love story. It is the best of both worlds. I would describe this as a perfect mix between The Covenant, The Matrix, and a Twilightish theme where the different boy falls for the normal girl. It appeals to the masses and keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time. I recommend this movie to anyone and it is well worth the money to see it in theaters.

GLEE Gets Regionals Judges

It seems to me that GLEE just keeps getting bigger and better. The judges for Regionals have been chosen, and the selection is fantastic.

Kathy Griffin has been tapped to play a "Tea Party candidate, Sarah Palin-like character;" and Loretta Devine is set to play "Sister Mary Constance - a former stripper."

The casting for these two characters could not have been more perfect, and I can't wait to see how it all turns out. How about you guys, what are your thoughts?




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L2 - Boys or Girls

Check out the music video for our guest tonight, L2, for their song "Boys or Girls"

New THOR trailer!

A new trailer for the up-coming film, Thor, based on the Marvel comic of the same title debuted today on Yahoo Movies. In this new trailer, we will see more of Destroyer and the Frost Giants, Asgardians' mortal enemies. There is also a bit more footage of Natalie Portman in this trailer as Jane Foster, the human love interest of the fallen Norse god, Thor played by Chris Hemsworth.

Natalie Portman stated that the first thing that attracted her to the movie was the Academy nominee Shakespearean director/actor, Kenneth Branagh. ""I was just like, 'Kenneth Branagh doing 'Thor' is super-weird. I've gotta do it,'" Portman said. Among the critically acclaimed projects Branagh had created was Henry V and Hamlet.

Anthony Hopkins as Odin, king of Asgard and Adrianna Barraza also appear in the movie.

Thor is set to be released in May 6, 2011.

First trailer released:

SOURCES: Yahoo Movies, MTV

Baby no. 2 for Jessica Alba!

The star of Fantastic Four, Jessica Alba, had announced on her FaceBook account that she is indeed pregnant with her second child.

"It's been a while since I've been on FB & I thought I'd drop by to let you all in on some exciting news - Honor is going to be a Big Sister! Cash and I are thrilled and wanted to share the news directly with you so you didn't hear about it somewhere else. I appreciated all of the love and support you all gave me during my first pregnancy and will definitely appreciate it again this time around. Have a great day! Jess."

Jessica Alba married her husband, Cash Warren (son of Hill Street Blues actor Michael Warren) in May of 2008. Alba gave birth to their first daughter, Honor, a month after her marriage with Warren. Alba and Warren met at the set of Fantastic Four in 2005 where Warren worked as an assistant director.

SOURCES: The Miami Herald; Photo

Adrianne Palicki Set to Play Wonder Woman in NBC Pilot

Adrianne Palicki, who is well known for her role in the hit TV series Friday Night Lights, has been cast to play the iconic Wonder Woman in the new NBC Pilot set for an undisclosed time. Warner Bros. TV is going to be retelling the old DC comic story of Wonder Woman, also known as Diana Prince, who is balancing being a superhero to her corporate average lifestyle.

Palicki definitely has the look of wonder woman with that hair and beauty. It will be very interesting to see what comes of this.

SOURCE

True Blood stars to again attend Vampire Ball

Sweeter the second time around! True Blood’s two thousand year old vampire Godric, played by the talented Danish actor Allan Hyde had been announced to attend Starfury’s second annual Vampire Ball. The young actor will be joined by the amazing actress Mariana Klaveno, who played Lorena, Bill Compton’s rather controlling Maker. This will be Klaveno's first Vampire Ball. Other confirmed guests are Buffy stars Nicholas Brendon, Clare Kramer and Georges Jeanty.

The Vampire Ball is a three-day convention celebrating vampires in the media, and shows such as TRUE BLOOD, BUFFY, ANGEL, MOONLIGHT, BEING HUMAN and FOREVER KNIGHT. Featuring: guest talks, photo and autograph sessions, competitions, make up displays, parties and much more. The convention will once again be held at the at the Renaissance Hotel, Heathrow from 30th of September to the 2nd of October, 2011.

SOURCES: Vampire Ball, AllanHydeNews.com

Harry Potter: The Countdown to the End Episode 2

We just finished recording our second installment of Artists on Demand 's Harry Potter: The Countdown to the End. Tonight we discussed love in the Harry Potter series. How important it is to the plot of the story, how it was written on love, and of course we talked about the different relationships and friendships in Harry Potter. Including my history with the shipping wars and all the amazing relationships and friendships in the books.

I also announced the winner of our contest from last show. I am proud to say it is a follower of Honestly Ronald! Very excited. The winner is getting an official replica of a Time Turner. I am very excited about this! I got some great responses and really wish I could give them all prizes I have to say.

I also continued a contest I started that you must listen to the program to be a part of to win an epic prize. You can download the show for free via ITUNES podcasts. Just search ArtistsonDemandRadio and it should show up!

I will be able to announce the second contest though. The winner of this contest will receive a replica of the Quibbler including those snazzy awesome glasses that Luna rocks when she finds Harry on the floor of the train after getting stepped on by Malfoy. It is really cool. The contest is quite simple and fun. There is no word limit just send an e-mail explaining who your favorite Harry Potter character is and why they are your favorite. Send it to megan@artistsondemandonline.com . The DEADLINE is 2pmPST/5EST March 14, 2011. I will announce the winner on that evening's show which will air at 7PMPST/10EST you can listen live at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/artistsondemandradio or listen in at (347) 884-9941. Or you can download it free on ITUNES as a podcast. The March show we will discuss Hogwarts/The Houses, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, and Nympadora Tonks.


I look forward to your answers and I am stoked to give amazing Harry Potter fans some great prizes. Have any questions/comments feel free to reply and I will do my best to answer. Also there is no limit to you winning so if you win one contest you can enter all the others if you wish. No guarantee you will win but you are definitely welcome to re-enter.

I also wanted to say thank you to Dani for being an awesome co-host. I know that I come across as quite nerdy when it comes to Harry Potter. I do think that these are intellectual books for Adults to play around with. One of the greatest themes in Harry Potter is the power of love. It saves Harry in the beginning and it destroys Voldemort in the end. A wonderful trio of true friendship and love helps destroy the souls of death. Good will always conquer evil as long as we are pure of heart and we know exactly what we are fighting for. This is what the Harry Potter books show us and this is what I get from them. Love and choices conquer hate and abilities.

Thank you and until next time..make sure those you love know it and don't be afraid to show it. It is Valentine's Day after all.

New album from Radiohead

The English alternative rock band Radiohead who popularized the hits "Creep" and "Karma Police" are coming up with a new album. The band's 8th album, The King of Limbs, will be available for digital download on Saturday while its deluxe edition is set to be released on May 9th.

According to Radiohead's official website, the latter release will be dubbed as the Newspaper Album. It will will contain a CD, two 10-inch vinyl records and artwork sheets. The site also stated that "many large sheets of artwork, 625 tiny pieces of artwork and a full-colour piece of oxo-degradeable plastic to hold it all together." Fans who but the Newspaper Album also will be able to download The King of Limbs on Saturday.

"A signed 2 track 12" vinyl is also being offered by the band to "one lucky owner" who will buy the digital version of The Kings of Limbs from their website.



SOURCES: MTV, Video

James Franco: Jack of All Trades

It appears that James Franco can add another talent to his already extensive resume. Artist.
Not only is he preparing to host the 83rd Academy Awards on February 27, but he is also debuting his artwork at the Peres Projects gallery in Berlin.

"The Dangerous Book Four Boys" opened on Saturday at the gallery. Franco first showed off his artistic abilities in New York last year, where he put his photographs, films, and installation pieces on display. The most notable piece that fans and critics alike are looking forward to seeing is Franco's " direct-to-camera video of him talking with a rubber penis on his nose and mocking the process of film making."

The exhibit definitely sounds interesting, and I can only hope that it comes back to the states at some point. It is scheduled to be in Berlin until April 23rd.


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Elizabeth Taylor admitted to hospital...

7 years ago, Elizabeth Taylor told the world that she had a heart condition and this week she was admitted to hospital with congestive heart failure.

She was meant to receive an award at the amFAR charity recognition night for her well known dedication to AIDS research but Sir Elton John stepped up to take her place and passed on a message: "I am there in spirit and I join you in saluting my fellow honourees and all these extraordinary leaders. I am inspired by their example, exhilarated by their vision, and encouraged by their compassion and love. And I love them in return."

It's not known how long she's going to be hospitalized for but everyone is hoping for a speedy recovery for the 78year old iconic Oscar winning actress.

Source
Picture Source

The Hobbit is that one step closer to hitting our screens...

Drama, drama, drama! Not many movies go through this amount of drama and still get produced at the end of the day, but it seems that Peter Jackson's adaptation of JRR Tolkien's 'The Hobbit' has more than 9 lives.

A large group of the primary cast are already in New Zealand and posed for a photo after a press conference, with Martin Freeman (Bilbo Baggins) up front. Sadly, no Elijah in the group (but we do know that he is coming back as Frodo) or Orlando (he's not confirmed & his IMDB page still says 'rumored') and director Peter Jackson was on forced bed rest after surgery but was quoted as saying "I'd love to be with you all this morning, but I'm currently under a medical form of house arrest to prevent me from overdoing it, until fully recovered from my recent operation, I'll be jumping back into it very soon" No doubt he'll be needing the rest before throwing himself into the grueling schedule that will see them film the 2 films back to back.

Now that a filming schedule has been finalised, release dates have been tentatively set for 2012 & 2013.

Check out more casting info from E! here


Source

Harry Potter: The Countdown to the End - Contest/Show Update

I am posting to remind you all about our second Harry Potter: The Countdown to the End that will air on Monday 7PST/10EST you can listen to it LIVE at at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/artistsondemandradio or call in to listen at (347) 884-9941. Or you can just download it for free on ITUNES an hour after the show airs.

On our first show we announced two contests. The first contest is something that you should find by listening to the show if you haven't listened to it yet... Dani and I discussed Feminism in HP, Ron Weasley, and Sirius Black.

The second contest where the winner will win an Official Time Turner replica is to write about how you got into Harry Potter and why you love it so much. Send this to my e-mail address megan@artistsondemandonline.com by Monday February 14, 2011 at 2PM PST/5PMEST and have a chance to win.

The winner will be announced on this coming Monday's Harry Potter show. Plus a new contest will be announced on that show as well. We are talking about the importance of Love to the series plus all the relationships/friendships that exist in the stories. Plus the latest HP Deathly Hallows Part 2 News. You can listen to it live at 7PST/10EST time at the link and phone number above. Or if you can't make it be sure to download it on ITUNES for free an hour after the show ends.

Send in those entries I really want an awesome HP Fan to win!

- Megan

Highway 9

A group of high school students got together and made this movie called Highway 9. Not expecting it to go anywhere, they were just as surprised as everyone else when the film started getting national recognition. If you have not checked it out, make sure to take a peak below. Or the whole thing... Enjoy!

Play Review for "Sylvia"

"Sylvia"
By A.R. Gurney


The Sierra Madre Playhouse is nestled in the middle of a community, which has its own strange niche in Los Angeles.  Sierra Madre is a small town, in a big city.  The city can boast ties to Hollywood, is home to a widely varied people, and doesn't make a pretense at the hyperbole graffitied over antiquated buildings, and peeling paint that other towns nearby attempt.

It is perhaps for this reason that the Playhouse itself is uncomplicated and direct.  Not being surrounded by ostentation, it is simply a place to see a show. 

On Friday, February 4th, I sat down in this simple, but elegant show place, to watch an 8:00 pm showing of A.R. Gurney's famed play, Sylvia.  On a mission from my Program Manager at Artists On Demand Radio, I knew only two things about it.  The play had something to do with dogs, and one of the lead characters was the kind soul who would be plied into an interview by me following the performance.

I'm embarrassed by my lack of familiarity with the play, but I can't pretend I'm not pleased by my own ignorance.  I walked into the performance thoroughly unjaded by past experience, and as a result was uninhibitedly delighted by it.

"Sylvia' is the story of a man and his dog, but there is so much more to that relationship than those dry, parochial words can convey.  "Greg" is that man, he is a man who has reached a plateau in his life, which he stands on, looks around at the valley below and realizes it just isn't what he thought it would be.  His dissatisfaction is salved by his sudden discovery of a friend, a canine friend, Sylvia.  Through the course of the story, Greg develops a close, blindingly singular affection for Sylvia to the extent that it ends his career, and threatens his marriage.  Oblivious to all except his abiding affection for the animal, Greg makes fascinating leaps of conscious thought, but ultimately realizes that Sylvia is forcing him to choose between two incompatible lifestyles.

Having been completely beguiled by this story, I do not wish to divulge too much of the story here in my review.  I will only say that Tanna Frederick; a delightful, extraordinarily talented actress, plays Sylvia.  Between the dual images of Sylvia finding a "good crotch", and her later experience going through "heat", there are many moments of ridiculously hilarious malarky.

If you have, or have not seen "Sylvia", be sure to watch this show, Tanna Frederick gives Sylvia something I'm not sure anyone else could have.  She morphs fluidly and hilariously from shabby to shine.

Stephen Howard as Greg is the man anyone would want as their "owner", and Cathy Arden is so perfect as Kate, she makes you empathize with her plight, keeping you from entirely giving in to "Sylvia's" infectious sweetness.  Also Frank Dooley tackles several characters, and manages to make each one recognizable, yet fresh at the same time.  Well directed, well acted and eminently well written, I recommend Sylvia to anyone, but most particularly if you are yourself, a dog owner.  "Sylvia" will be playing at the Sierra Madre Playhouse until Saturday, February 19th, 2011.

The Sierra Madre Playhouse
87 West Sierra Madre Boulevard
Sierra Madre, CA 91024-2462
Reservations and Information: (626) 355-4318
www.SierraMadrePlayhouse.com

By: LRilea

X-Men: First Class, Official Trailer

X-Men: First Class “charts the epic beginning of the X-Men saga, and reveals a secret history of famous global events. Before mutants had revealed themselves to the world, and before Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Not archenemies, they were instead at first the closest of friends, working together with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to prevent nuclear Armageddon. In the process, a grave rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto’s Brotherhood and Professor X’s X-Men." - X-Men: First Class

20th Century Fox recently released the official trailer to the film that said to be the reboot of the comic series X-Men. The film was directed by Matthew Vaughn and was based on the story of original X-Men director, Bryan Singer.

X-Men: First class is set to be released in June 3rd, 2011. It stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Rose Byrne, January Jones, Oliver Platt, and Kevin Bacon.

"Listen carefully to me my friend... Killing will not bring you peace."
"Peace is never an option."
-Xavier and Magneto in X-Men: First Class

SOURCES: SlashFilm, Video from XMenMovies

"Born This Way" by Lady Gaga out now!

"I'm beautiful in my way 'cause God makes no mistakes... I'm on the right track, baby... I was born this way."

These are some of the lyrics from Lady Gaga's latest much-hyped single, "Born This Way." The single premiered this morning but it was reported that Lady Gaga had leaked the lyrics in Twitter herself about two weeks ago.

"Born This Way" was co-produced by Lady Gaga with Fernando Garibay and DJ White Shado.

Lady Gaga's next album of the same name is set to be released in 23rd of May. Lady Gaga promised her fans that it would be the "greatest album of this decade." She had teamed up with Target offering fans a deluxe edition of her new album which will include three studio songs and five remixes. The "Born This Way" deluxe edition is available starting today.

Lady Gaga is said to perform "Born This Way" at the 53rd Grammy Awards on Sunday, February 13th.

SOURCE: People, Just Jared.

Gary Busey HIRED or FIRED?

I was washing dishes this afternoon as I saw the commercial advertising The Celebrity Apprentice 2011 cast; I almost dropped a plate because I was so excited when I heard that Gary Busey will be one of the Celebrities competing to stay in THE TRUMP’s good graces!

Joining Busey in the Boardroom this season will be La Toya Jackson, Mark McGrath, Star Jones, Lisa Rinna, Dionne Warwick, Richard Hatch, Jose Canseco, Niki Taylor, Meatloaf, Marlee Matlin, David Cassidy, Hope Dworaczyk, Lil John, & John Rich.

Be sure to tune in starting March 6^th as we see this wide variety of personality types as they venture through New York on missions from The Trump man himself to see who has to hear those two dreaded words YOU’RE FIRED!

This is going to be a great season (As always!) I am looking forward to it!

~Josh

Supernatural Recap: Like a Virgin

Like a Virgin: Supernatural Recap

First things first: welcome back Supernatural! And what a return it was! The CW has been teasing us for weeks with promo teasers that got us excited for the return of Supernatural and last night’s episode delivered beyond belief.

We started out with the iconic ‘The Road So Far’ montage, a favourite among the fans, which showed us what has happened during the last eleven episodes. We saw soulless Sam, the breakdown of Lisa and Dean’s relationship, and the destruction of Crowley. Not to mention the devilishly delightful Death, who warned Sam not to scratch at ‘the wall’.

It’s been a difficult road since episode one of the new season, Exile on Main Street, with the reappearance of Sam, but with the new episode, Like a Virgin we saw the old Sam we know and love return. However, Dean’s hesitance to tell Sam the truth about the year he’d been back was a sign that Dean’s protective side was kicking in, despite the consequences.

Sam’s Soul is Back!

I think a cry of joy echoed in the Supernatural fandom when Sam emerged from a soul awakening slumber a different man than he’d been before. The emotion on both Dean and Sam’s face when they embraced was the familial bond we’ve come to love on Supernatural. The look of relief on Dean’s face and the realization that the brother he’d lost was back was instant. Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki portray the characters emotions phenomenally and deserve a multitude of praise for this episode.

Father figure Bobby, still upset that Sam tried to kill him, provides the voice of reason in this episode and tries to advise Dean, much to his chagrin when Dean refuses to tell Sammy what happened during the year he was supposedly ‘dead’. We see a clipped relationship between Bobby and Dean for much of the episode.

Winged Beast and Other Things:

Not a subject we expected to see on Supernatural but all the same, Sera Gamble injected life into the subject and the storyline written by Adam Glass and gave us fans another unapproached subject: dragons -virgin stealing dragons to be exact.

We saw Dean and Sam get back into the saddle with an investigation into the missing girls, coming up with only one survivor. However, it was revealed the surviving girl was not a virgin but was acting under the pretence. The attacker had rejected her after realizing she was no longer a virgin, leaving multiple wounds on her body and causing her to be hospitalized. Her faux purity ring was also stolen during the attack. This leads the boys to connect whatever is attacking the girls is also stealing their jewellery which leads to Sam researching and ending up on a World of Warcraft website and concluding to one conclusion: Dragons.

When Dean contacts Bobby, he insists that dragons aren’t real, but Dean asks him to look into the subject. Bobby recommends an old ‘friend’ which Dean goes alone to visit.

Dr. Visyak, a dragon expert and one time ‘thing’ of Bobby’s can’t believe a dragon has returned and informs him he needs a special sword to slay a dragon. Luckily for him, she has one in her basement. The only problem? It’s cast in stone.

There aren’t words to describe how funny the following scene was. Jensen Ackles comedic timing excels in this hilarious scene in which Dean attempts to remove the sword from the stone (Dean the Dragon slayer comes to mind). When he has no success, he convinces the Professor to let him blow up the rock. She isn’t impressed when the explosion leaves her with half a sword and room full of rubble.

The episode switches to Sam; alone in the hotel room, he calls for Castiel, who is

unaware that Sam does not know what happened in the year he was soulless. He knows something is wrong; sensing Bobby’s awkwardness and Dean’s lies, the non filtered angel arrives and fills him in on his adventures while he was an empty shell and some of what he did as Lucifer’s vessel. Poor Sam, this may send him into emo overtime.

Dean, his brother and the Dragon:

Dean returns with a broken sword and Sam, who is choosing not tell Dean he knows the truth, head to the sewers where Sam suspects the girls are being held. They find a bunch of gold jewellery, of which Dean light fingers some for himself and the missing girls...

...And two shape shifting dragons! Sam manages to kill one with the broken sword but the other disappears. The brothers arrive back at Bobby’s house and Sam chooses that moment to reveal he knows what happened during the year he was soulless. The younger Winchester apologizes profusely to his brother and promises he will put things right. Dean argues that he doesn’t want that; he doesn’t want Sam to do anything that might damage the wall Death put up in his mind to protect him. But Sam won’t budge; he feels he has to make up what he’s done.

Bobby and the boys sit down to talk about the ancient book they found in the dragons lair and they realize the book is about Purgatory. It directly relates to how to open the door to Purgatory and how to get something out.

The Mother of All:

We’re back to the dragons as they sacrifice one of the virgins, and we see the next big bad of supernatural: The Mother of All. But who is the mother? Bobby told Dean and Sam she is the mother of all. We’re presuming the mother of all Alphas, Demons or of all Evil. She scolds them for keeping her waiting and informs them they have a lot to do. She’s arrived fairly late into the season and we’re wondering just what she has in store.

Hooray, the Hellatus is over!

The opening episode of the midseason premiere sets a new tone for the second half of the season. The first half was slow, and felt like we were venturing out into new, uncomfortable territory. Sam’s return signals a return to arms between Dean and Sam, seeing their relationship slide back to what it once was. The healing toward season five of the brother’s relationship seems to have cemented their bond. Personally, I think the second half of the season will emerge as some of the greatest episodes of Supernatural we have ever seen. If Like a Virgin was anything to go by, we’re in for a wonderful ride!