star wars celebration

May the 4th Be With You: Star Wars Day!

Happy Star Wars Day!

It seems like this is the biggest May 4th Star Wars Day ever, as fans who were not in the know are celebrating for the first time given the post-Star Wars Celebration excitement and The Force Awakens hype.

Even Vanity Fair is getting into the mix, launching their May issue with the Star Wars cast-past and present-on the cover. (Harrison Ford is there, and I’m sure the fact that Annie Leibovitz is the photographer had something to do with it)

In honor of the momentous, should-be-a-national-holiday, here are some SWCA pictures, and a few more from Disneyland.

May the 4th Be With You!

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May the 4th Be With You: Star Wars Day!

Happy Star Wars Day!

It seems like this is the biggest May 4th Star Wars Day ever, as fans who were not in the know are celebrating for the first time given the post-Star Wars Celebration excitement and The Force Awakens hype.

Even Vanity Fair is getting into the mix, launching their May issue with the Star Wars cast-past and present-on the cover. (Harrison Ford is there, and I’m sure the fact that Annie Leibovitz is the photographer had something to do with it)

In honor of the momentous, should-be-a-national-holiday, here are some SWCA pictures, and a few more from Disneyland.

May the 4th Be With You!

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Bad Parenting at Star Wars Celebration (and almost any other place that has cosplay…)

Today at Star Wars Celebration I saw something that made me cringe.  My stomach actually turned at the sight.

A guy was standing in front of the Anaheim Convention Center with his daughter, who was posing for pictures.  Her cosplay was amazing.  Not only did her costume look great, but she really did look like a mini version of Princess Leia.  Yep, she was dressed up as Slave Leia in a skimpy chain metal bikini.

And she was 9.

Now, even if we lived in a pure world without violence toward children, I’d still cringe.  No one needs to see that much of your 9 year old daughter. 

Unfortunately, the world we live in is not as pure-hearted as we would like, and giving people an opportunity to photograph a 9 year old in a Slave Leia costume is just a bad idea.  It’s not that the people taking pictures are necessarily bad, rather those pictures invariably end up online for everyone to see, and they will end up in the wrong hands.  Another way to think of it is that you wouldn’t allow a stranger to photograph your daughter in her bathing suit at the beach, so why do it at a convention?

I’m not old enough to be a true curmudgeon, and I’m not a parent.  However, I just don’t see how this ends up well. 

Just my two cents…

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Up Next: Star Wars Celebration Anaheim

Well, it’s finally here.  In a few short days I’ll be making the short drive up the 5 Freeway to Anaheim, CA, to the Star Wars Celebration.

We’re already getting emails from the event planners talking about the queue procedures on Thursday.  Thursday at 10am, you see, is when JJ Abrams is doing his panel presentation on the newest incarnation of the Star Wars franchise, The Force Awakens.  And that’s where everyone will be.

From amazing cosplay and the full complement of the 501st Legion to panels to out of this world merchandise, Star Wars Celebration is the place to be next weekend.

For full coverage, keep an eye on my blog!

 

My Con Schedule (So Far)

I’m happy to report that I’ll be attending several cons this year to provide coverage for Dark Media Online.  My press badges have been approved and I’m ready to go.  (I even have a photographer, aka my trusty sister who is a photographic genius)

This weekend is the Long Beach Comic Expo.  This is the sister event to the Long Beach Comic Con in September, and while the focus is on comics, there is already a ton of cosplay planned, along with panels and screenings.

In April I’ll be heading up the 5 to Anaheim to cover the Star Wars Celebration.  I’m really excited about this event, even though Jawas terrified me when I was younger.  (Don’t tell anyone, but they still do)  I can only imagine how great the event will be this year with the new film set for release.  Mark Hamill has been confirmed as a guest, as are the actors behind C3PO and R2D2.  It’s going to be phenomenal.

And now that my press badge for San Diego Comic Con has just been approved, so you can expect to see tons of coverage both here and at DarkMediaOnline.com.  We should be podcasting by that point as well, so watch for updates.  SDCC means a long (15-minute drive) Downtown for me, so you can be assured of tons of pre-convention coverage as the signage goes up and the Exhibit Hall takes shape.  It’s also fun to wander the Gaslamp to see what is moving in for SDCC.  (Remember the Godzilla building?  We drove by last week and the Legendary art is still inside)

Lots of good things to come in the next few weeks/months, so stay tuned!