TALKING ANGELA is the most stylish, fashion-forward feline around. With her own dedicated YouTube channel and devoted Facebook and Twitter followers, Talking Angela has taken the digital world by storm; cat-apulting into the apps record books with her series of apps including Talking Angela, My Talking Angela and more.  This fabulous feline soars to even greater heights each week in Talking Tom and Friends: The Animated Series. http://talkingtomandfriends.com/

The show is based on the entertainment phenomenon that has achieved over three billion mobile downloads for its suite of apps, and three billion views on YouTube, the animated series chronicles the adventures, hijinks, and inventions of Talking Tom and the gang (including Angela) as they shoot their own reality television show.

Angela celebrates her birthday on February 2^nd (but like any Hollywood starlet, she wouldn’t confirm her age.)  She also just recently celebrated a year full of fun and success for her hit app My Talking Angela, and her totally new co-starring role in the latest (totally addictive) app from Outfit7, Talking Tom Bubble Shooter.  Could one cat be any busier?

Lisa Schwartz who plays animated Angela on the hit YouTube series sends her best birthday wishes to her favorite animated pretty-kitty saying “Love you BFF.”

Bristol, PA – February 1, 2016, – Wicked Cool Toys has teamed up with Alchemy II, Inc. to relaunch the Teddy Ruxpin brand and franchise globally with toys, content and comprehensive licensed merchandising program. Returning in Fall 2017, Teddy Ruxpin remains one of history’s most successful, trusted and cherished children’s entertainment properties!

Teddy Ruxpin launched in 1985 with enormous success as the world’s first fully animated talking toy. Named as one of the 100 Greatest Toys of All-Time by Time Magazine, the new Teddy Ruxpin will engage with a whole new generation of kids whose parents and grandparents adored Teddy for his wholesome fun, exciting interactive adventures and cutting edge technology, making Teddy Ruxpin more relevant to today’s kids than ever.

“Teddy Ruxpin’s play-pattern and infusion of technology was way ahead of his time back in the 80’s, and with continued massive parental awareness it’s the right time to bring back this coveted brand,” said Michael Rinzler, Co-President & Founding Partner, Wicked Cool Toys.

Jeremy Padawer, Co-President & Partner, Wicked Cool Toys, adds, “We are embracing the past and making Teddy Ruxpin as adorable and engaging as ever, while innovating Teddy with features that will amaze parents and their tech savvy children.”

Padawer and Rinzler will be meeting with potential partners at Kidscreen Summit in Miami, New York International Toy Fair, and more in the months to come.

Created in 1985 by Ken Forsse, former Disney Imagineer, Teddy Ruxpin was the very first of his kind, creating a new industry category in talking toys. Teddy Ruxpin became an overnight sensation as parents and children embraced the lovable, gentle storytelling bear and the 65-episode television series. Teddy Ruxpin sold more than 8 million units in a few short years!

“Teddy Ruxpin is more than just a toy,” said Jan Forsse, President of Alchemy II. “He’s about friendship, magical fun, storytelling and literacy, and we believe the team at Wicked Cool Toys has just the right experience to bring this friend-for-life franchise back to life for a whole new generation of kids.”

“Alchemy is thrilled to work with Wicked Cool Toys, to maximize Teddy’s creativity with new innovations, and meet with potential content and licensing partners,” said Mary Becker, Vice President of Alchemy II.

About Teddy Ruxpin

The first interactive children’s toy took the form of a talking teddy bear; Teddy Ruxpin’s mouth and eyes were programmed and synchronized with his voice as he told stories that played on a cassette deck in his back. At the peak of his popularity, Teddy Ruxpin became the best-selling toy of 1985 and 1986. An animated Teddy Ruxpin series, “The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin,” debuted in 1987.

About Alchemy II

Alchemy II, Inc., owner of the Teddy Ruxpin brand, was founded by Ken Forsse in 1982. Following the success of its technology and toy, Alchemy produced a 65 episode animated series called, “The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin” as well as more than 60 books and audio tapes featuring original stories, art and songs. The Teddy Ruxpin brand expanded to include interactive games, plush, poseables, clothing and more. Over 8 million Teddy Ruxpin animated toys were sold worldwide in 13 languages. The combined worldwide gross earnings from the Teddy Ruxpin talking toy products, books, audio tapes, television series, merchandising, licensing, and other ancillary products and royalties were an estimated 6 billion dollars over a three year period from 1985 to 1987.

Alchemy II also developed the Talking Mother Goose, and in collaboration with Disney, Charles Schultz and Henson respectively, Mickey Mouse and Goofy, Snoopy and Charlie Brown, and Baby Boppers all became Talking Toys from Alchemy II.

About Wicked Cool Toys

Founded in 2012, Wicked Cool Toys (Wicked Cool Toys LLC/WCT) is an emerging leader in play that creates, designs, manufactures and markets a diverse, innovative and fun portfolio of toys for all ages.  Wicked Cool Toys’ portfolio includes Cabbage Patch Kids®, GSUSA® (Girl Scouts), Teddy Ruxpin, MasterChef Junior, WWE®, Wild Kratts, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles®, Blaze, Shimmer and Shine, Xtreme Cycle, Cat Paw, My Girl’s Dollhouse and Vrüm.  WCT’s Girl Scouts Cookie Oven was a 2016 Girl Toy of the Year (TOTY) nominee and top pick on every major retailers’ 2015 holiday list, including, Walmart, Toys “R” Us, Amazon and Target.  WCT was also selected by industry peers as a Kidscreen Hot50 Company in the Licensing category for 2015! Visit www.wickedcooltoys.com and follow the Company on both Facebook and Twitter.  www.facebook.com/wickedcooltoys    @wickedcooltoys

“Close up person using smartphone” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by  Japanexperterna.se 

Online gambling is such a vast and ever expanding market, and 2016 is set to see even more huge developments in the ways in which people can gamble. If you aren’t already using multiple platforms to get your gaming fix, this might be the year to do so. When wearable technology gets in on the act, you will want to be there with it. Get some of these apps for your smartphone now before you get left behind.

Betting Expert

For people who like to have a flutter on the horses or stake on the outcome of a football match, there are plenty of betting apps available to download that you can use on the move. You can also do in-play betting while at a sports event for ultimate convenience. Once you have found the betting app that suits your needs, why not download an app that provides you with those much-needed betting tips as well? Betting Expert is ideal for anyone who wants to have that extra little bit of help when placing bets. All successful bettors will tell you that one of the most important things before you even think about placing a bet is to have some insider knowledge.

With the app, players can browse sports tips and get a quick overview of the main events going on that day. It has a notifications feature which means you never miss an important tip, and you can also choose to follow your favourite tipsters so if someone helps you out with a good bet you can see what they say about another event. With loads of satisfied customer reviews, this seems like a must-have app for any gambler.

32red Casino

Online casinos are growing by the day, and most of the top ones have branched out and developed their own smartphone apps. This allows keen gamblers to play while on the move and the apps are ideal for anyone with a hectic schedule. Players who need to satisfy their blackjack or roulette urge while on the move have plenty of sites to choose from such as Vegas Slots Online, 32red, and Smartphone Casino. Taking the 32red app as an example, players have all the games that are available on the website at their fingertips. They can play blackjack by 32red and new members can take advantage of a welcome bonus. Existing members can log in to the app using the same details as they would on the computer. Once you’re in, you can bet on all the games and tables as you would do online or in a casino. Of course, there are plenty of other casino apps to choose from and, if you are already a member of an online casino, why not see if they have their own app for you to download?

World Series of Poker-WSOP

“Pocket Aces” (CC BY 2.0) by  John-Morgan

Fans of casino apps may also be interested in the wide range of poker apps available to download. There are so many to choose from, but if you don’t feel like shopping around, the World Series of Poker app is your best bet. This is a free play app where players can enjoy the thrill of playing poker games and tournaments without the risk of staking any of their own money. It is ideal for people who are a bit rusty and want to get back into the swing of things, or newcomers who want to learn the ropes. There are multi-level tournaments, players can play live with friends, and receive free chips every four hours. A great feature of the app is that it allows you to track your stats so you can look into ways to improve your game. You can connect the app with your Facebook and also play slots mini games in between hands. Once you have got the hang of things and think you know what to do when you hit bullets, then you could check out some of the other poker apps that let you play for real money.

These are only a few examples of the hundreds of great gambling apps out there right now. 2016 is set to see even more apps rise to prominence, along with apps being available on a multitude of platforms. Get with the trend now and download these apps for free.

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One of the main factors that attract so many of us to sports films is that they usually have a happy ending.

While the sporting action itself can often be hit-and-miss, more often than not, the good guy succeeds and the right team lift the trophy.

From the classic sporting pictures such as Chariots of Fire to the more modern efforts like Draft Day, we’re taken on a journey that usually sees the star overcome some type of turmoil on the way to a triumphant victory.

The actors playing the roles might not always get it spot on in terms of replicating those sporting superstars they are portraying, but these films are about so much more than picking apart Adam Sandler’s back-swing or Matt Damon’s mauling technique.

Let’s have a look at some classic sports films in which the recurring theme of success appears.

Rocky: When it comes to sporting movies, you have to really begin with Rocky. Starting from humble beginnings on the mean streets of Philadelphia, our hero goes on a brutal journey to the heavyweight championship of the world. The series even recently spawned a seventh film in Creed. Sylvester Stallone’s portrayal of Rocky Balboa not only made him a household name, it also played a huge part in boxing’s huge popularity throughout the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. With Creed making waves with both the box office and the critics, we might not have seen the end of Rocky Balboa’s iconic cinematic career.

Moneyball: Covering the Oakland Athletics’ trials, tribulations and then success in the 2002 MLB season, Moneyball is another film that combines the drama involved in sport both on and off the field of play. Telling the story of general manager Billy Beane’s bid to assemble a team capable of mixing it with the best, Moneyball profiles a 2002 season in which the Athletics lost a host of star names and built a team of lesser known players that led the team to the American League West title in one of the most iconic seasons in the club’s history. With Oakland’s glory days now nothing but a distant memory, and the franchise priced as long as 66/1 with the likes of the Bet365 betting odds as of the end of January, this is a perfect trip down memory lane for those beleaguered Athletics fans.

Happy Gilmore: Hey, come on now, this is a *great* movie. OK, it’s a decent movie with some very funny bits. Adam Sandler plays Happy Gilmore, who is a short-fused good guy with a remarkable talent that makes the move from the brutal arena of ice hockey into the traditional and stuffy world of golf. Needing to raise money in order to save his Grandma’s home, our maverick hero wins the Tour Championship in frankly unbelievable scenes. He walks away with the title, the girl and the money. The legitimacy of Happy’s speedy journey from novice to champion might have more holes in it than the course at Augusta, but it doesn’t stop this from being a very enjoyable way to spend 92 minutes.

via GIPHY

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David Bowie, who as a singer, arranger, songwriter, producer, actor and painter, influenced countless artists for more than four decades, died yesterday, January 10, two days after his birthday. He was 69.

Born David Robert Jones on January 8, 1947 in South London, Bowie always had a fascination with music and spent his earliest years hoping to achieve fame. At age 15 he joined a band called the Konrads, but left them soon to join the King Bees. His first single, titled “Liza Jane,” was released as being recorded by Davie Jones and the King Bees. It was not a hit. He later left the group and joined two other bands, Mannish Boys and Lower Third.

In 1966, to avoid being confused with Monkee’s singer Davy Jones, he changed his name to David Bowie, taking his last name from the great American 19th century pioneer Jim Bowie, who died during the battle of the Alamo. Jim Bowie pronounced his last name “Boo-ee” but David went with the harder pronunciation. In 1969 a friend and he put together a promotional film, which included snippets from many of his songs, including “Space Oddity,” which would eventually hit the top 5 in England. The film was not released until 1984.

On May 30, 1971, Bowie and his wife, Angie, welcomed a son into the world, Duncan Zowie Haywood Jones, who for the first 12 years of his life, was known as Zowie Bowie! Today Duncan is a highly respected filmmaker (“Moon”). In 1972 Bowie radically changed his image, becoming a “space man” and releasing the album “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.” That same year, singer Ian Hunter told Bowie that he needed one more song for his groups, Mott the Hoople, upcoming album. Legend has it that Bowie sat down on the floor and, in twenty minutes, penned “All the Young Dudes.”

In 1974 he released the album “Diamond Dogs,” which produced two hit singles: the title track and “Rebel, Rebel.” The next year he exploded onto the charts, releasing the album “Young Americans.” The first single from the album, “FAME,” a song he co-wrote with John Lennon, hit number one on the US Charts. Lennon also sang back up on the song. Two other singles, “Golden Years” and the title tune, also charted well. To capitalize on the success, “Space Oddity” was reissued in England and went to number one on the British charts. In 1976 he released the album “Station to Station.” He also left Ziggy Stardust behind and adapted a new persona, taken from the first song on the new album: The Thin White Duke. He also starred opposite Candy Clark in the film, “The Man Who Fell to Earth.”

As the 70’s ended, he moved to Germany, where he did a trio of albums that he would refer to as his “triptych,” : “Low,” “Heroes” and “Lodger.” In 1980 he spent three months on Broadway in the title role of “The Elephant Man,” earning great reviews. The following year he teamed up with Queen to produced the hit song, “Under Pressure.” In 1983 he reached the pinnacle of his success with the release of the album “Let’s Dance,” which produced the hits “Modern Love,” “China Girl” and the title song. He also continued his film career, appearing in 1983’s “The Hunger” and “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence.” Other film roles include the Goblin King in “Labyrinth,” Pontius Pilate in “The Last Temptation of Christ” and inventor Nicoli Tesla in “The Prestige.”

The next three decades were ones of experimentation. In 1989 he formed the group Tin Machine. Following that he began mixing electronic and classical music.

In 2001, he opened The Concert for New York, a benefit for the victims of the 9/11 tragedy, by performing Simon and Garfunkle’s “America” and his song, “Heroes.” He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 and in 2006 received a Lifetime Grammy Award.

On January 8, 2016, his 69th birthday, he released his latest album, “Blackstar,” which is already being mentioned as a nominee for the best album of the year.

Thank you to all of the fans who either posted their choices or emailed them in. Another great response from our great readers. For the first time we had a category with a tie.

The awards were voted on and chosen by both the readers and staff of MediaMikes.com. (10) random entries have been selected to receive a nice selection of 2015 Movie Swag and they will be notified shortly by email. A big “thank you” to our friends at Allied Integrated Marketing in Kansas City for providing prize items.

And now, the envelopes please:

BEST PICTURE: (tie) “The Revenant” and “Star Wars – Episode VII: The Force Awakens”

BEST DIRECTOR: Ron Howard, “In the Heart of the Sea”

BEST ACTOR: Leonardo DiCaprio, “The Revenant”

BEST ACTRESS: Brie Larson, “Room”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Mark Rylance, “Bridge of Spies”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Rooney Mara, “Carol”

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: “Inside Out”

BEST ORIGINAL MUSICAL SCORE: John Williams, “Star Wars – Episode VII: The Force Awakens

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Alex Garland, “Ex Machina”

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Drew Goddard, “The Martian”

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: “The Wrecking Crew”

Now that the calendar has turned over to 2016, some of our critics decided to compile their annual “Best of/Worse of” lists of the films of 2015. You can listen to them list their choices, as well as their reasons, on this week’s “Behind the Mikes” Podcast – http://behindthemikes.podomatic.com/entry/2016-01-03T02_32_33-08_00

Michael Smith

Before I list my favorites, I have an honorary film, “Star Wars – Episode VII: The Force Awakens.” It narrowly missed being a part of my Top 10 but, as the most anticipated film of the year, it delivered everything I wanted and more. My “Best of” choices:

1. The Revenant
2. Bridge of Spies
3. The Connection
4. Creed
5. The Gift
6. Mad Max: Fury Road
7. Sicario
8. Spotlight

9. Here I chose (3) smaller films that didn’t gain a wide release but are still “must sees” in my book:

5-7 – A sweet, May-December romance starring Anton Yelchin and Berenice Marhloe that I called, “cleverly acted by a cast that believes in the material.”

The Looking Glass – A well written, thoughtfully directed character directed film, featuring strong performances by veteran actress Dorothy Tristan, who also wrote the script, and newcomer Grace Tarnow.

Radio America – the story of two men, friends since childhood, who pursue their musical ambitions and learn that sometimes having your dreams come true is costly. Also has a great soundtrack of original music.

10. Straight Outta Compton

Thankfully I was spared many of this years stinkers. My bottom four:
1. Love the Coopers
2. The Last Witch Hunter
3. The Kingsman: The Secret Service
4. Tomorrowland

Jeremy Werner’s Top 10
1. Inside Out
2. Mad Max: Fury Road
3. Sicario
4. Star Wars – Episode VII: The Force Awakens
5. It Follows
6. The Look of Silence
7. Spotlight
8. The Martian
9. Room
10. Carol

And the stinkers:
1. Point Break
2. The Human Centipede 3
3. Hitman: Agent 47
4. The Fantastic Four
5. The Ridiculous Six

Lauren Damon’s Top 7:
1. (tie) Crimson Peak and Ex Machina
2. The Hateful Eight
3. What We Do In the Shadows
4. The Martian
5. Jurassic World
6. Mad Max: Fury Road
7. Cinderella

And Lauren’s terrible 2:
Self/Less
Blackhat

Podcast Contributor Loey Lockerby’s Top 10:
1. Room
2. The Martian
3. Inside Out
4. The Big Short
5. It Follows
6. Ex Machina
7. The Hateful Eight
8. Carol
9. Star Wars – Episode VII: The Force Awakens
10. Mad Max: Fury Road

Loey says they were spared having to watch anything horrible this past year. You can read Loey’s full reviews at www.suchacritic.com

[Editor’s note, an earlier version of this post had Lauren lacking worst picks. She had them.]

If you are a gamer, one of the most important pieces of equipment besides the controller is your headset. If you are playing games that require precision sound that you need to make sure you have the best. Look no further to Logitech, this month they have released the G933 Artemis Spectrum Wireless Gaming Headset, just in time for the holidays. Look no further, since this is no question, the best headset I have seen in 2015. Every year, the tech get better as does the headset and each year these companies are making impressing buyers with new features and no one does it better than Logitech.

Before reviewing this product, I was able to get on the phone with one of the key developers of this outstanding headset and got an inside look into its key features and unique abilities. What makes this headset better than others and worth taking a look at? Well, it features brand new Patent pending advanced Pro-G™ audio drivers which are only available in this headset. These are made with hybrid mesh materials deliver super performance and unprecedented audio quality. I was literally blown away by this one feature alone! Whether you are listening to music or playing a video game, this unit deliver both clean and accurate highs as well as a deep rich bass.

Logitech G933 Artemis Spectrum Wireless Gaming Headset allows you to experience incredible 7.1 surround sound with Dolbyreg; or DTS Headphone:X Surround Sound. Of course you need to have Logitech Gaming Software to get 7.1 sound but it is totally worth it because you are able to create an outstanding in-game awareness, hearing every branch cracking and noise possible. Another benefit of this unit is that it simply supported all game platforms. One headset to rule them all! This works with PC, mobile, home theater devices, and game consoles, most important supporting BOTH PS4 and Xbox One.

One of the important questions that I had for the developer of the product when we spoke was about the how clear the communication was on the foldaway, noise-cancelling mic. Well as he explained and as it turned out it is absolutely crystal clear. Testing it out, I found that it was clearing that even my cell phone at times. The boom is removable as well which is cool if you don’t want it in your face or you can fold it back as well.

Listen if you are planning on wearing this headset for hours at a time also or even longer (if you have a few days off from work and no plans), you are going to need comfort. The G933 Artemis Spectrum is designed for long gaming sessions. It is extremely comfortable and relaxed on your head. It uses new sports mesh materials in the ear cups and headband are soft and breathable for maximum comfort. The over-the-ear ear cups designed to fit around most ears without applying pressure on soft tissues. My ears are very sensitive and hurt easily with headsets usually and I actually forgot that I was wearing it at one time during my testing. Plus if you like to keep clean, the ear cups can be removed from the headset and washed (but you know you will never use that).

For those that like customizing your lights and tabs, the G933 Artemis Spectrum has customizable lighting zones, including the light strip and logo. You are able to customize each zone and program them to different colors or effects as well as even have them synchronized. There is also no shortage in options, the adjustable RGB lighting lets you select from up to 16.8 million colors. I have never been huge with this feature but users that like syncing their equipment lights will love this.

Keeping with customization, you are able able to assign custom commands using Logitech Gaming Software on the three programmable G-keys. This will allow you to move around seamlessly between your gaming and media experience. Some of the custom controls you can play with are controls for each audio profiles, skipping to the next song, activating push-to-talk communication, in-game trigger instant command combinations, and more. You can also use the Logitech Gaming Software to program the audio equalizer and pre-set audio preferences for music, games and movies.

Whether you want to use this headset wired or wirelessly, you can choice either one. Even though it is wireless, you will get a lag-free experience on 2.4GHz wireless for up to 12 hours per charge, without lighting, or if not 8 hours, with default lighting. So honestly just expect to recharge this headset after every use because who is going to use default settings and use less than 8 hours if you got a good session going. If you don’t want to use wireless, the 3.5mm analog input on the headset allows you to use wired without using battery power. So if you are looking for a perfect gift this season, look no further.

New York Comic Con 2015
Date: Thursday, October 8th – Sunday, October 11th
Venue: Jacob K. Javitz Center, New York, New York

As the leaves begin to fall and Halloween decorations begin to go up it marks the change in season for most but for pop-culture fans it acts as the tell tale sign that New York Comic Con is just around the corner. The ginormous four day event which marked its 10 anniversary this year and once again acted as the culmination of the week long “Hero Week”. Fans of all walks of filed into the vast Jacob K. Javitz center where over the course of the events four days more than 160,000 fans would walk the halls of the center making it easily the largest convention on the East Coast

Thursday of the convention was once reserved for press and special ticket holders however in the last two years the day has been opened up for single ticket holders and pretty much anyone else who wanted to traverse the ever expanding crowd. In comparison to previous year’s attendance was definitely up as several panels we planned to cover couldn’t even accommodate press due to the at times overwhelming numbers. Thursday’s panel highlights included those by HBO’s “Game of Thrones”, Tru TV’s “Impractical Jokers” a special panel appearance by “Walking Dead” creator Robert Kirkman along with appearances by the cast of AMC’s “Comic Book Men” with the panel being moderated by none other than Kevin Smith. Even though the entire cast of the show was present a majority if not all of the questions were directed towards Smith. Over the course of the hour long discussion Smith detailed his ideas behind the creation of the show and his thoughts on the series success which will celebrate the start of its 5th season on Oct. 18th. Prior to the panel’s conclusion Smith announced that he will begin filming the long awaited sequel to his film “Mallrats”. The sequel which will begin shooting this winter in Pennsylvania centers on Brody played by Jason Lee attempting to save his beloved mall from terrorists. Shooting for the film will begin shortly after Christmas and casting for extras for the film will be announced via Facebook. Smith noted that this is the first of two movies he has planned to shoot in 2016 however he did not say what the other film would be. My hopes would be “Clerks 3” which Smith has said in previous panels he does plan to shoot. We are keeping our fingers crossed.

In between attempting to squeeze into the several desirable panels we wanted to cover we ventured to Artist Alley which is always a hot spot for those wanting to meet their favorite comic artists. Atop the rooms upper tier on this day was Seth Myers who had brought his set to the con and was interviewing attendees for a segment of his show “Late Night with Seth Myers”. This certainly added traffic to an already bustling room which showcased booths by some of today’s top artists including “Amazing Spider Man” artist Humberto Ramos, “Deadpool” writer Gerry Duggan, “Wonder Woman” artist David Finch and former Good Charlotte guitarist Billy Martin who is currently drawing for IDW’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

With time beginning to dwindle we made our way to the main convention floors which were packed not only with various vendors but every sort of cos-play character you could think of. We even managed to bump into a shoeless Thomas Jane who was attending the convention with his daughter. All the costumes and media personalities jamming the isles only added to the massive amounts of eye candy which were on display.

Everything from the latest in vinyl figures to endless amount of comic books both new and old was available for purchase or pre-order. Some of the bigger more impressive set ups included the always prevalent Midtown Comic’s and one by Pepsi who was on hand to promote the upcoming release of “Pepsi Perfect” the futuristic soda originally featured in the film “Back to the Future II”. The display was complete with sleek looking tables and counters which displayed the curvy bottles. To top it all off the display included its very own Delorian time machine flanked by none other than Marty and Doc Brown impersonators.

After an exhausting day of searching crowded aisles for numbered display booths, a thwarted attempt at getting a picture of the one and only Grumpy Cat and being shut out of several high profile panels we took account of all the positives we saw throughout the day despite the few negatives and made our way to the 7 train for our journey home. With final attendance be calculated at around 167,000 for the events four days it’s unsure if the Javitz Center will be able to handle the conventions continued growth. However with numbers which are rivaling San Diego Comic Con the future seems bright for the NY show and we couldn’t be happier to see it continue to grow.

One of the new tv hits of the season is NBC’s “Blindspot”. The mystery show created by Martin Gero focuses on a Jane Doe (Thor’s Jaimie Alexander) recovered from a duffel bag in Times Square. Jane didn’t know who she was or how she got there, but she was found covered head to toe in new tattoos that seem to offer some clues. The most obvious of all is the name ‘Kurt Weller’ on her back, a specific FBI agent. Kurt (played by Sullivan Stapleton) and his team are now working with Jane–whose knack for fighting skills and foreign languages is intact despite her identity crisis–to crack the codes all over her body. In recent episodes it’s becoming clearer that Jane may be more connected to Weller than originally thought. Fortunately for the creators and audiences, the show was just picked up by the network for a full season so there’s hope for solving Jane’s past after all.
Gero, along with series stars Stapleton, Audrey Esparza, Rob Browne, Mariana Jean-Baptiste and Ashley Johnson joined me in the press room of this year’s New York Comic Con. Though they were mum on spilling any spoilers, they were more than enthusiastic to talk about their characters and the making of the show.

Lauren Damon: How much research did you do into actual memory loss when creating Jane’s character?
Series Creator, Martin Gero:  I’ve been obsessed with this drug that this is kind of based on that’s being designed for you know people that have traumatic experiences which will basically gently erase memory. So if you’re–like let’s say you’re in the army and your car gets blown up, and you see your friends die, it’s literally this thing that you would administer immediately and you would–it would make it difficult for that memory [to be retained]. So you wouldn’t be traumatized by it. And then there’s another version where as you–memory is really interesting in how it gets unpacked and packed, and so there’s a lot of people working to erase trauma. Again, to ease kind of like traumatic memories. It’s to like kind of delude them. It’s hard to talk about in like sound bite sort of way…I’ve talked to a lot of neurologists and I mean, like listen that’s the kind of science fiction-y part about the show is the drug, but it is based on some very real research that is going on.

LD: The character of Patterson often has to deal with a ton of techno-jargon, do you ever look at your script and just go ‘Wow…’?
Ashley  Johnson (plays Forensic Scientist “Patterson”): Every time. [laughs] Every time whenever we you know, we get the scripts maybe a week in advance? I don’t know maybe sometimes a little bit more and every time I sort of read through it–it’s just panic sets in. Every time. And the episode that we’re doing now…just everytime I see the new stuff I just, I panic a little. But then, you know, we don’t have a choice. We have to do it. And it’s fun.

LD: Do you go out and research the same as Patterson does?
Johnson: Yeah. A lot of the time…with a character like this you have to do a lot of research, but it’s fun because I’ve learned so much. Just with all of the stuff I’ve had to talk about…I have to do a lot of research [laughs] it’s like I’m in school.

LD: When you have a major mystery at the center of the show and then you’ve wound up being picked up for additional episodes, are you constantly fighting bringing closure to that mystery too soon?
Gero: No, because I was a little arrogant and I designed the show to go a while…So like if we had only done 13, it would have been really not that exciting for fans to be honest, because there would have been no resolution…No but like I know what all the ‘tent pole’ episodes are for the first couple seasons and so like I know what [episode] twenty-two is already…And episode ten which is the last episode of the first half of the season, so it’s the mid season finale, like is a huge twist on the show that propels kind of like a new energy into the back half of the season.

For the actors, are you the type of people that prefers to know the secrets that are going to be revealed on the show to help with how you act or not? Do you ask Martin about it? 
Marianne Jean-Baptiste (plays FBI assistant director, “Mayfair”): In certain instances, there are certain things that will impact a character that I think you need to know. And you need to be alright with. And there are other things that–it’s like you’re picking up the script and you’re just really excited because you want to know what’s going on…Because you’re not going to play it regardless of whether you know about it or not. You’ve then gotta sort of act as if you don’t know it. So it really depends on what it is. For me anyway. It really depends on what the thing is.
Johnson: Right. I would agree. I think that there’s a lot of things that you need to know for the character’s sake–because your character would know–but I think for me, like I’ve had the option to sort of know sort of what the end goal is. Sort of who she really is, I don’t want to know. I want to sort of find out when everybody else finds out or as the show goes along. And I want to discover along with Paterson and it keeps it fun that way, yeah.
Audrey Esparza (Plays FBI Agent “Zapata”): I have a little ‘Martin chat’ before every episode and ask him dumb questions. So I do. But I actually don’t ask too far ahead unless I feel like it’s a question that needs to be answered for me in that episode. I kind of like working from scene to scene, moment to moment. So if it doesn’t affect that particular episode, I try not to grab to much. I think you can only play with the moment.
Rob Brown (Plays FBI Agent “Reade”): Same. We trust Martin. He gives us what we need to know to execute. As a fan of the show that I’m on though, every now and then I’ll kind of tug at him, ‘hey hey hey…’ and he’ll oblige, usually. And you know, sometimes we can snag a little more out of him…

Were there any training courses for you when you got the part?
Esparza: Oh my god we’ve been doing so–we did, we did, after. It was so much fun. First of all we have some incredible FBI and DEA men on the set helping us. And Sullivan Stapleton is an incredible asset. if I’m holding a gun wrong, he’ll definitely let me know. We went to the shooting range, we learned tactical skills. The boys came in knowing a little bit more than me, I’m getting better every day. It’s really important for me, from my dance background, to understand the physical vocabulary of somebody who’s trained that way and yeah, every episode try and get better.
Brown: Everybody in the cast is a really really good athlete, so we just pick shit up as we go along. Anything physical after this, we’ll probably be fine.
Esparza: And we’ll probably absolutely do it ourselves.

LD: Sullivan, do you have more gun experience?
Sullivan Stapleton (Plays FBI Agent “Kurt Weller”): [Laughs] Yeah. You’re in big trouble, Esparza! Yeah it’s just I think I’ve had years of working with weapons. So it is like funny seeing–sometimes they’ll tell people if you’re firing an M4, some people said to portray some of the kick-back of those weapons…they don’t do that. Unless you’re not holding it! [laughs]

LD: Jaimie and Sullivan get into a whole lot of action, do you guys ever get to do stunts?
Baptiste: Yes, stuff is coming up where you know, people who don’t necessarily go out of the office go out of the office and are involved in field stuff.
Johnson: Yeah we may go out into the field a little bit every once and a while. I know for me, I’ve found that I’m very bad at walking and talking and doing other activities [laughs] So you know, I’ll have the dialogue and then they’re like ‘Ok! So you’re gonna walk over here and then you’re gonna type some stuff on the computer and then you’re gonna point up to the screen!’ and I’m like ‘Okay, woah woah woah, I don’t know if I can do all of this at once!’ Which sounds ridiculous but I think with the dialogue that I have it can be a little rough. So those are my stunts. Basically just walking and talking [laughs] is a stunt for me!
Esparza: Yeah.
Brown: We can do more. I’m happy to run around with a gun, we’ve had plenty of that.
Esparza: Lots of running, lots of guns and helicopters.
Brown: There’s action and blowing stuff up, New York.
Esparza: I’ve got a fun fight thing that happens in [episode] 8.
Brown: You’re really showing off
Esparza: I am. I’m just gonna show off all day…
Brown: It’s been very fun. 

LD: When it comes to shooting, do you find you go in with any different mentality on the days you’re shooting the action sequences versus the dramatic days?
Stapleton: No. No, just going in there to do the action and the stunts, I’ve got to wipe the smile off my face and you know, pretend like that’s what we do every day being agents. Yeah, there’s no challenge, it’s just fun.

LD: Jaimie comes from a lot of action roles and how much of that helped like just with her walking onto set and having to function as this amazing fighter?
Gero: Oh yeah…I mean you couldn’t have done it with somebody that had no fighting experience before and Jaimie has an amazing stunt double, Ky Furneaux, who’s just like literally one of the best in the world–recognize game, internationally. So she brings so much to the show and we just take it really seriously. You know what’s exhausting I think for Jaimie and Sullivan is even though they’re done filming some days, they have to go immediately into fight rehearsal. Because these fights are like incredibly complicated and hard to do on television shows. Which is why most television shows don’t have a giant fight sequence every episode. They’re smart, they figured it out, it’s a lot of work. But it’s important to us…So her being able to do action was incredibly important.

Did you know from the beginning that you wanted Jaimie for the role?
Gero: I didn’t know from the beginning, but the second I met her like there could never be any other Jane. It was her or I was just gonna be terribly disappointed. And she kind of felt the same way. So it was like one of those really exciting meetings when we met. We were like ‘Okay this is gonna be great.’.

Being at Comic Con, do you guys have any favorite superheroes? Ashley are you partial to Captain America? [Johnson plays a waitress Cap rescued in the 2012’s Avengers]
Stapleton:Han Solo.
Johnson: [laughs] Um, oh man.
Baptiste: Oh my gosh, that’s a tough one man! I love Batman.
Johnson: Yeah you love Batman
Baptiste: I love Batman.
LD: Which Batman?
Baptiste: I like the Dark Knight stuff. That’s the stuff I love.
Johnson: Daredevil is awesome, I think
Baptiste: What’s his power?
Johnson: Have you never seen it?
Baptiste: I’m not sure. Red. Red outfit?
Johnson: Oh, Marianne…
Baptiste: Is it good? I’m gonna–you’ve got me watching X-Files again, so…
Johnson: I am also such a Deadpool fan. I wanted to see the Jessica Jones stuff because I love–I mean that is exciting. Oh god there’s just so many. I do love Captain America, he’s a little bit too straight laced for me. But he’s great…There’s just so many.
Baptiste: Batman.

Blindspot airs Monday nights at 10pm on NBC.

“An event to bring together hobbyists, teachers, bakers, cake artists and housewives, alike.”

Welcome to the Americas Cake & Sugarcraft Fair hosted by Satin Ice. The Orange County Convention Center hosted this lavish event and it was a great place for it. The layout was open and welcoming. It was a different type of tradeshow that welcomed all types of people connected to cake. Those of us who love to bake on the weekends with our kids could find some fun cookie cutters and edible glitter to make baking at home exciting. Those who bake wedding cakes for a living and are on the lookout for new ways to ship their wares or find a new stand to put there amazing cakes on, could find them here too. This one event managed to bring the Americas’ love of cake and meld it with some of the most talented cake makers from across the land.

On top of Kevin O’Reilly’s incredibly easy to navigate event, there were some of the most talented celebrity cake makers and chefs on hand to share their knowledge and talent with the crowd. The ‘Cake Maker to the Stars’ Mich Turner was on hand to share her passion for structure, refined opulence and detail. Roland Mesnier was there to share some of his incredible memories of his 25+ years of cooking and baking in the White House under 5 different Presidents of the United States. Food Network’s judge on the new series, “Cake Wars,” Ron Ben-Israel was on hand to share how his dance background helps him create incredible cakes with movement and beauty.

Friday night brought a completely different fashion show than we have ever been to before. CakeCentral presented the Sugar Arts Fashion Show and Cocktail party. The show included almost all edible fashions walking down the runway. There were incredible gowns, skirts, belly dancer costumes and more. The fashions were made from edible ingredients such as isomalt jewels, wafer paper, gum balls, dark and milk chocolate, gum paste and a new gelatin-based material known as Flexique. It was mind-blowing to see some of the edible items that really truly looked as if it was fabric and moved like typical clothing. The show favorite was by far the incredible Neo-Victorian fashion created by Cake-decorator, Joseph Cumm. It was a masterpiece dipped in a variety of chocolates. Sidney Galpern’s flower-inspired creation was a beautiful, glittery work of art. The amount of time that went into each unique piece was communicated throughout the show.

Here’s to having this incredible event come back to Orlando for years to come! Happy Baking!

Halloween is just around the corner and LEGO is at it again delivering a great collection of collectible minifigures for the season. Halloween is easily one of my favorite times of the year and I look forward to seeing what LEGO has planned for this time of the year. 71010 Minifigures Series 14 is a series of sixteen mini-figures released in September 2015. This new Halloween-themed fourteenth series of LEGO’s Minifigures are a real treat for horror fans and come housed in traditional blind-bag packaging.

We had the chance to check out in advance three of these awesome new minifigures in this collection. The first is the Fly Monster, which looks super slick and had awesome red eyes, a red claw and wings. Really well done. The next is the Plant Monster, which is a really cool number. This has a feel like a plant ate a human and then formed around him against his will. I love the face and the hands. The last one is the Wolf Guy, which doesn’t have nards (ode for all you The Monster Squad fans), but it does have a cool bone accessory and it’s name is Kel. Great quality and detail on these.

The rest of the sixteen minifigures including: Banshee, Gargoyle, Monster Rocker, Monster Scientist, Skeleton Guy, Specter, Spider Lady, Square Foot, Tiger Woman, Wacky Witch, Zombie Businessman, Zombie Cheerleader and a Zombie Pirate. These are overall a great highlight for the Halloween season and I am dying to see what they come up with next either for future holidays or special events. There is something about minifigures that are so cool and even though they aren’t with a specific set you can use your imagination and do anything with them.

Kansas City already has some established fan conventions with Naka-Kon (for anime and manga fans) in March, Planet Comicon in May and Crypticon for horror in August. With all of those events happening every year, it’s fair to ask if Kansas City, which has a population of roughly half a million could accommodate yet another con.

If the crowds and the events at this year’s inaugural Kansas City Comic Con two weeks ago are any indication, the area can indeed host more events like this without saturating the market. With lively panels, highly sought after guests, a good location and a seemingly endless amount of well-crafted, imaginative cosplay, it’s no wonder that organizers say that 10,000 people attended.

Kansas City Comic Con, which ran from August 7-9th at Bartle Hall had a daily admission price that was comparable to the daily rate Dragon Con in Atlanta and featured stars like blaxploitation and Quentin Tarantino leading lady Pam Grier, Highlander alumnus Adrian Paul, former Eddie Munster Butch Patrick and Hodor from Game of Thrones, Kristian Nairn.

The event even attracted gaming legend Billy Mitchell, who was unfairly maligned in last summer’s turkey Pixels. Normally it would be flattering if Peter Dinklage played you. There were even some vintage arcade games on hand should anyone wish to match or beat Mitchell’s records.

Billy Mitchell and Twin Galaxies head honcho Walter Day meet fans. The event also attracted The Walking Dead illustrator Tony Moore, Thor and Wolverine veteran Jason Aaron and James O’Barr, the creator of The Crow.

Mitchell and Day were on hand for a screening of The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters at Screenland, and Grier introduced Jackie Brown at the nearby Alamo Drafthouse Mainstreet. Grier and Astin each took part in panels and shared candid incidents when filmmaking proved the opposite of glamorous. Astin recalled frequently being in pain from the rigors of making The
Lord of the Rings, while Grier shared some delightfully NSFW moments from the making of Jackie Brown.

The lines for autographs moved with remarkable speed. You could still share a moment with a star, a writer or an artist, and you didn’t have to waste longer than the lifespans of some animalsto get there.

Bartle Hall had plenty of space and adequate lighting and wi-fi. Despite some stray birds who came to take part in the cosplay (even though they wren’t in disguise), it was still a far better venue than the decaying hotel that houses Crypticon in KC. Participants at Kansas City Comic Con didn’t have to scramble to find an adequate room the way they did at Crypticon.

While it was great to have real stars in our midst, the real delight for me was seeing how well people could pass as their favorite movie characters. This woman, for example, was a dead ringer for Charlize Theron in Mad Max: Fury Road.

It would be intriguing to see how Kansas City Comic Con might do in the future. The talent seemed happy there, so others are likely to follow in their footsteps. It’s safe to say that Scarlet Overkill won’t be alone at KCCC next year.

Wes Craven, the creator of both the “Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Scream” film series, passed away today at his home after a battle with brain cancer. He was 76.

After briefly teaching English at Westminster College, he decided to pursue a career in the film industry, beginning as a sound editor in New York City. He also began working in a film warehouse along-side a former filmmaker turned musician named Harry Chapin. Chapin had been approached by a dentist-friend of the warehouse owner who had $50,000 to invest in a horror film. Chapin, who had earned an Oscar-nomination for his 1968 documentary, “Champions,” was no longer interested in filmmaking so he recommended his co-worker, Wes, for the job. The film became 1972’s “Last House on the Left,” which was the first of many horror films written and directed by Craven. Craven also worked in the early world of pornography, mostly writing and editing films. It is rumored that, under the pseudonym “Abe Snake,” he directed the X-rated film called “The Firecracker Woman,” in which a young Craven also has a small role (clothed).

In 1977 he wrote and directed the brutal “The Hills Have Eyes,” following that up with “Deadly Blessing,” “Swamp Thing” and “The Hills Have Eyes Part II.” In 1984 he wrote and directed a film that would change horror movies forever, “A Nightmare on Elm Street.” I was just getting into the theatre business when the film opened and I often filled in at the Town Theatre in Baltimore, which had the honor of being the theatre with the highest grosses during “Elm Street’s’ run. He finished the 80’s out by directing several episodes of “The Twilight Zone” television show and the films “The Serpent and the Rainbow” and “Shocker.”

He began the 90’s with “The People Under the Stairs” then turned to horror/comedy by directing Eddie Murphy in “Vampire in Brooklyn.” In 1996 he hit the horror jackpot again with the film “Scream.” A tongue in cheek look at the various tropes of horror films, the film went on to gross over $100 million and spawn three sequels. Proving he could do more than horror, he directed Meryl Streep to an Oscar nomination in the film “Music of the Heart.” He was currently serving as an Executive Producer on the upcoming “Scream” television show.

On a personal note, I’d like to mention that it was Wes Craven, who I had the good fortune to meet, that inspired me to write a screenplay about the life of one of my personal heroes, Harry Chapin. “If you ever sell it I’ll direct it,” he told me. Sadly, he’ll never have the chance.

Mr. Craven is survived by his third wife, Iya, and his children, Jonathan and Jessica. Jessica’s step-father is Tom Chapin, Harry’s brother.

Have you ever seen the 1995 film Casino? If you haven’t, it’s definitely a must see for any film buff. Actually, anyone at all will love this movie. And that is why it is listed on the top 25 movies of all time on IMDb. Nicholas Pileggi and Martin Scorsese worked together to write this film, and Martin Scorsese directed it himself. These two very talented individuals also worked together on the film Goodfellas from 1990. Both of the films are based around the mafia and Italian culture.

Stars of the film

The movie Casino has some of the best known actors and actresses from Hollywood. The leading role is played by Robert De Niro, who seems to be in all of the movies that we see. He has had starring roles in such great movies as the King of Comedy from 1983, Raging Bull from 1980, New York New York from 1977, Mean Streets from 1973, Cape Fear from 1991 and Taxi Driver from 1976.

The movie also stars Sharon Stone and Joe Pesci. Sharon Stone is well known for her role in Basic instinct, and Joe Pesci plays in many other Italian mafia movies also.

The plot of the movie

The movie begins and ends up revolving around Robert De Niro’s character, an associate of the mafia. He is being sent to the casino capital of the world in Las Vegas to run a casino there. His name is Sam or Ace Rothestein. The casino Fliptroniks features many different games, and it is so utterly realistic. In fact, it was a real casino when the movie was shot, but it got dressed up, and of course no one was actually there gambling in it for real while the movie was being filmed. Instead, actors and extras were called in to be seen in the casino playing slots, blackjack or games that would not be the equivalent to online roulette games. If the movie inspired you to some action, you too can enjoy online casino games, without leaving the comfort your house!

How to watch this film

This is a relatively old film, and it is a classic, so it’s not that hard to watch nowadays if you want to. Many websites and classic movie channels will play this film from time to time. One thing to look for when you’re watching is the costumes that Robert Nero’s character has on. He has multiple suits, and as the film progresses, his suits get more and more elaborate. This is a great movie to watch with a friend, a significant other or by yourself for something fun to do on a rainy day.