Pictures from Terror Con 2014

 

By Jason Harris

Fred Williamson (From Dusk Till Dawn)

Fred Williamson (From Dusk Till Dawn)

2014-06-07 10.21.18

Erin Murphy of Bewitched.

Erin Murphy (Bewitched)

2014-06-07 12.18.52

Dee Wallace of E.T., Cujo, and Critters.

Dee Wallace of E.T., Cujo, and Critters.

An alligator on the loose at Terror Con.

An alligator on the loose at Terror Con.

2014-06-08 09.56.25

Lisa Loring a.k.a Wednesday Addams on The Addams Family.

Lisa Loring a.k.a Wednesday Addams on The Addams Family.

Musician Richie Scarlett and author Rob Watts.

Musician Richie Scarlett and author Rob Watts.

2014-06-08 16.34.59

Nicholas Brendon ( Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Criminal Minds)

Nicholas Brendon ( Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Criminal Minds)

Author Stacey Longo with Captain Jack Sparrow.

Author Stacey Longo with Captain Jack Sparrow.

 

Martin Wright a.k.a WWE's The Boogeyman.

Martin Wright a.k.a WWE’s The Boogeyman.

The Boogeyman

The Boogeyman

Jigsaw

Jigsaw

 

2014-06-07 13.55.38

Jason Vorhees

Jason Voorhees

Jason Voorhees without the hockey mask.

Jason Voorhees without the hockey mask.

There will be a couple more entries with pictures from Terror Con coming on Monday and Tuesday.

How a Horror Fan became Miss Terror Con

 

By Jason Harris

Sarah Michelle. Photo courtesy of Sarah Michelle.

Sarah Michelle. Photo courtesy of Sarah Michelle.

 

Sarah Michelle is a model, actress, and wrestler. She has also been named Miss Terror Con. When she first heard about the newest horror convention in New England, it was as “a fan of horror,” she said.

“I was very excited that there was something like this going to happen in my hometown because it’s the first one,” Sarah said. “This is exactly what Rhode Island needs.”

She wanted to be involve in some capacity whether as a spokesmodel, helping out with flyers, or anything else she could do to help out the horror convention.

“I knew I could be beneficial to them.”

She sent the organizers an email and they responded with the idea of Miss Terror Con.

This isn’t Sarah’s first time in the spotlight. She started modeling about seven years ago when she was helping out a friend who was going to school for photography.

“I was really tomboyish. I still am at heart so the whole fashion, glamour thing was really new to me.”

After Sarah started her modeling career, she liked what she doing and was having fun doing it. Within the last few years, she started taking it seriously, she said. Since she loved horror, she started to wonder if there was anyone who would be interested in taking horror photos.

“I found out that there were a lot of people interested in that.”

Through her horror work, she started doing fetish work. When she started, she didn’t realize it was fetish work. She was working with the production company, Damsels in Distress Visual Productions. During the production, there were a lot of close-ups being taken of her legs, which were stuck in the mud. All she was thinking at the time was that it was a job and that it would give her a chance to practice her acting. After being told it was a fetish work, she was fine with it.

“I have always been very curious about different fetishes and things like that.”

After that first experience, she found out about different types of fetishes like bondage and vore, “which is essentially someone being eaten by something.”

She focuses mainly on fetish and horror photos and videos now. She handles her own business. She gets projects through Facebook, Twitter, and email. She has a shoot coming up in New Hampshire, which she got after the photographer saw some of her work on Twitter, she said.

“I enjoy doing it,” she said about fetish work. “It’s a lot of fun. I get to travel.”

Her work has taken to different states and overseas to England where she filmed a quicksand fetish for Damsels in Distress Visual Productions.

“I never thought in a million years I would be going to England especially not for fetish work.”

You can find Sarah’s work by clicking here.

You can meet her in person this weekend at Terror Con, which runs from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Pictures from Hartford Comic Con, Part 3

 

By Jason Harris

 

Larry Thomas, the Soup Nazi on Seinfeld.

Larry Thomas, the Soup Nazi on Seinfeld.

The man on the Office Space movie poster.

The man on the Office Space movie poster.

Poison Ivy, Batman, and the Joker.

Poison Ivy, Batman, and the Joker.

Indiana Jones.

Indiana Jones.

Green Arrow

Green Arrow.

Catwoman.

Catwoman.

2014-05-31 13.05.32

2014-05-31 11.51.07

Man in the Moon.

Man in the Moon.

Mr. T

Mr. T.

Nick Fury and Pepper Potts.

Nick Fury and Pepper Potts.

2014-05-31 12.00.57

2014-05-31 12.32.34

2014-05-31 13.09.33

2014-05-31 12.28.19

Iron Patriot with a convention-goer.

Iron Patriot with a convention-goer.

2014-05-31 13.33.10

The Batcycle.

The Batcycle.

This is the final post of pictures from Hartford Comic Con. I hope you enjoyed them.

Pictures from Hartford Comic Con, Part 2

 

By Jason Harris

 

Deadpool.

Deadpool.

Author Estevan Vega.

Author Estevan Vega.

Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy.

Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy.

Frozen's Elsa the Snow Queen.

Frozen’s Elsa the Snow Queen.

Green Goblin.

Green Goblin.

Brando Eaton (Cabin Fever 3)

Brando Eaton (Cabin Fever 3).

The woodcarvings of  Christopher Letarte.

The woodcarvings of Christopher Letarte.

Wonder Woman.

Wonder Woman.

Merida from Brave.

Merida from Brave.

The Green Hornet's Black Beauty.

The Green Hornet’s Black Beauty.

2014-05-31 12.22.12

She-Hulk.

She-Hulk.

J & S Collectibles.

J & S Collectibles.

Gotham City residents.

Gotham City residents.

Artist Mark Morales.

Artist Mark Morales.

Oogie Boogie from The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Oogie Boogie from The Nightmare Before Christmas.

2014-05-31 13.01.54

Pictures from Hartford Comic Con

 

By Jason Harris

 

This past weekend Hartford experienced the debut of Hartford Comic Con at the XL Center. There were long lines before the doors opened at 10 a.m. From what I saw, this convention will be coming back to Connecticut.

2014-05-30 23.05.47

Batman, Poison Ivy and Donatello.

2014-05-30 23.29.20

Michael Massee of The Amazing Spider-man

The crowds at Hartford Comic Con.

The crowds at Hartford Comic Con.

2014-05-31 10.47.44

Chronic and Bluntman

Chronic and Bluntman

Brighton Sharbino and Kyla Kenedy of The Walking Dead.

Brighton Sharbino and Kyla Kenedy of The Walking Dead.

2014-05-31 10.48.26

Michael Myers

Michael Myers

Beaker

Beaker

Spider-man

Spider-man

Disney Princesses

Disney Princesses

Maleficent and Anakin Skywalker

Maleficent and Anakin Skywalker.

Katrina Law of Arrow and Spartacus.

Katrina Law of Arrow and Spartacus.

An Umbrella corporation soldier.

An Umbrella corporation soldier.

2014-05-31 13.37.37

Ghost Rider.

Ghost Rider.

Jim Dyer of Fenham Publishing.

Jim Dyer of Fenham Publishing.

Marvel superheroes.

Marvel superheroes.

There will be a few more entries with pictures coming in the next few days.

Hartford Comic Con Happens this Weekend

 

Hartford_Logo04The XL Center will be the destination for cosplay, comic books, and geeks galore when Hartford Comic Con kicks off at 10 a.m. Saturday.

If you are  a fan of the television show, Spartacus, then you shouldn’t miss this show since Katrina Law (Arrow), Liam McIntyre, Anna Hutchison (The Cabin in the Woods), Ellen Hollman, and Stephen Dunlevy will be on-hand signing autographs.

Other celebrities include Kyla Kenedy (The Walking Dead), Michael Massee (The Amazing Spider-man), Brando Eaton (CSI, Dexter) and Larry Thomas, the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld, will also be in attendance. You can find out about the celebrities here.

There will also be artists and vendors at the convention as well. Find out about the artists here and the vendors here.

The event schedule is here.

There are also a number of panels throughout the weekend. You can find the schedule here.

Harford Comic Con is organized by Epic Conventions, which is a privately owned company in Boca Raton, Florida. According to the convention’s website, Epic Conventions is dedicated to following the mold of the traditional comic con – while providing the perfect mix and experience of current pop culture events

The hours of the convention are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Prices are $25 for a day-pass or $45 for a weekend one.

Movie Review: ‘Rubber’

 

By Stacey Longo

Rubber

Terror unfolds as Rubber (2010) rolls across the land. This movie about a killer tire (yes, you read that right) is silly, nonsensical, slow at points and a little ridiculous, but definitely worth 85 minutes of your life.

Robert, a Goodyear tire abandoned in the desert, discovers he has telepathic powers, which he uses to destroy all who cross his path. (Kudos to the director of this movie, Quentin Dupieux, for actually pulling off showing a tire discovering his psychic abilities, which was no easy feat.) The tire soon runs across a beautiful woman with a sexy accent, and becomes obsessed with her. As the tire’s adventure unfolds, the audience gets a play-by-play of the action by a group of bystanders who are also watching the tire’s antics. Of note in this cast is Wings Hauser, as a wheelchair-bound veteran who stoically sticks through the tire’s trail of terror to the bitter end.

Rubber drags at times, particularly as the tire slowly (oh-so-slowly) discovers he can move on his own and blow up people’s heads telepathically. Stick with it, though, for the movie is aware of its own preposterous premise, and is full of remarks about how silly the whole idea of a killer tire really is. Lieutenant Chad, portrayed by Stephen Spinella (Milk, 2008) sets the movie’s pointless plot up at the very beginning: “In Oliver Stone’s JFK, why is the President suddenly assassinated by some stranger? No reason.” Indeed, there seems to be no reason for the tire’s aimless murder spree, but since the viewer is made aware of this from the start, what follows is a funny little film that can be enjoyed without having to think too hard.

There are other, funnier B-horror flicks out there with better plots, but this one has a cult following for a reason. Absurd, outrageous, and sometimes silly, Rubber will ensure that you never look at a blown-out tire on the side of the road quite in the same way again.

Fans have a Chance to be in ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’

 

J.J. Abrams Announces “Force for Change” Campaign to Benefit

UNICEF’s Innovation Labs and Programs

Beginning Today, Visit Omaze.com/StarWars to Enter for a Chance to Win

Today in a special video message from the set of Star Wars: Episode VII, director J.J. Abrams announced the creation of Star Wars: Force for Change, a brand new Star Wars initiative from Disney and Lucasfilm in collaboration with Bad Robot dedicated to finding creative solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems. The first Star Wars: Force for Change campaign will raise funds and awareness for the United Nations Children’s Fund’s (UNICEF) Innovation Labs and its innovative programs that are benefitting the world’s most vulnerable children.

Disney has committed US $1 million to support the launch of Star Wars: Force for Change. Fans can now contribute directly at Omaze.com/StarWars for a chance to appear in Star Wars: Episode VII. For each $10 contribution made through the Omaze fundraising platform, eligible participants will be automatically entered for a chance to win this once-in-a-lifetime experience. The campaign runs from 12:01am PST on May 21stth until 11:59pm PST July 18th.

The Star Wars: Force for Change Grand Prize includes:

  • Airfare and accommodations to London for one winner and a guest
  • Behind-the-scenes access on the closed set of Star Wars: Episode VII as VIP guests of J.J. Abrams
  • Winner will have the opportunity to meet members of the cast
  • Winner and their guest will then be transformed by makeup and costume teams into a Star Wars character and filmed for a scene in Star Wars: Episode VII

“The Star Wars fans are some of the most passionate and committed folks around the globe,” says director J.J. Abrams. “We’re thrilled to offer a chance to come behind the scenes as our VIP guests and be in Star Wars: Episode VII. We’re even more excited that by participating in this campaign, Star Wars fans will be helping children around the world through our collaboration with UNICEF Innovation Labs and projects.”

Star Wars continues to inspire generations of dreamers and doers to use their creativity to accomplish great things. Star Wars and Lucasfilm were built on the belief that in uniting creativity with innovation, you can make the impossible possible.

“The Star Wars films were made through George Lucas’s adventurous combination of technology and creativity,” says Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm. “We wanted to honor and carry on that positive spirit as we start production on Episode VII and use Star Wars to make a difference in the world. Star Wars: Force for Change will help us do that, letting us give back to the fans who keep Star Wars alive, and raising much-needed funds for programs like UNICEF’s Innovation Labs.”

By pledging support for Star Wars: Force for Change, fans are helping UNICEF create a brighter tomorrow for kids and families around the world. Through its global network of Innovation Labs, UNICEF helps create sustainable solutions to major issues facing children in the areas of nutrition, water, health, and education. The Star Wars: Force for Change campaign will help fund innovative, life-changing projects in communities around the globe.

“UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories  to help the world’s most vulnerable children and young people identify solutions and create change,” says Christopher Fabian, UNICEF Senior Advisor on Innovation and co-Lead of the Innovation Unit. “We work together with the greatest technologists and designers of our time to create open-source solutions that help millions of people. The support from Star Wars: Force for Change will help to bind these innovators together on a mission to solve the world’s most pressing problems, and create a better future.”

Visit StarWars.com/ForceForChange to learn more about this new charitable initiative and the work of UNICEF’s Innovation Labs and programs, and be sure to enter through contribution or free entry for your chance to win at Omaze.com/StarWars.

May the Force be with you!

About UNICEF

UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.  For more information about UNICEF and its work visit: www.unicef.org.  Follow us on Twitter@unicef and FacebookUNICEF.

Book Review: ‘Accidents of Marriage,’ the newest offering from Randy Susan Meyers

 

By Stacey Harris

ACCIDENTS-OF-MARRIAGE-COVER-feb-27-2014

Randy Susan Meyers’ latest riveting offering, Accidents of Marriage, takes the reader through the strained workings of an unhappy marriage to the shattered remains after this marriage implodes. Ben and Maddy are struggling to raise three children and keep their relationship balanced, while the dark cloud of Ben’s temper always looms overhead. It’s Ben’s hotheadedness that results in a terrible accident which lands Maddy in the hospital with a traumatic brain injury.

Seamlessly told from the perspectives of Ben, Maddy, and Emma, their 14-year-old daughter, Meyers takes us through the cycle of Maddy’s transformation from victim to survivor, and the impact her accident has on the family dynamic. Blame is thrown like paint across a landscape, and nobody escapes the feelings of guilt, shame, and hopelessness that accompany it. The reader will find Maddy both likeable and oblivious (after all, she works with abused women, yet can’t seem to recognize the signs in her own marriage). Emma comes across as a true teenager, at times entitled and shallow, but as her role within the family changes after her mother’s accident, alarmingly burdened with the responsibility of keeping things running smoothly. She’s an empathetic character with a teenage attitude: the reader feels pity for her, but sometimes, her selfishness is aggravating. Kudos to Meyers for capturing the essence of the average American teenage girl.

Most surprising is Ben, who begins in this novel as a truly unlikeable and selfish man. His struggle throughout the book to do right by his family and better himself improves his character immensely, to the point where the reader almost feels sorry for him. Almost. Let us not forget he is the one who put Maddy in the hospital to begin with, and while the reader can draw a conclusion as to whether Maddy should forgive him, it is ultimately Maddy’s decision, after all.

Accidents of Marriage is an intriguing read that will leave the reader questioning what they themselves might do in such a complex and intense situation. This novel’s captivating narrative of family transformation makes Ben, Maddy, and Emma impossible to forget.

The book will be released on September 2. You can preorder through Amazon by clicking here.

Pictures from the Jaycees Fourth Annual Spring Fair

The bookstore, Books & Boos was involved with the Jaycees Fourth Annual Spring Fair on Sunday, May 18. Normally, this event is held on a Saturday, but the organizers decided to move it to the rain date this year since the weather wasn’t looking too good for May 17. Click here for the previous article about this event. Click here for pictures from the 2012 Spring Fair when I, Jason Harris of Jason Harris Promotions, organized a vendor spot for the New England Horror Writers organization (NEHW).

Click here to see pictures on the Books & Boos’ website from this event.

Author Dale T. Phillips also posted pictures from the event on his website. You can find them here.