Northeast Comic Con took place at the Shriners Auditorium in Wilmington, MA this past weekend.
Dean Cain (The Adventures of Clark and Lois, Supergirl).
Authors Stacey Longo and Rob Smales at the Books & Boos Press table.
Lew Temple (The Walking Dead).
Candy Clark (American Graffiti).
Sean Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy).
Billy West (Ren & Stimpy).
Gerald Casale and Josh 2 of Devo.
The next two pictures of Scooby-Doo and Shaggy are great. The kid is so cute.
New England is getting its second horror convention, TerrorCon, with the first one being Rock & Shock, which will be holding its eleventh convention this October. TerrorCon, which takes place in Rhode Island in June, isn’t the only new horror convention debuting in New England this year. Connecticut Horrorfest debuts in August.
TerrorCon is the brainchild of Steven Perry, director of operations for Altered Reality, who has brought conventions to fans of comics, movies, and pop culture. These conventions are Southcoast Toy and Comic Show and Rhode Island Comic Con. Perry had been thinking of his newest one, TerrorCon, for about a year, he said.
Rhode Island didn’t have a big horror type show, Perry said. “We wanted to bring that to the people of Rhode Island.”
Perry thinks the organizers of Rock & Shock do a great job so he decided to have his new convention take place in June so as not to interfere with Rock & Shock. He didn’t want to step on anyones toes, he said.
“Everyone’s happy and friends remain friends. It keeps everyone friendly with everyone. We believe that everyone should work together. There’s no need for shows to stumble.”
Perry isn’t sticking to only New England to organize shows. His company is in the process of organizing shows for New Jersey and Colorado, which should be starting up in 2015, he said. He can’t say what those shows will be since they are not fully developed, which is the reason he hasn’t announced them yet.
“Right now, they will both me similar to Rhode Island Comic Con.”
If you couldn’t guess from the different line-ups for Perry’s shows, they always try to do a theme, he said. They plan their guests around whatever theme they decide to do. Whatever guests they choose and book for the event, they are sure to tell the fans about who is coming. They have lists of guests for the next two years, he said.
“We like to keep the fans enticed and let them know what’s going on all the time. Something new pops up with us, we put it up for everybody to know,” Perry said about constantly updating the convention websites.
Perry was asked last November why they were announcing guests for this year’s convention when the 2013 one just ended. He responded with, “Why keep it a secret? We want them to know and get excited about it. We want the fans to make plans to come out to the show.”
Here is just some of the guests coming to TerrorCon: David Giuntoli (Grimm), Linda Blair (The Exorcist), Michael Biehn (The Terminator, Planet Terror), Dee Snider (Twisted Sister, The Celebrity Apprentice), Lita Ford, Cherie Currie, Michael Jai-Whie (Spawn, Arrow, Fast and the Furious 7, The Dark Knight), Nicholas Brendon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Criminal Minds), Josh Stewart (Grimm, Criminal Minds, The Dark Knight Rises), Kane Hodder (Friday the 13th: Part 7, 8 and 10, Hatchet), Lew Temple (The Walking Dead) and Dee Wallace (ET, The Howling).
Perry started organizing conventions with the Southcoast Toy and Comic Show, which was held in a VFW hall, seven years ago. That first show had about 300 people in attendance, he said. It’s a far cry from the 22,000 people who attended the first Rhode Island Comic Con when they thought the attendance would be around 10,000 and the 30,000 people they had for the second Rhode Island Comic Con. He’s expecting between 10,000 and 15,000 people to attend TerrorCon, which is a safe number in the mind of Perry.
“The horror market is a little more of a niche market so we don’t expect a large audience,” Perry said.
His vision for Southcoast was t bring a reasonable size show that would be community based, Perry said. He wanted something for the fans in that area to be able to look forward to every season or twice a year. Another thing he wanted to do was bring in celebrities that people don’t always have a chance to meet, he said.
Perry said that TerrorCon will be the same size of the original Rhode Island Comic Con plus an extra ballroom.
“TerrorCon will not just be horror. It will be horror themed, paranormal, all mixed together.”
TerrorCon takes place June 7 and 8 at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, RI.
Another Rock & Shock has come and gone, the 10th one to be exact. It was another good one with even more vendors this year. The one thing that was lacking was attendees in costume. There just wasn’t a lot of people in costume. Here are pictures from the event.
Lew Temple from The Walking Dead.
From right to left: authors Robert Duperre, Kurt Newton, and Stacey Longo at the Sideshow Press and Shock Totem tables.
Dark Man and Elvira.
Robert Patrick from Terminator 2: Judgement Day.
Author Joe Knetter at the Writer’s Studio panel.
The Morbid Vision Films table.
Sharknado director Andrew C. Ferrante.
Actor Joey Kern (Cabin Fever).
Musician and actor Dee Snider.
Author K. Allen Wood and artist Jessie Young behind the Shock Totem table.
Actor Jason Mewes (Clerks).
Items on the Morbid Vision Films table.
TL Smokeshop.
Jennifer Jostyn (The Brothers McMullen).
Actor Michael Rooker (The Walking Dead) with two fans.
Author Gordon Bean holding his book, Dawn of Broken Glass, at the New England Horror Writers booth.
Authors Scott Goudsward, Joe Knetter, Jack Ketchum, Jack Haringa, and Bracken MacLeod on the Writer’s Studio panel.
Actor Jordan Ladd (Cabin Fever).
Actors Gunnar Hanson, Tony Moran, Robert Englund, and Kane Hodder on the 40 Years of Our Worst Nightmares panel.
Actor Brian O’Halloran (Clerks 2).
Items on the TL Smokeshop table.
Books on the Sideshow Press table.
Lew Temple. photo by Jason Harris
Lew Temple’s time on The Walking Dead has ended, but he’s still proud of the work he did on the series, even though he thinks his character Axel had more to do in the show.
“I was obviously disappointed,” Lew Temple said. “I thought he was going to be serviceable to the group.”
Temple was given the news three weeks in advance that his character was going to die. He was in denial at first, but after some time he had to commit to it, he said.
“My intent is to always serve the story and that was my job. I wanted to do the best job possible.”
Temple did feel “disappointed for Axel,” though. As an actor, he will go on and work, but Axel is gone forever, he said.
The character of Axel will live on in The Walking Dead comic books and in reruns.
Temple did use the comic book character of Axel as a blueprint. Since comic books are one-dimensional, he had to make the character three-dimensional.
“I’m certain that we were able to use some of Robert [Kirkman’s] characteristics of Axel, but also brought some of my own to it as well.”
The producers on the zombie series knew of Temple before he came on in season three since he had been in to see them for the pilot.
“They looked at me for the role of Merle, originally, and then after that they hired Michael Rooker. Then they needed Merle’s brother, Daryl, who at that time was not even named.”
Temple auditioned for Daryl by reading Merle’s lines differently, which he was asked to do by the producers.
“Thankfully, they hired Norman Reedus. So when Axel came around they came to me and we were able to make that work.”
Temple was aware of the popularity of The Walking Dead, but not of the cross-cultural phenomenon it has become.
“I would say it hasn’t hurt me,” Temple said about Hollywood recognizing him from the popular series. “I would say prior to The Walking Dead I had a certain body of work Hollywood was aware of, and I was working prior to The Walking Dead …”
He admits that the series has elevated his visibility, which has helped him. He doesn’t know if his time on the series has defined him, which only “time will tell.”
“I like to do diverse stuff. I’m certainly proud of the work I did on The Walking Dead and to be part of that show. It’s been such an incredible hit.”
Temple has worked with writer and director Rob Zombie on Halloween and The Devil’s Rejects. He has “a really great relationship beyond a working relationship” with Zombie.
“I adore working with him because he knows what he wants and wants what he knows so there’s not a lot of grey area in-between. He is an absolute perfectionist and he does whatever it takes to make the day work, and if that means he needs to provide something on set, he does so.”
He does expect to work with Zombie again because he thinks they work well together. He just doesn’t know when that will happen.
“I think that I bring something to his story that he appreciates. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Lew Temple in a Rob Zombie production yet again.”
Along with acting, Temple is “an incredible baseball fan.” He adores the game and it has been his first passion since he was a little boy. He’s even played it all the way up until the minor leagues with the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros. When he couldn’t play the game, he worked as a baseball scout for the New York Mets. Now he roots for the Atlanta Braves.
“I would say I’m excited for the Red Sox, but rooting for the [Detroit] Tigers.”
Temple also writes music.
“I think that I am a pretty interesting songwriter. I think that I am able to spin a tune, at least in my head.”
He has a record deal with Universal through the Rob Zombie production, Banjo and Sullivan.
Massachusetts prepares for the 10th anniversary of the Rock and Shock Horror and Music convention series this weekend (October 18th – 20th) with a lineup of sinister guests, musical acts and events that cannot be missed!
This year’s celebrity guests include Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger of Nightmare on Elm Street), Robert Patrick (Terminator 2, The X-Files), Gunnar Hansen (Texas Chainsaw Massacre), Michael Rooker, Scott Wilson, Lew Temple and IronE Singleton (of The Walking Dead), cast and crew from Sharknado, the cast of Holliston and many more!
Rock and Shock’s show floor offers so much more than awesome celebrity guests and isle after isle of incredible vendors.
Tickets are available now at http://rockandshock.com/tickets/ with options from VIP to show attendee.
He has protected his friends from The Walking Dead, murdered In Cold Blood and fallen victim to Charlize Theron’s Monster, but this October actor Scott Wilson will be safe, sound and signing autographs at the 10th annual Rock & Shock convention in Worcester, MA.
Wilson began his career with back-to-back roles in the 1967 classics In the Heat of the Night, opposite screen legends Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger, and in the film adaptation of Truman Capote’s famed docu-novel In Cold Blood. Since then, Wilson’s incredible acting talents have earned him countless film and television roles as well as a Golden Globe nomination for his role in 1980’s The Ninth Configuration.
Since 2011, Wilson has been winning the hearts of TV audiences as Hershel Greene on the acclaimed AMC series The Walking Dead. Greene is a farmer, veterinarian, father and recovering alcoholic who must fight to protect his fellow survivors after a zombie apocalypse while simultaneously serving as the group’s moral compass. Wilson will also be joined at Rock & Shock by his The Walking Dead co-stars Michael Rooker (Merle Dixon), Lew Temple (Axel) and IronE Singleton (T-Dog)
Please check Rock and Shock’s website here for the other guests appearing during the weekend.
Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name and sometimes you want to go to where horror and music reign supreme. Luckily at Rock & Shock 2013 you’ll get a little bit of both! We are proud to announce that Cheers star John Ratzenberger will be among our many celebrity guests at this year’s event!
Ratzenberger will be joining previously announced Rock & Shock guests Robert Patrick (Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The X-Files), Robert Englund (Nightmare on Elm Street, Hatchet), Michael Rooker (The Walking Dead, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer), Katharine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps, American Mary), Jordan Ladd (Cabin Fever, Death Proof), Lew Temple (The Devil’s Rejects, The Walking Dead) and IronE Singleton (The Walking Dead) . For a complete list of attendees and up-to-the-minute announcements, visit http://www.rockandshock.com.
Rock and Shock is a three-day horror and music convention featuring celebrity signings, movie screenings, concerts, panels and more. Now in its tenth year, Rock & Shock has played host some of the biggest names in horror and rock. This year’s event will be taking place October 18-20, 2013 in downtown Worcester, Massachusetts at the DCU Center (http://www.dcucenter.com) and the Worcester Palladium (http://thepalladium.net). Tickets are available online at rockandshock.com.
Rock & Shock may be a dream come true for horror and music lovers alike but this year, the nightmare returns. We are pleased to officially announce that Freddy Krueger himself, Robert Englund, will be slashing his way back to Worcester, Massachusetts as part of Rock & Shock’s 10th annual event.
Englund is bestknown for the groundbreaking horror role of Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare on Elm Street series; having brought the role to life nine times on the big screen as well as in countless TV, video game and even musical performances. In addition to his iconic role, he has most notably appeared in the films Eaten Alive (1977), Strangeland (1998), Urban Legend (1998), Hatchet (2006), Behind the Mask: the Rise and Fall of Leslie Vernon (2006), Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer (2007) and Inkubus (2011), which held it’s premiere at Rock & Shock two years ago. His latest work,Sanitarium, recently won the Audience Award at the San Antonio Film Festival.
Englund will be joining previously announced Rock & Shock guests Robert Patrick (Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The X-Files), Michael Rooker (The Walking Dead, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer), Jordan Ladd (Cabin Fever, Death Proof), Katharine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps, American Mary), Lew Temple (The Devil’s Rejects, The Walking Dead) and IronE Singleton (The Walking Dead) . For a complete list of attendees or for more information about this event, visit http://www.rockandshock.com.
Rock and Shock will be taking place October 18-20, 2013at the DCU Center (http://www.dcucenter.com) and The Worcester Palladium (http://thepalladium.net) in Worcester, Massachusetts.
You’ve seen him in everything from Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) to his current role on HBO’s breakthrough series True Blood and now you can see him live at Rock & Shock 2013. That’s right, T-1000 himself, Robert Patrick, will be signing autographs and taking photos as part of the 10th Annual Rock & Shock!
Following a short appearance in Die Hard 2 (1990), Robert Patrick’s breakthrough role came as T-1000 in James Cameron’s now legendary Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The role catapulted Patrick into the pop culture lexicon and solidified him as a bona fide movie star. After roles in Last Action Hero (1993), Fire in the Sky (1993) and Striptease (1996), Patrick made the transition to television with an arc on HBO’s The Sopranos. Not long after he was brought on to fill the very large shoes of David Duchovny on the classic television series The X-Files, which he followed up with a three year stint on CBS’ The Unit.
In 2012, Patrick found a home on not one but two television series, as Master Chief Joseph Prosser on ABC’s Last Resort and as werewolf Jackson Herveaux on True Blood. He also maintained his impressive film career with roles in Clint Eastwood’s The Trouble with the Curve (2012), mega-hit Safe House (2012) and the star-studded Gangster Squad (2013).
Also on board for Rock & Shock 2013 is Katherine Isabelle. Best known to audiences for the title role of Ginger in the contemporary horror classic Ginger Snaps (2000) and its sequels Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed (2004) and Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning (2004), Isabelle has also appeared in the films Disturbing Behavior (1998), Carrie (2002), 30 Days of Night: Dark Days (2010) and was most recently seen as Susanna Waite on the SyFy series Being Human.
Patrick and Isabelle will be joining previously announced Rock & Shock guests Michael Rooker (The Walking Dead, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer), Jordan Ladd (Cabin Fever, Death Proof), Lew Temple (The Devil’s Rejects, The Walking Dead) and IronE Singleton (The Walking Dead).
For a complete list of attendees or for more information about this event, visit http://www.rockandshock.com.
The 10th Annual Rock and Shock will be taking place October 18-20, 2013at the DCU Center (http://www.dcucenter.com) and The Worcester Palladium (http://thepalladium.net) in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Jason Harris Promotions 