When Halloween comes around, it's time go to Universal Orlando's Halloween Horror Nights.
This year, my sister and I snagged Frequent Fear Passes. Instead of packing all of Universe Orlando's haunted houses into one night, we attended the event over and over again to face our fears (and there were quite a few of them). It's been a real treat to scream our hearts out over and over again.
Forrest Gump has always been one of my favorite movies. When I was a kid, I used to sit in front of the television and watch it religiously. While my fangirling for Tom Hanks has only grown stronger as my love for the movie quieted down a little bit, I can readily admit that one of my dreams was go to to Bubba Gump Shrimp Co - a local restaurant themed after the movie. Recently, my family tried it out for the first time, and let's just say: dreams come true ya'll. My inner eight year old would be so proud right now. It's probably one of my all-time favorite movie-related places ever.
Every autumn Universal Studios Florida and Hollywood transforms its theme parks under the cover of darkness into scare zones and themed houses. This year, Stranger Things, Poltergeist, Halloween 4, and The Purge were just some of the iconic movies and shows to arrive at Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando Resort.
To be honest, I'm not an avid horror fan, but I like the occasional scare. When my sister and I saw the line-up of houses for this year's HHN, we cast our fears aside to celebrate Halloween a little differently this year. Because it caters to all kinds of fans (mostly 18+) who love to get more than a little freaked out, the event turned out to be perfect for me and my sister to attend.
For almost fourteen years, fans of The X-Files waited for the resurgence of Chris Carter's extraterrestrial series to come along. When the television show returned to Fox for two more seasons, devotees were all-to-eager to continue the investigation of aliens, demons, and everything in-between alongside FBI Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson). Following the series' brief return for its eleventh and final (never say never) season earlier in 2018, the truth was still out there as the supporting cast touched down in MegaCon Orlando for a mini-reunion. Mitch Pileggi, who played FBI Assistant Director Walter Skinner, Annabeth Gish as former agent Monica Reyes, and William B Davis as Cigarette Smoking Man were on hand for a spooky question and answer session with fans to dish about the latest season and what it was like to work on one of the most mind-boggling series ever.
The following contains spoilers for the final season of The X-Files. Read at your own risk!
From generation to generation he's known for his roles in Jurassic Park, Independence Day, and Thor: Rangarok - to name a few - but how do you describe a legend like Jeff Goldblum? Eccentric, debonair, funny, and a true original are some of the first words that come to mind. Similar to being captivated by him on the big screen, there's nothing quite like seeing the man himself in person. When MegaCon Orlando announced Jeff Goldblum would be among their cast of celebrities to appear at the convention, there's no way that a longtime fangirl like myself could turn that opportunity down.
Similar to growing up reading Harry Potter or watching Star Wars, some actors are just apart of your childhood. Like so many fans, my history with Goldblum goes way back to when I was kid. But you could say it's as simple as anybody's, watching his movies since I was a little girl and naturally being aware, or should I say addicted, to his enigmatic personality. My admiration for him grew as I became an adult reading his interviews and continuing to enjoy his movies and tv shows. He's also from my hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, so that gives me another level of kinship I feel towards him. Yet there might be no greater truth than what talk show host Conan O'Brien once said: "no matter what movies you are in, the eye goes to Goldblum".
Fandom conventions wouldn't be the same without cosplay. As thousands of fans visited the Orlando County Convention Center, MegaCon Orlando showed off epic cosplay from anime and comics to video games and movies. Whether you're dressing up and acting like your favorite character or cosplay-watching and admiring what other people will don, it is one of the best experiences you can have as a fan. You never know what you're going to see, but everything will amaze you. Below are some of the best and my favorite cosplays I discovered over the weekend. Which ones are your favorites?
It's not something I fangirl about a lot, but if I could, I'd give anything to go back to the golden age of Hollywood, just to walk the sets and see all of cinema's greatest stars up close and personal. Second best to fulfill that wish was Hollywood Studios. As one of five theme parks in Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, every vibe of that golden age comes alive there. The main streets are lined decked out in vintage decor and restaurants pay homage to legendary hang-outs like The Brown Derby. You feel like you're walking around the studio lots venturing from one shooting location to another.
As Disney revamps the site for larger Star Wars and Toy Story lands, those retro vibes are slowly changing. The most recent attraction going for a complete overhaul The Great Movie Ride. Built as a replication of Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, California, the ride takes guests literally into the movies.
The Man, the myth, the legend Stan Lee comes to MegaCon Orlando. The beloved comic book creator stopped by for an exclusive panel as part of his farewell tour for convention appearances. Sitting alongside Lee was his events co-ordinator Max, both of which took part in the panel to share stories of their adventures working together and answering fan questions.
His entrance into the conference room was electrifying. Everyone in attendance couldn't help but cheer the man who created so many of our favorite comic book characters. Afterwards, Max shares a brief story of Lee wanting to make a trip over to Universal Studios theme park Islands of Adventure, where there is a Marvel land featuring all of his creations, and the mishaps that went down. I apologize for the shakiness of the footage. It's hard to keep the camera steady when you're excited!
The panel was full of golden moments, and we almost never wanted it to end. He answered a lot of fan's questions (his favorite superhero is Spiderman) and what keeps him going in life at his age (breathing). Stan was as sharp as could be answering fans questions, which had us all in stitches. With the idea in mind that this debatable is one of his last appearance at a Florida convention, when an admirer asked what should fans do to uphold his legacy, Lee responded that he's never thought about it, doesn't matter to him, and sets the fans free to do what they want.
Lee starting out the panel with answering a fan's question, which ranged from what kind of advice Tony Stark would give at a college graduation ceremony to his love of movies and what inspired him to write. The chemistry and camaraderie between Lee and his manager Max kept the fans roaring with laughter to create a panel that will be as memorable as the Marvel creator's legacy.
Sometimes you attend a panel where you know you're going to attend it again and again. While MegaCon Orlando doled a lot of fantastic memories, I know I won't hesitate to attend a convention if Tom Wilson is on the b the ll for celebrity guest. He was simply put: fantastic.
Many fans will know him from the iconic Back to the Future, where he played three generations of Biff men in several different varieties from 1950s, to 2015, to 1800s.
He's responsible for a lot more than the love-to-hate villain of Robert Zemeckis's classic movie: he revolutionised the fast food industry. While talking about his earlier career in commercials before he made it as a huge star, starred in a commercial as a thirty and hungry construction worker who magically has a biscuit pop into his hands for lunch. Next time, you go to Wendys or Burger King, all hail Tom Wilson.
The panel started with Wilson giving the audience a stand-up routine instead of a normal or standard introduction of credits and how-are-yous. Singing a song and talking about his career, he told stories about acting, and mostly, the questions he often gets in panels to cut everything to the chase. Wilson had everyone in stitches. If you never believed in positive vibes, a Tom Wilson panel will do the trick. It's no wonder he looks exactly like Biff in 1988, just sporting a helmet of grey hair.
Thanks for tuning in for part two of my experience at MegaCon, one of the biggest conventions around. Here is part one of my MegaCon coverage if you want to take a look at some awesome cosplay. Today I'm sharing picture and videos of my experience attending the panels with Star Trek's Brent Spiner and The Rocky Horror PictureShow cast. Two more parts are coming soon to my MegaCon Orlando experience: Stan Lee and Back to the Future's Tom Wilson. Hope you enjoy!
Release of Disney's live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast is right around the corner. And the studio is pulling out all the stops. While the cast is on a world press tour, an eight-minute exclusive sneak-peek with costumes on display are open to park guests at Walt Disney World's Hollywood Studios in Florida and Disneyland in California. At Disney's Hollywood Studios, costumes from the new movie are on display and I was able to catch a sneak peak of the first five minutes!
The prop on display at Hollywood Studios is the red rose under its glass dome. And the costume is Belle's golden dress, which she famously wears during her and Beasts' iconic ballroom dance in the 1991 original film.
At Disneyland Resort in California, the costumes on display includes Belle's village blue dress, a map, an enchanted mirror, and a rose under the bell jar. I would've loved to see these in person too!
Despite being a massive geek, I was never really a Star Wars fan. Not that my mom and sister didn't try to influence my disinterest over the years by watching the films and going to the conventions, as I grew up with the first era of early 2000s installments. But the Disney and J.J. Abrams's reboot changed my enthusiasm. And I guess you could say Saturday Night Live played a big role too.
When Adam Driver hosted the weekly sketch-comedy show, there was one clip I was totally obsessed with: Undercover Boss. The skit has Darth Vader's grandson Kylo Ren posing undercover at Starkiller Base as Matt the Radar Technician. Certain lines like "Kylo Ren is a punk-bitch", as much as I thought it was creative and funny. The entire skit became a fandom of mine ever since it aired.
Immediately, the video inspired me to make this my Halloween costume. I'm not sure there's ever been another costume I was so determined to complete as much as possible.
