via The Nerd Machine
https://www.newsarama.com/36502-simone-lopresti-unite-two-warriors-in-wonder-woman-conan.html
By: Eric Flapjack Ashley (@flapjackashley)
If you are a nerd of any sort, you are aware of movies that are known as “guilty pleasures” – those movies that are typically so bad, they’re good. Camp favorites like The Room, Troll 2, and Manos: The Hands of Fate would easily make this grouping. But no list of this nature would be complete without the Birdemic films – two movies that loosely imitate Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds with an environmental twist. It’s fun and shameless entertainment – shameless because the first movie gives a top billing credit to actress Tippi Hedren despite the fact that she only appears on a TV screen from another movie she was in, and fun because you just can’t take the films seriously. Yes, films, because there is a sequel to Birdemic that largely flew under the radar (see what I did there?).
I had the chance to sit down with Birdemic actor Alan Bagh and got to ask him some burning questions that any fan would want to know. He proves to be a very earnest actor who is hoping to parlay his initial success from a cult classic into a long term, serious career. So grab your coat hangers and settle in!
No problem! Happy to be here.
[Director] James [Nguyen] called me out of the blue one day. He found my acting profile on nowcasting.com and he asked me to come to San Jose to audition for the film. I performed a monologue and he said I had the role.
It was challenging to work to James. He’s a very passionate director but very disorganized. Furthermore, it was difficult working with no crew and limited amount of money.
After I saw it was featured on The Soup.
It depends on the fan. Some fans like it because it had a global warming awareness to it or some fans like it because it’s entertaining as hell. Other fans like it because of the special effects of the birds and many more.
Honestly, I didn’t let it affect my performance. I just played Rod like I did in the first one.
It definitely gave me more film opportunities. Filmmakers constantly ask me to be in their films.
I would say my most memorable experience was the first showing in Los Angeles at the Cinefest theatre. I wasn’t sure how people would react to this film. When I arrived to the theater, there was a long line that wrapped around the building. During the show, moviegoers were getting up and dancing during the dance scene which I never witnessed before. [They] were yelling obscene things about the film in the theater. The Birdemic production team set up two fake birds to drop from the ceiling and hang during the film and one of them malfunctioned so that was a funny accident. Moviegoers brought hangers and swung them during the bird scenes. I even autographed some of those hangers. It was an interesting first red carpet event.
My overall favorite film is Silence of the Lambs. I love the relationship between both actors. I thought the writing was great as well.
I really like the film Mad Max and it inspired me to shoot the film. I was taking a digital production class at the time and we were required to make a short film. So I decided to shoot a post-apocalyptic short film with my team. We did the writing, editing, and shooting with a low budget and it came out great.
Yes, I love playing the hero type, but I also like playing the bad guy.
Time was the first challenge. I had to shoot all the scenes within three days. [The] second challenge was coordinating all the actors to show up and shoot. Last challenge was finding two kids to shoot the kid scene.
The film’s logline is “Detective John Lauren seeks to finds his wife’s killer. After finding a valuable clue, he goes on a manhunt to find the killer and finds out the shocking truth of what really happened to his wife.”
(Grins knowingly) Maybe…does watching the Dragon Ball Z series count?
Yes, I definitely would be in Birdemic 3. I think it would be a lot of fun.
Thank you for your time!
Thanks for having me!
To learn more about Alan and his upcoming project, The Diamond Collector, as well as view his other independent work mentioned in this interview, visit his YouTube page! You can also keep up with him on his official Facebook, Instagram accounts.
GLSEN to Celebrate DC Entertainment at the
2017 GLSEN Respect Awards – Los Angeles
By: Scott Muller
It seems like every month brings a new comic, anime, or pop culture convention to Florida. But really, who can blame folks for wanting to hold a convention in a state that’s almost perpetually sunny and has plenty to do, from theme parks to beaches to sporting events?
This year’s MegaCon Tampa Bay, which happens from September 29 through October 1 at the Tampa Convention Center, means a little bit more to some people.
Feeding Florida, Florida’s food bank network. Since many people and businesses lost power for days and food was harder to get due to dangerous conditions, food banks have been hit especially hard. To help them, MegaCon has made a huge guest announcement.
The following text appeared in a press release from MegaCon Tampa Bay:
Comic book legend Stan Lee will appear at MegaCon Tampa Bay to meet his fans and support Hurricane Irma relief in Florida.
“The generous support of the MegaCon Tampa Bay community will allow Feeding Florida to provide necessary supplies to our families directly impacted by Hurricane Irma,” said Robin Safley, Executive Director of the Feeding Florida. “Partnerships like this allow our statewide network of food banks to continue to support every community and provide many of the front-line services required during response and recovery efforts.”
“Florida is in need of some cheering up and what better person to do that than the one and only Stan Lee! We are excited to be bringing Stan to Tampa Bay for the first time and to work with him to support those communities impacted by Hurricane Irma.” says Andrew Moyes, Vice President of FanExpo HQ.
In light of the recent natural disaster, Stan Lee will auction off experiences and items that money cannot buy, including a one-on-one meal with Stan The Man himself, and artwork from his personal collection. The auction will happen on Friday, September 29 during his panel at MegaCon Tampa Bay. You have to be in the room to bid!
Stan Lee’s personal auction contributions, combined with the funds raised from the ticket drive, ensure MegaCon Tampa Bay and their fans will donate an estimated $20,000 to Feeding Florida’s hurricane relief efforts.
Three-day passes, as well as single day tickets starting at just $25, are available at www.megacontampabay.com/tickets.
Some of the Stan Lee packages are pretty amazing, including experiences like breakfast with Stan Lee and collector’s items like signed Stan Lee merchandise. It’s no exaggeration to say that this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. You can see some of the experiences and items by clicking the link for tickets above.
In addition to Stan Lee, big-time guests like Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes (Jay and Silent Bob), William Shatner (Captain Kirk of Star Trek fame), and Gaten Matarazzo and Caleb McLaughlin (Stranger Things) will be signing autographs and posing for pictures with fans. For a full list of celebrities that will be attending, click here.
Celebrities won’t be the only reason to attend MegaCon this year. Dozens of comic book artists and writers will also be in attendance. Artists and writers such as Mark Bagley, Neal Adams, Chuck Dixon, and Joel Adams will be signing autographs and sketching for fans.
Lastly, there will be tons of merch to buy, panels to attend, cosplayers to take pictures with, and events to entertain you. Check out the convention’s website for more information. You can also get information on MegaCon Tampa Bay’s Facebook page and Twitter feed. Staying informed is key to getting the most out of your convention experience.
Tickets are going fast! If you’re in Tampa or Orlando area or were thinking of visiting, this is a great time of year to do it! Come down and help get our economy going after a rough couple of weeks! We would really appreciate it!