Chandler Riggs Featured in Wizard World Comic Con

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Parent Category: Expos and Conventions

Category: Previews

Published on Monday, 17 January 2011 07:52

Written by Eric Grunes

Chandler Riggs portrays Carl Grimes on the AMC show, The Walking Dead, an epic, edge-of-your-seat drama where personal struggles are magnified against a backdrop of moment-to-moment survival.This hot young star can be found at New Orleans Comic Con, January 29-30, 2011, at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center followed by Wizard World Comic Con stops Toronto, Big Apple Spring Edition, Philadelphia and Chicago.

The Walking Dead is an epic, edge-of-your-seat drama where personal struggles are magnified against a backdrop of moment-to-moment survival. A survivalist story at its core, the series explores how the living are changed by the overwhelming realization that those who survive can be far more dangerous that the mindless walkers roaming the earth. They themselves have become the walking dead.

Shot on location in Atlanta, Georgia, The Walking Dead is led by a cast that includes Andrew Lincoln (Teachers, Love Actually) as Rick Grimes, Jon Bernthal (The Pacific, The Ghost Writer) as Shane Walsh, Sarah Wayne Callies (Prison Break) as Lori Grimes, Laurie Holden (The Shield, Stephen King’s The Mist) as Andrea, Jeffrey DeMunn (Stephen King’s The Mist, The Green Mile) as Dale, Steven Yeun (The Big Bang Theory) as Glen, Emma Bell (The Bedford Diaries) as Amy and Riggs (Get Low) as Carl Grimes.

New Orleans Comic Con
January 29 & 30, 2011
New Orleans Morial Convention Center
900 Convention Center Blvd.
New Orleans, LA 70130
504-582-3023

BuffyFest Drives a Stake Into Comic Con in New Orleans

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Parent Category: Expos and Conventions

Category: Previews

Published on Monday, 17 January 2011 07:27

Written by Eric Grunes

James Marsters, Julie Benz, Nicholas Brendon, Clare Kramer, James Leary, and Kelly Donovan who portrayed beloved characters in Buffy: the Vampire Slayer will appear at the Wizard World New Orleans Comic Con, January 29-30, 2011 at the New Orleans' Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. The six guests will greet fans and participate in panels and discussions that highlight their roles in popular Joss Whedon television series such as Buffy: the Vampire Slayer and Angel.

Gareb Shamus, CEO of Wizard Entertainment, today announced the addition of New Orleans Comic Con to the world's largest pop culture convention series.  The event is scheduled for January 29-30, 2011, at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

The event will be the first on the 2011 Wizard World Comic Con schedule, and the first Wizard World convention in “The Big Easy.”

“We followed the Super Bowl Champions all the way to New Orleans this year,” said Shamus.  “We are thrilled to come to the home of Mardi Gras, the Saints and World Famous Bourbon Street.  New Orleans is the perfect place to create the type of pop culture event called Wizard World.  We look forward to seeing all our fans there!”

The freshly renovated New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center is an essential component of what makes the city's major business events so successful. With 1.1 million square feet of contiguous exhibit space, the Convention Center is the sixth largest convention facility in the nation, and it consistently ranks in the country's top ten of facilities that hold the most conventions and tradeshows annually.

Marsters, who played the vampire Spike in both series, has been a popular guest at past Wizard World conventions. His TV credits also include recurring roles in Caprica and Smallville. An accomplished singer, Marsters also crossed the pond with a memorable recurring role as Captain John Hart in the hit BBC Doctor Who spinoff, Torchwood. He also was the voice of Lex Luthor in Superman: Doomsday.

Benz, also well known for her roles on Dexter, No Ordinary Family, and Desperate Housewives, portrayed Darla on Buffy and Angel. She has been a regular in several other television series, including Roswell and Hi Honey, I'm Home.

Brendon, who played Xander Harris, Buffy’s reliable and clown-fearing sidekick, has also been seen on Kitchen Confidential, Without a Trace and in a recurring role as Kevin Lynch in Criminal Minds.

His twin brother Donovan, who played Xander's sinister double Suave Xander Harris, has also had roles in Undressed and City Guys.

Kramer, an actress, producer and restaurateur, played Glory, the evil goddess with a fashion sense, in Buffy and recently completed production on two films, Endure and The Dead Ones . She starred with fellow Buffy/Angel alum Eliza “Faith” Dushku in the cheerleader film Bring It On and Tru Calling. She has also been a popular guest at numerous Wizard World events.

Leary played Clem and has appeared in several other movies and series.

About Wizard Entertainment:
Gareb Shamus founded Wizard Entertainment in 1991.  Today, Shamus publishes consumer magazines Wizard, ToyFare, FunFare and numerous books about pop-culture’s top talent, comic books and toys.  Shamus also produces the largest North American Comic Con tour.  Wizard World Comic Con – The Pop-Culture Capital of the World!

BuffyFest
New Orleans Comic Con
January 29 & 30
New Orleans Morial Convention Center
900 Convention Center Blvd.
New Orleans, LA 70130
504-582-3023

2011 Winter Fancy Food Show

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Parent Category: Expos and Conventions

Category: Previews

Published on Monday, 17 January 2011 05:31

Written by Lynne Shannon

The 36th NASFT 2011 Winter Fancy Food Show is running January 16-18, 2011 at Moscone Center in San Francisco, California, the West Coast's largest specialty food and beverage event.  

Here, in one place, are the largest selection, latest trends and most innovative products the specialty food industry has to offer. This year’s Winter Show is the largest yet at Moscone Center, with 1,300 exhibitors, 80,000 specialty foods and beverages from the U.S. and beyond, including more than 35 countries, and over 17,000 buyers expected.  

What's New, What's Hot! features three tracks:

What is New – a first look at innovations and potential trends. Some products introduced include:

Bourbon Vanilla SweetSticks (John Wm. Macy's Cheese Sticks)
Baked Lentil Chips (The Mediterranean Snack Food Company LLC)
Beanitos Bean Chips (Bean Brand Foods)
Pumpkin Spice Syrup (Blackberry Patch)
Renfro's Ghost Pepper Salsa (Renfro Foods, Inc.)
Savory Garlic Buffalo Wing (Yancey's Fancy Inc.)
Tortuga Turtles with Sea Salt (Tortuga Rum Cake Company)

California Caviar Company introduces two infused salmon roes, one of which is a BBQ Salmon Roe, which combines “the bold flavors of an outdoor BBQ with the refinement of caviar”.

CookieZen is the first gourmet cookie company to offer the unique Cookies & Corks tasting experience featuring bite-sized gourmet cookies packaged to pair with wine.

Royal Blue Tea Japan presents “CHAEN”, a premium bottled tea beverage, as a new development in tea culture.  “Royal Blue Teas are meant to be paired with gourmet foods, much the same as any fine wine... We...recommend using a wine glass to better admire the color, aroma and flavor of Royal Blue Tea products.”

Experts are detecting trends with:

• Exotic citrus
• Gluten-free foods
• Good-for-you foods
• Grains, nuts and seeds
• Indian flavors
• Nostalgic foods
• Premium vinegars
• Squash, pumpkin and sweet potato

Natural & Organic Foods – both new and new twists on old favorites, some of which are:

Brown Rice Noodles, Gochujang (Annie Chun's Inc.)
GoPicnic ready-to-eat meals (GoPicnic)
Gringo Jack's Loco Local Salsa (Gringo Corp)
Tillen's Natural Maraschinos (Metzger Specialty Brands, Inc.)
Wyoming Fireside Beef Goulash (Frontier Soups)

Gifts & Holiday – presents not only gift ideas, but products specially packaged and prepared for any thoughtful gesture. Included are:

Get Beached Margarita Mixer (Blue Crab Bay Co./Bay Beyond Inc.)
Holiday Gift Sets-Holiday Dips (Robert Rothschild Farm)
New Christmas Soda (Chicago Importing Co.)
Rosemary Parmesan Wafer Crisps (The Kitchen Table Bakers)
Truffle Salt, Truffle Honey (Sabatino USA., Inc.)

Tastings are offered for a diverse menu from cookies and cupcakes to wines, cocktails and “mocktails”.

The 2011 Winter Education Program covers such topics as:

• Tasting Meats & Charcuterie – Bring Home the Bacon!
• Going Organic: Understanding the Steps to Becoming Certified Organic
• How to $urvive a Recall With A Lot of Help From Your Friends

For further information, go to www.specialtyfood.com and select “Winter Fancy Food Show”.

NASFT Winter 2011 Fancy Food Show
January 16-18, 2011

Moscone Center
747 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 974-4000,
(415) 974-4073