So long, CyPhaCon: sci-fi cake will never be the same

Been a week since I got back from CyPhaCon in Lake Charles, La., where it was great to
not only see a con that has tripled in size since I was there in 2012, but to see my Lake Charles buds again—from top dawgs Garrett and Stuart, and Rachael the best guest assistant ever (well, one of them anyway)...  I only wished I'd gotten out to prowl around all three floors more often.

I must say also that it was a miracle that I was able to reign in my infamous sweet tooth in these post-LifeGoal days of Weightwatchers... with all the goodies on-site abounding from 
Corina Joshlin at Cajun Cakes N Creations, and others ... and Rachael's mom's own catering ... But all that has decidedly led me to realize and codify my new theorem on #Southernfandom and its #concakes.
I mean, really: Apparently, no Southern convention happens without a cake, or two. I used to just know this, having grown up in Southwestern fandom, so it was a happy re-discovery for me. And these ain't no SoCal fandom cakes for show—these actually get eaten. With little to none left over to cram into someone's fridge and then spoil—as you'll see.

So yes, the weekend as seen in my own top snaps:

From the overdue quality time with ol' Shran/Weyoun/Brunt, et al, himself, Jeff Combs!... 

(How did I not snap one with mon capitan Vic Mignogna and Bonesian heir Chuck Huber?)

And my first-ever banner charity signing ...
















To our hotel clerk Emily, the very professional yet uber-DS9 and TNG fan who greeted us with the most restrained squee ever—a welcome reminder of Trekland's vastness, when you think you're merely in the middle of middle-city Southerness...

To the local color signage—thank you, KD's Diner! (But how would you ENFORCE this? ) ....

And more local color signage, courtesy KD's … I'm hoping this is just another way of saying, "Please wait to be seated." (Okay… I'm not really hoping that.)

And yep, those Orion's Envy ladies and their glee to finally see The Green Girl and stock up on  chotskis... (check back at TREKLAND soon for more with them)...














To the glorious thunderstorm monsoons I wish I could bottle up and take back to SoCal...

To what became the theme of the weekend: #Southernfandom #concake!  Hashtag dominion!

And another awesome creation—this one by Corina Joshlin at Cajun Cakes N Creations. 

But, great kid—don't get cocky!

I'm told to guess what ship will turn up cakeified in 2016 on its 50th anniversary, hmm....




Like I said: #Southernfandom #concakes are not just for looks. They get et.

(Plus, this is proof positive that they really don't have shields in Star Wars...)














Thanks again, my Cajun buds! See you next time.

With cake.

CyPhaCon: Dr. Trek, EIS, STC, Green Girl and my buds!

WOW. Can't believe that CyPhaCon is here already! But yes indeed— I'll see all you Cajuns THIS weekend, again, with a "Dr. Trek" show and a lot of friends in the guest line-up.

Both of the Lake Charles cons have had me almost every year since 2010, and it's a great corner off the Gulf, kinda midway  between Houston and New Orleans along I-10.  Treklander bud Jeff "Shran/Brunt/Weyoun" Combs is just one of the guests to be at Lake Charles with me: Mon capitan Vic Mignogna and fellow McCoy denizen Chuck Huber, my Star Trek Continues consultees, are also in the lineup as STC and anime guests—and I am pledged to help show them the town (or at least the eateries)!

Here's my own schedule— and yes, I'll be talking about the exciting, non-profit Enterprise in Space as well as leading a Trekland forum/panel.  We're starting off bright and "early" both days at 10 a.m., so I want to see you there! Tabling too—with info on all this plus sneak-peeks the next #LA2Vegas Trek Tour for 2016 with ME and Geek Nation Tours.





I'm also pleased to screen my buddy George Pappy's award-winning Susan Oliver bio-doc The Green Girl bigscreen (2:45 pm Saturday, Rosa Hart Theatre) and will have some Green Girl T's and DVDs at the table.

Most of all, it's a chance to bring back my late-night crowdfunder "Dr. Trek Show" fun in support of The Con of Wrath documentary, which we are starting to wrap up after a 2011 start.

That will be right after Saturday night's Fan Party at the Marriott con HQ hotel. If you want to "sign in" and help give me a head count for "Dr. Trek", please be sure to "check in" and sound off at the  Facebook event page—thanks!

Maybe, just two hours from Houston, we'll even find still more Survivors the 1982 Ultimate Fantasy aka "Con of Wrath"!  I'm always on the lookout.

Oh—and if you're a visual person, here's my weekend:

LA ALERT: "Nevermore" not quite: Jeff Combs' Poe play extended!

Halloween season was a spooky-cool time to catch Jeff Combs in his critics-ravin' one-man Edgar Allen Poe play, but if you missed it or didn't make it into L.A. by then--never fear!

"Nevermore" has been extended through Dec. 19 at the intimate Steve Allen Theatre in east Hollywood.

And you can check out my past "Switching to Visual" moment with Jeff to learn more about the show and how it came together.

Here's still hoping things work out to move it eastward, as well...!

STV: LA Alert: NEVERMORE: Jeff Combs plays Poe!

FLASH: News of the closing of Jeff Combs's one-man Edgar Allan Poe play "Nevermore" in east Hollywood is greatly exaggerated; it's been extended again! Right through, duh, Halloween—at least.

As of this post there's tickets for all four shows; they are unreserved, so get there for house opening at 7:30.

Catch it Fridays and Saturdays at the intimately eclectic Steve Allen Theatre through Oct. 31; tickets are now $20/$10 students, it's been ravely reviewed, and is absolutely spellbinding ... not the least bit what you're likely expecting. Jeff and Poe even benefit from wig and stage nose prosthetics worked over by onetime Trek make-up crew Brad Look, with input from Gloria Casney.

After we enjoyed it one Friday, I immediately hit up Jeff for a STV chat, and here we are rendezvouzing in Burbank—yes, Johnny Carson Park ... on Bob Hope Drive—plus: getting an earful about his new movie Dark House (he mentions this review) ... a little Weyoun ...

... and Floyd the Barber?

L.A. ALERT: Go see Jeff and Robert: 2 incredible shows

The stars must have aligned this week —no pun intended—for Treklanders in theatre, and us to be able to go see them! For anyone in SoCal now, lemme give you a two-fer entry about two must-sees the next few weeks that just floored us:

Jeff Combs' one-man play Nevermore as Edgar Allen Poe is incredibly wide-ranging and engaging for the one-man format—and just got extended again through October to Halloween! More with him later here ... but see details for now...

And then Saturday night I tweeted "great, unexpected, stylized show!" after seeing Robert Beltran waaaaay far from Chakotay in the world premiere of Solitude at Los Angeles Theatre Center downtown, with the playwright in the cast. It runs Thursdays thru Sundays til Oct. 4; check it out!

And check out this special "Solitude" shout-out to Trek fans from Robert ... in his own wry style ...