A real 'killer' con gig for me—for the Sooner!

Well, this is fun: There's nothing like a shoutout from your old hometown, all in the name of a good cause.

But did I just pick up another convention appearance this year?

The historic Sooner Theatre Foundation back in Norman, OK (also home to Football Ground Zero) has a recent tradition of hosting cute, themed original murder mystery dinner musicals each winter to help fund its youth programs.

And it looks like I just became a local accessory to the deed. 

Proving the geeks HAVE won, this year's extravaganza is  "Sci-Fi Murder Con," an interactive whodunit running three nights this weekend that is peppered with characters supposedly attending the USFUS, or "United Science Fiction Universe Society," per local attorney, theatre booster and onetime State Student Council Workshop mate-of-mine Ben Odom.


"The plot is Star Trek vs. Star Wars for control of the United Fan Convention—the Kirk type gets murdered, and Dr Who is the detective," Ben tells me. "I play a fan (below, at left) who dresses up as a TOS Klingon and writes fan fiction."

And here's the kicker:

In the best spirit of any Trek graphic goodie, he listed moi as the con's "keynote speaker"!


"The  'program' is a stage prop we point to at times in the show, so there is only a front and back cover to it. But I thought this would be a little in-joke for some in Norman… and a fun salute to your Trek cred !" 

"We are sold out for the three nights already," he adds. "It will raise all the money needed for youth programs for the theater."
 


And if I can be a guest at another great local con with a charity like that—who am I to quibble that it's all fictional?


Thanks, Ben, for the great nod from some of the homies who remember me—and recall that I was involved with the old Can-Do Follies at the Sooner during the depressing oil bust years of the '80s.  (In fact, the "networking" button I wore as Caleb McCoy in Allison Winter's Divine White web series was THE button we had for the troupe and the spirit-raising campaign back then.)


If you are in the area, why not check out the ticket status just in case  get yourself to downtown Norman for a great rollicking cause?  Just don't blame me if the USFUS concomm never comes to pick me up at the airport.

Hey, Phoenix Comicon—I'm there, on AND off the grid

Okay—a wacky year, so pay attention!

Barely off the flight from a wonderful weekend at small, friendly and very busy CONduit in Salt Lake City…

I've been thrilled to add Phoenix Comicon to my roster the past three years—my, only a year since that insane amateur blogger's misquote rumor fiasco?—and this weekend I will be back, even if I'm barely in the guide—after we had a miscue this winter. Look for rings to be different in 2016, I'm gonna wager.

Meanwhile, I really will be around campus—especially Friday and Saturday—and a bit more foot-loose and fancy-free. Let's see if it is more fun!

Of course, a big part of the weekend for me is the world premiere of "The White Iris," the fourth episode of Star Trek Continues, and I'll be there with cast and fellow crew and who knows what else. Look for some vidchats with special guests I shot on-set—Colin Baker and Chris Gore, and more!—coming soon here on the blog. 

I'll also be there late-night Friday to support my Con of Wrath director of photography, Neal Halford, as his horror short The Case of Evil (right) makes yet another festival appearance, this time in connection with PHXCC.

Check me out on Saturday: two panels and a guest table spot with the United Federation of Phoenix, thanks to my friend David Williams and his wonderful club, Phoenix's oldest.

All of that capped Saturday night, of course for a live-n-local Dr. Trek show crowdfunder to benefit The Con of Wrath  AND get your screen credit for your $20 or more donation—our standard procedure….but not too late to hit the parties afterward. (And for the second year in a row, I'll be doing Dr. Trek for a private audience as well—a PHXCC twofer!)  Mucho thanks to Continues producer/director Chris White for donating the venue.

And on top of ALL that: Freed from a tight con-bound schedule, I have a side trip planned for a very special video interview with a first-generation Treklander—I'm excited for that, and to share with you that history later.

So here's the day-by-day for me:

THURSDAY—

6 pm: Dr. Trek Show crowdfunder for The Con of Wrath, in a private but not closed venue in Maricopa, 20 minutes south of downtown. If you are in the Phoenix region, would like to attend a Dr. Trek event and help out Wrath but downtown is just not convenient to go for you Saturday night, email me and I'll slip you in on the details.

FRIDAY—

6 pm, Ballroom 301: Star Trek Continues premiere of "The White Iris," Episode 4—and look for an hour Q&A and hour of signing afterward.

10:30 pm, West 103: Neal's The Case of Evil horror short screening during the PHXCC Film Festival. 

SATURDAY—

10:30 am, Room North 228: 50 Years of Humanism: A Trek panel I took on as a late add, and fascinating topic—check out the reserve page here. And after that…

Noon-4 pm, Tabling: I'm a guest of the United Federation of Phoenix at their table—with some photos, Trekland on Speaker CDs (2 and 3), and of course info on Enterprise in Space and The Con of Wrath meetup that night!

6 pm, North 227: Live Long and Prosper: Saying Goodbye to Leonard Nimoy: The other panel I'm joining late, and hopefully adding a slew of Nimoy career visuals

9-11 pm, Sheraton Room TBA: Dr. Trek Show crowdfunder II, con-centric edition!  If you;ve never seen my show (or if you have, there's fresh blood this year)… here's you chance—and we get out in time to see plenty of Saturday con nightlife, so you can support our piece of history with your $20 for a screen credit, chance to trivia prizes, and rare video and doc sneak peeks. 
If you plan to come, please do "Like" my Facebook event page's own "Attend" button... always helpful! If you do, you'll get word for the Room Number in the Sheraton as soon as it's ready, on Thursday. Or just make sure you're following me on Twitter or Facebook as well—'twill be posted there too.


SUNDAY—
Who knows? I:m a free man and might actually go enjoy a con day for once.

Phoenix rising!: See you at Comicon—and Todd too!

Whoa! It's been two days back from FedCon and time to turn sights just eastward to Phoenix Comicon, another show that's exploding in size but keeping its fun fan factor feel...and thanks to Matt Solberg and ALL the wonderful volunteer staff for having me back again as a guest.

2013 PHXCC debut of STC and "Pilgrim of Eternity"

No huge Star Trek Continues world debut and cast signing as with last year's amazing moment, but this year Todd "Spock" Haberkorn—the only castmember who had to miss 2013's debut gala—is also a PHXCC con guest and will join me for a screening of "Lolani" on Sunday in the Big Hall, otherwise known as the Valley of the Sun. Sure you've seen it online, but here's a chance to see it big-screen...and yak at us afterwards in Q&A.



On the solo front, I've got four events—plus my Trekland hours at Table 2524.

Here's links to my bio page there and those events—you can go to each page and "Choose" it--and get a number tally for my use:

Friday 4:30 - 5:30pm Room 122ab: Larry Nemecek's "Trekland: Between the Cracks" show

Saturday 3:00 - 4:00pm Room 122ab: The "State of the Trek" Forum: Larry Nemecek and All of Us

Sat. 10:30pm-12:30 am, Sheraton venue TBA Thursday: The "Dr. Trek Show" crowdfunder meetup for "The Con of Wrath" ($20 donation  for screen credit, prize trivia, rare & doc clips)

Sunday 1:30 - 3:30pm Valley of the Sun Hall: Star Trek Continues: Episode 2 "Lolani" Screening and Q&A


If you plan to come, please do "Like" the panels on these pages, and of course my Facebook event page's own "Attend" button.. always helpful! If you do, you'll get word for the Room Number for Saturday night's meetup in the Sheraton as soon as it's ready, on Thursday. Or just make sure you're following me on Twitter or Facebook as well—'twill be posted there too.

And next up: Lake Charles for BayouCon, back to OKC for SoonerCon, and then San Diego Comic-Con (two days, with a panel), the LA2Vegas Tour and then Vegas! And now London Destination Star Trek in the fall. I'll have more details, but for now here's the skinny in brief—and know there's a meetup planned at each site.

Online alert: Watch Kitty Swink's online auction promo for the Antaeus

Star Trek power couple Armin "Quark" Shimerman and Kitty "Rozahn/Luaran" Swink have shared news from their Antaeus Theatre company with Trekland before.

And now, to help LA's classical theatre company, here's a fun video (at right) that Kitty directed to promote Antaeus's annual Online Auction fundraiser!

"I literally took the art off of our wall. And dressed Ann Noble in my DS9 hat and Armin's Klingon Shakespeare shirt," tells us.

Keep an eye peeled for a unique sculpture by none other than Rene "Odo" Auberjonois, too...and a few loose editorial comments... And if you can throw them some support, please do.

From "bridge restoration" to glorious teaching museum: A Kickstarter for a do-able sci-fi dream is now UP

UPDATE: Apparently, Huston has embroiled me in a $500 donor reward for the campaign: drinks and brain-dissecting. See the page.


Well! It's a big week for a little project that *I*, of all people, first revealed to the world right here back in August 2012. Without naming names!

But Huston Huddleston's project is not so little anymore. Or in cognito.

Yep, after all those "Captain, I saved the bridge!" T-shirts and celebrity support pictures at cons all over the country, comes the big news Wednesday that the non-profit "Enterprise D Bridge Restoration Project" -turned-"New Starship" has zoomed in scope to now become the Hollywood Sci-Fi Museum project—still headed by Huston but with an army of fan volunteers, both white-collar and red-shirted.

The big splash announcement kicks off an $83,500 Kickstarter crowd-funding drive to fund the groundwork of the initial preview site in Hollywood by 2015 and the build to a permanent, custom museum circa 2018. There's donor levels from $1 to $4500...
and it's already got a healthy start. I hope you all can join in and give what you can—and as a board member honored to be asked to serve, I'll give my thanks up front.

Yes, that's right: I'm on the board for this, among a few other peeps you might have heard of before. I vetted this every step of the way or else I wouldn't be involved. So I know a lot of you are thinking, "Hey wait a minute—restoring and housing the Enterprise-D bridge is one thing... but ain't this a bit grandiose? Smells like 'too much, too fast, too overblown' to be real." Or even: "Hey—you're coming back around for more money?"

And these are just the showy parts ...

Fact is, as Huston found out the past two years of hitting up corporate and other big would-be donors, the first concept was too SMALL, in their eyes. That's why the scope and the focus have gone beyond the bridge—and even Trek itself. And even that left a few early supporters skeptical.

"The money guys simply didn't care JUST about the D bridge," Huston told me today. "Some Trek fans don't seem to grasp that not everyone cares about a used set that was from a tour, and from a show that ended 20 years ago."

Be clear: the first "New Starship" Kickstarter  in 2012 funded some of the early planning, so as to get invited to a ton of conventions to spread the world, enchant mainstream media, grab fan goodwill with free photo ops, mushroom the social media, and park a lot of celebrity butts in the captain's chair.

That 2012 total would barely fund a bridge wedding and party center, though... much less the real teaching tool that the touch-screen computers and simulators can be for school trips in science, history, math—in fact, the whole STEM teaching model to jump-start our national education and workforce needs. And the art and crafts of cinema storytelling as well. So what cooler place for dispensing real science and fictionizing than the icons of science fiction everyone is already in love with?

But really ... not just Trek, but ALL these studios and franchises? Doesn't that just multiply the cost and legal hassles even more? How is this even conceivable? It's a Vizzini moment if ever there was one, right?

Au contraire, says Huston: "The secret is, it's not-for-profit and educational. That's the only way this is going to work. Despite how nervous the studio lawyers are going to get, all the actors, directors, producers and writers and certainly fans all want this to happen."

Add to that a lot of museum professionals, management experts, legal and CPAs... closet fans, too: they've done a lot of "sweat equity" to put together a pretty impressive batch of business, marketing, finance, sustained operations, education outreach .... well, binders full of plans.

Grant's "Hall of Robots" welcome video

Plus, my Star Trek Continues "Sulu" buddy Grant Imahara is only the first celeb to shoot an exhibit video for the project—his, natch, on the Hall of Robots.

Which is all one other way I know this is more than just one fanboy's pipedream. All these closet fans—and not-so-closet fans—have already invested thousands of bucks of consulting hours to help get this launched.

"This just seems like the right thing at the right time, " Huston says.

Even Paul Allen's vaunted EMP sci-fi and rock museum in Seattle, mentioned breifly in the Kickstarter video, has had contact with the "Hollywood Sci-Fi Museum" and sees a relationship, not a competition. "They are totally supportive of our concept and amazing people, " Huston says, after a trip to meet with their staff and compare notes. "They just don't do what we're going to be doing," referring to the hands-on student simulators and education access. "It's two totally different concepts."

There's really nothing like this as a teaching/entertainment sci-fi mecca, especially in "media capital" L.A./Hollywood, and there's a lot of interest in both the jobs, and the tourism ...plus the attached hotel/center for a private owner. And then the green-energy/sustainability goals for the eventual all-new building.

A lot of hard work, money and long hours are still to go on this thing. But it is out there with enough planning, vision, and phased-in conception to attract a lot of the real folks who make real things go. Too big to dream? Too big to work? Right now, it's what it needs to be. I'm excited to be a part of it, since way back at the birth ... and can't wait to see what all these excited pro-fans can launch together. Starting—again—right now.



And this is just one of TWO wonderful, non-profit, Trek-related projects I'm going to be involved with as a board member and proud backer. Stay tuned ...

Look out, Seattle: We're back for Emerald City Comic-Con!

Can it be another year already?

I'm looking forward to meeting all our familiar Seattle peeps this weekend at Emerald City Comic Con, and hopefully a few new ones!

The con has been a sell-out for months, but I've just been quiet about my part in it all—until now.  No table for me this year, but there's two panels—and we'll do a "Con of Wrath" crowdfunding meetup, of course, where I'll have a few goodies like "Stellar Cartography."

Unique to this urban con, our meetup will actually be a kind of "dead dog party"* for Trekfans, just after the show closes on Sunday...an excuse for the locals to linger longer nearby in your ECCC ecstasy. I realize we lose any travelers that way, but people seem to prefer "Sunday-afters" to a hectic Saturday night meetup—and our friendly fellow patrons at the Six Arms are sure easier to talk over!

If you can come, please "Join" the Facebook Event page; if you can't make it, please share and tweet the word, would you?

So here's where I'll be, for sure:

—FRIDAY:

2 pm, Room 3AB: Larry Nemecek's Trekland—our annual but updated "slideshow" of news and in-jokes.

—SUNDAY:
3 pm, Room 3AB: Star Trek: The State of the Franchise—Our patented forum and cross-talk where you, me and the other guy get it all of our chest—or ask the interesting questions. Hopefully we can open your mind to some new ways of seeing the current ... fallow times.

5:30-7:30 pm: And yes our THIRD annual Seattle post-con CON OF WRATH crowdfunder meet-up—again at Six Arms upstairs loft, just 3 blocks up the street from the convention center at 300 E. Pike Street. As usual, you pitch in $20 to help The Con of Wrath move along with a screen credit and enjoy our rare clips, new peeks, some prize trivia—and each other! Now with Star Trek Continues awesome as well. You can "Join" the Facebook Event page here and really help me out with planning, since I do these on the fly.

Of course, if you catch me roaming around ECCC any other time...please let me go, eventually.


*And please don't tell me this is now an un-PC term. It's too old-school con fandom to let go now!

Happy birthday, Armin!—and check out this comedy's Kickstarter video

Armin and I during the 2007 Writer's Guild strike "Trek Day"

Yes, happy birthday today to a great actor, scholar, novelist, genre fan, union guy, Ferengi—and the man who first opened the door for us on opening night at Quark's!

Our best greetings to Armin Shimerman — who I hear also made a wicked recurring name for himself as Principal Snyder on  Buffy and tunneldweller Pascal on Beauty and the Beast).

While we wish him well today and I have your attention, check him out with Harry "Tam Elbrun/Nathan Samuels" Groener in this YouTube for a Kickstarter campaign on a hilarious indie comedy they and a host of genre names are involved with—Armin's wife Kitty, Barry Bostwick, many more ... and co-created and produced by Gabriel Diani, the guy who portrayed Spock to straight comic perfection in the tiny yet brilliant and even licensed 2004 production of "Spock's Brain" at an OC comedy club. How many in-jokes can you count? And this is just one of a dozen shorts featuring a lot of familiar faces in the film and, uh, "dry" wit... it's Diani & Devine Meet The Apolcalypse:

Now that I have my own attention free to look at other projects, I hope you all check out all the many cute vids and make a donation—a lot of your favorite actors are helping Gabe and Etta out with their project. Gabe even does a great turn in one as young sarcastic Mark Twain on the Internets machine ...

"Star Trek Continues" coming with me for a big-screen viewing back home at SoonerCon 22—this weekend!

It's red-dirt return time again for me!

Every time SoonerCon rolls around each June, I not only get to go back home for a visit with family and old friends, but meet a ton of new ones as well.

So here is ever-booming SCon next weekend, and the schedule is out: it's  another great lineup of guests and a program/panels list that's bulging at the seams at 100+ events. I'm in there as a special guest on a few of them—my own stuff, plus a couple of actual panels (see below).

But what's really new is a request for my usual Con of Wrath benefit meetup to add a special big-screen HD showing of "Pilgrim of Eternity", the debut of Star Trek Continues we premiered at Phoenix ComiCon that has gotten over 125,000 combined online views. I was honored to be a last-minute addition to play Dr. McCoy in this best-ever feel of a 60s episode with some surprise guests and cameos.

In fact, you can see "ST Continues" Friday night on the BIG screen at the Reed Conference Center/Sheraton, as SoonerCon is trying out the Reed and adjoining Sheraton, et al hotels in suburban Midwest City this year, just five minutes east of downtown OKC's Bricktown nightspots and only four blocks from Rose State College campus (and a former home of ours!).



And everyone who checks into our meetup deal Friday night gets a free limited-edition "Phoenix premiere" poster of "Pilgrim" (left) —plus a chance at a drawing for a cast-autographed version!

Only the Phoenix crowd of 3800, and a couple other cons where producer/Kirk Vic Mignogna has brought it since, have experienced the big-screen treatment.  So, fellow Okies and indie fans, look for us at 9-12 pm Friday night (leaving your Saturday night free). As usual when I'm at a live con, your donation for The Con of Wrath is just $20 (or more) for your screen credit and this private meetup with prize trivia, rare Trek video and recent doc clips shot in process, including George Takei. And here in OKC, you get the "Pilgrim" on big screen, too!

(If you want to see what all the STC hubbub is about first, check out STC at its webpage, like the Facebook and follow Twitter for updates on the next episode ... and even catch some of our rave reviews from the likes of Slate and Breitbart and Pearls of Geek, among others...)

But solo or group, here's the rest of my "organized" schedule for SCon:

FRI - 5PM-F  (group panel) "Out of Darkness: The Iterations and Resilience of Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek"   

FRI - 9 PM-THEATER  - Our Meetup Benefit for Wrath of Con featuring Star Trek Continues on the bigscreen—plus all the rest of the goodies.

SAT-1PM-THEATER My "Between the Cracks" Trekland 2013 show: "JJVerse Reaction Edition" show   

SAT-2PM-F  (group)" Cinema So Far: 2013 in Fan Genre Films"

SUN-1PM-THEATER "What Do You Crave, Trek Peeps?" —This is a special one I requested— i just want to hear what, if any, Trek fen feel they are missing in their addiction.  Is it possible to know what you don't know?  Besides having new Roddenberry Universe back on the weekly small screen?

Also, this year I'm going to unleash on SoonerCon a stick of shirts, fliers, programs, buttopns, etc, from SooneCons and ThunderCons past ('80s and '90s) that should find good homes —and for a good cause: once again, the Infant Crisis Services of OKC.

Can't wait! And, this year, to catch up with some of the faces of folks I have not been able to get to know from the new fandom of my stomping grounds that have come along the past decade or so. I'll have a table, yes, but I won't be chained there—it's gonna be a minglin' year. Better follow SCon along on Facebook and Twitter, too.

Help award-winning Neal write his fantasy novel—quick!

Quick: do me a favor and noise this around. It's another one of THOSE requests, but a
modest one— so the bottom line is the next-best thing you can do is SHARE IT.

My buddy Neal Hallford, whom you may know as the DP behind my CON OF WRATH doc, is also an award-winning game designer — for "Betrayal at Krondor" and "Dungeon Siege," a popular couple of big-selling computer roll-play adventure games a few years back, based in part on Raymond E. Feist's Riftworld series—though this new book has no connection.

With that esteemed fantasy DNA, Neal's jumped out with a very modest Kickstarter campaign for THE THIEF OF DREAMS—a sprawling, richly textured, all-new fantasy novel ...and one that can be the cornerstone for its own spinoff game, or who know what else. (And "modest," as in—a lot is not needed if many do it.) It's even consistently rated in the top 5 projects in the Fiction Publishing sub-category on Kicktraq's Hot-List.

To see how much of it all he has sketched out, Neal has a great video up at the KS page—here it is below—plus he has a THIEF OF DREAMS website as well. He's put a ton of time into this: a map, characters, an FAQ for both the project and the campaign—and of course more on all the rewards they have set up ... especially if you are wondering what all there is for donor gifts for a novel. Updates are there, too.

You know the drill with Kickstarter: if Neal doesn't reach goal, the project doesn't fund and all donors get their money back. So the days may be ticking by, but there's time to kick in, and then share with all the fantasy and gaming fans you know (like via Facebook). It's a great feeling to be able to create and evolve one's own universe, and to be able to weave a fantastic tale you know fellow fans will love.

Meet us up at Emerald City, Seattle!

Yo, Seattle Treklanders, I hope to see you at Emerald City Comicon this weekend, again hitting town with all the latest in the Trekland show.  You might also be happy to note that Sir Patrick, Young Wil, and recent  Hollywood Walk of Fame star awardee Walter are also guests amid a big media line-up.

No panel this year for us, sadly—it's my own fault for my distractions in January!—but we will be seeing everyone OUT FRONT in the South Lobby with our Trekland table: CD copies of TREKLAND: On Speaker Vol. 1, our last six fundraiser Klingon PADDs for The Con of Wrath documentary,  info on this August's Trek Tour redux and the just-filmed Star Trek: Continues... plus all the usual stuff from my attic trunk. Including my brain cells.

The Six Arms upstairs—our very first meetup-fundraisers a year ago, after Emerald City Comicon/Seattle!

MOST OF ALL—please spread the word that we'll have one, and perhaps two, evening meet-ups to benefit THE CON OF WRATH just a couple blocks up the street from the convention center—back again at the Six Arms upper loft, 300 E. Pike Street. Hey, Seattle was where it all began for this great experimental show last year with the worthy cause, and I thank you and hope to see a lot of you guys-n-gals again. 

And THIS year we'll have video!

Yes, rare Trek vids —and sneak peeks from celebs and grunts alike of The Con of Wrath  ... with prize trivia to boot, and prying secrets and stories out of me with the right ... beverage. Our sophomore editions will begin at 9 p.m. Saturday and 5:30 p.m. Sunday—a "just afters" for all you locals who hate to go home right off.

The ECCC show hours run 2-8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, with a lot of fun after-hours events in the 7-9 p.m. Saturday slot—which is why we don't want to overrun that with our meet-up til 9. We Treklanders are a well-rounded lot.

If you are going to be at #ECCC this weekend—or heck, just anybody anywhere in Trekland—now's a good time to follow us on Twitter for just such occasions: @larrynemecek. The Facebook page Larry Nemecek's Trekland will also post updates as well if need be.

Lag's over— just in time for Grand Slam & Gallifrey!

You will please excuse my absence the past three weeks from TREKLAND, guys'n'gals—although you might catch me at the right moment late-night at Trekland on Facebook, and on Twitter. (On a break. In tiny, tiny little time windows.)  Did I spoil you with that flurry of posts and videos here in December?

You see, deadlines and shoot schedules are a cruel master*. But what I need to let you know this week is that I'll be on hand for two—count'em TWO—conventions this President's Day weekend in SoCal:

—This FRIDAY, I'll be at the annual Gallifrey One con at the LAX Marriott—nominally a huge Who con, my buddy Shaun Lyon has enough "media" guests and programming in that there's plenty to support crossover Trek fans.

My "Between the Cracks 2013" panel show is at 1:30 pm for an hour, PLUS I'll be tabling as well with news of some Trek stored stuff to sell, hopefully locally.

—And SATURDAY, for the resurrection of their big Grand Slam Sci-Fi Summit brand, I'll see you there while sharing a table with De Kelley biographer Terry Rioux (her book at left), with Tour and CD info a-plenty.

And Sunday? Who knows where I'll perch. You'll hear about it on Facebook and Twitter, at least.

On BOTH sites, I'll have Trekland on CD copies for sale, info on what's different for the 2013 Trek "LA2Vegas" film site tour... and I hope to have night-time meetup-fundraisers again at one or both cons for The Con of Wrath, as we gear up for a new film round this March. Con fans across the country came out all last year, but I've never had one of these "shows" in my home town—well, new home, anyway.

And part of the magic is that they are impromptu—so stay tuned on all subspace Twitter and Facebook channels if you are not present but nearby, and want to jump in.

And then, I promise—more Trekland here very very soon.* A bunch has been going on all over, in case you too are behind.






*Let me just say—quickly for now—that I still have our David Goodman video series to finish posting, PLUS video from the Star Trek Continues shoot in January (and yes, I have still-fresh thoughts on that incredible odyssey of playing McCoy to share, when I catch a breath). I've even picked up a fan club (oh boy). Plus all that other Trek going on on Blu-rays and such. (I hear there's a movie or something, coming.)

Pitch in: It's Armin in drag for the Antaeus Theatre

Shades of "Profit and Lace!"

No, this is not my video—but some choice bits shared by Armin Shimerman and Kitty Swink from their current group, the Antaeus Theatre, whom we've seen and mentioned before. The Antaeus bills itself as L.A.'s classical theatre ensemble—and that goes for the obscure as well as well-known plays.

But today I wanted  to share one of three videos for the Antaeus' end-of-year tax-deductible donor season (makes a nice gift!)—this one emphasizes how the company double-casts all plays so "the show can go on" on those days when cast members might otherwise get auditions or even gigs.

You'll also spot Linda "Hoshi" Park right up front— but keep watching, and you can catch another Treklander in a dress, too ...

See the other videos and pics, read about their education classes and outreach, and make a donation at their website here.

STV: Tim "Tuvok" Russ is back for indie "Renegades"

So many great Kickstarter projects out there, as you know ... but STAR TREK: RENEGADES is not only an all-star follow-up to Tim Russ and Sky Conway's OF GODS AND MEN epic that you know, but it's on funding deadline and just went over bigtime.

"I am excited to see the fans of Trek pitching in to help us get this project off the ground," director/actor Tim told me today after the $200,000 goal was topped by $20,000 (congrats!). "We will do our best to deliver an exciting film."

I initially caught Tim for a vidchat (below) on the day he and Walter Koenig shot the trailer you can now see at the Kickstarter site ... where the toteboard as of this posting now shows three days left to get the new extra bonus goal of $250,000—by 7 A.M. Monday, Nov. 27. The extra raised will  be spent on boosting visual effects, sets, locations, or anything that had to be trimmed initially to make a do-able campaign budget.

In recent days, J.G. "Martok" Hertzler himself has signed aboard to play the main villain of the piece, and so many cast and crew veterans from "Of Gods and Men" are back, too. But wait—let's let Tim talk about it as you watch his Vulcanness dissolve right before your eyes ...

FLASH: Austin, here we come—Trekland hits Texas

Well, it's short notice, so it's doubly exciting to announce:

I am indeed headin' to Wizard World Austin for that next big TNG reunion clambake OCt. 26-28.

Yes, you Texas Treklanders—or anyone headed mid-country for annother TNG anniversary get-together, including Sir Patrick—are also now next on MY list.

And I'll have the whole Trekland roadshow, plus some stage time with the TNG cast at the invite of the WW folks ... since so many of them have been friends of Trekland. PLUS one of our patented after-hours meet-up/fundraiser parties for THE CON OF WRATH.

AND, of course, my chance to chat up a new chunk o'Texas come to visit at the table: new photos, and old goodies of mine from the attic. That includes the debut CD of TREKLAND: On Speaker, the first dig into my audio archives to expose some long-buried chats with Trek legends...fresh from back in the day.

All this in party town Austin—which, you football fans have to admit, is a big Longhorn concession for this ol' Sooner. See how Gene Roddenberry has brought us all together despite our differences?

With Austin only three hours from Houston, we're also bookending the con weekend with some shoot days for the doc while we're in-state. What I really want to hope to find are a few more Survivors from our subject matter. Are you out there?

Overall, though, remember this is a comic-con show, so this TNG reunion is attracting Trekkies who'll be elbowed by all the usual comic and gaming and anime throng, with cosplay thick as Tellarite stubborn. I'm lookin' at you, Trek fans, to hold up your end of the deal here and show a little franchise frenzy.

Here's my corner of it all—it's a full weekend....

FRIDAY:

6:00-6:45 PM

"The Women of Star Trek"—moderating for Marina Sirtis and Gates McFadden
Ballroom FG

SATURDAY:
3:00-3:45 PM

"Trekland: Between the Cracks" — My center-ring slideshow of note, Austin edition

Ballroom E

CON OF WRATH Meetup-Fundraiser, Austin Edition 
10 pm-midnight, adjacent site TBA
If you've not heard of our "live tour" to support "The Con of Wrath," check out those who plunk down coin for trivia prizes, rare Trek video,and sneak peeks from the doc—and STILL get their screen credit like all other donors. We'll announce the site ASAP—it's a good time to follow me on Twitter @larrynemecek or Trekland's Facebook!

SUNDAY:

2:00-2:45 PM

"The Men of TNG": Moderating  for Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, Brent Spiner and Michael Dorn Q&A
Ballroom FG

3:00-3:45 PM

"The State of Trek"—(Whew! No break!) But YOU and I and some other Trek mob have a forum on where we've been, where we are now and what's ahead—fan-wise and biz-wise. Or do we even know what do we want? I highly recommend this session to either learn some new insights—or to just come vent a lot.

Ballroom FG


What happened at Phoenix Comic-Con was tame compared to this...!