Convention Fans

Yes, there really is convention called “Naruto Trek.” It’s a convention for fans of both Star Trek and the anime series, Naruto. It is taking place March 27 - 29, 2009 at the Sheraton Suites Cypress Creek Hotel in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The convention is in its second year, and boasts a pretty impressive guest list for such a young con.

Currently scheduled to appear at Naruto Trek 2009:

Star Trek - Walter Koenig (Chekov), Denise Crosby (Tasha Yar), James Cawley (fan series Star Trek New Voyages/Phase II), Morgan Sheppard (tons of Trek roles), and BarBara Luna (Marlena Moreau)

Naruto - Maile Flanagan (Naruto Uzumaki), Yuri Lowenthal (Sasuke Uchiha), Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (director, Naruto: The Movie), Tom Gibis (Shikamaru Nara), and Tara Platt (Temari)

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I read about a lot of conventions (obviously), and while there are a few I’d certainly like to attend, nothing has grabbed my attention so far the way The Leap Back 2009 con has. I’m a huge Quantum Leap fan, and although I wasn’t fond of Enterprise, I do adore Scott Bakula. Anyone getting to attend this convention is damn lucky, because not only will Scott Bakula be there, but so will Dean Stockwell. Yep, that’s Sam Beckett and Al. It get’s even better! The guest list for this con is enormous, and includes over 50 different guest stars and writers from the show’s run. You can check out the whole list by clicking here.

The Leap Back 2009 will be taking place March 27 - 29, 2009  in Los Angeles, California, at the The Beverly Garland Holiday Inn. This is actually the convention’s 20th anniversary! The Leap Back 2009 group rate at the hotel is $149.00 per night and you can make your reservations online.

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At conventions, fans usually ask a lot of the same questions of all the celebrity guests. “How did you get the part?” “What’s your favorite episode?” “What’s it like to work with this actor or that actor?” Sometimes a funny one will get asked, that’s simply meant to get a reaction out of the crowd or the guest. Now and then, however, a fan will come up with a truly weird question.

I mean, for a lot of people, this may be the ONLY time you ever get to talk to this celebrity. You get one chance and one question, so why in the world would you ask, “What is your favorite cereal?”

Seriously. Some fan asked three cast members of Firefly that question at an FX con. And in case you too, for some unknown reason, wanted to know what Ron Glass, Adam Baldwin and Christina Hendricks love to eat for breakfast, here are their answers:

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AnimeCons.com is a website dedicated to, well, anime conventions. For the past couple years, they’ve put out a yearly report on anime cons, and they’ve just published their 2008 article on the site. The report is an interesting read, especially for those who have attended a lot of cons of varying sizes and in various parts of the country. It analyzes everything from attendance numbers, to cancellations and drama. For example, apparently Otakon had a problem with fraudulent memberships being sold by a former staff member this past year.

It probably surprises very few that the largest North American anime convention in 2008 was Anime Expo, which takes place in Los Angeles in the summer. It’s estimated that approximately 43,000 people were in attendance.  The next largest was Otakon, which had approximately 26,400 people attending. That’s quite a gap between the top two, and the gap between #1 and #10 is downright staggering.

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Below is a list of some upcoming conventions from various locations across the country:

• Further Confusion 2009 (San Jose, CA) - Jan 22nd-26th, 2009
• Marmalade Dog 14 (Kalamazoo, MI) - Jan 30th-Feb 1st, 2009
• TED2009 (Long Beach, CA) - Feb 4th-7th, 2009
• TOC Conference 2009 (New York, NY) - Feb 9th-11th, 2009
• Boskone (Boston, MA) - Feb 13th-15th, 2009
• Farpoint (Lutherville Timonium, MD) - Feb 13th-15th, 2009
• Capricon 29 (Wheeling, IL) - Feb 19th-22nd, 2009
• Life, the Universe & Everything (Provo, UT) - Feb 19th-21st, 2009

It’s quite an eclectic list, as it includes everything from gaming and role-playing, to an “anthropomorphics” (i.e. Furries) convention. If you happen to attend any of these, feel free comment with your feedback on the convention.