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Show me the money!
Do you attend Sci Fi conventions?
Yes? Are you getting value for your money?
The cancellation of an actors appearance, or an
entire event has become a common occurrence of
late on the Australian convention circuit.Low
attendance figures at major annual events are
sending red alert signals to "would be Promoters"
around our great nation.
This trend is also
making it's way into SF related Comic, Collectable,
Book and DVD stores and Owner/Operators are
voicing their concerns on having a very dry summer
and Autumn.
We ask the questions....Where
are the fans? Why are the fans not attending
conventions or their local Collectable stores? Are
Promoters or Store Owners not meeting SF fan
expectations?
Convention Promoters are
fans with a passion, they will readily admit there is
not a lot of profit at the end of the day. They rely on
advanced ticket sales to help offset costs and ensure
a successful convention campaign and this is where
the fan must have faith in the Promoter that the
show will in fact, go on!
Granted, in recent
times there have been a couple of seedy Promoters
Promoting their event and not following through on
their commitment and loyal fans have been left, high
and dry with regard to not being able to receive a
refund.Thankfully, these seedy Promoters fade back
into obscurity but for some time after, a sour taste is
left, with the fans now out of
pocket.
I say to fans that have been in this
situation, to not let past disappointment halt you
from future enjoyment as your valued support is
needed to ensure the survival of conventions in
Australia.
So why aren't fans attending? Do
we need to see more carnival style events like those
of Armageddon in NZ or of Supanova in Qld and NSW?
Fans need to respond and give feedback to
Promoters and make sure Promoters are catering for
the fans interests as this can only ensure the
continued success of events within our Community.
We would like to hear from
anyone who has a comment or experience they
would like to share on this subject.
All the best at your event - Stuart
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| Convention Listing Oz - valid @ May 2006 |
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Note: Only new or updated listings are
given
Promoters: if your event is not listed here
or you have new information advise us
for inclusion.
June 2006
9th to 12th June Canberra - Australia
Conflux 3
A convention of fantastic worlds
National Museum of Australia
www.conflux.org.au/
13th to 16th July 2006 - Sydney
Stargate actors live on stage
Presented by Best of both worlds
Carlton Hotel, Parramatta NSW
www.bobw.com.au
STOP THE PRESS
SciFi Extreme 2006 Convention
More details coming soon
www.scifiextreme.com/conventions.htm
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| What did I miss at - Terra Nova Three? |
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The Sci Fi Reporter travelled to Adelaide on May 6
2006 to attend Terra Nova Three, a Sci Fi Convention
at the Mecure Grosvenor Hotel.
Featured guests were John Billingsley from Star
Trek Enterprise and Claudia Christian from Babylon
Five with a Special guest appearance by Bonita
Friedericy from Star Trek Enterprise.
The much anticipated appearance of multi talented
actor, Mr John Billingsley, AKA "Dr Phlox" from Star
Trek Enterprise, drew a healthy attendance to the
third, in a series of events conducted by Terra Nova
events in Adelaide.
Costume parades featuring SF fashions through the
ages, was a crowd favorite and had everyone in
attendance reminiscing over past Cult TV
shows.
Out on stage first was John
Billingsley to a thunderous applause and the actor
reciprocated his appreciation for the affection shown
toward him by the Audience. John spoke of his time
on Enterprise and recent projects including his
recurring role on "Prison Break" and "Cold Case" and
whilst treating the audience to some of his
experiences at recent appearances around the world,
John was constantly heckled by his Wife, Bonita
Friedericy, who also starred in the Enterprise
episode "Regeneration" as Researcher Rooney.
Bonita, an actor in her own right, ran ragged through
the audience with a microphone so fans could ask
John Questions much to the delight of all in
attendance, a true comedy duo indeed!
After the Lunchtime break Babylon Five
Star Ms Claudia Christian "Ivanova" entered the room
and Wow! All eye's we're upon this woman of Amazon
proportions. Claudia entertained the audience with a
clip from her new show "Star Hyke" and spoke of her
new home in Notting Hill in the UK and of her studies
in creative writing and journalism at the London
School of Journalism.
All in all a well run
show, with the next event advertised for November 4
2006 at the Stamford Plaza, Adelaide. "Defend
Yourselves" Adelaide's first Stargate convention,
featuring guests from SGI and Atlantis including Ms
Rachel Luttrell "Teyla" from Stargate Atlantis.
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| Fan Club Focus |
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Australian Costumers Guild
August 26th – the 10th Annual Costumers Ball
Burnside Ballroom, Adelaide, South Australia
www.australiancostumersguild.org.au
"Out there Social club" Adelaide
You find a lot of queer things in outer space, so it's
only natural to have a queer Sci Fi group for all
the "Homo" sapiens who are out...there.
The
group meets monthly to share a meal and indulge in a
little Fantasy! Members range from 30+,
Contact Rod on 0402027891, they are also located
on Yahoo Groups at
http://au.groups.yahoo.com/group/OutThere/
DeForest Kelley Club Chat
For fans of this great actor,
logon and talk with some of the leading
authorities on all things De Kelley, you'll have a great
time! It is held on the fourth Sunday at US time 1pm)
each month = 5.00a.m. AEST on the Monday.
De Chat
Austrek Club Events
Austrek is exhibiting at the Melbourne Museum in May
2006! It is in the Community Collections section and
will run for the entire month - come along and bring
all your friends. If you have not yet visited the
Melbourne Museum this is the perfect opportunity.
Normal entry applies to the Museum, we hope to
have lots of people there: please come in costume if
you can!
Austrek Events Info
Star Walking, the Star Wars Appreciation Society
of Australia. Ph 05005 Jedis
Website
www.starwalking.net
Shuttle Mawson – Adelaide sci fi fan
club
Starfleet, Region 11 Sci Fi conference, Adelaide
November 5 at the SA Writers centre. Bookings now
being taken for this Unique chance to meet fellow
fans from around OZ and the World, fantastic
activities throughout the day. Contact the Club to
secure your booking.
Shuttle Mawson Events
The Shuttle Mawson invites you to Chat Online with its members
every Sunday evening at 8pm AEST & every
Wednesday evening from 7pm AEST.
Register for Shuttle Mawson
Chat
Quest - sci fi fan club, Queensland
Actively recruiting new members and currently
getting ready for their own costume workshop in
June.
Contact Club President, Mary Kemp on Ph:07
32904243
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| In the next edition of Sci Fi Reporter |
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-- Anime & Manga Special, Finally!
-- Latest Toy releases
-- Books in review
And a plethora of news ....
The Staff at the Sci Fi Reporter wish all our
subscribers a great month ahead and
remember....If you like what we are doing, please
forward a copy to your friends!
The Sci Fi Reporter...
Suggestions for our
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Website coming soon -
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The contents of this newsletter are copyright 2006
The Sci Fi Reporter. All Rights Reserved. No material
contained herein may be duplicated without express
written consent of the owners.
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|
Frack! Our exclusive interview with Richard Hatch |
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The Sci Fi Reporter’s Stuart Blair caught up with
Richard Hatch between the filming of the new season
of Battlestar Galactica.We hope you enjoy this very
personal insight into this great Actor.
SB: Richard, before we sink our teeth into
Battlestar Galactica, Can you tell us a little about
your time on some of the other classic TV shows you
appeared in?
Richard Hatch: I starred on "All my Children"
in the 70s playing the role Philip Brent. I was part of
the original cast along with Susan Lucci, who played
the role of Erica Kane and has become famous all
over the world. This was my first big acting role and
was a great place for me to grow and be mentored
by some very talented and experienced actors. Mary
Ficket, who played my Mother, became a very close
friend and she helped me deal with the pressures of
becoming a professional actor. After that I replaced
Michael Douglas on the "Streets of San Francisco".
Streets became a classic TV series starring Michael
and Karl Malden over the several years it was on. I
was just a poor struggling actor when I was offered
the role and suddenly found myself moving from a
broken down apartment in Beverly Glen to a mansion
in Pacific Heights. Culture shock to be sure but I truly
fell in love with San Francisco and found my life and
career quickly moving to a level of fame and notoriety
I have never expected. Acting to me was always an
art and a process for discovering more about life and
the mystery of the human heart. I never expected to
be famous in my life. The pressure of replacing
Michael was also a challenge to me as he and Karl
had developed a very close friendship and special
chemistry so stepping into his shoes was not easy.
Karl was helpful but not overly friendly to me in the
beginning and I felt that I had to earn his respect on
the show. I also guest starred on three other well-
known series. Kung Fu with David Carradine, Dynasty
and the cult favorite "Dead Mans Curve"; The true
story of rock stars Jan and Dean. I played 60s icon
Jan Berry who was in a serious automobile accident
and had to fight his way back to life.
SB: Aside from Technological advancement
on the set, Are there any major differences on
working as an actor now, than when you we're on
the set of the Original Battlestar Galactica?
RH: The biggest difference between working
on the new BG series and the classic one is the use
of digital cameras that are hand held, giving a more
realistic and documentary feel to the series. The use
of this new technology allows more time for rehearsal
and we're also able to film consecutive takes of a
scene giving the actor more opportunities to get
emotionally into the role and take more creative
chances and risks. As an actor I love the more fluid
process of working with the digital hand held format
although I still prefer the look of film from the
audience point of view. Another big change is the
more challenging and provocative material we get to
work with as actors in this new age of television.
Actors love to play characters that are complex,
edgy and multi-layered, and all the characters on the
new BG series are profoundly conflicted, and that
includes my character Tom Zarek. This new BG series
is definitely an ensemble and not star driven which
makes every character and actor on the series feel
important and valuable to the overall story.
SB: Tom Zarek is becoming an integral
character on the show, Would you like to see him
develop into a main cast character?
RH: I would of course love to see Tom Zarek
become an integral character on the show, but
totally understand and appreciate the fact that there
is a very large and talented cast on Battlestar, and
that the main starring actors on the show deserve
the majority of the screen time. The highly gifted
Edward Olmos and Mary McDonnell lead this
extraordinary cast, and they definitely have earned
their stripes in this business.
Dear Reader: Click on the link directly below
to continue reading this very candid interview with
Battlestar Galactica's Mr Richard Hatch.
Transport to the Sci Fi Reporter Web Page
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