Green Screen Photo Op Info

In case you're wondering about the green screen photo op (as in opportunity) that the Mad Monster Party convention is having, here's some info as posted by Don Myers:

TShirtBordello will be doing greenscreen celebrity photo ops. We'll photograph you and the celebrity on a greenscreen background, then we'll take the green background out and insert an amazing background that we've created for each celebrity from our original photography. We've scoured the land for creepy slaughter houses, old cabins, dark and mysterious forests and ancient forts for these images. You will LOVE them! 

The celebrity photo op area will be right by the main entrance. Each guest will receive an 8 x 10 print a few hours (in most cases) after your shoot. Additional 8 x 10 photos are $10 each and must be ordered prior to your shoot. Within a week after the event, we will email you a FREE digital copy of your photo, ready for print or online posting. 

The list of celebrities is CRAZY! (here is a link to all the guests http://www.themadmonsterparty.com/guests.html) Bruce Campbell, Alexa Vega, Kirk Hammett, Haruo Nakajima, Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Lita Ford, Lea Thompson, Peter Criss (KISS), Laurence Harvey, Wendy Leech and many more! 

Your photographer will be Holly Gordon of www.HollyGordonPhoto.com and the organizer is Don Myers of www.TShirtBordello.com

Final Preps For The Mad Monster Party

Above, yours truly with Haruo Nakajima in July 2000 in Hollywood.  I had Mr. Nakajima sign it in 2008.  

Early Thursday morning, I head off to Charlotte, North Carolina for the Mad Monster Party.

Everything's been re-confirmed: flight, hotel, etc.  The hotel part was a little tricky as the Blake Hotel switched to a new reservation system about a month ago and they couldn't locate my reservations at first.  But, everything worked out just fine.

The slideshow that will be presented during the Q & A with Haruo Nakajima is completed.  The discussion will take place on Sunday, March 24 at 11:00 a.m.  All I have to do is finish up the topics I will discuss with "Mr. Godzilla."

I'll have plenty of copies of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan available at a 20% discount for convention attendees.  So, instead of paying the $15.00 cover price, they will be available for $12.00 per copy.

It appears that Sunday will be a little busier for me.  Besides the Q & A, the photo op with Haruo Nakajima in front of a green screen (that will put a Godzilla image in the photos) will also be taking place on Sunday.  This should be interesting.

If everyone who shows up for Mr. Nakajima votes (as a write-in) for him to be inducted into the Rondo Awards's Monster Kid Hall of Fame, he should win by a landslide.

It will be nice to be on the East Coast again for the first time since June 1982 (when I went to the White House for a reception).

If you are open to going to the Mad Monster Party, here's where you will find the details.

Mad Monster Party Schedule

The Mad Monster Party convention in Charlotte, North Carolina will be held this week (March 22-24) at the Blake Hotel.

The convention's official website now has the schedule up with a map of the convention (click on image to see larger):

The panel discussion with Haruo Nakajima is set for Sunday, March 24 at 11:00 am in the Carolina Ballroom.  The discussion will be led by yours truly.

To view the schedule page, go here.

"Godzilla" Cast Set

The Warner Bros./Legendary Pictures production of Godzilla has finalized its cast and principal photography has begun.

The Fort Mill Times reported:

BURBANK, Calif. --Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures announced today the final principal cast for the upcoming tent pole “Godzilla.” Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, and Juliette Binoche are starring in the film, with David Strathairn and Bryan Cranston. 

The companies also announced that principal photography began today on location in Vancouver.

To read more, go here.

Devil In "The Bible" Resembles Obama

The latest episode of the History Channel's "The Bible" has stirred up a hornet's nest with the appearance of The Devil.

The actor portraying The Devil resembles a certain U.S. politician:

JTA Ad Campaign Focuses On Japanese People, Culture

Above, girls in Asakusa, Tokyo.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Japan Tourism Agency has a new tourism ad campaign that does not focus on the country's attractions, but rather its people.

According to Tnooz.com:

Many tourism boards choose to focus on the locations and things to do rather than its habitants as a method of enticing visitors to a country. 

Not so at the Japanese Tourism Agency, which is putting its faith in the people in its latest marketing campaign. 

The idea is to showcase the culture, traditions and history of Japan from the perspective of its population rather than simply a fancy cascade of traditional tourism hotspots such as Mount Fuji and Tokyo skyline.

The article also includes an advertising video.

Read more at http://www.tnooz.com/2013/03/17/news/japan-brings-its-people-to-the-fore-in-hit-web-promo-to-tourists-video/#MDF4F0pWY7GRrvEt.99

The Octopussy Collection

I just finished reading Octopussy, a collection of three short-stories of James Bond 007 by Ian Fleming.

Octopussy consists of "Octpussy," "The Living Daylights" and "The Property of A Lady."

The book's cover (I have the July 1967 first Signet printing with the cover as shown at right) states that the book contains "The Last Great Adventures of James Bond 007."  This would've been the case had the Ian Fleming estate not licensed further Bond adventures by other writers.

To get to the meat of the book, I'll start out with "Octopussy," the book's first story. 

"Octopussy" is nothing like the movie of the same name that starred Roger Moore as James Bond.  It is about a retired major, Dexter Smythe, O.B.E. of the Royal Marines.  Bond is sent to question him on a mission Smythe undertook following World War II in which Smythe murdered a former German officer to steal gold ingots.

 

There is very little of James Bond in the story, but it is interesting anyway, especially the way Smythe meets his demise.

The second story is titled, "The Living Daylights."  Unlike "Octopussy," "The Living Daylights" does contain elements that were used in the movie of the same name starring Timothy Dalton as Bond.  Following a shooting range sequence that has Bond practicing with a Winchester .308-caliber Experimental International Target rifle, the story moves to Bond's assignment to kill a KGB sniper before the sniper can kill an agent with important information. 

The KGB agent turns out to be a blonde female who conceals her weapon in a cello case.  (Sound familiar?)  As in the movie, the woman catches Bond's eye and he makes the split-second decision to disobey orders to kill her.  He wounds her instead.

The final story, "The Property of A Lady" was lifted for the movie Octopussy.  It primarily is set at an auction house where a Faberge jeweled sphere called "Emerald Sphere" is up for auction.  (The movie uses the auction story for the auction of a Faberge egg.)  MI6 is hopeful that Bond (who attends the auction) can pinpoint an underbidder who would possibly be a Soviet agent.  After the underbidder is pinpointed and is determined to be a Soviet agent, he can be expelled from Britain.

Mad Monster Party Just Days Away

Above, yours truly with some of the Nakajima photos to be available
at the Mad Monster Party convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Four more days from now I'll be heading off to Charlotte, North Carolina for the second annual Mad Monster Party convention.  The convention runs March 22-24.

Haruo "Mr. Godzilla" Nakajima will be attending and he appears to be on the path to making a boatload of money.  Several fans have indicated that they will be spending in excess of $300 at his table for autographs.  They will be mainly bringing their own items for him to sign.  He will have several 8 x 10s of his own for signatures.

This convention will be a different system for him as the past conventions he has attended either had him sign for free or the money brought in went to Japan earthquake relief.  The money he will be making at Mad Monster Party will be his to do as he chooses (and/or use it for his wife's medical expenses).  Autographed photos will be sold for $25 each or have your picture taken with him and get an autograph for $30.  Other celebrities who are attending are charging a lot more.

He will be in for a real treat at a special "photo op" session that is planned for Sunday. Here, fans can pose with him in front of a green screen where a Godzilla-themed image will be in the finished photograph.  This will be interesting to see!  Other plans are in the works by the convention organizers to honor Mr. Nakajima.

It appears that I'll be lugging my big box of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan.  At first, I thought I would be changing airlines (and not just flights) en route to the convention.  But I am staying with one airline, which makes it less likely a snafu with my luggage will occur (knock on wood).  The trip to Charlotte is with one airline as is the trip home (with a different carrier).

There is still time to plan a trip to the Mad Monster Party convention.  The organizers are planning a ton on activities, including a film festival.  The Blake Hotel is sold out, but there are other hotels that attendees can stay at.  For more information on the Mad Monster Party, go here.

Former Gov. Sarah Palin At CPAC 2013

Former Governor Sarah Palin's speech at CPAC 2013:

News Coverage of Mad Monster Party At "News Today"

Ray Briscard's "News Today" website has posted several news releases on the upcoming Mad Monster Party convention to be held March 22-24 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

According to their masthead, the news organization has been around since 1942.

The site's masthead:

The the next two images show the cluster of Mad Monster Party articles (note the advertisement for a certain Japan travel guide):

To view the site, go here.

Paradise Travel 360 Picks Up Mad Monster Party News

Above, Yuu Asakura with "The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan." Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Paradise Travel 360.com picked up the news on the Mad Monster Party that Haruo "Mr. Godzilla" and I will be attending March 22-24 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Along with moderating Mr. Nakajima's discussion session, I will be selling The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan.  Paradise Travel 360 bills itself as "The Home of Great Travel Deals."

To view the site, go here.

Haruo Nakajima Autograph Prices

As Mad Monster Party conventioneers have been wondering about the prices for Haruo Nakajima's autograph, etc., here's what we have so far:

In regards to Mr. Nakajima's book, Kaiju Life,  we are still crunching numbers on the copies Sonoe Nakajima will be bringing and the costs for possible mail order.  I did some preliminary figures and sent them to Sonoe to make sure they are correct.  Japan's postal system weighs parcels by gram.  So conversions has to be made after weighing the book.

Silobreaker Picks Up ANN News Feed On Mad Monster Party

Above, Haruo Nakajima by Bill Chancellor.

Silobreaker.com picked up the news feed from the Anime News Network (ANN) on the Mad Monster Party that Haruo Nakajima and I will be attending next week in Charlotte, North Carolina.

About Silobreaker:

Founded in 2005, Silobreaker is an internet and technology company that offers products and services which aggregate, analyze, contextualize and bring meaning to the ever-increasing amount of digital information.  

Silobreaker Premium is the most powerful intelligence product online; the Silobreaker Enterprise Software Suite offers a fully customizable solution for those who require installations behind their own firewalls; and Silobreaker News Search is the award-winning free search service for news and social media.

To read the article, go here. 

Dark Shadows Festival Events For 2013

Above, Lara Parker.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The latest mailer from the Dark Shadows Festival arrived and they have some good things in store.

First, their 2013 Dark Shadows Island Weekend takes place April 27-28 at the Coronado Island Marriott Resort (2000 Second Street, Coronado).  Special guests include David Selby, Kathryn Leigh Scott, Lara Parker, Jerry Lacy and Christopher Pennock.

One of the activities that weekend is the screening of Doctor Mabuse staring Lacy, Parker and Scott at the Coronado Village Theater.

For details go to www.darkshadowsfestival.com.

Above, Kathryn Leigh Scott.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Next, is the Dark Shadows Halloween Cruise 2013 aboard Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas.  Fans can take a 7-day cruise to Bermuda from New Jersey with Kathryn Leigh Scott, Lara Parker and Marie Wallace.  The cruise is from October 27 to November 3.

There will be a "Tribute to Jonathan Frid" during the cruise.

The price (based on double occupancy) ranges from suites at $1,399 per person to inside staterooms at $749 per person.  This is pretty reasonable as far as cruises prices go.

For details, go to www.hartfordholidays.com/DarkShadowsHalloweenCruise.

Haruo Nakajima's Autobiography Possibility

In regard to Haruo Nakajima's autobiography, "Kaiju Life," I was in discussion this morning with Sonoe Nakajima about the possibility of having order forms from the publisher at the Mad Monster Party.

She said that the publisher won't be able to provide such forms or take orders, but we might be able to take orders at the convention and she can fill them and send them from Japan.

She said she'll be bringing about 5 copies to the convention.  No doubt, those will be gobbled up fast!

I told her that in order for us to do this, we will need the cost of the book, shipping and packaging.  Once we have those costs, we can total them up and convert the amount from yen to dollars.  Currently, the exchange rate between the dollar and yen is roughly $1.00 = ¥96.

If she can do this (fill the orders herself), buyers might still be able to get theirs with an autograph.  We'll see if this is feasible. Stay tuned!

Good Month For "The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan"

Online sales for The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan are strong for the month of March.  And we're not quite yet half way through the month.

Both the print edition at ComiXpress.com and at Amazon's Kindle Store are doing quite well.  At the Kindle Store, it is currently ranked at #31 on Amazon's list of Best Sellers for Japan Travel.

March will potentially be the best yet as I will be selling it in Charlotte, North Carolina next week at the Mad Monster Party convention.

Conditions are more favorable for American tourists to Japan as the dollar has regained some strength against the Japanese yen.  The exchange rate for the dollar and yen now has the dollar buying 96 yen.  It hasn't been at this level for over three years.

"Kaiju Life - The Original Godzilla Actor Haruo Nakajima"

Sonoe Nakajima sent word that they'll be bringing about five (5) copies of Haruo Nakajima's autobiography,    Kaiju Life - The Original Godzilla Actor Haruo Nakajima for sale at the upcoming Mad Monster Party.  Those will be snapped up pretty quick.

We are currently checking to see if the Nakajimas can take orders from fans at the convention or have their publisher supply some order forms that can be provided at the Nakajimas' table.

Above, my copy with Mr. Nakajima's autograph.

The book is only available in Japanese and there are no plans to have an English edition published. However, it is still worth getting as it is loaded with photographs of Mr. Nakajima's career.

Japan-China Tensions Cause Drop In Chinese Tourism To Japan

Above, Sensoji Temple in Asakusa, Tokyo.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The dispute over a group of islands between China and Japan have caused a drop in Chinese tourism to Japan.

According to the Japan Times:

The number of foreigners visiting Japan continues to rebound from falls following the massive earthquake and tsunami of March 2011, but Japan-China territorial tensions are casting a shadow over tourism industry hopes that the trend will continue in 2013. 

According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, 8.36 million people visited Japan from abroad in 2012, the second-largest figure on record and up sharply from the previous year’s 6.21 million.

More than 200,000 people visited Japan from China in July 2012, before the bilateral dispute over the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea worsened. But after tensions rose over the islets, the monthly number plummeted below 60,000 in November and December.

Fortunately, tourists from other countries (primarily from Thailand and Taiwan) are making up for the drop in Chinese travelers to Japan.

To read the full article, go here.

Nepal Travel Guide Picks Up Mad Monster Party News

Nepal Travel Guide picked up the news release on the Mad Monster Party convention that Haruo Nakajima and I will be attending in Charlotte, North Carolina on March 22-24.  They picked up the news feed from Anime News Network.

While their prime focus is on Nepal tourism, they also cover news on travel to other countries.

To view the site, go here.

Tohoku Tourism Down 70% In 2012

Above, Godaido Temple in Matsushima.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

While Japan as a whole enjoyed a strong recovery in incoming tourism by foreigners, the northeastern area of Japan is still mired in a post-earthquake depression.


According to the Asahi Shimbun:

Nearly one-fifth fewer people took hotel rooms in northeastern Japan in 2012 than in 2010, although tourism in other areas showed a strong recovery, government figures show. 

The Japan Tourism Agency released data on March 8 showing continued depression in the numbers of overnighters in the six prefectures of the Tohoku region, the part of Japan that was worst hit by the 2011 quake, tsunami and nuclear disaster, but which also contains large areas that were unaffected. 

Tourism industry officials say Tohoku suffers from perceptions that the entire region is either crippled or contaminated with radioactive fallout from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant accident. 

"People think of 'Tohoku' prefectures as one and the same. Recovery will be very difficult," said an official at the Japan Travel and Tourism Association.

Much of this perception originated by hysterical news reports from western news media.  The article gives an example of areas totally unaffected by the earthquake, tsunami and radiation that have seen a big drop in tourism.  This is akin to people avoiding all of Southern California if the San Onofre nuclear power plant near San Clemente were to suffer the same damage that the Fukushima nuclear plant suffered.

They wrote:

Overall, Fukushima and Akita prefectures saw the largest decline in visitors, respectively at 25.6 percent and 45.6 percent.  Akita Prefecture is on the Sea of Japan coast, not the Pacific side where the tsunami struck.

The number of foreign tourists to the six Tohoku prefectures were down by 70% in 2012 from 2010 numbers.

To read the full article, go here.

David Strathairn Joins "Godzilla" Cast

Dread Central.com has posted latest casting news for Legendary Pictures' Godzilla:

More casting news has come in for Legendary Pictures' upcoming remake of the Toho classic Godzilla as the great David Strathairn is in talks to help fend off the ginormous fire-breathing behemoth from Japan! 

He joins the previously announced Aaron Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche, and Bryan Cranston, who are also currently in talks, with Gareth Edwards attached to direct.

To read the full article, go here.

Ten Days Away From Mad Monster Party, etc.

Ten days from today, I will be jetting to the east coast to the Mad Monster Party in Charlotte, North Carolina.  It will be the first time in about 31 years since I've been on that side of the continent.

Lately, I've been concentrating on getting Haruo Nakajima's photos ready and working on the panel discussion questions.  This will likely be the case up to my departure from Los Angeles International Airport.

I am debating on bringing the heavy box of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan with me or ship it ahead of time.  Since I have to change planes in Cincinnati, Ohio, this increases the chance that I may arrive in Charlotte without my luggage or box of travel guides at Charlotte's Douglas International Airport.  I will see how much it would cost to ship them vs. bringing them with me.

I've only had one bad experience where my luggage did not arrive at my destination with me.  Fortunately, the airline found my luggage and sent it over to me the next morning in a taxi.  This was back in 1980 when I had to be in the Denver area for a two week work-related training class.

As I mentioned previously, I am offering the travel guide at a 20% discount off the cover price of $15.00.  That makes them available at my "usual" convention discount of $12.00/copy.  If buyers want their copy signed, I will gladly do so at no charge.

The Mad Monster Party is being held at the Blake Hotel and it is my understanding that all hotel rooms have been booked up.  I've been told that there are other hotels nearby, so if you still are thinking about attending, you may want to book your room now with one of them.

For details on the Mad Monster Party, go here.

Great East Japan Earthquake 2nd Anniversary

Above, Matsushima Bay before the earthquake and tsunami.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Today is the second anniversary of the March 11, 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake that resulted in a devastating tsunami and radiation problems at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Almost 19,000 people lost their lives in the disaster.

According to Japan Today, Americans donated nearly three-quarters of a billion dollars in disaster relief:

TOKYO — Americans have given nearly three-quarters of a billion dollars in private donations to help tsunami-wracked communities, a report said, as Japan marked the second anniversary of the disaster Monday. 

Individuals, companies and non-profit groups have donated $712.6 million to help crisis-stricken areas over the last 24 months, the Japan Center for International Exchange said in a report.

To read the full article, go here.

Congratulations, Andrew & Julie Kerr!

My old friend Arleigh Kerr emailed some photos of his son Andrew's wedding in Cincinnati, Ohio with a little narrative on the proceedings.

Here's his description of the rehearsal:

Back to reality after a wonderful long weekend in Cincinnati. Really nice wedding. The bride was beautiful, the groom handsome. After the rehearsal, while the rest of the wedding party went directly to the restaurant for the rehearsal dinner Julie’s father, Brian, and I drove to the Templeton house, changed into our kilts and then went on to the restaurant. Everyone was surprised. Both fathers looked great in our kilts. I gave a very nice toast – without screwing up. Dinner went well. 

It was cold outside, temperature hovered right around freezing all four days. Snow flurries every day. And I might add, that 50 feet or so I had to walk from the car into the restaurant – in my kilt – was the longest, coldest 50 feet I’ve ever had to walk. I gained a lot respect for those kilt-wearing Scotsmen of old.

Well, yes.  One would have to respect Scotsmen of old as they wore nothing under their kilts (I guess you can say they "went commando").  Did the two dads also go "commando"?

Here's a photo of the two dads in their kilts with my friend Arleigh on the left, his son Andrew (the groom) in the center, and Brian, the bride's father on the right:

On the wedding, Arleigh wrote:

Following day at the wedding, the 150 guests were piped into the reception by a bagpiper. Rather than one humongous stacked wedding cake with Thomas Dewey on top, they had 5 medium-large sized cakes for the 140-150 people. Each one different. One was “Julie’s cake” with flowers similar to those on her wedding dress. Another was “Andrew’s cake” with the Kerr tartan printed around the edge. Yeah, a perfect copy of the Kerr tartan printed in red and green (with edible ink on fondant). Absolutely amazing.  

Of course, everyone wants to see the bride, so here she is being escorted by her father:

Glad to see everything went off without a hitch (well, one hitch, but that was planned).  It is kind of weird that Arleigh's son is now married.  I remember being in Arleigh's wedding party back in the 1980s.  Seems almost like yesterday.

Congratulations!

Haruo Nakajima Mad Monster Party Prints

Above, yours truly with some of the prints Haruo Nakajima will be signing at
the Mad Monster Party at the Blake Hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Van Nuys Flyaway: Convenient and Cheap

Photo: City-Data.com

Back in the days when I lived in the South Bay area of Los Angeles County, whenever I had to fly somewhere, I would either take a taxi or have someone drop me off at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).  Since I moved to the San Fernando Valley, there's a service that I have found to be very convenient.

It is the Van Nuys Flyaway.

The Van Nuys Flyaway is a bus service from Van Nuys to LAX.  It costs only $7.00 (but it is going up to $8.00 in July) to be bused from the San Fernando Valley to LAX.  Additionally, one can park their car at the Flyaway's long-term parking structure for only $4.00 per 24 hours.

Map: Van Nuys Flyaway.

Starting at 4:30 a.m., buses leave the Flyaway terminal every fifteen minutes.  At the terminal, your luggage is tagged for the different airline terminals.  When a traveler returns to LAX from their trip, the Flyaway buses can be found at stops in the lower level bus stops.

The Van Nuys Flyaway has a nice, modern terminal building.  I remember the days when the Flyaway was basically a driveway alongside a tiny white building (about the size of a small house).  Even though the Flyaway is in a modern facility, at least it is still convenient to use and cheap.

For more on the Van Nuys Flyaway, go here.

JapanTourist Unveils New Contributor Profile Pages

Two days ago, JapanTourist re-designed their contributors' profile pages.  The pages now have brief biographies, a list of contributors' articles (including links to them) and map pins.  If a contributor has a Twitter account, a link to the contributor's Twitter page is provided.

The new design is a lot nicer than the old.  JapanTourist is a new database website for information on traveling to Japan.

Thus far, I have contributed seven articles to JapanTourist.

To view my profile page, go here.

TV Balla Picks Up Mad Monster Party News

Above, Haruo Nakajima takes a break during the filming of "Mothra vs.
Godzilla" (1964).  Photo courtesy of Sonoe Nakajima.

TV Balla picked up the news release on the Mad Monster Party convention that Haruo Nakajima and I will be attending (via American Banking and Market News).

TV Balla reports on the latest (and trending) news on celebrities, television, politics, sports, business and automotive.

The Mad Monster Party convention will be held March 22-24 at the Blake Hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina.  I will be serving as Mr. Nakajima's moderator and will be selling The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan.

To view it, go here.