Tag Archives: wil wheaton

Wil Wheaton Defends BitTorrent

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Wil Wheaton, he of Star Trek: The Next Generation and “Don’t be a dick” fame, took to his blog on Monday to defend BitTorrent and stand up for Net Neutrality.  In the post he shows the positives of using Torrents such as increased download speeds, but it’s his commentary on the entertainment industry that’s the most intriguing.  The post opens:

I frequently find myself in an unpopular position in the entertainment industry: I believe in network neutrality, I don’t believe that piracy is the end of the world as we know it (I particularly don’t believe that a download or file shared automatically equals a lost sale*) and I don’t believe in crippling the Internet to protect a business model that desperately needs to change.

In his post he goes on to say:

Some ISPs are blocking all bittorrent traffic, because bittorrent can be used to share files in a piratical way. Hollywood lobbying groups are trying to pass laws wich would force ISPs to block or degrade bittorrent traffic, too. Personally, I think this is like closing down freeways because a bank robber could use them to get away, which I know is an imperfect comparison, but is the best I can do after a night of not-especially-good sleep.

This comes out around the same time the band Counting Crows is using the torrent service to spread some of their latest album in hopes of gaining more fans.  We’ve seen some comic book creators take to torrents to promote their works, it’ll be interesting to see if more are to follow.

Original Cast Of Star Trek: The Next Generation® will be coming together for a special reunion at the Calgary Expo April 27-29, 2012

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Official Press Release

ORIGINAL CAST OF STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION©  will be coming together for a special reunion at the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo April 27 – 29, 2012 in Calgary, Alberta Canada

(CALGARY, Alberta, CANADA) – IT WAS 25 YEARS AGO that Star Trek: The Next Generation revived the sense of adventure inherent in the original Star Trek® series. TNG created its own signature interpretation of hitching a ‘wagon train to the stars’. Now, over two decades later, fans of all ages will get their chance to see the nine principal members of the cast together for a stellar reunion in Calgary, Alberta, CANADA during the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo, April 27-29, 2012. To date, the Calgary Expo is the only event in the world scheduled to host such a gathering in 2012. It is also the first time the entire original cast has appeared as a group at a convention in over two decades.

Sir Patrick Stewart (Captain Jean-Luc Picard), Jonathan Frakes (Commander William Riker), Brent Spiner (Lt. Commander Data), Marina Sirtis (Counselor Deanna Troi), Denise Crosby (Security Chief Tasha Yar), LeVar Burton (Chief of Engineering Geordi La Forge), Gates McFadden (Chief Medical Officer Beverly Crusher), Michael Dorn (Lt. Commander Worf) and Wil Wheaton (Wesley Crusher) will all be Guests of Honour during the Calgary Expo. The cast will be meeting fans for autographs, individual and group photos (fees vary for each Media Guest), and participating in specially-grouped panels and discussions over the course of the weekend.

Calgary Expo hours are Friday 3 PM to 8 PM, Saturday 10 PM to 7 PM, and Sunday 10 AM to 5 PM MST, April 27-29, 2012.

In addition, the full cast will also take the stage for a special once-in-a-lifetime reunion event, TNG EXPOsed™, on the evening of Saturday, April 28, at the Stampede Corral, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Doors open at 6 PM MST and the program will begin at 7 PM MST. Nearly 5,000 seats will be available for this event, with prices ranging from: $40 – $125 (CDN).

NOTE: Box office sales for the TNG EXPOsed, will begin at 10 AM MST (-7 GMT), on Saturday, February 18, 2012 via www.tickemaster.com.

The live evening event will open with host Emily Expo (the Calgary Expo’s mascot), and includes entertainment by local musicians Johnny Summers Little Big Band, special moderators

Teddy Wilson, Cynthia Loyst and Ajay Fry (hosts of InnerSPACE on SPACE) and a special video tribute to the cast. The Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo will also offer a series of unique, must-have collectables for the serious TNG fan including a commemorative program to mark the occasion.

Kandrix Foong, Founder and Director of the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo, not only sees this as a history-making celebration for the Calgary Expo, but also, for Sci-Fi fans. “We feel privileged to be hosting this event as it is a rarity that many people will never have the opportunity to experience again. The immensity of this reunion adds to Calgary’s international appeal in a unique way for pop culture enthusiasts on a global scale.” One or more cast members are also anticipated to stop by the Vulcan Tourism & Trek Station in Vulcan, Alberta for a special visit on Friday, April 27, 2012. More details will be available in a future release.

The Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo made interplanetary history in 2010 when Leonard Nimoy, (Mr. Spock) attended the Calgary Expo as a Guest of Honour. He also made a special “homecoming” visit to Vulcan, Alberta—the Official Star Trek® Capital of Canada. Over 5,000 people paid tribute him in a special ceremony. Leonard graciously left his mark on Vulcan and Star Trek® fans in several ways, with a handprint set in bronze, and by lending a pair of “ears” he used on the set in 1966. For more information on Vulcan and the Trek Station, visit www.vulcantourism.com.

To celebrate this incredible announcement, the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo will be hosting a screening of Star Trek: First Contact at the Plaza in Kensington, Calgary, Alberta, on February 5, 2012 at 3 PM MST. A portion of the ticket sales will go toward the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Attendees will have the opportunity to enter a raffle for a pair of VIP passes to the 2012 convention as well as some other fantastic prizes. Proceeds from the raffle will also go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Costumes are encouraged and the person with the best Star Trek® related costume or prop will also be eligible to win some great merchandise!

Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo Backgrounder

The Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo has been a destination event since 2006, profiling talent from across the world in seven key genres: Comics, Sci-Fi, Horror, Toys, Anime, Cartoons, and Gaming. It is Western Canada’s largest pop culture convention and the second largest event of its kind in all of Canada. Noted for its Western hospitality, superb line up of talent and the promotion of Canadian artists, actors, and creators, the event has grown to become a destination experience for fans all over the world. The weekend event will be held at the BMO Centre in Stampede Park, Calgary, Alberta.

Many fantastic guests have been announced for the 2012 Calgary Expo including Adam West, Tom Felton, Amanda Tapping, Hayden Panettiere, Tara Strong, David Prowse, James Marsters, Robert Englund, Billy West, John Noble, Katee Sackhoff, John DiMaggio, and creator guests Dale Eaglesham, George Pérez, and Yanick Paquette and many more to come. Over 35,000 people are expected to attend this year’s Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo. Last year, the Calgary Expo garnered 30,000 attendees. Full cast biographies, tickets to the TNG EXPOsed event, passes to the Calgary Expo, updates and Emily Expo’s blog can be found at calgaryexpo.com. Stay connected on Twitter: @CalgaryExpo, and Facebook.com/CalgaryExpo.

Pop Culture hero Wil Wheaton is landing in town for this year’s Calgary Expo!

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Official Press Release

Pop Culture hero Wil Wheaton is landing in town for this year’s Calgary Expo!

(Calgary, AB) Wil Wheaton, super-geek icon, blogger and avid Tweeter, will be in Calgary this April for the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo.
Wil began his career in Hollywood by starring in such films as Stand By Me, Toy Soldiers and The Secret of NIMH. As a teenager, he gained notoriety as the child-genius Wesley Crusher in Star Trek’s biggest franchise Star Trek: The Next Generation. An accomplished writer and blogger, Wil has acquired a wide-spread cult following. Some of the publications to his credit include Dancing Barefoot and Just a Geek. He has also had a recurring role on the smash hit comedy series The Big Bang Theory and the gaming-centric web series The Guild.
“Wil Wheaton has developed a global following that is truly mind blowing,” muses Event Director Kandrix Foong. “He encompasses so much of what the Calgary Expo is about – a celebration of pop culture, art and creativity. He’s someone our fans can really relate to so a lot of people will be very excited to meet him.”
Apart from signing autographs and doing photo ops, he will also be involved in some special events and programming throughout the weekend. Details will soon be available at www.calgaryexpo.com.
The Calgary Expo is a non-profit organization that showcases the incredible talent of comic creators, artists, actors, voice actors, musicians, writers and pop culture icons from all over the world. Founded in 2006, the convention has grown rapidly having hosted guests from every genre including William Shatner, Battlestar Galactica’s Michael Hogan and Kate Vernon, Star Wars’ Billy Dee Williams, Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Jonathan Frakes and
Owly artist Andy Runton. The 2011 convention saw 30,000 attendees and is the second largest convention of its kind in all of Canada.
Guests for the 2012 Calgary Expo currently include Robert Englund (Nightmare on Elm Street), Amanda Tapping (Stargate: SG-1, Sanctuary), Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica, 24), James Marsters (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Adam West (original Batman and Family Guy) and voice actor Tara Strong (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and The Powerpuff Girls), Hayden Panettiere (Heroes, Scream 4), Adam Baldwin (Serenity, Firefly, Full Metal Jacket), John Noble (Fringe and The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King), Jasika Nicole (Fringe), Dave Prowse (Star Wars, A Clockwork Orange) Tom Felton (Harry Potter 1-8), Richard Hatch (Battlestar Galactica) and Gil Gerard (Buck Rogers in the 25th Century).

Around the Tubes

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It was new comic release day yesterday, did you grab your pull list?  I didn’t, but that’s because I couldn’t sneak away from work.  The big news that broke yesterday was Julie Taymor being put to the side as far as directing the Spider-Man musical and it’s delayed…. again…. shocker.  Anyone want to take me up on the bet it doesn’t get released this year?  Below is the rest of the news that made the tubes.

Around the Tubes:

The Comic Chronicles – The difference 50 years makes – Do you know what comic sales were like 50 years ago?  The numbers as far as comics sold and revenue gained is quite interesting and makes the argument things might not be so bad.

Destructoid – Prequel for The Darkness 2 coming, will be free – A new Darkness video game is coming out and there’s a comic being released along with it.  I have a copy of the first game, but haven’t played it, any good?

Comic Book Movie – Michael Fassbender Talks Magneto’s Origins, X-Men: First Class Motives And More! -I still have no idea what to think of the movie.  The trailer gives me hope, but I’m nervous…

The Columbian – Author of graphic novel on Hurricane Katrina talks storytelling at WSUV – Washington State University Vancouver welcomed comic creator Josh Neufeld, creator of the graphic novel, A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge

Arts Beat – At Trial Over ‘Dark Knight’ Death, Prosecutor Says Guidelines Were Not Followed -I don’t remember hearing about this death on set.

Bleeding Cool – The Larry Lieber Deposition For The Kirby Family Vs Marvel Lawsuit – Bleeding Cool posts up the depositions from the lawsuit between Marvel and the Kirby family. First up is Stan Lee’s younger brother.

Bleeding Cool – The Stan Lee Deposition On The Origins Of The Marvel Universe For Kirby Family Vs Marvel Lawsuit – Next up is Stan (the man) Lee.

Bleeding Cool – The John Romita Deposition For The Kirby Family Vs Marvel Lawsuit – Legendary artist John Romita is up next.

Bleeding Cool – The Roy Thomas Deposition For The Kirby Family Vs Marvel Lawsuit -Comic writer, editor and historian rounds out the batch…

Around the Tubes Reviews:

Bleeding Cool – New Avengers #10 and Batman Inc. #3

Bleeding Cool – Sigil #1 and Captain Swing #3

Complex – The Best Comic Books This Week: Batman, Superboy, Venom and More!

Comicvine – Comic Book Reviews For The Week of 3/09/11

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