Star Wars Weekends 2012

The best part of opening day at Star Wars Weekends last week was definitely all the great Kodak moments - if you were quick enough to catch them. You never knew when a character would come waltzing around the corner, a lot like a con, and trying to get a clear shot through the crowds makes it a real photo safari. As an added bonus, though, at Disney the cosplayers are actors, too, so there's lots of fun to be had just watching them interact with the guests.

Take this guy, for example:

He developed an unusual interest in John:

After an extended staring contest (during which John couldn't stop giggling), he then made a big show of examining John's "Couldn't-Care-Less Bear" shirt:

It was hilarious, and it made John all cute and flustered. THAT'S A WIN.

Usually Disney doesn't allow guest costumes - or at least nothing they don't sell for the kids - so I was pleasantly surprised to see these girls:

Two Anakins & his droids.

 (Note that C3PO even has one silver shoe. Nice!)

Even more surprising, I spotted another girl in a Slave Leia bikini at one point - and she was definitely a guest. Maybe Disney relaxed their policy for the Weekends?

Here's an example of a photo quick draw:

She came striding around a corner, and her costume billowing out in the wind was just gorgeous.

It's hard to tell with the slight motion blur, but her nails are an amazing metallic pink foil.

 

And now, Darth Vader signing a pink Princess autograph book:

It just never gets old.

Those autograph books are *everywhere* at Disney, and often provide the only time you can snap a good close-up of the characters. (When they're not signing they're posing with guests, so it's hard to get them alone.)

This Tusken Raider would pause to bleat at people on occasion - a fun touch, considering most of the characters aren't allowed to speak or make any sounds.

Of course, the king (Sith lord?) of guest interactivity has to be Darth Maul:

We camped out in front of his photo spot for a while, watching him give guests a hard time about those autograph books:

"Homey don't PLAY that."

After glaring at the offending person for ages, he'd snatch the book and sign it with his back turned. He also did some hysterical poses for the camera:

 
Stuff's about to get real.

I later learned through some friends-of-friends that this Darth is a big cosplay enthusiast, and I *think* I've even seen him in an epic God of War costume at MegaCon or D*C before. It's awesome to know these guys are doing what they love, don't you think?

My favorite character at SW Weekends, though, is Zam Wessel:

It has nothing to do with her character in the movie (I've never actually seen Attack of the Clones. Terrible, right?) - I just love her costume and how she acts here in the park. Not only is she gorgeous, she has a really fluid way of moving, and interacts with guests in an aloof-but-still respectful manner. (She's also the best dancer at the Hoopla. Just sayin'.) 

When we were there with my friend Tim a few years ago, Zam went out of her way to drape herself around his wheelchair for a really fabulous photo. And, as you can see here, she went out of her way this year to give me some fantastic poses - even though I was the only one taking her photo at the time. (Still not sure how that happened, given all the crowds.)

 

I took nearly a dozen shots from two different angles, and for every one she was looking straight at my camera and seemed in no hurry to leave. Stuff like this makes me positively giddy. I mean, c'mon, LOOK AT THIS SHOT:

 [mrrow]

Right? RIGHT?

Ok, let's end with my second favorite SW Weekends character:

D'awwww, Donald!

Oh, and we weren't able to stay for the Hyperspace Hoopla on Friday, but you can watch the whole thing (or just browse the highlight clips) over at Inside the Magic. The Hoopla is arguably the best thing at Star Wars Weekends each year, so I'm looking forward to seeing it when we go back. (And you can expect more photos then, too!)

Procrastination Station 5/22/12

I kept seeing references to a new "Ghostbusters NY tour" last week, but it wasn't until Karilee S. posted the vid on the Epbot FB page that I learned what all the buzz was about. If you're a die hard ghosthead like me, then prepare to have a giant goofy grin on your face for at least the next seven minutes:

I seriously need to be friends with these guys.

- Any Animaniacs fans out there?

 If so, then you'll love this Mental Floss article: More Than You Ever Wanted To Know About Animaniacs

*sigh* Man, I wish that show was available on Netflix streaming.

 - Why Nikola Tesla Was the Greatest Geek Who Ever Lived - a funny but extremely informative comic by The Oatmeal. (When I was a kid I once had to pick a historical figure to write a paper on. My dad immediately suggested Tesla, because he was "the most fascinating man you'll ever study in school." Dad was right.)


- 65 Behind The Scenes Photos from Back to the Future (found via ThinkGeek)

In case you've forgotten how eminently crush-worthy Michael J. Fox is.  :)

Fox with Huey Lewis. Love it.

- For my fellow Netflix-streaming subscribers, did you see they've added all of the Jem episodes?!

So far I've watched the first 6 or 7, but only when John's not around; he keeps snickering during the songs. (HARUMPH.) Here's hoping they keep adding more cartoon series like this; In addition to Animaniacs, I'd love to see ThunderCats, SilverHawks, The Tick, Tiny Toons, DuckTales, TMNT, etc, etc. (Mmmm....childhood nostalgia....)

Oh, and if you're one of those Doctor Who fans who's never seen any of the old stuff, then go watch City of Death on Netflix streaming right now. I'll wait.

Ok, no I won't - but I just watched it the other night, and it's a fabulous example of Tom Baker (AKA "the one with the scarf") and my favorite assistant, Romana as played by Lalla Ward. She's smart and strong and awesome, and I just love seeing Baker with an assistant who's more of an equal than someone he has to bail out or boss around all the time.

PLUS, City of Death features a funny cameo from Monty Python's John Cleese:



...AND the villain is the actor who played Mr. Humphries on Are You Being Served. (Loved him!) So, yeah, lots of awesomeness happening there. GO SEE.


[CORRECTION: It's *not* Mr. Humphries. It's the guy from Indiana Jones that kinda sorta looks like Mr. Humphries. Oops. Sorry, guys! But if it helps any, I also learned in the comments that Douglas Adams of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy fame penned most of the script. Does that help make up for it? :)]