This is part of my ongoing coverage of San Diego Comic-Con 2015. As in past years, this is a photo journal showcasing photographs of the exhibit hall, around the convention center and the Gaslamp District, and some of the popular cosplay participants. Images are from Wednesday (Preview Night), Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. [Read more…]
This is part of my ongoing coverage of San Diego Comic-Con 2015. Prop Store has an excellent exhibition this year, featuring a preview of material from their second annual live auction coming to London later this year. Heavy on action and sci-fi, it drew a constant crowd of Comic Con attendees, many of which are fans of these genre films. As with Star Wars Celebration earlier this year, Prop Store continue to find new and exciting Star Wars material, such as the stormtrooper helmet – the first time being offered to the public. [Read more…]
Bonhams will be holding their “Entertainment Memorabilia including Animation Art” (auction 22444) sale event in London on June 24th. This sale includes 291 lots featuring a mix of film/television as well as rock and roll and popular music related memorabilia. [Read more…]
From Luke’s yellow ladder A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back to his hero lightsaber from Return of the Jedi, the “Star Wars Original Props and Costumes” discussion panel at Star Wars Celebration 2015 in Anaheim ran the gamut of obscure background props to the best of the best. Participants included Stephen Lane and Brandon Alinger from Prop Store, Tom Spina from Tom Spina Designs, and legendary collector Gus Lopez, creator of the Star Wars Collectors Archive. Each panelist took us through one of their own “prop story” tales, showcasing the background of one of the prized pieces in their own collection. Of note was that this was the first public announcement by Brandon Alinger that he owns what is essentially the hero Luke Skywalker lightsaber from Return of the Jedi, which was also used by Sir Alec Guiness in A New Hope as a fighting lightsaber (and not to be left out, it was also a practice dueling saber employed in The Empire Strikes Back). It was an incredible display of both knowledge and images, and overall it underscored the importance of collectors in tracking down, identifying, restoring and preserving these important pop culture artifacts. [Read more…]
The “Secrets of the Cantina” panel at Star Wars Celebration was one of the events that I was most looking forward to, and it did not disappoint. Featuring co-presenters Pablo Hidalgo from the Lucasfilm Story Group and Tom Spina of Tom Spina Designs, they delved deep into the mythos of one of the most popular scenes from Star Wars: A New Hope, talking exclusively about those creatures (and ugly humans) that inhabited that infamous bar. At times playing out like a spoken word CSI: Tatooine, they talked about some of the crazy methods they’ve developed to identify some of the actors behind the monsters, as well as the actors who played parts with make-up but without the masks. [Read more…]
In terms of excitement generated from Star Wars Celebration 2015 in Anaheim, I would say the second development right behind the JJ Abrams/Kathleen Kennedy panel the opening morning and release of the new trailer for The Force Awakens is the exhibition of props, costumes, and models from the all-new film installment to the franchise. On the upper floor of the Anaheim Convention Center is space dedication to the display of artifacts from the upcoming Episode VII, due in December 2015. This feature includes about 130 quality photos from this exhibit. [Read more…]
Following my pictorial preview of Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim for 2015 last night (Wednesday night, before officially starting), below are photos I took of the exhibit hall on the first full day (Thursday). Being my first Celebration, it was bigger than I expected, but still not a massive as San Diego Comic Con (and thankfully, many of the aisles are much wider as well). The calm before the storm was when the doors opened but the J.J. Abrams/Kathleen Kennedy panel was going. For those who elected not to sleep overnight within the convention center to attend in person, the jumbo monitors at the LEGO booth streamed it all in real time, to the astonishment of fans who were thrilled by the premiere airing of the new “teaser” trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. [Read more…]
Prop Store’s exhibitor booth (#1140) for Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim in 2015 is both familiar and different. While the size and scale is comparable to what I’ve seen at San Diego Comic Con over the past five years, obviously with Celebration it is going to be 100% Star Wars-related content. With this show, they brought out some of the important pieces from the Prop Store Collection (i.e. owned by the principals of the company and not for sale), including a Darth Vader helmet, Han Solo jacket, and a Princess Leia gown. [Read more…]