There’s been a lot of buzz in the nerd community about Los Angeles’ newest and most kick-ass comic book convention, Comikaze Expo. The woman behind the legend is Regina Carpinelli, a real life Wonder Woman and she has been working non-stop (seriously… non-stop) to make this convention mind-blowing-ly awesome.

I started talking to Regina by chance when they contacted Defective Geeks because they picked up one of our cards from Fortune Cookie’s artist alley table at Anime Expo. Right away she embraced our team and our blog like we were old pals and we met her in person at San Diego Comic Con this year. She has kept us involved with Comikaze ever since and we love her for it. Can I just gush for a moment and say what a funny and energetic lady geek she is?

Comikaze Expo is going to have an epic first year and we think you better be there with us. You bet Team Defective Geeks will be representing. For now, get to know Regina a little better and read our interview with her.

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How did you come up with the name of the convention? What’s the story behind the octopus logo? Do you wish you could have a real, giant octopus as a mascot during the convention?

CARPINELLI: We chose the name “Comikaze” for a few reasons. We feel that there is only ONE “Comic-Con” and it lives in San Diego. A lot of other shows use the name Comic-Con to ride the coattails of San Diego’s success, but they are in no way affiliated. We have a lot of respect for SDCC, but we wanted to create something unique; we are our own brand. The name Comikaze makes perfect sense, since we planned on doing a full on LA Invasion. We pretty much “Kamikaze’d” the geek world – we just came out of the blue!

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Our sweet reader Rhona has one swanky friend who has turned her geeky passion into her career! Stephanie Sheh went from being a member of the UCLA anime club to being a successful voice actor and director for many anime series.

Stephanie is best known for providing the American voice for Orihime from Bleach and Hinata from Naruto and she was the co-director for the voicework of Resident Evil 5.  She is also pursuing an on-camera career and plays mini Olivia Munn on G4’s  “Attack of the Show” and was a part of an  ABC pilot with Damon Wayans and Jane Lynch.

But her work doesn’t stop there. She’s got a very philanthropic side as well. She started the not-for-profit group, We Heart Japan, with fellow friends in the anime industry after the devastating March 11th 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Towering at a height of 4’9″, Stephanie is living proof that big things come in small packages. Like dynamite.

How was it like going from being a member of fandom to becoming a strong presence in the American anime industry?

SHEH: It’s  a dream come true, I guess! But at the same time there are certain things that I miss about being a fan. That’s not to say that I’m not a fan; I’m just not the same type of fan. When you’re working in anime and go to your voiceover sessions or writing scripts at the same time and adapting, or reviewing, or directing, you’re watching anime while you’re doing it. The last thing that you think to do when you have free time is to watch some more anime.

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Many of us (at least people my age) grew up watching a lot of Nickelodeon and we all remember All That, a live-action comedy sketch show that mimicked Saturday Night Live— except it was for kids! I’ve spent a lot of afternoons watching the show and giggling. Many of the former All That cast members are reuniting for the first time at Comikaze Expo. How fun is it to see all of them all ‘grown up’ as well?

Alisa Reyes, one of All That‘s child star and now currently gorgeous actress with shows like NYPD Blue and Boston Public on her growing resumé, will be at the convention as a guest of honor.

Seriously though, how pretty is she? Not only is she super busy acting on screen, Alisa has also done many voices for animated shows. Plus, she is also writing, singing and producing movies! She certainly have come a long way since her Nickelodeon years. For your chance to see Alisa in person, along with Kel Mitchell, Lisa Folies, Katrina Johnson, Jack DeSena and many more, please join us at Comikaze Expo on November 5th and 6th this year at the Los Angeles Convention Center in downtown Los Angeles.

Alisa was very kind to take the time and answer some questions for Defective Geeks.

How excited are you to have an ‘All That’ reunion at Comikaze Expo? Are you surprised by the amount of fans who have responded postiively to the event?

REYES: It’s truly amazing. The fans from day one is what makes the show what it still is today. All That is currently airing on Teen Nick right now because they petitioned to get it back on the air. The show has been a hit for a decade and being a part of the original cast is an honor. I am not at all surprised by all the love and support because its been like that since the beginning. When you have a generation that loves this type of show, then it’s an uphill journey of nothing but love. That’s why I am so psyched to do this expo.

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Ashes, Ashes focuses on survivor, Lucy “Lucky” Holloway, a teenage girl. While an epidemic killed her entire family and most of humanity, Lucy avoided becoming sick and dying from the plague. Then when natural disaster decided to wipe out what was left of human civilization, she still found a way to live.

Despite all the loss she had suffered through Lucy is still very much a teenager, clumsy and insecure. All on her own she found the courage to keep waking up every day with just a single survival guide to tell her how to live. It is lonely and brutal. Lucy thought she would have to keep hiding and scavenging for what little food was left for the rest of her life, however long that may be.

Then one day she met another survivor, a teenage boy named Aidan. Lucy had an aversion to other people and had trouble trusting them. In the end, people need other people and faith pushes Lucy to Aidan’s direction. She joins a community of other survivors where she learns again what it was like to live and work with other people. She also faces her fears, finds deeper courage and new truths begin to unravel. Is there hope for human beings to survive?

Ashes, Ashes is a dark imagining of what could happen to our world and exposes the fragility of human beings. The author, Jo Treggiari  hones in to a world that gave you a feeling of: this could happen. Yes, I do recommend you read the book especially if you like young adult dystopian novels. It is very well written and the touch of suspense will definitely hook you. I love that the female main character is honest. Even though I am way past the age, she felt like a true teenager and someone relatable despite the extreme situation she is in.

I love Jo and I “twitter” with her constantly. I finally asked her to do an interview for the blog and was delighted that she said yes!

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Recently I had the pleasure of conducting a phone interview with Scottish actor Adam Sinclair, the star of the upcoming movie Irvine Welsh’s Ecstasy. Sinclair’s other work include the television series Mile High and the mini-series The Day of the Triffids, along with appearing in multiple feature films including Van Wilder 2 and Nina’s Heavenly Delights. Irvine Welsh is also the author of Trainspotting, and there has been much anticipation for the film adaptation of the following book Ecstasy. In the movie Sinclair plays the character Lloyd Bruist, an aging clubber who meets and falls in love with Heather, played by Kristin Kreuk. In the interview Sinclair talks about the movie, his character, his connection to the text and the universal message it has for all of us.

For the record, Adam Sinclair was a delight to interview. He was very funny, very humble, and has excellent taste in superheroes. Just read the interview and you’ll see.

In this movie, Irvine Welsh’s Ecstasy, you play a character named Lloyd Bruist. Tell me a little bit about this character and the story of Ecstasy.

Lloyd is a bit of an aging clubber. The story of Ecstasy, it’s a bit of an ambiguous title, it’s about these characters Lloyd with his friends Woodsy and Ally, and these boys in the club scene and they shouldn’t really be in it anymore. They’re getting old, they should be moving on in life and looking for something else in life. They’re looking on to find the other ecstasy in life other than chemical of ecstasy, and so Lloyd eventually finds love. He doesn’t think it’s going to happen and it never actually happens until in the movie it does happen and Kristin Kruek is introduced through the character Heather and they find love with each other. It’s about transgression and them finding love without it being chemically enhanced and moving their lives forward. So the title is kind of ambiguous and it’s all about each individual person, so its very much an ensemble piece with each individual person from the cast with their characters finding their ecstasy whether it is through yoga, or through having a better life, or traveling, and how they transgress less.

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It’s been a little over a month since I posted my first article on DefectiveGeeks highlighting five reasons to watch Suits. Since then, I’ve had the amazing opportunity to interview Tiffani Thiessen and review an early screening of the White Collar summer finale. Hard to believe so much could happen in such a short time! It all came full circle yesterday morning, when I had the chance to join a phone-in Q&A session with Gabriel Macht, who plays Harvey Specter on Suits.

The first season of Suits is already coming to a close, with only two episodes left: “Rules of the Game” airs tonight at 10/9c, and the season finale “Dogfight” airs next week on September 8th. In the interview, Gabriel discusses what the remainder of the season has in store and reveals a few tantalizing hints about Harvey’s “mysterious past.” He also sheds light on the relationships Harvey has with Jessica and Mike, as well as give some wonderful insight into the truth behind Harvey’s tough exterior.

Click on the cut to read my write up of the interview!

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People love movies. Some of these people may even consider themselves film buffs. There is even a good chance that these people know more about movies than the average homo sapien, but there is still one man out there who has truly earned this title. That man is Leonard Maltin. Mr. Maltin is a renowned film critic, film historian, New York Times Bestseller, and teaches a class at the University of Southern California on films. He has published several movie guides including ones on classic movies, Disney movies, and animated movies. His most recent movie guide, Leonard Maltin’s 2012 Movie Guide, is a new edition that includes over 17,000 reviews, including 300 new ones from his last edition.

Needless to say when I was given the opportunity to do a phone interview with Mr. Maltin, I was flabbergasted. Aside from my usual fear that I will accidentally say something beyond embarrassing in my nervous fit that will unleash my inner baffoonery, I was nervous simply because he is one of the movie experts out there. I can honestly say, though, that Leonard Maltin is one of the nicest people out there and was a joy to interview.

In the interview he reveals what he thinks is missing from contemporary films, his favorite comic book movie, along with other thoughtful insights on films and filmmaking. After the interview I thanked him and then told him that this was my first interview ever. He said that I did a good job :)

This new edition has over 17,ooo reviews. Do you ever sit back and think about the sheer number of movies that you have watched?

I don’t because I guess it’s like scaling a mountain in a way. I’ve never scaled a mountain, so I don’t know, but I guess it’s like scaling a mountain. You don’t think about the mountain, you think about the immediate path in front of you. So, since I see new movies all the time every week and trying to keep tabs on them I just work at it, you know, bits at a time.

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Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Scarlett and I am an honor roll making, JK Rowling worshipping, wand carrying, nerd t-shirt and slacks with Converse wearing, book reading, WoW playing,Wizard Wrock listening, geek blog following, comic book hoarding, fangirl squeeing, Facebook loving, convention attending, antique collecting, bookshelf breaking, recycle bag using, list making, non-stop talking, gummy worm eating, The Guild watching spoiled nerdfighter ex-cheerleader :D haha That last part probably has you a bit confused. So, please, allow me to explain.

Point 1: In junior high and high school, I DID make the Honor Roll. I was in Future Scholars of America and made the Dean’s List my senior year. I started cheerleading pop warner at my aunt and uncle’s request (meaning they paid) and in 10th grade, I cheered for my school. This made it easy for me to have nerd and non-nerd friends alike and integrate them as much as possible and have some people actully thinking I’m cool. Awesome

Point 2: JK Rowling is like a GODDESS to me! Harry Potter has pretty much taken over my entire life. I went to LeakyCon in July, bought a wand, went to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and got chosen at Ollivander’s!! I’m a self-proclaimed Gryffindor and when I talk, it usually has some sort of HP reference. Example: I wish I could go visit Ashley today. It sucks that I’m out of Floo Powder!!

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