In 2015, this has become my new mantra. When I found out that Stephen Amell, who plays Oliver Queen in Arrow, has a winery AND throws wine parties… I was more than a little excited. In a spur of the moment between flurries of text messages, Gizzy B and I decided that we were going to attend the Nocking Point wine mixer in Portland. It was a good excuse to travel, right? I’ve never been to Portland!
Gizzy B and the Space Pirate Queen sit down after Comikaze Expo 2014 and have a little con talk, parking woes, hyperventilating over Kevin Conroy which of course, falls into a Batman-loving discussion.
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When IBG Inc. announced that Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny (with special guest, Chris Carter) were having a “reunion” in order to raise money for charity, I was besides myself with excitement. The X-Files was my childhood sci-fi/geek love and I still consider it my most favorite television series of all time. Unfortunately, I was too young to venture off to the conventions during the mid-90s and thus, missed out on all the fandom fun. There was no question that I would attend this event and the fact that all the money went to charity just made it better.
Official photo from IBG Inc.
IBG Inc. is a non-profit campaign that raises money for various charities through the arts. This particular conversation series held on July 30, 2011, with the X-Files stars benefited SA-YESÂ and raised over $30,000+!
We were allowed to take non-flash photos during the panel but the room was so ridiculously dimly lighted that there was no way to take proper photos. I did end up just taking notes while Anderson, Duchovny and Carter were on stage. Here are some of the highlights from their conversations.
The worst disasters can also bring out the best in people. In the days and weeks following the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, all walks of life converged into one. All identity labels disappeared save for one: Japanese. Unrest was unheard of as the strong nation started to gather up the pieces and to rebuild together.
But this unity was not an isolated case. The whole world came together to Japan’s aid in many forms. For many – especially Californians - Japan is more than just where sushi comes from and what they’ve read in their text books. It is a strong source of cultural influence and a home to family and friends. Art would not be the same and neither would Hollywood.
Thus, Transformers actor Josh Duhamel teamed up with Tokidoki to put together a relief run in Santa Monica on March 27th, 2011. Both parties spread the word through social media and television spots and over four thousand people showed up despite the rainy start to the day. To top it off, it stopped raining about half an hour before the run. Success!
On St. Patrick’s Day, Meltdown Comics hosted a charity art event called We Heart Japan. Since I would be missing the rest of the charity art shows that weekend, I wanted to attend at least one event– and it has been awhile since I’ve made a stop at Meltdown Comics! My friend and co-worker, Liz Ohanesian, covered the event that night for LA Weekly and I accompanied her as her photographer. I got to watch her be a pro and interview some of the voice actors and artists that night!
The event was  put together by Stephanie Sheh, an American voice actress who has worked within the anime industry primarily. She recruited a long list of voice actors to come out and do autograph signings. Among the few actors present were Wendee Lee, Crispin Freeman, Travis Willingham and Daran Norris. There were a lot of wonderful artwork that were donated by different artists inside Meltdown’s art gallery.
We also got to see friends all night. Mike of The Wandering Kaijyu and Daniella of All About Manga were both present at the party. My friend, Shing,creator of Marlowe the Monster, was one of the artist who donated art and also volunteered for most of the night.
Money raised during the event and from the art sales went towards the aid of victims in Japan from the earthquake and tsunami.
Check out Liz’s blog on LA Weekly’s Style Council for a full report: Voice Actors, Artists and Anime Fans Say ‘We Heart Japan’ at Meltdown Comics.
Click here to check out my LA Weekly Slideshow and see more photos from the event!
“I never thought that I would have the chance to work with a large, talented group of artists such as those who fill these pages. This project began as a simple collaborative idea, and grew into a full-fledged army of over seventy artists from around the world. COLORS is about making people happy. It is about helping others, giving to the community, and being bright and creative. I cannot be more thankful and more honored; I am beyond speechless with gratitude to everyone for all their hard work, dedication, and support.” – Katie Ryan, Project Coordinator, ohnooo.net
The other day, I received my copy of COLORS: Charity Artbook, a collaboration of unique illustrations made for charity. Unfortunately, the book got a bit dented in the care of the postal service on its way to my mailbox, but that did not lessen the effect of all the great artwork as I turned each page.
The artists who contributed to this book all have different style but they have been united together under the simple theme of colors. Each “color” chapter is a group of artists who incorporates the color assigned to them into their artwork. Otherwise, they are free to draw, paint, create whatever they wished to.
The end result is a beautiful collection inside a single book, lovingly put together by graphic designer, Fawn Lau. This is a must for collectors and art lovers, and you can still order a copy at the website. All proceeds for this book goes towards National Organization of Rare Disorders.
