W♥M

Minneapolis: August 19 to August 25, 2017

Here are some concerts taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from August 19 to August 25, 2017.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

Read More Minnesota Fan Fest Vu and John on W♥M Radio, talking about Minnesota Fan Fest (19-20 Aug 2017). The event at Rivercentre in St Paul will feature celebrity guests Jason David Frank from Power ...

MINNESOTA FAN FEST
at St Paul Rivercentre
08/19-08/20/2017 ($30)
myfanfest.com

We’ll be covering Minnesota Fan Fest this weekend (August 19-20, 2017). You can hear us talking and breaking down some of the guests we’re excited to see on W♥269.

Guests:

Jason David Frank
Green Ranger | Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Garrett Wang
Star Trek: Voyager

Eddie McClintock
Warehouse 13, Backstrom

Sean Patrick Flanery
The Boondock Saints, The Dead Zone

Cara McGee
Over the Garden Wall

Hope Nicholson
The Spectacular Sisterhood of Superwomen

Francis Manapul
The Flash, New 52, Trinity

Zander Cannon
Heck, Big Time Attic, Double Barrel

Dave Wheeler
The Misadventures of Wonderboy

Gordon Purcell
Star Trek, The X-Files

K. Lynn Smith
Plume, Cards Against Humanity

Ken F. Levin
Preacher, Sable; Painkiller Jane

Mike McKone
Teen Titans, Exiles, Fantastic Four

Jae Lee
Hellshock, The Inhumans

Bob Layton
Iron Man, Valiant Comics

Dan Jurgens
Superman

Peter J. Tomasi
Superman, Batman & Robin

Phil Hester
Green Arrow, Swamp Thing

Christopher Jones
Young Justice, The Batman Strikes

Jim Calafiore
Aquaman, Red Lanterns

Francis Manapul
Flash, Detective Comics

Benjamin Percy
The Dark Net, The Dead Lands

Read More Father John Misty J. Tillman under his moniker Father John Misty will be back in Minneapolis this April 4th, in support of his latest Sub Pop album I Love You, Honeybear. … Tennis Husband/wife duo Tennis is back in town. Their forthcoming album Yours Conditionally will be out March 10th via Mutually Detrimental / Thirty Tigers. … Tour de Fat New Belgium brewery again brings its Tour de Fat festival back to Loring Park this Saturday. The completely free event features a bike parade, vendors and booths, beer on tap (of course), and a handful of musical acts … Carrie Rodriguez Country singer and fiddler Carrie Rodriguez is coming back to the Cedar Cultural Center next Tuesday, March 1st. The current tour is for Rodriguez's highly anticipated album, Lola . .… Minnesota State Fair Despite my protests, we end up going to the Minnesota State Fair every year. This is the "Great Minnesota Get-together", where everyone goes to enjoy eating something on a stick… George Clinton The major headliners are pretty popular (George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic, Michael Franti and Spearhead & The Neville Brothers), but it .... Hippo Campus The crowd at the music stage began swelling very early on, as local favorites Hippo Campus played first, with a spirited 40 min. set that included new single, ‘South’ (EP out Oct 2 on Grand Jury Records) .…

Other shows in the area:

08/19/2017 Father John Misty and Tennis will play Surly Brewing Festival Field. There will be beer there. 5pm, $45.

08/19/2017 This day festival Tour de Fat is taking place over at the Cabooze this Saturday, August 19. The event was previously free at Loring Park, but the paid version will bring in some big acts, including The Record Company, Kolars and Monica LaPlante. NOTE: These type of shows ends about 10pm, so plan accordingly. 4pm, $20.

08/19/2017 Carrie Rodriguez is returning to the The Cedar Cultural Center on Saturday. Support from Pat Donohue. 7pm, $18.

08/19/2017 19-year-old singer-songwriter Khalid is headlining The Myth on Saturday. Yep, it’s sold out. 6pm, Sold Out.

08/19/2017 Please note that our favorite Australian kids San Cisco has canceled their 7th Street Entry show: “Due to unfortunate circumstances it is not possible for San Cisco to play the Eastern Coast of USA shows they had planned. It is with great sadness we have to postpone these shows for now. We will endeavour to reschedule in the near future.” 7pm, Canceled.

08/19/2017 Nashville indie-rock trio The Lonely Biscuits will be playing the Turf Club in St Paul. Their San Francisco EP will be out September 22 via Most Lonely Records. Okey Dokey to open. 8pm, $12.

08/21-08/22/2017 Charlotte’s Sinners & Saints is playing the Black Dog Café on Thursday (August 21) and Acadia Café on Friday (August 22), in support of their new album On The Other Side. 8pm, Free and Free.

08/22/2017 Simple Plan is headlining First Ave as part of their “No Pads, No Helmets….Just Balls” 15th Anniversary Tour. Patent Pending and Set It Off to open. 6pm, $30.50.

08/22/2017 Tyler Childers to play the 7th Street Entry, in support of his debut record Purgatory (Hickman Holler Records/Thirty Tigers). Sammy Brue will open. 7:30pm, $10.

08/23/2017 Charlottesville’s Lowland Hum (duo Daniel and Lauren Goans) will be playing the Aster Café in support of their new album Thin. NPR’s Bob Boilen said, “Sincerity, community and beauty is how I think of Lowland Hum; the sounds of Lauren and Daniel Goans.” 8pm, $7.

08/24/2017 Washed Out is touring in support of Mister Mellow. They are stopping by First Avenue on Thursday. Dega to open. 8pm, $20.

08/24-09/04/2017 The great Minnesota State Fair is running from August 24 to Labor Day, September 4th. As usual, they book some paid and free concerts, so look up their website for additional details. Band we’re interested in will be free shows: The Pointer Sisters on August 24-25, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic on August 26-27, Hippo Campus on Sep 3-4. 10am, $14.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

W♥M269: Minnesota Fan Fest (19-20 Aug 2017)

W♥M269: MN Fan Fest (50 mins) Read More Comic Books I really hate the title Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. I can understand it, it tells us that Batman will be fighting Superman... and somehow it involves the Justice … Star Trek You know I love Star Trek, so it is a sad day when I saw that original Spock actor Leonard Nimoy is dead. Live long and prosper. ....

Vu and John on W♥M Radio, talking about Minnesota Fan Fest (19-20 Aug 2017). The event at Rivercentre in St Paul will feature celebrity guests Jason David Frank from Power Rangers, Garrett Wang from Star Trek: Voyager, Eddie McClintock from Warehouse 13, Sean Patrick Flanery of The Boondock Saints, etc.

Comic artists and writers includes: Cara McGee from Over the Garden Wall, Hope Nicholson from The Spectacular Sisterhood of Superwomen, Francis Manapul from Trinity, Zander Cannon from Heck, Dave Wheeler from The Misadventures of Wonderboy, Gordon Purcell from Star Trek comics, K. Lynn Smith from Plume, Ken F. Levin from Preacher, plus many more guests.

Topics:

Minnesota Fan Fest first time in the area

Excited about Jae Lee, Francis Manapul

Local talents: Gordon Purcell, Jan Jurgens, Pat Gleason

Patch Zircher rare convention appearance

Mike McKone’s recognizable art style

Bob Layton’s great run on Valiant Comics

Garrett Wang as Harry Kim on Star Trek: Voyager.... and why Voyager is one of the best Trek series.

Jason David Frank and Sean Patrick Flanery are always entertaining

Cosplayers!

Song of the show: The Zombies’ ‘I’ve Got My Mojo Working’.

Bonus:

Wonder Woman film doing well at the box office

Nightwing may drop before The Batman

The Inhumans debuting in the Fall, via Imax and television screen.

Legion is either great or terrible.

The Titans cast 13-year-old Teagan Croft as Raven.

--
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Archive of this show at archive.org. More information on podomatic.com. Recording of this podcast was made possible by Skype, MP3 Skype Recorder, and Audacity.

W♥M268: Wonder Woman/George Perez (bonus audio) (13 August 2017) Vu, John W♥M267: Sleeper (30 July 2017) Vu, Jon Stewart W♥M266: Wizard World Minneapolis 2017 (14 May 2017) Vu, John W♥M265: The End of the Year 2016 (29 December 2016) Vu, John W♥M264: Golden Age of Superheroes (11 December 2016) Vu, John W♥M263: The Year in Deaths 2016 (08 December 2016) Vu, John

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Wizard World at Minneapolis Convention Center (05-07 May 2017)

Wizard World Shows May 19-21 Des Moines Jun 1-4 Philadelphia Jun 16-18 Sacramento Jul 14-16 Albuquerque Aug 4-6 Columbus Aug 11-13 Orlando Aug 24-27 Chicago Sep 8-10 Nashville Sep 22-24 Madison Oct 27-29 Oklahoma City Nov 17-19 Austin Jan 5-7, 2018 New Orleans Read More Wizard World Minneapolis The fourth annual Wizard World Minneapolis is over. Come back later for reviews, in the meantime, here are some photographs from day two and three combined. Saturday’s costume contest was, as usual, a great way to end the day …

Wizard World Minneapolis took place last weekend (May 5-7) at the Minneapolis Convention Center. We’ve already posted a zillion photos, talked about the great cosplayers and music.

Before we talk about the various panels, I will touch on some of our general thoughts about the show. Compared to other entertainment gathering, such as the Renaissance Festival, the Wizard World shows offers more entertainment, especially if you have children. If meeting celebrities aren’t your thing, you can still enjoy a magic show, video gaming, or people watching... there’s a little something for everyone.

Of course, we like sitting down to hear our favorite celebrities talk or fans talking about various comic book-related topics. It’s a great place to meet other fans and learn something.

With the exception of the main auditorium (which was only used on Saturday), the majority of panels were held at four rooms on the same level as the main Wizard show floor. This was a big improvement, as previous years, you had to take the escalator or elevator down a floor. The one Creative stage, in the same room as the Entertainment Stage, was not a great choice to hear anything, especially if they were blasting music at the bigger stage.

FRIDAY, MAY 5
For the first night, May 5th, there weren’t any celebrity panels since many of them did not land until Saturday. We did sit through a variety of comic book panels, including “Funny Folks: How to Draw Humor Comics” to hear Bob Camp, Guy Gilchrist, and Phil Ortiz, talk about their work with Ren & Stimpy, The Simpsons, and Nancy. If you’re not familiar with the latter, Nancy is a widely distributed American daily and Sunday comic strip, originally created by Ernie Bushmiller. Although Danny Fingeroth still moderate a few panels, he’s taken a step back with this current Wizard show.

You could learn how to self-publish your comics with Victor Dandridge or how to create your own YouTube channel with RealBreakingNate or character acting with Karl (Captain K) Brevik, the versatile cosplayer swapped identities throughout the weekend, including costumes/personas for Dale Gribble (King of the Hill), J. Jonah Jameson (who also helped judge the costume contest in character) and Sexy Gandalf as part of the Hogwarts panel.

The “Superhero Movies” and “Marvel v DC” panels seemed to go hand-in-hand. We were surprised to learn that local radio personality Brian Oake (of the Current), was a massive die-hard Marvel Comics fan. His guest appearance was a surprise and a delight.

Over in the “First They Came For Batman... Then They Came for Chuck Berry and Prince” a panel about rock music and censorship, with moderator Danny Fingeroth, and Alex Lubet, Scott Currie, and Colleen Doran (who stepped in as a last minute replacement for original guest Barbara Schulz).

VIP of Self-Publishing with Victor Danridge	Name that Pokemon	Rock and Censorship with Danny Fingeroth, Alex Lubet, Scott Currie, and Colleen Doran	Disney Drawing with Clinton Hobart	Creatures of the Night with David Shrader
Cosplay 101	Characters in Cosplay	Yogaquest	Getting Started on YouTube	Funny Folks: How to Draw Humor Comics with Danny Fingeroth, Bob Camp, Guy Gilchrist, and Phil Ortiz

Superhero Movies: Tim Davis, Brian Oake, Timothy Lammers, Tony Kim, Dave Schrader

SATURDAY, MAY 6
Saturday, was, as usual, the biggest day. Personally speaking, if you had one day to go to Wizard World, make it the Saturday show. The biggest draw are the celebrity panels, which included current Doctor Peter Capaldi. Originally scheduled with co-star Jenna Coleman, but she had to bail out at the last minute for filming conflict.

Capaldi was in great spirit, talking and volunteering some great insights into the world of Doctor Who. His wife, he confessed, was rather “embarrassed” about the nerdiness of it... especially when he would secretly sneak home a Doctor Who magazine every once in a while.

When asked what other shows he’d like to star in, he thought about it and mentioned that he’d like to appear in Game of Thrones, mostly because one of his co-star Maisie Williams (Arya Stark).

On his very first convention appearance, Charlie Sheen was over 30 minutes late to his panel. Winning! When he did appear, with surprise appearance by Kato Kaelin. The OJ Simpson-related personality wasn't announced on the schedules, but ended up hosting the Entertainment Stage for Saturday and Sunday, among other things.

When asked if he’s ever been to Minneapolis, Sheen said he appeared twice, once in 1987 and once in 1997, filming Major League and Major League: Back to the Minors. The follow-up question about those film, Sheen said he’d be delighted to appear in any future Major League sequels.

One of the films that he turned down was Hollow Man, which Kevin Bacon ended up replacing Sheen, because (spoiler alert) the character ended up raping a woman. Kaelin quickly asked what other films he turned down, which we were surprised to learn that he didn’t accept White Men Can’t Jump.

The rest of the day, the auditorium went to the Buffy-verse. Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans gathered around to wait for Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia) and Nicholas Brendon (Xander), and then followed by James Marsters (Spike).

Before the chat, Carpenter requested no videos or photos during the panel. Instead, she would offer us the chance to photograph them before they start talking. A media photographer, who probably missed the announcement, decided to rush to the front of the stage to snag a photo. Immediately, Carpenter pointed him out and asked, “Who are you?” interrupting her train of thought. She really channeled her “inner b**ch” as she puts it. Embarrassingly, the photographer retreated to the back of the stage.

The fans asked the usual questions to these things, like tell us some backstage stories. Xander, who was “behaving” himself, told us about this time that he wasn’t wearing underwear and someone pants him during a scene. He seemed proud that he was so hairy down there, people thought he was wearing a merkin.

James Marsters came on after Carpenter and Brendon left the stage. Personally, it would make sense to include Marsters with the Buffy gang... but seeing as he was a “vampire”, that for whatever reason they had Marsters on his own. Of course, the first thing he did was photographed the crowd for his social media page.

John Barrowman’s One Man Show was entertaining as ever. Barrowman, who came on stage in a dress, actually prepared a series of comedic improvisation show. If you didn’t know, Barrowman is best known as the recurring character Captain Jack Harkness from Doctor Who.

The Nerd Off discussion was also a lot of fun. They pick the topic and have fans debate. Topics includes Star Trek vs Star Wars, Superman vs Dragonballz, and Pokemon vs Digimon. Even if you disagree with the winner of the debate, it’s still very fun to listen to fans fight it out.

Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia) and Nicholas Brendon (Xander)

J Jonah Jameson	Intro Cosplay	SuperKayce
Doctor Who Fans	Tom Cook	Nerd Off
Creative: Danny Fingeroth, Gordon Purcell, Clinton Hobart, and Colleen Doran	Commander Mark	I’m not a Sidekick

Greg Sulkin	Gordon Purcell	John Barrowman’s One Man Show	James Marsters	Charlie Sheen

Peter Capaldi at Wizard World Minneapolis, Minneapolis Convention Center (06 May 2017)

SUNDAY, MAY 7
Sunday started with a great conversation with Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork of the 60s group and television stars of The Monkees. There were a lot of Monkees fans in the audience, and they all mentioned that they grew up or raising their children to listen to the Monkees’ music.

One of the thing that came out of the discussion was that the actors were musicians (except for Dolenz, but he would later learn), and begged the studio to let them write and play their own songs. The filming schedule was grueling and that also left little or no time to create original music.

When asked about the documentary Daydream Believers, they confirmed the film was accurate, but like most things, it was overly dramatized.

Regarding one of their big hit song, ‘Last Train to Clarksville’, Peter Tork said that he actually forgot to sing the entire lyrics in the middle of the song. When the producers asked them about it, they were so tired they just “la la la” that whole section.

The two reminisce about their successful 50th anniversary Monkees tour and was also happy to venues selling out their shows. Currently, Peter is in Shoe Suede Blues and they are working on a Lead Belly tribute album. Micky will be continuing a solo tour starting in June (starting at the Suffolk Theater in New York).

As a massive Star Trek: The Next Generation fan, we were also really happy to get Marina Sirtis to talk about her days as Counselor Deanna Troi. Originally, they had assigned Tony Kim, but she quickly dismissed him at the start of the panel. She prefer to talk directly to fans.

One of the best questions asked was why her character had a different costume vs standard regulation uniform. While the answer is actually quite long, it came down to the fact that Hollywood thought that she was “fat”, according to Sirtis.

She was very humble and she told us that before she was casted on ST:TNG, she was literally broke and had to fly back to England with an expired VISA. She didn’t have a home in America, so Gene Roddenberry sorted adopted her into their home.

After hearing her entertaining stories, she would put in her final say: that everything she has now is thanks to her fans. It’s the fans that gave her a career, it’s the fans that gave her a life... and she always made sure we knew that.

Marina Sirtis

Guy Gilchrist	Security Gaps At Hogwarts	Guardians Podcast
Barry Bostwick	The Monkees	How To Build A Geek Brand

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

R.I.P. Anton Yelchin (Star Trek)

Read More Star Trek You know I love Star Trek, so it is a sad day when I saw that original Spock actor Leonard Nimoy is dead. Live long and prosper. .... George Clinton The major headliners are pretty popular (George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic, Michael Franti and Spearhead & The Neville Brothers), but it ....

June is almost over, and the celebrity/musician deaths are skyrocketing... And speaking of rockets, we were pretty shocked to find out that young actor Anton Yelchin, famous for portraying Pavel Chekov in Star Trek, was killed by his car! From what everyone is saying, his Jeep Grand Cherokee had a faulty shift, so he thought he put it in park - when, in fact, it was in neutral. The car slammed into an unsuspecting Yelchin at the bottom of the hill at the gate.

Before Yelchin became a star, he sang and played guitar in a punk band called The Hammerheads, aka The Hammerheads Hollywood (not to be confused with Minneapolis’ noise band Hammerhead or late 80s band The Hammerheads). The band was active from 2008 to 2011, when Yelchin confirmed that the band broke up in 2011.

According to their Reverb Nation:

The Hammerheads punk rock music is primarily written by singer, songwriter, guitarist and accomplished actor Anton Yelchin. Darian Campbell, son of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell, plays lead guitar. Dave Glowacki, from the LA based rock band Romeo Delta, plays bass and vocals. Ryan Dean is an award winning drummer and graduate of CSUN's Jazz program.

The bands influences are The Cramps, Rancid, Blind Willie McTell, John Lee Hooker, and Iggy Pop. They are currently working on their first EP featuring a rocking single called “Girl (not yet) a Woman”.

The EP is actually called The Hammerheads Sh*** On Your Face.

Also dead: Parliament-Funkadelic’s keyboardist Bernie Worrell passed away at the age of 72 on June 24th.

The Stanley Brothers’ Ralph Stanley died at the age of 89 to skin cancer on June 23rd.

Enya's father Leo Brennan died at the age of 90 on June 22nd.

Pakistani Taliban assassinated Amjad Sabri on June 22nd. He was 45.

The Mar-Keys’ Wayne Jackson passed away at the age of 74 to congestive heart failure on June 21st.

ZZ Top’s manager Bill Ham died at the age of 79 on June 18th.

The Mexican The Voice star Alejandro Jano Fuentes was murdered at the age of 45 on June 18th. This is disturbing, considering that The Voice’s star Christina Grimmie was also murdered some weeks ago.

Below are more deaths for the month of June - for the full death list: Musicians who died in 2016.

June (39)

[24 June 2016] Charles Chaynes, 90, unknown

[24 June 2016] Bernie Worrell (Parliament-Funkadelic), 72, lung cancer

[23 June 2016] Ralph Stanley (The Stanley Brothers), 89, skin cancer

[22 June 2016] Jim Boyd (Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation), 60, natural causes

[22 June 2016] Leo Brennan (member of Clannad and Enya's father), 90, unknown

[22 June 2016] Amjad Sabri, 45, assassinated by Pakistani Taliban

[22 June 2016] Harry Rabinowitz, 100, natural causes

[21 June 2016] Guda Anjaiah, 60, unknown

[21 June 2016] Dan Daniel (WMCA), 82, unknown

[21 June 2016] Wayne Jackson (The Mar-Keys), 74, congestive heart failure

[21 June 2016] Pierre Lalonde, 75, Parkinson's disease

[21 June 2016] Freddy Powers, 84, Parkinson's disease

[20 June 2016] Chayito Valdez, 71, cerebral hemorrhage

[19 June 2016] Bob Williamson, 67, unknown

[19 June 2016] Anton Yelchin (Star Trek), 27, blunt traumatic asphyxia

[18 June 2016] Bill Ham (Manager of ZZ Top), 79, unknown

[18 June 2016] Peter Feuchtwanger), 76, unknown

[18 June 2016] Alejandro Jano Fuentes (La Voz... México - The Mexican Voice), 45, murdered

[18 June 2016] Sverre Kjelsberg (The Pussycats), 69, unknown

[17 June 2016] Tenor Fly, ?, unknown

[17 June 2016] Prince Be (P.M. Dawn), 46, kidney disease

[14 June 2016] Anatol Dumitraș, 60, cancer

[14 June 2016] Henry McCullough (Wings), 72, unknown

[13 June 2016] Ofelya Hambardzumyan, 91, unknown

[13 June 2016] Oleg Karavaychuk, 88, unknown

[13 June 2016] Chips Moman (Elvis Presley), 79, unknown

[12 June 2016] Adrian Posse, 67, lung tumor

[12 June 2016] Chris Warren (Bro-kin), 49, sudden death

[10 June 2016] Christina Grimmie, 22, murdered

[10 June 2016] Habib Mohebian (Habib), 63, cardiac arrest

[08 June 2016] Vladislav Yankovsky (Novosibirsk Youth Symphony Orchestra), 64, unknown

[06 June 2016] Rolf Schweizer), 80, unknown

[04 June 2016] Bobby Curtola, 73, unknown

[03 June 2016] Muhammad Ali, 74, respiratory issues

[03 June 2016] Mac Cocker (2JJ), ?, unknown

[03 June 2016] Dave Swarbrick (Fairport Convention), 75, emphysema

[02 June 2016] Freddie Wadling, 64, cancer

[02 June 2016] Orest Hrywnak (WBBF-AM), 59, heart attack

[02 June 2016] Corry Brokken (Eurovision), 83, not given

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Instawatch: How to redeem your Vudu digital films from Walmart

Read More Star Trek You know I love Star Trek, so it is a sad day when I saw that original Spock actor Leonard Nimoy is dead. Live long and prosper. ....

I recently purchased the Star Trek Motion Picture Trilogy Bluray set at Walmart with a sticker that read "Vudu Copy of all 3 movies". I already own the movies on Bluray, I was primarily only interested in getting the Vudu digital copy. Unfortunately when I got home and opened up the package, there were no codes. Vudu Support said it is the movie studio's fault, Paramount Pictures has not responded (will likely blame Vudu).

Reading online, I have found out how to redeem your digital copy. Apparently this is part of their Instawatch program, a less-than-elegant way of getting Vudu movies by purchasing movies from Walmart. It is confusing and not intuitive, despite their website saying it's "easy".

Here's how it works:

Step 1: You must have both a Vudu and Walmart account. You can create or login on their website.

Step 2: Under your Walmart account, you will have to link to Vudu.

Step 3: Download the Walmart App on iOS or Android. If you do not have a mobile device: I believe you are out of luck.

Step 4: On your App, under "Savings", take a photo of the QR Code, or if you have a crappy camera like the Moto E phone, you can key in the "TC#" of your Walmart receipt.

Step 5: If valid, your movie(s) will now appear on your Vudu account.

While this is a terrible experience for me, I have to say that as a value-add, I may likely buy more films through Walmart just to get the digital version.

Anyway, I hope this helps you if you weren't given any Vudu codes on your Walmart DVDs or BDs.

vu-du ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Wizard World at Minneapolis Convention Center (03 May 2015)

Wizard World 2015 Schedule May 22-24 – Wizard World Comic Con St. Louis Jun 12-14 – Wizard World Comic Con Des Moines Jun 19-21 – Wizard World Comic Con Sacramento Jun 19-21 – Wizard World Comic Con Albuquerque Jul 31-Aug 2 – Wizard World Comic Con Richmond Aug 20-23 – Wizard World Comic Con Chicago Aug 22-23 – Bruce Campbell’s Groovy Fest Sep 4-6 – Wizard World Comic Con San Jose Sep 11-13, Wizard World Comic Con Pittsburgh Sep 18-20 – Wizard World Comic Con Columbus Sep 25-27 – Wizard World Comic Con Nashville Oct 2-4 – Wizard World Comic Con Ft. Lauderdale Oct 23-25 – Wizard World Comic Con Tulsa Oct 30-31 – Wizard World Comic Con Austin Nov 6-8 – Wizard World Comic Con Louisville Nov 20-22 – Wizard World Comic Con Reno Read More Wizard World Minneapolis The second annual Wizard World Minneapolis at the Minneapolis Convention Center just ended on Sunday. Compared to last year, I felt this year more fans were attending the panels... … Brent Spiner I am a pretty big fan of Star Trek. I have previously mentioned how much I love Data from Star Trek and was glad to see that the actor, Brent Spiner, had recorded Ol' Yellow Eyes Is Back. ... …

Sunday was the last day for Wizard World Minneapolis at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

For a complete Wizard World Minneapolis 2015-related articles, see below:

Wizard World at Minneapolis Convention Center (02 May 2015)

Critical Hit at Wizard World, Mpls Convention Center (02 May 2015)

Official Wizard World After Party, feat. Peelander-Z at Pourhouse, Minneapolis (02 May 2015)

Wizard World at Minneapolis Convention Center (01 May 2015)

Wizard World Minneapolis - MOA Kickoff event (30 Apr 2015)

Wizard World Minneapolis Photo Gallery

With a late start on Sunday's show, due to the late night Wizard World Official After Party, left us with only a few two panels, before giving us just under an hour to do last minute shopping in the main room.

Brent Spiner

We got in early to get a good seat to see Brent Spiner, who is most famous for playing the android Lieutenant Commander Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Spiner was a delight, you can tell he's done this a thousand times. With all the cameras and phone going up to snap a photo of the actor, he even posed for us before answering any questions.

Spiner had the audience eating out of his hands, who were mostly diehard Star Trek fans.... who are sometime a little too quirky. When moderator Aaron Sagers' request to keep the questions brief, the very first fan read a rather long-winded love letter to Data. Without even acknowledging what was said, Spiner just said, "yes!" and then jokingly agreed to marry the (male) fan.

Some interesting came out of the Q&A, for example, everyone at the rehearsal thought Data's name was pronounced "dat-ta". That is, until Patrick Stewart (Captain Jean-Luc Picard), said "day-ta". Since then, the pronunciation stuck.

As for Data's quirky movements, it was because of his contact lens and layers of makeup. Spiner couldn't actually see so he would often move his head around to get a view... unknowingly adding to the character's unique look and style.

The next film we will see Spiner in will be Independence Day 2, which is said to be in theaters around July 4, 2016, exactly 30 years from the original theatrical release of the first film.

James & Oliver Phelps

James & Oliver Phelps (the Weasley brothers), had the most people I've ever seen in room 100E! It was completely full, with the first four sections reserved for VIP attendees. Unseated fans had to stand up along the wall and also overflowed into the hall. I knew Harry Potter was popular, but who knew it was this popular, especially after the final movie Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 2) ended three years ago in 2011.

The mostly teenage girl audience eagerly lined up for the microphone to ask all sort of Harry Potter-related questions, which the Phelps did their best to answer. Sometime I felt they were almost disappointed to learn that the Phelps are really into real-world sports (soccer) or that they enjoy going to concerts and just being normal boys their age.

Although it wasn't quite answered, one of the question they started out with was how to tell the two apart. Of course, James (or was it Oliver?) said he was the good-looking one.

Wizard World Comic Con's next show is taking place right now in Philadelphia (May 7-10).

Photo Gallery of Wizard World Minneapolis from May 2-May 3:

Tardis Prime (Dr Who/Transformers)	Captain America (1940s)	Legend of Dragoon	Attack on Titan	Ermac (Mortal Kombat)
Master Chief (Halo)	Hulk Hogan	Stannis and Renly Baratheon (Game of Thrones)	Storm (X-Men)	Assassin's Creed
Ash (Army of Darkness)	Judge Cormier (Judge Dredd)	Trigun and Meryl Stryfe	Super Mario Brothers	Loki and Lady Thor
Star Trek Ensign and Black Canary	The Payday Gang	Combra: Destro, Cobra Commander, and Baroness (G.I.Joe)	Tingle (Legend of Zelda)	Pokemon Pathfinder Team

Wizard World Minneapolis at Minneapolis Convention Center (02 May 2015) Attack on Titan: Survey Corps' Special Operations Squad

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Comics News: Wizard World Minneapolis 2015, ComiXology at SXSW, and Tales of the Wedding Present

Read More Wizard World Wizard World Minneapolis Comic Con Day Two was probably the best-attended show of the three day event (now, having seen the action on Sunday). Unfortunately, this Saturday fell right …

WIZARD WORLD COMIC CON
wizardworld.com

Don't forget that the second annual Wizard World Comic Con Minneapolis will be taking place May 1st and May 2nd (which is also Free Comic Book Day) and May 3rd. We had a fantastic time last year at the inaugural Comic Convention, please read our recaps to get an idea of what to expect for 2015.

Actors/celebrities:

Karl Urban (Star Trek, The Bourne Supremacy)

Katie Cassidy (“Arrow,” “Gossip Girl”)

Morena Bacarrin ("Homeland", “Stargate SG-1”)

Christian Serratos ("The Walking Dead," Twilight)

Gillian Anderson (“The X-Files,” The Last King of Scotland)

WWE Divas The Bella Twins (appearing May 1st only)

Luke Perry (“Beverly Hills, 90210,” Buffy The Vampire Slayer)

Sylvester McCoy ("Doctor Who," The Hobbit)

Kevin Sorbo ("Hercules: The Legendary Journey," “Andromeda”)

Kristy Swanson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Higher Learning)

Jason Mewes (“Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back”)

Comic creators:

Neal Adams (“Batman,” “X-Men,”)

Angel Unzueta (“Titans,” “The Flash”)

Salvador Larroca (“Avengers Vs. X-Men,” “Iron Man”)

Arthur Suydam (“Marvel Zombies,” “Army of Darkness”)

Michael Golden (“Spider-Man,” “Daredevil”)

Julian Totino Tedesco ("X-Treme X-Men," "Hulk")

Personally, I'm really excited about Gillian Anderson (being a longtime X-Files fan) and Karl Urban (I absolutely loved that Dredd film, even though he's probably known for being in Star Trek).

Also note, all full-price Wizard World Comic Con Minneapolis attendees will receive a limited edition exclusive variant cover “The Walking Dead” comic, drawn by one of Wizard World's talented artist guests (to be announced shortly). Comics will be issued at registration while supplies last and VIP attendees will receive an additional black & white sketch version.

In other Wizard World news, today (March 14th), they announced that Wizard World Comic Con Greenville will be rescheduled to July 15-17, 2016, from original date May 29-30, 2015. The reason given was that TD Convention Center limited Wizard World to only two days and Wizard World felt that the fans of Greenville deserved a three-day show for the full Wizard World Comic Con experience. That is fair, considering that sometime fans have to work on Saturday (I was in that boat last year), so I can appreciate that they extended it to Sunday. Fans who purchased 2015 tickets will be automatically refunded.

Read More Comic Books Having said all that, and excuse me if you think I do not understand the digital age (because I will agree with you), but selling a digital collection of Crisis for $19.99 is way, way too much. …

COMIXOLOGY
comixology.com

Jumping on the SXSW bandwagon (read all about our SXSW coverage over at sxsw.weheartmusic.com), for a limited time Comixology is giving away free comic books. Codes are good until today, Pi Day - March 14th.

Comixology is sponsoring a Twitch stream of this weekend gaming panels, so if you use SXSWDC, you'll get six comics either based or the source material is from video games (Fables, Batman: Arkham Knight, and Mortal Kombat).

To get these comics, go to comixology.com/redeem, log in and enter these codes in:

COLLIDE – Sonic/Mega Man: Worlds Collide Vol. 1
UNITY – Valiant 8-Bit Adventure: Unity!
RAI – Rai #1
XFILES – X-Files Season 10 Vol 1
SXSWDC – *
SAGA – Saga #1
HOOD - Black Hood #1

* Fables: The Wolf Among Us #1-2, Batman: Arkham Knight #1-2, Mortal Kombat X #1-2

UPDATE 03/15:

LOVECRAFT - Locke & Key: Lovecraft Vol. 1
PILGRIM - Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life Vol. 1
WICDIV - Wicked + The Divine #1

Attending SXSW in Austin, Texas, this year? It's not too late to register for the ComiXology Recommends Comics for You panel on Sunday, March 15 from 4:15pm - 5:00pm at Palmer Events Center (Geek Stage).

This is a free and open to the public, but I recommend showing up early as sometime time venue will reach maximum capacity and will refuse you entry.

ComiXology cofounders David Steinberger and John D. Roberts, as well as marketing maven Chip Mosher and international production supervisor Kara Szamborski, will talk about their vast comic knowledge and personally recommend their favorite comic book series, based on what you like.

Read More The Wedding Present The Wedding Present is currently on tour for the 21st anniversary of their album, Seamonsters. As expected, they are playing the entire album from start to finish. …

THE WEDDING PRESENT
scopitones.co.uk

Did you know that The Wedding Present has a comic book series? It's written by singer/songwriter David Gedge and his long-time former bass player Terry de Castro and drawn by celebrated cartoonist Lee Thacker.

The comic book series was first published in March 2012 and will continue through November 2015. The latest issue is #7.

Tales Of The Wedding Present release schedule:

Issue 1 - March 2012
Issue 2 - August 2012
Issue 3 - May 2013
Issue 4 - August 2013
Issue 5 - April 2014
Issue 6 - August 2014
Issue 7 - November 2014
Issue 8 - Coming in April 2015
Issue 9 - Coming in August 2015
Issue 10 - Coming in November 2015

Gedge's latest musical project is Cinerama. Their brand new album Valentina will be out on May 18th via Scopitones. Valentina is said to be a radical reworking of The Wedding Present's eighth studio album of the same name.

If you live in London, there will be a special one-off Cinerama show, complete with 12 piece band, strings and additional instrumentation, at the O2 Academy Islington on Saturday, June 6th, 2015.

You may recall that we caught the band on their 21st Anniversary tour of Seamonsters at the 400 Bar in 2012.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

RIP, Leonard Nimoy

Leonard Nimoy: Piece Of Hope Read More Star Trek Leonard Nimoy had a bunch of covers on his The New World of Leonard Nimoy, including "Proud Mary", "Abraham, Martin and John", "Put A Little Love In Your Heart", and "I Walk the Line". …

You know I love Star Trek, so it is a sad day when I saw that original Spock actor Leonard Nimoy is dead.

Live long and prosper.

From Fox News:

Leonard Nimoy, best known for playing the role of Spock in the "Star Trek" movies and television series has died at age 83, his rep confirmed to FOX411.

Nimoy was taken to the hospital earlier this week and treated for lung disease. His son told the Associated Press he died in Los Angeles.

The actor wrote on Twitter last month that he suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, despite quitting smoking 30 years ago.

A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP

— Leonard Nimoy (@TheRealNimoy) February 23, 2015

Although Leonard Nimoy followed his 1966-69 "Star Trek" run with a notable career as both an actor and director, in the public's mind he would always be Spock. His half-human, half-Vulcan character was the calm counterpoint to William Shatner's often-emotional Captain Kirk on one of television and film's most revered cult series.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Christmastime is almost here

Read More Meiko We first saw Meiko at The Hotel Café Festival 2007 and covered her at SXSW 2009, so, yes, we love Meiko. Meiko started off her show with "Reasons To Love You," followed by "How Lucky We Are" (otherwise known …

Read more Christmas articles.

MEIKO
meikomusic.com

Meiko has just covered Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmastime", and she's made it available as a free download on her website.

Hear the song now:



She also wants to make a slideshow of "old-school" Christmas photos, if you use Instagram use the hashtag #MeikoTBC.

You can also check out the beautiful Meiko at her home via StageIt.com on Sunday, December 15 at 2PM PST. That's Pacific Standard Timezone, so if you live in Minneapolis, I think it's at 4pm. Tickets are "pay what you can", keep in mind that a portion of the proceeds will go to the St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital.

The show will be an all-request show, so put in your requests now (so she can learn the chords) at stageit.com.

Read More The Blank Tapes Opening up for Matt were the Blank Tapes, a California 60s-inspired surf pop band, playing music from their forthcoming album Vacation (to be released in May 2013 via Antenna …

THE BLANK TAPES
theblanktapes.com

The Blank Tapes are celebrating a break out year with a string of "Holidaze" shows in California this month, plus get a free download of their Christmas song, "No Gifts This Xmas", which Paste is calling it "a unique Christmas tune to warm those of us who aren't lucky enough to reside in sunny Los Angeles."

Download the song at soundcloud.com



Anyway, we saw The Blank Tapes earlier this year at the Triple Rock, so I can tell you that this California 60s-inspired surf pop band lead by Matt Adams. They have an album called Vacation, which is out now on Antenna Farm Records.

Holidaze shows:

12/14/13 Los Angeles at the Echo
12/18/13 San Francisco at the Chapel
12/21/13 Pioneertown at Pappy & Harriet

WANZ
wanzmusic.com

Wanz (from 'Thrift Shop' and Macklemore fame) recently released a new "The Christmas Song" single via The End Records. "The Christmas Song" debuted on Jimmy Fallon after a performance with The Roots.



Michael "Wanz" Wansley started his career singing at school grounds and later with his first band, Central Connection.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis eventually recruited Wanz to sing on their song about shopping for second-hand clothes, called "Thrift Shop", and the track quickly climbed the Billboard charts before landing at number one and holding that spot for six weeks total.

All dates with Macklemore and Ryan Lewis:

02/28/2014 Brisbane @ Goodlife Music Fest 03/01/2014 Brisbane, AU @ Future Music Fest 03/02/2014 Perth, AU @ Future Music Fest 03/03/2014 Perth, AU @ Goodlife Music Fest 03/07/2014 Melbourne @ Goodlife Music Fest 03/08/2014 Sydney, AU @ Future Music Fest

03/08/2014 Launceston @ Breath of Life Fest 03/09/2014 Sydney, AU @ Goodlife Music Fest 03/09/2014 Melbourne, AU @ Future Music Fest 03/10/2014 Adelaide, AU @ Future Music Fest 03/15/2014 Kuala Lumpar @ Future Music Fest 03/12/2014 Wellington, NZ @ TSB Arena 03/13/2014 Auckland, NZ @ Vector Arena

BOSTON
bandboston.com

Unlike Of Montreal, Beirut, Architecture in Helsinki, and I'm From Barcelona, rock band Boston is actually from Boston. Boston, during their heyday in the 70s and 80s, sold over 31 million albums in the U.S. alone.

For a limited time, Boston fans can hear "God Rest Ye Metal Gentlemen" on soundcloud.com.



Guitarist and founding band member Tom Scholz had this to say about the track, "This was my chance to BOSTON-ize one of my favorite Christmas carols. I had so much fun with this one, I think I'll have to try a few more."

Boston is currently enjoying being on the radio with "Heaven On Earth," the lead single from their latest album, Life Love & Hope, which was released December 3rd.

JIM BREUER
officialjimbreuer.com

Comedian Jim Breuer released his new comedy single "Santa Claus Ain't Coming to Town" last week, December 2nd. The song is the feature single from his highly-anticipated album, scheduled to hit stores nationwide in spring 2014.

In case you didn't know, Breuer is known for his impersonations of Metallica, Ozzy Osborne and AC/DC, so it's only natural that his version of "Santa Claus Ain't Coming to Town" is a metalized version of the song.

Tour dates:

12/26/2013 Philadelphia Helium
12/27/2013 Philadelphia Helium
12/28/2013 Philadelphia Helium
12/31/2013 West Nyack, NY
01/17/2014 Wickenburg, AZ Del E. Webb
01/18/2014 Stafford, AZ David M. Player Center
01/24/2014 Dayton - Ohio Funny Bone
01/25/2014 Dayton - OH Funny Bone
01/31/2014 Brampton, ON Rose Theatre
02/07/2014 Rahway, NJ Union County
02/08/2014 Tarrytown, NY Bananas Comedy Club
02/14/14-02/18/14 The Norwegian Pearl Cruise Liner
02/19/2014 Ft Lauderdale, FL Improv
02/20/2014 Florida Palm Beach Improv
02/21/2014 Sarasota, FL McCurdy's Comedy
02/22/2014 Florida Treasure Island
02/23/2014 St.Pete, FLA Palladium
02/28/2014 Hasbrouck Heights, NJ Bananas Comedy
03/01/2014 Hasbrouck Heights, NJ Bananas Comedy
03/08/2014 Huntington, NY Paramount
03/28/2014 Lancaster, CA Lancaster Performing
03/29/2014 Walker, MN Northern Lights Casino

CHINUA HAWK
chinuahawk.com

Atlanta-based Chinua Hawk's latest album is called Waiting on Christmas.

Hawk's intimate singing style did not go unnoticed, having garnered the attention of APCA, who awarded him Performer of the Year and Best Male Solo Performer in 2008 and 2009. His latest work, Waiting on Christmas, which was released in November 29, 2013, showcased his Jazz, Soul, Pop, Rythm & Blues & Hip Hop influences.

Tracks are traditional Holiday standards, including "The Most Wonderful Time" (feat. Jamie Portee & Sho Baraka), "Christmas Time Is Here", "The First Noel", "Silent Night" (feat. Tann & Candi Shelton), and the always funny "Baby It's Cold Outside" (feat. Chantae Cann).

THE BOWMANS
thebowmansmusic.com

Mert, the Anxious Evergreen is a Children book about a tree who wished to save his home. His journey leads him to try and find the Christmas spirit with the help of his friend John the cat. The book came out November 7th, 2013, and is available in hardcover.

Details of the book:

An endearing tale of an anxious tree who wishes to save his beloved home, though he doesn't know how. He believes that he will be able to prevent the razing of Hickory Flats farm and forest if only he can find Christmas spirit -- with the help of his friend John the cat, of course! Get to know Mert, John and the whole crew through this charming and engaging story.

The book, written by Claire Bowman, is actually inspired by her band, The Bowmans, new Christmas album Make Sure the Snow Falls. You can currently get both the album and the book at a bundled price at their website.

THE HOLLYWOOD CHRISTMAS PARADE
thehollywoodchristmasparade.org

The annual Hollywood Christmas Parade just took place December 1st, but you can check with The Hallmark Channel and syndication for re-broadcast closer to Christmas.

This parade is one of the longest running parade of its kind, with this year marking its 82nd anniversary. It was previously known as the Hollywood Santa Parade, but about six years ago (2007), they officially changed the name to Hollywood Christmas Parade.

This year's show includes performances from Stevie Wonder, Bill Ray Cyrus, the Goo Goo Dolls, Daughtry, Kenny Loggins, LeAnn Rimes, William Shatner (read more about the Shat here!), McClain, Ace Young and Diana DeGarmo, Richie Sambora, and more. The hosts include Erik Estrada, Laura McKenzie, Dean Cain and Montel Williams.

SMALL BEAR RECORDS
smallbearrecords.com

Tinsel Machine is the latest free Christmas-themed compilation from Small Bear Records (who previously released Enter Snowman as a free download from 2012) .

This year, the new compilation feature 16 tracks from artists around the world from Baltimore to Sweden, and more!

Details from tinselmachine.bandcamp.com:

1. Postcode - Not Afraid
2. Kraul - Away In A Manger
3. Dan Ankers - Driving Home For Christmas
4. Clara Barker - Feliz Navidad
5. Phil Reynolds and the Dearly Departed - Next Year Won't Be Long Enough
6. Bri Slutcher & The Gnasher Downham Experience - It's Christmastime, like
7. Tom Ende - Leichtes Scheinen
8. Eight to Infinity - There's Nothing Very Interesting To Say About Snow
9. Harmony Dischord - Christmas Spirit
10. Phil The Tremeloking - A Walk In The Snow/Oh Tannenbaum
11. Matt Bouvier - Christmas Comes Again
12. Nanaki - All i Want For Christmas Is You
13. Neurotic Wreck - Exmas
14. Expo - Good Night, Sleep Tight, Christmas
15. The Bordellos - Crushed At Christmas
16. Y Shinkickwrs - Welcome To The New Year

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com

Star Trek: Into Darkness

Read More Star Trek Again, I love Star Trek. I own all the DVDs and didn't feel the need to upgrade. That is… until I finally experience the high-definition of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION: THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS in theaters last week. .…

As a longtime Star Trek fan, I'm pretty happy about the new J.J. Abrams' Star Trek: Into Darkness feature motion picture that is playing in wide release this Friday (Thursday at midnight if you want to get into the action).

I saw the 3-D preview screening last night at the ICON Theater in St Louis Park. First of all, I love 3-D, so I had no issues or problems with wearing the passive glasses. For the most part, the 3-D effects made sense (especially when the Enterprise goes into warp speed), despite the fact that J.J. Abrams didn't want to make a 3-D movie. Paramount wouldn't fund Star Trek: Into Darkness without the 3-D demand, so Abrams was forced to give in. Again, I did enjoy the 3-D, so no lack of enjoyment on my end.

If you've read anything about the new Star Trek movie, you know that the new movie is based on a very popular Star Trek feature. Any fans could deduce that a "super powered/super soldier/super intellect villain" could only mean one thing. To say any more would spoil the movie, so I'll just leave it at that.

What they did right with Into Darkness compared to the original movie that it's based on, is that they demonstrated the villains' abilities as an all-around badass. The film's pacing is done better here, making it a more action-packed feature. Really, the story just kept going as soon as they entered into Klingon territories.

Again, comparing it to the original, they did switch it up a little. Characters that did one thing in the original did it in reverse in the new Star Trek universe. The dynamic here is different, because the new crew is still learning and bonding as a "family" (some really good Spock vs Kirk scenes here, solidifying their friendship).

I thought towards the end of the picture, it was a little predictable, but, still, it was still very satisfying to see the payoff. If you love Star Trek, it's highly illogical if you miss this new film.

Star Trek: Into Darkness will be in theaters this Friday.

"Please turn around!"

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com