Meet The Star of The Upcoming Hunger Games Film In Scottsdale!

Like most of you, I have read and thoroughly enjoyed The Hunger Games.

And like some of you, I am cautiously optimistic about the upcoming movie adaptation. If the producers can sit on their hands and let the story from the book do its thing (and if Woody can hold back a little), I think it could work and kid-on-kid violence will be enjoyed by all.

Anyway, what was I talking about?

Oh yes, if you fancy yourself a true fan and would like to meet Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss) in a couple weeks, here’s your chance!

Jennifer will be at The Microsoft Store in Scottsdale on March 7th at 9am.

The first 100 people there will get VIP wristbands for the event.

In other words, show up early…

Or, if you’d like to go even further, there’s another way you can score VIP access to this thing. If you show up at the store between now and Feb 29th, you can sign up to win a VIP wristband, as well as a limited edition “Hunger Games” PC.

Sounds like a grand time! If you sign up, may the odds be ever in your favor.

When The Geeks Converged On Mill Ave [Recap]

Tempe’s Geeks’ Night Out had a stellar turnout last Thursday night.

Its attendance boosted my optimism of our local nerd scene and filled the evening with many costumed characters. I’m really glad it got the TV and internet promotion it did; I think it all worked.

With my kids not feeling great (it’s going around) and the wife at home with them, I dragged out a niece and nephew to keep me company. Naturally, they converged almost immediately on the “game truck” that had showed up. They spent most of the evening showing younger kids in there how to play Mario Kart.

Too bad because they missed a few Batmans, a handful of Avengers, and tons and tons of Star Wars characters – including my homeboy, R2.

Lots of artists showed up as well, showing off their creations, including Halo artist (and Nightmare Before Christmas fan) Big Chris:

Our friend Stacey from Dream Photography Studio was their with her family and she graciously shared these pics for me to post. (Stacey is going to be part of my Phoenix Comicon coverage team – her photography is great and I’m excited!)

I’m already hearing rumors that this will not be an isolated event and that Tempe was very pleased with how things turned out, so keep your fingers crossed for a return of Geeks’ Night Out next year.

In closing, some predators:

Quick & Dirty List of The Latest Phoenix Comicon Guest Announcements

The Phoenix Comicon has finished their latest batch of guest announcements – want a quick look at who they all are?

Last week’s Kickoff Event filled an entire ballroom and the big names announced did not disappoint.

Patrick Stewart was the obvious big win, but being supported by so much of the Next Generation cast was some pretty sweet icing on an already very nerdy cake.

Who are you looking forward to seeing?

Kinda long, I know. Hope I didn’t miss anyone.

(Let me know if I did so I can get them added.)

I’ve posted a similar “quick-look” list of previously announced guests (including William Shatner) as well.