My Favorite Things: Let it Snow, Make it So

While raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens are splendid in their own right, there is a multitude of awesome things out in the world. As Christmas approaches, I thought I'd take a look at some of these in a series I'm calling My Favorite Things.

Mr. Homn is coming to LCTC in 2013!

And then a voice said, "Natasha, not everyone is going to know who that is." Okay... Lurch is coming to Lexington Comic and Toy Convention in 2013! That's right, Carel Struyken, who played Lurch in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values, is the latest Media Guest added to the line-up for the sophomore LCTC. Struyken also appeared on Star Trek: The Next Generation as Mr. Homn, the manservant of Betazoid Ambassador Lwaxana Troi, the mother of Counselor Deanna Troi.

Struyken portrayed Homn on five episodes of TNG and gave a commanding performance, though the character was more or less mute, save for one line in the episode "Haven" in which he said, "Thanks for the drinks." Homn seemed to have a high tolerance for alcohol. Lwaxana also accused him of having "outrageously lustful thoughts." Of course, Lwaxana also made accusations that would make most blush, so who knows if she was truly able to read Homn's thoughts. Regardless, Struyken was one of my favorite TNG and it's so great that he's going to be a guest at LCTC!

It's kind of funny, Struyken played Lurch in the film adapatations of the classic series The Addams Family, and he joins Felix Silla who was Cousin Itt in the original series! Silla also played an Ewok in Return of the Jedi, of which Struyken also has a connection; he played Terak, the antagonist of Ewoks: The Battle for Endor. (One of my favorites, btw!) 

This is super exciting! Carel Struyken has been a part of some fantastic aspects of popular culture and it's great to have him joining Peter Mayhew, Billy Dee Williams, Margot Kidder, and the other fantastic guests that will be appearing at Lexington Comic and Toy Convention on Saturday, March 16, 2013 and Sunday, March 17, 2013. 

Lexington Comic and Toy Convention

Lexington Convention Center, Heritage Hall

430 West Vine Street, Lexington, KY 40507

Saturday, March 16, 2012 10am-6pm 

Sunday, March 17, 2012   10am-4pm

Admission: 

22.50 in advance

$30.00 at the door! 

VIP admission - $45.00 in advance

Kids under 10 are always FREE!

Geeky Flea Market Finds

I don't know if it's something unique to Kentucky, but it seems like there are flea markets and peddler's malls in almost ever town. When I was a kid, I would browse through the used video game and movie offerings at the Hillbilly Flea Market in Russell. On a recent trip to Morehead, I stopped in at the Peddler's Mall there and found some items which were rather unique. It definitely has a different feel than going into an antique store, because a lot of items that I came across were really not worth anything. However, I did find some interesting gems that I wanted to share. I didn't end up buying anything, but these items struck my fancy.

The Complete Next Generation Trek IQ Book was compiled by Alan G. Rochussen. It was originally printed in 1998. Here's a summary of the book:

How high is your Star Trek IQ? 

Star Trek: The Next Generation was the most popular and entertaining SF television show of all time. With more than half a million fans attending over a hundred conventions annually, the excitement continues today. 

If you are serious about your favourite show, here is your chance to prove it, with a unique, entertaining survey-guide that dares to go where no guidebook has gone before -- all the way from the episode #1 ('Encounter at Farpoint') to #177 ('All Good Things...'). 

This comprehensive, authoritative book covers every single episode, and includes multiple choice questions, character trivia, plot puzzlers, cryptograms, crossword puzzles, word searches and riddles. It is designed not only to test your knowledge of this immortal series, but to improve it dramatically -- and to award you and your friends with a Mission Performance Rating, and an actual Starfleet ranking -- from ensign to admiral.

Okay, so admittedly I wouldn't buy a 2003 calendar, but it had some awesome pictures of all of the Star Trek captains from Kirk to Janeway. Honestly, I would have bought it, but it had significant water damage. Hopefully it was well loved back in 2003!

I hadn't gone into the Peddler's Mall that afternoon expecting to buy anything, but if this set of I, Claudius had been DVD, I would have bought it in a heartbeat. I'll be finishing my BA in History in December, but I also have a mnior in Classics. My favorite period in Classical history is the Roman Empire. I, Claudius is a mini-series from the BBC which premiered in 1976. While a work of fiction, I think that I, Claudius provides an interesting view of the Julio-Claudian line. Some of my favorite actors are in it: John Hurt (Harry Potter, Hellboy, V for Vendetta) plays the Roman Emperor Caligula and it's so over the top, it's fantastic. Patrick Stewart (X-Men, Star Trek: The Next Generation) plays Sejanus, who was prefect of the Praetorian Guard, essentially bodyguards for the emperor. John Rhys-Davies, Derek Jacobi, and Brian Blessed (all fantastic actors) round out the cast. I know that it's ridiculously campy and it's basically a Roman soap opera, I just love it!

Here are some WTF items:

So, apparently this is an air-brushed poster titled "Hollywood" and it just features the portraits of a bunch of actors. I can pretty much tell who everyone is, but some of them are a bit off. I thought that the portrait of Marlon Brando looked a bit like Simon Baker (The Mentalist)... so yeah, kind of off. That's probably the worst picture of Nicholas Cage that they could have used. I think I would have preferred this one:

And finally...

This isn't so much nerdy or geeky, but just kind of out there. Do people put things like this in their homes? Honestly, it reminds me of the "Draw me like one of your French girls" meme.

Have you seen any geeky items at the Flea Market? Share them on Kentucky Geek Girl's Facebook page!

Be sure to follow me on Twitter @geekgirlinky

Add me to your circles on Google Plus!

Big Names Already Announced for Lexington Comic and Toy Convention 2013

Lexington Comic & Toy Convention turned out to be one of the most successful one day conventions that many of those involved had ever seen. With over 4,000 in attendance and 200 exhibitors and guests, LCTC wildly exceeded expectations. Preparations have begun for the 2013 convention, which has been expanded to two days and will coincide with Lexington's city St. Patrick's Day celebration. LCTC will be back at the Lexington Convention Center in Heritage Hall and will take place on March 16-17, 2013. There will also be space for 400 guests, exhibitors, and vendors, so the convention is both doubling in time and in size.

Yesterday, Jarrod, the convention's promoter, began announcing guests for Lexington Comic & Toy Convention 2013. An attempt is being made to get as many of the inaugural guests back as possible, but there have been some great announcements for new guests as well.

New guests:

Billy Dee Williams - Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

Marina Sirtis - Star Trek: The Next Generation

Margo Kidder - Superman

Power Rangers Cerina Vincent and Walter Jones

Cindy Morgan - Tron

Doug Jones - Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Hellboy

and more!

Returning guests:

Mike Grell

Mark Ryan

Mark Kidwell

Drew Curtis

and more!

A complete list of all guests can be found at the Lexington Comic & Toy Convention website. Also, be sure to like the convention's page on Facebook. Jarrod will reveal more guests at 1500, 1850, 2000, and 2500 likes. So, like the page and share it with your friends, pets, and even the pages that people make for their babies.

Also returning are many of the artists, writers, podcasters, and all around awesome people who were exhibiting and vending at the 2012 con. The "Who's Coming" page of the LCTC website is continually updated with the names of those folks.

I must say, I am already excited about the lineup for 2013. As a lifelong fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation (yes, the show premiered the same year I did: 1987!) I cannot wait to meet Marina Sirtis. Counselor Deanna Troi is one of my favorite characters on the show (though her mom got on my ever-loving nerves!) I would be thrilled if more of the cast could come to LCTC 2013!

Who are you excited to see at the convention? If you could have anyone be a guest, who would it be?! Leave a message in the comments below!

Around the Web: All The Trekkie Ladies

You good folks know that I am a huge fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Poking around the internet today, I saw a brief mention of this video, but wasn't able to watch it. Now, having feasted my eyes upon its simple brilliance, I can definitely say that this is now one of my favorite things ever. I wish it had been longer. Also, I would like to see Sir Patrick Stewart and the very Honorable Lords Brent Spiner and LeVar Burton act this out in real time. If you're a fan of Robot Chicken, then you'll definitely like this video which features their Star Trek action figure counterparts dancing to Beyonce's Single Ladies.

(via The Mary Sue)

Fall asleep the "Star Trek" way

I'm the type of person that needs sound to fall asleep. I used to watch TV or listen to the radio. Netflix has made it super easy as well. I've already fallen asleep on several occassions to "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and "Murder, She Wrote" (and by golly I'm admitting it too!)

There are countless smart phone apps that allow you to generate white noise or other random sounds such as rain, crickets, or ocean waves. Now, through the engineering of youtube user crysknife007 you can listen to the USS Enterprise-D's engine idling for 24 hours! Yes, I'm quite serious. I'm not going to lie, it's pretty awesome. I had it in the background while I was writing a paper last night (on Star Trek, I might add) and it canceled out the silence of the library perfectly. Check out the video after the break!