PopHorror Let's Get Scared
PopHorror got the pleasure of attending Astronomicon 8, a pop culture convention in Michigan. There was a lot of changes to the convention this year and PopHorror was along for the ride. Did Astronomicon 8 succeed with these improvements or did it flop?
New Location
This year Astronomicon was held at a new venue, Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest. The employees of this hotel did a wonderful job of accommodating convention guests. They provided free water and coffee stations. They offered multiple bar and food options for guest to get their drink on and fill up their stomachs for a cost. Additionally, the parking situation was substantially improved at this location from previous Astronomicon shows, but a daily parking fee was required.
Celebrity Meet and Greets
This is my favorite part of attending conventions. This allows fans to get the opportunity to have one on one time to talk with the celebrities, get autographs, and take selfies. Astronomicon 8 did not disappoint with their line up of celebrities this year.
My first stop was horror icon, Doug Bradley. He played Pinhead in the Hellraiser franchise. I was excited to get an autograph on a special 20th anniversary edition of Hellraiser Blu Ray. Doug Bradley hadn’t seen this version before, so he took his time to check it out.
Next was a visit to the booth of Lou Diamond Phillips with my special edition La Bamba Blu Ray for him to sign. I told him how the first time I watched it when I was child brought me to tears. I went on to say how gut wrenching the film is, but it is one of my favorite performances of his.
The big surprise that I discovered happened when I got to Jason Lee’s booth. He decided to do selfies, which he has never done at prior conventions. I was overjoyed!
My next stop was to see Ethan Suplee. He has shared his struggle with obesity and discussed this openly on his podcast, ‘American Glutton.’ I have been on a weight loss journey over the last couple years too and have been lucky to discuss this with Ethan Suplee at conventions. He is a talented actor and I admire his honesty and courage with being so vulnerable and honest about his struggle with obesity. For Astronomicon 8, I was excited to share with him that I am officially down 100 lbs from the first time we spoke. He instantly gave me a high five and we celebrated by doing muscle poses for the selfies.
Photo Ops
This is the first Astronomicon that I decided to do photo ops. These were efficiently ran and I had a wonderful experience. My husband got the opportunity to have a suit off with Bruce Campbell in his photo op. We both enjoyed our photo op with Jason Lee too.
Panels
The panels this year at Astronomicon 8 were amazing! The room that the panels were held in worked out well and the seating was accommodating and comfortable. There were two panels that provided an exceptional experience for me.
The first one was the panel with the cast of ‘My Name is Earl.’ This was in celebration of the 20th anniversary of this television show. The panel included Jason Lee, Ethan Suplee, Jaime Pressly, and Eddie Steeples. Getting to hear the cast experiences with the show was priceless.
As fans of the show know, the TV series was cancelled without giving it a proper ending. During the panel each cast member provided their version of where their characters would be now. Jaime Pressly stated she sees Joy still living in the trailer park, but having a thriving nail design business. Eddie Steeples states Darnell would be in the FBI. Ethan Suplee states his character, Randy, would finally see aliens and happily be beamed up. Finally, Jason Lee stated Earl would still be working his list, but would be completely over it. This was a special moment to be a part of and I am glad I was there.
Another spectacular experience was the panel with horror icon, Bruce Campbell. This man always brings such showmanship and class to everything. When he entered the stage he had music playing and proceeded to dance his way across the stage. He started the panel by engaging the audience by getting to know where everyone was from. He then opened it up to questions that addressed his career. My favorite moments were his discussion of the Evil Dead franchise.
Cosplay
I always enjoy seeing all the cosplays at conventions and this year there was no shortage. It is wonderful seeing all the artistic and creative talent. It is something I truly look forward to.
Vendors
I always end up spending too much money on vendors, but it was money well spent. This year some of my favorites returned like MyNerdvana with their NECCA and Funkos and Kyle ‘Rise’ Irving with his art. There were also some new vendors to me this year too, like the Ugly Kids Club with their t shirts, hats, and pins. I might have snagged me a Pearl pin and my husband found a Hereditary hat to match the shirt he was wearing.
Final Thoughts
Astronomicon 8 delivered another great convention experience. The new location provided improved accommodations for convention goers and the celebrity line up was awesome. I am excited for Astronomicon 9!
Stay tuned to PopHorror for all your news, reviews, and interviews!
