Archives for May 2015

Where will you be two weeks before the Labor Day weekend?

Updated August 20: The following updates have been made to Walker Stalker Con Boston:

• From TWD: Alanna Masterson, Andrew J. West, and Chad L. Coleman have dropped off the list of guests. I’m bummed that Alanna and particularly Chad aren’t coming to Boston. On a personal note, I had so hoped to continue my conversation over drinks with Chad from last year.
• From TWD: Daniel Bonjour, Daniel Thomas May, Jordan Woods-Robinson, Michael Traynor, and Vincent Ward have been added to the list of guests.
• Emily Kinney will be in concert at 7:30 Saturday evening. General admission tickets are available for $25 while the VIP package goes for $75. The latter is of limited quantity and includes VIP seating, a meet-and-greet with Emily, and a signed copy of her album.
• The Apocolypse Zombie Experience has been added. More information is available here while tickets are available here. There is a limit of 10 per customer. Prices start at $17 for general admission and range up to $25 and $45 for the VIP ticket and Ultra Package, respectively.
• There will be a free screening of Fear the Walking Dead to all attendees.

Updated August 5: The following actors have dropped off the guest roster:

• From Lost: Elizabeth Mitchell, Daniel Dae Kim, and Henry Ian Cusick. I’m not certain why they’ve dropped out, but I suspect scheduling conflicts had something to do with it for at least two of them.

Updated June 12: The following actors have been added to the guest roster:

• From TWD: Chad L. Coleman, IronE Singleton, Corey Brill, Brighton Sharbino, Kyla Kenedy, Katelyn Nacon, Melissa Ponzio, Denise Crosby, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Travis Love
• From Breaking Bad: RJ Mitte & Giancarlo Esposito (Hell Yeah!)
• From Other Shows: Greg Bryk (Bitten), Zach Gilligan (Gremlins)

Groupon has half-price tickets available until midnight. This is probably your last chance to get discounted tickets so act quickly. The link will take you to the Groupon page.

Original Post. If you’re a true fan of The Walking Dead, and you’ve never heard of Walker Stalker Con, where the heck have you been lately? No longer do fans like you and I need to attend the San Diego Comic-Con to meet the cast of the “Greatest Show on Earth.” With all due respect and apologies to Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey; you’re no longer the greatest show on Earth. Sure, you could go to San Diego for the experience of SDCC, but why bother if TWD is your primary focus. Why not let the traveling road show of Walker Stalker Con Boston come to you?

One hundred days from now, the lion’s share of TWD cast, along with others from shows like Lost and Arrow will be in our city, at WSC Boston. As someone who’s attended one of these cons, all I can say is ‘Be Prepared.’ Last year, there were over 15K folks in attendance. WSC Boston was hot, crowded and hectic. And I don’t mean just hot indoors, it was hot outdoors too. If you’re from New England, you already know how hot it gets in August. Try being inside a tent for the Jon Bernthal interview. Worse, if you were among the overflow crowd, you got a sunburn somewhere along your body. This year, plan ahead and play it smart. Bring a little sunscreen and a couple of bottles of water. You’ll need at least one of them for sure.

So…come August 22nd and 23rd, why not skip the weekend drive up to Lake Winnipesaukee or down to Newport or Cape Cod? Take a break from the weekend pilgrimage of the beach, boating, booze and sand and come to Boston. You can do these activities any weekend of the Summer. If you’re lucky, you may see some of these actors out-and-about in the Seaport area at night. Who wouldn’t want to have a drink with Chad Coleman? Maybe you’ll get to ask him about his recent ‘crazy’ moment on the NYC D-Line. Who knows? I mean, it’s not like the cast of The Walking Dead are in Boston all the time. This isn’t Atlanta.

For those who haven’t been before, let me say that the actors are quite approachable and super friendly. But then again, they should be as they’re here for you. Last year, we got to meet quite a few of them. On a personal note, we got to have two good conversations with Chad Coleman (Tyreese) and another where I got to introduce my mom to Jon Bernthal (Shane.) He said, “Nice to meet you Mrs. Can.” Afterward, my mom said, “Which one is he again?” Jon is one cool dude! And now he’s set to be The Punisher on Netflix’s Daredevil.

Now, with 100 days to go before WSC Boston, I’ve got some predictions…

1. I’ve noticed that WSC Orlando has Jon Bernthal, David Morrissey (The Governor) and Scott Wilson (Hershel) scheduled to attend. I predict that two of these gentlemen will appear here. Again, on a personal note, who wouldn’t get excited meeting Scott Wilson? Can you imagine how long the lines will be if any of these three come to Boston? I’m psyched that Lennie James is coming. These four gents are legit actors.
2. I’ve noticed that WSC Orlando has actors from the show Gotham scheduled to attend. I predict some of Gotham’s actors will be in attendance here. Orlando may have Walt Disney World and Universal Studios, but that’s it. We’ve got championship sports teams, and this never gets old. Gotham is filmed in Brooklyn. It’s a quick flight from NYC to Boston.
3. I predict the cast of Fear the Walking Dead will be in attendance. We may even see a panel with Ruben Blades and Cliff Curtis, especially now that the episodes will have aired. How cool would this be?
4. I predict the walker-proof Hyundai Tucson will be in the house; the one from the zombie apocalypse commercials. This would make for a cool photo opp. I see vehicles at plenty of cons. Don’t be surprised if it’s here.

and a couple of suggestions:

1. Comic Book Men, really? Last year, these guys stood around bored as could be. Conventions have a habit of bringing cast members from shows that few watch and those from films from generations ago. I would prefer to meet the cast of Syfy’s Being Human or Lost Girl than some guys who work at a comic book shop. Yeah, I said Lost Girl. I know it’s a terrible show, but I can’t stop watching it.
2. I would love to see the addition of cast members from shows like Arrow, The Flash, Grimm, and Bates Motel. All these shows have solid followings. Fortunately, we have two actors already scheduled to appear: Manu Bennett (Arrow, Spartacus) and Nestor Carbonell (Bates Motel.) As Samuel L. Jackson once said at San Diego Comic-Con, “Mother _____ Crixus!” He’s a star, and even he was excited to meet Manu.

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What you need to know about Walker Stalker Con Boston ahead of time.

VIP packages for Walker Stalker Con Boston, as well as general admission ticketing, are now available for purchase online. Pricing for GA and VIP tickets do appear to have increased from last year. Tickets start at $45 for general attendance on Sunday and go up to $1200 for the Platinum VIP package. Yes, you read this second number correctly. Even though the cost of general attendance on Saturday is $10 more, I highly advise attending on this day. The crowds are greater, the show hours are longer, and the energy level is more intense. There’s more to do, it’s just that simple. If the price is too steep for you, start looking for discounted tickets. They were available last year, so expect to see some again this year. Be on the lookout. My suggestion is to do a daily search on Groupon, where they were available last year. Follow this with a keyword search on Bing or Google. Never feel guilty about purchasing a less expensive ticket. It’s not like you forced the show producers to make them available. Consider it a gift. Children ages 10 or under are free when accompanied by an adult. There is a limit of two kids per adult. If you’re interested in attending, don’t hesitate in purchasing your ticket(s). You’ll be lucky to find any at the hotel.

Children ages 10 or under are free when accompanied by an adult. There is a limit of two kids per adult. If you’re interested in attending, don’t hesitate in purchasing your ticket(s). You’ll be lucky to find any at the hotel.

My advice on celebrity photographs and signatures is to start saving now. Be prepared for lengthy lines to get both. And yes, they do selfies. Actors are human beings after all. Photos and signatures will run you no less than $40. Actual pricing has yet to be released. (I’ll update this article when they are so.) You may even be able to purchase these items in advance online.

If you’re looking to volunteer, then click here. Based on what I witnessed at Walker Stalker Con 2014, show organizers will need a 100+ volunteers. The coolest thing about volunteering is this: you’ll more than likely meet the celebrities and have your WSC t-shirt signed by the actors. But you’ll have to wait until the final hour or two of the show on Sunday. This is what took place last year. I highly expect it will occur again this year.

Parking is rarely free in Boston.  It’ll cost you anywhere from $10 on up to $30 and beyond depending on where you park. Thankfully, you have plenty of parking options. There are plenty of parking garages around as well as valet service at the Westin Waterfront Hotel. There’s street metered parking around the Westin Hotel and convention center. If you’re lucky enough to find a meter, it’ll cost you $1.25 per hour with a 2-hour limit. If you plan to attend the show on Sunday, the meters are free (insert applause here.) You can also utilize Parking Panda (that’s a real business name) and reserve a 100% guaranteed spot online. Directions to the Westin Hotel are located here.

So enjoy Walker Stalker Con Boston 2015. We at Beantown Review sure will.

This post will be routinely updated for guest announcements.

WSC 2015 and actor headshot photos are the property of Walker Stalker Con.