Voltron: Princess Fala

Source: Chickopolis on Facebook

Princess Fala (known as "Princess Allura" in the English translation) is the ruler of the Kingdom of Altea (aka "Arus") and the de facto ruler of the entire planet. She inherited her authority from the late King Raimon ("King Alfor") and is commander in chief and head of state for the planet Altea.

Princess Fala took over for Shirogane Takashi ("Sven") as the pilot of the Blue Lion that forms Voltron's right leg when he was sent away for medical treatment on the planet Ebb. She defers to Kogane Akira ("Keith") during operational engagements.

This sure brings back a lot of great memories. I remember watching this in English when I was much younger, and Princess Allura was my favorite as she was the only female pilot among the five lion group. Thanks to Roman for sending this in!

Technorati Tags: cosplay, cosplayer, cosplay holic, role, play, roleplay, costume, anime, manga, game, series, character, photographer, photo, photography, feature, voltron, princess allura, princess fala, lion group, blue lion, female pilot, ash3, target, great memories, dl 1, arus, head of state, ebb, cellpadding, table border, takashi, medical treatment, ruler, commander in chief, engagements, ,

Guilty Gear XX: I-No

Source: Guilty Gear Cosplay

I-No is a sadistic and manipulative woman who has no qualms about hurting other people physically or mentally. She appears to be dedicated to "That Man"'s goals and ideals, whatever they may be, to the point where she altered reality at least once to make his objectives possible. I-No first debuted in the third game as a playable character and a boss of Guilty Gear XX.

Wow, that is one daring cosplay! I've always been amazed at how confident these girls are in costumes like this! Thanks to Mia for sending this in!

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‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ Nabs Emily VanCamp for Female Lead

Deadline has the exclusive report naming Revenge‘s Emily VanCamp as the female lead joining Chris Evans for Captain America: The Winter Soldier. We don’t know for sure who’ll she be playing but there’s a very good chance it’s Sharon Carter, niece of Peggy Carter (played by Hayley Atwell in The First Avenger), and of course, new love interest for Cap. Which to me is weird, but I bet it’s a tough dating scene for someone once frozen and misplaced in time.

This news also comes with revelation that Evans has yet to receive his script for The Winter Soldier. Say what? The film is supposed to release on April 4th, 2014, so the news Evans hasn’t seen a finished script is surprising. He revealed this on the latest Doug Loves Movies podcast,

I don’t have a script yet. We start shooting in two months and they haven’t given me a script. That’s how Marvel works. Different directors, it’s the Russo brothers. It makes perfect sense, Community, S.H.I.E.L.D. superhero action movie [Ed Note: Evans is joking here]

Shooting on The Winter Soldier is also reportedly pushed back until June, which could be why Evans doesn’t have a script yet. And hell, they only just cast VanCamp. What d’ya think, will this effect the 2014 release date?

Source: CBM (2)

Welcome to Binge Watching Anonymous – Or, How We’re Consuming TV

Hello, my name is Sarah and I’m a television binger (that’s with a hard ‘g’). It’s nothing new, all my life I’ve binged on media whether it be books or video games, but with the steady increase of available television shows, often seasons at a time, television binge watching is an ever-growing epidemic. Some of you may be unfamiliar with television binge watching, others may be sufferers yourselves, but together, we can all help in raising awareness.

On Friday, Netflix premiered its new original series, House of Cards, and in what is beginning to become the trend they dropped all 13 episodes at once. That means as I’m typing this it isn’t out of the question for somebody to have by now watched the entire season. Consider what this means for a moment. Those Monday morning “water cooler chats” will have to be segregated by those who’ve only seen a handful of episodes and those who’ve binged on the entire season. The risk of spoilers has significantly increased. And a story that would normally take weeks, possibly months to enjoy has been compressed into a weekend marathon session.

We are at a point of television evolution.

There was a recent New York Times article that touched on this concept of binge watching and it’s what got me thinking about this change in the way we’re watching television. The TV I regularly watch can be lumped into three categories: binge shows, weekly shows, and hoarded shows. The first is comprised of shows I’ve discovered through streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon. They’re shows that have either finished airing, like Stargate Universe, or shows I’m several seasons behind on and want to catch up, like Mad Men or Boardwalk Empire. This leads to hours, maybe even days of watching one show and one show only until I’ve either finished or am current with the series.

My weekly shows are programs I’ve been watching from the beginning and make sure never to miss an episode for fear of being spoiled. Shows like The Walking Dead, Doctor Who, Once Upon a Time, and Game of Thrones. Though, once those seasons are completed and added to one of the many available streaming services, I’ll watch ‘em all over again in a binge session.

Then there are the shows I’m hoarding. Shows I never catch up with while they’re airing and since they’re as of yet unfinished, I’ll hoard them until I can watch the whole series in a marathon. As of now I’m only hoarding Breaking Bad, though I’ve always kept Lost on the back burner in case I run out of things to watch. But few shows will I ever hoard because my compulsion to know what’s happening and be 100% up to date is too strong.

Then there’s a show like Downton Abbey. I binged on the the first season via Netflix and was quickly ravenous for more. Months later I when season two aired on PBS it quickly became my new weekly. By then I was so hooked I researched when the show would air in Britain, something like six months before it airs in the U.S., and began watching it through ITV’s website when it aired across the pond. See? I can’t stop myself! If I know there are new episodes out there and I’m not seeing them, I seek them out.

This is a serious compulsion I and thousands others share, and companies like Netflix and Amazon are starting to wise up and learn how to profit from it. Just yesterday it was announced Amazon had secured exclusive streaming rights to Downton Abbey and are now offering the final episodes of season three, which have yet to air on PBS in the U.S., to Prime members who purchase a season pass. PBS handles their advertising differentlt from other networks so I’m not sure what ill effects they’ll suffer, but imagine if other shows had their current seasons preempted by the complete season becoming available online before it’s finished airing? Those networks would freak! And we’re talking about a legal service, this doesn’t have anything to do with all the thousands of hours of TV illegally downloaded every day.

Netflix is clearly banking on the popularity and demand for shows like House of Cards and the new season of Arrested Development to bring in new subscribers. In fact, they’re offering the first episode of House of Cards to anyone with access to the Netflix site, subscriber or not. And since the TV shows on Netflix are already offered whole seasons at a time they’re decision to release new series the same way isn’t much of a risk. They’ll leave it up to us and our own willpower to decide how quickly we consume them. And in my case, it’s going to be during an unhealthy binge session where I’ll do nothing but sit on my ass, glued to the screen. Super Bowl? Forget about it, I’ve got five more episodes of House of Cards left and I’m not leaving the warm glow of my TV until I’m finished.

What’s next for the TV programs of tomorrow? Our consumption of media is changing all the time and with the influx of more and more shows available on demand the traditional weekly airing of our favorite shows might become a thing of the past. Will there be a day where episodes are no longer necessary and we’ll settle in for eight, ten hours programs we can pause when and where we like? Personally, that’s too drastic a change for me. The episodic format is nice, like chapters in a book or checkpoints in a game, and making it so far so quickly is like a badge of honor. Or depressing sadness when you realize you haven’t left your house in days, your friends have stopped calling, and you smell worse than the inside of tauntaun. Achievement unlocked: The impression of your butt has become a permanent fixture of your couch.

So, what are your habits when it comes to TV consumption? Are you a weekly watcher? Do you hoard? Binge? Let me know in the comments. We TV bingers need all the support we can get, and, since come Monday I’ll likely be finished with House of Cards, I’m looking for recommendations of what I should binge watch next.

Cosplay Spotlight: Jonathan Carroll

Cosplay is an art form that I greatly respect and truly enjoy. Although I am a cosplayer myself, I get just as excited as every other fan girl when my eyes rests upon a cosplayer who literally look as if they stepped out of the pages of a comic book. One of my personal favorite cosplayers is Jonathan Carroll.
Not only does he cosplay two of my favorite characters (Batman and Superman) with striking detail and stunning accuracy but he's also one of the nicest people I've had the pleasure of conversing with online. Jonathan proved to be every bit the southern gentlemen and granted me an interview. Many thanks to him for taking the time to give my readers and I an insight of his craft, his thoughts on the new Superman Suit for the upcoming Zack Synder film, psychical fitness and his bride-to-be (sorry ladies). Also be sure to check out his fan page: http://www.facebook.com/MonkeyOfSteelFanPage


Victoria: I have to say you were a pleasant discovery online! Your cosplay is most impressive and you're easily one of the best cosplayers I've ever seen. How long have you been cosplaying?

Jonathan: Oh gosh! You're gonna make me blush! Haha! I've been cosplaying/costuming for 11 years now... uh-oh... I just started feeling REALLY old!

Victoria: Haha! What other costumes do you own and what can we look forward to in the future?

Jonathan: I'm working on a few right now, but really, just perfecting a few of the ones I have. I want to do the new Superman costume, a set of the COG armor from Gears of War, and I'm trying to think of a few new heroes to throw into my line up for my work with Heroes Alliance.

Victoria: Tell me about your Facebook page "Building a Superhero".

Jonathan: HOORAY! A shameless plug appears! My brother and I were getting so many request from people to get workout advice as well as dietary, and one day, I just realized, it's easier for people to have a place to turn to, so they don't have to search. The page is mainly geared towards cosplayers and costumers, but has attracted the attention of a lot of those outside that realm. The entire project has become an ever changing, ever evolving thing, but in the end, we're just happy we can help people improve their health.

http://www.facebook.com/BuildingASuperhero





Victoria: What do you do personally to stay in such great shape?

Jonathan: I typically train twice a day, 6 times a week, resulting in about 4 hours a day. The split is between weight training and light cardio, as well as abdominal work. My diet is a huge part too. Typically I consume between 5,000 and 10,000 calories a day when I'm not on a lean cycle. This is just to gain more muscle mass, so when I start to cut back, I don't become too small.

Victoria: You look nearly identical to Mike Turner's Superman. Not just the costume but your face. Do people tell you that often?

Jonathan: HAHA! I hear it every now and then, but I love it every time I do. Michael Turner had a brilliant art style. One that I've tried with my own art to duplicate several times, though VERY unsuccessfully. His Superman style is my ideal goal in physique, so when I hear that compliment, it's a huge compliment to me.

Victoria: You also run a company "Supernova Costuming and Design" with your fianc e. Can you give me the details on what that's all about?

Jonathan: SuperNova Costuming and Design comes from a collaboration of both my fianc e and myself, in a joint effort to produce quality costumes for people. She handles a lot of the sewing, I handle a lot of the props (though for some things, we outsource to Wild Wood Studios), and we both do research until we feel like we know the costume backwards and forwards before we begin construction. http://www.facebook.com/supernovago

Victoria: What's it like having someone (your future wife) to cosplay with?

Jonathan: Oh, it's amazing. She's so much fun. We laugh because a lot of times, some people will drag their significant other into costuming with them, but instead, that's how we met. She was the best darn Harley Quinn I'd ever seen. In addition to being the greatest costume accessory, she's also my best friend. And there's nothing like having a great hobby with your best friend.

Victoria: Your Batman Arkham Asylum cosplay is best described as perfection. How long did it take to put that costume together?

Jonathan: Well, the first run of the suit, proved a bit... problematic. I only kept it on for a few hours during it's first tour at Dragon Con. By Mega Con it was ready to make it's reappearance. It took a bit over a year to get everything just right on it, but it's still being perfected. I'm currently working on a new belt to replace the urethane one, and my Props master, Steven Spellman of Wild Wood Studios, and I are collaborating on building a stronger set of armor for it with high impact plastic and Kevlar... ya know... just in case. But the crown of the costume has to be the cowl from Shawn Reeves of Reevz666.com fame. The cowl is just... gorgeous.

Victoria: What is your most memorable experience at a convention/show?

Jonathan: Oh gosh, that's easy. It was my proposal to Jessica Enright in the Hyatt at Dragon Con while all of our friends stood around, watching. I'll never forget it.

Victoria: That's so beautiful! What do you think of Superman's new costume in the comics and the upcoming Zack Snyder film?

Jonathan: I'm not crazy about the actor, but I'm ready to see what he can do. The suit is really nice, though I have NO idea why they used the earth 2 Superman symbol. I'm looking forward to yelling horrible things while I attempt to make it.

Victoria: That sounds like it would be an entertaining You Tube video. Haha. What conventions do you normally attend?

Jonathan: Typically, Mega Con, and Dragon Con. But in 2012, I want to make a huge circuit of cons including San Diego, Chicago, New York and yes... Metropolis.

Victoria: Any final thoughts or anything you would like to add?
Jonathan: Check out my page at http://www.facebook.com/buildingasuperhero
And remember, if you can dream it, you can be it. That's the great thing about costuming and that's the great thing about life.

Featured in Latina Magazine! Win an autographed copy!

Back in May I traveled to the Big Apple to shoot the "Real Women" feature for Latina magazine's September 2011 issue. The issue was recently released and I can be seen on page 66, modeling a skirt appropriate for a petite frame. I am beyond thrilled; this is my first feature in a national fashion magazine and a big step in my modeling career! What's even better is how proud my family is for appearing in a magazine dedicated to our culture. The best response was from my two niece's; they squealed when we picked up the issues and asked me to autograph their copies! That made my heart soar seeing their excitement and knowing that they are proud of their Aunt Vicki.




I love how things in life seem to work out. The universe works in mysterious ways. I was offered to appear in a magazine earlier in the year but you had to PAY for your "space" in the issue and I would have to pay additional prices to take photos for the theme they wanted. I would literally be spending hundreds of dollars to be in a magazine I never heard of. Where's the accomplishment in that (paying your way into a publication)? I'd be embarassed to tell people I had to buy my way in. I passed and instead worked hard to earn an even better opprotunity. Looks like I made the right descion.

So to celebrate, I'm holding a contest where the winner will receive an autographed copy of the September issue of Latina (with the stunning Zoe Saldana on the cover). All you have to do is show your fan appreciation for the cosplay girl; whether you submit artwork, create a You Tube video slide show, make a cosplay girl Barbie or action figure, create a t-shirt, comic strip, whatever you want! Just keep it clean and be creative! LOL Contest begins Tuesday, August 23rd and ends Friday September 23rd. You can email submissions to: cosplay.girl@yahoo.com
This is my fun way of saying thank you for your love and support throughout the years. Good luck!

BATMAN FAN? Nanna Nanna Nanna Nanna... BAT-BABES!

OK, I'll admit the title to this post is pretty corny but the subject matter is not! Here are two lovely Women that any Batman Fan would totally love to have as a Wife/Girlfriend. Enjoy.