Yaya Han's Workshop "The Evolution of Cosplay" at Hal-Con 2013

The opportunity to go and learn all about the evolution of cosplay by the queen of cosplay herself, Yaya Han at Hal-Con, was not negotiable. I was going to go. I felt like I had really gotten to know Yaya thanks to the show Heroes of Cosplay, which Shannon and I have discussed on our podcast for Hexed from the beginning.

Yaya has inspired me so much I signed up for an online sewing course and am determined to get over my fear of sewing! Shannon too has been inspired to get back to working with clothing.

Yaya is the epitome of a self-made superhero if you ask me. When she started cosplaying there was no YouTube or Google. She is completely self-taught and learned everything by trial and error. Now? She is one of the best costume designers and cosplayers in the world.



When she began cosplaying there were no digital SLR cameras. Just crappy point and shoot ones. Then the Rebel camera brought a financially feasible DSLR camera to cosplay-enthusiasts and that changed everything.



Yaya shared screenshots of old sites that were the only way cosplayers had of sharing their photos, ideas and communicating with one another. A lot of the sites do not even exist anymore!

Back then, in order to get your name and image out there you had to enter contests to get recognition for your work. Today? You just need a good photo.

She discussed how the fundamental shift for cosplay occurred when photography and social media became accessible.



She described the golden era of cosplay to have been in the mid-2000s when it was still a small community and cosplay brought a very geographically separated group of people together at conventions.

For today's cosplayers she recommended deviantART as a place for people to connect and to see art you will not see on Facebook.



When asked about her Canadian experience here at Hal-Con she said, "I am escaping the American convention scene." I was personally surprised to hear that the cosplay veterans are losing interest in the contests because it takes up all their time at conventions and winning an award these days no longer makes you stand out. Now it is all about photographs, not awards. As a result, the quality in the contests has gone down.



As a big fan of Heroes of Cosplay I was excited when she spoke of her experiences with the show, at first. Turns out that all the contestants were actually friends of hers but because she often was a judge on the show she could not talk to the contestants like she would usually do. At least when the show started. Then they figured out that this it is normal in the cosplay world, for the judges and contestants to hang out together.

The topic of "sexy girls" of cosplay did come up and she was clear that craftsmanship is number one and that many girls and women are selling amateurish prints of themselves at the conventions. She even said, "I mean, what are they (the customers) doing with those prints?" Why would a guy want a photo of them when the images is blurry, the background has a bucket in it... Have standards. High standards.



On the second day of Hal-Con she wore a Snow White costume inspired by a Korean artist's interpretation of the Disney character. She loved just how cute it was and then made it herself. She loves character and a challenge when it comes to costume-making.

I did get a chance to get my photo taken with Yaya but sadly I was near the end of the line and it was all a bit uncomfortable. I later went to buy a calendar from her and got all tongue-tied which is not like me at all! It is rare for me to meet someone who gets me all nervous and gushy. I really feel like Yaya is a superstar and has inspired me in ways I did not think possible. She it the ultimate professional and in my mind, a bit of a superwoman. Too bad I came across as a big goofball but it was worth it!

Jewel Staite's Q&A at Hal-Con 2013

Jewel's Staite's Q&A was very animated and fun to attend. I loved finding out that the actress who played Kaylee on Firefly is a foodie like me! She even talked about the food on set!



She also shared a lot about Nathan Fillion and began with, "Nathan is insane." She proves it by describing a surreal trip he organized with Seth Green and Macaulay Culkin to a haunted house



When she found out that Kaylee lost in the Geeks vs Nerds Debate: Which Engineer Would Get the Millennium Falcon Running Better? Kaylee or Scotty.



She responded, "What the fuck?!" Aptly said, especially since I was at that debate and the argument pro Kaylee was excellent. I am glad no one brought up the use of inappropriate animated gifs and the chronic comments about her swooning over Simon.



When, it comes to Firefly Jewel only has positive associations with the show.

If she could be a superhero, she joked she would be Bacon Girl! Then when she thought about it she said she would like the power to heal but only the people she really liked.



I think my favourite convention story she shared was getting stuck in an elevator with stormtroopers and that one of them was carrying a boom box. Surreal!



When asked about her favourite hobbies I absolutely perked up when she said she was a food blogger. Her food blog is Happy Opu and I absolutely adored the post Oh, You Fancy, Huh?

When I had the chance to speak with her as we were getting our photos taken, I asked her if it was true that she actually snuck a kobe beef hot dog into a movie theatre. She replied emphatically that she did and even got her partner to verify her story.

Seriously, could Jewel's Staite be cooler?! I don't think so!

Billy Dee Williams' Q&A at Hal-Con 2013

The guest I personally wanted to see most this year at Hal-Con was Billy Dee Williams. As a young girl I had a huge crush on Han Solo's best friend and to actually get to see him in person? Nothing could have stopped me.



Right after Reg got to see his hero Richard Hatch (who I of course also adore) we waited to see Billy Dee walk on stage.



This video will show you all sorts of highlights of the Q&A that had the audience laughing and cheering.



Ajay Fry was an excellent host who informed the audience that not only is Billy Dee a wonderful actor, he is an accomplished painter.



When asked if he could play any other part in the Star Wars world he at first said Lando was it for him but after thinking about it, he said he would also consider playing Princess Leia which had us all in hysterics.



Everybody started to "oooo" and "awww" and look at the lineup of people asking questions because Darth Vader was among them! To see that exact moment on video, click here. It's hysterical!



When asked if he had any props from Star Wars he admitted he had an ewok head and that he really wish he had his signature cape.

Regarding the future of movies he shared that he thinks we are heading towards having hologram characters. Fascinating!



There was a huge turnout for the Q&A and we all had such a fun time but it was around this time on Saturday I realized that something was different at Hal-Con this year.



You could barely move from one event to the other. More to come on that later.

We did get our photo taken with Billy Dee and the man is such a sweetheart and a supreme gentleman. In no way did he disappoint.

Hal-Con makes dreams come true.

Richard Hatch's Q&A at Hal-con 2013

The wonderful Richard Hatch, who played Apollo in the original Battlestar Galactica and then Tom Zarek in the reboot, discussed what it was like to work on the new show with a new cast at his Q&A at Hal-Con. It was interesting to hear him speak of finally saying yes to a project and how hard that was for him. How the intimacy of the wonderful group changed his mind. To see clips from the Q&A go here.



For me, what was most moving was his motivational speaking on following your dreams. As he said, step out of this place where you are waiting for life to happen.

Richard is all about putting your heart and soul into a project and going for it. He said, do what you have to but do not expect it to be cheap!



In the video you will see what a wonderful orator and storyteller he is. He is extremely generous when discussing the cast and crew of Battlestar Galactica, especially when it comes to Tricia Helfer and Katie Sackhoff.



It is clear that Richard is a passionate person who put his heart and soul into making Battlestar come back one day, "Life demands us to step into life and commit to it... Step up, you have something to share."



"Everything is about innovation. Find out what your pot of gold is." I mean seriously... So inspiring, I loved this Q&A!

We all know that Apollo in the original series was an absolute hero but what was fascinating to contemplate with Richard Hatch is the question, was Tom Zarek a bad guy? He told the truth and yes, he was all about ego, but was he really a villain?!



Richard is a writer, director and teacher. I hope one day he considers writing an inspirational autobiography about how he never gave up on his dreams.



Reg's favourite hero character growing up was Apollo and he finally got to meet him in person. Talk about having a dream come true!

Zombie Makeup on a Budget at Hal-Con 2013

Have you always wanted to release your inner zombie on a budget? We learned how to do so at Hal-Con thanks to Port City Kitty Cosplay. With a budget of $15-20 we learned the fundamentals of turning ourselves into a zombie for little cash. They said that they would put the intel up on their Facebook page but I haven not seen it yet but here is the link just in case.



While I was learning about burying my clothes for a week to get that real-zombie-feel for my outfit, Reg was having Yaya Han come up to him and ask for his photo! So sorry, I can not share that story because I was not there for it.



I did learn though that it is best if a friend splatters you with blood by hand and that burning is a great technique (safety first though) for aging the edges of clothes. So is using rough grade sandpaper on the outfit.



Before you can do anything though you have to figure out your backstory. Are you an old zombie? Or freshly made? Oh and voodoo zombies are a totally different breed of the zombie world BTW.



When it comes to makeup make sure to fill the shadows of the actual eye socket dark but not black. Do not forget to also put makeup on your neck and ears. Do not contour where the lighting his the face. When applying your own or store-bought prosthetics, do not put them on bendy parts of they might fall off.

There was a lot of detail on how to make your own wounds and even a zipper face! We learned how to make flaky skin, a ripped jaw and fake blood. I do hope they put all the info up soon so you can see all of it.



Oh who knew that gelatine makes great coagulated blood? It was so much fun hanging out with other zombie-enthusiasts!

Yaya Han's Q&A at Hal-Con 2013

As huge fans of Heroes of Cosplay, I knew I had to go and represent Hexed at Hal-Con this year and started the convention off with seeing Yaya Han's Q&A.

From giving travel advice for those who want to go to numerous conventions to discussing how each material has advantages and disadvantages to work with... Yaya really gave lots of amazing advice and inspiration to all levels of cosplayers. She was extra encouraging to newbies and really encouraged them to not be intimidated.



I put together some clips from the Q&A session and she really is a lot like how she appears on the show and even more beautiful, if you can believe it.



I was personally inspired to hear how she works on more than one project at a time, that she follows her interest and sometimes that interest fades. Something I can really relate to. She usually works on two projects at the same time and breaks them down into smaller projects which keeps her productive and continuously creative.



She said she is always a fan girl at all times. Her favourite male superhero is Wolverine (Iron Man and Batman received honourable mentions) and Catwoman is her favourite female superhero. She likes complex characters but noted they often have simple costumes.

Asked about storing her costumes, she replied she has three closets for cosplay and one for her clothes. She keeps her retired costumes in the basement and in a storage unit she has. She has sold costumes in the past but then realized how attached she was to them which is why she no longer sells them.

She is completely self-taught, from the costuming to the makeup. She learned from trial and error. When asked for advice on wig-buying she recommended ebay because it has the most selection.



I was surprised to hear that she felt that Heroes of Cosplay was not really for cosplayers, that any style they could have chosen to represent cosplay would have ended up making someone unhappy. She said the show was edited to further the story and was tweaked to tell the story they wanted to share. To hear more of Yaya's wisdom and ideas make sure to watch my video. We also attended her workshop on cosplay so more Yaya to come!

Ep 145: Paranormal TV Oct 29 - Nov 4, 2013

This week Suzie and Shannon dive into the Fangasm Finale, continue discussions on the new series of Ravenswood, Reign and Dracula plus dive into our regs of Grimm, Ghost Mine, Supernatural, Face Off, Walking Dead, Vampire Diaries and the return of Sleepy Hollow.

Fans of the time coding of the podcast can rejoice! Your voices were heard and we will absolutely keep the time coding as part of the show notes. Thanks for voting!

Although we keep trying to find ways to keep the podcast less of a marathon there is so much awsome TV to talk about it's been challenging to find ways to do that! We are open to suggestions from listeners if you have any ideas we'd love to hear, feel free to email us at hexedpodcast@gmail.com

Show Notes:

• Haunted Highway Season 2 Comes to Space Nov 27, 2013 at 10pm ET
• Face Off: Top 20 Countdown - Judges Favourites comes to Space Tues Nov 19, 2013. It will be top 20 make ups from the 5 seasons of the show + some of the 'funniest, most srprizing and impressivly ambitious designs the show has ever seen'.
• Almost Human premiere date change from Monday Nov 4 to Sunday Nov 17
• Eddie Marsan and Bertie Carvel cast in Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell; based on the book of the same name and described as "Set at the beginning of the 19th-century, England no longer believes in practical magic. The reclusive Mr Norrell (Marsan) of Hurtfew Abbey stuns the city of York when he causes the statues of York Cathedral to speak and move. With a little persuasion and help from his man of business Childermass (Cilenti), he goes to London to help the government in the war against Napoleon. It is there Norrell summons a fairy to bring Lady Pole (Englert) back from the dead, opening a whole can of worms…" I'm not sure if it's about magic-magic or magician-magic, might be both Filming starts next week. http://www.tv-eh.com/2013/10/25/eddie-marsan-and-bertie-carvel-cast-in-jonathan-strange-mr-norrell/
• New Trailer for Helix
• People's Choice Noms
• Poll Results: Do You Need The Time Coding In Our Podcast
• We mention that Hal-Con is this week
• Kristin Hackett's (From Fangasm) YouTube Channel and Website
• Dani's Snow (from Fangasm) Blog

Time Coding
0:00 - 2:02 Intro
2:02 - 15:32 News
15:32 - 24:35 Reign Pilot and Ep 2 and 3 Pilot, Snakes in the Garden and Kissed
24:35 - 31:10 Ravenswood General and Ep 2 Pilot and Death and a Maiden
31:10 - 39:37 Dracula Series Premiere Ep 2 The Blood is the Life and A Whiff of Sulpher
39:37 - 47:40 Grimm S3 Ep 2 PTZD
47:40 - 57:53 Ghost Mine S2 Ep 9 Town-Wide Terror
57:53 - 1:07:30 Face Off S5 Ep 12 Flights of Fantasy
1:07:30 - 1:16:45 Fangasm S1 Ep 6 Final Fandom
1:16:45 - 1:29:20 Sleepy Hollow S1 Ep 6 Sin Eaters
1:29:20 - 1:38:34 The Walking Dead S4 Ep 4 Indifference
1:38:34 - 1:46:17 Supernatural S9 Ep 4 Slumber Party
1:46:17 - 1:55:25 Vampire Diaries Season S5 Ep 4 and 5 For Whom the Bell Tolls and Monsters Ball
1:55:25 - 1:57:51 Outro

The Fine Print (spoiler notations)
We talk about the shows in depth, so please watch first and then listen. We don't look ahead or watch trailers, teasers, look at casting info, so any predictions and commentary are from our own minds.



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Hexed: Sisterhood of the Supernatural
All Supernatural TV. All the Time.

Poll Results: Do You Need The Time Coding In Our Podcast?

The votes are in and you've had your say on Do You Need The Time Coding In Our Podcast? And it looks like you do! 60% say you sometimes use it and 40% say you always use it. A big donut for not using it. A very special thank you to all that voted, especially on this poll, I will be thinking of you as I add the time coding to each show.

Poll Result:

• 60% - I Sometimes Use It
• 40% - Yes, I Use It All the Time
• 0% - I Don't Use It

Thanks for voting!

Paranormal Pick of the Week: Haven and Lost Girl Season 4 Premieres

Showcase is spoiling us silly this week with the premieres of two of our long-term favourite shows coming back for their fourth, fabulous seasons. That's right, both Haven and Lost Girl start back up this week and we can't choose between two of the shows that we've been chatting about since 2010 so they are sharing the spotlight of the Paranormal Pick of the Week:

(L-R) Lucas Bryant, Emily Rose and Eric Balfour in season four of Haven

Haven ~ Season 4 Premiere
Friday November 8, 2013 on Showcase at 9pm ET/PT (revised date)

~and~

Lost Girl ~ Season 4 Premiere
Sunday November 10, 2013 on Showcase at 10pm ET/PT
Plus: Season 4 Pre-Show Special Sunday November 10, 2013 at 9pm ET/PT
And: Lost Girl Webisodes that bridge Season 3 and 4

Both Haven and Lost Girl will have 13 episodes in their 4th season. To see the season descriptions check out Hexed's November Monthly Preview.

Also Awesome:

• Face Off Season 5 Finale - Tuesday November 5, 2013 at 9pm on Space. I can't believe it is already coming to an end! This seasons twist of Vets vs Newcomers has proved very interesting indeed and the make up artists have created some absolutely stunning works of art. I'm going to be sad when it's over (although Season 6 has been announced). I have no clue who will win, but it's been such a talented group of people this year, I would be happy no matter who it will be.

November 2013 Paranomal TV New and Returning Air Dates

November is hear and as we get closer to the end of the year, we still have tons of awesome shows and specials premiering. This month we have the new science fiction series Almost Human starring Karl Urban and Micheal Ealy as reluctant cop partners in a human and robot filled world. We also have a few specials in store including the big 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who special as well as Face Off's Judges' Favourites Special which looks like so much fun. In the non-fiction realm we have the Haunted Highway return for it's second season. Last but certainly not least, two of our favourite shows are returning for their fourth seasons: Haven and Lost Girl.

For the Spoiler-Sensitive: several of the returning series have *season* descriptions, so read with caution if you don't want to know where the shows are going this year.

We've also had a lot of revisions in dates this month too, as Haven is now starting earlier than initially anticipated but Almost Human will now be airing closer to the end of the month. As always, we'll share if we find out any more date changes but always be sure to check your local listings.
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(L-R) Lucas Bryant, Emily Rose and Eric Balfour in season four of Haven

Haven ~ Season 4 Premiere
Friday November 8, 2013 on Showcase at 9pm ET/PT (revised date)

Genre: Paranormal/Drama

Season 4 Description: "Season 4 of Haven picks up six months after the devastating season three finale when the town was pummeled by a violent meteor storm, that saw Audrey (Emily Rose) and Duke (Eric Balfour) vanish into thin air, and an injured Nathan (Lucas Bryant) left marooned in Haven. Joining the cast is Colin Ferguson (Eureka) as William, a handsome stranger with a secret agenda"

Haven stars Emily Rose, Lucas Bryant and Eric Balfour; Season 4 of Haven will have 13 episodes.

See more about Haven at Showcase.ca



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Lost Girl ~ Season 4 Premiere
Sunday November 10, 2013 on Showcase at 10pm ET/PT

Genre: Paranormal

Season 4 Description: "Season four of Lost Girl sees fate cast a wide shadow over the Fae world. With Bo's (Anna Silk) return, the lines between Dark and Light fae are blurred causing Bo to venture on a journey of discovery. Bo and company will ultimately realize that regardless of the challenges and enemies they face, they're stronger when they face them together."

Remember to also check out the Lost Girl Webisodes that bridge Season 3 and 4, and watch the Season 4 pre-show special Sunday November 10, 2013 at 9pm ET/PT before the series premiere.  If you need to catch up on the show, check out my Lost Girl Spoiler-Free Episode List.

Lost Girl stars Anna Silk, Ksenia Solo, Kris Holden-Ried, Zoie Palmer, Rick Howland and K.C. Collins; Season 4 of Lost Girl will have 13 episodes.

See more about Lost Girl at Showcase.ca



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Almost Human ~ Series Premiere
Sunday November 17, 2013 at 8pm ET/PT on Global

Genre: Science Fiction

Series Description: "In this action-adventure series from executive producers J.J. Abrams (Lost) and J.H. Wyman (Fringe) set in 2048, a cop teams up with a second-hand synthetic android to fight a strain of urban crime that has evolved in even more frightening ways. Detective John Kennex (Karl Urban, The Bourne Supremacy) survived a catastrophic attack on the city's police department that cost him his friends, one of his limbs and his reputation. When he returns a year later, he finds the transition difficult. Not only does one of the surviving detectives, Richard Paul (Michael Irby, Flight Plan) blame him for the lethal ambush, but department policy now requires that every cop be paired with a highly-evolved human-like android partner. Instead, Kennex works with lab technician Rudy Lom (MacKenzie Crook, Game of Thrones) to reinstate an outdated Dorian android (Michael Ealy, The Good Wife) whose somewhat dysfunctional platform is based on a "Synthetic Soul" program, allowing it to have emotional responses. Together, the two set out to keep the city safe and uncover the criminal conspiracy that threatens to destroy their world."

Almost Human stars Karl Urban, Michael Ealy, Mackenzie Crook, Michael Irby, Minka Kelly and Lili Taylor.

See more about Almost Human at GlobalTV.com



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L-R Neville Page, Ve Neill, Glenn Hetrick

Face Off: Top 20 Countdown ~ Judges' Favourites
Tuesday November 19, 2013 at 9pm ET on Space

Genre: Non-Fiction/Competition - Special Presentation

Description: "FACE OFF judges Glenn Hetrick, Ve Neill, and Neville Page take a look back at the best contestant creations from all five seasons of the series. In addition to ranking the top twenty best make-ups, they will call out some of the funniest, most surprising, and impressively ambitious designs the show has ever seen."

See more about Face Off at Space.ca

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The Day of the Doctor
Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special
Saturday November 23, 2013 at 2:50PM ET on Space

Genre: Science Fiction - Special Presentation ~ Commercial-Free Simulcast

Description: "The highly-anticipated, one-hour special will broadcast simultaneously to millions of viewers worldwide. In addition to the current Doctor (Matt Smith) and his companion Clara (Jenna Coleman), The Day of the Doctor features the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) as well as Billie Piper who reprises her role as Rose, and John Hurt who returns as an ominous figure in the Doctor’s timeline."

The Day of the Doctor will also screen in 3D in Theatres on Saturday November 23, 2013 and again on Monday November 25, 2013. For ticket information, chick here.

See more about The Day of the Doctor at Space.ca



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Haunted Highway ~ Season 2 Premiere
Wednesday November 27, 2013 at 10pm ET on Space

Genre: Non-Fiction/Paranormal

Series Description: "HAUNTED HIGHWAY puts the pedal to the metal as two separate teams Jack Osbourne & Dana Workman, and Devin Marble & Jael de Pardo, investigate the most frightening claims of paranormal activity along remote back roads. Fueled by eyewitness interviews and evidence collected by state-of-the-art equipment, teams travel alone, self-documenting their harrowing road trip while coming face-to-face with paranormal legends."

The teams of Haunted Highway consist of Jack Osbourne & Dana Workman and Devin Marble & Jael de Pardo; Season 2 of Haunted Highway will have 6 episodes.

See more about Haunted Highway at Space.ca and SyFy.com