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Access Atlanta > Blog > Archives > 2008 > August > 27 > Entry
Dragons finally get props at DragonCon
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For years, Cartoon Network’s late-night Adult Swim animators have pleaded in vain with the organizers of the DragonCon convention to host one particular panel at the annual Labor Day weekend sci-fi/comics convention downtown.
A discussion about dragons.
“There has never been a shortage of superheroes or Star Trek characters at DragonCon,” Adult Swim senior vice-president Mike Lazzo (right) explained Wednesday as he busied himself SuperGlueing his tongue to the side of his face. “But we were always disappointed about the lack of attention being paid to actual dragons. We really wanted to help re-establish the purity of their brand.”
Hence, Friday at 5:30 p.m., Lazzo and Adult Swimmers, including Kim Manning, Jennifer Stephens, Dana Swanson, Vanessa Palacios, Eddie Ray, Drew Dominey, Merrill Hagan and Dana Snyder will conduct the first-ever DragonCon session on dragons at the convention.
They’ll also bring along clips from Adult Swim favorites like “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” and “Squidbillies” and dragon-related clips from the company’s vault of classic Hanna-Barbera animation.
And on the off-chance, the session doesn’t exactly catch fire?
“We’re also prepared to discuss Adult Swim content and golf,” Lazzo says.
The Cartoon Network crazies also have created dragon costumes to wear to the session.
“But I have to say, the men have made a pretty pathetic attempt at it so far,” relates Lazzo. “But the women are really hooked up with their dragon wardrobes.”
Over the weekend, Cartoon Network reps also will have a strong presence at the convention as they introduce their new hotly anticipated CGI weekly series, “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.”
So how iconic has the Williams Street Adult Swim production headquarters become over the years since the Williams Street logo flashes at the end of each late-night offering either on the air or via various boxed-set collections?
Explains Lazzo: “Every DragonCon weekend, we show up to work and invariably there will be convention attendees hanging outside. It’s actually pretty flattering that they seek us out.”
Oh, and as a public service to the Adult Swim staff, Buzz has graciously agreed to alternately describe their workplace as either a “fortress” or a “compound.”
For info: www.dragoncon.org.
COOKING UP ‘DINNER’
While Kenny Leon polishes August Wilson’s “Gem of the Ocean” at the Alliance Theatre, Todd Kreidler, his True Colors associate artistic director, is cooking up Leon’s “Dinner.”
We’re talking, of course, about “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” Kreidler’s adaptation of the classic 1967 film that starred Sidney Poitier, Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. Kreidler has spent the past year toiling over his and Leon’s next Broadway project.
No “Dinner” date has been set for Broadway. “But we’re still aiming to go in the fall,” Kreidler says. “Right now, we’re planning to gather for a reading in New York after Labor Day, then hopefully begin rehearsals in October.”
Meanwhile, “Gem” starts previews Aug. 30 at the Alliance, and “Radio Golf,” the final installment of Wilson’s epic 10-play cycle, begins previews at the Woodruff Arts Center playhouse on Aug. 29. Alliance associate artistic director Kent Gash directs “Radio Golf.” The two-play repertory’s official opening is Sept. 6.
Kreidler, a close personal associate of Wilson, was dramaturg for both “Gem of the Ocean” and “Radio Golf,” which played regional theaters before eventually moving to Broadway under Leon’s direction. The Chicago-based artist will arrive in Atlanta in mid-September, presumably to check out the bookended dramas.
LUDA LOVES LATTA
Ludacris graciously is supplying Jarvis, his latest Disturbing Tha Peace record label R&B artist for this Friday night’s half-time performance at the WNBA Atlanta Dream/Connecticut Sun basketball game at Philips Arena downtown. And the Atlantan himself also will be present. The rapper-restaurateur is an admirer of Atlanta Dream point guard Ivory Latta.
“I have been a longtime fan and supporter of Ivory since she was at [University of] North Carolina,” Luda told us via an e-mail from the Atlanta Dream. “She is a little sister and family to me. It’s even greater that she plays for an Atlanta team. I want to be there to show my love and support.”
Late reports Wednesday indicated that 9,000 tickets already have been sold for the game, making it a near-sellout. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m. www.atlantadream.net.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Country singer Shania Twain is 43. Actor Billy Boyd (“Lord of the Rings”) is 40. Actor-singer Jack Black of Tenacious D is 39. Actor Jason Priestley (“Beverly Hills, 90210”) is 39. Singer-bassist Max Collins of Eve 6 is 30. Actress Carly Pope (“Popular”) is 28. Country singer LeAnn Rimes is 26.
UNCOUPLING
They famously trekked to Atlanta to pay tribute to Coretta Scott King at the civil rights matriarch’s 2006 memorial service. Now, “Desperate Housewives” actress Nicollette Sheridan and singer Michael Bolton quietly have ended their engagement.
The split was amicable, said Nicole Perna, a publicist for the pair.
The 44-year-old actress and 55-year-old singer have been engaged since March 2006. They first started dating in 1992 and spent five years together, Perna said, then rekindled their romance in 2005.
The couple’s split was first reported by People.com.
Contributing: Wendell Brock and news services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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