CECE - Chicagoland Entertainment Collectors Expo

Well, here we go again! CECE is next weekend and five Star Wars actors will be attending. Coverage coming up! Watto's will take you there.

Margo Apostolos Ewok
Felix Silla Ewok
Gerald Home Squidhead
Doug Wangler Quinlan Vos Star Wars Expanded Universe
Bonnie Piesse Beru AOTC and ROTS

Along with these Star Wars artists

Denise Vasquez
Grant Gould
Katie Cook
Randy Martinez
Ken Kelly
Dave Dorman

Caroll Spinney Oscar the Grouch/Big Bird Muppeteer will be there too!

Stay tuned...

The guest list
http://www.nonsportcardexpo.com/guests.htm

Artists
http://www.nonsportcardexpo.com/artists.htm

CECE Website
http://www.nonsportcardexpo.com/index.htm

Boy, I can't wait to drive those Chi-Town toll roads again, NOT! I should have gotten some pointers from John Schneider Bo Duke last week at Wizard World!

Adam - do you ever have a weekend at home! You seem to be on a summer tour of all the major conventions in the States. Be sure to take in the sites! I'm just jealous.

We have really went overboard this year with conventions. I am working on my autograph collection, that's for sure! I am currently at 16 Star Wars autos ( I doubled the amount at CV) along with Toby McGuire Spider-Man and Felix Silla Twiki. I plan to get Felix to sign an ewok photo this time. I figure I owe him since he signed a 1979 Buck Rogers card with Twiki on it for my son last time (no charge). I want to get the Squidhead guy too at this show. If I had more money I would get every one at every show! Honestly, if the Star Wars actors and artists weren't going to be there I probably would have skipped this one. Oh well, you only live once! I'm just fortunate to be able to do all of this right now. I plan on sharing everything I can with you all.

Ah I see Randy Martinez right there in the front row. Surprised he didn't have a damn microphone singing his stupid "Padme" song. LOL!

Wow! What an excellent show! The Chicagoland Entertainment Collectors Expo may not be as large as some cons, but two days with these guys and you become family!



The CECE hosts this event to help the Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation. Donations were taken and a live auction was held to raise money for children with cancer. Actors, artists and vendors donated to the auction and all of the proceeds went to this charity.


original art by Katie Cook and Caroll Spinney

This may have been a small venue, but the Star Wars family was there to represent!



Felix Silla (Ewok still not named) and Margo Apostolos (Tokkat the Ewok) were signing autographs for all of us ewok lovers! Yes, I admit it. I love ewoks! We were talking together about the fact that Felix's Ewok still has no name, yet Hasbro has produced at least two figures of the hang gliding furball and Lego has one too! I plan to launch a facebook page right after I'm done here to "Name Felix Silla's Ewok!"



Gerald Home (Squidhead aka Tessek) was on hand and what a pleasure he was! Gerald was very excited that the German Garrison had created him a Squidhead mask and presented it to him a few weeks back.



If you could only hear him giggling and having a ball as he hid behind his new toy!


http://geraldhome.dr-maul.com/

And if that wasn't enough, the beautiful Bonnie Piesse was signing as well.



Aunt Beru never looked better!

And believe it or not, Quinlan Vos himself, Doug Wangler was in the house. I got Doug to tell me just exactly how he got the gig of modeling for Dark Horse artist Jan Duursema.



Doug said, and I paraphrase, that in a very dark time in his life, a friend of his happened to send his modeling portfolio, that he was about to burn and destroy I might add, to Jan in New York. She called the friend back and said "I am drawing this guy right now! Who is this?" She connected with Doug at Chicago comic-con and he has been Quinlan ever since. He also mentioned that at the time he had just cut off his hair. She used those early reference photos from that period and Doug also became the face of Antilles Draco, Imperial Guard from the Star Wars Legacy comic. He showed me the pictures in the comics and looking at Doug face to face it is true. It is him. How cool is that? I told him that I have not only one, but two of your action figures at home then. This conversation led into a huge clone wars SPOILER and you heard it here first! Well I don't really know if I am the first to know this but whatever...

***SPOILER***SPOILER***SPOILER***SPOILER***SPOILER***SPOILER***SPOILER***SPOILER***

Doug told me that Hasbro has just sent him a prototype "Clone Wars" action figure!!! This must mean that Quinlan Vos will indeed show up in the Clone Wars cartoon! Why else would they make a clone wars version?

Doug is very proud of the fact that Quinlan makes it through Order 66 and that he isn't dead! I told him he should really push to be in the new live action television show when it finally gets underway. Maybe I'll make a facebook page for that too like Daniel Logan did.



Several Star Wars artists were at CECE working their magic.


Grant Gould, starwars.com web artist


Denise Vasquez


Katie Cook starwars.com web artist, Randy Martinez and Denise Vasquez


It was a nice surprise to meet Ken Kelly who's work includes the 1970's KISS Love Gun and Destroyer album covers. He also has done tons of Conan and monster paintings. But for us at this site, we may remember the first run of Ki-Adi-Mundi covers that started out the 1998 Dark Horse title "Star Wars", which would later become known as Republic.

And the elusive Dave Dorman (photo not shown) slipped in and out. Luckily we spotted him and got a few more things signed that we picked up at CV. He also drew Dylan another quick stormtrooper sketch.

A great time was had by all, that's for sure! I can't wait for the next one. This show was definitely a high point in my summer. I think it was for Erin Moran too! And no, that isn't Chachi under that helmet!



Special thanks to Tom Jozwiak of R2 Builders for all of the great Sci-Fi droids and props!















I got to know Chris Spice - owner of sandtroopers.com a little better this time around. We run into him from time to time at these shows. He was giving away FX lightsabers and all kinds of Star Wars goodies! He even threw a little Hasbro love our way when he gave Dylan one of the new Boba Fett helmets! You ROCK Chris!!!



Tomorrow - How Big Bird's wife invited us to visit their forest home in New York!


Caroll Spinney Big Bird/Oscar the Grouch Sesame Street

Okay, so most of these photos are already posted here, but I made a nice, little slideshow you might want to check out. I think I might start doing this from now on instead of uploading all of these photos.

Check it out, it's quick.