Tampa Film Fan

an unconventional summer full of conventions

There’s a variety of conventions coming up in Tampa over the summer. Here’s what I’ve found so far:

June 24-26, 2005 (Tampa Convention Center) — Metrocon 3: A weekend-long celebration of the numerous facets of Japanese popular entertainment – from anime (Japanese animation), manga (Japanese comics), J-pop and J-Rock (Japanese pop and rock music, performed by “idols”) to cosplay (costume design and performance) and video games.

July 22-24, 2005 (Crowne Plaza Hotel at Sabal Park) — Earthbound:2005 Convention (TV show Space:1999): The British sci-fi TV series Space:1999 debuted in 1975. This is the 17th and final convention marking the 30th anniversary of this cult TV fave. Guests include Prentis Hancock (Paul Morrow) and Zienia Merton (Sandra Benes). Their website states that this convention will benefit three charities (the Diabetes Research Institute, the National Parkinson Foundation and Francis House).

August 5-7, 2005 (Doubletree Hotel at Tampa Airport) — Vulkon Tampa Krypton: A convention for Superman fans. Guests include John Schneider (Johnathan Kent on Smallville), Noel Neill (Lois Lane in The Adventures of Superman) and Margot Kidder (Lois Lane in Superman).