The Sporting Life: Kong, GoT and ConGT Edition

This week It’s all about Doctor Who (a convention), Game of Thrones (a concert), and Kong Skull Island.(a movie).

ConGT in Clarksville

The third ConGT Doctor Who exclusive convention returns to Clarksville’s Riverview Inn March 17-19. Mingle with Whovians and special guests Sophie Aldred, Frazer Hines, Andrew Cartmel, Colin Spaull, Robin Burks and others. I attended the first ConGT and had a blast with one of their special guests, Ellis George, who came all the way from England with her dad for the event; she was a delight, as are most convention guests (otherwise they really don’t get invited to these affairs).

ConGT 2017 begins Friday, March 17 at 6:00 PM at Riverview Inn, 50 College Street, Clarksville, TN 37040. Room rates are a cool $89 per night, with full breakfast included (it’s good!) and an indoor heated pool. For only $159, your 2017 ConGT VIP Package includes: Private VIP wine party with Sophie, Frazer, Colin, Sarah, Andrew, Robin and other ConGT celebrities Friday night; VIP Q&A with Sophie & Frazer Friday night; individual and professionally shot 4X6 color photographs with Sophie & Frazer, shot at VIP party w/printed and digital copies (autographs not included); a 2017 ConGT T shirt; VIP seating at all main room events; limited edition ‘ConGT 2017’ print personally autographed by Dimitri Walker; a specially designed VIP badge; and a $10 gift certificate to ConGT vendors.

Otherwise come for Saturday and Sunday, as all activities Friday night are VIP only. WEEKEND PASS – $39 admission for Saturday and Sunday; SATURDAY ONLY – $29; SUNDAY ONLY – $20 Visit the website at www.congt.org for more info, details, and the convention schedule.

ConGT is proud to welcome these guests — Sophie Aldred, Frazer Hines, Andrew Cartmel, Colin Spaull, and Robin Burks. Sophie became Ace in 1987 and appeared on the final 9 episodes of the program’s original run, which ended in 1989. Frazer Hines appeared as the companion Jamie McCrimmon in Doctor Who, and appeared in more episodes of the series than any other companion; his 117 episodes ranks him higher than all but the first four Doctors in appearances; during ConGT, Frazer will be performing one of his ‘one man’ performances’. Colin Spaull brings a rare perspective to Doctor Who fandom, having appeared in both the original series ‘Revelation of the Daleks’, and the modern series ‘Rise of the Cybermen’ and ‘The Age of Steel’; he’s also been seen on The Inbetweeners. Andrew Cartmel is back for his second appearance; a British author and journalist, and former script editor of Doctor Who. He’s also worked as a script editor on other television series, as a magazine editor, as a comics writer, as a film studies lecturer, and as a novelist. Robin Burks is the ‘Queen of ConGT’, having been their first invited guest, and now making her third appearance at the con; she’s a Cosplayer, author, freelance writer for TheThings.com and FanGirlConfessions.com.

Also enjoy KARAOKE! Saturday night before the ‘Doctor Dances Party’! TEAM TRIVIA! Saturday night in the Riverview Inn Bar!

Mark your calendars for September 7-9 for Gatlinburg! Smoky Mountain Who, Tennessee’s second Doctor Who exclusive convention.

Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience coming to Atlanta

Atlanta is the closest place to Nashville where the concert event of the year can be experienced. Fans of Game of Thrones know how impressive the music is for the world’s number one television show. “Winter is Coming” is a theme for us fans, and in amazingly awesome style, the show is being celebrated in arenas throughout the North American continent for a winter tour, which began at XCel Energy Center in Minneapolis, MN on February 20 and runs through (so far) April 2 at the Model Center in Portland, OR. I have a ticket to see it in Phillips Arena in Atlanta on Tuesday, March 14 and am as hyped about it as I can stand. Here’s why:

Ramin Djawadi has composed soundtracks for more than 100 entertainment productions including the silver screen’s Iron Man and TV’s Westworld, but he’s most famous for creating the music behind the HBO series Game of Thrones. The 42-year-old German native attended the prestigious Berklee College of Music. He created the well known main title theme for Thrones, collaborating with series co-creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, and all of the music heard over the show’s six seasons so far.

Now Djawadi is at the centre of the first Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience, a symphonic tour playing to thousands of devoted fans of the show across North America. It features a main stage, secondary stage and four satellite stages with 360-degree views, 3D designs and massive LED screens on which highlights of the series play as Djawadi conducts an 80-piece orchestra and choir performing music from series. There are also pyrotechnics, green flame and heat (yep!), and the music of many instruments and voices you know from the show.

To experience it is a once-in-lifetime thrill, as reported by those who have been there in Chicago, Toronto, and elsewhere I have read about. If you don’t believe me, just check out some of the highlights on YouTube… Shame, shame, shame (yes, she’s there) on you if you miss it!

 

Kong Skull Island the movie in theaters now

By the numbers: First of all, this is unlike any King Kong movie you’ve seen before. Second, Corey Hawkins and Samuel L. Jackson are really fun to watch, as is the rest of the cast, esp. John C. Reilly. Third, the monster battle scenes are really, really cool; probably best seen in IMAX 3D if you can. Fourth, the MUSIC! Damn, this is gonna be an awesome soundtrack CD, because… Fifth, this is essentially a Vietnam war movie — b..ch, say what? Yes, it is set in the Vietnam era, right at the end of the war, and taps into the mindset very effectively, especially since… Sixth, this is a Cold War movie, and I loved the way it paid homage to Stanley Kubrick, with the song, “We’ll meet again, some sunny day” from the finale of his dark classic Dr. Strangelove; or How I lLearned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. and finally, you will love this movie, and be sure not to leave at the end and to sit through the credits, because the postscript is very likely the coolest part of the film.