THE DEAD MATTER Available July 30th!

Friends....

Check out the newest trailer for my film THE DEAD MATTER, featuring myself, Andrew Divoff (WISHMASTER, LOST), Tom Savini (FROM DUSK TIL DAWN, PLANET TERROR), and Jason Carter (BABYLON 5).... available on DVD at Hot Topic stores on July 30th, 2010!



Thanks for watching!!!
Jim O'Rear
www.JimORear.com

Adventures At ADVENTURECON!

HELLO, FRIENDS…


ABOVE: Fred “The Hammer” Williamson (FROM DUSK TIL DAWN) and Jim O’Rear (THE DEEPENING).

The beautiful Smokey Mountains… home to Dollywood, giant black bears, family fun, and ADVENTURECON! I’ve just had the pleasure of spending four days in the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, TN, area appearing at the long-running pop culture event known as Adventurecon, featuring celebrities, comics, collectibles, costuming, and more. I had heard about this event for some time and was very excited to have been invited to be a guest alongside some old friends.


ABOVE: G.I. Joe, anyone? Go Cobra!

This year featured a wide range of guests from all areas of the entertainment industry, including Billy Dee “Lando” Williams (STAR WARS), wrestling legend Mick “Mankind” Foley, James “Roscoe” Best (DUKES OF HAZARD), supermodel Angie Everhart (BORDELLO OF BLOOD), David “Bud Bundy” Faustino (MARRIED WITH CHILDREN, Fred “The Hammer” Williamson (FROM DUSK TIL DAWN), Marv Wolfman (creator of BLADE), Gary Friedrich (creator of GHOST RIDER), Jake Lloyd (STAR WARS), Daniel Taylor (RETURN OF THE SWAMP THING), Kiowa “Embry” Gordon (TWILIGHT), and many more.


ABOVE: Kiowa “Embry” Gordon (TWILIGHT) clowns around with Jim O’Rear, Daniel Taylor, Jason Crowe, and Michelle Perkins.

The first day opened with a bang, as the line was formed to get into the building over an hour before the doors were scheduled to open. This area of Tennessee must be really into wrestling as large crowds of people rushed to the tables of Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, Ted “The Million Dollar Man” Dibiase, Virgil, and Raven before checking out the actors and vendors.


ABOVE: Wrestling legend Mick “Mankind” Foley towers over Jim O’Rear.

It was a fun day on the convention floor. It was, also, the first time I’ve ever had someone come up to my table and tell me, “I want to buy one of everything.” Of course, I was glad to sell him one of everything! As the day went on there were various Q&A’s, costuming, and gaming experiences. Speaking of costumes, there were some great ones. Here are some that I found entertaining, for various reasons:











Instead of attending the masquerade ball that evening, Daniel Taylor (RETURN OF THE SWAMP THING) and his wife Ami, Misty Simmons-Poteet (THE DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND), and myself went to grab some dinner where we met up with wrestling greats Greg “The Hammer” Valentine and Virgil. A wide range of topics were discussed, including Virgil’s secret greens recipe which involves smoked turkey wings… not bacon… smoked turkey wings… not bacon… smoked turkey wings… If you run into Virgil somewhere, ask him about it, then you’ll understand what I’m talking about.


ABOVE: Jim O’Rear with Deep Roy (CHARLIE & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, STAR TREK, CORPSE BRIDE, PLANET OF THE APES, TRANSFORMERS).

Upon returning to the hotel we noticed that the parking lot was flooded with people. Elvis was alive… sorta. In true Tennessee fashion, an Elvis impersonator was entertaining the crowd… singing and shaking his hips to all of The King’s classics. We laughed… but in all fairness, he was actually pretty good.


ABOVE: Elvis puts on a show in the hotel parking lot.


ABOVE: Elvis and Jim O’Rear.

The next day of the show was full of events and celebrity signings. I had the chance to take a brief break and cruise the vendor floor, which was loaded with goodies ranging from rare DVDs, collectible toys, T-Shirts, action figures, art prints, and more. They also had the time travel car from the Back To The Future movies on hand that you could have your photo taken in. I wish I had more time to look around the vendor floor but I’m afraid I would have spent A LOT of money if I had.


ABOVE: Jim O’Rear with Jake “Anakin” Lloyd (STAR WARS, JINGLE ALL THE WAY).

That night the convention hosted a “Party With The Stars” event that consisted of drinking, dancing, and Karaoke. This was a blast and provided some sights I never thought I’d see in my life… some that were almost surrealistic. Check out some of these moments below:


ABOVE: Mark Ryan (the voice of “Bumble Bee” in TRANSFORMERS) sings Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb” with Maria De Aragon (“Greedo” in STAR WARS)… aka a Transformer and Greedo duet.


ABOVE: Deep Roy (CHARLIE & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY) boogies with Maria De Aragon (“Greedo” in STAR WARS)… aka Ooompa Loompa dances with Greedo.


ABOVE: Byron “Coy Duke” Cherry (THE DUKES OF HAZARD) does his best Elvis impression.


ABOVE: Kiowa Gordon (TWILIGHT) gets crazy on stage with a group number.

There was also a rousing rap performance by Daniel Emery Taylor (RETURN OF THE SWAMP THING) who commanded the stage with his uncensored rendition of Lil Jon’s “Get Low.” Daniel rocked the house!



ABOVE: Daniel Taylor (RETURN OF THE SWAMP THING) brings the house down with his rap performance of a Lil Jon classic.

The last day of the show was slightly slow, but this allowed for more visitation time between the guests and some last minute shopping. A nice way to wind down from the event.


ABOVE: Jim O’Rear with Paris “Mike Teevee” Themman (WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY).

Adventurecon was a fun event located in the heart of a very fun town. I look forward to attending this event again in the future.


ABOVE: Jim O’Rear with Rusty Goffe (WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, HARRY POTTER, STAR WARS), MMA Champion Dale Miller, and Dale’s daughter.

Thanks for reading,
Jim
www.JimORear.com

Reflections Of IMAGICON

HELLO, FRIENDS…


ABOVE: Jim O’Rear emerges from the fog at IMAGICON.

I’ve just spent the last few days in Birmingham, Alabama, appearing at Imagicon, a fan convention consisting of a mixture of sci-fi, anime, horror, paranormal, celebrities, indie films, and comic books. It was the second year for this show and there were a few snags and hitches along the way, but, being new, the event organizers are still learning the process.


ABOVE: Who the heck let the dinosaur in?

One of the big problems this show faced was the fact that it was divided up among several different venues. These venues weren’t within walking distance, either, which meant you had to catch a shuttle that ran every half an hour if you wanted to see vendors and events located in every location. This created confusion and some frustration, especially on Sunday when the shuttle didn’t run at all. One of the venues used was the McWane Center, which is a children’s hands-on museum in downtown Birmingham. In theory, this was supposed to create cross-traffic for the Imagicon event, bringing in museum patrons who may not have known the convention was happening on the upper levels of the museum. Unfortunately, young children are not necessarily the patrons you want to target for this particular type of event.




ABOVE: Daniel Taylor (RETURN OF THE SWAMP THING) plays with one of the exhibits inside the McWane Center.

The show opened on Friday and after wading through hundreds of small, screaming children… who were at the museum for a school field trip… I made it to my table to set up. The celebrity guests were all located in one room of the museum and I was pleased to be sharing the space with Gil Gerard (BUCK ROGERS), Erin Gray (BUCK ROGERS, SILVER SPOONS), Bonita Friedericy (CHUCK, ANGEL), John Billingsly (TRUE BLOOD, STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE), Daniel Taylor (RETURN OF THE SWAMP THING), zombie artist Billy Tackett, writers Timothy Zahn, Sean Taylor, Bobbie Nash, and many more.


ABOVE: Gil Gerard (BUCK ROGERS) and Jim O’Rear.


ABOVE: Erin Gray (BUCK ROGERS, SILVER SPOONS) and Jim O’Rear.

Attendance was small on Friday, but we all made the best of it and had a good time. It allowed many of us to visit with each other and play around in the museum. During some of this free time, Kevin from Macabre Mansion (www.macabremansion.com) stopped by my table. He was there to cover the show and had interviews planned with some of the guests. As many of my friends know, I’m often asked by Macabre Mansion to be a guest interviewer for their internet show. I always enjoy doing this for my friends at M.M. and Kevin asked if I’d be willing to do it again. So, we headed off to film and record interviews with Gil Gerard, Erin Gray, Bonita Fredericy, and John Billingsly, where we discussed such things as Gil Gerard’s detachable penis, John Billingsly’s frequent romps in the nude, Bonita Fredericy’s secret lust for myself and Zach Levi, and much more. Make sure you keep your eyes peeled on M.M.’s website to watch these hilarious interviews when they are posted.




ABOVE: Jim O’Rear interviews Gil Gerard, Erin Gray, Bonita Fredericy, and John Billingsly for MACABRE MANSION.

Saturday provided stronger attendance but it was tough to get a read on how many attendees there were due to the various venues that had people scattered throughout the city. Many events took place on Saturday, including film screenings, Q&A panels, costume contests, and more. I spotted several varied and cool costumes throughout McWane Center, although my favorite was the very simple Elphaba. I’m not sure why I’ve had a lifelong fascination with Elphaba, the Wicked Witch, but… there she was!


ABOVE: Jim O’Rear sporting a WICKED shirt checks out the convention with Elphaba.

Speaking of costumes… here are a few more I enjoyed seeing…











Fun stuff! Daniel Taylor and I were scheduled to lead a panel on the art of independent filmmaking which, unfortunately, was located in a different venue than where our tables were, but it allowed us the opportunity to see a little more of the show. The panel discussion was held at Old Car Heaven, which is also where most of the anime was located. A few people attended the panel where we got to share good and bad stories about filmmaking and acting in independent movies.


ABOVE: Everything was going along swimmingly until a giant fish came out of nowhere and ate Daniel!

The convention also hosted a screening of my movie OLD HABITS DIE HARD (featuring myself, Kane “Jason” Hodder, Tricia Cast, Roger Hewlett, and Stacey Dixon) on Saturday. Unfortunately, due to poor planning, the screening was held in an open area right alongside a very loud Rock Band contest… so, sounds of the movie and sounds of the bands constantly fought each other and clashed the entire time, making it very difficult to enjoy either of those events.


ABOVE: The Rock Band contest takes place on stage!

Sunday was another slow day, allowing us additional opportunities to find our own entertainment and ways that we could get into trouble. My friends from Macabre Mansion asked if I would conduct another interview for them with zombie artist Billy Tackett (www.BillyTackett.com) while we had some free time. Watch for this one on the M.M. website soon, too. Daniel and Ami Taylor and I used some of the downtime to start filming a humorous short “fish out of water” film based on characters we previous created in another feature. More info about these shenanigans will come at a later time. Bonita Friedericy and John Billingsly used some of their downtime to play a prank on Gil Gerard and Erin Gray. I won’t tell you what it was because these two pranksters will probably want to do it to someone else in the future… so, if you attend a con where Bonita and John are guests, keep an eye on them for some funny stuff!


ABOVE: Daniel Taylor sets fire to the McWane Center while testing his new super powers.

Although Imagicon is new and had some hiccups, the event organizers put forth their best efforts. It was a small, but fun, show that I hope is able to grow in the future.

Thanks for reading,
Jim
www.JimORear.com

Be Part Of A Movie!!!

You can be part of UNDERGROUND ENTERTAINMENT: THE MOVIE!!

UNDERGROUND ENTERTAINMENT, a wacky documentary featuring some of your favorite horror and sci-fi celebrities, is using Kickstarter to raise completion funds in exchange for some cool prizes!

Please check out our Kickstarter page to learn more about this opportunity and pass along the following link to all of your friends! We only have 45 days to reach our goal and everyone’s help is appreciated!!

UNDERGROUND ENTERTAINMENT: THE MOVIE KickStarter Page:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1868225749/underground-entertainment-the-moviebe-part-of-hist-0

Thanks for reading!!
Jim O’Rear
www.JimORear.com

UNDERGROUND ENTERTAINMENT Is Coming!!!!

FRIENDS…

The first teaser trailer for our new documentary, UNDERGROUND ENTERTAINMENT: THE MOVIE, is here! If you’re a fan of horror, indie films, comic books, music, wacky humor, and more, you’ll definitely want to check out the documentary when it’s released later this year.

For now… here’s a sneak peek at what you can expect from this crazy, celebrity-filled extravaganza. Let us know what you think!




Thanks for checking it out!
Jim
www.JimORear.com

On Set: DEATH WOODS and THE ZOMBIE MOVIE

HELLO, FRIENDS…


ABOVE: Debbie Rochon (AMERICAN NIGHTMARE) finds herself at the mercy of Jim O’Rear (SCREAM FARM) in the new movie DEATH WOODS.

I’ve just wrapped cameos in a couple of films with Scream Queen and fellow Golden Cob Award winner Debbie Rochon. This was the first time I’ve ever shot two different films on the same day, in the same location, and wearing the same wardrobe! It was great, from an actor’s standpoint, to not have to go through the extra changes, makeup, or location moves.


ABOVE: Portrait of a dysfunctional family in DEATH WOODS.

First on the slate was DEATH WOODS, by first-time filmmaker Scott Conner. In this traditional slasher-style film, Debbie Rochon and I play the dysfunctional parents of the child who grows up to be the killer in the film. It’s an ugly, angry piece that, unfortunately, mirrors a lot of real families in the community today.


ABOVE: Jim O’Rear is NOT happy with Debbie Rochon’s attitude in DEATH WOODS.

DEATH WOODS has just begun production so it will be awhile before the end product in available, but I’ll keep you updated on this one.


ABOVE: Could this cuddly little child grow up to become the vicious killer in DEATH WOODS?

Next on the slate…. THE ZOMBIE MOVIE, a new flick from Jason Crowe and Roni Jonah. In Crowe’s THE LEGACY I played a crazy character known as “Popeye.” Apparently this character was popular enough to come back and witness the zombie apocalypse with his wife “Olive” (Debbie Rochon) and his brother-in-law “Wimpy” (Bryan Wilson).


ABOVE: Bryan Wilson, Debbie Rochon, and Jim O’Rear witness the zombie apocalypse from their trailer in THE ZOMBIE MOVIE.

In Jason Crowe fashion, the actors were allowed to ad lib, create, and be as crazy as we wanted to be in this comedic scene that brings “Popeye” back to life, once again. This was a lot of fun and a great contrast to the dramatic cameo Debbie and I had just performed in DEATH WOODS.


ABOVE: Roni Jonah, Jim O’Rear, Debbie Rochon, Bryan Wilson, and Jason Crowe on the set of THE ZOMBIE MOVIE.

THE ZOMBIE MOVIE has also just begun production and still has quite a bit of time before the finished product will be available, but stay tuned for more info in the future!!

I want to thank Scott Conner and Jason Crowe for involving me in these projects and for running such an efficient set that allowed us to complete cameos in two different films in one day. I’m looking forward to seeing the finished product!

Thanks for reading,
Jim
www.JimORear.com

FULL MOON FUN INVADES NASHVILLE

HELLO, FRIENDS…


ABOVE: Jim O’Rear And Scout Taylor Compton (ROB ZOMBIE’S HALLOWEEN).

The Full Moon Tattoo And Horror Festival (Nashville, TN) has come and gone, once again, in a flurry of activity. This is, traditionally, one of the most fun conventions of the year and the 2010 show did not disappoint.


ABOVE: Jim O’Rear, Terrance “Graverobber” Zdunich (REPO: THE GENETIC OPERA, and Daniel Taylor (RETURN OF THE SWAMP THING).

The show started for me on Thursday night when my friend Terrance “Graverobber” Zdunich (REPO: THE GENETIC OPERA) flew into town early. We grabbed some dinner and caught up before both of us had to take off to other meetings planned for the night. One of those meetings, for me, was with a friend I hadn’t seen in probably 17 years, Bryan Wilson. Bryan was a co-producer with me on a television show we created 20 years ago (UNDERGROUND ENTERTAINMENT) that ran for a couple of years in various markets. Being the 20 year anniversary… it was time to “get the band back together,” as Jake or Elwood might say. We were going to use the Full Moon convention to start working on a new documentary about the television show, appropriately titled UNDERGROUND ENTERTAINMENT: THE MOVIE, and film as much as possible between convention events. But, I digress… more about this film in a different blog at a later time.


ABOVE: Caroline Williams (TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2) Finds A New Toy To Play With.

This year’s event included appearances by Dee Snider (TWISTED SISTER, STRANGELAND), Scout Taylor Compton (ROB ZOMBIE’S HALLOWEEN), a TEXAS CHAINSAW 2 reunion with Caroline Williams, Bill Moseley, and Bill Johnson, Scream Queen Debbie Rochon, Ari “Jason” Lehman (FRIDAY THE 13TH), Richard “Jason” Brooker (FRIDAY THE 13TH 3), Terrance Zdunich (REPO: THE GENETIC OPERA), Daniel Taylor (RETURN OF THE SWAMP THING), horror artist Billy Tackett, Doug “Pinhead” Bradley and Ashley Laurence (HELLRAISER), Ken Foree (DAWN OF THE DEAD, DEVIL’S REJECTS), wrestling legend Al Snow, and many more. Of course, as usual, the event also included lots of tattoos and horror film screenings.


ABOVE: Jim O’Rear, Ari “Jason” Lehman (FRIDAY THE 13TH), and Bryan Wilson.

Before the show began, Bryan and I sat down for lunch with Ari Lehman (FRIDAY THE 13TH) and the always pleasant Robert Logue (CYPOCRYPHY), swapping funny stories… especially one where Ari gave us the TRUE history of Jason Voorhees (watch for more in UNDERGROUND ENTERTAINMENT). After a great lunch it was time for work!


ABOVE: A zombie has lunch! Where’s the brains???

Friday got off and running as guests and vendors arrived for set up. The ramp-up to events on Friday is a nice, even build which allows you, as a guest, to get settled in and have a chance to greet old friends (thank you for the BIG hello hug, Ashley Laurence!). David Polk, another member of the UNDERGROUND ENTERTAINMENT cast/crew, helped man the table as we greeted show attendees and began filming the documentary.


ABOVE: Dee Snider (STRANGELAND), Jim O’Rear, and Debbie Rochon (AMERICAN NIGHTMARE).

After a hectic Friday, it was time to unwind. And, what better place than Waffle House!!! Yes… in honor of Gunnar Hansen (a die-hard W.H. fan)… Bryan Wilson, Daniel and Ami Taylor, Billy and Heather Tackett, and myself went to grab a late-night snack. Before crashing for the night, however, we were treated by Daniel Taylor rapping out his favorite Lil Jon song and, I must say, Daniel has mad skills!


ABOVE: Jim O’Rear with the cast from TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2… Bill “Leatherface” Johnson, Caroline “Stretch” Williams, and Bill “Chop Top” Moseley.

Saturday we woke up to weather reports of severe thunderstorms and tornados. Great! When were these storms predicted to hit Nashville? Exactly when the show was scheduled to open for the day! Great, again! Although the storms did sweep through during the day, they weren’t all that bad… only leaving us without power for about 1.5 hours. The blackout may sound like a bad thing, but it gave convention attendees the rare opportunity to be in a dark room with Pinhead, Leatherface, and Jason… a nightmare come true, for some!


ABOVE: Scout Taylor Compton taunts Ken Foree (DAWN OF THE DEAD) with her artwork, which demands he dance!

One of the events scheduled on Saturday was a screening of REPO: THE GENETIC OPERA (a brilliant film, if you haven’t seen it already) with a live shadow cast… as in the tradition of ROCKY HORROR. This event was packed and they had to bring in more chairs from the hotel to seat the crowd. Gotta love REPO!


ABOVE: Bryan Wilson, Daniel Taylor, and Jim O’Rear are THE TRINITY OF PAIN.

As things got goofier during the day it was time for the Trinity Of Pain to make their Full Moon debut. The Trinity (a trio of characters created for a future show) consists of Arch Bishop Bryan (Bryan Wilson), Reverend Jim (myself), and Rabbi D (Daniel Taylor) who go forth and help you with your personal problems… whether you want their help or not! Shenanigans ensued once the Trinity arrived on the scene (of course this was filmed for UNDERGROUND ENTERTAINMENT, as well). Here are a few photos from the Trinity’s brief appearance at the Full Moon show…


ABOVE: The Trinity try to drive the demon from actress/model Stacey Dixon’s body.


ABOVE: The Trinity kidnap Scout Taylor Compton (ROB ZOMBIE’S HALLOWEEN)


ABOVE: Caroline Williams (TEXAS CHAINSAW 2) wants to know what’s under skirt!


ABOVE: The Trinity are available to save wrestling legend Al Snow.


ABOVE: The Trinity interrupt Sideshow Bennie’s show, as his material was objectionable in their eyes.


ABOVE: The Trinity loves zombies!

It was a full day of film screenings, tattooing, performances by Sideshow Bennie and Aron Houdini, belly dancers, costume contests, tattoo contests, and more. It was also my pleasure, on Saturday, to do an interview with Infernal Dreams (www.infernaldreams.net) and run into old friends from Macabre Mansion (www.macabremansion.com).


ABOVE: Wrestling legend Al Snow shares nuggets of wisdom.

After 12 hours on the showroom floor it was time to unwind. Several of us went to the bar to hang out for awhile, including Terrence Zdunich, Al Snow, Daniel and Ami Taylor, Billy and Heather Tackett, Bryan Wilson, David Polk, the fine folks from Macabre Mansion, and others, and were met there by Ken Foree and Scout Taylor Compton who were, of all things, discussing strip clubs! Al Snow entertained us with knowledge he’s collected over the years about women… making sure that my son, Brandon (whom Al refers to as his “traveling companion Bucky”), understood all of the complexities involved. This brought about loads of much needed laughter after a busy day on the convention floor.


ABOVE: Ken Foree (DAWN OF THE DEAD)… new spokesperson for Chop Top!

Sunday (known as “The Hangover Day” among conventioneers) allowed us to shoot more footage for UNDERGROUND ENTERTAINMENT: THE MOVIE (with brilliant performances delivered from Caroline Williams, Scout Taylor Compton, Bill Johnson, Jeff Preston, Ari Lehman, Terrance Zdunich, Daniel Taylor, Doug Bradley, Al Snow, and many others). Debbie Rochon and I also did an interview with Macabre Mansion. The day flew by, bringing with it lots of fun.


ABOVE: Daniel Taylor (RETURN OF THE SWAMP THING) does his Highlander impression.

Unfortunately, all good things must end. As the show closed everyone said their goodbyes as Debbie Rochon and I packed up and headed out to film cameos in two different movies (DARK WOODS and THE ZOMBIE MOVIE… more info to come in a future blog). I’d like to thank Ben & Stacey Dixon for asking me to appear at their show again this year. It’s always a great time and a wonderful show! Can’t wait to see what surprises it brings next year.

Thanks for reading,
Jim
www.JimORear.com