GMX: Geeks, Ghosts, & UNDERGROUND!

HELLO, FRIENDS…


ABOVE: John Wesley Shipp (THE FLASH, DAWSON’S CREEK) gets "The Treatment" from Jim O’Rear and Bryan Wilson.

What is GMX? It’s the Geek Media Expo held in Nashville, Tennessee! This years event was filled with sci-fi, anime, paranormal, horror, comics, gaming, music, and more! I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many different, unusual, and original activities crammed into a 3-day event. Just looking at the schedule was exhausting!


ABOVE: Brandon O'Rear hangs out with the ladies.

The show began on Friday afternoon with a slow ramp up to what was to be an explosion of activity over the life of the event. The exhibition hall / celebrity room opened up first, giving the attendees a chance to shop for various items from the vendors and meet a variety of celebrities, including John Wesley Shipp (THE FLASH, DAWSON’S CREEK), teen pop sensation Tiffany (MEGA PIRANHA, JETSONS: THE MOVIE), Jackson Bostwick (SHAZAM, TRON), Patricia Albrecht and Samantha Newark (JEM), Sonya Thompson and Larry Mainland (THE WALKING DEAD), Daniel Taylor (RETURN OF THE SWAMP THING), Mike Holman (JACKASS), Ellen McLain (PORTAL), Bryson Kanouse (PSYCHIC KIDS), and many more.


ABOVE: Bryan Wilson, Samantha Newark (JEM), Tiffany (MEGA PIRANHA), Patricia Albrecht (JEM), and Jim O'Rear.

A few hours later, opening ceremonies took place then the show was off and running with a variety of events that included a comedy showcase, a CD release party with Samantha Newark, art competitions, educational panels, and 80’s dance party with Tiffany, and a sneak peek screening of UNDERGROUND ENTERTAINMENT: THE MOVIE!


ABOVE: Daniel Taylor, Jim O’Rear, and Bryan Wilson greet the crowd during opening ceremonies.


ABOVE: Jim O’Rear and Bryan Wilson give event promoter/organizer Jeremy Miller "The Treatment" during opening ceremonies.

With so many activities to choose from, I was surprised that we had an audience for the UNDERGROUND film screening. Bryan and I want to thank everyone who attended the screening. We appreciate all of the kind comments you had afterwards.


ABOVE: Bryan Wilson, Daniel Taylor (RETURN OF THE SWAMP THING), and Jim O'Rear party with John Wesley Shipp (THE FLASH, DAWSON'S CREEK).

The show closed for the day at 2am and picked up again at 9am. Apparently geeks don’t sleep, though, because there were a variety of room parties going on after hours. I found that geeks also take their partying seriously. There were room parties with food, drinks, pumping sound systems, disco lights, decorations… you name it. This con actually has a room party contest, so the attendees were going all out. I’m not sure when they slept, but the doors opened to a ton of people Saturday morning.


ABOVE: Jackson Bostwick (SHAZAM, TRON) gets "The Treatment" from Jim O'Rear & Bryan Wilson.

The Saturday schedule was packed. Bryan and I had panels to do on the paranormal and screenwriting and we were guest judges at the Jedi Obstacle Course. There were Q&As, a live-action Angry Birds contest, how-to horror makeup demonstrations, costume contests, video games, pin up girl contests, and much more.


ABOVE: Transformers, Robots With Big Thighs.


ABOVE: Hit Girl couldn't even save herself from "The Treatment."

Bryan and I want to give a big thank you to our friend Joe Webb for coming to see us and delivering us snacks and lunch. Joe is one of the nicest, most caring guys we’ve met in a long, long time. Thanks, Joe!!


ABOVE: Joe Webb specifically asked for "The Treatment."

Saturday brought on a surprise appearance from the Trinity Of Pain, who made the rounds and caused havoc as they spread their twisted wisdom across the con. No one is safe when these guys show up.


ABOVE: Sonya Thompson (THE WALKING DEAD) falls victim to the Trinity Of Pain.


ABOVE: The Trinity Of Pain points out which T-Shirts at the World Of Strange table are too sinful to sell.


ABOVE: There's 3 in the Trinity.


ABOVE: Mike Holman (JACKASS) is questioned about a particular lady garment that was found in his possession.

The Trinity got a taste of their own medicine, however, when they found out about a convent full of Nuns that was located across the street from the hotel and decided to take a trip over there to pick up dates. Needless to say, the Nuns didn’t think it was funny and the guys were busted. It’s okay, though, because later that night two members of the Trinity found Jesus and gave him "The Treatment."


ABOVE: Jim O’Rear & Bryan Wilson give Jesus "The Treatment."

It was great catching up with old friends and meeting new ones as the flurry of activity passed by at a rapid pace. Before we knew it, 2am was upon us and it was time for the show to wind down again.


ABOVE: Bryan Wilson & Jim O'Rear check out the steampunk display featuring The Fonz jumping the shark.

The show picked back up again at 9am. Surely, after two long nights of partying, there would be no one awake to attend our paranormal panel that was scheduled first thing in the morning. How wrong we were, though. Bryan and I were joined by investigators Judi Swan, Tammy Luthi-Retzlaff, and Bryson Kanouse (PSYCHIC KIDS) for a fun Q&A. It was a small audience, but more than I expected that early on a Sunday morning.


ABOVE: Bryson Kanouse (PSYCHIC KIDS), Tammy Luthi-Retzlaff, Bryan Wilson, Jim O'Rear, and Judi Swan clown around during their paranormal panel.

More events, panels, and games took place throughout the day until 5pm came and it was time to say goodbye. We want to thank Jeremy Miller and all of the staff at GMX who took care of us over the weekend. We had a blast and hope to return to GMX in 2012!



Thanks for reading,
Jim O’Rear & Bryan Wilson
www.UETheMovie.com
www.JimORear.com
www.Bryan-Wilson.com

HELLO, FRIENDS…

HELLO, FRIENDS…




ABOVE: Bryan Wilson Gasses Up The Smoky Mountains.


Gatlinburg, Tennessee, knows how to get their horror groove on! I’m talking about the most-excellent HORRORWEEKEND, that took place September 30 – October 2. Horror stars and horror fans flocked to the Gatlinburg Convention Center to take part in a variety of events, film screenings, Q&As, and parties. The promoters of this event, Jennifer Black and Adam Phelps, really took great care of us as guests and gave the fans just what they wanted. I have so many nice things to say about this show, but I’ll try to keep the words brief and use lots of pictures!




ABOVE: Bryan Wilson, Cerina Vincent (CABIN FEVER), Jim O'Rear, & Monique Dupree (POST MORTEM AMERICA 2021).


Bryan Wilson and I arrived early to check in and get our table set up. While walking to the convention center we ran into our old friend J. LaRose (SAW 3, INSIDIOUS) and took a few minutes to catch up and discuss one of his favorite subjects… beer! Arriving at the convention center we saw that LaRose was going to be seated right behind us, but that changed when the promoter moved him three tables down from us. J said it was because we were "too ass-grabby." Apparently, he is all too familiar with "The Treatment." (J, of course, was making a joke…he actually loves it when we grab his ass!)




ABOVE: Jim O’Rear & Bryan Wilson give Doug Jones (HELLBOY, PAN’S LABYRINTH, SILVER SURFER) "The Treatment" as Doug gets "ass-grabby."




ABOVE: Doug Jones after Jim O'Rear & Monique Dupree grabbed his "junk."


The official event kicked off Friday night at the Hard Rock Café for a special VIP Meet And Greet party. When Bryan and I arrived, our buddy Cernia Vincent (CABIN FEVER, NOT ANOTHER TEEN MOVIE) was there to greet us with a big hug. We were soon joined by the lovely Monique Dupree (POST MORTEM AMERICA 2021) and her awesome husband Saint and after a few minutes we were ushered into a private room where we joined more friends such as Dick Warlock (HALLOWEEN 2), Felix Silla (ADDAMS FAMILY, BUCK ROGERS), Sid Haig (DEVIL’S REJECTS), Alex Vincent (CHILD’S PLAY), Doug Jones (HELLBOY, PAN’S LABYRINTH, SILVER SURFER), Camden Toy (BUFFY, ANGEL), Sonya Thompson (WALKING DEAD), Brian O’Halloran (CLERKS, DOGMA), Hanna Hall (FORREST GUMP, HALLOWEEN), and many more. The fans who purchased VIP tickets were let in and the party was on…complete with free food and drinks and a live performance by Radio Cult (an awesome group of musicians and darn fine people)!




ABOVE: Radio Cult takes a picture of me while I’m taking a picture of them!


This party was a blast….and we were treated to seeing Sonya Thompson bust a move! The Hard Rock provided us all with free T-Shirts and we all signed a guitar to be auctioned off to raise money for breast cancer. We have to thank the fine people and wait staff at Gatlinburg’s Hard Rock for all their hard work and participation in making this a fun event for everyone, especially Hillary and Jessica! Here’s a few photos from the event:




ABOVE: Jim O'Rear autographs a guitar to be raffled for breast cancer.




ABOVE: Bryan Wilson autographs a guitar to be raffled for breast cancer,




ABOVE: The guitar signed by all celebrities in attendance.




ABOVE: Hard Rock Hillary gets "The Treatment" from Jim O'Rear & Bryan Wilson.




ABOVE: Bryan Wilson taking part in an in-depth discussion with Felix Silla (ADDAMS FAMILY, BUCK ROGERS) and Dick Warlock (HALLOWEEN 2).




ABOVE: Bryan Wilson about to get a handful of Alex Vincent (CHILD'S PLAY).




ABOVE: Group shot promoting Hard Rock!


Saturday was filled with events such as a costume contest, a scream queen contest, Q&A panels, film screenings, and more. We were also joined by more celebrities who couldn’t make it Friday night, such as Derek Mears (FRIDAY THE 13^TH, PREDATORS), Ari Lehman (FRIDAY THE 13^TH), Margo Kidder (SUPERMAN), Ernie Hudson (GHOST BUSTERS, THE CROW), Kristina Klebe (HALLOWEEN), WCW’s Diamond Dallas Page (DEVIL’S REJECTS), Zach Galligan (GREMLINS), P.J. Soles (HALLOWEEN, STRIPES), Nivek Ogre (REPO), and more.




ABOVE: The Three Stooges -- Bryan Wilson, Zach Galligan (GREMLINS), & Jim O'Rear.




ABOVE: Sonya Thompson (WALKING DEAD) gets zombified for Bryan Wilson.




ABOVE: Ogre (REPO, SKINNY PUPPY) about to give Jim O'Rear "The Treatment."




ABOVE: Jim O'Rear & Bryan Wilson give "The Treatment" to Plucky and Brian O'Halloran (CLERKS, DOGMA, CHASING AMY).


As the day came to a close, Sid Haig asked if I would join him for dinner, along with a few other celebs. Sid is a great guy with TONS of fantastic stories…how could I NOT go? Sid, P.J. Soles, Ogre, and myself loaded up into a hearse that had been converted into a limo (with padded bench seating, a bar, and television sets playing episodes of THE MUNSTERS) and headed to a steakhouse to meet up with J. LaRose, Diamond Dallas Page, and Monique and Saint. Always the gracious host, Sid invited our limo driver inside to have dinner with us. Unfortunately, Bryan had to leave and fly to Ireland and missed out on a wonderful meal and time of fellowship with these great folks.




ABOVE: Dinnertime with Sid Haig (DEVIL'S REJECTS), P.J. Soles (HALLOWEEN, STRIPES), Jim O'Rear, Monique Dupree (POST MORTEM AMERICA 2021) and Saint, WCW's Diamond Dallas Page (DEVIL'S REJECTS), J. LaRose (SAW 3, INSIDIOUS), Ogre (REPO), and our wonderful limo driver.


After dinner we were scheduled to make an appearance at Ole Smoky Moonshine (Tennessee's first legal moonshine distillery) where we were provided with all the tasty moonshine we wanted to drink and were given care packages to take home with us. Thank you to the owner for his hospitality!




ABOVE: A group visit to Ole Smoky Moonshine with J. LaRose (SAW 3), Sid Haig (DEVIL'S REJECTS), Brian O'Halloran (CLERKS), WCWs Diamond Dallas Page (DEVIL'S REJECTS), Jim O'Rear, Ogre (REPO), Monique Dupree (POST MORTEM AMERICA 2021), and Derek Mears (FRIDAY THE 13TH).


From there we were rushed back to the Hard Rock for another VIP Meet & Greet party where Ari Lehman and his band, First Jason, rocked the house. Carl Donavan, a friend of Bryan and I from over 20 years ago, showed up with his lovely friend "Plucky" and joined me for the party. He had come in earlier that day to check out the con and to be around for the sneak screening of UNDERGROUND ENTERTAINMENT, that was to be held the following day. I had not seen him in 20 years (he was around during the television years of UNDERGROUND) and it was great to catch up.




ABOVE: Who knew Dick Warlock (HALLOWEEN 2) would get so upset when Jim O'Rear put the moves on his wife?


Sunday morning started a little slowly as people were fighting the effects of all the moonshine the night before, but it didn’t take long for things to come to life. Although there were more Q&As, concerts, and film screenings (including Zac Parker’s fantastic new flick SCALENE, featuring Margo Martindale, Hanna Hall, and our good friend Jim Dougherty) the highlight of the day, for me personally, was the sneak peek screening of UNDERGROUND ENTERTAINMENT.




ABOVE: Black Bears love UNDERGROUND ENTERTAINMENT.


The reaction of the attendees after the screening was fantastic, including people thanking us for making the film (as it touched the fan geek inside of them), people asking if we would please release a boxed set of the original television episodes, and the return of the shows tag line being uttered from people’s mouths, "Underground Entertainment doesn’t suck!" It was a surreal moment to hear several people saying that tag line after not hearing since the television days 20 years ago. Bryan and I thank those who came to see it and thank everyone for your acceptance of this screwball comedy which shares a small piece our lives.




ABOVE: Zac Parker (SCALENE), Jim O'Rear, & Hanna Hall (FORREST GUMP, HALLOWEEN).




ABOVE: Jim O'Rear & J. LaRose (SAW 3) wonder what's in the sandwich.




ABOVE: Jim O'Rear, Cerina Vincent (CABIN FEVER, NOT ANOTHER TEEN MOVIE), & Camden Toy (BUFFY, ANGEL),




ABOVE: Jim O'Rear with Hard Rock Hillary & Hard Rock Jessica.


Again, we want to thank Jennifer Black & Adam Phelps for putting on a great show that ran smoothly and without a hitch. It was a fantastic weekend and I do hope to be able to participate again next year! If you weren’t able to make it this year, keep an eye open for HORRORWEEKEND 2012.




ABOVE: Bryan Wilson gives Jesus "The Treatment."


Thanks for reading,

Jim O’Rear & Bryan Wilson

www.UETheMovie.com

www.JimORear.com

www.Bryan-Wilson.com

MONSTERS, MUSIC, & U.E.

HELLO, FRIENDS…


ABOVE: The CRITTER receives “The Treatment” from Jim O’Rear and Bryan Wilson.


Bryan and I just returned home for a couple of days and wanted to drop you a quick note. Thank you to everyone involved in the process of UNDERGROUND ENTERTAINMENT: THE MOVIE being screened at THE SCAREFEST in Lexington, KY, this weekend… especially Nic & Fiona Brown, Jeff Waldridge, and Cherokee Hall… and thanks to those who attended the screening and had such kind comments afterwards. A short video of some of these funny testimonials will be coming soon!


ABOVE: Jim O’Rear and the lovely Elvira.


THE SCAREFEST was a blast. I wish we had the time to spend all weekend there visiting with our friends and fans… such as Elvira, Danielle Harris, Ernie Hudson, Linnea Quigley, Beverly Randolph, James & Mary Hampton, the dynamic duo of Angela & Wickedbeard, Lisa Baker, Bill Moseley, Ed Douglas, Paul Browning, John Dugan, Lance Henricksen, Ben & Stacey Dixon, Cameron, Patty, Emily, Ender…. The list goes on and on.


ABOVE: Jim O’Rear and Bryan Wilson give Wickedbeard “The Treatment” on the red carpet!

THE SCAREFEST ran like a smooth and efficient machine with thousands of attendees. It’s a fun show with lots of excellent guests and fun events. If you haven’t made it to this show yet, plan to attend in Lexington next year…in which the new dates happen to fall on my birthday! Party anyone?


ABOVE: Steve Nappe, Kane Hodder, Danielle Harris, and Jim O'Rear.


ABOVE: Bryan Wilson, Ernie Hudson, and Jim O’Rear.


ABOVE: Bryan Wilson and Jim O'Rear outside the screening of UNDERGROUND ENTERTAINMENT: THE MOVIE, sponsored by Fear.net.


ABOVE: Bryan Wilson, Beverly Randolph, and Jim O’Rear.


ABOVE: Jim O'Rear and Bryan Wilson hamming it up on the red carpet.

After the sneak screening of UNDERGROUND ENTERTAINMENT, Bryan and I had to run to Indianapolis, IN, to appear at a benefit concert for the Make A Wish Fund. Bryan played with FOREVER THE TRIBUTE (a Beatles tribute band) and brought down the house.


ABOVE: Bryan Wilson as John Lennon in FOREVER THE TRIBUTE.


ABOVE: Forever The Tribute.

Bryan and I travelled quickly through Indiana. Since we were recently banned in Franklin, IN, due to our film UNDERGROUND ENTERTAINMENT being too controversial for them, we weren’t sure what law offices might be out to get us. However, we did stop long enough in Franklin to snap this photo:


ABOVE: Franklin welcomes… US???

Thousands of dollars were raised at this benefit concert to help sick kids and Bryan and I were proud to be a part of this event. We don’t know that everyone was as proud, though, when a 5th Beatle was put on the stage!


ABOVE: Jim O’Rear gets wigged.


ABOVE: What's on Jim's head?


ABOVE: John Lennon and the 5th Beatle.


ABOVE: Hey! Where did Jim’s hair go?

We want to thank Franklin, Indiana, and the B Movie Celebration/Artcraft Theater for banning us this weekend, as it allowed us the time to help raise a lot of money for a lot of sick kids and connect to many more UNDERGROUND ENTERTAINMENT fans!

We’re in Gatlinburg, TN, this week for HORROR WEEKEND (www.HorrorWeekend.com) appearing with a ton of genre stars and holding another sneak peek screening of UNDERGROUND ENTERTAINMENT. We hope to see you there!!

Thanks for reading,
Jim O’Rear and Bryan Wilson
www.UETheMovie.com
www.JimORear.com
www.Bryan-Wilson.com