Steve Whitmire and Carroll Spinney, better recognized as Kermit the Frog and Big Bird, delighted a captivated audience Sunday, 11:30AM, in Hyatt Centennial II-III for their only Dragon Con panel together, “Carroll & Steve: Early Days of Sesame Street.” They recounted moments from their storied careers, from appearing on The Muppet Show and Sesame Street to working with the incomparable… Read more →
The Science Track’s panel “The Role of Science in Military SF” (Hilton 202, 2:30 PM Saturday) discussed the extent to which science fiction actually uses science. Richard “Hawk” Altstatt, J.L. Doty, Tedd Roberts, and Ben Davis discussed topics ranging from the use of jargon unconnected to science to whether or not faster-than-light travel is possible. The first question, to Doty,… Read more →
The Docent of the Palmetto Knights added a panel to their repertoire on “Spears: The Thrown Point” Saturday evening, covering a variety of weapons used for hunting and warfare since the dawn of humanity. The Knights considered the origin of the spear in fire-hardened sticks used by hunters and by peasant-conscripted troops. They displayed and explained the purpose and use… Read more →
The “BSG: All Along the Watchtowers” panel brought Michael Trucco, Aaron Douglas, Tricia Helfer, and Jamie Bamber to the Marriott Atrium ballroom at 2:30 PM on Friday. As cast members were introduced, Helfer showed them which seats with their name tents in front of them and Douglas filled water glasses. The moderator kicked off the panel by noting that Bamber’s… Read more →
There was a packed room at the Hyatt Centennial Saturday at 7PM to listen to the Georgia Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor John Morrison has served as music director of the Georgia Philharmonic since 2010. For more than a decade, John Morrison has been the executive director of the Georgia Academy of Music, also conducting the chamber orchestra. The 60-some musicians make… Read more →
Dragon Con’s science track brought five experts to Room 202 of the Hilton on Saturday at 1 PM to discuss ways to get away with murder. Emily Finke, Joseph Meany, Raychelle Burks, and John Cmar entered into the topic with gusto. Burks, the moderator, opened the program by asking the other panelists to assume they needed to get rid of… Read more →
In “The Genetics of Harry Potter,” Saturday 1PM in Marriott A601–602, charismatic and down-to-earth Duke professor Eric Spana, PhD, gave a fantastic layman’s breakdown of how we can genetically determine whether offspring in a family could be magical or non-magical. He was specific on acceptable sources of character lineage, which included the Harry Potter novels and movies, tangential books such… Read more →
In a program called “What Is Historic Steel Combat?” (Hyatt Kennesaw, 1PM Friday), Armory staffers explained different types of historic combat being practiced today. Allen Johnson explained that combat sports span historical periods and different methods but explore accuracy and are dedicated to historic accuracy, not only what works in a situation. His fellow presenters set out a wide range… Read more →
