Take Me To Comicon: The Growing Popularity

                                                                    photo credit: www.eugenecon.com

Brief History:  

Eugene Comicon, or Eucon for short, had their first comicon in 2014.  Since its inception, growing popularity has made it a hit.   Every year, Eucon brings celebrities from all over to do meet and greets, autographs, and talk to the fans.   With Eugene being a relatively small town compared to Portland, Eucon has still managed to book some big name talent.   Historically they have been able to obtain Jason David Frank (popularly known as the green ranger in Power Rangers, Peter Hollens (popular youtube singer), Ernie Hudson(known for his talent in Ghostbusters, Miss Congeniality, etc), several WWE hall of famers, such as Booker T.   While they have also had John Rhys-Davies and other big name actors on the schedule to appear, some have had to cancel due to scheduling conflicts.  They also have artists, authors, toys, demonstrations, and Q&A's that take place over the day as well.

Cost:

For the low price of $25.00, you can get into Eucon for the entire weekend.   However, should you decide to swing another twenty dollars towards you admission fee, you get upgraded to a Zip Pass.  Zip Passes allow perks such as being able to skip to the front of the line to do meet and greets and autographs, they also allow you to get in 30 minutes earlier than others, and often times allows you a swag bag(as long as supplies last).

Public Safety:

Unfortunately due to the current climate of public shootings at various events, there is a heavy security presence.   From local police, to sheriffs deputies, to unarmed security and alcohol monitors, bags you bring in are searched and any cosplay weapons are checked and tagged with a orange ziptie to indicate it has passed an inspection and is safe to carry around.

What you typically see:

The moment you get onsite of the venue, you are greeted by the sight of hundreds of cosplayers(people dressed as their favorite characters.  For it to be an official cosplay, the person has to make at least 60% of their costume from scratch.  Buying already made costumes from stores do not constitute a "cosplay")  The longer the day goes on, the more cosplayers you see roaming around.  Hundreds of booths will be providing demonstrations, taking pictures, etc.   

COSPLAYS:

   

Featured Artist:

I had the pleasure of meeting Annie M. Pasquinelli.  This 27 year old published her book, Stronger: A Fearless Nine Story and was at Eucon promoting her book.   A local girl, she dedicated the book to her alma mater, Oregon State University.   The book starts out in Corvallis, Oregon and goes from there.   It follows the adventures of nine super heroes.   You can find out more by going to her website: https://www.fearlessnine.com/

Artist: Annie Pasquinelli

Featured Organization:
The 501st Legion is a nonprofit that uses Star Wars costumes to do charity benefits, fundraising, and other great events to promote interest in the Star Wars Universe.  It is a completely volunteer organization.    You can find more about this great organization by visiting their website: https://www.501st.com

Featured Merchant:
Brick Builders is a lego and hobby shop where you can buy lego minifigures, bricks, and other special items to play with.   While their prices are somewhat on the expensive side, they tend to have a lot of the more rarer types of legos that you dont see much of anymore.  They also have an area to play video games within their store.  You can find them at 1133 Willamette Street in Eugene.  Street Parking is usually available within a one block radius.

 As you can see, there is a lot more to comicon than it being a dream for geeks and nerds.  This family friendly event has something for everyone and it is relatively inexpensive to attend.   While meet and greets generally are free, autographs and photographs are a bit spendy so make sure you bring cash to spend.     You can view all of the photos taken by comicon by going to the facebook page of Natural Photography Unlimited.   You can find it here: https://www.facebook.com/pg/NaturalPhotographyUnlimited/photos/?tab=album&album_id=257099788307008




Special Thanks to Rebecca with Eucon for the press pass that allowed me to take all the pictures at this years Eucon. 

Wrap City Food Cart Review

 

Wrap City is owned by Husband and Wife Eric and Jessica Thomason.  You can always find their bright yellow cart located in Kesey Square, Monday through Friday from 11am to 2pm.  There is no current plans to expand hours into the weekends.  Wrap City has a 4.9 out of 5 star rating on facebook with 33 reviews and 507 likes.  They have been in operation since April 9th, 2012.  For the first 8 months Jessica was the sole operator and Eric would come in and help close due to having a second job.  I got a chance to sit down and interview Eric and here was some of the things he had to say:

Davis Family Reviews: What would you like your customers to know about yourself and Wrap City?

Eric: We are successful and love what we do because we stay true to ourselves, spending time as husband and wife, as well as give back to the community.  We love what we do.  I am very creative as a chef.  

Davis Family Reviews: You guys give to different Charities, correct?

Eric:  We do.  It is a local charity mostly.  This month is Special Olympics in honor of my twin Sister.  We have picked a charity to donate to every month since we opened.  The size of the check isn't much, just a couple hundred dollars but it is a way to give back to the community and build relationships. 

Davis Family Reviews: Being downtown, you see lots of people.  What is your most popular dish?

Eric:  The Thai Dye is the first I would mention.  With summer being in, the Despot is a hit.  And I would also say our noodle bowls.

Davis Family Reviews: Despite the name of your food truck, a lot of your dishes are noodle and rice based.  Can you explain that?"

Eric: It's because of an expansion of the menu.  When we started we had 3 wraps with a wrap of the week.  There was a couple salad bowls but nothing as elaborate as we sell today.  Our menu is created by our customers.  We experiment and if they like it, it stays on the menu.  The name of our cart is just for fun.  We like to have fun.  Our ingredients are at least 60% ORGANIC from the cabbage we use and the romaine lettuce.  The chicken is all white meat chicken.  

Davis Family Reviews:  Everything on your menu is well priced in this economy.  Everything is $5.00 and under.

Eric: Correct.  We do that for good reason.  Everyone is doing the best they can these days and I always believed in a $5.00 lunch.  

Eric and Jessica next to their food cart: Wrap City

I was able to sample their food which included two of the current popular dishes: The Thai Dye and The Teriyaki Bowl.  Everything was amazing with just the right amount of ingredient to sauce ratio.  The presentation of the food was inviting as well as the smell and taste of it.  Below are some other people's comment's on Wrap City (Taken from the Facebook Page of Wrap City)

"Great food, great people and thank you for supporting Donate Life Northwest as your April 2014 fundraiser. We are so grateful."

- Sue Scott May 8th, 2014

"Great eats for only five dollars and great people. Can be made gluten free."

- Ellen Bridges January 1st, 2014

"I'm so inspired by this couple. They service is wonderful, the food is made with love and you can really see how much these owners love what they do. Every month they donate part of those proceeds to local non-profit organizations.
The food is great too!"

- Dani Stern February 4th, 2015

So next time you are in Downtown Eugene, head on down to Kesey Square and see Eric and Jessica at Wrap City.  You will be most glad you did.

Wrap City Owners: Eric and Jessica

Star Wars The Force Awakens Review: Expectations Vs Reality

Disclaimer: This post is of my opinion and those whom I have talked to.  I am a huge fan of the Star Wars Films, and in no way mean to be negative.  I have great respect for my fellow actors, actresses, writers, and directors who are in the entertainment industry.  Mark, Carrie, Harrison, Peter, Anthony, Kenny, and George....Thank you.  Forty years ago you brought us all something we can cherish for a life time.  Daisy, John, Gwen, Andy, Dom....Good Luck.  You're gonna need it and May the Force be with you.

Warning:  This has Spoilers!

It had been 10 years since Star Wars Revenge of The Sith had been released.  Most had lost all hope of any more movies from this iconic saga.  But fans everywhere perked up when they heard Lucasfilms Ltd. was being bought by another company.  When it was announced Disney bought Lucasfilms, there was mixed reactions(especially when it was announced Disney would release three more Star Wars movies).  Most people were happy for the movies, but rumors flew that Disney would ruin Star Wars due to their reputation for making movies for younger viewers.  With the anticipation of the new movie, Disney kept a very tight lid on things.   Rumors went around the new movies would be based on the books after Return of the Jedi.  In fact, most people expected them to follow the storyline from The Young Jedi Knight novels written by Kevin J. Anderson and his wife Rebecca Moesta.  Here is the reality:

It APPEARS in the movie, this is not about Han and Leia Solo's kids, Jacen and Jaina Solo, but rather about their son Ben Solo.  In the books written by Kevin J Anderson and his wife, Ben is Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade Skywalker's Child (Named after Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi).

While they get the name of the Solo's Child wrong, they do get a detail right.  One of the kids, goes over to the dark side.  In the books, Jacen Solo goes to the dark side and is eventually killed by his sister Jaina.  In the Movie however, Ben Solo goes over to the Dark Side, leading the newly reformed empire called "The First Order".  He goes by Kylo Ren.  He is the first Sith shown to not have "Darth" in front of his name in the movies.

Ben Solo(AKA Kylo Ren) Leads The First Order

Luckily they were able to get the entire original trilogy cast back. Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, and Peter Mayhew.   Joining the cast was Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Gwendoline Christie, Andy Serkis, and Domhnall Gleeson.





Definition of Fandoms: 

the state or condition of being a fan of someone or something.

Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Gwendonline Christie all come from one fandom or another.  Andy played Gollum/Smeagol in the Lord of The Rings/The Hobbit.  Dohmnall was Bill Weasley in the Harry Potter films, and Gwendoline plays Brienne of Tarth in Game of Thrones.  Throw in Director JJ Abrams who had been directing the Star Trek films since 2009 and we have 4 fandoms grouping into a 5th.  HOW could casting have missed that?  Then there is the biggest fandom rivalry ever: Star Wars vs Star Trek.  JJ has the sci-fi experience of directing films and TV Shows such as Super 8, Alias, and Fringe.  In 2009 he directed and produced Star Trek and did the same with Star Trek Into Darkness in 2013.  But to direct, produce, write, and have a cameo appearance in the first Star Wars film to be released in a decade?  Some would call it a conflict of interest.  Especially when he continued producing the newest Star Trek movie(Star Trek Beyond).  Whether trying to repair a long standing rivalry, or simply out of ignorance, the first commercial when the new Star Wars Movie opened, was a trailer of Star Trek Beyond.  Coincidence?

 Deaths:  In the books after Return of The Jedi, Chewbacca dies saving the twins.  Well in the movies we see a death but it is not Chewbacca....It is our favorite smuggler Han.  He attempts to do a "Luke" and bring back his son from the dark side of the force.  The attempt is fatal move on Han's part, who took a lightsaber to the abdomen and fell into the abyss.  What does that mean for Harrison Ford and his time with the Star Wars saga?  

I could go on all day pointing out the differences many fans have witnessed because we(yes I am one of the many people who did)listened to rumors of what it was going to be like and ended up disappointed at the fact it didn't happen.  One thing is certain: Disney has lived up to its reputation of catering to the younger viewers.  There still was that "kid filter" on Disney and on JJ.  Hence why many started a petition for George to do episode 8 and 9.  As a huge fan, I can only hope we go up from here.  

I did like the movie....from a certain point of view.....I think I can speak for everyone when Harrison and Peter come on the screen for the first time in the trailers, and Harrison says "Chewie, we're home...." it brings a certain feeling to your heart and you feel goosebumps on your skin because we have waited so long to hear those words.  "We're Home".  And that is exactly where we are when we watch Star Wars.  We are home in the Star Wars Galaxy.

My Final Rating for this movie is: 7.5

Nashville Tribute Band Visits Creswell, Oregon

By: Schuyler Davis

Nashville Tribute Band

The Tribute Band brought up all the missionaries and
they sang a song together

There was so many missionaries, they would not all fit in the
picture.  Multiple pictures were taken.

It has been two years since the Nashville Tribute Band has made an appearance in Creswell, Oregon.  Made up of several people from different country music groups(Diamond Rio and Due West to name a couple), the Nashville Tribute Band comes together to pay tribute to the Spiritual community.  They do so by singing songs and putting a country twist into it.   Even someone who isn't spiritual would have a hard time enjoying the upbeat music they play.

The sons of  Diamond Rio, Chad and Ben Truman
(The Truman Brothers)

Jason Deere(Due West) and Schuyler Davis
(Davis Family Reviews)

Tim Gates(Due West)

Held at The Criddle Farm on July 16th, 2016, the Nashville Tribute Band came and sang some songs that came from their albums.  I was able to procure the set list:
The Prayer
The Rising Narration
The Rising Candles
American Dreams
Modern Day Sam
Brother I’ll Follow You
God is Good
Hardest Thing
(set list continued)
John’s Song
Tears Intro
Tears On His Feet
Soldier & The Thief
When the Son of Man Comes Again

Right before singing Hardest Thing, they brought up the missionaries who have served on a mission and they all sang together.


To help enjoy the music, there were food trucks, Ice Cream and Drinks for sale, Chairs for comfort and to watch the concert and parking staff.

Admission was $25.00 in advance or $30.00 at the gate.  For this much fun, it is worth it.  You can view the Nashville Tribute Bands Website by going here: https://www.nashvilletributeband.org/
where it will tell you all their upcoming shows.
You can view their Youtube Channel by going here:
https://www.youtube.com/user/nashvilletributeband where you can find interviews, music, and bonus content.
You can also like them on facebook by going to: https://www.facebook.com/nashvilletributeband.
Next time the Nashville Tribute Band is in your town, check them out.  You won't regret it.














Acknowledgements:
I would love to say thank you to Justin and Lisa Criddle as well as the surrounding family for hosting the Nashville Tribute Band these 2 years.  It has been an amazing show thanks to you and your family.
Thank you to the Nashville Tribute Band for coming out and playing for us.  I hope to return for your next time out here.  Your music is inspiring.  Jeremy Barron, Nashville Tribute Band Manager for the Set list, enabling me to do this blog.  And last but not least, to all the missionaries out there.  Thank you for your service.  Both active ones on missions and those who have already went one.  It cannot be easy to leave your home and family, go abroad talking to strangers about god, yet you answer his call and do it.  I salute you for it.

Justin Criddle

Lisa Criddle

The Fosters on Freeform and Netflix-An Overview of Four Seasons

An Overview of Four Seasons of The Fosters

All Photos Courtesy of Google







The Fosters is a tv show, in it's fourth season, which stars the following people: Teri Polo(Stef), Sherri Saum(Lena), Hayden Byerly(Jude), Maia Mitchell(Callie), Jake T. Austin(Jesus)(until Season 3), Nick Centineo(Jesus)(Season 3-Present), David Lambert(Brandon), and Cierra Ramirez(Mariana).

 Breaking down the characters we have:
Stef: Foster/Adoptive Mother, Police Officer, Partner to Lena
Lena: Foster/Adoptive Mother, Vice Principal, Partner to Stef
Brandon: Biological Son of Stef
Jesus: Foster Son of Stef and Lena from age 5-8, adopted at age 8 by Stef and Lena, Twin to Mariana
Mariana: Foster Daughter of Stef and Lena from age 5-8, adopted at age 8 by Stef and Lena, Twin to Jesus.
Callie: Foster Daughter of Stef and Lena, adopted by Stef and Lena in Season 3
Jude: Foster Son of Stef and Lena, adopted by Stef and Lena in Season 1, youngest of the Adams-Foster Kids, most consider him a member of the LGBT community since his relationship with Connor Stevens (Gavin MacIntosh).

Casting Changes:
Gavin MacIntosh decided to leave the show after the summer finale in Season 3.  His character "Connor Stevens" moves to LA, at which time after a little while, Connor and Jude breakup via video chat.

Jake T. Austin left the cast before season 3 started.  The character of Jesus was recasted and given to Noah Centineo, who had a recurring role on Disney Channel's Austin and Ally as Dallas (Ally Dawson's crush before Austin Moon).

The Fosters touches on a wide variety of issues but mainly what we see in the first three seasons are five real life problems we face today:
 How the foster care system works, adoption, teen sex, LGBTQ, and the Juvenile Justice System.

This is what we need to take from watching this series and recognizing these 5 problems:

How the foster care system works: Caseworker placing a child into a foster home.  A home where the child is not familiar with the parents, its rules, the territory, anything.   Kids are going to test limits to see if they can trust the foster parents or if they will just throw the child back to the sharks of the system.
Adoption: The long, hard road kids have to go down to find that loving, forever home.  Sometimes it takes a month, other times it can take years, and sometimes....the sad times....it just can't happen period.
Teen Sex:  We need to see that we have an obligation to teach safe sex because if they want to find a way, they WILL find a way.  We need to make sure we are preparing them to take every precaution from testing to using protection.
LGBTQ:  This is the big one.  Teaching acceptance of one another's differences and understanding that love is love.  Bullying and teasing is what leads to things like depression, low self esteem, Suicide(especially in teens), violence, etc....
The Juvenile Justice System:  Every action has consequences.  However even when you make a mistake, people need to understand that sometimes all kids need is for someone not to give up on them and to show them towards the light.

Making History:
Film Making is always fun.  Acting can be hard at times.  But what if you were given the chance to make history, all while acting?  In this case, it is believed to have happened.  Hayden Byerly and Gavin MacIntosh play two teenage boys who are members of the LGBT community.  It is believed they made history on March 2nd, 2015 by being the youngest to share an LGBT Kiss in U.S. Television History.

As the Series goes on....:
The Fosters captured my heart from the very first episode.  I have noticed however it has gotten significantly darker as the series goes on.  The series is now touching on things such as School Shootings and Lockdowns, Suicide....But there is lessons to be learned behind every one of these episodes.  In last week's episode for instance Sherri Saum (Lena) was talking about how "everyday we hear about school shootings and outbreaks of violence and we live in an age where we consider that normal.  Well it should not be normal."   And she is right, regardless of if it was scripted or not.  We hear about shootings, killings, and we sit there and think to ourselves "Oh well it's just another dead person".  No.....we should not be thinking that way.  So I want everyone to learn something from watching The Fosters.   Love.  Love with all your heart and cherish your families and those you care about.  Show compassion to those you don't know, keep an open mind.  I hope you enjoyed this overview and will read more about The Fosters as I post about them.

 

You can watch The Fosters on Freeform(formerly known as ABC Family) on Monday evenings at 8PM.  You can also watch the first three seasons on Netflix Streaming today






Follow Davis Family Reviews  on Twitter: @ActorSchuylerD 
Follow The Fosters on Twitter: @TheFostersTV

Welcome to Davis Family Reviews

Davis Family Reviews is a blog by Schuyler Davis on all things from Movies and TV Shows, to Restaurants and Recipes.  From Travel to your indoors, and the current events, you will get an in depth review and perspective on the topic.  It will come in handy if you have kids and we get into movies and tv.  So read on and enjoy!