Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Beijing COSPLAY assembled players sprint world record
Youth Song Competition Finals players Cosplay assessment singing debut wheel war
Will be held May 18 -20, held its fifteenth session of the National Young Singers Grand Prix Finals game system different from the past season game, using a single special singing competition, the 18th is a national singing competition, the 19th is a vocal concert , the 20th is a popular singing finals. In three finals, the five finalists qualifying players will be staged fight, fight through the wheels of war from the first to the fifth rank order.
Young Singer competition system introduced general director Qin Xinmin said, to be fair, reasonable appraisal of the contestant's performance ranking, the finals will be divided into four race, the first round is five players singing, sorted by judges scoring the lowest score player Pending. The second round is the score of the top four players draw lots to catch up on pairwise combinations of challenge, winning two pending. The third round is the lowest rating players and catch the two loser battle, both three players Competition, according to the judges scoring results sorted decide finals third, fourth, forty-five results. The fourth round is the second round of competition in the two winning players, the winner of the championship, the loser ranked second in the finals.
The wheels of war songs on the players and the different styles of songs reserves interpretation is a great challenge, competition system by doing, each player should prepare at least three songs, more stringent, the organizing committee also concert repertoire for each round Proposition provisions - provisions of the first round of balloting provisions to sing repertoire; second round will have to play the role of national beauty acoustic concert opera fragment, there will be players playing Sister Jiang, "Xiao Erhei marriage" in the Xiao Qin, "Carmen "where Don Jose and" The Marriage of Figaro "in the count. Many users are looking forward to this link, they think, "wearing a wig, put on costumes, music players to shape the image of what it alive, and even do not understand the opera are well understood."
Players also said that first appeared on the Youth Song Competition concert with makeup is very excited, many players also specifically invited to help design the stage stylist role modeling, I think we will certainly highlights a lot; third round choice of tracks can sing, players have come up with bottom pressure signature works, Wang Shuang help it gains on the choice of concert Bronze Young Singer of the "eternal farewell", and Wu Yan Ning is singing his masterpiece "Curse of the Golden Flower." Organizing Committee explained the process to set up such a complex game, precisely in order to maximize the protection of fair competition and avoid mistakes because players which led to the formation of a concert the final rankings foregone conclusion.
Young Singer competition system introduced general director Qin Xinmin said, to be fair, reasonable appraisal of the contestant's performance ranking, the finals will be divided into four race, the first round is five players singing, sorted by judges scoring the lowest score player Pending. The second round is the score of the top four players draw lots to catch up on pairwise combinations of challenge, winning two pending. The third round is the lowest rating players and catch the two loser battle, both three players Competition, according to the judges scoring results sorted decide finals third, fourth, forty-five results. The fourth round is the second round of competition in the two winning players, the winner of the championship, the loser ranked second in the finals.
The wheels of war songs on the players and the different styles of songs reserves interpretation is a great challenge, competition system by doing, each player should prepare at least three songs, more stringent, the organizing committee also concert repertoire for each round Proposition provisions - provisions of the first round of balloting provisions to sing repertoire; second round will have to play the role of national beauty acoustic concert opera fragment, there will be players playing Sister Jiang, "Xiao Erhei marriage" in the Xiao Qin, "Carmen "where Don Jose and" The Marriage of Figaro "in the count. Many users are looking forward to this link, they think, "wearing a wig, put on costumes, music players to shape the image of what it alive, and even do not understand the opera are well understood."
Players also said that first appeared on the Youth Song Competition concert with makeup is very excited, many players also specifically invited to help design the stage stylist role modeling, I think we will certainly highlights a lot; third round choice of tracks can sing, players have come up with bottom pressure signature works, Wang Shuang help it gains on the choice of concert Bronze Young Singer of the "eternal farewell", and Wu Yan Ning is singing his masterpiece "Curse of the Golden Flower." Organizing Committee explained the process to set up such a complex game, precisely in order to maximize the protection of fair competition and avoid mistakes because players which led to the formation of a concert the final rankings foregone conclusion.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Lancaster man builds online site for fellow nerds
LANCASTER, Mass. (AP) — The nerds have inherited the earth, says local geek-culture enthusiast Emmanuel Ortiz, and he is hoping his online magazine can help push nerdom in a positive direction.
Ortiz, 37, is the founder and editor of NerdCaliber.com, a website that features articles on aspects of nerd culture, such as Japanese animation, video games and ‘‘cosplay,’’ where participants create detailed costumes of fictional characters.
The website features lifestyle spins on many of those topics, such as videos asking cosplay performers for dating advice or articles that confront social issues like sexism within nerdy circles.
While he spoke to the Sentinel & Enterprise recently, the R2-D2 sound effect from the Star Wars franchise emanated from his pocket. He pulls out an Android smartphone with a textured R2-D2 case. He calls it a ‘‘droid-droid.’’
Nerds are people who get obsessed with things, according to Ortiz, be it comic books, role-playing games or anime, and his website documents how the communities that spring around different groups of nerds are maturing.
For example, a recent piece Ortiz wrote argues that black cosplayers are often criticized for portraying a character of a different race in a way that white, Latino and Asian cosplayers are not.
He said the Internet started as a friendly playground for nerds but as it has become more popular and mainstream, cyberspace has come under siege by trolls, online bullies who mock others for fun. Mocking nerds has become common on the Internet, even from other nerds.
Ortiz, who grew up a nerd in the Bronx in the 1980s, said he hates bullies and hopes to wield Nerd Caliber to hold off the advancing horde of trolls that have taken over the Internet.
‘‘I defend people’s right to be creative,’’ said Ortiz. ‘‘We try not make fun of someone for what they love.’’
He said in one video a Nerd Caliber interviewer was seen poking fun at costumed fans of the Homestuck web comic. He had that interviewer apologize to a group of Homestuck fans at a New York City conference and posted the video.
Most of the writers for Nerd Caliber are paid with in-kind services like promotion or a free copy of the material they are reviewing. Ortiz’s wife, Maura Gerrans-Ortiz, 34, is the lead copywriter for the site, and Ortiz occasionally bounces ideas off her.
‘‘I think I'm the family-friendly censor,’’ said Gerrans-Ortiz. She said the page goes for a PG-13 rating. For example, the cosplay photos they share focus on the craft of the costume, not the flesh of the performer.
‘‘There’s a place for more skin and we’re not it,’’ she said.
She is also in charge of a spin-off website, Pages of Note, which focuses on nerd literature like fantasy novels and comics.
They have a third website, Big Blue Die, that focuses on role-playing games.
Their roommate Paul Stewart, 24, does a lot of odd jobs for Nerd Caliber. When they started 2 1/2 years ago he was in charge of the sci-fi section and landed an interview with Star Trek actor Leonard Nimoy.
‘‘That was a crowning achievement for us,’’ said Stewart.
The group travels to at least two conventions each month, oftentimes more, to interact with nerds, land interviews and soak in the nerd scene. Those expenses can add up, and Ortiz keeps the sight running by doing freelance graphic design work and occasional manufacturing shifts.
Advertising revenue has been increasing. When Nerd Caliber was launched they received a trivial amount of advertising revenue but it now takes in about $80 a month. Ortiz said he'd like to build it up to the point where they can print a physical edition. He said he doesn’t want to charge website subscriptions and feels that print still has a future when it meets certain niches.
‘‘It’s like raising a kid,’’ said Ortiz. ‘‘You want them to be able to grow and move out of the house.’’end of story marker
Ortiz, 37, is the founder and editor of NerdCaliber.com, a website that features articles on aspects of nerd culture, such as Japanese animation, video games and ‘‘cosplay,’’ where participants create detailed costumes of fictional characters.
The website features lifestyle spins on many of those topics, such as videos asking cosplay performers for dating advice or articles that confront social issues like sexism within nerdy circles.
While he spoke to the Sentinel & Enterprise recently, the R2-D2 sound effect from the Star Wars franchise emanated from his pocket. He pulls out an Android smartphone with a textured R2-D2 case. He calls it a ‘‘droid-droid.’’
Nerds are people who get obsessed with things, according to Ortiz, be it comic books, role-playing games or anime, and his website documents how the communities that spring around different groups of nerds are maturing.
For example, a recent piece Ortiz wrote argues that black cosplayers are often criticized for portraying a character of a different race in a way that white, Latino and Asian cosplayers are not.
He said the Internet started as a friendly playground for nerds but as it has become more popular and mainstream, cyberspace has come under siege by trolls, online bullies who mock others for fun. Mocking nerds has become common on the Internet, even from other nerds.
Ortiz, who grew up a nerd in the Bronx in the 1980s, said he hates bullies and hopes to wield Nerd Caliber to hold off the advancing horde of trolls that have taken over the Internet.
‘‘I defend people’s right to be creative,’’ said Ortiz. ‘‘We try not make fun of someone for what they love.’’
He said in one video a Nerd Caliber interviewer was seen poking fun at costumed fans of the Homestuck web comic. He had that interviewer apologize to a group of Homestuck fans at a New York City conference and posted the video.
Most of the writers for Nerd Caliber are paid with in-kind services like promotion or a free copy of the material they are reviewing. Ortiz’s wife, Maura Gerrans-Ortiz, 34, is the lead copywriter for the site, and Ortiz occasionally bounces ideas off her.
‘‘I think I'm the family-friendly censor,’’ said Gerrans-Ortiz. She said the page goes for a PG-13 rating. For example, the cosplay photos they share focus on the craft of the costume, not the flesh of the performer.
‘‘There’s a place for more skin and we’re not it,’’ she said.
She is also in charge of a spin-off website, Pages of Note, which focuses on nerd literature like fantasy novels and comics.
They have a third website, Big Blue Die, that focuses on role-playing games.
Their roommate Paul Stewart, 24, does a lot of odd jobs for Nerd Caliber. When they started 2 1/2 years ago he was in charge of the sci-fi section and landed an interview with Star Trek actor Leonard Nimoy.
‘‘That was a crowning achievement for us,’’ said Stewart.
The group travels to at least two conventions each month, oftentimes more, to interact with nerds, land interviews and soak in the nerd scene. Those expenses can add up, and Ortiz keeps the sight running by doing freelance graphic design work and occasional manufacturing shifts.
Advertising revenue has been increasing. When Nerd Caliber was launched they received a trivial amount of advertising revenue but it now takes in about $80 a month. Ortiz said he'd like to build it up to the point where they can print a physical edition. He said he doesn’t want to charge website subscriptions and feels that print still has a future when it meets certain niches.
‘‘It’s like raising a kid,’’ said Ortiz. ‘‘You want them to be able to grow and move out of the house.’’end of story marker
Valiant Pays US Luge Team to Cosplay
Valiant is sponsoring the US Luge team, who will be wearing uniforms styled after X-O Manowar.
Valiant is going mainstream...at least in some sense. The comics publisher has unveiled a new uniform based on its X-O Manowar character that will be worn by the U.S National Luge Team starting this winter. The publisher will also be acting as a sponsor for the team and has contributed a "significant sum of money", said to be in the low six figures, to the team.
While the sponsorship probably won't affect Valiant's exposure nationally, it will help increase the company's exposure on an international level. The luge is a popular winter sport in the Alps and other parts of Europe and the new uniforms will probably get a lot of coverage on highly popular luge blogs such as "Gold Luges, Black Ice", "Deadluge" or "Unitards with Random Triangles".
Personally, I'm torn whether to congratulate Valiant for their unconventional marketing move or chide the company for not sponsoring the US Curling Team. Curling, frankly, is a much more awesome winter sport than curling and deserves all the support it can get here in the United States. Maybe Valiant can design some Shadowman uniforms for the Curling team should their current campaign prove successful.
Anyways, here's the luge uniform, just to confirm we're not making this up.
Valiant is going mainstream...at least in some sense. The comics publisher has unveiled a new uniform based on its X-O Manowar character that will be worn by the U.S National Luge Team starting this winter. The publisher will also be acting as a sponsor for the team and has contributed a "significant sum of money", said to be in the low six figures, to the team.
While the sponsorship probably won't affect Valiant's exposure nationally, it will help increase the company's exposure on an international level. The luge is a popular winter sport in the Alps and other parts of Europe and the new uniforms will probably get a lot of coverage on highly popular luge blogs such as "Gold Luges, Black Ice", "Deadluge" or "Unitards with Random Triangles".
Personally, I'm torn whether to congratulate Valiant for their unconventional marketing move or chide the company for not sponsoring the US Curling Team. Curling, frankly, is a much more awesome winter sport than curling and deserves all the support it can get here in the United States. Maybe Valiant can design some Shadowman uniforms for the Curling team should their current campaign prove successful.
Anyways, here's the luge uniform, just to confirm we're not making this up.
Cosplay, comics, and Terrence Cover at Detroit Fanfare
This weekend in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan the sun was shining and the cosplayers were playing at the Dearborn Hyatt.
Detroit Fanfare 2012 is in full swing and the comic cosplayer heroes and villains were out in force.
Friday evening was the Zombie Walk for the charity, Gleaners of Michigan, who provides inexpensive bulk foods for other nonprofit groups to distribute to folks in need.
View slideshow: Photos from the Detroit Fanfare comic con in Dearborn
Saturday afternoon was the costume contest which was run by the lovely, Midwest cosplayer, Freddie Nova.
The contest displayed the cosplay creativity of costumers from Chicago, Ohio and Michigan including Chicago’s Ryan Green as Hellboy and Grand Rapids’ Kala Smith as Mystique.
Costume contests typically have logistic problems, but this one was held around the poorly lit, rectangular balcony overlooking the lobby so that there was a chasm between the contestants and the audience.
Brothers Barbarian preseason rap music video, 'My Sword'
Video: Brothers Barbarian preseason rap music video, 'My Sword'
Location: Hyatt Regency Dearborn
42.313253 ; -83.220989
In spite of Freddie Nova’s valiant efforts to make do with what she was given, the audience was frustrated with the setting and the best photos were the ones taken before and after the show.
Nonetheless, the attendees were treated to some great costumes.
Later by the pool, Southeastern Michigan’s Mermaid Sirena was posing for pictures with con goers.
For comic lovers there was plenty of excitement in the vendor areas with writers, artists, and more.
Dirk Manning, writer/creator of “Nightmare World” and “Write or Wrong” columnist had his books available for autograph. Mr. Manning’s “Nightmare World” books each contain thirteen short horror stories of various different varieties such as romance and comedy horror stories with different artists and styles for each story.
Vordak the Incomprehensible was selling his children’s books on how to take over the world (don’t let that book fall into the hands of Stewie Griffin!)
Producer, director, photographer, and publisher, Terrell Culbert of Detroit’s own Breathe Again Magazine was there with one of his cosplay models.
The Michigan Lego Train Club was there with some beautiful Lego displays from superheros including Superman, to the cast of Lord of the Rings!
In addition to traditional comics, web comics were represented with the folks of “Gaming, Booze, and Poorly Made Plans” and James Anderson was there with his delightful “Ellie on Planet X.”
A visit to suburban Detroit wouldn’t be complete without Terrence Cover of “Suburban Heroes.”
Check out the slide show and for more photos check out the Detroit Fanfare album on The Weird Review!
Detroit Fanfare 2012 is in full swing and the comic cosplayer heroes and villains were out in force.
Friday evening was the Zombie Walk for the charity, Gleaners of Michigan, who provides inexpensive bulk foods for other nonprofit groups to distribute to folks in need.
View slideshow: Photos from the Detroit Fanfare comic con in Dearborn
Saturday afternoon was the costume contest which was run by the lovely, Midwest cosplayer, Freddie Nova.
The contest displayed the cosplay creativity of costumers from Chicago, Ohio and Michigan including Chicago’s Ryan Green as Hellboy and Grand Rapids’ Kala Smith as Mystique.
Costume contests typically have logistic problems, but this one was held around the poorly lit, rectangular balcony overlooking the lobby so that there was a chasm between the contestants and the audience.
Brothers Barbarian preseason rap music video, 'My Sword'
Video: Brothers Barbarian preseason rap music video, 'My Sword'
Location: Hyatt Regency Dearborn
42.313253 ; -83.220989
In spite of Freddie Nova’s valiant efforts to make do with what she was given, the audience was frustrated with the setting and the best photos were the ones taken before and after the show.
Nonetheless, the attendees were treated to some great costumes.
Later by the pool, Southeastern Michigan’s Mermaid Sirena was posing for pictures with con goers.
For comic lovers there was plenty of excitement in the vendor areas with writers, artists, and more.
Dirk Manning, writer/creator of “Nightmare World” and “Write or Wrong” columnist had his books available for autograph. Mr. Manning’s “Nightmare World” books each contain thirteen short horror stories of various different varieties such as romance and comedy horror stories with different artists and styles for each story.
Vordak the Incomprehensible was selling his children’s books on how to take over the world (don’t let that book fall into the hands of Stewie Griffin!)
Producer, director, photographer, and publisher, Terrell Culbert of Detroit’s own Breathe Again Magazine was there with one of his cosplay models.
The Michigan Lego Train Club was there with some beautiful Lego displays from superheros including Superman, to the cast of Lord of the Rings!
In addition to traditional comics, web comics were represented with the folks of “Gaming, Booze, and Poorly Made Plans” and James Anderson was there with his delightful “Ellie on Planet X.”
A visit to suburban Detroit wouldn’t be complete without Terrence Cover of “Suburban Heroes.”
Check out the slide show and for more photos check out the Detroit Fanfare album on The Weird Review!
Cosplay culture celebrated
Members
of Cal State Fullerton’s Japanese Anime Club don costumes of various
popular characters. Photo by Brandon Mitchell/For the Daily Titan
“Cosplay” is a term that was coined by the Japanese, abbreviating the words “costume” and “play.” Although the word has only been around for about three decades, it has had a significant impact not only within the realm of comic and science fiction fandom, but has also secured its place more seriously with that of modeling, photography, fashion and performing arts.
The events that occurred throughout the day went from more traditional picnic affairs such as a scavenger hunt, to the slightly more bizarre, such as finding a mystery soft taco in the picnic lunch.
The atmosphere was laid back, accepting and often humorous. Students even came from Cal State Long Beach to attend the event, and cosplayers had their own section of the park to celebrate the chance to socialize with those who had similar interests.
Japanese Anime Club President James Kim noted how this generation in particular is “very accepting,” and that it is a “very good time to cosplay.”
Cosplaying isn’t only about anime and Japanese culture though. In fact, Kim, who was dressed as Captain America, explained how cosplaying holds a deep sense of acceptance and community, despite any cultural references.
“I feel like cosplaying is on a different level. Some people get really serious about it, and others just do it for fun,” he said. “But I feel it’s different because you get to be your character and you have all these people around you who enjoy this character with you and who might be their own characters.”
Robert Gudino, the Secretary of Japanese Anime Club, who was dressed as Finn from Adventure Time, explained the difference between cosplaying and costume-themed holidays such as Halloween, claiming that the difference is that when you cosplay, “you’re emulating the character,” in a sense becoming them.
“You put on the skin, plus the soul,” said Gudino.
Gudino also noted the ever-closing gap between Japanese cosplaying and American cosplaying.
“You see at conventions now—people aren’t just cosplaying as characters, but they’re cosplaying real-life people. I think cosplay has a strong identification with Japanese culture, but over here in the states and any other country, it’s starting to slowly be an expression of emulating characters rather than Japanese ones.”
Cosplaying is something that goes beyond scarce social events. In Japan, it is commonplace to wear cosplay like normal everyday clothing, and there are also dedicated clubs and bars that embrace the fashion as well.
Samanta Tavenner, 21, a Japanese major, who was dressed as Little Red Riding Hood, embraced that idea as well. She expressed the desire to start wearing cosplay fashion on a normal basis, despite any social stigma.
“Cat ears, schoolgirl uniforms… I give (the school and students) a couple months to get used to crazy me, and then they have to get used to crazy outfits and crazier me,” said Tavenner.
The dedication of cosplay goes beyond just one day of dress, as Ann Tani, 20, a graphic design major who was dressed as Korra from The Legend of Korra, noted.
“It’s not just a one-time thing,” she said.
Tavenner added that good cosplayers “try to be as accurate as they can,” and the expenses of cosplay reach far beyond that of normal costumes, but make up for it in superior quality.
“More dedication, more love to the character,” Tavenner said.
However, despite any dispute over whether or not cosplaying truly “belongs” to any specific group is trivial, she said.
“Forget what all the critics say, if you’re having fun, that’s the most important thing,” Tavenner said.
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