Lodi News-Sentinel

Fandemic Tour brings pop culture to Sacramento

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SACRAMENTO — Fandemic Tour, a new, touring comic con, will bring celebritie­s, pop culture and more to Sacramento this weekend.

Produced by the former CEO of Wizard World, John Macaluso, Sacramento will be the first stop for the tour.

“We’ve been very impressed with the support we’ve already received from the city and the fans who have helped spread the word about our new show,” he said.

The traveling convention is bringing interactiv­e programmin­g and panels with guests from hit shows like “The Walking Dead” and “This Is Us,” and movies like “Guardians of the Galaxy” to the Sacramento Convention Center.

Award-winning actress, entertainm­ent correspond­ent and pop culture authority Clare Kramer will moderate all programmin­g on the main stage.

Celebrity programmin­g highlights in Sacramento include:

• A Q&A with current and former cast members of A&E’s “The Walking Dead” on Saturday. Cast members including Norman Reedus, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Steven Yeun will be in attendance both Saturday and Sunday.

• A “This Is Us” panel with Milo Ventimigli­a and Chris Sullivan on Saturday.

• Interactiv­e Q&A’s with Bruce Campbell and John Schneider (Friday); Tom Welling (Saturday); Michael Rooker and Robert Englund (Sunday); and other celebritie­s.

• Angel Gets Charmed (celebratin­g 20 years of “Charmed”) featuring Holly Marie Combs and Charisma Carpenter on Saturday.

• WWE’s the Bella Twins, Nikki and Brie Bella, will be in attendance on Sunday.

• Buffy Meets Angel Playback with host Clare Kramer, featuring James Marsters, Christian Kane and Charisma Carpenter on Sunday.

Fan connection­s will be made at these panels and demos featuring some of the best:

• Getting started in cosplay in your 40s, 50s and 60s, with Gonzo’s Cosplay Adventure on Friday.

• Droid Building 101 with Sacramento Astromech Builders on Saturday.

• Building “Star Wars” quality cosplay with the 501st Legion on Saturday.

Programmin­g will also include socially-focused topics:

• A comic Q&A with the world’s leading publisher of English-language educationa­l manga on Friday.

• A panel called “Mighty League of Acceptance: Using Pop Culture to Engage and Educate about Autism” on Saturday.

• Body image and acceptance with Chunky Girl Comics on Sunday.

• CAUSE play by members of the West Coast Avengers cosplay on Sunday.

Additional guest appearance­s, as well as programmin­g times and informatio­n, are listed at www.fandemicto­ur.com.

Attendees will have the opportunit­y to purchase autographs and photo opportunit­ies with their favorite celebrity talent and artists.

 ?? COURTESY PHOTOGRAPH ?? Michael Rooker, known for playing Yondu in the “Guardians of the Galaxy” series, will be in Sacramento this weekend at Fandemic Tour.
COURTESY PHOTOGRAPH Michael Rooker, known for playing Yondu in the “Guardians of the Galaxy” series, will be in Sacramento this weekend at Fandemic Tour.

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