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Your questions - ANSWERED!

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Jan 24, 2012 by Emily Expo

Good afternoon, boys n’ girls! Already I’ve had some excellent questions coming my way in regards to the Calgary Expo – keep it up! Special thanks to Grant, Katherine and Sharkface for writing in with your Calgary Expo quandaries!

If you could pick anyone to come to the Calgary Expo, who would you choose? - Sharkface

Confession time: I’m in love with Kiefer Sutherland.

It’s true, I can’t deny it. I have a travel mug with his face smattered all over it made caringly for me by my stellar roommate. In my mind he’s my future husband, he just doesn’t know it yet. It’s very important that someday he comes to the Calgary Expo so that we can lock eyes in a very dramatic way and finally fulfill our respective destinies as husband and wife.

(I mean really - why someone would take a "vampire" that sparkles over that glorious face is beyond me).

Celebrity crushes aside, we have to consider a lot of variables when bringing guests to the show. If factors such as availability and cost were of no consideration to us then I would love to see Spinal Tap and Rock Sugar do a concert together – along with a special guest appearance from Trent Reznor (Trent is my back up plan in case Kiefer and I don’t work out). I would also love to see the three guys from Top Gear go head to head with the guys from Mythbusters (Explosive, right??) - throw MacGyver into the mix- that's right MacGyver - assuming that Richard Dean Anderson can't disarm bombs in real life, and I'd be one happy little red-head. Of course having some of my favourite authors such as Cormac McCarthy, Clive Barker and the writers from cracked.com would also be a treat. Lastly, if we had the cast of Criminal Minds, Penelope and Reid in particular, I certainly would not complain.

Having said all that, It is very important to realize that sometimes there are limitations on what guests we can bring to the show. Of course we would love to have George Lucas or Harrison Ford or Christian Bale attend our plucky little convention, but to be completely honest with you, it simply will not happen due to those pesky restrictions like costs and availability.

Why do you have more American voice actors than Anime voice actors? – Grant

Something that never ceases to amaze me about the Calgary Expo is the way in which we build relationships with other festivals, organizations and events in Alberta. A prime example of this is our involvement with Otafest here in Calgary and Animethon up in Edmonton. Both of these conventions offer profound explorations into the world of Anime and Manga and we here at the Calgary Expo make a point to work in conjunction with them so as to support their (and our) love for the genre. As a result, we tend to focus on other aspects of pop culture at the Calgary Expo so as not to take away from their impact on the community. It’s just one more way to edify those relationships so as to continuously bring more awesome events to you, the fan.

What is your favourite Star Trek series and why? – Katherine

I grew up, as many of you did, watching TNG and reruns of the original series. Although I’m familiar with the subsequent shows, TNG will always and forever hold a special place in my heart. This could be due to nostalgia more than anything, but I also remember falling in love with each of the characters for different reasons throughout the course of the show. I think I was about eight years old when I resolutely turned to my father and announced that one day I would marry Commander Riker.

(It's all about the implish glimmer in the eyes, not to be confused with the aforementioned sparkling).

I wanted to be clever and kind like Dr. Crusher, empathetic and sensitive like Deanna Troi, powerful and wise like Captain Picard. I found the crew of the NCC-1701-D Enterprise to exhibit different ethical standards that I viewed as being admirable and inspirational. It may sound ridiculous – modelling one’s moral fibre after a science fiction show, however, there is no denying that art can influence life, just as life influences art, and in this instance it led to something very constructive: it nurtured both the imaginative and intellectual components of my personality, thereby contributing to my consequent passion for writing, the arts and the “why’s and how’s” of our universe.

Thanks for the questions everyone! Keep ‘em coming!

Miss Emily xox

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