live from new york, it's comic-con!

As you may have heard, I was at New York Comic-con this past weekend, but cosplaying and causing trouble wasn’t the only thing I got up to that day. I was also playing my new role as host of the Syfy web-series BlastrTV. My childhood dream of becoming an Mtv VJ mixed with my love of sci-fi fandom have collided into a super colossal awesome bomb, and the first episode is now live. It was so difficult to pack all the cool stuff into a 5 minute episode, but we tried. And of course there is a hefty dose of dorkiness injected on my behalf. Going forward our episodes will cover different facets and themes of the sci-fi and fantasy universe. I hope you tune in, and feel free to leave your comments, suggestions, likes, dislikes and all that fun stuff that will help us make the show better and better!

OH MY GODS! THEY KILLED CALLY!

You know those ideas that buzz around your brain like an annoying mosquito in the middle of the night? Well I finally swatted one of those pesky lil' buggers and made some cool t-shirts. I'm bringing the first batch to New York Comic-Con this weekend, then I'll have them available to order on my site. Thanks to my friend Adrienne for making the graphic and to the handful of friends who actually laughed when I shared the idea. Pay no mind to the unimpressed expressions on the models' faces, these shirts are guaranteed to make you smile like a mentos commercial :)

I like bunnies!!! Oh, and the Nicki Clyne Fan 'Zine is out!

Okay, I'm just gonna be completely honest. I'm not a salesperson. I've never been good at it. I know it's a skill you can build, but I just haven't yet. When I was in school and we sold chocolates to raise money for camp, my family was eating Mint Meltaways^® for months. It's probably related to some fear of rejection, or failure, or that time I got in trouble for selling pot-pourri which was essentially rose petals sprayed with my mom's expensive perfume. Conveniently, those feelings are soothed with the sweet, velvety taste of chocolate and mint melting like butter in your mouth... Anyway, that was the past, and now I have something way cooler than cheap-ass fundraising chocolates. It's a collaboration between three amazingly awesome and talented people (yes, I'm including myself in that statement - awkward, right?). I'm calling it the Nicki Clyne Fan 'Zine, but it's just as much about the fans as it is about me. It's a tribute to the fan community and a nostalgic reference to "fan zines" of the past. There will only be a limited number ever in existence. So even if it's not exciting to you now, maybe one day you can sell it and pay for your kid's camp tuition (or at least a box of their chocolates).

I'm very excited to share this project, it was a really neat creative process. Pedro's art is truly amazing, I think he really captured a certain Nicki-ness in is drawings. (Either that or I look A LOT like a cartoon in real life. You decide.) And even though I know I'm awesome regardless (my mom says so), I really hope you like it too :). Click here to get  your copy today! (shipping included.)

Nicki Clyne Fan 'Zine FTW!

Hey everyone! I'm really excited to roll out this lil' collaboration I've been working on. With the help of some talented friends, the first ever "Nicki Clyne Fan 'Zine" has been created! It's all for fun, kind of a throwback to comics from the 50's with cut-outs and games. You can even help Cally find the cylon through a maze! The art work is pretty spectacular, somehow Pedro Vargas captured a certain "Nicki-ness" and managed to translate it into a cartoon.

I'll be releasing a limited edition run of 1000, so get 'em while they're hot! I'm giving first dibs to everyone who comes to I-CON 30 this weekend, then it's fair game to the internet populace thereafter. Every 'zine will be numbered and hand signed - even personalized if you so desire!

Looking forward to hearing what your thoughts! Please send feedback, as this is only the beginning of my creative endeavors.

Here are a few sample pages to whet your appetite, there are 16 total. Full details coming soon... Enjoy!

Godkiller's Killin' It

Dreadcentral had some slightly less than dreadful news about Godkiller's release.  Check it out:

It isn't typical for an announcement of a DVD's release date being pushed back to be considered "good news", but in the case of Matt Pizzolo's episodic illustrated film Godkiller, the filmmaker couldn't be more ecstatic. So, what gives?

Retail orders for Halo-8's upcoming Godkiller: Walk Among Us - Episode 1 DVD exceeded studio expectations to the point where the DVD's street date had to be pushed back a week. In order to manufacture enough product to fulfill retail demand and ensure all stores would receive DVDs on the same date, Halo-8 was forced to move Godkiller Episode 1's street date from September 29th to October 6th.

"I'm sincerely astonished," said writer-director Pizzolo. "These episodic DVDs were really supposed to be limited edition collectibles for fans to get at comic conventions and festivals. I mean, it's totally unorthodox to release a film in shortform, serialized DVDs... I never in a million years expected retailers to support it so strongly. I'm pleasantly knocked on my ass."

Read the full article here and here's the newest trailer...

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/4775725[/vimeo]

new interview!

check out this cool new interview with Jason Anders of Fulle Circle Magazine. hard copies of the magazine will be out soon, which I'm told will have some special cartoon characters for your visual enjoyment, can't wait!

comic-con & godkiller

well, it's been a while, so i've got some 'splainin' to do...  first off, it's just been confirmed i'll be attending - for the first time ever in recorded history - the infamous san diego comic-con!  can you believe it?  it's the question everyone always asks me and my answer is always accompanied by a sad face.  but not anymore.  i'm super excited.  however, i'll only be signing autographs for a short period of time on Sunday, so don't get stuck in a panel about the influence of medieval art on modern manga or something like that.  i'll send out more details on the signing once i have them... which brings me to my next order of business...  i'll also be braving the chaos to chill with the Halo-8 crew, promoting their new illustrated film 'godkiller,' for which i do the voice of bad ass bounty hunter, soledad.  check out the official site to find more info or even download some soledad wallpaper over a dread central.

i think that about brings us up to date.  i found a cute picture of lucci and me from our philadelphia adventure...  we went for a long walk on the first night, taking in the humid summer air and enjoying all the parks and people out and about.  it's amazing to me how i can work with someone regularly over a period of time, yet still not know them as well as i get to during these short trips and intimate outings.  it's really wonderful.  it's like the classic phenomenon of running into an acquaintance or casual friend in some exotic location; all of a sudden you become best friends because of the degree of relative familiarity.  there's also a level of comradery that comes with the whole convention experience.  just as it can be nerve racking for fans to meet their favorite celebrities, it can be stressful for actors too.  being in a new place, being watched and scrutinized, talking about the same thing all day.  i know some people live with that kind of attention, but it's certainly not a part of my daily life, nor do i think i'd like it to be.  most people still think i'm lying when i tell them i'm cally and, quite honestly, i'm fine with it.  except when the bouncers at wizard world wouldn't let me in without a wristband, that was kind of annoying...  anyway, looking forward to next weekend, hope some of you are too...

in the grand scheme of things

after months of lying beneath the couch cushions of public curiosity, the time has finally come to turn over the seat covers, grab the remote, and start this show anew; and if you’re lucky, you may even find some spare change and peanut m&m’s™. i’m very excited to be back on the scene, writing my blog, and generating an all round feeling of connection with the world through my online meanderings. i’ve had an incredible past few months, filled with an abundance of growth and change, yet I’m resisting the urge to give a retroactive briefing. instead i will simply move forward from today and keep you abreast (hehe, i said breast) of all things nicki. besides, no one can even prove the past exists...

i hope you like the look and feel of the new site. i couldn’t have done it without the awesome talent, skill, and psychic abilities of my friend and designer Vladimir Krajina. despite having a very distinct sense of what i like aesthetically, having failed to develop such artistic abilities myself, it proves a unique challenge to communicate these ideas to another person - a unique, yet rewarding challenge. i’ve learned so much about myself in the process, making finer distinctions about what i like and why. so hopefully as i evolve, these tastes and revelations will, too, become more and more refined. this is precisely what I wish to share with you.

canadian content

bonjour mes amis! so i've been doing quite a few interviews lately  (i'll do my best to keep you up to date on their whereabouts), but last week i ventured into a somewhat similar, but also very different, sort of assignment by hosting the entertainment/culture weekly 'Hypaspace' on the Space Network (Canada's equivalent of SciFi).  it was tons of fun - partly due to living out my aspirations of being an MTV VJ and traveling to strange and exotic cities. (what?  I had some decent Indian food on Queen St.)  but what I loved most was having some creative influence over the show's content. ie. the ridiculous comments between video segments.  I can proudly say it was fully Nicki-fied - what that means exactly, you decide..  i'm not sure how anyone can watch it without access to Canadian television, but I have faith the internet Gods will prevail.  they always do...

and maybe one day...

letterman top ten

check out the cast of Battlestar as they recently recite the infamous top ten list on the Letterman show! while the top ten cast members spewed out tailor made one liners, I had the privilege of looking on from the audience like an over-enthusiastic honor roll parent.  it was really cool actually, and not just because David keeps that place chilled like the set of Happy Feet.  i don't know why, maybe because it's so nerve wracking being an audience member.  it's possible that the icy atmosphere reduces stress levels as you attempt to laugh, clap, cheer and sigh at precisely the appropriate times and decibels.  i'm telling you, it's a well oiled machine they've got running there, no room for human error or extravagance.  some girl actually got kicked out who was sitting behind me for an off kilter yelp, and no sooner did i turn around again that there was a grinning frat boy sitting in her place.  not to mention, i almost wasn't even allowed to watch from the audience for fear that my "recognizability" would cause a ruckus.  right, because you know when i go to buy underwear at target, i get absolutely mobbed by paparazzi.  honestly, more often than anything else, i get people guessing for long awkward moments how they 'know' me.  just trust me, i didn't go to college with your cousin in Michigan!  anyway, i thought it was funny and i have to admit, i felt slightly self-important at the gesture.  but the show was great, I'm still a huge fan of David Letterman and his old school antics, and after the main attraction, we all hung out with the writers of DL in a grand old celebration of mutual gratitude and admiration.  as most of you well know, i love funny, so it was a complete pleasure to spend time with the perpetrators of such standards in the world.  anyway, hope the top ten reasons were convincing enough for everyone to watch season 4!  'til next time...