Oh, Sith: Darth Vader won’t make it to EPCON 2012, says organizers knew about it for a while
Dave Prowse, the actor who physically portrayed the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader in the Star Wars films, will not be making it to the El Paso Comic Convention this weekend as he had been billed for several months on the official EPCON website and on its Facebook page.
Early Wednesday, EPCON organizers announced via their Facebook page that Marina Sirtis, Prowse, and McKenzie Westmore were no longer coming.
“McKenzie Westmore is still filming Face/Off and cannot get away….even though she made every attempt to attend. It’s unfortunate but we still have plenty of awesome guests!” the Facebook post stated.
Prowse, however, tells a different story.
“Please note Dave is not appearing at EPCON in El Paso,” a statement read on Prowse’s website on Wednesday. “Dave had not heard anything from the organizer and we removed the event from this appearance page ages ago. The show organizer has been aware that Dave is not a guest at the show for a while. We sent several requests to the organizer to inform ticket buyers that Dave is not attending the show so that fans do not show up to see Dave and be disappointed. They did not do that. We requested again today that they post something to ticket buyers and they posted that Dave is a last minute cancellation, which is not true. We posted an explanation to fans on the EPCON facebook page, but our post was deleted and we are now blocked from posting the explanation again. If you are a ticket holder for this show, please accept Dave’s apologies for any inconvenience caused, but this is the fault of the organizer and not Mr. Prowse.”
A later post on EPCON’s Facebook page elaborated on Prowse not appearing at the convention.
“For the record, Dave Prowse did not cancel on EPCON 2012….we’ve hand some problems with his overall arrangements and we knew for some time that his trip was not going to be possible….but we held out hoping it could be arranged last minute. But alas….it didn’t work out. All of our obligations to the Sith Lord will be met and hopefully we can schedule him another visit to the Sun City. Stay tuned!” EPCON said in a Facebook status.
EPCON is in its third year. Two of the big guests last year were Star Wars actors Billy Dee Williams and Peter Mayhew.
EP-CON 2012 guests as released Wednesday morning include:
– Edi Gathegi – XMEN: First Class / Twilight
– Michael Biehn – The Terminator / Aliens / The Abyss
– Tyler Mane – XMEN / Halloween
– Arthur Suydam – The Zombie King
– Eric Roberts – The Dark Knight / Dr. Who
Other featured guests include: Jeffrey Combs (Re-Animator), Valorie Curry (Breaking Dawn), Andrea Gabriel (Breaking Dawn), James C. Burns (Call of Duty: Black Ops), Peter Kelamis (Goku, Dragon Ball Z), Paul Bradford (Ghost Hunters International), Scott Tepperman (Ghost Hunters International), Marina Sirtis (Star Trek: The Next Generation), Carlo Barberi (Deadpool), Andy Kuhn (Firebreather), Edgar Delgado (Amazing Spiderman/Colorist), Tone Rodriguez (Urban Monsters), Crystal Reed (Teen Wolf), Daniel Sharman (Teen Wolf), Tony Todd (Night of the Living Dead), Joe Jusko (Vampirella), Mark Texeira (Thor: Heaven & Earth), James O’Barr (The Crow), Walter Jones (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers), Carlos Gallardo (El Mariachi), Greg Horn (Elektra), Nalini Krishan (Star Wars: Attack of the Clones), Nelson Ascencio (The Hunger Games), Sam Tan (The Hunger Games), Anthony Guajardo (The Walking Dead), Erin Gray (Buck Rogers In The 25th Century), Jennifer Blanc-Biehn (Party of Five), Larry Nemecek (Star Trek New Voyages: Phase II), Martin Montiel, Jaime Carrillo, Eliza Roberts, Larry Welz, Nei Ruffino, The Four Horsemen, Cindy Pickett, Felix Silla and many more…
By popular demand, the Alien Warrior Comedian will return from interstellar space to host and entertain attendees.
EP-CON will be held September 15th and 16th at the El Paso Convention Center. We will have a “Preview Night” on Sept. 14th and entry to Preview Night is by purchasing a three day pass. 6,000 people attended EPCON 2011, a growth of 500% from year one! We are expecting another stellar outing in 2012.
Tickets are on sale now!
Three day pass (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) – $35.00 in advance and $45.00 at the door
Saturday only – $40.00
Sunday only – $25.00
Tickets can be purchased at the Plaza Theatre Box Office, all area Ticketmaster locations, online at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000. Applicable service fees apply. $5 off for military with ID.
Event hours:
Friday – 6 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday – 10 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Vendor booths are $300 and tables in artist alley are $200.
Announcements:
El Paso Comic Con has teamed up with Qello Network to stream EP-CON online to a market of 700 million potential viewers around the globe. Viewers of EP-CON 2012 will get to enjoy any of the concerts Qello offers for 30 days for free. They have Coldplay featured on their FB page and they’re getting ready to release a Kurt Cobain concert.
Michael Biehn will be a guest on KLAQ’s morning show with Buzz Adams at 8:00 a.m. on Friday September 14. KLAQ will also be doing a live remote at the El Paso Convention Center EP-CON weekend.
Eric Roberts will be a guest on ABC News Channel 7’s noon show with Stephanie Valle. Channel 7 will also be doing the weather live from the convention floor EP-CON weekend.
Peter Kelamis will close Preview Night September 14 with a 30 minute comedy set!
Upcoming events:
Cosplay Masquerade Ball
Attention all cosplayers, we’ll be having a Masquerade Ball on Thursday September 13 at Tricky Falls (209 S. El Paso St.) from 8 p.m. – 1 a.m. Costume is mandatory for entrance and everyone who attends the Masquerade Ball is automatically registered to participate in the cosplay contest at El Paso Comic Con 2012. Nalini Krishan, Jedi Barrisse Offee in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, will be in attendance!
Official Launch Party
Official Launch Party will be held at The Garden (511 Western Ct., El Paso, TX). The Garden is located in the heart of El Paso’s Union Plaza Entertainment District next to the Convention Center. It provides its patrons the splendor of fine dining in an atmosphere pulsating with intensity unmatched in the Sun City! The Garden offers Sushi, Steaks, Full-Bar, Cigar Menu, Scotch Menu, Wine Menu, and a huge Patio. Vendors and attendees from the convention are encouraged to attend.
EP-CON guests will be in attendance!
