CONVENTION NEWS: Star Wars Celebration V Previews at C2E2!!

Star Wars™ Fans will Feel the Force at C2E2

Carrie Fisher to Headline Star Wars Presence, Which Will Include Celebrity Appearances, Autographs,
Exclusives and More


Months before Star Wars Celebration V comes to Orlando, fans can feel the Force at Reed Exhibitions’ Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2), at McCormick Place, April 16-18, 2010 in downtown Chicago. There’s a whole galaxy of fun on the exhibit hall floor, including celebrities, autographs and an exclusive collectible t-shirt that can only be found at the show – as well as a special appearance by Carrie Fisher, who portrayed Princess Leia Organa in the original Star Wars trilogy. In addition, Reed Exhibitions is producing Star Wars Celebration V – in cooperation with Lucasfilm – at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida from August 12-15.

Special Star Wars C2E2 guests include:

Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia Organa) A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi (Scheduled for Saturday & Sunday only)

Ray Park (Darth Maul) The Phantom Menace

Daniel Logan (Young Boba Fett) Attack of the Clones

Amy Allen (Jedi Aayla Secura) Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith

Orli Shoshan (Jedi Shaak Ti) Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith

Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, Revenge of the Sith

“We are enormously excited to be making this announcement,” notes Lance Fensterman, Group Vice President of the Reed Pop Culture Group and Show Manager for C2E2. “I know that this will be a huge attraction for the thousands of Star Wars fans who will be participating in our show. This is an exclusive showcase that can only be found at C2E2 where fans will get a chance to share and participate in official Star Wars activity.”

Organizers note that in addition to the opportunity to meet stars, collectors will have the chance to get their hands on an exclusive Celebration V/C2E2 t-shirt that will only be available to those who purchase their tickets for Celebration V at C2E2. The t-shirt gives a nod to both shows. In addition to the celebration on the show floor, there will be activity on stage as well. Lucasfilm’s official presentation begins at 1:15pm on Saturday, April 17th in the IGN Theater, with Steve Sansweet exploring the past, present and future of Star Wars – from the 30th anniversary of Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back to the exciting weekly animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars and the upcoming Star Wars Celebration V.

Sunday is Kids Day at C2E2.. Kids of all ages can learn to draw The Clone Wars characters at the Variant Stage at 1:00pm with Star Wars artists Katie Cook and Grant Gould. Drawing paper and pencils will be provided, or budding artists can bring their own sketchbooks.

Organizers for C2E2 note that tickets for the show continue to sell quickly, and so all fans are encouraged to buy tickets in advance! For more information on guests, tickets, or C2E2 in general, visit www.C2E2.com or check out the show’s official blog, MediumAtLarge at www.mediumatlarge.net, or follow C2E2 on Twitter at www.twitter.com/c2e2. For further information about Star Wars Celebration V and to buy tickets, go to www.starwarscelebration.com.

ABOUT REED EXHIBITIONS POP CULTURE GROUP:

The Pop Culture Group at Reed Exhibitions owns and operates the New York Comic Con (NYCC), the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2), and the New York Anime Festival (NYAF). New York Comic Con was launched in 2006 and quickly became a dominant presence in the pop culture world of public events. In 2009, 452 companies exhibited at NYCC for a total of 84,000 square feet of paid exhibit space, and it has been ranked by Crain's New York Business as the second-largest annual event in NYC. C2E2, which will debut April 16 – 18 at Chicago's McCormick Place Convention Center, is modeled after NYCC and will provide fans the opportunity to meet and greet their favorite writers, creators, and artists, as well as to see, hear and learn about the latest and greatest in comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, toys, movies, and television. The Pop Culture Group also operates the recently-launched Star Wars Celebration in partnership with the Lucasfilm Ltd. and UFC Fan Expo. Additionally, it holds a strategic partnership with Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) in 2008 and will work closely with PAX on the launch of PAX East in Boston in 2010.