Albuquerque Journal from Albuquerque, New Mexico • Page 48

16 Friday, August 5, 2011 venue ET CETERA espite his highflying, colorful career, Walter Koenig is a soft- spoken man. From playing Alfred Bester in to his famed role as Pavel Chekov in Koenig certainly has had an enviable career. roles just sort of fell in to my he says during a recent phone interview. was in the right place at the right time. great to have worked and had a career that is Koenig will be one of nearly two dozen stars to sign autographs during the first Albuquerque Sci Fi and Horror Expo.

The actor, now 74, says when he auditioned for the role of Chekov in 1966, it was an easy process. was only one other actor auditioning for the part and I found out before I had gone he says. was measured for the uniform on the same day. The process was a lot easier than an actor would have to go through But as the TV show went on, Koenig recalls the network trying to cancel it. know how long the run was going to he says.

were just taking each episode as just that. We know when it would be With being rebooted in 2009 by J.J. Abrams, Koenig says he was happy to see the franchise move on. enjoyed the movie very much and it would be fun to be in one of he admits. entertain many thoughts about it.

If I were asked, I probably would do Despite having a long-running movie career, Koenig keeps himself busy with writing his graphic novel, To He says the graphic novel came from a screenplay he was writing and readying to pitch to producers. thinking behind this is that a lot of graphic novels have been making their way to the big he says. why not take a chance and write The result is a four-book graphic novel. It is set 200 years after the Science fiction and horror seem to go hand in hand. amazing how the two genres complement each Jim Burleson said.

have really big followings, and showcasing Burleson is the creator and promoter of Albuquerque Sci Fi and Horror Expo. He said this is an inaugural event and is a from the Albuquerque Comic Con, which was held in January. heard from a lot of fans and they wanted a genre-specific he said. giving it to The event features Charisma Carpenter, who played Cordelia Chase in the TV series the Vampire Also attending are Edward Furlong, Ray Park, Deep Roy and Dean Stockwell, among others. created a diverse group of he said.

got actors as well as artists. Some of the best in the country will come Also featured are some of the contestants from reality show The show is a competition where special-effects- makeup artists compete. Burleson said tickets for the expo are on pace to sell more than Albuquerque Comic Con, which had 10,000 people visit over two days. He said military, police and firefighters will get into the convention for free. is our way for saying thanks to them for risking their he said.

a fun time for all people who enjoy these genres and I hope to keep it WHEN: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 6, and Sunday, Aug. 7 WHERE: Albuquerque Convention Center, 401 Second NW HOW MUCH: available at www.ticketmaster.com or 800-7453000. Free admission for military, police and firefighters.

Visit www. abqscifiexpo.com for more information FOR REAL FOR REAL FANTASY Science fiction, horror fans gather at convention to meet heroes, show allegiances A 71, Bob Wall slowing down. Wall is a former heavyweight world- champion kickboxer, a ninth-degree black belt in karate and an actor. also the godfather of former Albuquerque resident Freddie Prinze Jr.) still work out four days a week and can still do the he says during a recent phone interview. resting heart rate is Wall is a familiar face, but many know his name.

appeared alongside Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee in of the and appeared in the where he had a fight scene with Lee. Wall now sells real estate during the day, but devotes his time to World Black Belt, an online community devoted to martial arts. enjoy the interaction with the he says. why I try to do at least one convention a Wall will be signing autographs and meeting fans at his booth at the inaugural Albuquerque Sci Fi and Horror Expo at the Albuquerque Convention Center. Wall says he uses conventions as a platform to talk about life.

a lot people know about he says. was fortunate enough to spend a lot of time with him and his Wall says if you look beyond martial arts skills, many would see a genius. set up all of the fight scenes with such precision and it was all he says. you saw someone get hit, they really were. He was also brilliant and well read.

He was hardworking and trained all of the Wall says he got into martial arts because he was a scrawny kid growing up. was too small to play all the popular he says. arts gave me something that I could do and at my own With his martial arts background, Wall started to wrestle. In his junior and senior years of high school, he went undefeated. was a determined little farm he says.

tried to get better COURTESY BOB WALL Bob Wall, left, and Bruce Lee in a scene from the Wall worked with Lee on movies and trained with Chuck Norris in martial arts. WALL: Martial artist and actor Martial arts master went toe to toe with greatest See MARTIAL on PAGE 18 ISABELLA Gage Hubbard works on a project during the SyFy reality series Makeup demons all of his own creation I mages of monsters run rampant in Gage head. Each creature is a figment of his imagination. While most artists contain these ideas to the imagination, Hubbard lets each one loose. Taking the image, Hubbard slowly brings to life these creatures just like a modern-day Victor Frankenstein.

something really satisfying about taking an idea and seeing it come to life, he says during a recent phone interview. for one hour or for a full photo shoot, I get to Hubbard, 26, is a makeup artist who specializes in the art of illusion for film and TV or rather a special-effects makeup artist. He will be one of the handful of artists who will give demonstrations on makeup at the Albuquerque Sci Fi and Horror Expo at the Albuquerque Convention Center. He also was a contestant on reality show where science-fiction makeup See MAKEUP on PAGE 19 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Walter Koenig, third from left, is shown during a toast to the newest film during a news conference at Paramount Studios in 1988. Online To view a preview of Walter graphic novel, visit www.

bluewaterprod. php vet finds new career in graphic novels certainly has had an roles just sort of fell in to my he time. great to have just that. We know when it would be rebooted in 2009 by J.J. Abrams, Koenig says he Online To view a preview of Walter graphic novel, visit www.

bluewaterprod. php See ACTOR on PAGE 18 Stories by Adrian Gomez Of the Journal Albuquerque Sci Fi and Horror Expo.