Akira Takarada update

Akira Takarada poses with G-FAN magazine in October 2008. Photo by totorom.

According to totorom, Akira Takarada's agent reports booking the famed Toho star's plane tickets for this year's G-FEST, taking place from July 9 to 11 in Chicago. With his itinerary firmly in place, the anticipation for Mr. Takarada's first-ever U.S. convention appearance continues to build.

As already announced, G-FEST takes place in a brand-new location this year (the Rosemont Hotel), the details of which, originally posted on G-FAN.com, are reprinted below:

G-FEST XVII will be held at the Rosemont Hotel at O’Hare, 5550 North River
Road, Rosemont, IL, right across the street from the Donald E. Stevens
Convention Center. In fact, the two are connected by an enclosed walkway.
The location is just down the street from last year’s venue, the Crowne
Plaza.

The Rosemont is a beautiful hotel with many amenities, but it has
slightly fewer rooms than the Crowne Plaza, so attendees are advised to book
their rooms early to avoid disappointment. You may call the hotel directly
at (847) 678-4488 and ask for the G-FEST rate ($96.00: single, double,
triple or quad) or book your reservation online with the G-FEST rate.

The Rosemont Hotel is offering G-FEST attendees a special daily parking rate
of only $4.00. Don’t delay, book your reservation today!

See you in July for what promises to be the biggest G-FEST of all time!

Rondo Awards announced

The Classic Horror Film Board's annual Rondo Awards have been announced, and there are many great nominees. G-FAN and other Godzilla-related nominees are in abundance this year. Below are my, er, "suggestions" on how you should vote. I will cast my ballot for the following nominees, so I hope you'll do the same, too!

Best Book of 2009
-- MUSHROOM CLOUDS AND MUSHROOM MEN, The Fantastic Cinema of Ishiro Honda, by Peter H. Brothers. Examining the visionary behind 80 films and the origins of Japan's greatest monsters.

Best Magazine of 2009
-- G-FAN

Best Article of 2009 (PLEASE PICK TWO)
-- 'Cult Classic Commander,' by Brett Homenick, G-FAN #86. Interview with Robert Horton about his career and The Green Slime.

-- 'Godzilla, My Old Friend: Akira Takarada Talks about His Career, His Co-Stars', by Yutaka Ichimura (totorom), G-FAN #87. Interview with star of the original Gojira.

Best Magazine Cover
-- G-FAN #89 by Lee Munday

Best Horror Blog
-- The Good, the Bad, and Godzilla (August Ragone's G-blog)

Best Convention or Film Festival of 2009
-- G-FEST (Chicago)

Best Fan Event
-- Godzilla actor Kenji Sahara appears at G-FEST XVI, Rosemont, Ill.

For the entire ballot, please visit the Rondo Awards' official site: Rondo Hatton Awards. The instructions on how to vote are on the site, but here's the skinny:

HOW TO VOTE: All voting is by e-mail only. Simply copy this ballot and send an e-mail with your picks to me (David Colton), at taraco@aol.com by midnight, April 3, 2010.

THE RULES: One vote for person, please. Every e-mail must include your name to be counted. All votes are kept strictly confidential. No e-mail addresses or any personal information will ever be shared with anyone.

IMPORTANT: Organized voting campaigns (duplicated ballots, mass mailing efforts), are prohibited and can result in disqualification. Let's keep this a fun vote of monster fans. You do not have to vote in every category.

AGAIN HERE'S HOW TO VOTE: E-mail your selections from the ballot (cut-and-pasting the whole thing works fine), or you can type them into a separate e-mail, below to David Colton at taraco@aol.com. And please remember to include your name so your vote can be counted.

Remember, one Monster Kid, one vote.

Happy birthday, Hiroshi Fujioka!

The Hiroshi Fujioka autograph I received after my interview with him was published.

February 19 marks the 64th birthday of Mr. Hiroshi Fujioka, one of Japan's biggest stars. Not only was he the star of the original Kamen Rider series, he was a leading man at Toho Studios, starring in such SFX features as Submersion of Japan (1973), Espy (1974), Conflagration (1975), and Zero Pilot (1976). Mr. Fujioka's other genre credits include The X from Outer Space (1967), Orochi the Eight-Headed Dragon (1994) and Sakuya: Slayer of Demons (2000).

I interviewed Mr. Fujioka in G-FAN #86, which is still available. To order a copy, you know where to go. Mr. Fujioka's agent was extremely helpful and secured several exclusive photographs from Mr. Fujioka's personal collection.

Best wishes for a happy birthday, Mr. Fujioka!

Richard Delvy, 1942-2010

The singer of the celebrated theme song to The Green Slime, Richard Delvy (born Richard Delvecchio), died on February 6 at the age of 67. He was one of the founding fathers of surf rock in California, serving as the drummer for the legendary band The Bel-Airs.

More information on Mr. Delvy's career can be found here.