I spent Sunday with the voice cast from the hit series Power Rangers.  I did voice overs on the show for at least 10 years from the very first session until they went to film in New Zealand.  It was great to see all my friends again.  We had Richard Epcar, Barbara Goodson (Rita Repulsa) Michael Sorich, Dave Mallow, Wendee Lee, Robert Axelrod, Tony Oliver, Neil Kaplan, Tom Wyner, Kerrigan Mahan, Briane Brozey, our director Scott Page Pagter, and, of course, myself, Rebecca Forstadt.

Coming up

SACANIME Sept 3-5 Sacramento, CA

Nan Desu Kan Sept 9-12  Denver. CO

RT 25 Celebration Sept 18 Van Nuys, CA

With the 25th anniversary of Robotech this year, I am becoming suddenly becoming popular.

Sept 3-5th I will be up in Sacramento for SACANIME. 

www.sacconventions.com

Sept 10 – 12  Nan Desu Kan in Denver 

http://ndkdenver.org/

Sept 18  Robotech 25 Anniversary at the Airtel Hotel in Van Nuys CA.

http://rt25celebration.com/

I feel so busy, so validated, so excited.  Can't wait to see all my fans.

Let me know if you'll be at any of them.

Rebecca

Some incredibly smart person filmed our Robotech panel at the Anime Expo 2010.

Other actors included Steve Kramer, Richard Epcar and Ellyn Stern.

Enjoy!

It's always fun to be recognized and this year is Robotech's 25th anniversary.  Just recently, I was interviewed on camera by Harmony Gold and Robotech.com to create a documentary dedicated to the passing of Robotech producer Carl Macek.

Last night I was invited to be a guest panelist at the LA Anime Expo with other Robotech participants, such as Richard Epcar, Steve Kramer and several others. It was a full house.  I will post a video soon.

After the panel, we all went out to dinner near the Nokia Center with fans and members of the panel.  It was a fun evening for all.

I look forward to the RT25 Celebration that will take place in September in the San Fernando Valley.  Check the tab at the top of this blog for more info,  There is a full list of voice actor talent who will be attending.

Toodle Loo!  Talk to you soon!

Rebecca

ROBOTECH 25 Celebration

AIRTEL PLAZA HOTEL

Van Nuys CA

September 18, 2010

CLICK HERE

From the desk of the President of Bang Zoom! Entertainment, Eric P. Sherman:

You must have noticed by now that many of the publishers that brought anime to the West have been shut down or substantially down-sized. There are only a few places left still able to bring titles to our shores. This is a critical year for anime. There’s no other way to say it. And I realized this morning that it was time for me to sound an urgent alarm.

If people don’t resist the urge to get their fix illegally, the entire industry is about to fizzle out. It won’t be a big dramatic change at this point. Last year we saw Bandai fire 90% of their staff on one Monday in January, and two years ago we saw Geneon (neé Pioneer) shut their doors and auction off their wares to the highest bidder. CPM died a slow, painful death. And ADV fell hard and fast, the way mighty giants will. But from here on, it won’t be so exciting. Japan is already suffering and struggling to bring out quality titles. They can’t rely on everything being picked up by US distributors anymore. And little by little, it just won’t be here anymore.

You can’t find much anime at Best Buy now. In fact, where can you find it for sale? Think about that.  There are fewer new titles coming out, and less and less stuff will be in English, because it’s just not worth the cost of dubbing it. It’s true that entertainment distribution models are going to be changing dramatically. DVD may be on the way out forever, and online TV is becoming a reality very quickly. But so far, there are no successful ways to monetize online entertainment. Not so that creators can afford to produce and distribute quality content.

Anime is going to die.

Unless YOU change. Right now. Stop stealing. If you have committed theft, robbery, shop-lifting, or just “downloading some stuff through torrent reactor,”  then just stop doing it — now.  You probably wouldn’t go into a supermarket and put a package of swiss cheese under your shirt and walk out without paying. Nor would you walk into Best Buy and try to walk out with Guitar Hero, bypassing the cash register. Why? Is it because you might get caught? Or are there other issues, such as standards of morality, that dictate how you live your life.

The net, for all it’s charms, is also a dark and dangerous place. When you’re navigating it, you need to ask yourself this question:  Is this right, just because it is so easy? You need to understand that quality entertainment costs a lot to create. And if there is no one paying for this content, it just won’t be made anymore. If no one bought tickets to a Lady Ga Ga show, she would not do the tour. That’s just how it works. For some reason, people don’t mind stealing their anime. I’m here to tell you flat out: This is wrong. You are doing something bad. And you need to stop it.

I’m sure that some of you reading this will laugh, close this window, and go download some more torrents. Why not? Who’s going to know? Who’s going to catch you?

I think this bears repetition, so I’ll say it again: Not getting caught does not make what you are doing right. And I am pretty sure it doesn’t make you feel good about yourself.  What you are doing is not only illegal, it is actually hurting many people. From the artists and creators, to the voice actors in the studios — all working to put food on their tables for their families. You can’t see them, and you can’t see the immediate results of your actions. But believe me, you are hurting people.

If what I’m saying resonates with you, then consider this a wake up call. A call to immediate and profound action. It’s very easy to do.  You should support anime if you love it, by paying for it. Do the right thing. Plain and simple. Because if you don’t, I can guarantee you that this time next year, Bang Zoom won’t be bringing you anymore English language versions of it.

To all of those who support anime: a heartfelt thank you from all of us at the studio.

Eric P. Sherman, President & CEO, Bang Zoom! Entertainment / April 24, 2010

For Cark Macek  RIP.  Thanks to the fans.

I’m still getting over the shock of hearing about Carl Macek's untimely death. He was the original producer/writer of Robotech. I recently saw him at a party and he looked wonderfully healthy.  Carl, gave me the opportunity to have my 15 minutes, no make that 25 years of fame, when he produced a series that no one had any idea would change the face of anime forever.  Before Robotech, we were just cranking out this strange sort of stuff, we never had any idea of where it was going.  Suddenly, the Robotech phenomenon took over and hasn’t stopped to this day.
Carl was a lovely and very generous soul.  I remember spending the day with him in Philadelphia at one of the first of a series of Robotech conventions.  We went to a delicious restaurant on South Street.  He truly loved to enjoy the good things in life. He’s had the blessing of a love filled marriage with Svea for many years, which is not always possible in our industry.
Because of Carl, I was able to meet so many incredible people including Ulpio Minocci, who was one of the kindest and most talented individuals I have ever met.
I will miss him so much.  He was someone who was so filled with interesting stories and was a true gentleman.
 

I spent a fun and wonderful evening last night celebrating the 25th anniversary of Robotech at the Tam O'Shanter Restaurant in LA.   A hilarious time was had by all.  Make sure to check it out by CLICKING HERE

The event was organized by Robotech fan Tom Bateman. Richard Epcar, Ellyn Stern, Eddie Frierson, Dan Woren, Michael Sorich, Joey D'Aurio and myself got to hold court.  LOL

Tonight I'm heading out to Steve Kramer's house for his annual Oscar party.  This has been a great weekend catching up with old friends.

CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW MY BLOG:  I need the recognition LOL  It's a self esteem thing!

I'm sitting here listening to a podcast with Richard Epcar and Tom Bateman.  It's pretty funny to listen to. Tom called me today to invite me to dinner with several of the other actors from Robotech.  We are going to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the show.  Hard to believe.  It should be fun.

It's interesting listening to Richard talk about the condition of the anime business in LA.  I was beginning to wonder if it was just me, or that I was a female, because we all know men usually get the most work.  I guess it's the same for everyone.  People are trying to get people to work for nothing.  Luckily Richard has been keeping busy doing games.  Those are always great.

Hopefully things will get back to normal soon. 

I'll report on how the dinner went.  Can't wait!

Rebecca