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BY JERRY MILANI
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
New Jerseyans of a certain age – and you know who you are: Remember the days when the three networks, plus Ch. 5, Ch. 9, Ch. 11 and Ch. 13 were all you had to choose from on the TV dial, and shows like Batman, The Incredible Hulk and the Dukes of Hazzard became huge hits in their original runs and sometimes even bigger in syndication?
Reliving those days and meeting the stars of those shows – like Adam West (The Caped Crusader), Lou Ferrigno (The Hulk), John Schneider, Tom Wopat and Catherine Bach (The Dukes) – is just part of the appeal as more than 500 exhibitors from toys and video games to action figures, sports and entertainment converge on Pier 94 (12th Avenue at 55th Street) in Manhattan this weekend for Big Apple Comic Con, the tri-state area's largest pop culture festival.
"Whether you are a fan of comic books, movies, television, toys, video games, sports, music or more, there is something here for everyone,'' said Big Apple Comic Con Producer Gareb Shamus. "This is an affordable weekend of fun for the whole family."Brands ranging from Hasbro and LEGO to Nintendo, Warner Bros. and THQ are on hand displaying new products and conducting competitions and contests.
In addition to the pop culture icons above, William Shatner, Linda Hamilton and Christopher Knight are among the more than 250 celebrities from hit movies and TV shows of the past like Star Trek, Star Wars, The Sopranos, X-Men and The Terminator who will be on hand.
Stars from current hit shows like Battlestar Galactica, American Idol, Survivor, Dollhouse, Warehouse 13, The Real Housewives of New Jersey and Smallville will also appear to speak with fans, conduct seminars and sign autographs.
Hundreds of comic book illustrators and vendors are appearing live, and there will be a Halloween costume contest for participants of all ages. Sports stars Yogi Berra, Ric Flair, Joe Frazier, Pete Rose and Dwight Gooden will also be participating.
It is anticipated that tens of thousands of people will attend the three-day event, which opens Friday at noon and will run until Sunday at 5 p.m.
There are also a number of after-hours VIP events featuring movie screenings, meet-and-greets, as well as musical performances by Grammy Award Winning artists Naughty By Nature (Friday night) and Taylor Dayne (Saturday night).
Click here for a full guest and vendor list and more information on the event.
