Huntsville Comic and Pop Culture Expo kicks off ninth year

HUNTSVILLE, Ala (WHNT) — The ninth annual Huntsville Comic and Pop Culture Expo has landed in the Rocket City bringing convention goers and plenty of celebrity guests to the Von Braun Center.

The expo kicked off Friday afternoon and will run until Sunday. This year’s convention is jam-packed with panels, vendors and celebrity guests for lovers of all things pop culture to enjoy.

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Expo founder Jeremy Long said the convention has plenty for people to sink their teeth into.

“We have so much fun lined up this weekend,” he said.

He said there are over 60 special guests this year along with 200 vendors with plenty of options for those looking for some sweet merch.

Long said this year’s guests range from actors to wrestlers to comic legends to legendary Star Trek alumni George Takei and Jonathan Frakes.

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Just like last year, News 19’s Danielle Dozier took to the VBC Friday to see who else was prowling the con. Once again she was able to get a few interviews with those special guests.

First off was a member of Disney royalty Paige O’Hara, best known as the original voice of Belle from “Beauty and the Beast.”

O’Hara said it was actually her first time in the Rocket City.

“It’s my first time and I am loving it,” she said. “it’s stunning.”

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O’Hara took the time to talk a bit about finding the voice for Belle when she was originally one of the 500 people who auditioned for the role.

“Basically, they wanted me to use my own voice,” she said “Belle is actually the oldest princess of them. They consider her to be 20, old in those days, so they wanted a warmth which I had in my voice naturally, even in my early 30s.”

Danielle was also able to catch up with actor Oscar Nuñez, probably best known for his turn as accountant Oscar Martinez in “The Office.”

After a bit of a photobomb, Nuñez talked about his time working on “The Proposal” where he played multiple parts.

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“it was just a dream come true and it was so fun to do,” he said.

After speaking with Star Trek vet William Shatner and Brent Spiner last year, Danielle was able to have a small chat with “Star Trek: The Next Generation” star Jonathan Frakes, who starred alongside Spiner.

Frakes spoke a bit about why he feels Star Trek is still so popular today.

“It’s a vision of hope for the future that is positive while we are all so desperately in need of hope,” He said. “All levity aside, Roddenberry believed that in the future we would all get along. There would be no racism, there would be no sexism, and look at the world of pain we are in right now.”

He also talked a bit about his time behind the camera, and how it feels compared to acting.

Danielle ended the day by checking in with Richard Karn and Debbe Dunning from “Home Improvement.”

The pair took some time to talk about the rigors of live television and how they are enjoying their time in Huntsville.

The convention runs from April 12 to April 14. For information on tickets, guests, and a full schedule of panels you can visit the Huntsville Comic and Pop Culture Expo website here.

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