Focusing this year mostly on the best of British comics around, the Bristol International Comic Expo returns at the Ramada Plaza Hotel on May 9-10, 2009, with a special one day extra event -- Small Press Expo 2009 at the nearby Mercure Holland House Hotel.

Panels will run throughout both days, expo exclusives available at various times (signed ashcan of the new DC Vertigo comic from Mike Carey and Peter Gross available only at the Vertigo Panel, for example), and a host of signings, sketchings and comics to check out.

Go to http://www.fantasyevents.org/index2.html for a full guest list and further information.

The NAB Show is the world's largest professional digital media industry convention. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has been hosting this event for over 80 years for all traditional broadcast, entertainment and emerging platform industries, including TV, Radio, Film, Internet and many others. Organizers of the NAB Show have announced the featured speakers and highlights of the 2009 Content Theater. Featuring content and insights from blockbuster animated features, harrowing documentaries, and legendary industry executives, the 2009 NAB Show's Content Theater will be one of the highlight venues during the NAB Show. Unveiled in 2008, the NAB Show Content Theater showcases the most innovative cinema, television, online and mobile filmed entertainment, and examines how it was created using new tools and technologies found on the Show floor. The 2009 Content Theater is part of the NAB Show's overall Content Central exhibit area, located in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Highlights will include: -- Pixar Animation Studios -- Case Study: Pixar Stereoscopic With two Disney Pixar films releasing in Disney Digital 3D in 2009, Pixar is moving to the forefront of 3D cinema. This case study will examine the use of 3D in Pixar's storytelling, the process developed for resurrecting and converting 14-year-old images to release TOY STORY in 3D on October 2, and the production pipeline designed for Disney Pixar's first feature film in 3D, UP, opening nationwide on May 29. The speakers will be Josh Hollander, Director of Stereoscopic Production, and Bob Whitehill, Stereoscopic Supervisor. The presentation will include special content, not to be missed. -- The Jim Henson Company -- Case Study: Jim Henson's Creature Shop -- Performing animated characters in real time. Kerry Shea, Head of Digital Production demonstrates the cutting edge technology from Jim Henson's Creature Shop that allows Henson puppeteers to perform animated characters in real time by combining mechanical input technology, motion capture and a proprietary real time viewer. The session will feature special guest, Sid, star of the PBS KIDS animated preschool series SID THE SCIENCE KID. -- Animal Planet --- Case Study: "Walk the Lion" In Animal Planet's upcoming series WALK THE LION, large predator expert Dave Salmoni embarked on the journey of a lifetime. For six months, Salmoni lived among a pride of lions, alone, in the African wilderness where his experience and knowledge as a zoologist and large cat expert was put to the test. In this case study, Salmoni will talk about the technology and production techniques that were used to create this groundbreaking and challenging documentary. Television personality and entertainment business executive Robin Leach will serve as the host for the Content Theater sessions on Tuesday, April 21. The NAB Show will take place April 18-23, 2009 in Las Vegas (exhibits open April 20).

Orlando -- FX Show, "The Coolest Show on Earth" just keeps getting bigger, as they continue to pull out the punches right up to the shows start this Friday--most recently announcing artist Mark Texeira as one of the "Guests of Honor" at their amazing convention April 17-19, 2009. You know doubt know Mark for his work on VAMPIRELLA, MOONKNIGHT, BLACK PANTHER, PANTHA, WOLVERINE, SABERTOOTH, and many other characters that Mark describes as the "dark souls" of the industry. In fact his work on GHOST RIDER is so renowned that Mark was featured in an exclusive interview on the DVD of the GHOST RIDER movie starring Nick Cage. Coming up, you'll be seeing Texeira on sequential art again soon with projects for Wizards of the Coast, and for Marvel featuring new work on Wolverine and the Punisher. New on the horizon: This year will see the release of Mark's new art book, TEX: THE ART MARK TEXEIRA -- THE ARTIST'S GREAT ESCAPE, from Vanguard Productions and well as CREATOR CHRONICLES: MARK TEXEIRA FROM WOODCREST PRODUCTIONS AND EVA INK, featuring a new DVD interview and tutorial! Mark will be completing a piece from beginning to end, for the first time on camera! Other guests scheduled to join Texeira at the Orlando Convention Center include: Leonard Nimoy, Olivier Coipel, Michael Golden, Matt Fraction, Arthur Suydam, Frank Brunner, Joseph Michael Linsner, Eva Hopkins, Dan Brereton, Billy Tucci, Tommy Castillo, Chuck Dixon, Derec Donovan, Francesco Francavilla, Greg Horn, Dave Johnson, Doug Murray, Ted Naifeh, Dave Nester, Phil Noto, Michael Oeming, Dan Panosian, Steve Rude, J. David Spurlock, Mark Sparacio, Renee Witterstaetter, John Beatty and many more! Mark Texeira is pleased to be the "Guest of Honor" at FX Show this year, adding this to his list of favorite conventions. He will also be sketching, signing all three days o f the show. For more information go to: www.fxshow.com.

The question over the next 12 months will not be whether radio and TV will survive. The industry has faced difficult periods before and often emerged stronger. The question is what will the industry's multiples look like in the post-crisis world? What will be the numbers behind those valuations, and what business models and revenue streams will drive them? You're invited to join broadcast owners, investors and strategic advisors at the 26th Annual SNL Kagan Radio/TV Finance Summit on Wednesday, April 1 at the New York Athletic Club in New York City for an unbiased look at the prospects for revenue, growth and transactions across the changing shape of the broadcasting sector. Driven by SNL Kagan's independent data and analysis, this executive-level Summit presents the metrics, projections and commentary you need whether you're planning a transaction, evaluating an investment or plotting competitive strategy. The agenda includes: -- What's ahead for broadcast station revenues and competitive positioning for local and national advertising -- The changing face of advertising -- Assessing the opportunities, perils and potential size of the revenue pie from digital, multicasting and the Internet -- Options for broadcast finance and deal-making in a recessionary and credit constrained environment -- Valuation benchmarks for radio and TV stations, and the prospects for consolidation -- The role of TV and radio stations in new-media paradigms -- The current state of radio and TV station cash flow and valuations, and how they will likely evolve Register today. You are invited to attend a cocktail reception in honor of the John Bayliss Broadcast Foundation Immediately following the Summit. The reception, sponsored by Arbitron and hosted by SNL Center for Financial Education is free to summit attendees. Additional tickets will be available at the door with all proceeds benefiting the Bayliss Radio Scholarship Fund. For more information about The John Bayliss Broadcast Foundation or to donate to the Scholarship Fund, visit: www.baylissfoundation.org.

The 4th Athens ANIMFEST '09 will take place in Athens, Greece from March 19-22, 2009 at TRIANON Filmcenter (Codringtonos 21 & Patision 101 Streets). Acclaimed European artists and new talents from Greece and all over the World will meet again in Athens to present not only their new works but also some of the older ones from the history of animation. The exploration of the limits between the film genres will continue. For first time, this year the festival will try to demonstrate on stage the relations between animated design, the moving image, music and words, as well as the human body, with the aid of modern audiovisual electronic media. Conferences and workshops will also be repeated with new thematologies and content, offering knowledge and know-how to interested participants. The festival gives out the following awards: --Grand Prix "Athena" --2nd Place Award --3rd Place Award The call for entries is now open. Deadline: February 15, 2009 Terms Of Submission: -- No submission fees. -- All animation productions with duration up to 30', regardless of themes, technics, language, nationality and artist's age, are submissible. -- Every animation production submitted must have been made after January 1, 2007. -- The cost of shipping is always paid by the sender. -- Every animation production must be submitted in dvd pal format. -- The dvd pal format copy is not returned. It remains in the athens.animfest archives. -- In case of selection, the artists will be notified within 30 days after shipping. -- Every submission must be accompanied by a CD which will include the following: a. A digital photo of the animation production, in 300 dpi resolution, for both the athens.animfest website and the catalogue. b. A digital photo of the artist of the animation production, in 300 dpi resolution, for the same purposes as above. c. A synopsis of the film, as above. d. A short cv of the artist, as above. Address: European Animation Center P.O. Box 17113 10024 Athens Greece Download the entry form at www.animationcenter.gr. For further information, email info@animationcenter.gr.

The Tokyo International Anime Fair 2009 (TAF2009) will be held Wednesday, March 18 to Saturday, March 21 at the Tokyo Big Sight in Japan. The eighth anniversary of this event is one of the world's largest anime exhibitions. Featuring extensive programs, TAF has been drawing international attention as the leading anime festival. Online pre-registration for buyers will start January 15, 2009 at http://www.tokyoanime.jp/en/. During the event, they offer business matching space for free of charge to assist buyers in finding new business opportunities. Questions or concerns: tokyo-animefair@jtbcom.co.jp.

Coming off its biggest and most successful year ever, WonderCon is gearing up for its 23rd year as a Bay area tradition. The comics and popular arts convention returns to Moscone Center South for another three-day weekend run on February 27 through March 1. More than 29,000 people attended the show in 2008, and 2009 promises to be another incredible convention experience for fans from all over.

Details are still being worked out, but you can count on a few WonderCon mainstays: a huge Exhibit Hall filled with some of the coolest stuff in the world; a large and comprehensive programming schedule featuring presentations from the very best in comics (including the Comics Arts Conference for a second year in San Francisco) and from Hollywood movie studios and TV networks; gaming; anime screenings; and special nighttime events such as the WonderCon Masquerade in its fifth year, plus much, much more (including a very popular Comic-Con 2008 "musical" event that will be a crowd-pleasing end in San Francisco, too).

Special guests include Sergio Aragones, Brian Azzarello, Ed Brubaker, Mark Evanier, Matt Fraction, Gary Friedrich, Dave Johnson, Jim Lee, Aaron Lopresti, Wendy Pini, Trina Robbins, Alex Robinson, James Robinson, Stan Sakai, Roy Thomas and Jill Thompson.

The next convention will be at the Shrine Hall (700 W. 32nd Street Los Angeles, CA 90007) in downtown Los Angeles and feature the cast of the new AMERICAN GLADIATORS TV show.

Admission is $8. Information: www.comicbookscifi.com. Convention is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

New York Comic Con (February 6-8 at the Jacob K. Javits Center) is the East Coast's biggest and most exciting popular culture event. An enormous show floor plays host to top entertainment industry leaders showcasing the latest and greatest in comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, toys, movies, television, and more. New York Comic Con gives attendees access to top entertainment industry talent, panels, and autograph sessions as well as sneak peeks at upcoming television shows and motion pictures. And with dedicated professional hours, New York Comic Con provides an ideal business setting for the major players in the worlds of comics, film, and television. Show hours for the general public are Friday, February 6, 1-7 p.m.; Saturday, February 7, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; and Sunday, February 8, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Ticket sales are now open online and major area comic retailers will stock tickets in the near future. Fan prices are: Weekend, $50; Friday, $30; Saturday, $40; Sunday, $30; Kids Day (Sunday), free for children 12 and under.

The Los Angeles Comic Book and Science Fiction Convention features one of the largest dealer's rooms on the West Coast full of comic books and collectibles. A wide range of stuff is for sale at all price ranges, old and new comic books, toys, action figures, hot wheels, STAR WARS, THE SIMPSONS and FAMILY GUY collectibles, non-sport and sport trading cards, Marvel legends, Japanese animation merchandise and classic action movies on DVD from Hong Kong. Special guests in January include Rhona Mitra, star of UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS and directors Steve Wang and Mike Wang and the stars of the new live action CW4Kids series KAMEN RIDER: DRAGON KNIGHT. The convention will be held at Shrine Hall (700 W. 32nd Street, across from the USC campus) Admission: $8. Information: www.comicbookscifi.com.