This just in from the NewCon organizers:

“You don’t have to look far to find talent in the cast of Twilight or New Moon.  How many people can say that
they’ve been part of two of the biggest movie franchises in history and still managed to do their time in Shawshank Redemption?  There’s only one, and his name is Ned Bellamy.  He starred as Waylon Forge alongside Robert
Pattinson and Kristen Stewart in Twilight, spent time with Tobin Bell on the blockbuster, Saw and played Guard Youngblood with Morgan Freeman in Shawshank Redemption.

Now, Bellamy and some of his fellow Twilight cast members are heading to Nashville this weekend to kick off the NewCon Festival.  His co-star, Jackson Rathbone and his band, 100 Monkeys, will be headlining the festival, which hopes to inspire fans to get more involved in music and the arts.

Jose Zuniga, who played Biology teacher, Mr. Molina, in Twilight will also be joining his friends in Nashville for the weekend.  All three will participate in Saturday’s Q&A session on acting.  With over thirty films and thirty-seven television series to his credit, Zuniga will be a wealth of knowledge for fans.  He also co-starred with Bellamy in the Oscar nominated film, ConAir.

The weekend includes Twilight and New Moon inspired art competitions as well as poetry and fan fiction contests. 100 Monkeys will also be part of an open jam session on Saturday.  Anyone attending the festival can bring their instrument to jam with the band. They will pick one lucky fan to join them on stage Saturday night during their concert at The Wildhorse in downtown Nashville.

100 Monkeys will also have a t-shirt design contest during the festival. The winning shirt will be printed as a limited edition and sold on the band’s website, with all of the money going to the Spencer Bell Legacy Project. Spencer was a dear friend of Jackson and his bandmates who lost his battle with adrenal cancer in 2006.  To learn more about Spencer, please visit www.SpencerBellMemorial.com.

Taylor Lautner may not be there, but either way the Renaissance Hotel in Nashville will be rocking this weekend.  For more information about the festival, visit www.NewCon2009.com.

To hear more about 100 Monkeys, visit www.100MonkeysMusic.com.”

A convention that’s a lot more like an extended arts festival is happening in Nashville, TN starting  November 6, 2009. One of the big driving forces behind this convention is the 100 Monkeys. This is a whole new model, we’ve never seen anything like this before. Usually conventions are initiated by fans, charities, or event companies. As far as we are aware, this is the first time the performers themselves are the driving force. Additionally, they state that a large portion of the profits are going to charity.

According to their website:

As you’ll soon see, our events are more like festivals than conventions. With that said, this is an event created to inspire creativity and awareness of the arts in all forms. Come with an open mind and bring your imagination!

Everyone is part of our community and we want all of you to feel welcomed. Our goal is for everyone to have a good time and not worry about whether or not you can bring your camera or if you’re allowed to say hi to a cast member. Of course you can!

We gear our daily events around things that are fun for the guests and the cast, which include art and poetry contests as well as musical acts. Winners from these contests get a private meet & greet with attending cast and band members. In addition, the winning poet will also have their work read LIVE at Saturday’s ball by an attending cast member.

Jackson Rathbone’s band, 100 Monkeys, will soon be tweeting about their ‘design your own t-shirt’ contest. The winning shirt will actually get printed as a limited edition item and sold on their website. All of the money from the sale of the winning t-shirt will be donated to the Spencer Bell Legacy project. Which brings up a good point. A portion of ALL of proceeds from the NewCon Festival will be donated to the Spencer Bell Legacy Project.

Check out the NewCon website for more details and how to get tickets.