Ahoy, I'm Peter Tatara. In brief, I'm left-handed, a vegetarian, and my blood type is A. I work for the New York Comic Con and New York Anime Festival and have a cute girlfriend and a Space: Above & Beyond boxset. I'm generally a happy guy.

Death Note Movie Ticket Giveaway!

The New York Anime Festival, VIZ Pictures, and Fathom Events are very pleased to offer two pairs of free tickets to a special May 21st screening of the Death Note live-action film in New York City! The screening takes place at 7:30 PM at the Union Square Stadium 14 (850 Broadway).

What do you need to do to enter to win? Simply e-mail me – ptataraATreedexpo.com – with your name, e-mail address, and mailing address before 12 PM EST on Monday. The e-mail's subject line must be "I Want Death Note Tickets". I'll randomly be selecting two winners, and each will receive a pair of free tickets to the event.

Death Note will be playing for two nights only in NYC and, if you want to order tickets to be sure you see it on the big screen, you can do that right now at deathnotefilms.com.

If you're unfamiliar with the world of Death Note, it's the story of ace student Light Yagami and his Death Note, a notebook dropped by a death god into the human world. Any human whose name is written in the Death Note dies, and Light vows to use this power to create the perfect world. When authorities, though, realize the number of criminals dropping dead, they send the legendary detective L to investigate these killings. Both Light and L believe themselves to be on the side of justice, and the two must match wits to determine the fate of the Death Note and the fate of the world.

Get me that e-mail by noon on Monday!

When's The Anime Festival Announcing Guests?

How about next week?

Love Mode at the Knitting Factory

New York Comic Con is over and the New York Anime Festival is still months away. So, how are you supposed to spend all your time? Dunno, but I do know how you should spend your Friday night. Love Mode - Japan Beat at the Knitting Factory.

Love Mode, organized by Karaterice, is a concert series blending traditional Japanese music with contemporary elements like pop and jazz, and the latest Love Mode concert begins at 7:30 PM this Friday at the Knitting Factory (74 Leonard Street) in New York City.

The event features J-Pop duo Zan, NYC-based Japanese group Love Etc., and the Okinawan pop, folk, and festival musical experience HAPPYFUNSMILE.

HAPPYFUNSMILE performed at the New York Anime Festival last December and I'll admit I'm a big fan. If you saw HAPPYFUNSMILE at NYAF, I invite you to the Knitting Factory this Friday to see them again. If you missed HAPPYFUNSMILE in December, I still invite you to take them in this Friday along with Love Etc. and Zan.

Doors open at 6:30 and tickets are $10.

I hope to see you there!

Celebrate Spring with NYAF!

Ahoy! Spring has finally come to New York City, and with it the blossoming of thousands of cherry blossoms. Now, at the highest of cherry blossom season, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden proudly presents their 27th Annual Cherry Blossom Festival -- Sakura Matsuri!

Sakura Matsuri takes place this Saturday and Sunday across the full expanse of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden -- with performances, exhibits, and workshops going on from 10 AM to 6 PM both days. Samurai drama troupe Samurai Sword Soul (who performed at NYAF 07) will be at Sakura Matsuri, too, and they're just the start of a schedule that includes taiko drummers, koto recitals, and even some guests who've come all the way from Japan.

I'll be there wandering about with a backpack full of NYAF goodies, and if you come to Sakura Matsuri all cosplayed up, odds are you'll walk away with some Anime Festival chopsticks.

Learn all about Sakura Matsuri right here...

http://www.bbg.org/exp/cherries/sakura.html

I hope to see you there!

New York Anime Festival Tickets Online!

NYAF 2008 tickets are now online! Head over to newyorkanimefestival.com to order your tickets now and be done in time for tonight's all-new Doctor Who and Battlestar Galactica! Once you've picked up your NYAF tickets, come on back and let me know your guesses on the final Cylon. My money's on Starbuck, but is she too obvious?