The 2012 Gallifrey One convention, Gallifrey One's Network 23, the twenty-third edition of the world's largest and longest-running annual Doctor Who fan convention, is about to begin! Join us at the Marriott Los Angeles Airport Hotel this weekend, February 17-19, for three days of fun and adventure, with an exceptionally large and diverse guest lineup, four tracks of amazing programming, a fully-stocked dealers room and art show, and much, much more!

We are expecting somewhere shy of 3,000 people this year, so please make certain you note the following:

Registration opens Friday morning at 10:00am for general admission purchase, or Thursday evening from 6:00pm-9:00pm for pre-registered attendee badge pickup only. Pre-registrants did not receive tickets in the mail; just bring photo ID. Regular registration hours are 10:00am - 7:00pm Friday, 9:00am - 7:00pm Saturday, and 9:30am - 3:00pm Sunday. At-the-door registration prices are $90 full weekend (adult), $35 teen full weekend (ages 12-17), $40 Friday or Sunday one-day only (adult), $50 Saturday one-day only (adult), or $25 teen one-day only (ages 12-17). Children under 12 are free with a paid attending adult.

Parking is somewhat limited due to changes at the Marriott and the number of people we are expecting, so please read the Directions & Parking page for full details.

Our hotel has been sold out of rooms for months, but there are still rooms available in nearby hotels such as the Crowne Plaza and Renaissance Montura.

Programming begins at 11:00am Friday with our annual "Gallifrey 101" introduction panel (mostly for new attendees, but all welcome); then, general main ballroom programming starts at 12:00pm with our opening panel, Radio Free Skaro. Right at 12pm, the first guest on stage is one of our guests of honor, Camille Coduri - don't miss it! The Dealers Room also opens at noon Friday.

General Hours of Operation are 11am-7pm Friday (with Friday night programming running from 8:30pm until after midnight); 10am-6:30pm Saturday (with Saturday night events starting at 8:30pm, again running well after midnight); and 10am to 7pm Sunday including Closing Ceremonies. Our Volunteers Party runs 8:30-9:30pm Sunday night.

Press Badges/Credentials are not available for Gallifrey 2012 this year; we know many people have approached us but we are not issuing press badges, sorry.

We will no longer receive your emails until after the convention! Our committee & staff are already moving into the convention hotel and we are no longer checking our email account, but will return emails after the event.

And finally... keep up with the convention by visiting our Facebook page (Facebook.com/gallifreyone) or on Twitter, at our @gallifreyone.com account or on the #gally hashtag.

We hope you will join us this weekend for America's greatest and most popular Doctor Who celebration! See you there!

We have tons of updates to share with you about next week's Gallifrey One's Network 23 today so here we go...

Parking: Our last news update had a huge amount of information on parking at the Marriott. See the next news item -- click "NEXT" below, or the next section on our mobile website news page.)

Clarification on Registration: We are getting lots of email from first-timers so we want to make sure this is clear... you will not receive tickets in the mail. All you need to do is arrive at the convention and either pick up your badge (for pre-registrants) or pay for a badge (if you haven't yet registered). The process should take only a few minutes, and we accept cash, check (payable to Gallifrey One), VISA or MasterCard at the door. Please bring one form of identification. Regular registration hours are 10:00am - 7:00pm Friday, 9:00am - 7:00pm Saturday, and 9:30am - 3:00pm Sunday. Additionally, pre-registered members can pick up their badges early, on Thursday night from 6:00 pm - 9:00pm.

Gallifrey 101: Speaking of first-timers to our convention... Programming begins at 11:00am on Friday with "Gallifrey 101". This panel is for both first-time attendees as well as seasoned convention vets, as an introduction to Gallifrey One: find out everything there is to know about the convention, secrets to enjoying it (especially as a first timer), and answers to your important and burning questions that we have not otherwise addressed for you. We encourage you to join us for this session, but especially those of you who have not been with us before.

Guest Updates & Clarifications: First, we're happy to welcome actor Matt Rippy who will be in town for the weekend and will be joining the Tenth Planet Events folks in the Dealers Room for autographing; Matt was featured in the Torchwood episode "Captain Jack Harkness" as The Captain, and has had an extensive film and TV guest appearance career. Also, we want to clarify a few important items regarding our existing guests: while Daphne Ashbrook will be with us in the Autographs Hall during Premium Autographs Group 1 signings, Gallifrey One has actually welcomed her to the convention as a 'sponsored' guest and she will not be offering free signings; and recently added Philip Olivier from Big Finish will actually be signing autographs only at the Alien Entertainment table in the Dealers Room. Additionally, we are happy to announce that Philip Olivier along with his fellow Big Finish actor guests Beth Chalmers and Lisa Greenwood will be doing photo sessions with Froggy's Photos each day - check out the schedule of photo sessions for the "Big Finish Actors" sessions.

Charity Auction & Donations: The 2012 Bob May Memorial Charity Auction begins Sunday February 19 at 12:00pm noon. Auction donations are readily accepted at our convention all weekend! Science fiction merchandise and memorabilia of any kind, both new and collectible, are welcome. You can stop by the convention office during the weekend to donate any merchandise; you will receive a statement for your donation. We are, as always, looking for items to be donated to this year's charity benefit auction. Upon arrival, please drop off any materials you would like to donate to the Convention Office. We need donations of science fiction, fantasy, comics, horror or genre related material, most especially Doctor Who and its spinoffs. This includes genres such as Torchwood, Star Wars, Star Trek, Harry Potter, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Prisoner, Blake's 7, Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Stargate SG-1/Atlantis/Universe, Battlestar Galactica, Caprica, Red Dwarf, anything related to science fiction film and television, SF/fantasy literature, comic books, or collectibles. Anything that has a tangential relationship to the SF/fantasy/horror genre which is in at least very good condition. Autographed photos, commemorative items, one-time prints, illustrations, etc. are also welcome. If you find it to be a valuable collectible, chances are good that others will, too. Just be sure: this is not a disposal service for items you wish to throw away!

Blood Drive: In addition to our charity event, we also run a Blood Drive at Gallifrey One with the kind cooperation of the American Red Cross. The 2012 Gallifrey One Blood Drive (entitled the "Nightingale Body Bank") will run on Saturday, February 18 from 10:00am to 4:00pm.

The 2012 Scavenger Hunt: HIDDEN WHOs: If you're familiar with Disney's "Hidden Mickeys," you'll know what we're doing here: we are taking 30 Doctor Who related portraits and scattering them around the convention (except in the program rooms, our convention office and the cosplay hall). Find the "Hidden Who" according to the chart in your program book -- easily identifiable by the red border and the convention logos -- and write down where you found it. Collect all 30 and visit Member Services: they'll give you a special badge ribbon and enter your name for a drawing for prizes!

Guest of Honor Banquet Update: For those of you who have purchased a ticket for the guest of honor brunch banquet (our only event not included with your registration, which was sold out at last year's convention), please remember that the banquet will take place on SATURDAY morning, NOT on Sunday as in previous years. We have taken this step in order to better aid our guests who will have busy schedules on Sunday afternoon. Please note that Gallifrey One will NOT be pre-selling tickets to next year's (2013) banquet during this year's convention. We will have more details on this as the year progresses.

No Costume Theme: Many of you remember last year's tropical themed costuming days... this year we are not doing specific "theme" days so costuming is open all weekend. Speaking of which...

The Nerdist Channel "Just Cos" Update: Attention cosplayers... will you be attending Gallifrey 2012? Are you proud of your costume? Do you want to be featured in a new webseries about cosplay? If so, send an email to justcos2012@gmail.com - and make certain you're with us on Sunday! That's when Chris Hardwick and The Nerdist Channel will be filming for their upcoming series "Just Cos". They would like to talk to some fans early, though, so take a look...

Weapons Policy/Peacebonding: Real weapons or very real looking weapons will need to be peace bonded at the Ops office behind Member Services. This is usually done in such a way that it does not detract from the appearance of your costume or prop/weapon. If you want to do some posing, in a safe way, with the weapon drawn, ask one of our Ops Rovers who will be happy to un-peace bond you and then re-peace bond afterwards. If you appear to be acting carelessly with anything that could accidentally hurt someone, you will receive "The Lecture", which goes with all peace bonding and a cable tie will be attached to whatever you were acting too carelessly with. We don't imagine this will actually happen too much as the crowd at Gallifrey are generally always very careful but we are getting bigger and spaces are getting smaller, so we just want to be sure everyone is playing safely.

And Finally: While you're all hopefully looking forward to 2012, plans are already in motion for 2013. We've actually got invitations out to a variety of guests (some BIG names in there, too!) and you'll be finding out the name of our next convention at this year's event. So here's something to whet your appetite...

As the convention draws very close, Gallifrey One would like to share information about parking at the Marriott LAX this year. For those who have been with us before, the process has changed (the hotel gate is now automated) so please take note of the following - especially the notes about the parking lot being full:

Day Visitors (Not Staying at Hotel): Parking at the Marriott is $11 per day (plus 10% tax) if you get a green validation card from us, which you can pick up at Member Services. When you exit the lot, put your white parking ticket into the machine, and THEN put the green validation card in, and your cost will be reduced to $11; you can pay by cash or credit card. If you have any trouble with the automated system, press the button on the parking machine to request help. (See note below regarding parking being full.)

Overnight Visitors (Staying at Hotel): Parking is $11 per day (plus 10% tax) with in-out privileges. We recommend that convention attendees with rooms at the Marriott check in FIRST before parking. To do so, pull into the valet area in front of the hotel lobby (stay in the left lane), then go in to the lobby and check into your room. Once you register, your hotel room key becomes your in-out pass for parking. Your room will be charged the reduced convention rate if you booked your room using the convention room block code.

If The Parking lot Is Full: We are expecting huge numbers of people this year and may run out of parking early. If the outside self-park parking lot is full, you may be asked to park in the hotel's underground parking structure; at that time, you will need to let them know you are with the convention and will pay the $11 (plus 10% tax) at that time, so make certain you have cash on hand to do so. If you park in this manner, you simply exit the structure as you depart and do not need to pay again.

If you are staying in the hotel overnight under the convention room block code and the parking lot is full, the hotel will valet park your car for you at the reduced convention rate; you must already have checked into the hotel and have your room key for this to occur. Meanwhile, regular valet parking should be available throughout the weekend though the prices are considerably higher.

If the self-parking areas are full, there are two excellent alternatives that are extremely close to the convention: Park Air Express at 5757 West Century Blvd., and The Parking Spot at 5701 West Century Blvd. Park Air Express is located next door to the Marriott parking lot (our hotel parking lot is sandwiched between the Marriott and Park Air Express!), and The Parking Spot is on the other side of the Hilton LAX which is the hotel next door. Both are within five minutes walk and are extremely convenient, and both are very close to the price of our reduced parking. (These might also be reduced price alternatives for overnight guests who did not book at the convention rate.) The Marriott valet staff can also recommend additional parking in the area. (Please note that the green validation card from the convention cannot be used at any other facility!)

THE IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER about Gallifrey One Parking this year: there is plenty of parking within 5 minutes of the Marriott Hotel. Even if the lot is full, there is a paid parking lot next door (Park Air Express). There are dozens of options in the area (it's the airport, after all!), including parking lots that have shuttles from the airport (which itself is accessible via a two-minute shuttle ride from our hotel. We appreciate your patience and support as we ensure everyone is able to access the convention.

The complete schedules are now online for our Autographs program, our Kaffeeklatsches, and our Photo Studio. You can find the full schedule listed as "Extras" on our Schedule page, or click on the button at right. Meanwhile, we would like to take this opportunity to clarify some things for our attendees so there's no confusion. Read on...

Autographs: As we announced some time ago, we have divided all of the autographing at Gallifrey 2012 into three different "classes": premium, sponsored and standard (open). These are identified on the schedule. To clarify what is going on for each "class":

1. Premium sessions are free autographs from some of our major guests, but due to time constraints, our attendees are limited to one autograph from each premium guest during the weekend. Premium guests are split into two groups; you can attend one session for each of the two premium groups during the weekend, and they can be on different days. Premium sessions are in the Meridian Ballroom on the hotel entry/lobby floor (above the convention floor). Tracking will be achieved by the new Autograph Card you will get when you register.

2. Sponsored autographs are actors who are located at exhibitor tables throughout the weekend; they are sponsored by Tenth Planet Events or by their own booking managers. These guests will be clearly recognizable at their tables - located either in the hallway, the foyer, or (in the case of the Tenth Planet guests) in the Dealers Room. They keep their own hours and will charge for their autographs.

3. Standard (or Open) autograph sessions are in the front section of the Meridian Ballroom on the hotel lobby floor. These sessions are completely open, accessible and untracked; the lines won't be long, so you can drop by for any or all of these sessions at your leisure.

Please note: though it is NOT noted on the schedule, our premium guests may choose to hold additional sessions, including charging for autographs like sponsored guests; these are above and beyond the free autographs during their regular sessions and are not counted toward one-autograph per attendee rules.

Kaffeeklatsches: Gallifrey One's Kaffeeklatsches are intimate but professional gatherings with one or two guests and a maximum of 12 attendees (no exceptions). These are completely free to attendees, but you must sign up for them in advance. Sign-ups begin on Friday at 1:00pm at Member Services; as in previous years, in order to accommodate everyone, you may select one kaffeeklatsch as a main participant (as long as slots are open) and one as an alternate during the sign-up session... after that, we will post the schedules and any open slots can be filled. Participants MUST be on time for their kaffeeklatsches or alternates will be selected. Free coffee & tea is available for these chats; we ask that you keep the kaffeeklatsches respectful and light, no personal questions, and limit the discussion to the guests' careers. There is no advanced (pre-convention) sign up needed, only the Friday 1:00pm sign-up option.

Photo Studio: Froggy's Photos, in conjunction with Tenth Planet Events, is taking care of our professional Photography Studio. This is your opportunity to have your photo taken by a professional photographer with one or more of our guests... and it will be printed on site for you as a high-quality glossy to take away as a special memory of the weekend. Nearly all of the actors at the convention this year have agreed to participate in these photo sessions. The schedule is now posted on our website. There is a very short time window for each, so you will need to be prompt if you have pre-bought your photograph, or come early in order to register for one on-site. Froggy's Photos is asking that you please show up 5-10 minutes before your session. You can pre-order your pictures at the Froggy's site (see the previous item) but you will also be able to buy on-site as well (you do NOT need to pre-order before the con.)

Our latest updates from the convention ticker... this incorporates news from January 26-31.

Pre-Registration Now CLOSED: Pre-convention registration for Gallifrey 2012 closed on January 31. We will re-open registration on Friday, February 17 at 10:00am at the Marriott Los Angeles Airport. If you haven't yet registered, do not worry: we will be able to register you at the door. At-convention rates are $90 adult or $35 teen (ages 12-17) for the weekend; $40 for Friday or Sunday only (adult); $50 for Saturday only (adult); or $25 teen one-day (age 12-17). Children under 12 are free with a paid adult.

Pre-Registered Badge Pickup: Those who pre-registered for the convention prior to January 31 are eligible for early badge pickup on Thursday evening, February 16 from 6:00pm to 9:00pm at the Marriott... so you can avoid the Friday morning rush. This is ONLY for pre-registered members; new member registration (for those who have not yet purchased) is open on Friday morning. Remember: you do NOT receive tickets in the mail, you pick up your name badge on site. If you are not sure if you've pre-registered, check out the Pre-Registered Members page.

The Nerdist Channel at Gallifrey 2012: We are pleased to welcome back Chris Hardwick and the team behind Nerdist.com to Gallifrey 2012. Last year, Chris joined us as part of a film crew from CBS for "The Late Late Show". But this year, Chris is bringing the gang from Nerdist for a special project: to film Gallifrey One cosplayers on Sunday for "Just Cos," a brand new program debuting in April on The Nerdist Channel, one of YouTube's new sponsored program channels. The folks at The Nerdist Channel will be filming fans who dress up and will interview them about what they're doing in their cosplay, why they do it, and how they put their amazing costumes together - and more! We encourage our cosplayers to participate all weekend but most especially on Sunday afternoon; you'll be able to find the folks from The Nerdist Channel set up in the main foyer that day. Our special thanks to Chris, producer Seth Laderman and the folks at Nerdist for setting this up and we look forward to seeing them at the convention!

Guest Updates: This past week we've added several new guests to our lineup! We are happy to welcome Philip Olivier who plays Thomas Hector "Hex" Schofield in the Big Finish audio series, as well as Doctor Who novelist Peter Anghelides and audio script writer Darin Henry, both of whom make return trips to the convention to participate in panel programming, Lucy Chase Williams and Amy Krell who will be presenting their special tributes to Nicholas Courtney and Elisabeth Sladen, and writers Keith Miller and Jackie Jenkins who will be joining us to talk about his book about the early days of Doctor Who fandom in the UK, as founder of the original official Doctor Who fan club.

Schedule Update: There have been a few (somewhat minor) changes to our schedule lineup this year, so we've uploaded some new charts onto the Schedule page. Meanwhile, we are working on the autographs and kaffeeklatsch schedules and should have those available by next week.

Froggy's Photo Studio: For the third year in a row, Gallifrey One is delighted to welcome Froggy's Photos, in conjunction with Tenth Planet Events, to sponsor our professional Photography Studio. This year, the Photo Studio will be located in the New Orleans room, just past the Art Show and on the way to our cosplay and exhibits room. This is your opportunity to have your photo taken by a professional photographer with one or more of our guests... and it will be printed on site for you as a high-quality glossy to take away as a special memory of the weekend. Nearly all of the actors at the convention this year have agreed to participate in these photo sessions, including Paul McGann, Camille Coduri, William Russell, Louise Jameson, Maureen O'Brien, Mark Sheppard, Richard Franklin, Caitlin Blackwood, Daphne Ashbrook, Eric & Eliza Roberts, Yee Jee Tso, John de Lancie, Simon Fisher-Becker, Tony Curran, W. Morgan Sheppard, Waris Hussein, Virginia Hey, Nicholas Briggs, Daniele Favilli and Michael Troughton, with more coming soon.

Each guest will be taking part in one photo session each of the three days (except: Mark Sheppard, Eric & Eliza Roberts, John de Lancie and W. Morgan Sheppard on Saturday/Sunday only; and Tony Curran on Saturday only). The times will be noted on our schedule shortly. There is a very short time window for each, so you will need to be prompt if you have pre-bought your photograph, or come early in order to register for one on-site.

Some of the guest pre-orders are available at the Froggy's Photos/Gallifrey One Pre-Order Site. (Please note that some announced actors do not yet appear but should by Friday or this weekend at the latest!) The page includes all the details you need to pre-order photographs with any of the guests (which can be fulfilled during the time you select on the pre-order page). Please note that the photo studio is run independently of Gallifrey One event and any queries or questions regarding photographs or studio sessions should be directed to Froggy's Photos; we bring this to our attendees as an extra service, above and beyond the rest of the convention, to make it extra-special. (Gallifrey One also receives no money from this event; it's purely offered as a service.)

Another member of the 'cast' of the Doctor Who TV movie will be joining us this year for Gallifrey One's Network 23... albeit a star of the inanimate kind

The original TARDIS console created for the 1996 TV movie will be on display at Gallifrey 2012 for its first-ever public appearance. Attendees can see this restored, one-of-a-kind iconic prop in person during all three days of the convention; stop by the Cosplay Hall anytime during open hours to check it out up close. Everyone will experience the same lights, motion and newly added sound effects as seen in the TV Movie. A virtual photo tour will also be on display to walk folks through the step-by-step painstaking restoration process.

In addition, special times will be arranged Saturday and Sunday to get your photo professionally taken while YOU pilot the Eighth Doctor's TARDIS Console! Drop by the Fan Lounge, located at the back of the central hallway across from the Cosplay Hall (you can check out the convention area map by clicking here then click on the round map button at right) throughout the weekend. We look forward to seeing you all there.

Our special thanks to the console's owner, Paul Salamoff, and our Cosplay Hall director Bob Mitsch for working on this project.

Some new updates today on age 12-17 memberships, the new hotel policy regarding beverages in the lobby, our Children's Programming track and important notes for those attending the guest Banquet. But first... some new guests to tell you about:

New Guests: Only a few weeks out, and we have three new names to add to our guest list today! First, we are delighted to welcome actor SIMON FISHER-BECKER for his first-ever North American convention. Simon has made three appearance in Doctor Who as Dorium Maldovar, the blue-skinned black marketeer first seen in "The Pandorica Opens" and later becoming integral to the Doctor's struggles... including those final few moments at the end of "The Wedding of River Song" where he asks the Doctor that timeless, important question. Simon has also been seen in the Harry Potter films as the Fat Friar and countless stage works in the UK, and he comes to us as a sponsored guest of Tenth Planet Events.

Also joining us are DANIELE FAVILLI, an Italian actor who made a memorable impact as Angelo Colasanto, Jack Harkness's love interest, in the 1920s in the Torchwood episode "Immortal Sins" this past season; and a special autographing visit by LINDA THORSON, best known for her memorable turn as Tara King in the classic UK series The Avengers as well as countless TV appearances in such shows as Emmerdale Farm, Star Trek: TNG, One Life to Live and other series. All of them will be joining us for part of or the entire weekend; Favilli will join our "Miracle Day" panel on Saturday at 11:00am; Fisher-Becker will be part of our Doctor Who new series roundtables as well as several other panels; and Thorson will be signing in the foyer. Our special thanks to Derek Hambly (at Tenth Planet Events), Emily Danyel (at Tri-Booking) and Laurence Wreford for their gracious support of our convention by securing these guests.

Clarification on Teen Memberships: We have had many requests regarding teen memberships, especially the purchase of memberships by older teens directly. Please note that ages 12-17 not accompanied by a parent must have parental permission to attend. This should be in either the form of the parent arriving with the teenager and paying for the membership (from 12-15 MUST be accompanied), or the parent sending a letter with the parent's full contact details stating that their teen can attend -- a photocopy of the parent's ID and signature must accompany the teen.

Hotel Alcohol Policy: Gallifrey One has been asked to convey the following important information from our hotel, the Marriott LAX -- the hotel has requested that our attendees no longer bring outside alcoholic (and non-alcoholic) beverages into their hotel lobby. Beverages can still be purchased from their hotel bar, and there will be a cocktail waitress in the hotel lobby during the evenings as well as our cash bar on the convention floor. Gallifrey One has been given a lot of support over the years from our hotel, and the Marriott has been turning a blind eye to the outside-purchased alcohol in the lobby during the "LobbyCon" festivities for years; however, due to legal liabilities, they will be clamping down on this. This will not impact our attendees as much as some might think, and there will still be plenty of revelry going on in the evenings. We thank our attendees for their support of this policy.

Children's Programming: Once again, Gallifrey 2012 will offer a children's programming track with specific events over the course of the convention that are fun and aimed for the younger fan. Please have your children come join us with their badges. Note: children must be between the ages of 3 and 12 and must be toilet trained; this is not a babysitting service but an active program with Doctor Who themes. The hours are Friday 2pm-6pm, Saturday 10am-6pm, and Sunday 10am-4pm. Visit our Member Services desk on the convention floor to be guided to Children's Programming (which is upstairs in the hotel). We look forward to seeing your kids there!

Banquet Update: As a reminder, attendees to the 2012 Guest of Honor brunch banquet should note that this year's brunch takes place at 9:00am on SATURDAY, not Sunday as in years past! The banquet is expected to end shortly before 11:00am, allowing attendees to see the remainder of the day's events. We ask that participants gather no later than 8:50am on Saturday morning in front of the Meridian Ballroom; the Meridian room is where Autographs are located and is on the main lobby floor (down the hallway between the Champions Sports Bar and the steak house/coffee shop) and not on the convention floor. As of press time, the banquet is well sold out and there is already a waiting list. (Our guest banquet is the ONE event at the convention that requires a separate charge, due to the cost of food, and is sold - and sells out - at the previous convention.)

Big news today! We have three new guests, we begin our annual series of previews of our programming tracks (with today's look at our major presentation events), but first up is a huge announcement:

The Gallifrey 2012 Tentative Schedule: At long last, the Gallifrey 2012 Tentative Schedule is now available for the first time on our website, current as of today, January 13, 2012. We must caution visitors that this is subject to change, dependent upon potential changes in guests' schedules and the like. It does not feature any autograph sessions, kaffeeklatsches and photo sessions, all of which will be announced in the weeks to come. However, it is for the most part complete, and thanks to the extraordinary response we received from the fan community on our general discussion panel calls, completely full for panelists again earlier than ever before. Please note that Gallifrey One does not guarantee any panel will happen at the time in question, as items may change before the schedule is locked in February. Click here for the schedule of events.

New Guests: We have added three new names to our guest lineup. We are delighted to welcome TRAVIS RICHEY, who has become very popular with Doctor Who fans right here in America, playing an intrepid time-travelling explorer... on the NBC series Community -- yes, that's right, Gallifrey 2012 will be welcoming a visit from Inspector Spacetime himself! Travis will be with us on the weekend and will be participating in a special "Inspector Spacetime" panel on Sunday afternoon. We also have two acting professionals from the genre community that will be stopping by during the weekend to autograph: actor JAY ACOVONE, whose many TV appearances have included roles on Stargate SG-1, The X-Files, The Pretender, Sliders and Beauty and the Beast along with countless other appearances; and VERNON WELLS, a veteran of such films as The Road Warrior, Commando, Innerspace, Weird Science and a long-running appearance on the TV series Power Rangers. All three of our new guests will be autographing throughout the weekend. (One sad note: unfortunately Tony Lee will not be able to make it due to a change in his current work deadlines, but we look forward to seeing him next year.)

Program Preview #1: The Presentations: Finally, today we start our official previews of Gallifrey 2012's programming this year with a look at many of the presentations being made at this year's convention. Besides the actor/guest Q&As and interviews, and our discussion track, we have a ton of additional programming happening at this year's convention, and we are happy to share some of it with you today:

Friday

Radio Free Skaro and the World of Tomorrow - The weekly Doctor Who podcast team (Steven Schapansky, Warren Frey and Chris Burgess) open up the Gallifrey 2012 convention with a rousing interview panel featuring several of our guests on our main stage, beginning with the debut interview of the weekend, Camille Coduri.

Big Finish Productions - The company will be presenting material and previewing their latest works on Friday and Sunday, starting with a review of all of the latest material on Friday; we'll also have feature interviews with two of their lead actors (Beth Chalmers and Lisa Greenwood) on Saturday.

From Comic Idea to the Printed Page - A discussion of the steps involved in taking an idea for a Doctor Who comic story and translating it into the finished product, with all of our guests who are currently or have previously been involved with IDW Comics.

Between the Cracks - Rifle through 40+ years of Star Trek's "attic trunk": visit the Paramount stages and catch some of the oddballs-and-ends, all from the photo and art collection of author and editor Larry Nemecek: the humor, the what-ifs, the bizarre - and even a little metaphysics. And some all-new blooper stills, to boot.

Doctor Who DVD Update - Steve Roberts of the Doctor Restoration Team joins us to look at the state of affairs with the Doctor Who DVD range, including discussing the final year of their work bringing every surviving story to DVD. There will be some demo material to show as well.

Hirst Publishing - Publisher Tim Hirst previews upcoming books from the Hirst Publishing company and welcomes writers Ruth Wheeler, Paul Castle and Michael Troughton for a discussion about their current works.

The Who Crack Video Track - A second year of the best of Doctor Who crack: videos, interview clips, commercials, etc. Parents be warned...we included Torchwood again!

Memories of the Brigadier - Eric Hoffman presents an hour-long slide show about the best moments with Nicholas Courtney in the long history of Doctor Who, as we pay tribute to Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart.

What's New In Space 2012 - Steve Bartlett presents a look at what's going on in the space program this year, including commercial space vehicles, SpaceShip Two and Virgin Galactic, the Chinese space station, MSL, and more.

Saturday

IDW Comics - Editor Denton Tipton takes our stage to discuss the latest developments in Doctor Who at IDW Comics, joined by special guests.

Torchwood Live Commentaries - Jane Espenson and Doris Egan will be joined by moderators to do live commentaries of two of their "Miracle Day" episodes from 2011.

The Big Finish Companion - Writer Richard Dinnick and producer Jason Haigh-Ellery discuss the new book that takes a look back at the years of Doctor Who and other ranges at Big Finish.

The Past, Present and Future of Doctor Who Podcasting - We take a look at how and why podcasting has caught on in Doctor Who fandom -- what is it about this blue box that inspires microphones? -- as well as talking over how to improve our podcasts, ask our audiences for their suggestions, and look to the future to see what technologies and venues will arise. What might REPLACE podcasting in Doctor Who fandom?

Nick Courtney and Elisabeth Sladen: A Personal Journey - A special and very personal look at the two beloved Doctor Who icons we lost in 2011, by two people who knew them well, Lucy Chase Williams and Amy Krell, with photos and special memories of Nick and Lis.

Comics Coloring Demo - Charlie Kirchoff takes us behind the scenes of comics production to demonstrate the tools and tricks of coloring modern comics, with special attention to his work on IDW's Doctor Who comics range.

Lifecycle of a NASA Mission - Trina Ray of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory gives us a glimpse of what goes into the proposal of, and planning for, a NASA mission to space.

The Science in Television - Kevin Grazier, scientific advisor on many television series, shows us more about the nature of science fiction television, what's real, what's not, what's made up, and why TV has it all wrong sometimes!

Mars Science Laboratory - Sarah Milkovich of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory discusses the latest developments with Mars Science Laboratory, now enroute to Mars, with the Curiosity lander: what it's set to accomplish, and where the Mars program is headed in the near future.

Who-turama - We go behind the scenes on the animated sci-fi series Futurama, with Assistant Director Aimee Steinberger, including Season 6 Doctor Who "Easter Eggs."

The Good Companions - Eric Hoffman presents a look back at the tenures of Louise Jameson, William Russell, Maureen O'Brien and Richard Franklin on Doctor Who.

Sunday

Doctor Who Live Commentaries - Three special commentary sessions in our main ballroom: director Richard Senior and Gary Russell watch "Let's Kill Hitler," actor Mark Sheppard and director Toby Haynes discuss "Day of the Moon," and Paul McGann, Daphne Ashbrook, Eric Roberts, Yee Jee Tso and Philip Segal gather together for a commentary on "Doctor Who: The Movie".

Inspector Spacetime: The Panel - From a momentary glimpse on the NBC series Community to a veritable underground fandom: Inspector Spacetime is all the talk of the town. Joining us will be the man behind the traveler, Travis Richey, along with commentators to discuss the future of this impossible movement in fandom.

The Doctor's Wife's Bibliography - Fan Steve Manfred (of the Doctor Who DVD FAQ) functioned as a special consultant to writer Neil Gaiman when he was writing "The Doctor's Wife" last season; he put together a bibliography to all the major references to the TARDIS history in the classic series that the script was referring to. Join Steve as he goes through the extensive list.

Red White & Who - The editors of the forthcoming book about the history of Doctor Who in America - its fandom, its conventions, its broadcasts - discuss the latest developments in the book and how fans can get involved.

Tie Me In, Tie Me Down - Tie-in merchandise is still all the rage in science fiction media, from books to collectibles. Our panel of writers will discuss the latest state of tie-in fiction.

From Silver Screen to Gamemaster's Screen - Take up the sword and join Scott Alan Woodard and Arnold T. Blumberg on the ultimate journey! The authors discuss their forthcoming book on the sword-and-sorcery film genre and what makes all those cinematic quests so appealing to generations of fans, especially gamers. Battling blades, buxom babes, nefarious necromancers – it's what's best in life!

Big Finish Talk Back - Our annual panel where executive producer Jason Haigh-Ellery and producer Nicholas Briggs face the audience's questions about their current works and future plans for the Doctor Who audio series.

No Apparent Reason - A debut launch of a comic book that follows the lives of three quirky college roommates at the University Of New Orleans. Slightly Paranormal, with a touch of pop culture. And a vampire bat VW Bug!

Lightning in a Bottle - Writing for the character of the Doctor is a curious business. Not only do you have to capture that essential "Doctorishness" in the main character but also craft a story that differs somehow from most mainstream Science Fiction and Fantasy. In a panel that aims to be both insightful and light-hearted, Phil Ford and Richard Dinnick will discuss how they go about trapping this peculiar breed of lightning in a bottle.

Loving Lis: A Tribute - Eric Hoffman presents a retrospective on the legacy Elisabeth Sladen leaves behind from her years on Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures.

Who is the Doctor? - Authors Robert Smith? and Graeme Burk discuss their new Doctor Who book project.

Happy new year! Planning for Gallifrey 2012 took a short break over the holidays, but we're back - and the updates will come quickly over the next seven weeks! With that, we have some updates today to get you started:

New Guests: We have just confirmed THREE new guests in the past few days for Gallifrey 2012 (and sadly have to say farewell to one from our list) - two we announced on January 2, and the latest one is new as of January 4:

We are thrilled to welcome CAITLIN BLACKWOOD for her first North American convention appearance at next month's convention. Caitlin Blackwood's magnificent portrayal of the young Amy Pond in four episodes of Doctor Who the past two seasons - in "The Eleventh Hour," "The Big Bang," "Let's Kill Hitler" and "The God Complex" - has thrilled Doctor Who fans... and now made her the youngest-ever guest to appear at Gallifrey One (sorry Tommy Knight!) Caitlin, who is in real life Karen Gillan's cousin, has been a fan favorite in the UK, and thanks to our friends at Tenth Planet Events we are very much looking forward to her US debut appearance. Caitlin will be joined by her mother, Linda Blackwood, for the convention.

We are also delighted to announce that WARIS HUSSEIN will be with us again in 2012. Waris, who directed the very first Doctor Who story, "An Unearthly Child," back in 1963, was a surprise guest at the Podshock podcaster panel in 2011, and returns as a full guest this year to join us as we look back at the early years of the show with guests William Russell and Maureen O'Brien. And we are also happy to have with us NIGEL FAIRS, writer, producer and director of many Doctor Who and other related projects for Big Finish Productions, who will not only be joining us to participate in the convention but who will also be directing Louise Jameson's show "Pulling Faces" on Friday evening.

Sadly, though, we must announce that Mary Tamm will no longer be able to join us at Gallifrey 2012 -- an extension of the project Mary is currently working on will unfortunately interfere with her plans to attend the convention. We've been in touch with Mary directly, and she's terribly disappointed, but looks forward to hopefully joining us in 2013 (we've already extended her an invitation). Meanwhile, we have several other local guests to be announced in the very near future and will be sharing those with you by next week.

Membership Update: Registration for Gallifrey 2012 is now $85 for the weekend for adult registrations. That is $5 off the final at-the-door price, and pre-registration adds the benefit of being able to pick up your badge on the Thursday evening as well as having your name in the program book. Pre-registration will end on January 31 this year, so you have one more month to pre-register; after that, we'll reopen registration at the convention on Friday morning at 10:00am. Meanwhile, our Member List is now fully updated with everyone who has pre-registered for the convention to date - and for those counting, we are currently at 1,550 pre-registered paid attendees (about 500 more than last year at this time) so we are in for a big, big show!

Programming Update: We know it's been a bit quiet on the programming front (our programming director had a nasty flu after ChicagoTARDIS and then went on vacation, lazy boy that he is!) but rest assured the first draft of the Tentative Convention Program is coming late this week! For those also wondering about discussion panels, we have not yet completed our panelist assignments yet and will be doing so this week as well, so that information is coming soon. We have an amazingly fun program coming this year, with four complete simultaneous program tracks: main programming, our 'second stage' program (with live commentaries and special presentations), our discussion panel program, and our auxiliary track which includes a number of science-related programs, costume panels and other presentations. The discussion track we recently announced is only half the story, and we'll have tons of great stuff to enjoy this year!

Art Show Update: As we previously noted, downloadable forms and complete information for the 2012 Art Show are available on the Art Show page.

Hotel Update: While we have been sold out at the Marriott for many months, we still encourage you to keep checking the Marriott website for the occasional hotel room that might open up; we've heard from several people that they have been able to get into the hotel due to cancellations. Meanwhile, local hotels are filling up, too, and prices are inching up, so get a hotel room today. Our Friday and Saturday night programs end well after midnight both nights (not just the dances, but the actual programming itself!) and of course Thursday night is always a huge deal too with the LobbyCon gathering, so staying locally is always a great idea!

And finally: One of our local sister events takes place this coming weekend, and you might want to try it - it's Anime Los Angeles 8 at our hotel, the LAX Marriott, run by many of the same people involved in our show. Check it out!

More updates coming as we ramp up coverage of the Gallifrey 2012 convention in the days to come!

We here at Gallifrey One wish everyone a very happy holiday season!

Plans for our upcoming convention Gallifrey One's Network 23 are proceeding at lightning pace, and we will have plenty of updates beginning the first week of January -- our initial draft of the convention schedule, more guest speakers, our initial draft of the discussion panel schedule (including people who have requested to be on panels), plus previews of our other big events. And we've got plenty of new programming left to be announced: presentations, special panels and much more. Visit the website after the first of the year for official previews and much more!

Meanwhile, we've got sign-up sheets for the Art Show on that page, an updated membership list (we're nearing 1500 pre-registered members!) and more around the website.

Finally, remember that convention registration is only $80 for the entire weekend, until December 31, 2011. As of January 1, it's $85 for the final month and then $90 at the door. Get your registration taken care of and save a few dollars. Best wishes to all for a great holiday season!

Today we are opening up our Discussion Panel Participant Call to solicit panelists for our 2012 convention panel program. Visit the Panels page for the full list. If you're interested in participating on one or more of these panel items, you need to let us know before December 1, 2010; after that, we'll start filling up panels on first-come, first-served bases. Contact us via the convention email page to let us know if you're interested in a panel, what your qualifications are, and what days you'll be attending the convention. (Full guidelines on the panels page!)

Meanwhile, Gallifrey One is announcing our new policy for Autographs and our Volunteers procedures for our 2012 convention. Lengthy descriptions of both are available by visiting each of the two pages above, but to synopsize both:

Autographs: Due to the convention's growing size, we have scrapped the 'flyaway' system and have instilled a policy of one autograph per guest for the weekend for non-sponsored convention guests (identified on the autographs page) with the option to purchase additional autographs directly from the guest. Sponsored guest policies remain the same as well as autographs for our other guests. Guests fall into one of each of the categories and we'll be making sure this is noted in our program book. While we hate to have to limit the number of autographs, we don't want anyone going away disappointed.

Volunteers: Attendees can volunteer for credit on their volunteers form and join us for our new end-of-convention Volunteer Reception Party on Sunday evening at 8:30pm with refreshments and visits from many of our main celebrity guests. Our volunteers will also receive a special ribbon and we'll have some other nifty stuff available, too!

We hope these changes - both to the autograph session headaches as well as to help us add additional human resources to our growing convention - will enable enjoyment for everyone!

Guest Update: We are pleased to welcome actor W. Morgan Sheppard for his first Gallifrey One convention. Morgan was featured in the first episode of series six, "The Impossible Astronaut," playing the elder version of the character Canton Everett Delaware III... the younger edition of which, of course, was played by Sheppard's real-life son (and Gallifrey 2012 guest) actor Mark Sheppard. Of course, Morgan is well known to SF fans for a variety of other roles, including Blank Reg on Max Headroom (yes, we actually have a Max Headroom guest now to go with our theme!), the hologram Professor Martenson on seaQuest DSV, a variety of Star Trek appearances (including the warden of Rura Penthe in Star Trek VIBabylon 5 and other series.

We are also delighted to welcome back Chase Masterson from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, who returns from her much-enjoyed appearance at the convention last year after completing her new film "Yesterday Was a Lie" with director James Kerwin who also joins us; they will once again have a table in our foyer area to visit with attendees. Also making a return appearance is writer Simon Guerrier, long-time writer for Big Finish Productions as well as Doctor Who novelist for BBC Books, editor of many of the Short Trips collections, and creator of Big Finish's Graceless series. Simon is also the screenwriter of "Cleaning Up," a new short film that stars Louise Jameson, Mark Gatiss, Nick Briggs and Tracy Ann Oberman. Simon will be bringing a copy of the film, which will be shown during the convention and introduced by himself and Louise. Also returning are comics illustrator Blair Shedd whose work includes a stint as the illustrator on IDW's Doctor Who comics series; Futurama animator and AD Aimee Major Steinberger; and Battlestar Galactica science advisor and NASA scientist Dr. Kevin Grazier who will join us for panels.

One final, sad note: we regret that Frazer Hines will unfortunately not be able to make it to this year's convention after all. However, we look forward to seeing our dear friend Frazer in a future year!

Fan Video Call: Gallifrey 2012 today starts our open call for fan videos for our Saturday afternoon Fan Video presentation. Fan video submissions are welcome; please contact us and let us know you are interested in exhibiting. Currently we are accepting fan videos that have not been shown at the convention before, with a duration of one hour or less. Your request must have the following information: name of video, duration, writer and director, and a small paragraph description, plus any website link someone can use for more information. The fan video schedule fills up very quickly, so please contact us as soon as possible and let us know you're interested!

Marriott Hoteling Update: We've been keeping a trained eye on both our own hotel as well as hotels in the immediate area. Right now, there appear to be a small number of available hotel rooms again at our own host hotel, the LAX Marriott, available both through the Marriott website as well as on Expedia for $99/night (one dollar under the con rate, but not inclusive of a parking discount.) These are available as of October 14 without the convention code, for both the Friday and Saturday nights of the convention. We have no idea how long these will be available once word is out, so we urge you to reserve them immediately!

Additional Hoteling Rates: In addition, we've been able to find the following low rates on Expedia for the Friday and Saturday nights of the convention as of today (October 14), and will list them below starting with the closest options. The Thursday night prior to the convention seems to be a higher price, so you may want to reserve separately or shop around for the best options if you're coming in early. We've found the followign: Crowne Plaza (across the street), $95. Renaissance Montura (next door), $109. LAX Hilton (next door), $110. Courtyard by Marriott (around the corner), $89. Embassy Suites (around the corner), $110. Sheraton Gateway (one block away), $104. Radisson LAX (two blocks), $119. Travelodge (one major block), $79. Holiday Inn Express (near the freeway), $89. Again, if you're interested in a local hotel room, we urge you to claim these reservations immediately!

Gallifrey One is delighted to announce a batch of new guests for our forthcoming 2012 convention, Gallifrey One's Network 23.

February 2012 is becoming a major reunion event for the 1996 Doctor Who TV Movie, with Paul McGann, Daphne Ashbrook, Yee Jee Tso and producer Philip Segal... and now we're happy to add ERIC ROBERTS to that list. Eric Roberts portrayed the Master in the film, and of course should be familiar to audiences for his many film and television appearances over the years. Roberts was with us five years ago and was a terrific guest, and we are thrilled to welcome him back, along side his wife ELIZA ROBERTS (who had a brief role in the film, as wife Miranda). Both will have a signing table in the hallway and will be participating in our salute to the TV movie.

Meanwhile, another science fiction legend will be with us for his first Gallifrey One appearance. JOHN DE LANCIE recently portrayed Agent Alan Shapiro in the final three episodes of Torchwood: Miracle Day but is, of course, best known for playing Q on the various Star Trek series, as well as Stargate SG-1, Breaking Bad, Charmed and dozens of other shows (some of us even remember him from all the way back on Days of Our Lives... his first real sci-fi role!) John will be joining us on the weekend days and will be signing at his own table in our hallway greeting fans, so make sure you stop by and see him!

Beyond that, we are welcoming a huge collection of new and returning guest speakers, all of whom will be participating in programming throughout the weekend, including MARV WOLFMAN, the legendary comics writer; acclaimed horror and young adult novelist NANCY HOLDER as well as her occasional writing partner DEBBIE VIGUIE; "Sanctuary" producer/writer GILLIAN HORVATH; producer of "Haven" and "Castle," JOSE MOLINA; television animation screenwriter DAVID WISE and producer CRAIG MILLER; audio writer SCOTT ALAN WOODARD; comics letterer RICHARD STARKINGS; "Logan's Run: Last Day" writer PAUL J SALAMOFF; graphic novelist JOSHUA HALE FIALKOV; comics/anime publisher AUDRY TAYLOR; TIM HIRST of the UK's Hirst Publishing along with two of his writers, PAUL CASTLE ("Shooty Dog Thing") and RUTH WHEELER ("All Aliens Like Burgers"); Star Trek archivist and writer LARRY NEMECEK; and, as the start of our 2012 science program, TRINA RAY and SARAH MILKOVICH of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. All of these guests will be appearing on our panels throughout the weekend.

We are still actively speaking to other potential guests for 2012 and hope to have more announcements soon!

Gallifrey One today unveils its Discussion Panel program. Our discussion panel program track is one of the most popular facets of our annual event, focusing primarily on Doctor Who, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures, as well as the world of science fiction and fantasy television and media, and incorporating fan topics such as costuming, gaming and conventioning. Panel discussions are led in our panel rooms by both attending professionals as well as selected fans, with rousing dialogue that always makes for a memorable event. The full list can be found by visiting our Discussion Panels page. Please note that at this time this is our tentative list; we may (and often do) add to and subtract from the list based upon time, panelist interest and other factors. Also please note that we will be putting out a general call for panelists closer to the convention (usually around the November-December time frame) - we are NOT currently soliciting panelists.

Gallifrey One also is pleased to announce that we have selected Students Run LA as our target charity for the auction at the forthcoming Gallifrey 2012 convention. Students Run LA (SRLA) is a school-based mentoring and physical fitness program for at-risk middle and high school students in the Los Angeles area. The mission of Students Run LA is to challenge these students to experience the benefits of goal setting, character development, adult mentoring and improved health by providing them with a truly life-changing experience: The training for and completion of the Honda Los Angeles Marathon. Students who participate in SRLA learn to set and achieve goals, make new friends and become part of a team, and gain leadership skills. Established as an independent organization in 1993, Students Run LA has been a mainstay at the Los Angeles Marathon each year, with great success. In March 2011, 97% of the 2780 SRLA runners completed the Marathon. In June 2011, 97% of the 532 SRLA seniors who completed the marathon with SRLA graduated from high school and 97% of them planned to go to college or university in September 2011. You can find out many more details about SRLA by visiting their website, srla.org.

After many years of supporting different charitable groups for medical research, disaster relief and pet rescue, Gallifrey One's board of directors this year decided to do something a bit different: since the average age of our convention has been increasingly younger due to the strong support Doctor Who now receives from young fans, we wanted to reach out and support a charity dedicated to youth activities in the Los Angeles area. Students Run LA focuses directly on our community, and enjoys a very high success rate -- not to mention, the money donated goes directly to benefit the students (students do not pay to participate in Students Run LA; the costs to support a student in the program are covered by their fundraising.) Gallifrey One is delighted to support this very worthwhile charitable organization for our next auction.

Since 2009, our annual charity event has been named in honor of our late friend Bob May, best known for playing the Robot on the 1960s television series Lost in Space as well as for many years a participant in the Gallifrey One conventions as a program guest, dealer and auctioneer. The 2012 Bob May Memorial Charity Auction will once again take place on Sunday starting at noon. Auction donations are readily accepted at our convention all weekend! Science fiction merchandise and memorabilia of any kind, both new and collectible, are welcome. You can stop by the convention office during the weekend to donate any merchandise; you will receive a statement for your donation. Our Charity Auction page on our website describes many of the items we are looking to have donated for this auction. Attendees to the convention are very much encouraged to bring any items on our large list that they would love to see auctioned off for a great cause. You can direct any questions you have to us via email.

Our special thanks to Joe Mendoza for helping to arrange our partnership this year with Students Run LA.

Today we are announcing a new batch of confirmed guests appearing at our forthcoming 2012 convention, Gallifrey One's Network 23.

We are thrilled to announce that we've confirmed two directors of the most recent series of Doctor Who for our lineup. Five-time television series director TOBY HAYNES, who helmed this year's "The Impossible Astronaut" and "Day of the Moon" as well as the preceding three stories "The Pandorica Opens," "The Big Bang" and "A Christmas Carol" will be joining us for his first Gallifrey One convention. We're also happy to welcome RICHARD SENIOR, director of next month's debut story "Let's Kill Hitler" as well as the recent mini-episodes "Time" and "Space"; Richard was also an editor throughout the preceding fifth series with Matt Smith and even directed the footage shown at the National Television Awards this year. Both directors will be joining us to talk about their work on the program.

Making a return visit to Gallifrey 2012 is NICHOLAS BRIGGS, who these days is the executive producer at Big Finish Productions for their Doctor Who and other lines (not to mention, one of their most prominent voice actors extraordinaire) as well as for the past six years on the televised Doctor Who the voice of the dreaded Daleks (among other alien baddies!) We are also happy to welcome for his first-ever US convention BARNABY EDWARDS, the principal Dalek operator on the TV series since its return in 2005 as well as a long-time actor, director and writer for Big Finish; some of his more memorable stuff includes playing Paul Hunt on the Cyberman audio series, directing nearly three dozen Doctor Who audios as well as writing the stories "The Bride of Peladon," "The Wreck of the Titan," "The Beast of Orlok" and "The Book of Kells". The Big Finish production team is also bringing two of their newest stars for their first visits to Gallifrey One: BETH CHALMERS, whose nearly dozen appearances in past audios led recently to her starring as new companion Raine Creevey opposite Sylvester McCoy in their "Lost Stories" series; and LISA GREENWOOD who appeared recently in "The Crimes of Thomas Brewster" as Philippa "Flip" Jackson, a role she will be returning to as a full-fledged Sixth Doctor companion opposite Colin Baker starting in early 2012.

And finally... what's a 1996 TV Movie reunion (besides Paul McGann, Daphne Ashbrook and Yee Jee Tso) without the man who made it happen in the first place? We are thrilled to welcome back PHILIP SEGAL, executive producer of the TV Movie and a friend of the Gallifrey One conventions for over fifteen years, who will join us for our reunion event on Saturday at the convention. Segal, whose last visit to our event was nearly seven years ago (how time flies!), is always filled with great stories about the first return of Doctor Who to the air, and we are honored to welcome him back.

In other matters... we are today announcing our open panel call for ideas for our 2012 discussion panel track. Unlike in previous years, we are already starting the 2012 program with a significantly large number of panels (both from suggestions at Gallifrey 2011 as well as some handy topics we've "borrowed" from some sister events!) and so our ability to use suggestions will be limited. We'd like to invite our attendees to visit the Discussion Panel page for some insight into what we're looking for.

Recently making its debut on our webspace is a brand new mobile version of our website. The mobile version can be reached on your iPhone, Android phone or other portable device by simply coming here to the site (it'll give you the option of using the mobile version or the standard graphics-intensive version), or you can visit it directly at m.gallifreyone.com. Our mobile site has nearly all of the same functionality as the standard version; the only major items not available are the photo gallery and the ability to register with the convention online. We're hoping to provide additional mobile services in the future, including a mobile version of our schedule you can use at the convention itself.

And finally: we recently revised our photo gallery to fit in with the new site architecture from the recent revamp, and in doing so we debuted our Gallifrey 2011 Gallery featuring ten pages of great photos from our most recent convention. There's even a link to the Late Late Show broadcast video from CBS on the final page of that gallery, too. You can see photos from all 22 years of Gallifrey One in the Photo Gallery.

Today we launch a brand-new, modern version of our website for Gallifrey One. The menu is very functional and everything that was on the previous site has been ported to the new one, albeit with a fresh, clean, modern look. You'll notice the rotating guest lineup on the front page (which you can pause and/or switch pages on with the bullet points at bottom), plus the compact look of our news pages. Your feedback is very much appreciated. Also, please note that there WILL be a version for mobile phones as soon as we can finish that (along with the revamp of the photo gallery, which will include all of the photos from 2011's convention). We hope you enjoy.

Incidentally, there are a few items being added throughout the week, including the convention site map and updated guest information. We'll continue to have more additions as the weeks go by.

On the convention front, big news today: we can confirm that the Marriott Los Angeles Airport Hotel is now sold out for our 2012 convention. The hotel has filled up predominantly with Gallifrey One attendees. However, we encourage you to visit the new Hotel Reservations page which has detailed information about hotels adjacent to the Marriott. We also encourage you to keep checking if you are interested in getting a hotel room at the Marriott; there are bound to be cancellations and reservations changes over the coming months. We are as shocked as anyone that our hotel has now completely sold out seven months before the convention (but our pre-registration is higher than last year's at this point), but assure everyone that there are plenty of places to stay very close by. We hope you can join us for 2012!

Gallifrey One is delighted to announce our third batch of celebrity guests for our forthcoming 2012 convention, Gallifrey One's Network 23:

We are pleased to welcome TONY CURRAN for an appearance courtesy Coolwaters Productions. Tony portrayed Vincent van Gogh opposite Matt Smith and Karen Gillan in the acclaimed Doctor Who Series 5 episode "Vincent and the Doctor," which he briefly reprised in "The Pandorica Opens". His extensive career in film and television includes appearances in "Medium," "CSI," "24," "Underworld: Evolution," "X-Men: First Class," "Boardwalk Empire," "The Pillars of the Earth," "Gladiator," "Primeval" and many more. Tony will be appearing on stage for an interview on Saturday at the convention but will also be visiting for most of the weekend signing autographs and chatting with fans. We are grateful to Derek Maki at Coolwaters for helping us arrange this special appearance.

Making another return visit -- his fourth in a row -- is the fan-favorite FRAZER HINES, best known as Jamie McCrimmon to Doctor Who fans. Frazer has become a perennial at our convention and once again returns with Telos Publishing to visit with our attendees. Last year, his one-man show on Friday night received rave reviews, and we hope to have some special stuff in store for Frazer fans this year. Also making a return visit is actress VIRGINIA HEY from Farscape, who will once again be performing her meditation workshop (additional charge applies) and signing autographs all weekend in our dealers area.

JOHN SHIBAN makes his first visit to Gallifrey One in 2012. John is penning two episodes of the forthcoming BBC/Starz series Torchwood: Miracle Day and joins two fellow writers, previously-confirmed guests Jane Espenson and Doris Egan, for what we're certain will be a lively chat about the writing of, and making of, the latest Torchwood series. We'll also chat with John about his work on several series he has produced, including "The Vampire Diaries," "Legend of the Seeker," "Supernatural," "Star Trek: Enterprise," "The X-Files," "The Lone Gunman" and "Harsh Realm".

Scottish writer, actor and stand-up comedian CHARLIE ROSS will be with us for his first Gallifrey One experience. A fan favorite at countless Doctor Who conventions in the UK as well as many clubs and even the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Charlie's stage work has been enjoyed by many, and he's appeared in several audios for Big Finish Productions as well as penned a new book, "Smiles and Tribulations" for Hirst Publishing. We are delighted to announce, too, that Charlie will be headlining Gallifrey 2012 on Saturday evening as he brings his famous stand-up comedy routine -- with a Doctor Who focus -- to our main stage as our "half-time" event at the 2012 Masquerade. This is his first performance in America.

We are happy to welcome back IDW Comics after a year's absence, and they'll be back in our Dealers Room for 2012. With that, we are welcoming back editor DENTON TIPTON as well as welcoming, for the very first time, colorist CHARLIE KIRCHOFF. IDW Comics will be hosting a panel discussion about all of their latest Doctor Who comics offerings, including some special surprises, and Charlie will join us for the first time to discuss the process of comics coloring as well as his work on the series.

And if that's not all, we'd like to welcome back returning guests BARBARA HAMBLY, the acclaimed fantasy & science fiction novelist; television screenwriter JAVIER GRILLO-MARXUACH; Telos Publishing's DAVID J HOWE; award-winning horror novelist SAM STONE; Doctor Who writer, along with being the writer of the forthcoming "Big Finish Companion," RICHARD DINNICK; and long-time TV/film historian and writer ARNOLD T. BLUMBERG.

Of course, we'll have more guest announcements in the weeks and months to come, including some behind-the-scenes folks from the current series of Doctor Who. Keep watching for that later in the year.

Pictured in this story at top: Tony Curran; Frazer Hines; John Shiban; Charlie Ross

With the dramatically increasing size of Gallifrey One over the past few years, many of our members have been asking the same question: how is the convention going to manage the higher numbers while still maintaining the "family" feeling our convention has enjoyed for so long? We listen to everything we hear, and we work hard every year to make it a special event, and 2012 will be no exception to that. We would like to share some of the things we've been thinking about at this early point in our development for next year:

Autographs: Most of the feedback we received about Gallifrey 2011 was regarding the autograph sessions. Our autographs team did an amazing job with the unexpected massive influx of new attendees, but we've been working on changing the process and will be making some announcements this summer. Autographs will likely be moving back upstairs to the Meridian Ballroom, where it was in 2010, in order to accommodate some larger programming space. We're looking at longer times for some of our autograph sessions, to accommodate everyone, which may involve scaling back our 'flyaway' program (which works in theory but has had issues in practice) but limiting our main signing guests to one item only. Since a great many of our guests in 2012 are sponsored, and therefore autographing-for-payment, we may look at other ways to approach this, too.

Volunteers: Attendees volunteering at Gallifrey One has always been informal -- we've never really had a structured program, and we've had an ample amount of staff in the past. Our size increase warrants some changes on this level, and we're looking for ways to increase our volunteer base... which means incentivizing our potential volunteers. Over the next few months we'll be making some announcements about ways you can get involved with the convention; we will have a fixed volunteers desk next to Member Services, and you can sign up to help out with things such as door monitoring, assistance with setup, or helping out with our parties (the Friday night gala or karaoke). We're also looking at a new volunteers/staff party on Sunday evening after the convention is done, with some of our guests attending; if a volunteer has worked a certain number of hours during the event, they'll receive admission to the party. More on this in the months to come.

Room Sizes: Due to the increased number of attendees and the feedback we got after many of our programs were filled to standing room only (if that!), we are shifting all of our programming tracks into somewhat larger program rooms. Both our auxilliary programming track (live commentaries, major presentations, book launches) and our discussion panel track (Gallifrey 101 and all of the Doctor Who, Torchwood and SF media discussions) will be in larger rooms than in years past, with increased seating and microphones to hear the panelists, while our science track, costume programming and tribute panels will all be in a larger space than in 2011. Meanwhile, we're looking at putting in a second screen into the main programming hall so those in the back of the room can see more clearly.

Video Rooms: That's right, plural - we're adding a second video program room, increasing the amount of fan video, and enlarging the main video room with more seating. This will enable us to give you more programming and have seats available for all.

Evening Events: Masquerade lineup will be a bit more efficient than in years past, while we've been working on some new ways to accommodate everyone at the karaoke sessions on Saturday night. We're also going to streamline the timeline of the Masquerade a bit (half-time events, while always enjoyable, won't go on quite as long as it did this year!)

Food and Beverage: In order to help accommodate everyone who needs to grab a bite to eat or drink during the convention itself (and reduce the lines at the hotel restaurants), the Marriott will be setting up a snack bar during the day in the convention foyer. Attendees will be able to purchase sandwiches, beverages and other snacks at your convenience without even leaving the convention floor. This is something we are going to try out this year but it will be requisite on our members to support it -- if sales aren't high enough, we won't be able to guarantee it for the following year.

Scavenger Hunt: The Islands of Mystery Game was exceedingly popular during the 2011 convention, and we've heard from many people that it really helped them get "into" the convention -- not just the kids, but adults too. We're happy to announce that we've come up with another scavenger hunt-type game for 2012, though quite different from 2011 and a bit more open-ended (not necessarily tied to the theme like the Islands game was). We'll have details about this much closer to the convention, but it'll be something we hope many people will really enjoy. Yes, there will be a ribbon, too!

Dealers Room: We're happy to say, first, that all of our main dealers from 2011 will be returning for another year; nearly every dealer we have has been with us multiple times, some going back over a decade. But we've also added a few more: we're pleased to be welcoming three new dealers for 2012, Optimystical Studios, CeeCee's Hand-Knit Habitat, and Z'Etiquette Custom Carpetbags... Great new jewelers, costume apparel and knitware, including some Doctor Who specific stuff too! They will be going into the main dealers room, with some of our actor signing tables and exhibitors going into the main hallway as well as into the 'pass through' area.

Other Convention Floor Space: The TARDIS Lounge area - where Tara Wheeler's TARDIS resides and many of our knitters and cosplay folks have started gathering - will be in its own area directly across from the cosplay hall; no more will it be located in a pass-through area, blocking off half of the room for foot traffic. Meanwhile, we are expanding that pass-through area with exhibitor tables as well as dedicated space for gaming and socializing. We're hoping to add some scheduled gaming sessions in the game lounge.

Hotel Rooms: As we've noted, the Marriott has added additional hotel rooms to our room block, and of course the regular rack rates are only dollars more than the convention rate. Our hotel is doing everything they can to accommodate as many of our attendees as possible. When these are no longer options, we'll be showing you places in the very immediate area to stay - places that are within 5 minutes' walk.

We hope that this gives you some insight into some of the big changes we're making for 2012, and also what you can expect going forward. We'll have plenty of details about everything in the near future, along with some new guest confirmations coming up in July, so stay tuned!