MediaWest*Con/MediaWest*Con 1999

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Convention
Name:	MediaWest*Con 1999
Dates:	May 28-31, 1999
Frequency:
Location:	Lansing, Michigan
Type:
Focus:	multi-fandom
Organization:
Founder:
Founding Date:
URL:	1999 History page 1999 Convention theme
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

front and back page of the 1999 program book

Some Facts About the 1999 Convention

• The program book includes a bit of history: "MediaWest*Con is the direct descendant of T'Con, the first convention sponsored by T'Kuhtian Press in 1978. At that time, the number of fan-run cons was dwindling due to increased competition with pro cons. Media fandom was in its infancy, often ignored or maligned by general SF cons; even Star Trek cons were slow to accept fans of other SF genres. T'Con (followed by 2'Con, then consolidating under the name MediaWest*Con in 1981) was founded on the hope that fandom would support a multi-media convention run by and for fans, with no official guests. You have made MediaWest*Con the definitive gathering of SF/Media fandom."

• The theme that year celebrated the 30th anniversary of a man on the moon: "One small step for a fan, one giant leap for Fankind...We came in peace for all Fankind. 30 years after man first set foot on the moon, MediaWest*Con 19 salutes the lunacy of those who dared to imagine the possibilities of spaceflight in fiction and reality -- from the earth to the moon, and beyond."
• Seventy-two zines premiered at the con, down 25% from three years ago (1996)
• The seventh annual "Tea for Tarrant" was held.
• MediaWest*Con showed both "Earshot" and "Graduation, pt. 2" (two Buffy episodes that the networks refused to air), as well as the banned Xena episode ("The Way"), the Doctor Who parody "Dr. Who and the Curse of the Fatal Death" and the Deep Space 9 finale. It made the con, according to one fan, "one of the most memorable MediaWests I've ever been to!"
• A Karen River drawing of Mulder (X-Files) sold for $200. A drawing of "Jim and Blair (from the Sentinel) doing the Naked Pretzel" sold for over $400.
• Another fan reports: "I don't know what regular SF conventions charge for tables, but for the half a table I get at media cons, I've paid $25 (MediaWest), $20 (Visions, in the fan dealer room), $17.50 (ZebraCon and Escapade). Regular SF cons don't normally sell half-tables, but it's double the cost for a full-size table... I will say that the horror that is the MediaWest art auction runs for 5-plus hours, and there aren't very many items under $20, nor many over $1000. But items in the $300 to $500 range are considerably more common than at SF cons. And people pay (IMO) crazy prices for limited prints (like 1 of 5) by certain artists."
• Additional information about the 1999 convention is archived here.
• One attendee collected quotes overheard at the 1999 convention. They are archived here.
• Another fan created "party posters" with captions to advertise the Methos MediaWest Party. They are archived here. The captions end with Duncan MacLeod announcing, with a sword to his throat: "All right, ye daft old bugger! I'll go to yer damned party!"
• Approximately 35 dealers were listed in the post-con report.

1999 map in the 4th progress report showing where con attendees were from

• There was info about Operation 'Zine Rescue: "'Zine Rescue! 'ZINES HAVE BEEN RESCUED! Some of you may have sent 'zines for agenting to Peg Kennedy which were never accounted for. A storage locker containing many of these 'zines and artwork was seized for non-payment of rent and sold by auction by the storage facility. The contents of the locker was subsequently purchased for $3,000 and Operation 'Zine Rescue was born. The goal: to return as many 'zines and as much artwork as possible back to their original owners. Laurie Fenster, the coordinator of 'Zine Rescue, will be here at MW*C this weekend to answer any questions you may have about the 'Zine Rescue project. She will have the most up-to-date listing of the recovered inventory, so you can check and see if your 'zines are among those that have been recovered and discuss arrangements for their return or disposal. (If you want your 'zines returned, you will be asked to pay shipping costs, or make other arrangements.) For more information, check the flyers around the hotel or contact Laurie Fenster at her hotel room."
• Unsupervised children were the cause of some complaints as explained in the post-convention progress report: "In general, MWC 19 seemed to go smoothly, and we received few complaints. Most of the complaints we did receive involved children running around unsupervised and getting into trouble (in hallways and stairwells, in Dealers' Row rooms, vandalizing door decorations, annoying pets, and in one case a fall resulted in a potentially dangerous head injury). We found reports of unsupervised children in the pool area to be especially worrisome. Convention Security does not have the manpower to babysit unruly children, nor should they have to. It has been suggested that we ban children outright, which we hope we will not have to do. We do remind adult guardians that all members are subject to convention rules, and anyone found violating those rules may have their memberships revoked, regardless of age, and that MWC programming is intended for an adult audience"
• Convention flyers caused elevator breakdowns: "Also, elevator breakdowns were apparently the result of flyers posted on elevator doors falling down and getting caught in the works. While HIS has been lenient in allowing unauthorized posting, the elevators doors must be kept clear to avoid such problems in the future."

Fan Q Awards

For specifics, see 1999 Fan Q Awards.

Skit

"Pair 'o Strokers" (first performed in 1993 at ZebraCon, appears revised for 1999) was written by Paula Smith and Jan Davies. It was performed by [ Shoshanna ] (Napoleon Solo), Nancy Hayes (Illya Kuryakin), Judy Toth (Slasha), Carol Lynn (Blackadder, Guard 1), Rebecca Morris (Baldrick), Kath Sanders (Hutch), Barbara Presgrove (Bodie, Guard 2), Kim Smith (Blair), Bill Koenig (Exeter), Paula Smith (Gorbachov), and Grace Carafelly (Weatherlady).

"MST3000/X-Files Movie: Fight the Feature" was also written and performed by Michael Emond and Jessica Ross.

Fan Fund

The winner of the 1999 Fan Fund was Carolyn Golledge. She attended MW*C 19.

Party Suite and Other Gatherings

• 

Masquerade Awards

A complete list of winners, with photos, can be seen here.

• Best Of Show: The Queen's Wardrobe -- Bernadette M. Crumb, Christine Krebs-Bonder
• Way Cute Award: A Boy and His Dog -- T.M.Cason, Kwlly Jeanette Aurora Lowrey Kelly
• Best Standup: Sorceror A. Prentiss -- Peter Cooper
• Best Purrr On Stage: Curiousity The Traveller -- Curiousity
• Hat From Hell Award: Elizabeth's Alpha-World Persona, A.K.A. Psychowoman -- Elizabeth Wickes
• Best Sibling Rivalry: Mary Suethor, the Pesky Younger Sister of Hathor -- Erika Frensley
• Best Imitation of a Tequila Sunrise: Padme, Handmaiden to Queen Amidala -- Christine Getrost

Door Decoration Awards

A complete list of winners, with photos can be seen 1999 here.A few sample doors are included below.

Overall

• Best In Show: Jedi Legacy by June M. Edwards
• Funniest Door: Zine Wars by Christina Getrost

Science Fiction

• First Prize: Five Star Theatre Presents Star Wars Episode I The Fandom Menace by Janet Schmidt
• Second Prize: Jedi Legacy by June M. Edwards
• Third Prize: Quickenings R Us by Sophia Mulvey, Karen Travers, Sue Glasgow

Non-Science Fiction

• First Prize: Baker Street Bottlecap Wordsearch by B. Bills, J. DeBeneditto
• Second Prize: In Case of Emergency by Linda Jeffrey
• Third Prize: Caed Mile Failte (A Thousand Welcomes) by Becky Mock, Kathy Condon

Media Personality/Other

• First Prize: Cyphre Voudou Bayou of New Orleans by La Krewe de la Cinema
• Second Prize: The W-Files: Where Are They Now? by Kris Manning, Sue Vandalen
• Third Prize: The Slash Game by Gena Fisher

Door Decoration Gallery

• 

  "Best in Show" Jedi Legacy

• 

  "Most Humorous" - Zine Wars Door

Art Show Awards

Winners are selected by popular vote.

• Best In Show: Epic by Frank V. Liltz
• Science Fiction: Epic by Frank V. Liltz
• Fantasy: Snow Maidens by Heather Bruton
• Detective: The Divine Mister Holmes by Barbara Fister-Liltz
• Secret Agent: So They're the Other Guys by Warren Oddsson
• Animation: Bunnylon 5 by Lar deSouza
• Humor: Calvin Skywalker by Lar deSouza
• 3-D: Noah's Ark by Butch Honeck
• Fabric: Wizard by Linda Jeffrey
• Western: Sunset Pride by Lucy Seaman
• Horror: Dark Shadows -- Barnabas by Michael Cole
• Portrait: The Calm & the Storm; the Wisdom of Age & the Passion of Youth by Jesse McClain
• Critter: Robin of Loxitane by Ursula Sandmann
• Too Cute to Live: Feroceously Cute by Barbara Fister-Liltz

Source: 1999 Art Show Winners

Vid Show Submission and Awards

The convention continued to segregate slash vids, claiming that people walking by the room might catch a glimpse of a slash context vid. Likewise , someone under 18 might wander in and be exposed to fanvids with an implied romantic connection between same sex characters without parental consent. Heterosexual vids were not restricted and could be viewed at any time. Once again, the existence of LGBTQ context - even with G rated content - was felt to be a subject for adults only. The organizer disingenuously noted that they were not not anti-slash and argued that the lack of slash videos was due to vidders failing to submit vids.

Second progress report the vid show organizer wrote:

As the Fannish Video Room is visible to anyone who walks by, videos with slash content or context are shown separately, at an appropriate (read later) time. The separate time is so that members who do not want to see slash videos do not have to suddenly excuse themselves from the room without knowing when to come back to gen videos. The later hour is to minimize the possibility that a non-adult might view the videos without parental knowledge and consent. Please do not consider anything in this paragraph to mean that anyone connected with MediaWestCon is anti-slash. In the 10+ years I have been running the fannish videos, I can only remember seeing four slash videos. Yes, the reports that there was no competition last year for slash videos are true -- but only because no slash videos were submitted!"

Vids submitted (partial list):

A partial playlist of the gen vid show was compiled by cannellfan. Slash vids were not recorded and MediaWest failed to announce the winning vidders in either category. To read about fan conflicts and tensions regarding slash and gen vid programing at this con, see Media West, Fan Q's and slash fans by Flamingo.

Mediawest contest categories:

• SI=Song Interpretation
• H=Humor
• CR=Constructed Reality
• O=Original (using mostly home video)
• Cred=Credits.

BARBARA'S LIVING ROOM PRODUCTIONS

• Opening [Cred]
• Badlands -- Buffy [SI]
• You Take My Breath Away -- multi (period dramas) [SI]
• End Credits [Cred]

BUNNIES FROM HELL

• Lucky's Lament -- General Hospital [SI]
• The Riddle -- Earth: Final Conflict [SI]
• Comic Book Hero -- Star Trek Voyager [SI]
• When I See Your Smile -- The X-Files Movie [SI]

CALIFORNIA CREW (Cal Crew didn't offer categories for their vids, so the vid coordinator assigned SI or H classifications after the first viewing)

• Abdul's Cool Opening Credits [Cred]
• I'll Make a Man Out of You -- Buffy [SI]
• Suspension -- Stargate SG-1 [SI]
• From This Moment On -- Titanic (Cameron film) [SI]
• Little Red Riding Hood -- Buffy [H]
• Yesterday -- Silk Stalkings [SI]
• The Bald Guy Song -- X-Files/JAG/ST:Voyager [H]
• When Seconds Count -- ST: Voyager [SI]
• I Can't Fight This Feeling -- Scarecrow & Mrs. King [SI]
• I Think I Love You -- multi [H]
• Come Spy With Me -- MUNCLE [SI]
• Baby Mine -- multi [SI]
• I'll Think of a Reason Later -- ST: Voyager [SI]
• What is This Thing Called Love? -- multi [SI]
• Come On Get Happy -- Stargate SG-1 [SI]
• Frozen -- multi [SI]
• This Kiss -- multi [SI]
• You Needed Me -- S&MK [SI]
• Oh, Canada -- multi (set in or filmed in Canada) [SI]
• Rebel Son -- ST:Voyager [SI]
• God Bless The Child -- multi [SI]
• What's New Pussycat? -- multi [H]
• Go the Distance -- Babylon 5 [SI]
• Ever Since the World Began -- Buffy [SI]
• When I'm With You -- multi [SI]
• It That's What it Takes -- Stargate SG-1 [SI]
• We Really Shouldn't Be Doing This -- Buffy [SI]
• Heroes -- multi [SI]
• That Don't Impress Me Much -- multi [H]
• Abdul's Cool Closing Credits [Cred]

CHEVRON & JON

• My Heart Will Go On -- Babylon 5 [SI]
• Missing -- Babylon 5 [SI]

CHICAGO LOOP

• Don't Put It In Your Mouth -- Due South [H]
• Fear -- La Femme Nikita [SI]
• Close to You -- The X-Files [H]

CHRIS & CHRISTINA

• intro/TV MA [H/Cred/O]
• Nadine -- Remington Steele [SI]
• Lean Bean Fighting Machine -- fight ad [H]
• We Really Shouldn't Be Doing This -- The X-Files [SI]
• One Thing Leads to Another -- Earth:Final Conflict [SI]
• What's On Your Mind -- VR.5 [SI]
• Space Hero -- Starship Troopers [SI]
• Viva Las Vegas -- multi [H]
• You Might Think -- multi [SI]
• End Credits [Cred]

THE FEDERATION

• The Six-Minute Doctor Files [original X-Files/DW crossover]

GAYLEN'S VIDEOS

• Intro -- multi/KFLC [Cred]
• Stone's Rag -- Kung Fu: The Legend Continues [CR]
• Lift the Wings -- KFLC [SI]
• Prospero's Speech -- KFLC [SI]
• L.A. Theme Music -- KFLC [H]
• I Got You, Babe -- KFLC [H]
• Please Write -- KFLC [Cred]

LA CONDOG

• I Hate Soup -- multi [H]
• Pistol Packing Mama -- ST:Voyager [H]
• Streets of Laredo -- multi/westerns [H]

LESLIE REMENCUS

• This Kiss -- multi [SI]
• What Makes You Stay -- The X-Files [SI]
• Once in a Blue Moon -- Buffy [SI]
• Little King -- Cupid [SI]

PONY GIRLS PRODUCTIONS

• Intro -- multi [Cred]
• Where the Truth Lies -- Stargate SG-1 [SI]
• Jailhouse Rock -- multi [H]
• I Will Be There -- Stargate SG-1 [SI]
• I'm the One -- Hercules/Xena (Ares) [SI]
• I Volunteer -- Stargate SG-1 [SI]
• Locomotion -- Stargate SG-1 [SI] w/Space Monekey Junkie

RED POOCH

• Flowers Never Bend With the Rainfall -- X-Files Movie [SI]
• She's Always a Woman to Me -- Xena [SI]
• Call Me Al (If You'll Be My Bodyguard) -- Xena [SI]

SHAZ

• I Wanna Run to You -- Babylon 5 [SI]
• Uninvited Guest -- Babylon 5 [SI]
• Goodnight, My Angel -- Babylon 5 [SI]

SiDiC MUSIC VIDEOS

• Intro -- Original [Cred]
• One Sweet Day -- multi [Annual Memorial Vid] [SI]
• The Man I Love -- Heat of the Sun/PBS Mystery [SI]
• Slime Creatures From Outer Space -- multi [H]

SPACE MONKEY JUNKIE

• Intro -- multi [Cred]
• Can You Feel the Love Tonight -- Stargate SG-1 [SI]
• Why Me? -- multi [SI]
• I Think I'm a Clone Now -- Stargate SG-1 [CR/H]
• The Riddle -- Highlander (Methos) [SI]

STEELE, INC.

• No Place That Far -- Remington Steele [SI]
• What If I Said? -- Remington Steele [SI]
• Anyone Else -- Remington Steele [SI]

• WALDO & KATE
• I'll Be There For You/Theme From Friends -- Babylon 5 [SI]
• Forgiven -- Forever Knight [SI]
• Land of Confusion -- Babylon 5 [SI]
• Who Wants to Live Forever -- multi (Characters who died) [SI]
• Dark Time -- Babylon 5 [SI]
• Possession -- Forever Knight [SI]
• Fire Escape -- multi [H]

WINGED CAT PRODUCTIONS

• This producer had three Sentinel vids

Programming

The Program Book: Gallery

• 

  Friday

• 

  Friday

• 

  Saturday

• 

  Saturday

• 

  Saturday

• 

  Sunday

• 

  Sunday

• 

  Sunday and Monday

Actors

• Buried Alive: Good actors cast in bad films.
• How to Keep an Actor Based Fandom Alive
• Loyalty: Following your favorite performer through new projects

Auberjonois, Rene:

• The many faces of a talented actor.

Bakula, Scott:

• Life after Quantum Leap - what he's up to nowadays.

Potter, Chris:

• Where now career-wise?

Sharpe, Richard:

• Sexiest Masterpiece actor since Ross Poldark?

Events

• Blood Drive
• Dead Dog Panel
• Fan Q's
• Masquerade
• Plays

• Stiffies Awards

Fandom

Apollo 11:

• Thirty years later.

Heavy Metal II:

• The Amazing Chain Mail Making Demo

Conventions:

• World Science Fiction Conventions (Worldcons): What are they like and how do they work?

Fandom:

• Burnout: I just love MW*C but how do I get past these fandom blahs? Coping with burnout.

• Fandoms in 'Mid-Life Crisis': How to keep a fandom alive over time, emphasizing online fandom.

• Media Fandom: What happened to the good ole days? Is fandom changing too much?

• Pals till the End? Getting on with your life after fandom friends call it quits?

• Relationshippers: If our favorite couples DC get together, then what? Or must we have URST in order to be happy?

• Successful fan campaigns: Do the networks really listen?

Fandom, Slash:

• /: Different pairings - Can opposing factions sit at the same table?

• /: Slash: What is its appeal? And why do fans write it?

Fan Q's:

• The Changing Face of Fan Q's

Hypnosis:

• Introduction to Clinical

Ice Skating:

• Ice Skating Fandom: When I'm not watching my favorite show, I'm watching Michelle Kwan.

Internet and Fandom:

• E-mail Tips - How to get the e-mail you want.and not to get swamped by the junk you don't.

• Internet-Rich / Internet-Poor - Can libraries bridge the gap?

• Using the Internet to find accurate information about fandom.

• Webrings - Clusters of information. How to find your favorite anything.

• Web Sites - How to set up a fan-related site.

• When Fans Attack: On (internet) discussion lists, why do fans flame rather than use the delete key?

Jewelry:

• Where'd You Get That Cool Piece? - Jewelry making for fun and profit.

Mars:

• Why Should We Go?

Science Fiction:

• In the Amusement and Entertainment Business Rollercoasters, rides and how SF themes inspire them.

Videos:

• An Introduction to Making Fannish Music Videos
• Fannish Videos - General discussion group

Violence, Media:

• Round table discussion group of the role of the media.

Fan Fiction

Fan Fiction: All:

• The Fanzine Library: Its progress, changes and improvements after 10 years
• The Gender Gap: So why don't more men write fanfic, anyway?
• Hurt/Comfort from Illya to Blair: Why do we hurt the ones we love?
• Star Wars Erotica: Do we read or write or like it - and why?
• Star Wars: How will fan writers deal with the Anakin personna?
• Star Wars: Who the Hell is Mara Jade? - Star Wars zine writers and the pro-novels' fans and detractors - can we reach a meeting of the minds?

• Star Wars: Zine readers and writers and canon - What is it now, and do we even care?

• Where did the zines go? The changing profile of fandom.

• Why do fan writers 'feminize' the smaller character? (i.e., Blair, Doyle, Illya)

• Why is it easier to beat up/torture the smaller character?

Fan Fiction, Slash:

• /: Slash in Star Wars: The underground fandom.
• /: Slash: What is its appeal? And why do fans write it?
• Fan fiction on the internet
• /: Guide to some of the better fan fie online - especially slash and angst.

• Online vs. print - of perennial interest

• /: Print or Post? The pros and cons

• Printed vs. Computer Story Controversy: What is fair to both sides - to authors and editors.

• Writing - How to: Fan fiction writing for new writers.

• Historical settings for fanfiction - How accurate does it need to be?

• Hurt-Comfort: Heightening the intensity. Make the breakthrough to grab your reader's emotions.

• Intermediate writing

• /: Slash Writer's Workshop: More than plot to worry about!

• So you wanna do a fanzine.
• Trying to Go Pro - The frustrations of being 'pre-published.'
• Why you need an editor. (116)

• Writer's Block - A round table discussion group.

• Writing Alien Sex - how we do. why it's fun.

• Writing for the (relation)Shipper and remaining true to the show and its characters as aired.

• Writing Seminar I- Beginners - 2-hour seminar

• Writing Seminar II-Advanced - 2 hour seminar

Writing - Research:

• Medical advice - Writing fanfic with medical reality.

• Research - How to find what you want, where you want, with or without a PC.

Literature

From Holmes to Hammer, from Wimsey to Fansler:

• Married sleuthes are back in style again. A sign of the times or just another literary fad?

Gaiman, Neil:

• Good Omens.

Modesty Blaise:

• How to keep her alive after 30years and little exposure.

Norton, Andre:

• General discussion of her Witch World series, among others.

McCaffrey, Anne: the Pernseries:

• From written page to television series.

Shakespeare:

• From stage to film.

Writing:

• Why are so many authors writing both mystery and fantasy?

Movies

Doomed:

• How bad ad campaigns can kill a good movie.

Lord of the Rings:

• The live action version - three cheers, or recipe for disaster?

Star Trek IV:

• Just who might they have met while in 1980s California?

Star Wars:

• The Phantom Menace: You've seen the movie, now talk about it!

Zorro:

• From Tyrone Power to Antonio Banderas

Television

Airwolf:

• Is there any way to bring this show back?

Alien Nation:

• Will Matt ever be assimilated into the alien culture?

Ally McBeal:

• Why I don't always admit that I watch this series...

Babylon 5:

• But I Have Questions - the loose ends fans wonder about

• Did it lose its tragic, mythic resonance and moral compass with Jeffrey Sinclair's departure?
• Feminism or facade? (A6)

• What loose ends need to be resolved?

Battlestar Galactica:

• Can it come back?

Beauty and the Beast:

• Catherine, a woman of two worlds.

• Suppose the series came back? Updating a romantic classic for the new age.

Blake's 7:

• What happened to this fandom of the late 1980's?

Brimstone:

• I've seen two really good episodes - can the show keep up this quality?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer:

• ASH (Anthony Stewart Head) - Too Hot for Tweed?
• The Dark Trio - Angel, Spike and Dru.
• Ethan, Ripper and Spike - The British Bad Boys of BtVS.
• The Evolution of the Character(s).
• Spike and Angelus - The lure of the evil vampire.
• The Mythology of Slayers and Watchers-what do we know? what can we guess?
• The W atcher and Slayer -The unique bond, should they take it further?
• The Watcher Council of Britia - Just a bunch of stuffy old men or a force to be reckoned with?
• What impact will Angel's move to L.A. have on the Slayer?
• Where do they go from here?

The Crow: Stairway to Heaven:

• General discussion.

• /: Slashing Draven and Albrecht? Is it doable?

Dr. Who:

• What's new, what's been going with this popular show?

Due South:

• General overview of the entire series.

Early Edition:

• Cast Changes in 3rd Season- For Better or Worse?

Earth: Final Conflict:

• First and second seasons. Did the changes improve it or....?

Emergency!:

• After all these years, what is the appeal of John Gage and Roy DeSoto (and Dr. Kelly Brackett)?

E.R.:

• The show without Dr. Ross. Can it survive?

Farscape:

• General Discussion Group

Forever Knight:

• "Intimations of Immortality," fan vs. pro.

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys:

• Are those writers good sports, or what?

Highlander (TV Show):

• "The Four Horsemen." Why did these two episodes inspire so much fanfic?

Horatio Hornblower:

• A general discussion.

Kung Fu: The Legend Continues:

• The fifth season we'd really like to see.

La Femme Nikita:

• Licensed to Deceive - Plot and character development in LFN.

The Magnificent Seven:

• An anomaly or the forefront ofa new wave of sexy westerns?

A Man from U.N.C.L.E.:

• 35 years of opening Channel D: How one of media's oldest fandoms stays healthy.

• In the 21st Century - New partners, new adversaries, new direction - but where to go?

Miami Vice:

• It has a solid fandom - why so little fan fiction?

• /: In memory of NancyT23 -"Tubbs or Castillo" - Who's the Better Fit for Crockett?

Millennium:

• Did it lose its way this year after finding it last year?

Pokemon - The Show:

• A great introduction to Anime.

Poltergeist the Legacy:

• Actual good guys or overzealous Ghostbusters? Learn more about Sci-Fi's channel newest show
• Character studies

• /: General slash discussion.

The Pretender:

• Another version of Quantum Leap and/or The Fugitive?

• Is Jarod a victim's champion or vindictive thug?

Prey:

• Characters study.

• Will Tom ever get out of the CAGE?

The Professionals:

• Status of the Fandom. Have Bodie & Doyle been replaced by Ellison & Sandburg?

• CI5 in 2000. Who would run it, who would be recruited, and who would be the enemy?

Quantum Leap:

• Where are we now and where are we going and is there any place to go?

Rat Patrol:

• /: Rear Guard Action.

The Real Ghostbusters:

• Characters as 'rear as flesh and blood.

Red Dwarf:

• What is its appeal?

The Sentinel:

• After the 4th Season. Where do Jim & Blair go from here?

• Blair's Dissertation. How important is it to Blair? To Jim?

• Did the resolution of the cliffhanger satisfy you?

• The Sentinel/Guide relationship: canon or fanfic?

• What ever happened to Blair's spiritual awakening?

• /: Slash pet peeves and turn-ons - what are yours?

• /: Songs for Slash - Music that inspires you to write for our guys

Shadowchasers:

• A great paranormal comedy action show - general discussion.

Silk Stalkings:

• The Tom and Cassie years - general discussion.

South Park:

• Is this show a guilty pleasure? Are people really watching?

Stargate SG-1:

• Character exploration: relationships and backstory. What's going on we don't see on film?

• A general overview/discussion for fans who have seen all seasons/episodes. Spoilers!

• Before and After: Let's talk about tags to some of our favorite episodes.

Starsky & Hutch:

• General discussion panel.

• /: Based on what we know about S&H from canon, which slash stories more accurately portray a likely S/H slash relationship?

• /: First time vs. established relationship - which is better/preferred?

• /: The special relationship between the two and how it is reflected in fan fiction.

• /: Which episodes do you see as a springboard for the slash premise?

Starman:

• General discussion

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine:

• The end of the series.

• Odo and Kira and other relationships.
• Why we'll miss it when it's gone.

Star Trek: Voyager:

• What is happening to the show?

Third Rock From the Sun:

• Is there intelligent comedy on television?

Vengeance Unlimited:

• Is it a product of a sick society, or just the way TV is headed?
• Why is Mr. Chapel so appealing?

The Weather Channel:

• An overall discussion group where fans can discuss this cable channel's odd appeal.

Xena: Warrior Princess:

• 4th Season - Is the honeymoon over? How is the series progressing?

The X-Files:

• The further adventure of Alex Krychek [sic] - What's our favorite rat up to now?

• Kiss her, you fool! Fixing Scully and Mulder's mixed-up love lives.

• The Myth Arc - Is the truth out there?

• Next season will be the last - how should it 'end'?

• Whither X-Files? One more year - now what?

Acknowledgements

From the program book:

Co-Chairmen (and your hosts) Lori Chapek-Carleton and Gordon Carleton would like to thank the following staffers and assistants for their hard work: Elyse Dickenson and Dawn McLevy (Programming/Party Suite/Flyers), Jeanne Sullivan (GoFers, Con Suite), Keith Grunenwald and Seth Cutts (Security), Jan Gosnell (Fanzine Reading Room), Karen M. Klinck, Jesse McClain, Vivian Sheffield and Roberta Stuemke (Art Show & Auction), Jan Keeler (Fan Quality Awards), Andie Lieven (Masquerade), Carol Reed (Dealers), Sheryl Adsit (Fannish Videos), Kim Dyer (Blood Drive), Margaret Basta (Orphan Zines), the Art Show auctioneers, runners, and auction staff, and all the GoFers without whom there could be no convention. Thank you all for your time and effort, especially to those who work not just during this weekend, but throughout the year!

Liz Vogel and Caroline Nasal will be taking over Dealers" Room duties for next year.

Once again, Ring of Steel will be doing sword fighting displays and workshops in the main courtyard. Thanks also to Jeff Walker and various studios for promotional trailers and items for distribution to MediaWestCon 19 members from such films as Inspector Gadget, Wild Wild West, The Blair Witch, Deep Blue Sea, and Eyes Wide Shut.

Convention Reports

Stargate SG-1: This year the show finally caught fire (now that it’s showing on Fox). Plenty of panels, the first few fanzines, and I understand that there’s a growing fanfic archive at Heliopolis-something. I’m glad—it’s a great SF premise, well executed, and has an all-round swell ensemble. (I did overhear one femmefan at MW putting down the main female character, Capt. Samantha Carter, which I still just don’t understand. Are some femmefans so darn jealous that they can’t stand to see a woman sharing the same screen with ‘their boys’???)

Sentinel: a lot of zines and panels, but I think the fandom is in shock over the Gauda Prime series ender. It really makes it hard to write fanfic when the final episode creates such a major change in the series premise. Who wants to bet whether the fandom will still be around in ten years?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Due to the kindness of Canadians and media privateers, the MW attendees got to see Earshot and the season ender (which WB pulled from the air). Although all the fans are screaming ‘censorship’ I think I agree with the network. Those two episodes just pushed too many hot buttons to be aired at this particular time. And I think it’s better for the show—once a series draws people’s attention and anger, it’s almost impossible to calm them down. As a friend put it, "No, 60 foot snakes aren’t real—but making explosives out of fertilizer is." I do hope the episodes get shown later, though—maybe in the dog days of summer.

Met up with some of my old Ghostbuster and Blake’s 7 acquaintances—funnily enough, the most obvious group of Blakies at MediaWest this year were the Tarrant fans. (He won in the end.) Ann Wortham had a few new Blake zines but otherwise the zine scene is still pretty dead.

But, between the Sentinel and multimedia zines I bought for myself and Jamie, I still managed to fill up two suitcases, a tote, and still have zines to mail. (And mailing those suckers is expensive!) So there is plenty for me to read now that I’m home.

Once again, the pre-Media trip to Ontario was just as good as the con. It seems to me that any southern-U.S. fan who scrapes up the money and time for MediaWest should at least consider a few extra days in Canada. It’s just over the river from Detroit—and the exchange rate is great right now. The city of Stratford (home of the Shakespeare Festival) is only a few hours away and in late May it’s easy to get play tickets. (This year we saw Dracula: the Musical.) It has plenty of bookstores too. Toronto is not too terrible a drive from Detroit either; it’s got bookstores, shopping, museums, Chinatown, Forever Knight landmarks, theatre, comedy clubs…. Just ask Erika or me for details, we’ll be glad to bend your ear about it.

It is early June. The humidity is rising, prime-time TV is a sand dune of reruns, the rugrats are out of school and I am salivating over a cardboard box of zines.

It’s post Media West Con.

For the past four or five years, Dee, Erika and I have shared the delights of zine farr at Media West. (Dee in zine farr is a truly scary phenomenon.)

I always have a great time. It’s MediaWest! The best fanzine convention in the world. It is also a very well run con (this was year 19).

Maybe it was because of the absence of Bill Hupe. Or maybe because I don't get Sentinel, or because I don't have as much time to read zines as I would like, but I could not escape the impression that there were fewer zines out this year. I didn't see any surprise zines -- the small fandom She-Wolf/Zorro or the Batman, Forever Knight/Highlander novella by the author I just love. I always enjoy stumbling across the zine I wasn't looking for and didn't expect to find. I didn't have any 'surprises' this year. I did buy a Lines in the Sand for $3.00 and issue five of Crazy Quilt from a used zine box. Still, there were plenty of zines to buy.

If you are a Buffy fan, this was a good MediaWest. There were zines, panels, music videos, and the two nontelevised episodes (are you jealous yet?) There were aired in Canada and our friends from the frosty north came to MediaWest with the tapes. Good thing too or we would have had to kill them. I think those shows were aired five times. Each time the room was packed. Some of the fans watching the show were a little rude to whoever was manning the remote control. It wasn't really necessary to screech out, "BACK UP" every time they missed the commercial/episode break.

By the way, the shows were way too cool.

Sentinel beat out Buffy on the zine per ton and per naked skin category. Stargate seemed to be truly establishing itself as a popular fandom. I didn't see much Hercules/Xena, but to hear people talk, the shows are popular.

Another highlight of the con (at least for me)- were the California Crew videos. I'm a big music video fan and I always enjoy the Crew's work. I think my favorite was the MasterCard Commercial - wooden stake, $5.00. Bottles of holy water $65.00, silver crucifix, $$$, a watcher you can trust, priceless. You know the rest. Then there was the Dolly Parton I Really Hate Her video featuring Janeway, Torris and 7 of 9. You don't have to be a Voyager fan to enjoy the video. I spent some time Sunday night rewatching the Crew's classic tapes.

There didn't seem to be that many room parties this year. There were two Doctor Who parties, but for some reason I didn't get around to attending any of them. I also missed the BBC charity spoof Doctor Who. I wish I hadn't. The party suit was pretty well sold out with a Methos/Star Wars/Sentinel/Stargate party to just name a few.

There were lots of good panels. I attended a Buffy panel discussing just what the Watcher Council is up to (I don't trust them), a Rocky and Bullwinkle/Animaniacs panel and a Hercules panel which were all a lot of fun. MediaWest has panels running all day with a great variety of topics.

MediaWest has improved the art show by demanding a piece have three bids to go to auction, but the auction is still slower than molasses. One year there was a joke about not stepping over the corpses from last year's line. It is the main reason I don't attend the art auction. There was one piece I wish I had bid on -- Kenny in a little red hooded overcoat "Welcome to Starfleet Security Ensign Kenny."

I missed the play so I can't comment on it. The masquerade was good, but there were not a lot of contestants.

How can I forget hanging out with fannish friends. Never to be underestimated. I had a great time with Dee and Amy and Erika.

One negative comment is that the hotels air conditioning seemed to have a mind of its own. The hotel looked a little…downtrodden. I think it is time for it to be refurbished.

Television News: Hercules: Iolaus, the one and only vest-wearing Iolaus, is definitely back. There will be 8 more episodes next season. Iolaus should appear in at least 3-4 episodes. No news about Xena yet, since Lucy Lawless is now pregnant.

Sentinel: It’s dead, Jim.

Stargate:SG-1: Third season starts on June 25. The show has a definite commitment of 4 years, with maybe an extra two years.

Highlander, the Raven: is dead. However, Nick is really an immortal (overheard at a party).

The Crow: renewed for a second season.

Early Edition: renewed.

Panels:

Lots of good panels. I was on 3 Stargate panels, 1 cartoon panel, and 1 historical accuracy panel. Amy Denton was on a writing for newbies and strong women panel.

The strong women panel had some surprises for strong female characters: Edith Bunker (putting up with Archie), Jill Taylor (Home Improvement), Hawkgirl (comics), Murphy Brown, Dr. Quinn. Interestingly enough, not all characters named were in positions of authority.

Costume Contest: A small number of contestants, but a good show. Highlights included a Queen Amidala and Padme duet, the Sorceror Prentiss (brother to Paula Prentiss), Curiosity (a winged cat), and MarySueThor (the pesky younger sister of Hathor (Stargate)).

Other Stuff:

The blaster battle was interrupted by the diversion of Jar Jar’s Pleasure Palace. Some folks had decided to push the non-participant status in the blaster battle, and before I knew it, I had helped set up Jar Jar’s Pleasure Palace, complete with Leia in slave outfit, and Han Solo, complete with (in)appropriate signs. Leia: "10 credits a dance, Lap dances by appointment", and Han: "Fly the Falcon, Lap Dances Free". We then lured both the Rebels, Imperials, and Mercs into the Pleasure Palace, where we proceeded to take pictures. We got a good picture of the Emperor groping Princess Leia… Will the Dark side of the Force stop at nothing?

MediaWest*Con 19 was more low-key for me than last year, when the Ratty activities were fewer and more crowded and somewhat frenetic. This time we set up a kind of "Rat Patrol suite" in two connecting rooms and had more different things to do, thereby spreading out the attendance and the energy level. We called one of the rooms "The Casbah" and the other "L'Oasis Vert."

We had four in-room panels, for which Carol Burrell designed an extremely spiffy flyer right there on her laptop and which she was able to print thanks to a local friend named Amy who had everything--and brought it (more on that in a minute!). These were very informal; we spent an hour talking about fanfic crossover stories, an hour talking about how much German you need to know to enjoy/understand the series (the consensus was, actually, none, but the more you know, the more fun it is), an hour *not* talking about humor in the series (I kept trying to drag us back on topic, but eventually gave up), and we batted around the question, "what would be the first episode you'd show someone who'd never seen Rat Patrol before?" We didn't arrive at a consensus, but we had fun talking about different possibilities.

There were also two official MW*C panels related to our furry friends--a fanfic panel Friday afternoon and Bobbie's "60's Goes to War" panel Sunday morning. Both were well attended and fun.

There were also a number of times when one or two of us were in "the Casbah" and we'd turn on the TV and watch a Rat Patrol episode or two, and the next thing you knew there would be five more people watching with us, attracted from hallcrawling by the sound of the theme song! Yay!

I got my old VCR fixed so that we'd have a VCR in the room to watch episodes and whatnot (the whatnot included part of Carol's collection of the RP stars in other shows, Dorothy Hartel's fabulous Eric Braeden music video, and RK MacBride's tape of an episode of Connections that briefly featured a very Ratty-looking jeep). My VCR worked for about two hours and then went back to its old tricks, breaking one of my favorite tapes and trying to chew up Carol's. (We rescued Carol's just in time.) Fortunately, Amy (I told you we'd mention her again!) had brought not only a printer but a VCR, which she allowed us to use for the entire rest of the weekend. Thank You Amy!!!!

In addition to the room panels, official panels, and casual episode-watching, we also had a room party Saturday night. You could tell 1,000 media fans were in town--the local grocery store was completely out of M&M's! But we picked up some other yummy sweets. They were also out of hummus, so we got spinach dip from the deli, which turned out to be excellent, and pita bread to dip in it. It might not have been North African, but at least it was Mediterranean!

So we had munchies, and we watched episodes, and we chatted, and RK brought a bottle of wine and we toasted absent friends, and then we drank a toast to peace. Catriona MacKirnan brought a tape of "Lili Marleen"--the same recording played every night over the German radio in North Africa. You hear it in the pilot episode. Carol had the lyrics to the song on her laptop because RK had posted it once to the listserv, and with the help of Amy's printer she managed to print it out. It was truly a cooperative effort! We finally managed to get a bunch of Ratty fans, most of whom knew no German and few of whom could really *sing*, singing along lustily to "Lili Marleen"!

Because we had so many activities throughout the weekend, I didn't feel that I had to stay in the RP party every minute, and was able to wander about and drop in on other activities. Erika Frensley invited me down to see the latest "trap" set for the Forces of Empire folks (a group of Star Wars fans who hold a blaster battle in costume up and down the corridors of the hotel every year). They had stand-up lifesized cardboard figures of various Star Wars characters with different slogans on them--I liked the one that tried to tempt passersby to have their picture taken with Jar Jar! I also visited the Man from U.N.C.L.E. party and saw some old friends.

The Rat fans did various costumes throughout the weekend. Catriona was Dietrich, of course, and Gail Barton was Tully (you can see their pictures on last year's MW*C Ratty website). RK did both Troy and Fritz. I lent my Moffitt costume to Carol, and wore Elaine McKannan's "Arab Girlfriend" costume in her honor (Elaine was a dear friend of mine who passed away last year--her picture's on the aforementioned MW*C website). Our usual Hitch (Linda Sparr) was waylaid at the last minute by a migraine, but we put her hat on Bobbie Williams long enough to take a picture. I wasn't the one taking photos this year, so I have no idea who's got them. Hoping some turn up soon!

Some of our Ratty friends couldn't make it this year, but we did get to meet with many others, including some new folks and some of the "old guard," including Sharane McCurry, who co-edited one of the first RP fanzines, Leapin' Jeeps.

Speaking of fanzines -- there weren't nearly enough! I was surprised at how much the appetite for Ratty fanfic had grown. There were flyers out for three upcoming zines, which all got snapped up, as did Rats & Foxes (RK's reprint zine) and Promises Kept (Bobbie's new novel), both of which sold out completely. Word spread quickly about which room had the RP zines from Renegade Press, and the occupants were startled by the stampede of khaki-clad, money-waving, zine-scoring Ratty fans!

A few years ago, my husband got me a beautiful calendar of "Orientalist" paintings--19th-century romanticized paintings of Middle Eastern scenes. Harem girls, snake charmers, open air markets, etc. When the year was over I cut the pictures out, and I put them up all over the room with masking tape, with the title picture (with the words "Enter the Casbah") on the door. We continued our Middle Eastern theme with an attempted expedition to "Aladdin's Restaurant" on Sunday evening, but they were closed Sunday and Monday for Memorial Day Weekend. Next year we'll have to try to go Friday evening instead! On the way back, Leah McGrew remembered having seen a sign for an Italian restaurant called Emil's, so we stopped there. It was EXCELLENT! We later found out that it's considered the best Italian restaurant in town. So that was serendipitous.

Now, I did actually attend one panel that wasn't Rat Patrol-related, (gasp of horror!), namely the Emergency! panel. (Yes, I'm hooked on TV Land! What can I say?) It was a very entertaining panel, with a mix of fanfic writers, editors, readers--and real-life paramedics!

Another big topic of conversation was the new Star Wars movie. Everyone was in love with Qui-Gonn --everyone wanted to kill Jar Jar. Some people felt that the little Darth Vader wasn't a very good actor, and dubbed him "Mannequin Skywalker." Ouch! There was a marvelous cartoon in the art show depicting Obi-Wan and Qui-Gonn looking dubiously at a little boy, and Qui-Gonn saying, "Are you sure he's the one?" And the little boy is Calvin of Calvin and Hobbes!

It's good to be home--and it's time to unpack!

I wasn't going to sign up for any panels this year. But then I remembered that I'd promised a fellow Sayers fan that I'd be on the Lord Peter Wimsey panel; and then I was asked to be on the Academics and Fandom panel; and then a friend of mine said she'd do one of the Rat Patrol panels but only if I'd do it with her; then I was looking over the panel proposals and I couldn't resist picking just one more! So somehow I managed to go from zero to four in a very short space of time!

The first, which was on Friday afternoon from 3-5, was the panel on Academics and Fandom, which grew out of a discussion on the FANZINE listserv earlier this year. Recently Jackie Moleski, a member of the list, posted that she was an academic who was studying Internet communication for her master's thesis, and requested permission to use the listserv as part of her material. She posted a very specific permission form for people to fill out, and promised not to use anyone's posts who didn't give permission. She is not only an academic, but also a fan who has been active for about ten years.

Her post ignited a discussion about whether what she was doing was appropriate, from many different angles. Questions debated included: is it appropriate for academics to study fandom at all? Should current academics-studying-fandom, most of whom arose from within fandom, be encouraged, since it is likely that they will provide a more sympathetic reading than early academics who studied fandom? Why should our hobby provide grist for the academic dissertation-mill? Will knowing that this academic is listening affect people's willingness to post to the list? (this would have a two-fold effect: from the list's point-of-view, a chilling effect; from the academic's point-of-view, a contamination-by-observation effect) Eventually, one of the people most concerned about academics studying fandom, and two academics who study fandom, decided to get together and do a panel at MediaWestCon, and asked me to moderate, as a neutral party and as an academic who is a fan but does not study fandom.

So I moderated! I got up and introduced myself and the other panelists, called on people who raised their hands to ask questions, fielded a few questions myself, and mostly let the panelists have their say. We had a full gamut of academics on the panel: Sue Smith is an associate professor of nutritional science; I am an assistant professor of philosophy and classical studies; Cindy Walker is a doctoral candidate; and Jackie is a master's candidate.

One audience member challenged us with a great question. Why do fans care? she asked. What does it matter if academics want to study us? This opened up the discussion as panelists tried to explain why they might be reluctant to have their fannish participation divulged.

Sue explained that a colleague of hers had pointed out to her a review of NASA/Trek by Constance Penley in the science journal Nature. In this book, Penley explores Star Trek fandom and American cultural attitudes toward the space program. Her portrayal of fandom is skewed heavily toward slash, which she labels not as erotica but as pornography. Suppose one of your colleagues at work actually read this book, and it was your colleague's only information about fandom; it's easy to understand why a fan wouldn't want to be identified by her colleagues as a member of a seedy pornographic underworld.

I recounted a job interview I had at a small religious college, where the Dean of Arts and Sciences, on learning that I was a Star Trek fan, asked me if I knew anything about slash, which she had heard of through academic channels. Fortunately she was sympathetic to the concept of fandom and indeed I wound up getting the job, but it was a nervewracking moment!

Of course, both of our stories reflect the dangers of too little information. One of the goals of fan/academics like Cindy and Jackie is to correct the misperceptions of fandom that have been spread by scholars who came in from the outside.

Both Cindy and Jackie took some time to explain their projects to us. I also emailed them afterwards to make sure I had understood them correctly! Neither one is studying fans directly in the way that Constance Penley, Camille Bacon-Smith, or Henry Jenkins have done. Here is Jackie's project, as explained in her original request to the listserv:

My research is an ethnographic study of how language shapes culture and culture shapes language. The culture group I am studying is media fans, people whose hobby includes the discussion of, analysis of and writing of fiction about characters from various television programs.... Using sociolinguistics method of analysis I will study communicative behaviors in a speech community of on-line participants in the media-fan culture. This inquiry and study will focus on: How are fannish language terms used in on-line discourse? How often? What are discourse styles of fannish speech?

Here is Cindy's topic, as she explained in an email after the panel:

The title of my dissertation is "A Dialogic Approach to Creativity in Mass Communication." Basically, it tries to bring social construction theory to mass communications, which has pretty much been based on the linear sender-message-receiver- with- feedback model. My approach says the "meaning" of anything (like UNCLE) is a result of the collaborative relationships that occur between and among all the collective parties involved in the process. These parties include the various levels of creative producers and various levels of audience, all imbedded within the larger society.

The audience was very receptive and interested in both projects.

On the whole, I was very pleased with how this panel went. Both sides got to express their views, and while the audience challenged us, they were never rude or hostile. A lot of good ideas were aired, and everyone learned something new.

The second panel was the Lord Peter Wimsey panel, which was held Saturday at four p.m. and moderated by Sue Smith. Fortunately, Sue had reminded me of the panel a few weeks before the convention, because we were going to be discussing Thrones, Dominations and I hadn't read it yet! I called my mother in a panic; my mother, past president of the local chapter of Sisters in Crime, Fan Guest of Honor at Malice Domestic, all-around helpful person, was bound to have a copy.... Whew! She did, and popped it in the mail in plenty of time for me to read it before the convention. A complete transcript of the panel may be found here, though the reader is warned that the discussion does reveal some of the plot. The panel was lively and well-moderated, with plenty of audience participation and a firm hand on the reins keeping the group on-topic. We discussed the strengths and shortcomings of the novel; although on a whole we found it disappointing, it was good to have something new to discuss.

Sunday morning at eleven I was on a World War II fandom panel that focused on historical angles. One of my co-panelists, Karen Winter, is especially interested in the early Nazi movements of the 1930's; another, Kathy Agel, has been doing research into postwar Germany; Deb Hicks, Melissa Mastoris, and I, the other panelists, are centered in the war years. We had quite a range to talk about!

Finally, on Sunday at 2 p.m. I was on the Eureka! panel. This was about the experience of suddenly discovering an established fandom. I signed up for that one because it has so often been my experience, and found that I was in good company! We had a full five panelists: Terri Librande, Jean Lorrah, D. McLevy, D. Pleasants (ack! I forgot to write down their full names), and myself. Jean, a well-known Star Trek author, described her experience of being a long-time Star Trek fan and coming new into Led Zeppelin fandom. I shared my story of finding fellow Rat Patrol fans through the Generic Ad Zine, and how I used my passion for media zines to make myself useful, both in Wild Wild West and Rat Patrol fandom, by compiling lists of W-3 and RP stories to be found in multi-media zines.

The panelists and the audience alike agreed that most fandoms are very welcoming of new members, though occasionally it can be disastrous to join a fandom during a major split. One audience member had discovered Beauty and the Beast during its controversial third season; another had joined Blakes 7 fandom just after the schism. Most, however, had had positive experiences of being encouraged by the "old guard," invited into people's homes to watch video marathons and read fanzines, and generally made to feel welcome. Another point that was raised concerned the Internet: before it was widely available, fans found each other through newsletters or at conventions; while these channels are still available, many fans also make use of the Internet to find webpages, listservs, fiction, and fellow fans.

Post-Con Report

Otherwise known as the fourth progress report, this wrap-up was published by the con's sponsors in August 1999:

Thanks to all our "Mission Control" staff, GoFers, and other volunteers for a job well done!

first page the fourth progress report

Membership: 329 members of MW'C 19 were not members the previous year, so we seem to have both a healthy turnover (about 1/3) and a steady base (about 2/3) There is a map on the back page of this PR showing the breakdown by state and country.

Membership packets have been mailed to non-attending members. If you were either a Supporting Member or just unable to attend and didn't receive your membership materials, please let us know.

In general, MW'C 19 seemed to go smoothly, and we received few complaints. Most of the complaints we did receive involved children running around unsupervised and getting into trouble (in hallways and stairwells, in Dealers' Row rooms, vandalizing door decorations, annoying pets, and in one case a fall resulted in a potentially dangerous head injury). We found reports of unsupervised children in the pool area to be especially worrysome [sic]. Convention Security does not have the manpower to babysit unruly children, nor should they have to. It has been suggested that we ban children outright, which we hope we will not have to do. We do remind adult guardians that all members are subject to convention rules, and anyone found violating those rules may have their memberships revoked, regardless of age, and that MW*C programming is intended for an adult audience.

The lighting in HIS was much improved, most noticeably in the hallways and Art Show. On the downside, the unusually hot weather overloaded the air-conditioning. HIS tried to compensate by concentrating the A/C in the function rooms, with somewhat uneven results. There were also A/C vent leaks in the Art Show and Dealers' Rooms, but no damage was reported.

HIS promised not to let any unclaimed rooms go to non-members, but apparently not all the front desk personnel were fully informed of this policy and may have allowed some non-members to register during the con.

Also, elevator breakdowns were apparently the result of flyers posted on elevator doors falling down and getting caught in the works. While HIS has been lenient in allowing unauthorized posting, the elevators doors must be kept clear to avoid such problems in the future.

We do have a few lost &found items, including some videotapes, so let us know if something went missing.

Note: MW'C 19 t'shirts and sweatshirts can be machine washed, but should be air-dried to preserve the silvering.

This PR is only going to members of MW'C 19. MW'C2000 PR 1 will only be going to members of MW'C 2000, so don't forget to get your membership in if you haven't done so already (see membership info elsewhere in this PR).

By the time you read this, the reservation request forms of those who participated in the early reservation process for MW'C 2000 will have been passed on to HIS. They should be getting the confirmations (to those who immediately get rooms) and notices to those on the waiting list out at the end of August to the primary names on the forms (they do not send confirmations to those listed as guests sharing rooms). New members may be added to the waiting list by filling out the reservation request form and returning it to us. The form is available online on the MWC website.