MediaWest*Con/MediaWest*Con 2001

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Convention
Name: MediaWest*Con 2001
Dates: May 25-28, 2001
Frequency:
Location: Lansing, Michigan
Type:
Focus: multi-fandom
Organization:
Founder:
Founding Date:
URL: 2001 History page
Archived link to the 2001 Convention Page; WebCite for the 2001 page
The logo that year was a clever crossover of 2001 Space Odyssey and Star Wars where Han Solo frozen in carbonite is a stand-in for the black monolith
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.
covers of the 2001 program book

Some Facts About the 2001 Convention

partial logo from the con's official t-shirt
  • The theme that years was "2001: A Fan Odyssey."
  • Membership was $45.
  • There were only two progress reports this year, not three.
  • MST3K: There was another MST3K-style performance 5pm Saturday May 26 in the Fannish Video Room.
  • From the second program book: "Unchained Twilight: A BtVS/Angel Live-Action Roleplaying Game to be run on Saturday. Characters are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and major characters are still unclaimed. Previous knowledge of LARP/gaming is not required. In fact, there will be a LARPing 101 session for players the night before the game begins. Please e-mail Tina Cooling."
  • The ninth annual "Tea for Tarrant" was held.
  • There was a lovely memorial page in the program book for fan, Tonya Muir nee Yount.
  • Fandoms represented in panels at MW*C 2001 included Alien Nation, Andromeda, Angel, Babylon 5, Beauty & the Beast, Anita Blake, Bordertown, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Lois McMaster Bujold, CSI, Charmed, Crocodile Hunter, Dark Angel, Doc Savage, Due South, ER, Earth: Final Conflict, Emergency, Farscape, Freedom, Harry Potter, Highlander, Horatio Hornblower, I Spy, Invisible Man, Iron Chef, Junkyard Wars, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, La Femme Nikita, Law & Order, Lexx, The Lone Gunmen, Lord of the Rings, Magnificent 7, Man from UNCLE, Max Headroom, Anne McCaffrey, Andre Norton, Pretender, Professionals, Quantum Leap, Queer as Folk, Rat Patrol, Real Ghostbusters, Remember WENN, Roswell, Sentinel, Seven Days, Shadowchasers, Shakespeare, Sherlock Holmes, Silk Stalkings, Sopranos, Star Trek, Star Wars, Stargate SG-1, Starman, Starsky & Hutch, Doctor Who, Total Recall 2070, Voyage of the Unicorn, West Wing, Wiseguy, Xena, X-Files, and more.
  • Additional information about the 2001 convention can be found archived here.

Fan Q Awards

For specifics, see 2001 Fan Q Awards.

Skit

Saturday night presentations included "The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle" from the "Monday Night Gang."

Fan Fund

  • Cathie Whitehead was the sole nominee for the 2001 SF/Media Fan Fund (one nominee was ineligible & one declined nomination). Cathie attended MW*C 2001.

Party Suite and Other Gatherings

FRIDAY:

  • Hogwart's Party, Fandom: Harry Potter Open to all MW*C21 members. This is a children's & young-at-heart event.
  • Sentinel Party, Hosted by Candy/Apple & April Valentine Fandom: Sentinel, Open to all MW*c 21 members.
  • Highlander Endgame, Hosted by Unofficial Peter Wingfteld Appreciation Guild and Other Methos Fans, Highlander, Open to all MW*C 21 members.

SATURDAY:

  • Tea for Tarrant Hosted by Tarrant Nostra Fandom: Blake's 7 Open to all MW*C21 members.
  • PRIVATE PARTY
  • Senticon 4 2002 Pre-con Party, Hosted by Senticon, Fandom: Sentinel, Due South, Stargate SG-1, I-Man, Open to all MW*C 21 members.
  • Real Ghostbusters Bash Hosted by RGBSmarmList, Fandom: Real Ghostbusters, Open to all MW*C 21 members.
  • StargateSG-1 Party Ilosted by The Gatejunkies Fandom: Stargate SG-1, Open to all MVV*C 21 members.
  • Channel D -Man from UNCLE (gen community) Hosted by Cynthia Walker, Fandom: Man from UNCLE Open to all MW*C 21 members.
  • Man from UNCLE Slash Party Hosted by Channel L Members, Fandom: Man from UNCLE, Open to all M\V*C 21 members.

SUNDAY:

  • Oz Party & Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan Doll Dioramas, Hosted by All-Male Marriage Boosters Fandom: Oz & Phantom Menace Open to all MW'C 21 members.
  • PRIVATE PARTY

OTHER:

  • Forces of the Empire (FoE) is once again holding its Blaster Battle Role Play at MVV*C. Check for events schedule at the Imperial

Room.

  • There was an edition of the annual Starsky & Hutch party in a fans' room or other gathering area. "It will be Saturday night, beginning at 8:00 and continuing until everyone's ready to leave. We'll have songtapes and munchies, along with a display of fine photos of our guys. We'll also have SHarades (participation not a requirement, just sit back and enjoy <g>), if y'all would like. Just look for the familiar red flyers in the elevators and on the Saturday parties column in the conversation pit. [1]

Masquerade Awards

A complete list of winners can be seen here [2] There are no photos of the winners.

Young Fan:

  • Best Young Anime: Sakura Avalon -- Kelly Lowrey
  • Best Up & ComingYoung Wizard: Hary Potter -- Kenny Keisel
  • Doggin' It In The Everglades Award: Crocodile Hunter Sam, her right hand & best mate Kelly & featuring the lovely Swedish Anna Conda & the dangerous & ferocious Max the Crocodile -- Samantha Powell, Kelly Lowry, Maxwell Powell

Adult Fan:

  • Most Historically Accurate & Best Regimental Award: Member of the Royal Highland Regiment (approx. 1750-1770's) -- Scott Hutchinson.

Door Decoration Awards

Door Decoration competition was once again sponsored by the Prydonians of Prynceton.

A complete list of winners, with photos can be seen here [3] A few sample doors are included below.

  • Best in Show - Memorial Day 2001 by Linda James
  • Funniest Door - Space: The Crowded Frontier by Sue Glasgow, Sophia Molvey, Karen Travers, Carol Kohn
  • Science Fiction
    • First Prize: Hogwart's Express by Michelle Beneditto
    • Second Prize: Memorial Day 2001 by Linda James
    • Third Prize: The Monolith Revealed by Janet Schmidt
  • Non-Science Fiction
    • First Prize: We Can Build It! by Christina Getrost
    • Second Prize: Standish Tavern by Lady Viper
    • Third Prize: Starsky & Hutch Game of LIfe by Kath Moonshine
  • Media Personality
    • First Prize: Crouching Tigers, Hidden Dragons by June Edwards
    • Second Prize: If I Had My Life as a Fan to Live Over by Cindy Hudson & Sara McDonald
    • Third Prize: Richard Dean Anderson Name That Show by Mary Wendland.

Door Decoration Gallery

Art Show Winners

Winners are selected by popular vote.

Source: 2001 Art Show Winners.[4]

Vid Show

From the second progress report: "California Crew has indicated they would like to cut down on the number of tapes they bring to MediaWest*Con every year. I have asked them to bring the past two years' videos, plus a compilation of their choice representing all of the prior years. If there are any specific videos that members would like to see in that compilation, please contact me and I will relay the requests)."

Over 90 vids from over 19 vidders/vidding groups were submitted, including vids by Still Reeling, California Crew, Chevron & Jon, Chris & Christina, Pony Girls Productions, SiDiC, Apocalypse West, Jaws, Kelpie Productions, Kiwi Hootenanny, Koba-TV, Parker Giles and Sampson, L.A. Con Dog Video, Sarah Adams, Space Monkey Junkie, SiDiC Productions, Sockii, Steele Inc., Atlanta Division and Vid Weasels. For a complete list of the gen vids submitted go here.

Vid Show Awards

Song Interpretation -- Single Fandom (Gen)

Song Interpretation -- Single Fandom (Slash)

Song Interpretation -- Multi-Fandom (Gen)

  • 1st: Masochism Tango by California Crew
  • 2nd: Hit Me With Your Best Shot by California Crew
  • 3rd: Boom by Apocalypse West

Constructed Reality (Gen)

Humorous (Gen)

  • 1st: Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen) by Apocalypse West
  • 2nd (TIE): Macho Man by Kiwi Hootenanny & Ghostbusters by Kiwi Hootenanny
  • 3rd: I Just Break 'Em by Pony Girls & Space Monkey Junkie

Humorous (Slash)

Credits

Video Box

Video Flyer

  • Still Reeling

Source: 2001 Vid Show Awards

Vids Submitted - Partial

A partial playlist of the gen vid show was compiled by cannellfan. Slash vids were not recorded.

Gen Vids Submitted:

APOCALYPSE WEST:

  • multi-fandom introduction
  • Ice Angel [SI]
  • Boom multi [SI]
  • Nobody's Girl Buffy/Angel [SI]
  • Mystery Farscape [SI]
  • This is the Moment multi [SI]
  • Once Upon a Dream Forever Knight [SI]
  • Better Days Angel [SI]
  • Extremes B5/SG-1/Farscape [SI]
  • There Never Was a Time Buffy the Vampire Slayer [H]
  • Never is a Promise VR5 [SI]
  • Papa Don't Preach Buffy the Vampire Slayer [H]
  • Boomerang Bang Farscape [SI]
  • Leningrad B5 [SI]
  • Everybody's Free (to Wear Sunscreen) Buffy the Vampire Slayer [H]
  • Shoe Box Roswell [SI]
  • Waking the Witch Buffy/Angel [SI]
  • Galileo West Wing [SI]
  • Uninvited Buffy the Vampire Slayer [SI]
  • end credits

CALIFORNIA CREW:

  • opening credits "Abdul's Angels"
  • Hit Me With Your Best Shot multi [SI]
  • Zurg's Planet Relic Hunter [SI]
  • You Really Got Me Man From U.N.C.L.E. [SI]
  • Where's the Girl Farscape [SI]
  • Behind the Mask multi [SI]
  • Ohana Hawaii 5-O [SI]
  • Unknown Hero Song X-Men film [SI] (this was actually the David Crosby song "Hero")
  • Son of Man Star Wars: The Phantom Menace [SI]
  • We Belong multi [SI]
  • Marguerite The Lost World [SI]
  • Dune Theme Music Stargate SG-1 [SI]
  • Trouble is My Business Remington Steele/The Nanny [Con. Reality]
  • Crash and Burn Angel [SI]
  • You've Got a Friend in Me Star Trek: Voyager [SI]
  • Island Fever multi [SI]
  • No 1 Crush La Femme Nikita [SI]
  • Diva Dance Farscape [SI]
  • Teamwork Stargate SG-1 [SI]
  • Bitch Pretender [SI]
  • I'll Always Be There Buffy the Vampire Slayer [SI]
  • Masochism Tango multi [H]
  • extra features (Rules of Making a Video, etc.)
  • end credits

CHEVRON & JON:

  • opening credits
  • Hot Child in the City Matrix [SI]
  • Larger Than Life Galaxy Quest [SI]
  • end credits

CHRIS & CHRISTINA:

  • titles/credits
  • Fight For Your Right Jackie Chan Filmes [H]
  • Bob the Builder Junkyard Wars [SI]
  • Mjor Tom (Coming Home) 2001: A Space Odyssey [SI]
  • I Knew I Loved You Remington Steele [SI]
  • News Update News/Stargate SG-1 [Con. Reality]
  • Rishathra Galaxy Quest [SI]
  • Fine Four-Fendered Friend Junkyard Wars [H]

JAWS:

  • Into the Dark Burning Zone [SI]
  • Another Race From Outer Space multi [H]

KELPIE PRODUCTIONS:

  • White Rabbit Stargate SG-1 [SI]
  • She's Not There Stargate SG-1 [SI]

KIWI HOOTENANNY:

  • Get Around Buffy the Vampire Slayer [H]
  • I Quit Xena [H]
  • Hands of God Pretender [SI]
  • Why Do Fools Fall in Love Hercules/Xena [H]
  • Just a Girl Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Pretender [SI]
  • You'll Be in My Heart Buffy the Vampire Slayer [SI]
  • Ghostbusters theme Angel [H]
  • One Man Magical Show Hercules/Xena [H]
  • You're So Vain Pretender [SI]
  • All Star Quantum Leap [SI]
  • Here With Me Pretender [SI]
  • Macho Man multi [H]

KOBA-TV:

  • Kiss That Frog Farscape [SI]
  • Big Balls Seven Days [SI]
  • You're Only Human Farscape [SI]
  • I'll Keep Your Secrets Farscape [SI]

L.A. CON DOG:

  • Little Blue Man Galaxy Quest [H]
  • Paper Moon 10th Kingdom [SI]
  • Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Theme Star Trek [H] - [shown, but not on official playlist]
  • Strange Things Are Happening Now & Again [SI]
  • Empty Chairs at Empty Tables Space: Above and Beyond [SI]

PARKER GILES AND SAMPSON:

  • Rebecca Highlander [SI]

PONY GIRLS:

  • credits
  • When You Come Back to Me Again Stargate SG-1 [SI]
  • Thank God I'm a Country Boy multi [H]
  • Who I Am Stargate SG-1 [SI]
  • Burn multi [SI]
  • I Just Break Them Stargate SG-1 [H]

SARAH ADAMS:

  • The Man You Think I Am Invisible Man [SI]
  • You've Got a Friend in Me Invisible Man [SI]
  • Writing on the Wall Invisible Man [SI]

SiDiC PRODUCTIONS:

  • Fly Like an Eagle multi/annual tribute

SOCKII:

  • My Life Brimstone [SI]
  • Always Together Brimstone [SI]
  • New World Man Jackie Chan films [SI]

SPACE MONKEY JUNKIE:

  • credits
  • Half a World Away Andromeda [SI]
  • Secret Life Stargate SG-1 [SI]
  • Big Wet Rag Buffy the Vampire Slayer [SI]
  • Some Day My Prince Will Come Stargate SG-1 [SI]
  • Pour Me multi [H]
  • Fortune Favors the Brave Andromeda [SI]

STEELE INC. ATLANTA DIVISION:

  • From Russia With Love theme Remington Steele/Bond Films [SI]
  • Daddy Can You See Me Now Remington Steele
  • You, With Me Remington Steele
  • Kiss the Girl Remington Steele

STILL REELING:

  • That's When You Came Along Hope Island [SI]
  • Bent Invisible Man [SI]
  • Dry Land ER [SI]
  • Separate Ways Buffy the Vampire Slayer [SI]
  • I'm No Angel Dark Angel [SI]
  • For You La Femme Nikita [SI]
  • Walk Into This Room Roswell [SI]
  • It's Still Rock and Roll to Me Buffy the Vampire Slayer [H]

VID WEASELS:

  • credits
  • Space Oddity Farscape [SI]
  • Women of Steel B5 [SI]
  • Sentinel Flea Control Sentinel [H]
  • Secret Agent Man Invisible Man [SI]

Vid Show Review

In May 2001, tzikeh attended the 2001 vid show. She posted her thoughts about the show to the Vidder (mailing list). Her comments offer a rare glimpse into the MediaWest*Con vid show as the convention was neither known for online discussions nor vid reviews. The lack of a contape also hampered post-convention discussion. tzikeh's comments are reposted here with permission:

MediaWest reactions (long)

While viewing the whole thing in a block, and only once, doesn't lend itself to much introspection, I can offer a few vague opinions from what I recall. I won't offer up opinions on fandoms I know nothing about - I have to watch those vids several times at least to be able to offer anything of any use.

APOCALYPSE WEST

Apocalypse West has emerged as a solid vidding group. I'm looking forward to seeing more of their work.

Ice - Angel [SI]

A terrific song choice for the character of Kate, and the feel of Sarah McLachlan always works for me with the Buffy/Angel universe. I also appreciate a good vid for a secondary character that isn't just a rehash of their scenes with an "aren't they great?" feel to it - this worked as a nice character study.

Nobody's Girl - Buffy/Angel [SI]

I'd need to see this one again to form a serious opinion - but IIRC there was much to like here. Faith deserves lots and lots of study. :)

This is the Moment - multi [SI]

I wasn't as taken with this one as the rest of the room seemed to be. Again, I'd need to give it a couple of viewings, but it didn't seem to be saying anything at all other than "here are some people in some fandoms who have done things that kick of story arcs." And while drawing parallels among the storylines might have added a layer of interest, the vid didn't do that.

Better Days - Angel [SI]

FABULOUS song choice and good clips, though I felt by the end that the song was doing much of the work (pop music is repetitive by nature, and sometimes the vid can suffer if the endless repeats have to be "filled" rather than "told"). Still, very entertaining and it worked for me.

There Never Was a Time -Buffy the Vampire Slayer [H]

Very funny to start, then the joke got old. With comedy, brevity is often key (note *often*), and in this case the song needed to be edited down. There's a big payoff in the first chorus, but after that it's the same visual gag and we got it already. Something that might have helped support the vid through to the end would be a created-reality type Buffy/Spike relationship - I can't remember if this is the vid which ended with the real!Buffy kissing Spike or not - whichever vid that was, the clip was completely wrong for the feel of the song and the vid.

Papa Don't Preach - Buffy the Vampire Slayer [H]

Interesting take on the lyric 'keeping my baby'! The ability to divorce this song from it's actual meaning is vital for the enjoyment of this vid; since I couldn't care less about Madonna's musical integrity, I had no problem with it. Very amusing - great clip choices and storytelling, and a nice comment on Giles as the head of the Bizarro family.

Everybody's Free (to Wear Sunscreen) - Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Just hilarious. This is full of money shots - it doesn't have a story, it doesn't need a story. It doesn't have a theme, it doesn't need a theme. It's just freaking hilarious. "Stretch" is a classic example of the comedy pause done absolutely right - could not have picked a better clip or better timing.

Waking the Witch - Buffy/Angel [SI]

Either I'll need to see this one *lots* to get it, or I've got it and it's an interesting experiment. The idea is commendable (showing the world from Dru's perspective) and it is an example of when special effects from the computer *can* actually enhance the vid rather than overwhelm it; but I think the vidder got a little carried away with the new toys <G>. I'm not sure about POV - like I said, this is on a single viewing.

Galileo - West Wing [SI]

Just absolutely charming. I bow at the feet of the vidder - I had yet to see a decent West Wing vid, and was pretty much convinced it couldn't be done. Silly, silly me. While this isn't a work of genius, it is absolutely the mood, atmosphere, and feel of West Wing set to a piece of music that works brilliantly. Both West Wing and Indigo Girls are post-ironically earnest entertainment, and they fit naturally. I was concerned that the song chosen had the title of an episode; I thought "Oh great, that was the spark and there'll be no flame", but it worked. Lovely.

Uninvited - Buffy the Vampire Slayer [SI]

Great song choice. The story works as a parallel with the story in the show, the music is dead-on the right feel for the show. Terrific timing.

CALIFORNIA CREW

opening credits "Abdul's Angels"

As usual, CaliCrew's credits kicked my ass. Either they have way too much time on their hands or they have a Gold Watch.

You Really Got Me - Man From U.N.C.L.E. [SI]

I despair of ever seeing an MFU vid that really captures the feel of the show. Again, with pop music, you're in for repetition, so you better have something new to say, or something *more* to say - and this vid didn't.

Unknown Hero Song - X-Men film [SI (this was actually the David Crosby song "Hero")

Rogue/Wolverine. A good idea that kind of falls apart for two reasons: 1) there's a third person singing the song who did not appear in the vid, which makes it tough to figure out who is the POV character, and 2) only 104 minutes of footage. I wonder what the vid would be like if the vidder had waited until after the second film.

We Belong- multi [SI]

I hate to be this vague - but I remember liking this vid, and can't remember a single clip from it.

Diva Dance - Farscape [SI]

Okay, an exception. I don't know the fandom - but I loved this vid. It was a very visual piece to a song I find exciting and interesting. I'm curious what real Farscape fen have to say about this one.

Teamwork - Stargate SG-1 [SI]

This one went over very well, but left me cold. I've only seen a few eps, so I definitely don't count myself among the converted, but it seems to me that there must have been better clips to choose from, or that the song should have been given up on for this particular fandom.

Bitch - Pretender [SI]

Finally, a character that actually *works* for this song. Mrs. Parker has a theme now :). Rather than as in other vids I've seen to it where the vidder works hard to smoosh their favorite character in between the lyrics, the fandom actually provides the clips which create a strong vid and not just a fun romp through visuals to a bouncy song.

Extra features (Rules of Making a Video, etc.)

This was great fun. Again, way too much time or a Gold Watch. It's 6-5 and pick 'em.

CHEVRON & JON

opening credits

I don't think I've laughed this hard in a long, long time. A perfect combination of the theme of the con (2001), the feel of the music w/r/t the movie, and fandom. Just priceless.

Hot Child in the City- Matrix [SI]

WOW. Who knew a vid about Trinity could be so great - and to a song I never in a million years would have remembered if the vidder hadn't used it. Terrific timing, *great* use of the 'bullet time' shots from Matrix in exactly the right musical spots - just super.

Larger Than Life - Galaxy Quest [SI]

I enjoyed this a bit more than I should have, I think. <g> And yeah, I'm with Waldo on the open caption discussion. I don't know how I feel about it (the vid was made with the words to the song printed underneath it in time to the lyrics). I think, in this case, it works because it is a vid about fans, for fans, and in that way feels kind of like an audience-participation vid. I think that in a dramatic vid the words would really throw me out. But what a fun vid this is - good song choice (the very very VERY first time I've seen a vid to a boy-band song that I've liked, and that *fit the material*), tells one of the side-stories of the movie without feeling like a re-hash of the movie.

Bob the Builder Junkyard Wars [SI]

Okay, I don't know this show, and I'd never heard this song, but it does seem a perfect fit. Comedy is short, unless you've got more to say, and this vid does it extremely well.

Major Tom (Coming Home) -- 2001: A Space Odyssey [SI]

Erm... I'm so weirded out by the fact that I liked this vid SO MUCH, since I'm not a fan of the film (though I know it very well). Timing is crucial in this vid and it kicks my ass. It has a very David Lynchian timing choice in it - the clips have had internal movement in them and been relatively swift, until the shot of HAL's 'eye' - which is held quote-unquote too long for the vid. Lynch is famous for holding shots *too* long - which makes the audience uncomfortable. It worked in 2001 and it works in this vid.

I guess the best compliment I can give it is that, if you don't want to sit through 2001, just watch this vid - it tells you the story and it's far more comprehensible.

I Knew I Loved You - Remington Steele [SI]

This is a sappy 80s love song for a sappy 80s tv show. Before you pelt me with rocks, let me say up front that I have my original video tapes of Remington Steele from its run on NBC in the mid-eighties and wouldn't give them up for anything. The vid works. The song is the right song for the fandom ("I knew I loved you before I met you; I think I dreamed you into life"). There is nothing wrong with this vid at all - right song, right show, right feel, good clip choice, tells a story. But ultimately, the song bores me, so my personal taste is what gets in the way of true enjoyment here. Still, the vid is well made and if you like this sort of thing, this is the sort of thing you will like. That is not meant as an insult in anyway. It's just not my cup of tea.

News Update - News/Stargate SG-1 [[[Contructed Reality|Con. Reality]]]

Very cute constructed reality - I bet I'd laugh harder if I knew the fandom and the particular situation, but I don't. Short, to-the-point, well done.

Rishathra - Galaxy Quest [SI]

"...but we had SEX!!!"
"...we had SEX!!!"
"...SEX!!!"

The full title of this song is "Rishathra, or Prime Directive Shmime Directive". What can I say about it other than that my ribs hurt after watching it from laughing so hard and trying to catch my breath? Not much. Genius. Oh - for those wondering, the artist is Ookla the Mok, and you can find their stuff at http://www.otmfan.com/. I mean, okay, if I want to *quibble*, I think the POV slipped a little at one point - but who the hell cares? "...SEX!!!"

Fine Four-Fendered Friend - Junkyard Wars [H]

Great use of the Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang song and dammit, I was planning a vid to that. Ah, well - I'm not into this fandom but it sure does seem like a perfect match.

JAWS

Into the Dark - Burning Zone [SI]

I don't know Burning Zone, but I enjoyed the vid visually and the feel of the song lent itself to what I was seeing.

Another Race From Outer Space - multi [H]

I've already talked with Jocelyn about this vid - but honestly it doesn't seem to be about much. The first time I saw it I mistook the lyric to mean a race - like the Cannonball Run kind of race - not a race like a species, and so didn't get it at all. Once that was cleared up, the vid made more sense, but it still doesn't seem to have much to say other than "Men are different from women". And boy is that song repetitive. Yipes.

KELPIE PRODUCTIONS

White Rabbit - Stargate SG-1 [SI]

I don't know the fandom at all, so I really want to see what SG1 fen think of this vid, but coming into it blind, I enjoyed it very much. However, I've been told by friends that when I enjoy vids in fandoms I don't know, I'm invariably wrong. So I spread my hands, palms-up, and ask foropinions from folks who know the show.

KIWI HOOTENANNY

Unfortunately, I missed all of Kiwi Hootenanny's vids. I hope to get them either via mail or over the net - I'd very much like to see them.

KOBA-TV

Kiss That Frog - Farscape [SI]

Er. Well - I was entirely unable to distance myself from the actual meaning of the song, and since *that's* not a visual I want to associate with Rigel, I am going to recuse myself from any comment about this vid.

L.A. CON DOG

Little Blue Man - Galaxy Quest [H]

Good song choice, but like many other vids, started to drag as the song went on and on and on. Cute joke at the end, I'm not sure that a whole verse couldn't be excised and still keep the integrity of the vid together.

Paper Moon - 10th Kingdom [SI]

Very nice song choice for the mini-series, but with all the stuff that happens in the show, I wondered that only one story was told through the whole song, and with remarkably similar clips all the way through.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Theme - Star Trek [H]

Very cute for the Enterprise, but I think this vid really could have benefitted from using the version with the lyrics - it would have allowed for better setup/punchline visuals, rather than just the cuteness of "oh, the original Enterprise is so antiquated..."

Strange Things Are Happening - Now & Again [SI]

I was so happy to see a Now and Again vid, and to listen to the reactions of the audience (most of whom, I'm assuming, hadn't seen the show) when Goodman got hit by the train - this is a very nice recruiter vid. I'd need to see it again to say more, since most of my brain was taken up being glad that I was watching clips from N&A. :)

Empty Chairs at Empty Tables - Space: Above and Beyond [SI]

Without knowing the fandom, I can't judge if the vid did right by the show, but it certainly told a very clear story and chose appropriate visuals for the lyrics without being to on-the-nose literal. It's a nice moody piece to go with the darkness of S:AAB.

SiDiC PRODUCTIONS

Fly Like an Eagle multi/annual tribute

The annual tribute vid to dead genre actors. I actually liked it but I'm a sucker for Memoriam montages at awards shows, so it was no surprise to me. What I did appreciate was that a different feel of song was chosen rather than the usual mordant funereal music we usually get.

SPACE MONKEY JUNKIE

Big Wet Rag - Buffy the Vampire Slayer [SI]

This was fun for a while, but suffered as many of the vids did in that the joke wore out and there was no *more* there to sustain the rest of the vid. Still, the song was a unique choice for this fandom, as the feel of it really goes against the feel of the show, but it worked anyway.

Pour Me - multi [H]

I think multi-media vids may be the toughest ones to carry off well, comedy or drama. Unless you have a list song ("Hair" comes to mind), the vid has to be pretty structured to keep the viewer's interest - either through parallel storytelling, or inside jokes, or something that makes it more than just a bunch of clips to a song. I didn't feel that this one did any of those things, and so it lost me early on.

STEELE INC. ATLANTA DIVISION

From Russia With Love theme - Remington Steele/Bond Films [SI]

This vid is fluffy but fun - it shows the actor doing the same basic things (driving speedboats, shooting, etc.) in Remington Steele and then in the Bond films. Not meaningful, but not meant to be. Interesting to watch and enjoyable at a con show, but probably not one I'd show over again in my living room.

STILL REELING

Separate Ways - Buffy the Vampire Slayer [SI]

Okay, this is the Buffy vid I had problems with. This vid absolutely couldn't decide if it was funny or not - or, if the vidder was certain it was one or the other, they did not succeed in conveying that to the audience. Since the song is *such* a power ballad, it can't walk the line that the show does between pathos and humor and balance it out - either the vid to this song is dead serious or it's an out-and-out farce. This one ... kinda both, kinda neither. I think the vidder might be able to revisit the material and make one or the other, but I'm not sure.

It's Still Rock and Roll to Me - Buffy the Vampire Slayer [H]

List song - good fun. Comedy match-ups of clips to lyrics worked well, and the speed of the vid and the song matches the speed of the show. Some nice choices of acceleration movement in the clips during modulation in the singing, too.

VID WEASELS

Space Oddity - Farscape [SI]

This song worked very very well for the fandom - and I don't know who said (if anyone did) that it's a bad choice because it's 'about' the fandom or something - nothing could be further from the truth. It works with the show, absolutely, but it is not *about* the show. Good recruiter vid - definitely tells you what's going on as the premise of Farscape, and the feel of the music works extremely well as atmosphere.

Sentinel Flea Control - Sentinel [H]

This, unfortunately, didn't play in the con video machine. I'd like to see it somehow - it does look like it could be quite the comedy vid - short, good joke.

Secret Agent Man - Invisible Man [SI]

I wasn't as fond of this one as I might have been with different clip choices - also because the song is so common in vidding (every damned show with someone who's even *marginally* a secret agent has had this vid done).

Okay - there's my two cents - or twenty cents. Looking forward to more discussion."

Programming

Actors

  • Chris Potter: From Tim, the boy next door, to David, the hottest (straight) gay man on TV.
  • From Connery to Brosnan: the cinematic evolution of James Bond.
  • Michael Praed: Welcome back (Secret Adventures of Jules Verne).
  • Peter Wingfield: Forever Methos? General discussion of this versatile performer, from Highlander to Stargate.
  • Russell Crowe: "The Man, The Movies, The Armpits".Cohen: General discussion.

Events

Fandom

  • The Big Guy & Rusty: And other kid shows that appeal to adults.
  • Criticism: Bane or boon? Or, Hie importance of criticism.
  • Eye Candy: Who are they? Why? Yummmmmnm.
  • Fan Fiction Ratings: How accurate do they need to be?
  • Fandom: The growing popularity of femslash. (slash)
  • Fans Parenting Fans: Or, how do I figure out what my kid's fandom is about?
  • Home & Garden TV/D It Yourself: Will be the death of me: Watching do-it-yourself shows and thinking you can do it too. .
  • General Fandom: When is a fan going too far?
  • Guilty Pleasures: What do you like to watch that you're afraid to admit to other fen?
  • Horses, Harness and Riders: Questions, answered on these three mysteries.
  • How well are HIV/AIDS and safer sex depicted In the entertainment media?
  • The Joy of Smarm: Rediscovering the value of friendship.
  • Making money with crafts: Discussion group.
  • Psychics: From Crossing Over with John Edwards to Sylvia Brown.
  • Religion and Fandom: Is there room for both?
  • Space Travel: What are the benefits of space exploration?
  • The 'Squick" Panel: We know what we LOVE to read in fanfic, but what makes us go ICK in dismay, distaste, despair, or disgust?
  • Star Wars: Collectible Card Games.
  • "The Studio Will Sue You For That": Can they make fandom illegal?
  • Western TV Shows and Slash: Can it work in a historical context? (slash).
  • What causes "live and let live" fandoms to suddenly break into open warfare?
  • When "Real Life" Attacks: Fan writers share "war stories" of their own injuries and illnesses, and whether they've changed their views on hurt/comfort as a result.
  • Whose Line Is it Anyway? Fans try their hands at this game (audience participation requested!).
  • Why Slash should go Mainstream, (slash).
  • Women In Genre, TV and Movies: How are we doing, and why are the strongest women always in sci-fi or fantasy themed shows?
  • World War II fandoms and the return of Private Ryan: General discussion.

Fan Fiction

  • Basic Emergency Military Field Medicine for Writers.
  • Casting Call: The joys-and hazards - of 'casting' your original characters in fanfic.
  • Common medical mistakes in Fan Fiction.
  • Crossovers and how to make them work.
  • Editing, Critiques and Beta Reading: The right and wrong way to help a writer.
  • Historical Accuracy In Fan fic: From sci-fi to westerns.
  • Historical Research and Why It's Imperative in Writing a story set before you were born!
  • Holy Mother Grammatica Explains It All (basics, samples HMG's Favorite Bloopers)
  • Medical vs. the Whump: When is too much information detrimental to the story?
  • Telepathic Bonds: Ultimate bliss or ultimate nightmare? What are the cliches and unexplored avenues we'd love/hate to see in fanfic?
  • What does it take to be a good editor?
  • Women Writers & Male Characters; Many fan fic characters are male, but most fanfic writers are women. How can we avoid feminizing the characters, or should we even try?
  • Writing beginning and endings to stories: Where should you start? Where should you stop?
  • Writing I: Beginners - How to write a better story.
  • Writing II: Advanced writers workshop.
  • Writing in a single, consistent universe.
  • Writing the comfort In Hurt/Comfort: When do you gel the "ahhhh" factor and know El's just right?

Internet

  • Are Zines dying?: The Net as behemoth competition.
  • Fan Fiction and the Net: Dealng with Criticism.
  • JMHO: Don't let humble opinions jeopardize your online discussion group.
  • Online fans vs. the old guard- a different crowd?
  • Print vs. Online: Hie real differences between stories written for print zines and stories written for the web.
  • The Tripod Massacre: False alarm this time, but what if your web site really vanished overnight? How to prepare for cyber disaster.
  • What do you mean isolating? The Internet as a way of bringing people together.

Literature

  • Andre Norton: General discussion.
  • Anita Blake: All ways nice to read about someone whose personal life is more screwed up than mine.
  • Anne McCaffrey: Discussion of "The Skies of Pern".
  • Comics: Beyond Superheroes.
  • Diane Gabaldon: The Outlander series. What makes it so appealing?
  • Doc Savage: General discussion.
  • Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
  • Harry Potter: General discussion and the movie
  • Harry Potter: Potty for Potter: Why do adults like the Harry Potter 'children's' stories too?
  • Horsing Around: General discussion of horse fiction, and perhaps the movies that came out of them.
  • Juvenile Series books and Why We Collect Them (Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, etc).
  • Lois McMaster Bujolds: Discussion on the Barrayar series.
  • Lord of the Rings: General discussion and the movie.
  • Man From UNCLE ACE Paperbacks: Which were your favorites, or not - and how did they influence your view of the show?
  • Marcus Didlus Falco: General discussion on the Roman mysteries of Lindsey Davis.
  • P.C. Hodgell: Discussion of her various novels.
  • Paperback Novels of TV Shows and Movies: Why are they so terrific?
  • Shakespeare: General discussion.
  • Sherlock Holmes: General discussion.
  • Star Wars: The Yuzhaan Vong War: discussion.
  • We'll Show You Ours, if you'll show us yours: Book series worth getting hooked on.
  • What SciFi novel will make the next great movie? Or, should be the next great movie?

Movies

  • George Lucas: Do we really know George Lucas? Did we ever?
  • Star Wars: A discussion on the Force.
  • Star Wars: A discussion on the Jedi Apprentice.
  • Star Wars: Darth Maul, Star Wars' forgotten Sith Lord.
  • Star Wars: Discussion of hurt/comfort (H/C) and The Force.
  • Star Wars: Is slash taking the fandom into new directions, or the same old arguments? (slash)
  • Star Wars: The Phantom Menace: General discussion
  • Star Wars: Training of the Jedi.
  • Star Wars Slash: Pairings and Power Dynamics. (slash)
  • X-Men: General discussion of lite movie and its upcoming sequel.

Television

  • Alien Nation: General discussion.
  • Andromeda: Can Hercules make it as a Starship Captain?
  • Andromeda: Good science fiction or good beefcake?
  • Angel: Relentlessly dark; how much more depressed can we get?
  • Angel: Season developments.
  • Angel: The Hero-fication of Wesley Wyndham - Pryce.
  • Babylon 5: Discussion on "Crusade."
  • Babylon 5: Legend of the Rangers - The new TV movie (and possible series) - what do we know?
  • Beauty & The Beast: Apocryphal 4th season - discussion.
  • Bordertown: General discussion.
  • Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Anya, Tara, etc. - Three-dimensional supporting characters who do more than support.
  • Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Does Buffy really still need a Watcher?
  • Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Does Giles still have a place in the series or is he too old for the 'Scooby' gang?
  • Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season-long plot lines.
  • C.S.I Crime Scene Investigation: Bugs and gore, what's the allure?
  • Charmed: Does this show about three- sisters who just happen to be witches have any magic?
  • Crocodile Hunter: Danger! The crazy man from down under. Is he really crazy, and why do we love him?
  • Dark Angel: Cultural diversity and futuristic reality.
  • Due South: Fraser/Vecchio - What scene/episodes made you say Yes, they're nuts about each other? (slash)
  • Due South: Is Due South strictly a vanilla fandom, or do all the boots and straps and lanyards suggest differently? (slash)
  • E.R. How has the series held up?
  • Earth Final Conflict: General discussion of the series and where is it going?
  • Emergency!: Johnny Gage - immature kid or adult who can play?
  • Farscape: General discussion of the past season.
  • Farscape: John Crichton - an angst-driven character.
  • Freedom: General discussion.
  • Highlander: What kind of spin-off show would everyone like to see next?
  • Horatio Hornblower 2: General discussion of this A&E ministries.
  • Horatio Hornblower 2: Good job or big mistake?
  • I Spy: The wonderfulness of slashing (slash).
  • Invisible Man: Darien/Bobby. The odd couple (slash).
  • Iron Chef: Allez Cuisine! What is it about this show that has captured the American audience?
  • Junkyard Man: Bring your hard hat and discuss this great new show.
  • Kung Fu The Legend Continues: What would a reunion movie be like if they made it today?
  • Kung Fu The Legend Continues: Why are we still here? What is it about this show that wont let us go?
  • La Femme Nikita: Daddy Dearest. Was the resurrection of the show worth it?
  • Law & Order: General discussion.
  • Lexx: What's so enticing about it?
  • Lone Gunmen: General discussion of this spin-off series.
  • Magnificent Seven: Character discussion.
  • Magnificent Seven: Character discussion (slash).
  • Magnificent Seven: Historical events as tie-ins for fan fiction and character exploration.
  • Magnificent Seven: Writing westerns.
  • Man Front UNCLE: General discussion.
  • Man from UNCLE: Subtext in the series (slash).
  • Max Headroom: Still three minutes into the future?
  • NASCAR: The best weekly drama series without reruns and without a script!
  • Pretender: Can the fans revive this series?.
  • Professionals: Where or where has my fandom gone?
  • Quantum Leap: Where did all the fans go? Can we revive the fandom?
  • Queer As Folk: Can Michael's and David's relationship stand the strain of Michael's ties to Brian? (slash).
  • Rat Patrol: Dietrich? Bad guy, or good guy in a bad man's arm?
  • Rat Patrol: Different pairings (slash).
  • Rat Patrol: General discussion.
  • Rat Patrol: Pre- and post-war questions on this series.
  • Real Ghostbusters - Definitely a 'buddy show'.
  • Real Ghostbusters: General discussion.
  • Remember WENN: General discussion.
  • Roswell: General discussion.
  • Sentinel: Equals, or the Sentinel and his Sidekick?
  • Sentinel: General slash discussion (slash).
  • Sentinel: How can we keep the fandom from becoming the same old stuff (slash).
  • Sentinel: if you could pick one episode to hook new slash fans, which one would it be? (slash)
  • Sentinel: Trust - Jim and Blair's family relationships. How those affect their relationship with each oilier.
  • Seven Days: General discussion.
  • Shadowchasers: General discussion of this 80s paranormal series.
  • Silk Stalkings; Should Tom and Cassie re-partner after "Noir"? (A 120) - Sal, Univ 2, 8:00 PM
  • Sopranos: Discussing this series is an offer you cannot (or dare not) refuse.
  • Star Trek: What do we want from Star Trek, and will we ever get it?
  • Star Trek, Series V: Forward to the Past - Can a Trek series set in the early days of the Federation recapture the magic of lite original series?
  • Star Trek: Deep Space 9: After Sisko: The possible fan fiction futures of the space station.
  • Star Trek: Deep Space 9: Is there a future after "What you leave behind?"
  • Star Trek: Deep Space 9: Where did it go, and why isn't anyone in interested in a DS9 movie?
  • Stargate SG-I: A look at all the characters after four years.
  • Stargate SG-I: "Divide and Conquer." Did it divide and conquer the fans?
  • Stargate SG-1: "Scorched Earth" and other problems in the series.
  • Stargate SG-I: "The Other Side". Moral issues raised in various episodes.
  • Stargate SG-I: An in-depth look a the character of Jack O'Neill.
  • Stargate SG-1: Can this fandom survive, or, why can't we all just get along?
  • Stargate SG-I: Examining the friendships among the team.
  • Stargate SG-I: Jack and Daniel. Opposite? yet a working friendship. Is this a real friendship, and what can we learn from them?
  • Stargate SG-1: Jack/Daniel, why we love to slash them.
  • Stargate SG-1: Sam/Jack. Christmas in July .
  • Stargate SG-I: Season 3/Syndication review (no Season 4 spoilers).
  • StargateS G-1: Season 4 review.
  • Starman: General discussion.
  • Starman: Where is the fandom now? Where is it going?
  • Starsky & Hutch: During what part or the series did you see a slash relationship starting? (slash).
  • Starsky & Hutch: Stereotypes - dense Starsky and sensitive Hutch.
  • Starsky & Hutch: The ultimate hurt/comfort (H/C) fandom.
  • The New Dr. Who Audio Adventures: REAL Dr. Who or, just something to listen to until the real thing comes along?
  • Total Recall 2070: If David is "no android lover", how did Farve become his closest friend and can that friendship survive? (slash)
  • Total Recall 2070: Intro to this exciting and thought-provoking futuristic buddy-cop show set in a Blade Runner-esque universe.
  • West Wing; General discussion.
  • Wiseguy: Ten years ago Vinnie Terranova was abducted by a Salvadoran death squad - or was he?
  • Xena: Season 6. Discussion of the season and its end.
  • Xena: Xena's one one passion: Ares or Gabrielle?
  • X-Files: Discussion on pre- and post-Mulder.
  • X-Files: The cast has changed, it's in its seventh season. Now what?
  • X-Files: The Doggett Factor - discussion of this new character and his impact on the series.
  • X-Files: Come and discuss your own real X-Files.
  • Angel, Spike, Vlad the Impaler, Dracula 2000 etc.: What's new for vampires?
  • I Knew I Wasn't the Only Person Who Liked it!: "Forgotten" shows and linking up with other fans.
  • It's Dead, Jim: A 'wake' for all the shows axed this past season.
  • Menage A Trois: How ensemble show lend themselves to multiples, (slash)
  • Soap Operas: General discussion of these shows.
  • Tenth Kingdom: General discussion.
  • The Impossible Crossover: Who and Why?
  • The Lure of the Anthropologist: Blair Sandburg and Daniel Jackson: What makes them so attractive?
  • Voyage of the Unicorn: Discussion of this fantasy miniseries.

Video

  • All Things Being Equal: A look at videos that use the same song and same fandoms.
  • Introduction to Digital Video Editing: Equipment, software and basic techniques.
  • Introductory Filmmaking: Once you have the digital editing equipment and software, what should you do to make a good video?
  • Music Videos: Song choices, themes, etc. Bring lists for us of songs you'd like to see used (not a construction workshop).

Workshops/Demos

  • Amazing Fimo Demonstration (part 2).
  • Belly Dancing.
  • Energy Workshop: Demonstration/panel of basic exercises of ibis Asian medicine.
  • Introduction to Clinical Hypnosis.
  • Jewelry making for fun and...well, mostly just for fun.
  • Metalsmithing for Fun and Profit.
  • Ring of Steel: Sword demonstration.
  • Wire-Wrapping Jewelry
  • Writing I: Beginners - How to write a better story.
  • Writing II: Advanced writer's workshop.

Acknowledgements

  • Co-Chairs: Lori Chapek-Carleton & Gordon Carleton
  • Membership/Registration and Transportation: Lori Chapek-Carleton
  • Communications, Data Output, Graphics: Gordon Carleton
  • Programming: Elyse Dickenson & Dawn McLevy
  • GoFers: Jeanne Sullivan
  • Flyers: Elyse Dickenson & Dawn McLevy
  • Masquerade: Andre Lieven
  • Party Suite: Elyse Dickenson & Dawn McLevy
  • Con Suite: Jeanne Sullivan
  • GoFer Captain: Jeanne Sullivan
  • Security: Seth Cutts
  • Dealers: Liz Vogel and Caroline Nasal
  • Blood Drive: Kim Dyer
  • Orphan Zine Table: Margaret Basta and Laura Basta-Sandler
  • Skit: Gordon Carleton
  • Fan Fund: Jan Gosnell
  • Fan Qs: Jan Keeler
  • Fanzine Reading Room: Jan Gosnell
  • Main Video Room: Robin Deike and Sheryl Adsit
  • Art Show: Gordon Carleton

Convention Reports

Numfar, Do the Dance of Fanzines:

I first considered going to MediaWest in about 1985, when I got my first story published in a fanzine. With most conventions there wouldn't be that many years to change your mind, but MediaWest is still going strong. I went to this year's edition, year 21 of the convention, and it was a remarkable experience.

MediaWest is held each Memorial Day in Lansing, Michigan. Lansing is a bit like Austin - state capitol, college town, and considerably smaller than the realty major cities in the state - with flatter terrain and cooler weather. The convention has been chaired each year by its founders. Lori Chapek-Carleton and Gordon Carleton. This is a major advantage of the con. After a fifth of a century, the whole thing is organized like clockwork and most problems have been debugged in advance. The only thing I've seen that comes close in terms of concom institutional competence Is AggieCon. It's also a great advantage that the con is sufficiently large (membership sales are frozen at 2000 a year) that the convention takes over an entire Holiday Inn for the duration of its stay. Plus overflow congoers in two other nearby hotels. If you're lucky enough to get a room in the con hotel (as Sylvia Bafthrop and I were, thanks to quick thinking by the lady from Austin who was our third roommate) this can be total immersion con. You can spend up to five days, Thursday to Monday of Memorial Day weekend, seeing and talking only to other fans if you feel like it. It's incredibly relaxing.

As a side note. MediaWest is the only convention I've been to since the old SoonerCons that allowed, nay encouraged, congoers to bring their dogs. As with most facets of the convention, the MediaWest crew has done this often enough that they have definite rules - leashes, cleanup kits, doggie bathroom zones outside - which keep things running smoothly. Most dogs were on the small side, but there were exceptions. One woman had three beautifully behaved full-sized Dobermans. The quantity award must go to the couple with four adult Shelties (miniature collies) on leashes plus two puppies in a crate on wheels. Apart from one set of people who brought three cats (and litterbox) which made the hall outside their hotel room slightly whiffy toward the end of the weekend, I didn't see, hear, or smell pet problems of any kind throughout my stay.

Anyone who wants to fly into Lansing, which is most of the congoers, has to change planes at Detroit. For Sylvia and me, the convention really began on a one-hour layover. In Detroit, when a fellow congoer sported us as kindred spirits and struck up a conversation. We weren't dressed in a particularly fannish way, but fanzine readers and writers are overwhelmingly female: I don't suppose identifying two chunky women in colorful, comfortable clothing and sensible shoes took a Sherlock Holmes. One short flight later, our new friend (and two of their friends, whom we'd equally never met) were giving us rides to the con hotel.

I mentioned that fanzine fandom is mostly female; at MediaWest the ratio is overwhelming. Hotel staff aside. I think there were more male canines than male humans present This is at least as much a part of Media West's unique character as having the hotel all to ourselves. Because there are practically no Mundanes around, the fans can get on with the business of being fans in a way that suits themselves without the combination of bravado and self-consciousness that comes from being on display to outsiders. And because there are practically no men around, the female fans as female fans can likewise take a break from feeling *on display." The concept of men certainly wasn't excluded - it was amazing how often women with husbands or boyfriends back home managed to make that fact clear - but it also wasn't an immediate issue, it was interesting how that changed people's behavior. I don't think there was a pair of high heels in the entire place, except on one guy cross-costumed as an anime heroine. Lots of jewelry was being worn and sold, but practically no makeup. All the symbolic behavior and jewelry and costuming was not directed toward putting out the signal "I am a woman, pay attention to me" because everybody else was too. Instead people were signaling things like 'I watch Sentinel, talk to me about it."

MediaWest has definitely adapted to the Internet age. Since the convention has never had pro guests, all the panels are made up of volunteer fans. Panel topics are suggested and then voted on in advance by e-mail, and panelists volunteer in the same way. There is also the traditional Saturday night Masquerade (poorly attended and with few contestants, unfortunately) and a much more popular contest for fan music videos. An entire video room was devoted to showing them. Some of the 'vidder' groups have been at this since the 1980s and the over all quality of their work was high. Computers, in this case, video capture and editing software, have been helpful there too.

The two most popular fandoms at the convention were The Sentinel and Stargate. You couldn't walk down a hallway without spotting someone wearing wolf and/or jaguar iconography (the totem animals of the two Sentinel main characters) or Army fatigues and/or Egyptian symbols (for Stargate.) Other interests were also welcome, however. Topics of panels I attended included my own latest fandom The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne, the novels of Lois Bujold, the Horatio Hornblower TV movies, and even Junkyard Wars. There were also two Junkyard Wars videos in the contest. One panel which made me homesick for ORAC was a live edition of Whose Line Is it Anyway? which Sylvia and I both wound up playing in. The moderator was less experienced than our own Joe Isham [5], but it was great fun anyway.

Another major component of the con, which would have been impossible without our total hotel takeover, was evening hallway activities. Many rooms stood with their doors open until all hours, either with fannish items offered for sale or with loosely organized parties or both. People could, and did, get a massive con experience just by wandering the halls at night. There was also, in a long-running MediaWest tradition, a hotel room door decorating contest

Naturally, the single biggest category of items offered for sale was fanzines. The popularity of the Internet has done some damage to the traditional paper-ordered-by-mail fanzine. Although virtually no one makes a profit purchasing fanzines and to be expensive compared to professionally published books or magazines because of their small press runs. The new medium for publishing fan fiction has become the Internet mailing list where people interested in a particular fandom or one of its subsets can read and comment on each other's fiction with a very short turnaround time. However, the printed zine is far from extinct. Paper zine editors argue that the relative difficulty of publishing a printed zine gives the editor more power to insist on corrections to details like spelling, grammar, and story continuity which some novice writers dislike fixing. There's also the difficulty of taking your computer into the bathtub for a nice quiet soak and read. Some of the editors I met at MediaWest were already respected fannish figures when I joined the field in 1985, and have no plans to switch over to the computer world.

By the end of the first full day of the convention, Friday, I was starting to wonder if four-and-a-bit days might be too much concentrated zine fandom. By the time we left midday Monday, I was sorry it wasn't just a day or two longer. It was great to see that much creativity and enthusiasm concentrated in one place for a while. (Also good to get home, but home is like that). I had a great time and I would be very happy to attend the con again. [6]

We arrived at the con after thirteen hours of driving, beat but excited. Already the hotel--pillars, elevators, doors--was plastered with flyers for new fanzines, old fanzines, and room parties. I felt like a fannish vampire returning to my native soil!

After checking in--which was a bit problematic since the hotel was quite confused about cancelled reservations, claiming that everyone had canceled--the crew and I went down to set up our wares in the dealers' room. Ah...the dealers' room. What there ever such a lovely combination of sounds? If you've never been toMediaWest, imagine an ENROMOUS convention center-style room. In this room are over a hundred dealers hawking everything from mousepads featuring the mugs of our heroes to mugs featuring the mugs of our heroes. Zines galore! Tee-shirts! Jewelry! (I finally found a beautiful toe ring to fit my flippers.) Sad to say for my checkbook, after pining over them for two years, I took the plunge and bought a "Magic Dress"--a lovely layered batik concoction that can be worn a number of different ways. I proceeded to make it my all-purpose con dress by adding a different vest throughout the day--my STAR WARS vest at the SW party; my zebra vest at the Starsky & Hutch party.

The other purchase I *HAD* to make was Lucy and Elaine's new Starsky & Hutch zine--Don't Give Up On Us, Baby. Let me tell you--it's BEE-YOO-TEE-FUL. If you haven't bought your copy, I suggest you do so now. It's well worth the price. Also exciting was April Valentine's table--she had everything from classic fanzines to new fanzines, a display of bead work AND, my personal favorite, orange "throbbing manhood" candles. Wah-hoo! There'll be a hot time in the ol' town tonight!

[...]

I took the morning to construct my entry for the MediaWest Door Decorating Contest: The Starsky & Hutch Game of Slash Life. I hope to be able to post photos of the door, but for now just imagine a sturdy red game board covered with the standard paper-block trail. Each square has a Starsky & Hutch specific instruction. For example, you could land on the block that states "GO TO HUGGY'S--PAY $50 FOR INFO" or you could land on the "GET RICH QUICK SCHEME FAILS--PAY $300." But not all spaces cost the guys money. Some blocks feature love--and, of course, the object of the game is for S&H to live happily ever after. There are blocks for the POLICE ACADEMY, DOBEY'S CABIN (ENCOUNTER CULTISTS, LOSE TWO TURNS), HUGGY BEAR'S PLACE, VENICE PLACE, and RIDGEWAY AVE., as well as paper money featuring the faces of our guys. The door received good response (several people knocked, wanting to buy a copy of the game) and the door actually won Third Prize in the contest--for the glory of SH fandom everywhere!. Yeaa! That was the S&H emergency I was having last week, guys--I needed Starsky's address for the game. Thanks to all of you who responded.

[...]

Saturday marked the day for the S&H slash panel. The topic, troped, was in what episode we saw a slash relationship happening. We were assigned a panel room that had been used for smoking but, S/H fans being resourceful, we moved the panel out into the conversation pit. It was nicely attend by a troupe of articulate wenches. (Sidebar--I've been told WENCH stands for:

Women
Entitled to
Nights of
Complete
Happiness)

I would like to mention everyone who attended, but I'd be sure to forget someone. Suffice to say it was a lively discussion. Here's a nip o' the nib to Candy Apple for moderating the panel.

Saturday night saw the arrival of the Starsky & Hutch party. We had a Torino cake, plenty of bevvies and, best of all, songvids new and old! I channeled our own Mommabird by wearing a flamingo tee-shirt and shoving a stuffed flamingo down the neck of my dress while reading aloud the Herstory of S/H Vids [7]. The party was well attended and everyone seemed to have a good time. No charades were played, because if I had allowed myself to get that rowdy, I'd have probably thrown-up. Ah...what can I say? I'd rather be sick at MediaWest than well almost any other place.

More hot tubbing, swimming, and saunaing ensued, which led to tons of S/H story spinning. Thanks, Lucy, for offering to take a look at my stalled S/H opus.

We all tumbled into bed around 2:00 a.m.

[...]

For those of you who've never been to a con where fans take over the entire hotel, let me tell you about room trolling. Imagine the joy of wandering through a five-floor shopping bazaar filled with fannish SHtuff. Folks leave their room doors open, displaying their stuff on beds and in boxes. You drift in, flip through the offerings and, if you're lucky, you'll find just the photo, button, keychain, poster, fanzine, tee-shirt, or memorabilia you've been looking for. I found a used SH zine I'd been searching for, all three S&H TV guides, and a selection of SH photos to draw from. Yah-hoo! Flee and I both bought the most delightful handmade dragons--hers in electric blue, mine in a rich yellow-orange. Chip and Sunny proceed to have a slash relationship on the top of our room TV for the rest of the con. (Bad dragons! No bondage before breakfast!)

I also went to the art show. While it seemed there were fewer pieces in this year's show, the overall quality of the work was incredibly high. I was delighted when my lone drawing was purchased.

Take it as said that there was hilarity, good food, and friendship all around for the rest of the day and well into the night.

[...]

...it was sad to see all the flyers that had decorated the hotel come down, leaving the space looking as bare as winter trees. Sigh.

Basically, most of Monday was spent saying goodbye to friends who had to hit the road. [8]

References

  1. ^ from a comment on VenicePlace, quoted anonymously (May 20, 2001)
  2. ^ Archived link to the 2001 Convention Page, Archived version
  3. ^ Archived link to the 2001 Convention Page, Archived version
  4. ^ Archived link to the 2001 Convention Page, Archived version
  5. ^ president of ORAC and editor of Tarriel Cell
  6. ^ by Louann Mills in Tarriel Cell v.15 n.1
  7. ^ This is either related to Starsky & Hutch Historical Vids by Flamingo or Herstory of SHarecon by April Valentine .
  8. ^ from VenicePlace Mailing List, quoted anonymously (May 31, 2001)
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