We’ve returned from our sojourn to Farpoint. Kathleen noted the surprising number of babies who were three months old, which led us to the conclusion that there’s a new generation of fans who owe their conception to their folks being snowed in for three extra days at year ago. Really, what else was there to do back then?
It was great seeing old pal Bill Mumy, who had brought his entire family of wife Eileen, son Seth, and daughter Liliana. Liliana, a pint-sized actress in her own right (currently on view in “Cheaper by the Dozen”) was a great hit with the crowd with her and Bill’s father-daughter act. At one point on stage, Bill commented that they were like George and Gracie, and Liliana piped up, “Who are they?” There is of course no reason she should know who Burns and Allen were, but it still broke everyone up.
Ariel did a great costume presentation for the costume call. She was “Shlepper the Leper,” who (the announcer informed us) wandered Medieval Europe, alone and friendless and untouchable…only finding joy when she danced to the ancient leper anthem.” At which point MC Hammer’s “U Can’t Touch This” came on and she bounded around the stage, even peeling off several pieces of “skin” and tossing an eyeball into the audience. She won Best Fantasy and Most Humorous. I was a judge, but recused myself from voting or having any say in the deliberations about her (just as Bob Greenberger always does when his daughter, Katie, participates.) So she won fair and square.
The most bizarre moment in the costume competition was a girl who had to be maybe thirteen years old, coming on as Ginny Weasley and doing a striptease with her cloak and scarf. Granted, that was all she took off, but we judges were looking each other *very* uncomfortably, muttering, “This is just wrong on so *many* levels…”
Only downside of the whole con was that some scheduling miscues prevented me from being able to do any autographs on Sunday. Otherwise it was a great job by all concerned.
That evening, on the way back, we stopped in NYC and attended the “Broadway Bears” auction hosted every year by the Broadway Cares organization which raises money to fight AIDS. It’s always a great evening in that these are bears wearing costumes that meticulously re-create ensembles from various Broadway shows, and signed by the stars who made them famous. Also on hand were folks like Bebe Neuwirth and Lucie Arnaz. It’s always a great time. High bid for the evening: A bear wearing a costume from a show starring Meryl Streep, signed by Streep, that went for a staggering $22,000. No, that’s not a typo. Most went for considerably less, but boy, must be nice to have that much disposable cash.
PAD
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Hi Peter,
I apologise for this being completely of topic.
I’ve heard that the next season of Star Trek: Enterprise is going to be the last. (Something to do with it being total s@!#e).
Anyway, I was wondering as New Frontier is so popular, is there any chance it becoming the next Star Trek TV show?
There’s enough material in the books to adapt, and it could easily be one of the best things on TV (assuming they let you keep an eye on the scripts).
Anyway, any plans? Any chance? Remote possibilities?
BTW – when’s the next NF book coming out?
Unless there is some new info, Peter has answered the question of a New Frontier series with a “No” each time I’ve seen it posed on this site.
Speaking of cancellations, has everyone heard the news about this being “Angel”‘s last season on the WB?
“has everyone heard the news about this being “Angel”‘s last season on the WB?”
Heard it and a bit pìššëd. The reasoning that WB gave wasn’t financial but a strategy to get new shows out there for future potential views. It seems to me that they are taking the risk of alienating their current watchers. The only other thing on that network, that I watch, is Smallville.
Oh well, it may be fruitless but sign the petition to be sent to WB and other networks in support of Angel the current count since Friday night is 25,759 signatures.
http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?ai5d0162
Ginny Wealey Burlesque? Well, maybe someone should have given her the “Howler Award”
Bill and Liliana were definitely the highlight. She was absolutely delightful and they were just wonderful together.
“Shlepper the Leper” was really gross, but it seemed to be pure-David humor there.
As for the Ginny Weasley piece, people in the audience where I was were also murmering, “This is just wrong …” I don’t know what possessed her to do that. Definitely a mistake.
Neil
Re: Trek Enterprise, what I have been reading is that it remains on the bubble. Les Moonves has yet to make a decision. It wouldn’t surprise me to see it cancelled because — wow — it blows. If you had asked me last year whether Paramount would ever cancel a Trek show in advance of its seventh season, my answer would have been ‘no.’
But since then, I’ve watched as VOYAGER and DS9 have done terrible in syndication ratings.
My theory has always been that Paramount invests in the Trek franchise to break even now, but make buckets of money years down the road through syndicated reruns.
Paramount is now seeing that model is no longer working. They have to ask themselves now where they’re gonna make their money in Trek?
I hear that Berman and Braga’s leadership of the franchise is under scrutiny by the good folks at Paramount. These guys should have been given the boot after INSURRECTION and most certainly after NEMESIS. Now, it may be too late to fix the problem…
But here’s my solution: Turn the lights off of at ENTERPRISE. Fire Berman and Braga, thanking them for their time. Regroup.
Hire new talent. Find some folks who know how to write character and plot, people who both understand Trek AND know how to engage an audience. THEN and only THEN create a new series revolving around the Enterprise-E with an all-new cast.
The thing I would encourage, this is key, is that they shouldn’t shoot another show or movie until they are bursting with the need to tell the story.
Face it, Enterprise is paycheck driven. There’s no story there aching to be told.
Aron Head
EvilBastard.net
Re: Angel’s Cancellation
I just HATE that there won’t be any new Whedon shows on the air next year.
Cross your fingers, folks. Maybe UPN will pick it up…?
Aron Head
EvilBastard.net
Re: Angel
Over at darkhorizons.com twas reported that Joss isn’t thinking far ahead about TV movies, and over at aintitcool.com a report about a Buffy/Angel movie…
ya never know.
Travis
Peter, have you and/or Ariel heard “Party at the Leper Colony” on Weird Al’s latest album? Hits pretty much every riff on the body parts coming off bit.
Btw, how was Vericon?
You are talking about teddy bears, right? Not real bears in Broadway costumes, I hope. That would be interesting, but who would buy them?
hear that Berman and Braga’s leadership of the franchise is under scrutiny by the good folks at Paramount. Bout time too. Berman ruined Trek and it’s High Time Paramount canned him. TNG had 2 flops in a row and now that crap ENTERPRISE poor excuse for a Trek show might get canned. Vest news I’ve heard yet. That show is ten times worse than VOY ever was. Out with the old and in with the new. Berman is bad for Trek and it’s time they do something about it especially if they intend to keep their core fans going.
and glad to hear PAD had a great time at the con.
That’s “best” 🙂
Wow.
You think the Ginny Weaselly performance was wrong: when I was in my teens I attended a con where one of the performances at the masquerade was a four-year-old girl who had memorized the dance routine from THE MENAGERIE.
She had come prepared to dance, at a con where masqueraders were only allowed to march across the stage, and almost cried when she found out she couldn’t, until audience and emcees gave her permission.
Covered with green paint, backed by the canned music from the episode, she danced as an Orion Slave Girl.
The audience did a persuasive imitation of howling in the throes of lust.
My own voice carried: “They say no human male can resist them.”
Wrong on many levels…
Yes, that Ginny Weasley masquerade entry was so wrong! My friend and I looked at each other in horror at the sight of a young girl doing a striptease. But given the way our culture encourages this kind of behavior in young girls a la Britney and Christina, I guess we shouldn’t be surprised that a young girl at a con would do something like this.
P.S. Shlepper the Leper was hysterical!
Thanks.
Shlepper was a group effort. Peter and Ariel came up with the idea. I did costume and make-up. Peter found the CD. Ariel pulled the whole thing off.
Kathleen
Hi!
This is my first time posting here but I have been reading for awhile. Hi Kathleen (she says as she slings five bags over her shoulder to take to work)! I am the Masquerade Director for Farpoint, Dr. Faulkner in the Arbiter Chronicles, and was Monica Sheldrake for Con Suite – the Sunday show at Farpoint. Most people just know me for my red hair.
I was pretty busy at the con but I wanted to drop a line and say how wonderful Shlepper the Leper was. I was rolling as was the Costume Ninjas. Ariel – keep up the good work! I look forward to future entries.
As for Ms. Weasly the Costume Ninjas were about to escort her off stage when she left the stage. Unfortunately, her entry description did not mention “strip tease” or it would not have been allowed to enter or we would have asked her to do something else.
Hope everyone had a great time though!
Hi Peter…I live only a few hours from Jacksonville Florida and plan to attend the Dreamcon there in June…my two favorite authors will be there..you and Larry Niven!! Are you still planning on going and do you think you could give Mr. Perez a call to see if he can show up too so I can get both your autographs on my Future Imperfect books??
….. yeah right like JK would really make Ginny do a tease strip EVER!!!lol….. would she? -_-
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