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Post by ladytass2001 on Jul 5, 2004 19:31:35 GMT
Cool can't wait to read and see all about it!!!
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Post by BigHairyKev on Jul 6, 2004 16:40:55 GMT
Here's hoping you had a great time at the event - it's one thing to go to a convention - quite another to star at one
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Post by MALCOLM XERXES™ on Jul 6, 2004 18:06:50 GMT
TUE. JULY 6/2004/14:20 E.S.T.
LADYTASS,
The FINNEGAN’S SQUAD™ panel was quite a singular experience for me, due to these reasons:
1) My agent chose that time to arrive @ the hotel to render me payment for a couple of jobs I had done recently.
2) I was literally not in my right mind for the first 15 minutes of the panel, due to solvent euphoria that had been induced from the silver SHARPIE™ pens I had been using to autograph pix @ the FINNEGAN’S SQUAD™ table.
3) Once the euphoria began to wane, a withdrawal headache kicked in, which was not ameliorated by the fluorescent lighting.
4) The panel’s audience was far more civilised than what I had come to expect from previous experience elsewhere: there was virtually no crosstalk, no acrimony whatsoever, & people naturally seated themselves in such a way that I was able to see everyone’s faces, their collective demeanour that of people who had paid a lot of money for a good post-secondary education, & wanted to see & hear their money’s worth, but who just happened to be clad as demons, Ringwraiths, et cetera.
5) Due to the solvent euphoria, I had forgotten that I had been scheduled to meet my agent @ the front of the hotel, which meant that I was forced to flee the panel midway through, sprinting the entire length of the hotel no less than twice within approx. 6 min.
6) Because it was the first time that FINNEGAN’S SQUAD™ was being promoted @ an SF convention – literally a dream come true! – the entire proceedings had a rather surreal quality to them, a phenomenon which, oddly enough, was heightened whenever ALVIN TOFFLER & his theories were mentioned.
7) The dynamics of being interviewed as an individual are always different than whenever one is interviewed in tandem with another person, so it was literally impossible to predict what sort of responses GAZ would provide to the various questions we were asked, so I decided that it would be best for me to supplement whatever he said when necessary, rather than taking the fore, which is something I am very accustomed to, & had been doing @ the autograph table.
I should like to offer up my apologies to those individuals who arranged the panelist schedule & who were counting on my presence for, & participation in, the “Small Screen Superheroes” panel on SUN. JULY 4/2004.
I found myself unable to disengage readily from the FINNEGAN’S SQUAD™ autograph table without disappointing people who were variously awaiting personalised pix for themselves & others, & answers to questions because they had missed the panel on the day before.
By the time I had managed to take care of everyone, the panel’s dynamics were so well-established that I thought & felt it would have been remiss of me to interrupt its natural flow, so I chose not to attempt to join it, rather than risk further disruption.
I hope that my decision was the correct 1 under the circumstances, & that even if you disagree with my ultimate rationale, you can @ least understand it, & possibly even find it in your heart to forgive me.
Now that I know better what to expect from the experience of balancing my various obligations to others & to myself over the course of a 3-day event, I know how best to prevent a cock-up from happening again, & have implemented certain initiatives already to ensure that there is no repeat of this year's unfortunate happenstance.
That said, I should also like to thank each & every person who made possible TORONTO TREK 18, including the various volunteers, security personnel, merchants, SF/Fantasy patrons, hotel staff, et cetera.
I was forced to duck out of being bitten by the canine zombie, due to a commitment I had made to look after a friend’s children as of 08:00, otherwise I would have liked to volunteer for the Monday morning phase of restoring the hotel to its original state.
Again, my gratitude to 1 & all, & again, my apologies.
My first experience of promoting FINNEGAN’S SQUAD™ @ a convention could not have been better: the Double Tree International Plaza Hotel staff were very accommodating from the time of my arrival to my departure; concerns I had were anticipated & covered by people like ANONYMOOSE & SCHRIST, whose hospitality were overwhelming; questions I had were answered quickly & concisely by all of whom I asked them; people were understanding when I had to disengage from a party in order to honour commitments elsewhere; hotel room-mates were friendly & companionable, & the dealers’ room had THE PUNISHER™ items that I had not only not seen before, but which were priced reasonably. All this *&* a pristine poster for SIN CITY™: THE BIG FAT KILL, by MR. FRANK MILLER!
Extra-special thanks to those of you who were able to attend our very first FINNEGAN’S SQUAD™ panel, both friends of long standing & new friends whom I hope shall become friends of long standing (I shan’t attempt to name you all, lest I omit 1 of you inadvertently!)
It was most heartening & gratifying to see familiar faces amongst unfamiliar ones, particularly given that I was forced to leave the panel midway through for a 5-minute interval to meet my agent @ the front of the hotel.
It was also great to see so many Canadians in support of what will be a high-quality Canadian SF series that is being produced during what is a virtual economic depression in Canadian SF/Fantasy episodic production & broadcasting. 8)
I was especially pleased to note that attendance was 2nd only to the Friday evening panel titled “Comics: Not Just For Kids Anymore?”
To those of you who would have liked to attend, but chose instead to meet MR. WALTER KOENIG, I bear you no ill will or rancour: the man’s been on *both* STAR TREK™ & BABYLON 5™, after all, each of which are series that have been/continue to be a great influence upon both GARY DAVIDSON & myself.
…& besides, who wants to antagonise BESTER, especially when he has access to all those “nuclear wessels”?!
GAZ had been nervously anticipating his first convention experience, but he raved to me @ length about how impressed he was by not only the range of questions put forth to him by fandom, but how well-read, erudite & thoroughly researched they had been.
1 bloke in the front row had driven 13 hours from the Eastern part of Canada to be there, & had done in-depth research @ the FSQ™ website in order to prepare himself for the encounter of meeting GAZ, the Creator/Executive Producer of our show.
When the FSQ™ panel reached its final minutes, GAZ & I raffled off an exclusive, “One Of A Kind” poster of a FINNEGAN’S SQUAD™ episode that will be part of Season 1, a poster that was won by a lovely lady named LEAH, a representative of STARGATE SG-1™ fandom, which I took to be 1 of several GOOD OMENS™, given that this fine programme is now in its 8th season with STARGATE: ATLANTIS™ spinning off from that success. 8)
The personnel @ the Save FARSCAPE™ table were tremendously helpful to me over the course of the weekend, especially SUSESCAPER & SIRONA, each of whom not only minded my gear while I was gone to attend panels, but even book-ended me so that conventioneers had the favourable impression that I was being protected by a pair of dishy-but-deadly bodyguards.
...Not to mention the alliteration, as well!
Finally, MESSRS. BRIAN DOWNEY & JEFF HIRSCHFIELD treated me with a great deal of respect as a fellow professional, which I found most humbling, given that they have already made their fortune, while I am still stumbling about like DICK WHITTINGTON & His Cat before their arrival in London.
Both men acknowledged me on their respective arrival & on their respective departure, which meant a great deal, given their respective involvement with LEXX™.
I was floored when a red sash that had been autographed by MR. WALTER KOENIG was presented to me to sign on the immediate right of that signature, for I had encountered him only briefly as he made his way from his suite through the main hotel lobby, surrounded by his entourage, while I was encumbered with luggage, travelling in the opposite direction.
...Yet another GOOD OMEN™?
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Post by geordilinka on Jul 7, 2004 13:17:28 GMT
MX sounds like you had a great time...mixing with the big boys.....you worked hard to get where you are... so bathe in the lime light.......... can't waiuth for finnegan squad to take off over here and see you at a con over here................
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Post by MALCOLM XERXES™ on Jul 7, 2004 14:06:10 GMT
WED. JULY 7/2004/10:19 E.S.T.
GEORDILINKA, Ta very much, mate! ;D Yes, it was a wonderful experience, all around.
We’re still awaiting definite confirmation from the British TV production company whom we approached last month, but I am confident that whether or not they commit to Canada/U.K. co-production, you will be seeing FINNEGAN’S SQUAD™ in the “Land of Hope & Glory”.
As for appearing @ a convention ‘round your way, if they invite me, I will go.
Apparently, our appearance @ TORONTO TREK 18 was a success! While there, I was invited to be a guest @:
The 4th HANSA HAUS TOY COLLECTIBLES & NOSTALGIA SHOW (Presented by VL GIFTS & ASSOCIATES™) on SUN. SEP. 26/2004 in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
ASTRONOMICON 9 on Nov. 11 – 13/2005 @ Sheraton Four Points Hotel, 120 E. Main Street, Rochester, N.Y., U.S.A., 14604 (1-800-325-3535)
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Post by MALCOLM XERXES™ on Jul 8, 2004 18:18:02 GMT
THU. JULY 8/2004/14:31 E.S.T.
I have been informed that the Author Guests of Honour @ ASTRONOMICON 9 are to be MR. SPIDER & MRS. JEANNE ROBINSON. I own their entire bibliography, & recommend their books without reservation for clarity of characterisation & originality of plot.
Also on the roster is ROBERT J. SAWYER, whom I first met while he worked @ BAKKA™, then later @ a book release party for HYBRIDS™. The first novel of his that I ever bought & read was ILLEGAL ALIEN™, which I thought begged to be made into a film. On the strength of that book, I bought CALCULATING GOD™, which is also a stirring read, although for entirely different reasons, having more to do with Metaphysics, Spirituality & Religion.
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Post by ladytass2001 on Jul 10, 2004 4:00:41 GMT
I have never read those but will have to give them a try. Thanks for the heads up!!
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Post by MALCOLM XERXES™ on Jul 12, 2004 13:21:52 GMT
I have never read those but will have to give them a try. Thanks for the heads up!! MON. JULY 12/2004/09:36 E.S.T.
LADYTASS,
You’re entirely welcome, love.
Each author was recommended to me by people whose opinion I respect, & who have good ideas of what my own tastes are, so it’s a bit dodgy when promoting written work to people whose reading habits one does not know, but hopefully, rewarding all around.
@ worst, one knows better what *not* to read in future!
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Post by ladytass2001 on Jul 12, 2004 15:37:47 GMT
I have yet to meet a book I did not like......Have read anything I could get my hands on...except maybe for tech manuals
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Post by MALCOLM XERXES™ on Jul 12, 2004 21:58:57 GMT
I have yet to meet a book I did not like......Have read anything I could get my hands on...except maybe for tech manuals MON. JULY 12/2004/18:13 E.S.T.
Yeah, I find tech’ manuals to be rather thin on Plot & Characterisation, myself.
There are 2 books which are sequels to SIR RIDLEY SCOTT’S BLADE RUNNER™ which I found to be the most uphill Prose that I have ever attempted to read: the first took me a year to complete, while the follow-up has not yet been finished, largely because I do not accept the idea of DECKARD as Replicant, nor of RACHEL as a mindless flesh puppet damsel in distress, despite the familiar Film Noir motif established in that universe by the excellent film that preceded the novels
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Post by ladytass2001 on Jul 13, 2004 16:23:07 GMT
Yeah I my self had some troubles with Stranger in a Strange Land. The book started off very well written and exciting then toward the middle to end it got too weird and the twists wre just too much.
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Post by MALCOLM XERXES™ on Jul 13, 2004 18:48:11 GMT
TUE. JULY 13/2004/15:02 E.S.T.
LADYTASS,
Odd you should mention MR. ROBERT ANSON HEINLEIN’S STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND™, as I recently obtained the restored, unabridged edition of that book. I have not yet begun reading it, nor have I ever read any of the previous, incomplete editions, but I did find that JOB: A COMEDY OF JUSTICE™ made me beg for the final page. The book had been given to me for Christmas by my boss, so I felt compelled to finish it, but I found it to be an arduous ordeal, & not even remotely funny.
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Post by ladytass2001 on Jul 13, 2004 23:00:54 GMT
I am not sure which edition I read but I was just dissappointed--Which is funny because usually I like his books, it was just that one, but I have not read the other one you mentioned. My Favorite writers are(in no particular order except for the first ones) MR. David and MRS Leigh Eddings,R.A. Salvatore,Tracy Hickman and Margarite weiss,Ann Rice,J.D.Robb(Nora Roberts),Terry Brooks,Kate Elliot, Dean Koontz,Asimov,Andre Norton etc etc... Mostly fantasy and Sci-fi and almost always in Epic's
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Post by MALCOLM XERXES™ on Jul 14, 2004 0:14:44 GMT
TUE. JULY 13/2004/20:29 E.S.T.
LADYTASS,
If it was a TPB edition with a bluish cover image, then it was the Restored Edition.
I read & enjoyed MS. RICE’S INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE™, then attempted to read THE VAMPIRE LESTAT™, but gave up after 10 pages because I find him to be so insufferably smug & smarmy.
I have read DOCTOR ISAAC ASIMOV’S various BLACK WIDOWER & UNION CLUB MYSTERIES, as well as his GUIDE TO WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, but very little of his SF, ironically.
The only Fantasy series I have read were THE NARNIA CHRONICLES by MR. C.S. LEWIS & INCARNATIONS OF IMMORTALITY by PIERS ANTHONY, unless you count various & sundry MARVEL COMICS GROUP™ & DC™ publications like the excellent SANDMAN™ by MR. NEIL GAIMAN.
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Post by ladytass2001 on Jul 14, 2004 16:52:42 GMT
I do agree it takes a while to get into the vampire lestat but it is worth it.(once you get past his indeniable stuffiness) The first Ann rice I read was Servant of the bones I will tell you that it is well written and the main character is not a vampire but a spirit that roams the earth in a more or less human form--You may want to give this one a try.You may enjoy it more there are parts which tend to bog down but not as bad as Lestat. The last one I just finished was Blackwood farm,It does have Lestat in it, but not as such a central character, It starts out with a very young vampire and then directs you back through his life as a mortal.
I read the Immortality series of Piers Anthony in junior high school(7th grade here) and enjoyed it very much.I have re-read that series more than once and gotten something out of it each time that was different than the last time I read it.--My favorite of those was On a Pale Horse--The first book of the series.
C.S. Lewis' Narnia collection was required reading in my english class. So I do not believe that because I was forced to read it that I enjoyed it as much as it deserved.
I do how ever enjoy Brian Jacques Redwall series I started reading these because a friend of mine told me about this wonderful series of childrens books that were aimed more toward parents reading to their children.I do not believe that children can truly grasp all of the intracacies of these books without help.
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Post by MALCOLM XERXES™ on Jul 15, 2004 0:09:48 GMT
WED. JULY 14/2004/20:24 E.S.T.
LADYTASS,
Aside from her pseudonymous Erotica, I have finished with MS. RICE’S vampire novels for the foreseeable future, especially since she keeps finding ways to re-introduce LESTAT whenever she writes them. Also, I prefer 3rd Person Objective to 1st Person Subjective, so for me to read any more of her works, I would have to be utterly in love with the Protagonist.
I also favour PIERS ANTHONY’S ON A PALE HORSE™, particularly since it was the book that hooked me on the INCARNATIONS OF IMMORTALITY™ cycle, but I have only re-read that 1st book, as I found the # of times that the author used the “balk” verb & its conjugations became a running gag with my friend who had introduced me to the books.
THE NARNIA CHRONICLES™ had been read voluntarily by me when I was in primary school, so when THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWNTREADER™ was imposed upon me in later years, it was a relatively painless read.
It has been my experience that with very few exceptions (MR. ROBERTSON DAVIES’S DEPTFORD TRILOGY™), whenever I have been “forced to read” a given book or play, it has pre-disposed me to dislike it, so I grok the fullness of the totality of your C.S. LEWIS ordeal.
The REDWALL series is not known to me.
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Post by ladytass2001 on Aug 1, 2004 4:33:29 GMT
Well to get back to the beginning of the thread....The first Finn Friday had a bit of a fun clip that was taken from the Toronto Trek 18 to see this, visit www.titanrainbow.com/fsq.html It is a good stop.
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Post by MALCOLM XERXES™ on Aug 2, 2004 10:42:22 GMT
Well to get back to the beginning of the thread....The first Finn Friday had a bit of a fun clip that was taken from the Toronto Trek 18 to see this, visit www.titanrainbow.com/fsq.html It is a good stop. MON. AUG. 2/2004/06:59 E.S.T. LADYTASS,
I’m glad that the excerpt was entertaining for you. For my own part, I am still reeling from the thrill of how imminent the whole business is becoming.
Thank you for very enthusiastic support of our efforts, for you make the hard work worthwhile.
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Post by ladytass2001 on Sept 10, 2004 16:53:54 GMT
Everyone who reads this needs to go to www. Titan Rainbow.com and check out the Finn Friday's #7 because it now has part of the session by MX and Gary Davis that was giving to the attendee's of Toronto Trek 18. I will give you the URL for the specific page but you have to promise to check out the whole site--LOL-- www.titanrainbow.com/fsqff07.html have fun and as alway's Blessed Be
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