anyone see the sun today?

[MartyMichaels]

I've seen the celebrity culture thing a few times in this thread. Do people really think thats the reason?

 

Now before I say this, keep in mind I go to these things, have autographs aplenty in my hallway, will likely be receiving sci-fi toys for Christmas and have a closet full of costume...

 

...but seriously, take a look around you next time you're at one of these events. Yes, there are good, cool and nice people there. But a lot of people fit, or seem to fit, the stereotypical basement dwellers who had no friends in high school and are still a little 'off', drifting into their own fantasy world.

 

We're not exactly the social elite, are we? No. We're a bunch of geeks getting together with another bunch of geeks to do something substantially geeky, spend money on geeky merch and activities and general geeking out.

 

The day where something like the Sun doesn't trash such a thing will be a very scary day indeed.

 

Quoted for truth. And I'm as big a geek as they come (why even as I type this, I'm searching eBay for parts to complete my Tantive IV diorama).

[TerraHawk]

The day where something like the Sun doesn't trash such a thing will be a very scary day indeed.

 

Part of me prefered Doctor Who when for a while it was a quiet little nerdy show the masses didn't know or care about. Of course I know this isn't healthy for a show - we need fresh blood in fandom every so often. But it has taken me a mighty lot of getting used to it being a POPULAR show. It's not mine anymore...

[kingbantam]

The day where something like the Sun doesn't trash such a thing will be a very scary day indeed.

 

Part of me prefered Doctor Who when for a while it was a quiet little nerdy show the masses didn't know or care about. Of course I know this isn't healthy for a show - we need fresh blood in fandom every so often. But it has taken me a mighty lot of getting used to it being a POPULAR show. It's not mine anymore...

 

i know how you feel. I feel the same about DW, and John Barrowman's own fandom and a couple of others too. That said some of my fandom's are now tiny which is sad but nice for those of use still around in a way.

 

As you say, nothing goes on without new blood so its all to the good for those involved in making these shows.

[stanstill]

I've given this Sun article a read and now after consideration feel that although it is a harsh assesment in the main it does highlight a few reasons as to why I believe the Collectormania London show was not the totally enjoyable experience I usually have.

 

First of all too many guests with photo restrictions - its happening more and more to the point I can't lift my camera without a crew member having a go even if I am not taking photos of the guest!

There is also a polite way of doing this and certain crew members need to learn some manners and realise they are not talking to children sometimes.

 

Although the article was rubbish it did underline something that does boil my p*ss - decent people giving their money away to certain guests.

 

For example, Billy Dee Williams I chose not to meet as I saw his que empty a few times and considered going over but I noticed when people went to meet him he said Nothing to them, awful I thought and definitely not worth £20 of my money. The poors fans were left stood there.

Gone are the days when everytime I met a guest it was 'amazing' or 'he/she was quiet but really pleasant' sorry but i've been going to these shows a while now I am not prepared to fork out 15-20 quid for a hello and goodbye in an empty que its not good enough.

So yes mr sun reporter there are times I feel cheated when I meet a guest.

Busy guests (Barrowman/Doherty etc) I can understand a need to get through as many as poss.

 

Thankfully some of the guests were lovely - and to have a photo with Robert Englund and the glove was a highlight for me.

Overall I met some lovely people at the show and we all share a common interest which is obviously an interest the writer in the Sun does not share.

Why not do an article on how some people go to the casino and throw their money away? or how some p*ss it up against a wall on a friday and saturday night, some spend hundreds a week to follow their crappy football teams all over England - each to their own innit?.

 

The Sun article was basically garbage but did tap into something I was already to feel regarding certain guests.

 

ciao

[Stenun]

I think they probably personally enjoy the show but are told to write an article insulting the show, not becasuse they don;t like the show but in this celebraty culture they have to be seen putting the celebrities down.

 

I've seen the celebrity culture thing a few times in this thread. Do people really think thats the reason?

 

Now before I say this, keep in mind I go to these things, have autographs aplenty in my hallway, will likely be receiving sci-fi toys for Christmas and have a closet full of costume...

 

...but seriously, take a look around you next time you're at one of these events. Yes, there are good, cool and nice people there. But a lot of people fit, or seem to fit, the stereotypical basement dwellers who had no friends in high school and are still a little 'off', drifting into their own fantasy world.

 

We're not exactly the social elite, are we? No. We're a bunch of geeks getting together with another bunch of geeks to do something substantially geeky, spend money on geeky merch and activities and general geeking out.

 

The day where something like the Sun doesn't trash such a thing will be a very scary day indeed.

 

While your comments may be valid about some of our fellow Convention attendees, you can also say that there are a lot of football fans who fit the stereotypical Firm members, drunken hooligans and thugs.

 

Yet which stereotype of the two - yours or mine - gets perpetrated the most in the media and is held up for ridicule most often? :-)

[MartyMichaels]

While your comments may be valid about some of our fellow Convention attendees, you can also say that there are a lot of football fans who fit the stereotypical Firm members, drunken hooligans and thugs.

 

Yet which stereotype of the two - yours or mine - gets perpetrated the most in the media and is held up for ridicule most often? :-)

 

Did you catch that thing zipping past at a million miles an hour? That was his point. And you missed it.

[Kosh]

I think they probably personally enjoy the show but are told to write an article insulting the show, not becasuse they don;t like the show but in this celebraty culture they have to be seen putting the celebrities down.

 

I've seen the celebrity culture thing a few times in this thread. Do people really think thats the reason?

 

Now before I say this, keep in mind I go to these things, have autographs aplenty in my hallway, will likely be receiving sci-fi toys for Christmas and have a closet full of costume...

 

...but seriously, take a look around you next time you're at one of these events. Yes, there are good, cool and nice people there. But a lot of people fit, or seem to fit, the stereotypical basement dwellers who had no friends in high school and are still a little 'off', drifting into their own fantasy world.

 

We're not exactly the social elite, are we? No. We're a bunch of geeks getting together with another bunch of geeks to do something substantially geeky, spend money on geeky merch and activities and general geeking out.

 

The day where something like the Sun doesn't trash such a thing will be a very scary day indeed.

 

Speak for yourself pal...

[comawhite]

While your comments may be valid about some of our fellow Convention attendees, you can also say that there are a lot of football fans who fit the stereotypical Firm members, drunken hooligans and thugs.

 

Yet which stereotype of the two - yours or mine - gets perpetrated the most in the media and is held up for ridicule most often? :-)

 

Did you catch that thing zipping past at a million miles an hour? That was his point. And you missed it.

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one who was beffudled by that.

 

Speak for yourself pal...

 

I will, thank you. Aside from a select few, if the majority of people attending these events don't put themselves in the geek category (something very few are in denial about and a lot of people who post on these various forums take some degree of pride in) they should be pointed and laughed at fo such a terrible, terrible lie.

 

Though if you personally feel better not being placed in a glaringly obvious category for an event filled with sci-fi and TV fans flocking to meet some of their favourite stars and see what toys they can buy while Stormtroopers and seventeen people all deciding to dress as the Tenth Doctor, and how that can be perceived by any member of the usual tabloid reading drooling masses who only care about what Katie did next or who defeated who in some sporting event, I'll leave you to sit in the denial corner.

Edited December 6, 2009 by ComwWhite

[erin_sumara]

In the interests of trying my best to not cause trouble......

 

DOUBLE SICK BURN!! xD *laughs like a giant geek*

 

Edited December 6, 2009 by It's a non-stop disco

[Emma_Adams]

First of all too many guests with photo restrictions - its happening more and more to the point I can't lift my camera without a crew member having a go even if I am not taking photos of the guest!

 

I know my replying to this has nothing to do with the article (which, in my opinion, was terrible) but i have to agree with you in saying that there are too many photo restrictions - Bronson Pelletiere and Julie McNiven were 2 guests who, when i went to meet them, had no ques at all, but had no posed photo signs. Usually they are only there when a guest is busy and needs to get through everybody.

 

I had no idea Bronsons photoshoot was so early on the Sunday morning, so when i went and asked at the desk for a ticket for his photoshoot, i was sad to know it was already over. I waited until the afternoon when he had no que to go and ask if i could have a picture since i missed his shoot, and was rudely told no by his assistant It made me quite upset, as he was posing on the Saturday afternoon (my friend got a pic with him)

 

There is also a polite way of doing this and certain crew members need to learn some manners and realise they are not talking to children sometimes.

 

But sometimes, no matter how many times you ask, people still dont listen!! On the saturday, about 4 people were trying to take pictures of Robert Englund, and were standing in the way of people coming down John Rhys Davies que, so i politely asked them to leave, and 3 of them did, but 1 woman was still stood there taking pictures, to the point where i almost had to shout to get her attention, in which she replied 'oh sorry, i didnt know you were talking to me' !!!! XD

[reneeadamson09]

Im pretty happy being a geek and i love letting my inner geek come out and play. Most people dont understand it, and when they try to judge me and mock me they dont get very far cos the huge smile on my face stumps them. Personaly i think the people that watch X-Factor religously are pretty sad but each to their own, the worlds a big enough place for all sorts of people. At the same time, im currently into Twilight and have been judged by fellow 'geeks' for this. But why? Ive been into sci-fi/fantasy for over 10yrs and have been to a fare few cons in my time, so why does it matter that this light hearted saga is currently filling a void?

 

People try to use the term geek as an insult, but NEVER be insulted by it. Ok, my mini rant is over

[Stenun]

While your comments may be valid about some of our fellow Convention attendees, you can also say that there are a lot of football fans who fit the stereotypical Firm members, drunken hooligans and thugs.

 

Yet which stereotype of the two - yours or mine - gets perpetrated the most in the media and is held up for ridicule most often? :-)

 

Did you catch that thing zipping past at a million miles an hour? That was his point. And you missed it.

 

Well if you wanna resort to sarcasm ...

 

The thing 136 miles above your head was MY point.

[TommyT]

As you're the person who was bragging here about taking photos of John signing even though he had clearly asked for NO PHOTOS, I don't think you have anything to complain about.

Wow, those 5 extra images really were worth £40! I could have shock! horror! donated a bit of that to Kai's charity or worse spent it on people I like! Dear god no, I went, I saw, I took photos to remind what a good time I was having or had (I have a terrible memory, seriously all I remember of Kai and Gareth's shopping list is beer, whisky and Pepperoni Pizza).

To be honest, your estimation of the worth of those shots is irrelevant. The reference to a charity donation is a red herring, and the mention of Kai and Gareth just comes across as some sort of "defence by name-dropping".

In some ways, I admire you. You know what the rules are, and you're prepared to flout them because you don't agree with them. In my youth I often used to try to record gigs that I went to, purely as a personal memnto rather than anything more sinister. That was against the rules too. But those of us who did it "played the game". Sometimes we'd get away with it, and sometimes we'd get caught. And we knew that when we got caught, we'd usually get thrown out, and our recordings erased or destroyed. Fair cop, those were the rules. Win some, lose some. I didn't agree with the venue stopping me recording, but they had a contractual relationship with the artist that meant they were obliged to take reasonable steps to do so.

If you want to flout the rules, fine, like I say, I can admire that in a way. But don't get bitter and twisted if those who are charged with upholding them catch you and exercise the terms and conditions of admission (and ejection). And don't be surprised if other people, who think that your flouting might jeopardise future guest appearances, aren't so approving of your actions.

To be frank, I guess that posting on here about being quite so blatant about flouting the rules wasn't the smartest thing to do. Some of the responses you've got have been harsh, but that one was just you reaping what you sowed, IMHO.

[Bev]

As you're the person who was bragging here about taking photos of John signing even though he had clearly asked for NO PHOTOS, I don't think you have anything to complain about.

 

Wow, those 5 extra images really were worth £40! I could have shock! horror! donated a bit of that to Kai's charity or worse spent it on people I like! Dear god no, I went, I saw, I took photos to remind what a good time I was having or had (I have a terrible memory, seriously all I remember of Kai and Gareth's shopping list is beer, whisky and Pepperoni Pizza).

 

You're trying to divert the topic and wriggle out of accepting responsibility for your actions. This has nothing to do with Kai or Gareth, or your supposed valuation of the images, as you well know. It has everything with looking at a sign in John's area, which said "NO PHOTOS" and then deciding to take photos anyway, so that you could boast that you got away with it on a public forum (very bright - not!). Not only that, you showed total lack of respect for John's wishes. And that's the crux of it for me: getting what YOU want at the expense of other people. With fans like you.....

[TerraHawk]

Not only that, you showed total lack of respect for John's wishes.

 

Did the sign say John had personally requested it? - I honestly don't remember. Even if it did with all the bods in the way, it wouldn't be impossible to miss. So unless it's made crystal clear (which could made on websites - this one and his well in advance) I'm not sure it's entirely fair to use the guilt trip of John's wishes either.

 

There is also the thing about suggestion with some people - No THIS Don't THAT. The last word that goes though your head is THAT. There were things at school I'd never ever even thought about doing, till I was told not to do them

[DavidB]

Of course, you could say that at school you were a bit younger, and didn't have quite as much sense as you do now .. hopefully

[TerraHawk]

Of course, you could say that at school you were a bit younger, and didn't have quite as much sense as you do now .. hopefully

Funny enough when I met Carrie Fisher a few years back, me, who rarely gets dedicated photos anyway, got my first two autographs fine, then found myself on the third (a new photo), saying could you sign it to... I never joined that queue intending it. But I guess I saw the word 'dedications' and it stuck in my mind when I met her. I was probably making conversation as much as anything, and realised my error and bit my tongue as soon as I said it. She still did it anyway.

[Bev]

Not only that, you showed total lack of respect for John's wishes.

 

Did the sign say John had personally requested it? - I honestly don't remember. Even if it did with all the bods in the way, it wouldn't be impossible to miss. So unless it's made crystal clear (which could made on websites - this one and his well in advance) I'm not sure it's entirely fair to use the guilt trip of John's wishes either.

 

There is also the thing about suggestion with some people - No THIS Don't THAT. The last word that goes though your head is THAT. There were things at school I'd never ever even thought about doing, till I was told not to do them

 

That's the question: did John ask for No Photos, or did SM themselves impose this rule? Either way, it comes down to respect, and if the sign (and it was big enough) said No Photos, then what satisfaction does an individual get from flouting the rules and then boasting about having done so, whoever made the request?

Edited December 7, 2009 by Bev

[MartyMichaels]

While your comments may be valid about some of our fellow Convention attendees, you can also say that there are a lot of football fans who fit the stereotypical Firm members, drunken hooligans and thugs.

 

Yet which stereotype of the two - yours or mine - gets perpetrated the most in the media and is held up for ridicule most often? :-)

 

Did you catch that thing zipping past at a million miles an hour? That was his point. And you missed it.

 

Well if you wanna resort to sarcasm ...

 

The thing 136 miles above your head was MY point.

 

No, no, I got your point. It's just that there wasn't a great deal to it. From what I can gather from your poorly worded post, the geek sterotype gets held up for ridicule in the media with more frequency than the football hooligan stereotype. So let's examine that, shall we?

 

The "geek" stereotype is often used in entertainment for a cheap laugh be it Comic Book Guy in "The Simpsons" or Noel in "Fraiser", but it is never more than that - a cheap laugh. Oftentimes in films/tv shows the geek actually ends up saving the day, pulling some obscure piece of information out of his head that can be applied to the situation in hand. Geek movies and TV shows, such as the Batman movies or "MythBusters" make millions for their production companies, as do video games - once the sole domain of the geek. In the film "The 40 Year Old Virgin" the titluar charater actually ends the film on top - he marries the girl, gets half a million dollars and lives happily ever after for ever and ever, the end.

 

The "football hooligan" stereotype, on the other hand, is rarely presented as anything other than detestable and with no redeedimg qualities whatsoever. Geeks do not get on the everning news because they caused a riot. Geeks do not get thrown in foreign jails for fighting when their team is playing an international. Trek fans don't beat Wars fans up. Even in a film which glorifies football hooliganism - the utterly reprehensible abomination of a film which is "The Football Factory" - the main character ends up in hospital - no new wife, no half million dollars.

 

So, my friend, your point - or at least my understanding of it based on the post - pretty much fails.

Edited December 7, 2009 by MartyMichaels

[Ravenshayde]

To be fair Marty isn't "resorting" to sarcasm, it comes naturally. It's almost like a talent.

[MartyMichaels]

To be fair Marty isn't "resorting" to sarcasm, it comes naturally. It's almost like a talent.

 

It's just one of the many services I offer.

[dufresne]

In the film "The 40 Year Old Virgin" the titluar charater actually ends the film on top - he marries the girl, gets half a million dollars and lives happily ever after for ever and ever, the end.

 

The Forty Year Old Virgin (like Shallow Hal before it) spends 90 minutes deriding and bullying a stereotyped minority for cheep laughs, before building to a last minute "... you know what ? Actually this guys OK." for the sake of a Hollywood friendly happy ending.

[MartyMichaels]

In the film "The 40 Year Old Virgin" the titluar charater actually ends the film on top - he marries the girl, gets half a million dollars and lives happily ever after for ever and ever, the end.

 

The Forty Year Old Virgin (like Shallow Hal before it) spends 90 minutes deriding and bullying a stereotyped minority for cheep laughs, before building to a last minute "... you know what ? Actually this guys OK." for the sake of a Hollywood friendly happy ending.

 

Once again someone has missed the point. The point is not that people use the geek stereotype to get cheap laughs, the point is that it is NOTHING MORE THAN THAT - a cheap laugh. He's not an evil character, he doesn't beat people up, rape puppies or give dirty looks to grannies on the bus. They get laughs at the expense of the character - and let's be honest here, like ComaWhite said, despite how deluded some of us are around here, getting cheap laughs at people who go to conventions to meet minor TV stars, buy toys and get their picture taken with overweight Stormtroopers isn't the hardest thing to do.

[dufresne]

I didn't miss any point - I was just expressing an opinion on 40yov.

[Bev]

Owl post, I really think you should leave this topic alone now. You took photos when there were clear signs saying No Photos. You got away with it. You bragged about it on a public forum. Other posters, inclusing Crew and Mods, have expressed their disapproval. Continuing to try to justify your actions is just making it all worse. Please drop it now.