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6th grade is 11-12 years old. Your "friend" sounds horrible! Although to be fair, I got SO much crap my first year here. It really upset me because about a week after my parents had left, someone took a stab at me and my American-ness. It wasn't like it was a really horrible thing they said, but it's the kind of thing where it's like, consider the situation? I'm living in a country I've never been to before now, I don't have any plans to see my family for at least the next year, and as excited as I was to move to England, it's still an enormous change in life. So for someone to be so thoughtless has stuck with me, even to this day. I'm sorry this person says that to you. They're seriously out of line.

Post a thread calling dibs, haha! DO IT! Just go watch loads of True Blood and you'll be fine.

Uh oh, a confederate girl! I guess you'll just have to be a Yank, haha! I actually used to have a grey civil war military cap that I got in 6th grade when we studied the Civil War. 6th grade, we had this teacher who literally spent half the year talking about the Civil War and the other half entirely on the life of Andrew Carnegie. How learning every aspect of the life of Andrew Carnegie has helped any of us is completely beyond me. At least the Civil War is generally relevant. Anyway, we did this simulation Civil War in our class and set up this enormous board with hills and trees and stuff, and the class was separated into Confederates and Yankees. Then somebody was assigned the role of Robert E. Lee and another the role of Ulysses S. the rest of us were assigned roles and given titles of real soldiers/commanders/whatever and we spent two weeks doing this mock Civil War. For some reason, this involved wearing the hats. Even though we were on separate sides of the classroom, apparently we still needed distinguishing? I have no idea why this anecdote was necessary to post, haha!

I'm lucky because several of my friends really want to go out and do karaoke. We just haven't had the time, unfortunately. We'll get you up there Jazzy, and you can let it all out! Ooo, we should do a power duet! PLAN! I agree, Friday night would be great as an ice-breaker. If they do it Sunday, it won't be nearly as busy. The Sunday party is always the quietest. Saturday is usually when the guests are there so that could be really fun if they were really out there and did some karaoke for us! That would be so fun!

Ooo, getting political there! There were more than four other tribes, but the Cherokee were probably the most interesting. Loads of division there. Really sad stuff. I don't think I'm going to dress up, to be honest. I didn't at ET, sort of did at ET2, and I'm just not that into dressing up. So I think I'll either meet halfway or just do my own thing all together. Ray_Ray, YES! Where are you getting your costume? Are you going to have the beard too? Agh, so exciting!

Yes Jazz, that's what I like to HEAR!!! Woo! *gets really excited like Catherine Hardwicke...*

Love it! haha, ours looked exactly like HS graduation robes because it was a small university. I got to get blinged up though because I was President of Honours Society and got Honours cords and stuff. They gave everyone on Honours Society committee these huge medals to wear...I felt very gangster, haha! I'm on the far right. O to be 18 again. Without the braces. And the glasses. Geekdom at it's best, haha!

They took your measurements? Nice! Were they the mortarboards or the cool looking caps that look all Renaissance-y...that literally made no sense. I think they're velvet? Maybe that's for a Masters. I don't remember. Anyway, got to love graduation and the fact that nothing ever fits right. You got to throw your caps? I'm so jealous! We all wanted to but they said we couldn't!

If there is karaoke, I will get up and sing without the aid of alcohol, just because I missed it at both ET1 and ET2 and had REALLY wanted to do it! Who's with me? Let's start a karaoke revolution!

I've got a graduation gown from high school and a graduation gown from my first uni degree, but they're both back in the US! One of them was blue, the other was bright red I've never heard of yellow graduation gowns though! I don't know what they make those gowns out of, but good LORD are they warm! It's like this weird synthetic fabric that traps heat in. The ceremony is always really long and they get about a zillion speakers in and even though you're sitting there, there's a lot of you, so it gets really warm and you're kind of impatient wanting to get the diploma and get the gown off...the worst was my uni graduation. By some fluke, I was the very first person called and there were about 500 graduates, so I had to sit there for about 45 minutes absolutely DYING from the heat. It's funny now, but at the time we couldn't help but whisper about how warm it was and try to fan ourselves with the programmes. The cap is so frustrating! Be warned now, it says "one size fits all" but it's more like "one size won't fit anyone, no matter what!". It gets all saggy in the back and messes up your hair and generally will fall off if you don't pin it, haha. Graduates aren't allowed to throw their caps anymore either. Something about it being a health risk because it's square and pointy and COULD hit you in the eye *gasp shock horror*. So the whole "Wooooooo, we GRADUATED!" montage at the end of cheesy high school films? Can't happen anymore. It's tragic.

I am Really? Don't string me along here! That's BRILLIANT! I request a photo with you here and now. LEGEND! Well, as an American, I can say it's quite funny. Especially if you put on an accent. Brits doing American accents...it's highly entertaining. And usually sounds REALLY Southern or REALLY Valley Girl. Either way, brilliant! At least they don't get the "You Americans are just bastardised Brits" comments. It's very difficult to come up with a reply to that except "You're just upset that we kicked your asses.", haha!

Anyone looking for a creative way to go Civil War without really dressing up...have a think about this (finally...12 years of being forced to study nothing but US History will be of use!): * Civil War doesn't have to be really limiting to JUST military uniforms and enormous hoop skirts. Whilst the Civil War was taking place between the Union and the Confederates (1861-1865), there was a lot going on elsewhere in America. * Think of the Wild West. That's a pretty iconic thing to be inspired by, and so easy to dress for. * Railroads and cotton were hugely important at the time. I have no idea what on earth good that does, but who knows. People are creative. * Looking more closely at the civil war and going beyond the normal military identity, the Civil War was about slavery. The South wanted secession from the Union to become their own country. This was the time of the Underground Railroad that brought slaves from the deep South to freedom in Canada. There's rich culture there of freedom songs and folklore. They used secret codes and songs to spread messages, and it was just really interesting. * Even more basic about the Civil war is the identifying colours. You can't get much simpler than just wearing the colours of the Union (North) or the Confederates (South). The Union colour for uniform was blue and the Confederate colour was grey. * Ironically some Native American tribes kept slaves and chose to support the Confederacy. Tribes of Native Americans had their own civil war whilst the American Civil War was being fought over allegiances to the Union v. the Confederacy. * If somebody dresses up as Abraham Lincoln, you will be my hero for life.

Hmm, information on US graduations: * The cap and gown are only worn at the ceremony. Nobody is caught dead wearing them at the graduation party. * Basically it's just party clothes. Pretty standard, haha! *Think homecoming dress, and you're good to go. If you're going to the Gold reception, it's perfect because you can dress nicely for the reception and go straight to the party.

Jason and Mark, Thank you very much for both of your replies. I honestly did not post this for any more reason than to allow others to comment or disagree with me. I only wanted to create a sort of dialogue so that you could see how more of us are feeling rather than just how I'm feeling. Obviously I'm just one person. I could be totally on my own in my opinion, and the thread was just giving everyone the option to disagree with me and have their own personal say so you can gauge how we're feeling. I tried to keep it as diplomatic as I could whilst still expressing my concerns, so as to keep others from feeling I was having a go and to join in and cause a massive problem. I definitely didn't mean to belittle your efforts, I assure you. Thank you for all your hard work. I know it takes a lot to put together an event as big as one of the Twilight conventions and we're obviously a pretty picky bunch, haha! I think mostly we just wanted to hear from you. :) Thank you for letting us know where things are. I know we're all looking very forward to the weekend for seeing friends, making new friends, meeting some cool people from the film, and just enjoying the experience. Mark, I'll give you a call tomorrow. Thank you so much for your help, my friends and I really do appreciate it! ~Jen

I think that's how most people I've spoke to are feeling, like ET3 is being pushed to the back-burner and ET4 is the main priority with ticket sales beginning much earlier than they usually do. Paired with the impression we get that there are a lot of loose ends that need sorting out (or so it appears because we haven't heard anything differently), it just seems like ET3 is almost being abandoned for ET4. I know that it's not been abandoned, it just feels a bit that way when we haven't heard anything about ET3 in a while and ET4 tickets go on sale pretty quickly. So yeah, what everyone has been saying: communication, communication, communication.

Well thank you then, I appreciate that. I was a bit nervous posting this, but I figure my intent wasn't to cause a problem but rather to solve one. So far it seems like there's a good dialogue going. As for the room, the thread on the forum was up announcing there was a discount before the convention and when I spoke to someone on the phone at SM, they said the Hilton should have been aware of the discount. When we booked it, the staff member did a search for discounts and said they couldn't find anything, but clearly the discount had been set up in advance of our booking, so they should've been able to sort it out. Basically we just need for someone at SM to contact the Hilton and talk to them. We spoke to a woman at the Hilton who said they couldn't change the discount for us without speaking to SM. The three of us had hoped the situation would have been sorted out a few months ago, and we just feel a bit forgotten and under-appreciated. To quote my friend, we're "walking ATMs". If SM can't find 10 minutes to phone up the Hilton and speak to them on our behalf, I don't know how much I want to spend my money at the cons.

I guess that's the thing for me and the people I've been talking to. I'm sure the guests we have will be lovely, but it's not feeling like what we were promised with the "bigger and better". It feels pretty mediocre right now. As for ET2, I think Rachelle really carried that con, and she was a last minute replacement. Her contract literally came in at the last minute. They did come through with Rachelle, but I can't help but wonder why it took so long to book her. I wonder if they just got lucky, and what the chances are of that happening again. At this moment, the only thing making me look forward to the con is the fact that my friends are going to be there and it's one of the last times I'm going to see them. I'm trying very hard to keep the faith in SM, but it's pretty difficult if I'm being honest.

I wasn't told anything about a booking code. I never heard back from SM either time I contacted them. I explained the situation thoroughly to both members of staff I spoke to and neither mentioned a booking code. Nicola, my only reason for posting it on the forum is so that others would be free to agree with me or disagree. I know a lot of people wouldn't necessarily voice their opinion in private to SM or post it on here. If somebody else said it first, however, others may feel able to respectfully agree or disagree without having to be the one to start it. I hope nobody mistakes this for me having a rant or trying to cause problems. My only intention was to raise some issues I felt needed addressing and allowing for people to openly disagree or agree with me. It will give SM a better idea of what people are thinking than if I'd just sent something in myself. :)

Hi, The following is not a complaint. It is me being honest and bringing my thoughts forward. This is what we were told to do at the past two conventions, to use the forums to communicate with the planners, so here it is. I'm getting very frustrated with the fact that it's just over one month until the convention, and we still only have three guests. In my very humble opinion, it's not a very strong group of guests either. We were promised "bigger and better", and I'm really just not getting that vibe. I'm regretting purchasing my tickets in the first place. Also, it seems as if we're not getting enough communication from Showmasters about this situation. We all understand that you can't announce someone if they haven't signed a contract. It would be nice to hear that there are contracts in the works though, and it would make the situation slightly better if we were at least being assured that there was a reason it's been over two months since the last guest announcement. I feel as if so much focus is being put on ET4, and ET3 hasn't even happened yet! People aren't saying it on here, but a lot of us talk outside the forums and most everyone I've talked to is seriously re-considering getting tickets for ET4 because of how things have been handled with ET3. Personally, I won't be getting tickets for the simple fact that I won't be living in the UK anymore. However, if I were still living here, I honestly can't say that I'd be making an effort to buy tickets for ET4. Please understand that this is not a rant. This is not meant to do anything more than raise concerns that I know many people are having. Afterall, we did all pay a lot of money to come to this convention. Many of us have put a lot of money into past conventions, and it simply doesn't feel as if we're getting our money's worth at this point. With a month to go, that's a pretty big deal. On a more personal note, I'd also like to raise an issue my friends and I have had. We booked a hotel room at the Hilton on the Sunday of ET2. We were not given our discount by the Hilton, who told us there was no discount for the convention. After booking the cheapest room we could over the phone, we returned home to find out there was a discount. Our booking was non-refundable and non-transferable, however, because we had booked over the phone. We spoke to several different staff members at the Hilton and were told they could not do anything about the situation without speaking to Showmasters. Right away, I contacted Showmasters about the situation. I was assured during my phone conversation that the situation would be dealt with over the next few days. As this was just after ET2, I waited a few weeks before phoning back. I spoke to somebody different this time who had no knowledge of my situation. He requested that I e-mail him all the information about the situation and that he'd take care of it. After composing an e-mail with all the details, I sent it off and never heard anything back. It's been several months and both myself and my two roommates haven't had the time continue to contact Showmasters to help us sort the situation out since. Frankly, I don't think we should have had to since we'd already done everything they asked. The handling of our situation has left us feeling as if we don't matter and the money we've put into the conventions means nothing. The three of us have put a lot of time and effort into the conventions, plugging it to our friends, attending conventions (Gold for two convention and Standard for this one), buying a lot of merchandise from the auctions and dealers rooms...all we asked was for some help to ensure we were given the discount everyone else was receiving because the Hilton had messed up our booking. Maybe raising this issue on the forums isn't the best approach, but it's the only way I can think of to get the attention of Showmasters to please help me and my friends. We've done everything else we can short of calling every day and harrassing staff members for updates. That definitely is the wrong approach, and we really don't have the time. Please can you help us? Thank you for listening, ~Jen

Ok, who all has actually seen Glee, since it's not premiered in England yet? It's only got one series aired and already it's one of America's most popular shows. They've already put out TWO soundtrack CDs, and there are so many party themes to choose from it's kind of ridiculous. And the characters are so big that anyone ME got would be incredible! Give the show time here in England to get just as popular (as I predict it will) and this con will be massively popular! I already know of several of my friends (who are fellow con-goers) who have watched Glee since it first started gaining popularity in America. This show is definitely something to invest in a con for!

I'm going to have to agree with Crepuscule. We're all friends here, and Charlie hasn't done anything notable before New Moon. It's very difficult to get information on celebrities like this who just shoot into the limelight overnight, so to go claiming that you've got the best website...it's kind of out of line. That's just my perspective, but I don't like websites that claim to be the best at whatever they do. Clearly, every aspect will have been a collaboration because your information is gathered from other sources, who gathered it from other sources. Without each other, we'd never get the information we have available to us now. So instead of saying you're the best or one of the first one, just say you've got a lot of love for Charlie. That's what's important afterall, right?

Hullo everyone, I'm trying to get a rough count of people who bought tickets to the falsely advertised "advanced screening" of New Moon that was meant to take place in Bluewater on Halloween. If you purchased tickets for the advanced screening (4:30 or 7:30 showing), can you please list how many tickets you purchased and any refunds you've been given? Also, if they tried to withold your booking fee, please mention that as well. For the poll, all I'm interested in knowing is if you are satisfied with the response from Showcase Cinemas and their parent company, and if you are satisfied with your personal compensation, not dependent on what anyone else has to say, just your own personal feelings. If I could, may I request that the posts do not go off topic? There are plenty of other threads to talk about off-topic things, but I'd prefer this was strictly reserved for the topics listed above, otherwise it gets tedious to sift through the responses. I really appreciate it! :) Thank you very much for your help, ~Jen

Honestly, I.m not that thrilled with the results. I.m very happy Head Office has been quick and efficient, but I stand that out travel should be reimbursed. Call me american, but It's true: this wouldn't fly in the States. I feel horrible for those poor people who booked flights over. What are they supposed to do now? They're just out an enormous amount of money for something they had no control over. That hardly seems fair. I spoke with my friend about it today, and she agreed that Summit could get involved and put pressure on them for having sold tickets to an advanced screening. I.m not going to london tomorrow. I've got an essay to work on. If there had been an advanced screening, that would've been one thing, but i can't afford to faff about in london just because i have non-refundable tickets down there. This whole thing is a sham.

It's easy enough to prove. You've got the cinema ticket purchased, I imagine they won't be staying for very long (probably a quick weekend trip at the very most). As long as they've got proof they purchased tickets for the showing, there you go. As for the rest of us travelling in the UK, it's the same sort of thing. I have proof I purchased my tickets, the times that I purchased my transportation are very close to the time I attempted my first purchase of cinema tickets (it failed the first time because of a website difficulty), proof of conversations I had with my friend who I was going to stay with, and proof all over this website that I'm now severly pissed off for lack of money that I really can't afford to just lose. If you're paying international tuition at university, you'll understand this. The thing we have to do is stick together as a group and act as a group. As individuals, we don't hold much power, but as a group...we can raise quite a bit of hell. And to whoever referred to my suggestion to inform the Twilight websites of what's happened, it was not in an attempt to get them to have a "hissy fit". It's to put the pressure on Showcase to treat us fairly and reimburse those of us who are out a lot of money for something that was their fault. Similarily, contacting Watchdog would do the same thing. If they're receiving loads of e-mails about the situation, they'll feel the pressure to rectify it. As has been said before, however, nothing should be done until after we've spoken to Head Office on Friday. If they're willing to work with us, that's great! But imagine if you'd just spent $900 on plane tickets to England JUST to see this. You'd be incredibly pissed off right about now. Even if they did cancel their reservations, they're stuck with a cancellation fee that is quite expensive. There's no reason they should have to pay for it. They purchased the tickets under the impression that there was an advanced screening. That screening didn't exist, and now they're out a lot of money. The impression was not made by mis-reading the information on the website or by mis-interpreting it. It was made because the cinema blatantly falsely advertised the event. Whether that was an accident or not seems irrelevant. The damage is done, and they should be held responsible. Logically, Summit could go after them for this. They advertised and sold tickets to an event that is NOT legally allowed to be happening. Not only that, it's arguably Summit's biggest blockbuster release for 2009. Though they didn't show the film, they sold tickets for it. The bottom line is, we need to stick at this until we get what we are owed. If it comes to it and we get enough people putting pressure on them, they'll do anything to sort it out. I really do hope it doesn't come to that though. I hope they take responsibility for the situation (because even if it was an accident, it IS their fault) and pay us back not just our ticket money, but also our nonrefundable travel costs for transportation booked prior to the mistake being brought to light.

What's this about somebody spending $900 on flights? This was to come to the showing, right, or am I mis-reading it? Where did they come from? I'm the same, Decode. My Mum isn't too happy that I spent so much money to go see the film early when I'm already going to the midnight showing. She'll be even more upset to hear this! :/ If it got to it, Watchdog! Who doesn't love a bit of a Twilight media scandal?! http://www.bbc.co.uk/watchdog/gotastory/