LITTLEOBI-WAN Posted June 30, 2007 Share Posted June 30, 2007 Right now I'd be ecstatic to see a list of "regular" names announced - where are the likes of Peter Mayhew, Ken Colley, Julian Glover, Rusty Goffe (who I REALLY need to meet!!), Paul Blake, etc, etc?? Surely these guys would be up for the "biggest of Star Wars events" in the UK seeing as they quite readily attend events up and down the country at least bi-annually. Whoever is behind the organisation of guests wants a good dressing down as they are failing to deliver what they promised when this event was initially advertised. I am surprised that Mayhew and Baker have not been announced...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mightymax Posted July 1, 2007 Share Posted July 1, 2007 (edited) I have just looked on Peter Mayhew's website and it says he's in Florida the weekend of CE so guess hes not attending Kenny Baker hasn't kept his website upto date since 2006 so can't tell what hes doing Edited July 1, 2007 by mightymax Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LITTLEOBI-WAN Posted July 1, 2007 Share Posted July 1, 2007 I have just looked on Peter Mayhew's website and it says he's in Florida the weekend of CE so guess hes not attending Kenny Baker hasn't kept his website upto date since 2006 so can't tell what hes doing I cant see the date on the website......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamie1138 Posted July 1, 2007 Share Posted July 1, 2007 i go away for the weekend,come back and the debate about guests in attendance rages on... seriously,guys...? i don't know what else to say? you're not star wars fans,none of you... you're all just greedy little autograph snatchers... and i cry myself to sleep every night thinking about it. this event is a fans celebration,not a signing session... it's a chance to celebrate being a star wars fan,not the chance to get more pointless signatures on your silly posters... what's more important? revelling in your fandom,or building up your collection of autographs... no,don't answer that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sauron Posted July 1, 2007 Share Posted July 1, 2007 (edited) i go away for the weekend,come back and the debate about guests in attendance rages on... seriously,guys...? i don't know what else to say? you're not star wars fans,none of you... you're all just greedy little autograph snatchers... and i cry myself to sleep every night thinking about it. this event is a fans celebration,not a signing session... it's a chance to celebrate being a star wars fan,not the chance to get more pointless signatures on your silly posters... what's more important? revelling in your fandom,or building up your collection of autographs... no,don't answer that. Look, just respect people's opinions and back off. Personally I am a huge star wars fan but don't really give a damn about meeting fellow star wars fans, I have enough mates already some who love and some who loathe star wars. Having said that I totally understand where you are coming from but your values are not the same as mine, however, I have the decency to respect that. When I go to events and start chatting to other attendees it's rarely about what films or tv shows we enjoy etc and hardly ever do I keep in touch with the people I meet on the day. Meeting the people who were actually IN star wars is 75% of the event for me with 20% for looking at the merchandise and extra events and 5% for the atmosphere. I'm now expecting some form of base personal attack now saying that I am no star wars fan and a weasly autograph hunter, but frankly the autographs do matter. It's not the autographs themselves, it's meeting the people who were in the films. The reason that meeting new star wars fans isnt a big deal for me is that I have freinds and a life already. Couldn't you just please back off and let people express their own opinions. The event has good and bad things going for it. The good - some good guests like Anthony Daniels who i would love to meet, the vader balloon and the location of the event are good as well as the attendance of Rick McCallum. However, the sheer expense of the event for me is too much to justify attending. I have no intention of spending hundreds of pounds on items i could get for cheaper at other events. Yes I might converse with one or two people who also like Star wars but they are likely to be at any other event where their are some decent star wars guests. In answer to your previous post it is possible to revel in fandom and get autographs. You need to learn that people have different priorities and respect that. This post may sound hypocritical as I mentioned about respecting peoples opinions, but for too long I have sat back and read your derogatory posts which dogmatically and needlessly attack many well respected members of the forum who have done nothing to deserve it. Edited July 1, 2007 by Sauron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mightymax Posted July 1, 2007 Share Posted July 1, 2007 This thread is completely loosing the point! If you attending CE then great can we start posting positive stuff on here! If you aren't attending then thats totally upto you and for what ever reasons they are your own. I appreciate people may not be able to afford the event (yes it is expensive when you weigh it all up) and I feel sorry for them. As for autograph collecting on our silly posters, vast majority of people that use this forum collect silly autographs but that is what they want to do and enjoy what everyone else does in there own spare time is totally up to them so come on please leave it out stop the b*tchin at each other and lets talk about something that we all have in common (I hope) and that is Star Wars and how we enjoy the films, celebrating 30years and CE attending or not! Make Love Not War! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Count Fooku Posted July 1, 2007 Share Posted July 1, 2007 (edited) Lets go for a new topic, "Northern Ireland, who was right?" Although I will say this, I tend to agree this debate isn't really going anywhere, all I would say is jamie1138 everyone has a view on what makes a good event, just because one person likes to collect autographs as opposed to participating in other events it doesn't make them any less of a fan and no amount of personal attacks will change that. Perhaps you just need to accept that not everyone will agree with you all the time and leave it at that. Edited July 1, 2007 by Count Fooku Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamie1138 Posted July 1, 2007 Share Posted July 1, 2007 hi, i agree completely with what the other guy said. btw,thanks to SM for keeping the thread open... i'd have locked it down ages ago. peace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattman81 Posted July 1, 2007 Share Posted July 1, 2007 I think what Jamie was getting at really was that the ones complaining about CE the most are ones who concentrate on autographs, but they're being unfair to slate the whole show because they should only be slating the autograph hall and from the POV of a fan who isn't really into collecting autographs, it's very annoying to see people slating the whole show just on the basis of the autograph hall **takes deep breath** On a personally level, me and Jamie (amoungst many others) have put huge amounts of effort to create things for CE, things for the public to enjoy so you can perhaps understand why we are taking this view and find it disrespectful for the whole show to get the bashing it does from some. I fully respect the autograph collectors out there and it's easy to see why you're disappointed thus far. But it might also be worth pointing out that the talk of making the autograph hall the best ever came from Showmasters as they were the ones responsible for it at the time. So Darth_Owl, do you want SM to apologise or would you like to retract your earlier request?? As we know, SM pulled out on their own accord, which was a great shame but we also need to respect and appreciate the very difficult situation this left Cards inc. in late in the day and given that situation, at least they've tried to put something together for it. Ideally SM would still be involved but we can also respect why they decided to pull out, so no one is to blame imo and that's how the cookie crumbles. On that front, anyone going to the Gentle Giant FP event on Thursday?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mightymax Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 Yeh I am hoping to go there as I want the Yoda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indiana Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 A bunch of new guests just announced for CE. Go here. Oh and there's a Force Unleashed panel too. Read about this here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth_Owl Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 Not a bad selection of guests announced there. I've wanted to meet Matthew Wood for a while, and Jay Lagaia too. By my reckoning we are up to 36 guests announced so far. I'm hoping that yesterdays announcements are a sign of things to come for the rest of the week. And if no more guests are to be announced, at least they now have a respectable number of guests and the quality is somewhat improved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattman81 Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 Thee of little faith. Even the majority of C4 announcements came late in the day, which people fail to remember once again. Maybe we've been spoilt by Showmasters approach of annoucing the line-ups weeks in-advance (sometimes months), but when you're dealing with a show this big and the obstacles put infront of them, it ain't easy so giving them a bit of breathing space would be nice. Now, I still feel there are more announcements to come, and maybe some very big names. Hopefully it wont be long until we find out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators DavidB Posted July 3, 2007 Moderators Share Posted July 3, 2007 I don't think having 'the majority of guests' coming late in the day is a good idea at all. You've got a bunch of fans who no doubt rushed into buying tickets for this event on faith in the fandom alone, and then you can't expect anything but complaints when everyone sits around 'patient' and not a lot happens. I know I'D be pÃssed off if I was sitting around waiting, and waiting, and either nothing came or we were given what's been announced so far. I know this 'autograph hall' is simply one part, but to a lot of fans (and yes, they are still fans!) it's a very important aspect. Shows like Showmasters ones and others are essential to keeping the Star Wars fandom afloat throughout the years, and so at an event of this magnitude it's only fair that fans would have higher expectations than meeting a bunch of people they can see elsewhere for cheaper. If they're getting screwed over in the most important area for THEM, then no wonder there's a negative reaction. It'd be the same disappointment if Showmasters didn't get good guests for them too. Being an autograph collector doesn't make you evil or something. I'm sure plenty of fans will have a great time, and I hope they do, but try and keep the peace in here. If you can't discuss without slagging each other off then there's not much point in this topic. Maybe they will pull it off at the last minute, but we'll see. We don't need "I told you so!" regardless of what happens. Remember this IS a forum for people that attend autograph collecting events, so don't be surprised at what's being discussed. If that's not an aspect you're interested in, there are other forums that might not annoy you so much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattman81 Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 Firstly, my 'Thee of little faith' comment was not aimed at anyone in particular, just the perfect phrase to some up how I feel right now. I've maintained people need patience given the situation and not to use the SM mould as a basis for the running of the show. This is a very different kettle of fish given the scale and official connections. I've had to a sign a contract and read a 30 page booklet, and this is just for running a table in the fanarea, so the technicalities of this show is much grander then what we're used to. And secondly, I'm trying to remain as diplomatic as possible too, so I'm not here to slate people or companies. I'm just trying to give balance to the arguements because it's fair to say some people are show fanboys and consequently, give very unfair and unbalanced arguements about the show in general and the autograph hall. Heck, I love the SM shows and without them, the UK show scene may have died a death long ago and I still think CE would have benefited with them still being involved. Fanboys will be fanboys and I'm happy to leave them to it but for outsiders reading some of the rubbish they churn out, it's important to show the other side of the coin for their benefit, and convince them there's no actual benefit being a fanboy as you'll end up missing out on many things. I also think it's perfectly acceptable to express what a Celebration event should be here too, even though the majority that use this forum are autograph collectors. I remember the Empire Days of old, the beginning of Showmasters where they were much more traditional conventions and great little shows. So while they have shifted their emphasis, their roots are still very much engrained with the traditional convention set-up and looks like LF&CC is showing signs of that too. I'd like to echo MightMax; let's make love and not war. That's all I'm going to say now (I think,lol) because as of next week I'll be with my fellow UK & Euro friends gearing up for CE, and that is what it's all about Hope you get the Yoda, Max, and if you enter the competition, good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indiana Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 (edited) I don't think having 'the majority of guests' coming late in the day is a good idea at all. You've got a bunch of fans who no doubt rushed into buying tickets for this event on faith in the fandom alone, and then you can't expect anything but complaints when everyone sits around 'patient' and not a lot happens. I know I'D be pÃssed off if I was sitting around waiting, and waiting, and either nothing came or we were given what's been announced so far. To be fair, with Showmasters pulling out fairly late in the game - and I'm not interested in the where's and why's of why that happened - the organisers of this event have had a fair amount to deal with in a relatively short space of time to bring in guests. The line up is now very similar to CIV minus Carrie Fisher but plus Billie Dee Williams, so it's not too bad from that perspective. I remember someone mentioning that the majority of CIV guests would be at CE, and now here they are. Realistically if CIV, located in Hollywood, couldn't pull in some of the bigger name stars right off their doorsteps, then what right do English/European patrons have to expect anything above and beyond that? I'll address the 'faith in fandom' bit after this.. I know this 'autograph hall' is simply one part, but to a lot of fans (and yes, they are still fans!) it's a very important aspect. Shows like Showmasters ones and others are essential to keeping the Star Wars fandom afloat throughout the years, and so at an event of this magnitude it's only fair that fans would have higher expectations than meeting a bunch of people they can see elsewhere for cheaper. If they're getting screwed over in the most important area for THEM, then no wonder there's a negative reaction. It'd be the same disappointment if Showmasters didn't get good guests for them too. I strongly disagree that it is conventions and shows keeping Star Wars fandom afloat. There is so much more to Star Wars nowadays than just the movies. The Expanded Universe of comic books and novels filled the gap adequately during the 16 year gap between Jedi in 83' and Phantom in '99, if anything it rekindled people's interests in Star Wars in general. Off the back of that the action figures were relaunched, and are still among the best selling toys in the world today even after 30 years. Fans themselves keep the spirit of Star Wars alive through costuming, fan fiction, model making, film making, etc. It's naive to think that it's just shows keeping Star Wars in the public conscience. As for autographs; well, I've been to a couple of the US Celebrations now, and to be honest the empthasis there really isn't on the autograph collecting aspect. I'm not saying that this will be the same for the attending UK/European folk, but a hell of a lot of the US attendees don't even collect autographs, but go firstly for the overall experience, and secondly for other interests; some are purely collectors of associated merchandise - exclusives etc, and attend panels about that, some build Star Wars related items - Droids for instance, some love to costume and most just love to be among their fellow fans and just spend 5 days surrounded by nothing but Star Wars. The autographs play a part - but personally I'd have been at Celebration IV if these guests were there or not. Same goes for CE. Currently I have no autographs to get at CE as I've met most listed before, and I'm not interested in the bit players, but I'm still attending the event. Being an autograph collector doesn't make you evil or something. I could argue a very good case about some autograph collectors that I have experienced, being almost satanic lol! I'm sure plenty of fans will have a great time, and I hope they do, but try and keep the peace in here. If you can't discuss without slagging each other off then there's not much point in this topic. Maybe they will pull it off at the last minute, but we'll see. We don't need "I told you so!" regardless of what happens. Remember this IS a forum for people that attend autograph collecting events, so don't be surprised at what's being discussed. If that's not an aspect you're interested in, there are other forums that might not annoy you so much Totally agree with that comment. If you're going, go and I hope you enjoy yourself (and I may see you there, who knows?). If you're not, what's the point in trying to discredit the show for those that are going? These attendees will form their own opinion when the show is over - good or bad. Peace! Obi If anyone wants to discuss this event in more depth, and give the SM peeps a break, give me a shout at the email address in my signature. Edited July 3, 2007 by obi-wan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazzlerjames Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 So now we have a decent (ish) guest line up and plenty of other stuff going on. I'm quite looking forward to the gig on Saturday night. I agree with the thee of little faith comment but even I was starting to wonder what was happening especially when you read on some well known autograph / collecting sites that they won't do photo's or pre-orders because of the prices (think CIV photo suppliers). I think the strong pound has had an effect on some of the american guests appearing but we've got some who are rare or 1st timers so should keep some people happy. Looking forward to walking through an army of stormtroopers and the completely reliable(?!) wikepidia has some interesting rumour about a lifetime acheivement award being given out!! Saying that though my wife has said that if these terror threats get any worse then I'm not allowed to go!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Count Fooku Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 I'm sure me and my little band of fanboys (I'm not entirely sure what that means but I assume that I am one and therefore not one of the cool kids!) will have a whale of a time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators DavidB Posted July 3, 2007 Moderators Share Posted July 3, 2007 I strongly disagree that it is conventions and shows keeping Star Wars fandom afloat. There is so much more to Star Wars nowadays than just the movies. The Expanded Universe of comic books and novels filled the gap adequately during the 16 year gap between Jedi in 83' and Phantom in '99, if anything it rekindled people's interests in Star Wars in general. Off the back of that the action figures were relaunched, and are still among the best selling toys in the world today even after 30 years. Fans themselves keep the spirit of Star Wars alive through costuming, fan fiction, model making, film making, etc. It's naive to think that it's just shows keeping Star Wars in the public conscience. As for autographs; well, I've been to a couple of the US Celebrations now, and to be honest the empthasis there really isn't on the autograph collecting aspect. I'm not saying that this will be the same for the attending UK/European folk, but a hell of a lot of the US attendees don't even collect autographs, but go firstly for the overall experience, and secondly for other interests; some are purely collectors of associated merchandise - exclusives etc, and attend panels about that, some build Star Wars related items - Droids for instance, some love to costume and most just love to be among their fellow fans and just spend 5 days surrounded by nothing but Star Wars. The autographs play a part - but personally I'd have been at Celebration IV if these guests were there or not. Same goes for CE. Currently I have no autographs to get at CE as I've met most listed before, and I'm not interested in the bit players, but I'm still attending the event. I certainly wasn't getting at 'fandom = events' as such, I know it's WAY more than that, I just think they are an essential part of what keeps something like Star Wars alive in ways that many other hyped-up things can't even begin to dream of. We all know what Lord of the Rings is like, or some big blockbuster movie or TV series that pops up and becomes hugely successful, only to die down again in a year or two. Star Wars is very unique in how it has kept going, and I certainly admire all the fans for the support they give it. Without their support, there'd be no way they could keep going with the merchandise and everything that comes out all the time. Only thing that maybe comes close in a similar way is Doctor Who but obviously that's a TV show. So yes, I was very careful not to say that events ARE fandom, so sorry if you took it that way Obviously I can't really speak about fans worldwide but I think it's amazing that we get so many Star Wars guests from the original movies these days, and that the interest is still there. I think there are very few things like it. I suppose expectations may have been too high from some fans perhaps? Or too focused in one area, I don't know. Obviously some wishes haven't come true yet, but whether they were ever realistic or not is another debate I guess. I can see why regular autograph hunters would want something a bit different or better, but even if it is an official Star Wars event, there will always be those cast members who simply can't do these types of events, or don't want to. Miracles aren't always possible! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattman81 Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 A Fanboy is someone who pledges an allegiance with only one brand, for example some people only buy Sony Playstations and do their best to spread hate and disgust at Nintendo and Microsoft, or when people only buy Nike shoes & clobber and think every other sports brand is scum. Or in this case, people who are only interested in Showmaster shows and are happy to badmouth other shows. The common fact is that Fanboys miss out. Only buy playstations, you don't get to play Mario. Buy only Nike, you're forever walking round with a tick on you. CE has lots of offer and will be pretty special, so to miss out on that would be a shame for anyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mightymax Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 Well I am pleased with the guest announcements the whole event is starting to shape up nicely I'm quite looking forward to the gig on Saturday night. Whats happening Saturday night? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indiana Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 (edited) I certainly wasn't getting at 'fandom = events' as such, I know it's WAY more than that, I just think they are an essential part of what keeps something like Star Wars alive in ways that many other hyped-up things can't even begin to dream of. We all know what Lord of the Rings is like, or some big blockbuster movie or TV series that pops up and becomes hugely successful, only to die down again in a year or two. Star Wars is very unique in how it has kept going, and I certainly admire all the fans for the support they give it. Without their support, there'd be no way they could keep going with the merchandise and everything that comes out all the time. Only thing that maybe comes close in a similar way is Doctor Who but obviously that's a TV show. So yes, I was very careful not to say that events ARE fandom, so sorry if you took it that way (No apologies needed, I didn't take any offence from it. All we're doing is expressing our opinions) - Obi. Obviously I can't really speak about fans worldwide but I think it's amazing that we get so many Star Wars guests from the original movies these days, and that the interest is still there. I think there are very few things like it. I suppose expectations may have been too high from some fans perhaps? Or too focused in one area, I don't know. Obviously some wishes haven't come true yet, but whether they were ever realistic or not is another debate I guess. I can see why regular autograph hunters would want something a bit different or better, but even if it is an official Star Wars event, there will always be those cast members who simply can't do these types of events, or don't want to. Miracles aren't always possible! I think you're right. I think maybe some people get too carried away with what they expect to happen, and when that cannot realistically be realised the disappointment sets in. I've changed my attitude towards these things nowadays. If someone turns up I like, then it's a bonus, if not, then I have cash to spend on other things (or not if my wife has anything to say about it lol!). The thing with autograph hunters is where do they stop? Even if these shows landed Mark, Harrison etc, and they had a complete cast & crew collection they would never be happy because there will always be a space somewhere else in their collections. It's a bit of a viscious circle. I think people have to step back sometimes and say, "you know what? I can't have it all", and be happy with what you have got. Some of the times I've collected autographs recently the people around me have behaved just like rabid animals, (hence my - autograph collectors can be satantic - comment earlier), and some people I know have taken pretty bad injuries at premieres and theatre shows from these 'collectors' just to get a squiggle on a photograph. It's just not worth the aggravation sometimes. But that's another debate for another time. Been good to have a healthy chat on here - not done that for a while. Peace! Obi Edited July 3, 2007 by obi-wan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Count Fooku Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 I was going to carry on the debate but I really can't be bothered anymore! I'm sure me and the rest of Fanboy 3 will have a fine old time at the show, I hope everyone else does the same! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nosfer2 Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 Finally there are enough guests to justify the expense! I'm not a fanboy - I'll go to any event if it has someone I want to meet, but in my opinion Showmasters put on the best shows both in terms of guests and prices. Does anyone know if the other show allows you to get personal items signed or do you have to buy a photo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamie1138 Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 wa-hey! we're all arguing again,and i wasn't around to chip in! first off,let me assure you-i AM here to slate people and companies!!! and by god,that's what i intend to spend my time doing,and anyone who doesn't like that can kiss my fat... actually,i really ought to spend my time getting my artwork finished... i had a half drawn pic of greivous...i'd better fish it out of the bin. grr. funny you saying that,dazzlerjames...as my wife is insistent that i go into london more often,at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now