Assuming that we don’t go to a terrorism red alert that grounds all global air traffic, I will be flying out to Southern California next week to attend L.A. Con IV, the 64th World Science Fiction Convention, aka Worldcon, which runs from Wednesday 08.23 through Sunday 08.27. (If you’re familiar with Worldcons in the past, they typically occur over Labor Day weekend, when they’ll run from Thursday through Monday. Since this year’s is the weekend before the holiday, it’s taking on the unusual schedule of Wednesday through Sunday.)
I’ll be attending the convention with my bestest pal and frequent congoing companion, Bonnie-Ann Black. Bonnie is an artist (and writer and poet and chef and general all-around Renaissance woman), and she’ll be showing her work in the Worldcon art show. Get a look at her art at her Web site, Dubhsidhe Studios.
If you can only come to the con for one day, make it Friday the 25th. I’ll be doing back-to-back (-to-back-to-back-to-back) panels on that day, and Friday evening I’ll be hosting a book-release party for my new book, The Totally Geeky Guide to ‘The Princess Bride,’ which will make its debut at the con and be available for sale online starting next Wednesday, the 23rd.
If you're looking for me around the con at times when I'm not scheduled for a panel, you'll probably find me at the Hilton hotel bar. I'll even let you buy me a drink.
My convention schedule:
THURSDAY 08.24
10:00 AM
OVERRATED FILMS & OVERLOOKED MOVIES
Participants:
Adam-Troy Castro
Dr. John L. Flynn
MaryAnn Johanson
Mark R. Leeper
Frank Wu
There are some films with a bad reputation but which are really quite good. There are some films with a good rep which are just dogmeat. A few highly opinionated film fans will discuss these overrated films and overlooked movies with the aide of the audience.
11:30 AM
REVIEWING FILM & TELEVISION
Participants:
Dr. Bob Blackwood
MaryAnn Johanson
Bill Warren
It's not the same as reviewing books. Or is it? What special skills do you need to review movies and TV? Here from professional critics what it takes to do the job well.
FRIDAY 08.25
10:00 AM
RE-IMAGININGS
Paul Cornell
MaryAnn Johanson
Shaun Lyon
Lee Whiteside
More than just a euphemism for "remake" and "cashing in", some TV series are actually well-thought out new adaptations of the same material. Battlestar Galactica and Dr. Who are two good examples of high quality shows that respect their antecedents but bring much that is new and good to the material. What changes get made and why? Are the audiences and commercial pressures different now than for the original?
11:30 AM
FILMS 2005/2006
Participants:
Dr. Bob Blackwood
Dr. John L. Flynn
MaryAnn Johanson
Bill Warren
Not for the squeamish. That describes a number of the science fiction and fantasy films that have come out this year. It also describes the reviews a number of films have received. Come hear our experts' opinions and see how they differ from yours.
1:00 PM
BLOGGERS AS PUBLIC INTELLECTUALS
Participants:
Cory Doctorow
Kevin Drum
MaryAnn Johanson
Patrick Nielsen Hayden
Teresa Nielsen Hayden
Phil Plait
H.L. Mencken, Edmund Wilson, I.F. Stone, Germaine Greer, Gertrude Stein, Hannah Arendt all gained prominence as American public intellectuals through newspaper columns and books of collected essays. Is the Blogosphere spawning a contemporary generation of important public thinkers? Who are the ones you can't afford to miss? What are they saying?
2:30 PM
BLOGS & THE MEDIA
Participants:
Jerry Beck
Craig Engler
MaryAnn Johanson
Craig Newmark
Evo Terra
Over the last few years, blogging has exploded. Not just for geeks anymore, even commercial sites now frequently have blogs. There are blogs on every subject and the media has started using blogs not just as marketing tools but as sources for news stories. Vox populi and all that but is this a good thing?
4:00 PM
DR. WHO, THEN & NOW
Participants:
Eric L. Hoffman
MaryAnn Johanson
Shaun Lyon
Ric Meyers
Scott Alan Woodard
There's a huge Fandom for Dr. Who but for a lot of other people, the show didn't do much. But the new Dr. Who series (last year in the UK and this year in the US) has won a legion of converts. Is the new show that different from the old one?
8PM-MIDNIGHT
BOOK RELEASE PARTY: The Totally Geeky Guide to ‘The Princess Bride’ by yours truly
I’ll have copies of my new book for sale and autographing
SATURDAY 08.26
NOON
KAFFEKLATSCH: MARYANN JOHANSON
come and shoot the breeze with me; I’ll have copies of The Totally Geeky Guide to ‘The Princess Bride’ for sale and autographing
1:00 PM
MOVIES THAT CHANGED MY LIFE
Participants:
Chris M. Barkley
K. A. Bedford
Alan Dean Foster
MaryAnn Johanson
Fiona Patton
Some movies have a profound effect on people. Come here from our panelists which movies had a major effect on them and share your own stories.
4:00 PM
STAR WARS: THE SAGA COMPLETED
Participants:
MaryAnn Johanson
Ric Meyers
Kevin Rubio
Robert Vogel
It's been almost thirty years but now the story is complete. How has the tale changed over the decades? The original films seemed to be about Luke. But the newer films are all about Darth Vader. Just whose story is it? Did advances in special effects hurt or help?
8PM-MIDNIGHT
SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY ART PARTY
hosted by my friend Bonnie-Ann Black; she’ll have prints of her work for sale (I'll be in attendance, too)
SUNDAY 08.27
2:30 PM
FANTASY ON TELEVISION
Participants:
Jane Espenson
ElizaBeth Gilligan
MaryAnn Johanson
Len Wein
Spooks and ghosts and things that go bump in the night. Has there ever been so much fantasy on television? And such successful shows, too. Buffy and Angel were fantasy shows and while they had definite followings, they weren't the hits that Medium and Ghost Whisperer are. Why are they so successful?
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