Allyson, I'm feeling like I want to cry with you. That fucking SUCKS.

Anyone calling me a "Lostketeer" better have some krav maga close at hand.

Or Keri Russell (Felicity).

t crosses fingers hoping someone will get the reference

And now I'm in a kerfuffle at the Fuselage.

I'm quitting fandom.

a kerfuffle at the Fuselage

Gawd help me, that was English to me.

I'm quitting fandom.

Maybe it would be a good night to do some serious drinking away from the lands of fandom.

I'm just so angry, and sad, and other things that make no sense.

I am, however, quitting the fanparty business.

I'm hoping that's a knee jerk reaction although I would totally understand if that's what you did.

After thinking about it I see only two options should you decide to go foward:

1) Invent a better mousetrap. Try to compete with the Creation Ent. of the world. I don't know if that means losing the charity aspect of not. or 2) Contracts. Exclusivity. I don't know- is there a lawyer in the house?

Allyson-- Lost fandom is HUGE--millions. I think there are plenty of those who want a real party where one is treated like a person and not a "club member" and where the money goes to a good cause and the corporate events won't appeal to them at all. There will be some who ONLY want a corporate event. And some who can't get enough and who want both. The whole "Losties" aspect kinda skeeves me, but passionate fans in those five other cities who might get their only chance to see actors and creators of a show they love in the flesh will be well served by this. My niece, for example, LOVES "American Idol" with a huge passion. She is 13, her mom works full time, they don't have a lot of $$, and she lives in suburban Virginia. If "Idol" staged a cheesy fanfest in the DC convention center, with keychains and whatnot, she would die from joy. It's as close as she will ever get. I would rather have my eyes gouged out than go to something like that,even if "Idol" was my favorite show, but for her it would The Best Thing Ever. I am sure those kind of fans will benefit from this "Losties" thing--but they aren't the only peeps in fandom.

This is in ADDITION to what you do, not instead of it.

Maybe it would be a good night to do some serious drinking away from the lands of fandom.

David always has sage advice. All nights in the land of fandom are good for serious drinking.

Or something.

Livers are for wimps!

Robin, it's not that. It is a mighty big sandbox in a lot of ways.

It's just that because Creation is doing what they're doing, guaranteeing actors and producers, guaranteeing autographs and pics, it makes it monumentally difficult to do what I do.

I don't pay anyone to attend, and I don't make any money. So, I can't guarantee anything. With ABC in on the thing, it makes it impossible. We flew under ABC's radar, and that's how we got it done. That won't be the case anymore, and therefore sort of kills us.

I can't see how it would be good business for Creation to have fans come to my party for 100 bucks, have the actors show to my thing for nothing. If I were Creation, that would bug me, especially if I were partnering with the network.

Don't get me wrong, Maya will pick up a few bucks on hotel commission for the last thing, so it wasn't completely altruistic. She quit her job a few months back to do events full time, and I told her if there was anything left over, it was all hers, because I'm okay. There really wasnt anything left over, but in a few months she'll get some commission from the hotel for the room block.

I'm being an idiot about it, licking my wounded paws amongst friends.

There is a feeling of being the local mom n' pop fan party place and watching the WalMart grand opening across the street.

Sure, people love my customer service, but in the end, more of the stuff they need is readily available across the way.

I can't cry foul and back it up. I'm sure Creation has no idea who I am at all, it isn't personal.

But why won't the Lost folks do your event because it's a charity thing? Especially since they will have heard it was classy and fun fropm those folks who were there? They get to have fun and do good and that's an enticing combination. If it was a competing for-profit event, that would be different. But it isn't--it's a Lost-themed fundraiser, which is also a hell of a lot of fun.