Britney Murphy was probably the most talented of the girls who popped u[p in the timeframe of 1995-1997. She was deliciously cute and bubbly in Clueless, and while Alicia Silerstone and Paul Rudd were the break-outs of that film, Murphy was the best part of the actual film. Her career was spotty, sometimes she made terrible script choices and other times she was the best thing about a bad film. She was great in her turns in films like 8 Mile, and she was the voice of Luann in King of the Hill. She had a number one dance hit (along with Paul Oakenfold) and was a helluva singer, as she showed in Happy Feet. She was a helluva talent.

She was also a major party girl.

You'll hear stories that come out over the next few days which will detail her days and nights which will tell you everything you need to know: the girl liked to have fun in just about every way. She ended up so thin, certainly when compared to how she looked in Clueless, and while it's surprising to hear, she died of cardiac arrest. At 32. This is a story we've heard before and one we'll keep hearing from the generation that grew up and allowed TMZ to become so giant.

I'll miss her work. She was really talented.
Chris

I found a zine at LosCon. It was in the pile that Chris Marble dropped off for folks to take away (and folks grabbed so much!).

It had an article from James Tiptree Jr. in 1975.

It also had two pieces of simple, but nice, fan art from James Tiptree, Jr.

I had no idea she could draw!
Chris

Dan Steffan, one of the truly great Fan Artists of All-time, was awarded the Rotsler Award. The Rotsler is a big deal to me, as it's one of the very few lifetime achievement awards that Science Fiction Fandom has.

Related, if you're at LosCon this weekend, I'll be running the Fanzine Lounge with a deisplay of Bill Rotslers work!

Also, if anyone has a current eeMail for Dan, could you send it my way? I've got a plan...
Chris

I am now back in The Garcia Compound, dampened from the bath and happy to report that I'm exhausted and ecstatic.

First, to the ConComm: THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU
THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU
THANKYOUTHANKYOU

Not nearly enough thanks even there to tell you how amazing it was, how awesome you treated both me and Linda and how great I felt every second of the con. It was fantastic and I'm so very proud to say that I was a GoH at a convention that was so fantastic.

To the Fans of Chicago: Y'all rule! There were so many amazing costumes of all varieties (including amazing Steampunk stuff) and everyone was so nice. Sadly, I didn't catch her last name, but Andrea _______ may have just changed the face of West Coast parties and fanzine lounges with the Apple Pie Shot. It was amazing. I also have to say thanks to Steven Silver, Dave McCarty, Helen of Troy, Bill, That one guy, Neil Rest, RJ, That one girl with the chain-mail bikini, that other girl with the Dutchess costume who couldn't figure out if I was in costume or not, Anne Murphy, Chris Barkley, who is a great roommate, and everyone else we got to hang out with.

Also have to thank Phil and Kaija, James Blaylock, Chris Ready, and Tom Smith. I got a chance to chat with all of them, managed to break Kaija once while we were on stage and Tom Smith once (that's right, I broke him!) and had a great panel with James Blaylock. It was amazing to be in the company of such great GoHs. James is one of my favorite writers, Phil and Kaija my fave comicists, and Tom Smith is now my favorite HyperFilker! Just great company to be in with.

And of course, now I have to review it for SF/SF, Exhibition Hall, The Drink Tank, Claims Department and so much more!

And by the way, in the words of Frank Wu, I love you all!
Chris

Head over to http://efanzines.com/ExhibHall/ExhibHall-03.pdf to read the latest Exhibition Hall issue! It features looks at SteamCon and the Clockwork Caliphate, a review of a fine piece of animation, some good words from some good people and a look at a less-then-remembered piece of 1960s/70s and 90s Steampunk!

Go and look NOW!!!
Chris

So, around 2:45pm, I was in Mr. Sutton's 6th Period World History class, sitting next to the biggest crush of my life up to that point, Jennifer. As we're talking about who knows what, Jennifer gets this weird look in her eyes and says 'Was that an earthquake?'

I probably said something stupid in response, as was often my way.

A couple of hours later, I'd made it home, had just finished my bath and was looking forward to the San Francisco Giants taking on the Oakland As. It was going to be a big deal. My Uncle Wayne was at the World Series game, my Mom was still at work. It was me and Radar, the best damn dog ever, in the house. I finished my bath, wrapped a towel around myself, and before I left the bathroom, it all started shaking. I managed to stay pretty calm, I simply walked out of the house into the street. It was about a minute before I realised that I was only a towel away from being naked in the street. I headed back into the house, found the little burgundy red radio and tuned in, waiting for the ballgame to restart. It didn't.

I stayed around the house. Mom didn't get home for an hour or two. She was freaked. She hates Earthquakes. I thought it was kinda fun. I believe that I spent the rest of the night reading since we had no power and I used one of the various camping lanterns. I think I read The Pope of Greenwich Village. I love that book.

That was my day of the big quake. I was most worried about Wilderness Adventurers Club cancelling the Houseboating trip that was scheduled for that Friday. That Saturday was also my birthday. We had the trip. It was awesome.
Chris

The 2010 TAFF race has begun!We have two excellent sets of candidates. Anne KG Murphy and Brain Gray (running as a pair) and Frank Wu. The ballot is available at http://taff.org.uk/ and the deadline is Midnight PST on December 22nd.

Full details are available on http://taff.org.uk/.

Thanks
Chris

Being a huge fan of Geelong during the late 1980s and early 1990s, I was used to Geelong losing in the Finals, even when GOD (Gary Ablett, Sr) kicked 9 goals and couldn't win it. Then there were some very down years. I started following again in 2006, mostly due to the presence of Gary Ablett, Jr. He was very different than his Dad, and he looked good, but not a superstar.

In 2007, the Cats had a slightly rocky start, but by the end of the year, they looked unstoppable. Gary Ablett was a superstar. He was amazing, though his entire team was remarkable, especially Bartell, who ended up winning the Brownlow! They won their first Premiership in 34 years! It was an amazing season, and the Final was a blow-out, where Geelong beat the team that broke their streak of wins earlier in the year.

Than there was last season. They were as dominant as any team had ever been. They lost only once. They went into the Finals the huge favourite. They lost. it stung. It was much like when the Pats lost after their incredible season.

2009 started with a big run, 13 straight wins until their streak was broken by...St. Kilda. They met with the Saints in the Grand Final, and they beat them. It was pretty amazing.

The game itself was pretty awesome. In heavy rain, Geelong played hard, but for the first half, St. Kilda looked the better team. The were far cleaner, but Geelong just hung tough. I can never think of a closer ball game. The lead went back and forth, and once the second half started, Geelong started powering up their defense, and that led to St. Kilda only getting two goals. Ablett wasn't a huge factor, but Paul Chapman and Rook were awesome. I thought it was the best game I've ever watched. Some might call it Bush Football, and it may have been. The conditions sucked, and it was obvious that St. Kilda was playing much better football, but Geelong was playing tougher football, and in the end, it was the spirit of the team that won the Premiership for Geelong.

Still, I would not bet against St. Kilda for next year.

Then again, I also wouldn't bet against Geelong!

We Are Geelong!
Chris

Exhibition Hall, a new Steampunk fanzine, has been released at http://efanzines.com/ExhibHall/index.htm.

The first issue features articles from the UK, Canada and the US with writers like James Bacon, Ariane Wolfe, Chris Garcia, Mike Perschon and Warren Buff as well as an interview with Klaude and Emmett Davenport of The Clockwork Caberet.

If you have announcements of events, articles, art, comments on the issue or whatever, you can send them to journeyplanet@gmail.com. You should put EH or ExHall in the subject line.

Thanks
Chris

2010 TAFF Race: Nominations Open

The 2010 TAFF race (eastward: North America to Europe) is now open for nominations. The winning delegate will attend the 2010 Eastercon, Odyssey, in London over the Easter weekend, 2-5 April, 2010. (Odyssey’s website is http://www.odyssey2010.org/.)

To stand as a candidate, you must provide:
Five nominations from known fans, three of whom must be resident in North America and two resident in Europe. All of these should send a signed nomination via postal mail – or, if sending the nomination by e-mail, include a phone number for verification

~ A written platform, not exceeding 101 words
~ A $20 bond (US or Canadian dollars)
~ A pledge you will take the trip if you win

All nominations, platforms, pledges and / or bonds must arrive with either the North American or European administrator (see below) by midnight GMT on Sunday, 4 October, 2009. Provided at least two candidates meet these requirements, the distribution of ballots will begin immediately thereafter. If you have any questions, feel free to contact the administrators. If you plan to run, please alert them as soon as possible.

Chris Garcia ([info]johnnyeponymous, TAFF Administrator, North America)
garcia [at] computerhistory [dot] org
962 West Weddell Dr. #15
Sunnyvale
CA 94089
USA

Steve Green ([info]stevegreen, TAFF Administrator, Europe)
stevegreen [at] livejournal [dot] com
33 Scott Road
Solihull
B92 7LQ
UK


WHAT IS TAFF? The Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund was created in 1953 to underwrite cultural exchanges for well-known and popular fans familiar to those on both sides of the Big Pond. Since then, TAFF has sent North American fans to European conventions and European fans to North American conventions. It exists solely through the support of fandom. Delegates are selected by interested fans from all over the world, and each vote is accompanied by a donation of at least US $3 or UK £2. These votes, and the continued generosity of fandom, make TAFF possible.

More information about TAFF's history, customs, and practices may be found at the unofficial site maintained by Dave Langford at http://taff.org.uk/.

One more day for articles for Exhibition Hall issue 1! If you've got announcements of events or reviews of stuff or anything Steampunk related, you've got 24 hours! We've got a little bit of everything and this is the first Wide-Release issue. Starting September first, you'll be able to thrill to the words of folks like Mike Perschon, Ariane Wolfe, Chris Garcia and more!

Plus some amazing art!
Chris

OK, so I've started working on an article that I'm hoping to finish in the next few weeks.

What do Pros think about the Fan Hugos?

Yes, this may be opening something of a can of worms, but I've heard a lot about what fans think about the relationship between Pros and the Fan Hugos and I've never really heard to much from the pros out there about what the Fan Hugos actually mean to them, if anything.

So, what do the Pros out there think about the Fan Hugos?

Is Best Fanzine on the same footing as Best Editor Short Form?
Does Best Fan Artist equal Best Pro Artist?
Are all the Hugos on equal footing?

I guess the bigger question could be what do the Hugos in general mean to Pros. That's a BIG question that goes really deep.

If you got the call saying that you were on the Hugo ballot for Best Fan Writer/Artist, would you accept the nomination?

Yes, I know there are Pros that are fans (I had lovely chats with a great many of them at WorldCon) and I'm just trying to get a handle on it.

If you know a pro who might have a good take on this, send this their way. Garcia@computerhistory.org if you've got a bunch to say about it.
Chris

So, I'm not doing anything official until tomorrow...except for Au Pied de Cochon!

I'm so planning my order, and I'm thinking pig.

Anyone disagree?
Chris

If you're a comics fan and you're not reading Wednesday Comics, you're missing out. A great anthology title with so much great stuff. I really like Gaiman and Allred's Metamorpho stuff, and there's Kubert doing Sgt. Rock, Batman, Superman, Supergirl, Deadman, Hawkman, and more. It's an awesome set of stories and the format is great too.

Get to reading!
Chris

Merce Cunningham, the great choreographer, has died at 90. He was so important, in a way like the Jackson Pollack of dance. His works with John Cage were among the most important in the history of modern dance, and his company was massively important, all the way up to today.

It's sad because he's one of the few artists left from that era of experimentation in the 1940s and 50s. The Abstract Expressionists, the early Pop Artists, the Unusuals, as Time Magazine put it. Cage, Rauschenburg, Davis, Nevelson, Noguchi, all gone. And now Cunningham.
Chris

All this latest Hugo drama has brought something back that I'd been thinking about over the years.

What's a Hugo realy worth?

I know I can just call up Peter Weston and ask how much they cost, but what effect do they have monetarily on those that win them.

I'm talking people and not Novels. I seem to remember someone looking at the effect winning a Hugo has on a novel, but what about on the person who wins it. Does having By Hugo Winner XXX on the cover really increase sales? Do Hugo winners get their works bought more often? I'd especially like to know about Hugo winning artists. What effect does winning have on their sales.

The best examples would of course be writers who had been struggling, only to win one. I can't come up with an example, but that'd be the statistical Holy Grail!

Awards, according to Zanuck, mean money, and it's been studied what winning an Oscar can mean (believe it or not, winning one basically doubles what you can expect to be paid, no matter what category you're in) but I don't know if anyone's looked into it as far as the Hugos go.

Maybe I need to start thinking about getting a Grad Student on it!
Chris

So, I've had a busy weekend of laying out and writing.

WorldCon means publications and I've got three that I have to finish in the next few days. One's a PR, which is the slowest progress so far. I'm beginning to worry about getting it finished by next Sunday. I will breathe and concentrate on putting it together.

The other ones have been more fun. I've done about 2/3 of the next Journey Planet, which will be pretty darn good. The art I've got from folks is really awesome. While it won't look nearly as incredible as the last issue (because I'm not nearly as good a layout dude as Pete Young, who is my all-time favorite), it'll look pretty great. We've got some really nice writing too, including stuff from folks who you wouldn't regularly find in fanzines.

The preview issue of Exhibition Hall is the only one I've managed to completely finish. This is basically a teaser that I'll be giving out at the Steampunk panel at Anticipation. It's an issue with one preview article (my piece about the Hereford Screen), a review of Anti-Ice and some really nice art. The first regular issue is coming out September first and already had an interview with the folks from Clockwork Cabaret, some more wonderful art, an article that'll be in shortly on Nemo, and I've got to put together a Steampunk review of some sort. If you've got one tucked away, I'd love to have it.

Oh yeah, and I made short ribs last night. I've got one left. They're very tasty.
Chris

Walter Cronkite died today. He's another on that was on my Dead Pool list. That's 3 I've got this year (Along with Phillip Jose Farmer and I think Farah Fawcett)

I was not expecting to do this well, though I've won these things again

Weird, I might win this one too, which is a morbid victory
Chris

So, Locus co-founder Charles Brown died on Sunday. it's a shame as I always liked him. We only spoke a few times, my favourite being when I introduced him to a friend 'a god of science fiction' he corrected me saying 'no, THE god of science fiction.' with a friendly laugh. I'll miss him.

I'd like to run a tribute to him in a coming issue of SF/SF, but I didn't know him well enough to do a decent job. Anyone else like to take a crack? We'd need the text in by Friday
lemme knwo
Chris

OK, so I'm working on a new zine called Exhibition Hall. It's a SteamPunk zine that's starting up in Mid-August and should be roughly monthly. it won't be like most of my other zines, it'll be far more structured, but the one thing I'd like is a slew of reviews.

So...

If any of you have reviews of anything SteamPunk related (books, movies, short stories, music, art, tattoos, neck ties, stained glass windows, etc, ect) I'd love to run them. Length? Doesn't matter, but if you're one of those who needs such things, say 750 words plus or minus how many you like.

You can send them to garcia @ computerhistory.org

Thanks
Chris