The Thursday Weekender for May 8th, 2008 - Doing Speed, Pots of Gold, and Awards I’m Not Smart Enough to Win

First off the Nebula Awards are going on in New York. The Nebula Award is an award given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), for the best science fiction/fantasy fiction published in the United States during the two previous years. There is no cash prize associated with the award - too bad for the people who actually deserve some cash for their copious amounts of talent, the award itself being a transparent block with an embedded glitter spiral nebula. For all the info on the awards check here.

Next up is Leprecon 34 happening next weekend, May 9-11, 2008 at the Francisco Grande Resort in Casa Grande, Arizona. LepreCon is an annual science fiction convention with an emphasis on art held in and around Phoenix, Arizona in May. It is the second oldest science fiction convention in Arizona. It is sponsored by Leprecon, Inc., an Arizona non-profit corporation. The early LepreCon conventions were held around St. Patrick’s Day weekend, thus giving birth to the name of the convention, a pun on leprechaun. As the tourist season expanded in Arizona, the normal dates for the convention moved into the May time frame with an occasional foray into June. This year’s guests include Howard Taylor, creator of Schlock Mercenary Web Comic, authors Emily and Ernest Hogan, special effects makeup artist David Ayres, and one of the hottest women in science fiction, Chase Masterson. Check the Leprecon site for full details.

Lastly, you might just see a bunch of little Speed Racer’s this Halloween, but I swear if I see any of those effing Chim-Chim chimpanzees or that damn kid brother of Speed’s, Spritle, begging for chocolate I swear they’re gonna get a boot to the head. I can’t express just how much I don’t give a rat’s ass about this movie. Yeah it’s got Emile Hirsch who I really liked in “Lords of Dogtown” and “Into the Wild”, Christina Ricci (The Addams Family movies, Sleepy Hollow, Cursed), John Goodman, and Susan Sarandon - all great actors, but this damn movie just looks like one big ridiculous drug tripped out Anime movie to me. And I hate Anime. And I especially hate Manga. OK, I used to watch this cartoon when I was kid right along side freaking Ultraman who kicked giant monster butt, and I distinctly recall liking it. But the style of this freaking movie looks so damn much like a cartoon I can’t see why they just didn’t make it one. It might be the stupid Wachowski brothers - you know, the guys who effed up “The Matrix” by trying to make it a trilogy - but I’m pretty sure it’s the Anime influence which has come along with this being a Japanese Manga import originally. I guess I just grew up and don’t want to see any more of those doe-eyed characters even if I did think that Trixie, with her pre-pubescent boy’s body (hmm, does this say something about my disturbed yound self), was kinda hot. Did I mention I hate that kid and that frickin’ chimp too. I can never say it enough.

I suppose some of you folks are psyched for it so - go - enjoy - yay Anime and Manga. Check for local movie times here.

May 8th, 2008