Convention Reports and Open Newsletter - 14 July 2001

 

Eastlant Sci-Fi Group

Convention Reports and Open Newsletter

July 2001

Editor’s Notes:

 

Last month’s comments seem to have put the cat among the pigeons.  The response was pretty good and very varied.  I will include below every response we got, and maybe next month the input will double again.

 

 

Convention Reports

 

Delegate Reports:

 

The Australian convention reports have been promised for next month.  I know the problem of the aftermath from a convention, so it’s understandable that the organizers of two events close on each other’s heels must be a little shell-shocked at the moment.

 

I should also have a report from the UK’s Starfury Convention next month.   If anyone has any others to report on, feel free.

 

This month we have one convention report to publish, from Olga Kalmikova in Russia, on the first event that her club has taken part in. They are now in the same position we were in the 60s when we attempted the first fan-run Sci-Fi cons, so the numbers may seem low, but it’s a very good start for a society that was severely restricted until just a few years ago.

 

Olga’s English is very good indeed, so I have made no changes to the report beyond those picked up by the spell-checker – i.e. the differences between European and American English.

******************************************************************

 

Moscow Fantasy and Sci-Fi Convention # 3. July 1st and 2nd, 2001.

 

By Olga Kalmikova

 

I hereby give permission for e-mail this report to be sent onwards to other e-mail addresses and internet newsgroups, and may be loaded up to websites and used in print fanzines which are not primarily intended for profit, also it may be edited for length, where such editing doesn’t change the original meaning and intent.

 

This Fantasy and Sci-Fi Convention was the 3rd one but only the first one for our Sci-Fi Club. In fact our Club exists less time than this Convention. One of our members was intended to take part in it to encourage us to start taping and dealing in fantasy because the large group of fantasy movies and literature was expected there.

 

We decided to try and arrange a kind of round table for discussion of Sci-Fi and Fantasy Movies and Series. I should mention and there are not a lot of Sci-Fi series can be found on air here in Russia but there is a large Babylon 5 fan-club and a few Star Trek and The X-files ones but they all have their own policies and don’t want to make any contacts as close as we actually want. I’m not going to criticize them for it. It is up to them of course, but I feel that I should explain the whole situation or the Report won’t be a complete one.

 

So, it was our first Convention and we prepared a few presentation. It all took place in a country hotel not far from Moscow and there were 57 people involved. It is less than we expected but the organizers just didn’t want to have a lot of outsiders who as they put it "don’t understand the entire situation". We had a hall for 2 day we spend there.

 

For the 1st of July we arrange a presentation and a following discussion devoted to Sci-Fi Movies. As we have almost all the newest Sci-Fi movies here in the movies we were able to discuss all the

things. Thanks to our friends in "Eastlant Sci-Fi Group” and personally David Gerhard we were able to prepare a pretty nice presentation, at least people who took part in the following discussion

told us. It was a real fun and as we tried to control the whole event the discussions were very long and was over after 1 a.m. But we should say that all other discussions which were to take place that day were over far earlier and the people who were involved there came to our room and took part in the presentation and the discussion. Of course everyone who prepared the whole event was very pleased as people paid so much attention to our event.

 

The next day, July 2nd, the presentation and discussion were devoted to Sci-Fi and Fantasy Series. As I have mentioned the most popular and well known shows here are Babylon 5 and The X-files. We showed some episodes of the shows which were not on air here and it of course attracted everyone’s attention. At least everyone was talking about it the next day. And we got some new members to our Club and even more orders for the tapes. From the first day our Club was founded we tried to establish something like "Eastlant Sci-Fi Group" and try to let people see the shows that are not on air here or won’t ever be as we think. I’m sure that this convention helped us a lot and again I want to thank "Eastlant Sci-Fi Group" for their support and without them we wouldn’t have been able to show any episodes from the serials we like and hope the people liked.

 

The discussion again was very long and we just controlled it better I think and tried to arrange for some general meeting for everyone who is interested in taking part in our Club events and to help us to deal with the tapes.

 

So, it was our first time and I think we succeeded. We got a lot of new experience and I hope that we have new people involved. Our next target is to hold people with us and we hope that next year our discussions and presentations will be even more interesting because we will help everyone involved to watch all the new and good shows we have thanks to "Eastlant Sci-Fi Group".

 

**************************************************************************

 

Editor’s Note:  First, thanks to Olga for the report, and for giving us kudos for helping.  However, she gives us too much credit.  All we did was nag her into getting her club involved. They did the rest.  Also, thanks should go to the fellow fans who contributed to the cost of the tapes that we sent to Olga’s club.

 

Second, although Olga tells us that this was the 3rd convention in the area, from our earlier correspondence, I get the impression that the first two were really just glorified monthly meetings by this other club.

 

I have recommended to Olga that they attempt to persuade the other group to open the event to a wider delegate base for next year, and if they refuse, or more likely don’t have the backbone, that Olga’s club goes it alone and runs against them.

 

This small group of Muscovite fans really do have that pioneer spirit that we enjoyed in the 60s. They have even involved their local TV station in their activities, and their numbers are growing at a remarkable rate.

 

If any other organizers out there have any advice for Olga, let me know and I will give you her e-mail address so you can get I touch to offer moral support.

 

 

 

Open Newsletter
 

Responses and New Subjects

 

As several of you had comments to make on more than one subject, I am not going to try to completely separate them.  Here is each comment, published as it came in, warts and all.  If you have any responses, just quote the name of the author when replying and I will bunch the responses together as best I can next month.

 

****************************************************

First Mostly Xena

****************************************************

 

 

A MIDSUMMER NIGHTMARE:

What in Tartarus I am going to do with myself when Xena ends?

by Samantha Cabrera-Diaz (UK)

 

My last chance to see a new Xena episode will be Saturday, June 23rd. There's a little get together in Pages Bar, Westminster (London), a Xena Night to remember. If everything goes according to plan, we should be able to watch "A friend in need part I and II", the last two episodes of the final season 6. I am taking the big box of Kleenex, because I am that kind of girl and you can't never find enough tissues when you need them (haven't you noticed?). I did know since a year ago that this was most likely the last ever season and that Lucy Lawless and Renée O'Connor deserved the chance to expand her acting careers... But it still hurts!

It will be like saying goodbye to a good friend; in this case, two good friends, the best friends and soul mates you can imagine, Xena and Gabby. I am going to miss them a lot! I couldn't replace them with Dark Angel or Witchblade, no way José, I am not that heartless! Nothing compares to Xena!

 

My life is anything but extraordinary, really boring stuff (really!), but the warrior princess and the battling bard made me dream of fantastic places where gravity didn't exist and the good guys/girls always (or almost always) won. I won't admit to it in public, because I know it's silly, but sometimes, when confronted with a rude bus driver or about to give up on something, I ask myself "What would Xena do?". And she always comes up with the goods.  She would kick the driver's ass and teach him a lesson, so I just pay my fare, smile knowingly and take my seat. She wouldn't give up on Body Pump Class at the gym just because it hurts (everywhere), so I keep going until the class is finished. Hey, other people have lucky underpants; I've got a chakram key ring!

 

I know I am sad, but my consolation is that I am one among many. I just hope I don't get to the extreme of attending a Convention in 20 years time still discussing how Gabby could fit her whole collection of scrolls and kitchen instruments (plus wardrobe) in the saddles of Argo or why Xena got to kiss all those guys but she never could kiss Gabby on screen while remaining (both of them) conscious, fully alert and in their own bodies. CPR doesn't count. Honest.

 

Some people took Xena too seriously in my opinion. They wanted REAL mythology and REAL history lessons, that's why they dismissed the program so quickly as being a children's show, but children and adults would get different levels of depth in every episode. For me, it was great to be along for the ride. I used to love Greek and Roman mythology when I was a kid and I love history, and it was always fun to watch Xena helping Ulysses or replacing Cleopatra to seduce Marc Anthony. She had always a better twist to the story than the one I remembered, even if it was totally implausible.

 

We had dramas, we had comedies, dramatic musicals, comedic musicals, even sometimes very dramatic comedies like "Married with Fishsticks" that nobody but Ted Raimi understood.

We had scantily clad women and empowerment for women, not exactly the same thing.

And what about the message of tolerance for all? Xena and Gabrielle had friends in very different tribes (Centaurs, Amazons, Vikings, Pre-hispanic drag queens...), Xena had also romantic relationships with Russian, Scandinavian, Chinese, Roman, African-Celt, even Greek boyfriends (and girlfriends). She didn't even make a big issue if they were already gone to Tartarus (i.e. Marcus) or she got pregnant without having had a vis a vis with the father/co-producer of the little Eve. Non-important details, of course.

 

My only regret now that it is almost over is that Xena and Gabrielle are leaving us through the back door and not having half the recognition other show ending this year, ST: Voyager, has had. Here in the UK, where I live, it's even worse: Xena has been cancelled at the beginning of season 4 in Channel 5, the minuscule terrestrial TV channel that airs it here...They would rather put on some contest hosted by Jerry Springer. And Sky, the satellite channel which has aired up to the fifth season, is only going to start season 6 in a couple of weeks, sandwiching Xena in between repeats of ST: the Next Generation and The Simpsons at 5pm on Sundays (which means that Xena is going to be heavily edited).

 

I am going to have a lot of spare time from now on, maybe I will get around to finish my Law degree for once and for all, who knows, but I will never regret having had the chance to see these two girls growing old together and sharing a lot of friends with me in the process. Thank the Gods (and David!) for my video collection. I will be really happy when they release the whole six seasons in DVD and I can bore my grandchildren to death 30 years down the line, with the stories of the REAL warrior princess and her best friend, the REAL battling bard of Potaidea, “not that rubbish they call now Xena: Warrior Princess, the movie”, with Drew Barrimore and Tom Green’s Daughter as Gabrielle and Co-executive producer.

 

Xena and Gabrielle forever!

 

PS:”I guess we will still have Xena Fan fiction…”.

 

*******************************************************

 

Dear David, I'm responding to your "prods" regarding The X Files and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  I am quite happy with The X Files as it appears now, with actor Robert Patrick.  He is doing a fine job, and I like the interplay between Agents Doggett and Scully (rather a role reversal from the beginning shows between Agents Scully and Mulder).  I would like to see David Duchovny make some cameo appearances during this upcoming season, but even if that doesn't happen (given all the press Mr. Duchovny's giving saying that will never happen), I think the show stands on its own.

 

Regarding Buffy the Vampire Slayer's move to UPN, I will actually be gaining both it and Roswell.  While I was at first concerned about the possibilities of bizarre crossovers with some of UPN's other shows, the show's creator, Joss Whedon, has stated repeatedly that UPN will allow Buffy to evolve without the network's interference.  I think that UPN probably realizes it's best not to mess with a good thing and will leave it alone.  Personally, I can't wait.  The local Fox affiliate kept changing the day and show times of all of the WB shows they aired, so it was always a crapshoot as to whether or not I would record the correct shows (who's home to watch a TV show between  5:00pm and 6:00pm?  I don't know about you, but I work for a living!).

 

Hope you enjoyed my little non-rant!  Keep up the good work! 

 

Sincerely, Belise Draper (USA)

 

*****************************************************************

From Bertha Siegrid Noltenius Aurich in Peru

 

Article #1

 

Well, back to our old debate about why XWP ended, why there are no future seasons.

 

I haven’t had enough time this week to check the Internet and get what the Fandom is saying about the final episode. As you’re saying, it seems like there are a huge number of fans that are disappointed, it doesn’t really surprise me, in fact, it was predictable.

 

Inside the Xenaverse there a lot of different opinions, different points of view about the orientation of the show, what is it really about. At the end no one can possible satisfy them all.

 

As I told you in one e-mail, this last season was very disappointed to me (at least so far). There are some exceptions, of course, but in general...

 

After five seasons, which had ups and downs, but always being loyal to the spirit and background of Xena, Warrior Princess, and which made me a fan for all these years; after an episode like Motherhood, the expectations for the six and last season of the one show I love so much were waiting to be satisfy.

 

But so far, I have seen the worse season of XWP. The orientation now is so far away from what it had been for five years. Also, there are so many gaps in the scripts, direction. I'm not an expert, but even someone like me can feel those gaps. When I went to Venezuela in February, I met some fans and they told exactly the same thing, so I'm not saying nonsense at all....

 

The scenes, the costumes, etc. are wonderful, like always. But still, some potential resources in the stories hadn’t been exploited as they could have.

 

What happened to the warrior princess with a dark and evil past, who fights against the consequences of the sins done by the Destroyer of Nations and saving the ancient world????.......

 

To me, Xena finding her redemption would be the mean part of this wonderful adventure, which begun six years ago; not Xena and Gabrielle kissing...

 

For many other more reasons I think it's better to end now and not go for another disappointed season.

 

If Lucy doesn’t want to continue with Xena and move on with other projects, well, what can we do? I believe that sometimes a fan has to respect that. It's her life, must be a job for her. Something I don’t like, it's the fact that she's not being honest when she has to answer about the reasons. Also, it's true that it could be not only her, as far as I'm concerned, it should be a board decision.

 

I really think she didn’t want to continue. I watched the ET report about the final episode, and she didn’t seem sad at all, even Renée was crying, even Kevin Sorbo cried when HTLJ ended.

 

Whatever the reasons are, the show ended. It’s sad, of course, but it’s also a new beginning, things will change in the Xenaverse, but never die.

 

You are right about the Next Generation, in fact I thought about it last year, when they first announced that there wouldn’t be a six season. It would be the ancient world after Hercules and Xena, the legacy they left behind, another legendary heroes, another myths, more adventures. I wonder if the producers are thinking about this already.

 

About the 40 friends you say you are about to lose, I believe that real friends don’t get lost, no matter what happened they are always there. I don’t think it’s fair for you to blame Lucy.

 

To me, that’s one of the greatest things this amazing journey had brought me: wonderful friends around the world, and that’s something I would thank Lucy and the rest of the crew if I had the chance.

 

It’s amazing how much I have changed since this "madness" started. Getting to know different people, from different cultures, another point of view, real friends who will last, it’s a incredible adventure to me.

 

Of course, you know what I’m talking about, right?

 

That´s why there’s no end at all. I will keep all the good things I got these last six years, most of all: the new friends.

 

So, no matter the tapes, you will keep hearing from me my friend, at least once in a while. I promise.

 

Wishing you all the best,

Siegrid.

 

P.D.: Please, forgive the errors!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Editor’s Note: Siegrid is right.  So far, very few of the Xena-only fans have even suggested that they won’t be back for other things, or at least keep taking the newsletters.  That is good to know.

 

Article #2

 

There are a few comments that crossed my mind when I read your news report.  About the Hollywood actors, Wow! The image we people  outside USA get is that all actors there get extremely well paid, but now I can see that only a few ones. How is it possible that in Hollywood the majority of the actors could earn so low salaries? Even here in Perú the actors get higher salaries!

 

One thing about the Internet is that you can’t move through it without being spoilt. Well, now I know how Xena ends, and after reading what Tappert said, I have to tell you: I completely agree with him. When the Warrior Princess finally find her redemption and forgive herself is the moment for this wonderful journey to end. When it started she almost died, she would have been forgotten as the Destroyer of Nations.

 

Now she dies, but she will live forever, and Gabrielle finally finds her way. It seems it ends like many Greek myths, tragic but beautiful. Well, I can’t wait to watch it! I believe that one of the greatest legacy of Xena, is that many female action series came behind, there was a motivation on the screen.

Now I’m trying to promote the idea of requesting  a Next Generation series. We’ll see.

 

I totally respect the decision Gillian A. has made, it’s reasonable. Working in such a show must take a lot of hours, and we fans have to understand that the actors have families who need them, specially the children. That’s why I respect LL’s decision, she has a 13 year old daughter and a little son who need to spend more time with her.

 

Just one last comment (I have to) I just can’t believe Shannen Doherty said such a things to Movieline Magazine, such an arrogant!! I do watch Charmed sometimes and I don’t see it as a childish show. Still, I don’t believe children should watch it.

 

What I really believe is that she felt like she didn’t get the “attention she deserved”. She has an attitude problem, we saw that in 90210. I also think she can’t work in team. It’s a shame that she isn’t going to stay, though, because her character was a good one and the story will change indeed. But the show can of course go on without her. And if you ask me, I don’t think her performance was better than the performance of the other two actresses.

 

 

*********************************************************

Vanessa Hoy (UK)

 

So, without giving too much away...the vast majority of fans who have seen the enders are very unhappy with the outcome. One big name in the Xenaverse has said that the Fandom imploded on Monday and there sure do seem to be some very upset people out there.

 

I've never been involved in Fandom before, so I have no real yardstick by which to judge but in my limited experience of Xena this kind of negative fan reaction is unprecedented. Even the mainstream media seem to be picking up on it slowly (an article appeared in a big Australian

Newspaper yesterday).

 

So maybe if you have a mind, you might want to check out a couple of the bigger sites and lists (ausxip.com, ATX, etc.). I'd be interested in your take on things...

 

**********************************************

Then Mostly X-Files

**********************************************

 

Nimrod – UK

 

Not having seen the latest few series of the X-files (The BBC is really terrible with alternate genre series over here), I can't really say about the continuation of the X-Files without DD, but one thing that may work is what they've done with Star Trek - TNG. Maybe CC should finish the series and try to get DD and GA to do a series of movies - one every year/18 months or so to complete the various story arcs and tie up the loose ends. That should please DD who wants to work on his movie career, but will still keep him regularly employed as I doubt he's going to get much in the way of big time work outside of the X-Files. That last, of course, is just my personal opinion.

 

Thanks for the newsletters and the lists etc. Very much appreciated.

 

******************************************************

Patricia Dunn (US)

 

In response to your topic “X-Philes – should the show go on for a 9th season without DD or should it fold?”

 

My thoughts on Season 9 are mixed. Since the season finale had such a wonderful feeling of closure for M & S the “powers that be” should have released Gillian Anderson from her contract and attempted the show with Doggett/Reyes only.

 

I believe the show itself is strong enough to appeal to fans with new leads, but only if they

are allowed to develop the chemistry and working dynamic we came to appreciate and depend

on from DD and GA. Robert Patrick and Annibeth Gish should be given that opportunity without

the constant comparisons which will be made if Scully remains on the show without Mulder.

 

Thanks for all your hard work,

Patty

 

**************************************************

Joe Rosa (US)

 

David, here's my input on the anti-Carter thing.  It's a conspiracy!!

 

He should do a few episodes on X Files about it!  Really though, I think it is an anti-Carter thing.  Personally, I thought Harsh Realm was pretty good, Millennium was great and The Lone Gun Men was ok.  I think the suits wanted instant $$$ because of the Carter name, but heck, you've got to give a show a chance.  In the old day, a show lasted at least a half season, before it was canceled.  Neither Harsh Realm or LGM did and Millennium was canceled after 3 season.  I thought it was better than some of the XF's stuff.  As for DD, good riddance!  He's nothing but a baby and does he really think his movies are any good?  Give me a break!

**************************************************

Sally Flavell (UK)

 

Just read your latest newsletter and thought I would offer a little comment in response to your question of 'should the X Files go on to a 9th season without DD or should it fold?"  Seems like the question has already been answered for us, but for what it's worth, here's my little offering!  I think I got carried away a bit so feel free to delete whatever you want.  I'm more than a little angry about the whole thing, as you can probably tell!! 

 

I think XF should have been wound up after the 7th season, when David D decided he no longer wanted to be a full time actor on the show.  Had they finished it then, it could have finished on a relative high with most of the fans satisfied that Mulder and Scully, who are after all the whole ‘being’ of the show, were still together.  As it is now, goodness only knows how they are going to resolve this and quite frankly, for me the whole thing has just descended into complete farce.  Having brought Mulder back from the dead a mere 5 months after burial (?!! Are these people real?), they then expect the (as they think) gullible fans to accept that a virus has kept him in a state of decomposition but still alive (hello? Are the guys who make the show on this planet?) only to (presumably, though as I haven’t seen ‘Existence’ I don’t know) kill him off anyway.  Surely to goodness they can’t expect us to believe that Mulder would just walk out on 7 years of partnership with Scully and disappear into the big blue yonder?  I wish these people would wake up and give the fans what they really want.  A happy ending with Mulder and Scully together.  But as it is, no way is it going to end like that at all.  In fact, I dread to think how it is going to end.  For me, the X Files ended when Mulder left – Mulder and Scully have not been the same together since he ‘returned’ and now he is disappearing again, this time for good.  I really think they have ruined the show and completely disillusioned those fans who have stuck with the show from the beginning and know what it was really all about.

 

***********************************************

 

Scarlett Goode (US)

 

Oh dear, insulting the X-Files at this point would be like kicking a puppy. But hey, I'm an X-Files old timer, so I feel I've got the right to kick whatever I want. Season 8 was an embarrassment as far as plot, continuity and characterization were concerned. I am mildly curious to know how they are going to explain Mulder's absence considering the lovey dovey, happy family ending.

 

When fans watch a show *in spite* of lousy dialogues and storylines and use the phrase "I despise Chris Carter as much as the next fan" on a regular basis, then there is something, very, very wrong, don't you think?

 

The show should have ended with dignity after the movie as it was planned to begin with, but dignity has never made any money and FOX has decided to milk the X-Files cow until it dies. Said cow is now pretty weak and the milk tastes sour, but Chris Carter has got his head so far up the bovine's rear that he still hasn't noticed.

 

 Duchovny was right to leave and I wished Anderson would have the guts to break her contract instead of burying her talent in what has become a hefty pile of manure.

 

***************************************************

 

Matt Pollari  (US)

 

It is a REAL SHAME that FOX canceled a great show like The Long Gunmen!! The show certainly was not X-Files, It had a more comedic twist, it was not all about aliens.  The three gunmen were great and the girl that played Eve was great!  In more ways than one.…       I wont go any farther on that subject just to say I see why the Gunmen liked her some much!  Overall IT IS A REAL DISAPPOINTMENT THAT IT WAS CANCELED BECAUSE IF IT WAS NOT I CERTAINLY WOULD HAVE WATCHED ALL THE SECOND SEASON EPISODES!  Another thing is that they canceled the show without resolving the cliffhanger!! THOSE BASTARDS! LOL! 

 

Hopefully they will resolve it on X-Files next year and that the Gunmen and Eve will show up on X-Files next year because I want to see more of them!

 

***************************************************

Sarah Reeson (UK)

 

In response to the question:

 

X-Philes - should the show go on for a 9th season without DD or should it fold?

 

Lets face it, it shouldn't be here at all...!

 

If I get made a TV Executive when I'm next re-incarnated I'm going to introduce a law which states that ALL SF shows run for 5 years, no more. Less is great: I'd say 3 years is enough time to tell a story and move on. Five years is the absolute maximum.

 

That's what should have happened with The X Files: as I see it, it's been pointless since "The End". All the great story ideas had been used, the Alien Conspiracy stuff covered in just enough detail to

make the ambiguities interesting...but the lure of the dollars keeps bringing people back. The X Files Movie could have been a great way to wind it all up and leave enough ends untied to allow for a thousand years of speculation. But no...keep bringing them back, keep recycling the story ideas until one of the leads decides he's had enough and basically renders the show pointless. Why is it so

difficult to let go of something when it's at it's best?

 

If one looks at Babylon 5 as an example of how it's possible to do a great thing in a confined time frame it's easy to believe that all SF could be made to span a set period. With clear guidelines and a

well-planned arc it's even easy to compress your story if constraints dictate. I think lots of people forget that the B5 Season 5 finale "Sleeping in Light" was filmed a year earlier and would have ended the shows FOUR year run if renewal hadn't suddenly appeared at the last minute. For me, a lot of B5 Year Five looked and sounded like it had been hastily added...which in a sense it had. The show was going to end in Year Four and that's how it played out to the last minute.

 

A lot of Year 5 didn't need to be there...

 

What's wrong with ending on a high? I'll probably get staked for this, but I'd like to see Buffy the Vampire Slayer end where it is now, on what was one of the best episode finale's I've EVER seen. I'm wondering how it's possible to top "The Gift"...and I immediately got nervous when I heard that there was a musical episode planned for next season. I'm in the same camp as David here on the "Lyre, Lyre" issue...and I think although "The Bitter Suite" was innovative for it's time it was still a substitute for a good plot.

 

If I had my way it would be a NECESSITY for any Star Trek series to end after 5 years...mind you, they'd have to throw away the "Reset Button" too...

 

 

 

Club Section
 

Here is a new club to add to the list:

 

From Jacqueline Haun

 

Hi, I noticed you were asking about the clubs you supply to, asking for information about them.  You don't supply to our group *as* a group, but you supply to many, MANY of our members on an

individual basis, so would you be amenable to giving us a mention?

 

I think the Eastlant e-mail has been passed around more any other single referral on our list in the last two months. It's how I found you guys. :-)

 

Our club is the Bloody Awful Poet Society (BAPS) and was formed to cheer on the possibility of Spike's redemption on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."  We currently have over 300 members online, a

*very* active message list (currently averaging over 6,000 messages a month), and host regular online chats about Buffy episodes as well as wildfeed chats during the regular season.  Our

web site,

 

http://www.bloodyawfulpoet.com,

 

features episode analyses, essays and reviews from a Redemptionista point of view, Redemptionista fan fiction, Spike/James Marsters photos and artwork, and a Fun section that includes a new "Spoiler Whore Zone" where we try to compile current Buffy spoilers and speculate on them. (Especially the Spike-related ones, obviously!)

 

 

 

Here are the clubs we have listed so far:

 

Infinite Frontiers, one of the UK’s premiere SF clubs,

 

http://www.infinitefrontiers.co.uk

 

and Friends of Science Fiction (FSF) in Sydney Australia.

 

www.fsf.com.au/

 

If you run a club, let us have your details and we will post them here next month and in all future issues.