Got my DSWE '07 official form today...

[Mysterious Benefactor]

b.t.w. according to the festival mailing there is to be a costume party

Check out:

ShadowGram Online Dark Shadows News Updates List
...
The Costume Party/Gala noted on the printed Fest flyer will not be held...

Though it's by no means the first time the flyers have said something was going to take place that ultimately would not. 

Also note how SG refers to it as the "Fest flyer" and not the "fan weekend flyer" or even the "fan event flyer."  :-

[Nancy]

Whose feelings were hurt? Who was snubbed?  I am involved in this particular event because of Jonathan's participation and I do not know of any actor whose feelings are "hurt."  Who is ungrateful? And ungrateful for what?  Who was snubbed?  I honestly do not know and would like to know.

Nancy

i'm sorry but this whole thing seems like a cocktail of snubs,ingratitiude and hurt feelings.

it's left a sour taste in my mouth and the darn thing hasn't even happened yet.

b.t.w. according to the festival mailing there is to be a costume party and other guests are "to be announced" whatever that means.

[Nancy]

Thanks for clarifying things, MB, though it does not make how thngs were handled this year any better for the other stars that wanted to attend. 

I know for a fact that all the actors are welcome at any DS event.  Nothing is stopping actor from attending.  If an actor wants to attend on his or her own, so attend.  The issue is whether or not Jim is paying to fly that person in.  He isn't paying anyone to fly in except for Jonathan Frid who is driving down from Canada.  Jeez, the one day events in the past have never been so complicated as what this event is being made out to be.  The event was extended to be basically a day and a half and those events never have featured actors being flown in from the other coast to attend so why would this event be any different?  There is only so much time in a day and a half.  This is the 40th anniversary of barnabas' introduction and it makes perfect sensed to have Frid at the event.  Actually, it's easier for him to get to the event than the actors who live in California.

The ironic thing is that I bet Jonathan would have LOVED to have seen John Karlen again, no secret has been made over the years that JF and JK were quite close friends, as were JF and Louis Edmonds...

Jonathan's main focus on this event is getting used to the type of event it is.  He is less concerned about who he will see again and who he will not.  He has not been to anything like this since 1993 and now in his 80s, doesn't have the stamina he did back then.  He needs to get used to the kind of fanfare even a day and a half event will have.  If it is a positive experience for him, maybe he will consider a full-fledge festival on the east coast where there are more actors in attendance.

Another interesting thing is no matter how the August weekend is billed, it is still under the auspices of the DS Festival.

DS Festival is an entity - a brand name if you will and fans will recognize it.  The festival has sponsored many day events in New York over the past few decades so this is nothing new.

The more streamlined weekend is fine for me, I was never that big on the costume gala, though I am sorry there will be no fan dealer tables, you can get some interesing fanzines, photos and many other things from those...

If I recall, most of these abbreviated DS events have not ever featured a costume contest and the dealer tables were pretty limited to festival and actor stuff for sale so, again, how things are being organized isn't any different than it has been for years.

I am of course one of those who said they really did not want to go to a Fest again unless Jonathan was there, but that is because seeing him and Lara at the 1993 Fest made everything else pale in comparison to me--I am very excited at this fan weekend, and do hope I will be able to go, but I am sad at how some of the other stars were excluded, makes one sorry that there really is not a Festival Commitee made up of a number of people any more, but then, trying to put on these events has to be a task that only a minority of people would have the stamina to do...

I keep hearing stars were "excluded."  Who?

Nancy

[michael c]

nancy,

my feelings are just that any actor who wanted to participate in this event and were told not to probably felt hurt by that.

i obviously do not have the "inside scoop" that you do but that's my impression.

[Nancy]

I don't know of a single actor who asked to participate and was told he/she could not. If they were looking to have their way paid to the event, that wouldn't happen but then nobody is being flown in for the event that I know of.  For Frid it's a day's drive.  If that actor didn't want to pay his or her way, obviously the event isn't important enough to that actor to be there.

What's Jim going to do if a DS actor shows up unannounced at the event? Tackle them and shuffle them off to the West Wing?


Nancy

nancy,

my feelings are just that any actor who wanted to participate in this event and were told not to probably felt hurt by that.

i obviously do not have the "inside scoop" that you do but that's my impression.

[michael c]

other posts in this thread indicate(#3 and #11)that certain actors who wanted to be involved were told that there "services were not needed".

i don't know any of the participants i'm just basing my observation on what i've read here.

[Nancy]

I didn't see that post.

Nancy

other posts in this thread indicate(#3 and #11)that certain actors who wanted to be involved were told that there "services were not needed".

i don't know any of the participants i'm just basing my observation on what i've read here.

[MsCriseyde]

If that actor didn't want to pay his or her way, obviously the event isn't important enough to that actor to be there.

I'm not particularly comfortable with boiling this down to a simple issue of actors' refusing to come because their way isn't paid. What you're implying here, probably unintentionally, is that the cast members won't set foot out their front door without someone else footing the bill, and that's simply not the case.

For some of the actors, simply being told that it was a smaller East Coast event featuring East Coast actors was enough for them not to pursue the matter further. It did not come down to a matter of the actor refusing to attend because the Fest didn't cough up the cash.

It was presented as and accepted as a format change. Period. End of story.

[Nancy]

You're correct: I was not implying that to mean all actors but I do know at least two having their way paid would be the deciding factor of their attending.  Traditionally when there is a small event on either coast most of the DS actors living on the opposite coast don't pursue attending.  Thanks for pointing that out.

nancy

If that actor didn't want to pay his or her way, obviously the event isn't important enough to that actor to be there.

I'm not particularly comfortable with boiling this down to a simple issue of actors' refusing to come because their way isn't paid. What you're implying here, probably unintentionally, is that the cast members won't set foot out their front door without someone else footing the bill, and that's simply not the case.

For some of the actors, simply being told that it was a smaller East Coast event featuring East Coast actors was enough for them not to pursue the matter further. It did not come down to a matter of the actor refusing to attend because the Fest didn't cough up the cash.

It was presented as and accepted as a format change. Period. End of story.

[MsCriseyde]

The registration form is now posted on the Dark Shadows Festival web site:

http://www.darkshadowsfestival.com/page11d.htm

[Brandon Collins]

If I were one of the actors who was to attend, having the bill paid for me would certainly be something that I wouldn't mind having. But, if one year it wasn't paid for me, and I still wanted to go, I'd go anyway. I agree with Nancy--if John Karlen shows up, I hardly think that Pierson would instruct security (if there is any) to escort him off the premieses.

It's entirely possible that the actors have something else going on. Anyone remember David Selby has a new series on HBO? Maybe he's filming over the weekend and cannot work it out. Perhaps the actors have something going on in their family life, they're taking a vacation, whatever.

And besides, even if Pierson did tell everyone else who is not going to be there that their services weren't needed, if they wanted to come, they'd come anyway. I can't imagine that they would have a problem getting in--the fan revolt would take care of that.

[MsCriseyde]

Anyone remember David Selby has a new series on HBO? Maybe he's filming over the weekend and cannot work it out.

I'm pretty sure all episodes of tell me you love me are in the can. HBO initially ordered ten or eleven, and I doubt they're going to order more until they see how the show does when it premieres in September. Selby filmed some publicity stuff for the series about a month ago, but HBO hasn't rolled any of it out yet.

[adamsgirl]

Personally, I'm hearing lots of grumbling about the shorter schedule and the elimination of the costume gala. Still, the general consensus seems to be that it's a great opportunity to see Jonathan Frid. Many of us never had that opportunity. That said, were it not for Frid's attendance, I wouldn't even have bothered this year. I'm hearing the same sentiment expressed by others.

[Brandon Collins]

I was thinking about going even before it was announced that Frid was going to be in attendance. Of course, once that was announced it solidified my choice to go, but I probably still would've went even if he weren't coming. This will only be my 2nd fest, and I've never had the pleasure of going through Lyndhurst before, so that was a draw for me too since I love old house and history.

Now, if there is one next year, I just might adopt the "been there, done that" mentatlity and heavily consider whether or not I'm going to go. But that's IF there is one next year.

[jennifer]

can i just ask a ? has there been a fest or convention every year?
it seems to me that things seem to be pointing to the end of the fests
i'm glad JF is going this year and i just wish i could be there but the summer
months never seem to work for me i'll just pull out the dvds and watch
the arrival of Barnabas i have to say i fall into both groups i love  Barnabas(Bramwell
never worked welll for me mainly because i thought he should have ditched catherine)
and i love the whole package that is DS no other show has ever provided that same magic
for me it is like a first love

jennifer
i'll be sunning on old cape cod aug 16-17