Certain individuals have a habit of blaming others for errors they commit
themselves. We NEVER at any time heard anything about images of B5 stuff in
holographic badges. If they couldn't be delivered, it's because something
went wrong at that end. Word was put out that the Jenerators, Bill's band,
opted out at the last minute to do another gig; not true, as Bill himself
said, they just weren't going to pay them or even pay transportation.

My first impression of the organization 'way back at the Planet Hollywood
embarrassment was that the thing was ineptly run. There were major, worrying
problems in: hotel accommodations, arrangements for transportation, guest
relations, tickets, advance work, sound and every aspect of follow-up. Every
single one of these concerns is what came up again here in the Big Bang, as
I'd feared.

I have to add, however, that there is NO reason, NO excuse, for the
assault on a dealer who was attempting to document some of the screwups at the
convention. To attack someone, beat the camera into his face, requiring an
ambulance...in 18 years of convention going, I have *never* seen this behavior
on the part of convention organizers, and it is absolutely intolerable.
Equally intolerable, if on a lesser scale, is stranding actors at airports for
hours at a time, not feeding them until 9:30 p.m. (which is why most left at
that time) because "we figured you'd eat on the plane."

My concern was always that the organization was going to be a shambles,
and that people wouldn't get their money's worth in terms of what was
promised. My crew/actors, they'd be fine; but the rest, I feared, would be a
disaster. It appears I was correct.

As with the Planet Hollywood situation, there were even more problems
behind the scenes, more horror stories, that the fans don't know about because
the actors/participants try to put on a good face...but those are very much in
evidence in calls I've had since the convention. Actors who were promised
first-class tickets, only to discover that they'd have to PERSONALLY pay money
for that upgrade, forced to fly coach; a person who claimed to have invested
$30,000 into the convention, no contract, just on the word of those involved,
who saw how the con was organized and indicated his belief that he had just
lost his investment.

Not good, not good....

jms