So, what else was great about 2008?

Well, after looking back a bit, it was not that bad a year.

I will admit there were a few things I wish were better...like the Posting Board Party in L-A. The music was great, but I wish there were more people at the El Rey looking back at what was once an annual Slayer holiday.
Wondercon in San Francisco could also have been better. Sure, we had probably the only appearance of Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny to plug the second X-Files movie. We also had Anne Hathaway 24 hours before the Oscars. The main room though, seemed a bit dingy. There wasn't enough evening events, either, except for the Chinese New Year Parade. I suspect that in 2009, Wondercon will take up the entire Moscone Convention Center, if not by 2010.

Still, there were highlights...

3. Winning fame within the internet

My cheesy blogs helped get me an invitation to be a contributing writer for Whedonopolis, which is big among L-A Buffy/Angel/Firely Whedonverse fans. I was able to get interviews with the cast from Kings, gave an extensive report on Repo! with a Paris Hilton picture, and did one of the first reviews of the second-season premiere of Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles. The fact that I got a screener a month before the premiere helped.

Not only that, people are complimenting me for my photos on my Flickr site. My most popular picture was Jennifer Holliday at the inauguration of Governor Schwartzenegger..even if it came from a LED screen. The most popular picture I took in 2008 was me with Felicia Day at Comic-Con. I even contributed a few to some websites.

Then there was a Whedon Haiku contest. I won that one with a haiku remarking on the cost Dr. Horrible paid to be part of the Evil League of Evil. Not bad!

4. Mad Men at the Paley Festival

While entire continents wanted to attend the special panel on the 10th anniversary of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, there was a suitable consolation prize: a panel on Mad Men that still has a strong Whedon influence, namely Christina Hendricks and Vincent Kartheiser. Still, Jon Hamm was the man there, and at least I got his autograph. Considering how he scored big on SNL, I feel more proud.
Besides, Best Buy customers have a DVD of the Buffy panel.

5. Completing My Serenity Autograph Book

This was one of those last-minute things. I decided to attend a CreationCon on Serenity only because my radio station wanted me to take more replacement holidays off after being the go-to guy as holiday fill-in work. So, I had a quick weekend in L-A and got Gina Torres' autograph to complete the set. Too bad heavy fog prevented me from seeing all of her appearance with the fans in Burbank. Summer Glau and Adam Baldwin were also great, too, as they always are. Next November, they're planning to make it a full weekend. Depending on the economy, I may come back.

6. Buy a cookie, see a movie premiere.

I went to Westwood to take pictures of big-time movie stars entering the Westwood Village to see the premiere of Will Farrell's new movie, Semi-Pro. Of course, it's a chance to take pictures of big-time stars. I went to a place to buy some fresh cookies, when someon egave out some passes...to Semi-Pro. That meant I had to put the camera away...quickly. While the movie wasn't a big hit, I did get Andy Richter's autograph. I wish I could have done the same for Will Arnett or Woody Harrelson, but I couldn't find them. Farrell was feeling ill that night, but maybe next time.

7. Seeing Imax's Dad

Before Imax was around, the "ultimate" movie experience was Cinerama. Seeing movies in great big screens wowed people back then. Even though I get the big-screen experience going to a Cinemark theater, I always wondered what it would be like to see a movie inside one of the original Cinerama domes. If it was a good movie, that's even better. That's why I decided to see The Spiderwick Chronicles at the Arclight Dome. It was a good kid's movie, and was also the first time someone used a P-A system to introduce the movie.

8. Discovering Bonnie Hunt

Usually an ideal talk-show guest, and creator of sitcoms too unique to last, I was curious how interesting Bonnie Hunt would be as a talk show host. Turns out she's quite good, and is now my go-to visit along with Jimmy Kimmel. Of course, another good reason is that she's the host that provides lunch beforehand.

9. Holding an Oscar

Of course, it's attached to a stand, but getting an idea of how heavy one of those awards are is a nice experience. It's a good idea the Oscar people allows this, and hopefully will do the same next February. So how come the Emmy guys won't do that? Maybe the Grammy people would, because they have that new museum at the Nokia Theater. I should check into that.

10. Being at the Emmy Bleachers

I would have liked to be a seat filler again, but being outside the Nokia was great, too. My only regret was that I should have had extra photo batteries. That way, I would have gotten a few more pictures, including one with Christina Hendricks.

At least I know how I'll welcome 2009, but that's another post.

So, what now?

We've spent much of this year gettng ready for what happened yesterday..the selction of a new President, and all that it means.

So, what do we do now?

We look forward to this with optimism and hope. Whether Barack Obama was your choice or not, just remember that things can change, and for the better. Also, we have to do the best we can to achieve that. We all want things to be better, even a little bit. With the Holidays coming up, we can start there, with an extra toy or two or an extra can of food, to provide to those less fortunate. I will do my part, and I hope we all do.

Now, abut how TV covered this election....

some may accuse Keith Olbermann of being a bit too eager to see the Bush era gone, when he pointed out just before 7 PM Pacific, or something like that, that Obama was just about elected if you counted the West Coast states. That may be true, but the minute they announced Obama won Ohio, the writing was on the wall.

What bugged me was the fact that we saw ads for the initiatives up until the last minute. I can remember that no one aired campaign ads on election day, but I guess that's gone. CNN's coverage also seemed to border on virtual reality. They spared no expense using special effects to show which party's winning in Congress or specific races. What tok the cake was an interview with will. i.am of the Blackeye Peas...by hologram!! While he sounded OK, his image wasn't as realistic as they'd like. He looked like someone was broadcasting his image with a cellphone the size of Lebron James. Star Trek effects have no place in covering elections. Besides, why interview someone by hologram? That's way too gimmicky, and doesn't add anything to the interview. If you start with news channels, what's next....talk shows? Sports? Do we just stay in our homes while our virtual selves go to work?

OK, I'm over-reacting a little, but if you have new technology that you just can't wait to show off, make it something that actually makes something better. A hologram of will. i.am. didn't make CNN's election coverage better. It was a parlor trick, and I'd rather have flesh-and-blood blowhards that long-winded holograms in my news coverage.