This is sad to watch
Sunday, July 31, 2011
A White Supremacist is a Principal of a School in The Bronx? Child, Yes!
This couldn't be a better movie I tell you. Frank Borzellieri is a principal of Our Lady of Mount Carmel School, which is mostly attended by Black and Latino students. Frank doesn't really care about that, in fact, he has done a 'few' things to cause problems.
Fox example:
Ban literature he labeled "anti-American" from school libraries. His targets included books on different races and culture, and a biography of King.Sad thing here, the person who hired him didn't think this was any concern.
Remove an openly gay teacher and gay-rights activist from the classroom at Public School 199 in Sunnyside, and ban school employees from making any references to homosexuality.
Introduce a resolution calling for students to be taught that U.S. culture is superior. Borzellieri's views rankled teachers at St. Barnabas School in Woodlawn, Bronx, where he taught English from 2006 to 2009
In 2004, Borzellieri wrote the book "Don't Take It Personally: Race, Immigration, Crime and Other Heresies," in which he declares "diversity is a weakness" and says the rising black and Hispanic populations in America will lead to the "New Dark Age."
He has also written frequently for the white supremacist publication American Renaissance, with which he is still "intimately involved," the non-profit Southern Poverty Law Center says.
Mount Carmel pastor, the Rev. Eric Rapaglia, said he knew of Borzellieri's views, but didn't "see any cause for concern" when he hired him to run the 200-student elementary school.
"I knew of him from my last parish," he said. "Do I agree with all of it? No. But I think much of it is valuable and logical and reasonable.Really? What is really going on here?
"A lot of his ideas would actually benefit minorities," he added.
Wolverine: It Gets Better
Well it's not Dan Savage, but it's as good as it gets. In this special issue of Generation Hope, Wolvie eases a young mutant's troubles about being himself.
This actually makes sense. Wolvie's son Daken is bisexual and hot.
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My Dream Cast for the JEM movie
Since The Smurfs was a success. I guess it's time to bring out my Dream Cast for the JEM movie. So here are my picks for the classic cast.
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| Kristin Bell as Jem/Jerrica |
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| Jamie Chung as Aja |
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| Amanda Seyfried as Kimber |
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| Katerina Graham as Shana |
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| Tyler Hoechlin (Teen Wolf) or Darren Criss as Rio |
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| Anna Faris or Emma Stone as Pizzazz |
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| Taylor Momsen as Roxy |
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| Vanessa Hudgens as Stormer |
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| Jeremy Piven as Eric Raymond |
Silurian warrior Madame Vastra and her partner, Jenny the Samurai Maid in Battle
I found this cute pic of our new favorite lesbian Sci-Fi couple
Classic Doctor Who in the Making
Saturday, July 30, 2011
VIDEO: Nancy Pelosi - Speaker Boehner Chose To Go To The Dark Side
Nancy told it like 'tis at the Debt Ceiling Debate
CPAC Tells GOProud "Don't Come Around Here No More"
GOProud got served their walking papers from CPAC. For some reason they always believed they have a home there. Well, they just got kicked out with no deposit:
The event, organized by the American Conservative Union, is one of the largest conferences for conservatives held anywhere in the United States each year.
But it had faced the loss of some participants over the past several years specifically because of its inclusion of GOProud. Some of the organizations whose leaders have raised concerns in recent years have included heavyweights such as the Heritage Foundation, Media Research Center, Family Research Council and Concerned Women for America.
But word of the change came today when WND obtained access to letters mailed to GOProud as well as the John Birch Society, which also was left on the chopping block by the new procedures that Al Cardenas, the chief of the organization, announced he would implement when he took over.
In a letter dated today and addressed to Jimmy LaSalvia at GOProud, Gregg Keller, national executive director for the ACU, said, "The American Conservative Union is preparing to open registration and announce sponsorship opportunities for our Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2012.
As a courtesy to your organization, a previous co-sponsor of CPAC, this letter serves to inform you GOProud will not be invited to participate in a formal role for CPAC events scheduled during the 2012 election cycle."
The letter noted that GOProud "members" are welcomed and encouraged to attend "as individual registrants."
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Is there a Season 5 for True Blood?
Rumors are stirring about True Blood and if there's a fifth season. Well, according to the series showrunner, Alan Ball, it is:
Ball said Thursday during HBO’s presentation at the summer Television Critics’ Association tour stop that he has inked a deal for another year on the series, effectively tipping the network’s hand that a fifth-season renewal could be imminent.
“There will be an end for me at some point but I just closed a deal to do another season,” he said. “I don’t have any desire to leave because I’m having more fun than I ever had in my life.”
Ball later told The Hollywood Reporter that his deal is exclusive to HBO, where he has a "couple pilots" in development.Sounds interesting. I'm sure there's a fifth season. Why wouldn't it be?
True Blood is currently airing its fourth season and HBO hasn’t officially announced its renewal.
Ball told The Hollywood Reporter in June that he was negotiating for a new contract for a fifth season but was unclear what his status would be afterward.
Ball added that writers on the Anna Paquin-Stephen Moyer series were breaking stories for Season 5, including “how a vampire is made.”
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Friday, July 29, 2011
Interesting Quote: Nancy Pelosi
“I would think that if she wanted to be the President of the United States, she would understand that this is a larger issue than whether someone is gay or not, but as to whether someone is harassed and bullied to the point of seeing no way out. Obviously it’s an issue bigger than Michele Bachmann’s district, so maybe we should all be speaking out about it, and not just leaving it to her."
Nancy is speaking to Michele about the gay teen suicides in her district.
California Supreme Court schedules Prop. 8 Hearing on September 6th
Here is the press release:
California Supreme Court Schedules Case on First Day of Fall Session
San Francisco, CA – Today the Supreme Court of California announced that the hearing date for Perry v. Brown will be on Tuesday, September 6, 2011 at 10:00AM. The date announced is the very first day of the court’s fall calendar. The court will hear oral arguments on a question of whether under state law proponents of initiatives have standing to defend their initiatives when they are challenged in court. The question was certified to them by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit earlier this year.
In response to the court’s scheduling order, Chad Griffin, American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) Co-Founder and Board President, had the following to say: “I am very pleased that the Supreme Court of California calendared our case for the first day of their fall session. The governor and attorney general of California – and the United States District Court – all have found Proposition 8 unconstitutional. I am confident that the California Supreme Court will swiftly reach a decision on this question, and that this nation is now one step closer to seeing the dark walls of discrimination finally crumble.”
In a separate, but related matter – the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California will hear AFER’s motion on August 29, 2011 requesting that the video recordings from our January 2010 trial be released to the public.
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VIDEO: Christian Bale talks about The Dark Knight Rises at a Press Conference
This is short, but sweet
Thank to Ani for sending me this
Thank to Ani for sending me this
Summer Lovin': The Screenwriting Classes part 1
My summer classes are coming to a close. It's been fun but really intense, especially in my "The Plot Thickens" Class.
In this class, we had to take our finished scripts from last year and try to "sell" them to the market. We created a query letter, developed a pitch and on Monday we will actually pitch our movies to real agents.
But the big scare was this past Wednesday. Me and other student had to go through a board meeting. This is when production companies take a script apart to see if it's interesting, watchable and marketable. Everyone in the room talks about characters, plot, story and theme.
The guy before me didn't have it so good. His script was good, but the story just didn't come together. And by the end of the discussion, everyone (except me) passed on the movie. My teacher, who owns a production company, said he would pass on it as well.
Then came my script for Shadow Boy. I was nervous, because for 30 minutes I couldn't say anything. I had to listen to all of their views and opinions. In a nutshell, they liked it. However, the straight guys wouldn't see it (gay characters) but the girl and my teacher would. My teacher said it would be a tough sell to major companies, but it could possibly be the next big thing.
He asked me if its a gay movie or a movie with gay characters. I said it's both, leaning more towards a movie with gay characters. None of them are stereotypical (no Glee gays). In fact, the guys in the class didn't realized they were gay until 20 pages in.
I also got notes from the class for Shadow Boy, here are some examples:
The concept behind SHADOW BOY is its greatest strength. Franchises such as TWILIGHT have capitalized on the intersection of the love story with the supernatural thriller, but Victor takes the genre mash-up in a new direction by featuring an extremely unique protagonist—a comic book-obsessed, gay male living in the South—who must also confront magical forces set against him. By telling the story of a unique protagonist in a more or less common setup, SHADOW BOY combines a number of conflicts—social, political, moral—in new ways.
SHADOW BOY is a compelling story with a great combination of primal and supernatural elements (survival and love with powers and shadows). A re-write to enhance the format, the characters (and their specific arcs) and the last act would reinforce this unique concept.
I felt pretty good about my review. My teacher thought of my movie as a popcorn film that could draw multiple crowds. I think I could pull the Glee/Twilight/TrueBlood crowd. Perhaps a panel at Comic Con?
Anywho, I was happy that I wasn't a "pass". Maybe I can do this writing after all.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
BackFlash Video Thursday - Robert Palmer
Some of you may not know this one, but I used to love it as a kid. This is Robert Palmer "Looking for Clues"
Interesting Quote: Tony Perkins
Same-sex attraction is not a choice, but homosexual conduct and homosexual self-identification are choices. Pawlenty ignored the silly "choice" question and answered the more relevant one--what causes homosexuality?--accurately. He went on to say, "There's no scientific conclusion that [homosexuality is] genetic." PolitiFact rated this statement "mostly true"--but grudgingly.
Most of their "analysis" was devoted to explaining that if Pawlenty had said it's not "biological" (rather than "genetic") it would have been false. They quote the American Psychological Association's research on "possible genetic, hormonal, developmental, social and cultural influences" and concede, "no findings . . . permit scientists to conclude that sexual orientation . . . is determined by any particular factor." Pawlenty is right. And PolitiFact's contradictory conclusion that "scientists do believe that sexual orientation is caused by biology" is wrong.
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Question of the Day: Gay Movie Edition
Would want to see a Gay movie or a Movie with Gay Main Characters?
New Short Film: Growing Leadership
A new short film from Model D and The HOPE Fund focuses on LGBT people of color. It's called, “Growing Leadership”. Here's more:
"There is exciting momentum within the region's LGBT community, in great part due to the growing base of leaders serving communities of color," said Allan D. Gilmour, chair of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan and co-chair of the HOPE fund. "The HOPE Fund is very pleased to release this film, which highlights several of our Racial Equity Initiative grantees and their leadership philosophies and experiences."
This is an initiative to bring awareness to LGBT people of color issues.
via B.G.A. Life
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Concept Art of a 'Fantasy' Wonder Woman you never knew
When J Michael Straczynski released the 'pants' WW, he also had another idea. So he reached out to the artist Colleen Doran for a different concept.
It didn't work out, but this is what it looks like:
What do you think?
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It didn't work out, but this is what it looks like:
Some time ago, after J Michael Straczynski’s new version of Wonder Woman was first released, JMS asked me to do some concept sketches for a more fantasy-oriented version of the character. I know this will set the internet into a tizzy, but this was more rumination than reality. I was not asked to draw a series, just to do some concept sketches. It is very unlikely any of these sketches will be used for anything. So whether you like ‘em or hate ‘em, be aware that concept sketches are meant for brainstorming, and we do not censor our brainstorms. You put it on the paper, then you draw something else.
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Here is some Coverage from the NAACP LGBT Town Hall Meeting
I'm a little surprised that there wasn't a lot of coverage on the NAACP LGBT Town Hall meeting, but I managed to find something:
From FreeSpeech TV
And here is a report from People's World
Bond spoke on the taskforce's three-part mission:
* to strengthen NAACP's knowledge of LGBT issues and policies;
* to build relationships among LGBT civil rights and human rights organizations;
* to advance awareness of LGBT issues "as they relate to overarching programs and interest of the NAACP."
In his opening, Bond, a veteran civil rights leader, said, "We know sexual orientation is not a choice. We know homosexuality is not a mental illness. We know you can't 'pray the gay away.'"
The event was organized as a town hall-styled meeting with audience participation and a panel that included famous gay African Americans, like comedian and actress Wanda Sykes and CNN Anchor Don Lemon who publicly came out in his memoir, "Transparent."
Bond said gay rights are another component of civil rights.
"Sexual disposition parallels race. I was born black and had no choice. I could not and will not change it if I could. Like race, our sexuality isn't preference. It is immutable, unchangeable, and the constitution protects us all from prejudices and discrimination based on immutable differences."
Many panelists and audience members spoke about the role of the church in the Black community, and the conflicts that have arisen from that relationship on the issue of LGBT rights.
Bond said although one might be a member of a church that preaches against a religious same-sex marriage that viewpoint should not be extended to same-sex marriage in city halls, as a civil right.
Sykes said her church experience pressured her from being truthful with her sexuality because of the ingrained notion that gay and lesbian relationships were fundamentally wrong. Such sermonizing can be lethal, she said, because of bullying and violence against LGBT youth and the high level of suicides.
"You just suppress everything and become this other person. You start living that life that you think that you're supposed to do. I worked it so hard I got married! It just hit me, like, wait a minute. Why aren't my relationships going further? Why can't I really open up? And I realized oh, that's right. I forgot; I'm a lesbian! That's what it is. You don't have breasts!" Sykes said to an applauding and laughing audience.
Sykes and other panelists urged the formations of social support groups, including within churches.
Halfway through the meeting, NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous joined the panelists on stage.
Jealous has been an outspoken supporter of LGBT issues and spoke briefly on his adopted brother being gay, and instances of defending him during childhood from bullies.
The discussion turned to California's anti-same-sex marriage Prop. 8 that passed in 2008. Many people blamed it on African American voters who came out in big numbers to vote for Barack Obama.
But, according to Jealous-and audience members-the bigger issue was the lack of outreach to the African American community at an early stage.
Jealous criticized LGBT groups "who come to the black community late" because it sends a message of disrespect.
"If folks really wanted to win on Prop. 8, and thought the black community was so important, then they should have been organizing" outreach a lot sooner, he said.
I'm disappointed with lack of coverage on this event. But I'm also hurt by the lack folks at the session. Still, I'm glad the topic was talked about.
New Report: 1 Out of 3 Gays are Closeted at Work
A new report tells us that it's still hard to be out and proud at work:
In a review of studies including the 2008 General Social Survey, a national probability survey, the Williams Institute reported Monday that 38% of lesbian, gay, and bisexual employees who are out at work reported being harassed because of their sexual orientation. More than one-third of respondents said they were not out to any colleagues at work.Just when I thought it was getting better.
Surveys focused specifically on transgender workers in recent years have found even greater employment discrimination: a 2011 study, for example, found that 78% of trans employees had reported at least one form of harassment on the job, with nearly half experiencing discrimination in hiring, promotion, and retention.
Via the Williams Institute's Monday release:
Among LGB respondents to the [General Social Survey], 42% had experienced employment discrimination at some point in their lives, and 27% had experienced employment discrimination just during the five-year period prior to the survey. …
“This new data shows that it’s still risky to come out about being LGBT in the workplace,” study co-author and Williams legal fellow Christy Mallory said. “Therefore, it’s not surprising that the GSS data also show that one-third of LGB employees are not open about their sexual orientation to anyone in the workplace.” …
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Walking Dead Showrunner Leaves
Great Hera! What is going on?
Word on the street is Frank Darabont has stepped down as showrunner.
TV Line has the story:
According to our sister site Deadline.com, the show’s creator/executive producer/director has decided to vacate his post on the critically acclaimed series, which is currently in production on its second season. The reason, per Deadline, is that “Darabont hails from the feature world and… never quite adjusted to the daily grind of producing a TV series.” There’s talk Darabont may stay on in some capacity, perhaps as a consultant.Wow, more to come on this story.
Ironically, Darabont told the audience at last Friday’s Comic-Con panel, “We’ve got people coming to the [writer's] table going, ‘Wow, we love this and we want to be a part of it, and that’s a really cool thing.’”
AMC has yet to officially confirm Darabont’s departure.
Sexy Comic Art from Joe Phillips
"We are so used to seeing women as sexual beings, but we don't want to see men doing the same thing. Men are supposed to be stoic and distant I wanted these works to show off these heroes' strength, but also their cockiness and competitiveness."
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Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Gay Teen Suicides Are High in Michele Bachmann's District
Michele Bachmann has some explaining to do. In her school district, 9 students has taken their lives due to bullying. So far, Michele hasn't done anything to address this issue:
The situation in Anoka-Hennepin Schools is so bad that Minnesota public health officials have deemed the area a "suicide contagion" because of the unusually high number of suicides and attempted suicides, according to the school district's website.
Bachmann has since stayed quiet on the issue. She didn't respond to inquiries from Mother Jones or the New York Daily News.
She historically wasn't a supporter of anti-bullying legislation. In 2004, she took part in a rally that pushed for the ban of gay marriage, according to the New York Daily News. Slate reports that in 2006, she said passing a bill that prevents bullying wasn't worth the time.
"I think for all of us, our experience in public schools is there have always been bullies," Slate reports Bachmann telling the Minnesota state legislature. "Always have been, always will be. I just don't know how we're ever going to get to the point of zero tolerance... What does it mean? ... Will we be expecting boys to be girls?"
Critics are arguing that Bachmann's impassiveness for bullying issues, her opposition to gay rights alongside Anoka-Hennepin Schools' controversial policy on teaching or talking about sexual orientation, creates a threatening environment for at-risk youth in the district.
She better get on it soon, because it will hurt her in the presidential race.
WATCH: A Trans Activist Addresses the Trans Exclusion from NAACP LGBT Town Hall Meeting
Ashley Love discusses Transphobia and the exclusion from panel and in the community
New Poll: Support for Gay Rights is Growing in the South and Midwest
A HRC-supported poll by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research revealed some hope from the most conservative states. Support for gay rights is growing, slowly, but surely in the South and Midwest:
The poll shows support for equal marriage at 51 percent (43 percent in the Midwest and South), in line with other national polls on the issue. Support for non-discrimination protections for LGBT people in employment, housing and public accommodations is strong nationally at 79 percent, as is support for protections against bullying in schools at 73 percent. Respondents also overwhelmingly say anti-gay discrimination is a problem (79 percent) and anti-transgender discrimination is a problem (74 percent).The HRC will kick off a bus tour in the South and Midwest in order to change minds and hopefully gain new allies.
Aside from policy questions, 57 percent of respondents say they would not be bothered if their child or grandchild was gay. Seventy-seven percent of men say they could be close friends with a gay man and 81 percent of women say they could be close friends with a lesbian. Overall, 64 percent say they could be close friends with someone who is transgender. Relating to the current debate over so-called “pray the gay away” therapies, only 24 percent of people think gay people can be made straight through psychotherapy or prayer.
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Interesting Quote: Beyonce
I've always had a connection. Most of my audience is actually women and my gay fans, and I've seen a lot of the younger boys kind of grow up to my music. It's great when I'm able to do the meet and greets, because I'm able to really connect and have conversations. People look at some of the artists that I admire - like Diana Ross and Cher - and they identity that glamour with Sasha Fierce, and I've been really inspired by the language. I have my (gay) stylists and my makeup artist, and all of their stories and the slang words I always put it in my music. We inspire each other. Like I said, we're one.King B talks about her gay fans
Monday, July 25, 2011
New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms has filed a suit against NY Gay Marriage
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New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, Rev. Jason J. McGuire, Rev. Duane R. Motley and Rabbi Nathaniel S. Leiter are listed as plaintiffs. The plaintiffs, represented by the Liberty Counsel, contend that same-sex “marriage” legislation was only able to pass the State Legislature through:
Rev. Jason J. McGuire, Executive Director, New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, said, “Constitutional liberties were violated. Today we are asking the court to intervene in its rightful role as the check and balance on an out-of-control State Legislature.”
“It is unfortunate that state senators chose to protect their personal interests, rather than the people they were elected to represent. Some of the players may have changed, but it looks like same old Albany game. It is time the curtain be pulled back and the disinfecting light of good government shine upon the Cuomo Administration and our State Legislature,” McGuire concluded.
Go here to see the complaint
NY Sen. Ruben Diaz wants All Gay Marriages Annulled
Mad that no man would marry him, Sen Ruben Diaz threatens to annul all gay marriages:
Thousands of protesters rallied in several cities around the state, a signal that the long fight for recognition may not be over just yet.This man needs to be recalled. Get on it, New York!
State Sen. Ruben Diaz, a minister who was the sole Democrat to vote against gay marriage when the Legislature approved it, told a crowd near the United Nations that he and other opponents would try to get Sunday’s marriages annulled, saying judges broke the law by waiving the 24-hour waiting period without a good reason.
“We’re going to show them next week that everything they did today was illegal,” he said, speaking in Spanish.
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Interesting Quote: Joss Whedon
I have actually wanted to do a book. I have one in mind. It's not on the front burner. You write enough lesbians and you start to realize: This is just a guy. This isn't feminism. This is Cinemax. I think it's time for a little equal opportunity. Besides, who doesn't love cock?Joss talking about writing a gay male lead character.
Question of the Day: True Blood Edition
Hoyt riding Jason was hot. But in all, what did you think of last night episode?
My Recap of Comic Con 2011
Comic Con '11 was an event this year. It was cool, but I noticed that San Diego needs to step it up if it wants to maintain the flow and the folks. But in all, it was fun.
So let me tell you about it.
So let me tell you about it.
- I took a train to San Diego and it was fun, in a Murder on the Orient Express kinda way.
- The gays represented this year! We are taking over.
- The panels were good and engaging.
- I felt like the organization of Comic Con was off. They need new management.
- The folks in the next room in our hotel were having sex to disco and they were STRAIGHT.
- Tara from Buffy stayed in our hotel. We ran into her on the stairs.
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| Me and WW Crew, Javier and Peter |
- I hung out a few Wonder Woman fans Saturday night. We had a great dinner and great time hanging out at the beach.
- I went to a writing session and I learned a lot. So Amazon Studios, I'm peeping you.
- My partner came this time, but he was tired of the crowds.
- The crowds were nerdier, crazier and a tad bit hotter.
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| Me and Robert Kirkman, the creator of The Walking Dead |
- I met Robert Kirkman! He created The Walking Dead.
- We couldn't set on the floor anywhere. Apparently, it is a fire hazard. Also you can't plug up your laptops either. I was told you can't have wires showing.
- I waited for two and half hours to see the True Blood panel. It was worth it, but I wish the Comic Con folks would empty out the main ballroom. Folks sit in there all day, making it hard for others to get in.
- The vendors are crooks. They get a hold of the Comic Con Exclusives and sale them for almost 10 times the price. That should be illegal.
- I didn't spend as much as I thought I would.
- I just found my Gucci sunglasses! I thought I lost them at Netroots Nation.