news from me

Hello From San Diego

I've decided not to do a day-by-day Convention Report this year. I'd love to give you hot gossip and juicy anecdotes from the floor but those postings never seem to be much more than me telling you how well my panels are going and how crowded the con is, and then I list a lot of people with whom I chatted. This is a much more exciting event than that.

So whatever I have to report will have to wait 'til I return and have time to reflect and think of other things to write about. Those of you who love it when I'm pissed off at some business, like an airline or restaurant, will enjoy what I have to say about the hotel in which these words are being written.

I have so far counted fifteen people dressed as The Joker — twelve men and three women. These are not the greatest villains represented in the hall. So far, the greatest villain is whatever exhibitor thought it would be a great idea to pass out large inflatable swords to small children. I'm going to find that guy and make him try to get from one end of the room to the other with kids stabbing at his lower extremities.

Goodbye 'til later.

• Posted Friday, July 25, 2008 at 9:32 AM · LINK

Thursday Morning

As you may (emphasis on the "may") have heard, the Enquirer claims to have nailed down proof that John Edwards...well, it's a bit arguable as to what they've proved. They claim it's that Edwards really did have an affair (previously and quite convincingly denied) with this woman named Rielle Hunter and fathered a "love child" with her. The Enquirer reportage suggests what they've proved is that he visited her in the wee small hours of the morning at the Beverly Hilton and ran like a craven jackrabbit when he found that there was an Enquirer correspondent shadowing him.

Jack Shafer asks if there's a double-standard at work in that the mainstream media has yet to report this. I don't think so. For one thing, there's a big difference between getting caught by an Enquirer reporter and being caught, as Larry Craig was, by an officer of the law. True, the Enquirer has been steadily raising its level of credibility as the so-called "real press" has been lowering its own...but they haven't quite crossed yet. Craig was arrested, which makes it more of a public issue and takes it out of the "none of anybody's business" category. Also, the Edwards story is new and there's a lot going on in the world.

I don't think there's a danger it won't get plenty of attention. Edwards's political opponents will see to that. If he's not Obama's running mate, we may now know the reason why.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned in this story is the question of why, if you were a nationally-known political figure and you wanted to meet with your mistress, you'd do it at the Beverly Hilton, of all places. Under normal circumstances, the place is swarming with famous folks — and therefore, reporters. But this week, all the TV critics in the land are in L.A. for a big press junket and every good hotel is filled with press folks. The Edwards encounter allegedly happened on Monday. That same day, I had a meeting at the Four Seasons and I saw half the cable news business lounging poolside. The Beverly Hilton is the hotel where you stay when you can't get into the Four Seasons.

I'm not saying it's proof of anything...but if you were a famous guy, especially a famous guy who's being mentioned as a running mate for Barack Obama, it would be braindead stupid to think you could get in and out of the Hilton without being spotted. In my book, that would disqualify the guy to be Vice-President, just as much as the moral hypocrisy and lying.

• Posted Thursday, July 24, 2008 at 9:49 AM · LINK

A Link Posted In The Middle Of The Night From A Really Crummy Internet Connection At A Hotel In San Diego

But I promised to link to the latest Fred Kaplan column.

• Posted Thursday, July 24, 2008 at 2:55 AM · LINK

Hit and Run

My late father, who was one of the gentlest and kindest men who ever lived, used to watch Crossfire on CNN, hoping someone would finally haul off and belt Robert Novak. Dad called him the perfect example of a guy who thinks that the world should revolve around him and his friends making as much money as possible, and that there is no concern that even comes in even a close second. He was also amazed that Novak could be regarded as a reporter and pundit when he continued to get so much so wrong so often. I have seen nothing to suggest my father was wrong.

Take a look at this. Novak is driving along in a black Corvette. He hits a pedestrian and keeps on going. A man on a bicycle sees this, chases Novak down and tells him he hit someone. Only then does Novak stop. He says, "I didn't see him there."

The bicyclist apparently had to stand in traffic to block Novak from leaving the scene. Later, describing the accident, he says he watched as a, "black Corvette convertible with top closed plowed into the guy. The guy is sort of splayed onto the windshield."

Police came and gave Novak a citation. One does suspect that if it had been you or I or anyone who wasn't a well-connected, famous media celeb, we'd be taken to a little room and told that we had one phone call. Gee, I wonder what Keith Olbermann and Jon Stewart are going to say on their shows tonight.

• Posted Wednesday, July 23, 2008 at 10:39 AM · LINK

Wednesday Morning

And it's off to San Diego with me. Those of you who fret for the well-being of Lydia, the cat I feed on my back porch, needn't fret. The housesitter will make sure she is well-fed, and I have an array of plumbers and tile guys rebuilding a bathroom and portions of my kitchen whilst I'm down in S.D. hosting panel after panel. So she will not starve for food or attention. (And remind me when I get back to tell you all about Max, a new feline who's joined the throng at the backyard supper dishes. Max is obviously aware that I write the Garfield cartoons and thinks, wrongly, that if he hangs around and gets morbidly obese on the Friskies I put out, he too will enjoy such stardom.)

I have no idea how much, if at all, I'll be posting at the con. Friday, I have three business meetings, an hour of book-signing, four panels to host and one I've promised to visit, plus I have a dinner date and then I'm presenting an award at the big awards gala, dashing out to do a video-type interview, then dashing back to the awards show. Saturday is busier than Friday. I will however try to get a link up here whenever Fred Kaplan posts whatever he's going to post on the current doings with Iraq. Read back on this guy's old articles, people. He's called just about everything exactly right. Wouldn't be nice if we could say that about anyone in our government?

If you see me down there, say hello...and forgive me if I seem distracted at the moment. That's my natural condition, even when I'm not at a Comic-Con International. Each year, it seems, I come back to find one person on the Internet who thinks I snubbed him or her because they said howdy and didn't get what they felt was courteous attention. That is so unlike me and it bothers me that it ever happens. Let's see if I can get through this con without it happening again.

• Posted Wednesday, July 23, 2008 at 10:20 AM · LINK

Today's Video Link

I don't recall when L.A. had streetcars. They were around when I was around but I was too young and, probably more significantly, they didn't seem to go to many places where I went. But someone has made a film about them and we have a preview of it here, and I enjoyed it just because I like to look at old Los Angeles...

• Posted Wednesday, July 23, 2008 at 9:43 AM · LINK

Today's Political Thought

So how long will it be be before the McCain ads just say, "Barack Obama is a Muslim extremist who's on a holy mission to destroy the United States and if you elect him, we'll all die?"

It's only July and they're already getting close to that.

Reading the polls and such, I don't get that McCain is in that much trouble. But he and his campaign managers obviously think otherwise.