Susp's Botcon Report Pt. 1
Suspsy
THURSDAY
Woke up around 7AM, showered, dressed, did a last-minute baggage check, then
went out and picked up my hotel roomies Gordon (who's been my roomie for
three years now) and Tyson AKA Dexius_R. We spent the bulk of the day
driving down to Windsor to pick up Bryce AKA CoolSlider. We then crossed the
border into Detroit and made the first of many shopping stops. Bryce and
Tyson got Megabolts and Wave Three Spychangers at Kaybee, I got Armada
Cyclonus, Demolishor, and Megatron at Meijer's and Laserbeak at TRU, and
Gordon got Supreme Optimus Primal and all four small Playskool TFs at TRU.
Also visited my first Hot Topic store, which was brimming with, among other
things, Spongebob Squarepants merchandise. Gotta love American commerce.
BAHAHAHAHAH!!!
We finally stopped off at a Marriott outside Toledo where the only
non-smoking room was a king-sized bed. Gord and Tyson shared the bed, Bryce
got the cot, and I ended up sleeping on a armchair, footstool, and desk
chair laid end to end. It actually would've been a good sleep had it not
been for Bryce's incessant snoring. Ah well, sleep and Botcon weekend
generally don't go hand in hand.
As for the Armada toys, here's how it boils down:
-Demolishor and Cyclonus rule.
-Laserbeak is cute and fun, even if he is orange. And he's VERY well hung.
-Megatron would be perfect if only he had properly working leg joints
FRIDAY
We slept in till 9AM, ate breakfast at McDonald's, then headed on over to
Ft. Wayne. En route, I picked up Armada Starscream and the Berserk Fury from
the Zoids line. We made it into Ft. Wayne at around noon. After taking a
wrong turn onto one of the city's accursed one-way streets, we found the
Hilton and entered the parking garage. At this point, Bryce jumped out and
scampered off like a puppy who just saw his master. I found him on the
second level and attempted to run him down, but Recharge, Lith, Tim, and
Walky were with him, so I just parked the Jeep and got out to greet
everyone. Bryce headed over to his suite at the Holiday Inn and Tim
accompanied Gord, Tyson, and I up to our room in the Hilton. I considered
passing the time before registration by starting to assemble the Fury, but
lost heart as soon as I saw how many pieces there were. Instead, I took out
Starscream, and soon discovered that he's the coolest Decepticon of the
bunch.
So I took Starscream and headed back downstairs to find Walky by himself in
the lobby, apparently abandoned by his comrades. Eventually, the rest of the
crew arrived: Bryce, Charge, Lith, Finback, Hooper_X, TonyFitz, SwiftEagle,
Quez, Robert Powers, Monocle, Megatron33, Robowang, Thylacine2000,
Windchaser, Rapido, Dalmation, Trixter, LV, Picard42, Perc, Phil Zemen,
Mouse_Pad, Trent Troop, Brax, Quag Prime, and Jackpot. Siph appeared briefly
as well. Quez offered me a piece of Danish candy that was burning the mouths
of other people, but it didn't bother me too much. It was very hard to chew
though.
We sat around for some time playing with our assorted toys, then Jackpot,
Quag, and I went and registered. Jackpot, whom I'd never met before, can
best be described as a big, totally bald dude who'd actually be kinda scary
were it not for his perpetually goofy smile. The registration exclusive
turned out to be a green and grey Cliffjumper keychain called Tap-Out, which
disappointed me initially, since I was expecting a BM-era toy.
After a bite to eat at Arby's, we returned to the lobby and hung out until
the semi-formal dinner attendees trotted off to get ready. At one point,
Hoop directed my attention to the arrival of Skyflight. And holy shit, had
he ever lost weight. We're talking in excess of 100 lbs here. Needless to
say, we were all very impressed. Skyf was still Skyf though, and I resolved
to say a little something to him before the weekend was over. But what to
say? Also, we sighted the famed individual known as Capething, and were
amused to see that he had apparently absorbed the bulk that Skyf shed. He
was more like Tentthing now.
Us non-dinner attendees ended up heading over to Charge's suite Holiday Inn.
There was me, Spy, Charge, Bryce, Hoop, Wang, Lith, Jackpot, Quag, Robert
Powers, Pic, and a couple others whom I forget (sorry!). We hung out, ate
pizza, and drank Faygo (which I'd never had before) until we felt enough
time had passed for the semi-formal to be over. Not so. We ended up sitting
around in the Hilton lobby, chatting away while drinking pitchers of beer
and drawing. I drew a cartoon T. rex taking a dump on a Spinosaurus only for
Hellbat to add a ginormous manservant to it. As time passed on, we began to
suspect that those lucky bastards upstairs were getting to watch a preview
of Armada. I decided to try and confirm those suspicions. The first thing I
saw when I arrived on the second floor was Raksha standing around outside,
which added to our theory, since we all know how she feels about anything
after 1985. And sure enough, when I opened one of the doors a crack, I
caught a glimpse of Armada Prime with a bunch of kids. Then someone jerked
the door shut and I went back downstairs to join the others.
Finally, the dinner began to let out. I was absolutely thrilled to learn
that Garry Chalk and David Kaye were back as Prime and Megatron
respectively. It is SOOOOOOOOOOO right, people. Oh, and that little gnat
Particle Man appeared at the balcony, telling everyone to come to his Parts
Party. Hoop's response? "FUCK YOU, PART!" The crestfallen expression on Part
's face was nothing short of priceless. Oh, and the dinner exclusives turned
out to be nothing more than Supercons and Mini-Cons, which didn't sit well
with a lot of people. 3H would later explain that, at the time they made the
decision, Hasbro had informed them that Armada wouldn't hit shelves until
after Botcon.
Anyway, a few minutes later, I'm riding the elevator up with Thy, Dal, and a
guy I didn't recognize, but who kinda looked like Richard Belzer from
Homicide. Anyway, I asked Thy what he thought of the Armada preview and this
stranger butts in with,"The Armada cartoon has such terrible animation,
straight out of the 1960s and in the worst possible way-just two cels being
pulled past one another. There's this lousy fake Spanish dialect on that one
kid, a lame Sean Connery impersonator as Megatron, and Optimus Prime was
totally bland and generic." The hell? Who was this negative jerk bashing
David and Garry? "Oh, like we've never had a bland and generic Optimus Prime
before?" I shot back. "I mean, RID Prime was just a total imitation of the
G1 guy! Now, Optimus Primal, there was a unique character."
Mr. Unknown curtly replied that there was a difference between being an
imitation and being totally generic, to which I just shrugged. We came to my
floor and as I was exiting the elevator, Mr. Unknown leaned forward and
said, rather venomously, "Oh, and thanks for the compliment me on my work."
I looked at him baffledly and said "And you are . . . ?" "Yes." He replied.
At which point, the elevator closed and I thought no more of the incident
for the time being.
After a brief visit to the Parts Party, where I picked up a MISB B'Boom from
the same guy who sold me a Target exclusive Magmatron (thanks guy!), I went
back downstairs and rejoined the rest of #WiiGii! in the bar, where we
chatted it up with Peter Spellos, Simon Furman, Wankus, and some of the
other guests. I knew that I liked Peter as soon as I addressed him as "Mr.
Spellos" and he responded with "Fuck that 'Mr.' shit, it's just plain Peter,
man." My kind of guest. I warned Peter that he would probably be asked
tomorrow about how to get into voice acting, to which he actually responded
enthusiastically. Indeed, he and Wankus were VERY excited about their first
Botcon.
It was around this time that Thy informed me that Mr. Stranger had in fact
been none other than Neil Kaplan! Initially, I was embarrassed, but after a
second, I realized that I'd done absolutely nothing wrong. First off, I didn
't know it was Neil. Second, I didn't insult him personally; I only
expressed my personal dislike of a character he voiced. And third, Neil had
behaved like a first rate jerk. Talk about being unprofessional. Talk about
being petty. Talk about being disgustingly rude, debasing Armada that way,
especially since it was practically impossible to back up any of his
arguments. So he was upset about no longer being Optimus Prime.
Boo-diddly-hoo. You never saw Garry Chalke behaving like an immature jagoff
after Beast Wars ended, especially not at Botcon of all places. Because
Garry, unlike Neil, actually has CLASS.
I also ran into my old friend Nightwind and her Padded Cell posse. Like
Skyf, she'd lost a lot of weight and looked great, even with her new mullet.
At around 2AM, I finally decided to call it a night. Went back to my room,
did my best to get ready for bed without waking up my roomies. Gordon had
attended the dinner, but I have no idea what Tyson did all evening. I think
he just stayed in for the most part.
Next time on Susp's Botcon Report:
-Dealer room hijinks
-More Armada goodness
-Hasbro loves us everyone
-The #WiiGii! party!
Susp
"Erudition is the privilege of those who observe detail." -Glyph
superspy
>
> So I took Starscream and headed back downstairs to find Walky by
> himself in the lobby, apparently abandoned by his comrades.
> Eventually, the rest of the crew arrived: Bryce, Charge, Lith,
> Finback, Hooper_X, TonyFitz, SwiftEagle, Quez, Robert Powers,
> Monocle, Megatron33, Robowang, Thylacine2000, Windchaser, Rapido,
> Dalmation, Trixter, LV, Picard42, Perc, Phil Zemen, Mouse_Pad, Trent
> Troop, Brax, Quag Prime, and Jackpot. Siph appeared briefly as well.
You're out of the will. :)
'spy.
I was there, honest!
Jackpot
>
> Jackpot, whom I'd never met
> before, can best be described as a big, totally bald dude who'd
> actually be kinda scary were it not for his perpetually goofy smile.
I take my cues from Persis Khambatta.
> Us non-dinner attendees ended up heading over to Charge's suite
> Holiday Inn. There was me, Spy, Charge, Bryce, Hoop, Wang, Lith,
> Jackpot, Quag, Robert Powers, Pic, and a couple others whom I forget
> (sorry!).
Just in case anyone's keeping track here, I can't say as I recall this. I
know I had dinner with Monzo and Brax that night. But I'm honored and
flattered that you would insert me retroactively into your memories. This
is only the beginning. Soon, there will be nothing but Jack...
- Jackpot
--
| To contact me, please e-mail aquamandible [at] yahoo [dot] com.
|
| _ _ ______ http://spektakle.com ______ _ _
"The `k's are for the kwality!"
Suspsy
"Jackpot" <i_do_not_read_an...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> Just in case anyone's keeping track here, I can't say as I recall this. I
> know I had dinner with Monzo and Brax that night. But I'm honored and
> flattered that you would insert me retroactively into your memories. This
> is only the beginning. Soon, there will be nothing but Jack...
Huh. I could've sworn you were with us in the suite. Maybe I've got Saturday
night superimposed with Friday.
Susp
"You have to know where you are before you know what to do." -Streetwise
Bluestreak7
>
>
>'spy.
>I was there, honest!
He's out of my will as well.
I even ate at Arby's with you! :)
--Bluestreak7, your friendly neighborhood Transfan
http://www.geocities.com/bluestreak7tf
Newest TF Item(s): Demolishor & Blackout, Primal Prime (Thanks Mon!)
Suspsy
"Bluestreak7" <mrsw...@aol.commscan> wrote in message
> He's out of my will as well.
>
> I even ate at Arby's with you! :)
This is why I need to bring along a camcorder and a notepad next year. But
hey, I definitely remember eating with you at Burger King Saturday night.
Botcon's just so much to absorb. It's hard to recall everything exactly as
it happened, though I try my best.
Susp
". . . sheesh . . ." -Ramulus
Desperado00
Laserbeak!
-----
Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.
An egotist is a self-made man who worships his creator.
If we aren't meant to eat animals, then why are they made of meat?
No horse is too dead to beat.
Merytneith
<snip>
FINALLY.... someone posted a GOOD BotCon report.
P.S. Where the #@$!! is the rest of it, already?
--Mery
(No offense to everyone else's BotCon report, especially
Bluestreak7's, which I also thought was especially good.)
======================================================
Bart: Mr. Hutz when I grow up I want to be a lawyer
just like you.
Hutz: Good for you, son.
If there's one thing America needs, it's more
lawyers. Can you imagine a world without lawyers?
[Hutz imagines a scene of people of all nationalities
holding hands and dancing around in a circle under
a rainbow.]
Hutz: [shudders] Aaaagh!
=====================================================
Raptor
BC03, aka, "Raptor's First Botcon."
Raptor
"Suspsy" <danie...@rogers.com> wrote in message
news:%4q29.4210$wh1....@news01.bloor.is.net.cable.rogers.com...
Bluestreak7
>(No offense to everyone else's BotCon report, especially
>Bluestreak7's, which I also thought was especially good.)
Cool! Now I have to type the rest, which are actually the hardest days, since
more things happened then.
--Bluestreak7, your friendly neighborhood Transfan
http://www.geocities.com/bluestreak7tf
Newest TF Item(s): Red Alert, Starscream, Megatron
Zobovor
>Bryce and Tyson got Megabolts and Wave Three Spychangers at
>Kaybee, I got Armada Cyclonus, Demolishor, and Megatron at Meijer's
>and Laserbeak at TRU, and Gordon got Supreme Optimus Primal and
>all four small Playskool TFs at TRU.
>The registration exclusive turned out to be a green and grey Cliffjumper
>keychain called Tap-Out, which disappointed me initially, since I was
>expecting a BM-era toy.
Hey, I'll take yours off your hands if you don't want it. :)
>Finally, the dinner began to let out. I was absolutely thrilled to learn
>that Garry Chalk and David Kaye were back as Prime and Megatron
>respectively. It is SOOOOOOOOOOO right, people.
But... they're not back as Prime and Megatron. They're voicing totally
different Transformers characters who happen to have the same names. Really,
Susp, try to keep up, here. :)
>Oh, and that little gnat Particle Man appeared at the balcony, telling
>everyone to come to his Parts Party. Hoop's response? "FUCK YOU,
>PART!" The crestfallen expression on Part's face was nothing short of
>priceless.
Yeah, that'll teach him to invite his fellow fans to come and share his
enjoyment of Transformers. I hope he learned his lesson good.
>Anyway, I asked Thy what he thought of the Armada preview and this
>stranger butts in with,"The Armada cartoon has such terrible animation,
>straight out of the 1960s and in the worst possible way-just two cels
>being pulled past one another. There's this lousy fake Spanish dialect
>on that one kid, a lame Sean Connery impersonator as Megatron, and
>Optimus Prime was totally bland and generic." The hell? Who was this
>negative jerk bashing David and Garry? "Oh, like we've never had a
>bland and generic Optimus Prime before?" I shot back. "I mean, RID
>Prime was just a total imitation of the G1 guy! Now, Optimus Primal,
>there was a unique character."
>Initially, I was embarrassed, but after a second, I realized that I'd done
>absolutely nothing wrong. First off, I didn't know it was Neil. Second, I
>didn't insult him personally; I only expressed my personal dislike of a
>character he voiced. And third, Neil had behaved like a first rate jerk.
>Talk about being unprofessional. Talk about being petty. Talk about
>being disgustingly rude, debasing Armada that way, especially since it
>was practically impossible to back up any of his arguments.
Honestly, it looks like you were doing some of the exact same things that
you're getting on Kaplan's case about. For instance, if your comments about
RiD Prime being bland and generic aren't a reflection on Kaplan personally,
then by that same token, his comments about Armada Prime being equally bland
and generic can't be a reflection on Garry Chalk on a personal level, either.
You both made the *exact* same comment. Why is he bashing Chalk, but you're
not bashing Kaplan for the same remark? You can't have it both ways.
The same goes for his comments about Armada in general. He stated some
opinions that can't really be empirically validated. (Of course, if they
could, then they'd be facts, not opinons.) So did you. You said that RiD
Prime was a carbon copy, but Optimus Primal was unique. Aren't you doing the
exact same thing, and offering an opinion about which character you prefer?
You couldn't have backed up your comments any more than he could. Why is it so
disgustingly rude that he offered his opinions about Armada? Weren't you being
equally rude for "debasing" RiD Prime?
However, since he's one of the official guests... sure, I would have expected
him to be a little more tactful. I guess some people just make better
convention guests than others. Since RiD is over, I doubt any of the actors
will be invited back, so it's pretty much a moot point.
--
Zobovor
Go on the ZMFTS Scavenger Hunt and win toys!
http://members.aol.com/zobovor/index.html
Anthony "Tonyfitz" Brucale
news:20020803021556...@mb-fl.aol.com...
> Suspsy wrote:
[snip]
> >Oh, and that little gnat Particle Man appeared at the balcony, telling
> >everyone to come to his Parts Party. Hoop's response? "FUCK YOU,
> >PART!" The crestfallen expression on Part's face was nothing short of
> >priceless.
>
> Yeah, that'll teach him to invite his fellow fans to come and share his
> enjoyment of Transformers. I hope he learned his lesson good.
There's a difference between inviting people to a party and shouting it down
at strangers from the upper part of a hotel lobby at 11 PM. Let me add that
he wrote his room number in marker on signs for other post-dinner trading
parties that night. And I wouldn't be terribly surprised if he had another
promotional sign on his back at the *Semi-formal* Dinner.
You give respect, you get respect. Hoop's response was both reasonable and
justfied.
[snip]
> convention guests than others. Since RiD is over, I doubt any of the
actors
> will be invited back, so it's pretty much a moot point.
Wankus better come back, otherwise it will be hard to top this year's
convention fun.
--Ant
Steve-o Stonebraker
> [Kaplan vs. Susp story snipped]
>
> The same goes for his comments about Armada in general. He stated some
> opinions that can't really be empirically validated. (Of course, if they
> could, then they'd be facts, not opinons.) So did you. You said that RiD
As with many arguments on the newsgroup, this is a matter of tone, not
content. You're right that both Kaplan and Susp were merely stating
their opinions. Kaplan's delivery, though, was excessively hostile and
negative, literally as if he had posted a FIIRE TRUKK NOT SEMITRUKK
message to ATT. Even quoting him in text isn't enough to get the point
across because you can't hear his voice. Many of his complaints about
Armada are equally applicable to RID, too. He was not making sense, and
he was very angry. That's different than just having another opinion.
--Steve-o
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steve Stonebraker | Transformers FAQ Keeper | Astrophysicist
sst...@yahoo.com | www.physics.ohio-state.edu/~sstoneb | AOL IM: srstoneb
David H.
>actors
>> will be invited back,
Huh? G1's been over for a decade, yet they keep getting invited back. :)
Sure, RiD's not as big as G1, but there's sure many hours of TF-dom on screen
due to it. Not to mention that Wankus and Peter Spellos seem to be awesome
guests.
David H.
(please remove "nospam" to reply via e-mail)
Suspsy
> FINALLY.... someone posted a GOOD BotCon report.
Damn straight, baby. My report's the real deal, the total package, and the
first prize all rolled together in one huge mass that tastes rather like
spaghetti and meatballs.
> P.S. Where the #@$!! is the rest of it, already?
It's coming. The Saturday segment is always the longest and hardest to
write, since the most stuff happens that day.
Susp
"Every picture tells a story." -Raindance
Pyre
> "Zobovor" <zob...@aol.com> wrote in message
>>convention guests than others. Since RiD is over, I doubt any of the
>> actors will be invited back, so it's pretty much a moot point.
G1 has been over for ~13 years yet its voice actors are invited to BotCon.
>
> Wankus better come back, otherwise it will be hard to top this year's
> convention fun.
>
Wankus sounds to me like the RiD version of Scott McNiel as far as
coolness factor goes. He sounds like a fun guy to shoot the shit and hang
out with.
--
Pyre[Rock] - pyres...@crosswinds.net
http://pyresdomain.crosswinds.net/
"I don't know if i care.
I'm the jerk. Life's not fair."
- Papa Roach
Suspsy
> >The registration exclusive turned out to be a green and grey Cliffjumper
> >keychain called Tap-Out, which disappointed me initially, since I was
> >expecting a BM-era toy.
>
> Hey, I'll take yours off your hands if you don't want it. :)
Thanks, but as I note in the next segment of my report, Tap-Out and Glyph
have started to grow on me.
> But... they're not back as Prime and Megatron. They're voicing totally
> different Transformers characters who happen to have the same names.
Really,
> Susp, try to keep up, here. :)
You're pushing it, aren't you, Edwards? /:)
> Yeah, that'll teach him to invite his fellow fans to come and share his
> enjoyment of Transformers. I hope he learned his lesson good.
Perhaps I should have emphasized more that Particle Man is a repellent and
annoying little flea who charges exorbitant prices at his table, defaces
other dealers' signs, and generally gets on everyone's nerves. As Ant
already noted, Hoop's response was quite legitimate.
> Honestly, it looks like you were doing some of the exact same things that
> you're getting on Kaplan's case about. For instance, if your comments
about
> RiD Prime being bland and generic aren't a reflection on Kaplan
personally,
> then by that same token, his comments about Armada Prime being equally
bland
> and generic can't be a reflection on Garry Chalk on a personal level,
either.
Actually, I never assumed that it was a personal attack on Garry at the
time. I mean, it could well have been, but I don't think Neil is that big of
a bastard, even if when intoxicated. And while I made my comments on RID
Prime after having watched every single episode of RID, Neil made his
comments on Armada Prime after having only watched ONE SINGLE EPISODE. You
of all people should understand the importance and the wisdom of not jumping
to rash conclusions after viewing only one episode of a new TF series.
> The same goes for his comments about Armada in general. He stated some
> opinions that can't really be empirically validated. (Of course, if they
> could, then they'd be facts, not opinons.) So did you. You said that RiD
> Prime was a carbon copy, but Optimus Primal was unique. Aren't you doing
the
> exact same thing, and offering an opinion about which character you
prefer?
> You couldn't have backed up your comments any more than he could. Why is
it so
> disgustingly rude that he offered his opinions about Armada? Weren't you
being
> equally rude for "debasing" RiD Prime?
Except that I was an attendee who dearly loves TFs, but who works as a
seller of children's books and has no say or role in any TV series or toy
line. Neil Kaplan was an invited guest who makes a living as an actor and
did the voice of probably the most crucial character in RID. As such, I
don't think it's unfair to expect from him a certain level of
professionalism and decorum, especially in relation to other TF series and
products. He can hate Armada all he wants to in private, but publicly
expressing that hatred in such a blatant manner in front of attendees, many
of whom are very excited about Armada, was simply a rude, stupid decision on
his part. I mean, we never saw Garry and Scott lambasting RID at Botcon
2001, or Simon Furman lambasting Bob Budiansky, even though I'm sure Simon
felt many of Bob's storylines were cheesy to say the least.
And, as Steve-O already noted, many of Neil's jabs at Armada could EASILY
have been applied to RID as well. Whale calling the shark fat.
>Since RiD is over, I doubt any of the actors will be invited back, so it's
pretty much a moot point.
I wouldn't be so sure. I for one would love to see Wankus and Spellos back
next year. As for Neil, well, 3H was informed of his misbehaviour, so I
wouldn't place bets. Nor would I be in any way disappointed if we never see
him again.
Susp
"Loser." -BW Megatron
Stranger
news:aigkq7$4nq$1...@slb0.atl.mindspring.net...
Let me add that
> he wrote his room number in marker on signs for other post-dinner trading
> parties that night. And I wouldn't be terribly surprised if he had another
> promotional sign on his back at the *Semi-formal* Dinner.
You sure that was Particle Man? I could have sworn that was another group
who wrote down their room number (it was room 604 if my memory is right).
Not that I minded- I (and the hotel too most liekly) appreciated having less
clutter on the walls. Maybe next year, we can just post a list and people
can add their room numbers on it if they plan on doing something.
--
Stranger- Impulse's #1 fan, next to Max of course.
Also goes by the name of Dan Nguyen or "Space Cowboy"
Merytneith
> "Merytneith" <meryt...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
>
>
>>FINALLY.... someone posted a GOOD BotCon report.
>>
>
> Damn straight, baby. My report's the real deal, the total package, and the
> first prize all rolled together in one huge mass that tastes rather like
> spaghetti and meatballs.
That's nice of you to take pride in your work of authorship,
but if you call me "baby" ever again I WILL be forced to
kick your ass.
--Mery, not even Mr. Underscore X gets to call me that.
And, y'know, he's even the other half of "The Adventures of
Hoop & Dr. Mery." Yet still: No.
Zobovor
>Perhaps I should have emphasized more that Particle Man is a
>repellent and annoying little flea who charges exorbitant prices at his
>table, defaces other dealers' signs, and generally gets on everyone's
>nerves.
I don't know Particle Man at all, so I don't have an opinion of him one way or
the other. It just seems like you're saying it's okay for Hooper_X to shout
profanities at the guy in public because you guys don't like him. How come
it's not okay for Kaplan to bad-mouth Armada in public because *he* doesn't
like it? I mean, I don't think it's because you're holding the celebriy guests
to a much higher standard, since you seemed to like the fact that Peter Spellos
used profanity and that Wankus likes to clutch women's breasts. /:)
>Actually, I never assumed that it was a personal attack on Garry at the
>time.
In your report you said, "The hell? Who was this negative jerk bashing David
and Garry?" You didn't say he was bashing Armada Megatron and Optimus.
>And while I made my comments on RID Prime after having watched
>every single episode of RID, Neil made his comments on Armada
>Prime after having only watched ONE SINGLE EPISODE.
I don't think that's relevant, really. Kaplan wasn't predicting that the
entire show would tank based on that one episode, was he? He was just offering
his first impressions on the show. It seems like you're suggesting that he
shouldn't be allowed to have an opinion of what he saw until he's watched the
*entire* series, and I don't think that's really fair. I mean, if that were
the case, then *nobody* should have an opinion of that first episode at all,
right now.
>Except that I was an attendee who dearly loves TFs, but who works as
>a seller of children's books and has no say or role in any TV series or
>toy line. Neil Kaplan was an invited guest who makes a living as an
>actor and did the voice of probably the most crucial character in RID.
I kind of see your point, here, but I also think you're giving him too much
power. Neil Kaplan's just one guy; he really doesn't have any direct control
over what other people think of Transformers, or the future success of Armada,
or whatever. Besides, it's not like he said all this during the voice actors
panel or anything. You and Thylacine 2000 were apparently the only ones who
even knew he made these comments.
Still, I agree that he could have been more tactful.
Suspsy
> I don't know Particle Man at all, so I don't have an opinion of him one
way or
> the other. It just seems like you're saying it's okay for Hooper_X to
shout
> profanities at the guy in public because you guys don't like him. How
come
> it's not okay for Kaplan to bad-mouth Armada in public because *he*
doesn't
> like it?
Hey, there's no written law which states that Neil can't debase Armada to
his jealous heart's content, but that doesn't negate him from coming off as
a bigtime jerk for doing so. As for the Hoop/Particle Man thing, you're
right: I didn't have a problem with it because I personally don't care much
for Part or his antics.
I mean, I don't think it's because you're holding the celebriy guests
> to a much higher standard, since you seemed to like the fact that Peter
Spellos
> used profanity and that Wankus likes to clutch women's breasts. /:)
If Peter or Wankus had said anything nasty about Armada that was also
practically impossible to back up, then I'd probably dislike them as well.
Fortunately, they aren't that petty or rash.
> >Actually, I never assumed that it was a personal attack on Garry at the
> >time.
>
> In your report you said, "The hell? Who was this negative jerk bashing
David
> and Garry?" You didn't say he was bashing Armada Megatron and Optimus.
I admittedly should have phrased that better. What I meant to say was that I
never assumed that Neil had a direct hatred of Garry or David. I'm pretty
certain that the credits weren't shown at the end of the preview, so it's
quite possible Neil had no idea who the voice actors were. Nevertheless, I
do feel he insulted them with his comments.
> I don't think that's relevant, really. Kaplan wasn't predicting that the
> entire show would tank based on that one episode, was he?
I fear the problem here is that you really had to be there in order to
understand just how vehement Neil was. It was VERY clear that he either
expected or hoped that Armada would tank.
> I kind of see your point, here, but I also think you're giving him too
much
> power. Neil Kaplan's just one guy; he really doesn't have any direct
control
> over what other people think of Transformers, or the future success of
Armada,
> or whatever. Besides, it's not like he said all this during the voice
actors
> panel or anything. You and Thylacine 2000 were apparently the only ones
who
> even knew he made these comments.
No, he doesn't have any say in the future of TFs, that's a given. And he was
actually quite funny at the voice actors panel for the most part.
Nevertheless, I'd say the damage has been done. Thy, Dal, and I may have
been the only ones to personally witness his antics in the elevator, but he
was also shooting his mouth off in the Hilton lobby and in the bar on
Saturday night in front of a ton of attendees.
> Still, I agree that he could have been more tactful.
Without question.
Susp
"If you have nothing interesting to say, say it anyway." -Squawktalk
Jackpot
>
> Suspsy wrote:
>>
>> Damn straight, baby.
>
> That's nice of you to take pride in your work of authorship,
> but if you call me "baby" ever again I WILL be forced to
> kick your ass.
>
> --Mery, not even Mr. Underscore X gets to call me that.
Holy shit.
http://groups.google.com/groups?q=g:thl809353069d&dq=&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8
&oe=UTF-8&selm=Xns9239D4E9D7D10jackpot%40216.174.194.50
- Jackpot (who's better than EACH AND EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU.)
superspy
then said news:20020803193939...@mb-mm.aol.com:
>
> I don't think that's relevant, really. Kaplan wasn't predicting that
> the entire show would tank based on that one episode, was he? He was
> just offering his first impressions on the show. It seems like
> you're suggesting that he shouldn't be allowed to have an opinion of
> what he saw until he's watched the *entire* series, and I don't think
> that's really fair. I mean, if that were the case, then *nobody*
> should have an opinion of that first episode at all, right now.
I think you're missing the point here, and I don't think it's entirely
your fault because the tone in Kaplan's voice is just as important as
the words that left his mouth. The crux of this entire argument is that
Kaplan was being unprofessional as a whole. His arguments regarding the
animation notwithstanding, you could tell that his only TRUE problem
stood with the simple fact that he wasn't asked to return as Optimus
Prime; I think it's safe to say that he only found out at the dinner
along with everyone else.
Shock to the system? Hey, sure. Slight smack in the face? Absolutely.
But to take it so personally, and be as vocal about it as he was in
*public* is just unbecoming of anyone in any profession. I've seen
people in much larger ego-stroking jobs suddenly realize they're out of
work handle the news with significantly more grace.
Kaplan made it clear that he genuinely loved playing Optimus Prime. I've
only been to three Botcons so far, and this is the first time I've heard
a VA detail how happy they were about getting a part. On one level I
feel bad for him, but on another I can't help but feel that I would've
left Fort Wayne with more respect of him as a person if he'd pointed out
the GOOD aspects of Armada and Chalk's Prime instead.
> the future success of Armada, or whatever. Besides, it's not like he
> said all this during the voice actors panel or anything. You and
> Thylacine 2000 were apparently the only ones who even knew he made
> these comments. Still, I agree that he could have been more tactful.
As an aside, Kaplan was opining [again] on Armada/Chalk in the lounge
Saturday evening. He had a few, but wasn't nearly as blitzed as your
friend and mine, Wankus.
'spy.
Aaron F. Bourque
>Merytneith wrote:
>>
>> Suspsy wrote:
>>>
>>> Damn straight, baby.
>>
>> That's nice of you to take pride in your work of authorship,
>> but if you call me "baby" ever again I WILL be forced to
>> kick your ass.
>>
>> --Mery, not even Mr. Underscore X gets to call me that.
>
>Holy shit.
>
>http://groups.google.com/groups?q=g:thl809353069d&dq=&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&
oe=UTF-8&selm=Xns9239D4E9D7D10jackpot%40216.174.194.50
>
> - Jackpot (who's better than EACH AND EVERY SINGLE
>ONE OF YOU.)
She was probably just busy, Jackpot. You know, a job, or maybe
some college "exam" or "assignment" at the time.
You should probably prepare for a visit from the Assassin Fairy
some time soon.
Aaron "The Mad Whitaker" Bourque; or we could test this: MERY
YOU ARE BABY
--
Women supposedly mature at a faster rate than men
If that is true, how come they live so much longer then . . ?
Nothing says maturity than like transforming robot toys for ten-year-olds
http://members.aol.com/aaronbourque/cryotekwarning.jpg
Zobovor
>I fear the problem here is that you really had to be there in order to
>understand just how vehement Neil was. It was VERY clear that he
>either expected or hoped that Armada would tank.
It probably does lose something in translation, yeah. In any event, thanks for
explaining what happened.
Merytneith
> From: Jackpot i_do_not_read_an...@hotmail.com
>
>
>>Merytneith wrote:
>>
>>>Suspsy wrote:
>>>
>>>>Damn straight, baby.
>>>>
>>>That's nice of you to take pride in your work of authorship,
>>>but if you call me "baby" ever again I WILL be forced to
>>>kick your ass.
>>>
>>>--Mery, not even Mr. Underscore X gets to call me that.
>>>
>>Holy shit.
>>
>>http://groups.google.com/groups?q=g:thl809353069d&dq=&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&
>>
> oe=UTF-8&selm=Xns9239D4E9D7D10jackpot%40216.174.194.50
>
>> - Jackpot (who's better than EACH AND EVERY SINGLE
>>ONE OF YOU.)
>>
>
> She was probably just busy, Jackpot. You know, a job, or maybe
> some college "exam" or "assignment" at the time.
>
> You should probably prepare for a visit from the Assassin Fairy
> some time soon.
>
> Aaron "The Mad Whitaker" Bourque; or we could test this: MERY
> YOU ARE BABY
Sigh.... I really didn't think this was a complicated issue,
but apparently I was wrong. Therefore, allow me to clarify
once and for all:
NOBODY CALLS ME "BABY".... *TWICE*.
Capiche?
--Mery, and I don't sub out ass-kicking to Assassin Fairies,
either. Suspsy's not the *only* one who takes pride in his
work, you know.
Thylacine 2000
>Zob wrote:
> > Besides, it's not like he
> > said all this during the voice actors panel or anything. You and
> > Thylacine 2000 were apparently the only ones who even knew he made
> > these comments. Still, I agree that he could have been more tactful.
>
>
> As an aside, Kaplan was opining [again] on Armada/Chalk in the lounge
> Saturday evening.
Yes. It wasn't just a matter of him in an elevator with 2 people,
giving an extremely negative view of Armada. He spent quite a while
in the hotel lounge on Saturday night basically trashing the show to
anybody within earshot. Made many of the same arguments there,
too--kept coming back to how rotten and low-quality the Armada
animation was, straight out of the '60s, Prime's got no life to him,
it's obviously cheap... ad infinitum.
I cherished RID and really liked Kaplan's voice acting, and I'm no fan
of anime.... but I have to say that I really think he was just
spitting sour grapes. His arguments weren't credible, and his tone
was pretty nasty. Even if you don't like Armada's anime stylings... I
cannot see how somebody could defend the position that its *animation
was terrible*. Because it wasn't. The smoothness and frame-rate
outstrip any cel-toon TFs have ever had, and compare favorably to most
modern TV toons at that.
As for AR Prime's voice... again, who did he think he was kidding?
Neil Kaplan hasn't got a leg to stand on if he's going to criticise
somebody for being a Peter Cullen wannabe, or singling out a new TF
cartoon for abuse because of allegedly bad animation.
Mouse_Pad
"Thylacine 2000" <thytw...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:44ac6dd8.02080...@posting.google.com...
> As for AR Prime's voice... again, who did he think he was kidding?
It's worth noting, also, that this criticism was based on exactly three
words of dialog from Prime. There's no way you could make a valid criticism
of the voice based on that.
And dammit, Thy, AR is Arkansas. ARKANSAS!
Also, I was in the elevator to hear Neil's ranting, though I got off at a
lower floor before hearing the whole thing. It wasn't pretty.
ADY
Thomas Hamann
enough ('cause everyone knows fish don't talk), said:
>From: Jackpot i_do_not_read_an...@hotmail.com
>
>>Merytneith wrote:
>>>
>>> Suspsy wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Damn straight, baby.
>>>
>>> That's nice of you to take pride in your work of authorship,
>>> but if you call me "baby" ever again I WILL be forced to
>>> kick your ass.
>>>
>>> --Mery, not even Mr. Underscore X gets to call me that.
>>
>>Holy shit.
>>
>>http://groups.google.com/groups?q=g:thl809353069d&dq=&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&
>oe=UTF-8&selm=Xns9239D4E9D7D10jackpot%40216.174.194.50
>>
>> - Jackpot (who's better than EACH AND EVERY SINGLE
>>ONE OF YOU.)
>
>She was probably just busy, Jackpot. You know, a job, or maybe
>some college "exam" or "assignment" at the time.
>
>You should probably prepare for a visit from the Assassin Fairy
>some time soon.
>
>Aaron "The Mad Whitaker" Bourque; or we could test this: MERY
>YOU ARE BABY
>
"MERY WILL EAT YOUR BABY!"
--
Thomas Hamann
ZIB Moderator & Zoidfans Web Board Administrator
Zoidfans Web Board: http://server1.ikonboard.com/Zoidfans/
Reviews, scans, fanfics, fanart, models, etc.: http://evilskylark.tripod.com/
Darwinian Road Kill
:>Aaron "The Mad Whitaker" Bourque; or we could test this: MERY
:>YOU ARE BABY
: Nonono,
: "MERY WILL EAT YOUR BABY!"
Cryotek: GET IN MAH BELLY!
Ryan :>
"People who like penguins are nice people" -- Eric Bennett
(Fact: If my .sig gets over 10 lines, you can hit me)
"I have 4 gorillas, and i think you can kill them at botcon." -- Trypticon X
My half-baked site: www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Garden/8720
TF code: G++ AD/A OP/Q P212 ICQ:43171844
M Sipher
> "M Sipher" <msi...@mindspring.com> wrote in message news:aiq1h7
>
> You know, the more I hear about the Armada preview, the more convinced I
am
> that it's going to be a smash. Curses for not registering early enough to
> get a dinner seat. >B(
Two words. BEAST MACHINES.
I'm excited, but a bit wary. I don't think we'll see a repeat of the many
mistakes made in the production of BM (most of which plain and simply boil
down to "rushed out of the gate"), but still.
> > And Armada did something RiD never did... PRIME CHANGED HIS EXPRESSION.
I
> > mean... wow.
>
> . . . .
>
> AAAAAAAARRRGGGGHHHH! WHY DID I NOT REGISTER SOONER? WHY!?
Har har.
> > M "Any Bets?" Sipher
>
> I wouldn't mind seeing him on the same panel as Garry Chalke next year.
It'd
> be ugly, yes, but it'd make for some first-class entertainment.
Me? I want Peter Spellos and Scott McNeil to share a BotCon. That'd be
GREAT, man. Sky-Byte and Waspinator drunk in the bar, complaining about
their Megatrons...
M "Imagine It. Bask In Its Glory" Sipher
--
King Weasel Productions
Home of the productions of King Weasel!
Original stuff, Transformers, MegaMan/RockMan and more crap!
http://www.fortunecity.com/tatooine/simak/109/