AHS Freak Show Nabs 19 Emmy Nominations

American Horror Story Freak Show nabbed a whopping 19 Emmy nominations this morning, second only to the HBO juggernaut Game of Thrones.

Here’s a look at the nominations:

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR A MOVIE: Jessica Lange, Elsa Mars

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR A MOVIE: Denis O’Hare, Stanley

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR A MOVIE: Finn Wittrock, Dandy Mott

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR A MOVIE: Sarah Paulson, Bette & Dot Tattler

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR A MOVIE: Angela Bassett, Desiree Dupree

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR A MOVIE: Kathy Bates,  Ethel Darling

OUTSTANDING LIMITED SERIES

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A LIMITED SERIES, MOVIE OR A DRAMATIC SPECIAL: Ryan Murphy

OUTSTANDING CASTING FOR A LIMITED SERIES, MOVIE OR A SPECIAL

OUTSTANDING CINEMATOGRAPHY FOR A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE

OUTSTANDING COSTUMES FOR A PERIOD/FANTASY SERIES, LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE

OUTSTANDING HAIRSTYLING FOR A LIMITED SERIES OR A MOVIE

OUTSTANDING MAIN TITLE DESIGN

OUTSTANDING MAKEUP FOR A LIMITED SERIES OR A MOVIE (NON-PROSTHETIC)

OUTSTANDING PROSTHETIC MAKEUP FOR A SERIES, LIMITED SERIES, MOVIE OR A SPECIAL

OUTSTANDING MUSIC COMPOSITION FOR A LIMITED SERIES, MOVIE OR A SPECIAL (ORIGINAL DRAMATIC SCORE)

OUTSTANDING SOUND EDITING FOR A LIMITED SERIES, MOVIE OR A SPECIAL

OUTSTANDING SOUND MIXING FOR A LIMITED SERIES OR A MOVIE

OUTSTANDING SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Yep, you read it correctly–there is a three-way race for best supporting actress.  Who do you think will win that one?  Personally, I think it’s a travesty that John Carroll Lynch wasn’t nominated for his portrayal of the tragic serial killer Twisty the Clown.  How do you feel about the incomparable Frances Conroy being left out?  And Naomi Grossman, who brought us to tears with her daring performance as Pepper.

What do you think of the Emmy nominations?  Was anyone left out?  Who are you pulling for?

SDCC Preparations: Sunday

With the 4th of July holiday over, SDCC preparations were in fully swing on Sunday.  Half of the San Diego Convention Center was adorned with the iconic blue, yellow, black and white banners signaling the return of San Diego Comic Con.    

Here is a look at the progress so far:

New Poll Says San Diegans Would Prefer Keeping SD Comic Con Over Chargers

In a (completely non-scientific) poll by the San Diego Union Tribune, a majority of San Diegans favor keeping San Diego Comic Con over the San Diego Chargers.

Clearly, the public sentiment in San Diego is changing amid clandestine backdoor dealings between the Spanos family and Carson, and special counsel Mark Fabiani stalling talks between the Chargers and the city.  Where there was once a fierce battle cry over the loss of our beloved football team, now there’s a bit of healthy suspicion caused by the team throwing shade to its Bolt Faithful.  If they want to stay so much, why are they doing so  much to leave?

There’s no real way to determine the amount of money the Chargers bring the city, but I’d imagine that the Chargers aren’t exactly a cash cow for the tourism industry in San Diego.  While it’s true that landing another Super Bowl would lead to economic prosperity for the city, hosting duties only come every so often, and our Chargers aren’t exactly Super Bowl contenders.  There aren’t many people who come to San Diego eight times a year to watch the Chargers play.  At this point, we’d be building a stadium to appease the Chargers…and to profit from all of the other non-Chargers events held in it.

SDCC, on the other hand, brings in over a hundred million dollars to local businesses every year, with the annual revenue on a perpetual uptick.  SDCC is a huge cash cow, and the city would be foolish to let it go.  Every bit of the Convention Center expansion would be worth its weight in gold, and not just because of SDCC; the recent Cisco convention, though smaller than SDCC in terms of participants, brings in as much (and possibly more) money to local businesses than SDCC.

As a native San Diegan, avid sports fan and card-carrying nerd, I feel bad about the Chargers, but they’re not exactly helping their cause.  Leaving San Diego seems to be a done deal.  (Remember, they’ve been secretly working on this since 2013)  SDCC was born in the basement of the El Cortez Hotel, and the Powers That Be want it to stay in San Diego.  Unlike the Chargers, SDCC can demonstrate how they impact San Diego’s economy.  San Diego businesses fully support SDCC and [most of them] cater to SDCC because SDCC does so much for them.

If a deal can be made to keep the Chargers, and if it makes sense for the city, then I’m all for it.  However, at this juncture, now that SDCC has committed to staying in San Diego through 2018, I believe that we need to shift our focus to make sure the Convention Center expansion happens soon so that we never have to have the “should I stay or should I go” conversation with SDCC again.

What do you think?

You can read more about the UT poll here.

The Calm Before the SDCC Storm: Friday Preparations

It’s the Friday before San Diego Comic Con.  It’s a beautiful San Diego day and preparations are being made all around the Gaslamp.  One thing I’ve noticed is that it seems like the SDCC fervor has been impacted by the July 4th holiday; preparations are moving at a slower pace because so many people are celebrating the holiday in and around the Gaslamp.  However, come Monday the Convention Center will be a hub of activity.

The Convention Center looks eerily empty given how it will look at this time next week.

Hall H is wide open.

The San Diego Hilton Bayfront is getting wrapped as we speak.

The MTS Trolleys have been wrapped in Scream Queens, Conan, and The Muppets.

Speaking of Conan (who is hosting his show from SDCC this year)

Mary Jane’s at the Hard Rock Hotel is getting a dose of the SyFy experience

It’s a beautiful day…and you can almost feel the SDCC buzz….

SDCC is Taking Shape

The Problem With “It’s Twitter”

Recently, author E. L. James had a conversation with fans on Twitter using the hashtag #AskELJames.  Instead of a conversation, James was viciously attacked. 

This sparked a number of blog posts about the issue of hateful and hurtful comments being posted online, from book review sites to articles, Facebook and Twitter, and everywhere in between.  One such blog post by Deb Ng caught the attention of author Anne Rice, who has been crusading against this growing trend.  You can find the post here.

After reading her very thoughtful post, one of the comments caught my eye.  In it, the commenter stated that “it’s Twitter” and that these kind of hateful attacks are to be expected from the popular social media site. Twitter, of course, is a micro bogging site that gives users 140 characters to speak their mind. 

Here is my issue: No matter what social media platform you’re using, you have no right to attack people.  This applies to book reviews, discussions, comments, and any other place where you can post comments.  That stands to reason, right?  Common courtesy, social etiquette, netiquette….

But when you say “it’s Twitter” it makes it okay to post hateful messages.  If we allow it, and it is tolerated because “that’s how it is”, then it becomes accepted even though it isn’t acceptable.

Twitter allows users to block abusive users, and they can also be reported.  Let’s use those tools to show people that we don’t want to see their hateful posts. Let’s make it clear that we don’t accept this unacceptable behavior.

SDCC Weather Advisory

With a week to go before SDCC, I thought you might appreciate a weather update.

It has been humid here the past few days. Very. Humid.  Right now in San Diego it’s 75 degrees with 78% humidity.  No bueno.  And it’s raining in some areas.

Of course, San Diego needs the rain, so this is a good thing.  And it’s monsoon season, so that’s where this weird moisture is coming from. 

The weather people say it’s going to be better next week…but it’s important to be prepared.  If you recall, we had high humidity and some rain last year during SDCC. The humidity wreaked havoc on cosplayers.  Makeup was running down faces.

So be prepared.  As you pack your bags, consider the possible humidity.

End of public service announcement.  For now.