FANGRRL Looks At 2009Hello fanboys and fangirls!
So what do you think of 2009 so far?
Personally, I'm not that impressed. (I intend to send The Powers That Be a strongly-worded letter on this subject soon.) But, hey, at least it's not 2008 – a dismally annoying year for many people, myself included – so things are looking up. ...
**WE INTERRUPT THIS COLUMN FOR A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR**
Two quick items of business to get out of the way:
(1) As you might have noticed, I've got a new online name: Lisa Scherer Ciurro. (Look up at the top of this column if you have no idea what I'm talking about.) The new name is my old name, actually, since "Scherer" is my maiden name. Due to my high school class having its 20th reunion in 2008, I've reconnected with friends, foes and other assorted classmates online over the past few months. This blast from my past would have been much easier, I discovered, had I included my maiden name in any of my online ramblings or social networking profiles. (Obviously I was not the valedictorian of my high school class.) So I'm incorporating my maiden name into my "online name" wherever possible, which means instead of merely one unpronounceable, unspellable surname I now have two. Don't worry: I still answer to just plain "Lisa" and "Hey you!" same as before.
(2) My FANGRRL column publishing schedule has officially changed from weekly to monthly. This change won't make a difference on your end, given my sporadic publishing schedule of late, but it will help keep me in the good graces of Ye Old PCR Editor Mr. Canova and alleviate some of my Southern Baptist guilt.
**WE NOW CONTINUE WITH THE COLUMN ALREADY IN PROGRESS**
... Things are looking up and I'm looking ahead. In particular, I'm looking at the Tampa Bay area. We have a treasure trove of talent, opportunity and creativity here that all too often is overlooked and underappreciated.
Is every local film brilliant and well done, every local book engaging and entertaining, every local event organized and spectacular? Of course not.
Is the Tampa Bay area the next Seattle or Austin? Probably not.
Is there anything happening locally in 2009 that's worth checking out? Um, hello, that's what this whole damn column is about.
Here are a few 2009 event dates already on my calendar:
February 21-28 – Environmental Film Festival
February 26 – March 7 – Gasparilla International Film Festival
March 2-15 (on select days) – Tampa Bay Jewish Film Festival
March 22 – Tampa Comic Book & Toy Convention
March 29 – Cinema Italiano
April 1-5 – Ybor Festival of the Moving Image
April 29 – May 3 – Sunscreen Film Festival
May1-2 – Motion Film Festival
June 19-21 – Metrocon
July 12 – Tampa Comic Book & Toy Convention
October 8-18 – clip (Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival)
October 23-25 – Necronomicon
November 8 – Tampa Comic Book & Toy Convention
This list is by no means complete. There are annual local events whose 2009 dates aren't posted online yet, monthly recurring events too numerous to list here, and goodness knows how many local cons, fairs and fests I've yet to discover.
2009 is picking up. I can feel it.
"FANGRRL" is ©2009 by Lisa Scherer Ciurro. All graphics, except where otherwise noted, are creations of Nolan B. Canova. All contents of Nolan's Pop Culture Review are ©2009 by Nolan B. Canova.
