I-ManiCon 2008 Cancelled

Times are hard for a lot of folks right now and, unfortunately, the I-Maniacs fan club board hasn’t escaped feeling some financial pressures as well.  So, I’m sorry to say that this year the fan club will not be hosting an I-ManiCon.

I always look forward to our annual gathering of cast and fans, so I do have to say I’m disappointed.  But this isn’t the first time that a year or two has been skipped, so if you were saving your spare change to attend, please keep saving.  The fan club board will, hopefully, be able to swing it financially next year.  I’m crossing my fingers! 

 I-ManiCon 2006
Our Guest Cast Panel at I-ManiCon 2006

I-ManiCon 2007 Pictures and Reports

Well, it took a bit of doing and time, but I finally have the pictures up from this year’s I-ManiCon.  I want to give a big shout out of thanks to Laura, Joyce, and Tara who generously shared their pictures with me so that I could share them with you.  I also want to thank all the fans in the pictures who gave me permission to post their picture.

Following are a couple of photos of Mike and Paul.  The rest of the photos can be viewed from the I-ManiCon 2007 Photo Gallery page.

Mike McCafferty

An exhausted Mike McCafferty takes the time to visit with fans. 

Paul Ben-Victor and Lev Gorn

Paul Ben-Victor poses with his friend and fellow Wire actor, Lev Gorn.

In addition to pictures, a few con reports have come in from fellow attendees.  Links to the reports can be found on the I-Maniacs Fan Club’s I-ManiCon 2007 page.

Planning for Next Year’s Con

Next year’s con will be held on July 19, 2008 in Los Angeles, California.  If you’re thinking of attending, here are some things you can do now:

  1. Write down the date in your calendar.  Go ahead.  Do it now so you don’t forget.  I’ll wait.
  2. Flexibility is the key to enjoying yourself at the con.  Remember, there are no guarantees that the cast will be able to attend.  Last year all four guys made it, but this year none of the cast was able to come on the actual day of the con.  However, we were able to meet with Mike and Paul on the following two subsequent days, so try to plan on spending a few days in LA if possible.
  3. I-Maniacs are a fun group of people and we like to sightsee, so do come prepared to hang out with us and tour LA.
  4. Depending on how much notice you need to give at work, reserve your vacation time as early as possible.
  5. Whether it be a savings account, a piggybank, or under your mattress, start a con fund today.  Doesn’t matter if you put in $1 or $100.  Just start saving!

Hope to see you next year at I-ManiCon 2008!

I-ManiCon Debriefing

So it’s been two days since I’ve been back home and I’m just starting to get myself back into a rhythm again.  The pace I’ve been going lately has been fun but exhausting.  Not only is it nice to slow down a bit and recover my energy, but I’ve pretty much been forced to do so since I brought home a rather unexpected souvenir from my trip — a sprained foot.

I gotta tell you, driving from LA to the Bay Area with a sprained foot is not my idea of a fun time.  But I’m grateful that it was my left foot, otherwise, I don’t know how I would have been able to drive home.  The foot is healing nicely and, while still very swollen, I can actually walk around now without too much of a limp.

Okay, enough about my foot.  Let’s talk about the con.  So you’re probably wondering which cast members appeared this year.  Well, the answer is none. 

Yep, none. 

This is the first I-ManiCon ever where this has happened.  We all know that there are no guarantees.  Things happen and this year they happened to everybody at the same time.  Vince had a family reunion, Mike was out of town for a wedding, Eddie was in rehearsals for a play, Paul was doing who knows what, and I don’t have a clue about Shannon.

It pays to be flexible when going to an I-ManiCon.  It also pays to stay in town a few extra days.  Mike flew into town Sunday evening and stopped by the hotel where we were staying for a short visit.  He was an absolute sweetheart to do so because he was exhausted from his trip and he still had an hour’s drive home that night.  By the way, Mike and Sarah are having another boy and he’s due in November.

Paul was able to meet us at a restaurant in Santa Monica on Monday night.  He brought a couple of friends with him and we had a great time. 

The con itself was a fun reunion of old friends and a meeting of new ones.  We did the typical con activities such as play games, watch I-Man videos, go out to eat…and this year we also had a poetry/song reading.

I’m afraid I failed miserably in the picture-taking department.  I was all set to take pictures of the cast at the con, but they didn’t show up and I forgot to take my camera with me when we met with Mike and Paul.  So once again I am dependent on others for pictures, which I hope to have in a week or two to show you.

Overall, it was a great time.  Staying in LA a couple of extra days gave us time to do some sightseeing and gave us the flexibility to meet with Mike and Paul.

I’m looking forward to next year and hoping that all the cast can attend and more fans can join us in the fun!

Off to I-ManiCon 2007!

Dear readers, I apologize for the lack of posts lately, but I promise I’ll get back on track and caught up on the news when I get back.  But now I’m off to Los Angeles for I-ManiCon 2007 to visit with cast and fans!

Feel free to leave comments, but know that I won’t be able to approve them until I get back next week.  I wish I didn’t have to moderate the comments, but if I didn’t, spammers would have free reign to post their crap here and I won’t allow that.

Talk to all of you next week!  

For Sale: I-ManiCon 2007 T-Shirts

T-Shirts for this year’s I-ManiCon are now ready to order!  This year, the very talented Rain, a fan from Australia, graciously volunteered her services and created this absolutely adorable graphic.

I-ManiCon 2007 T-Shirt Design

Now is that cute or what?  If you wish to see a larger and more detailed view of the picture, I’ve placed a copy in the Fan Art Gallery.  Just click the button at the bottom of the picture to expand it to full size.

Happily, you don’t have to attend the con to get your own t-shirt.  T-shirts; as well as other merchandise like mugs, mouse pads, pins, and more; are now available for order online.  Laura, an Oklahoma fan, has made ordering easy by setting up a store at Zazzle.com.  However, the easiest way to find the store is to go directly to Laura’s website and click on the moving Zazzle picture.

Now go check out the assortment of cool merchandise!

I-ManiCon 2007 Website

If you’re itching to come to the I-ManiCon this summer, you’ll be interested in knowing that the official website is now up.  I can’t take credit for doing it this year as I had to bow out due to time constraints.  This film project keeps me busy!  But, thanks go to Deb, the I-Maniacs Fan Club webmaster, for taking over the job. 

This year you can find the con website at the I-Maniacs Fan Club website.  The direct link is http://imaniacs.org/cons_events/imanicon2007/index.htm.

Last year, Vincent Ventresca, Paul Ben-Victor, Eddie Jones, and Mike McCafferty were able to attend.  It was such a treat to have them there!  This year, Joyce, the fan club president, tells us that all four guys are available to come again.  Of course, that could change if they have to work, but I’m hoping that all four will be able to make it again this year.  No word on whether Shannon Kenny can come yet, but I’m hopeful.  It would be so cool to have the entire cast at the con this year. 

The registration form is up at the site and the cost of attendance is $40 for the one-day con.  Just print out and fill in the form and send it in with your money.  The admission price does not include meals.  Those are optional.  But I highly recommend that you attend the dinner also because you’ll get to dine with the cast.  We always take them out to dinner as a token of our appreciation for taking time out of their busy schedules to visit with us.

If you’re sitting on the fence wondering if you should go or not, I can assure you that you’ll find the experience worth your while.  It’s a great bunch of fans getting together with a great cast. 

Time is running out.  There are less than nine weeks to the con, which will take place on July 21, 2007.  So get your registration in ASAP!

Hope to see you there!

I-ManiCon Guest Panel

Vince, Paul, Eddie and Mike

I-Man Poetry Contest

Time to put on your thinking caps, get your creative juices flowing, and break out the pen and paper because this year’s I-ManiCon features an I-Man poetry contest. 

Following are the rules of the contest so, if you’re interested in entering the competition, please read them carefully.  Questions should be sent to I_Man_Poetry@yahoo.com

I imagine that eventually these rules will be up on an official I-ManiCon website, but for now I’m helping to get the word out about the contest so that contestants have time to create their masterpieces…err, entries. 

Have fun with it!

  1. Submissions must be original works related in some way to The Invisible Man (2000); this may be in theme, use of characters, etc.  However, no flaming of real-life persons or companies associated with the show, its production, or its airing will be allowed.
  2. Submissions may be any style of verse, including songs. Submissions must be no longer than 350 words.
  3. Entrants must be members of the I-Maniacs, a.k.a. The Invisible Man Fan Club.
  4. Submissions should be sent to I_Man_Poetry@ yahoo.com as e-mail attachments in Microsoft Word document format (.doc extension), 1 poem
    per file. “I-Man Poetry Contest” should be in the subject line, or the e-mail may be mistaken as spam and discarded.
  5. Entrants may submit as many original works as they like.
  6. Entrants should be sure to include, on each page of each entry, their name or handle as they would like it to appear on any awards certificate, list of winners, or publication. Judging will be anonymous.
  7. All persons submitting work agree to allow, without monetary remuneration, their submissions to be printed, published online, or otherwise distributed by the contest coordinators, including officers of the I-Maniacs, a.k.a. The Invisible Man Fan Club, and members of the club who actually work on the I-Man Poetry Contest before, during, and/or after I-ManiCon 2007, in perpetuity. All persons submitting work retain the right to print, publish, or otherwise distribute their
    submissions in any form they may choose.
  8. Submissions are due no later than 11:59 p.m. on July 9, 2007 to allow time for printing. Submissions received after this date will be excluded. Submissions will be judged at I-ManiCon 2007 in Los Angeles on July 21. Entrants need not be present to win.
  9. Submissions must be rated G, PG, or PG-13; anything excessively vulgar or explicit will not be considered for the contest or for publication. Mild profanity may be allowed if it fits within the context of the poem, to be determined by the contest coordinator. The GD, F and S words are forbidden; all others will be considered on a case-by-case situation. The safest way to avoid this problem is to avoid this kind of language. “Crap” is not profanity.
  10. These rules subject to updating or clarification, so please check back from time to time to make sure there have been no changes; entrants will be notified via e-mail if any important changes occur after they submit, but it should not affect their entries.

Fan Club Announces Date of Next Fan Convention

The I-Maniacs Fan Club has announced the date of the next I-Manicon:  July 21, 2007.  So mark your calendars!  If you’re a fan of The Invisible Man, this is a must-attend event.  Seriously, folks, most fans just dream of this kind interaction with their favorite actors.  The fan club makes it happen. 

Last year was hands down the best con we’ve had to date.  We had the pleasure of having Vincent Ventresca, Paul Ben-Victor, Eddie Jones, and Mike McCafferty join us as special guests.  Also in attendance were Eddie’s wife, Anita, and Jason Makiaris, both of whom had guest roles on the show. 

We have yet to get the entire cast in attendance, so maybe this will be the year?  Here’s hoping! 

Check out the following pictures from last year’s con that I-Mom was kind enough to share.

Panel Shot

I-Man Cast 

This year the con will be held in Los Angeles, California, at the same hotel as last year: 

Doubletree Hotel
Los Angeles International Airport
1985 East Grand Avenue
El Segundo, CA 90245

You must be an I-Maniacs Fan Club member to attend, but membership is absolutely free.  It’s a great little fan club and members get some very nice perks.  So if you’re not a member, what are you waiting for?  Go join now! 

Volunteers are needed to help plan the con.  I’ve helped out the two last years, but need to step back this year because it pulls me too much away from the movie project, which has to take priority for me.  So if you can step in and help fill that void, it would be very much appreciated.  You don’t even have to be an attendee to help out. Just go to 
http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/I-Manicon_2007/ and join the Yahoo! group.

The fan club will be sending out more info in the future and I’ll post updates here too from time to time.