The 25th anniversary convention was held this year in Las Vegas, the host hotel was the "fabulous" Circus
Circus. I never quite understood what made it so "fabulous", besides being located within the city limits
of Las Vegas. "Welcome to fabulous Las Vegas", the sign boasts upon entering the town's border.
It's a nice enough hotel as far as hotels go- and in the standard glitz tradition of Las Vegas, there is far too
much to do in the space provided. And far too much space provided to do it in- to the point that "getting
lost on your way to your room" should be included in the brochure, complete with a picture of a flustered
looking Mom and Dad trying to figure out where the heck the West Tower is with junior in tow.
You see, the Circus Circus purports to be a "family oriented" hotel. Smack dab in the middle of Sin City,
there lies a virtual nirvana for the wholesome family values that American parents and their 2 and a half kids
can enjoy. Complete with three casinos and 99 cent Margaritas.
But underneath all the matching rooms and the midways lurks a deeper evil.
The clowns should have given it away. As far as I'm concerned, anyone who considers a grown man in oversized red
rubber shoes and caked-on whiteface entertainment should be shoved onto a sizable barge with other similar heathens
and shipped off to sea somewhere so the rest of us with taste can live in peace without these imbeciles insisting
to try to "cheer us up" with a balloon animal or ten.
But I digress, and return to the point. (I move in circles so I don't lose it.)
Circus Circus was the host hotel, and also was to be utilized for many of the convention functions: pre-registration,
and the fan portion of the convention to be held on Friday. However, at a moment in time that was just about as
damn close to "the last minute" as one could get, it was announced the venue was changed to the Cashman
Center. Take a cab, enjoy your stay. It was further noted that there was a neighboring convention held at the same
time- this one for "Soldier of Fortune".
If there is one thing that men in fishnets do not go with- it's ex-CIA agents who love semi-automatic weapons.
Most guns these days have silencers on one end, and bigots on the other. Quite a way to celebrate the sexual and
cultural acceptance that is the manifesto of Rocky fans.
When we arrived at the hotel itself, there was a large sign in one of the main casinos which advised that the "Fox
25th Anniversary Convention" had been canceled. Now, it may just be me, and I may be forgetful in my young
age (I suffer from "sometimers" disease. It's not QUITE alzheimers, but I'm working on it) but I think
20th Century Fox is a bit older than that.
Well the convention came and went, and those that wanted to had a wonderful time (myself included), and besides
a few hitches in the scheduling, and a few bitches in pajamas- things went rather well. No one got shot by the
SoF people, no one died of alcohol poisoning, and despite any complaints about casting, I think they were some
damned good shows.
But that sign bothered me. It brought to mind the memory of the last Las Vegas convention I attended, when the
convention hall was labeled as "Movie Enthuisasts Convention".
Being a Rocky fan, I have a very long list of some very offensive words, ready and waiting and at my disposal.
I've never considered "Rocky" and "Horror" to be among them.
As it turned out, the venue change had nothing to do with ticket sales, nor was it any decision made by those who
organized the convention. CC had decided that it's image would be tainted by a Rocky convention held in it's establishment.
In fear of what would happen when the sexually degenerate arrived, they pulled the plug.
That much I'm used to. For all the time I've spent with Rocky, all the things I have seen, I have all but given
up on the notion that others will ever "get it". I have absolutely no doubt that no one will ever understand
what the true meaning of Rocky Horror is- they see the fishnets on a hairy thigh, and run.
But what bothers me most is that sign. And the two times I have seen such cowardice is in Las Vegas.
Las Vegas. The city where prostitution is considered as normal as stamp collecting (philately will get you nowhere?),
where walking with an open container of alcohol is both commonplace and encouraged, where one-armed bandits grab
you by the shirt collar the minute you get off the plane- and here's the part that most strangely applies to this
enigma- where most women you see on stage in glamour and beauty are men.
This is the place where the words "Rocky" and "Horror" are explicit and unspoken. This requires
explaining to me.
Don't get me wrong- I'm not of the camp that blames the organizers for holding back on the "great secret"
of the venue change. They had the immense responsibility of organizing (and re-organizing) events in such a way
to ensure we HAD them, as well as enjoyed them, all the while treading the precarious line of diplomacy to avoid
any backlash among the faithful and pissed off. I don't blame them for that worry, and I think they should be applauded
for what they pulled off.
What I do take issue with is the inability of cowards to even name what it was they are afraid of.
As it turned out, both the Cashman and the Hard Rock proudly displayed the forbidden words in thousands of flashing
lights on impressive marquees heralding our arrival. Like mirages in the distance, they were something to behold,
and every time the title flashed, I got a smile on my face. So maybe it was karma at work. Whatever Higher Power
to which you subscribe ensuring that we would be in good hands, that we would enjoy ourselves.
I'm happy it was that way. I'm happy to know that we received better than we would have, that we were all given
fair opportunity with minimum strife to have a good time, and most did. I'm happy to have survived the men with
AK47s and camoflauge, and I am proud to report that thanks to the cowardice and the cancellation of "Fox's
25th", I did not get one single balloon animal.