I attended the Loafies. It was a rather surreal experience. I didn't go up onstage because my win was already announced in Creative Loafing. I was happy to see WMNF, Creative Clay and Jobsite Theatre win. I finally met Wayne Garcia. I saw David Jenkins, but he disappeared before I had a chance to say hi.
I saw Tommy Duncan and thought it was best we didn't talk. Sticks of Fire won readers' choice for best blog.
I technically didn't get my award. The CL staff don't know where it is. They looked. They're going to send it in the mail. Winners get a framed certificate. I declined my loaf of bread. I'm not mad at CL. It's just one of those things that happens. Besides, blogging shouldn't be about winning awards.
Anyone else who reads this blog at the Loafies? I like other people's take on it. It had a New York Eastside feel to it. I thought about cutting out when I saw the people in bath robes waiting to get in.
How many people split for the Hub before the show was over? I hated how the beer line was set up at the Tampa Theatre.
Update: David Jenkins has post up on the Loafies. He also left an interesting comment about the behind-the-scenes work Jobsite did at the Loafies.
The weirdest and most humorous part of the red carpet event was people getting in limos in front of the Tampa Theatre. The limos would drive around the block and drop the people off in front of the red carpet. Eric Snider and Katrina Stevenson were interviewing people with Loafies as prop microphones.
Update: Lorna Bracewell's musical performance impressed me. She performed the song Flowers On the Chains. The song can be heard on her Myspace site.
Update: I need to tell Jill about Lorna Blackwell. She has good (Ani DiFranco) and evil (Pussycat Dolls) musical tastes. I feel it's my duty to save her from the dark side.
I wish you would have said hello...
ReplyDeleteI wish you would have said hi as well. I wouldn't know what you look like, but I was in fact in front of Tampa Theater a few times between 7 and 8 and 9 and 10.
ReplyDeleteI have a lot of thoughts on the event, largely positive.
You have to really give it up to CreLo for biting an event like that off. David Warner and Eric Snider looked to be super-frazzled when I got there. There really was a whole lot to coordinate between live bodies, speaker and performer mics, live and canned A/V feeds, the powerpoint and everything else.
It seemed once the show got underway all went relatively well.
I didn't really get the perspective of a spectator since I was working, but they took care of folks in the green room pretty well with food and drinks.
I also didn't stay til the end (or go to the after party at Fly) due to it being a school night and HEROES coming back on. I was home by 10. I also dipped over to The Hub during that last half hour to have a beer. The Hub was D E A D.
My biggest suggestion is perhaps for them to get ASMs or PAs that could be backstage on headset in concert with the tech guys running everything so messages and calls can be sent between the booth and backstage. For instance, they had a presented not show up so they asked me to present another award, but that message never got back to the booth and I had to tell them over the mic to move the prompter ahead. Not a giant deal, but an easy fix with someone coordinating on a headset.
But it must be easy for the theater guy to pick on production elements. They really did do a good job.
I was a bit disappointed that the critic's picks weren't given awards on stage, and maybe that's just because that would have meant that I got to accept an award. You could likely do both if they called out all the critic's winners per category in one general call, handed them their award and allow them to take a collective round of applause while still keeping the suspense of announcing reader's poll winners live.
I hear they want to make this annual, and knowing this crew they will certainly make next year's event bigger and better.
And hey, who the hell else would get 500 or so pretty diverse people dressed up in Downtown Tampa on a Monday night?
Nope.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I am highly suspicious of creative loafing.
I keep an eye on their ... words, their advertising, the righties trying to write lefty and no I'm n ot talking about Wayne Garcia. I have a soft spot for Wayne. OH !! And Wayne, while I'm thinking about it and I'm sure your wife has said so -- it's TIME for a new picture of you for your byline. GET IT DONE. NO EXCUSES. Love, voxy.
That said;;; (lol)
There's something very murky running between them, the current (and former) owner, former reporters and friends, the mixed messages and the constant bashing of the Free Press. Oh, and the guy they sent out to meet and greet me in blogoland and get a pic. LOL !!
As IF I didn't know that. They think I'm new here.
Just a feeling I get.
You're smart, Michael. In this post (and comment) alone I see red flags of so many sorts that indicate to me the lack of sincerity ----
It's all such bullshit, anyway.
I don't read you any harder than I did last week, BUT !!!!! I am very, very pleased for the exposure for your strong voice and the progressive blogs of Florida.
And damned proud of you even though I think awards are just ... yep -- not why one blogs.
If you win EVERY year, that would be some indication that the award is doing what it should be doing --- recognizing the best.
BUT, according to past and current loafies .... there is a great GREAT deal of corporate and crony influence and don't any yall try to tell me different.
Because .. I"M NOT new here. LOL.
I just didn't give a fuck before. I'm not a Tampa person. When these assholes started stalking me and forcking me to look in their direction I figure they're getting what they ask for when I write about it.
No one forced them to start this.
GREED !!!
Tampa is based on greed, cronyism and control of the justice, legal, development and employment sectors.
When they say it's like that everywhere they are LYING in order to keep you feeling trapped like there is nothing better than Tampa. LOL!!!!
Tampa -- the same old one-cow town it's always been and always will be !
Why??
Because you are greedy, corrupt bastards.
There.
Hope tons of people read this.
You don't have ANYONE fooled.
Everyone knows.
OH pardon me. I know TONS of people WILL read this.
ReplyDeleteIt's PUSHING ROPE ---- best political blogger $$$$$$$$$
David I make sure to say hi next time I see you.
ReplyDeleteTommy, I thought it would be best to leave you alone. I will introduce myself next time I see you.
Vox, I think the Gene Smith or Litbrit will win this year. You might even win. Jim Johnson and I are probably out of the running next year.
It's PUSHING ROPE ---- best political blogger $$$$$$$$$
I haven't seen any dollar signs yet. A loaf of bread doesn't make me Josh Marshall. Although, I wish I was. The guy is a brilliant blogger.
Well, good luck on the dollar signs.
ReplyDeleteMore progressive bloggers should show benefit ... yeah !!
There's been some talk of that.
Huge congrats, Michael. You deserve the recognition.
ReplyDeleteAnd wouldn't it be nice for progressive bloggers to be able to make a little money for our efforts? I'm not holding my breath, though. Even if you write a book and are subsequently published by a pretty major house, the money is hardly going to put you in the big league (those who get foil-embossed covers on their books). In fact, authors--particularly first-time authors--consider ourselves lucky if the advance is enough to cover the child care costs we'll incur while writing (mine wasn't).
You do it for reasons other than money. Great reasons, noble reasons.
And you take heart that your words help, or enlighten, or entertain, or comfort.
Again, BRAVO!
Congrats on the "Best Local Political Blogger" award!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! Thanks for posting about the awards ceremony. I wasn't able to go, so I enjoyed reading your take on the evening. Hope they find your award!
ReplyDelete