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Here's a roundup of "fandom everywhere" stories that might be of interest to fans:

• Mardi Gras in New Orleans now has an open-source side. "Bar2D2, as the robot is called, is the mascot of the Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus, which runs a ragtag operation dedicated to all things science fiction. In two years, the group, which started as a drunken joke in a bar, has become the quickest-growing krewe in the city, and a center of the amateur costume culture in New Orleans." Aside from giving people a chance to be creative, "Chewbacchus and krewes like it are a response to the exclusivity of the older groups. Chewbacchus does not have any waiting lists or recommendation requirements, and dues are only $42 (an arcane numerical reference to the novel “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”)." Rather than change old traditions, the krewe believes they are modernizing it. "“The old Mardi Gras krewes play off of Greek gods,” Mr. Powers said. “We believe sci-fi is the strongest mythology of our time.”"
• Star Wars fandom was also in focus at the Hollywood Theater in Pittsburgh. The Fandom Meant Us is "a romantic comedy about Star Wars fans’ love for Star Wars, and their love for each other" that was advertised as "an awesomely geeky Valentine’s Day date."
• Media scholar Henry Jenkins ran a three-part interview with authors Catherine Belcher and Becky Herr-Stephenson, authors of Teaching Harry Potter: The Power of Imagination in the Multicultural Classroom, which Jenkins recommended as "one of the most powerful and engaging books I've read about American education in a long time." In discussing student reluctance, the authors write "The first thing we question is the idea that the "whiteness" of the books negates their use in multicultural classrooms. The nature of the books themselves - their complexity and Rowling's willingness to take on difficult and contemporary issues such as racism, genocide, classism, and difference - make them uniquely valuable." They add "On another level, it is also important because so many white, middle to upper middle class kids DO have ample access to Potter and other popular series at home and at school. In many ways, building students' reading confidence, helping them discover that yes, they too can tackle a book of this length or "that style," whether they end up feeling it is ultimately for them or not, is the most valuable accomplishment."

If you are a Star Wars or Harry Potter fan, why not contribute to Fanlore? Additions are welcome from all fans.

We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, event, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent Links Roundup — on transformativeworks.org, LJ, or DW — or give @OTW_News a shoutout on Twitter. Links are welcome in all languages!

Submitting a link doesn't guarantee that it will be included in a roundup post, and inclusion of a link doesn't mean that it is endorsed by the OTW.

Here's a roundup of stories on fandom works in the news that might be of interest to fans:

• Indiana Jones fan Jeff Gurwood created a stop-motion film of the Raiders of the Lost Ark opening which gained media attention. The film took "six months of work, 45 hours a week" and "cost him about $500 to $600." The fan film was undertaken only after he and his creative partner attempted to sell a film based on an original work they had made and after the "Syfy channel came close to green-lighting a series. And Adult Swim, the late-night arm of Cartoon Network, talked to the pair about a year before producing Robot Chicken, which also features action figure stop-motion." He currently has at least one offer: "A major toy manufacturer saw the Raiders video and is looking to hire Gurwood to make videos for its toy lines."
• The band My Chemical Romance's new video was partially created by a fan. "Emily Eisemann, a 21-year-old from New York, had created a collage-like YouTube video called “My Chemical Romance - Celebrating 10 Years as a Band,” which singer Gerard Way and crew stumbled upon while mining for footage to use in a similar purpose." Now available on YouTube "in a nod to Eisemann, her original video -- and story -- is also linked prominently."
• Filmmaker Ryan James Yezak "was better known on YouTube for his glittery remakes of Katy Perry and Rihanna videos as gay love stories" before he turned his hand to a new project, a successful fund raising effort to create "a full-length documentary, called Second Class Citizens." The current trailer "takes the viewer on a fast-paced journey through the gay rights movement, starting with historic footage denouncing “homosexuals.”" A major supporter was actor George Takei. "“This young filmmaker made my Spidey video,” he tweeted, referring to a campaign to have Takei play Spider-Man on Broadway. “If you watch one clip today, let it be this.”"
• Less inspiring is a recent trend to get celebrities to read fan fiction on camera, the more potentially embarrassing the better. Ralph Fiennes' appearance reading Harry Potter fanfic was covered by dozens of sites including TV Guide, Entertainment Weekly, The L.A. Times and Vulture. A post at Crushable mentions a similar recent case in Twilight fandom. While it has been considered poor etiquette for fans to confront celebrities with fan fiction written about them or their projects, the media seems to be setting different boundaries for ratings fodder.

If you're part of My Chemical Romance, Twilight, Harry Potter or Indiana Jones fandoms, why not contribute to Fanlore? Additions are welcome from all fans.

We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, event, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent Links Roundup — on transformativeworks.org, LJ, or DW — or give @OTW_News a shoutout on Twitter. Links are welcome in all languages!

Submitting a link doesn't guarantee that it will be included in a roundup post, and inclusion of a link doesn't mean that it is endorsed by the OTW.

Here's a roundup of stories on female fandom that might be of interest to fans:

• FemPop claimed that Women Geeks Rule. "Male geeks are the “real geeks” right? The rare female geek who share [sic] the same interest is a girl geek first and a geek second. But according to this infographic male geeks and the fandoms they are most commonly associated with are in the minority. Between them Harry Potter and Twilight fandoms have more than 51 million fans on Facebook. That’s six times as many fans as Doctor Who, Pokemon, Star Wars and Star Trek combined. By sheer numbers female dominated fandoms rule the earth." The MarySue also pulled out some evidence when pointing out that men and women were equally interested in genre films. "Perhaps Hollywood will see this and realize they don’t need to subscribe to the school of thought that men and women like opposite things."
• FemPop was certainly right in suggesting that men are the ones thought of when it comes to fandom, by both the media and the men themselves. In his first column for NextMovie.com the author of "Planet Fanboy" wrote "And lest you think you lack the cred to attain true geek glory, I'm here to inform you that all are welcome. Seriously, the more we let in the club, the more likely someone is to introduce us to their sister." Apparently sisters themselves could not possibly be part of the audience. Similarly, while Unleash the Fanboy (as opposed to just Fan) hosted a column about girl geek myths they also managed to be derogatory about older women in a column about fandom knitting. "At one time in our lives, knitters were the most despised people in the world. Mostly comprised of grandmothers and other matronly figures, they would force us to adorn ourselves in ridiculously embarrassing attire that their hands had diabolically fashioned."
• By contrast, The Fangirl Next Door created a podcast on women who are part of the Star Wars franchise adding, "I must make a point to mention that you do not have to be a Star Wars fan for this podcast to hit home. This particular episode is all about empowerment."

If you take part in Star Wars or any other fandom, why not contribute to Fanlore? Additions are welcome from all fans.

We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, event, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent Links Roundup — on transformativeworks.org, LJ, or DW — or give @OTW_News a shoutout on Twitter. Links are welcome in all languages!

Submitting a link doesn't guarantee that it will be included in a roundup post, and inclusion of a link doesn't mean that it is endorsed by the OTW.

The Futures of Entertainment conference was held at MIT over November 11-13 and several panels dealt with fan topics. Videos of conference panels are now available. One was of "Collaboration? Emerging Models for Audiences to Participate in Entertainment Decision-Making". The panelists were Jamin Warren, whose interest is in video games, Seung Bak whose business streams international films, and C. Lee Harrington, a sociologist who has studied soap opera fans and is focusing on aging audiences.

• The panel began by discussing how fans are influencing corporate decision makers, starting with the case of the Hoover corporation to partner with soap fans to protest the cancellation of All My Children. They also touched on fan subbing communities, and how foreign content such as Korean dramas or telenovelas from Latin America have language barriers to their distribution. Bak said that 80% of his site's content is subtitled through crowd sourcing. This led into a discussion of content creation tools being given to video game communities.
• There is more of a focus on international audiences for products that are flops in their home countries since they may become popular in other locations and to other audiences. Bak said that although 80% of his site's content was Korean in origin, his audience of users is only around 30% Asian, with 15% being Hispanic, 15% African American and 30% Caucasian. Harrington mentioned that age may be a factor in content reception since older audiences do not generally see participation as part of their role as media consumers. Warren agreed, noting that games need to be marketed based on what people like to do with the games, rather than their demographics.
• Another topic broached was how credit is given to participants outside the business model. Warren cited Defense of the Ancients and the complications for games in how the copyright law applies to them, as well as their team-based authorship. There was then a discussion about fan-curation experts, and different paths for fans to follow, whether to professional work or simple play. Warren mentioned that professionals also need to be able to balance their creative work and their need to work for clients. The panel concluded by circling the issue of how valuable audience contributions can be solicited and rewarded.
• An example of solicitation and rewards to an audience can be seen in the Worldbuilder experiment announced by Angry Robot. "In January, when we publish...Empire State, we’ll be inviting fan creators everywhere to visit...and create their own works of art based in the Empire State universe. These creations can then be uploaded to a dedicated website, and distributed under a Creative Commons license. The best of these will be featured in a number of “Best of” anthologies (with most of the proceeds going to the creators)."

If you are part of a gaming or a fansub community, or in a soap opera fandom, why not contribute to Fanlore? Additions are welcome from all fans.

We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, event, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent Links Roundup — on transformativeworks.org, LJ, or DW — or give @OTW_News a shoutout on Twitter. Links are welcome in all languages!

Submitting a link doesn't guarantee that it will be included in a roundup post, and inclusion of a link doesn't mean that it is endorsed by the OTW.

Here's a roundup of stories on Twilight fandom that might be of interest to fans:

• The recent release of Twilight's latest film produced a flurry of news articles, many of them focusing on fans. The FabLife posted for a week on fans including a feature on Lori Joffs and the Twilight Lexicon. Asked "Have you ever felt this way about any other book/movie/person/thing?" she replied "Of course! I am a fan through and through. When I say I am a fan of something big, I mean it! I’ve been a fan of Disney since I can remember. I saw Beauty and the Beast in the movie theater seven times when I was in high school. I’m a fan of sci-fi and have played around in both the Star Wars and the Star Trek fandoms. And of course, there is Harry Potter! Laura (the co-owner of the Lexicon) and I met each other on line through Potter, and we visited so many Potter fansites that we learned from them how we wanted to run our own site."
• The Midland Daily News declared that 'Twilight' fandom spans generation, interviewing various mother-daughter fans. "Aimee Seamster, a young wife and mother to two daughters, said, "I heard about it when it came out but I refused to get in on all the hype of the whole thing. I was flipping through HBO and decided to watch "Twilight." Half-way through, I fell in love with it." Later her daughter Sheridan watched New Moon at a friend's house. Aimee said, "After I watched it I realized we both liked it and we had something special just between her and me. It was something we could share.""
• Many other press clippings deal with the importance of women's issues, sometimes, as in NY Magazine, simply by noting that it's a major film with multiple female roles. The Hairpin's feature compared the story to an "eighteenth-century seduction novel", while Alyssa Rosenberg responds by noting how the horror of pregnancy and childbirth are addressed in a way few texts dare. Time Magazine agrees and suggests "Maybe part of the reason critics deplore these movies is not only because they are so unfamiliar with kooky heterosexual female fantasies but also because they don’t really like what these fantasies say about men."

If you are part of Twilight fandom, why not contribute to Fanlore? Additions are welcome from all fans.

We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, event, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent Links Roundup — on transformativeworks.org, LJ, or DW — or give @OTW_News a shoutout on Twitter. Links are welcome in all languages!

Submitting a link doesn't guarantee that it will be included in a roundup post, and inclusion of a link doesn't mean that it is endorsed by the OTW.

Here's a roundup of stories providing a a look at fan and creator interactions that might be of interest to fans:

• In the KUOW podcast To Be A Fan Is To Be In Love: 3 Films About Fandom, music writer and DJ Hannah Levin spoke about the "tribalism" of Judas Priest fans shown in the documentary "Heavy Metal Parking Lot." She cited how the fans saw the band they follow as the leaders of their community, and thus had very high expectations for them. The expectation of fans is also at the root of "The People vs. George Lucas" in which the storyline of Anakin Skywalker is compared to Lucas' career trajectory. Levin suggests that fans' own age and nostalgia is at the root of much of their disaffection with the first trilogy of the Star Wars franchise. She concludes by discussing "Almost Famous" the semi-autobiographical film by Cameron Crowe and how his ambition to be a rock journalist is at war with his innate fannishness. Levin identifies with Crowe's character, stating she was also determined to protect her inner fangirl when she followed the same career path. (Links to the films, including a full viewing of the heavy metal documentary, are available at the website.)
• Wired magazine also focused on the Lucas documentary by interviewing the creator, who stated "I’ve always been fascinated by the uniquely dysfunctional relationship between George Lucas and his fans." While those in other fandoms might disagree about the uniqueness of the relationship, they might identify with his frustration: "Why would George care, when the message that the fans send him is that they’ll buy anything he releases– even if they don’t like it?"
• A NY Times article looks at the financial exchange between creators and fans on a different front: the California Resale Royalties Act, which requires "anyone reselling a piece of fine art who lives in the state, or who sells the art there for $1,000 or more, to pay the artist 5 percent of the resale price." The law is at the heart of several recent lawsuits, as it is neither well understood nor generally adhered to as it stands in contrast to more common copyright law. A post at Freakonomics noted that the law tended to benefit wealthier artists and like California's law on "“right of publicity” that gives living and dead people alike (in the latter case, through their heirs) the right to control commercial use of his or her likeness, name, image or identity" came about because the most likely beneficiaries resided in the state.

If you are part of Star Wars or music fandom, why not contribute to Fanlore? Additions are welcome from all fans.

We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, event, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent Links Roundup — on transformativeworks.org, LJ, or DW — or give @OTW_News a shoutout on Twitter. Links are welcome in all languages!

Submitting a link doesn't guarantee that it will be included in a roundup post, and inclusion of a link doesn't mean that it is endorsed by the OTW.