You guys, Hollywood Prom happened last night!

Apparently, it happened to be terrible. (As usual, I guess – the last time I watched the whole show I was waiting for Cate Blanchett to pick up her Oscar for Elizabeth, back in the mists of time.)

I was not watching last night either, but because of the miracle of the internet I was updated on the important things, thanks to Twitter and Facebook in general and, during a particular point, no fewer than five people contacting me simultaneously to tell me that Melissa Leo was imploding like a bad soufflé. (More on this later.)

However, the red carpet was not all bad. I have put together a (truly enormous) post of the highlights, for better or worse.

And the winners are…
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Some nice writing news to start the week with – the TOC for Creatures (invisible subtitle: The Musical), edited by John Langan and Paul Tremblay, has been announced!

My story “Keep Calm and Carillon,” first published in Farrago’s Wainscot, is in the anthology, alongside some fantastic writers. The full TOC, and a bigger cover, is available for your perusal here.

In the meantime, casting has opened for Creatures: The Musical, which will have to be produced off-off-off-off Broadway in a staged reading where the Creatures will be represented by finger puppets, since Spiderman pretty much ruined the chance of getting a monster musical funded for the next ten years.

I got back from Boskone last night. It was my first Boskone, but given the number of awesome people who were there (including people I don’t see nearly often enough at other cons, like ), I will probably be back!

I largely had a great time, though there was the unfortunate incident where Margaret Ronald and I got into a round of fisticuffs, documented here by Theodora Goss:

(My actual favorite part of this was that, despite having met her only once before, and being in the process of determining who introduced us that single time, as soon as Dora said, “I’m taking a picture,” and I told Margaret, “We should fisticuff!”, she whipped out fisticuff fists instantly. Sometimes the best part of being at a con is that nerd shorthand actually works.)

Dora took several lovely pictures of the con that are up on her blog, including one at the reading that was kind enough to share.

I like that it looks like a scene from a low-budget action flick in which the government officials gather in a boardroom to hear someone deliver the news that, unless that plane lands in half an hour, the President is in serious trouble.

Left: John, playing the Chief of Security. Right: me, playing Indeterminate Bureaucrat who says, “If we could even clear that much highway – but that’s impossible, we could never get those cars off the road!”

Now it’s back to work. (And practicing packing – I seem to bring about 70% of the stuff I actually use or need on a regular basis, and 130% stuff that would be useful in case of bizarre contingencies, such as the soles of all my other shoes falling off simultaneously.)

Tonight, I am packing my bag (questionably, as per usual, and not helped at all by the fact that it’s going to be anywhere from 17 to 55 degrees while I’m there, so I’m thisclose to just packing pajamas and a coat).

Tomorrow I’m headed to Boskone.

I’m mostly going to be hanging around (I have a busy schedule of people I’ve promised to heckle), but after my joint reading with John Langan at World Fantasy, he apparently turned into a glutton for punishment, because we’re going to do it again this weekend! So Saturday at 3pm, I’ll be the opening act for the John Langan Experience. Hope to see some of you there!

Yay, the BAFTAs happened! I always enjoy a red carpet more when most of the people on it are actually talented. (Oh, you heard me, Hollywood. Don’t even give me that look.)

That said, Jessica Alba is in here. I KNOW, I’M SORRY, please don’t confuse her with anyone who can act, etc. (Not that you would. I mean, it’s Jessica Alba.)

The good news is that most talented actors on the BAFTA red carpet seem to know how to dress; if it’s not stunning, it’s at least perfectly nice. (There was a whole other cadre of red carpet staples that I am assuming are the equivalent to our reality-show stars, dressed in Desperation Chic. It was grim. I ignored them.) On the flip side, a few people who usually know how to dress fell off the wagon this time.

A short parade of lovely gowns, and a few monstrosities, under the cut!

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