Hello to all you costume-wearing, body-spray-dousing, autograph-collecting, line-standing, exhibit-loving, have-you-ever-felt-like-you-are-in-a-giant-ant-colony enthusiasts! --- This is being written just a few hours after Salt Lake Comic Con, one of the few events I've ever been to where I saw more fire marshall reps than during a fire department fundraiser. The building was shut down at one point, capping off at what's been rumored to have been 80,000 attendees, with thousands more outside, pissed off they couldn't get in. Overall, the event was awesome: Every booth was happy to be there, the writers and artists loved chatting with everyone, the media was great. As a side note, Kevin Sorbo called my mom for a quick chat (very awesome man), so I'm good until Christmas. Personally speaking, I enjoyed the event and the crowds ... well, everything except one, tiny, pathetic moment. When Adam West and William Shatner were set to do their one-on-one interview, 15 minutes before they started a notice was sent out that no media were allowed to attend, at the request of Mr. West and Mr. Shatner.

In truth, this guy, being hauled around in a golf cart (while a nine-years-his-senior Stan Lee walked around), made sure that no media could be a part of anything he was involved in (partial shaming to Adam West for going along with Friday-night's media shut-out), which included his grand chat mid-afternoon on Saturday. People like myself attempting to cover the event as a whole couldn't even sit in the back and watch unless we forked over extra cash. And this isn't even the Con's fault; they signed the man and, it being their first year, simply allowed every rider stipulation to be enforced. With all due respect to the man's career and achievements, I didn't attend the event to make a millionaire richer, so to hell with William Shatner. I fully support the people in the thick of it all, the booths and local representatives at Comic Con who had no issue talking to people. You can check out all my photos from Saturday in this gallery here. Before we go to events, here's the latest look at the 337 Memorial Wall.

To be honest, the next couple of weeks are very dry on non-concert-related material. So, here's a brief rundown of what's sitting on my calendar. Sunday will have the latest Urban Flea Market on 600 South; the next Avenues Block Party will take place at Hatch Family Chocolates on Sept. 13; the Dirty Dash returns to Soldier Hollow on Sept. 14; Utah Pride Center Week kicks off on Sept. 15, which includes a number of events; the last Red Butte Show will take place on Sept. 16; and finally, Provo Pride (which I'll discuss more later on the blog) will happen on Sept. 21.

As for the blog: I'll get back into concert coverage on Monday, chat with a local non-alcoholic brewer, speak with someone making waves on Internet radio, preview the Comedy Carnival, check in with SLAC over its first performance of the new season and talk about Provo Pride before it happens next week. At least, that's the plan, provided everything goes according to schedule and my computer doesn't die a horrible death as I take it to the operating table in a moment. As always, we'll see what happens.

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