Wednesday, July 16, 2008

CRIMINAL MINDS CONVENTION UPDATE:


Criminal Minds: I wanted to take a moment and update everyone on the status of the first Criminal Minds convention tentatively scheduled for the end of June or first week in July. Because Criminal Minds fans live all over the globe it has been impossible to find a month that will please everyone based on the overwhelming emails of interest we have received. A very small committee, representing various Criminal Minds groups, is traveling to LA the last week in Feb. to book a hotel and to plan an itinerary based on the meeting rooms we find and the tourist attractions that we find that meet the limited financial budget that several people have asked us to be sensitive to. Ed Bernero, the Executive Producer of Criminal Minds, will be popping into the convention in 2009 at some point which is exciting and several of the writers have also expressed their desire to meet the CM fans attending.

Lori, the Co-Mod of the Criminal Minds Conversation Yahoo group, Debbie, moderator on the Criminal Minds Fanatic message board as well as Lee's wonderful MGG site, and Phoenix, moderator on the CMF message board are working hard to pre-plan as much as they can before our Feb visit. For more info please feel free to email them at loripppls@msn.com or Spymama6863@gmail.com

Now let me answer some of the generic questions I have had emailed to me: No, you do not need to be a member of the Criminal Minds Fanatic message board or Yahoo group to attend the convention. You just need to want to attend! Yes, we realize that those of you traveling from Europe and beyond will want to stay in LA for more days than the convention lasts since you are traveling so far and we are going to pick a hotel that is available for you to continue living in after/before the convention begins. Yes, we can help match you up with a roommate if you need to share a room to save money. Yes, there will probably be scholarship funds for those who may need a bit of financial help. I will know more about this at a later time. Right now the charity committee is committed to making sure that Kim Harrison is #1 in donations for her Aids Marathon but that fundraiser is over in September. The committee raising money in Rick Dunkle's name to benefit the Red Cross has a goal of $7,500 and they are about a third of the way there, so that needs to be accomplished. Criminal Minds fans are helping with the Actors Fund Assistance Fund but that won't affect our ability to raise funds. Once Kim and Rick's charities are completed we can start raising funds for those that need help. Once again our wonderful and generous friends, Allie and Maura, have pledged to help start that fund with $500 so we will need to wait and see what we can do concerning convention assistance.

You now know as much as I know! :)

54 comments:

  1. This is a wonderful information because now I can plan my vacation next year and can start save money after my San Fran trip

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  2. I am so relieved that it is next year because I am definately can save the money by then.

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  3. Great news. Thank you for including people who are not members. I stick to your blog and LJ. Count me in!

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  4. 100% sure I am attending!

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  5. Thrilling news and even my boyfriend wants to come which blows my mind but it's great.

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  6. CM Convention is long over due. Brilliant idea. Thank you for being inclusive. I will email one of your moderators with my contact information. I will be attending.

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  7. Los Angeles here we come!

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  8. We need to make CM shirts so when we are at tourist sites we can remind those that see us to watch the show.

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  9. I'm so excited. I am going to try to get everyone at school to come. That's our summer break.

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  10. Is it too soon for me to pack. I can't wait to meet all my CM buddies and get to put faces to names.

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  11. We're going to have such a great time. I'm super excited and totally ready to hop on that plan!

    To hell with jet lag.

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  12. I am thrilled we are going to get to meet Ed. I was already excited to meet all of the people I have shared the show with but Ed is the cherry on the sundae. I am hope I am not too nervous to speak.

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  13. Judy, I was thinking the same thing. Do you think Ed understands ummmmmmmmm talk because I might not get more out of my mouth than that. Hopefully I will be able to at least thank him for such a great show.

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  14. Great news Jill. Next June / July works really well..gives me time to save up. My husband is coming too so at least I'll know one other person. It'll be great to met Mr Bernero.

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  15. Thanks for the update, Jill!! I can't wait to meet everyone!

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  16. anyone knoks when Criminal minds returns?

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  17. Season four premieres Wednesday, Sept. 24

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  18. There are three of us coming from Helsinki if someone knows another from here then we could room in two rooms for savings.

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  19. Wonderful News!!! Trying to get daughter and husband to come with me.

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  20. I started my diet a few weeks ago and hope to lose 15 lbs before I meet everyone. Wish me luck & see everyone in L.A.!

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  21. This is going to be so much fun and laughs. Talking about the show and meeting everybody. Maybe we can talk about our favorite episodes. I would like to see the place with the hand and foot prints. Is that in this part of California?

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  22. This makes me sooooo happy. Thank you to the planners.

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  23. A live chat this time. Outstanding and something to look forward to doing wih all of you.

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  24. I've asked my parents to make this trip my college graduation present and they said they would seriously consider it.

    I bet they go for it! Yeah!

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  25. If anyone is coming from Chicago let me know so we can fly together and maybe room together. Thanks.

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  26. We'll need for someone to let us know the appropriate rules concerning meeting Ed. Are we allowed to speak to him? Is it rude to ask for his signature? Things like that. I would not want to embarass myself but would love the chance to explain to him how much I enjoy the show and everything he has done for us here on the blog. I'm dying to meet everyone. I am so shy on the mb but I really care about so many of you and look forward to meeting everyone.

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  27. 2 of us coming from Columbis, OH with big smiles on our faces!

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  28. I wonder how many pj wearing cm fans we can fit in one hotel room in the middle of the night watching dvds?

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  29. I could not afford it when it was planned to be in Oct but I can save enough by June. Thanks for pushing the date back!

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  30. I'm driving from Mesa if anyone is on my way then we can drive there together.

    Pamela Rowan

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  31. I am going to try really hard to come.

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  32. Great news - date is noted.
    Hope I have some money left after this year's trip to LA. ;-)

    CU sindee

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  33. Jesse and I are flying in together for 10 days. We are going to leave the convention and spend a few days in Las Vegas. If anyone is interested in coming with us they are welcome.

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  34. We could each bring Kirsten a pen from our country or state. It has been a year since we sent her new pens. We could give them to Ed and ask him to deliver them to her. That would be fun. Seeing all the different pens each other brought. I am really excited about this conv!

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  35. Oh, these are interesting news! I don't know yet how my life will look like next year concerning job and money etc, but I'd love to attend this convention, too. Thanks for the infos!

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  36. I'll be attending!

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  37. Thank all of you for the hard work !

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  38. Totally psyched for the convention! I want my hubby to come with me. Working on him!

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  39. The first round is on me! I started saving my mulla the minute the idea of a convention came up. I am ready!

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  40. We own a printing store in Boca and I was thinking about making us all t-shirts with the CM logo on it but my husband said we can't do it. He said CBS would come after us for copyright infringement. If we can think up something that they can't burn us on then we would do the shirts.

    Thanks for including all the CM groups in the convention. It is really very nice of you.

    Tammy - Myspace

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  41. CM convention! Fantastic idea. I will pass the word to everyone in my groups. Thank you for putting this together. Brilliant as already stated!

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  42. I'm in!!! :) :)

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  43. We'll all need to wear name tags with our real name and also our posting name on it so we know who everyone is. I volunteer to make those. I can photoshop the CM logo on them.

    Let me know well in advance of the trip and I will make them. My contribution.

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  44. Count me in too!

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  45. Sounds really good & I am looking forward to getting a hard date when you all get back in Feb.

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  46. It's a good time for a CM convention. The fourth season will have started and CM deserves a convention. I'll pass the info around the facebook groups and I will attend.

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  47. I need a roomate but I should be able to save for the ticket. I looked and the price wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

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  48. Lets find someone weird at the hotel and try to profile them. *g*

    I will be attending. We're going to have so much fun gabbing with each other.

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  49. Thanks for letting new CM fans come.

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  50. Here is the list of attendees coming from my group. I've asked them to confirm by email individually to you so that you can keep them informed. There are others also interested but only these are definate:

    Jada
    Leeza
    Brianna
    Catrina
    Bella

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  51. It'll be wonderful to meet everyone and put faces to names and user names both!!!!

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