Comicon 2010 Phoenix - Avatar Immigration Trouble

[SENORxSNEAKY]

Oh man iwas just looking for vidz on the phoenix comicon because i've never been and was thinking of going, and i found this video. Very nice my man. Maybe its not her fault ......maybe she has been corrupted by the dark side.

[broadcastmyballs]

What a See You Next Tuesday.

[malcolmhex]

lol as if george lucas gives a rats ass about phoenix comicon lol. loved the flesh eating ghouls dvd i got though when comicon was in mesa btw.

[JediGTI]

Bib Fortuna's step sister reject.

[spider9137]

Who was that woman, anyway? Did she have something to do with the convention center?

[AmatterofPat]

She looks cute when she keeps biting her tongue. 

[SpawnofKane]

Okay, I'm a "comic, sci-fi, movie, nerd man person" but I am vividly perplexed by this womans ...errr... reasoning, I realize that this wasn't a 501st division trooper, but if he was... doesn't he still have the ability of free will? Though seeing as he is not one of them this saves a good deal of trouble, more or less. Well in the end it still made for a great video! Love the channel!

[Megastros]

hope that troll didnt ruin your good time lol

[jonathanHarris567]

Ok, you are legally protected under the law to say what you believe in. However, that is symbolic speech. in which if you are wearing a storm trooper uniform, it can be taken that the copyrighted trademark of Lucas arts is making a political statement and not the person inside the suit. In essence, that is not allowed. However, if the person took off his/her helmet and told this, it would be allowed. There is no supreme court case involving copyrighted material making political statements.

[JediGTI]

This is a prime example of of why I will never join the 501st. You can see me in the "The Force Among Us" telling you why.

[BLAARGHTASTIC]

BITCHES AND WHORES.

[ShawnG413]

what a trunt



[albuspotter9]

Wait, if the Storm Trooper was with you, then why didn't you just tell the lady? Like, "Hey, calm down, he's not even your guy."

[PoliceTelephoneBox]

Lmao this lady obviously doesn't know anything about copyright and parody. I've meet a number of 501st members and most of them are completely cool and awesome. If LFL would try to sue the judge would probably throw the case out. You guys handled this better than I would have, because I'd have immediately called security and report her for harassment.

[toybreak]

Wow. Although completely misguided, this lady probably had the fear of Lucas put into her if she helped work to bring the 501st to the event. A quick search for "Star War Political" will yield thousands of relevant results where Star Wars imagery is used politically. Kraptv13 had a great idea to use pop culture references to satirize the current political climate and if that Stormtrooper was not part of the 501st (as stated below), the only problem with the whole situation was that lady.

[sanguis88]

the guy says "let's dial it down" and "we're done" and Jen just keeps complaining, dumb. hey Jen, Star Wars was very much a political statement. Lucas admits to parallels between his feelings about the US involvement in the Viet Nam war and his characters and story in the movie!!! (what's with her rubbing her hands together @3:03 ??) stay away from the Star Wars guys people!! too bad, not all the 501st are like her, but i have found some of them to be just like her. police yourselves 501st!!!

[rocknroll015]

What an uptight bitch....

[TessFowler]

I do wonder how many of the angry comments here have been left by her friends in the 501st, since as of yesterday she just resigned her position as "fearless leader". Wouldn't it have been easier for her to just contact the people she went after at the show, and apologize? She's so full of pride and puffed up self importance that she can't see the comedy in this situation.And if you really think she had a right to act this way, I worry that you might actually have a chance to reproduce one day

[TessFowler]

Yes, it's unfortunately true. If you visit my Facebook page you can read the hilights. Bottom line is that she has a long history of these kinds of shenanigans. In this instance she had ZERO right to call them out, even if they were asking 501st members to participate. Lucasfilm would NOT have sued them or shut them down. They are a FAN group. That's it. She has absolutely no authority and she knows it. Nor did she have any right to come after my model, which she was told repeatedly.

[hhv94]

If that is your OWN personal friend that had nothing to do with the 501 then it seems you guys were probably right to tape it and the lady had nothing to stand on. I am still shocked though if as another user mentioned a troop of fictional characters have some type of rule to parody anything at all?

[satanico13]

This is lame. There is no cute political satire here, just you guys being lame because someone robbed you of your fun little joke. It's pretty embarrassing. You guys were wrong. "Petty and media theory"? Way to grand stand at a comic book convention. You told her tough guys. Like I said....lame.

[graybeard1000]

Who the fuck is this bitch? Somebody kick her in the head.

[JSeth275]

I love how this footage of nerd rage spawned a comment thread of nerd rage.

Just sayin.

[cowflipper]

I can smell the bulls**t from both, but absolutely she is correct, and the 501st are granted a lot of permission from Lucas he can recall at any time. Camera people, you win the douche-bag prize, congratulations for posting your stupidity, with an equally stupid video edit. 2001 called, it says Papyrus font was on it's way out then, FYI.

[cowflipper]

I can smell the bulls**t from both, but absolutely she is correct, and the 501st are granted a lot of permission from Lucas he can recall at any time. Camera people, you win the douche-bag prize, congratulations for posting your stupidity, with an equally stupid video edit. 2001 called, it says Papyrus font was on it's way out then, FYI.

[CommanderSexyTush]

The best part of this is that you blocked out her eyes, but got a shot of her name badge. That makes this encounter even more amazing.

[NoirTech]

Is that lady for reals or was this staged? This had to be staged, right?

[ClanNightwolf]

That lady was a total twunt. She was on a power trip directed at other visitors, and exhibitors. Filming a parody of some dork is a cheap plastic suit is in no way illegal, check out all the star wars spoofs online...guess what Lucas is not doing..giving a shit about them. I know some 501st people, and when questioned about her, the response is embarrassment. I really hope that she slinks back off to her star wars fantasy land where she is Jaba's dancing cow, and avoids future Phx Comic Cons

[caroloconnor]

I've yet to see her at the MS WALK raising money!

[RollingRiverFarm]

Who IS this woman? The 501st thinks they rule Star wars...I get so tired of it! They really need to be taken down a few notches.

Also, what about First Amendment rights?

And if the Stormy is not a 501st member, she cannot do or say anything...i don't care who she is.

[InsaneJediGirl]

@RollingRiverFarm Amen brother/sister! I absolutely love Star Wars, but many groups and LFL's money grubbing ways have taken the fun out of it.

This is exactly why I'm skipping the Celebration in August. What happened to cons being fun and costuming groups just for fun?

[RollingRiverFarm]

@InsaneJediGirl

There are other groups that aren't as Nazi as the 501st and Rebel Legion, but those two groups do take the fun out of a lot of stuff

[starwarscomic]

This is the exact reason I'll never get accepted in the 501st, I'll just start my own garrison, the 162nd! If I can't have a Guinness beer thermal detonator then I don't wanna play spacemen with 'em anyway!

[gregoriodavila]

Why do you care!!!!! Get a life!!!

[DarthGreebo]

@TheTK9787: I'm not blaming the entire 501st....and you didn't answer my question. So I ask it again: When did the 501st Dune Sea Garrison Commander get official sanction by Mr. George Lucas to become the real life Star Wars Police? This type of thing smears the image of the 501st FAR more than some guys filming a stormtrooper checking an alien's ID....which is ironic since last time I checked, ALL Star Wars characters are technically aliens since there were no Earthlings in the films.

[TessFowler]

The 501st has ZERO authority. They are not the Star Wars Lucasfilm police. She also came after one of my models at the same show. She came INTO my booth to harrass my model for wearing a Star Wars patch on a red arm band. When I asked her to leave she got belligerent and I had to get security involved. She and a bunch of the other members of her merry little band were harrassing my model ALL weekend even before she wore the patch. It was ridiculous.

[TheTK9787]

@TessFowler I never said the 501st had any authority in the matter. I saw your outfit several times at the comicon and did not feel offended at all by it. It is too bad that it did happen, but I really hope you and your family are not too discouraged from costuming just because of one person's actions. The way I heard it was that the 501st was not involved and was another costuming group? People say different things, but I was NOT involved with this and sympathize for your situation.

[TessFowler]

@TheTK9787 I was the artist who's booth she invaded. I don't costume. And no one from Lucasfilm is going to sue anyone. I've already talked to the Lucasfilm representative, who thought the entire situation was pretty laughable. According to him the LCO has already talked to her about this video and informed her it needs to never happen again. They both told her she was in the wrong.

[hhv94]

@TessFowler BWAAAHAHAAHAHAHA...Oh man IF this is true I would have loved to have seen it! Sorry don't know you but either way interesting comment. 

[TessFowler]

@TheTK9787 And also, this woman is the CO of this particular garrison. So the 501st WAS involved. The sad part is that I've got a lot of ties to different garrisons who do fantastic charity work, and then you get yahoos like this who take their zealotry public. It's...just...a...MOVIE.

[TheArsonsmith4242]

That was not one of your own stormtroopers, he is a pending member to the 501st. Nice try saying you went and got your own Stormtrooper, but he was with the Dune Sea Garrison as a guest, wearing a prominent members armor.

The 501st is an officially recognized group by Lucas film and exists at the whims of Lucas Film. There is a mostly vague, but with some specifics, agreements that allows the 501st to use Lucas Film images without recourse. One specific is "no political involvement."

[tadoecakes]

What happened was unfortunate for both the DSG and the makers of the film. Instead of correcting her and letting her know the Stormtrooper wasn't one of hers, they picked a fight and were jerks. They COULD have let her know it wasn't one of hers and continued with their supposed political satire. Unfortunately, they picked a fight with someone who was doing their job. That's not funny, that's mean.

[td0013]

Jay (jszarecky). Stop trying to aggrivate the situation. This is exactly what got you tossed out of the 501st in the first place. Thank you for your understanding in this matter.

[TeamTEOR]

Well, one thing here is certain... He was in no way a 501st member.... No 501st member would walk around with an unpainted Guinness Beer Can as a Thermal Detonator in a public family setting such as this.

[td0013]

We are in no position to say anything in regards to what legal action LFL will or will not pursue. We are not LFL, nor do we work for LFL. We are volunteers who do charity work around the valley in silly plastic suits in an attempt to make people smile and hopefully forget the woes of real life. What happened in this video was a very unfortunate case of bad judgement and posturing and I can do nothing but apologize on behalf of the Dune Sea Garrison for this member's behavior.

[DarthGreebo]

Really? REALLY? Sooo.when did the 501st Dune Sea Garrison Commander get official sanction by Mr. George Lucas to become the real life Star Wars Police? Who the hell is she to roll up and interfere with the actions of anyone NOT affiliated with the 501st? Answer that question "TheTK9787". She was totally out of line on this. 501st, Dune Sea whatever are a cosplay group, not a real military force or law enforcement agency. They should start remembering that.

[TheTK9787]

@DarthGreebo That is a fallacy. You are basing the entire organization off one member's action. No one said she was in the right, and not everyone agrees with what happened. So when you say "They should start remembering that", please remember this is one member and one incident. The 501st is not a cosplay group, we are a charity organization. I would like to point you to the 501st.com website so that maybe you can learn that the 501st is generally not what is depicted in this video.

[RollingRiverFarm]

@TheTK9787

But it is not an isolated incident. Overall, the 501st thinks they are God's gift to Star Wars. yes they are bog, and yes they were the first costuming groups, but that does not give them the right to have exclusivity over everything Star Wars. I have had incidents with the 501st and so have many of my costuming friends.

[JediGTI]

@RollingRiverFarm So have I!

[TheCloneEmperor]

Greetings. Concern over Arizona's SB 1070 has drawn tense lines dividing not only the state, but its countrymen and other nations. Your attempt at satire is an understandable reaction. As for the 501st--and I am a member--our relationship with LFL has been cultivated over more than a decade. Responsible parties, like my friend in this video, are careful about protecting this relationship. LFL is sensitive about how their intellectual properties are used. And the 501st would like to honour this.

[metalbikini2002]

@TheCloneEmperor

"Concern over Arizona's SB 1070 has drawn tense lines dividing not only the state, but its countrymen and other nations." Such as Communist China.

[FlexibleElf]

Hey @kraptv, there any way to get this idiot removed? I know many people who would be willing to file complaints against her. You guys weren't the only people harrassed and threatened, even berated by this 'lawyer' clown. Any suggestions?

[dvgrafix]

@FlexibleElf If you have legit complaints post them on the phoenix comicon forum or email them in to the convention director.

[hawkmoontoledo]

Actually, Under Fallwell Versus Hustler

They actually do have the right to parodize any public figure, which is why the internet is filled with parody.

This woman is actually a lawyer, but appears to not know what she's talking about. Now she could have stated to her 501st members that they may not talk with the camera crew here. However she does not have the authority to harass anyone

Lucasfilm is investigating this BTW

[dvgrafix]

She does not speak for or represent the convention I can assure you. She has no authority at the convention, I will share this video with the conventions director and programming director.

[wickedgirldp]

I honestly love you guys for this!!!

[alucyinabucket]

I suppose she was under the impression she was in control of what people at the comicon wore as well because she took offence to someone else's atristic expression. Power trip? I think so.

[alucyinabucket]

This woman also personally verbally attacked my sister in another artist's booth [which is against comicon rules to enter another booth without permission] about the attire that she was sporting: a german nazi style hat with a red armband that had the emperial cog on it. This was a crossover costume that combined Star Wars and Indiana Jones. This woman felt it appropriate to attack my sister because one of my other family members is in the 501st.

[CrashingCrockery]

Oh, no matter what the lega ins and outs are/were, that woman is obscenely annoying and should have had a stormtrooper masks crammed on her head, therefore disabling speech. This video is great in that it reeeeally put me on pins and needles, the whole confrontational thing (which at first I thought was a joke), but she was obviously in that adrenaline-induced argumentative-state. And yes, something needed to be shoved on her head to shut her up. : )

[Spookybacon]

You just CANNOT take Erik to a ComicCon.

[TheTK9787]

Wow you guys interviewed me?!?!?! Where is my video!?!? lol

But yaaaa... you cant use anything from lucasfilms or any star wars copyright without their consent permission. Its basic stuff to know. You guys didnt shut her down, who btw is the Commanding Officer of the Dune Sea Garrison in AZ. So she knows what she is talking about. Your camera operator didnt put anyone in her place, you guys simply dont understand law and copyrights. This video just make you guys look bad.

[qcandymanq3]

@TheTK9787 Amen!

[metalbikini2002]

@TheTK9787

It's against the law for a Stormtrooper to look at the badge of an Alien? Haha! You're joking, right?

[TheTK9787]

@metalbikini2002 No on said it was against the law for a stormtrooper to look at anything. It is illegal for anyone of the 501st to be used for something other than what is permissible by lucasfilms. These guys dont have permission to use images from lucasfilms for their own benefit. Believe what you will, but their lawyers are going to come down on these guys like a hammer. And this becomes a political statement, which goes beyond parody. Really this is all common sense.

[TheTK9787]

@metalbikini2002 No on said it was against the law for a stormtrooper to look at anything. It is illegal for anyone of the 501st to be used for something other than what is permissible by lucasfilms. These guys dont have permission to use images from lucasfilms for their own benefit. Believe what you will, but their lawyers are going to come down on these guys like a hammer. And this becomes a political statement, which goes beyond parody. Really this is all common sense.

[kraptv13]

@TheTK9787 The stormtrooper used was a friend of ours, not a 501st member. KRAPTV stands by the fact that we asked the 501st, and it's members declined.

[metalbikini2002]

@TheTK9787

Oh man, if these guys get sued for a 5 second skit (which they aren't making any money on) that was actually pretty funny, I'll become a monk.

[TheTK9787]

@metalbikini2002 Its George Lucas, is it really that suprising? 

[arzingher]

@TheTK9787 Anybody who is stupid enough to make a stink over this bit

1) is out of their minds

2)has absolutely no sense of humor

3) will get what they deserve including Lucus himself

To all members of the 501st, good job keeping these loonies under control infact everybody envolved help create a wonderful piece of video and deserves thanks.

[ray53208]

@TheTK9787 parody + political statement = satire, right? last i heard, that was protected under the 1st amendment. additionally, my understanding is that it wasn't a 501st guy. so... relax.

[gollyanamegame]

Have to admit that this is one of the great things about freedom..I may not agree with what you say, but I would fight to the death for your right to say it..

[gollyanamegame]

heres the difference...facts are not irrelevant to me, its the very thing I am seeking

[kraptv13]

@gollyanamegame then stand on the corner and count instead of sitting in your underwear complaining

[gollyanamegame]

@kraptv13 no dont get me wrong you can say what ever you want as long as you want, man this is America, But you should have got your own star ship trooper out fit,then you could make as many funny videos as you want some place that wouldnt cost someone their job

[kraptv13]

@gollyanamegame Thanks Golly. That is EXACTLY what we did. The 501st wouldn't play so we got our own and they jumped into the middle of OUR scene. This had nothing to do with their organization, but they decided to make it so. After several attempts to get them to participate, we went and got our own Stormtrooper.

[gollyanamegame]

— Braving temperatures in the 90s, tens of thousands of protesters Saturday slowly marched five miles to the State Capitol here to rally against Arizona's controversial new immigration law. Not close to 100,000 not a third of what you say..source L A Times..oh ya ..look it up green guy is full of crap

[kraptv13]

@gollyanamegame irrelevant Golly, the point is that commandeering peoples right to free speech is healthy and far too prevalent. Facts and figures aside, people rallied in mass. Perhaps the number you received is incorrect? It wouldn't bode well for AZ if 100K turned out to protest now would it? Estimates ranged from 30K - 100K.