Whedonesque : Comments on 13697 : Last day of the Dinner with Joss auction.

Man I hate timezones. Over here there's still eight hours left to the second-to-last day. (I guess technically five, given the times on these auctions being East Coast.)

Not that it matters. The hundred-something dollars I have in the bank is not match for this most expert bid-fu, heh.

I wonder how long after the bidding ends and payments are received until we get the names of the winners?

[ edited by theonetruebix on 2007-07-12 00:06 ]

theonetruebix | July 12, 03:05 CET

Time zones are sexy. I hope at least one person from Whedonesque gets a chance to go.

I'm also dying to know what's going going to be served for dinner (I can be amazingly shallow sometimes).

Simon | July 12, 03:16 CET

I hope at least one person from Whedonesque gets a chance to go.

I hope all five winners were secretly bidding in order to send me. No, wait, that would end up making it a dinner for two, and that might be unsettling.

theonetruebix | July 12, 03:18 CET

I was wondering that too - and whether we'll have to wait for the winners to announce their victories themselves (if at all). They might want to keep it quiet until after the dinner.

I've never used ebay. Is bidder anonymity removed, in terms of user name, once the auction is over?

purplehazel | July 12, 03:21 CET

In related news, bidding on enjoying a bag of peanuts in the convention center lobby with yours truly is now up to almost three dollars!

Brian Lynch | July 12, 04:04 CET

"In related news, bidding on enjoying a bag of peanuts in the convention center lobby with yours truly is now up to almost three dollars!"
- Brian Lynch

OMG I'm so ready to bid on that one...where is the link?!
(I would bring the peanuts!)

Joss' dinner had looked like it was stalling at around $5k until things started to get really exciting last night. I'm thinking that we'll see some real competition between now and the final minute. And Simon, can't everyone order what they want?

[ edited by embers on 2007-07-12 02:08 ]

embers | July 12, 04:11 CET

I'm thinking that we'll see some real competition between now and the final minute.

That was pretty much always guaranteed. It's very likely that the real pros at this haven't yet sprung their next move, or even their first ones.

theonetruebix | July 12, 04:19 CET

b!x: I hope all five winners were secretly bidding in order to send me.

I've been quietly hoping that word would come down that they're saving you a seat at the dinner. Afterall, you got Can't Stop the Serenity in the air and flying (with all due respect to the many, many folks who worked their butts off for CSTS). In lieu of a seat at dinner, maybe you could be invited to the next Equality Now banquet (seated next to Joss Whedon, of course :) )

embers I'm thinking that we'll see some real competition between now and the final minute.
I'm still curious if there are any "poolers" bidding. If I were in a pool, I'm not sure I'd want the group to tip its hand as it were. eBay won't release names, but I can't remember if the bidder registration included mention of winners being named by AuctionCause. I suspect the winners will be known to us only if they identify themselves.

ThereUR | July 12, 04:35 CET

b!x: I hope all five winners were secretly bidding in order to send me.

Well, Bidder 13 is currently winning two of the dinner auctions, so who knows...

ozjenny | July 12, 05:05 CET

I've been quietly hoping that word would come down that they're saving you a seat at the dinner. Afterall, you got Can't Stop the Serenity in the air and flying (with all due respect to the many, many folks who worked their butts off for CSTS).

Amen to that, ThereUR!

m'cookies actual | July 12, 05:35 CET

I'm also very curious what the food will be. I hope to see a blog with photos and descriptions.

I'm also looking forward to watching the final moments... or as muc as I can check in on them, anyway.

Brian: try popcorn.

Sunfire | July 12, 05:36 CET

Well, Bidder 13 is currently winning two of the dinner auctions, so who knows...

The bidder number IDs are not the same between auctions, I don't believe. In other words, Bidder 13 in Auction 1 is not necessarily Bidder 13 in Auction 2.

theonetruebix | July 12, 06:05 CET

Time zones are sexy.

Simon, you'll have to explain that one to me some day. I find them confusing. I also hope a whedonesque's member is within the bidding five. It would be so great to get a direct report.

Madhatter | July 12, 06:06 CET

HOLY &*^%#@& [fornicating] &^$% [defication]!

If I could type one of them really Cool chinese cussages, I would. (I don't dare type my favorite sweary sentence.)

Um, still haven't heard anyone take me up on my most generous offer: YOU pay, and you get all the "stuff" and I'll write dust-vamp notes (But wait! There's More!!! YOU get to pay my train fare to So. Cal. and find me a place to lay my weary head.)

So, have we got The List ready? The one of all the ways to torment our lad for 3 full hours with annoying questions?

IF an "esquer" gets to go, they need a cheat sheet.

I could produce that!

Well, yes, the fire behind CSTS should have precidence over the newest member, most recent, fervent convert, I SUPPOSE.

Anyone know what the CSTS & auction do, as far as Percent of Yearly Donations to EN?

I mean, between the two, whole lotta shakin' goin' on, eh?

tehabwa | July 12, 06:10 CET

My theory is that Harrison Ford is bidding on Joss to complete the "Great Figures in Sci Fi" collection he started when he bought a fully posable Mark Hamill (not a reproduction, the genuine article) on a home shopping channel in an old SNL sketch.

Pointy | July 12, 06:16 CET

Item Start End Price Title High Bidder/Status
Jul-02-07 Jul-12-07 21:00:00 $9,000.00 Joss Whedon Dinner, CA 7/27 +Signed Buffy Comic & Litho Bidder 13
Jul-02-07 Jul-12-07 21:00:00 $720.00 Serenity Sp. Ed. Hardcover +Signed Poster & Buffy Litho Bidder 14
Jul-02-07 Jul-12-07 21:00:00 $785.00 Swiss Army Engraved Buffy Crew Gift Watch Mens +Litho Bidder 14
Jul-02-07 Jul-12-07 21:00:00 $1,225.00 Swiss Army Engraved Buffy Crew Gift Watch Womens +Litho Bidder 3
Jul-02-07 Jul-12-07 21:05:00 $8,100.00 Joss Whedon Dinner, CA 7/27 +Signed Buffy Comic & Litho Bidder 8
Jul-02-07 Jul-12-07 21:05:00 $750.00 Serenity Sp. Ed. Hardcover +Signed Poster & Buffy Litho Bidder 8
Jul-02-07 Jul-12-07 21:05:00 $760.00 Swiss Army Engraved Buffy Crew Gift Watch Mens +Litho Bidder 19
Jul-02-07 Jul-12-07 21:05:00 $1,000.00 Swiss Army Engraved Buffy Crew Gift Watch Womens +Litho Bidder 16
Jul-02-07 Jul-12-07 21:10:00 $8,100.00 Joss Whedon Dinner, CA 7/27 +Signed Buffy Comic & Litho Bidder 17
Jul-02-07 Jul-12-07 21:10:00 $760.00 Serenity Sp. Ed. Hardcover +Signed Poster & Buffy Litho Bidder 10
Jul-02-07 Jul-12-07 21:15:00 $8,200.00 Joss Whedon Dinner, CA 7/27 +Signed Buffy Comic & Litho Bidder 12
Jul-02-07 Jul-12-07 21:15:00 $750.00 Serenity Sp. Ed. Hardcover +Signed Poster & Buffy Litho Bidder 10
Jul-02-07 Jul-12-07 21:20:00 $8,009.99 Joss Whedon Dinner, CA 7/27 +Signed Buffy Comic & Litho Bidder 13
Jul-02-07 Jul-12-07 21:20:00 $750.00 Serenity Sp. Ed. Hardcover +Signed Poster & Buffy Litho Bidder 9
Jul-02-07 Jul-12-07 21:25:00 $760.00 Serenity Sp. Ed. Hardcover +Signed Poster & Buffy Litho Bidder 4

Anonymous1 | July 12, 06:19 CET

Does it strike anyone as odd that an organization named "Equality Now" would host a benefit auction that patently descriminates against folks based on socioeconomics?

Should not an organization called "Equality Now" hold a raffle for such a huge event as this? A raffle where everyone can participate equally?

If they had chances at $25 a pop, how many would you buy?

Do you think there are 10,000 Whedon fans out there who would be willing to part with $25 for one chance at this event?

That's 250K.

As wonderful as this event is, I really think the raffle would have been the bestest way to go for the fans and for Equality Now.

malformed | July 12, 06:24 CET

Anyone know what the CSTS & auction do, as far as Percent of Yearly Donations to EN?

Well, take a look at the end of their 2005 annual report for the most recent figures I've seen for EN. It doesn't tell us what 2006 and 2007 were/are like for them, but if they're comparable it will give you a sense of context.

theonetruebix | July 12, 06:26 CET

As wonderful as this event is, I really think the raffle would have been the bestest way to go for the fans and for Equality Now.

Joss addressed this:

I have read your words (not the long ones with many syllables, but a lot of them) and the question “Why not a raffle?” has been broached. In truth, I’d thought of doing both, but this being my maiden voyage, pared it down. Maybe I made the less awesome choice (see above re: dining alone) but it will, at the very least, get the name Equality Now into a few more eardrums, which is not nothing. I’ve heard some Browncoats might be pooling a raffle into a bid, which I think is perfect. I hope that flies.

And it's why I pitched the idea of "pooled group bids" via The AUCTION Job, although I've not heard of anyone actually doing one.

theonetruebix | July 12, 06:29 CET

Outstanding, a bidder just broke the $9,000 mark! And please remember, this is for a really good cause. I should've went to bed hours ago, but I want to watch this to the end.

Madhatter | July 12, 06:44 CET

You're going to stay up until midnight tomorrow? Now that's dedication...

cabri | July 12, 06:52 CET

True, Joss did address this... I'm just saying I think the less awesome choice was chosen.

malformed | July 12, 06:54 CET

Does it strike anyone as odd that an organization named "Equality Now" would host a benefit auction that patently descriminates against folks based on socioeconomics?

Should not an organization called "Equality Now" hold a raffle for such a huge event as this? A raffle where everyone can participate equally?

malformed, just FYI, this charity auction was created by and for Joss; Equality Now doesn't have any say in how he chooses to get involved. He could have just donated the money himself, but he wanted to give a few fans a wonderful gift. I am personally delighted by his generosity - and I imagine that Equality Now is grateful as well.

Also, my brilliant partner just pointed out that with a raffle, people of a certain socio-economic status can purchase more tickets and therefore have a better chance of winning anyhow. At least with an auction, people aren't "risking" money that they can't afford - most of us can see that it is out of our price range. I dunno, I sent Equality Now $50 anyways, just because I think Joss would think it was the right thing to do.

[ edited by ladygrey on 2007-07-12 04:00 ]

ladygrey | July 12, 06:58 CET

EBay is showing 1 day and just under 1 hour left on the bidding so I'm guessing they are using PDT. Madhatter, you'll need some Jolt Cola for this run...

dcubed | July 12, 07:02 CET

Ladygrey,

Not if you limited the number of tickets any one person could buy, and it would still give the average Joe a chance. Which is what I'm saying: that the average fan cannot afford to participate.

I do agree its a wonderful thing that Joss is doing – but how much wonderfuller, and how much more money could have been raised, if we all could have a chance?

Just saying...

malformed | July 12, 07:22 CET

I understand that a raffle is democratic, and Joss has made it clear that he appreciates that notion, but seriously - organizing a raffle that made anything like this kindof bread would have involved so many more workhours and so much more expense that it was virtually undoable for this year. I think it's pretty admirable of Joss & his peoples to pull this together at all so close to ComicCon.

A full-on, worldwide raffle would've entailed a Ginormous and lengthy organizing effort, and one that I don't believe would've come off, considering when the idea first (apparently) bubbled up in Joss & Kai's heads.

tehabwa, though math of any kind scares the living bejesus outta me, I have done this just for you: looking at EQ's Annual Report for 2005, which also shows their financials for 2004, they have, roughly speaking, a $2 million annual operating budget. So the CSTS's contribution is roughly 5% of their average yearly income.

However, it's actually more appropriate - and heartening - to look at this: in 2004 and 2005, their average yearly net income from special events was $91,240.50. The CSTS screenings alone have essentially doubled that, which is pretty effing amazing.

And while we don't know what "My Dinner With Joss" is ultimately going to raise, we do know that the total gross is at least $50,000, so his dinner alone will represent about 2.5% of their typical annual operating budget, and roughly half of what they have averaged raising from for special events in 2004 and in 2005.

Not only that, but they usually have to spend money raising money, and hopefully these two windfalls will have cost them next to nothing.

Pretty ginormously awesome.

ET: fix grammatical sloppiness of the first water.

ETA: Oh, don't even ask.

[ edited by QuoterGal on 2007-07-12 17:50 ]

QuoterGal | July 12, 07:25 CET

Plus, I dunno how true this is, but some Whedonesquers were pointing out that gambling laws in some states might prohibit a raffle...

Jobo | July 12, 07:42 CET

Plus, I dunno how true this is, but some Whedonesquers were pointing out that gambling laws in some states might prohibit a raffle...

Indeed. Which is why, for example, the "pooled group bids" idea (at least as I presented it, anyway) didn't specify how a pool of people would determine who gets to go if their pooled bid won. Heh.

theonetruebix | July 12, 07:52 CET

RavenU, that word is certainly getting a work-out lately, hasn't it?

Madhatter, you'll need some jolt cola for this run...

Most certainly. Two things in my favor are a typhoon blowing in upon us and I can brew a wickedly strong cup of joe. With that said, if I start speaking in tongues, please don't hesitate to tell me it's time to sign off.

Back to the auction, I think it was a great idea what Joss did.

Madhatter | July 12, 08:16 CET

Even a raffle doesn't make it economically feasible for most folks. Sure, most Joss fans can afford $25, but how many can afford possibly taking off work to travel to California and presumably stay in a hotel for at least one night.

I'd rather send EN $25 straight than spend it on a raffle where I could win but not take advantage of the opportunity.

Anyway, times running out for my ginormous windfall so I can bid.

theclynn | July 12, 08:31 CET

I'd rather send EN $25 straight than spend it on a raffle where I could win but not take advantage of the opportunity.

agreed.

as an aside, i love the many appearances of the brand new word 'ginormous'. :)

ladygrey | July 12, 08:50 CET

I'd rather send EN $25 straight than spend it on a raffle where I could win but not take advantage of the opportunity.

Which is why the proposal of The AUCTION Job, for "pooled group bids" included the premise that if a pooled group bid failed, the group would just donate their pooled money to Equality Now anyway.

I really did think this through. It just didn't spark much interest. ;)

theonetruebix | July 12, 09:10 CET

Theonetruebix: I think a lot of people found it interesting, but many of us didn't want to get stuck trying to organize the thing at the last minute (and probably end up having to be the one getting 'approved' to bid, and worrying about collecting actual cashy money). It is easier to express no interest (out loud).
Or maybe that was just me.

embers | July 12, 09:28 CET

I find it kind of adorable that I thought I might have a chance at winning with a $1000 bid. Le sigh. Fantastic news for Equality Now though.

Samantha | July 12, 11:39 CET

Organising a raffle would have been A Lot Of Work. It's also illegal in some US states, in some circumstances. I'm sure it could be done, but it'd require a lot of planning and an organisation to manage it. I wouldn't say it won't ever be done, though -- if this proves successful, you never know, Joss might do it again at some point. (I don't know anything -- this is guess work). (It's always going to be exclusionary in some respects -- for example, I couldn't bid on this anyway as I'm in the You-Kay).

One thing -- I don't know any fan that had this kind of money. I'm not critiquing -- this is a wonderful thing -- but I do wonder what the dinner guests will be like. Made of gold? Dressed like Simon From Firefly? To quote The Man From Edinburgh, Joss will be singing for his supper.

gossi | July 12, 12:25 CET

I think his dinner guests will all be aliens from a planet where gold and diamonds are lying strewn about on the ground. Such a meal may or may not be fun for Joss, depending on their ability to communicate, their outward appearance and their social customs.

F'rinstance, it would be better if they don't bring a copy of "How To Cook Forty Humans" with them.

QuoterGal | July 12, 12:49 CET

Oh, what if it's Ronald D. Moore's final five? This could be a preemptive strike to take out the competition. Run, Joss, run ;)

I agree, a raffle sounds nice, but it would never work on this scale.

Madhatter | July 12, 13:53 CET

The Final Five!! Madhatter, I love it. Joss and five extremely disturbed, disoriented and (at least the four we already know about) pissed off Cylons. They could discuss the nature of reality, the universe, what makes one "human" and of course whether Kara should end up with Lee or Sam :)

Shey | July 12, 15:10 CET

I wanted to point out that Equality Now is about sexual parity not equal wealth distribution.

In this case the winer will be the person who values this experience more than, say, a comfortable retirement.

But I would still like to be able to contribute with a chance at good swag so maybe a raffle later on? Grab a coffee at a diner? Pie? With Tim Minear? Anyone?

[ edited by Liannon on 2007-07-12 12:22 ]

Liannon | July 12, 15:22 CET

At this point, I'm just hoping the five winners are not only fabulously wealthy, but also remarkably witty and genuinely wonderful people. I'd like Joss to have a great time and not regret the whole thing.

I hasten to point out that although I think I'm genuinely wonderful, IF I had, say, $10,000 to throw at eBay, I'd probably sit at the table all evening wide-eyed thinking, "OMG, it's Joss Freakin' Whedon!" So it's just as well I won't be there. Go, Equality Now!

Maeve | July 12, 15:34 CET

Just popping in to reiterate what Simon said, in hoping that one of the dinner winners is a Whedonesque member. That would be shiny. Regardless of who wins, though, the funds being raised are just fantastic.

Alas, those five dinner auctions are too rich for my blood, but I am still holding out a bit of hope for one of the Serenity/signed-Buffy-art/poster combo auctions. My absolute $$$ limit hasn't yet been reached, and I'm still leading in one of those, but I fear the last minute bidding-wars may escalate beyond my means. Living in Orlando, I'll have to stay up past my bedtime to see those 'till their respective ends.

Keeping my fingers crossed...

clarkkent179 | July 12, 16:11 CET

The snooping division can now secretly reveal that the top 6 bidders are:

Margaret Thatcher
Michael Moore
Bill Gates
Tim Henman
Condoleezza Rice
Salman Rushdie

Pumps | July 12, 16:12 CET

Bono bid in the early stages but got distracted smokin' a J with that guy from Silverchair.

Caroline | July 12, 16:17 CET

The Final Five need to have a plan. That's for sure.

gossi | July 12, 16:26 CET

Oh, they have a plan.

Bill Gates and Maggie at the same table ? Would Joss understand if I executed my emergency pre-prepared, "Smash glass in case of these specific circumstances" scheme to package the entire table up, including occupants, and post it to the Moon ? It's for the good of all (hu)mankind.

Saje | July 12, 17:22 CET

And Bono as well? Now, I'm shaking in my chair!

Madhatter | July 12, 17:26 CET

I'm gonna start saving my money for the Pie With Tim Minear auction.

mifeng | July 12, 17:49 CET

Kai not Kia, QG. Kia is a brand of cars, rather than Joss's wife.

I got a chance to meet Joss once, and after I spoke the bit of talk I'd rehearsed in my head, I could only grin idiotically. I'd be a waste of space even if I could afford it.

dreamlogic | July 12, 17:53 CET

Pie, I figure, should be with Nathan Fillion.

I haven't figured out what snack/desert I think should be with Tim Minear, but it will inevitably be interrupted halfway through by Fox executives who were hoping that the snacking would go differently, and assure us that they'll let us finish the rest of the cookies/coffee/whatever at a later date. Or maybe your cookies will just be posted on the internet sometime next week.

Whoops, left my Bitter set to ON there.

Regardless, I'd bid.

kishi | July 12, 18:32 CET

That was extremely funny, kishi. Bitter, but funny.

Pointy | July 12, 19:36 CET

It takes a special someone to bid in the high 4, maybe the low 5 digit range for a charity dinner. I don't imagine anyone doing it is anything less than a devoted fan. Or possibly George Lucas.

The 5 should be well prepared... to party with Joss. Or, well, dine. They should for instance bring a marker so that they can ask that he sign their dinner roll. And breath mints in case of garlic.

Sunfire | July 12, 19:39 CET

Coming in late on this, because I've essentially been ignoring the topic. There's no point in bidding or even reading these threads when you know you can't win.

I agree completely with malformed. I applaud malformed for saying what needed to be said.

A raffle, while harder to organize, would involve a commitment from more people than this approach. Yes, you'll make a lot of money fast, but a raffle could translate into a lot more money in only a slightly longer time. All it would have taken is Joss coming on here and announcing a raffle for a dinner with him on that date. Word would have spread across the internet fast, and people like me - and I am willing to best more of his fans are like me - would have bought into the raffle. Those really super-rich fans could buy lots of raffle tickets, increasing their odds, but regular folks would at least have a chance - and would contribute.

The auction guarantees that only a privileged few - rich people, really - will have a chance to dine with Joss. Maybe Joss wants it that way. I certainly hope not. I think the pooled efforts are noble, but there are so many ways that can go wrong in the way the convention of Browncoats last year went very wrong. It also encourages popularity contests, so that the most vocal few get to decide which of their best friends get to go.

I'm not reacting to this on an emotional level. I'm looking at this from a sociological POV as well as from the POV of someone who spent many years doing professional fundraising. It's great that Joss is doing this at all, but it would have been greater if it was used as an opportunity to organize more supporters for Equality Now, instead of an elite few.

Nebula1400 | July 12, 19:55 CET

Oh, and I'd pay $3.50 to have peanuts with Brian Lynch.

Nebula1400 | July 12, 19:57 CET

I think it would be a hoot if Nathan Fillion (or some equally caring, witty and popular Whedonshow actor) was one of the winning bidders. Wouldn't that just shock the other winners!

leiasky | July 12, 20:14 CET

I think it would be a hoot if Nathan Fillion (or some equally caring, witty and popular Whedonshow actor) was one of the winning bidders. Wouldn't that just shock the other winners!

That would be brilliant, leiasky!

regarding the raffle vs. auction, we all have different opinions and they are all valid. To me the most important thing to remember is that Joss is doing a wonderful thing both for Equality Now and for us. I applaud his generosity and thoughtfulness.

Hopefully this dinner will go well and Joss will consider doing something similar in the future! I couldn't afford to go to the dinner even if I could have afforded the auction, but I would definately spend $$ to get, say, a personal email from Joss...he could 'auction' off 50 emails and probably raise at least another 10K for Equality Now...

ladygrey | July 12, 20:41 CET

I think winning this auction is not necessarily a question of being rich. The amount of $10,000, which is the high bid now, is a lot of money, but cars are more expensive (even a lot of second hand ones), and a lot of people buy cars.

To be fair, I'm not about to spent more than a year's savings on a single dinner, even if it is with Joss, but that does not mean I couldn't (even if I had to go to the bank for a consumptive loan and empty my savings account).

Disclaimer: The price could still double or more, but I would presume it remains in the "I would never pay that for a dinner, but if necessary I could assemble such an amount"-category.

Celebithil | July 12, 20:48 CET

Folks, the auction vs. raffle thing is really beside the point. It was discussed to DEATH in other threads, lets let it go. I'd pay at least $4.50 for peanuts w/Lynch. And, I think its fairly obvious by now that everyone loved b!X's idea... you know, as long as they weren't the one who had to organize it ;)

zeitgeist | July 12, 20:53 CET

zeitgeist: " ... you know, as long as they weren't the one who had to organize it ;)"

Exactly. You kinda synthesized what I was just about to write, only with more words and less pith.

ETA: Forgot to say, Madhatter, coming up with "The Final Five" for the dining-crew-winners was genius. I think they should surely henceforth and forthwith be known throughout the land thusly.

[ edited by QuoterGal on 2007-07-12 18:09 ]

QuoterGal | July 12, 20:58 CET

kishi, you owe me a new monitor.

TamaraC | July 12, 21:25 CET

I'm most impressed by people like ladygrey who donated money in the spirit of the auction. Regular people are giving already. Regular people did organize and contribute to CSTS. To me that is the whole point. Joss has already commented that he's gotten the message that people would have preferred a raffle for the dinner, and it seems to me that the best way to make a future raffle event more likely is to communicate our appreciation of his current effort. Constructive comments about a raffle have been made, read, and understood. To carry on commenting about the inherit unfairness of bidding as a system is only going to detract from what the bidding is really all about. No matter who sits at the table, Equality Now gets a lot of money from this, which means women who need someone to help them fight for their rights get that help.

Sunfire | July 12, 21:28 CET

The total is now at $57,703. I don't exactly know if it's over, as the time zones are just too sexy for their shirts.

From another whedonesque/newsarama thread, we now know that:

"Dynamic Forces President Nick Barrucci is bidding on one of the auctions to help raise the money Mr. Whedon is hosting, and encourages all DF fans to bid against him (and all the other fans) to help raise as much money as possible!"

He's also set up a Jossy-book-sale & donating proceeds to Equality Now. It's the domino effect... or something...

QuoterGal | July 12, 21:44 CET

Pacific Standard Time? Greenwich Mean Time? Comic Book Time? Same Bat Time? Japanese Smile Time?

Pointy | July 12, 22:54 CET

Pacific Standard Time? Greenwich Mean Time? Comic Book Time? Same Bat Time? Japanese Smile Time?

Yes.

Well, ok, the auctions start ending at about 9:00 PM Pacific time, or midnight tonight Eastern time, here in the US.

[ edited by theonetruebix on 2007-07-12 20:18 ]

theonetruebix | July 12, 23:12 CET

Im away to wallow self-pity I have exactly £136 in my bank i think thats like $200 or something??? I live WAY to far from SD (Scotland's just too many miles and too much cash away from Joss) I wanna meet Joss (we could sing Tenacious D songs together) and other more relevant stuff too (pout) im off to cry

property of Mr Gordo | July 12, 23:17 CET

QG: I don't exactly know if it's over, as the time zones are just too sexy for their shirts.

Er, well, the pages for each item do tell us exactly how much time remaining. At this moment, it's 8 hours and 42 minutes.

It's well over $51K for the dinner. I wonder if Joss is starting to feel just the teeniest bit intimidated...

cabri | July 12, 23:18 CET

Thank you, onetrue, for the answer and translation!

Pointy | July 12, 23:19 CET

As of whatever time shows up below this posting, there is just under nine hours of auction time left.

It is almost 3:30 pm, EST, where I am, which means it ends approximately midnight here (they didn't all start at exactly the same time). Find out your hours + or - from EST and you'll know when it ends in your zone.

Love's Bitch | July 12, 23:29 CET

Uh oh... I was just looking at the auctions and noticed that all six hardcover Serenity listings have the descriptions for the men's watches. Don't know if this was pointed out before.

I hope that the bidders know what they're actually bidding on and don't end up with an unpleasant surprise. Otherwise, there could be a rather nasty mess with eBay and Paypal, and who knows how that will affect the likelihood of similar auctions in the future.

Lady Brick | July 12, 23:34 CET

Er, well, okay, thanks, cabri - and others - for your gracious assistance.

QuoterGal | July 12, 23:37 CET

And, I think its fairly obvious by now that everyone loved b!X's idea... you know, as long as they weren't the one who had to organize it ;)

Quoted for truth.

gossi | July 12, 23:58 CET

Maeve: I hasten to point out that although I think I'm genuinely wonderful, IF I had, say, $10,000 to throw at eBay, I'd probably sit at the table all evening wide-eyed thinking, "OMG, it's Joss Freakin' Whedon!" So it's just as well I won't be there.

I'm totally with you, Maeve. I'd probably think up all sorts of interesting things to say after the fact, but if I were face to face with Joss Whedon, I'd blush, stammer, and make a general idiot out of myself. So in this case, me being broke is not a bad thing. I'm a good little Whedonesquer, though--I have donated to Equality Now and I even bought one of Lexigeek's swell shirts. Plus I attended the Serenity/Equality Now screening in Arlington (my first ever fan event) and had a damn good time. So I'm okay with being too broke to win this.

Betsy | July 13, 00:03 CET

I see $11,000 bids. With almost 8 hours still to go. Wow.

$5 to eat peanuts with Brian Lynch.

Sunfire | July 13, 00:16 CET

Watching the auction is like watching a horse race -- only you want all of them to win.

"C'mon! Get to $11k, ya b*st*rds! Go go go!"

$5.50 for Brian Lynch's nuts. Erm... ya.

Love's Bitch | July 13, 00:20 CET

Quotergal,

Thank you SO MUCH for the stats.

"Pretty ginormously awesome."

Indeed; and it's inspired a gabunch more contributions, as well.

Maybe bringing up the lottery could be added to the list of questions to drive Joss that last little bit he needs to go to be crazy.

;-)

Pass the salt!

tehabwa | July 13, 00:23 CET

$4.99 to eat peanuts with Brian Lynch.

Wait, how do auctions work again ?

Saje | July 13, 00:25 CET

$10.15 to watch Brian Lynch read Peanuts.

theonetruebix | July 13, 00:28 CET

$10.25 to watch Lynch do the Snoopy Dance.

zeitgeist | July 13, 00:31 CET

$10.30 to watch Lynch do the Buffy Dance from S2:E1... oh boy is that a disturbing thought...

dcubed | July 13, 00:38 CET

$10.75 to watch Lynch do his Snoop Dogg imitation.

ladygrey | July 13, 00:40 CET

I can see zeitgeist is one of those tiny incremental bidders. (on preview: among others...) I on the other hand think in increments of 5 and don't like change.

$15 to watch Brian Lynch read Peanuts while doing the Snoopy dance and also to ask him all my questions about Muppets.

[ edited by Sunfire on 2007-07-12 21:42 ]

Sunfire | July 13, 00:41 CET

$17 to watch Lynch do an impression of Snoop Dogg playing Snoopy in a Charlie Brown Christmas!

[ edited by zeitgeist on 2007-07-12 21:41 ]

zeitgeist | July 13, 00:41 CET

$17.10 to watch Brian Lynch give Spike a Linus-like security blanket in "Angel: It's The Great Pumpkin, William the Bloody!"

theonetruebix | July 13, 00:44 CET

b!X wins! Alternately, $18 if Spike turns out to be Ben... or was that Glory? <-- you knew it was only a matter of chococlatey Rive-- I mean time!

zeitgeist | July 13, 00:45 CET

Ok, now I want zeitgeist to win and to bring a video camera.

ETA: clarification-- Snoopy, not Glory or Ben.

[ edited by Sunfire on 2007-07-12 21:49 ]

Sunfire | July 13, 00:46 CET

Speaking of (video camera that it is) - if anyone here wins, could they bring a video camera and give the rest of us an edited you-tube-ish "My Dinner with Joss" experience. That leaves me wishing that Wallace Shawn would get a seat at the table. sigh.

[ edited by Zannadoo on 2007-07-12 22:41 ]

Zannadoo | July 13, 01:06 CET

Bloody hell $11000? That's unbelievable.

Simon | July 13, 01:55 CET

When it finishes I'm tempting to divide the figure by 180... Heh. Although, under pressure! (Hums).

gossi | July 13, 02:00 CET

Obviously a very different situation, but just for some utterly irrelevant comparison: this year's Warren Buffet lunch auction.

KernelM | July 13, 02:06 CET

I've been thinking about the video thing. They could just set up a camcorder, have everybody sign release forms before the dinner, and then sell DVDs of the whole thing. There's another quatrillion-dollar fundraiser for Equality Now right there!

miri47 | July 13, 02:15 CET

Additional questions on the wish list:
What kind of chocolate is River made of?
So about the auction vs. raffle issue...
I read all these jokes on the internet about Ben & Glory. Explain?

Sunfire | July 13, 02:24 CET

I think Ben & Glory sell ice cream. Wait, what are we talking about again? There's going to be ice cream at this dinner?

hacksaway | July 13, 02:50 CET

1) I think b!x once said that River was made of dark chocolate, with which I must concur.

2) Video cam: Arrrrg! As Tweak might say, "Too. Much. Pressure." Unless they just allowed a brief introductory shoot at the beginning of the Food Fest. And maybe after. Yeah, a Before and then an After might be fun, when everyone looks tired and shocked from the awkwardly personal secret sharing.

3) I would take a food taster with me to this meal. Joss is known for killing people unexpectedly. I mean, Sophisticated and Intellectual Joss probably would be fine, but I wouldn't be so trusting around Fully Posable Joss. He's very bendy, and he's armed.

QuoterGal | July 13, 03:08 CET

1) I think b!x once said that River was made of dark chocolate, with which I must concur.

Alas, I must protest. QuoterGal is misquoting me! The horror! Anyway, I'm not sure I ever knew just what kind of chocolate River was.

I don't know what Mia is made of, either.

theonetruebix | July 13, 03:44 CET

Joss is known for killing people unexpectedly. I mean, Sophisticated and Intellectual Joss probably would be fine, but I wouldn't be so trusting around Fully Posable Joss. He's very bendy, and he's armed.

That made my giggle at my desk. I must disagree though. It's the intellectual one who would know what to put in the food! The posable one would just use the light saber on you.

Besides, I think he only kills characters. And with words. Um, I hope.

Sunfire | July 13, 04:17 CET

I appreciate you all indulging me my bit of contrariness, thanks.

Doesn't take away from what is happenning though, not at all.

As far as being able to afford this – credit cards anyone?? Many folks have ridiculous credit limits that they never use (mine is something like 50K and I don't even net that much - its ginormous compared to what I bring home), so its possible that we have fans who are planning to pay this off in the long run.

Also, was the Warren Buffet luncheon a buffet? Just curious.

malformed | July 13, 04:26 CET

theonetruebix: "Alas, I must protest. QuoterGal is misquoting me! The horror! Anyway, I'm not sure I ever knew just what kind of chocolate River was."

Really for real? I coulda sworn... Ah, crap, did I make that up, too?

Has this whole thing just been a dream? The whole time?

QuoterGal | July 13, 04:38 CET

Also, was the Warren Buffet luncheon a buffet? Just curious.

BWHAHAHAHA

i thought semi-seriously about running up some credit card debt and quite seriously about spending some of the buying-a-house money we're saving.

but as much as i wanted to go, i knew that a.) i would be a speechless gaping moron in the presence of the Joss and that b.) my partner and i would have an incredibly difficult time deciding which one of us ought to go...not to mention possible marital difficulties afterwards!

i am so happy for the lucky folks who will get to do this.

P.S, sunfire, obviously you've never been in Joss and Kai's walk-in freezer. ;)

edited for grammatical stupidity.

[ edited by ladygrey on 2007-07-13 01:42 ]

ladygrey | July 13, 04:39 CET

Personally, I avoid credit cards like the plague... and for this exact reason. The temptation is too great. Much as I'd love to give generously to a good cause, I won't put myself on the street to do it.
(That sounds sluttier than I intended.)

Love's Bitch | July 13, 05:07 CET

I love current Dinner Spot Bid #4: $10,410.84. I think somebody was having fun with their maximum bid. :)

cabri | July 13, 05:18 CET

But who is going to top them with $10,410.85!?

embers | July 13, 05:23 CET

Ben is Glory? I've must of missed that memo.

Madhatter | July 13, 05:35 CET

Wow, when I started reading this thread 1/2 an hour ago, two of the dinners were at $11,000!! ::THUD:: That is fantastic. I'm so proud to be a member of this community that is so caring, and an admirer of a man who is not only an artistic savant but walks the talk of social activism.

And Brian? I'd give $350.00 to Equality Now to take you to lunch next Summer (Yes, serious. You'd probably get more if you auctioned yourself off). Afraid I can't do Comic-Con this year as I'm still paying on the Browncoat Cruise.

[ edited by Tonya J on 2007-07-13 03:21 ]

Tonya J | July 13, 06:20 CET

Wish I could stay up and watch the bidding at the end. Although I really just go over there to smile at the three pictures. If I had to choose, I might bid on intellectual Joss. Not that sophisticated and fully possible Joss aren't nice.

Lioness | July 13, 06:46 CET

Less than an hour to go! I want to see the bidders go crazy. Now, people!

embers | July 13, 07:08 CET

After each auction closes, it disappears so we don't know what happened in the final minutes. Any idea if someone is going to report how the auctions went as a whole or in part?

dcubed | July 13, 08:04 CET

If you click on it, you can see a quick glimpse of the ending price. So far:

1st bid: $11,000 Bidder #15
2nd bid: $11,100 Bidder #14
3rd bid: $10,200 Bidder #19

Bidder #15 is also high bidder on 5th bid. I was hoping prices would go higher in the last minutes but I guess they're pretty gorram high already. :D

cabri | July 13, 08:10 CET

The links for "Click to Bid" in the blurb above all work to see what happened in the closed auctions. I haven't seen any last minute bidding flurry yet.

KernelM | July 13, 08:12 CET

Bidder #15 is also high bidder on 5th bid.

No. The bidder numbers are within items, not across items. Bidder #15 in one auction is not necessarily Bidder #15 in another auction.

theonetruebix | July 13, 08:17 CET

The bidder numbers are not consistent across auctions, so bidder #15 in auction 1 is almost certainly not bidder #15 in auction 5.

KernelM | July 13, 08:18 CET

Ah, okay, thanks b!X. Looks like she/he gets the bargain basement Joss price. ;)

ETA: And thanks KerneIM too, I didn't see you standing there. :D

[ edited by cabri on 2007-07-13 05:20 ]

cabri | July 13, 08:20 CET

Wow, the winner for #5 was also the winner for #2.

KernelM | July 13, 08:20 CET

Lioness: "Not that sophisticated and fully possible Joss aren't nice."

Lioness, I just purely love this - "Fully Possible Joss" sounds wonderful.

I want to be "Fully Possible" too.

QuoterGal | July 13, 08:24 CET

It is funny that the bargain basement price is $9,400. Maybe they'll have to pay for their own drinks?

embers | July 13, 08:26 CET

Shiny! I won one of the Serenity HC/signed-poster/litho auctions. Looks like my DVD spending will have to subside for the next few months...

And again, it would've been cool if one of the dinner winners was a Whedonesque-er *shrug*.

clarkkent179 | July 13, 08:30 CET

Dunno. $9,400.00 ought to get you a few free drinks :-)

dcubed | July 13, 08:30 CET

"It is funny that the bargain basement price is $9,400. Maybe they'll have to pay for their own drinks?"

I just hope they were expecting to win two of the auctions. $20.5k is an awful lot of money...

'Course, that's not to say $10,410.84 isn't! It's just cuter.

cabri | July 13, 08:31 CET

I'm just hanging around to see if a whedonesquer is dining with Jossir so I can use my Fully-Patented Sucking Up Wiles on them.

I'm not sure why yet, but that'll come to me later...

QuoterGal | July 13, 08:37 CET

I want to be "Fully Possible" too.

I'm caught between preferring 'Fully Possible' and 'Slightly Improbable'.

QuoterGal is misquoting me!

No way, say it ain't so ! I'm not sure if this makes up = down even more or if it resets it back to normal after Joss' 'The Core' love.

Wow, high bids. Good news for Equality Now. V. jealous.

(and much as i'd like to see a video of it, I agree people are gonna be nervous enough already without adding to the pressure and inhibiting the conversation. I, for instance, like to scream 'Cock !' between courses when eating - I just feel it aids the digestive process - but I might think twice if dinner was being filmed)

Saje | July 13, 12:38 CET

For those who read new comments to old items: This conversation hit home with me because I was one of the bidders. I couldn't afford the dinner with Joss, but I did get a signed Serenity poster. I've decided to offer that up in a drawing, with no money required (although, of course, it would be appreciated). The money goes to cancer research. People from outside the U.S. can enter. I know I can't put a link on the front page, but those who read this are welcome to go to: www.lmsdr.org/serenity.php

Suzie | November 26, 08:03 CET

July 12 2007