Colonial Fan Force Announces Net-A-Thon
Original Battlestar Galactica
actors gather for first-of-its-kind event to raise money for CFF
(VESUVIUS, VA; SPONDON, DERBY, UK) Four stars of the original
Battlestar Galactica television series will join forces with the Colonial Fan Force (CFF) on Wednesday night 26 May 2004 for a groundbreaking “Net-A-Thon.” As part of the CFF fundraising effort, original series actors Dirk Benedict (Starbuck), Laurette Spang (Cassiopeia), Ann Lockhart (Sheba) and Richard Hatch (Apollo) have agreed to be special guests at a series of online fan chats on four different
Battlestar Galactica websites in a show of support for the Colonial Fan Force and its goals.
“So far as I’m aware, this is the first time anything like this has been done... at least in the history of
Battlestar Galactica fandom,” said CFF President Bill Gordon from the group’s Virginia headquarters. “We're thrilled that all four of them agreed to participate. It just goes to show that the original
Battlestar Galactica means as much to them as it does to us, the fans.” CFF UK spokesman Peter Noble added “We’ve come such a long way in such a short period of time, and we’re hopeful that this event will ensure that the CFF reaches its $10,000 goal by the end of June.”
Each chat will last one hour, and will be separated by a 30-minute buffer to allow fans to log out of one chatroom and into the next, and give them time to make contributions between chat sessions. Richard Hatch will kick off the Net-A-Thon at 4:30 pm Pacific (7:30 pm Eastern) at the
www.battlestargalactica.com website, followed by Laurette Spang at the Cylon Alliance (
www.cylon.org) at 6:00 pm Pacific (9:00 pm Eastern). Dirk Benedict, who hasn’t participated in an online chat in several years, will take the chat reins at 7:30 pm Pacific (10:30 pm Eastern) at the CFF’s own website (
www.colonialfanforce.org), and Anne Lockhart, making her internet chat debut, will close out the event beginning at 9:00 pm Pacific (12:00 am Eastern) at
www.colonialfleets.com. (The exact chat URL’s will be announced at each of the hosting websites and the CFF homepage as we get closer to the event).
“The idea behind using multiple sites,” said CFF west coast organizer John Pickard, “is to demonstrate the unity among the members of the online
Battlestar Galactica fanbase, and to create a true sense of ‘event’ for the Net-A-Thon.” Added Gordon, “While we’re glad to be able to bring these chats to the legions of
Battlestar Galactica fans out there, we don’t want to lose sight of the fact that the whole purpose of the Net-A-Thon is to bring the CFF closer to achieving its fundraising goals.” “To that end,” Pickard continued, “each chat will be moderated, and the moderators will offer reminders during the course of each chat that participants can make their contributions to the CFF at our website, either through the link to PayPalTM, or by sending their contribution to our US or UK addresses. The contributions will be tallied throughout the Net-A-Thon, with updates posted along the way.”
“And the best part,” quipped Noble, “is no Wayne Newton!”
The ads are intended to send a message of support to series creator Glen A. Larson (who holds the movie rights to the
Battlestar Galactica franchise) and
X-Men Producer Tom DeSanto, whose efforts toward a true revival typify the heart and spirit of the
Galactica fans want to see on the big screen. The campaign has raised nearly $6,500 since its launch on 8 March 2004.
Since its debut, the CFF effort has garnered the endorsements of chat participants Hatch and Benedict, as well as the endorsements of original series actors Jane Seymour (Serina) and Jack Stauffer (Bojay). Stu Phillips, who composed the original
Battlestar Galactica musical score has also offered his endorsement, as has Ronald D. Moore, producer of the SciFi Channel’s reimagined
Battlestar Galactica series, and actor Aaron Douglas, who portrays Chief Tyrol in the SciFi Channel series.
Learn more about the effort and the Net-A-Thon by visiting the CFF’s website at
http://www.colonialfanforce.org.
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