With AX2003 having come and passed, I am pleased to announce the panelists for next year's Anime Expo 2004.
I would first like to thank AX2003 panelists Daniel Araujo, Kamran Ahmadi, Jessica Brunelle, and Anthony Bennett for attending my panel, and it was a pleasure to host them.
At my panel, I had announced that with the addition of several new awards at the AMV competition that I reserved the right to change the criteria by which I offered panelist invitations. The original criteria was that if you won an AX award, you got an invitation, plus I gave one wildcard invitation to a creator I felt stood out, showed fresh talent, or showed unrecognized talent.
Since there's now more than 4 awards (8 to be exact, not including "Best of Show"), its now possible for there to be more than 8 award winners. That won't work for me, because I simply can not handle having more than 5 people on my panel (and even that is pushing it).
Thankfully, this year the amount of award winners are within an amount I can handle, so I have nothing to worry about (whew!!!). I do have to make slight changes due to people winning more than one award, but it all works out. ^_^
This year, I'll also be anouncing alternates. These are people who are extended invitations to the AMV panel should the initial invitees decline or are unable to attend.
SO... without further adue!
Representing the art of Comedy, an invitation is extended to:
Richard Cole - "Chibi things that Kill"
Alternate: Richard Ladao - "Without GTO"
Representing the art of Action, an invitation is extended to:
Scott "PWolf" Grasso - "Mitternacht"
Alternate: Johnathan Reed - "Everyday"
Representing the art of Drama, an invitation is extended to:
Johnathan Backer - "Center of the Sun"
Alternate: Thomas "RudeBoy" Smith - "Everything You Want"
Representing the undefinable art of AMTV, an invitation is extended to:
Jay Naling - "Euphoria"
Alternate: Kevin Chiou - "The Two Shall Meet"
AND NOW... for the Wildcard invitation.
This year's Wildcard invitation is being extended to someone who is long, LONG overdue for recognition. He has been sending videos to AX since 2001 and has shown remarkable talent from the get-go, talent which has gone largely ignored and unrecognized. This person was, in fact, my second choice for the Wildcard invitation for AX2001 -and- AX2002. Few will disagree that it his talent as an AMV creator and editing artist is undisputable. For these reasons, I can honestly think of no-one more deserving of this invitation.
The Wildcard Invitation to the AX2004 AMV panel is extended to:
Senta Miller - "Vanilla Vash"
I ask that all people listed here to please email me at ranma@xstylus.com to confirm or decline their invitation for next year. Understanding that situations may change, I will send a confirmation request as AX2004 nears.
Once again, I thank everyone who submitted a video to AX2003, and I thank the AX2003 AMV competition coordinators for their first rate treatment of the competition, for their tireless and tiring efforts, and for bringing respect back to Anime Expo.
Until next year...!
-Troy / XStylus







