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Grading Cam Newton’s apology

Posted on by Brian Lee

Situation: Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton made a sexist remark to a female reporter during his press conference.

Grade for apology: C+

Analysis: The apology was not sincere enough, as evident in the line, “If you are a person who took offense to what I said, I sincerely apologize to you.” That implies the remark was not sexist to everyone, and he’s reluctantly apologizing.

In addition, Cam doesn’t explain how he’ll prevent saying these types of remarks in the future. He also misidentifies himself as the victim, stating “I’ve already lost sponsors and countless fans” (the actual victim is the reporter).

Here’s the full apology: “After careful thought, I understand that my word choice was extremely degrading, and disrespectful to women. To be honest, that was not my intention. If you are a person who took offense to what I said, I sincerely apologize to you. I’m a man who tries to be a positive role model in my community, and tries to use my platform to inspire others. I take ownership to everything that comes with that. And what I did was extremely unacceptable. I’m a father to two beautiful daughters, and at their age I try to instill in them that they can be anything that they want to be. The fact that during this whole process I’ve already lost sponsors and countless fans, I realize that the joke is really on me. I’ve learned a valuable lesson from this. And to the young people who see this, I hope you learn something from this as well. Don’t be like me, be better than me. To the reporters, the journalists, the moms, supermoms, to the daughters, the sisters, and the women all around the world, I sincerely apologize and hope that you can find the kindness in your heart to forgive me. Thank you.”

Entrepreneurship and cards

Posted on by Brian Lee

playing cardsI enjoy the occasional game of low-stakes poker. Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about the phrase, “It’s not about the cards you’re dealt, but how you play the hand” in respect to life, especially business.

In poker and in business, sometimes you start with a bad hand. You can whine about it, or you can do something about it. In other words, you can win with a bad hand, just like you can lose with a good hand. This is what makes being a business owner both frustrating and rewarding. Continue reading “Entrepreneurship and cards” →

Music, Trivia, Dance, Kato Kaelin Host Among New Entertainment Slate At Wizard World Comic Con Madison, September 22-24, Free With Admission

Posted on by Taylor Kennedy

MADISON, Wis., – From a variety of music styles, trivia, karaoke, magic, dance and personality Kato Kaelin introducing it all, Wizard World (OTCBB: WIZD) today announced the highlights of its new non-stop entertainment lineup at Wizard World Comic Con Madison, Sept. 22-24 at the Alliant Energy Center. The initiative, designed to keep the show floor buzzing throughout the weekend, will feature national and local acts of all kinds, allowing fans to enjoy more of the best of pop culture during the events. All of the entertainment is included free with any admission to the show.

“We want Wizard World Madison attendees to come away from our show with a full pop culture experience that goes beyond meeting celebrities and getting autographs and photographs,” said John Maatta, Wizard World CEO. “Whether it’s interactive Q&A’s with interesting personalities, live music, magic, dance and art demonstrations, it will be wall-to-wall entertainment all weekend. These are in addition to the celebrity sessions, creator panels and other topical programming fans have come to expect at Wizard World events.”

Among the highlights of the Wizard World Comic Con Madison entertainment lineup are:

● Musicians Victor Johnson (piano, synthesizer, Friday), Face Time Police (acoustic, Friday), The Cat’s Pajamas (pop, Saturday), Water Street Bridge (eclectic acoustic, Saturday), Klingon Pop Warrior (Klingon pop, Sunday), Rock it Man Entertainment dueling piano show (Sunday)
● Live action role play with Last Hope LARP in live combat demo (Saturday, Sunday)
● Rob Rasner combines magic and humor combine with music and audience participation (Saturday)
● Thomas Ian Nicholas (Rookie of the Year, American Pie) performing an acoustic set (Friday and Sunday)
● Trivia all weekend, with fun prizes
● Wizard World Karaoke – fans are the stars! (Friday and Saturday)
● Wizard World Hall of Legends induction ceremony (Friday, 7 p.m.) with Jens Robinson accepting on behalf of his father Jerry Robinson, creator of the “Robin” character
● Costume contest for adults (Saturday) and kids (Saturday and Sunday)
● DJ spinning all weekend
● Kaelin hosting many of the performances during the event, including trivia and giveaways right from the entertainment stage

The full schedule of entertainment and programming can be found at http://wizardworld.com/programming-entertainment/madison.

The entertainment offerings supplement a top-flite celebrity lineup which includes Stan Lee (Marvel Comics CEO Emeritus), Lennie James (“The Walking Dead,” Snatch), Sean Maher (“Firefly,” Serenity), WWE® Superstar Becky Lynch™ Emma Caulfield (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Beverly Hills, 90210”), Monica Rial (“Dragon Ball Z,” “Fullmetal Alchemist”), Juliet Landau (Ed Wood, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), James Frain (“Gotham,” True Blood”), Rachel Skarsten (“Lost Girl,” “Reign”) and more. The event marks Wizard World’s third annual show in Madison and the 12th on Wizard World’s 2017 calendar.

Wizard World Comic Con events bring together thousands of fans of all ages to celebrate the best in pop culture: movies, television, gaming, live entertainment, comics, sci-fi, graphic novels, toys, original art, collectibles, contests and more. Madison show hours are Friday, September 22, 4-9 p.m.; Saturday, September 23, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday, September 24, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Kids 10 and under are admitted free with paid adult.

Wizard World Comic Con Madison is also the place for cosplay, with fans young and old showing off their best costumes throughout the event. Fans dressed as every imaginable character – and some never before dreamed – will roam the convention floor and participate in the famed Wizard World Costume Contest on Saturday evening.

For more on the 2017 Wizard World Madison, visit http://wizd.me/MadisonPR.

About Wizard World (OTCBB: WIZD)
Wizard World, Inc. (www.wizardworld.com) produces comic, gaming and pop culture conventions across North America that celebrate the best in pop culture: movies, television, gaming, live entertainment, tech, comics, sci-fi, graphic novels, toys, original art, collectibles, contests and more. A first-class lineup of topical programming and entertainment takes place at each event, with celebrity Q&A’s, comics-themed sessions, costume contests, movie screenings, evening parties and more. Wizard World has also launched the digital Wizard magazine and introduced WizPop, a daily news service reporting on the biggest pop culture stories of the day, and featuring a weekly recap covering the news of the week. Fans can interact with Wizard World at www.wizardworld.com and on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and other social media services. Additional initiatives may include an augmented touring schedule of Wizard World shows, fixed-site installations, curated e-commerce, and the production and distribution of content both in the U.S. and internationally.

The 2017 Wizard World convention schedule is available at: http://www.wizardworld.com/comiccon.

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