Fooled ya! We came out early this week because of the Thanksgiving holiday, somehow trumping our normal Thursday distribution. Actually, I'm sure we really didn't fool anyone since we do this annually, and everyone has altered schedules, not to mention travel plans or the impending arrival of family.
Seems to us like the perfect occasion to introduce the winners of our third annual photo contest. The theme this year was self-portraits, and we received some imaginative interpretations of it, from the surreal to the exotic. Entries were judged by creative director Ellen Meany, art director Carolyn Fath and editor Dean Robbins.
So congratulations go out to Cassie Meyer for her winning entry entitled "Inner Flavor." I can't go into why the judges chose that image - I wasn't privy to the deliberations - but I will concur that it conveys a sensual, almost erotic atmosphere. That's it for dipping a toe into criticism. Congratulations also to Stephanie Bartz, who, though she did not win, got the cover with an image from her four-panel entry, "Self-Portrait Silliness." There are more photos online.
Also online is the continuation of Band to Band Combat, which is searching for a winner from among the 35 bands that entered the contest. The field is currently at 16 and will soon be cut to eight. The website has audio clips from all of them, for you to partake of at your leisure and then vote. With this long, disrupted weekend (it's even possible you could get footballed out), you should have plenty of time to evaluate the talent.
Four survivors will play in the live finals at the Frequency on Thursday, Dec. 15. The winners will receive studio time at Blast House Studios, sponsor of the contest along with Madison Media Institute and Roman Candle Pizzeria. You must register to vote; however, no photo ID is required.
