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RWA awards ceremony
Roundup of reaction to the awards ceremony at the RWA conference in Reno.

monicajackson was the first to bring the ceremony to my attention.

smartbitches asks if the trainwreck really happened and gets answers from an editor:

Well, Ladies, I was there. And it was hilariously innapropriate. In the beginning it had a retrospective early 80’s and I swear to god, they showed all the footage of Challenger until the nanosecond before it exploded.

and, from Jennifer Crusie:

At this point, I don’t care who was responsible for that truly wretched script; I don’t care who was responsible for forcing it through, even though Nora Roberts, one of the smartest people I know when it comes to gauging audience reaction and public relations, was ignored when she tried to stop the train wreck that ceremony became.

knightagency missed the ceremony but asks about it. Interesting comments. One observer:

There was also this thread of following the Charles and Di relationship that culimated with her FUNERAL and the sad, sad picture of the letter that said "Mummy" on her casket. Several people around me (as well as me!) were crying.

The other tasteless things were the choice of music. They played "Don't Worry, Be Happy" while showing images from Tienamen Square. And other spots where there was upbeat music where tragic and or sad events were being shown.

and another:

I found it in extremely poor taste that pictures of Charles and Di's wedding were played, then the script said, "They may not have lived a fairy tale, but the winner of the next Golden Heart category will."

Though she didn't attend, Laurie likes books comments on the RWA ceremony:

According to what I've been told by some in attendance, the montage was "right-wing" and "pro-Christian" and "would have been offensive" to anyone who wasn't white, Christian, or a Republican. Others did not go so far in their condemnation of the montage, but were astonished nonetheless because it had nothing to do with the RITA's or RWA and did seem to push an agenda.

fashionista_35 gives her take, having attended.

I feel awful for the nominees, many of whom couldn't even enjoy their moment in the sun because it was bracketed by footage of O.J. and Princess Diana's funeral. Well, I suppose I shouldn't speak for the nominees, but I know I felt as if their achievement was somehow overshadowed as the evening wore on and it became clear that the emphasis wasn't on RWA or romance writing, but on the personal agenda of a very few.