Awards ceremony thoughts

Yes I'm doing it. I'm jumping on the complaint band wagon.
When the ceremony started I wondered what happened to Nora...just two days before she told a room full of people that one must always keep their commitments. She was talking about deadlines but I am sure that the philosophy must extend to all commitments in her life. Tragedy must have struck to make this icon miss a commitment. Was she sick ? Did someone die?
Unfortunately The organizers ( such as they were) did not feel it necessary to enlighten us so I was left wondering.
I was also left wondering why I was looking at 25 years of tragic news events rather than 25 years of organizational change? What were they thinking?
I'm sure who ever put this montage together was trying to show worldly change over 25 years and perhaps thought those images would have an emotional effect. They were right but the effect they were looking for? I think not. I have some sympathy for someone with so little imagination that they took the easy route to time travel.
Perhaps it would have been too time consuming to put a call out to members for pictures of past conferences or video footage of past events. Perhaps it was too much of a challenge to obtain photos of past book covers to show us how romance has evolved over 25 years. Perhaps it was too cumbersome to ask for stories and antidotes from life time members. Perhaps showing us the fairy tale wedding with the scandalous ending was just easier to do. Perhaps images of death and political tragedies were just what the organizers wanted to share with us. Perhaps there is some lesson for romance writers in the montage we were shown. I'm too thick to see it. I have no idea what that was supposed to show me.
What I have learned is ...Well that Nora is a brave soul who stands by her beliefs ....GOOD FOR YOU NORA!
Statement from Nora.....as copied from her message board

Before I get to the good stuff--which may take another day of recovery--I want to post here what I intend to take out as an ad in the Romance Writers Report. It concerns the awards ceremony in Reno which I was slated to emcee.As Ms. Quinn refused to read my statement, as agreed, before the awards ceremony in Reno, then again reneged on her agreement to read it after the awards, I will write it here.Nora Roberts declines to host tonight's awards ceremony as she feels the content is inappropriate and believes the focus should be on the nominees and the organization.Oddly, I wasn't given a script by Ms. Quinn. One was provided by a member of the production team when I requested it on Friday afternoon in Reno. The only significant change I was able to implement, though I argued and debated with Ms. Quinn, Laura Hayden and Diana Pershing, was the deletion of the video containing the fall of the Twin Towers and the Oklahoma City bombing. How painful those images would have been to the many editors and agents in attendance who lived though 9/11. Instead of a celebration, a night of fun and anticipation for the nominees, and an entertaining and sparkling event, the audience was treated to a three-plus hour world history lesson, heavy on disaster, death, politics, war and tragedy--in one memorable moment, Don't Worry, Be Happy was played over those images.I can't comprehend how such tragic events and images had a place at a ceremony meant to showcase the nominees and the twenty-five years of the organization. Nor can I understand how it was thought proper to juxtapose those with presenters being driven on stage in a limo, walking to the podium to Joan Riveresque commentary in a format that gave more play to the presenters--through no fault of their own--than those who were privileged to take home a Golden Heart or a Rita. The emcee's place in all this seemed to be to recite endless dry facts and figures of RWA dues, conference fees and sites over the last quarter of a century, instead of relating the heart of our organization.It was tempting to resign my membership--the first time I've been so tempted in 25 years. But it wasn't RWA that pushed this agenda. It was a handful of individuals. RWA has, as always, my respect, affection and gratitude. The current president has none of those.
Nora Roberts

What I got out of it was a chocolate statue wrapped in silver and a burning desire to enter the golden heart.
I am happy to say I missed the second half. My thick brain just couldn't get through the rest of it.

Thoughts from other attendees?