CSTS Mention at CNN
In an article at CNN.com regaling the activism of a Harry Potter fan group called the "Harry Potter Alliance", Can't Stop the Serenity was listed as an example of "Science fiction and fantasy aficionados [who] have translated their fandom into real-world action."
Check out the article here.
CSTS Austin Preliminary Tally
Austin's Can't Stop the Serenity 2009 was a great success. All three showings were sold out, and many Browncoats and others showed up to support Equality Now and Kids Need to Read while enjoying the Big Damn Movie on the big screen once again.
Though we are still working on the final figures, it is looking like our total raised will be over $19,000. You heard us... $19,000! We are extremely excited about this outcome and will have the final totals very soon. Thank you to everyone who helped make this year's Austin CSTS so amazing!
Jun 18, 2009
In 2008, we put together a big damn bag unique to Austin's Can't Stop The Serenity event! It was such a success, that we're making it a tradition. Simply put, this bag is one of everything! Valued at over $150.00. We only have 10 of these, and once they're gone, they're gone for good!
Big Damn Bag - $100
Contents include:
To order a Big Damn Bag, visit www.cantstoptheserenity.com/austin/merch.html.
June 18, 2009
The Austin Browncoats and the Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek announce Austin's “Can't Stop the Serenity” 2009 event featuring Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
The Austin Browncoats present Austin Can't Stop the Serenity 2009 at the Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek in Austin, TX on June 28th, 2009 at 12:00 PM, 5:00 PM, and 10:00 PM.
"Can’t Stop the Serenity" is a global fundraising effort featuring charity screenings of Joss Whedon’s 2005 film Serenity to benefit Equality Now. In the last three years, the Austin Browncoats have raised over $16,000, and in total over $160,000 has been raised for Equality Now around the world. You can read all about the global event at www.cantstoptheserenity.com.
This year, in addition to Serenity, we are happy to announce that we will also be hosting the Austin-area big screen premiere of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, Joss Whedon's award-winning internet musical sensation.
Fans of Joss Whedon show Serenity on his birthday to honor him and to raise money for his favorite charity, Equality Now. Equality Now works to end violence and discrimination against women and girls around the world through the mobilization of public pressure. In addition to raising money for Equality Now, we will also be donating a portion of the proceeds from the event to The Kids Need to Read Foundation. Kids Need To Read is a children's literacy non-profit organization who will take the money we raise and put it back into Austin's underprivileged schools, libraries and shelters.
Tickets for this event will be $15 in advance and $18 at the door and are now available online. For tickets and other information, visit www.cantstoptheserenity.com/austin
In 2008, we put together a big damn bag unique to Austin's Can't Stop The Serenity event! It was such a success, that we're making it a tradition. Simply put, this bag is one of everything! Valued at over $150.00. We only have 10 of these, and once they're gone, they're gone for good! To order a Big Damn Bag ($100), visit www.cantstoptheserenity.com/austin/merch.html.
About Serenity: A passenger with a deadly secret. Six rebels on the run. An assassin in pursuit. When the renegade crew of Serenity agrees to hide a fugitive on their ship, they find themselves in an action-packed battle between the relentless military might of a totalitarian regime who will destroy anything - or anyone - to get the girl back and the bloodthirsty creatures who roam the uncharted areas of space. But, the greatest danger of all may be on their ship. From the mind of Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel) comes a new edge-of-your seat adventure loaded with explosive battles, gripping special effects and fantastic new worlds. Serenity is rated PG-13 by the MPAA.
About Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog: Conceived as an "online miniseries event" during the 2008 writers' strike, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is a 42-minute musical romp that bears the distinctive stamp of Joss Whedon. Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) plays the title character, who video-blogs about his twin goals to join the Evil League of Evil and to woo the fair Penny (Felicia Day, of Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the web series The Guild), a woman he met at the local laundromat. Dr. Horrible is foiled on both fronts, however, by his archnemesis, the self-absorbed superhero Captain Hammer (Nathan Fillion, Whedon's Serenity).
About the Austin Browncoats: Austin Browncoats, founded in 2007, is a 501(c)(3), tax-exempt non-profit located in Austin, TX. Austin Browncoats work to end violence and discrimination in all sectors of society. We place special focus on working alongside young women and children because, given the opportunity and proper education, young women and children can help create a better world for all beings. Much like our passion for the amazing works of Joss Whedon, such as "Firefly", we are passionate about our causes and raising funds for our charities, including Equality Now, SafePlace, Heart House and Emancipet. Our website is www.austinbrowncoats.com
Austin CSTS Tickets on Sale!
It's that time again! Time to get ready for Austin's Can't Stop the Serenity! June 28th is the day, but you don't have to wait until then to get your tickets.
That's right! Tickets are on sale now at the Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek website for all three event showings - 12PM, 5PM, and 10PM. Tickets are $15 if you purchase from the site in advance, and $18 at the door on the day of the event.
We've got our schedule planned out and ready too! Take a look at our theatre page for a peek at what's in store for Austin CSTS 2009.
Proceeds from this year's CSTS Austin are going to Equality Now and The Kids Need to Read Foundation. Kids Need To Read is a children's literacy non-profit organization who will take the money we raise and put it back into Austin's underprivileged schools, libraries and shelters.
Equality Now News Bulletin
Take Action against rape simulator games
and the normalization of sexual violence in Japan
Equality Now has just issued "Women’s Action 33.1 Japan: Rape simulator games and the normalization of sexual violence". The Action focuses on the rape simulator game RapeLay, which is produced and sold in Japan, including through Amazon Japan. The aim of RapeLay is for the player to manipulate the game in order to simulate raping a woman and her two school-aged daughters, one of whom appears to be a young child. Equality Now is calling for the withdrawal from sale in Japan of all games that involve rape, stalking or other forms of sexual violence against women and girls. The Action also urges the Japanese government to take effective measures to overcome negative stereotypical sex-discriminatory attitudes and practices that hinder women’s equality.
To make a contribution to Equality Now, visit the EN website.
Name a Crappy Town Where You're a Hero For Charity
Are you a Browncoat? Check.
Well, then, you love Firefly and Serenity? Check.
Do you have a crappy town where you're a hero? ...No.
Well, now you can!
Quantum Mechanix (QMx) is sponsoring the "Name the Crappy Town Where You’re a Hero" charity auction. Starting on April 20th, 50 town names will be auctioned via eBay with all proceeds supporting Equality Now. If you win an auction, your name will be submitted, and pending studio approval, will be used in the upcoming official Atlas of the 'Verse, Volume One: The Trader's Guild Guide to the New Canaan Run made by our favorite mild-manner graphic designer, Ben Mund.
Ready to start naming? Here are some guidelines:
Available planets and towns include Ariel, Higgins’ Moon and Sihnon.
The auctions are being run by the Austin Browncoats in support of 2009’s Can’t Stop The Serenity. Visit www.cantstoptheserenity.com to find a screening near you! To find out more about Equality Now, visit http://equalitynow.org. For more information, visit www.quantummechanix.com.
Beth Nelson
Manager, Social Media Marketing and Community Outreach
512-294-3816
beth@quantummechanix.com
Thank you for an amazing year!
Are you ready for what 2009 has in store for us?
What an amazing year 2008 was for Austin Browncoats. Our first full year as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization saw many exciting changes for the better! We invited new Browncoats onto the Board of Directors and watched our charity grow to new heights with the help of an amazing team of volunteers.
In 2008, one of our goals was to grow our name and reputation, by attending more fan driven events. To this end, we decided that conventions would be the best way to get to know the community more, as well as show them what we’re all about. All-Con 2008 was our preliminary foray into being dealers at a convention. To say it went well is an understatement. It was better than expected and showed us that not only is their a huge market for Browncoat-y awesomeness, but that fans, in general, have an amazing sense of generosity. Our raffles were a huge hit at our attended conventions and started causing traffic jams in the dealer’s room! Folks would travel long distance just to hang out at our booth and talk about Firefly, Serenity and all things Joss. As our support grew, so did our inventory of Browncoat goodies.
We had a successful run of event planning, as well. 2008’s Can’t Stop The Serenity was a blast! We raised just under $11,000.00 for Equality Now. Cedric of The Bedlam Bards entertained us, the Alamo Drafthouse served Kaylee’s Strawberry Shortcake and our costume contests saw so many amazing entrants. We also had the honor of running 2008’s Browncoat Ball. With over 100 attendees and three days of fun, food and shininess, our Browncoat Ball was a huge success. We were able to eat delicious verse-y food, learn tricks of the Firefly trade and dance with merriment to the music of The Bedlam Bards and Brobdingnagian Bards. The Ball was a night to remember for all Browncoats in attendance.
We were also lucky to begin a friendship with The Kids Need To Read Foundation (KNTR), a non-profit organization doing great works! They purchase books for libraries, schools and other institutions in need by raising funds through auctions, merchandise sales and collecting donations. KNTR Foundation was the benefactor of our Jayne Hat Knit-A-Thon during Dragon*Con – an event that Browncoats will remember for a long time. We look forward to many more fundraisers in support of KNTR!
2009 shows us that the future holds great things in store for Austin Browncoats. We just opened our online store, Whedon Wares: The Browncoat Store. We’ve developed an entire line of Firefly-inspired tea blends, Sereniteas, and we’re expanding on our Ma Cobb creations, to include our Jayne hat, as well as other handmade goods, like greeting cards.
We are excited to announce that we’re opening up non-voting membership, as well. Want to be a member of Austin Browncoats? Keep your eye on our website for more information.
We hope we can count on your continued support in 2009. We are so excited to be a part of this ‘verse and fandom and look forward to meeting more of you in the future.
Thank you and keep shiny,
Austin Browncoats
Austin Browncoats Send In Equality Now Donation
We sent in our Equality Now donation today, via check and registered mail, to the tune of $8500.00. We are extremely proud of our accomplishments, as well as the generosity of our local Browncoats. There are many people that need to be thanked for their support, assistance, hard work and dedication. To all of my volunteers, this would’ve been impossible without you. Kandace, the best co-emcee and auction slave – thank you for jumping right in to the swing of things. You’re relatively new to our charitable organization and fan group, but you went all in with your amazing energy and spirit. Ryan, Claudia and Jenn, you guys make me so proud. I’ve never met harder working individuals. You sacrificed seeing the Big Damn Movie (twice) in order to make sure that raffle tickets and merchandise were bought, goodie bags were given out and our attendees had everything they needed for an amazing event. Tonja, Steve, Sam, Brenda – you guys were and are my go-to volunteers. You’re always willing to do what needs to be done, and fill whatever role needs filling. I’m so impressed with how willing all of my Browncoats are to take charge and fill leadership roles. I’m reminded every day just how lucky I am to be surrounded by such a talented crew.
Thanks to Cedric of The Bedlam Bards for the incredible entertainment and to the Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek for their hospitality and generosity. That strawberry shortcake was divine!
I want to give special thanks to all of our attendees and donors. We know that finances are tighter this year than last, but your continued support and munificence made this staggering donation possible. We look forward to 2009 and hope to see all of you there! Tell your friends and family: if you loved 2008, than you are going to swoon over 2009!
Beth Nelson
Can't Stop The Serenity 2008 - Global Organizer
Austin's Can't Stop The Serenity - Local Organizer
Can't wait to see you tomorrow at Austin's Can't Stop The Serenity. Need a ticket? 10PM tickets are still available through the Alamo website. A few 5PM tickets are available, as well, but via email only: beth@austinbrowncoats.com.
Want to avoid the rush at the merchandise table? Merchandise is still available via our website!
Remember, you can't stop the signal!
Visit Our Theatre Page for information about the event. Tickets can be purchased at our website, or at Alamo Lake Creek's website.
Tickets are $15 - Early bird, or $18 at the Door.
Austin's event is on July 13th at Lakecreek Alamo Drafthouse, with two showtimes: 5PM and 10PM.
Merchandise is still available, including our Big Damn Bag. The BDB will come with a ticket to the event, a Global t-shirt, Poster, as well as special autographed items and some custom Firefly-themed artwork made exclusively for Austin's event. Go here to purchase event merchandise.
We have 5 Big Damn Bags left. Get one before they are all gone!
QMx was the first vendor to become a Lifetime Supporter of CSTS.
They've done so much to support our events, including making a donation to each city involved in CSTS.
Well, they've decided to take their support one step further.
From QMx:
"QMx Proudly Supports Can't Stop The Serenity
Quantum Mechanix will donate 10 percent of the price, before taxes, of all purchases made at www.qmxonline.com between June 19th and September 30th to Can't Stop The Serenity. Simply enter "CSTS" in the notes field when you check out to give 10 percent of your purchase to benefit Equality Now. Offer applicable to all products, except Artisan products.
Remember, you must enter "CSTS" in the notes field of the order when you check out for the donation to apply.
QMx – Bringing The 'Verse to Life"
A Short Stack for Can't Stop the Serenity
June 21st
8am-10am
Applebee's South (Mopac & 290)
$5 (cash, money order, check)
$5.50 (paypal)
All you can eat pancakes and sausage, coffee and orange juice.
Have a great breakfast for a wonderful cause with the proceeds supporting Can't Stop the Serenity and Equality Now. Invite all your friends and family, because everyone loves pancakes!
You can purchase tickets in advance, which we would prefer (so we know how many people to expect) or you can purchase your ticket at the door. Either way, you'll get to eat great food and support an awesome charity.
See you then.
www.cantstoptheserenity.com
www.equalitynow.org
To Pay:
Paypal ($5.50):
www.cantstoptheserenity.com/austin/pancake.html
Mail Check/Money Order ($5.00) to:
Austin Browncoats
Pancake Fundraiser
P.O. Box 203604
Austin, TX 78720-3604
Want to help support Equality Now and Can't Stop The
Serenity?
Check out our merchandise:
http://www.cantstoptheserenity.com/austin/index.html
Or support us with a Sponsorship:
http://www.cantstoptheserenity.com/austin/support.html
Pre-Selling ends on May 30th. We are doing a very limited purchase of Global Merchandise, so pre-ordering is the only way to confirm your size will be in stock and available. Once Global Merchandise is gone - it is gone for good. We are not doing any re-orders.
Equality Now and Can't Stop The Serenity need your on-going support to continue to make a difference in the lives of women and girls all around the world. We're counting on you to help us help these people that are suffering some of the world's greatest injustices.
Thank you for your continued support.
T-Shirts, Posters, Big Damn Bags for Pre-Sale Now.
With artwork from Adam Levermore-Rich, you know
you’ll want to own
these amazing pieces of ‘Verse memorabilia. We are offering women’s and
junior’s
sized t-shirts in addition to the standard men’s t-shirt sizes. This
year we also have two sizes
of posters. So if 24x36 is a little too big for your bedroom
wall, how about an 11x17?
New to this year – The Big Damn Bag! Taking cue from
our neighbors, the Dallas
Browncoats, we’ve put together a limited number of Big Damn Bags for
our attendees to pre-purchase. These bags will have a number of Can’t
Stop The Serenity Essentials, as well as some limited edition goodies.
Want to help out Equality Now and get one of everything (and then
some)? The Big Damn Bag is the way to go!
Check out our Merchandise page to get stocked up on our limited quantity CSTS items!
The 2008 Austin Can’t Stop The Serenity (CSTS) event
is scheduled for July 13th, 2008. Check this website for more
information.
Not in the Austin area, but want to find a screening near you? Check out www.cantstoptheserenity.com. Can’t find a screening near you? Visit the CSTS forums at www.cantstoptheserenity.com/forum to find out how to plan a screening in your city.
This is the second year of the charity event, Can't Stop The Serenity and it's not too late to help!
On or around Joss Whedon's birthday (June 23) Serenity screenings (the best move ever) are held around the world for his favorite charity, Equality Now. It's a great chance to see the Big Damn Movie on the big screen again and to support women's rights.
From the Can't Stop the Serenity website: "Equality Now is doing amazing work around the globe, bringing the vision of gender equality closer to reality every day through campaigns against issues such as rape, female genital mutilation, spousal abuse."
Last year over $65,000 was raised by screenings in 41 cities worldwide. This year the goal is to reach $100,000. With 51 cities participating and over $75,000 reported in so far we may just reach that goal!
The Austin screening sold out quickly so don't feel bad for missing it. But there are still ways to participate!
Magnets, T-Shirts, Posters and goodie bags are still available. And since not all the really cool stuff was raffled at the event due to time constraints, each purchase of $10 earns 5 raffle tickets!!!!!!!!!!!
To view and purchase go to the Merch Page.
Items still available for purchase:
Some of the items up for raffle include:
You can support charity, buy cool stuff and maybe win even cooler stuff! Why wait?
Saturday, June 23rd, 2007
7:00PM, Serenity - Sold Out!
9:45PM, Buffy Sing-Along - Sold Out!
11:58PM, Buffy and Angel Finales
Alamo Drafthouse Downtown
Tickets available for Buffy and Angel Finales here
Serenity: The Movie
A passenger with a deadly secret. Six rebels on the run. An assassin in pursuit. When the renegade crew of Serenity agrees to hide a fugitive on their ship, they find themselves in an action-packed battle between the relentless military might of a totalitarian regime who will destroy anything - or anyone - to get the girl back and the bloodthirsty creatures who roam the uncharted areas of space. But, the greatest danger of all may be on their ship.
The Alamo Drafthouse is offering a Serenity Feast along with the movie, made up of foods from the Firefly world.
Buffy Singalong
It's Joss's birthday and what better way to celebrate the work he's done than support his championed charity. We could just show Serenity, one of the best movies ever made, but we decided that since our event is going to help close down the Original Alamo Drafthouse, we need to go out with a bang! We are going to have a Buffy Sing- Along, as well! Lyrics available here. We'll have free lighters as usual, but now they'll have special Buffy Sing-Along logos on them and might not explode! We'll have your bubbles and fangs and dancing bunnies and underwear too, of course, but those won't all say Buffy on them. We'll also reprise the "Stake the Vampire" game we did at the all-night show last month, but please - do not stake Henri in the crotch!
Buffy and Angel Finales
Since the Alamo's ongoing tradition with the work of Joss Whedon began years ago with a screening of the Buffy series finale, we decided to revisit that idea since the Original Alamo Drafthouse is moving onto a new location and a new beginning. So come down to the original Alamo one last time and say good-bye in style with the finales of both BUFFY and ANGEL! And remember, support Equality Now, Joss's favorite charity by getting involved with Can't Stop The Serenity. For more information, email Beth.
Can't Stop the Serenity 2006 raised over $65,000 for Equality Now, and we are looking to raise $100,000 in 2007!
For more information about the screening, visit our Theatre page. We are in need of volunteers. See our Support page, as well as our News section below to keep apprised of our volunteer opportunties and descriptions. We are also looking for individuals and businesses to donate items to be used for our raffle and silent auctions. Based on donations and sponsorships, we will try to offer door prizes. More information about that will be available in our News and Theatre section.
Equality Now
Equality Now was founded in 1992 to work for the protection and promotion of the human rights of women around the world. Working with national human rights organizations and individual activists, Equality Now documents violence and discrimination against women and mobilizes international action to support their efforts to stop these human rights abuses.
We are hosting an After-Serenity shindig at the Dog and Duck Pub at 17th and Guadaloupe on Sunday from 5-10pm.
A $10 donation gets you 2 beers and appetizers, free chips and salsa. They also have the following specials for those Browncoats who attend:
$5 pitcher of domestic (Bud Light, Miller Light,
Shiner Bock)
$2 off draft for everything except the ciders, Guinness and Chimay.
$4 glass for Guinness
All appetizer platters are 50% off
Remaining food and drink items are menu price, but the Dog and Duck Pub
is giving a percentage of those orders to Equality Now.
The Dog and Duck Pub holds 100 people, so please RSVP for this event.
We are accepting pre-orders for T-shirts, posters, magnets, etc through Friday. T-shirt prices will be $26.50 (sizes S-XL) and $31.50 (2XL-3XL), so pre-order now!
Order T-shirts here
T-shirts and other items will be available for pickup at the event. If you aren't able to make it to the Drafthouse, we will make them available at a future location.
Want to own an Autographed Print from the Serenity Comic Mini-Series?
Are you a fan of Joss Whedon? Jewel Staite? Jo Chen?
Austin's Can't Stop The Serenity Event has an autographed print up (signed by all three of the above mentioned people) for auction on eBay!
Did you miss out on bidding for the first print listed by Can't Stop The Serenity?
Well, here is your second chance!
Check out our eBay Listing and BID!
After eBay fees, all proceeds go to Equality Now.
Don't forget to dress up for Austin's Biggest Shindig! We are going to host a costume contest during the viewing of our favorite movie, Serenity.
Prizes for the best costume, most original cost and our favorite costume!
Extra, Extra: Read All About It!
Tickets for Austin's Can't Stop The Serenity Event are on Sale!
Purchase Tickets for this event here
Fans are trying to get more sales, publicity, etc. for Serenity & Firefly. This plan has several different possibilities for people to choose from. Help Boost The Signal!.
Check out this site for more details
Starting from May 23rd to June 23rd, I will post items up on eBay that we aren't using in our raffle/silent auction.
All items are up with proceeds going to Equality Now and will range from specific BDM/Firefly merchandise to Used Cell Phones and TiVos!
I am going to put up some autographed items, as well as limited or one- of-a-kind items!
Check them out here
Spread the word! Thanks!
T-Shirts and Posters are now available for pre-order!
Proceeds from the sale of these posters and shirts go to Equality Now, the charity-of-choice for the Can't Stop The Serenity events.
More information available here.
The business sponsorships are beginning to roll in, but we still need volunteers to head up reaching the local Austin businesses! Who wants to be a part of this amazing event? For every volunteer that brings in at least $20 in donation or sponsorship money, you will receive one raffle ticket towards a special edition poster for our event. There is NO limit to how many raffle tickets one individual can have. Get the donations people. I'm asking every volunteer to find 5 people that are willing to donate $20 each. It's not hard to do, but you can't get the donations if we aren't asking.
Everyone that would like to receive updates on Austin's CSTS Event - Join our Mailing List! You'll receive updates on our auctions and raffled goods, as well as specifics for the event. You'll also get the chance to hear about volunteer opportunities. People subscribed to the Mailing List will be the first to find out important event information!
For all Browncoat Volunteers: We are asking you to find 5 people that are willing to donate $20 to Equality Now. Of course, we'll accept ANY donation, but this is a goal. If we have 20 volunteers and each volunteer finds 5 individuals willing to donate for this cause - that adds up to $2000. Last year, Austin donated $500 to Equality Now - we need to show them that we are dedicated to this amazing cause.
So, who wants to get involved? Email Beth to discuss volunteering and donations.
We are looking for people willing to prepare and support a fast-paced marketing campaign to gain some local business sponsorships.
We are looking for fundraisers, Street Team members, local artists, contributors, printers, and photo and videographers. Please see the Support page for more info.
Welcome to the newly redesigned Austin "Can't Stop the Serenity" website! We're excited about the upcoming screening of Serenity, and raising money for Equality Now.
Please keep an eye on our site for more news on this event.
If you have any questions regarding this website, please contact the webmaster.
