V for Lame Promotion Party

So ... we scored some tickets for the "V for Vendetta" promotion party in Taiwan, held at a popular local nightclub called Room 18 on the Wednesday night. It starts at 7:30pm, and we arrived around 8:15pm to the front door.

Quiet as a ghosttown.

No fanfare, no crowd trying to get in with their coveted limited-release tickets, not even the outside lights were on. We weren't sure it was the right place, or the right day, until we saw a sad little movie poster stand cowering quietly by the left side.

We entered. In the dark doorway, down the dark stairwell, to the first dimly lit room. Three people. And two of them were employees who were preparing for the Ladies Night later that evening. The only signal that anything was even happening was the bright light emanating from the side room, and the booming voice over the microphone.

We wandered in, to a small stage with a celebrity host and some 8 cameras and many heatlamps turned on him. He was interviewing a bunch of teenage girls who were vying to get on his variety show. And at most 20-30 people came to watch.

What the heck?? This was the promotion party?? And they ran out of Coke, so it was just Hennessey on the rocks! Weaksauce.

I heard from an employee that Warner Village (movie distribution firm) ran with the "V for ..." idea, and made it a "V for Vote", so that some celebrity judges could vote in the finalists to that show. Pretty weak link, if you ask me. Even weaker party, and as far as I was concerned, V stood for lame promotion party.