Title:

PIC FEST

Author(s): Tina, Michelle, Syrena, Peaches, LizCharacter(s): MultipleMovie: Multiple

INTRODUCTION

Many of us were first introduced to Russell Crowe because of

L.A. Confidential

and

Gladiator

, the latter most of all, and it was not long after seeing it in May2000 that -- through simple luck -- discovered a fan/writer’s group called TheCrowe’s Nest on the old E-Groups. The group consisted mainly of females whowere not only fans of the actor, but some were writers, which in itself was notunusual. What made it unique -- at the time -- was that the group revolvedaround a fictional universe called The Crowe’s Nest, which was a world in whichMr. Crowe’s movie characters all lived.It was from these beginnings -- and many developers, moderators and writers --that we eventually created the present-day Crowe’s Point, the thrust of numerousstories on The Gaslight Hotel.

During the summer of 2000, a round-robin writing challenge was started by oneof the Crowe’s Nest moderators. (For those of you unfamiliar with the term, around-robin for writers is where one person starts a story, stops at some point,and another writer takes it up; if you are lucky, several writers could becomeinvolved so that the story takes on various layers as it is seen from more thanone point-of-view). But to make the story a little more interesting, a photographfrom one of Mr. Crowe’s movies was featured for inspiration. This photographwas to serve as inspiration for the writer, so one was never certain who might jump to the task or what they might write to tie-in with what came before. After acouple of chapters had been written however, other photographs were later thrown into the mix to add to the chapter -- which could run any length -- andwithin three sections, several Crowe’s Nest authors were involved.The work started out -- as many things do -- as a lighthearted romp, and with anopening title of

It Began With SID …(doesn’t it always?!

) what else might youexpect and at some point within several parts, an unknown number of Crowe’sNest writers were involved, whether to pen a tiny section or the majority of one.But within chapter three you will begin to see a change. I’m not sure how ithappened, but the carefree Picfest took a turn into something more dramatic,more serious and more involved as the hopes and fears; dreams andnightmares; lusts, passions, jealousy, hatred and loves of the various characters-- Crowe created and the AE’s (alter-egos) of the writers -- came to the forefront.As the story developed, the lives of several characters became more prominent,but even many of the “minor” characters found roles and a voice.And while the Picfest round-robin originally had multiple authors, in the end, itdwindled down to three Nest authors to continue the story roughly from chapter three through the end: Syrena, Michelle and Tina.Picfest became one of the most anticipated round-robins to appear on TheGaslight Hotel website, the originally brief sections developing into lengthy,detailed chapters filled with appropriate photographs and an ever evolvingplotline. At one time we tried to post weekly, but when that became too daunting,we posted when we could -- every two or three weeks if possible due to thedemand.What you are going to read are the original twenty-two chapters as theyappeared for roughly a year beginning in the summer of 2000. While the Picfestwas regrettably never completed, it is hoped that you will see why it was asymbol of pride for The Gaslight Hotel, not only as one of the most requestedsagas but one of the most satisfying to write and to read.

The source of many of the photographs you will see is unknown after such a longpassage of time, and many were located by one of the authors, Michelle. Somecame from the Internet, from screen caps of the various Crowe movies, and quitepossibly from other Crowe sites such as Kaspinet. So I ask for your understanding if proper credit is not given -- it is not out of forgetfulness; it’s just amatter of no longer knowing.It is hoped that Picfest will entertain you as much as it did Gaslight readers for many years and why it is mentioned in other Crowe’s Point stories as ‘theTroubles.’Your feedback is welcome as we proceed in the republishing of Picfest, and to allof those that participated in this undertaking, thank you.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Chapter One

It Began With SID (doesn’t it always?)

"Sid, you're crazy! Someone will stop you!" Peaches yelled as she struggled to break freefrom the ropes that held her in the chair."Crazy? Me? Of COURSE! And no one can stop me!" Sid said as his eyes lit up withinsanity.