Did New Hampshire teach you nothing?

Everyone and their mother wants to run a convention these days--literally, but more about Tandoku Con later--though sadly, not everyone deserves to run a convention.

Exhibit A for the prosecution: MahouCon '08. Is the California anime con circuit hurting for more? No. But too bad, here's MahouCon, a month after AnimeExpo and located in the same county. Perhaps it's merely a case of envy; even though its convention site is still under construction, that hasn't stopped MahouCon from taking out an ad swap on AnimeCons.com and cheerfully pirating AnimeExpo for what pieces of information they do have up and misspelled.

Although the event is scheduled for the Hotel Huntington Beach, it "may" move to the Anaheim Convention Center second floor if the event grows too big. (Not... likely.) Their tentative video room schedule is even titled "Video room if in Anaheim" and is organized by Anaheim Convention Center room numbers. The schedule also refers to a Go Tournament which you will not find referenced anywhere else on the site. You rock, MahouCon!

Best of all, the list of guests consists of--could it be, it is! Chris Hazelton ("he coming") and Amanda Tomasch! I'd suspect something but quite frankly, this effort looks so inept (with at-door prices like $22, $16, and $8--you've never seen registration in your life before, have you?) that I could honestly believe the organizers, whoever they might be, mistook the pair for, well, actual people in the industry.