Something Smells Fishy...

Just recieved this comment from Don (An Actor's Journey) regarding City of the Stars Screen Test 2006:

"Be Careful, I signed up but was unsure about it so I never told anyone about it so I am pretty sure I got zero votes, and I just got an email that said I made it to round two also. Seems fishy, that I got into round two without any votes. Proceed with caution. Not trying to rain on your parade just thought you should know. Don"

Thank you, Don, for letting me know this, and you are not raining on my parade at all. I've been unsure about it pretty much from the beginning as well. I was talking to my aunt last night, and she asked me a very good question: Was I sure I wanted to send them my picture since they seem fishy? And that stopped me in my tracks, because their website states that any pics we send become their sole property. (I'm reminded of an incident I heard about at a Film Convention where a woman was browsing through the book store and happened to pull a book off the shelf with her picture on the cover, a book she had never heard of before, or posed for pictures on the cover, or given her permission for her picture to be used on the cover. The panel members suggested that perhaps there was a contract she had signed when she was just starting out that gave them permission to use her picture, but she should definitely check with the publishing agency.) Anyhow, do I want to give all rights to my photo to the City of the Stars people to use at their discretion when I don't even know if they're legitimate or not?

Of course there's a side of my mind that wants to play devil's advocate, and suggests that maybe they didn't get nearly as many people signed up as they had hoped (or had said signed up), so they're really desperate, hence our getting through on minimal votes in my case and no votes in Don's.

But I have more thoughts on the red flag side than the rationalization side, thoughts like 'Why create such elaborate lies?' or 'If the people associated with this project have almost no credits to their names and questionable backgrounds, is my following through with this really going to help my career?' (Probably not.)

So once again, I am denouncing the contest. I will not send them my picture. Thanks again, Don, for the additional info!