Posted 09/21/09 at 09:11:11 AM by Paul Lilly

Fans of the popular TechCrunch50 conference were saddened to learn last week that after a three-year run, the event would be coming to an abrupt end. Or at least that's what event co-founder Jason Calacanis revealed in a puppet interview (no joke, check it out here).

But you shouldn't believe everything a puppet reports, and apparently, you should also take with a grain of salt what Calacanis told several attendees, as well as what he wrote on Twitter. And while you're at it, go ahead and dismiss all the reports that disagreements between Calacanis and TechCrunch founder Mike Arrington reached a boiling point during this year's conference, because according to Calacanis, he was just kidding around about ending the event.

So with this year's TechCrunch50 now in the rear view mirror and both Calacanis and Arrington having had time to cool their jets, the two appear to have patched things up and will bring the event back next year. And presumably longer, provided the two don't kill each other in 2010.

Kermit the Frog could not be reached for comment.

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Posted 09/17/09 at 09:33:41 AM by Paul Lilly

Some say the third time's the charm, but for the TechCrunch50 conference, the third time is the last, if event co-founder Jason Calacanis is to be believed. In a strange puppet interview (NSFW - explicit language) with humorist Loren Feldman, Calacanis said it has been a good three-year run, but it's all coming to an end.

"I can tell you that this is the last TechCrunch50,"  Calacanis responded when probed about an open feud between him and event co-founder /TechCrunch editor Michael Arrington.

According to Cnet, the fallout between the two began when Arrington publicly called attention to plagiarism charges against Calacanis, which you can read all about here. What happened after that is anyone's guess, and while Calacanis seems convinced this is the end of the line for TechCrunch50, Arrington doesn't sound ready to throw in the towel.

"I don't know how to respond to that. After seeing that video, it seems to me that he's engaging in theatrics and fireworks," Arrington told VentureBeat in a phone interview. "I'm waiting to see what his plan is. It seems to be distracting from the startups."

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