Convention Comparisons

I’ve been to a few conventions in my time - good ones, bad ones, mediocre ones. I’ve just got back from a cruise convention (yes, an actual convention on a ship), and the discussion between people now taking stock of, for some, their first go at the convention circuit, has been very interesting to say the least.

First of all, a quick run-down of some I’ve been to and the experiences I’ve had. We’ll start with the worst and work up to my best experiences, I think.

5. Creation Entertainment - Supernatural

Link: HERE
Cost of entrance: $950 for the top-level entrance ticket alone (other levels are available) - not including flights (to LA for this one) and hotels.
Cost of autographs / photos: $80 and up for single photos, anything up to $150 for ‘sandwich’ photos. Autos from $50.
Organisation: They made an effort. But hey, when you pay for front row seats, I expect those seats to curve so everyone can see - and I expect the help to stop queueing question askers in front of you - whilst you’re still seated - and obscuring the guest artists on stage.
What’s On: A good range of short guest panels and talks, a karaoke night hosted by guests, maybe a party if you’re into dancing and drinking between school chairs set out in rows.
Cosplaying: Less than 15% of the approx. 5,000 attendees.
Atmosphere: Odd. Half of the place feels like they want to high-five everyone with a cool fandom t-shirt, while the other is there to whoop and cackle and scream at people on stage (with adoration, not anything else).
Overall enjoyment factor: Would have enjoyed it more if our horrendously overpriced tickets had afforded us an actual decent view, and if the parties had been… partier. All in all, I felt like I’d been very smoothly fleeced of at least $600.

4. Rogue Events - Supernatural

Cost of entrance: £110 (approx. $150)
Cost of autographs / photos: £50 and up (approx. $70) for singles
Organisation: Poor. Very poor. As in ‘people desperately tweeting each other to find out if anyone else at the con knew where anything was’ poor. Also, people waiting in queues while playing Twitter and Tumblr games to pass the time and to stop everyone going nuts.
What’s On: A full two days of guests on stage in a large, drafty hall. If you saw them all Saturday, on Sunday you could see them all again - in different duos or at different times. And the good thing was, if you didn’t have photos or autos then you didn’t have to keep getting up and running out of the hall to queue up to 2+ hours to get them. All the guests were entertaining, too.
Cosplaying: Nearly none, except for the ‘disco’ night. If you could find it.
Atmosphere: There’s something about a UK Supernatural convention that makes everyone feel just glad they’re at a con where their phone still works because they’re still in their own country, and they can use power points to charge their phones in the hotel (for the same reason), and they look around and see that 75% of the audience is also from the UK. It’s much more relaxed than a US convention (there’s no Beatlemania screaming and we don’t throw things on stage), but everyone seems to want to have a good time.
Overall enjoyment factor: The ruinously bad organisation distracted us a fair bit; unless people were speaking on stage, we were mostly searching for where we were supposed to be or racing to get food between sets. We have had more fun, and often. At least it was sunny in Blackpool in 2017.
Interesting note: Rogue Events closed down in 2017. Make of that what you will.

3. Star Trek the Cruise

Link: HERE
Cost of entrance: $900 per person, depending on the cabin (which is included). This does not include flights or hotels either side of the cruise itself.
Cost of autographs / photos: Surprisingly affordable - from $40 per auto and $50 per photo.
Organisation: Not too bad. Apart from switching times of when to pick up printed photos, or our main show event, or changing times so that suddenly they happen to clash with photo or auto ops, they may have been pretty dire at organising their way out of a paper bag, but at least they hadn’t charged as much as Creation Entertainment. However, there’s the small matter of the photo I took with Nana Visitor that I never got to collect. Thanks, ECP Ltd.
What’s On: Quite a full programme for the days you’re at sea. Obviously there’s less on when the ship hits the shore leave destinations, but what do you want? Main dining was good and the unlimited beverage package is well worth it at $500 - all drinks (except bottled water) and all tips are included. You know exactly where you stand with your bar bill at all times! They put on special Star Trek cocktails and changed menu names, etc. to make it feel themed. A bit more effort could have gone into this but it was at least better than 2017. Parties every night that went on till 2 or 3am, pool parties, 70’s discos, karaoke - lots to do for night owls.
Cosplaying: A lot. At any one time it felt like nearly 50% of the 1,900 guests on the Norwegian Jade were in uniform, or costume, or something along those lines.
Atmosphere: Mostly very good. No in-fighting amongst fans of different eras (at least not in public), not a lot of overheard grumbling. Some is inevitable, but it felt like most people where there to have a good time.
Overall enjoyment factor: Hmm… Pretty good. Apart from the cruise line getting our packages wrong, and our wi-fi allowances, and us not getting our picture with George Takei (because they didn’t tell us we had one, which we found out the next day from other passengers), and them switching things so we couldn’t see panels we wanted, it was still a cruise from Miami to the Honduras to Belize to Mexico. Not bad. And all the entertainment plus the cabin for 6 nights was the same price a gold ticket to Creation. Just sayin’.

2. Destination Star Trek

Link: HERE
Cost of entrance: €300 (approx. $370)
Cost of autographs / photos: €25 and up (approx. $31 and up)
Organisation: Pretty good. Three stages, well-documents timetables on their website a few days in advance of the event, helpers in English and the native language of the European city they’re in at the time, lines taped on the floor, wristbands to help you queue-jump if that’s what you’ve paid for - at times they could have adhered to this better but overall it was a monumental step up from Rogue Events.
What’s On: Two to three full days of panels, programmes and some quiet evening parties.
Cosplaying: Hmm. I’d say about 50%. It’s not exactly spot-on replicas or impressive Klingon foreheads, but it’s a start. And the heart is there.
Atmosphere: Again, European conventions seem to have the same dampening effect on jubilance as UK conventions. People want to have fun, it’s just that they’re a little reserved. Still, they came out in droves and the fact that one stage is just for fan panels and was always full tells you a lot.
Overall enjoyment factor: Not bad, I have to say. More fun than a Rogue Events con and a third of the price of a Creation Con, but still not quite all it could be.

1. Dragon*Con

Link: HERE
Cost of entrance: $90 - $100 for 4 days
Cost of autographs / photos: $20 and up
Organisation: They have their own app; it tells you what’s on and where, and how to get there, and alerts you ASAP if something is cancelled, postponed or moved. They’re spread over 6 host hotels (3 of them connected by ‘sky walks’, A.K.A. tunnel walkways between hotels), they have over 2,000 volunteers each con, and last year they bussed, shipped, fed, sold to, amused, entertained and kept safe over 80,000 attendees - not counting over 250 guests.
What’s On: So much your head spins. They cater to every kind of multimedia including films, tv, comic books, computer games, table-top games, D&D, music, and apps. There are always at least 5 things on every hour - 2 of each you’ll want to line up to see. There are 6 massive parties every night, one in each hotel, each with a theme.
Cosplaying: Yes. Oh Stephen Fry - yes. Last year out of the 80,000 people who actually turned up, 72% were in uniform or costume or similar. You know when you see photos of people at Comic Con and they have a perfect costume - and no-one else in the background is doing cosplay? Well when you take a photo at Dragon*Con, most people walking past in the background are also in cosplay. And don’t forget the opening parade - you sign up and they organise you into sections (fandoms) to march you around Atlanta during their peak tourism and showing-off season.
Atmosphere: PARTY HEARTY MARTY. I mean it. Everyone is there to show off their cosplay and congratulate you on yours. If you lose your friend dressed as Leeloo Dallas, do not stand on a chair and shout ‘Leeloo Dallas’ to find them, because that single hall containing over 5,000 people will shout ‘MULTIPASS’ as one and you’ll still be none the wiser as to where she is. People will high-five, others will drink, others will take photos - and then a ThunderCat will run past you, a Stormtrooper will go into the hotel Starbuck’s with a Farscape Peacekeeper, Batman will be buying an ice-cream for a tiny Ewok child, a Starfleet red shirt will back away from a Colonial Marine straight off the USS Sulaco, Sailor Moon and Daredevil will squeeze past you, Mulder and Scully will be caught chatting to Richard Castle and Kate Beckett, klingons will be at the bar toasting each other, Killjoys from the RAC will be trying to take photos with the Scarback Monks, the Doctor (9th or 10th) will be laughing with the Doctor (2nd or 4th), Tony Stark and a male Starbuck will be sharing a drink and Wonder Woman will be holding the door open for Leia Organa.
Overall enjoyment factor: Are you kidding me? This is Utopia. After 4 days you will never want to leave.

And that’s why Dragon*Con is my all-time favourite. They invite every guest they can get their hands on, 2017 was their 25th anniversary year which means they do know what they’re doing, it’s 10th the price of a Creation convention (have I mentioned how expensive they are yet?) and you will never, ever, be short of things to do. I’ve already blogged about it enough, so all I’ll say is I’ve also already mentioned the uniforms I had. And now I swear I’ll stop going on about Dragon*Con.

That’s is. It feels like I’m still jetlagged but I landed last Friday and it’s now Wednesday night, so I can’t be. Anyway, that’s my convention whinging out of my system. I’m sure next time it’ll be something much more exciting.

Soopytwist.

Rogue Events is no more

For those of you who, like me, enjoy a good convention (“con”) now and again, the news that Rogue Events have closed down will come as a surprise.


Well, it would if you’ve never been to a Rogue Events con.

Ask anyone who’s ever attended one of their cons and you’ll probably hear something like ‘the guests were amazing but JFC they couldn’t organise their way out of a paper bag’. I’ve been to 2 of their cons - both Asylum (the Supernatural ones). They ran others too, for Arrow, Once Upon a Time, Vampire Diaries, etc. I have to say, because I didn’t need any autographs, photographs, meet n’ greets or basically anything other than sitting my arse down and watching guests on stage, I saw lots of good stuff and apart from not really knowing where or when things were happening, it wasn’t too bad.

However, I was witness to the appalling almost-organisation of the whole shebang. For anyone who had bought autographs, photo ops, 1 to 1s or similar activities, it was a logistical nightmare. No formal queueing system, so way to tell what the unofficial queue of self-organising fans was for, no word as to where the evening events were being held or when, charging people extra to see the evening entertainment, not telling people when or where to pick up their photos - and that was just what I saw and heard whilst talking to other fans.

Now that they’ve officially folded it’s left of lot of fans out of pocket - many of whom didn’t have a particularly deep pocket to begin with. The question of whether Rogue Events broke UK law in selling a product they knew they couldn’t deliver is one for the courts, and the insolvency firm who are no doubt already hard at work going through WCM Events’ debts. What that means in real terms for people who bought tickets and now have nothing is that, a few years from now when all the large creditors and overheads have been settled, they may get something acknowledging the debt they are still owed. By then it’s anyone’s guess if there’s anything left to reimburse them with.

Enter Star Fury Conventions. They’ve been running cons for 20 years in the UK, and by all accounts are pretty good at it. They’re professional, organised, and more importantly, they understand customer service and How to Make Money and Help People. Take for instance this whole Rogue Events debacle. As their Supernatural con, Asylum 19, has apparently been summarily cancelled (I say apparently as no-one has had official notification; all there is to go on is the official website), Star Fury’s rival Cross Roads 2018 event has experienced a surge in ticket sales. That would be enough for some. But some bright spark at Star Fury has decided that, in order to help fans let down by Rogue, they will give each fan who had bought an Asylum ticket one free autograph and photo op at their own Cross Roads 2018 event. Yes, you still have to pay for entry. But being able to go to an alternative event and still get some of what you wanted is better than no con at all. And if it makes you life-long fans of Star Fury Conventions along the way? So be it.

I would say I’m sorry that Rogue Events has gone. But I’m not. It’s natural business selection; poor management can only get you so far.

Soopytwist.

Catching Up

It’s May 2017 and I’ve done nothing this year so far.

Ok, that was a lie. I’ve actually been to two conventions, one hen weekend, and survived a redundancy cull at work.

Where do I start?

My youngest sister decided a while ago that, due to me turning 40 and the world being A Bit Shit, we needed a really really good con. So she signed us up for the first ever Official Star Trek Cruise. Our Captain was thee Captain, William Shatner. We had so many guests and things to do it was crazy - and we went from Miami (Fee shouts MOYAMI!) to Nassau to Cozumel along the way. We saw shows onboard, we saw talks by ST heroes and some very good nights were had at pretty much all the bars on the ship (tip: buy the drinks package), we spoke to real-life astronauts, real-life physicists, and just had a blast. I wore uniform for a few of the days we were on the ship - the Starfleet uniform I had made for Dragon*Con 2016. We saw make-up artists prepping people for their weekend, people in everything from Gorn heads to full ST VI Admiral’s gear, heard all the message and ringtones in the universe and participated in a few quizzes. We met a UN Ambassador - not bad for someone who started out as a Dabo girl - and picked up a few new friends along the way.

It was epic, and the weather and change of scene and just the whole fandom feeling was comforting and relaxing, compared to the real world where Trump had just been elected President and countries were experiencing unrest and turmoil on a bleakly huge scale. While Norwegian Cruise Lines weren’t the best at organising people getting off the boat (seriously; 3 hours queueing through the entire ship, down one level then through the entire ship again was ridiculous, seeing as Royal Caribbean had the whole thing done in under 45 minutes - with more passengers), and the dining opportunities didn’t really blow our socks off, the event itself went well and we had a bloody good time.

So that was January. I recovered from the fun and excitement of the cruise and went back to work. Time passed, as it so often does, until it was the end of April and my youngest sister’s hen do. This was a short cruise from Southampton to Bruges to Le Harve and back. We got dressed up as Pink Ladies to attend the Grease show, we drank as much as we could and we went ashore to see Bruges (amazing place; would recommend), and seeing as we were diverted to Rotterdam due to the port pilots’ strike at La Harve, we even got to stroll around Rotterdam in the early sun and see the cube-houses arranged on their points like it was nothing. Selfie-sticks were used, souvenir books were signed and drawn in, and it was as memorable as it could be.

Then just two weeks later, my oldest sister, my cousin and I went to the sunny seaside spectacular that is Blackpool. We were attending Rogue Events’ Asylum 16 - the unofficial Supernatural convention. With three episodes left to go from season twelve, there was a mixture of people who did and didn’t want to be spoiled by the guests from the show - but it hardly mattered. They packed in 14 guests a day; Saturday we saw the entire roster, and then Sunday we got to see them again for fresh questions, but in a different order. We didn’t need autographs or photos with the stars, so we saw everything for two days. However, I understand people were unhappy with their autos and photos, as they apparently either clashed with each other or the meet’n greets that were part of their ticket package. All I can say is, between talks I spent fifteen minutes on social media trying to get answers as to where the ‘discos’ were each night. Didn’t find them, assumed they were in the main hall, but then decided we’d rather get on a Blackpool tram and head into the party capital of the beach instead. We went back to several haunts, had some absolutely cracking fish and chips (well, the other two did - I don’t like fish so PROPER STEAK AND KIDNEY PIES ALL ROUND! YESS!), and strolled along the beach. Stunning sunshine the whole time we were there - it wasn’t until we started driving back and we hit The Sarf that it started raining.

As good as it was seeing all the guests and eating and drinking our way round Blackpool front, I believe that was my last Rogue Events convention. There was no organisation and no communication, and although I like to think of myself as a pretty easy-going person, I was getting irate at the lack of information that could so easily have been shared in so many accessible places, both on and off social media (or even their own bloody website).

I’m off to Hong Kong next week - not to live there (again), but for a holiday. I’ve got friends to catch up with and fun to have and I need to prove to myself that I could never work there again and to get over it. Closure, I suppose. Hong Kong, it’s language, culture, and people will always be a part of me now - there’s no getting away from that - but I wouldn’t want to. A part of me, yes. But perhaps by the time I get back and re-assess my life, the thought of it will no longer be a dominant part. Still, the thrill of the idea of being there again hits me at nine at night when I’m checking I have stuff to wear when I get back to the proper heat, at six in the morning when I wake up for work knowing I’ve got to pack 7 days’ work into 3 days at work before I fly, when I set a reminder on my phone for me to check in online. Going through a list of things I’ll need, and realising I won’t need a coat, or a jacket, or in fact anything more than a thin cardie; not needing a power transformer / plug for my smart devices; looking through old shipping receipts and relocation stuff for my Octopus card and then realising I left with my flatmate before I came back to England; finding my old HK ID card and realising it’s not valid any more; opening an old wallet to check for said ID card and finding HK$40 in it… All these things make me happy. I cannot wait to get back to HK and see how much it’s changed - and hopefully, how “it’s a great place to visit but I wouldn’t want to live there”. I need to close off that part of my life - some part of my brain never left, never accepted that I didn’t live there and that being in the UK wasn’t just a break but a ‘permanent’ thing.

I think that’s all the news that’s fit to print. I’ll be back at some point - I really have to blog more often. Back in the day it was once a week. Now it’s barely once every quarter. But hey-ho.

Soopy-twist, everyone.

Dragon*Con 2016, and all that it means

We went, we saw, we took a shitloads of pictures. And for the first time in my life, I dressed up in cosplay. And it was awesome.

So. For those of you just joining us, Dragon*Con is probably the second largest fan convention of media and games after San Diego Comic Con. I could be wrong. However, I know Dragon*Con is far better than SDCC, because (1) you can afford the entry tickets, (2) you can actually get into panels you want to see, and (3) there’s so much to do, if you think you’re not going to get into a certain panel, there are at least 3 others on at the same time you can have a crack at.

And, oh yeah, there are at least 3 parties every night that you can flit between. With alcohol.

My mate and I originally went to D*C in 2010, but we knew we would one day go again. We had no time frame. Skip years later, and she now has a fiancé with two teenage kids. I, on the other hand, have had nearly 3 years of living back in England and being close to terminally bored. We decided that 2016 would be the year to revisit D*C - coinciding with its 30th anniversary. Sorted.

Costumes. It took me less than a minute to name my first one. But then I wanted a second, too. So I planned and researched and emailed, and within a few months I had not only sewing patterns for both, but also the details of a professional seamstress - who would shortly be making my costumes for me. Other parts of the finished articles were actually harder to get - boots, pins, badges, earrings, belts, and even a nose. But I did find them, and over what seemed like years but was actually only 8 months, I put together two complete costumes.

Who did I want to go as? Hmm. This is a bit of a story. Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin:

Way back in the dim and distant, I was a student. I had no real female role models, due to family circumstances and some old-fashioned attitudes to TV going on around me. Basically, there were no women on TV. Apart from Dana Scully and Xena, things were looking bleak. My dad used to have re-runs of Star Trek (TOS) on during the week when I was very young, and so when Star Trek: The Next Generation appeared during my secondary school years, I was curious enough to watch it (but perhaps not old enough to critique it. That and the fact that I was not yet a professional cynic). I liked it - I liked Tasha Yar as head of Security. But we all know what happened to her.

It would be a long time before Star Trek got another crack at me. In the meantime, I had Laura Holt of re-runs of Remington Steele fame to tide me over, as well as Dana Scully and Beverly Crusher. Deanna Troi got better as the seasons went on, but again, her character was normally an afterthought. The Star Trek Trio of three straight white dudes being the all-important triumvirate had not yet been threatened. We had gone from Kirk - Spock - Bones to Picard - Riker - Data. And still I was attempting to find who I was in a male-orientated, controlled environment.

Just as I was going through my GCSEs (end of secondary school exams when you’re 16, if you’re not familiar with the English school system), there were mutterings of a new Star Trek show. It finally debuted on BBC2 and I got to see a few episodes before my personal life went tits-up. But still throughout the rocky events and familial wars, there was Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. I was still struggling to work out who I was and why, and there was no-one around to help with that.

And then along came Major Kira.

She’s pretty much a legend in Star Trek circles. Like her or hate her, you certainly couldn’t ignore her. She had common sense, some tech and survival learning, was a bit of a fighter and marksman, and carried herself like someone who didn’t so much need self-confidence as just didn’t have time for people who thought their opinion of her was important. She did a few things that made TV audiences angry: she was a woman who voiced her opinion as if she were allowed one; she backed up her arguments with facts and reasons like she had thought it through even with her tiny female brain that should have been full of love interests and rom-com shit; she was not afraid to shout someone else down and, by all the gods and all of their brothers, you were not entitled to belittle her ideas or her opinions just because she wasn’t a man. Back in the real world of women being taught to conceal their emotions for fear of being told they’re just being ‘hysterical’, this woman who stood her ground and shouted in people’s faces, who called people out for being dicks, who owned up to making mistakes and spoke to people with the respect they deserved - it was ground-breaking for me. I was 17, and this was all new. It was magical. It was everything.

Of course it helped that the actress playing Kira Nerys was not exactly tall or built like a brick shit-house. Five foot seven she may have been, but she was a hundred pounds of fury and determination. She had excellent episodes where she was mad as hell and not going to take it any more, as well as stories that showed she could reconsider her belief system based on evidence and new discoveries. She taught me how to stand up straight and not care if people looked at me. She taught me I was allowed to take up space when I sat down on public transport. She taught me how to reply to people who didn’t realise I knew I had a right to voice an opinion. She taught me how to divorce indifference from things I just could not relate to; she taught me how to objectively weigh up my options, to step back and try to see things from other angles. And yes, she taught me that respect is not given until it’s earned.

So we had a black dude running DS9 - Commander Benjamin Sisko. He started off as a jagged edge, a weird square peg that didn’t want his square hole. In time he came to understand how to squeeze into the round hole he did want, and that was fine. He also learnt how to get on with his liaison officer Kira Nerys, and they became a closer Captain and First Officer than that of any other series. (Seriously, I will fight people on that point. I think I have at some time or other.) Already we were so far from the 3 straight white dude triumvirate we were used to. Maybe that’s why I gave the show more chances to impress me than TNG.

Whatever the reason, as the series went on it became obvious who else was getting more screen time and was Sisko’s rock, his confidant, his aid in all things: Jadzia Dax. A Trill symbiont, Dax ‘cheated’ death by moving from host body to host body upon that humanoid’s imminent death or through illness. Before Dax was joined to the humanoid female Jadzia, it was joined with Curzon - an ornery old man who loved klingons, wrestling, picking up twins on Risa for a one-night stand, and trying to teach a young Starfleet officer called Benjamin Sisko how to be a man. Right off the bat, we have a very interesting dynamic: the young woman who appears to be barely thirty years old is actually closer to three hundred and sixty, and has been Sisko’s father figure for at least thirty years. When he needs help and advice, he goes to Dax. When he needs to rant about Starfleet, it’s Dax. When he needs to angst about his son, or get feedback on a battle plan, it’s Dax. The symbiont, in various hosts, had been married as a husband and a wife, been a son and a daughter, died in shuttle accidents and lived out to a ripe old age. Dax had seven lifetimes of experience to draw on - and Sisko did just that. He listened to her counsel, he considered her words. Her opinions had weight with him - and as the seasons sped by, I realised not only was she the third point of the triangle, but she was someone I wanted to be when I grew up.

Sitting down and thinking about the two costumes - uniforms - I would wear to D*C wasn’t too hard, then. No other characters have had as much of an impact on me as Kira Nerys and Jadzia Dax, just when I needed them. While the Bajoran nose prosthetic I bought for Kira just would not stick (seriously wtf is that made of?), and I had no hope of copying Jadzia’s Trill spot patterns, I wore both uniforms and I enjoyed the shit out of them. I walked down streets in Atlanta in broad daylight wearing either a Bajoran militia uniform or a Starfleet NEM/DS9 jumpsuit, and I was happy.

And here’s the magic of D*C: I wasn’t self-conscious because I was in costume - I have already been in the happy bubble of exactly no shits given about who looks at how I dress for years. However, when people in their costumes saw me on the street, they called out ‘Major!’, or ‘Kira!’, or ‘Hey, Starfleet!’. And I did it too.

We loved, and we were loved.

There was such a brilliant vibe of appreciation, of sharing, of plain wonder - and it was the best feeling in all the worlds. That’s what D*C is for me: sharing the fandom. And I don’t mean the Star Trek or Doctor Who or Mad Max or Jurassic Park or Harley Quinn or Pokemon fandom. I mean fandom as one single event, one giant mess of people unashamed of loving that one thing in their lives.

We got back Wednesday morning. It’s now Saturday night. I’m nearly over the jetlag, and I think returning to the ‘meh’ness and general malaise that comes with going back to live in a country you’re too familiar with hasn’t quite set back in yet. After all, there’s the DragonCon.tv streaming membership I purchased, so I can see a few panels I couldn’t get to, and some of the excellent TV moments from people who tweeted questions and opinions live. Thankfully or otherwise, Captain Kirk was not climbing a mountain this year.

That’s pretty much all the news that’s fit to print. I did make a list of things that I knew I’d need to remember about the con, but that’s for another post, seeing as this one is already longer than my wish list for Things From Another World.

Until I’m back, be proud of what you love and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t be.

Peach and lube, people, peach and frelling lube.

I’m back!

Don’t worry - I know I’ve just spent the week in LA and I’ve had the best time seeing famous telly people and getting autographs and photographs etc., but I won’t be squeeeing about it here. It’ll all be over at the Buckets o’ Crazy site. Along with the pics me and my sister took. So relax, everyone, all I’ll go on about here is how crap the Marriott was, and how much better the cheaper Motel6 place was, and how US Immigration suck the big one in terms of getting people through the gate and actually into the sodding country (90 minutes. Yes, 90 minutes. I shit you not. Got back to HK and it took a grand total of 70 to get FROM THE PLANE TO MY FLAT).

Anyway, what’s going on? Oh, yeah - we saw two episodes of ‘Supernatural’ and then we were blind-sided with the fact that the show’s on yet another hiatus and won’t be back till 23rd April. Why Shakespeare’s attributed birthday? Who knows…

On a personal note, was having more feelings of giving up writing fiction, and actually did go so far as to put everything into a zipped file, back it up on DVD and then put it all away. I actually spring-cleaned all writing files from my Jarvis II (my amazing iMac) and determined I was not going to open them up again, that it was all over.

Had my holiday and my fingers were itching after about three days. Got home to my flat at about 10a.m., unpacked, made a hot fresh pot of real tea, had a hot shower, adjusted to the fact that I’d lost 15 hours on the plane (took off on time, was one hour late getting in. I don’t know, and I don’t care, either) and then had to put my clock forward 15 hours too, and it was in Sunday without the benefit of having had Saturday first.

Did my washing, had some noodles (YAAAAAAAAYY!!) and settled down to take stock.

And then I realised I hadn’t changed my calendar from March to April. So I picked up March’s sheet and pulled it off, and underneath I found~~

PHWOOOOOAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRR!

Sorry. I found this:


Not bad, eh? There’s summat nice to come home to, and no mistake. I haven’t seen May’s page, and I refuse to peek. You never know what it might be. It’s one of those tiny ways I like to torture myself re: the possibilities being endless.

Anyway, what was I~~. Oh yes - by 4p.m. I was getting out my DVD of writing stuff and transferring my current Work In Progress back to my beloved Jarvis and re-reading the lot to see where I had got up to. So then I banged out about 2,000 words and realised that all I needed was the possibility it could be taken away, and then I wanted it back. Writing, I mean. So yeah, you can expect more fan-fiction of the ‘Supernatural’ variety in a few weeks, maybe less.

Shopping. I picked myself up Serenity from the Dark Horse Comic Store at Universal Studio’s Citywalk:


Yes, isn’t she lovely? Yes. AND SHE’S ALL MINE.

That’s about it, really. I’m apparently supposed to be having a shower and getting ready for work, or something. I think. Not really sure. Clock says it’s 11a.m., but is that morning or evening? Must be morning if there’s work in the very near future.

Soopytwist.

Tags:
Supernatural ~ LA ~ convention ~ Jensen Ackles ~ fan-fic ~ Serenity ~ Firefly

Two things:

(1) Just time to plug this one:

Title: “A Week With No Hunt”
Rating: Rated K+
Summary:
Dean’s bored, Sam’s trying to find a gig. A very, very short bit of fun before I go nuts with Writer’s Block.
Posted first (as always) at SPNVille.net.

Disclaimer:
I do not own the TV show ‘Supernatural’ either in whole or in part, but I wish I could write episodes full time. Or get a life. Or both.
Linky-link-link:

(2) And I’m off to the ‘Supernatural’ convention. Have to go to Hong Kong Station right now to check my bags in, in fact. So as I can go to work, finish at 7pm, and then go straight off to the airport. Marvellous!

Singing:
“Hot fudge, here comes the judge, there’s a green card in the way! The Holy Ghost and the whole East Coast is movin’ to LA! We been dreaming of this feeling since 2008 - oh yeah, things have gotta change - I’m going to LA ~ to stroke me some Winchester!!’

Tags:
fan-fic ~ SPN ~ convention

Oooh, interesting…

Seen the new ‘Max Payne’ trailer? Want to see that 13th November, love me some valkyries and the film looks fab. And so does the trailer for ‘Burn After Reading’. Except I can’t seem to find a release date for Hong Kong yet. Bastards. Neither can I find owt about when ‘How To Lose Friends And Alienate People’ is coming to our shores. It’s just not fair.

Watched episode 4.4 of ‘Supernatural’ Friday night, and thank you Dean Winchester for finally giving Sam what for! I’ve been hoping someone would inflict shakabuku * on him since the end of episode one, so now I’m feeling much more satisfied. Other than that, it was a slam-bam-thank-you-Sam episode, and I have to say, excellent. While I’m still staggered by the genius of the first episode, and numbers two and three were definitely great, this one is winning cos of it’s stand-alone story. No, we don’t need the new guest stars popping up in every single episode, and no, we don’t need the current story arc rammed down our throats during every other scene. This was a nice breather - and judging by the trailer over on The CW site, it looks like next week’s is going to be the ‘Bad Day At Black Rock’ or ‘Hollywood Babylon’ of season 4. As it’s also purported to be penned by Ben Edlund, who gave us the aforementioned golden oldies, and God of Screenwriting, and man who invented ‘The Tick’, can’t wait for that, either.

Let’s see, what else… Er… oh yes, had my personal training as planned. And confirmed our joint suspicion that I am indeed the unfittest of the unfit, and am going to struggle for the first month. But that’s ok - that’s what it’s all about, right? If it were easy, we wouldn’t want it, as the phrase goes. And anyway, I have a huge incentive… end of March next year is the ‘Supernatural’ con for which we have tickets. Can we wait? Can we bloody hell as like.

Think that’s it. Have to get ready for a battle to the death tonight. Well, a pub quiz, actually.

Soopytwist.

* Shakabuku: A swift, spiritual kick to the head that alters your reality forever. Thank you, Minnie Driver and ‘Grosse Pointe Blank’.

Tags:
Hong Kong ~ films ~ Supernatural ~ Dean Winchester ~ Sam Winchester ~ Ben Edlund ~ shakabuku

L.A. Convention Fun ~ 2

So I went to LA a few weeks back to attend a two-day ‘Supernatural’ convention. In case you blinked, my Friday 28th and Saturday 29th March coverage is here. So, The Soupdragon proudly presents ‘Sunday Convention Shite’, starring none other than Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki. Here we go…

Sunday 30th March, 9am. Leaving the hotel to make the short hop to the other Marriott. Queuing up for photos with The Boys (A.K.A. Sam and Dean Winchester). I’m pretty blasé about this now, cos I’ve done my fair share of meet-n-greet with a few famous bods, but I was surprised by both Winchester actors. Jensen Ackles was first, waiting patiently and perching on his stool, taking endless shot after shot with people whisked on to stand with him, then whisked off against to allow the next person their Touch Of Fame. What surprised me about Mr Ackles is that he was quite nervous, or self-conscious, or perhaps just not understanding why so many people were lining up to take photos with him in particular. I appeared to surprise him by simply saying “thanks for making the trip down from Vancouver [where they’re currently filming the end of season three] and hello from Hong Kong”. I got a double eyebrow-raise of surprise, coupled with a sudden appreciative if little-boy-lost smile, and a “Hong Kong? Well that pisses over my flight from Vancouver, huh?” which made me giggle like a small child, and then a “Thank YOU for coming here”. Then it was over and I joined the queue for Jared Padalecki shots.

Little did I know, my sister had already been through Jensen, said the same thank you (except she was coming from Blighty) and got pretty much the same surprised response. She had also got her ‘Winchester Sandwich’ photo too (her and both actors). Then it was Jared Padalecki for me and I stepped up to the plate willingly. Conversation forbidden to keep the queue short, I did manage a “hello from Hong Kong”, to which I got a shocked face, and “you’re kidding, right? Wow! That’s amazing!” and a large humble grin. A quick photo flash and again I felt it only polite to thank him. Again I got a surprised “er – no, that’s fine – thanks for coming all the way over!”

What was very interesting about the two exchanges is that they showed that both the lads are markedly different from the characters they play on TV. Anyone will tell you that this is true of just about any actor. But I was surprised just how much. Jensen Ackles is Mr Shy and Retiring Cos I Don’t Know You, whereas Jared Padalecki is Mr I Can Boom Out A Conversation With Anyone. It’s a reversal I hadn’t expected.

Anyway, we barely had time for a sandwich and a Coke (still no tea anywhere!) before we took our seats for the main event – The Boys on stage.

So we sit down and Mr Padalecki is first. He’s funny, full of anecdotes and one-liners, and bemoaning the fact that his mother is an English teacher and is going to whup his ass later for the incorrect object pronouns he’s just used, and for making up the word ‘miserablosityness’. Nice word, Jared. He had announced earlier that morning that he had proposed to, and become engaged to his girlfriend Sandra McCoy (the Crossroads Demon, last seen in the season three episode ‘Bedtime Stories’, ironically enough when you remember what happened to her character therein), and was duly congratulated by his adoring fangirls (who also congratulated Sandra McCoy later on). He spoke about being Sam, how hard it was to film ‘Mystery Spot’ cos he basically had to be teary and angsty for an entire week while shooting, and did some great anecdotes. He even did one of his best Sam one-liners ever – “I lost my shoe!” to the raucous applause and wolf-whistles of the assembled fanbase.

When asked his favourite “cuss-word” he went with ‘starts with S and ends in Hit’, and managed to look very little-boy cute when admitting to it, too. Awww, bless. And when asked what he wished Sam could have a chance of saying in an upcoming season or episode, he went with “son of a bitch!”, making us all laugh, and then “Dean? My ass!” (in a ‘yeah right / my foot’ kinda way). A look of abject mortification cross his face as he realised what a million fangirls (and boys) would make of this quote for the years to come. Very, very funny.

He was trying to wind down his set when a familiar voice called, “What a bunch of crap!” The room went nuts as Jensen Ackles got to the stage and ousted Jared from his stool. Jared promised to be back later and waved a gracious goodbye to the applauding fanbase.

Jensen Ackles propped himself on the stool and we found he was quicker on the draw, much quieter, and very sarcastic in a spectacularly witty way. He seemed more serious and quite frankly, a little scared of being trapped on that stool in front of five hundred adoring fans all watching him so intently. However, he answered all of his questions easily enough and did get his own little quips in there. I noticed the foreign contingent, mostly English including our row of visitors, instantly processed his brand of brittle-dry sarcasm for what it was and it sounded like we were the first to laugh – perhaps others weren’t sure whether he was joking or not. Perhaps I was just paying him far too much attention and ignoring the crowd. When asked his favourite “cuss-word”, he opted for “Shit – not too offensive, and always gets your point across” in a very big man being a gent cos it’s in his nature kinda way.

He was joined on stage by Jared Padalecki after his set, and suddenly he came out of his shell more. Perhaps it was the arrival of moral support, perhaps it was knowing his Best Mate was there too, which also halved the number of eyes studying him. For whatever reason, he seemed much more relaxed to be there.

Mr Pep, Jared Padalecki, fielded some of the questions and they proved to be a very funny double-act of show in-jokes, sarcasm and buddy-humour. When asked the ubiquitous ‘body-swap’ episode question, Jensen obligingly got up off his stool and did a very accurate yet hilarious send-up of how he’d pretend to be Sam in Dean’s body. When asked to perform his ‘Blue Steel’, he was completely mystified as to why people went nuts for it. “It’s just a face! It’s a rip-off of a film! What’s so special about it anyway?” Cue lots of banter between the two of them, Jared claiming that if Jensen had known the fandom response (and that they’d end up having a fandom one day) Jensen never would have agreed to do it in the episode, or the Nick Nolte ad-lib afterwards.

All too soon time was up and they had to go to prepare for autographs. We howled and stomped on the floor to show our appreciation, and I’m sure that’s why they left so quickly.

Autographs were strange – Jensen seemed almost embarrassed to be important enough that people queued to get his scrawl. I got in a thank you and then he appeared to be keeping his head down as much as possible and simply getting through it. Poor lad. Jared Padalecki was Mr Sparkly, giving everyone eye contact and big smiles. He completely stage-frightened one of our party, Weenie Deanie Groupie (as she’s become known) by asking her for her name. Her trembling response earned her a “that’s a purdy name”, and she gratefully ran off to find Mum. (And yes, Weenie Deanie Groupie, in twenty years’ time I will still be teasing you about that moment!)

An SPN and sci-fi show auction later, during which I donated a substantial amount of money to Doctors Without Frontiers by buying a large ‘Serenity/Firefly’ promo still signed by all the cast, and everyone was thinking of a hot cup of tea and a refuelling, food-wise. While the rest of our party retired to the hotel room, I stayed to see Steve Carlson answer some questions on stage and sign some autographs. When asked his favourite word, I thought of my mate Granny W and her favourite, ‘serendipity’. And yay, he said it! How bizarre, how bizarre. When asked his favourite swear word, again I thought of Granny W and our in-joke about The C Word. And you know what’s coming next, right? Yeah, The C Word. Weird how you just have something in common with people you’ve never even met.

That changed when I got to the autograph table. He elevated himself to deity status by virtue of being left-handed too. So let me see – that’s Jason Manns, Steve Carlson, and me, all left-handed. Must be a genius thing. Anyway, one tiny moment at the autograph table has been one of the most memorable of the entire weekend, The Boys on stage notwithstanding. I asked him one question about writing his stuff and the answer I got has done more for me than any other piece of advice and/or views on writing than anything else in my entire life. For this I will be eternally grateful.

That evening was filled with mixed emotions – we’d done everything we’d wanted to, seen some amazing times, “been there” at important moments, and basically loved it. Satisfaction, excitement, hilarity, the freedom of being on holiday and that basic but thrilling fun of being on a different continent. And then you feel it all catching up with you and you’re tired. Then the realisation that it’s all over and you won’t be needing your pass or your wristband any more sets in, and you start to come down from your three-day high.

But you’re in LA, right? So the next day you go out to Universal Studios and do the tour, the shops, the whole experience. And then that same evening everyone else in your little party goes home. You go back to your hotel in El Segundo (without a monkey) and try to come to terms with everything you’ve achieved in the past few days. It’s a tall order: personal photographs with Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, autographs from Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Frederic Lane (Lehne), Chad Lindberg, Eric Kripke, Jason Manns and Steve Carlson, and auctions, Q&A with so many delightful, funny, friendly, warm people from a show you love to watch.

It was just such a spectacular experience – I think we’ll do it all again next year. That’s assuming season four doesn’t kill off purr wee Dean Winchester. If it does, there’s going to be Trouble…

That’s it, I won’t bore you much longer. I promise that’s the last I’ll bang on about the weekend!

So peach and lube, everyone – lots and lots of lube – and I’ll see you all again very soon… After ‘Doctor bloody Who’ on Sunday (for me), methinks…

* many thanks to my sister for all the pics used today *

Tags:
Supernatural ~ convention ~ LA ~ Sandra McCoy ~ Jensen Ackles ~ Jared Padalecki ~ Steve Carlson

L.A. Convention Fun!

So I’ve landed in LA and spent Friday 28th March getting my bearings and falling asleep to iPod Bob. Seem to have caught the sun a little. Make that raging sunburn. I’m here for a ‘Supernatural’ convention (don’t laugh) of mammoth proportions, with famous faces from the cast and crew and so much stuff to do. We’ve got two days and one evening of Eric Kripke, creator of the series and genius, Frederic Lane (Lehne), the amazingly evil Yellow Eyed Demon, Chad Lindberg, the Lynyrd Skynyrd roadie Ash, Sandra McCoy, Crossroads Demon, Jason Manns, über-talented singer-songwriter, Steve Carlson, spectacularly good singer-songwriter. Oh yes, and of course the two main faces from the show, the brothers! Jensen Ackles (Dean Winchester) and Jared Padalecki (Sam Winchester). Can we wait? Can we bloody hell as like…

Let’s start with Friday night, and the concert added onto the billing at the last minute.

Jason Manns in small-room gig. How fab was he? Answer: very. Really very very. He did all my favourites from his first album, and also brought us CDs of his live tracks, and one very special recording. This is one of himself doing a proper studio version of the Van Morrison song ‘Crazy Love’, and this time roped purr wee Jensen Ackles into not backing vocals (this time) but full-on singing the second verse. Now if only my room here in the Marriott included a player, I could have heard it by now. Never mind – that’s what going home’s for.

Ok, Saturday now. Frederic Lane (Lehne) was on first and yay, he was ace. Kicking off with his infamous acoustic rendition of ‘Sympathy For The Devil’, he then answered a shitload of questions from us fans. He was witty, urbane, and really fab. He was full of energy and a fantastic show-opener for thos of us who had never been to a convention before. He had some interesting anecdotes about working with Robert Redford and making ‘Con Air’, as well as explaining just how hard it is to act when you can't see (cos of the yellow contacts you've got in!), and was just so much fun to listen to.

Jason Manns was back for some more Q&A and a little Steve Miller cover, and then next up was living legend Chad Lindberg. More people may recognise him as Jesse from ‘Fast and Furious’ (1), but us ‘Supernatural’ fans know him very well as Ash (“Business up front, party in the back!”). He was tremendous - funny, off-beat, witty and a strangely Beavis-like giggle/snigger that was very good at setting the rest of us off into fits of giggles. We complained about his character dying in the series, he joked about how he’d like him brought back to the show if he could, and we all backed him up on his little daydream that Sam and Dean would be getting their asses kicked, and Ash would turn up with a crossbow of sorts and save the day. Yes, we liked that idea very much.

A very quick pee and Coke break later (no tea!) and it was the God Who Is Eric Kripke on stage. He was fantastic. I can neither remember nor jot down all the things he came out with; suffice to say he was quizzed to within an inch of his life by so many fans. It yielded a lot of surprises, and a few minor spoilers, as to what the remaining FOUR episodes (yes, just four, not the ten we would have had before the Writer’s Strike happened) will hold for the Winchester brothers. He also let slip a few spoilers re season four and story arcs, but again, it’s complicated to explain. He did answer the three burning questions to which we really wanted to know the answers – his favourite word (“Renewed!”), his least favourite word (“Cancellation!”) and his favourite swear word – or “cuss word” as it seems to be called here in the States (“Any minors in the audience? No? Then my favourite cuss-word is ‘fucking shit’!”). When he asked us what we would like to see in season four, he immediately pre-empted that with: “We can’t get away with full-frontal male nudity, I’m sorry!” Just a fantastic, all-too-short amount of time with someone who is genuinely committed to what he wants to achieve.

Then came the signings. Eric first, who was surprised and humbled that I’d made the gig all the way from HK. Then Jason Manns, who signed his CD for me to reveal he was as left-handed as me. Could he be any more amazing? Then the irrepressible Chad Lindberg, who kinda giggled his way through a few questions and adoring comments in that cute, infectious way he has. Last but not least, Frederic Lane (Lehne), who was amused both at my beetroot sunburn and my assertion that he’s been the ‘acest bad guy on TV’. He commented that he’d not been called ‘ace’ in about 20 years, and then released me from his bewitching stare.

We left the convention halls and there I was, in a hotel room drinking expensive coffee to keep me awake, as it got to 8.15pm and jet-lag kicked in again. I only had to stay up till 11pm for Steve Carlson. Who was fantastic! Live, warm, friendly, funny, and infectiously devoted to having a good time. He played a lot of my favourite tunes, did one or two new songs and was really fun to jump up and down to. I cannot describe how much fun it was to see him and his band members live. Another unforgettable experience. Until the next day of course – it would be an early start: The Winchester Boys are in town!

And that’s where I’ll leave it for today – I have a whole Sunday of fun and excitement to write about, and it’s going to be long.

Peach and lube everyone. I’ll be back very, very soon.

Tags:
Supernatural ~ convention ~ LA ~ Eric Kripke ~ Frederic Lane ~ Chad Lindberg ~ Sandra McCoy ~ Jensen Ackles ~ Jared Padalecki ~ Jason Manns ~ Steve Carlson