Comic-Con 2010: Day 2 -- EPIC DAY.
INTRO/PREVIEW | PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4
Friday, July 23rd - Summary
→ Lining up for Big Bang Theory Panel
→ Bones panel, Joss Whedon panel
→ ELIZABETH MITCHELL. ANNA TORV. MORENA BACCARIN. ♥ ♥
→ Um… other stuff that I went through in a fangirl daze
The day started off well - we all went to the upper atrium floor to draw lottery tickets for comic book artist signing (for my Dad) and Batman: Arkham Asylum toy exclusives. My bro, sis, and Dad got lucky and won an exclusive each. With the artist signing, we all kept re-drawing (since there wasn’t much of a line) until my Dad and bro got one. The tickets were for later in the afternoon.
Afterwards, my brother really wanted to try lining up for the Big Bang Theory panel. My Dad was hesitant, because it takes a huge chunk of time out of the day and we had already seen the cast yesterday, but we all wanted to give it a try. All in all… we lined up for about 2 hours, from 10:30 to 12:30, and didn’t get into the ballroom. :( The line looked like it was moving at a fast pace, then suddenly it stopped moving - I guess people weren’t clearing out.
I knew that the Women Who Kick Ass panel was that day as well, with Elizabeth Mitchell, and as much as I wanted to go and SEE HER and hear her talk, I wasn’t counting on it. We usually travel as a family unit and I knew nobody in my family would really be interested. Anyways, I was going to try and attend the V signing at the WB Booth @ 5:30pm. But to try and make our wait worthwhile, I had been repeatedly mentioning to my Dad that Joss Whedon’s dialogue panel was 2 panels after the Big Bang Theory. I could see he wanted to stay for that, but I think he had other things he wanted to accomplish on the exhibition floor - I had forgotten that they needed to pick up their toy exclusives AND go for the Chris Claremont signing @ 3pm.
Because we were outside on a terrace and they wanted to stop people from saving spots for their friends in line, they had closed the back door leading back into the hall. So we waited until the line re-entered the building before we tried to get out. My Mom, sis, and bro were just exiting the line and so was I, but then my Dad did the absolute sweetest and unexpected thing ever…
Dad: Wait - Liz, do you want to stay?
Me: What?!
Dad:: Would you like to stay?
Me: Are you sure? We hardly ever split up…
Dad: It’s okay - you don’t have a ticket for the signing or the exclusives. We could give you a walkie-talkie and regroup later.
Me: But that means YOU guys can’t split up if you only have one walkie-talkie…
Dad: Don’t worry about it - we’ll figure it out.
Me: Sure, if you don’t mind.
Dad: You got food? Something to eat?
Me: A few granola bars, some water. I’ll survive. Can we meet up @ say… 4:45pm?
Dad: All right, have a blast - enjoy Joss Whedon and “V” :)
And then I saw my family off and I was on my own. It was the weirdest feeling ever - to be on my own at an event this big. But I couldn’t believe he offered to let me stay - my Dad, the person who INTRODUCED me to Joss Whedon. I was beyond excited - I was going to see Liz Mitchell. IN PERSON. WHAAAAT. AJFKJSDFK;
I finally got into the ballroom in the middle of the Bones panel @ 2:30pm (my gosh, we had been in line for 4 hours…). I never followed the show, but I adore the actors - they look like such a fun bunch. And the Deschanel sisters are pretty much my fave set of Hollywood siblings xD Finding a seat on my own was so much easier - I took a risk and walked straight to the front and lucky for me, there was an usher who gave me a seat centre-left and 5 rows from the front. PRIME SEATS, PRETTY MUCH. ♥
They were LOL hilarious - bantering back and forth, fooling around, it was great. Apparently David Boreanaz had dropped the F-bomb earlier or something, and I came in when Emily had just noticed that behind their nametags on the table, it warned not to swear: “Please be aware that there may be minors in the room. Refrain from swearing, adult subject matter, etc.” LMAO. Lots of Booth/Brennan talk.
Then JOSS WHEDON. Whose creative mind I’d love to tap, along with J.J. Abrams. He’s such a cool dude - it was really a nice dialogue. The entire panel was basically a Q&A - lots of insight into the process of writing, creative decisions, his filming style, tips for aspiring writers, his own origins. THOROUGHLY ENTERTAINING MAN AS WELL. And “Avengers” is going to rock this world - SO MANY SUPERHEROESSSS. ♥ ♥ ♥
And then there was this guy who asked Joss if he had any favourite actors. And Joss said that if he HAD to say one person, it would be Nathan Fillion. And of course, I cheered - what an absolute brilliant choice ;) EXCEPT THAT THE CROWD KEPT CHEERING - LONGER THAN I’VE EVER HEARD THE CROWD CHEER. AND THEN THERE FLASHES AND LIGHTS … AND THAT’S WHEN I REALISED- OHMYGOD, NATHAN FILLION IS IN THE ROOM. IT WAS FREAKIN’ BRILLIANT. ASJFSKLFJKSDJF;
I was switching between video and camera to take pics, so I didn’t get everything except the part where Joss said, “Ladies & gentleman, I present to you… ANT MAN.” AFJKSDFJKLSDFK; SEE, THAT’S WHY I KNEW CASTLE WAS HERE FOR THE COMIC-CON. HE’S GOING TO MAKE SUCH AN AWESOME HANK PYM - ALREADY WHEN THERE WAS SO MUCH AWESOME IN THE “AVENGERS”. ♥ EDIT: So... amidst the loud cheering, i apparently didn't hear the part where Joss said, "Too bad Hank Pym's not in the movie." - so my bad, it was a joke :(
And then, finally, it was time for:
ELIZABETH MITCHELL. ♥
FULL GALLERY HERE.
LIKE, ASJDKLSDFJKLSDFJKLDSFJ; There was a 5-min break in between, so I went up to the stage and took pics of her name tag as it was being placed. At first, they had put her at the far right, and I was slightly bummed cause that was the farthest away from me and the zoom on my camera could only go so far. But JUST before they started, they MOVED HER TO THE FAR LEFT. NEXT TO ANNA TORV. WHAAAAT - THANK YOU TPTB. LEFT SIDE FOR THE WIN - BEAUTY, BRAINS, AND TALENT. Y/Y?
I was really excited as well because I knew everybody on the panel - I had seen Jena Malone in Pride & Prejudice, my all-time favourite film, and I was eagerly anticipating Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. It was going to be a massively fun panel :)
The lights dimmed and we all took our seats - most of the people in the ballroom at the moment were True Blood fans, as their panel was following ours. LOL, the lady next to me and her friend, “I don’t know ANY of these women…” Girl, you’re missing out :P
When she walked out, I wanted to pinch myself - radiant, beautiful, excited. And she was so cute, responding to the cheers. BY FAR, the loudest cheer out of the whole group, especially at the mention of “Juliet” ♥ Anna Torv too - adorable and stunning.
I wanted better pics/video than I was getting at my current seat - my camera’s nothing fancy and the zoom not very strong. Anyways, I saw all the fancy professional cameramen taking their turns running up and crouching at the bottom of the stage. I have NO IDEA what possessed me to follow them (well, actually yeah I do - LIZ MITCHELL) , but that’s exactly what I did - I got out of my seat and walked right up to the stage.
Anyways, I took about 2 pics before a young usher came up to me (and we’re all crouching…) and said, “Ma’am, are you press??” I just said yes. Then she asked to see my badge, and when I showed her, she didn’t know what to make of it, LOL. My badge wasn’t a regular badge: it said “RETAILER”. And I guess that was good enough, cause she let me stay :)
And like everyone else who’s seen Liz in person has said: she is an AMAZING listener - attentive, responsive, invested. She’s always right there, in the moment. And that was partially why I had a tough time getting a good shot - she was always looking away from me, towards whoever was speaking. And I love that about her ♥
And gosh, her answers to everything! Absolutely lovely - I mean, you can tell it’s coming from a very honest place inside of her, so how can it not be? While other people might try too hard or try to give an answer the audience wants to hear, she doesn’t. She says it as it is, in the most honest & humbling way. She truly, truly loves what she does. ♥ And the entire crowd really appreciated it - LOL, we would all clap/cheer In the middle of her answer, and she’d get all cute & embarassed and go, “Thanks!”. Gosh, her smile ♥ ♥
AND BOTH ANNA AND HER LOVE TALKING WITH THEIR HANDS. Haha. Anna seemed to be more quiet by nature, but when she did talk she was both lovely and hilarious. Though I didn’t watch Fringe prior, I had seen the Olivia/Bolivia scene on TV. AND ANNA DESCRIBING THE “DIFFERENCES” BETWEEN OLIVIA/BOLIVIA, WITH FULL ON HAND ACTIONS, WAS PRECIOUS. ♥
And of course, Liz’s adorable laugh. And there was certainly plenty of laughter - and it’s freakin’ contagious. PURE JOY, I tell you. ♥ My favourite parts of the panel were definitely the questions on stunt work (“Well, you know.. I get dangled in wells!) and when she was describing her first impressions of “The Other Woman”. She was just completely adorkable - and she’d get all excited/embarrassed and start playing with her earring ♥
Unfortunately, I had to leave about 15-20 min. before the panel ended - I wanted to get in line for the “V” signing and I was sort of banking on that not TOO many people would know about the signing ahead of time and that most of the fans would be here at the panel. I was kind of cutting it close as it was already…
Unlike the previous 2 panels which had half an hour of Q&A, this panel must have had only 15 min of it… I left before any audience questions asked. Sorry Lauren, couldn’t ask your question! I would’ve loved to known her answer to it too - next time around :)
I walked out and went to a booth that sold glossy photos - I was hoping to find one of Juliet. We had bought lots of Big Bang Theory photos the previous day to get signed, so they were helpful. But alas, no Juliet :( Oh well, I tried.
I radioed my family and met up with them just outside the exhibition hall. I asked them if it was okay if I run off again to the “V” signing that was @ 5:30pm. They had forgotten about me mentioning it at dinner last night and I think they were a little surprised because I had JUST come from the Liz Mitch panel, but my brother excitedly said he would come along and help me with photos and so they said OK.
My bro and I headed to the WB Booth. LOL, I was surprised he was so excited! He hadn’t seen a single ep with Juliet or anything of V, all I’d ever done was talk to him about it. But I was really grateful to have him come along. We reached the booth and saw a lot people lined up AROUND it. Anyways, I walked to the end of the actual booth to ask the WB staff if that line was for the “V” signing
Me: Hey, is this the line for the “V” signing?
WB Security: Yup, but the “V” line is closed.
Me: Closed?
WB Security: We’ve exceeded how many people they can sign within an hour.
Me: There’s not even the smallest possibility that they’ll sign faster than you expect? If they do, will you open up the line again?
WB Security: Sure, you can wait around. There’s other people waiting - but I can’t make any promises.
Me: No worries, thanks a lot!
I was honestly surprised at how calm I was at the situation, lol. Probably because I knew I couldn’t get everything, and if I DID, I’d be extremely lucky. It was actually my brother who freaked out the most, turning to stare at me in disbelief when the guy said it was closed. But the rest of my fam was off having fun, so I felt like I could hang around a little longer and try my luck. I mean, I knew the ENTIRE cast would be there the next day, but Saturday was going to be a VERY busy day for my Dad, and I anticipated him needing my help… PLUS, with just the two of them today, I was hoping the pace would be slower and there would be more time to sort of talk and enjoy the moment. With The Big Bang Theory, it was quite the whirlwind.
I started asking the people lining up around the booth if they were lining up for “V” - all of them said no, they were waiting for “Human Target”. Wow, everyone lines up so early… I went back to the front of the booth and found one lady holding a “V” poster from last year’s Comic-Con and asked if she was waiting. Looked like it was only her and me trying to be fit in :) I asked my bro if he could hold my place in line while I went to see if Elizabeth Mitchell had arrived yet.
Now, on the WB Signing Schedule, it had only listed Elizabeth, and not Morena - though the magazine had said Morena would be there too. Since the schedule was daily, I figured that Morena couldn’t make it. At about 5:15pm, Liz walked through the crowd and to the WB booth - I was at the wrong position for a good picture, so I just stared, lol. They took her right upstairs (I LOVE THAT THE WB BOOTH HAS A BALCONY) and it was THEN that I saw a platinum blonde Morena! They hugged and chatted it up, meeting with some WB execs as well.
After 5 min, they came back down and entered the signing booth. Just as Liz sat down, I yelled, “Hi, Ms. Mitchell!!” and she turned around, looked right at me, smiled, and waved “HI!!”. OHMYGOSH, I DIED. LIKE, THAT WAS LITERALLY ENOUGH FOR ME - SO WHAT IF I DIDN’T GET TO MEET HER, SHE ~WAVED~ AT ME. AFJKSFJKDSFLJKJ; ♥
I wanted to take a picture just as she looked at me, but it was slow and she turned around to quickly so I got the side of her head xD Maybe I should’ve put it on video mode, haha. She was being interviewed by some WB personnel - I could see her doing the hand-action for an Emmy, pretending to hold the statue. Then they were prepping to sign - so I ran back to my bro.
After about 3 min and as soon as the line started moving, they reopened it! Then they ushered about 10 more of us into the line - I thanked them sincerely. WE. WERE. IN. ♥ Now we just sort of relaxed and stared at the giant screen, watching the two of them sign & interact with the fans :) My poor brother wasn’t expecting Morena to be there, so he was all, “Who is she?!?! What is her name?? OHMYGOSH, HOW AM I GOING TO REMEMBER THAT?” lol. He was so worried about not remembering “Morena” and then being forced to ignore her :P Oh bro, ILY ♥
Watching the video back, I’m actually noticing how short of a time everybody spends getting their autograph - it seemed like quite the eternity for me. We waited in line for 45 minutes (they were only signing for an hour) and then we finally approached the desk and each got a poster. Security told us to all put our cameras away, but being the little rebel that I am, I told my bro to put HIS away and I’d keep mine out. The main reason was that they didn’t want us taking pictures and slowing down the line, but I intended to take a video of my brother meeting them :)
But alas, I was spotted and the security told me to put the camera away. Fearing I’d be kicked out of the line, I apologized. Anyways, I WAS TOO EXCITED TO BE ANGRY OR ANYTHING. I WAS COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY GRATEFUL TO BE THERE AT THAT VERY MOMENT.
Liz & Morena: Hi!
David: Hi, V rocks!
Liz: Aw, thank you.
David: Ms. Mitchell - my sister is a HUGE fan of yours.
Liz: Aw, really? -- *bro gestures to me beside him*
Liz & Morena: HI!!
Me: HI!!!! *reached over to shake their hands*
David: She also introduced me to LOST. And I'm ALMOST at the part you come in.
Liz: Oh, you're probably going to hate me at first! *she was adorable here!*
Me: *from the side* Haha, no, he’ll love ya :)
Morena: Would you like your poster personalized?
David: Yeah, sure! My name is David.
Liz: David!
*while they’re signing*
David: Is it OK if I take a picture of you two and my sister after I exit the line? They said we couldn’t keep our cameras out…
*both of them, absolutely the sweetest and cutest right here*
Morena: Oh, just do it! Don’t care about ‘em - just take it!
Liz: Yeah, don’t mind them. We’ll look out for you :)
David: Alright, awesome! Thank you!!
*ohmygosh, it is my turn*
Me: Hi!
Liz & Morena: Hi!
Me: Thank you so much for being here.
Morena: Oh, our absolute pleasure.
Now, this is where my love for Elizabeth Mitchell grows EXPONENTIALLY, just when I thought I couldn’t possibly love her anymore than I already do. She remembered my brother ♥ She was keeping an eye out for him, and the moment she saw his hand & camera go up, and heard him call, she quickly signaled the both of us and we all looked up and he got that marvelous pic ~ This amazing woman, I cannot even.
Me: Thanks bro! Love ya ♥ *back to the moment* I have two friends, Lauren and Evie, who couldn’t make it this year. They’re huge fans, and they say “Hi!!”
Liz & Morena: Aw, tell them we say hi! Sorry we missed them - maybe next time :)
Me: Most definitely! And Ms. Mitchell, congrats on the Emmy nomination!! :D
Liz: Aw, thank you!!
Me: And Morena, I love the new look
Morena: Thanks! Would you like the poster personalized?
Me: Absolutely. *leaned my badge against the table*
Liz: Oh! You’re “Elizabeth” too.
Me: Yes :) ♥ … Thank you. *reached over to shake hands* All the very best with the 2nd season, REALLY looking forward to it
Liz & Morena: Thank you so much :)
And then as I was shaking her hand, Liz did the most unexpected thing ever. It actually took me off-guard - she turned my hand over and placed her other hand on top, clasping it. THAT COMPLETED MY DAY - MORE SO THAN IT WAS ALREADY COMPLETED ♥ Her hands are warm :) But yeah, never in my life has anybody accepted a handshake from me in that way ASJDFKLSJFLKJ; Really, how many people do you know that actually don’t just SHAKE your hand, but grabs it with both hands and turns it into a clasp? I ONLY KNOW ONE - AND THAT ONE IS THE AMAZING ELIZABETH MITCHELL.
Watching it back, it’s only a millisecond - but it felt much longer. She is truly, truly the loveliest, sweetest, kindest, most attentive and grateful celebrity/human being I have had the fortune of meeting. ♥ ♥
Below is the video :) My brother happened to walk by the WB Booth the next day and recognized Charles Mesure, who we like to call “Wolverine 2.0” haha. So he whipped out his camera and took lovely videos - he was so excited to tell me, as I was off with my Dad helping him get comic books signed ♥ It’s fair to say that my brother fell in love with Elizabeth Mitchell that very day - he DEFINITELY noticed that she was the first one to remember him and to tell us to look up for the photo. He hasn’t stopped talking about her since then, it’s a LizMitch fest every day at home. Even when I’m away from home, haha. We finished “V” together and my siblings and I are all on LOST 3.05 at the moment :)
We regrouped and exchanged stories - my Dad came by later and said he had walked by the booth, but we had already left. He did take one pic though :)
**********
After we arrived back in Vancouver, my siblings and I spent a fair amount of time looking at official Comic-Con videos. As I was looking through my pics, particularly the one that my bro had taken of me with Liz and Morena, I thought myself - “Aww, such a great shot! Thank goodness my bro is tall, If only that cameraman wasn’t there”
WAIT. THERE IS A CAMERAMAN.
I freaked out and started searching Youtube. It took maybe 10 min, but I eventually found the official WB Channel. And the "V" vid had just been uploaded that day! Be careful not to blink ;)
I. FREAKED. OUT.
More so than I have ever done in my life - honestly. It was so fast, I didn’t quite believe it - but when I did, I SCREAMED, did a full-on body flail on my bed, then ran around the house, LMAO. My Mom thought there was a home invasion, lol. My brother was taking a nap, but I seriously jumped onto his bed and AJFKLJSFKJSDFKj; THANK YOU, WB.
And courtesy of Elizabeth-Mitchell.org - somebody got pics of my brother! I was so, so happy he got something in the end~
LOL, my brother was leaning FAR :P
This is where she said, "Oh, you're probably going to hate me at first!"
And then the far right... MY. ABSOLUTE. FAVOURITE. ♥ ♥
And that was July 23, 2010 ♥ ♥
Friday, July 23rd - Summary
→ Lining up for Big Bang Theory Panel
→ Bones panel, Joss Whedon panel
→ ELIZABETH MITCHELL. ANNA TORV. MORENA BACCARIN. ♥ ♥
→ Um… other stuff that I went through in a fangirl daze
The day started off well - we all went to the upper atrium floor to draw lottery tickets for comic book artist signing (for my Dad) and Batman: Arkham Asylum toy exclusives. My bro, sis, and Dad got lucky and won an exclusive each. With the artist signing, we all kept re-drawing (since there wasn’t much of a line) until my Dad and bro got one. The tickets were for later in the afternoon.
Afterwards, my brother really wanted to try lining up for the Big Bang Theory panel. My Dad was hesitant, because it takes a huge chunk of time out of the day and we had already seen the cast yesterday, but we all wanted to give it a try. All in all… we lined up for about 2 hours, from 10:30 to 12:30, and didn’t get into the ballroom. :( The line looked like it was moving at a fast pace, then suddenly it stopped moving - I guess people weren’t clearing out.
I knew that the Women Who Kick Ass panel was that day as well, with Elizabeth Mitchell, and as much as I wanted to go and SEE HER and hear her talk, I wasn’t counting on it. We usually travel as a family unit and I knew nobody in my family would really be interested. Anyways, I was going to try and attend the V signing at the WB Booth @ 5:30pm. But to try and make our wait worthwhile, I had been repeatedly mentioning to my Dad that Joss Whedon’s dialogue panel was 2 panels after the Big Bang Theory. I could see he wanted to stay for that, but I think he had other things he wanted to accomplish on the exhibition floor - I had forgotten that they needed to pick up their toy exclusives AND go for the Chris Claremont signing @ 3pm.
Because we were outside on a terrace and they wanted to stop people from saving spots for their friends in line, they had closed the back door leading back into the hall. So we waited until the line re-entered the building before we tried to get out. My Mom, sis, and bro were just exiting the line and so was I, but then my Dad did the absolute sweetest and unexpected thing ever…
Dad: Wait - Liz, do you want to stay?
Me: What?!
Dad:: Would you like to stay?
Me: Are you sure? We hardly ever split up…
Dad: It’s okay - you don’t have a ticket for the signing or the exclusives. We could give you a walkie-talkie and regroup later.
Me: But that means YOU guys can’t split up if you only have one walkie-talkie…
Dad: Don’t worry about it - we’ll figure it out.
Me: Sure, if you don’t mind.
Dad: You got food? Something to eat?
Me: A few granola bars, some water. I’ll survive. Can we meet up @ say… 4:45pm?
Dad: All right, have a blast - enjoy Joss Whedon and “V” :)
And then I saw my family off and I was on my own. It was the weirdest feeling ever - to be on my own at an event this big. But I couldn’t believe he offered to let me stay - my Dad, the person who INTRODUCED me to Joss Whedon. I was beyond excited - I was going to see Liz Mitchell. IN PERSON. WHAAAAT. AJFKJSDFK;
I finally got into the ballroom in the middle of the Bones panel @ 2:30pm (my gosh, we had been in line for 4 hours…). I never followed the show, but I adore the actors - they look like such a fun bunch. And the Deschanel sisters are pretty much my fave set of Hollywood siblings xD Finding a seat on my own was so much easier - I took a risk and walked straight to the front and lucky for me, there was an usher who gave me a seat centre-left and 5 rows from the front. PRIME SEATS, PRETTY MUCH. ♥
They were LOL hilarious - bantering back and forth, fooling around, it was great. Apparently David Boreanaz had dropped the F-bomb earlier or something, and I came in when Emily had just noticed that behind their nametags on the table, it warned not to swear: “Please be aware that there may be minors in the room. Refrain from swearing, adult subject matter, etc.” LMAO. Lots of Booth/Brennan talk.
Then JOSS WHEDON. Whose creative mind I’d love to tap, along with J.J. Abrams. He’s such a cool dude - it was really a nice dialogue. The entire panel was basically a Q&A - lots of insight into the process of writing, creative decisions, his filming style, tips for aspiring writers, his own origins. THOROUGHLY ENTERTAINING MAN AS WELL. And “Avengers” is going to rock this world - SO MANY SUPERHEROESSSS. ♥ ♥ ♥
And then there was this guy who asked Joss if he had any favourite actors. And Joss said that if he HAD to say one person, it would be Nathan Fillion. And of course, I cheered - what an absolute brilliant choice ;) EXCEPT THAT THE CROWD KEPT CHEERING - LONGER THAN I’VE EVER HEARD THE CROWD CHEER. AND THEN THERE FLASHES AND LIGHTS … AND THAT’S WHEN I REALISED- OHMYGOD, NATHAN FILLION IS IN THE ROOM. IT WAS FREAKIN’ BRILLIANT. ASJFSKLFJKSDJF;
Click to viewI was switching between video and camera to take pics, so I didn’t get everything except the part where Joss said, “Ladies & gentleman, I present to you… ANT MAN.” AFJKSDFJKLSDFK; SEE, THAT’S WHY I KNEW CASTLE WAS HERE FOR THE COMIC-CON. HE’S GOING TO MAKE SUCH AN AWESOME HANK PYM - ALREADY WHEN THERE WAS SO MUCH AWESOME IN THE “AVENGERS”. ♥ EDIT: So... amidst the loud cheering, i apparently didn't hear the part where Joss said, "Too bad Hank Pym's not in the movie." - so my bad, it was a joke :(
And then, finally, it was time for:
ELIZABETH MITCHELL. ♥
FULL GALLERY HERE.
LIKE, ASJDKLSDFJKLSDFJKLDSFJ; There was a 5-min break in between, so I went up to the stage and took pics of her name tag as it was being placed. At first, they had put her at the far right, and I was slightly bummed cause that was the farthest away from me and the zoom on my camera could only go so far. But JUST before they started, they MOVED HER TO THE FAR LEFT. NEXT TO ANNA TORV. WHAAAAT - THANK YOU TPTB. LEFT SIDE FOR THE WIN - BEAUTY, BRAINS, AND TALENT. Y/Y?
I was really excited as well because I knew everybody on the panel - I had seen Jena Malone in Pride & Prejudice, my all-time favourite film, and I was eagerly anticipating Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. It was going to be a massively fun panel :)
The lights dimmed and we all took our seats - most of the people in the ballroom at the moment were True Blood fans, as their panel was following ours. LOL, the lady next to me and her friend, “I don’t know ANY of these women…” Girl, you’re missing out :P
When she walked out, I wanted to pinch myself - radiant, beautiful, excited. And she was so cute, responding to the cheers. BY FAR, the loudest cheer out of the whole group, especially at the mention of “Juliet” ♥ Anna Torv too - adorable and stunning.
I wanted better pics/video than I was getting at my current seat - my camera’s nothing fancy and the zoom not very strong. Anyways, I saw all the fancy professional cameramen taking their turns running up and crouching at the bottom of the stage. I have NO IDEA what possessed me to follow them (well, actually yeah I do - LIZ MITCHELL) , but that’s exactly what I did - I got out of my seat and walked right up to the stage.
Anyways, I took about 2 pics before a young usher came up to me (and we’re all crouching…) and said, “Ma’am, are you press??” I just said yes. Then she asked to see my badge, and when I showed her, she didn’t know what to make of it, LOL. My badge wasn’t a regular badge: it said “RETAILER”. And I guess that was good enough, cause she let me stay :)
And like everyone else who’s seen Liz in person has said: she is an AMAZING listener - attentive, responsive, invested. She’s always right there, in the moment. And that was partially why I had a tough time getting a good shot - she was always looking away from me, towards whoever was speaking. And I love that about her ♥
And gosh, her answers to everything! Absolutely lovely - I mean, you can tell it’s coming from a very honest place inside of her, so how can it not be? While other people might try too hard or try to give an answer the audience wants to hear, she doesn’t. She says it as it is, in the most honest & humbling way. She truly, truly loves what she does. ♥ And the entire crowd really appreciated it - LOL, we would all clap/cheer In the middle of her answer, and she’d get all cute & embarassed and go, “Thanks!”. Gosh, her smile ♥ ♥
AND BOTH ANNA AND HER LOVE TALKING WITH THEIR HANDS. Haha. Anna seemed to be more quiet by nature, but when she did talk she was both lovely and hilarious. Though I didn’t watch Fringe prior, I had seen the Olivia/Bolivia scene on TV. AND ANNA DESCRIBING THE “DIFFERENCES” BETWEEN OLIVIA/BOLIVIA, WITH FULL ON HAND ACTIONS, WAS PRECIOUS. ♥
And of course, Liz’s adorable laugh. And there was certainly plenty of laughter - and it’s freakin’ contagious. PURE JOY, I tell you. ♥ My favourite parts of the panel were definitely the questions on stunt work (“Well, you know.. I get dangled in wells!) and when she was describing her first impressions of “The Other Woman”. She was just completely adorkable - and she’d get all excited/embarrassed and start playing with her earring ♥
Unfortunately, I had to leave about 15-20 min. before the panel ended - I wanted to get in line for the “V” signing and I was sort of banking on that not TOO many people would know about the signing ahead of time and that most of the fans would be here at the panel. I was kind of cutting it close as it was already…
Unlike the previous 2 panels which had half an hour of Q&A, this panel must have had only 15 min of it… I left before any audience questions asked. Sorry Lauren, couldn’t ask your question! I would’ve loved to known her answer to it too - next time around :)
I walked out and went to a booth that sold glossy photos - I was hoping to find one of Juliet. We had bought lots of Big Bang Theory photos the previous day to get signed, so they were helpful. But alas, no Juliet :( Oh well, I tried.
I radioed my family and met up with them just outside the exhibition hall. I asked them if it was okay if I run off again to the “V” signing that was @ 5:30pm. They had forgotten about me mentioning it at dinner last night and I think they were a little surprised because I had JUST come from the Liz Mitch panel, but my brother excitedly said he would come along and help me with photos and so they said OK.
My bro and I headed to the WB Booth. LOL, I was surprised he was so excited! He hadn’t seen a single ep with Juliet or anything of V, all I’d ever done was talk to him about it. But I was really grateful to have him come along. We reached the booth and saw a lot people lined up AROUND it. Anyways, I walked to the end of the actual booth to ask the WB staff if that line was for the “V” signing
Me: Hey, is this the line for the “V” signing?
WB Security: Yup, but the “V” line is closed.
Me: Closed?
WB Security: We’ve exceeded how many people they can sign within an hour.
Me: There’s not even the smallest possibility that they’ll sign faster than you expect? If they do, will you open up the line again?
WB Security: Sure, you can wait around. There’s other people waiting - but I can’t make any promises.
Me: No worries, thanks a lot!
I was honestly surprised at how calm I was at the situation, lol. Probably because I knew I couldn’t get everything, and if I DID, I’d be extremely lucky. It was actually my brother who freaked out the most, turning to stare at me in disbelief when the guy said it was closed. But the rest of my fam was off having fun, so I felt like I could hang around a little longer and try my luck. I mean, I knew the ENTIRE cast would be there the next day, but Saturday was going to be a VERY busy day for my Dad, and I anticipated him needing my help… PLUS, with just the two of them today, I was hoping the pace would be slower and there would be more time to sort of talk and enjoy the moment. With The Big Bang Theory, it was quite the whirlwind.
I started asking the people lining up around the booth if they were lining up for “V” - all of them said no, they were waiting for “Human Target”. Wow, everyone lines up so early… I went back to the front of the booth and found one lady holding a “V” poster from last year’s Comic-Con and asked if she was waiting. Looked like it was only her and me trying to be fit in :) I asked my bro if he could hold my place in line while I went to see if Elizabeth Mitchell had arrived yet.
Now, on the WB Signing Schedule, it had only listed Elizabeth, and not Morena - though the magazine had said Morena would be there too. Since the schedule was daily, I figured that Morena couldn’t make it. At about 5:15pm, Liz walked through the crowd and to the WB booth - I was at the wrong position for a good picture, so I just stared, lol. They took her right upstairs (I LOVE THAT THE WB BOOTH HAS A BALCONY) and it was THEN that I saw a platinum blonde Morena! They hugged and chatted it up, meeting with some WB execs as well.
After 5 min, they came back down and entered the signing booth. Just as Liz sat down, I yelled, “Hi, Ms. Mitchell!!” and she turned around, looked right at me, smiled, and waved “HI!!”. OHMYGOSH, I DIED. LIKE, THAT WAS LITERALLY ENOUGH FOR ME - SO WHAT IF I DIDN’T GET TO MEET HER, SHE ~WAVED~ AT ME. AFJKSFJKDSFLJKJ; ♥
I wanted to take a picture just as she looked at me, but it was slow and she turned around to quickly so I got the side of her head xD Maybe I should’ve put it on video mode, haha. She was being interviewed by some WB personnel - I could see her doing the hand-action for an Emmy, pretending to hold the statue. Then they were prepping to sign - so I ran back to my bro.
After about 3 min and as soon as the line started moving, they reopened it! Then they ushered about 10 more of us into the line - I thanked them sincerely. WE. WERE. IN. ♥ Now we just sort of relaxed and stared at the giant screen, watching the two of them sign & interact with the fans :) My poor brother wasn’t expecting Morena to be there, so he was all, “Who is she?!?! What is her name?? OHMYGOSH, HOW AM I GOING TO REMEMBER THAT?” lol. He was so worried about not remembering “Morena” and then being forced to ignore her :P Oh bro, ILY ♥
Watching the video back, I’m actually noticing how short of a time everybody spends getting their autograph - it seemed like quite the eternity for me. We waited in line for 45 minutes (they were only signing for an hour) and then we finally approached the desk and each got a poster. Security told us to all put our cameras away, but being the little rebel that I am, I told my bro to put HIS away and I’d keep mine out. The main reason was that they didn’t want us taking pictures and slowing down the line, but I intended to take a video of my brother meeting them :)
But alas, I was spotted and the security told me to put the camera away. Fearing I’d be kicked out of the line, I apologized. Anyways, I WAS TOO EXCITED TO BE ANGRY OR ANYTHING. I WAS COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY GRATEFUL TO BE THERE AT THAT VERY MOMENT.
Liz & Morena: Hi!
David: Hi, V rocks!
Liz: Aw, thank you.
David: Ms. Mitchell - my sister is a HUGE fan of yours.
Liz: Aw, really? -- *bro gestures to me beside him*
Liz & Morena: HI!!
Me: HI!!!! *reached over to shake their hands*
David: She also introduced me to LOST. And I'm ALMOST at the part you come in.
Liz: Oh, you're probably going to hate me at first! *she was adorable here!*
Me: *from the side* Haha, no, he’ll love ya :)
Morena: Would you like your poster personalized?
David: Yeah, sure! My name is David.
Liz: David!
*while they’re signing*
David: Is it OK if I take a picture of you two and my sister after I exit the line? They said we couldn’t keep our cameras out…
*both of them, absolutely the sweetest and cutest right here*
Morena: Oh, just do it! Don’t care about ‘em - just take it!
Liz: Yeah, don’t mind them. We’ll look out for you :)
David: Alright, awesome! Thank you!!
*ohmygosh, it is my turn*
Me: Hi!
Liz & Morena: Hi!
Me: Thank you so much for being here.
Morena: Oh, our absolute pleasure.
Now, this is where my love for Elizabeth Mitchell grows EXPONENTIALLY, just when I thought I couldn’t possibly love her anymore than I already do. She remembered my brother ♥ She was keeping an eye out for him, and the moment she saw his hand & camera go up, and heard him call, she quickly signaled the both of us and we all looked up and he got that marvelous pic ~ This amazing woman, I cannot even.
Me: Thanks bro! Love ya ♥ *back to the moment* I have two friends, Lauren and Evie, who couldn’t make it this year. They’re huge fans, and they say “Hi!!”
Liz & Morena: Aw, tell them we say hi! Sorry we missed them - maybe next time :)
Me: Most definitely! And Ms. Mitchell, congrats on the Emmy nomination!! :D
Liz: Aw, thank you!!
Me: And Morena, I love the new look
Morena: Thanks! Would you like the poster personalized?
Me: Absolutely. *leaned my badge against the table*
Liz: Oh! You’re “Elizabeth” too.
Me: Yes :) ♥ … Thank you. *reached over to shake hands* All the very best with the 2nd season, REALLY looking forward to it
Liz & Morena: Thank you so much :)
And then as I was shaking her hand, Liz did the most unexpected thing ever. It actually took me off-guard - she turned my hand over and placed her other hand on top, clasping it. THAT COMPLETED MY DAY - MORE SO THAN IT WAS ALREADY COMPLETED ♥ Her hands are warm :) But yeah, never in my life has anybody accepted a handshake from me in that way ASJDFKLSJFLKJ; Really, how many people do you know that actually don’t just SHAKE your hand, but grabs it with both hands and turns it into a clasp? I ONLY KNOW ONE - AND THAT ONE IS THE AMAZING ELIZABETH MITCHELL.
Watching it back, it’s only a millisecond - but it felt much longer. She is truly, truly the loveliest, sweetest, kindest, most attentive and grateful celebrity/human being I have had the fortune of meeting. ♥ ♥
Below is the video :) My brother happened to walk by the WB Booth the next day and recognized Charles Mesure, who we like to call “Wolverine 2.0” haha. So he whipped out his camera and took lovely videos - he was so excited to tell me, as I was off with my Dad helping him get comic books signed ♥ It’s fair to say that my brother fell in love with Elizabeth Mitchell that very day - he DEFINITELY noticed that she was the first one to remember him and to tell us to look up for the photo. He hasn’t stopped talking about her since then, it’s a LizMitch fest every day at home. Even when I’m away from home, haha. We finished “V” together and my siblings and I are all on LOST 3.05 at the moment :)
We regrouped and exchanged stories - my Dad came by later and said he had walked by the booth, but we had already left. He did take one pic though :)
**********
After we arrived back in Vancouver, my siblings and I spent a fair amount of time looking at official Comic-Con videos. As I was looking through my pics, particularly the one that my bro had taken of me with Liz and Morena, I thought myself - “Aww, such a great shot! Thank goodness my bro is tall, If only that cameraman wasn’t there”
WAIT. THERE IS A CAMERAMAN.
I freaked out and started searching Youtube. It took maybe 10 min, but I eventually found the official WB Channel. And the "V" vid had just been uploaded that day! Be careful not to blink ;)
I. FREAKED. OUT.
More so than I have ever done in my life - honestly. It was so fast, I didn’t quite believe it - but when I did, I SCREAMED, did a full-on body flail on my bed, then ran around the house, LMAO. My Mom thought there was a home invasion, lol. My brother was taking a nap, but I seriously jumped onto his bed and AJFKLJSFKJSDFKj; THANK YOU, WB.
And courtesy of Elizabeth-Mitchell.org - somebody got pics of my brother! I was so, so happy he got something in the end~
LOL, my brother was leaning FAR :P
This is where she said, "Oh, you're probably going to hate me at first!"
And then the far right... MY. ABSOLUTE. FAVOURITE. ♥ ♥
And that was July 23, 2010 ♥ ♥