We came, we saw, we møde’d
Anyone who's known me for a while knows that I, with family &/or friends, can be seen at least once a year at the Monster-Mania horror film conventions (http://www.monstermania.net/). You can read about our previous convention experiences here:
http://japanesedream.livejournal.com/319442.html (2nd half)
http://japanesedream.livejournal.com/382408.html
http://japanesedream.livejournal.com/382836.html
http://japanesedream.livejournal.com/383075.html
http://japanesedream.livejournal.com/384439.html
http://japanesedream.livejournal.com/384729.html
http://japanesedream.livejournal.com/398218.html
And now...a very quick run-down of the events leading up to - & a very long account of our attendance at - the first Monster-Mania of 2012 (Sat., 3/10).
Spent a chunk of Friday on the road, as I’d gone to my mom’s to pick her up, along with my brother, Johnathan. Getting stuck in work traffic on the PA turnpike is not fun! In-jokes & singing along with the radio, however, is.
My other brother, Mark, drove to my house, arriving later Fri. night (actually, by then, it was technically Sat. morning). We had sushi & sandwiches while we waited, & after he arrived, cake & ice cream (sorry, I forgot to take food photos), the latter in honour of the twins’ b-day (Johnathan’s twin, Matthew - my other-other brother - wasn’t able to make it, but he was certainly not forgotten ^_^), which was later in the month, & my b-day, which was at the end of the previous month. We were off to bed in the wee hours, but soon up again, as Sat. is the busiest day of the convention, & parking can be hell!
I started the morning off by washing dishes, practising my Danish (I planned to use a polite yet meaningful phrase on one of my favourite vampires), & jumping out of my skin when my mom came up behind me. XD I soon went off to get ready, running around like a madwoman, mumbling to myself in Danish (practise!) & - as nerves were already setting in - trying to find out where I’d put the clothes I’d wanted to wear. :P When I got to my make-up, I could barely get my eyebrows even, I was shaking so much! Quickly snarfed a nutrition bar, which lasted me until lunchtime (sorry again, I forgot to take a picture of the veggie wrap I had).
But I’m ahead of myself.
Armed with my camera, the “Subspecies” DVD box set (it’s the first 3 movies - there are 4 in total, which I have on VHS), which my family gave me as a b-day present, & my figure of the films’ main vampire, Radu (which I’ve had for ages), I headed out with the gang, & Mark got us there in record time. It helped that, after a little while of driving, there was hardly any traffic.
There were, however, a lot of cars in the parking lot, & the place hadn’t even opened yet! Of course, as they hold this thing at a hotel, some of the cars no doubt belong to regular folks staying there, or people attending other functions. It’s fun to see them all mingled about in one space.
But, for the most part, you can tell who’s there for the convention, from the vast array of horror t-shirts, bags, & jackets, to the goth/punk/cyber/Lolita-looking people (& other styles), to the out-&-out cosplayers - some of whom I believe work at the convention, others who are just doing it for fun, & in the spirit of the festival.
The “Christine” car was covered up in front of the hotel. Lines for Robert Englund were, as usual, already practically around the block, & later, lines for Anthony Michael Hall & the overflow for the “Walking Dead” cast were stretched into the hallway, but at the time, most people were in the lobby or gathered near the main room where the Q&A’s are held, beside the ticket table. We had to wait a few minutes for them to let us in after getting our tickets (actually, they issue wristbands), so we stood about & people-watched, & once they opened the partitions, we scoped out the dealer tables for a bit, grabbed a cosplayer or 2 for photos (& saw a couple we hoped to snag later), & soon were on the hunt for the signing rooms.
I won't post pics of every cosplayer or interestingly-dressed person I photographed, but you can see the full lot of pics I took here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2730649595948.2108875.1548491398&type=3&l=3405e167e2
Any shots in this post that you don't see in that FB album are Mark's or Johnathan's. Hopefully, they won't mind me putting 1 or 2 here. But I don't think they will. ^_^
The convenion's layout, as well as some of the prices (tho’ not by too much), have changed a little this year, compared to previous years. One of the signing rooms was still fulfilling its purpose, but the other was now functioning as an additional dealer’s room. As always, there were specific people on our list that we wanted to see, & while it was cool to check out the folks in the signing room, they weren’t among those we were seeking.
Ended up asking one of the staff where the other signing room might be, & he directed us through the exit behind one of the dealer areas, down a long hallway, & past another door, into what is basically a reception hall. I think they were having a wedding-related function there during one of our previous trips to the convention.
Despite it being so early, the place was already crowded. I’d put this down largely to the presence of actors from “The Walking Dead” & “True Blood”. Those were on our list, too, & we took a few minutes to see who was stationed where (& who hadn’t arrived yet), & made our bee-lines.
The line for Michael Rooker, who starred in “Slither”, “Henry, Portrait of a Serial Killer”, & will soon be returning to “The Walking Dead” (his character’s been AWOL for a bit), was a little long, but there was no one at that moment in front of the table of the person I was primarily there to see: Anders Hove, the Danish actor (born in Greenland) who’d won the admiration of many a vampire aficionado (sp?) by playing the evil, undead Romanian prince, Radu.
Subspecies series:
http://youtu.be/OP3rbLu4qDY
http://youtu.be/eRxYJv9SbgU
http://youtu.be/dBihufe5Sfk
http://youtu.be/MMGZG8Feakk
So Mark got in line for Mr. Rooker - I figured I’d be done by the time he got up to the front, so I could take their photo - & I made my ultra-nervous way, dragging the rest of the family with me, toward Anders’ table. He was right next to Kassie DePaiva, who was there due to her role in “Evil Dead 2”, but whom soap fans will forever know as Blair from “One Life To Live”. Pretty neat!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rPV_xMwh8w
Okay, back to the story. I had a plan for this, involving a brief conversation, leading into my affirming the understanding that Anders was originally from Greenland, & thus, Danish (I believe he & his family live in Denmark now - I know for the past several years, he’s been doing a lot of Danish tv & film work), followed by me telling him in his native language that I was happy to meet him: “Jeg er glad for at møde dig.” Not as simple a phrase to master as it might appear, because it isn’t pronounced quite the way it’s written, & the English/American-born (or, at least, non-Scandinavian) tongue isn’t used to making some of those sounds - the word møde (meet) in & of itself caused me a good amount of trouble for a while, & many a tear was shed, until my very patient friend & excellent teacher (a native speaker, herself) found a method that worked for me. Even then, I was afraid it wouldn’t come out right, in spite of all my practise, esp. since I was so nervous! I was shaking like a leaf, my heart was racing, & I was practically hyperventilating!
You know what they say about the best-laid plans…but, in any case, Johnathan noticed that the gentleman working Anders’ table with him was actually an actor himself, & a past guest of Monster-Mania - he’d been one of the teens who became demon-fodder in “Night of the Demons”. We would later notice a couple other tables with former convention guests helping out the current ones.
But back to Anders. So up to the table I go, still a nervous wreck, & he salutes me! I meekly said, “Hi,” & he asked how I was. The babble just started flowing after that. I told him I was extremely nervous & couldn’t stop shaking. Then I said I hoped it would come out right because I’d practised long & hard to say it to him…
“…& you are Danish, right?”
Yeah, smooth one.
But he didn’t seem put off at all, instead, answering with a single, vigorous nod & a quick, “Ja!”
I took a quick breath & uttered my phrase, & to my ears it was as flawless as I could possibly say it.
There wasn’t even time to register a reaction from him. Next thing I know, he’s bowing deeply AND SAYING THE PHRASE BACK TO ME!!!
Like an excitedly happy little girl who just got the Christmas present she’s been waiting for all year, I clapped my hands & exclaimed, “Tak, tak, tak!” (That’s “thank you” in Danish.) My mom said it would’ve been cool to get that on video.
I can’t remember if I asked him to sign the DVD set first or if I showed him the figure first. But anyway, at some point, both happened. I’ll just put them in, unknowing as to their actual order.
I said I hoped he didn’t mind, but I’d brought along something to show him, & took out my figure - naturally, all the pieces had disassembled themselves, so I was putting them all on the table in front of him: Radu, the minion demon, the Bloodstone, & the stand. As he held it, he & the other actor (sorry, can’t recall his name) were looking it over, talking about its details, etc. Anders seemed like…I can only describe it as…he was kind of marvelling at it. “I don’t even have one of these!” he said.
Nervous babble alert. “I’d give it to you,” I spewed like an obsessed fangirl (or a complete goofball), “but it’s one of my prized possessions.” That isn’t entirely untrue.
He was cute, saying, “No, no,” like he wouldn’t dream of taking away something that I held so dear.
I asked if he could sign my box set, & he said, “Sure.” The other actor asked if I wanted my name on it, & I said something along the lines of, “Please,” or, “That would be great,” or some such. So he asked my name & how to spell it, writing it on a little pad beside him before committing it to the box set cover.
He handed it back to me, saying the ink might still be a little wet. I thanked him & asked if it’d be ok to get a photo, & he amiably agreed. The other actor asked if I needed him to take the photo, but I said I had my brother, aka personal photographer, with me. I think either the actor or Anders might’ve said something like, “That’s good,” & then his arm was around me, & the pic was snapped.
I’m not too hot on my ugly, doofy smile, but hey, it’s me & Anders, & I’m happy about that.
I thanked him again & he shook my hand - a hard, firm, squeeze of a handshake (which my friend informs me is a common trait of Danish men...& some women) - & I kind of wish I’d said, “Farvel” (good-bye in Danish), but I guess it doesn’t matter all that much. I’d also forgotten to mention how or where I’d learned my little bit of Danish (or, more aptly, from whom I’d learned it), or that I’m going to be in Copenhagen later this year (flying in & out of there, & plan on a day-trip there, when I visit my aforementioned friend, who lives in southern Sweden).
My møde worked, & that was really all I cared about. ^_^
møde (a bit over-pronounced, but you'll get the idea):
http://www.forvo.com/word/m%C3%B8de/
I think I was squeezing Johnathan’s arm in an, “OMG, I can’t believe that just happened, but it was so completely awesome!!” kind of way, as we rejoined Mark, who’d gotten to the front of the line, & was getting Michael Rooker’s autograph.
Henry: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU3P6WXzvXU
Slither: http://youtu.be/dZe6HEbafNw
I zipped over to him & took his camera so I could snap their picture, but then a lady working the table said she’d take it if I wanted to be in it. I asked Mr. Rooker if it was ok, & he said it was, so I hopped in.
Things get to be a bit confusing after this, so bear with me.
Mark wanted to meet the other “Walking Dead” stars present at the convention, IronE “T-Dog” Singleton & Chandler Riggs, & there seemed to be a single line forming for all 3 stars, which broke off at each of their tables. I guess they figured anyone going to one star would go to them all. At $30 an autograph, I hope they came with a lot of money. :P
The Walking Dead:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OZ0mu8Ey6A
Tom Towles, from “House of 1,000 Corpses,” “The Devil’s Rejects,” & Mr. Rooker’s co-star in “Henry”, was plunked in the corner between T-Dog & Chandler (the latter of whom is much tinier than he looks on tv!). Tom Towles, by the way, does an awesomely hilarious pose with fans. It’s the eyes. Kind of quizzical, maniacal, & cunning, all at the same time.
You'll see what I mean in this video, which is not mine, but gives a general overview of a fan's convention experience: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-3j5_kXOuI&feature=related
Here is another such video - & by the way, we saw that guy dressed as the butcher/torture killer from "Hostel" coming out of the elevator!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RutMvYL7Gg8
Oh, & if you see a merch stall in one of those videos that has large "Gremlins" & "Ghoulies" figures on it, that's where I got my J-rock postcard! They had free postcards, one of which was promoting some American performances of the all-girl band Exist Trace. They're a hard-rocking group that's worth a listen - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yN6FBz-T8Q&feature=related (this one has a translation, for any of you that might be a little leery of foreign lyrics ^_^).
Back to our stars. Next to Chandler was Kristin Bauer - the vampire Pam from “True Blood”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwS_VhcCCsg
She was my next bee-line, as I wanted to get Mattie her autograph as a b-day gift. Last year, he’d been with us, & I got him an autograph from & photo with former “True Blood” vampire Allan Hyde (Godric) - who, just as a matter of trivia, is half-Danish, according to what I’ve read about him.
I was surprised that Kristin only had 3 photos - usually, there’s a bit more of a selection. But I picked a nice, well-known, alluring promo shot. She’s a lot thinner, tho’, than she looks on tv. A little reserved, but very sweet & pleasant. When I got up to her, I said I wanted to get her autograph for my brother for his birthday. I gave her his name, she confirmed the spelling, & asked if I wanted her to write Happy Birthday on it. I said that would be lovely.
I asked if I could take a photo with her, & she said sure, beckoning me to the seat beside her (it was Barbara Steele all over again ^^).
After the pic, I asked if she were picking up any Swedish from saying it on the show. She said, sadly, “No. But I wish I were.” I’d have said more, maybe something like she ought to ask her co-star, Alexander Skarsgard (who plays Pam’s maker, the Swedish former Viking vampire, Eric, & who is, in fact, an actual Swede), to give her some lessons, but I wasn’t sure how well that might go over, & there were quite a few people waiting to see her (including a cosplayer dressed as the series’ main character, Sookie, in her Merlotte’s Bar & Grill uniform - with shorts, on such a cold, windy day! - but I didn’t get a photo of her).
In the midst of being in lines or waiting for other family members who were in lines, we’d snag more cosplayers, get into chats with fellow fans, & watch what some of the other stars were doing, & how they were interacting with fans (they’re generally quite personable at these conventions). Took a quick break in between to get some air.
Mark had gotten T-Dog (who was being very nice to fans, & rather funny - I can still hear him telling a fan who wanted to get in a photo, "Come to meee, come to meee" XD), & was next going for Chandler Riggs, while my mom wanted Michael Rooker.
Once back inside, we got to Mr. Rooker after a bit of a wait, tho’, unfortunately, there wasn’t a lot of time to talk with him.
Took the pic of him with my mom & Johnathan, & made our way to the line for Chandler.
His dad was working the table with him, & both seemed really nice. They talked a lot to people. I hoped Chandler wouldn’t be getting too much flack from fans regarding some of the stuff going on with his character, Carl, in some of the later Season 2 episodes, but it didn’t look like he was. As Mark was picking out which photo to get signed, my mom asked Chandler’s dad where the hat was. (In the show, Carl is the son of the sheriff, & wears his sheriff’s hat.) Dad said they take it from him before he leaves the set. They have a person whose specific job it is to get the hat & put it in a special box. (I jokingly dubbed them the “hat wrangler”, & we said they should have a double/replica, or “stunt hat”, for him to wear to functions like this.) We asked where they were from & Dad said the Atlanta area (the show is shot in Georgia), but where it’s filmed is about 90 minutes away from where they live. It really is in the middle of nowhere, he said, & looks the same as it does on tv. He said because Chandler sometimes has early call times, they stay in a hotel during filming.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfO5xlfqhxw
He also said, as they were preparing for the now-famous scene where Carl was observing a deer & is accidentally shot & wounded, crew members had to go into the fields & woods at 5 am to chase out the snakes before they could shoot the scene!
I love that Chandler wrote, “Stay human!” on Mark’s photo.
This stuff is hard & hungry work, so we figured it was time for lunch. But first, a few fun little rules of convention-going:
1. If you want to see stars outside the signing rooms, hang out by the bathrooms, the restaurant, or the bar.
2. If you want to see awesome cosplayers, hang out in the lobby, by the elevators.
We’ll get to more of that shortly (at least, the restaurant/bar part, LOL - for the cosplayers, see the photos & videos I've linked). But first, food!
I believe it was on our way out (after Mark took some shots of Anthony Michael Hall, whose table was stationed near the doorway, across from Anders) that Kristin Bauer was returning to the signing room (she'd passed us in the hallway at one point, I guess going to lunch, herself). He said, "Hi, Pam!" & she replied sweetly, "Hi, how are you?"
The hotel restaurant hasn’t really changed since the last time we ate there. They aren’t doing creative names for the dishes like they used to, tho’, & there’s a buffet/salad bar option I don’t remember being there before. Except it’s not really a salad bar, more an array of bowls of ingredients lined up on a sort of built-in shelf/counter-top on the wall along one side (they had cookies there, too), & the hot stuff in big, silver, covered-with-a-lid serving thingies along the back, near the entrance/exit. On the other side of the restaurant is the bar. We saw Michael Rooker come in for a minute. I don’t even think he got a drink, I think he just talked for a minute to somebody there & then left. But it’s a fun new tagline…
“Michael Rooker’s at the bar!”
Even better - because they did stay - the kids from the original “Blair Witch Project” stopped in for lunch!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkoNw8kk_Ng&feature=related
(the only clip I could find with all 3 actors)
I saw 2 of them (Heather & Josh) at the buffet & salad bar. We were at a table pretty near the front, so they were really close.
Food was good. I had a veggie wrap on a spinach tortilla w/cole slaw & pickle. And I picked at my brother’s French fries - they do them pretty neat there, a weird, sort of open criss-cross cut. I kinda wished they’d had a dessert menu for the non-buffet lunch, tho’. We’d have like to have had a taste of those cookies.
Mark finished before us, so he went back out to buy some funky contact lenses & enjoy the festivities. We’ll catch up with him later. The rest of us, after finishing, first went out to see Christine, who was now uncovered & displayed in her full glory.
http://youtu.be/p8sldovtxsM
There were goodies on sale, & for a few dollars, you could get your photo in the car. There was also a set of framed photos featuring cast pictures which were signed (too bad none of the stars were actually attending the convention), but my mom wanted a picture at least standing with the car, & we were able to do that without charge or difficulty.
I just wish it hadn’t been so cold & windy!! It was cool, tho’, that the car’s headlights & dashboard lights came on, & her radio started playing “Bad to the Bone”. ^_^ Later, there was a sort of cyber-Lolita doing pin-up style shots in front of the car, but between us 3 kids, we got some additional, clean (i.e., people-free) shots of Christine, & a couple of my (well, our) mom.
I can’t remember whether Johnathan went to Alex Winter before or after lunch. I know he was doing a Q&A around the end of our lunchtime (which no one has posted, except as part of a larger convention experience video, here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-QhHhXaFRU&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PLDE07462B34A2E5DD), but it might’ve been a while before we went to his line. In any case, I’ll stick him in at this point in the day, & ask for forgiveness from anyone reading this, if it should be out of order.
You may not know him by name, but you’d remember his face - he played the-not-Keanu-Reeves-character in the “Bill & Ted” movies (the second of which also featured Bill Sadler), & was one of the vampires led by Kiefer Sutherland in “The Lost Boys”.
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrGWooNDPiE
The Lost Boys: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdsZnj4-9YM&feature=related
Like Kristin Bauer for Mattie, I got Johnathan Alex’s autograph as a birthday gift, & he wrote Happy Birthday on the photo.
We soon found Mark in the line for Kane Hodder, the stuntman, actor, & paranormal investigator, who is most famous for playing Jason in 4 of the “Friday the 13th” films.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRJWz8QO8ag&feature=related
He's also one of the promoters of "Scares That Care", a charity organisation that helps children who are victims of burns. STC had a booth at the convention.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qza5DyeQZMQ&feature=related
While waiting in what was quite a lengthy line, we got to have a gander at Bill Sadler ("The Shawshank Redemption", "The Mist", "Tales From The Crypt: Demon Knight") & Gunnar Hansen (Leatherface from the ORIGINAL "Texas Chainsaw Massacre"). Also spotted one of the Killer Klowns From Outer Space (snagged a photo of Mark with it), & got into conversation with a couple of Monster-Mania regulars. One of them had even lived in Japan for a couple of years! (On the island of Okinawa.)
We've met Kane before (& given how last year's encounter began, I made sure to remark that we should wish Kane an early Happy Birthday - it’s April 8), but this was Mark's first time. There's a little story here, something about Mark remarking on Kane's taking or handling the money (usually it's the person working the table who does it, not the "stars"), & he said something like, "You got a problem with that?" Not mean, but...I can't explain it too well, primarily because I didn't bear witness to it. I might've been engaged in conversation or chasing down cosplayers to photograph or something. :P Maybe Kane was a little out of sorts 'cuz he was hungry - he was waiting for one of his people to bring him food, which arrived near the end of our stint at his table.
Mark actually got 2 autographs: one for himself, & one for a friend. The latter was signed by both Kane & the author of his biography, on a copy of the book, one of the items on sale at Kane’s table. (Mark bought it as a birthday gift for said friend, who is also a fan.) There was quite a selection of goodies you could have signed, & prices varied depending on what you chose.
Some people did have more than photos. Michael Rooker had t-shirts, too, as I recall, & Anders’ table had the same DVD box set I did.
Speaking of shirts, we do have a couple convention shirts from a couple of the ones we went to, but we don't get one every time, tho' they offer new ones at each convention. We do, however, look at the staff members' shirts, 'cuz they always have a neat quote on them. This time, it was, "One, two, Freddy's coming for you," as Robert Englund (Freddy from "A Nightmare on Elm Street") was a guest. Unfortunately, I haven't met him yet (tho' we went to the Q&A he did with the cast of the third "Elm St." movie when we attended Monster-Mania in Maryland - that was the one with the "Boondock Saints" & "Return of the Living Dead" reunions), since it's REALLY hard to get near him. People stand in line for hours & hours to see him!
But back to Kane. He & his author were talking about beer - oh, 'cuz one of the girls I was talking to in the line had gotten a drink at the bar, & mentioned having beer. I believe Kane said he'd been in Sweden & then flown to Germany, where he noted there'd been someone having beer at, like, 9 in the morning. XD
I took the customary photo (Kane mock-strangles people in pictures), & Mark was happy (altho' he said he wondered if Kane wasn't strangling him a little extra after that remark). On the way back to my house, we were peeking through Kane’s book (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0984580131/?tag=mh0b-20&hvadid=1312756002&ref=pd_sl_3j6sse7shz_e), which seems to have a very easy-flowing, candid style, & should prove an interesting read.
The pic of Kane & Mark isn't showing up, for some strange reason. But it's cool, so go here to see it:
http://pics.livejournal.com/japanesedream/pic/0007g4pc
I think those were all the main things we did. We scoped the dealer rooms one more time (which were becoming more packed by the minute!), & while they had some awesome stuff, there wasn’t anything I was super-desperate for (other than Anders’ autograph, which I’d already procured). We’d hoped to get in a word with Neal DaConte, Amelia Kincaid’s manager, since we saw him there with his other outfit (Horror Idols - http://horroridols.com/) & we always talk to him whenever we’re there, but he was busy with someone whenever we passed by. I could have caught him as we were leaving the dealer area, but he went into one of the dealer rooms before I could get his attention. Back outside, we snagged a couple more cosplayers.
Just to note some of the cool things/people we saw, cosplayer-wise, that I haven't mentioned so far (most but not all of which either myself or my brothers got pics of &/or with) - Jack Sparrow (he's there every year, & this time, we finally got a shot of him!), Beetlejuice & Lydia, the Joker (Heath Ledger version), Predator, the gang from "Spaceballs", Alice in Wonderland, Jason Voorhees, Freddy Kruger, Wizard of Oz, evil clowns on stilts, Harley Quinn (I just adored her!), Silent Hill, & a couple others I don't even know what they were. There was also a guy who looked just like Rob Zombie (wasn't him, but could've been his twin), who was wearing a leather jacket with Bela Lugosi as Dracula painted on it.
I might have been able to go on longer (tho’ a nap would’ve been nice), but my family was getting tired (none of us had gotten much sleep, remember), & I have to admit, it’s a little difficult when you get there early & there isn’t much to do around there to kill another hour or so before the next Q&A. (You can only eat so much & buy so much & walk around so much, & unless you like U-turns, there aren’t a lot of places to go in the vicinity of the hotel - I think there are a couple restaurants & a strip-mall, but that’s about it.) There was a panel at 4:00 that had Kristin Bauer in it (“Ladies of Horror”, it was called), which would have been cool to see, but Anders wasn’t doing any, & I didn’t see any of the “Subspecies” films on the itinerary; otherwise, I might have made a case to stay. My brother wouldn’t have minded attending the “Walking Dead” one, but that wasn’t until 7:00, & it was only about 3:00.
But we’d been there for 6 hours, & accomplished what we’d set out to do. ^_^
Here are some of the Q&A's (or clips thereof) that I've found on YouTube, taken by other attendees:
Walking Dead:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1UD5QOSqMw&feature=related
Robert Englund/Tuesday Knight:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYEb84syoZQ (part 1)
Nicholas Brendon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the series):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nbf41xkZJj0&feature=related
Kristin Bauer on panel (clip):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=937uQ-vI2Uc&feature=endscreen&NR=1
Anthony Michael Hall:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOYLCja7G_Q&feature=related
Men Behind The Mask (Q&A with David "Darth Vader" Prowse, Gunnar "Leatherface" Hansen, & Don "Michael Myers" Shanks):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYOmlPMTeM0&feature=related
We hung out & reminisced (about the day) for a while after getting back to my place, but Mark had to work the next day, so he left in the early evening, taking the rest of the family with him & dropping them off at their house.
And that's it! Thanks for reading, folks!
http://japanesedream.livejournal.com/319442.html (2nd half)
http://japanesedream.livejournal.com/382408.html
http://japanesedream.livejournal.com/382836.html
http://japanesedream.livejournal.com/383075.html
http://japanesedream.livejournal.com/384439.html
http://japanesedream.livejournal.com/384729.html
http://japanesedream.livejournal.com/398218.html
And now...a very quick run-down of the events leading up to - & a very long account of our attendance at - the first Monster-Mania of 2012 (Sat., 3/10).
Spent a chunk of Friday on the road, as I’d gone to my mom’s to pick her up, along with my brother, Johnathan. Getting stuck in work traffic on the PA turnpike is not fun! In-jokes & singing along with the radio, however, is.
My other brother, Mark, drove to my house, arriving later Fri. night (actually, by then, it was technically Sat. morning). We had sushi & sandwiches while we waited, & after he arrived, cake & ice cream (sorry, I forgot to take food photos), the latter in honour of the twins’ b-day (Johnathan’s twin, Matthew - my other-other brother - wasn’t able to make it, but he was certainly not forgotten ^_^), which was later in the month, & my b-day, which was at the end of the previous month. We were off to bed in the wee hours, but soon up again, as Sat. is the busiest day of the convention, & parking can be hell!
I started the morning off by washing dishes, practising my Danish (I planned to use a polite yet meaningful phrase on one of my favourite vampires), & jumping out of my skin when my mom came up behind me. XD I soon went off to get ready, running around like a madwoman, mumbling to myself in Danish (practise!) & - as nerves were already setting in - trying to find out where I’d put the clothes I’d wanted to wear. :P When I got to my make-up, I could barely get my eyebrows even, I was shaking so much! Quickly snarfed a nutrition bar, which lasted me until lunchtime (sorry again, I forgot to take a picture of the veggie wrap I had).
But I’m ahead of myself.
Armed with my camera, the “Subspecies” DVD box set (it’s the first 3 movies - there are 4 in total, which I have on VHS), which my family gave me as a b-day present, & my figure of the films’ main vampire, Radu (which I’ve had for ages), I headed out with the gang, & Mark got us there in record time. It helped that, after a little while of driving, there was hardly any traffic.
There were, however, a lot of cars in the parking lot, & the place hadn’t even opened yet! Of course, as they hold this thing at a hotel, some of the cars no doubt belong to regular folks staying there, or people attending other functions. It’s fun to see them all mingled about in one space.
But, for the most part, you can tell who’s there for the convention, from the vast array of horror t-shirts, bags, & jackets, to the goth/punk/cyber/Lolita-looking people (& other styles), to the out-&-out cosplayers - some of whom I believe work at the convention, others who are just doing it for fun, & in the spirit of the festival.
The “Christine” car was covered up in front of the hotel. Lines for Robert Englund were, as usual, already practically around the block, & later, lines for Anthony Michael Hall & the overflow for the “Walking Dead” cast were stretched into the hallway, but at the time, most people were in the lobby or gathered near the main room where the Q&A’s are held, beside the ticket table. We had to wait a few minutes for them to let us in after getting our tickets (actually, they issue wristbands), so we stood about & people-watched, & once they opened the partitions, we scoped out the dealer tables for a bit, grabbed a cosplayer or 2 for photos (& saw a couple we hoped to snag later), & soon were on the hunt for the signing rooms.
I won't post pics of every cosplayer or interestingly-dressed person I photographed, but you can see the full lot of pics I took here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2730649595948.2108875.1548491398&type=3&l=3405e167e2
Any shots in this post that you don't see in that FB album are Mark's or Johnathan's. Hopefully, they won't mind me putting 1 or 2 here. But I don't think they will. ^_^
The convenion's layout, as well as some of the prices (tho’ not by too much), have changed a little this year, compared to previous years. One of the signing rooms was still fulfilling its purpose, but the other was now functioning as an additional dealer’s room. As always, there were specific people on our list that we wanted to see, & while it was cool to check out the folks in the signing room, they weren’t among those we were seeking.
Ended up asking one of the staff where the other signing room might be, & he directed us through the exit behind one of the dealer areas, down a long hallway, & past another door, into what is basically a reception hall. I think they were having a wedding-related function there during one of our previous trips to the convention.
Despite it being so early, the place was already crowded. I’d put this down largely to the presence of actors from “The Walking Dead” & “True Blood”. Those were on our list, too, & we took a few minutes to see who was stationed where (& who hadn’t arrived yet), & made our bee-lines.
The line for Michael Rooker, who starred in “Slither”, “Henry, Portrait of a Serial Killer”, & will soon be returning to “The Walking Dead” (his character’s been AWOL for a bit), was a little long, but there was no one at that moment in front of the table of the person I was primarily there to see: Anders Hove, the Danish actor (born in Greenland) who’d won the admiration of many a vampire aficionado (sp?) by playing the evil, undead Romanian prince, Radu.
Subspecies series:
http://youtu.be/OP3rbLu4qDY
http://youtu.be/eRxYJv9SbgU
http://youtu.be/dBihufe5Sfk
http://youtu.be/MMGZG8Feakk
So Mark got in line for Mr. Rooker - I figured I’d be done by the time he got up to the front, so I could take their photo - & I made my ultra-nervous way, dragging the rest of the family with me, toward Anders’ table. He was right next to Kassie DePaiva, who was there due to her role in “Evil Dead 2”, but whom soap fans will forever know as Blair from “One Life To Live”. Pretty neat!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rPV_xMwh8w
Okay, back to the story. I had a plan for this, involving a brief conversation, leading into my affirming the understanding that Anders was originally from Greenland, & thus, Danish (I believe he & his family live in Denmark now - I know for the past several years, he’s been doing a lot of Danish tv & film work), followed by me telling him in his native language that I was happy to meet him: “Jeg er glad for at møde dig.” Not as simple a phrase to master as it might appear, because it isn’t pronounced quite the way it’s written, & the English/American-born (or, at least, non-Scandinavian) tongue isn’t used to making some of those sounds - the word møde (meet) in & of itself caused me a good amount of trouble for a while, & many a tear was shed, until my very patient friend & excellent teacher (a native speaker, herself) found a method that worked for me. Even then, I was afraid it wouldn’t come out right, in spite of all my practise, esp. since I was so nervous! I was shaking like a leaf, my heart was racing, & I was practically hyperventilating!
You know what they say about the best-laid plans…but, in any case, Johnathan noticed that the gentleman working Anders’ table with him was actually an actor himself, & a past guest of Monster-Mania - he’d been one of the teens who became demon-fodder in “Night of the Demons”. We would later notice a couple other tables with former convention guests helping out the current ones.
But back to Anders. So up to the table I go, still a nervous wreck, & he salutes me! I meekly said, “Hi,” & he asked how I was. The babble just started flowing after that. I told him I was extremely nervous & couldn’t stop shaking. Then I said I hoped it would come out right because I’d practised long & hard to say it to him…
“…& you are Danish, right?”
Yeah, smooth one.
But he didn’t seem put off at all, instead, answering with a single, vigorous nod & a quick, “Ja!”
I took a quick breath & uttered my phrase, & to my ears it was as flawless as I could possibly say it.
There wasn’t even time to register a reaction from him. Next thing I know, he’s bowing deeply AND SAYING THE PHRASE BACK TO ME!!!
Like an excitedly happy little girl who just got the Christmas present she’s been waiting for all year, I clapped my hands & exclaimed, “Tak, tak, tak!” (That’s “thank you” in Danish.) My mom said it would’ve been cool to get that on video.
I can’t remember if I asked him to sign the DVD set first or if I showed him the figure first. But anyway, at some point, both happened. I’ll just put them in, unknowing as to their actual order.
I said I hoped he didn’t mind, but I’d brought along something to show him, & took out my figure - naturally, all the pieces had disassembled themselves, so I was putting them all on the table in front of him: Radu, the minion demon, the Bloodstone, & the stand. As he held it, he & the other actor (sorry, can’t recall his name) were looking it over, talking about its details, etc. Anders seemed like…I can only describe it as…he was kind of marvelling at it. “I don’t even have one of these!” he said.
Nervous babble alert. “I’d give it to you,” I spewed like an obsessed fangirl (or a complete goofball), “but it’s one of my prized possessions.” That isn’t entirely untrue.
He was cute, saying, “No, no,” like he wouldn’t dream of taking away something that I held so dear.
I asked if he could sign my box set, & he said, “Sure.” The other actor asked if I wanted my name on it, & I said something along the lines of, “Please,” or, “That would be great,” or some such. So he asked my name & how to spell it, writing it on a little pad beside him before committing it to the box set cover.
He handed it back to me, saying the ink might still be a little wet. I thanked him & asked if it’d be ok to get a photo, & he amiably agreed. The other actor asked if I needed him to take the photo, but I said I had my brother, aka personal photographer, with me. I think either the actor or Anders might’ve said something like, “That’s good,” & then his arm was around me, & the pic was snapped.
I’m not too hot on my ugly, doofy smile, but hey, it’s me & Anders, & I’m happy about that.
I thanked him again & he shook my hand - a hard, firm, squeeze of a handshake (which my friend informs me is a common trait of Danish men...& some women) - & I kind of wish I’d said, “Farvel” (good-bye in Danish), but I guess it doesn’t matter all that much. I’d also forgotten to mention how or where I’d learned my little bit of Danish (or, more aptly, from whom I’d learned it), or that I’m going to be in Copenhagen later this year (flying in & out of there, & plan on a day-trip there, when I visit my aforementioned friend, who lives in southern Sweden).
My møde worked, & that was really all I cared about. ^_^
møde (a bit over-pronounced, but you'll get the idea):
http://www.forvo.com/word/m%C3%B8de/
I think I was squeezing Johnathan’s arm in an, “OMG, I can’t believe that just happened, but it was so completely awesome!!” kind of way, as we rejoined Mark, who’d gotten to the front of the line, & was getting Michael Rooker’s autograph.
Henry: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU3P6WXzvXU
Slither: http://youtu.be/dZe6HEbafNw
I zipped over to him & took his camera so I could snap their picture, but then a lady working the table said she’d take it if I wanted to be in it. I asked Mr. Rooker if it was ok, & he said it was, so I hopped in.
Things get to be a bit confusing after this, so bear with me.
Mark wanted to meet the other “Walking Dead” stars present at the convention, IronE “T-Dog” Singleton & Chandler Riggs, & there seemed to be a single line forming for all 3 stars, which broke off at each of their tables. I guess they figured anyone going to one star would go to them all. At $30 an autograph, I hope they came with a lot of money. :P
The Walking Dead:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OZ0mu8Ey6A
Tom Towles, from “House of 1,000 Corpses,” “The Devil’s Rejects,” & Mr. Rooker’s co-star in “Henry”, was plunked in the corner between T-Dog & Chandler (the latter of whom is much tinier than he looks on tv!). Tom Towles, by the way, does an awesomely hilarious pose with fans. It’s the eyes. Kind of quizzical, maniacal, & cunning, all at the same time.
You'll see what I mean in this video, which is not mine, but gives a general overview of a fan's convention experience: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-3j5_kXOuI&feature=related
Here is another such video - & by the way, we saw that guy dressed as the butcher/torture killer from "Hostel" coming out of the elevator!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RutMvYL7Gg8
Oh, & if you see a merch stall in one of those videos that has large "Gremlins" & "Ghoulies" figures on it, that's where I got my J-rock postcard! They had free postcards, one of which was promoting some American performances of the all-girl band Exist Trace. They're a hard-rocking group that's worth a listen - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yN6FBz-T8Q&feature=related (this one has a translation, for any of you that might be a little leery of foreign lyrics ^_^).
Back to our stars. Next to Chandler was Kristin Bauer - the vampire Pam from “True Blood”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwS_VhcCCsg
She was my next bee-line, as I wanted to get Mattie her autograph as a b-day gift. Last year, he’d been with us, & I got him an autograph from & photo with former “True Blood” vampire Allan Hyde (Godric) - who, just as a matter of trivia, is half-Danish, according to what I’ve read about him.
I was surprised that Kristin only had 3 photos - usually, there’s a bit more of a selection. But I picked a nice, well-known, alluring promo shot. She’s a lot thinner, tho’, than she looks on tv. A little reserved, but very sweet & pleasant. When I got up to her, I said I wanted to get her autograph for my brother for his birthday. I gave her his name, she confirmed the spelling, & asked if I wanted her to write Happy Birthday on it. I said that would be lovely.
I asked if I could take a photo with her, & she said sure, beckoning me to the seat beside her (it was Barbara Steele all over again ^^).
After the pic, I asked if she were picking up any Swedish from saying it on the show. She said, sadly, “No. But I wish I were.” I’d have said more, maybe something like she ought to ask her co-star, Alexander Skarsgard (who plays Pam’s maker, the Swedish former Viking vampire, Eric, & who is, in fact, an actual Swede), to give her some lessons, but I wasn’t sure how well that might go over, & there were quite a few people waiting to see her (including a cosplayer dressed as the series’ main character, Sookie, in her Merlotte’s Bar & Grill uniform - with shorts, on such a cold, windy day! - but I didn’t get a photo of her).
In the midst of being in lines or waiting for other family members who were in lines, we’d snag more cosplayers, get into chats with fellow fans, & watch what some of the other stars were doing, & how they were interacting with fans (they’re generally quite personable at these conventions). Took a quick break in between to get some air.
Mark had gotten T-Dog (who was being very nice to fans, & rather funny - I can still hear him telling a fan who wanted to get in a photo, "Come to meee, come to meee" XD), & was next going for Chandler Riggs, while my mom wanted Michael Rooker.
Once back inside, we got to Mr. Rooker after a bit of a wait, tho’, unfortunately, there wasn’t a lot of time to talk with him.
Took the pic of him with my mom & Johnathan, & made our way to the line for Chandler.
His dad was working the table with him, & both seemed really nice. They talked a lot to people. I hoped Chandler wouldn’t be getting too much flack from fans regarding some of the stuff going on with his character, Carl, in some of the later Season 2 episodes, but it didn’t look like he was. As Mark was picking out which photo to get signed, my mom asked Chandler’s dad where the hat was. (In the show, Carl is the son of the sheriff, & wears his sheriff’s hat.) Dad said they take it from him before he leaves the set. They have a person whose specific job it is to get the hat & put it in a special box. (I jokingly dubbed them the “hat wrangler”, & we said they should have a double/replica, or “stunt hat”, for him to wear to functions like this.) We asked where they were from & Dad said the Atlanta area (the show is shot in Georgia), but where it’s filmed is about 90 minutes away from where they live. It really is in the middle of nowhere, he said, & looks the same as it does on tv. He said because Chandler sometimes has early call times, they stay in a hotel during filming.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfO5xlfqhxw
He also said, as they were preparing for the now-famous scene where Carl was observing a deer & is accidentally shot & wounded, crew members had to go into the fields & woods at 5 am to chase out the snakes before they could shoot the scene!
I love that Chandler wrote, “Stay human!” on Mark’s photo.
This stuff is hard & hungry work, so we figured it was time for lunch. But first, a few fun little rules of convention-going:
1. If you want to see stars outside the signing rooms, hang out by the bathrooms, the restaurant, or the bar.
2. If you want to see awesome cosplayers, hang out in the lobby, by the elevators.
We’ll get to more of that shortly (at least, the restaurant/bar part, LOL - for the cosplayers, see the photos & videos I've linked). But first, food!
I believe it was on our way out (after Mark took some shots of Anthony Michael Hall, whose table was stationed near the doorway, across from Anders) that Kristin Bauer was returning to the signing room (she'd passed us in the hallway at one point, I guess going to lunch, herself). He said, "Hi, Pam!" & she replied sweetly, "Hi, how are you?"
The hotel restaurant hasn’t really changed since the last time we ate there. They aren’t doing creative names for the dishes like they used to, tho’, & there’s a buffet/salad bar option I don’t remember being there before. Except it’s not really a salad bar, more an array of bowls of ingredients lined up on a sort of built-in shelf/counter-top on the wall along one side (they had cookies there, too), & the hot stuff in big, silver, covered-with-a-lid serving thingies along the back, near the entrance/exit. On the other side of the restaurant is the bar. We saw Michael Rooker come in for a minute. I don’t even think he got a drink, I think he just talked for a minute to somebody there & then left. But it’s a fun new tagline…
“Michael Rooker’s at the bar!”
Even better - because they did stay - the kids from the original “Blair Witch Project” stopped in for lunch!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkoNw8kk_Ng&feature=related
(the only clip I could find with all 3 actors)
I saw 2 of them (Heather & Josh) at the buffet & salad bar. We were at a table pretty near the front, so they were really close.
Food was good. I had a veggie wrap on a spinach tortilla w/cole slaw & pickle. And I picked at my brother’s French fries - they do them pretty neat there, a weird, sort of open criss-cross cut. I kinda wished they’d had a dessert menu for the non-buffet lunch, tho’. We’d have like to have had a taste of those cookies.
Mark finished before us, so he went back out to buy some funky contact lenses & enjoy the festivities. We’ll catch up with him later. The rest of us, after finishing, first went out to see Christine, who was now uncovered & displayed in her full glory.
http://youtu.be/p8sldovtxsM
There were goodies on sale, & for a few dollars, you could get your photo in the car. There was also a set of framed photos featuring cast pictures which were signed (too bad none of the stars were actually attending the convention), but my mom wanted a picture at least standing with the car, & we were able to do that without charge or difficulty.
I just wish it hadn’t been so cold & windy!! It was cool, tho’, that the car’s headlights & dashboard lights came on, & her radio started playing “Bad to the Bone”. ^_^ Later, there was a sort of cyber-Lolita doing pin-up style shots in front of the car, but between us 3 kids, we got some additional, clean (i.e., people-free) shots of Christine, & a couple of my (well, our) mom.
I can’t remember whether Johnathan went to Alex Winter before or after lunch. I know he was doing a Q&A around the end of our lunchtime (which no one has posted, except as part of a larger convention experience video, here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-QhHhXaFRU&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PLDE07462B34A2E5DD), but it might’ve been a while before we went to his line. In any case, I’ll stick him in at this point in the day, & ask for forgiveness from anyone reading this, if it should be out of order.
You may not know him by name, but you’d remember his face - he played the-not-Keanu-Reeves-character in the “Bill & Ted” movies (the second of which also featured Bill Sadler), & was one of the vampires led by Kiefer Sutherland in “The Lost Boys”.
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrGWooNDPiE
The Lost Boys: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdsZnj4-9YM&feature=related
Like Kristin Bauer for Mattie, I got Johnathan Alex’s autograph as a birthday gift, & he wrote Happy Birthday on the photo.
We soon found Mark in the line for Kane Hodder, the stuntman, actor, & paranormal investigator, who is most famous for playing Jason in 4 of the “Friday the 13th” films.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRJWz8QO8ag&feature=related
He's also one of the promoters of "Scares That Care", a charity organisation that helps children who are victims of burns. STC had a booth at the convention.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qza5DyeQZMQ&feature=related
While waiting in what was quite a lengthy line, we got to have a gander at Bill Sadler ("The Shawshank Redemption", "The Mist", "Tales From The Crypt: Demon Knight") & Gunnar Hansen (Leatherface from the ORIGINAL "Texas Chainsaw Massacre"). Also spotted one of the Killer Klowns From Outer Space (snagged a photo of Mark with it), & got into conversation with a couple of Monster-Mania regulars. One of them had even lived in Japan for a couple of years! (On the island of Okinawa.)
We've met Kane before (& given how last year's encounter began, I made sure to remark that we should wish Kane an early Happy Birthday - it’s April 8), but this was Mark's first time. There's a little story here, something about Mark remarking on Kane's taking or handling the money (usually it's the person working the table who does it, not the "stars"), & he said something like, "You got a problem with that?" Not mean, but...I can't explain it too well, primarily because I didn't bear witness to it. I might've been engaged in conversation or chasing down cosplayers to photograph or something. :P Maybe Kane was a little out of sorts 'cuz he was hungry - he was waiting for one of his people to bring him food, which arrived near the end of our stint at his table.
Mark actually got 2 autographs: one for himself, & one for a friend. The latter was signed by both Kane & the author of his biography, on a copy of the book, one of the items on sale at Kane’s table. (Mark bought it as a birthday gift for said friend, who is also a fan.) There was quite a selection of goodies you could have signed, & prices varied depending on what you chose.
Some people did have more than photos. Michael Rooker had t-shirts, too, as I recall, & Anders’ table had the same DVD box set I did.
Speaking of shirts, we do have a couple convention shirts from a couple of the ones we went to, but we don't get one every time, tho' they offer new ones at each convention. We do, however, look at the staff members' shirts, 'cuz they always have a neat quote on them. This time, it was, "One, two, Freddy's coming for you," as Robert Englund (Freddy from "A Nightmare on Elm Street") was a guest. Unfortunately, I haven't met him yet (tho' we went to the Q&A he did with the cast of the third "Elm St." movie when we attended Monster-Mania in Maryland - that was the one with the "Boondock Saints" & "Return of the Living Dead" reunions), since it's REALLY hard to get near him. People stand in line for hours & hours to see him!
But back to Kane. He & his author were talking about beer - oh, 'cuz one of the girls I was talking to in the line had gotten a drink at the bar, & mentioned having beer. I believe Kane said he'd been in Sweden & then flown to Germany, where he noted there'd been someone having beer at, like, 9 in the morning. XD
I took the customary photo (Kane mock-strangles people in pictures), & Mark was happy (altho' he said he wondered if Kane wasn't strangling him a little extra after that remark). On the way back to my house, we were peeking through Kane’s book (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0984580131/?tag=mh0b-20&hvadid=1312756002&ref=pd_sl_3j6sse7shz_e), which seems to have a very easy-flowing, candid style, & should prove an interesting read.
The pic of Kane & Mark isn't showing up, for some strange reason. But it's cool, so go here to see it:
http://pics.livejournal.com/japanesedream/pic/0007g4pc
I think those were all the main things we did. We scoped the dealer rooms one more time (which were becoming more packed by the minute!), & while they had some awesome stuff, there wasn’t anything I was super-desperate for (other than Anders’ autograph, which I’d already procured). We’d hoped to get in a word with Neal DaConte, Amelia Kincaid’s manager, since we saw him there with his other outfit (Horror Idols - http://horroridols.com/) & we always talk to him whenever we’re there, but he was busy with someone whenever we passed by. I could have caught him as we were leaving the dealer area, but he went into one of the dealer rooms before I could get his attention. Back outside, we snagged a couple more cosplayers.
Just to note some of the cool things/people we saw, cosplayer-wise, that I haven't mentioned so far (most but not all of which either myself or my brothers got pics of &/or with) - Jack Sparrow (he's there every year, & this time, we finally got a shot of him!), Beetlejuice & Lydia, the Joker (Heath Ledger version), Predator, the gang from "Spaceballs", Alice in Wonderland, Jason Voorhees, Freddy Kruger, Wizard of Oz, evil clowns on stilts, Harley Quinn (I just adored her!), Silent Hill, & a couple others I don't even know what they were. There was also a guy who looked just like Rob Zombie (wasn't him, but could've been his twin), who was wearing a leather jacket with Bela Lugosi as Dracula painted on it.
I might have been able to go on longer (tho’ a nap would’ve been nice), but my family was getting tired (none of us had gotten much sleep, remember), & I have to admit, it’s a little difficult when you get there early & there isn’t much to do around there to kill another hour or so before the next Q&A. (You can only eat so much & buy so much & walk around so much, & unless you like U-turns, there aren’t a lot of places to go in the vicinity of the hotel - I think there are a couple restaurants & a strip-mall, but that’s about it.) There was a panel at 4:00 that had Kristin Bauer in it (“Ladies of Horror”, it was called), which would have been cool to see, but Anders wasn’t doing any, & I didn’t see any of the “Subspecies” films on the itinerary; otherwise, I might have made a case to stay. My brother wouldn’t have minded attending the “Walking Dead” one, but that wasn’t until 7:00, & it was only about 3:00.
But we’d been there for 6 hours, & accomplished what we’d set out to do. ^_^
Here are some of the Q&A's (or clips thereof) that I've found on YouTube, taken by other attendees:
Walking Dead:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1UD5QOSqMw&feature=related
Robert Englund/Tuesday Knight:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYEb84syoZQ (part 1)
Nicholas Brendon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the series):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nbf41xkZJj0&feature=related
Kristin Bauer on panel (clip):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=937uQ-vI2Uc&feature=endscreen&NR=1
Anthony Michael Hall:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOYLCja7G_Q&feature=related
Men Behind The Mask (Q&A with David "Darth Vader" Prowse, Gunnar "Leatherface" Hansen, & Don "Michael Myers" Shanks):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYOmlPMTeM0&feature=related
We hung out & reminisced (about the day) for a while after getting back to my place, but Mark had to work the next day, so he left in the early evening, taking the rest of the family with him & dropping them off at their house.
And that's it! Thanks for reading, folks!