SPN Con Report, Written Early, Posted Late
Supernatural Convention Report
I’d like to say this weekend’s Salute to Supernatural was the first convention I attended in ’08. (Actually, it’s not even the first one held at the LAX Marriot. My God, these things are addictive!) But the Supernatural boys are, as ever, something special, and as a former non-LA-er, I wanted to share the event with anyone who wasn’t lucky enough to be there in person.
Saturday
I had a plan for this one-a naïve little notion intended to save cash. The plan was to attend only Sunday’s events, buy the cheapest ticket to the talks, and blow way too much money on photo ops with the guys. My roommates seemed to agree, but then Creation did something crazy and asked Eric Kripke, creator of SPN, to attend the con on Saturday, thereby mandating that we struggling writers buy a ticket for that day as well.
Now, I wasn’t aware that the people of Creation, or for that matter Jared and Jensen’s legion of (mostly) female followers, had much interest in listening to a writer talk about . . . well, anything. Underestimating Supernatural fans was my first mistake because they showed up in droves and gave Eric Kripke the standing ovation he much deserved. The guy was great-enthusiastic, funny and fiercely loyal to both the show and the fans. He answered questions from his fans, even staying on stage an extra ten minutes to finish up the remaining questions from those already in line.
“Everything (I did) brought me to the point to do Supernatural,” he told us. Although a self-proclaimed horror fan (re fingernails in A Very SPN Christmas: “I love that shit!”) Mr. Kripke said he realized early on that the emotional “through-line” of the show was family. He talked about growing up with brothers and having lots of male friends. He was very interested in the way guys interact with one another.
One fan asked why the boys don’t hug more, pointing out, “They’re so good at hugging!” Yes, yes they are. Kripke’s response: “If they hug ever two years, you’re like, ‘they did it, they hugged!’”
A few fans tried to get Mr. Kripke to hint at what future seasons might hold. He was reluctant to offer spoilers, but he did promise that S4 would include more self-contained episodes, as well as an exploration of Mary’s relationship with the Yellow-Eyed Demon. And “a lot of full front male nudity.” Mr. Kripke said that he and the other writers had a five-year plan for Supernatural. When pressed by fans to consider expanding the show’s run, Mr. Kripke suggested that Season 6 would be “all the weddings and Raven Simone.”
At one point, Mr. Kripke asked fans what they thought of Bela, one of the two new female additions to S4. The audience’s reaction was mixed but, overall, negative. (Angry sex, people, c’mon!) Mr. Kripke admitted that he too had some reservations re the Bela storyline, mainly concerning the fact that they had yet to tie her character in to the show’s mythology and that she may have bested the boys too often. In fact, Mr. Kripke was very willing to admit to mistakes on his part, experiments that hadn’t worked out as well as he hoped. He did say that Season Four’s other female addition was here to stay. “If you don’t like Ruby, tough.”
Overall, it was obvious that Mr. Kripke loves Supernatural as much as the fans do, and even understands the (sometimes obsessive) devotion many of us feel.
Of the fans, Mr. Kripke said: “You guys drive me crazy but I love you.”
Sunday
10AM-ish
“It’s because he’s datable,” said my Jensen-photo-op-line friend of the nervousness we felt waiting for our turn with Mr. Ackles.
“Yes,” I agreed. “Thirty is totally datable. That’s the problem.”
It’s possible the problem was not Jensen’s age but his face and his freckles and the fact that he was totally sweet and friendly and funny.
“Ladies, over here,” he said, pulling a Dean as two girls stepped up for their joint photo-op. He seemed mostly relaxed (he was chewing gum when I saw him) and made sure to smile at each of the approximately 70 bajillion female fans who paid 60 bucks a pop for (let’s be honest, ladies) the chance to touch him. He looked handsome as ever in a white button down over an olive-colored t-shirt, a necklace with a silver pendant.
After it was done I said, “Thanks for coming, Jensen.” (Articulate I know: I am a writer, people). And I think he said, “Thank you for coming,” emphasis on you, but I was tripping over my feet to get out of there.
11AM-ish
The lines at Disney aren’t this long.
Like his TV brother, Mr. Padalecki attracted roughly 70 bajillion of his own loyal followers. Okay, maybe it was the same 70 bajillion, give or take.
Jared was similarly casual in a blue-and-brown plaid button-down and jeans. He cracked jokes and responding with exuberance (and a hug) when one fan presented him with a bag of Skittles.
Because the line worked so well on Jensen, I repeated it, slight variations of course. “That’s for coming, Jared.” He seemed a little surprised, said something to the effect of “as long as you guys keep coming out, we will too.”
1130 AM-ish
The Boys appeared on stage both separately (Jared first) and together.
“Important” Fact About the Boys
-They call each other “this guy.”
-Jensen has, approximately, a hundred nicknames for Jared, including “Goofy” and “Jumbo.”
-They are (playfully) competitive about who gets more questions.
-They call Eric Kripke “Kripke.”
-Jared says “raunchy” and “ya’ll.”
-They both want to be in a Western.
-Jensen says “cussing.”
-They pat each other on the knee.
-Jensen’s favorite weapon on the show is “my trusty shotty.”
-Jensen’s favorite word is “insatiable.” Jared’s is “cookie.”
-Both of their favorite curse words are “shit.” (Kripke’s is “fucking shit.”)
-They love to tease each other.
“What a bunch of crap?” Jensen said when he took the stage from his TV brother. When Jared rejoined him on stage a half hour later, he got Jensen back, playing off a fan’s compliment of Jensen’s performance as Dean with a “You certainly don’t portray (Dean) as well as Jared portrays Sam.” I can’t possibly recount all the questions that were asked of the boys, but I’ll try to mention a few of the best.
A couple people asked about the infamous (and still nonexistent) Body Switch Episode. How would Jared impersonate Jensen? “I’d make a lot of stupid faces like he does.” He hesitated and called backstage in case Jensen was listening. Convinced that Jensen wasn’t back there, he again said he’d make a lot of stupid faces. Later, Jensen was asked the same question. “You want me to imitate him?” he asked, pointing at Jared. “Gladly.” He proceeded to walk back and forth across the stage, shoulders up, head scrunched down, while Jared threw his head back in laughter.
One fan asked Jared what line he most wanted to deliver on the show. He said he loved Dean’s line from “Bad Day at Black Rock”-“Son of a bitch!” Jared said, “Dean, my ass!” Then he laughed, and admitted that he’d walked right into that one.
Many of the questions related to the recently aired episode “Mystery Spot.” Jared explained that they filmed that episode around Christmas time and it was difficult to reconcile his “off-screen happiness and on-screen ‘miserability’.” (He obviously knew it wasn’t a word, people!) When asked about his favorite death in that episode, Jensen said he liked when the furniture fell on him.
There were also a number of questions (for both the boys and Mr. Kripke) about the S2 favorite “What is and What Should Never Be.” Jensen discussed the difficultly of filming his scenes with an AU Sam who didn’t really have a relationship with his brother. He said it was hard to talk to Jared and “not get anything back.” Jared agreed that it was strange (and upsetting) to see Sam and Dean in difference circumstances. “Oh, how sad, he has a normal life,” he joked.
Both Jared and Jensen spoke of the strong rapport they’ve developed while filming Supernatural. What’s the hardest part about playing Dean? “The most difficult is his affection for his brother,” Jensen joked. He grew serious, saying of him and Jared, “We can use each other to get where we need to be.”
I’d like to say this weekend’s Salute to Supernatural was the first convention I attended in ’08. (Actually, it’s not even the first one held at the LAX Marriot. My God, these things are addictive!) But the Supernatural boys are, as ever, something special, and as a former non-LA-er, I wanted to share the event with anyone who wasn’t lucky enough to be there in person.
Saturday
I had a plan for this one-a naïve little notion intended to save cash. The plan was to attend only Sunday’s events, buy the cheapest ticket to the talks, and blow way too much money on photo ops with the guys. My roommates seemed to agree, but then Creation did something crazy and asked Eric Kripke, creator of SPN, to attend the con on Saturday, thereby mandating that we struggling writers buy a ticket for that day as well.
Now, I wasn’t aware that the people of Creation, or for that matter Jared and Jensen’s legion of (mostly) female followers, had much interest in listening to a writer talk about . . . well, anything. Underestimating Supernatural fans was my first mistake because they showed up in droves and gave Eric Kripke the standing ovation he much deserved. The guy was great-enthusiastic, funny and fiercely loyal to both the show and the fans. He answered questions from his fans, even staying on stage an extra ten minutes to finish up the remaining questions from those already in line.
“Everything (I did) brought me to the point to do Supernatural,” he told us. Although a self-proclaimed horror fan (re fingernails in A Very SPN Christmas: “I love that shit!”) Mr. Kripke said he realized early on that the emotional “through-line” of the show was family. He talked about growing up with brothers and having lots of male friends. He was very interested in the way guys interact with one another.
One fan asked why the boys don’t hug more, pointing out, “They’re so good at hugging!” Yes, yes they are. Kripke’s response: “If they hug ever two years, you’re like, ‘they did it, they hugged!’”
A few fans tried to get Mr. Kripke to hint at what future seasons might hold. He was reluctant to offer spoilers, but he did promise that S4 would include more self-contained episodes, as well as an exploration of Mary’s relationship with the Yellow-Eyed Demon. And “a lot of full front male nudity.” Mr. Kripke said that he and the other writers had a five-year plan for Supernatural. When pressed by fans to consider expanding the show’s run, Mr. Kripke suggested that Season 6 would be “all the weddings and Raven Simone.”
At one point, Mr. Kripke asked fans what they thought of Bela, one of the two new female additions to S4. The audience’s reaction was mixed but, overall, negative. (Angry sex, people, c’mon!) Mr. Kripke admitted that he too had some reservations re the Bela storyline, mainly concerning the fact that they had yet to tie her character in to the show’s mythology and that she may have bested the boys too often. In fact, Mr. Kripke was very willing to admit to mistakes on his part, experiments that hadn’t worked out as well as he hoped. He did say that Season Four’s other female addition was here to stay. “If you don’t like Ruby, tough.”
Overall, it was obvious that Mr. Kripke loves Supernatural as much as the fans do, and even understands the (sometimes obsessive) devotion many of us feel.
Of the fans, Mr. Kripke said: “You guys drive me crazy but I love you.”
Sunday
10AM-ish
“It’s because he’s datable,” said my Jensen-photo-op-line friend of the nervousness we felt waiting for our turn with Mr. Ackles.
“Yes,” I agreed. “Thirty is totally datable. That’s the problem.”
It’s possible the problem was not Jensen’s age but his face and his freckles and the fact that he was totally sweet and friendly and funny.
“Ladies, over here,” he said, pulling a Dean as two girls stepped up for their joint photo-op. He seemed mostly relaxed (he was chewing gum when I saw him) and made sure to smile at each of the approximately 70 bajillion female fans who paid 60 bucks a pop for (let’s be honest, ladies) the chance to touch him. He looked handsome as ever in a white button down over an olive-colored t-shirt, a necklace with a silver pendant.
After it was done I said, “Thanks for coming, Jensen.” (Articulate I know: I am a writer, people). And I think he said, “Thank you for coming,” emphasis on you, but I was tripping over my feet to get out of there.
11AM-ish
The lines at Disney aren’t this long.
Like his TV brother, Mr. Padalecki attracted roughly 70 bajillion of his own loyal followers. Okay, maybe it was the same 70 bajillion, give or take.
Jared was similarly casual in a blue-and-brown plaid button-down and jeans. He cracked jokes and responding with exuberance (and a hug) when one fan presented him with a bag of Skittles.
Because the line worked so well on Jensen, I repeated it, slight variations of course. “That’s for coming, Jared.” He seemed a little surprised, said something to the effect of “as long as you guys keep coming out, we will too.”
1130 AM-ish
The Boys appeared on stage both separately (Jared first) and together.
“Important” Fact About the Boys
-They call each other “this guy.”
-Jensen has, approximately, a hundred nicknames for Jared, including “Goofy” and “Jumbo.”
-They are (playfully) competitive about who gets more questions.
-They call Eric Kripke “Kripke.”
-Jared says “raunchy” and “ya’ll.”
-They both want to be in a Western.
-Jensen says “cussing.”
-They pat each other on the knee.
-Jensen’s favorite weapon on the show is “my trusty shotty.”
-Jensen’s favorite word is “insatiable.” Jared’s is “cookie.”
-Both of their favorite curse words are “shit.” (Kripke’s is “fucking shit.”)
-They love to tease each other.
“What a bunch of crap?” Jensen said when he took the stage from his TV brother. When Jared rejoined him on stage a half hour later, he got Jensen back, playing off a fan’s compliment of Jensen’s performance as Dean with a “You certainly don’t portray (Dean) as well as Jared portrays Sam.” I can’t possibly recount all the questions that were asked of the boys, but I’ll try to mention a few of the best.
A couple people asked about the infamous (and still nonexistent) Body Switch Episode. How would Jared impersonate Jensen? “I’d make a lot of stupid faces like he does.” He hesitated and called backstage in case Jensen was listening. Convinced that Jensen wasn’t back there, he again said he’d make a lot of stupid faces. Later, Jensen was asked the same question. “You want me to imitate him?” he asked, pointing at Jared. “Gladly.” He proceeded to walk back and forth across the stage, shoulders up, head scrunched down, while Jared threw his head back in laughter.
One fan asked Jared what line he most wanted to deliver on the show. He said he loved Dean’s line from “Bad Day at Black Rock”-“Son of a bitch!” Jared said, “Dean, my ass!” Then he laughed, and admitted that he’d walked right into that one.
Many of the questions related to the recently aired episode “Mystery Spot.” Jared explained that they filmed that episode around Christmas time and it was difficult to reconcile his “off-screen happiness and on-screen ‘miserability’.” (He obviously knew it wasn’t a word, people!) When asked about his favorite death in that episode, Jensen said he liked when the furniture fell on him.
There were also a number of questions (for both the boys and Mr. Kripke) about the S2 favorite “What is and What Should Never Be.” Jensen discussed the difficultly of filming his scenes with an AU Sam who didn’t really have a relationship with his brother. He said it was hard to talk to Jared and “not get anything back.” Jared agreed that it was strange (and upsetting) to see Sam and Dean in difference circumstances. “Oh, how sad, he has a normal life,” he joked.
Both Jared and Jensen spoke of the strong rapport they’ve developed while filming Supernatural. What’s the hardest part about playing Dean? “The most difficult is his affection for his brother,” Jensen joked. He grew serious, saying of him and Jared, “We can use each other to get where we need to be.”