Armageddon 2009 - Sunday Part 3
Joe Flanigan Auto
I wandered around for a few minutes, and went out for some fresh air (okay, I went out for a ciggie!) and then came back to jump into Joe’s queue. Joe had done half an hour of signing in the morning, and had been in photo sessions or panels for the rest of the day. Then he had another panel at 4, so he only had one hour of signing time. I wasn’t going to miss it! He ended up only joining in the Atlantis panel for the last 15 minutes so he could sign more autos for the people still lined up, bless him. I have no idea whether he managed to get everyone in or not, but I’ve not heard of anyone missing out as yet. And yes, I did have a gold pass, I probably could have waited less, but since I’d missed the gold pass session, I didn’t. J
The Squirt wandered out at roughly the same time as Joe, not surprisingly, but chose to get some food and sit over against the wall with some of the others instead of in the queue, so I was chatting to a guy behind me. I’ve no idea who he is or what his name was, but he was nice and it’s a pleasant way to pass the time, so thanks nameless dude! Anyway, because I’d lined up early, I wasn’t too far back - the queue got very long after Joe’s panel finished.
The squirt jumped in and got her stuff signed in person, and then it was my turn - YAY!! I had two photos with him, and he signed the first one while I chatted. I told him it was my birthday and that the huge hug and the subsequent photo yesterday were the best photo ever, and he gave me a big smile and signed the photo happy b’day. Yeah, not losing that photo in a hurry.
I told him that I realised the queue was long, and I wouldn’t keep him, but there was something I had wanted to say last time he came to Melbourne but I got too flustered and didn’t. Both he and the lady taking his auto tickets had a laugh at that, but he let me stay a moment. I had wanted to tell him how much I loved his acting in Common Ground. He said, “Oh, where I was old?” I said, yes, but one scene in particular where he was prisoner, and he gave me a raised eyebrow puzzled look. I was trying not to lose the plot at getting a raised eyebrow look, so I quickly outlined the scenes where he was tied up in the chair and had the gag on the lower half of his face, and he looked just a little apprehensive, the poor dear. So I just told him straight out that I thought his acting in that scene was brilliant, that with little ability to move and half his face covered he still conveyed a great deal of information and expressed so much emotion, and I frankly wouldn’t have guessed it possible to did so. He actually looked a little shy, but maybe I misread that, because surely he’s had plenty of people tell him that he’s a talented actor! But he thanked me sincerely and said “I’ll take that home with me,” which was sweet. God knows I would have loved to talk to him more but as I said, he had a huge queue, and I’m sure no one would appreciate me taking any longer than I did. For all I know I’d had a few dagger-looks already, so I thanked him again and moved out of the way. I have a gap in my memory here, honestly not much idea what I did for the next twenty minutes. Guess I know what the Squirt was feeling earlier.. it’s just ten to twenty minutes of a light, breezy “squeeeeeee” in your mind.
Atlantis VIP Panel
The squee ended soon enough, as the Squirt and I drifted to the smaller of the two stages for the VIP Atlantis panel. The previous day, they kicked everyone out and we had queued for almost an hour to make sure we were at the front. Don’t like queuing, that’s why I spend the money on the expensive ticket, but some is inevitable. Today, they changed it and we could go in and just nab a seat that the non-VIP tickets vacated. We were there early, of course, so we just sat on the floor at the front and off to the side until people got up. I ended up in the second row next to Trish, with Dana and Randall in the seats behind me and the Squirt in front of me, in the front row with the camera.
Unfortunately, while we were waiting, we had to endure the ‘Fear Factor’ eating contest. That’s the one where the goal is to make the contestants puke. GROSS!!!! Not my cup of tea AT ALL, but the things we will endure in the name of fandom. Good grief. They had ten minutes or so to clean up, but for the actors’ sake I hope the smell had cleared. *shudder*
Enough said. The actors took the stage, although as I mentioned previously, Joe was still signing. Jason, Paul and Chris were in fine form, however, and kept us entertained. Someone asked Jason and Chris to reverse roles, and do an impersonation of each other (the same person had previously asked Paul to do a wraith impersonation). Jason laughed and looked embarrassed, we can now assume the embarrassment was due to the thoughts running through his head, because he’s anything but shy! He made a few exaggerated movements of ‘adjusting’ himself, along with a few growly grunts, then sat back and said “Chris?”. Chris, not to be outdone, took it a bit further, and the funniest conversation commenced, where they were both doing growly wraith voices and essentially propositioning each other. I couldn’t do the conversation justice typing it, because I can’t remember it verbatim, but Chris did growl “now you know what the hole in the hand is for,” and invited Jason around behind the stage. At this point, we were clutching our sides with laughter, and Paul was calling for security!
I really have to apologise here, because my memory for the talks is shite. Hopefully there will be some vids surfacing soon, if they haven’t already. I’ll add a link if I find any. Unfortunately the set up this year was not ideal, although we are told it meant more room for the main stage talks. We were on the main floor, with partitions to make ‘rooms’. The last two years the panels and screenings were in a room (or two) upstairs, so we had real seats, a proper screen and a quiet atmosphere. This year we were competing against the noise from the main stage, the wrestling ring on the other side of the partition, and the general noise of the convention crowd. In short, the sound was bloody awful. A couple of times Chris or Jason yelled into the mic, and at one point Jason grabbed the mic and held it right in front of his mouth and just screamed “SHUT UUUUUUP!!!!!” Amazingly, there was a pause of relative silence! Unfortunately it didn’t continue but the guests, while obviously frustrated, handled it well.
Most of the questions were really interesting, and the guys all took turns answering the more general ones. They were asked at one point which episodes they found the most memorable or enjoyable, and naturally they were ones that were relevant to their particular character. For Chris it was Miller’s Crossing, where Todd was snarking with McKay. He liked the idea of Todd being smarter than McKay with the replicator programming. J For Paul, it was Poisoning the Well, because of the character development for Carson. He said that he felt that episode was a turning point for Carson, and Carson became more of a team member and less of a comedic relief character at this stage. Jason had a chuckle and said any episode where he got to speak! He chose Sateda, for much the same reasons that Paul had sited for Carson.
Jason was asked did he have to work out and bulk up for the role of Ronon, or was he already perfect (or words to that effect). He kind of didn’t answer that one - he said that at the time he was living in South Australia with his ex-girlfriend and so he “worked out with the kangaroos”. He basically just said that he likes to keep active and he works out anyway, but didn’t specifically address the question, I don’t think.
Someone else asked does he do his own stunts, and said that he did all of his own stunts “unless Ronon had to be thrown into a brick wall or something.” He said his favourite stunt was in when he had a shotgun on his leg and had to duck and roll and grab the gun. I think that may have been Sateda as well, but he did similar actions a few times from memory, and he didn’t name the ep. Paul made everyone laugh, he said he did all of Carson’s stunts too, and laughed, because this was just after Jason had answered. He did recall the time in the Tao of Rodney that McKay elevated Carson, telling us that he was on a harness and was hoisted up in the air “and then everyone went to lunch. They left me there for 15 minutes.” I can’t remember whether it was in response to this question or another, but Chris told us of a scene with Todd and Ronon, where Jason had wanted to make Ronon more aggressive and whip out his gun and hold it in Todd’s face. He was laughingly telling us that the scene ended up taking a while to shoot, and the gun was heavy, so by time they’d finished Jason was dropping the gun and rubbing his arm and thankful that the scene was over, and Jason was sliding down in the couch laughing while he was telling us.
Of course there was more, and I’m sorry for not remembering everything! The biggest thing that struck me was how comfortable and happy they were together, and how they bantered back and forth and joined in each others’ answers. They were very naturally friendly and happy to joke around with each other and enjoy each others’ company. I know we always hear that it was a close cast and they all got along really well, but when you see them together you can actually see that closeness and camaraderie. Heart.
The con was on the main floor, and the stage in which we were in was set up against the corridor wall, and just out from the second story rooms. The rooms have glass walls, so you can see down onto the main floor and, of course, see in. Joe had finished his signing and was up there looking down at Jason, Paul and Chris, and he started making faces and carrying on. When he had everyone’s attention, he promptly turned around and wiggled his rear against the glass! Not a bad view, my friends, not bad at all. Jason’s turned back to us and told us all to “just ignore him when he comes in” which surprisingly, we did!
Joe entered a minute later, and we, or at least I, saw him come in, but the others were answering a question, so we didn’t burst into applause as we otherwise would have. Joe sauntered (as only Joe does) up onto the stage, and still not a peep from anyone. So he considered it for a brief moment, then launched himself onto the couch in a flying tackle! Jason and Paul were on the couch, and Chris was on a plastic chair next to it, and they didn’t see it coming. Jason got bowled over underneath Joe, which slowed him down somewhat and Paul half got knocked over and half leapt over the back of the couch. Jason and Joe tumbled into Chris; his chair went flying and the three of them hit the floor in a tangle of bodies. Joe ended up on the bottom of the heap (rear end towards us again) and Chris was on top of him. Chris got to his knees and held Joe down, and revised his Todd persona and started mock feeding on Joe, who was writhing around on the floor. Jason scrambled to his feet and pretended to lay into Joe, throwing mock punches in the air above his head. Paul had gotten back on the couch and was standing above them all yelling into the mic, “Yeah, that’s what you get for turning up late!” Meanwhile we were all in fits of laughter - I’m still laughing while I type!
Chelle caught it on vid, and posted it. I’ll add more links if I find them.
There were only about 10 minutes left of the talk by this stage, and I’m sure there were a question or two asked and answered in there, but the general tone of things was pretty much the last 10 minutes of a Friday workday kind of thing, and there was mainly playing around and joking, and very little else. After watching them roll around on the floor about two meters in front of me, I’m afraid it’s erased the following few minutes memory again. Sorry. I do remember we gave them a huge applause when they were finished, and as it was there last appearance for the con, we were sorry to see them leave.
Twilight VIP Panel
Over half of the room left after them, leaving only the Twilight fans, which were far fewer in number than the Stargate fans, and the Sanctuary/Chris fans for the last VIP panel of the day. Dana and Randall left at this point as well, but we did stand in a small group off to the side with Chelle, her daughter and Janelle, having a chat before they left. A good job we’d got the good bye hugs in, because we realised at the last minute we were standing in the path of Cameron, Bronson and Chris. It was a bit like walking through pigeons in the park - a small squawk and we scattered in different directions.
I confess to not paying anywhere near as much attention to the Twilight panel. It was 5pm by this stage, last day of the con third day if you count the cocktail party Friday night), and I was really starting to feel tired! Happy, but tired. So I just kind of sat back and let the answers wash over me, with the exception of the ones directed towards Chris. I really can’t remember the answers at this point (I should have done this yesterday, I know). What did strike me, as I’ve mentioned before, was that Chris is a lovely, gentle, intelligent person, and this opinion developed further every time he answered a question. I was also a little amused how during the previous talk with Jason, Joe and Paul, he was very playful, but during the talk with Bronson and Cameron, who are both teenagers, he was still playful but more…. parental. He let them take the reigns for the Twilight questions, and kept things markedly cleaner than he had in the previous talk (thinking of the whole Wraith thing at the beginning here).
Because it was a smaller crowd than the Atlantis panel, and the dedicated fan base was younger, there were a few times when the guy with the mic had to go hunting for a question, and once or twice he asked one himself. During this time, my curiosity was getting the better of me, so during a lull in questions I nodded to him and was handed the mic. Because I’d jumped into the front row with Pauline when the room cleared a little, I was sitting in front of the speakers, so he asked me to move into the centre, which I did. We’d been having trouble with the noise again, as well, so Chris said to step closer. I did. “Closer.” I did. He kept telling me to come closer, and my steps were getting smaller, although I did clue in and was playing along after the second step - remember I was in the front row, it only took a few steps to the edge of the stage. So here’s me standing in front of the stage with the mic in my hand, and Chris standing over me - he’s 6’5 and the stage gave him and extra meter height! I’ve started laughing and said that I felt really weird, and attempted to ask my question. My question was what attracted him to such creepy roles? So I’ve started talking (into the stupid mic, even though he was right in front of me) and I got as far as “You seem to be a lovely guy with a gentle nature…” so he jumped of the stage and started pretend punching me!!! I think Joe and Jason gave him that idea earlier. Well, I’m not sure if you can picture it or not, but it is very hard to talk in front of a group of people, into a mic, with Chris towering over you pretending to beat the crap out of you.
When I did actually manage to get my question out between the giggling fit I was having, he seemed a little surprised by the question, much to my own surprise, and he considered it for a moment before answering. He responded by saying that he supposed it was a chance to explore and let out the darker side of one’s nature without the bloodshed and cages (lol!).
I can’t remember most of the other questions, but I do recall someone asking about ideal roles, and he said that he got to play Charles Dickens at one stage, which he really enjoyed and was honoured to play, as he loved Dickens’ novels since he was young.
During the last part of the panel, we’d heard the occasional message on the loud speaker asking everyone to finish up as it was nearing closing. Just as the Twilight panel was getting ready to finish, the announcement came that it was 6 o’clock and the doors were going to be closed.. Chris looked at us and said in this low voice into the mic “You’re all ouuurrrrssss,” while Bronson and Cameron laughed. We weren’t going to object, but the management obviously thought that Chris was joking and everyone should go to their own homes, so unfortunately we had to end it there. We did a quick(ish) round of the floor to find a few people who worked there and say good bye and have some hugs (I’m a hugger- you just have to live with it. ). I did find Brett and Rick, Torchie and Peter, but couldn’t track down Janelle, so not sure where she ended up. I also found Scott and Rob, and thanked them for all the effort they put into everything. Those guys work their butts off to put the con together, and we mainly lob questions and complaints at them. Plus - more hugs.
Out the door we trundled, but only as far as the foyer. We found Chelle and her daughter, Beth and a few others there, so a bit of time for a chat and more hugs and goodbyes. As I explain to my parents (who really don’t get the whole con/fandom thing) it’s just as much a social occasion for me, as much as the fun of the con and meeting the guests. I’m sure there are plenty of others that feel the same way. We did see Chris, Cameron and Bronson briefly, while we were out the front waiting for our lift. Bronson walked out almost behind us and into a waiting taxi, while Cameron was out a few minutes later. I heard a small, soft “squeee,” from beside me as Pauline watched him leave. Chris also came out, but turned our way instead of crossing, so he gave us a big grin and said bye as he passed, which we returned. As I said, lovely guy. And that was it… all over!! It was, however, a great con and a damn good birthday!!!
Here be linkage to my pics, other peoples pictures and you tube clips. Add anything else you find in the comments! Share the love!!
Ps: Sorry about the crappy quality of my pics.
My Pics
Castle Photography (PFalcon)
Willow's Cat
ChelleDB YouTube (Joe tackling Jason, Chris & Paul - v funny)
Torchie
SmilieGidget
Scaperfan YouTube (Some of Paul McGillion Panel)
TIL
Katjoy
EBPYeah YouTube (Some of Joe Flanigan Panel Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)
LovinDean (Segments of Jason Momoa Panel Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7 sound not too good)
LovinDean (Segments of Christopher Heyerdahl Panel Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7 sound not too good.)
I wandered around for a few minutes, and went out for some fresh air (okay, I went out for a ciggie!) and then came back to jump into Joe’s queue. Joe had done half an hour of signing in the morning, and had been in photo sessions or panels for the rest of the day. Then he had another panel at 4, so he only had one hour of signing time. I wasn’t going to miss it! He ended up only joining in the Atlantis panel for the last 15 minutes so he could sign more autos for the people still lined up, bless him. I have no idea whether he managed to get everyone in or not, but I’ve not heard of anyone missing out as yet. And yes, I did have a gold pass, I probably could have waited less, but since I’d missed the gold pass session, I didn’t. J
The Squirt wandered out at roughly the same time as Joe, not surprisingly, but chose to get some food and sit over against the wall with some of the others instead of in the queue, so I was chatting to a guy behind me. I’ve no idea who he is or what his name was, but he was nice and it’s a pleasant way to pass the time, so thanks nameless dude! Anyway, because I’d lined up early, I wasn’t too far back - the queue got very long after Joe’s panel finished.
The squirt jumped in and got her stuff signed in person, and then it was my turn - YAY!! I had two photos with him, and he signed the first one while I chatted. I told him it was my birthday and that the huge hug and the subsequent photo yesterday were the best photo ever, and he gave me a big smile and signed the photo happy b’day. Yeah, not losing that photo in a hurry.
I told him that I realised the queue was long, and I wouldn’t keep him, but there was something I had wanted to say last time he came to Melbourne but I got too flustered and didn’t. Both he and the lady taking his auto tickets had a laugh at that, but he let me stay a moment. I had wanted to tell him how much I loved his acting in Common Ground. He said, “Oh, where I was old?” I said, yes, but one scene in particular where he was prisoner, and he gave me a raised eyebrow puzzled look. I was trying not to lose the plot at getting a raised eyebrow look, so I quickly outlined the scenes where he was tied up in the chair and had the gag on the lower half of his face, and he looked just a little apprehensive, the poor dear. So I just told him straight out that I thought his acting in that scene was brilliant, that with little ability to move and half his face covered he still conveyed a great deal of information and expressed so much emotion, and I frankly wouldn’t have guessed it possible to did so. He actually looked a little shy, but maybe I misread that, because surely he’s had plenty of people tell him that he’s a talented actor! But he thanked me sincerely and said “I’ll take that home with me,” which was sweet. God knows I would have loved to talk to him more but as I said, he had a huge queue, and I’m sure no one would appreciate me taking any longer than I did. For all I know I’d had a few dagger-looks already, so I thanked him again and moved out of the way. I have a gap in my memory here, honestly not much idea what I did for the next twenty minutes. Guess I know what the Squirt was feeling earlier.. it’s just ten to twenty minutes of a light, breezy “squeeeeeee” in your mind.
Atlantis VIP Panel
The squee ended soon enough, as the Squirt and I drifted to the smaller of the two stages for the VIP Atlantis panel. The previous day, they kicked everyone out and we had queued for almost an hour to make sure we were at the front. Don’t like queuing, that’s why I spend the money on the expensive ticket, but some is inevitable. Today, they changed it and we could go in and just nab a seat that the non-VIP tickets vacated. We were there early, of course, so we just sat on the floor at the front and off to the side until people got up. I ended up in the second row next to Trish, with Dana and Randall in the seats behind me and the Squirt in front of me, in the front row with the camera.
Unfortunately, while we were waiting, we had to endure the ‘Fear Factor’ eating contest. That’s the one where the goal is to make the contestants puke. GROSS!!!! Not my cup of tea AT ALL, but the things we will endure in the name of fandom. Good grief. They had ten minutes or so to clean up, but for the actors’ sake I hope the smell had cleared. *shudder*
Enough said. The actors took the stage, although as I mentioned previously, Joe was still signing. Jason, Paul and Chris were in fine form, however, and kept us entertained. Someone asked Jason and Chris to reverse roles, and do an impersonation of each other (the same person had previously asked Paul to do a wraith impersonation). Jason laughed and looked embarrassed, we can now assume the embarrassment was due to the thoughts running through his head, because he’s anything but shy! He made a few exaggerated movements of ‘adjusting’ himself, along with a few growly grunts, then sat back and said “Chris?”. Chris, not to be outdone, took it a bit further, and the funniest conversation commenced, where they were both doing growly wraith voices and essentially propositioning each other. I couldn’t do the conversation justice typing it, because I can’t remember it verbatim, but Chris did growl “now you know what the hole in the hand is for,” and invited Jason around behind the stage. At this point, we were clutching our sides with laughter, and Paul was calling for security!
I really have to apologise here, because my memory for the talks is shite. Hopefully there will be some vids surfacing soon, if they haven’t already. I’ll add a link if I find any. Unfortunately the set up this year was not ideal, although we are told it meant more room for the main stage talks. We were on the main floor, with partitions to make ‘rooms’. The last two years the panels and screenings were in a room (or two) upstairs, so we had real seats, a proper screen and a quiet atmosphere. This year we were competing against the noise from the main stage, the wrestling ring on the other side of the partition, and the general noise of the convention crowd. In short, the sound was bloody awful. A couple of times Chris or Jason yelled into the mic, and at one point Jason grabbed the mic and held it right in front of his mouth and just screamed “SHUT UUUUUUP!!!!!” Amazingly, there was a pause of relative silence! Unfortunately it didn’t continue but the guests, while obviously frustrated, handled it well.
Most of the questions were really interesting, and the guys all took turns answering the more general ones. They were asked at one point which episodes they found the most memorable or enjoyable, and naturally they were ones that were relevant to their particular character. For Chris it was Miller’s Crossing, where Todd was snarking with McKay. He liked the idea of Todd being smarter than McKay with the replicator programming. J For Paul, it was Poisoning the Well, because of the character development for Carson. He said that he felt that episode was a turning point for Carson, and Carson became more of a team member and less of a comedic relief character at this stage. Jason had a chuckle and said any episode where he got to speak! He chose Sateda, for much the same reasons that Paul had sited for Carson.
Jason was asked did he have to work out and bulk up for the role of Ronon, or was he already perfect (or words to that effect). He kind of didn’t answer that one - he said that at the time he was living in South Australia with his ex-girlfriend and so he “worked out with the kangaroos”. He basically just said that he likes to keep active and he works out anyway, but didn’t specifically address the question, I don’t think.
Someone else asked does he do his own stunts, and said that he did all of his own stunts “unless Ronon had to be thrown into a brick wall or something.” He said his favourite stunt was in when he had a shotgun on his leg and had to duck and roll and grab the gun. I think that may have been Sateda as well, but he did similar actions a few times from memory, and he didn’t name the ep. Paul made everyone laugh, he said he did all of Carson’s stunts too, and laughed, because this was just after Jason had answered. He did recall the time in the Tao of Rodney that McKay elevated Carson, telling us that he was on a harness and was hoisted up in the air “and then everyone went to lunch. They left me there for 15 minutes.” I can’t remember whether it was in response to this question or another, but Chris told us of a scene with Todd and Ronon, where Jason had wanted to make Ronon more aggressive and whip out his gun and hold it in Todd’s face. He was laughingly telling us that the scene ended up taking a while to shoot, and the gun was heavy, so by time they’d finished Jason was dropping the gun and rubbing his arm and thankful that the scene was over, and Jason was sliding down in the couch laughing while he was telling us.
Of course there was more, and I’m sorry for not remembering everything! The biggest thing that struck me was how comfortable and happy they were together, and how they bantered back and forth and joined in each others’ answers. They were very naturally friendly and happy to joke around with each other and enjoy each others’ company. I know we always hear that it was a close cast and they all got along really well, but when you see them together you can actually see that closeness and camaraderie. Heart.
The con was on the main floor, and the stage in which we were in was set up against the corridor wall, and just out from the second story rooms. The rooms have glass walls, so you can see down onto the main floor and, of course, see in. Joe had finished his signing and was up there looking down at Jason, Paul and Chris, and he started making faces and carrying on. When he had everyone’s attention, he promptly turned around and wiggled his rear against the glass! Not a bad view, my friends, not bad at all. Jason’s turned back to us and told us all to “just ignore him when he comes in” which surprisingly, we did!
Joe entered a minute later, and we, or at least I, saw him come in, but the others were answering a question, so we didn’t burst into applause as we otherwise would have. Joe sauntered (as only Joe does) up onto the stage, and still not a peep from anyone. So he considered it for a brief moment, then launched himself onto the couch in a flying tackle! Jason and Paul were on the couch, and Chris was on a plastic chair next to it, and they didn’t see it coming. Jason got bowled over underneath Joe, which slowed him down somewhat and Paul half got knocked over and half leapt over the back of the couch. Jason and Joe tumbled into Chris; his chair went flying and the three of them hit the floor in a tangle of bodies. Joe ended up on the bottom of the heap (rear end towards us again) and Chris was on top of him. Chris got to his knees and held Joe down, and revised his Todd persona and started mock feeding on Joe, who was writhing around on the floor. Jason scrambled to his feet and pretended to lay into Joe, throwing mock punches in the air above his head. Paul had gotten back on the couch and was standing above them all yelling into the mic, “Yeah, that’s what you get for turning up late!” Meanwhile we were all in fits of laughter - I’m still laughing while I type!
Chelle caught it on vid, and posted it. I’ll add more links if I find them.
There were only about 10 minutes left of the talk by this stage, and I’m sure there were a question or two asked and answered in there, but the general tone of things was pretty much the last 10 minutes of a Friday workday kind of thing, and there was mainly playing around and joking, and very little else. After watching them roll around on the floor about two meters in front of me, I’m afraid it’s erased the following few minutes memory again. Sorry. I do remember we gave them a huge applause when they were finished, and as it was there last appearance for the con, we were sorry to see them leave.
Twilight VIP Panel
Over half of the room left after them, leaving only the Twilight fans, which were far fewer in number than the Stargate fans, and the Sanctuary/Chris fans for the last VIP panel of the day. Dana and Randall left at this point as well, but we did stand in a small group off to the side with Chelle, her daughter and Janelle, having a chat before they left. A good job we’d got the good bye hugs in, because we realised at the last minute we were standing in the path of Cameron, Bronson and Chris. It was a bit like walking through pigeons in the park - a small squawk and we scattered in different directions.
I confess to not paying anywhere near as much attention to the Twilight panel. It was 5pm by this stage, last day of the con third day if you count the cocktail party Friday night), and I was really starting to feel tired! Happy, but tired. So I just kind of sat back and let the answers wash over me, with the exception of the ones directed towards Chris. I really can’t remember the answers at this point (I should have done this yesterday, I know). What did strike me, as I’ve mentioned before, was that Chris is a lovely, gentle, intelligent person, and this opinion developed further every time he answered a question. I was also a little amused how during the previous talk with Jason, Joe and Paul, he was very playful, but during the talk with Bronson and Cameron, who are both teenagers, he was still playful but more…. parental. He let them take the reigns for the Twilight questions, and kept things markedly cleaner than he had in the previous talk (thinking of the whole Wraith thing at the beginning here).
Because it was a smaller crowd than the Atlantis panel, and the dedicated fan base was younger, there were a few times when the guy with the mic had to go hunting for a question, and once or twice he asked one himself. During this time, my curiosity was getting the better of me, so during a lull in questions I nodded to him and was handed the mic. Because I’d jumped into the front row with Pauline when the room cleared a little, I was sitting in front of the speakers, so he asked me to move into the centre, which I did. We’d been having trouble with the noise again, as well, so Chris said to step closer. I did. “Closer.” I did. He kept telling me to come closer, and my steps were getting smaller, although I did clue in and was playing along after the second step - remember I was in the front row, it only took a few steps to the edge of the stage. So here’s me standing in front of the stage with the mic in my hand, and Chris standing over me - he’s 6’5 and the stage gave him and extra meter height! I’ve started laughing and said that I felt really weird, and attempted to ask my question. My question was what attracted him to such creepy roles? So I’ve started talking (into the stupid mic, even though he was right in front of me) and I got as far as “You seem to be a lovely guy with a gentle nature…” so he jumped of the stage and started pretend punching me!!! I think Joe and Jason gave him that idea earlier. Well, I’m not sure if you can picture it or not, but it is very hard to talk in front of a group of people, into a mic, with Chris towering over you pretending to beat the crap out of you.
When I did actually manage to get my question out between the giggling fit I was having, he seemed a little surprised by the question, much to my own surprise, and he considered it for a moment before answering. He responded by saying that he supposed it was a chance to explore and let out the darker side of one’s nature without the bloodshed and cages (lol!).
I can’t remember most of the other questions, but I do recall someone asking about ideal roles, and he said that he got to play Charles Dickens at one stage, which he really enjoyed and was honoured to play, as he loved Dickens’ novels since he was young.
During the last part of the panel, we’d heard the occasional message on the loud speaker asking everyone to finish up as it was nearing closing. Just as the Twilight panel was getting ready to finish, the announcement came that it was 6 o’clock and the doors were going to be closed.. Chris looked at us and said in this low voice into the mic “You’re all ouuurrrrssss,” while Bronson and Cameron laughed. We weren’t going to object, but the management obviously thought that Chris was joking and everyone should go to their own homes, so unfortunately we had to end it there. We did a quick(ish) round of the floor to find a few people who worked there and say good bye and have some hugs (I’m a hugger- you just have to live with it. ). I did find Brett and Rick, Torchie and Peter, but couldn’t track down Janelle, so not sure where she ended up. I also found Scott and Rob, and thanked them for all the effort they put into everything. Those guys work their butts off to put the con together, and we mainly lob questions and complaints at them. Plus - more hugs.
Out the door we trundled, but only as far as the foyer. We found Chelle and her daughter, Beth and a few others there, so a bit of time for a chat and more hugs and goodbyes. As I explain to my parents (who really don’t get the whole con/fandom thing) it’s just as much a social occasion for me, as much as the fun of the con and meeting the guests. I’m sure there are plenty of others that feel the same way. We did see Chris, Cameron and Bronson briefly, while we were out the front waiting for our lift. Bronson walked out almost behind us and into a waiting taxi, while Cameron was out a few minutes later. I heard a small, soft “squeee,” from beside me as Pauline watched him leave. Chris also came out, but turned our way instead of crossing, so he gave us a big grin and said bye as he passed, which we returned. As I said, lovely guy. And that was it… all over!! It was, however, a great con and a damn good birthday!!!
Here be linkage to my pics, other peoples pictures and you tube clips. Add anything else you find in the comments! Share the love!!
Ps: Sorry about the crappy quality of my pics.
My Pics
Castle Photography (PFalcon)
Willow's Cat
ChelleDB YouTube (Joe tackling Jason, Chris & Paul - v funny)
Torchie
SmilieGidget
Scaperfan YouTube (Some of Paul McGillion Panel)
TIL
Katjoy
EBPYeah YouTube (Some of Joe Flanigan Panel Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)
LovinDean (Segments of Jason Momoa Panel Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7 sound not too good)
LovinDean (Segments of Christopher Heyerdahl Panel Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7 sound not too good.)