![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pensnestEvery time I go to a Starfury convention, I think, this'll be my last one. And yet, I keep going to more... This one was Bun's fault: we signed up for it as soon as we knew it was happening - which worked out rather well, as it meant we were invited to the 'meet and greet' session on Friday night.
The 'meet & greet' thing was actually a bit unnerving for a fragile flower such as myself. But was very happy indeed to have a chance to chat with Alan Tudyk, who is taller than I expected, and better looking in the flesh than on the screen. Naturally, I can't remember what we talked about. There was also Summer Glau, looking delicate and luminous and talking about learning martial arts for the film, and how hard it was to do something so different from her ballet training; there was Ron Glass' magnificent laugh; there was Nathan Fillion, holding court. I know the other Guests were there too, but didn't see them except for nearly bumping into Jewel Staite at the bar - it was a big room.
I realised during the weekend that I no longer want to Know All About the actors who come to conventions. I just want to be entertained. I wonder if this is a sign of healthy detachment or merely that I am jaded? However, there was entertainment to be had, so no problem - but I can recall very little of what they actually said, so no Interesting Revelations here, move along quickly, please.
The Guests all appeared in twos or threes, which was a good idea. It was very clear Jewel Staite and Morena Baccarin are great friends, from the way they interacted on the stage; Chris Buchanan (Exec producer etc), who appeared with them after the group photo overran, was a very interesting and relaxed guest. Summer Glau and Ron Glass were another good combination: he had a very laid-back presence and that lovely rich laugh, and she is a sweetie, with enormous enthusiasm for the film. If Summer Glau becomes an Evil Overlord, her first dastardly deed will be to decree swimming pools for all. Ron Glass, it turns out, owns neither a computer nor a cell phone, and recently attempted to purchase... a typewriter. (Shortly afterwards the miracle-workers on the tech desk put a picture of him in what looked like a late '70s TV show, using a typewriter. He thought it was hilarious.)
In the afternoon we had Nathan Fillion, Alan Tudyk and Mark Shepherd ('Badger'), who were of course very entertaining. Nathan is convention gold, and Alan is similarly fun. Mark confessed to being very much a Firefly fan himself, and very happy indeed to be at the con.
One of the highlights of the con was on Saturday evening. Bun and I sat on the floor for an hour waiting for the fancy dress to start. There are times when being well-padded is an advantage. Eventually... the Guests were brought in, to wild applause, which NF conducted with great skill.
The Fancy Dress was well up to usual Starfury con standards. Highlights included: an excellent group, the Serenity crew plus Saffron, very nicely detailed; a super little girl who performed an excellent River, and handed a mutilated Bible to Ron Glass; a Phantom of the Opera group; a Blue Hands operative (booed, of course); early Wash, with moustache and Hawaiian shirt; a very elegant Companion. There was a really, really good 'Mudders Statue of Jayne' costume, a winner in any other company... and there was the Wash-osaurus. Oh, my. Oh, my. A Wash Warren, riding on the back of a superbly modelled Tyrannosaurus. Bloody brilliant. I haven't found a pic online, yet, but will post a link when I do. Alan Tudyk's face went quite scarlet with (at a guess) amazed delight, and he posed with the beast. (All the Guests were taking photos of the entrants, which was sweet.)
After that, they showed a video message from Adam Baldwin (who was supposed to be there, but was replaced by Ron and Mark), and the Serenity trailer. Much excitement and noisiness. Then disco. But Bun and I don't have the stamina for con discos, specially when we have to have our breakfast at 7.30. Eep.
Someone from Universal came to tape stuff on Sunday, in particular, Nathan and Morena's talk, the Group talk, and the Audience Of Deranged Fans Reacting To 'Serenity' Trailer. Apparently 'for publicity', not sure what that will mean.
NF snuck up to the microphone while RG and Chris Buchanan were doing their Sunday morning talk, and after long speeches of flattery, inquired how much of their excellence each of them attributed to Nathan Fillion? There were hugs, there was applause, there was laughter, there was a running joke for the rest of the day. NF and MB were asked which of their characters would make the first move, and did a lovely little silent scene on that theme. The chemistry between them was a delight. Oh, according to NF, Adam Baldwin's action figure is 'scratch and sniff'.
Alan Tudyk had not recovered from the surprise of the Wash-osaurus, it was the first thing he mentioned in his Sunday talk.
Then, there was a most delightful Group session, with all the Guests on the stage in a long line (NF carefully rearranged them so that he was flanked by Morena and Jewel). Happily, they were asked interesting questions, and we got a nice look at the different personalities on the stage as they answered. It was pellucidly clear that these people are really good friends. One rather fascinating question was what had they thought of one another when they first met - AT explained how he'd met the guy who was playing the Captain, and thought to himself, oops, they got this wrong, this is gonna tank, but smiled and made nice and said, So you're the Captain, then? and the guy said no, he was playing the doctor. *Everybody* cracked up.
It was very clear that NF really is the team captain.
All the Guests seemed genuinely delighted by the convention, which was sweet. We sang the Firefly song, with waving arms, and were filmed by the Universal folks.
As usual, the guests really made it worth while being there. There was nothing of significance to do besides attend the Guest talks and go to the discos (neither of us wanted to queue for autographs, but she had her picture taken with All The Guests, which was cool). And the hotel has many flaws, and I had to get my room key re-registered twice, grr, though happily there is a pleasant pub along the road which serves a very decent meal. Overall, after Redemption back in February, I find the passive style of convention-going rather dull. But the Guests were great, and anyone wanting to see them should get along to Serenity Squared, in (?) November.
So, checked out by eight a.m and home, thanks to a Bank-Holiday-empty M25, by 0840. A Beast to cuddle!
The 'meet & greet' thing was actually a bit unnerving for a fragile flower such as myself. But was very happy indeed to have a chance to chat with Alan Tudyk, who is taller than I expected, and better looking in the flesh than on the screen. Naturally, I can't remember what we talked about. There was also Summer Glau, looking delicate and luminous and talking about learning martial arts for the film, and how hard it was to do something so different from her ballet training; there was Ron Glass' magnificent laugh; there was Nathan Fillion, holding court. I know the other Guests were there too, but didn't see them except for nearly bumping into Jewel Staite at the bar - it was a big room.
I realised during the weekend that I no longer want to Know All About the actors who come to conventions. I just want to be entertained. I wonder if this is a sign of healthy detachment or merely that I am jaded? However, there was entertainment to be had, so no problem - but I can recall very little of what they actually said, so no Interesting Revelations here, move along quickly, please.
The Guests all appeared in twos or threes, which was a good idea. It was very clear Jewel Staite and Morena Baccarin are great friends, from the way they interacted on the stage; Chris Buchanan (Exec producer etc), who appeared with them after the group photo overran, was a very interesting and relaxed guest. Summer Glau and Ron Glass were another good combination: he had a very laid-back presence and that lovely rich laugh, and she is a sweetie, with enormous enthusiasm for the film. If Summer Glau becomes an Evil Overlord, her first dastardly deed will be to decree swimming pools for all. Ron Glass, it turns out, owns neither a computer nor a cell phone, and recently attempted to purchase... a typewriter. (Shortly afterwards the miracle-workers on the tech desk put a picture of him in what looked like a late '70s TV show, using a typewriter. He thought it was hilarious.)
In the afternoon we had Nathan Fillion, Alan Tudyk and Mark Shepherd ('Badger'), who were of course very entertaining. Nathan is convention gold, and Alan is similarly fun. Mark confessed to being very much a Firefly fan himself, and very happy indeed to be at the con.
One of the highlights of the con was on Saturday evening. Bun and I sat on the floor for an hour waiting for the fancy dress to start. There are times when being well-padded is an advantage. Eventually... the Guests were brought in, to wild applause, which NF conducted with great skill.
The Fancy Dress was well up to usual Starfury con standards. Highlights included: an excellent group, the Serenity crew plus Saffron, very nicely detailed; a super little girl who performed an excellent River, and handed a mutilated Bible to Ron Glass; a Phantom of the Opera group; a Blue Hands operative (booed, of course); early Wash, with moustache and Hawaiian shirt; a very elegant Companion. There was a really, really good 'Mudders Statue of Jayne' costume, a winner in any other company... and there was the Wash-osaurus. Oh, my. Oh, my. A Wash Warren, riding on the back of a superbly modelled Tyrannosaurus. Bloody brilliant. I haven't found a pic online, yet, but will post a link when I do. Alan Tudyk's face went quite scarlet with (at a guess) amazed delight, and he posed with the beast. (All the Guests were taking photos of the entrants, which was sweet.)
After that, they showed a video message from Adam Baldwin (who was supposed to be there, but was replaced by Ron and Mark), and the Serenity trailer. Much excitement and noisiness. Then disco. But Bun and I don't have the stamina for con discos, specially when we have to have our breakfast at 7.30. Eep.
Someone from Universal came to tape stuff on Sunday, in particular, Nathan and Morena's talk, the Group talk, and the Audience Of Deranged Fans Reacting To 'Serenity' Trailer. Apparently 'for publicity', not sure what that will mean.
NF snuck up to the microphone while RG and Chris Buchanan were doing their Sunday morning talk, and after long speeches of flattery, inquired how much of their excellence each of them attributed to Nathan Fillion? There were hugs, there was applause, there was laughter, there was a running joke for the rest of the day. NF and MB were asked which of their characters would make the first move, and did a lovely little silent scene on that theme. The chemistry between them was a delight. Oh, according to NF, Adam Baldwin's action figure is 'scratch and sniff'.
Alan Tudyk had not recovered from the surprise of the Wash-osaurus, it was the first thing he mentioned in his Sunday talk.
Then, there was a most delightful Group session, with all the Guests on the stage in a long line (NF carefully rearranged them so that he was flanked by Morena and Jewel). Happily, they were asked interesting questions, and we got a nice look at the different personalities on the stage as they answered. It was pellucidly clear that these people are really good friends. One rather fascinating question was what had they thought of one another when they first met - AT explained how he'd met the guy who was playing the Captain, and thought to himself, oops, they got this wrong, this is gonna tank, but smiled and made nice and said, So you're the Captain, then? and the guy said no, he was playing the doctor. *Everybody* cracked up.
It was very clear that NF really is the team captain.
All the Guests seemed genuinely delighted by the convention, which was sweet. We sang the Firefly song, with waving arms, and were filmed by the Universal folks.
As usual, the guests really made it worth while being there. There was nothing of significance to do besides attend the Guest talks and go to the discos (neither of us wanted to queue for autographs, but she had her picture taken with All The Guests, which was cool). And the hotel has many flaws, and I had to get my room key re-registered twice, grr, though happily there is a pleasant pub along the road which serves a very decent meal. Overall, after Redemption back in February, I find the passive style of convention-going rather dull. But the Guests were great, and anyone wanting to see them should get along to Serenity Squared, in (?) November.
So, checked out by eight a.m and home, thanks to a Bank-Holiday-empty M25, by 0840. A Beast to cuddle!