dragon con: personal encounters

[dianora2]

First let me preface by saying I had a wonderful, super fun time at Dragon Con (as you've no doubt gathered by now!). I had awesome roomates in the form of em_meredith, nnaylime and intopolitics and just had a blast with them. We also got to spend a lot of time with the super sweet and fun nicole_anell, who was also my flying buddy. We also got in some bar time with phdelicious, and not nearly enough time, but still quality time, with athena4lynn. Yay.

Here's the writeup about my personal encounters with celebs at Dragon Con as well as random sightings and such. With pictures!




Saturday

Saturday was photo ops day. After much deliberation I decided to get two separate photos, one with Michael Hogan and one with James Callis. I just knew that if I didn't get the James one I would beat myself up over it. And I'm so glad I did.

Saturday morning as I was leaving the disappointing Robert Englund panel, em_meredith texted me with the important alert that James was wearing suspenders that day. I rushed over to the Walk of Fame to see for myself, and had a moment of trying to decide if I still wanted a picture with him when he was wearing suspenders. I finally decided he was making them work and had a hot English professor thing going on. *g* So it was all good.

I had excellent company on the photo ops line in the form of nnaylime and athena4lynn. Aaron and Tahmoh's pictures were first, then James'. When it was my turn I went up to him and greeted him (he is the greatest at making you feel like he is just so genuinely happy to see you -- he is seriously SUCH a nice guy) and said, "I like the suspenders!" He said thanks, and I said, "Can I touch them?" He said sure! So in the picture I stuck my thumb under one of the suspenders. I heard Aaron laughing as I did this. Unbeknownst to me James was apparently playing into the whole saucy suspenders thing with his expression. Had I known I might have done the same, but it's better that I didn't as I would have looked like an idiot. Anyway. Behold the Picture of Disheveled Professor Hotness:


I don't think I could be more pleased with how this turned out. GUH. SO HOT.

Next up was Michael Hogan. At this point all the BSG guys (sans Hatch) were in the room, and as we were waiting on line nnaylime and I were treated to the hilarious and awesome sight of EJO trying on James' big flashy sunglasses. Right before we were up a guy and a girl took an awesome pic with Hogan -- they were both in Viper flight suits, and the girl had short blonde Starbuck hair and a cigar, and the guy had a gun, and Hogan totally cheesed it up with them. It was fantastic. Then eman took her pic and it was adorable. Then it was my turn.

"Can we do something funny?" I asked. "Can we both cross our arms and frown, is that cool?" He looked simultaneously puzzled and amused, and said sure. So we posed, and pretty much everyone facing us at the time started laughing, which I felt was a good sign. When it was done I thanked him and started walking away, and he called after me in total Tigh voice, "What was so funny about that?!?" HEE!

Behold the Picture of Cranky Fantasticness:


I LOVE THIS PICTURE. (I'll talk more about the autograph in Sunday's writeup.)

Then I waited for eman and Athena to get their pics with EJO, both of which turned out awesome, btw. We were all pathetically excited and giddy. Yay.

Saturday night was the Colonial Fleet party, which was kind of bizarre -- it was like going to a prom where you didn't know anybody. I did get to meet alissabobissa there, and she is absolutely adorable and delightful. So yay for that. And Richard Hatch was there, naturally, and the vision of him fast dancing is an image that will be burned into my brain for the rest of my life. The rest of the night I explained it as, "He dances exactly the way you would think he dances." Anyway, after a while we got bored and left, and we apparently left too early b/c more of the cast showed up late at night, or they showed up at the post-super-sekkrit Colonial Fleet party that us non-cosplaying peons weren't allowed into or something. (Not sewing makes me less of a fan of the show? Go fig!)

So we headed over to the Marriott instead and went up to the Loft bar, which is this small bar that overlooks the entire lobby, which makes it ideal for people-watching. We were there for maybe two minutes when intopolitics said, "Gareth is here." And indeed, Gareth David Lloyd (he plays Ianto on Torchwood for those of you who've asked) was there, drinking, talking to his handlers and some other people. phdelicious and her friend moyawyvern went over to him and got their picture taken with him. Then a little bit later he came over to the group of us and said hello. I asked if I could buy him a shot since I was on an expense account and he said that he would love a Jack Daniels, "but I think the bar is closing in like five minutes." "Well then I'd better make it fast, hadn't I?" I said, and he smiled and said he'd love the shot of Jack. So I got him the shot and then he spent some time talking to phdelicious and moyawyvern, opening the conversation by asking them if they had any pot. LOL. The rest of us couldn't really hear him from where we were standing, but then as he started ranting about CSI: Miami and David Caruso he got up from his chair to include us all in the insanity. It was pretty hilarious -- he went OFF on Caruso, kept calling him "that ginger bastard" and imitating his horrible acting and the sunglasses shtick, and then Lz was like, "And he never makes eye contact with anybody" and Gareth was like "Yeah, that's right, the bastard!" and started imitating him doing that and it was all very loud and foul-mouthed and funny. Then he started ripping on Emily Proctor, calling her blonde tits and ass and bending over provocatively on his chair to imitate her, and I told him he had quite the audition tape there. (I know he said something that prompted me to say, "I would like to see that," the same way I say it all the time, if you know me IRL you've probably heard me say it, but I can't remember what he said to prompt it. Oh wells. It might have been about beating up David Caruso. The odds are good.)

Soon after that he made to leave, and I said, "Can I get a picture with you before you go, as payment?" He said for what and I was like, um, the SHOT I just bought you? So then he -- I don't even know -- he, well, stuck his face right in my boobs, his face inches from my skin, and said SOMETHING, I couldn't tell you what, and blew on my cleavage. We were all kind of standing there like what the hell? and then I said, "Well now you REALLY owe me." So he took the picture with me and seriously snugged right in there, it was weird but enjoyable. He was very warm and sweaty and, needless to say, a bit tipsy. *g*


Cropped to show the cleavage in question, LOL. It's the most action I've gotten in quite a while so I can't complain, HA.


Sunday

Sunday was Walk of Fame day for us. The BSG actors (except maybe for Olmos -- was he doing it too?) were doing this thing where if you made a $5 donation to breast cancer research, you got a lean-over photo with them. I felt chintzy for some reason giving that much for a donation so gave $10 every time instead, which was good for breast cancer research but bad for my wallet, ooops.

Only James and Hogan were there when we got there -- Tahmoh was sick and hungover at the Dollhouse panel that morning, and Aaron and EJO were AWOL too -- so James was up first. He of course recognized me from the day before due to his fantastic memory. He asked how I was doing and I asked for a photo, and he said, "What about our picture from yesterday, did that not come out okay?" LOL. I told him it came out very nicely, but that I was greedy and wanted another one. After the picture was taken he asked if I wanted to check to make sure it came out okay (he did that at Farpoint a lot too), so as I was waiting for the camera to load I joked, "So are you two the only ones not hungover?" He hemmed and hawed and was like, I don't know? And I said jokingly "Is it because you're British?" and he was like, oh, I don't know, and was clearly not wanting to rat on the other guys or something. I should have told him that I'd just seen Tahmoh who'd confessed to being hungover, so he wouldn't be giving anything away. Heh. So then the picture came up and I showed it to him and he said, "You look very nice!" and I said so do you and thanked him and that was that.


I love this picture a lot. He looks relaxed and happy and our heads were pressing together and agh, I just LOVE him. Absolutely love him. I'm so glad he was there, it really saved the weekend for me after Jamie's cancellation. Also, I'm SO GLAD I did the photo op on Saturday and got the suspenders. Not that he wasn't hot in the t-shirt, too.

Next up was Michael Hogan. I said "I was hoping you'd sign this AWESOME picture we took together" and I showed it to him and he burst out laughing. "This is great!" he said. "You should direct! Look at that!" I asked him if he could write "Stay cranky" on it and he said sure and then asked my name and double-checked the spelling. He told me a story about this time he was asked to sign a poster that a bunch of other cast members had already signed, and when he asked who to sign it to he heard "Juh." So he took a chance and wrote "To Joe" and then the person told him it was actually supposed to be to "Jill." "I'm the one who frakked up the poster!" he said. "And that wasn't an easy fix, either! So I always like to make sure now that I get the name right." Then as he was writing he said, "God, look at that handwriting. It's very...Tigh." Hee! Then I asked if I could get a nice picture to go along with the funny one, which he thought was amusing. So we took this great picture and then when it was done he said, "I was wearing my glasses. I'm gonna look old." "You do NOT look old," I said, and thanked him and was on my way.


HOW ADORABLE IS HE. I love him. Nicest guy ever, for reals. (And how funny is it that he signs the pics with "XO?") Head on over to nnaylime's LJ to read about him serenading her when she got his autograph.

Later in the day I hit up Aaron. I said hello and he said hi back but then Erin Gray asked him something and he talked to her for a minute. I asked his handler if I could get a picture with Aaron for a donation and the handler was all jokey, saying, "I don't know, you're going to have to ask him!" and when Aaron came back he said, "Aaron, this lady would like to press up against you, is that okay?" Aaron looked me in the eye and said "With a beautiful woman? Any time!" Awww, you old smoothie. /ESB


At first our heads were pressed together but then there was an issue with the zoom and we got distracted and I felt too presumptuous to get up in there again. LOL. The brief contact was nice though. ;)

Next BSG guy was Tahmoh. I don't think I said much to him beyond hi, can I have a picture, and thanks. ("I...don't have anything to say to him," I realized while waiting with em_meredith.) Heh. Here's the pic.

He was very nice. He is a very polite and seemingly thoughtful man. Also, has great arms. Obvs. And there's Erin Gray in the background!

Later intopolitics and I went up to Micky Dolenz and bought this little book he had for sale that was a collection of personal snapshots he took while the Monkees were on tour in 1967, it's a very cool little book. I introduced myself and shook his hand and said that it was an honor to meet him, that I was a big fan. And he called me and Lz both "darlin'" and signed our books and was just a total charmer. I'll post a bit more about his panel later but I have to say it really was an absolute thrill to meet him, more so somehow than seeing any of them in concert.

And then Lz and I had a good laugh over the way he signed our books.


"Cool!" LOL.

Then we went to see Gareth David Lloyd so Lz could get her photo op picture with him (which came out awesome) signed. His face lit up when he saw and recognized us, which was nice. I asked him how he was doing and then asked if he was flying out that night. "I am," he said. "I'm going to get smashed." "Excellent," I said. Then he talked to Lz and signed her photo and said goodbye to us, and when he looked at me he gave me a wink. I admit that was a bit of a thrill. ;)

I will also mention for scarlettina's benefit that I got the greatest hug ever from Grant Wilson and Lz and I got free TAPS t-shirts. (I kind of know Grant so he's in a different category for me, heh.)

That night we had dinner at the restaurant in the Marriott, and Gareth was dining in there with James Marsters and some other folks. Unfortunately we were seated on the other side of the divider from them so we only saw them when they left. The best part was that when we were seated, we realized that Micky Dolenz was eating on one side of us, and Adam West was eating on the other. LOLOLOL. Then Hatch came in with some people a short while later. em_meredith observed that it sounded like the beginning of a joke. "Micky Dolenz, Adam West, and Richard Hatch walk into a bar..." Heeeeee.

At the Marriott bar later that night intopolitics and I stood near Michael Rosenbaum, Matthew Lewis and Anthony Lewis for a while. Didn't feel the need to say anything to them though. (Anthony is Matthew's brother and was in one episode of Torchwood, he was the solder in "To the Last Man." He is very cute.) Then, a short time later, Edward James Olmos showed up. He was with his (very young) wife and (very cute) daughter and the funniest part was that he was totally going around and taking pictures of people in costume. And the whole time he had this huge grin on his face. The man had the time of his life that weekend, for real. So charming and adorable. He didn't stay long but it was very cool to see him in those surroundings.

And David Prowse (aka Darth Vader) hung out in the lobby for the whole time too. Cracked me up. Good for him.

And that's it for the actual encounters! Panel writeups to come later, assuming people want to read them...?