Pegasus One Con Report (Part One of Two)
If you are stopping by here for the first time, please note that I am from a mafia family and the movies are all right about the swearing.
So, I guess, after SG-10, some of you are expecting a blow-by-blow (no pun intended) account of the Pegasus One convention, of this weekend, huh? Well. Aside from meeting two close friends in person for the first time, it was an expensive weekend of crap, as far as I'm concerned, so you'll have to forgive me if I sound a little bitter.
It all began with billietallent arriving on Thursday lunchtime - from Regina, Saskachewan - Canada. Note this, for it features quite heavily in the weekend's proceedings. I made the hour and a half journey to Heathrow, from my house in North London, collected her, took her to the supermarket and deposited her in my bedroom to sleep (seven hour lay-overs in Calgary clearly suck); I spent a brief period chatting via LJ comments with rifle about Peter Sarsgaard - a man it was later decided was The New Jesus, possibly Of Suburbia - and then made my second trip of the day to Heathrow to pick up shiny_starlight (from Waterford, Ireland).
There was some squeeing, upon our return, as I exposed them both to the wonder of The Boy Sarsgaard in skin-tight silver, and - perhaps even more disturbingly - snogging a hotel TV screen.
Here's the link - open it in a new window and go play when you've finished here. Gaaaays in Space!
And then I showed them Jarhead. If you haven't seen this movie already, and you're a slasher, you are missing out. By a huge, wide, big fuck-off mile. If you've read (or plan to read) Pieces, let me know if you see as much of a young Adam in Troy as we all do...
(This may seem irrelevant, now, but trust me: it's not. In fact, I don't think there was a waking hour that went by this weekend that did not feature some mention of Peter Sarrrsgaarrrd. No, really.)
Friday, the first day of the con, initially involved waking up later than intended, crawling around the house in a collective stupor, struggling out to Angel, where we met jackie_brown and elethe to finish up on our con purchases, and having breakfast in a stupidly small cafe. The men in the surplus shop always look at us like we're a bit strange. Almost as if a girl standing in the middle of a military supplies shop perving on survival kits is in some way out of the ordinary...
After this, shiny_starlight, billietallent and I trekked back to my house, picked up our stuff, and then made our way all the way back to the god forsaken airport. We caught the horrendously over-priced Hoppa H4 to the Sheraton, a few minutes from the con, and upon our arrival, the hotel clerk asked, "Would you like the inter-connecting doors of your rooms opened?"
"Cool - sure," said we, and headed up to the (shrimp! porn!*) lift elevator. However, upon walking into our rooms we noticed something odd. The inter-connecting doors were clearly disguised in a Hogwarts-like fashion; or else: they had been stolen (I mean Jesus fuck - some people will take anything from a goddamn hotel!). The house-keeper who appeared at the door that was actually there, shortly after, in order to open said missing door, blinked when informed of their absence, and said, "Oh. Yes, of course there aren't."
Sheraton staff, people: arses and elbows? Couldn't tell you.
We were offered new rooms but by this time were too tired and had half unpacked, and frankly, couldn't be fucking arsed.
So, we got dressed up and headed over to the Thistle, or, Pisstle as I now think of it, where we were directed into the main hall and sent to sit at table 29, which, according to the steward, was 'mostly empty'. There was a reason for this, and that reason was a fucking obnoxious German woman (and her friend), who I'd dearly like to behead and place on display at the Tower of London. And that was just for her dress 'sense'. More on her, later. But there were two pairs of people already at the table, and we all found it baffling that none of them offered to move around the large circle of seats in order to allow us to sit together. There were only four of us, at this time, as elethe had not yet hassled her way in.
The first guest was Ellie Harvie, who was shunted over to the far end of the hall to meet people down there, first. Then Craig, I think, then Joe. A few moments after Joe had entered the room, there was a blur of hair and suddenly Joe was being hauled into the air by a somewhat drunk over-excited Jason Momoa. He hadn't waited to be announced - he just bolted in and grabbed him. Joe's reaction was one of alarm - and shirt-gaping - while he tried valiantly not to drop his pint on the con-goers behind them.
People giggled, cameras clicked, Brian threatened to confiscate any he saw, and Jason was ushered out. A few minutes later, he was back, and promptly posted on our row, meaning we were the third table he saw.
His opening gambit was announcing that no one on the previous table knew who he was, so he was feeling 'insecure', and he snuggled his head on the lady beside him's shoulder like a sad little kid. In order to cheer him up, I explained that before he'd joined the cast, I had three favourite characters (Stacks, Aiden, and Zlinky, of course) but now I had four. He made a w00bie face and kissed my hand, kind of doing something I'd consider a Man Squee and went, "Aww, you're good."
... dude. I wasn't just fucking saying it. I don't have enough of a sense of diplomacy to do something like that. Five planets in Sagittarius, man...
Naturally, talk turned to his hair and the shell hanging from it (apparently, his friend gave it to him, and it represents a vagina. No one dared make the obvious joke). He said he had originally dredded it to play a hobo in a movie (Hewlett's movie? I'm not clear on this because I didn't write the note) but that he might get it cut afterwards. I hope he doesn't.
After his minder dragged him reluctantly away, we were presented with a suspiciously tanned Joe Flanigan (whom I choose to refer to mainly as Flanigan, because otherwise people confuse him with Joe May, as he's the person I spend more time talking about. And whom I like more). Now, jackie_brown is a huge Flanigan fangirl - but in a responsible way - and when the German women beside us ordered billietallent and I to move around a space when they saw him coming, we assumed it was so he would sit next to her, as we had been discussing the depth of her fanlove. Instead, they left a seat between them, forcing him to sit between them, instead. If we had known that was the plan, we wouldn't have fucking moved.
Flanigan didn't seem that comfortable. In fact, in a similar way to John's charm-to-disarm methods, he seemed to be forcing it a little bit. Not that I blame him. I'd have found it difficult to have been nice to the Ugly Bug Ball, too, if I knew half of them were clamouring to be my best friend and the rest would be convinced that even the slightest glance meant that I was now in heart-wrenching love with them**.
He talked to shiny_starlight about Crystal Glass Blowing in Waterford and to jackie_brown, who should have been given an oscar for her 'Flaniganshmanigan' act while he was at the table, about knowing people in California. He also asked billietallent if there hadn't been any conventions nearer to home that she could have gone to, instead. Most of the guests WTFed when she said she was from Regina, actually.
One notable thing about Joe was that he really didn't seem inclined to listen to his minder. He ignored her and kept talking when he was told his time was up. And he ate our Doritos.
Our third guest - and the original reason I bought a ticket for the con - was Rainbow Sun Francks. He was sat right next to me and I introduced himself as one of the f_o_r_dies from Gateworld and MySpace, and he took my hand and thanked me for the support right before jackie_brown said, "Oh, you've got to give her a hug!", so he pushed his chair back and stood up and gave me a hug. Which was nice. Although, I did feel a little awkward. This also meant I won the jokey 'Hug Race' between the FORDies to see who would be first to get a hug off Rainbow. Which was also quite nice.
'Bow was hyperactive, as you might imagine - but possibly not as much as you'd imagine, and became progressively inebriated throughout the night. By the end of the evening, I am reliably informed that he was found slumped drunk against a wall (he had also been there earlier, caked in sillystring) and rather off his face...
Craig Veroni materialised behind us just as Rainbow left our table; surprised to see him as I glanced over my shoulder, I exclaimed, "Oh! Hello, Craig!" and made a couple of people giggle. Craig was lovely. He was really down to Earth and told us that he cried when Grodin was killed off (I'm not sure whether he was joking or not) and told us how a member of the Save the Brit group had made him a vid of all the great Peter moments. He was really touched, and I don't think he realised how popular the character was.
Just after Craig left, Jason caused another commotion by starting an OGGY chant, and shortly after, doing the Haka in the middle of the hall while Rainbow remained frozen, staring at him and pointing, for a good few minutes. I'm not sure if that's an in-joke, or if they were just both crazy, but I would be prepared to accept either.
Ellie was also very sweet, and joked with us about Novak's affair with Hermiod. That's pretty much all I can remember of that conversation, and my notes don't say anything more, but I can tell you that Aaron Douglas from Battlestar Galactica randomly appeared on the stage behind us, and declared, "WHOOPS! WRONG SHOW!"
I needed to be told (several times) exactly who he was.
I don't watch that one.
We stayed at the party for a little while after the official meet and greet finished. There was drinking, there was a large Hawaiian man flailing and yelling, "I WANNA DANCE! I WANNA DANCE!" as soon as the music started up, and blowing Malteasers in the air with his mouth. He also put a balloon in his hair.
I suspect that all the beers he'd been drinking had finally got to him.
We left quite early, planning to go to the party the next night and saving ourselves for that. So we stumbled across the dual carriage way, I hallucinated Ant McPartlin in a shrubbery, and we went to bed.
Early next morning, I had my photoshoots, so I missed Ellie's talk. The first person I saw was Craig, who was apparently impressed by my combat gear ('Ooh! That looks good. Kind of intimidating!') and remembered me from the night before. If I remember correctly, Jason was straight after, and also commented on my clothes. Right before sniffing my hair and declaring, "Oh, you smell good!"
Um. Hair products, man...
First talk I made it to on the Saturday was Craig's - someone I was equally delighted had made it to the con. One of the first things he told us, was that he had just become a father, two weeks before. The baby - whose picture appeared on the over head screen, and I can tell you is absolutely beautiful - is called William Sean McKay Veroni.
Yes. That does say McKay.
McKay is Craig's wife's maiden name. But he will still never live it down.
Craig had also brought along the teddy bear wearing a Save the Brit t-shirt and said he thought the t-shirt would fit William, so he intended to make him wear it and I think he said he'd post photos. Either he or Rainbow was talking about setting up their own websites, so it may have been there that he meant.
When Craig was asked what he had done since he left Atlantis, his response was, "Cried!" he also claims to have seen a hell of a lot of Kleenex and talked to Tony Soprano's therapist. I think he may be lying.
In fact, his newest project is a film called Two for the Money, which he seems very proud of, so keep an eye out for that one.
Craig also said that Peter's personal item would have been a journal, and that he would have documented everything that happened. Little gossip! He also noted that Zelenka wouldn't have taken a still to Atlantis - he would have just made one.
One of the most interesting things Craig told us (not that stories of dogs eating his pet bunnies and dangling his brother out of a window in a sleeping bag are any less entertaining) was that Grodin wasn't originally English. He was a rich Indian who had been educated in Britain, and had a very refined and well-spoken Asian accent.
However, Martin Wood didn't like this, and by the end of the first day of filming he was just plain British.
He also cleared the flag issue up: he got what the props lady had. Which strikes me as pretty lame.
Craig is working on some 'stories' himself, he says - it's not clear whether he means books, scripts or anything else, but he seems like a very intelligent and creative chap (shorter than he appears on the show, as well - which is relevant for later) so they'll be worth looking out for.
He was also mock-horrified to find that Chuck Campbell had taken over his role as That Tech in the Control Room. I think there may be some retribution.
Jason Momoa, back from his first photoshoot, came on stage and told us all that he was a con virgin, how scared he was on his first day, and how amazed he had been by all these weird props all over the place. Adorably, his favourite scene to film was his first fight with Ford in Runner. At this point, Rainbow joined him on stage and illustrated the moment he had been told he was doing a fight scene with the new guy. He stopped dead, ran his eyes up and up and up to somewhere way above his head, and kind of whimpered.
There was a moment of mock fighting, a hug and the declaration, "We love each other really!" from Jason, who was quickly corrected, "Not like that!" by Rainbow, who proceeded to wander around the stage looking all embarrassed and whining, "Awwwwkward!"
shiny_starlight, billietallent & Me: You're a liar, Barb.*
It was also during Jason's talk that some obnoxious, boss-eyed bitch walked up to the mike and asked a question which described where Ronon and another character ended up at the end of Allies and literally destroyed the ending for anyone who - like myself, shiny_starlight and jackie_brown who was gutted as she has remained entirely spoiler-free all season - hadn't watched the show, yet. I've seen someone else on LJ describe this question as 'vague'. I can assure you, asking where characters can go, or how they can get out of a specific situation and what they'd like to see happen, is in no way vague. As she asked it, there was a wave of protest from across the room - evidently, a lot of people hadn't seen it yet. The question also required Jason to speak, in detail, about the season finale, and how that rounded up, and I was extremely, extremely pissed off.
I told her so, later, when she was re-telling the story in the main lounge. As if asking the question in the hall isn't bad enough, the bitch then went and told it again when people are standing there not expecting to hear more spoilers! Seriously fucking out of order. In all seriousness, I was so angered by her selfishness that it took a hell of a lot of effort not to ram her fucking glasses down her throat.
Had we been elsewhere... ~death glare~
Jason, after a moment of, "Aw, I can't answer that," did in fact answer, as the rest of us sat with our ears covered, trying to save the remainder of the episode from ruin.
He then quickly moved on to insisting that he doesn't think of himself as a heart-throb. But if the answers to some of his questions are anything to go by, he did think he was auditioning for a Miss World pageant; he doesn't own a TV, he likes to write poetry and paint, and if he wasn't acting he'd be helping under-privileged kids.
And he was serious.
From what he told us over the two days of the con, he has also had a very difficult life. His father left when he was six months old, and he was raised in Iowa by his mother whom he evidently adores, and who worked all the hours she could to keep him fed and watered. He was kept back a year and bullied at school, and he once watched dogs tear his cat to pieces. One of his happiest memories of childhood, is running home from his sitter's on Thursday mornings and his mother cooking him breakfast, because it was one of the few times during the week when she wasn't working. We gave her around of applause when he stopped talking (and also one for Tristan, his best friend whom he had brought with him). He was getting very emotional and I felt absolutely terrible for people asking questions that prompted that sort of response.
People didn't seem to know when to stop. It was painful to watch, and by the end of his session, I wanted to get up and give him a big hug. He'd already said that he was shy and that he didn't like talking about himself, and I didn't think it was fair for people to keep asking such things.
There was one girl, who I believe has some slight learning difficulties, who kept asking them all the same question - about if there had ever been a point in their lives when they'd felt really low and whether there had been a phrase or something that had been inspirational to them. Unfortunately, she wasn't especially eloquent, and made it sound like she was asking if they'd ever been suicidal; both Jason and Rainbow seemed really uncomfortable.
During Rainbow's response - which boiled down to a flustered variation of 'Don't worry, be happy' - the girl started crying.
I'm not sure I've ever been that embarrassed for someone.
At this point - and as the report is already over three thousand words long (and nowhere near as funny as SG-10's) I'm going to take a break and finish tomorrow.
Still to come, are:
People asking slash questions and not giving the fuck up;
Aaron Douglas is a big dork;
Ellie Harvie's stand-up set;
Tales from the disco.
Stay tuned.
*In-joke. Watch the clips.
**Yes, yes, present company excepted.
EDIT: Unfortunately, my adaptor/charger for my laptop died last night, and I won't be able to log back on and type things up until the replacement arrives. Sorry for the delay - I'll update as soon as I'm back online.
So, I guess, after SG-10, some of you are expecting a blow-by-blow (no pun intended) account of the Pegasus One convention, of this weekend, huh? Well. Aside from meeting two close friends in person for the first time, it was an expensive weekend of crap, as far as I'm concerned, so you'll have to forgive me if I sound a little bitter.
It all began with billietallent arriving on Thursday lunchtime - from Regina, Saskachewan - Canada. Note this, for it features quite heavily in the weekend's proceedings. I made the hour and a half journey to Heathrow, from my house in North London, collected her, took her to the supermarket and deposited her in my bedroom to sleep (seven hour lay-overs in Calgary clearly suck); I spent a brief period chatting via LJ comments with rifle about Peter Sarsgaard - a man it was later decided was The New Jesus, possibly Of Suburbia - and then made my second trip of the day to Heathrow to pick up shiny_starlight (from Waterford, Ireland).
There was some squeeing, upon our return, as I exposed them both to the wonder of The Boy Sarsgaard in skin-tight silver, and - perhaps even more disturbingly - snogging a hotel TV screen.
Here's the link - open it in a new window and go play when you've finished here. Gaaaays in Space!
And then I showed them Jarhead. If you haven't seen this movie already, and you're a slasher, you are missing out. By a huge, wide, big fuck-off mile. If you've read (or plan to read) Pieces, let me know if you see as much of a young Adam in Troy as we all do...
(This may seem irrelevant, now, but trust me: it's not. In fact, I don't think there was a waking hour that went by this weekend that did not feature some mention of Peter Sarrrsgaarrrd. No, really.)
Friday, the first day of the con, initially involved waking up later than intended, crawling around the house in a collective stupor, struggling out to Angel, where we met jackie_brown and elethe to finish up on our con purchases, and having breakfast in a stupidly small cafe. The men in the surplus shop always look at us like we're a bit strange. Almost as if a girl standing in the middle of a military supplies shop perving on survival kits is in some way out of the ordinary...
After this, shiny_starlight, billietallent and I trekked back to my house, picked up our stuff, and then made our way all the way back to the god forsaken airport. We caught the horrendously over-priced Hoppa H4 to the Sheraton, a few minutes from the con, and upon our arrival, the hotel clerk asked, "Would you like the inter-connecting doors of your rooms opened?"
"Cool - sure," said we, and headed up to the (shrimp! porn!*) lift elevator. However, upon walking into our rooms we noticed something odd. The inter-connecting doors were clearly disguised in a Hogwarts-like fashion; or else: they had been stolen (I mean Jesus fuck - some people will take anything from a goddamn hotel!). The house-keeper who appeared at the door that was actually there, shortly after, in order to open said missing door, blinked when informed of their absence, and said, "Oh. Yes, of course there aren't."
Sheraton staff, people: arses and elbows? Couldn't tell you.
We were offered new rooms but by this time were too tired and had half unpacked, and frankly, couldn't be fucking arsed.
So, we got dressed up and headed over to the Thistle, or, Pisstle as I now think of it, where we were directed into the main hall and sent to sit at table 29, which, according to the steward, was 'mostly empty'. There was a reason for this, and that reason was a fucking obnoxious German woman (and her friend), who I'd dearly like to behead and place on display at the Tower of London. And that was just for her dress 'sense'. More on her, later. But there were two pairs of people already at the table, and we all found it baffling that none of them offered to move around the large circle of seats in order to allow us to sit together. There were only four of us, at this time, as elethe had not yet hassled her way in.
The first guest was Ellie Harvie, who was shunted over to the far end of the hall to meet people down there, first. Then Craig, I think, then Joe. A few moments after Joe had entered the room, there was a blur of hair and suddenly Joe was being hauled into the air by a somewhat drunk over-excited Jason Momoa. He hadn't waited to be announced - he just bolted in and grabbed him. Joe's reaction was one of alarm - and shirt-gaping - while he tried valiantly not to drop his pint on the con-goers behind them.
People giggled, cameras clicked, Brian threatened to confiscate any he saw, and Jason was ushered out. A few minutes later, he was back, and promptly posted on our row, meaning we were the third table he saw.
His opening gambit was announcing that no one on the previous table knew who he was, so he was feeling 'insecure', and he snuggled his head on the lady beside him's shoulder like a sad little kid. In order to cheer him up, I explained that before he'd joined the cast, I had three favourite characters (Stacks, Aiden, and Zlinky, of course) but now I had four. He made a w00bie face and kissed my hand, kind of doing something I'd consider a Man Squee and went, "Aww, you're good."
... dude. I wasn't just fucking saying it. I don't have enough of a sense of diplomacy to do something like that. Five planets in Sagittarius, man...
Naturally, talk turned to his hair and the shell hanging from it (apparently, his friend gave it to him, and it represents a vagina. No one dared make the obvious joke). He said he had originally dredded it to play a hobo in a movie (Hewlett's movie? I'm not clear on this because I didn't write the note) but that he might get it cut afterwards. I hope he doesn't.
After his minder dragged him reluctantly away, we were presented with a suspiciously tanned Joe Flanigan (whom I choose to refer to mainly as Flanigan, because otherwise people confuse him with Joe May, as he's the person I spend more time talking about. And whom I like more). Now, jackie_brown is a huge Flanigan fangirl - but in a responsible way - and when the German women beside us ordered billietallent and I to move around a space when they saw him coming, we assumed it was so he would sit next to her, as we had been discussing the depth of her fanlove. Instead, they left a seat between them, forcing him to sit between them, instead. If we had known that was the plan, we wouldn't have fucking moved.
Flanigan didn't seem that comfortable. In fact, in a similar way to John's charm-to-disarm methods, he seemed to be forcing it a little bit. Not that I blame him. I'd have found it difficult to have been nice to the Ugly Bug Ball, too, if I knew half of them were clamouring to be my best friend and the rest would be convinced that even the slightest glance meant that I was now in heart-wrenching love with them**.
He talked to shiny_starlight about Crystal Glass Blowing in Waterford and to jackie_brown, who should have been given an oscar for her 'Flaniganshmanigan' act while he was at the table, about knowing people in California. He also asked billietallent if there hadn't been any conventions nearer to home that she could have gone to, instead. Most of the guests WTFed when she said she was from Regina, actually.
One notable thing about Joe was that he really didn't seem inclined to listen to his minder. He ignored her and kept talking when he was told his time was up. And he ate our Doritos.
Our third guest - and the original reason I bought a ticket for the con - was Rainbow Sun Francks. He was sat right next to me and I introduced himself as one of the f_o_r_dies from Gateworld and MySpace, and he took my hand and thanked me for the support right before jackie_brown said, "Oh, you've got to give her a hug!", so he pushed his chair back and stood up and gave me a hug. Which was nice. Although, I did feel a little awkward. This also meant I won the jokey 'Hug Race' between the FORDies to see who would be first to get a hug off Rainbow. Which was also quite nice.
'Bow was hyperactive, as you might imagine - but possibly not as much as you'd imagine, and became progressively inebriated throughout the night. By the end of the evening, I am reliably informed that he was found slumped drunk against a wall (he had also been there earlier, caked in sillystring) and rather off his face...
Craig Veroni materialised behind us just as Rainbow left our table; surprised to see him as I glanced over my shoulder, I exclaimed, "Oh! Hello, Craig!" and made a couple of people giggle. Craig was lovely. He was really down to Earth and told us that he cried when Grodin was killed off (I'm not sure whether he was joking or not) and told us how a member of the Save the Brit group had made him a vid of all the great Peter moments. He was really touched, and I don't think he realised how popular the character was.
Just after Craig left, Jason caused another commotion by starting an OGGY chant, and shortly after, doing the Haka in the middle of the hall while Rainbow remained frozen, staring at him and pointing, for a good few minutes. I'm not sure if that's an in-joke, or if they were just both crazy, but I would be prepared to accept either.
Ellie was also very sweet, and joked with us about Novak's affair with Hermiod. That's pretty much all I can remember of that conversation, and my notes don't say anything more, but I can tell you that Aaron Douglas from Battlestar Galactica randomly appeared on the stage behind us, and declared, "WHOOPS! WRONG SHOW!"
I needed to be told (several times) exactly who he was.
I don't watch that one.
We stayed at the party for a little while after the official meet and greet finished. There was drinking, there was a large Hawaiian man flailing and yelling, "I WANNA DANCE! I WANNA DANCE!" as soon as the music started up, and blowing Malteasers in the air with his mouth. He also put a balloon in his hair.
I suspect that all the beers he'd been drinking had finally got to him.
We left quite early, planning to go to the party the next night and saving ourselves for that. So we stumbled across the dual carriage way, I hallucinated Ant McPartlin in a shrubbery, and we went to bed.
Early next morning, I had my photoshoots, so I missed Ellie's talk. The first person I saw was Craig, who was apparently impressed by my combat gear ('Ooh! That looks good. Kind of intimidating!') and remembered me from the night before. If I remember correctly, Jason was straight after, and also commented on my clothes. Right before sniffing my hair and declaring, "Oh, you smell good!"
Um. Hair products, man...
First talk I made it to on the Saturday was Craig's - someone I was equally delighted had made it to the con. One of the first things he told us, was that he had just become a father, two weeks before. The baby - whose picture appeared on the over head screen, and I can tell you is absolutely beautiful - is called William Sean McKay Veroni.
Yes. That does say McKay.
McKay is Craig's wife's maiden name. But he will still never live it down.
Craig had also brought along the teddy bear wearing a Save the Brit t-shirt and said he thought the t-shirt would fit William, so he intended to make him wear it and I think he said he'd post photos. Either he or Rainbow was talking about setting up their own websites, so it may have been there that he meant.
When Craig was asked what he had done since he left Atlantis, his response was, "Cried!" he also claims to have seen a hell of a lot of Kleenex and talked to Tony Soprano's therapist. I think he may be lying.
In fact, his newest project is a film called Two for the Money, which he seems very proud of, so keep an eye out for that one.
Craig also said that Peter's personal item would have been a journal, and that he would have documented everything that happened. Little gossip! He also noted that Zelenka wouldn't have taken a still to Atlantis - he would have just made one.
One of the most interesting things Craig told us (not that stories of dogs eating his pet bunnies and dangling his brother out of a window in a sleeping bag are any less entertaining) was that Grodin wasn't originally English. He was a rich Indian who had been educated in Britain, and had a very refined and well-spoken Asian accent.
However, Martin Wood didn't like this, and by the end of the first day of filming he was just plain British.
He also cleared the flag issue up: he got what the props lady had. Which strikes me as pretty lame.
Craig is working on some 'stories' himself, he says - it's not clear whether he means books, scripts or anything else, but he seems like a very intelligent and creative chap (shorter than he appears on the show, as well - which is relevant for later) so they'll be worth looking out for.
He was also mock-horrified to find that Chuck Campbell had taken over his role as That Tech in the Control Room. I think there may be some retribution.
Jason Momoa, back from his first photoshoot, came on stage and told us all that he was a con virgin, how scared he was on his first day, and how amazed he had been by all these weird props all over the place. Adorably, his favourite scene to film was his first fight with Ford in Runner. At this point, Rainbow joined him on stage and illustrated the moment he had been told he was doing a fight scene with the new guy. He stopped dead, ran his eyes up and up and up to somewhere way above his head, and kind of whimpered.
There was a moment of mock fighting, a hug and the declaration, "We love each other really!" from Jason, who was quickly corrected, "Not like that!" by Rainbow, who proceeded to wander around the stage looking all embarrassed and whining, "Awwwwkward!"
shiny_starlight, billietallent & Me: You're a liar, Barb.*
It was also during Jason's talk that some obnoxious, boss-eyed bitch walked up to the mike and asked a question which described where Ronon and another character ended up at the end of Allies and literally destroyed the ending for anyone who - like myself, shiny_starlight and jackie_brown who was gutted as she has remained entirely spoiler-free all season - hadn't watched the show, yet. I've seen someone else on LJ describe this question as 'vague'. I can assure you, asking where characters can go, or how they can get out of a specific situation and what they'd like to see happen, is in no way vague. As she asked it, there was a wave of protest from across the room - evidently, a lot of people hadn't seen it yet. The question also required Jason to speak, in detail, about the season finale, and how that rounded up, and I was extremely, extremely pissed off.
I told her so, later, when she was re-telling the story in the main lounge. As if asking the question in the hall isn't bad enough, the bitch then went and told it again when people are standing there not expecting to hear more spoilers! Seriously fucking out of order. In all seriousness, I was so angered by her selfishness that it took a hell of a lot of effort not to ram her fucking glasses down her throat.
Had we been elsewhere... ~death glare~
Jason, after a moment of, "Aw, I can't answer that," did in fact answer, as the rest of us sat with our ears covered, trying to save the remainder of the episode from ruin.
He then quickly moved on to insisting that he doesn't think of himself as a heart-throb. But if the answers to some of his questions are anything to go by, he did think he was auditioning for a Miss World pageant; he doesn't own a TV, he likes to write poetry and paint, and if he wasn't acting he'd be helping under-privileged kids.
And he was serious.
From what he told us over the two days of the con, he has also had a very difficult life. His father left when he was six months old, and he was raised in Iowa by his mother whom he evidently adores, and who worked all the hours she could to keep him fed and watered. He was kept back a year and bullied at school, and he once watched dogs tear his cat to pieces. One of his happiest memories of childhood, is running home from his sitter's on Thursday mornings and his mother cooking him breakfast, because it was one of the few times during the week when she wasn't working. We gave her around of applause when he stopped talking (and also one for Tristan, his best friend whom he had brought with him). He was getting very emotional and I felt absolutely terrible for people asking questions that prompted that sort of response.
People didn't seem to know when to stop. It was painful to watch, and by the end of his session, I wanted to get up and give him a big hug. He'd already said that he was shy and that he didn't like talking about himself, and I didn't think it was fair for people to keep asking such things.
There was one girl, who I believe has some slight learning difficulties, who kept asking them all the same question - about if there had ever been a point in their lives when they'd felt really low and whether there had been a phrase or something that had been inspirational to them. Unfortunately, she wasn't especially eloquent, and made it sound like she was asking if they'd ever been suicidal; both Jason and Rainbow seemed really uncomfortable.
During Rainbow's response - which boiled down to a flustered variation of 'Don't worry, be happy' - the girl started crying.
I'm not sure I've ever been that embarrassed for someone.
At this point - and as the report is already over three thousand words long (and nowhere near as funny as SG-10's) I'm going to take a break and finish tomorrow.
Still to come, are:
Stay tuned.
*In-joke. Watch the clips.
**Yes, yes, present company excepted.
EDIT: Unfortunately, my adaptor/charger for my laptop died last night, and I won't be able to log back on and type things up until the replacement arrives. Sorry for the delay - I'll update as soon as I'm back online.