Toronto Supernatural Con - Part 3
So before I get immersed in Nano and I completely lose my mind, I am getting this final report completed. I know I have forgotten so much already but the bits I remember, I want to record and post some photos that people might enjoy.
Sunday morning, we tromped down to the front of the line which really for the breakfast was not a huge deal as we all had pre-assigned tables, mine being front and centre. This made me inordinately happy, that I was going to be right in front of Jared and Jensen. We also got to go first to grab our breakfast (continental style).
The boys were late…again…but as Jensen said when they did arrive, he was still on West Coast time and so 10 am was really 7am, not a time of day he is used to seeing. I flailed a little when Jared asked who was from the West Coast and I shot up my hand. Jared wore his toque which is always amusing to me considering how warm the man gets but then he wasn’t expecting it to be as warm as it was in Toronto.
And gotta love Jensen's smile.
The weather was amazing the whole time I was in the area with the exception of the day before I left when it poured but really, who would have thought in October? Anyway… they were both funny talking about the CW ointment which miraculously cures all cuts etc, but now, they have run out because, darned if Sam doesn’t have this booboo on his hand. Lol! Gotta love it. My favorite part of this panel had to be when Jensen was mocking Jared’s fanboying of one of the Pearl Jam band members when he saw him backstage. Jared said he grabbed Gen’s hand which Jensen made clear was definitely not his hand. Lol! Jared was so adorable talking about it. The panel was over far too quickly, flying by.
Next up was a whirlwind of photo-ops and Q&As as I had succumbed to the lure of all of those. (Have I mentioned that I splurged for this convention? Yup, I did and have no regrets at all.)
I had the great fortune to have two pictures taken with Jensen because the photographer thought one of us had blinked. Turns out that we hadn’t but omg, so glad I got to hug Jensen twice. He smiled ever so nicely and actually looked me in the eye prior to the pictures. I could get lost in those eyes. *sigh* And this time, unlike the last two times, when I opened my mouth, I didn’t babble senselessly. Yay me!! Can’t remember what I said but I’m sure it was something at least relatively non-moronic. This man who could be my *cough* much younger brother (I’m going with that), should not have the effect on me that he does! But damn, I love the giddy feel that I get. It’s such fun.
After the pictures, it was off to Jared’s Q & A. We picked a number for our seat which seemed a fair thing to do. I honestly didn’t care where I sat given that it was a small room and there were only two rows the outer one a U-shape.. The view I had was just fine and yes, Jared sitting on a tall stool worked very well. He came in sporting the same toque (or beanie as I’m told it’s called in other parts of the globe, parts not Canada - haha) as he had on at the breakfast. He was charming giving a woman from Norway a hug for having travelled so far. He also asked if she was going to ask him to come get rid of trolls as someone else from Norway had asked Jensen to do that. Honestly, this man has won my heart for being so adorable. He discussed filming with Mark Pelligrino and how great that was to have him back. He told us about the morphing sequence in the warehouse where Dean morphed into Lucifer and how Mark being a bit taller than Jensen, had to spread his legs or bend them so he was at the same eye-line. When asked to tell us 5 things we`d find astonished (or something like that) about him, he said that he was an avid reader, mostly non-fiction. He mentioned again the book Stumbling on Happiness, a book he`d talked about in Vancouver. Sound like a fascinating book. I had a question to ask but the time went by so quickly and I figured I`d just ask it back stage if I got up the nerve. The panel was over so quickly but so worth it.
Next was the duo photo op and the Jared one (yah, I got a lot of pictures this time around.) I`m so glad I got them though. I never like me in pictures but it`s fun to have them. I must admit that as great as it was to have a hugs from Jensen, I actually like the picture with Jared the best. He leaned down and you can see how much he actually leaned, lol.
Jared and me. :D
After the photo ops, it was off to the Jensen Q&A. I think I actually opening my mouth in this one at the beginning when Jensen, sipping a cup of coffee, asked if we were awake. I asked if he was after his comment that he hadn`t been at the breakfast. :) He told us about the books that he`d managed to grab from the set of Bobby`s house given that the house is now gone. It was all done above board though as he had asked. He did manage to get the Duster from the Frontierland episode as it was made for him after all. Lol! Dean`s leather jacket though was really stolen which is such a shame. They have tried to replace it but Jensen said, none of the ones they`ve tried have worked. He talked about his second time directing and how it was more challenging as he now knew more about the whole process. Jensen was a little disappointed about how the episode was cut, not that it didn`t turn out fine but they cut a whole sequence of Dean in the cabin, downing beers, playing light-sabre with his crutch, healing. Also cut was the actual cheese being poured over the convenience store attendant at the end of the episode. He described that scene in great detail and was really proud of it. Herè`s hoping it shows up as a deleted scene on the DVDs. He also spoke about the challenge in this episode of having to switch from director to actor, getting into the right head-space and having his AD call him on it when he just wasn`t in the actor head-space. He did acknowledge that he would like to do more directing so we hopefully will have that to look forward to next year again. Again, one of the fans asked Jensen to tell us five things about himself that we didn`t know. He struggled with that, saying that we already knew most things that he would be prepared to tell us. Haha! He did say he liked to be punctual and that was a challenge now that he was married but he is learning to be patient. Smart man! Lol! The cutest thing was when he was asked about growing a beard in the off season, and did he like the beard rather than the clean or almost clean shave. He said yes he liked it but more importantly, Danneel likes it. I could well imagine how much Danneel must like the beard. That kinda made me melt. ;) There was lots more about the show, about where Season 7 was going and then, it was over. Again, I didn`t ask the question I had planned but I still had the backstage time.
So next was the backstage!!! This was so fantastic. It was going to be even more up close and personal with Jensen to start with. When we went backstage this time, they had numbered the chairs and made us pick a number and line up. All the other backstage times were free-for-alls as far as where we sat. I completely understood why they were doing it and quite frankly, I wanted to sit across the table from them. And hurray, that`s the seat I got. Jensen walked in with Cliff in tow and two other bodyguards. Cliff asked Jensen if he needed anything and then took off. Jensen then said hi to all of us. There was a lull then and I jumped in with one of two questions that I asked. I couldn`t believe I actually got up the nerve!! So first question was if Jensen knew what the location signs SMD stood for. Jensen looked around for Cliff and not finding him, said he honestly didn`t know, that Cliff would. He said the location people get creative and they in fact had changed the signs again because too many people had found the shoots. Ha! More questions were asked about the directing and then I jumped in with my other question which really I hadn`t planned. I asked him what he and Danneel had been wearing in the picture that Danneel had tweeted, the one where the two of them were jumping in the air. Turns out they were heading out from Tofino for a whale watching tour and they needed to suits to stay dry. They went in a Zodiac and saw grey whales. The whales had lifted out of the water and the guide had said that meant the whales were diving deep so they started to leave. Then, the whale did a breach as they were leaving. It was so amazing to hear Jensen talk about it, hear the awe in his voice and the fun part was that he was actually talking to me, looking at me. It was a great fangirl moment but at the same time, it was a very real moment. Loved it. That was over far too quickly again but we still had the panel and the boys were in great form.
J2 panel
The snippets that I remember now are Jared rubbing his hat over his sweaty chest , miming what Dean was doing with Castiel’s trench coat after he’d picked it out of the water. That had everyone laughing. He then said “you’re welcome”. Lol! He knows how to please us all. ;) Seriously, Jared is so adorable!! The other moment that stands out for me is when Cliff was doing shadow puppet stuff on the screen back stage. Jensen did his Dean impression, running back stage, grabbing two very long cardboard tubes (I have no idea what they actually were for) and coming back on stage, looking all tough, hunter-like. He is so hilarious when he does that and pleases all the fans with the persona. He and Jared then goofed around with the tubes, making noises with them, using them for microphone holders, using them as telescopes. Gotta love the sillies.
The sweet moment was when they were asked about their favorite moments over the years. Jared talked about the end of season one, the last day of shooting when they hadn`t yet heard if they`d been picked up again for the next season. They bought beer and champagne for the crew and had a party. Jensen said there were so many moments, both on and off screen but the off screen ones are the most memorable. He talked about when the crew got together and strung their mini-bikes from the rafters and the lighting guys shone spots on them. It was such a great panel and the two of them come across as such open and honest guys.
Then, we headed back stage for the private session with Jared but Jensen announced that he was auctioning off a jar of salt that he had scooped from a shooting. Jared did go back onto the stage and help Jensen with it so we all stood along the side wall waiting patiently. Jensen told everyone how he thought it was a waste of the salt and figured that the fans would enjoy having something from the set. He had the art department make up a label for a jar and decided to auction it for charity. I know he had two of them and the second was auctioned at the Chicago con and the proceeds went to the Down`s Syndrome society that his nephew is associated with. The Toronto one`s proceeds went to the charity that had held a gala in Vancouver which the boys had attended. It was really touching and just makes me love the cast and crew and the fandom of this show all the more. So the Toronto one went for $3500. Pretty good for a jar of salt. The woman who bought is a nurse (we talked to her afterward) and aware of the disease that the funds went towards. Pretty cool.
Then we did get to talk with Jared. He told us some more about the gala and the cause which was pretty cool. Then he talked more about Season 7, how he`s enjoying it. I asked (yay me, I did ask the question) if even after six season, when he got up in the morning, he still felt like he had the best job in the world, if the passion for the work was still there and he said unequivocally, that it was. That was pretty cool to hear. The time went by far too quickly again but then it was time for autographs so one more time, I got to see both of them up close and personal. It was terrific and I had such a great time.
There was still Richard Speight Jr and Julian Richings to see so it wasn`t over yet.
Richard was charming as always. He was lovely back stage. I remember that even though I can`t remember for the life of me what was talked about. I seriously think I was still on a J2 high. Richard did start off his panel giving us a hard time when we tried to tell him we were there for him, saying he knew who we were all really there for. He does not give himself enough credit because he is a delight to see. He is very humble and does consistently acknowledge that his favorite episode of any tv show he`s filmed was changing channels for the challenge of being a guest actor and having that amazing story arch, playing essentially two different characters, the Trickster and Gabriel.
Julian Richings was delightful. He has such a charm about him and was genuinely excited to be attending the convention. When speaking to him backstage, he talked about how he chose to play the Death character, as intimidating but with class. Could not agree more with that assessment. I commented that he seemed the consummate gentleman. Julian said that he thoroughly enjoyed playing Death.
He gave us a great panel and got the hang of it very quickly. What a wonderful classy man, just like his Death character. He did make a comment about one of the best lines he`s had was the comment about the pickle chips. He feels that Death does somehow care for the boys, sees something in them that is special. He shared his background and how he met his wife while on tour with a British theatre company and that`s how he ended up in Toronto. He has a part in the upcoming Superman movie which should be interesting. Spoiler here and that is that he plays a character from Krypton so all his work was done on a sound stage.
After autographs with Richard, where I told him I`d see him in Rome and with Julian, that was it. All I had left was to pick up my photo ops and then it was over. Such a fantastic convention. I got to do the up close and personal with the actors and I had such a great time with my roomies and the other wonderful people I met, including my backstage buddies. Torcon was an experience I shall never forget.
More pictures
Jared
Jensen
Jared & Jensen
Sunday morning, we tromped down to the front of the line which really for the breakfast was not a huge deal as we all had pre-assigned tables, mine being front and centre. This made me inordinately happy, that I was going to be right in front of Jared and Jensen. We also got to go first to grab our breakfast (continental style).
The boys were late…again…but as Jensen said when they did arrive, he was still on West Coast time and so 10 am was really 7am, not a time of day he is used to seeing. I flailed a little when Jared asked who was from the West Coast and I shot up my hand. Jared wore his toque which is always amusing to me considering how warm the man gets but then he wasn’t expecting it to be as warm as it was in Toronto.
And gotta love Jensen's smile.
The weather was amazing the whole time I was in the area with the exception of the day before I left when it poured but really, who would have thought in October? Anyway… they were both funny talking about the CW ointment which miraculously cures all cuts etc, but now, they have run out because, darned if Sam doesn’t have this booboo on his hand. Lol! Gotta love it. My favorite part of this panel had to be when Jensen was mocking Jared’s fanboying of one of the Pearl Jam band members when he saw him backstage. Jared said he grabbed Gen’s hand which Jensen made clear was definitely not his hand. Lol! Jared was so adorable talking about it. The panel was over far too quickly, flying by.
Next up was a whirlwind of photo-ops and Q&As as I had succumbed to the lure of all of those. (Have I mentioned that I splurged for this convention? Yup, I did and have no regrets at all.)
I had the great fortune to have two pictures taken with Jensen because the photographer thought one of us had blinked. Turns out that we hadn’t but omg, so glad I got to hug Jensen twice. He smiled ever so nicely and actually looked me in the eye prior to the pictures. I could get lost in those eyes. *sigh* And this time, unlike the last two times, when I opened my mouth, I didn’t babble senselessly. Yay me!! Can’t remember what I said but I’m sure it was something at least relatively non-moronic. This man who could be my *cough* much younger brother (I’m going with that), should not have the effect on me that he does! But damn, I love the giddy feel that I get. It’s such fun.
After the pictures, it was off to Jared’s Q & A. We picked a number for our seat which seemed a fair thing to do. I honestly didn’t care where I sat given that it was a small room and there were only two rows the outer one a U-shape.. The view I had was just fine and yes, Jared sitting on a tall stool worked very well. He came in sporting the same toque (or beanie as I’m told it’s called in other parts of the globe, parts not Canada - haha) as he had on at the breakfast. He was charming giving a woman from Norway a hug for having travelled so far. He also asked if she was going to ask him to come get rid of trolls as someone else from Norway had asked Jensen to do that. Honestly, this man has won my heart for being so adorable. He discussed filming with Mark Pelligrino and how great that was to have him back. He told us about the morphing sequence in the warehouse where Dean morphed into Lucifer and how Mark being a bit taller than Jensen, had to spread his legs or bend them so he was at the same eye-line. When asked to tell us 5 things we`d find astonished (or something like that) about him, he said that he was an avid reader, mostly non-fiction. He mentioned again the book Stumbling on Happiness, a book he`d talked about in Vancouver. Sound like a fascinating book. I had a question to ask but the time went by so quickly and I figured I`d just ask it back stage if I got up the nerve. The panel was over so quickly but so worth it.
Next was the duo photo op and the Jared one (yah, I got a lot of pictures this time around.) I`m so glad I got them though. I never like me in pictures but it`s fun to have them. I must admit that as great as it was to have a hugs from Jensen, I actually like the picture with Jared the best. He leaned down and you can see how much he actually leaned, lol.
Jared and me. :D
After the photo ops, it was off to the Jensen Q&A. I think I actually opening my mouth in this one at the beginning when Jensen, sipping a cup of coffee, asked if we were awake. I asked if he was after his comment that he hadn`t been at the breakfast. :) He told us about the books that he`d managed to grab from the set of Bobby`s house given that the house is now gone. It was all done above board though as he had asked. He did manage to get the Duster from the Frontierland episode as it was made for him after all. Lol! Dean`s leather jacket though was really stolen which is such a shame. They have tried to replace it but Jensen said, none of the ones they`ve tried have worked. He talked about his second time directing and how it was more challenging as he now knew more about the whole process. Jensen was a little disappointed about how the episode was cut, not that it didn`t turn out fine but they cut a whole sequence of Dean in the cabin, downing beers, playing light-sabre with his crutch, healing. Also cut was the actual cheese being poured over the convenience store attendant at the end of the episode. He described that scene in great detail and was really proud of it. Herè`s hoping it shows up as a deleted scene on the DVDs. He also spoke about the challenge in this episode of having to switch from director to actor, getting into the right head-space and having his AD call him on it when he just wasn`t in the actor head-space. He did acknowledge that he would like to do more directing so we hopefully will have that to look forward to next year again. Again, one of the fans asked Jensen to tell us five things about himself that we didn`t know. He struggled with that, saying that we already knew most things that he would be prepared to tell us. Haha! He did say he liked to be punctual and that was a challenge now that he was married but he is learning to be patient. Smart man! Lol! The cutest thing was when he was asked about growing a beard in the off season, and did he like the beard rather than the clean or almost clean shave. He said yes he liked it but more importantly, Danneel likes it. I could well imagine how much Danneel must like the beard. That kinda made me melt. ;) There was lots more about the show, about where Season 7 was going and then, it was over. Again, I didn`t ask the question I had planned but I still had the backstage time.
So next was the backstage!!! This was so fantastic. It was going to be even more up close and personal with Jensen to start with. When we went backstage this time, they had numbered the chairs and made us pick a number and line up. All the other backstage times were free-for-alls as far as where we sat. I completely understood why they were doing it and quite frankly, I wanted to sit across the table from them. And hurray, that`s the seat I got. Jensen walked in with Cliff in tow and two other bodyguards. Cliff asked Jensen if he needed anything and then took off. Jensen then said hi to all of us. There was a lull then and I jumped in with one of two questions that I asked. I couldn`t believe I actually got up the nerve!! So first question was if Jensen knew what the location signs SMD stood for. Jensen looked around for Cliff and not finding him, said he honestly didn`t know, that Cliff would. He said the location people get creative and they in fact had changed the signs again because too many people had found the shoots. Ha! More questions were asked about the directing and then I jumped in with my other question which really I hadn`t planned. I asked him what he and Danneel had been wearing in the picture that Danneel had tweeted, the one where the two of them were jumping in the air. Turns out they were heading out from Tofino for a whale watching tour and they needed to suits to stay dry. They went in a Zodiac and saw grey whales. The whales had lifted out of the water and the guide had said that meant the whales were diving deep so they started to leave. Then, the whale did a breach as they were leaving. It was so amazing to hear Jensen talk about it, hear the awe in his voice and the fun part was that he was actually talking to me, looking at me. It was a great fangirl moment but at the same time, it was a very real moment. Loved it. That was over far too quickly again but we still had the panel and the boys were in great form.
J2 panel
The snippets that I remember now are Jared rubbing his hat over his sweaty chest , miming what Dean was doing with Castiel’s trench coat after he’d picked it out of the water. That had everyone laughing. He then said “you’re welcome”. Lol! He knows how to please us all. ;) Seriously, Jared is so adorable!! The other moment that stands out for me is when Cliff was doing shadow puppet stuff on the screen back stage. Jensen did his Dean impression, running back stage, grabbing two very long cardboard tubes (I have no idea what they actually were for) and coming back on stage, looking all tough, hunter-like. He is so hilarious when he does that and pleases all the fans with the persona. He and Jared then goofed around with the tubes, making noises with them, using them for microphone holders, using them as telescopes. Gotta love the sillies.
The sweet moment was when they were asked about their favorite moments over the years. Jared talked about the end of season one, the last day of shooting when they hadn`t yet heard if they`d been picked up again for the next season. They bought beer and champagne for the crew and had a party. Jensen said there were so many moments, both on and off screen but the off screen ones are the most memorable. He talked about when the crew got together and strung their mini-bikes from the rafters and the lighting guys shone spots on them. It was such a great panel and the two of them come across as such open and honest guys.
Then, we headed back stage for the private session with Jared but Jensen announced that he was auctioning off a jar of salt that he had scooped from a shooting. Jared did go back onto the stage and help Jensen with it so we all stood along the side wall waiting patiently. Jensen told everyone how he thought it was a waste of the salt and figured that the fans would enjoy having something from the set. He had the art department make up a label for a jar and decided to auction it for charity. I know he had two of them and the second was auctioned at the Chicago con and the proceeds went to the Down`s Syndrome society that his nephew is associated with. The Toronto one`s proceeds went to the charity that had held a gala in Vancouver which the boys had attended. It was really touching and just makes me love the cast and crew and the fandom of this show all the more. So the Toronto one went for $3500. Pretty good for a jar of salt. The woman who bought is a nurse (we talked to her afterward) and aware of the disease that the funds went towards. Pretty cool.
Then we did get to talk with Jared. He told us some more about the gala and the cause which was pretty cool. Then he talked more about Season 7, how he`s enjoying it. I asked (yay me, I did ask the question) if even after six season, when he got up in the morning, he still felt like he had the best job in the world, if the passion for the work was still there and he said unequivocally, that it was. That was pretty cool to hear. The time went by far too quickly again but then it was time for autographs so one more time, I got to see both of them up close and personal. It was terrific and I had such a great time.
There was still Richard Speight Jr and Julian Richings to see so it wasn`t over yet.
Richard was charming as always. He was lovely back stage. I remember that even though I can`t remember for the life of me what was talked about. I seriously think I was still on a J2 high. Richard did start off his panel giving us a hard time when we tried to tell him we were there for him, saying he knew who we were all really there for. He does not give himself enough credit because he is a delight to see. He is very humble and does consistently acknowledge that his favorite episode of any tv show he`s filmed was changing channels for the challenge of being a guest actor and having that amazing story arch, playing essentially two different characters, the Trickster and Gabriel.
Julian Richings was delightful. He has such a charm about him and was genuinely excited to be attending the convention. When speaking to him backstage, he talked about how he chose to play the Death character, as intimidating but with class. Could not agree more with that assessment. I commented that he seemed the consummate gentleman. Julian said that he thoroughly enjoyed playing Death.
He gave us a great panel and got the hang of it very quickly. What a wonderful classy man, just like his Death character. He did make a comment about one of the best lines he`s had was the comment about the pickle chips. He feels that Death does somehow care for the boys, sees something in them that is special. He shared his background and how he met his wife while on tour with a British theatre company and that`s how he ended up in Toronto. He has a part in the upcoming Superman movie which should be interesting. Spoiler here and that is that he plays a character from Krypton so all his work was done on a sound stage.
After autographs with Richard, where I told him I`d see him in Rome and with Julian, that was it. All I had left was to pick up my photo ops and then it was over. Such a fantastic convention. I got to do the up close and personal with the actors and I had such a great time with my roomies and the other wonderful people I met, including my backstage buddies. Torcon was an experience I shall never forget.
More pictures
Jared
Jensen
Jared & Jensen