Jus In Bello 3
wow, this is a really long report. And written in the post-convention-I-love-everyone-and-everything-is-perfect-state so bear with me, okay ;P and if you haven't already, make sure to check out the youtube videos!
okay, here we go:
Jus in Bello is not a convention for everyone. If all you really want is the perfect picture of you and your favorite star? - Nope, try Creation. If you're crazy about having the guests sign your favorite posters and pictures? - Nope, not gonna work out at Jib. If you you're looking for a lot of fun for a low price? LOL - hell no. JIB's is not even in the same universe as "cheap".
But if you're a sucker for panels, for seeing almost all of your favorite guests having the time of their lives - then you're at the right place. There's no other convention I know of where you can watch Jensen's first panel and think "hey, I'm gonna see him three more times this weekend". And the same goes for all the other guests. They all have more than just one panel, most times mixed up with some other actors, creating cool and interesting and funny dynamics.
This year, Richard and Rob where such a great match, I could barely catch a breath between laughing. Steve and Jason together create such a nice and easy atmosphere - two musicians who know each other for so long making it feel like sitting in a bar, chatting about music. Richard, Mark and Sebastian where total, hilarious chaos. I don't even know if I understood half of the stuff that happened there! Although they barely knew each other, Brock and Jim together made a really great panel. And I don't even have to start with Jared, Jensen and Misha and everything that happens as soon as two of them enter the stage together.
Who surprised and impressed me the most this time was definitely Brock Kelly. If you remember him from a few of his first conventions - he's not the same person anymore. Although he's still saying that he's not good "at this", his panels were GREAT! He seems so at ease with everything now, chatting and telling us stories before he's answering questions, even taking the lead now and then when he's on stage with another guest. As crazy as it sounds, I'm super proud of him!
Sebastian was - as always - a riot. He clearly is the "entertainer", not ashamed of anything and definitely not somebody you can miss. He's the person that even people like Richard and Misha try to calm down on stage. I just love it. First he's dry-humping something, the next minute he's talking passionately about rock-climbing or all the places he's been to. This guy is crazy smart. He's speaking like a gazillion languages and he's visited places I've never even heard of. And behind all that seemingly endless energy, is this really nice and genuine person.
Unfortunately, I didn't see much of Jim this time. His panels were the first in the morning, which I ... skipped in favor of sleep and breakfast. But it's not a secret how much Jim loves his fans and how much he enjoys doing conventions. I think especially for people new to the whole convention thing, he's the easiest and best person to approach and to talk to. I only saw his panel with Brock and although those two people met like a day before, they were really great together. And Jim came out to Jason's concert which I thought was really great and I think he really enjoyed listening to Jason and listening to the magic that always happens at concerts like that.
Jason, of course, was amazing. So was Steve. I've seen both of them quite a lot now, not only at conventions, but at concerts here in Germany too. I just love those guys. Their panel was super laid back and amazing, their concerts absolutely perfect. You can tell that they both really grew into this convention thing and although not being a "real" part of the show, they both absolutely found their niche in our fandom where they're perfectly comfortable. The concerts where a blast. Both nights, there was this moment when suddenly the audience started singing along, beautifully like a background choir, and this is the moment you see the smiles on Jason's and Steve's faces and you feel like the concert turns into something else. From the person standing on stage and singing into friends jamming and singing together. I also loooooved, that Jonah was there with Steve. He's such a sweet and nice person and I always love when he's coming along.
Mark Pellegrino was one of the guests I was most excited about before and once again, he just proved to be this amazing, talented, smart and excuse me - FUCKING sexy guy. I just loved to watch him dealing with Sebastian. He'd always just sit back and totally relax while Sebastian was bouncing around him. Where Sebastian is crazy smart, I think Mark is scary smart. He teaches acting in L.A. and I have not a single doubt that he's perfect at it. Actually, Jason told us a little story from the Green Room. Mark and Rob where talking about acting, about how to approach a monologue or something, and Jason was the only other person in the room at that time and he told us that he soaking up every single word they said. Jason even said that he learned more in those few minutes than in all his acting classes combined. Mark's presence also just demands respect. I know a lot of people are actually a little afraid of him, which is funny, because he's probably one of the nicest people ever. He can also switch his persona in a second. If other actors say that they need time to get into character, Mark can do it in a matter of just one second. And when he's doing that (I witnessed it once at Aecon), it's one of the most impressive and funniest things I've ever seen. And damn, I hope there's a recording of Richard and him on stage with Sebastian, where Sebastian is thinking of something he's said in the Green Room. The way Richard and Mark played off each other was hilarious!
If there's even one person at a convention who doesn't like Richard, I'd be really surprised. That guy is born to do conventions. I don't even know what to say about him other than: if you have a chance to meet this guy, fucking do it. And he's not only entertaining us, I think he's the one guy all the other guests are happy to meet the most at conventions. I can't remember who, but one of the other guests told us about how Richard is always impersonating everyone (he actually does a real good Sebastian voice!) and making them laugh, just like a stand up comedian. And I think it was either Jensen or Jared who said once again that they really really want him back on the show.
Richard on stage with Rob was so, so funny! There had obviously being a rumor that those two guys didn't like each other. I never heard of it before but that's what they said when they entered the stage. But just like Richard, there's no fucking way you'll meet Rob and not like him. I think I said it before, but if you look up the word "adorable" in a dictionary, there has to be a picture of Rob, there just has to be one. I could sing his praise all day long, he's that amazing. He's telling the funniest stories, the next minute he's giggling like a five-year-old and then you blink and he's singing the first verse of one of his songs. It was super sad we didn't get to hear him sing that weekend. He has an amazing voice and if you haven't checked out his music yet, you really should!
Misha, Jared and Jensen. WOW. I could fill a book with all the amazing things that happened at that convention and with all the praise I have for them. I think JIB 3 was definitely the con where I laughed the most and that was not only due to Richard and Rob, but actually mostly because of the joined panels of those three. If you can get your hands on recordings of those panels, you HAVE to watch them. You can't miss the "awkward dance" the three have perfected: first Jared and Misha showing us a "hug" between Cas and Sam, then Jensen and Misha first being on an awkward blind date and then Misha invading Jensen's personal space. It's funny to see how - at least that's how I feel - the Jared and Misha dynamic is almost the same as the Jensen and Misha dynamic. It's also really interesting and kinda scary, how incredibly close Jared and Jensen are. Not in the gazing-into-each-other's-eyes-and-only-talking-about-each-other sense, but more like.... I don't know, they're sooo much alike in all the small details, it's fascinating. Even Jensen said so. On Sunday Jensen told us how they met early in the morning, discovering that they were both wearing the same shirt.
Jensen: *pointing at Jared*
Jared: *frowning, pointing back*
both: really?
Jared: Dude, I only packed to shirts.
Jensen: Me, too!
Jared: Dude, we're on the same cycle.
His actual words were: "We've been together for too long." And that sums it up. You've all seen scenes of Sam and Dean and footage of Jared and Jensen even moving in synch. Finishing each other's sentences, mirroring their actions. At the closing ceremony, Richard was filming them, running along the line they were standing in. Jared and Jensen made the exact same movement into the camera, almost simultaneously. I think psychologists would have Christmas analyzing these too.
What you definitely have to watch is Jensen's and Misha's reenactment of a scene in the autograph room with Jared:
girl to Jared: I just wanted to say thank you for being so amazing.
Jared: You're welcome.
The crowd was laughing so hard when they told the story and they were cracking up again, too. Apparently, right after that, Jared went into the Green Room and was like "guys, I need to confess something. It happened, I don't know how, it just came out". And then Jared told the story to Misha in the Photo Op room. Misha told us that they had to take a ten minute break to stop laughing. My friend was there that time and he actually said that one of the staff members (I think it was Daniela) was actually handing Jared ice packs to calm down and giving Misha one Kleenex after the other, because he was laughing so hard he was crying.
Misha was in tears of laughing a lot that weekend. You can totally see how filming must be like when the three of them get together, because if it's Jensen or Jared sitting next to him, at one point, Misha is sitting quietly next to the person, his shoulders shaking, and he's biting his lip not to laugh out loud.
The best and funniest part of the whole convention, which I'm sure you've already seen, is when the girl presents Misha his old resume. We see the guys interact a lot, see them playing off each other and entertaining the crowd. But we rarely see them interact with each other (at least almost) the way they do when it's just them. It was HILARIOUS. After that whole scene my stomach hurt so bad from laughing. The way Misha was still playing it up with "I'm sorry, dickhead" and then totally cracking up while we didn't even know what was going on. The way Jensen ran to him to steal the resume and Misha running after him. The way Jensen actually fell to the floor from laughing. The way they couldn't almost tell us what was going on from laughing so hard. Guys, you HAVE to see it. Go to supernaturalwiki or youtube and find it. It's one of the funniest things ever.
Wow, this is getting a veeery long report and I'm still not even done. Uhm, sorry? ;)
What's also special about this convention is the energy that's building up the whole weekend. I think most of us knew that the guests view JIB as their favorite convention, even before Jared said it. And you feel it somehow. Of course, they love other conventions too. There was a question being asked most of the guests about their best and worst convention moment and they all agreed that there was never a really bad moment at a convention, except for maybe being super nervous before their first one (except Brock had a real heartbreaking story, but that didn't have to do with us - you have to hear it, it's in the Jim and Brock panel). So there is never a bad convention. But I think just like Jason posted a picture of the colosseum last year and saying how crazy good it was that driving by that was his way to work, the actors must pause every now and then, looking at each other and saying "guys, this is WORK right now. How lucky are we?". I think it's a lot about the city and the weather that they enjoy it so much. And about the other guests. I don't know if among all the actors there are some who don't get along, but with the actors at this conventions, I don't think there were. Just like Brock said, it felt like a fraternity. A few guys having a vacation in a beautiful country, having dinner together, drinking together, making fun of each other.
So this energy starts building throughout the weekend. On Fridays everyone is still not quite there yet, maybe even jetlagged and Jensen and Jared are not there which makes a difference with the whole energy. But when Sebastian is there, you can be sure the tone of the convention is set quite... interestingly ;P Friday's are like all first days. People are getting to know each other, everyone is trying to figure out the schedule and where to be and what to do. It's fun and light, like a start of a nice vacation.
Saturday is where the energy increases. It's a lot more hectic because most people try to get their photo ops and their autographs done. It's louder in the halls, it's crazier in the panels. Every actor is there so you catch a glimpse of them when they walk in and out of rooms, and you get the first interesting pairing in the panel room. Everyone is really excited, and the whole convention is buzzing with energy.
Sunday is where the love fest begins. Most of us are super tired by then. But in a good - the world is such a great happy place - kind of way. My friend told me after the first JIB that Sunday had a special magic to it and it was always true ever since. The first year was when Jensen suddenly took the guitar and started singing, last year was when Jensen was actually moved to tears by a fan and this year was so easy and relaxed that you had the feeling the actors all let their guards down and just let them be who they are. Sunday's are when people line up for twenty minutes just to say how much they loved the actor, how amazing they were or how much they helped them through tough times. It's when also the actors are telling us how amazing these conventions are, how unique we are as a fandom among all the other ones.
Also, almost always and almost everyone starts the convention with a "okay, this is gonna be my last jib. It's so expensive and the pictures are not even good. And this is kinda bad and that is kinda bad." But then on Saturday silently everyone is already thinking of ways to save the money and then on Sunday most of us are sure to come back. JIB is special, if you want it or not and not only the actors feel it but you do too.
I mean, there are not many conventions where the actors are making up whole act behind the stage and then play waiters and set the table for Jared (Jensen's idea). Or where you can hear stories about what they all did the night before (Brock going to the gym at three in the morning, meeting Jensen, Danneel and Steve who had a few too many/ Almost all of them having dinner in the city together, tweeting pictures and Jared telling us about how Sebastian asked a guy to stop smoking next to them).
Yes, things are rushed like at almost every convention. Sometimes the queuing is confusing or not working (although it was A LOT better this time and the staff was almost scarily nice!), sometimes you don't get the item signed you really want. And again, of your focus lies on other things than the panels, JIB is maybe not the right convention for you. But it sure as hell is for me.
ETA: I heard Daniela say that Gen actually thought about coming to the convention. But Jared is flying directly to Brazil where you need special shots which they didn't want to give to Thomas because he's still way too young for that. Which means, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she'll be there next year if there's gonna be a next year. I think it looks quite good for that :)
okay, here we go:
Jus in Bello is not a convention for everyone. If all you really want is the perfect picture of you and your favorite star? - Nope, try Creation. If you're crazy about having the guests sign your favorite posters and pictures? - Nope, not gonna work out at Jib. If you you're looking for a lot of fun for a low price? LOL - hell no. JIB's is not even in the same universe as "cheap".
But if you're a sucker for panels, for seeing almost all of your favorite guests having the time of their lives - then you're at the right place. There's no other convention I know of where you can watch Jensen's first panel and think "hey, I'm gonna see him three more times this weekend". And the same goes for all the other guests. They all have more than just one panel, most times mixed up with some other actors, creating cool and interesting and funny dynamics.
This year, Richard and Rob where such a great match, I could barely catch a breath between laughing. Steve and Jason together create such a nice and easy atmosphere - two musicians who know each other for so long making it feel like sitting in a bar, chatting about music. Richard, Mark and Sebastian where total, hilarious chaos. I don't even know if I understood half of the stuff that happened there! Although they barely knew each other, Brock and Jim together made a really great panel. And I don't even have to start with Jared, Jensen and Misha and everything that happens as soon as two of them enter the stage together.
Who surprised and impressed me the most this time was definitely Brock Kelly. If you remember him from a few of his first conventions - he's not the same person anymore. Although he's still saying that he's not good "at this", his panels were GREAT! He seems so at ease with everything now, chatting and telling us stories before he's answering questions, even taking the lead now and then when he's on stage with another guest. As crazy as it sounds, I'm super proud of him!
Sebastian was - as always - a riot. He clearly is the "entertainer", not ashamed of anything and definitely not somebody you can miss. He's the person that even people like Richard and Misha try to calm down on stage. I just love it. First he's dry-humping something, the next minute he's talking passionately about rock-climbing or all the places he's been to. This guy is crazy smart. He's speaking like a gazillion languages and he's visited places I've never even heard of. And behind all that seemingly endless energy, is this really nice and genuine person.
Unfortunately, I didn't see much of Jim this time. His panels were the first in the morning, which I ... skipped in favor of sleep and breakfast. But it's not a secret how much Jim loves his fans and how much he enjoys doing conventions. I think especially for people new to the whole convention thing, he's the easiest and best person to approach and to talk to. I only saw his panel with Brock and although those two people met like a day before, they were really great together. And Jim came out to Jason's concert which I thought was really great and I think he really enjoyed listening to Jason and listening to the magic that always happens at concerts like that.
Jason, of course, was amazing. So was Steve. I've seen both of them quite a lot now, not only at conventions, but at concerts here in Germany too. I just love those guys. Their panel was super laid back and amazing, their concerts absolutely perfect. You can tell that they both really grew into this convention thing and although not being a "real" part of the show, they both absolutely found their niche in our fandom where they're perfectly comfortable. The concerts where a blast. Both nights, there was this moment when suddenly the audience started singing along, beautifully like a background choir, and this is the moment you see the smiles on Jason's and Steve's faces and you feel like the concert turns into something else. From the person standing on stage and singing into friends jamming and singing together. I also loooooved, that Jonah was there with Steve. He's such a sweet and nice person and I always love when he's coming along.
Mark Pellegrino was one of the guests I was most excited about before and once again, he just proved to be this amazing, talented, smart and excuse me - FUCKING sexy guy. I just loved to watch him dealing with Sebastian. He'd always just sit back and totally relax while Sebastian was bouncing around him. Where Sebastian is crazy smart, I think Mark is scary smart. He teaches acting in L.A. and I have not a single doubt that he's perfect at it. Actually, Jason told us a little story from the Green Room. Mark and Rob where talking about acting, about how to approach a monologue or something, and Jason was the only other person in the room at that time and he told us that he soaking up every single word they said. Jason even said that he learned more in those few minutes than in all his acting classes combined. Mark's presence also just demands respect. I know a lot of people are actually a little afraid of him, which is funny, because he's probably one of the nicest people ever. He can also switch his persona in a second. If other actors say that they need time to get into character, Mark can do it in a matter of just one second. And when he's doing that (I witnessed it once at Aecon), it's one of the most impressive and funniest things I've ever seen. And damn, I hope there's a recording of Richard and him on stage with Sebastian, where Sebastian is thinking of something he's said in the Green Room. The way Richard and Mark played off each other was hilarious!
If there's even one person at a convention who doesn't like Richard, I'd be really surprised. That guy is born to do conventions. I don't even know what to say about him other than: if you have a chance to meet this guy, fucking do it. And he's not only entertaining us, I think he's the one guy all the other guests are happy to meet the most at conventions. I can't remember who, but one of the other guests told us about how Richard is always impersonating everyone (he actually does a real good Sebastian voice!) and making them laugh, just like a stand up comedian. And I think it was either Jensen or Jared who said once again that they really really want him back on the show.
Richard on stage with Rob was so, so funny! There had obviously being a rumor that those two guys didn't like each other. I never heard of it before but that's what they said when they entered the stage. But just like Richard, there's no fucking way you'll meet Rob and not like him. I think I said it before, but if you look up the word "adorable" in a dictionary, there has to be a picture of Rob, there just has to be one. I could sing his praise all day long, he's that amazing. He's telling the funniest stories, the next minute he's giggling like a five-year-old and then you blink and he's singing the first verse of one of his songs. It was super sad we didn't get to hear him sing that weekend. He has an amazing voice and if you haven't checked out his music yet, you really should!
Misha, Jared and Jensen. WOW. I could fill a book with all the amazing things that happened at that convention and with all the praise I have for them. I think JIB 3 was definitely the con where I laughed the most and that was not only due to Richard and Rob, but actually mostly because of the joined panels of those three. If you can get your hands on recordings of those panels, you HAVE to watch them. You can't miss the "awkward dance" the three have perfected: first Jared and Misha showing us a "hug" between Cas and Sam, then Jensen and Misha first being on an awkward blind date and then Misha invading Jensen's personal space. It's funny to see how - at least that's how I feel - the Jared and Misha dynamic is almost the same as the Jensen and Misha dynamic. It's also really interesting and kinda scary, how incredibly close Jared and Jensen are. Not in the gazing-into-each-other's-eyes-and-only-talking-about-each-other sense, but more like.... I don't know, they're sooo much alike in all the small details, it's fascinating. Even Jensen said so. On Sunday Jensen told us how they met early in the morning, discovering that they were both wearing the same shirt.
Jensen: *pointing at Jared*
Jared: *frowning, pointing back*
both: really?
Jared: Dude, I only packed to shirts.
Jensen: Me, too!
Jared: Dude, we're on the same cycle.
His actual words were: "We've been together for too long." And that sums it up. You've all seen scenes of Sam and Dean and footage of Jared and Jensen even moving in synch. Finishing each other's sentences, mirroring their actions. At the closing ceremony, Richard was filming them, running along the line they were standing in. Jared and Jensen made the exact same movement into the camera, almost simultaneously. I think psychologists would have Christmas analyzing these too.
What you definitely have to watch is Jensen's and Misha's reenactment of a scene in the autograph room with Jared:
girl to Jared: I just wanted to say thank you for being so amazing.
Jared: You're welcome.
The crowd was laughing so hard when they told the story and they were cracking up again, too. Apparently, right after that, Jared went into the Green Room and was like "guys, I need to confess something. It happened, I don't know how, it just came out". And then Jared told the story to Misha in the Photo Op room. Misha told us that they had to take a ten minute break to stop laughing. My friend was there that time and he actually said that one of the staff members (I think it was Daniela) was actually handing Jared ice packs to calm down and giving Misha one Kleenex after the other, because he was laughing so hard he was crying.
Misha was in tears of laughing a lot that weekend. You can totally see how filming must be like when the three of them get together, because if it's Jensen or Jared sitting next to him, at one point, Misha is sitting quietly next to the person, his shoulders shaking, and he's biting his lip not to laugh out loud.
The best and funniest part of the whole convention, which I'm sure you've already seen, is when the girl presents Misha his old resume. We see the guys interact a lot, see them playing off each other and entertaining the crowd. But we rarely see them interact with each other (at least almost) the way they do when it's just them. It was HILARIOUS. After that whole scene my stomach hurt so bad from laughing. The way Misha was still playing it up with "I'm sorry, dickhead" and then totally cracking up while we didn't even know what was going on. The way Jensen ran to him to steal the resume and Misha running after him. The way Jensen actually fell to the floor from laughing. The way they couldn't almost tell us what was going on from laughing so hard. Guys, you HAVE to see it. Go to supernaturalwiki or youtube and find it. It's one of the funniest things ever.
Wow, this is getting a veeery long report and I'm still not even done. Uhm, sorry? ;)
What's also special about this convention is the energy that's building up the whole weekend. I think most of us knew that the guests view JIB as their favorite convention, even before Jared said it. And you feel it somehow. Of course, they love other conventions too. There was a question being asked most of the guests about their best and worst convention moment and they all agreed that there was never a really bad moment at a convention, except for maybe being super nervous before their first one (except Brock had a real heartbreaking story, but that didn't have to do with us - you have to hear it, it's in the Jim and Brock panel). So there is never a bad convention. But I think just like Jason posted a picture of the colosseum last year and saying how crazy good it was that driving by that was his way to work, the actors must pause every now and then, looking at each other and saying "guys, this is WORK right now. How lucky are we?". I think it's a lot about the city and the weather that they enjoy it so much. And about the other guests. I don't know if among all the actors there are some who don't get along, but with the actors at this conventions, I don't think there were. Just like Brock said, it felt like a fraternity. A few guys having a vacation in a beautiful country, having dinner together, drinking together, making fun of each other.
So this energy starts building throughout the weekend. On Fridays everyone is still not quite there yet, maybe even jetlagged and Jensen and Jared are not there which makes a difference with the whole energy. But when Sebastian is there, you can be sure the tone of the convention is set quite... interestingly ;P Friday's are like all first days. People are getting to know each other, everyone is trying to figure out the schedule and where to be and what to do. It's fun and light, like a start of a nice vacation.
Saturday is where the energy increases. It's a lot more hectic because most people try to get their photo ops and their autographs done. It's louder in the halls, it's crazier in the panels. Every actor is there so you catch a glimpse of them when they walk in and out of rooms, and you get the first interesting pairing in the panel room. Everyone is really excited, and the whole convention is buzzing with energy.
Sunday is where the love fest begins. Most of us are super tired by then. But in a good - the world is such a great happy place - kind of way. My friend told me after the first JIB that Sunday had a special magic to it and it was always true ever since. The first year was when Jensen suddenly took the guitar and started singing, last year was when Jensen was actually moved to tears by a fan and this year was so easy and relaxed that you had the feeling the actors all let their guards down and just let them be who they are. Sunday's are when people line up for twenty minutes just to say how much they loved the actor, how amazing they were or how much they helped them through tough times. It's when also the actors are telling us how amazing these conventions are, how unique we are as a fandom among all the other ones.
Also, almost always and almost everyone starts the convention with a "okay, this is gonna be my last jib. It's so expensive and the pictures are not even good. And this is kinda bad and that is kinda bad." But then on Saturday silently everyone is already thinking of ways to save the money and then on Sunday most of us are sure to come back. JIB is special, if you want it or not and not only the actors feel it but you do too.
I mean, there are not many conventions where the actors are making up whole act behind the stage and then play waiters and set the table for Jared (Jensen's idea). Or where you can hear stories about what they all did the night before (Brock going to the gym at three in the morning, meeting Jensen, Danneel and Steve who had a few too many/ Almost all of them having dinner in the city together, tweeting pictures and Jared telling us about how Sebastian asked a guy to stop smoking next to them).
Yes, things are rushed like at almost every convention. Sometimes the queuing is confusing or not working (although it was A LOT better this time and the staff was almost scarily nice!), sometimes you don't get the item signed you really want. And again, of your focus lies on other things than the panels, JIB is maybe not the right convention for you. But it sure as hell is for me.
ETA: I heard Daniela say that Gen actually thought about coming to the convention. But Jared is flying directly to Brazil where you need special shots which they didn't want to give to Thomas because he's still way too young for that. Which means, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she'll be there next year if there's gonna be a next year. I think it looks quite good for that :)