Rise 'n Shine report - Part 3
And here's the final part of my report. Couldn't post yesterday because I spent the whole day at my sister's house. It was her birthday yesterday so we had a small celebration. And also just enjoyed the company of my lovely niece once more.
Saturday
Anyway, below the cut the Sunday part of the convention. Again some pictures included there.
PLEASE, do not take my photos and post them elsewhere before asking me first!!!
This time slept right until my alarm went off but that was no miracle since I only got to sleep a bit over four hours. Normal for conventions, though. Again got ready and made my way to the convention hotel. Just hung around and waited for something to happen. While I was wandering around I saw Elke and went to ask her what had happened to Loft ticket queue priority with the photos. She said that with the schedule being late, they hadn’t had time for that. Couldn’t really understand that logic since it wouldn’t have taken any extra time to let Loft tickets go first. However, didn’t say anything. She did say that some people had stayed until ten o’clock to get all the photos sorted. I told her I was very aware of that since I had been there until 9.50pm. She seemed surprised by those news. She promised me that if they developed more than one photo of me with the guests, I would get the other one for free. Otherwise you had to pay for them. Was happy about that.
Moved to stand close to the doors to get a good seat from the hall since I wasn’t entirely sure what was happening. I did know they were still taking some photos that morning since they hadn’t gotten through everyone the previous day. I had a photo with Scott and Peter as well as with the whole cast. Once more we were first let in from the first doors to queue up at the second door. There we were given some instructions. Too bad the girl who was giving them was talking pretty quietly and I’m sure everyone didn’t hear her. People started shouting the messages along the queue. While this was going on, the guests walked by us and waved. Sharon gave this royal like wave and got a cheer for it. Then we were let into the hall with a military like efficiency. People with a photo with Sharon and Randy were told to queue up at the left side of the hall and everyone else was told to go sit on the right side of the hall. If you didn’t have a photo that you were waiting to take, you weren’t supposed to be in the hall at all. All the photos were taken on the stage.
For the whole duration of the photos being taken instructions were given in three languages from the stage. You were supposed to move efficiently, not talk with the guests, not ask for any poses and not take photos of your own. Was slightly annoyed about the no poses rule since I had this very nice pose planned for Scott and Peter with me sandwiched between them. Didn’t happen. We were given clear instructions where to place our feet and all. I understand why they had to do it like that but it still felt quite ridiculous. I’m pretty sure the guests got on Elke’s nerves because they just kept goofing around when they were changed from one pairing to another one. And of course people cheered even if they had been told to be quiet. You can’t stop something like that.
Finally the guests were assembled for the group photo. Everyone was told to queue and then we were practically run through the photo. There was a chair in the middle of the guests and you were supposed to walk briskly there, pose for the photo and then go away. The guests actually chuckled a few times when people tried to scramble in and out of the photo as fast as they could. We were hurried along all the time. Part of me found it all quite amusing but there was also the annoyed part.
After the group photo was done, I remained in the hall a while longer to just watch the guests. Noticed that the no photos and definitely no video rule wasn’t entirely clear to people since saw quite a few people taking photos and even video around the hall. Of course not my problem but my inner "steward" wanted to tell them they were breaking the rules. Did actually say to a few people that you weren’t supposed to take photos. Got dirty looks in return.
Left the hall after a while since I wasn’t supposed to be there anymore since all my photos were taken care of. Then I just wandered around. I saw that they had started to give out the photos. Joined the queue but very quickly noticed that there was no way I was going to get through the queue before the Meet and Greets started so gave up. In the end I just went to stand next to the sign that had my first M&G group written on it and waited. After a while a staff member came to us, got our badge numbers and finally lead us to the area where the M&G was held.
My first M&G was with Peter and Scott. On purpose I situated myself so that I was sure to get the front and middle seat. I don’t think I pushed anyone aside or anything. *g* The M&Gs were arranged so that the guests were sitting on chairs in front and there were two rows of chairs in front of them. Sort of forgot to take notes again in the beginning so my memories are a bit vague. However, the following subjects were discussed.
The ending. They were asked how long in advance they knew what was going to happen in the end. They said that not much. They only got the scripts a few weeks before filming started. They had known that the last season would be a bit shorter since every season was slightly shorter than the previous one. They were happy with the ending and didn’t share the view some people had about the ending being rushed. Scott was asked if he knew that Ted was going to end up with Blake and he said he hadn’t known until he read it in the script. It did get mentioned that it was weird that Brian was practically the only one who ended up alone in the end and some people felt like the growth he had gone through during the five years was just wiped out. Scott and Peter seemed surprised that people saw it that way.
I got to ask Scott if the friendship between him and Gale had had an effect on the relationship between Ted and Brian. In the beginning Ted was the person Brian always made fun of but on seasons four and five, they got a lot closer. And Ted was the first person Brian told about his cancer. Didn’t really get a clear answer to the question. Scott did talk about how Ted and Brian made an unlikely pair as friends and maybe that’s why it worked. On the first season when Michael wasn’t talking to Brian, he called Ted and asked him to hang out. Ted benefited from that since he got all Brian’s rejects and he probably got laid more during that period of time than in any other point in the series.
That sort of started a discussion about the dynamics in the group. Peter saw that Emmett had Brian’s respect since he was on his own way unapologetic as well and had the courage to be who he was. Peter continued to go on about how he saw that Brian, Melanie and Emmett had formed the Alpha triangle of the group. They were all out and proud. None of them hid what and who they were. Found this a really interesting point of view.
The time went way too fast and soon it was already time for us to go. We said our thanks and walked out. I returned to our starting point to see where I needed to be next. I had a M&G with Sharon and Randy next. Was slightly nervous about that and hoped that I would get to ask some of my questions since I had quite a few of them. It came out that I really did get a chance to ask questions because almost no one else was asking anything. It was really weird. It was basically wren_kt7oz, galeandrandy and me who asked questions and every one else sat quietly. There might have been one question from someone else. I think Sharon and Randy were quite surprised by it. Don’t know if people just didn’t have the courage to ask questions or if they really had nothing to ask.
Anyway to the M&G. Once more I got a seat in front and center which I was happy about. There was first a question about them going through the work in their head once they’ve finished with it. Sharon said that she always does her best acting work in the car on her way back home. Randy said that the good side of stage work is that you can always correct yourself the following night. Of course what you thought would work, might not always work after all.
Randy was asked about how much advance he usually gets his scripts. He said it’s usually about 1½ weeks before hand and it doesn’t take him long to learn his lines. The only exception had been Waiting for Godot where he had a five page monologue that didn’t really make any sense. Or in a way it did but still. He was asked if he still remembered anything from the monologue. He started reciting it really fast. Okay, he probably only did a few paragraphs but since the text was pretty much gibberish, I was impressed he remembered it all and so was everyone else.
Since we were talking about Randy’s stage work I asked him about doing a lot of Beckett’s work. His first response was, "I haven’t done much Beckett" but then he thought about it and said "Oh, yes I have." Got a laugh out of us. Poor guy can’t even remember what all he has done. I asked him if he agreed with the thought that there was no middleground with his work but you either loved it or hated it. He had to think about it for a while and then said he couldn’t really answer for other people but he personally loved it.
Sharon was asked about the play she did in London last year. She said that disrobing on stage had been the hardest part of that role. She also said that since she’s 69 years old she also has a 69 year old body and revealing all that had been difficult. Then she told us that there had been some guy sitting in several performances with a pair of binoculars which he always put on his eyes when the play started with the scene of Sharon disrobing on stage and “doing herself” as she expressed it.
There was some talk about auditioning. Randy said that he still has to audition for all parts and that’s the part he hates. He said that his own head is his worst enemy and sometimes he seems to lose his confidence in auditions. Sharon doesn’t have to audition anymore. She actually said that if she does audition for some part, she usually doesn’t get it.
That sort of lead to them being asked about being willing to do QaF again since apparently they had been asked this at the press conference as well and they had all said yes. They both still said that but also said that the script would have to be good. A little self-depreciately Randy then said that he would probably have to audition for the role of Justin as well which got him a “aww” reaction from us. They talked for a while about how the show would then have to be in real time and not pick up from where they left of since it’s been seven years and they have all gotten older. They also expressed the fear that if whatever they did wouldn’t be what fans wanted it to be, it wouldn’t go anywhere. They seemed to think it was a risky idea.
Asked Randy about (tAB) and if there was anything happening with it. Did mention that they had screened Thinking in Paris and I had quite liked it. He remembered that but said that unfortunately they are too busy at the moment so they are dismantling the whole thing. Randy has his work and his partner (I guess that’s Marci Adilman) is going through graduate school.
There was some talk about him doing Red and I asked him if he had already gotten all the red paint out of his hair. That earned me a smile, laugh and a "yes".
At that point things started to get awkward when no one else was really asking anything besides the three of us. It didn’t go unnoticed by Randy and Sharon since it definitely wasn’t like we weren’t giving anyone else a turn. After every question there was a few seconds silence which was then filled with one of us.
wren_kt7oz asked Randy about the bright green socks he was wearing. He said he likes all kinds of bright socks. Some weird thing made me ask him if he was aware of a store called Little Mismatched where you could buy all kinds of funny socks. He hadn’t heard about it and he said he had quite enough socks for now.
Finally asked him if he had any future projects he could tell us about. His very short response was a "no" and that he was going back home to audition. Also asked him if he was going to Berkshire this year and got a "no" to that as well.
The M&G was ended by these two girls handing out books to Sharon and Randy that contained all kinds of letters and stories from the fans. They seemed quite surprised by them and immediately leafed through them a little. Did catch a glimpse of my letter to Randy in the book.
On our way back upstairs we were talking about how weird it had been that no one had any questions. I got to ask most of the questions I had prepared. One final question did pop into my mind just before the end but didn’t get a chance to ask it. And I had been asking quite enough questions anyway *g*
Next we went to a M&G with Robert, Hal and Harris. Again my memory (and notes) fail me a little but there was a lot of discussion about different subjects. This time around people were at least asking questions. Someone did refer to the question I had asked the previous day about Harris and Robert joining the series later than the others in the established cast. They pretty much repeated what they had said on stage about the subject, but Robert also mentioned that he had known Peter from before and somehow that also made things easier. He said that they had flown him in to meet everyone but at that point he still didn’t know if he had the part. He did say something about having to meet the most important person to see if their chemistry matched. He of course meant Hal with this and gave him a small smile there. Hal continued on the subject by saying that he had felt an instant connection with Robert. According to him the first season had been very difficult for him professionally because of a clashing chemistry between him and a co-star. I’m sure everyone thought about Chris Potter at that point but then he also talked something about the Brian/Michael relationship which made me wonder if he was referring to Gale after all. I do hope he wasn’t.
Robert talked about the "candle vigil" scene where Ben attacked that protester. He said it had been a very cold night and it had actually taken so long to get the scene done that he had gone to a small shock after the scene and had been forced to seek some medical help afterwards. This lead to a discussion about what were the most difficult scenes to make. Hal mentioned that sometimes they needed to film Spring/Summer scenes in the Winter which meant that they were outside in quite light clothes and also had to chew on ice cubes so that their breath wouldn’t show on film. Randy mentioned the same thing in Paris 1½ years ago.
Harris was asked if he thought Hunter was gay or straight. He didn’t really have an answer to that. He hadn’t given it much thought.
They also talked about the hospital and filming different scenes there. It seems that half of the hospital was still in use while they used the other half for filming. Hal talked about doing the scenes after the bombing and how he had intentionally stayed totally unmoving during the whole set-up and filming of those scenes. He had even slowed his heart beat somewhat. Then he talked something about the filming being so stressful at times that he needed to go through long acupuncture treatments between the seasons to get all the tension out of his body.
Robert has had some hard time dating since people think they are dating Ben and when he doesn’t behave the same way as they’d expect Ben to do, they are disappointed.
Hal had a theory about Michael’s reluctance about being out and proud gay. He thinks that Michael did try to come out of the closet in College (I guess this was during his one term in Community College *g*) but got gay bashed in some way and that made him hesitant about doing it publicly again.
That’s about all I can remember. We again made our way back upstairs to group in front of another meeting point for the final M&G. When we walked into the room where Michelle and Thea were already waiting for us, I noticed that they were sitting pretty far from each other. Once more my mouth overrode my brain and I asked why they were sitting so far away from each other. They just claimed that it was just how the seats had been placed but they did move closer to each other. And I felt like blushing.
I asked them what they thought happened in Canada and if Mel and Linds would ever return back to the US. They seemed to start on the thought that it was quite possible they would not return since things in Canada are so much better for gay people than in the US. Still they did say that things are slowly changing in the US as well so it could be that they will come back one day. Michelle did say that he does love the US but she just hoped that progress would be faster. I did comment something about how it sometimes feels like things can go two steps forwards and then again one step backwards.
Michelle got politically active while she was doing the series. She still feels like she isn’t doing enough. She got a bit emotional while talking about all the work she has done. She also sort of admitted that she has had experiences with women as well.
Thea talked about the relationship between Brian and Lindsay and how the triangle between Mel, Lindsay and Brian was the base in the series. She felt that Lindsay always felt oppressed and Brian had the means and ability to set her free.
I asked their thoughts about the "Alfa-triangle" Peter had talked about in their M&G. Michelle seemed quite surprised by the thought but in the end she said she loved the idea. She seem to ponder about it for a while.
After that M&G I didn’t have anything planned for the whole afternoon. Those who had more expendable income, headed for City Walks with the guests. I had tried to win a ticket to those walks in raffle but had no luck. Told everyone that was heading to those walks that they needed to tell me everything that happened.
Since the queue for the photo pick up was pretty short, I joined that one. When it was my turn, they handed me a pile of photos and then told me that I needed to choose between the photos if there were more than one photo with a certain guests. I told them that Elke had promised me all the photos without extra charge but of course they didn’t believe me. I quite understood why they didn’t believe me but still did feel slightly frustrated to meet another obstacle. I tried to see someone around who could maybe help me. I did happen to see one of the guys who had seemed to be in charge of at least some of the things. Went to talk to him about the photos and he told me that he was going to sort me out in a minute. There was also talk about the lunch that was supposed to be included in my ticket. He promised to sort that out as well.
A while later I was directed into the restaurant which was different from the one where we had eaten the previous day. This time we were given menus that we could choose from. We were told that the tab would be picked up to 20 euros and whatever went over that, we needed to pay ourselves. I picked out a schnitzel and ordered a beer as well since I felt like I needed one. The beer was again just 0,2l which is really small. Almost drank it all before my food even arrived. Got another beer as well. The schnitzel was pretty huge and I knew there would be no way I could eat it all. At least I had good company from this Swedish girl who I had been talking with in the hall as well since we had sat side by side for some of the talks.
After the lunch was done I tried to find the guy again who had promised to help me with the photos. After some searching I managed to find him and he took me to the photo people to say to them that it was all settled and that I could have all my photos without extra charge. It was incredibly nice of him to do that. He was very nice to me otherwise too.
After the photos were sorted out, I decided to head out for a few more beers with the Swedish girl. We went to the close by patio and enjoyed us a few beers while enjoying the view of the Rhine. And the beer tasted really good.
We returned back to the hotel a while later to see what was happening. When the talks were supposed to start in the main hall we were told that there were still some photos that were going to be taken. The actors had agreed to 30 minutes more of photos. Again we were told that we weren’t allowed to take photos of our own while the photo shoot was going on. Everyone who still had photos to be taken was told to queue at one side of the hall. Then they were run into the photos one by one to get the combination they wanted. The actors found the whole process really funny and again kept goofing on the stage. When Scott was told that he wasn’t needed for the next photo shoot, he slumped and walked off the stage dejectedly. A bit later he was back on stage and Sharon was told she wasn’t needed for the next photo and Scott pretended to kick him off the stage. A bit later Sharon and Hal were in the same photo and while they were waiting for some changes, they first hugged and then Sharon slapped Hal in a very Debbie like manner. Of course everyone again cheered.
After all the photos were taken the actors were allowed a small rest. Then it was the time for the final panel. In the original program there should have still been two panels but I guess they decided to skip one because of time constraints. All the actors were once again welcomed to the stage with huge cheers. The moderators said a few words about the weekend and then said that every actor would be in turn be asked one question by someone from the audience. Below what I remember from every question and answer:
Harris: He was asked what his plans were now. He said that he was going to concentrate on acting even if he would also continue to do his music.
Peter: He was asked about the difference between him and Emmett. His reply was that it was their fashion sense.
Scott: (my question) Are we going to see more of Dr. Fillmore (Bones). He said that he certainly hoped we would since he had really liked doing that role. He gave a little backstory about the character in case some people weren’t aware of who it was and then added that with some spare feet being sent in the mail in Canada right now, there might well be need for Dr. Fillmore again.
Hal: Who would he pick as his best friend out of the characters in the show? He thought about it for long and hard. He mentioned a few names but in the end went with Ted. Peter’s comment to that was "Why don’t you just admit you don’t like gay people." which in my opinion was a bit strange comment and I’m not entirely sure what Peter meant with it, knowing the rumors that were circulating about Hal in the past. Hal didn’t react to that in any way. He was also asked why he didn’t pick his "husband" as the best friend and he said he couldn’t really imagine his husband as his best friend, or something on those lines.
Robert: What he was going to do next? He was going straight to Prague to film a period movie. He didn’t really give any details about the movie.
Thea: Was she interested in doing audio books? Basically she just said yes but there was a longer answer too.
Michelle: How did Mel manage to lift Lindsay after proposing since Michelle is smaller in size than Thea? Michelle almost looked "offended" by it. She got up from her chair, did a few stretches, took of her jacket and pulled Thea up as well. Then she performed some push ups on stage to warm up. Next she did try to twirl Thea around the same way she had in the series but ended up sort of dropping her. She then explained that they’d had the love on their side then.
And then it was time for the embarrassing moment. It was time for someone to ask a question from Randy. I had my hand up and so had probably quite a few other people. The moderator did look my way but then commented that Finland had asked too many questions already. Yeah, he didn’t know my name, only that I was from Finland and kept calling me that *g* However, the guy beside me had his hand up as well and the moderator ended up picking him. What a mistake!!! First of all the guy kept calling Randy Justin, even after being corrected by the moderator a few times. *facepalm* And then his question: Do you like Cologne gay boys? *double facepalm* Randy stared at him for a few seconds and then just said yes. And that was it. Someone commented "That was the last question?" The moderator did tell Randy that they would get him another question in a few minutes. The guy beside me was practically falling off his chair from laughing and he obviously thought he had been just hilarious with his questions. Everyone else in the hall was all WTF?!? Even if my question wasn’t anything special, it still would have been better than that one. Or I’m pretty sure anyone else’s question would have been better. Okay, Randy did get off easily but still. What a question to ask as a final question…
Sharon: What Debbie-like advice would she give people? She thought about it for a while and then replied: "Dream big and follow it." Very good advice in my opinion.
Don’t know if the moderators forgot all about promising Randy another question or if they just decided not to bother with it since they just moved to the next step in the program. All guests were asked to give one thing that they were taking with them from the convention. You would think that’s a simple question but almost everyone managed to give these really long answers which were very moving and it’s quite possible there was no dry eye in the audience by the end.
Scott: First he said that he’s taking home about 20 extra pounds from all the chocolate people have fed him. Then he got more serious and said that he’s taking with him all the warmth people have shared with them during the weekend.
Peter: He said that it’s been great being together again with his co-stars and meeting everyone. He said he’s taking everyone with him. He launched into an explanation how on the previous evening they had all been really tired while they had been driven to the club. They hadn’t even had energy to talk in the car. However, somehow in the club the energy had grabbed them and they’d had a blast dancing. Peter said that when it was time for them to go and they were up on the platform, he had spread his arms and enveloped everyone in a hug. He wanted to do that again now so he spread his arms really wide and then folded them like he was hugging. Many people copied him.
Harris: He said it’s been great to see so many people interested in him and his work.
Hal: He had liked seeing Sharon’s smile again after so many years. He also said that seeing Harris’ name on the list of actors that were going to make it had been great. He had also quite enjoyed the M&Gs where it was possible to talk with people in a bit more intimate setting.
Robert: He liked how talking people had brought back all those small special moments from the series he had already forgotten. People asking him about scenes and him suddenly remembering them. He had also liked having the Babylon moment the previous night.
Sharon: She said that since she had been the last one to arrive to the pub on Friday night, due to having a cigarette outside, she had had no idea what kind of welcome the others had received. She said that the love that had poured towards her when she had stepped into the pub had been overwhelming. She wants to take home that love and she also wants to take home the love towards Gale and how he was missed.
At this point she held this really touching speech about how Gale really did want to be there and how disappointed he had been because he had to miss it. She said that she had been proud to stand in for him and how glad she was that Gale's absence had given her a chance to play with Randy more. *g* She choked up a few times while she spoke. Gale was supposed to play in some soccer game on Thursday and a few of the cast members had arrived to Cologne a few days early just because of that. She said that if anyone had any doubt about Gale wanting to be there, they were wrong. She got this huge applause with people standing up and cheering, part to her and part to Gale. When people finally quietened down a little, she commented: "I’ll tell him you said that." Cue another applause and a lot of cheering. Scott snapped a picture of people giving the standing ovation and said that he was going to send it to Gale right away. Too bad he didn’t get a reply that he could have shared with us.
Thea: She wanted to say that the convention had reminded her of the fact that it didn’t matter how bad you fell or how different you were, you can always get up. She wanted to thank people for talking to her and sharing their thoughts.
Michelle: She was glad to notice how the connection between the cast was still so strong but she also felt that the cast and attendees had created a little world of their own during the weekend where we all were friends and together. She also wanted to share this moment she had experienced on stage. She didn’t specify when it had happened but she said that she can’t have caffeine since she seems to be slightly allergic to it. However, at some point she had had some coffee and immediately it had made her heart race quite badly. She had wondered that it was a bit of a strange feeling and just decided to concentrate on the moderator speaking. Then she had thought that it was possible she might have a heart attack right there and then. However, then she had thought that she was surrounded by so much love in a country that had excellent health care (cue chuckling from the audience) and there were all these friends around her that she was actually quite safe. She knew that whatever happened to her, she would be okay and that had made her heart slow down to a normal rhythm. She also choked up a few times during the speech and so did probably quite a few members of the audience.
Randy: He said that his topmost feeling was being humbled. He tends to just do his work and then forget about it since he has a tendency to get exceedingly neurotic if he thinks about his past work too much. However, the convention had shown him that people were still affected by the work he has done and that’s been an incredibly humbling experience. He said that just one person being affected by what he has done, is enough to justify his existence, not to mention a roomful of people. I got a feeling that he was a bit choked up as well and speaking straight from the heart.
That was the end of it, pretty much. Elke did still come to the stage to say her thanks. The guests were also given a CD that included a song someone had made for the convention. Then they stood there and took their bows. People were cheering like crazy and of course standing up. The noise in the room was actually quite deafening. Then they walked off the stage with people still continuing the cheer. It didn’t take them long to return. Scott jumped off the stage and went through the whole first row and thanked people with hand shakes and hugs. When he got to me and got a hug too and a thank you with my name mentioned. I was touched that he remembered it.
The guests still stood on stage for a while before taking a final bow and walking backstage. The cheering went on for a while longer and then slowly died. Then it was time to start saying goodbye to people. I wanted to refuse to leave the hall since that would then mean it was all over. I said bye to all the people around me and some other familiar faces. Then we slowly walked to the hotel lobby while making plans to go for dinner still later that night with a small group. On my way out said goodbye to a few other people and really had to swallow my tears constantly because I kept getting choked up. I’ve gotten choked up in other conventions too when it has all ended but I can’t remember anything this bad.
I still need to share one more photo. This wasn't taken by me but the credit goes to Doris Schilling. The photo is just so touching and describes perfectly the emotion at the end of the convention.
In the end there were five of us that went for dinner to this nice place quite close to the hotel. We had nice dinner and few beers. And not one of us actually wanted to leave. We kept dragging the evening longer and longer until we just had to give up. We said our final goodbyes and went our separate ways. I returned to my hotel feeling quite blue. Couldn’t believe it was all over.
Spent the following day just walking around Cologne and secretly hoping I might bump into the guests somewhere. Had no idea if they were still in Cologne or if they had already moved on but there was still hope. However, didn’t see anyone. Did see a few familiar faces from the convention so I guess I wasn’t the only one who was only leaving that night or possibly later.
My trip home didn’t go quite as planned since there were some problems with the flights but in the end did make my connection and even got my luggage. Once I reached my parents’ house, I was feeling way too wired to sleep right away so just spent some time surfing around and reading other peoples’ experiences.
So as an end comment about the convention. I know I had my doubts and I know I was quite vocal about those doubts. Some of my fears did come true since the organization definitely didn’t go as well as it could have gone. There were some pretty big delays occasionally and very long queues. However, the guests were just amazing. I’ve met quite a few actors during my convention life and I don’t think I’ve ever had the pleasure of such an amazing line-up. All the guests were so accommodating and open. It was actually a bit their fault the schedule got messed up since during the autographs they talked with every single person and refused to hurry. Okay, maybe this happening could have been included in the planning face and the guests be given more time for signing. However, as an overall experience the convention was just great. There were glitches, delays and some annoyances but the overall atmosphere was so awesome that I tended to forget whatever bothered me and just enjoyed myself.
Saturday
Anyway, below the cut the Sunday part of the convention. Again some pictures included there.
PLEASE, do not take my photos and post them elsewhere before asking me first!!!
This time slept right until my alarm went off but that was no miracle since I only got to sleep a bit over four hours. Normal for conventions, though. Again got ready and made my way to the convention hotel. Just hung around and waited for something to happen. While I was wandering around I saw Elke and went to ask her what had happened to Loft ticket queue priority with the photos. She said that with the schedule being late, they hadn’t had time for that. Couldn’t really understand that logic since it wouldn’t have taken any extra time to let Loft tickets go first. However, didn’t say anything. She did say that some people had stayed until ten o’clock to get all the photos sorted. I told her I was very aware of that since I had been there until 9.50pm. She seemed surprised by those news. She promised me that if they developed more than one photo of me with the guests, I would get the other one for free. Otherwise you had to pay for them. Was happy about that.
Moved to stand close to the doors to get a good seat from the hall since I wasn’t entirely sure what was happening. I did know they were still taking some photos that morning since they hadn’t gotten through everyone the previous day. I had a photo with Scott and Peter as well as with the whole cast. Once more we were first let in from the first doors to queue up at the second door. There we were given some instructions. Too bad the girl who was giving them was talking pretty quietly and I’m sure everyone didn’t hear her. People started shouting the messages along the queue. While this was going on, the guests walked by us and waved. Sharon gave this royal like wave and got a cheer for it. Then we were let into the hall with a military like efficiency. People with a photo with Sharon and Randy were told to queue up at the left side of the hall and everyone else was told to go sit on the right side of the hall. If you didn’t have a photo that you were waiting to take, you weren’t supposed to be in the hall at all. All the photos were taken on the stage.
For the whole duration of the photos being taken instructions were given in three languages from the stage. You were supposed to move efficiently, not talk with the guests, not ask for any poses and not take photos of your own. Was slightly annoyed about the no poses rule since I had this very nice pose planned for Scott and Peter with me sandwiched between them. Didn’t happen. We were given clear instructions where to place our feet and all. I understand why they had to do it like that but it still felt quite ridiculous. I’m pretty sure the guests got on Elke’s nerves because they just kept goofing around when they were changed from one pairing to another one. And of course people cheered even if they had been told to be quiet. You can’t stop something like that.
Finally the guests were assembled for the group photo. Everyone was told to queue and then we were practically run through the photo. There was a chair in the middle of the guests and you were supposed to walk briskly there, pose for the photo and then go away. The guests actually chuckled a few times when people tried to scramble in and out of the photo as fast as they could. We were hurried along all the time. Part of me found it all quite amusing but there was also the annoyed part.
After the group photo was done, I remained in the hall a while longer to just watch the guests. Noticed that the no photos and definitely no video rule wasn’t entirely clear to people since saw quite a few people taking photos and even video around the hall. Of course not my problem but my inner "steward" wanted to tell them they were breaking the rules. Did actually say to a few people that you weren’t supposed to take photos. Got dirty looks in return.
Left the hall after a while since I wasn’t supposed to be there anymore since all my photos were taken care of. Then I just wandered around. I saw that they had started to give out the photos. Joined the queue but very quickly noticed that there was no way I was going to get through the queue before the Meet and Greets started so gave up. In the end I just went to stand next to the sign that had my first M&G group written on it and waited. After a while a staff member came to us, got our badge numbers and finally lead us to the area where the M&G was held.
My first M&G was with Peter and Scott. On purpose I situated myself so that I was sure to get the front and middle seat. I don’t think I pushed anyone aside or anything. *g* The M&Gs were arranged so that the guests were sitting on chairs in front and there were two rows of chairs in front of them. Sort of forgot to take notes again in the beginning so my memories are a bit vague. However, the following subjects were discussed.
The ending. They were asked how long in advance they knew what was going to happen in the end. They said that not much. They only got the scripts a few weeks before filming started. They had known that the last season would be a bit shorter since every season was slightly shorter than the previous one. They were happy with the ending and didn’t share the view some people had about the ending being rushed. Scott was asked if he knew that Ted was going to end up with Blake and he said he hadn’t known until he read it in the script. It did get mentioned that it was weird that Brian was practically the only one who ended up alone in the end and some people felt like the growth he had gone through during the five years was just wiped out. Scott and Peter seemed surprised that people saw it that way.
I got to ask Scott if the friendship between him and Gale had had an effect on the relationship between Ted and Brian. In the beginning Ted was the person Brian always made fun of but on seasons four and five, they got a lot closer. And Ted was the first person Brian told about his cancer. Didn’t really get a clear answer to the question. Scott did talk about how Ted and Brian made an unlikely pair as friends and maybe that’s why it worked. On the first season when Michael wasn’t talking to Brian, he called Ted and asked him to hang out. Ted benefited from that since he got all Brian’s rejects and he probably got laid more during that period of time than in any other point in the series.
That sort of started a discussion about the dynamics in the group. Peter saw that Emmett had Brian’s respect since he was on his own way unapologetic as well and had the courage to be who he was. Peter continued to go on about how he saw that Brian, Melanie and Emmett had formed the Alpha triangle of the group. They were all out and proud. None of them hid what and who they were. Found this a really interesting point of view.
The time went way too fast and soon it was already time for us to go. We said our thanks and walked out. I returned to our starting point to see where I needed to be next. I had a M&G with Sharon and Randy next. Was slightly nervous about that and hoped that I would get to ask some of my questions since I had quite a few of them. It came out that I really did get a chance to ask questions because almost no one else was asking anything. It was really weird. It was basically wren_kt7oz, galeandrandy and me who asked questions and every one else sat quietly. There might have been one question from someone else. I think Sharon and Randy were quite surprised by it. Don’t know if people just didn’t have the courage to ask questions or if they really had nothing to ask.
Anyway to the M&G. Once more I got a seat in front and center which I was happy about. There was first a question about them going through the work in their head once they’ve finished with it. Sharon said that she always does her best acting work in the car on her way back home. Randy said that the good side of stage work is that you can always correct yourself the following night. Of course what you thought would work, might not always work after all.
Randy was asked about how much advance he usually gets his scripts. He said it’s usually about 1½ weeks before hand and it doesn’t take him long to learn his lines. The only exception had been Waiting for Godot where he had a five page monologue that didn’t really make any sense. Or in a way it did but still. He was asked if he still remembered anything from the monologue. He started reciting it really fast. Okay, he probably only did a few paragraphs but since the text was pretty much gibberish, I was impressed he remembered it all and so was everyone else.
Since we were talking about Randy’s stage work I asked him about doing a lot of Beckett’s work. His first response was, "I haven’t done much Beckett" but then he thought about it and said "Oh, yes I have." Got a laugh out of us. Poor guy can’t even remember what all he has done. I asked him if he agreed with the thought that there was no middleground with his work but you either loved it or hated it. He had to think about it for a while and then said he couldn’t really answer for other people but he personally loved it.
Sharon was asked about the play she did in London last year. She said that disrobing on stage had been the hardest part of that role. She also said that since she’s 69 years old she also has a 69 year old body and revealing all that had been difficult. Then she told us that there had been some guy sitting in several performances with a pair of binoculars which he always put on his eyes when the play started with the scene of Sharon disrobing on stage and “doing herself” as she expressed it.
There was some talk about auditioning. Randy said that he still has to audition for all parts and that’s the part he hates. He said that his own head is his worst enemy and sometimes he seems to lose his confidence in auditions. Sharon doesn’t have to audition anymore. She actually said that if she does audition for some part, she usually doesn’t get it.
That sort of lead to them being asked about being willing to do QaF again since apparently they had been asked this at the press conference as well and they had all said yes. They both still said that but also said that the script would have to be good. A little self-depreciately Randy then said that he would probably have to audition for the role of Justin as well which got him a “aww” reaction from us. They talked for a while about how the show would then have to be in real time and not pick up from where they left of since it’s been seven years and they have all gotten older. They also expressed the fear that if whatever they did wouldn’t be what fans wanted it to be, it wouldn’t go anywhere. They seemed to think it was a risky idea.
Asked Randy about (tAB) and if there was anything happening with it. Did mention that they had screened Thinking in Paris and I had quite liked it. He remembered that but said that unfortunately they are too busy at the moment so they are dismantling the whole thing. Randy has his work and his partner (I guess that’s Marci Adilman) is going through graduate school.
There was some talk about him doing Red and I asked him if he had already gotten all the red paint out of his hair. That earned me a smile, laugh and a "yes".
At that point things started to get awkward when no one else was really asking anything besides the three of us. It didn’t go unnoticed by Randy and Sharon since it definitely wasn’t like we weren’t giving anyone else a turn. After every question there was a few seconds silence which was then filled with one of us.
wren_kt7oz asked Randy about the bright green socks he was wearing. He said he likes all kinds of bright socks. Some weird thing made me ask him if he was aware of a store called Little Mismatched where you could buy all kinds of funny socks. He hadn’t heard about it and he said he had quite enough socks for now.
Finally asked him if he had any future projects he could tell us about. His very short response was a "no" and that he was going back home to audition. Also asked him if he was going to Berkshire this year and got a "no" to that as well.
The M&G was ended by these two girls handing out books to Sharon and Randy that contained all kinds of letters and stories from the fans. They seemed quite surprised by them and immediately leafed through them a little. Did catch a glimpse of my letter to Randy in the book.
On our way back upstairs we were talking about how weird it had been that no one had any questions. I got to ask most of the questions I had prepared. One final question did pop into my mind just before the end but didn’t get a chance to ask it. And I had been asking quite enough questions anyway *g*
Next we went to a M&G with Robert, Hal and Harris. Again my memory (and notes) fail me a little but there was a lot of discussion about different subjects. This time around people were at least asking questions. Someone did refer to the question I had asked the previous day about Harris and Robert joining the series later than the others in the established cast. They pretty much repeated what they had said on stage about the subject, but Robert also mentioned that he had known Peter from before and somehow that also made things easier. He said that they had flown him in to meet everyone but at that point he still didn’t know if he had the part. He did say something about having to meet the most important person to see if their chemistry matched. He of course meant Hal with this and gave him a small smile there. Hal continued on the subject by saying that he had felt an instant connection with Robert. According to him the first season had been very difficult for him professionally because of a clashing chemistry between him and a co-star. I’m sure everyone thought about Chris Potter at that point but then he also talked something about the Brian/Michael relationship which made me wonder if he was referring to Gale after all. I do hope he wasn’t.
Robert talked about the "candle vigil" scene where Ben attacked that protester. He said it had been a very cold night and it had actually taken so long to get the scene done that he had gone to a small shock after the scene and had been forced to seek some medical help afterwards. This lead to a discussion about what were the most difficult scenes to make. Hal mentioned that sometimes they needed to film Spring/Summer scenes in the Winter which meant that they were outside in quite light clothes and also had to chew on ice cubes so that their breath wouldn’t show on film. Randy mentioned the same thing in Paris 1½ years ago.
Harris was asked if he thought Hunter was gay or straight. He didn’t really have an answer to that. He hadn’t given it much thought.
They also talked about the hospital and filming different scenes there. It seems that half of the hospital was still in use while they used the other half for filming. Hal talked about doing the scenes after the bombing and how he had intentionally stayed totally unmoving during the whole set-up and filming of those scenes. He had even slowed his heart beat somewhat. Then he talked something about the filming being so stressful at times that he needed to go through long acupuncture treatments between the seasons to get all the tension out of his body.
Robert has had some hard time dating since people think they are dating Ben and when he doesn’t behave the same way as they’d expect Ben to do, they are disappointed.
Hal had a theory about Michael’s reluctance about being out and proud gay. He thinks that Michael did try to come out of the closet in College (I guess this was during his one term in Community College *g*) but got gay bashed in some way and that made him hesitant about doing it publicly again.
That’s about all I can remember. We again made our way back upstairs to group in front of another meeting point for the final M&G. When we walked into the room where Michelle and Thea were already waiting for us, I noticed that they were sitting pretty far from each other. Once more my mouth overrode my brain and I asked why they were sitting so far away from each other. They just claimed that it was just how the seats had been placed but they did move closer to each other. And I felt like blushing.
I asked them what they thought happened in Canada and if Mel and Linds would ever return back to the US. They seemed to start on the thought that it was quite possible they would not return since things in Canada are so much better for gay people than in the US. Still they did say that things are slowly changing in the US as well so it could be that they will come back one day. Michelle did say that he does love the US but she just hoped that progress would be faster. I did comment something about how it sometimes feels like things can go two steps forwards and then again one step backwards.
Michelle got politically active while she was doing the series. She still feels like she isn’t doing enough. She got a bit emotional while talking about all the work she has done. She also sort of admitted that she has had experiences with women as well.
Thea talked about the relationship between Brian and Lindsay and how the triangle between Mel, Lindsay and Brian was the base in the series. She felt that Lindsay always felt oppressed and Brian had the means and ability to set her free.
I asked their thoughts about the "Alfa-triangle" Peter had talked about in their M&G. Michelle seemed quite surprised by the thought but in the end she said she loved the idea. She seem to ponder about it for a while.
After that M&G I didn’t have anything planned for the whole afternoon. Those who had more expendable income, headed for City Walks with the guests. I had tried to win a ticket to those walks in raffle but had no luck. Told everyone that was heading to those walks that they needed to tell me everything that happened.
Since the queue for the photo pick up was pretty short, I joined that one. When it was my turn, they handed me a pile of photos and then told me that I needed to choose between the photos if there were more than one photo with a certain guests. I told them that Elke had promised me all the photos without extra charge but of course they didn’t believe me. I quite understood why they didn’t believe me but still did feel slightly frustrated to meet another obstacle. I tried to see someone around who could maybe help me. I did happen to see one of the guys who had seemed to be in charge of at least some of the things. Went to talk to him about the photos and he told me that he was going to sort me out in a minute. There was also talk about the lunch that was supposed to be included in my ticket. He promised to sort that out as well.
A while later I was directed into the restaurant which was different from the one where we had eaten the previous day. This time we were given menus that we could choose from. We were told that the tab would be picked up to 20 euros and whatever went over that, we needed to pay ourselves. I picked out a schnitzel and ordered a beer as well since I felt like I needed one. The beer was again just 0,2l which is really small. Almost drank it all before my food even arrived. Got another beer as well. The schnitzel was pretty huge and I knew there would be no way I could eat it all. At least I had good company from this Swedish girl who I had been talking with in the hall as well since we had sat side by side for some of the talks.
After the lunch was done I tried to find the guy again who had promised to help me with the photos. After some searching I managed to find him and he took me to the photo people to say to them that it was all settled and that I could have all my photos without extra charge. It was incredibly nice of him to do that. He was very nice to me otherwise too.
After the photos were sorted out, I decided to head out for a few more beers with the Swedish girl. We went to the close by patio and enjoyed us a few beers while enjoying the view of the Rhine. And the beer tasted really good.
We returned back to the hotel a while later to see what was happening. When the talks were supposed to start in the main hall we were told that there were still some photos that were going to be taken. The actors had agreed to 30 minutes more of photos. Again we were told that we weren’t allowed to take photos of our own while the photo shoot was going on. Everyone who still had photos to be taken was told to queue at one side of the hall. Then they were run into the photos one by one to get the combination they wanted. The actors found the whole process really funny and again kept goofing on the stage. When Scott was told that he wasn’t needed for the next photo shoot, he slumped and walked off the stage dejectedly. A bit later he was back on stage and Sharon was told she wasn’t needed for the next photo and Scott pretended to kick him off the stage. A bit later Sharon and Hal were in the same photo and while they were waiting for some changes, they first hugged and then Sharon slapped Hal in a very Debbie like manner. Of course everyone again cheered.
After all the photos were taken the actors were allowed a small rest. Then it was the time for the final panel. In the original program there should have still been two panels but I guess they decided to skip one because of time constraints. All the actors were once again welcomed to the stage with huge cheers. The moderators said a few words about the weekend and then said that every actor would be in turn be asked one question by someone from the audience. Below what I remember from every question and answer:
Harris: He was asked what his plans were now. He said that he was going to concentrate on acting even if he would also continue to do his music.
Peter: He was asked about the difference between him and Emmett. His reply was that it was their fashion sense.
Scott: (my question) Are we going to see more of Dr. Fillmore (Bones). He said that he certainly hoped we would since he had really liked doing that role. He gave a little backstory about the character in case some people weren’t aware of who it was and then added that with some spare feet being sent in the mail in Canada right now, there might well be need for Dr. Fillmore again.
Hal: Who would he pick as his best friend out of the characters in the show? He thought about it for long and hard. He mentioned a few names but in the end went with Ted. Peter’s comment to that was "Why don’t you just admit you don’t like gay people." which in my opinion was a bit strange comment and I’m not entirely sure what Peter meant with it, knowing the rumors that were circulating about Hal in the past. Hal didn’t react to that in any way. He was also asked why he didn’t pick his "husband" as the best friend and he said he couldn’t really imagine his husband as his best friend, or something on those lines.
Robert: What he was going to do next? He was going straight to Prague to film a period movie. He didn’t really give any details about the movie.
Thea: Was she interested in doing audio books? Basically she just said yes but there was a longer answer too.
Michelle: How did Mel manage to lift Lindsay after proposing since Michelle is smaller in size than Thea? Michelle almost looked "offended" by it. She got up from her chair, did a few stretches, took of her jacket and pulled Thea up as well. Then she performed some push ups on stage to warm up. Next she did try to twirl Thea around the same way she had in the series but ended up sort of dropping her. She then explained that they’d had the love on their side then.
And then it was time for the embarrassing moment. It was time for someone to ask a question from Randy. I had my hand up and so had probably quite a few other people. The moderator did look my way but then commented that Finland had asked too many questions already. Yeah, he didn’t know my name, only that I was from Finland and kept calling me that *g* However, the guy beside me had his hand up as well and the moderator ended up picking him. What a mistake!!! First of all the guy kept calling Randy Justin, even after being corrected by the moderator a few times. *facepalm* And then his question: Do you like Cologne gay boys? *double facepalm* Randy stared at him for a few seconds and then just said yes. And that was it. Someone commented "That was the last question?" The moderator did tell Randy that they would get him another question in a few minutes. The guy beside me was practically falling off his chair from laughing and he obviously thought he had been just hilarious with his questions. Everyone else in the hall was all WTF?!? Even if my question wasn’t anything special, it still would have been better than that one. Or I’m pretty sure anyone else’s question would have been better. Okay, Randy did get off easily but still. What a question to ask as a final question…
Sharon: What Debbie-like advice would she give people? She thought about it for a while and then replied: "Dream big and follow it." Very good advice in my opinion.
Don’t know if the moderators forgot all about promising Randy another question or if they just decided not to bother with it since they just moved to the next step in the program. All guests were asked to give one thing that they were taking with them from the convention. You would think that’s a simple question but almost everyone managed to give these really long answers which were very moving and it’s quite possible there was no dry eye in the audience by the end.
Scott: First he said that he’s taking home about 20 extra pounds from all the chocolate people have fed him. Then he got more serious and said that he’s taking with him all the warmth people have shared with them during the weekend.
Peter: He said that it’s been great being together again with his co-stars and meeting everyone. He said he’s taking everyone with him. He launched into an explanation how on the previous evening they had all been really tired while they had been driven to the club. They hadn’t even had energy to talk in the car. However, somehow in the club the energy had grabbed them and they’d had a blast dancing. Peter said that when it was time for them to go and they were up on the platform, he had spread his arms and enveloped everyone in a hug. He wanted to do that again now so he spread his arms really wide and then folded them like he was hugging. Many people copied him.
Harris: He said it’s been great to see so many people interested in him and his work.
Hal: He had liked seeing Sharon’s smile again after so many years. He also said that seeing Harris’ name on the list of actors that were going to make it had been great. He had also quite enjoyed the M&Gs where it was possible to talk with people in a bit more intimate setting.
Robert: He liked how talking people had brought back all those small special moments from the series he had already forgotten. People asking him about scenes and him suddenly remembering them. He had also liked having the Babylon moment the previous night.
Sharon: She said that since she had been the last one to arrive to the pub on Friday night, due to having a cigarette outside, she had had no idea what kind of welcome the others had received. She said that the love that had poured towards her when she had stepped into the pub had been overwhelming. She wants to take home that love and she also wants to take home the love towards Gale and how he was missed.
At this point she held this really touching speech about how Gale really did want to be there and how disappointed he had been because he had to miss it. She said that she had been proud to stand in for him and how glad she was that Gale's absence had given her a chance to play with Randy more. *g* She choked up a few times while she spoke. Gale was supposed to play in some soccer game on Thursday and a few of the cast members had arrived to Cologne a few days early just because of that. She said that if anyone had any doubt about Gale wanting to be there, they were wrong. She got this huge applause with people standing up and cheering, part to her and part to Gale. When people finally quietened down a little, she commented: "I’ll tell him you said that." Cue another applause and a lot of cheering. Scott snapped a picture of people giving the standing ovation and said that he was going to send it to Gale right away. Too bad he didn’t get a reply that he could have shared with us.
Thea: She wanted to say that the convention had reminded her of the fact that it didn’t matter how bad you fell or how different you were, you can always get up. She wanted to thank people for talking to her and sharing their thoughts.
Michelle: She was glad to notice how the connection between the cast was still so strong but she also felt that the cast and attendees had created a little world of their own during the weekend where we all were friends and together. She also wanted to share this moment she had experienced on stage. She didn’t specify when it had happened but she said that she can’t have caffeine since she seems to be slightly allergic to it. However, at some point she had had some coffee and immediately it had made her heart race quite badly. She had wondered that it was a bit of a strange feeling and just decided to concentrate on the moderator speaking. Then she had thought that it was possible she might have a heart attack right there and then. However, then she had thought that she was surrounded by so much love in a country that had excellent health care (cue chuckling from the audience) and there were all these friends around her that she was actually quite safe. She knew that whatever happened to her, she would be okay and that had made her heart slow down to a normal rhythm. She also choked up a few times during the speech and so did probably quite a few members of the audience.
Randy: He said that his topmost feeling was being humbled. He tends to just do his work and then forget about it since he has a tendency to get exceedingly neurotic if he thinks about his past work too much. However, the convention had shown him that people were still affected by the work he has done and that’s been an incredibly humbling experience. He said that just one person being affected by what he has done, is enough to justify his existence, not to mention a roomful of people. I got a feeling that he was a bit choked up as well and speaking straight from the heart.
That was the end of it, pretty much. Elke did still come to the stage to say her thanks. The guests were also given a CD that included a song someone had made for the convention. Then they stood there and took their bows. People were cheering like crazy and of course standing up. The noise in the room was actually quite deafening. Then they walked off the stage with people still continuing the cheer. It didn’t take them long to return. Scott jumped off the stage and went through the whole first row and thanked people with hand shakes and hugs. When he got to me and got a hug too and a thank you with my name mentioned. I was touched that he remembered it.
The guests still stood on stage for a while before taking a final bow and walking backstage. The cheering went on for a while longer and then slowly died. Then it was time to start saying goodbye to people. I wanted to refuse to leave the hall since that would then mean it was all over. I said bye to all the people around me and some other familiar faces. Then we slowly walked to the hotel lobby while making plans to go for dinner still later that night with a small group. On my way out said goodbye to a few other people and really had to swallow my tears constantly because I kept getting choked up. I’ve gotten choked up in other conventions too when it has all ended but I can’t remember anything this bad.
I still need to share one more photo. This wasn't taken by me but the credit goes to Doris Schilling. The photo is just so touching and describes perfectly the emotion at the end of the convention.
In the end there were five of us that went for dinner to this nice place quite close to the hotel. We had nice dinner and few beers. And not one of us actually wanted to leave. We kept dragging the evening longer and longer until we just had to give up. We said our final goodbyes and went our separate ways. I returned to my hotel feeling quite blue. Couldn’t believe it was all over.
Spent the following day just walking around Cologne and secretly hoping I might bump into the guests somewhere. Had no idea if they were still in Cologne or if they had already moved on but there was still hope. However, didn’t see anyone. Did see a few familiar faces from the convention so I guess I wasn’t the only one who was only leaving that night or possibly later.
My trip home didn’t go quite as planned since there were some problems with the flights but in the end did make my connection and even got my luggage. Once I reached my parents’ house, I was feeling way too wired to sleep right away so just spent some time surfing around and reading other peoples’ experiences.
So as an end comment about the convention. I know I had my doubts and I know I was quite vocal about those doubts. Some of my fears did come true since the organization definitely didn’t go as well as it could have gone. There were some pretty big delays occasionally and very long queues. However, the guests were just amazing. I’ve met quite a few actors during my convention life and I don’t think I’ve ever had the pleasure of such an amazing line-up. All the guests were so accommodating and open. It was actually a bit their fault the schedule got messed up since during the autographs they talked with every single person and refused to hurry. Okay, maybe this happening could have been included in the planning face and the guests be given more time for signing. However, as an overall experience the convention was just great. There were glitches, delays and some annoyances but the overall atmosphere was so awesome that I tended to forget whatever bothered me and just enjoyed myself.