QUEENS OF THE ROAD - part 2
Okay, here's the next part of my report. This one includes panels, M&Gs and Coffee breaks with the guests on the Saturday. Beware, it's long. :)
There are quite a few photos. The same disclaimers apply :)
Previous part
It felt like the alarm went off way too early. Since I had a VIP ticket, I had the breakfast included in the room. I made my way downstairs to eat something even if I wasn't feeling particularly hungry. I did suspect I would need the energy during the day, especially with the program being built the way it was, I suspected I might not even have time to pee, let alone eat anything. Managed to stuff some food down my throat and then returned upstairs to get ready for the day.
The first item on the program was an Opening. I took that to mean that all the guests would come out for the duration of the panel (30min), say a few words, maybe answer some general questions and such, the way I've gotten used to. However, the opening was scheduled to start at 9am. We were let in the hall about 9:10am and the whole thing only started about 9:25am. All the guests did come out and said a few words but it was over pretty quickly.
Below some pics from the opening
The next item was Randy’s single panel. I wasn't quite clear on how you were supposed to ask questions so when they said it was time for questions, I sort of half raised my hand and I guess that attracted Randy’s attention to me. He looked at me and said “You used to have pink hair once, right?” I could hear my friends cracking up somewhere in the hall and I had trouble keeping a straight face too. However, I did tell him that he got it wrong. I did add that I had red-purplish highlights once but no pink. He seemed quite convinced of the fact that I had had pink hair.
After that the panel got started. I did my best to make notes of the panels but I do apologize if I get some things wrong. So first Randy was asked about recording music. He did say that it’s something he would like to do one day but just hadn’t had the time for it. He did say that he is going to music and singing lessons whenever possible and you never know what’s going to happen in the future.
Next he was asked about his thoughts before going on stage. Unfortunately didn’t catch his reply to that.
Then it was time for me ask him a question. I asked him if there were going to be any more of those “instructional videos” he has been doing with Phillip Tarantula and Jenn Harris. He did say that they had a few ready and that those would be coming out at some point. I continued with a question about if it was going to be just the three of them in all future videos or if they were planning on possibly having guest stars there. He said that the videos they had made that far had only the three of them in them but it was possible that at some point they might have the other QWAN members guest starring.
Then he talked in length about some play but unfortunately I missed the gist of it.
Someone asked him if he was still studying French but he said that he hadn’t done that seriously for a few years. He claimed getting lessons in NYC is very expensive. He also said that only when he tried to talk to someone in French, did he realize how rusty his French had gotten. He would really much like to be able to speak it better.
Then he was asked what had been his best moment coming off stage. He did have to think about it for a while but in the end he replied that he had to pick Tommy.
In his opinion the best thing about living in NYC is the feeling of belonging in a community.
Randy’s dream character would be to play some old man roles but he knows he still has to wait before he can qualify for those roles. He said he would like to at some point play Uncle Vanja and all the characters from Beckett’s plays.
Then I was up again. Before my question, I did joke at Randy that as we had discussed the previous day, I obviously never ask any questions. He replied with something on the lines of how I was always so quiet. My actual question to him was about QWAN. I asked him if they had any new material planned or were they possible going to do more shows with the material they already have. He said that they did have some ideas but it could well be a few years since they are all busy doing their own thing at the moment. He also said that the next thing they will do will be something different. He visioned it to be something that would be staged and also off-book. The two readings they are now doing are just that, readings with just a few props. He also said that he doesn’t see them doing the readings in NYC again since he feels that everyone who wants to see it there, has already seen it.
Next there was a question about Berkshires and if he misses doing it and/or thinks about going back. He said that he doesn’t really miss it. He took part for six or seven years and in his opinion that is enough.
He would love to be part of Angels of America on Broadway.
Next question was about doing musicals. Randy replied that he does musicals every few years but doesn’t want to do just them. He’s quite happy with doing them just every once in a while.
Then there was a question about doing commercials. He seemed open to doing them as long as he believed in the product he was advertising. He wouldn’t want to do any commercials for products that can give you cancer or for companies with bad ethics.
Next there was some talk about politics but unfortunately I missed some of it. He did mention right-wing groups and how they occasionally seem to get a lot of people behind them.
Someone asked him about Such Good People and when we might get to see it but he couldn’t give a clear answer to that. He sort of implied that after he finished filming the movie, he hadn’t heard much about it.
Then he was asked about what he would change if there was a remake of QAF. He was asked if he would still play the same character. He immediately said that he would want to play the evil twin to Justin.
Someone asked about his favorite shows and he listed at least House of Cards, Looking, Orange is the new Black and Girls, with the last one being his favorite.
Then it was again me up there. I asked him about going to museums and if he had a favorite one in the world. He said he didn’t have a favorite one but he did enjoy contemporary art. He listed a few museums that had contemporary art that he liked to visit. He did say that he likes to go to MOMA but that it’s too expensive. I commented that it’s free on Friday evenings but he claimed there were always huge lines in then. I told him that I had no trouble getting in when I was in NYC last Fall and said that it had only taken me about 15-20 minutes to get in even if the line was around a few blocks by the time I got there. He just said that I must have gotten lucky.
Some talk about trapezing.
He was asked about his favorite thing in Bilbao and he said he wanted to buy a house on the beach. I almost commented to that by asking if Scott and Peter had shared their plans to buy that one house with him since it seemed they had dedicated a floor of it for him too but decided that I had been up enough by then.
Someone asked if he ever watched QAF and he said that he thinks he has seen all of it at some point or other. His favorite episode is 122 and when he was asked why he just said “because I get hit over the head with a bat.”
He didn’t watch the Oscars and doesn’t like to watch other award shows either.
Then there was a question about what was the most challenging part in playing Justin. He felt it was hard to have the same part for five years. He has a slight case of ADD which makes him want to do something else right after he starts doing something. He felt it was hard to remain concentrated. That being said, he feels that now he would be ready to be part of a TV show again. He has said it before and I think he repeated it, that after QAF ended he wanted to stay faraway from TV shows but now he feels ready again.
Was asked what would attract him to a show but unfortunately I missed the answer.
ETA: He is drawn more to comedy now (edited thanks to oceanreign)
Has been to see the new Broadway version of Waiting for Godot and quite enjoyed it. He preferred Ian McKellan.
Then there was some talk about Bang Bang You’re Dead. He got offered the role because the producer of the film was a QAF fan. Randy had enjoyed working with Ben Foster and had kept in contact with him for a while after filming. I think he was asked about his thoughts about arranging a shooting as revenge since he said something about arranging a school shooting is a very bad idea (duh!). He also mentioned that he think the film is used as educational material in school at the moment.
What he loves about Justin? Justin was very young but at the same time sometimes the most mature person in the group.
Randy would like to do theater related teaching but not full-time. He thinks it might be fun to do workshops or something like that.
He wouldn’t change a thing about the QAF finale and really liked it. He also said that he knows people don’t like the answer.
At some point he was also asked about his friend Matt Wilkas being on Looking and if he would like to be on the show as well. He said he had tried auditioning for it several times but hadn’t gotten any of the parts. (Personal note. Makes me wonder if the producers don’t want him on the show because of QAF since they seem to have wanted to distance themselves from QAF in every way.)
After Randy’s panel ended it was time for Peter’s panel. I knew I would have to leave in the middle of it but decided to stay in the hall as long as possible so that I could catch at least some of his panel.
The questions were not surprisingly started by The Fosters. Peter seemed really enthusiastic when he talked about it and he said he has really enjoyed doing the show. He had only good things to say about everyone involved in the program. He also said that he knows very well that not everyone has the chance to see the show by legal ways and that he doesn't care if people download it, as long as they watch it and talk about it.
He did comment how the first season has been a pretty bumpy ride.
He was also asked about working on Bones. He said he really liked being on the show and how Emily had been a pleasure to work with, but David not so much.
He says he’s the happiest when he’s directing. He said he’s happier now than he was when he was still doing acting.
I got up to ask a question about him how it has felt to “change sides”. He told me he has really enjoyed it and said that even while doing QAF he showed signs of being interested to be behind the camera. He said that he used to be a pretty much a pest on the set with going around and wanting to know how everything was made. The others would return to their trailers and such but he would remain on set to see what happened after filming was finished.
When he was finished with his answer, I realized that I was about to be late from my next activity, coffee break with Randy, so I had to dash out of the hall right away and foot it towards to where the M&Gs/Coffees were held. Was possibly the last one to arrive but at least Randy wasn’t there yet. He did arrive quite soon after me, though.
There was a moment of general activity around when everyone were getting their coffees/teas but then things settled down and it was time for questions. And once more there was silence in the room so I decided to open with the subject that was on my mind and asked him why they had been talking about my hair during the dinner. Randy laughed and said that he actually had no idea. He then directed a question to Sandra who was also present, to ask if she remembered how it had come up but she had no idea. I threw in that she had been drunk. Randy’s comment was that she obviously could hold her liquor well then since she hadn’t appeared drunk.
Then he returned to the subject of my hair and kept insisting that it had been pink at some point. I still kept denying and said I did have some highlights but those hadn’t been pink either. Then a few other people threw in that they remembered me having those highlights and Randy looked at me with a look that seemed to say “see?” Then he said to the room in general that someone had suggested that he was mixing me up with someone else but that he could never mix me up with anyone else. At that point I commented something about how I wasn’t exactly sure if that was a good or a bad thing.
In the end it was concluded that I’d had a tuft of colored hair. Randy still maintained that it had been pink while in my opinion it had been more reddish/purplish but I conceded the issue. I did have a thought of finding a photo of that hair on my mobile but thought that might have gone too far. And I also sort of wanted to move away from the subject since I didn’t think the others were finding it too interesting. *g*
I have to admit that I didn’t make notes at the M&Gs and Coffees so my recollections from them are so very vague. Sort of regretting not taking notes now but can’t be helped anymore.
The coffee went pretty well. There were a few silences but luckily there were some questions people came up with. I did really hard to try and remember what was talked about but I’m drawing a blank.
At one point I asked him about possible getting the short film Thinking distributed on DVD in Europe since he had talked about that the last time we saw. He preceded his answer with a short explanation what the film was and then said that they actually had some guy who had all the material and was going to edit it and at some point it was going to released again and made available to purchase. He had no idea when that was possibly going to happen but he promised to let people know.
Someone brought up the topic of how they had changed all the music in the show when it came available on Netflix. It seemed Randy hadn't heard that before and was quite surprised. There was a lengthy discussion about how the music was actually pretty integral to the show. And there's even dialogue that refers to the songs and if the songs are different, the dialogue might not make sense. There were comments about how it was hard to think about the show without certain songs. Save the Last Dance and Proud were at least mentioned.
When the coffee ended I knew that Gale’s panel was starting but since I knew that I was going to miss most of it anyway due to having a M&G with Peter I decided to go and see if I could get my photo with Scott taken at that point. The way the program was built, that was pretty much my only chance. Scott’s photo session was ongoing but since there hadn’t been people queuing to take photos, they had let him to go and rest for a while so I had to wait. I was told it was going to be just a few minutes but it proved to be a bit more. I was already getting worried that I was going to be late from the M&G but then Scott showed up and I got a very nice huggy photo with him.
I had thought I might have time to catch a few minutes of Gale’s panel but by the time I was done with the photo, it was already time to go up to the M&G room again for Peter. It was a pretty small group of people and the discussion flowed quite freely. All VIP tickets had the M&G included but I guess quite a few of them chose to stay and listen to Gale’s panel instead of attending the M&G.
I started the M&G by saying how bad I had felt for dashing out of the room right after asking my question. Peter comforted me that he hadn’t actually even noticed *g*
Again most of the discussion was concentrated around The Fosters. There was some talk about the finale. I told him that it had been a very bad idea for me to watch the finale on my way over to Bilbao since it had been very embarrassing to sit on the plane with tears streaming out of my eyes. I also asked if it had been intentional to make people cry with almost every episode. Peter simply answered “yes” but then elaborated that they knowingly handled pretty heavy stuff in the series but at the same time kept it to subjects that could touch anyone. He did deny that they would sit in the writers’ room plotting for heart wrenching stuff but did say that they were aware of the effect some of the scenes might have on people.
There was also some talk about the finale. One person at the M&G said that her version of the finale cut off right before the end and she hadn’t seen what happened in the last scene so Peter told her that. I do hope there was no-one at the M&G who hadn’t seen it.
Talk about the tweeting that happens around the show. Peter said that they are actually one of the Top5 most tweeted shows which had been a surprise for them. I told him that I used to follow the official Twitter account but since they live-tweeted all the episodes and I could never watch the eps when they aired, I had to unfollow to keep myself from getting spoiled constantly.
And while we were on the subject of spoilers, I did mention that I had managed to get spoiled of one of the scenes in the finale because reading one of Peter’s tweets. He did admit that he had tweeted that without thinking that not everyone might have seen the episode yet but at that point it had already been too late.
After the M&G ended I dashed down to get my photo done with Randy. At the door I was very sternly told that no hugs were allowed. That was quite fine by me since I hadn’t thought about asking for a huggy photo from him. I know he doesn’t feel comfortable with huggy photos so was just going to go with the normal pose since had nothing else in my mind.
Got the photo taken and then dashed back downstairs to see the duo panel with Peter and Scott. I missed the beginning due to having the photo taken but still managed to catch most of it. Unfortunately my notes fail me a little but writing what I can remember/have written down.
First they were asked about the best moments of working together. I think they just said that it was all pretty wonderful. They had had good chemistry right from the beginning and gotten fast friends quickly on the set and were able to move that friendship to the screen. They also talked about how they had a habit of doing some of the background discussions in the way that was designated to make the other one struggle. Those dialogues were recorded in a studio in a way that one of them went in there first, came up with something to say to fill the scene and then the other one had to give appropriate responses. They said they never knew what the other one had come up.
Then Peter brought up Bones and wanted to hear Scott’s opinion about Emily and David but Scott wasn’t really willing to talk about it and said that it possibly wasn’t the time and place for that.
They were also asked what they thought about the fact that there were so many straight women fans of the show. Peter once more repeated the same thing he has said in many occasions, “people came for the queer but stayed for the folk”. I think that’s really well said. People might have been attracted to the show by curiosity about what it was about but they stayed because they really enjoyed the story and the characters. They did also say that they think the producers were surprised by the amount of straight following the show got.
Someone asked how they think Emmett and Ted met since it seemed they were both more friends of Michael than each other in the beginning and also from quite different worlds. They did think that Michael was the person who brought them together but they also stated that they think that the fact that Scott and Peter had such good chemistry with each other that it also influenced the way the friendship developed on the show.
The HIV-scare arc. The person who asked the question also said that the speech Ted gives Emmett at the “See the light” scene is one of their favorite quotes and scenes in the series and that comment got quite a few approving noises from the room. Both Peter and Scott had really liked doing that story line but they also said it had been hard for them since they were so used to hanging out together and doing scenes together that when they didn’t have that, it felt empty somehow.
There was some talk about how their family reacted on them being on the show. Can’t remember what exactly was said but I do remember Scott talking about how he had two families, his birth-one and then his adoptive-one. He was adopted as a baby but found his birth-family while filming QAF and has kept in contact with them. He did say that his birth-family is quite religious and they had some trouble accepting the role. And if memory serves, Peter’s mom had some trouble with accepting the role but it had been her hairdresser that had made her change her mind. Peter told this story about how his mom had gone to the hairdresser’s and the hairdresser had, without knowing the connection, started talking about QAF and how great show it was and how it was very well needed. Peter’s mom had then told the hairdresser that her son was in the show but she wasn’t too happy about it. The hairdresser had scolded her and told her how important it was for the community to have the show.
At some point there was a question about how Brian seemed to have sex with everyone else except Emmett. Peter’s comment to that was that it was probably because they just had nothing to offer to each other. They were at the opposite ends. And while they constantly got on each other’s cases, they had respect towards each other.
They felt that the awkwardness that was there at the beginning of Ted’s and Emmett’s relationship showed quite well how awkward it was actually for them in the beginning. They felt that they transferred those feelings to the screen. The first kiss between Ted and Emmett was just as awkward as the first kiss between Scott and Peter would be.
And then the possibility of a QAF movie was brought up but they didn’t have much to say about that. Scott did mention that he was going to have lunch with CowLip when he returned home.
When that panel ended, it was time to get the double photo with Gale and Randy taken. With my VIP ticket I was able to jump the queue and get to the photo pretty quickly. The result looks a bit funny since it looks like I’ve plastered myself against Gale’s side and standing a bit further away from Randy but that’s the result of me taking me place between them and then turning to say something to Randy just before the photo was taken which made me stand closer to Gale than Randy. Also Gale had the habit of taking a pretty tight hold of people in the photos while Randy just rested his arm on the person’s waist.
After the photo I had a duo coffee with Peter and Scott. Unfortunately I’m drawing a total blank on most of what was discussed there. I do remember having fun, though. It was again a pretty small group and felt more like just a group of people discussing about things than a question and answer session. They did show interest towards what the gay rights status was in our countries. We went around the group and everyone said a few words about what was happening in their countries. It was quite interesting to hear. And I did notice that my country is obviously lagging behind since quite a few countries already had equal rights and had had for a while. Well, hopefully later this year Finland will have that too.
After that coffee, it was time for a lunch break which I spent on a close-by mall with my friends. Wasn’t feeling particularly hungry so just ended up picking some food from my friends’ plates.
When the convention continued, it was time for Randy and Gale’s duo panel. I guess no-one is surprised at this point that I got up to ask a question. I asked them how it felt like to be part of a show that even after all this time had such a huge following and very loyal fans. They were both very appreciative of it and said it was really great but also quite humbling.
Since there was no-one else queuing for the mike, I continued with another question. I asked them the same question someone had asked Peter and Scott about the large female audience the show had. Unlike Peter and Scott they thought that the female audience had been expected by the series creators. When I commented that Peter and Scott had said differently, Gale just replied that they didn’t know anything. He felt that the producers were experienced enough in the work that they knew that the show was going to attract audience from all over.
Next they were asked about doing music. Randy said that he hope his parents would have had a better taste in music. Gale used to play air-guitar when younger.
There was a question about the friendship between Michael and Brian. Gale felt that it was so strong because they had grown up together.
Someone asked their thoughts about Sharon and they both said they really wished that she was there and what a great person she is.
Then I got up to ask a question too. The unfortunate problem, however, was that the mike stopped working just then. At first I thought the person before me had accidentally turned it off but it seemed the batteries had ran out. They started to change them and I stood there joking at them how I had a habit of asking lots of questions and then added to Gale that he should just ask Randy. Randy just said that it was very true and then added that I could probably run the whole Q&A by myself if I wanted to. I might have blushed at that point. Then Gale offered his mike for me to ask the question and I told him that I needed him to answer the question I was about to ask as well and he just said I could bring the mike back to him after the question. I walked up to him, took the mike and walked back to the spot where you were supposed to ask the questions from.
My question touched on a question I had asked Randy some time ago about who he’d like to do a project with if he could pick from his former cast mates and he had picked Gale as the writer of that project. I asked Gale if he was willing to write that project for Randy. Randy seemed to remember the question and commented that hadn’t he picked a job for everyone. I told him that it was Peter directing and Michelle producing but that had been just because I had told him to pick three people. I think they came up with a job for Scott too on the stage but can’t remember what that was now. In the end Gale did say that he could very well be up for writing something for Randy.
Next someone asked where they thought Brian and Justin were now. Not a very surprising question but made some people groan. Gale and Randy seemed to think for a while what to reply. They must have been asked that question a dozen times in the past. In the end Randy said that Justin passed away a year ago to which Gale added that Justin is now in an urn at the back of Brian’s car.
Continuing on the theme, there was a question about when do they think Brian fell in love with Justin. At first Gale said he had no idea since Brian was so obviously in denial but then said that it was probably at the end of 122 when he saw Justin almost being killed right in front of his eyes but not being able to do anything about it.
There was a question about the QAF movie and if Brian and Justin would be together in it. Randy said that he had almost been booed off the stage in Cologne when he had told his thought about how he didn’t think Brian and Justin would ever get back together after Justin went to New York so he didn’t really want to answer the question anymore.
I got up to ask a follow-up question to regarding the movie. I asked them didn’t they think that if the movie was done through crowd funding that the fans would expect them to end up back together in it. At first Randy gave me this withering look and actually asked me “Pia, why are you doing this to me?” I just smiled at him and waited. He went on to say that actually the expectation of them ending back together would be the exact reason not to do it.
Next there was a question that I think has been called the most embarrassing question of the convention but I think the question just came out wrong and it wasn’t meant quite the way it sounded. Someone asked how it felt for Gale and Randy that there were so many people in the room who would like to take a piece of them with them going home. Gale and Randy both looked a bit uncomfortable at that and didn’t quite know what to say. Then Gale started to joke about how it would be decided who would get which part and also said that he was quite fond of all his parts so he wasn’t sure if he wanted to part with them. But he did ask if there was a surgeon in the house. It was all quite weird.
Then there was a question about how the felt working together. The both said that they had enjoyed it a lot and also added that they had a habit of starting to fuck with each other when things got boring in an attempt to make the other one crack up.
After that panel I once more dashed to the photo room to get my photo taken with Peter and then it was time to make my way up to the M&G/coffee room again since I had a coffee with Gale coming up. The coffee went mostly pretty well. There were some silences but nothing too bad. Gale kept looking out of the window and said we should go out to play basketball since there were courts outside.
I asked him about Rehab and if he knew if/when it was coming out. He said that he honestly had no idea what was happening with it and that it was quite possible that none of it would ever see the light of day. I did comment that I had seen some clips of it and he seemed quite surprised by it. He asked me what had happened in those clips. It has been pretty long since I saw them so I couldn't really give him an answer but I did tell a few tidbits I did remember from the clip. He suspected that the clips hadn't actually been officially released but that someone who had access to them, had leaked them.
A while later I asked him if he was planning on visiting the Guggenheim while he was in town. He said that he was aware the others had gone there the previous day but he hadn't been able to join them. He talked something about being locked in his room or something like that. He then added that he might be going later and added that he was planning on going for a small trip for a few days the following day but maybe then going to the Guggenheim on Wednesday. We very friendly told him that he probably meant that he was on his trip on Monday since the following day he was still supposed to be at the convention. He laughed at that and asked if it was Saturday now.
After the coffee, I went back to the main hall to catch the end of Scott’s panel. I had missed most of it but wanted to hear at least some of it.
Someone had asked him something about guns and he said he doesn’t like them.
He would be ready to do almost any role, as long as the script was good. He then amended that he probably wouldn’t be up to do any torture or similar films.
He had a body double for the gang-rape scene on season three and he said it had been quite awkward meeting up with the guy who seemed to be a fan of the show. The guy had wanted to get his photo taken with Scott before doing the scene.
Then someone asked him about his dog and he was quite pleased by that. He talked about her for a while and also revealed that his dog was gay but that he was fine with that.
That was the final panel of the day. I trecked back to my room to get all the stuff I wanted to get autographed. I had several items for Gale and Randy so I decided to get just some of them signed that day and the rest the next day.
As soon as the autographs started, I could have entered the room but I chose to stay behind and go with my friends when they were allowed in the room as well. They were sitting in the order of Peter, Scott, Randy and Gale. Got my autographs from Peter and Scott and told them both how nice it was seeing them again. I had bought A4 pictures of them both to get signed. For Randy I had this painted canvas of him and Gale together. For a while he wondered where he could sign and I just told him to sign in the front in the white space. He did and then commented that it looked like he was now the artist. For Gale I had the same canvas as well as a QAF poster I had gotten everyone else to sign in Cologne. He asked me what color I wanted him to sign with and I told him black since that’s the color everyone else had signed with, with the exception of Harris who had signed in silver. Gale just commented that he would let Harris keep his special status and signed in black.
There was an amusing thing during the autographs when one member of our group told all the guests that they had to wish happy birthday to one member of our group. They all did it very nicely and then it was Gale’s turn and he practically yelled the happy birthday at her and then turned to the rest of the group for approval. That shout had some heads turning.
Once the autographs were over, it was time to get ready for the evening’s cocktail party. We got changed and then made our way back downstairs so that we could secure our group a good table. However, we were told that the cocktails were going to start a bit late so we went to the hotel bar to get drinks instead.
We were finally let into the cocktail room. I was among the first group due to VIP ticket and in the room found out that they had reserved a separate table for the VIP ticket holders with turned over chairs the guests were going to sit in. I contemplated for a while where to sit but then decided to sit at the VIP table even if I was called a traitor by my friends.
When the cocktails started the guests walked in and Scott came to sit beside me. Randy took a seat across the table and Gale and Peter were sitting a bit further away. While I was happy to have Scott next to me and Randy pretty close too, I did hope they would maybe change places at some point so that I would get a chance to interact with Peter and Gale as well.
In the beginning Scott went around the table and poured wine for everyone who wanted some. He’s such a gentleman. There were also all kinds of food available and we carefully sampled the different dishes. There was an amusing moment when they brought in some sushi and Scott tasted that. His face was priceless at that point since I guess it tasted pretty bad for him. I’m sure he would have spit it out if he hadn’t been in public. Despite his reaction I dared to sample the other kind of sushi they had available. Scott actually leaned away from me when I ate it.
Can’t remember everything that was talked while the guests were at that table but I do remember having fun. However, then they were moving to other tables which I took to mean that we’d had our moment with them. They went around the room and sat for a while in all the tables. At some point I started to think about joining my friends’ table after all but I didn’t dare to do it since I thought some people might have considered it rude. In hindsight, I should so have done it but can’t be helped now. I just concentrated on talking with the other people at the table and following the goings on while the guests went around the other tables. it seemed fun was had by all. I do know that I myself drank too much of the wine. But it was a fun evening all in all. I do feel that VIP tickets got a bit slighted in the deal since we got all the guests at the same time while the other tables got them all separately. One more reason why I should have joined my friends’ table. After the guests left the hall, we were still allowed to stay there for a while, talk among ourselves, drink and eat the food. However, at some point we were told that we had to leave so we moved to the hotel bar.
Got to bed way too late and had a feeling I was going to pay the price for all the fun I had the next morning.
There are quite a few photos. The same disclaimers apply :)
Previous part
It felt like the alarm went off way too early. Since I had a VIP ticket, I had the breakfast included in the room. I made my way downstairs to eat something even if I wasn't feeling particularly hungry. I did suspect I would need the energy during the day, especially with the program being built the way it was, I suspected I might not even have time to pee, let alone eat anything. Managed to stuff some food down my throat and then returned upstairs to get ready for the day.
The first item on the program was an Opening. I took that to mean that all the guests would come out for the duration of the panel (30min), say a few words, maybe answer some general questions and such, the way I've gotten used to. However, the opening was scheduled to start at 9am. We were let in the hall about 9:10am and the whole thing only started about 9:25am. All the guests did come out and said a few words but it was over pretty quickly.
Below some pics from the opening
The next item was Randy’s single panel. I wasn't quite clear on how you were supposed to ask questions so when they said it was time for questions, I sort of half raised my hand and I guess that attracted Randy’s attention to me. He looked at me and said “You used to have pink hair once, right?” I could hear my friends cracking up somewhere in the hall and I had trouble keeping a straight face too. However, I did tell him that he got it wrong. I did add that I had red-purplish highlights once but no pink. He seemed quite convinced of the fact that I had had pink hair.
After that the panel got started. I did my best to make notes of the panels but I do apologize if I get some things wrong. So first Randy was asked about recording music. He did say that it’s something he would like to do one day but just hadn’t had the time for it. He did say that he is going to music and singing lessons whenever possible and you never know what’s going to happen in the future.
Next he was asked about his thoughts before going on stage. Unfortunately didn’t catch his reply to that.
Then it was time for me ask him a question. I asked him if there were going to be any more of those “instructional videos” he has been doing with Phillip Tarantula and Jenn Harris. He did say that they had a few ready and that those would be coming out at some point. I continued with a question about if it was going to be just the three of them in all future videos or if they were planning on possibly having guest stars there. He said that the videos they had made that far had only the three of them in them but it was possible that at some point they might have the other QWAN members guest starring.
Then he talked in length about some play but unfortunately I missed the gist of it.
Someone asked him if he was still studying French but he said that he hadn’t done that seriously for a few years. He claimed getting lessons in NYC is very expensive. He also said that only when he tried to talk to someone in French, did he realize how rusty his French had gotten. He would really much like to be able to speak it better.
Then he was asked what had been his best moment coming off stage. He did have to think about it for a while but in the end he replied that he had to pick Tommy.
In his opinion the best thing about living in NYC is the feeling of belonging in a community.
Randy’s dream character would be to play some old man roles but he knows he still has to wait before he can qualify for those roles. He said he would like to at some point play Uncle Vanja and all the characters from Beckett’s plays.
Then I was up again. Before my question, I did joke at Randy that as we had discussed the previous day, I obviously never ask any questions. He replied with something on the lines of how I was always so quiet. My actual question to him was about QWAN. I asked him if they had any new material planned or were they possible going to do more shows with the material they already have. He said that they did have some ideas but it could well be a few years since they are all busy doing their own thing at the moment. He also said that the next thing they will do will be something different. He visioned it to be something that would be staged and also off-book. The two readings they are now doing are just that, readings with just a few props. He also said that he doesn’t see them doing the readings in NYC again since he feels that everyone who wants to see it there, has already seen it.
Next there was a question about Berkshires and if he misses doing it and/or thinks about going back. He said that he doesn’t really miss it. He took part for six or seven years and in his opinion that is enough.
He would love to be part of Angels of America on Broadway.
Next question was about doing musicals. Randy replied that he does musicals every few years but doesn’t want to do just them. He’s quite happy with doing them just every once in a while.
Then there was a question about doing commercials. He seemed open to doing them as long as he believed in the product he was advertising. He wouldn’t want to do any commercials for products that can give you cancer or for companies with bad ethics.
Next there was some talk about politics but unfortunately I missed some of it. He did mention right-wing groups and how they occasionally seem to get a lot of people behind them.
Someone asked him about Such Good People and when we might get to see it but he couldn’t give a clear answer to that. He sort of implied that after he finished filming the movie, he hadn’t heard much about it.
Then he was asked about what he would change if there was a remake of QAF. He was asked if he would still play the same character. He immediately said that he would want to play the evil twin to Justin.
Someone asked about his favorite shows and he listed at least House of Cards, Looking, Orange is the new Black and Girls, with the last one being his favorite.
Then it was again me up there. I asked him about going to museums and if he had a favorite one in the world. He said he didn’t have a favorite one but he did enjoy contemporary art. He listed a few museums that had contemporary art that he liked to visit. He did say that he likes to go to MOMA but that it’s too expensive. I commented that it’s free on Friday evenings but he claimed there were always huge lines in then. I told him that I had no trouble getting in when I was in NYC last Fall and said that it had only taken me about 15-20 minutes to get in even if the line was around a few blocks by the time I got there. He just said that I must have gotten lucky.
Some talk about trapezing.
He was asked about his favorite thing in Bilbao and he said he wanted to buy a house on the beach. I almost commented to that by asking if Scott and Peter had shared their plans to buy that one house with him since it seemed they had dedicated a floor of it for him too but decided that I had been up enough by then.
Someone asked if he ever watched QAF and he said that he thinks he has seen all of it at some point or other. His favorite episode is 122 and when he was asked why he just said “because I get hit over the head with a bat.”
He didn’t watch the Oscars and doesn’t like to watch other award shows either.
Then there was a question about what was the most challenging part in playing Justin. He felt it was hard to have the same part for five years. He has a slight case of ADD which makes him want to do something else right after he starts doing something. He felt it was hard to remain concentrated. That being said, he feels that now he would be ready to be part of a TV show again. He has said it before and I think he repeated it, that after QAF ended he wanted to stay faraway from TV shows but now he feels ready again.
Was asked what would attract him to a show but unfortunately I missed the answer.
ETA: He is drawn more to comedy now (edited thanks to oceanreign)
Has been to see the new Broadway version of Waiting for Godot and quite enjoyed it. He preferred Ian McKellan.
Then there was some talk about Bang Bang You’re Dead. He got offered the role because the producer of the film was a QAF fan. Randy had enjoyed working with Ben Foster and had kept in contact with him for a while after filming. I think he was asked about his thoughts about arranging a shooting as revenge since he said something about arranging a school shooting is a very bad idea (duh!). He also mentioned that he think the film is used as educational material in school at the moment.
What he loves about Justin? Justin was very young but at the same time sometimes the most mature person in the group.
Randy would like to do theater related teaching but not full-time. He thinks it might be fun to do workshops or something like that.
He wouldn’t change a thing about the QAF finale and really liked it. He also said that he knows people don’t like the answer.
At some point he was also asked about his friend Matt Wilkas being on Looking and if he would like to be on the show as well. He said he had tried auditioning for it several times but hadn’t gotten any of the parts. (Personal note. Makes me wonder if the producers don’t want him on the show because of QAF since they seem to have wanted to distance themselves from QAF in every way.)
After Randy’s panel ended it was time for Peter’s panel. I knew I would have to leave in the middle of it but decided to stay in the hall as long as possible so that I could catch at least some of his panel.
The questions were not surprisingly started by The Fosters. Peter seemed really enthusiastic when he talked about it and he said he has really enjoyed doing the show. He had only good things to say about everyone involved in the program. He also said that he knows very well that not everyone has the chance to see the show by legal ways and that he doesn't care if people download it, as long as they watch it and talk about it.
He did comment how the first season has been a pretty bumpy ride.
He was also asked about working on Bones. He said he really liked being on the show and how Emily had been a pleasure to work with, but David not so much.
He says he’s the happiest when he’s directing. He said he’s happier now than he was when he was still doing acting.
I got up to ask a question about him how it has felt to “change sides”. He told me he has really enjoyed it and said that even while doing QAF he showed signs of being interested to be behind the camera. He said that he used to be a pretty much a pest on the set with going around and wanting to know how everything was made. The others would return to their trailers and such but he would remain on set to see what happened after filming was finished.
When he was finished with his answer, I realized that I was about to be late from my next activity, coffee break with Randy, so I had to dash out of the hall right away and foot it towards to where the M&Gs/Coffees were held. Was possibly the last one to arrive but at least Randy wasn’t there yet. He did arrive quite soon after me, though.
There was a moment of general activity around when everyone were getting their coffees/teas but then things settled down and it was time for questions. And once more there was silence in the room so I decided to open with the subject that was on my mind and asked him why they had been talking about my hair during the dinner. Randy laughed and said that he actually had no idea. He then directed a question to Sandra who was also present, to ask if she remembered how it had come up but she had no idea. I threw in that she had been drunk. Randy’s comment was that she obviously could hold her liquor well then since she hadn’t appeared drunk.
Then he returned to the subject of my hair and kept insisting that it had been pink at some point. I still kept denying and said I did have some highlights but those hadn’t been pink either. Then a few other people threw in that they remembered me having those highlights and Randy looked at me with a look that seemed to say “see?” Then he said to the room in general that someone had suggested that he was mixing me up with someone else but that he could never mix me up with anyone else. At that point I commented something about how I wasn’t exactly sure if that was a good or a bad thing.
In the end it was concluded that I’d had a tuft of colored hair. Randy still maintained that it had been pink while in my opinion it had been more reddish/purplish but I conceded the issue. I did have a thought of finding a photo of that hair on my mobile but thought that might have gone too far. And I also sort of wanted to move away from the subject since I didn’t think the others were finding it too interesting. *g*
I have to admit that I didn’t make notes at the M&Gs and Coffees so my recollections from them are so very vague. Sort of regretting not taking notes now but can’t be helped anymore.
The coffee went pretty well. There were a few silences but luckily there were some questions people came up with. I did really hard to try and remember what was talked about but I’m drawing a blank.
At one point I asked him about possible getting the short film Thinking distributed on DVD in Europe since he had talked about that the last time we saw. He preceded his answer with a short explanation what the film was and then said that they actually had some guy who had all the material and was going to edit it and at some point it was going to released again and made available to purchase. He had no idea when that was possibly going to happen but he promised to let people know.
Someone brought up the topic of how they had changed all the music in the show when it came available on Netflix. It seemed Randy hadn't heard that before and was quite surprised. There was a lengthy discussion about how the music was actually pretty integral to the show. And there's even dialogue that refers to the songs and if the songs are different, the dialogue might not make sense. There were comments about how it was hard to think about the show without certain songs. Save the Last Dance and Proud were at least mentioned.
When the coffee ended I knew that Gale’s panel was starting but since I knew that I was going to miss most of it anyway due to having a M&G with Peter I decided to go and see if I could get my photo with Scott taken at that point. The way the program was built, that was pretty much my only chance. Scott’s photo session was ongoing but since there hadn’t been people queuing to take photos, they had let him to go and rest for a while so I had to wait. I was told it was going to be just a few minutes but it proved to be a bit more. I was already getting worried that I was going to be late from the M&G but then Scott showed up and I got a very nice huggy photo with him.
I had thought I might have time to catch a few minutes of Gale’s panel but by the time I was done with the photo, it was already time to go up to the M&G room again for Peter. It was a pretty small group of people and the discussion flowed quite freely. All VIP tickets had the M&G included but I guess quite a few of them chose to stay and listen to Gale’s panel instead of attending the M&G.
I started the M&G by saying how bad I had felt for dashing out of the room right after asking my question. Peter comforted me that he hadn’t actually even noticed *g*
Again most of the discussion was concentrated around The Fosters. There was some talk about the finale. I told him that it had been a very bad idea for me to watch the finale on my way over to Bilbao since it had been very embarrassing to sit on the plane with tears streaming out of my eyes. I also asked if it had been intentional to make people cry with almost every episode. Peter simply answered “yes” but then elaborated that they knowingly handled pretty heavy stuff in the series but at the same time kept it to subjects that could touch anyone. He did deny that they would sit in the writers’ room plotting for heart wrenching stuff but did say that they were aware of the effect some of the scenes might have on people.
There was also some talk about the finale. One person at the M&G said that her version of the finale cut off right before the end and she hadn’t seen what happened in the last scene so Peter told her that. I do hope there was no-one at the M&G who hadn’t seen it.
Talk about the tweeting that happens around the show. Peter said that they are actually one of the Top5 most tweeted shows which had been a surprise for them. I told him that I used to follow the official Twitter account but since they live-tweeted all the episodes and I could never watch the eps when they aired, I had to unfollow to keep myself from getting spoiled constantly.
And while we were on the subject of spoilers, I did mention that I had managed to get spoiled of one of the scenes in the finale because reading one of Peter’s tweets. He did admit that he had tweeted that without thinking that not everyone might have seen the episode yet but at that point it had already been too late.
After the M&G ended I dashed down to get my photo done with Randy. At the door I was very sternly told that no hugs were allowed. That was quite fine by me since I hadn’t thought about asking for a huggy photo from him. I know he doesn’t feel comfortable with huggy photos so was just going to go with the normal pose since had nothing else in my mind.
Got the photo taken and then dashed back downstairs to see the duo panel with Peter and Scott. I missed the beginning due to having the photo taken but still managed to catch most of it. Unfortunately my notes fail me a little but writing what I can remember/have written down.
First they were asked about the best moments of working together. I think they just said that it was all pretty wonderful. They had had good chemistry right from the beginning and gotten fast friends quickly on the set and were able to move that friendship to the screen. They also talked about how they had a habit of doing some of the background discussions in the way that was designated to make the other one struggle. Those dialogues were recorded in a studio in a way that one of them went in there first, came up with something to say to fill the scene and then the other one had to give appropriate responses. They said they never knew what the other one had come up.
Then Peter brought up Bones and wanted to hear Scott’s opinion about Emily and David but Scott wasn’t really willing to talk about it and said that it possibly wasn’t the time and place for that.
They were also asked what they thought about the fact that there were so many straight women fans of the show. Peter once more repeated the same thing he has said in many occasions, “people came for the queer but stayed for the folk”. I think that’s really well said. People might have been attracted to the show by curiosity about what it was about but they stayed because they really enjoyed the story and the characters. They did also say that they think the producers were surprised by the amount of straight following the show got.
Someone asked how they think Emmett and Ted met since it seemed they were both more friends of Michael than each other in the beginning and also from quite different worlds. They did think that Michael was the person who brought them together but they also stated that they think that the fact that Scott and Peter had such good chemistry with each other that it also influenced the way the friendship developed on the show.
The HIV-scare arc. The person who asked the question also said that the speech Ted gives Emmett at the “See the light” scene is one of their favorite quotes and scenes in the series and that comment got quite a few approving noises from the room. Both Peter and Scott had really liked doing that story line but they also said it had been hard for them since they were so used to hanging out together and doing scenes together that when they didn’t have that, it felt empty somehow.
There was some talk about how their family reacted on them being on the show. Can’t remember what exactly was said but I do remember Scott talking about how he had two families, his birth-one and then his adoptive-one. He was adopted as a baby but found his birth-family while filming QAF and has kept in contact with them. He did say that his birth-family is quite religious and they had some trouble accepting the role. And if memory serves, Peter’s mom had some trouble with accepting the role but it had been her hairdresser that had made her change her mind. Peter told this story about how his mom had gone to the hairdresser’s and the hairdresser had, without knowing the connection, started talking about QAF and how great show it was and how it was very well needed. Peter’s mom had then told the hairdresser that her son was in the show but she wasn’t too happy about it. The hairdresser had scolded her and told her how important it was for the community to have the show.
At some point there was a question about how Brian seemed to have sex with everyone else except Emmett. Peter’s comment to that was that it was probably because they just had nothing to offer to each other. They were at the opposite ends. And while they constantly got on each other’s cases, they had respect towards each other.
They felt that the awkwardness that was there at the beginning of Ted’s and Emmett’s relationship showed quite well how awkward it was actually for them in the beginning. They felt that they transferred those feelings to the screen. The first kiss between Ted and Emmett was just as awkward as the first kiss between Scott and Peter would be.
And then the possibility of a QAF movie was brought up but they didn’t have much to say about that. Scott did mention that he was going to have lunch with CowLip when he returned home.
When that panel ended, it was time to get the double photo with Gale and Randy taken. With my VIP ticket I was able to jump the queue and get to the photo pretty quickly. The result looks a bit funny since it looks like I’ve plastered myself against Gale’s side and standing a bit further away from Randy but that’s the result of me taking me place between them and then turning to say something to Randy just before the photo was taken which made me stand closer to Gale than Randy. Also Gale had the habit of taking a pretty tight hold of people in the photos while Randy just rested his arm on the person’s waist.
After the photo I had a duo coffee with Peter and Scott. Unfortunately I’m drawing a total blank on most of what was discussed there. I do remember having fun, though. It was again a pretty small group and felt more like just a group of people discussing about things than a question and answer session. They did show interest towards what the gay rights status was in our countries. We went around the group and everyone said a few words about what was happening in their countries. It was quite interesting to hear. And I did notice that my country is obviously lagging behind since quite a few countries already had equal rights and had had for a while. Well, hopefully later this year Finland will have that too.
After that coffee, it was time for a lunch break which I spent on a close-by mall with my friends. Wasn’t feeling particularly hungry so just ended up picking some food from my friends’ plates.
When the convention continued, it was time for Randy and Gale’s duo panel. I guess no-one is surprised at this point that I got up to ask a question. I asked them how it felt like to be part of a show that even after all this time had such a huge following and very loyal fans. They were both very appreciative of it and said it was really great but also quite humbling.
Since there was no-one else queuing for the mike, I continued with another question. I asked them the same question someone had asked Peter and Scott about the large female audience the show had. Unlike Peter and Scott they thought that the female audience had been expected by the series creators. When I commented that Peter and Scott had said differently, Gale just replied that they didn’t know anything. He felt that the producers were experienced enough in the work that they knew that the show was going to attract audience from all over.
Next they were asked about doing music. Randy said that he hope his parents would have had a better taste in music. Gale used to play air-guitar when younger.
There was a question about the friendship between Michael and Brian. Gale felt that it was so strong because they had grown up together.
Someone asked their thoughts about Sharon and they both said they really wished that she was there and what a great person she is.
Then I got up to ask a question too. The unfortunate problem, however, was that the mike stopped working just then. At first I thought the person before me had accidentally turned it off but it seemed the batteries had ran out. They started to change them and I stood there joking at them how I had a habit of asking lots of questions and then added to Gale that he should just ask Randy. Randy just said that it was very true and then added that I could probably run the whole Q&A by myself if I wanted to. I might have blushed at that point. Then Gale offered his mike for me to ask the question and I told him that I needed him to answer the question I was about to ask as well and he just said I could bring the mike back to him after the question. I walked up to him, took the mike and walked back to the spot where you were supposed to ask the questions from.
My question touched on a question I had asked Randy some time ago about who he’d like to do a project with if he could pick from his former cast mates and he had picked Gale as the writer of that project. I asked Gale if he was willing to write that project for Randy. Randy seemed to remember the question and commented that hadn’t he picked a job for everyone. I told him that it was Peter directing and Michelle producing but that had been just because I had told him to pick three people. I think they came up with a job for Scott too on the stage but can’t remember what that was now. In the end Gale did say that he could very well be up for writing something for Randy.
Next someone asked where they thought Brian and Justin were now. Not a very surprising question but made some people groan. Gale and Randy seemed to think for a while what to reply. They must have been asked that question a dozen times in the past. In the end Randy said that Justin passed away a year ago to which Gale added that Justin is now in an urn at the back of Brian’s car.
Continuing on the theme, there was a question about when do they think Brian fell in love with Justin. At first Gale said he had no idea since Brian was so obviously in denial but then said that it was probably at the end of 122 when he saw Justin almost being killed right in front of his eyes but not being able to do anything about it.
There was a question about the QAF movie and if Brian and Justin would be together in it. Randy said that he had almost been booed off the stage in Cologne when he had told his thought about how he didn’t think Brian and Justin would ever get back together after Justin went to New York so he didn’t really want to answer the question anymore.
I got up to ask a follow-up question to regarding the movie. I asked them didn’t they think that if the movie was done through crowd funding that the fans would expect them to end up back together in it. At first Randy gave me this withering look and actually asked me “Pia, why are you doing this to me?” I just smiled at him and waited. He went on to say that actually the expectation of them ending back together would be the exact reason not to do it.
Next there was a question that I think has been called the most embarrassing question of the convention but I think the question just came out wrong and it wasn’t meant quite the way it sounded. Someone asked how it felt for Gale and Randy that there were so many people in the room who would like to take a piece of them with them going home. Gale and Randy both looked a bit uncomfortable at that and didn’t quite know what to say. Then Gale started to joke about how it would be decided who would get which part and also said that he was quite fond of all his parts so he wasn’t sure if he wanted to part with them. But he did ask if there was a surgeon in the house. It was all quite weird.
Then there was a question about how the felt working together. The both said that they had enjoyed it a lot and also added that they had a habit of starting to fuck with each other when things got boring in an attempt to make the other one crack up.
After that panel I once more dashed to the photo room to get my photo taken with Peter and then it was time to make my way up to the M&G/coffee room again since I had a coffee with Gale coming up. The coffee went mostly pretty well. There were some silences but nothing too bad. Gale kept looking out of the window and said we should go out to play basketball since there were courts outside.
I asked him about Rehab and if he knew if/when it was coming out. He said that he honestly had no idea what was happening with it and that it was quite possible that none of it would ever see the light of day. I did comment that I had seen some clips of it and he seemed quite surprised by it. He asked me what had happened in those clips. It has been pretty long since I saw them so I couldn't really give him an answer but I did tell a few tidbits I did remember from the clip. He suspected that the clips hadn't actually been officially released but that someone who had access to them, had leaked them.
A while later I asked him if he was planning on visiting the Guggenheim while he was in town. He said that he was aware the others had gone there the previous day but he hadn't been able to join them. He talked something about being locked in his room or something like that. He then added that he might be going later and added that he was planning on going for a small trip for a few days the following day but maybe then going to the Guggenheim on Wednesday. We very friendly told him that he probably meant that he was on his trip on Monday since the following day he was still supposed to be at the convention. He laughed at that and asked if it was Saturday now.
After the coffee, I went back to the main hall to catch the end of Scott’s panel. I had missed most of it but wanted to hear at least some of it.
Someone had asked him something about guns and he said he doesn’t like them.
He would be ready to do almost any role, as long as the script was good. He then amended that he probably wouldn’t be up to do any torture or similar films.
He had a body double for the gang-rape scene on season three and he said it had been quite awkward meeting up with the guy who seemed to be a fan of the show. The guy had wanted to get his photo taken with Scott before doing the scene.
Then someone asked him about his dog and he was quite pleased by that. He talked about her for a while and also revealed that his dog was gay but that he was fine with that.
That was the final panel of the day. I trecked back to my room to get all the stuff I wanted to get autographed. I had several items for Gale and Randy so I decided to get just some of them signed that day and the rest the next day.
As soon as the autographs started, I could have entered the room but I chose to stay behind and go with my friends when they were allowed in the room as well. They were sitting in the order of Peter, Scott, Randy and Gale. Got my autographs from Peter and Scott and told them both how nice it was seeing them again. I had bought A4 pictures of them both to get signed. For Randy I had this painted canvas of him and Gale together. For a while he wondered where he could sign and I just told him to sign in the front in the white space. He did and then commented that it looked like he was now the artist. For Gale I had the same canvas as well as a QAF poster I had gotten everyone else to sign in Cologne. He asked me what color I wanted him to sign with and I told him black since that’s the color everyone else had signed with, with the exception of Harris who had signed in silver. Gale just commented that he would let Harris keep his special status and signed in black.
There was an amusing thing during the autographs when one member of our group told all the guests that they had to wish happy birthday to one member of our group. They all did it very nicely and then it was Gale’s turn and he practically yelled the happy birthday at her and then turned to the rest of the group for approval. That shout had some heads turning.
Once the autographs were over, it was time to get ready for the evening’s cocktail party. We got changed and then made our way back downstairs so that we could secure our group a good table. However, we were told that the cocktails were going to start a bit late so we went to the hotel bar to get drinks instead.
We were finally let into the cocktail room. I was among the first group due to VIP ticket and in the room found out that they had reserved a separate table for the VIP ticket holders with turned over chairs the guests were going to sit in. I contemplated for a while where to sit but then decided to sit at the VIP table even if I was called a traitor by my friends.
When the cocktails started the guests walked in and Scott came to sit beside me. Randy took a seat across the table and Gale and Peter were sitting a bit further away. While I was happy to have Scott next to me and Randy pretty close too, I did hope they would maybe change places at some point so that I would get a chance to interact with Peter and Gale as well.
In the beginning Scott went around the table and poured wine for everyone who wanted some. He’s such a gentleman. There were also all kinds of food available and we carefully sampled the different dishes. There was an amusing moment when they brought in some sushi and Scott tasted that. His face was priceless at that point since I guess it tasted pretty bad for him. I’m sure he would have spit it out if he hadn’t been in public. Despite his reaction I dared to sample the other kind of sushi they had available. Scott actually leaned away from me when I ate it.
Can’t remember everything that was talked while the guests were at that table but I do remember having fun. However, then they were moving to other tables which I took to mean that we’d had our moment with them. They went around the room and sat for a while in all the tables. At some point I started to think about joining my friends’ table after all but I didn’t dare to do it since I thought some people might have considered it rude. In hindsight, I should so have done it but can’t be helped now. I just concentrated on talking with the other people at the table and following the goings on while the guests went around the other tables. it seemed fun was had by all. I do know that I myself drank too much of the wine. But it was a fun evening all in all. I do feel that VIP tickets got a bit slighted in the deal since we got all the guests at the same time while the other tables got them all separately. One more reason why I should have joined my friends’ table. After the guests left the hall, we were still allowed to stay there for a while, talk among ourselves, drink and eat the food. However, at some point we were told that we had to leave so we moved to the hotel bar.
Got to bed way too late and had a feeling I was going to pay the price for all the fun I had the next morning.