JUST A LITTLE GATHERING IN COLOGNE
I attended the Con in Cologne on March 20-22. It started out as just a gathering of fans who had attended some of Cons but then Elke got Randy to commit to attend. Once he was signed, she decided to get Dean Armstrong who played Blake and Makyla Smith Deleo who played Daphne to attend which made for a very different but lively event.
Through the Cons and DVD signings and venues where the cast performed, I have met all the main cast including Sherry Miller and Jack Wetherill and also Dean who attended one of the Cons in Toronto in 2004 when he was still a very young blond. I had never met Makyla and this was a real treat. She could step right into Daphne’s shoes again as she looks exactly the same as she did when she took the role. She and her husband James were just delightful. She is pregnant and will give birth to a daughter who she plans to name Evelyn Annalise in June. Since the Con was small, it was easy to get to know all the attendees and I really enjoyed seeing so many friends I had made at the other Cons.
On Friday afternoon, we began with registration and then went to the cathedral. There were two groups who went up to the top of the cathedral with Randy and Dean. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to navigate the winding staircase and scaffolding but now I wish I had tried it if only for the view of Cologne. Instead I went to the bowels of the cathedral to the Treasure Room with Makyla and saw all the artifacts and jewels.
That evening we all gathered for dinner. I had paid for the side cast VIP ticket instead of Randy’s VIP ticket because I wanted to be with Dean and Makyla since I have had spent plenty of time with Randy in the previous Cons. I was glad I chose them because our table was having a ball laughing and carrying on and Randy’s table across the room was so quiet that we kept looking over to see if they were still there. I guess they were having quiet conversations while at our table Dean was at the helm and in rare form having so much fun teasing and joking with us. He particularly enjoyed making one of the gals who was sitting next to him blush. I was across the table from him next to Makyla and James. Makyla is a sweetheart and her husband was so nice and friendly and joined us for the dinner, cocktail party and the visit to the winery. He even showed us where to go for lunch on Saturday during our break. She has not seen Randy since the show wrapped. He knew she got married but didn’t know that she was pregnant until he saw her. Dean has a daughter, Ryan Kiera and I think she is about 6 or so. I can’t remember but he showed us pictures of her. When I was telling him about introducing my Croatian dentist to QAF, he said his wife was a Croatian dentist. He has spent time in Croatia and I think he was heading there after the Con but I’m not really sure that this was true as he is a tease and later he mentioned his girlfriend so I’m not sure if he is married to Ryan’s mother.
On Saturday we had the opening and the panels with Randy, then Dean and then Randy and Makyla. We also had the photos taken and autographs. I had taken one of my pictures with Dean from the Toronto Con so he could see that we had met before. He looked so young then. I got photos with Randy, Dean and Makyla and then with Randy and Makyla and then with all three. Dean was clowning around during the photo sessions. All three including Randy seemed to be having a great time. Some of what I gleaned from the panels:
Randy - Shot a pilot for a comedy he wrote and created with Jenn Harris and they are waiting for financing to make it a web series. He is now more interested in creating. He says he won’t do any more nudity like he did in QAF. He did a concert with a new composer in which he sang a duet. He is starting to like comedy more and is working on Sam and Julia with Michelle Beck. He writes songs for himself but wants them to be professional before he shares them. The book he is reading now is Another Country by James Baldwin. He likes the shows… Looking, Girls, House of Cards, Transparent, The Unbreakable Kimmie Schmidt, Orphan Black and a comedy called Broad City. He loved Birdman and Boyhood. He recorded himself at age 30 so he can listen to his voice when he is older. He is going to be on Justin Sayer’s Podcast. He needs loud music to distract him from chaos.
Dean - He has his own Armstrong Acting Studio which he has run for 17 years and he coaches young actors. He coached some of the young actors (the poisoner) on The Borgias. He talked quite a bit about his school. He has 84 on staff and has had 4000 students. He coached Billy Ray Cyrus on a show called Doc and therefore knew and coached Miley Cyrus prior to her stint as Hannah Montana. He also coached Nina Dobrev of the Vampire Diaries. He started out in environmental law and then went to teacher’s college. He auditioned for the role of Justin and when he got Blake it was supposed to be just a couple of episodes. He was doing Rent at the same time in NYC. He worked on the “Saw” franchise after QAF and has often played bad guys. At dinner I told him the photo that they used for the Con made him look sinister so then he told everyone at the panel what I said. He had nothing but nice things to say about Scott and told the same story Scott had told us about a fly being on set during their first kiss and that it kept buzzing between them when they went in for the kiss. They both think you can hear it buzz on the DVD. He also said that Scott told his then fiancee that if he had to go gay, it would be with someone like Dean. I asked him the Inside the Actor’s Studio questions and these were his responses. Fav word - Daddy, Least fav word - can’t, fav curse word - fuck, what he wants St. Peter to say when he reaches the Pearlie Gates - Where’s your clothes? Dean could not have been more open or fun with all of us.
Then it was Randy and Makyla’s panel. I think she was a little afraid to do it alone. She was only 17 at the time of the premiere and Randy was 22. She didn’t know he was gay when she first met him. She talked about the scene where she saw Brian in the shower and that he just had a little something (cock sock?) on and she felt awkward. She was shy around Gale. Her mother was an actress so that’s how she came to audition for Daphne. Afterward, she moved and went to school. She is a vet tech at a large animal clinic and works with rescued animals. She thinks Randy is more confident now. They were just darling together and made each other laugh. She didn’t remember a lot about the show so we all told the two of them things about their scenes that we knew and they forgot. She forgot that she had a boyfriend that was a swimmer. Their first scene together was the one at the pool when she pushed him in. It was a fun panel because they were just reminiscing and laughing together while we supplied the subject.
That evening was the cocktail party and they spent some time at each table. After the party, a group of us which included Dean went to a karaoke bar but it was so packed that none of our group got to sing. Dean headed back to the hotel with a few of us and we stopped on the way for pizza and sandwiches at a sidewalk eatery.
On Sunday, we all took a bus to a winery and had a tour and lunch. The guests came in a van but we all did the tour and ate lunch together. At one point, Makyla was sitting in a lounge chair by the fire with her feet up and her plate resting on her belly. I told her she was using Evelyn as a tray table. After a leisurely lunch in which we all moved around since it was a buffet, we took a group photo (see icon) and said our goodbyes to Randy, Dean and Makyla and James. We all got hugs from each of them.
I really think everyone including Randy enjoyed this small Con. We all seemed like just a bunch of friends enjoying some time together. I know that Randy and Makyla had a good time together and there is no way that Dean didn’t enjoy himself. As serious as he is when talking about his acting studio and coaching, he can be a real fast talker and you never know what is going to come out of his mouth. He entertained our table with songs from the playlist on his phone.
It seemed the weekend flew by and it was time to leave my friends, old and new. Having attended the Cons in Cologne, Bilbao and L.A., I found each special in their own way from the mega Con in 2012 to the intimate gathering this year.
When one ends, it’s always comforting to know that there is another on the horizon. I plan to go the STX Festival in Austin in June where Cowlip and some of the QAF actors will have a panel and to the Gale Fanmeet in Bilbao in September. My heartfelt thanks to Elke Kriebel for starting the Con ball rolling and keeping it alive. There’s talk of maybe one in Toronto next year which might be handier to the U.S. fans. Here’s hoping!
Through the Cons and DVD signings and venues where the cast performed, I have met all the main cast including Sherry Miller and Jack Wetherill and also Dean who attended one of the Cons in Toronto in 2004 when he was still a very young blond. I had never met Makyla and this was a real treat. She could step right into Daphne’s shoes again as she looks exactly the same as she did when she took the role. She and her husband James were just delightful. She is pregnant and will give birth to a daughter who she plans to name Evelyn Annalise in June. Since the Con was small, it was easy to get to know all the attendees and I really enjoyed seeing so many friends I had made at the other Cons.
On Friday afternoon, we began with registration and then went to the cathedral. There were two groups who went up to the top of the cathedral with Randy and Dean. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to navigate the winding staircase and scaffolding but now I wish I had tried it if only for the view of Cologne. Instead I went to the bowels of the cathedral to the Treasure Room with Makyla and saw all the artifacts and jewels.
That evening we all gathered for dinner. I had paid for the side cast VIP ticket instead of Randy’s VIP ticket because I wanted to be with Dean and Makyla since I have had spent plenty of time with Randy in the previous Cons. I was glad I chose them because our table was having a ball laughing and carrying on and Randy’s table across the room was so quiet that we kept looking over to see if they were still there. I guess they were having quiet conversations while at our table Dean was at the helm and in rare form having so much fun teasing and joking with us. He particularly enjoyed making one of the gals who was sitting next to him blush. I was across the table from him next to Makyla and James. Makyla is a sweetheart and her husband was so nice and friendly and joined us for the dinner, cocktail party and the visit to the winery. He even showed us where to go for lunch on Saturday during our break. She has not seen Randy since the show wrapped. He knew she got married but didn’t know that she was pregnant until he saw her. Dean has a daughter, Ryan Kiera and I think she is about 6 or so. I can’t remember but he showed us pictures of her. When I was telling him about introducing my Croatian dentist to QAF, he said his wife was a Croatian dentist. He has spent time in Croatia and I think he was heading there after the Con but I’m not really sure that this was true as he is a tease and later he mentioned his girlfriend so I’m not sure if he is married to Ryan’s mother.
On Saturday we had the opening and the panels with Randy, then Dean and then Randy and Makyla. We also had the photos taken and autographs. I had taken one of my pictures with Dean from the Toronto Con so he could see that we had met before. He looked so young then. I got photos with Randy, Dean and Makyla and then with Randy and Makyla and then with all three. Dean was clowning around during the photo sessions. All three including Randy seemed to be having a great time. Some of what I gleaned from the panels:
Randy - Shot a pilot for a comedy he wrote and created with Jenn Harris and they are waiting for financing to make it a web series. He is now more interested in creating. He says he won’t do any more nudity like he did in QAF. He did a concert with a new composer in which he sang a duet. He is starting to like comedy more and is working on Sam and Julia with Michelle Beck. He writes songs for himself but wants them to be professional before he shares them. The book he is reading now is Another Country by James Baldwin. He likes the shows… Looking, Girls, House of Cards, Transparent, The Unbreakable Kimmie Schmidt, Orphan Black and a comedy called Broad City. He loved Birdman and Boyhood. He recorded himself at age 30 so he can listen to his voice when he is older. He is going to be on Justin Sayer’s Podcast. He needs loud music to distract him from chaos.
Dean - He has his own Armstrong Acting Studio which he has run for 17 years and he coaches young actors. He coached some of the young actors (the poisoner) on The Borgias. He talked quite a bit about his school. He has 84 on staff and has had 4000 students. He coached Billy Ray Cyrus on a show called Doc and therefore knew and coached Miley Cyrus prior to her stint as Hannah Montana. He also coached Nina Dobrev of the Vampire Diaries. He started out in environmental law and then went to teacher’s college. He auditioned for the role of Justin and when he got Blake it was supposed to be just a couple of episodes. He was doing Rent at the same time in NYC. He worked on the “Saw” franchise after QAF and has often played bad guys. At dinner I told him the photo that they used for the Con made him look sinister so then he told everyone at the panel what I said. He had nothing but nice things to say about Scott and told the same story Scott had told us about a fly being on set during their first kiss and that it kept buzzing between them when they went in for the kiss. They both think you can hear it buzz on the DVD. He also said that Scott told his then fiancee that if he had to go gay, it would be with someone like Dean. I asked him the Inside the Actor’s Studio questions and these were his responses. Fav word - Daddy, Least fav word - can’t, fav curse word - fuck, what he wants St. Peter to say when he reaches the Pearlie Gates - Where’s your clothes? Dean could not have been more open or fun with all of us.
Then it was Randy and Makyla’s panel. I think she was a little afraid to do it alone. She was only 17 at the time of the premiere and Randy was 22. She didn’t know he was gay when she first met him. She talked about the scene where she saw Brian in the shower and that he just had a little something (cock sock?) on and she felt awkward. She was shy around Gale. Her mother was an actress so that’s how she came to audition for Daphne. Afterward, she moved and went to school. She is a vet tech at a large animal clinic and works with rescued animals. She thinks Randy is more confident now. They were just darling together and made each other laugh. She didn’t remember a lot about the show so we all told the two of them things about their scenes that we knew and they forgot. She forgot that she had a boyfriend that was a swimmer. Their first scene together was the one at the pool when she pushed him in. It was a fun panel because they were just reminiscing and laughing together while we supplied the subject.
That evening was the cocktail party and they spent some time at each table. After the party, a group of us which included Dean went to a karaoke bar but it was so packed that none of our group got to sing. Dean headed back to the hotel with a few of us and we stopped on the way for pizza and sandwiches at a sidewalk eatery.
On Sunday, we all took a bus to a winery and had a tour and lunch. The guests came in a van but we all did the tour and ate lunch together. At one point, Makyla was sitting in a lounge chair by the fire with her feet up and her plate resting on her belly. I told her she was using Evelyn as a tray table. After a leisurely lunch in which we all moved around since it was a buffet, we took a group photo (see icon) and said our goodbyes to Randy, Dean and Makyla and James. We all got hugs from each of them.
I really think everyone including Randy enjoyed this small Con. We all seemed like just a bunch of friends enjoying some time together. I know that Randy and Makyla had a good time together and there is no way that Dean didn’t enjoy himself. As serious as he is when talking about his acting studio and coaching, he can be a real fast talker and you never know what is going to come out of his mouth. He entertained our table with songs from the playlist on his phone.
It seemed the weekend flew by and it was time to leave my friends, old and new. Having attended the Cons in Cologne, Bilbao and L.A., I found each special in their own way from the mega Con in 2012 to the intimate gathering this year.
When one ends, it’s always comforting to know that there is another on the horizon. I plan to go the STX Festival in Austin in June where Cowlip and some of the QAF actors will have a panel and to the Gale Fanmeet in Bilbao in September. My heartfelt thanks to Elke Kriebel for starting the Con ball rolling and keeping it alive. There’s talk of maybe one in Toronto next year which might be handier to the U.S. fans. Here’s hoping!