Casey was friendly. He was chatting with people. The line
moved as a steady pace. This was the second signature I got and I was making
progress on my list.
AH
Casey was friendly. He was chatting with people. The line
moved as a steady pace. This was the second signature I got and I was making
progress on my list.
AH
Jeff Fahey was the first autograph I got at Fan Expo. It was
not the first line I stood in. I gave up after 30 minutes in another celebrity’s
line. The guest was there. His table was ready but he wasn’t ready. So, I left.
I had a long list of autographs I wanted and needed to be as productive as
possible.
Jeff welcomed me as I walked up with a huge smile. He has
smile like he knows you and is happy to see you again. He had a nice selection of
table photos. We chatted; mostly about Lost. It’s exciting to get Lost autographs.
Those autographs are slow to obtain. It was a great way to make progress on my want
list.
Then I wandered to the next guest.
AH
I had to go back to Rebel Scum Con on Saturday for one last autograph: Dennis Haysbert. This was the first convention I was aware of him attending and it was in my backyard, so I HAD to get President Palmer from the series 24.
He had a long line but I wasn’t concerned. I had all day. Even
though it was long, the line was moving. To help past the time, the fans had
lots of interesting items for him to sign. One had a foot tall coffin with Jubo
in it. Another fan had a bucket of KFC. I was more mundane and just had an
8x10.
When I stepped up, I said, Hello President Palmer. I got a
very small smile. I’m sure he got that a thousand times. Then I added, I always
think of 24 when I see your name. It’s true. I do. Now you ask yourself, why
did I get a photo from Major League signed? Because, I might think David Palmer
but Major League is more iconic to me. I watch Major League at least once a
year. I haven’t watched 24 since it ended many many years ago.
Dennis was nice. He added the quote: Hats for bats, which is
a line The Wife and I toss about more times than I care to admit. And it’s perfect
for the photo.
Then I left and enjoyed the rest of my Saturday.
AH
His line was about 30 people deep. It was moving slow because
Paul was enjoying meeting his fans. He had stories to share and questions to
answer. Very friendly and likeable. He shared his anecdotes with the Star Wars people
about his chin strap and beard. He didn’t want to wear it as it made his face
look fat. It was going back and forth and whether ‘canon’ was involved. Star
Wars takes canon seriously.
After a short photo op break, I got his autograph and I headed
back to the car. It felt good to sit and decompress the spine. And yes, there
was still people in line to get their autograph tickets.
AH
Okay, not the biggest name to appear at Rebel Scum but I think she commands the screen in the TV series, Andor.
Denise Gough had a short line by the time I got there. She was moving
fairly fast but giving people time. She wasn’t rushing people.
I think she picked up a blue pen to sign but I asked for
white. I said it will work better with the grey background and match the uniform.
She admitted it looked nice when she was done.
She offered the quote and I think it’s perfect.
AH
When I finally got through my autograph ticket conversion
obstacle course, I headed to her table. She was not there. I think she was
doing photo ops. She was supposed to be back in 30 minutes. I can work with
that. That is when I went to Dean-Charles’ table. When I was with Dean-Charles,
Bryce was at the table. I slowly made my way over. One person was talking to her. This person had
her hand on Bryce’s arm and leaning close. I figured it was a friend or a professional
encounter. I asked the handler if Bryce was back or just talking to this
person. I was told she was back. Awesome. And yes, I looked back, and there
were still gobs of people in line to get their autograph tickets…glass half
full…I’m not waiting in a long line for Bryce.
The handler liked the photo I brought. Although there was a
table photo I saw and I debated. The handler said something that was true. My photo
was a little more unique. At least for this show. I stayed with my photo. Mine was
a little plain but I did like it.
Bryce was very friendly. We chatted. She made fun of me when
I asked if she been to Dallas before. It is her middle name. in my defense, being
conceive in Dallas is not the same as visiting Dallas. We had a few laughs. I was
enjoying that no one else was in line.
She signed and I left. I had expected a very long line for
her. This was a wonderful boon for an aging autogrpah hound.
AH
Rebel Scum had some issues with ticketing. I spent 2 ½ hours in line to convert my paid bar codes into ‘tickets’ to present at the table.
The ONLY positive of this issue was there was still a hundred
or more people in line behind me that were stuck. Which means, there
were not in front of me to get autographs. Trying to be glass half full…
I walked up to Dean-Charles Chapman first. Just one other
fan in front of me. They were having a good conversation. I listened and waited
patiently. My patience was surprising because I just finished a 2 ½ hour penitence…but
glass half full…
Dean-Charles was friendly. We chatted. He signed. Since this
convention is in my home town, I offered a few suggestions for diner.
AH
I enjoy her so much I actually presented her with a letter
of appreciation. It was from the Rebels. The Rebels were overjoyed with her
work. It seems she has decreased morale in the Imperium and that has increased
morale among the Rebels. They were encouraging her to continue the good work.
When I walked up to her table, we exchanged a few words and
then I handed her the letter. It’s tough to be put on the spot to try to read something
‘cold’ and react. She did a good job. I got a smirk from her which is what I would
expect from Delores.
Then I handed over my photo and she signed. I was a very
happy camper.
AH
My line slowly inched forward. I kept looking back. People brought
every copy of their books for him to sign. He didn’t mind. When his line was nearly
empty, I asked the person behind me if I could leave for a few minutes. She gave
me her blessing. Then I went to Michael’s table. He was just finishing with a
younger fan as I pulled my book out of the backpack.
The fan left and I stepped up. I told him I was trying to
multi-task. I was stuck in the line that was never moving and figured I would at
least see him.
The last thing he said to the previous fan concerned writing
stories in other people’s universes. The public doesn’t know what is planned. The
publisher is often planning the next 2 years out. Either with books ready to
print or consigning work to other authors. Michael’s suggestion to the fan was
to contact the publisher before investing time on writing something that won’t
fit the time line. I never thought of that before.
After I handed over my book, he asked about my polo shirt.
yes, I was wearing my obligatory UofA shirt. He asked if the ‘A’ was Arizona. I
asked if he went there. He said no, he lives in the Pheonix area. So that got
us chatting about AZ and monsoons and mountains.
He asked if he could personalize. I said, I would like something
more old school: name, date, and convention. He normally doesn’t do that but I think
he liked that idea.
When I got back in line, the line moved about 50 feet. Not far
but much further than I expected. We made progress. I think I waited another 1 ½
hours to get my autograph tickets.
AH
The show was crowded. It is a lot of local fans that don’t
travel 2 or 3 hours for a show. They are excited a show came to them. While I
think they are missing out, they seem very happy at Bell County ComicCon.
When we got there, Diedrich was not at his table. I was told
he’d be back ‘in a few’. That can be ten
minutes to an hour but I got in line with the other people waiting. The wait
was closer to the 10 minute mark.
He chatted as he signed. Friendly and willing to talk.
He smiled when he saw my photo. I blamed The Wife. She
really likes the Miss Congeniality movies. After he signed, I mentioned I really
liked the Drew Carey Show and we watched every week. He thanked me and I was
done.
I waited a short time for the buddy to finished and then we
headed back to Dallas.
AH