Shannon Elizabeth ACCC 2016

Ahhhh, Shannon Elizabeth…heavy sigh…

(Smack to the back of the head by my lovely wife.  I turn and see her eying me.  The crossed arms pose tells me to keep it ‘just the facts’.)

Shannon Elizabeth…(I pause from my typing as from the corner of my eye I can see the wife’s weight shift forward) looks just as beautiful now as 10 years ago.

She had a very nice selection of photos and magazines to choose from. The one I chose was less risqué than others. (The wife’s weights shift away from me…)

Since she is an accomplished poker player I tried to impress her with poker talk. I assumed everyone else would chat about animals or her looks.  She mentioned she rarely had time to play poker when traveling.  I have a feeling she thought I was inviting her to a home game.  So I left with my photo and a failed smile on my face.

(The wife nods satisfactorily and then leave  the room.)

AH

Tim Rose Holding Court at ACCC 2016

Tim ‘It’s a Trap’ Rose was also at ACCC and held court.  He was basically giving a panel at his table.  It was a short line but a long wait as he did give a lot of details about what he did and was doing. He is definitely a treat for the uber fan.

While ‘It’s a trap’ is cliché, it is part of the culture and even non-Star Wars fan have been exposed to the meme.  So like every other fanboy, I have that quote on my photo.

AH

Charlie Cox Holding Court at ACCC 2016

No surprise that Charlie Cox had a nice long line. I told he was very classy and very friendly.  That was the truth.  He did not rush his fans and he was relaxed as he chatted with everyone.

The group of three in front of me wanted nothing more than to say hi and possibly shake his hand.  The handlers had no problem with that. Obviously it is a common occurrence and they know that Charlie allows that.

While actors enjoy meeting their fans, they are there to make money. Hanging out with the crowd is fun but it doesn’t pay the bills or build a nest egg for after the TV show is long gone.  I have seen the ‘I just want to say hi’ crowd turned away.  I have seen them allowed but only given a brief moment and then rushed off.

Charlie didn’t seem to care who was in front of him.  The 3 people in front of me stepped to the table and he leaned forward and they shook hands and chatted and then after a moment they started talking about baseball.  Charlie didn’t impatiently look for something they brought to sign. He didn’t abruptly dismiss them. It was very nice to see.  Those three people left with HUGE smiles on their faces.

AH

Kristy Swanson – the better Buffy ACCC2016

Okay, I’ll admit that title was inflammatory. I liked the Buffy movie. In fact, I liked it so much, when I watched the first episode of the Buffy TV series back in 1997 I was disappointed. It wasn’t until many years later that I watched the TV series and was able to get past the difference from the movie.

Kristy Swanson was another celeb I had been meaning to add to my collection for years.  Now was the time. She was friendly, patient, and prepared.  Alamo City was not her first rodeo.

Her table had a short but constant line.  Mostly a line of fanboys lacking social skills.  She patiently chatted with them.  She gracefully guided them through the process. Her selection of photos was nice. She had DVDs and posters for sale.  She had a nice selection of sharpies and paint pens.  She instantly knew which color worked on which photo.  She was ready with a quote.

I, of course, mentioned initially liking the movie and not liking the series.  I mentioned how I liked Paul Reubens getting a change to break out of Pee Wee role image and past other issues.  She mentioned how much fun it was to work with him.

She gracefully handed over my photo that was signed in a bright gold and I happily left onto other conquests.

AH

SDCC 2016 photos – finally

Yes, it only took my 5 months to get the photos into flickr and then into an album.

Bad AH, bad!

AH hangs his head in shame…

Enjoy.

AH

https://www.flickr.com/photos/129145625@N07/albums/72157676779232676

Pisay Pao and Nat Zang Alamo City ComicCon 2016

Nat Zang was quiet. He smiled. We exchanged a few pleasantries. I told him I hoped he didn’t get killed off (very few are safe on this show) and he smiled again. I left.

As I walked up to Pisay Pao, she had just taken a sniff from a small green tube that had the size and shape of an air-borne container.  She shook her head with disgust as the scent abused her nose.  She saw me and her handler and she started laughing.

I assumed it was something innocent while it did look nefarious.  She said it was something that a fan gave her.  So I played it up. Oh yeah, sure, a ‘fan’ gave that suspicious looking item and you just had to sniff.  I’m sure the police will enjoy hearing all about that.  She returned a mock look of shock that would bring the police into this and pleaded her case.

Meanwhile her handler was doubled over in laughter. Apparently, they had discussed the possibility of being mistaken and someone like me walking up at the wrong time.

Pisay assured me it was fake ‘zombie weed’ that was being sold by another Z Nation actor a few tables down.  She mentioned she doesn’t do any of ‘that’ and she doesn’t even smoke even though she is from Seattle. Confused I asked if they outlawed tobacco there.  I misunderstood.  Seattle was very pro-pot and everyone smoked openly – except Pisay.

Pisay was all smiles and energy. She wore the gold outfit in the photo. She also had a blood stained fur wrap on her shoulders that she also wore in a few episodes. She was allowed to borrow it. I’m sure that made the photo ops more fun for fans.

I did ask if she might have another flashback episode.  She smiled but didn’t commit.  I told her it was good to see her in the show again and she thanked me.

AH

Sebastian Stan – sorry I didn’t get you a present

The main reason I drove up to Tulsa and risked getting lost was Sebastian Stan. Because I was unorganized a few months earlier, I lost track of time and failed to get him when he was in Austin, TX.  That would have been more convenient as I was already there for Matt Smith. However, that is the past.

A tradition that I’m seeing more and more, (outside of Dallas) is fans bringing gifts for the celebs. I find that funny as I’m giving them a nice gift when I pay for an autograph. Some people are gifting the celeb a second time when they do the photo ops. These non-monetary gifts are mostly coming from very young fan girls. 

The presents are in gift bags or small wrapped boxes.  The girls are usually in pairs and nervously chat while in line about what they want to say and their hopes of getting a hug or kiss. They suspiciously eye their competition as they see other offerings handed over. Comments about the wrapping or the girl are quickly exchanged.

I watched several girls hand over their gifts. Sebastian graciously accepted. Took a moment to look at gift bag or wrapping. Make a short comment. Nod as he said thank you. Then the girl would open her arms and lean forward in the universal signal: reward me with a hug.  The handler would very quickly (dare I say lying in wait) swing an arm toward Sebastian to prevent him from standing and returning the requested hug.  She would make a short comment about trying to keep the line moving. The young one would walk away with a case of ‘failed smile’.  Forgive me for finding this amusing.  

The 3 pairs of girls in front of me all delivered presents.  Then there was me, the little drummer boy, the fan without a gift.  As I walked up and handed over my 8x10, I quietly apologized for not having a gift.  I told him I didn’t know I was supposed to bring something.  He laughed.  Then he stuck out his hand and we shook. 

Yes, you read that right.  Gifts didn’t get a hug but a semi-funny comment got a hand shake.

AH

Evanna Lynch Wizard World Tulsa 2016

This was the second time I had traveled to Tulsa, OK. The first time I got lost because of a detour that didn’t have the signage to get me back on the Intestate.  Yes, you can scuff and say I missed the sign pointing the way.  Shouldn’t there be multiple signs in case you miss one?   So I was slightly paranoid about traveling that way again.  This time the only issue I faced was paying the tolls and whether my Dallas ‘toll tag’ would work up North.

After I got to the convention center I walked around and found where the celebrities were signing. This was a typical Wizard World layout. I have been to a few of their shows and I knew what I was doing.

There were only two autographs I wanted.  Yes, that was a long drive to feed the autograph addiction. As you make plans and commit to attending a show, you hope some additional names are added to make a 4 hour drive worth.  One of the additions was Evanna Lynch.

I got to her just before she broke for lunch. She was very pretty in person and had a charming shy smile.  She was willing to talk.  She mentioned she had a school friend that lived in Tulsa and hoped to get some time with her. Knowing that I was the last one before her break, I didn’t take up more of her time. I thanked her and moved on.

AH