Peter Weller Sci Fi Expo 2014

I tried to get Peter Weller last year at a movie screening. He didn’t sign outside. He did sign for the people that attended the movie.  Frustrating but at least he took time with the people that paid to see the movie.

I’m a huge Buckeroo Banzai fan and I’ll stop down to watch it every time it’s on TV.

This was another slow line. I spent about 30 minutes in line the day before and realized I was running out of time so abandoned the attempt.  On Sunday, this was the last piece I needed and I had until closing time; which was only 2 hours away.

I got in line and I was only 50 or so people back.  The line was slowly creeping along.  Peter seemed to take a few moments with everyone. So after another line of 1 ½ hours, I was slightly disappointed when he took my photo, looked at it for second, said ‘old Buckeroo’, signed it, and handed to back to me without any more comments. 

While he was signed, I said it was my favorite movie and it was a shame the sequel wasn’t made (yes, I know Big Trouble in Little China was the pseudo-sequel). He never looked up or responded.

Did I pout? No. Did I expect more?  Maybe, a little.  Did I deserve more?  No.  He and Karen Gillan were the 2 big names I was most excited to see. Everyone else at the show was gravy.  How can you complain about that?  I got my autograph. It’s a good clean autograph. My day and con were over.

AH

Richard Dreyfuss Sci Fi Expo 2014

In a perfect world, even though I got a late start on Sci Fi Expo, I would have been able to finish on Saturday.  It’s not a perfect word and I was back on Sunday.  In a perfect world, I would have gotten 3 autographs in 2 hours or less.  Proving again it’s not a perfect world, it took over 5 hours.

As I mentioned, Allison’s line was slow. But I’m so glad I got her signature as she was a sweetie.

Since Richard Dreyfuss was on the same floor I got in his line next.  He wasn’t at the table. I stood in line anyway.  Since there were about 30 people in front of me, I knew this was as short as the line would be all day.  I knew when he returned, the line would only grow.

I knew he was signing slowly.  In fact, I had hung out with a friend the day before and we never moved in the 30 minutes we chatted.

I got in line and played Words with Friends for about 20 minutes before he showed. He had just finished with a photo op and was energetic.  He stopped in front of us and asked us to shout: Nazi Bastards! several times.  Not sure what was up with that.  It did get the energy level in the crowd up.

 Because this show sold VIP badges, those people got to go first.  About 30 minutes of VIP holders matriculated.  Then a few of the common people worked their way to the table and a few more VIPs entered. 

About 30 minutes into signing, he had the line shout; Nazi Bastards, again.

Richard literally spent a minute or more with each person.  He wasn’t rushing.  He let you speak and he spoke back.

The most of the items he signed were Jaws related. Someone has a stuffed toy shark. Another brought a yellow barrel like the ones they attached to the shark to wear him out.  I can’t imagine carrying that around all day. And lot of movie posters were signed.

I know Dreyuss more from Close Encounters of the Third Kind.  He had several photos to choose from and I liked this one most.  While there was a mash potato mountain photo, it was in black and white.  I should have thought ahead and printed one off.

When I was about 5 or 6 people from the front, I looked up from my Words With Friends and noticed another of my fellow Hounds.  Time would have passed so much quicker if I looked up earlier.

After an 1 ½ hours, I got my photo signed.  He smiled, shook my hand and asked if I wanted it personalized.  I know we exchanged a few more words but can’t remember.  I was charmed.

AH

Allison Scagliotti Sci Fi Expo 2014

I actually needed to come back on Sunday to finish my autographs.  One of the autographs I still needed was AllisonScagliotti.

When I entered the building, I saw her line was short and I jumped right in. There were about 15 people in front of me. It should only be 10 minutes.  I figured at worst, I’d be out of line in 30 minutes.

This convention had 4 people from Warehouse 13.  The actors are extremely personable and fan friendly.  One of the fan friendly things they did was table photos. Usually, a table photo is a ‘lean in’ and done quickly.  It’s cheaper than the official photo op and also saves the fan time.

The warehouse team wasn’t into ‘lean ins’ where you lean over the table.  They were into coming out from behind the table or bringing the fan back behind the table. This is far nicer than the standard lean in.  It’s time consuming but a much richer fan experience.

Stephen Amell Sci Fi Expo 2014

I had no idea how popular Arrow is.  The first swing through the guests, StephenAmell’s line was just as massive as Karen Gillan but it wasn’t in turbo mode.  Later, after I finished with Karl Urban I got into Stephen’s line. While long, it was my best option at the time.

While in line, I was smacked in the head a few times by a quiver of arrows.  The young lady in front of me was cosplaying and had a bow.  She did notice she tagged me a few times and apologized.  It was a chance to talk.

I told her I was staring at her gauntlets.  I was trying to figure out if she really shot the bow. She proudly said yes.  I asked if she wore the gauntlets while shooting. It was a testing question from me. The answer had to be a ‘no’.  She said no way could that be done.  The guard she wore was smaller and thinner and would not catch the string.

One thing I commented on was the arrow themselves. They were practice arrows. I even noticed some nicks and dirt. The police had tied a red ribbon them that declared them safe.  I asked if the string was real.  She said yeah. The police failed here.  A practice arrow can kill too.

My new friend had been shooting since she could stand.  She was not part of the new crop of posers that have popped up with the popularity of Arrow, Katniss, and Daryl.  She knew what she was doing.  I believed her.

Since she was ‘real’ she wanted to have her bow signed.  I thought that was cool.

When she got to the front, Stephen was honored to sign her bow. He hefted it and made some appreciative remarks.  My friend beamed. They chatted longer than others had.  It was a good experience for her. Again, very cool.

AH

Karl Urban Sci Fi Expo 2014

A few years ago I got Karl Urban at SDCC.  This time I was looking for an 8x10 to get signed.

Earlier, the line for Karl was very long and stretched out the door. After I was done with Karen Gillan, I went back to check and the line. Now it was very short.  I think everyone left for Karen.  This worked out well for me.

After just a few minutes I was in front of Karl.  I mentioned I got this autograph previously at SDCC for Priest.  He nodded appreciatively.  I had nothing else to say. I could have talked Star Trek, I could have talked REDs. I could have talked Xena. Nope, I was still excited about Karen so I wasn’t the best fan either.

AH

Karen Gillan Sci Fi Expo 2014

I haven’t missed one of the conventions by the local promoters in several years.  Considering they have 3 shows a year, that’s a lot of shows I’ve attended.  While I wasn’t going to skip a show, you do get jaded about the guest list.  This show had a name that pleasantly dropped my jaw.

Karen Gillan, every male Whovian’s dream guest, came to Dallas for this show.  I told work, I was non-available on Saturday.  If a horrible nuclear accident occurred and all my company’s product  was now radioactive and they needed me to ran quality tests, I would surely come into the office…after I got my Karen Gillan autograph.

Now, Saturday started off stressful already. SDCC tickets went on sale that morning. So that caused me to be 2 hours late to this convention.   My highest priority was Karen.  When I finally got in line, it was shut down as she had to do a photo op or a panel.  I needed to come back later.  Later was 3 hours later.

So I spent that time getting other autographs.  When I came back, 1 ½ before she was scheduled to return, about 100 other people got in line earlier than me.  No problem, I embraced my inner cow. I would wait.

Aaron Douglas Sci Fi Expo 2014

I’ve been to several conventions that Aaron Douglas attended.  The first time I saw him was at All-Con a few years back.  At that show, he was always moving from one panel to another.  I never got his autograph.

He’s extremely outgoing and amusing and personal.  He’s a fan favorite and he seems to charm everyone. He was in one panel at that show, that all he had to do was stick his hand and someone would put a beer in it. There was no denying it was shtick and it brought smiles to the crowd every time he did it.

At Si Fi Expo, the signing was more organized and getting an autograph was easier. When I finally ended up in front of him, I told him I missed my opportunity at All-Con. He smiled, leaned back, and said he really enjoyed that show.   It was one of his favorites.  He quickly added he enjoyed this convention too. But we both knew it was a different type of show and crowd.  At All-Con he was the star of the whole weekend.  Panels revolved around him.  Here he was another guest among the many.

As I waited in various lines, I overheard that his panel at Sci Fi Expo went over well.  He’s still as entertaining as ever and still charming crowds.

AH

Tony Curran Sci Fi Expo 2014

To finish out the Defiance guests at Sci Fi Expo, I got TonyCurran.

As I waited, I people watched.  As I watched, I was reminded of something Neil Gaiman said; the first thing anyone asks anymore:  what was it like to work on Dr Who?  While Gaiman has won a Hugo and written several books that always seem to be asked.

As I listened to Tony answer questions, it was mostly about Dr Who.  A lot of the people getting autographs were cosplaying from Dr Who.  One man was dressed as van Gogh.  And if you don’t know, Tony portrayed Vincent in a Who episode several years ago.

AH

Jesse Rath Sci Fi Expo 2014

Next up was Jesse Rath. I only know him from Defiance. He plays the son.  Apparently he’s done a few things without all of the makeup and has a nice following of fangirls.

TMZ alert!  One of those fan girls seemed to be Allison Scagliotti who sat next to him for a while and whispered in his ear.  She had one hand wrapped around his bicep as they spoke.  End of TMZ  alert! 

I really doubt that was a secret.

For some reason I blathered.  I doubt his charm did it to me.  I asked about the makeup for his character and acne.  Being a long time acne sufferer, I asked if he did anything special for his skin.  He only said the makeup was a beating over time and the breaks in filming were a time of recovery.

I took my photo and left.

The next morning I was back the in the autograph area and noticed a fan girl kissing the poster behind him. She left a nice amount of lipstick on his photo his face.  As I looked loser I could see several lip prints on the poster.

Then Jamie Murray got up and moved to the poster.  She paused and gave a glance to Allison.  Then Jamie kissed the forehead on the poster… a motherly kiss.

Some of the silliness that occurs at a convention.

AH

Jamie Murray Sci Fi Expo 2014

After I finished with Saul Rubinek, I jumped in the very short line for Allison Scagliotti. The reason it was a very short line…she was leaving for a panel or photo op or something….so I got out of that line.

I then got into Jamie Murray’s line.  She is currently in Defiance and she plays HG Wells in Warehouse 13.  Defiance is another show I enjoy from the SyFy channel.  This convention had a several people form that show attending also. 

She is just a pretty in person as on the show.  I was told she doesn’t like to sign over her body so she always signs off to the side.

AH

Saul Rubinek Sci Fi Expo 2014

When it was announced that Saul Rubinek would be attending this convention, I was excited.  I enjoy Warehouse 13 and he is a big part of that.

As I was standing in line, the person in front of me asked about Saul’s appearance in Eureka.  I watched Eureka but I can’t say I remember the cameo.  Saul mentioned that his appearance was actually as Arty from Warehouse 13.  The guy in front of me knew his stuff and basically called ‘bull’.  Saul smiled.  He looked up and started to include me in the conversation.

Saul talked about the episode and the mysterious item.  At the end of the show, the item was missing and so was Saul’s character.  It was all part of a recovery of an artifact and Arty was undercover as part of the mission.

Whether it was bull or not, it was fun to hear.  The guy in front of me was not convinced and walked off. I, however, enjoyed the insight and thanked him for that. 

Once he signed my photo, As I told him I thought he and Allison had the most chemistry on the show, he smiled and told me that was very true.  He smiled and called to Allison Scagliotti who was seating next to him. She looked up.  Saul repeated my comment and she smiled too.  Both gave me fist bumps.  They seemed to really enjoy themselves off set too.  It really seem to be a tight knit cast that has lots of fun.

AH

Sci Fi Expo 2014

The morning of Sci Fi Expo was the morning SDCC tickets went on sale for pre-registration.   Instead of waiting in line for 3 hours at the Irving Convention Center, I spent 3 hours on line trying to get tickets…successfully, I might add.

The good part about coming fashionably late, I avoided the snaking lines to get in.  I also avoided standing in line in a cold parking garage.   The not so good part, I got a late start on the autograph collecting.

 The late start was even later as my bar code was wrong.  When they scanned the slip of paper with my admission ticket it flashed as already used.  I was redirected to anther line and after 20 minutes got everything straighten out.  An aside, the person dealing with my bar code was really good and knew what to do. She figured out the issue and got me in.  

The Sci Fi Expo is a victim of its own success. The crowds are quite large and this does cause very long lines, congestion in the hallways, and escalator stoppages. The success also brings in hard to get ‘big name’ guests which in turn bring in larger crowds.

I think I spent more time in lines at this show than any of the others.  One reason was several popular celebs were very slow in working through the lines. This is a tremendous gift to the fans from the celeb.  This is a burden to some as you can’t get everything done you might want.  In fact, I needed to come back for a second day and spent about 5 hours getting 3 autographs.

The largest issue, which won’t be fixed until they can change venues, is the Convention Center itself.  While the Irving Convention Center has a lots of floor space; it’s divided among 4 floors.  This creates lots of vertical traffic and pressure and lots of condemnation from the fans. With the limits of the venue, the show has adapted and corrected many issues. 

The lineup of guests was great, including 2 people from Dr Who, an Academy Award winner, and several leads from current popular networks shows.  Many of the celebs allowed ‘table photos’ which is a more economical way for many fans to get a snap shot with the guests.  The prices for autograph were reasonable and affordable.

I had great time even though I needed to travel back for a second day.  I saw many of my fellow collectors which always I nice break in the monotony of standing in line. And the promoters of the show created a huge buzz for their May show when they announced Shatner, Lee and Fillion.  These things make it hard to think of missing their next event.

AH

William Sanderson Sci Fi Expo 2013

Several roles come to mind when I think about William Sanderson. Sebastian in Blade Runner was the first time I remember seeing him.  That’s an iconic movie. I read the book before seeing the movie and was blown away but the story and the details.  I loved the book.  Even though the movie is so different than the book, I loved the movie too.

I also enjoyed William Sanderson  as E.B. in Deadwood.  While it was a western and not the normal sci fi or horror that is usually watched in our home, it was a ‘must see’ each week.

So I went to the Sci Fi Expo on a mission. I needed to get an autograph for myself and a friend.  I got two different photos and I will let her decide which one she wants.  I’ll be happy with either one I get to keep.  But I do get to display both here.

The actor took his time with people but line wasn’t slow. He talked about what ever character you wanted to talk about. The couple in front of me were Deadwood fans. He told them an anecdote.  In mid-telling he stopped and apologized for his ‘French’. He asked the wife to cover her ears.  He conspiratorially looked for any kids and then finished the story with a flurry of expletives.  If you don’t know Deadwood, it was a show that was filled with expletives.  You would be hard pressed to find a minute of footage without an ‘F’ or a ‘C’ bomb.  So to ask the wife, who was a fan, to cover her ears to avoid being offended was a fun bit of fiction.

I handed over the photos and I mentioned I loved Deadwood.  I told him I found the cadence and the dialogue fascinating. He asked if I wrote. I said ‘no’ but I did blog. He responded that was writing and also that explained why I enjoyed the dialogue.  I wasn’t quite sure what he meant but he explained the writers for the show were talented.  They focused on the dialogue more than many shows do.  Since I wrote I could appreciate the talent of the writers.

While I’m not sure how true that is, I was extremely happy to have gotten a chance to meet him and the autographs.

AH

Walking Dead Sci Fi Expo 2013

The Sci Fi Expo brought in three actors from the Walking Dead: Emma Bell, Laurie Holden, and Danai Gurira.

I got Emma Bell early Saturday morning. Since she is now on the relaunch of the Dallas TV show the chat turned to the passing of Larry Hagman.

Laurie was only coming only on Sunday.

 Every time I passed Danai the line was long. Since I had other obligations on Saturday, I decided to take a chance and try to get both on Sunday. 

Sunday wasn’t without obligations either. I needed to work on Sunday.  I was to do some testing.  The initial plan was to test at 11AM.  I figured I’d be done by Noon. Then I could drive back out to the convention. 

No luck.  The scheduled was delayed. The new test time was Noon. I can roll with that punch. No problem. Its’ a 30 minute drive.  Plenty of time to stand in line and get the autographs I needed.

Then the new time was 12:30PM. Then 2PM.  Even before the ink was dry on the last email, a new memo was sent stating the start time would be 3PM.

The show was to close at 5PM. As I did the math in my head; I was thinking what actors would be remaining to the very end?    Laurie filmed on Saturday.  She would be exhausted on Sunday and take the first chance to leave on Sunday.  I figured I was out of luck.

Testing really did start at 3PM. I finished a smidge after 4PM.  Then I was raced to the Irving Convention Center. Surprisingly traffic didn’t slow me down.  I was able to park in the paid lot for free because the attendants had already abandoned their posts. I even found a spot close to the front entrance.

I grabbed my backpack and rushed in.  Got to the autograph area and surprise surprise surprise! Both Laurie and Danai were still there.  I saw a lot of volunteers milling around and I checked with them that I could still get in line and they said yes.  It was probably 4:45PM.

Dania was first.  She signed and I asked if she got to site-see at all on this trip. She said no but they took her to a ‘posh’ restaurant the night before.  Until she said ‘posh’ I hadn’t heard her accent.

Laurie had a few people in line.  It went fast.  I thanked her for showing up and staying late. She said she was coming to Dallas even if she was comatose.  She had cancelled before and was not planning on cancelling again. 

As I was leaving she asked one of the volunteers if the line was capped. They said no. Then she told them not to turn anyone away.  A real trooper.  I was very thankful to her staying at late as she did. It was a great ending to a busy weekend.

AH

Avery Brooks Sci Fi Expo 2013

Avery Brooks Sci Fi Expo 2013

The autograph that I scanned for this post is for a friend.  My friend asked that I pick it up for him. I already have an Avery Brooks so I didn’t get one for myself.

As the line finally passed a corner, I could see Avery.  He wore glasses and actually needed them to see the print on the sticky notes that were used for personalization. He wore something that looked like a shawl with an African print.

He talked with each person but there was something edgy about him; edgy in a good way. Or maybe it was just something I saw in how he talked and acted with the fans that I liked.

Billy Boyd Sci Fi Expo 2013

I thought it was a major coup for the promoters of the convention to bring Billy Boyd to town.  As popular as Lord of the Rings is and the recent release of the Hobbit, I though the lines would be insanely long. I haven’t seen many of the actors on the convention circuit so this was a nice addition to the show.

I walked in and there were just a handful of people in line. Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth unless I have dentures for it, I got in line and got my autograph.  

We did the standard: Hi, how are you? Shook hands.

The lady behind me was in heaven. She murmured something about wanting to listen to Billy Boyd talk all day. She said she wasn’t in a hurry for me to leave.

Seeing that I had nothing else to say and I could also tell he would rather have someone fawning over him, I politely left.

AH

Claudia Wells Sci Fi Expo2013

The last Back to the Future alumni that I got was Claudia Wells. She was all bright and shiny; friendly and smiling.

 I watched as the person in front of me bought a ‘package’ from her. It was an autographed photo, a posed photo with her, AND her autograph with a brief message to call her at some fake phone number. The message was written on the back of a Save the Clock Tower pamphlet from Back to the Future.

While that was interesting it wasn’t for me. I just grabbed this photo and got it signed and moved on my way.

AH

James Tolkan – Sci Fi Expo2013

Another alumnus of Back to the Future, James Tolkan was looking at me as I walked up to the table.  He asks about the shirt I was wearing.

James: The 'A'. Does that stand for something? [brief pause] Arizona?

Me:  Yeah. It’s where I went to school.

James: Tucson?  I lived in Tucson. [Said emphatically]

Me: Oh yeah? [Big smile on my face].  Spent 5 years there. Even meant my wife while in college there.

James: Tucson, it’s changed a lot.  I went to Amphitheather High School.  Hear of that? [no challenge in the voice but curious if I really knew it.]

Me: Tucson has changed. And everyone knows Amphi. Big football school. They got a program that almost rivals the UofA. You play football?

James: Yeah, played for Ampitheater. Then got a scholarship for a school called Eastern Arizona State. [I shake my head 'no', as I never heard of it.]  It’s near Safford.

Me: Safford – mining town?  [He nods encouragingly] I’ve passed through Safford. Never stayed.

James: Yeah mining town. But close to Eastern Arizona.

He signed the photo and passed it back to me.  We shook hands and I left.

AH

Lea Thompson Sci Fi Expo 2013

The guys from Sci Fi Expo put together a Back to the Future reunion.  They had 4 actors from the movies including Lea Thompson. 

The line for was Lea was long and I really expected to have to come back the next day for her.  When I was making the circuit through the convention center about 45 minutes later I noticed the line was empty.  I walked over to the volunteer asked why.  I was thinking maybe she was packing up for the day or had to do a panel or something.  The volunteer said that Lea came back early and no one knew it yet.

Well, I wasn’t going to think twice. I walked up and got my autograph.  Lea wore black framed reading glasses, that and her warm smile melted many hearts that day.  I asked if she ever been to Dallas before and she mentioned once for the musical Cabaret.  Who knew she could sing and dance?  All I think of is Back to the Future and Howard the Duck.

AH

James Callis Sci Fi Expo 2013

James Callis actually did something that I really wish more celebrities would do. He started a signature and hesitated for some reason and it didn’t look right.  He then tossed the photo aside and picked up another, which he signed for me.  He just mentioned that he didn’t like how that turned out.

Wow. That was a good thing.

So he threw me off my game. I wanted ask him about the Cincinnati Red cap he was wearing but then I hesitated. I did bring up that I had bumped into him, literally, at SDCC in front of Café Diem. I said he was going to have dinner with Allison Scagliotti from Warehouse 13.  I mentioned it was probably 3 or 4 years ago.  He mulled that over and said that sounded about right. Then I said, sorry about that. I’m sure he was nonplussed about the comment.

Then I left with my unhesitatedly signed photo.

AH