Warwick Davis Texas Frightmare Weekend 2026

This autograph I have wanted for a long time. Mostly because of scarcity…not because I’m a Willow fan. When Texas Frightmare announced WarwickDavis, I was excited.

Since I did not have a VIP ticket and I really wanted/needed to get this signature on Friday as I had other plans for the weekend, I got in line 6 hours before the doors opened. That is 6 hours in the hot Texas sun. If a buddy didn’t sit with me and share water and umbrella for shade, I would have died. Not literally died, but I would have been very sunburnt and extremely dehydrated.

After 6 hours of torment, I entered the air conditioned building and made my way to the Warrick line. Not too bad, about 150 people in front of me. Now we waited until he showed up. Which wasn’t too long after I sat in my little camping chair.  Warrick arrive riding a mini-Segway or maybe it was a hover board with a steering bar. He arrived in style.

I’m in line at 6 PM. He arrived about 6:15 PM.

About 7 PM he took a short break.

Then there were photo ops. A few more VIPS arrived and were placed in front of the general admission people like me.

At 9:30 PM, I’m about to enter the room where he was signing.  The aches and pains are dulled from the adrenaline rush of being so close. When I handed over my photo, he knew the exact color pen and where to sign. He added a quote and character name without being asked. Very cool.

Then I thanked him and left. It was 9:45 PM.

A very long day for an autograph.

AH

Scarlett Byrne LeakyCon 2018

I actually know Scarlett Byrne from Falling Skies and not Harry Potter. When I re-watched Harry potter recently, I saw her but did not recognize her.

She was nice. I mentioned I enjoyed Falling Skies and she mentioned someone said that to her too. She seemed surprised that people at LeakyCon knew of anything she did outside of Harry Potter.

AH

Dan Fogler LeakyCon 2018

Dan Fogler was at SDCC a month before LeakyCon. He was late or didn’t show for the one signing I had time to attend. Slightly frustrating but that’s ComicCon. It happens and you move on.

So, he was on my want list at LeakyCon. I expected a long line for him. I got to the show early as I did not realize LeakyCon was so ‘intimate’ (meaning small).   

He was late but he did show up. He signed the photo I printed for SDCC. I told him I enjoyed Balls of Fury and he muttered a ‘thanks’ as I walked away.

Balls of Fury. I would have never watched that movie except Dan was at SDCC many years ago in Hall H and they ran a preview for the movie.  I loved the Walken line: What part of sudden death didn’t you understand? 

AH

LeakyCon Dallas 2018

I was surprised too but I guess I shouldn’t have been. There is a Harry Potter convention. It is called LeakyCon.  It came to Dallas in August 2018.

This is a fan con and it’s about hanging out with other fans and experiencing the Harry Potter culture and enjoying panels. If you are an autograph hound, this is something to skip.  Most of the celebs are people that had screen time but the casual fan won’t know the name. The casual fan won’t even remember some of them from the movies.

The Harry Potter nerd (nerd Is NOT used dismissively, I’m a nerd of other fandoms) will wonder how people don’t know that ‘x’ was in 3 of the movies and is a star in the UK and has 2 albums that has over 100 downloads.

As I listened to the VERY dismissive volunteers tell me (while I was NOT engaging them and did not ask but they droned on anyway) the Dallas show was actually too big and had to many celebs.  LeakyCon was better than others conventions (Creation, Walker Stalker, and even the EVIL SDCC) because you can have ‘quality time’ with the celebs.  FYI - This show really felt like a Creation Convention.

I’m not sure where that ‘quality time’ comes from as their guide book explicitly states autographs and photo ops are not a meet and greet and it is a quick encounter. My experience confirms that. My 2 autographs went very fast and while there wasn’t much of a line for either, it seemed that they wanted the session completed as quickly as possible. I’ll also mention I thought it was a GOOD idea to mention this reminder in the guide book. I liked that the line moved quickly.

This is a family-oriented convention. While 1/3 of the crowd was cosplaying in some sort (mostly robes or scarves), I did not see any sexy/slutty Slytherins walking in stilettoes or Hermoines with never-ending cleavage bouncing through the vendor aisles. Considering how many people have grown up with Harry Potter and those young people are now in their 20’s and 30’s, it was a pleasant surprise.

LeakyCon is coming back to Dallas for 2019. I think this is a fun show for fans. I think the attendees enjoyed it and would go back. I think the volunteers (who seem to have drank the LeakyCon Kool-Aid and are hard care fans) could be better. Considering how small the vendor area was (less than 100 vendors?) I was surprised at least 3 sold wands. 3 or 4 had scented soaps for sell.

 If they announce some guests before tickets sell out, I’ll think about going back in 2019.

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

Matthew Lewis Dallas Fan Day 2016

While not a Potter Head, I did enjoy the movies and the books. I must thank the dear wife for that. She had the books lying around and I picked them up to read.

As the actors from the series slowly make their way to Dallas and the convention circuit, I have been getting their autographs.  Matthew Lewis was the latest.

I hadn’t printed off a photo for him to sign. I was limited to what he offered at his table.  At the time, his table selection was this one photo. While some fans were disappointed, I liked it. It’s a question how you look at things. For me, it’s the young man that the character grew into and not the picked upon young nerd.

When he was signing, I mentioned the weather was great for his visit. He looked up and said EVERYBODY was saying how cool it was. He said he was dying from and the heat and humidity. Well, he’s British: Stiff upper lip and all that. So he didn’t say he was ‘dying’. It was more proper and stoic. Like: I find the weather warmer than suggested by the people I’m meeting.  It is somewhat humid, isn’t?

The temperature was mid 80’s and what we think of as normal humidity. While it was nice and outdoor friendly for Dallas, it was not so much fun for the visitors from the UK. It’s all perceptive.

AH

Bonnie Wright Dallas ComicCon Fan Day 2015

Bonnie Wright also had a long time at this show. I was surprised how many little ones were in line. I would have thought all of the Harry Potter the fans were grown up by now. It seems the series is still growing new fans.

Bonnie was sweet and friendly. She talked to the little ones. So many fans were dressed in Hogwarts uniforms that it seemed it was a Harry Potter convention.   

AH

Jason Isaacs ComicPalooza 2015

Well, we all know Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy from Harry Potter but legions of Star Wars fans know him as the Inquisitor from the animated series Star Wars Rebels.  Most of the photos on his table were from Harry Potter but he had one from Star Wars. 

After he signed for me, I pointed to the lone Star War photo.  I told him I was enjoying that series.  He paused, wondering if I was one of those 50 year old guys watching cartoons in footie pajamas with an oversized bowl of cereal in front of me.

As I added a few other comments, he realized that even if I was that 50 year old guy in footie pajamas, I can still put together a string of words that are intelligible. We only exchanged a few more words and then I left.

AH

James and Oliver Phelps Fan Days 2014

By far the longest line I was in at this show was for the Weasely twins, James Phelps and Oliver Phelps.

I have no idea which one was which as I spoke to them. I know the crowd was excited to see them.  A couple of 30 something ladies had tears in their eyes when they entered the room.  I guess they had childhood crushes on them as young teens.

I know one of the twins had been to Dallas before. One hurt his hand playing cricket and the other chided him for dropping the ball.  As you can see each autograph is very different.  Even with the differences, they both seemed to enjoy the crowd and talking to fans.  In general, I have found that the case with everyone I’ve met from Harry Potter.

AH

Fan Days Plano Texas

Last weekend (10/23/10) I attended Fan Days in Plano, TX.  It was the first time I attended this convention and to be truthful I wasn’t very well prepared.

I started off thinking this was in Richardson, TX but luckily I clicked on the website to double check the address and saw I needed to go to Plano instead. Oops, not an auspicious start.

On the website they did have a floor plan listed but I didn’t spend enough time with it and that cost me some heartburn too.

The people running this show do several other conventions in the DFW area each year.  They also attend ComicCon where they bring in some big name guests for signings and they also are associated with the Star Wars Celebration conventions.

The show I attended was featuring William Shatner and Christopher Lloyd.  Being a big Trekkie I really wanted to get Shatner’s autograph.  Lloyd and the others attending were all just icing.

I bought my priority admission pass about 2 months in advance and about 2 weeks in advance I prepaid for the Shatner autograph online but you still need to stand in line to pick these items up.

I got to the convention center about 30 minutes before the show opened.  A huge line was wrapped around the building.  I stood in that line for a while before it dawned on me that I needed to pick up my badge (actually this convention uses wrist bands instead of badges) and not stand in this line which was for General Admission. Entering the convention center I got some vague instructions on where to stand to get my wrist band.  They already had Tom Felton doing photo ops and signing.  I thought it odd to have people signing before the convention officially started but people seemed fine with that.

I stood in the wrong line (again) when I got inside and was told to move.  I got into another line and waited about 30 minutes to get my wrist band. As I picked up my wrist band, I also was given my Shatner ticket. I was impressed with that and that was well orgainized. I had expected to be told I needed to go another location.

Afterward, I walked around just to see the lay of the land.  Obviously I didn’t look too carefully as I got into the wrong line again.

I was looking to buy some Felton autograph tickets and thought I had found the right line. I started talking to a guy and we spent 30 minutes yakking when I got to the front of the line and found out this line was selling photo ops tickets only.  While being slightly embarrassed, I asked where I needed to go.

I found the right table and bought my tickets. Then I saw a long long long line entering a room. I asked what the line was for and told it was for Christopher Lloyd. I saw that other signers were in there also and I asked if I could enter the room and get those people instead. They said I needed to stand in the long long long line.  Slightly frustrating but I have embraced my inner cow long long long time ago so I know how to stand in long long long lines and be patient.

Again, I spent the time in line listening to others and watching the people. Quite a few people dressed up. Since this was very Star Trek oriented it had a lot of Klingons and StarFleet personnel in attendance. A nice distraction was the young women (they were no longer teenagers) that dressed up as Hogwart’s school girls.

After an hour passed, a guy comes down the line starting if you wanted an autograph from someone other than Lloyd, you can enter the room. Yeah!  Reason prevails! So I got out of the line that was not moving and entered the room. The only person in the room I wanted was Tia Carrere.  The show had about 6 or 8 other people signing in that room. Each signer only had a few people in line.  So I walked up to Tia and only had one person in front of me.

She looked much prettier in person than she did on the last Warehouse 13 episode she appeared on.  She had a dozen photos to choose from but modesty (and my wife’s potential bane) kept me from choosing some of the more revealing photos to get signed. I got a black and white 8x10 that had her in several shots from True Lies.

As I was leaving realized I forgot to ask why she cancelled her appearance at the last ComicCon. I really wanted to ask her this as I thought it would be create some interaction between us. I’m assuming she cancelled for work and hopefully it would have been a good story to tell. As I mentioned, I wasn’t very organized this time.

I then found the line for Shatner. It was moving very fast. People were bringing all kinds of things for him to sign. Some I could figure out what they were and what they symbolized but others I was clueless. He had several photos to choose from and I chose the one with him in the green Captain shirt from the episode Enemy Within. The autograph process was quick, efficient, and over before you blinked.

I do understand the time constraints and I’m not complaining. The speed of the line is benefit to all. I was happy that he did look up and smile and he actually said thank you for coming. I was happy.

Then I found Michael Dorn and that was another quick line but he was taking his time to talk to people and be personal.

I had made good progress for the day. I then got in line for Tom Felton which I had already described.

I was having a good time. I was meeting people and finding out that this convention has a loyal following of attendees. Many have been coming for years and have gotten a lot of their Star Trek and Star Wars related autographs from this series of shows.

The show had a good crowd but not so large that you can’t do it all. People were attending the Q&A sessions and then getting in line for the autographs.  They were taking time out for lunch and visiting the dealers’ room. The experience was very different for me compared to ComicCon. At ComicCon I need to hack away at my wish list and constantly adjust it to make it manageable. This was a nice change.

So the only thing left on the agenda was Lloyd. I had the rest of the day to wait in line.

I got in line and not 2 minutes later a guy is pulling me out of the line and putting me in a shorter line. My priority wrist band had now come into play. They were separating people and I had trumped the general admission people. I moved ahead of about 75 people.  This time the line was moving very fast. The rumor was they told Lloyd to speed things up.  I don’t know if that was true but I only spent 30 minutes in line talking to people before I was picking out a photo for him to sign.  I chose a Doc Brown photo from Back to the Future.

He was nice and he sounded just like Doc Brown. I know that sounds stupid because he WAS Doc Brown but he did sound like Doc Brown. I could have been Marty and he could have been telling me that 1.21 gigawatts were needed to make the flux capacitor work.  It was surreal.

My work was done and I had gotten the five autographs I was looking for.  It was time to go home and put my feet up and talk my wife’s ear off about my day.

I enjoyed this convention and I look forward to the next one in the series.

AH

Grumbly in my Tummy

As I got in line for Tom Felton (Malfoy – Harry Potter) I was told he was taking a break for lunch. No problem, I was pretty much on schedule for the autographs that day and I stayed where I was.  I did ask how long his lunch would be and I was told he got 30 minutes.  I smiled and said, “Only 30 minutes?  Gosh you guys crack the whip. Do you let him eat real food? Or is it from the convention center?”  I was told he got real food and they bring in take out for the stars.  No week old hot dogs or watered down soda that the rest of us are expected to purchase.

As the seconds passed, I started listening to the conversations around me.  The Brunette behind me had the perfect husband.  He poked his head around the corner asked if she wanted a soda then dutifully got it.  After he came back with that, he then scurried off onto another chore for her.  I HAD to mention that he made the rest of us (men) look bad.  She laughed. The Blonde behind her also laughed and asked where she found him and if he had a younger brother. That started the small talk between the three of us.

The Brunette (about 30) was getting the signature for herself. The Blonde (about 20) was getting one for herself and one as a gift for her friend back in New York.  The friend in New York was going to be SOOO jealous that she met Malfoy in person.  We joked that the Blonde should tell her friend that she got a kiss from Tom or even that she slipped him her phone number. Silly stuff but it passed the time.

There was a lot of excitement over this actor. Earlier in the day he popped his head out of the room and 30 girls AND ladies that were waiting for a glimpse of him squealed like Elvis walked out of the room.  There were a lot of kids in this autograph line but a lot of women too.

My curiosity was piqued. As the Blonde and Brunette talked, I started inserting some questions about this excitement.

They both agreed a big part of the thrill was that he was in Harry Potter and they grew up with him and watched him grow up. But he was also sexy. So I followed up stating he was a bad guy. They both agreed that he was bad but he didn’t WANT to be bad. So that made him a good enough to squeal over. I laughed as it seemed so cliché – good girls love the bad boy.  They admitted it was cliché but accurate.

Before long, Tom came back from lunch.  Yes, there were a few squeaks that trumpeted his arrival.  He smiled and waved to the people in line and sat down and got to work.

A young boy, maybe 8 years old, was the first in line. He wore a cape and Potter–like glasses.  Tom smiled and apologized for making him wait. With a mild British accent, he said his tummy was all grumbly and he just had to get a bite to eat.  He asked the boy if he knew what that was like.  The boy was clueless about the exchange but Tom seemed honest in his regret about the wait he put us through.

Another young child came up, younger than the first. Tom told the little one how brave he must be to approach him.  After all, he was the dreaded Malfoy and the bully of Harry. He mentioned a lot of boys his age would cry when seeing Malfoy in person.  Again, the little one was clueless about what was being said. Hopefully the parents understood and would remember and then tell this story when the kid was older and could understand.

I found it heartwarming that he tried interacting with each child.  After the success of Harry Potter and how many years of his life were involved in the franchise, I could understand if he was jaded with the fans.  That was definitely not the case here, he seemed genuinely trying to make each encounter special.

When I got my turn to approach, I handed over the photos with the little yellow stickies on them spelling out the names for the personalization.  He asked if I was Bree and I said no, that was my nephew.  Then he asked who was Aiy was and I told him that was my niece.  He mentioned I must be a good uncle to do this for these kids. I laughed and I said I just hope they remembered this when I’m old.  Hopefully they would put me away in a good home. He laughed back.  

Later that day as I was leaving the convention and walking back to my car, I saw him behind the building away from the crowds making a phone call.  I said hello as I walked past and thank him for coming out to Texas.  He waved back with a smile. This being his personal time and he was off the clock, he still smiled and waved instead of turning his back and ignoring me.  I really think he is one of the good guys and I was glad I got to get his autograph.

AH

Loved you in Harry Potter...

San Diego ComicCon 2009 was a great show for me. I got to know some fellow hounds that made me feel amateurish in comparison but they still embraced me and helped me pull down some great autographs.  One of those accomplishments was Denzel Washington.  I don’t get a lot of Hollywood A listers but this was a big one.

Denzel was promoting the movie, Book of Eli.  He, along with Mila Kunis, Gary Oldman, and the Hughes Brothers, were going to sign some mini posters for the movie. This signing was in a back room of the convention center and you were sternly told that no cameras or cell phones or bags are allowed into the signing. You do not interact with the actors and if you violate the procedures you will be thrown out of ComicCon and your badge removed. Pretty harsh but everyone obeys these rules as they want the signatures.

You line up outside of the room and they bring in 10 to 15 people at a time. The stars are already seated behind a series of tables and have Sharpies are in hand. The stars sign the posters in an assembly line; when one finishes they then hand it over to the next star to sign.  You move with the poster and when they finish you pick up the item and leave the room. There are lots of handlers and security milling around to ensure things go smoothly.

I was very near the front of the line. Until you enter the small room, you can only guess who will be there and what will be signed.  We're all surprised to see Denzel.  I was also very excited to see Gary Oldman.  I loved him in The Professional, Dracula, and The Fifth Element. His characters are captivating and memorable.

When my turn arrived, I walked over to the table. Denzel greeted me and asked how I was doing.  Since we aren’t supposed to interact with the stars I gave him a casual response of: I’m doing fine.

That was not the response he was looking for nor wanted. He actually put down the pen and looked up at me.  He said, "With all of the people signing here today, you’re just doing fine?”

I will admit I was in panic mode. I reeled mentally and briefly envisioned myself being escorted out of ComicCon because I had disappointed Denzel. Trying to think while he looked at me, I fell on an old turn of phrase I use a lot and said, “Sorry, I’m doing great. I’m just trying to stay out of trouble.”

He still looked at me and finally picked up the pen and said something like, “Staying out of trouble is good. We all should do that.” 

Feeling emboldened, I finished the other half of the statement, "Yeah, there’s a lot less to explain to the wife that way.”

Now he laughed. In that Denzel way of laughing; that deep happy boom of his. While I was relieved I was no longer in trouble with Denzel, I wondered if I was still in trouble with ComicCon. It was very obvious I was interacting with the stars.  Through a big grin he said he needed to remember that line. He wanted to use it.

He finished signing and pushed the poster to Mila so she could add her signature.  I took a small step to the right and Mila looked at Denzel and then me. She wanted to know what I said to make him laugh. You can tell she was replaying the conversation over in her head. Then she laughed out loud.  I think she said I was funny and slid my poster to Gary. 

Now Gary is very exciting to me. He’s one of those guys you might not recognize by name but you would recognize the face. You have seen him somewhere.  I always stop flipping channels and watch parts of the Fifth Element and The Professional when I see it.

He looked at me expectantly. I just made Denzel and Mila laugh and he wanted to be entertained also.  I have nothing to give him. Being a one trick pony, my bag of tricks was empty.  Now flop sweat started down my neck and back.  He was patient. He waited. A few seconds passed and I started to open my mouth and I could see him lean back slightly in his chair. He knew he was now getting his turn. And I said, “I loved you in Harry Potter…”

I took my poster and left.

I’m in the hallway kicking myself. “I loved you in Harry Potter?  That was the best I could say?  Harry Potter?”    I have no idea why his character, Sirius Black, popped into my head just then. While I enjoyed the Harry Potter movies, it’s not a favorite of mine.  I’m still embarrassed I brought that up.

But I have my poster and memories and I made a few people laugh.

AH