Scott Thompson Walker Stalker Dallas 2016

I don’t watch the plethora of ‘cop’ shows out there.  I watched Hill Street Blues for the first few episodes and then bailed.  Never came back.  I’ll watched Monk, Castle, and Elementary but not because I enjoy the genre but because something in them intrigued me.

So Scott Thompson on Hannibal meant nothing to me.  Scott Thompson on Kids in the Hall was exciting.  As I talked to him, I learned the group still gets back together and does some touring.  I need to keep that on the radar. We were both fans of Second City TV and many of the stars that developed there.

It was a nice encounter and he was a friendly guy.

AH

Austin and Tovah - mother and son Walker Stalker 2016

I got into Tovah Feldshuh line first. She was just finishing up with a mom and little daughter.  Tovah was asking the little one a few questions.  My first question would be to the mom: why was she letting her 8 year old watch Walking Dead.  Maybe the kid was a midget and really 21 years old.

When I selected the photo any trace of a smile left Tovah’s face. It’s not a glamourous phot.  She signed. In an attempt to placate her, I mentioned it was a very powerful scene.  It had closure for her son and the audience. He nodded and admitted it was powerful.

I left.  As a total aside, the wife was watching Me.tv and Love Boat was on.  After teasing her about watching Love Boat reruns, I sat down and started watching with her. Silly huh?  After a minute I said I know that actor.  The wife looked at her.  This was an episode from 1977; 39 years ago. After a moment the wife gave up. I said the Mayor of Alexandria.  In disbelief, the wife called up IMDB and found out I was right. It seems Tovah did 2 episodes of Love Boat.

Austin Nichols was next on my list. It went quick. He signed, I thanked him and I left.

AH

Denis O’Hare Walker Stalker 2016

You have seen Denis O’Hare in movies and TV for years.  For me he stands out most in the series True Blood. He played a strong villain in the show.   Then he showed up in American Horror Story. With American Horror Story, every season is a new character. 

When I got to stand in front of him I stumbled through some thoughts.   I mentioned how I thought his True Blood character was iconic.  Then in the American Horror Story, he got to play another iconic character with the Liz Taylor role. 

He paused and thanked me.  He said he really felt lucky to have those 2 characters associated with him. It was great to have one character come to mind but he loved that American Horror Story provided him with the second opportunity. He personally liked his role of Liz and was thrilled to hear the feedback.

When I chose the photo from the table, he told me it was his favorite. A friend shot the photo and the photo shoot was such a memorable day. I turned and noticed a line behind me.  We had taken longer than was fair.  I apologized but he said he wasn’t in a rush.

It was a good encounter. The Irish Gallic he added to the signature was a nice touch.

AH

Ian Somerhalder Walker Stalker 2016

I would say 95% of the people in line for Ian Somerhalder wanted him because of Vampire Diaries.  I would also say 95% of the people in line were girls. My friends wanted him for Rules of Attraction. I’m a closet Lostie.  I wanted him for Lost.

My friends snuck me into the ViP line with them.  This allowed me to bypass the long line that had already formed as the show opened. Instead of spending the next hour in line with teen and young adult women struggling with their crushes, I spent 5 minutes in line with my friends.  

My friends had a nice conversation with Ian about the Rules of Attraction. He seemed excited to be talking about it. It was a pleasant run through memory lane.  When it was my turn, I got to bask in their afterglow. He smiled and shook my hand. I mentioned Lost and he smiled. We talked about filming in Hawaii and he admitted the only problem was he had just one season on the show.

I left and caught up with my friends and ventured on to more signatures.

AH

Erin Richards Walker Stalker 2016

I am sure there are a few autographs from Gotham actors that I’m missing but it can’t be many.  Erin Richards was at Walker Stalker and I got her first thing in the morning.

She was full of energy. When she learned my name she told me that my name just needed one more letter and it would mean ‘lion’. I had no idea what she was talking about but I nodded and said 'wow, I didn’t know that'.

So when she signed, she had to include my name and a comment about being a lion.

I tried a google search. I didn’t find that but there is a ‘Lewis the Lion’ character and maybe that is what she was referring.  It was a fun a conversation.

AH

Anastasia Baranova and Russell Hodgkinson Walker Stalker 2016

So, why won’t Z Nation be represented at Walker Stalker?

Anastasia Baranova and RussellHodgkinson were signing at this show.

Anastasia is much thinner in person. (Ouch, a slap to the back of the head and being told that I shouldn’t say things like that.  I’m thinking, at least she isn’t bigger in person…Ouch, another slap to the head AND a glare. The glare that says: I know what you are thinking. Okay, I’m guilty of thinking.)

She was very friendly and chatty.  She had just flown in from a wedding in Europe and still jet lagged. Nonetheless, she was up to the task of meeting her fans.

Russell was very outgoing. He was also selling Z-Weed and some T-shirts which fits his character. Again, he was very happy to see his fans.

AH

Sonequa Martin-Green Walker Stalker 2016

Walking Dead is an unusual show as it does not glamourize their stars.  They are dirty, grungy, and in the case of Daryl, in desperate need of a shower.   It’s a surprise they don’t show lice crawling through their hair.

Then you see Sonequa Martin-Green in person.  She looks 10 years younger and is stunningly beautiful.  She has a non-stop smile that is not often seen on the show and she just ‘shines’ as she talks to people.

The autograph was a great excuse to see her up close and realize how much makeup is needed to put her in character.

AH

Seth Gillam Warrior Priest 2016

At the Dallas Walker Stalker, I picked up Seth Gillam’s autograph.  He stood in front of his table and chatted with fans and took photos.  Since the line wasn’t too long, I took a moment and mentioned I liked the turnaround in his character.  He agreed it was about time and wanted to portray an image of the Warrior Priest.  It would be a fun direction for Father Gabriel to travel.

AH

Russ Streiner Walker Stalker Dallas 2016

Because I was getting Russ Streiner’s autograph for a friend, I figured I’d pick one up for myself too.

He was a nice man. We talked Pittsburg, baseball (Pirates and Phillies), and Night of the Living Dead. What’s not to like?

While I normally try to avoid personalization on the autographs, I must admit, he had a great quote that is hard to resist. In the movie, he teased his sister and said, ‘They’re coming to get you Barbara!’  For his autograph he signs with that icon line and adds your name.  Petty cool.

AH

ComicBook Men

The last autographs I got for the day were Ming Chen, MikeZapcic, and Bryan Johnson. I will say that Ming was the most outgoing guy of the three. He was chatting with people all day whether in front of the table or behind it.

There not just there to sign autographs. They were there to meet fans and chat with people. I saw a lot of people just hanging out with them.

I asked if there store was as swamped with visitors as the Pawn Stars shop is. They said no., you can easily come and shop and buy stuff. I mentioned I grew up and Jersey and don’t consider them south. They asked if I was from Cape May or Ocean City.  I told them I was from the Dellie side (Delaware River), Burlington County. They invited me to stop by the next time I’m in town.

AH

Walker Stalker Con Dallas 3/14/15

Chad L Coleman

The last cast member from Walking Dead I got for the day was Chad L Coleman.  Even at 4PM he was still talking and bouncing around and having fun with people.

His character has gotten the best sendoff to date on the show. His death had closure for his character. Fans were given some closure to take the edge off the death. As we talked about his death, and I’m sure everyone did that got his autograph, he repeated that he loved the episode and if he had to be killed off, there was no better way to leave.  He felt lucky to have that episode center around him.

AH

Walker Stalker Con Dallas 3/14/15

Christian Serratos

Christian Serratos had a long line at Walker Stalker Con. She sensibly wore flats. She stood in front of her table and chatted with fans and took table photos. She greeted a lot of young fans dressed as her character from the show. 

Since I was tired and fading like donuts left on the break room counter all day, I didn’t interact  at all with her except to say hello, love the show, thanks for the photo.

AH

Walker Stalker Con Dallas 3/14/15

Lawrence Gillard Jr

I don’t use IMDB often enough at these shows.  I really should. As I was at the table picking out a photo for Lawrence Gillard Jr to sign, I saw a photo of him in a football uniform and a bandana. It looked so familiar but I couldn’t place it. I slyly asked the lady talking the money where that photo came from. She replied The Warterboy.  D’oh! I should have known. I love that movie.

All too often with cast members of the Walking Dead, they are killed off. Lawrence’s character was killed off this season. He made the transformation was a weak character to a strong one and one we were rooting to see survive.

AH

Walker Stalker Con Dallas 3/14/15

Josh MeDermitt – Fear the Mullet

This was a long slow time. Just like others, Josh McDermitt was giving everyone their face time. He was open and chatty and in no rush.

Again, part of the wait was that Josh needed to leave to do photo ops. Josh waved as he left but pointed to one guy in the crowd that was dressed as his character in the show. Josh shouted with a big grin that they ‘needed to talk’.  Everyone laughed.

And yes, we did talk about my UofA shirt. He grew up in AZ and went to school in Phoenix. I won’t bore you with details as it was the standard college talk stuff: College, major, sports, yadda yadda yadda.

I like this photo a lot. Even though it’s very phallic (mom don’t look), it was a memorable scene in a show made up of memorable scenes.

AH

Walker Stalker Con Dallas 3/14/15

Nestor Carbonell Lost

I’ve already admitted to being a Lost fan. While I didn’t research every Easter Egg the show threw out there, I did think about most of them.  

Getting any autographs from Lost cast members is exciting.  Nestor Carbonell was just as nice as everyone else I met at the convention. And while we didn’t interact much, I love the quote he added to the photo.

AH

Walker Stalker Con Dallas 3/14/15

Tyler James Williams – Chris! Chris!

I got in this short line because Tyler James Williams said he was stepping away for 5 minutes. A lot of people left. About 45 minutes later he stepped back. 5 minutes for people is 45 minutes to other people.  Sometimes the cut short is not very short.

As I was in line, I heard a lady call him Chris a couple of times. A few people in the crowd called him Chris also. I get that.  You play a role and people will always identify you with that role.  However, the role that is playing now is Noah. The role now is why most people as at the convention. No one called him Noah.

As he signed for me, I asked, do people call you Chris more or Noah. He grinned and said he was always being called Chris (from Everyone Hates Chris, he did that show for 4 seasons). Only in the last few months did he start hearing Noah because of the Walking Dead.

I got my autograph and left. The next night I’m watching Walking Dead and out of the blue he’s killed. No chance for him to establish the Noah character in the consciousness of the American public.

AH

Walker Stalker Con Dallas 3/14/15

Michael Cudlitz selfie champ

This was one of the longer lines I waited in at this convention.  In fact, I had to come back later as he had to do a panel or a photo op before I got my turn at this table.

Since I had the pleasure of standing in line so long, I had a lot of time to watch Michael Cudlitz talk and interact with the fans. First, as a rule, the cast of Walking Dead is extremely friendly. Even with long lines, they never seemed to be rushing to get to the end of the crowd. Michael was no exception. He seemed to be setting an example.

Most of the celebs were allowing tables photos (for a fee but that was much cheaper than the official photo ops). Michael didn’t hide behind the table. He stood the whole time and was in front of the table to make the photos easier.  He allowed a few photos for each person and he was ensuring their photos came out correctly.

As one family struggled with the selfie, he took the camera. He tried to get everyone into the photo. He was hugging 5 people, squatting and holding the phone up with one hand to get the shot. But the little one just was too little. He paused. Then asked the littlest one if he minded being picked up. After a slight nod of consent, he lifted the little one (about 60 pounds) and had the family pose again. The selfie was successful.  The family chatted excitedly as they left very happy. I would classify that as ‘above and beyond’ the call of duty.

This is where people watching is fun. The spot light is off of Michael. He knows that. He knows he can relax for a split second.  What we see next on his face should show the true character of the person. We should be able to tell if he felt put upon or frustrated or burdened.

What I saw was a smile as he sipped his water and waved on the next person in line over to him. I saw a lot of that behavior as I inched my way forward.

AH

Walker Stalker Con Dallas 3/14/15

Ross Marquand Walker Stalker Con

The convergence of the Walking Dad story line of TV show with the graphic novel is exciting. Seeing Aaron on the screen and also getting to see Ross Marquand in person was fun.

Again, he was another that asked about my UofA shirt. As I did with Daniel Dae Kim, I asked if he went there. He said no but he went to Colorado and was a sport fan. And like Kim, what he knew about AZ basketball was much more than what I knew. We talked about the reputations of each other schools (party versus serious academics) and it’s interesting how the image have changed over time.

AH

Walker Stalker Con Dallas 3/14/15

Zach Galligan Walker Stalker Con

How can you not love the movie Gremlins?  The wife and I saw it a few times at the theaters. And Zach Galligan was a must for the collection.

Again, another friendly guy signing at this show. He picked a good color to sign. He gave a very nice signature. He seemed at peace being constantly associated with the movie and ready to talk about it. 

AH

Walker Stalker Con Dallas 3/14/15

Daniel Dae Kim

I had to wait twice for Daniel Dae Kim. The first time, he needed to leave for a photo op. It happens.  Conventions are busy places for celebrities. They have scheduled time at their tables of signings. Then scheduled times for photo ops. Then scheduled times for panels that they need to attend.

 When we were finally face to face, I barely said hello before he asked me about the UofA. Yes, I was wearing a UofA shirt. Puzzled that he knew the logo, I asked if he went there. He said no but he was a sports fan. While I don’t know how big of a sports fan he was, he knew more than me about the UofA.

I congratulated him on working 10 years in Hawaii. He smiled. He knew most were not so lucky to work in paradise that long.

After he signed, he handed over the photo. Then he took it back.  He asked ’Lost’ or ‘5’?  not knowing what he meant, I said Lost. He then scribbled something.  I thanked him and walked off. I looked at the scribble and couldn’t figure it out.

Later, I told the wife about it. She glanced at the photo and gave me an exasperated look. She said he wrote ‘Jin’, his character name. D’oh!  

AH

Walker Stalker Con Dallas 3/14/15