Saturday, 29 November, 2004: Memorabilia

The convention today was great fun. Jay and I decided to go by ourselves for a change. We had quite a leisurely journey there even though I did have to get up at five am to get ready. Again. Why do I torture myself this way? Maybe I should just shave my head and get it over with? Lol. Anyway, We had to walk FOREVER to get from the parking lot to the convention center. I don't think we've ever parked so far away from the NEC before. I didn't even SEE the building when we got out of the car.

Everything was so well organised this time at Memorabilia. (Even if they only had half of the guests they claimed to have.) I think maybe because it was their tenth anniversary. Or maybe they're just wising up. Anyway, there were a ton of people walking around in costumes. Everything from Storm Troopers to Predators, it was great! There was also a full sized R2D2 and Dalek!

It was so nice not to be in a complete rush this time. We got Lance's autograph out of the way first thing and then had the rest of the day to just wander around as we wanted. We spent a fair bit of cash on dvds and things but it was great fun. (Jay even bought me a Worf shaped mug!) I managed to stay in my top...barely. :) (Ditched the shoes though.)

It was a fabulous day out. We did get pulled by the cops on the way home but only because Jay forgot to turn the headlights on when we left the services. They didn't give us any hassle or anything which I thought was remarkable. Add a McDonald's for dinner and you've got a perfect trip.

Chase Masterson and Max Grodénchik (Deep Space Nine)
It was a surprise to see Max Grodénchik sitting next to Chase Masterson becasue he wasn't listed as a guest. We met Max some time ago but with Rom and Lita sitting there together, it was an opportunity that we couldn't pass up. We got a signed photo of the both of them and got them both to pose in a photo with us. It was great. I thought Chase Masterson was a bit cold. I don't mean rude...She was very polite and we had a nice chat with her...It's just that it seemed like she was just going through the motions. It could be that she was just jet lagged...Jay met her once before but they didn't get on. I believe he mentioned something about her getting naked...Max was a star. Again. He's fun to talk to and meticulous about signing photos.

Chris Barrie and Robert Llewellyn (Red Dwarf)
This is the part where I'm forced to admit that I'm a secret Red Dwarf fan...I was pretty much after a cast photo today so I was bummed to learn that Craig Charles cancelled. I heard that he was ill, though, so obviously, it's understandable. Besides, he's at quite a few conventions so it's all good. Chris and Robert were both very nice. I do enjoy being an American sometimes...It always seems to spark conversation. As does my name...Often followed by "how do you spell that?"

David Early and Scott Reiniger
I don't know what was up with the zombies today but they just didn't put my name on our photos. They both made them out to just Jay which amused him endlessly! It's not like I'm a huge zombie movie fan but I felt really snubbed!

David Warner (My Best Friend is a Vamire)
I couldn't believe it when I saw David Warner's name come up for the convention. He's been in a ton of stuff, as Jay will tell you but I don't care. I absolutely adore him for his role in My Best Friend is a Vampire. As the complete physco, of course. Lol. He was nice but didn't actually seem to be at his seat much. He's quite old but doesn't look much different than I remember him. I had my photo taken with him...The only bad part about Jay and I going alone (and I mean ONLY): We had to take turns being in photos unless someone was there to take a picture of both of us.

Gunnar Hansen (Texas Chainsaw Massacre)
No one would ever look at the Billy Connoly-like man that is Gunnar Hansen and think that he inspired fear into the hearts of many as Leatherface. He's so...average. In fact, I asked Jay if he wanted to have his photo taken with Gunnar and he said, "Who would recognise him?" He certainly loves to talk, though.

Holley Chant (Event Horizon)
Holley was a very nice woman. We had a nice chat, as we sometimes do, about how Jay and I met. When she signed our photo for us, she wasn't happy with what she wrote so she tossed it out and did a whole new one for us. She said she wanted to write something nice because we were wonderful. That was cool.

Ken Foree (Dawn of the Dead)
Good old Ken Foree! Jay and I took Ken a bottle of Welsh whiskey as a gift because he's been so kind and entertaining the other two times that we've seen him. We were a little apprehensive at first because you never know if someone is a recovering alcoholic. Well, Mr. Foree certainly is not. He seemed quite happy about it, in fact. Jay said he hoped he wouldn't be wandering around drunk that night and he said, "You know I will." Lol. I'm glad that we could amuse him. He's always very kind and attentive. I noticed that he has a booming voice kind of like Brian Blessed.

Kenneth Cope (Randall and Hopkirk, Deceased)
Kenneth Cope was the least friendly of the lot. He wasn't exactly unfriendly, just abrupt. When I walked up he said, "What a beautiful lady!" which is a great way to start any conversation. He signed the photo without asking if we'd like it personalised, said "there you go" and sent us on our way. I only started watching Randall and Hopkirk, Deceased a few months ago so I can't believe how old he actually is! It's just too bad his partner has been dead for so long.

Lance Henriksen (Alien, Millenium)
We made a beeline directly for Lance the moment we walked through the doors. The line was long but moved very quickly. We weren't allowed to take posed photos with him (because of the lines) but we did make arrangements to have a photo shoot done later in the dead. (The picture turned out beautifully. Yay!) I was surprised at how friendly and chatty Lance was with as quickly as the line moved. He looks very good for his age but then, he always looked sort of rugged. Jay was gutted that he didn't get a chance to draw him but you can't win them all. Of course, I did have to get an autograph for my soon-to-be screenwriter friend as well. ;)

Michael Praed (Robin Hood, Dynasty)
I honestly couldn't tell you who Michael Praed is. It seemed like we had to wait a long time for him, though, because he was talking to Nicola Bryant and Colin Baker. On and on they talked. He was nice enough when we got to meet him but he certainly wasn't that talkative with us! He didn't even get up for a photo with Jay.

Nicola Bryant (Doctor Who)
We had the very bad luck of being stuck behind a tramp while we were waiting for Nicola Bryant's autograph. It was...a very interesting sight...And a very interesting smell. Ugh.

Patricia Quinn (Rocky Horror Picture Show)
So....We were standing around, waiting for Sybil Danning to be free so we could ask for her autograph...And Patricia Quinn was next to her at the table...Well. She stared at me for a moment and said, "I've seen you before." Nice to be remembered, I must admit. We spent a few minutes talking to her about the last time that we saw her and the Dammit, Janet convention that she did a couple of months ago. It was sort of strange because she sort of kept staring at my cleavage. Jay said that he thought she was quite interested in me. Lol. I won't mention what he said about threesomes...Bad, naughty boy. Lol. Patricia Quinn is always very nice to us. We didn't get her autograph but it was fun to talk to her again.

Paul Darrow (Blake's 7)
We bumped into Paul Darrow by accident after getting Herb Jefferson Jr.'s autograph. He stopped us and teased me about having Jefferson's arm around me. I couldn't remember at first who he was but he was greatly amusing. We bumped into him again after getting another autograph and spoke for a moment. It's so nice that he remembered us from the last convention that we saw him at. We just couldn't afford to get his autograph this time but if we see him again I bet that we would.

Sybil Danning (The Howling 2)
Sybil Danning looks very good for her age and was very talkative. We spent quite a few minutes with her talking about this and that. She was also kind enough to walk around the table for a photo with the two of us.

Traci Lords (porn actress)
You would never believe the enormous line of men waiting of meet Traci Lords. Oh, wait...Did I mention that she is a former porn star? Right. Which explains why Jay had to have her autograph. Lol. I thought she was a bit unfair because she charged an extra ten pounds on top of the cost of the autograph for a posed photo with herself. Jay said that she was nice and chatty but I was a few steps away so I could take the photo of them. It was funny, actually. We bumped into a guy that we met at the Comicon. It's fun to actually meet new people like that and keep seeing them at other conventions.

Virginia Hey and Vernon Wells (Mad Max2)
We spent a great deal of time with this pair from Mad Max 2. A huge line formed behind us while we talked to Virginia Hey. Oops. :) She was telling us all about her new obsession: making candles. They all smelt great too. We also chatted about how impossible it is for a woman to get a job in Hollywood once you get a wrinkle. She mentioned that she is 52 and Jay and I were totally floored. She looks 35ish! Unbelievable! Vernon Wells was great becaue he kept butting into our conversation with Virginia to add his two cents worth. He doesn't even look like the same person anymore. He certainly didn't look like a mohawk sporting bad guy! More like, wind swept and interesting. ;)

Herb Jefferson Jr. and Richard Hatch (Battlestar Galactica)
Neither Apollo or Boomer were listed as guests so it was a pleasant surprise to see them there. Both were very nice, Richard Hatch being the nicest. I got a big hug when I had my photo taken with him and everything. Jay and I both had our photos taken with Herb Jefferson Jr. but Jay reckons that he was a bit upset because Jay asked me to stand in the center instead of Herb. It was fun to meet them both, though.