SpaceGypsies

I’ve been going to Dragon*Con for three years now, and I still can’t thank GreenEggsNSamm enough for talking me into the first one! Every year is a little different. You never know who you will meet, what you will see, and what memories are going to stick with you for the rest of your life, but you can be sure that it will be unforgettable.

This year I probably got around to more events than before, and I would have done more if I wasn’t already dead on my feet by the end of the day. There was so much going on and so much I wanted to do, it was impossible to see it all but I gave it my best shot.

My favorite panel? It’s so hard to pick! I went to two panels for Sylvester McCoy. Growing up I probably saw more of his Doctor Who episodes than any other Doctor, so it was a real treat to meet him and hear his stories from the show. I came home with a personalized signed Remembrance of the Daleks DVD that now has a place of honor right next to my Tomb of the Cybermen DVD signed by Frazer Hines!

I managed to get to three Stargate panels this year, and I’m so glad I got to see all the guests! Although they are understandably disappointed that their show is canceled and there’s still no future to speak of, SGU cast members David Blue, Julia McNiven, Patrick Gilmore, and Louis Ferreria were upbeat and happy to be at Dragon*Con for the first time. They were greeted very warmly by fans who made longer than expected lines to get in to the ballroom to see them. David Nykl, Beau Bridges, and Christopher Heyerdahl also drew huge crowds, but the top guest to meet out of this fantastic bunch was Amanda Tapping. If you haven’t met her yet I just want to tell you that if you have to move a mountain to get to where she’s going to be appearing, it is absolutely worth it! Her panel with Chris and David Nykl was fantastic simply because it was all controlled chaos and hijinks, and all in all so totally them! If you’re going to make me pick a favorite panel, that would have to be it!

Evenings at Dragon*Con are like one huge masquerade of epic proportions. There are costumes everywhere, anyone not in costume or wearing something unusual sticks out like a sore thumb, and it can be a real sensory overload. Lucky for me I’m starting to get used to it! What I will never get used to is being a part of the posse with one of the most popular costumes of the convention! For two times during the course of the weekend, I dressed in my SpaceGypsy costume and followed GreenEggsNSamm and WhiteRabite around in their fantastic Snowth costumes, sometimes acting as a handler to prevent collisions or a lost Snowth. After a while I found myself thinking, “This is what it must be like to be friends with a celebrity!” We would walk a ways, pause for pictures for a couple minutes, pause again to be blinded by flashes, and then go on. Everyone wanted a picture of the Snowths, and lots of people, kids and adults alike had a picture taken with the two friendly Muppets! A couple of times we decided to park ourselves out of the way of the traffic and let the fans come to us!

As crowded and crazy as it was, I was never really afraid of losing the group. If I ever did lose track of my bright pink friends all I would have to do listen for someone to sing out, “Manah Manah!”, followed by the Snowth’s reply, and I would know right where to look! The song followed us around all evening. Some guys even tried singing the improve part of the tune as the Snowths silently shook their heads at them. It was so funny!

It wasn’t just the attendees that loved the Snowths! I fully admit I squealed. I mean wouldn’t you squeal if you saw David Blue chasing down your friends because he wanted a picture with them? Louis Ferreira was so inspired when he saw the Snowths that he sang and danced with them! What I would give for a picture or video of that, but the memory will forever be in my mind.

I had a celebrity encounter of my own! After getting several kicks in the rump from my fellow SpaceGypsies, I requested an interview with Sanctuary’s Robin Dunne, and I got it! We spent weeks prepping my questions, and I spent days trying to prepare myself mentally. By the time I saw Robin coming to meet me at the interview room I has psyched myself up enough that I didn’t just keel over on the spot! He was very friendly and I immediately felt less nervous. Set up went well, and I thought I had tackled my remaining butterflies. However something must have made Robin think that I was still nervous, and he just started to tease and poke at me and off we went! GreenEggsNSamm was falling over in a silent fit of laughter while I feind exasperation with Robin’s antics.  It was a fantastic interview that left us wondering how they get anything done on set with Robin around! I couldn’t have asked for a better first interview experience, and I feel like I could take on just about anyone now!

It’s one thing to admire and respect a celebrity from afar, but when you find out first hand that you have something in common, it’s really amazing. For years I have been dying to know if Amanda Tapping really cantered a horse bareback in a silky dress and slipped off when the horse reared in SG-1′s ‘Emancipation’, or if it was all a stunt double. During Amanda’s press conference GreenEggsNSamm asked her about it and I was pleased to hear that though that particular trick was done by a double, Amanda loves to ride horses. Furthermore, she has worked with disabled children learning horseback riding for physical therapy. After we wrapped the conference Amanda went back to that topic a bit, and what really got to me is how she described the transformation that those kids would go from being scared and unable to sit properly to being thrilled at what they can do. I have never worked with physically disabled kids, but I have taught many a terrified crying child who after an hour is suddenly smiling and telling me they don’t want to get off anymore! I knew exactly what Amanda was talking about and I find it just amazing and inspiring that she and I have that in common.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge Stargate trivia buff, so when I got the opportunity to go to a trivia contest, I jumped on it. Compared to the Creation trivia panels I am used to, this was much more fun, less stressful, and by far more reasonable. The track coordinators came up with good challenging questions that weren’t impossible, and a fair and fun point system. I joined up with a friendly group of savvy fans to create a team we called “The Jackson Six”. We had the other five teams whipped, quite literally, simply because we got every question right. That is until the very last question which involved placing five events in backward chronological canon order. The catch was that two of the events involved time travel that drastically changed the order. Oh you people and your trick questions! We had a good lead, but the confusing question lost us just enough points that the second team edged us out for the win. Next year, just you wait!

This year I finally made it to a fan run panel for the first time. Naturally it was for Stargate. GreenEggsNSamm had warned me in the past that while the fan run panels may sound interesting, they are a big gamble because the fans leading the discussion really have to know their stuff. I expected a lot from the panel largely because I know a lot about the franchise, and my knowledge comes from sources that everyone has access too, so I expected the panelists to be as up to speed as I am, if not more. I was sadly disappointed. The discussion centered on the future of the Stargate franchise now that SGU has been canceled. I expected a campaign pitch and I got it, but it wasn’t what I expected because the panelists hadn’t checked their Stargate news for quite some time. For instance, they were still under the impression that MGM is still in bankruptcy and therefore can’t produce any Stargate even if they want to. This is not true. As GateWorld reported last December, MGM is out of bankruptcy and in May they started funding new productions including a Viking series. The problem now is that MGM’s new bosses from Spyglass don’t see the value of the Stargate franchise so they have effectively left it to rot.

I completely understand that it can be hard to keep up with the developments, and I often have to go back and re-read things just to make sure I have my facts in a row, so I was sympathetic. The panel was definitely intended to be a group discussion with the panelists leading, but how you managed to actually contribute to the discussion, I couldn’t tell you. When I saw that folks were about eight months behind on their news I wanted to help out. Unable to get a word in edgewise I tried standing up. I was about halfway back in the small meeting room, and there’s no way that the panelists could have gone without seeing me, especially when I kept trying to catch their eye. It just wasn’t happening though. I don’t know if I was out of line trying to get in on the conversation, but being ignored irked me more than the lack of up to date news being discussed. I stayed for the rest of the panel, as much as it pained me to see my fellow fans so ill informed. If I hadn’t needed to bolt out of there I would have tried to comment on the situation to the panelists.

Dragon*Con just keeps getting better and better every year. I always walk away with great memories and this year’s Dragon*Con was no different.

Doctor Q and his fantastical microphone at the Clockwork Comics panel

There were some amazing panels this year. The Sanctuary panel, featuring the wonderful Amanda Tapping, Christopher Heyerdahl and Robin Dunne, was so personable it didn’t feel like we were sitting in a ballroom that held hundreds. Doctor Q’s Clockwork Comics panel gave me a whole list of Steampunky comics I want to check out and taught me a thing or two about Steampunk costuming. My favorite panel of the weekend though was probably the Gonzo Quiz Show on Saturday night.

Featuring Paul and Storm, Jonathan Coulton, Doc Hammer, James Urbanik, and Sylvester McCoy (among others), I can honestly say I’ve never laughed that hard for that long. It was filled with so many memorable moments, like Doc Hammer’s rendition of The Beatles “When I’m 64” done in the voice of Doctor Girlfriend, that it would be impossible to choose just one as a favorite. Sylvester McCoy definitely stole the show in the second half with a continuous and impressive display of physical comedy.

1812 and One Eye

Costuming has always been something that has interested me and Dragon*Con attendees bring costuming to a whole new level. WhiteRabite and I have had costuming success in the past with our Farscape DRDs 1812 and One Eye. (Ben Browder LOVED them!) But we wanted something different this year. We wanted something no one had ever done before, or at least, not well. Inspired by the Jim Hensen exhibit we saw at the Museum of Science and Industry in October, the Snowths costumes were born.

All I will say is that those costumes were a lot of hard work. If it weren’t for our combined creativity, talent and ingenuity, WhiteRabite and I could have never pulled them off. The result was a hit! We wore the costumes three times, Thursday night, Saturday night and Monday. Each time we couldn’t take more than a few steps without people asking for our picture or singing “Manah Manah.” It was amazing! And we were worried no one would know who we were! We clearly underestimated the popularity of these Muppets and even ended up making iO9’s list of Coolest Costumes and Props at Dragon*Con 2011.

Small children were the most adorable. They would come up to us very shyly and ask if they could take their picture with us. We tried not to speak much in the costumes except to sing the song, but a nod and open arms was all the kids needed to smile brightly and pose with us. All of the compliments we received really made our day. Even celebrities loved us!

SGU's David Blue asked for a picture with us!

We were walking by the bar in the Marriott (and by “walking” I mean being led hand-in-hand by a handler since we couldn’t see very well) when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around, nearly hitting the person in the head with my nose as a familiar voice asked “Can I get my picture with you?” I nodded and got WhiteRabite’s attention so she would stop and pose as well. Then I heard it, the slight squeal from PlayItGrand. I looked over at the man who had his arm around my waist. Our “fan” was none other than Stargate Universe’s David Blue! He said he had seen us on the second floor and came running down because he had to get his picture taken with us! Of course I had to ask if he would mind if we took our picture with HIM. He seemed surprised and I’m not sure why. The next day I stopped by his table at the Walk of Fame, out of costume, and thanked him for making our night. We chatted for a bit about the costumes and how we made them. He was simply wonderful. Those who know me know I wasn’t a fan of SGU. It wasn’t my cup of tea. However, it did make me a fan of David Blue and now that I’ve met him, I can honestly say he’s as great of a guy as you’d imagine!

Posing with Felicia Day in the Walk of Fame!

Felicia Day (The Guild) climbed over her table in the Walk of Fame and Amy Okuda (The Guild) crawled under hers to get their pictures taken with us. Addy Miller, the little girl zombie from The Walking Dead asked to pose for a picture as well. Even the staff members in the Walk of Fame wanted their picture taken with us! Perhaps the most hilarious moment came when we were standing outside the Walk of Fame getting ready to go back up to our room. Louis Ferreira (Stargate Universe) walked past us singing “Manah Manah.” Of course we joined in and soon we were dancing and singing with Colonel Young himself while David Blue laughed in the background!

Getting hugs from Eddie McClintock

My celebrity sightings didn’t stop there! I got hugs from Warehouse 13‘s Eddie McClintock  (which is starting to become an annual “thing”) and chatted with him about his American Staffordshire Terrier who was a mirror image of our dog Bunny. Of course I had to stop by and say “hi” to Farscape‘s Virginia Hey. She knows me instantly as “Radio’s Mum” and always wants to know how he’s doing. I see her once a year and it’s always a pleasure! I even got William Shatner’s autograph on my copy of Saddle & Bridle! We chatted briefly about reining and showing. He seemed amused to find one fan who was a fan of him as a horseman rather than an actor.

Dragon*Con afforded us with amazing opportunities this year as far as one of our favorite shows, Sanctuary, goes. PlayItGrand did her very first interview ever with Robin Dunne! It is definitely one of the best interviews I have ever seen! She did such a great job. I think you can hear me giggling in the background as Robin ribbed her.

Christopher Heyerdahl, as it turns out, is really not scary in person. He’s very much the opposite! (And very handsome!) I had a chance to interview him and remarked about how his portrayal of John Druitt often freaks me out so much I need to turn on all of the lights in the house if I’m home alone. He seemed very amused by this! He was incredibly charming and witty. He’s so not like any of his characters that it really speaks to his abilities as an actor.

I may have a new fangirl crush...

I would have to say though that the highlight of Dragon*Con 2011 for me was Amanda Tapping. I’ve seen Amanda before at Creation’s Chicago Stargate Convention so I already knew how awesome she was. Or at least, I thought I knew! First we had the chance to interview her with our friends at Fandomania and That Sci-Fi Show. If that wasn’t enough, we learned that Amanda loves horseback riding and used to volunteer at a therapeutic riding facility! The great thing about Amanda is that she is the most genuine person you will ever meet. She genuinely cares about everyone she meets and it shows. The interview felt more like a conversation with an old friend than it did an interview, and that was great!

Let me say that I can’t praise Illumina Productions and Craig Damon enough. His pictures are always BEAUTIFUL. His photo op room is always fun and friendly. His staff is helpful and pleasant, and he gets things done on time without rushing you through. You’re given a few moments to say “hello” to the guest and get yourself situated. It’s obvious that Mr. Damon cares about the fan experience. If your eyes are closed or you take a “bad” picture, he takes another one! Illumina Productions was also wonderful about e-mailing out autograph prices for their guests before the convention. Their photo-ops may be a little more pricey than Froggy’s, but let me tell you, honestly…you get what you pay for. I have never been disappointed with my photos or my experience.

Beautiful right? Our photo-op with Christopher Heyerdahl and Amanda Tapping by Illumina Productions

When I went for my photo-op with Amanda she recognized me from the interview and greeted me with a friendly hug. Some people have specific poses in mind for their photo-ops and I knew exactly what I wanted to request, if Amanda would be game. I saw on Twitter that Amanda can do something very unusual with her eyes. She can look to the left with her right eye and straight with her left eye at the same time. I’ve never seen anyone else who can do this! Though I doubted hers was “natural” like mine, I had to ask if she’d be willing to do it in the picture.

Me: Can we do that thing where you look to the left and straight at the same time? I’ve never met anyone else who can do it.
Amanda: (Looking surprised) Can you do it?! (very excited, grabs my arms).
Me: Yes! (crosses eyes).
Amanda: Awesome! Yes! Lets do it!

It took her a moment to do it (since my muscles are paralyzed I just look to the left), but the picture was snapped with Amanda making a goofy face and me with an equally goofy and very excited smile. I saw her in the hallway later, in passing, and she ran over to me and excitedly asked if I had seen our photo-op yet. I immediately went to pick it up! On Sunday she signed the picture “to my wonder twin” and we chatted a bit about the picture. I told her how I took a lot of flack in school for unintentionally crossing my eyes. Her handler, who was equally as awesome as Amanda, laughed and asked what Amanda’s excuse was. “I’m just an idiot!” she giggled. I don’t think she realized how that one moment, that one silly picture, made all of the schoolyard teasing I endured worth it. Amanda thought my ability to cross my eyes like that was cool.

Summing up Dragon*Con 2011 in one word is easy. “Memorable.” From the panels to our interviews, the concerts, reunions with old friends and meeting new ones, our costumes and encounters with our favorite guests, everything about this year’s Dragon*Con was truly unforgettable. I can’t even begin to imagine what will happen next year!

When I was little – and I mean really little – I used to sneak around late at night and watch Doctor Who (the series that’s now considered the “classic” versus the new). I rarely understood what was going on, but I loved the characters and whenever I heard that fantastic theme I knew exactly what my dad was watching. I loved watching it, but I could never see enough re-runs to understand. It wasn’t until a year or two ago that I found a way to watch the whole series and my appreciation for it has never been stronger. I nearly died last year when I met Frazier Hines at Dragon*Con, and WhiteRabite had a wonderful interview with him. This year at Dragon*Con, the Seventh Doctor, and one of my personal favorites, made a house call! Sylvester McCoy everyone!

Hello fellow travelers!

This is a very special week for the SpaceGypsies. We recently discovered Operation Speak Out with your Geek Out and it was something that really spoke to us. We’re proud to be geeks and we’re proud to be fans. And we’re not afraid to show it!

Geeks have spent far too long being teased and stereotyped. But instead of combating negativity with harsh words, Operation Speak Out with your Geek Out proposes that we invite those that pick on us to “sit at our table and share our interests.”

“Let us combat being used as pawns for internet gaffes with the reasons why we’re awesome, why we love what we love, and why it’s good to be a geek.” -Operation Speak Out with your Geek Out

SpaceGypsies is proud to join Operation Speak Out with your Geek Out this week, September 12th- 16th by posting about the things we geek out for and why we’re proud to be geeks.

Do you want to join the revolution and geek out too? Post your geeky story in our comments section this week and let us know what you geek out for!

Never be afraid to let your geek flag fly!

SpaceGypsies

I have to thank Chalchiuhtecoliotl for re-introducing me into Doctor Who. I’ve been a fan of the classic series for as long as I can remember. I used to sneak around way past my bed time and watch re-runs from around the corner while my dad watched.

Thanks to a fantastic invention known as the Internet and people who blatantly disregard copyright laws, I’ve been able to watch the entire classic series. Well, all that has survived BBC’s film vault cleanup, and a few recreated with pictures and the soundtrack.

When the new series arrived, I was really skeptical, and after watching the first new season I gave it up. I was looking for strong ties to the classic series, and I just wasn’t seeing it. Instead it felt to me like they had started from scratch, re-writing the show’s complex and often contradictory canon.

Then last Fall Chal came over to my house for the weekend, and she’d brought along Matt Smith’s first season on DVD to see if she could get me hooked. Well Chal, I’m hooked! The series had re-invented itself, but it was now doing a far better job of drawing on its roots than it had when the new series began.

Before Chal left my house I clued her in on the original series episodes you can find online, but since there’s so much to watch and enjoy it will take her a while to catch up. In the mean time I can’t help but what to comment on some of the fantastic callbacks that came up in one recent episode in particular, “The Doctor’s Wife”.

Seconds into the episode I nearly fell off my couch out of sheer delight. There was a knock at the TARDIS door, and a bright square box came flying in! Before the Doctor even said “I’ve got mail!” I knew what it was. Way back in an episode from 1969 called “War Games”, the Second Doctor’s (Patrick Troughton) last episode as a matter of fact, the Doctor made one of those boxes because he had to inform the Time Lords of a terrible atrocity he had discovered. By doing so, he had to let the Time Lords find him, and considering he had spent who knows how long hiding from them since he “borrowed” the TARDIS, that was a big sacrifice that resulted in huge consequences.

Next, the series makes one of those crazy canon errors. They aren’t uncommon by any means. I just read an attempt to explain whether or not the Doctor had a family in the Doctor Who Magazine, and you won’t believe how many times the Doctor contradicts himself on that point alone! This time, the Doctor tells Amy and Rory that they are leaving the universe, going to somewhere they have never been before. However, long time fans may recall the Fourth Doctor’s (Tom Baker) E-Space adventures, a place where the rules that usually apply to the universe sometimes don’t, and it’s extraordinarily hard to get out. The Doctor was sucked into that mess by mistake, and we didn’t have to dump the swimming pool! Read the rest of this entry »