2009 Con Nov 6-8

[TINemo]

First of all, it's moved from Burbank to LAX Marriott.

Secondly, Creation has announced it is to be held simultaneously with the Stargate con in the same hotel.

Very sketchy on the details as to how that will work, better keep an eye out for clarification.

[TINemo]

I hope I get this right.Emerald City can correct me if I get it wrong

So far the guests announced include: Ben Browder, Claudia Black, Lani Tupu,Wayne Pygram, Rebecca Riggs, Gigi Edgley,David Franklin,Virginia Hey, Ben's wife Francesca Buller, Paul Goddard, and Johnathon Hardy

At the simultaneous Stargate con(gold pass holders can attend in general admission if there is room) announced guests so far are: Ben Browder,Michael Shanks,Cliff Simon(Baal),Paul McGillian(Carson Beckett) ,and Robert Picard(Wolsey).

Photo ops and autographs for all guests are available(for a price.....see creationent.com) for all fans, at least until they sell out. Various meals and cocktail hours with some guests are beiing offered, but details are confusing.Some if not all of these involve bidding but details are not available.

I plan to be there. Anybody else?????

[TINemo]

Guess not or you are not admitting it,Actually tons of scapers on Terra Firma are raring to go

I'm killing time while grandgirls do pottery at College for Kids UWM

Thought someone might want to know that Joe Flanigan is joinng Stargates half of the con.Do you suppose he'll comb his hair?????

115 days until the con,

Come on, sonebody here act interested!!!!

[Firecracker]

I'm interested! I'm going! No worries.

[TINemo]

OK That's two!

I'm envisioning large crowds and long lines for photos(which I'm not doing this year unless I find some $$$$$$ somewhere) and autographs(ditto). One can never have too many photos of Ben and Claudia, it's seeing me in the pics I could do without.'My eyes are always closed because I'm usually laughing.

Made the appointment today to see if I can have my hip replacement surgery and still make it to the con......or have it done after. No way I;ll miss the con unless I break the bloody thing between now and 114 days.

[TINemo]

Well it's something like 47 days to go.

I just got home from two and a half weeks in a rehab facility for a total hip replacement. Raring to go! I just might not even bring the wheelchair this year

Creation has started the bidding for lunches with various cast members, but the prices are too rich for my blood.

Anybody getting excited??????

[Firecracker]

Congrats on the hip replacement TINemo! You must be so happy it is done. Hope that things will continue to improve.

I can't wait for the convention - I have my tickets, my hotel, my flight all booked and now... I am just waiting. Impatiently.

10 year anniversary. Woohoo! And a new venue! This should be * puts on Tony the Tiger voice* "Greeeaaaaaaaaaaaat!"

[TINemo]

Now that I am home from the hospital(no computer access) I checked with creation on the special offerings lke lunch with Ben, cocktails with Claudia, wine and cheese with other cast members. I could not get anywhere with their link so I emailed Gary.

Lucky me! There was one lunch with Ben left.........and I splurged, my get well gift from me to me.

Now I'm wondering who else will be at the lunch ...or the coctail party.....or the wine and cheese parties?????????

See you in Nov if I can ever get my hotel reservation straightened out

[Firecracker]

I found this 'new' Marriott very helpful when I called to adjust my reservations - hopefully you will also.

[TINemo]

It's not the Marriott itself. I am planning on using my *world points* reward from my Bank Of America Visa to pay for part of it......and they are giving me a runaround. You can't reach a live person, just menu after menu, and their is a mixup with last months' payment which I wrotwe in the hospital under pain meds and which was off by $10 so they consider the whole payment *late^ and won't process the reward points. I have paid the $10 but.........Aghh!

[TINemo]

Well I've been back for three weeks and apparently noone is going to post. You should have been there.It was fun!!!

I felt that the two cons simultaneously was interesting. Gold and prefered tickets could go to the other con if there was room.So you had to pick and choose but that was kind of fun.Since there approx 20 cast members between the two, there was a lot of stage downtime as people did photo ops and autographs. So then they doubed or tripled FS cast members ie. Gigi Wayne and Lani together and Ben and Claudia together. Plus and minuses either way. Farscape had the larger room...rated for 600. I bet there were at least 450 for Ben and Claudia. Stargate had the smaller room...rated 300. And there was standing room only for Ben. A good thing too because Claudia really dominated their together time.She had a big salad brought out and ate it which I thought was rude...she did offer Ben one bite! She frequently made remarks that made Ben blush, cover his face and hand her his mic rather than respond. She told him he needed a time out and he went and stood in the corner....kind of fun. Didn't go see Micheal Shanks because a) it conflicted with B & C and b) I've seen him before and was underwhelmed.

So what's the news???? Everybody talked about how there is no funding for anyone now. Froon's Fusion, the webisodes, Going Homer, Freezeframe, etc etc. The only one I think is working now is Gigi who's back in Oz doing *Rescue* which is a sort of firmeman/EMT type of thing as near as I could figure out. Gigi is engaged(big rock) to Jamie the unicyclist(and mech engr), Wayne mentioned *Married* and was wearing a wedding band, Anth didn't come, is working as a corporate or government consultant....all grown up at last, Rebecca apparently has a boy and a girl now. Francesca has gone back to college and hopes to teach drama.David did a great Sinatra gig for the cabaret although I thought last years duet about Braca and Scorpy was better, Virginia is still selling candles and potions, Lani is still selling his paintings, Paul and Gigi both had CDs to be bought. Rebecca did a monologue about the joys and woes of motherhood which was very moving.Johnathon is in Aus trying to start a theater group.

The Terra firma scapers had their two morning get togethers and Wayne, Gigi and Lani had a group pic with the mambo shirt wearers. The Mad Hatters gave Francesca lovely flowers and had a group pic taken with her. Nine people plus me had lunch with Ben. He sat next to me and when he asked for water a BRIMFUL pitcher of ice water was passed to me....and I nearly dumped it in his lap because it was heavier than I expected. He said *Here sweetheart, let me help you with that* Thud!Also gave me his arm to get back to my wheelchair. Love that man's manners.

Ten folks had cocktails with Claudia, didn't hear anything about it and the lunch with Michael apparently didn't sell out prior to the con. The wine and cheeses dealies never happened. Prices were too steep I would guess. Even Creation got too greedy,

Anybody else have anything to add??? there's lots more.

[Emeraldcity]

Lani has been doing voice over work for SBS back in Australia for the last couple years now. (SBS is their public TV station)
So I would call that work.

[SunKrux]

I felt that Creation treated the FS fans like the red-headed step child they no longer love. The SG con got all of their attention except when Ben & Claudia were on stage. Most of my photos I had to toss because the lighting in the room was horrible. The fact that they used flood lights clamped to the middle of the stage to light it. It made everyone look like they were telling ghost stories. So not conducive to taking good pics. No amount of tweaking in Photoshop could save them.

As for Claudia eating on stage being rude, I whole heartedly disagree with you. The woman had been busy entertaining FANS all day and didn't have a break to eat lunch. So rather than keep fans waiting any longer, she ate her lunch while entertaining us. I didn't find it rude, I saw it as a sign that she trusts the fans way more than she ever has. As for her hogging the time, there have been many times when she and Ben were on stage when he hogged the time so it's only fair that she's finally comfortable enough with who she is to hog time.

Never in my life have I ever been more proud of Scapers than when her oldest boy came on stage and she asked us to not take pictures when he took off the Batman mask. It did my heart good to see everyone around me and in front of me turn their cameras OFF and DOWN when she asked that. It also did my heart good to see how much she trusts us now. 10 years ago she never would have allowed her child on stage with her much less let us see him.

I LOVED Ben not wanting to respond because seriously, he would have only gotten himself into trouble if he had.

As usual for me, the cast were spectacular. The service from Creation was very disappointing. The hotel was okay as a venue. They shouldn't have had the photo ops so far away from the main stages though. Or they should have at least provided feeds from the two cons for those waiting for photo ops.

[TINemo]

Hi Somehow I didn't see you there.

I quite agree that the hotel is less than special. There is only that one bank of elevators on the one end opposite and clear across the width of the hotel from the restaurants and the con rooms. For those of us who can't use the escalator it meant a lot of wheeling.

And I agree the nasty black curtains wiped out the actor's bodies...and so many wore black. My pics look lke floating heads and hands. Fortunately a friend with a better camera and better seat shared his with me (thanks Hank)

And how about having only the sports bar open at the end of the Sun con with a line a mile long.With all those people still there, couldn't they have opened the middle priced one????

On the other hand, the concierge was very helpful in getting my scooter up and running long enough to get thru the LAX terminal if not all the way home.

Speaking of Batman, I was talking to Froon later and mentioned Claudia had her son on the stage and he said "and you believed that? well, she IS an actress". I assume he was kidding??
I was surprised the little boy was so very blond, but then we have never met his Dad.

[SunKrux]

Yes I was there. It was a busy weekend for me catching up with friends I don't get to see for a year.

When will people learn to take what Froon says with a grain of salt? Yes I do honestly believe "Batman" is Claudia's oldest son. I have a niece who was blond when she was born but as she's gotten older her hair has gone brown it happens.