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October 26th, 2008
07:06 pm - MCM Expo 2008! Part one
Sorry for the lateness of this blog entry, ladies and gents. I was sooo busy last night, and majorly hyped up too. *laughs maniacally*
The Expo... what can I say. Its the best £350 I've spent in years! Bear with me, the end of day one is worth the wait, as you will have already heard in ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) justtracy 's excellent blog entry for yesterday ( http://justtracy.livejournal.com/636041.html )
Saturday 25th October 2008
I got there at 8:50am and already there were hundreds of people there, most were in costume and what fantastic costumes they were! the prepaid Early entry ticket queue stretched almost half the length of the building then looped back on itself and I joined when it was about halfway back down. If that makes sense? I was standing in front a really nice lady who was waiting for friends. All credit to the Expo folks, when that queue started moving, we got inside in no time flat. I was inside for about 9:10-9:15 so thats not bad.
So there I am, alone in a strange, huge confusing place surrounded by people dressed as all kinds of movie and anime characters... there are stalls selling everything from Japanese sweets to drawing supplies and from swords to keyrings! It was somewhat overwhelming for a first time Expo-er, so should that be Expo-teer?, like me. :D
After finally meeting up with some members of ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) andrewleepotts , alyse (*free hugz*) and andthedescent, (Andi! *free hugz*) we all queued up for tickets which we never would have known about is it hadn't been for alyse being such a veteran of the Expo scene (thanks babe! *free hugz*) - sadly, poor justtracy and hutchiebear (*more free hugz to you both*) missed out on a ticket because they arrived a little later. Since our dear Alyse had people with her, Andi and I, both first-timers at such an event, wandered around and gaped in awe, hugged people carrying "Free hugs" signs and generally got acquainted. We actually *shhh* got into the Prince Caspian panel without tickets after much fluffing around trying to find WHERE it actually was taking place. the directions given... not so good.. ;) :P I got to watch an idol of mine, the wonderful Warwick Davis, having some brilliant banter with the fans, along with Ben Barnes (who plays Prince Caspian) and Shane Rangi (the talented creature performer who plays Asterius the Centaur and the Wer-wolf) - they were chattering between themselves, cracking jokes and talking to the audience, all the while telling some lovely behind the scenes tales of the filming of the movie.
Then as a stroke of luck, Andi and I wandered over to the "Smiley" Desk - the gist is you buy a "Smiley" (its a piece of paper and looks nothing like a smiley, to be honest) for £15 and it entitles you to one "free" autograph from a guest of your choosing. I chose, naturally, Warwick Davis. :P And, Lo and Behold, the place where I had only just bought my Smiley was going to be the table Warwick and Shane were signing at since their priginal place was being taken over by the Primeval Panel (WOOHOO!!) - apparently Ben Barnes had done a solo signing at an earlier time. That was something not many had not known about, apparently, until it was too late... was it a little bad advertising? We'll never know. Anyway, i was at the head of a huge queue (of two people!?!) as they got the table set up. Andi wandered off to talk to someone (or was ti to give someone something, hunny?) and she agreed to save my place in the Primeval queue while I got my long-hoped for autograph. We waited... and waited... and waited... and all the time, it was getting closer to 3pm and the start of the Primeval panel. I was getting really, really worked up and nervous. as much as I love Warwick, I couldn't bear the thought of missing a second of the Primeval panel.
Finally Shane and Warwick arrived, I got photos with them both (as well as a gentleman I remember well, one of Warwick's cohorts but whose name escapes me for the moment - I'm so sorry, hunny, whoever you are) but I have to admit something. :( I froze, probably partly because of nerves, partly because I was stressing (it was almost three and I wanted to get to the Primeval panel asap) and because poor Warwick seemed so tired, poor lamb.
Damn, that pic is still sideways?!
I couldn't get between the two of the men either, whch didn't help matters. Anyway, he sweetly signed a picture for me and when I got myself together and I went on my way. Fortunately, the Primeval queue hadn't even started going in when I got there at ten past 3. I spotted and greeted Alyse and her happy band of merry folk at the front of the queue and then located Andi. We chatted to a couple of mad-keen Andrew and Primeval fans in front of us and finally were let in to sit down. I was upset a little to find half the seats standing empty. Yet we had been assured that all the Primeval tickets were given out. So where were these so-called fans?
(Ahem, If you're not into Primeval or its stellar cast and writers, dear journal reader, don't bother with the next 300,000 words or so! *lmao*)
There were six names set out on the panel, but only five people came out. First came Adrian Hodges, then Tim Haines, [Yess, I learned which was which] then Lucy Brown came onstage, followed by Hannah Spearrit (in a suspiciously familiar trilby! *lmao*) and finally, Andrew-Lee Potts. sometime between me photographing the empty stage and them coming out, someone had removed a chair and Juliet Aubrey's nametag... did anyone see at what point that happened, 'cause I sure didn't?!
Clearly everyone on the panel was expecting something to happen but when nothing did, Andrew, bless him, stepped into the breach and said hi. He got a minimal response to which he looked a little embarrassed... but it took us by surprise, I think! *lol*
Just as Adrian and Tim piped up to tell us about the sneak preview trailer they were about to show, helping Andrew to try to cover the awkward false start, the screen above their heads began to make noise and the trailer played. There were guns, explosions and some creatures far larger and stranger than we've seen before. The new characters clearly are part of the team and... well, it hints at there not only being creature incursions to worry about since Leek's demise but perhaps the Government itself being an enemy. This was pretty much confirmed as the panel chatted later, I have to admit. Mr Haines hinted that perhaps Cutter's idealistic approach was not sitting well with those higher up the foodchain than Lester and the poor civil servant was in a tough spot.
They talked a little about the new series, that it has only recently finished filming and is now in the hands of their creature creating wizards and probably would be so until January/February. So, I suspect that we might have a slightly later release date than we fans originally thought. There was a question an answer session next, hosted by the tireless emcee who, along with his team of, well, caretakers, desrevse hearty credit for doing a damned difficult job! Apologies if this is out of sequence or slightly wrong, folks. Feel free to add to or correct me if I'm wrong somewhere.
I recall that a child fan (who had a Rex toy with him/her, because Andrew commented on it "I like your Rex.") asked Hannah if Rex would be in this series.
Another fan asked the panel what their favourite episodes were. Lucy was sweetly coy as she said she loved the fifth episode of series 5, where she and Cutter were in the golfhouse and Claudia had been blinded. Hannah was clearly finding it difficult to decide until Andrew quietly hinted at episode four of series 2, which she thought about before agreeing that she liked for the scene where she and Andrew were hanging off a cliff edge, action and romance combined. Andrew, with a boyish grin, admitted he loved that same episode because he got to to a slow-motion, heroic kind of run, something he'd always wanted to do. The panel laughed at that, as did we fans. I think it was Tim who thought they'd better have more romantic episodes because the girls seemed to prefer them.
At some point in the proceedings, I summoned the guts to put my hand up and ask a question of my own, though I was shaking like there was an earthquake. i whispered to the emcee that I was nervous and he whispered back that I shouldn't worry, I should have seen how nervous the panel were backstage... not something I ever really thought of before. That they'd be nervous of being there in front of us fans. It calmed me a little. I asked that given the new series is a lot longer than the previous two, were the writers and cast under a greater stress. Andrew answered first with a resounding "Yes, more lines to learn!" He expanded on that saying they had three or four units working every day on various different scenes to try to get things done. I'm not sure if it was Tim or Adrian who added that although they've been complaining that this shoot has been so long and difficult, it was recently pointed out that over three series' they have only made little over the number of episodes needed to make an American series. I sat there, a jittery wreck while the emsee moved on to another question elsewhere in the room.
Someone else, toward the end of the question and answer session, mentioned the mammoth who saved Lester's life in series 2, episode 6. They wanted to know what happened to it and would the beast make a triumphant reappearance. Adrian was smiling when he replied that though the mammoth didn't get into series 3 (nice hint there) that there was room for its tale to be told when the fourth series was commissioned. Then, he hastily added, "If we get a fourth." So perhaps a fourth is already on the verge of being greenlit? We can but hope! throughout this answer, the actors just reclined a little and let the writers have their heads.
I can't quite recall the other questions (can you offer a little help jogging my memory, guys?) but they went on then to show us a completed clip from the new series. Tim told us the background - the creature, whatever it is, has come through and become stranded here and now lives inside a house. Its a vicious beastie and the occupants are in terror of it.
The clip began with Connor and a quite large pistol (to which Andrew gleefully voiced over using his mic., "I have a gunnn!") walking along a darkened corridor in a house. He moves, Bond-like, into another room, a bathroom, with Abby (with a supercool difference of hair style) and Jenny flanking him. there's a freestanding bath with a shower curtain pulled around it..... and the disc froze!, much to the annoyance and consternation of the tech crew of the Expo.
To cover the failure of the disc, the emcee talked while trying to help sort things out and, in true style, Andrew began teasing the gentleman in the recording booth at the back of the room who was shaking his head. Honest folks, it was gentle teasing, nothing more. Then, *insert a blast of superhero music here* Adrian produced a second copy and slid it across the stage to the emcee. As our hardworking emcee began to go backstage, he apparently exchanged a look with the panel, prompting Andrew to burst out with the immortal line (and I paraphrase), "Why're you look at us like "I'm going backstage, ENTERTAIN THEM!"?" The emcee didn't go backstage however, but handed the disc to a technician behind the curtain and as the panel were chatting a little more, the clip burst into life, interrupting the chatter.
The clip restarted and when they got to the shower curtain stage, we see Connor pull the curtain back to reveal not a monster but a besuited man in the shower. Upon seeing them, he begins screaming and Connor, since they appear to be trying to be stealthy, does the only thing he can. he puts his hand over the guys mouth. He whispers that the guy need to keep quiet... but inevitably, as soon as he takes his hand away, the man screams again. Connor lunged to try to shut him up again, but the man fights back, and in the melee of his tussling with connor and (I think) barging through Abby and Jenny, Connor winds up in a rather painful position across the bath and bumping his head on the wall. The women help him up, he's gonna be bruised later no doubt, when they hear a screaming from outside the door. They rush out to see the man in the suit lying screaming, his head facing the top of the stairs. Something drags him out of sight in the blink of an eye and the intrepid trio race to the top of the stairs to find the man being savaged by a creature which... well it almost resembles one of Spielberg's gremlins but... rounder? I really dunno how to describe it. Either way, its vicious and kills the guy easily, which is more or less where the clip ended, to a hearty round of applasuse from we assembled masses.
There was a little more filler chatter and the emcee thanked the panel for us and they left the stage to a big round of applause from us...
To Be Continued (when this tired lil Dodo gets home tomorrow - I need some sleep because i've got 7 hours worth of travelling to do to get home. Bleugh!)
I hope this is an enjoyable entry, guys! more to come soon!
Hugz,
Dodo.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/opiummmm/foxies/sad.gif) tired
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Comments:
Ooooh, sounds like you had a wonderful time. The Primeval panel sounds like it was great fun, if a little disorganised, and lots of intriguing hints about series 3 there.
Thanks for the writeup. Hope you had a well earned sleep and feel less tired today.
I was exhausted (and still am) but it was sooooo good - but thats not the best of it, hunny. Wait til you read the next entry.
*hugz*
Dodo.
Wow, that was an indepth write up! I'm waiting for the one about the actual signing!
Its on its way tonight, hunny! I get a little involved with details so it may take some time... :P
You haven't remembered any of the other questions that were asked to the panel, have you? I'm certain there were more of them.
Plus, when I can get my computer and camera to cooperate with eachother, I've got some sweeeet pics of the Heroes panel which you might be able to give to your sister...
Oh oh, and wait fo the entry for the second day, JT, 'cause I solved the little mystery of why Greg Grunberg came to visit our beloved Primeval panel. Oooh, bet you're curious now eh? *lmao*
*hugz tightly* (Hee, I'm not a hugged out yet, despite all the free hugs given this weekend! ;))
Dodo.
Hey DD! How are things? I just randomaly happened upon this latest of your endeavors via DH.com. Thank you so much for the transcript! All the best,
AC
AC!!! *pounces* As you can tell, I'm doing fine... and the best is yet to come. I'm working on the second half of day one... where things REALLY got good. :P
And hows one half of my creature feature creators? Are you well, babe?
*hugz*
Dodo.
Well, I'm enjoying the Halloween holidays (Ah the life of a schoolgoer!)
Greg Grunberg you say? As Heroes is my second favorite show at the moment, I'm really interested to see how the two shows collided, and what this American TV star thought of it.
All the best,
AC
PS. I just realised in the above comment I accidentally mixed randomly and anomaly to create a brand new word! I like Randomaly, it's got a nice ring to it!
Its not exactly a show collision, but the show's stars helping others out. :D I dunno what Greg thinks of Primeval, but Adrian Hodges seemed taken with Heroes, if i understood him correctly. :P
Randomaly... Love it!! *lmao* New words are cooooooool!
Cool writeup! Sounds like you had a good time. I look forward to the next bit :D
Aww, thanks Cordy! Its been amazing, and certainly a very memorable experience.
And the next two parts are ready for reading. ;)
*hugz tightly*
Dodo. |
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