OzComicCon Perth #2: Saturday Panels & Photo Ops

Michael Shanks was asked about working on SPN. Like so many others, he spoke highly of Jared and Jensen and how they made the set so welcoming and comfortable to work on. He told us about the fight scene near the end of the ep (5x19: 99 Problems) where Jared was throwing him into the wall of the set and how it shook when he hit it. Jared asked if he was okay for another take and Michael puts his arm up and hand out and says in a really wounded-sounding voice "No."

Ben spoke a lot about his 2 upcoming projects, directing Bad Kids Go 2 Hell and a video game that's due for release this year.

With regards to BKG2H, Ben spoke of how great his young cast was. They actually cast 18 year old actors to play 18 year old characters. Wow, what an amazing concept!! And how working on this film has really reignited his love for the business.

And the video game sounds amazing, even for a non-gamer like me. He spoke of being in a really tight spandex suit (which of course got lots of cheers and applause from the ladies!!!) covered with heaps of reflectors to track his movements. He says the tech they were using is beyond anything he's ever seen. And all this for a project he wasn't supposed to talk about.

Still no word about when we'll get more Farscape. Ben said he only found out about Peacekeeper Wars about 3 weeks before filming started.

Saturday lunch, met up with Laura and Angie and some other friends. Then it was off to photo ops with Ben and Michael. As usual these went really quickly but both guys were so super awesome and gorgeous. Got a duo pic as well, as I don't know if they'll do another con together that I can go to.

Also did a group photo with Ben and 3 of my friends. We basically met because of our love of Farscape and so this one was pretty special, esp for Sue as it was her first time seeing Ben so of course we made sure she got to stand next to him. It turned out really well and will be a lovely memento of our friendship over the last 10 years.

Went to Billie Piper's panel afterwards and she wasn't like I'd expected. Her answers were very short, quite often just a yes or no or only a few words. And she was very giggly. Whether that's just how she is or if it was jet-lag and the kids, I don't know.

They were screening an encore of the Walking Dead season 5 finale but as I'd already seen it and I was dead on my feet after 48 hours with no sleep, I headed home.

Oz ComicCon Perth #3: Sunday Panels and Autos

Basically parked myself in the stage 1 panel room from 10am-2pm. With the Platinum ticket, I got a great seat near the front and as they didn't clear the room between panels (as a lot of cons do especially with the more high profile and popular guests) I was able to keep it the whole time I was there.

1st up was the Hercules panel with Kevin Sorbo and Michael Hurst. This was a really fun panel. The guys are obviously still very good friends and told lots of stories from the Hercules days. I asked Kevin about auditioning for Mulder in the X-Files and he said he got to the final couple. He then went for Superman in Lois and Clark but missed out to Dean Cain. Not long after that he was cast in Hercules.

Game of Thrones with Daniel Portman (Podrick) and Finn Jones (Ser Loras Tyrell) was next. Another great panel.

Billy Boyd, Pippin in LOTR, was really, really fun. Lots of energy and great engagement with the audience. Talked heaps about LOTR and Sir Ian McKellan and that for a lot of their scenes, he was on his knees to get the height difference and how he got really good at walking around on his knees. The highlight of the panel (and perhaps the whole con) was the last question. Someone asked what shows he was currently watching and he listed a couple, then someone yelled out another and he said he hadn't seen it and then people just started yelling out shows at random, most of the big current ones, like Game Of Thrones, Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, etc. It was really quick-fire back and forth with a lot of very fun boo-ing from the audience if he hadn't seen something. He hasn't seen SPN, that one I can remember. Then we started on movies, yes, LOTR and the Hobbit were called out first, then ones like Star Wars (Yes) and Twilight and Sound Of Music (no) and Titanic and even 50 Shades Of Grey. By the time we finished everyone was laughing and wanting more time. It was great. I wish there was vid on Youtube but they are very strict about no recording, so will have to wait til the DVD is sent to me as I can't wait to see it again.

For the Walking Dead we had Chad Coleman (Tyreese Williams) and Sonequa Martin-Green Sasha Williams. Again a lot of stories from the show. Sonequa talked about her scene where she was sleeping on a pile of Walkers and how that (for her character) was kind of peaceful. Chad mentioned the scene in the cabin where Rick and Carl are reunited with baby Judith and how it took a long time as the baby wouldn't settle, esp when Tyreese had to hand her to Rick. She had spent so much time with him that she thought he was her TV daddy.

Lunch was another chance to take a breather and quite by chance I caught up with Laura and Angie again in the Platinum lounge (not as fancy as it sounds, just a few tables and chairs in a small room, but it was comfy and away from the main vendor area so at least we could hear each other).

Autos went really smooth and quick, thanks to the Platinum ticket, didn't have to queue. Got my do pic signed. I thanked both Ben and Michael for finally coming to Perth and hoped they would be able to see some of the sights. Ben didn't think he would as they only had the Monday off before flying to next weekend's con in Adelaide. He had especially wanted to check out Margaret River, 4 hours drive south of Perth and famous for it's great surfing beaches as he is an avid surfer) So I told him, "well, I guess, you'll just have to come back then." Which he replied, He'd love too. And that he couldn't believe he'd lived in Australia for 5 years when filming Farscape and yet he had never been to Western Aust and had in fact seen very little of the country.

Then it was the SG1 panel with Ben, Michael and Cliff Simon (Ba'al) Ben made the best entrance!!!! Cliff and Michael came on stage but not Ben. A minute later we hear Ben's voice through a mic somewhere, turned around and Ben's about a dozen rows behind us in the audience, asking Michael who was the better kisser?? Claudia Black (Vala) or Ben Browder. On stage, both Michael and Cliff broke out laughing, doubled over and Michael wiping tears from his eyes. Michael, of course, answered, "Ben."

Ben then got all the Scapers in the room to raise their hands and yelled out "Can I get a Hell Yeah?? It's a line from the show and something Ben does in nearly every panel. The "Hell Yeah" we gave him was deafening and Ben was so proud that there were so many Scapers there. See, even though Farscape was filmed here, it wasn't really shown very much on local tv. The first few eps were aired when there was a little sporting event called the Sydney Olympics was on, so of course no-one was watching anything else. Ben sad he got stopped maybe once on the street by a person saying he looked a lot like that guy from the space show with the muppets.

Later in the panel, Michael made some remark about what was slang for puppets or muppets (I can't remember which) for which he got boo'd by all the scapers. We never refer to or think of Rygel and Pilot as anything other than living breathing cast members. Michael looked a bit shocked. Ben told him, you know the show was filmed here, and dude you do not fuck with the Aussies. God, I love him!!!!!!!

There was lots of talk about pranks and how when Daniel Jackson turned down a very seductive Vala (in red lacy underwear) Ben said he went to the writers and said Mitchell would do it no problem. He be happy to take one for the team.

Last panel was Robert Englund (Freddy Kruger) and Ken Kirzinger (Jason). I asked Robert about doing SPN (Dr Robert in season 6's Appointment in Samarra) and he, like Michael said how awesome Jared and Jensen were to work with and how the set was a really fun and friendly place. Said he would love to come back to the show and that's it plausible as he has a skill hunters can use (temporarily killing people) and that he knew John, so could provide insight into the boys childhood's and John as a young hunter just starting out.

And that was the end of my weekend and OzComicCon for another year. Caught up with another friend (Adam) I had spotted in various panels of the weekend but never got close enough to chat with, so we talked as we walked to the bus station. Whilst I love doing these cons solo and can do my own thing and see who I want to see, I also love having someone there to share things with and get all excited and squee'y (that's totally a word) with. It's why I'm looking forward to going to AHBL in Sydney with my mate, Kim. Will be awesome to be able to experience Jared and Jensen with someone who not only loves them as much as I do but understands the passion and lust 2 women older than the boys have for them and not be weirded out or repulsed by it.

It's why I love cons so much and will keep going even if there are no actors that I'm wanting to see. I love the atmosphere of being with thousands of other fans. There's no judgement, no harassment for looking different or being bigger. We may not all love the same shows or comics or anime but we are all fans OF something or someone in one massive family that is FANDOM. We all share a unique and very special love that people not in fandom either can't or don't want to understand. I'm normally very shy but put me in a mile long photo or auto queue or waiting for a panel to begin and within seconds I'm chatting to folks in front and behind me and pulling out my photo folder to show off ops. It's a lot like LJ only in person and on a much bigger scale and I love it and I feel like after searching for decades for somewhere to belong, I have finally found my home and my family.

So to all of you here on LJ and out there at past and future cons, thanks so very, very much from the bottom of my heart I want to hug each and very one of you and never let you go.

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