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BSG guests: Nicki Clyne, Leah Cairns, Michelle Forbes, Kandyse McClure. W. Morgan Sheppard [Mark's dad]. Jim Swallow [author] Firefly guests: Mark Sheppard, Ron Glass, Richard Brooks [Jubal Early] and Adam Baldwin.
All the guests got a great reception, but Adam got a BIG enthusiastic Brit Browncoat welcome. They came on individually, they said 'Hi', they came on en masse at the end and that was that. [At least, that's what I remember!]. Adam spent most of the weekend wearing a black baseball cap on his head. On removing it, his hair was shorter than when I saw him in L.A. Fairly close cropped, but not a buzz cut, thank goodness. ***
[For the holders of the first 170 odd tickets sold]:- Our table got Mark first. He was his usual chipper self, wise-cracking away. Then a whole heap of BSG ladies [sorry, I don't watch it...yet]. They were all lovely and charming. Ron was carrying a Lakers cap, so I asked him if he was a fan. BIG grin; yes he is! He was hoping to keep an eye on the scores whilst out of California! Big needle basketball matches leading up to the final. I think we got Richard as well, but we were a little distracted watching Adam slowly working his way closer to our table [GG]. He got quite close, then stood up and announced quite loudly, "I need to go pee." [Thanks for sharing!]. On his way back shortly afterwards, he clocked me, smiled, pointed and said something like, "Oh, hi! Good to see you!" He made it to our table some time later. I think things went like this, in this order [wasn't making notes and from what's about to happen, you'll see why my brain went slightly $%^&%^!]. He greeted us, shaking hands around the table whilst we offered our names. He remembered me [wow], then leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. [Now, do you understand?]. He asked if the tee shirt had arrived okay [the one I got in the MCLEF auction] and I said yes, thank-you; it had come just in time for Christmas. He than cheekily asked how things were going on the Prospero boards, 'Now we're winning in Iraq' [stirring the pot, huh (G)?]. Ruthie said he was missed; he remembered her from the board, then totally surprised me AGAIN by also remembering I was there too. He said how interesting it had been reading other points of view, especially from outside the US, 'Even if you're wrong'. I put my hand up, grinning and said 'Hey!'. We chatted some more, then his P.A. came up hovering. Turns out she's a Philippa too [BEG]. So we said hi to each other, then he was gone.
This courtesy of Ruthie [on my table] who hadn't had her mind wiped by being kissed on the cheek by Adam [GGG]:- Nicki Clyne (Callie, BSG) had lost her baggage at the airport (new Terminal 5 - Google it if you haven't heard :P) She mentioned this at the opening ceremony, then when she talked to our table at the M&G she told us that she had asked at her hotel where she could go to buy clothes. They directed her to take a taxi to Southall - when she got there, she found nothing but Asian shops - saris etc. She did manage to buy a brown smock/dress which she wore over the jeans she travelled in on Friday and Saturday - on Sunday she borrowed clothes from Michelle Forbes. She came over as a very sweet, natural girl. With Leah Cairns (Racetrack, BSG) we talked about the Fancy Dress party on Saturday night - had to explain that it was what Americans would call a Costume Party, and prepared her a bit for the sort of costumes people were likely to have. With Ron, we talked mostly about Lakers (which a table-full of British Women were NOT equipped to do!) - suggested that he could find a score, and maybe even watch a game, online if he asked the Tech crew - saw a look of horror come over his face at the suggestion of using technology :) Adam's in-and-out slowness was caused by his being a nice guy (as well as needing to pee :D). At the table before us, someone had a book written by Adam's father that a friend had asked the person at the M&G to ask Adam to have signed. Adam was very interested to see the book (first edition), and when he learned that the owner of the book was at the con, but not in the M&G, he went out to find the person. So he met the owner of the book, who had apparently found it very moving (an account of Mr Baldwin Senior's work in a third-world country - didn't get details, sorry), and took it away to ask his father to sign it. When he got to us, most of what I remember was talking about this board. As well as what has already been said, we commented that it would be a shame if all the 'good stuff' on the board were lost if it was closed down. Adam said that he had heard that, it it were closed, it would be archived so nothing would be lost. Morgan Sheppard tried a bit too hard to be entertaining at the M&G - I think he was basically carrying on the same conversation as he moved from table to table, so it felt as though we had come in part-way. He talked about the way acting had changed since he learned the craft with the RSC in the '60's, and that he felt that Mark was a good example of a modern actor. Kandyse McClure (BSG, Duala) and Richard Brooks (Jubal Early) got to our table at the same time, so spent most of the time talking to each other, introducing themselves.
And I put it over there... |
Adam and Mark |
Ron in his Lakers hat! |
GRIN! |
Yes, it's a red dragon... |
Adam and 'Puff' |
Fill in your own thought bubble here! |
*Scratch*!! |
Jamie Bamber & Michelle Forbes |
W Morgan Sheppard |
I was stewarding in photo ops on Saturday morning, until 2.30 p.m. I spent most of the time outside running 'crowd' control {BEG}. Actually, the crowd was very well behaved :-). I went in the room to get my photo with W Morgan Sheppard, who gave me a cuddle [G]. The photo came out with him leaning his head almost on my shoulder. It's a cute picture! I rejoined the queue inside to get my pic with Adam. I was in 'Weinerlicious' gear. We exchanged pleasantries, smiled, put one arm around each other and snap, we were done. At the end, I went back in to check there was nothing else to do and to get my stuff. Adam was very keen to have a curry; specifically Tandoori. He was actually licking his lips in anticipation! Happily his P.A. had a flier for a curry house not far away. Adam checked the menu, noted that their Tandoori had three [four?] chilli symbols [i.e. HOT!!!] and off they went.
Ron talked about the upcoming Shepherd Book comic, in which he had no imput [he was asked]. It will be called 'A Shepherd's Tale' and Ron himself is looking forward to reading it! He said that some of Book's back story will be revealed. He reiterated what he said on the Browncoat cruise; Book found God in a bowl of soup ['Alphabet soup', quipped Ron!]; Book is most famous for his greatest failure; there is something about Book which is artificial and he took the name of the person he killed. If Book got a lot of money, he'd make the artificial part real! Early would buy a bigger ship! He'd also welcome a comic book called 'Early Riser'! [That got an eager ripple from the audience!]. There was some confusion over a scene which may or may not have been in 'Out of Gas'. Ron said he'd play a good character anywhere, 'even in space!'. They both look for a director who offers trust and gives direction. My friend Bob asked Ron if he was still resistant to technology. Ron said yes, but he had given in to having a cell phone. they were asked if they'd be in something they really liked, even just for a few moments. Ron quipped, 'Have you seen Serenity?!' Ron then recounted how he was in 'Hawaii 5-0' many years ago in one of his first on screen acting jobs and died in the first two minutes! Richard speculated that Early might have changed sides and helped the Serenity crew.
I got up pretty quickly to re-ask the question I'd posed in L.A.; who would they cast as Jayne and Badger's parents, commenting that we had a prime candidate for Badger's Dad right with us! Adam cast Dick van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore. I said okay, as long as Dick didn't try his Cockney accent again, please! Badger's Dad would be played by Joss! I didn't catch who Mum would be. [The tech crew proceeded to get busy....]. After being asked about 'Full Metal Jacket', Adam waxed lyrical about Kubrick [complete with impersonation], living in London in a flat [104a Cheney Walk], then in a hotel near Kensington Square, feeding squirrels in the park [cue pretty spot on 'standard' English accent & conversation about how the squirrels prefer unsalted peanuts]. Adam regretted not appreciating the experience at the time, being only 23. He also said his brother came over and they hired a car and did some travelling [where? where?!!?]. Mark chipped in at some point, saying that Adam has a 'big f*cking spaceship' in his garden [really?]. Adam regretted not 'liberating' his Animal Mother helmet and maybe turning it into a lamp! Mark suggested that Adam has an entire arsenal in his house! Mark wanted Badger's big wrench, but was unable to secrete it. Talk of Badger and props led to Vera. Adam said the gun is unwieldy, unbalanced, ugly and not ergonomic. It's also worth about £15,000 [$15,000?]. I know where it is!!.
Chuck:- Adam met the producer and director. He read the part and they laughed. He has quite a bit of personal imput and he put in the Reagan stuff! Adam described Casey's place, 'basic black, stealth weaponry, boxes of stuff, cans of tuna, he's never going to unpack fully'. Adam likes the gadgets and the eye candy on 'Chuck'. There's quite a bit of that as well for us ladies, Adam! Zachy has an XBox in his dressing room and tends to come running excitedly saying, 'Adam, you're in Halo 2!' Both Adam and Mark were asked about comic book heroes they'd like to play [off a positive review of Adam's Superman]. Mark said his face was used for a character called Manservant Neville who wears a gorilla suit and has tommy guns! He also liked the recent Iron Man. Adam suggested Captain America and Snoopy. [Hey, he's coming round to the idea!!! YAY!!!].
Which of your characters is most like you? Adam said that Jayne wasn't really like him [too smelly!]. Adam yet again namechecked Eli Wallach and Jason Robarts as early influences in 'shoot em ups' as his Dad used to call them. Ricky Linderman was exactly him at the time; the part helped save him and was cathartic [Adam's home life had been disrupted; he called it a broken home]. As Ricky, he was advised to go in with a chip on his shoulder, but really the character was quiet and vulnerable. He was asked what performance notes he'd give his younger self now. 1. Do the speech on the El better. 2. Stay in the moment, even if you flub your lines [which he did at the time]. 3. Be fearless. Adam's two pet peeves on set are no air-con [if it's available] and noise between takes. He needs quiet to help stay focussed [so do I, for singing; I totally understand].
Angel:- Adam played Marcus in early 2004, in between 'Firefly' and 'Serenity', because 2003 had been a bit short workwise, so he asked Joss for another gig! Adam then commented, 'Screw Woodward, he's a cranky punk!'. X Files;- Adam had been up for the role given to Robert Patrick, but got Knowle Rohrer as a kind of consolation prize. Kim Manners the director was a screamer and they shot in a huge cavern in San Jose which was actually a pumping station.
When Jayne/Badger finally settle down, who might they marry/shack up with? Adam: Inara!! The questioner responded, 'And in the real world?!?' Adam's other choices were Heidi Klum ['but she's married'], his own wife ['I love my wife...'] and then more or less settled on Helen from the tin foil whore house in 'Heart of Gold'. Mark: Badger's accountant, the big boy with the guns! Finally Adam described various pranks played on Nathan when the latter was showing off his brand new very expensive car at the 'Firefly' set. These involved zip ties on the drive shaft, gummie bears on the windshield [which Adam admitted to] and a potato in the exhaust. Adam then came up with the quote of the convention, 'I've never stuffed a potato up Nathan's tail pipe'. And then didn't really understand a room full of Brits taking that entirely the wrong way...!!
Meanwhile, the tech crew had taken the whole Dick van Dyke idea and run with it. They produced a photo manipulation of Dick as he is now next to Adam as Jayne with the title, 'Jayne and his Dad'. This got a BIG reaction, especially from Adam and Mark!
Sat night:- Jamie Bamber turned up! Cue fan girl squeeing from a lot of the attendees. Nice guy; kinda pocket sized next to Adam [GGG].
Zol in 'Nerd Herd' gear |
Helen goes 'Buy More' |
More 'Buy More' guys! |
Kurgan in 'Nerd Herd' mode |
Andi and Paul - Jayne and his woman! |
Heather goes Wienerlicious |
Rhiannon and Luke do Kaylee and Badger |
The Cobb cousins - Lyn and me! Adam clocked us; I grinned; he was complimentary! |
An actual screen-worn Reaver costume! |
Bob as Jayne As Adam walked past, he said, "Hey, that's Vera!" |
One of the forgotten ones on Miranda |
Jayne and Badger |
Me in Wienerlicious mode, Saturday |
Massed Reavers Well deserved first prize! |
Morgan followed author Jim Swallow who did a panel with Ming. Morgan revealed that he'd gifted Adam with the quip, 'Thanks for the clap, I've had everything else!'. He was asked how characters and acting had changed during his career. He said that characters are much more ambiguous now; moral responsibilities have changed. He said that it takes 20 years to make an actor. Morgan's had a stellar career, starting with RSC in 1963 and then under director Peter Brook. He cited Marat Sade on Broadway and Ian Holm/Michael Williams' versions of Henry V. He reckoned Kenneth Branagh stole a lot of Ian's performance for his Henry V! Morgan left the RSC in 1975 and went on to film 'Hawk the Slayer' and Max Headroom. Acting is personalised in the best way now. He reckons Brits do theatre best, and Americans, film. He advised going to see Shakespeare live if at all possible. He did 'Seaquest' because of Roy Sheider [with whom, of course, Adam also worked]. He said that theatre now was about bringing the audience to you, not projecting out to them. When I asked at the end which Shakespeare part he'd like to have played, money no object, he said he'd already done it. Julius Caesar with Timothy Dalton as Marc Anthony [oooh, good casting...].
Didn't take notes for this as I was either taking pictures or standing in line waiting to ask questions! Sorry. I'll cobble a report together as best I can. I asked the following questions:-
Adam had already seen that I was wearing the Jayne shirt I'd won in the MCLEF auction run by the California Browncoats. He commented favourably on this. I repeated that it had arrived in time for Christmas; a wonderful Christmas present. I added that I'd told the California Browncoats that I was firstly a fan of Adam [I used the phrase 'of your good self'!] plus my parents had both been in the Royal Air Force. Therefore I believe in supporting our people out there on our behalf. [I don't think Adam would agree with my assessment of Bush though...!!]. At the end of the session, the tech crew revealed they'd been busy again. They put up the picture of Jayne and Dick, with the Welsh flag behind them. The legend said something like, "Jayne and his Dad say, 'Come to Wales, it's real shiny and like Tulsa, OK. Or buy a ticket for Battlestar:Starfury, it'll be really shiny!'"
I spent about four and a half hours helping with the autograph session. Most of that time helping manage the queue and generally being an extra pair of hands. Near Adam [GGG]. At some point someone suggested that I sing to entertain the queue, but almost all my suggestions for possible genres were nay-said. I did manage most of 'Anthem' from 'Chess' before grinding to a halt. I don't think Adam heard, he was busy being patient, charming and generous to all the people waiting for a squiggle or three.
And finally, Esther... When Adam finally came back downstairs after the closing ceremony, Lyn and I were chatting near the bottom and having a drink close to the bar. Adam spotted us as he came past and pulled us into his arms once at a time for a hug. [WOW]. Tribblelyn is right: BEST HUGS EVER!
Jamie Bamber & me |
W Morgan Sheppard & me |
Adam & me in 'Wienerlicious mode I'm wearing flat pumps here, for an idea of scale [G]. So Adam could, in principle, just about tuck me under his chin. |
Me & Adam Yes, that tee shirt IS familiar! As seen at the end of 'Serenity', with Jayne inside it |
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