My First Dragon Con and My first trip to New York City to see Spamalot

Dragon Con – September 2nd - 4th 2005

Adam Baldwin, Ron Glass, Morena Baccarin, Jewel Staite

Pictures are courtesy of various Browncoats; one of which is Julie.

Dragon Con was awesome. I went specifically for all the Browncoats attending. There were folks I have known online for almost 3 years. There were folks I have met at various cons and shindigs but haven’t seen in almost 2 years. It was all about the Browncoats for me.

So much fun meeting & hanging with my online friendly Browncoats.

I went with Julie; we flew out together Thursday night and took the red-eye. We arrived early, checked in and waited for a few others staying in our hotel. We went to register. The set up was great. The Hilton and the Marriott are connected by bridges to the food court area in the commercial building next door.

Everything really was a blur. There were a lot of people there for comics, anime, sci-fi, fantasy and video games. Almost everyone was dressed as something.

The Serenity panels had the longest lines. The panels were at 4pm but the line started at noon and went out the door and around the hotel. It was quite impressive. More pics of all the Browncoats in attendance.

This last shows our beloved Odile with her big smile. She passed away July 2006. This was her last DragonCon.

Adam took the lead; Ron was next to him then Jewel then Morena. It was great watching these folks up there without Joss or Nathan to facilitate. They were funny and playful.

All the panels blend for me since I attended them all. They were not repetitive which I think is a miracle. The same questions are asked but they find new ways of saying the same things.

One moment I thought was great was when they were asked their favorite line from the show. Adam starts quoting, then Ron then Jewel. Finally Morena says she has not watched any episodes since they filmed the show since it is bittersweet for her. But hearing the quotes she realizes that they were on a really good show. It was funny because it finally dawned on Morena how great the show is not just as an experience but as a show. That is why we travel all over to see the cast. Firefly is special and will always be special to all Browncoats.

A young Browncoat asks a question. Adam invites him onstage.

The Southeast Browncoats also had a great booth to promote Firefly and Serenity.

My favorite thing that happened at Dragon Con was the Shindig. It was a real dance put on by Dragon Con. Maximum occupancy was 1000 and there was a line out the door. It was like a dance club for Browncoats. Jewel and Matty stopped by. Jewel went on stage with the DJ and then Matty followed but was stopped by security. They did not realize he was Jewel’s husband. I believe Adam showed up as well but I did not get to see him.

I did get to see them all in the autograph area. The lines for autographs for our Firefly actors was the longest. There were two lines on for the guys and one for the women. When I was in line for the guys I saw Kevin Sorbo from Andromeda walk over and talk to Morena. I thought that was neat for us but sad for him. He didn’t have many people requesting his autograph.

I saw Adam and he greeted me with the warm greeting a big hug. He asked me how many times I had seen the movie and at that time the total was 5. I asked him about the St. Christopher medal that Jayne wore in the movie. Then Adam pulls the chain from under his shirt and says, “You mean this one?” He was wearing the medal! They were moving the line so I said good-bye and that I would see him at the premier.

I moved on to Ron and got an autograph for my sister Carol for her Birthday.

Later we came back for more I got Morena’s autograph and a new picture she had with her short hair. She personalized it to me. Then for Jewel I asked for a picture of us together. I already had a picture of me with Morena.

Pictures taken by Julie.

Towards the end of the con I had the idea of getting a postcard signed by his friends to give to Alan in NY. Unfortunately Adam was gone by the time I had the idea. Jewel’s handler wanted to charge me for the autograph. I explained to Jewel that this was for Alan so if she just wanted to send it. She said jokingly, no they would just charge Alan later.

This is the signed postcard I gave to Alan Tudyk in New York City.

I was sad to leave but excited since I was not going home. My next stop was New York City, my first time in the city.

NY City and Spamalot

Alan Tudyk

I arrived in NY City for the first time and my friend Marie gave me a whirlwind tour. First stop after dropping off my bags was Central Park. We walked around and then we had drinks at Tavern on the Green in Central Park. Afterward we went to Ground Zero so I could pay respects. Then we went off to the top of the Empire States Building, all of that on day 1.

Day 2- I slept in because I was very very tired.  I flew to NY from DragonCon. So this was like taking back-to-back vacations. I went to take the Staten Island Ferry just to go past the Statue of Liberty. It was spectacular see her in person. After that I walked through Wall St and was in front of the NY Stock Exchange. Post 9/11 you can't go in anymore. But I was impressed with what it represents and the architecture.

It was recommended and seconded that I walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. I walked A LOT! It was hard finding the starting point to get on. I was almost hit by a patrol car backing up. He passed me and parked then backed up. I thought he saw me, I was wrong. But another cop helped me out. Then I walked across. I highly recommend it too. Then I made my way to the pre-screening of the Serenity. This was my 6^th time and I loved it. Day 3 was Time Square and Alan Tudyk.

From Polly:

Since Rosie hasn't gone on-line yet (I don't think she has Internet access where she is staying), I guess I'll break the good news on her behalf: Alan WILL be coming 9/22 to the premiere!

He didn't come out after the matinee showing, so she was kinda bummed about that, although she loved the show. Then after a great dinner with Josie/Diet Coke and Tzegha, Rosie and I took a walk around Times Square. We passed by the Shubert Theater, and Rosie was like, Oh, could you take this picture I couldn't get anyone to take before? So I did, and then she realized that they were putting out the crowd-control barricades up and the evening show was about to end, so we positioned ourselves near the end of the barricade so she could slip around for a photo. And this woman came and stood next to us holding a FF DVD set, so we introduced ourselves--she was a Browncoat from Detroit.

Well, everyone came out--except Alan. And then the woman who played the Lady of the Lake (Sara Ramirez) came out, and Rosie asked her if Alan was coming out, and she was like, Oh, I think he's talking to some people inside. And then she took the other woman's DVD set inside so that Alan could sign it (!! She is SO NICE as well as so very talented, she was really nice the last time too), but just then, the man himself came out.

And he recognized Rosie and gave her a big hug, and they chatted and then she asked about the 22nd, and he is indeed getting the day off from Spamalot and flying out for the premiere! This is awesome for everyone going there, although when you see him he’ll be a brunette (they dyed his hair for Spamalot--his arm hair is still quite blond). See if you can get him to sing--he's really good.

Anyway, Rosie was just about exploding with joy afterwards! I'm sure she'll have a lot to say about it when she gets on-line, but it was a REALLY fun evening!

Rosie again

That was Polly’s perspective. She was with me when I finally saw Alan. Saturday was all about the show. I slept in again, got ready and off I went. I had tickets for the 2pm matinee. I arrived around 12:30 pm. This was my first Broadway show and I did not want to miss a thing. I went to Starbucks to get some coffee and into the gift shop next to the theater. I did not have a camera with me but decided I needed a picture with Alan, so I walked to a corner store and bought a disposable camera.

The show was just awesome. I got a great deal on the air so I splurged on the tickets and bought orchestra seats. It may be a once in a lifetime moment and I wanted the best view. I had always wanted to see a Broadway show and I did not know if I would ever return. It was worth every penny. I sat 10^th row aisle seat 101. My aisle was on the same side that Alan first appeared on. Alan was absolutely fantastic. I can’t pick out a single moment because it was all-great! Seeing him on stage with David Hyde Pierce and Tim Curry was wonderful. I would love a recording of his performance.

Afterward I waited by the side of theater stage door. Unfortunately Alan did not come out. Actually only a few did. It was 4:30pm and they had another show that evening. I was disappointed but I understood. I was just happy to see him on stage. I had a postcard from Atlanta signed by Morena, Jewel and Ron for Alan. I wanted to give him something and I thought words from friends would mean most.

I had plans to meet with 3 other Browncoats at a nearby restaurant after the show. I wanted to celebrate the occasion. I was so happy I still can’t remember what I ordered.  It was great to reconnect with 2 of them I had met at other shindigs and to finally meet the leader of the NY City Browncoats.  We had fun talking about Serenity since we had all seen it and about the Comics. After dinner 2 had to leave and Polly and I walked around Time Square.  It was great to see it all lit up. We walked into the huge Toy-R-Us store and then past some souvenir shops. My feet were killing me at this point since I wore heels to the show. I bought some slipper shoes to walk around as well as t-shirts for my family.

We ended up back near the Shubert Theater and it was also lit up. I wanted to have my picture taken outside by the marquee and was unable to earlier. Polly took it for me. Then I noticed they were setting up the autograph area next to the stage door. I will confess that I hoped things would turn out this way but did not plan it. Again Alan did not come out.
Now I was really disappointed and wondered why he wouldn’t come out at all. Sara Ramirez went in to see if he was coming and then came right back out since Alan was on his way.

All of you who have been near me can imagine my utter joy after my Alan encounter. No nametag or anything! Alan was signing the DVDs for the girl on my right and he looked up recognized me. His eyes went wide with surprise, smiled and said, “Hey, Rosie!” I smiled and was stupefied, couldn't really believe it. Then the girl on my left asked for a picture so I held back.

Then I stepped up when it was my turn. I told him I had left something for him earlier. A postcard of Atlanta, signed my Jewel, Morena and Ron. Alan looked confused then I explained I was here for the 2pm show. Then he got a little sad and said "And I didn't come out." as if he was picturing a disappointed Rosie. I told him I understood no worries. Then we took a picture, it happens to be the only picture that came out well.

Rosie and Alan outside Spamalot Stage Door.

After that is when I asked him about September 22nd he said, "Oh, I am going". I gave him a hug thanking him. I also told him he was the reason I finally came to NY. I wanted to see him perform. I told him he was really funny. He smiled and thanked me.

On my last day Polly and I decided to tackle 5^th Avenue. We stopped in so many shops and had lunch at Serendipity.

Seeing Alan made the whole trip. I had a blast. I love NY City. I really want to return. I love this city; NYC Rocks! I can’t wait for the premiere.

San Diego Comic Con July 15-17, 2005

San Diego Comic Con - July 15-17, 2005

Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Morena Baccarin, Adam Baldwin, Jewel Staite, Sean Maher, Summer Glau, Ron Glass and Joss Whedon

 A report co-written by Rosie and Julie. Photos taken by Julie or found online.

Julie's Point of View 

The Browncoat table was amazing! Every time we walked past, people were crowded around it, entering the raffle, gathering information from the tables, and getting a crash course on the Firefly 'verse. The Browncoats manning the table were so hardworking and outgoing. Passing out the awesome CD sampler, generating interest from passers by, and encouraging people to enter the raffle.  In awe of the organization and dedication of all those involved. Hats off to all of you!

Adam and Ron signed autographs early this morning at the Diamond Select booth. The vendors at first said we couldn't line up in advance, but when they realized how popular the two stars were, they reconsidered when they saw how many people were around the booth pretending they weren't in line. Both Adam and Ron were incredibly gracious (no surprise there) and I'm sure Rosie and Saxon will have more wonderful things to add about the autograph session.

The Serenity Panel was at 2:15, right after Kevin Smith. Hall H was filled to its capacity of 6,500 people. Joss came out on stage and introduced the cast (Alan was unable to attend due to Spamalot), but completely forgot to introduce Jewel and started the Q&A. Morena and Adam pointed out his error and Jewel came out pretending to be very sad.

Joss got down on his knees in front of her, begging for forgiveness. Our BDHs looked great as always.

Panel highlights:

During the Slither panel, someone asked Nathan how his One Life to Live Days has helped him in his other roles. He responded that on soaps, you always have the dramatic pause after someone reveals something to you and then it goes to the next scene. He said during his dramatic pauses, he always had three things go through his head. "Did I leave the stove one? I think I did! Oh, no wait, I didn't." Then, he turned to a costar to demonstrate. Costar: "I slept with your brother." Nathan: pause as you see him mentally go through is three steps. Applause. "Works every time!"

An audience member suggested that Gina would be perfect for Wonder Woman. Morena protested and said she wanted to do Wonder Woman too. Joss said the two women would have to fight to the death for the role. Adam jumped in immediately and said he wanted to be in the film, and have the two girls fight him. Then Nathan proceeded to stand up and audition for the Wonder Woman role on the spot. Our own Cappy, arms spread, spinning around in a circle. Pause for effect. More spinning. Arms on hips.

The man is hysterical!

Nathan's new thing during the panel was the "slow clap". Any time someone said something incredibly moving, he would start a slow clap that built up until the entire audience was clapping and cheering.

They showed a new clip from Serenity. Non-spoiler description: It was great! 

Question from the audience: "How do you picture each of your characters dying?"

Joss: Between two buses
Adam: In his bunk. (Gina added, "With a big smile on his face.")
Gina: With her guns, in Jayne's bunk.
Nathan: Mal would die from a common disease that had been misdiagnosed by the Doctor.
Summer: River wouldn't die. She would outlive everyone.
Sean: After Jayne, Zoe, and Mal died, Simon would take control of Serenity, promptly crashing the ship, killing everyone else on board.
Jewel: Kaylee would die in Simon's arms. (So sweet!)
Morena: Inara would die with a bang...wicked laugh. She wanted to add in Mal's arms.
Ron: In his deepest fantasy, Book and River would be immortal.

In addition to the "slow clap", Nathan also had another trademark for this afternoon's panel. If one of his fellow costars said something very eloquently, Nathan would pip up with this agreement. "Word, Adam. Word." Go, white boy, go!

After the clip of the film, Joss mentioned they were almost out of time. Everyone groaned, but Nathan piped in and told us not to worry. "I've got some good news." Collective gasp from the audience., more clips? "I've just saved a ton of money on car insurance." That brought the house down, and prompting odd looks from his friends. "Oh yes, I went there."

All the questions were supposed to relate to Serenity, but a gentleman came up and said he was representing many fans from Europe and that they think Joss was the best thing in entertainment since aerosol cheese. The fans are involved in an Angel RPG online. He wanted Joss to give him some magical tidbits to take back to the group to help in the game. Joss had no idea what the man was talking about and explained that the magic was made up. He then directed the question to Sean, who looked completely stunned to be called upon. Sean said he was still trying to decipher the aerosol cheese comment and asked for a pass on the question.

And I'm sure someone will post this more eloquently, but someone asked a question about how the fans have affected their lives. All of them were so appreciative of everything the fans have done. Summer said that we were like family to her. Sean jokingly said that his new celebrity status caused him to have to move four times because it was so hard getting out of the garage every day with all the fans jumping onto his car. Then he got worried that people would think he was serious, so he emphasized that he was kidding. I love this boy! Adam, as always, said they owed the fact that there was a film to the fans. He said some lovely things about the fans. There will be no sound in space, according to Joss. (much applause) Some sound in the area between planet and space and lots of dialogue on planets.

Adam praised Nathan for being a true leader and keeping them all going during the black time before the filming.

Nathan then gave a hysterical speech that ended with him proclaiming that the cast members were his “broken time-rock people”.  I've heard that mentioned before, but I still love that our heroes are so close and that Cappy is just that...a captain to the crew. :)

Rosie Comments

Nathan is definitely improving on his selection of wardrobe. I just think it’s important to point out, at Wizard World he was wearing a nice regular T-shirt and now a nice white shirt, simple.

I just really want to say I am way tooo tired to be coherent. That last picture of Hasufel's Rosie and Jeremy shows how tired I really was. I just walked aaaaallllllll the way back back to the booth and sat on the floor. Also I just remembered I was talking to Jeremy so I was moving when that was taken.

I would be happy not to see that picture again. Jeremy looks great though. That is why I did not take a picture with Jonathan Woodward; I just started a hottie thread for him.

Rosie’s Report

I am so sorry. This report did not get written up right away. This was my first 3 day con and I did not realize how tired I would be. Also I thought that I could save money by driving back and forth each day, San Diego is 2 hours away; that was definitely a bad idea. I was way tired after the 3 days.

Day 1 was about getting to see the Browncoat table and non-Serenity panels. I was very impressed with the Browncoat table. It was always very busy each time I stopped by. It looked like they always had more than enough people working it.  They day went in a blur. There was a lot of walking around. We drove back early.

That guy from that show. He's everywhere! Most recently the dynamite guy on Lost.

Day 2 was Serenity day. The first order of business was getting in line for the autographs for Adam and Ron. We stopped by to buy tickets the day before. There would only be so many autographs. There were also tickets for the screening of Serenity that night, the final cut. We went to the Browncoat table and saw the line so we got in line. They did not know when the tickets would arrive. We would not be able to stay to see the movie but thought we would be able to give the tickets to someone who was not there in time. However we needed to move to the autograph line so we decided not to wait.

With me were my sister Carol, her friend Christiann, Julie, her 2 co-workers Betty and Aimee and Marci.. Also Saxon, Ewok and the rest of the family were there as well. We made our way to the Diamond Select stand where the autographs would be. Some folks already started to line up. The people from Diamond Select did not expect this number of folks. At first they told us we could not form a line yet. So we all hung about. Finally they realized we would not go away and began a line against the wall. I always get very excited waiting to see them. Finally Ron and Adam came in. It was great seeing them. The line started to move and when I approached the table, Adam looked up, stood up as he shouted “ROSIE!”

    Adam and Rosie

We hugged and smiled as he sat back down. I told him how much I enjoyed his new show The Inside. He said to enjoy it while it lasts. I also mentioned that is the only show my sister Perla, mother of 3, tries to watch each week. I can’t remember what else I said. Then I moved on to Ron. I don’t really remember saying anything more than thank you for coming.

    Ron Glass and Rosie 

   Carol and Adam Baldwin

After we finished we split up. We needed to get to the Hall H. Others wanted to walk along the exhibit floor or see some other panel. There was a huge line to get into Hall H. It was the big-ticket item hall. Star Wars was having a panel talking about the future. Aeon Flux was having its panel, then Kevin Smith and finally Serenity. The room was massive. I wanted to go back and see if Adam was still at the table but did not want to lose my spot. Joss forgot Jewel. Nathan auditioned for Wonder Woman. Nathan was very funny. The cast is always fun to watch. We did not get a chance to get any closer. By the time we arrived back at the Browncoat table I was exhausted. The Table was under banner A and the Great Hall for panels was H. It was about half a mile from point A to H. There were 90,000 people registered. The maximum occupancy for Disneyland is 45,000. So by Saturday night I was so tired I just kept thinking that it’s like being in Disneyland but there are no rides, just a lot of lines and walking around. We left Saturday and said goodbye to everyone.

Day 3 Julie decided to go to Disneyland. Sunday was the 50^th anniversary of Disneyland and she had plans to go. Saxon and her family are huge Disney fans and they went to Disney land as well. I went back to San Diego with Carol and Chrisitann. There were a few folks we wanted to see. The Browncoat Table was the best fan table. It was well decorated; it had a charity side and a promotional side to raise funds for Equality Now. By the end of the weekend they raised over $12,000. The raffle was schedule for Sunday at noon.  They had to move all the stuff up for raffle to the Browncoat room upstairs. I helped move things but things were not quite ready at noon. Therefore I was asked to talk to the crowd as things were being set up. We had Browncoats from all over. The person who traveled the farthest was someone from Australia and it wasn’t our Aussie Browncoat that has been going to all the cons this past summer.

I had a great time talking to the folks there sharing my stories and asking trivia questions. Many were from California and others were from out of state as well. It was nice hearing how folks came to find out about Serenity. Winners did not need to be present to win which is how we were able to raise so much money. The big prize we had was Inara’s red dress from Shindig. Shawna Trpcic, the costume designer for Firefly donated the dress for charity. The best thing was that the winner of the dress was indeed present and was a man. He was quite surprised and happy at his luck, he only bought one ticket.

After the raffle we went back to the Browncoat table. I simply sat down once we arrived I just did not feel like moving at all. Then I remembered I needed to stop by Jason Palmer’s table for a print of his latest work, Shindig featuring Mal, Inara and Kaylee.  However Jason was clear on the other side of the exhibit hall. I walked over with Marci and on our way spotted Joss just walking about. Marci wanted her picture with him so we approached. Joss was great as always, very welcoming. I did mention the amount that was raised for Equality Now. He was very impressed and happy. It is amazing what a group of Browncoats banning together can do.

Once I returned Jonathan Woodward was there. That was my first time seeing him. He just walked in to the back area of the table. I didn’t recognize him right away since he had some facial hair. He was friendly and easygoing. I didn’t get a chance to talk to him I was way too tired to be coherent. But I was happy he stopped by and was excited to be with us. It was time to clear out. We grabbed something to eat and hit the road. There was a lot of traffic. It was a great experience.

 Back Row: Betty, Carol, Christiann, Marci          Front Row: Aimee, Rosie and Julie