3 of 6 Serenity Red Carpet Premiere Reports Thursday September 22, 2005

Part 3 of 6 Includes Redaly and AmyL33 previously posted on the OB (Official Firefly Board)

Redaly’s Report

 

My trip started out less than auspiciously, as my flight was delayed 45 minutes and I ended up arriving about an hour late. In discussion with the man next to me, I determined that United is late on about 80% of flights on this route, and the only reason to fly them is because there is no choice. Monopolies are evil! But I got in just before 6, and made it to the hotel fairly rapidly, met up with H (don't know her board name, so i'll use H here!), got changed and headed over to the Universal City Walk (H is pretty sure we saw sum41 coming into the hotel as we were leaving, but since I have no idea what they look like, or really who they are beyond a band I don't know any songs from, I have no idea!).

 

At the City Walk, there were big signs with arrows pointing to the 'Serenity Premiere', so we followed them and found the theater, with a huge swath of red carpet and a stage surrounded by barriers laid out in front of it, and a big crowd of people gathered around the barriers. H and I went around back to get our tickets. They checked IDs and everything! As I left there to find the person who was getting my guest ticket, Mark Sheppard (Badger) walked right past me. I yelped 'There's Badger', but no one else was quick enough to see him- he was really moving! My extra ticket went to the husband of Shawna Trpcic, the costume designer for Firefly. I ended up sitting next to a woman from Equality Now, which was neat. unfortunately, because my flight was so late (there were delays all around, actually), there was no hope of getting through the crowd to stand right next to the barriers and watch the stars go down the red carpet (and we foolishly believed them when they said the movie would start at 7:30, and it was already 7:15), so Miyu, H and I did the next best thing, which was go down it ourselves. Universal was really anal about cameras- if you had one, they would not let you in (and i know a couple of people got caught in this and had to find a place to dump theirs), and if you didn't know someone with a car or a locker, you were completely out of luck. So I took a couple of quick pictures and sent my camera off with Dvdguy- so anyone who got good stuff, can I get copies?? Please??

 

We went through the security check and there we were on the red carpet. It was sort of divided in two, with the stars on the right hand side near the photographers, who were screaming their names and flashing frantically. We went down the left hand side, a few feet behind them. The first couple weren't anyone I recognized, and then I was distracted by MeiMei, standing behind the barriers on our side of the red carpet, yelling Miyu's and my names and then snapping a few pictures- it was pretty glamorous, to actually have someone yelling my name and taking my picture on the red carpet! I started to walk again, but Miyu and H were talking to MeiMei. I turned to wait, and realized I was standing right by Morena Baccarin. So, somewhere, there are some pictures of her with me in the background that I need to find! We moved along and saw Saxon, Ewok, and Dammitgirlie right at the edge near the entrance, where I am sure they had camped out for hours- they will have some lovely pictures of people arriving, hopefully myself included, since I'm really photo-free otherwise.

 

We went into the theater, where there was free popcorn and beverages, and assigned seats. Boy, they weren't kidding about the camera thing, everyone went through metal detectors and they searched our bags. We were a little early, because they started late of course, and while we were standing around near the popcorn, Ron Glass walked by. I actually saw him coming, and as he walked up I knew I should say something, but I couldn't think of anything, and I didn't really want to stop him heading in the direction of the bathrooms, so I just gave him a huge smile. He walked back the other way in a little while, and as he passed, he said thanks. Not sure why, but hey, not gonna argue! Of course the movie was wonderful- funny and smart and shocking and action packed. Sadly, they were showing it in several theaters, and no one really famous was in ours- just a couple of folks you won't know until you see it, Fanty and Mingo, and the girl who played 'young river tam'.

 

Once the movie was over, we left the theater and followed another swath of red carpet into Universal Studios proper. They had opened up a big section of the park, with tables scattered around serving food and open bars. people milled around and I kept losing them and finding others, and had a great time hanging out with all the browncoats-as always, it was great to meet in person people I've only seen on the boards. Anyway, soon after we got into the party, we realized that there was actually a party within the party: a place where only the folks who were actually in or closely involved with the movie could get in. Miyu and H and I hung out near the entrance there for a while, and who should I see but Mark Sheppard! I wandered over, tapped him on the shoulder as he stood there looking lost, and said 'excuse me, but are you Mark Sheppard?' He of course said he was and I told him that I had really enjoyed him as Badger and in that episode of CSI. He looked a little confused at the CSI, because it was a fairly old episode and I told him that I was hoping to see more of Badger in the next movie and that he's very talented. He laughed and said thanks, and then apologized, because he was tired and a little out of it. I said it was no problem and that he should probably head on into the fancy party and relax a little, and he said he hoped he'd see me later. Kind of cool! We gave up on the inner party for a while, although Miyu was busy making plans to get inside later, and wandered around, looking for Rayhill and Rosie and Saxon and Danregal and various other folks, as well as finding some munchies and the open bar. In one of the lines, David Krumholtz (who plays another new character) was waiting just like everyone else- it was the one closest to the entrance, so I guess he hadn't found the inner party yet! But no one actually talked to him, as he and his girlfriend seemed to be having a quiet little conversation, and no one wanted to interrupt- but I kind of felt bad for him, because every time he looked up various people were staring at him! A few minutes later, the actors who played Fanty and Mingo walked by and I had a very strange conversation with one of them (they're twins, so which one it was is anybody's guess!) about how it was a little chilly, and how his girlfriend had asked for his jacket but he had refused because it would ruin the outfit, only she hadn't actually asked yet, he was just preparing his defense, which I told him sounded a little weak. A very nice guy, and wow, they look WAY better without the facial hair.

 

H rushed up to tell us that Joss was over in the little outdoor 'cafe' area near the inner party, so I went over to see if I could talk to him. I waited a little while, and then when I was actually standing a little to the side looking for Miyu, Joss turned right to face me. I looked at him for a moment, speechless and then realized that he looked really good! He had obviously been dieting or working out, so I asked him 'Have you lost weight?' He grinned and said 'Give me a hug!' and gave me a big huge hug. Joss Whedon hugged me! And it was entirely his idea! Wheee!! When the hug was over, I felt like he might think I was just saying that because of his joke at wondercon (someone asked him if there was a question he wished people would ask him that they never did, and he said 'have you lost weight?'), so I said, 'No, really, I put it like that to be funny, but you really look like you've lost weight, you look great.' He laughed and said “Thank you”. I said, “I loved the movie. I really appreciated all the stuff you have done for the fans, including getting me into the party.”He was just generally very sweet, the way Joss is. I wished him good luck and hoped he would have a nice evening, and let the other folks, including Miyu, have a shot at talking to him.

 

Shortly after that, while Miyu, I and MeiMei and her friend were talking, Miyu commented that Joss had just walked past gesticulating and that he looked unhappy. Just then, they opened the side doors to the inner party, so we suspect that he had been unhappy that there was a restricted area of the party! We wandered in and it was gorgeous. The whole place was decorated like the inside of Inara's Shuttle, with antique Thai carvings and big buddhas and paper lanterns and gold painted 'bamboo' chairs and red tablecloths and fairy lights, and it was really stunning. All of the big nine except Gina were there- she and her husband (Lawrence Fishburne) were supposed to come, but I don't think they did- and scattered around the room. I had finished my glass of wine some time before, so I  headed over to the bar to get another, figuring that the flood of people near the door was crowded and uncomfortable, and it would be difficult to have a conversation with anyone, let alone with someone everyone else wanted to talk to.

After I got my glass, I turned around, and Alan Tudyk was standing right there! Miyu and I kind of lurked near him, because he was having a conversation with someone, and ended up talking with a man who I think was his handler, or maybe just a friend. He was very nice, and we chatted about how difficult this sort of thing could be for an actor. He said that Alan was hungry because he hadn't had dinner, but he kept getting distracted by talking to people, and then he patted Alan on the chest and made a joke that when alan was hungry he defused it by rubbing his nipple and sure enough, Alan sort of absently rubbed his chest and we all laughed, and he wanted to know 'what?' and the guy explained, and he laughed and went back to the other conversation. Miyu and the handler and I talked about how good Alan has been in Spamalot. I said I really wanted to see it but New York is too far away. The handler said he was trying to convince Alan to do a Las Vegas tour and Alan joined us to say that six months was long enough. We shook hands and I said that he might not remember me, but I had given him the deck of firefly cards in Pasadena. He said, 'Yeah, I remember you!' I told him that Miyu was the one who had made the cards. He was impressed. Then she told him that she was also the one he had sent the t-shirts to for the Wondercon Tsunami raffle. I chided him for thinking that people wouldn't want t-shirts if they were only signed by him. He laughed and said they had been sitting in his closet for ages, and he felt guilty about throwing them out, but he had had nothing else to do with them until he was contacted about donating something for the raffle. We laughed about that then we let him try to get some food. He went off with a lovely blond woman who I can only assume was his girlfriend.

 

I wandered around and met everyone else but Adam, whose wife dragged him off early. For conversational details, email, but mostly I just told them that I loved their work and I hoped to see more of them. Ron Glass laughed and said he really hoped so too! Jewel was really sweet, but wow, does she look thin! Morena too- I actually wasn't sure that it was her, she looked so thin. Summer is just so nice- she seemed on the verge of tears, she was so happy with all the people telling her what good work she was doing. It has to be overwhelming to get so much acclaim and attention from fans, for what was effectively her second acting job ever (or third if you count the series separately). Miyu, H and I also got to talk for quite a while to John Cassaday, who drew the Astonishing X-Men and the first Firefly comic for Joss and Brett Matthews, who wrote for the series and who was one of the first to get involved, when Joss was giving him a ride home and talking about this idea he had.  John is so very entertaining and so much fun, although you can kind of tell he knows that he's pretty.

 

All in all, it was incredibly wonderful, I got to talk to lots of actors and fun people and lots of friends, and it was a good party in an objective sense! We were kicked out at around 1-ish, I got to bed at 2am and left for the airport at 3:15am because Super Shuttle couldn't come at 4am which would have been convenient. NOT my best morning ever, but I made it back here in time for my morning meeting!

 

A comment from a Browncoat unable to attend the Red Carpet Event: The moment a time machine is invented I'm going back, getting tickets and going. It sounds like it was soooo cool.

 

AmyL33’s Report:

 

I do best in bullet points, or I will get wordier than a dictionary. ;-P

My highlights (in chronological order):

 

·         Being around all of you beautiful people. I would name names, but I would forget someone and feel terrible, so I shant. Seeing all of you again warmed my heart and made it feel like it was OUR celebration. Which, of course, it rightly was to some degree.

·         Meeting Arlo finally. (If I was to name a name, it had to be his.)

·         Briefly talking with Mark Sheppard, who is not nearly as short and much better looking than he appears on the show.  Must be standing next that tall drink o' water that does it. ;-P

·         Briefly talking with Ron. What an unbelievably handsome man.

·         Briefly talking with Joss Whedon and Kelly, the production person who maintained the show's weblog (and was in the little Blue Sun ad that appears when Jayne calls the Feds in Ariel). Gushed to her about being so good to us.

·         Said Kelly introducing Fly and I to the Fillions.

·         The Fillions. Check out all the new hottie threads - you'll hear plenty about these darling people. Gave Cookie my Fillionaire pin, wasn't sure if she was touched or if it made her nervous. ;-P

·         Said Fillions introducing us to their son. Face to face with Cappy. Shaking hands, smiling, him asking me my name. Me forgetting my name. Me then saying my name in the voice of a 6 year old girl, with a question sound at the end: "Aa-aa-mee??" Ok, not really, but that's what it felt like. ;-P

·         Walking down the red carpet and being cheered for by fellow Browncoats. Hands down one of the most unexpected and delightful moments. :)

·         Chatting AGAIN with Bob and Cookie. Laughing at Nathan's father's quips. Marveling at what a beautiful woman his mother is. Great smile.

·         Briefly talking with Chris Buchanan and thanking him profusely for inviting us.

·         Sitting two rows in front of Sean, who was two rows in front of Morena, who was across the aisle from Ron. Looking around and seeing Allyson Hannigan and other familiar faces from television. Recognizing that Nathan's date is the actress who played Will Ferrell's wife in "Old School" (Perry Reeves?? I think that's her name), one of my favorite movies EVER. How cool is that?!?

·         Serenity. Oh my good God in heaven, what can I possibly say about Serenity?? My mind is still processing it. More to come. Everybody amazed that I was still a "Serenity Virgin". Which reminds me - never been referred to as a virgin so many times since it was the case. ;-P

·         Walking up the aisle behind Sean, joking that we should follow him to the after party, since we had no idea how to get there. He turned around and instead of looking wigged out he laughed and said he had no idea where it was, best not to follow him.

·         Getting into the VIP party after thinking we weren't going to be allowed in. Hoo-ha!!

·         Standing with Adam surrounded by a small group of fans, shaking each of our hands and him digging getting to meet Arlo. I knew how he felt.

·         Talking with Cookie, feeling someone's hand firmly on the small of my back and hearing "Pardon me, please" in my ear as they went by behind me. The warm wave of contentment I felt when I saw that it was Nathan.

·         Talking with Alan momentarily. Our interaction mentions a spoiler, so I will just say he was a doll.

·         Thinking about how exhausting it must be to have to be so gracious and kind to all these people wanting a moment of your time.

·         Talking with Ron again. Talking with Jewel's husband Mattie and thanking him for being so much fun at the Shindig at Dragon*Con. Him thanking me for thanking him. Approaching Christina Hendricks and telling her how much I loved her Saffron as a villain. Beautiful woman - very tall - very lovely reply of thanks.

 

I am sure I am forgetting someone or something, but I have to say it was everything I ever could have dreamed of. I still cannot fathom how generous all of them were to us. And they seemed genuinely glad that we were there. None of us bothered them, none of us asked for photos or autographs - the people doing the mobbing seemed to be L.A. people. We just wanted to share the evening with them and I cannot explain what a joy it was just to be there. It had nothing to do with celebrity or Hollywood. It was just being present for a moment in time that was special.

 

My most heartfelt gratitude to all of the cast and crew, I was truly touched beyond measure.

Love,

Amy

Next up is Part 4 of 6 reports Windhover, Pip, more Flyhead and Rosie additions.

2 of 6 Serenity Red Carpet Premiere Reports Thursday September 22, 2005

Part 2 of 6 Includes Dammitgirlie & Flyhead with a Highlight by Rosie

Dammitgirlie’s Report:

OY! I am at work, at least physically, so I am submitting my Big Damn Report.
But first...

 

#1 If there is a god, there is no way he ever intended me to balance all my weight on a two inch square of shoe. My feet are killing me, and yes I did walk through the parking structure at the end of the night without my shoes...you wanna make something of it?

 

#2 yes I did doze off in my car this morning in the school parking lot. But I still got here on time so give me a break!

 

Ok report time. There's not much and yet there’s a ton, hard to explain. We arrived around 5:30pm and headed toward the will call tables, which were located about a mile and half around the opposite side of the theater from the "Browncoat Corral". On the way I just kept running into folks I recognized. Browncoats abounded. We waited in line and picked up our tickets and buttons and then we went and stood in the Browncoat Corral, back all the way around the way we had come. Imagine this ...the theater is in the middle of a thoroughfare with the Hard Rock being sort of across the way and in the center of the area. Now normally, you could walk around either side of the Hard Rock, but because of the red carpet they had the front side of the theater blocked off so you had to walk around behind the Hard Rock to get to the beginning of the red carpet where "will call" is, but you had to walk back to the end of the red carpet to get into the Browncoat Corral, then you had to walk back to the will call to get into the theater. Throw in a few trips to the locker area...good lordy, that’s a stretch of land... and you have your exercise cut out for you.

 

Anyway we got a fairly good place; we were on the very end of the red carpet, opposite the press area and behind a plethora of signage and a giant column. We basically stood there and chatted for about an hour, an hour and a half. Ewok and Pajamasam got a lot of film coverage. Guys with cameras kept walking up and putting mics in their faces and asking them questions. They were young, cute and enthusiastic, who wouldn't want a shot of that. If you see them anywhere let me know. Finally a guy, Paul, got up on a stage, which I could see on the overhead screen (they also showed the commercials and some various music videos on it.) He was our announcer. Nice guy, pronounced the names correctly, he sort of rolled things along as the MC, told us why we were there, who was coming etc. Finally around 7:00 some celebs rolled up. Ron was first he was interviewed by Paul on stage. Morena followed, but I don't recall her getting on the stage, she must have. Stage was nowhere near us, but we could see it on the big screen. While Ron and Morena are across from us talking to the press, Nathan comes stealthily along the outside of the red carpet along the corral railing greeting Browncoats and signing things. WHAT A SWEETIE! He bypassed the press and came by us first. There was no screaming Beatles-ish behavior, everyone said hello and thanks etc, but you never would have known that one of the big stars was moving among the crowd if you didn't know him.

 

Naturally right as he started down the line my camera batteries overheated. I figured it wasn't meant to be and waited for him to sign the kids stuff and said thanks, before reloading my batteries. If anyone got a pic of him especially near the kids, I would love a copy. Pajamasam had the poster that she got at the testimonials so it won't be hard to see us.

 

Overall it was fairly quiet. They all arrived so late that the Browncoat corral was almost empty after that. I still had to run the ten minute mile to the lockers to put my camera away and then go get into the theater, which was BACK around the Hard Rock again. Mostly we applauded the Browncoats as they went by, I took a few pics, but the security pretty much kept them moving. Saxon and Rosie and their group took off just before us, and then Ric and the kids went into the theater while I went to the lockers. I almost ran down the red carpet. I know I heard them announcing Adam as I went in the building, and I passed a bunch of folks along the way, like Allyson Hannigan, but I was concerned about the time. If I had known they were not seating us all in the same theater, I would have stayed outside and cheered longer, but I was concerned we would mess things up if we stayed outside too much longer. There were only a couple of Browncoats still outside when I went in and I think only three of the stars had gone by. I got settled into the theater, with our complimentary snacks then met a few more Browncoats, like Arlo and Shiny. I met Pip outside earlier. And I handed off the extra screening and party ticket to someone who still had a friend on the outside. (Very happy fellow today I bet!)

 

Anyway, we watched the film and here I have one warning, no spoiler...Our sound sucked! The stereo in our theater kept going out and crackling and it made the film seem very amateur, which is sad because it had nothing to do with the movie and was just our projection. It jumped a few times too so the editing looked rougher then it was. I hope Universal fixes that problem before they let press see a screening like that. I'm sure no one who had seen it minded that much, but I think the Serenity Virgins need to go see it again soon so they can see it the way it was intended, you know with sound! It was too fun to see it with that many virgins. Every time the audience jumped or gasped I would get giggly. It was so cool hearing all the responses.

 

When the movie ended we stood in line for the bathrooms, I met a few more folks. It was a LONG line. Then my family cruised outside in search of after party. There was Adam standing right outside. Apparently while I was at the lockers he had seen the kids with their posters and told them to catch up later and he would sign them. His staffer was very nice, asked the kids their names etc and he signed the posters. Then we headed to the party. I believe it was in Tommorowland...no I'm not kidding, they took us on a walk to God knows where I was so turned around by the time we got there; It could have been Disneyland by that time. It was a nice little paseo area outdoors (it was chilly but they had heaters) and there were food and drink stations and tables lining the walkway. We tracked down some familiar faces, dropped our stuff and had some food. The talent and important folk were all being corralled in VIP ballroom style place just off the Paseo. Eventually they allowed us in. I think I was one of the last to enter. Pajamasam and LittleBear went to work strolling around meeting and greeting. I pretty much stuck to the outside walls. :) I was just happy to stand back and watch. Anywhere there was a large mass of folk; there was inevitably a hero in the middle.

 

Best moment of a 13 year old boys life (especially a short one) LittleBear is waiting patiently to say hello to Jewel and suddenly finds himself happily sandwiched between Jewel and Christina Hendricks. That's where I left him, smiling! Dad made sure he went to check on the boy though...*snicker*

I eventually found a place to sit and just crowd watched most of the night, visiting with many Browncoats. I only approached one person, Chris B to say thanks again. It was sort of funny, because he had been speaking to Jewel when I approached and her security man stepped up to me and said "I'm sorry. Miss Jewel has asked for privacy" and I said "oh that's Ok I'm waiting to speak to Mr. Buchanan" The security guy smiled big and said "Well OK" I told him he was doing a fine job and it must be tough and he said everyone had been very nice and thank you, before moving away with Jewel.

 

Rosie dragged me over to meet a star at one point "Pick one" she kept saying, so we picked Morena, because she was closest. I said hello and then moved on. She is very pretty and very petite. I don't know who said she was 5'8 but she can't be, because I'm just under 5'7 and in heels we were about the same height.

 

Anyway, Pajamasam has MANY stories, like how she ended up pushing Nathan out of her way (long story short she was heading through the crowd with Ewok and as she was maneuvering her way through, she sort of shoved passed him, not knowing who he was, and then he started picking on her saying "did you just push me" I really hope it was in fun and not serious, I wasn't there. She apparently apologized and hopefully it was all understood)... Little Bear had encounters too, although he didn't actually physically assault anyone. We stayed until about 12:45 when I collected the kids and said our goodbyes.

 

Little Bear was just standing waiting to say hi to Nathan (what a man he stayed till the very end!) Nathan turned to him, smiled and said, "Wait, I remember you. What does your name start with?" Little Bear says "J" Nathan looks confused "what's it end with?" "Y" then Nathan smiles and says "Right Jibilitby!" (Nonsense word) and gives him a big hug and a kiss on the check. Little Bear was all smiles. He got a hug from the Captain. Mom is jealous, but happy too.

 

By the time we had trekked out to the lockers they had apparently broken up the party and sent the last diehard Browncoats packing.

 

I know I was there, but I don't really have any good first hand stories, can't wait to hear some, including those from my own family.

 

Flyhead Report:

 

I saw Rosie this morning. Wow. Brain still fried. ;p Mine too. I could not sleep what with the 3 hour time thingy, my bio clock & my brain racing like mad!

 

I've got to see many Browncoats that I haven't seen in a few years, like Betsy & Pip. And I got to meet DG oh so briefly, Ying, Shiny, EARTH2KIM. ACK! There are so many more, but like I said same fried brain problem as Rosie & hotel dial up for 79 cent s minute. Can't really afford to sit here & collate! *L*

 

A bunch of us were trying to get a drink at the Hard Rock & planned to watch the BDHs arrive from there. We couldn't get a waiter & then they threw us out for not buying anything! *L* AmyL & I went around the HRC to the back of the venue where you entered to walk the red carpet. There were 2 - side by side, one for the BDHs & other celebs, one for the rest of us.

 

We were just hanging back waiting to see the BDHs walk out & lo and behold, who is standing next to us? Mark Sheppard!! I told him we all miss him posting here & want him in the next movie. He truly wants to be.

 

Then this gorgeous woman in a beautiful long Chinese styled coat stands next to me. I had seen her earlier & admired her coat. So here she was & I complimented her. She was telling me how a lady on her street made it for her, when Amy says something to her about how much we love her son Nathan.

 

TO WHUBBA WHO??!!! Yep. It was Cookie Fillion & her handsome, charming, husband Bob! We told them we were Fillionaires & understood if they wanted to run away, but no, the brave, gracious souls talked to us at length. They are such wonderful folk, loved them to death.

 

Amy gave Cookie her rhinestone "F" Fillionaire pin & I gave her a Fillionaire Charter Membership card. *L* I think she really liked our little gifts. I hope so. She also made a point to introduce us to Nathan, er...I mean Jeff Fillion's *swoon* little brother. He was extremely preoccupied, as he was about to make his red carpet walk, but still... pretty darn cool. Thanks Cookie! :)

 

There's so much more, but like I said...79 cents a minute. Talk at ya'll later!

 

Rosie highlights:

 

Chris Buchanan on the Red Carpet. I blew him a kiss as I was walking by once he recognized me. He blew a kiss back.

 

Adam Baldwin shouted, "ROSIE!!!"  I love it.

 

Alan Tudyk is a sweetheart. The short version: I said hi to him and he greeted me warmly. I introduced Ying and Windhover to Alan. There was much talking Alan was great. He was talking to others so we started to back away. He noticed me backing away, reached out grabbed my hand drew me close and gave me hug and said, "Always a pleasure to see you." I was so touched that he did that. Alan is a true gentleman and a class act.

 

Met Cookie Fillion finally, she is a doll. The last BDH I spoke to was Nathan himself he said my name and shook my hand. What a way to end the party.

 

More Flyhead Report:

 

Here's a little bit, before Rhoby knocks me out to get her hands on this laptop...

The movie was shown on multiple screens to accommodate all the invited guests. The red carpets were parallel & next to each other, so you were at times walking next to the stars. Once inside all popcorn & soft drinks were there for the taking. Makes sense, of course. But stupid me, 48 years of conditioning had me ordering my drink & getting money out! *L*

When we (Rhoby, Rosie, Pip, Laura, AmyL, MOH, Saxon & Co., Odile, KernelM...) got into our theatre we were thrilled to learn it was the BDH theatre. It's not like I was sitting with Adam or Ron or anything, but just to be in the same room with the BDHs after all these years for the premiere of Serenity was so very special. I was thrilled, honored, blessed, excited & GRATEFUL.

 

AmyL sat next to me & had not seen Serenity yet. That was pretty intense for the both of us! There was polite applause as each BDH's name was shown on the screen. I obviously can't say much more about the movie, but it was almost as intense the second time for me. I was still physically affected by it.

 

Afterwards we were directed to an area behind City Walk, which was part of the Universal theme park. There were cobbled streets & little shops. Very 'old world' looking - in the dark anyway. Food carts & bars were everywhere. The food was served buffet style & the alcohol was served STRONG!

 

The Globe Theatre was pretty much in the center of the area. After a few minutes it was open to everyone & in just about everyone went. The BDHs were each surrounded by clusters of people. I felt a bit sorry for them, but as usual, they were the epitome of graciousness. I would have liked to have talked to a few of them, but the timing rarely seemed right. I did get to talk to Ron Glass (who I always knew was hot, but learned at D*C was made of pure gold) for a few minutes. I also spoke to Mattie for a few minutes & gave him & Jewel Fillionaire Membership cards.

 

Chris was not as recognizable to some of the people, so we OB'rs did get some nice moments with him. I LOVE this man for numerous reasons, so I was thrilled. I also met Chris' wife for just a sec. She has a face like Rosie's - all sunshine & goodness. She seemed very sweet.

 

I tackled...er...I mean intercepted Bob & Cookie inside to see if they had a camera. I was hoping to get my Cappy picture with it as proof of my date for all the Filly's! *LOL* Even they were not allowed to bring one in. (That just seems wrong to me!) That led to more talking with Cookie. Windhover also joined in shared an amazing story with us.

 

Summer was her classy, gorgeous self with flowers in her hair. I never saw Jewel. She was engulfed in a crowd. Morena was in black & beautiful as ever. Never saw Gina or the operative actor, whose name I can neither spell nor pronounce. (Sorry sir. I'm slow & my memory card sucks.) He is magnificent in this movie. I wish he had been there. Saw Sean & Alan just briefly; same with Adam, though I did get a hug.

 

I danced with Arlo, which was something, as I am not a dancer (two left feet). Thanks for asking Arlo. That will be one of my favorite moments of the evening, no matter how brief it was or how flighty drunk I was!

 

Serenity Red Carpet Premiere Thursday September 22, 2005

Serenity Red Carpet Premiere

Thursday, September 22, 2005 Joss Whedon, Christopher Buchanan, Nathan Fillion, Summer Glau, Adam Baldwin, Morena Baccarin, Alan Tudyk, Jewel Staite, Sean Maher, Ron Glass.

There are so many Browncoats in this report I am using screen names to keep it all consistent.

Rosie’s Report

I arrived around 5 pm and parked in front of the movie theater. I am going to meet AmyL33. The first thing I see are signs directing us to the Serenity Premiere. Honestly, I really still can't believe what is happening. It totally feels like I am in the middle of a great dream. I am just enjoying it.

As I walk out and see the movie theater, I see up on the marquis "World Premiere of Serenity”. 

I smile and jump up and hop for joy. This is really happening! I see AmyL33 and she takes some pictures. I run into Bleddyn and Firecracker and we are joined by Flyhead. Then Hasufel and his daughter come up to me. I see Rhobyneish at the HardRock telling Flyhead her food has arrived. We say hi and chat for a bit and then make our way to Will Call.

At Will Call they are not ready but I find lots of Browncoats waiting.

I know so many people that I can't remember who I saw first. It’s a blur of images. I remember seeing Suinegapf(sp?), Arlo, Odile, Ying, Shiny, Redaly, Arielle, MeiMei, Betsyslu, Firegate3... I am trying to remember who else but I am blanking. There are too many people. My mental pictures are blurry. I remember Windhover was there.

Then I saw 2 friends who don't post on the board and had to connect them with Saxon who I heard were eating at the Hard Rock. There sat a table full of Browncoats: Vampirefan, MyOrangeHat, RayHill, Saxon, Ewok and more folks that I did not even register. Saxon came with me to pick up her tickets. I picked up my tickets. I saw HandmaidenAnde but she did not see me.

I get my friends set up and I have my ticket so my next order of business is to get food. I see a lady standing by herself and I ask her if she is with anyone. She said no so I introduced myself and told her I wanted to grab some food. She decides to stick with me. Then Windhover steps up and says food sounds good. Another friend also joins us not from the board, so the girl on her own I'll refer to as EB and my other friend will be E. The Will Call area, which has a special Browncoats Will Call area, is next to Jillians. So that is where we go. Apparently they did not have any wait staff but the Bartender could take food orders. I order grilled chicken sandwich with a Lemon Drop. The Lemon Drop was in honor of LuxLucre. He bought shots for everyone at the very first Vegas Shindig. He introduced me to it and I always think of Lux when I have a Lemon Drop.

Windhover is talking to EB and I am talking to E but I am also concerned about my family and making sure things go smoothly. I go outside to make the call and I see my sister and her husband, Carol and her friend and My brother who is also in the movie. I saw DanRegal and gave him a hug. Once my family was set I no longer needed to worry about anyone. I told Carol I was not responsible for her. Either our sister or brother would be taking her home. As I make my way back to Jillians I see Tamara, Pip, Seawhere, Arlo, Vampirefan and a few others I can't recall. I went back and my drink was waiting but not my food. I am hungry and excited but still not believing what is happening. In what world do we fans get to walk the Red Carpet to the Premiere of Serenity?!?!

After eating we walked over to the Red Carpet. I found Saxon and Julie against the railing. I was so happy. Everything was just incredible. Ron came down first. There was a stage set up for interviews. For those not familiar with Red Carpet set ups. They start near Jillians, there are 2 lanes. The right is for the STARS and the left for the guests. Browncoats walked on the left. The media was on the right and the fans were on the left side. The photographers are first, then ET and Entertainment and Access Hollywood interviews; then a stage with an MC for the crowd of fans. I forgot the man's name but he did a great job. He asked all Browncoats to cheer and he was impressed. There was a special section for Browncoats closest to the Red Carpet. There was also a section above the the food court. That is where my family was. After the stage there is more press for interviews.

So Ron came first and he was awesome. He gets up on stage and he yells, “Browncoats Forever!” He said he was excited for the fans to see the movie. Then came Morena and she waved to the crowd. Sean was excited. Nathan came over to the fan area, he signed autographs. I was amazed and did not get his attention. I must say he looked fabulous. Handsome beyond belief and well dressed. I was proud. Then came Joss and we had to go walk the Red Carpet.

It was Pip and I with my sister and her friend. Saxon, Ewok and her clan. It was 7:27 and I started to run. I kept thinking what if I miss it. Once on the Red Carpet I made sure folks were behind me then started to slow down.

The first people I see are Chris Buchanan and Adam Baldwin. They were talking to someone and I just looked at Chris he saw me and acknowledged with a nod and I just blew him a kiss. Then Adam shouts, "Rosie!" which I did not expect in the least. Hello? We are on the red carpet!!! I smiled and a security was telling us to keep moving. At this point of course I am flying high. We continue on and then I see my mom recording as I walk the red carpet. The rest Morena and Sean and Nathan and Joss are still being interviewed. Alan, Summer and Jewel came after us so we did not see them walk.

So we enter and find which theater to go to. They had several. The one with all the the stars was the same one I was in. I was seated in the second row with my brother. Odile is sitting in front of me and apparently the person sitting next to her is with the person sitting next to me so we trade. I sit up front with Odile. AmyL33 was with Flyhead ; Pip and Seawhere and KelKat where there as well as Saxon and her family. Windhover was there also. That's all the Browncoats I knew. I saw Joss, Summer, Morena, Sean in the theater.

Special non-Firefly moment: I knew Alyson Hannigan, (Willow on Buffy) was going to be there and Alexis Denisof (Wesley on Angel) is her husband. I asked Saxon to get me if she saw Alexis. I have wanted to meet him forever. Saxon grabs me and leads the way to him. Alexis was there but Alyson was first so I acknowledged her and told her I was a fan. Then Saxon is introducing me to Alexis and I tell him what a marvelous job he's done with the character. He smiled and was great. Then we head outside the theater. Alexis is super hot! Alyson is very pretty and very lucky. I am thrilled to finally meet him.

The movie begins and I am still excited and thrilled to see it. I almost start to cry with how beautiful this whole event is. I am sitting here and really can't believe it. The movie ends and it still gets me, it’s truly the best movie and just gets better and better each time. I picked up more details. The movie is just chalk full. Then I go find the folks who watched it for the first time. Then we head out to the After-Party. In the lobby of the theater I see Adam and walk over. There's a little boy next to him. I just shake his hand and tell him how great the movie is. Then someone else comes up and I move off. See that's the thing.The ending of the encounter is when someone else comes up and you move on.

We walked over to the After-Party and I am just excited beyond belief. I see Chris Buchanan and I am happy. Really what can I say to this man? There are not enough words to truly thank him. From the bottom of my heart he has given and given and given and he has a great heart; truly a hero to all Browncoats. Did I mention when I blew him a kiss he blew one back?! He is the best and we are all lucky to have him in our corner. Chris Buchanan is my hero.

OK, enough gushing. See that's why I could not go speak to him, all I can do is gush. We walk to the After-Party, enter Universal Studios through the Ampitheather entrance. I am just amazed and happy we are getting in. There's a big banner that says Serenity! There are lots of places to get food every where. I am excited. I still haven't seen Alan and that is my mission. I need to see him. No one else has seen him.

So we start walking and I catch a glance of him smiling just as he is entering a special area for the cast. It is right of course for them to have their own area and I am disappointed and dumbfounded. I see Adam enter as well I just stand there for a while and finally realize if he just went in he's not coming out soon. I am happy I saw him but sad I might not get an interaction. We start walking to the side and finding other Browncoats. Someone asks me the plan. They think I can get us in. I say I do not have that much power; at that moment the doors, literally open to this private area. We are allowed to enter!!! Can you believe that?! We get to go inside! This event just gets better and better. I am walking around looking at everything. They have planets hanging and a lot of Asian decor, more food and drinks.

Finally I see Alan Tudyk talking to folks. I am too happy. I need to settle down before I go over. I have Ying, Windhover and my friend E with me. They are wondering when I am going over. Finally I start to settle down and I go over. I wait patiently as others get their chance, then as Alan is talking to people this woman on his left. I am on his right. She tells him she needs to talk. I am wondering who she is but think she is a friend. Alan continues talking to the people/fans. I am afraid he will leave before I get my chance. Ying pokes him on the arm to get his attention but he is focussed. So I just reach out and hold his hand very nonchalantly. He lets me and remains focussed. He must know it is me; I walked by him as he was talking. He finishes and turns to me and says,"Hey, Rosie" and greets me with a cheek to cheek hug. I told him I brought people for him to meet and remain silent. Windhover talks and I think Ying said something. Alan is just beautiful and talks with everyone. Then we start to move away, backing out. Alan is talking to other people. Then Alan reaches for my hand and gives me a parting hug and says, "Always a pleasure to see you." I am just flying high. I am so happy. I just say, "Thank you". I was truly amazed. I was really floored. I got a good-bye from Alan! It was a very sweet interaction. After that I am done. I really was on cloud nine.

I spoke to Morena and she asked where the other folks were. I told her to look for the clusters. Jewel is over there. Sean is there and Summer is right there. She laughed.

I met Cookie and Bob Fillion. They are two great people and it is easy to see how Nathan turned out so well. His brother is also quite handsome. Nathan was shaking hands with a few ladies as he was leaving. I was the last person and he remembered my name.

Then the party was over. It was an amazing experience and the Browncoats there were great.  Serenity Rocks! Chris Buchanan is my hero. Browncoats Forever!

MORE Red Carpet Stories from other Browncoats posted on the OB:

Rosie :

Wow. Brain Fried. We walked the Red Carpet and attended the premiere of Serenity!!! Ron came first, then Morena, Sean. Nathan. Joss. Chris Buchanan. Adam. Then Pip and I with Saxon, Ewok, My sis Carol, Julie with Betty and Aimee.

I really don't know what to say. There is so much and it really is surreal. Seeing fellow Browncoats walk the Red Carpet. Seeing BDHs also walking for Serenity Premiere was wonderful, really beyond belief wonderful.

Julie’s report:

I’m sure that other reports will be more detailed than mine, so, for once, I shall be relatively brief.  I was fortunate enough to attend the premiere along with many other Browncoats.  I almost was unable to attend though.  Back to School Night was scheduled for that very evening, and my attendance at the function was mandatory.  Luck was on my side, however, as some fellow teachers were able to help me out and move the event to the following week. 

My guest was my best friend Maria.  I had gotten Maria addicted to Firefly over the summer via my DVDs.  I was so happy that she was able to go accompany me as, with three small children at home, she doesn’t have a lot of free time.  We met up with our fellow Browncoats and took our position behind the barricades.  Energy was high and we cheered our hearts out for our BDHs.  Morena recognized our group, and seemed pleased to see us.  (At least I hope so. We don’t come off as stalker-ish do we?  Hmmm.)  When Nathan showed up, he hopped over the red carpet to say hi to all the fans.  It’s his night, and he’s interacting with the masses!  Wow!  As he’s signing autographs, I realize I recognize his date from another favorite show of mine, Homefront.  She seems surprised that I remember her from that role, yet smiles and speaks with us for a few moments.  Very nice.

I was not in the larger theater with the cast, but seeing the film (again) with my fellow Browncoats and best friend still made the night perfect.  Maria and I were both excited about the free popcorn and soda, which if I think about, is kind of weird.  Maria adored the film, which made me happy!  After, we met up with everyone else and walked over to the after party. 

The party was in full swing and we walked around a bit.  Maria thought it was funny how Browncoats seemed to know and greet each other just from seeing one another and various conventions and events.  We went into the VIP party to look around at the various sets.  It was a very surreal experience.  I was able to introduce Maria to Morena, but then I felt bad because it seems our BDHs were being mobbed.  I hope they were able to take time out and enjoy the party.  They had worked so hard to get to this point and I do hope they were able to enjoy the fruits of their labor.  They deserve it!

We sat for a spell, still not believing the events of the evening.  A couple of the marketing guys from Universal recognized me from my DVD interview, and came over to chat.  They were very friendly and having a lot of fun at the party.  We spoke for a while, then went our separate ways.  I had to teach the next day and Maria had to get home to her husband and kids.

No words can describe the night.  To have the kind of opportunity, to interact with such a talented and wonderful cast, to be part of something so eventful.  I can safely say, it will be a memory I hold dear for years to come. 

This report is part 1 of 6. I collected the reports from lots of Browncoats on the OB (Official Firefly Board) I divided them up into 6 parts. If anyone does not want theirs reposted please let me know.

Coming up I have: Dammitgirlie, Flyhead, Redaly, AmyL33, Windhover, Pip, Ying and our Aussie Browncoat JenskiJen.

Dragon Con 2013

I can't say it enough. Dragon Con is my very favorite Con. It's like coming home to family you love.

Wednesday

I wanted to get there as soon as I could so I decided to take the red-eye from LAX to ATL. I had to work that Wednesday and then finish packing. I finally had my ride take me an drop me off at 10:30pm. The flight took off without a hitch,  it was Wednesday night so getting through security was easy peasy.

Thursday

Landed in Atlanta full of excitement and a strong feeling of homecoming.

Everything is familiar and comfortable and easy. I decided to walk from my concourse to baggage claim instead of taking the train.They have these wonderful displays in the walkway that you miss by taking the train. The history of Atlanta from the beginning to today; art from Africa, beautiful sculptures and wonderful photographs of Africa. I texted me friends I had arrived and they were already checking in at 6:30am. They drove all night to arrive early. We were able to get 2 connecting rooms. It was nice since there were 8 of us total. Tygie, Keleos, Cavie and I in one room and Apida, Quillismightier, Theresa & Larissa (T & L were Dragon Con first timers!)

The really neat thing about going to Dragon Con is that transportation is not an issue. The train MARTA is at the end of the terminal just past baggage claim. One way is $2.50 so I went ahead and bought a round trip ticket. The train ride takes about 30 minutes. Dragon Con stop is at the Peachtree Station, once you exit and go up the long escalator you can go out into the street and walk over to your hotel or go back in to the Peachtree Mall and use the habit trails that connect from the food court to the Marriott or the Hyatt. I was staying at the Marriott.

The whole journey from the airplane to the room is familiar and feels like I am coming home, my home away from home. I was looking forward to seeing my friends that I only see once a year at this Con. After the initial yay so happy to see you again, Tygie, Keleos and I decided that it was naptime. It was 9am and we were up all night to get here. It was a mighty fine nap. Cavie was still in Tallahassee packing. After our nap we decided to go get lunch and then our badges. They put in a CVS in the Peachtree Mall. That was nice because it saved me a trip walking into Downtown Atlanta to go to CVS. It was not nice because I no longer had a reason to go walking through Downtown Atlanta. I decided to order Shwarma in honor of the Avengers, with a side of cooked vegetables, MMMmmmmmm delicious. I had to go back to the room to put away the rest of my meal. I have learned to eat less at one sitting so I just ate half the Shwarma. It was really delicious. Then I made my way to the Sheraton to go get my badge. The Pre-reg line was long and people had to wait outside before getting inside. I was doing onsite registration with cash. It took a total of 12 minutes from standing outside to getting my badge.

I went back to the room and waited for Cavie. She arrived about an hour later. I walked her over to the Sheraton to get her badge. She had only 2 people in front of her. You pay more for onsite but it is so much faster. I love it. Afterwards we walked around the Marriott International Level to see how much photo ops would be. There was a line already and they were barely setting up. I really wanted a pic with Billy Dee Williams aka Lando Calrissian. I also wanted Ed Asner as I have been a long time fan of his. It turns out that Froggy was going to have 2 locations. The other photographer was not going to be here so it was Froggy Photos at both locations. We walked over to the Hilton to see who they had over there. I found Billy Dee at the Marriott but not Ed Asner. It turns out Ed was going to be at the Hilton. Cavie wanted a photo with Ioan Gruffudd and Doug Jones. So those are the one we purchased. Once that was taken care of we decided that food was next on the agenda. I still had my other half of my shwarma. Cavie bought something from the food court from Moe's Southwest Grill and we headed to the room. After we ate we decided to keep exploring and seeing where they moved the Exhibit Hall and Dealer Room to the Americas Mart across the street from Peachtree Center. They put special Guests for autographs where the Dealer Room used to be. The Walk of Fame was moved to the Marquis Level Ballroom. Everything was topsy turvy. There were lots of changes and it felt like someone new was in charge this year.

What I missed the most this year was the lack of Firefly Panels. I did still see plenty and I mean a plethora of Firefly t-shirts and costumes. There were Buffy and Dollhouse Panels but I wanted Firefly. The abundance of Browncoat shirts made me feel like I was not alone and Firefly is still in fan's hearts. We finally made our way back to our room and crashed. We watched some Dragon Con TV. That is one of the main reasons to stay at the Con hotels. I really enjoy Dragon Con TV. Finally we were joined by Tygie and Keleos and more fun stories were shared.

Friday

Picture Day- We had to be ready at Froggy's by 9:30am to see if there were any schedule changes. Since I was getting my pic taken with Billy Dee Williams I decided I needed to curl my hair and wear a dress. I love Lando Calrissian and Billy Dee Williams has always been handsome and super suave. As we made our way to the Hilton I recognized Peter, a former security guard at the Hyatt who has since been promoted. He used to be in charge of the lines for the Hyatt Centennial Ballrooms where they place the biggest draws. He was always a friend to Browncoats and it was really nice running into him again.

We made our way to the Hilton, the first people Cavie and I were going to take pictures with is Fantastic Four Silver Surfer Doug Jones and Mr. Fantastic Ioan Gruffudd. Keleos told me that Doug was a sweetheart and that he hugged her head. Cavie wanted to stand next to Ioan in the pic. When it was our turn Doug was walking over to Cavie, so I started to speak to him so he came to me instead. I had tweeted that I'd be taking pics with them and he favorited my tweet. He was well dress and had a great smile and he was genuinely happy to be there. I've taken enough pictures to be able to tell what the actors are thinking. Some are excited. Some are just where do I stand, where do I look, not much interaction. So I was very happy with Doug's enthusiasm and Ioan was sweet and shook my hand as I was leaving. They were such dolls.

Then we made our way across the street to see Billy Dee Williams. Mark was the main line organizer and announcer for the chaos at the Marriott. There were too many people in a very small and limited space. He was doing his best to get things to run smoothly but sometimes that is not easy. I was able to tell Froggy thanks for all he does. I love that he gives us this opportunity. It helps create lots of wonderful memories. He said he would be at Comikaze so that is a reason for me to go.

On our way from the Hilton to the Marriott I had my random encounter with Brian Wiser. It has become this wonderful phenomenon that we will randomly run into each other without planning it.We could have gone to the first floor and gone across the street but we chose to use the Habit Trail connecting the 2 hotels. It was very nice and we took a pic.the thing about Dragon Con is that there is so much to do and everyone goes to what is important to them. So running into Brian is a treat since we didn't have to plan on it.

Finally it was our turn. I saw Billy Dee Williams sitting off to the side. He was definitely older but still has a regal presence about him. He walked right past us on his way to his spot. He didn't say much and all I can say is "Thank you for coming". He said, "Your welcome.", kind of surprised me that he responded. He is a gentleman.

After we took our pics we went up to the room to change into shorts and a t-shirt to be more comfortable. Billy Dee Williams had a panel at 1pm and I really wanted to go hear him and see how he did. He was fabulous he had a guy with him who helped him tell the stories and hear the questions. Mainly all the guys wanted to know how to be cool and suave like him. He said just to be silly, not take yourself too serious. None of the guys found this helpful. At another point Billy Dee said that he always tried being bigger than life in his acting. I think he carries himself that way. He has a really strong presence and confidence about him and that smooth voice he has helps a lot. I asked him about his Grandkids and if they watched him as Lando and he said one of them refers to him as Grandpa Calrissian. We also started a Twitter campaign to #BringBackLando for Episode 7. Billy Dee said he would love to see Lando with a daughter who is a Jedi. It was truly an thrill and an honor hearing him speak and share his thoughts. The man is very gracious and full of charm. He still got it.

At Dragon Con they clear the rooms so off we went to see the Art Show and Comic Artist Alley. My favorite Jason Palmer was not there but I received a lot of compliments on his buttons. You can order online at www.jasonpalmer.net I was able to find the Firefly Plush lady aka www.handmadestuffs.com She creates all kinds of plushes and recently started on My Little Pony. Last year Cavie bought me Mal. I saw Jayne and I had to have him. She said she had made a Kaylee too but she didn't bring her. I hope I can get her in the future. I requested a Wash for next year. I plan on completing my collection. If she makes everyone. I've always wanted a plush Serenity. QMx made a plush Enterprise but I want Serenity. We made our way through Comic Artist Alley without further purchase. We crossed over to the Art Show but did not have enough time to see all of it. We made a lap around the outside.I saw some lovely Malachite jewelery and some very nice dragon art one in particular had a dragon reading a book to a bunch of toddler dragons.

The next panel was Ed Asner so we had to leave and make our way back up. Ed Asner came out using a cane and walking in wearing his character costume from UP, red suspenders and all. He looked great. He needed a bit of help climbing the stairs and then he was left on stage without a handler. So he took charge and started talking and taking questions from the audience. I decided to go and start the line at the microphone and let folks know that is where they should stand. I asked about future projects and he said he was just in Argentina working on a new movie. He had a long answer and I can't remember what all he said but it was articulate. I told him I would see him later at the photo op.  He said looking forward to it. Then people lined up behind me so that it was easier for Ed to take questions. Someone asked about him making a Christmas movie and he said he already did Elf and that is all you get. He talked about the rocky start to Mary Tyler Moore Show. Some people had their concerns since they thought Ed can't do comedy. They tweaked some stuff and when he tell Mary she has spunk and then shouts, "I HATE SPUNK!" That line and his delivery made everyone laugh and take notice.

After Ed Asner's panel we had to rush back to the room to change and make our way to the Hilton for our Photo Ops. The tricky part about rushing is not the moving from Hyatt to the Marriott to the Hilton. The hardest part is getting an elevator that has enough space to get on. It doesn't matter which way its going. If the elevator has space you get on. Eventually it will go your way, so sometimes you just need to get on and go the wrong way. We were able to make it there on time. We arrived at 4:30pm. Ed Asner was not scheduled until 4:50pm but they went ahead and started early so that he was done by 4:50pm. I trust Froggy as a photographer and know the way his pics always come out well. This second location had a different photographer Matt and I don't know why but every time I felt like I blinked. The photos take 30 - 35 minutes to be printed and put out. So we decided to go get some food and come back later. 

We ended up splitting a Corn Beef Reuben from one of the sandwich shops in the food court. After dinner we went to Americas Mart to see what was there and see how it was laid out. It was on 2 floors. 1 floor had the Dealer Room and the Exhibit Hall. The second floor had the Exhibit Hall divided into 2 locations. It was really huge, massive and had too many good things to buy, unfortunately they take Credit Cards so it was hard to not buy. I bought a Browncoat lanyard from the Southeastern Browncoats Booth plus some Convention Panel DVDs. The we continued on and I bought a Castle 3 Ring Binder with a Costume Card included and I bought the Castle Trading Card Season 1-2 to put in the binder. It's hard to say no to something with Nathan Fillion's face on it. My last purchase was at another Browncoat Booth. They had these neat tiny button with lots of Nathan Fillion faces. There was an Enver Gjojak from Dollhouse pin in there and since I loved him in Dollhouse and Vegas I decided to include him as well. There were some shiny Official Fillionaire earrings as well, definitely a must have. I bought the Serenity Firefly paperback graphic novels and that was it for me. We walked by the Vamplets booth and I knew Tygie was looking for a Ghost Pony so we bought one for her along with the hardcover graphic novel. Fortunately it was 7pm and the Exhibit Hall was now closed. That meant that the photo ops were also closed so we decided to go Saturday to pick up our Ed Asner picture.

Saturday

This is my very favorite day of the Con. The Dragon Con Parade is Saturday morning and everyone that is in costume is invited to walk with their group of fans. Cavie decided to have breakfast with me and then to go check out the remainder of the Art Show. She also wanted to walk through the Exhibit Hall when there would be less people. So Saturday we made our way to Willy's a Mexican Restaurant. It was funny to me seeing the long line at Dairy Queen and then no line at Willy's. I told Cavie they are all choosing wrong. I love breakfast burritos and it has become a part of my routine to grab a burrito and then walk across the street to get my Starbucks coffee and then line up for the parade. Once I got in line for Starbucks Cavie decided to go ahead and get in line for the Exhibit Hall. Yes that's right there was a line to get in since they did not open until 10am and it was still 9:30am. The guy in line in front of me asked about my Firefly shirt and buttons so I explained briefly. Then I asked him why he was here. Turns out he is a great Dad. His daughter is into Anime and he had custody this weekend so they hopped on a train and came in. Myself and the girl behind me jumped into a quick tutoring session for the first timers. I explained they needed to buy a badge to get into the various events. It was fortunate for them we were able to give them a heads up. Once Dad realized that the line outside the Americas Mart was to buy stuff he knew that going in there would be a mistake.

The great thing about going alone to the parade is that I can squeeze into an open spot. So that is just what I did. There was a spot behind a planter so I had no tall people in front. That is until a child decided to climb onto the planter and instead of sitting on it decided to stand. Once the parade started a tapped him on the back and asked if he could sit so I could take pictures. He was about 9 or 10 and wearing a very nice Robin costume. The mom appeared not happy with me but did not say anything. If I let the kid stand a lot of other people behind me would have had their view blocked as well. The Parade was really really really looooonnnnnggggg, it was nice; lots of great costumes and many returning favorites as well as new ones. My favorite this year is the Steampunk Tigger he was awesome. The Red StormTrooper with the red boombox was funny as well. I saw Ricard Hatch walking along with the fans. When the Marvel group came up a little over half way through the parade the child stood back up again. He was so good up until then and it was his fandom. He received a lot of high fives from Batman and Robin Characters. After that it felt like we were almost done. The parade was about an hour and fifteen minutes long. So I did the best I could taking pics. Just aiming and shooting. Some came out great others had the back of the child's head as he moved around. He kept bending over the railing to see what was coming up, that's why he needed to stand. Finally the parade was done and we all dispersed. It can be a mad house. I saw a Mom with a stroller and Dad with the other child on his shoulders so I started to clear a path and lead the way. I was waving my arm to tell her to go this way and the little guy in the stroller reached up and held my finger. I helped them cross Peachtree and they were on their way to the Sheraton. I led them down the hill and the parade apparently wrapped around and was coming back. I explained what to do and where to go and waved good bye. I made my way back to the room.

I was going to meet Tygie today and help her get over to the Hilton. She is in a wheelchair and needs help moving around. Keleos was helping her Friday but she was in the parade so I volunteered to help Tygie get back and forth. I joined her at the Marriott International Level and we made our way to Lucy Lawless. William Shatner was not there but he was scheduled to be there. I did spot Richard Dean Anderson but did not get close. Then we made it to Lucy Lawless. The wheel chair people waited on the side and there was  person standing in their place in line. I wanted to take a picture of Lucy since we as so friendly and seemed to be enjoying herself a lot. I discovered that I had removed my battery to charge it. Ooops I had to leave Tygie and run upstairs to get the battery. I made it back after Tygie had her turn, it took me that long.

We then made our way over to the Hilton and waited until both Doctor's showed up. I decided I really wanted to take a pic with Eddie McClintock in order to get his autograph. While we were waiting Mitch Pileggi was taking pics. I have seen him pop up time and again but he is always Skinner from the X-Files for me. He doesn't really play the nice guy. He is usually doing something not so good. But watching Mitch taking pics with such a friendly easy going stance I decided I need a pic with Mitch. When the guy came out to see if anyone else had a pic with Mitch I asked him if I had time to buy one. He looked at me and said let me get someone. So I made an impulse buy and got a pic with Mitch Pileggi. When it was my turn I told him this was an impulse buy and that I had been a fan of his for a long time. He has a great smile and absolutely beautiful eyes. Mitch Pileggi is charming and truly sexy. I sent my sister a text since she is a huge X-files fan and she was excited for me.

Eddie McClintock clearly loves his fans he has lots of fun and is very sweet and kind. Eddie is a genuine person enjoys coming to Dragon Con and meeting the fans. When it was my turn I told him my friend Suzi says hi. She chats with him on Facebook. We took our pic then he said her last name. He knows his fans.

After Tygie took a pic with the 2 doctors and I took mine with Eddie we waited awhile to pick up our pics. That way we would not have to return the next day. by the time we had our pics it was 7pm and the Walk of Fame was closed. I was unable to get any autographs. We headed back to the room. 

I had not seen Cavie since breakfast so we went out to dinner.

She wanted to repeat last year's experience and have drinks and see if there were any stars we could claim to have drinks with; so we decided to dine at Sear, one of the fine dining restaurants in the Marriott Hotel. We saw someone she recognized but couldn't place. We spotted Lou Ferrigno as he went to his table. After a final look around I spotted Edward James Olmos having dinner with a bunch of peeps. I had a lemon drop in honor of Lux Lucre a fallen Browncoat. Cavie had a margarita on the rocks. After dinner we decided to walk around a bit to see everyone in their costumes. That was a lot of fun. My favorite were Maleficent, The Evil Queen and Ursula they looked wicked good. I took a pic with a stormtrooper. We did three laps around, one for the Marquis Level, the Lobby Level and the Atrium Level. There were so many great costumes, lots of Mals, Jaynes and Kaylees, plenty of Dr. Who's and the Police Box as dresses. I love the Dalek dresses as well. There were a lot of Victorian clothing as well as Steampunk. Oh the characters from Star Trek The Next Generation were posing together. So were men in drag as the Disney Princesses; that was something they looked very nice. Finally I got tired and we made our way back up to our room. Cavie got tired from walking all of the Americas Mart and the Art Show. So much fun but so very tiring as well. She did buy some nice art pieces as well as a Malachite pendant for me. She is such a generous soul and still thinks she could do more. We watched more Dragon Con TV.

Sunday

First thing for me is to go to church. The Basilica of the Sacred Heart is just down the next block from the Marriott and Mass starts at 8:30am. It was nice and the priest opened with a little joke that he would not be able to speak in Klingon today. That threw me but made me laugh. He recognized that there are many here for Dragon Con. After Mass I went back to the room to change and I decided not to buy breakfast but eat what was in the room. We had plenty of food. I ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich as well as an apple and some coffee. I made my way over to the Walk of Fame. I had not stepped in there all weekend. I walked a lap around to see who was there and how much everything was. William Shatner's autograph was $75. I had spent $50 on Stan Lee's autograph and that was my cap. I did not think some people deserved as much as they were asking and others deserved more. I asked earlier what people thought Billy Dee Williams was going for and the guess was $100-$125 since he is a movie star. Turns out he was only charging $40 Woo Hoo! Well within my price range. It was 10:30am and the sign said he would arrive at 11:05am so I decided to be the first in line. As I was waiting I looked around and then I heard the voice of Squidward from Spongebob Square Pants, Rodger Bumpass. I was very excited and he was only charging $20 but I still needed to see who else's autograph I got. Then I saw Doug Jones arrive once again very well dressed. I asked the guy behind me if I could step out to get Doug's autograph and he said sure. So off I went. I stepped up and pulled out my pic. He was once again sweet and fun. He gave my head a hug. He's tall and I am short and my friend mentioned that he does this so I was happy to be receiving a head hug from Doug. I just wish I got a picture of it but the memory lives. Getting Doug's autograph meant I needed to get Ioan Gruffudd since the picture is with both of them and it would bug me a lot.

Finally Billy Dee Williams came and he was nice and attentive and gave his autograph. I didn't want to hold him up or those behind me so I moved on. I continued walking around and I saw Mitch Pileggi with no line. That just seemed all manner of wrong so I decided to get his autograph, oops another impulse buy but he was a dear, still sweet and charming and fun to talk with. He seems to be a man of good humour, a pleasant disposition. Did I mention super sexy? Mitch Pileggi definitely has a sort of magnetism about him. Ed Asner was just arriving so I was able to get his autograph. He asked about Cavie and I told him she was in the Art Show. I came out great in the pic but Cavie had her eyes closed. So we were going to get another pic with Ed at the end of the day. I walked over to where Lindsay Wagner and Lee Majors were sitting. I was a fan of both of their shows and I had met and taken a pic with Richard Anderson aka Oscar Goldman. I wanted to show them the picture and hopefully take a pic with them. Richard and Lindsay's charged me $20 for a pic at the table. Lee Majors was charging $40 for a pic at the table. I showed him the picture but he was not caring about me as a fan since I had no money for him. He was charging $50 for his autograph and he had 0 charm and did not look good at all. he looked like he did not want to be bothered. That of course was disappointing but I was very happy I did not spend any money on him. Lee Majors was unpleasant. So I moved on and got in line for Ioan Gruffudd's autograph. I didn't have much to say to Ioan but he smiled graciously and played off what Doug Jones wrote in my autograph. It was very thoughtful and sweet. So with the $20 that I did not spend on Lee Majors I decided to spend it on Rodger Bumpass since he seemed to be a pleasant man having fun speaking as Squidward for the fans. He was lovely and I happily gave him my money.

Now it was time to head to the final Warehouse 13 Panel. Brent Spiner joined them since he was a part of Warehouse 13 as a guest star. They finished filming the final season. Eddie McClintock was really sad and he ended his panel saying that coming to Dragon Con has been the highlight of each year for him. It seems like he is not sure of being invited back and that made him sad. I was not going to get Eddie's autograph since I spent my money already and I was over budget. But with that final statement I could not go without getting my picture with Eddie autographed. Eddie was also selling his t-shirts. He designed one for every season of Warehouse 13. Eddie McClintock is also an artist. He is very creative and a sweetheart of a guy. He has been chatting on Facebook with a friend of mine, Saxon and when I mentioned her he knew her last name. I had pictures of her and showed him us together. Now I had enough cash for his autograph but not both shirts so I tried to pay with my visa card. Unfortunately the signal strength was weak and it did not go through. Eddie even got up and walked around trying to get a signal. I was short $20 in cash. So I told the girl if I can leave the 2 shirts and I can go get the $20. Eddie said no, take the shirts and just come back with the money. He said I trust her she's good people. The girl asked for my name so she could keep track. So I went back up to my room and then I texted the girl I bought the shirt for that I owed Eddie $20 and she Tygie and Keleos all thought it was hilarious. They were at the Hilton so I made my way over to the Hilton got my cash and then made my way back to Eddie. I just walked up to the edge of the table and waited. When the girl handling the cash saw me she was so relieved I returned she said, "Thank you!" and I said to her, "I knew you were anxious about it." Then I turn to Eddie and said, "I knew you were cool about it." Eddie smiles and blows me a kiss. That right there was the absolute highlight for me. Eddie McClintock is such a beautiful soul and I hope he finds his next job soon. He is a talented man and deserves to keep working.

I went back up to the room for some lunch. Some box noodles, popcorn, apple and a little rest. Cavie and I needed to head back to the Hilton for our pic with Ed Asner. She made plans to go out with her Atlanta friends so I waited around until my pic came out. Unfortunately the Hilton crew was short staffed. apparently the volunteers that were supposed to sell the photo ops disappeared after lunch. Luke was the guy who was selling the photo ops instead so he was not able to process the printing of the photos. That created a huge backlog and people waited hours since it was not supposed to take more than 30 minutes. It was not pretty but I had nowhere else to be so I waited for our pic. They took 2 just in case. Finally I got both and made my way back. I was starving at this point so I grabbed a slice of pizza and a beer and drank at the bar before heading up to the room.

Once there we all talked about our day and what was the best part of Dragon Con. We all had a blast and were happy to have spent this time together. I packed my stuff since I needed to leave at 7am to go to the airport. We watched the PBA Special: Four Days at Dragon Con and saw everything that we don't do. Robotics, Sword Fighting, Live Action Role Playing, Card games and Cosplay Modeling. So much fun for so many varied individuals who all share a love of fantasy and scifi. Dragon Con is a place that feels like home because here you and your interests are accepted and shared by many. Here we feel the most like our true selves. No explanations required and no looks for liking that kind of stuff. Here at DragonCon we are all awesome. The fact that it is so fan driven is what makes it special. After the special we watched the Masquerade.

I woke up early and Cavie woke up and walked me to the MARTA. Last year she left early and this year she wanted to make the most of our time together. I enjoy this time with these ladies and I look forward to coming back next year. This was my 9th Dragon Con.

Dragon Con is my very favorite Con.