2006 Grand Slam Breakfast and SD Comic Con

2006 Pasadena Grand Slam and San Diego Comic Con

This year was the year after Serenity. It did not make the big box office splash we had hoped for. But still the fan base kept growing. More and more and more new Browncoats enlisted in the hope and desire to make Firefly/Serenity fly again. Done the Impossible is a Fan documentary and it documented everything we went through from Firefly to Serenity.

It appears that my report writing suffered a bit this year but we continued to get together. It ain't over because we are still here and we still want more; more fun with Browncoats, more doing good works like the Charity Screenings of Serenity. It is amazing what a little show has done.

Grand Slam Breakfast March 2006

The Grand Slam Breakfast was due to Odile's connections. It was a Firefly Happy Hour before but this year it was a breakfast. Adam, Morena and Summer were there. I clearly remember Adam. I can't remember what the ladies said but I remember they looked beautiful and charming.

The panel later was also lots of fun.

San Diego ComicCon 2006

I did not write a report for this Con. I am trying hard to recall but I can’t. It was a year after Serenity.  Before Chuck I think,before Terminator before Jewel joined SG: Atlantis.  Joss was working on Wonder Woman and Goners. It was not the best of times.

I remember that my friend Odile who loved ComicCon, Firefly, Sci-Fi and all things Con related died 2 weeks prior to ComicCon. I actually attended her Funeral and said a few words on behalf of Browncoats. She was awesome. I also remember working the Browncoat Booth for the fundraiser. I remember I was in Ballroom 20 but I can’t recall who was there. I did run into Odile’sHubbby and we walked and talked and had dinner and then went to see the screening of Done the Impossible. I know Saxon was there.  I remember I worked the booth the next day as well and said bye to Odile’sHubby at the Browncoat booth. 

Maybe there was no BDH stuff to report and that is why I can’t remember it. I am looking at the 2006 schedule I think I just went Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday

I remember I saw the Top Cow panel of Freshmen. A comic by Seth Green about College kids who become Super heroes.  I was always a fan of Seth Green.  The screening of Done the Impossible was Saturday night. I remember leaving Ballroom 20 with Odile’s Hubby however looking at the schedule I can’t recall a single moment. Weird.  Top Cow ended at 1230.  In Ballroom 20 we have Stargate Panels SG1 and Atlantis, that I vaguely remember but it may have been a different year that I remember.  Followed by TV Guide Presents 2006. I am remembering Jorge Garcia’s hair. I am not remembering Veronica Mars (sorry) I think we left before that panel started. I probably didn’t know that was next because I was wandering a lot during that Con. I remember leaving and walking to the Marriott then we went to dinner then to the screening of Done the Impossible.

I also remember that I stayed in Hotel Circle with a king bed and 4 teenagers: my sister, her friend, boyfriend and his brother. I believe they spent a lot of time on the Exhibit Hall floor and playing the video games.

Sunday

I went to church in the morning. Then I remember working the booth when I said bye to Odile’sHubby. After that I went to the California Browncoats’ meeting where they have lots of prizes and a few speakers. I think this was the year they asked me to MC at the beginning while they had some stuff to take care of.  It was a lot of fun.

I guess as I pulled this from the bottom, lower back shelf of my brain I realize I didn’t write anything because there was not much to write about. It was really just a big shindig with Browncoats that I love.

Serenity Day 9/30/2005

Serenity Day                                                       

Really I could never have dreamed for anything that has happened since Firefly aired. It has brought me in touch with the most wonderful people I know, Browncoats. I love traveling and meeting Browncoats in person. Meeting the cast has been a pleasure and seeing Serenity fly again was a dream come true.

 

I want to thank Christopher Buchanan for all he has done for the fans.

 

Thanks to Joss for giving everything to Firefly/Serenity.

 

Thank you to Nathan, Adam, Alan Sean, Ron, Gina, Summer, Morena and last but not least Jewel, the best heroes we could ever hope for.

 

Thanks to all the special guest stars Mark Sheppard, Christina Hendricks, Jonathan Woodward and Michael Fairman, Yan and Rafael Feldman, David Krumholtz and Chiwetel Ejiofor and the entire crew that made Firefly/Serenity fly.

 

I am most thankful for each Browncoat that has come into my life. Each of you is a joy and I think of you as family. Some of you I have not met but you are still family. I continue to hope that Serenity may fly again.

 

Flanvention December 2005

 

8 of 9 of our Big Damn Heroes were present as well as Joss Whedon and Greg Edmonson the composer for the music of Firefly, a part of Serenity itself. Gina Torres was greatly missed. All I remember is Adam Baldwin yelling my name in at the beginning of the panel and Nathan telling everyone I was a movie star. I remember a feeling of utter joy to have the cast all together. I believe Gina was the only one missing. I met Greg Edmondson and got his autograph on my Jason Palmer Firefly print.

Trying hard to squeeze something out of my brain, Alan Tudyk’s brain was fried when I came through for my autograph so there was no recognition. Nathan on the other hand was writing a book. I was expecting his autograph and I was talking and asked him a question then looked and realized he was still writing and apologized for interrupting him. He was sweet. I had my Firefly Comics signed and on his he wrote:

 

Rosie, Remember being in the movie? Much Love, Nathan Fillion

 

That is my very favorite autograph. I have it framed.

 

I had printed copies of my book, The Many Adventures of Rosie and Other Faithful Browncoats and gave each Cast Member a copy. Adam thanked me for writing up those reports. He said he knew they meant a lot to people. That is all I remember. There was lots of laughter and joy and fun. It was a mighty fine shindig.

 

Happy 11th Birthday Firefly

It's hard to believe how much was achieved by 14 Episodes of Joss Whedon's Firefly. So much fun and good done. 

Wishing all Browncoats a Happy Unification Day. 

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

Part 6 of 6 JenskiJen’s Report as previously posted on the OB (Official Firefly Board)

JenskiJen’s Report

Serenity Premiere in Los Angeles –Thursday 22 September
OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!!! I WENT TO THE RED CARPET PREMIERE OF SERENITY!!!!

Wow! It's still all sinking in... I walked the red carpet! I rubbed shoulders (not literally, but you know... figuratively) with celebrities! And I went to a VIP party!!

But first, let's go back a step... a few steps actually. Back to a time many months ago when I was planning my trip and had just decided to change my plans to include more time in the US to take in a convention or two. Waaaay back then, I didn't really know any Browncoats. It's hard to believe that now! And I'd certainly never attended a large convention... well, aside from those two Star Trek conventions I attended with Sally way back when. Heck, the closest I'd ever been to a celebrity was meeting some of the cast of the original series of Star Trek in an autograph line. Well, I've met other celebs, but they were just local ones... Paul McDermott, Mikey Robbins, Adam Spencer, Wil Anderson and the like - fun people and relatively famous by Australian standards. So when I was thinking about what might happen on my trip, and at conventions in particular, my expectations were limited to seeing celebrities from a distance. Catching them on a panel and if I was really lucky, maybe seeing them in a crowd. If someone had told me back then that I'd be attending the premiere of a Hollywood movie as a guest, I'd have told them to wake me up because I was clearly having one of my very graphic daydreams.... you know, the ones where you are part of the in-crowd and famous people recognize you. Well, little was I to know what would eventuate when you become friends with Browncoats!
I've been extremely lucky so far with respect to seeing (and sometimes meeting) celebrities, particularly in the Firefly-verse. And most of these opportunities have come about from the generosity of Browncoats. I owe so much to my Browncoat family, I'll never really be able to show you all just how much being part of this amazing community means to me. You have all been so generous in taking me in, showing me the ropes, letting me be involved in your events and allowing me to follow your shining example and give back to Browncoats across the globe. The feeling inside when I was able to share my experience (and schwag) with was reward enough. I never expected anything beyond that. So when I was told at Dragon*Con that I had been invited to attend the Red Carpet Premiere in LA as a guest, I was stunned to say the least. It may have seemed like I was being cool and taking it all in my stride, but inside my brain had literally frozen. And I've been on autopilot ever since. It's only now just thawing out... but then, close proximity to Nathan Fillion does have a tendency to do that, as any Fillionaire knows! 

So just before I commence my report on this amazing experience, I want to re-iterate just how thankful I am to each and every Browncoat I have met along my travels - both in person and online. You have each given me more than you will ever know and I will cherish this forever.

To my report....

Okie dokie... where to start... hmmmm... a-ha! Sooo, on Thursday 22 September, we hit the road, taking the 101 from San Diego to Los Angeles. It's not a bad drive... lots of pretty scenery... and a smashing view of the Hollywood sign. After a few hours, we met up with Tamara and James at the Beverly Garland Holiday Inn in Burbank. After transferring the purple beast, we headed back to Tamara's place to meet up with Seawhere, MeiMei and Pip. We only had a short time to get ready, so we quickly frocked up and made ourselves as gorgeous as possible. At 5pm, our town cars arrived to take us to Universal City Walk. We wandered around, following the signs marked "Serenity Premiere" and the cinema appeared before us. Huge signs declared this to be the "World Premiere of Serenity" (well, technically that was in Edinburgh, Scotland but we weren't going to quibble) and barriers were set up around the red carpet.

We made our way around the back of the Hard Rock Cafe and found the Browncoats check in area to collect our tickets. There I met my wonderful host, Kim, who had generously invited me to be her guest for the evening. So we hung around, saw lots of familiar faces, had many Browncoat reunions, met some folk for the first time and generally had a blast hanging out. We worked our way back (very slowly) to meet up with other friends at the Hard Rock Cafe. We had managed to snag a section of the balcony adjacent to the red carpet... the perfect position for pictures! So we chatted and we ate and we drank and we schmoozed... I got to meet Greg Dean ("Real Life" comic artist - check out www.reallifecomics.com) and many many other Browncoats. After a while, some went off to stand behind the barricades in front of the stages, others went to find folk and some went off to do their red carpet walk early. But wherever folk were, as the sun went down the air began to sizzle with excitement.

I stayed on the balcony as long as I could (despite efforts by wait staff to make us leave) and was able to take some pictures and some video of the scene, the cast and the Browncoats... 

Finally it was my turn. Kim and I stashed our cameras (as they weren't allowed on the red carpet or at the after party) and headed around to the start of the red carpet. By this stage, there weren't that many folk left behind the barricades but the carpet was packed! There were two parts of the red carpet - the VIP and the guests, divided by a rope barrier. Many folk were still milling about either being interviewed or watching the interviews, so we were able to see Christina Hendricks (Saffron/YoSafBrig) and many others. And our walk was captured on film in the background of an interview with Sean Maher!!!

We made it into the theatre without tripping over and making a scene, and found our cinema. There were four cinemas in total - one for the special "Blue Ticket" folk (which had the main cast and other celebs), one for the special "Red Ticket" folk (which had some of the minor cast) and two for the "Yellow Ticket" folk - we were in a Yellow Ticket cinema. After snagging our free popcorn and drinks, we settled in and watched the film. 

WHICH IS BRILLIANT!!! GO SEE IT NOW... WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR???? GO!!!

 

Final comment from Rosie:

 

When the Time Machine gets invented, I am going back to just before the Serenity Premiere and hiring a photographer for all the Browncoats. So many pictures not taken outside to capture such an auspicious day, the day Browncoats did the impossible: Serenity flew again after Firefly was cancelled. Still brings tears of joy just thinking of it.

 

I hope you all enjoyed everyone’s tales. If anyone has pictures they want to add let me know!

 

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

Part 5 of 6 Ying’s Report as previously posted on the OB (Official Firefly Board) plus an add on from RayHill.

Ying’s Report:                  

Part 1

 

Hi. I'm a long-time poster, first-time meeter of Browncoats and BDHs. And now, my first report. I'm keeping this short-ER by not mentioning all the wonderful Browncoats I met, hung out with, ate with, joked with, and pulled off small crimes and transport-for-hire jobs with. But it was wonderful meeting you all.

 

THURSDAY

 

In the morning I go to the hotel restaurant for breakfast and also slyly (in a non-Nandi way) looked for Browncoats. I thought I recognized Fly from pictures in the post office, or possibly online, so after I ate I went over to a table of three women, suavely with my glass of... water, and asked if they were here for the Serenity premiere. Fly, ShannaS7, and Vampirefan (Rhobyne had left) said yes. I said I was Ying, and they either invited me to sit down or didn't call the authorities when I did. Then there was hanging out there and in their room. Vampirefan with the doing people's nails, me with the watching her doing people's nails--and me receiving some swag (11thHour Inara card, unofficial Serenity-logo decal, and official key chain; thanks again). More Browncoats arrive, including Shiny, my roomie. Then a few of us went for a late lunch, and I wound up sitting at the same booth, in the same seat as at breakfast, with the same waitress. I smiled and swore to her that I had left and come back, really.

 

Some hanging out with Shiny in our room and on the OB, and around 3:00 I go down to the gift shop to buy postcards. As I enter the lobby there's a woman talking to the desk person--some long, involved story that started to sound like the Firefly TV-to-movie saga. I found the gift shop closed, and by now the woman is talking about how all these people (Browncoat names) were looking for her. I looked and was sure it was Saxon, so I said, "Well, *I'm* looking for you." She said, "Who are you?" "I said, "Ying." Instant hug ensues. Turns out they couldn't find a note left for her; turns out it was the one I had left for her that morning with my room number on it.

 

PREMIERE

 

Took the "Browncoat Bus" (hotel shuttle, but almost completely Browncoat) to Universal's City Walk for the premiere. Met LOTS more Browncoats, got a homemade Chinese-character "He2" ("River") button from SoCal's Larry (xiexie), got my ticket from "Browncoat Will Call" (from a guy in a Jayne hat), cheered in the fan-only area along the red carpet (nice words from Ron Glass; Joss to us: "What are you doing here?"), got my camera to Arielle_K to stash in her car (thanks again), and showed my pass about four times to get into the theater lobby.

Inside the theater, I had a so-so assigned seat on the left side of the balcony (NOT complaining), but RayHill invited me over by him and his friend Justin. No one said it was their seat, so I stayed. Ray turns to a stranger next to him to ask her something (I'll let him tell it); turns out she's a non-Firefly actor who's in the movie (Summer gave her a hug when she filmed her one day)! Spend the movie trying to not stay tense for two hours (good flick, by the way; you might want to see it).

 

Rayhill adds: While we were waiting for the film to start, I struck up a conversation with the girl sitting to my right. Turns out it was Hunter Wryn, the gal who plays Young River. She was there with her older brother, and seemed to be really enjoying herself, if a bit embarrassed by the attention.

 

Back to Ying’s Report

 

During the closing credits I clap when Chris Buchanan and Loni Peristere's names come up, plus cheered a little for this row-mate actor (as did Ray and I think Justin). Sorry if we embarrassed you, just sharing the Browncoat love.

 

Outside the theater proper, Justin spots Christina Hendricks (Yo-Saf-Bridge) going into the ladies' room. I told Justin he shouldn't be going into the ladies' room. No, *she* was going into the ladies' room. When she came out we approach her (from some distance from the ladies' room, I will emphasize) in a "normal, not scary" way. I tell her what a great job she did playing such a nuanced character, and she gives a warm "Thank you." And I was glad she got to come back for another episode. Her: "Me too. It's a great character." We also tell her we hope to see her in the sequel, and she says with a smile that we need to tell Joss. Leaving the theater, I spot Ron Glass (whom I'd especially wanted to meet), but he's out soon. Someone tells me that Rosie (whom I'd met at the will call) is looking for me.

 

Part 2* Extremely minor, vague movie "spoilers." *

 

AFTER PARTY

 

We enter Universal Studios theme park for the after party (after showing our invites about four times and then surrendering them). I get some chicken to eat and get in the bar line. Right in front of me is David Krumholtz, who has a small part in the movie. I say, "David Krumholtz?" He says, "Yes." I say, truthfully, "I enjoyed you in the movie, but I've *really* enjoyed you in 'Numb3rs." He says a warm "Thank you." I add about how he plays a genius, but with a big heart, and I think that's where that word "nuanced" creeps in again, but that was the last time. He tells me there will be a lot going on in the new season. I say I'm looking forward to the season premiere. He tells me its tomorrow. D'oh, I'll miss it. I notice the woman he's with is wearing a Browncoat.

 

Eat and hang out a bit, hook up with Browncoats who've spotted Alan and follow them over to the Globe Theatre. But it looks like it's a private party (later find out the stars are hanging out together and doing photos). Then they open up the room, and we all go in. I see Ron Glass (yay) sitting at a table talking to a fan, so I go up and wait a minute and get to hear that patented Ron Glass laugh. Then I tell him that I really enjoyed him as Harris in "Barney Miller" and as Book in "Firefly" and "Serenity" (and I didn't say "nuanced"). He gives a gracious "Thank you," and I move on.

 

Later Shiny says he sees Jenny Lynn, the Chinese translator. I thank her in person for the e-mail interview I did of her for the "Finding Serenity" book. She smiles and says she read my essay and it was "very thorough." Later I see Rosie. I said I heard she was looking for me. Turns out when she met me at will call, she didn't catch that I was Ying. She's going over to see Alan (I want to see Rosie + Alan more than Alan). Windhover, another woman and I join her. Alan jokes about prequels, so I tell him to get that mustache back. He says there's a scene in the movie (cut?) with mug shots of the crew and he has the mustache on.

 

Talk with more Browncoats. Some Browncoats introduce me to other Browncoats as "THIS is Ying." :-) Pip introduces me to a couple Browncoats as the writer of the Chinese essay in the "Finding Serenity" book, aaawww, muchas xiexie. I go over to Sean Maher. I tell him I liked how Simon still had the sarcasm and love for his sister, but now he was also kind of a tough guy and I was impressed by his range. He flashed that Sean Maher smile (patent pending) and said the quick, rising-and-falling-pitched "THANK you" of someone who just got a surprise gift that was the best gift ever.

 

Later still I spot Visual Effects Supervisor Loni Peristere. I told him how much I admired his work and his love for what he was doing. He asks how I got to come (cancelled Hard Rock party) and seems very happy that fans got to attend. I told him I was looking forward to his presentation Saturday and asked him what it would be. He mentions the behind-the-scenes stuff and we talk a little more. He also introduces me to his wife and son. He exudes confidence and warmth.

 

Later I see Morena standing near the center of the room with a couple people (I'd say friends) and go up to her and wait a minute. I told her I wished she'd had more screen time in movie. She smiles and says, "Me too." And I tell her how much I enjoyed her comedy in "Our Mrs. Reynolds" and "I hope to see you in a comedy some day." She seems interested in a comedy and says something like: it all depends on what's available.

 

Towards the end I meet Kisbundas (who I confuse in my mind with Nonoluna for some unknown reason). I notice and tell Kisbundas that she has a similar voice and facial expressions to Summer Glau. Then I finally meet Chris Buchanan and thank him for all he's done for us (but not by item 'cause we'd still be there). Then Cappy gets led out, and we get herded out (around 12:15 a.m., about 2 hours in), and Arielle_K gives me back my camera and gives me and others a ride back to our hotel (thanks). Shiny uploads some pictures with links on the OB. I make a few notes about what happened. I go to bed a little before 3:00 a.m., don't get to sleep until 5:00 a.m., and wake up at 7:00 a.m. Oh well.

 

Ying Addendum:

 

• I watched the movie credits carefully and saw that Kelly Wheeler, erstwhile official Firefly blogger (and Blue Sun commercial woman and asst. to producer Gareth Davies), is listed with a costuming department credit. Yay, Kelly!
• Re: "When she came out we approach her (from some distance from the ladies' room, I will emphasize) in a 'normal, not scary' way." Let me also emphasize that Christina Hendricks was also a fair distance from the ladies' room exit before we approached her.
• When I talked to Loni Peristere at the after party, he also said that they worked really hard to finish the movie effects in time. Then the movie got pushed back from April to September release, so they had an artist's rare opportunity to go back and look carefully at what they had done. They found that they had gotten it right the first time. He may have said something about small changes, but it was hard to hear everything with the music playing.
• I also told Morena that I had read some of her comments about the fans and thanked her for her appreciation of our efforts. She said something gracious, and I moved on.
• I didn't have to go up to Mark Sheppard (Badger) at the party because he got to move around more than the movie folk. I was in a line of people in a tight space slowly moving in one direction with a similar line on my right moving in the opposite direction. As Mark and I pass each other, I smile a recognition smile and quickly say that I hope Badger is in the sequel. He says it could happen. Later in the evening, I again pass him and ask him what he thought of Badger in the comics. He says he hasn't seen it yet. I think he asks me how Badger was. I joke that Badger "isn't very nice to the crew." He says with a wink in his voice, "He's misunderstood."

 

 

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

Part 4 of 6 Includes Windhover, Pip with additions from Flyhead and Rosie as previously posted on the OB (Official Firefly Board)

The Windhover’s Report

I'm finally getting to this...been sick all night and day. bleah.

 

Let me start by expressing my endless thanks to Saxon for getting me the ticket to attend! She made my year! I was having car problems, so I didn't think I could come down, but hubby said, "For the Premiere? Get the car fixed! Go down!"

 

I got there very early, to avoid the traffic and have some time to make phone calls home and such before meeting up with folk. After making my calls and downing a latte, I went back to Jillian's to wait for everyone. I saw a man and his daughter take a pic of the Browncoat will-call, so I introduced myself. It was Hasufel. We talked with some other Browncoats for a bit, and then went over to Jillian's, where I got to meet Odile! Then everyone came a little at a time--Shiny, and Ying, Saxon, Rosie...We moved over to the will-call table again, and I saw the gal Rosie called, EB, standing by herself, and introduced myself. We took her in as one of our own. We got our tickets, and I met E, whose seat was next to mine in theater 1. Then EB, E, Rosie and I got a bite to eat at Jillian's before things got underway.

 

When we got to the red carpet, I was thrilled to see the Pipster! I haven't seen her in so long! We waved to Rosie's family up on the balcony, and then whooped and cheered for Browncoats and cast coming down the red carpet. Paul, the host, pointed out that it was almost time to start, so we all ran around to the red carpet and made our way past Nathan, Adam, Sean, Morena, and all the blinding lights and cameras to get inside.

 

Seeing the film with the real score was fantastic. It's perfect! Afterward everyone began filing out, when the Ballad of Serenity started playing in the credits, and everyone reacted.

 

Out in the lobby, the restrooms were so crowded that Odile and I stood there contemplating waiting until the party. Then I saw Adam waiting by the restroom for his gaggle of teen girls to come out. I took the opportunity to shake his hand and congratulate him. When things thinned out, we decided to go into the restroom after all. When we came out, the place was almost empty, but Joss was still there, so I was able to meet him briefly as well. He said he's the one who owes his thanks to all of us.

 

We made our way around to the party. I pointed out to Hasufel's daughter the difference between the clusters of Browncoats and the clusters of Hollywood types. I had her in giggles as I pointed out the way the Hollywood folk stood and held their drinks.

 

Rosie, E and I went looking for EB and after waiting out front of the Globe a bit, walked around the side to see if EB was there. Suddenly the big cargo door slid open, and there was the whole VIP party spread before us. We looked at one another, smiled, and said, "Let's go!" and in we went. Rosie took Ying, E and I to talk with Alan, which made my night. I was able to meet Summer and Christina as well. Jewel seemed overwhelmed, so I didn't feel like she needed one more person there. As Amy said, Sean was in front of us leaving the theater, so I didn't try to meet him at the party, either. I didn't see Ron or Adam inside the Globe. What I DID do was enjoy a wonderful evening with so many of my Browncoat friends. It was such a delight to see so many familiar faces having a great time. And earlier that evening, a bunch of us got together for a picture, and I found that the guy I had my arm around was none other than Arlo!

 

Hasufel went to talk with Margaret Weiss, and I made him take me over and introduce me, because I've been a big fan of hers for...good grief, more than a decade!

 

We enjoyed the strawberries and chocolate from the fountain, because it IS a Firefly shindig, of course! ;)

 

I had a wonderful time with Rosie and E, and we later hooked up with EB again. It was so good to see everyone...MalsGal, Nono, Betsy, Tamara...so many others...sometime after midnight I had to wrap it up, because I had to drive back to Vegas in a matter of hours. I started the process of going around the room saying my goodbyes, when Fly introduced me to the LOVELY Cookie Fillion! So much for leaving; I had a wonderful time chatting with her. But finally, I wandered out with E and we met a couple of guys on the way out and had a fun chat with them as we walked to our cars.

 

What a night...seeing the movie again, the cast, Joss, and sharing it all with my Browncoat family...it was tremendous.

 

Pip’s highlights:

 

• Pic with Adam!
• Summer and her reaction when I introduced myself. *L*
• Seeing the movie for the first time. *thud*
• Meeting Chris Buchanan!
• Cheering like mad whenever the trailer was shown on that huge screen in City Walk and getting to see all the crowd, look up to see what we were going on about.
• SPENDING TIME WITH THE BROWNCOATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Flyhead more to add:

 

I forgot about my mini-Summer moment. I had a few Serenity decals made where I work. I gave some out to Browncoats, some to people I didn't know & some to a few BDHs. (Spreadin' the love!) I was just about out of them when I saw Summer. The decals were really nice & I thought, "Summer absolutely should have one of these!" So I walk towards her & see that she is absolutely being mobbed. (Very Sad) She also doesn't appear to have a purse or a pocket. But then I see a woman behind her who seems to be helping her or is with her somehow. I ask the woman, "Are you with Summer Glau?" It is VERY loud in the place & hard to hear. I repeat it again. The woman looks at me funny & says in a tone like 'are you crazy?', "Am >I< Summer Glau??!!" I laugh & say, "No. I know you're not Summer Glau. THAT'S Summer Glau! *points at Summer* "But are you with her?"

 

She says 'yes' & I hand her some decals. Summer turns right around & says "Thanks" even though she was totally being distracted & I didn't even think she knew I was there. The woman I handed them to & another woman also say "thanks".  All three were quite gracious.

Then as I walk away, it hits. That woman DID look like Summer Glau!!!! I think I "kinda sorta" met Summer's mom or sister without knowing it! *LOL*

 

Also - my big regret? I wish I would have played the "heavy" & told all those people that Ms Glau was done signing autographs & they needed to disperse! I never even saw Jewel, so I can only imagine how swamped she was. And Morena was also being monopolized by the crazies. I wish I could have rescued them somehow. *sigh*

 

Pip adds:

 

If the woman was wearing a blue dress, it was Summer's mom, a wonderful, gracious woman who cracked me up and made my night. :)

 

Rosie adds to Fly:

 

Me too, I wanted to put our plan in force to protect our crew but didn't. I saw Jewel signing autographs and thought it was wrong but did not act.

 

Yesterday I kept thinking of ways to make it better for our BDHs.

 

More Pip stories:

 

Ok, for my ultimate moment of the weekend (pic w/ Adam is a very, very close second, but this wins out):

 

Cleo and I, after an evening of wandering inside the Globe but not talking to any VIPs, finally, towards the end, decide we'd see (since the mobs had thinned) who we could chat with. Got to talk w/ Sean (OMG, the man is gorgeous! Those eyes!), Joss (who I think is now afraid of me *L*), Mark Sheppard (poor man looked exhausted) and Chris Buchanan (love, love, love that man!).

 

Then we wandered over to Summer and after she and Cleo chatted about the Internet, I introduced myself. She instantly got this totally amazed look on her face and said, "You're Pip?!?!?!" and I was like, "um...yeah" (thinking, OMG, what have I done? *L* . She said, "My mom knows you!!!!" To which I think I said, "Excuse me?" Her mom (waves to mom!!!) lurks on the board and I guess has mentioned my 'exploits'!! So I went and introduced myself to her mom. :) We had a lovely chat and that entire situation will never be forgotten. I still tell my 'Adam story' from back in '03, but now get to add my 'Summer and her mom' story to it! *bouncing around*

 

Next up is Part 5 of 6 Ying’s Report.

 

 

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.