SUPANOVA EXPO SYDNEY 2011
Saturday, 18th of June
Bunny Boy: The Sequel
The moment I arrived at Olympic Park, I had a freak out. A queue of epic proportions stretched on into the very realm of beyond and I had no idea where I was supposed to go, so with some dread, I joined the end. After a few minutes, a staff member informed us that this was the line for the foolish souls who had not pre-purchased their tickets so I made a beeline for the Ticketek booth around the other side. Thankfully, the Ticketek line was a quarter the length of the Foxtix line. Haha. And I lined up with a variant of the 10th Doctor.
A Ticketek employee informed me that I was special and hung the medalli....uh, the VIP lanyard around my neck then slapped a Whedonverse bracelet on me. Feeling pretty awesome, I walked past thousands of queued people and sauntered straight in.
Mayhem awaited.
I found myself in the most important area of the convention. In one square room off the side of the Dome, there was: a place to buy autograph and photo tokens, the photo booth, all of the autograph tables and the Sci-Fi Seminar Room (really just a cordoned off section).
I bulldozed my way to the front of the token line and was given many free things... “free” is a relative term because it was part of my VIP ticket. I bought a Corin Nemec autograph token for my brother. It's his Christmas present.
A Ticketek employee informed me that I was special and hung the medalli....uh, the VIP lanyard around my neck then slapped a Whedonverse bracelet on me. Feeling pretty awesome, I walked past thousands of queued people and sauntered straight in.
Mayhem awaited.
I found myself in the most important area of the convention. In one square room off the side of the Dome, there was: a place to buy autograph and photo tokens, the photo booth, all of the autograph tables and the Sci-Fi Seminar Room (really just a cordoned off section).
I bulldozed my way to the front of the token line and was given many free things... “free” is a relative term because it was part of my VIP ticket. I bought a Corin Nemec autograph token for my brother. It's his Christmas present.
In a spot of good fortune, I managed to get myself to the very first photo session of the day: the 10:15 snaps with Tom Felton. Yes, I got to queue jump. Still flushed from running about, I tried to make myself presentable. Meanwhile, I chatted and made friends with someone who I never learned the name of nor took down an email to contact them. Ack. They were wearing a shirt for Gareth David-Lloyd's band so whoever you are... look me up!
The photos were snapped quick and dirty. Ah well more quick than dirty, but you know. Heheh. I walked in, shook hands with Tom Felton and we smiled at the camera. He struck me as...pardon the oxymoron...insanely normal. I waited barely a minute and the photo shot out of the printer. Woohoo! First one down.
The photos were snapped quick and dirty. Ah well more quick than dirty, but you know. Heheh. I walked in, shook hands with Tom Felton and we smiled at the camera. He struck me as...pardon the oxymoron...insanely normal. I waited barely a minute and the photo shot out of the printer. Woohoo! First one down.
My new con buddy and I meandered through the Dome, letting our eyes flick from stall to stall. They sell amazing things at Supanova. During this brief perusal, I eyed up two things that I would eventually buy. More on that later! I gawped over the Black Beauty from the 2011 movie of The Green Hornet, I watched a Dalek and RD-D2 wheel around each other, I viewed old Who on honest-to-God retro television sets, I stumbled across the 501st Legion...it was intense.
 |
 |
Then somehow we ended up at the Dymocks section and I nervously eyed Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta.
A woman was doing her best to give Kevin J. Anderson carpal tunnel syndrome with her SUITCASE filled with his books. While she did that, I took my Young Jedi Knights books to Rebecca Moesta and explained why I had two copies of the same thing (my 13-year-old cousin!). I got mine signed generically and the one for my cousin was personalised with a message about being a Jedi Knight in training. Kevin J. Anderson then added his scribble to both.
I found the comic book that has proceeds going to QLD flood victims (had this on my shopping list from weeks ago) and purchased it for $10.
My convention buddy had a photo session to go to (Corin Nemec, which apparently I couldn't get despite my VIP-ness – a shortage of tokens or whatever? I don't know what happened there) so I hit the autograph tables. Queue jumping is fun.
Except... queue jumping was not required for lonesome David Nykl. Anyone on any type of ticket could have strolled up without waiting even a moment. I had two autograph tokens and two SGA photos from the store, which I handed over to the minder.
With great anticipation, I mentioned Best of Both Worlds 2005 and how I'd spent the weekend calling him “bunny boy”. I made sure to say that I felt badly about it. David Nykl performed a dramatic grimace and he mused that it had been some time. We discussed BOBW and how they don't run anymore. Awesomely, he wrote stuff on the photos that only a second-timer could get. All autographs I po clickable thumbnails below - please note I have smudged out my name because I used my RL one!).
A woman was doing her best to give Kevin J. Anderson carpal tunnel syndrome with her SUITCASE filled with his books. While she did that, I took my Young Jedi Knights books to Rebecca Moesta and explained why I had two copies of the same thing (my 13-year-old cousin!). I got mine signed generically and the one for my cousin was personalised with a message about being a Jedi Knight in training. Kevin J. Anderson then added his scribble to both.
I found the comic book that has proceeds going to QLD flood victims (had this on my shopping list from weeks ago) and purchased it for $10.
My convention buddy had a photo session to go to (Corin Nemec, which apparently I couldn't get despite my VIP-ness – a shortage of tokens or whatever? I don't know what happened there) so I hit the autograph tables. Queue jumping is fun.
Except... queue jumping was not required for lonesome David Nykl. Anyone on any type of ticket could have strolled up without waiting even a moment. I had two autograph tokens and two SGA photos from the store, which I handed over to the minder.
With great anticipation, I mentioned Best of Both Worlds 2005 and how I'd spent the weekend calling him “bunny boy”. I made sure to say that I felt badly about it. David Nykl performed a dramatic grimace and he mused that it had been some time. We discussed BOBW and how they don't run anymore. Awesomely, he wrote stuff on the photos that only a second-timer could get. All autographs I po clickable thumbnails below - please note I have smudged out my name because I used my RL one!).
 |
 |
Next, I made a trip to Tom Felton's line with a Draco photo and then shouldered my way to the front. He once again shook my hand and I commented that he looked very different with his hair that way. Jokingly, he told me that he was trying to go incognito with his natural look. I naturally had to ask, “How's that working out for you?”
Apparently not too badly!
Sean Maher was also on my hit list so I took a Simon Tam photo for him to scribble on. Apparently someone had just gone through with my same name AND pronunciation. Wow. That's all I managed to talk about before zipping away. I was a bit shy with him, possibly because of my crush on him and no back up (alas, ellymelly was flooded in and could not attend!).
I have limited experience with Amy Acker, but I loved No Ordinary Family, therefore a trip to her was warranted. Her line moved very slowly, probably because of how extremely chatty and nice she is. I mentioned my sadness over NOF and she sympathised, adding, “It seemed like it would go on forever.”
Apparently not too badly!
Sean Maher was also on my hit list so I took a Simon Tam photo for him to scribble on. Apparently someone had just gone through with my same name AND pronunciation. Wow. That's all I managed to talk about before zipping away. I was a bit shy with him, possibly because of my crush on him and no back up (alas, ellymelly was flooded in and could not attend!).
I have limited experience with Amy Acker, but I loved No Ordinary Family, therefore a trip to her was warranted. Her line moved very slowly, probably because of how extremely chatty and nice she is. I mentioned my sadness over NOF and she sympathised, adding, “It seemed like it would go on forever.”
 |
 |
I'd managed to do all that so quickly that I was on time for David Nykl's venture at the photo booth at 11:25. There was a massive queue that went all the way into the Dome and past the toilets for James Marsters, but David Nykl was scheduled before him. Precious few wanted a snap with Zelenka and I was one of the keenest, I think! I had purchased 2 photos with the devious intention of making him pose like a bunny again. Bunny Boy: The Sequel.
When I walked in, he said, “Oh, here we go.” Then he glomped me. Seriously.
I broached the subject quickly. “Shall we pose like a bunny?”
Being the wonderful gentleman that he is, David Nykl agreed and said aside to me, “It's going to end up on the internet.”
It was simply awesome to be replicating a pose from 6 years ago with the most agreeable actor I've ever met. I told him he was a good sport (come on, how many actors will put up with a terrible pet name?) and waited for the photos to be printed. The girls on the print machines squealed and complimented my photo.
I've included a bigger sized pic of David Nykl by himself in the bunny pose.
When I walked in, he said, “Oh, here we go.” Then he glomped me. Seriously.
I broached the subject quickly. “Shall we pose like a bunny?”
Being the wonderful gentleman that he is, David Nykl agreed and said aside to me, “It's going to end up on the internet.”
It was simply awesome to be replicating a pose from 6 years ago with the most agreeable actor I've ever met. I told him he was a good sport (come on, how many actors will put up with a terrible pet name?) and waited for the photos to be printed. The girls on the print machines squealed and complimented my photo.
I've included a bigger sized pic of David Nykl by himself in the bunny pose.
 |
 |
I like knowing that I have this special thing, demented though it is.
Rocked up to Corin Nemec to get an autographed pic for me, and one for my brother. I admitted that I didn't like Jonas at first but then was devastated when he left.
“I won you over,” said Corin Nemec.
Yes, yesh he did. And I still think it should have been a 5 man team after S6. But whatever.
I managed to meet up with my friends (after losing my new buddy, oh no!) and we had an extremely difficult time pushing through the thick throng. I eyed up the collectible items again but was saved from such foolishness by BeaumontRulz's need of a smoko and my need of air that didn't smell like underarm.
We observed the various lines outside and I commented that my VIP ticket was not able to jump ATM or toilet queues. Soon enough, it was time to return to the photo booth for Sean Maher. My friends went to the Sci-Fi Seminar Room for a preview of Falling Skies while I waited with the other VIPs. Tom Felton was just finishing up when he had the misfortune of being in photos with extreme fangirls. They came out of the booth screaming, screamed some more while waving a poster at him when he was leaving for lunch and then they even screamed when James Marsters turned up for his session after Sean Maher (they were waiting for their prints).
Anyway, at 1:00pm I lined up. At 1:10pm I was able to have my photo with Sean Maher who looks mighty fine in jeans. God. He's hot.
Rocked up to Corin Nemec to get an autographed pic for me, and one for my brother. I admitted that I didn't like Jonas at first but then was devastated when he left.
“I won you over,” said Corin Nemec.
Yes, yesh he did. And I still think it should have been a 5 man team after S6. But whatever.
I managed to meet up with my friends (after losing my new buddy, oh no!) and we had an extremely difficult time pushing through the thick throng. I eyed up the collectible items again but was saved from such foolishness by BeaumontRulz's need of a smoko and my need of air that didn't smell like underarm.
We observed the various lines outside and I commented that my VIP ticket was not able to jump ATM or toilet queues. Soon enough, it was time to return to the photo booth for Sean Maher. My friends went to the Sci-Fi Seminar Room for a preview of Falling Skies while I waited with the other VIPs. Tom Felton was just finishing up when he had the misfortune of being in photos with extreme fangirls. They came out of the booth screaming, screamed some more while waving a poster at him when he was leaving for lunch and then they even screamed when James Marsters turned up for his session after Sean Maher (they were waiting for their prints).
Anyway, at 1:00pm I lined up. At 1:10pm I was able to have my photo with Sean Maher who looks mighty fine in jeans. God. He's hot.
I caught the back end of the Falling Skies preview (alas, Perth gets the full episode the following week – and it looks pretty good) with my pals and we meandered again. I shamed myself by buying collectibles. I won't mention prices.
1) original Return of the Jedi Chewbacca figurine mint-in-box
2) 1950s Phantom comic :D
Suddenly I had to run off to my Whedonverse photo and, after getting lost in the crowd, managed to make it only a minute or so late. We VIPs headed the queue and waited for James Marsters to finish his single shots. Two people went in before me and I filled the appropriate gap among the three (Sean Maher, Amy Acker and James Marsters).
Thankfully, no freak outs over Brainiac lol... as I left, James Marsters said of my shirt, “Nice TARDIS.”
[insert omg moment of “helikedmyshirt!”]
I crashed into a seat in the seminar room, listening to Larry Hagman recount a story about some old lady who hit him in the face with a handbag containing a gun. He gave her an autograph. LOL.
By this time, I figured I could catch James Marsters for a signing and I was right. I had a Smallville photo from the token store and my Whedonverse shot for him to scrawl on. My fear of Brainiac naturally came up and he said he likes playing bad guys. According to him, good guys are harder to play.
1) original Return of the Jedi Chewbacca figurine mint-in-box
2) 1950s Phantom comic :D
Suddenly I had to run off to my Whedonverse photo and, after getting lost in the crowd, managed to make it only a minute or so late. We VIPs headed the queue and waited for James Marsters to finish his single shots. Two people went in before me and I filled the appropriate gap among the three (Sean Maher, Amy Acker and James Marsters).
Thankfully, no freak outs over Brainiac lol... as I left, James Marsters said of my shirt, “Nice TARDIS.”
[insert omg moment of “helikedmyshirt!”]
I crashed into a seat in the seminar room, listening to Larry Hagman recount a story about some old lady who hit him in the face with a handbag containing a gun. He gave her an autograph. LOL.
By this time, I figured I could catch James Marsters for a signing and I was right. I had a Smallville photo from the token store and my Whedonverse shot for him to scrawl on. My fear of Brainiac naturally came up and he said he likes playing bad guys. According to him, good guys are harder to play.
My photos and autographs done (and my wallet depleted by my obsession with Star Wars and The Phantom), I settled down in the front row of the seminar room. I love my VIP ticket.
Sean Maher arrived to clapping and cheering. He and the MC engaged in some amusing banter (props to the MC who was pretty good) until some microphone feedback occurred, to which Maher said “feels like I have an ear infection”. The crowd tittered and after a little more banter, a person that quickly turned into a mob shouting for him to sing.
“They didn't pay me enough [to sing],” he deflected.
And somehow...I'm not sure how this happened (you know how these things go at conventions) ... the MC guy said “I love a good wooden cow” which made everyone laugh, but the laughter increased exponentially in volume when Sean Maher repeated it. And he was to throw it in several times as a non sequitur throughout the Q&A.
After assuring us with “I'm perfect, so...”, he started to take questions from the crowd. Someone asked how it was to act with Jewel Staite again on Warehouse 13. Sean said they met up on the plane to Vancouver and that the whole experience with her was “delightful”. They spent an 18 hour shoot on one day laughing so much that his cheekbones hurt by the time he got back to where he was staying at 7am. Sean Maher seems very keen to reunite with his Firefly friends and joked that he was “taking offers” to act with Staite.
Further on the subject of the Whedonverse, Maher said he had no idea what the hands of blue were about and turned that question on the similarly bewildered audience. He promised to ask Joss Whedon about it. Maher also believes that Simon would have made the decision to stay on the ship because River was happy on the ship. Apparently, Joss Whedon was a stickler for every detail because for Simon he even planned right “down to the colours I would be wearing”.
Sean Maher said he didn't know anything about conventions when he got the role of Simon and was nervous for his first conventions but he loves them now.
A guy from the audience asked what it was like to have Zac Efron play the younger version of Simon and if Efron looked like a younger Sean Maher. “I guess so?” ventured Maher. “I don't know how to answer that without sounding like cocky.”
Another fan brought up the infamous pranks on set topic. Maher deadpanned that Whedon “hit you across the head” if you smiled. Even though there was a lot of laughter on the Firefly set, Maher asserts that it “never hindered our work day, funny enough”. He even mentioned a time when they actually set up the cameras just for an outtake.
Maher addressed the recent pledging for the rights to make more Firefly. He believes that Nathan Fillion was joking about buying the rights and added, “I don't think the fans should pay for it.”
As for something he took away from the set, Maher said this: “I took my boots, which I'm not wearing.” They have holes and are sitting in the bottom of his closet. He's been thinking about giving them to a charity auction but just can't seem to part with them. The boots seemed a rather conservative memento since Maher mentioned that Adam Baldwin ripped off a part of the ship. Maher sounded baffled as to why someone would want some twisted metal.
The DragonCon incident was brought up by a fan, seemingly the only person at the seminar apart from Sean Maher who knew it even happened. I apologise if you've already heard of this – I hadn't! Sean explained some of it – Nathan Fillion rang the Fireflyactors while they were at a panel. Nathan Fillion was aware of the time they would be there because they'd texted/spoken about it beforehand but Maher had no idea he would do that. The call to Maher's phone went something like, “Just talking to Jewel. She's so stupid. I'm outside your house, can I take your car?” Alan Tudyk also rang but Maher didn't actually believe it was – he thought it was Fillion putting on a voice.
Throughout the seminar, Sean Maher made liberal use of swear words. “I would never curse in front of my kids – hi, young boy.” The last part was directed at a boy who was sitting on the floor near the stage. Quite a funny moment. Later in the Q&A he promised a fan,“I'll curse a lot – don't worry.” Then he looked back at the boy. “How old is he? Oh, fifteen – you curse.” Much laughter ensued.
Pardon my break in chronology. More questions about the show and film popped up, including how he felt about working with his Whedonverse cast mates. “Like how much did I love kissing Jewel?” he responded. “Yeah...I love Jewel.” Maher said he would have wanted to do a second film “where Jewel and I have a baby” – laughter increased in volume at that.
Maher had wanted to change Simon's voice for Serenity to show that he had relaxed a bit but Joss Whedon instructed, “Talk like Simon!”
Naturally the questions went to the underexposure of the show during its run. Jokingly, Maher said, “How do I feel about people who didn't tune in in the first place? They're dumb!” Then he quickly slipped in a “Fucking Fox!”
When asked about his favourite Firefly word, he said he liked mei mei (“which I still use kind of”) but his favourite was the one that actually sounded like his name. I'm not sure exactly what he word is, but I have heard it on the show and it does bear resemblance to “Sean Maher”.
Firefly's pilot episode didn't even have a script when Sean Maher heard about the show – this was in a pilot season when everyone was trying to get shows. But when he meet Joss Whedon... “I fell in love with him.” Maher's screen test was the monologue that Simon gives when he is telling the story about River. Maher loved that scene and obviously it showed!
A fan wanted to know what sort of character he would be if he wasn't Simon. At first we weren't sure if he heard the question because he was quiet, but then he said, “I'm pausing cause I'm thinking. I like Simon – don't make me be someone else!” He said he'd maybe be someone more free spirited.
His favourite line of Simon's from the show is “This must be what going mad feels like.” His favourite episode is “Ariel” – “but still, I had such a great time on 'Jaynestown'.”
Maher feels no sense of entitlement to work with the others from Firefly and he doesn't think he has a right to be on Castle. A lot of the times that he could have done something with the others didn't work out, which is why “Warehouse 13 was such a treat.”
When Morena Baccarin cancelled her appearance at Supanova with him, he got on the phone to Jewel Staite and said, “You have to come to Australia with me.” Unfortunately, she was doing something else. “Now I'm here all alone... wah-waaah. And I've got Amy Acker,” he added quickly, just in case she could hear because she was nearby!
In response to a query over something he put on Twitter, Maher admitted, “Yes I was watching Dora the Explorer the other day.”
“Does Twitter make me happy?” he mused. “I love Twitter.” His account was set up by Jewel Staite and at first he didn't use it much but now he feels that since he has a voice he also has a responsibility to “further causes I believe in”. After this grand sentiment, he said “I don't know why I got a little emotional” over Twitter.
It was time to wrap up. Sean Maher's last line left us in gales of mirth.
“And I love wooden cows.”
I was badly in need of resting my feet still so I decided to stick around for Gareth David-Lloyd's turn on the stage, even though I'm not a fan of Torchwood. A pack of fangirls behind me started chanting something, rising in volume until he appeared – then it got truly noisy.
This time I was sitting front and centre so I got an unobstructed view. He looked almost nothing like Ianto – he has lost a bit of weight. Getting work in America requires being a real character (“ugly” a usual prerequisite) or trim. Gareth David-Lloyd chose the latter option.
A fan wanted to know if he's ever been confused with someone else. David-Lloyd recounted one time that someone thought he was Quentin Tarantino. The questions were thereafter Torchwood related and the funniest moment of filming on set was revealed to be “any time when John falls over”. David-Lloyd holds no ill will about the demise of his character because it “felt like his [Ianto's] time”.
On the matter of accents, he can do a pretty good imitation of an Australian accent, murmuring into the microphone, “Fancy a quickie in the bush?” I'd say he uses that phrase often (and many kept mentioning the bush through the Q&A) because the next thing he said was in regards to his wife – that accents “get her going”. By now most of the audience and I were howling with laughter.
David-Lloyd was asked what character in a sci-fi show he'd like to be and it was a toss up between Kirk and Riker. He even affected a eerily good Riker pose and puffed out his chest, remarking that we all know Jonathan Frakes sucks his beer gut in.
When a male member of the audience said they cried when Ianto died, Gareth David-Lloyd cried, “Girl!” More giggles from everyone. This session was turning out to be quite cathartic. But the best bit was yet to come.
I think it may have been the same guy, but the next question was about Ianto being a gay icon. Anyway, this guy then stated, “If I was straight, I'd do you.”
“No you bloody wouldn't,” David-Lloyd responded, then paused for just the right amount of time. “I'd be doing you!”
Incoherence reigned while I almost cried from laughing so hard. Luckily the topic sailed into something slightly less amusing. Australia where “lots of things can kill you” – this is a common remark by visiting actors so I'm not surprised he mentioned it.
His favourite episode of Torchwood is “Countrycide” and his favourite non-Ianto character is Owen. When asked if Torchwoodcould ever be a theatrically released film, he said in jest, “Not without Ianto, I think.” Some knowledgeable soul brought up the fact that Gareth David-Lloyd has played a “Yanto Jones” before. Russell T. Davies, having written that script, renamed the proposed character in Torchwood to Ianto Jones as a nod to it. “He gave me my name back,” finished David-Lloyd, smiling.
When queried what sort of death he'd have liked for Ianto, he said, “I always wanted to die in a rain of bullets.” But David-Lloyd seemed quite happy with how it all happened on the show anyway. His favourite part of the Ianto memorial at Cardiff is the disclaimer that had to be put up explaining that it is for a fictional character because some people didn't know.
A fan asked about on set competitions and naturally the topic went to bodily functions. “I think he practices farting as much as he does singing,” David-Lloyd said of John Barrowman.
One of the last people to stand up with the microphone that roamed the audience posed the typical shag, marry, push-off-a-cliff question about three characters on Torchwood and I didn't really listen to two thirds of the question but I definitely heard –
“Ianto I'd shag – wouldn't you?”
The seminar area cleared out in a heart beat when he left, which left a nice cozy audience for Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta. I took even fewer notes for this one and someone called my phone during it which made me feel like a real douchebag.
It's obvious that they are married – they certainly act like the typical old married couple. Anderson talked a bit more (though I guess more questions are directed at him) but Moesta jumped in with a good one liner every few sentences of his. It was fascinating to hear about how the newer Dune books came to be. Inevitably, a member of the very small audience asked how they felt about what has happened in the Star Wars books after the 1990s.
I swear Rebecca Moesta actually misted up when she likened the characters in their Young Jedi Knights books to children that she had to let go, even though she would never have written for them what other authors have done in the universe. Kevin J. Anderson said that writing in George Lucas' universe was like borrowing someone's toys, toys which then have to be given back before being lent to other authors. A couple of times either of them would make a joke about how they wrote for the characters before they had sex and got pregnant and whatever else, but that joke seemed to hold an undercurrent of what could have been.
Kevin J. Anderson's favourite Star Wars books written by himself are Darksaber (for the adults) and Lightsabers (for the kids). Yes, we laughed a bit about that.
Every now and then the MC would bring up a spoiler alert but the authors would put in that it had been 10-20 years for some of the books. It feels strange to think of the Jedi Academy trilogy as something that happened so long ago when I re-read them every so often. Interestingly, Kevin J. Anderson was asked to write “three sequels” to the movies and I thought that was a peculiar phrase for the trilogy.
Anderson told us how he got the job of doing a book with Ralph McQuarrie – he was chosen over all the other authors simply because he lived within driving distance of Skywalker Ranch!
Their Q&A ended when members of the 501st Legion turned up to force them to move along. “These are the authors you're looking for,” cracked the MC to a sea of groans (the audience had been growing for the next guest).
The last session of the day was David Nykl. And this was the one I'd most been looking forward to. I was not disappointed.
David Nykl exploded out into the room and performed a victory lap, running up one aisle slapping hands and then back down another aisle slapping even more hands until he returned to the stage. The other guests I had listened to had made use of the red lounge chair thing but he wandered about with the microphone up there, seeming to never tire.
The MC had barely begun with the usual banter when someone shouted out a question about Stargate: Extinction. No one particularly minded because this is a very keen subject with fans. Sadly, the answer was no comfort.
“It went extinct,” Nykl informed us. The script is complete and the actors were told that “two, maybe more” movies were to be made. It didn't help that the “DVD market went flat”.
The next heady topic was Stargate: Universe, which caused multiple flinching in the room. David Nykl mentioned that he'd have liked to play Zelenka on the show, perhaps in the gritter SGU style wearing “a black leather jacket”.
Joe Flanigan has apparently said that he wants to buy the rights to SGA.
Nykl talked about some of the post-production aspects of the show and how much went into the effects, which were deservedly awarded. There are 64 audio tracks/channels on any given episode with 16 dedicated to the city's background hum alone.
Someone asked a bit about Zelenka's background and how Nykl thought he ended up working in America. “Well there was mummy Zelenka and daddy Zelenka...” he began which set the room into fits of mirth. But when it comes down to character background “you get thrown curveballs” in the script. He expressed confusion over the homing pigeon hobby that Zelenka is said to have.
David Nykl's favourite episode of Atlantis is “Adrift”, probably because of the jump over the chasm. The spacesuits used were based on designs found on the internet and the chasm was just a painted green section that they could walk across.
He spoke briefly about the other actors, saying that “Jason's like a big puppy dog” and Amanda Tapping is “salt of the earth”. Someone asked which of the cast was most like their character and unsurprisingly Nykl named Hewlett.
There was some discussion of Czech names, to which Nykl looked up at his name on the screen behind him and said, “Can I buy a vowel?” We were then given the joke about the Czech guy going to his optometrist. Nykl said he grew up in Western Canada and seemed surprised that we could tell the difference between Canadian and American accents.
Someone asked a very important question – which planet would Nykl like Zelenka to go to? “The planet with all the trees on it,” he responded cheekily.
Web projects seem to be the big thing at the moment and he said he'd done an appearance on Mortal Combat: Legacy as a bad guy. David Nykl revealed to us, “I like playing the bad guys.”
Accents resurfaced in questions – particularly the Australian accent and the inability of Americans to do it properly. An audience member proposed doing Stargate here with the actors attempting the local vernacular. Nykl remarked, “There's enough Australians doing Australian accents here already.”
Another fan wanted to know why he hadn't done the obligatory Sanctuary cameo. Nykl replied that he had. “I was in there – chameleon.”
A more important question was to follow. Ninjas vs pirates. “Ninjas because of the stealth. No contest.”
Stargate: Universe again was delved into. Cheerfully warning us to turn off our cameras, David Nykl admitted that he finds it “hard to get into it.” He also finds that it wasn't what Stargate was about and lacked “that deprecating humour”. “I kind of miss that,” he added and went on to say that we all want stories and some sense of hope is needed. SGU didn't do so well in that area – not until the last few episodes. Nykl noted that “Stargate fans are vehement”.
He spoke briefly of his other appearances:
Fringe – “I love that show.”
Eureka – “would love to come back.”
Asked about how well he does accents, Nykl replied, “I think I have a musical ear. It's just imitation.” A fan begged him to talk like Zelenka so he affected the Czech accent for his oft-used catchphrase “talk Zelenka to me”. Much to our delight, he delivered this compliment: “I love the Aussie accent.”
David Nykl talked about the “genuine 100% cussing” in Czech that he did on the show and said it was “hardcore”. Funnily enough, now that the show is airing in the Czech Republic, he has been dubbed over by someone else because of all the swearing.
He's into astronomy and is a self-professed Maths geek. He can “spend hours on Google Earth” and thinks that the culture of “anime is kind of cool”. He “grew up on Star Wars”.
5:30pm came far too quickly and the MC bade him farewell. David Nykl leaped off the stage and made his exit, still holding the microphone.
“I'm keeping the microphone too – bye!”
I filed out with everyone else, fighting an oncoming headache. I decided to call it quits and not hang around for the concert (plus I actually felt drunk which would have only worsened and driving home from the train station would have resulted in epic fail). It was an awesome day and I fully expect to return next year. Admittedly, I went for one out of a possible three days but my convention buddy couldn't come and there's only so much you can do once you've jumped every queue. :)
A note on the pics: okay, so the only reason I've posted them here is that I've photoshopped my face/neck into a slightly less embarrassing sight. Admin's prerogative. The actors, naturally, needed no photoshopping.
Sean Maher arrived to clapping and cheering. He and the MC engaged in some amusing banter (props to the MC who was pretty good) until some microphone feedback occurred, to which Maher said “feels like I have an ear infection”. The crowd tittered and after a little more banter, a person that quickly turned into a mob shouting for him to sing.
“They didn't pay me enough [to sing],” he deflected.
And somehow...I'm not sure how this happened (you know how these things go at conventions) ... the MC guy said “I love a good wooden cow” which made everyone laugh, but the laughter increased exponentially in volume when Sean Maher repeated it. And he was to throw it in several times as a non sequitur throughout the Q&A.
After assuring us with “I'm perfect, so...”, he started to take questions from the crowd. Someone asked how it was to act with Jewel Staite again on Warehouse 13. Sean said they met up on the plane to Vancouver and that the whole experience with her was “delightful”. They spent an 18 hour shoot on one day laughing so much that his cheekbones hurt by the time he got back to where he was staying at 7am. Sean Maher seems very keen to reunite with his Firefly friends and joked that he was “taking offers” to act with Staite.
Further on the subject of the Whedonverse, Maher said he had no idea what the hands of blue were about and turned that question on the similarly bewildered audience. He promised to ask Joss Whedon about it. Maher also believes that Simon would have made the decision to stay on the ship because River was happy on the ship. Apparently, Joss Whedon was a stickler for every detail because for Simon he even planned right “down to the colours I would be wearing”.
Sean Maher said he didn't know anything about conventions when he got the role of Simon and was nervous for his first conventions but he loves them now.
A guy from the audience asked what it was like to have Zac Efron play the younger version of Simon and if Efron looked like a younger Sean Maher. “I guess so?” ventured Maher. “I don't know how to answer that without sounding like cocky.”
Another fan brought up the infamous pranks on set topic. Maher deadpanned that Whedon “hit you across the head” if you smiled. Even though there was a lot of laughter on the Firefly set, Maher asserts that it “never hindered our work day, funny enough”. He even mentioned a time when they actually set up the cameras just for an outtake.
Maher addressed the recent pledging for the rights to make more Firefly. He believes that Nathan Fillion was joking about buying the rights and added, “I don't think the fans should pay for it.”
As for something he took away from the set, Maher said this: “I took my boots, which I'm not wearing.” They have holes and are sitting in the bottom of his closet. He's been thinking about giving them to a charity auction but just can't seem to part with them. The boots seemed a rather conservative memento since Maher mentioned that Adam Baldwin ripped off a part of the ship. Maher sounded baffled as to why someone would want some twisted metal.
The DragonCon incident was brought up by a fan, seemingly the only person at the seminar apart from Sean Maher who knew it even happened. I apologise if you've already heard of this – I hadn't! Sean explained some of it – Nathan Fillion rang the Fireflyactors while they were at a panel. Nathan Fillion was aware of the time they would be there because they'd texted/spoken about it beforehand but Maher had no idea he would do that. The call to Maher's phone went something like, “Just talking to Jewel. She's so stupid. I'm outside your house, can I take your car?” Alan Tudyk also rang but Maher didn't actually believe it was – he thought it was Fillion putting on a voice.
Throughout the seminar, Sean Maher made liberal use of swear words. “I would never curse in front of my kids – hi, young boy.” The last part was directed at a boy who was sitting on the floor near the stage. Quite a funny moment. Later in the Q&A he promised a fan,“I'll curse a lot – don't worry.” Then he looked back at the boy. “How old is he? Oh, fifteen – you curse.” Much laughter ensued.
Pardon my break in chronology. More questions about the show and film popped up, including how he felt about working with his Whedonverse cast mates. “Like how much did I love kissing Jewel?” he responded. “Yeah...I love Jewel.” Maher said he would have wanted to do a second film “where Jewel and I have a baby” – laughter increased in volume at that.
Maher had wanted to change Simon's voice for Serenity to show that he had relaxed a bit but Joss Whedon instructed, “Talk like Simon!”
Naturally the questions went to the underexposure of the show during its run. Jokingly, Maher said, “How do I feel about people who didn't tune in in the first place? They're dumb!” Then he quickly slipped in a “Fucking Fox!”
When asked about his favourite Firefly word, he said he liked mei mei (“which I still use kind of”) but his favourite was the one that actually sounded like his name. I'm not sure exactly what he word is, but I have heard it on the show and it does bear resemblance to “Sean Maher”.
Firefly's pilot episode didn't even have a script when Sean Maher heard about the show – this was in a pilot season when everyone was trying to get shows. But when he meet Joss Whedon... “I fell in love with him.” Maher's screen test was the monologue that Simon gives when he is telling the story about River. Maher loved that scene and obviously it showed!
A fan wanted to know what sort of character he would be if he wasn't Simon. At first we weren't sure if he heard the question because he was quiet, but then he said, “I'm pausing cause I'm thinking. I like Simon – don't make me be someone else!” He said he'd maybe be someone more free spirited.
His favourite line of Simon's from the show is “This must be what going mad feels like.” His favourite episode is “Ariel” – “but still, I had such a great time on 'Jaynestown'.”
Maher feels no sense of entitlement to work with the others from Firefly and he doesn't think he has a right to be on Castle. A lot of the times that he could have done something with the others didn't work out, which is why “Warehouse 13 was such a treat.”
When Morena Baccarin cancelled her appearance at Supanova with him, he got on the phone to Jewel Staite and said, “You have to come to Australia with me.” Unfortunately, she was doing something else. “Now I'm here all alone... wah-waaah. And I've got Amy Acker,” he added quickly, just in case she could hear because she was nearby!
In response to a query over something he put on Twitter, Maher admitted, “Yes I was watching Dora the Explorer the other day.”
“Does Twitter make me happy?” he mused. “I love Twitter.” His account was set up by Jewel Staite and at first he didn't use it much but now he feels that since he has a voice he also has a responsibility to “further causes I believe in”. After this grand sentiment, he said “I don't know why I got a little emotional” over Twitter.
It was time to wrap up. Sean Maher's last line left us in gales of mirth.
“And I love wooden cows.”
I was badly in need of resting my feet still so I decided to stick around for Gareth David-Lloyd's turn on the stage, even though I'm not a fan of Torchwood. A pack of fangirls behind me started chanting something, rising in volume until he appeared – then it got truly noisy.
This time I was sitting front and centre so I got an unobstructed view. He looked almost nothing like Ianto – he has lost a bit of weight. Getting work in America requires being a real character (“ugly” a usual prerequisite) or trim. Gareth David-Lloyd chose the latter option.
A fan wanted to know if he's ever been confused with someone else. David-Lloyd recounted one time that someone thought he was Quentin Tarantino. The questions were thereafter Torchwood related and the funniest moment of filming on set was revealed to be “any time when John falls over”. David-Lloyd holds no ill will about the demise of his character because it “felt like his [Ianto's] time”.
On the matter of accents, he can do a pretty good imitation of an Australian accent, murmuring into the microphone, “Fancy a quickie in the bush?” I'd say he uses that phrase often (and many kept mentioning the bush through the Q&A) because the next thing he said was in regards to his wife – that accents “get her going”. By now most of the audience and I were howling with laughter.
David-Lloyd was asked what character in a sci-fi show he'd like to be and it was a toss up between Kirk and Riker. He even affected a eerily good Riker pose and puffed out his chest, remarking that we all know Jonathan Frakes sucks his beer gut in.
When a male member of the audience said they cried when Ianto died, Gareth David-Lloyd cried, “Girl!” More giggles from everyone. This session was turning out to be quite cathartic. But the best bit was yet to come.
I think it may have been the same guy, but the next question was about Ianto being a gay icon. Anyway, this guy then stated, “If I was straight, I'd do you.”
“No you bloody wouldn't,” David-Lloyd responded, then paused for just the right amount of time. “I'd be doing you!”
Incoherence reigned while I almost cried from laughing so hard. Luckily the topic sailed into something slightly less amusing. Australia where “lots of things can kill you” – this is a common remark by visiting actors so I'm not surprised he mentioned it.
His favourite episode of Torchwood is “Countrycide” and his favourite non-Ianto character is Owen. When asked if Torchwoodcould ever be a theatrically released film, he said in jest, “Not without Ianto, I think.” Some knowledgeable soul brought up the fact that Gareth David-Lloyd has played a “Yanto Jones” before. Russell T. Davies, having written that script, renamed the proposed character in Torchwood to Ianto Jones as a nod to it. “He gave me my name back,” finished David-Lloyd, smiling.
When queried what sort of death he'd have liked for Ianto, he said, “I always wanted to die in a rain of bullets.” But David-Lloyd seemed quite happy with how it all happened on the show anyway. His favourite part of the Ianto memorial at Cardiff is the disclaimer that had to be put up explaining that it is for a fictional character because some people didn't know.
A fan asked about on set competitions and naturally the topic went to bodily functions. “I think he practices farting as much as he does singing,” David-Lloyd said of John Barrowman.
One of the last people to stand up with the microphone that roamed the audience posed the typical shag, marry, push-off-a-cliff question about three characters on Torchwood and I didn't really listen to two thirds of the question but I definitely heard –
“Ianto I'd shag – wouldn't you?”
The seminar area cleared out in a heart beat when he left, which left a nice cozy audience for Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta. I took even fewer notes for this one and someone called my phone during it which made me feel like a real douchebag.
It's obvious that they are married – they certainly act like the typical old married couple. Anderson talked a bit more (though I guess more questions are directed at him) but Moesta jumped in with a good one liner every few sentences of his. It was fascinating to hear about how the newer Dune books came to be. Inevitably, a member of the very small audience asked how they felt about what has happened in the Star Wars books after the 1990s.
I swear Rebecca Moesta actually misted up when she likened the characters in their Young Jedi Knights books to children that she had to let go, even though she would never have written for them what other authors have done in the universe. Kevin J. Anderson said that writing in George Lucas' universe was like borrowing someone's toys, toys which then have to be given back before being lent to other authors. A couple of times either of them would make a joke about how they wrote for the characters before they had sex and got pregnant and whatever else, but that joke seemed to hold an undercurrent of what could have been.
Kevin J. Anderson's favourite Star Wars books written by himself are Darksaber (for the adults) and Lightsabers (for the kids). Yes, we laughed a bit about that.
Every now and then the MC would bring up a spoiler alert but the authors would put in that it had been 10-20 years for some of the books. It feels strange to think of the Jedi Academy trilogy as something that happened so long ago when I re-read them every so often. Interestingly, Kevin J. Anderson was asked to write “three sequels” to the movies and I thought that was a peculiar phrase for the trilogy.
Anderson told us how he got the job of doing a book with Ralph McQuarrie – he was chosen over all the other authors simply because he lived within driving distance of Skywalker Ranch!
Their Q&A ended when members of the 501st Legion turned up to force them to move along. “These are the authors you're looking for,” cracked the MC to a sea of groans (the audience had been growing for the next guest).
The last session of the day was David Nykl. And this was the one I'd most been looking forward to. I was not disappointed.
David Nykl exploded out into the room and performed a victory lap, running up one aisle slapping hands and then back down another aisle slapping even more hands until he returned to the stage. The other guests I had listened to had made use of the red lounge chair thing but he wandered about with the microphone up there, seeming to never tire.
The MC had barely begun with the usual banter when someone shouted out a question about Stargate: Extinction. No one particularly minded because this is a very keen subject with fans. Sadly, the answer was no comfort.
“It went extinct,” Nykl informed us. The script is complete and the actors were told that “two, maybe more” movies were to be made. It didn't help that the “DVD market went flat”.
The next heady topic was Stargate: Universe, which caused multiple flinching in the room. David Nykl mentioned that he'd have liked to play Zelenka on the show, perhaps in the gritter SGU style wearing “a black leather jacket”.
Joe Flanigan has apparently said that he wants to buy the rights to SGA.
Nykl talked about some of the post-production aspects of the show and how much went into the effects, which were deservedly awarded. There are 64 audio tracks/channels on any given episode with 16 dedicated to the city's background hum alone.
Someone asked a bit about Zelenka's background and how Nykl thought he ended up working in America. “Well there was mummy Zelenka and daddy Zelenka...” he began which set the room into fits of mirth. But when it comes down to character background “you get thrown curveballs” in the script. He expressed confusion over the homing pigeon hobby that Zelenka is said to have.
David Nykl's favourite episode of Atlantis is “Adrift”, probably because of the jump over the chasm. The spacesuits used were based on designs found on the internet and the chasm was just a painted green section that they could walk across.
He spoke briefly about the other actors, saying that “Jason's like a big puppy dog” and Amanda Tapping is “salt of the earth”. Someone asked which of the cast was most like their character and unsurprisingly Nykl named Hewlett.
There was some discussion of Czech names, to which Nykl looked up at his name on the screen behind him and said, “Can I buy a vowel?” We were then given the joke about the Czech guy going to his optometrist. Nykl said he grew up in Western Canada and seemed surprised that we could tell the difference between Canadian and American accents.
Someone asked a very important question – which planet would Nykl like Zelenka to go to? “The planet with all the trees on it,” he responded cheekily.
Web projects seem to be the big thing at the moment and he said he'd done an appearance on Mortal Combat: Legacy as a bad guy. David Nykl revealed to us, “I like playing the bad guys.”
Accents resurfaced in questions – particularly the Australian accent and the inability of Americans to do it properly. An audience member proposed doing Stargate here with the actors attempting the local vernacular. Nykl remarked, “There's enough Australians doing Australian accents here already.”
Another fan wanted to know why he hadn't done the obligatory Sanctuary cameo. Nykl replied that he had. “I was in there – chameleon.”
A more important question was to follow. Ninjas vs pirates. “Ninjas because of the stealth. No contest.”
Stargate: Universe again was delved into. Cheerfully warning us to turn off our cameras, David Nykl admitted that he finds it “hard to get into it.” He also finds that it wasn't what Stargate was about and lacked “that deprecating humour”. “I kind of miss that,” he added and went on to say that we all want stories and some sense of hope is needed. SGU didn't do so well in that area – not until the last few episodes. Nykl noted that “Stargate fans are vehement”.
He spoke briefly of his other appearances:
Fringe – “I love that show.”
Eureka – “would love to come back.”
Asked about how well he does accents, Nykl replied, “I think I have a musical ear. It's just imitation.” A fan begged him to talk like Zelenka so he affected the Czech accent for his oft-used catchphrase “talk Zelenka to me”. Much to our delight, he delivered this compliment: “I love the Aussie accent.”
David Nykl talked about the “genuine 100% cussing” in Czech that he did on the show and said it was “hardcore”. Funnily enough, now that the show is airing in the Czech Republic, he has been dubbed over by someone else because of all the swearing.
He's into astronomy and is a self-professed Maths geek. He can “spend hours on Google Earth” and thinks that the culture of “anime is kind of cool”. He “grew up on Star Wars”.
5:30pm came far too quickly and the MC bade him farewell. David Nykl leaped off the stage and made his exit, still holding the microphone.
“I'm keeping the microphone too – bye!”
I filed out with everyone else, fighting an oncoming headache. I decided to call it quits and not hang around for the concert (plus I actually felt drunk which would have only worsened and driving home from the train station would have resulted in epic fail). It was an awesome day and I fully expect to return next year. Admittedly, I went for one out of a possible three days but my convention buddy couldn't come and there's only so much you can do once you've jumped every queue. :)
A note on the pics: okay, so the only reason I've posted them here is that I've photoshopped my face/neck into a slightly less embarrassing sight. Admin's prerogative. The actors, naturally, needed no photoshopping.