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Dragon*Con 2010 Recap – My Weekend of Insanity (lots of pics!)

Dragon*Con, my home away from home.  I believe this was my 10th appearance at this convention and it was definitely one of the better ones! Attended lots of panels, hung out with my friends, met some celebrities, drank far too much, took over 600 photos, and generally had a great time.  Sometime in the near future I hope to post my “Best Costumes of Dragon*Con 2010”.  In the meantime, if you want to check out all of my photos, please click here.

The scope of Dragon*Con never ceases to amaze me.  At any given time there were over 40 different tracks to choose from.  Most tracks changed panels/speakers every 90 minutes for a total of 10 different panels/speakers during the day.  That’s over 400 different panels/speakers to choose from in one day!  That doesn’t even count the dealers room, the exhibit hall, the celebrity walk of fame, artists alley, the art show, concerts, video game rooms, random cosplayers wandering the halls, and probably a zillion other things I’m forgetting.  It’s total insanity!  I love it!

THURSDAY

Some of THE UNIQUE GEEK gang arrived Thursday afternoon in Atlanta.  Serv, Ed, and I arrived that evening.  Once we checked into our hotel room, we bought the all-important alcohol supplies.  Then we went to see if we could get our Dragon*Con badges.  The line to pick-up pre-registration badges had been running three to four hours all day.  By the time we arrived, they’d already closed the line.  Ugh.

So we went to Trader Vic’s in the Hilton, drank, danced, and hung out with Luke Perry (yes, that Luke Perry).  Great way to start the Con!

The Unique Geeks at Trader Vic's at Dragon*Con!

FRIDAY

Friday morning Ed and I lined up in the pre-registration badge pick-up line at 6am.  They weren’t opening until 8am, but there were already a couple hundred people in line before us at 6am.  I thought we were hardcore by getting there so early!  By the time 8am rolled around, the line wrapped around the entire city block!  There must have been 1,000+ people in line behind us.  Crazy!  Once they let us in the door, we zoomed through the serpentine line to the registration counters!  Those poor souls at the end of the line probably waited three or four hours for their badges.

Dragon*Con Pre-Registration Badge Pick-up at 8am once they let us in the door

Once we got our badges, a few of us headed over to the “V” panel featuring Morena Baccarin (Anna on “V”, and Inara on Firefly).  She was awesome and super-nice!  There weren’t a lot of people there due to the long badge pick-up line, so I had the opportunity to ask lots of questions.  I asked about things like: how much “green screen” is used on the show, working with Jane Badler, and if the actors knew the real reason the Visitors had come to Earth (because it hasn’t been revealed to the viewers yet).  Again, really nice lady and a great Q&A!  Click the picture below to view all my photos from this panel.

V Panel with Morena Baccarin (Anna) at Dragon*Con 2010

A little later a few of us caught the Eureka panel featuring Erica Cerra (Jo Lupo on Eureka).  Another great Q&A!  She was funny, interesting, and really cool.  We discovered that she’s quite different from Lupo in real life, and I think prettier as well.  She always looks so severe on the show.  During the Q&A, her hair was down and her smile lit up the room. Click the picture below to view all my photos from this panel.

Eureka Panel with Erica Cerra (Jo Lupo) at Dragon*Con 2010

Next up for me was the Quantum Leap panel featuring Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell.  It was neat to see these guys together in real life.  Scott Bakula has always been an actor I gravitated towards.  There is something about his personality that just makes him likable.  I know this will sound weird to some of you, but he seems like the kind of guy you’d wish to have as an older brother or uncle.  If it doesn’t make sense to you, then you just don’t get it.  Bakula and Stockwell are clearly very close friends and it was nice to hear them reminisce together.  I wish I had seen further Bakula panels this year.  Click the picture below to view all my photos from this panel.

Quantum Leap Panel with Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell at Dragon*Con 2010

That evening several of us attended Marvel vs DC Jeopardy hosted by our friend Van Allen Plexico (from Avengers Assemble and Plexico.net)! It was another titanic battle of geek wits!  While I didn’t get a chance to compete this year, my good friends Michael Bailey (from Views from the Longbox and Fortress of Baileytude) and Terry Morton were finalists!  It was a real contest to see who would come out on top.  In the end, Michael Bailey walked away with the grand prize.  Congratulations to Michael and Terry for doing so well!  You have really trivial minds!  Hee hee.  Click the pictures below to view all my photos  from this trivia contest.

Marvel vs DC Comic Book Jeopardy hosted by Van Allen Plexico

Marvel vs DC Comic Book Jeopardy - Contestants Michael Bailey and Terry Morton

After the trivia contest, I caught a little of the Flash cosplay photo shoot.  They had several scarlet speedsters there along with numerous rogues.  Click the photo below to view all my pictures from this photo shoot.

Flash & Rogues Gallery Photo Shoot at Dragon*Con 2010

Next up was THE UNIQUE GEEK Board of Directors Dinner.  In attendance this year was: Jon, Ed, Serv, Doctor Jen, Leah, Michael & Rachel Bailey, Terry, Ravenface, Race, Adam, and myself.  A smaller crowd than normal as we had difficulty coordinating everyone’s schedule this year.  We decided to have the primary dinner on Friday, followed up each night with THE UNIQUE GEEK Sub-Committee Dinners.

Leah & Jon at The Unique Geek Board of Directors Dinner at Dragon*Con 2010

Ed, Serv, and Doctor Jen at The Unique Geek Board of Directors Dinner at Dragon*Con 2010

Ravenface and Race at The Unique Geek Board of Directors Dinner at Dragon*Con 2010

Terry and Michael Bailey at The Unique Geek Board of Directors Dinner at Dragon*Con 2010

Adam and Shag at The Unique Geek Board of Directors Dinner at Dragon*Con 2010

Michael and Rachel Bailey at The Unique Geek Board of Directors Dinner at Dragon*Con 2010

After dinner, the Marriott was lobby-bombed by a group of Iron Man 2 dancers!  These ladies did a phenomenal job!  They slowly marched through the various lobby floors, eventually stopping on the Atrium level for cameras.  There was a Tony Stark, Pepper Potts, Rhodey, Justin Hammer, Black Widow, Nick Fury, and bodyguards.  These folks really put together a fantastic show! The lighting was fairly poor, so my photos of this aren’t the best.  Click the photo below to view all my pictures from this photo shoot.

Iron Man 2 Dancers at Dragon*Con 2010

The rest of the night was spent taking pictures of fantastic costumes, getting horribly horribly drunk, and playing games with friends.  Hard to believe we were able to fit all of this into one day!

SATURDAY

Saturday started off with the parade!  Great parade this year!  Some of my favorites included: the numerous Ecto-1 Ghostbusters cars, the Back to the Future group, the blue screen of death guy, the life-size Marvel mini-mates, and of course the Star Wars Stormtroopers.  Click the pictures below to see all my photos from the parade.

Ghostbusters Ecto-1 in Dragon*Con Parade 2010

Back to the Future in Dragon*Con Parade 2010

Blue Screen of Death costume in Dragon*Con Parade 2010

Star Wars Stormtroopers in Dragon*Con Parade 2010

After the parade, I attended the Green Lantern Blackest Night cosplay photo shoot.  It was astonishing!  I couldn’t believe all the excellent costumes there!  This photo shoot was coordinated by the folks over at the Superhero Costuming Forum.  The director of the shoot, Allen, does an amazing job on these shoots.  If you ever get a chance to attend one, watch how he manages the crowd.  He’s assertive, yet incredibly nice.  I learned a lot about managing people just from watching him.  Click the photos below to view all my pictures from this photo shoot.

Green Lantern Blackest Night photo shoot at Dragon*Con 2010

Green Lantern Blackest Night photo shoot at Dragon*Con 2010

Then I went to the celebrity Walk of Fame and met Neil Grayston (Douglas Fargo on Eureka), Colin Ferguson (Sheriff Jack Carter on Eureka), and Frazier Hines (Jamie McCrimmon from Doctor Who).  Each of them was really personable.  Neil Grayston took the time to ask about my children since I’d mentioned they enjoyed the show, which I thought was very nice.

Neil Grayston (Douglas Fargo from Eureka) and Shag at Dragon*Con 2010

Colin Ferguson (Sheriff Jack Carter from Eureka) and Shag at Dragon*Con 2010

Frazier Hines (Jamie McCrimmon from Doctor Who) and Shag at Dragon*Con 2010

I spent roughly 15 minutes talking with Frazier Hines about his various work for Doctor Who.  That was a really wonderful moment for me.  I first saw him on Doctor Who 27 years ago and have been a fan ever since!  I’m really glad I got to chat with him one-on-one.  After some lunch, I attended the Frazier Hines Doctor Who panel.  While waiting in line, I had the opportunity to talk with some other die-hard Doctor Who fans.  Believe it or not, I don’t know very many Doctor Who fans in real life that are into all the “expanded universe” things like I am (i.e. original novels, original audio dramas, comics, etc).  That was pretty cool geeking out over that stuff.  The panel itself was great with some really humorous and fascinating stories!  If you ever get a chance to meet Frazier Hines, don’t pass it up.  He’s awesome!

Frazier Hines (Jamie McCrimmon from Doctor Who) at Dragon*Con 2010

THE UNIQUE GEEK Sub-Committee dinner that night was at Ted’s Montana Grill.  Very tasty and lots of fun!  In attendance was: Ron, Holly, Jemma, Eli, Jamin, Terry, Race, Ed, Erika & Vanessa (the wonderful ladies from Girls-Gone-Geek), John (Erika’s husband), Steven, and myself.  Good food and lots of laughs.

Ed, Ron, and Jamin at The Unique Geek Sub-Committee Dinner at Dragon*Con 2010

Jamin and Eli at The Unique Geek Sub-Committee Dinner at Dragon*Con 2010

Jemma and Holly at The Unique Geek Sub-Committee Dinner at Dragon*Con 2010

Erika and John at The Unique Geek Sub-Committee Dinner at Dragon*Con 2010

Steven and Vanessa at The Unique Geek Sub-Committee Dinner at Dragon*Con 2010

Terry and Erika at The Unique Geek Sub-Committee Dinner at Dragon*Con 2010

Race and Shag at The Unique Geek Sub-Committee Dinner at Dragon*Con 2010

That night was the big “Nuts on the Road: The Quiz Show” event!  This was organized by the folks from Fred Entertainment and NeedCoffee.com.  The premise is to throw a bunch of celebrities on stage, make them compete in British-style game show quizzes, and let the wacky hijinks ensue!  Ken Plume and Widgett Walls served as the masters of ceremonies.  This year the contestants included: Adam Savage (from Mythbusters), Doc Hammer and Jackson Publick (from Venture Bros), Dana Snyder (from Aqua Teen Hunger Force), Paul Dini (from DC Comics and Batman: The Animated Series) and Misty Lee (professional magician), Josh Weinstein (from The Simpsons), and from Mystery Science Theater 3000 – Joel Hodgson, Trace Beaulieu, Frank Conniff, Kevin Murphy, Bill Corbett, and Mary Jo Pehl.  This event was hilarious!  The song games were my favorite.  Click the photos below to view all my pictures from this event.

Adam Savage from Mythbusters at Nuts on the Road: The Quiz Show at Dragon*Con 2010

Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer from Venture Bros at Nuts on the Road: The Quiz Show at Dragon*Con 2010

Dana Snyder from Aqua Teen Hunger Force at Nuts on the Road: The Quiz Show at Dragon*Con 2010

Paul Dini from Batman: The Animated Series at Nuts on the Road: The Quiz Show at Dragon*Con 2010

Misty Lee at Nuts on the Road: The Quiz Show at Dragon*Con 2010

Trace Beaulieu and Frank Conniff from Mystery Science Theater 3000 at Nuts on the Road: The Quiz Show at Dragon*Con 2010

SUNDAY

Ravenface and I headed over to the Teen Titans cosplay photo shoot Sunday morning.  Like the Green Lantern photo shoot the day before, it was very well organized by the folks over at the Superhero Costuming Forum with some amazing costumes.  An extra bonus was an appearance by George Perez himself!  The man who helped make the Teen Titans so popular in the 1980s!  Click the photos below to view all my pictures from this photo shoot.

Teen Titans cosplay photo shoot with George Perez at Dragon*Con 2010

Teen Titans cosplay photo shoot with George Perez at Dragon*Con 2010

Next up was the DC Comics cosplay photo shot.  While I really enjoyed the previous photo shoots, those were just warm-ups for this one.  Holy crud, there were about 150 people in costume for this photo shoot!  George Perez once again stopped by for some photos.  He’s such an incredibly nice guy!  Allen, from the Superhero Costuming Forum, outdid himself directing this mammoth group.  I could go on and on about this photo shoot, but I’ll just let the pictures speak for themselves.  Click the photos below to view all my pictures from this photo shoot.

DC Comics Cosplay Photo Shoot with George Perez at Dragon*Con 2010

Mary Marvel at DC Comics Cosplay Photo Shoot at Dragon*Con 2010

Justice League DC Comics Cosplay Photo Shoot at Dragon*Con 2010

Death of Supergirl DC Comics Cosplay Photo Shoot with George Perez at Dragon*Con 2010

Then I was able to catch another Eureka panel, this one featured Colin Ferguson (Sheriff Jack Carter), Neil Grayston (Douglas Fargo), and Erica Cerra (Jo Lupo).  Those three together are hilarious!  Seriously!  They had the entire crowd laughing their heads off and screaming at the top of their lungs.  Probably one of my favorite panels of the entire weekend!

Eureka Panel with Erica Cerra (Jo Lupo), Neil Grayston (Fargo), Colin Ferguson (Sheriff Carter)

THE UNIQUE GEEK Sub-Committee dinner that night was at Durango’s.  In attendance were: Serv, Ron, Holly, Jemma, Eli, Jamin, Terry, Erika, John, and myself.  Sorry, this Committee meeting went into Executive Session and therefore no photographic evidence exists.  Deal with it.

After dinner we caught up with some friends that were cosplaying as the cast of Plan 9 from Outer Space!  Check out these fantastic costumes!  They were covered in body paint to appear to be in black & white, with the exception of Ed Wood and his lady friend.  They were totally into their roles and had enormous crowds around them taking photos!  Click the photos below to view all my pictures from this photo shoot.

Plan 9 from Outer Space at Dragon*Con 2010

Plan 9 from Outer Space at Dragon*Con 2010

This night was the big “NeedCoffee.com Fun Fest”!  Obviously organized by the folks at NeedCoffee.com, this event featured lots of participation from the audience and featured games similar to Family Feud and Price is Right, mixed with the antics of Whose Line is it Anyway.  Good times and gazillions of prizes given out!  I won the complete Dungeons and Dragons animated series and the first season of Greatest American Hero on DVD!  Click the photo below to view all my pictures from this event.

NeedCoffee.com Fun Fest at Dragon*Con 2010

MONDAY

After four days of non-stop craziness, Monday was a fairly low-key day.  I did some shopping and general walking around.  After lunch, a few of us hopped on the MARTA for the airport, making our annual heartbreaking departure from Dragon*Con.  *sniff*

The end of another amazing Dragon*Con!  Only 352 days until the next Dragon*Con!  I can’t wait!

5 thoughts on “Dragon*Con 2010 Recap – My Weekend of Insanity (lots of pics!)

  1. Man, those DC pictures with George Perez are the best.
    By the way, if you haven’t seen it yet, I posted the video of Adam Savage singing from the Nuts on the Road quiz show.

  2. I’ve never seen that Abe Froman t-shirt before! Awesome. (A convention with hundreds of people dressed like the royalty of pop culture and what do I notice? A t-shirt. Go figure.)

    Great pics. It’s almost like being there.

  3. It looks like you had a great time at the show, thanks for all the pics of the convention and the summaries you added below them.

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