{"id":1855,"date":"2009-09-15T07:00:14","date_gmt":"2009-09-15T11:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/onceuponageek.com\/?p=1855"},"modified":"2009-09-14T13:24:56","modified_gmt":"2009-09-14T17:24:56","slug":"dragoncon-2009-recap-day-two","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/onceuponageek.com\/wordpress\/2009\/09\/15\/dragoncon-2009-recap-day-two\/","title":{"rendered":"DragonCon 2009 Recap Day Two – Celebrities, Parade, Costumes, and All-Night Film Fest"},"content":{"rendered":"

Coverage of Dragon*Con 2009 continues here!\u00a0 To read about Friday, click here<\/a>.\u00a0 If you’d like to see over 600 pictures I took at the event, you can view them on Flickr<\/a> and THE UNIQUE GEEK photo gallery<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Saturday<\/h3>\n

After the WAR OF THE SNORE the night before, Choco Taco and I decided to grab some breakfast.\u00a0 Thankfully we had access to the Executive Level in the Hilton where they supply complimentary breakfast.\u00a0 Turns out that many of the celebrities also have access to the Executive Level.\u00a0 So there we were eating, while a couple tables over were Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy from Harry Potter<\/em>), Adam Savage (Mythbusters<\/em>), Michael Hogan (Colonel Tigh on Battlestar Galactica<\/em>), Neil Innes (best known for his collaborative work with Monty Python), and others.\u00a0 It was neat being with so many celebrities during their down time.\u00a0 As I looked around the room trying to identify everyone, I wondered if they were looking at us trying to figure out if we were famous too.\u00a0 Probably not, but a boy can dream.<\/p>\n

We then made our way to the parade.\u00a0 We got there minutes before the parade started, so we didn’t have a great view.\u00a0 Last year there were approximately 3,500 spectators for the parade; I’d say we had more this year.\u00a0 The parade was pretty good this year.\u00a0 The Colonial Marines lead the parade and the Star Wars characters finished it.\u00a0 In-between were the usuals like the Cobras, Star Trekkies\/Trekkers, superheroes, Middle Earth folk, pirates, Stargate folks, Battlestar Galactica folks, horror folks, Ghostbusters, Doctor Whovians, Anime folks, and many, many more.\u00a0 I’ve got over 100 pictures of the parade up on Flickr<\/a> and THE UNIQUE GEEK photo gallery<\/a>. The most creative parade costume I felt was the two-person AT-AT.\u00a0 Unfortunately, my pictures of the AT-AT didn’t turn out that great, so here is a pic from the costume creators.\u00a0 A really clever idea!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

After the parade I visited the Walk of Fame.\u00a0 I considered taking my picture with Eric Roberts since he was in Doctor Who, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.\u00a0 I can’t stand his acting and really hated him in the Doctor Who<\/em> TV movie.\u00a0 I did stop by and visit Alan Ruck (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off<\/em>, Spin City<\/em>, Star Trek: Generations<\/em>).\u00a0 He was super cool!\u00a0 We shook hands (he offered his hand immediately) and he asked me my name.\u00a0 I’m not much for autographs, I usually prefer to get my picture taken with famous people.\u00a0 So we chatted for a few moments and then he came around the table for the photo.\u00a0 A couple days later, we were both on the same street corner waiting for the light to change.\u00a0 We started to chat and he remembered meeting me and shook my hand again.\u00a0 He was probably one of the nicest and most approachable celebrities I’ve ever met.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Then I visited Dirk Benedict (Battlestar Galactica<\/em>, A-Team<\/em>).\u00a0 One of my goals at Dragon*Con this year was to meet him.\u00a0 To me he represents everything that was fun about television in the late 70’s and early 80’s.\u00a0 I had a question prepared that I didn’t get to ask during Friday’s A-Team<\/em> panel, so I figured now was a good time.\u00a0 I asked if the scene with the Cylon in the A-Team<\/em> opening credits was originally scripted, or was improvised on-set.\u00a0 He said the shot was his idea as a joke for the guys who weren’t there on-set that day.\u00a0 Apparently the Director didn’t want to do the shot, but Dirk convinced him to.\u00a0 Turns out the shot was so well-received, it ended up in the opening credits!\u00a0 After that I got my picture taken with him and also purchased one of his books. I’m about a quarter of the way through his first book, Confessions of a Kamikaze Cowboy: A True Story of Discovery, Acting, Health, Illness, Recovery And Life<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0 The book covers his early life, his battle with cancer, the benefits of a macrobiotic diet, and taking control of your own health through diet.\u00a0 There is a lot of controversy surrounding his dietary suggestions, but it’s worth listening to.\u00a0 I don’t normally go in for autobiographies, and I REALLY don’t go in for health food propaganda.\u00a0 However, I’m really fascinated by this book and find myself questioning the way I eat.\u00a0 I’d recommend this book to anyone with an open mind.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I then when hunting for more great costumes to take pictures of.\u00a0 I was shocked to find out I’d filled my memory card entirely after about 500 pictures!\u00a0 Wow!\u00a0 Thankfully I brought my laptop that has a built-in SD reader slot.\u00a0 So I downloaded all the pictures, cleared the memory card, and started off again.<\/p>\n

There were two panels I was planning to attend but was disappointed to find out they were canceled.\u00a0 Both the Eureka <\/em>creator panel and the Leonard Nimoy panel were canceled for Saturday. Bummer.\u00a0 So instead I got in line for the Stargate Atlantis <\/em>panel.\u00a0 I’ve seen some Stargate <\/em>panels before at Dragon*Con. They’re very well organized and the guests are great, so I figured it was worth a shot.\u00a0 The line was insanely long.\u00a0 It went outside and wrapped around the building.\u00a0 I waited for about an hour with some very nice people and we had a great chat.\u00a0 Once we got inside we were lucky enough to find seats on the fifth row!\u00a0 That was awesome! While I’m not an expert on Stargate Atlantis<\/em>, I have watched my fair share of episodes.\u00a0 The cast were funny, kind to the fans, and genuinely seemed to be having fun.\u00a0 One of the stars, Rachel Luttrell (Teyla), was late.\u00a0 So Joe Flanigan (Colonel Sheppard) called her on his cell phone.\u00a0 He held his phone to the microphone so we could all hear the conversation.\u00a0 He lied and told her the panel hadn’t started yet and the hilarity ensued!\u00a0 Throughout the panel they all had some really good banter and teased each other mercilessly.\u00a0 This panel was a blast. I’m going to be sure to attend more Stargate <\/em>panels at future Dragon*Cons.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

After that I hit the Art Show.\u00a0 There I picked up my third Tom Fleming print. This time out it was Doctor Fate!\u00a0 I’ve already got an Aquaman and Firestorm from him.\u00a0 They look great framed in my office!\u00a0 He’s slowly working his way through the JSA, so I might pick up some more from him in the future.\u00a0 You can see more of Tom Fleming’s work by clicking here<\/a> and clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Later Ravenface and I came across someone in an Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld costume!\u00a0 We couldn’t believe it!\u00a0 You may recall a few months back Ravenface and I interviewed the creators of Amethyst for this blog (click here for more on that interview<\/a>).\u00a0 This was the first time either of us had ever seen someone dressed as Amethyst.\u00a0 We chatted with this lady for about ten minutes.\u00a0 She was super sweet and really was a big Amethyst fan.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

After that we witnessed the astonishing Alpha Flight photo shoot being organized.\u00a0 Allen (a.k.a. The Evil Twin)<\/a> had dressed up as Firestorm last year for Dragon*Con.\u00a0 This year he created an impressive Sasquatch costume.\u00a0 Seriously, this costume was eight feet tall!\u00a0 You can read more about it on his blog<\/a>. We were only there while they were preparing the photo shoot.\u00a0 So I’m using some pictures here from other photographers.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

During the convention, some of our friends were handing out THE UNIQUE GEEK<\/a> bingo cards.\u00a0 You can see the cards below.\u00a0 In order to qualify to win, you had to have very specific pictures.\u00a0 My old friend Shockwave took this challenge as a personal crusade.\u00a0 Through determination and cleverness, he managed to get a bingo!\u00a0 Way to go Shockwave.\u00a0 Below you’ll see one of his required photos, a JSA member in Saturday Night Fever pose.\u00a0 In this case, Doctor Fate discoing.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Finally, from 10pm until 4am we were at the Nuts on the Road: Gonzo Sound & Vision<\/em> film fest (presented by NeedCoffee.com<\/a> and Quickstop Entertainment)!\u00a0 This thing is amazing!\u00a0 They play hilarious video clips all night long, taking breaks every hour to hand out thousands of dollars in prizes.\u00a0 Seriously!\u00a0 If you show up, you’re going to go home with something.\u00a0 More than likely you’ll go home with multiple prizes. This year I went home with Sideshow Collectibles gift cards, Batman The Brave & the Bold<\/em> The Atom action figure, and a DC Universe Infinite Heroes action figure set with Bizarro, Supergirl, and Wonder Girl.\u00a0 There were also numerous packages of caffeinated mints, caffeinated chocolate chews, and Bacon-flavored chewing gum given out (or to be exact, thrown out to the audience).\u00a0 They offered a lot more prizes, but I declined as my suitcase was already beyond full.\u00a0 Also featured was an opening musical act, Neil Innes<\/a> (best known for his collaborative work with Monty Python – yes, the same guy we saw at breakfast).\u00a0 There were other celebrities on-hand, such as Adam Savage (Mythbusters<\/em>), Dr. Forrester & TV\u2019s Frank (Mystery Science Theater 3000<\/em>), Doc Hammer (Venture Bros<\/em>), and more.\u00a0 As always, we had a phenomenal time.\u00a0 This year’s crop of comedy videos was possibly the best yet.\u00a0 If you attend Dragon*Con next year, this event is a MUST!\u00a0 Below is a photo of THE UNIQUE GEEK<\/a> gang around 4:00am after the event was over.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

That was Saturday!\u00a0 Come back tomorrow for a recap of Sunday and Monday…<\/p>\n

Tell the world about ONCE UPON A GEEK:<\/h3>