elderwitty | 2011 Chicago Con report (Sunday part one - am autographs, David DeLuise & JR Bourne) (Reply)

Sunday

Got to the ballroom at about 9:20am, since the autographs with David DeLuise, Joe Flanigan, and David Hewlett started at 9:25am. First we were to go to David D, then line up on the other wall for the other two. And (surprise of surprises) there was to be NO PERSONALIZATION. Since David D was the only one signing on the left, his line was moving lickety-split. The other line stretched the length of the room and curled around past the entry doors. That’s my way of saying that they could’ve at least let David D do personalizations. Doesn’t matter, as I enjoyed my conversations with all the signers much more than I would’ve my name on a headshot. :D

David DeLuise autograph

Anyway, we quickly got to David D’s table, and he looked to be having a great time interacting with all the fans. Walter got his signed, then I pushed mine over. He didn’t quite know what to make of it. I explained that it was from the St. Louis Zoo carousel and was an okapi. (They’re also known as forest giraffes.) I had some reservations about this photo choice, as it could be taken as a statement of ‘you’re a silly, goofy guy and that is all you are’. I went with it in the end ‘cause that okapi is just so darn happy! I’m glad I did, as David seemed to like it.

Joe Flanigan autograph

We trekked over ( :P )to the end of Joe & David’s line, just inside the entry doors at the back of the ballroom. Again, we were right behind Joy, who graciously supplied a post-it with my name on (we were aiming for personalizations, anyway) to replace the one I’d lost. We had discussed on Friday that we’d rather have had Kavan’s autograph included in the package in place of Gary’s and David D’s. I revised my stance to ‘I’m glad we got David D’s, but still wish Kavan’s had come with the package, rather than Gary’s’.

When Joy got to Joe’s table, his con handler said, “No personalizations,” so she had to take her post-it off. Same to Walter, so I slipped mine off and out of sight. (No harm in being thought obedient :grin: ) Walter got his signed and waited for me.

Joe slid my photo over and commented, “No one’s ever asked me to sign a cheetah before.” I said, “It’s a snow leopard, but you’re the third person to think that.” He said, “There’s a book called In Search of the Snow Leopard. The author is something like ‘Thoreau’. I racked my brain briefly and asked, “The, the guy who wrote The Mosquito Coast?” (Paul Theroux) He said, “That’s the one. And it’s called In Search of the Snow Leopard.” “Is that non-fiction?” I nonchalantly asked. (Apparently, all it takes to get me out of starstruck mode is a book discussion.) He said, “Yes,” and I said, “Thanks! I’ll look for it!” (See? Sooooo much better than a personalization.)

Just like last year, he signed his name and added “Sheppard”. (I guess in case I forgot who’d signed it, since it wasn’t a picture of him? Yeah, that’s likely.)

On a side note, I think the book he was referring to is The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen. It’s the only book that comes up in a web search containing ‘snow leopard’ and Theroux. There’s a jacket blurb by Theroux. I’ve reserved it at my libraries. (ETA: I'm in Chapter Three.) :)

By this time, David DeLuise was done, and they moved David Hewlett over to the other side of the backstage area.

David Hewlett autograph

I put the poem in front of David’s con handler, and got a questioning look in return. I just smiled. Slid it over in front of him and said, “It’s a poem – explains why last year instead of a headshot or a t-shirt for you to sign, I brought this photo I took of a fruit basket.” (Letting the binder fall open to that page.) He started reading and I commented to the lady behind me in line (lovely red hair, never got her name), “I figure he’s a fast reader.” She replied, “Yeah, yeah. They’ve talked about five pages of dialogue a day.” Then, in an aside to her (which I’m sure everyone heard because I’m incapable of whispering), I said, “And I’ll know if he reads the whole thing, ‘cause there’s a question at the end.”

David looked up and asked, “How can I not be?” with a big grin. “Exactly,” says I, with a similar grin. He wrote the above, along with his signature, while I was realizing that he was referring to the very last line, and my question was further up. So I asked where he’d prefer a photo from next year: zoo, museum, or botanical garden? He said, “Museum,” and I said, “I got off to a good start, then.” And away we went, back to our seats.

Here it is, in case you can't read the scan. :D

The 2010 Chicago Con Autograph Oddity
by elderwitty

You signed my basket photo asking, “Why?”
“Because it’s cool,” was my reply
And, that's true enough, as far as it goes
But it’s ‘funky’ and ‘quirky’, too, Heaven knows

Files open – all my photos on view
That’s the one most reminds me of you
My camera, your hand
Wasn't that a cunning plan?

While I waited in the line
My mental processes were fine
But thoughts once cogent quickly queered
As the interaction neared
My Sharpies clutched, my answers pat
All forgotten – just like that

So I rattled off some patter
That, in the end, seemed mostly natter
and walked away, slightly dazed
(Undoubtedly seeming completely crazed)
Thus, this effort to explain
What the *hell* goes on inside my brain

I hope this makes the matter clear
And perhaps I’ll see you again, next year
But to that end - a small request
Which of these would suit you best?

I frequent Garden, Museum, & Zoo
Which would most appeal to you?
There are flowers, animals, & art
In other words; pretty, dumb, or smart
Pick the one that does you suit
And I’ll go on a photo shoot

Please don’t think that I’m a stalker
I am just a lengthy talker
Plus, the drive from Chi to home
Gave me time to write this poem
Now let me end on praise un-fulsome
David Hewlett, *how* are you SO awesome?!

ailurophile6 (Susan) came by with a friend, looking for [I can’t remember who]. Her friend wandered off after a moment, and Walter asked who that was. “Oh,” Susan said, “that’s

crysothemis,” at which time Walter left little sideways cartoon dust cyclones as he sped off up the aisle to meet her. I distracted Susan with David’s poem, and was approximately 0.24 seconds behind him. We fangirled, we gushed, and we squeeed - especially over the sketches she’d had the guys sign - and were joined by Jess and Kelly. An innocent bystander was roped in taking a photo, and we all went back to Rows I & J.

So, we’re occupying our seats, the claimed seat to my left, and three (apparently) unsold seats in Row J. After a few minutes of chatting, Walter and I left to get food, leaving all the area around our seats filled with illegal interlopers. (Was fun!) Luckily, the English girls to our left (one of whom owned a snagged seat) were hanging out with friends in the lobby ‘til the next event started. (I figured she’d be fine with it. Nobody with that many colors in her hair could be mean.) Returned with snacks, chatted some more (mostly about which of the two spare photos from the museum I was going to have David H. sign with the autograph ticket I’d just bought (hee!), then everyone scattered to their own seat for David DeLuise.

David DeLuise

Such a fun, happy guy! Had us laughing in the aisles, and it’s no wonder. He talked about his parent’s friends coming over for dinner: Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft (also his godparents), Gilda Radner and Gene Wilder, among others. It was always a contest to see who could make them laugh – not because they’re comedy giants, but because that’s what kids do. His dad (Dom DeLuise) would also challenge the three boys to make him laugh, and the first one to do so got paid.

Someone asked how he became an actor. His dad got a camcorder – and this was when the camera was this big (he sketched a roller-disco-boombox-sized square), and it had a battery this big (car battery square), and you had to hook it up through a vcr (Betamax square) to watch it on the tv (no square). His brothers and he made their own movies with it. They wrote them, acted them out, even edited in the camera. If they wanted a reverse shot inserted, they’d stop the scene at that point, shoot the reverse angle, and return to the main story. They didn’t realize they were learning their future professions (Peter – director/producer, David – actor, Michael – actor), they were just having fun.

Dom also paid David to fart on cue. (I can hear his wheezy-from-laughing-so-hard laugh very clearly.)

He talked about the people who hated Pete Shanahan on SG:1, and I had to explain why to Walter, who’s a non-viewer.

"There she is!! There's the Pete hater!"

By the end of the weekend, Walter was saying he’d probably end up watching all ten seasons. (For, lo, the combined cuteness of the guys and gals on the show is irresistible.)

He talked about how when you hire one DeLuise, you hire them all. His dad played his dad on a tv show. He got to be Pete at the suggestion of Peter (I think) … And how he had to kiss Amanda for a lot of takes (possibly the first day of shooting?) and how horrible it was. Not! How very welcoming and helpful she was, and made his arrival on a set where everyone had known each other for years very easy.

He talked about his tv show Wizards of Waverly Place; working with kids, who he thinks would’ve won the wizarding contest (?), how Selena Gomez would learn all of her lines, every revision (and there were many), and all the blocking, and who is one of the most professional people he’s worked with, ever.

Braedon, the con child, asked how he could become an actor, and David advised him to ask his mom for a twin. (I think this whole exchange was David – it might have been Ben.) Then he should get a commercial agent and go from there.

All in all, a very fun guest, and you can really see his childhood in his story-telling prowess. As an added bonus, when he smiled or mugged, he’d usually hold the pose long enough for me to get a photo, even in the … shall we say ‘less than stellar’ lighting conditions (and, by that, I mean ‘dimmer than starlight’ :snerk: ).

JR Bourne

The first thing he said was that his name was wrong on the video screen. It’s “JR”, not “J.R.”, as he’s a ‘Junior’.

Don't get excited.

It's just his water. ;P

He took a photo of the crowd with his phone.

“It turned out pretty good!” :grin:

He discussed his new show, Teen Wolf, and brought his (really quite pretty) co-star onstage for a couple of minutes.

I can remember nothing else of his talk, as I was ogling the creases in his t-shirt, along with his arms and laugh crinkles.

H₂0 2.0

We went [somewhere – lunch?] and came back in time to catch the end of the auction. It was running over, and even though the guy (Gary?) kept saying that they had to hurry up, he still kept chatting about irrelevant stuff. He started to hawk a stack of Twilight stuff, but gave up at the collective groan. Then someone (the bravest person at the con, in my opinion) said, “I’ll give you $50 for the whole stack.” Sold! They finally wrapped it up and set up for David. Did they show a video introduction? No se.

More later, including many many photos.