TNMC
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The 2nd Annual Farscape Convention in Burbank, Ca.
Burbank Airport Hilton, September 1-3, 2001
Day One
11:00 AM - Doors open. I was literally the 3rd person in the door, so I got first crack at some of the merchandise, which saved me a lot of time as it quickly became a madhouse. There weren't a tremendous amount of booths or tables, but there was pretty much everything that you could think of: photos, calendars, posters, glassware, plates, books, scripts, DVDs, artwork, clothing, toys, fanclub kits, and some concept art from the upcoming PC game. Curiously, no sign of the upcoming comic book, but c'est la vie.
12:45 PM - Selected music video submissions were played. Apparently there was a contest where people were setting clips of the show to music, and some were actually quite good.
1:00 PM - David Kemper and Brian Henson speak. They talked about virtually everything, even chronicling the birth of the series, starting way back in 1993. Fox and Warner Bros. were both interested in "Space Chase" but would only commit to 4-6 episodes each. Henson and O'Bannon refused at the time. Four years later, Henson finally sells an entire 22-episode commitment. The series is renamed, and the rest is history. Along with other interesting tidbits, Kemper and Henson fielded questions for well over 30 minutes, and hinted at some very cool stuff.
Almost immediately, somebody asked about the future of the show. How many more seasons, movies, etc. Well, Kemper was a bit vague, but it's certainly very promising. While the show has not yet been officially renewed for a fourth season (it was not revealed why) he said that just two nights ago, he'd had dinner with director Tony Tilse where they discussed episode 67. (i.e. - 4.01) This prompted a huge response from the crowd. What prompted an even larger one was when he said Mr. Browder was currently at work on his second script, episode 73. (4.07) He then went on to tantalize the audience by letting them in on the fact that he and a select few already know what will happen in episodes 89 (5.01), 110 (5.22), and 132 (6.22)!
He also added cautiously that they would try to release a theatrical movie during the fifth season. He noted that it would be very difficult, but that it was a possibility. I found this curious since Kemper's already stated in past interview that Chris Carter goofed with the X-Files, combining a current series with a movie, so at least he's aware of the pitfalls.
That was definitely the big news. One other point of interest was when somebody asked if there was a reason that Humans and Sebaceans were similar physiologically. The surprising answer was "yes," and that we'll have to wait to see why... They also joked about possible plot points like Stark coming back pregnant, and said vague things like, "well, they thought there were only two Crichtons... "
1:45 PM - Gigi Edgley addressed the crowd, which loved her in return. I'll tell you what, even though she claims not to have many personality traits in common with her Nebari alter ego, she is a little bit kooky. Well, bursting with energy at least. She was super friendly, though, and answered questions for a long time. It was obvious she loved the attention of the gawking conventioneers. And needless to say, she's still very attractive, even in human form. She did hint that her newfound psychic abilities would be playing a larger role, and even did the cool alien voice from "Losing Time." She also talked about the evolving dynamic between herself and Jool, and hinted that Chiana may still have feelings for D'Argo.
2:30 PM - Selection of fans for Farscape Live! skit. Directors Tony Tilse and Andrew Prowse came out and selected four Crichtons, four Aeryns, and four Scorpius' to re-enact a scene from "Crackers Don't Matter" from a bunch of volunteers. This was a highlight, as yours truly was selected to show off my acting chops. Bad decision, Tony. Oh well.
2:45 PM - Intermission. Except for myself and the other 11 actors. We got to go backstage and rehearse, with stage direction from Tony and Andrew themselves. Pretty frelling sweet. Alas, here, my loyal readers is where I lose all credibility for all time.
I'm standing there reading through my lines with my two partners. I'm psyched, but don't wanna screw up, so I'm pretty into it. Luckily it was the confrontation scene between Aeryn and John in "Crackers Don't Matter." (the pizza and margarita shooters scene) I'm pretty familiar with this scene so I'm a little ahead of the game at least. About that time, a guy walks up in a baseball hat, t-shirt and jeans. At least I think that's what he was wearing. I wasn't really paying attention. He asked if that was the final script we were reading. I quickly responded that it couldn't be, because the dialog was slightly different, unless of course there was ad-libbing. The man says, "Yeah, there probably was a lot of that." He says a couple of other things, but I'm not even really hearing him. I'm too preoccupied with memorizing my lines.
Well, I'm sure you've already guessed what happened. About 30 minutes later, Kyle (Scorpius in my group) goes, "Man, that was so cool that Ben just came up and talked to us like that." I ask, "What the hell are you talking about?" He looks at me funny, and says, "You know, Ben Browder? When he asked you if that was the final script?" Well, kiddies, it's a good thing I wasn't near any ledges, because I felt like jumping off a building. My favorite actor in the entire world was standing two feet away from me, asked me a couple of questions, and I didn't recognize him. I can offer no excuse except as to say he looked just like a regular guy, and somehow, I didn't recognize his voice. Basically, I'm an idiot. I even made fun of my ex-girlfriend once for not recognizing Dave Matthews when she rang him up at Pier 1. I think this surpasses that in terms of pure idiocy. In my defense, all I can offer is that I honestly didn't think he'd be there yet. Who would have known that he'd be lurking backstage? So on the one hand, I sort of accomplished my ultimate convention goal of meeting Ben Browder. Hopefully he just thought I was playing it cool... yeah, right. I'm an idiot. Someone should put me out of my misery.
3:15 PM - Directors/ Producers Forum. Tilse, Prowse, Kemper and Richard Manning fielded questions and told stories for about an hour. One thing that was notable was that these guys loved "Scratch 'n Sniff." They also went on about "Different Destinations" and "Revenging Angel" as some of their season three favorites. Funny, because I wouldn't place any of those near the top of season three, but listening to them talk about them, you gain a lot of insight and respect for what they accomplished.
4:15 PM - Tammy MacIntosh comes out. Let me just say right off -- she was simply mesmerizing. First of all, she looks dramatically different in person. For one thing, she's blonde. She's also beyond gorgeous. It's easy to see why she's a star in Australia. She was funny, smart, and incredibly nice. Within mere minutes, she'd won over the entire crowd, including those that might not even care for her character. Hell, even she doesn't! She freely admitted that Jool is irritating and annoying, but that it makes for better drama and adds to the dysfunction of the family. She also confirmed that her eye patch at the end of "Fractures" was due to an injury on set, which they conveniently worked into the story. It's funny how seeing somebody in person can change your perception of his or her character, because now I think I'm a huge Jool fan. Tammy MacIntosh rules. As an added bonus, she did some cartwheels and a full flip, thanks to her gymnastics background. And of course, she did her trademark scream. Luckily, just once...
5:00 PM - Farscape Live! Time to act, baby. This was such a thrill. Although I was the weakest link, I think I held my own as Crichton, and we thoroughly amused the crowd. Kyle had Scorpius' voice down and was super funny "dissolving into CGI bits", and Maklynn was just fantastic as the strong-willed Aeryn. As a group, we were certainly the best of the four, and I'm speaking truth. I was on cloud nine, because I saw three autographed and framed John/Aeryn posters sitting off to the side, and knew that they were ours. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be for me. In a cruel twist, Andrew Prowse (now my least favorite Farscape director... ) chose different people from different groups to do the scene without rehearsing, to simulate an audition-type situation. It just so happens, however, that he chose Kyle and Maklynn, but not me. Another Crichton was apparently better, because the three of them did it again, and each then received a poster, which was being sold for $200.
I'll be honest, not getting that poster coupled with not recognizing Browder backstage had me pretty bummed for about 30 minutes. But then I remembered that I still had a blast doing it and when I finally meet Browder (for real) I'll have a funny anecdote.
5:30 PM - Blooper Reel! Nine minutes of acting bloopers, which were hysterical. Especially D'Argo. But some other great stuff was when Claudia Black said "E.T., extra testicles" (instead of tentacles) in Farscape Undressed, and when Tammy MacIntosh convinced Lani Tupu to scream just once during the Boolite sequence, just for fun even though it was out of character. And of course, that take actually made it in to the final cut.
5:40 PM - Anthony Simcoe. This guy just rocks. From the very start this guy is nothing but energy. Instead of merely walking onto the stage, he sprints around the length of the entire auditorium. The whole time he was shifting in and out of his various voices: his real one, the D'Argo voice, and the homosexual D'Argo voice from "Won't Get Fooled Again." He also gave some insight into D'Argo's suave dancing moves. It's an inside joke - he stole most of those moves from an 80's boy band from Australia. My only disappointment - no "I'm your daddy." Oh well, he's probably sick of doing that by now.
6:15 PM - Autograph signing with the three stars, along with Prowse, Tilse, Kemper, Manning and Henson. While I didn't have a chance to get any autographs, I did get the chance to briefly meet and chat with Kemper, Manning, Gigi Edgley, and Tammy MacIntosh. And of course, I worked directly with Tilse and Prowse during the skits.
That wrapped up at 9:00 PM since the cocktail party was scheduled to start. Unfortunately, I couldn't go to that, but all in all, a fantastic first day. Met a lot of nice folks from all over the country. And while in an ideal universe I won that signed poster and had a real conversation with Browder, there's always tomorrow. And Monday. So wish me luck.
-- Ultra Magnus
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