Sunday of the Final Frellin’ Farscape Farewell Convention

Sunday was the day I had been looking forward to the entire Creation Entertainment convention.  Not only was Sunday the day of the Ben Browder and Claudia Black panel, it was also the day of my dual photo ops with Ben and Claudia and another one with Michael Shanks!  So you can see why I was excited.

I woke up and started getting ready for the day.  Why is it, girls, that when you are trying to get ready for something you are excited about your makeup just never wants to go on properly and your hair just doesn’t want to do anything?  Or at least it seems that way, doesn’t it?  Anyway, after getting ready, ValaBlack and I went downstairs to get in line for the Ben and Claudia photo ops.  (ValaBlack pictured in the Aeryn Sun Duster Jacket) Even though we got there early, there was already a long line!  We had to wait around for about an hour before we got into the room where they were taking the pictures.

This was my first time ever getting photo ops, so I had no idea what to expect.  The line moved fairly quickly once the pictures started getting taken.  The way the room was set up, the line wrapped around the room, so once you were in the room, you could watch everyone in front of you getting their pictures taken.  It was so much fun to be able to see how excited everyone was in their photos!  Finally it was my turn.  Now, I need to let you all in on a little background information about me before you see my picture.  I absolutely loathe taking posed, smiling pictures.  Where’s the fun in that?!  So in mostly all of the pictures my friends and I take, we are always making some sort of funny face.  That got me to thinking…  Why would I take a posed, smiling picture with Ben and Claudia (or any other celebrity) when I don’t even take posed, smiling pictures for my family and friends?  So when it was my turn, I walked up to Ben and Claudia and asked them if they would be willing to take a ‘funny face’ picture.  I was so thrilled that they both agreed!  Claudia said, “Well, I make funny faces all the time, so I’m ready!”  I think it turned out perfectly!  What do you think?  Claudia’s face cracks me up!

After I left the room, me and ValaBlack went and got in line with the CBO group for a group shot with Claudia.  She seemed a little overwhelmed with the size of us, but she was so sweet!  Once that picture was done, we went and jumped in the line for Michael Shanks.  He was a tad late for his photo session, so we had to sit in line for a bit.  It ended up not being so bad though because we got there early enough to be about the fourth or fifth people from the front.  Once he got to the room, we got our pictures done really fast.  Again, when it was my turn, I walked up to Shanks and asked him if he’d take a ‘funny face’ picture with me.  He agreed too!  What’s really amusing to me is that we didn’t plan what face we were going to make, but we ended up making a very similar one!

Because I was in line for Shanks, I had to miss an autograph and panel with Francesca Buller (Minister Ahkna, Ro-na, M’lee, Raxil).  I was really upset because I had really wanted to see her panel!  But once we left the photo room, ValaBlack and I went to see if we could get the interviews from Lani Tupu and Virginia Hey that we had been trying to set up all weekend.  I just want to say a big, BIG thank you from the WHR team to Jean and Stephanie for helping us to set them up.  And also another HUGE thanks to Virginia and Lani for granting us the interviews!  (They’ll be posted soon!)

Once the interviews were over, it was time for the big panel of the day, Ben and Claudia!  Ben was a little late and Claudia remarked that she was always waiting for a man.  Claudia ended up eating her lunch on stage because she hadn’t had time to do it before.  At this point, I hadn’t eaten all day and I wished I had a lunch to eat then too!  The panel was hilarious.  Ben and Claudia are so much fun to watch!  If you’ve never seen them together for a panel, I highly recommend you get yourself to a con!  You won’t be disappointed.  The best part of the panel, in my opinion, was when a little boy dressed as Batman ran up on stage and into Claudia’s arms.  She hugged him for a minute and said that she didn’t think he was going to come.  Then she turned to the audience and mouthed, “This is my son!”  Everyone “Awwww’d” and Claudia returned to talking to him.  He ended up getting tired of the mask after a few seconds, and asked if he could remove it.  Claudia then asked the audience, “He wants to take off his mask, but if he does, I want to ask everyone, please, not to take any pictures.”  Immediately, and I do mean immediately, EVERY camera in the room went down.  Not even one person out of the, I don’t know, maybe four hundred or so people that were there, took a picture.  It was really amazing to be there and see how respectful and awesome ‘Scapers are.  Claudia even said herself that this was the only convention she’d ever have done that at because she knew that the fans here would do what she had asked.  It was an experience I’ll never forget.  Once we get our notes in order, a transcription of the full panel is on the way for you guys, so stay tuned!

After the panel, it was time for the ‘Cocktails with Claudia’ event.  ValaBlack and I had tickets, so we headed over to the room to get seats.  We ended up sitting at the first table that Claudia came to visit!  She brought her children and husband with her and, let me just tell you, they are adorable!  (No pictures allowed t this event). Claudia seems like a wonderful mom!  While she was sitting talking to our table, her two sons were up and down off of her lap and she wasn’t fazed a bit.  I guess that’s just one of those things that moms get used to!  She told us about a new independent movie that she had just filmed called “Rain from Stars”.  She said it was a cross between “12 Angry Men” and “Saw”.  I don’t know about you, but that seems like a very interesting combination!  Brian Krause, Jeremy London, and French Stewart also star in the movie.  It’s set to be released in Canada on October 31, 2010.  No word yet on when (or if) it will be in theaters in the US.  After a quick chat, it was sadly time for her to move on to the next table.

Once the party ended, we went to check out the vendor’s room one last time and see if we had won anything in the raffle.  Sadly, neither of us won a prize, but it was still a lot of fun talking to the guys at the Henson booth!  And WR_Systems caught a shot of Paul McMillion of Stargate Atlantis mingling with the fans near the vendors room! Our final duty for the night was an ‘end of convention meeting’ with the WHR team.

After the WHR team meeting, we went upstairs and hung out with the ‘Scapers in the lobby for the remainder of the evening and well into the night!  ‘Scapers really are where the party’s at!  Everyone was winding down from the busy weekend and even though everyone was exhausted, we hung out until about 1am because none of us wanted it to be over!  I met some amazing people there and now have a whole new group of friends.  Everyone is so happy to be there and they are all just super nice people.  I can’t wait until next year!

Yes, I’m already planning on going again…  I think I may be kind of addicted.  Once yo u go to one, you’ll see why!  I hope every fan of this series gets to attend at least one Farscape Con in their life.  It really is a wonderful experience.  Just plan on getting hardly any sleep for four days!