So, the first thing I encountered at this year’s National Fan Expo at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre is a group of guys in dark shades and t-shits marching around the convention floor level with signs and placards chanting, “His name is Sylar. Gabriel Sylar. Darkness is coming.” Any other place but here, one might have thought this was political, which is why I turned to the guy in line next to be dressed as Rorschach from Watchmen and said… Oh, never mind.
Fan Expo is the largest event of its kind in Canada – a dizzying gathering of all things comics, sci-fi, horror, anime and gaming. On the one end, you have the Toronto Board Gaming Society. Just down from there is the Major League Pro-Gaming Circuit with $70,000 in cash prizes. In front is a line of autograph tables where for a small fee you could get something signed by House of 1,000 Corpses’ Sid Haig, or Texas Chainsaw Massacre director Tobe Hooper. On the other side of the Hall, the superstars of comics like Alex Ross and Brian Bolland are receiving eager comic readers with their copies of Marvels or The Killing Joke.
In between are the little guys, the independent operators marking themselves and their mostly self-funded endeavours to potential super-stardom; whether their media is comics, crafts or film (like my friends at Guelph-based studios Black Fawn and Synn). But of course the main attractions have already made their mark or are otherwise continuing to do so. Event organizers made a smart call this year by holding some of the star Q & A’s in an adjacent hall rather than one of the upper seminar rooms. But given the near riot I witnessed Sunday, they should think of securing that space for the whole weekend.
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In between are the little guys, the independent operators marking themselves and their mostly self-funded endeavours to potential super-stardom; whether their media is comics, crafts or film (like my friends at Guelph-based studios Black Fawn and Synn). But of course the main attractions have already made their mark or are otherwise continuing to do so. Event organizers made a smart call this year by holding some of the star Q & A’s in an adjacent hall rather than one of the upper seminar rooms. But given the near riot I witnessed Sunday, they should think of securing that space for the whole weekend.
Now the term ‘riot’ is relative. I was catching the tail end of Brent Spiner’s Q&A and all was fine. When it was over Expo staff tried to clear the room for the next one: Battlestar Galactica’s Edward James Olmos. Now naturally, it would not be so unusual to assume that Star Trek: TNG and Battlestar might have some audience members in common, and a few stayed in their seats waiting for Olmos to arrive. But the line-up to see the present and future Admiral Adama was a proverbial mile long if not actually. The few that stuck around were told that if they wanted to see Olmos, then they’d have to leave the room and line-up behind everyone else. This did not sit well.
First, to preface how I observed all this, press were allowed to stay in the room. (To my credit, I did not take one of the chairs in the room and instead stood at the side and watched all this unfold with a photographer from Starlog.) Anyway, back to the scene, and it was getting nasty. Some were resigned to the fact of the matter and shuffled out, one or two about media’s special treatment, but one Spartacus in particular yelled out, “United we stand.” |
The Fan Expo staff, stuck between a rock and a hard case said that if the few holdouts didn’t leave than they’d have to call security. One staff member tried to quell the situation by promising that if the few remaining (and ticked) fans went outside and lined up that minute, then they’d be secured a place in the hall. One guy in a hat made a rather disheartening comment about how he “better be able to get back in” and that he was “going to come back” if he didn’t. Surprisingly though, the Q&A started on time, and incidentally, it was awesome.
Obviously, Olmos was the hot ticket this year with the excitement over the pending conclusion to Battlestar and the upcoming telefilm based on the TV show that Olmos is also directing. He began by saying that this was his first convention ever in North America. Dressed in a florescent pink shirt and blue jeans, Olmos’ attire and personality were as far from the dowdiness of Battlestar as humanly possible. Jamie Bamber (Apollo) was originally supposed to appear with Olmos’, but we had to settle for a surprise bow by Aaron Douglas (Chief Tyrol) instead.
“The Admiral” said that he wanted to do Fan Expo as a get to know you and say thank you to the fans of the show for their support. Before being joined by Douglas, Olmos talked about his directorial career, Blade Runner and the famous scene from the Battlestar episode “Maelstrom” where he was feigning rage over the death of Starbuck and destroyed an expensive model wooden ship being used as a prop. Hints about the final episode? Not really, all Olmos imparted was that the finale is “emotionally heart-breaking” and that he was “telling you this for a reason […] Ron [Moore, the show’s creator] has no mercy.” From Douglas we got this, “Wait till you see who the fifth Cylon is – unbelievable.”
If I learnOlmos talked a little about politics and he wasn’t the only one. Obviously, the American talent had Presidents and running mates on the mind this weekend before the Democratic National Convention (and on Saturday, the same day as the announcement of Joe Biden as Barack Obama’s running mate). Certainly, these things were on Kate Mulgrew’s mind as the Star Trek Voyager star launched into her Q&A, which began with a description of her “comedy of errors” that resulted in not getting to her Toronto hotel room until four in the morning.
ed one thing its that I shouldn’t underestimate the popularity of Trek even if it’s Voyager. Mulgrew was spry of thought and incredibly funny in talking about rehearsing for the Broadway version of Equis with Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe and how only seeing your husband every two or three weeks works to keep the marriage strong. She also talked very frankly about how she fought to make Janeway’s captaincy the producer’s focus rather that what her hair looked like, as well as serving as a role model for young women interested in pursuing science. The show stopper was a fan that played a little free association with Mulgrew as he named her fellow cast members.
This guy turned up on Sunday for the Brent Spiner comedy show that passed as a fan Q&A, and, I’m not kidding, a couple of people said out loud, “Not you again.” But Spiner was gracious enough and played along. He was also asked about how he felt to inspire scientists and space explorers, by a real-life astrophysicist who said that he was inspired by Spiner and Next Gen. engineer LeVar Burton. “LeVar?” asked a perplexed Spiner, “He inspired you to read,” he said to big laughs referring to Burton’s multi-year stint as the host of Reading Rainbow. Amongst Spiner’s recent projects is an album, which he calls an “audio film,” named Dreamland.
|  | But never mind the guys whose space flights never left the Hollywood soundstage, there was someone at Fan Expo that not only went to space, but was the second man on the moon. Dr. Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin talked to a large crowd about his career in the NASA and his participation in the Gemini and Apollo programs before talking about his work in pushing for the continued exploration of space and the current governmental policy regarding the shuttle program and the eventual mission to Mars. Aldrin had a number of interesting things to say, though I admit many of them went right over my head. But what’s clear is that the 78-year-old still has a passion for the Final Frontier.
 | On the other end of the spectrum we had Henry “The Fonz” Winkler. Winkler, as the producer of the TV series Sightings and Unexplained Mysteries, was an instant crowd-pleaser with a near full house welcoming him to the stage. He offered some inspirational words about his struggles with dyslexia and his personal motto, “If you will it, it’s not a dream.” He talked about being an author, getting a statue of his young, leather-jacket clad likeness in Milwaukee and being a part of the new Mitchell Hurwitz (animated) series, where he’ll play a disgruntled German teacher named Willard.
But of course, Winkler will always be remember as the man named Fonzerelli; just as Kristy Swanson will always remain in the hearts and minds of fans as the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer from the 1992 movie of the same name. Naturally, Swanson was asked a lot of Buffy-related queries: Do she shoot her own fight scenes? (Yes.) Was she asked to be a part of the Buffy series? (No, though she was glad that Joss Whedon decided to revisit it.) Swanson said that she based her Buffy on her sister-in-law and her best friend Julie and later talked about her role as a “lipstick lesbian stalker” on the web series Three Way and her small, but pivotal, contribution to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
Speaking of actors with cult status roles, Sean Astin was welcomed by a house full of fans Sunday, though surprisingly there seemed to be not one person dressed as a Hobbit in the crowd. Among other things, Astin showed and impressive understanding of Canadian football and talked with great, lengthy answers to the fans’ questions. He talked about his recent role playing opposite Lost’s Josh Holloway in the film Stay Cool, and the one episode of Angel he directed and his desire to do directing work, which could include an adaptation of Number the Stars, a book he and his wife optioned. As for Goonies 2, Astin said, he wonders if all the merchandising in recent years is an indication of movement on making a new film. And for The Hobbit, he said he’s open to doing something, even though he would probably not be playing Samwise Gamgee. |
Following the Lord of the Rings theme, I saw Brad Dourif talking to fans, although I unfortunately didn’t get to see much. He was asked about working with Crispin Glover in The Wizard of Gore, and surely much to the fan that asked the question’s dismay, Dourif said he didn’t actually wok with Glover on the film. It was a side project he squeezed in and in the hustle he didn’t even remember much about the film, which he learned to his embarrassment when he went to dub some of his lines. He also talked about improvising, of which Dourif says he’s not a fan. It doesn’t work out for him very often, he said, the one exception being his line about “being made of rubber” in the infamous doll sex scene in Bride of Chucky.
And speaking of cult-following, I also caught a little of Shawnee Smith’s Q&A. Now her name may not be instantly recognizable but her voice certainly will be. She’s now best known for her role as Amanda in the Saw franchise, which has grown in significance since the half day of shooting she did for the first film. Smith talked about how she worked closely with Tobin Bell in developing their characters for Saw III, taking walks together and going to cafes to talk about the script and the way to play they’re macabre father-daughter relationship. Coming up, look for Smith in Saw V this fall and in October she’ll be a judge on the reality show Scream Queen, where several young women will compete for a role in Saw VI. Directors David Hackl (Saw V) and Kevin Greutert (Saw VI) were also on hand.
Playing more iconic parts on the television series Smallville are Michael Rosenbaum and Laura Vandervoot, who portray Lex Luthor and Kara “Supergirl” Kent, respectively. The most surprising appearance though was Rosenbaum’s hair, which is usually shorn down to the nub to play the bald Luthor. But more than that, an iconic piece of clothing was optioned off for charity: Clark Kent’s distinctive red jacket. It went for $2,000 to the man known to the whole convention as “Naked Spock,” though someone pointed out to me that he may have actually been Namor the Sub-Mariner.
As for the Q&A itself, well, it was a laugh riot from beginning to end with Rosenbaum showing off his great comedic timing and quick wit while Vandervoot stood in as the straight man, so to speak, in their dyad. Interestingly, both actors are no longer regulars on Smallville this season, though Vandervoot said that she’ll be filming an episode in October to wrap up her character’s story, with an option to come back for later episodes. Rosenbaum said that he’s circling a movie role and that he desires to do more comedy and maybe get his own sitcom. This latter prompted a question his pre-Smallville role on the WB show Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane and when’s it going to be out on DVD. Judging from his response, I don’t think Rosenbaum gets asked about that show very often.
One of the big name directors this year was Wes Craven, the maker of The Hills Have Eyes, Last House on the Left, Scream, Red Eye and most famously, A Nightmare on Elm Street. The talk touched on just about every one of his major works from fighting the censoring of his films like Nightmare to coming up with the iconic costume for Scream’s Ghost Face Killer. Naturally, the conversation turned to the remakes of his films, including the proposed Nightmare remake. The moderator showed her extreme apprehension about having Billy Bob Thornton play the new Freddy Krueger, which was accompanied by some boos from the audience, but Craven said Thornton could pull the part off. (Interestingly, Rosenbaum was also asked about playing Freddy, he’s been repeatedly attached to the part. But the former Lex Luthor said that talk of him being Freddy is just the Hollywood rumour mill.) |  |
Craven also brought with him a clip from his upcoming film 25/8, which stars a cast of mostly unknowns and is scheduled to be released sometime early next year. The film takes place in a small town once haunted by a serial killer that died in the river 16 years earlier. On the anniversary of his death, the local youth celebrate by re-enacting the event, but this year the killer actually returns to the town and seven friends find themselves marked for death. Sounds a little like Nightmare with some Urban Legend thrown in, but the one-minute clip Craven showed was dark and foreboding, and so long as they nail the look of the killer (who was only shown in shadows), I think this could be Craven’s best since Red Eye.
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That’s all for now, but there’ll be more Fan Expo coverage in this week’s Lucid Comics column and next week’s September edition of Lucid Gaming.
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