A Roommate, A Doctor, and A Gentleman

WhedonCon - Day 3

Sunday, May 20, 2018

Marriott - Woodland Hills

Bro and family had plans for the day, so I left their house earlier than I originally scheduled, and Dodie met up with me before the Sunnydale Mall opened.  Since we couldn't go shopping yet and both of us had already eaten breakfast, we wandered around the first floor of the Marriott.  They had a chess team to their decor.

Big Chess Pieces

Wall decor

We saw that one of the first panels of the morning was a panel regarding monsters and makeup, with James Leary (BTVS' Clem) and Camden Toy (multiple BTVS characters, including one of the Gentlemen).  James hadn't quite arrived yet, so the makeup artists (both had been on the show "Face Off") interviewed Camden by himself. Camden's father was also an actor, and when Camden showed an interest in the makeup box, encouraged him and they played with the makeup all of the time.  So when Camden became an actor, he had no problem with the different kinds of makeup they would use, or the amount of time it would take them to do it.  Camden was told that he needed to leave, but he was really liking the discussion, and hung around for a few more minutes, even after James finally arrived.  I really enjoyed this discussion, and it made me even more excited about our scheduled activity for the afternoon.

Leary, Toy, and Makeup Artists

Leary and Toy

James Leary was hilarious.  He showed up late because he didn't realize he had a panel to attend, and asked for coffee.  He didn't seem to need coffee as he was knocking over the water pitcher, and was pretty excitable, though.  The panel moderators asked the same questions of James that they had with Camden.  Next time we come to the Con and James is there, I'll make sure to go to at least one of his panels.

We then attended the panel "The Science of ...WHEDON!"  Panel members were brainy guys who taught science ranging from elementary school to CalTech.  The lady sitting next to Dodie really should have been the moderator or something because she almost took control of the whole thing with her loud statements.  I moved over because a very tall guy sat in the seat in front of me, and also because I was self-conscious sitting so close to her, because everybody turned to look at her for half of the session.  At least it was a small room.  I was grateful for the elementary school teacher, because he would draw while the others were talking so that we could visualize what they were discussing.  It was basically a Q&A with audience members asking questions like colonizing other planets if we use up Earth's resources, as well as how Thanos' Infinity Stones powers worked.  

Science of Whedon panel

We were hungry and went to Starbucks to get something to eat.  As we were waiting for our orders, a woman asked if we wanted to attend the Sunday luncheon because she had some extra wristbands.  OK!  We still ate our food because we didn't want it to get cold, and still needed to wait a few minutes after that before going inside, so I'm glad we ate.  

The Sunday Luncheon was in one of the hotel meeting rooms, and we sat down at one of the tables.  Dagney Kerr (BTVS Kathy) arrived first, and decided to sit by us.  I introduced myself and reached out my hand, but she had just washed hers and knew we'd be eating soon, so she offered to hug me instead.  Then later we heard the rules of No Photos, No Autographs, No Touchies, and No Selfies.  Oops.  Dagney confessed to hugging me and we were told it was OK for them to initiate as long as they had consent.  So no, I don't have any pictures from this event.  Dagney was really cool to talk to, and she is currently a playwright, but still does acting here and there.  She said that she really likes this Con because it's small and she doesn't get overwhelmed by the amount of people.  She hadn't eaten all day yesterday, though, so event organizers need to squeeze in some meal time for them next year.  This day was OK because of the luncheon, but she couldn't eat the sandwiches because of the meat in them.

Then came time for them to switch.  I was hoping that Sean Maher (Firefly's Dr. Simon) would come to our table even though he had arrived a few minutes late. He did!  Because he was late, he wasn't present when they handed out free keychains of the Mutant Enemy logo, which was on wood, just like the pin I had purchased on Friday.  I gave him mine, and he initially refused to take it, saying he would get one, but I insisted, so he took it and thanked me.  If Sean hadn't already portrayed my favorite character of the Firefly series, he would have quickly become my favorite that day.  He talked about his family and living in Michigan, and the show he is trying to develop.  I'm not going to say what it is, but I offered him the name of the series, and he liked it.  I even said he didn't need to pay me for the name.  Yes, Sean gave me a little hug, too.  I was so happy!

We couldn't stay to meet with Andrew Ferchland (BTVS' The Annointed One) or Gigi Edgley (Farscape's Chiana), because we had an event scheduled.  I'm disappointed that we weren't able to be present for the group picture, but I have these nice memories.  I keep hoping that they'll post some of the candids from the event, but I haven't seen any yet.

We then went across the hallway to another meeting room to make a Gentleman Doll with Camden Toy!   Yes, Camden was going to make one, too!  A couple of the gals from our table at the luncheon also attended this one.  We didn't have enough time to finish our dolls, so they gave us the rest of the materials we needed to complete them.  Camden got really involved in making his doll, and asked if he could get his materials, too.  They said they were going to give him a finished one, which he happily accepted, but I think he also wanted to finish his doll anyway.  That was fun!  I need to find time to finish all of these crafts!  

Cute!

We sat outside the next panel room for a little while and I people-watched as Andrew F came by and attended the panel.  I love that!  It was some kind of writers' panel, and he knew one of them.  We went inside, too, because we wanted to have seats for the Sean Maher Q&A, which was taking place right after that one.

Sean did talk about a little of the same stuff he talked about during the luncheon, but mostly received questions about his career.

• On what revival of a series would you want to be?
• Besides Firefly?
• Sean's favorite Simon line (mine, too!):
• "This must be what going mad feels like."
• Sean's advice to his younger self:
• "Fail.  Be imperfect.  I'm a recovering perfectionist."

Sean and moderator Ian

Sean Maher

We went shopping so we could get more Buffy bubblegum:  they're little stakes!  I bought some tea, too.  

We attended the Closing Ceremonies and were told that next year's WhedonCon will be closer to LAX to be more convenient for the guests.  We would also have a discount for next year if we signed up before the end of the month, and it would include a couple of perks.  Then we sang the "WhedonCon" song with The Fallen Stars again before we adjourned.

Dodie left before me because she had an appointment, but we both bought tickets to next year already.  We had a great time!

Thank you, WhedonCon, for a fantastic weekend!