Since I don’t have a Gold Ticket, I didn’t get the honor to attend the dessert and drinks mixer, so I sat in the karaoke-less bar actually able to have a conversation with people, drinking the worst Purple Nurple I’ve ever had. Sure, I could have had the “Sam-tini” or the “Dean-garita”, but I was in the mood for something with coconut rum in it. Not only was this drink not purple (it was cherry red), there wasn’t a trace of coconut in it. Or blue curacao. Or orange liqueur. I still have no freaking idea what I drank other than booze and cranberry juice.
Anyway, I’ve jumped ahead a bit. Back to the start of the day. Once I walked down the stairs to the ballroom, the day got started on schedule with another fan video and then the panel with Samantha Smith. This was her first time at a con, and she was nervous at first. She didn’t know what to expect from us or us her. Her hair was curled and a different color but she looked great. People started asking questions, and any hope from the day before of the same lame questions from other cons not being rehashed was quickly dashed.
I honestly don’t know if it was the questions or the way the panelists were answering them, but they didn’t seem to be having fun with them and didn't try go off on amusing tangents because the questions were so lame. Richard Speight Jr. the day before managed to take any question and turn it into a fascinating story, but the panelists today for the most part didn’t do much with the answers and overall the Q&A sessions fell flat.
It didn’t matter who the panelist was. The same questions were often asked and I can’t think of an interesting answer that came with any of them. What actor or director would you like to work with? What TV show would you like to be on? What’s your favorite genre? What are you working on now? How did you end up auditioning for the part? (The answer almost always is “my agent”). What character would you be stuck on a desert island with? What’s your favorite word, and favorite cuss word? Then there's the MOST over-asked and irritating question of the con: Have you been pranked by Jensen and Jared? Does anyone think they’re getting an honest answer from that? No one did.
Article comments
1 - Mary
Thanks for your reports, Alice! I'm enjoying them.
My complaints about cons are that they're rushed, pricey, and duplicative. I'd love to encounter actors in their natural environment (i.e., watching them work), but the chances of that are so laughably remote that I settle for cons and then wonder why, especially when I hear the same lame questions over and over again. If I'm tired of them, the actors must positively cringe, and it's to their credit that they hide it and keep smiling.
But in every con, there are gem moments that make it all worthwhile: meeting the folk you've blogged with, hearing an original question with a really funny or insightful answer, seeing people interact. And thus, we keep going.
I'm looking forward to your report on Jared and Jensen!
2 - kate
I have paid for a con and spent the whole (ok almost whole) time in the bar with online friends and meeting new ones. In fact I will be doing that at a local con later this month. Granted the con is a small one and significantly cheaper it does seem odd sometimes to pay money to sit in a hotel bar with friends.
But so far it has always been worth it.
3 - Drew
Hey, Alice. Sounds like your having some fun up there in Chicago. Good to hear. Sorry you missed out on your photo op though.
4 - Robin
Loved your rundown of events at the Con, Alice, and sure wish I'd known you were there so I could have given you a hug and told you how much I enjoy your SUPERNATURAL articles! The whole thing IS too rushed, there's far too much waiting in long lines, there isn't enough down time for people to get something to eat, and the damn hotel gave us a fridge that froze my insulin, rendering it useless! But standing between Jared and Jensen for my sandwich photo op was heavenly, even though the resultant photo looks like two sleek, gorgeous eagles with an ugly wren standing between them! My hair looked TERRIBLE!
Thank God for Photoshop. I'll just remove myself altogether!
Thanks again, Alice, for all your wonderful articles on SUPERNATURAL!
Love, Robin
5 - Alice Jester
Hey everyone! I wanted to point out a MAJOR typo. Please remember this was done in a rush in between events, so I apologize for missing this detail. Charles Malik Whitfield is from THE BRONX, not Brooklyn. I'm sure that's a big difference to people in that area. Sorry!
6 - Christopher Rose
I fixed that for you, Alice.
7 - Alice Jester
Thanks Christopher!