As I scan through my notes trying to find the interesting parts, one excellent question did come from the Samantha Smith panel. The lady asked whether as a mother (aka Mary), would she approve of Sam and Ruby having sex? Finally, a spark in the room! She didn’t have an easy answer for that, at first thinking they are adults but then again Ruby is a demon, but then again, she’s a good demon. That got the crowd going, for most don’t agree Ruby is good. Samantha kept up her belief, saying that if there can be fallen angels there can be good demons. I don’t think she sold the room, but I liked her point.
Another popular question for everyone, but one that I happen to enjoy, is if they’ve had any encounters with Jared’s dogs. Samantha by far had the best answer. She has a 3½ lb. Yorkie and brought her with her to the set. The dog was in the trailer and the door was open, but the dog was too small to get out. Harley and Sadie were running in a nearby field and Harley ended up running up the trailer stairs and sticking his nose in. Samantha’s little dog bit him in the nose and Harley ran off humiliated in pain.
Samantha so far was the only panelist to reveal she actually watches the show and is a fan, but I think it helps coming into it from the pilot. Her favorite male character (other than the leads) is Castiel, her favorite female Ellen. I have to admit, not bad choices. She was asked about working with Jeffrey Dean Morgan twice, meaning some fans weren’t listening to all the questions. She did talk about being on the Friends set playing Hot Girl, and had some good words for Matthew Perry. She also mentioned a bit about the nervousness over the SAG situation, and how bad the writers' strike devastated Hollywood. It’s apparently not a happy time out there in LaLa land.
Jason Manns did his panel next and I’ll admit I didn’t know anything about him until a friend at breakfast revealed he was a musician friend of Jensen’s. The most interesting reveal of his panel was that he’s producing a new film called Rock Slyde. This doesn’t sound like your run of the mill indie film, for it has some stars in it. It stars Patrick Warburton who I absolutely love (Puddy on Seinfeld, and my favorite voiceover, Kronk in The Emperor’s New Groove). Other names dropped were Andy Dick (that had to be interesting), Rena Softer, and Jason Alexander. They're hopeful about getting a distributor and plan on screening it at some festivals like AFI or SXSW in the future.
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!