I went to Fan Expo 2009 in Toronto two months ago, since I happened to be in town. The last time I went was in 2005, so it was exciting to go back again.
This convention marked my first time cosplaying! I didn’t make my costume, though; it was bought. I wore the Uhura red dress from the new Star Trek movie. People asked to take a photo of me a few times, so that was interesting.
I went with James and Jasmine. We totally went hardcore this year, attending tons of Q&A sessions.
Day 1
Our first Q&A session was for James Kyson Lee. Lee gave us some info about the new season of Heroes. I also learned that he didn’t speak Japanese before doing the show.
Walter Koenig‘s Q&A was really fun! He told some great stories involving his awesome impressions of Takei and Shatner.
We attended a “special presentation” of Disney’s Tron: Legacy. Unfortunately, we didn’t really see much that was new. They showed the teaser trailer that’s been online for a while, a few concept images, and a short real world scene.
Day 2
We got up early to line up for Leonard Nimoy‘s Q&A session. We saw Henry and got in line with him. Henry and his friend taught us how to play the Guillotine card game, which we played until they let us into the conference room. We were super excited when we got 6th row seats! Nimoy’s session was pretty good, but unfortunately not much was said about Star Trek, and nothing at all about his Trek co-stars. (I love hearing the anecdotal behind-the-scenes stuff, like in Koenig’s session.)
Linda Hamilton was so sweet and funny in her Q&A. She was just really cute and genuine.
Avery Brooks‘ Q&A was rather… strange. He kept saying vague statements that never really answered people’s questions. (Definitely no anecdotal stuff here!) Also, the guy who asked the first question was ridiculous. His question was insanely long and no one could hear it (except maybe Brooks and the people in the rows in front of him). The session ended with Brooks singing a spiritual song.
Bruce Campbell‘s Q&A was a riot to watch. He totally is that funny, cocky character he always plays. He had by far the hugest crowd and the best Q&A (imho!).
I also got Robert Duncan McNeill‘s autograph and a picture taken with him. We spoke to him briefly, and he was really nice. I told him that I love Chuck (which he executive produces), and I hope it stays on the air.
Day 3
Robert Duncan McNeill‘s Q&A session was great. He talked a bit about Voyager and Chuck. It was nice to hear that he and the other Voyager guys are still good friends. He also noticed a couple dressed up as Chuck and Sarah standing at the back of the room, which was cool since I’ve never seen anyone dressed up as them. (However, I did see a guy dressed up as a Buy More Nerd Herd guy on Day 1.)
Billy Dee Williams was interesting. He had some interesting comments about Return of the Jedi (I will never think of the Sarlacc pit in the same way again), and he managed to scare the pants off the entire audience.
We had a somewhat disheartening experience getting Leonard Nimoy‘s autograph. His autograph cost about 2-3 times more than the autographs of other celebrities, and he just signed without asking who to make it out to. I suppose that’s to be expected since he’s such a huge star and doesn’t have time. After getting Nimoy’s autograph, I asked him if I could have a picture taken with him, but he completely ignored me and moved on to the next person in line. It was a gamble, since I knew that there was a specific “photo op” session where you had to pay to get a photo taken with him, but the photo op was at the same time as Robert Duncan McNeill’s Q&A, so we couldn’t go. Either way, he could have said something instead of ignoring me! Maybe I should stick with the lesser-known stars, since they’re more friendly (and affordable)!
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All in all, it was a great weekend. Not much sleep, not much food… but SO MUCH fun!! :)