Wild Weekend! Part One: Tonight, We Did
Aug. 25th, 2010 08:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
japanesedream_72I have been going almost non-stop for 6 days.
Please bear with me; this will take a while to document, because SO much has happened!!
I'll go day by day, starting with Friday, when I went to my mom's to pick up her & my brother, Johnathan, for Monster-Mania (http://www.monstermania.net/MMC15_Guests.html). He was still working, so she & I went out shopping, 'cuz she had to pick up some stuff. We also looked around, hoping to find a card or something with a grey cat on it. She'd had the idea of maybe giving it to Dale Midkiff, one of the stars of Pet Sematary (whom she really, really likes), since a grey cat was the family pet in the film. Sadly, there were very few cat items, cards or otherwise, to be found, & of those, no grey cats. Ah well. I did manage to find a little goodie for myself, tho', a cute metal Hello Kitty pursey-thing.
Once my brother came home & got ready, we all packed up & headed down to Cherry Hill. For those who don't know, that's in southern NJ, not too far from Philadelphia...which is why my GPS decided to take us THROUGH Philly!! XP But first, we went past exits for Valley Forge, Conshohocken, & some other places, & got stuck in work traffic!! It was a mess there for a while, & I was feeling really rough. I'd been sick the whole week, & at that moment, despite having taken aspirin at my mom's, I had a raging headache that was making me terribly nauseous. If my head didn't explode, I thought my guts might. O.o
Driving through Philly - ugh, I never want to do that again as long as I live!! The drivers there are SCARY!! They don't want to let you in when you're trying to switch lanes!! And, of course, I have no idea exactly where I'm going. We went to Monster-Mania last year, but I'd driven to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
charaxinae's house & she drove the rest of the way. This year, it was just me, all teary & panicking, but Philly really is a nice city, with a beautiful skyline, & we went over the Ben Franklin Bridge, which is also pretty neat. And though it took a lot longer than it should have under normal circumstances, we finally arrived at the Crowne Plaza.
We drive around for a bit looking for a parking place, & end up finding one not too far from the hotel, which was a bit of luck. So we go to the main entrance (which I thought was where we entered last year, but we only went for 1 day; this year was the whole 3), & there's this huge line, but the staff guy who checked our passes (they're actually wristbands, so we put them on right there, & kept them on for the whole 3 days) said it was only for John Carpenter. Much like Adam West last year, they had Carpenter in a room by himself, sequestered from the other stars. We were indecisive about what to do: I'd wanted to get to see Carpenter, but with that long line & the fact that they said he was charging $30 for an autograph (most of the stars only charge $20), it seemed a bit much. And tho' the staff guy teased us for our indecisiveness, we decided to skip Carpenter, & go straight in to enjoy the rest of the convention.
I must tell you that, at first, Monster-Mania is kind of overwhelming. There are lots & lots of dealer tables, & it's hard to know what to do or buy or where to even start. You kind of have to have a system - look at everything first, then decide what you might like to get & investigate that specifically. Plus, if you have the schedule handy (we did), you want to make sure you know where the events are & get there in time to get a good seat. There are also interesting-looking people attending, which makes people-watching a must, not to mention the people who work with the convention who walk around in costume. I got a couple of pics last year, but only went & talked to Katharine Isabelle, so this year I was determined to go all out! So we scoped out a couple of things in the dealer room. Johnathan got a copy of Night of the Demons 3, & I found Nekromantik 2 & Faster Pussycat, Kill, Kill. Then we went to check out the signing rooms & find out who was situated where. We wanted to make sure we had enough time also to snag some dinner, before catching the screening of Pet Sematary at 10:00.
There are 2 main signing rooms; there was another for the Boondock Saints, & I dunno where they stuck John Carpenter. Somewhere upstairs, I think. There wasn’t really anyone I desperately needed to speak to in the first room (tho’ seeing Friday the 13th pt. 2 star Amy Steel was pretty cool; she hasn’t changed much); rather, it was in the 2nd signing room where we had our best luck. As soon as we walked in, there was Felissa Rose!! She's the girl from Sleepaway Camp (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleepaway_Camp), the only horror movie that freaks me out!! Next to her were tables for each of the Pet Sematary (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pet_Sematary_(film)) stars. Beside them were Julian Sands (who is a lot bigger than on tv, & he’s a big guy on tv!! But he didn’t look in the best of moods, & Johnathan said he wasn’t really talking to anyone much), & Barbara Steele (you will hear more about her later). There were other stars, as well (Udo Kier was supposed to be there, but ended up having to cancel), including William Forsythe (the sheriff from The Devil’s Rejects), plus people promoting movies & books, as well as other horror things. Sometimes, in the dealer's rooms, they'll try to get your attention to promote their merchandise (they did that to us a couple times), but it's not like that in the signing rooms. The stars just sit there & wait for you to come to them. Sometimes, tho', they'll take breaks, so you'll see a "Back in 5 minutes" sign on their table. Dale Midkiff was on a break, but Felissa was there, & ever since we'd found out she was gonna be there, my mom said I should go tell her my story. I was a bit nervous, but then my mom spotted Dale coming back in! He walked past us & she pointed him out (I hadn't noticed him enter). She didn't want to be the 1st to go up to him, or to go alone, so she took me up to Felissa (saying hi in the meantime to some of the Pet Sematary cast, including Miko Hughes, Brad Greenquist, & Andrew Hubastek, who played Zelda - the only horror character that freaks Johnathan out, & she told him so!! He smiled at that).
However terrifying she may be in the film, Felissa is a total sweetheart in person!! I walked up to her after the guy in front of us was finished, & she looks up at me & asks, with that cute, perky attitude of hers, "How are you?" It just sort of came out, but I said, "Fantastic," & she was, like, "Really? Tell me!" So I told her how I'm a card-carrying, life-long gore-hound who can watch anything getting ripped out of anybody, but I cannot watch (or even listen to) the end of her movie 'cuz it disturbs me so badly!! (If you wanna see why, check out the scene that gets me, on YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdNKR1j6l90 - but I warn you, it's VERY disturbing!!!) Eyes wide, she said, "OMG, really? Tell me, why?" I explained it was her face (which they freeze on), her snarling, the music, the whole thing. She said she thought I was "so cute" & said she was fascinated by people telling her how disturbing they find it, since, even tho' she's seen the film, she doesn't have that outside perspective. I said her perspective would no doubt be different, since she was the one standing there, then I asked her if it was a suit or what, "How did they do that?" She said they made a mold of her head & put it on a male actor, so that's a real boy's body. I hadn't known that. She did say that it was her voice, tho'. I told her I get so unnerved by that final moment, if I were to watch it I'd start looking for her character around dark corners!! She turned to my mom & said, "I love her!" I'd picked out a photo of her from the film, & she signed it.
When she asked my name, I told her, & it turned out her manager or whoever that was with her (pretty much all the stars have a person with them) was named Marlene, too! I asked if I could take a pic with her, & she was happy to do it. Johnathan took the shot, & I thanked her.
Then I started to walk away, & realised I forgot to pay her! :P I went back & was, like, "Did I pay you?" So I did, & it turned out her husband had come back in, & she said she was telling him my story; she said they'd met because he was a fan of the film! I talked to him for a bit about it (he agreed it is very disturbing), then said bye to her again, & she said I'd made her night. ^_^
Next, it was my mom's turn. And she was NERVOUS! I went up with her to Dale Midkiff's table, & she was picking out a photo (I helped her choose a nice one from Pet Sematary, tho' the stars have shots from other things they've done, or even non-film shots), then said hi to Dale, & he said hi. But I didn't think she could say much more, so I thought I'd help her out. "My mother just loves you," I said, & he said, "Aww, Mom, that's so sweet!" & clasped her hand in both of his. I told him that her favourite line in the film was after the scene where Denise Crosby (who plays his wife) talks about her sister that died (Zelda), & gets upset, & he says he's giving her a Valium. She says she doesn't take Valium, & he turns around, "channeling Elvis," as I put it (he did play Elvis in a TV movie once), & says, "Tonight, you do." I said we've had whole evenings of in-jokes that have cropped up around that scene, & he giggled a bit, then whips himself into character for a split second, looks at my mom, & launches into a perfect, "Tonight, you do." OMG!! :D Then, he says to my mom, "You're gonna get a hug," & asks her name & if she wants anything special written when he signs her photo. She didn't really give him an answer, & he writes, "To Grace, Tonight you do! Love, Dale Midkiff."
She thanked him, & I asked if he'd mind if I got a photo of him & my mom. He said sure, then comes out from behind his table, arms spread wide, & gave my mom a big hug!! I took a photo of him with his arms around her, & he said, "Take another." So I got a 2nd one!!
We asked if he were gonna be there all weekend, & he said yes, 'cuz I'd wanted to get his autograph, too, but I was hoping to get my Pet Sematary novel signed, but I'd left it in the car. So we said we'd be back, & he was cool with that. I think we mentioned at that point that we'd be there all 3 days. "See you this weekend," he said.
I went to 60s film-making pioneer Herschell Gordon Lewis next. The Godfather of Gore, himself!! I was kind of discombobulated with him, tho’, so I mostly said it was a pleasure to meet him & I admired his films. He took my hand in both of his (not as tightly as Dale did to my mom, tho’), & I think I said something about Blood Feast being the first of his films that I’d watched, long ago, which started me getting into his movies, but I don’t think he heard me, ‘cuz I said it quietly, knowing if I did it any louder, I’d be making a damn fool of myself. XD He asked my name & signed a photo of himself.
He was so nice!! I thanked him & made my happy way back to my waiting family members.
After that, it was dinner at Embers, the hotel restaurant. My brother & I both had wraps (his was chicken, mine was veggie), & my mom got a burger. We gushed about our autographs, & how we'd touched the hearts of the stars we'd talked to, namely Dale & Felissa. Johnathan was funny, 'cuz he said, "I wanna touch somebody." LOL!! XD (He would get his chance, don't worry, but let's not get ahead of the story.) The food was pretty good, tho' we had to hunt down the waiter when we were gonna pay. He'd been nice enough, tho'. The real highlight of dinner was seeing this tall woman in a black suit, with a little pillbox hat & sunglasses, who we'd seen at least once previously that evening walking through the place), & tho' we'd thought she was just an attendee, I later realised she was 60s European horror film star BARBARA STEELE!!! She was sitting with a bunch of guys (her entourage, I guess) in the back of the restaurant. We said she looked very old-Hollywood, sort of Bette Davis-esque. Seemed a little stern, & I was kind of afraid of her. There's more to the Barbara Steele story, but that will come later.
We had a bit of time after dinner before the movie screening, so my mom wanted to go out for a smoke break, which gave me the opportunity to go to the car & get my book. This pleased my mom, since it gave her the chance to talk to Dale again. So we get back to the signing room & go up to his table, & I told him I went & got my book, & gave it to him. "Should I make this out to Grace, too?" he asked. I said, with a bit of a giggle, "No, this one's mine." XD
My mom gushed a bit 'cuz he remembered her name, & said something to that effect, to which he said, "Grace is one of my favourite names." He said he'd known "a lot of wonderful women over the years" named Grace. He asked my name, & if signing on the title page was okay, & I said fine. Then he asked if pen was okay or if I needed him to use marker. I said it didn't really matter, as long as it was his hand that wrote it, but yes, pen was fine. So he signed my book, & then we asked him some questions. My mom had noticed one of his photos earlier & didn't know which of his projects it was from, so he told us: it was a series he'd done, I guess in the mid-90s, called Time Trax. He said he played a cop from the future who came back in time "& beat up a bad guy every week". My mom said she may have actually seen that (at least one episode), & also made mention of his role as Elvis, saying she'd liked him in that. He thanked her, & we said our good-byes, tho' we were taking a last look around quickly...& who should come up but the staff guy from the John Carpenter line! :P He pointed at us, asked us if we'd seen Carpenter (we never did), & said we'd have to be leaving 'cuz the signing rooms were gonna close down soon.
We asked another staffer where the movies were being shown, he said upstairs. We went upstairs, but none of the rooms tell you which films are where. Turned out we were in the wrong room! They said Pet Sematary was downstairs, so we find it, & go in. Johnathan nipped off to snag a couple of snacks & buy some sheet protectors for our photos, & one last item before the dealer tables closed (a fairly realistic-looking rubber mask of a severed human face). The film was even cooler to watch now, having met Dale & seen in passing the other stars. The audience laughed at the funny bits, & the guy in front of us (same dude who'd been in front of us at Felissa Rose) giggled when my mom & I made a humourous comment. We also sang & bopped along with the Ramones songs. XD During dinner, we'd quipped that someone ought to go up to Miko Hughes & have him sign something with his famous (& very cute) film line, "No fair." Turns out the guy in front of us had a poster for the movie, & had done just that!! He also had Brad Greenquist (who played Pascow) sign it with his line, "The ground is sour." Pretty cool, ne?
We left after Pet Sematary to go back to my house, which was only about an hour's drive. They were screening Carpenter's The Thing next, but I didn't feel like driving home @ 2 am. I was already anticipating a late stay on Sat., 'cuz they were doing Rocky Horror, & I'd gotten us a good deal at the Holiday Inn down the street for Sat. night. Back at my place, we were tired but still buzzed from the night's excitement. So we watched Night of the Demons 3, which is pretty good & sometimes funny - esp. the scene where the demon, played by Amelia Kinkade (who was scheduled to be at the convention, but we hadn't seen her there on Fri. - she does, however, come into play later on), is threatened with a gun, which she promptly takes in her mouth &...um...sucks out the bullets!! XD
We passed out, pretty much, after that, but rose early on Sat., for our full-day adventure!! Check it out here: http://japanesedream.livejournal.com/382836.html
Please bear with me; this will take a while to document, because SO much has happened!!
I'll go day by day, starting with Friday, when I went to my mom's to pick up her & my brother, Johnathan, for Monster-Mania (http://www.monstermania.net/MMC15_Guests.html). He was still working, so she & I went out shopping, 'cuz she had to pick up some stuff. We also looked around, hoping to find a card or something with a grey cat on it. She'd had the idea of maybe giving it to Dale Midkiff, one of the stars of Pet Sematary (whom she really, really likes), since a grey cat was the family pet in the film. Sadly, there were very few cat items, cards or otherwise, to be found, & of those, no grey cats. Ah well. I did manage to find a little goodie for myself, tho', a cute metal Hello Kitty pursey-thing.
Once my brother came home & got ready, we all packed up & headed down to Cherry Hill. For those who don't know, that's in southern NJ, not too far from Philadelphia...which is why my GPS decided to take us THROUGH Philly!! XP But first, we went past exits for Valley Forge, Conshohocken, & some other places, & got stuck in work traffic!! It was a mess there for a while, & I was feeling really rough. I'd been sick the whole week, & at that moment, despite having taken aspirin at my mom's, I had a raging headache that was making me terribly nauseous. If my head didn't explode, I thought my guts might. O.o
Driving through Philly - ugh, I never want to do that again as long as I live!! The drivers there are SCARY!! They don't want to let you in when you're trying to switch lanes!! And, of course, I have no idea exactly where I'm going. We went to Monster-Mania last year, but I'd driven to
charaxinae's house & she drove the rest of the way. This year, it was just me, all teary & panicking, but Philly really is a nice city, with a beautiful skyline, & we went over the Ben Franklin Bridge, which is also pretty neat. And though it took a lot longer than it should have under normal circumstances, we finally arrived at the Crowne Plaza.We drive around for a bit looking for a parking place, & end up finding one not too far from the hotel, which was a bit of luck. So we go to the main entrance (which I thought was where we entered last year, but we only went for 1 day; this year was the whole 3), & there's this huge line, but the staff guy who checked our passes (they're actually wristbands, so we put them on right there, & kept them on for the whole 3 days) said it was only for John Carpenter. Much like Adam West last year, they had Carpenter in a room by himself, sequestered from the other stars. We were indecisive about what to do: I'd wanted to get to see Carpenter, but with that long line & the fact that they said he was charging $30 for an autograph (most of the stars only charge $20), it seemed a bit much. And tho' the staff guy teased us for our indecisiveness, we decided to skip Carpenter, & go straight in to enjoy the rest of the convention.
I must tell you that, at first, Monster-Mania is kind of overwhelming. There are lots & lots of dealer tables, & it's hard to know what to do or buy or where to even start. You kind of have to have a system - look at everything first, then decide what you might like to get & investigate that specifically. Plus, if you have the schedule handy (we did), you want to make sure you know where the events are & get there in time to get a good seat. There are also interesting-looking people attending, which makes people-watching a must, not to mention the people who work with the convention who walk around in costume. I got a couple of pics last year, but only went & talked to Katharine Isabelle, so this year I was determined to go all out! So we scoped out a couple of things in the dealer room. Johnathan got a copy of Night of the Demons 3, & I found Nekromantik 2 & Faster Pussycat, Kill, Kill. Then we went to check out the signing rooms & find out who was situated where. We wanted to make sure we had enough time also to snag some dinner, before catching the screening of Pet Sematary at 10:00.
There are 2 main signing rooms; there was another for the Boondock Saints, & I dunno where they stuck John Carpenter. Somewhere upstairs, I think. There wasn’t really anyone I desperately needed to speak to in the first room (tho’ seeing Friday the 13th pt. 2 star Amy Steel was pretty cool; she hasn’t changed much); rather, it was in the 2nd signing room where we had our best luck. As soon as we walked in, there was Felissa Rose!! She's the girl from Sleepaway Camp (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleepaway_Camp), the only horror movie that freaks me out!! Next to her were tables for each of the Pet Sematary (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pet_Sematary_(film)) stars. Beside them were Julian Sands (who is a lot bigger than on tv, & he’s a big guy on tv!! But he didn’t look in the best of moods, & Johnathan said he wasn’t really talking to anyone much), & Barbara Steele (you will hear more about her later). There were other stars, as well (Udo Kier was supposed to be there, but ended up having to cancel), including William Forsythe (the sheriff from The Devil’s Rejects), plus people promoting movies & books, as well as other horror things. Sometimes, in the dealer's rooms, they'll try to get your attention to promote their merchandise (they did that to us a couple times), but it's not like that in the signing rooms. The stars just sit there & wait for you to come to them. Sometimes, tho', they'll take breaks, so you'll see a "Back in 5 minutes" sign on their table. Dale Midkiff was on a break, but Felissa was there, & ever since we'd found out she was gonna be there, my mom said I should go tell her my story. I was a bit nervous, but then my mom spotted Dale coming back in! He walked past us & she pointed him out (I hadn't noticed him enter). She didn't want to be the 1st to go up to him, or to go alone, so she took me up to Felissa (saying hi in the meantime to some of the Pet Sematary cast, including Miko Hughes, Brad Greenquist, & Andrew Hubastek, who played Zelda - the only horror character that freaks Johnathan out, & she told him so!! He smiled at that).
However terrifying she may be in the film, Felissa is a total sweetheart in person!! I walked up to her after the guy in front of us was finished, & she looks up at me & asks, with that cute, perky attitude of hers, "How are you?" It just sort of came out, but I said, "Fantastic," & she was, like, "Really? Tell me!" So I told her how I'm a card-carrying, life-long gore-hound who can watch anything getting ripped out of anybody, but I cannot watch (or even listen to) the end of her movie 'cuz it disturbs me so badly!! (If you wanna see why, check out the scene that gets me, on YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdNKR1j6l90 - but I warn you, it's VERY disturbing!!!) Eyes wide, she said, "OMG, really? Tell me, why?" I explained it was her face (which they freeze on), her snarling, the music, the whole thing. She said she thought I was "so cute" & said she was fascinated by people telling her how disturbing they find it, since, even tho' she's seen the film, she doesn't have that outside perspective. I said her perspective would no doubt be different, since she was the one standing there, then I asked her if it was a suit or what, "How did they do that?" She said they made a mold of her head & put it on a male actor, so that's a real boy's body. I hadn't known that. She did say that it was her voice, tho'. I told her I get so unnerved by that final moment, if I were to watch it I'd start looking for her character around dark corners!! She turned to my mom & said, "I love her!" I'd picked out a photo of her from the film, & she signed it.
When she asked my name, I told her, & it turned out her manager or whoever that was with her (pretty much all the stars have a person with them) was named Marlene, too! I asked if I could take a pic with her, & she was happy to do it. Johnathan took the shot, & I thanked her.
Then I started to walk away, & realised I forgot to pay her! :P I went back & was, like, "Did I pay you?" So I did, & it turned out her husband had come back in, & she said she was telling him my story; she said they'd met because he was a fan of the film! I talked to him for a bit about it (he agreed it is very disturbing), then said bye to her again, & she said I'd made her night. ^_^
Next, it was my mom's turn. And she was NERVOUS! I went up with her to Dale Midkiff's table, & she was picking out a photo (I helped her choose a nice one from Pet Sematary, tho' the stars have shots from other things they've done, or even non-film shots), then said hi to Dale, & he said hi. But I didn't think she could say much more, so I thought I'd help her out. "My mother just loves you," I said, & he said, "Aww, Mom, that's so sweet!" & clasped her hand in both of his. I told him that her favourite line in the film was after the scene where Denise Crosby (who plays his wife) talks about her sister that died (Zelda), & gets upset, & he says he's giving her a Valium. She says she doesn't take Valium, & he turns around, "channeling Elvis," as I put it (he did play Elvis in a TV movie once), & says, "Tonight, you do." I said we've had whole evenings of in-jokes that have cropped up around that scene, & he giggled a bit, then whips himself into character for a split second, looks at my mom, & launches into a perfect, "Tonight, you do." OMG!! :D Then, he says to my mom, "You're gonna get a hug," & asks her name & if she wants anything special written when he signs her photo. She didn't really give him an answer, & he writes, "To Grace, Tonight you do! Love, Dale Midkiff."
She thanked him, & I asked if he'd mind if I got a photo of him & my mom. He said sure, then comes out from behind his table, arms spread wide, & gave my mom a big hug!! I took a photo of him with his arms around her, & he said, "Take another." So I got a 2nd one!!
We asked if he were gonna be there all weekend, & he said yes, 'cuz I'd wanted to get his autograph, too, but I was hoping to get my Pet Sematary novel signed, but I'd left it in the car. So we said we'd be back, & he was cool with that. I think we mentioned at that point that we'd be there all 3 days. "See you this weekend," he said.
I went to 60s film-making pioneer Herschell Gordon Lewis next. The Godfather of Gore, himself!! I was kind of discombobulated with him, tho’, so I mostly said it was a pleasure to meet him & I admired his films. He took my hand in both of his (not as tightly as Dale did to my mom, tho’), & I think I said something about Blood Feast being the first of his films that I’d watched, long ago, which started me getting into his movies, but I don’t think he heard me, ‘cuz I said it quietly, knowing if I did it any louder, I’d be making a damn fool of myself. XD He asked my name & signed a photo of himself.
He was so nice!! I thanked him & made my happy way back to my waiting family members.
After that, it was dinner at Embers, the hotel restaurant. My brother & I both had wraps (his was chicken, mine was veggie), & my mom got a burger. We gushed about our autographs, & how we'd touched the hearts of the stars we'd talked to, namely Dale & Felissa. Johnathan was funny, 'cuz he said, "I wanna touch somebody." LOL!! XD (He would get his chance, don't worry, but let's not get ahead of the story.) The food was pretty good, tho' we had to hunt down the waiter when we were gonna pay. He'd been nice enough, tho'. The real highlight of dinner was seeing this tall woman in a black suit, with a little pillbox hat & sunglasses, who we'd seen at least once previously that evening walking through the place), & tho' we'd thought she was just an attendee, I later realised she was 60s European horror film star BARBARA STEELE!!! She was sitting with a bunch of guys (her entourage, I guess) in the back of the restaurant. We said she looked very old-Hollywood, sort of Bette Davis-esque. Seemed a little stern, & I was kind of afraid of her. There's more to the Barbara Steele story, but that will come later.
We had a bit of time after dinner before the movie screening, so my mom wanted to go out for a smoke break, which gave me the opportunity to go to the car & get my book. This pleased my mom, since it gave her the chance to talk to Dale again. So we get back to the signing room & go up to his table, & I told him I went & got my book, & gave it to him. "Should I make this out to Grace, too?" he asked. I said, with a bit of a giggle, "No, this one's mine." XD
My mom gushed a bit 'cuz he remembered her name, & said something to that effect, to which he said, "Grace is one of my favourite names." He said he'd known "a lot of wonderful women over the years" named Grace. He asked my name, & if signing on the title page was okay, & I said fine. Then he asked if pen was okay or if I needed him to use marker. I said it didn't really matter, as long as it was his hand that wrote it, but yes, pen was fine. So he signed my book, & then we asked him some questions. My mom had noticed one of his photos earlier & didn't know which of his projects it was from, so he told us: it was a series he'd done, I guess in the mid-90s, called Time Trax. He said he played a cop from the future who came back in time "& beat up a bad guy every week". My mom said she may have actually seen that (at least one episode), & also made mention of his role as Elvis, saying she'd liked him in that. He thanked her, & we said our good-byes, tho' we were taking a last look around quickly...& who should come up but the staff guy from the John Carpenter line! :P He pointed at us, asked us if we'd seen Carpenter (we never did), & said we'd have to be leaving 'cuz the signing rooms were gonna close down soon.
We asked another staffer where the movies were being shown, he said upstairs. We went upstairs, but none of the rooms tell you which films are where. Turned out we were in the wrong room! They said Pet Sematary was downstairs, so we find it, & go in. Johnathan nipped off to snag a couple of snacks & buy some sheet protectors for our photos, & one last item before the dealer tables closed (a fairly realistic-looking rubber mask of a severed human face). The film was even cooler to watch now, having met Dale & seen in passing the other stars. The audience laughed at the funny bits, & the guy in front of us (same dude who'd been in front of us at Felissa Rose) giggled when my mom & I made a humourous comment. We also sang & bopped along with the Ramones songs. XD During dinner, we'd quipped that someone ought to go up to Miko Hughes & have him sign something with his famous (& very cute) film line, "No fair." Turns out the guy in front of us had a poster for the movie, & had done just that!! He also had Brad Greenquist (who played Pascow) sign it with his line, "The ground is sour." Pretty cool, ne?
We left after Pet Sematary to go back to my house, which was only about an hour's drive. They were screening Carpenter's The Thing next, but I didn't feel like driving home @ 2 am. I was already anticipating a late stay on Sat., 'cuz they were doing Rocky Horror, & I'd gotten us a good deal at the Holiday Inn down the street for Sat. night. Back at my place, we were tired but still buzzed from the night's excitement. So we watched Night of the Demons 3, which is pretty good & sometimes funny - esp. the scene where the demon, played by Amelia Kinkade (who was scheduled to be at the convention, but we hadn't seen her there on Fri. - she does, however, come into play later on), is threatened with a gun, which she promptly takes in her mouth &...um...sucks out the bullets!! XD
We passed out, pretty much, after that, but rose early on Sat., for our full-day adventure!! Check it out here: http://japanesedream.livejournal.com/382836.html
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Date: 2010-08-26 01:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-26 10:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-26 02:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-26 10:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-28 04:07 pm (UTC)xoxoxox
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Date: 2010-08-30 01:42 am (UTC)Thanks! Yeah, it was awesome meeting Felissa - she scares the bejeezus out of me in that movie, but she was sooooooo nice!! Awwww, thanks for the compliment, hon!! X3
oxoxoxo
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Date: 2010-08-30 03:44 pm (UTC)I am gonna have to watch that movie again...it's been such a super long time that I barely remember it now, but I want to see it again knowing that you like it so much. ^^
xoxoxox
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Date: 2010-08-30 09:54 pm (UTC)LOL! If you don't own it, they've got the whole thing posted in consecutive pieces on YouTube. If you wanna see the bit that freaks me out (warning: spoiler!), just watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdNKR1j6l90
oxoxoxo
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Date: 2010-09-01 04:06 pm (UTC)How was Dir en grey? I'm seeing them tonight!! Sooo excited! I never get any good pics, though, because all I ever have with me is my cell phone. The venues in Chicago are super-strict about cameras, so it always seems pointless to bring it. The one time I did man up and sneak my (old and much smaller) camera into a show (My Chemical Romance in April 08), the staff there were the most fascist EVER, & I was terrified the entire time that I'd get caught/kicked out so I never took it out of my bag anyway! lol. That's one reason why I want a Droid for my next phone--it has a 9MP camera. ^_~
Yeah, I was going to add it to Netflix, but since we have been letting our movies sit around without watching them lately it probably would have been awhile before we got around to it, so thank you for the link! *goes to watch*
DAAAAAAAAAMN!!!! O_O
I wonder if I missed the end of the movie the first time I saw it, because I am sure I would remember that scene! Very unsettling!! It reminds me of some Japanese horror movies I've seen, because it's totally disturbing and effective just because of the acting and not a bunch of special effects or over the top crap. Wow. O_O
xoxoxox
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Date: 2010-09-02 09:38 am (UTC)Diru was fab, as always!! I'm gonna do a full post on it, once I finish the Monster-Mania entries, but you can have a preview. ^_~ The line was awesome! I met (or re-met, from last year) lots of great people. :) I was there for about 9 hours! XD As for the performance, there were a few technical troubles, & Kyo seemed a little...something. Off in some way? Subdued, perhaps? His performance was great, & I heard he was shaking hands & giving grins at the signing. He may have been peeved about the technical stuff - sounded like his mic was going out at intervals (Die had some guitar trouble, too). They didn't get to play an encore (later shows get one, usually the new Zan), so maybe that ticked him off. They went 2nd, as opposed to last, which we would have preferred. But we stayed for Apocalyptica anyway. They were good. We didn't quite know what to do with them at first, but they grow on you. XD We were a bit skeptical about Evaline, too, at first, but they got better as they went on. Their everybody-plays-drums at the end was pretty neat, & the one guitarist had an electric sitar.
Die & Toshiya had AWESOME energy! Totchi's usually hopping around & is good at encouraging the audience, but Die was more energetic than I'd ever seen him (others I spoke to agreed)! He seemed really happy...even when he had to switch out his guitar. XD And he gave us the finger a lot (he did in '07, too); I think it's Diespeak for, "I love you guys." XD Kaoru was more like his old self, as I'd seen him in '07. He was the subdued one last year. This year, he moved about a bit, & helped encourage the audience.
I was actually able to SEE Shinya this time, & well! (Not just when he threw his sticks out, or glimpses during the perfomance, or through Kyo's legs when he was on the box. XD) It's 'cuz I wasn't in the pit, for once! I'm a little glad, 'cuz I think it was a bit vicious this time (I've already read of one person who seemed to go there just to "f**k people up" XP). I stood on the raised level, between the seats in the back & the floor/pit area, with my friend that I'd made in line. She & her mom had come from Canada to see the show, & had gone VIP. I asked about the signing & we just stood against the rail for the whole show. XD
One other 'problem' I'm finding: I've seen setlists from the other shows, & it looks like every city gets practically the same set. They switch up the order, & a few shows have changed maybe 1 song, plus they're doing the encores now, but it's weird. :P But it was still a great show! They always do a wonderful job.
There are videos on YouTube - just look up Dir en grey, Nokia Theatre, 8/24/10. I might put a link to one on my post. I can't believe they let cameras in - they didn't in '07; I saw Diru at the same venue. Thought about using my phone, but said screw it. XD
You're most welcome for the link! That's just the ending, but they have the whole thing there, so do go back & watch it from part 1! XD LOL! Yeah, that's an end you can't ever forget! Glad you agree that it's unsettling! I'm with you on likening it to some J-horror. Can you believe she was only 13 when she did that film?! O.o
oxoxoxo
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Date: 2010-09-06 05:41 pm (UTC)Sounds like your concert was great, and that video you posted was awesome! Damn, they always sound so amazing live, no matter where they are playing! We had an awesome time, too--as usual, they were perfection. :) I thought everyone seemed really energetic (well, except Kaoru, who seemed mellow compared to times I have seen them in the past) and like they were having a great time, and Kyo was downright hyper! He was smiling a LOT, waving at the audience, doing that "fist-thump to the heart" thing that he does (which I love ^^:), and even hopping up and down in place at the end while applauding with his hands over his head. So cute--and he has such a great smile, it just makes me want to smile, too! ^___^
At our show they played first, which I thought was dumb (come on, people! It's DIR EN GREY, and they are NOT an "opening act"! >:P) but it worked out well for us because we didn't care to see those other bands. So after Diru's set/encore, we just went home. They played at the House of Blues Chicago, which I dislike as a venue...for one thing, drinks are way overpriced, and for another, the whole thing is situated in this like, "compound" thing with restaurants, hotels, the venue itself, and all these parking complexes, so finding a spot there is obnoxious as hell. This time we got lucky, though. When we pulled up, it was kind of a clusterfuck and we were running a tad late so I was spazzing. I spotted this guy standing there and asked him what to do. Turns out he worked for the hotel directly across from the venue, and he offered to let us park our car RIGHT OUT FRONT for only 25$ (less than what HoB charges)! Awesome! So when we left, we were able to scoot right out to our car and be on the road in less than 5 minutes. Score!
I've noticed their setlists being consistent, too, but I kinda think that's nice because then everyone gets to see the same thing, give or take a song or two. I mean, I'd be bummed out if they played one of my favourite songs at a different date than the one I went to, you know?
Anyway, I'm so glad we each got to go, and had such a good time! I think we both needed and deserved that, don't you? :) Thanks, Diru!!! ^____^
xoxoxoxox
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Date: 2011-04-03 04:25 pm (UTC)Believe me, I know about wanting to get things sorted...I've still got computer files to transfer (all the photos are done, tho')...how are the websites & templates going? I know you did some designs for Hyacinthe, which is cool!! I had a lookie at Zomboid.com - is that your new layout? Did you ever get any further with those cranes? Given all that has happened & is happening in Japan, they could use those cranes about now...
Yep, Diru has never failed to disappoint in their performances. I can't wait to hear the new stuff they have been working on, & hope the next time they tour, they will be just as awesome as ever!! :D Maybe we'll get lucky like you, & Kyo will be smiley. ^_^ But if not, hey, as long as he gives it his all like he always does, I'll be a happy little camper. XD
I wasn't jazzed that Diru played first, either - nor was I happy that places in the West got an extra-special treat: Kyo coming out to sing on one of Apoca's songs! (Vids of this are all over YT.) I was glad I stayed, tho', 'cuz it turned out nicely anyway, & I was able to appreciated what Apoca does much more.
Well, they did something like that at the '09 shows. They did 3 in NYC, & we (my brother & I) only went to the last one, & I found out they were doing some REALLY old numbers at the other shows - like Akuro no Oka & Kigan...tho' we got Amber & Ugly, which I was very happy about!! :D
I'm definitely glad we both got to see them again, tho' - & yes, we both deserved it!! ^____^
oxoxoxoxo
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3 Days at Monster-Mania Con 15 - full report!
Date: 2010-09-05 03:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-08 08:52 pm (UTC)anywhos, omg guurrllll sooooo sorry at how long it has taken me to get to some of these, i have today off XD which is the first friday i have had off in 3 weeks XD and i was really happy cuz we get paid today, but, i went to the mall, and my [our] checks arent there XP! i was like "what...." i'm sooo pissed! cuz i have to work all weekend, so i was gonna use today as the day to go to Target to get shelves and fix my room, buy the mags i have on hold at the japanese bookstore, go to the comic bookstore and pick up the comics i have there, buy a new pair of pants, and buy the new Junjou Romantica volume XDD ugh!
and i must say, that is a incredibly cute hello kitty bag!!! XDDD i absolutely adore it!
also, holy shit! this sounds like you had sooo much fun! i wish i knew who most of these people are, but i'm sooo glad you got to meet them and have an incredible experience! including your mom! [that picture of her and the dude from pet semetary, is absolutely adorable!]
even though your gps took you through a scenic route, it sounds like you had soo much fun x3 and got to talk to some of your favorite celebrities <3
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Date: 2010-10-11 11:11 pm (UTC)No worries, hon ~ better late than never! :D Glad to hear you got a day off! Hopefully, by now, you've gotten your check. And your Japanese goodies. ;)
Thanks!! It's so unique, too. =^.^=
Yep, we sure did! And the celebs are totally cool to talk to! <3 If only we could have conventions like this for J-rock!