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japanesedream_72By now, I'm sure you've all read my Monster-Mania 15 reports:
Day 1 - http://japanesedream.livejournal.com/382408.html
Day 2 - http://japanesedream.livejournal.com/382836.html
Day 3 - http://japanesedream.livejournal.com/383075.html
So on we go, to Monster-Mania 16!!
http://www.monstermania.net/MMC16_Guests.html
I warn you, this is gonna be image & link-heavy…& very, very looooong.
Managed to get a little sleep, which was good, 'cuz I had to get up early. Wanted to hit the road as soon as possible, get to my mom's, pick up the gang, & get to Hunt Valley, since the convention started @ 10 & I didn't want to be driving around 'til Noon trying to find a parking place. Despite setting out a little bit later than I wanted, I made excellent time. Helped everybody get their stuff together, & we left around 9. It was me, my mom, Matthew, & Johnathan.
According to the directions I'd printed out (I hate Mapquest, but it's nice to have a back-up in case my GPS goes wonky), it was s'posed to take an hour. I was still a little worried about parking, but one step at a time, ne? I had to make sure I could find the place!
I've never been to Maryland before, but Mattie had, & he & Johnathan are good as far as knowing their general area, so they helped me out, too. Fortunately, Maggie (my GPS) was pretty much in line with the way they were directing me, & we had a fairly easy, uneventful time getting there. Nice area, lots of trees along the highway. We were so goofy on the way down, singing with the radio & calling out slogans like, "Road trip!" "Monster Mania or Bust!" "Baltimore, here we come!" XD
When they say the Mariott is off the exit, they ain't kidding! It's so close to coming off the exit, we almost missed it! I had to hurry up & get into the right lane to hit the entrance! I was just lucky there were no other cars around me, or I would've hit something else! Literally! I guess the convention gods were smiling on us, tho'...'cuz we also found a parking spot not terribly far away!
Saw a couple of really neat vehicles parked out front, which we later found out belonged to vendors. The guy who owned the zombie control van was selling t-shirts, mugs, & other goodies. Some of the shirts were Hello Zombie (a Kitty spoof), an Elm-Street-meets-Sesame-Street shirt (Big Bird as Freddy, killing Elmo), & Overlook Hotel (The Shining) & Bates Motel (Psycho) shirts. They had Bates Motel mugs & other goodies. They let us take one of those do-not-disturb doorknob signs; it says Bates Motel on it.
The hearse belonged to Kim's Krypt (http://www.kimskrypt.com/). I'm not entirely sure what was at their stall (except for the pseudo-lifesize Linda Blair (as seen in The Exorcist) doll. But the lady running it (I'm assuming that's Kim) was dressed up a bit, too, in a black robe (kinda witchy-looking) with a bloody face. I know her flyer said she does parties - including hearse rentals!
First thing we see, even before the van & hearse, is a veeeeeeeeeeeeeeery long line. We were hoping it wasn't the line to get in! Somehow, however, I knew it was a line to see somebody. Prob'ly somebody I'd been thinking of trying to see.
I was right, of course. It was the line for Robert Englund (Freddy Kruger). Blah. Tickets, we found out, were being sold inside.
Took a photo of Johnathan & Matthew in front of the hotel. My own, personal Boondock Saints. XD
Went inside & found the ticket counter. We had to buy our tickets at the door, 'cuz we weren't exactly sure until pretty much the last minute who would be able to go, & thus, missed the cut-off for on-line sales. But it was cool, they weren't sold out. They even put our wristbands on for us! One of the guys selling the tickets was the guy who moderated the Pet Sematary Q&A in Cherry Hill. My mom & I also got Monster-Mania 16 t-shirts. I love the motif - Freddy Kruger meets Return of the Living Dead!
First, we tried to get the lay of the land, so to speak, & figure out where stuff was. I'd printed out the itinerary, which listed what rooms the different events would be in. Also had to figure out where the dealer tables & signing rooms were, not to mention the restaurant & café.
Now that we'd figured out, generally, where stuff was, we had to pick a place & get started. We saw another line, through the glass wall toward the back, where people were lining up for the Boondock Saints. My brother, Mark, is a big Saints fan, & he'd have liked to attend the con with us, but had Army training that weekend. Mattie & Johnathan dig the Saints, too, & Johnathan was with us in Cherry Hill when we saw them floating around, but since taking everybody to the con(s) & getting them stuff here & there was gonna be their Xmas presents, I figured I'd get Mark his gift, too, & I'd vowed to pick him up something Boondock related. My plan? Get their autographs for him!
But since they were gonna be occupied for a while with the people in that line, we figured we'd do autographs a bit later, & start with the dealers. A lot of them were the same as in Cherry Hill, with 1 or 2 exceptions. One of which was the guy from The Gemini Company (http://www.thegeminicompany.com/). They made sculptures of bones/skeletons, brain-candles, etc. I asked if the bones were real, & the guy said no, but they were cast from molds of real specimens. Cool, ne? There was a little creature on his shoulder, smaller than a ferret, but in a similar vein. I asked if it were alive & he said yes, & pulled a string inside his jacket or something, 'cuz it started hopping up & down. XD Then he said he also practises taxidermy. XD There was a monkey on the table, & I didn't know if it was one of his bone sculptures or what (it had fur & was dressed in a vest & hat), & he said it was a puppet, & made it move, too! He kindly allowed me to snap a photo of him & his set-up.
The first impression we got of the convention, in a general sense, was that it was smaller & a bit calmer than Cherry Hill. Saturday here was more like Sunday at the NJ site. These vendors didn't overwhelmingly try to grab your attention. There weren't as many people working for the convention walking about in costume (tho' there were a few). And there weren't a great deal of attendees dressed up. But of the people who were dressed up, none were as sweet as the 2 little kids we saw downstairs by the t-shirt stand.
The little girl was dressed as Amelia Kinkade's character, Angela, from Night of the Demons! Her brother, I'm guessing he was, had to be the cutest Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th) I have ever seen! I asked if I could take their photo, & their mom said okay. She said they'd thought Amelia was gonna be at this con, not realising she'd already done Cherry Hill. We felt really bad for them. But I showed them the photo (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/Monster%20Mania%2015%20-%20Aug%202010/2-john-amelia2.jpg) of Johnathan & Amelia (I still had a bunch of Cherry Hill shots on my camera), & we later saw Amelia's manager, Neal DeConte, who is also involved with a company that does sculpted figures of horror stuff, as well as jewelry (http://www.horroridols.com/). We talked to him for a bit, & the subject of the mini-Amelia came up. He said he'd talked to them, & taken a photo, which he e-mailed to Amelia! More on what Amelia's been up to later. ^_^
Back to the kids. One of the events was a panel of actors from various Friday the 13th films, & one of the actors on that panel was Kane Hodder, prob'ly the most famous Jason portrayer. The kids' mom said they'd talked to Kane at his signing table, & he took a photo of the little Jason, that he said he'd like to use in the autobiography he's writing! Awwww!
After parting ways with the cuties, we scoped out a little merch. I didn't really get anything this time around, except for some things for other people - namely, a giftie for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
el_jefe59, & a box set of all 3 NOTD films for Johnathan. He didn't have part 1 (I have it on VHS), & not only did the vendor say it was uncut (many releases are, apparently), but he knocked $10 off the original asking price. I felt a little bad taking it for so little, but I guess they’d rather make a little money than lose a sale. A lot of vendors were making deals. I think business was kind of slow. I have to commend the one video dealer who didn't have NOTD 1, but directed me toward a couple of vendors he thought might be able to provide it. That was really awesome of him!
There was a stall selling photos from various films, mostly of the stars scheduled to be at the convention. This was also one of the places to get sheet protectors for the signed pics acquired during the con. They had a book there, on the table, with other pics of other stars (prob'ly from other cons), tho' I'm not sure if they were just for display or they were for sale (there were a couple stalls selling pics/posters/items signed by stars). We looked at those for a bit. One of the pics was James Duval in his rabbit outfit from Donnie Darko, tho' I also know him from May, The Doom Generation, & I think he had a small part in Independence Day. The guy running the stall said James is a really nice guy.
After perusing the photos, we were off again. A cute little redhead with vampire fangs caught my eye as we were walking along the vendor area. I mean, she was really cute! I gave her my scrunch-nose (this quick little thing I sometimes do as an acknowledgment) with a smile. I later saw her at a table promoting a book. Not sure if she wrote it or the guy there at the table with her wrote it. But he said the photobook on the table & the promo postcards were her portraying a character named Z, from the book, which I think was called "Blood Junky" (http://bitemereallyhard.com/ or http://www.crazyduckpress.com/). I snagged a postcard, & complimented one of her tattoos - Invader Zim & Gir!
Nearly forgot to mention we ran into that staffer guy we’d talked to in Cherry Hill, from the John Carpenter line! (Y’know, the one with the Freddy tattoo that knows Robert Englund as Bob?) My mom was, like, remember us? I think he said he did. I said, “Oh, no, not again!” He was, like, “Yeah, again!” XD The staff, btw, get the coolest shirts. They have slogans on them from whatever film is marking the main event. At Cherry Hill, they said, “Sometimes, Dead Is Better”, from Pet Sematary. The MD ones quoted from ROTLD: “Send More Cops.” XD
I must pause here for a second. Now, I'm not trying to cause any wank (drama) or complain in the midst of all this coolness, but in this report, you'll find a couple of things my family & I observed or noted that we feel could have been done a bit better. The first of these is placement.
I can understand that certain people's lines are going to be longer than others'. But the whole sticking them in a separate room seemed weird to us. Last time, it was John Carpenter. This time, Robert Englund. My mom said it's as if those people (who I'm sure are very nice people, in & of themselves) are "too good" to be with the rest of the guests. Even Linda Blair (who you couldn't really get near, either) was in one of the big signing rooms.
Charles Herbert, on the other hand, must have been deemed "not good enough". He was a young boy when The Fly, in which he played Vincent Price's nephew, was made. I think Creepy Classics was behind his being there. But they plunked him downstairs in between merch stalls & the zombie-caricature artists! We almost didn't see him - at first, we thought he was a vendor, & then I saw the sign on his table. He said hi to us, & my mom talked to him for a sec. She said later she wished she'd have thought to say something to someone. He was just tucked away down there; I hope there were some people that talked to him & bought stuff.
That's another thing: I wish money didn't come into things so much. I feel bad ignoring guest stars, but I'd feel equally bad not buying anything if I talked to them for a while. Even the stuff I was there for, I couldn't afford to do everybody. They had 9 people from Return of the Living Dead - at $20 or $25 a pop, that's $180-$225 just for their signatures!! And some (I'm not sure if this happened at Cherry Hill or not; certainly not with anybody we talked to) were charging extra for photos, even if you took them with your own camera! Namely, Linda Blair & The Boondock Saints; although the Saints also offered shots with a professional photographer, which I could understand charging extra for, but with your own camera? WTF?
Anywho, where was I? Oh, yes. In the large dealer room, I ended up in conversation with a vendor after spotting him with a Barbie-like doll that he'd fashioned into a replica of Linnea Quigley's character, Trash, from Return of the Living Dead. I asked if he'd made it himself, & he said he did. He said he'd showed it to her (he later gave it to her), & then broke out his phone to show me the photo she'd taken with him. I asked if she were nice, & he said she was really sweet. I was glad he said that, 'cuz the ROTLD reunion was what had primarily drawn me there, & she was the main person I wanted to see.
He talked also about having chatted a great deal with the boys from The Boondock Saints (mostly in the bar on Fri. night), & I showed him my Cherry Hill pics, including Amelia, Dale Midkiff, & my "creeper pics" of the Boondock boys at Rocky Horror. XD After a bit more chatting, we parted ways, & set our sights on the signing rooms upstairs.
The place was bustling with people, the perimeter set up with tables featuring all sorts of stars, generally grouped by film. Friday the 13th's Kane Hodder (who played Jason in 4 of the films) was directly to our left; to our right, circling around, were stars from Nightmare on Elm St. 3 - including Elm St. 1 veterans Heather Langenkamp & John Saxon. Next to them, circling around, were cast members from Return of the Living Dead.
While seeking out Linnea Quigley, I almost walked right past someone else I'd hoped to meet! A quick glance out of the corner of my eye yielded my first celebrity encounter - Harvey Stephens, who played Damien in The Omen!
Had to stop those family members who were ahead of me. "It's the guy from The Omen!" I think I blurted out. "Yes!" he said in his perky British accent. "The guy from The Omen!" XD After an initial exchange of pleasantries & nervous horror-fangirling (in my case, this generally consists of me babbling something to the effect of, "It's great/It's a pleasure to meet you"), I figured I'd better talk Omen. Why am I never prepared for these things?
Prob'ly 'cuz the second I spotted him, I'd started to shake.
I asked how it was for him to make the film, & he said it had been fun. I asked if he remembered a great deal, & he said it's been a long time now (he was, like, 5 when they made the movie, & that was in the 70s), but people are still talking about it, so that keeps it going for him. I asked about the scene with the baboons, what that was like for him. He didn't even hesitate before answering, "They stunk." XD He also said that if you watch that scene, his reaction is real. He was petrified of them!
I'd brought a bag full of my own goodies for my chosen stars to sign, including the Omen novel, & I asked if he would mind signing it. He said he loved it when people came prepared! :D He asked if there were a particular page I wanted signed, & I showed him the one I wanted (with the Bible quote). He signed his name, with "Damien" underneath, & in red, "666" in the D.
I thanked him (I felt a bit rushed for some reason, so didn't get to ask him if I could take a photo, but I'd get footage of him later), & he shook my hand - my mom's, too! - & off we went toward the ROTLD section of the room.
I was still shaking! We checked out the ROTLD cast, noting which person had played which part. Some were easy to figure out; others had changed a great deal.
And then there was Linnea.
Her table was next to Melinda Clarke (from Return of the Living Dead 3), with ROTLD's Miguel Nunez, Jr., in between them. We'd actually wanted to see both ladies, but Linnea was my first priority. Except I had no idea what to say! I got up to her & when she said hi & asked how I was, I said, "I can't stop shaking." She said she'd been like that for the Boondock Saints. I could hardly believe it! It initially seemed odd that the stars would get star-struck. But hey, they're just people, like the rest of us, right? Anywho, I asked her if they were nice, & she said they were. I think I might've mentioned we were planning to see them later. She told me - & I can't remember exactly how the subject of their pics came up - about one of the photos they had available, which was this really cool one with the 2 brothers & the 'family prayer' written out in nice lettering.
Then I told her we'd met Amelia (her co-star in NOTD) in Cherry Hill, & showed her the photo. She was surprised at how different Amelia looked as a blonde, & said with her dark hair, Amelia kind of reminded her of Judy Garland, for some reason. I could kinda see what she meant by that. I told her about the impromptu Q&A (just not the "juicy" question, LOL), & how I'd asked about the Bauhaus scene. Linnea seemed to really like that moment, too. I told her that Amelia had said she'd fought for that song to get in the movie, & Linnea said, "I'm so glad she did." I said I was, too.
Then I mentioned that Johnathan always wanted to know how they did the thing with the lipstick (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl6TCUbRaas). She told us all about it! They'd made a latex or rubber appliance (basically, fake breasts), which was made up to look genuine (she even showed us a page from a book she had on her table, with a photo of the prosthetic chest being painted by the make-up artist), & they taped her own chest down before putting it on her. There was a slit cut into one nipple, into which she pushed the lipstick after drawing on herself. She said it was a hard scene to shoot, because she's right-handed, & she had to do the scene using her left hand.
Next, I asked about ROTLD, & how it was to play Trash. After her mention of the NOTD prosthetic, I was curious about the zombie make-up & such. She'd enjoyed the role of Trash, except for the zombie bits. She was naked, under rain machines spurting cold water, shooting at night in cool temps. She said she was freezing! Plus, the make-up was designed not to wash off, so she'd get home at 6 am sometimes, dead tired & still covered in the stuff. Both she & - later - Melinda Clarke, alluded to working very long hours when shooting a film. And doing it in heavy make-up or FX was not the most pleasant experience.
I asked Linnea if she'd sign the inside of my DVD cover, but I must've been getting my money out, 'cuz by the time I saw what she was doing, she was signing the front. So her signature's kind of squidged in the corner. But hey, she was SUPER-nice, & talked to me for quite a while, so I'm not complaining!
"To Marlene, screams, [heart] Linnea 'Trash'."
I told her I'd brought both the DVD & the soundtrack, tho' she let me choose which I wanted her to sign. I figured the DVD might give her more room, tho' I'm glad I brought the soundtrack, 'cuz she said she'd never even seen it! I told her I'd bought it a while ago (I think she thought it was a re-issue), & opened the cover so she could see it unfolded. She noted the songs on it, specifically the SSQ track, which she dances to in the movie (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stEmIJ3GdIQ). Except - & I didn't know this at all - it wasn't really the song she danced to! She said they played a different song when filming the scene. I asked which one, & it took a minute for her to remember, but then she revealed that it was Vanity's "Nasty Girl" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryVJaxBMG5c).
I asked if it would be okay to get a photo with her, & she said sure. She even had us make certain it was a good shot. (By the way, just so you know, that dark spot over her lip is not a beauty mark, it’s a piercing.) Then she said she liked my style! I thanked her, & said I liked hers, too. (You can't see it from the picture, but she was also wearing fingerless gloves, & a bunch of bracelets, as well as a big silver pentacle necklace - I was half-tempted to ask if she were a witch, but didn't.) She also said she liked my bag (the cross one I'd gotten for the Moi dix Mois show). I thanked her, & told her I'd gotten it in Japan. Wide-eyed, she gasped, & said, "Did you love it??" I told her how much I did, & how I wanted to go back & stay/live. I think she asked if I could speak the language, & I'd said I could, a little. "What would you do there?" she asked. I told her I wasn't sure, but first I wanted to go to school for in-depth language study, then see if I could set myself up. "But everything's so expensive," she said. I told her that was part of the problem. She asked if I got my bag "on that street with all the shops", & when I said on the Takeshita-Dori in Harajuku, she was, like, "That's the one." XD Then she tells me one of the Boondocks used to LIVE there! When he was younger, he'd dropped out of high school, & his mom had moved there for some reason, so that was how he came to live there. I was, like, "Oh, that's cool!!" (My mom would later say, "Now you have something to talk [to him] about!" Besides my creeper photos, that is. XD)
We talked for another minute, & somewhere in the midst of all this, I asked Linnea what she's working on now. There were a couple of gentlemen sitting next to her, one named Eric Quigley, & I was, like, "Oh, you're all related." She said yes, but the younger gentleman (not Eric) had a nametag that said Linnea Quigley, so she goes, "Well, he's really Linnea." So I said, "Ah!" & turned to him, & said, "I really loved you naked." XD Soon, she was telling me Eric was a director, & rattling off so many forthcoming projects, it nearly made my head spin! I can't remember them all, but I do recall there's a tv show they're trying to pitch, kind of a spoof of Ghost Hunters. I wished her luck with everything.
We wrapped up our conversation, & I thanked her again, & we made our way over to the Melinda Clarke table. The girl in line in front of me was cosplaying Julie, Melinda's character from ROTLD 3 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Mu9p-WuAeE&feature=related). My mom & I had thought of trying to do that, but we couldn't have topped this girl's job! She was nice enough to tell me how she'd put it together (tho' she said it took a couple months to plan it all out), & let me take a photo.
While waiting for Melinda, we noted that Linda Blair's table was right next to hers. Linda wasn't there at the time, tho' (pee break? XD), but there were 2 male staffers sitting there. We joked with them over which one was the real Linda. I thought it was the dark-haired guy; my mom said it was the one with the beard. I think they found it amusing. XD
Melinda was really nice, & talked to us for a bit. I'd asked about the ROTLD3 make-up, & how long it had taken to get into the entire, finished look (when Julie is at her most zombiefied & masochistic - in the film, she's transforming into a zombie, but discovers that being in pain helps to alleviate the hunger for human brains). She said it took about 8 hours, but they got it down to 5, & another 2 to take off. And you'd work something like 18 hours at a stretch, so it was pretty yucky. She said there were times when she really couldn't move her head too much, 'cuz her hair was matted in the blood & whatnot. She said it was the most challenging film she's ever done. In fact, I think she said that more than once. I asked if she'd done anything else in the horror vein, & she said not really. She's done some fantasy (like Xena, Warrior Princess), & was even on The Vampire Diaries (also The O.C., if anyone's ever seen that), but nothing involving as much FX as ROTLD3.
She signed the pic for me (which is her as ROTLD3's Julie - they also had shots from her other roles), & when I told her my name, she said you don't really hear that name much these days. Then I asked if I could get a photo, & if my mom could sneak in, too, & she said sure.
She asked my mom her name, & when she said Grace, Melinda said her daughter is Katherine Grace, & her grandmother's name was Grace. Grace seems to be a good name amongst the stars (remember what Dale said in Cherry Hill?). ^_^
I initially thought this was Nosferatu, but turns out it’s the vampire from Salem’s Lot (clue: the Salem’s Lot guy is blue). There were a couple of characters walking around - including Lucio Fulci's Zombie & Iron Man - but this was the only one I got my photo with. Not counting the guy who wanted to chop my head off. XD
Ducked downstairs to see if the Boondock Saints' line was any better...& walked right past Linda Blair in the hallway!! She was really petite; I'd imagined her as taller, for some reason. But she still looked good - my mom said a bit thin, but she hasn't changed a whole lot. Outside, taking a break, we saw Eric Quigley, tho' I can't remember what he said to us. It was in response to something we were talking about. Darn this failing memory of mine! XP Anywho, we found out what was up with the Saints - they had a photo line & an autograph line (which lead to a bit of confusion, in my opinion, tho' they were trying to keep it as organised as possible) - but the guys were gonna finish up with the 20 or so people that were in there & then go to lunch. They told us round about what time they'd be back to sign stuff, so we figured we'd have enough time to grab lunch at Cinnamon Tree (the hotel restaurant) & then we'd come back to see them.
Robert Englund, unfortunately, was still mobbed.
Lunch was nice. We had spinach & artichoke dip w/nacho chips for starters. I had an Asian salad, the rest of the gang had chicken sandwiches. We toasted to making it to MD in one piece! XD And it wasn't long before Johnathan, who has an uncanny ability to spot the stars in their most casual moments, informed us that the Boondock Saints were at the corner table!! Sure enough, on the other side of the restaurant, tucked in the corner, were Norman Reedus & Sean Patrick Flanery!! Mattie kept looking over at them. We think they saw us looking, but we kept our distance, allowing them to have their privacy. One girl from the table next to them did go up to them, but we didn't know if she knew them or what (tho' we suspected not). I texted Mark, to let him know they were there, & told him we'd be going to the signing & the Q&A, & I'd get what pics I could.
They left a little before we did. But we saw them through the glass portion of the wall (well, the boys & I guess my mom, saw them; my back was toward the wall so I couldn't see the glass part) in the courtyard where their line was setting up. When we got out there, they stood us in one part of the line, later moving us to another part, more in the shade. The sun was pretty high by then, & hot if you stood in it. Before the move, a couple interesting things happened. First, we saw Rocco come out for a smoke break! Second, I saw someone I'd met in Cherry Hill! This would be Josh, the guy who sat next to us at Pet Sematary, who'd showed me his Rob Zombie & Korn pics. He & his friend had waited something like THREE HOURS for Robert Englund (which seems like a lot - & yet I'll wait 9 hours for Dir en grey...go figure XD). They were showing us the pics/signatures they got, & I showed them mine. I had Josh write down his name & info - yes, another Facebook friend - & then they moved my gang to the other side of the courtyard, in the shade.
There was a Boondock Betty (this, I learned at the Q&A, is the name of a Boondock fangirl base; I don't know if it's just that little contingent or all of them everywhere, tho' my mom & I have attributed it to all of them) that had a pretty spiffy tattoo of the Saints (the brothers), which she said she was gonna have signed & then get their signatures tattooed. We also chatted briefly with another woman in line in front of us, showing her a flyer we'd picked up for another con (not Monster-Mania) in Florida. Then these dudes who either worked for Monster-Mania or were promoting something else came into the courtyard. They were covered in (fake) blood & carried axes! Johnathan took a picture of me with the really big guy. It's a little weird-looking 'cuz of the angle of the sunlight but cool nonetheless.
Soon, it was time to go in & see the guys. The twins had gone off on their own for a bit, not being able to afford the Boondocks, tho' my mom & I said we'd both contribute to them getting something, if they wanted, even if it wasn't all 3...some merch or whatever; I think they were tired of the line at that point (plus, we'd gotten the impression they might kick out anybody not actually buying anything, but my mom went in anyway XD), & we had to do more waiting inside. We were in a big room with lots of chairs. They'd call up a couple rows, move the people in the back up to the front rows, & bring the new people in from the line to sit in the back. Soon, Josh was sitting next to us, & we were chatting.
A few people, myself included, snapped a few photos of the guys signing stuff. I did that when we were in the back. When they moved us up front, the 2 ladies sitting next to me had a little, little girl with them. She dropped her Pooh toy & I picked it up for her. She was a cutie. Saw the Boondock Betty again, watched her getting her tattoo signed (she'd already had the professional photography session with them - she said they'd been pretty stoked about the tat). My mom said she hugged them, too; I must've been picking up the Pooh toy. We did get to talk to her quickly afterward, 'cuz I said it was fantastic that they signed it, & she was totally elated, & said, "Next stop, tattoo parlour!"
Soon, it was our turn. They had a few different items available, like t-shirts, keychains, I think even bumper stickers. A number of photos, even some non-Boondock ones. But most were from the Saints. I prob'ly would've gotten the one Linnea told me about for Mark, except he was excited when we told him about them having been at Cherry Hill (we talked to him after we'd gone there). I hadn't seen the film then or known their names (I've since seen the first movie - there are 2; I'll see the 2nd at some point, 'cuz I really did like part 1 - & I know my Sean from my Norman; Rocco's pretty easy to distinguish), so I was reading them off the t-shirt & when I got to David Della Rocco, Mark was, like, "Aw, Rocco was there, too?!" So I picked up one with all 3 guys on it. You had to pay for pics separately, but they were only $5, & for the size I got, it was a pretty good price.
Got up to Rocco first. He's very subdued in person, compared to how hyper he is in the film. But he was pleasant, & the girl with him (his manager or whatever) had cool tattoos. She had dark hair, kinda long, & reminded me, for some reason, of Pixie from the old L.A. Ink shows (http://www.gregwilliams.ca/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/pixie-2.jpg). She kept calling me "sweetheart". :) We said our hi's to Rocco & I said I'd like him to sign the photo to my brother, Mark, who's a big fan & wanted to be there, but was unable to go due to Army training. Rocco was, like, "Oh, he's going in the Army?" My mom & I said he was in the National Guard & that he'd been in the Army for a while. My mom added that he'd been in Iraq, & Rocco was, like, "Is he back? Is he okay?" I said he was back & was all right, & he was pleased. We thanked him & said it was nice to meet him, the usual pleasantries, & I moved on to Norman Reedus.
Norman shook my hand when we greeted each other. Not a firm grip (that's not a complaint, just an observation - Harvey Stephens had a firm handshake), but he was nice to talk to. I told him we'd seen them pop up at various places in Cherry Hill, & showed him the photo I took at Rocky Horror. "I look like the Devil!" he said. XD I said he'd been in the perfect place for it. XD I asked why he didn't stay for Rocky; he said, "Oh, man, I was wiped out." XD Then he told me when he was young, he had a babysitter that used to take him to see Rocky ,so he could stay out late. He remembered having a crush on Magenta. I can't remember if I said, "So did I," or, "So do I," but something to that effect, while pointing to myself & nodding. I didn't even SAY the words, just mouthed them. (This kind of haunts me as a 'why the heck did I do that?!' moment, but with me, it's kind of all or nothing at these things - if I don't do things spontaneously, I won't do anything at all!)
Norman at Rocky, Cherry Hill: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/Monster%20Mania%2015%20-%20Aug%202010/2-rockyboondock2.jpg
Then I told him Linnea had mentioned he'd lived in Japan after she complimented my bag (noting that I'd gotten it in Harajuku - not to show off or anything, just to give him an idea where I had been when I was there). He said he had, indeed, lived there for a while, after dropping out of high school. He said he really enjoyed it, & I might've mentioned wanting to go back, myself. I know I asked if he ever got to go back, & he said he'd been back a couple of times. He did actually tell me the part he'd lived in, & I can't, for the life of me, remember exactly where it was. I do know it was in Chiba, tho' (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiba_Prefecture). Before we parted ways, I said something incredibly doofy (again), like, "If I get back one day, maybe I'll see you there." :P
Sean Flanery was next. Perky guy. When I told him about my brother, he said to tell him thank you for his (Army) service. I said I definitely would. Then I told him about my creeper photo. I said I'd already told/showed Norman, & that I was there at Rocky Horror "when you outed yourself as a virgin." He was, like, "Oh, my God, I did, didn't I?!" XD (I think his manager lady or whoever she was said, “You did.” XD) When I showed him the picture, he asked, "How did my shirt get opened so much?" Then he said the girl from the Nipple People (he didn't say it that way; that's just what we called them) was undoing it! "Were you there?" he asked. "Did you see that?" I said I hadn't seen what she was doing, but I'd wondered.
Sean at Rocky, Cherry Hill: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/Monster%20Mania%2015%20-%20Aug%202010/2-rockyboondock1.jpg
He blew on his signature after writing it. I thanked him, then he told both me & my mom, "Nice to meet you," & we said our good-byes & exited into the courtyard.
Shortly thereafter, my mom reminded me I’d brought my “Kiss me, I’m Irish” pin with me - & I forgot to put it on when I met the Boondocks! XP Oh well. I figured just having it may have helped bring me a little luck. ^_^
We floated back into the lounge area, where we took a break, & saw Linnea Quigley not 5 feet from us! She & I guess it was the younger guy that had been at her table went out into the courtyard for a break. Where did we go next? I can't really remember everything blow by blow, sorry. I know we went back into the big signing room. Linda Blair was there, but she had a line & was a tad pricey, & my mom said she didn't seem to be talking to the fans a lot (was she the Julian Sands of Monster-Mania Maryland?), so I chickened out. (I tried again later, but her line was even longer.) I think we scoped out the dealer rooms again at this point, but didn't buy anything. Didn't have a great deal of money, & tho' there were lots of nice things (esp. shirts & stuff), there was nothing we were super-desperate for. I did get sheet protectors for the signed photos, & got Mattie a True Blood cast photo (a big one, like the Boondocks pic I got for Mark, which I took a pic of w/my camera & sent him, right before we saw Rocco come out with a few people that he was talking to - my mom said she was so close, she could've touched him!).
After the little kids & the girl dressed as Melinda Clarke, these chicks were my fave cosplayers.
Oh! We ran into Neal DeConte, Amelia Kinkade's manager! He was there promoting the Horror Idols stall (http://www.horroridols.com/ - forgive me if I linked this already, it's about 6 am & I've literally been working on this all night), & we'd actually seen him a couple of times during our trips to the dealer rooms. First time, I had to ask if he were her manager (we'd spied him from afar, & were pretty sure it was him, but I figured I should check), & when he said yes, I said we'd seen them in Cherry Hill, & asked how Amelia was, was she in Africa, etc. He said she did go, & was doing something like 5 countries in 5 weeks. I think he said she was due back in about a week. I mentioned we'd shown our photo with Amelia to Linnea, & he said he'd spoken to Linnea a bit the night before. Before departing, I said we'd just wanted to drop by & say hello. Later, we were looking a bit more closely at the figures & other goodies they had for sale, & he started talking! He told us a bit about the figures, & noted the Boondocks photo I had, saying he & his partner (who was also there at the stall) were going to work with the Saints & do figures of them. Then he was, like, "Did you see the little Amelia?" I said we had, & that I'd taken a pic of her & the little Jason. He said he'd done the same, & had sent the pic to Amelia! We both felt bad that the family had gotten the dates wrong, but he said he'd told them he'd send her their photo. :)
The order of our activities is a bit fuzzy in my mind at this point, so forgive me. I think, right about now, we went for some snacks at the Hunt Café. I got ice cream. ^_^ We saw a weird thing on the tv in there about places that sold medical marijuana now offering pot-flavoured ice cream. :P Also saw Norman walk by the café! Didn't stalk him, tho'. XD
We figured that if we wanted to get good seats at the Q&A's, we'd need to go in early. Tho' I had the itinerary with me, we decided to go in & stay for all of them, so as not to lose our places. They were showing the 3rd Elm St. movie in the Hunt Ballroom, where all the Q&A's were scheduled, so we caught the end of the movie, & when people started to leave afterward, we grabbed the seats furthest up toward the front that we could. They actually had to move us back a row, tho', 'cuz the first 3 rows were VIP (you paid extra for VIP tickets, & I think those were only available on-line). But we were 4th row, so I knew my videos would be good, esp. sound-wise. But I'm not gonna spend all the time & effort to convert & post the ones I took, since there are lots of other people who did such a great job of it right off the bat. I'll just direct you to their clips, & maybe give a brief synopsis for those who can't get YouTube.
We played it smart, & in between sessions, we had 2 people holding the seats while the other 2 got up & did whatever. At one point, there were lavatory breaks. I ended up in the bathroom with actress Monique Dupree (who'd introduced herself to my mom & talked to her about one of her projects, I think during part of the time I was with Linnea) & Melanie Kinnaman, who was part of the Friday the 13th gang (she was in part 5). At another point, Johnathan & I went to see if I could get near Linda Blair (I talked about that earlier - couldn't 'cuz the line was into the hallway), walked past a couple of stars (John Philbin & Brian Peck, both from ROTLD), & ended up in conversation with the guy who makes these awesome doll-figures of notable horror characters (http://terrycruikshank.com/).
I took some shots of it (one w/Johnathan in front), & it was us & this guy walking around in a costume that merged Scream with a scarecrow talking to the vendor. He told us how he made them, some that he'd like to do or had been asked about doing, & how some of the stars had seen the ones he'd done of their characters. He even said he'd done one of Radu from the Subspecies movies, which I LOVE (did anyone else know the king, the father of Radu & Stefan, was played by Angus Scrimm from Phantasm? I've been into those flicks for years & didn't know it!!); he said if I e-mailed him, he'd let me see a pic of it. I have to e-mail him!!
My mom & Mattie went out for a smoke break once, & saw Friday the 13th's Kane Hodder talking to fans! My mom & I later went out so she could hit the ladies' room & I could get a drink (they thoughtfully had a little water cooler set up for convention-goers). The dealers had closed up early. The ladies' room was nice, but the faucet was weird. I had to show my mom how to work it - when I'd been in there earlier, the gals had to show me how to do it. It had, like, a sensor on it, so you had to wave your hand in front of it for the water to go on; but the one I'd been at wasn't working, so I had to move to the next one.
Anywho, next entry will focus on the Q&A's! Check it out here: http://japanesedream.livejournal.com/384729.html
Day 1 - http://japanesedream.livejournal.com/382408.html
Day 2 - http://japanesedream.livejournal.com/382836.html
Day 3 - http://japanesedream.livejournal.com/383075.html
So on we go, to Monster-Mania 16!!
http://www.monstermania.net/MMC16_Guests.html
I warn you, this is gonna be image & link-heavy…& very, very looooong.
Managed to get a little sleep, which was good, 'cuz I had to get up early. Wanted to hit the road as soon as possible, get to my mom's, pick up the gang, & get to Hunt Valley, since the convention started @ 10 & I didn't want to be driving around 'til Noon trying to find a parking place. Despite setting out a little bit later than I wanted, I made excellent time. Helped everybody get their stuff together, & we left around 9. It was me, my mom, Matthew, & Johnathan.
According to the directions I'd printed out (I hate Mapquest, but it's nice to have a back-up in case my GPS goes wonky), it was s'posed to take an hour. I was still a little worried about parking, but one step at a time, ne? I had to make sure I could find the place!
I've never been to Maryland before, but Mattie had, & he & Johnathan are good as far as knowing their general area, so they helped me out, too. Fortunately, Maggie (my GPS) was pretty much in line with the way they were directing me, & we had a fairly easy, uneventful time getting there. Nice area, lots of trees along the highway. We were so goofy on the way down, singing with the radio & calling out slogans like, "Road trip!" "Monster Mania or Bust!" "Baltimore, here we come!" XD
When they say the Mariott is off the exit, they ain't kidding! It's so close to coming off the exit, we almost missed it! I had to hurry up & get into the right lane to hit the entrance! I was just lucky there were no other cars around me, or I would've hit something else! Literally! I guess the convention gods were smiling on us, tho'...'cuz we also found a parking spot not terribly far away!
Saw a couple of really neat vehicles parked out front, which we later found out belonged to vendors. The guy who owned the zombie control van was selling t-shirts, mugs, & other goodies. Some of the shirts were Hello Zombie (a Kitty spoof), an Elm-Street-meets-Sesame-Street shirt (Big Bird as Freddy, killing Elmo), & Overlook Hotel (The Shining) & Bates Motel (Psycho) shirts. They had Bates Motel mugs & other goodies. They let us take one of those do-not-disturb doorknob signs; it says Bates Motel on it.
The hearse belonged to Kim's Krypt (http://www.kimskrypt.com/). I'm not entirely sure what was at their stall (except for the pseudo-lifesize Linda Blair (as seen in The Exorcist) doll. But the lady running it (I'm assuming that's Kim) was dressed up a bit, too, in a black robe (kinda witchy-looking) with a bloody face. I know her flyer said she does parties - including hearse rentals!
First thing we see, even before the van & hearse, is a veeeeeeeeeeeeeeery long line. We were hoping it wasn't the line to get in! Somehow, however, I knew it was a line to see somebody. Prob'ly somebody I'd been thinking of trying to see.
I was right, of course. It was the line for Robert Englund (Freddy Kruger). Blah. Tickets, we found out, were being sold inside.
Took a photo of Johnathan & Matthew in front of the hotel. My own, personal Boondock Saints. XD
Went inside & found the ticket counter. We had to buy our tickets at the door, 'cuz we weren't exactly sure until pretty much the last minute who would be able to go, & thus, missed the cut-off for on-line sales. But it was cool, they weren't sold out. They even put our wristbands on for us! One of the guys selling the tickets was the guy who moderated the Pet Sematary Q&A in Cherry Hill. My mom & I also got Monster-Mania 16 t-shirts. I love the motif - Freddy Kruger meets Return of the Living Dead!
First, we tried to get the lay of the land, so to speak, & figure out where stuff was. I'd printed out the itinerary, which listed what rooms the different events would be in. Also had to figure out where the dealer tables & signing rooms were, not to mention the restaurant & café.
Now that we'd figured out, generally, where stuff was, we had to pick a place & get started. We saw another line, through the glass wall toward the back, where people were lining up for the Boondock Saints. My brother, Mark, is a big Saints fan, & he'd have liked to attend the con with us, but had Army training that weekend. Mattie & Johnathan dig the Saints, too, & Johnathan was with us in Cherry Hill when we saw them floating around, but since taking everybody to the con(s) & getting them stuff here & there was gonna be their Xmas presents, I figured I'd get Mark his gift, too, & I'd vowed to pick him up something Boondock related. My plan? Get their autographs for him!
But since they were gonna be occupied for a while with the people in that line, we figured we'd do autographs a bit later, & start with the dealers. A lot of them were the same as in Cherry Hill, with 1 or 2 exceptions. One of which was the guy from The Gemini Company (http://www.thegeminicompany.com/). They made sculptures of bones/skeletons, brain-candles, etc. I asked if the bones were real, & the guy said no, but they were cast from molds of real specimens. Cool, ne? There was a little creature on his shoulder, smaller than a ferret, but in a similar vein. I asked if it were alive & he said yes, & pulled a string inside his jacket or something, 'cuz it started hopping up & down. XD Then he said he also practises taxidermy. XD There was a monkey on the table, & I didn't know if it was one of his bone sculptures or what (it had fur & was dressed in a vest & hat), & he said it was a puppet, & made it move, too! He kindly allowed me to snap a photo of him & his set-up.
The first impression we got of the convention, in a general sense, was that it was smaller & a bit calmer than Cherry Hill. Saturday here was more like Sunday at the NJ site. These vendors didn't overwhelmingly try to grab your attention. There weren't as many people working for the convention walking about in costume (tho' there were a few). And there weren't a great deal of attendees dressed up. But of the people who were dressed up, none were as sweet as the 2 little kids we saw downstairs by the t-shirt stand.
The little girl was dressed as Amelia Kinkade's character, Angela, from Night of the Demons! Her brother, I'm guessing he was, had to be the cutest Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th) I have ever seen! I asked if I could take their photo, & their mom said okay. She said they'd thought Amelia was gonna be at this con, not realising she'd already done Cherry Hill. We felt really bad for them. But I showed them the photo (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/Monster%20Mania%2015%20-%20Aug%202010/2-john-amelia2.jpg) of Johnathan & Amelia (I still had a bunch of Cherry Hill shots on my camera), & we later saw Amelia's manager, Neal DeConte, who is also involved with a company that does sculpted figures of horror stuff, as well as jewelry (http://www.horroridols.com/). We talked to him for a bit, & the subject of the mini-Amelia came up. He said he'd talked to them, & taken a photo, which he e-mailed to Amelia! More on what Amelia's been up to later. ^_^
Back to the kids. One of the events was a panel of actors from various Friday the 13th films, & one of the actors on that panel was Kane Hodder, prob'ly the most famous Jason portrayer. The kids' mom said they'd talked to Kane at his signing table, & he took a photo of the little Jason, that he said he'd like to use in the autobiography he's writing! Awwww!
After parting ways with the cuties, we scoped out a little merch. I didn't really get anything this time around, except for some things for other people - namely, a giftie for
el_jefe59, & a box set of all 3 NOTD films for Johnathan. He didn't have part 1 (I have it on VHS), & not only did the vendor say it was uncut (many releases are, apparently), but he knocked $10 off the original asking price. I felt a little bad taking it for so little, but I guess they’d rather make a little money than lose a sale. A lot of vendors were making deals. I think business was kind of slow. I have to commend the one video dealer who didn't have NOTD 1, but directed me toward a couple of vendors he thought might be able to provide it. That was really awesome of him!There was a stall selling photos from various films, mostly of the stars scheduled to be at the convention. This was also one of the places to get sheet protectors for the signed pics acquired during the con. They had a book there, on the table, with other pics of other stars (prob'ly from other cons), tho' I'm not sure if they were just for display or they were for sale (there were a couple stalls selling pics/posters/items signed by stars). We looked at those for a bit. One of the pics was James Duval in his rabbit outfit from Donnie Darko, tho' I also know him from May, The Doom Generation, & I think he had a small part in Independence Day. The guy running the stall said James is a really nice guy.
After perusing the photos, we were off again. A cute little redhead with vampire fangs caught my eye as we were walking along the vendor area. I mean, she was really cute! I gave her my scrunch-nose (this quick little thing I sometimes do as an acknowledgment) with a smile. I later saw her at a table promoting a book. Not sure if she wrote it or the guy there at the table with her wrote it. But he said the photobook on the table & the promo postcards were her portraying a character named Z, from the book, which I think was called "Blood Junky" (http://bitemereallyhard.com/ or http://www.crazyduckpress.com/). I snagged a postcard, & complimented one of her tattoos - Invader Zim & Gir!
Nearly forgot to mention we ran into that staffer guy we’d talked to in Cherry Hill, from the John Carpenter line! (Y’know, the one with the Freddy tattoo that knows Robert Englund as Bob?) My mom was, like, remember us? I think he said he did. I said, “Oh, no, not again!” He was, like, “Yeah, again!” XD The staff, btw, get the coolest shirts. They have slogans on them from whatever film is marking the main event. At Cherry Hill, they said, “Sometimes, Dead Is Better”, from Pet Sematary. The MD ones quoted from ROTLD: “Send More Cops.” XD
I must pause here for a second. Now, I'm not trying to cause any wank (drama) or complain in the midst of all this coolness, but in this report, you'll find a couple of things my family & I observed or noted that we feel could have been done a bit better. The first of these is placement.
I can understand that certain people's lines are going to be longer than others'. But the whole sticking them in a separate room seemed weird to us. Last time, it was John Carpenter. This time, Robert Englund. My mom said it's as if those people (who I'm sure are very nice people, in & of themselves) are "too good" to be with the rest of the guests. Even Linda Blair (who you couldn't really get near, either) was in one of the big signing rooms.
Charles Herbert, on the other hand, must have been deemed "not good enough". He was a young boy when The Fly, in which he played Vincent Price's nephew, was made. I think Creepy Classics was behind his being there. But they plunked him downstairs in between merch stalls & the zombie-caricature artists! We almost didn't see him - at first, we thought he was a vendor, & then I saw the sign on his table. He said hi to us, & my mom talked to him for a sec. She said later she wished she'd have thought to say something to someone. He was just tucked away down there; I hope there were some people that talked to him & bought stuff.
That's another thing: I wish money didn't come into things so much. I feel bad ignoring guest stars, but I'd feel equally bad not buying anything if I talked to them for a while. Even the stuff I was there for, I couldn't afford to do everybody. They had 9 people from Return of the Living Dead - at $20 or $25 a pop, that's $180-$225 just for their signatures!! And some (I'm not sure if this happened at Cherry Hill or not; certainly not with anybody we talked to) were charging extra for photos, even if you took them with your own camera! Namely, Linda Blair & The Boondock Saints; although the Saints also offered shots with a professional photographer, which I could understand charging extra for, but with your own camera? WTF?
Anywho, where was I? Oh, yes. In the large dealer room, I ended up in conversation with a vendor after spotting him with a Barbie-like doll that he'd fashioned into a replica of Linnea Quigley's character, Trash, from Return of the Living Dead. I asked if he'd made it himself, & he said he did. He said he'd showed it to her (he later gave it to her), & then broke out his phone to show me the photo she'd taken with him. I asked if she were nice, & he said she was really sweet. I was glad he said that, 'cuz the ROTLD reunion was what had primarily drawn me there, & she was the main person I wanted to see.
He talked also about having chatted a great deal with the boys from The Boondock Saints (mostly in the bar on Fri. night), & I showed him my Cherry Hill pics, including Amelia, Dale Midkiff, & my "creeper pics" of the Boondock boys at Rocky Horror. XD After a bit more chatting, we parted ways, & set our sights on the signing rooms upstairs.
The place was bustling with people, the perimeter set up with tables featuring all sorts of stars, generally grouped by film. Friday the 13th's Kane Hodder (who played Jason in 4 of the films) was directly to our left; to our right, circling around, were stars from Nightmare on Elm St. 3 - including Elm St. 1 veterans Heather Langenkamp & John Saxon. Next to them, circling around, were cast members from Return of the Living Dead.
While seeking out Linnea Quigley, I almost walked right past someone else I'd hoped to meet! A quick glance out of the corner of my eye yielded my first celebrity encounter - Harvey Stephens, who played Damien in The Omen!
Had to stop those family members who were ahead of me. "It's the guy from The Omen!" I think I blurted out. "Yes!" he said in his perky British accent. "The guy from The Omen!" XD After an initial exchange of pleasantries & nervous horror-fangirling (in my case, this generally consists of me babbling something to the effect of, "It's great/It's a pleasure to meet you"), I figured I'd better talk Omen. Why am I never prepared for these things?
Prob'ly 'cuz the second I spotted him, I'd started to shake.
I asked how it was for him to make the film, & he said it had been fun. I asked if he remembered a great deal, & he said it's been a long time now (he was, like, 5 when they made the movie, & that was in the 70s), but people are still talking about it, so that keeps it going for him. I asked about the scene with the baboons, what that was like for him. He didn't even hesitate before answering, "They stunk." XD He also said that if you watch that scene, his reaction is real. He was petrified of them!
I'd brought a bag full of my own goodies for my chosen stars to sign, including the Omen novel, & I asked if he would mind signing it. He said he loved it when people came prepared! :D He asked if there were a particular page I wanted signed, & I showed him the one I wanted (with the Bible quote). He signed his name, with "Damien" underneath, & in red, "666" in the D.
I thanked him (I felt a bit rushed for some reason, so didn't get to ask him if I could take a photo, but I'd get footage of him later), & he shook my hand - my mom's, too! - & off we went toward the ROTLD section of the room.
I was still shaking! We checked out the ROTLD cast, noting which person had played which part. Some were easy to figure out; others had changed a great deal.
And then there was Linnea.
Her table was next to Melinda Clarke (from Return of the Living Dead 3), with ROTLD's Miguel Nunez, Jr., in between them. We'd actually wanted to see both ladies, but Linnea was my first priority. Except I had no idea what to say! I got up to her & when she said hi & asked how I was, I said, "I can't stop shaking." She said she'd been like that for the Boondock Saints. I could hardly believe it! It initially seemed odd that the stars would get star-struck. But hey, they're just people, like the rest of us, right? Anywho, I asked her if they were nice, & she said they were. I think I might've mentioned we were planning to see them later. She told me - & I can't remember exactly how the subject of their pics came up - about one of the photos they had available, which was this really cool one with the 2 brothers & the 'family prayer' written out in nice lettering.
Then I told her we'd met Amelia (her co-star in NOTD) in Cherry Hill, & showed her the photo. She was surprised at how different Amelia looked as a blonde, & said with her dark hair, Amelia kind of reminded her of Judy Garland, for some reason. I could kinda see what she meant by that. I told her about the impromptu Q&A (just not the "juicy" question, LOL), & how I'd asked about the Bauhaus scene. Linnea seemed to really like that moment, too. I told her that Amelia had said she'd fought for that song to get in the movie, & Linnea said, "I'm so glad she did." I said I was, too.
Then I mentioned that Johnathan always wanted to know how they did the thing with the lipstick (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl6TCUbRaas). She told us all about it! They'd made a latex or rubber appliance (basically, fake breasts), which was made up to look genuine (she even showed us a page from a book she had on her table, with a photo of the prosthetic chest being painted by the make-up artist), & they taped her own chest down before putting it on her. There was a slit cut into one nipple, into which she pushed the lipstick after drawing on herself. She said it was a hard scene to shoot, because she's right-handed, & she had to do the scene using her left hand.
Next, I asked about ROTLD, & how it was to play Trash. After her mention of the NOTD prosthetic, I was curious about the zombie make-up & such. She'd enjoyed the role of Trash, except for the zombie bits. She was naked, under rain machines spurting cold water, shooting at night in cool temps. She said she was freezing! Plus, the make-up was designed not to wash off, so she'd get home at 6 am sometimes, dead tired & still covered in the stuff. Both she & - later - Melinda Clarke, alluded to working very long hours when shooting a film. And doing it in heavy make-up or FX was not the most pleasant experience.
I asked Linnea if she'd sign the inside of my DVD cover, but I must've been getting my money out, 'cuz by the time I saw what she was doing, she was signing the front. So her signature's kind of squidged in the corner. But hey, she was SUPER-nice, & talked to me for quite a while, so I'm not complaining!
"To Marlene, screams, [heart] Linnea 'Trash'."
I told her I'd brought both the DVD & the soundtrack, tho' she let me choose which I wanted her to sign. I figured the DVD might give her more room, tho' I'm glad I brought the soundtrack, 'cuz she said she'd never even seen it! I told her I'd bought it a while ago (I think she thought it was a re-issue), & opened the cover so she could see it unfolded. She noted the songs on it, specifically the SSQ track, which she dances to in the movie (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stEmIJ3GdIQ). Except - & I didn't know this at all - it wasn't really the song she danced to! She said they played a different song when filming the scene. I asked which one, & it took a minute for her to remember, but then she revealed that it was Vanity's "Nasty Girl" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryVJaxBMG5c).
I asked if it would be okay to get a photo with her, & she said sure. She even had us make certain it was a good shot. (By the way, just so you know, that dark spot over her lip is not a beauty mark, it’s a piercing.) Then she said she liked my style! I thanked her, & said I liked hers, too. (You can't see it from the picture, but she was also wearing fingerless gloves, & a bunch of bracelets, as well as a big silver pentacle necklace - I was half-tempted to ask if she were a witch, but didn't.) She also said she liked my bag (the cross one I'd gotten for the Moi dix Mois show). I thanked her, & told her I'd gotten it in Japan. Wide-eyed, she gasped, & said, "Did you love it??" I told her how much I did, & how I wanted to go back & stay/live. I think she asked if I could speak the language, & I'd said I could, a little. "What would you do there?" she asked. I told her I wasn't sure, but first I wanted to go to school for in-depth language study, then see if I could set myself up. "But everything's so expensive," she said. I told her that was part of the problem. She asked if I got my bag "on that street with all the shops", & when I said on the Takeshita-Dori in Harajuku, she was, like, "That's the one." XD Then she tells me one of the Boondocks used to LIVE there! When he was younger, he'd dropped out of high school, & his mom had moved there for some reason, so that was how he came to live there. I was, like, "Oh, that's cool!!" (My mom would later say, "Now you have something to talk [to him] about!" Besides my creeper photos, that is. XD)
We talked for another minute, & somewhere in the midst of all this, I asked Linnea what she's working on now. There were a couple of gentlemen sitting next to her, one named Eric Quigley, & I was, like, "Oh, you're all related." She said yes, but the younger gentleman (not Eric) had a nametag that said Linnea Quigley, so she goes, "Well, he's really Linnea." So I said, "Ah!" & turned to him, & said, "I really loved you naked." XD Soon, she was telling me Eric was a director, & rattling off so many forthcoming projects, it nearly made my head spin! I can't remember them all, but I do recall there's a tv show they're trying to pitch, kind of a spoof of Ghost Hunters. I wished her luck with everything.
We wrapped up our conversation, & I thanked her again, & we made our way over to the Melinda Clarke table. The girl in line in front of me was cosplaying Julie, Melinda's character from ROTLD 3 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Mu9p-WuAeE&feature=related). My mom & I had thought of trying to do that, but we couldn't have topped this girl's job! She was nice enough to tell me how she'd put it together (tho' she said it took a couple months to plan it all out), & let me take a photo.
While waiting for Melinda, we noted that Linda Blair's table was right next to hers. Linda wasn't there at the time, tho' (pee break? XD), but there were 2 male staffers sitting there. We joked with them over which one was the real Linda. I thought it was the dark-haired guy; my mom said it was the one with the beard. I think they found it amusing. XD
Melinda was really nice, & talked to us for a bit. I'd asked about the ROTLD3 make-up, & how long it had taken to get into the entire, finished look (when Julie is at her most zombiefied & masochistic - in the film, she's transforming into a zombie, but discovers that being in pain helps to alleviate the hunger for human brains). She said it took about 8 hours, but they got it down to 5, & another 2 to take off. And you'd work something like 18 hours at a stretch, so it was pretty yucky. She said there were times when she really couldn't move her head too much, 'cuz her hair was matted in the blood & whatnot. She said it was the most challenging film she's ever done. In fact, I think she said that more than once. I asked if she'd done anything else in the horror vein, & she said not really. She's done some fantasy (like Xena, Warrior Princess), & was even on The Vampire Diaries (also The O.C., if anyone's ever seen that), but nothing involving as much FX as ROTLD3.
She signed the pic for me (which is her as ROTLD3's Julie - they also had shots from her other roles), & when I told her my name, she said you don't really hear that name much these days. Then I asked if I could get a photo, & if my mom could sneak in, too, & she said sure.
She asked my mom her name, & when she said Grace, Melinda said her daughter is Katherine Grace, & her grandmother's name was Grace. Grace seems to be a good name amongst the stars (remember what Dale said in Cherry Hill?). ^_^
I initially thought this was Nosferatu, but turns out it’s the vampire from Salem’s Lot (clue: the Salem’s Lot guy is blue). There were a couple of characters walking around - including Lucio Fulci's Zombie & Iron Man - but this was the only one I got my photo with. Not counting the guy who wanted to chop my head off. XD
Ducked downstairs to see if the Boondock Saints' line was any better...& walked right past Linda Blair in the hallway!! She was really petite; I'd imagined her as taller, for some reason. But she still looked good - my mom said a bit thin, but she hasn't changed a whole lot. Outside, taking a break, we saw Eric Quigley, tho' I can't remember what he said to us. It was in response to something we were talking about. Darn this failing memory of mine! XP Anywho, we found out what was up with the Saints - they had a photo line & an autograph line (which lead to a bit of confusion, in my opinion, tho' they were trying to keep it as organised as possible) - but the guys were gonna finish up with the 20 or so people that were in there & then go to lunch. They told us round about what time they'd be back to sign stuff, so we figured we'd have enough time to grab lunch at Cinnamon Tree (the hotel restaurant) & then we'd come back to see them.
Robert Englund, unfortunately, was still mobbed.
Lunch was nice. We had spinach & artichoke dip w/nacho chips for starters. I had an Asian salad, the rest of the gang had chicken sandwiches. We toasted to making it to MD in one piece! XD And it wasn't long before Johnathan, who has an uncanny ability to spot the stars in their most casual moments, informed us that the Boondock Saints were at the corner table!! Sure enough, on the other side of the restaurant, tucked in the corner, were Norman Reedus & Sean Patrick Flanery!! Mattie kept looking over at them. We think they saw us looking, but we kept our distance, allowing them to have their privacy. One girl from the table next to them did go up to them, but we didn't know if she knew them or what (tho' we suspected not). I texted Mark, to let him know they were there, & told him we'd be going to the signing & the Q&A, & I'd get what pics I could.
They left a little before we did. But we saw them through the glass portion of the wall (well, the boys & I guess my mom, saw them; my back was toward the wall so I couldn't see the glass part) in the courtyard where their line was setting up. When we got out there, they stood us in one part of the line, later moving us to another part, more in the shade. The sun was pretty high by then, & hot if you stood in it. Before the move, a couple interesting things happened. First, we saw Rocco come out for a smoke break! Second, I saw someone I'd met in Cherry Hill! This would be Josh, the guy who sat next to us at Pet Sematary, who'd showed me his Rob Zombie & Korn pics. He & his friend had waited something like THREE HOURS for Robert Englund (which seems like a lot - & yet I'll wait 9 hours for Dir en grey...go figure XD). They were showing us the pics/signatures they got, & I showed them mine. I had Josh write down his name & info - yes, another Facebook friend - & then they moved my gang to the other side of the courtyard, in the shade.
There was a Boondock Betty (this, I learned at the Q&A, is the name of a Boondock fangirl base; I don't know if it's just that little contingent or all of them everywhere, tho' my mom & I have attributed it to all of them) that had a pretty spiffy tattoo of the Saints (the brothers), which she said she was gonna have signed & then get their signatures tattooed. We also chatted briefly with another woman in line in front of us, showing her a flyer we'd picked up for another con (not Monster-Mania) in Florida. Then these dudes who either worked for Monster-Mania or were promoting something else came into the courtyard. They were covered in (fake) blood & carried axes! Johnathan took a picture of me with the really big guy. It's a little weird-looking 'cuz of the angle of the sunlight but cool nonetheless.
Soon, it was time to go in & see the guys. The twins had gone off on their own for a bit, not being able to afford the Boondocks, tho' my mom & I said we'd both contribute to them getting something, if they wanted, even if it wasn't all 3...some merch or whatever; I think they were tired of the line at that point (plus, we'd gotten the impression they might kick out anybody not actually buying anything, but my mom went in anyway XD), & we had to do more waiting inside. We were in a big room with lots of chairs. They'd call up a couple rows, move the people in the back up to the front rows, & bring the new people in from the line to sit in the back. Soon, Josh was sitting next to us, & we were chatting.
A few people, myself included, snapped a few photos of the guys signing stuff. I did that when we were in the back. When they moved us up front, the 2 ladies sitting next to me had a little, little girl with them. She dropped her Pooh toy & I picked it up for her. She was a cutie. Saw the Boondock Betty again, watched her getting her tattoo signed (she'd already had the professional photography session with them - she said they'd been pretty stoked about the tat). My mom said she hugged them, too; I must've been picking up the Pooh toy. We did get to talk to her quickly afterward, 'cuz I said it was fantastic that they signed it, & she was totally elated, & said, "Next stop, tattoo parlour!"
Soon, it was our turn. They had a few different items available, like t-shirts, keychains, I think even bumper stickers. A number of photos, even some non-Boondock ones. But most were from the Saints. I prob'ly would've gotten the one Linnea told me about for Mark, except he was excited when we told him about them having been at Cherry Hill (we talked to him after we'd gone there). I hadn't seen the film then or known their names (I've since seen the first movie - there are 2; I'll see the 2nd at some point, 'cuz I really did like part 1 - & I know my Sean from my Norman; Rocco's pretty easy to distinguish), so I was reading them off the t-shirt & when I got to David Della Rocco, Mark was, like, "Aw, Rocco was there, too?!" So I picked up one with all 3 guys on it. You had to pay for pics separately, but they were only $5, & for the size I got, it was a pretty good price.
Got up to Rocco first. He's very subdued in person, compared to how hyper he is in the film. But he was pleasant, & the girl with him (his manager or whatever) had cool tattoos. She had dark hair, kinda long, & reminded me, for some reason, of Pixie from the old L.A. Ink shows (http://www.gregwilliams.ca/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/pixie-2.jpg). She kept calling me "sweetheart". :) We said our hi's to Rocco & I said I'd like him to sign the photo to my brother, Mark, who's a big fan & wanted to be there, but was unable to go due to Army training. Rocco was, like, "Oh, he's going in the Army?" My mom & I said he was in the National Guard & that he'd been in the Army for a while. My mom added that he'd been in Iraq, & Rocco was, like, "Is he back? Is he okay?" I said he was back & was all right, & he was pleased. We thanked him & said it was nice to meet him, the usual pleasantries, & I moved on to Norman Reedus.
Norman shook my hand when we greeted each other. Not a firm grip (that's not a complaint, just an observation - Harvey Stephens had a firm handshake), but he was nice to talk to. I told him we'd seen them pop up at various places in Cherry Hill, & showed him the photo I took at Rocky Horror. "I look like the Devil!" he said. XD I said he'd been in the perfect place for it. XD I asked why he didn't stay for Rocky; he said, "Oh, man, I was wiped out." XD Then he told me when he was young, he had a babysitter that used to take him to see Rocky ,so he could stay out late. He remembered having a crush on Magenta. I can't remember if I said, "So did I," or, "So do I," but something to that effect, while pointing to myself & nodding. I didn't even SAY the words, just mouthed them. (This kind of haunts me as a 'why the heck did I do that?!' moment, but with me, it's kind of all or nothing at these things - if I don't do things spontaneously, I won't do anything at all!)
Norman at Rocky, Cherry Hill: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/Monster%20Mania%2015%20-%20Aug%202010/2-rockyboondock2.jpg
Then I told him Linnea had mentioned he'd lived in Japan after she complimented my bag (noting that I'd gotten it in Harajuku - not to show off or anything, just to give him an idea where I had been when I was there). He said he had, indeed, lived there for a while, after dropping out of high school. He said he really enjoyed it, & I might've mentioned wanting to go back, myself. I know I asked if he ever got to go back, & he said he'd been back a couple of times. He did actually tell me the part he'd lived in, & I can't, for the life of me, remember exactly where it was. I do know it was in Chiba, tho' (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiba_Prefecture). Before we parted ways, I said something incredibly doofy (again), like, "If I get back one day, maybe I'll see you there." :P
Sean Flanery was next. Perky guy. When I told him about my brother, he said to tell him thank you for his (Army) service. I said I definitely would. Then I told him about my creeper photo. I said I'd already told/showed Norman, & that I was there at Rocky Horror "when you outed yourself as a virgin." He was, like, "Oh, my God, I did, didn't I?!" XD (I think his manager lady or whoever she was said, “You did.” XD) When I showed him the picture, he asked, "How did my shirt get opened so much?" Then he said the girl from the Nipple People (he didn't say it that way; that's just what we called them) was undoing it! "Were you there?" he asked. "Did you see that?" I said I hadn't seen what she was doing, but I'd wondered.
Sean at Rocky, Cherry Hill: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v415/japanesedream/Monster%20Mania%2015%20-%20Aug%202010/2-rockyboondock1.jpg
He blew on his signature after writing it. I thanked him, then he told both me & my mom, "Nice to meet you," & we said our good-byes & exited into the courtyard.
Shortly thereafter, my mom reminded me I’d brought my “Kiss me, I’m Irish” pin with me - & I forgot to put it on when I met the Boondocks! XP Oh well. I figured just having it may have helped bring me a little luck. ^_^
We floated back into the lounge area, where we took a break, & saw Linnea Quigley not 5 feet from us! She & I guess it was the younger guy that had been at her table went out into the courtyard for a break. Where did we go next? I can't really remember everything blow by blow, sorry. I know we went back into the big signing room. Linda Blair was there, but she had a line & was a tad pricey, & my mom said she didn't seem to be talking to the fans a lot (was she the Julian Sands of Monster-Mania Maryland?), so I chickened out. (I tried again later, but her line was even longer.) I think we scoped out the dealer rooms again at this point, but didn't buy anything. Didn't have a great deal of money, & tho' there were lots of nice things (esp. shirts & stuff), there was nothing we were super-desperate for. I did get sheet protectors for the signed photos, & got Mattie a True Blood cast photo (a big one, like the Boondocks pic I got for Mark, which I took a pic of w/my camera & sent him, right before we saw Rocco come out with a few people that he was talking to - my mom said she was so close, she could've touched him!).
After the little kids & the girl dressed as Melinda Clarke, these chicks were my fave cosplayers.
Oh! We ran into Neal DeConte, Amelia Kinkade's manager! He was there promoting the Horror Idols stall (http://www.horroridols.com/ - forgive me if I linked this already, it's about 6 am & I've literally been working on this all night), & we'd actually seen him a couple of times during our trips to the dealer rooms. First time, I had to ask if he were her manager (we'd spied him from afar, & were pretty sure it was him, but I figured I should check), & when he said yes, I said we'd seen them in Cherry Hill, & asked how Amelia was, was she in Africa, etc. He said she did go, & was doing something like 5 countries in 5 weeks. I think he said she was due back in about a week. I mentioned we'd shown our photo with Amelia to Linnea, & he said he'd spoken to Linnea a bit the night before. Before departing, I said we'd just wanted to drop by & say hello. Later, we were looking a bit more closely at the figures & other goodies they had for sale, & he started talking! He told us a bit about the figures, & noted the Boondocks photo I had, saying he & his partner (who was also there at the stall) were going to work with the Saints & do figures of them. Then he was, like, "Did you see the little Amelia?" I said we had, & that I'd taken a pic of her & the little Jason. He said he'd done the same, & had sent the pic to Amelia! We both felt bad that the family had gotten the dates wrong, but he said he'd told them he'd send her their photo. :)
The order of our activities is a bit fuzzy in my mind at this point, so forgive me. I think, right about now, we went for some snacks at the Hunt Café. I got ice cream. ^_^ We saw a weird thing on the tv in there about places that sold medical marijuana now offering pot-flavoured ice cream. :P Also saw Norman walk by the café! Didn't stalk him, tho'. XD
We figured that if we wanted to get good seats at the Q&A's, we'd need to go in early. Tho' I had the itinerary with me, we decided to go in & stay for all of them, so as not to lose our places. They were showing the 3rd Elm St. movie in the Hunt Ballroom, where all the Q&A's were scheduled, so we caught the end of the movie, & when people started to leave afterward, we grabbed the seats furthest up toward the front that we could. They actually had to move us back a row, tho', 'cuz the first 3 rows were VIP (you paid extra for VIP tickets, & I think those were only available on-line). But we were 4th row, so I knew my videos would be good, esp. sound-wise. But I'm not gonna spend all the time & effort to convert & post the ones I took, since there are lots of other people who did such a great job of it right off the bat. I'll just direct you to their clips, & maybe give a brief synopsis for those who can't get YouTube.
We played it smart, & in between sessions, we had 2 people holding the seats while the other 2 got up & did whatever. At one point, there were lavatory breaks. I ended up in the bathroom with actress Monique Dupree (who'd introduced herself to my mom & talked to her about one of her projects, I think during part of the time I was with Linnea) & Melanie Kinnaman, who was part of the Friday the 13th gang (she was in part 5). At another point, Johnathan & I went to see if I could get near Linda Blair (I talked about that earlier - couldn't 'cuz the line was into the hallway), walked past a couple of stars (John Philbin & Brian Peck, both from ROTLD), & ended up in conversation with the guy who makes these awesome doll-figures of notable horror characters (http://terrycruikshank.com/).
I took some shots of it (one w/Johnathan in front), & it was us & this guy walking around in a costume that merged Scream with a scarecrow talking to the vendor. He told us how he made them, some that he'd like to do or had been asked about doing, & how some of the stars had seen the ones he'd done of their characters. He even said he'd done one of Radu from the Subspecies movies, which I LOVE (did anyone else know the king, the father of Radu & Stefan, was played by Angus Scrimm from Phantasm? I've been into those flicks for years & didn't know it!!); he said if I e-mailed him, he'd let me see a pic of it. I have to e-mail him!!
My mom & Mattie went out for a smoke break once, & saw Friday the 13th's Kane Hodder talking to fans! My mom & I later went out so she could hit the ladies' room & I could get a drink (they thoughtfully had a little water cooler set up for convention-goers). The dealers had closed up early. The ladies' room was nice, but the faucet was weird. I had to show my mom how to work it - when I'd been in there earlier, the gals had to show me how to do it. It had, like, a sensor on it, so you had to wave your hand in front of it for the water to go on; but the one I'd been at wasn't working, so I had to move to the next one.
Anywho, next entry will focus on the Q&A's! Check it out here: http://japanesedream.livejournal.com/384729.html
