Is there not a thread for this yet? (Checks) I don't see one. Anyway, Just got back from the 2012 Las Vegas convention, my first convention, it was great, great, great. The TNG cast was hilarious and seemed to be having a great time. Since Patrick Stewart wasn't there due to the Olympics he was the butt of many jokes. We got to hear Brent Spiner's Stewart impression which was very funny. At one point the TNG cast was asked to describe their character in one word. I'm paraphrasing but it was a funny moment. Frakes: My word will be hyphenated. (Pause) Derring-do. (Silence from the crowd.) (Frakes stands up.) Good night everybody! (Frakes walks off the stage.) Spiner of course sarcastically said "Data". Gates McFadden (playing off Spiner) said "Data" but later changed it to "Ethical". Sirtis: "Sensitive". Dorn: "Bad-ass". When it got to Levar Burton there was another funny moment. "Barrel-roll" he said, and then proceeded to stand up, yell "Coolant leak!" and then do "the roll" (you know what I'm talking about). This brought the house down. I forget what Meaney said but it might have been something about how his character was basically a teamster in space (stands around doing as little as possible). At one point the MC asked Meany what it was like saving the ship and he's like "What are you talking about? I basically ran the transporter". Was funny. Anyway very good time. I was only there Saturday and Sunday due to a previous engagement. I saw the Voyager panel on Sunday which was also very funny. Mulgrew was funny and eloquent and very open about her being an atheist (which I appreciated hearing as I'm an atheist myself). I saw Shatner Sunday as well and honestly he seemed a little distracted during his monologue and when answering questions from the audience, often missing their question entirely and making some unrelated point. However during the 4 captains panel he opened up a bit and seemed sharper. Avery Brooks was "spacey", I'd heard that before but it's definitely true, he seems to be on another plane or something, like he's constantly free-associating. He looked great though, like he'd hardly aged a day. I didn't see his musical performance, I chose to gamble instead. Next time maybe I'd see it. There were some GREAT costumes, I took a lot of pictures (though the ones I got of the celebrities weren't so great due to inadvertently being in the nosebleed section), and as soon as I've processed them I'll post them here. I had a great time and I'd definitely like to do it again someday.
I've never been to one, so nice to hear another first hand impression. What does "Derring-do" mean? I imagine that as time goes on, it must be hard for the actors to keep things fresh, rather than tossing out the same old jokes and answering the same old questions.
Etymology From Middle English daring to do. Pronunciation (UK) IPA: /ˌdɛɹɪŋ(g)ˈduː/ (US) IPA: /ˌdɛrɪŋˈduː/, X-SAMPA: /%dErIN"du:/ Noun derring-do (uncountable) Valiant deeds in desperate times. Brave and adventurous, often reckless actions.
This was my 6th Vegas con. Overall, it was ok. My joy comes more from meeting friends there than from guests on stage. The Voyager panel was very enjoyable, very funny. The TNG one was a bit more cynical. There was a 'been there, done that' feel to it. The cast have done so many of these, especially this year, they seemed a bit bored by it. The 4 Captains panel was a disappointment. Avery is, well, Avery, Bill didn't seem to be as fan friendly as last year, Scott was good but had the feel of a guy in a hurry to be somewhere else and Kate was, as usual, very serious and seems to feel that her opinions are revelatory. Kate, you're not the first lapsed Catholic, you won't be the last. Don't go on as if this is something to be celebrated by all. If it works for you, great. As Dominic Keating said a couple of years ago when Kate was going full steam ahead on the topic of politics, "For fuck's sake, Kate! Tell a joke!".
Here's my photo set on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.405499072847608.96776.100001625573286&type=1 I had originally planned to post some in the thread too but probably won't get around to it at this point. Busy, busy! As I mentioned before I had a great time but then I had nothing else to compare this experience to so, yeah. I though it was pretty great.
Brent Spiner is a very funny guy. Avery Brooks is so "out there" that, whether it's an act or not, it's kind of annoying .
Also was my first convention. Great time, but I do regret not dressing up - seeing everyone in costume was absolutely great. LeVar Burton doing the barrel roll was hillarious. Vegas was definitely the place to do this - since Thursday looked a little weaker on the schedule, my buddy and I ended up at the pool for the day, caught some MMA fights at the Hard Rock on Saturday night, and met some absolutely amazing people at the bars at the Rio. Looking forward to going back in 2013!
Do you have some pics from the convention, especially from the Voyagercast? Here are some really nice Voyagercastvideos and other videos from the event. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=vb.582011266&type=2
I didn't get a lot since I just had my camera phone, it was acting up, and half of the pictures turned out crummy. Anyway, here is a small album - I didn't get good shots of the cast on stage unfortunately. One or two more random Vegas shots thrown in the group of 10. http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4391895557374.2178793.1287952722&type=3 Definitely looking forward to checking out your videos later in the day.