Mom! ... I'm home! ...
It was a fun week and great to meet everyone. Funny thing is I met an elderly couple from the small town I work in. So, what did I think?
Not sure I would do a gold pass again. I ended up not using seven of the included autograph tickets. I was in row K and it took 1 1/2 to 2 hours to get to the head of the autograph line. Honestly, unless I have something special to be signed by someone special I would rather they hand me a pre-signed autograph and avoid the line. I did have Connor and Dominic sign a Shuttlepod One script. I also got banners for Jolene and Dominic to sign.
Photo-ops are interesting. They go quicker than autographs but you get to touch the stars. Jolene was my first photo-op and she looked almost as uncomfortable as me.
Jolene thinking: "Why did I agree to this?"
Me thinking: "Don't get to close or she might run off screaming. Try to smile. Bet I look like a dork."
I did look like a dork and no one will ever see that picture. Nichelle Nichols was next. She pulled me close and smile naturally. The picture looks better but I still looked like a trapped animal. By the time I did the photo with Anthony Montgomery I had seen the Jolene photo and almost backed out of doing any more. He was great. I told him that I have no idea what to do. He put his arm around me and smiled. It was the first photo to turn out halfway decent. Dominic's photo did a little better because I was relaxing more. When it came time for Connor I was still keeping my distance and went into my stage-fright daze. He could tell I was really uncomfortable. He said a few lines that I cannot remember and gave me a "It's ok" smile, then shook my hand, put his arm around me, leaned over so we actually touched, and gave me the best picture of the bunch.
Most of the actors did real well when taking the stage. The Voyager crew was a riot and told a lot of stories. Tuvok and a black sock in his shorts, farting in the transport tube, etc... They also had the most uncomfortable moment when a fan let some unfortunate news slip. After seeing the two Spock's on stage I went away feeling much better about the new movie. While DS9 and Avery Brooks are great, I got really board with his talk. Too contemplative for too long. It was meaningful, but it drug the crowd down.
Brannon and Manny were much better than I expected. Though I hate some of the stuff they did I also know we would not have had Enterprise without them and the crowd seemed to agree. They took more heat for the Voyager episode that dealt with warp 10 than anything. They talked about "24" and Jinx asked then why it took so long for them to get Connon into an episode. They said they were waiting for the right part. Whenever I see a post by Jinx now I will think about Brannon saying "MORE CONNOR!"
Food and parties: I enjoyed the Bingo party but it was short and the prizes were not very spread out. Five winners for the night. The Gold party at the experience was just ok. Too crowded and food was not that good. Not enough seating, and when the guest performed they quickly disappeared. A few of the minor or older stars did hang around and was assessable. The orchestra was disappointing as it was obvious they hardly practiced the music. Sure it is a one-night gig but these should be high level professionals and there is no excuse for the sloppiness in the brass section. The Tim Russ band was pretty good and they made the Dessert Party worth attending. I was surprised how few people was there but it did start very late.
Questions: Overall the audience questions were not too bad. Sure some are asked every time a guest makes an appearance, but hey, this was my first trip and I wanted to hear the answers. I bet others felt the same way. The people finally stopped introducing their dogs but James the 11 year old (almost) asked a question every time. I'd rather hear him than the lady that wanted to know if they had received the poetry she sent them and always ended up asking about other work they did that she had never seen. When the two Spock's were on they asked each other questions and that was good.
Anthony Montgomery: While seeing various cast members on stage my opinion when up in some cases and down in others. Anthony did the most to improve my impression of him. He was funny, articulate, and had good stage presence. I went away thinking he should have been given more lines and face time. But, he was in a role that hardly ever gets much face time.
Scheduling: Though the site tells you to order tickets for autographs and photo-op's early because they may sell out, don't. I ordered my photo-op's early and 5 of the 6 ended up being on a single day. I never want to have a schedule like that again. It was also the day that most of the Enterprise cast talked and gave autographs. Next time I will wait until I see a schedule.
Grand Canyon: The best part of the trip. I did a tour that included a bus to the bolder airport, flight over Hover Dam and to the canyon, helicopter down to the bottom, boat ride on the river, copter back out, bus to the reservation, and then a flight back. It was expensive but worth it to do once.
Next year: I'm back and forth on this. It may depend on the guest list and how much vacation time I have. I did need this trip and came home much more relaxed than when I left. I would pay more for a gold ticket on the first 3 rows, and avoid paying for gold where I was because they go by row for the included autographs and I was in the back section of the gold seating. It was fun and I liked meeting the people from the forum and strangers that happened to be in my line or at my table. It is too bad they don't arrange activities like group tours to Hoover Dam or even a night time trip down the strip to see the lights.
This was a HUGE event with lots of guests. It will be hard to consider a smaller show after this. But size comes with a price. Unless you are lucky like Pensive you don't get any time to talk to the stars.
That is all I can think of for now. This reporter is signing out. Night all. I have to get my hours back to East Coast working-man time. I'll be numb and lifeless tomorrow.
It was a fun week and great to meet everyone. Funny thing is I met an elderly couple from the small town I work in. So, what did I think?
Not sure I would do a gold pass again. I ended up not using seven of the included autograph tickets. I was in row K and it took 1 1/2 to 2 hours to get to the head of the autograph line. Honestly, unless I have something special to be signed by someone special I would rather they hand me a pre-signed autograph and avoid the line. I did have Connor and Dominic sign a Shuttlepod One script. I also got banners for Jolene and Dominic to sign.
Photo-ops are interesting. They go quicker than autographs but you get to touch the stars. Jolene was my first photo-op and she looked almost as uncomfortable as me.
Jolene thinking: "Why did I agree to this?"
Me thinking: "Don't get to close or she might run off screaming. Try to smile. Bet I look like a dork."
I did look like a dork and no one will ever see that picture. Nichelle Nichols was next. She pulled me close and smile naturally. The picture looks better but I still looked like a trapped animal. By the time I did the photo with Anthony Montgomery I had seen the Jolene photo and almost backed out of doing any more. He was great. I told him that I have no idea what to do. He put his arm around me and smiled. It was the first photo to turn out halfway decent. Dominic's photo did a little better because I was relaxing more. When it came time for Connor I was still keeping my distance and went into my stage-fright daze. He could tell I was really uncomfortable. He said a few lines that I cannot remember and gave me a "It's ok" smile, then shook my hand, put his arm around me, leaned over so we actually touched, and gave me the best picture of the bunch.
Most of the actors did real well when taking the stage. The Voyager crew was a riot and told a lot of stories. Tuvok and a black sock in his shorts, farting in the transport tube, etc... They also had the most uncomfortable moment when a fan let some unfortunate news slip. After seeing the two Spock's on stage I went away feeling much better about the new movie. While DS9 and Avery Brooks are great, I got really board with his talk. Too contemplative for too long. It was meaningful, but it drug the crowd down.
Brannon and Manny were much better than I expected. Though I hate some of the stuff they did I also know we would not have had Enterprise without them and the crowd seemed to agree. They took more heat for the Voyager episode that dealt with warp 10 than anything. They talked about "24" and Jinx asked then why it took so long for them to get Connon into an episode. They said they were waiting for the right part. Whenever I see a post by Jinx now I will think about Brannon saying "MORE CONNOR!"
Food and parties: I enjoyed the Bingo party but it was short and the prizes were not very spread out. Five winners for the night. The Gold party at the experience was just ok. Too crowded and food was not that good. Not enough seating, and when the guest performed they quickly disappeared. A few of the minor or older stars did hang around and was assessable. The orchestra was disappointing as it was obvious they hardly practiced the music. Sure it is a one-night gig but these should be high level professionals and there is no excuse for the sloppiness in the brass section. The Tim Russ band was pretty good and they made the Dessert Party worth attending. I was surprised how few people was there but it did start very late.
Questions: Overall the audience questions were not too bad. Sure some are asked every time a guest makes an appearance, but hey, this was my first trip and I wanted to hear the answers. I bet others felt the same way. The people finally stopped introducing their dogs but James the 11 year old (almost) asked a question every time. I'd rather hear him than the lady that wanted to know if they had received the poetry she sent them and always ended up asking about other work they did that she had never seen. When the two Spock's were on they asked each other questions and that was good.
Anthony Montgomery: While seeing various cast members on stage my opinion when up in some cases and down in others. Anthony did the most to improve my impression of him. He was funny, articulate, and had good stage presence. I went away thinking he should have been given more lines and face time. But, he was in a role that hardly ever gets much face time.
Scheduling: Though the site tells you to order tickets for autographs and photo-op's early because they may sell out, don't. I ordered my photo-op's early and 5 of the 6 ended up being on a single day. I never want to have a schedule like that again. It was also the day that most of the Enterprise cast talked and gave autographs. Next time I will wait until I see a schedule.
Grand Canyon: The best part of the trip. I did a tour that included a bus to the bolder airport, flight over Hover Dam and to the canyon, helicopter down to the bottom, boat ride on the river, copter back out, bus to the reservation, and then a flight back. It was expensive but worth it to do once.
Next year: I'm back and forth on this. It may depend on the guest list and how much vacation time I have. I did need this trip and came home much more relaxed than when I left. I would pay more for a gold ticket on the first 3 rows, and avoid paying for gold where I was because they go by row for the included autographs and I was in the back section of the gold seating. It was fun and I liked meeting the people from the forum and strangers that happened to be in my line or at my table. It is too bad they don't arrange activities like group tours to Hoover Dam or even a night time trip down the strip to see the lights.
This was a HUGE event with lots of guests. It will be hard to consider a smaller show after this. But size comes with a price. Unless you are lucky like Pensive you don't get any time to talk to the stars.
That is all I can think of for now. This reporter is signing out. Night all. I have to get my hours back to East Coast working-man time. I'll be numb and lifeless tomorrow.
of Zack and Leonard Nimoy and the ds9 cast.
