Thursday's Con Report

I've been freely using first names in my posts this week. "Chad wrote this" and "Gabe said that" and "When we saw Richard..." It feels so pretentious and obnoxious, and I don't want to be That Guy Chick. But in today's society, using last names feels silly and formal, and gee, if they're using your name, you can use theirs, right?

Anyway. Continuing my thoughts on the Q&As...

Sunday we started off with Jim Beaver. He was at the breakfast and left that late, so he started his photo opp late, so he started his Q&A a little late. That kind of threw everything off a little, but they caught up.

Jim talked a lot about his little girl, who sounds like the sweetest thing, though I'm sure she's like any other kid and has her moments. He did say she tries to rule the world... Jim catered to us in every way. He called us idjits and made fun of the boys, told stories about the set and was just playful and fun, even when he was serious. (The most serious moments were when he talked about his upcoming book, Life's That Way, about the year his daughter was diagnosed with autism and his wife with fatal cancer. If he writes like he talks [and blogs, which is, of course, writing], it will be a tremendous book.) He told us he just filmed episode 4.21, and he's in 4.20 and 4.22. You know what that means, right? Bobby doesn't die next month! I no longer care what the death teaser really means. :)

Next up was Todd Stashwick, who has had an amazingly broad career, and it showed in his stage presence and his stories. He talked about The Riches, which I now have to add to Netflix (along with Jim Beaver's Deadwood), and I have a strong desire to go back and watch all the episodes he's guest-starred in that I failed to recognize him. Like Captain Steve on How I Met Your Mother. He looked very different in person, not just from his Supernatural character (duh) but from his Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles role. He talked a little about how opposite the two roles were, with the shapeshifter being so emotional and the Terminator being totally devoid of emotion. He mentioned talking to Summer a lot about how to do it, and it was a really funny image to me--this very young, small girl instructing this really big, experienced actor in the physicality of a role.

After Todd we got Malik. (He doesn't go by Charles.) He was an interesting dichotomy. One minute he's sounding like a lovely voiced televangelist or self-help guru, advising us to live our lives with no limitations--the next he's making toilet jokes. A little later he breaks into his closing monologue on spirituality to scold Misha for being noisy backstage and then tells us the angel is stripping. Malik, I was delighted to see, will be on the new Nathan Fillion crime drama Castle.

Finally, the (substitute) headliner, Misha Collins. I have to say this again: He is just so beautiful. I've been watching Bones so I can't help but point out that it's the symmetry of his face. But it's also his eyes, and the fact that he makes eye contact with every person he talks to. When he was at our table at the breakfast, he mentioned he was from Massachusetts, and interrogated quizzed me on where in Mass. I was from, like, exactly. He's a New England Patriots fan--I could not love the guy more.

One more post coming, where I save the best for last, and explain why The Gold Package is the Only Way to Go. Also, not sleeping. The other only way to go.

The stuff I've saved is the best for me, but I'm going to warn that it might not be terribly interesting to read. If you like to live vicariously regarding experiences you want to have, you might like it. If you get really jealous and think that people like me don't deserve this stuff, or, worse, that I should be kicked in the face...

It will have been worth it. Sorry. :)