(When last we met, Steve had arrived in LA and quickly ran to a screening at the Egyptian in Hollywood, attended by Leonard Nimoy and Jack Larson. We pick up as the con begins in full force!)
After an exhausting day, I awoke ready to face the relentless push of Grand Slam. If all you want to do is watch the stars do their Q & A’s it can be quite leisurely, but if you want autographs, photos, etc. it can get a tad stressful running from place to place, trying to ensure you don’t miss anything.
I liked Grand Slam because it was not exclusively “Star Trek” related. Much as I love “Trek,” it was nice to see other shows represented like “Firefly,” “Stargate,” “Battlestar Galactica,” and “Lost.” Creation offers individual cons devoted to certain shows, but I liked the smorgasbord approach of this one. I’m sorry they discontinued it.
Friday was traditionally the slowest day at GS. The “heavy hitters” didn’t appear until the weekend. It was a good opportunity to spy the dealer’s room and, more importantly for me, meet the guests who sit in the Autograph Room all weekend (otherwise known as the B-List.) Don’t get me wrong – these are great people to meet, but they can’t command the fees the big stars like Shatner, Nimoy, etc. do. They rent booth space from Creation for the weekend, and then take home whatever they get signing photos. Pictures with most of them are free too, which is nice.
As I walked around I started to see familiar faces and got a little scared by the notion that I was now a “familiar face.” This was only my second time at GS but it was readily apparent most people who go are regulars. The amount of scary folks in costume was minimal but when late-night host Jimmy Kimmel showed up to tape a segment for his show it was obvious he sought all of those people out. I avoided Jimmy and his cameras like the plague, lest I rain down years worth of embarrassment upon my wife.
I really enjoyed meeting the guest stars in the Autograph Room as I always do. It’s easier to chat and I imagine a nice ego boost for them (and cash cow as well). All of them were extremely friendly and had great anecdotes from their 15 minutes in the “Star Trek” universe.
Some of my favorites were William Schallert and Charlie Brill (from “The Trouble with Tribbles”), Joanne Linville (the Romulan Commander from “The Enterprise Incident”), Eddie Paskey (a frequent Red-shirt from the original series) and Stephen Manley (the young Spock in “Star Trek III”). While not as verbose as these folks, but much easier on the eyes, were Crystal Allen and Menina Fortunado, who played Orion slave girls on “Enterprise.”
These actors were happy to discuss their roles at length, throw in a Shatner crack or two and express their bewilderment that a week’s worth of work 40 years ago has generated such acclaim and enduring fans. Better to be remembered for something than not at all, right?
The “main guests” for Day 1 of the show included Jay La’agaia (the Queen’s bodyguard from “Star Wars Episode II and III”), Bob Picardo (the Doctor on “Voyager”) Garrett Wang (Harry Kim on “Voyager”) and Grace Lee Whitney (Yeoman Rand on TOS).
Opening the show on a Friday ensures that the auditorium will not even be half-filled, so I felt a little bad for the actors but they were getting paid well I’m sure.
I have to say they were all entertaining and engaging and even having seen Grace Lee and Bob previously, I enjoyed their performances thoroughly.
Friday was the only day I ventured up to the mike to ask questions. I asked Grace a question because she wasn’t getting many (same with Jay). Bob Picardo always puts on a great show (and his character was the only one I liked on “Voyager.”) He’s funny, self-deprecating and enjoys the fans.
Later that evening Creation held their “Cabaret” where certain musically-inclined stars get up and perform. Bob Picardo, Chase Masterson, Tim Russ and Jay La’agaia were in attendance and to my surprise they were all excellent.
Chase showed up in her sluttiest attire and did her B-movie queen Marilyn Monroe impression, which I found amusing. She’s made conventions a cottage industry and I saw her three times in the span of 18 months. I was shocked at Tim’s range (he’s in a band and recorded a few CDs as has Bob) and Jay was terrific as well (he’s played Mufasa in the Sydney production of “The Lion King.”) Bob Picardo belted out some oldies as well as some classics he retooled to fit the “Trek” mold.
As I said this day represented the calm before the storm. I was able to take in the show at a leisurely pace. The next two days would be a dizzying mix of photo sessions, autograph sessions (and fighting for my personalizations!) in addition to the Q&A’s.
Crowds would be larger and lines longer. I was glad to get the “smaller” celebs out of the way Friday and made ready for the onslaught.
(To be continued!)
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