9am: Skipped the celebrity brunch to eat with Kim, Kathy and Sharon in the hotel restaurant. Yummy waffles and juice cost me $15, while the brunch was $65. Stick Kim and Kathy’s luggage in my room, since they had to move check out by noon, since they are catching the red-eye back to Boston tonight.
11am: The convention opens and we head to the Vendors room to see if we won anything with our Weta raffle tickets. Sharon takes photos, when I meet Dan and he signs my Treebeard photograph. I had to wait for awhile, because Dan was snatched by a film crew, and we learned from the girl at the counter they had two minicams shooting a live feed from the Con to their website. She was monitoring the discussion, so she could tell when a woman was on camera and move it when the guys got a little too chatty. Warned, we avoided them. Dan was very nice when he returned, since I had waited, so we chatted for awhile. The only funny moment came when I realized he had moved us back so I had a camera facing me at chest level and moved back very abruptly…and so did he, when I said why. I’m pretty sure Sharon got us on film at that moment. J The Ringers booth had a new, free button each day and temporary tattoos, which we collected. .I won both my bids (at their minimum), Gandalf’s Fireworks and another, which I may give to my sister for her birthday, so I won’t spoil it for her here, but the credit card machine still hasn’t arrived, so I had to return later.
Noon: Royd Tolkien comes out with the supporting stars and a moderator to create his own panel, instead of presenting solo. He talked about the Tolkien family, his favorite book (The Hobbit), visiting the set during pick-ups for ROTK and being in the film. He also talked about meeting Sandro at another event and deciding to do a book together, with Royd’s photographs from the set (one of the few people allowed) and Sandro’s drawings and words. They hope to be published in 2005.
12:40pm: Daniel Falconer of Weta did a presentation, full of cool pictures and descriptions of what the entire team did on the film. He had almost a full wall of design sketches on display in the art room and if you thought they looked good on the DVD extras, they were even better in person. On a personal note, Dan proposed to his wife in Sindarian (I think that’s what he said), so he joins us as a true Tolkien-geek. :)
1:20pm: The making of the DVD panel was fun, since Susan Lee (co-producer) and Kevin Miller (producer). Their team have set a precedent for the industry on what a DVD should be, in my opinion. No one else has even come close and it’s good to know they are already working with PJ to get footage for his new film, King Kong. Susan did the interviews on the DVD, so she had great stories. The best were traveling to New Zealand so often, although she couldn’t tell anyone why (“I’m on vacation in New Zealand…. again”) and the cast visiting their California offices to do the interviews. Especially funny was Viggo spending several hours in Susan’s office, only for her to realize after he left that she had not removed her Aragorn “shrine” beforehand. Kevin related how easy it was to get everyone together for the cast commentaries for FOTR, but by ROTK it was too difficult. When he told Elijah he was going to have to do his part alone, since Sean was busy, Elijah took matters into his own hands. Sean moved his entire schedule, so he and Elijah could record together. They also revealed that they have thousands of hours worth of footage that did not make it on the DVDs, so it will be available if PJ/New Line ever decide to do more extras. Gave me hope that we’ll get more than a bloopers reel someday down the road.
2pm: John Rhys-Davies is the best presenter so far. I don’t mean that as an insult against the other actors, it’s just that….let’s just say I think charm is ageless. This man has it in spades and will always appeal to a wider audience as a result. Young girls think he is funny and women think he’s delightful. My admiration for him only increased after listening to him talk about his varied career. His voice, and especially his laugh, draw you in. He exudes such warmth, that you walk away feeling this a man who really appreciates his fans. Best line of the evening about Ringers: saying that the ORC wasn’t a bad way to find a mate, since you were fishing in a really good gene pool! :)
3pm: John’s autograph line and we’re finally allowed to take pictures while we wait our turn. We had been warned that John takes his time with people, so I asked seat mate Sue to hold me a place in line, so I could go pay for my art pieces before they closed. Once back in line, I talk with Sue and the girl in front us, watch the upgrade session for those returning next year on the main stage, and then the beginning of the “Stump the Experts” panel. Once I get John to sign my poster, I track down Kim and Kathy. I realize that we haven’t been back to the Weta booth to check our Sunday raffle tickets. I head back to check the numbers, and although I haven’t won the big prizes, they are giving away a prize to anyone with a ticket. I have my choice of Eomer or an orc, so I pick Eomer since everything I’ve won so far would qualify as a villain. I’d like my LOTR collection not to be completely one-sided, of course. It’s not that I drool over Karl Urban or anything… Right. Moving on. Write down the winning numbers and then run back to tell Kim and Kathy I’ll watch their stuff if they want to go get a prize.
4pm: The artists panel presents, with Colleen Doran, Tim Kirk, Ted Nasmith and Daniel Falconer. All lovely artists and fun to listen to.
4:40pm: Watch the final auction, which was crazy! Some people got really good deals, but some of the amounts were HUGE. The enormous banners on either side of the stage went, the ORC posters, the doodled tablecloths used for the autograph signings…anything and everything.
5:15pm: Charlie Ross presents his show, One Man Lord of the Rings. Amazing. Hysterically funny. Just take my word and go see it if the chance arises. Apparently he was in Boston in 2004 to present his One Man Star Wars show, and my guess is both are equally brilliant. I think all my photos of him came out fuzzy though, since he was moving so fast.
6:20pm: Got in line to get my autographs for Charlie and Royd. Charlie did not bring promo materials, so I had to have him sign the program. They had a still of Royd as a Gondorian soldier, which I bought, and had him sign, in the hope I can actually find him in the film, with this as a clue.
6:45pm: I’m zooming back to the hotel room with Kathy and Kim, because the shuttle is supposed to be picking them up at 7 or so, to take them back to airport. Sharon is on the phone making plans to eat dinner with a friend, so I say goodbye and head back to the convention, with the idea of catching my California friend Kim and grabbing some dinner. I find her right away with her friends and they are on their way to Shakers, so I join them. It’s only a couple of blocks from the hotel, so we walk over. Garden burger with a side of fruit is my idea of refueling, after days of odd meal times or none. We talk about the convention, the books, films and by 8:45 I’m saying goodbye, so I can get back to the hotel and pack.
9pm: I had come to the conclusion earlier in the day that I am going to have to check my carry-on bag for the flight back, so I can carry all my fragile items on board with me, which means repacking everything.
10pm: Done packing, showered and in my pj’s watching television. Sharon gets back and we set the alarm for 5am, so we can check out by 5:30.