Comic Con Days 2, 3 & 4

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I can't believe that just two days ago, I met the stars of True Blood!

We took a real gamble at Comic Con on Friday. I had wanted to see the Bones panel, but the stars of True Blood were signing at the same time. I knew that there was a very slim chance that I would be able to get in to meet them, but I decided to take the chance. Luckily, it paid off!

The signing was at a booth in the main convention hall. I went there a couple of hours before to try and line up, but there was no official line forming yet. People were just milling everywhere, waiting for a line to form to get in. Security guards kept telling people to move along and stop blocking the pathways, but people weren't listening. We stood in one place for a while but eventually the security guards came and pushed us out of the way. So we spent some time walking back and forth in front of the place where we thought the line would start forming. Then we went and stood around the other side of the booth, trying to avoid the security guards hustling us out of the way. The security guards kept telling us to go around to the other side of the booth to wait, and that we would miss out if we continued to stand where we were. But we decided not to trust them, as no-one really seemed to know what was going on.

Eventually they opened up the line, and people surged forwards. They weren't letting many people in from our side of the booth, they were mainly letting in people from the other side. But I managed to weave my way past a couple of security guards, and I got in! Unfortunately the security guards stopped Craig so he couldn't get in, and as I had the camera and video camera he couldn't even take any footage of me from the outside.
It was so incredibly lucky that I got in. Craig estimated that about 200 people got in, and there were at least a couple of thousand people milling about outside, wanting to get in.

It was so exciting meeting the stars! Alan Ball (writer and producer of True Blood, Six Feet Under and American Beauty) was so lovely. I told him that I loved True Blood and I really loved Six Feet Under too. He thanked me, and recognising my Aussie accent, he asked where in Australia I was from, how long I was over in the states for, where else I was going etc. I talked to him for at least a couple of minutes, it was fantastic. Charlene Harris, the author of the Sookie Stackhouse novels was also signing. Then from the TV show there was Sookie, Bill (although unfortunately I didn't get Bill's autograph as he'd had to leave by the time I got to the front of the line to get to another panel), Sam, Jessica, Pam, Tara, Lafayette, Alcide and Russell.

I told Kristin that I really loved Pam (the character she plays), and she told me that she was a lot of fun to play. Yes I know, I sound like a tragic fan, but who cares!!!

After the signing we went to line up for the True Blood panel. Unfortunately by that stage the line was huge and we didn't get in. But who cares, I met them!! (We waited in the line for an hour before they closed the line though! - Craig)

After some dinner at the Gaslamp Quarter, we headed to a theatre for a special preview screening of a movie coming out in September called The Virginity Hit. The film was produced by Will Ferrell, and he came out to introduce it! It was fantastic, we were about 6 rows away from him! A few people from the front row jumped up & hugged him during his small stand up routine, unfortunately we were thinking of sitting down there before we knew he would be there, spewing that we missed that chance!

The film was pretty funny. It was pretty crazy going in, we had to leave our bags and all electronic equipment outside and we got scanned with a metal detector to ensure we didn't take anything in that we could film the movie with.

Yesterday at Comic Con we sat in Ballroom 20 all day to see some TV show panels. When we got to Ballroom 20 in the morning, the line was absolutely massive - at least 1 km long. Thankfully it moved pretty quickly, and we got in midway through the first panel Chuck. I videotaped most of the panel for you Dean, but unfortunately they didn't give out any free stuff. After Chuck was Family Guy and the Cleveland Show. For the Family Guy panel they previewed some of the new Star Wars movie that they have coming out - very funny stuff. Then it was Futurama and the Simpsons. Futurama was pretty cool, they had made a short cartoon especially for Comic Con where the characters go to Comic Con in 3010. The people who did the voices on the show also did a read through of a script of a future episode in their character's voices, which was pretty cool to see. For the Simpsons, they previewed some footage for their upcoming Treehouse of Horror special. Unfortunately the panel wasn't that great, they just let the audience ask questions and it was pretty boring.

Then it was the V and Fringe panels, which were pretty cool. And then the one I had been looking forward to the whole day - The Vampire Diaries! Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley were even better looking in real life! You should have heard the girls screaming in that panel. (Paul was wearing tight leather pants though, which reduced his hotness a fair amount - Craig)

Last night, Craig and I went to a chain called Dennys for dinner. Craig had all-you-could-eat pancakes for dinner for just $4, and I had a Pulled BBQ chicken burger - yum. I also had an Oreo sundae that was to die for.

I went to sleep early last night, but Craig went to the strippers next door "just to check it out". He apparently wanted to see if they were just like in the movies. Apparently, that one was not like the movies at all, and he didn't stay long (or so I was told). (I was in and out in 15 minutes - Craig)

Craig decided today that he was too tired to go to Comic Con (and secretly wanted to watch the Nascar race - Craig), so I went by myself. I sat in Ballroom 20 again and saw the Supernatural panel, American Dad and then Glee! Glee was fantastic, Kurt, Mercedes, Artie, Tina, Britney and Santana were there. They showed some of the highlight bits of season 1 and everyone in the room was clapping and singing along.
Craig and I just went for a swim in the hotel pool and spa (or hot tub, I should say), and he's watching the baseball on TV while I'm writing this. (Watching Chicago Cubs vs St Louis Cardinals for anyone that is interested. Cubs are currently losing 2-1 in the 4th inning :( - Craig)

When Craig and I went out for dinner the other night, I asked the waiter where the toilet was. He just looked at me, and I asked him again, "The toilet? The restroom?" He laughed, and said he'd just wanted to hear me say toilet again. It was then that Craig explained to me that they don't say toilet here, it's apparently a bit vulgar. Well, thanks for the prior warning Craig!

Another thing - Craig has become quite clumsy on this trip. I don't know if it's because he's too busy looking at everything around him, but he's constantly tripping or bumping into things. At one point he tripped not once, not twice, but three times in the space of about 10 seconds! Not only that, it was a polished floor in a hotel lobby, there wasn't even anything for him to trip over! It takes a very "special" person to be able to do that.

We are off to San Diego Zoo tomorrow which should be really cool, with baseball games, Seaworld & a day trip to Mexico coming up in the next few days!

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