Guest post by Kim Prior
(With commentary by Lynn…)
As I said in the previous post, Lynn and I should be meeting this weekend, in Nashville at the Salute to Supernatural Convention. Sadly, the convention was canceled and we – our entire country, and the entire world – are locked down, quarantined. (The convention has been rescheduled for August and Chuck knows we are so ready to be at another convention!) Rather than worry or feel sad, we thought we should remember the good times we’ve had in Nashville over the years. So without further ado, here’s a quick look back at the Saturday panels at the Salute to Supernatural Conventions in Nashville!
Just a note: Some of our recaps included both Friday panels and Saturday panels, so some links here will take you to the recap of both days — just scroll through to read the portions about Saturdays.
And now, without further ado, here’s what Kim wrote at the time (with some 2020 interjections from time to time as we look back)
2016
Saturday morning panels began with Kim Rhodes and Ruth Connell. They crawled onto the stage Saturday morning after last night’s karaoke. Apparently they were “over-served.”
During their panel, Kim revealed to us that originally she was to become an angel vessel because she was so upset over Alex, but the fans saved her life – literally. Meanwhile, Ruth revealed to us that Misha’s nickname for her is “ear lobe” and I know I can’t wait for the gag reel to understand why. Their panel ended with Briana joining them on stage for a reprisal of the V-Club disco-ball-change induction dance. Someone suggested they do a remake of “The Witches of Eastwick” and oh my god can this be a thing right now please?!?!?!
The next panel was one of my favs, with Richard Speight, Jr., Rob Benedict, and Matt Cohen. Matt talked about his new role on General Hospital, saying, among other things, that he “does medical stuff shirtless.” If you weren’t watching GH before, surely you are now.
[Lynn: I was definitely watching while Matt was a regular. Also, Matt’s hair like this? RAWR]
Rob talked about song writing and how therapeutic it is for him. He also talked about our fandom:
Rob: “This family is unmatched. Nothing else I’ve experienced in my life even comes close.”
Matt and Richard agreed, saying that the SPNFamily is awesome. Richard added, “I never thought that taking on the role of a janitor would have such an impact on my life.” Matt also told us that this show and this fandom has made him want to be a better man, a better human being. Right back at ya, Matt. #You.
In light of our current quarantine, I’d say the SPNFamily is just as important, just as special, just as meaningful today as it was then!
When I wrote the original recap for that year, I intentionally went out of order and spoke of Misha Collin’s panel next. I do it again in this walk down memory lane, for #reasons.
Misha began his panel by sharing stories of his kids, including the fact that his wife, Vicky, bought a karaoke machine for them – which their kids unfortunately used early in the morning before he and Vicky were even awake. He also told us that he has seen the fanart of him, “Misha for President.” When asked what his first act as President would be, he replied, “I would build a wall… around Donald Trump.” Regardless of your political beliefs, that is damn funny.
Just as I did in the original post, I will now recap the panel with Mark Sheppard.
Please don’t misunderstand – I love all of these panels, all of the guests. But Mark really gets to me. I have heard him say it before, and I love that he says it during all of his panels. Yet each time I hear it, I get choked up and I’m fighting back my own tears. And there’s no way I will try to quote Mark – um, King of Hell and hellhounds and all – but he talks about the ‘impact that we as the SPNFamily have on our fandom, on them, on the Show, on the world… that he thinks it is a beautiful and wonderful thing and he is so proud to be a part of it… these conventions and this interaction with fans is one of the most rewarding parts of his career… and he truly, truly loves the fans.’
And I have no doubt that our interaction with him, with all of them, is one of the most rewarding parts of our lives too.
[Lynn: We miss you, Mark]
Read more about Saturday panels in 2016!
2017
Saturday began with Louden Swain playing “Sharp Dressed Man” as Rob and Richard took to the stage wearing ‘I love KoC’ shirts. At one point, Richard and Rob became engrossed in a shaker war, with Rob on shakers and Richard clanging his mic inside a glass. Needless to say, the glass eventually shattered… and then Rob ran off stage to get a broom to clean it up. Richard’s comment: “He parties like a rock star and then gets up and makes the bed.”
(Sadly, I cannot find a pic of this.)
Mark Pellegrino was the first panel of the day. He talked about Twitter, suggesting it is an addiction. He tries to stay away, but can’t resist! He also said, “You can’t say all you want in 140 characters unless you’re Twain or Hemingway.” Same, Mark, same.
Rich, Rob, and Matt took the stage next. There were probably other serious moments, but I honestly can’t remember any. I mean, the hilarity started right from the start when a fan asked if they get mad or annoyed at each other, and then they launch into a dramatic fake fight. Then it was just one hilarious moment after another. Matt let us know that Richard has buns of steel. Richard said a fan asked him to go jacket off during photo ops, and you know where that went… at one point they were fiddling with their organs… at another point, and I don’t remember why he said this, but Rob suggested a Collins/Speight ticket in 2020, and yeah, I’d vote for that! Another topic focused on what they would do if they could switch parts, which led to Richard and Rob saying they would cradle Matt’s junk.
And of course, there was also a fan happily showing them a pic from a previous con which highlighted Richard’s moose knuckle.
A fan asked what Disney characters they would be:
Rich – Sebastian
Rob – Olaf (he likes warm hugs)
Matt – Prince Eric
And the fanfiction writes itself.
[Lynn: It just occurred to me that it’s been quite a while since we’ve had an R2M panel, thanks to all of their busy schedules. There’s a unique kind of magic when these three are onstage together – and I miss it!]
Mark Sheppard took the stage next. Once again, he brought me to tears.
He is genuinely inspired by the things we as a fandom do together, saying “The amount of good being done is incredible, you guys make it so much bigger, so much more meaningful.”
He uplifts and supports us by saying things like “it takes courage to wear your heart on your sleeve (to a cosplaying fan).” And when asked about the idea of being a fan or a nerd, he responds by telling us, “Now we’ve won. We’re in. We’re the coolest people on the planet.”
And he ends his panel with this thought:
“We make TV by ourselves. My idea of fun is traveling around the world and meeting fans. It’s very special to me. I hope I get to do this for a long time. Thank you for the love & support, thank you for this life.”
[Lynn: This was right around the time that we were finishing up Family Don’t End With Blood – I was so very happy to have a chapter from Mark in that book because he’s so damn genuine and so damn inspiring!]
Mark’s love for this fandom, his understanding of this fandom, his support for this fandom… it is simply beautiful and precious and inspiring.
Misha Collins was the final panel of the day, and he started his panel with a cute? story about Maison and her bathroom habits. Then his panel became something of a group problem-solving workshop, from learning how to make friends (via Gishwhes!) to figuring out how to shoot more episodes of Cooking Fast and Fresh with West.
In a more serious moment, he told us that building the orphanage and helping the Syrian refugee families were two of the most rewarding things he and Random Acts have accomplished.
Fan to Misha: You make the world a better place.
Yes, Misha, you do make this world a better place, and I am forever grateful for You.
[Lynn: Grateful too that Misha was able to contribute a chapter to Family Don’t End With Blood – and also one to Fan Phenomena Supernatural, which tells the story of how he started Random Acts and how much he credits the fandom with making that dream come true.]
Read more about Saturday panels in 2017!
2018
Lynn and I didn’t write recaps from this year, so please enjoy a few pics instead.
[Lynn: It was a time….]
The first panel of the day featured Lisa Berry, Ruth Connell, Rachel Miner, Kim Rhodes, and Alicia Witt, who played Lily Sunder.
Rich and Rob took the stage next. I must admit, I was more than a little sad that Matt couldn’t be there that year.
Rich and Rob gave us their impersonation of driving Baby as Sam and Dean. Rich played the part of Dean, and Rob played the part of Sam. I’m not quite sure why Rob appears to be driving. I just remember that it was hilarious!
A few photos from Louden Swain’s Vendor Room Jam!
Mark Pellegrino took the stage next.
Misha Collins was the last panel of the day.
2019
Tahmoh Penikett was the first panel on Saturday that year. One of the first things he said was, “I love being in the green room with these guys. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve laughed til I’ve cried.” I’ve never been in that green room, but Same.
He talked a lot about Supernatural. His comments included, “On the set, they’re constantly having so much fun,” and he went on to say that Jared and Jensen are very humble, great human beings.” He thinks being in Vancouver and away from LA helped with that.
[Lynn: Tahmoh is one of the smartest and most thoughtful people I’ve met during the course of this long Supernatural journey. He wrote a chapter for the new book, There’ll Be Peace When You Are Done, that gives so many fascinating and heartwarming behind the scenes tidbits from filming the show and doing conventions with his fellow actors. And damn, he can write!]
The ladies of Supernatural – Kim Rhodes, Briana Buckmaster, Ruth Connell and Rachel Miner – took the stage next. The topics included Kim and Briana’s podcast, which recently featured Rachel, and their hopes to feature Ruth soon; Briana fangirling over Rachel because she loved her in Sex and the City, followed by Ruth sharing a story about fangirling over one of the hot guys from that show that she sat next to on an airplane; the challenges of not wanting to do gratuitous sex scenes; their codenames, which included Lady Liberty, Smoky, Grumpy, and Periwinkle (you can decide who’s who) and at some point, there was a discussion about the stereotypes surrounding redheads, and someone in the audience said something that I couldn’t fully hear, but all the women on stage completely lost it. #musthavebeengood
And then it was time for the Vendor Room Jam with Louden Swain!
[Lynn: Was Kim ecstatic to have such an excellent vantage point to shoot these guys? Rhetorical question.]
Richard, Rob, and Matt came on stage next for their panel. When asked about their favorite flavor of gum, we were treated to a hilarious story from Matt as he explained why he liked cinnamon gum the best: “My first time in a strip club, and I was right up front, and the stripper was chewing cinnamon gum…” Meanwhile, Rob and Rich are cracking up as he tells this story… Matt goes on to say that his wife, Mandy Musgrave, has banned cinnamon gum from their house. LOL
The next panel featured Felicia Day! She talked about working with Jared and Jensen. She said, “What you see onscreen is how my relationship with them really is, they tease me, but I’ve never been pranked. And that scene with Jared in the car, he’s so present and really brings out the best in me.”
Misha Collins was the final panel of Saturday. He talked about his character Cas:
“I think Cas has become nerdier and more awkward over time because he’s getting more like me.” He went on to tell us about a scene with Jared where Sam tackles Cas (which aired the week before last); “There’s dialogue unfortunately with Sam on top of Cas. There’s probably 25 minutes of everything inappropriate filmed.”
[Lynn: Classic Supernatural!]
He also told us that he really wanted Cas’ tie to come back as part of his wardrobe. Aww.
Oh, and his drag queen name would be Sastiel. Lol
The panel ended with two more emotional moments. First, Misha talked about a fan who’s trans and changed his name to Dmitri Novak and how that’s really meaningful to him.
[Lynn: How excited am I to have a chapter written by Dmitri in There’ll Be Peace When You Are Done? VERY!!!]
Shortly after that, all of the fans in the audience read a Mary Oliver poem to Misha. He was very touched by that gesture of kindness.
Read more about Saturday panels in 2019!
Stay tuned – we’ll look back at four years of the Saturday Night Special in Nashville next!
– Lynn and Kim
In the meantime, you can pre-order the new book
written by the actors and fans of Supernatural,
There’ll Be Peace When You Are Done, and join
the cast in celebrating the incredible legacy of
this incredible show. Preorder at:
peacewhenyouaredone.com!