Curtis Armstrong

Squee Con! A Celebration of Fandom!

October 25, 2018spnfans

Five or six years ago, I was standing in line at Wizard World Philly (as you do), wearing my Supernatural tee shirt (as you do), and another fangirl also waiting in line commented on it. We struck up a conversation, bonded as Supernatural fans, and soon realized we had a lot in common, including a fascination with fandom and the sociology and psychology of being a fangirl. Fast forward several years later, and Hansi Oppenheimer shared with me an exciting idea for her next film project – a documentary about fangirls. Would I want to collaborate with her?

You bet I would! That film became Squee! The Fangirl Documentary. We filmed segments all over the country, including at San Diego Comic Con. It was my first foray into being a producer as well as a co-writer, and I will never not be in awe of all that producers have to juggle again! We’re so proud to say that the documentary garnered all sorts of awards from film fests all over the world and, equally important, the reception from fans was overwhelmingly positive. We wanted to celebrate fandom and combat shame, and fans told us that the film did just that, with the help of some celebrity contributors too.

Ten Things The Hillywood Show Got Right with Supernatural Parody 2!

August 23, 2018spnfans

I’ve been a fan of the Hillywood Show since I discovered their parody videos with their first Supernatural video several years ago. Hannah and Hilly Hindi, the sisters behind The Hillywood Show, were kind enough to chat with me about that video and to also contribute some insights to the documentary film on fandom I co-wrote, Squee! I’ve been eagerly awaiting their second Supernatural parody with high expectations, but the reality surpassed them when it was released last week – Supernatural Parody 2 is a loving tribute to the show, its amazing cast, and its incredible fandom. As I took some notes on why I was enjoying it so much, I realized it’s because once again, they totally got it right – even for someone like me, who adores Supernatural and has written five books on the show and the fandom!

I was at the Supernatural convention in Denver last weekend, and there was quite a bit of talk about the new parody, which both fans and Supernatural stars Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles had high praise for. Jensen in particular was impressed with the production value and the professionalism of the set and the shoot, and especially with the realistic proton packs that he and Jared got to wear – they sometimes had to take them off between takes because Jared kept bumping into the door and other things. Jensen seemed excited that the blasters really worked too, which I think means they were having a lot of fun playing with them! I shared those reactions with Hannah and Hilly when we chatted.

Hilly: He did keep bumping into the door, we can confirm that one. Hannah: I just know that Jared really likes to push buttons!

Lynn: Boys…

Hilly: The pack, though, really was the coolest toy. They were like the real deal, so it’s the ultimate toy and Jared was like, yes! I could just see his eyes light up.

[There’s a great moment on the behind the scenes feature where Osric shows Jensen how to pull out his blaster, and he does. Then Jared pulls out his, with significantly more flourish, and Osric grins and whispers to the camera.

Osric: The gentle giant…

Jared makes the blaster light up and then asks, with his eyes all hopefully lit up, “do you want this on?”

Hilly: No, cuz that means you’re killing us…]

I laughed out loud at that.

Hilly: We haven’t been able to talk about it or hear from them since the shoot. They asked, “When can we mention it?” I told them you can’t until the video is out. So, weeks down the road now, it’s really cool to hear them talk about it.

Lynn: They definitely enjoyed it. So, after thinking about this a bit, I’ve identified ten things you got very right. I’m gonna go through them one by one, and you can comment, okay?

Number 1. One of the things that makes your parodies so brilliant and so loved by fans is that you really GET the show you’re parodying, maybe Supernatural more than even the other shows you’ve parodied. You were able to reproduce the show itself with the level of detail that fandom relishes – the kitchen set from Changing Channels, the library in the Men of Letters bunker, the proton packs with Dean’s little army man and the Colt and Sam’s with Ruby’s knife. Some of the scenes looked so eerily similar, like that iconic moment when Dean fires the Colt and kills Azazel in slow motion. How do you decide what scenes and what details to include and how much detail to put into it? It must take so much time!

Back To Where It All Began – Supernatural Chicago Con 2018!

August 12, 2018spnfans

Chicago Con is always special, because it was my very first Supernatural Creation con. That was now over ten years ago, which is kinda hard to believe because it seems like a second ago, and yet it also seems like a long long time ago. A lot has changed, but a lot has stayed the same. I’m incredibly grateful that so many of the people I met at that very first con – on both sides of the stage – are still there. It says something about the loyalty of both the fans and the cast to this show that continues to inspire us. And more than ten years of cons later? That’s pretty special.

Rob hosted Friday, since Richard was up in Vancouver preparing to direct Supernatural.

Rob: Richard’s not here because he’s in Vancouver directing Supernatural. Which is kinda fun, because I get to tell you that guess what? I love Perth!

The audience roared at the long-standing in joke.

Rob reminisced about doing his very first Supernatural convention right here in Chicago – immediately after filming the convention episode of the show! I still remember how blown away he was that day. He kept exclaiming, “this is so weird, this is so weird”. It was all kinds of adorable. And I love that Rob and Rich are two of the people who can look back on so many years of cons, and on their evolution from simply guest performers doing one panel to the linchpins of the entire convention weekend. I’m 100% sure that one of the reasons the cons have continued for so long is because Richard Speight Jr. is the consummate host and Rob Benedict and Louden Swain are the most kickass “house band” you could ever wish for.

Behind the Scenes of Supernatural with Robbie Thompson

September 4, 2017September 12, 2017spnfans

One of the absolute highlights of this year’s Comic Con for me was sitting down to chat with Robbie Thompson, gifted comic writer and screenwriter who wrote some of my very favorite episodes of my very favorite show. That would be Supernatural, in case you didn’t know. Which is pretty much impossible unless you’ve just stumbled over this blog for the first time.

I attended Robbie’s panel on Intersectional Feminism in Comics, which was awesome and entirely inspiring, so we were all in a good mood afterwards. We decided to try to find a room where there weren’t a million people around, and took a bunch of friends with us – Laurena, Candice, Anne and Kamila – who were down with listening in to our epic interview. They will henceforth be referred to as the Peanut Gallery (‘PG’). For the most part, they were PG. The most part. Just sayin.

After several false starts traversing the ginormous convention center, including being barred from using the press room for our interview, we found an empty room with lots of empty round tables. Robbie, ever the intrepid one, shrugged and said, ‘how about this one?’

Occasionally a Comic Con staffer would come in, take a look at our oh-so-professional interview in progress, and quietly back out. Score!

I start the interview by tossing my handwritten notes about what I’m dying to ask and my little vintage audio recorder on the table.

R: (points to Lois Lane like tape recorder) Look at this, so professional..

L: Hey, it’s ancient, it’s done a million Supernatural interviews.

R: Uh oh, look at this, guys…(points to what appears to be a big stack of questions, a la Inside the Actor’s Studio) There’s going to be some Bernard Pivot in there. There may be some things I say off the record…

L: Of course, you know I’m good with that. (but honestly? There weren’t many!)

R: Okay let’s do this!

Family Don’t End With Blood Book Release Party – SPNFamily Style!

May 29, 2017December 4, 2017spnfans

When my agent suggested that I have a party to celebrate the release of Family Don’t End With Blood: Cast and Fans on How Supernatural Has Changed Lives, I was skeptical. Who does that? Not unknowns like me, that’s for sure. Who would come? Would I just be standing in a Barnes & Noble tossing confetti up in the air in an empty room? But the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to celebrate this book that was two years in the making. This book is not mine – it belongs to all 25 contributors who wrote from the heart and poured their genuine emotions into their chapters, both fans and Supernatural cast. For most of them, it wasn’t an easy task. They are students and business women and moms and IT consultants. They are talented actors. But they are not, for the most part, writers. Or at least they weren’t before they said yes to contributing to this book!

I know the process was heartwrenching and intimidating for many of them. They are all people who care a great deal about this show and this fandom, and they didn’t want to let anyone down. Although they didn’t have much confidence about their writing ability, they felt it was important to share their stories – and so they persevered. Through self doubt and starting over and edits and a lot of hard work, they kept going. The result is no less than amazing to me. Every single contributor wrote something that speaks to others – that inspires others. The courage they showed in telling their real truth, in print, for the rest of the world to read, blew me away.

So I decided the wise and wonderful Amy Tipton was right; we would have a book release party. Now to figure out when and where and how. Which turned out to be a story in itself, so I thought I’d share the before, during and after of our rather unique celebration of #SPNFamily.

Celebrating Supernatural Season Finale Night — with a Chat with David Haydn-Jones!

May 18, 2017October 3, 2017spnfans

So who’s ready for tonight?? Hands?? Anyone??

I’ve done this many times now, but the mix of dread and anticipation and exhilaration that is Supernatural season finale night never gets old. I’ve stocked up on tissues, have a nice bottle of wine, and we’ve ordered pizza – maybe I’ll get some pie to go with it too. But no matter how many times I do this, or how prepared I am, I’m still unable to sit still. Too many emotions! So what better way to get ready for the finale than by posting my recent chat with this season’s most fascinating villain, Mr. Ketch?

When you decide to interview someone who plays a villain on your favorite show, you’re never entirely sure whether it’s going to be a conversation that makes you laugh or one that makes you grind your teeth. I was in the midst of grading a gigantic stack of papers when I took a break a few weeks ago to chat with Supernatural’s David Haydn-Jones, so I really wasn’t in the mood for any more teeth grinding – and frankly, I sort of needed a laugh. Luckily, despite playing Mr. Ketch, who’s not very funny, Jones himself proved to be a lot of fun. Also, not British.

Lynn: You’re giving me a break from grading papers, so thank you.

David: Good! Any time you can have a break from grading papers, that’s a good day.

Lynn: I’ll say. So, I’ve got a few questions. The reception to your character has been much more complicated than usual – at first, everyone hated the notorious Mr. Ketch. Then you invested him with so much charm that some people started to sort of like him. Then he slept with Mary and shot Mick and now he’s about to torture Mary, so most people are back to hating him. How have you negotiated that roller coaster?

Book Release Party Supernatural Style!

April 1, 2017June 7, 2017spnfans

So excited that we’re getting close to the release of Family Don’t End With Blood: Cast and Fans on How Supernatural Has Changed Lives! Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Misha Collins, Mark Shepherd, Jim Beaver, Rob Benedict, Briana Buckmaster, Osric Chau, Ruth Connell, Matt Cohen, Gil McKinney, Rachel Miner and Kim Rhodes contributed to the book, along with a dozen fans who shared their powerful stories. There are eloquent cover blurbs by Richard Speight Jr. and Curtis Armstrong, and there’s a free digital download of a Station Breaks favorite courtesy of Jason Manns, Rob Benedict and Billy Moran!

If you think Supernatural is like any other show, this book will change your mind. If you already know how special SPN is, you’ll be nodding your head as you read (and maybe grabbing for the tissues). And it’s not just fans whose lives have been changed – the super talented actors and crew who bring Supernatural to life also write about how they’ve been changed forever by the show and the fandom. I don’t think you can get to the end of this book and not feel incredibly good about being part of the #SPNFamily. Or in awe of what this Little Show That Could has accomplished.

Everyone who contributed to the book is very excited about the upcoming release, so we’ve decided to throw a party to celebrate!

If you’re anywhere near LA (or up for a little Supernatural inspired trip), please join us for a Book Release Party at The Study in Hollywood. Rob Benedict (who wrote an unbelievably powerful chapter for the book), Billy Moran and Mike Borja of Louden Swain will provide some live music, and there will be fun and games, author readings, Supernatural drink specials and free mini pies from The Pie Hole LA — because what would a Supernatural party be without pie??

All the authors are invited, along with some of the people who make the show incredible (writers, crew, etc.) and some of our favorite SPN cast alums too. Of course, not everyone will be able to come, but we’re expecting some contributors and cast alums will join us for the fun.

We’ll have plenty of copies of Family Don’t End With Blood for sale, and I’d be honored to sign your book for you. You can grab your ticket here –

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fdewb-book-release-party-tickets-33180733467

(If you’re under 21, please email us at familydontendwithbloodspn@gmail before ordering a ticket – you must be on a list to be able to enter the club if you’re under 21)

We’re all very proud of this book and the important messages that it contains, and that it benefits the important work of Attitudes in Reverse and Random Acts. We hope you’ll all find it as inspiring as we did to write, and that you’ll let us all know your thoughts and reactions once you read.

Can’t join us in LA? You can pre-order Family Don’t End With Blood right now and win free Supernatural swag too! At https://www.familydontendwithblood.com/

Hope you can join the party – or read along!

Gigantic thanks to @mamaprior, @poptivist and @PunkPrincessLA for all their help with party planning and to @quickreaver for the gorgeous cover art.

–Lynn
(Your nervous but excited hostess)

Rob Benedict on Playing God on Supernatural and Himself (Sorta) on Kings of Con!

November 11, 2016June 10, 2017spnfans

Supernatural fan favorites Rob Benedict and Richard Speight Jr. premiere their new web series, Kings of Con, on ComicConHQ on November 15, which is only a few days away. Both Rob and Rich play fictionalized versions of themselves, and if the trailer is any indication, it’s going to be hilarious. I can’t wait for that, but in the meantime, I had some questions for Rob about his work on last season’s Supernatural. His return to the show as Chuck/God made a lot of fans very happy, including me. And he really had a chance to show off his acting chops in some of those pivotal episodes!

Lynn: Toward the end of last season, some of those episodes you were in were just so powerful. I talked to Curtis Armstrong (who played Metatron) about some of those scenes and to Jensen [Ackles] as well, so I’m eager to hear your thoughts. Curtis said that he got unexpectedly emotional in the scene where God is telling Metatron that he was just the angel closest to the door and Metatron replies that he doesn’t care. To his great surprise, Curtis started to cry in rehearsal and then teared up again when filming the scene. What was your reaction to his emotion? Were you surprised?

Behind The Scenes with Curtis Armstrong – An Inside View of Metatron and Supernatural

June 6, 2016June 10, 2017spnfans

Previously, in Part One of my thoroughly enjoyable chat with Curtis Armstrong, whose portrayal of Metatron was so inspiring and powerful in the last few episodes leading up the Season finale, we talked about the evolution of his character. One of the things I love most about the cast of Supernatural is how much they care about their characters. I’ve heard it countless times, from the stars of the Show and from guest cast who have done a handful of episodes. Everyone truly, genuinely cares. And that makes all the difference to the quality of the show!

When we left off in Part 1, we had been talking about the evolution of Metatron, and the changes that became obvious in ‘Don’t Call Me Shurley.’ The next episode, ‘All In The Family’, was being developed at virtually the same time, which meant that keeping the character consistent from one episode to another was a bit of a challenge.

Curtis Armstrong on Saying An Emotional Goodbye to Metatron

May 17, 2016November 27, 2020spnfans

I’m very emotional about Supernatural right now. The news that Robbie Thompson was leaving hit me very hard – I love the way he writes Sam and Dean and I love Robbie as a person. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every long conversation we’ve had about the show, whether it was deep thoughts at the DePaul Conference or debates about fanfiction over drinks. I will miss him, and his episodes. Add to that the fact that another of my favorite people – for deep thoughts and discussion over drinks – also seems to have finally met his Supernatural end. I think my text to Curtis Armstrong at the end of the last episode just said “NOOOOOOOOO!”

The amazing thing is that a lot of the fandom were also sad to see him go – which is really saying something considering Metatron’s villainous history on Supernatural. It’s a testament to both Robbie’s writing and Curtis’ acting that we saw a believable evolution in a character like Metatron in the last two episodes. I chatted yesterday with Curtis about filming Don’t Call Me Shurley and All In The Family – it was a long and intense conversation, so this is Part One. Stay tuned for Part Two, with more fascinating behind the scenes insights about filming, the show and the how and why of Metatron’s changes. I seriously could talk with Curtis all day.



Supes Ain't Always Heroes	There'll Be Peace When You Are Done
Family Don't End with Blood	Fan Phenomena: Supernatural

Fangasm: Supernatural Fangirls	Fandom at the Crossroads

Fan Culture: Theory/Practice	Supernatural Psychology: Roads Less Traveled

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