Tag: Mark Sheppard

The British Invasion Indeed – Supernatural 12.17

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Here’s one thing you cannot say about last week’s Supernatural episode: “Eh, not much happened…” A lot happened, that’s for sure. Some of it was a shock, some of it wasn’t; some of it I liked; some of it I most definitely did not. It’s a beautiful spring day on the East coast, so let’s start with the good stuff.

1. The return of hunter Eileen Leahy (and actress Shoshannah Stern). I loved the character in her debut episode, as did just about everyone in the fandom, and miracle of miracles, Eileen actually survived the episode, so I was hopeful she’d be back. Eileen is seamlessly integrated back into the narrative, giving the boys some intel that intersects with their current search for Kelly Kline. I loved watching Sam and Dean’s frank appreciation of Eileen and her hunting skills – the genuine pride on their faces as they both said ‘Nice work, Eileen’. I also loved the care they both took to be sure she could see them when they were talking with her via iPad or in person – it’s those little touches that only happen on a show when someone cares. I interviewed Shoshannah after her first episode, and she talked about her choice to have the character read lips as well as she does.

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Book Release Party Supernatural Style!

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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)

Behind the Scenes of Supernatural with Director Richard Speight Jr.

Behind the Scenes of Supernatural with Director Richard Speight Jr.

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I had the pleasure of chatting with one of my favorite people at the Nashville Supernatural convention last month – Supernatural actor and director Richard Speight, Jr. I’ve known Richard since his very first Creation con appearance almost a decade ago, and I always enjoy his thoughtful insights about the show. Nashville is a particularly fun place for Richard to be, since it’s also his hometown. In fact, he was busy planning a tour for a small group of lucky fans for the next day when we met up at the green room backstage. Turns out there were a bunch of very tired people catching a few minutes of much-needed sleep in the green room, so we resourcefully pulled some chairs off a stack in the hallway and made our own little interview area (the backstage area of the hotel is literally a series of hallways that thread through the kitchen and storage areas and then spill out into the main hall, which is fairly typical for convention hotels. Not exactly scenic, but you take what you can get!)

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Richard: Sorry.

Lynn: Not my first rodeo. Look how versatile I am (balancing an audio recorder precariously on a ledge and an iPad on my backpack)

Richard: (cocks an eyebrow) Yeah, you’ve got a lot of machinery there…

Lynn: So how are you?

(The audio recorder tumbles off the ledge, followed by the iPad falling off the backpack)

Lynn: You know, I thought I was being so smart and resourceful…

Richard: (Goes to get another chair)

Lynn: Thanks.

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Salute to Supernatural Nashville – It’s Sunday!

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Another pretty pretty guest post from Kim Prior!
-Lynn.

My Sunday morning began with the Gold Panel with Jared and Jensen. I think they were still full of giggles from their distillery tour the day before as most of the panel was full of shenanigans and laughs. I’ll talk more about that tour later.

Jared began the panel by telling us that his daughter will be born very soon, and he’s a little nervous about having a girl… Jensen immediately laughed at him.

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Salute to Supernatural Nashville – Saturday Night Special Featuring Louden Swain

Salute to Supernatural Nashville – Saturday Night Special Featuring Louden Swain

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I cannot say this plainly enough: The Saturday Night Special is Special because of Louden Swain.

Yes, I enjoy the special guests. Yes, I miss it when guests aren’t at the convention and therefore not at the concert. So, yes, I missed Gil and Briana and Kim and Ruth and Osric.

But let’s not forget that this is Louden Swain, live, on stage, pouring out their hearts and their souls for us. It is Billy Moran and Michael Borja on guitar. It is Stephen Norton on drums. It is Rob Benedict playing guitar and singing with so much passion you can actually, tangibly, feel it in the air. This is a raw, unfiltered show of energy and passion and love pouring out to us through guitars and drums and lyrics.

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Salute to Supernatural – Nashville 2017 Ain’t Nothing Better Than Flowers In May

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Nashcon was extra fun because I got to spend it with my friend Kim, who takes gorgeous photos and doesn’t mind when I drool over them over her shoulder every evening as she’s hard at work in our hotel room. If you read this blog regularly, you know I’m behind in posting con reports (Houston and Vegas are coming, honest!), but luckily Kim was willing to write the report for Nashcon, including her beautiful photos. Enjoy!
– Lynn

Lynn and I had a fandamntastic weekend at the Opryland Resort in Nashville for the Salute to Supernatural Convention. I have to give a shout out to the staff and volunteers from Creation Entertainment for all of their hard work in bringing to us such a wonderful experience! I continue to be impressed by their enthusiasm, even on Sunday evening, even after working crazy-long hours. If you have the chance to attend one of these cons, please make the time to thank these volunteers for their tireless efforts in giving us these incredible experiences.

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Jerry Trimble Brings Ramiel to Life on Supernatural

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I was fascinated by Ramiel on the recent Supernatural episode ‘Stuck In The Middle With You’ – in just one episode, actor Jerry Trimble, along with director Richard Speight Jr. and writer Davy Perez, created a memorable character who most fans would be happy to see more of. So I was thrilled to have a chance to ask Jerry about his experience on the show.

Lynn: Congrats again on the amazing job you did on Supernatural. As you probably read in my review on Fangasm, I’m a big fan of the original ‘Yellow Eyed Demon’ who was portrayed by Fred Lehne. I got to know Fred from interviewing him for Fangasm and for the books I’ve written on Supernatural, and was always impressed by his ability to make the character compelling as well as scary. You managed to do the same in one episode with Ramiel.

So I’ve got a few questions for you. I’ve known Richard Speight for years, and am looking forward to hearing his thoughts on directing this episode (stay tuned for that!), but I’d love to hear your thoughts on being directed by him. Were there some notes he gave you that were particularly helpful?

JT:
Richard was one of the best directors I’ve had the pleasure of working with, he’s an actor’s dream director. Probably because he’s an actor as well and a fantastic one at that. He was so helpful and pivotal in helping me to create the character of Ramiel, Prince of Hell. There were times when I was going too dark and hard, and then Richard pulls me aside and says, dude, back off and BAM Ramiel comes alive. Richard was collaborative in the coolest way. Some directors I work with are too into their comfort zone and just want to pump it out. They settle for less than the best, whereas Richard had an idea, I had an idea, we meshed them together and as you saw from the episode, it was magic. Loved working with him.

With director Richard Speight Jr. and company on set

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Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell – Supernatural 12.15

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WB/The CW

Last week’s episode of Supernatural had something that never fails to make me a very happy fan indeed: The Winchesters listening to each other and trusting each other and telling each other the truth. THANK YOU, SHOW! (And writer Davy Perez). That alone is enough to make a good episode imho. But actually there was one more thing that will always make me happy – Winchesters in glasses. Is it hot in here?

So let’s talk about what I liked first, and then I’ll get to the things that didn’t quite work for me. I really really loved that last conversation between Sam and Dean, where Sam comes clean about working with the BMoL and Dean, instead of flying off the handle and feeling threatened and betrayed and thus shutting down, instead hears Sam out and they come to an agreement. Dean isn’t anywhere near trusting them – and I don’t think Sam is either – but the brothers are on the same page about cautiously taking what they can from the BMoL while still retaining their independence as hunters. How easy that will be I’m not at all sure, but the important thing is that the brothers are together in the decision. I don’t know if I’ve ever loved Sam more than when he steeled himself and told his brother the truth.

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Playing with Fire – Supernatural 12.13 Family Feud

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WB/The CW
WB/The CW

Last week’s Supernatural won’t go down in history as one of my favorites – it was at times downright unpleasant to watch, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t impactful. Luckily, the difficult to watch scenes were interspersed with some lighter moments that I enjoyed and some excellent acting, which helped. And I just had the opportunity to re-watch after spending the weekend at a Supernatural convention in Nashville, which gave me some different perspectives on the episode, especially Mary’s situation.

The opening scene is classic Supernatural – dark, full of foreboding, and scary as hell. I don’t know if it’s just left over from childhood and none of us ever really outgrew it, but fear of the thing hiding in the closet or grabbing us from under the bed is always lurking underneath our adult composure. The opening scene played on all those fears, leaving my heart pounding by the time we transition into Sam and Dean at home in the bunker.

I will never get tired of seeing Sam and Dean in the bunker, so I was happy just to see them researching a case, hunched over Sam’s laptop together like it was Season 1 all over again.

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My happy place was jolted, however, when the boys called Mary and she lied to them outright about where she was and what she was doing. I know she’s not the first Winchester to lie, and she undoubtedly won’t be the last, but it rankled anyway. It’s impossible for me to get myself out of her sons’ headspace – they are heartbreakingly vulnerable when it comes to their mother, and it’s very hard to watch her let them down. Her ‘I love you’ made me grimace, which can’t be a good sign.

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Catching Up On Cons: Supernatural Jacksonville 2017

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I’m seriously behind on everything, including my con coverage for 2017. Between trying to finish up the new book (which I’m ridiculously excited about – have you pre-ordered your copy yet??? If you do, you get free goodies and can win even more free Supernatural stuff! Check it out at https://www.familydontendwithblood.com/!) Anyway, with that and starting off a new semester of teaching and Supernatural episodes returning, there aren’t enough hours in the day. So here, belatedly, are some of my favorite moments and photos from the first con of the year.

The 2017 Supernatural con tour kicked off in sunny warm Jacksonville, Florida. The sunny and warm part was definitely relevant to me, coming from cold and rainy dreary Philly. I love my hometown but Januarys are hard! So I was pretty euphoric just being able to walk around in my flip flops and lay by the pool in the sun for a while.

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