Tag: Osric Chau

Toronto Con 2015 With the Supernatural Family

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The Toronto Creation con is always a little bit more emotional than most, because everyone remembers that’s where Rob Benedict had the stroke that almost killed him. That was two years ago, and Rob is fine – as Richard says, better than ever and healthy as a horse! – but he almost wasn’t. The fact that it was his Supernatural family who saved his life is emblematic of the feeling many fans have that the show has saved their lives too – maybe not quite as literally (though maybe every bit as literally), but nevertheless Supernatural has changed many of us. Toronto con is about celebrating Rob’s life, and about celebrating the fact that we’re all SPN Family. Maybe that’s why all the guests were bursting with enthusiasm at this year’s Torcon, and why the Saturday Night Special erupted in an emotional rushing of the stage by the last few numbers.

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Roadtrip! SPNFamily goes to NJCon

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What a treat it was to DRIVE to a convention instead of fly! One of my university colleagues who also watches the Show came with me to Secaucus NJ (which the guests mostly called See-Cock-Us…) to help out in the vendor’s room to sell our Supernatural books. It’s no secret that I’m not a fan of the convention center cons, but the vendor’s “room” was just a portion of the giant floor, so I got to meet lots of people who had read the books and stopped by to say they really related to them as a fan of the Show (or stopped by to say “What? Books on Supernatural fandom? Misha wrote a chapter?”)

It was wonderful to meet so many of you and to hear what you liked about ‘Fangasm’ and ‘Fan Phenomena Supernatural’!

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DallasCon Friday and Saturday – Favorite Moments In Pictures

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DallasCon, like every Supernatural con, was filled with funny, touching and fascinating moments. It’s impossible to live tweet and take photos simultaneously, so I didn’t catch all of them. But here are some of my favorites that I happened to have my camera or phone handy to snap a photo. Stay tuned for Sunday’s happenings soon.

It wouldn’t be a Supernatural con without a beautiful Impala parked outside.

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Gil McKinney singing. That will always be one of my favorite things at a con. And cosplaying as Indiana Jones at karaoke. With a whip, y’all. I didn’t get any decent photos but make sure you check out some of the ones out there. I never knew Gil would make such a perfect Indiana Jones.

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A Newbie Goes to Con

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By: Guest blogger Brigid Laurie

When your packing list includes “tube of fake blood” you know you’re going to have a good time.

Creation’s DCcon was my first fan convention of any sort. I had never been to a Comic-Con, a Wizard World, another show convention – anything like that. I have to admit, I wasn’t really well versed in how many Supernatural cons there are until about a year ago. I live in the Washington DC area and we only had our first con last year. Last year it simply wasn’t feasible for me to attend. But that gave me over a year to plan for DCcon 2015. And for all my planning, real life still managed to interfere. But overall, that didn’t matter. In fact, it might’ve worked out for the best. Let’s make that stone number one and build on it.

So, that said, allow me to be your guide to being the new kid at the con. Learn from my mistakes, and take notes on the things I did right. I’m not going to recap the panels. I’ve seen videos from DCcon online already, so that information is out there if you need it. What I really want to share with you is the first time con experience.

I’m sure many con goers did what I did. The con went on sale and I immediately bought the package I wanted. In my case, that was the Copper package. It offered admission to everything except the Sunday morning Gold Panel, but no extras. Then, like a fool, I googled SPN cons only to find an amazing array of stories ranging from blissful to horrifying. Of course, I got stuck on horrifying and thought, “Non-refundable ticket… what have I done?”

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Reunited And It Feels So Good: Supernatural DCCon

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Last weekend marked the end of one sort of Supernatural hiatus – the US Creation convention one! Not counting Comic Con, the last Creation con in the states was way back in March, so I was one of the people bouncing with excitement to reunite with the cast and with lots and lots of fangirls and fanboys. Driving to a con is a rarity for us, and so is staying at Kathy’s house instead of a hotel, so it was also a con with lots of catching up conversation (only a portion of which touched on Jensen’s sexy bowlegs or Jared’s luscious hair or Misha’s pretty blue eyes. Honest, only a portion.)

There were lots of acafans at this con too, so there was also plenty of spirited debate about canon and fanon and what a ‘text’ (including our favorite tv show) actually is and who gets to decide that. In between all that conversation, there were spectacular martinis, some truly enjoyable cast interviews, a Periscope with Chad Lindberg during which he tried to explain to us what Periscope was while connecting with fans literally all over the world, and so much laughter my stomach ached – some of that was from guest panels and some from our fellow fans. In other words, it was a great con!

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Fangasm Revisited –Supernatural at Comic Con 2015!

Fangasm Revisited –Supernatural at Comic Con 2015!

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July 2008…

“Turn here, turn here!”

“Where?”

“Right there, right there, ohmygod you’re gonna miss it!”

Kathy yanked the wheel of our rented PT Cruiser sharply to the right, tires screeching as we drove way too fast through the unfamiliar streets of San Diego. Lynn scowled from the passenger seat, clutching the door handle as the car barely held the turn. In the back seat, Sabrina wisely stayed silent, hoping we’d make it to our destination in one piece.

At 4 am, the massive glass and concrete convention center up ahead was still a dark outline against the sky. We lurched into a spot in the deserted underground parking garage. Easy! We were feeling confident that we’d be first in line as we hurried up three flights of stairs and onto the darkened sidewalk, repeating our mantra of “please let us be the first ones here, please let us be the first ones here.” It was too early for the trolley, too early for the traffic and crowds that would soon clog the streets. We threaded our way through the previous day’s debris – discarded flyers for new television shows, promo cards in the shape of coffins, souvenir buttons, colorful miniposters for upcoming films. Geek garbage.

Our instincts told us that three women in an unfamiliar city at 4 am should be careful, but we silenced the pesky little voice of reason. If we’d had good judgment, we wouldn’t have been in California at all. None of us had the excess money or time to fly 3000 miles across the country, and we knew we were going to pay for it in all sorts of ways. But not right now.

“We did it,” Sabrina whispered to Kathy. Even Lynn –never a morning person let alone a 4 am person – started to smile. Then we turned the corner. Our self congratulatory grins faded. There was already a line.

Welcome to Comic Con

–from Fangasm: Supernatural Fangirls

That’s the beginning of ‘Fangasm Supernatural Fangirls’. Our story – our wild and crazy roadtrip through fandom – started at Comic Con. Last week, I returned again to the place it all began. Because there’s nothing like Comic Con. It’s insane and hectic and at times so crowded that you can’t see more than a foot in front of you (or anything other than the back of the very tall man in the Darth Vader costume who’s walking in front of you).

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How The Hillywood Show Got It Right: the Supernatural Parody!

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Like everyone else in the Supernatural fandom (and cast), I loved The Hillywood Show’s brilliant parody of our beloved Show – mostly because they got it so very right. It’s not that easy to create a parody of a show with a passionate fandom; as fans, we notice everything. Get it wrong, and we’ll call you out on it in a microsecond. But get it right, and we’ll shower you with gratitude. I couldn’t wait to talk to the Hillywood girls, Hannah and Hilly Hindi, to find out how they managed to do just that.

Lynn: I’m so excited to talk to you, I absolutely loved the Supernatural parody! I’ve been a fan of this Show for nine years and this is one of the best things EVER. Congrats!

Hilly: Ohmygod, thank you, that’s a lot coming from you!

Lynn: Pretty sure I’ve watched it about a million times. I notice that many of your parodies are of shows or films that are fan favorites, like Lord of the Rings or The Walking Dead or Doctor Who – or of course Supernatural. Do you pick things that you know have passionate fan bases, or do you pick things that you are fans of yourself?

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The Kings of Con Talk Their New Series, Convention Shenanigans, and Getting Muddy with Jared and Jensen

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I had the pleasure of chatting with Richard Speight Jr. and Rob Benedict (aka The Kings of Con) earlier today about their web series in the making and how the support of their SPN Family is making it happen.

Lynn: So I just have to ask: Texas Tough Mudder? You guys, Jensen and Jared, Osric, Jason Manns. How was it?

Richard: Actually it was really challenging, but it was a blast!

Lynn: (skeptical) Was it? It’s not exactly my version of fun, gotta say. But you all enjoyed it?

Richard: Well, you know, all of us are sports enthusiasts and played various sports and athletics growing up, and even though seemingly we’re like different dudes in that regard, we’re not.

Lynn: Not surprising, just still having a hard time labelling it as ‘fun’…. I really love that all the guys wore Kings of Con shirts!

Rich: The funny thing is, that was Jensen’s idea. He named the team ‘Kings of Con’. You have to name your team, so I was like, oh awesome! So we had the shirts on.

Lynn: That doesn’t surprise me at all – you guys have all supported and contributed to our books, and everyone in this cast is so supportive of everyone else’s projects.

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Supernatural Saturday Night Special – VegasCon Style!

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So where did we leave off with this year’s VegasCon fun? Oh, that’s right – it was almost Saturday night.

Kathy and I had dinner with fangirls, and then it was time for the aptly named “Saturday Night Special.” The Saturday night concert has become one of my favorite parts of the conventions, as I wrote in an article here few months ago. VegasCon was probably the most epic Saturday Night Special ever, with cast member after cast member taking the stage and absolutely owning it.

The stars of the show are the band that makes the Creation Supernatural cons the very best – Louden Swain. I’m not a musician, but it doesn’t take one to realize that it’s not every band that can pull off what they do. They not only play their own songs all weekend, but they compose a little song to introduce all the guests, and are never afraid to play some impromptu music to go along with a guest’s request. That’s talent, clearly. But it’s more than that. The band works harder than anyone at these cons – in Vegas, for four days in a row – and they never EVER lose their good humor or their infectious enthusiasm. Rob Benedict, Billy Moran, Mike Borja, and Stephen Norton are immensely talented musicians, but they’re also versatile enough to provide musical punchline emphasis and are sometimes part of an impromptu onstage joke.

Rob can belt out the hardest rock song and make you get up and dance. He can also break your heart with emotional ballads, many of them auto-biographical and all the more powerful for it. Rob is willing to make himself vulnerable because he says he feels safe performing in front of the SPN Family. In fact, the cast has all said that at one time or another. It’s a special thing for them, just as it is for us.

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What Happens In Vegas… Part 2 (Jam-Packed Supernatural Friday)

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More beautiful photos from VegasCon, mostly taken by the talented and awesome @MamaPrior. With some help from RitaKF and a few by us. Enjoy.

Friday was a laid back day, kicking off with Curtis Armstrong, who is amazingly nice in real life for someone who plays a jerk like Metatron. (If you don’t believe me, check out our interview with him by clicking his name on the sidebar). Curtis fielded questions from his entire film and television history, with fans getting a chance to geek out over everything from Revenge of the Nerds all the way through to Supernatural. He says that Metatron is one of his top five roles ever, which is really saying something!

Curtis is a fanboy himself, and has been a Sherlock Holmes fan forever, which he proudly proclaimed onstage. He’s also funny as hell. Example:

The crowd groaned when Curtis mentioned Gary Busey.

Curtis: What, did he do something to the boys?

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