Tag: Ruth Connell

A Special Supernatural DC Con – #KristaCon 2023

A Special Supernatural DC Con – #KristaCon 2023

spnfans

DC Con is one of the two conventions that are local for me – that I can drive to. I set out early Friday morning down I95 to DC, or rather to Crystal City, where this con is usually held. On the way, I thought a lot about my good friend and co-author of ‘Fangasm’ and several of my other books on fandom and Supernatural, Kathy Larsen. We fell in love with the show together way back when it began, and fell into fan studies as a result, both of us changing the trajectory of our professional careers to focus on what fandom is all about and why it’s so often wonderful. I needed tissues as I drove, the route familiar because of all the days I drove down to Kathy’s house just outside of DC – to work on research, to go to a convention, to just hang out and watch episodes of Supernatural and squee together. I miss those days. I miss my friend.

So I was already emotional before I even got there. Another fandom friend had experienced a great loss shortly before the con, a tragic accident that took her husband’s life. I was looking forward to hugging her and hoping that she’d find solace at the con and being with her fandom family. I remember when my dad passed away seven years ago – I got the news just as I arrived at a Supernatural convention in San Francisco, and while I was in shock for some of it, there was no better or more supportive place to be. I felt cared for, and loved, and consoled, by both my fellow fans and by the actors, who went out of their way to comfort me. I didn’t even tell them, but somehow they knew. It’s the best part of fandom – especially the SPNFamily – the outpouring of love and support when you need it. I’ve felt it myself, and I hope I’ve helped give it to others who’ve needed it.

This con was about that, about an outpouring of love and support — for my friend and fellow Supernatural fan Krista, who has terminal brain cancer. The con and the SNS were dedicated to her, the actors and the fans expressing their love and gratitude, and saying an emotional goodbye. I still find it hard to believe that she won’t still be sitting there in front of me at the cons, video camera rolling. I’m so grateful we all had a chance to show her how much she’s meant to so many of us.

I first met Krista in 2009 when she started going to Supernatural cons. Over the years, I often sat right behind her, my voice sometimes (unfortunately) in her con videos as I laughed too hard or sang too loud. She contributed some of  her beautiful photos to Family Don’t End With Blood. We shared some fun times over the many years – trips to the original Starbucks and the fish market in Seattle, where Krista showed she knew how to order a fish.

Fun times in Rome at the only JIB I’ve been able to go to.

Dinners out on con evenings.

 

Krista was kind enough to emcee the book release party for Family Don’t End With Blood in LA, helping make that night incredibly special.

We’ve shared a lot of fun times. And lots and lots of laughs.

So this con, for me, was about celebrating the people I’ve been on this journey with, both from the start and along the way, and feeling incredibly grateful to have them in my life. It was a reminder of how truly special fandom – and especially this fandom – can be. Forget the stupid polls of which ship is better or the purposely inflammatory posts about how the show should have ended. This is what it’s all about.

I was on my own in the vendor room for most of Friday so I didn’t make it into the theater, which was sad because a lot of awesome people were there – Gil McKinney, David Haydn-Jones, Kim Rhodes, Briana Buckmaster, DJ Qualls, Julian Richings to name a few.  Friday night I went to karaoke, which has been reinvigorated by DJ Qualls and his themed nights. This one was ‘The British Are Coming’, and DJ was dressed perfectly on a stage complete with Big Ben, the Yellow Submarine, and even the lanterns for one if by land two if by sea! Some of the fans’ cosplay was perfection too – and some of the performances!

Saturday and Sunday some lovely friends were able to sit at the vendor table for me sometimes, so I was able to catch some panels – including Misha Collins on Saturday. Like most of the actors, Misha wore his green #KristaCon shirt in honor of Krista. Rob gave him a supportive pat when he came onstage, all of them feeling emotional.

Misha to Krista: Thank you for being such a force of joy and optimism over the years.

That is so very very true.

Read more →

Supernatural Charlotte 2023 – AKA Spatula Con!

Supernatural Charlotte 2023 – AKA Spatula Con!

spnfans

The Road So Far/ The Road Ahead (aka in my head as Supernatural) con in Charlotte is one of my favorites. It’s an easy ninety minute flight, which I value more and more every single year (and my knee values more every single day) and SO many of my friends planned to be there. It felt a lot like the early days of Supernatural cons, when everyone knew everyone else because there were only a few to go to, so me and my friends were all there at one or the other.

It was clear that this was going to be a fun con because it was also “Spatula Con” – which meant that many fans actually brought spatulas with them, for all kinds of photo fun and shenanigans. (If you’re wondering why, it’s in honor of Jared and Gen’s appearance on Celebrity Family Feud, where the thing they’d bring from the kitchen to the bedroom was – you guessed it – a spatula). Hence, Spatula Con!

It was also gorgeous weather and the con hotel (a brief walk down the hall from the convention center, which made me very very very happy) had a lovely outdoor patio where we could all hang out and eat and drink and be merry. There was a lot of merry at this con!

I was a bit uncertain about how the con itself would go since because of the SAG and WGA strike, the actors can’t talk about any struck work – including the vast majority of their projects. I’m that fan who always has a burning question about the show I love, and is less enthralled by “what’s your favorite color?” type questions, so I wasn’t sure what this would be like. Of course, I should have trusted all these actors – because they can all think on their feet and tell a hilarious story, and that’s pretty much what they did. I laughed my way through most of the panels I saw, and so did the actors!

There inevitably are comments online about drama at every con, but this con was pretty much drama-free for those of us who were there. The fans had fun, the actors had fun, everyone was happy to be able to get together and share some good times and funny stories. The actors were diligent about not breaking any strike rules and the fans were conscientious in helping them do that, and all of that felt pretty damn good.

I didn’t have anyone to help me at the vendor table on a regular basis (shout out to all the friends who hopped in to let me run to the bathroom all weekend!) so I missed the Friday panels, which meant I missed a lot of my favorite people – Gil McKinney, David Haydn Jones, DJ Qualls, Kim Rhodes, Briana Buckmaster – and Nate Torrence (who played Sully in ‘Just My Imagination’) who I REALLY wanted to get to see. I hear his panel was awesome, and just seeing him coming and going, he seems like such a nice guy.

I did make it into the ballroom finally for Misha Collins, since I try to never miss his panel. He and Rob reminisced about some early panels, including for some reason the one when they did the “Eiffel tower”. Don’t ask.

Everyone onstage struggled with the limitations of the strike in trying not to say the names of actual shows, but it’s undeniably difficult.

Misha: We’re organizing a little strike picket for S-P-N and Kripke sent out an organizing thing – but it says the actual name on it!

Read more →

The Last Official Supernatural Convention – San Francisco 2023

The Last Official Supernatural Convention – San Francisco 2023

spnfans

This July’s San Francisco convention was special – first, it was the last of the dedicated Supernatural Official conventions that Creation Entertainment put on, which made it a bittersweet experience for those of us who, like me, have been there since the beginning. Sure, there are new conventions planned that include Jared, Jensen, Misha and many more Supernatural cast members, but there was something poignant about this being the last “Official” Supernatural con. I got emotional as soon as I saw the old familiar stage banner up there. What a great souvenir of a wonderful time that would be – too bad my living room isn’t quite big enough for it even if it ever was offered up!

The con was also special because it was the 100th Saturday Night Special. That also made me all kinds of emotional, because I was there for the evolution of the Saturday-night-at-a-con shenanigans that eventually became the SNS. Originally there was a dessert party on Saturday night, and the actors would go from table to table and do a round of what Kathy and I referred to as “speed dating” where they had a few minutes to chat with whoever was at that table and then move on to the next one. Sometimes there was a centerpiece contest too, meaning fans who are more creative than me would make SPN themed centerpieces and then the actors would judge them and pick a winner. It was a bizarre sort of evening, but I’m nostalgic about it now. Also, ice cream.  At least I think that all used to happen on Saturday!

Then Saturday was briefly some kind of fan talent show I think, with the actors rather awkwardly judging who was the ‘winner’. Spoiler alert: Winner is a strong word. Then there were concerts – early on, it was Steve Carlson, and for a little while the Brian Buckley Band, and eventually Louden Swain. Talk about a lucky fandom!

And then came the Toronto convention when Rob Benedict had a stroke (you can read his first hand account of exactly what happened in the powerful chapter he wrote in Family Don’t End With Blood) and he wasn’t able to perform for a while. The next convention, the other cast members and friends got together to put on a special concert to support Rob – the very first Saturday Night Special. It was a really emotional evening, with most of the actors performing, and it became a beloved tradition that was even more joyous when Rob stepped back in as front man for the SNS evenings.

So celebrating the 100th SNS felt really special.

The San Fran con had been cancelled multiple times, so it also felt special just to finally get there – and my friends Alana, Lauren and Eloisa were all there too. Friends are a huge part of what makes cons special every single time.

I caught a bit of the Gil McKinney and David Haydn Jones panel on Friday afternoon when I arrived – two of my favorite people, both of whom have chapters in either Family Don’t End With Blood or There’ll Be Peace When You Are Done.

Gil talked about being grateful for all the work he’s been able to do as a working actor.

Gil: And for the auditions. The audition is the work. I may not be the most well known actor, but I’m proud of every single thing I’ve done.

Read more →

Where It All Began – Return To Supernatural Chicon!

Where It All Began – Return To Supernatural Chicon!

spnfans

Chicago was the very first Supernatural Creation convention, way way back in 2007. My friends and I stalked their website for weeks waiting for the tickets to go on sale, trading off ‘watch the site’ times so it would always be covered. We were rewarded with front row seats, back in the day when front row was the same price as the rest of the gold tickets, and had an amazing time at that very first con. I’ve been extremely fortunate to be able to return to what we then called “Chicon” each year it’s been held since then. It’s where one of my closest friends lives, so it also means I get to hang out with Winchester Family Business editor Laurena and her lovely husband. This year I had lots of other friends, both old and new, there too – so it was a whirlwind weekend of patio dinners at great restaurants in the 75 degree sunshine and long talks in the vendor room with friends I don’t get to see nearly often enough.

If you’ve ever wondered what the vendor table looks like, this was the Chicago set up – if you’re ever at a con, come say hi! I’m always happy to sign books too, whether you’ve brought them with you or bought them at the con. And if Family Don’t End With Blood inspired you in some way, it makes my day to hear about it – and the actors’ when someone says the chapters they wrote were an inspiration.

My flight got in on Friday, so I missed DJ Qualls and Julian Richings (my friend Barb caught a few photos for me).

I got to chat with Julian a bit later – we both worked on the book ‘Death in Supernatural’, with Julian writing the Foreword and me writing the Afterword, so it was nice to see him and catch up.

I caught Gil McKinney and David Haydn Jones panel in progress. The pairing of Gil and David might seem like an unusual one, as their characters didn’t interact at all on Supernatural, but they have gelled into a delightfully naughty duo that I thoroughly enjoy. When I came into the ballroom, they were trying to decide if Gil once wore his dance belt backwards, or was it really just a thong?

David has a new movie coming out that apparently involves dancing, so that is sure to be fun!

Read more →

“Home Con” 2023 – Creation Supernatural and Friends NJ

“Home Con” 2023 – Creation Supernatural and Friends NJ

spnfans

There are only a few cons that I can drive to, and the one in northern New Jersey is one of them. I hate driving, so this is both a blessing and a curse – but I also hate paying for airfare, so of course I drove to this one in scenic Whippany. (I don’t actually know if Whippany is scenic, tbh).  It’s a familiar drive from many trips to Rutgers, and this hotel was conveniently right off the NJ Turnpike, so I got there with less stress than last year – and last year’s parking lot debacle had left me with the coveted knowledge of where the extra parking spaces were too. What last year’s debacle did not tell me was that somehow this parking lot does not have an elevator from the lower floors – so I ended up dragging suitcases full of books up multiple flights of stairs and just about had a heart attack by the time I actually got to the hotel. ARGH.

Sweaty and exhausted but a few dollars richer at least from not flying, I got there on Friday afternoon and managed to catch some of the Friday people onstage, so there’s that.  Jared Padalecki was unable to be at this con because he was at Matt Barr’s wedding in Cancun – we missed him ALOT but I’m so glad he could be there with all the Walker Independence cast celebrating such a joyous occasion.

David Haydn Jones and Gil McKinney were onstage when I finally got to the ballroom.

The two were contemplating the possible impact of AI on acting when I arrived. (More ARGH). (Not Gil and David).

David: My favorite episode was when Ketch and Dean were on the mountain. Jensen and I tried to add to the scene.

And apparently it snowed just long enough for them to film – the snow melted right after their scenes were done!

I love that David always tries to dress the part of wherever the con is, looking kinda Bruce Springsteen for Jersey. And love Gil’s stylish hat!

David: When I got the role of Ketch, I watched the Supernatural top 20 episodes, and I was like whoa, they’re really leaning into the absurd comedy.

(Mystery Spot and The French Mistake cases in point!)

Gil pledged to go back and watch all of David’s episodes. David pledged to do the same.

Gil: I only have two!

Gil told the story of finding out that Henry Winchester’s name was in the pilot of The Winchesters, and then getting the call from Jensen to ask if he wanted to play Henry again.

(You can read the whole story in our exclusive interview with Gil here on Fangasm last month)

David: At the wrap party (that they were finally able to have in Vancouver years later), Jensen and I were spitballing about Ketch’s granddad in The Winchesters.

He then proceeded to do an Austin Powers Ketch imitation lol

What weapon would David have taken from SPN?

David: The grenade launcher! It actually had a quarter charge  in it, and that was a practical explosion with real fire and glass!

Gil reminisced about having to break Baby’s window on SPN.

Gil: That was really fun, but I didn’t know how much that would upset people. I nailed it on one take, like F yeah!

Another memorable scene was when Henry and Dean took that drive in the Impala.

Gil: Jensen and I got into the Impala, and he did a full 180 in the middle of the street – I didn’t know it was closed off! Jensen was like, do you need new shorts?

(Yes lol)

David said that Ketch was originally supposed to sound more like Billy Butcher on The Boys.

He also reminisced about some pranks, like trying to say his lines while someone was holding the mic like this and “fondling the balls in my hand” which I can imagine was… challenging…

As actors with experience on lots of other shows, they both had heartfelt positive things to say about working on Supernatural.

Gil: I’ve never worked on a show so nice and professional as Supernatural, and that’s because of Jared and Jensen. The Winchesters felt like a continuation of that.

We finally had Richard Speight, Jr. back as emcee for this con – he’s been so busy directing that it’s been a while – and he joked when he introduced Kim Rhodes and Briana Buckmaster and Kim was like ‘who are you?’

Richard: Hi, I’m the new guy.

Lol

A fan asked about the Wayward Podcast, which they now record live at cons with some fans joining them. So you never know what you’re gonna get.

Briana: When we think of something we want to talk about on the Podcast, we usually do!

Read more →