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| My Weekend looks at Calgary Expo: Friday, Saturday, Sunday |
Friday was a little confusing... For the first time since the 2013 guest announcements I forgot to check the Twitter feed and got completely turned around... Needless to say, I missed the Princess Bride: The Hero, the Villain Panel. The room was full! Apparently I wasn't the only one. I ended up watching it on the Calgary Expo FlipOn channel and learned something heartbreaking... My dearest Westley chews with his mouth open!!! Seriously, other than that, that panel broadcast gave me all the feels. I really wish I could have been there...
Friday we also took the opportunity to head on down to the Unicorn, where if you showed up in costume, you would get 25% off you bill... With all the other events going on that night, we were the ONLY ONES in costume... You would *think* that would be awkward, but a lovely couple bought me and Dejathoris a drink so it all was worth it!
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| Chris Sarandon and Cary Elwes |
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| Dejathoris' Friday, Saturday and Sunday |
Saturday morning we headed out early. Or at least in my mind what's early for a Saturday. There was an Special Effects panel in the Roatary House that we both wanted to go to.... In all the years I've been going to the Stampede grounds, I have NEVER.NOTICED the Rotary House... That's not weird right? Either way, I was a little disappointed in the panel itself. I think the presenter was more focused on SPFX jobs rather than teaching techniques. Or I misunderstood what the panel was about. The panel was 3/4 of the way through before they even started doing makeup on people, and they weren't really explaining what they were doing. However, got some great recommendations on some books to pick up.
The day then transitioned into watching the folks battling out where the Coke Stage is in full armor and having lunch. This was one of my favorite add ons. Outdoor entertainment! People/Cosplay watching! Food Trucks! Just delightful! Whilst said people watching, I took a snapshot of what I think was the BEST Link & Zelda all weekend (and there were a LOT people!)
We then headed back to the Roatary House to watch the Iron Costumer competition. We've heard about these before but have been unable to attend. HOWEVER, one team didn't show up, so Dejathoris and I teamed up with this delightful couple in line behind us and put together a team!
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| That's a chopstick horn helmet, by the way |
The Theme: Time Travel
The "Special Ingredient: Chopsticks
Our Team Name: Tag You're it!
Our Costume: Flava Flav from 1992
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| Iron Costumer winners 2013 |
What do you think? We were up against a time travelling alien and a black hole with the Planet Express. Both were also awesome and some how WE WON!
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| Our Iron Costumer Prize! |
Saturday finished up at the Con by watching the Stargate Panel, in which I've learned that Michael Shanks' ALSO CHEWS WITH HIS MOUTH OPEN and that Richard Dean Anderson really doesn't give a shit. That second part, totally, totally awesome.
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| Screenshot from the Stargate Panel |
Eliza Dushku really knows how to handle a con crowd. She was delightful while still promoting her projects and her social media outlets. I really loved her panel. Plus, she said "Five by Five" SQUEEEEEEEEEE
Other than the adorable Link and Zelda I posted, my other major fave costume from Saturday would have to be this one:
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| The Dread Pirate Roberts! |
I was so excited when I saw this guy that I think I ran across the aisles and smacked him on the shoulder...
There were also some amazing Game of Thrones cosplays... A spectacular Robb Stark/Dany/Melissandre group and a great Dany/Drogo pair. Loved them!!!
Sunday was all about the panels. Other than the fact that I was REALLY excited to show off MY Melissandre on the con floor. We saw the X-Files Panel, where Gillian Anderson raised $800 for a signed script and a kiss. This was just a delightful panel. The whole group of Robert Patick, Mitch Pileggi and Gillian Anderson were so wonderful and chatty.
This lead into the Game of Thrones panel with Lena Heady and Peter Dinklage. There were awesome! And they were not expecting the crowd of people... There was no seating left by the time they started. It was so intense that they requested beer. The highlight would have to be when a fan asked what was going to happen to Joffrey this season and the crowd split into hissing "SPOILERS!" and laughter. Lena handled this beautifully by just saying "That's my son!"
Finally we watched Nathan Fillion's panel. Who was delightful. Between talking about Edmonton and LA, Castle and the Whedonverse, he was just a phenomenal speaker... He also had a twitter challenge that two people in the audience flat.out.ROCKED.
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| This sign deserves a stand alone PRO!!! |
So overall pros: Almost all the panels I wanted to see were in the Coral (This is a major pro). And because of Princess Bride fiasco, I decided not to go to the other smaller rooms so I didn't have to miss the ones I really wanted to see live. (The rest of this week is going to be dedicated to watching everything on the FlipOn feed!). The use a space was delightful Having a space outside where people could wander was really needed. I had no desire to fight the shopping crowds in the early Saturday since that was the craziest time of the whole day. It was a little cold and windy, but the space was worth it. The Photo Ops were in a different building and because I wasn't getting any autographs I was able to stay away from those areas. (I now find out that one of the booths I was looking for was in fact, in the autograph section!)
Overall Cons: None of the bank machines worked and sadly most of the food stands in the Corral and area were Cash only. Also, there was no where to just buy/get water. You'd have to wait in a line up 20 minutes long with hungry hungry people when all you wanted was a drink!
However, there were so many many many improvements over the year before that I can't imagine the Calgary Expo not getting better and better each year! Here's to next year!
As always, more photos as I find them over at the Flickr
great post...
ReplyDeletethanks for the time.
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