London 2012 Convention

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Eireann
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Re: London 2012 Convention

Postby Eireann » Thu Oct 25, 2012 4:45 pm

The closing part of the tale. I realise that some of this is probably stuff they do at all conventions, and some of it won't come over half as funny as it did when you were there watching, but I've recorded it for posterity anyway.

Part 4

One more treat awaited. Anthony and Connor and Dominic were doing a talk. Apparently this is a common feature of conventions; there were talks from various people going on intermittently all day, but theirs was the last. I’d heard a lot of talk about Dominic being a bit rowdy at them, so some of me was keen, some of me was a bit anxious, but anyway when my husband had had a nap we went back into the hall and made our way to the enclosure where the talk was being held. The previous one was still in session, but the crew lady on the door told us that although the A/D/C talk was free, it was ticket controlled and they had none left. We had to come back at the time it started, and if anyone who had actually got a ticket didn’t turn up and there were spaces left when everyone who was ‘entitled’ to come in had done so, some of the also-rans would be let in.

This was a pretty shattering blow. I’d had some reservations about going and having my last few illusions about Dominic’s bawdy sense of humour forcibly removed, but it’s a different thing when your choice becomes no choice. Second black mark for the organisation at the event. The existence of this ticket was very poorly advertised, if it was at all. I certainly hadn't known of its existence, and I’d studied the ExCel site pretty carefully to pick up the do’s and don’t’s.

Anyway we hung around anxiously, and eventually the current show ended and the enclosure emptied. The ticket holders were let in. A queue of also-rans had formed (which we hadn't noticed) and there were spaces so the crew started to let them in. Hurriedly joined the tail end of the queue, 90% of whom had arrived well after we did.

Hurrah! We got in. Quite a number of ticket holders must have given up and gone home, probably too exhausted to keep wandering around for hours (third black mark: why the hell was there no seating provided for people to take the occasional rest? There were enough out of the way places, and not everybody is young enough to sit on the floor.)

Anthony, Dominic and Connor emerged on to the stage, to deafening cheers. They started asking for questions; I’ve always wanted to know if the Loque’que language that Malcolm, Hoshi and Jonathan spoke during Extinction was scripted, or was just gibberish they made up as they went along, but my nerves failed me and I couldn’t find the courage to put my hand up and ask.

Still, there were some really amusing questions. The funniest was someone asking if the three of them had ever been asked to make love to someone while in character. Connor didn’t answer, Anthony said if someone called him Travis he’d think they were in the wrong bed and kick them out, and Dominic said ‘Hey, I know your sister...’ Once again politeness must draw a veil over the rest of what he said, but there was some implication that he knew the sister rather well. Not to mention rather often....

Connor told a story about the filming for his MU character and how the producer wanted him to put on a growly voice. I shall never watch that again without hearing him going ‘Arrr!’ He had us in stitches with it. He also told us that he was originally going to be called ‘Spike’ (yuk!) and that one night he was among the last to leave a Paramount party and helped himself to some of the remaining alcoholic bottles behind the bar. He got a phone call from the producer next day and thought he was going to get the sack for nicking the goods, and he couldn’t make head nor tail of it when all the phone call was about was to say he was going to be called Trip instead. He apparently put the phone down at the end of the call and shouted to his wife, “Honey, I’ve still got a job!”

Dominic talked about his Vidal Sassoon advert – it apparently ran in America for years. He also said that for the first few episodes of Enterprise he thought he was the ship’s interior decorator; “All I did was wander around the ready room wondering where I was going to hang the curtains!”

There was also a mention about working in the EV suits. Being rubber, they’re hot and heavy, and they all have intercoms so that the characters can hear each other. On one occasion Dominic had been working for some time in his and was totally exhausted, and he crept off somewhere quiet for a sit down and a rest, and all he could hear was Anthony yak-yak-yakking away. He put up with it for a while but eventually he just yelled out WILL YOU SHUT UP! And poor Anthony got all apologetic... He recreated the scene so well, we were all falling about laughing.

Someone asked what it was like working with Scott Bakula – though for some strange reason he pronounced it ‘Bak-oola’ and all three of them were scratching their heads over it. At first Dominic joked that he was (a jerk? An ass? I’m not quite sure what actual word he used), but afterwards when they’d all stopped laughing he said that Scott is a marvellous bloke and a real gentleman who put himself out to make any newcomer on the set feel at ease, and wasn’t above helping the camera crew settle a camera on a track. [I forgot to mention earlier so I’ll put it in here, we did actually catch a long shot of Scott signing autographs, and he had the nicest smile. He really did look genuinely delighted to talk to people. OK he’s an actor, but he was doing a damn good job of it if he was faking.]

It was obvious, even before Anthony said it in response to a question, that the three of them have a real friendship. I could imagine that going out with them somewhere would be a real riot.

The talk probably wouldn’t have been complete without a request for a rendering of the infamous Alternative Version of the theme tune. Considering that earlier on the three of them were scolding somebody that this was a family occasion, Dominic certainly put his all into the assertion that he’d got better physical attributes than Jolene Blalock’s. I’m not sure quite how suitable it was for family entertainment, but the audience absolutely loved it; my husband and I were howling those two lines every few minutes all the way back up the M1 Motorway going home.

That was pretty well the talk over. It had been hilarious from start to finish and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. Hey, one or two episodes may never be quite the same again, but I have such fond memories and the smile won’t spoil the story.

One last event of note remains to be told. As we wended our weary way out into the concourse, an enormous queue was forming for the party that evening (I think it was something to do with trying to assemble the largest number of people in costume for an attempt on the Guinness Record.) So many people were beautifully dressed, but we had to stop and admire a Klingon who was happily terrorising passers-by who stopped to photograph him. My husband wanted a photo too and asked permission, so this obliging person posed. At which point my husband hit the wrong button and switched the camera off. In some embarrassment he explained this as he switched it back on again. The Klingon lifted his head, gave a magnificent glare of contempt, and roared, ‘HUMANS AND TECHNOLOGY – BAH!’ It was sheer genius, and a fitting end to a marvellous day.
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Re: London 2012 Convention

Postby Alelou » Fri Oct 26, 2012 11:10 am

Thanks for the detailed report!

I'm also puzzling over Connor being married that early in the show, but whatever. Maybe he meant his girlfriend.

Spike was the name of a dude on Buffy, wasn't it? That would have been double-weird. Sometimes I wonder if the actors make this stuff up.
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Re: London 2012 Convention

Postby Cogito » Fri Oct 26, 2012 7:25 pm

You have some fantastic pictures there Eireann, and it sounds as if you have some great memories to go with them. Thanks for giving us an insight into what it was like to be there.

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Re: London 2012 Convention

Postby putaro » Sun Oct 28, 2012 11:39 am

Eireann wrote: William Shatner would have cost £45 (as best I recall) for a photo shot, I didn't notice how much his autograph cost but it was probably much the same.


Somewhere I have James Doohan's autograph. He was the spokesperson for some pager company (if I remember correctly) back in the late 80's and they had him at tradeshows signing autographs. Free, but he was signing their advertising flyers.
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Re: London 2012 Convention

Postby Alelou » Sun Oct 28, 2012 2:02 pm

Well, this was way back in the 70's and James Doohan was not endorsing anything (at least he didn't mention it if he was). I think Nichols or Koenig was there too. (I was pretty oblivious about the actors -- to be honest, I just wanted to see the gag reels and buy fanzines.)
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