Olorin wrote: Sat Apr 30, 2022 3:08 am
Tell us of your adventures!
You asked for it...
My experience at the Calgary Fan Expo.
Wow.
Wow, wow, wow.
I could just stop there, but I feel I need to share more.
How we got there: a fellow Canadian poster of ours (TMcLim) very casually threw me an invite to come out to the Expo because, not only would the four Hobbits be there, but also William Shatner, whom everybody pretty much knows by now is a childhood hero for me. So, thinking this would go nowhere, I jokingly asked my wife if she wanted to take the time off work and jet off to Calgary for five days, and to my big surprise, she immediately said absolutely. In a way, I guess being cooped up at home without travelling anywhere appreciable for the last two years due to Covid made this a no-brainer in the moment. Not that her and I feel that we’re out of this by any means, but with so many of us now protected by vaccines and still practicing good safety, it was a chance worth taking on many levels.
I’m so happy to say that the decision did not disappoint. In fact, it exceeded our expectations on many levels.
The experience was, to say the least, transcendent. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would get to stand next to the legendary Captain Kirk, have him look me in the eye and warmly say hello, and then have our photo taken with him. It was beyond cool. I’d seen him before at two previous events in the past, but this one topped it all, and at his age, I figured I not only needed to see him one more time, but to take the plunge and have that photo taken, if only for the opportunity to stand next to such a massive pop culture icon. He had two panels on different days and we attended both. He is always so very entertaining to listen to, very stream of consciousness in his approach to the things he says and the experiences he shares with his fans, and a riot when it comes to Q&A time. Just … amazing.
Also got to see and listen to John de Lancie and Brent Spiner on stage, two other awesome Star Trek alums that I greatly enjoy.
Smattered in there, we attended panels with Katee Sackhoff and Carl Weathers (Mandalorian and so many other things), Robert Englund (the inimitable Freddy Kruger), Michael Rooker (Walking Dead and Guardians of the Galaxy), and some of the cast from Cobra Kai (the Netflix follow-up series to the Karate Kid movies).
Then came the main event, of course: The Four Hobbits!
Prior to leaving home, I had not intended to do the autographs with them, only attend the special ticketed evening event with all of them, as well as have the photograph with all four. Part of that had to do with not knowing what I could take with me that I would have them sign. As I don’t collect art prints in general and only have a couple of posters, that wasn’t going to do it. I then thought of taking my wall plaques for Sting and Sam’s sword, but dropped the idea as impractical in the moment. Then I thought of taking the bases of various Weta statues, but that didn’t work either, not with four characters, and you have to understand, when you’re flying in, many things are simply not practical. So, the whole notion was dropped, but it all changed when we walked through the autograph area and saw all four of them there. I just had to have their signatures and it seemed silly to squander this incredibly rare opportunity. They all had photos of themselves available for signing, of course, but everything seemed very generic. Having previously spotted a great art print that featured all four Hobbits at one of the many booths throughout the convention, I ran back to pick one up. From there, it was just a matter of lining up and then try not to gawk like an idiot at these guys when my turn came up.
My experience with each:
Elijah Wood was first. To say that I was star-struck would be an understatement. He was genuinely warm and friendly, with that famous smile and those huge blue eyes. He did seem a little exhausted (I think the travel and the event itself takes a lot out of them), so I tried not to take up too much of his time. Nevertheless, I thanked him for this wonderful opportunity; he absolutely loved the print that I had brought for him to sign; and he even commented on really liking my T-shirt (Law & Mordor). Thinking back, I wish I could have thought of something more to say, and was kicking myself when minutes later, I watched TMcLim talking to him for much longer and even shaking his hand. Damn, that takes some stones, but I was not only happy for him, but determined to try and be a little braver with the other three.
Next was Billy Boyd, and man is he a cheerful fellow! He too loved the art print I brought (this became a common theme), and we chatted for a good bit. I pulled up my phone (as my lovely wife had suggested) and showed him a photo of my MC Treebeard in my collection room, and told him that was the best likeness of him that I’d seen so far. He was stunned when he looked at it and told me he’d never seen that and wanted to know where I’d gotten it! I said it was from Weta, only 333 existed, and that if he didn’t have one, he needed to make some calls, including one to Richard Taylor. He was very impressed and wondered where they had put the original Treebeard that he and Dom had sat on for shooting. We both guessed it was back in PJ’s house somewhere and laughed together. So awesome!
In between those two autographs was the photoshoot with all four of them, and I will just say the lines were long, but thank heavens for pre-purchased tickets. Unfortunately, due to the time constraints and the sheer amount of people there, it is a very quick, blink and you’ll miss it thing, which is hard not to because the moment, when it happens, is utterly surreal. They tell you need to move quick, stand in for the shot, then run out, and that you’re not supposed to talk to them beyond saying hello kind of thing. So off we went, though my wife wanted this to be a moment for me alone and opted to only watch. Unfortunately due to current circumstances, Elijah had asked that a thin clear plexi shield be used to separate them from the fans at the photoshoot, but it was perfectly understandable and I don’t begrudge them that layer of safety. In any case, you are literally inches from them. Dom and Billy were standing up next to me, and Elijah and Sean were seated in front of them. They recognized my shirt and Dom shouted “Look, it’s Law & Mordor”.
Smile! Flash! And the memory of a lifetime is captured forever. Worth every second and every dollar.
When they returned to their booths, it was time for Sean Astin’s autograph. This guy is just so warm and personable, you instantly feel like he would be one of those friends that you just want to hang out with all the time. He gushed over the print I brought, asked me where I’d gotten it, and immediately called his assistant over and requested that she go and buy four of them because he wanted each of the guys to sign them for each other to take home afterwards. I did find out later in the day that that particular print sold out fast, so I hope Sean got his in time. I got so many compliments on it while standing in line that I think a lot of people went to pick up one. I then showed Sean a photo of my SSW Bill and Sam statue in its place of honour among my Shire display, and he was shocked and emotional when he saw it. He said he hadn’t seen that statue in years and told me how his mom, the famous Patty Duke, had that very same statue, but after she sadly passed away, no one could find it. Sean very much wanted it and asked if he could take a photo of the picture on my phone because he was determined to figure out where the statue had gone to. Needless to say, I happily let him, and now Sean Astin has a picture of my collection on his phone! I almost wonder if I should contact him somehow and offer him that statue…
Last came Dominic Monaghan. He’d had his individual talk panel earlier (which we attended, of course), and so it was a little easier to chat him up having listened to him talk on stage for almost an hour. Super cool guy who’s done and seen so much, including contracting Covid just three weeks ago, which thankfully didn’t interfere timing-wise with his appearance. I couldn’t imagine this event without him. He groused about the troubles with his favourite football team, Manchester United, and conceded that my favourite all-time player, Cristiano Ronaldo, is definitely an asset to the them. Like Billy, I showed him my photo of MC Treebeard, and as before, the reaction was the same: “Where did you get that?!?” My wife was actually surprised that the actors don’t seem to be contacted for these things, but I told her that they basically sign away their likenesses when they do these film projects. Anyhow, he was very impressed by how it looked, how few of them there were, and asked me in all seriousness how much it cost me originally. I told him, but didn’t have the heart to tell him how much they cost now, though in hindsight, I think price won’t be an obstacle to someone like Dominic Monaghan if he wants to get his hands on one.
And that was my brief but altogether awesome brush with Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin.
Later on came the event that everyone was waiting for, the Return of the Hobbits panel, which was the only stage event that required special tickets, and was done at the end of the evening after the rest of the convention had shut down so that only the ticket holders would be in the building.
If I’m overusing the words ‘surreal’, ‘awesome’, and ‘amazing’ in this post, you’ll have to forgive me, but even as a writer, I can’t find better terms to describe how it felt to be watching those four actors up on stage together, teasing one another, laughing about their experiences on set, remembering so many moments with fondness, playing Q&A games with each other, and just generally having a great time with themselves and the audience. At the end, Billy Boyd stunned the crowd with a haunting guitar solo and song of The Last Goodbye, which is the song that closes out The Hobbit movie trilogy. Even if you dislike those movies, do yourself a favour and listen to it if you have not. It’s a great tune, and Billy’s voice and performance were outstanding. I daresay it rivals Annie Lennox’s Into the West at the end of ROTK, and given that it marked the end of their time on stage for the night, it was a fitting way to do it, and the sense of melancholy and the theme of saying goodbye in the words of the song really hit home as we bid them all a fond farewell.
On the final day, Elijah and Sean each did individual panels, so after the sense of sadness and loss of the previous evening with Billy’s song, it was uplifting to hear and see these two the next morning. As expected, they were great, and giving them individual time to shine on their own as they spoke of their personal experiences beyond LOTR was such a joy. These are the memories one carries with them forever.
So… there we are. Five wonderful days in Calgary, four of them spent at the Fan Expo in the company of the greatness of one’s screen heroes, and the opportunity to meet two fellow forum users was just the icing on the bonus cake.
Since returning home, I’ve felt a bittersweet combination of feeling sad that it’s over and that you can’t go back, but also knowing that you were there, it was real, and will always have a photo and their autographs to remember this special time by.
P.S. - I'm not posting my picture with Shatner because my wife is in it as well and I want to respect her privacy.