[urgeok2]

PART 2

We made a quick stop to see Chris at the Rue Morgue booth ... my kid thinks he's the funniest guy in the world and i think chris gets a huge kick out of the knowledge that he can make him laugh no matter what he does.

Then we run upstairs so i can get in line for the Dario Argento Q and A (with Chris moderating) My family buggers off because this kind of thing doesnt interest either of them in the least. While in the line-up i snapped a bunch of pictures of the passing anime and other dressed up people.

I will say at this point that i hate it when they see your camera and snap into their premeditated rehearsed poses.
I prefer candid shots of these guys - while they are walking around - dressed in these rediculously elaborate costumes out of character. My favorites are when they are tired, slumped against a wall, or eating french fries, or just strollling aimlessly etc.

Miraculously I end up in the front row of the Argento session and am able to clearly tape the entire thing. Coralina joined the panel - Chris thought she may be needed to interpret for Dario, but he needed very little. Dario was very cool and down to earth. I really enjoyed the session and didnt for a second lose the sensation that it was a very rare and special time for any horror fan to see and hear Dario in this light. They showed a couple of trailers for his upcoming final entry in the Three Mothers trilogy 'Mother of Tears' looking forward to this one big time.

The next guest I had to meet was Robert Beltran. The people at the con knew him from Star Trek Voyager .. I knew him from Eating Raoul and Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills (2 very funny Paul Bartel films) and Night of the Comet. I get my copy of Eating Raoul signed ... this is a very cool guy. His Q and A turned out to be the most entertaining one i saw at the con.

Next, Angela Bettis. Another tiny petite girl, very nice as well. She was in Vancouver BC to do Sick Girl with Lucky McKee and had some nice things to say about working in Canada. I felt instantly dissapointed with myself for not chatting with her at the party because she was so cool and approachable.

Ok .. next - and i'm sticking with this story : we went back to see Adrienne Barbeau I wanted to get her in a picture with my son ... and she was wearing a new outfit Also I bout her autobiography and got her to sign my rare copy of swamp thing (the unedited version). I told her we were going to watch it when we got home and her eyebrows raised a bit - indicating my son ... so i explained to her that in our house nudity isnt promoted as a bad thing (when not presented in a sexual fashion - which we arent prepared to explain to our son quite yet) and we never understood the american mentality where nudity was taboo but violence was just fine ... she said she totally agreed.

Next - we popped over to see Coralina one last time so I could get a picture of her with my wife and son (they both liked her CD - we played it on the way down to the con)

the next thing up was the professional photography session with Dario Argento - part of the exclusive package.
Last year it was done like a factory .. people would get in behind shatner and nimoy and get their pictures without so much as a hi from those guys.

Not Dario - he greeted each person warmly - he's a genuinely nice guy. I brought my son and he was especially nice to him, making sure to shake his hand and say ciao. So we now have a very special picture that my son wont appreciate for another 10 years (until he sees Darios films) ... at which time it should blow his mind !

At this point it's now about 4:00pm. We go to the parking garage, grab our stuff and get our hotel room.
This is the same as the year before. I go by myself Friday to get in the long lines, then we all come down saturday together and stay in the adjoining hotel overnight. this way my wife and son can wander off, go for a swim, etc when they get bored of the con.

I ran back to see the Adrienne Barbeau Q and A hosted again by Chris (who is really good at these things)
She was really fun and lively. Got most of this one taped.

Back downstairs i went to the Chad Vader booth.
I'd never heard of Chad Vader until i saw the name on the convention guest list. I looked into it and saw that it was an internet deal .. these little streaming films about Chad Vader (lesser known brother of Darth - who worked as a day manager in a grocery store. He looks and sounds just like Darth Vader .. and has the same powers of the dark side of the force. Very funny stuff ... takes the piss out of Star Wars. I picked up a DVD of their 1st season and it was signed by everyone at the table.

Stopped to get a couple of quick shots of the Suicide Girls booth and Oderous - from Gwar. His butt was hanging out and he seemed perpetually drunk out of his mind.

6:00pm .. i head back to the hotel. my family had just come back from a swim in the hotel pool... I had to head to a Dario meet and Greet at a private function across the street in an irish pub.
Chatted with a fellow from america (a lot of people from montreal and the USA at this convention - lessening the number of toronto horror fans probably by half - worse than i thought.
Toronto is not a horror town. There are some rabid fans - but not that many. with a huge asian population here, anime and sci fi are the huge draws to the con. I would say that the horror fans are the smallest faction. This is why we cant have an exclusive horror only convention. And most of the guests have a lot of cross over roles in sci-fi, and why guys like gunner hansen, h.g. lewis, Coralina Cataldi Tassoni can have completely empty lines for most of the con. These guys are gods in american cities.

Anyway ...At the meet and greet we were to line up (once Dario was all set) and have a chat with him one at a time, getting an object you brough signed, as well as a promotional Rue Morgue Festival of Fear 2007 poster signed.
I brought my Suspiria limited edition DVD.
There was a Rue Morgue guy there who was using your camera to take a picture with you and Dario if you wished .. who was 'a great photographer - a filmmaker !' the picture he took of me and dario was so out of focus it could have been any 2 guys. unfortunately i didnt check the shot until later ... oh well ... cant wait to see this 'photographers' next film.

I head back to the hotel .. i'm bagged. There's a public Rue Morgue party where Chris and H.G Lewis would be performing the theme from 2000 Maniacs together live but I'm too tired and I'm asleep by 10:00, after reading some of Adrienne Barbeaus autoibiog.

I should mention at this point that on Friday at the same booth where i purchased the H.G. Lewis boxset I also snagged the Kill Bill diaries book by David Carradine. EXCELLENT read ..

I also picked up eight Predator 2 toys (5$ each from another vendor)


SUNDAY :

Sunday is going to be a full day. I have a schedule i have to keep in order to fufill some obligations.
I hustle the family out early - pack up the car (praying that no one breaks in and takes my treasures)
and we head back to the con. On the way in I just happen to see Mr Brett Kelly out of the corner of my eye as I'm hustling for the lineup and go over for a chat.
I wanted to see Prey for the Beast that he was screening but It conflicted with the Ear for Fear music panel Chris was involved with and it was the only thing my wife and son wanted to take take part in.
I was glad to be able to say hi for a few minutes.

After saying good morning to H.G. Lewis to ask how his musical performance went the night before - I jumped into George Romero's line. Finally got my Day of the Dead signed by the great man who made it. another very nice gentleman. I know it's an old cliche but it still amazes me how nice these guys are - who make these violent horrific films, and how evil and vicious the corporate guys are - that i work with on a daily basis.
It's certainly an arguement in favor of Chris Alexanders theory that expressing horror through art is purging and therapeutic because these souless bastards in the corporate world do not have the calm exteriors you see on these filmmakers.

(although i'm not seeing these directors at work .. so that might not stand up in court)