"~Some People~ not in this room, right?"
Apr. 12th, 2009 05:34 amNote to self: need a Jack C. icon urgently.
So I'm kind of at a loss as to what I should post about tonight. It was definitely the most interesting way, I find, in which I've ever had the chance to interact with someone whose work I adore so. There were about 30 of us fans in attendance, tops. The atmosphere was very relaxed and informal, and topics varied from all things Heroes (duh) to the Beatles, via the paparazzi and various other things.
Trust me, I really hate to be one of those bitches who'll only tell LOL, you had to be there but... I got a strong sense that he's not a strong supporter of how fast "news" travel, and I use quote marks because that really only defines what we perceive as worthy of being reported. No great secrets were revealed, aside what I deduced from something he said, which he then confirmed with the request that it stay in the room. If interested, you'll probably read about it soon enough, but it won't be from me. This puts me at odds with my usual interest in knowing every little detail about events I was unable to attend, but I'm suddenly getting where the other side is coming from, and it's odd really, because I realize how uppity and full of crap I must sound. Anyway, not too take away from meticulous exposés (secret: I'll probably keep reading those and live with the shame), but I've come to see it as a matter of respect.
Also, I didn't take any pictures. I was sitting front and middle, about 5 ft. from the man and I would have been way uncomfortable pulling out the camera. We did however get a photoshoot! How that even slipped my mind before, I have no idea, but it did and thus- You know how sometimes you look at old con photo ops and wonder wtf you could have possibly thought you were wearing? Well I just have a feeling it won't take me much time to get there. >_> ANYWAY.
Having said all of the above, there are still a few of things I'd like to contribute to fandom pool that I don't feel are too intrusive on the ~moment~ (what are these words, idek).
An Audience With Jack Coleman - April 11, 2009 / London
About Heroes:
• The first question was about how he got the part. A: the old-fashioned way. Then he described the typical process, and expounded on how lucky he felt. He also said that if the part had originally been conceived as a regular, he doesn't think he would've got it.Nonsense!
• According to him, when the show gets too into the sci-fi, people tune out. He thinks it really works best as "a kitchen sink drama, with a backdrop of sci-fi". (I have to agree.)
• Company Man took 15 days to shoot and cost $7M to make.
• Because the production of the show is such an undertaking, it can sometimes get confusing for every one. Jack told us about a time when two units were each shooting a different episode, and a third concurrently prepping the next one. He and Sendhil ended up going "to cry in the principal's office" (Kring's) and ask precisely where and when and how they were meant to be next. "Write it down for me!" LOL.
• Re: the return of Bryan Fuller, Jack really feels it's a positive thing inasmuch as Fuller is really focused on character motivations and dynamics, and you can't go wrong if you get those right. (Not a direct quote, but it is the gist of what was said.)
• It takes a long time to turn around a show like Heroes ("it's like an ocean liner") and they were already heading in a better direction when Fuller came back.
• Asked whom of the cast he would wish to work with more, he said he had really enjoyed his recent scenes with Ali, and Adrian, and in future he'd like to work with Masi.Draw your own conclusions.
• I can't remember the context (MEMORY FAIL! ...possibly character motivations?) but he totally mentioned Mohinder and "~his father's research~," LOL!
• Because the latest episode aired on BBC2 was "Cold Snap," and Jack hasn't seen "Into Asylum" or "Turn And Face The Strange" yet, it was a bit tricky telling him how awesome he was in it without spoiling other people, but in the end I managed. ^^
• He loves the season finale and feels very good about the next volume.
Other stuff:
• He recently saw the Billy Elliott play in London and liked it a lot, despite not being the movie's greatest fan.
• As a fan of the original Star Trek series, he's very excited about J.J. Abrams' movie.
• As a fan of the Beatles, he cites Liverpool as one of the highlights of his trip.
• He was confused by The Dark Knight. Approximate quote: "That was like seven movies at once."
• The feature film he most recently scripted came very close to going into pre-production, then some of the details didn't work out and so it's getting delayed. It's a dark comedy, and the two leads have been cast (he's the third lead).
• British people can't say "dude!" properly. XD
• He stated again his fierce dislike of the paparazzi industry, and once more dispelled that ludicrous rumor involving Hayden's would-be whims. "Those people [who made up that story] should be fired. They probably won't be, but they should."
That's about all I can think of to share at the moment. I'm sure my re-telling is missing a myriad interesting bits and pieces, and if any come to mind later I'll edit them into this post. After the hour-and-a-half Q&A, Jack signed all of the photo op pictures, and then autographs on personal items and/or promo pictures. Overall, I got the wonderful impression of a man generous with his time, humor, and wisdom. I thought the setup was absolutely brilliant for a fan-actor meet-up, and I can only hope similar opportunities arise again in the future.
In other, less pompous words: OMG IT WAS THE BEST EVER! :D
So I'm kind of at a loss as to what I should post about tonight. It was definitely the most interesting way, I find, in which I've ever had the chance to interact with someone whose work I adore so. There were about 30 of us fans in attendance, tops. The atmosphere was very relaxed and informal, and topics varied from all things Heroes (duh) to the Beatles, via the paparazzi and various other things.
Trust me, I really hate to be one of those bitches who'll only tell LOL, you had to be there but... I got a strong sense that he's not a strong supporter of how fast "news" travel, and I use quote marks because that really only defines what we perceive as worthy of being reported. No great secrets were revealed, aside what I deduced from something he said, which he then confirmed with the request that it stay in the room. If interested, you'll probably read about it soon enough, but it won't be from me. This puts me at odds with my usual interest in knowing every little detail about events I was unable to attend, but I'm suddenly getting where the other side is coming from, and it's odd really, because I realize how uppity and full of crap I must sound. Anyway, not too take away from meticulous exposés (secret: I'll probably keep reading those and live with the shame), but I've come to see it as a matter of respect.
Also, I didn't take any pictures. I was sitting front and middle, about 5 ft. from the man and I would have been way uncomfortable pulling out the camera. We did however get a photoshoot! How that even slipped my mind before, I have no idea, but it did and thus- You know how sometimes you look at old con photo ops and wonder wtf you could have possibly thought you were wearing? Well I just have a feeling it won't take me much time to get there. >_> ANYWAY.
Having said all of the above, there are still a few of things I'd like to contribute to fandom pool that I don't feel are too intrusive on the ~moment~ (what are these words, idek).
An Audience With Jack Coleman - April 11, 2009 / London
About Heroes:
• The first question was about how he got the part. A: the old-fashioned way. Then he described the typical process, and expounded on how lucky he felt. He also said that if the part had originally been conceived as a regular, he doesn't think he would've got it.
• According to him, when the show gets too into the sci-fi, people tune out. He thinks it really works best as "a kitchen sink drama, with a backdrop of sci-fi". (I have to agree.)
• Company Man took 15 days to shoot and cost $7M to make.
• Because the production of the show is such an undertaking, it can sometimes get confusing for every one. Jack told us about a time when two units were each shooting a different episode, and a third concurrently prepping the next one. He and Sendhil ended up going "to cry in the principal's office" (Kring's) and ask precisely where and when and how they were meant to be next. "Write it down for me!" LOL.
• Re: the return of Bryan Fuller, Jack really feels it's a positive thing inasmuch as Fuller is really focused on character motivations and dynamics, and you can't go wrong if you get those right. (Not a direct quote, but it is the gist of what was said.)
• It takes a long time to turn around a show like Heroes ("it's like an ocean liner") and they were already heading in a better direction when Fuller came back.
• Asked whom of the cast he would wish to work with more, he said he had really enjoyed his recent scenes with Ali, and Adrian, and in future he'd like to work with Masi.
• I can't remember the context (MEMORY FAIL! ...possibly character motivations?) but he totally mentioned Mohinder and "~his father's research~," LOL!
• Because the latest episode aired on BBC2 was "Cold Snap," and Jack hasn't seen "Into Asylum" or "Turn And Face The Strange" yet, it was a bit tricky telling him how awesome he was in it without spoiling other people, but in the end I managed. ^^
• He loves the season finale and feels very good about the next volume.
Other stuff:
• He recently saw the Billy Elliott play in London and liked it a lot, despite not being the movie's greatest fan.
• As a fan of the original Star Trek series, he's very excited about J.J. Abrams' movie.
• As a fan of the Beatles, he cites Liverpool as one of the highlights of his trip.
• He was confused by The Dark Knight. Approximate quote: "That was like seven movies at once."
• The feature film he most recently scripted came very close to going into pre-production, then some of the details didn't work out and so it's getting delayed. It's a dark comedy, and the two leads have been cast (he's the third lead).
• British people can't say "dude!" properly. XD
• He stated again his fierce dislike of the paparazzi industry, and once more dispelled that ludicrous rumor involving Hayden's would-be whims. "Those people [who made up that story] should be fired. They probably won't be, but they should."
That's about all I can think of to share at the moment. I'm sure my re-telling is missing a myriad interesting bits and pieces, and if any come to mind later I'll edit them into this post. After the hour-and-a-half Q&A, Jack signed all of the photo op pictures, and then autographs on personal items and/or promo pictures. Overall, I got the wonderful impression of a man generous with his time, humor, and wisdom. I thought the setup was absolutely brilliant for a fan-actor meet-up, and I can only hope similar opportunities arise again in the future.
In other, less pompous words: OMG IT WAS THE BEST EVER! :D
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Date: 2009-04-12 04:37 am (UTC)no I didn't read yet, was just talking about the tags. will read now, brb (lol zach ate my caps)
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Date: 2009-04-12 04:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-12 04:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-12 09:12 pm (UTC)*throws you an S* lmaoYES!
Also, it's my only HRG icon at the moment. Epic fail.
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Date: 2009-04-12 04:53 am (UTC)7 million? D: Holy crap
How come Jack hasn't seen the last few eps yet, has he been in England that long already that he didn't see any of them air back in the US? He needs someone to overnight deliver them to him or something...
Did he comment on Abbey Road (HWT) seeing he's a Beatles fan? :D
*is gonna pretend she saw "Billy Elliot" at the exact same time as Jack now*
Jack sounds so awesomely awesome, I am happy for you you had such a blast :D
(also: pictures or it didn't happen, of course (A))
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Date: 2009-04-12 09:09 pm (UTC)I know, I was kind of shocked that one episode cost so much! "NBC was like, 'we've got a hit, yaaay!' Here, have all the money you want!
Now it's more, 'you know, the economic downturn...'"But yeah, he's been in England a while. Last episode he saw was "Cold Snap"! He hasn't even seen the TV movie he did for the Sci-Fi channel, which aired a couple weeks ago I think. Haha, somebody very generous SHOULD send him the episodes! XD
No mention of Abbey Road, though there were a coupla brief mentions of the HWT. (Nothing we haven't heard before, lol.) But talking of his Beatles fanboying, he and the fam stayed at the Hard Day's Night hotel and he couldn't speak highly enough of it!
Hee! It was totally a telepathic connection, y/y?
Jack sounds awesomely awesome because he iiis! I had an inkling before; it is now an absolute certainty! <3
Pics are coming, hang on.
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Date: 2009-04-12 04:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-12 09:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-12 05:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-12 09:18 pm (UTC)BRITISH HEROES FANS ARE A LITTLE BIT MADE OF FAIL!The fact that it fell on Easter weekend didn't help). And then to top things off, Grunny had to cancel, but Jack was still coming to England regardless; so instead of putting on a half-assed convention, they decided to have this lovely small-sized event instead. WHICH WAS AWESOMELY AWESOME! :Dno subject
Date: 2009-04-13 01:58 am (UTC)See, I remember the first part (the convention that didn't work out), but completely forgot about the second part.
That's amazing, though. I'm so happy for you that you got to go to something like that.
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Date: 2009-04-13 02:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-12 06:22 am (UTC)SO glad you had such an awesome time of awesomeness!!
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Date: 2009-04-12 09:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-12 06:57 am (UTC)I can feel bad about how "news" spreads, but sometimes, it's a by product of what we all want from cons. Oh well (I know I've done it in other fandom. *_*
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Date: 2009-04-12 09:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-12 10:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-12 09:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-12 09:44 pm (UTC)Great recap, I'm glad I saw that. I'm also glad Jack's a cool guy. Well, he's probably the coolest person in the planet because he signed that photo for me even though he knows about my weird LJ entries...Seriously man, he deserves a medal or something...
Btw I love your polls, they are VERY entertaining. :)
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Date: 2009-04-12 10:34 pm (UTC)Haha, indeed, Jack's really really cool. You need to meet him someday!
Thanks, about the polls! It's a lot of fun for me as well, and I'm glad you enjoy them. :D
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Date: 2009-04-12 10:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-12 11:27 pm (UTC)dayweekyear. I'd say it was a 5%-95% thing! XDno subject
Date: 2009-04-12 11:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-12 10:17 am (UTC)post this @
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Date: 2009-04-12 09:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-12 10:21 am (UTC)Re: the "not getting out of this room" yeah I was very mixed about that, took a while for me to decide what to do. I think I'll leave it out of my public post too, but I couldn't refrain from passing it on in the private one. ^^;
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Date: 2009-04-12 09:25 pm (UTC)And yeah, I can certainly understand that. I'm so tempted to tell some of my particularly worried friends. >_< lol
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Date: 2009-04-12 10:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-12 09:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-12 01:29 pm (UTC)That sounds like such an amazing event, I just wish I heard about it earlier than I did! Jack sounds fab as well.
Glad you had such a great time!
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Date: 2009-04-12 09:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-12 02:40 pm (UTC)According to him, when the show gets too into the sci-fi, people tune out. He thinks it really works best as "a kitchen sink drama, with a backdrop of sci-fi". (I have to agree.)
I do agree also. This is the reason they lost so many viewers - it was genius before where it got both fans - because we all watched it as a drama.
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Date: 2009-04-12 09:31 pm (UTC)Yeah, the show definitely lost points with me when it stopped caring about portraying the people with any modicum of realism. I think also, regardless of character intents, it just got HELLA CONFUSING in volume 3, which may have been the final straw for a lot of former fans. I'm so excited the show is back in full shape now, you have no idea! :D
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Date: 2009-04-12 09:35 pm (UTC):) Thanks on the icon love. :)
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Date: 2009-04-12 10:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-12 10:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-12 07:12 pm (UTC)I love and respect Jack so much. I prefer set-ups like this one to the whole Hollywood set up in San Diego. *sighs*
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Date: 2009-04-12 09:34 pm (UTC)Jack is so awesome. SO AWESOME! And yeah, I'm really not expecting any personal interaction AT ALL from San Diego. Dixit Jack: "The full scope of our Comic Con experience is: they whisk us in, they whisk us out!" So yeah. Completely different.
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Date: 2009-04-12 11:19 pm (UTC)It kind of blows, actually. :( He's right. If they do anything else, it's kind of up to the actors. Like I know Milo was at the DC booth last year. Not sure why. Hayden was at another booth. In 2007, James Kyson Lee was signing and doing photos at a booth. I sort of stumbled upon him. *L* I think Milo will probably be at Devil's Due or Top Cow, or another booth this year too.
We need to have a party on one of the nights of CC. Well, there is the LINE party! :D But I mean besides that.
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Date: 2009-04-13 12:03 am (UTC)It's nice if individually some of them appear in other places unrelated to Heroes, but I can't fault the system for disallowing the kind of interaction I prefer.
But yes, party! That sounds pretty awesome. :D
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Date: 2009-04-13 12:11 am (UTC)I think it would be almost impossible to do it. However, I do love how Creation Ent handles their cons...even if they kind of charge and arm and a leg for their cons. Things are at least scheduled nicely.
The system of Comic Con has kind of outgrown that. The system started that way, but when it turned Hollywood, the system changed.
Whhee! :D Line party is fun. All night with your fellow Heroes fans. I was there from 10:30PM until 10AM. I left the line briefly to get a hot breakfast, but then I came back. :D
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Date: 2009-04-12 11:11 pm (UTC)I wish I was there-Jack sounds awesome!
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Date: 2009-04-12 11:56 pm (UTC)I wish you had been there as well! He really is great.
Also rather sizeable? MY FAIL. I need to get my brain checked, because I totally forgot about the Hoppa Bus (from the Heathrow station to the hotel) when I was planning my trip and had no cash left to buy a wolfie. Meaning I was unable to get you an autograph. :((((
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Date: 2009-04-13 03:26 am (UTC)whoa
British people can't say "dude!" properly. XD
lol
EXCELLENT
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Date: 2009-04-13 11:06 pm (UTC)(Again, this is my only HRG icon. Disregard, haha.)
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Date: 2009-04-14 02:07 am (UTC)I love Jack's metaphors. Tim Kring's the principal! Heroes is an ocean liner! I'm jealous of you being in the presence of all of that wit and insight.