My Expo Experience by KMS!
Kmspider
SF Expo '98 review
by
KMS!
(kmsp...@aol.com)
Warning: Don't read this if you are planning on attending one of the
Expos...there is alot of details here and the actors may repeat it when the
Expo comes to your town.
That being said, here is my review::
Lines, lines, everywhere lines. That seemed to be the theme of the X-files
Expo.
The entry maze was kind of cool. As you walked in and threaded into the main
area, you walked between drawers and drawers (fake fronts) on either side of
you that had dates (1961, 1962, etc) listed and alphabetical names...in other
words, files, lots and lots of files.
Before we entered they told everyone in line that there would be no cameras
allowed. A lot of people trekked back to their cars to drop them off.
Handbags/purses/backpacks were not searched, so needless to say, many people
still had their cameras. And they still came up to the front of the stage and
took pictures. (Cursing myself now for not ignoring THAT rule!)
Nick mentioned there was supposed to be 3500 people there (felt more like
4000)..and there was!
All standing in one queue line or another!
We arrived and wandered around a bit and then went over by the stage area. My
friend and I decided to sit down there for a minute and get organized. The
area was still dark and we wanted to look over the programs and get an idea of
what there was to do. Ten minutes later, they started with an introduction and
a video presentation, so we decided to stay there...turns out we had front row
seats for the rest of the day!!!
(That's right, I was about 10 feet away from all of these guys...I was so close
I could have curled up in Nick's lap or spit sunflower seeds at Cancerman!)
; )
1. Bruce Harwood (John F. Byers--Lone Gunmen)
Dressed in blue jeans, brown cowboy boots, glasses, stripped white & blue
shirt, black leather jacket, and a wedding ring. Cute little dimple on his
cheek. (Gizzie would have been pleased :) )
He said blue jeans are how he usually dresses...not suits.
He said that when he first read for the part it called for someone who was
clean-shaven, but he had just grown his beard and didn't want to cut it...he
got the part anyway.
He talked about Anazzai episode...the whole morning they were shooting it, DD
seemed to be irritable and withdrawn, when they finally got the shot the way
they wanted it, DD suddenly snapped out of it and started to joke around with
them. Turns out, he was just trying to get into character (Mulder after all
was drugged and not up to company then). He thought it was unusual because
television actors don't have the time to work on getting into character because
they are so busy.
He talked about the outtake of Frohike riding in on a hobby horse and cowboy
hat, and David didn't even crack a smile...it wasn't until the dailies that he
saw that DD was trying very hard not to react.
He also said that for quite a while, it seemed that they gave all the technical
speeches to him and when he would see it on screen, it would be his voice over
reaction shots by the other actors! They seem to have spread out the
techno-babble to the others these days.
Someone asked if his hair on the show was real because he had heard that he
wore a wig on the show. Bruce let the guy come up and tug on his hair to prove
it was real.
2. William B. Davis (Cancerman/CSM)
Dark gray suit, dark blue & light blue stripped shirt, stripped gold and
burgundy tie, and glasses...
standing behind a huge blue traveling trunk. That's where he rested his notes.
Someone asked him if he was related to Ann B. Davis from the Brady Bunch...NO!
He started by asking: 'Who is the real hero of the x-files?'
And doing his best to convince us that CSM is!
Giving us all examples of how Mulder's method only brings panic and chaos and
CSM's way will not change things as we know it.
He also went on to compare Mulder and CSM's virility.
After all, it's possible that Cancerman is Mulder's father, Samantha's father
and Spender's father. Probably the Lone Gunmen, too. ALL of them!
Mulder on the other hand doesn't seem to even have a sex life at all.
And he said the CSM has demonstrated his kind heart several times...after all,
he put everything on the line to have the Alien Bounty Hunter come in and cure
Mrs. Mulder.
He told us how he had given up smoking some 15 years earlier and when they
asked him if he wanted real cigarettes or herb, he said he would take the real
ones (good actor that he is), but after awhile he was finding himself craving
his next appearance, so he could have another smoke! That is when he decided
to switch to herb cigarettes.
He said he has talked to the producers and he's learning to blow smoke rings so
that CSM will have a halo whenever we see him on camera!
3. Mark Snow (Composer of THE theme music)
Looking a bit like Bruce Willis, knit hat covering his bald head (like
Skinner's), glasses, scruffy beard, light tan button sweatshirt, black
undershirt, light blue jeans, running shoes
Telling us how the music has changed from mere background to more thematic.
And he played a reworked version of the theme as well as a version of the theme
with a singer singing actual lyrics! I didn't get to hear it but my friend
said it was real cool.
(I missed most of his talk because I was off hunting up people)
4. Dean Haglund (Ringo Langly--Lone Gunmen)
Blue jeans, monster-comic tee shirt, brown hightops, hair loose.
He brought out Langly's prop glasses & then used a lab coat for the second
skit.
Dean was hysterical....
First he worked with someone from the audience doing sound effects for his
skit.
Then he put on the lab coat with substitute arms (an audience member's) and did
another skit.
Then he had an audience member come up and move his body as he went through a
third skit
.... he had us rolling on the floor.
(my cheeks hurt from laughing so much by the time he was finished. I almost
wet my pants!)
5. Mitch Pileggi (Assistant Director Walter S. Skinner)
Dressed in blue jeans, cowboy boots, denim shirt, and black mid-thigh jacket he
got from working on the movie, drinking Hansen's' juice---no glasses...wearing
contacts
When he first came out, they gave him a cordless mike, which kept cutting out,
so they switched it and switched it again and finally gave him the one with the
cord attached.
Someone wanted him to put on their glasses so they could see him as he appears
on the show, but since he was wearing contacts, he declined.
Someone offered him 300 bucks for the jacket he was wearing (it was the one he
received from working on the movie) and he declined. He said it wasn't
everyday that he got such a nice gift from the show.
Mitch talked about working with DD and GA... he loves to watch GA work,
especially when she loses it...she gets the giggles and when she tries to
suppress the giggles...she squeaks.
And they all know when she is losing it because she starts to squeak.
And he loves to watch her do kung-fu....she does most of her own stunts and she
loves it.
Once he and DD were given new changes to a scene, they sat side by side
reviewing the changes, 5 minutes later, DD says 'done!' and Mitch looks over,
sees DD has already put his script aside and leans over and says, 'Hey, could
you study the lines longer, I'm not done yet!'...he thinks DD has a
photographic memory.
Someone asked him if Skinner would ever get in touch with his feminine
side...he said there is an outtake in the 'tighty whitey' episode of him coming
down the stairs wearing his underwear and a bra.
He also said that the first couple of times he read for CC, CC didn't want him
because he had shaved his head and he looked too severe. He finally let the
sides grow back and that's when he got the job.
His wife is expecting and he won't be able to make the DC show because she will
be due about then...his first kid. His wife also insisted that he not kiss
anyone at the convention and he just knew she would find out if he did, so he
was only willing to shake hands.
If they want him to take off his clothes again, he will need a month to get
ready because he as gained sympathetic weight since his wife became pregnant.
He said that at the moment his jeans were too tight and his tummy was starting
to flow over the waist band....though he did not demonstrate this fact to
us...darn the man.
He talked about Piper (Gillian's daughter). He said she is on the set all the
time and has become so used to being there that she has picked up all the
lingo. Said that if she hears someone talking during filming, she will turn to
them and tell them sternly, 'rolling!' and when the director yells cut, she
repeats it so everyone will know!
Someone asked him which fight was harder, Mr. X or the one with Mulder. Mitch
kind of snickered at the thought of Mulder trying to take Skinner and said that
when he and Steven Williams did the fight, they choreographed most of the fight
themselves and when it came time to shoot it, they threw themselves into it so
much they dented the elevator!
Someone asked if there were any episodes that he wasn't in that he wished he
had been? He said 'Clyde Bruckman'...he would have loved to work with Peter
Boyle and it would have been fun to have 2 bald guys on the show at once.
6. Nick Lea (Alex Krycek)
They brought out a wood and blue leather chair and hassock when he came out.
Hair spiky, wearing all black.
Took off his outer jacket and turning it inside out, tossed it on the floor
beside the chair.
Black boots with a silver rings on them, black jeans, black silk snap-button
shirt, back jacket with red lining and silver and black watch.
When he came out he took of his coat, dropped it beside the chair, then plopped
himself down in the chair and put his feet up to get comfortable. He didn't
stay seated the entire time though.
He said they had gone out to a couple of dance clubs in San Francisco the past
couple of nights.
He loves to play golf and he and Mitch play whenever they can.
He loves to travel and that's why he became an actor.
He also said that he loves to do the show (loves the physical aspects of
Krycek) and he's trying to stick with good projects so he can better his
career.
Nick said that he was handcuffed in Sunday night's episode. When they shot it,
he ended up being handcuffed for over 2 hours! He still hasn't regained all
the feeling in his hand and thumb!
He said he was going to be in the movie, but it conflicted with the filming of
OAT and then they told him it would only be a token appearance. He's hoping to
be in the next one.(does this mean Krycek doesn't die?)
Nick doesn't mind being called ratboy...all things considered---especially
after he read the script for 'Patient X'...after he read it, he said to himself
'he's a bad guy'...but he tried to imbue Alex with some traces of humanity
during the episode.
He thanks Rob Bowman for remembering him from 'Genderbender' and recommending
him for the role of Krycek. So now, everytime he runs into Rob, he hands him a
dollar to pay him back...he thinks he has given Rob about a hundred dollars by
now!
Someone wanted to know if he buttoned first or zipped?
He said neither with a mischievous grin.
A woman brought her 3-yr. old to the mike and the kid asked if was a good guy
or a bad guy?
When he asked her what she thought, she said, 'bad guy' in a sweet little
voice.
Then he asked the mother if she put the kid up the it.
He finally answered that Krycek was a survivalist, stopping to ask the kid if
she knew what the word was and then going on to answer the question.
Mind you, this was after he had first noticed the kid at the mike, saw she was
shy and had asked her, quite sweetly 'What's your question, honey?"
He also said that he and Laurie Holden (Marita) decided not to practice the
kiss ahead of time, so that it would be more spontaneous onscreen...and
apparently the bumped their front teeth quite badly during the scene. He
mentioned it a couple of times.
Someone asked him if he was checking out DD in Duane Barry...because he seems
to be when Mulder gets out of the pool wearing his speedos.
He said no....but he did receive a gift from DD with a note that said 'Were you
checking out my package?'
He talked about wearing a prosthetic on his face to do the oil spewing shot in
the silo....at first, he thought it was kind of cool because it was the first
time he had used prosthetics....but he couldn't see a thing...and wanted to get
rid of it after an hour. They called him back and said that the original shot
was too dark so they asked him back to do it again. When he got there, he
spent an hour in make-up, when he was ready, the crew broke for lunch...he was
frustrated and ended up kicking a box...a box that he couldn't see and didn't
know what was in it...turns out, it was full of lightbulbs. So the crew just
thought, 'Oh, we'd better just leave him alone.'
Someone asked him if it was difficult for him to shoot Melissa Scully since he
was living with Melinda Magraw(sp?) at the time. He said it was kind of
strange and he was very cautious for days before, but everything was fine once
it was all over.
Nick's only problem was it was hard for him to hear people's questions, so he
went by the speakers on either side of the stage and leaned down to listen to
them, which caused a burst of feedback! Ouch! And he did it more than once,
darn that rat! He wanted to turn one of the speakers toward him so he could
hear but it was too heavy.
By the time Nick finished, the place was clearing out like rats leaving a
sinking ship! I couldn't believe how many people were already gone! Some of
them stayed to get autographs, but most people booked outta there.
Mind you, there had been an announcement about 5 minutes before Nick was
scheduled to come out that the people, who were there because of some contest
they had won, had to leave because their bus was loading and leaving in 5
minutes. I would have abducted the driver and forced him to sit through Nick's
time on stage!
7. Kevin Anderson (Author of 'Antibodies')
He was signing autographs for the latest book but didn't talk on stage. Long
line of people waiting for that. But not nearly as long as the food line.
Things to do:
There was a place where you could get bluescreen pictures done of you standing
in Mulder's office(archives set) or of you standing by a car with various
outside backgrounds (Intrigue display).
(Intrigue was the name of the new car by Oldsmobile---the sponsers)
In the merchandise room (such as it was---just a fenced in area) only about 30
people there at a time--the selection limited to stuff most people can pick up
elsewhere. t-shirts/hats/8x10 photos (I did pick up a new photo of Mulder
looking particularly yummy standing outside wearing a dark blue overcoat over a
black suit)/ the monster model sets/pins. There were 4 people at the
registers...only 2 registers... and only one phone line to call for credit card
purchases.
Lines for food were incredible...my friend got into the hotdog line and in
20minutes only moved 5 feet. She finally gave up.
Fan club member area...magazines and television...tables and chairs, you could
sit and watch whoever was on stage in relative privacy. They had the latest
issues of the x-files magazine available to view.
There was an area called the 'mobile theatre' where you could go in and view a
5minute trailer for the movie.
They had two areas set up with computers (a total of 100 computers) where you
could go online and look up stuff and play the new CD-ROM game. Whatever!
Most of these areas appeared to be deserted most of the time. So at least
there was plenty of room to play if you wanted.
They had a charity auction for Juvenile Diabetes. One woman paid $620 for a
script of 'Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose' that was signed by CC, DD, & GA. She
later got Mitch to sign it too. I would have made him cut a vein and sign in
blood for that price!
They had little kiosks filled with props. That was kind of cool. You didn't
have to wait to see those. Some had the weapons, some had Mulder and Scully's
wrist watches, some had the clay pots from 'Tesa des Bioche'(sp?)...all kinds
of little props
Biggest surprise?
No lines to go to the bathroom! Of course, they were port-a-potties, but
still!
Coolest thing?
Meeting up with people who are my List Sibs on the M/K slash list. Too cool!
How I found them was a miracle in and of itself!
Worst thing?
Those damn spotlights! Everywhere you turned there seemed to be a spotlight in
your eyes. I was forever shielding my eyes just so I could look around! The
darn place was dark. Atmospheric...sure, guys. phhhtttphhhttt. ;^P
That and those lines. Lines... lines... lines... queue for this, queue for
that! Mulder would quit the FBI if the only way to find the truth was to stand
in all those darn lines! Even Cancerman would give it all up if it was that
hard to cover up the truth!
Not to mention that they had walled off about a quarter of the building to use
as an entry way, then never let anyone else out there again, so it was
completely deserted the entire time. This area could have easily been used to
put vendors or used for the food area.
KMS!
Kmsp...@aol.com
<<<<
~~()((:)
<<<<
(spiders rule!?
Katie Lucas
.....
>Someone asked if his hair on the show was real because he had heard that he
>wore a wig on the show. Bruce let the guy come up and tug on his hair to prove
>it was real.
Am I on crack, or did that guy turn out to be the guy from Unusual Suspects, the
one who was hauled away for hacking?
>He also went on to compare Mulder and CSM's virility.
>After all, it's possible that Cancerman is Mulder's father, Samantha's father
>and Spender's father. Probably the Lone Gunmen, too. ALL of them!
>Mulder on the other hand doesn't seem to even have a sex life at all.
I was kinda disappointed that he mentioned the spoiler concerning Spender,
although he didn't mention him by name. I already had heard this, but if I
hadn't, I know my ears would have perked right up. :)
>Dean was hysterical....
>First he worked with someone from the audience doing sound effects for his skit.
>Then he put on the lab coat with substitute arms (an audience member's) and did
>another skit.
I thought that was really interesting, because at the time, I was standing in
line for autographs, and was at a point where I could see the stage from the
side, right up against the curtains - which people were peeking through to see
Bruce standing there *G* But what was interesting was that from our angle, it
looked like those weren't really the girl-behind-him's arms. Number one, she
was laughing uncontrollably, and just from looking at her, she didn't look like
she was in control at all, and secondly, her arms - how can I put this w/o
setting it up for perversion? oh well, you're gonna do it anyway! ;) - her
arms were positioned kinda funny, and weren't going far enough in. It almost
looked like they were just resting in the sleeves. But I didn't really get why
he would have her up there if she wasn't going to actually be providing the
arms. Any ideas? :) One other thing - was it me, or does it seem like Dean's
been watching a little too much Whose Line is it Anyway lately? :)
>5. Mitch Pileggi (Assistant Director Walter S. Skinner)
>
>When he first came out, they gave him a cordless mike, which kept cutting out,
>so they switched it and switched it again and finally gave him the one with the
>cord attached.
AND we got to hear him say "Cordless mikes.... SUCK" which almost caused my
friend and I to fall over. :)
>Someone offered him 300 bucks for the jacket he was wearing (it was the one he
>received from working on the movie) and he declined. He said it wasn't
>everyday that he got such a nice gift from the show.
It *was* a nice jacket too.... although I liked it better in the very
beginning, when we thought it was coming off ;)
>If they want him to take off his clothes again, he will need a month to get
>ready because he as gained sympathetic weight since his wife became pregnant.
>He said that at the moment his jeans were too tight and his tummy was starting
>to flow over the waist band....though he did not demonstrate this fact to
>us...darn the man.
LOL - how was that he put it -- "flowing over the top of my jeans!" -- my
friend and i almost fell over again...
>6. Nick Lea (Alex Krycek)
>He said they had gone out to a couple of dance clubs in San Francisco the past
>couple of nights.
So now we know not only TO go out next time he's in town, but also specifically
WHERE. *G*
>Nick said that he was handcuffed in Sunday night's episode. When they shot it,
>he ended up being handcuffed for over 2 hours! He still hasn't regained all
>the feeling in his hand and thumb!
Which *again* made my friend and I fall over :) Now there's a spoiler I don't
mind.... :)~~
>He said he was going to be in the movie, but it conflicted with the filming of
>OAT and then they told him it would only be a token appearance. He's hoping to
>be in the next one.(does this mean Krycek doesn't die?)
That's what I'm hoping. Of course... that's also what HE'S hoping I'm sure :)
>He thanks Rob Bowman for remembering him from 'Genderbender' and recommending
>him for the role of Krycek. So now, everytime he runs into Rob, he hands him a
>dollar to pay him back...he thinks he has given Rob about a hundred dollars by
>now!
Wow... that's wacky, cause although we weren't up front at the time like you,
we coulda sworn he said that he gives him a HUG to thank him.... which didn't
quite make us fall over, but got us thinking about how we could do something
really really nice for him someday. ;) I guess that just shows you where our
minds were... or um, that the sound was bad.... or something. :)
>Someone wanted to know if he buttoned first or zipped?
>He said neither with a mischievous grin.
AFTER he asked her to repeat herself like 3 times (was it just me or did he seem
a little sorry he did? *g*) But that gave us "There's about 5 different jokes
in there," which of course then we were quoting all day. :)
>Someone asked him if he was checking out DD in Duane Barry...because he seems
>to be when Mulder gets out of the pool wearing his speedos.
>He said no....but he did receive a gift from DD with a note that said 'Were you
>checking out my package?'
Isn't it too bad that we hadn't seen the Red & the Black *before* the Expo,
cause I wonder what he would have said in that light... :)
Katie
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"She's gone. She gave me a pen. I gave her my heart, she gave me a pen." - John Cusack, Say Anything
"My pen! Stop him! He's got my pen!" - Bruce, KitH
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"See? Evil! Evil part-timer. Evil waiter will receive an unholy tip." - Kevin, KitH
"Like so evil that it would be pronounced eee-vill, as in the froo-its of the dev-ill. Eeeeeee-vill" - Charlie, So I Married an Axe Murderer
"So, Lone Star, now you see that evil will always triumph because good is dumb." - Dark Helmet, Spaceballs
"An evil petting zoo?" - Dr. Evil, Austin Powers
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Autumn T
In article <19980311020...@ladder03.news.aol.com>, kmsp...@aol.com
(Kmspider) writes:
>And he loves to watch her do kung-fu....she does most of her own stunts and
>she loves it.
This is good to hear verified as we were discussing this very thing after "Kill
Switch".
Autumn Tysko
Sister of OBSSE / "Mulder, they're worms!"
My episode reviews available at (email me for mailing list info):
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Vault/1411/main_rev.html