Wizard World Philadelphia - or - I MET SETH GREEN!!

Friday, June 3rd:
So here it is another year and another day at Wizard World Philadelphia. Uhm, this one pretty much started off like last year. I got stuck in traffic on I-76 and missed my registration time. Then when I finally got into Center City, I got a ticket at the Reading Terminal Market parking garage and freakin' circled the thing five times trying to find a place to park. It wouldn't have been like that had the entire fourth level been reserved for valet parking. WTF? Finally on the fifth time around, I said fuck it and parked in valet anyway. Of course my punishment was me losing my parking ticket which in the end didn't matter anyway because it was the same price whether I had one or not since I'd been there that long.

I did manage to get J. Michael Straczynski's signature on the WW Philly exclusive comic - Fantastic Four. I got a bunch of other things that mean nothing to me as well...a lot of comic stuff that I'll get signed by Adam and Andy Kubert (some cells or some such that came in my VIP bag). Also, since I missed my registration time, I missed the opportunity to get a ticket to get Seth Green's autograph. Don't even get me started. The only people that did manager to get tickets (remember, he's only signing for an hour) were VIPs so I just don't understand why they didn't put the autograph ticket in our VIP package. Whatthefuckever. WW Philly people DO NOT know how to run a proper con or deal with big names. It's frustrating and definitely the last time I give these people my money.

The orange shirt (staff/volunteer people) are still very unhelpful and that god damned asshole security guard from last year who was absolutely rude to everyone was there again this year. His assignment you ask? Seth Green, of course. I did, however, manage to get several good pictures of Seth signing stuff and talking to people. From what I observed he was very excited to be there and was fantastic with the fans. This one guy was so beside himself that he was meeting Seth that he was shaking and stuttering...Seth was amazing with him. He shook his hand and was all like, "dude, I'm just a guy." It was really cute. I'm quite smitten now.

Tomorrow morning I'll gonna be in line at the crack of freakin' dawn for sure. I'm guaranteeing it by staying at my sister's place this evening so that come hell or high water, I'm at the front of that line in the morning. I also want to be at the front so that I can get Tricia Helfer (Six from Battlestar Galactica) autograph ticket and a ticket to the specail screening of Batman Begins. Yeah, baby.

Also, I spent most of my day going around snatching up the WW Philly exclusive items including a special Spike PALz for rockgoddes and an unpainted Wesley action figure from Diamond Toys. Both are extremely limited in number and I'm happy to say I got them. If anyone wants me to pick up either one of those items, let me know. Spike is $8 and Wesley is $20. Around 1:30, I met up with eatstake and we wandered around the huge floor looking at all things BtVS and AtS related...she was also looking at gaming stuff while I just cried over my inability to get what I came there for. Ah well. Despite it all, I had a good time. Not great, mind you, just good. I think being able to take photos of Seth helped cheer me up.

Saturday, June 4th:
I got to Wizard World Philly at like 7:30 in the morning so I could stand in line to get the special event tickets for both Seth and Tricia Halfer and a chance to win the lottery to see a special screening of "Batman Begins." Well, I lost on the lottery. My wristband was orange, blue was the color to have. Dang it. Oh well, I'll see it when it comes out in two weeks - but I did get some lovely consolation prizes. Anyway, once inside I ran around collecting certain items - like a Spike PALz for scarlettgirl (who, by the way, met David Boreanaz in a local pub on Friday night! WOOHOO!! You go gal!) and another unpainted Wesley figure from Diamond Select Toys so that I can be evil and sell it on eBay. *g* I bought the last Spike PALz so I'm really glad that I was there on Friday picking this stuff up too because let me tell you, the Buffy fans came out in droves to see Seth.

After running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to find something for Halfer to sign, I ran downstairs to get a good seat for Seth's Q&A. I walked into the room and it was empty...40 minutes before it was to start, the room was empty. I asked the WW staff guy if I could go in and sit down and he said I could, so I did. I had a 50/50 chance of picking the right side of the aisle to sit because of the way the stage was set up (two long tables on either side of a large podium). I chose poorly, but I was in the first seat of the first row...just on the wrong side of aisle. I was sitting alone for a while and then a guy came in and sat behind me - turned out he was a friend of Seth's for 17 years. It was surreal talking to him because dude, he's known Seth for like, years! We didn't talk about personal things, just the fact that this guy was happy to see him after six years. He said it was weird getting Seth to sign stuff, because, you know, it's his buddy Seth Green, not Seth Green. It was sweet. We talked about the BtVS/AtS fandom and what a strange place it can be and how it was important to Seth that his first convention appearance was in his hometown, but we also talked about my other passion - Kevin Smith and View Askew. After about 20 minutes, people started filing in, but it was far from full. Seriously far from full. That's when I recognized Tara DiLullo and her friend/photographer Bill. I went over and introduced myself because I wasn't sure she remembered me from Cleveland 2003 or not - and she did, after a bit. We talked until it was time for me to go back to my seat and Seth to come in. I promised her that I'd talk to her after the Q&A, but I forgot that I had to book it upstairs for my signing with Tricia. Whoops.

The Q&A didn't exactly go off without a hitch. Seth came in, but because the president was introducing some of the things Top Cow Comics is doing right now, Seth and his buddy, co-creator of Freshman, Hugh Sterbakov, disappeared to make an announcement - hoping to entice more people into the room. Finally, after about 15 minutes, Seth and Hugh took the stage to talk about the comic. Seth Green is a freaking amazing human being. He's funny as hell and just a normal joe comic fan who happens to be famous. Of course the president of Top Cow made it understood that Hugh and Seth would be talking about Freshmen only so when it came time to questions, no one asked a Buffy one. However, anytime there was a funny made or they felt like being silly, Hugh would say something like..."Hey, did you know Seth was on a little known show called Buffy the Vampire Slayer?" and the crowd would cheer. I think at the end of the Q&A someone asked a BtVS question, but I can't really remember since I was too busy laughing at Seth and Hugh. Also, one woman told him that her daughter was graduating from eighth grade so as a treat she brought her to see Seth. The woman then asked if it would be possible if she could get a picture of him and her daughter. Seth said that he would be more than happy to do it after the Q&A was over...and he did. I'm telling you, I'm smitten. ::nods::

Freshmen looks like a really good story, with lots of great characters and a good premise. I'm looking forward to buying it when it comes out in July - this coming from a non-comic gal. Anything with a guy called the Intoxicator who has the power to make others drunk just by belching in their face is good in my book. Hee!! Oh, and Seth asked everyone in the room who had a ticket for the signing...me and like four other people raised our hands. So, he said that everyone in the room was to go up to the booth afterward and they'd figure something out because he and Hugh were going to stay longer today to sign. I'm sure the Wizard World people loved that, but I have to say, it was so nice of him to do that because he knew how many people were there just to see him. It was nice to see, especially after the whole Eliza debacle last year.

After Seth's Q&A, I ran upstairs to get my signatures from Tricia who was very gracious and beautiful. The woman is a stick people. I think if she turned sideways you'd lose her, but then I guess when you look that good, it doesn't matter, huh? Yes, I'm jealous - not because she's thin, but because she's just absolutely gorgeous. I told her how much I enjoyed her character as well as the character of Gaius and how good they were together. She said that working with James Callis has been a lot of fun and she did say there's a whole lot of surprises and twists coming in season 2. YAY!! I can't wait until July 15th!!

Once I got my sigs from Tricia, I headed over to the Top Cow booth to get my preview copy of Freshman signed for me and Eurydice. I was like 6th in line despite the fact that when I got there, the line was humongous. That was because everyone from the Q&A, who didn't have tickets, was waiting to see if they were in luck. As I was standing in line, I was taking pictures and I got some pretty decent ones. Okay, finally, it was my turn to meet Seth and Hugh. ::flails:: When I got there, I got out the two copies of Freshmen and put them in front of Hugh who is a very funny guy. Seth asked me what my name was and I told him, but I quickly said, "Wait! One's for me and the other is for Sigrid!" Seth and Hugh looked at each other and then looked at me laughing.

Hugh: Seth, you take Leslie and I'll take Sigrid, but Leslie, you have to tell me how to spell Sirgid's name.
Seth: (grinning) Yeah, I'll take the easy one. How do you spell your name?

We all giggled and I was about to ask him if I could take a picture of him and Hugh, but he beat me to it and told me to hand my camera to the volunteer so that she could take a picture of the three of us.

Me: Are you serious? Really?
Seth: Yeah, sure, you're a nice girl, you deserve a picture.

I was dumbfounded. Of course I didn't ask twice and I got the volunteer to take the picture. The first time we thought she messed up because she moved the camera while the flash was still going off. Seth was all like, "Hon, you gotta wait until the flash stops before you move. We'll tell you when it's done." So I got back into the odd position of leaning over the table and into Seth. Now I have two lovely photos with me, Seth Green and Hugh Sterbakov!! ::squees some more::

I then thanked him for his time and he said that I was more than welcome and thanks for coming out. I was grinning from ear to ear and just fangirling like crazy (which I never do) so I ran into the women's bathroom and called Eurydice, who I knew wouldn't be answering her phone since she was working Motor City, but I left a voice mail just gushing about how nice Seth was and how I was being such a silly fan girl. Damn, I just couldn't help myself!! I've only ever been fangirly like that once...when I saw the gorgeous Alexis Denisof after Aly's play in London. Rockgoddes can attest to my swooning then. ::sigh::

I really am a smitten kitten with Seth Green. He's funny, kind, thoughtful and down to earth...in other words, he's just a real guy who happens to be a star. ::flails some more::

So there you have it. My OMG! I MET SETH GREEN story.

Brat