Storyteller - Moonlight Rising 2004

Guests

Stephanie Romonov - Lilah Morgan (AtS)

Iyari Limon: Slayer in training - Kennedy (BtVS)

James C. Leary: Clem the loose skinned demon (BtVS)

Tom Lenk: Andrew Wells (BtVS/AtS)

Danny Strong: Jonathan Levinson (BtVS)

Adam Busch: Warren Meers (BtVS)

James Marsters: Spike (BtVS/AtS)

Common Rotation

Ghost of the Robot

My boyfriend, Mike, and I arrived at Split Rock Resort (http://www.splitrockresort.com/) around 11:00 a.m. Friday. I briefly met my roommates, Jo and Cally, while sorting out the details of obtaining a key for our room. After I got settled into the room, Mike left to attend his own event, his college reunion.

I headed downstairs to register and expected to be in line a long time, but, to my pleasant surprise, I found the line was quite short by now. The lady at the registration desk told me that Andy Hallett wasn't able to make the con, so I started off with some disappointment, but I knew he might not be there. The woman said there would be an official announcement at the opening ceremony.

I brought a gift for Andy, a little white Boyd's Bears teddy bear that says "I Love Music" on his foot, and I bought a Get Well card in the gift shop (I teared up there) for him. My friend Steph also brought him a gift bag, and Aria (the most public con chairperson) was kind enough to forward them to him for us. The con staff also placed a big card for everyone to sign on a table in the autograph room on Sunday.

The pizza setup outside the registration area didn't offer the best food, but it sufficed. The smell around it was rather nauseating, and a friend suggested maybe they hadn't cleaned the oven recently.

Several people approached me to tell me how sorry they were that Andy wasn't able to be there. It really meant a lot to me. One female dealer was so sweet as to make a Lorne shot glass just because she knew I'd be there. Honestly, it's one of my favorite purchases from any con, and I don't drink!

The Improv was moved from the ballroom because acoustics were lousy and there was a concern for safety of the performers (of which I was one) to the Susquehanna room. Unfortunately, planners underestimated the number of people who showed up to watch. The room was quite hot, but it was still fun. James Leary participated and he was terrific working with us amateurs.

I only attended the panels that I participated in running, but I was told that many people did not show up man their panels. Eurydice, a member on my panel, cried, "Thank God you're here!" when I walked in. She enlisted a member of the audience to join us, and Spikealicious joined us a little later (she had a good reason for being late--a trip to the emergency room). I was the only one who showed up to run the sexuality panel, but it went well (after we called someone to unlock the door to the Carbon Room). Audience members told me it was one of the better panels, and they wanted to continue past the hour and 15 minutes scheduled; it was a great idea, but I had other obligations following the panel.

The cocktail party provided the opportunity for more personal contact with the stars. Many people complained about paying for drinks, since the tickets for the cocktail party cost $100. I have to agree, at that price, people should have been provided free drinks. However, I must say that the cookies they offered (free) were quite good. I didn't partake in the potato chips, veggies, or other nibbles.

Although I took no photos at the cocktail party, my roommate informed me that the celebrities' personal assistants were taking people's digital cameras (including hers) and deleting images of the guests. My boyfriend suggested that may be legal battery; whatever the legality of expecting a person to delete his photos, the PA's probably had no right to take the cameras themselves.

Everyone loved the Common Rotation concert. I listened from my room, since I hadn't bought a ticket. Hearing them was a bonus. The Ghost of the Robot concert didn't fare so well, because James Marsters had been drinking for three hours before his gig. His notes were off sometimes, and at one point, he announced they'd play one song but he started singing another, but he didn't do anything immoral and wasn't stumbling on the stage. Some people expressed disappointment, but most still enjoyed the show.

James Marsters admitted to being drunk during his band's concert. Yes, I think it was unprofessional, and his performance wasn't up to par, but at least he wasn't acting like a fool, from what I saw. Granted, I was on the third floor, looking down, so I didn't see as much, but I liked the music, and others said the same.

One thing I do have to criticize was the way people rushed the stage at the concerts. I wasn't there, but I did peek into the ballroom from time to time from the windows on the third floor. I also stood in my doorway, to better hear the music. People who'd paid to be in the front row couldn't see, and the worst thing was, there were handicapped people who climbed into their seats from wheelchairs, and couldn't get up and join the crowd. I heard that when people complained, security told them, "It's a concert, that's what people do."

I saw Iyari Limon, who has the cutest hair, in the hall during the concerts and said hi to her. She greeted me back and passed me to join her friend by the elevator. Iyari made a comment about people who were "in the halls in their pajamas" or something, but I don't think she meant it as an insult. It *did* make me pop back into my room and check my appearance in the mirror. I wore a brand-new red Garfield "Born to be Bad" t-shirt and cheap jeans, so maybe I did look like I was wearing pajamas. C'est la vie!

I also saw Danny Strong, Tom Lenk (carrying a pizza), and Adam Busch in the hall outside my room at different times during the concerts. I almost rode the elevator with all three of them once, but the elevator was getting full, so some of us took the stairs.

I'd planned a party and a breakfast get-together for this weekend, but I screwed up and they didn't happen. I apologized for that on the Moonlight Rising and the Marsters' Mobsters message boards. One of the big problems was that I didn't realize the lagoon (where I was holding the party) and the Heritage restaurant (the location of the breakfast get-together) were both at another building.

Another party was the Lushettes party, which was comprised of several MR board members, mostly of the drinking variety. I was unaware that party was happening just down the hall from my room, or I'd have joined them. Some of the celebrity guests showed up, I'm told.

Friday night, I was thirsty and learned that there were no vending machines on the third floor (although someone mentioned to me later that there is a vending machine with drinks only down some stairs or something). I searched the hotel for conveniently-located vending machines but found none. I concluded I'd have to go to the machines outside the vendor room. To my dismay, I found the vending machines "Sold Out" of everything. I gained a minor victory when I stuck a dollar in the Gatorade machine and, after pressing buttons only to find out nothing was available, I hit the coin return and got my dollar back, *plus* four quarters. I finally went to the gym and bought six bottles of fruit punch Gatorade, just so my roommates and I would have something to drink at night. The next day, I also bought a couple of Pepsi's and Diet Pepsi's at the gift shop.

The sound for the Q&A's and other events held in the ballroom sucked, so I'm hoping for transcripts of them on the Web. I did catch that James was given $50,000,000 for his MacBeth project, and there's the possibility of a Spike movie. He also licked a few lollipops and gave them to fans. Although my pics didn't come out, being too far from the stage, it helped my ability to see him that he stood and walked from one end of the stage to another, taking questions from fans.

All the guests were wonderful. Some showed up for the cocktail party and the VIP dance, chatting and socializing with fans. James Marsters was kind enough to express his sympathy for me that Andy wasn't there (I could barely hear him over the noise in the room), and James Leary was the most down-to-earth celebrity there. He even hugged me at the VIP dance!

Stephanie Romanov is a great con guest. Her sister was at MR as well. When I got my autograph from Stephanie, I couldn't help but tell her she was beautiful, and she thanked me.

I had to keep the exit from being blocked my first day as a volunteer. During this time, Pete the Bartender (from the bar right by the ballroom, and from the cocktail party) gave me his autograph--on my left hand! I sold it for fifty bucks on eBay. He also gave me a shiny new nickel. Pete's a great example of how friendly a bartender should be.

While I was managing a line, Julie Caitlin Brown (singer and actress) kept telling us to stop bottlenecking in the autograph lines. There was a big, freakin' table blocking the area where the line formed that I was controlling...people couldn't help but bottleneck! As one person in line asked, "What does she want us to do, stand up on the table?"

The vendor room was set up well. It was spacious, allowing people to walk freely without crowding others. However, I was disappointed in the lack of Andy/Lorne merchandise. I know he wasn't there, but I wasn't the only one who still wanted to buy Andy/Lorne merchandise. Again, I send a BIG THANK YOU to the lady who made up Lorne shot glasses. Supposedly, the dealers sold out of Andy photos early on Friday, but there should have been more.

I had a wonderful time at the VIP dance. I can't dance, but Kiss Me Jane (http://www.kissmejane.com/) (a writer producing a book about the post-Buffy/Buffyverse world, including its fans) (http://www.kissmejane.com/Buffybook.html) got me on the floor briefly, attempting to do the "YMCA" cheer, which I did poorly (I really need to get a book or take some dance lessons, just some basic steps), but still had a lot of fun! Kiss Me Jane was one of my favorite persons at the con.

They played "Lady Marmalade" as a tribute to Andy with get well wishes. I love that song, and nearly teared up again. He's too young for serious health problems, and his whole lifestyle will probably change. I wish him well.

Several minors were able to buy drinks all weekend, at the cocktail party, the VIP dance, and at the bars in general. That's not to say that *all* minors were drinking; many chose not to drink, and I'm sure some were carded and refused. However, that's one thing that MR and/or Split Rock will need to correct in the future.

A couple things I missed out on because of fatigue were the masquerade and the presentation of James Leary's "Stunt Cocks." I saw "Stunt Cocks" on a con video once, so, technically, I already saw it, and the many complaints I heard about the lighting equipment being in the way of the projection caused me less regret in missing it.

What the hell was with Split Rock and their morbid fear of clocks? I don't think I saw a single clock in this hotel (including our room--if you didn't bring an alarm clock, you had to call for a wake-up call), with the possible exception of the gift shop. And maybe the gym. It was very inconvenient having to ask people for the time constantly.

The people were the best part of the con, as is usually the case. I met so many people I previously only knew online, and some I didn't know at all. Cally and Jo were great, as were KissMeJane, Steph, Michelle, and everyone else. I'm not great at remembering names and faces together, but I enjoyed getting to know everyone personally.

I heard a lot of complaints about Aria, the organization, the volunteers, other people, and the way things were handled, and I share in some of those complaints, but I really had a good time, nevertheless. Aria was nothing but nice to me, as was most of the staff.

Moonlight Rising, like many cons, suffered disorganization and a few problems at times. However, the staff and volunteers put forth a great effort to make sure everyone was happy and satisfied. Autograph lines ran smoothly, guests were at least friendly (if a bit shy) and sometimes funny and outgoing, and volunteers and staff were helpful. It does cost more, and this year's hotel was pricey (but Split Rock Resort is the best place I ever stayed for a con), but MR provides more opportunities to get close to your favorite celebs.

More Than Spike.com (Will have a word-for-word transcript of James Marsters' Q&A when they get the audio transcribed)
http://www.morethanspike.com/