is year's convention was billed as the "final" Farscape convention. And I suppose that, in truth, the Farscape fandom is seeing the end of an era. Creation Entertainment's Farscape conventions began in August 2000 and they quickly became "the" traditional annual gatherings for Scapers from all over the world. So now that these conventions are coming to an end it's time for the Scaper army to adjust. Again...
This weekend we were all feeling the passage of time, enjoying what as new at this year's event, and wondering what would come next.

What's not to love about walking into a venue and KNOWING that within thirty seconds you'll be saying hello to, and getting hugs from, awesome Scapers. And THEN it's time to actually check into the hotel.

The convention officially starts on Friday but fans know the REAL start of the event is on Thursday. That's when we hang out in the lobby, have a few drinks, and say hello to everyone we see.

Newbies!! I met several people who had only attended one or two cons. Mandy, Michael, Mona, Gin, Lisa, Laura, Marie, Jolene, Tina, and Bobby ... They came from as close as Los Angeles, and as far away as France, Germany, and Italy. They were fun, enthusiastic, and a blast to watch as they got their first chance to meet other fans and to speak with the Farscape actors in person.

This could have been so sad if I believed there would be no more Scaper reunions. But I don't. True, I could be in denial. I do that sometimes. But I just don't believe there won't be more events for Scapers to gather together and to see our favorite Farscape actors, writers, and producers in person.Friday Terra Firma Scapers meet and greet. There are a lot of fandom forums and websites on the internet, but I consider TF to be my home away from The Portal. If I missed catching up with you on Thursday night then I'm pretty sure I'll see ya at the TF gathering.

With our morning coffee and Tim Tams I usually make Ben's birthday card available for Scaper good wishes and messages. They usually have a Farscape theme but this year I focused on the next chapter in Bens career as the movie Bad Kids Go To Hell is due to be released next year. It made the perfect subject for this year's birthday card. The card was filled with signatures and well wishes in less than an hour. I wished I could have come back the next morning but I already knew my schedule for the next day and that just wasn't going to happen.

Knowing how much running around I was getting ready to do all weekend, I made sure to say hello to as many people as possible. It's been  my experience that once we all start pursuing our own personal adventures it sometimes gets hard totrack people down! Are they site seeing around Los Angeles? Bouncing around from panel to panel? Hanging out with friends somewhere in the hotel? Or maybe they have an interest in a non-Farscape attraction at the convention. (Sounds a little crazy but it's possible).

Along with getting Ben's card signed, and doing my best to ignore the table loaded with Tim Tams (Thank you Aussie Scapers!), I won some Scaper Army pajamas in the raffle. A very cool prize I assure you.

These lovely ladies are the famous Nipplettes. A fun loving group, they are well known in the Scaper community by their purple feather boas. If you're at a Farscape convention and see purple feathers floating around the venue, then you know the Nipplettes are in town! Each lady has their own name such as Auntie Nora Nipplette, The Party Nipplete, Baby Nipplette, the Volunteer Nipplette, the Creative Nipplette, and Mama Nipplette. Membership in the group is strictly maintained at seven because "Eight is too many and six is not enough". However, after many years of relentless lobbying I have been granted an unofficial membership. I am now known as the Naturally Endowed Nipplette in Waiting. I'm so proud! Now to work on getting my own feather boa...

Regrettably I missed getting to see David Franklin, Virginia Hey's panels, Ricky Manning or Wayne Pygram on stage.. One day I'll figure out exactly how I can be into two places at one time. But until then I'll have to keep making hard choices. But I was very pleased to be able to catch Lani Tupu on stage.

Lani Tupu fun to watch on stage because he is the exact opposite of Crais.  Lani is very kind and listening to his stories gives some insight into the actor/artist.  A couple of years ago I got the impression that he was thinking about quitting acting in favor of focusing on his art work.  Lani's a very talented artist whose focus has been on landscapes.  Now he's thinking about moving into a new artistic direction and, fortunately, Lani is still acting. Very cool.

Kent McCord has so much experience in the past studio system that it's a pleasure to listen to his stories. It really is very interesting to hear about what it was like to get his first television acting break from Jack Webb. As a kid I wasn't much of a Dragnet fan but I totally loved to watch Adam 12. (Caution: fan girl moment). I have a lot of fond memories of coming home from school and eating afternoon snacks hearing the police dispatcher say "1 Adam 12. 1 Adam 12. See the woman at blah, blah, blah". And there he was standing right in front of me giving me insights and new perspectives about the subject in my childhood memories. And now Kent McCord will forever be John Crichton's father to a lot of people. So very cool.

Rebecca Riggs is a delight. She's such a mommy! You should see the way Rebecca beams with pride when talking about her kids. Fans asked really interesting questions about whether she's more of a "tom boy" or was she more "girly". Rebecca said she's been trying to figure that out for years! She likes pretty skirts with boots. On that day she was wearing a business suit with a nice burgundy tie and heals. Rebecca said that, growing up she'd swing back and forth from "girly-girl" to "tom boy". If she had a chance to play a male role, Rebecca would like to play the part of Hamlet. But she's not holding her breath waiting for a VERY open minded producer.

The Cabaret

One of my favorite parts of the annual cons are the cabaret shows because that's when you get to see the actors in a very different light. Not only are they being themselves, but they are displaying talents that we would otherwise never get to see. This year you could see that all of the performers were doing their best to entertain the crowd. The evening was pitch perfect.

Ryan Robbins (Atlantis, BSG, Sanctuary) sang soft rock songs. Ryan was very nervous about playing his guitar and singing for us. He sang what I would call "soft rock" songs that included some of my favorites like "What's up" by the 4 Non-blondes. His was a very nice opening performance for the evening.

Alexis Cruz (Stargate) and his adorable monkey puppet were very funny. He brought a fan up on stage to help with a magic trick. At one point the monkey's tail came off in the fan's hand and Alexis grabbed a large shiny stapler to reattach it. When the audience gasp and felt sorry for the monkey, Alexis whispered "It's a puppet". We had to laugh. The magic trick worked well, the fans were happy, and the little monkey puppet gained new fans.

Rebecca! She belted out wonderful songs about misunderstood witches. Despite some rather annoying sound equipment glitches, Rebecca rocked the crowd with her talents. Admitting that Commandant Grayza was a sociopath and definitely not one of the poor misunderstood women in history, Rebecca pointed out that women who were old, suffered from poor hygiene, and practiced herb based healthcare practices were the victims of witch hunts by a male dominated society. (So very true). Then she sang songs from "Wicked" and one from Pink, "I don't want to be a stupid girl". Rebecca has posted the lyrics to her song on Facebook Soooo much fun to watch!

Then came the finale. David "Mr. Cabaret" Franklin is always a sight to behold at these annual events. And this year he really out did himself!! He sang His version of "Braca's back in town" David danced around on stage pointing out that Adam (from creation) gave him no budget for dancers but these would be their steps. (Soooo funny). He sang a song and played a video about Braca's love for Grayza. He admitted that Grayza's hell spawn offspring is actually BRACA'S baby. And you know that made me very happy to hear. His confession was good for my soul and a good time was had by all!

The vision was complete when Rebecca came out to sing with him at the end. Their rendition of "Suddenly Miklo" was absolutely priceless. (Sung to the tune of "Suddenly Seymour" from Little Shop of Horrors.). Their confession of love between Braca and Grayza absolutely made my night!

Then we were treated to a very special video  (You Tube) depicting David's broken heart over the loss of the Farscape conventions. Filmed by Scapers Anthony and Raven Kilna this was tribute to the passing of time and the memories of past Farscape conventions. It was filmed in black and white, melodramatic, and absolutely hysterical. The vid was shot at Burbank, the original home of the conventions, and featured images of a devastated David dealing with the loss and the memories of past conventions. We laughed, we cried, we stood on our feet and cheered. Truly an awesome night.
Truly a wonderful evening!

Saturday
Fans: The New Hollywood Moguls

This year I spent a great deal of time at the convention working on a new project. A new webisode series produced by Velva Carter, of A Gypsy Life... Productions, this series is about telling the stories of the fans. Where did their fandom story begin? How did they get involved with fandom? What memories do you have to share? We interviewed a lot of fans and celebrities.

As someone who has spent a few years enjoying the Farscape fandom, this subject is near and dear to my heart. There is a wealth of experience to be had in the world of fandom. Personally, I don't think fans get enough respect by the media powers and I really like the idea of celebrating the unique community of Scapers!

More really exciting news about this project is coming. In the meantime check out Fans: The New Hollywood Moguls Facebook page.

Sunday

In a lot of ways, this year's convention felt like the culmination of all the past con experiences. Truly the end of an era. But it wasn't sad. It was more like a triumphant finale. One of the things I enjoyed most this weekend was watching Ben do what he wanted to do despite the scheduling problems. And for some reason there were a LOT of scheduling problems this year.

Breakfast Confusion

Time became a problem from the very start of the day. Normal time delays can be expected with any large gathering with so many moving parts. In fact, this did happen when one of the Stargate actors was 5 minutes late. That was no big deal because it gave more time for fans to take pictures. Not a problem at all! But ...


Mistake #1: It is never a good idea to schedule an actor to take photo ops at the same time he is expected to attend the celebrity breakfast. Add another 15 - 20 minute delay while Wayne Pygram was moved from one location to another. (I'm guessing the people waiting to take pics with Wayne were less than pleased.) Some tables in the breakfast room were lucky to have the actors to talk to for much longer than expected. Others sat quietly for their turn.

The fans at one very lucky table had Ben for a loooong time. He told them that he wasn't going to leave the breakfast until he had gotten to every table. WHICH HE DID. But because they worried about being late for Ben's panel some people were forced to leave the room before they got to talk to the Stargate actors. Definitely NOT cool.

Ben's Time on Stage

Mistake #2: On what planet does it make sense to schedule your headliner as the opener for the day??? Especially when that person is known for being on stage for as long as possible. What happened next was totally predictable. Okay, maybe I am operating with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight. But I don't think so.

Remember, they were late finishing with breakfast because Ben and others refused to leave until they had a chance to say hello to every single one of the fans. Ben surprised those of us who were waiting for his panel to begin by coming into the room, standing on a chair, and announcing to everyone that Wayne was the source of the problem. It was funny because (1) if it really was Wayne’s fault then Ben would not have said so, and (2) we were sure that Ben was probably at the root of the problem too. Even though I was one of the people waiting to see Ben on stage, I really liked knowing that everyone who paid for the breakfast event was actually going to be able to speak with the actors. I’ve done the breakfast in the past and I'm sure those fans truly appreciated the effort.

Then, when Ben's time on stage started he completely ran the show with his surprises! Having seen Ben on stage many times I can honestly say that this was one of his BEST panels ever and I’m sure that's because he shared so much with the audience.

Ben started by reminding us of some of the big events that have happened over the past dozen years that the Farscape conventions have been held. Not one to start with prepared notes Ben went on to remind us about Y2k, that did not happen. 911, that did. When Ben and Fran filmed Farscape, they were practically the only ones with kids. Now Claudia Black, Anthony Simcoe, Wayne Pygram, RaeLee Hill, Ricky Manning, and Rebecca Riggs have all had children. And how many kids have been born to Scapers in that time? How many fans have we lost? How many people were attending the Farscape convention for the first (and last) time? There were a lot of newbies at the con. Ya gotta love that!

Ben went on to explain that while Fran was on stage during last year's convention, unbeknown to those of us in the audience, Fran was recuperating from breast cancer surgery. After the con Fran started chemo therapy and about a month later she came home from school and showed Ben a handful of hair that came out of her head when she ran her fingers through her hair. This was a heart breaking experience that still hurts him deeply to think about. With raw emotions coming to the surface Ben tried to describe what it was like to spend Saturday night having to shave his wife's head. It was such a relief for us to hear that Francesca is now completely free of breast cancer. Get those "early" mammograms ladies. It's important!!

Normally very guarded in what personal information he shares, we were already taken aback by his openness. But it was a complete surprise when Ben introduced his kids to us and then Francesca came onto the stage! I would gladly share images of the kids in this story because I know just how much fans of Ben and Francesca really REALLY want to finally see them! However, their son (Who is actually taller than his father?!) is still a minor. And although Ben did not specifically mention how he felt about publishing their names and pictures on-line, the mother in me says this website is not the best place to do so. After all, we haven’t published the names and pictures of ANY of the actors’ kids. Still, these images should give you a nice idea of the excitement that we felt watching Ben and his family on stage.

While Ben asked his family questions you could see the absolute shock and appreciation of the moment on the faces of the fans in the audience.Ben asked his family the burning questions like:

For his son, “Who is your favorite actor?”                  Answer: My mother

Who is the best football coach you ever had?"          Answer: Ben Browder

For his daughter (an avid reader who has read Harry Potter books multiple times) Ben wanted to know "Who is the best pole vaulting coach you've ever had?"                                   Answer: Ben Browder

From Francesca, "Ben wanted to know who's a better kisser? Ben or Antonio Banderas?"
Answer: Ben of course!

And what bobble head does Fran have in her office?
Answer: My gorgeous Ben!

Ben was asked "Who is your favorite actress"? To which he replied, "Fran Buller". And Judy Dentch. Ben talked about how talented Fran is and how many people are surprised to find that she played four very different Farscape characters. Sometimes he'd ask her, "Where'd you get that from?"

After his family left the stage Ben talked about how, the day before, the family went to work at the downtown mission to help prepare the Thanksgiving meal for the homeless. Ben described being surprised that his son was actually washing dishes. (Something he doesn't do at home. ) And how he was given directions by a news crew to dip the turkey back into the oil. Repeatedly. That confused me because I saw that news report earlier that morning but I hadn't seen Ben. Fortunately it was repeated on air several times over the next week. Good thing too because you would have missed him if you blinked.

Then the fan questions began:

Ben was asked a question about having his kids on the Farscape set he joked about what must have been like to have a dad wearing make up to look like an old man. The kids' loud off-stage response? CREEPY!!

What was the one thing he didn't like about doing Farscape? Ben was surprised when filming started on the pilot episode and he found out that his character was supposed to be naked. If he had known, Ben said, he would have spent more time lifting weights rather than studying his lines.

A very sweet and quite pregnant newbie got a special memory when she came up to ask a question. I'm not really sure if she actually got to ask her question because Ben was on such a roll! Two of the points he made earlier, con newbies and new life, were standing there in one person. So Ben asked her for a hug. How can you not love a moment like that?

What cartoon character does Crichton relate to? Answer: Tweetie bird. I totally get that because Tweetie may keep getting into trouble, but did you ever notice how badly Sylvester gets messed up while trying to catch poor hapless Tweetie?

Yes, Ben does like playing video games. Especially the one that he can actually beat his son. " Plenty of critters to kill with no God-like aliens." Ben told a story about recently coming home from an audition and starting to play a game at about 6:30. It was dark and the day was over, so why not? Right? Wrong. "What kind of example are you showing to the two teenagers doing homework?". Ben joked that he only plays games after midnight now.

It was an amazing experience that was made even sweeter when Ben refused to leave the stage when his time was officially over. You should have seen the look on the face of the Creation time keeper. It was priceless. And the fans got even louder...

Does Ben still surf? Occasionally. The last time was about three months ago when he took his son surfing. The problem is that his son kept taking Bens waves! At which point their son jumped on stage to give an impromptu "Hell Yeah". Of course we responded but it wasn't the same. So dad showed him how it was done and then Ben chided "Never jump on to my stage son". I laughed so hard that my sides hurt.

Ben was asked about the time John Crichton wore a dress. (It is my opinion that Ben may be a handsome man but he is one ugly woman.) He told us a story about how he had to walk by a group of construction workers while dressed as a woman. He actually got jealous when a transvestite walking by the same group of workers got comments but Ben didn't.

Photo Ops, Rockne, and Yet Another Surprise

After Ben left the stage I headed over to the other side of the hall to get in line for Ben photo ops. I hated to miss seeing Rockne O'Bannon's time on stage but there was no way I was going to miss taking pictures with Ben. A lot of people felt that way, didn't want to leave the room, but what are ya gonna do?

Mistake #3: When there is a significant change in the schedule it's only fair (and really quite simple to do) to warn the people standing in line that the person they are waiting for WON’T BE THERE. Grrrr...

The time for Ben's photo ops shifted when another surprise was sprung on the fans at the end of Rockne O’Bannon's time on stage. I had already left the room at the end of Ben’s time. But then I heard someone say that Ben "might have" chosen to stay in the panel room until Rockne's stage time was over. Since I wasn't worried about losing my place in the photo op line I went to check out the rumor. I got back to the panel room just in time to see ALL of the Farscape actors, Ricky Manning, and Rockne O'Bannon on stage at the same time!!! OMG what did I miss?!?! Suffice it to say that I was very displeased about wasting time standing in the photo line. But I was VERY glad I was there when Ben got Rockne to give the "Hell Yeah" prompt. The crowd response was VERY loud and it was fun to watch the reactions of the people on stage!

The energy in the hall was amazing because Ben was having a blast and the fans were absolutely loving it. Not one person in the photo op line complained about the delay in getting to take pictures with Ben. But there was quite a bit of disappointment in not getting to see Rockne or the surprise on stage reunion. It was just so unnecessary.

Photo Ops

Taking pictures with the actors is fun but watching some people take pictures is a scream.

I watched Kicki (a Scaper who travelled all the way from Sweden!) take photo op pictures with David Franklin. Suddenly he dropped to one knee as if he was proposing marriage! It was all she could do to not faint and you could see it clearly on her face. I was so happy to find the picture that came from that moment! When Kicki walked out of the room I fell out laughing because she dropped to her knees!!!!!! Her face turned a deep shade of red. She put her hand over her mouth and I wasn't sure if she was trying not to laugh, or cry, or faint. I wanted to tell her to take deep breaths but I was having trouble catching my own breath from laughing so hard! Kicki says she's not a total newbie because this was her second LA convention. But clearly she still gets a bit flustered.

Some people know how to have fun with their photo ops. During my last interview with Ben he made this statement "I like things that make me tingle." I warned Ben that it would end up on a t-shirt. Thank you Patti for proving me right!

My Ben photo ops with Ben are always pretty straight forward because I like my Ben hugs. (Inset happy fan sigh) And it's the one time I know for sure the Portal Jirls will be together.

My picture with Rebecca was supposed to be straight forward cuz that's the kind of gal I am.

Or maybe not

I'm beginning to think that Rebecca and I will never come to terms on the paternity of Grayza's hell spawn. But no matter what Rebecca does to me IT'S NOT JOHNS BABY

I was disappointed to find out that there was yet another opportunity lost this weekend. Francesca signed autographs as part of a fund raiser for breast cancer. But her autographs were scheduled for the exact same time as Ben’s photo ops. Aaaack!!!! How I would have loved an opportunity to say hello, donate to the cause, and to see for myself that she’s healing. Yes, I'm truly mushy like that.

This is not good-bye

Ordinarily this would be the part of the weekend where I would say my good-byes and head towards home. But there was still a lot more to do that day with Fans: The New Hollywood Moguls. There were more interviews to be done sharing what fandom means. Including me…
Eventually, on Monday morning, the time did come for me to head back to real life. I still don't believe it's really the end of our Scaper reunions. True, the River of Denial is one of my favorite bodies of water. But I won't say good-bye. Better to say, until we Scape again.

LAScaper