December 11, 2006

Not everyone in Hollywood is a prick... UPDATED!

You Firefly/ Serenity fans will enjoy this one.

"...[L]ast year a group called Booster Events held this massive Firefly/Serenity convention in California last year called "Flanvention." A lot of the cast shows up, there were panels and dinners and photo shoots and whatnot, membership was limited, and it was a lot of fun, a way for fans of the cancelled-too-soon show and because-we-demanded-it movie to talk to their favorite stars. This year's hotly anticipated event sold out months ago and it's happening this weekend, right now.

Or it would be. The organizers cancelled it. On Thursday."

Sucks, right?  Not so fast....
"As stunned and betrayed fans began to arrive the California Browncoats jumped up to meet the frantic challenge of organizing a convention during, you know, the actual convention. Fans settled in to party among themselves anyway, mutter dark things about Booster Events, and make the best of it of the newly formed Browncoat Backup Bash.

Then the stars started showing up.

Adam "Jayne" Baldwin showed up Thursday night, knowing the con was cancelled and fans were left hanging. He hung around chatting with fans for hours and mentioned others would probably show up.

Friday Nathan "Mal" Fillion, Alan "Wash" Tudyk, Mark "Badger" Sheppard, Jonathan "Dead Guy From 'The Message'" Woodward, and Christina "Saffron" Hendricks came by for autographs and pictures and mainly just to say hi. Without appearance fees or the autograph cash that usually get stars to show up, they came anyway. Alan Tudyk wan't even supposed to be at the event due to prior commitments, and he came anyway. They knew their fans had been shafted and they stepped up to make it worthwhile. Fillion brought a box full of Firefly memorabilia and other personal loot and started passing it out to fans who had come from Australia, the UK and other far-off places."

And people wonder why the fans are so loyal to a one-season cancelled show!

h/t DeDoc

UPDATE: Cranky Beach was there! Go over for a first person account!

Posted by caltechgirl at December 11, 2006 10:55 AM | TrackBack
Comments

Yeah, that was so very cool of them. :-)

Posted by: Teresa at December 11, 2006 11:39 AM

Um... if you get the chance, maybe mention to the stars we were having something like that up here in the mountains and it got cancelled... um... because of the Department of Defense... but if they want to swing by, cool. Especially if they are bringing cool stuff too.

Yeah, when I get seriously stressed out I watch that show and feel much better.

Posted by: rsm at December 11, 2006 03:11 PM

Very cool that they showed up... very cool

Posted by: vw bug at December 11, 2006 05:05 PM

That's so cool! BDH

I'm re-re-re-watching Firefly again. Love it.

Posted by: LadyGunn at December 12, 2006 01:21 AM

Yes, a marvelous time was had by all who stuck around, who didn't give up and go home immediately. I will post more reports as I find the top of my desk at work (ha!) and perhaps a few more photos as well.

But let us give HUGE credit to the California Browncoats, especially Lexigeek and all his friends and cohorts and other peeps, who busted their tails and pulled together a very shiny backup bash. We made history, and this is an experience that will never be repeated.

Posted by: CrankyBeach at December 12, 2006 09:18 AM

Yet another reason I love that show/movie. The actors in it are just good people.

Posted by: Contagion at December 13, 2006 03:39 PM

Beyond awesome. Wow. What a tremendous experience for the fans!! :-)

Posted by: Princess Jami at December 18, 2006 12:33 PM