I got there on Saturday and got my con registration before I checked in to the hotel (gotta have  priorities, ya know).  I got there just as they were starting the Brent Spiner photo shoot, and I was amazed at how long the line was.  Arlene did the Spiner shoot, and said he was very friendly. 

I went over to the autograph room and met Carmen Argenziano (Jacob Carter, Stargate SG1), Gary Jones (Walter Davis, Stargate SG1), Dean Haglund (Ringo Langly, The X-Files), and Tom Braidwood (Melvin Frohike, The X-Files).  I ran out of cash and the ATM was broken, so I couldn’t get John Noble’s autograph until Sunday. They were all really nice.  They all personalized the autographs and posed for pictures with the fans.  Haglund chatted away with everybody who came to his table.

Then I went to the Dean Haglund / Tom Braidwood presentation.  Gary Jones had been on stage just before them, so he stayed up there and chatted with them.  It turns out that he auditioned for the part of Byers on The X-Files, so they all knew each other.  Jones does a very bizarre impression of William Shatner :)  Braidwood talked about how he got cast for the part of Frohike.  He was an assistant director on the show before the Lone Gunmen were introduced.  One day a casting director was talking about what kind of person they were looking for to play Frohike, and he said, “We need somebody ugly.  Somebody like Braidwood.”  :)

Brent Spiner (Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation) came on after the Gunmen.  I’d heard that he’s been cold and stand-offish to fans in the past, but that wasn’t the case.  He was very funny and nice to everyone in the autograph line.  He does a great impression of Patrick Stewart.

Later that evening, we went to Dean Haglund’s comedy show.  If you ever get the opportunity to see this show, grab it with both hands.  The man’s a genius; I haven’t laughed that hard in…well, maybe ever.  The entire show is a long ad-lib of an X-Files episode.  It’s split into four parts.  In the first part, he gets somebody from the audience to come up and provide sound effects while Dean narrates the story.  In the second part, he plays the part of a scientist at a press conference, talking about an alien or a monster that’s been discovered (he gets the idea for the whatever-it-is by getting everybody in the audience to yell out their favorite animal, then he combines them.  We had a llama-cat-dog-fly :) ).  He then puts on a lab coat with extra holes near the shoulders.  He puts on the coat, but keeps his arms inside it.  He then gets someone  from the audience to stand behind him and stick his/her arms through the extra holes to provide his arms.

The third part was the funniest.  He called yet another unsuspecting audience member up to be Mulder, then he got Tom Braidwood and Gary Jones up there to be Frohike and Byers.  Then they ad-libbed a scene using sentences the audience had written on pieces of paper earlier in the show.  The funniest part of the entire show was when Haglund turned to Braidwood and said something like, “Frohike’s found some evidence.  What is it, Frohike?”  Braidwood picked up a piece of paper, and immediately looked horrified.  After some goading from Haglund and Jones, Braidwood turned his back to the audience and read the piece of paper – “I started my period and I don’t have any tampons!”  The audience went NUTS :)

The last part consists of a scene where Haglund fights and kills the whatever-it-is.  Another audience member has to actually move him around the stage.  If he’s supposed to turn his head, the audience member had to grab his head and move it around.  If he’s supposed to walk somewhere, the audience member has to grab his pantlegs and move his legs. 

I’ve seen his show before, but for some reason it was funnier this time.  They recorded the show and made it available on DVD the next day.  It’s the best $25 I’ve ever spent :)

Sunday was Official Michael Shanks day :).  We did the professional photo session with Michael at 11:00am, watched his presentation at 1:00pm, then did his autograph session at 2:00pm. 

I started the day by having breakfast with a group from the Our Stargate forum.  Nice group of people.  I was so nervous about the photo shoot that I couldn’t eat breakfast.  After breakfast, all of us plus Arlene and Sara got in line at 9:30 for the photo shoot.   It’s a good thing we got in line when we did, because that line got LONG.  I was so glad to have all those fellow fans with me.  I was so nervous I probably would have fled the scene in terror :).  But as it was, I was able to maintain my dignity, for the most part.  That is, until Michael walked by on his way into the photo shoot room.  Then my knees almost went out from under me.  But it was hysterical to see so many women, ranging in age from about 10 to about 60, completely fall apart in unison just because some guy walked by :)  I wish I’d gotten the moment on tape.

They led us into the room in groups of five.  I was going to be the first in my little group to go into the room, so I grabbed the woman behind me and made her go in before me.  I made the comment that I felt like I was going to pass out, and one of the organizers said, “That’s what the ambulance outside is for.”  They actually had medics standing by in case somebody did pass out! 

We walked into the room and there he was, in all his glory :)  Television does not do this man justice.  He’s even better looking in person, and seeing those electric blue eyes up close was utterly terrifying :)

They had the procedure down to a science; it was like being on an assembly line – go in, stand next to him, drop your purse, etc. at your feet, smile for the picture, pick up your stuff, and get out.

But Michael was really nice to everybody.  He seemed to be making a concerted effort to look each person in the eye and say "hello".   Those eyes… WOW :)  When I walked out of the room, one woman said I “looked like a deer caught in the headlights”.  I survived, but I immediately headed for the nearest chair.  My whole body had turned to jello :)

The rest of the day was more relaxing.  I got some more cash and went back to the autograph room to get John Noble’s (Denethor, Lord of the Rings) autograph.  He was very friendly.  He shook my hand and asked why my hands were so cold.  I didn’t want to say, “Well, I just met this other actor who’s ten times better looking than you, and I’m having trouble recovering from it.”  So I just said that my hands are always cold, to which he replied, “Cold hands, but a warm heart.”  :)  Nice guy.  And a lovely Australian accent to boot.

Then we went back to sit outside the photo op room to hopefully get another glimpse of Michael when he walked out.  Of course, it caused a minor riot when he did.  But he seemed to be used to that sort of attention.  He just walked over to the elevator and pretended like nothing was happening.  Have I said “WOW” yet?  :)

Then we went to see his presentation.  Besides being gorgeous, he’s funny, too.  He told us some entertaining stories about Christopher Judge, and talked about his wife (actress Lexa Doig) playing a recurring role on SG1.  He said that Richard Dean Anderson will be appearing in at least two episodes of season 9.  One woman asked him, “How many episodes do we have to endure before Daniel shaves?”  Michael said, “You don’t like it?”  To which she replied, “Not on Daniel.”  Michael said, “Well, honey, I hate to break it to you, but I play him on TV.”  :)  He said he likes the beard, and Daniel will probably keep it for at least the first four episodes.  Several people on the Our Stargate forum have posted reports of Michael’s presentation.

We stood in line to get Michael’s autograph, and I managed to avoid passing out again.  I had so much fun this weekend.  It went by way too fast.  I may have to find out where the next GateCon is :)