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Now in our tenth calendar year!
PCR #474 (Vol. 10, No. 17). This edition is for the week of April 20--26, 2009.

MOVIE REVIEW
"The Soloist"  by Mike Smith
RETRORAMA
FX 2009  by ED Tucker
FANGRRL
FANGRRL Goes to FX 2009  by Lisa Scherer Ciurro
MIKE'S RANT
B Low Me .... Torture? At Least They Still Have Their Heads .... Passing On .... Just A Heads Up .... Happy Anniversary - To Me .... .... .... .... My Favorite Films, Part 2...  by Mike Smith
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FANGRRL by Lisa Scherer Ciurro

FANGRRL Goes to FX 2009

Ok, I admit it. I'm a fangirl. I'm a silly, giggly, squealing, girlie-girl fangirl with a huge crush on James Marsters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. Guilty as charged and proud of it. This is what fandom is all about. (This website is named Crazed Fanboy for a reason, you know.)

I'm not really a collector or a toy enthusiast or a big comic book reader, but I had a blast at FX, the self-proclaimed "Coolest Show on Earth". FX, like Soylent Green, is people. Fans, to be more precise. Fans standing in line and shelling out a few bucks to meet a childhood idol; fans hunting for a good bargain or a particular item; fans stumbling across a new comic or artist or show they didn't know about; fans proudly dressed up like their favorite TV or comic book characters; yadda yadda yadda.

I drove over to Orlando bright and early, having been entrusted with ensuring the safe passage of the Dynamic Duo (Nolan and Terence). After safely delivering my precious cargo ('cause you know how those women drivers can be) and briefly coordinating lunch plans with them, ED and Byron, I attempted to cram three days' worth of FX fan fun into a few short hours.

Buffy star James Marsters meets his number one fan, Lisa Scherer Ciurro!
The day was jam-packed, but the Con itself was not. Leonard Nimoy and James Marsters were the only guests with long lines of autograph-seeking fans. I don't know how it worked in the Nimoy line ('cause I ain't paying 65 bucks, even for Spock), but to get Marsters' autograph I had to get in line to pick up a numbered ticket that would allow me to come back at a certain time and stand in line. [So of course I got in the real line earlier than I was supposed to, became BFFs with the people next to me in line who were doing the same thing, and together we sweet-talked the line patrol guy into letting us stay when it came time to close the line for the panel guests' lunch break. Yes, I shook James Marsters' hand, got his autograph (on my copy of his CD Civilized Man that I had brought from home), and got to talk to him briefly. And yes, he's dreamy.]



Joel and Cathy Wynkoop at their booth, performing for the camera.
I stopped by Joel Wynkoop's table and visited with Joel and his wife Cathy…saw a gang of Ghostbusters…met Students of the Unusual's Terry Ronin and bought two comic books and got one for free…chatted with Tim Anderson of Bloody-Disgusting.com and filmmaker Steven Shea…got a free Star Trek poster…talked to local authors Glenda Finkelstein and Andrea Dean Von Skoyoc…bounced around from booth to booth in an effort to at least see what they had, because time constraints prevented me from doing any serious shopping or looking…got a fairly authentic-looking Wolverine to pose for a picture with me…became intrigued by the artwork of Gus Fink(elstein)…watched ED successfully negotiate a better price on a purchase…met the guy who runs Spooky Empire (and whose name unfortunately escapes me at the moment)…discussed zombie fetuses (!) with the deliciously twisted creators of the Arsenic Lullaby comics…







…took a quick lunch break with the four fanboys…caught James Marsters' Q&A panel…chauffeured Nolan and Terence home…drove back to Orlando…got lost…briefly drove the wrong way on a one-way street…got found…caught the majority of James Marsters' concert (he was still dreamy)…decided to attend the FX party because it was in the exact same room as the concert and ended up staying for a few hours…finally met Tampa Comic Con's Tim Gordon and talked to him for about 30 minutes until my voice gave out from yelling over the loud music…watched Motley Crue impersonators perform a song…caught several dance performances of varying quality on stage…witnessed the extreme difference between the daytime FX show and the nighttime FX party…

…then I pseudo-stalked actress Juliet Landau (also from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, natch) for a brief moment as I was leaving the hotel…listened to my James Marsters CD all the way home...made it home safely...and slept for 13 hours straight.

It was a good day. A crazy, hectic, fun, stressful, exciting, frustrating, exhausting, exhilirating, amazing, very strange, damn good day.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to practice writing "Mrs. James Marsters" over and over again...


"FANGRRL" is ©2009 by Lisa Scherer Ciurro.   All graphics, except where otherwise noted, are creations of Nolan B. Canova.  All contents of Nolan's Pop Culture Review are ©2009 by Nolan B. Canova.