The list of guests was pretty interesting besides the ones I've already mentioned: a former Bond girl (Connery), the guy who played the Predator and others. So you would think that thousands show up to see those guys but no, it was just... well I would guess less than 250 people, at least when we came back at 3:30pm. The Q&A with Andrew had maybe 50 people and with Danny not much more. There were much more people sitting there just before when they had the "best look-alike contest" and were giving away T-Shirts. Can you imagine that?!? I thought it was a bad organization for the Q&A: The "moderator" introduced the star "Welcome Danny Trejo", left the stage and waited in front of it so that he could go to fans with his microphone. The star was alone on stage, between 3 empty chairs and in front of an empty table (Trejo brought his coffee with him). So both Andrew and Danny started the Q&A session with sitting down, looking at the fans, the fans looking back and something like "Ok, so now what, am I supposed to ask questions, do you have any?" followed by and awkward silence because nobody wanted to be the first in the audience. So I ended up asking Andrew the first question, about the weather at the set of Lost and if it was unconfortable (hot and humid). Not the most eagerly anticipated question I guess but at least it broke the ice and his answers and anecdotes were very interesting. Regarding Danny Trejo: My friend said that if is acting career would fade, he could always have a second career as a stand-up comedian.
The location is kinda crappy, a rather small convention hall in Bottrop that has seen its best days probably at the early seventies. But it is easy to reach for people from Germany and the Netherlands. When we complained about the missing guests and that the web site didn't say anything about it, the organizer told us that people had come from Italy because of Lorenzo Lamas. Imagine how pissed they must have been. We two had just a half hour ride.
They also annonced that there were tickets available again for the "Dinner with the stars". Probably all the guests who gave back their tickets when they heard that Lamas wasn't there. Turned out that the dinner was inside the same building in a cantina next to the Q&A panel. I don't know about the budget of the nerds in black T-shirts who crowded the place but I would prefer a higher price and a much nicer location, not a cantina with plastic chairs. Well, I had to get back to the family anyway. But I kept on thinking about the whole set-up and me and my friend discussed on our way back that actors sometimes have a very hard job, dignity-wise, if you know what I mean. At least when they are not A-list actors.
So on one hand I would like to meet some others and I think it is nice to have a smaller Q&A because it is less anonymous. On the other hand it makes me sad and upsets me that there are so few fans paying respect to the actors who fly across the big pond just to appear at such an un-glamorous event. I think you know what I'm talking about. At least I will write to the organizers and tell them that they should not let the stars sit there without company and proper moderation.
Here's the website:
http://www.hollywoodevent.de/
We also went to the Weekend of Horrors last year (same location, same organizer) and we are thinking about going to the upcoming WoH. Wonder if Michael Biehn shows up this time. Last time he cancelled but I had this great photo with Jeffrey Combs I had posted back then.
*sigh*
PS: People asked Trejo about "Machete" and he said that Rodriguez was still pondering and if we would want to see that movie done we should send emails to troublemaker studios, Mr. Rodriguez, and tell him that he should do that movie. So hereby I encourage you all to send your mails to the guy! I haven't researched the adress yet but it shouldn't be too hard to find out.
Posted: 12 Sep 2008, 01:15
Apparently Lamas had urgent family matters and it sounded like Hues just cancelled. So we went to the local mall and had a nice shopping day instead.
