Star Trek Conventions
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@ The Glasgow Thistle Hotel
(Written by Laura Elliott)
Guests:
Rene Auborjonois,
Robert Picardo,
Richard Arnold,
Michael Sheard.
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Hot Quotes:
What Rene said in his talks:
Rene had a beard and long hair, he said due to the fcat that he isnt filming
DS9 at the moment. He says they are only running until Season7. He said
Armin Shimmerman (Qurak) has in fact just done a cameo appearance on ST9.
He talked about his Directing. He spoke of his wish to act in theatre after
DS9 finishes, and will go to do a play, he hopes, that the theatre which
Brent Spiner had done 1776 at a short time ago. He says he highly doubts
that DS9 will ever go to the big screen like TNG did . He spoke highle of
Jonathan Frakes and his Directing abilities, and said it was in fact him
who talked him into taking the directorship (if that is the right phrase!!)
What Robert said in his talks:
He seems very taken with Seven of Nines Outfits ;) he craked jokes alot
about how the doctor fitted 7 of 9's outfit!!!! <wink, wink>
Saturday:
I asked him a question that day. I was
told by someone online that he would sing his song from Disney film 'The
Little Mermaid'. So .........with palms sweating and bright red, I asked
him the question:
''Moving over to your non-Trek career, you have done alot
of voice over work. In one of the Disney films you sang a song, I wonder
if you would sing it for us today??!!??''
He smiled, and everyone was clapping and encouraging him so he started talking
about the fact he did voice over work, which characture I was reffering
to, and then suddenly BURST into song. He was wonderful doing all the actions
the chef did in the film including facial expressions. I was delighted with
the positive reaction from him and the audience to my request and was grinning
for hours ;)
That late afternoon, after the talk he and Robert where in the bar,. and
they where posing for pictures so I went over to Rene and asked him ''if
I could have a picture with him??'' To which he replied 'SUUUUUURE'' (total
American drawl he has) so he put his arm around me and then stopped and
looked down at me and said ''You where the one who asked me to sing!!!!''
and then smiled! I grinned back at him and said ''THATS ME!!!!!!'' and carried
on beaming for the rest of the evening.
I then asked Robert for a picture. He said ''Of course!!!'' so I put my
arm around his waste and had my piccy taken. After the picture had been
taken he looked at me and said ''WHY is it the womens smiles wider when
they have their picture taken with me????'' ...I laughed and said ''It must
be your vibrant personality!!!!!!!!'' ;)
he said ''Well their perfume smells better!!!!'' ;)
They where sooooooooo nice and where very good at requests for photos. My
weekend got better. That night (Saturday night) was Scottish dancing. Robert
got conned into dancing. He danced twice and he was soooo funny, he was
so wooden, he kept tredding on his partners feet. Everyone clapped each
time he got up to dance and where laughing at him. He kind of smirked at
us but was a very good sport.
Robert was *the* funniest person in the world. I have to say, if you ever
get the chance to see him, go....he is worth every penny. Funny man, very
dry sense of humor and very cheeky. He will sing, having sand two songs
for us, basically stories or funny letters he has written and turned into
songs! :))))) Ask him next time you see him!
Sunday:
Today Robert got coaxed into wearing a kilt by Rene. Robert was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
funny, he was showing of his legs, and trying to work out how to sit in
a high chair on stage without showing all of his 'kit' off!!!!! LOL!!! Though
this didnt last, he was joking around when he was trying to persuade the
audience to bid more money for a picture he was selling.
Robert Said:
''If I show you my right thigh, will you pay more money for this fully signed
Voyager crew picture, collected by me.'' (So he lifted his kilt up and he
showed off his lovely underware! LOL!!)
I have full photographic evidence for you all to see, when I get them developed
and scanned I will put them here, so watch this space.
The Daytime Sunday Autograph Signings:
I bought two pre-signed Robert piccies, and two unsigned Rene piccies.
Rene piccies I bought where=
B&W of Rene
in his house with Odo mask at his feet- just his signature
Robert pictures where both images of the Holographic Doctor and one
says 'For Laura:'
RENE:
I approached
Rene and said could you sign one and personalise and sign the other
one to which he happily signed it. I then said to him '' I was the
one who asked you to sing his song!!!!'' (pointing at His Disney Characture
on the print I bought) He said ''Ahhhhhhhh, thats right!!!'' and smiled
at me.
ROBERT:
I then moved
to Roberts table ans aksed him ''Can you personalise this one'' (gave
him the picture and forgot to tell him my name!!!!!! lol). He smiled
and said ''What is your name??'' I laughed and said '' That would
help......my name is Laura.'' He smiled and said ''I should really
write 'Tell Laura I Love Her' ''
I laughed and said ''You can if you would like, maybe you could just
sing it to me instead!!!'' He said ''Well I am kind of busy and would
look very silly if I burst into song, maybe in (looking at watch)
6 hours, when I finally finish all these autographs!'' I said ''okay,
I look forward to it!!! Thankyou for the autographs''
They both said something along the lines of 'thats okay, bye'. Rene
said 'take care'.
The Evening
Party:
That night, after I had done my steward duties, they were in the main
party hall. Robert had worn his lovely kilt and Rene was going to
wear an admirals uniform if people donated money to Charity and in
10 minutes £100 was raised for charity because of their outfits. When
this had finished Rene left the admirals top on allowed photographs
with him, we had litterally two mintues to get pictures but I got
one! He put his arms out for people to dash
in and have a picture with him. I of course jumped at the oppertunity
( I was wearing my blue TNG uniform) and got a picture with him! Yayyyyyyyyyyy!!!
They where very tired and so left at about 11pm :)))
Monday:
Robert left early to get back to shoot Voyager. Rene left to tour Scotland,
he had done Wales, and Ireland before the con with his wife Judith.
AND THAT WAS THE END OF CONVENTION!!!!!!
(Written
by Meldoy Johnson)
As always, it was a treat for me to see Marina again. I've seen her 4
or 5 times and each time, she gets wittier, funnier and pissier.
Unfortunately, she couldn't talk too much in depth about the new movie.
She said she actually had a clause in her contract...she called it the
Marina Clause because she is known for going to conventions and "spilling
the beans" to the fans....that said if she talked about the movie or gave
secrets away, she would lose her pay and her screen credit. She informed
the small group there (perhaps only 300 people) that she had already been
paid so she could tell some things. But she still wanted her screen credit.
:)
Her first comment on the new ST movie was that it might be the last one.
Each actor signed a 3 picture deal. That deal is now over and no one on
the TNG cast has a contract now with Paramount. Marina admitted this was
a little frightening to her to know that after 12 years, she didn't technically
have a steady job anymore. With DS9 ending this year, that cast will be
freed up to do movies and Marina said that she knew that they would work
cheaper than the TNG cast is now. [on a personal note, a TNG/DS9 crossover
movie would be great.] Especially since Patrick and Brent want alot of
money.
She continued about the movie, saying that it is not action-oriented.
It is "message" oriented, like the episodes [warning bells went off here...can
this SELL to the general public?]. The story deals with the crew trying
to save a planet of young aliens. She stopped there on the plot. :) We
know more already. Here, in a nutshell, are some of her comments:
the TNG cast was rather worried about working with F. Murray Abraham.
He has a notorious reputation for being hard to work with and demanding.
But he was a pleasant surprise...very fun very kind. He cried when the
shooting wrapped up and said that he only wanted to do ST stuff from now
on.
- Marina mentioned that the aliens, when told to pack only their most
precious belongins, all bring along large wooden spoons and no one ever
figured out why. She said it's not explained and it's weird. Said Picard
is almost like Moses, herding these people on the planet to safety.
- Said the guest star cast was terrific and very nice to work with. Young,
sexy people.
- Said the "bad guy" make up is great. The Bad Guys, lead by F. Murrary
Abraham, are "into" plastic surgery [sounds kind of like the Viddians??]
and they actually show the aliens having things done to their faces and
that it's gross.
- members of the rock group, Rage Against The Machine, appear in the movie.
- the movie was filmed in Northern Calif and about 45 min. outside L.A.
at a place called West Lake.
- everyone loved Jonathan as a director because he is good at both the
techincal aspects of a movie and also knowing what to achieve from an
actor's point of view. Said that he is the only director the TNG cast
and crew were willing to put aside Union Regulations for to get the job
done. Only Michael Dorn gave him a hard time but it was all in fun. Everyone
tries and does their best for Jonathan.
- in regards to the Troi/Riker relationship, it is left open at the end
of the movie. There is a bubble bath scene with Troi and Riker and Troi
is glad to see Riker at the end of the movie and Worf tells Riker that
Riker's relationship with Deanna was meant to be.
- Armin is in the movie at the very end. Rumor has it that some people
didn't want his scenes to be included in the movie.
- Troi is "wacky and zany" in this movie....much lighter and more like
Marina.
Marina's next project is some independent film called Retcina (spelling?)...this
is the name of an italian wine. Said she has been attracting interest
from independent film makers because she is a big name but works cheaper.
[She said this with a laugh. ] She is also on the new Tommy Shaw (Damn
Yankees?) album. She is reading a poem at the end of the CD on a "secret"
track and her voice is sampled on a song called "Need Water."
When talking about the old TNG episodes, Marina has a good memory for
the name of the episodes. She told some stories about her distaste for
the heat and complaining about "idiot directors" while doing "Who Watchers
The Watchers," sweating to death in the desert. Being radio miked, she
was off in a distance and complaining loudly that the director couldn't
direct his way out of a paper bag, etc., bitching on until the cameraman
waved at her to shut up because the director was hearing every word.
She also told funny antidotes about being stuck in an airtight box for
the episode "Phatasms" (correct name???) for hours where her head was
sticking out of a hole at the top of the cake to be cut by Picard and
Data. Said she got so hot and sweaty, her body heat was making the icing
on the cake melt.
Also she kidded about being the one to suffer all the time "for my big
mouth" by having to do gross things. She complained that "Gates never
had to do anything gross!! Yet she made me that lizard thing in that episode
she directed!!" And said that the mud bath she and Worf had to sit in
was the grossest thing she has ever been in because the mud looked like
mud used for female mud wrestling and it looked used like it had just
"been brought in from the Tropicana" cause it "had bits in it." [Yeww]
She looked fabulous, dressed all in black. Animated and funny as always,
Marina is in a class all by herself. :)
