After a whole day of partying with superheroes, villains, comic book artists, up-coming rock stars, super geeks and even teletubbies, I woke up early Sunday morning eager to meet actors and actresses from my favorite vampire shows, True Blood and the Vampire Diaries.
True Blood
Since this was my first panel, I wasn’t sure what to expect. To my delightful surprise, I was thoroughly entertained.
First of all, the Hyatt Centennial ballroom was packed from corner to corner with True Blood fans, all anticipating the moment that the people who portray their favorite characters would appear.
Upon the announcer’s introduction, four of the actors from True Blood walked out on the stage.
Sam Trammell (Sam Merlotte), Nelsan Ellis (Lafayette Reynolds), Joe Manganiello (Alcide Herveaux), and Carrie Preston (Arlene Fowler)
I had hoped Rutina Wesley (Tara Thornton) and Alexander Skarsgård (Eric Northman) would make an apperance as many of the other fans had hoped as well, but we were very happy with the crew we got.
At least I know I was. 🙂
First question screamed from a fan, “Joe, can you please take your shirt off?!”
LOL! I’m not gonna lie, that would’ve been nice to see. But he blushed, chuckled and politely declined to gift our hungry eyes with his amazing ripped torso. 😉
Sam was happily surprised to see such a huge turnout at the panel because it was 10am. People were clearly hung over, but they dragged their asses out of bed to for the True Blood panel, and like I said, they filled the room.
That’s dedication, baby!
At the beginning of the panel, Carrie did most of talking. Did you know she’s from Macon, Georgia? 😀 She made it known and was happy to be home, which got her some big cheers from the fans. She expressed that sometime in the near future she would like to shadow the director of the show to get a taste of the work on the other side of the camera then hopefully direct one of the shows.
Nelsan, who portrays the sassy, outspoken Lafayette, was pretty timid and tongue tied at first, but soon opened up. I find that most actors who play outrageous roles are pretty quiet and reserved, like Joseph Morgan who plays Klaus in the Vampire Diaries. Yes, he’s a timid one, but talking about Joseph comes later.
Little known facts about Nelsan and Joe:
When the show True Blood first started, Nelsan had to dig deep within to find the feminine part of himself to bring Lafayette to life. He struggled with this, but found inspiration in his mother and sisters.
Personally, I love it when an actor has to portray a character that is nothing like him or her. It displays their true acting skills. And Nelsan got it! Which is why I absolutely adore him!
Also, he listens to Rihanna to get into the Lafayette role before he steps in front of the camera. Now every time I hear Rihanna, I think of Lafayette. 🙂
Joe had a fear of wolves before taking the role as the alpha wolf Alcide Herveaux. He said the yellow eyes freak him out. Yeah, those slanted yellow eyes can be pretty damn scary. It took a while for Joe to warm up the wolf Thunder who plays Alcide in wolf form. And likewise for Thunder. 😀 But once the alpha wolf licked Joe’s pants to show he accepted the brawny human, the two formed a bond. Joe often drops by to take Thunder on walks.
Notice the chain for a leash. Damn that’s a big ass wolf.
While out with Thunder, Joe said when he got comfortable and started petting Thunder like dog, he kept saying to himself, “Oh shit, he is not a dog, he’s a fucking wolf.” LOL
The announcer asked pretty normal questions, but the best questions came from fans during Q&A session. One of the questions to the panel was “Which season is your favorite, and why?”
Nelsan says the first season is his favorite because he was able to work with Sam, Rutina and the other major actors
on regular basis. As the seasons go on and the storyline thickens, the interaction with them stretches and he misses working with them.
I think they all pretty much feel that way.
Speaking of Rutina… Lafayette, I mean Nelsan, *snicker* gave her a call during the panel. The question came up about the steamy love affair between Tara and Pam. Of course the men on the panel cast mannish grins at the crowd. Joe said he loves the outfits Tara wears now. Then Sam brought up what a great dancer Rutina is.
I’m sure we all remember how well Tara (Rutina) worked that pole in season 5. *grin*
Anyway, being that the crowd was anxious to know how Rutina felt about Tara and Pam’s moment of intense sensuality, which of course will lead to something very promising in season 6, Nelsan got Rutina on the phone, and put her on speaker. The crowd went crazy when they heard her voice. Like me, they couldn’t wait to hear her answer about her character’s romance with Pam. *grin*
I think it was an awkward moment for her ‘cause she wasn’t prepared for the question. When asked the question, she laughed, paused then muttered, “I don’t know, I don’t knoooow.”
Nelsan chuckled then apologized for catching her off guard, right before calling her “hookah.” 😀
Another fan asked, “what’s your favorite gory vampire killing scene?”
Nelsan, Joe and Carrie pointed at Sam, then agreed as a whole. When he flew into the vampire’s mouth as a fly then shifted into human form while in her mouth, that was the best vampire death. I absolutely agree with that! That scene was crazy, bloody, and somewhat comical.
Sam talked about how 3 dudes covered him in buckets of red corn syrup and sticky, gooey stuff that acted as brain matter for the scene. He actually enjoyed the fake blood bath. LOL!
Another question from a fan: “What do you like to do on your down time?”
Carrie has an obsession with her dog and kids, so spends her off time with them.
Joe spends his off time at the gym. With a ripped bod like that… *swoon* And when he’s not pumping that sexy body up, he’s playing video games.
Nelsan likes poetry jams. For some reason that didn’t surprise me. He seems like the type of kat who would love poetry.
Sam spends his time surfing and chasing his little boys around.
All in all, the Q & A was successful and I enjoyed getting to know the actors on personal level. I did think the panel would be a little more extreme, and off the chain being that the show is so bizarre and unique. However, it was pretty tamed, but thoroughly enjoyable. I’m looking forward to next year’s TB panel at Dragon*Con, as well as Comic Con.
The Vampire Diaries
The craziness didn’t start until I headed over to Westin Peachtree ballroom for the Vampire Diaries panel. OMG, those dudes…wow! I’m sure they are suave and reserved when they are by themselves, but together, they are fucking out of control.
Seriously!
I had to post pics from online because my pics of the panel turned out crappy and blurry. Sorry. Those dudes had me laughing so much, my hands kept shaking and I couldn’t get a steady pic.
But let me tell you…
I met two women while shopping at an anime vendor who attended both the True Blood and the Vampire Diaries panels on Saturday. She sung praises about how good the TB panel was, and after seeing it for myself on Sunday, I see why.
That aside, her opinion on the TVD panel was a little different. She grinned and kept shaking her head, saying “those guys are wild. God, they are so wild, but fun, and so freaking adorable, especially Ian.” She warned me that if I planned to attend the panel the next day, don’t bother getting in line to ask them questions.
I didn’t get why she said that until I got to the panel. Unlike the True Blood panel, which was packed, the Vampire Diaries fans only filled half the room. Honestly, I was surprised that there were so many empty chairs. Where in the hell were all the TVD fans?
Anywho…
Firstly, let’s me tell you who was there. Because they weren’t introduced by names individually, we had no idea who would walk out on stage. But we were happy to see the four beautiful men, Sebastian Roché (Mikael), Joseph Morgan (Klaus Mikaelson), Nathaniel Buzolic (Kol), and Ian Somerhalder (Damon Salvatore) <— In that order. Sorry ladies, no Paul Wesley on the Sunday panel. 😦
Little known facts:
Ian recently had a pretty awkward incident at a comic convention. Though, he didn’t say which convention, he assured it wasn’t at the Dragon*Con. If I remember correctly, he said he and Joseph went to the restroom. They washed their hands then Joseph left the restroom, leaving Ian behind.
Ian walked out of the restroom and was caught by his throat by this big amazon hand, then was snatched him from where he stood and pinned against the nearest wall. He was stunned to see his captor was none other than Wonder Womaaann!
Or rather a woman dressed like Wonder Woman. 😀
Freaked out, yet captivated by how beautiful she was, Ian told her that the body guards were right on the other side of the wall and if she didn’t let him go, they would kick her out.
Without saying a word, she kissed him, sat him back down and walked away. True story, according to Ian.
Go Wonder Woman!!!
Ladies, take note from Wonder Woman. If you plan to grab Ian and jack him up on a wall… Make. It. Count!
Now, for those of you who wanted to see Ian Somerhalder as the gorgeous, yet psychotic Christian Grey from 50 Shades of Grey, I’m sorry to inform you that it’s not gonna happen. Hey, don’t get mad at me. He said he’s not gonna do it. I actually think it’s good decision. I’d prefer not to see him play the role of a demented sociopath millionaire who locks ditzy women in his basement and torments them with sex.
Moving on…
Right off the bat, the panel was wired. These guys were unhinged and didn’t care. A few “f’ bombs were dropped. Somebody said “shit”. Sebastian said “penis” and “cock” just for the fun of it. It was a crazy time. Apparently, this is normal language for Sebastian, Nathaniel, Ian and Joseph. Though Joseph, my favorite, was the tamest of them all, he too got sucked into the craziness.
At one point Sebastian and Nathaniel hopped up from the table to go pass out hugs like free candy. I’m serious! I had stepped out in the aisle to try to get a shot of it and almost got trampled by a pack of woman who rushed to the front to get their hug.
Good thing I have quick reflexes. I would’ve been hollering out, “Someone please call 911!”
Of course Ian and Joseph kept their asses glued to their seats. I don’t want to even think about what would’ve happen if they had left that stage to join in on the hug party. It would’ve been like wolves mauling sheep. Not a pretty sight. So it was a good thing they stayed where they were grinning at their co-stars.
The Q&A session was a hot mess to say the least. They would answer a question then go way off the topic. An question that should take no more than 60 seconds to answer stretches to 15 minutes or more. The panel was an hour long and I do believe only four fans got to ask questions.
Several times, the announcer/ interviewer tried to reel them in and make them behave themselves. Sadly, he failed each time. LOL!
Sebastian was the king of sexual innuendos. He could turn any conversation into a discussion about sex. Yes, Sebastian is horny as hell! Would somebody please bone him? I mean, I would do it, but… I’m married, sooo…yeaaahhh…
Somehow, Jennifer Lopez’s booty came into the convo and Ian quoted Chris Rock’s joke about JLo needing a separate limo for her ass. *giggle* Sebastian started singing a Beyoncé song then expressed how much he likes the song… and the video.
When asked who they would compel if they really possessed the power to persuade human minds, Sebastian and Ian were jokingly fighting over the chance to compel JLo.
For those of you who are curious, Ian and Sebastian are clearly “ass men”. So if you have a big ghetto booty like Bey or JLo, I’m a hundred percent sure you can garner their attention and keep it. 😉
BTW, Ian changed his answer and said he would compel the president. Hm… 
Ian said that he thinks Damon should have more sex. I found this amusing since Damon gets more sex than anyone on the show. And Joseph didn’t hesitate to point that out. Ian disagreed and said the last time Damon got laid was when he boned Rebecca. Of course you know Rebecca is Klaus’ sister, which is why Joseph scowled at him and said, “Don’t bring that up.”
Suddenly, Sebastian, who played Rebecca and Klaus’ father, Mikael, perked up and said, “You had sex with my daughter?!”
*giggle* Yeah, that was funny moment.
The guys were having another one of their off the topic discussions, which was slowly making its way toward sex again, when a fan in line for questions said, “okay shhhhh, time for my question now.”
The lady sitting next to me, turned and looked at me with wide eyes and asked, “Did she just tell them to shut up?”
Yes, she did! And guess what? They shut the hell up and listened. LOL! So that’s what it takes to get them in line; a woman verbally cracking the whip. Hmmm…
Well on that note, I have a message to Kat Graham and Nina Dobrev. Ladies, you cannot allow the guys of TVD to do panels without supervision anymore! Take turns if you have to, but make sure one of you are in the building to keep them leashed, so the fans don’t feel gypped and disappointed at the end of the panel.
Once they ran out of time, a lot of people that were in line to ask questions walked out with not so happy expressions on their faces.
All that aside, it was fun to see this off-the-wall side of them. Though I would’ve liked them to tone it down just a tad bit so fans could get more questions in, I’m glad I caught the panel and can’t wait to see it next year.
