Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Have you been to a Highlander convention? Any fond memories?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Have you been to a Highlander convention? Any fond memories?

    Have you ever attended a Highlander convention? Maybe one of the HLWW ones, or Indylander, or last year's LashCon? Maybe you ran into Peter Wingfield at a different convention? Something else?

    So many great memories at HLWW8 and 9. What was your favorite memories of what you've been to? Any pictures?
    12
    Yes, I've been to one.
    58.33%
    7
    No, I've never been.
    33.33%
    4
    No, but I plan on!
    8.33%
    1
    Highlander: Dark Places

  • #2
    I went to seven conventions and waited in line for Stan's autograph. Each time the line for signing stopped just before my turn even when I had paid extra for the autograph. I mentioned it to Stan when I was a volunteer at my eighth con. He ended up giving me eight autographs that day for the price of one. My two favorites are the ones where he doodled on a photo of Adrian and one that says Eight is my lucky number.

    Comment


    • #3
      I attended and loved several of them, years ago. Just recently, I found and reread notes I'd taken at one - I don't know what one it was. But over the years, I'd forgotten such wonderful tidbits!

      A delightful story re "Indiscretions": They were filming in a real Paris bar they had permission to use. But the filming went on too long, and the management threw them out. They had to adjourn to a backup filming site: of all things, a hangar. But it was really cold, and the hangar was unheated. Not only was everyone cold - people's breaths were visibly fogging up. Turns out the acting craft has a way of dealing with that. Before filming a scene, Jim Byrnes and the actress playing Joe's daughter had to melt ice cubes in their mouths!

      Another neat tidbit, re the episode in which Richie spotted the mugger who'd killed Tessa. We learned the actor who'd played the bit part of the mugger brought the idea to them!

      And we were told more than I'd known before about the changes that had to be made in "The Hunters" when they had to film without Werner Stocker. The role of Fitz had been meant as such a small cameo that he would have been killed early on (Darius, near the end of the episode). Even when they began making changes, they planned having Fitz die near the end. They only changed that plan when they decided it would diminish the impact of Darius's death.

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by Wilusa View Post
        And we were told more than I'd known before about the changes that had to be made in "The Hunters" when they had to film without Werner Stocker. The role of Fitz had been meant as such a small cameo that he would have been killed early on (Darius, near the end of the episode). Even when they began making changes, they planned having Fitz die near the end. They only changed that plan when they decided it would diminish the impact of Darius's death.
        They were right. I'd be way sorrier to see Fitz go at that point, as a character.
        Highlander: Dark Places

        Comment


        • #5
          Just remembered something interesting I "learned" a few weeks ago, when I found some old notes I'd taken at a convention. (I was going through my bureau drawers to find things that could go to 1-800-GOT-JUNK!)

          At that convention, fans were very angry about Richie's having been killed in "Archangel." But some were even more irate because they'd assumed Stan Kirsch had been leaving by his own choice, and they'd only recently learned he'd been "let go." I don't think I'd ever assumed it had been his choice to leave.

          But here's what I - and I think many others - were surprised to learn! Stan would have left by his own choice, at the beginning of Season 5, if a pilot he'd been in had been picked up as a series. The HL producers were prepared for that. They meant to rearrange their filming schedule so he could have been in "The End of Innocence" - a good place to leave his story, with Richie, Mac, and Joe all back on good terms. And then we never would have seen him again.

          No one can fault Stan for wanting to do that. Season 5 was expected to be the series' last - and they'd only been using him in, I think, five episodes per season. He had every right to make a move that would benefit his career.

          But that does make it a little easier to understand the HL producers' later decision. It's a business, for all of them! And it wasn't as if Stan had been so fanatically devoted to Highlander that he would have rejected other opportunities and stayed to the bitter end.

          Comment


          • #6
            I'd like to go to a con, but it's just never worked out.
            “A sinner can always repent, but stupid is forever.”
            Billy Sunday

            Comment


            • #7
              I remember something I found unpleasant at one of the cons (I attended several). I'm a woman, and I certainly approve women being treated equally with men. But I thought certain actresses were being militantly feminist, in a way that turned me against them. Tracy Scoggins (who'd played Cassandra, of course), and the actress who'd played Rebecca (I don't even remember her name), were both going on about how they'd known so much more about how their characters should have been played than Adrian did! (I think both of them were in episodes he directed. The character of Cassandra was certainly in Revelation 6:8, and I think Rebecca may have been in newly created flashbacks in Methusaleh's Gift. If not, she'd certainly worked with him in Legacy.) And of course, he - having been with the show from Day 1 - knew more about how things should be done than they did! I came to dislike them - and also, to some degree, Elizabeth Gracen, because I perceived her as siding with them.

              By the way, I'm puzzled by seeing these "Join Dates." If there was no Forum for a significant length of time, how can people have earlier Join Dates? I was a member of that earlier Forum too, though I have no idea when I joined.
              Last edited by Wilusa; 07-29-2017, 08:39 AM.

              Comment


              • Coolwater
                Coolwater commented
                Editing a comment
                AP may know a lot about the Highlander canon, but he may not know squat about women in those periods or about mystical stuff, so the women could have been right. In any event he was the director, right? So, even when the director is wrong, he's right.

            • #8
              I think it's because some people remember their join-dates from the earlier board, and Andrew decided it's okay. I was not at those cons, and have no idea about the things that happened, but I can say that Rebecca lay down her sword and had her head taken by Luther without even a twitch. That hurt. Amanda was usually portrayed as the troublemaker. The cause of the situation. She got Kalas out of jail. Without Duncan around, she would have become a black widow murdering her husbands, and indifferent to Rebecca's death which, for all we know, might have been Amanda rather than Luther. As you made the notes, can you tell me what they objected to? Did they want to be more capable of defending themselves?

              Comment


              • #9
                No, I don't have any notes from that con, just a memory that stuck in my mind. That they thought of their precious selves as being more important than they really were!

                Comment


                • #10
                  Yes, I've been to a Highlander Convention. Back in....2003? 2004? It was HLWW7. Location, Leeds Royal Armouries, UK.

                  I met up with Quen Tin & Scorpion. It gets a bit hazy but I think I also met Elle Nora (sincere apologies if I've missed anyone out, it was a long time ago!) - I know I met more forum members but the names slip my mind.

                  I remember standing right near David Abramowitz when he was doing the introductions. Bill Panzer (RIP) made a guest appearance on day 1 which was nice. A small group met up with him later on in the day and had a brief chat about Highlander and what the future had in store for the franchise. I really regret not asking Bill for his autograph.

                  The cast at the convention was: Bill Panzer, David Abramowitz, Adrian Paul, Peter Wingfield, Richard Ridings & Marcus Testory. Valentine Pelka was supposed to be there but I think scheduling conflicts meant he couldn't be at the event. He did send an apologetic video to the fans!

                  Highlights of the 2 days that spring to mind:
                  • Meeting Peter Wingfield outside of the venue purely by chance when waiting for the taxi to take us to the hotel - such a nice guy!
                  • Spending most of the first evening drinking until the early hours with Richard Ridings, Marcus Testory, Quen Tin and Scorpion!
                  • Meeting Bill Panzer, that was a nice surprise.
                  We were also given a sneak preview at Highlander 5: The Source. At the time, we were a bit apprehensive. Adrian talked about it to the audience and from what I remember, his mannerisms seemed to give off the impression that it wasn't going to be spectacular but he did his best to promote and sell the movie to us. I'll never forget what Quen Tin said at the time; 'This'll be Adrian Paul's "Highlander II"' - how right he was

                  A representative from Eidos/Core Design attended the event to talk about the up and coming Highlander video game which was in its early stages of development. It really did sound promising, but the game was canned in 2008!

                  The second day was marred as I had a raging hangover from the night before. Unfortunately I can't remember much about meeting Adrian Paul as my head was pounding at this point - I just remember handing him my Highlander: Endgame DVD case and asked him to sign it, along with David Ambrowitz. A quick 'thank you' and off I went to puke up in the toilets, lol.

                  All in all, it was a very entertaining two days and I got to meet some lovely people....I made plenty of good memories during that weekend.

                  DK
                  Last edited by Dragon Katana; 09-17-2017, 11:25 PM.

                  Comment


                  • #11
                    Bev went to that convention. Did you meet her?

                    Comment


                    • #12
                      Originally posted by mathpiglet View Post
                      Bev went to that convention. Did you meet her?
                      Hi MP.

                      Yes, I believe I did. Sorry, it seems like a lifetime ago now and I was racking my brains trying to remember who I actually met over the course of that weekend but I couldn't remember everyone's name!

                      Ertia....that's her. I'm pretty sure I met her, too.
                      Last edited by Dragon Katana; 09-18-2017, 10:54 AM.

                      Comment


                      • #13
                        I am so glad to be able to go to the October WW10. My last Highlander con was in 1997. Technically, it was my only Highlander con. Though I did get to Anglicon 10.

                        I attended Lashcon! For some reason, I keep forgetting that one. Hah.
                        Last edited by dubiousbystander; 09-18-2017, 12:39 AM. Reason: Forgot a detail.

                        Comment


                        • #14
                          Originally posted by Dragon Katana View Post

                          Hi MP.

                          Yes, I believe I did. Sorry, it seems like a lifetime ago now and I was racking my brains trying to remember who I actually met over the course of that weekend but I couldn't remember everyone's name!

                          Ertia....that's her. I'm pretty sure I met her, too.
                          Some weekends are like that and it is 10 years ago.

                          Comment


                          • #15
                            Hio, Dragon Katana! Yes! You, me, elle, Star (Kelly) and ... I cannot remember Tam's screen name? And a whole bunch of us went to Chinese food one night! It was blast!
                            And yes, there was drink involved, and very little sleep when we were in Leeds! So, yeah, memories are hazy.
                            The other problem with Leeds was that I was supposed to lead a Scotland tour with Elle, Star, Tam, Manitou... and the first day in Scotland, as we were crossing over the border between England and Scotland, there's this huge boulder, a landmark, that says Scotland on one side, and England on the other. I slipped on the ice, hit my head, and got a concussion. Tam ended up driving the van that entire trip, and they mostly 'self-guided' based on my notes and schedule that I'd laid out. It wasn't my first head injury, and I was a bit stubborn about it, refused medical treatment, etc. But it turns out that my memory, and to some extent, my linguistic ability were affected, with issues that are ongoing from that injury. Basically, minor form TBI. So, yeah, there are pictures of me on that trip, both in Leeds and in Scotland, that I simply do not remember happening.
                            Last edited by Ertia; 10-24-2017, 10:44 PM.

                            Comment


                            • Dragon Katana
                              Dragon Katana commented
                              Editing a comment
                              Haha, bit late to the party here Ertia but I do remember going to that Chinese restaurant! Quen Tin also came along with us...can you remember him offering me a rose? I still have a photo of that moment! It was a great couple of days and I wish HLWW would return to the UK.

                          • #16
                            Oh, but Leeds aside, I've been to several of the cons, including the original first ever in Denver. Unfortunately, I drove all night to get there and was sick with what I later learned was a severe kidney infection- fever, chills, vomiting... I attended, like three hours of the con, spent the night in my hotel room sick as a dog, then had to drive back to Oregon to be back at work in the morning, only to have my boss see how sick I was and take me to the ER. I really don't remember much of the con. Oh, and my friend who was with me went out to get me some aspirin and ran into Stan Kirsch in the hallway or elevator or something and came back and was telling me that OMIGODSHEMETRICHIE and I was like, that's nice, I'm puking here. Not my best memory. No signatures, no Highland dancers for me... Lots of money for an insane trip. (Learned at this con that Ken Gord was supposed to have a panel at Denver, but got bumped for the Highlander dancers!)

                            Vancouver was my favorite, I think, mostly for the good friends who I was spending time with there (And chatting with Peter in the cafe while waiting for coffee one morning.) The last LA con, when Spider came with me at the last minute, and we all stayed up drinking all night with Richard Ridings, et- al (Okay, Andrew & Spider, etc, stayed up all night drinking. I went to bed before midnight, like a normal human.) was a lot of fun. Got to meet Mark Ryan (whom I have loved since Robin of Sherwood) because he dropped by to see Valentine Pelka, and Spider, being Spider, went and asked if he could take a photo with me.

                            This con, HLWW 10, though, is going to remain a special one, not just because it was the last. There were so many new faces, so many younger people, who had never attended events before. It was really inspiring!
                            I also had the opportunity after the con to spend some time talking to the directors. I spent the whole six hour drive home thinking about our conversation, and how these men had no idea ho,w big Highlander had been for some of us. A few of us tried to explain that, no, really, when people kept standing up and saying "Highlander changed my life" and "Highlander saved my life", they meant it, literally. I ended up telling my own Highlander Saved My Life story, and then drew their stories out of them, and watched it dawn on them that yeah, there is some kind of weird synergy, some kind of magic, that has reached out to everyone involved in Highlander, and that it just keeps expanding, changing lives, saving lives, moving the story forward.

                            Comment


                            • #17
                              I think I was there for your story... and you just sent me a friend request on Facebook. Though I might have you mixed up with someone else.

                              Comment


                              • #18
                                Originally posted by Ertia View Post
                                Vancouver was my favorite, I think
                                Probably mine as well. It was my first Highlander convention and I hadn't even done things like San Diego Comic-Con yet. Such a magical time, everything was so fresh and the cast so intimidating. These larger than life figures, walking amongst us.

                                This con, HLWW 10, though, is going to remain a special one, not just because it was the last. There were so many new faces, so many younger people, who had never attended events before. It was really inspiring!
                                Very. Bittersweet, I think I'd call it.

                                A few of us tried to explain that, no, really, when people kept standing up and saying "Highlander changed my life" and "Highlander saved my life", they meant it, literally. I ended up telling my own Highlander Saved My Life story, and then drew their stories out of them, and watched it dawn on them that yeah, there is some kind of weird synergy, some kind of magic, that has reached out to everyone involved in Highlander, and that it just keeps expanding, changing lives, saving lives, moving the story forward.
                                True. Seems like at every attempt by the cast/crew to kind of say something to the effect of, "Well, it's over now," yeah, someone would pipe in, "HIGHLANDER CHANGED MY LIFE/MADE ME WHO I AM!" and there would be people taken aback. And tears.
                                Highlander: Dark Places

                                Comment


                                • #19
                                  *chuckle* Yes. This one, as the second ... third... I keep not counting Lashcon! Perhaps I just will leave it uncounted. Highlander WorldWide 10 was everything, a dream, a wonder!

                                  In a minor joke. As their apparent target market was 10-12 year old boys, clearly it worked. The Rewatchers were those boys and now they're adults, looking back on their memories.Talk about a long-term investment.

                                  I heard at the con that Endgame finally turned a profit, just the week before the con! Hey, they ARE Immortals, playing the long game!

                                  Comment

                                  Working...
                                  X