Part 2- Froday at ORC

[lavendertook]

THE SETTING

So Friday dawned a gorgeous day, with a nice view of the mountains from Abandonada's place and all along the drive to Pasadena where we could even view snow-covered peaks beyond the palm and citrus trees.



We found our fellow hobbit, the ever cheerful and generous rosmundeb as soon as we arrived at the Convention Center and began our picture snapping even then. As soon as we walked inside we were greeted by a 2 X life-size statue of Lurtz screaming at his feet the way you do on Monday morning when you have to get up early . . . you don't do that? OK. Sorry. And then opposite the stairs was a life size statue of a Nazgul on his rearing steed. Then down the corridor to the right, before you came to a merchanting area and the main theater, was a crouching, screaming 2/3-life size orc statue. Once in the main theater one could see an almost hobbit life-size Gollum-with-fish on a stand on the stage before the nice huge banners of Frodo with Sam and Merry with Pippin and Gimli as the stage's backdrop.

The CONSUMERISM

First up were the fan films and none of them really caught my attention so I took off with my nervous energy and hit the merchants' room and got Stuff, like nice glossies, and hobbit feet, because you never know when you might need some--you know for those special moments when nothing but a hobbit will do--and I finally found one of those 1' tall Frodo dolls with a face that wasn't horrifying like most of the others and actually pretty good, so I got him. And did we have fun with him back at the apartment, but you weren't there, so I'm not going to tell.

DOM'S TALK

Then I came back to the theater and joined Abandonada and Spookystoy for Dominic Monaghan's talk. He was very gracious with all the fans who asked questions. I was quite amused by the way he would greet each questioner with a little crouch and whispery little Marilyn Monroe-like, "Hiiiii." It was a very sweet way to respond to his fans. He was questioned a lot about "Lost" which I haven't watched so I didn't follow along too well. He was very comfortable with the questioning but not as much fun as when he has Billy to play off of. I liked how he talked about people giving him a hard time about being environmentally concerned and having to defy their expectations that it was just a pretense. Good on him. And of course he had to set up a joke for the fans to pull on Billy and Lij, which was amusing, but other reports have told you all about that.

BINGO'S QUEST

After Dom's talk I walked around outside for a little bit to get my bearings and catch a little of that pretty California day. There is a little market square area across the street from the convention center with the mountains visible in the background. Then I rejoined abandonada and spookystoy as they waited for autograph ops. And there was an empty stage with that Gollum statue on it and me with a stuffed koala just waiting to get a photo op with him, and spookystoy encouraging me to walk on out there and get that photo. So from that point on I spent a good part of the weekend being preoccupied with getting Bingo his photo ops with Abandonada's and Spookystoy's diabolical encouragement, and I have to say it was a whole lot of fun. After that we had to get Bingo's pic with all the orc statues and, his favorite, the Nazgul in the lobby.

WHIRLED WITH SUNDAYS

So then we had the dessert party with pretty good ice cream and all the fixings to put on it. And the chocolate fountain that you could dip cake and fruit into was decadently cool, as it damn well should have been because this was quite the over-priced event. But there were folks in great costumes running about there. There were a number of gorgeous Arwen's, some lovely Eowyn's, and number of cute hobbits, and one gorgeous Galadriel who I wasn't able to work up my courage to ask for a photo op for Bingo until Saturday night. And there was a terrific Aragorn who we had to get a photo op with as well. Bingo did get a photo op with a woman dressed as the Tower of Baradur with the Eye on top--architectural costumes are just the best!(-: --and a pink slippered nazgul riding a hobby horse.

Abandonada's, Rosamunde's, and Spookystoy's action figures and Bingo had fun partying on the table as we watched the entertainment. Bruce Hopkin's, the Elf actors, Royd Tolkien, Peter Tait, and Dan Falconer were very amusing and giggly on stage--obviously all this female fan adulation and lust being directed at them was still novel for them, unlike the case with the hobbit actors, and they were just having a total ball with it--Bruce Hopkins was just whirling around in his matrix-leather coat like a hyper child. I just felt like I was watching the scene when Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer goes, "I'm cuuuute!!!" (-:

Then there were a few fan acts. A woman did a dance with veils as Luthien with a Beren set to Howard Shore's Aniron which was quite lovely and I think worked really well. Next, three women dressed as an orc and Frodo and Sam in orc armor did a song and dance changing the words of "My Guy" to "My Eye" which was quite amusing. World Without Sundays was pretty good and they joined in the filking by doing a cover of Tolkien's punk classic, "When There's a Whip, There's a Way.

We were too beat to hang out to hear the karaoke, so we went home and had fun accesorizing my new Bingo Frodo doll cause, you know, we know how to have fun, and that was Friday.

Comments

A very nice report. Thanks!

[abandonada.livejournal.com]

And perhaps it's best that you didn't go into too much detail about your new one-foot hunk Frodo. We had more fun than three grown women should be allowed to have with a toy.

Note to self: Is doll bondage legal in California?

Re: TY. YW. (-:

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

Of course I won't--I don't want to interfer with the uniqueness of the play other folks come up with for their hobbit action dollies what was with that muscle-builder form--that is just sooo wrong for Frodo--what were they thinking?--the idiots!.

I think so, as long as they are consenting.

[barbary-coast.livejournal.com]

Excellent con report! And "aw" to the cuuuuuuuteness.

[scendan.livejournal.com]

Glad you liked "My Eye." :) I'll pass the compliment along to the rest of the Prancing Pony Players.

Re: TY. YW. (-:

[rosamundeb.livejournal.com]

Excuse me, ladies, but I demand to know what was done with Frodo - details, I want DETAILS!!!

[rosamundeb.livejournal.com]

That was a wonderfully written report - I love your style! *L*!

And I'd completely forgotten about "Where There's a Whip" - *ggl*.

Hey, so when do we see the Bingo photo album?

Muahahahahahahaaaaa. Er, I mean *halo*

[spookystoy.livejournal.com]

Indeed I am diabolical an encourager. All for fun and fun for all. But I'm not sure what I had with your Frodoll could be called fun. Trauma is more like it. I wake up screaming, certain he is dangling above my head, lit by an eerie green glowin-the-dark action figure. :D

[bbolger-baggins.livejournal.com]

Please, Ms. Brownlockes, a gentle hobbit never tells. *looks sternly at the muns*

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

Thank you. (-: Despite the gender dynamic, it was nice to see those guys enjoying themselves--I've seen rooster-strutting behavior from male con guests before and they just weren't radiating any of that, even when the elves threw themselves moshpit-style into the audience of fangrrls--they were enjoying being sex objects, since as men they can step out of that box when they want to and still enjoy the perks, but they did seem to be aware how invested much of the fandom is in gay male pairings, and that might make a difference too. But it still was a pretty gendered dynamic of male idols and predominantly female worshippers at this con. As fun as it was, I wish they had had some high profile women guests at it to balance the genderedness of it. I just worry sometimes that a lot of these gorgeous fangrrls don't consider themselves worthy of squee for their costuming talents and the other talents they're bringing with them, me being one who tends to fangrrl the fangrrls. Sorry for getting all analytical here.

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

You're here on LJ!(-: Yes, please do! I met you in the bathroom when you were commenting on the contrast between your application of dirt for the authenticity of your hobbit-ware while others there were applying make-up.(-: Excellent Frodo-ware!(-:

[scendan.livejournal.com]

LOL! Yes, I remember meeting you! I felt so silly applying all the crud to my face while everybody else (or at least a significant subset) were looking so pretty and elfy and elegantly dressed!

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

Awww, thank you! Ooooo, I gots a style!?! (-:

I don't know anything about this band--do you know if they are well-known or just an LA local favorite that the hobbit boys like?

Ahaha! Abandonada has gotten some great ones she emailed to me--I'll email you them. I hope to get my rolls back tomorrow or Thursday--they won't be that great because my camera isn't digital, but I get them prinited up as photos and on diskette. Then I have to convert the diskette pics into jpegs, so I can send you some then. It may take me a little time to figure out my mac hosting site--it's been a while since I used it--so it may be a little while before I get them hosted. They'll be worked into some of Bingo's storylines on his LJ for sure.

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

But you're stronger for it now; so see, it was beneficial. Green glowing action figures have nothing on you now. (-;

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

Well, when you're going for hobbit-look, you're going for adorable. Elegant is for the Elves and Rohan maidens, which is harder for us short folk. And adorable is just as good and sexy as elegant. And you had adorable down. (-:

[rosamundeb.livejournal.com]

*sigh* Durn it! *G*

[rosamundeb.livejournal.com]

I don't know much about them (WWS) either... at all!

Sure it takes time - *G*.