Hellebration 2008, Part 3

I'm back!! Literally, I'm back home again in Indiana! Sorry it took so long to post....where was I?

Oh yes, the pre-party! As I said, I finally got to meet GDT. He was everything you would want him to be - super-friendly, smiling, giving everyone hugs. When I told him I was "Parker" from DelToroFilms he gave me the fist-bump and a huge hug. It was great! I had my DelToroFilms t-shirt on and he said "Nice shirt." I joked that they were selling them at Frederick's of Hollywood now and he asked if they came with nipple clamps. The guy is on my wavelength - at least comedy-wise.

He took me up to the bar at the restaurant and ordered a Mexican pork dish that was fabulous. This seemed to be his favorite dish at Loteria, and he was having everyone try it. At one point he tied a scarf around his neck like a waiter and was serving food to everyone - pretty funny.

Everyone had a great time at the restaurant, GDT made sure to talk with everyone. Unfortunately, MTV showed up and started interviewing him, so that kind of took away from the event. But at least all the fans had each other to talk to - we really became fast friends and continued to chat and hang out over the course of the entire evening.

Finally, it was time to hop on the shuttle and go see the movie!! GDT ditched his ride I think and jumped on the bus with us. In the process, some guy off the street he happened to walk by asked what was going on and GDT pulled him on the bus - we had to explain to him that we were going to see a premiere of Hellboy 2. The guy couldn't believe his luck - he had seen nearly all of GDT's movies and had a smile on his face the rest of the night. Since he was coming from the grocery store, he had ice cream that melted in his backpack, but he told us later it was worth the sacrifice.

GDT rode in the passenger side of the bus and as we were making the trek to the theater, he grabbed the intercom and start giving us the "Hollywood" tour - cracking us up by pointing out the shady tattoo parlors and offering a prize to the first to spot a cross-dressing man.

When we got to the theater at the Academy (yes THE Academy), we piled off the bus, but a guy out front told us we were in the wrong place and had to walk around the building. Which was kind of funny, so the fans and GDT hiked it around to the side of the building together - it was worth it because we got some swag at that entrance - a booklet, a comic, and some rubber Hellboy horns for our head.

As we walked into the theater, GDT pulled me aside and told me I was a "great man" for what I was doing with the website. I get extremely shy and modest when I get compliments, so my head went down and immediately started babbling about how it was his fans that were truly great - which is absolutely true. It was a nice moment - I hope I made a better impression with him than how I visualize it in my head. Fan paranoia, I know.

Doug Jones was sitting two rows ahead of me in the theater so I got to say, "Hi" and I locked down and interview with him this month when he is in Indiana shooting a movie. Can't wait for that! Doug is a wonderfully friendly, generous soul. AND a helluva actor - he is fantastic in HB2.

Oh, yes, the MOVIE. You probably want to hear my review, don't you? Well, you're going to have to wait because I need a whole new post for that one. Let me just say that it is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!! Come July 11th, you guys are in for a big treat!!! I'll get my spoiler-free post up soon enough.

After the movie, the cast (everyone but Ron, who is filming is new F/X TV show) , Guillermo, and Mike Mignola came out for a brief Q/A. Not a lot of "scoops" from the Q/A, but a lot of great stories from Guillermo and cast about their hijinx on the set. My favorite was Guillermo talking about filming a scene with Doug and Selma where they had to fire guns while standing back-to-back, and he had to try to keep them from doing cheesy Charlie's Angels poses. Funny, funny stuff.

Following the screening, we went to a lobby-type area for appetizers and meet-and-greets. I got to talk with all the stars and get their autographs. Here is my brief summary:

Selma Blair: She was very friendly and approachable (despite labelling herself as anti-social during the Q/A). I kept our conversation short, just asking for her autograph and telling her I thought the movie was great. My wife jumped in and got her autograph for her boss, telling Selma that "this should get her a promotion", to which Selma laughed and said "Thank you."

Anna Walton: She was very sweet and very pretty. She seemed tall as well, not sure how high those heels were. I chatted with her briefly about what she has going next and she mentioned working on The Mutant Chronicles and a new TV series based on Robinson Crusoe.

Luke Goss: Dude was cool as can be. You might think there were all girls standing around him, but when I was there it was all guys! He was a trip - talking about how cool it was to do all the weapon work in the movie, particularly with Prince Nuada's spear. He loved it and joked about even doing the moves with his BBQ tools when he is grilling out. I got to speak with him for a few minutes, probably longer than anyone, and he was extremely gracious and friendly.

Doug Jones: Doug's the best with his fans, he has a legion of "Fan Sapiens" who all love him - with good reason. I got his autograph real quick and we talked about getting together in Indiana to talk about his independent flick he is filming at Ball State University. That should be later this month, or early August. I can't wait.

Guillermo: This was the third chance I had to talk to GDT that evening, so I wanted to make it quick because he had a legion of fans wanting to speak with him. It took me almost 45 minutes to make my way through the crowd - the man is so gracious with his time. He complied with every autograph request, flipped through countless art portfolios, and gave everyone his undivided attention - making it a special moment for each and every fan. The guy is a dynamo. I felt kind of guilty taking his time again, but I wanted to get his autograph on a Hellboy book so I would have everyone's signature that was at the event. He again gave me a great hug and signed my books. I hope to have the chance to speak with him at length at some point and really get ask him some good questions - but for this event I kept it brief and thanked him for everything. He said something to me as I left which was hard for me to understand with his accent and I am hoping he didn't ask me a question because I laughed and told him "I would see him later." More fan paranoia, I guess - I shouldn't obsess so much. Anyway, it was great meeting him - I hope to do it again for The Hobbit.

That pretty much spelled the end of the evening - soon they cut the lights and ushered the fans out to the buses.

I also want to say how great all the fans were at this event. I've known most everyone from the message boards, but this was the first I had met them in person. Everyone was friendly, funny, and just a pleasure to be around. GDT could not have a better "family" to be a part of - I enjoyed meeting every one of you and I can't wait to see you again.

I finished off the evening by sharing some Tecate beer with some fellow fans - I can't believe we didn't get a visit from security. We were pretty loud. But we were drinking and celebrating and enjoying each other's company- a perfect end to the trip.

Thanks again everyone, and thanks GDT!