Hello once again Stargate and Chevron fans,
As I sit down to draft my final report on Chevron 7.6, I wonder quite where to start. My head is a boiling pot of recollections images and flashbacks. My stomach churns remembering the nervous trepidation which precedes the arrival of a guest. My senses still tingle from the excitement of meeting my hero’s. My heart swells with pride and admiration for the guests; tired and exhausted, but still determined to greet each new face as if it was the first of the day.
Conducted at the Hilton Metropole, Massive Events and their operational wing ShowMasters, as per usual, have once again excelled 
themselves; they sure know how to throw a party. In all seriousness, each and every detail of hosting an event is exacted with the greatest of care. The staff members, well trained, are courteous and treat you with the utmost care and attention. The schedules are meticulously timed to run as smoothly as possible.
There were a few hiccups impossible to predict. Namely Richard Dean Anderson (RDA), who, so intent to stop and chat to every single fan and make their experience as special as possible; continually ran over his time quotas. Signings and photo shoots had to be rescheduled.
Massive Events excelled in their communications, and made sure each and everyone of us were treated fairly so we were able to receive all our goodies. Sure we were inconvenienced, and had to queue for longer, but there was not one complaint, instead, people chatted, stories were swapped and friends were made. If anything it bought people together and enduring waits soon paled into insignificance.
So in the words of Julie Andrews (The Sound Of Music), “Let’s start at the very beginning, it’s a very good place to start”.
The journey to Chevron 7.6 kicked off on a late Friday afternoon (5.30pm) with a mad dash up the M40 to Birmingham. As the hardy British commuter knows, this is not a journey for the lighthearted. Consequently, by the time I reached the hotel and my bedroom, the opening ceremony had finished and the fans had begun to mill around the hotel lobby.
A perusal of the welcoming pack found photographs, badges, an O,Neill I.D card, a coaster, pen and the weekend schedule. This schedule, although clear and precise, was a minefield of negotiations and strategies that “a bear of very little brain” like myself found rather daunting to say the least. Soon, however, a plan of action was concocted, and it became apparent that an early start was the order of the day. So with alarm clock set, I bundled myself off to bed.
Day One:
For those of you who have not had the opportunity to attend a Massive Events convention, let me impart a little advice……wear comfy shoes. The very nature of the event means running from one room to another, then copious amounts waiting and standing around, that said, this by no means undervalues the event, it just means like the good Boy Scout….. be prepared.
So day one starts with queuing for autographs. First to head the autograph signing was Fulvio Cecere; a true gent with a glint in his eye and a witty rebound to a casual remark. Next was the queue for Gary Jones. Luckily his queue moved relatively quickly, but we still had to wait for Dan Shea, who turned up late after his photo shoot over ran. I missed the portion with Teryl Rothery signing and opted to catch her on Sunday.
With half an hour to kill until the start of the first talk, I wandered into the Dealers room. Plenty of photos of all three Stargate (SG) franchises adorned the tables. Sea Shepherd had its own stall showing videos of its accomplishments, with plenty of volunteers happy to explain their cause. An abundance of Stargate wares were available from cool metal dog tags, material badges, jewelry, coasters, cups, and pens….an SG shoppers paradise.
One stall worthy of a mention was the Light Speed Fine Art booth. The posters were delightful, and not only of Stargate, but also Star Wars 
and Star Trek to mention but a few. Some of the posters had already been signed, but all were beautifully worked and would grace the wall of any home. Please check out the Light Speed Fine Art website or contact them by e-mail at info@lightspeedfineart . This site really is worth a look.
Another worthy group of note is Big Finish. This company brings actor narrated stories to you via DVD. I already own a few of these DVD’s. They are well written and narrated, and a godsend on a long journey home ( I bought Claudia Black’s “Shell Games”).
At 12.15pm onwards, I headed to the conference room for the first talk of the day; and funnily enough, Paul Spragg and James Swallow of Big Finish were the guest speakers.
They opened with an excerpt from Shell Game narrated by Claudia Black (CB), with additional commentary from Michael Shanks (MS). I tried my best not to listen. This opened the floor to the first question.
Q) Did CB and MS record together?
A) No, their schedules conflicted, so they were recorded separately. MS is such a professional he slips easily into the Vala/Daniel mode and can interpret CBs reaction without her being there. He is also able to slip into early/late Daniel mode depending on the season the story is aimed in. Most recordings are completed in two days, but where schedules do not fit, recordings can run into weeks.
Q) Do they ever get involved in the recordings?
A) James went to watch Chris Judge (CJ) record “First Prime”. He wanted to see CJ bring the play he had written to life. There was nobody available to read against CJ, so James was made to stand in. Unfortunately, this entailed reading in a Scottish accent. James, accent was so “crappy”, he begged to stop using it. The director refused as they were creased up with laughter listening to him.
Q) Have the actors ever commented on their stories?
A) David Nykl was particularly pleased as he was portrayed as a hero, not his usual Stargate Atlantis self. All the actors have been complimentary as they get to behave in a way they would not normally be able to.
We were then treated to an excerpt of CJ reading “First Prime”.
Q) Could Stargate as we know it cross over into another series?
A) Nigh on impossible owing to copyright.
The talk was briefly interrupted as a stray balloon descended on the speakers, and after a few moments of laughter, the stray balloon blew out of view, and the talk continued.
Q) How did they feel about the Stargate franchise coming to an end?
A) The boys also record other sci fi series. Doctor Who in particular has come and gone, and then returned. They once had Tom Baker in to record a story, only to have him return as Dr Who has made a comeback. They felt they wanted to keep writing and producing the SG D.V.D stories, and maybe one day Stargate will return. At the end of the day, if we still buy the D.V.D s, they will produce them.
With that question answered, the talk was bought to an end, and I went in search of a much needed beverage. The afternoon talk had everybody buzzing, the room filled immediately, and a nervous excitement permeated through the audience. RDA was due on soon.
Richard Dean Anderson:
True to form, RDA was late taking to the stage; he had overrun his signing session. Paul, the host announcer, finally rose to the stage to introduce RDA, and the room exploded with cheers clapping and whistling. The audience were given two minutes of flash photography time. Rick used this opportunity to pose and contort his face into different looks. At one point he walked to his picture displayed on the wall poster, kissed it, and then posed next to it. Eventually we all settled down to listen to Rick talk.
He recounted the early days of his ice hockey career which came to an unfortunate end when he managed to break both arms within three weeks of each other. The latter break being so bad, it ended his dreams of a professional ice hockey career.
Rick spoke fondly of his father who was an English professor. Rick as a youngster would watch rehearsals. One particular scene involved eating Twinkies, and from that moment Rick decided acting would be a good career to follow.
Rick was then asked if he had considered any other careers. Rick paused for a second then launched into a recount of his early years. Rick left home early (about 16) and biked through Canada and Alaska. The outdoor life molded his appreciation for nature and the environment. Rick was once staying in a shack (hostel) , when he was asked to help put out a forest fire.
The battle lasted three days, it made him consider forestry, perhaps a forest ranger, but he said that he did not like the hats they wear. Rick juggled with the idea of being a dentist or an architect as they paid well. Although relieved he did not follow those paths, he did rough sketch the home he now lives in. Rick also toyed with the idea of being a motel manager as the thought of regular food, a roof over his head, and a paid income were quite appealing. In the end, he could not take to being stuck in one place all the time.
Q) Rick you studied drama, was it useful?
A) ……WHAT…..(in an O’Neill voice), bought about a peel of laughter form the audience. Rick studied drama at Ohio University in the late 1960’s and 1970’s, but just before he graduated he left and headed for California. A lot of the time in the 1970’s was spent roaming around. Rick hopped a freight train from Minneapolis to Los Angeles, where he became a mime artist working the streets for money. There is a small pause as the room erupts with laughter. Rick realised the implications of his remark and to the delight of the audience we are treated to an exasperated O’Neill look.
Q) How did the move into T.V happen?
A) Rick was bound between San Francisco and Minnesota, so he decided to settle in California. “I did a commercial for Toyota, cleaned up my act (alluding to drugs), did a few more ads and was then offered a part in General Hospital not realising it was a soap”, much to the mirth of a friend who knew Ricks propensity for learning lines. This turned out to be true, there were indeed hundreds of lines to be learned and daily shooting schedules. “This went on for three years, until I instructed my agent to ask for silly money thinking the producers would never fall for it”. They did and Rick spent another two years on the show!
Q) Did you have any idea what you wanted to do after General Hospital?
A) “ I was auditioned for a role in a situation comedy, the young lady with the title role was so completely useless at learning her lines it put me off comedy in real life”. It was at this point though, Rick realised he liked T.V as apposed to movie work.
Q) How did the role of MacGyver come about?
A) Having made the decision to stay in California, he was out mooching around on his Harley. This was the time before helmets and mobile phones. Rick happened to check in with his agent who demanded he drop everything and turn up to an interview with the producers of a new show. “ I turned up to the interview in a leather jacket (the one he wore in the show) and messed up hair”.
The room went quiet, and Rick assumed he had blown the audition. However, he was asked to read with a young boy also up for a part in the show, and as he was about to read, asked if he could put his glasses on. The room again went quiet. Astoundingly they offered him the role of MacGyver. Apparently it had already been decided that MacQyver should appear comfortable and unpretentious, Rick came across as exuding these qualities.
Q) What about recognition, does he like it?
A) Ricks reply came in more of a look rather than a reply. He implied he was not getting enough attention, then shook his head and said “not true”, then nodded and said “yes it is”, then shook it again repeating each action slower. Each subsequent nod and shake brings about more roars of laughter from the audience.
Rick then went on to explain how he got his part in Stargate. Having just finished a series called Legend when John Simes, (an executive in charge of MacGyver who went to MGM Studios) called up and said “I have a project”- watch the movie and come do it”. The movie was Stargate with Kurt Russell in it.
Rick found the schooling he acquired from MacQyver really helped him with his role of Jack O’Neill in SG. Rick could not resist Stargate, he saw such potential in the series. “With that one prop, we could go anywhere, meet anyone, do anything, it was such a great dynamic for everyone’s imagination.
Host announcer Paul, asks the last question.. Sea Shepherd; a cause close to your heart?
Rick pauses, looks at the audience then looks down at his chest and clutches the Sea Shepherd logo, he just looks again at Paul who relents and replies “that’s the first time I have been upstaged by a logo.
With that, the RDA talk was over and Rick left the stage to thunderous applause.
As the RDA talk had overrun, Teryl Rothery and Gary Jones talk started at a different time to the schedule. Unfortunately I realised too late, and missed the start of the talk. So apart from being able to take a few photos I will have to defer to my colleages, Gairwyn and JohnLizzieGirl to report this part of the convention. You can find all the Chevron 7.6 reports here at this link.
Sea Shepherd Talk:
Paul welcomed Captain Paul Watson to the stage. Paul came across as a passionate man and a compelling speaker. He introduced himself as captain of the Sea Shepherd organisation and founding director, he also explained Ricks role as a director on the Board of Governors.
Paul recalled his first work for Greenpeace back in the late 1970’s, and spoke of one incident in particular that spurred him into starting his own organisation.
During a demonstration for Greenpeace in a small rubber dinghy, Paul found himself blocking the path of a soviet whaling ship. Frustrated by the dinghy’s efforts, the skipper ordered the harpoonist to shoot over the heads of the protesters. The harpoon struck a cow, and as she slipped back into the water, she released the most pitiful cry. The bull of the herd, eager to come to her rescue was harpooned next.
Emitting a painful shriek the bull dived into the waters, as it rose to the surface, the bull and Paul’s eyes met. They stayed locked together, and in that moment, Paul swears they came to an understanding, and the bull realised he was only there to help. The bull, fully capable of capsizing the dinghy, sank back into the sea without harming anyone. Paul and the whale maintained eye contact till the poor animal sunk back into the sea and died. It was then he decided to head a campaign for the sake of all endangered animals in the seas of this planet.
Paul likened the earth to a star ship with humans as the passengers, and the crew that runs the ship as the organisms that keep the planet going. If we kill off the crew, the passengers will start dying out too.
Q) Are you going to take action against the dolphin killing in the pharaoh islands?
A) Yes, after the campaign against the Japanese tuna fishermen, the boat will sail straight there to help out….”killing for sport or fun has no place in society for that kind of abuse”.
Q) Has anybody been an inspiration to you?
A) When he was about 9 years old, Paul used to swim with the beavers in New Brunswick. When he went back there the next year, all the beavers were dead. Paul spent all his time confiscating or destroying traps He read articles by Archie Belany, a nationalised Canadian ( formerly a British subject) who dedicated his later life to the protection of Beavers and the local wildlife.
Paul also enjoyed the writings of Farley Mowat, another early environmentalist who became an inspiration to him.
Q) What happened in Iceland?
A) 1986, we sunk half the Icelandic whaling fleet. They have not yet to date fully recovered their losses from the actions of Sea Shepherd activities. Paul flew back to Iceland in the hopes he would be arrested and stand trial. Instead he was flown straight back home. The Icelandic Government realised they would have to disclose their illegal fishing activities if a trial came about.
Paul went on to explain a little more about the organisation. They do not have the money or resources to be as effective as they could be. A small but international organisation crewed by 88 volunteers from all over the world.
Q) The next question I was unable to hear, but Paul responded by saying.
A) Coke machines kill nine people a year, ostriches kill a hundred people a year, sharks kill 5 people a year, and that’s normally a case of mistaken identity ( in swim suits we look like seals apparently). Why does the shark get such a bad reputation?
Fishermen use the wrong type of netting, thus killing anything in their path rather than just the targeted fish. Changes in culture and legislation need to be implemented. Statistically, there will be no fish left in our seas to net. There are enough long lines cast in the sea each day to go round the world three times over.
Q) Have you seen the episode of South Park?
A) Yes, but the writers do not have a sense of humour. Paul admitted he found the episode funny, and they took it badly. Paul made a t-shirt with references to South Park on it. He is waiting to be sued, but no luck so far.
Also on the Sea Shepherd books are William Shatner, Christian Bale, Pierce Brosnan and Michelle Rodrigues. This last piece of information signaled the end of the talk, and we headed straight into the Sea Shepherd auction. First up was an Australian flag signed by RDA.
Whilst the auctioneer tried to sell the flag, RDA entertained the crowd with his own unique rendition of Waltzing Matilda. The flag finally went for £120. Also under the hammer was a signed plastic safety hat, beautifully modelled by RDA, that went for £300, a model of the Steve Irwin ship that went for £150 and a jacket made from hemp and recycled plastic, once again modelled by RDA. This was the most popular item, finally going for £425.
Dan Shea and Fulvio Cecere:
The final talk of the day went to Dan and Fulvio. The two minute flash photography gave Dan the excuse to whip off his shirt, flex his muscles, and do push ups on the stage. The count down saw Dan posing at each number as Paul signaled the ending of the flash photography. Both men opened with some general chit chat, apparently Dan loves getting shot, punched, kicked, blown up and set of fire….it means he is working.
Q) Were you both science fiction fans before SG?
A) Fulvio replied “I was a big Star Trek fan, and of course BattlestarGalactica (BSG), I also loved Rocketman, Flash Gordon, and I still get choked when I watch clips of the lunar landings.
A) Dan also a fan of Star Trek and the fly (in a little voice re-enacts) “help me, help me”.
Q) Do you have to be unhinged to be a stuntman?
A) “Totally without hinges, made of rubber and sadistic”, Dan explained.
A) Fulvio added “there’s a fine line between insanity and genius, so it helps”.
Dan then went on to say he is most sadistic when crashing people into each other. Again going off topic, Dan tells a tale of CJ nicknamed “sticky brown dude”, who does the best bowel movements ever, he can walk into a room raise his buttock and clear the room in seconds. Fulvio chipped in, he was Lieutenant Thorn in BSG, who was a sadist that raped a cylon – that’s his claim to fame, and just so you know, “I love women”, I was only acting”, he was quick to point out.
Q) What was your worst injury?
A) Dan replies, “short term memory loss”, but I’m not sure, cos I got hit on the head by “Big Boy”(RDA). “Short term memory loss”!!!!!
Q) Did you bring home any props from the shows?
A) Fulvio – “nope, nothing”.
A) Dan – “the basement is stocked up”.
Q) Have you taken any jobs you have regretted?
A) Dan – The soft porn movie, gay stuff…”any one got a problem with that” (jokingly, I must add quickly).
A) Fulvio – “ummmmm, nope nothing”, and the audience responds again by laughing.
Q) Dan, here in the U.K, who are your stunt hero,s?
A) “They are all dead”. “Dar Robinson”.
This ended the talk session with Dan and Fulvio. I feel I need to point out that any talk session with Dan Shea is a note takers nightmare. In the nicest possible way, the man is a lovely fruit loop. He talks incessantly and at a rate of knots; he talks over people constantly. This does not detract from the talk, in fact, Dan is an incredibly funny man, I just found it impossible to take decent notes. So my apologies for the shorter report of the talk.
There was a short break before the last auction started. Physically and mentally exhausted from such a fun packed day, I decided to miss it out and instead crumbled into the nearest comfy chair to partake of some medicinal rejuvenations.
Thus ended Saturdays hectic itinerary.
Sunday at Chevron 7.6:
Sunday rolled in far too fast and my aching knees and feet creaked into action. First order of the day was the autograph signing with RDA. The queue, nervous and excited waited patiently. I found myself chatting to attendee’s of Chevron past events, so we swapped stories to help the time fly.
When it finally came to my turn I removed two paintings from my portfolio in the hopes that RDA would chose which one he would like to sign. I was blown away with his praise. Rick was reluctant to sign either as he thought it would spoil them. To my delight he decided he could not chose, so he signed both of them commenting that he thought my art (illustrated above) was incredible (squeeeeeeeee) and I skipped away like a happy little lamb. To quote Teryl Rothery “ I want babies with that man”.
I then queued for Teryl’s autograph. Her queue took along time to move as well, a seasoned professional at conventions, Teryl always has a smile and a comment for her fans. Consequently, like RDA, her line tends to move slowly. As it came to my turn she looked up, smiled and asked “How ya doin”, “where do ya come from”? I replied that I came from London, so not as great a distance as some had had to travel. Teryl thanked me for coming, and she then moved onto the next person.
It was now time for Ricks photo shoot. Although my allotted time should have been the Saturday, as RDA had overshot his time, I had been promised first placing. I wasn’t disappointed. The Chevron staff made sure I was one of the first in and I actually ended up queuing for 15 minutes…RESULT…..
As I approached RDA he said “hello again”. I asked for a huggy photo, and with that he threw his arms round me (heaven), and I followed as enthusiastically. I am not keen on having my photo taken, but I adore this one. Hope you like it as much as I do.
The next few hours was spent queuing for Gary, Dan and Fulvio’s photos. These all ran smoothly and thankfully nobody ran over time. The final photo shoot of the day was Teryl. I was amazed at how petite she is, and just how sweet and pretty too.
With all signings and photo shoots under my belt, it was time for a spot of lunch. A well timed hunt for more SG bargains in the Dealers room almost dashed my chances of grabbing a good seat for RDA’s next talk. Along the way I saw some great costumes!
Thankfully Rick was running late again, so I was able to procure a reasonable place to view him. Waiting over, Rick bounded onto the stage, where he went straight into questions from the floor.
Q) Is it time for another MacGyver film?
A) Rick was asked to do a remake and another movie, but in reality he thought that the MacGyver franchise was over; it existed in the perfect time frame. “Socially and culturally it would not work today, especially the mullet”. “you cant improvise new things now, technology has moved on”. The producers tried a “Young MacGyver” series but it never panned out and was quickly canceled. “Everything MacGyver did was real”!!
I could not hear the next comment, but Ricks reply was…You are all my best friends, I love the Brits”. To which he blew kisses to the crowd, and we went wild. yayayayayaya.
Q) Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe differ from Stargate SG-1, Did you enjoy them?
A) Rick helped launch them both, but was not into them too much. He did not feel connected to the SGA crew, and did not get along with everyone. “SG1 Had the best cast out of all of them” Rick liked the SGU cast, but did not really know their works dynamics “they seem to get along though”. Rick could not get into SGA, perhaps an immature aspect on his part as SG1 got canceled and SGA took over. There was a good camaraderie on SG1, great banter and spats. They all loved each other and Rick just did not get that feel with the SGA cast.
Q) Autobiography?
A) “I tend to ramble…go figure…am gonna do an unauthorised autobiography…as the laughter begins to escalate, Rick taunts us “kinda slow dawning you all”. Basically Rick has no plans for an autobiography. He is an insomniac, and the one thing to guarantee him falling asleep is reading or writing. When I awaken..awoken??
Different replies are shouted out, but Rick decides to change his sentence “when I wake up, I have the imprints of the keys on my forehead”. I would like to read the story but not go the lengths of actually writing it”. He shrugs and says “ghost writer perhaps”.
Q) What was your proudest moment?
A) Without hesitation Rick replies “Wylie”. Then adds, “SG wise, working with Thor”,” producing and acting”. Rick laughs and quips,” I fooled some people, am proud of the deception”.
Q) Wylie, how is she?
A) “She has just finished a school play, “The Phantom Tollbooth”, where she had the lead”. “She is amazing for her years; she loves singing, dancing and musicals”. “She is a great tap dancer and takes ballet, but is inflexible like me”. Rick once caught a glimpse of her practising her splits in a class. She looked up at him, and he just gave her an apologetic look back. Apparently Wylie is a little daredevil, Indianapolis 500 this year, F1 next year. “I just can not keep her down” he muses.
Q) What was Wylies reaction to Ricks fame?
A) They live in a small town community, so she used to be confused people “sh*tting me up”. Once the paparazzi caught her outside a shop, and she just stood there asking what was so special bout her dad. As a toddler, Wylie used to join him on set, and sat staring at Thor. Nowadays she gets protective and impatient of RDA talking to random people, so she will grab his hand and pull him away.
Not long ago, they had issues with her perception of acting. “She has a photographic memory; the little witch”. Wylie did not always want to put in the work Rick thought she needed to, thinking the fame more important that the work. She is past that now and has just landed two lead parts. Wylie is good at editing and making her own dance videos. “She is a bright little kid, I will be putting her up for adoption, or available in the next auction”.
Q) Daytime soaps are being canceled; are actors losing their training ground?
A) “Yes,….next”….Rick quickly adds “I did learn more in General Hospital than at both colleges. There is the panic of learning lines, camera angles and lighting and etcetera; “it is the most practical form of training, and you get paid to do it”.
Q) Was The Simpsons the highlight of your career?
A) They also did a send up of MacGyver as MacGimmick in Mad Magazine. The time for him in The Simpsons is over. It first came about when Dan Castanella was cast in an episode of SG. Dan inquired if Rick would like to do an episode, and the next thing, he had an invitation to join them on The Simpsons! Rick then offered, “if I am repeating myself, it is because I cannot remember anything”!
Q) Which character would you (RDA) like to most be remembered for?
A) Rick retorted with” So I can not say anything as profound as…my own real character”.
He went on to add that MacGyver was part of a legacy. He was very proud of the character and had no qualms about being recognised as him. MacGyver was fun to play even though he did his own stunts and consequently suffered broken bones, stitches, concussion and back surgery to name but a few injuries.
Q) How did you remember lines in Stargate with such a bad memory?
Q) Rick confessed that he sometimes forgot to spend lots of time on learning lines due to “producer duties”. He had a crib sheet once and a while to flick through. Then Rick laughingly admitted to “taping things to peoples foreheads”. “There’s also a damned good reason for not giving him any “Sam Carter” lines”.
Q) No more Stargate How do you feel about that?
A) “All fuzzy”, “to be honest, its quite a run for any show”. “It will survive in some form or other”. “Personally, he survived MacGyver, and everyone seems to be ok, so Stargate will be too”.
Q) Any advice to new producers/ actors?
A) “That depends on the proficiency and confidence of the individual”. “Ideally, work on one until successful with that, then cross into both elements”. “Always be aware of what it takes to make an actor comfortable in front of a camera”.
With the last question answered, Rick was whisked away to thunderous applause, cheering and whistling. A quick stretch of the legs and I sat down to listen to the chat with Teryl Rothery and Fulvio Cecere.
The first question was directed at Teryl.
Q) How much say did you have in your character leaving the show?
A) “None regarding season 7”. “ I was getting ready to go back when Robert calls me up”…..”How would you feel about being killed off”. “ I was like….why”? “Well it’s probably the last season (famous last words)”. Teryl cried back, “kill the others off you guys always need a doctor”.
Teryl the paused and very poetically said “they killed me off in the line of duty… I fully support the men and women who fight for their country, so what a great way to go out, but come on… a staff blast to the chest”. Fulvio commented that in a series he was doing he was killed off; the next season he came back as flashback, and got the biggest scene.TYPICAL.
Q) How strange is it reliving Stargate at this convention?
A) Fulvio replied as he had worked with all these guys, this was more like a “hanging out with mates” reunion.
Q) How challenging is voice acting compared to Stargate?
A) “They don’t compare” Teryl explained, she just likes being part of a team. Voicing is so much fun, as you can be more animated. You get to be a kid again; you can act it large and change you voice to sound like a child again.
Q) Fulvio, say something in French.
A) “Vive La France”. This brought the French contingency to their feet clapping and cheering.
Q) Who would you most like to work with?
A) Teryl reaches for her bag and produces a piece of paper that she has just been reading. “This is my new man I want o make babies with”. Daniel Craig had better watch out.
Fulvio read off an impressive list of people he had worked with including Sean Penn, Russell Crowe and Leonardo Di Caprio.
Q) Teryl, you started off as a dancer. Have you ever felt tempted to try out some moves on Hellcats?
A) “Oh yes” she replies enthusiastically. “I spoke to Kevin the other day and said I need summat to shake it up a little… I want some dance scenes”. So hopefully we will see her shake it up some time in the future.
Q) Teryl was asked about the new man in her life…”Ah Rocky” she giggled. Teryl then went on to explain that Rocky was her new dog, who is apparently a great kisser.
Q) If Stargate was to start up again, who would you play, but not your own character?
A) Fulvio joked “How about a new series “The Chronicles of Colonel Davidson”: the only commander of the Odyssey who didn’t get killed off.
Somebody from the audience suggested a series highlighting the relationship between Daniel and Jacks characters ( a slasher reference I think).
Teryl thought that Janet dressed as some sexy, scantily clad, evil siren would be interesting. Fulvio agreed, “Scantily clad I like”.
Q) I really liked Alice, which character would you like to have been?
A) Teryl reiterated her last comment,” a vixen, scantily clad”. She went on to say that she had asked to be dressed differently, but it never happened.
Q) If you could actually go through the gate to any planet, who would you most like to meet?
A) Teryl replied as quick as a flash, “Patrick Stewart, and makes loads and loads of babies, and practice, and practise loads”.
Q) If you ever had a superpower, what would it be?
A) Between both actors they agereed that x-ray vision and invisibility would be ok. Teryl then went on about “I Dream Of Genie”, Fulvio made a comment about the actresses age. Teryl could not believe she was that old, so a member of the audience with internet on their phoned confirmed that the actress Barbara Eden, was in fact nearly 76 years of age. Teryl thought it would be great to end up in a bottle at the end of the day, especially a malt bottle.
Q) Fulvio, was the rape scene in BSG changed at all from how it was done?
A) Fulvio replied, “yes, it was firstly an interrogation scene, but they decided to add the graphic rape scene. It was extremely violent and graphic, but the scene that went out was quite mild in comparison. The D.V.D was a little more involved though. The final question of the talk was aimed at Teryl.
Q) Teryl was asked to explain her experience with duck tape.
A) She went on to explain that during the shooting of “Women of Sci Fi” calendar, CJ had her duck taped into shape so everything stayed where it should be. If you look close enough, you can see the duck tape in one of the shots. Anyway, when she had finished the shoot, Gia, ( CJ,s partner) asked her to wait while she got some baby oil to remove the tape with. Teryl ( all bravado) said, “nah, don’t worry”. She then whipped off the tape and let out the loudest squeal. The tape came away with the skin from her breasts. They were bruised and bloody for days.
The final talk I was able to sit in was Dan Shea and Gary Jones. The two men were hilarious, and I have to admit that my writing skills were just not up to the mark. They both talked over each other so I found it impossible to write anything much down.
If you ever get the chance to listen to the pair of them, then please make the effort to go. You will not be disappointed. So unfortunately the final piece of reporting will be somewhat short and sweet in comparison to the other reports.
Q) Dan was asked if he preferred acting to stunt work?
A) Dan replied that as an actor he had zero range, therefore he felt he couldn’t really act.
Some body then asked if there was anything going on between him and Rick. Both Dan and Gary went into hysterics and bantered back and forth a hilarious exchange of “gay remarks”. Somewhere along the line the conversation turned into how Gary got the job of technician. He went for the interview and was asked to read “chevron one encoded”, “chevron two encoded”. This was boring, so by the time he had gotten to chevron seven encoded, he had begun to do a Jerry Lewis impersonation.
Although the directors found it funny, he was made to repeat the lines seriously. Somehow he got the part. Dan went on to explain the similarity with his interview. Thinking that they would want to see some thing different, he also added a little humour to his lines. The directors were not amused, and the next day he had to return and play the scenes again. Thankfully this time they were happier and he was offered the part of Sergeant Siler.
Gary was asked why he stopped doing the D.V.D commentaries. He replied that having done a few, he had not been asked back. There was no apparent reason, just one of those things. It was a shame as he had had a lot of fun doing them.
The boys were then asked what alternative jobs they may have done if they hadn’t been actors. Gary explained that he had started off as an art director. He had been asked to set up some workshops, and after having joined in some of them, the acting evolved from there. If things hadn’t materialised then he would probably still be in the art industry. Dan jumped in and explained that he would have been some kind of instructor. \he already teaches hockey, Karate and tennis. His stand up comedy would need a little work though.
Q) Who would win a fight between Siler and O’Neill?
A) Straight away Dan replied “a little girl against the Incredible Hulk.. I could so take him”.
Q) Who amongst the actors in Stargate SG-1 were best for doing stunts?
A) Dan reckoned that Dan Payne, the super soldier, was the best, he had been blown up and had done everything to him. Gary interrupted that he had always asked for more things to do apart from “chevron one encoded”, but they wouldn’t let him; he even had to die in his chair. Gary once got as far as the gate, but had never actually gone through it. Dan on the other hand had been thrown through it, shot through it, jumped through it and rolled through it.
Q) Dan, have you ever gotten out of bed in a mood, gone to work and told RDA to do his own stunts?
A) “EVERY DAY, EVERT DAY”.
The talk came to an end, and both men excitedly signed the wall hangings that were part of the auction. Apparently it was Dan Shea’s first time at a convention signing event.
It was at this time my experiences of Chevron 7.6 were coming to a close. With a long journey ahead of me, and children to get home to, I reluctantly missed the last talk of the day between all the guests. I will leave that reporting in the capable hands of Gairwyn.
As I was leaving I bumped into Jason, one of the main organisers. I thanked him for a wonderful weekend. During our quick chat, he praised the guests for their patience and fortitude. They really do work extremely hard, and it can be very tiring. I think it only fair to totally agree and remark just how tirelessly the actors work at these conventions. With good humour and grace they greet hundreds of people a day going out of their way to make the experience as wonderful as they can.
Jason was also quick to thank the fans. He was aware of the overruns and the waits they had caused. I pointed out that not one person had complained instead everyone was most accepting of the situation and were grateful for the professional way Massive Events had handled it. Jason ended the conversation by reassuring the fans that as long as we support the Stargate conventions, they will be happy to run them.
Personally I cant wait for Chevron 7.7 in November. Till then I bid you a fond farewell. See you in November.
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Thank you.
Tracy (HonestHunny)
