Thursday, August 6, 2009

TwiCon Write-up--Part 2



Alrighty...where did I leave off?

So, Friday night was our "concert night." We were treated with the Mitch Hansen Band (Never heard of them? They write Twilight-inspired songs. I highly recommend "Number 3," "Jacob Black," and "She Is Brighter.") After the MHB, we heard 100 Monkeys' warm-up band, National Rifle. They were incredible, and for the first time in my life, I felt the ground shaking and almost thumping. Rebecca and I kept joking about the headlines the next morning detailing the collapse of the 2nd floor of the convention center. After National Rifle, we finally got to see 100 Monkeys perform. Now, I've listened to their music before, but it was nothing compared to seeing them live. They're so creative, so full of life, and so talented. With each song, every member of the band played a different instrument (drum, bass, lead guitar, bongos, trumpet, banjo, egg-shaker). They didn't do any improve for us, but what they did play was unbelievable. I did manage to get a few pictures of Jackson Rathbone! However, the concert was cut short by an immature fan throwing a rolled-up shirt onto stage, which almost hit Jackson in the head. We sacrificed an incredible concert because one person couldn't control themselves and behave!













Day 3: Saturday



What a relief to not have to rush through the morning! Rebecca and I were able to take our time getting ready Saturday morning, and good thing too, as it was our morning to take pictures with a couple of the actors: Peter Facinelli (Carlisle) and Jackson Rathbone (Jasper). Thankfully there really weren't any lines for pictures, as only 65 pictures were allowed per actor. We were, however, threatened within an inch of our lives if we basically so much as breathed around the actors. A little nerve-wracking, I believe! But they were so sweet and so cute! Peter kept trying to get Rebecca and I to come closer to him, but with the Nazi-like volunteer and security watching your every move, we didn't dare come within a few inches of him. Jackson was all smiles and was such a sweetheart. He tried to strike up a conversation with us and ask how everything was going, but we were shut down by the volunteer handlers. Anyway, what little interaction we did have with these two wonderful men was above and beyond anything I could have expected.

After pictures, we went to the Q&A, which was the BIGGEST debacle of the entire weekend. We ended up waiting in line for an hour after the event was supposed to start. Once everyone got in, we were an hour and a half past starting time. So, imagine our surprise when the Q&A was cut down to only half an hour (27 minutes to be exact) from the original hour it was supposed to be. I think Peter's face says it all:

I'm going to see how many highlights I can remember, then post a couple of videos from YouTube. When asked how he took the character of Jasper to a darker level for "New Moon," Jackson told us about Peter's "Birthday Technique" of acting. Apparently, Peter's brainchild of the best acting method is to approach every scene like it's your birthday. If it's a happy scene, you've just had the best birthday party of your life. If it's a sad scene, it's your birthday, but nobody remembered. If you've got to be all emo and depressed, it's your birthday, people remember it, but they throw a party with all of your best friends, and don't invite you. Of course, they're joking through the whole answer, but it was pretty amusing. The scariest part of the Q&A was when Peter made a paper airplane, then "flew" it out into the audience by running down the aisle. When he returned to the stage a few moments later, he claimed that it was the scariest moment of his life, it sounded like a good idead at the time, and he didn't think he would make it back. Anyway, here's a couple of videos to show things better than I can explain them:










Peter's Airplane

After the Q&A came autographs. I don't really have anything to report here...just my autographed picture of Jackson to show.


After autographs and dinner, I hurried to get ready for the Meet & Greet, which was basically speed-dating with the cast of the movie. While on my way there, I ran across Peter buzzing around the hallway on a Segway. If you watch, I make an appearance at the end of the video (pink top, black skirt):






I don't have any pictures of my own from this event, since it was a stricly no-camera zone. However, since we had an empty spot at our table right next to me, I got to sit next to all but one of the guests (We missed Jackson at our table). Peter Facinelli, who is big on Twitter, told us he was initially unsure of the site because he thought "twitter" sounded like a dirty word. He also told us about his daughters (he has three, aged 10, 6, and 2). Kellan Lutz (Emmett) arm-wrestled a girl at my table and let her win. Billy Burke (Charlie) told us about the first time he met Kristen Stewart (Bella), Alex Meraz (Paul of the Wolf Pack) told us about his eighteen-month-old son and getting into acting. He's so energetic about his part and being a member of the fandom. Christian Serratos (Angela) told us about some jewelry that she and her mother are designing. We also got to chat briefly with the hand model from the cover of "Twilight." Here's a few pictures that I've snagged from other people:



Alex Meraz, Christian Serratos, Jackson Rathbone, Peter Facinelli, Billy Burke (Kellan Lutz was late as he stayed @ his autograph table until everbody's autograph had been signed)



If you look carefully, you can see me almost in the exact center of the picture wearing a light pink silk top and looking down at the table (3rd table back).



Peter arriving at the Meet & Greet



Jackson arriving at the Meet & Greet

After the Meet & Greet, we got ready for the ball. We didn't go all out, like many other people did, as we were only staying for a short while. We had tickets to a concert that night at a local pub.









Mine & Allison's masks @ the ball



Before the ball got started, we got to hear Sam Bradley, Marcus Foster, and Bobby Long sing. My pictures didn't turn out too well, but here's a few:

Also, here's a video of Sam Bradley singing my favorite song, "Too Far Gone" (it's not my video, so therefore not my singing. I was on the other side of the stage)



After their set, we made our way out to their meet & greet. I got pictures with Sam & Bobby, but, like an idiot, completely spaced getting my picture with Marcus.
Bobby Long & Me


Sam Bradley & Me

More to come tomorrow (My night out at Poor David's Pub). If you haven't already, check out my TwiCon write-up part 1.


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