Edit by Wozniak --
Merged the thread that Andrew created with the "Live from Excelsior Ball" to keep everything consolidated.  Unfortunately, because Andrew's thread started later, his initial post is halfway down the page.  I'm quoting it here now:



... and now back to Rick's regularly scheduled post...
[hr]

OK, here's a thread for weekend posting.

Rick

P.S.  Was checking in, and up walked Adam Brown, JT Tepnapa, and a friend.   I felt like a teenage schoolgirl seeing big movie stars in Hollywood.  LOL

I said hello, it was clear they had no idea who I was, they were politely charming, so I cheerfully said, "See you later, guys."   

More later.

You obviously weren't wearing your Orion slave girl outfit, otherwise they'd have clocked you right away!! :D

I was planning on being in the shoot wearing my blue racing shirt - and blue coat to cover up the logo on the shirt...sort of a civilian garb. However, Mike Urvand had his admiral's duty uniform handy - he was in his dress whites for the occasion. Thankfully, Mike and I are roughly the same size, and his duty uniform fit perfectly. He promoted me, though; in my fan fic, I'm only a three star, and his uniform had four. But I'm not gonna complain - I was in uniform, and I was on camera, I got my spot on HF before it ended, as Rob promised me I would get eventually. :) I still need to take the pictures off the camera, but we forgot the transfer cable at home. So I hope to find someone here who has one...

The weather here in Irvine is quite warm, and the uniform was a little heavy - I must have sweat a bucket or two...but I would not trade this experience for anything. I finally made it into a Star Trek series, and one with people I know and love. I'm actually trying not to cry at the moment...this was probably the best day of my life, and I want to thank all of the people of Hidden Frontier for letting me share these few moments with you all.

- Josh Underwood
alias Admiral J.W. Underwood, "Its Hour Come Round At Last"

P.S. For those wondering about Trek appearances and have heard me mention Trekkies 2...forget Trekkies 2, I've been in HF now! And no, I'm not gonna tell you what the scene I was in involves. I've learned my lesson since "Modus Operandi" (the last film shoot I ever attended)...I will not spoil the episode just because I was there. You'll just need to wait until May. *grin*

P.P.S. And Rick, I think that was Jamie_Kirk...

Most of the people know that I am not a hard core trekkie/trekker like some on here, even though I have grown up knowing and loving Star Trek.  Never been to a ""fan convention" --- was a little nervous about what to expect.

I will simply state the Friday night get together, which was very casual, was tremendous fun.  Just a group of people who we all seemed to know like old friends.  It was very neat to walk in and be able to introduce yourself.  And the "stars" could not be any nicer in person than they are on here.  Absolutely incredible.  By 6pm or so, everyone was "best friends."

On Saturday... a cool grey morning.  We arrive at the beautiful Univ California-Irvine arboretum for the outdoors shoot.  I'm there early with the crew because my job is to coordinate the rental chair company, and get the chairs down to the shoot.  Meanwhile, everyone is in various states of dress and makeup prep.  And it is like working with people you've know for years.  The were hard at work, yet chatting with us and explaining what they were doing.  I was in total awe, and just trying to stay out of their way.  I still felt I was on a set of the biggest Hollywood movie blockbuster. 

John Whiting, who I have come to know and love on the forums, was ten times more friendly and warm as I ever imagined.  He is wonderful. Watched a lot of different makeups being applied, of all sorts, but don't want to get too specific.  All of the main cast and crew were there, in various roles, or just to lend their support.  It was wonderful, and sad, and happy, and joyous, and everything mixed together.  Oh, and Dan Crout is not only a great writer and fun actor, he is a damn nice guy. 

It quickly became clear to me, seeing who was being made up, what was happening in our scenes to be shot, which are some of the last scenes in the final episode.  Obviously, everyone on the set is sworn to secrecy until after the final episode airs (Sat, May 17).  All I will say is that as the key scenes were being filmed, the sun came out, a cool breeze was blowing, and it was as if Rob and his wonderful crew were blessed with a beautiful, perfect shoot for the end of the story.  No one will be disappointed by this final episode (neither man nor animal)... and that's all I will say about this for a month.

Around 9:30am or so, the rest of the attendees arrived to begin shooting scenes.  As major elements of each scene were filmed, we provided appropriate audience reactions, and then Rob included all of us in another scene, some individually interacting with some key players.  It was so touching.  Whether or not it is included in the final cut, it was something most of us will remember forever.  The actors were totally awesome to us.  They posed, they let us take pictures, and they chatted like we were all best friends.  Jenn Cole who I had been chatting with on the forums and the EB group for a while, is as funny, interesting, and outrageous as she appears on the site.  And for a dead person, she is quite lively.  And Eleannar and Karl Puder are some of the nicest people ever. 

The shoot was over by 12:30pm or so, so we all packed up and went back to the hotel, where we cleaned up and regrouped at 3pm fo the beginning of the formal part of the conference.

After a minor fiasco at the restaurant (were were 60 people with a previous reservation -- there was 1 waiter, 1 manager, and 1 cook on duty), ended up having a really fun, small dinner with Mike Hudson (from UK), Sharon Savene and husband, Heather Ashley, Carol Soldo, Barbara Clifford, and an interesting reporter from the LATimes who is shadowing Rob for a month reporting on Hidden Frontiers.  All were funny, warm, and quite interesting. 

Several panel discussions, dinner, more panels and previews, some touching speeches, a lot of weepy eyes as the emotions of this adventure were recounted, and then a great informal party hosted by JT and Adam to celebrate the kickoff of some of JT's Blue Seraph projects, with a shift in locale from their hotel room to our meeting room that turned out to be even better than planned.  Memorable chats that night for me were a fun talk earlier with Bobby Rice about his many acting plans and an audition he had the next day; fun with JT and Adam, seeing how proud Rob (and Beo) were with their accomplishments, and a late night conspiratory talk with Matt Montgomery, JT, and Carlos about some fun things.  (P.S.  Matt Montgomery (Nej'Ta) is both warm, funny, extremely handsome, and quite talented).

More later, but wanted to share what has been so far a memorable day or so.  I hope others are enjoying themselves as much as I am. 

Rick
(tired and a little tipsy because of JT's various alcohols)

Sounds like everyone is having a fantastic time.
I really regret not being able to make it, because there are a ton of people there who I owe a lot to (and also a few drinks), but glad to hear that the final shoot went well and that people are enjoying the EB experience.

Thanks Rick and Joshua for those posts and keeping us filled in!

Cheers. :D

Hey everyone,

I can sum up my feelings so far this weekend by quoting Captain Picard from 'All Good Things'...

"I should've done this a long time ago"

This has been like finally meeting long lost family. It's been great!

And I can take away the pride in the fact that I was in the last shot for the last episode of HF. When Rob said, "It's a Wrap!" at the end of it, I didn't know whether to cheer or cry. In the end, I smiled, clapped, and took pride in what we've accomplished.

It's been an awesome weekend!

Mike

I hear you, Mike. When I finally make it over, that's precisely how I know I'm going to feel.

Glad everyone is having such a great time, and thanks for posting reports for us poor suckers who can't be there. :)

Amen!  Hope everyone had a blast!  ;D

ARGHHHHH :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!:
Shut up shut up shut up!!!!!
:headwall: :headwall: :headwall: :headwall: :headwall: :headwall: :headwall: :headwall:

Major jealousy attack

I really enjoyed meeting the people - both the people of putting it on and those on this forum.

Well, unless I somehow get money sometime in the near future, this will be the first (and last) time Jim and I appear in an Areakt Productions series. Though, God willing, we will try to find a way to get into Odyssey.

Admiral Underwood will return, damn it! *grin*

This weekend has been absolutely incredible. I have made several friends, including one very close friend, and a number of acquaintances, in these forums over the past year and a half. Getting to meet most of them this weekend, was really very special to me and I feel as though I have become closer to several of them.

Being able to watch the final shoot would have been cool, in and of itself, but actually being allowed to be on-camera was quite a blast. It was exciting and fun, even though it was brief. Be jealous you weren't here. :p

The panels and videos were interesting, informative and entertaining. Getting to meet the cast, when they aren't in character, is especially fun for me. Normally we don't get to see the real person behind a character, so we don't know how much of their role is the character as written or is their own personality shining through. I can appreciate an actor better when I see which is which. Also, we don't often get a chance to actually thank the people who entertain us, so being able to express my thanks to them was great.

I'll probably think of more later, but that's it for now. :)

Shaun

I must admit I had a truly wonderful time at the ball.      Getting to see everyone again.  Most fun with  talking to the cast. The production crew.  Everyone involved with HF. And most of all I have to thank Josh for letting me know about HF  to begin with.  Otherwise I wouldn't have known Hidden frontiers existed.  Thank you everyone  for the smashing time  that was had  at this years ball.    I look forward to future events.  And  will try  to get me and Josh out to the filmings.  Till then.    Admiral Kira James signing off. 

Please vote for what you thought was your favourite event.  Also, please feel free to add specific feedback on the events that occurred.

NO SPOILERS, PLEASE

Uh Anderew, you missed the most fun.  The IHop drama.  :)  1 Waiter 1 Cook No working register.  40 guests.  I'm sorry I had to leave early, but my shuttle arrived and well, they weren't gonna wait.  I loved it all I can't just choose one! 

:drink:

The bar, of course!!

And of course you're going to tell us all about it, yes?

I specified "Other". My favorite event is really a composite of the first four entries on your list:

Friday night meet-and-greet
Saturday morning filming
Free time, interaction with cast, crew, and fans
Autograph sessions

All the other events were fun and interesting, but nothing beats the above. :)

Shaun

Well, I am back in my office, after a red-eye flight home from Los Angeles last night, and a horrid ride in to work directly from the airport.

Although I am swamped, I wanted to share this with the group.  And as most know, I am neither eloquent, nor a writer, but I wanted to write this while it is still fresh in my mind.

One of my main interests as I got deeper and deeper into Hidden Frontier over the past 6 months or so, was a strong desire to learn what motivated people to work so hard, for no money, and in some cases, sacrificing significant personal time and income, to work on this project.  Many of the questions I've asked on these forums had something to do with the idea of "what compels people to do this?".  Many of the actors, crew, and Rob himself have provided answers, and I got the impression that they had joined in his vision of the HF project, and were also getting some other intangible benefits out of it (resume items, skills, craft skills, exposure to trained actors, developing their own body of work, etc.).  But I always kept wondering just why Hidden Frontiers could generate such committments from these people -- some of whom are regular, ordinary people, with real jobs, bills to pay, etc. 

Having spent the past 6 months online with these people, I thought I knew the answer.  Having spent the past 3 days with them, I can say that I now definitely KNOW the answer.  The resume items and skills development are definitely factors for these people to continue devoting enormous amounts of time and energy to the HF project... but the real, simple answer that I think I now understand is this:  Rob has a true dream and a vision for Hidden Frontier... and through his work, committment, dedication, and inclusion of people, he has made HIS dream and vision become THEIR dream and vision as well.  And I think I might have actually known this before I even left for the Excelsion Ball weekend -- many of you on the forum also already know it as well, even though we may never have directly expressed it.  But it took going to California, and hanging out with this talented, quirky, wonderful, somewhat dysfunctional group of people to realize it is a family... and that those who share the vision are part of the family too. 

How trite, how simplistic, how silly.  Perhaps.  But it seems true to me.  Maybe I am naive or overly sentimental (hardly!).  But I think this group has an amazing synergy when they come together... and I saw this not only when they were sitting together and talking to the various groups, but saw it as well when they were huddled together casually and talking amongst themselves. They mesh together as a group, and, even though this was important and under really tight time constraints, they were so inclusive of us "visitors" that I sometimes had to stop and just take a second to refocus myself.  It had gone from them being our own private group of "stars" -- to me being, if only in a small way, someone who could help out a little.  Rob's inclusion of us in the scenes, while clearly not necessary, was for some a deeply emotional thing.  I think Josh Underwood, a devoted Star Trek "trekkie" expressed it above.  I was happy to stand on the sidelines and watch them make the magic... even though I wasn't too jaded to don my doudy old graduation robes and happily sit in the "audience" grinning like a damn Cheshire cat, thrilled to be a little part of it.

So, after a wonderful weekend, and a rather stressful hour or two fighting with the hotel prior to leaving Los Angeles, I'm sitting on the runway of the Orange County airport, looking out the little window of the overfull jet at the ugly orange vapor lights surrounding the airport.  And all I can think, as the plane begins its final taxi down the runway for takeoff is about is the people I've finally met (although it seems I've known them for a long time).  And I'm not ashamed that as the plane's wheels leave the ground, and we veer away from the California coast and my Hidden Frontier family, that I can't stop a few stray tears from coming to my eyes. 

And that is how I finally learned what I already knew about Hidden Frontier; about Rob's vision and what compels us to keep returning to it.

Talk to you later,

Rick

All of it was wonderful... however, for me, the most special was that which was most interactive: the shoot itself.  Helping with the setup, observing John and others applying makeup and appliances, watching Rob and David block the scenes and rehearse the stars,  watching the several actors in the Zippideedoodah scene (with the cup) done about 20 times (and chuckling silently to myself each time), clapping until my hands were numb, and the scene in the small clusters with the direct Waa-waa-waa-watermelon interaction.  And also watching the final shutdown, makeup removal, appliance cleanup was interesting too.

Secondly, I loved hearing the panels, but the one I appreciated most was the one one (careful, Rick!) where we provided some feedback about some stuff we saw.  I loved the fact that the writers, producers, and actors LISTENED, and was clear they heard a few things that they thought might actually enhance some scenes they thought were OK.  For example, I really liked the discussion/interaction from Dan and us about how the "creative energy" of the audience often needs to flow both ways, if you get my drift.  It was clear he and Rob were seeing something new that they might not have thought necessary.  And that was exciting.

Finally, to see the stunningly beautiful (careful, again!) new stuff...  and realize that all good things truly don't have to end... and sometimes, they get exponentially better.

Those are the things I valued most --- if I had to pick.

P.S.  I truly enjoyed JT's relocated party, too.  He, Matt Montgomery and I had a VERY interesting and fun private conversation and I'll remember it for a long time (they won't, but I will  :wink: ).

Well, my "review" is a bit abbreviated: I missed all the excitement Saturday nite and the very cool "bonus" stuff that came to us from across the Pond.

I gotta say that Sat's shoot was the highlight for me, if only for the stomach lining I was certain woulda been eaten away by now, but is instead still doing its thing; Keep those acids at bay, baby!

When you shoot on location, you're walking a razor's edge with disaster. Uncontrollable. You suffer at the whims of the weather gods, the ego gods, the we're-in-a-public-place-and-I-can-stand-here-in-the-middle-of-your-shot-if-I-frickin'-want-to gods.

None of that happened. It was beautiful. I dragged John and Dave outta their comfy beds at 5:30 and had us fortified with bagels and soda and setting up gear on site by 6am (those guys were either drugged outta their minds or just princely human beings to go through that for me). We were given free reign of the facility, well before public hours; given tables, awnings, electrical, humor and good cheer above and beyond the call of duty.

And then the kicker: The crew and guests showed up and turned it into a movie shoot in 10 minutes flat. Everybody chipped in, lugged Jenn's water, hauled Barb's costumes. Karl and Barbara set us up with food, John and Adam jumped right in with the makeup...it was awesome. We'd scheduled the shoot for 7am to 2pm and we'd wrapped by noon and had completely broken down and cleaned the site by 12:30. Rick was awesome co-ordinating the chairs we needed and getting them retrieved early when we got ahead of ourselves. The sun hid behind some overcast when we needed it, then peaked out and gave a good backing when we needed that instead.

We even had our own little dedicated scribe, Deborah, from the LA Times, and she was game enough to put on a costume and sit out in the sun with us for the crowd shots.

And most awesome for the movie gearheads, a couple guys from Valencia showed up with a steadycam rig and Rob got to wander freely amongst the crowd, shooting groups, closes, AWEsome! AND WE WERE AHEAD OF SCHEDULE! That's killer.

With that, the cast, crew and guests went off to continue their adventure, and I went home to put together a barbecue and sleep off the heat stroke.

More about Sunday in a little while.

Everybody who came out, thanks: You saved me. Really. I woulda had to do a big ol' Poser crowd composite that would have probably resulted in an aneurysm. Thanks, guys.

Dan

One of the great things was even though we had many, many makeup jobs at the shoot, we got them all done in about two hours. And that was fantastic :) Wrapping two hours early.. unheard of, even in uncomplicated shoots! And this one was complicated ;-)

It was a true warm moment to see Rob enjoying playing with the steady cam (even though 3 of us had to help him out of it!).  I think he got a kick out of his toy, and it will be interesting to see how it worked.

Can I add that to a favorite moment?  Just watching Rob at work.

Rick

I have to agree with Rick.  And  I do have to say this.. Thank you Rob for letting me  be part of the filming.  And I look forward to see how  the new series evolves.

Part Deux:

I didn't get to the event Sunday until a little after 1pm. Most of the attendees were wrapping up watching the Angeles movie in one part of the room (wow! two rooms! Nobody unwillingly sitting on another's lap because of space issues!). I got a chance to rap with Dave and Carlos and Carlos sprung the Sulu NV ep on me out in the hall.

Not a finished cut, but you could really see their technical improvements with camera def, lighting and FX (Big E = Gorgeous). George rocked the house, man. He was so strong, and his character so...robust, jeez. Dude's pushing septuagenarian status and he still looked like he could take James C apart. People who have a problem with the three leads are still going to have a problem, but the script is soooo much tighter than anything they've done before, and the editing and other technical stuff are really sharp. Very watchable.

Didn't get to see the end cuz we had a panel to do.

Went in, sat in on the...well, it was the "Technical Panel", but mostly we talked about how stories are put together and the script process specific to Hidden Frontier and a little about how season seven came together. Mike U, Jonathan, Sammy and Rob were up there, too, and we had some fun questions from the audience. Too brief and it was over.

After a little milling around, we had a panel on the finale; We got to take some feedback from the audience. Rob, JT, Beau, Dave O'Neil, John W, Barb and me. Very helpful, showing us some storytelling issues with the FX we still have to clean up.

This one was too brief for me, too: I wish we coulda gone scene by scene through the show and done an open critique on the FX: So much of the storytelling requires the FX to buttress it, you miss something or don't get it clear and the audience is going to have to work too hard to follow.

So anybody who saw the cut Saturday, if you saw something you have a question about and you didn't get to ask it yesterday (or even if you did and didn't feel like we got where the issue was) please PM me. I have something like 15 days to finalize the shots I'm responsible for, and any input will be welcome (if not always do-able: I think just the things Barb asked for would take me another month :P ).

To reiterate Beo's warning (cuz you know he'll be right on it if I don't), make sure you're addressing your PM correctly, else you incur his spoiler wrath and are dotted :P

Anyway, after the panel wrapped, we got The Otters, with some "best of" moments from the series taken from our very scientific voting system here on the forums ;)

Jon handed a shout-out to Hudson for a pretty extensive captioning project he's been working on with HF for the last few months.

And finally, Rob gave us a very nice send off and the weekend was over (for me at least: I had to get home to make dinner for the fam, and I had to pull John W away from his adoring public so he could pick his car and blankey up from my house :)

Thanks again everybody, and please PM me if you've got notes.

Dan

Even though I said filming.  It was really every aspect of the event that made it so much fun. I am very proud of how HF  has come along way. And yes I almost cried during the farewell.  I am very proud how HF has come along way.   The event itself was fun.   Getting to talk to everyone will always be remembered.  onlything I wished was covered more was the  making of a fan film part of that panel.   the technical behind the scenes.  from cgi to the transition from blue screen to green. Which has my interest.  I loved the costuming panel.  Always been intrigued by that  end of movie making.     :D   I also turned my friends at Trekville USA  to Hidden frontiers.    and anyone else I know of  who is a star trek fan.  And no I never gave any spoilers out. Nor will I ever.  After all why ruin a good thing?   

Kira James signing off

I think, my favorite part was being able to watch a few episodes in a room with the other fans.
Although I have helped Rob with a few "other" conventions - the vibe has always been more of a:
"Here'smytableComewatchmyTVandImgonnaThrowFlyersatyouHeyHEYimtalkingtoyou"

But at the EB we got to sit down and watch these on a bigscreen with a big audience (that wasnt just crew who'd seen it a hundred times already).
These people brought a joy and love to the screenings that is not possible when you are sitting in a TCP-IP solitude doing quicktime solitary.

Nail. onthe. Head. Hit'D

I enjoyed connecting with everyone in my all too brief few hours on Saturday night - including Ste, Daniel, David, Jenn, Jonathan, Josh (hope your back feels better, bud) seeing JT/Adam, Rob, and my good friend John Whiting a nice hug from Risha.  The dinner conversation at Gulliver's was grand (though the food was SLOW and pricey) and then there's the beer with Xan2 - which was worth every drop and every ounce of conversation.  Doing politics with Woz was probably the best debate I have ever truly enjoyed.

It was quite the night.

Now is as good a time as ever, getting there was trials & tribbulations.  The rental car company didn't let me rent my car & I flew South West which was a saving grace.  The security & the van to the airport took longer than the actual flight (I TIMED IT) 

Once I got there it was like meeting old family again.  I really had a great time Friday night and my roommates were pretty cool too Wendy & Dale.  Though Dale, gotta say never thought putting on Klingon makeup would take you that long!  Had flashbacks of the airport trip.  LOL.... The shoot was awesome Barbra (Elbry)  and PK got me into a crewman uniform and I was able to get into a starfleet uniform for the first time and perform the Picard maneuver several times. 

The IHOP Exeperiance were I got to dress a table for 40 people that didn't get to eat & then ended up drinking not so much with Will, James, David and Johnathan though the meal at Gulliver's I thought they had to kill the cow to get it. 

Sunday was a blast.... I woke up not missing anything considering I thought I was late and got to hang out again.  My biggest disappointment was leaving durring the awards because my van had arrived.  But, alas I was on my way.  That took an hour.  I got to the airline and tried to change my flight.  Well, because the operator told me I could print out a new ticket and I only needed my ID I didn't bring my ticket so SOUTH WEST wouldn't honor my original $252 payment and had to buy a new ticket for $192.00 home.  Needless to say I WAS not happy.  My mom who was amazing and saved my butt to get me home.  I have 2 days left of my vacation and the best part was EB2.  I'm glad I wasn't chair because I don't think I could  have pulled off what you did! 

I knew that it was a good omen when Jim and I managed to reach the hotel with plenty of time for spare, and getting back to Poway before dark. My favorite experience was also several of the mentioned things - the meet-and-greet, the filming and the free time interaction...but mostly, I had to say, it was the filming.

I still found it a little amusing how JT's party got moved twice by the hotel's Gestapo security people. The first time, I understood - as I mentioned to Adam (or was it to JT? Eh, may have been both), I could hear it from my room, even though I was one floor below and down the hall. But twice?



To go a little further on the IHOP incident, at least from my perspective: The plan - since the Saturday dinner event at the hotel was cancelled - was to go to the IHOP across the freeway from the hotel. There were quite a few of us there...I was sitting with Jim, Rob's parents and Dave Mason...and I believe Anthony Diaz as well. As Thomas mentioned, we ended up having to cancel (actually, didn't we actually get shooed out?) because there was only one person who had to serve and attempt to work the apparently broken register - it was the manager - and there was only one chef. Apparently, this particular IHOP doesn't expect dozens of people popping in. *grin* So we all split up and began what I like to call "Hidden Frontier: The Search for Sustenance". Jim ended up going with Mike Johns, Dave Dial and Cliff Gardner, and I went with Risha, JT, Adam and Matt Montgomery.

Risha, I found out, has a similar interest in somewhat loud music with me...she listens to Godsmack and Disturbed, which I also listen to from time to time (I have very unusual musical selections...let's just say that Clannad is on one end of my musical spectrum, and Disturbed is on the other end, heh). I also think Risha drives very similarly to my grandfather - kinda crazy-like. I think Adam was trying not to scream in terror when she revved that engine coming back to the hotel, heh....love ya, Adam! ;D Anyway, where was I...ah, yes...Mike's group went over to the Mexican restraurant across the street from the IHOP, some of them went to the steakhouse next door to the Mexican place....and my group went over to the Carl's Jr. on MacArthur and Main, where we ran into other "refugees" from IHOP - including Rob, Beo, Andrew, Beau Christian Williams and Bobby Rice, to name a few. As a result, we were a little on the late side getting back to the hotel for the sneak peeks.

When we got to Carl's Jr., I was thinking of waiting until we got back to the room for food, as I had no money - I forgot to ask Jim for a few bucks before we left - and, for no reason that I could think of, I was having a "down period"...I had practically been having them that whole weekend, where I felt like I wanted to cry but couldn't let it out. (I have clinical depression, not sure if anyone knows that.) So while the others are ordering, I sat outside and waited for a few minutes, watching the planes go by and land at the nearby airport, when JT comes up behind me. He apparently sees something is up, and asks me - and I'm sorry for trying to downplay it, JT. I have a genuine problem I have been battling for most of my life (and mostly without medication - I will not be chained to drugs in order to fix my problems). Why it picked this weekend to hit me, I'm not sure.

Anyway, back to my story: I also mention I have no money, and was going to wait until we returned to the hotel and just have their pizza, which was actually pretty good. Now, as a matter of principle when it comes to my friends, I try not to ask for money...it makes me feel guilty. But JT, being the great guy he is, decided to make a deal with me - he would loan me a few bucks, and in return, I would come back and buy one of his "Begging for Shorts" DVDs. So that's what we did. I have yet to watch it, though; I spent yesterday trying to get my brain reoriented to having reliable Internet and satellite TV...and not having a ritzy room to sleep in. I have seen at least one of those shorts before, though, and I couldn't remember where...and it took a glance at the back cover to realize it. It was linked on PlanetOut a few years back.



I've been trying not to cry since we left the shoot at UCI, truth be told. I know there is still going to be something cooked up in that back room of Rob's house, but being among you all was the first time in my entire life that I felt a sense of belonging. I have never had that, not even among my friends in school. I was always the odd one out...but it took my discovery of HF to find that we're all odd here. *grin*

So, to end this tirade, my thanks to everybody, particularly the following:

-Andrew and Beo, for their great hosting (and I admit, I did laugh at the Rodney impersonations, bad as they may have been ;D);
-Mike Urvand - who I seem to be thanking a lot, and for good reason - for loaning me his uniform for the shoot;
-JT and Adam...but most especially JT, for the incident I mentioned above;
-Risha Denney, for not getting us killed with her crazy driving - and I think Adam would also thank her in that regard...

And of course, Rob Caves. Words are not enough to describe my gratitude to you, my friend, but alas, words are all I have.

Thank you all,
- Josh Underwood

P.S. And if anyone plays World of Warcraft at all - I know some do - I can be found as Saavedro (level 70 human paladin) on the Gnomeregan server or Joshmaul (level 64 orc warlock) on the Medivh server.

OK, so here's how my group's dinner went after the IHOP calamity (which, to those reading who weren't there, was a minor drip in the ocean of fun--- and it is pretty comical, looking back).

Well, Mike Hudson, who I knew from the forums, turned out to have one of those dry, razor-edged British wits, and he is definitely a charming, bright (and quite funny) guy who came all the way from near Cambridge, England to California for this. I was there (quiet, shy guy that I am), along with Deborah from the LA Times (who's been shadowing Rob for about a month or so for an upcoming feature article timed for mid-May).  As the general IHOP pandamonium subsided as everyone left, and we realized the restaurant was now empty (and QUIET!), the three of us looked at each other and laughed and said, the hell with it, we'll stay -- the 1 waiter and 1 cook can handle us three.   Then, we looked over and saw Carol Solda (Admiral Rand), Barbara Clifford (Elbray), Sharon Savene (Faisal) and her ?husband/boyfriend, and Heather Ashley (Silan) looking about and so we waved them over to join us.

Well, we spent the next 90 minutes eating, laughing, and talking about the widest range of subjects ever.  Rick and Sharon bonded over their marine biology backgrounds (Sharon has a master's degree in oceanography research and teaching, but now works with community theatre grants/funding!), Mike provided lots of fun information about Britain, US, and what brought him to the show, Deborah from LA Times turned out to be totally hooked on HF now, and mean ole Admiral Rand (Carol Solda) is the most interesting, soft spoken, and intelligent woman.  And quite beautiful. Meanwhile, Heather and Barbara are chatting away and just having the best time. (We found out later why they were so deeply engrossed in their conversation!  :$  )

Oh, and I should add tastefully that Sharon, who we often just see driving the space ship, could easily win beauty contests around the world.  She has an touch of the exotic beauty... backed up by personality, charm and intelligence.  And let's just say, I think it will be seen that there's a lot more to her than just "Aye aye, Captain."   Before we knew it, we were late.  (But, it turns out, we really weren't, cuz everyone else was, too).

Again, it happened...  people who we knew from out computer screens and forum and chat, turned into instant friends.  Quite interesting.   I am one to make lots of "casual" friends -- kind of like the boarder collie dog at parties, bouncing around and making sure everyone is having a good time.  But on a very casual level.  With these folks, it was immediate bonding.  Hard to explain, but I think Mike and the others understand what I mean.

Anyway, let me see if I can remember....

Rick:   Spinach salad with grilled beef.
Mike:  Rooty Tooty Fresh and Fruity Meal (once he saw the name and heard us laughing about it, he changed his previous order to get it).
Deborah:  Spinach salad with BLT/Grilled chicken.
Sharon: Pigs in a Blanket (Barbara Clifford cringed at the thought!).
Sharon's friend:  something with sunny side up eggs.
Carol: Rooty Tooty Fresh and Fruity Meal  (ordered it orginally -- and Mike copied off her).
Heather:  don't know -- they were talking a little too much in secret.... (but the silences were pregnant with meaning...).
Barbara:  again, don't know, they were hunched over and talking like two mother hens, so I couldn't see.

Total alcohol consumed at dinner:  0.00
Total alcohol consumed at JT's party later by Rick:  unknown, and can't remember very well   :bulb:

Our waiter (the ONLY waiter) was annoyingly flustered throughout the dinner....  but we got to eat, and we had a great time.
When we all tossed in the money, there was extra money left after a 20% tip (definitely an overtip).  No one would take it, so I said, okay, just leave it for the waiter.   Everyone looked at each other and laughed and grabbed at some of the bills.   He still got a 20% tip.

TOPIC FOR FUTURE CHAT NIGHT:   CoCo-Santa Monica vs. IHOP-Irvine:   Hot waiters, cold food vs.  Hot food, cold waiters.

Rick



And there you have our group's dinner.




Typo edit

Dude, way hotter waiter... Coco's Santa Monica any day!  ;D

So, arrived at the hotel with Heather (who came with me after a package Rob was expecting was not arriving at the right moment) and Dale on Friday at about 5:20 -after a tortuous 2 hr drive from Rob and Beo’s (because, in theory, that trip should’ve taken not more than an hour. But we are talking LA traffic and theory usually gets thrown out the window with the bath water).

Walked into the bar and right in the arms of Will. I missed seeing him (as we spent a great time together at EB I) and if there is one person that can bring a smile to my face, its our Xanxan. I met Ste and Andrew - who, of course, I’ve seen every month since October. Not that I’m complaining. He is also the darling of the convention, and one of the most organized persons I’ve ever met. He is a master juggler and deserves all the kudos -and some additional donations - to making EB II the huge success it was.

The rest of the crew and cast began to slid in and got to meet fans such as Jamie, Daniel, Rick, and Joshua. Mike Johns (who has this fly car),  Will and I went to the Rite Aid to get some beer, cause it was expensive to drink in the hotel bar.

I stayed the first night at Dan Crout’s house, getting there (after a brief “oops, shouldn’t have I turned here?”) at about 10:30. John Whiting joined us a little over an hour later (and after he went right instead of left). While waiting for John, Dan and I talked about writing, as I’ve decided I want to pitch a story idea. Dan gave me some great ideas.

So, I tried to sleep. I’m not one of those people who can fall asleep easily in strange places. I cannot sleep in moving vehicles, such as cars or airplanes. Plus, I need near silence of a grave yard to actually fall asleep. True, I do sleep with ear plugs, but that does not block out all the noise.

On the other hand, Mr. Whiting can fall asleep anywhere at the drop of hat.

So, Dan awakes us both at about 5:30 to get over to UCI for the shoot. I had decided not to shower because I had taken Joanne’s room (cause she had to drop out due to work) for Saturday night.

Like Dan and Beo have already said, the shoot on Saturday went off without a hitch. It amazes me the level of cooperation we got from the cast and crew and those loyal fans. And while the marine layer helped keep things cool for most of the shooting, by the time the clouds did lift its skirts to let the sun shine, we were near finishing.

And when the guys showed up with the stedi-cam, I think the day got more golden. The fans were delighted that they became so much apart of the shoot (and hopefully, not too much will be left on the editing room floor), and I was delighted for them, if only because only 14 months earlier, I was one sitting in the audience in awe of people like Rob, JT, Adam, Barbara, Bobby, Wayne, John, Dave Dial, Julia, Risha, and Sharon.

Anyhoo, the day was perfect and when we wrapped at noon, I think everyone was astonished at what we accomplished in that time.

More to come....

David

Okay, my most vivid memory is the steakhouse, sitting there freezing (who knew California got so *cold* after dark?) and John keeping me warm. And Mike putting napkins over his arms and head to conserve body heat. And Jenn and I debating on how soon they'll find our bodies. It was so awesome, I really had a super great time, and I can't wait to see more of ya'll!

I checked into my room after we returned from UCI and showered. It was great.

Went back down to the bar, where Will was and waited for the festivities to start at 3. Then it began, and people poured in: Barb, Karl, Alex, Beau, Katie, Sam, Jonathan, Wendy, Jason, Mike and many more. The panels started, the autograph line grew, and some people I only new as nicknames and silly avatars presented themselves as real people. I had always wondered what wickedwonder looked like, and then there was Wendy. The fact that she flew in from Indianapolis was cool. While she may not be a totally Midwest girl, I liked the idea that she was close enough from Chicago, that I could say I met someone close to where I used to live!

The other exciting thing of Saturday was dinner, which is getting a great deal of attention. So, because I came with Sam (who drove), James, Jonathan and Will, I tracked over to Gulliver’s. They put us outside, and as the sun went down, the aired cooled and it got chilly. Now the first thing you’ve got to know is, that since I moved here, I’ve teased a many of people who claim it gets so cold here. But, for the first time, I could say I was actually cold. Of course, I was dressed in a thin shirt, but still had jeans and my flip-flops on, but still.

So as most of the large group sat at bunch of put-together tables, James, Thomas, Will and I and then joined by Sam and Jonathan sat down for dinner. I had nothing, as I was trying to keep to my limits, but I’m glad I didn’t. The food took forever to get here, and then was way over priced. Still, it was fun listening to James, Will and Sam talk. I chimed in once in awhile, along with Thomas.

Got back in enough time to see the 7.08 rough cut. Though I had seen it back at the end of March, Rob and Dan had added many new effects. I still think its fabulous. Then we saw the preview of Odyssey, along with the opening credits. Got to say, I nearly peed in my pants. Very impressive teaser, and every time I hear the theme to Odyssey, it gets stuck in my head. All In a good way, of course.

We closed down and headed up to JayTee and Adams room for a DVD release party for his Begging for Shorts, a collection of his, well, shorts.

It was well after midnight when it began, and while we tried hard to keep the noise level down, well it was near impossible. So, after being asked to move, we all came back to the convention room and sat and talked and drank.

But by 2:30, I was tired and along with John Whiting -who was going to sleep in the bed next to mine -ambled up to the room.

It was to be a more or less, sleepless night.

To be concluded....


David

I really did enjoy debating with you too :)  We really have to do it again sometime!

And don't forget that it did cross our minds to order then cancel and walk out .....  but we were hungry

Funny thing you all might not know - but Sparker Carlos and I went back to the hotel and had them set up for 15-20 people because we were sure people would start trickling back in.

and then no one did. so we had nearly the whole dining room to ourselves, and that weird scowling waiter.
I was really underwhealmed by the Hotel Resturant/Bar staff - but Beatrice was awesome.


EDIT - sorry - i am referring to Saturday night's dinner fiasco.

I don't know if anyone mentioned this yet, or not, but while the 20, or so, of us were eating dinner at Gulliver's (well, mostly waiting for it and freezing), this helicopter flew low, overhead and came to a stop hovering right over the IHOP. We all started cheering and shouting "Bomb them! Bomb them!". It definitely was a moment to remember, LOL.

-ste

Oh, I'd like to thank Rob for agreeing to re-show the "Battlestar Excelsior" footage for those of us who missed it because dinner at Gulliver's took 3 1/2 hours. The food was excellent, but it took sooooo long to arrive and was soooooo expensive, and it was soooo chilly out. We shouldn't have walked past El Torrito's! But, you know, I think fun was had, by all. :)

-ste

To be fair..While Ste's side of the patio was yelling "Bomb them!", my side of the table was saying "Rescue us before we freeze!"

Mike

I can't go into details here yet (because of what lurks in Elenaar's basement and also because of those big red dots that Beo keeps in his shirt pocket), but I can say the following:

The 7.08 showing was emotional.  The beginning titles alone are enough to make your mouth drop open. Action packed, fast-paced, and emotionally a rollercoaster.  Plus, knowing what the last scenes are because you are part of them, and putting it all together and knowing the storyline, is so overwhelming.  There were many damp eyes in the crowd.

As previously talked about, that followed almost immediately with the Odyssey trailer.... oh my god.  [For my friends on the Forum, I truly am not gloating or rubbing this in your face, but we were specifically asked not to spoil or otherwise discuss it. ] But I will reinterate what has already been said:  the music is hauntingly beautiful, uplifting and spot-on for the content.  The scenes are stunningly crisp and absolutely beautiful.  The typography and narration are executed exactly on cue, and the CGI graphics are some of the best I've ever seen.  The storyline potential (of which a lot is implied if you listen to the dialog and combine that with rudimentary knowledge of the actual "Odyssey" story) is tremendous. 

For me, when I first heard the dialog, and put 2+2 together with what I had seen at the final shoot that day, along with the beginning of the trailer as shown, plus the historical referrant to Homer's "Odyssey", there was a little jolt of realization of where Rob and the writers were going to take the story, and the emotion sort of rolled over me.  Tears came to my eyes, swelling with the background music.  Let's just say my Team is going to have a bit of a best of times/worst of times moment as it unfolds and they do their own linkages.  That, combined with the stunning graphics and music left many in the audience, including some of the crew and cast, with tears, too (so I didn't feel like the only goof).  Rob said he was surprised at this...  he shouldn't be.  We care about these characters.  And this show.  And these people.

One final caveat ... or in this case,   CAVE-at.  Rob and his crew are tricky.   Don't assume or believe anything people say as gospel truth unless it comes from Rob.  Especially the "don't assume" part.  It was another little thing I gleaned from listening closely to the Odyssey trailer, when he foolishly showed it a second time allowing me and others to focus in on it, instead of just staring at it with tears and open mouths like the first time. 

OK, hopefully I've whetted your appetite without tormenting you, and hopefully there is not a bright red dot at the bottom of my picture by the time you've read this.  I've tried very hard to stay withing the guidelines.

Rick

spelling edit

Everything Rick said is right on the money. I just want to reiterate how crisp everything looks in Odyssey. Without the green halo and with the CGI as great as it is, I felt like I was watching something that looked just as good as anything I've ever seen on tv. Rob and Company should be really proud of what they've created and, no, he shouldn't be surprised that we care so much - they all made us care.

-ste

Meanwhile, our table was just sitting back, being pretentious, drinking $6.50 beer and enjoying it all.

I am not sure if this picture conveys it, but when Rob's friends/colleagues brought him a steadycam to use for the final scenes, he was so thrilled to get to use it.  It was so much fun to see him happy and excited about the chance to use it (although the cam rig turned out to be pretty heavy!).  Anyway, here's a pic we don't see much, but it's what really makes Hidden Frontier--- Rob at work.

-- Rick

Hey, don't forget we want the Disneyland trip report and pics when you all recuperate --- and I want to know who lost their lunch on the Dumbo ride!

Rick