NYCC 2011: Saturday Recap

My second day at NYCC started off with a 25-minute wait on a line that wrapped almost entirely around the Javits Center. I later found out there was a separate press / VIP entrance I could have used but the volunteer I asked apparently did not know about it either. The line wasn’t too bad though considering how many people in awesome costumes I got to see while I waited.

Once inside the convention, I saw the reason for the massive lines. The place was packed. Some aisles on the show floor were impossible to navigate and even the press rooms were full. I knew Saturday would be the biggest day at the con but I just was not prepared. The massive amount of foot traffic made taking decent pictures of people in costumes much more difficult but I still managed some decent shots.

After a quick hello with some fellow press, I began wandering the show floor aimlessly. Eventually I did fall into a little bit of a schedule based on a few booths and panels I wanted to check out. On my way to the BOY WONDER booth, I passed Magnet Releasing and noticed that writer/director/actor Ti West was signing posters. Being a fan of his work, I waited to meet him. We talked horror movies for a few minutes and he gave me some advice on a script I recently finished.

From there I headed over to my interview with Michael Morrissey, writer & director of BOY WONDER. We discussed the origins of the film, what it is like promoting it at conventions and more. I will post the full interview soon but here is a trailer for the film.

Following the interview, I made my way to a booth that actually has very little to do with movies but I want to mention anyway. IAmAStuffedAnimal.com is a website that makes a custom “little buddy” which look like the stuffed wrestling dolls I used to have as a kid. For a pretty reasonable fee considering all the personalization, they make these really cool stuffed dolls of anyone or anything you want. They first came to my attention when actress Felicia Day was posting pics with her buddy that they made for her. I found them on twitter (@StuffYourself) and saw they made custom buddies of a lot of the celebrities at the convention. In fact, the doll Seth Green & Macaulay Culkin were posing with in my video on Friday was from these guys. I loved that promotional idea and stopped by to do a quick interview with them. Check it out:

After the interview, I made my way to the EAGLEHEART panel at the other end of the building. This was a strange one. For anyone who has seen the show, you know how insane and hilarious it is. If you haven’t, the show is essentially a WALKER TEXAS RANGER parody with some of the most absurd humor you will ever see. Obviously, it is part of the Adult Swim lineup. The show stars Chris Elliott, Brett Gelman and Maria Thayer, who were all on the panel along with creators Michael Kolman and Andrew Weinberg. So why was the panel so strange? Well I guess such a crazy show deserves crazy fans. I taped the entire panel (except the preview clips) for you to check out. My favorite questions are the ones involving Brett Gelman’s beard. Yes, there were several questions just about his beard. Enjoy!

Because of this panel, it was impossible to get into the WALKING DEAD or AVENGERS panels. On my way to EAGLEHEART, I had to pass by the IGN Theater. No one was leaving in between panels there and the standby line to get in was massive. In fact, to get through the crowd I had to follow a man with a life-size fully functional R2D2 as if he was my police escort. I didn’t feel like spending all my time on a line anyway and going to the other panel gave me a chance to catch up with Chris Elliott for a few minutes. We have been friends for a few years but it has been a while since we last saw each other. They had to clear out the room pretty quickly but it was great seeing him again.

Missing the AVENGERS panel also opened up my schedule to go explore the convention center some more. I discovered the reason I couldn’t find any of the celebrity autograph tables was because it was in an entirely different section of the Javits Center with literally only one sign advertising it. It was an open space with much smaller crowds than any other section of NYCC. In addition to the signings, there were a lot of sections for kids, as well as an area for photos with the Delorean from BACK TO THE FUTURE & two different Batmobiles. There was also a small Quidditch field where I witnessed the last 20 seconds of what was surely an epic match between Batman and a Stormtrooper.

Walking through the signing area, I learned one very important fact. Mark Hamil is the king of convention signings and he truly cleans up. It was $100 for a ticket to meet him and at least 100 people were waiting on line when I passed by. That is damn impressive. Unfortunately both Eliza Dushku and Felicia Day were not at their tables when I checked. However, I did get to see Brian O’Halloran, who is best known as Dante from CLERKS. I actually met him a few years ago at a special event in Red Bank, NJ. He signed my Mooby’s Funployee nametag & even wrote in Dante. That year I wore it on my Funployee shirt and went as Dante to a Halloween party. I did not tell Brian this though because I did not want to creep him out. He was kind enough to grant me an impromptu interview that I will post very soon. After the interview I stuck around his table another 20 minutes chatting with him and some more fans who stopped by. He is extremely friendly and very knowledgeable. He offered some great advice and it really was a pleasure talking with him. I hope that we keep in touch because I would love to work with him someday.

I pretty much ended my day on that high note. I did pass by the Troma Entertainment booth on my way out just to thank Lloyd Kaufman for the quick interview from Friday and to find out how the Graham Chapman panel went since I was unable to attend it. Completely exhausted, I made my way home and passed out immediately on my bed. The interviews and photos will be posted soon.

Jerry Cavallaro – www.JerryCavallaro.com