Social Media and Behind the Scenes: AKA Everything Else Not "News and Media"

[looptab]

39 minutes ago, Soulfire said:

Each photo op session lasted different times, and I can give estimates for each I attended (Stephen solo, Emily solo, Emily and Charlotte duo, Stephen and Emily duo, and a David Ramsey solo) but the Stephen and Emily duo specifically lasted longer than the given time (11.15-11.30am). The photo session before it finished early, so they decided to start Stephen and Emily's at around 10.45 instead -- and it ran til about 11.20. So roughly 35mins ish?

Thank you :) Glad to hear that in the end the S/E one lasted longer than what was scheduled - 15 minutes seemed a ridiculously short amount of time.

Can't wait to read your report on the weekend :) 

Edited May 21, 2016 by looptab

[tv echo]

More kudos from the TV Upfronts...

Upfronts 2016: The Overachievers
by Nellie Andreeva • May 20, 2016 4:56pm
http://deadline.com/2016/05/upfronts-2016-the-overachievers-tv-producers-deadline-1201760180/

Quote

As we close the book on another broadcast development season, here is Deadline’s annual honor roll of those who excelled at the 2016 upfronts. Also included is a list of pods and independent production companies with multiple series on broadcast and cable:
*  *  *
The Uber Producers: Almost four decades after Aaron Spelling ruled ABC’s primetime with seven hours of drama programming a week, Greg Berlanti, Shonda Rhimes and Dick Wolf are enjoying a similar dominant presence, each with five drama series on one network — the CW, ABC and NBC, respectively. Berlanti added the new comic book-based Riverdale to his four returning series on the CW: Supergirl, moving from CBS, The Flash, Arrow and DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow, four of which he also co-created. His company also produces NBC’s Blindspot, which was renewed for a second season, bringing Berlanti’s tally to six broadcast drama series. Wolf expanded his Chicago franchise to four series with the pickup of Chicago Justice. He also has Law & Order: SVU and a series order by NBC for Law & Order: You The Jury reality spinoff, with an anthology offshoot, Law & Order: True Crime, on fast-track development. Rhimes’ company Shondaland is behind five drama series on ABC, with the newly picked up Romeo & Juliet sequel Still Star-Crossed joining returning series Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal, which Rhimes created, as well as How To Get Away With Murder and The Catch.

Edited May 21, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

New facebook video posted by SA today -- all about TMNT2 promo events, but look, he shaved! ...

https://www.facebook.com/stephenamell

Edited May 21, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Some tweets from AC (Anarky)...

[calliope1975]

1 hour ago, tv echo said:

New facebook video posted by SA today -- all about TMNT2 promo events, but look, he shaved! ...

https://www.facebook.com/stephenamell

I know I stand alone in this, and I am okay with that, but bring the beard back! The closer he gets to being clean shaven, the more SA's hotness level plunges for me. 

[apinknightmare]

5 minutes ago, calliope1975 said:

I know I stand alone in this, and I am okay with that, but bring the beard back! The closer he gets to being clean shaven, the more SA's hotness level plunges for me. 

I agree. The scruff does a lot for him. 

[SmallScreenDiva]

Yeah, not a fan of the beard but I need some scruff in there. More like this level, hair length, too ...

[calliope1975]

Yeah, I actually liked the full on beard, but dude needs at least some scruff to get out of serial killer territory. 

[Starfish35]

I agree about the scruff/beard, but with longer hair.  Not a fan of the buzz cut. 

[Midnight Lullaby]

I think he looks great with the stubble but the full on beard is a no for me. It makes him look ten years older than he really is. I think his best look is stubble and slightly longer hair..basically his Oliver Queen look in most episodes.

Edited May 21, 2016 by Midnight Lullaby

[JenMcSnark]

12 hours ago, spartan said:

lies just to feed the gossip about olicity

That is a pretty strong statement.  May I ask what you are basing your statement on?  Surely you must have some sort of proof that those numbers are not correct to react so strongly.  I'm honestly curious.  Thank you. 

[kismet]

I think it might be a combination of the long surfer hair & clean shaven that is a hotness killer for me. The full on beard works, but not necessarily in the summer, he also needs to trim it better it can be full but it needs to be better managed so it doesn't look scraggly. However, I don't mind him more clean shaven, you could actually see his dimples and his piercing eyes. That being said I do think he does look better with some stubble and a slightly longer hair. Basically classic mid-season OQ. Regardless of how he adorns it, the man has one sexy jawline. 

It also helps when he is not wearing some stupid hat indoors all the time, his wardrobe does I think impact his hotness factor, sometimes he just looks like bum.

[Genki]

He looked great at the Upfronts this year, I credit TMNT team.

[BunsenBurner]

I think SA wore his scruff for the Upfronts for Arrow and then shaved it for TMNT.

[Genki]

I'm talking about the suit and general Styling...I think this great suit was his best fitted look so far for upfronts.

I prefer scruff to full blown beard but SA is pretty enough to carry off both looks, IMO.

[tv echo]

These SA interviews included some Arrow/TV stuff (see my transcriptions below)...

Stephen Amell Exclusive Interview - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
Published on May 19, 2016, by HeyUGuys

-- When asked to compare Oliver Queen to Casey Jones, SA: "Oliver would be more like Leonardo or Raphael than he is like Casey Jones... Oliver, you could argue, is like a Ninja because he's trained by the League of Assassins, amongst other people.  Casey Jones is not trained by anybody, right? He doesn't think with his head, he thinks with his heart, and he charges into situations, and he makes mistakes, but they're borne out of enthusiasm. So hopefully, they're easier to forgive."

-- On the increasingly blurred line between cinema and tv, and whether there's a huge difference between working on small screen versus big screen, SA: "Absolutely not, no. And anyone in Hollywood who thinks - anyone who thinks there's a difference between, uh, um, film and television is going to become obsolete within the industry. And if that's your attitude within the studio system, you're being stupid. I mean, the best content that has existed over the past 15 years - the vast majority of it has been on TV.  Mad Men. The Sopranos. Game of Thrones. We have this burgeoning comic book superhero universe on TV that stretches across not only networks, but Marvel and DC, and be it Netflix or ABC or CW. And there is still a prevailing attitude in some corners of the industry that the movies are just above it, and that they're better than it. And it's stupid. It really is. A smart, forward-thinking network studio, whomever, would recognize that the best content is the best content is the best content. And would operate from that principle."

-- When asked about the uncertainty over TV series' fates (like the Agent Carter cancellation) and the fact that his fate (as the star of a big TV series) is in other people's hands, SA: "No, I mean, we do one season of Arrow at a time. Season 5 could be the last season, or we could - or I could be here like the Supernatural boys going into Season 12. It all kinda depends. Some of the best - you know, Greg Berlanti who created Arrow - some of his favorite television shows have had their best seasons in Season 6 and Season 7. Every year really is like a new film. If you think of it that way, in that you got a new villain, you have to add new elements - you add new characters, you take things away, characters change, characters mature, you have a different slot of directors. And so a season can really pop. A season can be a little bit lackluster. But you never know. So, as long as we're interested in telling the story - I mean, obviously there are economics behind it - and, you know, the more episodes you do, the more the network wants you to do. But as long as we're interested in telling the story, we'll keep going."

-- On Kevin Smith expressing an interest in writing two episodes of Arrow, SA: "Well, I wouldn't want to just take away the writers from the writers' room. But if he would like to - you know, I know that we've had Geoff Johns kind of, uh, cameo on episodes of Arrow. And I think Kevin Smith would be a great - look, he wrote Green Arrow and it would be fantastic to have him involved. I would love to have him involved."

Stephen Amell on Ninja Turtles, Arrow/Supergirl crossover and WWE return
Published on May 18, 2016, by Loaded Online

-- SA: "You know, actually, when I booked the role of Arrow, I didn't do a ton of research prior to the pilot because the pilot was sorta the story unto itself. And it's - everything on the page and my interpretation of it seemed to jive with what the producers and director were looking for. So I didn't do a ton of research." (Same thing for TMNT2 because it's an origin story for Casey Jones and not the finished product that he is in the comics.)

-- On possibility of Supergirl crossover, SA:"I think that it's highly likely that if you have four DC superhero properties on one network, that that is an opportunity that may never exist again and that has certainly never existed in the history of television. So I would expect that we would do something."

Edited May 22, 2016 by tv echo

[tv echo]

So cute...

Emily Bett Rickards on Echo's snapchat
Published on May 21, 2016, by Emily Bett Rickards Fans

[tv echo]

CW Upfronts 2016: Stephen Amell, Grant Gustin, Brandon Routh & Carlos Valdes - Part 3
Published on May 20, 2016, by CelebrityMagnet0105

[tv echo]

At the Nocking Point party in Birmingham, fan asked SA this question and here's his response (uh, yeah, stick to acting, Stephen)...

Stephen Amell and the Arrow episode he would write if all the writers went off sick. Funny answer
Published on May 21, 2016, by Catherine Wright

SA: "It's going to open up with Oliver and Diggle playing chess. That's going to be the entire teaser. The end of the teaser is going to be Diggle looking up at Oliver and going, 'Checkmate'. And then we open up and, uh, Oliver and Thea and Felicity and Diggle and maybe Felicity's mom are having breakfast Oliver cooked... And then we move on to Act 2. We decide to go out for lunch. Want to know why? It's Sunday. We think to ourselves, 'hey now, Sunday Funday.' And uh, apparently we learn that Donna can drink 7, 8, 9, 10 champagne cocktails and just (snaps fingers) keep right on trucking. That's Act 2... Uh, Act 3. Oliver works out because, boy, did he eat a lot of food. Diggle doesn't work out and just stays ripped. That's Act 3. Uh, Act 4, there's a  little bit of trouble. Let the police handle it, so the team just chills. Act 5, somebody dies... Sorry, too soon? Too soon? ... And Act 6, we find out it was all a dream and they're all in a cell in prison and there's about to be a nuclear strike. The end."

Edited May 22, 2016 by tv echo

[WaitandHope]

Tv echo---actually watching TMNT interviews is going above and beyond.  I wish we could give you a cyber award.  Sinceriously...

[Morrigan2575]

i don't know that was actually a pretty funny answer.

[tv echo]

Thanks, but I really am interested in this stuff. So I do this for myself and then it's not that hard to share here.

FYI: HVFF has added a London event in 2017...

Heroes & Villains FanFest-London, May 27-28, 2017 (London, UK)
Stephen Amell
http://heroesfanfest.com/london/

Edited May 22, 2016 by tv echo

[looptab]

Ha, smart move. City of Heroes 3 is going to be 19-21 May

By the way, here's what's on their website:

Quote

 

City of Heroes #3 will be a weekend convention for fans with Guest Talks, Photo- and Autograph sessions, Evening Entertainment and lots of fun!
As we have changed the format of City of Heroes #3, we are currently negotiating for a new location, which will be announced soon. COH3 will be a smaller, more exclusive event than this years City of Heroes #2.

 

[bijoux]

18 minutes ago, Morrigan2575 said:

i don't know that was actually a pretty funny answer.

I totally agree. Maybe it's also because of my wish to see such everyday scenes interspersed every now and then. I particularly enjoyed the part about Oliver working out because, boy, did he eat a lot of food. And Dig just stays ripped. Hee.

[SmallScreenDiva]

Brunch seems to be a thing for Arrow people today, LOL! One of the writers tweeted this earlier:

[Chaser]

"Would that you make happy"....lol

[lemotomato]

I don't get why the writers and MG don't understand the concept of middle ground when it comes to what fans want/expect from Olicity. No one expects a 40 minute episode of domestic tranquillity, but a 6 episode stretch (excluding 420) where they're at odds/barely interacting with each other is not my idea of entertainment.

[looptab]

"The Arrow Writers: A History of Trolling".

:)

[BkWurm1]

Quote

When asked to compare Oliver Queen to Casey Jones, SA: "Oliver would be more like Leonardo or Raphael than he is like Casey Jones... Oliver, you could argue, is like a Ninja because he's trained by the League of Assassins, amongst other people.  Casey Jones is not trained by anybody, right? He doesn't think with his head, he thinks with his heart, and he charges into situations, and he makes mistakes, but they're borne out of enthusiasm. So hopefully, they're easier to forgive."

It bothers me that I'm getting a parallel between Casey Jones and Laurel's BC.

[looptab]

2 minutes ago, BkWurm1 said:

It bothers me that I'm getting a parallel between Casey Jones and Laurel's BC.

From what I've seen of the previews, at least Casey Jones seems competent. :)

Edited May 22, 2016 by looptab

[dtissagirl]

But does his nail polish match his lipstick? Amateur.

Edited May 22, 2016 by dtissagirl

[looptab]

That's true. Unmatching nail polish and lipstick are unacceptable in the vigilante business. What is this Jones guy thinking, honestly.. :D

[lemotomato]

18 minutes ago, looptab said:

"The Arrow Writers: A History of Trolling".

:)

I know he is, but still. I see stuff like that, and I remember MG's comments last season about how fans just want Felicity and Oliver to get married and have babies, and I just shake my head. They should know what would make people happy. 401-407+409 is proof.

[looptab]

1 minute ago, lemotomato said:

I know he is, but still. I see stuff like that, and I remember MG's comments last season about how fans just want Felicity and Oliver to get married and have babies, and I just shake my head. They should know what would make people happy. 401-407+409 is proof.

Oh, yeah, I know what you meant. My post wasn't a direct answer to yours, just a comment on their tendency to have fun dropping stuff like that on twitter - it's bound to spark some "interesting" conversations :)

I honestly don't know if they really do think that's all Olicity fans want. And if that's the case, they either manage to misread what people tell them, or they come across (and focus on) all the wrong kind of content. Like, the tweet in question, it was in response to a series of tweets recalling all the shippy moments from earlier in the season - the fern, the packed lunch. Now, I don't know that fan specifically, but maybe BS draw his conclusion from them. or maybe he was just joking =)

[SmallScreenDiva]

12 minutes ago, looptab said:

Oh, yeah, I know what you meant. My post wasn't a direct answer to yours, just a comment on their tendency to have fun dropping stuff like that on twitter - it's bound to spark some "interesting" conversations :)

I honestly don't know if they really do think that's all Olicity fans want. And if that's the case, they either manage to misread what people tell them, or they come across (and focus on) all the wrong kind of content. Like, the tweet in question, it was in response to a series of tweets recalling all the shippy moments from earlier in the season - the fern, the packed lunch. Now, I don't know that fan specifically, but maybe BS draw his conclusion from them. or maybe he was just joking =)

I hope he was joking ... but even if he weren't, I hope some of the responses gave him stuff to think about. A lot of the replies called for a more stable relationship, for them to be a supercouple fighting crime. A friend suggested having them do normal stuff with the other characters. I saw SmoakAndArrow jump in with a suggestion for a Nick/Nora meets Die Hard scenario. 

[looptab]

8 minutes ago, SmallScreenDiva said:

I hope he was joking ... but even if he weren't, I hope some of the responses gave him stuff to think about. A lot of the replies called for a more stable relationship, for them to be a supercouple fighting crime. A friend suggested having them do normal stuff with the other characters. I saw SmoakAndArrow jump in with a suggestion for a Nick/Nora meets Die Hard scenario. 

Yeah, in this case I honestly think it was a joke all in good fun (still, way to fuel the fire in the fandom :p). About the suggestions in the answers, that's what I meant with either misreading what they read or reading the wrong stuff: let's hope they actually read the well-thought kind :)

[Soulfire]

I wasn't sure what topic to put this under, so Mods, if you want to move it to another appropriate thread, feel free.

City of Heroes 2 Recap

The con started Friday with registration and buying tickets for photo ops, autograph signings and lounges.

Half of everyone attending were divided into Hall 1 while the other half were in Hall 2. They flipped the panels between Saturday and Sunday; each attendee did double panels. For example, Stephen started the panels in Hall 1 on Saturday, then closed the panels in Hall 2 on Sunday. That way everyone got a chance to see a panel with every guest. I was in Hall 2.

Saturday

Saturday began for me with John Barrowman’s panel. He’s hilariously entertaining. He told funny stories from set (including the entire story behind the ‘Fart in my mouth and prove it’ joke), inserted lots of dirty jokes Barrowman-style (he started the panel with: “This is the earliest I’ve ever done a panel—I still have my morning wood…”), and reenacted lunch with his husband’s parents after the “reveal on Facebook Live” incident, to the point where the crowd was in tears. Barrowman had the panel for little less than an hour, but easily could have had it for two.

Next up was a photo op with Stephen Amell. It was rapid fire and you didn’t get much time to do poses, but he asked how I was and when I told him exhausted and jetlagged but happy, he said he knew the feeling: “I barely got a wink of sleep last night”. The photo turned out pretty good. After he was done with the ops, I waited by the printers for my photo, and offered him some gum; he smiled and showed me the one between his teeth.

After that I had an autograph signing with Emily Bett Rickards. I wore my Represent shirt from her Bathroom Therapy campaign, and after asking how I was while signing @apinknightmare's Funko Felicity Pop, when she saw my shirt she brightened and smiled and told me, “Thanks so much for supporting!” to which I thanked her for doing the campaign, and also, for giving us Felicity Smoak. Told her we needed more strong female characters and thanked her for portraying Felicity so well. She seemed genuinely moved/grateful.

Then came a personal highlight: when I went up to her, I’d kept a rubber duck in the pocket of my pants as a sort of nod to Bathroom Therapy. Emily saw the duck and FREAKED OUT -- she jumped up and down, “That is so awesome!” and ASKED if she could please sign the duck -- I enthusiastically gave it to her. She played around a little with the duck before giving it back, thanked me again and I left, basically bouncing on clouds.

I also got to talk to Baby Daddy actor Jean Luc Bilodeau for a while. He was in the autograph room, sitting in a corner about fifteen feet away from Emily’s autograph table, browsing his phone. Easy to talk with, seemed like a nice guy.

I only caught the second half of David Ramsey’s Saturday panel, but he’s very pleasant to listen to. (And watch. Heh.)

He spoke about how we wouldn’t get “the warm, fuzzy” feelings from the end of this season, that Damien does something to the team, using the term “major fracture”.  He also said “We aren't leaving it with the fuzzies but I think we are leaving it open for great storytelling." He wants to see Arrow go back to a more grounded show, with more street fights and a no-magic Big Bad for next season. Enjoyed watching him in the panel -- he’s got a strong, warm presence and interacts with the audience casually.

Next up was an autograph signing with Stephen. Asked him what he thinks Oliver writes in his journal, to which he smiled and said he didn’t know twice in a slow voice and an expression that told me he very much does know, so I called him out on it, telling him that and especially since it was his idea he would know -- to which he laughed heartily. He said maybe Oliver writes “This reminded me of that time on the island... Dear Diary.”

Lame. I laughed and shook my head, he smirked, I thanked him and moved on. 

The duo photo op with Charlotte and Emily was a DELIGHT.  Arriving they started up some music, danced around… Emily kept dancing with some people while taking photo ops. When I got up there, Emily excused herself to change the song, and while she ran over I helped Charlotte whose hair had gotten stuck on her dress. (She is gorgeous up close.) After, she pulled me into a long embrace while Emily finished changing the song/playlist. Once she got over, Emily saw Rubber Duck and excitedly JUMPED -- in the photo, she’s holding Rubber Duck in her palm while Charlotte’s pointing to it. It’s cute.

Next up was Emily’s Saturday lounge. Emily entered the room jokingly pushed in by John Barrowman, proceeding to theatrically fall to the floor, making everyone laugh. It broke tension and set the mood in a good way.

Some bits from that lounge:

• Emily was told at the start of the season the only people they weren't killing off were Stephen, Grant and herself. (Yes, she said Grant.)
• Emily was pissed that 5 female regulars had been killed across the network this year.
• Emily explained her current shorter hair wasn’t her own request -- she went to the hairdresser, a friend of hers, who was only supposed to color it but in the session “chopped it off”.
• Stephen ended up singing at the wrap party because, according to Emily, “He had ALL the drinks”. She admitted she was guilty of giving him a lot of them. He brought her favorite champagne to the party.
• She’d like to see Felicity train more, and sleep.
• Her favorite episode of Season 4A was 4x06 and her favorite episode of 4B was 4x22.

Came out of her lounge with a great impression of Emily. She isn’t afraid to curse or speak her mind about things, and I liked how well she spoke of her cast and crew members.

Sunday

Sunday started with Emily’s panel in Hall 2. People lined up early but I managed to get front row seats. She was a delight -- kept running to either side of the stage to answer questions from people lined up at the far ends of it, before she eventually plopped right down on stage.

Some bits from that panel:

• Emily dislikes that beige coat as much as we do. (She spoke about it in both her lounge sessions. “It’s a rain coat with holes!”)
• She likes that Felicity is Oliver’s polygraph.
• She loves when Oliver and Felicity are a communicative couple.
• She absolutely thinks Felicity will forgive Oliver.
• She would like to see Felicity fight more.
• She would like would like Earth 2 Felicity to be really evil.
• She complimented the Arrow crew's endurance, working 14-20h days.
• If Emily could have one food and drink for the rest of her life it would be champagne, coffee and a burger. (Yes, she said three things.)
• She would love to see more of Charlotte/Mama Smoak on the show, but it comes down to actor availability*.
• Emily: "If you're getting mooned by John Barrowman [in a scene] you just have to keep going."
• She thought the 'fart in mouth and prove it' joke was one of the funniest pranks of the season.
• She pointed out not to be scared of emotions because "otherwise you'll never have a full life."
• She doesn't think Smoak Technologies will happen within this realm of the show.

*She was asked about this in her Sunday lounge, after a fan commented on Echo being made regular next season and wishing Charlotte had been the same. Emily said “That’s to do on [Charlotte’s] availability”. Me and others in the lounge, after talking it through, got the impression it wasn’t because of lack of offer but because of Charlotte’s availability.

From there I moved on to the Stephen and Emily duo photo op. (More about the printing issues later.) Easily the photo op most people were lined up for that entire weekend. It was rapid fire here too, but I asked them for a sorta pose -- I ended up photobombing them! Emily told me it was a really cool idea before I left. The two of them did funny poses with fans and generally seemed to have a great time.

The both of them had a photo op with the lovely Brandon Routh after their duo. This went by quick since so few people lined up for it -- David Ramsey told us in his Sunday lounge that Stephen came up to him about it after saying, “Hey David. Emily, me and Brandon CRUSHED our photo op. 8 people came out.” There was an awkward moment right at the start when one of the fans asked Brandon to step out of the photo (I KNOW. Yikes.) He came over and stood next to me and I looked up at him, went, “Sorry, dude…” and he shrugged in a humble way.

I did my solo photo op with Emily after. She’d gone out for a small break, and when she returned asked what kind of music she should put on -- I was standing right next to her and told her “something upbeat”, to which she laughed and replied she’s only been listening to Drake lately. I ended up doing a back-to-back pose with her and the photo came out pretty damn great.

After this I ran over for a lounge with Stephen. The atmosphere was relaxed, good mood all around. Since only me and maybe two or three other people out of the maybe eleven ones attending asked him stuff, I got to ask him lots of questions, but the whole thing came off more as a conversation, which is the whole point of lounges, so I really enjoyed it.

Some bits from that:

• Stephen’s favorite Arrow episodes this season are 4x08, 4x09 and 4x15. 
• He liked the storyline with William “purely for selfish reasons”.**
• His favorite funny Olicity moment to shoot with Emily this season was when he coaxes the lie out of her in 4x01.
• He teased to look out for a moment in the Season 4 finale when he jumps on a car.
• He really enjoyed filming the scene with the two Felicitys -- "Emily nailed that scene."
• His go-to to talk about the show and direction used to be Marc Guggenheim, but it’s become more and more Wendy Mericle whom he talks with about character and story.

When asked about how much influence he has as an actor over storylines, he said that when it comes to overarching storylines of the season and themes, “Not much”. But “when it comes down to nitty, gritty details, that’s all up to the actor”. However, there is a theme we’ll see at the end of this season leading into next year’s overarching theme for Oliver that Stephen was adamant about wanting for Oliver.

**I actually told him that, in case no one’s told him, he did a great job with the scene recording the message to William -- he seemed to genuinely appreciate being told that. He explained they did 3-4 takes of that scene and the second take is what made it into the episode.

Stephen’s a pro at interacting with fans, but I will say he possesses the talent of making every person feel listened to.

After this I sat in on the second half of Brandon Routh’s panel. Got to ask him some questions.. He’s a soft spoken, lovely man who only had good things to say about his time on Arrow, including that “[Stephen and Emily] were awesome. They were very welcoming to me." I asked him a couple things, including what it was like working with Zachary Levi on Chuck, to which he replied he had a great time, that he really enjoyed Zach’s singing and dancing and wishes he had that talent. He was really sick throughout the whole weekend, but powered through -- even used hand sanitizer “so no one else will get sick” to wipe the mic before he got off stage

Emily’s Sunday lounge followed. She’s wonderful. She talked about her dislike of the Valentino beige coat (“It’s a rain coat with holes in it!”), how she wants to see more female characters both on Arrow and generally in television; she doesn’t like that Felicity kept living in the Loft; she doesn’t think Oliver’s told Felicity everything that happened to him on the island, she doesn’t think he’s told anyone that.

Possibly my favorite thing she said in the lounge was that she doesn’t just want female characters to be the glue in television shows, she wants them to be the pieces.

I have all lounge sessions recorded, and I’ll try to get more pieces from them up throughout next week.

Had a photo op with David Ramsey after, and I can confirm he gives THE BEST HUGS. He also smells really nice. Swoon.

I walked up to him, “Dude, I’ve heard you give the best hugs out of everyone.” David: [smiles] “So come on and get one”.  SWOON.

A lounge with David followed after, starting with one of my personal highlights of the con -- exhausted, me and a friend were lying on the lounge room floor prior to David arriving. When he did, he saw us and laughed, then proceeded TO LIE DOWN WITH US AND CUDDLE, his head on my chest. I may or may not have wrapped my arms around him, my hands on his chest. (I so did.) We laid like that for a moment, then he got up and we all started talking.

I’m likely coming  out of this con most impressed by David Ramsey. He’s so easy to talk with, casual and relaxed. We talked about how he wants to see Arrow get back to being more grounded, with more street fights and a Big Bad next year who doesn’t have magic; he also emphasized, like Stephen, that there are certain things Arrow does best and he would like to see more of that.

He really enjoyed the way Diggle and Lyla worked together in the last episodes of this season. He would personally love to see more of her on the show.

We thanked him for being the MVP of OTA pictures, and actually asked us, surprised, if he really was the only one posting them? He commented Paul Blackthorne posted some. We explained that some online sites have had to use manips because there aren’t any good official pics out there – he even asked to see one, so I showed him on my phone - and David said he’d try to keep posting pictures of them.

Also, worth noting is that David’s a comic book fan. He retold a large part of the Injustice storyline, could describe panels, enthusiastically.

The OTA panel that started out as a Stephen solo panel was a highlight of the weekend.

Stephen was alone on stage for maybe 10-15mins before David and Emily came out from behind the stage -- David coolly walking over while Emily jogged over and hugged Stephen. You can really tell why they come off so well onscreen -- the three of them really do get along, joke and make fun of each other, and genuinely seem to know and like one another.

Some bits from that panel:

• Stephen ragged on David for giving away too many spoilers at the con.
• Emily grabbed and drank out of Stephen’s pint of Guinness.
• Stephen and David sang Ebony and Ivory.
• The three of them talked about each other’s party tricks: Stephen can play a decent mouth trombone, which he demonstrated; David can fall asleep in a second; Emily can shoot liquid into another’s person’s mouth.
• A fan asked who they would battle and what they would sing in a Lip Sync Battle. Emily said she’d sing Maroon 5 (Stephen commented he knows what song she’d sing) and she’d battle her friend Fanta; Stephen said him and David would team up against Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, to which David said that Jared and Jensen couldn’t possibly win because Stephen and David would sing Ebony and Ivory… which they then proceeded to do.
• Stephen: "Know what Emily said earlier? We should have a female big bad next year.” (David talked about this in his Sunday lounge too, that he thinks Willa Holland would do an awesome big bad.)

The three of them were only on stage together for about half an hour, but I easily could have watched them an hour more. They’re that good together.

During the remaining 10 or so minutes, Stephen among things said we would get “a certain sense of what the future holds for Oliver and Felicity” in the season finale.

During the evening I went to the Nocking Point wine event. Stephen, his business partner Drew, their wives, Robbie Amell, Italia Ricci, Ciara Renée and Michael Rowe were there. I got a chance to talk to everyone. Stephen poured wine for and talked to guests and got up on stage a couple times. Robbie had lost his voice and could barely speak, still he stayed for over two hours and tried talking to people. His fiancée Italia Ricci wore a onesie and was really nice and easy to talk to -- she would love to be on Arrow, as Felicity’s college roommate, perhaps a version of Silver Banshee before she became Silver Banshee. While Ciara Renée walked around talking to people, Michael Rowe sang and played guitar. It was a nice evening, if a little crowded in a too warm venue.

Random tidbits from the con: yes, Colton really is that good looking in real life. Nice, too. Amy Gumenick is makes-you-look-twice beautiful, Michael Rowe is easy to talk with, Willa is tiny, Tom Cavanagh is really nice aaaand that’s it. Basically.

About the Stephen and Emily duo photo op mess --

I saw some things I don't agree with tweeted -- yes, the volunteers did say that we needed to calm down or they would clear out the room, but this was only after some people had gotten aggressive, so I don’t blame them for that. They never said we wouldn’t get our photos. In fact, even the volunteer(s) in the hallway outside the room informed us of the digital download option. And yes, there was a child crying, but that was because of the tumultuous environment and people yelling, not because she wouldn’t get her photo(s).

In the end Rogue Events uploaded the pictures digitally, free to download, and with an option to have the photo sent home to you for free. I’ve already spoken about how this was a less than stellar way to solve the problem, but in the end I got my photo.

Also, the mess with the photos comes into play in my next point…

Katie Cassidy not being there on Saturday resulted in some complications. Katie didn't contact Rogue Events to tell them she was coming on Sunday; they learned about it on Twitter like everyone else.

They had to insert her photo op(s) between scheduled photo ops, leading to delays and both talent and staff having to work through their lunch. I had a couple friends working at the event, who explained that management were too busy trying to fit her in the schedule and were not made aware of the printing issues in time. They were all stretched to handle the photo ops/autographs. For example, one was on queue control at the time and while there should have been at least 4 of them, she was alone.

Granted, due to technology there might have been printer issues anyway. And management probably could have, well, managed better. But the above certainly didn’t help.

However, I will say Katie was gracious enough to stay late on Sunday and sign autographs for her fans.

…

So... that happened.

These are some of the things that happened at the con, excluding some personal highlights.

One of the best things about the weekend was meeting friends and geeking out. Moments like sharing pizza on an ironing board while watching 4x09 and talking through the day, keeping each other’s moods up in early morning queues, and just talking to people who get it.

I think a con is what you make it to be, and, in the end, I had a wonderful time. A busy but wonderful time.

[bijoux]

35 minutes ago, Soulfire said:

Saturday began for me with John Barrowman’s panel. He’s hilariously entertaining. He told funny stories from set (including the entire story behind the ‘Fart in my mouth and prove it’ joke)

...

Next up was an autograph signing with Stephen. Asked him what he thinks Oliver writes in his journal, to which he smiled and said he didn’t know twice in a slow voice and an expression that told me he very much does know, so I called him out on it, telling him that and especially since it was his idea he would know -- to which he laughed heartily. He said maybe Oliver writes “This reminded me of that time on the island... Dear Diary.”

Lame. I laughed and shook my head, he smirked, I thanked him and moved on. 

...

• Stephen: "Know what Emily said earlier? We should have a female big bad next year.” (David talked about this in his Sunday lounge too, that he thinks Willa Holland would do an awesome big bad.)

Thanks for the exhaustive report. It's wonderful you had a great time but that reads like a really full schedule. Kudos for powering through.

So, what is the origin of the fart joke? 

Oliver keeping a journal was SA's idea? How did I miss this?

I'm going to have to disagree with DR here. While I certainly think Willa has a lot more to offer than what she's getting now, she doesn't really have the presence for the big bad. At least not yet. But a woman big bad, or a recurring bad, like Deadshot, yes, please.

Brandon Routh really sounds very sweet by all accounts.

[looptab]

So the journal was SA's idea? I didn't know. The theme he was adamant for Oliver that would overarch into next year has to be Oliver having a life outside of the lair, isn't it? Given his other recent comments.

Thank you for the recap. :) Glad you had so much fun, and the opportunity to interact with the cast. :) 

[Soulfire]

39 minutes ago, bijoux said:

So, what is the origin of the fart joke? 

The origin of the fart joke is that during filming of 3x20, there's a longer shot of Oliver, with Thea in his arms, Diggle, Felicity, and Malcolm walking towards Ra's and the League. While they were filming John Barrowman told David Ramsey, "I need to fart". And David told him to let it rip, unless it smelled, to which John replied his farts don't smell. (Again, all this while the camera was rolling.) They kept filming the shot, and as soon as the director yelled "Cut!" Stephen turned around rapidly and said to John in a loud voice: "Fart in my mouth and PROVE IT!"

According to John the entire cast broke down in tears.

[Chaser]

Am I the only one who doesn't think that sounds funny?

It has to be a You Have To Be There situation. 

[bijoux]

I remember the story now.

@Chaser, I'm with you. But then I rarely find bathroom humor funny.

[AyChihuahua]

It's probably because of the juxtaposition of the super-serious scene PLUS the bathroom humor. 

[Guest]

I came here to see if there was any photos of SA at his TMNT premiere (dude seems to be ecstatic) but there's nothing. This shows you how much we all really care about TMNT. Haha.

[wonderwall]

Ahhh remember when the CW Twitter account did a bare minimum and did a character countdown for each big episode? 

Seems they've stopped that too :p 

[kismet]

Thanks @Soulfire for your in-depth review &report. I'm glad you had a good time!

I was wondering if someone was going to ask BR to step out of the picture. It is a little rude. I'm sure there could have found a nicer way to have him in the picture but not in the pic. I probably would have asked him to be off to side shrugging or giving one of his evil stares. Easy to crop out but not outwardly rude. 

[SmallScreenDiva]

2 hours ago, wonderwall said:

Ahhh remember when the CW Twitter account did a bare minimum and did a character countdown for each big episode? 

Seems they've stopped that too :p 

You know, if they can't be bothered to create the graphics, there are tons of fans who do countdowns. Retweet, reblog or repost (using the app on Instagram) them. Takes 2 seconds and their millions of followers get a reminder. Arrow FB has 8.3 million followers. I don't think there's a fan account out there with that reach. 

Edited May 23, 2016 by SmallScreenDiva
to clarify that with repost I wasn't suggesting downloading the graphics and then uploading and presenting them as their own

[bijoux]

9 hours ago, Angel12d said:

I came here to see if there was any photos of SA at his TMNT premiere (dude seems to be ecstatic) but there's nothing. This shows you how much we all really care about TMNT. Haha.

He's clean shaven and looking both young and not like himself. Here's a pic with his mom after the premiere.

[Thundercatmary]

He looks handsome in that pic. :)

[looptab]

Hard to recognize him without the beanie ;) But yeah, he looks a lot younger without the beard, and although I prefer him with a longer scruff than he has here, can't object to the look. :)