Father's Day, Fandom Style

So. Father's Day. Let's talk fictional dads. Mostly TV, though I may throw a few others in there as well. Who are some of your faves?

Here's a "new" dad, new to the TV universe anyway. And he's a good dad. He loves his daughter and his daughter's bestie, on the show, and in real life. While in Austin, I spotted the real-life counterparts acting like their fictional selves. Meaning? Ben was escorting Rowan across the street at a light, at a crosswalk, and he was holding her hand. First father to be celebrated here today is none other than Cory Matthews:

Next up is a man who had two daughters, but was a father figure to all the boys he coached. Celebrating Coach Eric Taylor!

From one of #adinasfaves, a little show that not a lot of people watched (which is why it died), but no one that has watched it ever has anything bad to say about it. That includes the people who worked on it--they all had such fond memories! Anyway, this dad not only provided for his family and tried to understand teenage girls, took in his kids' friends, and was an all-around good guy and good dad. Celebrating Jack Pryor! 

 

Last one, I promise. You can feel free to spam the comments with all your fave TV dads. 

But first. Though he wasn't called "Dad" until season 6, he was a dad before that. He was called "uncle," but he was the best parent his 17-year-old nephew had. He was called "friend," but he looked out for a young girl when boys started sniffing around. Finally, he was called "dad," by his daughter. (I know that's controversial, so I won't post the pic of them.) Celebrating Luke Danes!

ETA a few more. 

First up, a man who showed us that "Family don't end with blood [sic]" and that his boys may have been raised by someone else, but he fulfilled that father role for them in adulthood. We all felt like we lost a family member when we lost him, and the show is still missing something without him. Celebrating Bobby Singer!

A father who would do anything for his daughter, including rescuing her from a burning refrigerator. The man who made us smile and cringe whenever he asked his girl "Who's your daddy?" Celebrating Keith Mars!

Two parallel fathers from the same small Colorado town. One was faced with actually being a father when he lost his wife (and his two kids lost their mom). He grew as a father over the course of the series, though not without mistakes, and we applaud his efforts. The other, at first, was fairly one-dimensional, uptight small-town doctor. We soon realized he was much, much more complex (as the best characters usually are). He was always there for his two kids and was the best father he could be. Celebrating Drs. Andy Brown and Harold Abbott!

I lied. One more. He had one son to start the show, but soon gained another. Pretty soon, the rest of Newport looked to him as a father figure as well. Celebrating Sandy Cohen!

(Sandy and his boys, Ryan and Seth)

Okay, that's enough from me. Show me your faves in the comments!

For Those Still Unsure About ATX

The backbone of ATX, and what we really haven't talked about are the panels and screenings. The Gilmore Girls reunion brought a different type of fan, a celebrity type of fan, who was more obsessed with meeting the Gilmore Girl actors then the festival experience. We, on the other hand were in it full the full shebang, or to go ahead and QUOTE GG- We were "all in." (PAUSE FOR LUKE AND LORELAI FEELZ). Below are some short summaries of m schedule choices with my opinions heaving mixed in.

THURSDAY: (OPENING NIGHT) Insert Producers joke here.
Opening night was a screening of the Complications pilot- premiering June 18 on USA from Matt Nix (Produce or Burn Notice), starring Jason O' Mara (show killer, star of Vegas and Terra Nova), Jessica Szohr (Gossip Girl), Beth Reisgraf, and Lauren Stamile.
Complications started strong with a heart pounding opener that almost felt like it slapped me awake. Jason and Jessica play a doctor and a nurse, respectively, but this is NOT Grey's Anatomy. Things did NOT go how I expected and the last scene was a little weird. All in all, not exactly for me but I'd definitely recommend giving it a shot.
Tell me this though- what sort of DOCTOR and FATHER leave an loaded pistol in his doctor's bag on a table in his home? This was gun safety at it's worst. And yes, it's the little details that bother me.

FRIDAY: DAY ONE
Bunheads- Alamo Drafthouse
According to Adina and many other past attendees, not having a fast pass has almost never stopped people from getting into an event. We knew that the Alamo was small and that the festival sold out so we showed up and hour and a half early. (They had recommended 20-30 minutes officially.) To our surprise, there was already more than 100 people on line. We did not get in, but were karmically rewarded by meeting Sutton Foster, Kelly Bishop, and Amy Sherman-Palladino later that same day.

EW Presents The Final Finale w/ Graham Yost, Ron Cowen, Dan Lipman, and Marta Kauffman- Stephen F. Austin Intercontinental Hotel
This was probably the most disappointing of the panels I went to. Henry Goldblatt (The Editor in Chief of Entertainment Weekly) honestly wasn't the greatest moderator. His questions were predictable, and he had each panelist answer before he moved on to the next answer, even if it felt like the panelist was squeezing that answer out. Each questions related only to the panelist's specific show and their successful finales. There was no general discussion of finales and they gave the briefest of moments to touch on bad finales. (Maybe 20 seconds- tops, and I didn't find that acceptable with the enormous amounts of discussion HIMYM ALONE could have provided.) My highlight was finding out that Marta is hilarious.

Boy Meets Girl Meets World- Stephen F. Austin Intercontinental Hotel
Luckily, they let those with fast passes to this panel (like A-Squared) stay in the room after the Finale panel so we had kick-ass seats and were perfectly poised to score selfies with Ben Savage afterwards. I have met Danielle Fishel at BookCon, and we had already gotten a photo with Rowan and Sabrina with a bonus Michael Jacobs photobomb at Complications, so I wanted to complete my little Matthews family experience. After seeing this panel, I'm super excited that Adina is lending me the complete series of Boy Meets World to marathon, and I strongly recommend people to keep watching Girl Meets World. This show is going to keep getting better as it tackles everything from Maya's relationship with God to Shaun's relationship with Angela.

Friday Night Lights Tailgate
BA-NANAS. Go if possible. I fulfilled my festival goal of a photo with Adrianne. I experienced the EXTREME privilege of being front row at a Hep Alien Concert.

And despite the fact I've never seen an episode of Friday Night Lights in my life, I was definitely able to enjoy myself. Plus the location of the event meant  was finally able to try the famous Amy's ice cream, where we met AMY FUCKING ACKER. I COULDN'T EVEN DEAL. I superman'd a parking lot full of lawn chairs for the privilege.

SATURDAY: THE BIG DAY

Coffee with Amy Sherman-Palladino- Stephen F. Austin Intercontinental Hotel

Having learned from the Bunheads debacle, Adina showed up 2.5 hours early for this panel and STILL couldn't get in. We were quickly learning that anything Gilmore related was drawing a mob. Saturday was particularly there because ALL the Gilmore fans showed up and the 1698 fans needed to fill their day until the panel.

A Conversation With Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec- Stephen F. Austin Intercontinental Hotel

Fully frightened now, I got in line for this panel 2 hours early and it was absolutely worth it. This panel was another festival highlight for me. Carina Mackenzie was an excellent moderator, and since the three of them were friends and colleagues for so long, the conversation was casual, fun, and incredibly interesting. Julie could probably make a case that she's responsible for Kevin's career. I had no idea that she'd started as Wes Craven's assistant. I wish she'd explained how she'd gotten the job, but I got to have a special moment with her after the panel where I was able to tell her how her work has changed my life. Julie, if you're reading this- I'd do anything to be YOUR assistant. I'd be the happiest coffee fetcher in the land to learn from you!

Dawson's Creek Writer's Room- State Theater

I had a fast pass for this panel as well. Honestly, I've seen maybe a dozen Dawson episodes in my life, but the writers all went on to be incredibly successful show runners of other shows and I wanted to hear them. (Rob Thomas! I adore you! Thank you again for Logan's dress whites in the Veronica Mars movie! #MarshmallowForLife)

Gilmore Girls Reunion Panel- Paramount Theater

Quick shout out to the Amazing Anne, an honorary A Team member who held our places in the line while we went for food.

Some people went into this a little upset since a great deal of the stars only did press and didn't really interact with the fans. (Lauren, Alexis, Jared, Milo, Matt, etc. only did press. Melissa McCarthy did not attend.) Outside, it was hot as balls. Parts of the line smelled like Satan's asshole. Multiple people passed out and were taken away by ambulance. Jared sweat through his jacket! The event started 45 minutes late! And NONE of that matters because we met Genevieve Padalecki. If I was hit by a bus immediately after, I would've died happily. 

The panel was extremely touching, especially with the tribute to Edward Hermann and hearing how he had been the first cast member to RSVP for the reunion. They left a chair on stage for him and I absolutely couldn't handle it.

Apparently, when Amy did the first edit of the tribute, it was two hours. I'm fairly sure the entire room would've been openly sobbing.

Also notable- Jared is Team Jess, Milo is Team Dean, and Matt is Team Jess. No one like Logan since he was a dick.

*Pulls out soapbox. Shuffles notecards. Rips off jacket to reveal a Team LOGAN shirt underneath.

Logan was ALSO funny, adventurous, handsome, charming, well-read, and rich. He challenged her. He loved her. I loved him. Everyone else is an idiot. Do we not remember how mean Jess was to Rory and her loved ones ALL THE TIME? Do we not remember how he crashed her love car from Dean? Logan may have been a dick, but Jess was an asshole. A very smart, handsome ASSHOLE.

Anyway, for those interested here is Entertainment Weekly's coverage of the panel

SUNDAY: CLOSING DAY

Suits- State Theater

Now completely full of fear due to the insane amount of people who couldn't get into the GG panel, I showed up more than 2 hours before the Dawson's Script Pilot reading. (They were promising a surprise cast and I knew it would be epic.) Luckily for me, the Suits season 5 premiere screening was in the same location beforehand. ATX decided to give us queue cards to hold our spots in the DC line and let us go inside to watch Suits. Having seen maybe 2 episodes of Suits ever, I was was surprised to find I could follow the episode and it was really good. Considering it was a drama, I laughed a lot. Note to self- plan a Suits binge watch.

Dawson's Creek Script Reading- State Theater

I wanted to see this one so bad, I ditched my final fast pass to Teen Wolf: Watch Your Pack, which I had picked solely for Shelley Hennig and Holland Roden. The women on that show are fierce.

The reading was even more epic than I imagined. I hope to God it's online somewhere for posterity. I want to download it to my iPod for when I'm having a bad day.

Mae Whitman as Dawson. Patrick J. Adams as Joey. Kerr Smith as Jenn. Abigail Spencer as Pacey. Arielle Kebbel as Tamara, and more. The whole cast was phenomenal. I was howling in my seat! I'm planning a Dawson's Creek marathon now, and my reasoning can be directly linked to this event.

By the time I got to the Teen Wolf brunch four minutes after it started, they were already out of food. This was a blessing in disguise. I went to hang out in the hall and met Shelley Hennig and Tyler Posey! Then, like the amazing best friend she is, Adina tipped me off that Christopher Eccleston had been added to The Leftovers panel and I was able to meet him too. This was a special moment for me because it allowed me to cross #20 off of my bucket list. (Meet the 9th, 10th, and 11th Doctors.)

ATX TIPS FROM SOMEONE WHO HAS ONLY BEEN THERE ONCE:

1. Read the Situation. Don't chase the celebs. Don't interrupt them in private moments or interviews. BE COOL. BE POLITE. They are people too, and they are NOT obligated to be in your selfie.

2. Hydrate. There is ice water everywhere, often flavored with fruit slices. Take advantage whenever possible. Try and eat. Preferably BBQ. (I can recommend Stubbs and Blue Ribbon.) We were running around a lot, and skipped quite a few meals. 

3. Sunscreen. Trust me.

4. Go to the FNL Tailgate. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. Not both.

5. Carpe Diem. You are in a unique situation. Do not be afraid to seize your moments since they may never happen again.

That's probably the last I'll bring up ATX for now, but we have a lot more stuff coming up. Follow me on Twitter @AJ_The_Fangirl!

As Close to Heaven as a TV Fan Can Get

Hello, all!

I am the other half of "A-Squared," also known as Adina. 

As Ally noted in her post, this past weekend we attended ATX Television Festival in Austin, TX. This was my third time attending and it was a little different. First, I had a bestie attending with me and I could finally show her all the fab things I've discovered about the festival and about the city the past two years. 

The other thing that was different this year was the crowds. Our small and intimate festival became a little crowded this year, mostly because of the headline event for the weekend: the Gilmore Girls 15-Year Reunion! (Which was magical and everything I hoped it would be.) 

I had some small problems with the festival this year, which I detailed in a long email to the people in charge. However, it was still amazing and beautiful. I adore Austin, I adore the festival, and I already bought a badge for next year. I already miss it!

I had a packing list because I was starting to think of things to pack before I prepared my suitcase and I didn't want to forget anything. One of the biggest things that I learned from previous years is that Austin is hot in June! Like low-90s kind of hot. So this year, I packed mostly dresses. I was much happier in my flowy dresses than I was in pants (even capris)! I also remembered sunscreen, in various SPFs, which was very helpful in the blazing TX sun!

The food in Austin was another thing I was looking forward to: Tex-Mex and BBQ. Now, I know, that's all over Texas, not just Austin, but I'd only ever visited Dallas for a brief time previously. If you're in Austin, a few good places are Mijo's on 11th St, Blue Ribbon BBQ, and of course, Stubb's.

Now, the good stuff and the reason we went: ATX. ATX Festival is not a con, it's not a fan event. It's a place for industry and viewers to come together and geek out about TV. There are panels for topics such as casting, directing, writing, music in TV, finales, audience, etc.  There are screenings and panels for shows that are new (upcoming), current, "cancelled too soon" and reunions. 

I first found out about the festival through a Google news alert, believe it or not. One of my favorite shows is American Dreams, which few people remember and definitely falls into the "cancelled too soon" category. Well, in late 2012, the festival was promoting a reunion for this incredible show for their upcoming event in June 2013. I knew very little about the festival, but I knew I had to go. I actually found the original article, so you can check it out. I made it happen, and it was more than I'd hoped it would be. 

(I have homemade DVDs for S3 since it's not available commercially and I made my own coverart. This is signed by the cast and the writers.)

I figured the festival would be a one-time thing, so I didn't buy in advance for the following year (2014). Well, as programming started to be announced (Everwood and Hey Dude in particular), I regretted that and bought a badge online. In 2014, I already knew this would be an annual thing for me so I didn't waste time and bought a badge immediately. 

I had also been telling Ally about the festival for years. She decided not to attend in 2014, then regretted it once they announced a Roswell reunion. We weren't making that mistake again, and I got a badge for her for 2015. A-Squared Takes Austin was in motion!

One of the festival traditions is a highlight, a Friday Night Lights outdoor screening tailgate party. Everyone votes on the episode they most want and we bring chairs and blankets and there's music and food and FNL stars and more. 

Well, this year, they didn't have just any live music. There was Delta Spirit, sure, but more importantly was a special appearance by a fictional band: Hep Alien! (Zach, Lane, and Brian from Gilmore Girls)

Todd first introduced them as their fictional counterpoints: "I'm Zach, this is my best friend Brian, and that little lady back there on the drums is my wife!" Then he dropped the whole "Hep Alien" thing and introduced them as their real-life selves: Todd Lowe, John Cabrera, Keiko Agena. Not pictured is the real Dave Rygalski, dubbing in fo John who doesn't actually play the bass. They encored with Where You Lead, and it was EPIC.

There's plenty more to talk about for the weekend, but I'll leave you with these tidbits for now.

ATX Television Festival For Newbies- Let's start at the very beginning! A very good place to start!

Hello world! I'm one half of A-Squared, but you can call me Ally!

Firm as a Christmas ham. #noregrets #hisidea

This past weekend (June 4-7) we attended ATX Television Festival in Austin, Texas. This was my first time attending, and my partner-in-crime, Adina's third visit. ATX had a reputation of being a small, intimate festival celebrating the medium of television by bringing together industry professionals, actors, and fans. Needless to say, I was obviously intrigued so Adina bought me a ticket.

THE PACKING LIST: THE FINAL VERSION

(Before I packed, I consulted Adina. It was going to be my first real trip to the Southwest)

• Denim jacket
• 1 Pair of sneakers
• Purse
• Hairbrush
• Toothbrush
• 1 Book
• 1 Kindle Fire HD
• Deodarent (I wish more people had packed this. Some of the lines we were in smelled like we we wading through a sea of gym socks. Parts of the line for the Gilmore Girls panel stank like Satan's Asshole. That probably explains why so many people fainted.)
• ** Flat Iron
• ** Hair dryer
• Pack of makeup remover wipes
• ** Bug band
• 1 Pair of flip flops
• Hat
• 1 Pair fuzzy socks
• 6 Pairs of underwear
• 3 Pairs of socks
• 1 Set of pajamas
• 1 Swimsuit
• 1 Swimsuit cover up
• 4 Bras
• ** 1 refillable water bottle (While I'd still strongly recommend brining this, it ended up not being used because just about everywhere we went, they can huge water coolers and cups for public use.)
• 1 Pair of shorts
• ** 1 Nice shirt
• 2 T-shirts
• 3 Pairs of sandals
• 1 Skirt
• ** 1 Sweater (Too damn hot for a sweater! It was glorious, compared to the freezing cold NJ that we left.)
• 1 Pair of leggings
• 1 camisole
• 5 Casual dresses
• Breathe Right strips
• ** Hair spray
• ** Static Guard
• Body Wash
• Tooth picks
• Shampoo and conditioner
• 2 Pairs of sunglasses

**= ITEM NOT WORN OR USED

Has anyone spotted the glaring problem with this list? Anyone? Anyone?

I'll give you a hint- 3 letters- S P F. That's right. I didn't bring sunscreen. This was more a result of being A- too cheap (Have you SEEN the price of sunscreen these days?) and B- horrifyingly broke in the days leading up to the trip than a simple incident of forgetting sunscreen.

Another notable is the last item on the list: 2 pairs of sunglasses. Adina was a festival veteran, and since it was on her packing list too, I took it as gospel and went out for more sunglasses. This ended up being one of my better moves because I lost one pair before I had my first Texas dinner.  Austin is HOT and BRIGHT. My second pair of sunglasses and generous friends with sunscreen saved my life.

The whole time we were there, the weather was 90+ degrees and I think it rained maybe 15 drops total. It was a huge relief for us, A- because we were very much ready for warm weather but it was way too warm to bother with my hair dryer and flat iron. I just braided my hair back every morning to stay cool.

In the end, for me attending ATX was worth every dollar spent and day off work. I'll tell you about my festival experience tomorrow by Adina prepares to tell you her story!