Every year I search online for all the upcoming conventions for; London Film & Comic Con (LFCC) provided by Showmasters, Hallowhedon provided by Massive Events, The Vampire Ball provided by Starfury Conventions and Asylum provided by Rogue Events and every time I check to see if anyone I like is going. I see which one will be worth my money because I have to think of travel and accommodation cost, the cost of the tickets and who is going, for example if Hallowhedon has say 5 good guests going then I know it will be worth it. One year the Asylum event had both Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki as the main guests and also there were some really good other guests however I didn't go because it sold out so I learned you gotta be quick to decide when it comes to these kind of events. Anyways this year I was looking through and I came across LFCC and it had already announced at least 7 guests which I would love to meet who were Stan Lee, TJ Thyne, Summer Glau, Jamie Bamber, Edward James Olmos, Juliet Landau and Sean Maher.
I was so excited and told my two friends Amy and Bethan because I knew they loved Stan Lee. It was his last European signing that's why I wanted to get his autograph which was £45 other than that I wasn't really bothered because I would have rather have spent the money on someone else. As we discussed further Amy couldn't make it due to money so it was just me and Bethan. Bethan's friends Adam, Dan and Ben wanted to come so in the end it was us five. At first I was a little worried as I thought I would be going to the guests on my own but Bethan reassured me we would stick together. As the time was coming nearer we had to plan our accommodation, Adam offered us to stay at his uni house however it was all the way in Egham which is far from where I live and was difficult to get to. I would advise people who are going to go to LFCC to book their accommodation way in advance as there are some good reviewed hotels very close to Earls Court Exhibition Centre where the event is held. We had a week to wait when I found the Showmasters forum online where it had said Sean Maher had cancelled. I was gutted as I love the show Firefly, but I got over it as I was still going to see the other guests. I asked my friend if he could take me to London if I paid for the petrol because he was going there for an interview. He even let me stay at his aunties house free of charge which was brilliant because she only lived about 20 minutes away. A day before LFCC on the forum it was announced that Anthony Stewart Head was going, I couldn't believe it another Buffy actor, I was beyond excited because Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one of my favourite shows.
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| Bethan, Me, Adam, Ben and Dan |
I had to travel to Leicester first to meet my friend because that is where he lives where then we set on our journey. We arrived at LFCC where I met Bethan, Dan, Adam and Ben. As we walked to find the queue, there was one queue for Stan Lee which was very long and one queue for the main hall which was even longer but seemed to be going down faster. We agreed to see Stan Lee the next day, so we head into the other hall's queue. When we got inside all of us were so excited we headed straight to the stalls where they were selling all kinds of merchandise. I think we were all in heaven. As we walked around we could see the guests, they were sat all together in like two parts. The first part we went to some of the guests there included some of the original Power Rangers, Glenn Morshower, WWE wrestlers and Adam Brown. It felt so weird just seeing them sat right there. I could see Lita a WWE Diva who I have loved since I was child but debated whether to get her autograph because I didn't want to spend too much money. We carried on walking around and there they were all the other guests I wanted to see. I got my ticket to see TJ Thyne (Jack Hodgins from Bones) as there was a virtual ticket system for popular guests. While waiting to see him I had to go back to Lita because I knew I would end up regretting it. She didn't have a queue which I think made her a bit moody, she wasn't very friendly but oh well. I went back to TJ Thyne but I was gutted when I heard that we weren't allowed any posed photos with him as he was taking ages. It was my turn to go up and he was so lovely, asking me questions about my day and he personalised my autograph. We asked if we could take a photo of him signing the autograph and he said yes! I was so happy, after the photo he hugged me and kissed me on the cheek. It's great to see an actor appreciate his fans support.
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| Me and TJ Thyne |
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| Me and TJ Thyne |
I decided I didn't want to see Stan Lee because it was £45 for an autograph and I had read on the forum that no photos at all were allowed, no mobiles and no personalisation's. I thought that was so out of order! So the next day me and Adam queued to get into the main hall whereas the others went to Stan Lee. Not even lying there were thousands there on the Saturday. There were so many more dressed up, they looked great. The queue for people without tickets was unbelievable, god knows if even half of them got in. I straight got the virtual tickets for Anthony Stewart Head, Juliet Landau, Jamie Bamber, Edward James Olmos and I debated on getting Milo Ventimiglia's autograph so got a ticket for him aswell. Bethan and co. ended up coming back to the hall where we were because her ticket number to see Stan Lee was something like 1,600! I couldn't believe it! The others went off and got different guests autographs and I was happy for them because they really were excited, we all were. I queued up for Anthony Stewart Head but when I got to the desk the crew member said no personalisations anymore, gutted wasn't the word. He was nice though, he shook my hand and Bethan took a photo of him signing the photo. Next was Juliet Landau, a little girl in front of me had a little Sunnydale cheerleader outfit on which looked so cute. I got to Juliet and she was so just so nice, I said I was a huge Buffy/Angel fan and she shook and held my hand. Another guest who appreciates the fact she has fans! After I got her autograph I didn't really want to see anyone else because I was so tired of queuing. We walked around looking at different areas and I bought some Angel comics as they were only £1 each, such a bargain. The things to do there was great, there were workshops, free talks, cosplay etc. Something for everyone! Me and the friend who took me to LFCC had to leave that night to get back to Hull so I had to miss out on the Sunday which I wasn't too fussed about because I had seen my main three guests.
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| Me and Anthony Stewart Head |
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| Me and Juliet Landau |
It annoyed me that some guests didn't even shake peoples hands, who did they think they were. That's what I hate about famous people they think they are better than their fans which isn't fair as it is the fans who keep them in an occupation. It's the fans who buy their merchandise and watch them perform. Some people are so devoted they don't realise this. Some of the autographs and photoshoots were so expensive yet they cancel personalisations and some don't even allow any photographs. That part of it ruined it for me because people pay money, for what? to see the "famous" people, to me they are just ordinary people, you're probably asking why waste my money on them then? I look past the fame and money and look at the talent they showed on the shows I loved. The inspiration they do give to others, to act, write, direct whatever it may be. It's just disappointing to find out they don't see it like that when money and fame gets to their head.
Overall I did have a great time and I would recommend going if you like film, television and comics. Not just for the guests but for the other great activities to do and for the atmosphere of being around other fans.
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| Power Ranger Cosplay |
What I advise you to do if you are planning on going; first check the forum for any updates and schedules etc, sort travel and accommodation early to get the best price deals, check the prices of the autographs and photoshoots, check which days each guests are going, take food and drink with you as there are queues for the food areas, time your day so you get to look around both halls, collect your tickets straight away if your guest is using a virtual ticket system so you can walk around and do other things and the most important thing is to buy the tickets online so you don't have to queue for long.
I hope to go again and if any of you fancy it check out the Winter LFCC later this year!
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