DreamCon - Meeting Jewel and Matt

POSTED BY: HiroStone
UPDATED: Friday, June 18, 2004 00:19
VIEWED: 9779
PAGE 1 of 1

HIROSTONE

Monday, June 14, 2004 3:08 PM

Hello all,

It’s been a while since I posted on here, but I have a valid excuse. I was part of the committee for the inaugural DreamCon convention that was held in Jacksonville, FL over the weekend (June 11-13). It was a great time and we had some really excellent guest actors/actresses, authors and artists such as our guest of honor Ron Perlman, Erin Gray, Gary Graham, Jerry “the King” Lawler, George Lowe (the voice of Space Ghost and incidentally, the funniest guy I’ve ever met in my life!), Mercedes McNab, Elizabeth Anne Allen, Brian Thompson (all three from Buffy!), Peter David (great author! great guy! fantastic guy!), Larry Niven, Arne Starr, Debi Derryberry (the voice of Jimmy Neutron), and many, many more. For our first time out, we all had a stressful, but fantastic time.

The reason I’m posting today, after all the madness and insanity, is that I got the chance to spend a lot of time with Miss Kaywinnit Lee Frye herself, another one of our special guests, better known as Kaylee, Jewel Staite, as well as her husband, the most awesome guy to do karaoke with, Matt Anderson. I met the both of them as we were both coming out of the VIP room and waiting for an elevator. I happened to mention that I had the DVD set in my bag hoping I would get to meet her sometime on the weekend. She was very nice and I didn’t even have to ask her as she offered to sign it for me (luckily I had my trusty Sharpie with me, of course). Matt then asked me down with them to the lounge for a drink so I tagged along.

While we were there, all of us talked about a lot of things: sci-fi in general and how loyal sci-fi fans are, the Lord of the Rings movies, about Jewel and Matt were surprised by the amount of support Firefly got when it was cancelled and when fans tried to bring it back and then convince the studio to green light the movie, about Jewel’s career, all forms of Star Trek, about how I got involved in the convention and what I was actually in charge of, some mutual interests such as writing, music and reading (Dan Brown’s books were a hot topic with The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons already read, but I recommended to them the other two books as they were excellent novels as well), they were also interested in my own writings and wanted to hear my processes of how I write; we discussed a wide variety of things including Joss, of course, his fanbase and the genius that is him! And of course we talked about . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . wait for it . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Serenity!

Of course, she couldn’t say much about the plot or any secrets of the movie itself (confidentiality contract and you know how Joss Whedon likes to keep things under wraps) and I actually didn’t want to actually hear the inside stuff anyway as I’d like to be surprised when the movie comes out, but I just asked her one thing about Blue Sun. And she just smiled that really cute ‘Kaylee’ smile and said, "it’s something better . . .” and I was intrigued but satisfied with her answer.

Incidentally, Matt, Jewel’s husband, is a fantastic guy! Very charismatic and funny, and really brings out the best the people around him. Talkative and personable, he was great to watch as we were doing karaoke in one of the con rooms on Saturday night. And as he was dancing and gyrating, giving the audience a great show, Jewel was laughing and shying away, pretending not to know who he was. I actually saw her give that ‘I am so over you’ look that Kaylee gives Simon all the time. But I can't say enough good things about Matt; he really made me feel comfortable hanging around him and Jewel, and everyone else (including Elizabeth and Mercedes)all weekend.

As we talked more, we got into talking about the cast. They had some great stories and little anecdotes involving Nathan and Alan and their antics (I actually put on my Mal-type Firefly costume and they took my picture. And there is a secret prank between them and Nathan about giving each other ‘the finger’ so I was happy to accommodate them about it when they to

SHINY

Monday, June 14, 2004 3:22 PM

GREAT story, Hiro! Have you posted this over at the OB? If not, mind if I link them over here?

...sun-burned cleavage, hmmm...

"I left my heart in Serenity Valley"

BROWNCOAT1

Monday, June 14, 2004 3:22 PM

Sounds like you had a great time Hiro. Hope you were able to get some pics to share. I always figured Jewel as the sweet, easy to talk to sort. Her hubby sounds like a great guy.

"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."

JAHZARA

Monday, June 14, 2004 3:56 PM

Make the thread as long as you like. Awesome that you met her.

Awesome!

HIROSTONE

Monday, June 14, 2004 4:11 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Shiny:
GREAT story, Hiro! Have you posted this over at the OB? If not, mind if I link them over here?

...sun-burned cleavage, hmmm...

"I left my heart in Serenity Valley"

Not at all! Go ahead and link it over there. This Must Be Shared With Others!!!!

...yes... sun-burned cleavage... hehehehe... just how it sounds..... hehehe.... Jewel got sun-burned herself... but that's a whole other post altogether!!!!

-keep flyin'

-hiro

Kaylee
No power in the 'verse can stop me!

NICOLACLARKE

Monday, June 14, 2004 5:20 PM

C'mon, Hiro, you can't tell half a story and then leave us hanging!!

/ pure intentions, juxtaposed /

FIREFLEW

Monday, June 14, 2004 6:07 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by NicolaClarke:
C'mon, Hiro, you can't tell half a story and then leave us hanging!!

/ pure intentions, juxtaposed /

Exactly! Come on

And if you don't....

Capiche?

Jayne: "Know what the chain of command is? It's the chain I beat you with till you understand who's in command."

HIROSTONE

Monday, June 14, 2004 11:12 PM

Okay, I couldn't reply with another long post because I was at work and stuff got a little hectic. But I'm home now so.... any questions fire away.

I also hung out with Elizabeth Anne Allen who played Amy the Rat Witch on Buffy and Mercedes McNab, Harmony from Buffy and Angel. Elizabeth, Mercedes, Matt, Jewel, this fantasy artist Paul, and I all hung out in the lounge of the hotel after we did karaoke. THAT was an experience!

But any specific questions, I'll be happy to answer if I can. Just ask!

-keep flyin'

-Hiro

The Hiro of Fandom the man they call.... ME!!!

DARKHOOD

Monday, June 14, 2004 11:16 PM

Did McNab say anything about what the cast are like on set? Also you have to give us every bit of info you can from your talk with Jewle. I never get bored of reading good things about our favourite cast.

________________________________________________________________________

Mal: If anyone gets nosy, just, you know... shoot 'em.

Zoe: Shoot 'em?

Mal: Politely.

HIROSTONE

Tuesday, June 15, 2004 12:35 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by DarkHood:
Did McNab say anything about what the cast are like on set? Also you have to give us every bit of info you can from your talk with Jewle. I never get bored of reading good things about our favourite cast.

________________________________________________________________________

Mal: If anyone gets nosy, just, you know... shoot 'em.

Zoe: Shoot 'em?

Mal: Politely.

I'm sorry. I only had a chance to briefly chat with Mercedes on Saturday night and that was with a group and the conversation drifted from one subject to another, but it didn't touch on the cast of Angel or Buffy. Mostly we all talked about music and getting to know personal stuff about each other. Plus, Matt and Elizabeth were goofing around with the lounge's baby grand piano, so we were laughing and sang a couple of songs badly before they told us to stop! All of us were going to an indie rock bar, but then Jewel and Matt weren't up for it, and Mercedes and Elizabeth didn't want to ride in a car without a driver (which was understandable since they were visitors and we were practically strangers). I didn't want to go either, so we all went back up to the VIP suite.

As for Jewel, well, she spent most of her time in the VIP suite talking to the other special guests when she wasn't doing signings, Q&A's or on discussion panels. She and Matt usually came up to hang out right after the events at the con. On Saturday, after she graciously did me a favor being a judge in my costume contest, they went up to the VIP room and hung out and talked to the guests there. They did go and see the Art Auction room to check out the drawings and paintings there for sale. I know they also went to see Artist's Alley in the dealer's room.

Also, she spent alot of time talking with Peter David, the author, who slso worked with her on Space Cases years ago, and also his wife. Also, with an artist from Orlando, Paul. She and Matt were sooooo lovey-dovey too at times. It was adorable ;o) Except when Matt was being very silly doing karaoke on Saturday, and that's when Jewel was either laughing her head off or pretending she didn't know him. LOL. But practically throughout the whole weekend, they were inseperable.

I didn't see many of the panels, but the one thing I heard from some people was that during this one panel that had Jewel, Erin Gray, Elizabeth, Mercedes and a couple of other women, some feminist zealot were critizing all of them, Jewel especially, for their sexual overtones in sci-fi shows that they were on. I'm surprised that Matt, who I assumed was there, didn't shoot up from his seat and went

at this woman. I mean, these panels are for healthy discussion, yeah, but also to be fun and light-hearted.

Um, when I talked to Jewel alone we talked about my experiences in college theatre, writing and various books and such. I really recommended Dan Brown's books, but Deception Point more highly than Digital Fortress. She was intrigued that the lead characters were women in both books and I said that Deceptoin Point was excellent and that she should definitely check it out.

I'll talk more about some cool stuff I found out about the Firefly cast and some stuff about Serenity. But I have some errands to do.

-keep flying'

-Hiro

-Are you familiar with the works of Shan Yu?

-Isn't that required reading for FOX and WB TV executives?

CSTEINME

Tuesday, June 15, 2004 2:07 PM

Great retelling of your encounter with Jewel! We were at DreamCon too, and got to ask her lots of questions during the Q&A on Saturday. But next time, I'm hanging out with you...

CSTEINME

Tuesday, June 15, 2004 2:07 PM

Great retelling of your encounter with Jewel! We were at DreamCon too, and got to ask her lots of questions during the Q&A on Saturday. But next time, I'm hanging out with you...

HIROSTONE

Tuesday, June 15, 2004 2:29 PM

Sweeeet!

Glad you had a good time at DreamCon.

However, I am paying for it now, as I am sooooo DEAD TIRED!!!! And I'm at gorram work right now!!! I was on the committee and was on staff all weekend. Iran myself ragged during the day and hung out with the guests practically all night!!! Stupid, huh?

But everyone there had a fun time I think. Jewel, Matt, Mercedes, Elizabeth, Scott, Ron, everyone was great.

More on the sunburned cleavage and some inside info on quite interesting stuff on Nathan and the rest of the cast Jewel and Matt let me in on when we talked later today; at work now.

-keep flyin'

-Hiro

Jayne
Pain is scary...

MAKEROFPATHS

Thursday, June 17, 2004 6:20 AM

Did I miss the continuation of this report in another thread, or are you still tuckered out, Hiro?

:-)

HIROSTONE

Thursday, June 17, 2004 1:14 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by makerofpaths:
Did I miss the continuation of this report in another thread, or are you still tuckered out, Hiro?

:-)

Dude.......!!!

The people that were at DreamCon or those who were behind the scenes with me on the committee or as volunteers, please, have my back!!!!

I am exhausted. Plus, I'm gearing up for my vacation and trying to get everything ready before then.

I'm going to try and do a post during my lunch hour, but it might be going to be a short one.

-keep flyin'

-Hiro

WASH
Oh my god, it's grotesque! Oh, and there's something in a jar.

HIROSTONE

Thursday, June 17, 2004 8:27 PM

Okay, now I have some time.

Alright, where to begin???

Since you all have been patient with me, I guess I should tell you about Morena’s sun-burned cleavage, huh? Okay, for those of you at DreamCon, you’ve probably heard this story already, but for those of you that weren’t, here’s the skinny:

The first few days of shooting for Serenity, as you know, are taking place in the desert. Now, Jewel told this story about Morena. She commented that she was a jeans and sweatshirt kinda gal that usually didn’t wear make-up because she was naturally beautiful anyway. However, as Inara, Morena has to wear those elaborate, beautiful gowns most of the time, which takes a lot of preparation to get in and look like a proper ‘Companion’ like she is in character. Because of getting into the dress, the make-up and hair, it took Morena the longest. And in the desert, when the sun gets high in the sky in the afternoon, everyone in the cast and crew put on sun block so they wouldn’t get burned. Morena did as well, but for some reason she didn’t put any on her cleavage, (possibly because it would’ve ruined the body make-up or something like that) which, as she’s in her Companion gown, really stuck out prominently. Because of that, her cleavage got burned and then started to peel as well! I just found that very amusing that with everyone else in the cast pretty much covered up, and poor Morena in her Companion outfit got sun-burned bad enough that he skin started to peel.

Okay, I may have screwed that up a little because I got to Jewel’s Q&A late and only started listening to this story two-thirds of the way through. BTW, I mentioned that Jewel got sunburned as well. The story with that was she was wearing sun block and her Kaylee jumpsuit so she was pretty well covered. However, she neglected to put sun block on her head, down where her hair parts. So, that thin strip of skin on her head got sun-burned and she said it really hurt. I found that amusing as well.

Thinking back to when Jewel, Matt and I were sitting in the lounge late on Friday night, I was pretty out of it running around all day and probably was a little incoherent and not as articulate as I usually am, but tried to make sense. When they asked me who my favorite character from Firefly was, I was tempted to say Kaylee, but I honestly answered Mal (but quickly said that Kaylee was a close second). They then started to tell me a little about Nathan and how silly he could be. On the set, Jewel described him as a little like George Clooney when he was on ER; that he was goofy, silly and played jokes all the time off camera, but once they started rolling, he was all business (though still somewhat playful, doing stuff in the moment). Nathan, along with Alan, always kept everyone in stitches. Not that Alan was Nathan’s sidekick, but they were more like ‘PARTNERS IN CRIME!!!’ They described them as a comedy act. So much so, they had a running contest to see who would make Gina crack up first on camera. However, when Nathan was being too silly and it really screwed up a scene they were filming, Joss made him stop and asked him, “Nate, what have we learned today?”

And Nathan would reply in a mutter, “Joss is Boss . . .”

I laughed so hard at that!!!!

Jewel went on to describe more of the cast in detail.

She said that out of everyone the most serious actors were Adam and Ron, that although they could be silly too, they really took their craft seriously once the camera was rolling. I could definitely see that with Ron, but that kinda surprised me with Adam. But as I thought of it, it made more sense as his character was very intricate and so detailed (like the observances that Jayne would always have something in his hands, working on something). Jewel went on to complement Sean a little as they had instant chemistry onscreen between their characters. She also said that she was in awe with Gina’s presence and demeanor as Zoë, that she was always spot on in her cool and calm character performance and charisma. The most complements Jewel had, other

HIROSTONE

Thursday, June 17, 2004 8:28 PM

Okay, now I have some time.

Alright, where to begin???

Since you all have been patient with me, I guess I should tell you about Morena’s sun-burned cleavage, huh? Okay, for those of you at DreamCon, you’ve probably heard this story already, but for those of you that weren’t, here’s the skinny:

The first few days of shooting for Serenity, as you know, are taking place in the desert. Now, Jewel told this story about Morena. She commented that she was a jeans and sweatshirt kinda gal that usually didn’t wear make-up because she was naturally beautiful anyway. However, as Inara, Morena has to wear those elaborate, beautiful gowns most of the time, which takes a lot of preparation to get in and look like a proper ‘Companion’ like she is in character. Because of getting into the dress, the make-up and hair, it took Morena the longest. And in the desert, when the sun gets high in the sky in the afternoon, everyone in the cast and crew put on sun block so they wouldn’t get burned. Morena did as well, but for some reason she didn’t put any on her cleavage, (possibly because it would’ve ruined the body make-up or something like that) which, as she’s in her Companion gown, really stuck out prominently. Because of that, her cleavage got burned and then started to peel as well! I just found that very amusing that with everyone else in the cast pretty much covered up, and poor Morena in her Companion outfit got sun-burned bad enough that he skin started to peel.

Okay, I may have screwed that up a little because I got to Jewel’s Q&A late and only started listening to this story two-thirds of the way through. BTW, I mentioned that Jewel got sunburned as well. The story with that was she was wearing sun block and her Kaylee jumpsuit so she was pretty well covered. However, she neglected to put sun block on her head, down where her hair parts. So, that thin strip of skin on her head got sun-burned and she said it really hurt. I found that amusing as well.

Thinking back to when Jewel, Matt and I were sitting in the lounge late on Friday night, I was pretty out of it running around all day and probably was a little incoherent and not as articulate as I usually am, but tried to make sense. When they asked me who my favorite character from Firefly was, I was tempted to say Kaylee, but I honestly answered Mal (but quickly said that Kaylee was a close second). They then started to tell me a little about Nathan and how silly he could be. On the set, Jewel described him as a little like George Clooney when he was on ER; that he was goofy, silly and played jokes all the time off camera, but once they started rolling, he was all business (though still somewhat playful, doing stuff in the moment). Nathan, along with Alan, always kept everyone in stitches. Not that Alan was Nathan’s sidekick, but they were more like ‘PARTNERS IN CRIME!!!’ They described them as a comedy act. So much so, they had a running contest to see who would make Gina crack up first on camera. However, when Nathan was being too silly and it really screwed up a scene they were filming, Joss made him stop and asked him, “Nate, what have we learned today?”

And Nathan would reply in a mutter, “Joss is Boss . . .”

I laughed so hard at that!!!!

Jewel went on to describe more of the cast in detail.

She said that out of everyone the most serious actors were Adam and Ron, that although they could be silly too, they really took their craft seriously once the camera was rolling. I could definitely see that with Ron, but that kinda surprised me with Adam. But as I thought of it, it made more sense as his character was very intricate and so detailed (like the observances that Jayne would always have something in his hands, working on something). Jewel went on to complement Sean a little as they had instant chemistry onscreen between their characters. She also said that she was in awe with Gina’s presence and demeanor as Zoë, that she was always spot on in her cool and calm character performance and charisma. The most complements Jewel had, other

DUG

Thursday, June 17, 2004 9:11 PM

Great news from DreamCon. I REALLY wish I could have made it, but for some reason my wife felt her back surgery was more important. All of my friends who were there raved about Jewel, even though most of the one's who were there still haven't been converted to browncoat status.

Don't worry...my dvd's are making the rounds.

FIREFLYGAL

Thursday, June 17, 2004 10:51 PM

Ok, I'm slow. I finally got an article together on Jewel's appearance at DreamCon and while it duplicates some of Hiro's stuff I'm posting it anyway (so there).

The very first DreamCon was held in Jacksonville, Florida this past weekend (June 11-13) and pulled in some BDS (Big Damn Stars) – Ron Perlman, Erin Gray, Chase Masterson, Sam Jones III, not to mention popular authors and artists. The BDS I specifically went to see was Jewel Staite. I had the opportunity to interview her at various times throughout the con and trying not to repeat what others have posted I place my experience here for your enjoyment (I hope).

For you guys out there, yes, she is just as pretty in person. She’s about 5’5”, without the 4” heels she was wearing and she’s skinnier now than during Firefly since Joss approved her NOT putting the extra weight back on for Kaylee. She’s also as nice as Kaylee, yet Jewel admits she has “a sick sense of humor” and is “not as childlike as Kaylee”.

Her con appearance started at 10:30 AM Saturday morning in a not so air-conditioned room (yet I never heard her complain). As with all cons it’s never easy peasey, the next problem was no pictures for Jewel to sign. Jewel sat patiently in the autograph room with husband Matt and a couple of con volunteers who were there to help. The photos were still on the way when the fans were led into the room and we were treated to an impromptu Q & A session with Jewel. She prefaced the session by saying she had a “contract signed in blood” and she couldn’t reveal anything about Serenity. The fans respected her position, so while this article contains no real spoilers, there are a few tidbits that Jewel was able to share. I am going to be mentioning them very shortly, so skip to the next paragraph if you don’t want to learn anything about the movie. If you’re not skipping down now, it’s not my fault what you read next. We know that Serenity takes place about 6 months after Objects in Space. Says Jewel “Kaylee has grown up a bit. I think it was time for her to grow up”. Kaylee will have a new skinnier, sexier fitted look, gone from her ever-present jumpsuit is the bunnies and teddy bears. Kaylee will be doing a lot of crying both the happy and sad kind. Her quarters will still look basically the same. The sets had to be remade, so Serenity “looks the same but a bit newer”. Jewel adds “the more tweaked the set is the angrier Joss gets”. Inara will have beautiful new costumes. In fact, Jewel mentioned Morena wanting to attend DreamCon but needing to do some costume fittings. Jewel confirms the challenge “Inara doesn’t dress as one ethnicity and it’s difficult to do”. The characters will change during the movie but Jewel feels the fans will be happy with the result. Another Serenity tidbit came forth during the Q & A session with Mercedes McNab and Elizabeth Anne Allen of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Elizabeth Anne Allen has known Nathan for a while and he mentioned he had been doing some serious training, including ballet, for the BDM to handle some stunts and the abundance of action in the film. One thing that was not a surprise was when Jewel pointed out that “Nathan is a clown, way worse than Alan. Alan laughs at everything Nathan says and Alan’s laugh is really infectious, so the two of them together are brutal”. Jewel was able to share her feelings about the first day everyone was together on the set. “I was shaking, I was in such anticipation to see everyone as a group again. I was so excited to sit down and read the script with everybody. We hugged a lot and cried a lot. When Gina said her first line, everybody kind of laughed and sort of looked at each other, like ‘oh wow’ she delivered it like Zoey. Everybody just became these characters again. It was an enormous sense of relief. Just to hear that script out loud felt really amazing”.

You can come back now. Jewel gave us the bad news that Fox has the television rights to Firefly for 10 years and has no plans to reshoot the series. On the happy side, Jewel reports that” Unive

SERENITYSSON

Thursday, June 17, 2004 11:30 PM

Well I can back you up Hiro as to how tired we senior staff from the con are. I think we got an average of 7 hours of sleep from Thurs afternoon until Sun night but hell, if I had my choice between hanging with Jewel and Matt, or sleeping, I'll still choose no sleep every time. Was a blast Bro I can't wait untill next year when we have Jewel and Matt back, as well as a few of the other Firefly cast. I can't wait to here back from Jewel and Matt about the T-shirt I made for Adam, and sent a copy of the Blue Sun Beer Intermission comercial I did for the RP staring Jayne. Jewel and Matt were awesome!

Serenity's Son

The Hero of Canton, the man they call... Meeeeee!

RAWDEAL

Friday, June 18, 2004 12:09 AM

All I have to say is I'm living in the wrong country and the wrong continent, Damn Why didnt my parents move

-----------------------------------
Jayne: "Know what the chain of command is? It's the chain I beat you with till you understand who's in command."

SERENITYSSON

Friday, June 18, 2004 12:19 AM

Start saving for next Dreamcon RawDeal

The Hero of Canton, the man they call... Meeeeee!