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Dragon*Con 2007 - Part 2 (Friday Afternoon)
FRIDAY
The BtVS Panel with James Marsters, Juliet Landau, Elizabeth Rohm and Kenneth Feinberg

We get up at a relatively decent hour, and I turn myself into Judy Danger (the comic book character I play in our original web comic book, for those who don't know). We get on the elevator and are discussing getting in line for registration when the two surliest people I see all Con get on the elevator and start casting us dirty looks and proclaim in voices of DOOM that the lines are insane. I tell them we pre-registered, and again they proclaim, in voices of DOOM "A lot of people pre-registered..." The ellipses implying our imminent stupidity.

Yeah, well. We walk across the street, get inside, and it takes us all of ten minutes to get our badges and books and get back on the street. Take THAT, voices of DOOM! Pre-registering ROCKS!

On our way out, we see some Hogwarts students, and a smokin' Selene from Underworld. Then we decide, prudently, that the first thing on our agenda should be acquiring alcohol from the liquor store across the street. After much discussion, we decide to buy the biggest bottle of Grey Goose known to man, energy drinks, pomegranate and cranberry mixers to the tune of $150 all told. We head right back to the hotel room and mix it up (no, it isn't quite noon yet, why do you ask?). On our way back we see an X-Men Phoenix, a Ghostbuster Gal, and an excellent Gandalf. Arriving at our room, Dom, truly embodying necessity as the mother of invention, sets us up a little distillery made of water bottles. We decide to carry our drinks in water bottles for the convenience, but we don't have enough, so Beau has to use one of the courtesy hotel glasses. We cross the street with a throng of costumed people, Beau wandering through the intersection with his glass of vodka and Red Bull sloshing. Gods, I love this place.

First up, the Whedonverse Panel for Friday. The guy at the information booth doesn't quite manage to pry his eyes off my boobs while I ask which way the room is. We get to the panel early and get decent seats, and Dragon*Con TV is playing on the screens. I love me some Dragon*Con TV. There's a "service announcement" playing, that goes a little something like this:

"We understand the Buffy track has become the Whedon verse track. | Which makes sense, becausesince Firefly and Angel, it's not just all about Buffy anymore. | We're worried about the Whedonverse track, though. | There's a good chance that the panels will be shown out of order. | And then Fox will cancel the track after 3 panels. | So good luck, Whedonverse track!"

And as it turns out, the panels WERE actually listed out of order for the track *snerk*

James Marsters, Elizabeth Rohm and Kenneth Feinberg (Chaos Demon) come out first, and MY GOD, Elizabeth is STUNNING. Amazingly gorgeous. JM, who I've never actually seen in person before has dark hair again, and seems like a big ball of good natured energy. Juliet Landau arrives right behind them, looking as tiny and beautiful as ever, except that she's wearing GIGANTIC sunglasses that obscure half her face. James hugs Juliet very affectionately and switches seats with Elizabeth so he can sit next to Juliet. They look very sweetly happy to see each other.

It is so WEIRD seeing them in person, I've gotta tell you. James is very animated, arms in the air everywhere. Someone asks James about recent projects and he can't quite hear them, so Kenneth repeats the question, starting with "The question was..."

James tells a story about being on set at the Hub for Torchwood, which is a very expensive set, and how when he was told by a stage hand that he could not have coffee on set, and flipped out, because "when you're working 12 to 14 hour days the one thing you have to have is a caffeine source right here". So he walked up to the designer and said (makes psychotic face) "I understand you don't want me drinking coffee on the set." And he just looked at him like James was a deranged person and just goes “No that’s okay, you can drink coffee”.

The next fan asks Juliet and Kenneth if they will dance since they both have a dancing background. This reminds me of people asking Summer Glau to dance last year. I wonder if anyone actually does this on demand? Unsurprisingly, they decline.

The next question is sort of odd, addressed to all of them: Do you have something from childhood that you still keep and why?

ER: I kept my parents around because I couldn't get rid of them.

The next question is to James asking about his character on Torchwood.

JM: I thought Spike was nasty! And I didn't realize that Jack acts sexy on set. I had no idea we were going to be playing these characters that would have sex with anything--like anything with a hole. (audience laughs) Literally! Jack rolls up on set in a sweet sportscar, gets out and says "I almost did the car."

Another Torchwood question for James: Did you get to snog John Barrowman and if so, how good a kisser is he?

While James laughs, embarrassed, Kenneth leans in and says "The question was..." James's head hits the table as he laughs and he's blushing, I swear. It's a few seconds before he can say "I've been instructed not to tell anyone." Then he sits up and makes a covert tongue motion, which sends the audience laughing. Kenneth wonders aloud if the coffee was a metaphor, and Juliet asks if they did it off camera.

Someone asks Elizabeth about working on Angel and how that was.

ER: I was happy to be working at all. I didn't know this world existed. But the one thing I really wanted to do was a scene with Spike and Dru.

JM: It's not too late (wiggles his brows naughtily, everyone laughs)

ER: I miss working on Angel.

JM: Everyone does. David Fury, working on 24 which is a great show, and he's like "I HATE it! Let's have a demon come in! And they always say no!" I'm like, I feel like biting the criminal, can I bite the criminal?

James answers a question about working in Sci-fi.

JM: When you do sci-fi you really strut and put yourself out there. I think characters are best defined through action, that's where you find out who they are. I really hate that most shows don't attempt to develop the character at all, even a baseline. But I do like that the actors get to define the characters in the bigger picture.

A Southern woman is up next and starts to ask a question then stops, embarassed that she's said "ya'll" so many times. James leans in toward the microphone and in a voice like sex says It's okay, it's SO cute" and bites his fingers. She starts talking again and he interrupts in the sex voice, "Say it again."

Q: What projects do you have upcoming? And what pumps you up for your sexy scenes?

ER: I can't say. (pause) I'm engaged. But now that I've met Spike it's all off! Forget the ring! (audience cracks up)

JM: I might be doing some more Smallville.

JM: I usually play my music in the trailer before sex scenes. Maybe some Al Green. (laughs) I don't really need much to get me going.

JL: I always work with music. For Dru, I listened to a lot of Sheryl Crow.

JM: (shocked and dismayed) THAT'S what you listened to?

JL: (looks at the audience and deadpans) And think someone knows you after 200 years.

JM also adds that he may be doing some more recordings for the Dresden Files and appears briefly in (the deleted scenes) P.S. I love you as the author's voice. Blink and you'll miss it, he adds.

Q: What was your favorite project that you worked on that you can remember?

JM: She said remember, uh...

JL: I loved working with Tim Burton on Ed Wood. It was almost obscenely fun. The bar scene with Johnny was a day long and it was a blast.

JM: Filming Buffy with Juliet. Although if I had filmed with Johnny she'd be second. (they all laugh) We had a long time to rehearse, and a blast on screen. (looks at Juliet) My girlfriend was so jealous of you.

JL: (laughing) WAS she?

ER: Tough to say, really. I'm good friends with David Boreanaz. And now with Waterson. But I think, probably... I recently did a movie where I had to learn how to play Beethoven on the piano... (leans back, looks around realizing everyone's waiting for her, leans back in toward the mic) I never finish my sentences, it's always "dot dot dot"...

KF: I loved working on Buffy. But I recently worked on a Native American movie with my Dad, shooting on Cherokee land.

ER: Can we ask each other questions? (takes over the panel--she seems VERY enamored by Juliet Landau, and goes on to say so, she also seems somewhat starstruck by James). Juliet, did you ever work with your Dad? Because I just admire him so much.

JL: In Ed Wood, yes. He is the mad scientist that puts my bride character into a trance, and while he's working with me, he gets sidetracked by this other character and just starts whipping him--literally whipping him, and I'm just like--"This is surreal."

She also talks about how she worked on another project with him where she had to go to work everyday and go to her dad's funeral on set--EVERY DAY. And how that was really tough.

Q: Tell us about a scene you didn't quite nail, that sticks out.

JL: ONE scene?

KF: The Chaos Demon scene in Buffy, I was so nervous. And James walks up and just busts out laughing (as JM) "(makes antler gestures over his head) Joss is a freaking GENIUS!

JL: Joss was mad at me, so that's why the slime.

JM: Oh that was YOUR fault?

ER: I almost did "Bones" with David Boreanaz. I screwed it up SO bad, to the point where DB told them (right in front of her) "She's not that bad." I got a second chance because of David, but Emily got the part.

JM: The first sene with Dru in the meat packing factory. It was the same scene we auditioned for. I was way too loud delivering the first line, and then I moved too fast into the room, not realizing, HEY, they'll move the CAMERA to follow me. Once Juliet comes in it gets better.

JL: I think I wasn't paying attention during that part.

JM: (as JL watching their video) "Fast forward through the BS, fast forward through the BS--Oh, THERE I am!" (everyone busts up)

JL: (shakes head and shrugs) There's no one moment for me. (implying there have been many)

JM: I remember we'd go and watch the dailies, and we'd be like, OMG! They're gonna use THAT?

JL: Because our characters were all about the sex.

JM: You'll note our hands are often offscreen, below camera, and we're (makes a suggestive motion)--well, not REALLY doing that, but...

Q: James, do you wish your character had had a definitive end on Buffy or Angel?

JM: No. In fact, I think we should do a Spike movie and keep on going. (audience cheers) Unfortunately, the only person who ISN'T interested in doing that right now, is Joss.

The next question up takes the cake. Even *I* am astounded.

Q: (person explains fan fiction briefly, and references slash) If you had to pick a same sex partner from the show, who would it be?

I am literally cringing, saying NO! They DIDN'T! Everyone on the panel is sort of confused, laughing or embarassed. And KF leans in and says "The question was..." and everyone busts up. Alas, unfortunately, some of them really didn't quite understand the question and it has to be repeated a couple times before they get it. Finally...

JM: (shrugs) We're actors. We'll kiss if you pay us.

NOW the person asks specifically about Spike/Xander, and JM turns bright red, laughing his ass off.

JM: I saw Nick at an audition recently (long considering pause as he remembers, then nods) He looks pretty good. Hot. (beat) You'd still have to pay me though.

ER avoids entirely and JL says, "Um what was the question again?" and the panel leaves it at that.

Q: Juliet, what inspired Dru's characterization?

JL: I didn't audition. Joss had seen me in Ed Wood. We had a brainstorming session but nothing really set. A lot came from working with together James. But I do remember, Joss told me she was all these... THINGS. All these opposites. Like evil/sweet, innocent/knowing (she makes a really long list), and I was like "Oh! How am I ever going to do this?" But it was a combination of factors. i really got to play with it. I was like "I wanna dance on the table" "I wanna roll around on the floor" "I wanna lick James". So it was fun.

I don't quite catch the question here. But clearly it's about working on Buffy.

JM: I remember, Day two, on the set, Joss comes up to me and says "You actors with your pretty faces! You get all the girls and the writers get nothing."

And I just sort of looked at him and said "I'm wearing the hair you gave me, the clothes you gave me, the make-up you told them to put on me, all the stuff that you picked, so if I look good, isn't it your fault?"

And he looks angry and he says, "Yeah. But you're gonna get laid all your life off this part!"

And I was like, (palms up) "You wanna trade with me, man?" And he huffed off, and I was like "I'm dead, I'm dead." (sort of jokingly) I don't think our relationship ever recovered.

There's a little bit more talk from ER about how she wanted her character on Law & Order to be a lesbian, and then the panel wraps. Everyone rises and waves and bounces off and we head straight back to the hotel for more drinks.