Continued from previous page...
Another break in the side pain as Adam Busch (Warren) arrives and takes a seat between Andy and Tony as several fans in the room shout: "Show us some skin!" This refers to his character's demise in Part One of this season's Buffy finale, entitled Two To Go where Willow skins Warren for killing her girlfriend Tara.
And the questions continue . . .
Adam Busch appears and gives the fans some skin!
|
For the many aspiring actors and actresses the best advice is from someone already in the field and our guests had these genuine sentiments to offer.
"Don't let anyone put you off.," states Tony. "If you really want to do it, don't let anybody go, 'Maybe you should think about another career'. Bottom line is, you should follow your heart. If by the time you're thirty, you decide it's not what you want to do, who knows. But if you don't go for it and you don't follow your dream, ultimately you'll get to thirty or forty or whatever it is and you will be unhappy because you won't fulfill whatever you felt you could have fulfilled. So just go for it. There are various ways of going about it, find some way you could do a class, some local regional theater that you can join and just keep doing it until you just can't do no more."
Brian offers, "Seriously, read the book Acting Professionally by Robert Cohen. It's the definitive source if you really want to be a professional actor. Probably answers all the questions and shows you all the hurdles you're going to have to go."
And finally Mark suggests to, "Be yourself because you are . . . [adding in a loud boisterous voice] You are the most uniquely qualified person in the universe to be you!" The room laughs, but Mark sincerely offers, "I think if you look at all the great actors and actresses that the ones you see a little bit of themselves, Jack Nicholson's never very far off the mark."
In the final break, the fans have to say Cheers to Tony as he heads off to fill other obligations for the day before he catches his flight back to England. The crowd was very appreciative of his time in joining the panel and a huge applause followed Tony from the room.
A fan asks Adam, having just arrived at the convention, if he'll be signing autographs at all today?
"Me? Yeah, you got something you want me to sign? Okay." The fan wasn't sure if Adam was offering to 'do it now' to which he replied, "We should get to know each other a little." The humor is not lost on this latest addition to the mayhem.
"I pull up into the parking lot and felt like such a tourist."
|
Mark is asked if he could tell his famous Wayne Knight story.
"My brother and I have a slight obsession with Seinfeld as well and when I first moved to Los Angeles I moved in next door to the 'low talker', you remember that episode? So I emailed my brother and he said, 'Oh that's cool. Too bad it wasn't Newman,' because he's obsessed with Newman. I had told Andy this so half an hour later he gives me a call on the telephone, he says, 'Newman alert, Newman alert - he's at Ralph's,' which is the local supermarket down the street. I said, 'Alright!' I hang up the phone and got in the car driving like 100 miles an hour, I pull up into the parking lot and felt like such a tourist. I walked up to him and I said, 'Hi, uhm Mr. Knight my name is Mark Lutz I'm an actor from Toronto who just moved down here and my brother's a big fan of yours and so am I. It's his birthday today and I was wondering if you could give him a call. I have my phone right here.' He lives in London so it was kind of cool on his birthday to give him a call and he picks up the phone and goes, [deep voice] 'Hello Steven.' Very, very funny, he says, 'Your brother is a rather, large individual who has accosted me in the parking lot of a Ralph's supermarket and I fear bodily harm if I don't say happy birthday. So happy birthday Steven, let go of my arm Mark.' "
Finally, Andy is asked if he will be releasing a CD of his own.
"They were talking about it. Joss and David Greenwalt have an idea, we all have an idea, to do one which would be similar -- if you saw the last episode they came up with Songs of the Love Lorne featuring songs from the show and other cover songs that would fit into that feel. But we're just going back and forth right now with who to do it with and how to do it."
A few more laughs concluded one of the most enjoyable Question & Answer hours fans have witnessed. Certainly putting these five gentlemen together in one room will result in nothing less than hilarity and to witness such an event is one their fans won't soon forget. The appreciation is felt tenfold from both sides of the table and this is certainly what continues to make Buffy and Angel fans come back for more.
a mini-Exclusive Interview with Anthony Stewart Head
Slayerless and Fancy Free
e had the unexpected pleasure of being able to talk with Anthony Stewart Head for a few moments behind the scenes after the Questions and Answers panel. The man was so entirely gracious that although he had to catch a flight back to England in a few hours and this was his only chance to grab a bite to eat, he graced us with the charm and humor that is the talent behind Giles in between bites of famous Maryland seafood, "Oh don't worry, this is fantastic and I'll be taking it with me!" There is no doubt as to what all the ladies on the show are talking about; Tony's soft green eyes, his infectious smile and the boyish giggle that can make any simple moment turn comical on a dime are a true delight to be in the presence of.
|
|
Anthony Head, full of
British grace and charm
|
|
Being now that Tony appears only occasionally on the Buffy series since his departure early this season, he finds himself being placed in pivotal moments of the story arc and having to recreate and implement Giles into these critical situations but Tony feels, "It's not a swear. Coming in to a pivotal moment is always cool. I mean, best entrance of all time, me coming in at the end of the show."
As much as the fans hated seeing Giles leave Buffy Watcherless, they certainly longed for his quick return and although Tony was set to reappear much sooner, he explains how the all and powerful Whedon knew what was best. "Joss knew exactly what he was doing because I was supposed to come back for the wedding [Episode 16, Hell's Bells] and Joss said, 'Do you mind if you don't? Just because it would be so much more powerful to hold you back and bring you back right at the optimum moment.' And that's exactly what he did and it was the best entrance.' "
And in typical Giles fashion, in the mêlée of it all, he found himself getting the lesser of it despite the greater powers he had acquired while away. "It was fantastic," admits Tony with a smile, "whopping her [Willow] like that and then getting beaten up."
The transition from being a regular cast member on set to coming in and doing guest spots can, at times, be daunting for an actor. Returning to the frame of mind of a character, which was once a daily occurrence, can be tricky but the ambiance around Buffy is a unique one and offers its actors a wonderful opportunity. "I guess in terms of transition, it doesn't feel any different, apart from the fact that I'm not there all the time. I'm not part of the, you know, being a regular so when I go back it's really nice to be missed. And I always say it's like a family there so I always feel genuinely [missed] - it's really, really nice to see people."
The good news for Tony and Giles fans is that you can be sure he will resurface next season on Buffy. Tony has a genuine report with the fans and he felt all the appreciation for his time at Creep Con worth the hours of travel. Certainly a spirit worth keeping around and whether it be Giles or the future Ripper, we will be Watching!
Saturday Night: The BronzeShelter Shindig ~
The Bronze Shelter sponsored this evening's charity event, raising additional money for the WPI Firemen's Fund. The crowd was much larger than Friday's and the people lining the bar were about three deep as the group near the stage filled much of the dance area in front of the tables. The crowd was full of anticipation and eagerly vying for the best spot from which to watch the bands. Andy Hallett was the Master of Ceremonies for the night as he introduced each band and did a great job of hosting, which seemed to come naturally for some odd reason. Between each set he also encouraged the audience to make a donation to the charity that were being collected by Tis, who carried around her rather scary, zebra striped cowboy hat in which people placed their donations.
Torsion took the stage first and their performance had more energy and worked the crowd a bit more than their previous show. Once again the crowd seemed to enjoy their lead singer as she led them through their repertoire of songs, their style being a cross between rock and punk. As they performed several of the featured VIP guests from the convention began making their appearance. They watched the bands and enjoyed the music as much as the rest of the crowd gathered.
Common Rotation rocks the house on Saturday night
|
The next group to play was Common Rotation, whose lead singer is Adam Busch, the actor who portrayed Warren on the last two seasons on Buffy. The group was high energy and got the crowd going very quickly. Their style of music according to their words is folk music as someone tried to describe them as a cross between Dave Matthews Band and Barenaked Ladies. It was interesting to watch Adam sing after having just seen him as the villain and head geek on Buffy. He was constantly moving, acting out the songs, and generally having a great time. Originating in the New York area, his group has been together for quite a while and it's obvious to see the enjoyment they get from performing. It is fun to watch a group that comes out and basically has a good time.
Once again, the headlining band was Velvet Chain. Their performance was even better the second time as the audience watched the band outdo themselves from the previous night. Erika Amato has a definite style and grace that flows throughout her performance. The crowd had thinned some after Common Rotation due to the late hour, but that did not deter from Velvet Chain playing all out for their fans. Listening to them in a small venue makes the show seem more personal and is good for both the artist and the audience. Two of the bands, Torsion and Velvet Chain, joined the After Party following the show. It was nice to be able to visit with them and just relax. They had done their job and now they got a chance to be regular people at a party and it was expressed that everyone had a great time all around!
In retrospect of Creep Con's maiden voyage onto the Sci-fi Convention scene, Barbara Pollak, editor of the BronzeShelter.com gave us the ideal closing, praising both fans and VIP guests alike, "As far my take on the Con, all I can say is that as always, I was stunned anew by the graciousness and good humor of the fans. As might have been expected from a first year con, there were several unforeseen glitches, but for the most part, the fans were patient and really went with the flow. And as always, the actors, be they the ones we're most familiar with from the Buffy/Angel community, or the Living Dead or Farscape folks- they were honestly just a delight to be around. Especially Tony Head who went out of his way to be so accommodating to the many people who wanted to see him."
Written by CoA Head Writer, Kristy Bratton
Friday and Saturday night recaps: Written by Contributing Writer, Brigit Wampler
CityofAngel.com would like to Generously thank Phil Mallon of Creep Con for all his and his staff's assistance.
Special thanks to Mr. Tony Head and David Ginsberg for allowing us time to chat during such a demanding schedule.
Continued thanks to Pat Brady for her constant generosity along with that of Andy Hallett and Mark Lutz.
Much appreciation to Angela Wing and everyone at the BronzeShelter.
Additional thanks to Melissa Spencer for the use of The Vault photos.
A huge Shout-out to the fans, especially Angel & Mike, and Liz & Scott.
If you have any comments for CityofAngel.com regarding this 'Behind the Scenes' feature, we would love to hear from you. Just email us at: Comments@CityofAngel.com
