It’s another rainy, cold March day which means it
must be ICON time. Well that it is and
this past March 31, 2012 The Knights (well four of us) partook in that geek
filled love pilgrimage to the SUNY campus for the annual sci-fi and anime
convention. This has always been one of
my favorite conventions and I can count on one hand how many that we have
missed which is not many at all. I have
been taking that 3 hour plus drive since 1995 when I first enjoyed ICON for the
first time. So how did this year’s
version which is the 31st edition measure up.
Well it was by far one of the best ICONS that I have attended.
With that said who I went see at this year’s ICON
was a cornucopia of geek shows that I love. From Star Trek to Doctor Who there
was something for everyone. But for me I
was mainly interested in seeing the guests from Doctor Who and Battlestar Galactica. First the guest from Battlestar Galactica was
one of the final 5 Cylons. I’m talking about none other than Rekha Sharma. I felt sorry for her as she was suffering
from laryngitis and was communicating to fans by writing on a note pad. But it was cool meeting her and the fact that
she took the time to try and communicate with us showed me that she isn’t the
type to just phone it in and be phony.
But genuine and happy to see the fans that flocked to ICON to see
her.
Of course the main reason for me to go to ICON was
the presence of 3 Doctor Who guests this year.
Daphne Ashbrook, Frazer Hines and the 8th Doctor himself Paul
McGann graced the SUNY campus with their presence. It was pretty cool as I have never seen Paul
McGann before. (Well I did interview him Friday before the convention. Listen
to it here) So that means getting in the autograph line early and partaking in
that other ICON tradition. Yep that’s right, watching the going ons and marvel
at the costumes the fans are wearing from high above the dealers room on the track. I enjoyed doing this to pass the time as you
can see tons of great costumes. Plus you
have a great vantage point that it’s like sampling the fixings at a salad
bar. There were lots of good costumes
this year.
But the three Doctor Who guest were really nice to
meet. Frazer Hines was funny as usual
and Daphne Ashbrook thought my son was really cute. I can attest to this because he gets his good
looks from me. At least that's what Daphne
Ashbrook wrote on the photo I had brought to be signed. Getting Paul McGanns
autograph was truly the highlight of the convention. In fact whenever you meet one of the Doctor’s
it is something special. To see the man
that played your favorite character on TV definitely sends chills down your
spine. Plus the added fact that he took
a few minutes to say hi and ask you a few questions and then shake your hand
makes it all the more special. My friends, son and myself were all beaming
after that moment. |
| Frazer Hines |
I’m not one that usually likes to sit and listen
to panels as most of the time certain fans will ask really stupid questions or
questions that just don’t make any sense.
Well at ICON 31 I had the best time in quite a while watching two
panels. First was the Frazer Hines panel over at the Harriman Building. It was
called “An Hour With Frazer Hines” and it got off to a rocky start as there was
not a projector to show his videos. But
the panel got through it by showing it on the laptop and the anecdotes that
Frazer Hines told about his acting career were very interesting and filled with
humorous moments.
 |
| Jason Haigh-Ellery, Paul McGann, Frazer Hines |
One of the best panels that I have ever sat
through was the Big Finish Panel with Paul McGann, Frazer Hines, and Jason
Haigh – Ellery. Not only was it
informative about the going on’s with Big Finish but the three of them kept
going off on sarcastic moments that were very entertaining even though they
went off topic a few times but I didn’t really care as it was pretty funny and
very entertaining. It truly was one of
the best panels that I have attended.
The dealer’s room was ok. But I did notice that there was a pretty good
amount of Doctor Who merchandise. Like
from the Who Store which had a Iron Side Dalek at its booth which was really
cool. There I found the new Big Finish Blake’s
7 Box set “The Liberator Chronicles.” Cool
that made my day as the dealers room was at least three quarter anime stuff. I have to confess too buying some Pokémon
merchandise for my son which made him ecstatic.
Enjoy these extra pictures of Nana Visitor, Frazer Hines and Paul McGann.
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| 8th Doctor Paul McGann |
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| Frazer Hines |
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| Nana Visitor |
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