by Debra Ballard (evenstar@hpnc.com), Jenna Mead (jrmead@swbell.net),
and Sara Price (dsprice@ix.netcom.com)
Having met Jason Carter at a convention in Little Rock in September, the
There was a Meet the Pros party at 10 pm, unfortunately neither Jason
By the time Jason arrived, we were all gathered in front of the fan
After this, we continued to visit, eventually making our way to
Saturday, we had a fan club luncheon (which turned into a breakfast,
We took our reserved seats and got settled in, then joined the crowd in
The autograph session started at 4 pm, and they called the fans in
We looked around the dealer's room some more, then went up to our room
Over 5 hours, with people only allowed to make one trip through the
Sunday morning, Sara slept in while Jenna and I went to eat at the
It was a wonderful weekend, well worth the trip. Having spent hours
three of us decided to make the trip to Springfield, MA for United Fan
Con VII, October 31 - November 2, to see him again. Sara flew in early
Friday from Atlanta and picked up Jenna (Kansas City) and myself
(Dallas) at 4 pm. We took our stuff to the room (lovely view of the
river), got our con packets, and checked out the dealer's room until it
was time to meet Teresa Mutchler (founder of the Jason Carter Fan Club),
Donna Baldwin, Jo-El Crowley and several other club members for dinner.
nor Roxann Dawson from Star Trek Voyager arrived in time to attend.
Around 11 after we had split up, some visiting in the con area and some
up in Donna's room to watch the videotape of Jason in Lois and Clark, we
got the word that Jason would be there in 10 minutes! I ran up to
Donna's room and told the others.
club's table. He was wearing his Babylon 5 jacket, jeans, shirt, and a
hat which Susie had given him with the phrase "It's Great to be King" on
it. After visiting with Jason for a bit and taking pictures, the con
people wanted Jason to go into the ballroom where the karaoke was going
on. I think they asked him to participate, at any rate, he started
looking through the available songs/artists, trying to decide between
Roxanne by the Police and Bennie and the Jets by Elton John. He settled
on the latter and was the last "act". With a backup group that included Sara,
he sang with great enthusiasm - though, later, he said if he had remembered the
falsetto parts he would have picked another song. He did a great job, enjoying
the piano solos the best, and we took lots of pictures.
Champions Bar and Grill in the mall (which was attached to the hotel)
and stayed there until 2 am, when they closed, then we visited out in
the mall until 2:30, when they wanted to lock it up. We fit about 14
people in the elevator and bid everyone a good night.
they weren't serving lunch yet)/meeting/visit with Jason from 10:45 -
12:30. He had overslept, and his hair was still wet when he arrived - to
be greeted by his Ranger Honor Guard (Jenna, Sara, and I complete with
fighting pikes). We went around the table and took a couple of minutes
each to introduce ourselves to Jason. It was a delightful meal,
Jason entertained us with his stories, including the difficulty he has
getting milk for his tea in restaurants. He was touched when Donna
Baldwin, the three of us, and John Wilson gave him presents. He put
Donna's Salem, MA Haunted Halloween button on and wore it the rest of
the day. Knowing his love of gardening, we got him a book called "The
Impatient Gardener" and a magnetic beanbag cat for his daughter. After
the meal, we stood against the far wall and Luther Trotter, his
convention agent, took pictures of the group with the 14 cameras. Jason
left to get ready for his one o'clock talk and we made our way over
after recovering from flash blindness.
a riotous round of applause for Jason. He came out carrying a blue
towel he had gotten as a present for his birthday. It had "Jason
Carter's towel" on one end and "Don't Panic" on the other - he is a big
Hitchhiker's fan. He answered questions, sang Modern Major General, and
recited a couple of his poems. He was extremely funny as usual and
wowed the crowd. Listening to the audio tape of the talk, it is filled
with laughter, especially when he told us about some ADR dubbing he had done
on a late 4th season episode. (Maybe it'll make a blooper reel someday.)
groups of 50, with reserved seating going first. We were in the fourth
group, and visited with fellow fans in line for the 45 minute wait -
which turned into two hours for the later groups. Luther was with Jason,
helping get the pictures ready and taking care of the business part (in
addition to pictures, Jason brought copies of his poetry book with him).
Jason visited with everyone, personalizing, and taking pictures with
whomever asked. He was cracking up fellow Brit Caroline Johns from Dr.
Who who sat next to him. We got through the line - he remembered my
name, just needed to know how to spell it. (I was impressed that on
Sunday, he didn't even ask how to spell it!).
to change for the banquet. We got there a little early and saved a table
for the rest of the JCFC members attending, but the banquet started at 7
pm with no Jason! After a bit, we got our food (served buffet style) and
ate: still no Jason. After she finished eating, Donna went down to check
on him. At 9:15, I went down to check on her and Jason. Jason finally
finished signing autographs after 5 hours and 20 minutes, a couple of
hours longer than other guests, so that everyone who wanted his
autograph could have one.
line. To say he was a fan favorite would be an understatement. At 10
pm, they started the cabaret. Various fans performed, Caroline Johns did
a passage from Othello, Roxann Dawson sang a song, and Jason juggled
clubs while reciting a very intense passage from King Lear that had been
part of his entrance audition for LAMDA. Wow! This was the first time he
had ever attempted to do this, and it was incredible! A real show
stopper. He messed up juggling several times, as could be expected, but
when he got going, it was riveting! The speech was so intense that it
captured the audience's attention, and we found ourselves ignoring the
juggling. After this performance, he recited some of his poetry and did
a quick impression of Austin Powers. After his performance, we visited
awhile, then met him a little later on and went to Champions again where
he and Luther got their first meal since before noon at the fan club
gathering. We left when they closed again, fit 10+ in the elevator and
got to bed at 2:30 am.
downtown McDonald's only to discover that they (along with the rest of
downtown) weren't open, so we ate at the Marriott. We packed, shopped,
and went to Jason's 11 o'clock talk. Most of the people there had been
to his Saturday talk, so he had a "conversation" with the audience and
answered new questions for an hour. Another charity auction, Roxann at 1
pm, autographs at 2. There were fewer attendees on Sunday (and there
were planes to catch), so the line moved much quicker. Jason had sold
out of his poetry books on Saturday and by Sunday afternoon the dealers
had sold out of pictures, etc... for him to sign. We left for the
airport at 4 pm, Sara dropped us off and Jenna and I visited a few
minutes - I had a 5:30 flight, she had one at 6:12. My plane started to
board and she went to get something to eat and ran into Jason, Luther,
and Teresa who were on the same flight to Pittsburgh! You might recall
that last time she flew back from Little Rock with John de Lancie. Next
time I'm taking whatever flight she's on!
visiting with Jason and friends this trip, I am even more impressed with
his warmth, intelligence, and genuineness. We three plan to do this
again, probably in the spring at another three day con that has Jason as
a guest.
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