AUTOGRAPHS

The crowds were a lot more behaved this year. They called the first few rows up and after that, the next row wasn't called up until the first row was finished. This greatly reduced the amount of time spent standing in line so we could walk around more and look at all the vendors' stuff while we waited for our row to be called.

I watched Ted and Ebonie up at the autograph table for awhile. Ted was being a real sport. After each autograph, he'd stand up and ask the fans' names and shake their hand. Then he'd pose with them in a photo for anybody who wanted one.

I overheard that both Ted and Ebonie were only signing one autograph each, so my brother, William offered to go up with me and get my 8X10 Joxer photo autograph while I got my drawing of Wakkxer signed.

At one point, Ted stood up on his chair and made an announcement, "Hey, when Joxer goes to sleep at night, you know what he takes with him? His Joxer teddy bear!" Then he holds up this little stuffed bear wearing a Joxer outfit that some fan had made.

William and I wandered around the showrooms while we waited. This was when I bought the Xena comics I mentioned earlier. At one point, we even rode the elevator to the fourth floor of the hotel, just for something to do. Periodically, we'd head back to the auditorium area to see what row they were on. On one trip back, I paused again to look at the Gabrielle staff replicas they had behind the table with the framed autographed photos in front of the auditorium. The cool thing about these staffs are that they are authentic props, meaning the same prop people who made the real ones had made these, from the same materials and everything. Last year they had a replica of Xena's chakram and some folks were asking to hold it so they could get a picture taken with it. There weren't many people browsing at the table at the time, so I went over and asked the guy who was working there if I could hold the staff so that my brother could take a picture. I didn't dare do much with the staff other than pose with it. In fact, I handled it with extreme care. Had I done something to mess it up, the thing woulda cost me $269.00!! Boy, oh boy, though. I'd love to own one of those.

I can't remember how long we waited for our row to be called, but it wasn't too long. Certainly not as long as last year. Finally row "N" was called and William and I headed up to the autograph table. The line went swiftly, even though Ted was stopping to pose for pictures. William and I agreed that he'd take the picture of Ted and me when we got up there.

There was only about five people in front of me when the folks at Creation who were running the event made a dissapointing announcement. They said they needed to move the lines along more quickly. To insure that everybody could get an autograph, Ted and Ebonie would no longer be posing with the fans for pictures. William and I groaned. "What did they say?" asked the fan in front of us. I realized this fan was the same young woman who had been accidentally sitting in my seat when we'd first arrived. We told her they'd said no more pictures.

It wasn't fair. I was the very next person in line during the Q & A section when they told Ted he was out of time. That hadn't bothered me too much because I figured that at least my photo with Ted was insured. Now just a few people away from the autograph table and they were going to tell me that I couldn't get my photo? "This can't be happening," I muttered. "We'll figure something out," said William.

When the fan in front of us got to the autograph table she spoke to the woman assisting Ted at the table, "This is my first Xena convention and I really wanted a picture with Ted," she said. The woman at the table sighed and said, "Ok." Then she said something about just hoping she didn't get screamed at for it and asked the fan if she had someone to take the picture. The fan turned around to me and asked if I'd do it. I said sure... Secretly, I was now determined to get my own photo with Ted.

Now it was my turn. The woman helping Ted took the drawings of my Animaniacs/Xena characters to give to Ted to sign. As soon as she looked at them she said, "Animaniacs! I love that show!" I told Ted how I drew these Animaniacs characters like the characters from Xena. I showed him that I had gotten Bruce Campbell to sign Bootolycus (Autolycus/Chicken Boo) and I wanted him to sign his chracter, a Wakko/Joxer crossover. Ted looked at the drawings and said something like, "Aww, How cute!" or "These are really cute!" This was a much better reaction than I had gotten from Bruce Campbell (who had just sort of smiled and said, "hmmm...") but then, I did draw Autolycus as a giant chicken. Ted then peered more closely at his own character as he read the name, "Wakkxer!" as he laughed. He had thought it was really funny! That was just so cool. There were quite a few things that happened at the convention that, as I now look back on them, seem a blur. Things that I truly wish hadn't been. However, for some reason or another, I can still vividly remember the exact way he said Wakkxer's name. Weird, huh?

The woman who was assisting Ted asked me if they had ever done Xena on Animaniacs. I was so delighed at Ted's reaction to my drawings that at first, I didn't realize she had been asking me a question. I blinked at her for a moment and then said, "Oh! No, they haven't done a Xena/Animaniacs crossover on the show." The woman then replied, "They should have. That would have been funny." The crossover they did in the Animaniacs comic book called Minerxa: Warrior Princess, completely slipped my mind. Then again, she had been asking me about the show, not the comic book. Anyway, in the comic it was a Minerva Mink story. They only parodied Xena, Joxer, and Gabrielle (sorta) and the Warners weren't even in it.

Ted signed my Wakkxer drawing and in return I gave him a copy of the drawing I had done along with the character description of Waxxer from my website, Gabrianne's Warrior Princess Lair. Ted thanked me and of course, I thanked him. The whole transaction probably only took a minute or two, but so much had happened in that time!

My autograph from Ebonie Smith took no time at all. She smiled at me and I gave her my photo. She signed it, I thanked her, and then she looked to the next person in line. Before I knew what was happening, it was over. Or was it? My brother had been the next person in line and what was he doing?

I looked over and William was standing in front of Ted at the autograph table. Ted had a signed photograph of Joxer in front of him and he asked my brother if it was his, "Oh! Yes," my brother said. William told me later that he had been preoccupied at the moment with trying to figure out a way I could get my photo with Ted. Isn't that sweet? And here's the 8x10 of Joxer that he got signed for me:

Ted then asked my brother's name. My brother said, "William". Ted shook hands with my brother and said, "Nice to meet you, I'm Ted." William replied in mock surprise, "Oh really? You're Ted?" Ted then looked at my brother with a wry expression that William said seemed to say, "smartass". Actually, Ted's facial expression was sorta remeniscent of the kind of look Joxer sometimes gives when Gabrielle has just said something sarcastic about him. I'm sure, of course, that Ted is used to this kind of playful teasing, working with the likes of a prankster like Lucy Lawless. At least I hope Ted realized it was a joke. I just could not believe that my brother had said that to him! Here I am, thinking how lucky my brother is to have Ted ask his name and shake his hand and William returns the gesture with a sarcastic remark like that. It was funny, but only because it was so daring! When we brought this up later my brother explained to me that he just doesn't get starstruck like some fans. He sees actors like normal people. "Look at it this way," said William, "It'll give you a good story to write about in your convention report." Indeed!

The end? Hardly! I still hadn't gotten my photo with Ted! William had moved on to get Ebonie's autograph and Ted was already signing another photo. I didn't want to ask the woman who was assisting him. After all, I certainly wouldn't want to be the one responsible for her getting "screamed" at, would I? I couldn't do that to a fellow Animaniacs fan! But what could I do? I thought I should at least ask Ted first since he's the one who'd have to pose with me. "Um, Ted? Ted?" I tried to get Ted's attention, but I was speaking really softly. I was afraid of bothering him anymore than I had to. But darnit, I wanted my picture! "Just go around the table!" William told me. So I did. I was quick! I just flitted around that table, crouched down beside Ted, and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned and looked at me. "Can I please get a picture taken with you?" I begged, "You're my favorite!" Ted said, "Ok." I was thrilled! William snapped the photo, I thanked Ted profusely, and then was out of there before anyone could say anything to me. YES!!

Y'know, I still grin like an idiot every time I look at this photo. Want to hear something else funny? I hadn't even realized I had put my arm around Ted until after I had gotten the photos back! Oh well. Thank you, Ted Raimi!! You've made this fangirl very happy.

After that adventure, I hung around a bit longer and took a few more photos of Ted and Ebonie at the autograph table to use up the rest of my film.

Ebonie's Super-Supportive Mom

That was definately the absolute best fan/actor encounter I have ever had. And with the actor who plays my favorite character on Xena! I guess I can no longer say that "the ones you want to meet the most are always the least obtainable"! Just like last time, it didn't really sink in that I was really there until the car ride home! I am so happy that my photos turned out as well as they did and I hope you enjoyed perusing them. I'm already looking forward to next year's Cherry Hill Xena/Hercules convention! Maybe I'll see you there!

Gabrianne

Xena: Warrior Princess and all things Xena herein are (c) 1995-2000 Renaissance Pictures and MCA/Universal. No challenge of ownership to trademarked property is intended or implied.