HorrorHound - Geek moment #71

 HorrorHound - Geek moment #71

I decided that every week or so I'm going to make a post about memorable moments whenever I was attending a past convention. I always like to hear different stories of people whenever their meeting celebrities. Some are great ones, some...not so hot. I never like to judge a person since we're all human and we have our bad moments, but the way I look at it is these people know exactly what they were getting into when they agreed to attend a show. Their sitting here, signing autographs, meeting fans, and getting paid. I'm sorry but if Jamie Lee Curtis could sign autographs and take photos for what 15/16 hours straight without a break and not bitch...no can't everyone. I always liked the quote from Rob Zombie at the end of one of my all time favorite documentaries Going To Pieces: The Rise And Fall Of Slasher Films. He says at the very end he clearly remembers every celebrity he's met in the past, and even now he still remembers who was awesome and who was a dick. To a fan this moment is a huge deal and their never going to forget it, for the celebrity the moment takes just a few minutes and most of the time they forget about it instantly. So I feel it's up to the celebrity to make or break the memory. Here I decided to post some of the coolest nicest stars I've met at shows and the memories they hold for me. 

My first this week is by far one of the most random and awesome moments ever that happened back in March of 2011 when I was staffing the spring HorrorHound show in Indy. I was in my last semester of school and was working the show with some pretty awesome friends. That spring had been pretty rough on me since I had just recovered from a gallbladder surgery that put me in the hospital for a whole week. Working this show seriously lifted my spirits and something happened here that made me truly and forever view HorrorHound as one of the greatest conventions ever. 

Long story short it was Sunday and the weekend show was coming to a close. I was getting my autographs and making my rounds before we all loaded up and hit the road. I was walking around by myself. My friend Brian asked me if I could swing by Lisa Marie's table and get an 8x10 photo he bought signed. While she was signing it, I really had nothing to say to her (I'm not really a huge fan) so I told her I liked her in the movie One Last Score. She thanked me and said that Kevin J O'Connor was acutaly at the show and had just come by her table to say hello.

Okay...so I'm a pretty big fan of Kevin J O'Connor. I'm a HUGE fan of Lord Of Illusions. In fact I have a beautiful original poster from that film. Kevin is a character actor who's starred in some pretty awesome movies. (Peggy Sue Got Married, Color Of Night, Deep Rising, The Mummy, The Others, GI: Joe, There Will Be Blood, Flight Of The Living Dead, ect.) Of course my favorite is Lord Of Illusions where he played Philip Swann. My jaw seriously dropped when she said this and I said "WHAT!" She told me he wasn't a guest, that he was just walking around. Knowing I would forever regret not trying to meet him I quickly thanked her and hurried away.

I guess Kevin attends the Indy shows and I even saw him once posing for a photo in a huge college they had in one of the past issues of HorrorHound Magazine. Psyched, I went straight into one of the huge vendor rooms where Mask Fest was happening and searched everywhere. Nearly giving up I decided to go back to the second vendor room which is huge and just as I walked him I saw him.

He had his back turned and was with a couple of friends at a blu-ray booth talking to the owner. I seriously have never been more nervous meeting somebody. I felt kinda bad because he was attending the show as a fan, not as a guest. I silently walked up behind him, waiting until he was finished before he turned around and made eye contact with me. I knew it was now or never. In the most timid voice, I said "Excuse me...I don't want to bother you but are you Kevin J O'Connor?" He smiled and said yes and of course I had a geek moment and smiled telling him what a huge fan I was and if it was okay if I got a photo with him?

Kevin was seriously the nicest guy, he said of course and walked over before I handed my camera to his friend. I told him I was a huge fan of Lord Of Illusions and he thanked me again before his friend aimed the camera and said "Say cheese." Kevin then made a face and told his friend to fuck off, that we weren't going to say cheese and it took everything inside me not to burst out laughing. The photo was snapped and I turned to him thanking him telling him what an honor it was. I told him I was shaking and he laughed and said he was shaking because he was old. His friend gave me my camera back and I told him I couldn't wait to see his future work and I he laughed and said he couldn't wait either. I thanked him again and he said anytime Stacy. There I drifted away to my friend Jeanette and seriously almost cried 

I usually really never freak out whenever I meet somebody but I think being such a huge fan of his and meeting him by chance like that made a very big deal to me. Kevin was a complete class act and def one of my biggest highlights at a show ever. So yet again I want to thank HorrorHound for making so many memories for me. This is truly a nerd moment I'll never forget!