2010 OFFICIAL XENA CONVENTION
Los Angeles, California, USA

5 - 7 February 2010

Main Con Page

My second favorite part of the whole con. (First being Lucy on stage of course...)

This was one of the major highlights of this con for me. As it was for many of us, as I heard later from a lot of fans that night and the next day.
 
It was one of the most hilarious con events I’ve ever seen. The grrls were so playful, so UP, just treating us to a classic, good girlfriends getting together time. It was great.
 
I think it was Gina who started things off by yelling out to us, “Who dat?!” Lots of laughter and some of the fans, the “in the know” fans, yelled “Who dat!?" back.


We’ve had New Orleans fans coming to the con wearing purple, green and gold New Orleans paraphernalia and coming up to the mike ever since Lucy starred in “Vampire Bats”. During the filming, Katrina hit. Lucy was a Katrina refugee and had to escape the hurricane. And then she went back to New Orleans and helped raise relief money, giving interviews about the devastation and even working in a soup kitchen over Thanksgiving to help out. And just about every year New Orleans folk come back to the con. And this weekend was the Superbowl and of course the Saints were in it. And of course this was Sunday, the day of the big game. And the “Who dat?” is a Saints team chant, with roots way back in minstrel days vaudeville. (I had to look it up-this was the best link I found:  http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2010/01/who_dat_popularized_when_every.html
 
This was a wild and woolly event. One of the most hilarious escapades I’ve ever sat through at a con. I have pages and pages of stuff (I CAN manage to look down at my notebook and just write when Lucy’s not onstage) and since this was the last day of the con, I’d also remembered that it’s always good to note down who says what.
 
I’ll make it easy on all of us, by only listing the initial of the woman who said something. I’m not going to put it in quotes, but I think it’s pretty close to what they said.
 
Unlike most of the stars, these three sat down (in separate chairs) for just about all of their visit.
 
Okay, here we go…
 
J: I haven’t seen these (other women) since we were all 21. Which was just yesterday. We’re so beautiful.
 
V: I’m gorgeous.
 
Then Vicky looked out at the audience and with a big grin indicated how receptive we are to them, how we focus on them so intently and heartily respond to anything they say.
 
She said she felt like she was fishing with a hand grenade. That she “just lobs it out into the water and then boom!, and then we just scoop ‘em up”.
 
We thought that was hilarious, that she was calling us stunned fish.
 
Then she added, “We’re hot, aren’t we?”
 
And of course we whooped our heads off and offered up robust applause.
 
J: I’m 33. (She MIGHT have been asked her age, not sure.)
 
V: I’m still 21.
 
G: “AARP will be knocking real soon”. Vicky then shared with us that Gina was a cougar.
 
Jennifer said something about I think having a show two weeks ago. Then added, “And I was divorced a month ago”.
 
Gina and Vicky began to talk about Jennifer’s ex. I think Vicky said, “That was the guy with the hair.” Gina said, “He had architectural hair” and she mimicked a big swooping swept back hairdo.
 
V: We’ve been hanging onto our guys for nine years.
 
G: My husband calls me. (This is what I have written down next: ) Saw somebody today. Don’t make out with me. (Don’t remember who was saying what there-if it was Gina or Laurence-boooo me!)
 
Then they began to joke about being in Cleo and wearing pretty minimal clothing and being very close to each other on set.
 
I think it was Jennifer who declared, “We hid candy in our costumes”. To which Vicky replied, “Lick, lick”. Gina added in this “you know what I’m talking about” kind of rhythmic story-telling tone, “We were lonely, we were in New Zealand…”
 
J: It was ALL humping.
 
G: The bruises came from stunts.
 
Then I think it was Gina who said, “Vicky has a cute little tuchus”.
 
G: “We were all on like nipple patrol. Dr. Ngila." (The female costume wizard on Xena and other RenPac projects.) "Doctor of wire and foam”. Gina said that after one costume fitting, “I looked down and it looked like there was a little baby’s bun sitting on my chest.”
 
V: When it was my time of month, I’d put snack packs in my costume. She said to Gina, “You had rubber pants. Keeping the world safe in a silver corset.”
 
Gina mentioned that “In ‘Jack Of All Trades’ you had full on costume.
 
G. But we looked good.
 
V: (To Jennifer) Your hair tuned into moss.
 
J: I had like a Mohawk. I was like, “Jennifer Sky Down”.
 
A fan asked about I guess problems on set or people they didn’t like working with.
 
One of them said “Greg”. Another one chimed in, “A bad director”. There were talking over each other and one of them (I think maybe Jennifer) indicated they shouldn’t say this. I think it was Gina who made a “big deal” kind of face and said in a cool ‘tude way, “Lot of people named Greg in the world”.
 
Jennifer:  “He was friendly”.
 
G(?): “Vicky and I caught up”. I think it was also Gina who said she told Vicky, “Girl, you can’t tell ANYBODY this.” Vicky added, “…stuff. As I scan for minors. We can’t talk about our coochies. Let’s talk about Jennifer’s scar.”
 
Now last time Jennifer was at a con (which I think was last year?) she was alone. And she told us that she had had a major health problem and had just had surgery. I’m not sure if she mentioned what it was then.
 
Vicky said Jennifer should show us her scar. Jennifer filled in that she had to have major surgery-she actually had a liver transplant.
 
Jennifer flipped up her shirt and lowered her pants a bit. And there was one honking scar tracing along her belly. Not just one simple linear cut.
 
Jennifer said something like: “People whom I haven’t seen in years-‘Oh-that’s YOU!”, I think referring to her scar?
 
Vicky announced very seriously, “Canadians please do NOT donate your livers.” They had a little discussion on who might have good livers to donate, who didn’t abuse alcohol, essentially. Vicky thought you could find good liver transplant donors “In mid-America maybe.”
 
Jennifer was still showing her wide-ranging scar. She said that someone said to her, “It’s a butterfly”
She gave a sarcastic look and said, “Yeah. That’s what it FELT like”.
 
Gina said next time Jennifer should pick another organ (to destroy). “Kidney would be good-you got two.”
 
Vicky suggested, “Spleen”. (Pause) “Anybody know what a spleen does?” (Silence) “Anybody?”
 
Vicky: “I don’t get out enough. And when I do, I come here. And YOU guys…”
 
Jennifer and Gina began to talk about T.J. Scott, Vicky’s husband. They called him Teech.
 
“Teech” was such a good director”. And then they talked about what a great boyfriend he was. “He sent her flowers every week.”
 
Someone said, “Her dressing room smelled like flowers-and dead flowers”.
 
Jennifer said that Laurence was around. And that he was so happy.
 
Gina replied, “All kind of things just go away. All kinds of things.”
 
I think I missed something in here because next thing I have is Vicky saying, “I’m not going to say anything anymore”. Then she added, “What kind of fool puts a lock on their liquor cabinet?”
 
Next I have written down that Vicky said, “I sleep with her in her bed sometimes. I DO.” (Pause) “I’m not ashamed”. This is followed by a note in the margin. (Dog).
 
V: “I’m very crafty”.
 
J: “T.J.’s leather pants! ‘Member his leather pants?!” She added, “Alex (I’m thinking that’s her ex) went through a leather pants phase. That (led to?) the divorce.”
 
V: “I thought TJ was gay.”
 
J: “I still haven’t found out if my ex is gay”.
 
Gina starting a new topic, “We were SO the pussy posse. Pussy, pussy, pussy”.
 
J counted off “1-2-3” and then they, in perfect symmetry, began crossing and then uncrossing and then spreading their legs. (Note remember they were all sitting during this presentation.)
 
They enjoyed doing their synchronized knee crossing very much. Jennifer said, “They’ll be rolling us out in our wheelchairs with our oxygen bottles and we’ll still be…” And again all three of them crossed their legs in unison-but V-E-R-Y  S-L-O-W-L-Y this time.
 
Vicky began to talk about getting seats maybe at the NFL play offs?
 
She said something about 10,000 tickets. I think it was that her girlfriend knew a guy who had extraordinary box seats. Or maybe it was Vicky who knew him? Anyway they got to go to this football game that really wasn’t of great interest to them. Vicky said they were wearing pushed up bras, had their hair all done. “We’re going to a football game for god’s sake.
 
“We’re on the 50 yard line. I say, ‘There’s a line man-can you take a picture of us?’ And then she asked him, ‘Who’s playing?’ There were people behind us, probably thinking, ‘Those dumb bitches!’ We spent most of the time in the press box. The tickets were totally wasted on us.” She continued talking about how silly the whole thing was.
 
Gina began talking about how important it is to the players. “People just living their dream”. (Pause). “Beating each other up. Trying to create a legacy for their families.”
 
V: “Patriots playing other sweaty guys”.
 
Jennifer said she liked soccer. “Because they wear small things and run back and forth really fast and you can really see their athleticism”.
 
The other two began to talk about finding a new guy for Jennifer. “We need some standards. If you’re a carpet pee-er—stay away”.
 
G: “Go to the end of the line.” People in the audience began raising their hands to be with Jennifer.
 
G: That’s a tooker (That’s what I have written-tooker). “That’s a full kit!” (Not sure what that meant-she was looking at someone behind me and on the other side of the hall.
 
Jennifer looked over and then made a “Call me” sign with her right hand.
 
Vicky began talking again about working on Cleo. “Some of the controls on the ship were made out of dildos.”
 
J: OH! I remember!
 
V:  Euwwwwww
 
Someone said, “They spent all the money on our new costumes”.
 
Someone said something about dark foil (I think referring to their costumes).
 
J: That’s the best-it’s good for your heart.
 
V: And the ship.
 
G: Good! We got to stay on point.
 
V: Every recycling bin was used on set. Anytime you spray paint something silver, it’s in the future.
 
V: We should write a show! (HUGE cheers from us.) I think it was Jennifer who pointed at Steve Sears taking pictures of them. “There’s Steve right there!”
 
V: Write us something, Steve!
 
G: (In her deep, street-wise, stirring voice) “Write anything, we’ll make it dirty”.
 
ENORMOUS jollity and cheers from the audience. There may even have been a few standing ovations on that one.
 
J: “2525-The Elder Years”
 
V: We’re all going to be fighting to be Blanche. (Which I considered and decided that she meant Blanche DuBois from “A Streetcar Named Desire” until Gina said, “Dorothy. The eyebrows” at which point the person next to me said, “Golden Girls”.)
 
Not sure what fueled this, but Vicky said, “Jen’s got no liver-I can take her.”
 
J: Don’t let my husband get you.
 
V to fan: Yes, young virgin, speak to us.
 
V: “Talk in slow motion, talk in slow motion.”
 
A fan asked, “Will you run around naked, Vicki?” I believe she was asking about in a part on a show.
 
Vicky looked at her for moment and seemed to be considering it. “Yah”.
 
G: “Nebula. Queen of the Amazons. I should have had a commemorative plate.”
 
Jennifer said that Rob and company had written the characters specifically for Gina and Vicky to play. “I was doing Amarice. Amarice is the favorite character I ever played.
 
Vicky suddenly interrupted, “Ever forget you’re not on a TV show and do things that your character would have done?” The other two stared silently at her. “Just checking” Vicky said and then put on an innocent face and looked away.
 
End of part 1