Although for many years I had heard and known of the
Monster-Maniahorror convention, I had never actually gone to one. It wasn't for lack of trying or wanting, either. But, in the end it was always so far away. While, it is in New Jersey, Cherry Hill to be precise, it's closer to Phillie. So much so that the train goes to Phillie then you gotta take a train to go back to Jersey. It's a long ride that none of us ever wanted to do. Until, that is, my friend Freddie mentioned that we should go. And, so finally this past Saturday we did. While, both he and Pat (one of my other friends that went with us) had gone before, for me this was my first time at the show. But, I had a blast!
Now, I gotta say the guest list was impressive from the get go. It was packed with fans, as a result. This in particular was due to having so much of
The Walking Dead cast. The lines for said guests were INSANE! Especially for Michael Rooker, even more for Laurie "Andrea" Holden, and even more than that for Danai "Michonne" Guiria. The prices were for them were high, too. Rooker, who back in the day charged only 20 at Chiller, was charging 40! Michonne is known to have a rabid following so her line was a given that it would be long. So much so that she had her room, upstairs!
Despite playing one of the most hated characters on the show, Holden had what was probably the second biggest line, at the show.
Back when I met Rooker at Chiller, he was the life of the party. He was drinking and had all the girls around him. This time around he didn't hang with the fans after the show. Perhaps, he is too popular, now?
Anyway, I didn't bother meeting any of the cast. Not at those prices or those lines, I kind of figured they would be bad. Anyway, I did meet other celebs:
The main one I wanted to was
Katharine Isabelle. Now, I had been a fan of this Canadian beauty since the
Ginger Snaps Trilogy (the first two installments are favorites of mine) and enjoyed her in
Freddy Vs. Jason, but it was her turn in the amazing
American Mary that really sold me as a fan of hers. Since, I had contacted the
Soska twins that I was meeting her, they told me to say, "Hi" to her.
When I relayed that message to her, she told me to tell them that she "loved them". I asked her if she ever saw the their first movie of theirs, the fun
Dead Hooker in a Trunk. She told me that they had made her watch it before doing
Mary. They feared she wouldn't wanna work with them after viewing it. It turned out she loved it. And, how could she not? It's such a fun flick! My review for it can be found here:
http://themastergio.blogspot.com/2011/09/dead-hooker-in-trunk.html In all, Katharine is not only even more stunning in person, but she is also a total sweetie.
Next up was the very sexy
Janina Gavankar. Now, I been a fan of hers since she first appeared on
True Blood. She's great on that show as a shape-shifter and, best of all, frequently nude. She's also awesome on
Arrow, where she plays a cop. Sadly, though, she ain't naked on that one. Anyway, I got her to sign my copy of
True Blood season 4 on blu-ray. She was charging 30 bucks for an autograph, plus 10 for a pic with her. Oh and no candids. I was taken by her hotness, and the memory of her boobs, so I gave her 40 bucks. Regardless, she is very pleasant in person. Also, she looks absolutely hot, more so in this Optimus Prime is my boyfriend tee.
While, I did meet
the Misfits many years ago, at a Fangoria convention, I couldn't pass up the chance to meet them, again, for free autographs. Truth is the autograph was free, so long as you bought one of their 5 buck posters. You got an extra one for free. Eh, not bad really. Now, Dez had left for the day for a show, and only Jerry Only was there. But, let's be honest, he's the guy you think about when you think about the band. Only is always a nice guy. He was having lunch while signing for fans. It just further cements them as my all time fav punk band, even if the current album ain't my cup of blood.
The dude in front of me on line got a coffin case for a guitar, which Jerry drew on and signed. See how cool he is!
Now, those are the only celebs that I met and got their autographs. That isn't to say I didn't meet anyone else, though. After, the show was over, our little gang went to get lunch. We came back and hung around at the bar. There I met
Lew Temple. He played one of the funniest characters on
The Walking Dead. He's quite the nice guy in person. As, he posed for pics with every fan who came up to him, and he even did an interview at the bar for someone! A cool guy all around.
There was quite a bit of cosply, more than likely due to the fact that there was a costume contest. We didn't attend said contest, cause our friend Matt, who joined us at night, didn't have a ticket. Actually, had we known Pat would surely have bought Dr. Satan, and I would've bought my cosplay, that I'm doing now, that of everyone's favorite cinematic pyschotic pig: Officer Matt Cordell, the Maniac Cop (the version from the first film). Anyway, here are the cosplays I took pics of:
Apparently the Empire is now hiring hot women as Stormtroopers. You can never charge the Empire with being sexist!
Jawas are lot bigger than I remember them being!
My fav cosply of the day! Killer Klowns from Outer Space, baby!
Over at the FEARnet table the killer from Tobe Hooper's Toolbox Murders, Harry Warden from My Bloody Valentine, and Cropsey from The Burning were hanging out. Not a cosplayer, but rather a dummy, Crypt Keeper was at the table, too. John Kassir, who did his voice, was signing inside. My friend Freddie met him. Kassir's a really cool guy, actually.
And, that's it. I would definitely come back to Monster-Mania, in the future. It's got a more relaxed feel than Chiller, probably due to the fact that while people hang at the bar, there is no actual party. But, that's fine. And, it makes up for the fact that I will likely not be at the actual Chiller con in April. Why? Cause, it's a week after Exxxotica AC, which I will be at. There, you will find my crew and I covering the event.
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed my Monster-Mania coverage. Did any of you go? Do you have some good stories to share? Please do so in comment form below.
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