:: The Xena Convention 2007 Report - Part 2 ::

"Two Minutes in Heaven..."




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There was always something *missing*
But now you've got my full attention...

/ Avalon - All

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Now for the best part of my con report :: Patrick On Stage.

I wish I had more to place in this section, but alas -- I had the most embarrassing habit of zoning out periodically that afternoon. I think it had something to do with the fact that I only have so much space in my brain (hey, that's a pretty old computer system running up there. Don't knock it!) & that space was being seriously overloaded with signals from everywhere, ranging from emotional imbalances (euphoria & excitement) to physical reactions (like laughter & fascination). So in the meantime, my ears were sadly neglected & could only catch so much. Not to mention that I was darting here, there & everywhere in search of the perfect photo (which eluded me in the end. Photography is apparently not among my artistic skills.) whilst consistently distracted by the main attraction on stage. Ah well. Live & learn.

But, of what I do remember, I have recapped the highlights here for you. I do sincerely apologize if anything is misquoted. Seeing Patrick personally & on stage was a rare delight. I had the great pleasure of meeting him before he spoke at the convention & he was just fantastic! He is truly just as charming offstage as on (not that I doubted it for a minute, but. . .) He is such a gifted entertainer; the humor flew fast & furious & -- as heretofore stated -- I was zoning out from sheer elation & disbelief that I was *actually* getting to see him l ive on stage. It was like everything he said was *so* awesome that I would be musing over it happily while six other equally great comments zoomed right past me. Don't you wish there were some moments in life that you could rewind & then replay in slow motion, pausing when you got to the good parts? The entire time he was onstage was like that. If I'd had my way, that speech would've lasted a week (with occasional breaks for just staring, but that goes without saying *wink*).

Still, without further ado, I present to you highlights from Sunday's con with Patrick Fabian:
(Technical note: Whenever possible, I list both the question asked at the con & his reply. Some remarks were just made without a question proceeding them; those I list in as close to the original order as I can).

:: Patrick was a very popular guest & entertained the crowd with stories & anecdotes as he spoke ::	:: Everyone was laughing & having a great time while Patrick was onstage. We hope he'll be invited back soon! ::

• Patrick: I remember when they called and asked me to do the con. The first thing I asked was, "I only did one episode of the show. Are you sure you want me?" And they told me one episode was enough. Then I asked if anyone would actually come? (laughs) But I've been really surprised by the warm reception I've received. Everyone's been really great.
  
  
• Patrick: One of the first things that was said to me after I got here was that I was an official ‘con virgin’, this being my first convention appearance. (grins at the audience’s reaction) Yeah, I thought I took care of that about 25 years ago, but apparently not! (laughs)
  
  
• Patrick: I was only on for one episode, but it was an *important* one because *I* got to kiss the girl. (grins at all the cheers and whoops from the audience) Yes, that's right. In fact, I wonder if Lucy still remembers that kiss. (takes a mock look around) Uh, is she here? You might just remind her when you see her that I was here this week -- yeah, just in case she remembers me & that kiss has been keeping her up nights. (gets teased by the audience about being a homewreaker for breaking up Xena & Gabrielle & pretends to be offended). Hey, I was only on one episode, so it couldn't have been that bad. I was a short lived distraction. (someone in the audience tells him his kiss was sweet. Pretends to be shocked) Sweet? Hey, I thought it was smoldering sexual passion, but. . . (drifts off with a shrug & a grin).
  
  
• Patrick: I loved being on set for Xena. I remember one day -- I live in southern California you know & am outdoors a lot, so I'm fairly tan. . . or at least I think so. Well anyway, I was in the makeup trailer & they were buffing me with this tanning/bronzer stuff. And I asked them, "Is this really necessary?" And they said, "Yes. All the guys on Xena have really blue eyes & white, white teeth!" So I glanced in the mirror & my eye color was popping out (he demonstrates with his hands) & my teeth were really blindingly white. So I was like, "Can I take a tube of that stuff with me?" (laughs) I also really liked the costuming on Xena. I mean, you had the leather vest & gauntlets -- & the PANTS! (laughs) It was great! And the name they gave me was fun. Rafe. (laughs) I like that! It's a cool name. (pauses) I thought about changing my name once -- how about 'Rafe Fabian'? (after a less than enthusiastic response from the audience) Then again, maybe not.
  
  
• Patrick: When they first called me in to read the part of Rafe, I read the scene from the very beginning -- the gold nugget/dinars bit. And I said to myself, "This doesn't make any sense." (laughs) But I realized I'm not a writer for the show, it's not what they hired me for. All they want me to do is read it & sell it completely. So it's what I did. And when I finished, they were like, "Brilliant! That's exactly what we want!" (laughs) And that's how I got the part. I wasn't working much at the time, so getting a part on Xena was great for my career. I'd seen an episode of the show before signing on to do 'King Con' & thought the show looked like fun. I would've been happy to stay with Xena as a reoccurring character -- but that's not the way it worked out. (shrugs) But I liked the way the episode ended. I felt Rafe walked away strong & that was a good way to end it.
  
  
• Patrick: I've always wanted to sing with Lucy Lawless. In fact, we've got a duet planned, but she hasn't been returning my calls. Have any of you seen her around? (darts a mock look around the room) I've got my part learned, just waiting for her to give me a call now. (looks puzzled, causing the audience to laugh) I just can't understand it.
  
  
• Patrick: I didn't realize it was a requirement to bring an extra set of underwear to the con, (see Brittany Powell story for further clarification of this remark) so I could auction them off. Of course, I don't wear underwear anyway, so that's ok. (laughs at the wild cheers from the audience -- *cough* one fan in particular! *cough* Ahem.)
  
  
• Patrick: I've been on a lot of shows over the years. A couple of years ago I was on show called Joan of Arcadia (scattered applause from the audience) -- ah, I see some of you guys saw that. I really liked that show & the character of Mr. Price. I know some fans didn't care for that character, but I liked that role. And now I'm on a popular show called Veronica Mars (burst of applause from the audience & some cheering) -- oh yeah, I can see there are some fans of that here. And, as some of you know, I play a professor on there, Professor Landry -- in fact, we're just about to finish filming the season finale for that. I'd like to apologize for disappointing my fans who came to see me on Friday, but it was a last minute change due to filming & in fact, I get to fly down to San Diego just as soon as I get offstage here to finish filming the season finale -- where we'll reveal the murderer is. . . (dramatic pause. The audience giggles) um, I forgot! (laughs) No really, if I told you guys who the murderer is, there'll be a call from some producer tomorrow, completely furious & I'll be out looking for work again. (laughs)
  
  
• Patrick: I was also on a popular show known as Saved by the Bell: The College Years. (nods at the applause for that) Yeah, it surprises me that people still recognize me from that show. And it's not what you'd think. It's not the people from that generation who recognize me, but it's like a whole new generation of kids going to school & they're watching the show now & they're like, "Hey, you are Professor Laskey." (laughs) But hey, Kelly is hot. I get it. (laughs) And it was a fun show to be on, back when my hair wasn't gray & down to my shoulders. (laughs)
  
  
• Q: Do commercials increase your exposure as an actor?
  A: Definitely yes! I've been in a number of commercials. Last year I was trying to get everyone to buy Hyundai's. This year I'm trying to get you to invest in an ING savings account. (laughs) Actually, that's not a bad thing though. You should save your money . . . (begins to quote the commercial) "ING Direct -- call 1-800-ING-DIRECT, save your money!"
  
  
• Q: Is there a certain role/genre you don't want to get locked into or be known for (IE: a certain commericial or tv acting versus movie/big screen acting)?
  A: There used to be a stigma about commercial actors & tv actors, that they couldn't cross to the big screen & visa versa. But we've certainly seen that blown out of the water (IE: many big names in Hollywood do commercials now & tv actors doing movies, stuff like that). I feel that work is work. It's like Chevron is dropping money on the ground & saying, "Hey, do you want this?" If you don't pick it up, the next guy in line will.
  
  
• Q: Can you dance?
  A: Well, I would've been on 'Dancing with the Stars', but there are two assumptions made about that. One, you have to dance. Two, you have to be a star. (laughs) I'd be voted off by the second episode because all the people voting would be like, "Who the hell is that?"
  
  
• Q: Do you have any shows you really like?
  A: Actually, I don't watch much tv 'cause the thing about being *in* the 'Biz' is that you don't get to *watch* the 'Biz' much. My mom is always calling me & saying, "Hey you were on this show & you didn't tell me." & I'm like, "I'm sorry Mom, I just forgot when it was airing 'cause I don't watch TV much." Ti-Vo does help, but when you have 47 episodes of 'Law & Order: SVU' waiting at home to be watched, it's overwhelming. That'd be like -- next Tuesday before I left the house! (laughs)
  
  
• Q: Is there any show you can tell your agent about & say, "Hey get me on that!" & can they do it?
  A: Oh yes definitely. But you can't always get the part you want. I *want* to be on '24', but I really want to be Kiefer Sutherland! But no -- that's not happening! (laughs) And I've been trying for 10 years to get a part on 'Diagnosis Murder'. And I've never been able to land a part on that show. I was like, "You've got to be kidding me? I've been working in Hollywood for years, I've even been to *New Zealand* for crying out loud & got cast on Xena, but I can't land a part on Diagnosis Murder? Jeez." (laughs) It's even gotten so I can't watch Dick Van Dyke on tv anymore. I resent him now, that's how far it's gone. (laughs again)
  
  
• Q: Did you get to keep the dice from 'King Con'?
  A: No. And it's a shame because those dice were great, it'd be nice if they let us take props home -- like souvenirs of your work, ya know? But if they'd let me take anything from the show, what I really would've taken were the leather pants. They were amazing. The costume designer measured me for them specifically and fitted them to me. She started at my knee & measured up like every two inches, so when they were finished, they were so tight they couldn't buckle! (laughs) Hey, has anyone seen them floating around on Ebay? If you see them, give me a call & I'll buy them! Course, that was like 10 years ago, so they probably wouldn't still fit. (laughs again, then shrugs) Eh, maybe they would.
  
  
• Q: Do you tailor your response to different fans of a certain genre? (IE: Xena fans versus Veronica Mars fans?)
  A: No, I don't think so. Not really. I think I respond to most of my fans about the same.
  
  
• Q: Do you want to do darker roles? You have such a nice face.
  A: (grins) Thank you for the compliment -- nice face, wow. Um, I've been cast in more darker roles as I've gotten older. I also think my voice might have something to do with it.
  
  
• Q: There is a very famous outtake from 'King Con' where a practical joke was played on Lucy (Lawless). Did you have anything to do with that?
  A: No actually, I didn't. But it was great fun to watch! (laughs) I remember the day it happened; she (Lucy) was really surprised.
  
  
• Q: What about Ted Raimi?
  A: I met Ted the first day I was on set. It was the day I auditioned for the part of Rafe actually, they had Ted there to read with us.
  
  
• Q: Didn't you have a fight scene on 'King Con?' What was that like?
  A: Yes, I had a fight scene & it was cool. It was like dancing in a way, because every move was so intricately choreographed. They told you exactly where to move & step. It was really fun to do.
  
  
• Q: What about your goatee? That's different look for you.
  A: (laughs) Hey, I'm just happy to *have* a goatee now. I thought I had one back when I was playing Rafe, but when I looked back at those old tapes, I was like a teenager -- just sporting a hair here & there. (laughs)
  

Conclusion: It is difficult to know what to say here. Even with the many misadventures as I had over that week, it was all worth it in the end. I wouldn't have traded seeing Patrick live for anything -- & getting to meet him personally was an experience that defies description. I cannot remember a lot of it -- & truthfully I think it's a defensive measure on behalf of my mind, which refuses to let me dwell over the details of my embarrassing behavior lest it psychologically scar me for life. But some things I remember crystal clear & am thrilled to say will stick with me for a long time to come!

Otherwise, my final thought would have to be this: Patrick is an amazing man & though it's just my opinion & I've stated this before: he is sadly undervalued as a performer. If you get a chance to see him in perform in person; GO! I guarantee it'd be worth it. He has tremendous loads of charisma & talent which cannot be expressed in words -- only felt as you watch him light up the stage with his energetic presence. Besides that, he has a wonderful sense of humor & comic timing -- which anyone who acts can tell you is tricky to pull off, but his charm is so natural, he makes it seem effortless. & -- I suppose what ultimately impressed me most was, he's such a FUN guy! *grins* Everything he said was so classic. Just wonderfully fun! I had a great time & only wish you guys could have been there with me. I KNOW you'd have had a fabulous time too!! *grins* But it's ok. I know *every one* of you was with me in spirit & that's what matters!
 
To those established fans of Patrick's who've been so loyal, I'd like to say thank you & I'm convinced he appreciates it! To those *new* fans who've just stumbled over this talented man, I'd like to say welcome to the club & I think the best is yet to come! And to Mr. Patrick Fabian, I'd like to say thank you for an amazing experience, I had a fabulous time & please, PLEASE keep up the excellent work! *grins*

:: A memory I'll always treasure --  A moment I'll never forget! ::

All of my love to everyone,

Christy
The Webmistress

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You see the darkness
I see a spark
You know your failures
But I see your heart

The dreams I dream for you
Are deeper than the ones you're clinging to
More precious than the finest things you knew

Let the old dreams die like starts that fade from view
& take the cup I offer
To drink deeply of the dreams I dream for you

/ Avalon - The Dreams I Dream for You

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Did you miss the beginning of this con report? Catch it here in Part 1 :: Five Days in Hell.

Posted 01.29.07
All material & images posted here are © Christy Burk :: January 2007
All celebrity images used in this con report were graciously donated & are © Lida Verner :: January 2007
All song lyrics used are appropriately credited to their respective artists.
This document may not be altered, redistributed or reposted without prior written consent. All rights reserved.