Creation's 2007 Grand Slam Event - The Sci-fi Summit
(click here to find photos from this event)By Jim Quon
April 15, 2007
Burbank - The Grand Slam event is an annual gathering of Sci-Fi celebrities and fans and this year's event was a real crowd pleaser and very well run as well. Unlike other conventions, Creation does not overbook their events and they offer special perks where you can meet the actors up close with events such as the dessert party and Battlestar breakfast.
The Battlestar breakfast gave fans of Battlestar Galactica a chance to meet the some of the stars of the show, and in attendance were Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber, Michael Trucco, and Kate Vernon. The fans would be seated in large circular tables and the actors were escorted one by one to each table where they would spend a few minutes speaking with the fans.
Katee and Kate looked gorgeous, and I'm sure all the ladies were impressed with Michael and Jamie as well. Jamie's fans, known as the bamber bunnies from the sci-fi.com forums, made a t-shirt which was sent around the world to all of his fans and signed by them. The bunnies that were present presented the shirt to Jamie who really seemed to appreciate their efforts.
Kate who plays a character people love to hate, was so pleasant in real life, and it makes me hope that they bring her character back in season 4 somehow, even if it's only in flashbacks. Michael was the most down to earth of the actors, and someone I could imagine hanging out and having a beer with.
The panel discussion was great and all the actors seemed to really feed of each other. Jamie and Katee really have their act down and you could see how they really add a lot of energy to the show, and can hold their own even when they have scenes with acting legends such as Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell. Katee talked about Ron Moore killing off her character and how she had to pretend that she was actually off the show to not let the big secret out that she would be returning.
After the panel I decided to take a picture with Katee Sackhoff. There were a lot of people wanted to get pictures with the actors and Creation made things work like clockwork, and the lines were really moving fast. This gave us more time to enjoy the rest of the convention which was nice.
All of the actors I met were amazing, but a lot of the fun of going to events like this Grand Slam convention is all the other fans you meet and the little surprises that happen that aren't in the main listed events. One of the surprises was the arrival of Mark Sheppard who plays the part of Romo Lampkin in the last three episodes of season three.