A Golden Sherlocked Convention!

June 14, 2017 Screamers Leave a comment

Sharing another exciting adventure from Sherlocked USA! This time from my friend Lea‘s perspective! She also dressed up as a Brilliant Mrs. Hudson!

I’ve never been to a convention like this before and since it may turn out to be the only (Sherlock) one held in the US, although I think it’s the third year for the UK, I’m so glad I did.

I left on Thurs. morning out of Columbus, Oh and changed planes in Chicago. Then on to LAX and arrived at around 1 pm. Good flight, slight delay in Chicago due to excessive air traffic at LAX. Checked into LAX Marriott and was very pleased with almost everything there.

I had a day to spend looking around and resting up before registration for the Event started. I met some other attendees and checked out the venue. Glad I stayed in and got ready for the jam-packed weekend schedule because once registered there “wasn’t a moment to spare”.

The Event was truly so well organized and planned that it made it easy to get to, see, and enjoy almost all of the activities without getting confused and/or lost. I didn’t get all of the autographs or all of the photo shoots I wanted but I had to prioritize and I’m happy with the results. I decided ahead of time not to wear myself out trying to do so much that I couldn’t enjoy myself. And the staff was so helpful and kind that I was able to do that! All of them ready with knowledgeable answers to questions and all of them more than willing to jump in and respond to any and all requests for help. The hotel staff was also determined to be friendly and helpful.

Photo’s from around hotel..

But the people are what I want to talk most about!

The attendees were so nice and outgoing which is very important when you’re standing in lines with so many people. I was surprised and pleased to see that all ages were represented. (I was NOT the oldest person there! lol) Right from the start I enjoyed meeting and making new friends and interacting with them throughout the weekend. Especially good for me because I went there by myself and didn’t really know anybody. There was one person I had talked to online previously and it was a real joy to finally meet her face to face. And I hope that some of these folks will remain friends for some time to come and I really think that will happen. When you have something that you love in common with people it helps, but doesn’t necessarily mean that those people will be as wonderful as the ones I met and interacted with.

And the guests! They were all so lovely to me. This is one of the things that impressed me the most. These people are tv and movie stars with a huge international fan following not only for their work on Sherlock but some for decades on other stage, screen and small screen roles. When you watch a show for 5 years (I know, I came late to this fandom) you tend to associate the stars with the characters they play and might even get to feeling that you know them. That is a mistake I see fans making in other situations and thinking they owe you something and that you deserve to be treated a certain way. And so, I tried to approach people with respect. That said, I determined to make the most of the small amount of time I had to make a “connection” with any of them that seemed to welcome it. I personally don’t collect autographs or pictures or mementos as such. I do collect “moments” where I have eye contact and personal conversation with anyone I admire. And I certainly was not disappointed! Timothy, Wanda, Andrew, Una, Arwel, Aby, Sue, and Tony each impressed me with their charm and sincerity. I know we were asked not to spend more than a few seconds with each when getting pictures and autographs but I just couldn’t help myself. Understand, I didn’t monopolize anyone’s time but when they showed an interest in talking to me I felt so blessed and was not about to cut them off! In August 2015 I went to London to see Hamlet (and yes, I had my moment of eye contact and conversation with Benedict) and took advantage of my time to photograph any Sherlock filming locations I could find. I made a Printerpix book of the photos and took that to use for autographs. Una and Andrew wanted to see and discuss EVERY page. Andrew even remarked that he would probably get into trouble for it but he wanted to see the book anyway. I told him not to worry, he was the star! Wanda looked at several pages but our conversation was on something else so she didn’t spend as much time on the book. I took a small gift for each of the ladies and had the opportunity to give it to them. They all expressed surprise – shock, really – that I would give them a gift. But as I explained to Wanda it was nothing compared to the gift they had given me!

And I confess I participated in the cosplay. I have always loved putting together costumes and have always regretted not getting into it when I lived in LA and actually knew someone who worked on costumes for movies. My experience was mostly related to small theatrical productions and Halloween. So naturally when I heard of it I was a little interested and also felt a little silly for being interested. But I was in the mood to do things I’ve never done before so I decided to give it a go. I love Una Stubbs and thought she was someone I could represent, so with the help of some of my friends I managed to buy and borrow whatever I could to produce the image I was looking for. Let me say, it’s not easy coming up with a costume to portray a real person. Much easier to do batman or something like that I think. But I gave it my best effort. I have to say, I almost chickened out at the last moment. I was afraid nobody would know who I was supposed to be! But I knew that all the folks that helped me would kill me if I didn’t go through with it and one of my new friends twisted my arm so there I was dressed in my interpretation of Mrs. Hudson, complete with gun and handcuffs. Whew! I was so relieved when two ladies recognized me immediately and then lots of folks kept coming up and asking for pictures and pictures WITH me. What a trip! I have to admit, it really was fun. So glad I did it. (but I’m still not quite satisfied with my wig – lol) I was also talked into (against my wishes) participating in the contest. I had no idea what was involved and so walked into it blindly. I really thought they just lined people up and looked at their costume and the judges chose whose costume they liked. So when somebody mentioned our “performance” I freaked out! PERFORMANCE! Are you kidding me? wth? But I lived through it. And while I wasn’t chosen for any prize (which I would not have deserved after seeing the brilliant costumes that some folks put so much effort and time into) I think I did win the best prize of all. Tony Lee (judge, MC and interviewer for the weekend) asked if he could take my picture to show Una. Oh no! Of course I had to agree but I was so afraid she was going to hate it! I also gave him one of my ribbons to give her (“not your housekeeper”). When the Event was over I ran into him in the bar and was able to find out what she thought. He said she loved it and that nobody had ever done her before. He also brought me a small gift from her which I cherish. See? Isn’t that better?

The best thing offered there were the Cocktail (wine really) Receptions. I purchased tickets for both of them. The room was small and there were tables set up with 6 or so chairs at each as well as one empty chair for the guests. Wine or beer (or soft drinks I imagine) were served and each table had snacks on it. One at a time the guests sat down at the table and spent 10 minutes or so just interacting with us. Simple conversation, questions answered and a time for just normal conversation. How cool was that! Timothy was such a handsome, debonair British gentleman who had no problem talking about his grandchildren and Benedict. Una was of course delightful. Andrew was adorable and sooooo friendly. That’s when I told him about my book and he said he really wanted to see it. It was such a great idea to do this and I am so glad I decided to participate. There were other private Meet and Greets but I had to watch my money.

I also wasn’t able to participate in the auction of set used props etc., but nothing was cheap and the bidding was vigorous!

Seeing the museum of props and costumes and even the 221B door was amazing!

And getting to have my picture taken in the real set screen used 221B flat was wonderful! Hard to believe they actually brought it there! Wow!

These are just a few of the memories I will cherish and never forget. Please, I hope they come back to the US and if I ever have a chance I will definitely go again!