Salt Lake Comic Con 2014

I (Jamie) feel like I'm still recovering from one of the most incredible weekends of my life.  Where do I even begin?  

Imagine somebody called you up for your dream job and somehow all aspects of your life worked out so you could do it.   That is exactly what happened to me.  

I was asked by the Producer/Owner of Salt Lake Comic Con, Dan Farr, to help be his assistant during Comic Con the other weekend.  

What?  That was my reaction to the message I received from his office a few days before CC. 

If Batman asked you to be his sidekick, you don't say no!  I had no idea what I was about to walk into, but I knew it would be awesome.   The other crazy part is that I only have about 3 pictures from the entire weekend (yes, unusual for this photographer) but it really made me take in all the memories first hand.  
Ron Perlman (below) was so awesome to take a minute with me and snap a quick selfie. 

Sheena was great and took all the pictures (below) at the panels.  If you haven't experienced Salt Lake Comic Con, you should.  I'm not sure where else you can meet 40+ celebs first hand, but SLCC brings all the best right to you.

When going to Con, you have a couple different ways you can get a celeb experience.  

Panels- most of the panels are no cost other than your ticket price.  You will want to get in line early, even if you have a VIP pass.  Almost every celeb that comes to CC will sit down with a moderator and answer questions, talk about previous or upcoming work, and often share behind the scenes stories.   

Eliza Dushku (pictured below) talks about growing up in Utah. 

Alan Tudyk (below) answers audience questions and hands out signed memorabilia. 

Patrick Warburton (below) does impressions of all his most famous characters including Cronk, The Tick, Putty, and Family Guy's Joe. 

Simon Helburg (below) talks about his work on 

The Big Bang Theory.

Stephen Amell (below) answers questions about being the leading man on "Arrow."

John Barrowman (below) talks politics, Arrow, and all things funny with the panel.

The legendary cast of "I dream of Jeannie" paid a visit to Salt Lake.  Barbara Eden and Bill Daily.

At the age of 91, Stan Lee still draws the biggest crowd and declares Salt Lake "The Best Comic Con in the World!"

Meet and Greets are another fantastic way to get close to your favorite star.  Salt Lake CC lines all the celebs up on "Celeb Row."  

Celeb Row Tips

• Know the schedule for the person you want to meet (varies per person and some celebs are only there for 1 of the 3 days
• Get in line early: if you want to get time with him or her you might have to wait up to 2 hours before the signing begins.  Lines form quick
• Prices may vary- each celeb has their own price for autographs and photos.  Some will not let you take a photo.  I've seen pricing as much as $80+ for a selfie and autograph.  
• BRING CASH!!  Very few offer the credit card option. 

The dashing Manu Bennett (pictured below) was dashing and sweet with each fan he met. 

Lou Ferrigno gives his fierce "Hulk" look!

Celeb Photo Op is the other great option for a meet and greet.  Again, there is a fee and the photo literally takes 5 seconds.  Totally worth it if you want the perfect pic!  My sis-in-law, Missy snuggled up to Steven Amell!

The other amazing part of Comic Con is the Cosplay or Costume Play.  Many Cosplayers spend weeks, months, or years putting their perfect costumes together.  

Check out some of the stellar looks and other CC highlights below.  Maybe one day Sheena and I will actually dress up!

 

Well folks, we hope you enjoyed the photos and tips!  Until next year!

Jamie & Sheena

It's almost that time of year-AGAIN!

Ready for Summer to end?  Me neither.  We are officially half way into summer and in just 6 short weeks Salt Lake will be welcoming Comic Con again!  We are sooooo excited.  Celebs, nerds, panels, costumes, kettle corn, and of course us braving the crowds for your enjoyment.  Check out our previous post on Surviving Comic Con for tips and prepping for the biggest event Utah has to offer.  Don't forget that everyone should check out SLCC- it's fun for all ages and you don't have to be a self-proclaimed nerd to go!  It's also super kid friendly. 

We braved the crowds in April and are so excited for September

Here are a few announcements straight from SLCC!  I tried to stick with the super hotties

 Sheena and I can hardly wait for Simon to come!  We are giant Big Bang Theory Fans and he's hi-larious.

Netflix is now streaming this gem- ARROW and did I mention there is a new hottie in Jamestown (my world)?  Watch out Mr. Dixon, Oliver Queen is quickly moving up on my radar.  

Ladies- even if you aren't into superhero shows, watch it.  Stephen is shirtless I dare say 50% or more of the time.  Plus, he's fighting crime.  All there is to say about that. 

Marvel is coming and it's such a big deal for SLCC!  I can't wait to see the energy they bring and maybe more announcements??  I hope so- I would love to meet any of my fave superheros!

I know ND was filmed in Idaho, but I still feel like Jon is a local celeb.  He seems like the nicest so I hope we get a chance for a meet and greet!

Lastly,  Manu is also an Arrow guy as well.  See???  You have to check out the show, you won't be disappointed!

So long story short, plenty of eye candy and goodness to make the next Salt Lake Comic Con worth it.  

XoXo,

Jamie

The nerdist, Dan Farr, & flower pots.

I had the best/craziest week last week:  4 photo shoots, including a beautiful wedding, Wiseguys with a couple of our besties, & Tim's 30th Surpise party.  So glad it's over.  You know by now that I loooooovvvvveeee the Walking Dead.  Well did you know that Chris Hardwick of Talking Dead, also of Singled Out (yes, throwing it back), does stand-up?  He does and it's hilarious.  He also has a podcast under NERDIST.  Check it out.  I think my favorite part about him is that he took the time to meet us, AGAIN.  He is THE nicest guy you've ever met & so is his darling girlfriend Chloe.   

Chris Hardwick of Nerdist & Talking Dead

The other best part of the evening was sitting next to Dan Farr.  He is the producer of Salt Lake Comic Con & I nerded out more than a little.  Like if Justin Timberlake talked to you - He is a geeky version of that for me.  I don't like to post bad pictures of myself, but I had to share the crazy/excited expression on my face (see below).  His wife was adorable too & told me how she is also a Walking Dead fan.  She went on to say that she has met THE Norman Reedus..... Uh, what?!?  Naturally I blurted out "What does he smell like?"  Reasonable question or not, I asked it.  She answered back "UH-mazing."  Night made.   

One day Norman.  One day.

Dan Farr of Salt Lake Comic Con

Oh how I wish I would have posted this next part around a month ago.  As per the usual, life happened.  I'm posting this for those of you who are like me, late to the game on planting &/or maybe for next spring! 

Have you seen those killer giant flower pots at Costco for $17.99?  I love them.  Well, mostly in love.  The thing is that whenever you have a giant pot, what the crap do you fill it with?  I was-in-no-way willing to buy 2-3 bags of soil per pot.  I also didn't want to use rocks to take up room in the bottom and make it soooo heavy.  So after quite a bit of perusing around the garden forums, I settled on plastic bottles.   I have 4 pots to fill & I got a little creative with the bottles.  Have a party before this project and only serve drinks in 2 liters.  It helps.  

I filled each pot 2/3 up with bottles of all sizes.  I tried to create as close to a flat layer with the bottles before adding the potting soil.

 

It took about 3/4 of a large bag of potting soil after I placed the bottles.   My husband, Tim would add the soil and I would shake the pot to move the soil down around the bottles. 

 

The beautiful Dareth Anderson (flower pot specialist) recommends doing 3 types of plants per pot.  Thrillers, fillers, and spillers. 

Thrillers: Anything like spikes or taller flowers that tend to be the center of the pot.

Fillers: Petunias or any little flower that will fill in the soil space.

Spillers:  Dareth introduced me to sweet potatoes.  If you are lucky enough to find them, they will be your favorite part of your pot.  They "spill" right over the edge and look so pretty all summer long.   Talk to your local nursery and they can help you find the right look for your pot.

Sweet potato on the left & Spikes on the right.

This is my pot after 1 week.  I typically use miracle grow one time per week to help my plants along.  That's all she wrote for today.  Happy Hump Day Lovelies.

XoXo,
Jamie