I got a head start this time. One warm night I was
wandering through The Tank, whining about not being
able to attend the Anaheim Comic Con, when dear Ms.
Helen Chavez [Webmaster
Helen - Ed.] brought to my attention the
fact that a certain Mr. Jones would be hanging around
at a Sci-Fi and Fantasy expo (EFX) almost in the same
city I inhabit. I, of course, flipped out. I thanked
her and immediately went looking for more data on
such an event.
To be honest, if
Helen hadn’t told me about this expo, I would
have never known about it. It was - I’m afraid
to say - poorly advertised. I went to its website
and found out that they would welcome two special
guests: Doug Jones (famous for… well, you already
know that) and Lorne Peterson (Head of the Model Department
at Industrial Light and Magic – Star Wars
legend). With such people heading the EFX, I (being
the geek I am) had to be there.
I checked for dates
and schedules and realized it fell exactly on one
of those horribly busy weekends that come along every
time you need a break. It happened the same way last
August when I met Doug Jones for the first time; back
then, Doug’s appearance clashed with my brother-in-law’s
graduation from college, this time, it collided with
the birthday celebrations of two very different and
very close friends of mine. And also, the expo was
held on the outskirts of my city, which meant I would
have to take a two-hour bus ride to get there. But
it didn’t matter: it was Mr. Doug Jones, and
I had to be there.
According to the
site of the expo, Doug would be signing autographs
and giving a couple of conferences on Saturday May
1st and Sunday May 2nd. The Doug Jones Experience
said differently: Friday April 30th and Saturday May
1st. I informed of the scheduling glitch, and got
a clarification note by Helen, which stated it would
be Saturday and Sunday. Which worked almost perfectly
for me.
Now, it must be stated
that I am studying and training to become a journalist,
so I decided I would take the opportunity and write
some stuff for my school’s magazine. One of
the perks of being a journalist is that sometimes
you may get free access to events … so I went
along with it and got a press pass to the EFX. I was
so excited (in a completely professional way)!
Finally, the day
came. Just before I walked out of my home I was flabbergasted
at finding a tweet directed to me from Dougie’s
Twitter account. It said something along the lines
of “Ready to go to EFX, where I’ll be
meeting lovely people from Mexico City, and that includes
YOU, my precious little angel @ethneliane!!”
(That’s not 140 characters, but that’s
why I warned “along the lines of”).
I left my house around
11:30am so I could have a smooth ride and get there
early to wander, take photos and may be interview
a couple of people. Doug’s conference was scheduled
at 4pm; I had plenty of time until then! Or so I thought…
turns out my two-hour bus ride turned into an almost-three-and-a-bit-hours-long
bus ride and commute. I arrived at 2:30pm. Naucalpan
is incredibly far from my house, I have recently discovered.
Anyway, I met really
nice people while waiting for Dougie to get there.
The lady at the gates (whose name I sadly didn’t
ask for) was attentive and amicable, and she told
me how stunning it was for her to realize how much
some people loved “this stuff” (she really
meant “Sci-Fi and Fantasy, specially the Star
Wars franchise, which appears to be one of the focuses
of this particular event”). There was also a
guy that was part of the staff (not too tall, chubby,
thick-rimmed glasses) and who kept an eye on me during
the day to check if I was having a good time and if
I needed anything, being press and all. And of course,
I met one of the highlights of my day: Mr. Lorne Peterson.
I am aware that this
report is about how I met Doug Jones for the second
time in my life, but it has to be stated what a brilliant,
humble and nice person is Lorne Peterson. I approached
him at his table and asked for … an autograph
(which, as a journalist, I should be scolded not to
do ever again!!). It took me a dozen seconds to regain
my wits and go back to ask for what I should have
asked before: an interview. He delightfully agreed,
and I spent nearly 45 minutes in conversation with
an amazing, legendary man who has not only worked
on all six Star Wars feature films, but who
helped found one of the pioneering visual effects
companies in the history of Hollywood.
After I left Mr.
Peterson to his adoring fans, I walked around the
hall, looking at booths and taking some pictures.
The Press Manager for the EFX, Aldo Rubio, caught
up with me and asked which media I represented, if
I was having a good time, if I had everything I needed,
etcetera. He also asked if I was aware that Doug Jones
would be attending, to which I was close to answer
“Doug Jones IS the reason I’m here, so
yeah, I’m aware of his presence”, but
I discarded my lame fangirl answer and said something
like “Yeah, I know. I’m kind of waiting
for him to arrive”. We then talked a bit about
Doug and how he is such a sweet person and talented
actor, and Aldo reassured me that he would be arriving
“any moment now”.
I began to worry,
because it was already 3:30pm, Doug’s conference
was scheduled by 4pm, and there was no Doug in sight.
I kept walking until there was no booth in the expo
I hadn’t visited at least twice. Finally, as
I approached the main entrance to the hall, a triad
was coming in: a short, smiling man by the name of
Gabriel, a fully-dressed-in-black Derek Maki, and
a sleek, tall, shiny Doug Jones. I couldn’t
hold back a large smile. They were walking my way,
getting closer… Doug gave me a glance …
kept walking … passed me by … which was,
frankly, a bit depressing. I must admit: having been
mentioned in Doug’s tweets hours before, I kind
of expected a miraculous “Oh sweetie, there
you are!” But I tend to dream big.
Depression didn’t
last long, because I followed them to the autograph
zone and sat nearby as Derek opened a suitcase and
began taking out the materials Doug would be signing
for the next few hours. Distracted as I was, I kind
of didn’t notice that there was one very tall,
very glowing gentleman walking towards me. I panicked
for a second, but every millimeter of sheer shock
and terror went away as he said the magic words “Marcela
Ethne, I’m so happy you’re here! I didn’t
recognize you before, because your hair is longer
and it’s not blue anymore!” I could have
died there.
It wasn’t only
that my favorite Mr. Jones was standing in front of
me, nor that he would take time to come and say hi
… but the fact that he actually knew my name
and mentioned specific personal traits, that blew
me away. Have I been happier? Probably, a couple other
times in my life, yeah, surely. But this was Doug
Jones, giving me one huge Bosie, and thanking me (How
dared he! I thanked him a thousand times!) for coming
to share the love.
He had some spare
time until Derek arranged the table and all, so Doug
decided we should sit down and talk. I took out my
notebook and passed along messages from the girls
at The Tank, and received the answers I should give
back to them. We then had a warm, cozy conversation
about recent happenings and about life and work…
I felt like I was speaking to a beloved uncle, and
Doug in return acted as a delicious aunt, the kind
that pinch your cheeks and talk baby talk to their
favorite nieces and nephews even when they are in
their twenties, except that Dougie was adorable, rather
than creepy.
As Fan Sapiens know,
Doug’s birthday is May 24th, so, being the first
day of that month, and given the chance to be there
with him, I got him an early birthday present. A couple
of days before, I found out that Derek’s birthday
was on April 30th, so I got him a birthday present
too. I wanted to give them their presents together,
but since Derek was busy, I decided it would be better
to give Doug his, because in a few minutes he would
have to leave me in order to give said conference.
Doug’s was a blue quartz pendant with a gray
metal chain to hang around his neck. I was very happy
to see he liked it! He even put it on immediately,
and in return gave me a great Bosie that would lighten
up my life for days and days to come.
A few minutes later,
Derek finished his task and came to join us. I had
never talked to him, but rumors said he is a sweet,
lovely person. Now, rumors are a nasty thing to spread,
except when they are a fact. And the proven fact is
that Derek Maki is a-d-o-r-a-b-l-e. We had never met,
but he treated me super nicely, talked to me if he
had the slightest impression I felt lonely (‘cause
there were times when I just sat down to watch them
work), and he even got me a bottle of glorious cold
water when he sent for drinks for the gang (Naucalpan
is really hot this time of the year). He also happened
to like his present a lot! (I’m starting to
believe I might be a good present-chooser).
Anyhow, time went
by and no conference was held (organization issues
prevented it from happening, and I’m not even
quite sure Doug had been told he might be giving a
conference of any sort). However, the hovering around
of some fans drove Derek to the brilliant idea of
holding something called a “pow-wow” (casual
gathering similar to a conference but shorter in size,
whose name I had never heard). It went great! People
asked stuff to Dougie about his career, his goals,
and his interests beyond cinema. We all learned that
Dougie is a good singer, though I am still waiting
for a chance to listen to that delightful voice again
(do you remember the “Over the Rainbow”
rendition from last Christmas?), may be singing “Beyond
the Sea”? (hint, hint, nudge, nudge).
It was getting late
and I still had to get home and get ready for a birthday
party, so I decided I would leave around 6pm. I told
Derek and Dougie that I would be leaving soon, and
I felt incredibly special as both of them asked me
why wouldn’t I stay longer. I wandered around
taking pictures as Doug signed stuff for his fans.
There were some interesting people lined up to meet
him, including a man and his wife, who was crammed
inside an amazing Pan’s costume! The man himself
is a sculptor, and he gave Doug and Derek (and Gabriel,
I think) some beautifully carved creepy creature-like
dolls. They were awesome! I want one! If anybody knows
the info on that guy and his shop, please let me know.
While I was hanging
around, Derek came to me, and very sweetly asked if
Doug had offered me anything special as a thank you
for their birthday presents. I said it was all right,
that I did it with absolutely no ulterior motivation.
But as I mentioned earlier, Derek Maki is adorable,
so he said that the least they could do was that Dougie
signed something for me. “But I already have
photos signed from last time, and my HB2 notebook
too, I truly don’t need anything signed, I’m
just happy to be here”, I said, trying to conceal
my sudden shyness at being treated with such care.
And Derek had a bright idea: “Why don’t
you get a picture signed as a birthday present for
your friend!” Coincidentally, the friend whose
party I was going to attend is a fan of Pan’s
Labyrinth; therefore, I accepted the offer. (Just
for the record, she loved her birthday present).
Sadly, as everything
that is good in life, this too had to come to an end.
It was nearing 6pm and a long ride home awaited me.
I did NOT want to say goodbye, but I really didn’t
have any other option. I asked some random guy if
he would take a picture of dear dear Doug Jones and
me, and after what felt like a hundred Bosies and
much much love, I had to bid Dougie farewell. I went
to Derek and said 'bye too, and he said he had enjoyed
my presence, and that he’d be sorry I couldn’t
attend on Sunday too. Both incredibly lovely men wished
me a safe trip home.
I walked out of the
hall and all the way to the street and got on the
bus and rode all the way home (which took me almost
half the time it had taken in the morning) and took
a shower and got dressed and left for the party wearing
an epic smile on my face. I had had an amazing day,
I had been able to interview a legend, and I had spent
quite a time hanging with Doug and Derek and Gabriel.
Yes, the way up there and back was tiresome and hot;
yes, the expo didn’t turn out quite as planned.
But I had been treated like a princess by one of the
most beautiful and peaceful angels to ever roam Earth.
I had been patted and petted and hugged and pinched
and pampered by one of my favorite persons. I had
met wonderful Derek. And I was called a “preciosa
cachorrita” (Spanish for “precious puppy”).
Could I ask for more?
Dougie
and his 'preciosa cachorrita' Marcela.
