Starfest 2000 – The Xena/Nikita Report
by B. Phillips

Getting Started

     My, how times change! Our first Starfest/Starcon in 1995 was our first date. That year we got up Saturday morning, got dressed, got in the car, and drove up to the convention. This year we got home from work Friday, loaded up the minivan with suitcases, food, drinks, the baby and the baby stuff to drop off at her aunt’s, three bags of costumes, our friend from California who came for the convention, our local friend who came, in part, for the friend from California, and by the time we got to Denver and checked in, we had missed most of the Friday evening events. We heard good things about the evening’s activities, and hopefully next year, we’ll actually get there in time to enjoy them.

     I spent most of the weekend in costume as I have the last couple of conventions – La Femme Nikita on Saturday and Xena on Sunday. After doing a Carmen San Diego costume last time, KathE suggested that I try to do La Femme Nikita, since she loves the show. Saturday morning I got up early to do makeup and get into the outfit. Nikita is not the most popular show, and I got a lot of questions as to who I was supposed to be. I suppose I should just be glad that people could tell it was a costume and didn’t assume that I usually wear a black vinyl miniskirt, 3-inch-heel ankle boots, a black sleeveless top and sunglasses. (Actually three people did recognize the costume, but since two of them were members of KathE’s family, I don’t think that’s a sign of a large audience.)

     As always we enjoyed all the movies and previews. We started Saturday with Forbidden Planet, hosted by Kevin, the resident expert. I had forgotten how much fun the movie is, and we agreed with Anne Francis that maybe Star Trek wasn’t quite as original as we thought.  Jeff and Dave’s preview show was very exciting and we’re certainly looking forward to several upcoming films including Rocky and Bullwinkle and Dinosaur.  The Titan A.E. presentation was equally tantalizing.

The Guests

     Saturday and Sunday I spent more time than usual interacting with the special guests, either in the main events room or in the autograph area. Everyone in our group agreed that the guests were universally nice this year. In times past, there have been one or two that seemed to have a bad attitude towards the fans, but this year everyone was polite and appreciative.

John Travolta – I was one of the lucky ones to get his autograph. I was impressed how smoothly the line ran. He was pleasant and efficient. In his presentation he seemed a little overwhelmed at the response, but he answered all questions attentively, even when a child asked for the fifth time, “What’s your favorite movie?” His answer: “Depends on the genre.” Several times people hollered “I love you!” from the audience and he always responded, “I love you, too.” Finally someone yelled, “I hate your guts!” and he smiled, looked in the direction of the speaker and said, “Now, that’s comedy! And I don’t believe you.”

Kate Mulgrew and John de Lancie – As expected, their play was well performed and well received. Their presentations were equally candid and informative. John’s autograph line was as full and efficiently run as Travolta’s, and we didn’t stay to get Kate’s autograph, since we had too much to do after the con was over.

Robert Wortham Krimmer – Being a lesser name from Babylon 5, he was not overwhelmed by fans, and I had the chance to chat with him at some length. He is a graduate of Colorado College in Colorado Springs, so we talked about his memories of the area and the acting profession. Since some signs listed him as Wortham and others as Robert, and since he has used both names in his career, I asked him which he preferred. He said, “Bob, of course. If you had the choice, which would you choose?” His presentation was very enjoyable, and no one who heard it will ever forget his story about the shower scene. (Moral of the story: In a live performance, never wear just a towel.)

Lisa Howard – Enough people were in her autograph line to allow only a brief conversation, but she seemed very pleased to meet her fans. In her presentation as she talked about herself, it was very clear that she loves her work, and loves her family even more.

Anne Francis – She’s been a personal favorite of mine from all her guest appearances on all the detective shows from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. She was interesting and polite both in the autograph line and on stage.

Tyler Mane – Perhaps my biggest surprise of the convention was walking past him in the hallway before his presentation. In my Nikita costume, with heels, and big hair, I top out around 6’7”. When Tyler approached, I realized I was looking up. He’s 6’10”, 275 pounds and has a fun personality. He was perhaps the most entertaining speaker among the guests. He was enthusiastic and funny, with a great stage presence. He talked about not being an X-Men fan before the movie. Once he was cast, he walked into a comic book store and asked if they had any X-Men comics. Needless to say he was overwhelmed. His favorite thing about acting? The food.  He was also available for a little bit of conversation in his autograph line, and he didn’t charge anything for his autographed photos.

Stephen Austin – The stand-up comic and Babylon 5 actor was a lot of fun. He had all the time in the world to chat and trade quips, and his comedy routine added to the Sunday Play Parody. Fun Fact: His dogs have had more movie screen time than he has – one in 101 Dalmations, the other in Incredible Journey II.

The Rest of Starfest

     In trying to do as much as possible, I missed the costume contest, (prizes went to perennial favorites – Klingon in Drag, Robot, and Scully), and the Phantom Menace parody, not a bad effort, so I heard. I also didn’t get to many of the alternative offerings, such as the anime room, the models, or the horror room. (I found it interesting that the horror room was the only movie room that always seemed to have the lights on.) The Official Starfest Play Parody on Sunday was certainly as entertaining as ever.

     Sunday morning, everyone got up late, after a very active Saturday night. I was dressed as Xena for my entry in the Talent Show. The Sunday morning Talent Show is, by far, the best-kept secret of the Con. Everyone who entered got a nice prize and the gift for the winner was excellent. This year the performances all had a sci-fi/fantasy connection (I did an parody of Gilbert & Sullivan from the Internet entitled, “I am the Very Model of a Heroine Barbarian”) but as in previous years, any performance was welcome. If you go to a future StarFest or StarCon, don’t pass up the Talent Show!

     One nice surprise was finding someone dressed as Gabrielle. I was pleased to get a Xena and Gabrielle photo!

     My personal highlight of the convention was getting interviewed on Sunday for Channel 4 News. The cameraman admired my Xena outfit and asked me about my costuming. He then asked me to explain the appeal of the conventions. I told him that first, it’s an opportunity for people whose interests are slightly out of the mainstream to get together with other people who share similar interests, and second, we are the only fans who get to meet and talk to our favorite stars.  I was pleased to see that most of the interview made it onto the 10 O’clock News. 

     All in all, it was a fun and entertaining convention. Now I just have to decide who I want to be at the next one. Any suggestions?