Fan Expo 2011 Day 3 - Lost Girl and Line-Ups

Lost Girl Panel

Saturday is typically the busiest day at Fan Expo and it is also the single day I chose to visit for my previous two expos.  It seemed the Expo was anticipating the crowds, since we were let into the building (but not the show floor) a good half hour before opening (which also explained the presence of many queues that were set-up on the way inside the building).

Today was definitely the complete opposite of yesterday.  While yesterday I spent a lot of time off the show floor and in Q&As, today I spent a lot more time on the show floor (mostly in line-ups) and only attended one Q&A.

Ksenia Solo, Zoie Palmer, and Anna Silk
posing at the Lost Girl autograph
session.

The Q&A that I attended was for the television series Lost Girl, which quickly became a favourite of mine when it premiered last year.  The entire main cast was present for the panel and, surprisingly for a Canadian show entering its second year, the room was absolutely full.

I actually left the panel a few minutes early (right as they were starting audience questions), so I could enter the line for the post-panel autograph session.  I was happy that I did, since the line was already quite long (it had already left the designated queuing area) and it was probably one of the longest lines of the day by the time the autograph session began.  I ended up waiting over an hour and half in the line, but it was worth it, since I managed to get a (free) autograph from all six of the cast members (one of them, Kristen Holden-Ried, had to leave before I reached the table, but he left a stack of pre-signed autographs).

Eliza Dushku

After finishing up with the Lost Girl autograph session, I prepared to enter the line for Eliza Dushku (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dollhouse) in what I planned to be my final (paid) autograph of the convention.  I picked up a place holder ticket earlier in the day, so I was able to get a good place in line for her afternoon autograph session.  In fact, most of the 45 minutes or so in the line was spent waiting for her to arrive and I managed to get the autograph very quickly after she did.

Stay Puft Marshmallow Man during
the masquerade.

A tradition at the Fan Expo that I was interested in checking out was the annual masquerade, which celebrated the best costumes people wore to the convention.

Some of the costumes were neat, but I thought that the event itself was a total bore, with many people doing silly 30 acts on stage and the host making some really bad one-liners.  I ended up getting up to head home after less than half an hour.

Tomorrow will be the final day of the Fan Expo.  I am expecting it to be a more mellow day, like Thursday was.  There is a bit of challenge with getting to the convention centre on time, since the subways don't start until 9 (meaning I have to take a bus and streetcar).  However, I will work hard to get there early, since there are some must-see Q&As, as well as the final major guest - William Shatner.