January 18, 2013

Peter: Back to Official Fandom


 

Back in the 90's, there were a couple of television shows I followed. Both, naturally enough, set in alternate realities: Babylon 5 and Highlander, with the former followed far more closely than the latter and I soon became very highly involved with B5 fandom. Highlander became something enjoyed on the side, pleasant when seen and enjoyed but in the third season came a character that caught my eye: bright-eyed, nimble and graceful in his movements (whether engaged in swordplay or not), pleasantly boyish, and with a voice which engaged my picky ear. The character's name was Methos and the actor was Peter Wingfield.


 

Oh, yeah, there was immediate placement on my B list subtitled "I like watching this one wherever they pop up". I was too involved in B5 to do much else. But I liked what I saw and was keeping a passive eye out for more. And there was more, sporadic as it was, and always accompanied by the exclamation: "Hey, it's Peter!"

I left B5 fandom, after several conventions and two hops across 'the pond' to Blackpool, and told myself it was the last time I was going to do that. I discovered I didn't like being a 'fan', an official one anyway. A membership card, a photograph, and an occasional newsletter but nothing to do or participate in. Not as actively I liked anyway, though I tried or thought I did. It was a totally bittersweet experience. I proceeded on unofficially: writing, designing, and uploading a fan page for another which was well received, and joining a couple of mailing lists.

Peter remained on the "B" list. Yes, I knew about the Peter Wingfield Fan Club and was tempted but no, not again I told myself. Been there; done that; yeah, even bought tee shirts.

In 2011 came the staggering news: Peter was going back into medical school to pursue a M.D., something he had walked away from at almost the last moment to follow his love of acting. I couldn't believe it. Medicine? I've worked (for more years than I like to admit to publicly) at two major medical centers associated with two equally major medical schools. I had a darn good idea of the incredible task he (and his family) was embarking on. What in the heck is he thinking?

So I started delving a little deeper: reading blogs and articles, and even going to YouTube for PWFC and Highlander convention clips, as well as others. What I found was a warm, charming, incredibly generous human being who wanted to give something back to others: his fans and the world at large. The best article for the latter? I liked this one: Seven Days: TV MD, an article in a newspaper in Vermont where Peter is now attending medical school.

I took a deep breath, exhaled, and joined official fandom again. I started with a character I found charming, kept following an actor whose performances I enjoyed, and ended up joining a fan club because I liked the man.
 
Yes, Peter, I have a blog entry (and a tweet) already written for May 2015.
 
 
Just as an aside and a warning, if you catch Peter's video blog do be wary of consuming liquids while watching. While watching one not too long ago I experienced an involuntary very warm caffinated nasal lavage. Now I carefully swallow my coffee and put the cup down before clicking the 'play' button. 
 
And, yes, you’ll see me on Twitter every day, along with others, tweeting about The BiLLe Celeb Charity Challenge .) You see, we’re voting every day to get Peter into the number one slot. 10,000 € for UNICEF—very good . . . seeing our favorite guy in the #1 spot---priceless. They like to advertise ‘meet your favorite celeb!’as a prize. I really don’t care. I’m planning on doing just that at the next PWFC get-together.

 
 
Yes, Ree, I won’t forget the chocolate. But are you sure we'll need it?
 
 
 
 
 Author: Agatha Silverdragon
 

January 17, 2013

Agatha's A List


OK, I’m female (we’ve established that), breathing, and my hormone levels are well within normal parameters. It certainly doesn’t surprise me that my A list is exclusively male. I have actresses I like and admire but I can’t say I go to a film, turn on a show, search Netflix, or pick up a DVD to see them. I don’t. I applaud and am glad to see them but the guys . . . oh, yes! Sorry . . . my bad. Now to put them into some kind of order:
 
 
 Peter Wingfield:
Peter has to come first. After all, I am an official fan since I joined the Peter Wingfield Fan Club. Peter deserves and will get a separate posting in the very near future. It’s currently a work in progress. So, fellow Wingers, be patient and trust me. Our favorite guy will not be shorted. ‘Nuff said. ,
            A favorite Peter quote: “. . . how bizarre is that. The opposite side of the world people have my face on a tee shirt.”

Peter, I don't find that bizarre at all. I see it and it makes me smile.

 
 
 
 
George Clooney:
George I’ve been following since the final year of ER He is unique on my list for one reason: he’s the only one I ever wrote and designed a web page for. Yes, an amateur, multi-paged astrological chart I had a fun time doing and, to my amazement, it was actually well-recieved. It’s no longer on the Internet but I still have the written portions. I re-read them recently and had to smile. It still fits! I rarely write fan letters but I couldn’t help writing George and his father, Nick Clooney, to tell them about it. And, like Peter above, I like George for more than his on-screen persona. I have one bone to pick with George. He has not reproduced! It’s a bloody waste of darn good DNA. A favorite quote from George? Egads! Too much of a challenge for this woman.


 
 
                                                                                                                          
Sam Neill:
Sam comes up third on the list because I did subscribe to a mailing list to keep up with my favorite Kiwi. Major fun! As a fan I do appreciate it when the person participates along with their fans. I like mutual engagement! Sam has never disappointed me. Even in that oft criticized mini-series “Amerika”, Sam’s performance enthralled me. “Sense? Does any of this make sense?” I can still hear that line. But one of my favorite quotes;
 
If all I did was acting, I'd go out of my mind.


 
 


Heath Ledger:
Heath-- I do not know where to begin. I never joined a fan club; a mailing list, or did any of the usual fan things. To me, quite simply, he was one of the most talented young actors to ever come on the screen. Evilly psychotic, brooding, or with a broad, boyish grin, he caught your eye and took you to the world he was in at the moment. When the news broke of his death, I wept. I should move on and place him on another list but I simply cannot.
 

 
 
 
 
James Spader:
James (or should I say Jimmy?) has a penchant for quirky roles. He certainly caught me with one. Anyone remember “Sex, Lies, and Videotape”? Yea, he caught me there. It’s been fun ever since: Daniel Jackson, Alan Shore, and Mr. Grey. I like the quirkiness; I really do. My favorite Jimmy quote:
 
"I had real trouble, actually, for a long time, getting people to hire me. My anxiety used to manifest itself in strange ways. I'd go in to read for some innocent, vulnerable character, and the feedback would be, 'Well, we met Jimmy...and he scared us.'
 
That’s OK with me. I’m not scared. Not really. I want to swap recipes.


 
 
Colin Firth:.
Colin is another actor “of foreign extraction”(to quote one of Emma Thompson’s acceptance speeches) on my A list. He’s been on it since I first saw “Pride and Prejudice”, the mini-series. He certainly gets me to the movies. When he won the Oscar for “The King’s Speech” I think I stood up and cheered. My favorite Colin quote:
 
Actors are basically drag queens. People will tell you they act because they want to heal mankind or, you know, explore the nature of the human psyche. Yes, maybe. But basically we just want to put on a frock and dance.




 
 
Sir Sean Connery
            Sir Sean is one who makes it to many lists, age (his or any fan’s) completely irrelevant. I’ve never been a true aficionado of Bond films but I do recall a film called “Darby O’Gill and the Little People”. But, no, only when he started turning silver-headed did I truly notice. It’s a failing of mine. With the exception of Heath, I simply don’t notice an actor much until he hits 40. It just seems to be when they hit their stride. Give or take a few years.

My favorite quote comes not from Sir Sean but from his wife: Who can resist those eyebrows?

Yeah, I'm an eyebrow girl (among other things) . . .sue me. So that's a Scot, a Brit, an Aussie, a Kiwi, two Americans,  and a Welshman. I think I see a trend here.

Author: Agatha Silverdragon

January 16, 2013

Grimm Hiatus---UGH!

Grimm is currently on hiatus, not to return until Friday, the 8th of March. A situation invoking a lot of frustration in Grimmsters, this one especially. I'm trying to develop a 'to do' list to keep myself sane in the interim.

One Grimmster's 'To Do' List:

  1. Start 'fangirl/woman' blog---done
  2. Watch Season 1 on DVD and growl at deleted scenes--done
  3. Watch Season 2 on Hulu or at NBC. Practice snipping.--in progress
  4. Write a few posts for the above blog.--in progress
  5. Write some very bad limericks about his HRH.---in progress
  6. Download more Grimm videos from YouTube.---done
  7. Convert videos for placement on mp3 player.---done
  8. Play videos for the uninitated as part of Master Conversation Plan---in progress
  9. Laugh out loud at those females looking at pictures of HRH and fluttering their hands in effort to cool off. Also part of the MCP. (Members of Team Renard will know which specific one I speak  of)---continuous
  10. Add to any tweet to @NBCGrimm: #March8:P---continuous
Ah, the list is far from complete. I'm sure there will be more. Sorry, I'm not much in the graphs department or I would add some. I can only link. One of my favorite videos from @lovelygrimm (Alexa). Yes, it's one of about twelve (I think) on my mp3 player. Yes, for the MCP and my portable Grimm fix.

 
 
 
Thank  Grimm for Alexa!
 
 
Next posting: The 'A' List
 
Author: Agatha Silverdragon

January 15, 2013

Welcome to Agatha's Place


Hello, everyone! Hello! Welcome! Please come in. Take a seat and make yourselves at home. I’m so glad you came. Welcome to Agatha’s. Let me introduce myself. I’m the proprietor of this establishment , Agatha. Agatha Silverdragon. You can call me Aggie, if you like.
 

AKA @AgathaSilver
 
Yeah, that's me. The completely astonished, wide-eyed, red-headed fangirl. Well, fan-woman actually but that's another posting. What? You wanted an actual picture? Perish the thought!
 
I've started this blog originally because I went on Twitter to follow NBC's Grimm. I found myself having a ball with it but restricted to 140 characters? Me? The original motormouth? No, I knew I had to have a blog. No way around it.
 

Originally I wanted to and thought of making this simply a Grimmster blog. Mission Impossible! I couldn’t. Too many others, alas! Sorry, @NBCGrimm. But yes, I’m Grimmster. I’ve enjoyed and watched the show since its premiere. And I might as well confess right up front the character that intrigued me from the moment he appeared on the screen was:

 


Yes, Captain Sean Renard. So, yes, I’m on Team Renard. It doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the rest of the cast. To me the strength of the show is in the ensemble feel to it. The interweaving storylines, even when anchored with the Wesen of the week, is what makes Grimm the show that it is. I’m sure you’ll find posts aplenty about His Royal Highness (HRH) in posts to come. Some of them may even come directly from me.

 
  • So this is a fan girl blog in modern parlance. Some posts may be long; some may be short. Some will be Grimm-focused; some will not. I really have no idea. I have a few written already. A very special one I plan on posting in May of 2015.  I plan on being around for awhile. I wouldn’t miss that one for the world!

Author: Agatha Silverdragon