PWFC Portland con, part 3
Apr. 15th, 2012 05:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
valoisePicking back up with the PWFC con in Portland, Saturday was so crammed with con goodness that I had to split it into two parts. Here’s the rest for that day, including a couple of great panels, an outstanding concert and a new scene for Joe Dawson and Methos.
Sunday to follow soon.
Peter’s son Edan joined his dad on a panel when things picked up after again. This was a loosely structured panel in which they talked about the move from California to Vermont. Everyone seems to have made the adjustment well and even though Edan hasn’t formed a new band in his new home he’s still playing music, spending more time on the drums than the guitar. Peter mentioned that he was a little concerned about the family dog, Speedy. The short-legged English bulldog surprised everyone by taking a real liking to the Vermont snow.
Since Peter and Jim both have recurring roles on Sanctuary and Gillian is on the writing staff, this was a great panel, but let me start off with news on the show’s fate - which is basically no news. Hasn’t been cancelled, hasn’t been renewed. Cast and crew are working on other stuff right now, but nothing that would prevent them from jumping right back to Sanctuary.
Gillian was asked if she wrote any of the episodes that Jim (James Watson) or Jim (Gregory Magnus) had appeared in and she said, no, but the way the staff works, all the writers contribute to all the scripts. There were plans at one point to have both Gregory Magnus and Watson in the same episode but it had to be scrapped due to budget. More on this on a panel from Sunday.
They also talked about how Sanctuary was originally conceived of as a web series in which the creators had complete control. Jim was part of that original effort. Even though moving to the Syfy channel gave them a wider audience and larger budget, the show had to give up some of that control to please the network and studio.
Concerts at cons are always a lot of fun, kind of a talent show for the guests of honor. Right off the bat Gillian talent, and Jim’s and Peter’s shone strong. In the third season of Highlander there is a gap between the end of the episode ‘Methos’, in which MacLeod reveals Adam Pearson’s identity to Joe, and ‘Finale, part 1’, where Methos and Joe show up together at MacLeod’s barge. Gillian wrote a scene in which Methos calls Dawson to talk to him for the first time and Peter and Jim gave us a fantastic reading. Peter referred to it as a bromance and then jokingly asked why all his roles have homosexual undertones.
Next Edan joined Peter onstage to play and sing together, after Peter did a couple of songs by himself. They wound up with a kind of guitar showdown with father and son picking up the pace faster and faster until Peter gave in. Once again Edan proved what a fantastic musician he is, and right now he’s only 12.
David joined Jim onstage to sing his standard, ‘Summertime’. Best I’ve heard him do, and it’s always good. He also sang Hava Nagila,
Finally, we had a set from Jim on his own. There’s a reason he is honored so frequently by the Candian Juno Awards; the man is a fantastic musician and singer with a deep and varied knowledge of American roots music. At the end of the set he had Peter come on stage and join him in singing ‘Stand by Me’. When they were done the audience began demanding an encore, and not just any encore, but the return of the Byrnettes. We wanted Peter and David to join him as backup singers and they obliged. All through ‘Whole Lot of Shakin’ Going On’ the two of them sang and bumped and shimmied shamelessly. Hilarious.
Sunday to follow soon.
Peter’s son Edan joined his dad on a panel when things picked up after again. This was a loosely structured panel in which they talked about the move from California to Vermont. Everyone seems to have made the adjustment well and even though Edan hasn’t formed a new band in his new home he’s still playing music, spending more time on the drums than the guitar. Peter mentioned that he was a little concerned about the family dog, Speedy. The short-legged English bulldog surprised everyone by taking a real liking to the Vermont snow.
Since Peter and Jim both have recurring roles on Sanctuary and Gillian is on the writing staff, this was a great panel, but let me start off with news on the show’s fate - which is basically no news. Hasn’t been cancelled, hasn’t been renewed. Cast and crew are working on other stuff right now, but nothing that would prevent them from jumping right back to Sanctuary.
Gillian was asked if she wrote any of the episodes that Jim (James Watson) or Jim (Gregory Magnus) had appeared in and she said, no, but the way the staff works, all the writers contribute to all the scripts. There were plans at one point to have both Gregory Magnus and Watson in the same episode but it had to be scrapped due to budget. More on this on a panel from Sunday.
They also talked about how Sanctuary was originally conceived of as a web series in which the creators had complete control. Jim was part of that original effort. Even though moving to the Syfy channel gave them a wider audience and larger budget, the show had to give up some of that control to please the network and studio.
Concerts at cons are always a lot of fun, kind of a talent show for the guests of honor. Right off the bat Gillian talent, and Jim’s and Peter’s shone strong. In the third season of Highlander there is a gap between the end of the episode ‘Methos’, in which MacLeod reveals Adam Pearson’s identity to Joe, and ‘Finale, part 1’, where Methos and Joe show up together at MacLeod’s barge. Gillian wrote a scene in which Methos calls Dawson to talk to him for the first time and Peter and Jim gave us a fantastic reading. Peter referred to it as a bromance and then jokingly asked why all his roles have homosexual undertones.
Next Edan joined Peter onstage to play and sing together, after Peter did a couple of songs by himself. They wound up with a kind of guitar showdown with father and son picking up the pace faster and faster until Peter gave in. Once again Edan proved what a fantastic musician he is, and right now he’s only 12.
David joined Jim onstage to sing his standard, ‘Summertime’. Best I’ve heard him do, and it’s always good. He also sang Hava Nagila,
Finally, we had a set from Jim on his own. There’s a reason he is honored so frequently by the Candian Juno Awards; the man is a fantastic musician and singer with a deep and varied knowledge of American roots music. At the end of the set he had Peter come on stage and join him in singing ‘Stand by Me’. When they were done the audience began demanding an encore, and not just any encore, but the return of the Byrnettes. We wanted Peter and David to join him as backup singers and they obliged. All through ‘Whole Lot of Shakin’ Going On’ the two of them sang and bumped and shimmied shamelessly. Hilarious.
