Stargate Universe- My favorite SG Series

This blog isn’t going to win me any friends in the Stargate Fandom world. In fact, as the case may be, it could get me chased down with pitchforks and torches by some people. But that’s okay. I’ve never been one to be afraid. What am I going to confess? That Stargate Universe is my favorite of the SG franchise. It is. No, honestly. I’m not making that up. SGU is my favorite Stargate series.

I’ve been a fan of Stargate since the early years of SG-1. I have always been a sci-fi nut. I grew up watching Star Trek, Star Wars, Dr. Who, and old school Battlestar Galactica. It’s always been a favorite genre of mine. I even remember seeing the original Stargate movie. Was it a little hokey? Well, yeah. Did I like it? Of course. So when I heard there was going to be a series based off of it, I started flipping channels anxiously. I guess I really got into SG-1 in about 2000 or so. Star Trek: Voyager was ending and I was looking for a show to fill my weekly need for sci-fi. I just kind of fell into SG-1. That was during the third season (I was a year behind because I could only watch in syndication because my family didn’t have cable). I liked it but it took me a while for it to become a must see every weekend show (It aired Saturday nights at 10:30pm). However, the fourth season got me hooked. Ever since then, I’ve had the Stargate fever. I liked the humor, sure. The handsome guys who paraded across the screen didn’t hurt either. I loved the character of Carter because she saved the day just as much as any of the guys. It was pretty damn awesome. I watched it until it ended in 2007 and I am the proud owner of the entire series and the two dvd movies. It is one of my favorite shows of all time.

Atlantis, though, was never my thing. I love David Hewlett and his character of Rodney McKay, certainly but as a whole, I was never a huge fan of SGA. I don’t dislike it but I’m not a fan either. I don’t like Sheppard. I don’t like Ronon. Teyla evokes only feelings of meh in me. The only reason I tuned into a few episodes of the last season was for Robert Picardo’s Richard Woolsey. I tried to like it. I swear I did. Hell, I recently received the first season of the show as a gift and rewatched all the episodes just to try and give it another shot. I still just can’t seem to get into it. It’s not my thing.

However, from the first minute of Stargate Universe, I was hooked. I loved the darker feel, the darker characters who didn’t always do the right thing. I loved that Colonel Young was not as emotionally stable as he should have been. I love that he beat the fool out of Dr. Rush on a number of occasions. I know I would have. I love the fact that one of the scientists (my personal favorite, Adam Brody) created a distillery. I simply loved everything about the show from the moment the series premiere started to the end credits of the series finale. I loved every moment of it in a way that I never quite loved SG-1.

Too many times on SG-1, the stories didn’t go far enough for me. They were entertaining, certainly, but few of SG-1’s plot lines ever really pushed the limits and really made people think about real life issues. And that’s fine. It was television escapism. It was terrific escapism. SGU was different, though. It was nasty, gritty, and showed a set of heroes that weren’t always heroes. That’s what I always wanted from SG-1. I wanted to see one of them make a mistake that showed them to be human. I wanted Daniel to fail, Jack to do something morally ambiguous, Carter to not have the answer in her hat. On SGU, yeah, the characters did the right thing most of the time, but they also did the wrong thing several times too. My favorite storyline on SGU was the Young/TJ romance. I love that they had the affair and had to deal with the consequences. That is a very human thing that happens every day with people across the world. I loved watching TJ and Young struggle to come to terms with her pregnancy then the loss of their child. On SG-1, Jack would have never compromised his values. He was a pillar of moral fortitude. Young was a man who made a mistake and was doing everything he could to make it right. Honestly, I have more affection for Young than I ever did for Jack because of his flaws.

Another thing that makes SGU my favorite of the franchise is the fact that there was such an expanded cast. On SG-1 and SGA, it was just four or five people that we saw every week with different background players and extras. On SGU, yes there was a main cast that we followed primarily but the supporting cast members were there, dealing with the exact same scenario as our main guys. My favorite character of the show  was one of these supporting characters, that of Adam Brody portrayed by Peter Kelamis. Brody made a still, stood up to both Young and Rush when necessary, helped maintain Destiny, and was terrific at lightening the moment when it needed it. I’m not even going to go into all the other guest stars/supporting cast members and how they added to the show. But they all did add something. None of the characters could have ever been replaced by another, at least not in my eyes. On SG-1, the only four characters that really mattered were the members of SG-1. Everyone else could and did change. Was it bad that the show was so focused on the leads? Maybe. But I still love the show. SGU was different and I certainly appreciated that.

Stargate Universe was different than either of its predecessors. It is that difference that has secured the show as my favorite of the three series. This does not mean that SGU is better than SG-1 or SGA. It was new. It took chances, perhaps too many for the Stargate fandom to be comfortable. But I loved every second of that wild ride. I just wish we’d gotten more. For now, I’ll be happy with the two seasons that I got. I’ll rewatch them like I rewatch the old seasons of SG-1. I’d love nothing more than to see the lights on the Destiny come to life again but that is not likely to happen so I’ll be content with the forty episodes I have. May the franchise find life again one day.

Pondering, Pinky, Pondering

Well, I’m rethinking my life. I’ve reached a point where I’m not sure if I want to go into law. Yes, I enjoy it but do I like it enough to base my life around it? Do I like anything that much? Should I just move to Ireland and become a pub girl? Some days I truly think about doing nothing but running screaming from this academic world that seems to only get worse. As much as I like learning and knowledge, I am getting seriously tired of this repetitive cycle. Go to class, read, procrastinate, come up with bs, have professors praise it because everyone else is too dumb to do anything. It’s gotten old. I’m not challenged anymore. I really haven’t been in years.

Don’t get me wrong. I know that I’m not the smartest person out there. I know that in areas, particularly math, that I come up lacking. But I’m shockingly okay with that. Why? Because in most other areas, I run circles around the people around me. What’s sad is that I’ve really stopped trying most of the time. I do the minimum to get by and I succeed with flying colors. That’s not exactly a formula for encouraging creative or academic growth. I’ve been in this holding pattern for too long and I want to break out.

The question is not whether or not to break out, it is a question of how. Can I do so by going to law school? Can I do so by going to graduate school and pursuing a PhD in Political Science? Or can I do so by going out and doing stupid crap like getting blown up? I’d really like to. I know that I desperately want a break from what I’ve been doing. I got a taste of that last weekend in Chicago. I got to break out of the norm and have fun. Here in super conservative Louisiana, I have to watch what I say, lest I get lambasted and crucified in the town square. It’s not that I don’t speak my opinion…I do and have defended my opinions viciously in public. However, if I say the wrong thing around some of these people, they act like I’ve just called down the Anti-Christ himself. I don’t understand the narrow-minded mindset. I haven’t since I was in fifth grade. It makes no sense to me to confine everything to little boxes and not allow any change or openness.

Maybe it’s the rum talking. Maybe I just don’t give a damn. Maybe I just need to get the hell out of this state. All I know is that I’m pondering, Pinky. Pondering ways to get out of this mess.

General thoughts- My Experience at the Creation Stargate Convention in Chicago 2010

Chicago Creation Convention 2010- General Thoughts

While I was at Chicon, I got to meet several of my favorite people. Obviously, Dan Shea and Robert Picardo were my two favorites of the weekend. The memories those two gave me will be some of my favorites until I die. Words can’t explain how grateful I am to them, nor how awesome it was to around them. Another of my favorites was David Hewlett. That man personalized every autograph and talked to every person that came through his line even though convention officials told him not to do so. I even got to have a short conversation where I told him that he reminded me of Quentin Tarantino. He smiled and played it off a bit, laughing.
“Of course you are much more handsome!”
“Well, I wasn’t going to say anything but…”
Add in how much fun he seemed to be having and he was a great guest.

It reads "Connie: Great Choice in Film. Thanks! Love, David Hewlett" So sweet!

I love Michael Shanks. Not to the extent that Pip does but nevertheless, I adore the man. I really enjoyed his panel and the quick kung fu/karate thing we did after we both moved in opposite directions during my photo op session. Short but entirely memorable. During the autograph session, I granted him full permission to be vulgar and obscene on the cover of my copy of “The Lost Treasure of the Grand Canyon.” He wrote, “Cheap Ass Shit,” then drew a frowning crying face instead of his trademark smiley face. That cracked me up!

Oh how he hates this movie!

Christopher Heyerdahl was just effing gorgeous! I was not at all prepared for how good looking and good smelling that man was. Also- GOOD GOD IS THAT MAN TALL! During his panel with Andee Frizzell, the two were hilarious, jumping around, at one point, Chris even did a happy dance. It was great! Most of my memories with Heyerdahl come from the Karaoke party. When Pip and I started singing “The Time Warp”, Chris was bobbing and grooving along with us. He very nearly came on stage, though in the end, he decided against it. Later, she and I went over and said hi to him to which he responded in an eastern European accent, “Good. Very good.” He then proceeded to tease us about how at the end of “The Time Warp” everyone is supposed to fall down. I responded with, “Well, we aren’t drunk enough and we don’t want to hurt ourselves.” He laughed and nodded and I made my way a few rows up. I sat down beside the Wraith Queen herself, Andee Frizzell. As Heyerdahl was walking up to the DJ for something, I happened to look up at him and he winked at me. I giggled shamelessly. I’m not afraid to admit it. Though, at this point, I was on fan girl overdrive.
About five minutes later or so, I worked up the courage (read I finished my beer) to go up to him again.
“I don’t have a camera but can I have a hug?”
“Of course love.”
He then proceeded to give me one of the best hugs I have ever had. The lapel of his jacket hit me in the head and I made some crack about being short. He laughed and started to bend his knees so he was down at my level. He pressed his face to mine right as some wonderful person with a camera named Craig snapped a photo. And I have to say again, that man smelled AMAZING!

Stooping to my level! Courtesy of Craig!

Andee Frizzell was nothing but a complete nut job! And I mean that in the nicest way. She had me rolling during her panel and the way she interacted with Chris and the fans was fantastic. At one point during the karaoke party, we were having book club with her, talking about the various books we had read, were reading, or wanted to read. She was really down to earth and really nice. I’m glad I got the chance to meet her in person. Plus, her stories from the Cabaret show were to die for!

Joe Flanigan was not my favorite going into this convention and I am sad to say that this convention did nothing to change that. Let me explain, I don’t dislike him but I don’t really like him either. I’m truly indifferent towards him. I was hoping that would change but it really didn’t. This isn’t to say that he was a bad guest. On the contrary, I think he did a good job playing off David Hewlett and to his fans. He just didn’t win me over the way others did. I know it was a miracle that Flanigan managed to be in Chicago and I am happy for his fans that he pulled it off. I just didn’t experience any of that Joe Flanigan charm. Maybe my charm receptors were faulty or had been overloaded by “Alphonso.” I don’t know. Still, his joint panel with David Hewlett was hysterical. However, in the autograph line he seemed completely blasé. Maybe it was me. I don’t know.

I for one was very happy to see the SGU cast members that made the trip to Chicago. I love the quick chance I got to speak with Elyse, Brian, and Alaina at the Gold Breakfast Sunday morning. While our time with Elyse was short, she seemed like a very happy individual. Brian was a cut up who I reminded about him the message on Twitter I had sent, asking him if he signed body parts. His response, “That was YOU! Yeah, okay, I’ll sign your bruise. I’m not gonna hurt you, am I?” He laughed and sure enough, when the time came for autographs, he signed my bruise, being very careful not to hurt me. It made me smile. He is such a sweet guy. Alaina Huffman teased me when I told her that I loved the storyline between her and Colonel Young. I said I couldn’t wait to see how that ended and she said, “No, no the saga continues. It’s gonna go on for a while, I think.” I can’t wait to find out what she meant. The TJ/Young storyline is one of my favorites in SGU and I can’t wait for the new season. Their panels were kind of bland and I think that’s because of how careful the Creation people were being about not wanting SGU hate to get splashed on to the actors. I respect that but I really don’t think it would have been that big of a problem. Still, I enjoyed the panels and the actors, particularly when they were all up together.

One body part signed, courtesy of Brian Jacob Smith

So those are my general thoughts on my first convention ever. I enjoyed the hell out of it! Really! I don’t know if anything will ever top being serenaded by “Alphonso.” I am so happy I went. I made some awesome friends and got to meet some kick ass people.

If anyone is interested, @SwimChicSQ and I have started a Dan Shea fan group. We call ourselves the “Wrenches.” We accept all people as members provided you adore Dan Shea. I have also started a fan group for Robert Picardo. So far I am the only member. As of right now, I am calling the group the Pussycats after the song he sang during the Cabaret show, though I am open to change. Everyone else is on their own! XP

So here, I leave you with some random pics from Chicago! Good night everybody!

Squaring off with the enemy!

Me and DD! Canucks fans come in all sizes! Courtesy of Pam!

Gazing up at "Alphonso"! Courtesy of Becky Landis

Setting up the "schedule"! Courtesy of Becky Landis

And that’s all folks!

1 2 3 Go! My Experiences with Dan Shea at Chicon 2010

Chicago Creation Convention 2010- Dan Shea

One of the highlights of the convention, for me, was getting to meet and be around stunt coordinator Dan Shea aka Sgt. Siler. Friday, he interjected himself into Steve Bacic’s panel, which was nothing but hilarious, on both of their parts. But Dan Shea proved to be even more hilarious throughout the rest of the con with nearly everything that he did. My personal experience started when Dan leapt over a row of chairs to harass Tara and Pip who were sitting just a few seats down from me. He came about oh, six inches or so from hitting me. He fist bumped me as he extricated himself from the row. He was awesome during the Cabaret show and despite my best efforts he did not dance nor sing during karaoke. He did, however, tell me that I did a great job singing as I walked out to the bar. Have I mentioned that I like beer? But never mind. This is all about the amazing Dan Shea.

The next day, Dan was walking out from his panel to go somewhere when he saw my Canucks jersey. We got to talking about the Canucks and he asked, “How did someone from Louisiana become a Canucks fan?” It’s after this, I henceforth became “Louisiana” at least to him. We had a good five minute conversation about our favorite hockey team and how we both miss Mattias Ohlund playing for the Canucks. It was a great experience to be able to have a conversation with him. That night at the desert party, Dan Shea was walking around to the different tables. He got to our table and instantly recognized Pip, Tara, Meghan, and myself. Again we talked hockey and he quizzed me on Canucks statistics. I missed one but I redeemed myself fairly quickly. A lull came and I jokingly asked if he would arm wrestle me. He agreed and moved over to sit by him. I technically won the first match but we all know that he let me. When we were getting situated, locking arms and what not, he accused me of trying to cheat.
“See, see! We haven’t even started and you’re already cheating!”
“Of course I’m cheating! You’ve got a foot and at least sixty pounds on me!”

MORTAL COMBAT!!

Trying to distract me with his "pipes"!

After my initial win, he challenged me to a rematch. During the second bout, Dan took the opportunity to show off his MASSIVE biceps! It ended with us agreeing to call it a draw and someone mentioning that I was a black belt. Immediately he asked me in what and I told him, “Well the style is Keichu Ryu from Karl Marx out in California but it’s a shotokan derivative.”
“Me too! I’m in shotokan. Yeah!”
He then proceeded to rattle off a list of karate terms in Japanese to see if I knew any of them. I knew all of them. He smiled, called me Louisiana and left our table.

Hugging it out! Courtesy of Anne Campbell

The next morning while we were waiting in line for the SGU breakfast, Dan made his way over to our table, smiling, “Hey! Louisiana! Fournie!” We smiled back and I asked about the McGill shirt he was wearing. Apparently his daughter goes there. We said good-bye and he went in search of a cup of coffee. We met again as he made his way to our table, forcing us to rotate chairs so that everything could be like the night before. There was a bit of chit chat and I asked him how I could go about getting into stunt work. Being a stuntwoman has always been my back-up plan if this whole law school/ academia thing doesn’t work out. He gave me some great tips and ideas. I plan to use at least some of them eventually. Especially if I don’t get into law school. The real fun came later that afternoon. I’d been up for 30 hours straight at that point. I decided that I had to have a photo-op with Dan and bought one. I went down for the picture and was one of just a few people in line. We posed in crane stances together, both us making weird faces at the camera. It was great! His last panel was just as manic and crazy as the first. It is nothing but fun with that man. The time came for autographs and I brought up my picture. He made the signature out “Yo! Louisiana!” And then wrote shotokan karate over our legs! As he was walking out of the convention for good, he motioned for me to stand up, threw a side kick “at” my head, fist bumped me, and gave me a quick hug. In the autograph line, I told him that he made the weekend for me and between he and Bob Picardo, they really did. Between the two of them, I had way more personal interaction that I ever thought I would. I have nothing but love and affection for both of them. Good…great…no, AMAZING times!

Something that really made me smile happened not long after my photo op. I was talking on the phone in the lobby and Dan saw me. I smiled at him and he walked over to me.
“So when do you go back, Louisiana?”
“I fly out tomorrow morning.”
“Oh cool. So I’ll see you later then!” I nodded and smiled. He fist bumped me and walked outside for something.

The fact that he was so personal and willing to walk up to me when I was just standing in the lobby was amazing. Because of all the awesome that man irradiated this weekend, Meghan (@swimchicsq) and I have started the Wrenches. We are the Dan Shea fan girls, because he is too awesome not to have fan girls. And we’d all love to see his big wrench. Or even be his wench!

Here’s my awesome photo op:

A pic of the awesome that is sitting on my desk now!

Best Friday Ever! My Experiences with Bob Picardo at Chicon 2010

Chicago Creation Convention 2010- Bob Picardo

Let me preface this by saying that I have been completely enamored with Robert Picardo since I was around six or so. I started watching Voyager around that time and I was always happy to see the Doctor.  He was a favorite of mine, with both his humor and wit. On August 27th, 2010, I was lucky enough to have what could be described as the ultimate fan experience with him. Something I’m ashamed of is that I actually missed the first few minutes of Bob’s panel. I was taking a photo with Steve Bacic and the line ran long. No one’s fault. These things happen. After I had my picture taken with Bacic, I ran (literally) back to the main room as fast as possible. I arrived just as he mentioned something about how a question would be better suited for his cousin “Alphonso” who would be around later that night. Alas, I did not hear the question but this one off-hand remark about “Alphonso” would be the start of something that I will never be able to forget.

The rest of the panel was amazing, with Bob offering insight into his work on SGA, the character of Richard Woolsey, and even his work on Star Trek: Voyager. He even went “old school” as he talked about his time as a leading man, with hair, on China Beach. China Beach is a great show that is not really available anymore, do to licensing issues with music. However, I managed to stumble upon it one day while online. Unfortunately, it is no longer available where I found it. However, it is such an amazing show that if you ever get half a chance to watch it, I recommend doing whatever is possible to do so.

After the panel, I rushed off to be as close to the front of the photo-op line as was possible. Eventually my time came. As I walked up to Bob, and I call him by his first name for a reason that I will elaborate on later, he looked at me, smiled and said, “Hey you!” I know he was saying it to everyone but it made me feel special. Little did I know how special I was going to be. I returned to the main ball room to await the autograph lines. My dear friend Pip (On Twitter, @dannysgirlsg1) had been kind enough to make me a personal graphic for Bob to sign. He smiled at me and I got completely star struck, unable to say anything! Here was a man that I have adored for over a decade. I did manage to say that one of my friends had made it for me and he smiled and said that it was very good. I am not afraid to say that I got a little giddy. However, soon, I would be getting a lot giddy.

After autographs, there was a little bit of a break before the Cabaret show. The show was one of the things that I was most excited for and it exceeded all my expectations. In case you have never seen the “Ask Alphonso” videos that Bob did for Acme Brand Comedy, the character of Alphonso, Bob’s cousin from Italy with a full head of hair, is the most sexually attractive man in the world, roaming from town to town cavorting, carousing, and womanizing. With some luck and some loud friends screaming on my behalf, (Thanks Pip and Tara!), I was chosen to be one of Alphonso’s…. well, certainly not a victim…Perhaps “recipient” of his affections. From the moment, Alphonso stepped onto the stage he was working the room, almost exclusively the ladies. After all, he is the most sexually attractive man in the world and the most satisfying, if you believe the hype. Yes, I had my… “personal appointment” with him but Alphonso is…too much for words. ;D But I digress. In between singing and giving out relationship advice to people who were unlucky enough not to be born Alphonso, this Italian Lothario was busy “securing” his bed partners for the evening. It was nothing but hilarious. Eventually, he asked for three volunteers to come up so that he could sing a song that Roberto had written about his time on Star Trek: Voyager. I almost literally jumped at the chance to play Seven of Nine. As I walked up to the stairs on the side of the stage, Alphonso took my hand and asked, “Your name, miss?”
“Connie.”
“And how old are you, Connie?”
“21.”
“21. (to the audience) 21 is legal yes? It is okay?”
(Crowd) “Yes!”
“You are okay, Connie…(He made a show of looking me up and down) Very okay.”

He called up another girl to play B’Elanna Torres then walked back over to me. He took a deep breath and started singing
“What’s new pussycat? Woah Woah Woah
What’s new pussycat? Woah Woah Woah
Pussycat, pussycat, you’re called Seven and I’m in heaven when your around
Please let check on your implants and nodes (He ran his hands up and down my sides, wiggling his fingers around as he did, essentially feeling me up in front of 100+ people. I lost track of everything for a few seconds)
Pussycat, pussycat, I love you! Yes, I do! You and your implants and nodes! (He ran his hands up and down me again and I blanked again.)”

He then moved on to the woman playing Captain Janeway, much to my disappointment. After he moved onto the B’Elanna Torres of the evening, “Captain Janeway” and I linked arms and swayed to the music. Alphonso made his way back to us, me in particular singing,
“You and your implants and nodes! (He ran his hands up and down my sides again, feeling me up for the third time. He stepped back to my left took my hand then pulled me to him, giving me a kiss. Exactly where the kiss was, I know but I’ll just let this picture speak for me)”

Alphonso just can't wait! Picture taken by @BeckyLandis

After the song was over, he had all the women on stage hug him and pose for pictures. He then proceeded to make “personal appointments” with us. I had the 3:05 AM spot. As I was walking back to my seat, Linda Picardo, his wife said to me, “I think he owes you a drink!” I nearly lost it right then and there.

The Cabaret show ended shortly after that and I adjourned to the bar for a beer. Once I had my Miller Lite in hand, I made my way back to the Karaoke Party that Bob was MC’ing. Pip and I signed up to sing “The Time Warp” from Rocky Horror Picture Show. When we were called up to the stage, I was Pipless. As I walked up to tell him to give a few minutes to find her, he said, “Oh that Connie…I know you are busy with Alphonso later, but what are you doing at 2:50 AM?” My reply, “Whatever you want me to be doing!” He grinned and laughed and called the next person up. As he was walking off stage, he motioned me over and said, “I’d sing it with you but I don’t know the song.” He smiled and shrugged as he walked over to his wife. Shortly thereafter, Pip showed up and we gave a rocking performance of “The Time Warp” that had Todd himself, Christopher Heyerdahl, rocking out to the side of the stage. After we were done with all of the pelvic thrusting, I went back to my seat. Throughout the rest of the night, Bob would smile or say a few quick words in between singing (with and without his gorgeous wife Linda) and MC’ing the party. Towards the end of the night, a few people were getting pictures with Bob and I shyly asked for one. I had already had the professional photo taken but this was post him/Alphonso running his hands over more intimate parts of my anatomy. He smiled at me and said, “Like I’m going to deny you anything.”

Not my best but awesome nonetheless!

The picture is kind of dopey, I’ll admit. I’m blaming that on raw sexual energy and beer. Nevertheless, I have a picture of Bob, me, and whatever alcoholic beverage he was drinking. Karaoke was fun and Bob left at midnight or so, citing the fact he had to take his daughter to college the next day. The party continued until around 1am or so, I retired to my room to “prepare” myself for my “later meetings”. Those I won’t talk about! XD

Needless to say, Robert Picardo made my year!

Tomorrow, I’ll recount the awesome experiences I had with stunt coordinator Dan Shea! Au revoir!

PS. Yes, I know it is informal to call him Bob instead of Robert or Mr. Picardo. However, he felt me up 3 times, propositioned me both in and “out” of character, all in front of his wife. I think I’ve earned the right to call him Bob. I have nothing but affection and respect for him.

Of all the Days I wish I could have been in Los Angeles

I suppose I didn’t get across my point the first few times. Or maybe no one simply cares what I think. It’s got to be the first option. Every one cares what I think. As I sit here right now, I am watching streaming video of the I’m With Coco Rally that is currently taking place outside of NBC studios in LA. Oh how I wish I could be there! I would be having such a blast, rain or not! I have sat through a completely bullshit ULM football game in the rain, why not be at a rally screaming my lungs out for one of my favorite celebrities? As it is, I am currently sitting in my dorm room with my roommate and her one of her useless, bitchy friends. If only I could have afforded airfare for a day trip to Los Angeles. Then it would be a blast. I’d likely end in jail but those are the risks that one must take when supporting those you admire.

Currently, LaBamba is riding in something akin to the Popemobile. I like it! LaBamba as pope…Kinda scary in an awesome way. I want a pope mobile…Just saying. If anyone out there would like to purchase and then gift me said Pope mobile, please let me know. And now, Masturbating Bear has put in an appearance. It seems that all is going well at the rally to show support for my favorite red-headed late night talk show host/ho/pimp.

What else can I say about this whole situation? I love Conan O’Brien. I support him in all his future endeavors. I will gladly follow him to another network and I would happily …well, you really don’t need to know about that particular fact. I love how many people are honking their support for the people at the rally. It’s one of the reasons that I haven’t been able to stop smiling as long as I have been watching this. Hearing people honk and others cheer randomly just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. Or perhaps I’m having an allergic reaction to my roommate’s perfume. I suppose that is always an option.

So for the next few hours I will sit here gladly, waiting for Conan’s appearance. I know it will mean the world to these fans as it would mean the world to me. Go out and destroy NBC in your monologue once again tonight, Coco! I will be watching, laughing, and quite possibly even lusting. Cut them down again and again. You’ve got legions of supporters behind you, Conan. Jay has five. You’ll bounce back from this. He won’t. I’m proudly with Coco and a member of Team Conan!

NBC is run by Chimps wearing suits.

After yesterday’s rant on NBC’s current BS, it seems that they have decided once again to up the ante on the shittiness. Now, TMZ is reporting that Big Chin and NBC have formally agreed to put him back on the Tonight Show, ousting Conan for good. I’m hoping like hell that this isn’t true. God help the network if it is. Over 100,000 people have joined the group I’m With Coco on Facebook. That’s right, I said OVER 100,000. The fact that NBC isn’t taking notice of the massive outpouring of support for O’Brien just proves how completely out of touch they are. I know people are calling in to Jeff Zucker’s office to let him know of our displeasure. I know I did. I’ll post his number at the end of this blog in case anyone else wants to as well.

I absolutely furious over this whole situation. Conan has been nothing but classy yet Leno and NBC have thrown all kinds of shit at him. Have the NBC executives mysteriously devolved about 6 million or so years and turned back into chimpanzees? That can be the only explanation for the amount feces that’s been slung at Conan’s head during this past week. Why is it so hard for people to move on? I understand that Leno is like the robe my father has had since before I was born. He’s comfortable. But he’s also worn out and ugly. I have never once seen a show with Leno (though admittedly, I never watched him regularly) where he didn’t go after someone in a mean-spirited way. I want smart, witty Conan who would go after people but end up making them smile as well. He was more likely to make jokes about himself than anyone else. That’s one of the things I love most about him: his self-deprecating humor. Yes, he laughs at other people but he has the ability to laugh at himself too. That is something that Leno has never done.

To top it all off, Leno is trying to look like the victim in all of this. It’s not working, you big chinned freak, so cut it out. We all know that it’s Conan that’s been viciously shoved to the side in an effort to appease you. In case we have all forgotten, appeasement doesn’t work. Just ask Europe how well it worked out with Hitler. I’ll admit, Leno is not as bad as Hitler. But the concept is the same. You can not cow someone’s arrogance by handing them something. Parents know you can‘t just give a child everything they want. Why hasn’t NBC recognize that Leno is just a petulant child who is threatening to hold his breath until he’s allowed to have ice cream for dinner? It’s time they send him off to sulk in his room until he agrees to be a big boy and get his head out of his ass.

I’m sorry, normally I try to control the amount of wrath that I allow to spew forth. However, this requires nothing less than me loudly proclaiming: Fuck Leno, Fuck NBC! I won’t watch either unless Conan O’Brien stays as the Tonight Show Host at 11:35pm ET/ 10:35pm CT. There is nothing on NBC worth watching other than Conan for me. If Leno elbows him out, I will gladly boycott NBC and follow Conan to wherever he decides to make his new home. No one will ever be able to take the place that funny, sexy red-head holds in my heart. Conan was someone I looked up to,  I still do. He has refused to take NBC’s bullshit and shredded them night after night since this whole mess started. It is NBC and their relentless kowtowing to someone whose prime is long gone that have made this whole CLUSTERFUCK possible. Let LeNO go on his way. Tell him to retire to stand-up. At least then I won’t have to listen to him.

THE NUMBER FOR JEFF ZUCKER’S OFFICE IN NEW YORK IS: 212-664-2830. Don’t be rude to the secretary, though. It’s not  her fault. You can also EMAIL HIM AT JEFF.ZUCKER@NBC.COM.

Team Conan, FTW!

Like many others, I too have joined Team Conan these past few days. I am someone who has always enjoyed the humor of O’Brien ever since I discovered him back around 2001. Since that June, I have adored Conan and all of his silly antics. I was thrilled in 2004 when it was announced that he was going to take over the Tonight Show from Jay Leno. I’d never really liked Leno. I’d watch him at times when he had a guest on that I was interested in seeing but other than that, Leno was nothing more to me than a speed bump when waiting for my favorite late night host to come on. I was a gawky teenager at best and I gravitated towards Conan’s humor. He was a nerd and so was I. He was crude and vulgar at times and so was I. It was a match made in heaven. He said the things that I wanted to say but couldn’t quite get away with. On top of it all, he wasn’t all that bad to look at either.

Yes, I will be the first to admit that I had a crush on Conan. Still do, in fact. I have always found nerds highly attractive. Funny nerds even more so. And apparently, he fits into my type: tall and with blue eyes. So when I discovered tall, blue-eyed, funny, sexy O’Brien, I fell head over heels. I loved his skits, Masturbating Bear, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, the Chuck Norris Lever. All of it. He could do little wrong in my teenage eyes.

When Conan took over the Tonight Show, at first, I was a bit disappointed. To me, I wanted his old crazed antics. However, I watched the show more and more, I grew to love it. Did I watch it every day? No, between term papers and cramming for exams, I missed his show occasionally. There just weren’t enough hours in the day, unfortunately. I still tuned in as much as I could to get my dose of sexy red-head.

When the rumors started spreading about Jay moving back to 11:35pm ET/ 10:35pm CT last Thursday, I was furious. I had already railed against the Jay Leno show as being completely unfair to Conan and now the idiots in charge of NBC were handing the Tonight Show back to the large-chinned buffoon. Immediately, I jumped on my Twitter and Facebook accounts to proclaim my love for Coco. I had seen the power of social media and the internet in cases like getting NBC’s My Name Is Chuck back for a third season, getting a wrap-up mini-series for the sci-fi show Farscape, and getting Michael Shanks to come back to Stargate SG-1. I was hoping that with sites like Twitter and Facebook, I and other fans of Conan could rally, maybe even sway the executives into keeping Conan. I’m still hoping that’s possible. I will refuse to watch any other host of the Tonight Show at 11:35pm. Conan O’Brien is the rightful host in my eyes.

Yes, I get it. Leno appeals to an older crowd that has grown used to his bland, often times mean-spirited humor. Conan is the future. He appeals to the younger, 18-49 demographic. He’s edgier and steps over the “line” (whatever that means) at times. But that’s why we love him. I will never forget Conan jumping onto his desk after being flipped off by William Shatner. I laughed my ass off for days about that. I showed it to all my friends and they loved it. Conan just needs time for people to adjust to him like they did with Leno after Johnny Carson left. It’s only been seven months. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Nor seven months. I believe that if Conan is allowed to stay on at 11:35pm ET/10:35pm CT that he will flourish and eventually take over the ratings, just as Leno did all those years ago.

I support Conan’s decision to walk away if NBC forces him to do something that he believes will compromise the integrity of his show. I will follow him to another network if that’s what he chooses to walk away. If he decides to quit television, I will bid him a fond farewell and cherish the many laughs that he has given to me. Through this whole debacle, kerfuffle, shake-up, whatever you want to call it, Conan has been classy. Here’s hoping that NBC and Leno have been taking lessons. Don’t hold your breath though. Something tells me this isn’t over yet.

Viva Conando! Team Conan!

I'm With Coco!