Pop culture fans returned to the Colorado Convention Center with cosplay and smiles. Fan Expo Denver: Special Edition put on a successful event over Halloween Weekend 2021 with everything attendees could have wanted but at 75% capacity. It was a great show! A fun way to celebrate the spooky weekend this 3-day event packed in so many activities. Expert panels where topics were covered and conversations were had with topics such as Dungeon Master Class panels, Paranormal panels, MCU Trivia, Cosplay advice, fun kid’s activities, and so many more. The excitement was felt through the hallways and outside the convention center as it had been far too long that most of these attendees had come together.
Of course, there were the celebrity Q&As. Shining the way was Sunday’s storytelling from Captain Kirk himself, William Shatner. Literally back from outer space, he had incredible stories to tell. Other celebs in the spotlight were Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell from “Battlestar Galactica,” Melanie Scrofano and Tim Rozon from “Wynonna Earp,” Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum from “Smallville,” Billie Piper and Christopher Eccleston from “Doctor Who,” Michael Rooker, Zachary Quinto, James Marsters, Ray Fisher, Felicia Day, Katie Cassidy, and randomly, comedian Jon Lovitz. Popular voice actors like Rob Paulsen, Paige O’Hara, Barbara Dunkelman, and more. Comic creators like Mike Grell, Jae Lee, Matt Campbell, and that list went on and on. Each had their own story to share and fans lined up to hear them.
Here are some highlights of the weekend.
Celebrity Q&A
William Shatner walked on to the stage and left the stage with a full standing ovation. What a thrill it was to be entertained by his stories. “The Shat” swam with sharks for Shark Week. He’d done it all, so what was left? Become an astronaut!
Shatner shared his stories about flying into outer space on Blue Origin’s recent flight. He told the audience about how he was told to “walk like an astronaut”, and what the training was like, and that he refused to wear a daiper into space! Shatner also joked about how he, while weightless and prepping to re-enter Earth’s orbit, could not get one of the safety straps buckled. He spent his 3 minutes of weightlessness looking out the window at the beauty of our planet, and that a thin beautiful blue layer of atmosphere was protecting it.
Melanie Scrofano & Tim Rozon expressed how satisfied they were with the ending of “Wynonna Earp.” Rozon said “either you’re going to cry or you’re going to hate it.” Both were in costumes as it was Halloween, and were all smiles and quite funny.
The “Wynonna Earp” stars shared how wonderful it was to work with eachother. A fan asked what it was like to explore the darker side of their characters. Melanie said that it felt so real and it was a bit difficult because she would stay in the scene emotionally, while Tim could jump in and out.
Billie Piper was a delight. She was sweet, funny, and clever. Piper wore black pants, a long black coat, and black shoes with spikes on them! When told that SHE should be the next Doctor, she said no way. 9 months of filming with a 3-year-old was not going to cut it for her. She actually said that Russell T. Davies should be the next Doctor.
She has started work on ‘I Hate Suzie’ on HBO Max. As far as her favorite “Doctor Who” episodes, they were Tooth and Claw, Father’s Day, and her final episodes.
Giancarlo Esposito was larger than life in person. He first wanted to be an archeologist, travel and discover. Esposito spoke with elloquence and power as he talked about moving people from one consciousness to another. He wants people to step away from their phones and actually “see” people. “If you see others, they will see you too”
Working on “The Mandalorian” made him feel like a kid in a candy store. RE: “Breaking Bad,” he was drawn to that project to work with Vince Gilligan.
Michael Rosenbaum & Tom Welling were hilarious. Rosenbaum did conform that there is a ‘Smallville’ animated project in the works. When asked what Rosenbaum hated about his character, he replied that he kept getting his ass kicked. Welling asked that all questions were prefaced by saying “kneel to Zod.” Hilarious panel!
Zachary Quinto states that he had not watched ‘Star Trek’ until he earned the role of Spock.
When asked by an audience member about goals, he responded that he wanted to put on a production of Sweeny Todd one day
Panel started off in the Halloween spirit by chatting about ‘The Haunting’ being his favorite horror film of all time. He also talked about being “old school” and that he didn’t actually like the romance between Rose and The Doctor. He said that their relationship went much deeper.
Edward James Olmos & Mary McDonnell: They began their panel dancing in honor of a devoted fan that had just passed away. It was so sweet of them.
Olmos said that after he did ‘Blade Runner’ he’d never do another sci-fi show, and the BSG script sucked him in; it was so good. Olmos also described how the final scene with Mary McDonnell was by far the most difficult scene. They were both crying.
Felicia Day chatted about everything from “Supernatural” to “Eureka” to “Geeks and Sundry.” Day does everything with her whole heart. The best day ever on set as on “The Magicians” because the rest of the cast so so young. She mentioned that she’d never laughed harder then being around Jeff Lewis in “The Guild.”
Cosplay Creativity
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One of the afternoon highlights was a Red Carpet Cosplay where fans grabbed their time in the spotlight to show off their creativity and hard work.
Merchandise Mania
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Mark July 1-3, 2022 on those calendars when Fan Expo Denver will return with a full-sized show so stay tuned.
Written & photographed by Colleen Bement
Barefoot and nerdy writer/editor of Nerd Alert News. She lives and breathes all things geeky entertainment. A social media addict, she soaks up all life has to offer! Green Tea snob.
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