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Thursday, 21 December 2017

There Was Something Strange In Manchester's Bowlers Exhibition Centre... And It Looked Pretty Good!


On the first weekend of December, with my wife, Sian, and two friends, Anthony and Ben, I attended the For the Love of Sci-Fi Comic Con at the Bowler’s Exhibition Centre in Manchester. It’s been a pretty busy year for me, with my wedding in February, followed by a three-month trip (aka “greedy honeymoon”) around the world, but it might surprise you to learn that my weekend in Manchester is quite easily one of the most memorable of the year. I have to be careful when saying such things, though, but if you’re reading this, Sian, just remember - we got married on a Friday!

The event took place over the weekend and was a huge turn-out. And though I knew it had sold-out beforehand, I hadn’t anticipated that it would be so incredibly busy. But for me, this simply heightened the atmosphere of it all, helping to generate a buzz in the air stronger than The Force of any Jedi. Movie props occupied the main hall area and included the Batwing from Tim Burton’s Batman, the Loader from Aliens, an X-Wing from the Star Wars films, Hagrid’s Hut from the Harry Potter franchise, and none other than the Ecto-1 from the Ghostbusters films.

Ever seen me and Bruce Wayne together? Exactly

We weren't told to get away from her, so all was well

Someone called..?

The guest line-up was equally colourful: William Shatner, David Hasselhoff, Ian MacDiarmid, Billy Dee Williams, Dolph Lundgren, to name but a few, as well as two in particular whose attendance had drawn us to the event in the first place – Ghostbuster Winston Zeddemore himself, Ernie Hudson, and Jennifer Runyon, who played the unforgettably-beautiful college student at the beginning of Ghostbusters (1984), with whom Bill Murray’s Peter Venkman is flirting while he spitefully electrocutes the student he’s trying to get rid of.

In fact, besides the venue’s line-up and its fair share of retro merchandise - which made me feel like a child lost in a toy store’s warehouse on Christmas in the 80s - even more nostalgic was spending time with the likes of those whose respective action figures I actually owned as a child. Not that I've ever recovered my He-Man or Winston Ghostbusters action figures, for example, but now I feel much-less guilty having actually seen Dolph Lundgren on-stage and in the flesh during his Q&A, and having actually spent an evening with Ernie Hudson, along with the wonderful Jennifer Runyon...

The Cantina Bar: Who had a shot first?

Go home, Sian. You're drunk

Glass of Prosecco? WE GOT ONE!

Yes, we enjoyed an evening with both Ernie and Jennifer on the Friday before the Comic Con event had even started! Consisting of some twenty fans, the “VIP” experience, run by the same organiser, took place at the same location, specifically at the centre’s very own “Cantina Bar”. If you’re not familiar with Star Wars, the name probably won’t mean much to you, but to add some context, it’s the galactically-diverse bar where we first meet Han Solo in the original film. Lifelike alien props occupied the booths and the bar, though it’s already obvious that we were far more interested in its more animated and more human patrons, Ernie and Jennifer.

But before the champagne and the special screening of the original Ghostbusters, both actors were chauffeured into the venue in the Ecto-1 itself, with its iconic siren blaring while escorted by American police cars. When it pulled to a stop, and the two exited the car, I felt my hair raise more than it would have had a free-floating, full-torso, vaporous apparition phased right through me. Simply put, it was very surreal. Sian and I had already met Ernie two years before at the Optimus Comic Convention in Torquay, but this time around I was no less star-struck – not to mention he was joined by Jennifer Runyon! After greetings and selfies, we all made our way up to the bar where we were given free champagne and the opportunity to mingle with the two.

"Is it a star?" Yes - it's the amazing Jennifer Runyon

How has this guy just turned 72?!

We arrived in style

Quite hilariously, Ernie managed to spoil his TV show, Oz, for Ben. Not that Ben complained. After all, who else would you call for such a spoiler? Ernie was as relaxed and as down-to-earth as ever, echoing the loveable qualities of his on-screen, ghost-busting counterpart. It was also great to hear how Jennifer is very good friends with the equally-wonderful Robin Shelby, who played Slimer in Ghostbusters II and Mrs Slimer in the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot, and who Sian and I also met at the Optimus Comic Con back in 2015. Jennifer was simply wonderful, warm and exuded so much positivity. On that note, perhaps they could have done with her in the 1989 sequel to fend-off all that negatively-charged ectoplasm that was flowing beneath Manhattan! 

The weekend event itself was, of course, just as Ghostbusters-heavy. Not only did the Ecto-1 remain in the main hall for photo shoots, both Ernie and Jennifer returned for a Q&A session on-stage with the director and producer of upcoming documentary, Cleanin’ Up the Town: Remembering Ghostbusters, Anthony and Claire Bueno, both of whom we also had the absolute pleasure of meeting the following day in the middle of the crowds! With a full rough cut of the film now in existence, it’s only a matter of time before it comes stomping along with as much presence as a certain 112-and-a-half foot anthropomorphic marshmallow did back in 1984.

Anthony, Jennifer, Ernie and Claire take to the stage

Cleanin' Up the Town - but this time it's not by The Bus Boys

The wonderful Anthony and Claire Bueno

With an opportunity for questions during the Ghostbusters Q&A, the microphone was passed around the audience. However, I suddenly found myself too nervous to ask anything. Not that it had anything to do with being star-struck (after all, I had not long spent an evening in the company of both the actors), but it was more to do with standing up in the middle of a large crowd. It’s never been my forte. That said, my question would have just been around the stars' hopes for the future of the franchise.

On reflection, though, it doesn’t really matter. The answer was already staring me in the face: the franchise is now stronger than ever, with thanks to the likes of Ernie and Jennifer’s presence on the Comic Con circuit, and Anthony and Claire Bueno’s enormous dedication in producing what will undoubtedly be a documentary of biblical proportions. That, and I’m sure all of our streams will cross again soon…

Another star in my eyes

Did they want me to take this picture, because they look kinda miffed

I hope someone moved that car...

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