The man smelled of orange soda. When he spoke, his breath carried a hint of cat food. He spoke about her beauty, strength and wit. You’d think he was talking about his girlfriend, but no. He only wished he was. The man was talking about Kristen Bell as he stood in a line to meet the ‘Veronica Mars’ and ‘Heroes’ star.
No, it wasn’t me, although I was in the same line for my chance to meet the beautiful actress at Big Apple Comic Convention’s ‘The National’ in New York City at the Penn Plaza Pavilion/Hotel Pennsylvania, held Nov. 16 to 18.
As any connoisseur of fan culture knows, conventions are always an experience ‘ to say the least.
The sights and smells can be overwhelming. This convention emitted an aroma of McDonald’s and body odor as fans walked around in costume getting autographs. Welcome to geekdom.
Leading up to the convention, I was a nervous wreck. I thought I had blown my chance at having a conversation with Veronica Mars herself in 2005 when I went to a cast meet-and-greet. Suddenly the chance presented itself to me again and I had to take it. Anybody who knows me knows of my obsession with the series ‘Veronica Mars,’ the little show that could ‘ until it was canceled.
I was told to be at the photo area at 3 p.m., so I showed up at 1. There was already a line.
I joined my fan-boy brethren, including the man who smelled of orange soda, and waited patiently. We were all there for the same reason. Kristen Bell had made such an impact on us that we wanted to feel connected to her, even if only through a photo or brief conversation.
I wanted to make an impression, so I brought a gift: a copy of The Format’s sophomore album ‘Dog Problems,’ my favorite CD.
When the line began to move, I felt the butterflies take flight in my stomach. Was I going to freeze up or make a fool out of myself? At that point, all signs pointed to yes ‘ to both.
The time had come. I was given permission to give her the CD and I walked up to her.
‘Hey,’ I said, trying to play it cool.
‘Hi, I’m Kristen,’ she said, extending her hand for me to shake it.
‘Chris,’ I replied.
We posed. I did my best not to flash a huge, creepy grin and ended up with an awkward smile, making it a really awkward photo.
I pulled the CD out of my pocket and told her it had changed my life. She gasped and smiled warmly and took it from my hands. As I was being ushered away from the photo area I turned back and saw her put the CD in her jacket pocket.
I was elated to see that she wasn’t simply handing it off to one of her people.
After the photo-op I called a few friends and recounted the story play by play, which drew gasps and screams. They knew what this meant to me.
About an hour later, I ventured back to the 18th floor with my older brother in tow. I navigated the sea of fans that were waiting for a photo with ‘Heroes’ star Hayden Panettiere and grabbed my 8×10 photo with Kristen Bell from the table. Making my way through the throng to the elevator, I felt somebody grab my shoulder. I turned. Kristen Bell stood there, looking up at me.
‘Hey, thanks again for the CD,’ she said, beaming.
I grinned. A huge, face-consuming grin. ‘You’re welcome,’ I said, and we went our separate ways.