This year’s All-Con for 2014 would take place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Addison. For four days and nights, the area would be treated to a tiny taste of various attractions for all forms of Nerd-dom. I made my way over on the opening evening, excitedly anticipating eye-catching costumes, great intellectual conversations and, most importantly, opportunities to learn new things and potentially cultivate new interests and expand my horizons.
I walked around the floor, taking in the atmosphere, which was sparsely populated with some interesting costumes and makeup effects. In particular, I came across an armor-clad angel, with great, feathered wings, reminiscent of the dream sequences of “Brazil.” There was also a quartet of very impressive Star Wars costumes, ranging from Darth Vader to Boba Fett. Aside from those, primarily it was the lone room situated front and center that received my attention, along with the typical Nerd Girl wardrobes. Inside the aforementioned room was nothing too elaborate, but I DID stumble across some interesting plants at one table, plus a pamphlet of information on bats and why they matter to us. The wardrobes I mentioned should go without saying. Is there ever a bad time and place to view bare legs and large bust lines?
My first trip was to the Addison Room for a learning experience on the Cultural Imagery of Gotham City and Metropolis. As I strolled in, I noticed only a few others awaiting the presentation. The room was set up much like a college classroom, complete with a big board, a large pull-down screen and stadium-style seating. I headed the old words of a high school teacher and made my way to the front row, so I could have fewer distractions and greater amounts of concentration. As I sat there, a pounding migraine had begun to water my left eye and spread pain to my neck and temple. I felt a bead of sweat trickle down the side of my face, waiting and waiting for the presenter to arrive. In the interest of the experience, I decided to pull out my cell phone and make use of my favorite mobile app to learn a bit more about Gotham City and Metropolis…
Did you know that Gotham City was not known to be Batman’s place of residence until the fourth comic book was issued? As for Metropolis, could there be a more boring name for a fictional city? I suppose it makes since. Superman himself is as equally uninteresting, at least in principle. Forgive me for sounding a little biased, but Batman, although not as naturally gifted as Superman, makes for a more inspiring hero, in my view.
As I pondered all this and my headache subsided, the clock showed that a half hour had passed since the time slot for the presentation was to commence. At this point, my face felt flushed and the room temperature was wearing my patience thin. I looked around and proceeded to leave the remaining well-dressed ladies in my dust, so to speak. I believe they followed suit. Hey, maybe I AM a charismatic leader, after all, haha!
My next venture was to the Chinaberry Room for a time with Disney Characters Come to Life! Who didn’t grow up admiring and enjoying the on-screen presence of countless animated figures, right? Little did I know that this was to me little more than a second rate sing-along. I was given a ticket stub as I entered, which was to be an enticing form of persuasion to stay for the entire show. Even if the game I stood to win for my Nintendo DS were a “kids” game, I am indeed a child at heart. What Nerd isn’t?
As I gazed upon the ensemble of Disney characters, I noticed two things right away: most of the characters were from films 1989 and on AND they were all women. Yes, even the male roles. It was kind of like an opposition to an old Shakespeare play, not that there’s anything wrong with that. The part of Ariel(“The Little Mermaid”) was the leader and it was no accident. She had the best singing voice and played her part with great charm and humility, much like the Ariel I remembered from my childhood. If I had to select a runner-up, it would be the performance of Belle(“Beauty and the Beast”). She seemed a bit timid, but that seemed to work well for the character, even if it was accidental.
As for the rest of the women, they mostly either lacked stage presence or talent or both. Possibly the worst was that of Ursula(“The Little Mermaid”). She was flat as a character and mediocre as a singer. Admittedly, that would be a difficult role for most to fulfill, but I still stand by my position.
By the time a plus-sized version of Jasmine(“Aladdin”) led the vocals to a song that was sung by the title character in the actual movie, I was losing interest at a rapid rate. By the way, I say “plus-sized” not to be demeaning or insulting, but strictly as an obvious perception. Factually, I liked it anyhow, but I digress…
I could easily say that the prospect of obtaining a prize was the only thing keeping me in my seat, but that would be a slight deception on my part. I was openly smiling, just as the real kids and kids at heart in the room were. There’s something about nostalgia that always tickles us pink, don’t you think? Yes, the show was hammy or cheesy or corny(I prefer cheese, myself) and, in the end, the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” quality was not enough to keep me too entertained, but I took a trip down memory lane and walked out feeling more uplifted than when I went in. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stick around to see if I had, indeed, won the sought-after DS game I fancied, but hopefully Poison Ivy took home the bacon and, perhaps, even thought of me in the process. Er, maybe not.
The sun was no doubt setting on the outside of the hotel and I was still looking for greater satisfaction at All-Con. Thankfully, the best was saved for last. A band of Nerds and NO, I don’t mean the musical kind, had set up a live broadcast for their internet-based show, 80s Prime Time, in the Maple Room. How could it miss? A nice group of Nerds from all ages and walks of life talking about ALL things 1980s! Needless to say, it was a lot of fun and was the one time during the evening in which I actually wished it could’ve gone a bit longer. It’s hard to break this down, because the topics ranged from all sorts of iconic memories, but I was pleased to be a part of the discussion and I truly believe everyone had a great time. If I could point out one thing that really grabbed me, it was the “Back to the Future Part II” hat(I think if you are a fan, you know what hat I am talking about) worn by one of the hosts. If there had been one thing I would’ve liked to include, it would be a trivia game of some sort. After all, Trivial Pursuit was a great game of the 80s and what could be better than a trivia game based on the 1980s? There’s my attempt at being hypothetical AND rhetorical simultaneously. How’d I do?
That did it for me at the 2014 All-Con. All in all, I left on a high note and even found myself humming the tunes of some of my favorite Disney songs. The people put forth a great effort to make as many of us Nerds happy as possible. I don’t regret attending and I know that many more made their way out as the weekend rolled along. I hope that YOU had a chance to go out as well, but if not, remember the old saying, “Wait until next year!”
