Top Five Calgary Entertainment Expo Moments

For the past ten years I have attended the Calgary comic and entertainment Expo. I’ve been going to it every single year since the first year. It has been quite amazing watching the expo grow from a meager 3000 to the 102,000 we had attend this year.

Over the past ten years I’ve seen a great deal of change. Most of the change has been good, some of it – not so good.

For the most part it has been an excellent experience for me. If it was not for the expo, I would never have gotten into Cosplay. Sure, laugh all you want, but it is something that I found I really enjoy now.

There are really two aspects of the Expo which keep bringing me back each and every year. First are the celebrities. That is the main reason I buy tickets each year, to get a chance to meet the celebrities that come. At this point in time, I have met 74 different actors from the various shows I have watched over the years.

The other aspect I love are the cosplayers. Seeing all the people dressed in costume and seeing the amount of work and effort they have put into their masterpieces. Some have been beyond belief, they are so incredible. Others… well at least they tried!

This top five list covers my favorite encounters with the various celebrities I have had the pleasure of meeting. Most of them are merely okay – they see fans all the time and after a while it can get pretty old. I’ve had some bad experiences too, but they are few and far between, thank god!

So, in no particular order, here are my favorite memories. Well, the first one deserves to be in the number one position, but after reading, you will understand the reason why – especially if you happen to know my likes and dislikes. Oh and yes, the article says my top five, but I’m sharing all my favorite memories.

So there!

1. Bill Paxton – He’s well known for many roles, but he will always be ‘Hudson’ in my mind. I had the pleasure of meeting him in 2014 and the meeting is my favorite memory and probably always will be. He really enjoyed my armor, which is a replica of the Colonial Marine armor worn in ‘Aliens’. We talked briefly, and I decided to play him my ring-tone on my iPhone. As it turns out it’s his death-scene from Aliens. He loved it! He laughed and before I knew what was happening, reached across the table, grabbed me by the chest-plate and autographed my armor. The guy charges $80 for his autograph, so needless to say, it was incredible!
2. Giancarlo Esposito – This actor is probably best known for his role as Gus in ‘Breaking Bad’. I know him best as Tom Neville from the series ‘Revolution’. My memory of meeting him was when he had fun with two youngsters, who were in line ahead of us. One of them was carrying a Coco Brooks Pizza box, and when Giancarlo saw it, he asked if it was for him. The kid pulled it away, and Giancarlo asked what kind it was. The kid said pepperoni. At that point Giancarlo said it was his favorite. So he started to talk to the two kids, asking them what their favorite episodes of Breaking Bad were and so forth. It took a few minutes but finally the kid relaxed and put the box down. Giancarlo then grabbed the box and ran. It was hilarious! Especially the look on the boy’s faces!
3. Kristanna Loken – Back in 2013 I had not planned on meeting her or getting my photo with her. I liked her in Terminator 3, but that was the extent of it. Turns out she ended up giving me one of my favorite memories from that year. I saw no one was at her table, and I figured, what the hell. So I went up to say hello. When I got up there, she took one look at me and yelled ‘Chris! I have been waiting for you to come by and say hello all day! What took you so long?’ Of course I was flabbergasted. I had no idea what to say or do! I couldn’t figure out how the hell she knew who I was or my name for that matter. Then it hit me… my name was on my VIP pass, which of course was facing her and her assistant. They burst out laughing at the look on my face. I can’t say I blame them, and it turned out to be one of my favorite memories.
4. Ray Park – I do believe this encounter was back in 2009. It was his second appearance at the Expo and because my son and I train Shaolin Kung Fu, I decided we should meet him. So we got our photo with him and when Mr. Park noticed we had our studio crest on our shirts, he got excited! He asked if we trained and I said yes. He invited both of us to come see him at his table and he would give us a free autograph. That in on itself was damn cool. As it turned out we talked for about 20 minutes about training, favorite techniques and the like. He made instant fans of both of us that day, and I have been eagerly waiting to see him return. Hell of a nice guy!
5. Elvira – I have had a crush on her since I was a wee lad. When I found out she was coming to the Expo in 2010, I had to get a picture with her. She was so sweet when I went in for my photo, and when she saw my son standing nearby, she told me to bring him in. I refused, saying this was for dad only, and the fact I had a crush on her for so many years. I told her I would bring my handsome boy to say hello later. Sure enough, I did exactly that. We talked, and again, she was incredible! So funny and genuine! She took a look at Gary and said, yes, he is gorgeous, and he must have gotten his looks from his mother. Shot down in flames!  She then asked how old he was at the time, and I told her he just turned 16 in December. She said she had a daughter the same age and we should hook them up!
6. Michael Rooker – He’s been at the Expo two years in a row, first in 2013, and then again in 2014. I heard nothing but great stories about him, and last year near the end of the day on Saturday, I saw no one was at his table. So I figured I’d see if the stories I heard were true or not. Well, as I was walking up to him, he stood and shouted ‘Semper Fi, motherfucker! Heh, great way to start the conversation. So we started to talk, and he loved my armor. Turns out he was as great as I had been hearing. He took a selfie of the two of us, posted it on Twitter. He then signed my armor for free, even though he had nothing to do with Aliens. Who was I to complain? I was really tickled when I discovered he was in Guardians of the Galaxy. I really hope to be able to meet him again in the near future.
7. Lexa Doig – When I discovered she was half Filippino, I had to take Gary to meet her. Talk about a sweetheart! We talked for a few minutes about mixed heritage children, especially how beautiful they often turn out to be. She said it does happen on the occasion where they turn out homely, like her brother. She then took a selfie with Gary and posted in Twitter that same day, saying he was her long-lost brother. Shame I can’t find the photo, would have loved to have been able to share it.  Her husband, Michael Shanks, was also really open and friendly. Wonderful people to meet, both!
8. Paul McGillion – Loved his character Dr. Carson Beckett while he was on Stargate Atlantis. There was one particular episode, where he had to share a kiss with Rodney, which was absolutely hilarious! When I was waiting in line to get my photo with him, two girls in front of me told him they would donate cash to charity if he would kiss one of them while the photo was being taken. He did so. When it was my turn, I said hello, and he smiled. Then I held up one finger and said ‘Don’t kiss me!’. He laughed and said in the Scottish brogue ‘Aye laddie, but ye be so good looking!’. And thus another wonderful memory was born.