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There may never be a convention like this again, but this Flanvention will be an unforgettable one for those 500 people who spent the weekend at the Airport Hilton in Burbank. Nearly the entire crew of the Serenity was there to meet and greet with fans that made Firefly and Serenity possible. It turned out to be a very special Christmas gift to the fans. It started on December 9th with some short opening statements to the crowd. Nathan couldn't make it because he had some filming to do, although there was a rumor of secret medical procedures. Those who spent more than 700 bucks for the weekend got the best deal with photo ops of the stars, a cocktail party and a banquet. I was the $253 range, but there was still plenty to do. There were screenings from the show, and an early cut of Done the Impossible, the documentary of how Firefly fans made Serenity possible. They also showed the bonus disc from the Buffy Chosen collection. The roundtable discussion by Joss and some notable Buffy alumni is interesting, more lively than Inside the Actor's Studio. I'll say one other thing.....Camden Toy is made for tuxedos.

The men led off the series of weekend panels. It was the first time all the guys have been together since the premiere last fall. Nathan has been busy with new projects, as has Adam Baldwin. Nathan also bragged he's seen Alan Tudyk in Spamalot three times--for free. Ron Glass was a judge for the Miss USA pageant.Sean apparently has been working on his hair, but he was also in Ghost Whisperer, too.  As for him not being there on Friday, Nathan was busy doing an indie called Waitress, where he's a gynacologist--and Keri Russell is one of his patients. Luc-kyyyyyyyyy.... This isn't exactly a complete rundown of what happened, so I'll list the more interesting comments. First off, we found out that the guys have taken some souvenirs from the show:  Alan got his jumpsuit, Ron got some socks (but wanted part of his Shepherd Book wardrobe), Sean got his boots (but not his vests, so many of them), Nathan got some Alliance cash, a holster and a replica gun (although he claims he got the ship's steering wheel, much to Alan's chagrin). Nathan got something else...a souvenir from Klondike Days, a piece of his childhood in Edmonton. That was from me. He also talked about how fans were raising thousands of bucks to buy his original Browncoat. For the record, they fell short, but they did raise eight grand for Equality Now. Of course, they also said they'd do a sequel or series...but Nathan hopes a new series will look like the movie. Ron would do it too, if they made a small change--like Book is alive (or maybe Wash). Well, Nathan explained that there was this meeting, and two people didn't show up. So....(Actually, we really know why). Nathan also commented about the cast getting a free trip to the 2002 World Series, so that they can plug their show (since Fox also airs the Series).

They also talked about their days in high school. Alan spent a lot of it skateboarding and wearing a sombrero. Sean spent a lot of time on the stage in between classes. Ron was about to talk about his classes, when Natahn went on and on about how Ron may have had to tie his horse before coming to class with Nellie Olsen (for you Little House fans). Actually, Ron was a bright student living in Indiana, but was worried about the bigger kids. Adam had his concerns, although he learned quickly that popularity in high school was overrated. Asfor Nathan, his parents were teachers, which is why he values an education. If not for daytime dramas, Mr. Fillion would be somewhere in Edmonton teaching high school. He says high school teaches one to "play the game", and that a moment of tragedy could be a funny story later. Speaking of funny stories, how about the one where Nathan had to prepare for his nude scene in "Trash"? He says when a woman has a nude scene, only a few people are allowed. For Nathan, it was half the Fox staff. Hey, he's a rugged guy. Then they got to favorite scenes... For Nathan, it was when Simon gets shot, and says "my bag" because duty calls, even when he's injured. Of cours,e you know what happens next. Adam's choice was when Simon wonders if River has a split personality, and a look for her answers that question. Sean's choice was when River fought the Reavers, comparing it to opera. Alan chose Mal's "rescue" attempt for Inara. Ron had only two scenes.

We actually had a proposal between two fans, with Nathan's help. Erin Fitzgerald got a proposal from her boyfriend, Thor. She said yes, of course. You should have seen them do Paradise By The Dashboard Light at the karaoke.

Ron and Alan later asked about their death scenes. Both said it was a first for them. Ron said Nathan made it easier for him, while Alan said they did a lot of joking during his scene, since it took a lot of time to do. We also learn the way to a happy crew is one that does a lot of jokes. While Nathan had his share of jokes, mainly a competition between he and Jewel over the Middle Finger, he's also the target. Adam once put zip ties for garbage bags, and put them in the driveshaft on Nathan's new car. Seems Nathan bragged about having a new car a bit too much. However, you can credit Nathan for printing some goofy pictures of Adam all over the bar scene. They came from a gift calendar he once got. How goofy? Picture Alan 13 years old, wearing a yellow suit. As for more differences between Serenity and Firefly, Mal's trousers were canvas on TV, cotton in the movie, making them less tight. You don't hear Chinese too often, even in westerns. Nathan said that when he was told he'd speak a little Chinese, he thought "how bad could it be"? It soon got to "how worse can it get?" Ron was surprised how obscene the phrases got. Good thing the FCC never caught on. How does this compare to being an evil preacher on Buffy? Nathan said it was an interesting role, since he could be so mean while being so pleasant. Nice skill. He was also surpised how durable the Buffy doubles could be during fight scenes. Adam agreed, when he had fight scenes with Angel doubles on that show. Then someone suggested a fight between Caleb and Hamilton (Adam's role). Nathan thought Caleb would win because he had the Lord (or the First) on his side. Now some recollections of the auditions...Adam was up against Richard Tyson. How different would Jayne be then? Alan looked at one of the actors, and wondered how that guy could be the captain. "That guy" was Sean. But could you accept Neal McDonough, the ambitious D-A from Boomtown, as Mal Reynolds? It almost happened that way. Nathan sasy when he got the job, he was asked not to tell the other actors up for the role. It was tough for Nathan, since Neal was a friend. So, Nathan had to go. Cost him a coat. Alan said he was nervous, but Joss relaxed him. It helped that he looked like a lumberjack. They were also asked about their "favorite" girls. Alan chose Gina, while Sean couldn't decide. Ron said Morena, because he liked to comment on her costumes, such as "what is this, an f------ carnival?"  Nathan let his t-shirt do the talking...a picture of Jewel, with the word "shiny" on it. They also asked the crowd to keep it a secret. Yeah, sure.