**Click on the pictures for the larger version**
James Marsters at Metrocomics - Santa Barbara 5/5/00 - 5/7/00

me and james

I flew to LA with a friend to meet up with some friends we know from the internet, and we all went to a James Marsters autograph signing in Santa Barbara. A few interesting tidbits came up, so I thought I'd share. His IQ is in the 150s...I believe 158. And they drink a horrible raspberry syrup concoction as blood on the show.

And this is the part that happened while I was getting my picture signed. It's actually more of an "I'm a total dork who should not be allowed near celebrities story" but whatever. I had drawn him two charcoal sketches of Liz Stauber, who'd been his girlfriend for years. One was of the two of them, and one was of just her. Also I had a picture I had drawn of him that I was thinking about getting him to sign, and since I left the magazine I wanted signed at the hotel and I didn't want to buy a new picture I was sort of stuck with it. Anyway. I had the pictures of Liz to give him when I went up so I waited for him to finish talking to the person in front of me. When he was done I opened the folder and tried to explain about the pictures. I said something like...these are of your girlfriend. He looked at the picture of himself that he had already signed and I think realized for the first time that it was drawn, not a photo. And I said, I thought you'd rather have a picture of someone other than yourself. So I said that awkwardly and he kind of chuckled and said...actually, we're breaking up. Then I basically was completely horrified, because I had been joking during the whole trip about how horrible it would be to give him a picture of his girlfriend if on some off chance they had broken up. And how if it had been a bad break-up it would be like rubbing salt in the wounds. Anyway, I was totally flabbergasted and said something like I'm sorry. Meanwhile all my friends were laughing because they all knew I had been talking about that possibility. He said something about how he still has pictures of her, and that the likeness was incredible. And I was still in horrified shock, and I told him that I SAID what if he's broken up with her, how horrible would that be. And I started to cry...well, not really, but my eyes got teary and I did that little sniffle thing. So he got up and reached across the table and hugged me, and I hugged him back. He said something about how he could tear himself out of the one of him and her. In my confusion and nervousness I also tried to run my hand through my hair, forgetting that I had put clips in it and I almost pulled my hair out before I realized it. Anyway he mentioned the fact that I had spent so much time on them. I said honestly it was only 30 minutes, and that he could tear it, toss it, or burn it, whatever he wanted. He said all he had done was sign the picture of him I drew, and me being in utter confusion I said that was fine and snatched it back. Of course later I kicked myself several times for not saying could you put my name on it. Cause now it looks like he drew it. Sigh.

Then we went outside to wait in the Polaroid line. And thankfully by the time it was finally our turn for pictures, I had recovered my composure. :) I put my stuff down and smiled at him to show him I wasn't psychotic < g > when I went over to take the pictures. Then he said...aww, sweetie, and told me to "come here." And he hugged me for the picture. One of my friends wanted to get a picture with him and all of us together, so we did that. But they ran out of film right as we were posing, so we hung around. And James said that is was okay with him if he got to spend more time with his harem. :)

The Buffy Set
buffy set from across the streetbuffy set a little closer

We parked on a residential street. There was a trailor park right across the street and Dare joked about those being the stars' trailers. Then we headed across the street to look at the lot. The gate was closed, which apparently it wasn't the last time Tara went. But we walked along the outside of the fence. You could see the black spikes of the fence that lines the "graveyard," some lights, and the curve of something like a mausleum front poking up above the fence. Most of the fence was lined with blacktarp so you couldn't see in. But there was a slash in the tarp, just perfect for viewing mainstreet Sunnydale. I used my zoom and got a couple pretty good pics. I also tried for a couple of the back of the SUN Cinemas sign. I really wanted that considering how important that sign has been to Buffy and Angel...their movie, Amends, and Faith shooting Angel. Those pics didn't come out at all though...there's just white on the film.

mainstreet sunnydalemainstreet sunnydaleback of the Sun sign

Tara had been talking about the cheesiness factor of the graveyard. And a couple people were standing on tiptoe and climbing on a little elevated thing to look over the fence. I tried it and am too short to see anything. So Tara told me to get on her shoulders, and I was like...no. But then I did, after I put down my camera so I could grip the fence with both hands, and was really scared cause it was precarious, and she told me to let go of the fence but I didn't for a sec. Then I did and she started walking along the sidewalk. She stopped and got on the elevated thing, and I pulled myself up and by doing this I saw the inside wall of the graveyard, extreme green ivy and all. I also saw a guard and told them that he was there. Then she took me down a little further and I saw the outside of the graveyard wall. And the guard yelled "What are you doing?" Tara lifted me over her head and put me down, really fast, without warning, and we all pretty much ran away. But then a car went into the lot so I got a couple pictures before the gate closed up again.
through the gatethrough the gate

I also took a picture of a sign outside the Buffy lot that says private property, along with our feet < g >. And we drove by the Paramount lot where Angel shoots, so I took a quick drive by picture of that too.
stepping on private propertyhi angel.  bye angel!