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Monday, December 9, 2013

The Ottawa Pop Expo 2013

This past weekend was a big weekend for Ottawa natives as it was the first ever Ottawa Pop Expo! I was lucky enough to attend and witness fans of all types of pop culture and entertainment there to celebrate and show off their awesome cosplay.  There were also quite a few big names present to take pictures, sign autographs and participate in Q&A's, amongst them were Tom Felton, Norman Reedus, Jason Mamoa, Sean Patrick Flannery, Ernie Hudson, Cosplay legends Monika Lee and Jessica Nigri, and so many more!  There was also an abundance of unique vendors and insane stuff for sale.

But seriously, I couldn't get enough of the Cosplay. A+++++++++



The first Q&A I attended was Tom Felton's and the room was packed with fans and Harry Potter vibes. Tom is visibly a cool and humble guy, he reminds me of any one of my guy friends to be honest, he just happens to have appeared in a few movies...Each Q&A lasted about 45 minutes where fans were invited to line up to ask questions.

The Boondock Saints Q&A was probably the most popular one, the room was overflowing with guests trying to get a glimpse of Sean Patrick Flannery, David Della Rocco and The Walking Dead's Norman Reedus. It was also probably the funniest pannel I attended with Norman promising that the last 8 episodes of TWD were to not be missed. I think he also wins the award for nicest celebrity ever, every fan I met was gushing about how much of a nice guy he was and how he took his time with everyone despite the never-ending line up.


There was plenty for fans to do all day from a Star Wars:Kid's Hour with 501st and Rebel Legions to wrestling matches. The first night of the con was concluded with the 2013 Pop Expo Masquerade where Cosplayers of all levels were invited to model their outfits.

On Sunday, the winners of that masquerade were crowned and stars of The Walking Dead, Scott Wilson, Sarah Wayne Callies, and Lew Temple got on stage for a Q&A. There was also a crazy Doctor Who 50th Anniversary pannel featuring Neve McIntosh and Sylvester McCoy that lasted about two hours. 

Jessica Nigri and Monika Lee also had their own Q&A where fans serenaded Monika for her 21st birthday and were given cosplay tips by the coolest ladies on the block. I knew enough about Cosplay and the big players beforehand, but learning more about it from experts gave me a whole other perception and appreciation for Cosplay. And yes, I'm totally into it. 




The final event I attended was Jason Mamoa's Q&A which was probably the most easy going Q&A that there was.  Jason was sipping on Guiness and entertaining the crowd while ladies swooned (no, I'm serious). One fan asked Jason if she could have his can of beer when he was done with it and he promptly finished up his can before walking over to her and giving it to her. The lady freaked out and it was one of the funniest things I had seen all weekend.


I walked around the convention all weekend with my friend and contributor, Marcia photographing all the bad-assness that was present.  Evidently, I had too many pictures and too many videos to fit into this post so I made a big recap video and all of the pictures are now available on my Facebook page. 



When the lines eventually died down I was lucky enough to meet and talk to Tom Felton once on Saturday and again on Sunday just to say hey and also tell him how excited I was for his upcoming film, Belle, which I think took him by surprise since most people had mentioned Harry Potter. I also got to talk to Jessica Nigri (and take a selfie with her!) who was the sweetest person eveerr!11!!! Before we left I talked to Jason Mamoa to have a little chat as well. They were as cool and humble as you'd expect them to be, celebrities are just like us GUYSSS!!181!!

I know for a fact that this event wouldn't be as cool and fun if it weren't for the amazing volunteers. I don't know what it was, but I loved being able to just talk to them about whatever and share my interests with them. They were so awesome and sweet, so big shout out to them! I'd also like to thank Leeja for the opportunity to be there.

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