Looking Back At 2009

The decade is about to end.
I remember where I was when it was about to begin...literally staying up all night at KUBA in Yuba City, ringing in the New Year with slightly stale coffee, wondering if all the computers in the world would blow up once the new millennium would arrive.
They didn't. In fact, the computers of 2000 wouldn't be as smart as an iPod Nano today.

When I look back, it was a decent decade because I finally got to a major radio market, and will be sticking around for years to come unless the Super Lotto Plus fairy blesses me...and I'd still stay. I'd just have a retirement date in mind.
If nothing else, this decade brought me closer to the massive Whedon Family of Fans. I met some of the Scooby Gang members, and the original Buffy. I'm still waiting for Eliza, though, and meeting SMG would be great..if it's meant to be. She's the reason I'm hooked on Comic-Con. The other reason being I can go for free as part of the press.
Of course, the highlight was 2005 when I met the Firefly crew, Sunnydale High's Principal and Spike himself..and even saw the premiere of Serenity.

Anyway, here is my top ten moments for 2009:

10. Getting George Lucas and Arnold Schwartzenegger's autographs and photos at CA Museum.

That's part of the Hall of Fame Induction just after Thanksgiving. I had hoped to get Carol Burnett and John Madden as well but they zipped right by. It was the Night the '70s Returned..or at least the '70s I remember

9. The Mentalist Comes To Town

The popular CBS drama decided it was time to have some scenes in Sacramento, since that's where the show is set. Thus, I got some nice photos of Simon Baker, along with a hundred other people taking long lunches to see this piece of Hollywood

8. Nick Brendon in Santaland Diaries

Sometimes, there's a better way than visiting WonderCon or some such thing to see actors you remember from Buffy or Battlestar Galactica. In this case, it was seeing Nick Brendon act as a guy who shows us how making holiday cheer is much tougher than it looks. Throw in seeing "Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em" Improv with three members of the Guild, and you know the best live theater isn't necessarily at the Pantages.

7. Paley Festival

I brought a "doll" to the Dollhouse panel, pretending it was Laurence Dominic, but the big blast was seeing the last three episodes of Pushing Daisies at a time where it would be the only place where they'd be shown. It seemed a bit more magical, seeing that show at the Arclight Dome. The event has moved to Beverly Hills now, but at least I have a picture of me next to Vivian Charles.

6. Crowded Comic-Con

While I missed the Dollhouse crew, and two other panels because of long lines, and my laptop died just as I got to my hotel room, I shouldn't even call this a highlight because this was a less-than-perfect event. However, two events did save it for me: being among the first 250 people in the U-S, including Dominic Monaghan, to see Inglorious Basterds, and being part of the press for Whedonopolis. Seeing a Time Lord for the first time in 20 years was a treat, too. No matter how busy Matt Smith, aka Doctor XI, may be, BBC America has got to try to get him to San Diego next summer. They got John Barrowman there, and he better be welcome to L-A come Emmy time, too.

5. WonderCon

While I was not allowed to see a midnight showing of Watchmen because I was dumb enough to admit I was part of the press, it did work out. I got to meet Summer Glau and Shirley Manson up close, and Adam Baldwin, too. I'm worried the 2010 version in April may be flooded with Twilight fans again, but maybe they'll have a sneak preview of Kick-Ass, with Hit Girl dealing with those Team Jacob and Team Edward nerds. On the other hand, it's also close to Iron Man 2, and the new Nightmare on Elm Street.

4. Being part of the Dollhouse Farewell Book

I'd like to thank cointhatphrase.com, because I won a contest where one of my phrases would be made into a mug given to Emmy guests. That gave me a gift certificate that will last me a good year. Before that, I made three Dollhouse shirts, including one that said "We are gone but we are not lost. Save Dollhouse." Too bad that shirt became obsolete a week after I got it, but I wore it at the Serenity Salute, and someone decided that would be a nice picture for the gift to the cast. I'm sure if Fran, Dichen, Enver or even Eliza saw me on the street, they'd never recognize me...since I'd never be on the same street they were. Still, I am glad I was part of something special.

3. Amber Benson in Roseville

She was at Borders for a book signing of Death's Daughter. She had been in Sacramento once before. The crowd wasn't big, but they were happy to see her. It was one of my first celebrity interviews for Whedonopolis

2. Original Buffy at Cal Expo

The closest I've been to Sarah Michelle Gellar was 100 feet away when she was at Comic-Con 2004. I never would have thought I'd be right next to Kristy Swanson, the original Buffy at something called Witchapalooza. Aside from her and Malcolm McDowell, it was just like a farmers' market for Halloween. I made the most of it, and more. I had the feelng ths may have been in the cards. Just a couple of weeks before, I found a copy of the movie's press packet that was made up like the Hemery High School yearbook. Also, two months before, the original movie was part of the annual Horror Film Festival held every summer at the Crest.

1. Seeing My Family in Santa Cruz

Since we're scattered all over the West Coast, it's very tough to get together for holidays and such. Using Facebook helps, but it's not the same. Thankfully, we all met for the Memorial Day Weekend, took pictures, exchanged e-mail addresses, and promised to keep in touch.
Seeing my mom again for the firs ttime in years made it all worth it. That, and the fact that getting from Sacramento to Santa Cruz through the rail and a shuttle is much easier than I remember. I also found out only two parts of my memories of Santa Cruz still stand: the Del Mar theater and the Boardwalk.

For 2010, I'm already set for Cinematic Titanic returning to San Francisco, and WonderCon and Comic-Con. I am also hoping for a trip to Anaheim, maybe going to the Emmys one last time (even if it is in late August), and seeing tapings of Ellen and maybe Bonnie Hunt in May. However, I need reasons aside from the shows themselves to go. I may get an extra one or two depending on who will be at the Paley Festival in March aside from Glee and the Vampire Diaries. If they decide on a panel on web content, including web comedies about gamers, that's a good reason!
One thing I will miss is hoping to see a movie premiere in Westwood. Since the Bruin and Westwood Village are about to close, I'll have to find another way to find and snap pictures of famous guys.