Caffeinated Clint
So we know Comic Con is full of pale and pimply assholes, cash hungry celebs and the odd pen stabbing Potter fan, but did you know that there’s also a small handful of talent who, if only to put a smile on the dials of attendees (who have been up since 2am,at which time they got in line for a 10am Stargate panel), offer the odd free show – outside of a panel!?
Whoddathunkit!?
I’m not talking about the frizzy haired albino kid (you know the one) reciting lines from “Teen Titans” issue 63, nor am I referring to the Barenaked Ladies (the band, not the stars of ’80s classic “School Spirit”) showing up at the ”Big Bang Theory” panel to hum the theme tune to a ridiculously excited audience, and I’m definitely not referring to having a threesome with two giggly hairy-boy lovers you met at the “Twilight” fanfic panel (that’ll ultimately cost you- for one, you’ll awake in the morning to the sound of two squeaky voices reciting dialogue from Jackson Rathbone’s misplaced “Eclipse” script). No I’m talking about someone actually going above and beyond the call of duty… A celeb doing more than what he or she’s being paid for (if you slip Carrie Fisher an extra $20, in addition to the $20 you’ve already paid her to have a photo with her, she too gives a little something extra foo – but it’ll leave you spending most of the masquerade party itching your groin area), someone like Josh Jackson.
Now all grown-up, and the star lead of the sci-fic series ”Fringe”, Jackson entertained fans ‘outside’ Comic Con this weekend – and the performance didn’t involve whisky, slurred speech or a little-league hockey team! It was a straight-up pro-bono show!
Jackson of course hit the big time (if the big time is considered the cover of TV Hits and being asked to cameo in a Muppet movie) as Pacey Whitter, the drippy Capesider with the bowl-cut on 90s series “Dawson’s Creek”. In some small way, I imagine he will forever be associated with the show and the character.
Seems he doesn’t much care. Good on him!
Gave me great pleasure to see Jackson plonked on the grass across from Comic Con hosting his own mini-convention…. “Pacey Con”!
There Jackson was, hair brushed down like his old TV alter ego and wearing garb very Whitter-esque, blasting the ”Dawson’s Creek” theme song from his boom box, handing out ”Dawson’s Creek” fanfic* he had apparently written himself, and offering to take pictures with passers by.
Fucking hilarious stuff!
For the guy to put himself out there like that, ultimately earning just as many curious stares and “what a dick”s as he did gleeful spectators, it takes both balls and a wonderful sense of humour. I take my backwards baseball cap off to you, good sir! Bloody magic!
The Starbucks may be four dollars dearer than everywhere else, the comics may be twice as expensive to buy there as they are in a newsagent, and you’ll have to sell a lung to afford photographs with all your fave celebs, but there is such a thing as free entertainment at comic con! I know, who knew!?
Heck, in this case, you needn’t even buy a pass (But you’d still have to pay $400 a night for a room in San Diego’s shittiest hotel)! You could plonk yourself on the gardens with Josh Jackson and have him sing Paula Cole songs to you!
I love it! “Pacey Con”!
Wow.
But there’s more.
While it’s a great idea – one I’d love to see continued by say, Scott Baio (“Chachi Thon”?), Oliver Stone (“Viet Con” perhaps?) or even, Didi Conn (”The Con Con”!) – sadly, it wasn’t Jackson’s. Nope, seems Jackson was shooting a skit for funnyordie.com. In other words, you weren’t so much getting free entertainment as Jackson and crew were getting free actors.
Comic CON. Indeed.
So, yeah, seems you will still need your credit cards for Comic Con.
(Love it all the same though! If he’d have put a bucket in front of him, I betcha spectators would’ve filled that bitch with greenbacks!)
* Apparently Jackson was charging $10 per fanfic.
Photo Credit : Oh No They Didn’t, JoshJackson.Net
