Con Report: Salute to Supernatural New Jersey 2013, Friday and Saturday

Misha Collins

There’s no doubt about it, the real king of New Jersey con is and always has been Misha Collins.  He’s the only main actor to have attended all the the New Jersey cons.  He floated this con for years, even when Jared showed up for the last two.  Misha was still the headliner in the crowd’s eyes.  There were tons of people dressed as Castiel, and they even had their own category in the costume contest.  Saturdays rarely sell out at cons, but this one sold out.  It’s all because of this guy.  

Misha is a true sport, and you’ll find out why after I go through his panel highlights.  He tackled a very sensitive question that even Jensen wouldn’t accept the next day.  And he did all that while at the same time talking about Random Acts.  Richard Speight Jr. even introduced Misha by gushing what a wonderful humanitarian he is.  Of course, he started the panel by pretending to beat up Richard.  “I hate this guy!” He also had a fan from the meet and greet tell the story about how she had only raised a small portion of the $5000 she hoped to raise for Random Acts, so a very nice man who was inspired by what she was doing gave her the rest of the money.   

@winfambusiness: To Misha – “Are you part of a fandom like Dr. Who?”  Misha – “That sounds like a leading question.”  “Yes, I am a fan girl.”

Below is in bullet points is the details of the rest of the panel:  

@winfambusiness – The body switch question again!  It’s been asked to everyone. Misha –  “I would take Jensen’s body and make out with Jared.”

• Misha looked at both incredibly long lines wrapping around the ballroom, and all the people dressed as Castiel, and thought it would be fun to taunt the people in the latter parts of the line.  “You realize you have a zero percent chance of getting your question asked.”  He felt sad for them!  So he picked a person randomly near the end of the line to ask her question.  As she’s asking it, Misha jokingly cuts her off.  “It’s been nice talking to you.”  He acknowledged that maybe he should be talking to someone who actually got in line earlier to ask their question.  
• No, he answered the question.  It’s about him directing.  Yes, he’s directing an episode next season.  He was able to get some dirt on the the showrunners so he’s blackmailing them.  He’s looking forward to directing, because he knows and likes the crew and some of them like him.  He has no idea when, and no one really knows what’s happening next season yet.  “Next season is an abyss, a blackhole, nothing.”    
• Misha brought to this con his half sister Danielle, and his best friend Darius.  We could easily tell why Darius was his friend, because all he did was jokingly talk smack about Misha.  They seem like two peas in a pod.  
• Misha at these cons loves bringing up his dark days at University of Chicago, which at the time ranked 300 out of 300 for social life, ahead of the Naval Academy.  He told this very elaborate story about a scavenger hunt, which was the “one window of light in an otherwise dark window.  The school would shut down for a few days.   It seems that his wife (girlfriend at the time) was on another team and borrowed his car because she wanted to go to Wisconsin to get some sheep.  She ended up putting three sheep in the back of his Volvo.  She left the sheep in the car for a few days, cracking the window and feeding them.
• Apparently, one of the things on the scavenger hunt he had to catch was a Hooters waitress.  “I don’t know if you know this but they’re very nimble and hard to catch.”  So his girlfriend/future wife got hired at Hooters and brought herself.  Turns out someone had come along eventually and stole the sheep.  So they had to go back to Wisconsin and get another little sheep.  They spent all their winnings of $500 on cleaning his car.  

                                           (Photos of Misha are hard to take, because he never stands still)

• Misha invited questions for his friend Darius or his sister.  Darius had a comment. “I just think it’s crazy of you to think that having sheep in your car is a big deal.”  His sister shared a few nice words about attending cons with Misha.  
• Misha strangely asked his friend Darius to say a few words about him.  Darius praised him for being the friend a guy could have. “But what a dick though.”  He met Misha in the seventh grade and he was very troubled.  He was short and fat, and kind of useless at everything like video games.  “He had something else, I don’t know how to put a finger on it.”  “Okay, onto something else!” Misha said cutting him off.  “Thanks Darius, that was nice.  I want you to do my eulogy.” 
• A fan told Misha that they had a photo op later.  “Oh yes!”  He asked about the pose they were going to do.  “I’ve been waiting to meet you.”  He thought the whole thing would be great.  “The nice thing is it’s a photo.  It helps facilitate memory.” 
• The next person was holding a large bag.  She took it with her because she had a bad seating in the back.  Why a bad seat?  Her friend bought her a ticket for her birthday.  “Some birthday present, and they call themselves a friend,” Misha jokes. “Darius always gets me a gold ticket.”  This fan had a really nice story.  She fell on her bike once and took out her shoulder.  Someone came along to help, touched her, and her shoulder was healed.  He turned the corner and then he was gone.  Every time she sees Castiel on the screen reaching out to a human like that, it reminders her of that experience.  She wanted to thank him for that.  Aww, Misha was touched.  
• Would Castiel make a good comedian?  No, he’d make a bad one.  He’d definitely fare better on the lottery circuit because he can time travel.
• The fan apologized at first for putting him on the spot with her question (Misha interrupted with a joke, “I think you’re great, but why are you such a dick?”) but does his personal views conflict with the what show does, or with other actors on the show?  Misha took this question seriously, because he knew she meant the misogyny.  “There’s stupid things they do in the show that they shouldn’t do. Why do they say “bitch” and kill all women?”  He acknowledged that show is also gratuitously misogynistic where it doesn’t need to be.  He then realized that it wasn’t all the women, because Charlie is still alive and not a threat to the boys, but a lot of them end up dead.  He didn’t like the way the Rubys were portrayed.  He eventually got went back to joking though, and came up with a reason why this happens.  “They take longer in the makeup trailer, so we can’t afford them.”  He ranted a bit more about how women are treated, and then also went on a little rant that the writers are anti-demon too. 
• At this point, Misha did the raffle for some items for Random Acts.  “The winner’s name is Ticket.”  Then he did an auction which included a signed script of his for “Survival of The Fittest,” the Random Acts cheese calendar, a Jensen photo op ticket and a GISHWHES coffee table book signed by him and Jensen.  The whole thing went for $2200.
• A male fan (yes, they attend) told Misha during some sort of question involving popcorn and marshmallows he’s beautiful and he wanted to have his babies.  Misha was curious.  “How would that work?” 
• A fan dressed as Castiel convinced Misha to call her friend and wish her Happy Birthday.  He did and her friend really freaked on the other end. He had the entire crowd sing Happy Birthday. 

• Someone asked Misha about being on “NCIS.” At first, he couldn’t remember the part.  Misha had so much praise for Mark Harmon.  When a guest actor comes on the set, he gives them the tour, tells them exactly how things are on the set, has a chat in his trailer with them and goes out of his way to make them feel welcome.  He’s a true professional.  It’s not like “Supernatural” at all, where you get Jared.  
• Hypothetically, if there was a musical episode of Supernatural, what song would Castiel sing.  Misha’s answer, “Why are there so many songs about rainbows.”  (That’s called “The Rainbow Connection”).
• The next person in line was a man, so Misha asked if he was a fan of the show or attached to a fan of the show.  He’s a fan.  The question, “What is his favorite line on the show?” “Hey Assbutt.”  
• A fan said before asking her question that she’s been watching the show since she was 11.  Misha was fascinated by this and her dedication.  “That is amazing.  What are you (now), 12?”  
• Here we go.  THE FORBIDDEN QUESTION.  “Do you think Castiel is in love with Dean?”  Someone nearby shouted for the record, “It’s a bromance!”  He at first asked the fan if she believed he was.  “Either no or yes, I’m doing a random poll here.” (there was a brief interruption with a phone call that he told the previous person asking a question he’d make).  She thinks he is absolutely, 100 percent in love with Dean.  Misha could have brushed it off, but he didn’t.  He acknowledged he probably wasn’t supposed to talk about this because it upsets a lot of people.  “There could be a very very profound bond.  I will leave it to you to read into it what you will, because I don’t want to be accused of queer baiting.”  He said doing what he does he has the opportunity to reach out to a lot of people, but he can end up pissing off a lot of people as well.  He got in trouble in Seattle for doing that, and thought was said was unfair.  People were misusing the term “queer baiting” and it pisses him off.  It has a lot of meaning for many people and interpreted in different ways.  “At the very least it’s a complex relationship.”  He even brought up the line the “celestial wave of intent” to characterize the relationship.  By the end, he went for the off the cuff answer.  “They love each other but it’s truly sexual.”  
• A fan told him about a game on tumblr called “Wandering Castiel,” where they take a picture of their wandering Castiel in various places and post it.  She gave him his own wandering Castiel.  
• Final question.  A fan wants to start a charity.  Misha wasn’t sure he could be much help.  “If there’s any type of government designation like a 501c you want to talk to an actor first.”  The fan wanted to get some advice on how to get it off the ground.  “Is it an airplane?” he joked.  He told them it’ll take a while to get nonprofit status.  

With that he was done, and ready to go into the insanely long evening of photo ops, autographs, and the cocktail party.  

I’m going to have a little commentary about people pushing the Destiel issue in the Sunday report, but honestly, I think these questions are kind of unfair for actors.  They don’t write this stuff.  I know that people think that by going through the actors, word will get back to the writers office, but a lot of people out there want that relationship to happen.  That’s just too awkward a situation to be bringing up in front of a thousand or more at a fan convention.  I applaud Misha was not backing away at least and trying to come up with an answer, but he shouldn’t have had to do that.  

Misha was even my hero in the autograph line.  We were told no personalization, so I took to him a copy of Supernatural magazine.  In it was an article, “Top Ten Castiel Moments.”  We’ve done on The Winchester Family Business our own version of Castiel’s Top Ten Moments (actually eleven), and it was written by our biggest Castiel (and Misha) fan on the site, Ardeospina.  While sweetondean and I have the honor of going to many cons, Ardeospina cannot.  I met her at her first and only one in San Francisco in 2010, and Misha wasn’t there.  

I got up to Misha in the line.  He knows me, since I’ve met him several times and interviewed him at Comic Con the last four years.  However, he meets so many of us and didn’t quite have the name pegged.  He just knew my face.  I reminded him I ran The Winchester Family Business (ah yes, it all came back to him), and told him how I was getting this signed for our admin who can’t attend cons, but is the biggest fan of his ever.  Misha’s face lit up.  “What’s her name?”  When I told him, he signed it personally for her!  I didn’t have to ask him, and that was going against Creation’s “no personalization” policy.  Needless to say, when Ardeospina got that in the mail from me a week later, she flipped.  Misha, you are our God.  

That reminded me of back at the first con in New Jersey.  Misha was kind of shell shocked by the whole experience.  He was on his best behavior, humble and gracious, and he couldn’t believe how many people were so enamored by him.  In the autograph line back then, the line was moving very slow because Jim Beaver was holding it up (he loves talking to people at these cons).  So Misha was sitting there doing nothing when I got to give him my autograph item.  I presented to him for signing my press kit for Supernatural season four.  It had a preview in it of the first two episodes of season four, “Lazarus Rising” and “Are You There God: It’s Me Dean Winchester,” aka Misha’s first two episodes.    

I told him the story about how on the day I got that kit, I had lost my job.  It was a nasty parting.  They bounced me out without notice, and not even a thank you after three years of good work for them.  I came home rather upset, until I saw that package on my doorstep.  I swear I sat down for two days straight and watched those episodes over and over again.  He was stunned to hear that story from me.  I suppose he hadn’t heard too many fan sob stories yet!  He ended up signing the packet with a personalization.  “To Alice, From one angel to another.”  That is one of my most cherished items ever!  

Here’s something cool.  The fan from Pennsylvania who brought their restored Impala the year before brought it again this year!  I got a good look as I was going out at dusk for autograph items.  Look at the way the sunlight is hitting it!  Sheer beauty.  I think Serge Ladoucer would be proud.  Or maybe not.  

The rest of Saturday was talking (and drinking) in the bar, waiting in autograph lines, talking (and drinking) in the bar some more, and then we were at the cocktail party for five whole minutes before bailing.   It was 11:15 and there were no signs of guests yet, and no food and drink makes Alice something something.  We had J&J day the next day, and we had to be fresh for that.  

Coming up next, the Sunday report and a bonus Monday report!  Myself and Lynn from Fangasm got to spend a good amount of time with Ty Olsson Monday morning talking about the show and other things, and Rick Worthy was there (with a Bloody Mary) to listen.

Here’s the photo gallery of all the photos I took that day.  Not bad for someone in Row I. 

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