©Joy N. Fox, December 22, 1997 and 2005

 Quantum Leap Conventions

cream cheese, bagels, and Lox

a Fan's Eye-View Report

"College Years"  a Quantum Leap story by Joy Fox

Quantum Con 94

I was a fan of Quantum Leap since it's first airing in 1989.  I'll tune in for anything with a SF label.  It was easy for me to accept the premise of the show and with the first episode, I was hooked, even though QL was more life stories than Science Fiction.

In April, 1993, and for the first time in my life, I really wanted to do something to save the show when I heard that it was cancelled.  My husband discovered an active group of "Leapers" on America Online and through them I learned of the Quantum Leap convention.

By the time the convention rolled around in February of 1994, even though I was flying to California alone, I felt I was meeting friends because of the relationship I had built with fellow Leapers.  

Thursday morning, February 17, I worked before catching the flight to Pasadena.  I had spent most of the week packing - literally - because I was a case of excited nerves and wanted to be sure I didn't forget anything.  I packed several photo albums including shots off TV of QL, cameras (video and 35mm), film, 2 framed charcharadon shark teeth from a Florida phosphate mine that I had found and 2 mini photo albums to give as gifts, reading material, tripod and, oh yes, clothes.

I met up with fellow Leapers when I reached the hotel and went with them into Hollywood to buy photos and visit Dean Stockwell's star on the Walk of Fame.  We then toured Universal Studios and I bought a QL tee shirt to put on over my clothes as I was freezing.  We took the tram tour and saw the bridge Scott Bakula ran across in "Moments to Live."

Later, we saw Wizards where Scott sang the songs from the QL album in a mini-concert promotion event.  This was Friday.  Saturday morning, as soon as the doors opened, I made a beeline for the dealer's room of the convention and bought more photos and fanzines.  In the dealer's room, I ran into an actor I recognized from one of the episodes.  It was Willie Garson from "Lee Harvey Oswald."  I struck up a conversation with him and found out he also played Seymour in "Play It Again, Seymour."  That was a shock.  I never made the connection.  I got his autograph.

Willie Garson		Willie appeared twice in Quantum Leap.  He was Seymour in "Play It Again, Seymour," and he was "Lee Harvey Oswald."
Rich Whiteside		Rich Whitside did most of his work behind the scenes as he was the military consultant on the series.  However, he did appear in a few episodes.   In "A Leap for Lisa," Rich was the soldier who 'shadowed' Sam.
John D'Aquino Brad Silverman		John D'Aquino was Frankie in "Jimmy."  Brad Silverman was the mirror image for Jimmy and also appeared in "Shock Theater" and "Mirror Image."

I sat in on a Behind the Scenes with Rich Whiteside but he was having film troubles and we didn't get to see a whole lot.  Next was a panel with John D'Aquino, Brad Silverman, and Willie.  John had a wonderful story to tell about his parents visiting him when the Los Angeles earthquake struck January 17.  Between sessions, I saw John in the hallway posing for pictures and asked if he minded posing with me.  He said no and Karen Voyles offered to shoot the picture.

As we were posing, John noticed I had crossed out the y on my name tag from Joy to Jo and he asked if he had made a mistake when autographing my program guide earlier.  I told him no, I actually was known by both names.  John, who had his arm around my shoulders (mine was around his waist) told me I was a joy.  He certainly made my day!

I called Brad Silverman over and another picture was taken of the three of us.  He was the image of "Jimmy" in the QL episode by that name. Before the picture, John reminded me that I might want to remove my glasses.  I thanked him and did.  I generally do take them off for pictures and was glad he had reminded me.  When I had the pictures developed, I sent a 5x7 copy to John.

Saturday we also saw the bloopers reel which was great stuff. I was laughing so hard.  Saturday night a group of us from AOL ate at the Olive Garden.  There must have been about 30 of us.

Sunday, the first event of the day was the panel with Ray Bunch (who wrote the music for QL) and Mark Banning (of Crescendo Records which released the QL CD and tape).  The panel table was set up on the left side of the stage (Pasadena Civic Auditorium - where some Emmy awards were held).  My seat for the day was far stage right.  I was really upset with that seat.  I sent in my registration very early and had number 17 so I would get a good seat.  I packed up my tripod and cameras and moved to the center section on the aisle.  I didn't even leave that seat for lunch.  When the woman who "owned" that seat cam along, her friend told her to let me stay there and they both sat to my left.  Luckily, no one else came along to claim the seat so I wasn't forced to move.

The next event was the charity auction.  I bought a couple of autographed photos from a charity hockey game Scott had participated in.  I paid $70 for them.  After that, the bidding went off the scale.  The sling Scott wore on Murphy Brown went for $1450!  True, it was autographed and came with an autographed photo of Scott and Candice Bergen.  Prototype handlinks went for $700 and $790.  I think they raised $12,000 to $14,000 for charity at the auction.

Liz Torres, Otto Coelho, Richard Herd.		Liz was Angela in "It's a Wonderful Leap."  Otto appeared in "Disco Inferno."  Richard was Moe Stein in "Future Boy" and also appeared in "Mirror Image" as Ziggy.
Renee Coleman and Carolyn Seymour		Renee and Carolyn appeared as Alia and Zoe, the evil leapers in "Deliver Us from Evil" and returned as those characters in "Return" and "Revenge."  Carolyn also appeared in "Troian."

The next event was a panel with Liz Torres (It's a Wonderful Leap), Otto Coelho ("Disco Inferno"),  and Richard Herd ("Future Boy").  I asked Richard about rumors to move SeaQuest to Florida.  He said they were just rumors.  Of course, the rumors became true when SeaQuest moved production to Florida the following year. Liz told us Scott pulled her from under the cab without help.  She wasn't on a cart.  The coat she wore protected her and I remember Scott pulling down her dress as he pulled her out.  It kept riding up in that scene. Carolyn Seymour  (Zoe the evil hologram) was another guest on a panel with Rich Whiteside (the "shadow" soldier in "A Leap for Lisa") and Brad Silverman.  Carolyn said she enjoyed playing evil people. Renee Coleman (Alia) was also a guest but I didn't get to hear her panel.  I did get her autograph, though, and a great picture of her and Carolyn together.

Deborah Pratt
Chas Floyd Johnson

After the panels, the tables were removed from the stage but the chairs remained - 4 lined up together. Deborah Pratt and Chas Floyd Johnson came onto the stage to resounding cheers. Chas was still at Universal Studios and was asked about a Quantum Leap movie.  He said there were no plans for one.  Chas and Deborah spoke for 10 minutes or so, then Dean Stockwell came on stage.  Of course, the audience went wild.  Dean was wearing a wireless mike but for the first five minutes, we couldn't understand him.  Chas handed Dean his mike.  I transcribed the entire happenings from the video I shot and that transcription is available through Project Quantum Leap (address is at the Quantum Cafe).

Dean was the advertised draw of the convention. When he came on stage, the first thing he said was, "Good to see ya.  I'm waiting for this no show. I don't know if he's going to show."  No one picked up on this clue because we couldn't hear him.

Dean was told about the sling.

DS: I hear the auction went very well.

DEBORAH PRATT: Now that you're on stage with me, I'll ask you a question.  What was the favorite piece you got at the auction?

AUDIENCE: The sling.  The photos.

DS: The sling.  I heard about that.  Were there two people who were bidding for it?  Two people wanted the sling - yet this is not a Quantum Leap item.  It's from Murphy what's her name.

AUD: Brown

DS: And I hear it brought $1400.

AUD: $1450

DP: Wow

DS: You got it?

AUD: I got it.

DS You got it? Tell me.  What are you going to do with a sling?

AUD: laughter

AUD: I got a holster.

DS: You got a holster? Are you going to practice with it?

DP In case she gets shot, she has the sling.

DS: She spent $1400 to pick up...can you lend me $5? She probably knows about the jewels that were stuffed in it.

About 15 minutes into this segment with Dean, Scott Bakula walked onto stage without introduction.  Chas and Deborah Pratt saw him in the wings and pointed.  I found out much later that Scott was there from the outset but waited in the wings so Dean could have some time alone on stage.  Someone in the audience got an inkling and whispered, "I see him.  He's here!"  If the fans went wild for Dean, they went ballistic for Scott.  When the screams died down a bit, Scott said, "Hello.  Sorry I'm late."  Dean quipped back, "Well, it was fun while it lasted."

Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell. This wonderful picture was taken by Karen Voyles for Leaptime 95.

Dean Stockwell was supposed to appear.  Scott was never advertised.  We all hoped he would show but were overwhelmed when he did appear.  Of course, the highlight of the entire convention was early in the Q&A when I held my hand up to ask a question and Dean called on me.

JO: Dean, I sent this back because I knew you were going to be here but I brought one for Scott as well.  This is a charcarodon...

DS: I should give this to Scott?

JO: Yes sir, please.  I gave, I sent one back stage to you but I didn't know Scott was going to be here...

DS: Watch out...

JO: and that's from a phosphate mine in Florida.  It's a 3 million year old shark tooth.

DS: It's beautiful.  Thank you so much.

SCOTT BAKULA: Thank you very much.  Three million dollars!

JO: You're welcome.  Thank you.

SB: You're welcome.

DS: What's the little book? (To Scott) She's taping this, you know?

SB: I know.

DS: What's the little book?

SB: Wait a minute.  Open your mouth.  Smile just for a second.  Let me see these....(holds shark tooth next to Dean's mouth).  Yeah.  I never would have guessed three million but...

JO: They're pictures I shot off TV of the series...

SB (To Dean) What?

DS: It's pictures.  Probably of you, don't bother looking.

SB: (To Deborah) He doesn't miss a beat.  Hey, you're right.  They are me.

After Scott looked through the album, looking at every page while the questioning continued, he turned to me and mouthed a silent thank you.  It was a very special moment that I treasure and still enjoy on the tape.  You will find a picture of Scott looking through the album on the Quantum Leap page..

Throughout this scene, I stayed calm.  I was just talking to two people.  We were having a friendly conversation.  I wasn't thinking on anything else.  However, when I got back to the hotel room and played back what I had recorded, I let out a scream that could be heard 5 doors down!  That's when the emotion kicked in and I realized how kind and personal both Dean and Scott had been to me.

Another special moment during the Q&A involved another Leaper who told Dean she was a Dean fan first, and a Quantum Leap fan second.  Dean pointed to Scott and asked her, "Where does that leave him?"  Scott held up three fingers, looking expectantly at the Leaper.  When she didn't answer, he held up four fingers, then 5, then Scott tucked the mike under his arm and held up 6 fingers.  He put his hands down after the 8th finger.

When the session was over and they left the stage, Dean picked up the Teddy Bear someone had given him and Scott gathered up the shark tooth and album and left the stage with my gifts in tow.  I packed my camera gear and left but ran into Deborah Pratt on the stairs outside.  I stopped her as she was leaving and told her how wonderful I thought her scripts and hoped she would continue writing quality television.

Leap Con 95

Wednesday, February 15, 1995 was my travel day to the Quantum Leap convention. Two days prior, we got word on-line that Scott Bakula WOULD be at the convention. At first, he wasn't going to be able to make it because of the opening of "Lord of Illusions" but that movie was being postponed. Later, we would learn at the convention that the reason for the postponement was to give the movie a chance to garnish a good audience. Clive Barker had two movies already scheduled for release in February.

My plane wasn't scheduled to leave until 1:05 in the afternoon. I woke up around 9 and still had several hours to kill. I had been packing since Sunday, so I was set that way. I decided that since I was going to be sitting on a plane for many hours, I ought to take a long walk for some exercise. First, though, I stopped at the mailbox. In it, I discovered my newsletter from Project Quantum Leap and a postcard from Scott Bakula! It was that great one with him leaning against a tree and it was in color. This was truly a shock because I sent him a letter 11 months ago!! Even though the picture is gorgeous, the main thrill is getting it the day I was leaving for the convention!

I spent my walk reading my PQL newsletter as I went. Attached with the newsletter was a Quantum Quarterly. This was another surprise. I kept checking and rechecking, but there was no separate mailing label with the QQ.

I got to the airport early and discovered a huge crowd in front of the check-in counter. The woman in front of me said she had been scheduled on a Northwest flight that had been cancelled due to bad weather up north and passengers were being rerouted to other airlines and flights. My flight wasn't scheduled to leave now until 2:15. That would be too late to make the connection in Charlotte for Los Angeles. Luckily I am able to reschedule at the plane check-in counter and take an earlier flight. This plane, a 757, doesn't take off till after 2, but the connection is also delayed by half an hour so I make it with 35 minutes to spare.

The LA leg has an in-flight movie. Take a guess. A highly edited "Color of Night" with, who else, Scott Bakula! Is all this coincidence? WOW. BTW, the edited version plays quite well without the gore and blatant sex.

I arrived in LA without incident and rented a Voyager (shades of Star Trek!) minivan. Apparently, I followed the wrong map and wound up lost, but a good sense of direction saved the day and I made it to Burbank and the Hilton, stopping only twice for directions. A big problem in LA is the freeway. Being a tourist, I stayed to the far right and the slowest lane. Problem with that was that often the lane turned into a double lane exit! Being in the far right, it was impossible to get back on the freeway and I was forced to exit.

As soon as I hit the hotel, people were looking for me. I had barely entered my room when the phone rang. It was my online friend, Myrna, and she came over to introduce herself and meet me. By the time she left and I wound down from all the excitement, it was 2:30 p.m. Florida time. Myrna and I spent the next two days touring in and about LA.

Saturday morning the con began. First on the agenda were some composite videos of Quantum Leap and a short welcome. I found my seat, S108, on stage left (the right side as you face the stage) about half a dozen rows from the front. The room was long and narrow. Each row was 8 to 10 seats across on each side with a wide aisle in the middle. The stage had a lovely but distracting backdrop of Stonehenge with lightbulb stars. Cameras aimed at the stage were trying to focus on the "stars" instead of the stars.

Assistant Editor Jim Thompson told about editing QL and then we had our first guest panel with John D'Aquino (Frank from "Jimmy"), Richard Herd (Captain Galaxy) who came on stage with his trihat, Mary Gordon Murray (Leda Aider in "Trilogy") and Brad Silverman (mirror image "Jimmy").

Mary wasn't anything like the character she played and proved to be warm and humorous. I got to ask John if his mother had recovered from the earthquake, which brought a laugh from the audience. John looked nonplused and explained the reference for those who had not been at the con in 1994. Later, I told John that I didn't mean to embarrass him, I was just trying to be humorous. He said that it was all right, he had been expecting that question.

I'm not sure why, but I missed the author's panel and the autograph session. I had my book with me and wanted to get Ashley McConnell's autograph for Random Measures. I think I was eating lunch and talking with Myrna. After lunch there were several guests in the hallway and I spoke with them and got their autographs.  That was great fun also. I was back in the auditorium for the 2:00 p.m. panel.

I forgot to mention that before anything else happened, I hit the dealer's room Saturday morning. They were late in opening and I only had twenty minutes. This was practically the only time I was there. I didn't buy zines this year, but bought key chains, magnets, and pictures. I got the last one of Scott and Candice facing each other on the bed from Murphy Brown. I also bought the LeapCon '95 tee shirt and zippered bag. Later, when I was talking to Rich Whiteside, I got the impression he designed the con logo. He told me he does do graphic art. It is a wonderful and simple design that I like a lot. Instead of the atom symbol, it looks like a star with many points. Under it, the planets start large and diminish in size (or they could be stars from large to small). The wording says, "Leap Con 1995, The Year the Leaps Began." It is really great. The bag was navy blue and the shirt I got was black.

I also bought a LeapCon calendar that has a wonderful picture of Scott and Dean and the leap dates on it in chronological order. It also shows birthdays. Dean's is given as March 5, 1936.

The panelists: Otto Coehlo, Jennifer Rhodes, K Callan, Pat Skipper, Gregory Miller, Korie Henninger, and Jeff Corbett.
Korie Henninger and Gregory Miller
Jeff Corbett
Mary Elizabeth McGlynn and Willie Garson
Leila Hee Olsen, "Machiko"
David Brooks, Beaumont, in "Miss Deep South" and Rodney Kageyama
Mike Genevese
The picture I took of Donna Magnani and John D'Aquino. This was the one I sent to Donna.
Michael Watkins, Award Winning Director of Photography

Another panel featured Otto Coehlo, Jennifer Rhodes (the mother in "Blind Faith"), K Callan (Superman's mother in Lois & Clark), Pat Skipper ("The Beast Within"), Gregory Miller (Lonnie in "Black on White on Fire"), Corie Henninger (Susan in "Black on White on Fire") and Jeff Corbett (Chip in "A Leap for Lisa").

The 2:00 p.m. panel featured Willie Garson (Seymour and Lee Harvey Oswald), Cheryl Harrington (the woman who brings the hurt child to the clinic in "Black on White on Fire"), Michelle Joyner (the sister in "Right Hand of God"), and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (the singer Sue Ann in "Memphis Melody"). A disappointment was that Bruce McGill had hurt his back gardening and couldn't make it. Don Bellisario, who was busy with production on a new series (JAG), was also a no show.

Michelle was very bubbly and the first thing she said when she sat down was that she was no longer in the habit. She wore her hair long in braids.

Several people told us that their roles on QL were very early in their careers. That, I thought, was great that QL gave them such chances and they performed like pros who had been around the block several times.

One of the big pleasures of this con was the one-on-one conversations with the QL personalities. Even in line for autographs, people were patient and the  celebs talked with each fan, posed for pictures, wrote personal notes to them. Everyone at the con enjoyed the event, whether a fan or a celeb. A con organizer told us that most of the celebs expressed a desire to come back and do it again next year. I know I was considering this being my last for awhile, but I am already planning next year and hope to bring my family along.

When Jean-Pierre Dorleac, the costume designer, was on, I was in the hall talking to Rich Whiteside, Arthur Rosenberg (father in "Raped") and Mike Genevese (Don Giovani in "Double Identity"). I discovered Arthur Rosenberg has a very droll sense of humor. I saw Rodney Kageyama in the hall, but couldn't get his autograph just then.

In the hall, I also talked with Mary Elizabeth McGlynn and told her I thought a gospel album with her and Scott would be great. She loved the idea and proposed that I ask Scott about that.

After the panel, everyone rushed out of the auditorium to queue up for autographs. The con committee even provided two blank pages in the program for autographs! How nice of them.

When I got to John D'Aquino, he said he remembered me from last year, especially when I showed him the picture of us together. At Kinkos in Ojai, I had that picture Xeroxed. One copy I asked him to autograph and the other I had to give to him. I asked John to sign the program, the original print, and one of the Xeroxes. Surprisingly, he asked ME to autograph my Xerox copy to him! Neither of us was looking at what we were writing to each other, but I wrote, "Thanks for everything" and he wrote the exact same thing to me on the Xeroxed copy. The picture he autographed with, "Love, John."

Later, John was surprised to see me back in the line. I had the camera on and captured that look of surprise. I had one picture I wanted him to sign for my daughter, Karen. He also said something special into the camera for her. When I got back home and showed this to my daughter, she was ecstatic. The autograph and special message made her day.

I thought I had gotten Mary Murray's autograph, but I can't seem to find it in my book. I have to say, though, that some of the signatures look like doctor scrawls. There is one I absolutely can't read and it doesn't seem to match any of the names printed in the program. I have to send a Xerox of that one to friends and see if they can read it for me.

Next, we broke for lunch.

The 5:00 p.m. event Saturday night was Clive Barker. Rumor had it that Clive asked to speak at the con rather than being asked to speak. Apparently, he sees a strong need to convince Leapers to see "Lord of Illusions". He explained that he held off on the release of the film to give it a good chance in the theaters. Two Barker movies were being released in February/March and he felt that to release LOI at that time would be detrimental to the film.

When I got home and showed that portion of the tape to Richard, he turned off the sound for awhile and just watched Barker's gestures. Richard felt Clive Barker was in a hard sell mode. He was very intense in his presentation and the audience was intensely listening to him as well.

Clive was also very humorous. He showed clips from LOI and told us he thought Scott was an extremely talented actor and very under rated. Clive named other actors (Keaneu Reeves, Bruce Willis) who he didn't think could act. Clive also said that Scott would do at least two more d'amour films for him and that Clive couldn't picture d'amour anymore without seeing Scott. In Clive's mind, Scott is Harry D'Amour.

Sunday morning I was able to sleep a little later. Myrna went home Saturday night to finish preparing Sunday's dinner. She had invited around 10 people, but only three of us actually went. She cooked turkey and we had a feast. The company was great and for desert we watched an interview Myrna had taped locally of Scott and the con tape we had both recorded.

Three Behind the Scenes guys and an actor.

The first event Sunday morning was a behind the scenes look with Michael Stern (Assistant Editor), Michael Watkins (Director of Photography) and Diamond Farnsworth (Stunt Coordinator). Watkins is a prankster and the panel agreed it was best to stay on his good side. When Scott injured his foot, Watkins hot-wired Scott's horn to his brake so every time he hit the brake the horn went off. Later, when fans asked Scott if he ever got even for this, Scott looked totally nonplused. He told us he never forgot that prank but never got even. Watkins was also responsible for the tape ball fights and filling Dean's Cadillac with golf balls up to the dash board.

Watkins had a habit of blushing a lot when he was excited. His face would turn blood red. Diamond told us Scott's dancing ability allowed him to pick up the back swing kick readily and although Scott never studied martial arts, Diamond felt he could master it in no time.

Michael Stern didn't have a prank story to tell but said he had an image of Scott that would live with him forever. Scott was directing one ep and was dressed as a woman for a scene in another. He came into the editing room to see how things were going on Leap Home and Michael has this image of Scott as a woman looking at himself as his father.

Diamond told us that Scott became an aficionado of everything new he tried. Diamond and Clive Barker both said that Scott was very physical and did all his own stunts, but had enough sense to back off on anything really dangerous. Diamond said that often actors' egos got in the way and he had difficulty getting them to back off. However, as stunt coordinator, Diamond had the last word on any set.

Once again, after the panel, we queued up for autographs and I got a wonderful picture of Diamond as well as pictures of the two Michael's.

The next panel featured David Brooks (the sleaze photographer in "Deep South"), Otto Coelho ("Disco Inferno" and "All Americans"), Jeff Corbett (Chip in "A Leap for Lisa"), Corie Henniger (Susan in "Black on White on Fire"), Gregory Millar (Lonnie "Black on White on Fire"), Jennifer Rhodes (the nasty mother in "Blind Faith") and Pat Skipper (the sheriff in "Beast Within" and Tequila in "MIA"). Jennifer told us that she once had a part in a horror flick in which she was a nun. She said she took the role because she got to kill the baddies with holy water shot from an Uzi pump water pistol. This cracked up Otto Coelho, and his laugh, in turn, had the audience in stitches. Jeff Corbett told us he became engaged on Valentine's day. Later, I told him I hoped his marriage was as good as mine. I've been married twenty years and each year gets better. Jeff thanked my for my wishes and said his marriage would be the same because he was engaged to a wonderful girl.

Like Myrna, my wallet and I skipped the charity auction. My pockets were pretty shallow by now and I had bought an autographed picture at last year's auction. I'm glad I did because things were VERY pricey. I heard that the towel Scott wore in "It's Like Riding A Bike" went for $3500! Other items were going for big bucks as well. I'm happy that the Con did so well on the auction, though.

At 3:00 p.m. we had a panel with Maree Cheatham (the aggressive boss in "Play Ball"), Renee Coleman (Alia), Carolyn Seymour (Zoe) (both in the evil leaper eps), Susan French (Ms. Melanie in "Color of Truth"), Rich Whiteside (the shadow in "Leap for Lisa" and he was also in "Leap Home Part 2"), and Leila Hee Olsen (Machiko). Leila and I had a great conversation and I learned that her father-in-law lives in Orlando. I also had a long chat with Rich before the panel discussion. Carolyn thought I was a trooper for coming so far for the convention.

Sadly, Ms. French came and went so quickly that no one was able to get her autograph and very few questions were directed her way on the panel.

Gads! Have I been living on sugar! But those Danish from Solvang were wonderful.

Again, with autographing, I missed the tribute to Dennis Wolfberg, which I truly wanted to see, and most of the session with Mark Banning of Crescendo records. I did pop in toward the end and asked him about producing a gospel album with Mary Elizabeth and Scott, but he said he didn't do that type of production.

Then came what we all had been waiting for! Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell!

Scott was the first to walk on stage and, of course, the audience went wild cheering, but his appearance shocked me, just as it did last year. Last year, Scott wore his hair very short and close cropped. This year, it was long and wild. I wanted to take scissors and brush to it, right from the start! He once told a TV audience that his background was Bohemian and this look was definitely that. He wore light blue jeans, a blue jeans jacket open at the neck and sleeves and, Myrna noticed, his shoelaces were untied.

Last year's con was very special for me because Scott and Dean seemed more emotional with each other and they called on the audience to ask their questions. That was special. Dean picked me, not those controlling the mics.

This year, Scott and Dean seemed more distant from the audience. It was more like a press conference than anything, but both men were more playful with each other and Dean was more relaxed and comfortable than I've ever seen him. Also, this year the session ran longer.

Just before this session, I was sitting with Myrna's husband when I noticed a TV camera and interviews being done. Being the ham that I am, I made a beeline for Myrna, hoping the interviewer would call on us. Sure enough, and we did a lengthy interview with sustenance, but our piece wound up on the cutting room floor. Turns out it was E!. Oh, well.

Shortly after Scott arrived and before Dean came out, I got to ask my question. I told Scott I was the one who gave him the shark tooth last year and he remembered me. I asked him, "What about the movie and can you tell us something about your new series?" Scott gave a lengthy answer, basically saying he thought the movie was coming within the next couple of years and as to the pilot he was shooting, it was a darker character, an LA undercover cop with psychological problems.  (NOTE: This pilot never sold.) Shortly after this, Dean walked on stage and the audience again went wild.

Dean looked great. Very relaxed, laid back, and well rested. He wore a colorful golf shirt and tan pants.

At one point in the session, Dean complained about too many orange question placards in the audience (there were 3) and Scott ribbed him no end about his "confusion." One of the staff brought a placard to Dean. It turned out to be stuck on a LOI knife - the kind that when you "stab" someone, the blade disappears into the handle. While Scott was talking, Dean stabbed him repeatedly in the leg. Later, Scott made as if to sidearm Dean and Dean stabbed the knife into his middle, making a grimacing face. He then stabbed the knife into his head, again with lots of facial expression. Scott then tried to take the "toy" away from Dean, but to no avail.

The shenanigans continued for almost an hour and a half. When it finally ended, we learned that Scott was not leaving right away. He was cornered by the French delegation and E! and so we decided to wait for him to come out.  We waited over an hour.

At first, a bunch of us stood in the hallway with items to be autographed, but we were told by the staff that Scott would not be signing autographs. However, if we wanted to leave something with her, she would give it to Scott. No promises, but she would try to have Scott sign what we requested. I left one of the A Passion To Kill posters in hopes that Scott would write a personal note. (He did sign it and I received it in the mail.  It was signed, "To Jo, All the Best!!! Scott Bakula") Then I went outside to join Myrna and two other friends to wait and see if Scott came out.

He did. Scott came out to head for his vehicle. He told us he was rushed and couldn't sign autographs, but he did sign for some people who shoved papers at him. I got to shake his hand and thank him again for the special attention he gave me last year. Scott started to lean over as if he were going to hug me, but someone shoved a paper under his nose so he backed off. Myrna said the same thing happened to her, but she didn't get to shake Scott's hand. Some of the crowd were being very rude. Scott, through all of this, remained the gentleman he is and tried his darndest to please everyone, even while trying to leave. At last he made it to his car and waved to all of us as he drove off. I heard later that Dean came rushing out to yell, "Stop that Trooper!" but I didn't see him so I can't verify this.

Leap Con 96

Wednesday, February 14

My daughter, Karen, and I arrived at LAX at 4:57 p.m. California time. Myrna was at the airport to meet us and drive us to her house where we were to stay for two days. We ate a late dinner (late for us since we were still on Florida time) with Myrna and  her husband.

Myrna's an excellent cook. She whipped up a cranberry chicken dish which was served over noodles. Karen and I went to bed around 10 CA time after visiting for a couple of hours.

Thursday, February 15

We drove up the coast via Topanga Canyon to Malibu for breakfast. We ate with Buster Crabbe, Dean Stockwell, Roy Rogers and a host of other celebs (all in picture form). I had mint tea and an omelet made from egg beaters. There were a couple of men at the table next to us discussing movie projects. That was neat.

After breakfast, we drove a little further on to Zuma Beach and were able to see whales or, as Scotty would put it, "There be whales here!" We did need binoculars. We all saw a pod of them (I thought Orkas and Karen thought she saw Humpbacks) and a pod of California dolphins. This breed is very different from our Bottlenose Atlantic dolphins. They are larger and darker in color, but not big enough to be confused with whales, especially when they clear the water. Karen saw a whale breech, but I didn't.

We were sorry to leave the beach behind. We all could have stayed there most of the day. The weather was foggy and overcast, but it was great for us Floridians. Just as long as there aren't any thunderboomers, we're fine in inclemental weather. Karen and I kind of like it. The feel is that of the Oregon coast.

From Zuma we drove back to LA via Sunset Blvd. We turned off at Rodeo Drive to tour that street by car. Didn't stop or get out.

When we left this area, we drove into Hollywood and parked near the Chinese Theater. This was Karen's first trip to LA, so we did the touristy things. She was thrilled to see all the names and prints in cement, but her first introduction to the area was a drunk in black with a Russian hat dancing in the street to no music but that which was in his head. Shortly after, a woman approached us with a "Jesus is the way" card. Then, as we were walking to the theater, a Michael Jackson look-alike, again singing to himself, seemed to follow us.

We left the theater and walked the street down to Vine, looking for two stores we knew of that sold photographs - the Hollywood Book Store and Star World. HBS wouldn't sell us any QL, Scott, or Dean photos because they were bringing them to the con, but Karen found plenty on Richard Dean Anderson (MacGyver) and she was in heaven. We missed Star World the first time but caught it on the way back and bought some more photos on order.

We were all pretty well worn by then and I passed on seeing Scott's house to return home after a turnoff into Beverly Hills. Myrna showed me the street where the Magic Castle is (from the movie Lord of Illusions). Myrna also wanted to show us Soupy Sales' house before it got too dark.

Friday, February 17

We went into town to Paramount Studios for a great tour. Wish we could have gotten on more sets, but what we saw was fantastic. The tour itself is a walking tour at $15 per person.

Can't remember the order in which we saw everything at Paramount, but early on we passed the sets where Voyager and DS9 are filmed and Karen and I, who were at the back of the group at this point (group had about 20 people) saw Avery Brooks in uniform walk by! He's got to be over 6' tall and quite distinguished in person. 

Sitting in a chair outside the studio door was Robert Picardo (the holographic doctor on Voyager) who looked up from a paper he was reading and smiled at us. He was wearing one of the gold uniforms. We were staring at him, I know, but we both managed to smile back. Then we had a lengthy discussion as to whether or not it WAS Robert Picardo. We finally decided it was Picardo. I later learned that the uniform was because he was playing Dr. Zimmerman, not the hologram, at that particlar moment. It was a very brief encounter, but he made a strong impression on both of us with his friendliness. I wish we could have talked with him.

Next memory is the set of ET. That's where we saw Leeza Gibbons and her daughter (who is about 3 or 4). There wasn't a whole lot to see on that set. We also passed costuming and I looked for Al costumes, but didn't seen any. Then I realized that QL was shot at Universal, not Paramount. Duh!

We were given a bit of the history of Paramount. The main thing I remember is why the mount and the stars are the symbol of the studio. Seems the founder (I'm horrible with names) was lonely for his home state of Utah and put the mount in to remind him of home. The 22 stars were for the original 22 celebs who were under contract to the studio when it first began.

Another set we actually got onto was the one with Jacqué (I'm sure I'm misspelling her name) where she has twins who were separated at birth and now the separate families are trying to bring the girls together - Sister, Sister. The actor who played George Jefferson was on a different part of the set in the same studio. Jacqué was blocking a scene in the forest. The back of the scene was a matte painting and Karen was stunned to see how real it looked on the TV monitor. It did not look real just looking at it. I could have stayed there an hour just watching, but our guide hurried us along.

Our last set stop was Hard Copy. We arrived just as they were finishing for the day. The crew kept us laughing as they bandied with each other and told us some of the "in secrets" of shooting. Did you know that the newsroom set doesn't exist? The crew went to a Miami studio to film the newsroom. It's added by blue screen effect behind the anchors. They also told us that when the anchors turn to a reporter for a fill-in, that reporter is actually sitting a couple of feet from the anchors! And we think it's for real! It's almost scary how fake it all is and how gullible we are in believing what we see.

Leaving this studio, we saw the Hollywood sign and I waited till there was a red light, then popped into the middle of the street to take a picture of it. Karen later took a picture from the car which actually turned out better, because we were closer.

We drove to the Beverly Garland Holiday Inn and checked into our room, then went the few blocks to City Walk for lunch. It was around 2 p.m. so we were good and hungry. We ate at a seafood place. Karen and I settled for a baked potato we shared, California Rolls (a favorite sushi dish), and the salad bar. That was plenty. Our stomachs were shrinking from eating only two meals a day.

We toured a bit of City Walk. I showed Karen the escalator down to Universal Studios. It was too late in the day to take that tour, but we did take some photos beside the fountain sign. Toured a couple of the unique shops, then it was rush back to the hotel to meet the group going to the set of Murphy Brown for that night's taping. There were 8 of us going and one of the group had gotten the tickets well in advance as they are hard to get.

We had to be at the lot around 5:30, but we didn't get in till roughly an hour later. We were on the set from 6ish to 11ish. Each scene was filmed twice, straight through. Then they went back and reshot close-ups or other angles. They used a 4 camera setup, a lot for a 1/2 hour sitcom. Also, the show is shot on film, not tape, for longer preservation.

As we were entering, I saw Margaret Colchin of Project Quantum Leap and Rosie and said hi. She introduced me to some friends she was with and told me who the guest star was. I was very surprised. Of course, we all hoped it would be Scott, but we learned later that Scott wasn't planned for any more MB's this season. However, we did get to see Elizabeth Taylor! I never expected to EVER see her in person! All in all, it was a great day and night.

Saturday, February 16

The beginning of CONVENTION. We slept Friday night in the hotel and we were all so tired that we could have slept on army cots and not cared. But the rollaway bed we had for Karen was a riot. She got in it and it nearly folded in half with her, lengthwise! Not the bed itself, mind you. But the mattress had no support under it so it seemed to sink to the floor. But, like I said, Karen was so tired she slept anyway.

We got up in time to eat breakfast and hit the Dealer's room at 9:00. I didn't buy too many pictures, but did get a few. I bought one of John D'Aquino (Frank in "Jimmy") in his SeaQuest uniform. Karen bought one of him younger, and we used these to get autographs. John's panel was the first one and included Rodney Kageyama (bartender in "Lee Harvey Oswald" and "Leap Home" Part 2), Donna Magnani (Russian lover in "Lee Harvey Oswald"), Ryan McWhorter (Cory in "Jimmy", and Brad Silverman (Jimmy in "Jimmy").

It was nice to see Ryan "grown up." He was sixteen and turning into a handsome young man. I got to talk with him awhile and he seems shy. He's not sure what he wants to do, but he does want a career with people because he says he is a people person.

When we got autographs, the room was set up quite a distance from the auditorium in the registration hall. That was a shame. Last year, the autograph table was right outside the auditorium.

One of the best aspects to a Quantum Leap convention is the ability to talk to actors up close and personal. Each time I got an autograph, I chatted with the celeb for awhile. I enjoy talking with people and it is nice to talk one on one with the guests.

I was very surprised and pleased to find that John still remembered me. This year, John took my hand as I passed through the line and was talking to him. I introduced Karen to him and she managed to get out seven words. "I think my heart is about to explode," she told him to which John replied, "Go ahead. Let it explode all over the table." Karen was very taken with John's act of kindness last year. She was more thrilled to be meeting John than any other star at the con.

After autographs, we hung around even more because John said he would come back and take pictures with us. About 50 fans waited patiently for this opportunity. In the meantime, I asked Rodney  Kagayama if he would take a picture with Karen and he was happy to pose. Donna, whom I asked to pose with Rodney, then asked me to take a picture of her with John. I took a couple of pictures and sent her copies. I hope she likes them.

Unfortunately, waiting to pose for pictures with John D'Aquino we were unable to see the panel with Tommy Thompson, Michael Stern, and Michael Watkins. I love listening to these men Watkins and Stern) and the stories they tell and I really wanted to hear Tommy Thompson. Tommy wrote and produced many Quantum Leaps.

The pictures of Karen and me with John came out great. The one of John and me can be found on at the top of the main Quantum Cafe page.

I've got to quote Karen here. I love her description of the event. "After we got their autographs, John was taking photographs with everyone. I waited in line with my mom to get a picture with him. Mom knew him personally and introduced me when we got his autograph. I told him my heart was about to explode and he said to go ahead and let it explode all over the table. I was so nervous. Back to the picture. When I finally got to him, he gave me a hug (I was calm by this point) and that was the picture, him hugging me. He smelled so good. For the rest of the day and that night, I was smelling him. And it wasn't just me. He was actually leaving a scent behind!"

We managed to squeeze in lunch, Karen, Myrna, and I, before the next major panel. We missed Gillian Horvath on breaking into screen writing and also Mark Banning, the producer of the soundtrack CD for Quantum Leap, but I ran into Mark in the Dealer's room and was able to chat with him a bit in there.

The next panel was SaMi Chester (Bebe in "Black on White on Fire"), Otto Coelho (football player in "All Americans") Michael Genovese (Don Gino in "Double Identity"), James Handy ("Temptation Eyes") and Arthur Rosenberg (the father in "Raped"). SaMi was extremely interesting and said if there was one thing he could do he would go to Africa when slavery first began and tell them, "Don't get into the boat." But the way he said it, it was funny. The panel jelled well together. Otto has a very high pitched laugh and when something sets him off, he breaks up the rest of the panel and the audience with his infectious laugh. Mike Genovese blushed several times and that was nice to see. He plays such stern and nasty types, it is nice to see a more sensitive side to him. When Mike is concentrating hard on something, he looks like he is scowling. This panel hung around while the next panel came up, then both panels signed autographs.

The last panel of the day was Kimberly Cullum (Sammy Jo in "Trilogy"), Richard Herd (Captain Galaxy and Ziggy "Mirror Image"), Harry Groener (the detective in "Permanent Wave") and Rich Whiteside (Doc "Leap Home Part 2", Shadow "A Leap for Lisa." At the autograph table, I told Kimberly that I wrote a story based on her character, Sammy Jo, and I would love to send it to her. I got an address from her mother and sent her the story.

We missed the bloopers because we were getting autographs. I would have loved to have seen the bloopers.

Dinner was late and we wound up eating in the hotel. After dinner, Myrna went visiting and Karen and I went to the room. Karen went to bed. Shortly after, there was a knock on the door and a friend came in to visit. I was so happy to see her. We sat and looked at pictures and chatted for almost two hours. When she left, I went to bed and Myrna came in not long afterward.

Sunday, February 18

The first guest panel of the day was set for 11:00. The charity auction was at 8:45. The nightshirt  Scott wore on the Stephanie Miller Show was auctioned off for $1300 and my friend was high bidder. It was signed by Scott Bakula. She showed it to me and let me touch. It was not the one he wore on the show. It was the one he was given by the show. Another item, a director's clapper board, that was signed by all the guests, went for only $160. That was a steal and I wish I had bid on it.

Marjorie Monaghan.  Trivia buffs, she also was a major recurring role in Babylon 5.
James Harper "Don't call me Vinny"
Dan Roebuck, Neil, "The Play's the Thing"

At 11, we were again in the auditorium armed with cameras for the panel with Marjorie Monaghan ("One Strobe Over the Line"), who was also in the Beowulf episode of "Voyager", Penny Peyser (the lawyer in "Raped"), Dan Roebuck (Neil "The Play's the Thing") and James Harper "Don't call me Vinny" (Vinny the Viper in "Sea Bride"). James and Dan played such despicable characters, it was fun to see them away from their characters. It is amazing what wonderful actors these people are. James and Dan are nothing like the men they played. Both have great senses of humor and love to laugh. Dan even showed me pictures of his 3 month old son. He is one proud daddy.

Again, I missed the author panel because I was getting autographs and I'm not even sure I got lunch. The next guest was Jay Schwartz (Scott's publicist) and I wanted to hear him speak. Jay was a bit nervous. He doesn't usually talk to the public. But he was well received and a bit insightful as well.

Jay did not sign autographs and the next speaker was Clive Barker ("Lord of Illusions") who talked about the director's cut of the just released film (released to home video). I had tried to rent it before the con but never got hold of a copy. They were off the shelves as fast as they were returned. When I got back from the trip, I managed to be the first one to rent the laser disk version as it was just being readied for rental when I called Blockbusters. This was a great surprise. I could still do without the gore and think the movie would have even been stronger if some of the horror was alluded to instead of blatantly displayed, but at the end of the credits, the laser contained some of the television and movie trailers, the bit from the Sci Fi channel on the making of LOI, and some movie stills. It ran almost an hour after the end of the movie. Goes to show, it always pays to stay through the credits!

When Clive left, Deborah Pratt came on. Deborah wrote and produced some wonderful Quantum Leaps, including "Trilogy" and now, she tells us, she will soon be directing. Her daughter, Troian, is 10 now (she was the little girl in "Another Mother").

Deborah was on for about 20 minutes when the man of the hour came out. Scott looked fantastic and I've already checked. I got some great clasps of him. But the time with him on stage was way too short. Dean couldn't make it. We were almost expecting him to walk on unexpectedly but he never did. This is the first time that Dean did not show up and we all missed him.

Scott was in a talkative mood. He was upbeat and cheerful but very few questions were asked from the audience. I think maybe 8 questions were asked in all. Not much more than that. The con organizers weren't allowing anyone out of their seats to get closer to the stage for pictures like they did with other guests. The flashbulbs were popping like crazy. It's almost comical because NO ONE in the back would get anything except the backs of heads with flash! It also got to be very annoying and I know for any video cameras on automatic that the lenses would have a hard time focusing through all that light. It would probably be much easier on Scott if they turned on some bright stage lights and disallowed flash photography. Be easier on all concerned, too.

Monday, February 19

We slept long and then finished minor packing and left for the LAX airport. On the way, we stopped for breakfast and it was one of the best that weekend. Karen and bagel and lox and it was delicious. I had blintzes, a treat.

When we got to the airport, I realized that I had forgotten my journal. In packing, I kept overlooking the journal, thinking it was a bible. I asked Myrna to call the hotel for me. When I got back to work Wed., I had to call the hotel and give them an address to mail the journal. I thought they would send it COD, but they paid the postage and sent it to work. That was nice of them and a pleasant end to a wonderful vacation.