Kristin Bauer Van Straten at Phoenix Comic Con 2013

We’ve been waiting an entire 9 months for True Blood season 6 to premiere and although I spend the entire year covering the show, the actors, the crew, and anything else related to the series, it’s not easy getting back “in season” mode. I try to go to at least one new place every year since San Diego Comic Con and Dragon*Con have become staples in my travels.

Going to Phoenix Comic Con 2013 was a risky venture for me because it happened the same week I finished school. I turned in my final assignment at 3am on Wednesday and took the flight to Phoenix the next day. It is True Blood season after all, and nothing was going to stop me.

Except a shifting schedule that is. Last time Kristin Bauer van Straten (Pamela Swynford de Beaufort) attended Phoenix Comic Con in 2011, she had filmed late the night before and had to board a plane having come straight from set in her Pam hair and makeup. I went down to see her on Saturday morning and those unusual circumstances from 2011 came back to me when I realized she was nowhere to be found. I returned again awhile later to check again and saw that her signing schedule had been pushed back.

I met up with Kristin not long after the rescheduled time and she confirmed that filming had been responsible for her late entrance to the convention. Considering I had been questioning whether I’d make it to Phoenix just days before, I wholeheartedly sympathized with her situation and was relieved that she made it! I did go see other panels which will be up at some point at Girl and Remote.com but I would have felt extremely silly covering the convention under True Blood Fan Source without any True Blood.

The panel followed Torchwood and Doctor Who’s John Barrowman on Sunday afternoon. I should take this moment to note that Phoenix Comic Con is a family friendly convention and just prior to Kristin being introduced, the MC had tried to find appropriate clips to show to the audience and considering it is True Blood they had to show a parody called True Mud instead. Not nearly as funny of course but I was amused just thinking about the fact that no scene with Pam in it contains anything near appropriate for children.

On a side note, while I was covering the convention I had a chance to visit with my Uncle who works just outside of Phoenix and he spent the weekend with me outside of the convention. Since I usually attend these conventions with friends who know this world exists, it was very interesting to see him experience seeing people dressed up in costumes. I actually invited him to spend the day with me on Sunday at the convention, marking the first and probably last time I will ever have a family member at a convention with me. Since I’ve covered True Blood for so long and gone to many different events, conventions represent a certain kind of normal that I encounter occasionally. But for most people, the convention experience is the polar opposite of anything they’ve seen.

He had a wonderful time though and I even took him to say hello to Kristin briefly. I figured since I had to put off time to spend with him on Saturday because I was waiting to talk with Kristin, he should meet this person that I’ve come to the convention for. Although as he told Kristin that she is one of my favorite actresses in the world, a little part of me cringed. I am a true fan of the show otherwise this site wouldn’t exist. But I try to be somewhat cool in these situations and somehow that never quite works.

My life outside of True Blood Fan Source and my other sites remains very seperate for my own sanity and other good reasons. But every once in awhile, it’s nice to share what I love with my family even if they’ll never watch the show or understand why I go off and attend these things.

You can find the full panel video below. Quick highlights include Kristin discussing getting feedback from her fellow actors and the crew, more hilarious details about her week filming in La Puente, CA during season 4, and a young boy asking if Kristin would consider dating Dracula after admitting he only watches half the show. Oh and while I might be mortified at my inner fangirl showing around Kristin, she also admits having an awkward moment of her own involving Tricia Helfer of Battlestar Galactica so that makes me feel slightly better.