ancaz thoughts

Note: I wrote this piece on November 8, 2010 after the last QAF/TLW Convention in Paris. It is simply my take on what used to be a great experience for so many reasons. Some of you may have read it as it was originally published on Laurel Holloman's website. Since that site has been closed, I decided to post it on my own blog. I would appreciate not seeing it unashamedly copied on other sites/forums without my written consent as it happened in the past with some of my write-ups. I may not have the time to search the web for my stolen work, since I have better things to do plus a life to live, but I won't hesitate to hunt down the culprit if I come across it elsewhere. You're free though to share the link. Thank you!

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Laurel Holloman Shines at 'Queer as Folk/The L Word' Convention in Paris 2010

The long awaited moment had come! Two years after attending a British and a French convention, and more than one year since the TV show that made her famous ended, Laurel Holloman came to Paris in an unexpected – but, oh, so welcomed - turn of events (for all L Word Tina’s fans), replacing Kate Moennig who had to call off her presence at the second Queer As Folk/The L Word convention.

Under the “PLanet meets BabyLon” slogan (the hang-out places of the two gay-themed shows’ characters), Laurel joined her co-star and friend, Rachel Shelley, and Queer as Folk’s Randy Harrison, as a special guest of an unforgettable event.  

This time a year ago, Ultim’Art was running a poll where fans could vote who they would like to see at the next QAF/TLW French convention. Although the poll didn’t count unique votes, Laurel was, by far, the undeniable winner. And while the Convention poster included the Moennig-Shelley-Harrison trio up till a week before the event, Kate’s short notice cancellation made Laurel’s arrival in Paris more anticipated than ever.

I, for one, found the news surreal. I don’t think I truly realized she was going to make the trip until the moment she tweeted from the airport lounge before boarding her flight to Paris. To me, as a convention newbie who gets to meet one of her favorite actors under such a fantastic circumstance, it was like an out of body experience.  

On Saturday, even though I missed my chance of winning a Café VIP PASS with Laurel, which would have meant a 45-minute chat with her, I patiently waited for my turn in lines for the photo shoots and autographs with both L Word ladies. It was like I was trying to take in as much as possible of their presence, as if there was no tomorrow. And I was among the lucky ones who were able to stay until the end of the last day.

I wasn’t pretty successful in chatting with Laurel that first day, as I was star struck big time and thought I wouldn’t make much sense anyway, so the only thing I was able to articulate before the first photo shoot was: “Hi, I’m Anca from the mayhem group, everyone says hi!” And she said, with an ear to ear smile on her face:”Hi, I recognized you from the pictures!”(or something like that…)

I can’t imagine myself not being cranky when jet-lagged and sharing a smile is the last thing I would think of.  But Laurel, although tired, didn’t let it show for one split second. She smiled and talked, she laughed and danced, one would ask her a short question and she would always give an elaborate answer. And all that besides spending a few good hours with the French press every day.

She, unknowingly, put a spell even on her bodyguard. While I was waiting in line for my second photo shoot with her, I witnessed a moment which I regret for the rest of my life I didn’t capture on camera.  Just imagine a 250-pound grown man sitting on one of those bar chairs, looking where Laurel was standing and smiling like a boy touched by the first butterflies in his stomach. Priceless!

On Monday, I had my last autograph session with Laurel and I asked her how her art show was coming. She said she’d like to have the show in early spring, would paint again for the whole summer and in between would focus on acting, too. When I asked whether the unsold painting – “It’s Hard to Get to the Center of Things” -  would be part of her art show, she said it was going to be on display in a Venice bar whose owner absolutely loves it.

 After her last autograph session, while she was on her way to the backstage she made a “detour “ on stage where David, the mastermind of the Convention, and Yaele, his right-hand woman, pretended they had a serious chat with the fans about shows they would all watch [while in fact they practiced the dance routine with the fans for the surprise end] and in between shouts of “True Blood rocks!” and God knows what else, Laurel stopped and gave each of them a rose from the ones she got earlier.

There’s more about Laurel Holloman than just looks. It is her personality that shines through and adds to her natural outer beauty. She is an energetic self-starter. With her new artistic expression we witnessed her own rediscovery. In the midst of a career change myself, trying to do something I’ve never been formally trained for, writing in a language that is not my native one, I found Laurel a tremendous inspiration. I learned it’s all about putting your fears and insecurities aside and just take the leap, otherwise you’ll never know how it goes unless you try.

Looking back to last year when I had discovered The L Word phenomenon, I could have never imagined the way this show would change my life. It broke boundaries and built bridges between fans around the world. If it wasn’t for Laurel, I wouldn’t have met the people that came into my life in the past year. I can only be grateful that such conventions keep being organized and the fans keep The L Word spirit alive.

If you want to learn more about what happened at the convention, read the full reports on  l-word.com and suite101.com. For more footage follow Planet meets BabyLon Facebook page, @secretgirlin04 on Twitter and, especially, her youtube channel which is constantly updated with videos from the event.

Last but not least, here is the little video I shot during the closing ceremony.

A big THANK YOU to Ultim’Art and to Laurel, Rachel and Randy for making this convention such a memorable experience!