Sunday, October 24, 1999.

Chris Owens is a funny guy...


Well, my day was really good!! I'm happy. Let's start my story from...a couple of weeks ago.

TWO WEEKS AGO:
I look at 24HourNewsX and see an update (yea!). There's a volunteer-run convention happening 15 min away from my house. And Chris Owens is going to be there. Seems great to me. Now only if I can go. And with whom? I want to go with someone with x-files knowledge, someone who's an x-phile...

DURING THE PAST TWO WEEKS:
One of my best XF buddies says that 'll meet me there on the Saturday (the convention was from Friday to Sunday). We're feeling good. Then, changes of plans occur over and over. Birthdays, birthday lunches, mad scientists, white hair, and all the rest. Also...someone in my family isn't particularly fond of me spending on XF so...there were questions arising. Then my birthday came up (yea!) and I said that I wanted to meet CO for my day (cos things like this don't happen often and it's always been a goal of mine to meet at least one actor from the show since I started watching back in '93). I got my present.

TODAY:
I ended up attending the convention on my own [As for my bud...well...I have no idea what happened. Did or didn't he go? What happened to you?!] That was fine though, I guess (but I would've preferred to have company).
I woke up early at 7:00am, got ready, had breakfast and ended up leaving for the hotel at about 8:15am. I arrived there at about 8:35am. I saw a sign that read "
REGISTRATION 9AM"; so, I waited for 25 mins until 9:00am, found out that Chris Owens wouldn't be autographing until 3pm, also found out that he'd be talking to everyone and anyone at 2pm, bought my $20 ticket and went back to my house. I went online to two seconds when I got home, I think; I paced a lot, too, and kept looking at the clock (you don't meet an actor from your favourite show everyday!).

I left around 1:15pm, bought fresh film, and made it there by about 1:43pm. I walked into the hotel's lobby, walked up the the stairs, saw Chris Owens turn a corner where the restaurant and the lobby intersect, and approached the stairs; I stared as he said something to someone and my eyes followed his movements as he climbed the stairs, wearing a greenish blazer, pale green shirt, and pants...hehe...I can't remember how his pants looked.
I walked behind, and would've said hello had there not been a couple of PR (public-relations) people and someone who looked like a relative surrounding him...actually, the teenage girl walking with him was the winner of the "
win a lunch with Chris Owens" contest, I think.

When I reached the top of the stairs (and he was a few feet infront), I watched him and his group walk into some elevator/suite area; after a moment he didn't come back. I checked the time, saw that it wasn't yet 2pm and figured that he was just getting ready.

Deciding that I should go see what was happening right now in the conference room that Chris Owens was to appear in because I had nothing better to do -- okay, I could've chased Chris, but... -- so I went into ALGONQUIN ROOM A, and noticed that only about seven people where in there listening to a few guys who do FX and artwork for Sinbad and other science-fiction shows. Nonetheless, I walked along the side wall and quietly took a seat, after hanging around the door area for a few minutes trying to decide whether or not it was the right time to go in...

Around two pm, the Sinbad guys got ready to leave, and most of the people in the room got up and left. Two people remained; new people moved in; and I switched seats to get a better view (I needed a good shot from my camera).
Chris came in, sat all by himself at a table at the front asked if he was alone and smiled. There weren't more than 20 people in the room and he gestured and joked around that we should all bring our chairs forward and huddle around his table. [everyone laughs]

I sat only three feet away from him, at front and center right across from him. I had the best^ seat (and I'm not exagerrating)! I snapped a couple of pictures of him sitting at the table; one just after seating himself, and one just after he asked if he was alone and grinned. Chris talked and answered questions about himself [(hockey hockey hockey)+(the tragically hip)], his work, upcoming works, "The X-Files", "Millennium", "Harsh Realm" and other media that he's been in as well as fanfiction and sites dedicated to him.
[I have written about all of these details at the end of my story!]

Well, near the end of the question/answer session, his publicist or PR reminded him that it was time to get ready to sign autographs (3pm) so he thanked us, and we applauded. Chris Owens is a great guy.
Before he could get far past his front desk area, I asked him if he could take a picture with me; he said yes, of course, and thrilled, I asked someone to take it for me so I could be in it. She took one picture and he wasn't looking; instead he was looking down at me (but I'm not short and he's not that tall!) and asked if I was smiling (hehe...of course!) Then she took a second picture and he squeezed my shoulder and we both grinned widely. So now I have two pictures of me with Chris Owens. I can't wait until I develop the pictures!

Well, at the top of the stairway the registration table had a third of it converted into an autographing table (just add publicity photos for $5, a publicist and mix) for Chris Owens.

I lined up behind another fan in what was a short line, bought one of the pictures because the magazine I had didn't have the best picture of him. (Anyone else have the XF yearbook from February 1999?) So, being second in line, Chris autographed my stuff second; first he wrote me a message on the picture ("so [Anne], would you like it [addressed] to you?") and then I asked him to sign my magazine (that's why I had brought it!), always with a smile.

I asked him if he would be appearing in season seven of "The X-Files" after he signed them; Chris said as of now, he is "dead" (remember, no one dies in "The X-Files") and does not have a role during this season. However, Chris said that David Duchovny had come up with a "...great idea!" of having flashbacks in episodes which involved the Agent Spender character, or even (if the writer decides to go far back in time enough) as the young Cigarette-Smoking Man.

Well, that's about it...I suppose. hehe...there is more but it's something that I'd like to keep to myself; and it's not something huge, so don't worry!

Well, I like Chris Owens. He's such a nice guy. And he's funny too.

xo.

 

"future butterfly, gonna spend the day higher than high"
-elliott smith, "independence day"

 


things Chris Owens said:

  • "hmm...you're not tall enough" - words said by William B. Davis to Chris Owens during the filming of "Musings of a Cigarette-Smoking Man" (it was the first time Chris met William).
  • he gets shot in many of the roles he's acted in.
  • he has gotten shot in the back twice by his fathers in his acting career so far
  • he's only been able to watch the premiere of Harsh Realm and is hoping that he'll have a role in it
  • after watching "home" (an x-files episode) for the first time with his from who acted in "small potatoes" (also an x-files episode), he was left gaping at his tv screen. the episode was part of a marathon that a Vancouver television channel had held voting for; "home" was the number one choice that x-philes wanted to see. after seeing the episode, Chris told us (with a laugh) that x-files fans are sick : )
  • Alice Cooper was playing golf at a golf course in the Bahamas while Chris was there and Alice is a fan of "The X-Files" and wanted to talk to Chris about it
  • he talks about Weird Al with smiles
  • his favourite band is the Tragically Hip and yes, he's met them backstage after a concert in California where the crowd was only 1000 people
  • he's a huge hockey fan (hockey hockey hockey!) "I'm a true Canadian boy"
  • he talks about everything with smiles
  • he smiles a lot

  • notes from me:
    this mightbe the coolest thing that has happened to me since I saw a UFO in May...
    ...because it fullfills my goal of meeting an actor from "The X-Files".
    J
    -----
    xo.

    yes, today is Monday, October 25, 1999, and yes this is my rewritten version with added info from the one I posted on the XF mb...
    wow, it's 11:17pm. time to stick this online!