Leslie And Deb's Excellent Adventure
Here is the long anticipated report from our two lucky readers, Leslie and Deb, who got to meet and greet James Scott in Peoria last weekend...
Leslie's Report
If you read the weekend installment of Prevuze, you know Deb and I ventured to Peoria on Saturday for fun, frolic, and the chance to meet James Scott. Just remember dear Prevuzites, we were there for you.
Since we live many miles away from each other, Deb and I agreed to meet at the event venue, the Peoria Civic Center. Having given each other descriptions of our hair (that’s right, our hair), we were able to identify each other immediately. As I am sure you would expect, Deb is outgoing and effervescent. She also has a pair of brilliant blue eyes that easily rival those of Alison Sweeney. On top of that, she has great taste in purses. Besides Prevuze and DOOL, I found out the Deb and I have something else in common. We’ve both seen Rob Zombie on concert. Rock on!!!
After a quick tour of the booths in the exposition hall, we headed over to the stage were James Scott was speaking. I have never attended a fan event so I had no idea what to expect. Being the expert, Deb showed me the ropes…literally. At noon, James Scott was scheduled to speak and have a Q and A session, and from 1:00 to 2:30, he would be signing autographs. It was 11:15 and fans were already in line for their chance to meet James and get his autograph. Deb, the seasoned veteran, joined the line and made herself comfortable. Since my trip to Peoria had taken almost three hours, I decided that I would like to check out the exhibits. I managed to secure a canvas bag, a daisy from a guy running for office (thanks for the flower but I don’t live in your district), body and eye cream samples, and the all important fiber supplement samples handed out by the local office of gastroenterologists. Nothing says “colonoscopy” quite like fiber supplements.
I went back to the stage with my canvas bag full of junk and decided I wanted to listen to James speak rather than stand in line for an autograph. I found a seat as close to the stage as I could possibly secure in eager anticipation of basking in the aura of His Hunkiness. He was introduced by someone from the Expo. She explained that television ads for the Expo included a shirtless EJ. When they started running ads with EJ in a shirt, the station got complaints. Hey kids, this was the Women’s Lifestyle Expo…enough said. Then James made his much anticipated appearance. He didn’t disappoint, and I proceeded to contentedly bask in that aforementioned aura. He said his greetings and immediately asked for questions. Since things were starting out slowly, James had a question for the audience, and he wanted a show of hands. You guessed it…EJ and Sami or EJ and Nicole. The EJ/Sami ticket appeared to win rather handily but I was surprised by the support that EJ/Nicole received. However, the EJ/Nicole voters were roundly booed. Ahh, yes, this is an election year. Methinks that many EJ/Nicole supporters are also Lucas/Sami fans but that’s merely conjecture on my part. I did not conduct any exit poll interviews. Well, at least, the vote got the crowd warmed up so here’s a report of some of the action.
Q – How old are you?
A – 29…sigh, he’s just a pup.
Q – Can I have a hug?
A – Hugs
Q – How tall are you?
A – His bio says he’s 6’ 3” but he is actually 6’5”. Apparently, taller men have it tough in Hollywood. Since women “past their prime” have similar issues, there must be a lot of short men dating women young enough to be their daughters making the decisions in Tinsel Town.
Q – My girlfriend thinks you’re the greatest thing since sliced bread. Can she have a hug? Now, mind you, I was not taking notes. Therefore, this is not an exact quote but I think you get the picture.
A – Hugs
Q – Are you married?
A – No…cheers…but he’s engaged…boos and hisses.
Q – Will you give my daughters a hug?
A – Group hugs
Having listened to the questions and observed the Hug-A-Thon for about a half hour, I decided to jump into the fray. Being a representative of Prevuze and, therefore, being there for you, I felt compelled to ask about DOOL’s lack of continuity. I was also curious to find out if James had any input with regard to his character. I was told that those were actually very good questions. Is praise better than a hug? Not no but hell no. Anyway Prevuze, I’ve got some bad news. Snarking opportunities may no longer be so plentiful. James acknowledged that there have been some creative issues but things should be getting better in a couple of weeks. I was assured I would be pleased. He also said he has taped some scenes with Joe Mascolo, those scenes include the best written dialogue he has been asked to perform. Except for helping them out on some points that are strictly British, James is given no input. His accompanying laugh said it all. When he took the part of EJ, James wanted to research the character and his family but it was strongly suggested that he not bother. Why does that not surprise me?
We were told that EJ would be with Nicole for now. Alison Sweeney’s pregnancy necessitated the witness protection storyline. By limiting her scenes to one set, DOOL can shoot multiple episodes more quickly thus preventing Sami from being off screen for an extended period of time. Brady is returning, and EJ and he will be butting heads. When pressed for more details, James demurred. He told us a story about another actor who had suffered a case of loose lips. After he had inadvertently leaked an on-screen death, the producer was so angry that the actor ended up in soap opera limbo…a wheel chair. Since he’s already spent time in a wheel chair, James was keeping his mouth shut.
I was really on the fence about getting an autograph but after the Q & A session was finished, I decided the “experience” wouldn’t be complete without one. When I went to join the line, it took me a little while to find the end of it. There had to be at least 100 people, and the allotted time that included lunch for James was only 90 minutes. You do the math. Just when I thought I was wasting my time, James started making his way through the line of his adoring fans. My chances for that autograph just got a whole lot better. Amid women holding up cell phones and an occasional flash from a regulation camera, I finally stood before James Scott. I gave him my name and told him that he was a good sport. He asked for the spelling of my name and told me he didn’t want to disappoint those who had spent so much time waiting for him. He patted me on the shoulder, and I was on my way clutching my autographed photo. OMG, I had just met James Scott. Let’s face it. Here’s a guy surrounded by a bunch of women who would give their eye teeth to jump his bones, and he handled the situation with poise, humor, grace, and dignity. Can you tell that I’m impressed? I’m also officially smitten.
Upon making a cursory check of the facility, I found no elevators. As for a pregnancy, it would take a miracle. Wait a second…isn’t that what Nicole thought and now take a look at her. HAHAHA!! It’s only a soap opera. Then again… Where did I put my autograph? Why it’s tucked right next to my treasured Ernie Banks’ autograph. Where else would it be?
Leslie
Deb's Report
As you already know, Leslie and I met at the Peoria Women's Lifestyle Expo this weekend with the sole purpose of meeting James Scott - aka EJ Wells.
While Leslie opted to sit in the audience during the Q and A session, I chose to wait in the meet and greet line so I would have a better chance at actually talking to James.
Leslie covered the Q and A rather nicely in her report, but she did leave out some key info. James doesn't seem to know much about his character. When asked how many kids Stefano had he rattled off himself, Lexie, and then said Tony and Andre. Several of us reminded him Tony and Andre were his nephew and cousin respectively, not his sons. Then he totally left out Benji. When asked who EJ's mother was, he sort of knew but didn't know the actress who played her. Susan Wells was played masterfully by Eilleen Davidson.
When it was my turn to meet our beloved EJ, I promptly handed him a piece of paper with our own Prevuze site on it, and told him about us. He looked a tad confused for a moment, then smiled and said he'd check it out. I wanted to make sure he'd remember me, (Like anyone could ever forget) so I mentioned that I knew Josh Taylor and lived in his hometown and went to the same HS. He seemed more interested in that, and then I planted the "golden" seed. I told him Josh's real name was Tim. He looked surprised and then.....OMG THERE IT WAS!! I SAW IT LIVE IN PERSON RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!..............THE EVIL EJ SMIRK!!!!!!!!!!!
He said he had no idea Josh was not his real name and fully intended to tease him about it when he saw him on Monday!!!!!
YEAH!!!! Apologies to Josh, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do to get remembered.
Oh and trust me he is not 6'5" or even 6'3" I'd say he's more like 6' or a little less. You'll see in the pic I got taken of us, I'm only 5'4" and although he is leaning over a table he's just not that tall.
Sigh, but still it was an adventure.
Deb
Thanks Leslie and Deb. I'm guessing it will be hard to have as good a weekend as they did last week but... do your best. And, hey, we "fall back" tonight, so at least we get an extra hour in the weekend. See you Monday.
Leslie's Report
If you read the weekend installment of Prevuze, you know Deb and I ventured to Peoria on Saturday for fun, frolic, and the chance to meet James Scott. Just remember dear Prevuzites, we were there for you.
Since we live many miles away from each other, Deb and I agreed to meet at the event venue, the Peoria Civic Center. Having given each other descriptions of our hair (that’s right, our hair), we were able to identify each other immediately. As I am sure you would expect, Deb is outgoing and effervescent. She also has a pair of brilliant blue eyes that easily rival those of Alison Sweeney. On top of that, she has great taste in purses. Besides Prevuze and DOOL, I found out the Deb and I have something else in common. We’ve both seen Rob Zombie on concert. Rock on!!!
After a quick tour of the booths in the exposition hall, we headed over to the stage were James Scott was speaking. I have never attended a fan event so I had no idea what to expect. Being the expert, Deb showed me the ropes…literally. At noon, James Scott was scheduled to speak and have a Q and A session, and from 1:00 to 2:30, he would be signing autographs. It was 11:15 and fans were already in line for their chance to meet James and get his autograph. Deb, the seasoned veteran, joined the line and made herself comfortable. Since my trip to Peoria had taken almost three hours, I decided that I would like to check out the exhibits. I managed to secure a canvas bag, a daisy from a guy running for office (thanks for the flower but I don’t live in your district), body and eye cream samples, and the all important fiber supplement samples handed out by the local office of gastroenterologists. Nothing says “colonoscopy” quite like fiber supplements.
I went back to the stage with my canvas bag full of junk and decided I wanted to listen to James speak rather than stand in line for an autograph. I found a seat as close to the stage as I could possibly secure in eager anticipation of basking in the aura of His Hunkiness. He was introduced by someone from the Expo. She explained that television ads for the Expo included a shirtless EJ. When they started running ads with EJ in a shirt, the station got complaints. Hey kids, this was the Women’s Lifestyle Expo…enough said. Then James made his much anticipated appearance. He didn’t disappoint, and I proceeded to contentedly bask in that aforementioned aura. He said his greetings and immediately asked for questions. Since things were starting out slowly, James had a question for the audience, and he wanted a show of hands. You guessed it…EJ and Sami or EJ and Nicole. The EJ/Sami ticket appeared to win rather handily but I was surprised by the support that EJ/Nicole received. However, the EJ/Nicole voters were roundly booed. Ahh, yes, this is an election year. Methinks that many EJ/Nicole supporters are also Lucas/Sami fans but that’s merely conjecture on my part. I did not conduct any exit poll interviews. Well, at least, the vote got the crowd warmed up so here’s a report of some of the action.
Q – How old are you?
A – 29…sigh, he’s just a pup.
Q – Can I have a hug?
A – Hugs
Q – How tall are you?
A – His bio says he’s 6’ 3” but he is actually 6’5”. Apparently, taller men have it tough in Hollywood. Since women “past their prime” have similar issues, there must be a lot of short men dating women young enough to be their daughters making the decisions in Tinsel Town.
Q – My girlfriend thinks you’re the greatest thing since sliced bread. Can she have a hug? Now, mind you, I was not taking notes. Therefore, this is not an exact quote but I think you get the picture.
A – Hugs
Q – Are you married?
A – No…cheers…but he’s engaged…boos and hisses.
Q – Will you give my daughters a hug?
A – Group hugs
Having listened to the questions and observed the Hug-A-Thon for about a half hour, I decided to jump into the fray. Being a representative of Prevuze and, therefore, being there for you, I felt compelled to ask about DOOL’s lack of continuity. I was also curious to find out if James had any input with regard to his character. I was told that those were actually very good questions. Is praise better than a hug? Not no but hell no. Anyway Prevuze, I’ve got some bad news. Snarking opportunities may no longer be so plentiful. James acknowledged that there have been some creative issues but things should be getting better in a couple of weeks. I was assured I would be pleased. He also said he has taped some scenes with Joe Mascolo, those scenes include the best written dialogue he has been asked to perform. Except for helping them out on some points that are strictly British, James is given no input. His accompanying laugh said it all. When he took the part of EJ, James wanted to research the character and his family but it was strongly suggested that he not bother. Why does that not surprise me?
We were told that EJ would be with Nicole for now. Alison Sweeney’s pregnancy necessitated the witness protection storyline. By limiting her scenes to one set, DOOL can shoot multiple episodes more quickly thus preventing Sami from being off screen for an extended period of time. Brady is returning, and EJ and he will be butting heads. When pressed for more details, James demurred. He told us a story about another actor who had suffered a case of loose lips. After he had inadvertently leaked an on-screen death, the producer was so angry that the actor ended up in soap opera limbo…a wheel chair. Since he’s already spent time in a wheel chair, James was keeping his mouth shut.
I was really on the fence about getting an autograph but after the Q & A session was finished, I decided the “experience” wouldn’t be complete without one. When I went to join the line, it took me a little while to find the end of it. There had to be at least 100 people, and the allotted time that included lunch for James was only 90 minutes. You do the math. Just when I thought I was wasting my time, James started making his way through the line of his adoring fans. My chances for that autograph just got a whole lot better. Amid women holding up cell phones and an occasional flash from a regulation camera, I finally stood before James Scott. I gave him my name and told him that he was a good sport. He asked for the spelling of my name and told me he didn’t want to disappoint those who had spent so much time waiting for him. He patted me on the shoulder, and I was on my way clutching my autographed photo. OMG, I had just met James Scott. Let’s face it. Here’s a guy surrounded by a bunch of women who would give their eye teeth to jump his bones, and he handled the situation with poise, humor, grace, and dignity. Can you tell that I’m impressed? I’m also officially smitten.
Upon making a cursory check of the facility, I found no elevators. As for a pregnancy, it would take a miracle. Wait a second…isn’t that what Nicole thought and now take a look at her. HAHAHA!! It’s only a soap opera. Then again… Where did I put my autograph? Why it’s tucked right next to my treasured Ernie Banks’ autograph. Where else would it be?
Leslie
Deb's Report
As you already know, Leslie and I met at the Peoria Women's Lifestyle Expo this weekend with the sole purpose of meeting James Scott - aka EJ Wells.
While Leslie opted to sit in the audience during the Q and A session, I chose to wait in the meet and greet line so I would have a better chance at actually talking to James.
Leslie covered the Q and A rather nicely in her report, but she did leave out some key info. James doesn't seem to know much about his character. When asked how many kids Stefano had he rattled off himself, Lexie, and then said Tony and Andre. Several of us reminded him Tony and Andre were his nephew and cousin respectively, not his sons. Then he totally left out Benji. When asked who EJ's mother was, he sort of knew but didn't know the actress who played her. Susan Wells was played masterfully by Eilleen Davidson.
When it was my turn to meet our beloved EJ, I promptly handed him a piece of paper with our own Prevuze site on it, and told him about us. He looked a tad confused for a moment, then smiled and said he'd check it out. I wanted to make sure he'd remember me, (Like anyone could ever forget) so I mentioned that I knew Josh Taylor and lived in his hometown and went to the same HS. He seemed more interested in that, and then I planted the "golden" seed. I told him Josh's real name was Tim. He looked surprised and then.....OMG THERE IT WAS!! I SAW IT LIVE IN PERSON RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!..............THE EVIL EJ SMIRK!!!!!!!!!!!
He said he had no idea Josh was not his real name and fully intended to tease him about it when he saw him on Monday!!!!!
YEAH!!!! Apologies to Josh, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do to get remembered.
Oh and trust me he is not 6'5" or even 6'3" I'd say he's more like 6' or a little less. You'll see in the pic I got taken of us, I'm only 5'4" and although he is leaning over a table he's just not that tall.
Sigh, but still it was an adventure.
Deb
Thanks Leslie and Deb. I'm guessing it will be hard to have as good a weekend as they did last week but... do your best. And, hey, we "fall back" tonight, so at least we get an extra hour in the weekend. See you Monday.
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14 Comments:
Thanks for sharing your EJ adventure with us, Deb and Leslie. Thanks, Prevuze, for all your hard work as well in keeping us posted with day ahead updates.
I already had figured it out that the characters didn't have any input in their scripts. None of them would choose to appear so stupid as the writers make them. I remember when Jared on Passions publicly questioned JER as to, "don't I deserve better scripts, Mr. Reilly?"
His character was quickly written off Passions with nothing of any substance in anything he did from then on. Apparently, to even question the writers is committing suicide on soaps. So glad we have Prevuze to vent our frustrations. Soap characters are obviously intelligent people and very good actors. Such a shame they don't get to act to their full potential with better scripts than they get.
I still say when budget cuts abound, just hire Prevuze and her group, and save a lot of money. Her group could offer you so many better ideas than what those writers charge a bundle for in scripts.
Yes, I know. They have to use the Writer's Guild for scripts. Just another racket so better writers can't get into the field, IMO.
Gotta love that EJ. That pic shows how exhausted he must have been that day, yet he kept on going for his fans. That says a lot about soap characters. I admire them all.
One would think that to save a lot of time when soap stars appear, they would just line up with a ton of pictures already autographed, and give everyone a hug and a pic as they passed by in line. Almost everyone wants a hug and an autographed pic. Leslie's questions seemed to be the only ones with any substance to them in the Q & A session.
While it might be more "convenient" to have pre signed pictures, the fans want their autographs to be personalized so that would kind of defeat the purpose.
James didn't seem tired at all. It was more I think that his time was limited.
The people from our local NBC affiliate seemed to be rushing things more than James.
Either way it was fun.
Not only do soap actors have to deal with hectic shooting schedules, impossible amounts of (ridiculous) dialog to memorize, and unbelievable plots to endure; many, like James, spend weekends flying off across the country to fan events where they are unfailingly gracious. They are truly a rare breed.
Leslie, Deb, thanks for your reports.
Leslie & Deb -
Thanks for your reports! Those of us living in towns where the soap stars never visit must live vicariously through your experiences.
I bet it is sort of a drag for the soap stars to do these kinds of things. I wonder if it's required? Some of them seem to do it more than the others. (I don't think I've ever seen Diva Deidre listed in a far away event. Maybe she did in the beginning and then they get an out the longer they're on there?)
Anyway, thanks again and thanks to Prevuze, too, for bringing us the Saturday edition. :D
Thanks! It was great to read about your adventure. He is a great guy.
Some of the questions to James
Scott weren't even questions. The fans were simply gushing at him, and he seemed a tad bit embarressed. One fan even had the nerve to ask to be given the scraf he was wearing. Maybe she had him confused with Elvis Presley. Since it was a gift, James declined and was extremely nice about it showing a lot more class than the woman who asked to be gifted the scarf.
I was there too and I heard your question Leslie. I was one of the fools that stood in the line for an autograph at 10:30. He is so much hotter in person if that is even possible and he was so sweet too.I didn't think he was that tall either. I'm 5'4. Maybe it's because my hubby's best friend is 6'5 also and I am around him a lot. I think I love him more now than before I met him. Hearing him speak gave me hope for the show. If he's excited about whats coming up then more than likely he will re-sign his contract. He hasn't steered us wrong yet. I love where you put his autograph. Anyone who has an autographed picture of Mr. Cub is all right with me. :D
Thanks so much, Leslie and Deb for sharing your excellent adventure!
I was hoping someone would share what happened, and glad to hear that a few EJole's were present to give their views. I don't know if I am so much an EJole, but I am so tired of the constant Ejami down his throat. Poor guy is obviously more into Nicole, and I think he wish that more people were as he keeps asking the question...maybe hoping for a louder answer for his favorite???
Thanks for sharing. He is a beautiful man!
Oh, does anyone know who the person in the wheelchair was who complained about his character? Was it Stefano last year?
Thanks,
Belinda
This was fun. Thanks for the update, Leslie and Deb.
Very cool, I'm jealous! That guy seems cool. I wish I could see the 'evil EJ. smirk' in real life, lol.
Thanks you two for sharing your adventure. I love that there were SO MANY ejami fans there. Like billie and bo - nicole and ej too will come to an end and I'll be thrilled to finally have the real thing Ejami.
James sounds like a very classy guy and a sweetheart to boot.
I met James in August at an event in Burlington, Ma. He is definitely 6'4" or 6'5". I'm confused by Deb's comment. Because I'm 5'9", and even with two-inch heels on, he was still quite a bit taller than me. I told him that I liked grey EJ a lot, but I hated evil, BSC EJ. However, I thought his acting as evil EJ was fantastic and that he does an awesome villian. Otherwise I wouldn't have hated him. He seemed to really like that.
I'm 5'11". I wore 2" heels in Burlington and he still towered over me. He's definitely 6'5".
Methinks that many EJ/Nicole supporters are also Lucas/Sami fans but that’s merely conjecture on my part.
Is it a crime to like more than one pair on the show? I like Ejole. I like Lumi. I also like Bope, S/K, Tanna and Chick. Is that a problem for you?
Thanks for the writeups.
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