Chrismukkah came early and it was amazing to meet Ben McKenzie AKA Ryan Atwood from The O.C. at Fan Expo!
The O.C. was one of my favourite TV shows in the early 2000s and it played a pivotal role in launching my website Hot On The Street. Its success inspired MTV to create the reality show Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County. I wrote my first blog post shortly after meeting Kelly Cutrone from The Hills, the spinoff of Laguna Beach. The rest is history!
After The O.C. I became a fan of Josh Schwartz’s subsequent shows Gossip Girl, The Carrie Diaries, Hart of Dixie and Dynasty. The O.C. introduced me to Peter Gallagher, who I recently liked seeing in Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist and Grace and Frankie.
My favourite meet and greets have involved celebrities I adored growing up. So, of course I bought a ticket for Ben McKenzie months in advance and scheduled my hair colour around it.
Leading up to the event, I enjoyed watching Ben McKenzie’s recent interviews about his book Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the Golden Age of Fraud. This one with Bill Maher sums it up best. A hot guy who can perform and share financial literacy?! Sign me up!
As with any interaction that involves a lineup, our interaction was brief but he was charming. Definitely a childhood dream come true and one that I never thought would happen.
I have many vivid TV memories from my childhood. I remember watching the last few minutes of the season one finale at a friend’s house and then binging the first season at home to catch up. I must have taped the season two premiere because I was at the Avril Lavigne concert! The O.C. popularized calling your friends by their last name like Atwood, Cooper and Cohen, so I was thrilled when my high school friends called me Prince.
The first time I went to Fan Expo, I met Scott Patterson from Gilmore Girls. It was a few hours before the series premiere of Sullivan’s Crossing, which led to my conversation with his co-star Lindura. I also interviewed Sean Gunn who played Kirk in Stars Hollow!
This weekend, I spent more time exploring the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. I spotted Never Have I Ever star Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, but we were walking in opposite directions and it was impossible to say hi. Right after I got my blue lemonade, I got to see Cynthia Loyst and Derek Forgie from CTV’s The Social. That was such a nice bonus!
I also saw Josh Gad and Bryce Dallas Howard from the distance. Her can of Canada Dry made me happy, as I’m obsessed. Hopefully the Fan Expo team continues attracting big stars because I had lots of fun and love indoor walking.
