CoA's Rachel Barrera displays Angel raffle items
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n the evening of Friday, February 20th, 2004 the mood of the five-star Century City Plaza Hotel began to shift. Emanating from the elegant Constellation Ballroom was something dark, evil, and deliciously soulless. In an event worthy of Angel's most powerful law firm, attendees of the Wolfram & Hart Annual Revue were treated to a party unlike any other, a "Soulless Social." Sponsored by CityofAngel.com (CoA), with contributions from websites: LiveJournal.com, PopGurls.com, FanGeek.com, and an anonymous group of dedicated Firefly fans, the Soulless Social was the quintessential beginning to a weekend of Angel-themed enjoyment. As fans gathered outside the ballroom, eagerly waiting for the doors to open, they signed a large poster to be given to the Angel cast and crew expressing their thanks for five great seasons. At 8pm the doors were opened to the party and the festivities began. The atmosphere of the normally luxurious ballroom was transformed into one reminiscent of the wine tasting in the Season 2 episode, "Reunion." Moody, low lighting illuminated the area, casting a soft glow across the numerous tasting tables and inviting couches. Each table was adorned with a fan of Inkworks Cards promo cards from Buffy Season 7 and Angel Season 5, as well as a wine glass complete with a flower. Amusing trinkets such as the magic eight ball and an Oujia board were placed around the room for the fans enjoyment. Setup next to the bar, a DJ played a selection of eclectic music for people to either dance to or just lounge about. CoA staff wandered around the party in full lawyer gear representing the best of Wolfram & Hart's attorney pool -- including bite marks upon their necks -- who mingled with the attendees. An incredibly open and friendly vibe was ever-present among the diverse group as old friends greeted each other and new ones were made.
A SOCIAL FOR THE SOULLESS
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Review X-tras *** |
VIP
CLIPS:
Listen to some of the VIP chatter during the Review and
Watch the action on stage!
Note file sizes - hi-spd connection works best!
(below)
CoA AWARDS:
CoA awards the Mostest and Bestest moments for another year!
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PHOTO MADNESS:
To see all the picturesque happenings, visit our Review event Gallery!
W&H Annual Review 2004
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VIP Clips*** |
 ANDY HALLETT (Lorne):
"Very super- stitious, ladders bout' to fall. Thirteen month old baby..."
Watch #1 (3.0 MB)
Watch #2 (3.8 MB)
 DARLING VIOLETTA :
The Angel Theme played as never before, plus Over You
Watch #1 (5.2 MB)
Watch #2 (9.3 MB)
Listen (840 KB)
 CHECK PRESENT :
The Big Money is awarded to the Al Wooten Jr. Heritage Center
Watch (5.2 MB)
 DALIA DOKTER (Makeup):
"Never a dull moment. A new demon, a new vampire, it's always fun."
Listen (247 KB)
 DAVID FURY (Producer):
"We want to express the gratitude and love we feel to all of you guys."
Listen (515 KB)
 DREW GODDARD (Writer):
"Season 5 has been, from a writer's POV, the most fun a boy can have."
Listen (140 KB)
 JEFF BELL (Producer):
"What I've loved is the diversity of this season; horror, comedy, action."
Listen (115 KB)
 JONATHAN WOODWARD (Knox):
"The whole thing was a complete surprise."
Listen (210 KB)
 ROB KRAL (Composer):
"Episode 16 is just really riveting, beautiful dialogue, it's just wonderful."
Listen (205 KB)
 ROBERT HALL (Makeup):
"What we have made has been equally challenging, like the werewolf."
Listen (150 KB)
 SARAH THOMPSON (Eve):
"I am having a great time tonight, it's really amazing."
Listen (200 KB)
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However, drinks and music were not the only draws to the party. An extensive raffle offered fans a chance to win a horde of Angel goodies by purchasing one-dollar tickets. The raffle offered a wide range of prizes such as autographed scripts including: "The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco" penned by Jeff Bell, "Harm's Way" by Sarah Fain and Liz Craft, "Home" by Tim Minear, and "Peace Out" by David Fury. Other prizes consisted of Angel DVD sets of Seasons 1 and 3 bundled together with a DVD player, a stuffed black panther autographed by J. August Richards with the word "Meow;" Angel role-playing game Core books from Eden Productions; and an autographed picture of James Marsters. While the scripts were certainly a major draw, other items had overflowing buckets as well. A writer's fan pack was put together from the webmasters of the Angel writer's fan clubs that contained many different items, such as an interestingly tiny thong from Drew Goddard's website. A celebratory 100th Episode tee shirt offered only to the cast and crew, which had a detailed summary of the first one hundred episodes of Angel on the back, caught the eye of many people. The chance to be made-up as a vampire for Saturday night by Robert Hall's special effects makeup studio, Almost Human, also proved irresistible. Yet, one extraordinary item was without a doubt the centerpiece of the raffle: David Boreanaz's leather jacket from "Life of the Party", plus the 100th episode, "You're Welcome" signed script by David Fury. Despite being covered in hardened Thraxis blood, fans poured out hundreds of dollars in an attempt to take home a piece of Angel. Immensely successful, the raffle brought in over $3,000 -- one hundred percent of which was donated towards the featured Charity of the weekend: the Al Wooten Jr. Heritage Center.
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(l-r) Angel's coat, Darla & Drusilla's entrance, and fans gather to party!
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Bloody jackets aside, the Soulless Social needed something to leave its mark in history, something that the fans would never see coming. Luckily, CoA had a unique surprise to blow everyone away. Around 9pm the doors to the lobby were closed, shutting everyone inside the room. CoA creator/owner Virginia Obeius proceeded to take the stage. She thanked all of the fans and sponsors, and hinted that a few more guests had yet to arrive. Suddenly, the DJ blasted Rasputina's song "Transylvania Concubine," known to Buffy and Angel fans as Drusilla's theme. With that, two doors flew open and in strolled Darla and Drusilla! With the help of Angel makeup artists Dayne Johnson and Dalia Dokter, Special Effects Optometrist Dr. Jonathan Gording, and his assistant Sava Markovic, Darla and Drusilla were alive and in the flesh. Well, in the flesh anyway. CoA head writer Kristy Bratton slinked around as Drusilla while stunt woman, Jen Boyett, surged with the power of Darla. In complete garb from "Reunion," the costumes were dead-on: Drusilla's red leather outfit and leopard-lined cape, and Darla's gorgeous top and tight pants. When they entered the fans erupted with cheers and rushed to be the first to get a picture with the infamous duo. The night continued to be a success as people hobnobbed, awaited the raffle results, and got their fill of vampire photographs. Despite being a Soulless Social, the party had enough life in it to bring a smile to even the most evil of beasts.
The fans who have been long time "Bronzers" (part of the original web posting board for Buffy, The Bronze) were more than happy to share their thoughts on the evening's proceedings as Joanne Bloom (clover) offered, "I had a good time! The tone of the party was a little different, part of that due to the new location (which was good) and part due to it being an Angel party compared to the PBP's [Buffy Posting Board Parties] of the past. It was great to see everyone--the cancellation announcement didn't ruin that! I have made some wonderful friends from all over the US over the last seven years due to Joss' Buffyverse. The parties each year are a great way to see everyone and catch up. Angel has had a great run and it will be missed. Thank god for reruns and DVDs." Robert Averell (Old Man Fan) told us, "I was at the last two PBPs and I liked that this was smaller. Saw and talked to more people. I liked that it was in the hotel, convenient, loved the hotel! I wish the weather had cooperated more." Wendy Schapiro (OzLady), a veteran of past PBP events happily stated, "The Soulless Social was a wonderful party with just the right ambiance for catching up with old friends and making some good new ones. Plus, the bartender liked me so he poured my drinks stiff, and that's never a bad thing! I will say, however, that Tiggy and I were appalled that the DJ didn't have "Love Shack" available; we thought that was like canon for DJs. And those two chicks dressed up as Dru and Darla were hot!" Finally, with joking aside, Bobbi Cardoniga (wanttoknow) was happy to clarify, "Was [the cancellation news] disappointing enough to effect the good time I was having, not a chance! I was able to meet and greet many great people and still be able to dance my ass--ah, feet off! I enjoyed that aspect. The most disappointing aspect - no Joss! Not even a life-size poster!" MIA Joss Whedon aside, without a doubt, the fans seems to put sadness aside and party like Angel was getting his mortality back instead of a stake in the heart.
DARLA, DRU & SEBASSIS' SLAVE BOY
No Angelevent would be complete without the familiar fanged faces and horrifying hoards of beasties that are created by the talented makeup and special effects teams. Along with Robert Hall and his Almost Human crew, we also sequestered the skills of Angel markup artists Dalia Dokter and Dayne Johnson, who went above and beyond their generous offerings. Friday night's Soulless Social -- with the theme of "Reunion" hanging over attendee's heads -- longed for two of the most vicious and deadly vampire fems to grace the series, so Dalia and Dayne went back-to-back bringing them to undead life. Not until Dalia was well into the transformation process did we discover that it was her birthday! Yet she was still willing to add on additional hours to her already long day/night for the fans of Angel. Dayne offered to pull double-duty as well by creating Drusilla on Friday night and then Sebassis' Slave boy for the main event on Saturday. The man knows no sleep.
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(l-r) Dalia Dokter transforming Jen Boyett and Patricia Gundlach doing the Do
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We had victims ready who were willing to be 'turned' for an evening. Jen Boyett, the perfect size, height and sparkling personality for Julie Benz's darker nature and Kristy Bratton, who may be just as crazy as Juliet Landau's Drusilla teamed up to make fang and feral eyes the delight of the Social. Yet nothing is ever easy when it comes to creating 'demons in the night' and the process began way before dusk with a visit to Dr. Jonathan Gording's office to be fitted for vampire contact lens which would require the constant surveillance of his assistant, Sava Markovic, to ensure that drops were added to their eyes every 20-minutes. Friday night, Angel was 'on location' filming episode 18 and the comings and goings from the makeup and costume trailers offered a treat to the residents and streetwalkers of Hollywood, but they are probably used to it. Another of the talented Angel crew dropped in while the makeup was being applied, as both our vamps were often mistaken for that night's stunt women, Mike Massa (Angel's stunt coordinator) checked out what was going on in-between wire gag set ups. The night would be heavy with stunts and the array of demons strolling in and out for makeup repairs was obvious.
Costume designer, Lynne Thurmond delivers Drusilla's cape
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Wardrobe was taken care of with the help of Lynne Thurmond who designed and created Drusilla's red velvet & leopard skin cape for the evening. Lynne completed the cape in just a few days of the party, literally delivering it to the trailer as Dalia got to work on Jen while Dayne started on Kristy. The makeup process was identical to what it would have been for any actor on the set, no short cuts were taken, and 3-hours passed from first application of the prosthetic face pieces to the last crimping of hair by Patricia Gundlach who was on hand to add the final touch. Pat's makeup background includes work on Ace Ventura, When Nature Calls, and as key hair stylist on the film Wishcraft and the television series, "Boomtown." Dayne stated that he was applying the makeup as if we were going directly to filming, so any fan willing to get up close and personal would see the fine detail. "Dayne does such amazing work," declared Kristy, "There are no words that can justly describe how this man creates what he does on a blank canvas everyday and then watch it be tossed away when shooting is done. It's truly artistry in motion." One would think that doing the same creations every day would get tiresome, but Dalia disagreed, "Every day when we come into work it's a new day, never a dull moment," she stated. "And I'm the kind of person that I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't love what I'm doing. Every eight-days we have a new script, it's a new episode, a new demon, a new vampire, whatever. When that time comes when it's not then I'll be doing something else. I'll probably go to Hawaii and gather up Puka shells on the beach," she laughed.
For Jen the experience of Darla's creation was exciting to watch. "Getting vamped out like Darla was just about the coolest thing ever! Being on the set (on location), around these people who I've envied for so long was surreal. What a process! The face piece was lighter than I thought," she explained, "and they glue the prosthetic to your eyelids...so it was kind of hard getting the contacts in. The contacts took some getting used to. The yellow made it a little hazy to see through. Totally didn't recognize myself when they were done. My new face certainly wasn't uncomfortable, but I definitely have a new respect for what the actors go through. Dalia was great!" Jen enthused. "She was really nice, didn't take any shortcuts and she kept stopping to check if I was okay or uncomfortable. Very cool of her since she was working on her birthday!" But it seems that no matter how many times they create the same demon or vampire there is always something to gain knowledge from. "Every time I do something, especially on this show, I learn so much, and I'm still learning," Dalia admits, "Dayne's been so great and so wonderful that my professional career has blossomed so much since I've been on the show. I'm just so grateful to him. I've been on the show since the first season, fifth episode. This [Ep 18, "Origins"] is my 100th episode so I'm kind of excited. It's a big, momentous episode for me."
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(l-r) Mike Massa with Kristy Bratton and Dayne Johnson makes Ryan Alvarez his Slave boy
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The one person who just may be crazier than Kristy might possibly be Ryan Alvarez, the actual actor who portrays Sebassis' Slave boy, who offered to be transformed into the ghoulish creature from head to toe, literally. CoA tried to inform Ryan on more than one occasion that he was invited to be a guest for the party Saturday night but he insisted to be part of the fun. Fun? Ryan's process took nearly 4 1/2 hours to complete from start to finish. But Ryan continually expressed it was 'his pleasure' and said by the end of the night that, "I had a blast at the party, the fans seemed really appreciative." Ryan is far from the slave boy he pretends to be, hailing from Portland, Oregon, where he grew up he did a lot of theatre while attending school at a younger age. He now attends the University of Southern California, and is studying classical vocal performance. In addition to performing in multiple student films and plays, he has made two appearances on Boston Public, as a choir student, in addition to his stint on Angel. Although Ryan was fine getting spay painted from head to toe while wearing nearly less than a Speedo, Dayne insisted that he wear slippers on his feet, least he should catch cold!
The infamous Slave boy is not just a creature that Ryan enjoys being made up as but is fast becoming a fan favorite. He is also one of the makeup crew's favorites as well, as Dalia confessed she holds a slight attraction for the Slave boy character, "Because I did him for that episode and then he came back for another episode. I think that was the most fun. I've had many and I love doing Andy [Hallett]. Dayne is the pro on Andy, but he let me do him a couple of times so that was a lot of fun." By the end of both nights the verdict was in from both fans and VIPs that once again the demons were a huge success and a big draw of the party. "The response from the fans was overwhelming," admitted Jen by the evening's end. "Everyone seemed excited to see Darla & Dru, even though we weren't the real thing. Great enthusiasm. I hope everyone's pictures turn out!" Dayne also has nothing but positive responses from fans all night. "I thought it was great," he said. "You all did a great job of putting it together. Everyone I spoke to had a really good time. Thanks to you all."
THEY'RE ALMOST HUMAN, ALMOST!
As a show, Angel has many different elements in each episode. There is comedy, drama, and of course, plenty of scares. The demons have always been a centerpiece of Angel, showcasing the talent of many individuals who put in long, difficult hours to create memorable creatures that haunt you long after an episode has aired. With the tremendous success of the demons made up for the Posting Board Party 2003, which included The Beast and Skip, it was only natural that a few beasties would make an appearance at the Wolfram & Hart Annual Revue. Once again Robert Hall, the creator of the Almost Human makeup studio, offered his and his staff's services in bringing the scare back to the party. Meticulously airbrushing on his day off, Makeup Designer Chris Burdett was tasked to recreate Bohg' Dar, better known as the obese, multi-horned star struck demon who asked for Angelus' autograph in "Salvage." Chris, who donned the complete Beast suit last year, took on the task of not only painting Bohg' Dar, but becoming him as well. After creating the various blemishes and shadows around Bohg Dar's many chins, fastening the horns onto the latex based mask, and molding the demon teeth to his own, Chris was finally ready to start the application.
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(l-r) Carrie Sabree, before & after - Scott Breeden with Rob Hall, before & after
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Unable to apply the mask himself, Almost Human Shop Supervisor Jason Collins took over. Jason had to pull the mask over Chris' head, secure it with glue, and then attach the facial prosthetic. Hours later, the prosthetics were all seamlessly blended into one heinous demon head and the only task that remained was the body. Chris stormed into the party with a ripped shirt, massive demonic arms with hands larger than a bear paw, and gigantic spikes protruding from his spine. No party would be complete without a few vampires. Elvis Jones of Almost Human had the task of turning two beautiful women, Carrie Sebree of Almost Human and Friday night raffle-winner Heather Thiel, into ghastly demons of the night. While vampire makeup may only consist of one prosthetic piece, it is far from simple. Molding the vampire fangs is a challenge in of itself. Elvis had to repeatedly file down the teeth molds and refit them in the women's mouth until a comfortable and believable fit was established. Next the forehead prosthetic was glued on and slowly painted until it matched their skin tone, which was easier said than done. When the ladies were completed and all vamped out, they got their finishing touch: the bright yellow demon contact lenses. Gorgeous and deadly, they were ready to prowl the party.
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(l-r) Chris Burdett with Jason Collings, before & after - Heather Thiel with Elvis Jones, before & after
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Robert Hall took it upon himself to dig up some retired prosthetics and bring back a fan-favorite: Skip. Returning to the makeup was Scott Breeden, a music Production Manager and friend of Rob's who took on the suit last year. Excited to revisit an old friend, Scott sat still while Rob pulled Skip's skeletal cranium over his head. Comprised of many pieces, Rob began to slowly paint and blend the facial prosthetic, the two horns, and Skip's trademark chin-ring. However, Scott did take on a new feature that he did not have last year: the razor sharp teeth. Whether it was holding the teeth in with his finger for a long time, or having to sit completely quiet with his eyes closed, Scott endured quite a process. However, it all paid off when he stepped out into the party and was mobbed by the ecstatic fans. One overjoyed fan even got a tad physical, professing her love for the demon and making sport with his chiseled body. Without a doubt the demons were one of the highlights of the party, for both fan and demon alike. Thanks to Rob the fans got a chance to be up close and personal with the demons of their dreams.
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