The reunion begins

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Partygoers began assembling at the Radisson on Thursday. A group went to see the digitized version of "Phantom Menace" at an area theater. On Friday, the first official convention day, about 26 fans took a trip to the Universal Studios, where we were greeted by Kirk Trutner, who works there. We took the tram tour and visited the attractions including the wild Back to the Future ride, the wet Jurassic Park, Backdraft, E.T., and Terminator 2. In Backdraft, the guide spotted the Earth 2 shirts and called out, "I love Clancy Brown!"

Kirk greets the
gang at
Universal

On Thursday night, Rockmond Dunbar previewed an exhibit of his paintings, called Art Therapy. He was accompanied by his girlfriend and family members. He explained the personal meaning and inspiration of each painting, including a series of small separately framed paintings which, when put together, spelled a naughty word!

Rockmond at his
exhibit. The painting
behind him is
the U.S. flag.

Afterwards, fans gathered in the hospitality suite to view the hilarious blooper reel. Clancy, although absent in person, was very much present through the colorful language on this reel. His deadpan delivery of a certain two-word profanity is classic. Even fragile Jessica gets off a goody. We also saw a horrendous glimpse of what could have been the "retooled" second season (with Morgan "in a final act of cowardice" and Yale both killed) which, thankfully, did not materialize. The cast also featured something called a "Grendlier" and a girl called "Tru." On Saturday morning, the first group of GOHs - Angela Nogaro, Jana-Marie Bonar, and Kevin Pike - assembled for the Q&A. Angela began by saying she didn't know what to say, then proceeded to keep the audience in stitches with her anecdotes and colorful style. She and Jana-Marie are both so glamorous and articulate, they should be in front of the camera. (Many of the crew members, in fact, with their wonderful stories, would make great talk show guests.) Angela said that Earth 2 was the hardest job she ever had but she felt as if her co-workers had become like family. She said that the Church of Morgan was her favorite episode, because "everybody got to be pretty." Jana-Marie told how she reported to work in New Mexico all dressed up in spike heels, only to be directed to "go up the mountain." Kevin described how he set up some of the show's special effects, such as the Terrian-moving machinery. Despite his mind-boggling list of credits it is clear that Kevin was, and is, especially fond of and proud of Earth 2. He thanked the fans for their support of Earth 2 and expressed his disappointment that the show was not allowed to continue and to fulfill its potential. "The show could have had all the legs in the world," he said.

Kevin, Angela, and
Jana-Marie are the
first Guest of Honor
panel

The first Q&A was followed by the brunch, which was truly a reunion for members of the cast and crew, who greeted each other with hugs and laughter. At first, Jessica did not recognize the "grownup" Joey!

George gets to
meet Jessica
while Jana-Marie
looks on and
Angela and Spanky
share a hug.

Jessica realizes
the young "fan"
is actually Joey!

Jessica and
Lisa

Throughout the weekend, an auction of Earth 2 artifacts was held to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation. One of the first items put up for bid was the production book donated by Michael Duggan. "THE BOOK!" as it came to be known, is a thick, looseleaf notebook containing production notes, episode synopses, character descriptions, costume notes (Morgan DID have two Henley shirts), and other fascinating info. This coveted item had fans drooling like Grendlers and ultimately sold for a whopping $1,000. Another big ticket item was a handwritten sheet of music from the score, autographed by composer David Bergeaud. It was sold for $400. The Saturday afternoon section of Q&A featured Rockmond Dunbar, Joey Zimmerman, Lisa Ebeyer, Jeff Deist, Kirk Trutner, Art Schlosser, and David Bergeaud. Joey, a funny and down-to-earth young man, described his Earth 2 experience thus: "It was c-o-o-l." He told us he had appeared in such films as Halloweentown, Very Bad Things (in which our sweet Uly plays a "sadistic, psycho, crippled kid"), and Treehouse Hostage. Joey is frequently seen in a commercial for the 10-10-220 long distance service, with Dennis Miller. One of the trials of being a child actor, Joey said, is that he is frequently mistaken for other child actors, such as "the kid from Jurassic Park." He also said he was writing a screenplay and trying to sell it. Art quipped, "It'll star that kid from Jurassic Park." Joey told us he is working with the Audrey Hepburn children's fund and plans to go to Kosovo to "hang with those kids."

Kirk, David,
Rockmond,
and Joey

Jeff and Lisa with Sadie, Art, Kirk, David, Rockmond, and Joey

Jeff and Lisa, who are partners in real life and considerably cuter than the Grendlers they played on the show, brought along their adorable daughter, Sadie. "You can see what I've been doing," Lisa said. She is a dancer and is due to play Betty Bovine in a movie called Monkey Bones. David, who composed the show's gorgeous theme and score, is a ponytailed Frenchman with a charming accent. He seemed genuinely pleased that the fans loved his music. David described how he achieved the "color" of the music for the show. He said that he and Michael Duggan opted against synthesizers in favor of sounds unique to the planet, featuring clay instruments and ethnic instruments. The pilot music was recorded in the studio but the rest was recorded in his house, he said. He played all the instruments and eventually used all his kitchenware. Rockmond updated the audience on his career; most of the fans had seen him in The Practice. "I wasn't angry; I was defensive," he said of his character. "I love playing bad guys." Although Kirk had no dialog as Cameron on Earth 2, he is articulate and witty in person. He described how he read for The Wonder Years as a joke, and got a narrating job, much to his surprise. It was there that he met Mark Levin of Earth 2. Thus, in his first job he was heard but not seen; in his second, he was seen but not heard! On Sunday nights, the cast and crew would watch Earth 2, saying "What a wonderful show," Kirk said. Then they would make fun of Seaquest, saying, "They're going to be bummed when they aren't around next year." (!)

Kirk checks
out the
gear.

Joey and
his mom

Spanky and
Jessica

"Heller in"

The next group of Q&A participants started out with Jessica Steen, Sullivan Walker, Tierre Turner, Brian Steele, and Michael "Spanky" Hansen. Sullivan, who was attending his first Earth 2 convention, did not know until told by a fan that his character would have been killed off in the ill conceived season two. In his gorgeously mellow voice, he said that the show seems even better to him now than it did at the time. "On the set, we complained about this and that, but it's a quality show." Sullivan has appeared on The Pretender, a show in which several other Earth 2 people, including Jessica, have participated. Jessica, who is stunning in person and every bit as gracious and down to earth as she is beautiful and talented, described Earth 2 as an "outward bound" trip. Asked about pranks on the set, she told a story, complete with sound effects, involving a studio executive and a whoopee cushion.

Brian, Jessica,
Tierre, and Spanky

Partway through the Q&A, two other eagerly awaited guests - John Wollner and Marie Del Prete - arrived. They were not able to attend the brunch because John was working with Kevin on an Intel commercial. John appears even taller in person, and very handsome, and a bit fidgety. It is easy to see where some of the nervous Morganisms come from. It was inevitable that he would be asked about the name change. He announced that he had quit smoking, so, with the new name, "It's a whole new me." Marie approves of the name change. "You can't name your child, like, Olivia Gegenhuber," she said.. "My parents did it," he retorted. A member of the audience commented, "I can't imagine any other actor playing Morgan Martin." John admitted that some of Morgan's characteristics came from his own character. John was asked about his current job. The Q&A went something like this: Q. What are you doing now? A. Working on a commercial. Q. What is it for? A. For... money!

Sullivan, John, Brian, and Jessica.

That's the Whelan mask on the table.

Brian, a very tall young man who also played the bear in The Edge, described life as a Terrian. Rising out of the dirt on the "elevator" was something like an amusement park ride: "Keep your hands and arms inside the vehicle." He also said he had been the subject of a meeting of honchos because he had been quoted in TV Guide as saying Earth 2 was primarily a special effects show. Terrians apparently should be especially silent in the presence of reporters. Spanky, a lively and delightful guy, described the perils of doing props for the show. A director would say, for instance, "I'd really like something wiggly." Spanky would find a wiggly thing and drag it to the top of the mountain, only to be asked, "What's with the wiggly thing?" He also described the confusion of shooting four episodes at once, and shooting out of sequence. "We need Clancy running with a gun," he'd be told. "What gun? What was he wearing?" After enduring months of hard work and extremes in temperature, Spanky's sorrowful response to gung ho new directors was, "You want to do WHAT? Why do you want to go up THERE? There's no reason to go up THERE!" John began to tell of a story idea he and co-star Rebecca Gayheart were allegedly working on in which Morgan becomes jealous of Danziger and attempts to poison him with tainted water which produces "explosive diarrhea..." Just then a buzz went up from the people on the dais as a handsome darkhaired man entered with his family. It was a surprise guest, producer Michael Duggan! With him was his wife, Hedy Thom, who had appeared in several episodes and played Eve in the final episode. Michael was asked what plans he had for the second season, had there been one. "I was going to be on the beach," he said, "because I got fired." He did allude to having had script ideas for the "real" second season. (A crew member said later that Michael's second-season plans included John Harrison, writer and director of the much-loved Survival of the Fittest episode.) Michael said that plans definitely included bringing Devon Adair, played by Debrah Farentino, back from "cold sleep." Asked what he thought of the reviled second season promo, Michael said he had never seen it and he knew people at NBC who refused to look at it. He said that Universal had wanted a show more along the lines of Hercules and Zena but NBC did not. Even so, working on Earth 2 was one of the most "rewarding, creative experiences" he has had, he said. His newest project is Secret Agent Man. Michael offered some insights into the economics of the television industry. The studios lose a lot of money, he said, pointing out that X-Files and Law & Order are among the shows that would have been canceled early on if backup shows had been available. "What's costing so much?" John asked. "You guys," Michael quipped, but he also attributed the rising costs to increasing "cinematic literacy" among audiences. Shows were much simpler years ago, he said. Michael observed that with "a zillion new places" for viewers to go, such as cable TV and the Internet, networks feel an urgency to grab the attention of audiences immediately. He predicted that the future of television lies in convergence and time-shifting through which viewers can order what they want to watch when they want it and pay extra for commercial-free entertainment.

The journey continues...to go there, click HERE