WHAT a fabulous time Tracey and I had yesterday at the Starz event in NYC. I don't even know how to describe what it felt like to be surrounded by so much...OUTLANDER! We ran into tons of awesome fellow bloggers from
Outlander Book Club,
Outlander Fan (singular; no S!),
Outlander TV News,
That's Normal...Oh my gosh, who else?? Forgive me but there were too many awesome Jamie and Claire loving peeps to name in one post!
First off, let me share with you what an absolute CLASS ACT Starz is. I have never been so impressed in my life. They went ALL out. I was blown away by the appreciation this company has for US. Aka fans! The event was top notch; one of the neatest experiences I've had since diving into this pool of awesomesauce we know and love as Outlander.
The event was held at the truly neat McKittrick Hotel in downtown NYC. The room the presentation was in was teeny tiny and AWESOME. They weren't kidding when they said it would be "intimate".
The event started with Ron Moore and Diana Gabaldon doing a presentation that included a video (Sam says "sassenach" in it, y'all), stills of the set, and a Q&A. It was such an neat little setting which made it even more exciting. No pretense, nothing flashy, just Ron and Diana dishing Outlander - with the fans.
By the way I sat next to a verra fun woman from Edinburgh; check out her tattoo! --------------->>
A few points about the series:
-Nine Episodes have been written and another four or five have been partially written.
- We will see a LOT of Frank in Season 1...in flashbacks. The writers want us to understand why Claire would want to leave Jamie...and the way to do this is to make us appreciate Frank. (Dare I say "like" Frank? DOH!)
- WE WILL SEE Claire and Frank visit the ruins of CASTLE LEOCH on their honeymoon. (Chills y'all. Chills)
- Diana will have a cameo...if she wants one. :)
- Everyone has been cast for season 1.
- Ron Moore's wife is a HUGE Outlander fan, as well as a costume designer for the show. She will not let him change too much. (WOOT!! We have a comrade on the set!)
- The part of Outlander that made Ron want to make it come alive on screen? When Jamie told Claire to stay put after the honeymoon, and she left and tried get back to the stones. He said they got married and had the honeymoon and he thought they'd go along having this wonderful life together...and then Claire changed all the rules and bolted. (My words, not his.)
A little more about the tremendous day Starz planned for us:
After the QA, we went to an open-air, garden-themed restaurant on the roof, which was just the neatest place...that was decked out with railroad ties and lots of foliage. We sat in an area that looked like a box car, complete with faux aged curtains blowing in the breeze. And all of this against a city backdrop. Just the coolest venue for a meal with friends. (Tracey and I want to go back with the hubbies ASAP.) And speaking of a meal, we were treated to fried chicken with a plethora of autumn veggies..along with grilled pears, corn bread and a really yummy bread pudding. And yes; wine. (Did I not mention Starz rocks?!)
Speaking of Starz, one of the highlights of our day was chatting it up with the VERRA COOL girls who work there!!! They got a kick out of Pocket Jamie...and I thought it was hilarious as I almost didn't even bring him along! I also told them how I LOVE blogging about other Starz shows like The White Queen, etc etc over at
MyPurgatory.com.
Ok so lastly, not only did Tracey and I get our picture taken with Ron Moore, but we were lucky enough to ride down the elevator with him...and some fun Outlander fans. I took this opportunity to mention how much I loved Mission Impossible II...and ask if there was any way we could get my favorite Scottish actor - Dougray Scott - into Outlander, somehow. He said you never know what might happen down the pike. After that, I scared him off with
my awful impression of Dougray in the film. He promptly walked off the elevator and probably had nightmares for the rest of the weekend. ;)
Seriously you guys...I have never been so excited in my life. This show is going to exceed all our expectations. Ron Moore GETS IT. He truly does. Jamie Fraser is going to come to life and the whole world is going to fall in love with him.
