Rick Biggs Event - One to be remembered

[OmahaStar]

Have a great time at the convention, and remember, we want details when you get back!

[Jan]

Have a great time at the convention, and remember, we want details when you get back!

And details you shall have! This is pretty much the same report going up here, on the moderated newsgroup and over at B5TV.com. Hope nobody minds too much.

What am altogether NICE day! I'm not staying at the hotel where the benefit was held so I took a cab and arrived about 15 minutes before the breakfast was due to start. Met up with SciFiRanger, the webmaster for the KeepB5Alive.com site and headed on over to the ballroom. SciFiRanger, I and another online friend, David were all at table #1 with a few other SF and soap fans. The room was set up with several round tables for the breakfast, the buffet at the back of the room and stage in front. Around the walls were long tables where the actors did the autographing later on. Lori Biggs is a beautiful woman and lovely person. She and her friend Caren were everywhere at once! The little boys, RJ and Hunter are adorable and stongly resemble their dad.

Available to look at and bid on were some cool things for a silent auction including a cast signed Days of Our Lives t-shirt and hat, a 3rd season script (nope, I had it already), signed photos and posters of the B5 cast, including some signed by Rick. There were also items for raffle like copies of the B5 cover TV guide, an entertainment utility, and more photos.

During breakfast, a few people got up to share memories of Rick. I'm afraid that these were soap stars so I don't know who they were. Each mentioned the complete attention Rick would pay to each person he was acting or talking with, something I'd noticed when meeting him at cons, as well as his utter lack of pretension. In addition, John Ritter's widow came and spoke for a few minutes about aortic aneurysms, which was Rick's cause of death. Unknown to many, they can be discovered by a simple scan and there's often a family history of them. If you have a family member who might have passed away due to a 'massive heart attack', she urged that you get it checked because they can be detected and repaired.

A space was left at each table for an actor but none came to our table. Bruce, Melissa and Jerry were the B5 stars who attended the breakfast and many fans went and talked and got pictures taken. Toward the end, several of the 'afternoon session' actors came in and were guided to the 'Green Room'.

After breakfast, the room was cleared for about half an hour while the staff cleaned the room and we set up the tables for autographing. Autograph tickets were sold at the door and each actor 'charged' so much per autograph. I was assigned to help out at the table with Jerry Doyle and Stephen Furst. There were some changes from the flyer so let me try to list who was there from B5:

Pat Tallman
Jeffrey Willerth
Bruce Boxleitner
Melissa Gilbert
Jerry Doyle
Stephen Furst
Jason Carter
Marjorie Monahan
Bill Mumy
Ed Wasser
Joshua Cox

Unfortunately, some who originally were supposed to be there, Mira Furlan, Steve Austin, Tracy Scoggins and (sorry, Amy!) Andreas Katsulas didn't make it.

After the main rush of autographing was done, a photo opportunity was held with all the stars on stage and people began to drift around and mingle. They held the drawings for the raffle prizes and I never had a chance to check my tickets but since I didn't see any leftover prizes, I guess I didn't win. Different sets of actors did live auctions for some really cool things. I know there was a poster signed by the cast, one of the Lightspeed lithos and a Season 5 jacket that Bruce donated. I had SciFiRanger take my place as ticket-taker at Jerry and Stephen's table while I rushed to get some autograph tickets and pick up a few of the autographs I needed to get for myself and for OmahaStar.

As things were breaking up and the stars were saying goodbye to each other, Bruce was broaching the idea of doing something similar on an annual basis to benefit the family. The idea seemed to get a good reception from what I could tell. As Pat said, Rick would have been the first to do something like that for any of them. I hope it turns out to happen. They all seemed happy to see each other.

Omaha, I missed some stars that you wanted autographs from, got a few that weren't on your list (and just wait till you see what Jerry wrote!) Amy, what can I say? Andreas missed out on the chance for a great item for his scrapbook!

If I think of any further details, I'll post them but this is the report while things are fresh in my mind. Like I said, an altogether NICE day.

More details as I think of them or as you folk ask questions.

Your Intrepid Reporter,

Jan

[Jan]

Two stories I didn't mention yesterday (I can't believe I didn't think of them right off!):

A fair number of fans had brought 'Little House on the Prairie' items for Melissa to sign. At one point, a fan asked her to autograph a sunbonnet. Melissa offered to donate $100 to the fundraising if Jerry would put the bonnet on and tie it. Jerry finally agreed and played around figuring out how to put the bonnet on (trying to cover his face), then finally put it on, tied it and allowed pictures to be taken while he held up a sign "It's for Charity".

When Melissa was onstage telling a memory of Rick, she talked about how, while she was familiar with the set and people from playing "Gladys the set-wife", she was nervous when she actually got the role of Anna since that was her first acting job after the birth of her son and she was still nursing him in her trailer between scenes. In her first scene, she was in the isolab with Dr. Franklin as part of the background to what Sheridan was doing in the foreground and they were supposed to adlib/pantomime a Dr/patient conversation. Melissa said that Rick put her at ease immediately by complimenting her breasts and asking her bra size. Melissa said that if we watch the scene carefully, we can probably see her turning six shades of purple while she tried to continue the scene. Soon as I get home, I'm going to watch that scene.

Oh, and I got the title page to Z'Ha'Dum autographed by Bruce, Melissa and Ed.

More as I think of things,

Jan

[Ranger1]

Sure sounds a lot of fun,wish i was there.

[SciFiRanger]

One to be remembered

The Richard Biggs Memorial Show was yesterday and I live in Orange County so it was only a 45 minute drive for me. Sad to say I've never attended any type of fan convention in the past, so it was even more special to me as a result. I've never watched "Days of our Lives" so I didn't recognize any of those actors but I sure did recognize the B5 cast. Most of the regulars in attendance were; Bruce Boxlietner, Jerry Doyle, Steven First, Jason Carter, Ed Wasser, Pat Tallman, Billy Mummy, Marjorie Monaghan, Melissa Gilbert, and the guy who played Kosh, forgive me I cannot remember his name off hand. Tony Dow was also on hand to lend his support.

A half a dozen of the Days of Lives folks attended the breakfast and had a few thing to say about Richard before his B5 days that were great stories that continued to define Richard the person. Also during breakfast John Ritter's widow who goes by Amy Yasbeck got up and gave us an education on the condition that took Richard from us. Apparently it's a congenitive condition that allows the wall of the Aorta to stretch to a point that it bursts killing most who have it. She recommended that every one who has had family members die from massive heart failure to be tested immediately with an ultrasound. Apparently it can be easily repaired if caught in time and it's the same thing that killed her husband John Ritter, so I guess we should all consider this scan if we're over 40 and at risk.

After breakfast the autograph session got underway with everyone visiting with their favorite actors and getting the signatures they needed to complete their collections. Everyone there had a smile on their face as they chatted about the past present and future of B5, however you could tell that there was a level of disappointment regarding TMoS when it came up in conversation.

Then they had the raffles and I won one of the 1997 TV guides that was signed by Claudia, Bruce, Billy and Jerry. Near the end of the afternoon the auction began. Then Jerry got up to finish it up and to get started again he told everyone to Shut Up, he then proceeded to auction off a few items as fast as he could because as he said, "Common people I've got a plane to catch" (Southwest he later said). Then the last item that went was Richards season 5 jacket, I think it went for close to 500 bucks. Of coarse Jerry was very entertaining with his demeanor and everyone enjoyed it.

I had purchased a prop on ebay last year and it's a MedLab Report on Delenn that I had Bruce look at. He said it appeared to be legit, then he signed it even though I had not ask him too. Oh well, I wanted to get Mira to sign it as it's her report, so I'll have to attend a convention to get that completed now. I would also like to complete my collection of B5 autographs so I guess in that regard I've got the bug (so to speak) and I'll look forward to the next opportunity to do so.

For those of you who missed out on the show, I took some pictures and put them up on the site, just follow the link below.

Best Regards,

SciFiRanger

Enjoy.. http://www.keepb5alive.com

SciFiRanger

[Joansie]

Great pic's thanks for posting them. Wish I could have been there. Looks like there were quite a few people there. I am glad. Do you know how much was raised for Richard's sons?

Again thanks.

[SciFiRanger]

Fund Raising estimate

Well I'm not exactly sure, if I had to venture a guess it would have to break down something like this.

9 tables with 8 people at each for breakfast = 72
Minus the actors and help I would guess 50 paid $100 = $5000
Then I would say 50 people bought an avaerage of $150 in autograph tickets = $7500
The raffles and sales could have generated $1000 and the auction probably yielded $2000

So my estimate would be 15 to 20k not to mention any private donations.
I don't know what the room and breakfast cost or if it was donated but if not then a few grand may have been spent there, leaving them with less.

I heard a rumor that this may become an annual event, if so, perhaps more people can attend next year and they'll do better.

[SciFiRanger]

Yeah we had a great time, this was the first time we had ever met so it was nice to get to visit with her in person. I enjoyed the opportunity to sit and collect tickets for Jerry's and Steven's autographs as well. Thanks Again Jan.

[Redrake]

Nice photos. I never knew how much hair Bill Mummy, actually has.

[Ranger1]

Wonderful pictures thank you

[Jan]

I've merged the two threads discussing the Rick Biggs event together.

Here are some more pictures posted at the Galactic Gateway:

http://www.thegalacticgateway.com/rickmem.htm

Jan

[b5finland]

Great pictures And Bill Mummy has lot of hair

[Joansie]

Thank's for the link Jan. Boy that last pic of Steven became quite blury. It is a shame to loose such talent. Let us know if another one for next year is actually planned. I really want to attend it.

[Jan]

Yes, isn't that a great pic? There were some others up near the stage. Poster sized ones of a studio photograph of Rick with his sons in matching outfits and another of Rick and Lori in formal dress, one more of Rick in a grey pullover that's a fairly common photo of him. They were a beautiful family.

I do hope that it becomes an annual event, too. If I hear more, I'll be sure to let you all know.

Jan

[Satai Delenn]

Sounds like it was a wonderful event and a good way to remember Rick .Wish I had been there.