SILVER-LEAFED TREES AND A BURNT ORANGE SKY

That describes the planet of Gallifrey. The smell of Starbuck's and an intensely-patterned carpet describes the LAX Marriott where the annual Doctor Who convention, Gallifrey is held...and writerly goodness did lie within.

I am absolutely a geek of the uber-variety, as I affirmed to Emily the other day. Some days are geekier than others, but when I stumbled over this con two days ago, I had no intention of going until I noticed two names on the guest list. Paul Cornell and Steven Moffatt. Therein lies my true TV geekiness. When the writers of the three • best • things on TV last year turn up, I must go. And being that they're UK writers, I had to take the opportunity. Throw a discarded WGA picket sign in LA, and you'll hit someone that carried it, but you'll never hit those guys.

Both were the awesome sauce, especially as Cornell is a total fanboy at heart. He also writes for Marvel (wicked good stuff at that, go check out Wisdom (secret agents, winged punk fairies, alien John Lennon and no knowledge of Marvel anything required)).

Even better though, I had two unexpected meetings. One, the Mad Pulp Bastard himself, Bill Cunningham. We've exchanged emails, spoken on the phone even, but it was pleasantly random to just be walking along and there he is.

Two, Javier Grillo-Marxuach turned up, giving me the chance to chat him up about his new ABC Family series, The Middleman.

Disappointment: The dealer's room. Sparse to say the least. At best, I was hoping I might be able to find some British import TV. Even Region 2 (yeah, I hacked my region code), though I prefer R1 where possible. At worst, I was hoping I might be able up one or two of the old Doctor Who's on DVD. Who would have thought that you would scarcely be able to even get a Doctor Who episode at a Doctor Who convention?!?!

None the less, afternoon well-spent.

As was the day before, when I hit the Show Off Your Shorts Film Festival. There was a lot of...ummm...bad...in there, but there was Christopher Stack's An Exercise in Vigilance. Delightfully violent with a twist I wouldn't have seen coming with a pair of X11 Twist-Detecting Goggles. Also, ELI, an awesome and stylish scifi short starring a decidedly unaccented David Anders.