I recently had the incredible opportunity to attend a Soap Opera Mania event in Columbus, Ohio and meet some wonderful daytime soap stars. Those in attendance at this fun-filled event included: Cameron Mathison (Ryan, AMC), John Paul Laviosier (Rex, OLTL), Tyler Christopher (Nicholas, GH), Austin Peck (ex-Austin, DAYS, Brad, ATWT), Brandon Beemer (ex-Shawn, DAYS, Owen, B&B), James Scott (E.J., DAYS), Christian LeBlanc (Michael, Y&R), Laura Wright (Carly, GH), and Murray Bartlett (Cyrus, GL).
Questions and Answers
Held at the Hilton Columbus at Easton and hosted by Celebrity Events Group, the event began with introductions of the nine attending soap stars and a question and answer session. James Scott (E.J.) made his way through the audience, stepping over chairs and eagerly sitting next to fans as they asked questions of the stars on stage. Austin Peck, who played Austin Reed on DAYS and now plays Brad Snyder on As the World Turns, was hilarious and just kept my husband and me laughing the whole time. In fact, I had no idea how funny he was until I attended this event! He just had fun with the fans and didn’t really take anything seriously. He poked fun at a couple of the other stars, but in a lighthearted, comedic way. I couldn’t get over just how adorable and goofy he was in real life!
Meet and Greet
After the question and answer session, the fans had an opportunity to do a meet and greet with the stars. Fans would line up with their books, T-shirts, or other Soap Opera Mania memorabilia ready for the stars to sign away their autograph. Not surprisingly, I lined up to first meet James Scott (E.J.), who just three days before the event, I had the opportunity to conduct a phone interview with. We chatted briefly and not only was he obviously easy on the eyes, but down-to-earth and sweet with all of his fans. I did mention how I thought that Ava Vitali needed to return to Salem and stir things up. Ava, of course, was played by Tamara Braun last year and is now playing Reese Williams on All My Children.
Behind the Scenes
There was a 30 minute intermission after the Q & A session, and afterward, a director from Guiding Light, Adam Reist, gave us an in-depth look behind the scenes on the set of this CBS soap, along with the opportunity to ask questions about working on the set and what goes into directing the show.
Acting Out Scenes
If fans pre-registered for this event, they could have names drawn for this opportunity to act out a scene with a star of their choice. It was all in good fun and provided some great comedy relief, as it was obvious that the majority of the stars had a great time doing this for the fans. Again, I would have to give the best comedy award to Austin Peck for this one and I’m surprised that I didn’t previously know just what a riot he was. Cameron Mathison acted out a scene with a fan and read a script from DAYS. Cameron played E.J. while the fan played Sami, in which Sami displayed her jealousy for Nicole. James and Cameron had some friendly comedic banter between them during the scene.
More Meet and Greet
After acting out some scenes, there was plenty of time left to resume the meet and greet with the stars and autograph signing. This time around, I met and had my photo taken with Austin Peck, Brandon Beemer, and Cameron Mathison. Austin drew caricatures on fans’ shirts and signed them, which I might add that he’s quite good at. It was wonderful meeting him and fans felt very relaxed in his presence. I also briefly met Cameron Mathison, who you might know has also hosted SOAPnet’s I Wanna Be a Soap Star series and was a contestant on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars. He was very sweet to his fans and was more than happy to sign away and have his photo taken.
Brandon Beemer
Last but not least, I met Brandon Beemer (ex-Shawn) and immediately felt very comfortable in his presence. I had heard he was quite a nice guy, but he truly surpassed my expectations. We chatted about the way his character left the show and I also mentioned that I would’ve liked to see Shawn hook up with Chloe, emphasizing that I thought the characters had some potential chemistry together. I’m well aware that Brandon and Nadia Bjorlin (Chloe) are a real-life couple, but I’m talking about the characters of Shawn and Chloe. Naturally, he agreed with me and told the writers back then that if they paired up Shawn and Chloe romantically, Brandon and Nadia would’ve done their very best to “bring it.” I felt as though I could’ve chatted with Brandon for much longer than I did, as he was very outgoing, pleasant, and appreciative towards his fans. And those piercing blue eyes could make any woman melt!
All in all, this event gave fans the opportunity to see that their favorite stars on our TV screens every day are real people just like you and me. It gave fans the chance to get an idea of what the actors are like and differentiate them from their onscreen counterparts. They had a great time and were more than happy for the opportunity to meet their appreciative fans. Soap Opera Mania will be touring several more cities in the U.S. this year and tickets are $95.00. If you pre-register for one of the events, you’ll also have a chance to have lunch with the attending soap star of your choice. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity which you won’t soon forget. Please check the Soap Opera Mania website for which city your favorite stars will be touring in, as it is frequently updated. If you don’t see your city on the list or have other questions about Soap Opera Mania, feel free to send them an email at info@celebrityeventsgroup.com.
