Supernatural News: The week that was. January 12 edition.

It was a big week in Supernatural-land! Lots of news and happenings!

Here's your handy wrap up, in case you missed anything!


The week kicked off with the cast and crew of Supernatural heading back to work after their Christmas hiatus. By the end of the week they only had 72 more shooting days left in the season! How fast has this season flown by!


There was a joining of fandoms and oddballs! Misha Collins and William Shatner started following each other on twitter and had a rather interesting and intriguing conversation about DM'ing!

It went on further than this...I catalogued their tweets here!

We got a brilliant new season 9 promo, which set all our hearts a flutter! Warning spoiler-phobes, this has vision from the next 3 episodes. You can read my post and theories about this promo along with my squee here.

We got a bunch of promo pics from 9.10! Starring Team Free Sammy. You can see the whole set here. I may have added my stream of over excited consciousness!

Then...the sneak peek for 9.10!  You can read more here.

We got the official description for episode 9.12 - Spoiler alert; keep scrolling down if you don't want to read!

GARTH RETURNS - After finding out that Garth (guest star DJ Qualls) is in the hospital, Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) go to check on him. Still carrying the guilt over Kevin, Dean lays into Garth about disappearing and demands to know where he's been. Garth makes an excuse and then hightails it away from the guys. Confused as to why Garth would run from them, Sam and Dean do some investigating and are stunned by what they find. John Showalter directed the episode written by Adam Glass (912).

You can read my thinky thoughts here plus if you missed them, the official descriptions for 9.10 and 9.11 are here and here.



Of course, Wednesday saw the People's Choice Awards an Supernatural won Favourite Bromance.

And the CW released a congratulations video for all their shows, including Supernatural!

The Official Supernatural Facebook page hit 13 million likes.

The CW started releasng countdown videos staring the guys, on the official CW Instagram!

Jason Manns wrapped up his Kickstarter campaign for a Christmas album featuring Jensen, Jared, Misha, Richard, Rob and Julie - just to name a few. There was a whopping amount of support for this project. Read more about it here.

And a little something that some of you may have missed, Mr Jim Beaver won an award!

"I'm honored and astonished to have received the Lifetime Merit Award from the Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema on Saturday. I couldn't accept it in person because I'm on location for a movie. I have just the most wonderful life. Thank you, Saint Genesius"

Well done, Jim!



And that was the week that was. It was a pretty big week in the world of Supernatural news and with a new episode just 2 days away, there should be plenty more news this week, including some press interviews. It's the Television Critics Association Press Tour Week, so stay tuned for updates and more non-spoilers from The Carver!

Have a great week everyone!
-sweetondean

Retro Report - Jensen and Jason's Jam Session - LACon 2011

Photo credit - sweetondean: Jensen Ackles Vegascon 2013

In 2011 I did my first Creation convention. It was the first time I met Jensen and Jared and somehow, it changed everything.

I can't even express how excited I was about meeting the Js, especially Jensen. Man, I was excited about meeting Jensen. I had decided I wanted to do his meet and greet so I bid - and lost... by $1. My heart broke into a thousand pieces. 

But luck and the convention Gods were on my side, when a special event was announced... Jensen was going to do a jam session with his friend Jason Manns. He'd never done anything like this before. It was going to be him and Jason and just 40 fans. It was going to be a 45 minute informal jam. 

I had to go. 

If I'd won the meet and greet, I could never have bid on the jam session, so it was kismet in someway that I missed out on Jensen's meet and greet, because on Sunday February 13 at 5.00pm, I found myself sitting in a small room awaiting Jensen and Jason and their guitars.

A few days after the event, I managed to put my feelings, my overwhelming feelings in to words. I was still on holidays, I was at San Diego Zoo, it started to rain, so I went to the coffee shop with a hastily bought giraffe shaped notebook and wrote.

This is my report. I know many have read it already, but many haven't. It's a report that I've read back over and over, because I am still blown away by the fact that I got to experience this. I still remember it so clearly, the feeling in the room, my feelings, the rush of emotion, Jensen's awkward nervousness, the laughter and the tears. It was something I will never, ever forget. It was probably the best thing I've ever done. 

Be warned, my report is a bit on the gushy side! Remember, this was only a few days later, after my first convention, after my first meeting with Jensen, where he exceeded any and all of my fangirl expectations with his grace and sweet nature.

So here it is - a look back...nearly 3 years now (and 6 Creation cons later), to the day my world somehow changed and to Jensen and Jason's Jam Session.

~~~

First things first, this may get quite personal also, I don’t think I’ll be able to capture the raw emotion that I felt throughout this jam session with Jensen and Jason Manns, no way and I can’t give a blow by blow account with song lists and what-not, the only thing I can do is try to explain just how wonderful this experience was, I’ll try…..here goes.

So after a FANTASTIC day snuggling and cuddling Jensen and Jared I just had the jam session left. I felt so lucky. I was one of the 30 people who won a ticket in the auction. Creation sold another 10 tickets at the convention, less than I was expecting, so the audience was only going to be 40 people. 40 people, Jensen and Jason.

I was also lucky that Hazel, who I had shared a couple of fun photo ops with, had a ticket to the jam session too. It was due to kick off at 5, so we went back to our rooms to get rid of our bags, cameras and phones as requested and then came back downstairs about 4.30 to wait. There were already a few people queued up so we fell in line out in the hall and wondered how the seats would be allocated. A couple of Creation representatives turned up and explained that the seats would be allocated via a lucky dip draw because we’d all paid the same amount and this seemed like the fairest way. On one hand Hazel and I agreed that this was a great way to do it but on the other hand we were kind of bummed out because we really wanted to sit together.

So I went up and pulled my seat number and it was 22, not bad I thought, then Hazel pulled her seat number and she pulled 21! We couldn’t believe it! It just seemed to be the perfect way to round off a perfect day. It was kismet.

We were ushered into this TINY room with 4 rows of chairs, which were quickly squished into 3 rows by Gary from Creation. Hazel and I were in the 2nd row pretty close to the centre. Now, for some people the way the setup laid out was not satisfactory. There was a little bit of bitching and griping about the fact that the guys were just going to sit on seats in front of us, not on a raised stage, people were complaining they wouldn’t be able to see them even before they sat down, they were saying for the money we paid blah blah blah….whatever people, seriously I couldn’t understand it! We were less than 2 metres from where they would be sitting, this was a jam session, a jam session not a concert and the first time Jensen had ever done anything like this, is that not special enough for ya? I was baffled. I felt so blessed, so blessed to be there, to be one of 40 people to experience this special moment, no-one’s moaning was going to spoil my glow that’s for sure.

Jensen and Jason came into the room all smiles and carrying their guitars. Jensen had changed out of his much fondled dark shirt into a pale blue one, he was also sporting a grey beanie and big glass of whiskey, both of which he joked were his attempt to look like a musician!

He was very nervous, very. He couldn’t believe the level of interest in hearing him sing. He was equal parts touched and surprised. He rang Jason in a panic when he saw how high the bidding was going. They both decided they better get together and practice a bit, work out a set but then they realised what they promised was a jam session, not a concert, it was supposed to be casual and impromptu, it was supposed to be two mates singing together like they do when they’re just hanging out so that’s what we got and by God it was wonderful.

I’m never going to be able to express to anyone who wasn’t there what the emotion in that room was like.

Jensen started with one of his favourites songs. Now we all know he can sing right? Wrong…the man can SING. His voice is just amazing! He has a seriously, seriously lovely voice. When he started singing that first song I found that I was gripping onto Hazel’s leg for dear life and she was holding onto me! We basically hung on to each other throughout the whole thing. Jensen had shifted his chair and we were right in his line of sight, we were literally looking right at him. As he looked skyward, closed his eyes and let it rip the emotion of the day and what I was now experiencing threatened to overwhelm me. A lump formed in my throat, my eyes filled and my breathing got pretty damn shaky and that is how I stayed throughout the whole thing, right on the verge, it was just that wonderful. Every so often an errant single tear would drip down my cheek and I’d quickly try to whisk it away without him seeing, just what he needs right? I’m pretty sure he caught me a couple of times, but I just felt so lucky, so very lucky to be sharing this with him and Jason.

There were lots of flubs, from both of them. Jensen blushed a couple of times, big red blushes bless him but we encouraged him on. Every time he made a mistake he gave himself away with laughter or a funny face, he’s so adorable. Many verses were mixed up, words inexplicably forgotten, parts of songs sung over again until the words came to him. Even Jason got struck with a case of the wobbles; Jensen said it was because the anxiety was coming off him in waves.

Jensen told stories about the music he loves, about how he first learnt to play on his dad’s guitar, which he now owns, about how he first met Jason and about how sometimes when he’s listening to music he gets very lonely, up there in Vancouver all by himself in his trailer. He spoke about how the other men on the crew often talk about their wives and girlfriends but Jensen says, “None are as fine as mine.”

Jensen and Jason shared a lot of the singing, but Jason tended to sit back and let Jensen take centre stage most of the time, much to Jason’s amusement and Jensen’s embarrassment. When they sung Hallelujah Jensen took a verse as Jason very quietly strummed. It was breathtaking, in fact the room was so still and silent I wondered if any us were actually breathing at all, all I could hear was the occasional sniffle and not just from me. It was so magical I got goosebumps all over and those errant single tears got a bit more flowy.

As his nerves started to settle Jensen’s voice got stronger and stronger, I kid you not, his voice is stunning.

Ok, I’m not capturing this.

This jam session felt like a very personal experience. It was so intimate, the stories, the blushing, the joking and the laughs. The songs he chose to sing, the way he sung them and what they meant to him. I got to experience something that will never happen again, because this was a first and even if Jensen and Jason decide to do a gig together at a future con it will never be the same, because it will never be like this. I doubt it would ever be so small, so unrehearsed, so raw or so beautiful.

My heart broke a thousand times over as I watched Jensen sing. The energy he gives out, his obvious beautiful spirit and gracious nature, the kindness and gentleness, all the things I'd experienced during the day seemed to pour out of him and fill the room and fill our hearts over and over. My happiness in this single moment was so acute I could barely speak! As Hazel and I clung to each other we both fought back tears and I just kept whispering “oh God” because the whole thing was so special. It felt so special to be there. It was a truly sublime moment.

At some point Jensen asked how long they had to go but they had already gone longer than promised. Our 45 minute jam session came in around 1 hr 15. I could have watched him and listened to him for hours, to both of them, because Jensen and Jason sound incredible together!

When Clif and Adam from Creation finally pulled the plug, Jensen tried to explain to us what we all mean to him, both individually and collectively. With his hand on his heart he thanked us for all the support we give him, thanked us for being a part of this and for allowing him to be a part of us. It was genuine and heartfelt and he looked like he was struggling to get it out without choking up.

That right there was the end of me. After they had left, Hazel, myself and another friend Terri all huddled in the vendor’s room and hugged each other sobbing. We weren’t the only ones though, there were plenty of teary moments and everyone who attended was totally blown away.

I know you may all think I sound crazytown but this is how raw and perfect the experience was for me. Sure, I’m a fangirl but I appreciate talent, I appreciate good people, people who are raised well, who are polite and generous natured. These things are rare. To say that the jam session topped off a day filled with perfection is an understatement!

I’m so lucky, this man who, let’s just say I respect so much, lived up to and exceeded every expectation I had of him. I totally get it, I totally get why all his cast mates past and present adore him, I totally get why everyone who works with him have only nice things to say, that his friends sing his praises, I totally get it, because in meeting him and in being lucky enough to experience him so unguarded as he told us stories and sang, I was offered a tiny glimpse of his spirit and it was so very beautiful.

I’m so lucky. I will cherish this day for the rest of my life.

Well that’s it…that’s the best I can do. I hope it gives you just the tiniest insight into this very special event. 

As always, thanks for reading.

Postscript: I sent a message to Jason to thank him and I got a lovely message back.

~~~

Of course, Jensen did do one more jam, this time with Steve Carlson, but this, this was his first and I was there. 

When I read this report it brings the memories flooding back of how moved I was by the whole weekend and by my first convention with Jensen and Jared. And as I start preparing for Vegascon 2014, which will be my 7th Creation convention, I realise nothing has changed. I still get this excited, I still get totally overwhelmed, I still get nervous and gushy and weird and I still want to jump up and down and clap my hands! The only difference now is, that these days I know so many people at the conventions that I'm not doing any of it alone!

At Dallascon this year, I ran into one of the fans who was also at the jam session.  Jessica. We went, "oh hi!" when we saw each other and then straight away started talking about this jam, this day and how we still relive this moment over and over.

Jensen and Jason's Jam Session will always be one of my most cherished memories and believe me, I know how lucky I am to have experienced it.

In case anyone is wondering, this was the song list - in order - that Jensen and Jason did for us, on that pre-Valentines day Valentine in February 2011...

Thanks for reading and indulging my reminiscing!

-sweetondean

Rock n Roll Radio - Ray LaMontagne.

Crazy Love - Jason Manns/Jensen Ackles

The Weight - Jason Manns/Jensen Ackles at Jus in Bello 2010 (also The Band)

If I Had a Million - Pat Green

She Talks to Angels - The Black Crows

Hallelujah - Jason Manns

Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd (special request from Clif!)

Your Song - Jason Manns

God Willin’ and the Creek Don’t Rise - Ray LaMontagne.

Free Fallin’ - Tom Petty (also John Mayer)

Walk Away - Ben Harper

Supernatural family: Jason Manns' Christmas Album project - who's joining in? (Jensen is!)

We all know Jason Manns; he's part of the Supernatural family! 

Well Jason has decided to bring some friends together and do a Christmas album and you can be part of it!

Here's what Jason has to say...

I'm going to invite some of my friends to help me spread some Christmas cheer by singing some good ole Christmas songs!

I get questions every year around this time about a Christmas album, and my answer is always, "I will do a Christmas album eventually!" Well, Kickstarter has provided an opportunity to make that eventual project a reality. I would prefer not to just do a regular album, considering what make Christmas fun is sharing it with friends and family, so what I'd like to do is pick a few of my favorite Christmas songs, (and let ya'll pick a few of your favorites too!) and invite some of my friends in the studio to help me make a fun, but really high quality Christmas album! I'll have it ready for ya to listen to in your favorite ugly sweater, (or give as a Christmas present!) by Christmas of 2014!

I was overwhelmed with the support for my first kickstarter project. I was shocked that you guys exceeded my goal by over 300%, and that allowed me to do some things with my last album I've never done before. Namely, buy some recording equipment and record a good portion of that music at my home. Because of that awesome support, the cost for this album will be significantly less than that one! I may have to pay some fees to cover the Christmas songs, and I'll definitely have to pay some musicians, get a little studio time, and pay an engineer, do some artwork, and print the CDs up, but because I can do some of this at home now I think I can do that for a lot less than last time. So I'm only trying to raise about half of what I went for on my last one. I did try to offer some great rewards though, so I hope you see something you like!

I'm excited to get back in the studio for you guys!

All my best,

Jason

So who are these friends? Well, Jason's made a few announcements already!

There's rockstar Rob Benedict:

Michael Rosenbaum, AKA Lex Luthor on Smallville.

The inimitable Richard Speight Jr.

Misha! Plus a party helping Random Acts!

Mandy Musgrave - AKA Mrs Matt Cohen! (Matt mustn't be able to sing... maybe he can do the jerk instead...)

And... drum roll... Jason's good friend, Jensen. Yes. JENSEN.

6 January
Late update! A Moose is joining the Christmas party!

7 January
Okay...so this is basically becoming a Supernatural Christmas album!

Time's running out! Will you be part of the best Christmas party ever?

If you want to help make Jason's album a great big success and not only get a great Christmas album with a bunch of cool people singing along, but also some neat rewards, check out Jason's kickstarter. You can get involved for as little as $5!

Here's the link. 

Jason Manns & Friends Christmas Album

Supernatural family, helping Supernatural family! 

You know what album we'll all be playing next year!

Happy holidays!

-sweetondean

UPDATE - KICKSTARTER NOW CLOSED.

Wow! I think we've got a brilliant album coming!

SPN News for Blessed End of Final, Interminable Hiatus

Warning: At the bottom, I list the upcoming episode titles. If you consider them spoilers, stop reading when you see ~~~~~~~~~~~.

In season finale news, it turns out a woman is needed to ground Sam and Dean in their bodies, because they are only sufficiently strong vessels if their souls don't check out (it's not just a body thing), but their love for her is also what keeps them from saying "yes."

Okay, I totally made that up. Pure fantasy, but wouldn't it be cool to be that woman?

In REAL season finale news, it will air May 13. Which anyone who can count already knew, but now it's official. For the fourth year in a row I'll be on retreat and unable to watch, but thank God the facility has wi-fi, and I'll be downloading from iTunes and watching with my fellow obsessives on Friday.

The show finally returns this Thursday and will run nonstop through the remaining 8 episodes, so that's something we can all be thankful for.

In one of my Google alerts, I glimpsed a question about the season finale that was so upsetting I quickly clicked past the alert and didn't explore to find out if that was just a random fan speculating, or actual spoiler news. Unfortunately, it's been burned into my brain...

That's two months away, though. Closer is episode 15, "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid." Support Supernatural has clips on their YouTube Channel. (Note: Support SPN indicates this is episode 5.16; The CW's website labels one of the clips episode 5.14, but math and IMDb tell us it's definitely 5.15.)

SFX awarded Misha Collins "Man of His Word of the Week" for being totally awesome. Scroll down for the paragraph on him, or just go here for the reason for the award.

Buddy TV has a short interview with Jared at the 100th episode party (with audio).

Jason Manns is doing an East Coast Tour this week! You remember Jason, he's a friend of Jensen's who sometimes plays at Creation's Salute to Supernatural conventions. His song was on Sam's iPod when Dean got into the Impala for the first time after returning from Hell. He'll be in DC on Wednesday, Philadelphia on Friday, and New York City on Saturday, and he'll be selling his new album. He also has a role in the film Rock Slyde, starring Patrick Warburton, soon available at Netflix.

The new issue of Supernatural: Beginning's End is out! This comic mini-series is set while Sam is in college, before the Big Break with his dad. Each issue is like an episode of the show, very classic, and this month's features a very funny storyline. This is my favorite of the three comics series. Pick it up at your local comic store today!

Do you hi-def? The first season of Supernatural will be released on Blu-Ray on June 15. It has a few new special features that the first set didn't have (Devil's Road Map, Paley Festival panel discussion).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Upcoming episode titles:

5.15 Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

5.16 Dark Side of the Moon

5.17 99 Problems

5.18 Point of No Return

5.19 Hammer of the Gods

5.20 Let the Games Begin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~