Stephen Nichols Fan Event

July 23, 2000

~Recapped by nicholsevansfan…

Once again, this year I had a great seat! We were seated by ‘Stephen’ themed tables…different genres and characters. Linda P did such a beautiful job organizing this event! There was a Patch and Kayla table with a centerpiece filled with stuff that might remind you of their story (a ‘Lady in Red’ Barbie dress, a harmonica, a lobster bib, etc:), a Stefan and Katherine table (Where we were seated…it had a book on tai chi, a plastic Faberge egg, a toy ring that resembled Katherine’s engagement ring, a tiny paper bag that said bagels and schmear, and a red toy car…other things, too). There was an Emily and Gideon table too, etc… 🙂 At the Stefan and Katherine table, there was a crystal tree- a large one that lights up. I won it… 🙂 Woo hoo!! Cindy was so rockin‘, she just had a seat right in front of him. After a while, he teasingly called her the mouthpiece cuz she isn’t shy… 🙂 She was great.

First there were Questions and Answers – then he went around each table taking pictures with everyone and signing autographs. Most people ate while they waited their turn. There were delicious Greek hors d’oeuvres. Stephen mentioned their names. I can’t even begin to call them off… LOL. After the autographs, etc, he picked raffle tickets- winners got their prizes. Then he left… 🙂

Here are the Q and A’s as I remember them, in NO ORDER WHATSOEVER, and please remember- this is just MY take.

He emphasized that Stefan and Laura are OVER, and that the writers never committed to their story. He wanted people to allow his character to move on, and give his new story (with Chloe) a chance. This was very important to him.

Stephen was asked what his favorite scenes were from GH. He had a hard time on the spot, so we helped him out. We reminded him of his scene with Tyler when he found out Stefan is his father, he said ya, that was one. Brought up another one with Alexis, he agreed with that one too. Someone else said when Stefan thought Laura had died, and he laughed. He said his wife watched that and asked him if anyone else had been on the set that day. I guess they (Lisa and Stephen) thought it was a little overly done or something. He said on Days, they used to give each other awards daily They called them the “Crunchy awards”….for who “chewed up the most scenery”, as the saying goes. He thought he had done that on GH that day.

He said he doesn’t like how Stefan is suddenly all evil again, not even caring that Helena had the drugs to save Chloe’s life, for example.

I don’t remember the question, but someone mentioned Mary Beth. He said wouldn’t it be nice if she came back, but its not gonna happen. Then he said they should go back to Days and do Patch and Kayla. (He just said this out of frustration with his current story; he wasn’t making any announcement or anything. Don’t take this the wrong way). He mentioned Mary Beth is out of town. It is obvious he loves working with her.

Coltin Scott was walking through the garden area. Stephen saw him and called him over. He said Hi, we sang him Happy Birthday, and he left J Seemed really nice, and Stephen seemed to like him.

Beth (a Tree!) asked didn’t he think it was completely unlike Stefan to keep the fact that he was alive hidden without contacting Nikolas. Stephen said YES, he was very much against that, and asked the writers to please script where Stefan tried to contact his son….but noooooo. Same thing we have been discussing here everyone. He also mentioned that they should have delved further into the Stefan and Helena relationship. Basically- any frustration you can think of that we have with his story, he has. LOL.

Stephen was asked if he went on vacation- why so little airtime. He said, on the positive side, what’s nice is he has been able to spend so much time with Aaron, Lisa and Dylan. They go to museums, the beach, and play board games. He does like the time off, and the fact that they pay him the same amount even when they only give him 4 minutes a week of airtime, LOL. But, he said if his story continues on the same way, he is walking- leaving the show, which is why it’s important to him that we give Stefan and Chloe a chance.

He is also getting into painting a lot. He said it really helps him deal with his frustration level over his lack of story, too. It’s a creative process as well. He works with oil paints. He is going to be taking guitar lessons again. Says he hasn’t played a harmonica in five years.

He and Lisa have a lot they are working on. She has written, or is writing, a sequel to her play “60 minutes from LA”, which he would direct if it ever went to theater. Stephen is also going to take classes on how to use a specific digital camera/video (I don’t know this tech lingo LOL). He wants to make a short film using digital video. He said its good quality and not as expensive as film, a good way to sell a movie.

Linda K (a Tree!) asked him about the Clifford O’Detts play “The Big Knife”. She saw the same banner as I did in Hollywood advertising it. He said it got bad reviews, and he had actually wanted to do an adaptation of it. He had wanted to make it closer to the *original work* by Odetts, which eventually became The Big Knife (I think he said it was called the Winter Season or something like that). Basically, these are all irons in the fire, as they sayJ

He was asked if he had no responsibilities in terms of money, and no restrictions/limits on him, what his dream job/role would be. He said working in theatre in New York and/or Chicago.

Ok, my question…LOL. He had to say my name, I loved it:) My question was, if he could have an in depth conversation with one person, dead or alive, who would it be, and what would they talk about? He had to think for a while, and then he answered his father. He said he found out his father had passed eight years after the fact. All children need to connect to their parents. He was very candid and open about having a difficult childhood.

He also sang for us about four times LOL….NY NY …other stuff:) He was in a great mood ;), and so funny, too. Very relaxed. He was SO appreciative of ALL the fans who were there, and he made it a point to say so a few times. He took his time at every table, even stayed after 6pm.

Some of us Trees arranged a gift of towels for Stephen…in honor of the towel scenes we all loved. We explained that this was the only highlight recently on GH… LOL. Cindy told him how Alison had gone out of her way to get the gift together for all of us. He loved the card Joyce picked out, LOL, which we signed for everyone who contributed. I also wrote “we loved seeing you in towels on GH”, or something along those lines, so that he would understand why we got him towels… LOL. He opened up the present and really loved it!! He said he liked the color and that they were so soft. He modeled them on his head and around his… um…waist… LOL. We snapped pics, but I am always a second or two behind everyone- not sure I got anything.

I bought three pictures. There was a lot of new merchandise, but I had to be careful money wise. So I avoided the t-shirts, didn’t even look at ‘em, so I wouldn’t be tempted. Well, I bought three raffle tickets…and I won a t-shirt… LOL!! With my favorite Stephen/Jeff Katz picture, yay! I have to tell you….I NEVER win raffles (Stephen said he never does either) – but somehow at Stephen events, I have occasionally been lucky. I mean, some people bought a lot of tickets and I only bought three, and won. I just have a good vibe goin at these things:)

I just have to add that there are no words for how wonderful Stephen was. Every time I see him, I am more and more impressed. He was SO open and candid and gracious with the fans. Really appreciative too!

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