Love Letters Reports Page

Video of the Reception available (new 8/28/99)
There is a thank you note from
Scott and Chelsea on the links page (new 7/27/99)
Susan L. (new 7/12/99)
Debbie
Judith
Kristy
Eleiece
Susan
Janey (new 7/1/99)
Pam

Postscript from Dawn

Susan L.
[Editor's note: Susan happily took the approach of writing down the entire conversation soon after the reception. Thank you Susan!]

Saturday, June 12th, 1999
Conversation with Scott

Scott turns and looks right at me, putting out his hand to shake mine, says "Hi! How are you?"
Putting my hand in his and shaking it, I say "Wonderful! Especially Now!"
He smiles and I jump into…"My friend & I feel really bad.(Motioning to Jaci) We only came from Tucson, AZ to see you and we thought that was a big deal! Now we get here to find people who came all the way from Australia and Great Briton! "Scott chuckles and says "Yeah- you've got to come farther than that next time! Can you believe it?"
I now show him the videotape in my hand and say " I have here the final episode of Quantum Leap. Would you be wonderful and sign it for me?"
He looks just a bit surprised and says "Cool! Sure I'll sign it for you! (then, as he's signing ) "What did you think of it?" (final episode)
I cringe just a bit and say "The first time I saw it, I hated it." (He looks at me like he feels bad and hands back the signed tape!) "But after watching it a few times, I realized the ending leaves the possibility of future Leaps for Sam. So not putting a solid ending on it was good, I guess!"
He grins and says "I'm glad."
I say "So is there a possibility of another Quantum Leap?"
He doesn't look very sure, and says "We sure hope so!"
Now I have my camera out and ask if he'll pose for a picture with me. He says yes, I hand my camera to Jaci and Scott puts his arm around my shoulders. (A very nice, solid hold J) I fit right in his arm pit! So tall!! Jaci has a hard time with the camera, but Scott is patient and says "Try again!" The flash goes off this time and Scott says "Even got the Red Eye Reduction light!" and laughs!
Now it's Jaci's turn…..didn't catch word for word….. Got a picture of her & Scott. She told him it would be even more special than the one of her & his picture at Universal Studios!! (Nice) And then we begged one of the 3 of us!! His assistant took the picture and I can't wait to see it!
We both thanked him and said goodnight and he was on to the next fan. He stood out there being just that nice to everyone there for 1 & ½ hours! What a sweetheart!!!!!

Debbie in MS
Quick update at a late hour

Scott is still as friendly, gracious, and generous with his time as so many Leapers have described after other close encounters. And he looks as youthful and handsome as always; he doesn't seem to be aging at all! Love Letters was enhanced by his performance, in my unbiased opinion ! Spending a few minutes with him and getting a picture was a long-time dream come true.

I was delayed 2 hours in Dallas and got home at 1 am. But I didn't have the kind of trouble Pam experienced. Gotta start catching up on my sleep, and I'll post more later, if I can get on--I know several Leapers who'll be home tomorrow!

Scott-fan forever,
Debbie in MS

Other remembrances
The way Scott leaned forward a little so he could hear... ...my suddenly soft voice! When Jay looked at me and asked if I'd gotten a picture, my heart did that flutter thing and lodged in my throat. I approached Scott, looking up at him (I'm pretty short, and he's wonderfully tall and lean). I wanted to shake his hand, but I was juggling a camera, my program, picture, purse, pen...He said, "Hi, how are you?" I was trapped in that hazel gaze. I think I said, a little above a whisper, "Hi, Scott, I'm doing fine." I handed him the program and pen, and he asked, "Where are you from?" "Mississippi." Jay said "How can you tell?" (kidding about my accent) I said, "I don't have an accent, everybody else talks funny," and they both laughed. Scott said "I know a guy from New York (meaning Jay) but you'd never know it." Jay exaggerated a NY accent and said something like "I love NY." Scott asked who he should make the autograph to, and I told him my name. Jay repeated it in a 'moonlight and magnolias' southern accent. I babbled to Scott that I should've brought a certain item for him to sign, and he told me to send it to Jay. I guess I had given Jay my camera because I then turned around and felt Scott's arm go around me. I slipped mine around his back and...it was really difficult to let go. I know Jay took a picture but I really don't remember him doing it! I turned toward Scott again, and he looked into my eyes with a final comment. I said "OK, thank you Scott," and he turned that gentle and gentlemanly charisma and magnetism onto another lucky fan. I looked at my program expecting to read "All the best" over that familiar signature. Instead he had written "To Debbie, Thanks so much." No, thank YOU, Scott. I had also told him it was the most awesome evening of my life, and it was!

I don't really want to go into detail, but there were a couple of "fans" (don't know any names, never seen them before) who perhaps had taken advantage of the champagne being served. They were really in Scott's face on TWO different occasions (that I observed, anyway.) But he was just as gracious with them as with any of us. The man is class.

Now that I've had time to think I wish I'd been able to speak a bit more intelligently, ask him about Mean Streak or Netforce or something. Thank goodness he and Jay have had some practice at this.

I've enjoyed reading everyone else's accounts of the evening, and really have nothing new to add except an emphatic nod of agreement. We all wish we'd had more time, more time in Glendale, more time with each other, more time with Scott. But what a time it was!

Debbie in MS

Judith
Hi

Couldn't agree more with the statements in your message about Scott.

It was well worth the hassle getting there. Firstly going to hospital for four hours straight from the flight, then my bags with clothes in, turning up an hour from the show.

After that meeting up with Scott and Family, and having a photo taken was the best thing that could have happened.

Thanks to everyone who helped me that night!

Judith

Notes on LL from Kristy

Everything is still pretty much a blur three days later. Both Mel and Pam have tape recorded our impressions of what happened, so I'm sure there will be lots more to add.

Five of us stayed together: Dawn, Mel, Pam, Sammy from Italy, and I. I flew in late Friday.

The first real adventure we had was when we went to dinner. We found when we got to the Crab House that parking might be a problem. We dropped off Pam and went in search of a place to park, ending up in a shopping center about a block from the Alex Theater.

There were a lot of faces at dinner, and I know I will miss lots of names here due to still being a bit brain-fuzzed: Tracy (Oceana), May Ling, Eleiece, Susan (Bakulady), Don and Dianne (justleaping), Hillary...lots more, easily twenty in all. While we were waiting, another well dressed group came in. Remember how we had to change our dinner plans from Jax's to the Crab House? Well, Jax's had a power outage, and sent their guests over to the Crab House. Ironic, huh?

After dinner (me, I had a cup of chowder and the shrimp out of my house salad - nerves finally caught up with me and I was too tense to eat), we walked to the theater.

The Alex is even prettier in real life on the outside and on in the inside. One of the Benefit I talked to was Bonnie Gibson, who is very nice - I have a picture of her with Debbie, one of the other Benefit members, and Chelsea's mother. I got my picture developed yesterday, scanned them last night. I'll figure out how I want to post them in the next day or so.

Our seats were great, on stage-left of the audience, much closer than the on-line map hinted at. I think our excitement grew just a little when we noticed the desk on our side of the stage had more masculine items on it...

Oh, ladies, there were so many empty seats in the theater. I think it was less than a quarter full. Met Ann and Diana from England, Janey from the QLIP board, and even Natasha.

Finally, the house lights started to dim. The air of nervous anticipation rose. I admit my hands were just a bit clammy. Chelsea's mother came out to introduce the play, and mentioned that there were a number of Quantum Leap fans in attendance, some coming from as far away as Italy, England, Australia, and Germany (we, of course, gave ourselves a cheer).

Then the stage lights went out. I could see Scott and Chelsea come out on stage in the dark. He helped her sit down, then went to sit at his own desk.

Stage lights came back up...

Scott looked marvelous. His hair is longer, and the white streak is back. He wore a nice blue suit. Chelsea (who, by the way, is due the first week of July) was all in black.

This was the second time I've seen "Love Letters," and I enjoyed it so much more with Scott and Chelsea. We laughed, cheered, cried. At times I felt like I needed to pinch myself, say "yeah, that is Scott up there...that same smile, the same laugh, so totally at ease." With live theater you can feel the electricity passing between you and the actors, and suddenly -- it really seemed like only a few moments -- it was intermission.

The second half of the play is much sadder, far too short. When it ended, Scott and Chelsea took their bows and left. We kept applauding, and they came back out. I believe all of us who were 'leapers' gave them a standing ovation.

Earlier it was requested that those going to the champaign reception stay in their seats until everyone else had left. It seemed like no one was leaving. But not once did I think, 'Hey, too many people, this is not good."

Then, people began to file outside to the patio for the reception. We filed out toward the last. The patio seemed filled with people. We hung back, talking about the play, anticipating. All of a sudden one of us, I think it was Mel, noticed Chelsea standing about ten feet away. And where there is Chelsea, there must be Scott....

And there was.

My first impression of Scott: taller than I expected. He's easily six feet tall. When he smiles, he gets these wonderful smile lines at the corners of his eyes. His smile is big and genuine. He's grown out his hair, and it has a soft wave to it. It looked a little damp, and I wondered if he'd taken quick shower before coming out. His shoulders are broad too.

Most of the crowd followed Scott, so some of us went over to Chelsea. They didn't have lines. Jay Schwartz stood with Scott, and fans surrounded them. But we were all very well behaved, not crowded and pushing, jockeying for position. Being barely five foot two and a bit crowd-inhibited, I didn't get much of a chance to see Scott till the crowd thinned out. But what I could see only supported what we've heard about him: He greets you with a smile, shakes your hand if offered, listens if you ask a question. He joked with a few people. Jay took most of the pictures (don't call him Mr. Schwartz - he tells you to call him Jay).

I'll let the others tell you about their moments. This is (as I recall) how mine went. I was more calm than I thought; my knees weren't shaking and my brain wasn't running faster than I could speak. When Jay gave me the signal, I handed him my camera and stepped forward. I said to Scott that I was Kristy from Utah and I was so glad to meet him. He shook my hand (very nice handshake). Since other people had requested autographs, I asked him to sign a program I'd bought for my friend Vicki, which he did (he signed it Dear Vicki - sorry we missed you, Scott Bakula - I gave it to her last night and she was so excited!). Then we turned for the picture. He put his left arm around me, resting his hand lightly on my shoulder. Dawn got a picture one with her Polaroid instamatic - instant gratification - and I think Mel shot one, too. I thanked him again and stepped away for the next group (Don and Dianne from Utah).

Sammy wanted a picture with Chelsea, so we went back over. After taking the picture, I introduced myself to her. She's a very gracious lady, very nice. She'd taken off her shoes and sat some of the time. Poor thing is so pregnant right now - she's due the first week of July.

Once everyone had a moment with Scott, he and Chelsea stood together for more pictures, then went back into the theater.

After Scott and Chelsea left for the night, a lot of us hanged around, talking and taking pictures. When they were trying to shut up the patio, we moved out onto the sidewalk. There we had a chance to talk with Natasha (hey, girl! it was great to meet you!). She had a little video camera and was interviewing fans about where they were from, what they thought about the play, and if they got a chance to meet Scott.

Since Natasha mentioned before that she's seen the script for "Promises Kept," I asked for a rundown of the plot since I've read the book. It's quite different, just as tragic, though. Can't say which story I like better. :-)

The five of us left at 1:00 am. We talked about the play, about Scott on the way back, about how our encounters went. Sunday morning, as Dawn and I packed, Pam put in her copy of the Wizards tape, where Scott sings some of the songs from the QL album. I thought - Man, I've met him, and he's as nice as I've heard. No cold vibes from him, no "keep your distance" like I've seen with some actors. You can tell he appreciates and values his fans. Scott was already high on my ladder of people to look up to; he's gone up a few more rungs now.

Meeting Scott was definitely the highlight, but getting the chance to meet so many of you was nearly as great. I feel as if I've made many more new friends, and look forward to seeing you all again.

Kristy

Eleiece
Another report on the "Love Letters" weekend

What a weekend! Like Susan said, "I wish it didn't have to end", it was that wonderful!

When I arrived in Glendale about 1:30 Friday afternoon, I entered the airport looking for Susan (Bakulady), but her (connecting) flight from Phoenix was delayed (mine was, too), and so it was me looking for her instead of the other way round. In fact, I had time to go collect my luggage and then walk all the way to the front door of the airport and went inside and found the America West counter. I told the clerk I was looking for Susan Coffin, saying, "Her flight was supposed to be here about an hour ago." She checked and said, No, that her plane wouldn't land till 2:30. So, when I said Sue and I had never met, she made up a little sign for me; she started to write Susan, but I said, "No, put 'B-a-k-u-l-a-d-y', that's her nickname. And if she doesn't recognize her own nickname!......." *grin*

Well, Sue spotted the sign and we got her luggage from baggage claim, and finally got to the hotel, and all I can say is, "Wow! The Red Lion Hotel is SOMETHING ELSE!" Not flashy or anything, but I can see why they've got 4 stars!

May Ling and Tracy had already arrived at the hotel. May Ling arrived on Thursday & stayed at a hostel overnight, and Tracy had flown in that morning.

Tracy is a real card! A really upbeat, positive lady who knows what she wants......but she's just gonna have to get used to the idea that she's gonna have to SHARE Scott with the rest of us! LOL!! The moment I met her, it was like we'd known each other forever! And what a sense of humor!

In person, May Ling's just like she is online: sweet and a bit shy. But she's a dyed-in-the-wool Leaper! In fact, at the reception, of our little 4-some, she was the first to get to meet Scott! Gotta keep an eye on the quiet ones! ;-)

Anyway, we spent Saturday finding the Alex Theater by car (on Friday evening, we all walked to the theater), as well as finding Clancy's and scoping out places to park later that evening. Then we stopped at a Subway for a light lunch and then did some shopping; Susan needed a nice pair of black shoes.

Some people might not believe that 4 women sharing 1 hotel room and bathroom could all manage to shower, primp and dress in an hour and a half, but we did! Probably something about the fact that none of us wanted to be late as the time to actually BE IN THE SAME ROOM with the most gorgeous man to ever draw breath, drew nearer!

It was so wonderful to meet all you, to finally be able to put a face and smile with the names I've seen online for over 2 years. And I'm proud to call each and every one of you my friend.

Well, the time finally came to leave for the theater, and what a lovely evening we had for that stroll. I don't think we could have asked for a more perfect day and evening, weather-wise. (I don't know about anyone else, but I fell in love with Glendale! What a lovely town!)

We (Susan, May Ling, Tracy & I) entered the courtyard, letting the reality that "My gosh! we REALLY are here...at the Alex Theater! And Scott's inside!", and just stood for a few minutes, looking around at everyone and "seeing who we could see". By then it was about ten minutes to 8 and we went inside.

All I can say is that the pictures on the Internet don't do justice to the beauty of the inside of the Alex theater. It was fabulous! Well, we found our seats, but had barely sat down when someone, I think it was Kristy, came over to us to let us know that the autographed pictures were on sale in the lobby. So we made a beeline (now where have I seen that word this past weekend? ;-))for the lobby to get one of those pictures!

I got 2 pictures and an extra program. (I promised Rayne, who couldn't come, that I'd get her "something..anything signed by Scott". And he graciously autographed the extra program for her.) Anyway, in the excited confusion, as we went back to our seats, I thought I'd lost my ticket (horrors!); even went back to the picture table and Bonny and the other lady looked around, even sorted through the money to see if the ticket somehow got caught in the bills I handed her. Nothing. But, I refused to panic. So we all went back to our seats, and as we sat down, I glanced to my right, at Tracy, and noticed she was holding 2 tickets! Seems she'd seen me drop my ticket while paying for the pictures & program, and had picked it up for me. Tell me I wasn't saying my thanksgivings at that moment, and profusely, too....to God and Tracy!

Susan, Tracy and I sat in Row L, seats 2, 4 & 6; May Ling was directly across the aisle in K-101.

When Chelsea's mom was welcoming everyone, and she mentioned Scott's fans who had come... "...some from Australia, Italy and England" the Leapers cheered and clapped!

I was between Susan and Tracy, and when Scott and Chelsea walked out to take their places, Susan grabbed my left hand and Tracy had the right one. Tracy, bless her, was shaking. But hey, if you can't reach out to a friend when you need a little support at such wonderfully, exciting, dream-come-true moment, who can you turn to? :-)

Then the lights went down...and the spotlights came up....and there was Scott!

And he's every bit as handsome in the flesh as he is on the screen. Even more so in the flesh! And...YES! his hair has grown out and his white streak is back! The suite he wore was a soft cocoa brown with a striped shirt and a nice tie (sort of a light bronze/brown pattern I think).

He was relaxed throughout the whole play, and his character's interaction with Chelsea's was perfect. I loved his voice! And that smile! (Is it getting hot in here?)

Chelsea wore a simple black 2-piece suit and wore her hair up; she looked lovely. And, take this the way you will, she suited her part in the play.

All too soon the play was over, and we waited, as instructed, for all the play attendees who weren't going to the reception, to leave. Then, we all went outside to the courtyard where the reception was held.

It was a lovely, if rather cool, evening (boy! am I glad I decided on a long-sleeved dress!). But by this time, I think a lot of the Leapers were running on adrenaline and didn't feel the chill very much.

Susan and Tracy got some champagne; not me, I was the designated driver. I did get an expresso coffee...first and last one! I drink coffee only occasionally and didn't realize how STRONG it was! Took about 3 very small sips then settled for a glass of water.

I was talking to Susan and Tracy (May Ling had wandered off on her own) when we noticed a crowd up near the doors into the theater. I spotted Chelsea standing to the right...and instantly looked to the huge knot of people to the left, figuring, "Then that's got to be Scott!" And it was!

It was about 15-20 minutes after realizing Scott was actually amongst the crowd, before I got my turn to actually meet him. And like everyone I've talked to or who has posted, he's every bit as charming and gracious and friendly as they say. When it was finally my turn to meet him (my heart's thumping a mile a minute right now!)and he turned to me and focused those beautiful hazel eyes on me, I'm really surprised I was able to get the words out coherently and without babbling. But, I did. I told him, "I came all the way from New Orleans to meet you, and this is a dream come true for me.", and he thanked me for making the trip. I also told him how much pleasure he's given me with his talents and abilities as an actor, and with his singing, and wished him all the best in the future. Then I asked him to autograph my program, and one for another friend in Australia (Rayne) who couldn't come.
And, as you all know, (now, personally!) he was very gracious and signed both programs.
And then put his arm around my shoulder (and I put mine around his waist...he's got a nice wallet! ;-)) for a picture. Then, he turned to the next person.

Susan and several others snapped pictures of me with Scott. The lady with the digital camera (you can see the picture in the camera....and I apologize for not remembering your name, if you read this), showed me the picture she took, saying, "You looked shocked." I was, and I may look like a deer caught in the headlights when the pictures developed. Wish I didn't, but I don't care! As long as the pictures in focus, it'll be one of the most cherished pictures I own. Scott, his arm around my shoulder.....the phrase is an old one, but....."Never in a million years would I have ever dreamed that this dream would one day actually come true!"

Like most of the Leapers, we (Susan, Tracy, May Ling and I) lingered on while the reception crowd thinned out. Finally, I think it was about 11:45, Jay took Scott over to meet his (Jay's family), and while he was talking with them, Chelsea came up to him. From where I was standing, about 15-20 feet away, I could see him begin to gently rub her back. Then a couple of minutes later they went back inside the theater and I watched them walk down the hall and out of sight.

Still we lingered a few more minutes, then finally left when it looked like they were about ready to lock the gates on us! We went back to the hotel, and, like Susan said in her post it was 4:30 a.m. before we all fell into bed (well, I'd gone to bed a couple of hours earlier). I tell you, if Scott's ears weren't burning with all of the talk going in that room alone, he doesn't have a clue! NOT!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday we were up early (a bit bleary-eyed but hey, pilgrimages will do that to one! [And I'll do it again in a heartbeat!]). We got dressed then went back down near the theater to a little restaurant we'd found Saturday afternoon (Fenderbender's) for breakfast. It's got a 50's motif, casual and friendly...and good food. The prices were quite reasonable, too.

Then we headed for the Santa Monica Pier, and I gotta say this..Tracy is without a doubt THE BEST map-reader I've ever known, and is NAVIGATOR NUMERO UNO! She got a map of the L.A. area, and even though she'd never been in California before, she got us smoothly and without fuss or error to everywhere we wanted to go. We even went to Mann's Chinese Theater, and found (and photographed) Dean Stockwell's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame! Next time I go to California (on my own, of course), I'm gonna have to figure out to include air & hotel fare for Tracy! She's aces! And I don't mean just as a map reader/navigator! Anyway, after a few "turn-arounds" (read: going the wrong direction for about 15 minutes!)[and BEFORE Tracy got the map], we finally got to the beach. It took us nearly another half hour to find a parking place, and THEN!...the beach. I enjoyed it immensely simply because Susan had never seen the ocean. At that moment, when she first walked onto the beach (barefoot of course! :-))and got her first good look at that vast expanse of blue water, I understood what my husband has said to me on many occasions, because I truly got my pleasure in watching Susan's awe and excitement in standing and walking in the surf and along the beach. She, Tracy and I walked about a quarter mile or so before turning back.

Then the 4 of us browsed through the little shops (bought lots of tee shirts and other touristy items), then decided it was time to go. Especially since we wanted to go to Mann's Chinese Theater and, hopefully, find Dean Stockwell's star. We did! (as I posted higher up)

Then we went back to the hotel, under Tracy's EXCELLENT guidance as "Navigator, First-Class". Susan was "Navigator, Second-Class". :-) In fact, at one point I'd said, "I feel like Scott in "Mercy Mission"...I'm flying (driving) this plane, but you guys are the navigators!"

We had dinner at La Fontana's, a wonderful Italian restaurant on the corner across the street from the hotel (we ate there Friday evening, too). And after some excellent food and lots more talk about Scott, the play, Chelsea, and Lord only knows what all else, we asked for our check. And what do you think the waiter's name was: Sam! Talk about "what a way to end the evening!" He didn't look at all like the "real Sam" but, still.... :-)

Monday it was back to reality time. We were up early (I think Tracy was up and in the shower by 5:30). After showering and dressing, we all got our packing done (all suitcases heavier with souvenirs), then drove back over to have breakfast at Fenderbender's again.

Then, back to the hotel, a final last look around to see if we'd left anything (I almost forgot my dress!), then checked out and returned the car.

A few final pictures of the hotel and the lions out in front, and of us waiting (with our luggage), and then Susan and I left for the airport. May Ling and Tracy stayed on in California. Tracy's going home Wednesday. May Ling will be in Santa Monica till the end of the week, then she's flying to Minneapolis on Friday (18th) to visit an old friend till the 30th. She'll return to L.A on the 30th and then fly home on July 1st.

Speaking for myself, this past long weekend has been a dream come true (meeting Scott) and a treasured opportunity to meet the friends I've made on the Internet....and all because of Scott and Quantum Leap. Sometimes one really does have to take that "Leap Of Faith" and do something they've never done before, and I am so glad I did.

Memories, such as the ones I made this past weekend are truly among the jewels I'll carry throughout my life. And I am so glad that each and every one of you...as well as Scott..(OH YEAH!) are a part of those memories.

Eleiece

Susan

My Report

Hi folks! Got Bak from Glendale last night at 10:00 p.m.!
I cant begin to describe the excitement that was saturday night! *sigh* I just sad that its all over :-( I met some wonderful people namely
my roomies, Tracy, Eleiece and May Ling.....We made on heck of a group! We spent saturday afternoon shopping for a new pair of shoes for me to wear to the play since the ones I had didn't quite go with the dresses I had to choose from :-) Then we went bak to the Red Lion and got ready for supper at Clancy's Crab House, Got to meet everyone from the message board and the BakPack, Had a very enjoyable meal and I even took our waiters pic! ( Don't ask me why) I just wanted to have all the memories that I could of the weekend, anyway pretty soon it was time to go to theater and see our Man Scott *grin* We got in and I started to scan the crowd to see who all was there and then concentrated on the task at hand waiting for the play to start, When Chelsea's mom came out and thanked all the Leapers for coming and then made a special thank you for all the leapers who came as far away as Australia, Italy,and England, Then the lights went down and we could just make out Scott and Chelsea coming out on stage (I more heard his foot steps then saw) then in a few moments the lights went up and there was Scott sitting on our side of the stage and the first thing I noticed was Scott had his white streak bak!!!!!! Oh my Lord He look GOOD! Is that the word I want to use? (No I don't think it is) How about exquisite?! LOL! Then they did the play and before you knew it, it was time for intermission, Tracy and I took a walk outside and talked about our first impression of Scott, which btw was GREAT! LOL! next thing we know they were blinking the lights to tell us it was time to go bak in for the second half.
We got bak in and settled in and enjoyed the rest of the play.
When it was time to go out to the promenade we went and got a glass of champagne and started to talk about what we liked in the play when I looked up and noticed a large knot of people up close to the doors for the theater and said Look Scott must be here and we went up and sure enough there he was!!!
He was laughing and signing autographs for everyone and seemed to be really enjoying himself.
everyone in our group had there hugs and kisses from the MAN and I took them all for them...it seemed I would never get my chance to meet Scott when Jay looked at me and said you have been up right? and I said no I was the one taking all the pictures and he said Oh you are next then! when it was my turn I went up to Scott and said hello and that I was very pleased to finally meet the Famous Dr. Beckett! LOL! (I don't know what came over me to say that!) He just laughed and said I'm just one of a few. He was soooo sweet! And Of all times for my camera to quit working!!!!!!!!!!! Eleiece went to take my pic and it would not work!so I went over to her and looked at it and everything looked fine and I went Bak over to Scott and we tried again and still nothing! Scott looked at it and said "I see a red light is it ok now?" I said I don't know that just tells me the flash is working. well Thank heavens for Mel!!!!! She said that she got a few good ones for me! (BTW Mel...PLEASE send me them!!!! and anyone else that got pics of me with Scott!!!) I will pay postage!
well after all of that I forgot to get his autograph! Well I saw Kristy going up and asked her if she would get it for me and gave her my program to sign, she said sure! When she asked Scott if she could get his autograph for me he asked where Susan was she pointed to me and I said I was sorry but I was so nervous and he said Sure now problem and that it was Ok and then patted me on the shoulder and smiled that wonderful full bodied smile of his and signed it to Susan thanks for coming tonight! Oh I will always treasure that!!!! after all was said and done we went bak to the hotel and talked about the night and how wonderful Scott was until 4:30 in the morning!
well enough said for now...when I get a better grip on realty I will post more

Ohh and did I mention how much better looking Scott was in Person? LOL!!!!!

Bakulady

Janey
LOVE LETTERS EXPERIENCE
by
Janey Graves

Ann McCabe, of England, and I flew from Kansas City to LA together. Natasha Pavlovich picked us up outside the LAX terminal and took us to lunch at Le Pettit Fours, a trendy restaurant on Sunset Blvd, before taking us to her home. After touring the house and visiting, we got ready to go to the theater. We took Ann to check into her hotel, where Diana Briggs joined us and we arrived at the Alex about 6:50PM. It was amazing to see Scott's name on the Marquee and a large "movie poster" with his picture on display.
One of the first things I encountered inside the theater was Bonny Gibson, head of the charitable trust, selling the playbills and autographed pix. After greeting her and introducing myself, I bought ten pix and three playbills, only to discover you could get any number of playbills for free as you entered the auditorium. Oh well, it's for charity.
Leapers were everywhere. I was trying to introduce Natasha and meet many "online" friends for the first time. You can imagine it was a whirl of activity. Ann, Natasha and I sat in the fifth row, center section, right aisle. The stage was empty except for two beautiful, heavy desks and two chairs. To my delight when the play began, Scott sat at the desk directly in front of me.
Barbara Botfield, Chelsea's mom, introduced the charity and especially thanked the Leapers for coming, mentioning some had come from Australia, Germany, England, Canada, and Italy.
I enjoyed the play, having read it twice and seen the TV adaptation. Of course, Scott could have been reading the phone book and I would have been just as enthralled.
After those attendees who weren't staying for the reception left, the rest of us moved to the foyer. Scott and Chelsea were there before me, in fact, as I stepped through the door, he was standing within a few feet of me. They were immediately surrounded.
Jay D. Schwartz helped out by taking pictures for people with Scott. I visited with many Leapers and eventually followed my nose to the cappuccino. There were tables with assorted gourmet cookies and sandwiches and fruit. The large, sweet strawberries on a stick were my favorite.
When Natasha brought me to Scott, I managed to talk coherently, remain upright, and answer his questions. I'm not for sure, but I think I held my hands behind my back and failed to put an arm around him during the picture. Natasha, God bless her, fumbled with a camera in each hand requiring me to remain at his side with his arm around my shoulders for an extended length of time. In her introduction she told Scott that I was from Kansas City. So after his opening "Thank you for coming" and my "Hello", he asked me if I was from Kansas or Missouri. Natasha then volunteered the info that I had hosted KC Leap. His response was, "we donated a lot of stuff; or Jay did." I said something brilliant like, "yes, you did." More camera fumbling. Natasha told us to "chat, chat" for the photo op so that's my excuse for looking so stupid in some of the photos. That's my story and I'm sticking to it! In our chat, I thanked him for making himself available for the evening. He responded I could thank Chelsea's mom for that. I told him I all ready had. He then waved at the camera, and I said, "Thank you" and began to walk away. Natasha said, "Did you hug like you promised?" So I stopped, he put his arm around my shoulders again and we smiled nicely at the camera.
Checking Diana's tape of this momentous occasion in my life, I found that it lasted two minutes, 10:51-10:53PM PDT June 12, 1999. We did two minutes!! Hope it was as good for him as it was for me. God bless Natasha!!!!
Towards the end of the reception I noticed Chelsea standing alone with her shoes off. With that opening I approached her. By the time I was by her side, she had put her shoes back on, so for something to say, I told her I was disappointed because I was hoping to follow her example and take off my heels. I thanked her for the evening and she thanked me for coming. Before she left, I took her picture with another fan. Shortly after that, the party broke up. We remaining Leapers visited among ourselves and slowly moved toward the door. They had to turn the lights out and practically lock us in the theater to get us to leave. No one wanted the evening to end.
Scott is as warm and pleasant as I hoped he would be. And he's even better looking in person! What a wonderful, dream-come-true evening.

Random notes from Pam
Hi from Newark!
Thursday, 10-Jun-1999 08:24:58

yes it's true...I'm bored *g* We are half an hour early for our flight and we saw this... you know I cant resist the internet!!
So far this morning we have already had *one* adventure.....
Apparently last night I put my contact lenses in Sammy's case, so, after she put hers in... she dumped the rest of the contents into the toilet. There is nothing more fun first thing in the morning that having to ...well... search around in... you get the idea. We are still washing our hands! (every chance we get!)
anyway, I did manage to locate one of them (the more expensive one) and after it is thoroughly disinfected (ICK!) I will check to see it's not ruined... but not today *g*
lucky I had a spare pair...
hopefully the rest of the day will go better :)

Pam

Still in Newark
Monday, 14-Jun-1999 21:46:05

Sammy & I have been here since 6 something. flight canceled, gate moved, no announcement. gate moved back... flight moved to 10:20... plane is finally here. now lets see if they take off and go to Boston and not somewhere else.. Oh and someone else ran off with my baggage tag and itinerary met here later, she gave it to customer service. they lost it....
fun day! looking forward to going home and fishing around in the bathroom again... if we ever get home..... stay tuned

Pam

Re: Another report & Pam's random reminiscences

>Some people might not believe that 4 women sharing 1 hotel room and bathroom could all manage to shower, primp and dress in an hour and a half, but we did!

well, I think it took us 2 hours, but we did have 5 people in our room... *g*

loved your report. thanks sooo much. your tales of navigation and of the ocean remind me... well, we did get stopped by the police for an "unsafe lane change" but when 4 people are navigating and one is trying to drive, that will happen...

my pic of Scotts suit--it appears to be blue, do have a bad camera?

thanks for telling of your adventures--we were trying to pay hotel bills and get some of us to various airports (and of course I had to go and get lost--but thankfully no one shot me for it and even waited a few minutes while I caught up on shopping! thanks Dawn)

as for Scott.. I was talking to someone--perhaps Tashia, and lost all my roomies.. and then said--yeah, probably Scott will come by and I'll ask him "have you seen my roommates?" *g*
a few minutes later, while I was still searching... who was suddenly standing less than 4 feet from me? was there really food at this reception? I was rooted to that spot for a really long time. Scott was talking to some folks who appeared to be friends so I just stood there, with my purse and bag, feeling conspicuous but not about to move, and trying not to stare (but not to take that to the extent of not looking at him at all--as I once did with Donny!)
Finally the fans filled in and I hung around a while. Autographs were signed and I cursed myself for leaving my thing I wanted signed with Bonny, but I didn't want an autograph for any other reason (on any other "thing") since I'm not really into such. on what I had, it would have meant a lot to me though, but it was gone, perhaps I will see it again someday : ) and so I stood. others took pix, flashes were everywhere, but I'm so shy, I only took a couple and then decided to save my film (when it hit 17!) so as not to have to reload. I wandered off (I forced myself to leave) to say hi to Chelsea and tell her I did remember her from Nightingales.

I forgot to "smell" Scott (darn! but it must have been light if anything for I am quite allergic)
One thing about an outdoor reception--i wasn't done in by anyones perfume. I never even noticed.

Sammy asked our latest big question (okay #2)--in her words, she said "do you wear contact lenses" (is that present tense or continuous, do you think?) and he said no. and then she asked --are you sure? : ) and he again said no. so, that's that.
The baby is due around the beginning of July (or did someone say that already) and they havent chosen a name for the families don't agree... so they are waiting to tell until it is born :-)

I also talked to Scott's dad who said he enjoyed having his picture taken with pretty women so much (something like that) that he should become famous himself. he also told me he'd been to boston for business a couple times (or was it a few? where was that tape recorder??)
And Scott's mom said she wasn't fond of Mr. & Mrs. Smith (not sure what words she used) but said that Scott was not happy with it either "knew there were problems" and was "trying to fix them when" it got cancelled. she said something about how it must be bad if a mother doesn't like it, and I echoed the same about the fans.... she said it was getting better toward the end. someone with a photographic memory can correct me on this , any of this! okay?

I think my lack of food was due to being with so many people. as someone said, it was like a family reunion, so many old friends and I wanted to talk to them all!
I "met" Scott for just a moment, but I talked to Christina quite a bit and since she was so nice and so much a part of the beginning of QL fandom, which she told me about, it was almost more exciting meeting her than him! She promised to post a page of pix and send me the URL.

the only thing I remember about the play is that it was funnier than when I read it ,and when I read it I never thought of wondering about Andy;s reactions while Melissa was reading... but watching Scott, it was all there and brand new--that part of it, and his facial expressions... *sigh*

between dinner and the show and everything else we did I think I can safely say--i have never had so much fun in my life. and I was on a "people high" that didn't end till Sammy left at 2pm today

I will never forget this, and the best part? I didn't have to come home to finding out I was minus one husband (but I sure did check quickly to make sure there was no eviction notice from my landlady! there wasn't : ) ) more to follow when the tapes are transcribed

Pam

Re: Notes on LL from Kristy--comments and more remembrances

there were 26 at dinner when we counted. people wandered in and out a bit but that's close : )

as for Jax, you know... I think maybe someone was watching out for us to begin with. I know I never could have handled moving 30 people on the spot on Saturday night. so perhaps someone just provided a place for us in advance....

oh good, Kristy thought the suit was blue too--after two "browns" I was starting to wonder if it was my eyes....

>Then, people began to file outside to the patio for the reception. We filed out toward the last. The patio seemed filled with people. We hung back, talking about the play, anticipating. All of a sudden one of us, I think it was Mel, noticed Chelsea standing about ten feet away.

so *that's* where you guys were... I was looking for you, but when Scott stopped so close, I sorta stopped looking, or at least moving while looking... *g* Finally found you all thankfully. I have the nicest picture of Dawn with Scott. fan better than my own. but of course, so do 10 other people. where were you when *I* got to Scott?? wel, Mel was there... Tom says I can use the scanner on Saturday after church. : ) hope I can figure out his software.

>Jay took most of the pictures (don't call him Mr. Schwartz - he tells you to call him Jay).
really? all he told me was to back up *g* but really he did it so nicely. the man just kept moving forwards, and the people behind him kept filling up that space. I think I backed up about 4 times... but as I said, he was very nice to us and it was very calm. no mob scenes. of course I would have preferred a line, but Jay did great--he must know how to operate every camera in the world by now *g* (even Mel's! ;-) )

>When Jay gave me the signal, I handed him my camera and stepped forward. I said to Scott that I was Kristy from Utah and I was so glad to meet him. He shook my hand (very nice handshake).

Jay said to me--you're next. and I went. I am told I looked at him when I said (sorry for any reruns, I have written a lot tonight and I cant recall what I said to whom) Hi I'm Pam and I'm from Boston, arms went into correct position (this was easier than with Donny for some reason--oh yeah D's hair got stuck in my hairspray) and pic was taken, and as I walked away I heard, "Well, thank you very much for coming" (and my friends remember he added "Pam from Boston")

>After Scott and Chelsea left for the night, a lot of us hanged around, talking and taking pictures. When they were trying to shut up the patio, we moved out onto the sidewalk.

we were the next to last group to leave. Only Janey's group stayed longer. We did, however, go to bed before Susan's group : )

>tape, where Scott sings some of the songs from the QL album. I thought - Man, I've met him, and he's as nice as I've heard. No cold vibes from him, no "keep your distance" like I've seen with some actors. You can tell he appreciates and values his fans. Scott was already high on my ladder of people to look up to; he's gone up a few more rungs now.

this is why, 5 and a half years later, he's still up there for me.
Actually everyone was nice! Bonny, Chelsea's mom, Scott's parents. They were just so friendly. Not like people in New England I guess...
I think someone told me Chelsea's dad died 4 years ago? but her sister was there. Scott's dad pointed her out, though I didn't get her name. She's an equestrienne.

>Meeting Scott was definitely the highlight, but getting the chance to meet so many of you was nearly as great.

I have to admit--i was on a high all night long from meeting people. I get that way when I'm with people (when I feel like I belong) and even some people said--oh you're Pam! I love your web site! it was kinda thrilling to be noticed for such a little thing (compared to so many other things)
And Ann gave me a gift and a card. Honestly, by the time the night was over I thought my face was going to break from smiling so much.

One tiny last thing--a small group of us had a group pic taken---with everyone's camera (thanks Don, sorry we never got back till 1 am!) By the time it was over I was seeing spots!--i thought, this is how Scott feels, only more so!

It's so wonderful to read everyone's different viewpoints. I promise to save them for a very long time
Pam

Postscript from Dawn
>Considering all we put you thru on the roads, glad you still consider it an adventure :-)

I couldn't think of it as anything else! I had a super time and memories to last a lifetime:-)

To quote Andy in Love Letters: So say we all.

Visit the Scott Sightings page for the latest news on Scott

Visit the Love Letters Links page for pictures from the reception

Not enough reports? Visit the Experiences page for reports and pictures from some of Scott's previous appearances (as well as other fan's experiences).

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