Super Soap Weekend is described as a big fan event where fans come from all over to get a chance to meet and get up close and personal with their favorite soap stars. Let me say, this was my first SSW and I was not disappointed.

The atmosphere was friendly, warm and just very euphoric. Disney World is that way to begin with but add to it, an event where everyone has similar interest, and there is opportunity to talk to those who you spend so much time watching and talking about on a daily basis. It’s almost surreal. We met people from all over the country, all kinds of people, and we all had the one thing in common coming together to see our favorite soap stars. Honestly, there was nothing that I was disappointed about, it was a positive experience. I’m so glad that we went.

Ejay and I just about attended everything that was offered that included Michael and Renee. If you have not met these two before, they are the most down to earth, thoughtful, warm, beautiful people not only on the outside but the inside where it really counts. I got this not only from my own interactions with them but how they handled themselves and interacted with other fans too. Not only were they gracious and humble but my appreciation for the rest of the OLTL cast members that were present really grew. This is a cast with many talents, who really like each other. It was so evident how tight a group that they are and how much they like and respect each other.

We arrived in Orlando leaving New York on Friday afternoon. At the airport we saw Trevor St. John (Todd) and his wife, who also happened to be on our flight. We didn’t have the opportunity to speak with him and we wouldn’t have because we felt like we didn’t want to be intrusive, they would be spending the whole weekend with fans. We were to meet with the group of Jovan fans that were having a get together but never made it there after getting lost and spending that evening driving around and getting to know Orlando. We were disappointed that we weren’t able to do it yet we said to ourselves okay, it’s only up from here and we weren’t wrong about that.

We woke up at 5:00 AM in the morning to arrive at MGM studios at 6:00 AM to be early enough to get fast passes. Ejay had read an account from last year’s SSW that said in order to get fast passes and specifically for Michael Easton we would need to get there early. Was it necessary? YES. Did it pay off? YES. You could only get one fast pass and that allowed you to get an autograph and picture opportunity with your favorite. To get another you had to get back on line. We were able to get both Michael and come back in line to get Renee. They were both very popular with Michael having a line to himself by the time we got back in line to get our pass for Renee. We even tried to get a third for Kamar but the timing just did not work.

Hours later we got our passes, and man were we excited, we put them away and figured we’d go get some food. On the way we passed by a sign that said Media Interview. Now this event was not publicized much so only a small group of people were present. Anyway, the sign read that Renee, Michael and Kathy Brier(Marcie) would all be there. The guide outside said that it was an interview that would be attended by SOD, Soapnet and others. We would be in the audience. We were thinking that it was going to be on tape. Imagine our surprise when we realized it was live. They were actually there. The first half of the interview was Thornsten Kaye and Eva LaRue. Towards the end Michael, Renee and Kathy came out. This was my first time seeing either of them in person. Michael was wearing all black, and Renee wearing a pink top, jeans with high heels. Michael and Thornsten threw little quips back and forth and that afternoon we kind of learned that Michael has got quite a sense of humor. We were allowed to take a few pictures at the start but then cameras had to go away. I was just amazed that I was present and that we had just happened on this event. All day long, we told people about it and nobody had heard that it was going to happen. We knew from then on the weekend was going to be a good one.

From the Media Interview we went to Renee’s autograph session. We wore John and Evangeline Connected Souls T-shirts that I decided to pull together the last minute. We presented one to each of them. They were designed especially for them. We also presented them with some other gifts. Renee was so touched and got teary. She suggested that we take a picture with her holding the T-shirt. We ended up actually taking a few. It was so easy talking to her. I also brought along her movie “All About You” which she autographed for me. Of course she had met Ejay at the benefit a couple of nights before and remembered her. She was just the warmest person taking her time to sign autographs and greet people with the biggest smile. In fact before I could even give her the T-shirt she asked me “how do I get one?” We floated from her session to see Michael. I have to say I was pretty nervous. He walks over to you, greets you very warmly and talks with you giving you his full attention. All your nervousness then disappears. I told Michael about the site, showed him the T-shirt and presented him with one made especially for him. He asked about the site, thanked us, and all of the fans for our support. I also got to take a picture with him and got an autograph. I tell you what? No I won’t tell you, you’ll see the picture for yourself. I decided after meeting both of them that all the work on the site, everything that we do to support them is so worth it. They really appreciate it and they really deserve it.

By now we’re doing the Peter Pan across Disney World. People, there are a lot of John and Evangeline fans out there. We had people stopping us left and right to talk about how much they love them and want them together. And again, I’m talking about all kinds of people.

We then attended the Soap version of, "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire". It was hosted by Walt Willey from AMC. Renee played the game along with Kathy Brier and a contestant from the audience. We were lucky enough to get tickets from two OLTL fans who we met standing on line to get our fast passes earlier in the day. It was fun and nice to sit down after standing most of the morning. It also gave us a little breather before the afternoon activities. I think after Millionaire we managed to get something to eat, and then we were scheduled to attend the Wide World of Soaps Event. This event was hosted by Bob Guiney (ex-Bachelor) and he interviewed cast members from OLTL. Audience members were also allowed to ask a few questions. One of the audience hosts came through and asked if anyone wanted to ask Renee Goldsberry a question and my hand popped up.

I decided to ask her a question about Evangeline. I asked her to talk about how much input she has had in the development of her character and how much room she is given as far as changing a line in the script. She said that it was a good question, which made me feel good. Later at the Motorcade interview Michael made a joke about the fact that Renee is so articulate. Everybody gives these short answers and he said how Renee responds with “that’s an interesting question, and then she goes on to expand like John Kerry. Also part of the Wide World discussion were, Kassie DePaiva, Kathy Brier, Trevor St. John, David Fumero, Kamar de Los Reyes, and Bree Williamson along with Michael and Renee. This was a good time and you really got the sense that they really like each other, and it rang true with all of us attending, many fans commented about how tight their cast seems to be.

We left there to attend the Motorcade and Conversation. It was hosted by Hillary B. Smith. She is another person that I really liked. She’s funny and she basically just facilitated the panel starting the questions and they all chimed in. Again everyone seemed real comfortable telling jokes, kidding each other, answering questions honestly and thoughtfully. The interview and motorcade featured Michael, Renee, and Kathy Brier. Did I get tired of listening to them? No. There was always something different asked, someone always had an interesting answer or they shared little behind the scenes stories with us. One interesting note was that several cast members commented on how much they like John and Evangeline together. Kathy Brier even says she gets excited when she sits down to watch the show and they are on. Hillary even asked Michael why John can’t commit?

We hung around to wait for the Street Jam which took place I think around 7PM to save our spot. Renee was to going to sing two songs. We watched Susan Lucci receive the Disney star of fame (I think that’s what they call it). This was probably the hardest part sitting on the ground with a crowd of folks listening to music and waiting. It wasn’t the most comfortable. There was another Grand Motorcade prior to the Jam with all of the ABC stars from GH, AMC and OLTL. We watched that from our spot and after that the Jam began. Kamar hosted with lots of energy. He was getting the crowd pumped up, cheering on the performers, dancing and moving around the stage. He even played the congas at one point. We stayed to hear Renee sing. She dedicated her first song to her fans as well as all of the fans. This woman can sing. All day the next day all people did was talk about her voice. She has this huge, rich voice that you would never believe came out of her. She sang two songs, the second was with Trevor (Todd) who accompanied her on a small drum. Trevor is a jazz percussionist and very talented at that. They received a large ovation and it was amazing because she said that they had only rehearsed the song like three times and they were phenomenal.

So when we finally left after their songs we finally allowed ourselves to admit we were tired after spending 14 hours at the park. We were functioning and functioned the whole weekend purely on adrenaline. We limped back to the car, drove to the hotel to get some food and rest to be able to start over again on the next day. Day Two

On day two we attended the same events. We got up a little later the next morning and arrived a little later but we were still able to get fast passes to see Michael and Renee. Since we did a lot of the same things I will just highlight some of the things that happened on the second day.

We wore different t-shirts this time and we met a lot of John and Evangeline fans who complimented the shirt as well as the couple. There was no media interview so we were able to have some time to sit down and eat before heading over to say hello to Michael again. Michael was wearing denim and looked more Michael where the day before he was dressed in black and could have been wearing John McBain attire. He remembered us from the day before and this time I got him to autograph the back of the t-shirt I was wearing. Picture that! Ejay went up before me and he autographed a copy of his book that she had brought along. Again he was very kind and gracious and thanked us.

From there we headed over to “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire”. It was hosted by Walt Willey. This time Renee played along with Hillary B. Smith and audience contestants. It was cute because Renee was wearing a print top and black skirt which looked like it could have been an Evangeline outfit. It actually looked like “the black skirt” from the basement episode (I can’t be sure if it was though). After Millionaire we headed over to see Renee again, this time we went up separately and again she greeted us warmly. She again complimented my John and Evangeline t-shirt and told me how much she liked her own. I was able to take some more pictures Renee signed the other half of my t-shirt that Michael had already signed. Unfortunately at this point Ejay’s camera ran out of memory.

We did the Wide World of Soaps with the OLTL cast once again, today was even more fun with Hillary B. Smith joining in. Rebecca Buddig co hosted with her husband Bob Guiney. Hillary B. Smith and Kassie DePaiva together were hilarious. They cracked jokes and at one point Kamar jumped up and danced for the audience. He was still hoarse from the night before. Trevor was also very funny when he did a John McBain imitation. We were all having so much fun that the time flew by very quickly.

From there we attended the Motorcade and Conversation with Kathy Brier, Renee, Hillary B. Smith and Michael. It was hosted by Alexa Havins from AMC. During this event we met some other John and Evangeline fans. It was good to put faces and names together, and we took a group picture.

We decided not to stay for the Street Jam just because I didn’t think I could stand on my feet and we were beat after two days of back to back activity.

I came away with such a good feeling about this event and meeting Renee and Michael. As much as I work with graphics, pictures and video of them, it was a strange sensation to see them up close. How great to see that they didn’t let us down, they were just as friendly, warm, and just regular down to earth people which made it easy to talk to them. Seeing them so much felt like we actually hung out with them the entire weekend. It’s really easy to want to stand behind them and give them all the support that they deserve. Not only are they both beautiful people on the outside but there is a lot more to them. This was my first SSW and I really can’t see how it could get any better than this one.

We left Orlando early Monday morning to return back to New York. We happened to be on the plane with several of the ABC soap stars returning to New York although they were sitting up in first class. Trevor again was on our flight, we saw Susan Lucci, Alicia Minshew, Rebecca Buddig and her husband Bob Guiney and Renee Goldsberry. We saw Renee when we were on our way to the baggage claim, she stopped to talk a bit and we all said goodbye everyone was beat.