There was little time to recover as Friday morning kicked off the convention with Al Roker's live broadcast of The Today Show from the University of Scranton. Along with the Thursday cast arrivals, Stanley, Kevin and Phyllis were welcomed to the campus by rabid crowds of screaming fans.
Stanley, Kevin and Phyllis joined their Thursday cast-arrivals on campus, to the screams of a rabid crowd.
The three hour show went off without a hitch, maintaining a feverish pitch throughout. The highlight of the morning included a few University of Scranton students doing their best to draw the attention of Roker by holding up a gigantic toaster. Unfortunately, rather than achieve its intended affect, the toaster managed to attract a few police officers who feared the extremely large toaster could be used as a weapon..
When asked to explain why they chose a toaster, the ring-leader, who asked to remain anonymous, simply shrugged, offering up a unique take, "I'm not sure. Everyone else is using 'Office' stuff to get noticed. We figured a toaster would stand out more. A lot of people like toast, so there's the small chance that one of them could be a big toast nut or something."
Angela was clearly the biggest hit on campus, constantly swarmed by adoring fans who did everything from offer their condolences (often in the form of posters and shrines) over Sprinkles, her recently deceased cat on the show (It was 'mercy-killed' by Dwight), to asking for hugs and autographs.
After Roker was finished, Angela and Kevin sat down with Scranton's local NBC affiliate for a three hour interview that aired throughout morning shows across the country. Fans packed the perimeter for the duration of the three hour taping, professing their love of the duo and showing off a number of signs. The best sign of the morning was a montage of Angela and Dwight, pleading with Angela to 'Forgive Dwight.'
The taping ended around one and Angela and Kevin were whisked away by their handlers to join their castmates for a brief rest.
The festivities reconvened with a 5 o'clock reception at the Radison Hotel open to all ticket buyers. The reception had live music, highlighted when Creed reminded fans that he was a member of The Grass Roots back in the '60s, playing their hit song 'Midnight Confession.'
Creed exited to the crowd screaming his name and the excitement was taken to another level when Angela hopped on stage to get her dance on. One fan in particular was so enchanted that, much to the dismay of his wife, he proposed to her from the crowd.
In addition to the live music, Creed, Angela, Andy, Oscar and Darryl were available for photos and autographs.
After the reception, VIP Ticket Holders boarded the buses and made the 15 mile-trek to the Mohigan Sun Casino. The event was an amazingly intimate ordeal that took place is a closed off tent behind the casino floor. Fans were treated to an open bar made entirely of ice (along with two that were your standard brick and mortar affair), a variety of hors d'oeuvres and a number of table games.
The cast began trickling in, with the most notable new arrival being Phyllis (who had a broken ankle). Creed once again took to the stage to play some music with Angela dancing to the rhythm (she was not proposed to, so far as I could tell) and Darryl had occasion to show off his own musical skills with some singing.
The man of the hour, however, was Kevin. While he didn't adorn the 'World Series of Poker' bracelet that was included in the episode Casino Night, he did jump behind the tables and deal blackjack, quickly proving that friendly demeanor aside, he's one heck of an accomplished dealer.
After Casino Night, everyone was shuttled back to Scranton and the cast and crew hit the town once again, partying it up. The hot spot for the night was the The Bog, which featured Kevin and Darryl.
Owner Brian Craig, who had worked with The Office crew during a visit by Angela and Kevin last May, put on one heck of a night for the crowd. Darryl mingled with the patrons, showing off his ability to work a crowd while Kevin tried his hand at bartending.
While he wasn't as proficient behind a bar as he was the blackjack table, he did very well for the night, clearly outperforming his co-guest bartender, a bumbling writer who allegedly consumed more alcohol than he sold. Talent aside, fans were thrilled with the opportunity to order drinks from Kevin.
Two patrons in particular were thrilled Kevin tried to make a particular mixed drink, only to produce a pungently odored muddy-looking substance that absolutely no one would try (Kevin included). The bar closed up around 2 a.m. and everyone went home, sufficiently thrilled with the opening night of the convention.
Part I: Not Your Average Day
Part III: Neither Rain Nor Shine
Part IV
Contact Nadum at Nadum_TV@comcast.com
