5 things I won't do when I meet Amanda Tapping at a Stargate convention this weekend

This weekend I'll meet Amanda Tapping at the Chevron 7.8 convention in London, and will henceforth have a full collection of team SG1 autographs and pictures for my geek collection. *applause*

But before I get carried away with how awesome this is, I need to remind myself what not to do when I meet someone famous from a TV show. So here are five things I won't be doing when I meet Amanda this weekend.

Pic: taken by me the last time I was in Abydos...

When I meet Amanda Tapping I won't...


1 ... call her Sam
We all get a little confused when we meet famous people, Joe Flanigan in particular has this effect on me, but that's never an excuse for mixing up fandom character names with real life people. Never call an actor by their character name EVER.

2 ...ask her about fan fiction
This is just good practice when meeting anyone famous, but perhaps more so in the sci fi verse where fanfiction often runs wild and smutty. It doesn't matter what kind of fic you read (dirty slashy porn or innocent alternative universe stories) keep it to yourself. Or discuss it with the people you're standing next to.

3 ...say that I thought Sanctuary was a bit shit so I only watched a few episodes
It's never a good idea to throw in this kind of insult by mistake. I've had plenty of time to watch Sanctuary, but the truth is I didn't enjoy the first few episodes enough to make it through the DVD. But I obviously won't tell her that, and if she asks me about Sanctuary I'll lie to her face and say I love it.

4 ...get carried away at the fan auction and buy the Q+A chair she's been sitting on all weekend
These chairs go for ridiculous money and it always shocks me how much people will pay for something that an actor has sat on. But then again, I'd be tempted to buy anything that Joe Flanigan has sat on. Or breathed on. Or walked by.

5 ...be dressed like her clone
This is a tricky one, as there are some truly amazing costumes at fan conventions and I have a lot of respect for people who make them and spend the weekend walking about the place posing for photos. But to look like Sam Carter you need to be petite and blonde, and I'm sure there will be legions of Sam-a-like-wannabes walking around the convention who are neither. Rule one - don't scare the guests.