A night at the Saturn Awards…

I should start off by saying that, sadly, “Not Forgotten” came home from the 36th Annual Saturn Awards empty-handed on Thursday night. Sorry…

But one of the things I learned about attending my first big-time award show (as a nominee!) is that it really is an honor just to be nominated. I know that sounds cheesy, but it’s true. And seeing as the folks who put on the Saturn Awards are some of the coolest, geekiest, sci-fi, fantasy and horror fans imaginable (people like me!) I was even doubly honored.

Seriously, I have never felt more at home in a room full of Hollywood phonies, and that’s because these people were not your everyday Hollywood phonies.

No way, man, these folks were the real deal. That Starlight Ballroom was busting at the seams with talented, creative, film-loving freaks and geeks of every shape and size…and those people know how to party, yo!

This year, the Saturn Awards were held at the Castaway Restaurant in the hills overlooking Burbank…and if there was any doubt as to where you were when you got out of your car, the scads of little alien heads at the bar and the life size astronaut suit on the red carpet totally clued you in.

Still wondering what award show you were at? Well, perhaps you should ask that fellow over there in the Samurai Stormtrooper costume, or the man driving the moon buggy in a grungy space suit. I swear, amigos, I never stopped smiling all night…that place was fanboy heaven.

Rubbing shoulders with people like Sam Raimi, Leonard Nimoy, Billy Dee Williams, Guillermo Del Toro, Malcolm McDowell, the lovely Anna Torv from “Fringe”, cast members from “Heroes”, “Chuck” and “Breaking Bad”, iconic “The Greatest American Hero” star himself, William Katt, and actually being touched by the dude who played touch-happy Jacob on “Lost” (Mark Pellegrino)…I mean, shit, who needs an award with a line-up like that?

Of course, we would have loved to have won our category — we lost to Rod Lurie’s “Nothing But The Truth”, which includes no sci-fi, fantasy or horror to speak of — but, we were having too much fun to dwell on the loss for long. I mean, the food was great, the bar was wide open — Daddy had three mojitos and a chocolate vodka martini, but who’s counting? — and the vibe at the Castaway was awesome, so, what’s to complain about?

And on top of all that coolness, I managed to score two gift bags at the end of the night. Sure, I felt a little greedy lugging them around the after-party in the courtyard, but what can I say, I loves me some free shit. And when that free shit involves “King Kong” and “Avatar” DVD’s, well, all the better!

Thanks again for the nomination, guys…long live the Saturn Awards! To see a full list of this year’s Saturn Award winners, please click here.

And to see more of my super-nerdy pics please click here.

Mr. Sulu takes a husband!

Both Christine and I have been stoked to see gay marriage mania sweeping the state the past couple of days, but nothing hit home more than the news that “Star Trek” and “Heroes” star George Takai — who, John Cho aside, will always be the one true Mr. Sulu to me! — and his longtime partner, Brad Altman registered for a marriage license yesterday in West Hollywood.

Go, Sulu! Wow…I mean, I’m happy for those old ladies in San Francisco and watching Robin Tyler and Diane Olson exchange vows “live” on yesterday’s news was very sweet, but the wedding I’m really dying to see is Mr. Sulu’s!

Takai has said he and Altman won’t marry until September, so that gives me plenty of time to nerd out over the Trekie wedding to be…hmmm…

I think things should start off with Mr. Sulu kindly encouraging everyone in the church to set their phasers to stun, I mean, hey, you don’t want any interstellar violence interrupting the big day, right?

And while Kirk flirts with all the blue-skinned hotties at the no-host bar, Uhura should be strumming that big old “Star Trek” harp (above) and of course the highlight of the ceremony will be when Mr. Spock — who should totally officiate if you ask me! — wishes the happy couple well and urges them to “live long and prosper”! Awesome!

But hey, even if Takai and Altman elect to have a more traditional ceremony, the fact that Mr. Sulu is marrying his main dude is still pretty cool in my book. So, rock on Trekie love birds!