Wheaton -- longtime actor (first getting known for Stand By Me in 1986 and Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987) and increasingly worthy writer, blogger and smartass -- is in town shooting an episode of Leverage. We knew this because of his Twitter feed. KGW's Steph Stricklen tried to reach him, and finally did via Twitter, and after one thing led to another, Wheaton visited KGW's satellite studio at Pioneer Courthouse Square.
A bunch of us met up outside the studio. I was there from 6:30 on, enjoying the last of the sunlight and reading Agatha Christie's A Murder Is Announced, and by Studio on the Square's showtime at 7:00 there were a few over a dozen people hanging out. Wheaton arrived a little before 7, actually as I was checking the doors to the underground part of the square where the studio's located. They were locked, but someone was not too far inside waiting to let Wheaton in. So I passed him as the other people waiting called over to him asking if he'd sign autographs. He told them he would after his segment (and he did, I won't keep you in suspense), and we got back to visiting with each other and watching the show on a monitor set up outside. The monitor showed what was going on in the studio during commercials, too: more Steph Stricklen shooting the breeze with him, though the TV was muted and without closed-captioning so whatever they said is THEIR SECRET.
Wheaton and Stricklen came out after the "Talk Box" interview I linked to, and he signed autographs as she introduced a Joe Smith segment from the Waterfront Blues Festival. He chatted, posed for pictures, and was personable. I didn't say hi to him; I didn't really have anything to say and I don't get autographs, I mainly wanted to soak up a good geek vibe. And soak it up is what I did. It was a small, relaxed, funny group, with a few people rather adorably starstruck.
He got going, crossing the square and headed north to whatever he had next -- the guy's on a schedule, but don't ask me, I'm not his agent (OR AM I?) -- and we stuck around for several more minutes to visit with Steph Stricklen. We like her, too: she's one of us geeks, really. I did visit with her, even got a hug. She talked about her one-year-old daughter and how she looks hysterical when, in Stricklen's words, "she imitates The Stern Face." She wasn't finished visiting when I headed to my bus; she likes to visit. We treat her nicely, too, to make sure she continues to like visiting.
So. A nice night.
And now photo proof: Here is the first of some pictures of Wil Wheaton, Steph Stricklen and us visitors, taken by local media presence and loyal Browncoat The One True B!x. I'm not in any of them. My torso and legs are visible on the extreme left of this B!x shot. (Heh. Hey, at least it's proof I go out in sunlight!)