DATELINE -- June 4, 2005
By ERICA

A fan event with Kristian and Jason Cook has long been something that I and Jason's assistant, Judith, have wanted to do. The two of them are so delightful together, both so funny and at ease with each other -- not to mention GREAT with the fans -- that it seemed a natural fit for a fan event partnership. So imagine how thrilled we were when, late last year, they both agreed to do it. I knew it was going to be a fantastic time, and Judith and I got to work right away brainstorming ideas for our big day.

We were already well into the planning stages of the event when something, um, happened. As you are probably aware (especially if you attended the event!), Jason had a little run-in with the law in Iowa earlier this year. As it happens, the charges against him were dismissed, but Judith and I both feared that someone would ask him about it during the Q&A session. In an attempt to avoid any potential embarrassment, Judith came up with the brilliant idea to head off at the pass any invasive questions by having Jason address the issue himself right off the top. Her idea was to have Kristian come in first, chat for a few minutes, then introduce the tardy Jason who would enter in an orange prison jumpsuit and handcuffs! She even had his mugshot blown up to poster size and he was going to unveil it as his new "headshot." We both thought it would be a huge hit with the fans, but Jason, being a bit on the shy side, was a little hesitant. But Kristian was her usual charming self and convinced him it would be the perfect way to diffuse the situation. So Jason was outnumbered 3 to 1, and as it turned out, the women were right. ;o)

On the morning of the event, we all ran around like lunatics, getting the room set up. Kristian and Jason arrived around 11, and while Jason got into his prison garb, Kristian relaxed and chatted with us. She and Jason are both such agreeable, down-to-earth people. "Just tell me what to do and where to go," Kristian said, brightly. She graciously posed for a few pictures for the press before greeting the room.

I should pause here to cover the shallow stuff: As usual, Kristian was the picture of style. She was nearly head to toe in gold, summer's new neutral, and that might sound like overkill except that our personal fashion icon pulled it off with flair as always. She wore a pale gold jacket with fringed edges over a microthin, dual layer white tee, Blue Cult jeans, and a pair of REALLY high-heeled, metallic gold, wedge sandals. She is also carrying a gold metallic purse these days, on which she has clipped a bejeweled Juicy Couture charm. Of course, it is getting a lot of attention; our Kristian is such a little trendsetter. ;o)

Anyway, Judith introduced Kristian and the first thing she wanted to do was have her "Oprah moment." When we first started planning this event, I suggested to her that we give away samples of Aminogenesis, the skin care products she uses and endorses. I figured we would just put them in the goody bags, but Kristian wanted to be more creative. "Let's tape them under the chairs," she said. "Then I'll say, 'I'm having an Oprah moment. It's not a house, it's not a car, but if you look under your chair, you'll find something that I think is really great.'" I have to say, the idea of taping some one hundred boxes to the bottoms of the chairs was pretty daunting -- fortunately I didn't have to do it because my little helpers, Nakitha and Virna, stepped in to handle it (thanks girls! ;o)). But as it turns out, I think Kristian had the right idea, since it did make a nice surprise. The ladies were thrilled; the men in attendance were not quite as impressed. "What do I do with it?" one man called out. "Give it to your wife!" Kristian replied.

We did run a few boxes short, however, but Kristian saved the day by bringing some extras she had at home. I think in the end we had everyone covered, and all the guests went home with some of the best skin care products ever invented -- and I'm not just saying that because Kristian is their spokesperson. They really are great!

After Kristian's "Oprah moment," she looked at her watch and wondered aloud what could be keeping Jason. Just then, the orange-clad Jason appeared and the room erupted in laughter, and people were snapping pictures like crazy. Jason was pretty anxious to get out of the cuffs right away, but Judith teased him, pretending like she had lost the key. Just as Jason was becoming truly alarmed, Judith told him: "I gave the key to your mother." Everyone roared. Then Jason's mother, who was at the VIP table along with his dad, came up and unlocked her poor son. Meanwhile, Kristian told everyone that the first thing she asked Jason after he arrived back from his little Des Moines adventure was, "One, are you okay? And two, is your mother okay?" It's easy to see why Kristian and Jason get along so well: They are both such family-oriented Italians.

His poster-sized mugshot also got big laughs. Kristian told the fans of his expression in the shot: "I have seen that look many times. It's the hand-in-the-cookie-jar look."

Once Jason got out of his jumpsuit, we moved on to the Q&A session, or -- as Jason referred to it -- "your chance to tell us how stupid our characters are acting." Someone asked Kristian about her mishap with her Chanel shoe when she was walking onstage to present at the Daytime Emmys in May. She told us she had warned Lorenzo Lamas she wouldn't be able to walk quickly in her dress, and when her heel got stuck in a crack in the floor, she nearly went sprawling on her face because the very tall Mr. Lamas didn't realize right away what had happened and kept on striding ahead. Fortunately, you can take the girl out of the ice rink, but you can't take the ice rink out of the girl: Kristian was able to stop herself before she actually fell, and when Lorenzo saw she was stuck, he bent down to help her out.

A gentleman from Australia asked what it was like to work with Robert Kelker-Kelly. Kristian replied very graciously, though she did tell the man that it was never the same as working with Peter because the two of them created the characters of Bo and Hope and, therefore, have a special bond. She said she was thrilled when Peter came back. Someone else asked if she liked working with Drake, and she said she loved working with him during the Princess Gina storyline because he's so hard-working, a real professional and a true family man. It's no wonder she likes him so much: He's like a male version of her!

Another fan wondered whether Billie would turn up pregnant from her pit encounter with Bo. Kristian seemed confident that wouldn't be the case, that they seemed to be moving away from that debacle (my word, not hers). When one of our Shelle fan friends, Tracey, asked if Hope would be throwing Bo out of the house anytime soon, Kristian looked surprised and answered that she didn't think that would happen. She added that Bo and Hope are working their way back to a more solid relationship and that we would be happy with the storyline coming up. I wonder if she thinks I planted that question about kicking Bo to the curb? ;o)

Both were asked about their contracts. Jason said as far as he knows, he's staying, but added that if he became a casualty of the Salem Serial Killer, he hoped his parents would let him move back home. His mother told him she's changing the locks -- LOL! In any event, it doesn't sound like he plans on going anywhere. Kristian also replied that she is in the final year of her current contract cycle, but did not mention she would not re-sign. She added that she loves working at Days and considers everyone there to be extended family.

Speaking of family, Kristian was also asked about the boys. She reported they are doing well and growing like weeds. She mentioned that Gino would be turning 15 this year and, like most boys his age, has visions of shiny new cars dancing in his head. Kristian says she told him his bike looks pretty good to her. ;o)

After the Q&A, the Shellies (Tracey and Dee) quizzed Jason and Kristian with some trivia about their characters. It was quite comical, as both of them were pretty horrible at it. Kristian had to get hints from Nakitha who was sitting in front of her taking photos (I am of no help with current day trivia, only the old stuff). Then, the first of our surprise guests showed up: Martha Madison, the new Belle. Martha is a real sweetheart and a great addition to the cast -- not to mention, a HUGE long-time Days fan. She is especially fond of Bo and Hope. What can I say? The girl has taste! Both Jason and Kristian had nothing but glowing things to say about Martha, both as a person and as an actress.

We then moved on to the autograph signings. It was a little chaotic, especially when Surprise Guest No. 2, Heather Lindell (Jan), showed up. Both girls were a big hit with the fans and kept people occupied while Kristian and Jason signed photos and took pictures. It was tough to keep the lines moving because everyone wanted to talk with Kristian and Jason, but we managed pretty well. In between autographs, Kristian was indulging her sweet tooth with the dessert that was being served: A scoop of vanilla ice cream nestled in a pastry cup and covered in caramel sauce. When there was only a bite or two left, I tried to take it out of her way so she wouldn't put an elbow in it or something, but she scolded me: "No, I'm not finished yet." Moral of the story: Don't ever try to come between Kristian and her sugar fix. ;o)

After she was finished with dessert, Kristian began to worry that we wouldn't get through the whole line before our time was up. To further complicate matters, some people were scheduled go to the Men of Days event next door, which overlapped with our event by half an hour. So in typical Kristian fashion, our girl got up and started working the line herself. She managed to get to everyone and still had time to spare. She is such the efficient Virgo.

When pretty much everyone had dispersed, there was only one person left for Kristian to meet. Cindy V., one of our fan club members, was in attendance with her two-year-old daughter, whose name is also Kristian. Big Kristian was absolutely delighted to meet her namesake, and little Kristian was pretty taken with our girl in return. And it must be the name, because little Kristian is every bit as beautiful as big Kristian. It was pretty cool to see them together. Kristian is really such a mom; she is so great with kids and they all seem to love her.

I hardly had a moment to stop and breathe they entire morning, so when it was all over, it felt to me like it had gone by in an instant. I think it went well, though, and the fans who were there that I spoke to told me they had a great time. I think Kristian and Jason had fun as well. They are both such wonderful people and are so awesome to work with. I sure hope we can do it again someday.

Virna and Nakitha contributed to this report. The Blue Note contributed some photographs.