Response to Spanishfan from YTDAW

Just so that you know, I wasn't coming down on you because you said it. Considering that she posted it on a very public non CSI related website, for anyone to see, I'm fine with any comments made because she knowingly opened herself up for them. I just knew that she had written up a private blog, and I thought that if you were reacting to the blog (because I hadn't seen the post yet) then it was a little unfair, because it was something she'd written in private. So now that I know the situation, I really didn't mean to "police" you, and I'm sorry.

To be totally honest, even if WP had said to her, "Okay, first I plan to bitch-slap Sara, and then leave her for Catherine. Then Sara will be drawn and quartered..." I mean, I could care less about what was said. The issue that I personally took with the post on the open Chicago Trib forum was that she was acting as though she had been personally betrayed. And I thought that that was incredibly rude to Billy, who had taken this time to meet with her, set aside time out of his schedule after the play (and I've done high school theater, which is probably one-billionth the effort that goes into a professional production, and unless it's the final night, you're not necessarily ready to run a marathon right afterwards), and she felt betrayed because he didn't shave his facial hair?
That is the problem I have, in general, with some fans on either side of the line. Like I said - if she had gone up and said, "GSR 4 eva! Lady Heather sucks!" that's her business. It was the interpretation of something he had done as being a slap in the face that I think is expecting too much of a fan/actor relationship.

People want to call her deluded, they can go ahead. I don't know her, I don't pretend to know her and I'm not a licensed psychologist and I'm certainly not hers' (I'm not implying that she has one, just to get that out of the way).

And I lied - I do have a bit of a problem with the conversation itself, but not WP's side of it (I'm sure you're shocked. lol), as you said, it feels as though someone is using a very special situation to their advantage. You are granted an opportunity to talk to someone you really admire, and rather than saying, "Wow, I think you're wonderful, great job with the show, I'm enjoying it." (and if you aren't, then, like, focus on the plays or his movies or something. lol) but to use it as a platform to get a storyline you want...

I haven't heard extensive stories about the GSRs who went to see him and met him in the street. I mean, I've heard about their general trip, and the excitement of running into him, but I haven't heard much of the particulars in regards to the meetings.

So if a GSR went up to him and said, "Yeah - I just love GSR. Sara should be the only woman, from now on, that Grissom ever - EVER - looks at." it would be exactly the same thing.

So I agree with you, the whole thing just comes off as bad form.

And now, it's a third count on bad form because she's using it as a weapon she can hold over us, "Here's what I did - here's what he said - you're screwed!"

By the way, for anyone who hasn't yet, I would recommend that you read the blog itself. Because I think it's too easy to hear snippets from the grape vine and just judge the whole thing based on that. I read it basically when it came out because someone else told me about it, but also because (I think) it was one of the first major fan accounts to come out of the play thing at the time. She also has pictures, for anyone who doubts that it happened at all.

But anyway, public service announcement over.

I think that if the conversation took place the way it was represented (and it is VERY detailed, by the way) that there is a high possibility that it was a simple misunderstanding on her part.

Honestly - honestly- I have no problem with the antis themselves. I mean, we ship what we ship. I didn't become a GSR so I could tell the antis to go to hell. What I don't like is the same thing that they don't like of me - I don't like it when they feel the need to come in and give proof as to why we're all delusional. Now it's tempting to say that as GSRs, we obviously have canon and years of proof under our belts. And I've played that game. I've played the "fact vs. fact" game. The thing is at the end of the day, they're still going to ship who they ship. We're not Jehova's here - we don't have to convert everyone in order to achieve the enlightenment of a GSR wedding or something.

My main argument is that I think that there's a BIG difference between writing a letter, as a fan, and with TPTB knowing, when they receive it that it's going to either be a positive or negative critique of the show, and essentially cornering an actor during what he thinks is just a fan-meet. Both sides want to criticize the other for saying that one writes a lot more letters and for facetious reasons. That we're using fake names, that we're unfairly influencing. You know what? Letter-writing has been around since the dawn of time.

The fan-meet scenario, however, (I think) should be seen as a priviliage - not a right. And I don't believe that in this case she was right to try to pressure him to change an entire, established storyline. So it's two-fold. I think she was wrong to try to basically tell him how she wanted things to be done, and then later to be furious when he didn't listen.