Dream Team Autographs

        I had to catch my breath for a  moment when a friend text me today of the news of LEONARD NIMOYs passing at the age of 83. He will be remembered forever as the brilliant Vulcan and first officer on the Star Ship Enterprise known as Mr. Spock. Star Trek though on the TV screen for only 3 years from 1966 to 1969 garnered more fans as one of the first TV shows to make it big in the movies due to the wonderful following of all the Trekies.         Most of us all loved Captain Kirk ( WILLIAM SHATNER) but so many waited for the words of wisdom from Mr. Spock. I had the great pleasure of hearing him speak in 2001 to a crowd where he spoke of his Jewish Heritage and his fame as an actor to a crowd of about 300. As he was escorted out of the theatre , My Wife, son and I were waiting to seek his autograph. He stopped for us all and signed his book while a a photo was being taken. Not much up to that time was ever spoken of his illness ...

        Many of us that get the thrill for the autograph of a special personality and this past week I have noticed a trend that is becoming more common and voiced by many. We have said this before that many of the celebs today are charging for autographs while others believe that everyone who asks feel that that are going to sell it on EBAY. This was quite evident this past week.  The movie SHARKNADO was being filmed in Orlando with one of their stars being TARA REID . Two of us saw her walking through the hallway and we quickly rose to approach her for a picture  and a few words. Imagine speeding up a movie because as we approached her picked up speed and looked like she was taking off to the races with Rocket Man following and myself taking up the rear. She was trying to get away but got stuck at the elevator and did pose and sign a couple of autographs though You knew her escaped failed at this junction.       That same night I was...

  As the years passed he gained many more fans as the Skipper in McHALES NAVY. In the later years Escape from New York and my personal favorite THE WILD BUNCH where he played an aging robber named Dutch and was terrific by all standards.      When another collector named John called me and told me of his signing in a town over, I quickly grabbed for mementos of pictures and posters and out I went. I kept calling my friend and begged to have him stay until I got there and I kept thinking the best. When I arrived, Mr. Borgnine was sitting at a table by himself and smiled with that famous gapped teeth looked and said" Glad you finally made it here" I purchased his book and asked if he would not mind signing some of my other items. He said " Sure but at the looks what you got ,You may have to by 2 books" and did that famous chuckle when he laughed. I sat with him for about 15 minutes asking all kind of questions about his roles in various movies and  answered...

One can always remember when You get Your hopes Up to meet or see someone or something and it turns out to be a TOTAL BUST. I have had very few of these for as long as I can remember but I will remember this musician who I will not grace him again by saying his name.      CLASSLESS  he will be referred to had been someone my son and I were looking forward to meeting and then seeing the show due to his music and playing of the guitar in a jazz mix . He was performing at a local venue and we had the opportunity of running into him prior to the show. We had heard some strange stories about CLASSLESS but we had loved his music and we always live by do not draw any conclusions about someone unless You have met them first hand.     We noticed him in a hotel lobby and approached him as true fans and politely asked if he would mind signing an autograph and take a picture. He looked at the both of us and I quote" Oh that is not me, I look like him and also pla...

        Melissa Manchester has been performing and singing since the 70's and has not lost a beat either in her music or how she treats her adoring fans. Tonight she performed in a small venue in Mount Dora and sang with the vigor and sweetness as she has for years. Melissa performed for 2 hours singing some of her greats looking through the Eyes of Love and I'll never say Goodbye with feeling that all truly felt was coming from her heart and her lovely and soothing voice.         After performing she came out and signed for her fans and had a wonderful conversation with each and every one as she signed albums, programs and pictures always smiling and showing all one on one attention. Now though she must had been somewhat tired she went over then to the VIP party and continued to sign and converse with all about her career and how much she enjoyed being here and doing what she still loves.       She is a Class Act from her...

    When one goes out either on a pleasure or business outing, You can never stop looking around to see who You may run into. That was the case tonight and is why I enjoy meeting many of these celebrities and if the chance arises to say hello. Not all are going to be encounters such as the one we had with IAN ZIERING but that is always the roll of the dice. We had the pleasure of running into IAN at a local hotel and he is truly a humble man.       Ian made his mark a few years ago as Steve Sanders on BEVERLY HILLS 90210 and was one of the fan favorites. He gained a whole new generation of fans from his stint on CELEBRITY APPRENTICE this past year but is gaining more of a following with his role as Fin in the movie series SHARKNADO. He posed for a few pictures and we asked him" Have there been a lot of autograph seekers bothering you" and with out any hesitation he said" I am Flattered". Now some may just say that it was only to give an answer, but he tr...

      I debate regularly if I should write this portion of my blog about personalities we have lost in a weeks time which seems to be growing every day. Then I believe not everyone has heard and these personalities have left a valuable mark on our life and should not be forgotten.      There was : LESLEY GORE which I just found out at the time of this writing. At 16 she had her fist hit " It's My Party" with other great ones to follow including " Judy's Turn to Cry" and " You Don't Owe Me". She was a class act and she was a true pleasure when I met her in 2012.      VAL FITCH who won the Nobel Prize explaining why the collision of matter and anti matter have not destroyed the whole existence we live in.    JERRY TARKANIAN who led the University of Las Vegas to a National Title in 1990 and was a leading force in College Basketball for many years with a record of 509-105.     BOB SIMON the CBS Corresponden...

      My son and I had the great opportunity of meeting ADAM DEVINE at the hotel prior to his sold out performance at a local venue. Though he is not a household name YET and We say that with all confidence he will be one day. He is a writer, star of the show WORKAHOLICS but but one will say Oh yeah when they remember his standout role as the Nanny in MODERN FAMILY and also as the leader of the Male Campus Singing Champions in PITCH PERFECT.       We have been meeting many celebrities over the years and there are the special few who shine on when you meet them. He was gracious, willingly to sign a few photos and was so accommodating  to take a couple of photos with each of us . He is truly genuine and his talents are even broader from his show with smiles constantly in the audience.      We are only two but considering the sold out show  his fan base is growing by leaps and bounds. And he truly deserves it as if I ever hav...

      Vince Gill is considered by many to be of the greatest Country Music stars that have graced many stages and one that everyone should have an opportunity to meet. He has won 20 Grammys, Country Music star of the Year 3x, Elected to the Hall of fame for Country Legends and continues to entertain everyone with his God Given talents. The first time I had the chance to meet him occured a few years back when his wife the also talented singer AMY GRANT was the guest narrator at Disney's annual Christmas Processional.       As he and Amy came up the walkway and many approached Ms. Grant for a picture and autograph , I turned my attention to Vince who was letting his beautiful wife have the limelight. I politely asked ,Can I get a picture with You Vince and he looked at me and said. " Sorry I am on Vacation" I smiled and told him I do understand and he came right back and laughingly" I am only kidding. Sure". Now he was performing with the traveling show...

     I felt a bit sadden by the news of some true icons and personalities we lost this past week in February and just a few words does not do them service but we all can take a few minutes and think about them as they did effect many in their lifetime.      There was ALEX VRACIU who as a NAVY fighter pilot in WW2 shot down 19 enemy planes including 6 in a 8 minute dogfight making him one of the true Aces and heros of the War.     LIZABETH SCOTT was an actress in the 40 and 50's and was recognized as one of the true beauties in Hollywood costarring with some of Hollywood's Leading Actors including movies such as Dead Reckoning and Pitfall. Hall of Fame Golfer BILLY CASPER passed on and is considered one of the greats including wins at the Masters and twice at the US Open. He won 51 PGA events and was one of the nicer players I met a few years back at the Father Son Challenge. DEAN SMITH who is recognized as one of the greatest Colleg...

     Many people grew up watching OLIVIA NEWTON JOHN star in the Classic Movie GREASE and her amazing hits that she sang that top the charts for many years. A good friend who is also a true fan was kind enough to pass on information at the hotel she was staying at as he had the pleasure of meeting her earlier in the day. We only hoped that she was going to return back to the same hotel after putting on a great show at Universal Studios.So 4 of us gave it the college try.         We waited for about 2 hours and just when we thought about throwing in the towel, up pulls a black bus and our patience appeared to pay off. Much to our surprise 4 graphers had followed her bus to the same hotel all with not having the same intention as us but to have their photos that were signed already by John Travolta with dollars signs in their eyes. If Ms. John signs it usually is only one per so I truly did not have a problem of them being there. Everyone waited o...

       Over the years,I have traveled near and far to meet personalities that I have enjoyed and admired. But sometimes if one looks in their own backyard, You will find someone that You very well may respect even more.      DICK MANVILLE is not a household name that many do not know but to those who do and maybe after this blog is a gift to us all.   Dick went to Harvard and then graduated from YALE University with a degree in Finance. His coach at Yale , RED ROLFE, had scouts from the Major Leagues observe his star Pitcher and  recieved a signing bonus for 15,000 dollars with the BOSTON BRAVES in 1947. He is now one of only 13 living BOSTON BRAVES which makes him more than a celebrity than this humble man wants to believe. In 1950 he was sold to the CUBS and later retired to work in a Cotton Bussiness in Nevada. After stays in different parts of the country he retired to Florida in 1987. He is a proud man who loves his 2 sons and w...

       Many have followed PAULA POUNDSTONE since early 1990 as one of the top 100 Stand Up Comedians with further talents as an author and interviewer. She developed a fan base then that has continued and revitalized  with her show on NPR ( National Public Radio) with her show WAIT WAIT.. DON'T TELL ME. She limits her performances and when we heard that she was doing her routine at a local venue, we jumped at the opportunity to meet her.With some clever detective work my buddy Rocket Man was able to determine the hotel she was staying at prior to going to the show.        There were three of us who patiently waited in the lobby swapping stories and sharing information of upcoming events and before long she came down preparing to leave with her driver in waiting. Her love for the 3 STOOGES was evident in the shirt she was wearing and when we approached her for a possible autograph she never hesitated. I did share a story that my Grandmo...

     Every Day people always ask those who meet celebrities especially COMEDIANS who graph for fun and some who do it for profit," WHO ARE THE BEST and WHO ARE THE WORST", so please let me inform you how!      During our Travels there always are those who love their fans, those who do it with some reservations and others that are down right rude and even disrespectful to their fans. My Father always believed in starting with the positives and believe it or not there are many who know with out their fans they are only a blurb on the radar.        Some of the greats are +DREW CAREY who takes his time with everyone , KEVIN HART though small in size a Heart as Big as a Mountain,CARLOS MENCIA who will perform for hours at a show as long as he keeps getting laughs,CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER who will acknowledge any fan who asks for an autograph with out question,  +JIM JEFFERIES who does not miss a beat with any request , +DAN AYKRO...