Dream Team Autographs

This week had many opportunities to meet and hopefully score a few autographs with many celebs that were in our area. So many feel that all celebs are kind and appreciative when they meet their fans but that is not always the story. Thus is why I am sharing this past week experiences. THE GOOD Met actor GARY SINESE after narratoring the DISNEYS CANDLELIGHT PROCESSIONAL and though I have met him several times I never stop at the chance of meeting this gifted actor from fame as LT DAN in FORREST GUMP and so many other roles they can not be all mentioned. We met him as he had finished and though he was not feeling well he took the time to say hello and sign a few autographs. He could have blown us off but he chose not to and remains THE GOOD. Also another good was ALAN THICKE from the days of GROWING PAINS and met and had signed a few autographs after starring in a play in a remote area. He was charming to those who wanted a photograph though he was trying to get out to be with his fa

Weird Al Janovic has been performing for 30 years with parades of many famous songs and iconic symbols of our society, I had never met this character that we all have come to love and on his latest tour he has been selling out venues with a wonderful show that all have loved and left with only smiles. Rocket Man and I had the desire to try to track him down after the show in hopes of meeting him and signing our photos and CDs that we have has for some time. We went to a local hotel just in hopes that it may be the one he would come back too after the show and as the hour neared Midnight we were about to give up. But by chance we saw 2 of his band members who have been playing with him for 30 years but no Al. He had a meet an greet after so we decided to call it a night due to we both had to work the next morning. We saw his bus on a side route and we thought we had a glimpse of him but never came out. We both realized You do have hit and misses in this hobby and we chalked it up a

Like so many others we grew up watching BURT REYNOLDS PLAYING THE MACHO CHARACTER IN ALMOST ALL OF HIS FILMS. from DELIVERANCE, LONGEST YARD and OF COURSE THE SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT series with his famous black Trans AM. His undeniable walk and trademark black mustache , he kept a presense on the screen that most of us enjoyed if not envied. He had his personal life somewhat unfavorably flash in front of us on programs and gossip magazines with his relationships with JUDY CARNE, SALLY FIELD and LONI ANDERSON. With financial and also medical woes soon following he really left the public eye quickly and was more an after thought to most except the die hard fans. Pictures would pop up and all were trying to show how much he has aged and was not the robust actor we once knew. So think about it WHO DOES NOT AGE. Some do better than others either by good genes of the family or some assisted by a medical procedure. We all thought that BURT REYNOLDS would be the one that didn't b

How many times does one watch a movie or TV show and say" I know him . "BUT WHAT IS THEIR NAME?" As movies and even TV shows become so expensive many of the big stars are pricing themselves out due to budget of movies but many Character actors keep flourishing in so many roles. Many of these "character actors" steal many scenes and are remembered for their supporting roles with some only a few minutes long. One of my all time favorites is an actor STEPHEN TOBOLOSKY who has left his mark in so many films but is not a household name but is a very familiar face to many if not all of us. Many have seen him in ROBERT REDFORDs SNEAKERS, in SPACEBALLS, and probably his most famous as Ned Meyerson from BILL MURRAYs GROUNDHOG DAY. He played the insurance agent that is repeatingly met by Murray in the déjà Vu moments and stole the scene as the movie went on. He played in DEADWOOD a TV show that was eventually canceled due not for lack of fan base but the high costs of

John Lydon better known as JOHNNY ROTTEN as a stage name to the music world when he was part of the ground breaking group SEX PISTOLS. I had admire the group as one of the best if not the true first in Punk Rock. Johnny Rotten as the lead singer and base player SID VICIOUS. Lydon left the band in 1978 which was the demise of the Pistols. Now years have passed and Lydon has tried to put his face in front of the world with his new band PUBLIC IMAGE LTD and is touring the states with an arrival here in the Orlando area. Now there were 8 of us who patiently waited for hours to show our appreciation and ask for a few autographs that would have taken only a few minutes. As we waited back near his bus we met the other band members who were cordial and took the time to hang out with us for a few minutes. But there was no sign of Johnny Lydon. One of the staff of the venue had the responsibility to pick him and apparently he was over a hour away. I know that rarely happens but we were told

When we were informed that LEVAR BURTON famous in the epic mini series ROOTS. Commandeer in STAR TREK and with a huge following as a reading Narrator with READING RAINBOWS was speaking at a local college a few us jumped at the chance of meeting him. He was speaking where the usual practice after their talk is to meet, sign autographs and take pictures with those who wanted to meet the celebrity after the lecture. With about 700 in attendance it was announced that he would be signing his book that they were selling for 20 dollars at the door. In this case they were sold out quite quickly and many of us didnot get the opportunity to buy one. With our usual practice we had other items moistly pictures and proceeded to get on the line that numbered alot more than a hundred. But from a far we noticed that they were not allowing anything else but the book to be signed and no pictures with Levar. Soon even with our polite requests if he would sign other items as there were no

When I was a kid like so many other autograph collectors, when one approached a celebrity for an autograph most said sure and signed an autograph book or maybe a baseball and never refused a picture with their adoring fans. That has disappeared along with paid telephones and most drive in movie theatres. Over the years Autograph shows are springing up in many cities hosting many stars of the TV and Movie Fame which allows the fans to get up close and meet their favorite stars. I can remember one of the first shows and they had the stars of FORBIDDEN PLANET including ANNE FRANCIS and LESLIE NIELSEN charging 10 dollars to sign your item or one of their pictures on their own table.No Fee to have a picture with them and most never turned down the request. A few hundred at best would attend but that was just the beginning. Now instead of a few stars , You may have at least 50 of them at tables but that price of 10 dollars is a faded memory. Today the going price starts at 30 for an a

The great passion of autographing for fun or profit is meeting some one You have admired as an actor or actress either on the stage, TV or the Movie Screen. When You meet someone that You have always respected for their acting prowess , in the back of your mind You never know how they will be in person. Because acting is just that. They act out the roles that are written for them and I always thought it must be a fine line to separate real or fiction. A personality acts in a role that may be so far different from their own personality you never know what to expect and we always hope that they appreciate their fans and that a bit of fame has not gone to their heads . This is not the case with WILLIAM FORSTYTE. Ever since his role in RAISING ARIZONA and as Richie the bad egg in OUT FOR JUSTICE I have been a true fan. Two years ago I met him at a autograph show and we developed a true bond of friendship. He is as genuine as any one could ever be and though he is quite private he

Over the years every generation has a teen idol . It could be Justin Bieber, Shawm Cassidy and before my time there was FRANKIE AVALON. He started as a Mousecateer on the early Disney TV shows in the 50's and went on to star with the beautiful ANNETTE FUNICELLO is the numerous Beach movies in the early sixties. His sound sounding voice launched him into selling millions of records and though at 83 has lost his boyish charm he still has the magic when he performs still to this day. I had the pleasure of meeting him some 5 years ago after another show with another grapher and we always remembered that encounter. FRANKIE was carrying a bag of canoles and when we asked for him to sign a couple of photos each he told us that many of his cohorts were trying to see EBAY to stop people from selling. He was truly sincere and signed a took a picture with us anyway. Now the other night he was performing and another fellow grapher and I caught him after the show and was total