Autograph Hound's Blah Blah Blog

Monday, August 31, 2015

Hand of God Cast SDCC 2015

Amazon was promoting Hand of God heavily at SDCC.  Over the course of the weekend you could see a gaggle of judges roaming the streets in black robes and rubber ‘judge-like’ masks.  I felt sad for the guys walking in those masks in the muggy San Diego weather.

This series was not high on my list of ‘wants’ but I did want it. One thing about this signing that excited me was Ron Perlman.   I just love this guy.  I always think of the movie The Name of the Rose when I see him.  Even though I was still moping over not getting a Who ticket, I dusted off my proverbial pants and got in line for Hand of God.
I won. Yeah me.

This was a signing in the back of the convention center. There are a lot of fond memories back there. The signing had 7 people, including Ron Perlman. As is often the case, I didn’t recognize a few people that I should have.  Alona Tal is a supernatural alumnus.

And one actor I did recognize was Garrett Dillahunt from the Sarah Conner Chronicles.  He wrote the ‘Love! Garrett’ on the left center of the mini poster.

Ben Watkins, Emayatzy Corinealdi, Julian Morris, and Elizabeth McLaughlin also was in attendance and signed. However, no Dana Delany, which is probably for the best as I would have just drooled.
My friends had a nice experience with Julian Morris as he was a neighbor to Peter Capaldi and asked them to say 'hi'.  Note that I was not included as I did not have a Dr Who tickets...

AH

Friday, August 28, 2015

Naomi Grossman SDCC 2015

The photo I have signed does Naomi Grossman an injustice. I could have gotten a photo of her in a skimpy outfit and you would not have recognized her.  When she showed to her table in San Diego, she was in a very tight fitting red dress and high heels.   The décolleté neckline distracted as she rushed to set up for the group of 10 fans awaiting her arrival.  The hem was so narrow at her thighs she could not raise her knee to step over a small box on the floor.  Her figure was stunning. Not what you expected to see after watching American Horror Story for the last 2 seasons.

Being slightly late, she scrambled to set up the photos as she smiled and chatted with the group.  When she was settled, she took a deep breath and started signing and taking selfies with the group.  Naomi was a charmer. She seemed to enjoy meeting her fans. Obviously the fans felt a connection with her.

 AH

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Dark Matter at Dark Horse – SDCC2015

In my opinion, Dark Matter is the best that the SyFy channel has to offer right now. When I saw that the Dark Horse booth was having the cast in for a signing, it was a no brainer.  Dark Horse usually has one or two TV show signings each year.

This was not a tickets or raffle event.  My friends and I were surprised about that. We kept an eye on the booth to make sure people weren’t queuing hours in advance. No one was. I guess people aren’t watching this show yet.


We finally decided to get in line about 30 minutes early. Since it was toward the end of the day, the heavily padded carpet in the booth was really appreciated. They pay extra for that. I wonder if their workers understand the luxury they have.

We knew in advance that only 4 of the 7 cast members would be there.  They showed up separately.  So we saw a few of the actors milling around as they waited for the others.  We also saw the SyFY channel crew that was filming the event.  In fact, the film crew asked my friend is they would do an interview in exchange for a front row seat at the panel. My friends declined only because the timing was bad; the whole ‘miles to go before we sleep’ thing.

Melissa O’Neil was first and gorgeous. I asked if she studied martial arts and if she was doing some of her own work.  She said yes.  I told her it showed and looked good.  She seemed surprised anyone would notice.

Next was Anthony Lemke.  He just finished talked hockey for several minutes with my friend.  Well, ‘talking’ is too mild of a word.  He was TALKING hockey with his whole body. Hands moves, torso rocking back and forth as he spoke.  As I step over to Anthony, I said ‘hi’ and I mentioned that it was cool he got to talk hockey with my friend.   You may not believe this but it was like he received a caffeine IV.  He lit up again. 

Then I slid over to Jodelle Ferland. She was quiet and seemed shy. I know she talked to both of my friends but we just didn’t have anything to say.

Lastly was Roger Cross. He is in everything: Continuum, The Returned, The Strain, and Dark Matters. He was friendly and it was good to see him in person.

Maybe next year, Dark Horse will have the rest of the cast and we can complete the photo.

AH

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Dead Rising Watchtower – Dennis Haysbert – SDCC 2015

While still ‘down’ from the Dr Who misadventure, I made my way down to the Legendary booth.  The place was crowded and chaotic. That describes ComicCon to a ‘T’. I wanted to get an autograph ticket to the Dead Rising movie. Not because I’m a fan of the video game but because Dennis Haysbert was scheduled to do the signing.  This is the same Dennis Haysbert that came to Dallas about 6 months ago and signed for everyone but me.

I threaded my way to the front of the booth and asked the worker if he had any tickets left for the autographing.  He gave me an unconvincing ‘no’.  I didn’t waste any time as I moved on with a muttered thank you.  I found another worker and asked her.  She actually paused and told me to stay put.  She came back with a ticket.  Before she put it in my grubby little hands, she looked me in the eyes and told they were saving this for someone else but since I was here and they weren’t…I got the ticket.  So I better show up. I promised.

When the signing started, it was more chaos. It was the first signing by that booth of the convention and they weren’t prepared.  They didn’t have room to queue people for the signing. The general public was crushing the booth to see who was there. This also fits SDCC to a ‘T’.

Someone made a decision and gathered us up and walked us over to a wall and told us to wait. They made a queue.  Queues like these, at the last second, are dicey. People at the booth forget about you. Or security starts trying to dispersing you. Other people cut into front.  It’s more chaos. Welcome to ComicCon.

However, I wasn’t forgotten. I made it back to the booth and got my autograph. It was rushed. I barely said thank you to Dennis Haybert, JesseMetcalfe, and Zack Lipovsky.  The crowd of onlookers pressed close.  It was even hard to leave the small booth. With my treasure in hand I found a small eddy of quiet not far from the booth and placed my poster in its protective tube and moved on to my next event.

AH

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Thursday at SDCC 2015 and Dr Who

I’ve said this, you know that disclaimer on financial ads, Past results do not guarantee future performance?  SDCC is like that.

After 2 hours of restless sleep, I got up at midnight. I was in line at 12:20 – 12:30 AM Thursday morning.

In the past, there might have been 300 people in line at this time in the morning.  This time, there were a 1000.  A big difference.   Past performance and all that…

The reason I decided to imitate a homeless person? Dr Who. The panel and autographing was on Thursday and I really wanted a winning ticket. Yeah, did I forget to mention it was a raffle?  I wasn’t guaranteed anything.  I didn’t care a whit about the panel.  I wanted the autographs. I wanted the bragging rights of saying I got Peter Capaldi before anyone else.

So 1000 people were in front of me. I knew only 75 winning tickets were being given out.  I know from past performance that not all of these people wanted Dr Who tickets. A 1/3 would be for the Hasbro line. A 1/3 would get line for Ballroom 20. That still left a lot of people in front of me.

I arrived at SDCC at o’dark  thirty and walked past a long line of people sleeping or trying to sleep. That long line also included a lot of people drinking and chatting and hanging out. I found the end and put down my backpack and lay on the sidewalk.  I was so far back in the line, I wasn’t even on the grass.  I was under the tented area.

Monday, August 24, 2015

SDCC Wednesday and Gini Koch

It’s Wednesday.  It’s SDCC.  It has begun.

Overly dramatic?  Eh, maybe.  Not if you have been eating and living SDCC for the last month.

The wife had to cancel at the last minute: WORK. Note the capitals?  Work is important.  As much as it might interfere with plans, it’s also what gives us the opportunity to make and partake in those plans.  The wife worked a lot of hours that week and throughout the weekend.


We (well, it was just I) stayed at the uber close hotel, Omni, this year.  Yeah, very cool. And the wife couldn’t enjoy that.  However, she did add her Omni rewards card to our room account.  That boon almost was a bust. When I wanted to check in, they said she needed to be with me.  Luckily everyone was calm and rational and that became a nonfactor very quickly.

Her card also allowed me to check in early.  Non-rewards people were being told to come back in a few hours when rooms were available for check in.  I got a nice room that overlooked the ballpark.  I could have watched the Padres play if they were in town.

Friday, August 21, 2015

My self- centered encounter with Neil deGrasse Tyson

Neil (note how I call Neil deGrasse Tyson, Neil?   After all I’ve been through; I can call him that.) came to town and spoke at the Winspeare Opera House in Dallas.  While I was happy he didn’t sign for anyone when he arrived( because I was late), I wonder how everything could have been different if he did sign…

As the norm, I got off work ‘early’, about 5:30 or 6PM.  When I arrived at Winspeare, I was told Neil was already inside the building and he didn’t sign for any one. This was 'good' as I didn’t miss my opportunity.  I would also have some friends to hang out with.

Four of us went out to eat and gabbed about autographs and upcoming events. It was a good excuse to get out of the heat and the sun.
Once we got back to the opera house, we waited. We watched the crowd leave after the show. And we waited. We watched the police that directed the traffic leave. And we waited. We watched the employees leave the building. And we waited…

Then, there he was. Neil deGrasse Tyson was leaving the building.  He looked surprised that we were there.  I think he was hoping he outlasted us. He asked what we were doing. We told him we were waiting for him. He started to sign. As he signed the first photo, someone asked about his podcast with George Takei.  As he answered, he started to warm up to us.  He started interacting. He started asking questions.

Thursday, August 20, 2015

Tom Kenny ComicCon 2015

I printed this photo of Tom Kenny a few years back for SDCC.  That year, he was part of the Thrilling Adventure Hour show I attended and I was hoping he would sign.  While I didn’t get his signature on the photo then, I’m pretty sure I have him on the cast photo from that night.  I also have him on a Brickleberry cast poster but I don’t have a solo signature. Dallas ComicCon gave me that opportunity.  

As I handed over the photo, he looked at it. He shook his head in wonder and asked if I knew where this was taken.  After I said, no, his mentioned it was backstage for the Nerdist.  He said the show was a lot of fun and he had a great time and he remembered it well.

It was nice to bring back a memory as we interacted.

AH

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Paul Amos ComicCon 2015

Paul Amos is another cast member from Lost Girl.  This is a series I watch regularly and enjoy.

As I stepped up to his table, I noticed he didn’t really have his iconic tattoo under the eye.  With the prevalence of ink on people nowadays, I was actually surprised that wasn’t real.  As he signed I did ask about the tattoo.  He said the show did want him visibly inked.  They wanted something a little larger but he did have some say in what he wore.  They provided several choses and he found one he liked. He mentioned there was backstories for the choices he had.

AH

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Drew Powell and Robin Lord Taylor Dallas ComicCon 2015

Two more autographs from the cast of Gotham. For a show I have never watched, I certainly have picked up a lot of signatures.  Can you hear the wife in the background?  She is saying I have a problem…

Drew Powell and Robin Lord Taylor almost sat next to each other. It made it easy for them to chat as they signed.  The people in either of the lines were going to get both of them.  Both actors were friendly and did photo ops at their tables. At times they both joined in for a photo for a lucky fan.

AH

Monday, August 17, 2015

Lennie James Dallas ComicCon 2015

Lennie James was one of the autographs I was most excited about getting at this show.

I want to brag for a second. I got him twice before in San Diego.  Once for The Prisoner and once for Jericho. Both items had other signatures on them. This was the first time it was going to be a solo signature.

Lennie was very open and he talked with everyone. Everyone was talking about Walking Dead. People were showing him Walking Dead fan art, tattoos, and huge posters. He wasn’t rushing any one.

When I made my way to the front I picked up a Walking Dead photo but I started talking about Jericho.  I mentioned seeing the last panel they did at SDCC (back when I did panels). He looked up and leaned back. I was talking fast as I knew there was a line behind me.  I said I loved the story about the peanuts being sent to the studio.  I also mentioned how he asked the writers to mention big bouncy strippers next time so they could be sent to the studio.  He laughed and corrected me. He said it wasn’t strippers, it was bimbos. He wanted big bouncy bimbos written into the script.  I just didn’t get my alliteration correct.

I think he enjoyed that trip through memory lane.  I picked up my photo and left.
AH

Friday, August 14, 2015

Jeri Ryan Dallas ComicCon 2015

I remember when Jeri Ryan joined the cast of Voyager. I had given up on the shows years before. Her joining the cast did not make me start watching.  


It wasn’t until years after the show was off the air and TiVo decided to record a couple of episodes of Voyager that I ever saw her as 7 of 9.  The two episodes I watched were much better than the first season.  I gave series another chance. 

Since I have a lot of Trek autographs, I needed to add this to the collection.  Jeri Ryan was friendly. I didn’t said much other than a 'thank you'.  In my opinion, I think she was prettier now than when she was in Star Trek. 

(Smack! Ouch. A hand to the back of my head.  The wife muttering about how I can’t say things like that. It objectifies women. Okay, I won’t say she looked better now.
But it’s true.)

AH

Thursday, August 13, 2015

I Dream of Jeannie Dallas ComicCon 2015

After school, I always watched I Dream of Jeannie. It was a staple as I grew up. Hearing that Barbara Eden and Bill Daily were coming to town was exciting and getting their autos was a no brainer. It was also bittersweet to have them both at the show as you could not help but think about Larry Hagman.

Barbara had a very nice selection of photos. Bill’s selection was lacking. Both were friendly and patient as everyone had a story to tell.

AH

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Charles Martinet Dallas ComicCon 2015

This was one of the most entertaining autographs I gotten in a long time.  Charles Martinet is a dynamo of energy. For every person he saw he was charged and interactive and fun.


From the photo, you can he see he signed all over the place.  He doodled next to the characters he voiced and as he marked the page he voiced the characters or made sound effects from the game. He didn’t just do this for me, he did for everyone. Or he picked up a person’s phone and left a voice mail greeting with the same energy.  He was tireless.

I love the smiley face.  Instead of a nose, it’s a moustache to coincide with the ones the Mario Brothers wore. A neat detail to add.

AH

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Billie Piper Dallas ComicCon 2015

While Dallas ComicCon has helped me get some Dr Who autographs, they seem snake bit and have a lot of DR Who cancellations.  I was holding my breath whether Billie Piper would really show.  She did show.

I got her on Friday night.  As you can see, I did not get a photo from Dr Who.  My choice comes from the show Secret Diaries of a Call Girl.


For me, it was a tough choice.  Her character in Dr Who was almost iconic and she is near the top of my list of favorite companies. However, everyone has her to sign a Dr Who photo.  There were some pretty cool photos of her out there on Google.  This one caught my eye and I decided to print it out.  At the time, I really thought it was unique.  When I got to the front of the table, she had a stack of them there.

Billie was interacting with the crowd. She was giving a couple of little ones in front of me some extra attention when I stepped up. She signed and I mumbled something about her current series, Penny Dreadful.  Before she even said a word, the volunteers were rushing me through like I was the one slowing up the line.  We both reacted to the volunteer. I moved and Billie quickly picked up another photo to sign.
Jawohl herr commandant freiwillgen! Mach Schnell!

AH

Monday, August 10, 2015

Mitch Pileggi Dallas ComicCon 2015

X-Files started when I was watching very little TV.  Even though it was sci fi, I wasn’t watching it. I had low expectations from any show on the Fox Network.  Yes, very snobby of me.  We can be our own worst enemies at times.  Keep in mind that Simpsons and Married with Children were the big hits on Fox at the time.


One Friday night I was sick. As I lay in bed with a fever, I turned on the TV and I watched my first episode.  It was a good.  It had potential.  I started watching X-Files each week ever since.

Over the years, Deputy Director Skinner became part of the family. We trusted him. We knew he had our back. We would help in whatever way he could because we all knew the Truth was out There.

Since the end of X-Files, I have seen Mitch Pileggi in a few different series but he’ll always be Skinner to me.  As he signed, we exchanged a few words.   I told him I enjoyed his character in Supernatural.  I told him my wife still lamented the end of Dallas.  He was gracious and upbeat. He mentioned he loves Texas and actually lives out here.

AH

Friday, August 7, 2015

Cosplayers Dallas ComicCon 2015

Yes yes  yes yes… I have a weakness for cosplayers.
Riddle

This last Dallas ComicCon had some of high caliber names.  All were nice and friendly.

Kristen
Of the three, Riddle is my favorite.  We talked San Diego ComicCon (yeah, what else do I talk about, huh?).  While I also saw her in San Diego a month ago, I didn’t get to say hi. She always had a crowd around her and she kept pretty busy.  That is the nice thing about having the cosplayers come locally, not as large of a crowd and you get a chance to talk.
Nicole

Kristen Hughey had some new photos and one was as Yeoman Rand from Star Trek.  Being a big Trekkie, it was very tempting to pick that up to. Since my wife and fellow hounds think I’m silly already getting cosplayer signatures, I just limited myself to the 1 I had planned on getting.

Lastly was Nicole Marie Jean.  While I have seen her a few times at other shows but this was the first time I got a photo signed.

AH

Thursday, August 6, 2015

Chloe Bennet ComicPalooza 2015

For me, on TV, Chloe Bennet comes off as glamorous.  In person, she is the gorgeous girl next store that you had a crush on as you grew up.  She seems approachable and you even think you could just chat over coffee if you had the nerve to ask.

She chatted with the fans. She talked to them. She threw out tidbits from the show. She reminisced about her first signing:  the day before they were repeated practicing and filming a scene that made her shoulders and arms sore. She worried all night about giving people a legible signature.

I will admit she did stress me.  She struggled with the silver paint pen they gave her.  She ended up blotting photos and leaving a trial of fingerprints from the excess on her hands.  She laughed.  She took the photo and tossed it to the side. It was amusing. She wasn’t going to give someone a bad signature. I like that. I respect that.

However…I was getting a photo signed for a friend. It was already signed by the other cast members. She couldn’t just toss it to the side if she blotted the signature. I watched as they swapped the paint pens three times. I saw a dozen ruined attempts.  I was thinking of pulling out my silver sharpie and telling her to just use that instead of the paint pens.

And then, about 2 people in front of me, it clicked. The signatures were smooth. No more finger-painting. I handed over my friend’s photo and held my breath. It was successful. Then I handed over my photo and she signed with a blue sharpie. No issues with that.

We chatted. She seemed to worry that no one would show for her panel that was later in the day.  She invited me to see her at the panel.  I told her I’m sure it would be packed.

Once that signature was done, I had lunch with some friends and drove back to Dallas.

AH

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Rosario Dawson ComicPalooza 2015

Rosario Dawson and I go way back.

Well, that is an obviously exaggeration.  Let me rephrase that…I got her autograph a long time ago at SDCC on a graphic novel she was working on.

I was looking forward to see her again.

She has charisma. She generates excitement. She was having a good time interacting with the fans.  The line was NOT slow but she seemed to give everyone a ‘little love’ as she signed for them. To be truthful, I really don’t remember what we talked about but I do remember being thrilled that she smiled at whatever I said. For the ½ second I was in front of her, I felt it was just her and me at the convention center.

AH

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Jeremy Renner ComicPalooza 2015

Even though I was going to ComicPalooza, there was a big guest that caused a lot of excitement and increased my desires.   When JeremyRenner and his price for auto was announced, everyone had an opinion.  Most of the comments were that the cost was too high. There is no doubt it was way more than most autographs.  It’s a very rare signing and opportunity.  Obviously, I pulled the trigger and got a signature.

He was only scheduled for Saturday.  Renner had 2 signings scheduled for that day.  If you missed him, you were out of luck.

When he cancelled the morning signing and went to straight to the photo ops, you could feel the anxiety in the autograph area. There were a lot of people already lined up when he cancelled. Just because you bought a ticket or were in line, doesn’t mean you will get your autograph.

While it rarely happens now at paid signings, I can remember 30 years ago a ball player getting up after 20 minutes and saying no more.  He was scheduled for a couple of hours and had a long line of unhappy fans. Memories like those aren’t easily forgotten. They come rushing back as you hear about Renner skipping the morning signing.  You tend to fret over the possibility of failure.

Because of those memories, I got in line very early for the second signing.  Even then, I was about 200 people back.  It was going to be a long wait.

When Jeremy Renner did show, he was all smiles. He was friendly tried to exchange a few words with everyone.  He even took someone’s phone and talked for a moment. The line moved.  About 90 minutes later I was done. I got my photo signed and I was ready to get off of my feet.

AH

 

Monday, August 3, 2015

Cobie Smulders ComicPalooza 2015

Saturday I was at the convention center bright and early for a couple of autographs.  One of them was Cobie Smulders.  Nowadays, anything concerning Marvel is a big draw so I wanted to be toward the front of the line so I could get out quicker and do other things.

When Cobie finally came out, the crowd roared.  She sat and started signing. Just as I stood in front of her, Stan Lee walked over. He interrupted us and started talking to her.  The conversation was short.  I was rude and listened in.  I won’t share but she did seem more relaxed afterward.

I got a big smile as I welcomed her to Texas.  I took my photo and left.

AH