Diana Lee Inosanto Order 66 store signing

Once again, Order 66 moved their store. And once again, they had an in-store signing.

If you don’t know, Order 66 is a Star Wars store that sells lots of figures. Give them a look.

They also have signings from various Star Wars actors and over the years, they have added to my collection.

This time, Diana Lee Inosanto was their guest. After I finished with Nostalgia Con in the morning, I drove from Irving to Plano to get this signature.

When I dropped in, Diana was doing an interview. I waited and wondered through the figures. This store front is much smaller than previous locations. I expect they still have a large on-line presence.

When she was done with the interview, I got in line. For my turn, I handed over the photo and she commented that she liked it.  I brought my own photo. She picked up a pen and I offered my red but she had one that was a dark red. We tested it and it looked great. When she signed it, it looked good.

Then we chatted, mostly about being the stunt double for Sarah Michelle Gellar on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I left and headed back to the car and home.

I noticed as the ink dried, it didn’t look nearly as nice. It's more pink than burgundy. While slightly disappointed, I was still a happy camper.

AH

Christy Carlson Romano Nostalgia Con Dallas 2026

Christy Carlson Romano has been a name I have seen for years. I never watched Kim Possible but she always had a long line and she is rather pretty.  (I quickly check that The Wife didn’t see me write that.)  I figured this would be the time to get her signature.

As I looked over her credits on IMDB, I noticed she was in Cutting Edge 2 and 3. I know The Wife loves those movies and I figured that makes up for the ‘rather pretty’ comment.

I was about 30 people back but Christy hadn’t shown up yet. Her hubby was there and he chatted with the crowd a little as they set up the table for the signing.

When she arrived, I was surprised how tall she was. Maybe it was the heels or maybe that she seemed taller than the hubby. She was all smiles and chatted as she tried to figure out table setup what was happening with the first person in line that had a special request.

Once that was resolved, she started signing and talking. When I showed her my photo, she grinned, then turned to the husband and asked, “Do you know who that is?” Dumbfounded, he shook his head ‘no’. Gleefully, she said it was her and she was in a skating movie.

When she turned back, I asked if that was her. She laughed and said that was before AI.  I laughed too. Then clarified if that was a double. If it was, I’d pick another photo. I explained I didn’t want to sign that image if it wasn’t her. she confirmed it was her.

She told me (and the crowd) she couldn’t do the big jumps, axels, and spins but she could start a jump and pretend to land. The skating on camera was her until she had to leave the ground. The double came in for the fancy stuff. She paused as she looked over photo again. I suggested a red pen and to sign in the spot light. When she was done, she was surprised with the results.

AH

TC Carson Nostalgia Con Dallas 2026

Next on the list at Nostalgia Carson was T C Carson. He voiced Mace Windu in the Star Wars Universe. I caught him as he finished with another guest. He started to stand. I could tell be wanted to leave. I mentioned I could come back but then he waved me forward.  He picked up a purple pen (the perfect choice) and signed. It was quick and simple but it worked well. He left and came back about 15 minutes later with some friends in tow. Hopefully, I didn’t keep them waiting too long.

AH

Daran Norris Nostalgia Con Dallas 2026

I went to Nostalgia Con in Dallas (actually at the Irving Convention Center) and as I expected, it was lightly attended. Good for me. I had a busy day planned and wanted to get this done quickly and move on other chores.

I found Daran Norris first. He was standing and chatting with people. I showed him the photo and he loved it. He mentioned he hadn’t seen that before. I pointed out how I cropped it and Veronica Mars was more or less removed from the photo. He laughed. Then we chatted. When he signed, he mentioned that he was still impressed with it being the first time seeing that image and wrote ‘1 of 1’ in the corner.

AH

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Villainesses DAMCon III

DAM Con III was small. I explored the floor for a few minutes. If you know me, that is not a priority. I was just checking if anything screamed at me to give it a closer look. The Ultraman card game seemed interesting but I only gave it a second look. It was time to get to business.

After getting Eihi’s autograph, I wandered off to Carla Perez. My ‘wandering’ was 10 feet. She was one of the ‘villains’ in Powers Rangers. She was sweet. She saw my Tokyo Gore Police photo and asked about the movie. She had not seen the movie. Nor anything in that genre. It’s an odd genre/movie to try to explain. I don’t think I convinced her to watch it. We chatted for a few minutes when another attendee wandered over. The show was small but people were coming to the guests’ tables.  I did not want to prevent a fan from seeing her so I ‘wandered’ over to Amy Rolle.

Amy Rolle, you might know her as Amy Miller, was another villainess in Power Rangers. She was chatting and explaining to a fan that her costume gave her strange tan lines across her stomach. When I saw the photo, I understood why.

When the fan moved along, I stepped up and asked if the costume also made bathroom breaks ‘interesting’. She laughed and said her makeup artist was her best friend as she helped her get in and out of the suit. It was as struggle to stay hydrated and ready to film.

As we chatted, I found out she was local, the DFW area. That lead to other topics beyond Power Rangers and acting.: kids, school, seeing friends.  Like normal people. As if on cue, a fan wandered to the table and I left.

AH

Eihi Shiina DAMCon III April 2026

Fifteen years ago, at Texas Frightmare, I got Eihi Shiina autograph on a 5x7. Today at DAMCon (DAM – Destroy All Monsters) I got her on an 8x10.  FYI – I’m glad I printed something; she only had a few 5x7s available at her table.

After I said good afternoon and introduced myself in Japanese, she responded in Japanese and I had to turn to her interpreter. That was all the Japanese I knew.

We chatted for a short while on different topics. She seemed happy to meet a fan.  She did tell me she visited Buc-ees. I’m sure the surprise was evident on my face. My first thought was she flew 10, 000 miles and saw a Buc-ees. Buc-ees IS world famous. She was surprised how big it was and how much ‘stuff’ (my word not hers) they had.

She asked if I saw Tokyo Gore Police. I had…about 15 years ago. She asked if I liked it. I do remember liking it. I watched it because she was at Texas Frightmare all those years ago. I got a nod. I think that is a positive response.

Then someone walked up and I moved along.

AH

Jaime Pressly – Not that theater dummy!

An autograph buddy and I drove to Texas Theater for the screening of a movie that Jaime Pressley is in called, Last Shot. It’s film festival time and there are a few actors in town promoting different movies.

We got to the theater early and conveniently there was a park bench in front where we sat and chatted. It was a little breezy but a good day to be outside.   About 30 minutes later a small white car pulls up and the passenger door opens. It’s Jaime. We were surprised as were expecting a big black SUV.

In my surprise, I actually said, It’s her! with a surprised look on my face. She turned and mimicked my surprised look and said: it’s me!

We stood and asked if she had time to sign.  She begged off and said she was late. It happens. We’ll wait until after the film is shown.

She tried to enter the theater but the doors were locked. She frantically looked for someone that might get her in. She asked for help. And of course, the last door was still unlocked and she entered.

Just as the adrenaline faded, she came out and quickly walked to the curb. She moved with purpose. Before we can ask what was wrong or if she had time now, she turned to us and said, they dropped her off at the wrong theater. Then she asked if we still had our stuff to sign. She would do it while she waited for the driver.

When I handed over my pen, she said the signature wouldn't show. She normally signs along the bottom. I suggested the sky. I told I picked red to match the color of the car.

I loved that she asked noticed the pen color. and I love that she was proactive and asked us for our items. Very sweet of her. Just as she finished signing ,the little white car pulled up and she got in. Our mission accomplished.

She was supposed to be taken to the Red Carpet event as a different theater. After that, she was to be driven to Texas Theater later. The driver goofed. It worked out well for us. We were done early and drove home.

Now, in my head, I image, she channeled her inner Joy, from My Name is Earl. She started hard chomping on imaginary gum, snide condescending look developed on her face, and said to the driver: That was the wrong theater dummy!

AH

All-Con with Wedge and C-3PO

I have said it before and it is true, All-Con is good small convention. It does a lot of things. It doesn’t want to grow and it has loyal fans. The thing they do that I like most is ‘Free Thursday’. No admission to attend on Thursday. That allows me and my friends to come, look over the vendor room, and get the autographs we want.

I had a couple of autographs I wanted. After getting a couple of double-takes from people because I didn’t have a badge, I walked over to David Ankrum’s table. He was standing behind his table arranging photos. The lady that was sitting next to him got his attention and pointed to me. We barely exchanged ‘helloes’ when he pointed out the red, white, and blue ‘A’ logo on my shirt. He asked if I went to Arizona.  I smiled and nodded and asked if he did. As he was saying no and explaining his daughter did, the lady stood and introduced herself as his wife.

As we talked about Tucson and Uof A for a bit. Chris Bartlett came over and asked about a panel they were planning on doing. Since it was business, I stepped back and chatted with the wife, Barbara Ankrum.  Because she had 10 different books on the table with her name on them, I asked if she was a writer.  Yeah, not my sharpest moment. But I was vamping to wait out Chris.

One of the books was made into a Hallmark movie; which I replied my mom and maybe my wife has seen it. Mom watches a lot of Hallmark. Of course, I asked to get a signed copy. Then we talked about writing and the glamor of being a published writer.

Now conversation between Chris and David slowed and they turned to Barbara and me. Barabara asked about Chris’s origin story. I smiled at the turn of phrase but I guess people do say that nowadays: origin story.

He mentioned being a cosplayer and made his own C-3PO suit. He was an actor and did a YouTube video of himself as C-3PO. Lucas saw it and a meeting was set up. They wanted to see him in person. Lucas also wanted to see his suit. They flew in Chris and his suit. Talked and he now does C-3PO in the TV series and some of the other characters. And some of those are characters Chris created himself.

We chatted for another 10 minutes. It was great to be part of the chit-chat. I feel like part of the ‘in crowd’. After Chris moved on, David mentioned he actually tried out for C-3PO. When he was called back, he was asked to do Wedge.

After I left David’s table, I backtracked to Chris’s and picked up his signature.

AH

 

Susan Lucci La Lucci mail order book signing

As you probably know, I prefer getting my autographs in person. Besides being able to verify the signature, I like meeting the people and possibly sharing a word or two. While it doesn’t happen often, it’s great when you can connect or make them laugh or come away with an anecdote to share with friends. Ordering a signed book is not the normal process for me.  I do it, but it’s the exception.

The Wife watched soaps forever. I never did. Well, not daytime soaps. A lot of my sci fi shows are semi or more than semi ‘soapy’. And yes, she laughs at me when she sees what I’m watching.

Somewhere, I became fixated on Susan Lucci. Not stalker fixated. Never wrote her a letter or tracked her on the internet. Just when she was on TV, I would pause. If I passed through the living room and The Wife was watching a soap, I would ask where Susan was. Most times the answer was ‘wrong show’ and I would walk off. If it was the right show, I would pause, wait until I saw Susan and sigh. The Wife would throw a pillow and I would walk off.

When my social media accounts were flooded with ads about Susan’s new book and I could order a signed copied, I succumbed to their advertising power. I could not resist. I clicked a link and provided my payment. I feel a little guilty about being weak minded about that. BUT it is Susan Lucci and The Wife will attest; I have a thing for Susan.

When the book arrived, I opened the package and The Wife took it from my hands and said she wanted to read it. I may have held it for 3 seconds before it was spirited away. Then she let me know there was dozens of glamorous photos of Susan. The Wife has a mean steak.

I’m sure I’ll get the book back in a few months.

AH

Feeding Phil Rosenthal and an Autograph Hound

I have a friend who is a ‘foodie’. The Wife is a semi foodie. I collect autographs.

When Phil Rosenthal announced a tour stop in Dallas, it seemed natural a group of us would go to see Phil. If you don’t know, Phil was the genius behind the TV Series, Everyone Loves Raymond. And he is the genius behind the Netflix series, Someone Feed Phil. It’s a show where he travels and eats. While I was drooling for an autograph, the others (coworker, his wife, and The Wife) drooled over the anecdotes and memories that Phil shared at the Majestic Theater.

He was funny and polished. He had everyone laughing. The moderator did well with asking questions and getting out of the way. She also had some good questions and was well prepared.

After the event, there was a Meet and Greet. Phil posed for photos and signed books. He exchanged a few words with everyone. The Wife was excited to get her book signed. I was happy to get my photo signed.

Afterward, it was nice ride home with friends as we discussion what was said.

Two things that stand out from the appearance:

He talked but a romantic location on the water in Italy (I think), the table is set out on a jetty and is very isolated. Phil decided to take his wife to that restaurant and dine at that romantically isolated table. He called and talked to the owner, who was very excited to speak with Phil. They discussed how busy the restaurant had become since the episode aired. Phil was happy to hear that. Then Phil asked if he could make reservations and get that table on the jetty.  The short answer was ’no’. It was booked for the foreseeable future. Very funny.

Based on the show, it appears Phil loves everything he eats. He took the question and said, yes, everything he airs on the show he likes or loves.  The things he did not like are not aired. He explained, there is no reason to show something he doesn’t like and possible give ‘bad press’ to a small business owner. Just because Phil didn’t like it didn’t mean it wasn’t good.  Which is something I appreciate. People often try to make me eat things they find delicious that just look or smell noxious.

My friends got their appetite whetted and I got my autograph. A good night for everyone.

AH