"Lowe" and behold!

In autograph collecting, and in life in general, sometimes we get great surprises, like this autographed photo from Rob Lowe. Many times I write to celebrities with very little hope of getting a response, especially when my letter has not been answered for quite a long time, so it was a great thrill to get this signed photo from the quite talented Rob Lowe, who is one of my favorite actors. Now if love could come surprising knocking on my door, I'll be all set :)

To tell the truth....

Kitty Carlisle (famous "To Tell the Truth" panelist) brings up a great issue in her letter she wrote me on the back of a small photo that came with the autographed photo she sent me. She states that TV Shows just don't have the quality they used to because of the people, and I often question that myself. There are very few movies these days that really stick with me; same with TV shows, but the ones that do are outstanding. I've always admired Ms. Carlisle's ability to define the word "classy". She's had a long-lived multi-faceted career, and getting her autographed photo helped me reminsisce about times gone by. The biggest difference I find in modern day and old time stuff is the lack of imagination necessary these days, and the prominence of shock value as a form of entertainment. I guess several years down the road though, I'll probably be looking at the stuff that's out there today as "the good old days."

Its like Chistmas in November

Beth is another wonderful friend I've made through autograph collecting. I'm happy her husband is home and she's getting to spend some quality time with him, but sure do miss looking for pictures and addresses with her in my downtime. Beth has a giving heart and to my delight I got a package from her with the following autographs: Lake Bell and Carter Jenkins of "Surface", long time character actor Clint Howard, the marvelously funny Kathy Najimy who was outstanding as the chirpy nun in "Sister Act", and the very talented "Everyone Loves Raymond" co-star Brad Garrett. Thanks so much Beth!!

Greetings from Peru

I was real excited to get this autographed photo of up and coming young actress Kristen Stewart from my friend Claudia in Peru. Claudia is one of the good friends I've made over the Internet from this hobby and I'm real glad to have her in my life. She always is able to make me smile and is so thoughtful and with great personality. She's off seeing Ricky Martin right now having a wonderful time! Ms. Stewart is best known for playing Jodie Foster's young daughter in the fast paced thriller "Panic Room" and is currently in theaters in the Jumanji-esque new film "Zathura."

Getting "The Shaft"

Usually, the term getting the shaft deals more with a negative situation; getting blown off by friends, having someone go back on their word, getting shortchanged at the store, having a trip canceled at the last minute; all of which are situations I'm familiar with, but to have gotten this autographed photo from Isaac Hayes famous for the Theme from Shaft in the mail was definitely a more postive version of that term! Even at 7am, my dirty little mind could thing of yet another meaning for "getting the shaft" but I just won't go there today :)

One of my favorite shows is coming back

"Invasion" was one of my two favorite new shows this season. I just heard it got picked up for next season. One of the shows appeals is Alexis Dziena who plays the role of Kira, daughter of alien infected town sheriff William Fichtner. Being a young new star, Alexis probably didn't have glossy photos to send to fans, so I was thrilled to get this signed computer printout of this up and coming young starlet. Unfortunately, my other favorite new show "Reunion" got the axe. I hope they just play the rest of the season out.

D-d-d-Davey!!

After emailing Art Clokey and getting a signed Gumby photo, I thought I'd find a picture of one of my favorite clamation shows growing up; Davey and Goliath. I was thrilled to get this photo back signed by Mr. Clokey.

Is it real or memorex?

One bad thing about autograph collecting in the mail is you never actually know if the celebrity signed your item or their item personally. Many times at first glance an autograph looks authentic when you open the envelope but when you compare it to others that were obtained in person, there may be very few similarities. I wrote to Christina Ricci and sent a photo to be signed. In my mailbox, I received my photo back with a signature, and a black and white photo that both appeared to be real. But looking close, I noticed that the signatures were very different especially when looking at the "R"s in both names. So after researching, I found out the black/white photo is definitely a stamp. I found others that had an exact duplicate signature on the same photo but in different places, thus ruling out a preprint. Done it silver, its a very fooling rubber stamp, nonetheless still a stamp. This made me question the color photo that I sent to be signed. If they made a rubber stamp of Ms Ricci's signature, why would the signature on my photo be so different. Well in comparing to in person signatures (that are more similar to the stamp on the b/w white photo), I'm pretty convinced that someone other than Ms Ricci signed the color photo. In this hobby, you win some/you lose some.

Hard work pays off sometimes

Me and my friend Beth decided to try to get the autographs of the cast of the show "Queer as Folk" including some of the key supporting players which many of are hard to find photos and addresses for. We spent about 3 hours looking for information on Fabrizio Filippo who did a wonderful job playing Ethan on the show. He's probably my favorite character even including the main cast. We found these great photos of him and on November 8th found out he was working on a new TV show in Toronto that was filming until November 23rd; not much time to turn it around, but it paid off. On November 23rd, the photos came back signed, and he had inscribed mine to "Jett" then caught his mistake and changed the "t"s to F's. What a nice surprise in the mail, and its really nice to know that sometimes hard work DOES pay off!

Even more gray

Some things just connect in funny ways. Besides getting a success from Bruce GRAY, I got an 8x10 very cool color photo from Isaiah Washington of "GRAY's Anatomy". Great show if you haven't seen it! Must be gray is the word of the day. Hey, I made a rhyme. (Look what lack of sleep does to the mind!)

Movies you can watch over and over

There are some movies you watch and can really only watch once, but others have something that allows you to watch them over and over again without ever getting sick of them. Some of the movies I've been known to be able to watch over and over are "Zapped", "A Little Romance", "Monster Ball", "Sideways", "Pulp Fiction", "Grease" and "Grease 2". From "Grease 2", I got this autographed photo from Maxwell Caulfield. Nice suprise in the mail after being out for six months, and motivation to watch the movie yet again!

The Color Gray

Gray is one of those colors used for multiple meanings. In terms of hair, it means we're getting older. Unfortunately for me, I get to go gray and bald. I think you should get one or the other but not both, in terms of emotions, its similar to feeling blue, gray skies are gloomy, but in terms of thinking, gray is an awesome color. I tend not to see things in black and white, but in grayscale. I hate to be put in a box. A very talented actor who obviously sees things in gray is Bruce Gray who has been in a lot of TV Shows and movies, but my favorite roles of his is playing George Schickle on Queer as Folk, teaching us that its never too late to follow your heart, and maybe being in the mile high club isn't always such a good thing! :)

What's in a name?

I remember when I was younger, some people just had the coolest names. My assistant principal in high school was Beverly Hill, one of the students was Peter Rabbitt, and sadly one of the kids in elementary school was Harry Dick (what were his parents thinking), but the coolest name on TV has to be Ducky Mallard of Navy NCIS. David McCallum who plays Ducky sent me this 8x10 photo signed and inscribed.

Family hour

I remember when we were younger, I used to enjoy that time together as a family, whether it be going out to eat, going to an amusement park, or just sitting together in front of the TV. "Quincy" was one of my mom's favorite shows, and its amazing where medical examiner type shows have advanced to these days. I received this 8x10 photo signed and inscribed by Robert Ito who played Sam on "Quincy".

Slow Down and Enjoy Life

When I was going to book a blood drive at one of the churches we go to, they had this sign posted on a pretty oceanlike background. How true is it, we spend so much time rushing to do this, rushing to do that, going to work, getting the house clean, that we sometimes forget to take the time to just have fun and enjoy the time we have here. Today's autograph success definitely adds a lot of fun, joy and laughter to people all over the world including me. "Old School" is one of those movies I could watch over and over, and I was ecstatic to get this signed photo back from Will Ferrell today. It even reminds me, when I can't find a date, I still have options! LOL

From Noth to Nothing

Usually, I like to add something personal to my posts, but there's so much going on with my life right now, I wouldn't know where to begin, so I'll just stick to the mailbox. On Friday, I receivedd this awesome 8x10 photo signed and inscribed by Chris Noth of "Sex in the City" and "Law and Order: Criminal Intent", and Saturday, I got squat in the mail, thus going from Noth to Nothing. :)

Damn, Wish I Was Your Lover

Haven't you ever felt that way. Seen someone so incredibly beautiful that it just blew you away. Hmmm..wonder why that never happens to me. Oh, well, I'll have to settle for this great signed photo from "Damn, Wish I was Your Lover" singer Sophie B Hawkins. This is a woman with a lot of energy and like another favorite of mine, Deana Carter, she likes to sing barefoot!

My Bonnie Lies over the ocean...

my bonnie lies over the sea...my bonnie...oh brother, this is what I get for posting to the blog so late at night. I've totally lost it, but was glad to get this autographed photo from NYPD Blue and more recently "Without A Paddle" and "Gross Pointe Blank" actress Bonnie Somerville. I think this lady is going places!

Tic Tac Toe

When I was little I never really understood how people could play Tic Tac Toe. If you knew what you were doing there was no way to lose..so why play? On the gameshow Tic Tac Dough, I liked watching because as a 10 year old the questions were much easier than the other shows, and it was a show I could watch with my mom. I wonder why they pick such dumb people for these shows, or maybe they just get nervous from being on camera. Maybe someday I'll find out! But in the mean time, I have this autographed photo of game show host extraordinaire...Wink Martindale!

Two for one!

Nothing like a Two for one sale, especially with Christmas coming up. It sure is nice to be able to save a few bucks when you can. Today, I got a two for one autograph in the mail from Jake Weber. I sent him the "Dawn of the Dead" photo which he signed and graciously added one of his own. A very nice surprise, from this very talented actor!

No news is good news?

Sometimes that's the case, but the world would be in the dark about a lot of things if it weren't for men like Walter Cronkite who have spent a vast majority of their lives keeping the American public informed on the good, the bad and the ugly on this place called Earth. Today, I got this signed photo from Mr Cronkite. What an honor to have his autograph in my collection.

Six Million Dollar Success

Boy, what I could do with Six Million Dollars, or 200 plus million which is what the mega-million jackpot is up to, but oops, I don't have a ticket for it! Today, I got this 5x7 photo signed from Mr Oscar Goldman of "The Bionic Woman" and "The Six Million Dollar Man". What a great addition to my collection.

A dedication

None of these successes would have been possible without the help of my friend Beth who I met last year through an Autograph collecting group Autographers Anonymous through yahoo. Through the time I've been in the group, me and Beth have gotten quite close and have become much more than fellow autograph collectors. We play yahoo games, talk about our personal ups and downs, complain, laugh, share stories, and Beth has become one of my dearest friends despite the fact that we've never personally met. This post is dedicated to my friend Beth. Its a great joy to have you in my life! And was a nice surprise to find the autographs of Johnathon Schaech, Mariska Hargitay, Rosie O'Donnell, Patti Lupone, Chris Meloni and Leelee Sobieski in my mailbox! Thanks Beth for being a part of my life!

He thrilled the Dickens out of me

Many years ago, I went to FanFair. I had never really liked country music growing up except for those few songs that would cross over onto the pop charts, but when I moved from New York to Texas back in 1990, I slowly began to appreciate the music all thanks to "Shake the Sugar Tree" from Pam Tillis. I listened mostly to the newer stuff and went to Fan Fair in Nashville a few times where I got to see this talented man perform at the Grand Ole Opry. The enthusiasm that poured out of Little Jimmy Dickens was amazing, and I became a fan. I was grateful to receive this gold-signed autographed photo in the mail from this BIG country legend!

The Grass is Always Greener

Along with this great color signed photo of "24" actor Xander Berkeley (I'm pretty he's the first "X" autograph I have) I got a full page handwritten letter. I told him that when I was young I had wanted to take a chance and move to NY or LA and try to become an actor but people thought it was too risky and since I was good in school, it wouldn't be a smart move and I should do something more secure. Well, he agreed with them, telling me how hard it is and that 1 out of 100 SAG listed actors are really really struggling. It was awesome to have a celebrity take that much time out to write me a full page letter! One fine actor and one classy man; and I sure appreciate the advice.

Do Something, Do Nothing, Dukakis!

Ok, that has to be the absolute most idiotic title I've used on this blog, but the coffee hasn't quite settled in my system yet. What can I say about this actress. She's an Oscar winning great talent from great films such as "Steel Magnolias" and "Moonstruck" and she just shines with character. I've tried several times to get her autograph and finally struck gold writing to her at a play in NYC. And what a name...Olympia Dukakis....great name, great actress, and great to finally have her autograph!

Is it real?

I've been collecting autographs on and off since I was a kid. One of the things that's hard about through the mail autograph collecting is you're really not there to see the celebrity put the marker on the photo and sign it, so there can often times be a question of authenticity. Many times you can compare your signature to an obtained in person signature from various resources on-line, but sometimes it leaves you still baffled. This Steven Seagal autograph I got in the mail is one such case. It kinda looks like his in person signature but then again it kinda does not. So, for now, I'll just be glad I got it and say its real!

Everyone Hates Jeff?

I am one of those people that sometimes lacks that filter between the brain and the mouth, so very often when I think something, it ends up coming out the mouth regardless if its appropriate or not. Its never meant with malice, well almost always not, but it can tend to offend people at times; and I've also been able to get along with lots of different kinds of people so I've had a lot of acquaintances and hang out buddies through my life, but by being like that I've lacked having friends that stay around long-term. It used to make me crazy and make me think people hate me for some reason, but then learned its just part of who I am. So love me or hate me, I am me :) From the show "Everybody Hates Chris" I got this autographed photo from a young actor I'm pretty sure most people will love; Vincent Martella.

What a great "Break"

Sometimes in life, things are going all wrong, and then something weird happens that makes everything a little bit better. Lucky breaks. Yesterday, I hit a garbage can full of cement blocks in my new car..but, no damage...Lucky break! In the mail, I got a nice autographed photo of breakout "Prison Break" star Wentworth Miller. Lucky break!

A good scare!

I love scary movies except when I have to come home to an empty house and find myself looking under the bed, in the closets, in the shower, etc and quivering over every little noise...and one of the movies that really sent me to chill city was the original "Halloween". It was great to get this autographed photo from Michael Myers himself, Chris Durand. I got to play Michael Myers in a haunted house that I volunteered for once and had a blast at it.

Raiders of the Lost Letter

Sometimes the mail is fruitful, sometimes its not. I really enjoyed Karen Allen's performance in the "Raiders of the Lost Ark" movies, and she's known to be a quick signer in the mail. I thought this one had been lost because it had been out since February, but to my surprise, this photo came back signed and inscribed from this wonderful actress 9 months later.