"Time Stands Still"

Today I received a cast-signed playbill from the Broadway show, Time Stands Still. The play stars Laura Linney as a photojournalist who lived through a roadside bombing, but may not survive her long-term relationship. Linney is accompanied by Brian d'Arcy James, Eric Bogosian and Christina Ricci (courtesy of playbill.com).

I sent my letter of request and SASE to the stage manager one month ago on December 27, 2010. This is a great addition to my playbill collection -- I now have two Laura Linney autographs (I sent her an individual request last year as well and received my photo back signed) and I also have Christina Ricci's autograph. I don't think I really need to restate how I feel about these two talented actresses (just scan my Addams Family post below).

Leah Remini

For those of you who know me well, you know that I am a fan of my talk shows. From Live! With Regis and Kelly to The View, Oprah to The Talk, I'm all over it. Well today, I received my photo back signed and personalized from The Talk panelist Leah Remini. Some of you might know her best from The King of Queens or even Saved By The Bell (Remember their vacation at the Malibu Sands resort? She was Zach's love interest.) These days, she can be seen weekdays from 1 to 2 pm on CBS's The Talk, as stated above. If you haven't given it a viewing, I highly recommend you do. :)

Thomas Ian Nicholas

Received one of my all-time favorite autograph successes today -- and you'll see why in just a moment. On September 11, 2010, I sent a letter, two 5x7" photos, and three index cards (each with a different question) to Thomas Ian Nicholas of Rookie of the Year and the American Pie films (he played Kevin Myers, my favorite character in those movies). These days, he can be seen touring with his band, TNB: Thomas Nicholas Band, and might I say, their music is quite good!

Today, I received everything I sent -- the two photos signed and personalized and index cards filled out with great, in-depth answers to my questions -- PLUS, he included a signed and personalized 4x6" promo shot, a promo card for his band, and a short note. It's successes like these that make this hobby so extraordinary. The waiting can really drive you bonkers, but once you hear back from some of your favorite entertainers, you feel like you're on a cloud. Many thanks to Thomas for such an excellent surprise on a Saturday!

Questions & Answers on index cards:

• Question: Describe your perfect day.
• Answer: Sleeping in is the first key component to the start of a perfect day. Followed by an epic breakfast. Or at least eggs benedict. From that point on, as long as I didn't have any deadlines, I would hang with friends and probably play some video games.
• Question: Which American Pie movie is your favorite?
• Answer: The first American Pie movie was my favorite of all three. I really thought that the story had the most heart. However they were all fun to work on.
• Question: Which TNB song is your favorite?
• Answer: That's a tough question. The first song that comes to mind is "Heroes Are Human." I wrote the song about my cousin who taught me to sing/play/write music. If not for him, I wouldn't have a band.

"The Addams Family"

Another nice surprise in the mail today -- direct from the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on Broadway in New York City, a cast-signed playbill from The Addams Family. Starring Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth as Gomez and Morticia Addams, the show opened April 8, 2010 and has done very well since. Both Lane and Neuwirth signed the playbill, as well as those who play such wonderful characters as Uncle Fester, Lurch, Grandmama, Pugsley and Wednesday.  I sent my request via the Stage Manager on December 27th, so this was a pretty fast turnaround. That's the great thing about playbills, too -- if you're into collecting them, the SMs do a nice job at sending them back to you in a timely manner. Here's hoping I receive my cast-signed Time Stands Still playbill sometime soon...ironically, Christina Ricci is currently starring in Time Stands Still (alongside Laura Linney), and most of us know her as who? Wednesday Addams from the movies with Anjelica Houston, Raul Julia and Christopher Lloyd!

John Ratzenberger & Molly Shannon

Oh, how I love Mondays! Sure, it takes the mail forever and a day to arrive on Mondays, but once it does, there's usually always an envelope with my name on it. Today, there were two -- one from Saturday Night Live alum Molly Shannon, who just finished her Broadway debut in Promises, Promises, and another from everyone's favorite postman, John Ratzenberger -- known for his role as Cliff in Cheers and his voice work as Hamm in the Toy Story films. 

I sent Ms. Shannon a letter kindly requesting her signature on the photo I supplied as well as on a Promises, Promises playbill (both can be seen below). I sent Mr. Ratzenberger a photo as well, but instead of signing my 5x7", he sent me an awesome 8x10" -- signed and personalized as requested. It's currently being flattened for framing (there was a slight bend across the middle), but perhaps I'll post photos once it's framed...perhaps not, of course. Thrilled to add these two entertainment legends to my collection!