Sir Ian McKellen

 

Few actors are as accomplished and critically-acclaimed as the one and only Sir Ian McKellen. Not only does he have two incredibly successful movie franchises under his belt, but he is also a talented veteran of the theatre. Currently, he can be seen on Broadway alongside friend Sir Patrick Stewart in No Man's Land and Waiting for Godot at the Cort Theatre.

Last year, Sir Ian journeyed back to Middle Earth to reprise his role as Gandalf the Grey in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. This December, fans will be able to see their favorite wizard once more, as the sequel The Desolation of Smaug is released in theaters worldwide. In 2014, both Sir Ian and Sir Patrick will be back on the big screen together, appearing in the highly-anticipated X-Men: Days of Future Past as Magneto and Professor X, respectively. Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry and Anna Paquin, as well as some others, will also return to reprise their roles.

I have been an enormous fan of Sir Ian McKellen for some time now (obv!), and I cannot wait to see his upcoming films. I only wish I lived closer to New York so that I could see his play and chance meeting him outside the theatre. He is a true gentleman, much like Sir Patrick Stewart, and I thank him for honoring my autograph request. LLAP.

Sent: November 2, 2013
Received: November 22, 2013

HorrorHound Weekend: Indianapolis (2013)

Yesterday, I traveled to Indianapolis (for the first time!) to attend my first HorrorHound convention with hopes of meeting The Walking Dead's Steven Yeun, Emily Kinney and Chad Coleman. Steven was only scheduled to appear yesterday because he had to be back in Georgia early morning today for filming, so meeting him was definitely my top priority. Plus, my birthday was Friday, and what better way to celebrate than with my favorite male character from one of my favorite television shows?!

Robert Englund, Freddy Krueger himself, was also in attendance this weekend. The lines for him were certainly long, but well-organized to manage the amount of people, which kind of meant The Walking Dead was not the prime focus at this convention. I only waited an hour - perhaps a tad more - to meet Steven and gain access to the ballroom where they were signing. Once inside, I was able to bounce to Chad's and Emily's tables without having to go to the end of the line each time. Steven was $40 per signature, and while I was anticipating Emily and Chad would be $30, turns out they were $40 each as well (pretty much standard price for most of The Walking Dead cast members these days).

I had each sign my cast poster, now bringing the count to 7 signatures! This was my final convention for 2013, and I cannot wait to start again in March 2014!

 

 

 

While at the convention, I also met Vivica A Fox (of Kill Bill) and Barry Bostwick (of The Rocky Horror Picture Show). Too cool! While this was my first HorrorHound experience, it certainly will not be my last!

Contamination DefCon 4 2013 Convention

Yesterday I journeyed down to St. Louis for Contamination's annual convention. I knew it would be a fairly quick trip, as I was only interested in meeting three guests from The Walking Dead - Nick Gomez (Tomas), Theo Crane (Big Tiny) and Travis Love (Shumpert the Bowman). All were very, very nice and down to earth, willing to chat, sign my poster and snap a few photos...

Alan Cumming

 

Today I received a response from Eli Gold (of The Good Wife) himself, actor Alan Cumming. Alan is currently starring in the Broadway production of Macbeth, and has received nothing but rave reviews across the board. I have been a huge fan of Alan's work since the days of Goldeneye
(as Boris Grishenko - "I am invincible!"), Annie (as Rooster in the Kathy Bates revival) and
X2: X-Men United (as Nightcrawler, who was totally underutilized in the film), but his recurring role as Eli Gold on The Good Wife has to be my absolute favorite. I cannot wait for the new season to begin in the fall! Stay tuned!

Thomas Nicholas (again!)

Last night, I met actor Thomas (Ian) Nicholas at a local bar in the area. Thomas played Kevin Myers in all four American Pie movies and was awesome in person. I arrived before he was scheduled to play with his band, and was surprised to see him casually hanging out in the venue. I asked him for a photo op and if he would sign my American Reunion 8x10". I mentioned how I had no aspirations to add any other signatures to the cast photo, and that he could take as much space as he wanted. You'll see his in person (IP) signature matches his through the mail (TTM) signature quite nicely. He thanked us for coming out and was a genuinely kind guy. Plus, I was so excited he performed Matt Nathanson's "Laid" (which his band covered for the American Reunion soundtrack). Night made. Happy 4th, indeed!

Regis Philbin

I have owned a copy of Regis' autobiography How I Got This Way for some time, but I just now got around to sending it to him. I wrote Regis once before and received my photo back signed and dedicated with a great message, and this occurrence was no different. In both letters, I mentioned how I studied Journalism in college and now possess a Bachelor's degree in Communication, and how he is a true inspiration to me. I told him how I aspire to do what he did every day, and how I am sure I could a better job than Michael Strahan! Whew, don't get me started! I miss Regis more than you could imagine, but his recurring appearances on Hot in Cleveland and The View have helped me cope.

Star Trek 2013 Chicago Convention

On Saturday, June 1 and Sunday, June 2, I attended my second Star Trek convention at the Westin O'Hare in Rosemont, IL. This action-packed weekend boasted a reunion of the entire cast of The Next Generation and also had some actors and actresses from Deep Space Nine on hand to sign autographs and take photos. I had the time of my life and accomplished everything I wanted. It was great seeing everyone I had previously met out in Las Vegas last August, and it was equally special meeting some of my favorite actors and actresses for the first time.
Like whom? Oh, I don't know...how about SIR PATRICK STEWART?! He was so nice!
I'm still stunned I met him. WHAT a legend!

Here's to the 2014 Chicago convention with first confirmed guest JERI RYAN! Can't wait!

Photo Ops...

Marina Sirtis & Gates McFadden!

Nana Visitor!

Sir Patrick Stewart & Avery Brooks!

 

Autographs...

 

Marina Sirtis (Deanna Troi) & Gates McFadden (Beverly Crusher)

*Meeting Denise Crosby (Tasha Yar) in August to complete the photo* 

Michael Dorn (Worf) 

Signed by the entire cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation (!!) 

Signed by five of the nine cast members of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 

Sir Patrick Stewart (Professor Charles Xavier, X-Men)

LeVar Burton (Star Trek: TNG, Reading Rainbow, Roots)

 

...quite a haul, yeah? Can't wait 'til next year!