Rock Of Ages Premiere in LA. Tom Cruise, Bryan Cranston, Malin Ackerman and more!

I made another trip to LA for the much anticipated premiere of Rock Of Ages. This event was going to be STAR STUDDED! I assumed that all of the cast members would be there, but knew there would be much more than that with this movie being a Tom Cruise picture. Well...I was not disappointed with who showed up, just a little bit with the outcome. :)  Here is what happened and how it went down.

We (my son and 2 friends) arrived in Los Angeles on Thursday morning, June 7th. We had planned on going to the Jimmy Kimmel show to try to get a few autographs. The guests were Leighton Meester and none other than Mr. Impossible; Edward Norton. Being that the movie premiere was the next day and the after party was being held nearby, we showed up around 10 am and grabbed our spot in line. There wasn't anyone else there at this time, so we waited until the show security came out and told us where to stand. By that time, there were about 4 other graphers and we all took our place in line. Now it was time to wait. As many of my Cali friends agree, we are not fans of attempting to get graphs at this venue, as everyone and their brother show up just to star gaze, which makes it difficult to get the stars to come over to us. Around 6pm or so, Leighton arrived and waved to us as she went in the door. She did not come over to sign on either entry, or exit. That's right...she stiffed us. I thought she would be really cool, but as I hadn't had any experiences with getting her; I was incorrect. Mr. Norton arrived shortly after and also waved going into the building. This is the one I really wanted to get. I have always been a HUGE fan of his since his movie Primal Fear. I have seen everyone of his movies...even those that went straight to dvd. When he left the building, everyone was calling his name. He did not come over and sign for us either, but with my cat-like reflexes (lol), I jumped over the rail (without hurting myself) and ran around the building and down the block as fast as I could. There was one other grapher that did the same thing, and both of us were standing in the street calling for Ed as his car came to a stop at the sign. To my surprise, he rolled down the window. We thanked him for stopping and handed our pictures (one each) into him. My friend managed to get quite a few done, as a few other graphers had caught up to us by this point; and I did manage to get my second picture done. It took some work, but being as it was a Death To Smoochy picture, I think Ed knew I was a fan. :)

Now, the one thing I did leave out is that around 1pm, Def Leppard was doing a sound check on the after party stage. We used our connections to get this information and were waiting with our ROA posters and an album as they came on/off the stage. The first one to come over and sign for us (my friend, my son and myself) was bass player Rick Savage. He was very nice to take the time to sign and take photos with. Next was Rick Allen, who I had heard was very tough to get; so you can imagine my surprise when he came over and signed as well as did a photo op with us. Thanks to Rick and Rick! Joe Elliot was walking to the stage, so I yelled for him to come over and he responded that he would when he was finished. The problem with this was that there were only 3 of us at this time, and once the band started playing, it quickly became 50. Once they were through, Joe kept to his word and came over and did 1 each for us, but NO photo's with (I think one guy did get one instead of a graph). I did manage to get him on my album, but he ignored the pick guard. We also got Vivian, who is the other guitarist, along with Phil Collen; who refused to sign. Thanks Def Leppard! I've been a huge fan since I was young and have been to ALL of your concerts in Phx.

Here is what I got on Thursday:

Rick Savage taking time for us. 

 Rick Allen was a big surprise. Thanks Rick!

Vivian Campbell was very nice also.  

Thanks so much to Joe Elliot for signing as well.  

 My High and Dry album signed by Joe, Rick, Rick and Vivian.

 My pick guard signed by Rick, Rick and Vivian. Next time Joe!

Again, this is one of my favorite comedies. It's not for everyone, but I find it hilarious!

At some point, I plan on getting Brad on this as well. Thanks so much Ed! It was great!

And for my fellow Def Leppard fans out there, here is a taste of their Hysteria sound check. :)

Now...on to the events of the Rock Of Ages premiere. I will keep this one as brief as possible, as there was a lot going on. We arrived at the event at 8:30 am and there were already 50 people or so lined up. They had organized pens in which to stand for autographs, whereby limiting the people that would take the time to jump from pen to pen for multiple graphs. This would prove to be a very hard thing to do as you had to fight through the crowd in one pen to get out, and another to try to get close to the front. More on this to come. :p

My son, Jordon, stayed at the event and held our place as myself and my friend went to a talk show to try and get Tom Cruise there. This turned out to be a HUGE waste of time, as he didn't stop to sign going in (around 10 people there) or going out (4 of us there). So we jumped in our car and rushed to the premiere, where we assumed Tom was heading. We actually happened to pass his vehicle on the way and beat him there. My friend dropped me off close and went to park the car. I battled through people and got a spot on the rail that Jordon had been holding for me. Prob no less than 5 min after I got there, Tom arrived. The crowd went CRAZY and he came right over to sign. Now, let me ask you this friends...if I were to tell you that Tom Cruise would sign autographs for over an hour; how many graphs would you think you could get? 5? 10? Well, after the Johnny Depp premiere of Dark Shadows, where I racked by the way; I expected this to be very similar. When Tom made it to us, and we were in the first pen; he signed my poster and ignored my request to sign my Jerry Maguire picture that had already been signed by Cuba. My son was right next to me and got 2 pictures signed by Tom, both for my friend; since he was parking the car. Jordon was going to get one for my friend and one for himself, but forgot in the confusion. It all worked out though, as my friend is nice and is going to give Jordon one of the pictures he got signed (I don't have pictures of those). As soon as my picture was signed, I fought my way out of my pen and into the next one. I had plenty of time to do this, as Mr. Cruise was talking with people and taking pictures as well; which took a tremendous amount of time. When he finally made it to me again, I was in the 2nd row and to my surprise...nothing. He totally ignored anyone who was not in the 1st row against the rail. I tried several times and did not get anything more from him; although I did get chewed out by the head of security for trying to get more than 1 autograph. This cracks me up. There are people right in front of him, who he knows get multiples...and he calls out the guy who drove from Arizona to be there. :)

Now don't get me wrong...Tom is one of the nicest guys in Hollywood and a great signer. Not many people would have that much interaction with their fans (some I would bet he wishes he didn't), but he by no means was a good signer at this event. It was very difficult and those people I know got more than 1 autograph, really had to work for it. By the time Tom was done signing, I was already exhausted and I only got 1 graph! I don't remember the exact order that everyone else came over and signed in, so I will just give you the highlights.

Malin Ackerman came over and signed for about 5 min, in which time I was able to get 4 autographs. I got her on 2 cast shot 11x14's, a Watchmen 11x14 and a Heartbreak Kid 11. Thanks so much Malin! You were awesome!

Julianne Hough was nice enough to take a few minutes and sign upon arriving. During this time, I got her on a Footloose 11x14 and my 2 cast 11's. When she left the after party, she was nice enough to sign while stuck in traffic (Ryan Seacrest made her do it :) at which time I got 2 more Footloose 11's done, and my son got the poster signed; which she skipped at arrivals. Thanks Julianne! I heard you were really nice and was not disappointed.

Both Alec Baldwin and Paul Giamatti signed a few (about 3 or so) autographs upon arriving, but not in the area I was in. I was, however, able to get Paul on my 2 cast shots going into the after party. Thanks Paul. I have been a fan since Duets. :)

The new kid on the block is Diego Boneta. He was nice enough to sign quite a few autographs for fans and I was able to get him on an individual ROA poster image, as well as my 2 cast shots. My son got him on our ROA poster.

Now, other than Tom Cruise, this is the guy both my son and I wanted to get. Bryan Cranston, who is the star of Breaking Bad. If you haven't seen this show on AMC, you are seriously missing out. Mr. Cranston skipped out poster, but I was able to get him on 3 breaking bad 11x14's, which made both my son and I completely happy. Thanks so much Bryan! You have 2 fans for life!

That was pretty much it for the premiere. We did get a few others on the poster and cast shots, such as:

Neal Schon and Ross Valory from Journey.

Ricky Rocket, CeCe Deville and Bobby Dall from Poison.

Debbie Gibson (80's solo artist).

Here are the cast shots and poster I got done:

That's my trip to LA for the Rock Of Ages premiere and Jimmy Kimmel show. Although I feel like I didn't get what I wanted, I did get quite a bit done and am very happy with it. It was an exhausting trip, but well worth it...plus I got to spend time with my son, which is not easy now a days. :)

Thanks for all your help Jordon! You're the best!









Sons Of Anarchy Time Folks!

This was a great trip to California. Not only did I get a bunch done at the True Blood premiere, but I was lucky enough to find out where SOA was filming and did my due diligence by printing photos and driving my happy butt from AZ to get them. Here is the story:

I found out early (like 2am) where Sons was filming the next day and made the decision to drive down for them. After a long car ride and a lot of planning, I picked up my photos and landed close to the set. When I got there, I saw the base camp and a few members of the crew; but no cast members. I waited about 3 long hours to see if anyone was going to show up. You see, you never know when the call time is for actors (could all be at different times) or who is even filming the scene, so it's a waiting game to get anything at all. I decided to finally talk to one of the staff and after much conversation back and forth, I gathered the info I needed.

There were going to be 4 cast members filming today. Charlie (Jax), Tommy (Chibs), Boone (Bobby Elvis) and Kim (Tig). These are 4 of my favorite cast members, so I was really happy with the news. The problem was that they were not scheduled to be on set until 1am and it was only 2pm. I decided to go catch a movie, grab a bite to eat and go back to set.

Okay, it's 10:30pm now and I'm back and ready. When I arrived, there was already activity going on. I saw Tommy, Boone and Kim eating with the crew and a couple minutes later I hear a loud bike coming down the street. Could it be Jax Teller himself? It was...Charlie Hunnam pulled in on his black bike and walked across the street to eat before hitting the set. Let the games begin!

About a half hour after seeing this, Tommy comes across the street and is nice enough to sign my 3 SOA logo pics I have. One for me, one for my Aunt Jessie and one for my friend Shawn. As he was finishing talking with me, Boone pulled his car across the street and got out to sign for me. Both were very nice and took pics with me as well. Thanks so much fellas!


This is the shot of Tommy Flannagan and me. He plays Chibs on the show.

This is Mark Boone Junior, who told me to just call him Boone. Both were very nice, even though they don't smile in pictures. LOL.

Next to cross the street was Kim Coates, who plays Tig on the show. He had his hands full with his To Go dinner and started to come my way when I told him I was more than happy to wait until he had his hands free. He told me he would be back in a minute and went into his trailer. Then came Charlie Hunnam, my favorite on the show; who said he would be happy to sign but had to put his coffee down in his trailer. What a great group of guys! This looked like it could be an early night and I could be on my way back home to AZ soon. Nice thought huh.

Both guys got pulled into make-up and then they jumped on the van to go film their scenes. Fast forward 4 hours and it's now a little after 4am in the morning. I have been standing outside in the cold (it was cold for Cali) and all I had was a short sleeve shirt and jeans on, to which the crew and security guards were making fun of me all night. I didn't want to sit in the car because I might fall asleep or I could miss them if they didn't see me when they pulled back on the lot. For these reasons, I froze my butt off.

In comes the van with the guys on it. Immediately after getting off the van, over comes Charlie. He apologizes for making me wait saying he had to deal with some issues and forgot I was waiting. I said it was no problem, that I was just chillin'...literally. He laughed and talked to me as he signed my things. Beautiful autographs and what a nice guy! I was extremely happy at this point (although the picture I took of him and I is blurry so I will have to get another one next time). While Charlie was chatting with me, here comes Kim walking across the street. Charlie offered to take a picture of us before he took off and then Kim was nice enough to sign for me while apologizing for making me wait. What a great group of guys. I told him my that I turned my 62 yr old aunt into a stone cold SOA fan and they both told me to tell her "Thanks". How cool is that!

Charlie Hunnam and I. One of the nicest guys you will ever meet!

Kim Coates was a great guy as well. No wonder I'm such a big fan. That, and it's a SICK show!

Well...right after Kim walked away, I got in my car and headed back home as happy as could be after such a great day. This is why I do this. You run a risk when meeting people you admire and respect. They could be super nice, as the SOA crew was, or they could NOT. I have met both and days like this keep me doing what I enjoy for my hobby. Thanks so much Charlie, Tommy, Kim and Boone! You have made me an even bigger fan and I didn't think that was possible. See you next time!

Here are the 12x18 pics I got done and the personal inscription from Charlie. Very Happy!

Hope you enjoyed my tale of triumph with the SOA crew. I still have to go back and get the rest of the guys and girls at some point soon. Hope that goes as well as this one did. Wish me luck people!

HBO's True Blood Season 5 Premiere

Well...I have been a True Blood fan since it started and have not been able to make the trip from AZ to Cali for some reason or another, to attend the season premiere each year. This year that all changed! With the help of my fellow grapher friends in LA, I was able to get enough advance notice to attend this years event on Wednesday night. It was a long day (preparation, flight and waiting), but well worth it. Here is what went down :

I got to the event at around noon and there were already 30 people or so lined up. Some got there as early as 7 am (mental note for next year), so I was about halfway down the first barricade when it went up. Not the best, but still a very good place to be. Luckily for us, the staff was bringing people over without us even yelling for them, so it was a parade of TB stars down the line. Some of them got pulled away before they made it to me (lucky them), but I managed to get almost everyone who came to sign.

The parade started with Adina Porter, who plays Tara's mom on the show. She was awesome. Signing, smiling and taking pictures with all the fans all the way down the line of both barricades.

Next on the parade of stars, was the big guy himself, Joe Manganiello. Yep, you heard right...the next stripper star of Magic Mike :)  You might also know him as Alcide. Joe started at the far barricade and worked his way towards the front. He would not take pictures with anyone (I know, but very time consuming), but did sign multiple autographs for people; which was great since I needed him on both my items. While he was on one end, Giles Matthey (Claude) signed on the other. He advised me that he will be a fairy on season 5.

Next up was the new 9 yr old vampire this season, Jacob Hopkins; whose mom brought him over to sign and may I say what a polite young man he is. Let's not forget the other child star of the show, Chloe Noelle (Emma). Both were very nice and gracious to sign and take photos with their new fans. Thanks Jacob and Chloe!

Todd Lowe was the next to make his way down the line to me. I appreciate it Todd. He plays an awesome character (Terry) on the show.

Next up was Louis Hertham (J.D.), who was also very nice and thanked us for being fans. Thank you Louis.

A newcomer to the U.S. audience is non other than U.K. star Lucy Griffiths. She will be playing Nora on season 5. I'm anxious to see her on screen, cause she is beautiful off screen. :P

Speaking of beauty, next up is Camilla Luddington (Claudette). She was very nice and what a smile. You may have seen her in Californication. There were many pictures being taken of the True Blood beauties. What a night.

Let's not forget my favorite non-vamp on the show, Nelsan Ellis (Lafayette). Unfortunately for me, they scooped him up after only signing for a few minutes and I was unable to get Nelsan on my cast shots. :(  Next time Nelsan. Next time.

While Nelsan was signing on one end, they brought over Sam Trammel (Sam Merlotte) to the keep us company. Sam was very nice and signed for everyone, but they did not allow him to take photos with. I will have to catch him another time as he is also one of my favs on the show. Actually, I love everyone on the show :)

Next up was Tara Buck (Ginger), who was very nice to everyone while signing and taking photos. Another True Blood beauty for sure. Thanks so much Tara!

While Tara was signing, I couldn't help but look to see what all the Ewww's and Ahhh's were about. It was for Kevin Alejandro (Jesus). He was as nice as can be. Kevin probably spent the most amount of time with everyone while taking pictures not only for us, but with his own camera as well. Thanks so much Kevin! I know everyone appreciated it (especially my friend Leilani).

Next up was our favorite minister Michael McMillian (Reverend Steve), who is a newly turned vamp on this season. Glad to have you back Michael. Hope your bringing your wife with you :)

The nice guy on the show is Jim Parrack (Hoyt). He is in love with Jessica, who is one of my favs. Jim was very nice and signed for everyone. Thanks so much!

One of our favorite waitresses at Merlotte's was up next. Lauren Bowles was signing autographs and taking pictures with everyone. Look at that smile. Thanks so much Lauren!

Not even being buried in a block of cement can hold this Old Timer back. Yes, you guessed it; Russell Edgerton is back. Denis O'Hare was a very nice and posed while signing for everyone. I'm really looking forward to this season and see what trouble Russell brings.

She's baaaaaacccckkk! Michelle Forbes (Mary Ann) was here to sign autographs and take photos with fans. We really appreciate it Michelle! Thanks so much!

Signing at the same time as Michelle, was Debra Ann Woll (Jessica). I'm really lucky I didn't have to chose between the two and managed to get both of them on my cast shots. I told Debra she looked beautiful and was one of my favs, and she accused me of saying that to all the girls. Debra...just for the record...I meant it. :)

The Vamp with the attitude was so nice in person. Kristen Bauer van Straten (Pam) is so much fun to watch on the show. I love this woman! Girls with an attitude really get your attention.

The moment everyone (well...me of course) was waiting for...Alexander Skarsgard (Eric Northman). He was signing and taking pictures with everyone, but only 1 autograph per person. I know people that got 3 or 4, and although he told me only 1; he was nice enough to sign a second for me. Thanks so much Alex! You are definitely one of my favs!

Well...that was it for arrivals for me. I did manage to get Rutina Wesley on one of my cast shots thanks to my helper. I was so busy trying to get Alexander on my 2nd cast shot that I didn't even notice she was signing until she was done. Now...let's wait for the exit autographing to begin.

Upon leaving the theatre, those who stayed on the arrivals side were lucky enough to get Stephen Moyer (Bill Compton). I was not that lucky! I did however, manager to get the lovely, and I mean LOVELY, Anna Camp (Sarah). She is such a sweet person and what a smile folks. I was the first one to recognize her and ask her to sign my cast shots and a couple of index cards for me to which Anna was more than happy to sign. Anna, you really made my night! Thank you so much!

And that's a wrap people. I stayed for a little bit longer once the after-party started and had to leave or I would have been sleeping in my rental car. According to my friends, I missed Carrie, Nelsan and Stephen; who all signed upon leaving the party. Oh well...I got over 20 graphs on my items and am one happy TB fan! Thanks so much for the experience. I will definitely be back next year early. :)

Here are a few pictures of the items I had done. Hope you enjoy them!

Here are the (3) 12x18" cast pieces that I was lucky enough to get done (with the help of friends). They have all the signatures of the people listed above.

This piece still needs a lot to be complete, but it does have Alexander, Debra Ann and Sam on it for now. I'm still pretty happy with it. :) It's a 12x18 piece.

It took quite a bit of work, but Alexander was nice enough to sign this Battleship 8x10 for me. Thanks Alex! You're the best!

Joe was so nice and signed this 8x10 for me also. My friend Leilani gave me this 8x10 and the one of Alex, since I didn't have any individual shots of them. Thanks so much to Leilani for giving me this (one with his shirt on), and to Joe for signing it.

For those of you who know me, you know I collect guitars and getting a pick guard done is not an easy feat since pretty much everyone sells them, so celebs think you are selling it also (I always have to explain that these are for me...but they prob don't believe me). :)  This one is signed by Debra Ann, Joe, Alex and Sam. It will look good on a red guitar hanging on my wall soon.

Well...that's it for my first blog. It only took me 5 hours to complete. LOL. Hopefully I will get better at it. My next one will be Sons of Anarchy! Give me feedback and tell me how you liked this. Thanks!