First Annual “Get Lucky For Lupus” Celebrity Poker Tournament

All the big celebrity poker guns came out for "Get Lucky For Lupus" Celebrity Poker Tournament and Party on Thursday, February 25th. It was an eclectic mix of celebrities, from Playboy Playmates, wrestlers and actors and actresses, all showing up for a good cause and to flex their poker-playing skills.

Some of the guests had already arrived, but I managed to catch Gilles Marini and get him to sign a still from the "Sex and the City" movie. Unfortunately, we did not see him again and assume that he might have left from another entrance. Gilles attends several events in Hollywood and is always good to collectors.

Lou Diamond Phillips also was a fabulous signer, taking his time to sign a super-legible autograph that contains every letter of his name. This is a rarity in Hollywood these days, as most celebrities will give you a scribble, if anything at all. I had previously met Lou on Broadway in 1997, when he was starring in "The King and I". He was as friendly and accommodating just as he had been 13 years ago. It's good to see that some things never change. Phillips also signed and chatted with fans on the way out as well. I was the first one up to Lou, he took my blue sharpie and signed the "La Bamba" shot I had for him. He was engaged in a conversation with fans and paparazzi, so when Lou would turn his head to look at them, I would flip another photo. He kept turning back to me, signing the next photo and then turn, returning his attention to the conversation. He was very gracious and it was kind of funny that I got all four photos completed before anyone else had even gotten one! Lou Diamond Phillips is a great guy and signed everything for everyone, but it was sure nice to get everything finished nonetheless.

A surprise guest was Sanjaya Malakar from American Idol fame. He came out with Lou Diamond Phillips, who was hugging on him and saying, "Sanjaya's my boy". Wrestling superstar Torrie Wilson was also with them and the three of them seemed to have genuinely bonded during the poker event. The three of them mingled for several minutes in front of the hotel. Torrie signed a very scribble, illegible autograph and did not really seem to want to sign autographs. Her reluctance may be due to her having a bit of alcohol in her system, as she came out of the hotel still holding and drinking a glass of red wine. Sanjaya graciously signed autographs for fans, posed for pictures and even spoke to the paparazzi at length about his style and time on American Idol. He smiled his big smile and was a pleasure to meet. I noticed Sanjaya's sister, Shyamali Malakar, who went unnoticed by most everyone else. I remembered her from American Idol, as she made it past the initial audition rounds to Hollywood week but was ultimately cut. I approached her and asked politely if she would sign an autograph. She asked, "Are you sure you want me?" I replied, "Yes, I remember you from American Idol". I handed her my blue sharpie and as she took it she sighed, "Oh, a blue sharpie...I know what you do with this." "Are you serious?" I responded. "I'm a fan and if you don't want to sign it, I don't care." She looked at me, with a distrustful look, and proceeded to sign an autograph for me. To be honest with you, at this point I truly could have cared less. She certainly does not qualify as a star and her autograph would be worthless on the market. The only value her signature has is to a fan that remembers her from the show. All that being said, I was the only person who asked her and most collectors did not care about or even remember her from American Idol.

Playboy Playmate Joanna Krupa is one of the best signers I've ever encountered. As we stopped her on her way in, she joked, "Now, you don't have any naked photos of me, do you?" This is funny on two counts. First, many celebrities pose for nude photos but then refuse to sign them. Secondly, Joanna's Playboy shots are wonderful and what everyone had for her to sign. Joanna is a sweetheart and grabbed a blue sharpie and began inking her signature on everything put in front of her. Even when her escort urged that it was time to get inside, Joanna did not stop and kept signing up a storm. Eventually, after being told 3 or 4 times that it was time to get into the event did Krupa finally wind down. Even then, she said that she would sign on the way out. One of the collectors said that they spotted her leave out the front, as everyone was chasing down another celebrity's autograph. So I missed her on the way out but Joanna is a class act who appreciates her fans and a sweetheart to boot!

Corey Feldman also signed upon arriving to the event but I missed him. He also signed when departing the event and I got him to sign an index card. Feldman personalizes each item and is very friendly, engaging in conversation and joking with collectors. He even spoke to some of the paparazzi assembled who were asking him about "Lost Boys" and the sequel which recently came out, straight to DVD. Corey was married to Playboy Playmate Susie Feldman but they broke up within the past year and Corey had a new, blonde girlfriend with him. Ever the gentleman, Corey took off his jacket and put it on his date, before coming over to the assembled collectors to sign autographs. Corey seemed to genuinely be interested in the photographs he signed for collectors, even mentioning a couple of times that he had not previously seen some of the photos fans were having him sign.

Brie Bella and Nikki Bella, collectively referred to as The Bella Twins or The Bellas, are wrestling with the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) organization. These twin sisters are fantastic with fans, signing every single autograph requested and posing for photographs with fans as well. Nikki signs her autograph with "Besos!", which is Spanish for "Kisses" while Brie signs her autograph with a peace symbol. Their autographs are quite nice and dually-signed items by these ladies are a fabulous addition to any collection.

Jesse Metcalfe from "Desperate Housewives" initially turned our requests down but eventually broke down, signed both photos I had for him. I saw James Kyson Lee on the way in but did not ask him to sign as the lady in front of him put her car in reverse and slammed into the front of his BMW. I knew that it was not the appropriate time to ask Lee for an autograph. However, on the way out the "Heroes" star signed, limiting it to "one each". Stephen Colletti from "Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County" signed all four photos that I put in front of him. Scott Grimes, known for his appearances on "ER", signed and posed for pictures with collectors upon arriving and departing the poker charity event. Tia Carrera from "Wayne's World" signed autographs with the salutation, "Party on!" Melissa Joan Hart did not sign on the way in and when asked if she would please sign on the way out, responded, "Maybe." We never did see her leave and assumed she snuck out the back. Baseball legend and self-admitted steroid user Jose Canseco eventually relented, after some coaxing, and signed an autograph per person as he left the tournament. Playboy Playmate Jayde Nicole also signed for us as she left, as did Shanna Moakler.