VICTORIA SECRET MODEL MIRANDA KERR! AUTOGRAPHS!

AMANDA SEYFRIED AS LINDA LOVELACE! AUTOGRAPHS!!!

Went after actress Amanda Seyfried earlier today.  She is depicting "Linda Lovelace" in the upcoming biopic pic "Lovelace".  Upon seeing us waiting for her, Amanda opening her door and signed for us one at a time.  She sat in her limousine as she took her time, patiently signed each one of our photographs.  Amanda signed all of our photos - 9 photos for me and 9 for my friend. Amanda is definitely one of the nicest and gracious stars when it comes to dealing with their fans.

Victoria's Secret Model Karlie Kloss

The Victoria's Secret models are in town with an event tomorrow so when the opportunity came to meet Karlie Kloss, we were up for it.  Hearing that she is "really nice" and good to her fans, we were looking forward to a positive experience.  The only problem was that on the way to Los Angeles that Karlie became ill and when we approached her, asking for an autograph that she initially declined, letting us know that she was ill.  This was true because when she arrived Karlie immeadiately went to the restroom where she got sick.  Having already invested several hours and waiting for her arrival, I did not want to go home empty-handed.  "Please?  We've been waiting for quite some time...just one each?  Sorry, but we've never met you before."   All this was true and Karlie could see the sincerity and managed to sign one autograph for each of us.  She mentioned to us that we should come to the even tomorrow when she would presumably feel better and that she would sign more there.  We just might need to take her up on that offer!

Slash of Guns 'n Roses

Guitar genius.  Rock legend.  All-around good guy.  All these describe none other than the one and only Slash of Guns 'n Roses.  When it comes to meeting and interacting with his fans, Slash is always one of the best.  We have met Slash a number of times and he really is genuinely a good guy.  Want him to sign an autograph?  No problem.  Even people asking Slash to sign a full-size guitar or pick guard will walk away with their desired item autographed.  Many rock stars and musicians will shy away from these items as they are typically associated with dealers but Slash still continues to sign them without hesitation.  When it comes to Slash, there are only a couple of rules to abide by and securing a signature from the rock legend should not be a problem.  Slash DOES NOT sign in blue Sharpie so be sure to bring a black or silver Sharpie when going after him.  Many celebrities shy away from blue Sharpie because they erroneously associate it with autograph resellers.  The truth is, blue Sharpie is one of the most appealing and stable inks of all the autograph markers so many fans and collectors prefer blue - not just autograph dealers!

On 3/6/2013 we went after Slash with some cool photographs of the late Michael Jackson performing with Slash.  As we approached Slash and asked him to sign his handler stated that he would do "one each".  Of course, this was not a problem and we were overjoyed to add even one autograph from Slash to the collection.  Handing him a silver Sharpie, Slash beautifully affixed his signature to a dark area on the photograph, also added the year, "2013".  A couple of people approached Slash, asking if they could take a photo with him.  He politely declined (as he most generally does) stating that if he takes one picture with a fan that he would need to take one with everyone who asks.  I don't think he ever is too crazy about photos and usually turns them down, making the Slash photo opportunity one of the more difficult ones to get.

The Amazing and Talented Sally Field!

Actress Sally Field has starred in a multitude of roles over the years, from the adorable "Gidget" in the 1960's television series of the same name to portraying Mary Todd Lincoln in the 2012 film "Lincoln".  Include her roles in the movies "Smokey and The Bandit", "Mrs. Doubtfire" and "Forrest Gump", a recent spin in the ABC series "Brothers and Sisters" and countless other projects and Sally Field has certainly had an amazing career.  She has also won two Academy Awards for Best Actress in her career, as well.

Ms. Field has been a celebrity that we have wanted to meet for quite some time so we jumped at the chance earlier today when we heard of an opportunity to finally meet her.  Upon us asking, Sally quickly signed one photograph for my partner and one for me, moving swiftly afterwards to avoid the ensuing paparazzi.  After a couple of minutes of chasing after Sally, the cameras soon decided they got their shots and left her alone.  Sally was talking to the people with her and we heard her refer to the paparazzi as "those horrible people".  I was behind Sally and said, "Ms. Field" to get her attention.  She either did not hear me or was ignoring me, so I repeated her name.  This time she looked at me and seemed relieved in realizing that we were not paparazzi.  I asked if we could get a photo with her and Ms. Field smiled and said, "Sure."  My friend truthfully told her that she is her favorite actress, which Sally seemed to really appreciate.

Strangely Yours, "Weird Al" Yankovic

"Weird Al" Yankovic is famously known for his hilarious parodies of pop songs.  He should also be known for being a great autograph signer.  Not only did he sign everything my friend and I presented him to sign, Yankovic gives you a consistent signature every time.  He has one of the most visually appealing autographs you will find.  I previously had met and gotten autographs from "Weird Al" about 12 years or so ago.  His signature has not changed over the years, as the ones we acquired this time were every bit as beautiful as the ones I received years ago.  As the years go by, celebrities will sometimes alter or adapt their autographs over the course of their career.  Sometimes this is done unconsciously and is simply a natural progression of evolving handwriting, while other times (and much more likely) the celebrity will shorten their autograph in order to sign them more quickly and accommodate more fans requesting autographs.  With "Weird Al" it takes him a little longer than the average celebrity to sign but he certainly rewards you with a fabulous autograph in return.

Julie Benz of "Dexter"

"Dexter" is one of my friend's favorite television series so we went after Julie Benz when we found out she was appearing on a radio show here in Los Angeles.  It's been cold and rainy this week, not exactly the best conditions for waiting around outside for autographs.  However, from previously meeting Julie, we know that she appreciates her fans and is pretty much as close to a "lock" as you can get when it comes to obtaining autographs.  As we waited with four other collectors, the six of us waited patiently as it would drizzle rain, stop completely and then completely downpour.  This was repeated in varying order over the course of the hour or so that we awaited Julie's arrival.  Time was also running against us as the show was close to starting and Julie, the guest, had not even arrived.  Eventually, Julie Benz did arrive so we called over to her and asked if she would sign some autographs.  Sure enough, she headed right over to us, taking my pen and began signing.  Even better, the rain was stopped at the moment so we weren't going to ruin our newly obtained autographs.  After everyone got their first autograph, Julie even signed another autograph or two per person when asked.  We ended up with 7 fantastic signed 11x14 photos and probably could have even gotten a couple more but we wanted to make sure to allow enough time to still be able to get a photo with Julie.  She did not disappoint, as even being late Julie still took the time to pose for a photograph with each of us who asked.  Julie Benz is simply a wonderful signer and knows how to take care of her fans.

Kaley Cuoco of "The Big Bang Theory"

Having met actress Kaley Cuoco of the hit television show "The Big Bang Theory" several times over the past 2 or 3 years, she is always sweet, signing autographs and posing for pictures with her fans.  Fortunately, in the past it has been in rather low-key situations, with not many other collectors around, so we have been able away with multiple autographs.  Tonight,unfortunately, the word was out among collectors that Kaley would be around.  When Kaley actually showed up, it was extremely overwhelming for sure with 25-30 autograph collectors and paparazzi waiting.  It became quite hectic and Kaley even politely asked everyone to line up and she would sign one each.  Of course, with collectors this never happened and after signing 3 or 4 autographs, Kaley would see that it was becoming chaos and stop signing.  After a little prodding from collectors, she would attempt to calmly sign autographs once again and the scene would repeat itself with it evolving into chaos amongst pushy collectors, once again.  This happened three or four times and we weren't going to contribute to the rudeness of the situation.  It just wasn't a good situation and it was a perfect example of why keeping your mouth shut and some things to yourself when it comes to collecting autographs can be a good policy.

Autographs From Dennis "The Worm" Rodman

One thing that you can say about former NBA bad boy Dennis Rodman is that he is always entertaining, on the court and off the court.  After a basketball career that saw him play for the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, LA Lakers and the Dallas Mavervicks, Rodman has gone on to build a career in Hollywood.  In addition to appearing in films and on television, Rodman even had a wrestling career for some time.  Elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011, Rodman has recently released a book and was in LA doing the obligitory press appearances to promote it.  After one such appearance, we waited for Rodman to leave the studio.  Holding up our photos to get his attention, Dennis spotted us and had his driver pull to the side of the driveway.  He rolled down his window and signed for the group of 15 or so of us waiting.  While everyone did not get an autograph, I would estimate that he signed 10-12 autographs.  We managed to snag 4 11x14s in the ensuing scrum so these will make an awesome addition to our collection.

Sir Charles, A Gentleman When It Comes To Autographs

Basketball Hall-of-Famer Charles Barkley was always one of the more colorful characters during his playing days in the NBA for the Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns and finally the Houston Rockets.  Nicknamed "Sir Charles" he truly is gracious when it comes to autographs.  I first met Barkley close to 14 years ago at a celebrity golf tournament.  Barkley took time to sign for fans after every hole until he noticed that some over-zealous fan had inked his shirt and he now had a ruined shirt with blue Sharpie marks on the sleeve.  Understandably, Charles was upset and then somewhat jokingly but somewhat seriously asked us autograph seekers, "Who's going to pay for my shirt?"  At that point, Charles started collecting a dollar from each autograph seeker when he signed an autograph for them.  As a multi-millionaire, Barkley could easily afford a new polo shirt but it was just the principle of the matter and "Sir Charles" was teaching all us, even those not responsible for the Sharpie marks, a lesson.  Even though I was not the one who committed the autograph collector faux paus, I quickly realized with my friends that a Charles Barkley autograph on my basketball card was a "steal" for the low "price" of a dollar.  We excitedly greeted Barkley with a dollar in hand at the next few holes.  Eventually, Barkley quit collecting our dollars and went back to simply signing for free and we all walked away with well over a dozen autographs each.

About a year ago, I met Charles Barkley and it was nice to see that even a decade since I had last met him that he was still a great signer.  My partner and I each walked away with multiple Barkley autographs.  So when Barkley was appearing on a television program, we decided to try and secure his autograph once again.  Quite a few cars left the studio lot but eventually, a black SUV made it's way slowly down the driveway, slowing as it approached a crowd of roughly twenty autograph seekers.  The window rolled down and Charles Barkley began to sign an autograph for each person in line.  When it became my turn, Charles took my blue Sharpie and autographed an 11x14 I had from his playing days from the Phoenix Suns.  Barkley was talkative, saying hello to each collector as they approached him and responding, "You're welcome" to each person's thank you.  This is not always the case either with a lot of celebrities.  Some might sign an autograph for a collector but say nothing at all, even when you speak to them.  Barkley is definitely a "fan-friendly" guy who interacts with his fans.  My partner secured an awesome 11x14 of Barkley and his All-Star MVP Award from the 1991 NBA All-Star game.  Two things that struck me about this autograph encounter were the following.  First, that the assembled group of collectors actually maintained order and stayed in a single-file line while Barkley signed autographs.  By maintaining order, things did not get hectic and every collector was able to walk away with an autograph.  Secondly, with autograph collectors and the inherent greediness, no one really "doubled-back" to the end of the line and attempted to sneak through and procure a second autograph from Barkley.  Even when a celebrity politely states that they will do "one each" there is always someone, and usually someones, who will disregard the request and still try to get more than one autograph.  This time, there only was one younger collector who snagged an autograph earlier at the front of the line and then held up a basketball shoe once Barkley signed for everyone in the line.  Barkley obliged this second request but that was the only person that ended up with more than one autograph per person.  It's always a good day when you can add an autograph from one of the greatest players in the history of the NBA and even better when it's a pleasant experience.  When it comes to seeking to obtain an autograph from Charles Barkley, you get both.

The Legendary Alan Parsons

Sound engineer Alan Parsons is a legend of the music business, being involved in the production of such iconic albums as The Beatles' "Abbey Road" and "Let It Be" and Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon".  In the 1980's his band, The Alan Parsons Project scored top 40 hits with the songs "The Eye In The Sky" and "Don't Answer Me".

At NAMM 2013 Parsons appeared at a booth and signed autographs.  We were tied up with another signing so we got to the booth just as Parson's time was ending.  One of the booth's workers informed us that the line was cut off and that Alan was already running over his scheduled time at the booth.  Being veterans of collecting autographs, we stuck around anyways and weren't about to give up.  Parsons was remaining seated at a table, with no line, so we knew that all hope was not lost.  Our persistence soon paid off and we were able to both get a photo with Parsons and eventually each scored an autograph from him.

Mikkey Dee at 2013 NAMM

Mikkey Dee was at NAMM this year signing autographs at the Remo booth.  Currently the drummer for the heavy metal band Motorhead, Dee also performed on Don Dokken's 1990 debut solo album "Up From The Ashes".  Mikkey is a good signer with an every letter and legible autograph. 

Dave Krusen: Pearl Jam's First Drummer

2013 will mark 22 years since Pearl Jam's debut album "Ten".  What many casual music lovers may not realize is that the drummer on that album, Dave Krusen performed on the recording sessions for the album but was out of the band by May 1991.  Krusen went on to rehab and was dealing with personal issues by the time "Ten" was released in August 1991.  Pearl Jam pressed on and cemented their status as one of the biggest alternative rock bands of the 1990's and ultimately, one of the greatest bands in the history of rock 'n roll.  Krusen went on to join the band Candlebox and various other music projects.  He is still quite active in the music business.

NAMM is a great music trade show with meet and greets, signings, etc. with various musicians and band members.  Able to pass through the aisles unnoticed filled with serious music fans, Dave Krusen was browsing from booth to booth throughout NAMM show.  We approached Dave Krusen and asked if he would sign some autographs for us.  He was quite obliging, autographing anything  everything that we put in front of him.  He also is quite talkative and even will talk about his time with Pearl Jam, as he has remained on good terms with his former band mates.  We initially met Krusen on Thursday and when we ran into him again two days later on Saturday, he excitedly remembered us.  He genuinely seemed happy to see us and even talked to us for a good 10-15 minutes about music and Los Angeles, since he lives in LA, as we do.  He mentioned that he someday hopes to move back to Seattle, where he grew up.


If you get the chance to ever meet or see Dave Krusen perform, I highly recommend that you seize the opportunity.  We've met many celebrities and musicians throughout the years and Dave Krusen is among the nicest you will ever come across.  It's a thrill when you get to meet celebrities that you are fans of but the experience is all the better when it's a positive experience.

"Do You Believe In Miracles?"

ABC Sports broadcaster Al Michaels uttered the infamous phrase, "Do you believe in miracles?" as the 1980 USA Hockey team scored their final goal.  Against considerable odds, the USA team surprised everyone, winning the gold medal at the 1980 Winter Olympics.  Jim Craig was the goalie for that team so we were excited when we found out he was coming to LA for a press conference in January 2013.  Having not previously met Craig, we did not know what to expect.  Upon meeting him, Craig agreed to sign an autograph for each of us but insisted on personalizing our photographs.  We did not mind since they were going straight into our collection.  Besides adding our names to his signature, in a nice gesture he also added, "Believe" and "USA Gold".  I tried to flip a second photo on Craig but he put the pen down on top of my photo and turned away.  We did end up getting photos with him so all-in-all it was a score!

Bond Girl Olga Kurylenko

Olga Kurylenko was great when we ran into her recently.  She happily posed for a picture and signed autographs when asked.

Victoria Justice from the show "Victorious"

Victoria Justice is perhaps best-known as the star of the hit Nickelodeon show "Victorious".  She also recently appeared in the film "Fun Size" and looks to have a long career ahead of her.

One thing that Victoria understands is how to treat her fans.  When we met her in May 2012, Victoria was a sweetheart, literally signing over 20 photos for us and would have signed even more if we had them!  As her popularity surged in late 2012, so did the demand for Justice's autographs.  Where it was once only 2 or 3 of us waiting to get her autograph, there were 8-10 collectors and a few cameras awaiting Justice when we saw her in October 2012.  She had a publicist with her who was directing, "One each!" when it came to autographs.  That, combined with a large crowd, meant that Victoria didn't sign as much as she did in the past but we still managed to get 5 autographs from her.

Racing to get Indy Car Legend Mario Andretti

Mario Andretti is one of the legends of auto racing.  Andretti is known for a remarkable career in auto racing and competing in the Indianapolis 500 in four different decades (1960's-1970's-1980's-1990's).  He found the winner's circle by winning the Indy 500 in 1969 and the Daytona 500 in 1967.  Mario's last turn in the Indianapolis 500 was in 1994.  Mario is the patriarch of the infamous Andretti racing family, as Mario's son, Michael, and his grandson, Marco, followed in his footsteps and have raced in various Indy 500's over the years.

When we found out that Andretti would be in Los Angeles for the day, we knew we had to meet him.  We printed some very nice photographs of Mario Andretti and headed out with the goal of meeting Mario Andretti.  Upon arriving at our destination and waiting a short time, we spotted Mr. Andretti.  We approached him and asked if he would sign some autographs.  Andretti was nice, signing two photos for me and two for my partner.  We had some great photos, including one from the movie "Cars 2" in which Andretti voiced an animated 1967 Ford Fairlane.  He even personalized the photos, when asked to, adding the phrase, "All the best".  He also took a photograph with each of us.  A great experience with one of the all-time greats of racing, Andretti is known for speeding around the racetrack...glad to see that he slows down and took some time with the two of us, his fans!  :)

Meeting Eva Marie Saint of "North By Northwest"

When it comes to director Alfred Hitchcock's films, in addition to being masterpieces of suspense, they are also marked by the appearance of blonde actresses in the starring roles. "Psycho" featured Janet Leigh, "The Birds" starred Tippi Hedren, Grace Kelly was superb in "Rear Window" and Kim Novak starred in "Vertigo". My favorite film by Hitchcock is "North by Northwest", which stars another of the infamous "Hitchcock Blondes", the lovely and talented Eva Marie Saint. I met Janet Leigh years ago at a film festival of her films back in the 1990's.  My partner and I met Kim Novak in early 2012  when the reclusive actress made a rare appearance in Los Angeles.  So of course we jumped at the chance when there was an opportunity to meet Eva Marie Saint.

In-person encounters with Eva Marie Saint are few and far in between, as I have never even heard of another collector having met her.  This made it even more exciting but also added to the uncertainty of what to expect from Saint.  Would she sign autographs?  Would she sign multiples?  We really had no previous experience to base any expectations.

We arrived and began waiting to meet Eva Marie Saint.  Several decades have passed since Saint's turn in "North By Northwest" so we were dependent upon finding more recent photos of the actress on the Internet so we could spot her when (and if) we saw her.  After a few minutes, my partner said, "Here she comes".  Eva Marie seemed surprised when we approached her and asked for her autograph.  She immediately said that she would do "one each".  She then proceeded to ask each person their name and then personalized each photo with each of our respective names.  Besides us, there was only one other collector present and as soon as Eva Marie was finished signing, she hopped on an awaiting elevator.  My partner asked if she would take a photo with me but Ms. Saint replied, "No".  We were not sure whether she was adverse to taking a photograph at all or simply because the elevator and her husband were waiting on her.

It was great to meet the legendary Eva Marie Saint and add her to our collection.  We just met Martin Landau a few months ago who also is in "North By Northwest".  Hopefully, we will be able to meet Saint again in the future and have another shot at obtaining more autographs and possibly even a photo with her!

1.22.13

Today was a successful day, with us scoring ink from baseball legend Don Mattingly and Cheech Marin. We got a tip on former NBA basketball player Kurt Rambis but we never did see him so we decided to call it a day. On the way driving home, I mentioned to my partner that the punk band Bad Religion was on a radio show this evening here in LA and that we could try to meet them since the show was ending in about 15 minutes. She agreed, so we raced over to the radio station, literally pulling up just as the show was winding down. We hopped out of our automobile, each grabbing a pickguard and waited for the band members to exit the studio. From listening to the final minutes of the radio show on the way over, we learned that only three of the members of Bad Religion showed up for the radio show. After waiting just a few minutes, all three emerged from the outer studio door together. I called over to them and asked if they would mind signing an autograph. They came right over and started signing for us. I told them that they were great on the radio and one of them asked, "Did you listen from the car?" I replied, "Yes, we we driving around and listening to you. You guys were great!" One of the other guys jokingly asked my partner how much a signed pickguard would sell for on eBay but then said that he didn't really care if people sold his autograph or not. Afterwards, we each were able to get a photograph with the members of Bad Religion.

Racking Out With Cheech Marin

We've met Cheech Marin, famously known as one half of the comedy team "Cheech and Chong" several times and he never disappoints when it comes to meeting his fans. He is friendly, talkative and does not hesitate when asked to sign multiple items. Today was not any different, with Cheech signing all ten of our items with an autograph that read "Cheech 13". The past few years it has become typical for Marin to sign his first name only and he also usually writes the last two digits of the year after his signature. Thus, he dated all our items with a "13" for "2013". When it comes to the best signers, Cheech will always be at the top in my book.

Going After Don Mattingly aka "Donnie Baseball"

When I was growing up, from about 1984 until the late 1980's, when it came to baseball players none were bigger than Don Mattingly. It did not hurt that he spent his entire career in the bright spotlight as a New York Yankee or that his career emerged at the height of the hobby of baseball card collecting. These factors, along with monstrous numbers from "Donnie Baseball", pushed his rookie cards to the equivalent of hobby gold. Simply put, Mattingly's rookie year baseball cards were THE cards to own. Mattingly eventually came back down to earth, hampered by a bad back, that ended his career early at 14 years in duration. Still a fan favorite to this day, Mattingly is currently the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Something still seems wrong with that as Don Mattingly should never be in any uniform other than classic Yankee pinstripes. Anyways, Mattingly came to LA for a charity event and we went after him in hopes of scoring an autograph and a photo with the baseball legend. Upon approaching Don Mattingly and politely asking if he would sign an autograph, he did not hesitate to take my blue Sharpie. He even took care in making sure to sign the signature in the light area on the photograph so it was more visible. My partner also snagged a beautiful Mattingly autograph on an 11x14 from Mattingly's playing days. He smiled and then happily posed for a photograph with each of us. We thanked him and wished him good luck in the upcoming baseball season. A great experience with one the great players to ever step on the field...it doesn't get much better than that.

No Way Tina Fey

Comedienne, writer and actress Tina Fey was in LA to co-host the Golden Globe Awards with Amy Poehler, so we decided to try and secure an autograph from her. Since Fey is based in New York, we only see her in town a couple of times a year so it means less opportunities to snag her autograph. We saw Tina Fey earlier in 2012 and at first she declined to sign for the three collectors waiting but after having second thoughts she reluctantly signed one autograph each. This time (1/14/2013) it was only four of us waiting for Tina. She looked right past us, ignoring our requests. It would have only taken 10 seconds of her time, at most, so it is a bit ridiculous that Fey didn't sign or even acknowledge us, her fans.

Rockin' with Jason Newsted of Metallica!

Jason Newsted was the bassist for Metallica from 1986-2001, a time when the band experienced it's greatest commercial success. Newsted teamed up with lead singer James Hetfield, guitarist Kirk Hammett and drummer Lars Ulrich on the self-titled album "Metallica" (1991), commonly referred to as "The Black Album", which remains the best-selling Metallica album to date. In January 2001, with differences of opinions and wanting to pursue a solo project, Newsted made the decision to leave Metallica. Newsted remains on good terms with his former band mates, even performing with them at their 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremony.

Jason Newsted made an appearance on radio show here in Los Angeles on 1/14/2013 to promote his new band called Newsted. Listening to Jason and his insight over the radio, it becomes apparent that he is an intelligent guy and entertaining guest. After his appearance on the radio show, one of Newsted's handlers came out of the studio first and told us that Newsted would be out "in about 5 minutes". True to the word, Newsted came out and we asked him if he would sign. Newsted came straight over to the 5 of us assembled, already with a blue Sharpie in hand. Signing for my sister, Newsted asked her name and personalized each autograph he signed. After signing her fourth and final item, Jason said, "I have something for you." He proceeded to reach in his pocket, producing a round sticker with the Newsted band logo and a bass guitar pick and handing both of them to her. Jason ended up giving each of us autograph seekers a pick and sticker, which was especially nice since none of us asked or expected it. He signed and personalized my four photographs as well and continued to sign autographs for the remaining collectors. Two of the collectors had a few Metallica albums, already in various states of being completed with the signatures of the other members of Metallica. Newsted autographed all of their record albums until coming to a stack of guitar pick guards each collector had stationed on the bottom of their piles. Upon seeing each of them with about 10 pick guards apiece, Newsted said, "I'm only going to sign one of those." This was nice and understandable at the same time as many musicians refuse to even ever sign guitar pick guards - they are often the preferred item to get signed by autograph dealers, as they can be easily affixed to a guitar and thus sold for high dollar value. Jason happily posed for photographs with each of us who asked and after we thanked him for taking the time to sign our autographs, he appologized for making us wait and thanked us for coming out to meet him.