It happens once a year and its considered the biggest week in television. This mega event brings some of the biggest names of network television into NYC. There are so many actors and actresses.....you gotta keep your head on a swivel with your eyes open. Blink....and you just might miss your favorite tv star. If that doesnt get you excited to read this tale.....may God have mercy on your soul.....if you have one of those.
Last year, if you remember reading my adventure, reaped major rewards. Stephen Amell, Katie Cassidy, Colin Donnell, Emilly Bett Rickards, Paul Blackthorne and Colton Haynes from Arrow, Joseph Morgan, Phoebe Tonkin, Daniel Gillies from The Originals, Grant Gustin, Jesse L. Martin, Danielle Panabaker and Carlos Valdes from The Flash, Paul Constanzo and Mark Feurstein from Royal Pains, Christopher Gorham, Peter Gallagher, Kari Matchett and Piper Perabo from Covert Affairs, Nina Dobrev from The Vampire Diaries and some random celebs like Rebecca Romijin, CeeLo Green, Christian Kane, Marlon Wayans, Rashida Jones and Gina Rodriguez. Now THAT was a mouthful. To top it off....that was all within a day and a half. This year....this year was gonna be different. I expected to pull in 3 times as many celebs, by spending 4 days and 3 nights in NYC. With more time and better info, this year should prove a tad bit more fruitful.
Up at 2 am on Tuesday morning and running late per the usual, we got on the road. DJ, Cancer Free Dave and myself were on our way. Sometimes I think subconsciously I run late because DJ is always planning to arrive way to early. Being 30 mins behind, we hit the first spot and spent a good 45 minutes before seeing our first celebrity. A spot that usually only brings just a few people was SWARMING this morning. No one really big was expected, so not quite sure what drew this crowd. Saw a lot of NY regulars here....one in particular is REALLY starting to drive up a wall. Her constant fucking belly aching, embellishments, lies and just pure annoyance is beyond irritating. One of these days....she's gonna find that cane shoved right up her ass, if she doesnt watch where she is swinging it. Worse yet, she will do anything and everything for the celebs she wants and will flip out if you get in her way with her tale of woe. Ive seen you run like an olympic triathlete down the street. Ive seen you chase cars like a hungry dog off the chain. Lose the gimmick.
Had to get that rant over, but sadly it would not be the last time I would have to deal with her. Anyway, after the long wait we finally spotted our first celeb and it was Jeremy Piven. Piven refused to do it and said he would do it on the way out. Ok, no sweat. We also spotted Rebel Wilson arrive, she of course refused to do it. There was one fan there was very interested in getting her, but she refused both photo and auto. She stated in a recent interview that she doesnt refuse REAL fans....just the dealers. Guess she's a fucking liar. Perhaps if the guy brought an all you can buffet or rolled up in an ice cream truck, she would have taken a photo with him. Me? I couldnt have cared less. Of course the irritating bitch went off on Rebel, ONLY after she had gone inside.
The next celeb was my top want for this spot, Jon Seda from Chicago PD. He arrived and was super cool. He signed and took photos with everyone. I got him on my Chicago PD cast photo and got a pic. Great score to open the week. And after that came DJ's big want Megan Boone. Megan looked super sexy. She is an example of someone who looks better in real life than she does on the tv show she is on, The Blacklist. She was very nice and signed for everyone. She made sure to give DJ extra special attention. I got an auto on an 8x10 and a great photo with her.
Sadly, in the cluster mess around Megan Boone, we lost track of the SUV that dropped Piven off. It must have pulled away. We could only guess that he opted to exit on the other side, where no one was waiting. Way to honor your word, Mr. Piven. I was gonna purchase his book at his book signing later that evening, but his little stunt this morning soured me on him and I opted to spend my money elsewhere.
Rebel Wilson exited and once again blew everyone off. There wasnt much left for this spot and we opted to hit our next spots up. DJ and I would split up and pretty much remained split up the rest of the trip. We took the subway to the same stop and went in an opposite direction. Cancer Free Dave elected to join me, while DJ headed for a spot he hoped to get some Empire names at. I took the walk down and got to the spot, hoping to land Chicago PD cast, Mark Paul Gosselaar, Craig T. Nelson, Chicago Fire cast especially Taylor Kinney and Peter Facinelli.
When we arrived, there was no one there. We took a spot at the barricade, assessed the position and optioned to cross to the other side. It just look like more people would be using the door further from us and closer to the other barricade. So we headed and boy was I right. It was a long wait before we spotted our first name. The sun was out and it was HOT and HUMID. We eventually sat down, since we were the only two there. After about an hour and half we spotted a top want, Craig T. Nelson from Coach fame. I leaped up and called out to him, as he stood by the door. I asked him for a photo and was directly and promptly turned down. 
VWHAT!??!!? Craig T. Nelson turned me down. Coach turned a long time fan down for a simple photo. I couldnt believe it. I actually turned away, as to not let him see the almost tears run down my cheek or the looks of total horror. I think I was having trouble breathing. How could Craig T. Nelson turn me down, when there was but 2 of us here?
After my breathing returned to normal and but a minute went by, I hear a man ask me wheres my camera. I look over to my right and its Craig T. Nelson!!!!! 
I quickly pull out my camera and I snap the selfie. I thank him for the photo and tell him how excited I am for Coach to be returning. I cant wait and have been a long time fan. From horror to victory, all in a minute. A top want is checked off the list for the week. I tell Dave how happy I am, especially after how I shocked I was he turned me down. I asked Dave what he thought might have prompted his change of heart. Dave responded; "he finished his smoke." Huh? Evidently, beyond my scope of vision, Dave spotted him smoking by the door. He didnt want to smoke around us to take a photo or didnt want to be photographed with a cig in hand. He wasnt turning me down....he was simply finishing his smoke.
We are off to great start. 1 Chicago PD name and Coach. Who would be next? Well, it would be some time before we would find out who would be next.....at least it would for me. Dave and I sat back down and continued to wait it out. A person walked by the rails and down the street to the restaurant that was just a tad bit down from us. When the person went inside, Dave says to me....."that was Mark Paul Gosselaar." Get the fuck out of here. Dave is certain. He says it was definitely him. I ask him why he didnt say anything before he went into the restaurant. Dave said he didnt want Mark Paul to hear it. 
KILL ME! KILL ME NOW!!!! Are you kidding me!??!?! After I thoroughly berate poor Dave like a 5 year old child who just bit his baby sister's finger, I stand up to get a better view. Mark Paul seriously just walked by me, but I had my back turned and missed him. I wont let THAT happen again.
Almost an hour later and Dave spotted him exiting the restaurant. This time I would not miss out. I grabbed my Saved By The Bell cast photo and waited till he walked by. I politely asked him for an autograph and photo and he said he would, but it had to be quick as he wasnt feeling well. He looked pretty hung over. Ball cap and dark shades. He was quiet but definitely obliged. He even had a big smile on his face for my photo. So I was super stoked. WOW! 3 big wants down and we are mere hours into this trip.
It wouldnt be too long and I would see Sophia Bush dart out and head for a waiting car. I called out to her, but she said she would be back. She jumped in the car and was gone. Ugh. Ok....well, I'll keep an eye out for her. Jason Beghe star of Chicago PD as Hank Voight came out next. I called out to him, but you could tell he was in a frantic hurry. He went to get into a car, but found out it wasnt his. He asked the doorman to get him a cab, but I think the doorman didnt hear his raspy voice. Jason walked over and signed my cast photo. He looked over as a cab pulled him and the doorman let someone else in. Jason became annoyed at this. He started to walk down the street a bit trying to hail his own cab. He wasnt having luck. I walked over and tried to get a photo, I didnt want to miss him. He took the photo, but you could tell he was getting more and more annoyed. Other fans had arrived at this point and he was getting bombarded left and right. He was having no luck with the cab and the doorman wasnt helping either. He finally went over to the doorman and went face to face with the guy so they were on the same page. He got a cab and he was off. But the combo was secured and I added another name to the cast photo.
There must have been a run on Chicago PD cast cuz next I see Jon Ceda come out and he stopped for a few fans and then jumped into his SUV. Jesse Lee Soffer came out and started to head in a different direction. I called out to him and he said to give him 1 minute. He went for a walk and I figured I could get him on the way back. So now I have to keep my eye out for Jesse and Sophia. My friend Monica joined us at the spot and now there was probably 8 people waiting, one of which was the crazy lady from before. It was now mid afternoon and I had already spent a good 6 hours at this spot. Definitely well worth it, but my feet were hurting. My body was sweating. My back was aching. I'm too old for this shit.
As we are standing there, Danielle Panabaker all of the sudden walks up the street and is standing next to me. WTF?! I quickly grab my Flash 11x14. She says she is going inside and will be right out. True to her word, she comes out and signs a couple and does a couple of photos. She said she was only here to pickup her Grandfather and they are going out to dinner. Crazy!
An SUV pulls up and Peter Facinelli gets out. He is on his phone, but gets off it pretty quickly and turns into a machine. He is signing. He is taking photos. He is having conversations. Dude is a machine. Definitely one of the most personable celebs I have ever met. And why not? He went from Jennie Garth to Jamie Alexander. One of the guys asks where Jamie is and Peter said she was doing photo shoot and would be back soon. Just wait here and she will take care of everyone. Peter currently stars on a show called American Odyssey. I havent seen it yet, but I am intrigued. What I know and love him from is a show from Fox that was cancelled after 1 season called Fast Lane. I loved Fast Lane! Too bad it never got a renewal.
Out next was Craig Robinson. At this point, there must be 20 fans waiting. Robinson is in a hurry, but poses for a photo or 2 before taking off. I get the photo and Robinson is gone. I spot Sophia Bush returning and call out to her again. She races in through the doors and is gone! DAMN!!!! Another SUV pulls up and its Ellen Pompeo from Grey's Anatomy. She walks up and everyone thinks they know her, but no one knows her name. After a group research via google, we determine it really was Ellen. We will be ready when she comes out.
I spot Jesse Lee Soffer coming back. I call him to him again and he once again gives me the 1 second and heads inside. WTF?! What is going on? It sucks cuz Jesse and Sophia are 2 of my favorites of the show with Voight. This sucks. Sophia Bush comes back out. I try again, figuring its gonna be a no. She comes over this time. She stops to take a picture with Monica. I have my cast photo out and ready to go. Then Monica drops her phone on my photo and asks me to take the photo!?!?!?!? NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! I hesitate. If I take the photo, Sophia could be gone by the time I am able to ditch the phone. They are awkwardly posing and I decide to take the pic, as its gonna hurt my chances and screw a friend over if I dont. I take the pic and ditch the phone as soon as I can. I ask Sophia for the autograph and she is gone before I can finish the sentence. Unreal. She did the 1 photo and left. A few minutes later and I cant make this shit up, but literally a bird of some sort flies over head and its bowels just explode on Monica's arm and her cell phone. It is so bad, she is forced to throw her phone case away....as we only had so much to work with on a hot sidewalk of NYC. Obviously, she could have gone to get napkins, but it would be jeopardizing potential meets. I offer her some hand sanitizer and she does her best to clean up. Was it karma? Its hard to say. I dont want to be cruel, but not taking the selfie I feel caused the loss. It certainly can be argued that if she really wanted to sign, she would have. Who knows? All I know is that I dont have the auto I needed and that bird must have had some bad Mexican based on the amount of crap that landed.
The next SUV that pulls up brings Charles Barkley. Barkley refuses to sign or do photos. At one point, one of the dealers ran to him and some heated exchange takes place. It ends with security chasing the dealer away and Barkley with his fist clinched and in the air talking about beating this guy's ass. Someone walks up for photo and Barkley does it. I try to make my way over, but to no avail. Barkley goes inside and Shaq arrives. I politely ask Shaq for a photo and I am promptly turned down. As he is walking inside he does a couple of photos before going in. WTF? Ok. Moments later he comes out again and does a photo right in front of me. I ask him again and Shaq THREATENS me. He tells me if I ask one more time, he and I are gonna have a problem. I knew this guy was a fucking douche bag, but let me tell you something Shaquille O'Neal is a bigger piece of shit. Men and women asking, some rudely, and he obliges....yet turns me down. My friend Monica runs over and asks, promptly gets cut off by the old lady with the cane. Monica looks like she is ready to throw down, but asks Shaq anyway and she too gets turned down. Shaq is headed for his SUV as I spot DJ. DJ spots Shaq and takes off running for him. Shaq goes to get inside the SUV and DJ goes and gets a photo op. A a behind the back ambush and success. I guess Shaq doesnt understand politeness. The words please and sir evidently are offensive to him. While words like yo man and give me will land you a photo. Screws over fans at the signing in NJ and turns polite fan down for a photo. Class act.
The last ball player that arrives is Kenny The Jet Smith. Kenny comes out and I ask him for a photo and he says he will take care of me in a minute and he needs to run in to get checked in. He returns a few minutes later and lives up to his promise. He heads right over and takes the photo. Shaq might want to take a page out of Kenny's book on how to treat fans. My issue with Shaq isnt that I got turned down.....its that he threatened me, when I politely asked for a photo op and obliged guys who were rude about it.
As the day began to turn to evening, the old body was really starting to tire out. Dave and I both needed to get a break and the names were starting to really come sporadically. Jesse Lee Soffer came out again, once again agreed to take care of me when he came back and it never happened. Not sure what this was all about. Ernie Johnson came out right after him and I had a brain fart, calling him Rich Eisen. The worst part was I knew it was Ernie Johnson. I just tweeted about Ernie Johnson a day or 2 before and yet said Rich Eisen. Ernie was cool. He walked over and introduced himself and even agreed to pose for the photo. Cool guy and a total class act for what he did for Stuart Scott. Some people called it a publicity stunt, but if you had seen the video, you would know it was as genuine and genuine could be. This was a small awards show that was not televised. He didnt have to do it....he did it because he wanted to. Bravo Ernie Johnson.
The next person that arrived was Amber Stevens from 22 Jump Street. She played Maya, Ice Cube's daughter. She was happy to pose and I got a photo. Gorgeous lady too. The last two photos I got at this spot were Freddy Rodriguez from Night Shift and Ugly Betty and musician Jack Taylor. In between these 2 meets, Sophia Bush came back and once again....she ran back inside. No Bush. No Soffer. Its definitely hard to complain for as many great meets that I got. I scored 3 top wants for the week right away on day 1. But now I needed a moment. So we packed up, grabbed an Uber and headed to the hotel.
When we got to the hotel, we got checked in and got the bags brought upstairs. Our room wasnt exactly in a hall, it was more like some narrow corridor off the main hall way. When we got inside, we thought we were in some children's room. The room was TINY. There were 2 beds with a small night stand between them. There was a desk along the wall with a chair, thats seat was almost touching the floor. The bathroom was small and there was a tiny cut out of the wall that was considered a closet. How we were gonna get 4 people in here was beyond me. The beds....oh my God! The beds were smaller than the ones I had when I was a little kid. When I layed down, it was barely long enough to cover my knees. Most of my calves, ankles and feet would dangle over the edge. There was no room in the bathroom to put your toiletries. I pretty much had to keep everything in my little corner in my bags. There was a fridge, but it too was very small. It beats sleeping in your car and beats having to be up even earlier to catch a train into the city....but wow, small.
We opted to get some food, as DJ was still out and about. By the time we were done and relaxed for a bit, DJ came back. Dave, DJ and I decided to hit a few night spots up. I needed Amanda Seyfried, Jim Parsons and Mark Linn Baker from Perfect Strangers fame. Seyfried was first. We waited a bit and then a stage hand came out and said there was an after party. Dave really wanted Parsons, so I went with Dave to make sure he got to Parsons, as he wouldnt go without 1 of us. DJ stayed behind to try and wait it out for Seyfried. She came out about 10 minutes after we left. Dave and I had just arrived at Parsons. Sucks, but I'll take another shot at her. We were first to arrive at Parsons. I had nothing for him, but Dave had an 8x10. The next person that joined us was a nice guy. We got to talking and I gave him a tale of woe and was able to score one of his 8x10s so I had an item for Parsons. DJ even made it to the spot in time, but he was way, way in the back. Parsons came out and was a machine. He signed everything and anything. He just wouldnt do photos. A video op might be the best thing to try if anyone ever goes for him at this spot. If you can get him to look up, you can screen cap it. He would really briefly look up for people, but as soon as the flash went off....he was already gone.
Dave and I ventured to Mark Linn Baker, while DJ headed back to the hotel. The shit part about this spot was that it was the same spot I played that nonsense game the previous summer trying to get Colin Donnell. And once again.....I played it for Mark Linn Baker and I picked the wrong door. Hell, the staff was telling me that the other names were going out the back, but the smaller names like Mark Linn used the front. Well....we never saw him. We saw several small names come out and sign....just not Mark Linn. Another failure for this spot. We called the Uber and we were on the way back to the hotel.
Day 1 was in the books. It was off to bed and ready for what Day 2 would bring us. The week was starting off strong with the main event in coming in 2 days. I was excited, but still beat. My pillow was calling my name and I couldnt wait to answer it.
Day 2 got started early for Dave and DJ. I decided to sleep in and skip the first spot. The names to get were very minor wants. It ended up being a blessing, as this spot unlike last year, turned into a nightmare. DJ ended up getting a few names, but opted to leave Dave there and head out on his own for a bit. I went to the spot to grab Dave and take him to another spot. As we arrived, DJ was leaving this spot and headed elsewhere again. Like 2 ships passing in the night.
This spot didnt yield much, but we were hoping it would bring some wants. Sadly, I never saw any of the Agents Of Shield...which is what I was looking for. Instead I was able to secure photos with Justin Chambers from Grey's Anatomy, Liza Weil from Scandal and Bellamy Young from Scandal. We didnt spend much time here and opted to bail as the results were slow and nothing good seem to be coming.
We took the subway back to our hotel, where we met Monica for lunch. We ate at the hotel before getting info. on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 set. Still had a few things for Stephen Amell who is casted as Casey Jones and would love a picture with Megan Fox. It was a long subway ride out, but Dave, Monica and myself headed out. We found the set location fairly quickly and got to watch some of the filming. It was a VERY cool experience. I quite enjoyed seeing the actors roaming about and running the same scene over and over.
DJ called and decided to head over to us to check out the filming. I gave him the spot location and he took the subway over. We thought we had spotted Stephen, but it turned out to be his stunt double. Since we werent close enough to him, I was only seeing it from a distance. Not 100% sure, Monica ended up just walking across the set to get confirmation. She came walking back a minute later and it was a negative. Hmmm.....
We talked to one of the set workers who gave us an estimated time for wrapping. Turned out his info. was damn good. We spotted Stephen walking down the street just a few minutes before he said. A dealer was chasing him, as we werent prepared and had to get our stuff out. Stephen turned the corner and we were in pursuit. As we were behind Stephen, we spot DJ walking towards Stephen. All of the sudden it dawned on him that Stephen Amell was walking towards him. He ran up to him and got a selfie. Stephen got into his trailer and we waited outside. One of the set workers told us Stephen wasnt feeling well, so there was a good chance he wouldnt stop. Clearly, he did not know who he was talking too. LOL!
The set worker was cool though. He actually engaged with us in conversation about the movie, Casey Jones and celebrities in general. He talked about his disdain for the dealers and the paparazzi. Stephen came out of his trailer a few minutes later and was happy to take care of us. I got 3 more items signed, along with another photo. How many photos and autos could I get with Stephen Amell in a week's time? After he was done signing, he turned to me and said to enjoy the events this week and he would see me tomorrow. HA! He knows me too well.
Once Stephen left, we spotted Will Arnett who plays Vernon taking off. We raced over. He said he was in a hurry and would not stop for a photo, but if we wanted we could take one while we walked. So I snapped the best motion selfie I could. Not too bad for what it was.
Megan Fox was next. There was only 6 of us at this point and only 1 dealer. Megan said she would take care of us after she got changed. We waited. Sadly, 6 turned into 12 with 6 dealers showing up. The size now doubled but wasnt too bad. Dealers were armed with tons of 8x10s. I began to worry.
We then spotted all 4 Turtles walking down the street in gimmick. Could we have scored an in gimmick group shot? Possibly. They were having a conversation. Next time, as the dealers took off running. We turned around to see Megan Fox pulling away. Evidently they snuck her out a back door and she was gone. The dealers pounded on the window, but nothing. DJ flipped out. I honestly think she would have been happy to take care of the 6 of us. But when the crowd doubled and all you could see was dozens of 8x10s rubber banned to cardboard....she aint stupid. She got herself out of there.
The Turtles started coming out of their trailers. First one out was Jeremy Howard, who plays Donatello. He was cool. He refused to sign anything though. He cited that they had gotten into trouble as the studio was finding way too many pieces on ebay. Interesting tidbit. Noel Fisher was next. He plays Michaelangelo. Peter Ploszek was next, Leonardo. He too refused to sign for the same reason. Last was Alan Ritchson aka Raphael aka Aquaman from Smallville. All 4 were very cool. The dealers took off, as all refused to sign. But they were cool. They hung out for a bit to discuss what they could about the movie. They told me Casey Jones will be telling an origin story, there will be more Turtles and a better story. All 4 were very excited about the movie. They had high praise for Stephen and what he brings to the movie.
We did really well here. But it was getting late and we hadnt eaten dinner. Now by late, I mean early evening. However, I would need to get to sleep as early as possible because tomorrow was the main event and tomorrow would require us to be up......AT 1AM!!!!! Thats right....1 fucking AM. So we headed back to the hotel, got some food and got ready for bed. But before sleep, a small problem occurred. I had purchased these new Charmin wipes that are supposed to be flushable. Let me attest to the fact that they are indeed NOT flushable. For all you judgie people out there.....yes, I use baby wipes. I wanna be sure. Toilet paper just doesnt get the job done. Wipes let me know that I have a fresh clean asshole for the day. Judge all you want....but I know my asshole isnt shitty. Anyway, I let my room mates know of the issue and that we will need to alert maintenance in the morning. The lid was closed till morning. Until then....no bathroom.
Day 2 was in the books and 1 am came way to quickly. Dave and I were both sluggish. I got up first and headed for the bathroom to get ready. A day full of excitement and intrigue awaited. My top want for the week Joseph Morgan was what was most important. As I am brushing my teeth, suddenly my stomach alerted me that we were going to need to defecate. We were Guarded on the terror level. I figured I would finish brushing my teeth, grab a room key, head to the lobby and take care of business. Instead, the alert went to SEVERE immediately on the terror level. WTF?! The toilet wasnt working. No way would I make it to the lobby. I took a glance at the shower before having to make a choice. I chose toilet. I sat down and what proceeded to take place was something awful. Something that only Hollywood could dream up. Remember that scene from Van Wilder when Richard had the laxative shake made my Tara Reid's character and was forced to grab a trash can to sit on since he wasnt going to make it? I made THAT look normal.
When I was done, I didnt know what to do. Now the small problem just became a BIG problem....and a smelly one. The toilet was not filled with shit from the night before backed up because Charmin's flushables are NOT flushable. Now we have shit from today, if thats what you can even call it and no plunger or anything to resolve the issue ourselves. Well....there was one way to try and resolve it. Could I? Should I? I could reach in there and attempt to pull some wipes out in order to get the toilet to flush. I mustered up the courage and reaches into the abyss. With vomit reaching up the back of my throat, I was able to grab a handful of wipes, dumping them into the trash. I quickly scrubbed my hand and arm with soap. Still not feeling like I had myself clean. Here we go. Moment of truth. Did I make the right play? I push down on the handle and toilet made what I can only describe as a small belch. In turn, the water level began to rise and some of the kids were looking to escape the pool. OH NO!!!! Luckily, no one got out. I put the lid back down and heard a tiny splash. This was SO not good. I got showered and made sure to spend extra time my hand and arm. Just reliving this moment brings about a gagging reflex. I wish I could say this story with the toilet would end......but I cant. More on that later.
I told Dave what happened and grabbed a piece of paper and a Sharpie. I wrote a nice detailed note about the toilet. DO NOT OPEN THE LID!!! Big bold print. Didnt want anyone to faint or vomit uncontrollably. Dave got showered and we got packed to get out of here. I grabbed all my stuff and called for the Uber. DJ was gonna grab a few extra winks of shut eye, as was Monica. We took bets on who would join us first.
We got to the spot and they were just starting to setup. We grabbed the ideal spot from last year feeling like we got here at the right time. After an hour, a few more people joined and within 2 hours, there had to be a dozen people here now. We opted for tshirts and shorts because of the weather report. Sadly, it was no where near these temps and it became freezing cold. Hoodie and jeans would have been more sufficient. DJ finally joined us several hours later and I won the bet. The setup here was different than last year's and we began to worry we selected poorly. The side we were on last year seemed to be the better spot. But there was no room on the rails for us now.
Spots like this can be a bit chaotic. And as I have stated before, I am not here to make friends. NO...I will not make room on the rail to let you in. YOU should have been here earlier. Dont bitch at me cuz you missed a photo because I wouldnt let you in. Im not a bad guy....not completely. If there is just that person out, I will gladly slide over to let you in. But if there are multiple people hovering on that rail, not till I get mine will I slide over. Sorry, if you think that makes me a dick. Just a tiny rant for those out there that got pissy with me. I'm here for the same reason you are.
Now back to our story. We quickly realized we were on the wrong side, we needed to be on the opposite side. Whats really weird, is they really changed up the barricades this year. Last year they had 1 on each side of the entrance and this year they added 2 more. I think it was a poor decision. Caused more chaos and more people who refused to stay in the barricades. The order of people of who came out first and who came out next is a little fuzzy. It was pretty chaotic. Not to mention that I didnt get everyone either. I do know the first photo op I got was with Willa Holland. Willa was happy to sign and take photos. She even brought her own Sharpie out. There were several people who refused to sign and would only do selfies like Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder and Brandon Routh. Only Routh was a major disappointment, as I had a few pieces for him.
Some of the more memorable encounters were Stephen Amell, of course. He came right to us. I honestly had nothing for him to sign. DJ got his figure signed, which turned out awesome. He looked at me, almost waiting for something. There was this brief awkward moment. I told him I had nothing right at this moment for him, but would restock for the future. He smiled. I said we can always do a selfie since you are here.....so thats what we did. He didnt do much and DJ got the only autograph.
David Ramsay was awesome. DJ and I started chanting "Diggle, Diggle, Diggle" which prompted David to skip a lot of people and come right to us. I got him to sign my Arrow book and got a selfie with him as well. Love Diggle. He rocks. And since the chanting worked, we opted to continue for other bigger wants. For example, Carlos Valdes who plays Cisco on The Flash. A chant for him got him to come over to us. Carlos was awesome. He was happy to sign my Flash 11x14, along with taking a "Canary Photo Op" pose selfie. Must see this episode of The Flash to know what I speak of. Our chanting also got Charles Michael Davis from The Originals to come over. This was a big need for me, as I missed him last year and I needed him on my Originals poster. Charles was happy to sign. Only issue, I asked him to sign off to the side, which he balked at. He wanted to sign over Joseph Morgan's face. C'mon! Why? I know you think its funny, but its gonna ruin my shit. I asked him to please not do that. He said he wouldnt, but wanted to sign nice and big so his signature was prominent. He then signed over Claire and Joseph....kind of ruining the prime spot I had set aside for Joseph. I got a pic with him and he was a cool guy, just kind of upset me. What more upset me was the news that Joseph Morgan was not here this year. My top want.....not even in NYC. This was about the worst news I could have gotten. Out of all the people to not have in town, the star of The Originals?!
In addition to the names I already mentioned, I scored photos with Paul Wesley, Brandon Routh, Brett Dier and Justin Baldoni from Jane The Virgin, Adelaide Kane from Reign, Ian Somerhalder who was by far absolutely mobbed and sent the crowd into a head splitting insane rage. I swear I heard panties LITERALLY dropping to the floor for Ian. I also got photos with Kristin Gutoskie who was Trish from The Originals and will be premiering on a new CW show called Containment. Sadly, I didnt recognize her as Trish and missed on the auto for my poster and Marie Avgeropoulos from The 100. We also chanted for Caity Lotz aka Sara Lance from Arrow. She was awesome. She signed my book and also took a selfie. I had plenty for her. Wished I could have gotten more.
I got Gina Rodriguez from Jane The Virgin, a retake with Brandon Routh and Chris Wood aka Kai from Vampire Diaries. As far as autographs I had gotten; Katie Cassidy in my Arrow book which I missed out on at Wizard World Philly....so that helped, Paul Blackthorne on my Arrow book, Jesse L. Martin aka Detective West from Flash on my 11x14, Tom Cavanaugh aka Reverse Flash on my 11x14, Phoebe Tonkin on my Originals poster and Dominic Purcell aka Heatwave on my Flash 11x14.
The last auto I got at this spot was from Ian Somerhalder. I know I told you he did not sign at this spot and it was true. BUT, he did sign 1 for me. Ian denied everyone's requests and his handlers would push things away, including a photo op I took with him from Creation last year. But Ian spotted it and told his handlers he NEEDED to sign this because it was a photo of he and I and he paid for it...so he deserves the autograph. VERY COOL moment. Hats off to Ian.
The only person who was bitchy and flat out refused....Kristin Kreuk. And that sucked. I am a big fan of hers and loved her in Smallville and now Beauty and The Beast. She refused to do anything. I have heard horrible things about her too, but cant stop crushing on her. She is so amazing on the eyes.
With this spot coming to a close, we opted to head back to the hotel. Dave and I were completely beat. And this was where the story turns shitty....pardon the pun. I ask DJ about calling maintenance to have them take care of the toilet before he left. He said he did not. Monica was still sleeping and he didnt want maintenance in the room while we are gone. DJ has a phobia with hotel staff being in the room while we are not in the room. Anyway, as I begin to chastise him for leaving this heap of shit in the toilet all damn day and some from the night before.....he tells me there is a bigger issue. He begins to tell the tale of how his morning got started. He went to the bathroom and read my note. Shaking his head in utter contempt....he began to get ready for the day. And then it hit him. Yup. In what can only be described as a parallel life event, DJ's stomach started grumbling. He knew he wouldnt make it, so he contemplated the shower. He couldnt bring himself to do it and had no choice. Yes sir.....he did indeed sit on the backed up toilet that was filled to capacity. Remember how I said how high the water levels were? Yeah....
So now we needed to head back to the room and deal with this. My plan was to catch a quick 30 minute power nap and venture back out. We grabbed some food and got back. When we walked back into the room, the room WREAKED! It must have smelled like Class and Joretsky's car after their week long, non showering, dumpster diving week in a parked car. No offense guys....but you guys even admitted to how bad the stench was. Anyway...the door was opened to the bathroom, which evidently Monica left open. WHY?!?!?! I called maintenance and the guy came up right away. When he arrived, I explained....in little detail, what had happened. The guy came in with a plunger and said it happens all the time. I dont think he quite knew what he was in for. He came inside, lifted to the toilet lid up and we literally heard him utter...."Oh God." At which time he left the room and said he would come back. Where was he headed? Perhaps a Hazmat suit was needed. Perhaps, this wasnt a one man operation and backup was needed. Maybe this area would have to be quarantined. When he returned, he came back with some plastic drop cloths and he layed them throughout the bathroom. He did his thing and sure enough the toilet was working in no time. Im sure he went home and burned his clothes that night and I can only imagine how this tale has been told over and over throughout the hotels maintenance horror stories.
With the toilet finally fixed, all of us passed out. No....I mean we went into hibernation. Evidently this week had finally caught up with us and we were wrecked. Class even texted me about the afternoon spot, with which I denied our arrival. No way was any of us getting up to go. A brief discussion was had, but no one wanted to move. We pretty much slept away the entire day. Nothing seemed to motivate us to venture back out and we didnt, at least I didnt. Monica had some other plans, so she left. Dave and DJ decided to go to a night spot for someone....I cant even remember who now. I stayed in the room and pretty much died. We have always talked about not falling asleep when everyone else is awake. Ask Nate what happens when you fall asleep.....balls on a forehead, penis drawings, etc. Well, for the first time.....I fell victim. Evidently, I was out, out too. DJ told me when they came back, they knocked on the door and I didnt answer. They tried knocking a few more times and still nothing. So they came inside and found me passed out. DJ began to doodle a penis and balls on my arm and I still did not wake. They would get ready for bed, giggling like school girls. At some point, I awoke and they were back. They couldnt wait to let me know how I had been had. I was too fucking tired to even go and wash it off and left this painted on penis and ball sack remain for the evening. Good thing there wasnt a fire that caused an evacuation.
The next morning was our last morning in town. We got all our stuff packed up and headed downstairs to check our bags with the hotel and checked out. We hit up our last spot for some more CW names. I got photo ops with Ciara Renee aka Hawkgirl from Legends Of Tomorrow, Wentworth Miller aka Captain Cold, Phoebe Tonkin, Dominic Purcell, some chick from Telelmundo who only took pictures from one side and not the other. Grant Gustin was the biggest name I saw and was able to get him on my Flash 11x14. I really did well on Flash names for the week. And finally I got Daniel Gillies. Daniel was super cool. He signed my Vampire Diaries poster as I already had him on my Originals. He asked why no Originals poster and I explained I already had him on it. He then asked me which show I liked better and I explained it was Originals because Joseph Morgan is the BEST actor on tv. Daniel went back inside for a moment before coming back out and picking up our conversation. I asked him if he had heard about Eyecon's convention in Atlanta in October and how Joseph was scheduled to be there. Daniel said he had heard about it and was hoping someone from Eyecon would contact him about it, as he believes his schedule is free that weekend. I told him I would love to get a Mikaelson brothers photo and he said it would definitely be a neat idea and he would be up for it. Now its in Eyecon's court to make it happen. As cool as that would be, I would still rather see Claire Holt aka Rebekah Mikaelson if they could only land one. But all 3 would be even better. Before he left, I got a quick selfie with him and was done.
DJ had gone to another spot to score a name and he did. He returned and him and Dave took off, while I stayed back trying to get a couple of other names. The only thing I got was Chris Wood who came out and I got him on my Vampire Diaries poster. Very nice guy like most have said. But I still cant stand Kai. And thats not the good heat like Joseph Morgan got from his portrayal of Klaus in season 3 of VD....this is the Xpac heat of no one cares...just go away heat. He's gone and I'm glad. But I do look forward to checking out Containment that Chris Wood will star in.
It was a long walk back to the hotel. I was going to Uber it back, but rates were running 2.5X and wasnt worth it. So I started walking. I figured at some point I could call for the Uber, but by the time rates went down....I was almost back to the hotel. When I returned, DJ got the car and I got the bags. We got the car loaded and hit the road for home. The events that would unfold next were down right frightening to borderline psychotic. Be forewarned.....this is NOT for the weak of heart.
Anyone who has driven in NYC or been in a car in NYC can tell you how bad the traffic can be. Well at 2pm on a Friday near the Lincoln Tunnel, it can be REALLY bad. So we are travelling on 10th Ave. and traffic is bad. At one point, we get cut off by a guy in an SUV who begins to come from the far right to lane and goes 4 lanes across to be in the far left lane eventually. After he cuts us off, his large SUV is blocking the view. DJ is in a rage over what has happened and is flipping the guy off. Eventually he swerves to the left and we finally see signs for our exit for the LT coming up. Only problem is the left lanes are now coned off a good half mile from the exit. Why? I have no idea....but we need to be in that lane. DJ decides to squeeze through the cones to get into the lane. All of the sudden a female NYC police officer walks over in front of DJ's car and screams for him to get out. She tells him the cones are there so no one comes into the lane. DJ tries to explain that we are from out of town and we need this lane. She screams at him that she doesnt care and wants him out. A slow fit of rage began to brew. It was like DJ was Dr. Banner and someone had made him angry. His eyes began to puff out of his head. A snarl growled and his breath huffed. An angry voice erupted and DJ roared back, as he pulled out of the lane, drove a few feet up and knocked over several cones to return to the lane the NYC police officer asked him to depart. Dave is sweating bullets in the back, as the NYC police officer comes back to the front of DJ's car with a cone. She places the cone in front of the car and tells DJ he needs to get out and she isnt going to tell him again. DJ snarls back. Traffic begins to move a bit and DJ hits the gas, grazing the police officer and she stumbles back. Dave and I mortified. I begin to wonder how much bail is gonna be set at and whether DJ's car will be impounded or can I drive it back. DJ whips the car around the cones again and drives back in. Traffic really starts to open up now. The NYC police officer takes off running towards DJ's car. Another police officer is alerted as we begin to exit for the tunnel. He is standing right next to me, points to DJ's car and asks if this is the car she wants stopped. DJ hits the gas and we are off and exited. Both police officers can be seen in the rearview giving chase.....but to no avail. We are too far from them for them to catch us on foot and we are right in the middle of HEAVY LT traffic. I am shocked at what has taken place. Dave, I am sure has wet himself in the back. DJ has reached ultimate rage....like Miami during Wrestlemania week....cept worse. Dr. Banner is no more....meet the purple pants wearing green guy.
The ride home was no picnic. It took most of the trip before DJ returned back to his normal self. When we finally got back to my place, all 3 of us were completely wrecked. Never seen so little enthusiasm displayed by the Wolfpack....yet it was here this day. DJ of course wants to do 1 extra day next year, while I am thinking of doing 1 less day. Dont get me wrong, this is my favorite week of the year for marking out....but it destroyed us. That night I got a good night's sleep and felt a lot better in the morning than I did any day during the week. Home cooking and my bed goes a long way. The week itself started on a high note, it had some lows and ended decently. No Joseph Morgan really put a damper on the week. AND it was crazy that I got about the same number of photo ops as I did the year before, when the year before was half the time of this year. I did get significantly more autographs this year than the year before, but still. I really thought I would return with 150+ photos this year and it just didnt happen. I definitely made a few mistakes and some times I erred on the side of caution in order to secure a bigger want than getting several needs. Oh well. I look forward to next year and doing this all over again. Its like the Christmas of marking out and it lasts for an entire week. So Merry Christmas to my fellow celebrity hunters! I hope Santa brought you everything you asked for. Ho! Ho! Ho!
Statistics: Posted by cmshowstopper — Today, 5:08 pm