Chiller Theatre Saturday 10/26/2013 LOTS of pics!

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Greg2600
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Chiller Theatre Saturday 10/26/2013 LOTS of pics!

Post by Greg2600 »

Be warned this is a long one with many pictures!

So yet again my friend Rob and I were at Chiller Theatre on Saturday, and another small fortune spent. Wisely we bought the tickets for $20 on the web well before last weekend. We had hoped to get there at noon, but there was major construction lane closures on Routes 46 and 80 heading west, and we didn’t arrive until 12:45PM. Unlike April, at least we didn’t incorrectly go to the Hilton instead of the Sheraton! We waited for 5 minutes for the wristband, while the line to buy a ticket looked like it was 200 people deep!

Immediately we noticed that though the living room was packed full of people, there was no line to get into it, unlike past shows where we waited nearly an hour to get into that room. I would thank the staff for putting certain guests like Corey Feldman or Weird Al in other rooms to draw those lines away.

So we went into the living room. We printed some post cards for our podcast (http://www.paunchstevenson.com) and were going to hand them to the guest (if their line was short) and ask for a couple minute-interview. Well we tried this first on Lou Ferrigno. Ha ha, big mistake. So he has no one in his line, and I ask him what a photo/auto combo is, and it was too much money. $40 for each, so I hand him $40 for the photo, and ask if my friend can be in the picture. He says that’s another $20! Now, they don’t even pull this crap on the pro. Photo ops. After the picture, Rob hands him the card, and asks for a couple minutes. He says it’s too busy now, come back at 5. There’s 3 people in the line, by the way. Just to finish the story, we came back at 6PM, and asked him again. His answer was that he meets hundreds of people, and “didn’t remember speaking to us earlier.” So we just dropped it. What a dick.

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Then we went over to Steve Guttenberg, who as many have said, was 100% gracious. I paid for the combo which wasn’t expensive. Signed Police Academy 8x10. I mentioned his horror film “Corner” which he was ecstatic that I had seen it. He also was asking us if this was a good convention, and whether he should keep doing them. LOL, we of course said yes.

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Next Rob got another picture with Samantha Fox ($20 I think), who we met in April and got an interview with. She even remembered him! Such a wonderful lady.

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Joey Lauren Adams was next, again nobody in the line. He wanted to much money I felt, so I only did the photo ($30 I think). We asked her for an interview, but she said she had to “listen to the show first.” Which was a polite no. Still very warm and friendly.

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Nearby was a gaunt looking, seemingly catatonic Gilbert Gottfried. I got a picture with him, but talking to him was impossible since he was so quiet and half asleep. Why did he bother showing up?

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I was going to get Catherine Bach, but she had to leave to go sign 300 items in a hotel room. The other lines were too long, so we walked out and around to the “hidden” Skyland Suite room. That room is packed with tables and very tough to walk through. The temperature in there was also steaming! Zach Galligan was first, only $20 for a combo! Robert Hayes was the same price. We said hello to Milo Ventimiglia, who was sitting there on his phone. No interest in his photo.

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Was also really pleased to get Kier Dullea and Gary Lockwood of 2001: A Space Odyssey while they’re alive and kicking! Did the combo for $80 I think. Their 8x10 selection wasn’t the greatest though. Very nice guys.

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We headed back to the Living Room area, because we were looking to get an interview on camera with the Angry Video Game Nerd, for the Digital Press Video Game podcast, which we’re also a part of. We’ve met him before, he’s VERY soft spoken. He’s been to Chiller in the past as a fan. They were situated outside in the lobby though their line was not very long at all. I thought it would be, but Chiller is a much older crowd. Oddly they had all this horror DVD memorabilia to sign and not much video game. Interview went great though, and they were signing items brought in for free, as they almost always do.

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Next we slid through the vendor room, ignoring the old fat former wrestlers. Although Andrew Anderson threw a plate of food at some guy and cursed him out. Brande Roderick and the TNA girls were pretty hot, but couldn’t spare the dough. On our way to the Christmas Story room, Rob went and said to Larry Storch, reminding him of being the first Ghostbuster.

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Inside, I got a $20 picture with Zach Ward and talked to him for a couple minutes.

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We also talked for a while with author Caseen Gaines, who wrote “A Christmas Story: Behind the Scenes of a Holiday Classic” and Ian Petrella, who played Ralphie’s brother. We had spoken with them on our podcast last week as well. http://www.paunchstevenson.com/2013/10/20/episode-228/

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We didn’t want to wait for Corey Feldman at the time, so we were about to leave when Chuck McCann popped in and I got a picture with him. Very funny old guy.

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Headed out of there and over to the room with the Trek ladies. Terry Farrell had stepped away, but I got the combo $50 with Marina Sirtis, who is terrific. We talked about European soccer/football for 10 minutes!

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We said hello to Josh Mostel, and went back to the living room. Catherine Bach was back, and I did the $60 combo. Was thrilled to complete my Dukes of Hazzard 8x10 autograph wise with all three actors.

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There was a Weird Al impersonator walking around, and he snagged him for a picture. Weird Bob.

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Waiting for awhile in the Ralph Macchio line, there was C. Thomas Howell, who looked pretty old now, and was strangely charging the same price as Macchio. Macchio combo was $60, and he did a video greeting for Rob’s wife. Very nice guy, just wish there was more time to chat with him. His line never abated and he stood there I think all day long.

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On the way out, I got a photo with Scott Wilson, because I LOVE the Walking Dead, for $20.

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Back to the other room where Terry Farrell returned. Terry was fabulous, and like Marina, we talked and talked. She saw that we were wearing video game shirts, and we wound up talking about video games for quite some time. Her son is really into them.

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Back to the Corey Feldman room, where his line was about 25 minutes long. Corey was nice and friendly, but it was conveyor belt style, and frankly he look terrible. Combo was a cheap $40. First picture didn’t have the flash, and he complained when we asked for a second, so I just left.

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Though we’ve met him before, there was no line so we went ahead with a $30 Weird Al picture.

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Under miscellany, Peter Fonda was flipping the bird towards anyone trying to sneak a photo of him! I wanted to talk to him, but I had spent way too much money as it was. Was Tahnee Welch there?
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Re: Chiller Theatre Saturday 10/26/2013 LOTS of pics!

Post by Bobby »

Nice report dude, hope you enjoyed the convention as lots of people seemed to be dicks
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Re: Chiller Theatre Saturday 10/26/2013 LOTS of pics!

Post by 16times »

Great report and photos. Your Corey Feldman pic is the first one I've seen taken at the table. I thought he was just doing Froggy.
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Re: Chiller Theatre Saturday 10/26/2013 LOTS of pics!

Post by lanza218 »

Great report man. If I wasnt in AC I would have been here
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Re: Chiller Theatre Saturday 10/26/2013 LOTS of pics!

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16times wrote:Great report and photos. Your Corey Feldman pic is the first one I've seen taken at the table. I thought he was just doing Froggy.
I suspect he changed his mind on Saturday, because there would have been a lot of angry people hitting his table that day. Tia Carrerre did the same thing back in April.
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Re: Chiller Theatre Saturday 10/26/2013 LOTS of pics!

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It is surprising the Police Academy movie actors don't do much. 80s movie stars are always popular. A few of them did a Hollywood Show around late 90s/early 00s and one in mid 00s, but after that I don't recall anything.

As for Lou Ferrigno, I see him as a Rikishi type but in a more subtle way. Maybe not holding up promoters but definitely trying to get the most out of the fans with separate prices for autographs and photos. You probably aren't getting an interview out of him for less than a hundred and that wouldn't be included if you bought $100 worth of autographs.

With a guy like Gottfried or Feldman, it's probably just "work" to them much like employees of a some establishments who don't really want to be there but have to. It's just a payday. It's getting more and more like that, sadly. Why they keep doing it is because we keep coming back. How many times has a restaurant made the wrong thing and makes it seem like it's our fault? Yet people keep coming back. I understand it completely that we do so, we keep going back. It'll keep happening.
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Re: Chiller Theatre Saturday 10/26/2013 LOTS of pics!

Post by Joresky »

Great report!! Awesome photos... i really hope celebrities stop being greedy with prices at cons but I know this will never happen, because we are willing to pay :facepalm2:
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Re: Chiller Theatre Saturday 10/26/2013 LOTS of pics!

Post by Greg2600 »

In reality at Chiller, most of the prices are pretty low. For those like Ferrigno or others who do every convention, it's just a business, they're not even having fun. Ralph Macchio stood there I would bet all three days non-stop, and in my opinion he earned whatever he was charging. By the way, I noticed that http://www.conventionallstars.com/ has many of the 80's guests, and those guests charged some pretty low prices.

I would say that most of the women "my age" who met Corey seemed very satisfied with the encounter. He was energetic but he also rushed a little bit too. First time for him though. I felt like Gottffried was simply uncomfortable in the mass of people, which for a neurotic comic is probably not a surprise.

To be honest, the best celebrities were the ones in the smaller rooms that weren't crowded, because you could actually hear them and talk to them. Gary Lockwood was a riot, but it was hard to talk to him because that room had everyone sandwiched in like sardines.

We've been to 3 straight Chiller's now, and of all the meetings, I felt like I was only ripped off a couple times. So that's pretty good. I've also hit so many of the usual Chiller guests that I'm thinking after a couple years or less, I would have met pretty much all of them.
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Re: Chiller Theatre Saturday 10/26/2013 LOTS of pics!

Post by mikeyicon »

As an avid reader who is still due to post something, hoping MAYBE to add my two cents and report on my 11th Chiller show in the next day or so. In reference to Lou Ferrigno, I happened to be hanging out when he was telling Steve Guttenberg the proper way to dupe the fans and make more money. Guttenberg was hilarious, just listening to him with a big smile on his face and pretending to take note. As you read from other posts, and to confirm, Steve Guttenberg was mellow but very excited to be there and if it were up to him, he would do it all for nothing. It's his handler and agents that look at it purely as a business. Chiller used to be really great and fan-friendly where you could BS with the guests without being hawked stuff to sign. It's still fun, but it's much more popular and becoming purely about evil promoters and handlers trying to make as much money they can for a simple thing like signing an autograph and taking a photo.
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Re: Chiller Theatre Saturday 10/26/2013 LOTS of pics!

Post by class316 »

IMO prices were super high for the most part.

For example the 2001 Spacey Odessey guys should not have been more than $20-$25 and free photo op. Yet they're $40 each for a combo? I had a very nice item for them but I sadly went the photo op only route with them. C Thomas Howel and Tahnee Welch who should not have been more than $35 a combo were like $70-$80 a combo. Did photo ops only.

Ken Page and Paige O Hara were $25 an item and $40 for premium items! WTF? *insert deleted smiley* First time I ever heard of premium prices at Chiller since Leslie Neilson and Val Kilmer. Because of this I ended up getting a photo op only with Ken and semi mooching Paige (I had laserdiscs, more details on what happened when I make my report).

And so on and so forth.

Lines overall were not that bad, and I think high prices had a lot to do with it.

Sadly, people desire combos and seem economically inelastic to them. So as a promoter once said :grin: high prices are here to stay :depressed:
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Re: Chiller Theatre Saturday 10/26/2013 LOTS of pics!

Post by Playboy_Jesse »

cool report man, the Corey Feldman pic is awesome!
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Re: Chiller Theatre Saturday 10/26/2013 LOTS of pics!

Post by Greg2600 »

Class, the only rationale I can think for the 2001 guys is they're pretty old, so they figure hey fans, you may not get another shot! Where was Tahnee Welch, I didn't even see her there? C. Thomas Howell's prices were idiotic, he's nowhere near as popular as Macchio. In terms of the lines, I think the occupancy limits had a lot to do with that too! Prices for some were high, there's no question, but compared to what I spent at NYCC for just a few individuals it wasn't even close!

Mikey, Lou Ferrigno is a loser, as you have confirmed. It's no wonder the cast of the Apprentice he was on all hated him. I would agree the money is all spurred on by the handlers. That being said, if it's not for those people you're not going to get these celebrities to any of these events. They're not going to spend the money to rent the table or whatever it is, in addition to their travel expenses.

Sure it would be nice as I said to be able to converse longer with them, but when the room is mobbed that's very tough. Here's something I have noticed, every single actor I've met at Chiller, who did a lot of Star Trek work, I've been able to talk to for a decent amount of time. And it was not simply my doing. They wanted to talk and talk and talk, but again they are convention veterans. Oddly enough they weren't being mobbed either.

Also, unlike NYCC where the on site "handlers" are rude, obnoxious, and combative, at Chiller they are usually pretty nice.
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Re: Chiller Theatre Saturday 10/26/2013 LOTS of pics!

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Greg2600 wrote:the only rationale I can think for the 2001 guys is they're pretty old, so they figure hey fans, you may not get another shot!
Well I chose to save $60 there. My mindset at these cons is to cut down on autographs as much as possible to save money (for example I only got two autographs at Chiller).
Where was Tahnee Welch, I didn't even see her there?


She was in the same room as Maryse both Friday and Saturday don't know if she was there Sunday but I assume so.

Speaking of Maryse wow she was looking so damn hot. Really wanted a photo op but can't afford to pay $30 for something I already have.
Prices for some were high, there's no question, but compared to what I spent at NYCC for just a few individuals it wasn't even close!


Still, most Chiller names are garbage compared to the NYCC guests. Not really comparable. Also at NYCC you have a ton of free people (and good names too).
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Re: Chiller Theatre Saturday 10/26/2013 LOTS of pics!

Post by mikeyicon »

Most handlers are decent, but there are plenty of shysters as well. I love the psychology and dealings with some of them and boy did I have a few. I like to focus on the positives, and for the most part the handlers and celebs were all good, yet there's always the few douchebags. Per experience there are various people to stay away from: Lou Ferrigno, Virgil, Andrew Anderson (an absolute nobody), and the washed up 80's WWF legends (aka Beefcake and Valentine) and also it's nice to see when sombody is on my list to get signed and the handler is somebody I've dealt with in the past. The guy with Joey Lauren Adams is usually nice as was the woman with Terri Farrell.

The three bad ones:
Weird Al with Jay Levy (who actually is kind of a worthy of a photo op since he wrote and produced UHF and has been Weird Al's manager for a long while). Surprised line wasn't bad on Friday night. Wanted to get the photo with my daughter the following day since she loves him on Yo Gabba Gabba, but figured the lines would be brutal so time to get it then. Since I was paying for a combo, I asked the handler should the lines not be crazy and since I paid, could I get an addl. photo without paying for my daughter with Weird Al. They didn't see a problem, but told me to ask him. I did so and while Weird Al looked on, I asked Jay Levy figuring there would be no problem besides the fact I wouldn't wait in line the following day anyway. He looked at me puzzled, and told me what's the big deal to shell out another $30. Uggh! So was Weird Al signed my DVD cover and no signs indicating otherwise, I snapped a photo of him signing the DVD as I do this stuff for a friend/benefactor and need to prove it's signed. Levy tells me that was my photo. I fought tooth and nail and of course got my photo with Weird Al, but this totally ruined the experience and also knocked Weird Al down a notch as well. He seemed very odd anyhow.

Tahnee Welch handler tells me it's $30 for a photo and signature. Tell her that sounds great and give the money and ask her to take the photo since my dad can't use a camera to save his life. She says that it's now $50. Of course there is nobody even at the table and i'm sure she's not making much cash. On principle, I ask for my money back. She asks if I still just want the autograph, to which I say no chance. Isn't $35 for thirty seconds better than $0?

And the best, my daughter gets her chance to meet the Wonka kids who I've met at a previous show and all of them are very nice. The Wonka Kids were all super nice and photo was included in price. I go to Diana Sowle (Charlie's Mom) who I've met also at a previous Chiller show. She has a shady dude taking money for her. I pay the dude my $25 for the signature and confirm it's okay for my 3 year old daughter to get the photo with her. He tells me that's an addl. $5. Now $5 in the scheme of things isn't a big deal, but it's just the principle and what kind of creep would charge for a young kid to take a photo with an elderly lady from a beloved kid's movie? I refused, and the guy couldn't be a decent guy and blamed his boss instead of doing the right thing. C'mon. When my daughter asked why she couldn't get a photo with Charlie's mom, I pointed to the "piece of shizz with teeth" and gave her an early life lesson that some people are rotten and we don't waste time with people who care more about money than decency.

Maybe I do have to write a whole recap. :)
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Re: Chiller Theatre Saturday 10/26/2013 LOTS of pics!

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mikeyicon wrote:
Wanted to get the photo with my daughter the following day since she loves him on Yo Gabba Gabba, but figured the lines would be brutal so time to get it then. Since I was paying for a cumbo, I asked the handler should the lines not be crazy and since I paid, could I get an addl. photo without paying for my daughter with Weird Al. They didn't see a problem, but told me to ask him. I did so and while Weird Al looked on, I asked Jay Levy figuring there would be no problem besides the fact I wouldn't wait in line the following day anyway. He looked at me puzzled, and told me what's the big deal to shell out another $30. Uggh! So was Weird Al signed my DVD cover and no signs indicating otherwise, I snapped a photo of him signing the DVD as I do this stuff for a friend/benefactor and need to prove it's signed. Levy tells me that was my photo. I fought tooth and nail and of course got my photo with Weird Al, but this totally ruined the experience and also knocked Weird Al down a notch as well. He seemed very odd anyhow.
I don;t understand..you got your combo with weird al friday night but you wanted them to give you a free photo op the next day with your daughter?
mikeyicon wrote: Tahnee Welch handler tells me it's $30 for a photo and signature. Tell her that sounds great and give the money and ask her to take the photo since my dad can't use a camera to save his life. She says that it's now $50. Of course there is nobody even at the table and i'm sure she's not making much cash. On principle, I ask for my money back. She asks if I still just want the autograph, to which I say no chance. Isn't $35 for thirty seconds better than $0?
What was Welch in? I have no clue who she is...although I am confused here too- she wanted an extra $ 20 to be your photographer?

mikeyicon wrote: I pay the dude my $25 for the signature and confirm it's okay for my 3 year old daughter to get the photo with her. He tells me that's an addl. $5. Now $5 in the scheme of things isn't a big deal, but it's just the principle and what kind of creep would charge for a young kid to take a photo with an elderly lady from a beloved kid's movie? I refused, and the guy couldn't be a decent guy and blamed his boss instead of doing the right thing.
confused again...i have a 5 year old and would love to bring him to shows to get free photo ops...but why do you think that just because we have young kids we should be entitled to free photo ops? would it have been nice? of course...but you come across upset at the fact they wanted you to pay for something everyone else has to...if it was that important to your daughter, you probably should have just paid the $5...
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