jeffahey4ever

Hi Jason, Good to hear the Winter Show is up Year on Year! As mentioned earlier, I had a Great time on Sunday. I tend to judge a show by the Quality of the Guests, particularly if they are First-Timers e.g. Ralph Macchio and C.Thomas Howell (Both Lovely/Friendly Guys). it doesn't matter to me how busy or quiet a show is or indeed the location. I look forward to Milton Keynes already! Regards Z

..Please may I start by conveying a Massive Thank You to Jason and the Team for All the Stellar Events so far in 2014. Today, LFCC 19 Oct 2014, was Beyond Perfect!! I made an 100 mile trip in the Car to arrive just after 9:00am, paid and entered without any delay. Couldn't believe my luck when I received All VQ tickets under #40... All Honoured Guests were as congenial and accommodating as imaginable; Ralph Macchio, C.Thomas Howell, Katie Sackhoff and a Special Mention for Dave Prowse MBE who is the Nicest Bloke Ever...!! To cut a not-so-long-story even shorter, after collecting 8 Prized Autographs I left the building at 9:44am to arrive back home Another 100 miles later at 12-Noon...!! As a 'Seasoned Attendee' I didn't feel the need to stay any longer, had I lived inside London and accessed the Tube it may have been a different story... To reference the negativity of certain aspects in 2014, here's my perspective... Carrie Fisher: Last time I had the pleasure was July 2006, the Day when England were knocked out of the World Cup (Again) -She was Lovely!! Back then it cost £25 per Auto, including a 'Posed Photo' at the Table...!! -What do we expect today? Carrie Fisher is to appear in Episode VII, of course she's allowed to be a Diva, we need to realise she's the Diana Ross/Mariah Carey of the Star Wars Universe ...puppies and all. LFCC Summer 2014: Technically/Arguably the BIGGEST Name EVER appeared, as we all witnessed it made a Normally Busy Event even Busier... What did we all expect? First thing we did was to Order 'Early-Bird Tickets' for Saturday decreed by the 'Rule of Madsen' ..Michael Madsen due to appear at a show in 2003 for TWO days, guess what? Second Day No Show. From that day onwards it was Always a Rule to attend on the First Day that is practical for any Important/First-time signers. It appears the rule came into effect on Sunday 13 July 2014 where no Autographs were available by a certain guest. I was abundantly clear that with the Biggest Guest Line-Up ever, a Precise Strategy was required. I had to leave home at 3:00am to pick up 'the Boys' 70miles away, then arrived at Earls Court just after 7:00am and Parked downstairs. With Lengthy Queues already in place, we gained entry just after 9:00am. Dashed over to Hall 2 to collect VQ tickets, mercifully I landed #88, and got whisked through and made a Sharp Exit with 3 Stan Lee Autographs within 90minutes. Later On, 'and in no particular order', garnered Signatures from John Hurt, Michael Biehn (Really Nice and Chatty Bloke), Summer Glau and after waiting 11 Years... Michael Madsen!! The Boys and I spent a merry-fortune on Autographs, but Zero-Pence on Food/Drink -bringing it with us seemed the most sensible option. All done and left for home by 3pm. the only minor-stress encountered was lunchtime for the Guests! So, technically it was more than possible to have survived the 2014 Summer LFCC... Objectively, will there ever be another line-up to match the calibre of LFCC Summer 2014? I, speaking personally, may not have felt the benefit of a suggested 'Premium Ticket' for an event such as this? In respect to future events, if offered a Premium Ticket for Sir Christopher Lee CBE as an example, where I could turn up at Any Time and have an Autograph without Queuing then maybe YES at the right price... Fact is, even If I paid £80 for such a Premium Ticket which I consider to be reasonable, is it fair on Others who may not have the same resource? For example if 500 Premium Tickets were pre-sold for Sir Christopher Lee, this may seriously limit the availability for Standard Entries. Is that Fair or is it a case of 'Highest Bidder Wins' acceptable?. Sir Christopher Lee would be an Extremely good example, if I were a Gambling Man I would put money on the Gentleman limiting his appearance to Less than One Day.... Look forward to hearing any views. Regards Z

I'm there....

I've always Loved the entire concept of Autographica, select and relaxed - never a Crowd/Endless Queues Issues. Consequently, for these factors It's almost a victim of it's own being; without a Killer Headline/Mainstream Guest - Big Numbers will not attend. For me at least, Dream Guests within Realistic limits would be; Sean Bean, Timothy Dalton and Sir Ian McKellan (if You've met Sir Christopher Lee, Sir Roger Moore and Patrick Stewart - the aforementioned are by default to be considered realistic). No doubt SM have approached these Stars previously, but these are the Calibre of Guests that would 'Clear My Schedule' at Any Cost. The last time I witnessed this fever was Ursula Andress' 1st Appearance, Every Serious 007 Fan made the Pilgrimage irrespective of Timing and Costs. Over the last 10 Years, I have been Lucky enough to meet Sir Norman Wisdom, Tony Curtis and the Elusive Val Kilmer... Autographica is the BEST in Show, Long may it continue - BIG Thanks to Jason, David and Paul

Sounds Great! Obvious Question; which Guests/Stars/Announcements if any? LUURV the idea of events located Outside London ...Hurrah!!

Winner..!! Well done To Jason & all at SM; Easy to get in with no queuing, relaxed atmosphere, Autographs prices pitched largely correctly, no Tears or fisticuffs with anyone. Sadly some guests were Saturday only, but plenty of talent on Sunday - Danny 'Machete' Trejo a Real Legend and all-round decent chap! Highlight of the Show for me was 'Alexandra Moen' from Hotel Babylon, Absolutely Gorgeous (Marriage Material You might say) ...no harm in dreaming!

...so pleased I didn't attend this Show!!

Didn't do this Con, Largely because I heard Leonard Nimoy didn't Personalise. Shame, he's a Legend...

Didn't do this Con, Largely because I heard Leonard Nimoy didn't Personalise. Shame, he's a Legend...

Didn't do this Con, Largely because I heard Leonard Nimoy didn't Personalise. Shame, he's a Legend...

Sir Ian Mckellen, Orlando Bloom, Sir Ian Holm, Sir Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton....

Well Pointed out A007...!! I would happily pay £50 to £100 for certain "get-able" individuals such as Timothy Dalton, Roger Moore.... Mark Hamill; £85 "Well Worth It" - Really Chatty & Down To Earth, not rushed (Shatnered), Posed for Great Photo! Long Queue but, considering 30 Years of Galactic History 3 hours of waiting is nothing! For anyone who didn't attend CE, Mark Hamill's Queue on both days was endless, .....a bit like SW Saga Merchandising...!? Fair Comment, but some Guests may literally be once in a lifetime whatever the Price... Anyone remember Pat "Mr Miyagi" Morita? Well Worth it...!! Well if we are to assume that the powers-that-be etc are reading what we say here, I have a few words I'd like them to hear also: GIVE US OUR GODDAMN MONEY'S WORTH. Fair Comment but, Please don't Blaspheme...!! Exactly, I dont think its a case of the guest wanting to make as much cash as they can (though I suspect its part of it) but rather SM trying to recoup their fees in getting the guest here in the first place. Many guests actually don't even like to charge fans for autos... Another Valid Point Nicky... Word is, Dolph Lundgren won't appear for that reason but, maybe he could be persuaded to donate fees to Charity (same as Rutger Hauer) or off-set with Van Damme - I think he may need renumeration, repatriation. Imagine an Universal Soldier reunion....WOW!!!

Fab Idea... I'd only be interested if Series #1 Cast also appeared in line-up e.g. the Actors who played; Tucker, Benny, Alan, Bullet Baxter, Sexy Lexy etc... You're not referring to John Holmes who appeared in 2,274 "Adult Films" are You..!?

Player... Great Guest!!!

Many Thanks, Jason & all @SM, for a Prosperous Show. Great Genre Cross Section/Balance of Guests, All attendees Very Friendly & Relaxed + Children Well-Behaved! Venue is Perfect with Easy-Loading for Dealers, FREE Parking, Shopping Centre with Supermarket (So no-one is obliged to settle for in-event catering) & the Talks are well-positioned so they didn't interfere with any other Proceedings. Keep Up the Good Work as Always, See You at the Next event.... (Danny Trejo Please!!) Kindest Regards G

Naturally, ...we're all going to "up-sticks" and do US Cons, with No considerations for the events on our doorstep...

EDIT - I understand that you have not named the other event but by naming specific guests that have been announced for this other show you are in effect advertising it as people will go and search the web for it. This is against forum rules.

Well done Jason, Mark & the Entire Crew for a Jolly Good Show. Tis Pity a few guests ran out of Prime shots, particularly one who had none left of his/her current show!

Don't You just Love the "fallout" after an Hectic Show...? I know I do, and it never fails to surprise me how contentious opinions appear time after time.... I've attended shows/cons for 10+ Years, so it's fair to say my views are well observed and are not without solid foundation. Showmasters are not entirely indefensible in respect to Sunday's proceedings. I was one of the several-hundred thousand who preyed mob to 3 Quarters of The Hobbits at Collectormania 4 in 2003. C4 was considerably worse for any of us who care to remember, or haven't undergone extensive therapy to erase that weekend from memory. The Sunday when Elijah, Sean & Dominic appeared was a lesson in how to avoid such issues as experienced with The HEROES and Patrick Stewart. At C4, All virtual Queue tickets had been distributed by approx 10am (after the mile-long Q and inevitable Stampede through Milton Keynes Boulevards) rendering the event a non-starter for anyone arriving just after the Official opening time! There was incredibly NO LIMIT on the number of Autographs from any 1 guest! Posed photos were permitted!! Consequently, the big Stars failed to reach Tickets much beyond the 700 mark. Needless to say, much was gleaned in the aftermath for the better, preventing a repeat performance for every show since..... until Now. To my knowledge, this was the first Mainstream "Open Doors" Event for Patrick Stewart, the second for Dominic Managhan and HEROES firmly at the height of it's UK popularity. What X-actly did the organisers expect, in a particulary less-than-sexy environment?? It was patently obvious having all the BIG Stars together in an inadequate area was a recipe for blood, sweat & tears. There was no cordoned area for queuing. Distributing Virtual Queue tickets in excess of 1200 was an exercise in futility causing those poor people to hang-around unnecessarily, further adding to the mayhem. The Legendary Patrick Stewart was first on the Agenda, Thoroughly Decent Chap, signatures obtained without "Much Ado". When I decided to brave the Q's for the Lovely Hayden, it was 1.30pm. The Virtual Q "Now Serving" had only reached 200, the writing was definitely on the wall.... Fortunately, I had low ticket numbers for all the Distinguished Guests (Including Jack, Milo & Adrian), and largely speaking received all the Autographs I desired with a Pleasant but brief exchange. Realistically I couldn't have hoped for much more given their Popularity is on a Global Scale. However, for those less fortunate than me, The following questions remain; Why distribute Virtual Tickets well in excess of 1000+? Why is a Guest's limited engagement not made Publicly aware in advance? Why Not Permit Non-Flash Photography from the Q's? It is fully Appreciated Showmasters are primarily Running a Business, Numbers through doors, every autograph signed and Photo-shoot taken is a £Pound in the right direction.... for them at least.

Here's an idea..... At the Next MM, Showmasters should solicit respective Record Labels and produce convention only CDs specifically for Signing. For Example; a Prolific group such as "Girls Aloud" would undoubtedly not involve themselves in "Cash for Autographs" (Maybe for Charity), therefore all we need is a repackaged CD of Greatest Hits with a "Convention Only" Sleeve Insert. There would be very little additional cost to the Record Label/SM. Going One Better, Produce 5 Individual Character Sleeves of Sarah, Cheryl, Nadine, Kimberley and Nicola (My Order of preference). Pay £15 for Your Chosen CD, get it signed at no extra charge. They could even be individually numbered/embossed sleeves to prevent counterfeiting and Ebay/Auction Sites could be complicit to embargo Non-Resale of these discs. I am NO record collector, but given the opportunity of an Exclusive Signed CD, I'm there and I would happily pay for all 5 as would many "Fans"!! Adding to the list; Avril Lavigne, Katie Melua, Lily Allen. Joss Stone, Natasha Bedingfield...... get the picture? No doubt many current acts, such as above, would not be a party to Charging for Autographs, and consequently would not normally appear. This idea circumvents that issue, Stars/Artists actually Sell Real CDs, Fans get something Extra Special & Value for Money, Record Label/Artists and SM do "Revenue Share" ....Everyone's a Winner!!! Imagine the figures....... You read it here first.......

Needless to say, there are indeed 2 sides to every story- Firstly, ShowMasters consistently provide Great Events regularly throughout the Year, as many many thousands of us will testify. How else would we meet the Stars & obtain Autographs ordinarily? How badly was ShowMasters Slick organisation missed at Star Wars CE? Unquestionably, Mark Hamill's Queue had little to no crowd control, no virtual queuing and No actual "Timed Slots" were adhered to. Excusable perhaps? Methinks not, every £85 paid ticket had an ascending Individual Number!! It's hardly X-Wing Science to regulate a Queue given that mechanism. Musicmania Live was indeed an Unproven Formula. The adverse factors were; The first Ray of British Summer Sunshine descended upon us for the first time in weeks. Traditionally, this perturbs the Public, unless they're shopping for a new Barbecue or Garden furniture accordingly. The first 2 weeks of School Summer Holidays, sees a massive seasonal exodus by families, similarly this is exacerbated by regional "Factory Fortnight" annual leave. Seasoned Convention-goers are more than familiar with the fees & protocols accordingly, however, Pop fans who may have grown-up with these Acts in the 90s may be less than familiar with the form. Evidently, Tabloid journalist is almost certainly a SM Virgin. Similarly, the core attendees of a largely 90s Boy Band line-up, have probably never picked up a copy of "Record Collector" magazine in their formative years. Hence, Vinyl dealers at the show may have had a less than fruitful weekend out. Chatting to 1 Boyband member at a recent show (as one does), the obvious question was asked; were he or his group members approached to appear at MM Live? A resounding Yes, with a number of reservations, which resulted in refusal. He felt charging for Autographs was not constitutional for his Group, however if a Live performance was involved, that may have changed things. Performing live at these kind of events, is no doubt a Performing Rights Legal Minefield. "Washed-Up Stars' fame over" a tad unfair methinks. A Tabloid Journalist evidently not au fait with cons and certainly not "entering into the spirit" of such events... These acts were plenty good enough for All us consumers over the years, who would doubt Tabloid Journalist adorned her bedroom walls with Duran Duran, Take That or Eternal (depending on Her Age/Persuasion)? Personally, I had a memorable one to one with the Lovely Lisa Scott-Lee (without being arrested). She told me about an Upcoming Tour in China and progress on her Solo Album due out in Sept. Having a photo with Lisa was "well worth it", The Autograph- a Gift for a Friend, Naturally.... In Fairness if 1 Current A-Lister Star had attended, even if only for an hour, it would have boosted attendance. It wouldn't necessarily have to be a Traditional Pay-per-Autograph, they could have attended to Promote their Upcoming Tour, or Signed their latest CD for recommended price. This was expertly executed by SM at Collectormania G-Mex with Messrs Simon Pegg & Nick Frost, Showcasing "Hot Fuzz" Courtesy of Universal Pictures. Anyone for Ray Quinn.....??

Miranda Otto totally fit and friendly!! Was expecting something along the lines of her "Strong feminine" roles but, more than pleasantly surprised by her warmth and good-looks. Yeahhh.... don't mind if I do!!

....don't mind if i do!! Similarly, does anyone know why Alyson Hannigan hasn't appeared at a public convention, since she recently did a long stint in the UK and her other half has appeared....??

.....a Bond Girl married to a well-off type chap, surely not!! I can't imagine what the attraction is for either party...??

....we can all dream but, realistically (haven't had the pleasure myself, ...yet); Talisa Soto Jane Seymour Rosamund Pike Maria Grazia Cuccinota Carol Bouquet Kristina Wayborn .....a pattern emerges if Showmasters can snare any of the following then "I'm a Dutchman", since they all have incredibly well-off spouses, consequently they should do it for the love of their fans (not to diminish the social standing of the ladies above by any means): Barbara Bach Carey Lowell Michelle Yeoh Alison Doody Unfortunately one of our esteemed contributors has taken it upon themselves to request 2 DECEASED Bond Stars, this is not in good taste!! Have they not grasped the wonder of the IMDB?? Christopher Lee?? Sorry, it won't ever happen.... Having had dealings with The Great Man himself as well as Benicio Del Toro, Desmond Llewelyn, John Glen, it's reasonable to assume which guests are attainable and otherwise i.e. The Ones that Should; Steven Berkoff Gotz Otto Rick Yune Lawrence Makaore Goldie Joe Don Baker .....a Distinct Pattern emerges.