TheCollector2016

Ha! I appreciate the excitement.

I prefer to share my books AFTER they come back graded. Just a personal thing. But after doing this for a few years now, I guess I'd describe myself as a "celebrity signed book" collector, and what I get signed and by whom is a bit different. 

The celebrities today reacted very positively to what I had them sign, as did the witnesses, and the CGC folks at the booth. I'm can't wait to get them back, and will post pics when they arrived.  

While conversing with CGC today, couldn't help but think "there must be a better way."

Feel free to weigh in on these thoughts:

- celebrity areas should have 1-2 "roaming" CGC witnesses....that way, people in line don't have to call/text/hunt someone down. 

-because...when it's a convention this big, 5 witnesses isn't enough. Dallas needs double that, probably more. I know I feel fortunate to get my signatures today, as did the others I talked to in line. It shouldn't be this stressful for the auto collectors, nor should it be this stressful for the CGC witnesses running all other the place.

-the good thing this year WAS placement of the CGC booth. Last year, it was way, way far back on the convention floor. This year, it was very close to the celebrity autograph area, and that was a much-needed upgrade.

-Despite this relative madness, everyone at CGC was professional, courteous, kind, pleasant, and patient. And, despite the very long lines for just about every celebrity I saw today, it sounded like everyone had a pleasant encounter with the people they were seeking.

Just wanted to shoutout the hardworking CGC staff, they're overwhelmed again this year. Thanks Ryan, for helping me get my books witnessed today.

I should note for anyone planning to take the train INTO Dallas...don't.

The TRE is building a new bridge in between Centreport DFW and West Irving.

Once the train stops at Centreport DFW, you'll have to exit the train, and hop on a bus to West Irving. Who knows how long that will take, and if there are other delays you might have to worry about. Same thing applies going back towards FW. This is ongoing through end of day Monday!

Fan Expo note: I love the new layout for the celebrity area. Looks a lot better!

1. I saw that the BTTF panel will now be free with MJF's cancellation. Would I need to sign up for a ticket anywhere, or is simply getting in line for this event OK? I'll be attending now

2. I think Ben Affleck is a great addition...surely this must be the only con with 2 Batmans and 2 Daredevils! But.... a huge name this late in the game makes it impossible to really figure out what I would want to get signed, and of course have it arrive in time for the con. No doubt plenty of people will get things signed...but a bit more time for a headliner would be helpful in the future.

@reddwarf666222 When you say "still sealed" ... you had Olivia sign the plastic wrap on the outside of the vinyl??

23 hours ago, kevhtx said:

Actually hate to say it, but it looks like his photo ops are at 11:45. Those are the paid, scheduled ones I believe. Its not the autograph line. I bet he signs after that. If so, he probably won't sign until 1pm or so. Verify to be sure.

On the flip side...it's almost possible he starts signing before that. He could sign for an hour before going to the photo op.

3 hours ago, tchalla8 said:

I need some guidance from someone/anyone who has attended Dallas Fan Expo before. This is my first time, so I'm not familiar with the scene.

I was planning to make the trip for Saturday specifically because I wanted to try and get Jeff Goldblum's autograph. That's really the main reason I'm coming. But I unexpectedly have an unusual predicament. A family friend recently passed away and his memorial service was scheduled for 2:00 on the same Saturday, the 7th. Here's my questions. I'm trying to decide if its still possible for me to attend Fan Expo Saturday morning and get the signature I'm looking for.

 

Jeff Goldblum's first signing is scheduled for 11:45. I would need to get leave for the memorial service probably by 12:45 or 1:00 at the latest. For those of you who have been before and know the crowds...is it possible for me to get in and out of there with his signature by 12:45? Or am I crazy for even trying? What are some potential obstacles to making this happen?

 

Things I'm not certain of:

How long does it take to get everyone in the building once they open the doors at 10:00?

Do they have VIP lines for autographs that take precedent over the general public?

Looking for any thoughts and suggestions.

 

Thanks!

 

I'll answer what I can here.

1. His first signing is SCHEDULED for 11:45. If you've been to a con before...he could show up late. No guarantee he's there right at the time, alas. Of course, he could show up early too.

2. It's not really "getting in the building" - it's getting onto the convention floor. You'll have no problem getting into the building. But you'll have to wait in line once inside to get your wristband, and then wait again to be let onto the floor. And then you'll have to traverse across the floor to the autograph area to camp out. That could all take 30 minutes maybe?

3. Yes, there are VIP lines that take precedence.

I don't think you're crazy for trying, but it's a tough squeeze. You could certainly get over to the autograph area around opening time, and wait for him, hoping to be one of the first in line. But he has to show up on time too. A lot of x factors in your scenario. Your main issue is that you only have 1 hour of time.

I have a question. Let's say you're a CGC witness. And you have a book signed for yourself. Or you know someone who is, and they witness a signing for you.

How would Liefield know this even occurred?

Kevin, will Val Kilmer be signing autographs on the Friday he is scheduled? Friday & Sunday is a very unusual itinerary, and seemingly a lot of travel...

Famke Janssen cancels

Not trying to be a debbie downer here, but man those prices are outrageous. And this paid panel for the headliners thing that's been going on for a couple years now is really a bummer. After how poorly last year's with Hamill went I can't justify ponying up dough for it to go wrong again. Hard for all of this not to look like a gigantic cash grab.

I'm sure many will pay, but I'm sad to say I won't. And yes, I'm genuinely sad - because BTTF is my favorite movie trilogy of all time and favorite time travel movie of all time. Alas, this is just exorbitant.

If you don't like tattoos...no one is forcing you to get one. I don't have any tattoos myself, but I think it's really cool that people who do have the opportunity to get one from talented artists who are from different parts of the country.

Will Morena be there all 3 days, Kevin?

Do we know if there will be a good amount of CGC staff/witnesses present at their booth? They were overwhelmed/overworked last year, it was like 2-3 people...

@Kevin Boyd, if you are/were a gambling man, would you bet on Mr. McKenzie bringing along his lovely wife, Morena Baccarin?

Nice, I was hoping we'd get Famke considering she'd been a guest at other Fan Expos.

Hey Kevin,

I was just curious, considering the line management and disorganization in the main celebrity area this past year, especially with the headliner, has a different plan been developed for next year yet? What is that looking like? 

Will there be a better system than ticketing for the headliner(s) as well, which also caused a big crowding issue?

Jason Momoa, star of JUSTICE LEAGUE, AQUAMAN, 
and GAME OF THRONES joins the FAN EXPO Dallas lineup! 

Just throwing out some more celebrity ideas:

Supergirl - Melissa Benoist
12 Monkeys cast/panel - final season next year
Janina Gavankar - has appeared in a wide variety of TV shows, most recently Sleepy Hollow. 
She's also a pretty big nerd and is the voice of the main character in the new Star Wars Battlefront II.

The convention centers for most major U.S. cities are located in their downtown area - and a convention center is where one holds conventions, like comic ones.

@mysterio They update their Facebook page. It sounds like they are planning other cities, and are working on guests.

https://www.facebook.com/FandemicTour/

Oh, I might also add it's the 25th anniversary of the X-Men animated series - a panel featuring anyone from that would be very cool!
https://www.cbr.com/x-men-animated-series-changed-everything-25th-anniversary/

On 10/23/2017 at 8:32 PM, TheCollector2016 said:

And as Kevin said it was cool to pitch suggestions, here are some:

-Game of Thrones cast (especially as the final season will be airing in 2018, and I seem
to recall some previous cancellations...)
-Westworld cast (specifically Thandie Newton - new season of this show comes out in 2018)
-Prison Break cast
-Current and former SNL players (worth noting, TCU gets current ones for their students frequently on Friday evenings, in Sept. 2017 they had Cecily Strong and Pete Davidson, and last Spring they had 2-3 others on Fridays as well)
-Famke Janssen (Was at Fan Expo Canada)
-Kelly Hu (I know she attends conventions, plus she was in X2 with Famke!)
-Ernie Reyes Jr.

And just wanted to tack onto that any Marvel Netflix series guests...e.g. Mike Colter (Luke Cage), Charlie Cox (Daredevil), etc. And actually, that could be expanded to Netflix original series guests in general.

9 hours ago, Kevin Boyd said:

That's a good list, great suggestions guys! 

You're welcome, hope it can help!