I do movie reviews for a few different TV and radio stations. One of my favorite is easily Chip Franklin's show on KGO 810 AM in San Francisco. If you're in the area, I highly recommend you listen (even if I'm not one of his guests).

He had me on last week talking about if the coronavirus is having an affect on movie theatres. I told him I hadn't noticed it. Of course, most of the time I watch movies to review, they're screened just for the critics, or we're sent a screening link or…

I was saddened by the death of Kobe Bryant, but I have to admit, I always hated the guy. I was a hardcore Lakers fan from the time I was 8 (that’s over 30 years). I remember when the Lakers drafted Magic Johnson and how fun those times were. I met Magic on one occasion,…

Just last week, I met someone at a party named Duffy, and I asked them if they knew the singer Duffy. They didn’t. I tried singing the song “Mercy” but...I have the worst singing voice on the planet. Perhaps if it was “Mercy Mercy Me” by Marvin Gaye, but the hit sing from the 2008 debut album “Rockferry” didn’t ring any bells. I liked the tune so much that when the Welsh singer played a big venue in San Diego, I brought the CD to the show, hoping for an…

As a movie critic, I get invited to some cool events. IN 2019, there was a screening for Jojo Rabbit in Los Angeles. I wouldn’t normally drive the few hours north to L.A. but the idea of meeting Taika Waitit, and getting his autograph, was too good to pass up. Sure, he wrote/directed “Thor: Ragnarok” but it’s his two movies before that that I loved so much -- “What We Do in the Shadows,” which was a satire on a reality show, involving vampires. It was easily…

We’ve all seen athletes exchange jerseys after games. We’ve seen athletes give their shoes to fans, sometimes signing them. Well, with a few weeks to go before the Super Bowl (and boy is that going to be a good game with those two teams), I thought it was funny to see San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle wearing an autographed T-shirt into a press conference after the game. It was a T-shirt that showed quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, without a shirt on. It…

It was a bummer to hear that comedy genius Buck Henry passed away recently, but...he was 89, and had a great run.

As a kid, I remember always laughing when he’d appear on Saturday Night Live. My favorite skit was when he was a customer and John Belushi was the Samuri Deli. Perhaps they’re recreating that skit now in heaven.

At a memorabilia shop years ago, I bought a…

I remember when the story broke last month about handwritten lyrics to Elton John songs being auctioned. It was the perfect time, with Rocketman being released (a very disappointing movie; my review appears here: https://fox5sandiego.com/2019/05/30/rocketman/ ).

I immediately…

MY NEIL PEART STORIES.

The Rush drummer has died, brain cancer, which all my musician friends keep dying from these days. The first time I heard him, my idiot brother, had taken the first two DOORS albums, and traded them for a Black Sabbath album (Masters of Reality) and Rush’s “Moving Pictures.” I was around 10-years-old, and...it took me a few years to buy The Doors albums back, but only a month to appreciate…

I’ve often talked about how everyone wanting to do selfies, has hurt autograph collectors. Now, the stars have to stand around taking photos, which takes so much longer (and they have to worry about looking bad in the photo or who they’re taking a photo with).

Well, when things involving charities happen, it hurts, too (you can find the previous story on this site about a charity that actually deals in fake…

I was at a movie screening of “The Current War” (good movie), and my wife was laughing at how a movie involving Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison, could involve autographs (Edison is asked, on three different occasions, to sign an autograph; one of those times being a doctor who came to treat his wife). I got home and turned on the news, and it was a less pleasant autograph story.

In San Diego, the Starlight Bowl…

As a movie critic, I’m often lucky enough to meet or interview celebrities I’m a fan of. Sometimes that happens in unexpected ways. For example, a few days ago I was driving into a radio station to do my weekly movie reviews. On another radio station (which is in the same building), I happened to hear a comedian/actor that’s one of my favorites -- JB Smoove. I was a fan even before he started creating such a ruckus with Larry David on “Curb Your…

A few random Hollywood autograph stories I thought I’d throw into one blog.

First, the new Joker movie (which was surprisingly disappointing. My review here: https://fox5sandiego.com/2019/10/02/joker/ ). 

There was a great autograph…

This is one of those unique autograph stories that I always like uncovering. Well, I didn’t “uncover” it, two Mark Twain enthusiasts did. They spent over 20 years examining this Missouri cave that was made famous in “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.” It’s a cave where Sam Clemens and his friends played in. It was the mid-1800s,…

“If I played guitar, I’d be Jimmy Page,” is a lyric from a Beastie Boys song. I always thought it was clever, but since I always wanted to be a drummer, I thought I’d have the line, “If I played drums I’d be John Bonham.”

The closest I got to being like Bonham was the dad-bod and beard I’m sporting now. But this isn’t about drummers, it’s about guitarists. Arguably, one of the best in rock…

There’s always that debate about selling Nazi and Hitler memorabilia. Well, this one takes the cake. It’s a pair of underpants that belonged to his wife, Eva Braun. At a British auction recently, they went for more than $4,600. And before you ask...all I know is it had her initials embroidered in them. I have no other details…

I feel guilty on how I handle my Sunday mornings. I sleep in, saunter up and grab the morning newspaper and turn on the pre-football games, while the wife gets ready to go to church. I do not go to church, because I’m a heathen who only believes in...who ever is my fantasy football quarterback this year (Matt Ryan this time).

I woke up a little earlier this morning and turned on the pre-game shows, but during a…

I was saddened to wake up and hear that Edward Mahoney had died, known to most as Eddie Money. It’s not like it wasn’t expected. We heard about his stage 4 esophageal cancer last month, and he announced he wouldn’t be touring again.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of his stuff, but he had some tunes I liked. The former NYPD officer, left being a cop to pursue music, and it was a wise choice. …

I have two big regrets when it comes to Nirvana and getting their autographs. I was working as a DJ at a rock station in the ‘90s, and it was a few weeks before their huge record “Nevermind” came out. They previously had an EP, but I wasn’t familiar with it.

The band came to San Diego and did a record store appearance, where they performed and signed the new CD. About 50 people showed up. The ones I talked to said…

I met Robin Williams a few times, and he was always great signing autographs. One time, he was really upbeat. Another time, he got out of his limo, and seemed really sad. He was carrying a suit with him (that he would wear onstage that night for his performance in San Diego). I had him sign my "The World According to Garp" video, as well as a picture I ripped…

I hate much of the music that comes out today. Don't even get me started on that "Old Town Road" song, which might be the worst song I've ever heard in my life, yet it now has the distinction of being the longest #1 song in music history.

Yet there was a song I heard last year by rapper Lizzo that I think is kind of catchy. So when she was on The Today…