James Cameron on TMZ: Think Again

Sometimes the media jumps on stories without asking enough questions.

Yesterday, Christmas Eve, was one of those days.

The lead video on TMZ's Web site was an airport encounter with a so-called fan and James Cameron. The "fan" had an "Avatar" poster he asked Cameron to sign. Cameron refused and the guy got pushy. Not like an adoring fan asking again for an autograph. Not even like an aggressive professional autograph runner—unless he was the dumbest one in the world. Because the way he acted, Cameron will never sign for him now, ever. The guy was an A-hole, and had to be a media plant there to make Cameron look bad. With "Avatar" the biggest news in Hollywood right now, I'm not surprised. Anything to do with Cameron is big news, and the more scandalous the better.

The situation escalated, Cameron said some choice words that, in retrospect, he probably wished he never said, and the "fan"—clearly prepared for what might happen—reamed him out. I'm sure that for some of the celebrity-following public, it was great TV. But it unfairly branded Cameron, fans and autograph collectors with the scarlet letter.

In a few short years, TMZ has become the cutting edge of celebrity news. Love it or hate it, no one publishes it faster, and they're generally stone accurate. But this time they gave Cameron, and fans and autograph collectors, a bad rap. Real fans and collectors—well, at least 99-percent of them—would never have acted like that.

James, as the publisher of Autograph magazine, I want you to know that we think you've been done wrong. I don't know any fan or autograph collector who would treat someone like you were treated. You were set up, and they didn't care if you or your fans paid the price. It was appalling and I hope you don't hold it against us.

Watch the Cameron video on TMZ

Cameron is no George Clooney when it comes to signing autographs. He's not one of the friendliest people in Hollywood and seems to prefer to keep fans at a distance. He does sign, but not that often. That's his prerogative—and as long as he signs sometimes that's OK with us. Like all of us, he's entitled to live his life as he wants to and have his privacy. He should never treat a fan or reasonable collector like he treated the guy in that video, but then again, no fan or collector I know would treat him like he was.

Most autograph collectors know that when a celebrity signs an autograph they're giving a gift to a fan. We're not entitled to it—and we really appreciate it when we get one. The guy in the video told Cameron that because he had just seen "Avatar" he owed him an autograph. That's ridiculous. 400,000 Americans buy Camrys a year, at prices somewhat higher than the cost of a movie ticket last time I checked. If the president of Toyota spent the time to sign an autograph for all of them, the car would be as reliable as a Yugo. If Cameron signed autographs for everyone who saw his movies, he'd be 1,000 years old before he finished signing for those who saw "The Terminator" alone.

I don't know about you, but I'd rather Cameron spend his time making movies like "Avatar."

Tags: autograph, autographs, avatar, cameron, collector, dispute, fan, james, magazine

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Comment by Scott Voisin on December 25, 2009 at 10:11pm: I'm torn on this...

First of all, I agree 100% with everything Steve stated: The guy was obviously there just to irritate Cameron while a camera captured it all; Cameron is perfectly within his right to sign (or not sign) whenever he feels like it; and rude and obnoxious people like this guy gives the rest of us fans and collectors a bad name.

But here's where I have a problem... This was one guy who approached Cameron, and if James had signed, it wouldn't be news. One guy, one poster, one autograph. It's not like Cameron was walking a gauntlet of screaming fans clamoring for his signature, or security was having to form a human barricade to allow Cameron to get to his vehicle safely. He walks out of the terminal unmolested and is approached by a guy who simply asks for an autograph. Whether he was there to intentionally irritate or not, if Cameron took five seconds to scribble his name on the poster, we wouldn't be talking about this (or watching video of the ugly confrontation).

Comment by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on December 25, 2009 at 10:58pm: Turns out the so-called fan in the video wasn't a plant—but he's not a fan either. He wrote me: he's an autograph dealer. The poster is for sale now on eBay for $799...without Cameron's autograph.

Comment by Artie on December 26, 2009 at 2:17am: I know the guy. He's a dealer, but he's also a fan (or was). He asked me to go see Avatar with him a few nights before this happened. He says he wants to see it again, believe it or not. Cameron should be proud to sign that poster.

Comment by Artie on December 26, 2009 at 10:10am: Just five days before James Cameron called a fan a "f**king a**hole" after refusing to sign an autograph, the "Avatar" director proclaimed that he'd "sign as many autographs as people will line up for." Click here for video at TMZ

Comment by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on December 26, 2009 at 12:05pm: When someone is out getting autographs--whether a fan, collector or dealer--he's representing autograph collectors everywhere. You always have to keep that in mind when you're out there.

If the guy was truly a fan why did he tell Cameron how bad he thought his movies were? Maybe he is, or was, but he came off like a media plant or someone who would say whatever it takes to get the autograph. And then he told Cameron he makes $15 an hour and spent that much on a ticket to "Avatar."

I felt a bit bad after the guy contacted me...but then I see the poster up on eBay where he's playing off the TMZ video to sell it. He's did just what celebs complain about collectors doing.

Again, Cameron should never have acted like he did, but that's no excuse for the dealer to read him the riot act. That makes us all look bad.

Comment by Artie on December 26, 2009 at 12:27pm: "The fan" was just reacting to being called a f*ng a-hole. I'm sure it took him by surprise. He likes the movie..

Comment by Robert Babb on December 26, 2009 at 3:15pm: I think both sides could have been more professional but Cameron has a right to refuse whether it be a time conflict or just plain refusal. Just like Paul Newman or Marlon Brando used to refuse many times i have heard!

Comment by Artie on December 26, 2009 at 3:22pm: I'll bet Paul Newman never called an autograph seeker a f'n a-hole. Brando, maybe.

Comment by John P. Jones on December 26, 2009 at 5:29pm: Steve, you're totally clueless. I'm not an autograph fanatic, but I have over 500 autographs going back to many that my mother collected, starting before I was born ... and I'm 64 years old this March. You say autograph collectors are "not entitled to it". (????). Well, who's entitled to anything? Film makers aren't entitled to having people watch their films, but it happens. You're comparisons/analogies are truly at "Yugo" level. Autographs have been collected, sold and bought for ages, there is absolutely nothing wrong or dishonorable about it ... and it's not only a good business, it's promotes the signer of the autograph ... which, in turn ... can increase interest in the signer's works ... past, present, future. The guy seeking Cameron's autograph did not get "pushy" at all. He got irate, but only after Cameron refused signing ... in an unnecessarily rude manner. James Cameron could have easily said he wasn't up to signing, but, instead, he said, "I don't owe you a F-ing thing!". Selling an "Avatar" poster signed by the cast of the movie and Cameron is going to do zero harm to James Cameron. There weren't hoards of autograph seekers there to meet Cameron, why would you raise a ridiculous ("Yugo" level) hypothetical like "if Cameron signed autographs for everyone who saw his movies"??? That did not even fit into this simple equation. The autograph collector in this instance may very well be a fan of James Cameron, and he did NOT appear (as you state) "clearly prepared". The autograph collector didn't even get irate until Cameron was rude and arrogant to him. I'd have reacted much worse. You don't need to read-into what occured, you can see it in the video. The autograph collector is a dealer/collector and he wanted to complete the autographs on the poster. He worked for it, and it was not a big deal to ask Cameron to sign the poster. Cameron, rather than spend 3 seconds signing, showed his truly ugly side. Autograph collectors were NOT given a bad rap. Movie makers were given a bad rap ... thanks to an arrogant A-hole named James Cameron. And speak for yourself, Steve ... telling Cameron he was done wrong. I think as publisher of "Autograph" magazine, you're the one who has done the autograph collector (in the vid) wrong .... big time. And you owe HIM an apology. Furthermore, you owe us readers an apology for spewing this kind of glurge. The question is, are you man enough to apologize?

Comment by Stephen Duncan on December 27, 2009 at 8:27am: Show me where it says any celeb is under any obligation to sign anything anywhere at any time, and I'll show you a house in Beverly Hills for $100,000.00. ~~~ Though J.C. added fuel to this encounter and his response reminds me much of Timothy B. Schmit's last October, http://www.timothybschmitwhywereyourude.vpweb.com/, it's these type pf autograph requestors that ruin in person autograph collecting for the rest of us. Be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

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