Comment by Stephen Duncan on December 27, 2009 at 8:39am

Another thought: All of us autograph collectors are really an ARMY, in numbers. Add that to the video and YOU TUBE age, and we can easily turn the tide. We all need to stop being reactive in a rude way, and instead video tape and expose these celebrities who are the rude ones, and who when asked, deny an autograph with malice, attitude and anger towards those that request. I have no ongoing problem if someone says no to my request (as that is their right and part of the brakes of collecting), but I am sick and so should you, of celeb's that think they are gods little gift to mankind. Stop getting filmed arguing with them, and instead expose them for the fat headed ego jerks when they act like such. It's easier now than ever..........

Comment by Eric Fields on December 27, 2009 at 9:12pm

I take the side of the dealer. James initiated the vulgar conversation, the dealer just chose to not be walked on. Not that I would do the same thing, but if I were cussed at by someone I admired and the F word was thrown around, I'm not really sure how I'd react.

Comment by Josh Board on December 28, 2009 at 4:12pm

First of all, Steve Cyrkin, the fine, fine publisher of Autograph Magazine, dropped the ball here. He could've put a link to the story I wrote about going to a party at Camerons house, and asking for two autographs (and getting them). On a side note, this same wonderful publisher/editor, for some unbeknownest reason, edited part of the story where I wrote that Cameron had a purple Shelby Cobra in his drive-way, and I peeked inside, and saw it was autographed by Carroll Shelby. So, even Cameron can appreicate nice things that are autographed!

I think the dealer was out of line (haven't seen the video, just going by what people say). Stephen Duncan wrote a wonderful story about meeting Timothy B Schmidt of the Eagles. And, if anyone had the right to tell someone to "f*** off" it was him at that moment. But he merely walked away. I, too, have merely walked away when someone said no. Other times, like David Crosby, I told off. And he flipped me off (also published in Autograph in an edition with James Dean on the cover, years ago).

The main problem is this. If you are a dealer, and you have a cast poster signed...it makes it tough for ANY OF US FANS, that collect and DO NOT SELL. And, it rubs these people the wrong way if you have a guitar signed by a bunch of people, or a movie poster, and you KNEW they would be at the airport. Had this just been some tourist, that saw him in the airport and got excited, I'm guessing Cameron would've signed. But, some collector that pays off airport employees (yep, that's what they do, to get the inside info on arrivals/departures)...well, there's a lot of security and privacy issues that have been breeched by that mere action. So the celebrity saying no, really isn't that bad. If you think about what just happened.

I like what Howard Stern told Ringo Starr, when Starr said he doesn't sign, not even at airports. Howard said he'll sign for a few minutes, then walk to baggage claim, all the while signing while he walks. So, it really doesn't take much time. Ringo said "Yeah, but they'll sell them." Stern said "So what! And, not all of them do. Some are fans, that want to treasure the experience of meeting you." Starr replied, "I don't care. I won't sign." And I think he called the people losers, too. It was rather harsh.

The best thing a celeb can do, is say "I'm really running late. And, I've talked with other actors about it, and we've decided we won't sign at restaurants and airports, if a person shows up with an item that let's us know, that they were given inside information on our whereabouts. It's just not safe."

Sure, it takes longer to say that then to merely sign a sloppy signature. But it's better than being rude, or saying nothing.

Comment by Stephen Duncan on December 29, 2009 at 11:38am

Fans wanting autographs is on the same scale as global warming and glacier melting. It is here, it is happening, and it has been increasing, especially in this country, very fast. The "why" dosn't even really matter any more. I know for me it isn't about $$, because when I look back on what I have spent over the last 25 years on my collection, if Ihave saved that $$ instead of spending it on my collection I could now pay off the $287K I owe left on my house. I collect for the fun it brings me. Why you collect is up to you.

Fans, true fans, need to write to these celebrities and write to thier managers, and continue to comment in as many forums as possible, and get word out that celebrities need to offer a real means of obtaining a real autograph. Further, we need to expose BOTH the idiots that belittle and provoke celebs like in this James Cameron video and EQUALLY expose celebs like Timothy B. Schmit and David Crosby (who I 1000% agree with Josh) can be and often is a human turd to fans. The website I built regarding my TBSchmit incident costs me a whole $4.99 a month to keep open (vistaprint.com).

Fans need to get the word out, and get it out with respect and dignity that we do not support these TMZ tactics, and that there is a difference between the FANS and these AUTOGRAPH RUNNERS. Now before you say I am crazy, I am not: Celebrity autographing at conventions, book signings, celebrities playing casinos and state fairs and signing for waiting fans is at an all time high. "WE" get it, but not all celebs do. We, as the true autograph collecting army that we are, need to a better job of getting the word out to those other celebs.

We all can't sop global warming; but when we recycle, when we water our laws a little less, when we carpool, when we use public transporation, when we turn off extra lights, we are are part of the solution.

Equally, when we continue to post that this celeb attends autograph conventions and/or that this celebrity has a book signing, and/or so & so with be at ComicCon or Star Trek and this celebrity has a website where we can order signed 8X10's from, .....we fans can win. Further, when we blog that this celeb was a jerk, and this one was rude, and we write letters to the celeb and to media outlets and to the screen actors guild, and write to the directors guild, and write letters to the studios, OR for a lousy cup of $5.00 coffee a month post a website in your own words saying good or bad what you feel, then the deforestation of autograph collecting can turn in us, the fans favor.

I am all for the rights and privacy of these celeb's. I am also all for the fun that autograph collecting brings. Therefore, as fans: write it, post it, blog it, talk about it, and let these celebs and their peers know who is naughty and who is nice. Let these celebs and their peers know who is signing and who isn't. Let these celbs know that we are their fans and we do not support a****** autograph chasers.

By all means, use todays technology and that 'ol pen and paper you still have, and let your thoughts be known...................if you care enough to see a better change and a bit of an easier way.

Comment by Artie on December 29, 2009 at 12:07pm

Some people take this way too seriously...

Comment by John P. Jones on December 29, 2009 at 1:09pm

Holy Christ ... "way too seriously" is a gross understatement. I don't have a clue how many thousands? of autograph fans are registered, use or even know about this Autograph Magazine Live forum, but I'm going to way out on a limb here and say that it's a very, very tiny fraction of folks who actually have anything (ANYTHING!) to do with autographs ... whether they be fans, collectors, dealers, experts, world or national figures, artists, politicians or elected officials, celebrities, imprisoned mass murderers ... or even terrorist "plants" (it was mentioned that the airport "dealer" was a "plant"). Not me, and not one single person posting here can speak for every person related to autographs. We can philosophize or speculate about what can or should make a better world (duh!) or a more sustainable future (duh?) for autograph "fans", but that seems sorta off the freakin' wall. There's a comment here from a guy who admits he didn't even watch the TMZ video. WTF? ... that's not fair to anyone! Then the same guy who didn't watch the vid goes on to express that he's disappointed that a link to HIS story wasn't included in a previous posting by Steve Cyrkin. Hey, can you spell SELF-INTEREST??? Personally (and that's in my own humble opinion), it appeared to me that the "dealer" "plant?" in the video approached James Cameron AFTER Cameron had exited the doors and walked out of the airport building. It is logical and reasonable to assume that the "dealer" knew that Cameron would be there. SO WHAT??? Does that make the autograph seeker a freakin' criminal? Was his behavior even inappropriate for a "dealer". Did he instantly become a threat to Cameron's privacy or security? Does he make it look bad for ALL autograph seekers? I don't believe so. Yeah, the "dealer" in the vid did not have to react the way he did, but his reaction was only after James Cameron's nasty comments. Nobody is under any obligation to sign an autograph for anyone, but (by all indications in the video) Cameron's reaction to being asked for an autograph was wrong. Even though zillions of autograph fans do not sell ... they still have a self-interest. It need not be identical to the self-interest that a "dealer" may have .... but it's still a self-interest. While I'm out on a limb, I'm just going to try to imagine what would have transpired had James Cameron simply said, "I won't sign!". There would be little incentive for the "dealer" to become upset ... afterall, he's a "dealer", and it would go against his own self-interest to be perceived as overly aggressive or rude. The "dealer" was driven to (apparent) anger by Cameron .... who WAS rude.

On an anectodal note, I mentioned that my own interest in collecting autographs was inherited from my dear mother, as was a sh*tload of cool autographs. I know my mother, and I know she was aggressive about getting autographs. Among other places, my step-dad and she would often be at the La Costa Resort/Spa, and my mom didn't care if a celeb was in the middle of a spoon of soup, she'd walk up and ask for an autograph. I suppose it's people like my mom who became part of the huge problem ... ya know, ruining it for all legitimate autograph collectors. Yeah, right!! I'm not saying "anything goes", but really ... cut the philosophical BS. We want autographs. Some of us are willing to pay dealers who actually go out and hunt for them. If you offer me a Janis, or Jimi ... I really don't think I'm going to ask you if the guy who got the autograph had to knock a few people over to get it.

Comment by Josh Board on December 29, 2009 at 1:48pm

Well, Marlon Brando was flat out rude. He hardly EVER signed autographs.

The talented musician John Mayer is coming to town today, and I'm going to the show, and hoping for an autograph. I just noticed he wrote a blog on this very topic. I'm cutting and pasting it here (I'm assuming he won't mind, as I just credited him with writing it...and the more people that read something he wrote, the happier he'll probably be).

From Mayer on his website:


A couple of days ago I was pointed to a video on TMZ.com that featured "Avatar" director James Cameron involved in a verbal scuffle with who the gossip website would have you believe was a "fan." The question is implicit in the video and write-up: "Why would a wealthy Hollywood director be so rude as not to sign an autograph for someone going out of his way to meet his hero?" Having been in these situations, and knowing very well what actually goes down before the video they show you begins and how the game is played within what you see, I'm going to break it down for you. (Watch video above and then read on.)

The first order of business is to understand how people with cameras (and paraphernalia to be signed) end up at the airport to begin with. American Airlines has long been known to have at least one person in their organization selling flight manifests to the paparazzi. I'd imagine it's not hard to find a gate agent or a skycap willing to trade a well-known name or two for a couple hundred dollars. This may raise the question as to why celebrities would continue to fly with American, but the answer is long and includes phrases like "great customer service" and "extremely delicious cookies upon landing." (While I can't speak for others, I certainly would rather not be photographed before or after a cross-country flight.)

The fact that passenger lists are not available to the general public means that anyone waiting at the airport with any more than the CD from the passenger seat of their car has gotten word of which celebrities will be traveling through the terminal in the same way the paparazzi do. In some cases, these "fans" are working in concert with them. After all, it's a great way to get a celebrity to interact with you on video if you can ask them impolite questions while they're stopping to sign a few items for someone. If they decline, it's time to switch to plan B: paint them as shallow Hollywood types that only care about the "little people" when it best serves them. This logic doesn't really hold water since everyone now knows that being videotaped at LAX is regarded as one of the most high profile appearances one can make, especially during the release of a film. If James Cameron was an arrogant, calculating fraud who had little care for his fans on a personal level, he'd still be smart enough to know that signing a few posters on the way to his car would be an excellent PR move.

But James Cameron doesn't think about Public Relations at the airport. He's a movie director, a puzzle freak. His brain works by way of iron clad logic. He's spent four years in an editing bay trying to make the wingspan of an imaginary flying creature long enough to be able to sustain flight, factoring the weight of the body and the atmospheric pressure on a planet five light years away. He doesn't understand the media shuffle, and I'm glad he hasn't given any thought to it. It's actually a waste of brain matter, and a slippery slope of compromise.

While I can't speak to what happened before the segment of video on TMZ, I can tell you that the man in the tiny hat with the Avatar poster had probably engaged Cameron for at least 30 seconds before the director responded (note the video edit.) That's how it goes down; they walk alongside you. They bark requests at you, trying to get your pulse to quicken. If you give in and sign, the guy with the poster gets to sell it and make a few bucks. If you don't give in, as it gets harder to acquiesce with each successive yelp, then the stench of cash really starts to waft in as Video Camera Guy gets the goods while you explain in no uncertain terms to Obnoxious E-bay Poster Guy that he's not going to get what he's asking for tonight.

The end of the video is the most telling: when Cameron gets into his car, the man with the tiny hat abandons his "average man, son of a farmer" story and begins to shout insults at the director, tufts of sheep's wool falling to the ground as the wolf finally appears. This should validate every last word chosen by Cameron, but the fact is, of the 245,432 votes on TMZ's website weighing in on who the "a-hole" was, 81% of readers side with "The Fan," calling out the director. (That's what pushed me over the edge in writing this. I don't like being made to come up with more than 140 characters at a time, you know.)

Movie stars know how this game is played, and therefore sign a few items they know will end up in the bootleg ether in exchange for not getting caught in the snares of being called ungrateful (the worst thing you can call a grateful human being) and that's why you don't see this type of video all that often. But James Cameron is not a movie star. He directs them, but he doesn't think like them, and he's not supposed to. He's working off the logical, the quantifiable math of a situation. He doesn't have media training, and he should never seek it. James Cameron has wired his brain to consider the cause and effect of his reality, one where anything is achievable if you think long enough about it, and where being rude will get you nowhere, no matter how many people will see you in an unsavory light. Even in live action, two-dimensional 640x480 VGA standard definition web video, I'm willing to bet that James Cameron's reality was the only believable one that evening.

Comment by Artie on December 29, 2009 at 3:20pm

I'm a fan of John Mayer's music, but he's a huge d******** for writing that. I think he's just backpadding after tweeting that he walked out of Avatar and that he might try to watch it again after taking peyote. He was probably afraid he burned bridge, so he wrote that ass kissing blog...

Comment by John P. Jones on December 29, 2009 at 4:51pm

Wow.. !!! What an eloquent essay by John Mayer. He truly is an outstanding artist, but there is something suspiciously and conspicuously un-extemporaneous (I think that word doesn't exist) about Mayer's comments. John Mayer really does NOT know if 30 seconds ... or any amount of time ... of interaction occured between James Cameron and the (now established) autograph dealer. If deceptive editing occured on the video, then it seems like the autograph seeking guy would not have replied with "I know you don't owe me anything, I didn't say you owed me anything" AFTER James Cameron said, "I don't owe you a f---ing ... ". Hey, John Mayer is brilliant and he has a great imagination, but he's not clairvoyant. Mayer goes on to trash the guy asking for the autograph by bringing notice to his "tiny hat" and comparing the guy's lament that he spent his hard-earned cash to see Avatar to an "average man, son of a farmer" story. What is that about? That seems to arise from a shared arrogance that some celebs can't seem to get over. Yeah, Cameron isn't an actor. But he is a celebrity, and celebrities also need to observe certain protocols ... not just about how they treat autograph hounds, but how they treat all people. To me, John Mayer's suck-up pitch seems like a really sleazy and quite obvious plea for a part in the next James Cameron flick. Nice writing, Mr. Mayer, but your motives are slightly suspect ..... duh. I'll bet you get a nice call from ol' James about it. If your *ss or your music ever ends up in a James Cameron film, I bet we'll get to read your essay again. How cool that?

PS: Nice diss of American Airlines by Mayer. I wonder why he felt compelled to do that (?). I'm really not up to speed on Amerian Airlines' relationships with celebs ... but there are many possibilities as to how the autograph guy got the tip-off on Cameron's arrival. Maybe one of Cameron's own people did it (what a concept!). Hey, do you think Mayer's diss of American Airlines is going will reach the level of popularity of Dave Carrol's "United Breaks Guitars"? : ) ..... Me either!

Comment by Stephen Duncan on December 29, 2009 at 5:33pm

I volunteer at my church, my local little league and my kids high school. I don't owe any of these 3 entities anything. However, I do so because they ask me, giving makes me feel good, and it helps their cause. Signing autographs, though some will end up in the hands of dealers who are not fans, helps the cause of those real fans that collect. I can't speak of others that collect and what they do with their collection, but mine is showcased on the WWB and I speak on behalf of that signed piece of memorabilia to anyone that cares to listen. It is the "cheapest" form of free publicity for that celeb that I as that fan can in return offer.

When a celebrity chooses not to sign, even in some very very limited quantity OR chooses to not offer real signed autographs on their web site, OR chooses not to attend any kind of convention or other type of public signing, they are opening a very wide door to fradulant and fake autograph signers that dup the fan buying public. This of course is the right of any celeb to choose not to sign. However, such a decision is why there is this increasing cancer of FAKE autographs and but head autograph chasers, year after year after year. Celebs are not using their common sense, if they think they can have it both ways. Choose not to sign, and you are part of the problem. Choose to sign even a little, and a little goes a long way.

If anyone knows a better way to stop the flood of fake autographs, please by all means speak up (and saying to stop collecting autographs, is not the answer. Autograph collecting is here to stay)

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