The first part will include my pre NYCC meets, then we will move into the days of the actual con. So let us begin to recap my 5 day journey with
Wednesday (pre NYCC)
We arrive in NYC for the Billy Idol book signing at the Barnes and Noble on Fifth Avenue. Unfortunately we could not find free parking and had to pay some decent coin, but that would be the ONLY time we paid for parking throughout the week.
We line up for Billy Idol. Sadly it was no photo ops no extras. When I get to him and try to sneak a photo op I was yelled at and assaulted by a staff woman
As a result I left with a signed book, defeated. We found out where Billy was coming out from after the signing, so I had a back up plan. But wait, Vanessa the Jersey Shore stalker in the house! She arrives and buys two books. I ask her if I could carry one of her books to tag along in another attempt to get the photo op. Joresky didn't care too much as he had the photo op, but this seemed like a good plan for me. As me and her arrive the line is almost cleared out. The staff woman who assaulted me is now harassing me saying I've already been through. I rub the unsigned page of the book in her face and say I bought a new book
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She even went out of her way to make sure my camera was off (it was on but the screen was blank so she didn't notice). Vanessa then asks Billy for a photo op, gets yelled at but Billy approves it. Vanessa gets the shot and I told Billy I bought another book to get a photo op. I made Vanessa take not one but two shots! VICTORY WAS MINE! After we leave I give Vanessa back her book and we position ourselves outside to get Billy again. I had 4 vinyls. Since I knew I wouldn't get all that done I gave one to Vanessa and one to Joresky so they could get extras. Billy comes out and there was victory round 2! I got BOTH vinyls signed while most people were lucky to get one!
On to the next spot, I get a couple of
names then Billy Idol pops up and is rushed inside and does nothing for no one. It sure was a nice feeling watching that knowing I already got a perfect photo op and extras. Next we left for the Joe Perry book signing at Bookends in Ridgewood, NJ. Sadly he didn't sign extras but he did photo ops, which was nice. There was a cop physically taking away any extras from people. We wanted to wait for him to leave but decided to sacrifice our shot at extras to attend a Ron Perlman book signing (we later found out Joe did extras leaving). We had a shot at Ron at NYCC but that place is volatile by nature so we preferred to get him out of the way early.
I spoke to the book store on the way down there and they were talking like he was almost done, so we were hauling ass to get there. As I park and run I arrive at the book store and run up the escalators I fell on my knee and screamed with pain. This pain would be excruciating for the entire NYCC week and actually still lingers on more than a month later! In fact, during NYCC week I would exit the car and literally scream out loud with pain.
As we arrived we found out the signing was still a long ways off from being done and all that rushing was unnecessary
Oh well at least we didn't miss him. Thankfully he was doing photo ops and extras. When we got to him he stood up for a handicap photo op and me and Joresky managed to snag great standing shots right there and then! He signed my Hellboy and Beauty and the Beast 8x10s no issue and he thanked me when I told him that I was a fan since Beauty and the Beast.
We go to the next spot and that's where I get a punch in the face. Joe Perry went inside minutes before I arrived and signed! Sucks cause I had nice Aerosmith vinyls already signed by Steven Tyler. We then see Matt Senreich from Robot Chicken, but already had him. He's like "wow I'm not used to being recognized". Then Richard Chamberlain enters and I get a first time photo op with him. So decent score right there.
The Best Buy theater is the final spot for the evening, where I wait for Limp Bizkit. All members are friendly and do combos. Sadly I had nothing for them but got photo ops with everyone. One grapher who had a photo of the Undertaker asked me if I knew the connection and of course I was able to answer that question.
Billy Idol
Joe Perry
Ron Perlman
Richard Chamberlain
Full list of Wednesday photo ops part 1
Full list of Wednesday photo ops part 2
Three signed books
Billy Idol vinyls and Ron Perlman photos
Thursday (pre NYCC)
Thursday starts off with a choice of trying for Stephen Speilberg or trying for Robert Downy Jr. I chose Robert Downy cause I see Speilberg a lot more than I see him.
We arrive at the spot and there are already a good number of graphers. The witching hour arrives and Robert comes out. I try to get a photo op and out of nowhere a child pops up and the handler tells me he's doing a photo op with the child. I apologize and say I didn't see the child. The handler says he's only signing and not doing photo ops, and I get him on my Walmart exclusive Avengers Iron Man figure (already have Hemsworth on the Thor figure from that line). As he's leaving I plead Robert for a selfie. He stops and tells me to turn around. I approach and he says STOP and tells me to stay where I am. I of course comply. I then says turn around and take it. Again, I comply and take the shot. As I look in my camera, my reaction is this face
I couldn't believe I scored that! After he left I literally was on my knees, the figure was help up high with one hand, the camera held up high with the other hand, and I was screaming and thanking the combo Gods for what I just scored. A cab driver even called me over to tell him what I got. Though as we later found out, people followed him to the light down the block and got both autogarphs and car shots. But at that spot I was the only adult to score a photo op 
Next spot we target actress Elle Fanning and actor Robert Duvall. This was a photo op only mission for me as I had nothing for them. Going in neither did anything for anyone. Coming out Duvall sadly just went in his car, but Elle accommodated the large crowd and I got a great shot with her! Me and Joresky next meet up with our friends Jimmy and James at a Hillary Duff movie shoot. 15 minutes later we are one perfect Hillary Duff photo op richer!
We then drive to another spot with Nicholas Hoult and Elle Fanning. As we arrive the spot is letting out we see Hoult leave. I get him on my 8x10 but didn't worry about a photo op as I have one. We couldn't find the next spot they were going to be at but we saw an old school Arcade place that looked like it was still operating in the 90s. Wow it was so cool I even got a photo op with Final Fight and Street Fighter 2 Championship Edition arcade cabinets.
Next up we wait for Keanu Reeves. We saw two girls get a photo op, so we got one. It was Alfie Allen who plays Theon in TVs Game of Thrones. Finally Keaunu arrives and I ask for a photo op, and HE POSES! He wasn't happy to do it. In fact he looks pissed. BUT HE POSED! I scored the shot as he rushes inside. Joresky, Jimmy, and James get a shot but the fan girls don't!
Now here is where keeping random stuff in your car pays off. I just happened to have my Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey laserdisc in my car with two autographs on it ready for Keanu Reeves to complete it. So we play the waiting game. As the event exits we get photo ops with TJ Miller. It's a car shot but still counts. When Reeves comes out I plead my case to him saying he's the last one I need on my laserdisc. He looks at it and says "last one, huh" and SIGNS IT!! After he signs his wife wanted to look at it as I held it up showcasing it to her! HCIT! Wow what a sweeping victory for me. To boot, he did nothing for the fan girls as he exits. It's not often that four males score big while two females fail. That was a nice feeling especially as the females were acting like stuck up bitches.
We then hit up another spot where Jeremy Renner and others were. Renner did nothing though. We did get a photo op with Michael K. Williams. Ended the evening at yet another spot with a couple of
names then head to bed, ready for the trials and tribulations that is NYCC. Robert Downy Jr
Elle Fanning
Hillary Duff
Keanu Reeves
Full list of Thursday photo ops
Arcade cabinets
Bill and Ted laserdisc
Robert Downy and Nicholas Hoult autographs
The autograph doesn't show up too well on the picture, but here is a photo of the figure without the flash that showcases the autograph better.
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