This year I did do one thing different. I wore four layers of socks. And three layers of tops and pants. Sadly the weather wasn't that bad, which sucked. I was rooting for bad weather to weed out most of the crowd. The crowd was bad but I was expecting it would be a lot worse. But having extra sucks sure helped alleviate the discomfort.
Day 1
This trek starts the day before the weekend starts. My first stop was something unrelated to the main event, namely a Donny and Marie Osmond event. Me and another friend try them going into the event. Unfortunately we see neither one. Big bust.
Next up is Sting at the train station. Amongst the people waiting is a woman with 4 little girls aged 7-12. We wait and turns out they are sneaking Sting out
The woman with her 4 children mooch their way into the restricted area. I almost wanted to go with them but I was afraid to risk it if nothing else because this is a spot I frequent. As it turns out they got photo ops and beautifully signed Sting albums, the FULL autograph and not the standard "S~~" that he gives these days. Another bust! Wow I'm batting zero so far and feeling so miserable.
Last attempt for the day is the place where Donny Osmond is staying. We wait and wait and finally see him, and he is nice as can be. Got four vinyls plus the photo op. There was no evidence Marie was staying there so I technically didn't miss her the second time around. But quite a punch in the face that I didn't get Marie when others did earlier in the week. Still a big relief to have success after a pretty bad day.
Donny Osmond
Autographs
Day 2
I get to the spot of misery and the waiting game begins. First score is Verdine White of Earth Wind and Fire. Then Sam Moore starts signing and I try to get the photo op. He goes "take it". After the second attempt where he tries to pose I check the camera he is looking down. When I ask for a third op and finally get it his wife says I got it already I say "he's looking down" and she asks "how do you know he's looking down" and I reply "cause I looked at it"
I was very lucky to get that shot because he wouldn't do much of anything else for the rest of the weekend. Then I get Herbie Hancock who I already had and actress Laura Benanti.
Leaving I manage to get Ralph Johnson of Earth Wind and Fire who remembers he didn't get me on the way in. HCIT.
Ballet dancer Patricia McBride comes in and is shocked that people wanted combos from her. She couldn't believe some people had 8x10s for her to sign. I got a photo op with her and also her husband Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux who is also a dancer. Country singer Reba McEntire signs one per but refuses to do photo ops. Didn't matter to me as I have a great shot with her.
Sting comes and signs very few autographs on each side. I was one of the lucky few where I got a horrid auto on my Synchronicity album. Thankfully I got a photo op with him before.
Tom Hanks does nothing for no one coming in or out.
When Fonda comes in she does like 5 autographs no photo ops. I was one of the lucky few where I got a work out vinyl album signed.
Al Green does very little coming out but not on the side I was on. Lilly Tomlin signed for people coming in and I got an autograph but she did no photo ops. While this was happening Sting left and a few people got him to sign. Wow what a fuck up. Would have rather had another Sting than a Lilly autograph but I guess hindsight is 20/20. When Lilly left I was trying to get the photo op and after much begging and pleading she consented to it. I approached for the photo op then the park police stationed there stopped me
citing I was going through the ropes when in fact I was stretching it to get close enough to her for the photo op! While I was arguing with park police saying she said I could come get the photo op she left 
Damn piece of shit bastards ruined my photo op with Lilly Tomlin!! Do they not realize what they do to us? Lady Gaga whom we never saw enter came out, did like 2 autographs and 2 photo ops between both sides. Sadly I wasn't one of them, despite my attempts. For my efforts I even got yelled at by her security guard.
When Bruce Springsteen comes he signs and I manage to get a Born in the USA album signed. Sadly no photo ops. When he came out is where I died inside. Cause he did MULTI PHOTO OPS in the side I wasn't on. Wow that was so painful to see.
Besides that I got photo ops with members of Pentatonix, Misty Copeland, Christine Baranski (again), and Damian Woetzel. Bruno Mars and Usher do nothing for no one.
Then got a first time photo op with David Letterman. Didn't like my first shot because of the way he posed he blocked out some of his head by posing BEHIND my head so when I tried for the second shot he goes "we already did that" and a security guard grabs my arm in an attempt to stop me. But I ignore the guard and continue to take the shot.
After this we go to Costco to grab some food and print some photos. On the way to Costco one guy honks badly at me because I'm slowing him down. So I fully stop in the middle of the road, turn on my blinkers, and curse the guy out and give him the middle finger.
When I finally move he comes side by side me and curses me out and I give him this finger again
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Never ever mess with me after I've had a sub par day combo hunting. No Springsteen photo op, no Jane Fonda photo op, no Gaga upgrade, no completing Gaga combo, this made me a miserable person
Tried a spot for Donny and Marie but the rain was just too much. Called it a night to get some much needed rest for an early start.
David Letterman
Full list of photo ops
My first ever autograph request, HCIT!
Day 3
This day starts where I strike a deal with someone who really wanted to buy both my signed Sting vinyl and my signed Bruce Springsteen vinyl. As hard as it was to refuse the money he offered me the prior day this one was tougher to refuse. In exchange for those two albums he gave me the Sting album he got, which was on his newest album and had a MUCH nicer autograph. He gave me a Charlie Daniels album that was signed at the same event I got him at, and he gave me $400 cash. So the way I saw it I'm not losing a Sting autograph, only a Springsteen autograph, and gaining $400 and a signed Charlie Daniels album. Before I finally agreed to the deal they made the wise move of placing that $400 cash in my hands.
The first meet was Garrison Keillor. Jane Fonda then comes and this time is more accommodating. I get the autograph and she is signing away but I beg and plead the best I can to get the shot but fail
Going out she does nothing. Reba McEntire does autographs again and I get one.
Steven Spielberg does nothing going in but going out signs, and again I fail to get that photo op! This is horrible as I've been having bad luck photo op wise the past couple of days. Autograph wise I've been doing great but photo op wise not so great. Although in my defense besides Springsteen who did it on the side I wasn't on, no one else was really trying to do photo ops.
Stephen Colbert comes I get the autograph and ask for the photo op he goes "my hair isn't combed I need to go comb it". When he reaches the end of the line he then takes one photo op
I do manage to get a second item signed as he's still signing but no chance for the photo op again. Bruce Springsteen signs a few coming in, I get another autograph on my "Darkness on the Edge of Town" vinyl but try to beg for a photo op and he doesn't pose!Lady Gaga comes in and does nothing for no one. Martin Short signs and is being really tough. I only managed to get one from him. Didn't bother asking for the photo op as I have several shots. Meryl Streep does nothing for no one.
Fearing a repeat for the prior day where Springsteen ignores the side I'm on, I migrate to the other side in the hopes that I can score a shot with Springsteen. After all photo op wise I consider it a bust so far. Finally Springsteen comes out and is lingering about. I take Joresky's spot and beg and plead with all my might and all my heart
Finally he goes "come on in there" as I take the photo op! YES! My reaction truly was this face
as I got my first big score photo op wise! Besides my photo op he did one autograph. Besides me I was the ONLY photo op he did for this particular day (although he did do photo ops the next morning). After this victory, I ran across the street away from the event and yelled and screamed in celebration. This was apparently caught in video by some people as I later got a phone call about how crazy I was yelling and screaming. Thankfully no one at the event heard me as I didn't want to get kicked out.
Unfortunately migrating to the other side came with a price as many of the others who came through did the other side and not on the side I'm in, including the lead singer of Earth, Wind, and Fire. Jennifer Hudson also came in and did nothing for no one.
Went to grab a spot at the next phase. In hindsight that was a bad move because while we were on the other door Jennifer Hudson stopped for the handful of people still waiting for her to leave.
Now the next set wave of entries. Most people do absolutely nothing. Jane Lynch for instance did the side I wasn't on. That was painful cause I had a nice photo from Wreck it Ralph and I also wanted a no shades shot. But amongst the sea of nothings I did get a Linda Carter autograph, another photo op with Michelle Lee, and a full combo with Melanie Griffith. YES! Scored another good photo op in Griffith! That felt really good.
Next we wait for exits. Whoopi Goldberg left early and signed but wouldn't pose for shots. I wanted another shot but I have one already.
After this it was essentially slim pickings as most would do nothing or leave out another door. Sting and Lady Gaga did the latter.
Jane Fonda and Bruce Springsteen do nothing but people got stuff by chasing their car! I made the mistake of not doing that myself. Who knows I may have scored that Fonda car photo op.I did do that for Speilberg but to no avail as he did nothing.
Meryl Streep did one photo op on the other side (via lots of begging from what I was told). And when walking from one side to the other did one autograph for one grapher who just happened to luckily walk to the other side! WTF? Of course when Streep came to where I was waiting, nothing for no one.
Throughout the day/night Bruno Mars and Usher do nothing for no one.
John Kerry showed up and signed. I got an autograph. He wouldn't pose but I had that shot already. Got another photo op with actor Kyle MacLachlan and a photo op with politician Terry McAuliffe.
This ended the evening. I dropped an old lady grapher to the train station, I dropped a friend home, parked in a legal spot, and I just collapsed and slept in the car as I simply could not drive any further.
Full list of photo ops
Bruce Springsteen
Melanie Griffith
Now to showcase some autographs from the past two days.
Sting album that I sold/traded
Bruce Springsteen album that I sold/traded
Sting and Charlie Daniels album that I got in the trade
Although the Sting album I got rid of is the better album, the one I got looks MUCH nicer, both in overall look and the autograph. And after all that I still get to have one full combo with Springsteen!
Jane Fonda workout vinyl
Bruce Springsteen vinyl
non-vinyls part 1
non-vinyls part 2
non-vinyls part 3
Day 4
Yes, unfortunately there was a day 4. And this was because of the pesky park police that took away a photo op from me. I had a Lilly Tomlin flight and wanted to get that photo op. If the park police had let me approach her for a few seconds I could have been at home sleeping and did not need to violate her privacy. But thanks to those bastards I had to lose a day and dedicate more time and effort to this.
After I wake up from my slumber I actually went to check one spot, but most people had left and from what I heard Speilberg did nothing for no one walking from the spot to starbucks and back.
The head of security at that spot told me and one other person waiting that everyone had left and he's going home. I knew that was untrue since I had the Lily Tomlin's flight info. But I don't think he was really lying he likely meant all the big names. After this I left the spot for the buffet since I had time to kill till Lily. I go to American Buffet and feast on some nice, hot, long overdue food. That felt good.
Then I arrive at the airport and wait. More graphers show up. We are four total. Finally her limo pulls up and she comes through. Her handler says one each. I ask for a photo op and the handler says "take it while she's signing" but I ignore that request. When she signs one per she happily poses with everyone. It felt good to correct at least one failed photo op from the past couple of days. I even shook hands with her as she went on her way.
I wish I could say I had quit after this, but I was already in town where Angelina Jolie was rumored to show up, but when I got there it didn't look like a happening spot. So I left. Later on I would find out Angelina had chicken pox and cancelled all appearances.
Finally I had a spot for director Kevin Macdonald. Figured I might as well put a little extra time and snag that shot before going home. Me and another grapher arrived at the spot. We wait and he was nice as can be.
Lilly Tomlin
Lilly autograph
Kevin MacDonald
In summary, while this was hard fought, and I did fail on two of my top photo op wants (Fonda and Speilberg), overall I would say it was worthwhile and a success.
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