Final big report of 2015: The horrid two day ordeal

This is the weekend I was dreading all year. Between fatigue, waiting, hunger, getting blown off by celebrities, and the aggressiveness of all the graphers it is just so agonizing and painful through and through. 

Starts off early with combos from Rosie Perez and Sara Bareilles. Got a photo op with Gina Rodriguez, Seiji Ozawa, and Ben Folds. George Lucas came and signed I managed to get one awesome looking autograph on my Star Wars laserdisc which features the vintage artwork. It was a great feeling that I didn't have to get a photo op. 

Aretha Franklin started signing and I got one then she went inside and started doing send ins. Sadly I could not get my other item to be taken in. Cicely Tyson and Carol King did nothing for no one as we expected. Rita Moreno was doing photo ops and signing and promised she would do a photo op with me then gets pulled away! 

Then got photo ops with Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, Renee Fleming, and Terence Blanchard. 

Stephen Colbert is someone I could never get a photo op with. But with some pleading I managed to get that plus the autograph. James Taylor is his usual friendly self. Then leaving I manage to get another Colbert combo and upgrade my Terence Blanchard to a no shades shot. Wow I've never seen Stephen Colbert that nice. You're usually lucky to get a single autograph from him. Finally Miranda Lambert who ignored everyone going in leaves and does it for everyone that is left waiting. I manage to get the photo op plus 3 items done. 

We then try a spot for Matt Damon but never see him. So we give up. 

Full list of Day 1 photo ops

Stephen Colbert

Miranda Lambert


Now for another day of agonizing misery. Starts with photo ops with Chris Bartlett (C3PO fill in for Anthony Daniels), Yo Yo Ma, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Paul Nolan, and Chilina Kennedy. I fail to get a Tyler Perry photo op going in but manage to plead him for a photo op leaving. This is a good score because he's Baxter Stockman in the second Michael Bay TMNT. 

Sara Bareilles, Eric Jacobson (Muppets voice), and Kerry Washington do nothing for one. 

Now here is where I made a fatal mistake. I went to another door to secure a good spot for the next wave of arrivals. After I go there Speilberg arrives and signs for everyone there Wow I was beside myself. But he didn't do photo ops if he did I would have truly felt like total shit for weeks to come!! Essentially I don't think anyone would have wanted to be around me if he didn't reject photo ops for the few people waiting. I did wait for him to leave but he did nothing for no one. 

Play the waiting game and the new witching hour arrives. I get a Linda Carter autograph. Martin Scorsese arrives but sadly does the other side.  A Master Combo hunter who has marked security guards with sharpies in the past arrives but he doesn't have any prime spot. He points out that I have the good spotting position and I failed to call out Scorsese. Since I'm not known as the best spotter I believed that he made a good point. So I invited him to stand next to me which turned out to be the smartest move I could make! Cause being the Master that he is he knew exactly how to call people over and from then on people either did only my side or both sides (most just my side though)! George Lucas came over did my side only. I got two laserdiscs done. Janelle Monáe did only my side as well I got two autographs already had the photo op. Got the Rita Moreno photo op that I missed out on the day before. And actress Viola Davis came and I got that photo op. That's a good score since she's in the Suicide Squad movie. 

Sadly this is where my evening was cut short. The security guard was yelling at people for being too aggressive then when I asked Viola for an autograph AFTER I got the photo op he got upset at me and kicked out out!! WTF? In years past they kicked people out for getting multiple graphs but I always got one combo per celeb no issue. Did the rules change? In years past they would even warn people about multiple graphs before kicking them out and here I didn't even get the warning or heads up! So I got unjustly singled out and could get no more combos for the rest of the evening  Everyone I spoke to said I was unjustly ejected. I cannot believe that more opportunity was taken away from me. These people don't realize what they do to us! I didn't miss out on anything major but I missed out on things like more George Lucas autographs and a no shades Rosie Perez but. At least I made it through 75% of the event. And Speilberg did nothing for 5 people when he left so I didn't miss that. 

Overall I guess it was pretty decent and worth the effort. Got some fresh mid tier photo ops and some George Lucas autographs among other things. 

Full list of Day 2 photo ops

Viola Davis

Tyler Perry

Now to showcase some autographs

Rosie Perez, Sara Bareilles, and Stephen Colbert

Miranda Lambert, Linda Carter, and Janelle Monáe

James Taylor

Star Wars laserdiscs and Aretha Franklin vinyls 

Sadly one of my laserdiscs didn't come out well. Dark on dark  If he did it more on Darth Vader would have come out better. I guess I'll try to get it redone in gold in the future and when I do rub off the current one.