I would start the day with something really ambitious. Namely a Samuel L Jackson flight. He is someone who has blown me off a couple of times before and not known to be the nicest. We are about 6 people. He comes in and while walking he signs. I barely manage to get one. Despite my intense begging and pleading for a photo op, right up to his car, and getting yelled at by security (who I ignored), I was unsuccessful to get a hat and shades photo op with him. I even tried to tell him he was in the movie "A Shock to the System" (he basically had a very small role in that movie it was before he was famous) to prove to him that I know his credits and he goes "no I wasn't". I go "yes you were you were a nobody back then". After the fact I verified and indeed I was right.
At least I had another chance at him two days later for his outgoing. Devastated, it was on to the next spot. Me and one other grapher are at this spot and it is not looking like there is a place for graphers to stand. One grapher manages to sneak in a Common autograph, but not much else. We have a flight for Chuck D from Public Enemy. I don't care for this but I figured this was at least a guarantee to get something over nothing. So we both go there and get him. I got him to sign two cards.
Back to the main spot where me and the grapher notice Chris Tucker leaving it. So we go to where he's staying in the hopes to get him there. A Chris Tucker photo op would redeem my day! Sadly he is nasty and gives horrid one per autographs!
Back again to the main spot where we finally figure out the rope line they made for combo hunters. My reaction was this face
to add insult to injury turns out Chris Tucker actually did photo ops there and both David Grohl and Oprah Winfrey racked it out! It was actually not far from the state door and no way we would have imagined they would have been that accommodating to combo hunters. So far a very very miserable day. Common is leaving the spot and I manage to get him on two posters. He goes "I'll only do one not signing a stack" I tell him "I only got two" and the one grapher says I was having a bad day and I was crying and Common goes "ohh well don't cry" and he signs my two.
We get Doug E Fresh but for the time being the spot is winding down. Go to the airport for Flavor Flav (again, something to get over nothing) but turns out he delayed his flight. That was a wasted effort. Back to the main spot where we brace for the next wave of celebs. Get a photo op with Ne-Yo and combo with Dave Chappelle (but had him). Tom Hanks comes in completely ignores everyone, Oprah and Gorhl come in and say they're in a hurry. Will and Jada Smith come and Will signs a few (I get one). Christina Aguilera doesn't look at anyone. At this point many of the graphers give up. I of course stay all miserable along with a few others. Autograph wise this day pretty good. Will Smith, Sam Jackson, Chris Tucker. But photo op wise I'm doing miserable. Everyone I got I either have or don't care for. So this is how I measure my day.
Time passes and who do we see? Samuel L Jackson. Two daughters of a grapher attract him over to us. He tests the little girls and says "do you know who I am" and they go "you're Samuel Jackson" he goes "ok I believe you" and take a picture with them. I then plead for a picture and asks "if I take it you will leave me alone" and I say I will. He agrees to the shot, and to my disbelief I SCORE! Not only that but he takes photos with everyone there and signs. I ask for another autograph and tell him "just this and I will never bother you again" and he tells me "I know".
This was the turning point from a complete bust of a day to a totally extravagant day! From this point I was officially in bonus mode. I was in such a state of euphoria after getting this shot that many of the personnel on site where looking at me and couldn't believe what they were seeing. I was also high fiving every grapher there! This also meant I did not have to bother with the airport two days later.
It is truly amazing, sometimes when hunting you wonder why do this. You wonder why you waste precious moments of your life scouring the streets in the hopes to score. It seems more often than not you do so much to score so little that you want to quit doing this for good. But then you get a score like a combo with Mace Windu and you suddenly remember why you in put up with all the pain, suffering, and misery that always goes hand in hand with this hobby/jobby.
My next big score is a combo with none other than Christina Aguilera. She was actually nice for a change! I guess it helped that the crowd wasn't too bad. Will and Jada come out and I get a combo with Will and an autograph with Jada. Would have liked a Jada upgrade but failed at that. Get a photo op with Fantasia. Dave Grohl comes out and I concentrate on autographs. Get him on a Nevermind vinyl record and a Nirvana Unplugged CD cover.
Oprah comes over I get three autographs plus an updated photo op. Angela Bassett is another good score I needed but sadly my shot came out blurry and I failed to get her to do a retake with me. At least it's valid and passable but I hope to upgrade it someday. I also upgraded my Gladys Knight photo op (got her last April shot was sub par).
Other photo ops I got included Robert Glasper, youtube sisters Chloé Bailey and Halle Bailey, and gospel duo Mary Mary. Usher did nothing for no one. Nor did Rashida Jones who I needed a photo op with. Quincy Jones also didn't come over but he was in a wheel chair. That didn't bother me as I have a photo op with him. Tom Hanks sadly ignored everybody which sucks cause I need him to complete an Apollo 13 laserdisc.
I then rounded up the evening with a Flavor Flav flight. Figured I was already around why not cap the evening with a photo op, especially since I got Chuck D earlier. He was nice as can be. Sadly forgot my Public Enemy cards in the car.
Samuel L Jackson
Christina Aguilera
Angela Bassett
Gladys Knight
Full list of photo ops
Now to showcase some autographs
photos
magazines
posters
CD cover and cards
Nevermind Vinyl
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