Beren
Super Freak
William Shatner was at the Toronto Fan Expo 2010 this past weekend. The organizers are finally getting media attention for their poor organization and screwing the fans over. People who paid $65 for their weekend pass and couldn't get in because of overcrowding and STILL selling day passes and letting those in!
Back to topic, Shatner appeared Sunday only, was to do the Q&A at 1pm, signing 2-5pm as I was told by staff on Saturday, 5pm photo ops.
Saturday I inquired about the schedule and the price for an autograph. I was a bit shocked to hear that the price was $80 CDN. I expected $60, like Leonard Nimoy had charged last year at the expo. Everyone else in attendance was charging between $25-40.
Honestly, the only reason I went ahead with getting a ticket on Saturday is because I had already gotten the 25th Anniversary Plate series with Kirk. I had gotten the Chekov and Spock 25th plate signed last year by those respective actors. So I was starting a collection of TOS 25th Anniversary autographed plates. And maybe demand was so high for Shatner, that they were selling tickets for his autograph and would outsell and I would be screwed out of completing the collection I started. (I have the completist-disease).
Sunday, Mr. Shatner gives his presentation at 1pm. Well-performed but I personally prefer when it's 'real'. Anyway, I decide to attend a panel after, so maybe the rush wouldn't be as great when he starts signing right after the Q&A. I leave a bit early, get to the signing area at 2.50pm. He's not there. I'm told I can get in the line-up, he would be there at 3.30pm. There are 6 people ahead of me. I wait because I figure then I can attend a panel at 4pm. Then we're told he'll be out at 3.45pm.
Finally at 3.50pm he comes to his table. I count maybe 30 people in the line-up. This is after making the line stall for an hour! Then the staff usher us to the table, one guy at the table says to hurry up so we can get through with everyone.
Me: There aren't that many people lined up, man.
Staffer: Really? What, like a hundred people?
Me: No, it's more like 30.
Staffer: Really?
Me: Yeah. I counted. While waiting in line for an hour.
At that point I had my plate out, got the autograph. I had nothing really to say to Shatner at that point and everyone seemed to be under the impression that things had to move quickly, so I was in and out in seconds, not even eye contact with him. LOL
Not even 5 minutes later there is an announcement over the PA "Last call for William Shatner, last call.". This announcement was made twice.
And around 4pm, he was gone. There were 40, at the VERY most 50 autographs signed (if some people got more than one auto). 40 is more likely. He was at the table for all of 10 minutes. There was a throng of people taking his picture though.
Last year, Leonard Nimoy was busy for hours non-stop on both Saturday and Sunday. HUGE line-ups.
Shatner didn't look too happy when he left and when he was gone the expo staff were kind of grinning haplessly at each other. I must admit a certain glee that Shatner priced himself out of the market. I was hoping to see him sit down for 3 hours with no one at his table, for the gall of charging $80 for his autograph. This in effect is what happened, except he/his handlers knew how few advance auto tickets they sold and were hoping for more people to show up at the last minute. The couple behind me told me that they had lined up previously, Shatner showed up around 2.30pm but his handlers whisked him off again within minutes, with no explanation to the people lined up. He/they stalled the line for another hour to avoid him sitting there for hours on end with no one at his table. The jerk wasn't even man enough to do that, instead he rushed through everyone in 5 mins and got out of there.
2 years ago James Edward Olmos sat at his table, also a victim of overestimating his "market value" and was charging $50 where everyone else was $15-30 that particular year, if I remember correctly. But he was there for his run of time, and also was very engaging to talk to. His Q&A was also a blast, very funny and entertaining guy. Kudos to him.
While waiting for that hour, I seriously considered having a TOS 25th plate collection without Kirk signed. I doubt they would have given me my money back though. Anytime someone would have said "oh, but you didn't get Shatner" I could have retorted with "Nah, I chose not to get his, he's a jerk."
Beren
Back to topic, Shatner appeared Sunday only, was to do the Q&A at 1pm, signing 2-5pm as I was told by staff on Saturday, 5pm photo ops.
Saturday I inquired about the schedule and the price for an autograph. I was a bit shocked to hear that the price was $80 CDN. I expected $60, like Leonard Nimoy had charged last year at the expo. Everyone else in attendance was charging between $25-40.
Honestly, the only reason I went ahead with getting a ticket on Saturday is because I had already gotten the 25th Anniversary Plate series with Kirk. I had gotten the Chekov and Spock 25th plate signed last year by those respective actors. So I was starting a collection of TOS 25th Anniversary autographed plates. And maybe demand was so high for Shatner, that they were selling tickets for his autograph and would outsell and I would be screwed out of completing the collection I started. (I have the completist-disease).
Sunday, Mr. Shatner gives his presentation at 1pm. Well-performed but I personally prefer when it's 'real'. Anyway, I decide to attend a panel after, so maybe the rush wouldn't be as great when he starts signing right after the Q&A. I leave a bit early, get to the signing area at 2.50pm. He's not there. I'm told I can get in the line-up, he would be there at 3.30pm. There are 6 people ahead of me. I wait because I figure then I can attend a panel at 4pm. Then we're told he'll be out at 3.45pm.
Finally at 3.50pm he comes to his table. I count maybe 30 people in the line-up. This is after making the line stall for an hour! Then the staff usher us to the table, one guy at the table says to hurry up so we can get through with everyone.
Me: There aren't that many people lined up, man.
Staffer: Really? What, like a hundred people?
Me: No, it's more like 30.
Staffer: Really?
Me: Yeah. I counted. While waiting in line for an hour.
At that point I had my plate out, got the autograph. I had nothing really to say to Shatner at that point and everyone seemed to be under the impression that things had to move quickly, so I was in and out in seconds, not even eye contact with him. LOL
Not even 5 minutes later there is an announcement over the PA "Last call for William Shatner, last call.". This announcement was made twice.
And around 4pm, he was gone. There were 40, at the VERY most 50 autographs signed (if some people got more than one auto). 40 is more likely. He was at the table for all of 10 minutes. There was a throng of people taking his picture though.
Last year, Leonard Nimoy was busy for hours non-stop on both Saturday and Sunday. HUGE line-ups.
Shatner didn't look too happy when he left and when he was gone the expo staff were kind of grinning haplessly at each other. I must admit a certain glee that Shatner priced himself out of the market. I was hoping to see him sit down for 3 hours with no one at his table, for the gall of charging $80 for his autograph. This in effect is what happened, except he/his handlers knew how few advance auto tickets they sold and were hoping for more people to show up at the last minute. The couple behind me told me that they had lined up previously, Shatner showed up around 2.30pm but his handlers whisked him off again within minutes, with no explanation to the people lined up. He/they stalled the line for another hour to avoid him sitting there for hours on end with no one at his table. The jerk wasn't even man enough to do that, instead he rushed through everyone in 5 mins and got out of there.
2 years ago James Edward Olmos sat at his table, also a victim of overestimating his "market value" and was charging $50 where everyone else was $15-30 that particular year, if I remember correctly. But he was there for his run of time, and also was very engaging to talk to. His Q&A was also a blast, very funny and entertaining guy. Kudos to him.
While waiting for that hour, I seriously considered having a TOS 25th plate collection without Kirk signed. I doubt they would have given me my money back though. Anytime someone would have said "oh, but you didn't get Shatner" I could have retorted with "Nah, I chose not to get his, he's a jerk."
Beren
