Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Calendar of Celebrity Autograph Signings for July 2011

As a service to our fellow autograph collectors out there, Collector's Shangri-La provides a monthly calendar of selected celebrity autograph signings through our blog at: http://collectorsshangrila.blogspot.com/

Sign up to "follow" our blog to make sure you stay informed!

7/5/11 7:00 PM at Book Soup - Sunset Blvd. West Hollywood, CA.
Thomas Lennon & Robert Ben Darant, stars of the television show "Reno 911!", signing their bookWriting Movies For Fun and Profit

7/6/11 6:30 PM at Barnes & Noble - Warren Street. New York, NY.
Diane Farr, star of the television shows "Numb3rs" and "Rescue Me", signing her book Kissing Outside the Lines

7/9/11 2:00 PM at Barnes & Noble - Old Country Road. Carle Place, NY.
7/10/11 3:00 PM at Barnes & Noble - Route 1 Souoth. North Bruswick, NJ.
Rick Springfield, 1980s pop musician , signing his book Late, Late At Night

7/12/11 7:00 PM at Book Soup - Sunset Blvd. West Hollywood, CA.
7/13/11 7:00 PM at Book Passage - Tamal Vista Blvd. Corte Madera, CA.
7/14/11 7:30 PM at Powell's Books - West Burnside. Portland, OR.
7/15/11 7:00 PM at Elliott Bay Books - 10th Avenue. Seattle, WA.
Josh Ritter, musician, signing his book Bright's Passage



Exorcist Photo Signed by Linda Blair

7/15/11 to 7/17/11 Hollywood Show, Burbank Airport Marriott & Convention Center - Burbank, CA.
Guests schedued to appear include: Antonio Sabato Jr., Carol Linley, Billy Zane, Linda Blair, Bruce Dern, Casper van Dien, Ed Asner, Ernest Borgnine, Gregory Harrison, Jay North, Jon Provost, Leif Garrett, Pamela Sue Martin, Rex Smith, Ronnie Schell, Stella Stevens, Vicki Lawrence, and many more.

7/21/11 to 7/24/11 Comic-Con International, San Diego Convention Center - San Diego, CA.
Guests schedued to appear include: Matt Groening, Bill Plympton, Wendy and Richard Pini, plus the casts of The Vampire Diaries, True Blood, The Big Band Theory, and many MANY more. Click here for a more complete list.

7/24/11 4:00 PM at Books & Books - Main Street. Westhampton Beach, NY
Susan Lucci, star of the soap opera "All My Children", signing her book All My Life

7/26/11 6:00 PM at Barnes & Noble - Warren Street. New York, NY.
7/27/11 7:00 PM at BookEnds - East Ridgewood Avenue. Ridgewood, NJ.
Denise Richards, star of the films "Starship Troopers" and "Wild Things", signing her book The Real Girl Next Door


I Dream of Jeannie Photo Signed by Barbara Eden 
I Dream of Jeannie Photo
Autographed by Barbara Eden 

7/28/11 7:30 PM at Egyptian Theatre - Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood, CA.
Barbara Eden, star of "I Dream of Jeannie", screening of "7 Faces of Dr. Lao," signing copies of Jeannie Out of the Bottle

7/30/11 Noon at Barnes & Noble - Sharon Road. Charlotte, NC.
Stephen "Steve-O" Glover, star of MTV's "Jackass". signing his book Professional Idiot: A Memoir

7/29/11 to 7/31/11 Steel City Con, the Monroeville Convention Center - Monroeville, PA.
Guests schedued to appear include: Lindsay Wagner, Tony Todd, Jeremy Bulloch, Betsy Russell, Torrie Wilson, Dennis Haskins, Richard LeParmentier, and more.

Information sometimes changes. Before showing up, please contact the event location to verify accuracy, and let us know if there are any errors in our listing. Thanks!

Thanks to the following resouces for schedule information: American Cinematheque, Barnes and Noble, Book Ends, Books & Books, Book Passage, Book Soup, Comic-Con International, Celebrity Signings & Events, Elliot Bay Book Co., Hollywood Show, Powells, Steel City Con

Monday, June 27, 2011

James Randi and Bill Nye the Science Guy Autographs from the 2011 Science Symposium

This past weekend (June 24-26) I attended the Skeptic Society's 2011 Science Symposium. The Skeptics Society is a nonprofit, member-supported organization devoted to promoting science and critical thinking while resisting the spread of pseudoscience, superstition, and irrational beliefs. I'm personally fascinated by conspiracy theories, the paranormal, and the supernatural - heck, I even ran a counterculture store for the second half of the 1990s. However, at heart I'm a pretty die-hard skeptic and have been a member of the Skeptic Society for many years.

The Science Symposium was three days of lectures, discussions, videos, and rubbing elbows with fellow skeptics like Bill Nye the Science Guy, Skeptic Society founder Michael Shermer, and magician and psychic-debunker James Randi. Sunday we were given the choice of a San Andreas Fault Geology Tour led by paleontologist/geologist Dr. Donald Prothero or a tour of historic Mt. Wilson Observatory.

I opted for the Observatory Tour, and wasn't disappointed. I had wanted to visit the Observatory since falling in love with a peculiar exhibit at the Museum of Jurassic Technology.  The MJT displays a number of extraordinary letters written to the observers at Mount Wilson Observatory between 1915 and 1935 by people from all walks of life and the world over expressing their idiosyncratic understandings of the universe. In other words - aliens, flat Earth theories, and other weirdness. In case you want to check it out, they've also published a book of these letters: No One May Ever Have the Same Knowledge Again.


Bill Nye The Science Guy's Big Blast Of Science Book Signed by Bill Nye 
Bill Nye The Science Guy's
Big Blast Of Science Book Signed by Bill Nye

Though I'm a bit too old to have grown up with Bill Nye the Science Guy, I've probably seen every episode of his ground-breaking show with my 10 year old son. Kids love him, but this weekend he was just as inspiring to a room full of jaded adults about changing the world for the better through science education.
  

The Amazing Randi gave an extraordinary presentation in spite of just recovering from some major health problems. Magician James Randi is known as as a challenger of paranormal claims and pseudoscience which he collectively calls "woo-woo." Randi founded the James Randi Educational Foundation which offers a million dollar prize to anyone who can demonstrate evidence of the paranormal or supernatural under test conditions agreed to by both parties. The money is still sitting in the bank after several decades.

If any of this sounds interesting to you, I'd also recommend checking out the Amazing Meeting in Las Vegas July 14-17. Four days of fun, fellowship, and critical thinking! I won't be able to make it, but you know who will? The Amazing Randi, magicians Penn and Teller, Bill Nye, Mythbusters' Adam Savage, the Skeptic Society's Michael Shermer, NOVA's Neil deGrasse Tyson, The God Delusion's Richard Dawkins, and a bevy of top-notch scientists and writers.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Current Autograph Giveaways and Contests

Here at Collector's Shangri-La, we do our best to hunt out the most interesting celebrity autograph sweepstakes and giveaways, so you don't have to! Here are a few recent ones you may want to enter:

Win a Terri Poster Autographed by John C. Reilly, Creed Bratton and Jacob Wysocki

One lucky winner will score the Terri theatrical poster autographed by the film's three stars: John C. Reilly, Creed Bratton and Jacob Wysocki.

Win a Jackass Blu-Ray DVD signed by Johnny Knoxville

Three of you will take home a copy of the new Jackass 3.5: The Unrated Movie Blu-ray autographed by the Jackass maestro himself, Johnny Knoxville.

Win a Bottle of Lamar Odom’s Unbreakable Autographed by Khloe Kardashian and Laker Lamar Odom

For those sports fans and reality TV show fans, the Lakers have teamed up with Perfumania, the exclusive retailer for Unbreakable, to give away an autographed bottle of Lamar and Khloe’s Unbreakable fragrance!

Win a Career Retrospective Book Signed by Tim Burton

Simply sign up for the Collector's Shangri-La Newsletter or "follow" the CollectorsShangri-La Blog before 8/1/2011 for a chance to win! Published to accompany a major career retrospective at The Museum of Modern Art which is scheduled to be shown at LACMA in May 2011, this book considers Burton's career as an artist and filmmaker.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Calendar of Celebrity Autograph Signings for June 2011

As a service to our fellow autograph collectors out there, Collector's Shangri-La will begin providing a monthly calendar of selected celebrity autograph signings through our blog at: http://collectorsshangrila.blogspot.com/
Sign up to "follow" our blog to make sure you stay up to date!

6/17/11 7:00 PM at Barnes & Noble - Grove Drive. Los Angeles, CA.
Simon Pegg, star of "Shaun of the Dead" and "Paul", signing copies of Nerd Do Well

6/18/11 3:00 PM at a Real Bookstore - Prairie Road. Fairview, TX
Chelsea Handler, comedian & talk show host, signing copies of Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me

6/18/11 7:00 PM at Barnes & Noble - Grove Drive. Los Angeles, CA.
Star Jones, formerly of "The View", signing copies of Satan's Sisters

6/21/11 6:00 PM at BookEnds - East Ridgewood Avenue. Ridgewood, NJ.
6/22/11 6:00 PM at Barnes & Noble - Warren Street. New York, NY.
LaToya Jackson, singer and TV star, signing copies of Starting Over

 Paper Moon Photo Autographed by Tatum O'Neal
Paper Moon Photo Autographed by Tatum O'Neal

6/22/11 7:00 PM at Barnes & Noble - Grove Drive. Los Angeles, CA.
Tatum O'Neal, Oscar winning actress, signing copies of Found: A Daughter's Journey Home


6/23/11 1:00 PM at Borders Books- Penn Plaza. New York, NY.
Adam Carolla, comedian and actor, signing copies of Fifty Years We'll All Be Chicks: . . . And Other Complaints from an Angry Middle-Aged White Guy


6/24/11 7:30 PM at Books Inc.- Market Street. San Francisco, CA.
Chaz Bono, child of Sonny & Cher, signing copies of Transition

Trailers From Hell Volume 2 DVD Signed by Joe Dante, Mick Garris, Dick Miller, Jonathan Haze, Mary Lambert, Josh Olson, Jack Hill Trailers From Hell Volume 2 DVD

Signed by Joe Dante, Mick Garris, Dick Miller, Jonathan Haze, Mary Lambert, Josh Olson, Jack Hill

6/26/11 2:00 PM at Dark Delicacies- West Magnolia Blvd. Burbank, CA.
Joe Dante, director of "Gremlins" and "Innerspace", signing copies of Trailers From Hell! Vol. 2

6/27/11 7:00 PM at Barnes & Noble - Route 1. Princeton, NJ.
6/28/11 7:00 PM at Book Revue - New York Avenue. Huntington, NY.
6/29/11 7:00 PM at BookEnds - East Ridgewood Avenue. Ridgewood, NJ.
Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, signing copies of Finding Sarah

6/28/11 7:30 PM at Tattered Cover - East Colfax Avenue. Denver, CO.
Dee Wallace, star of "E.T." and "Cujo", signing copies of Bright Light

Information sometimes changes. Before showing up, please contact the event location to verify accuracy, and let us know if there are any errors in our listing. Thanks!

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Dad's Day Deal - 10% Off ALL Autographs and Collectibles

FATHERS DAY SALE - 10% OFF!

In honor of all of the dads out there, we're offering 10% off all autographs and collectibles at:

http://collectorsshangri-la.com/ with the coupon code DADS

sale good now through Friday, June 24, 2011

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Back from the 2011 Manuscript Society Annual Meeting

I've just returned from the Manuscript Society's annual conference, and boy, was it a blast this year! In case you're not already familiar with the Manuscript Society, it is an "international organization of persons and institutions devoted to the collection, preservation, use, and enjoyment of autographs and manuscripts." So, it's basically a club for fellow collectors, dealers, and curators. The annual meeting is one of the highlights of my year and takes places in different cities each time to visit important manuscript collections.

This year we chose a city very near and dear to my heart - Providence, RI - home to my alma mater Brown University. As such, I was already familiar with some of the treasures that awaited our eager minds at Brown's John Hay library - Walt Whitman's personal copy of Leaves of Grass, George Orwell's original manuscript of 1984, and the infamous Andreas Vesalius anatomy book from 1642 bound in human skin. I had spent countless hours at the Hay while an undergrad at Brown pouring over the rare and unique documents held in its special collections.

But...I'm getting ahead of myself here. First and foremost what I love about the Manuscript Society is the people. When my wife Stephanie and I arrived in Providence on June 1, we were quickly reunited with many friends from all over the country - former Manuscript Society president Ed Bomsey, Executive Director Shirley Sands, Special Assistant to Secretary at U.S. Department of Education Reyna Aylward, Beverly Hill from Goldberg Auctioneers, former curator of manuscripts at the Lilly Library Saundra Taylor, UACC (Universal Autograph Collectors Club) President Michael Hecht, and many more. Some of our favorite Manuscript Society members aren't even curators, collectors, or dealers. One standout is Allan Stark, who just adores the history and the intellectual camaraderie that the Society offers.

The meeting this year started off with the excitement of a live auction. All sorts of treasures were donated by Manuscript Society members to raise money for the organization (part of our mission is to offer graduate study grants). That night I was extremely happy to bring back to my hotel room a number of wonderful items - a magazine signed by President Gerald R. Ford and First Lady Betty Ford, an autographed Victor Borge book, and personally signed photos of Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau from the Odd Couple, Douglas Fairbanks Jr.Nancy Reagan, Steve Allen, Shirley Temple with Buddy Ebsen, Anthony Quinn, Van Johnson, Dudley Moore, Doris Day, Kirk Douglas, Lana Turner, Lillian Gish, and Tony Curtis.



The next day we visited the John Hay Library and the John Carter Brown Library at Brown University. At the Hay, we were fortunate to have a presentation on Lincoln-related books and manuscripts by Society member Frank Williams, retired Chief Justice of the RI Supreme Court. He even supplied us with a list of his 68 favorite Lincoln books published in recent years! Judge Williams asked us how many of us had Lincoln items in our collection, and I didn't think to raise my hand. I was thinking of rare historical treasures like UACC president Michael Hecht's handwritten Abraham Lincoln manuscript. Michael told me that he prizes that piece above anything else in his collection - except for the autograph that his own father had given him while Michael was in Elementary school, sparking his collecting passion. When I didn't raise my hand, my wife reminded me that even I (with my focus in 20th century popular culture) have Lincoln in my collection. I have a cast of a famous Lincoln life mask created in 1860 in my "cabinet of curiosities." It's just another Evidence of the ubiquity and relevance of our 16th President!

That afternoon at the John Carter Brown Library, we learned about its collection of over 450 colonial-era manuscripts (held in spite of the mandate the JCB founders issued to exclude manuscripts in favor of printed books and engraved maps). The current JCB librarians also shared with us their efforts to publish online their extraordinary collection of Haiti-related documents through the website Remember Haiti.

On Friday, June 3, we attended a presentation by the Rhode Island Historical Society Library and examined a few of their manuscript treasures documenting the early days of Rhode Island. I found their colonial women's diaries particularly fascinating. Then it was off to a tour of the John Brown House Museum, the premier 18th century house in the state. Next stop (my favorite that day) - the Providence Athenaeum. The Providence Athenaeum is an independent membership library that traces its history back to The Providence Library Company, founded in 1753. Its special collections reveal the history of the reading tastes of library patrons with rare first editions (Walt Whitman, Herman Melville, etc.), two medieval manuscripts, eight incunabula (books printed before 1501), and original letters and ephemera related to two of Providence's most famous literary residents - H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe. We concluded the day with a visit to the Rhode Island School of Design Fleet Library.


Frontispiece from Stephane Mallarmé's French translation of Poe's The Raven with illustrations by Édouard Manet. Inscribed by Mallarmé to Poe's champion poet Sarah Helen Whitman. Collection of the Providence Athenaeum.


Last but not least, we took a 2-day whirlwind tour of Newport, RI with a little help from the Preservation Society of Newport County. We visited the Naval War College Museum and Library, Marble House (built in 1892 by the Vanderbilts), the Elms (built in 1901 by the Berwins), the White Horse Tavern (est. 1673 - the oldest tavern in the U.S.), the International Tennis Hall of Fame (where they somehow neglected to show us their library), and Touro Synagogue (American's oldest Jewish synagogue). My favorite stops were the Redwood Library and Athenaeum (America's oldest lending library - where my wife translated  for the Redwood curator a portion of a colonial-era journal written in French), and the home of Society member and Manuscripts Curator for the Georgetown University Library Nicholas Scheetz. Nicholas and his guest Dr. Scott Gwara, Professor of English at the University of South Carolina, shared with us manuscript treasures from their personal collections. It's not every day that I get to thumb through the pages of a 15th century illuminated manuscript. What a rare and special treat!

Back at the hotel in Providence, after our closing dinner where we said our bittersweet farewells, we had an illuminating presentation by Brown University's Linwood Fisher. We learned as much as one can within the short span of an hour about Native American manuscripts from 1600-1800. The annual meetings of the Manuscript Society are always enjoyable and educational experiences. And so, until next year in Quebec City, Canada - I can't wait!