Spiritual and Religious Leader
8x10 photo signed in sharpie by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso. I'm a big fan of the Dalai Lama's work and teachings. My mother had the chance to see him speak in person in Boston a few months back. I hope to have the chance to see him someday as well.
71st Governor of Maine
8x10 photo signed in silver pen by John McKernan, 71st governor of Maine. Not a huge fan of Mr. McKernan's term as governor, but when I found this at Goodwill of $2.99 I couldn't pass it up. There was also a signed campaign poster there (dedicated to two people who apparently worked on his campaign, probably where this came form as well), but I figured that I didn't have the space to care for it properly.
Conductor
5x7 photo signed in black sharpie by conductor Claudio Abbado. Mr. Abbado was a great inspiration to me while I was working on my music degree, and continues to be a favorite conductor of mine. I'm particularly fond of his recording of Mahler's 7th Symphony with the Chicago Symphony.
Songwriter, Satirist, Mathematician
CD booklet and photo signed in black sharpie by Tom Lehrer. I was first introduced to Mr. Lehrer's music by a friend of mine while I was in college and, while I don't listen to him every day, his songs remain some of my favorites. I have three of his albums, as well as his published songbook.
Tom Baker
Actor
I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love Tom Baker. I grew up watching him on Doctor Who and, while I love Matt Smith in the role, there will never be another Doctor like Doctor #4. I previously bought two Tom Baker autographs (here and here), but decided to write to Mr. Baker anyway. I sent him the picture with the daleks and the cover of my copy of City of Death. Imagine my surprise when I opened up the envelope and saw the third photo in there!
Naturalist
5x7 color photo of famed naturalist Sir David Attenborough signed in black pen. I'm a relative newcomer when it comes to Mr. Attenborough's work, having been first exposed to him through Planet Earth. Since then I've seen most of the BBC Earth documentaries he narrates, as well as some of his earlier documentaries. Now I'm a big fan of Mr. Attenborough's work.
Actor
8x10 of Adam West signed in blue sharpie. I grew up watching reruns of the 1960s Batman at my grandmother's house. The tear on the right is thanks to my mother, who thought that it was junk mail when it came in and tried to rip it in half. I'm planning to find another photo and write to Mr. West again so that I can have an undamaged photo to display.
Scientist and Philosopher
4x6 photo of philosopher and scientist Noam Chomsky. I sent this photo to Mr. Chomsky at MIT on July 13th and received it back in the mail this afternoon. Mr. Chomsky is one of the most famous of living scientists and the father of linguistics. His is the first autograph that I've gotten back from among the scientists I wrote to earlier this month.
Actress
5x7 of a young Angela Lansbury signed in gold marker. Ms. Lansbury is one of my favorite actresses, and her performance as Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd is probably my favorite role of hers. I sent this out the same day as I sent the letter and photo to Keith Lockhart, and received this back yesterday, 16 days later! Unfortunately it looks like is was signed and immediately stuck back in the envelope while the ink was still wet, as the signature is streaked, and there is residue on the inside of the envelope. If I get my album booklet back from Stephen Sondheim I think I'll send it to Ms. Lansbury with a lighter photo in the hopes of getting a better looking signature back.
Conductor
I wrote to Mr. Lockhart on July 11th, and heard back today, only 15 days later! I've had the chance to see Mr. Lockhart conduct the Boston Pops a few times since he became the orchestra's conductor in 1995, and those performances have been some of my favorites! I was not sure if this would come back or not as I didn't hve a separate address to Mr. Lockhart, and just sent this to Symphony Hall in Boston to his attention.
U.S. President and Nobel Peace Prize Recipient
8x10 photo of former U.S. President and 2002 Nobel Peace Prize Recipient Jimmy Carter signed in black sharpie. I wrote to Mr. Carter back in April and received this in the mail this afternoon. Mr. Carter left office before I was born, however I'm a big fan of his post-presidential work. This is my first REAL Presidential autograph, seeing as the George Bush Sr photo is both a secretarial and an autopen. I may send Mr. Carter a book to sign in a couple of weeks, while I wait to see if Bill Clinton takes the time to sign my copy of his autobiography...
Actor
4x6 monochrome photo of Andrew Lincoln signed in black ballpoint pen. I sent a letter to Mr. Lincoln in London with a 5x7 photo from The Walking Dead back on April 28th and received this signed 4x6 in the mail today along with a form letter explaining that he was in the US for filming. Very happy with this success though! I think I'm going to try sending another Walking Dead photo to him in a few months, when he should be back in the UK.
Astronaut and U.S. Senator
5x7 color photo signed in black sharpie by John Glenn. I wrote to Mr. Glenn back on May 9, and received this back in the mail this morning. John Glenn was the first American in orbit, and is one of my mom's (and my own) heroes. When I was little she used to tell me about when she was little and watched his historic Project Mercury flight aboard Friendship 7. I have a PSA/DNA authenticated signed cut of Mr. Glenn's signature that I purchased more than a year ago. The copy of it that is hanging on my wall will be coming down this weekend to be replaced by a copy of this.
Voice Actor
4x6 color photo of Spike Spigel from Cowboy Bebop signed by voice actor extraordinaire Steven J. Blum. Mr. Blum is a favorite voice actor of mine, and he holds a Guiness record as the most prolific video game voice actor, with 261 credited appearances as of May 10, 2012. Cowboy Bebop happens to be one of my favorite shows with him, although The Legend of Korra is a close second.
Johnny Yong Bosch
Voice Actor
Two 4x6 color photos, one of Vash the Stampede from Trigun and one of Lelouch Lamperouge from Code Geass signed by voice actor Johnny Yong Bosch in silver sharpie. At the urging of my girlfriend I wrote to several voice actors that we both like, Mr. Bosch included. The signature on the Trigun picture isn't quite as weak as it looks in the scan, but it's not as good as the Code Geass picture. It looks like his marker was running out.
Benedict Cumberbatch
Actor
8x10 of Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes in Sherlock signed in gold permanent marker. I first became acquainted with Mr. Cumberbatch's acting through Sherlock in 2011 and since then he's become a favorite actor of mine. I recently saw him in Star Trek: Into Darkness, and he did a fantastic job. He may very well be one of the best Star Trek villains ever. I'm eagerly awaiting his return in Series 3 of Sherlock and his upcoming appearance in The Hobbit. I sent a letter to Mr. Cumberbatch earlier this week, but hold out little hope of hearing back from him, as few people have had mail success with him except through venue addresses. This one came via UACC RD #192, Iconographs.
Crispin Freeman
Voice Actor
4x6 of Alucard from Hellsing and Hellsing Ultimate signed in black sharpie. Mr. Freeman is another favorite voice actor of mine, with Alucard being my favorite role of his. He has a large and rabid fan base, including my girlfriend. I sent a request out to him (along with this photo) back on June 3rd and received a response yesterday, June 20th, about two and a half weeks later.
Vic Mignogna
Voice Actor
8.5x11 print of Vic Mignogna, prominent voice actor, signed in gold permanent marker. I first became familiar with Mr. Mignogna's work through Fullmetal Alchemist (via my girlfriend), and since then he has become one of my favorite voice actors. This photo came via Mr. Mignogna's fan club, the Risembool Rangers. I found out while I was at the Official Star Trek convention last weekend that he's involved with Star Trek: Phase II. Now that I know that I need to check it out.
Nichelle Nichols
Actress
8x10 signed by the first lady of Star Trek herself, Nichelle Nichols! Ms. Nichols is an amazing woman, and it was fantastic to see her on stage. Even at 80 she's such a beautiful and graceful lady. She talked about meeting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and Sally Ride, and told a humorous story about meeting Gene Roddenberry. She finished by singing part of the original Star Trek theme. I only met her very briefly, there were a lot of other people in line for her autograph, but still, it was amazing to talk to her, if only for a moment.
William Shatner
Actor
Signed 8x10 of William Shatner as Captain Kirk from "Star Trek." Shatner's time on stage was fantastic, he was telling all sorts of tall tales about himself. I only met him for about ten seconds. He just said "Hi, thanks for coming." I was a little too star struck to say more than "No, thank you!"
Rene Auberjonois
Actor
Signed 8x10 of Rene Auberjonois in "Boston Legal." Rene is another of my favorite actors, and it was also thrill to meet him. Mr. Auberjonois really liked the photo. He said that he had never seen it before and asked where I had found it. He also said "I look so distinguished! I look just like my father!" While on stage Mr. Auberjonois was asked about his voice work, and he did a little of "Le Poisson" from The Little Mermaid.
George Takei
Actor
8x10 of George Takei in "Heroes." I saw Mr. Takei several times during the convention, and he seems very nice in person. I LOVED seeing him on stage, I could have listened to him talk for hours. George signed autographs for a few hours, and took a few moments to chat with everyone along the way. He talked to me for a moment about Heroes and how much fun that show was. As I've said before, Mr. Takei is one of my favorite actors and it was a thrill to meet him in the flesh.
Brent Spiner, Levar Burton, Marina Sirtis, Michael Dorn and Gates McFadden
Actors and Actresses
My crown jewel from the convention, an 8x10 photo signed by Brent Spiner, Levar Burton, Marina Sirtis, Michael Dorn and Gates McFadden. There was a mob of people when they arrived. I was in the right spot to be one of the first ten in line for Brent Spiner, and he's the one who put "To Steve" in the corner. My hand was shaking when I gave him my pen because I had a heavy camera bag on my arm and was trying not to whack him with it. He took the pen and started shaking it saying "Wait a minute, what's going on? Why is this pen shaking?"
I had them all sign with the same pen, a silver Xfinity. When Levar Burton started writing with it he said "This is a good pen. This is a nice pen. I'd be careful with this pen around the people at these other tables if I were you, because they'd take it from you in a heartbeat!" Side note, Gates olmost didn't give it back!
Actor
8x10 photo of Sean Kenney as Christopher Pike from the convention. I had no idea he was going to be there! There wasn't as much of a swarm at his table as at the Next Gen people's tables, so I got to talk to him for a minute or two; he seems nice. He just wrote a memoir, I think I might check it out. The Menagerie is one of my favorite episodes of the original Star Trek.
Denise Crosby
Actress
8x10 Photo signed by Denise Crosby, Tasha Yar and Sela from Star Trek: The Next Generation. The schedule said that she wasn't going to be there until the late afternoon, but she showed up early. I happened to be in the right place at the right time, and ended up as third or fourth in line. I was quite nervous when I got up to her, and she just looked up at me and said "Oh my gosh! Look at you! You're so cute!"
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