Tom Kane signed my article

Ashley Eckstein

               I actually wrote this a few years ago when reading about the release of E.K. Johnston’s new Ahsoka book. It reminded me of the times I’ve met actress Ashley Eckstein. You might remember Ashley from when she did an episode of Drake and Josh or even her run on That's So Raven. But to me and countless other Star Wars fans she will forever be Ahsoka Tano, the Togruta Padawan of Anakan Skywalker in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Rebels, & Forces of Destiny.

                The first time my wife and I met her she was great. It was 2008 I believe. She was really approachable and listened to every word of her fans. Just the nicest anyone could ever be. Not to mention her husband David was there too. I was hoping he would have been because I was a fan of his. So I brought a baseball in hopes that he was going to be. Even though I was a huge Texas Rangers fan, David was one of my favorite non Rangers players. When we walked up to her table we chatted, took photos, etc. David even signed my ball. (To which I still have to this day.) Just an all-around great experience.

                 Fast forward a couple years later. She and David came back for another show of the same promoter. My wife couldn’t make it this time. The promoters made this a kind of “The Clone Wars” reunion. Actually I believe nine of the main cast was there. A Clone Wars fans dream. When you went into the room, they had all the actors (sans Wood & Acord) with their tables lined up against the walls next to each other. The first was the brilliant Tom Kane. Next to Tom was the Eckstein family. As I got to her table she gave me a weird look and said “I know you”. Before I could even say anything she snapped her fingers and said “Riley!!” Holy crap I thought. Ahsoka my butt, this lady is Yoda. She proceeded to ask how I was doing and asked if my wife was there as well. Like it’s only been a couple weeks. Lol But it had been a couple years. Mind was just blown away. Memory like a steel trap. When I think of all the awesome people I’ve met over the years. Ashley and David Eckstein will always be in the top of the list. May the force be forever with you both. 

     

"Put Captain Solo in the cargo hold."- Meeting Jeremy Bulloch

         

Over the years, I have met or obtained autographs from quite a few actors from the Star Wars franchise. Though they have all been great, the ones from the O.T. (Original Trilogy) will always be my favorites; simply put, those are the movies I grew up on. Out of all of those from the original trilogy, there is one name that will always be on top of my favorite encounter list: the incredible Jeremy Bulloch. I have met Jeremy several times over the years here in Dallas, and every single time he has been nothing but awesome. Out of all the times that I met him, two things stick out the most—I’ll just tell you my favorite to keep it short.

I remember when what was called at the time "Dallas Comic Con" announced him for one of their shows (Richardson, 2008 to be exact); I was so excited. There are a small handful of actors that I could meet over and over and be just as happy as the first time, and Jeremy Bulloch is one of them. Like almost every Star Wars fan, Boba Fett was always a favorite of mine. It was his mystery (like Han's) that really intrigued me. You didn’t need a complete, detailed backstory to know about him; you could tell by his appearance and his character that he was not one to be trifled with. I was a huge fan of Jeremy's, obviously from Star Wars, but also from one of my favorite British shows, Robin of Sherwood, as Edward of Wickham. Doctor Who fans would know him as Hal and Tor, and also as Robert Fett in the short Tale of a Time Lord.

While I was waiting in line to meet him, I noticed everyone was getting "Boba this" and "Boba that." Obviously, with Star Wars and Boba Fett being as big as they are, it’s pretty safe to assume that is what he is mostly known for, especially here in the States. While I was waiting, I took the time to look over the photo selection he had: all Star Wars. That was not exactly what I was looking for. I didn’t notice as it was happening, but as I was looking over the photo selection, Maureen was apparently noticing the look of concern on my face. Maureen is Jeremy’s wife. She said hello while Jeremy was finishing up with the gentleman in front of me and asked if I wanted one of the pics on the table. Before I could answer, Jeremy had finished with the guy, asked my name, and reached out to shake my hand, so I didn’t have a chance to answer her straight away.

I was speaking to Jeremy and Maureen for a couple of minutes, and I told them that I was really hoping they had a photo of him as Edward of Wickham from Robin of Sherwood. Robin of Sherwood had been a favorite of mine since they first started airing it on the local PBS station here in Dallas. Maureen gave a little smile, proceeded to reach down into her portfolio, and said, “Well Riley, I do have ONE. But it’s a weird size. No one over here in the U.S. really likes this size as it’s not an 8x10.” She had actually brought one copy of this photo from the UK, and it was exactly what I wanted. So, obviously, I said, “I’ll take it!” Jeremy made sure I was positive that I wanted it, and of course, I said yes. He said he would sign another one for me for no extra charge—cool! He signed them and took a photo (at no extra charge; I really miss those days). He thanked me, Maureen thanked me, and they both said, "See you next time." That was just one time. As I said, Jeremy is an awesome guy, and you can tell that he and Maureen both love their fans and not just their money.

Red Letter Media-Mike Stoklasa

Riley: We’re here with Mike Stoklasa. Creative genius behind the website www.redlettermedia.com . Most would know Mike as the voice of the infamous Harry S. Plinkett in the even more infamous Star Wars prequels movie reviews. Mike has also directed, along with Jay Bauman, the movie Feeding Frenzy. Feeding Frenzy co-starred Plinkett alums such as Rich Evans (Mr. Plinkett), Jay Bauman (Martin), & Nadine herself Jocelyn Ridgely as Jennifer.  

Riley: So Mike, how the hell are you?
Mike: Doing well, thanks.
Riley: You’ve done reviews for all the of the (makes me cringe) Star Wars prequels as well as all the "Next Generation" Star Trek movies. I know it all started as something just for yourself, did you ever think it would be as big as it is now?
Mike: No, never. When I started with the Star Trek: Generations review it was 2008 and youtube was still relatively new. There was no Facebook or Twitter so it was hard to imagine viral videos like they are now. Not to say I would have expected that (especially with a video about Star Trek: Generations) but it wasn’t in my mind. I was just making it for fun.
Riley: With the obsession of pizza rolls by Harry S. Plinkett, has General Mills, parent company of Totino's, ever complain to you or RLM about the use of pizza rolls in your reviews?
Mike: Never heard from them, no. But as they say there’s no such thing as bad press! I would imagine they don’t mind the pizza roll name out there more cause of the Plinkett reviews, even if they are being eaten by a psychopath, but crazy people got to eat too. Crazy people love Pizza Rolls!
Riley: Speaking of Plinkett and his pizza rolls. On Half in the Bag, when Rich portrays Plinkett, he never mentions pizza rolls. Any reason for this or did it just happen that way?
Mike: Rich does a slightly different Plinkett. I don’t think we’ve ever said, “you should or shouldn’t mention Pizza Rolls” its just never come up? The Pizza Roll comment in the Generations review was just a non sequitur that I thought was funny to randomly blurt out. It’s sort of latched on with people for some reason, but its nothing I find I want to use more or less. It’s just pizza rolls! mmmmm
Riley: With the ever growing popularity of the Star Wars reviews and Half in the Bag with Jay, what's next on the agenda for you and RLM?
Mike: The biggest thing coming up is our next feature film called “Space Cop” which we’ll be shooting this summer. In addition to that we’ll keep making Half in the Bag, Gamestation 2.0, as well as more Plinkett reviews. I get bored with one thing and like to move on to other things too, but we’ve got a full schedule.
Riley: With your film school and editing background, which do you find more enjoyable  voicing the reviews or filming/editing the reviews?
Mike: I like both! Editing is my first passion though. I love editing and making something out of nothing essentially. Taking all the parts and putting them together and making it work. Voice acting and acting in general is a lot of fun, but I’m not an actor. I don’t enjoy that part as a craft, just as a means to an end. I know the kind of performance and read I need to get and when I got it I move on.
Riley: I know a lot of purist Star Wars fans that agree with everything you say in the Star Wars reviews, what have been some negative reactions?
Mike: The most noteworthy negative reaction was probably the guy that wrote the rebuttal stuff. The real hardcore fans think I was trying to pull some kind of trick or something when I think I made some valid points as to why the movies didn’t work for me or work as movies in general. I know some people love their Star Wars universe and see no wrong in the prequel, but I wasn’t trying to take that away from anyone, just present my opinion. People are free to like what they like! But the key was that it was in a character and in a comical fashion. Some people didn’t get the sarcasm or intentional errors and such. Those humorless, uptight uber-nerds kind of frighten me.
Riley: I know Plinkett is just a character you play. I know a lot of actors that occasionally put a little of themselves into the  character they portray. I know the Harry Plinkett character isn't your everyday guy. Is there any part of Mike Stoklasa in the Harry character?
Mike: Plinkett is a bit of an alter ego I suppose. He’s sort of the embodiment of complaining about stuff. Personified irritation. I’m a little more reasonable in real life, obviously, and he’s just a character. It’s part performance, part commentary.
Riley: Is there anything that yours or RLM fans would be surprised to know about?
Mike: I guess one thing that some fans might not know is that Jay and I essentially do everything in Red Letter Media. Occasionally we have some people help out on a more complex shoot, but when we make Half in the Bag it’s usually just me and jay operating the cameras, then editing, Jay updates the website, I take out the garbage and so on. We really do everything pretty much ourselves. I’ll get emails that say, “Not sure if this is really Jay or Mike reading this or if your assistants filter your mail” and its funny to me. Maybe someday we’ll get some help!
Riley:  With filming of  the short "fuck bot 5000", is there any plans to make a feature length film about FB 5000?
Mike: There are no plans to make a feature about Fuckbot 5000. Fuckbot is actually the brain child of my friend Jack and my girlfriend Jessi. They made him up and we used him in our 48 hour film. He makes appearances here and there, but FB is not really Jay or my thing.
Riley: Well Mike, that's about all the time we have today. Thank you for your time and keep making such awesome films. Is there anything else you would like to tell your fans before we depart?
Mike: Please continue to visit our webzone and purchase our products.

2017 Celebrity Encounter Recap

I guess my 2017 was better than I thought. I know it pales in comparison to some of your successes. But I’ve been slowing down. Also, I’ve pretty much given up conventions all together after this year. There are a handful of reasons that made me come to that decision. If you really want to know, just send me a message.

I know we’re a little over a week into 2018 now. But I just wanted to give a quick celebrity encounter and autograph recap of my 2017. If I just looked back, I wouldn’t have guessed my 2017 was that good for me for autographs and celebrity encounters. But after I took a moment and reflected on it, I realized I didn’t do half bad. Just as an FYI, these are not in chronological order.

 In person autographs:

Tom Wopat/ Catherine Bach (Luke & Daisy Duke);  Autorama 2017: Usually at the car show, the main guest(s) will sign one autograph for free. But you have to stand in massive lines. I really wanted my 1:18 die cast General Lee signed, so I waited for hours on end to meet them once more. Catherine Bach was nice as usual. Tom Wopat was cool to an extent. Got the feeling he didn’t really want to be there. Oh well, I was able to get my car signed without paying the ridiculous prices comic cons charge for them.

Lori Petty/Dickey Beer (Tank Girl, Point Break, A League of Their Own/ Stunt Coordinator, Boba Fett) Dallas Comic Show 2017:  This was actually my last convention. But I will speak of only the two that I met and purchased autographs from. Lori Petty: She was late arriving but was very apologetic and very nice. I’ve been a fan of hers for years and that has not changed. Dickey Beer: when you meet someone from the original trilogy they always seem to be so genuine and so nice. And that is exactly the same with Dickey. He was very cool and we chatted about Jedi and Boba and Jeremy and others.

Nicholas Briggs/Jamie Hill (Both are known from Doctor Who) The closing day of the Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff, Wales 9-9-17: I happened to run into Nicholas Briggs in the gift shop of the experience. He was nothing less than awesome. I told him where my daughter and I have traveled from and he expressed his concern about people of Texas that was effected by Hurricane Harvey and asked if my family was ok. I was a fan before, but because of his heartfelt concern, he definitely went up a few notches in my book. Jamie Hill: Not only was Jamie in a lot of my favorite episodes of Who, he was also a manager at the experience. I had missed him when we were in the DWE. And they had a no reentry policy. I was speaking to a gentleman that was working in the gift shop and I told him that I came from Texas to visit the Experience before it closed. I asked if Jamie was around and he said he was inside. I said about the no reentry policy and he said follow me. He took me back into the Experience and to Jamie. Jamie was so nice. We spoke for about five minutes. We could have talked longer but technically he was working and I didn’t want to be a bother. They both took photos with me and signed my photo.

Peter Davison, Dan Starkey, & Mark Strickson (All are from Doctor Who. Peter was the fifth Doctor) WhoFest D/FW 2017: This was my first “Who” themed convention. This one was kind of small guest wise and  had only three guests. But it was three that I’ve never met before. So I was really psyched about it. It was Peter Davison (The Fifth Doctor), Dan Starkey (Strax the Sontaran), & Mark Strickson (Turlough). They were really cool to meet and seemed genuinely happy to meet me. Peter and Dan also had hilarious q&a’s. This show has since been cancelled.

Donald A. Thomas (NASA Astronaut) Kennedy Space Center Cape Canaveral, FL 6-21-17: My wife and went to Kennedy that day so I can meet Mr. Thomas and see all the other awesome things that NASA has to offer. When we got there we discovered that there was a Space X launch of a rocket. It was carrying Bulgaria’s first satellite into space. That was really cool to see. I’ve never seen a launch in person before. But anyways. Don Thomas. He was going to be in the gift shop at a specific time to sign autographs. I started to notice people lining up near his table about an hour early. So I went ahead and got in line. Once the signing started and I got up to his table, he was really approachable and nice. I was able to get three photos, a NASA pamphlet, and his book all signed. And my wife took some awesome photos of him and me.

Morgan Kane (Gravedigger driver) AT&T Stadium Arlington, TX 2-4-17: My son surprised me with tickets and Pit Passes to Monster Jam. We get there early to make the pits before the show to see the trucks. To our surprise, what truck did they have on display outside? You guessed it, Grave Digger. And there was a sign about a signing. YES!!! I’m going to meet Dennis Anderson!! Now I haven’t kept up with Monster Trucks since I was a kid. Unbeknownst to me there are now several drivers. This driver was Morgan Kane. Like I said, didn’t really keep up with it anymore. So I didn’t know him. But he drove my favorite truck since I was a kid, so it was cool to meet him and get him to sign my Grave Digger mini helmet. He was a really cool guy to meet.

Paul McGann (The eighth Doctor on Doctor Who) ODP 3 11-19-2017: Now I didn’t meet Paul myself. But a guy I know(ish) who runs various autograph shows in the UK got Paul inperson for me. To be honest I have never seen the Doctor Who movie that Paul McGann did in its entirety. I looked for it on discs and I assume it’s out of print because it is very expensive. Regardless, I now just need three more Doctors and I will have all the living ones.

Peter Capaldi, Pearl Mackie, and Matt Lucas (12^th Doctor, Bill Potts, and Nardole) Doctor Who filming location September 2017: Now Technically these were obtained in 2016, but I didn’t receive them until 2017. My friends Tom and Charlie and their awesome kids obtained these for me in person from the actors themselves from the set of Doctor Who.

Ian McNeice (Winston Churchill on Doctor Who): Obtained inperson by friends The Connors’ around the same time as above.

Steven Moffat (Writer, Director, & Showrunner of Doctor Who): Obtained inperson by friends The Connors’ around the same time as above.

  

TTM Autographs:

Matt Lucas- (Nardole on Doctor Who): I had a photo that I took with me to the Doctor Who Experience in Wales because it was rumored that he and others would be there giving it a proper farewell. Well that’s all it was, rumors. So I was able to contact Matt and he gave me an address in London for me to send the photo to so he can sign it for me. And he did.

Jay Chandrasekhar, Erik Stolhanske, Paul Soter, & Kevin Hefferman (Four out of the five member of Broken Lizard): I was talking to Erik and he said he would sign a couple photos of him and Jay and I. So he sent me his home address and I sent it off to him. Not that much longer I get my photos back. Erik had Jay, Kevin, and Paul sign them as well. Very cool of him to do.

Purchased Autographs:

Agnieszka Bconska,Ruari Mears, Sean Palmer, Zoe Thorne, Eve Myles, Anna Hope, & Sophia Myles: ( A weeping Angel in “Blink”, A Hath in “The Doctor’s Daughter”, A Clockwork Man in “The Girl in the Fireplace”, The Gelth in “The Quiet Undead”, Gwyneth in “The Quiet Undead”, Novice Hame in “New Earth” & “Gridlock”, & Madame de Pompadour in “The Girl in the Fireplace”. I was able to obtain these from Tenth Planet Events. Tenth Planet puts on a multitude of celebrity autograph shows in the UK.

Ming-Na Wen: (Here are two of the multitude of roles this awesome actress has: Agent May on Marvel’s Agents of Shield and the voice of Mulan on Disney’s Mulan). When I went to the WhoFest D/FW show they were having an auction where 100% of the proceeds would go to the local PBS station KERA. I won this and one more photo.

Sean Gunn & Michael Rooker: ( Kraglin and Yondu on Guardians of the Galaxy 1&2) This is the other autographed photo I won with the proceeds going to KERA.

Camille Coduri: (Jackie Tyler on Doctor Who) On my recent trip to Cardiff, Wales for the closing of the Doctor Who Experience, I was able to pick up this awesome autographed photo from the gift shop.

Mike Quinn: (Mike is an actor and puppeteer known for so many roles I just have the room here. So here is a few. Nien Nunb in Return of the Jedi, The Force Awakens, & The Last Jedi. Mike also performed in Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal as a puppeteer. Well Mike was having an awesome sale through his website and I couldn't pass it up. I got a really cool photo from The Force Awakens as well as a couple other things. Mike is a very cool guy. If you are a Star Wars fan or a fan of his other roles, keep an eye for his autograph deals. You won’t regret it.

Greg Ruth & Ethan Hawke: Greg is an illustrator for various book, comic books, & graphic novels. Ethan is an actor and director known for Training Day, Reality Bites, & The Magnificent Seven reboot. I picked up a signed copy of Greg and Ethan’s book Indeh: A Story of the Apache Wars

Trade:

I don’t do a lot of trades. But I did with this one. It was about an even trade. I got the below autographs.

Tilda Swinton

George Takei

Irvin Kershner

Klaus Brandauer

Warwick Davis

Mel Brooks

Colbie Smulders

Gift:

Tom Landry: (Former Head Coach, now deceased, of the Dallas Cowboys.) A long time co-worker gave a signed dollar bill of Tom Landry to me. I am still super stoked about this one.

John Simm: (The Master on Doctor Who) My friends The Connors’ obtained this for me.

David Bradley: (Solomon and The Doctor in Doctor Who and William Hartnell in An Adventure of Space and Time. My friends The Connors’ obtained this for me.  

Contest:

Barbie Wilde: (The Female Cenobite in Hellbound: Hellraiser II) The website Startiger had a contest and I won this autographed photo of Barbie as the Cenobite.

Met but no autographs:

These celebrities I had the honor of meeting but didn’t have the opportunity of getting their autographs.

Blue Man Group: a performance art show combines paint, music, and humor in its stage productions around the world. My family and I saw one of their shows at Universal Studios and I was able to meet one of the performers after the show and get my photo with him.

Russell T. Davies: (Former writer, producer, and showrunner of Doctor Who and Torchwood) after my daughter and visited the Doctor Who Experience for its final day, we took in some of the local sights of Cardiff Bay. After we visit Ianto’s Shrine aka the entrance of Torchwood we were on our way to Eddie’s Diner for a bite to eat. Who was sitting outside but none other than Russell T. Davies himself. A couple other people were already chatting with him. So we approached and spoke with him as well. He took a few photos with my daughter and I. Just as nice a person as you can get.

Christel Dee: The founding presenter on Doctor Who: The fan show. While my daughter and I were in the lobby of the Doctor Who Experience, Christel was walking around and filming some of her show downstairs before heading up. I approached her and introduced myself and asked for a photo. To which she graciously obliged. Just an all-around great person. Definitely check her show out.

Nathalie Cuzner: (various monsters and characters on Doctor Who) This is actually a funny story. When my daughter and I visited the closing of the Doctor Who Experience, there were various characters roaming around the venue. From Cybermen to Whisper men to Daleks. But also one of Mrs. Rossiter’s Peg Dolls was walking around. To which Nathalie played this specific Peg Doll in the episode “Night Terrors”. Well unbeknownst to me until I get all the way back home to Texas, that was Nathalie as the peg doll walking around. I really wish I would have had the opportunity to get her autograph that day. Someday. She did let me take a photo with her.

                 So there you have it. Not too bad if I must say so. Got some cool autographs, met some awesome people, and made some
excellent memories. Not bad at all.