Interview with Petrea Burchard (2003)

                      This is actress Petrea Burchard. Petrea has been in such shows as “How I met your Mother” and the movie “Four Friends”. But my favorite performance of hers is that of Ryoko in the Japanese anime Tenchi Muyo. I was able to do a small interview with Petrea on February 14, 2003. I hope you enjoy. I can’t believe it’s been almost fifteen years since then. 

Riley: Hello Petrea, how are you?

Petrea: Doing great, thanks.

Riley: How did you decide to be a voice actress?

Petrea: I didn’t “decide”. It happened. I’ve been a stage and screen actor all my life, and I also do commercial voice-over. When the “Tenchi” auditions came along, Matt Miller told me about them and I made a tape and sent it in.

Riley: What is/was your favorite character to perform?

Petrea: So far, I had the most fun playing Shakespeare’s Cleopatra- although I’ve got to say I enjoyed being Julius Caesar, too. Not many women can say they’ve played that role.

Riley: What one person has given you the most inspiration in life?

Petrea: So many great people inspire me! But I get the most inspiration from my husband. He inspires me every day.

Riley: Who are your heroes?

Petrea: My heroes are the actors who create and produce their own work: Bonnie Hunt and Emma Thompson are tops on my list. I admire people like Denzel Washington, George Clooney, Goldie Hawn—people who create the work, rather than waiting for acting jobs to happen.

Riley: Do you have a favorite celebrity?

Petrea: Nope, I like lots of them.

Riley: If there is one person living or dead that you could meet, who would it be and why?

Petrea: William Shakespeare. I just want to understand what his life was like, and what made his brilliance possible.

Riley: What do you think about the hobby of autograph collecting?

Petrea: I’m honored when someone wants my autograph.

Riley: Do you sign autographs when asked in person?

Petrea: I’ve only been asked at the one anime convention I’ve attended, and I was happy to do it.

Riley: Are there any upcoming events/conventions where a fan could meet you?

Petrea: So far I haven’t been invited to any new anime events.

Riley: Do you have an address where a fan could write to you and possibly ask for your autograph?

Petrea: I love to hear from fans via my website petreaburchard.com or you can find me on Facebook

Riley: When asked in person, do you limit the number of items to be signed?

Petrea: It depends. If there are a lot of people waiting, I try to be as fair as possible and make sure I get a chance to meet and sign things for everyone.

Riley: After completing this interview, what is the first thing that popped into your head?

Petrea: I’ve been to only one anime convention, and I signed a lot of autographs. One girl I met there sent me an email, and I lost her email address! I never got to write back to her and I still feel bad about it.

Riley: Thank you so much Mrs. Burchard for your time. I hope to speak with you again in the future.

Petrea: My pleasure

I.W.R.: God Bless Texas ( My Recap)

             

  This is my quick(ish) recap of my son and I's first visit to an Imperial Wrestling Revolution promotion. I purchased my son and me ringside tickets as a Christmas present. With our ticket were able to get into the show at five o'clock for a meet and greet with the wrestlers. We arrive at the Gas Monkey Live in Dallas around 4:15pm and get in line to go in at five. The line wasn't too bad. There were maybe 20 people in front of us. But the closer it got to five o'clock cars would pull into the parking lot and the people would get in line with the people who they knew. Essentially cutting in front of the people who have been waiting there the entire time. It was about 10 till five and they (People with the venue I assume) came out and to tell the people with ringside tickets to get in another line. So my son and I do just that. It's getting closer to five o'clock, and we are ready to go in. Five passes and there we stand. Five fifteen comes along and we're still outside. Someone finally comes out and says "five more minutes. They are setting up the tables" Five more minutes turns into fifteen. We were allowed to go in at 5:30.    

As we were walking through the doors and approaching the wrestler’s tables, there was just a convoluted mess of people everywhere. There was no roped off lines for each table. Just people gathering around pushing and cutting in front of everyone. I had four that I had to see. The first being "Iceman" King Parsons. Growing up a wrestling fan in Dallas in the 80's, it was WCCW. And obviously I had my favorites. Of course the Von Erich family were on top of my favorites list. But so was "Iceman". "Like mama says, it bees that ways sometimes, have mercy" It had been since I was a kid since I had last seen Iceman. I met him at a World Class show that was at the Mesquite Rodeo. So I fought through the crowd and made my way to him. As I approached him all my childhood memories came flooding back. I extended my hand out to shake his and to express how much of a fan I was. I had pre-purchased an autograph and photo op. He immediately expressed his apologies that he had severe arthritis in his hand so his signature wasn't what it once was. He dedicated the photo to me and it didn't really look like it with his handwriting. But I was ok with that. We spoke for a few minutes and I took a photo with him and thanked him for his time. My day has been made.

After we speak to Iceman, we walk over to Ross and Marshall's table to say hello. It had been a while since we had seen them. As always, it was good to see them. We said our hellos and wished them a good match. We left because we didn't want to take up too much of their time. We were looking for Chavo Guerrero Jr's table. We couldn’t find it. So we searched for someone who actually represented the promotion. All I could find were the venue employees. Asking them anything was like asking the wall. Actually I would have got a better response from the wall. Finally someone pointed me to someone who "maybe" could help me. I walk over and ask her and she tells me "Oh yea, he had to cancel. He had a family emergency". I understand that. I hope that everything is ok. So I went ahead and headed over to the last person I wanted an autograph from. And that was Lisa Marie Varon. WWE fans would know her as Victoria. TNA fans would know her as Tara. Years ago I went to a WWE show here in Dallas and purchased one of the programs. I've been trying to get the wrestlers in the book to sign their pages over the years. So I had Lisa sign her page as well as an 8x10 of her own. She also took a couple photos with me and thanked me for stopping by. 

My son and I decided not to walk around the autograph room anymore. Simply because it was just too chaotic to walk around. If we weren’t inadvertently running into someone, someone was running into us. So we walk over to check out our seats and see about getting something to eat. We go to the first ticket checkpoint and the young lady tells me to go to a guy down closer to the ring and he will tell me where my seats were. So we approached the guy and I show him our tickets on my phone and he proceeds to tell me "Oh you can sit anywhere in the first five rows". Huh? So I tell him, "No, I bought specific seats." He gave me the I don't give a crap attitude back and long story short, I had to demand to speak to someone about this. He got on his walkie talkie thing and mumbled something into it. We went to double check our seats and they were occupied. So I went back to him and he pointed in the opposite direction and said “Ask her” then turned around. I spoke to a person with the promotion and she helped me get everything situated.  Come to find out the guy was telling everyone to sit anywhere. We noticed that a lot of people that was seated in the front rows around the ring had to move because it wasn't their seats. Once we got settled we were able to enjoy the show with the people that were in ours and others seats mad at us for making them move when they were told they could sit there. So yea, that was fun.
          Once the show started, it was really cool. Most of the wrestlers were really good. There were a few that might need a little more sharpening of their wrestling skills. But I know I couldn’t do what they do. So props to them. We still had a great time. It was cool to see Sting. I just wish he did a little more than what he did. But still cool regardless. But everyone did put on a really good show. I hope that wrestler Barrett Brown is ok. He took a hit to the head with a ladder almost as soon as he came to the ring and was gashed open pretty deep. I'm not 100% if it was or wasn't part of the show. But it looked pretty real from our seats. And they got him out of there pretty quickly.
          When Sting came out to address the crowd he was interrupted by the Spirit Squad. They started talking about Sting and Dallas and Texas etc. And tried to get Sting to join the “SWO” aka the Spirit World Order. What is this the 90’s? Sting asked them. Then in true fashion, Sting stated that he had been given the power to schedule any match. So he informed the squad that the three of them will be going up against the Marshall and Ross Von Erich. But that’s only two people against the three of them they said. No problem they said. Oh no, there will be a third opponent with the Von Erichs. But it will be announced later.
When it was time for the Six Man tag team match with the Spirit Squad and the Von Erichs, the Spirit Squad came out running their mouths. They were doing a tag match with Marshall and Ross Von Erich. But since the Spirit Squad was three, Marsh and Ross were one short. Marshall and Ross came out and took control of the ring and ran the Spirit Squad outside of the ring. Then BOOM Sister Sledge "We are Family" starts playing on the loud speaker. Any WCCW fan in Texas knows whose music that was. Yes, none other than the legendary "Iceman" King Parsons. Iceman comes walking out and into the ring. I was instantly transported back to my childhood. It was awesome to see him and the third generation of the Von Erich family in the ring together. Well after Iceman addressed the crowd he introduced their third man. None other than the Australian Freebird Hunter Hayes. His persona is the "son" of WCCW alumni Michael P.S. Hayes of The Fabulous Freebirds. So the match went on and ended with a Von Erich win with the boys each doing the claw on two of the Spirit Squad for the one, two, three count.
               So despite the problems we had at the beginning of the show, my son and I had a great time. Do things go right 100% of the time? Uh no, no they don’t. I know that there are some wrestling snobs out there that just snub their noses at the independent circuit. Some believe that if it’s not WWE, then it’s obviously garbage. I have to disagree with that. Now I don’t really watch wrestling that much anymore. We have only been to two of these independent shows. Both of them were different promotions. I will say that we were thoroughly entertained. So I highly recommend them. They were a lot of fun to watch and sometimes you have the opportunity to meet current and former big name wrestlers. Now every match wasn’t detailed here. Believe me, this would have been so much longer if they were. So hopefully my son and I can attend another one of their shows someday without any of the issues we experienced this time around. 

Prison Break: A look back ( Manhunt )

I actually got the call to be on Prison Break on my last day on the set of Walking Tall: Lone Justice. For most of my scenes in Walking Tall I was a Dallas Policeman. We had just broke for lunch, as I was eating one of the casting crew approached me and said someone wanted to talk to me on his cell. I gave a confused look and took the call. It was casting from Fox’s Prison Break. She said she had seen a photo of me and casting told them of me. He then proceeded to tell me that they were about to start shooting the second season of Prison Break and asked if I wanted to work as a Fox River Correctional Officer for a few episodes. Then more other “various” roles if I wanted throughout the season. With zero hesitation I said yes. So I went to go finish my lunch. To my surprise the CD already told the others and I came back to them telling me congratulations. Which was weird, but I just said thank you and finished my lunch.

So after a long day of shooting, we wrapped up. My final scene was my favorite. The cast and crew thanked everyone and it was time to go home. For Walking Tall, I had a mustache and goatee. But for Prison Break I really wanted to impress them. Not only with my performance but with my look. I really wanted to look the part of a Prison Guard. So I shaved my goatee off. I just kept my mustache and soul patch. Didn’t look half bad if I must say so myself.

My call time was 6:00 am in McKinney, TX. This was for the Season Two premier. This episode was called “Manhunt”. I was a Fox River Correctional Officer. I arrived at base camp at 5:00 am. From my past experience on other sets, I find it best to always get to set early. Better to be early than late. So I walk from the parking lot to the dining area and wait for the casting agent to arrive. About thirty minutes later she arrived. I then checked in and went to craft services and got something to eat. They had a rented a building down the street from the set as “base camp”. So the caterers were set up in there and there were tables etc. I sat down to eat and some of the main cast joined me. I was eating with Dom Purcell, Peter Stomare, Wentworth Miller, Amaury Nolasco, and a few others. They were really cool and very nice to meet and talk to. One of the many great things I can say about this production, they seem to feed you well. After I got through eating I went over to wardrobe and got my costume then I headed to props. The prop guy gave me everything I needed, like my badge, keys, gun belt, sidearm, and shotgun. Everything I needed to become a Fox River Correctional Officer. When I was through with wardrobe and props, I and a few others were driven to the set.

This episode picked up from the end of season one with Scofield and the others escaping from Fox River and are now on the run. This day happened to be at a storage facility. This particular storage facility in McKinney, TX in the middle of the Texas summer. On the show it was supposed to be in the winter in Oswego, IL. So all of the Fox River Officers were all in thick heavy coats and long sleeve shirts. Lol Not exactly a comfortable day. The escaped convicts were believed to be hiding in one of the storage units. At first I was with Philip Van Lear aka C.O. Patterson and Wade Williams aka Captain Brad Bellick. Then later we were joined by William Fichtner aka Special Agent Alex Mahone.

The day was very hot. But the other background people I was working with as well as Wade and Philip, made it so much better. I even got complimented by the Assistant Director. I was extremely nervous, especially with it being my first day on this set, and I didn’t want to make a stupid mistake that might jeopardize me coming back. I noticed almost all the other “background” was getting yelled at by the A.D. “Assistant Director” and the Director for not following directions. I was worried I was doing something wrong, so I asked if everything I was doing was alright. Their exact words were “If we’re not yelling at you, you’re doing a great job, keep it up”. Let me tell you, that was a confidence booster. The main scene I was in I even got to improvise most of it, and it made it on the final cut (even though, a lot of my screen time was cut). So we continued do to our scenes, over and over and over and over. It was so hot that day. Between each take the make-up ladies would come by and put sun block on us (it helped, but just a little) and make sure we were hydrated. So we did our final scene for the day and wrapped it up.

Kevin Hooks (director/producer) (You might know Kevin from the 70’s show “The White Shadow”) thanked everyone for doing such a great job and even came up to just me and asked me if I was a real cop in real life. Because of my mustache. Lol. Philip and Wade came over and shook my hand and told me good job. I asked if I could get a quick pic of them and they let me take a pic of the two of them with my cell phone. I was talking to Philip a little and I said “maybe I can get your autograph one day”, he said it would be an honor. All I had was an index card, so he signed that and said it was a pleasure working with me. It was an awesome day, especially for being my first day on this set. Just a really awesome, hot, and great day. I knew that if all the days on set where this good, I was going to have a great time. 

Interview with Teri McMinn aka Pam from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2013)

Riley:
I’m here with the lovely Teri McMinn. Some might remember Teri from the
movie The Cellar as Sylvia or as the woman with the pickaxe in Boneboys with fellow
TCM alumni Marilyn Burns, Ed Neal, & John Dugan. But most will remember Teri as
Pam the infamous “Hook Girl” in the epic classic movie The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
(The original)

Hello Teri, how are you?

Teri:
Good, thanks, Riley.

Riley:
Do you feel that being from Texas as well as Paul Partain, William Vail, Ed Neal,
Jim Siedow, & Gunnar Hansen (most of his childhood) helped with adapting to the Texas
heat while filming Texas Chainsaw Massacre?

Teri: 
I’m sure it helps to have encountered Texas heat prior. I know we didn’t have any
air conditioning in any of the apartments I lived in during college, so we knew about
enduring the heat very well.

Riley: 
You’ve taken some time off since appearing in TCM. I’ve seen you pop up in a
few different productions here lately. Am I to assume that the ol’ acting bug that bit you
back at the Dallas Theatre Center might be nibbling again?

Teri: 
I’ve agreed to a couple of well written scripts on Indie projects, however, as anyone
is well aware, getting funding is an entirely different story. Nothing would make me
happier than to do some more acting, or working behind the scenes, writing, producing,
I’d love to do that. I do miss it.

Riley: 
Born in Houston and also lived in Dallas and Austin. By living in California now,
how often are you able to make it back home (Texas)?

Teri:
I get back often.

Riley: 
Sometimes when actors audition for a role in a film they read for other characters
in the production. Did you read for Pam, one of the other characters, or something
completely different?

Teri:
I only auditioned for Pam. Marilyn was cast originally and in on the project from
the beginning. Tobe and Kim had been to Houston and Dallas, and the University of TX.,
and as I have been told, they had already auditioned about 500 young women for the roll
of Pam by the time I auditioned for them (in Austin). They saw my picture in the
entertainment section of the Austin American Statesman for a play I was doing with the
actor Frank Sutton (Gomer Pyle’s “Sarge”), at St Edward’s University.

Riley:
You made your first appearance at the Monster Mania horror convention back in
08. I first met you at Texas Frightmare Weekend in 09 here in Dallas. How important is
it to you to meet and interact with your fans?

Teri: 
I was completely out of the TCM loop, and horror conventions. Monster Mania was
a quick education for me, and I soon discovered fans were incredibly anxious, to meet
me, I was pretty shocked. If it weren’t for the fans I would have remained in anonymity,
I’m sure. Our TCM fans are incredibly loyal, wonderful, and have been very kind to me.
I’ve since tried to make up for my years off the radar, and have made myself available
with my personal Facebook page and added Pam, The O’riginal Chainsaw Gal this past
February.

Riley: 
I know you, Ed, Marilyn, Gunnar, and the rest of the cast have done countless
interviews about TCM and everyone pretty much knows just about all there is to know
about the movie. Can you think if there’s anything that might not be common knowledge
about The Texas Chainsaw Massacre that you would be willing to share?

Teri: 
I’ve been pretty open since I ‘came out in 2008, but it’s been very interesting
hearing from some of the people I worked with in Dallas right after we wrapped, who
have contacted me over these past few years. I was doing stage work and waiting tables,
and over the years they realized that the horror film I had just completed turned out to be
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre... and that I had more than a walk-on role. The ironies of
life!

Riley: 
Is there anything from TCM that you would have like to have seen added or left
out of final production?

Teri:
Yes, a couple of kissing scenes for Pam and Kirk, and Sally and Jerry would have been
helpful. Also, I think a brief scene to show we did like and care about Franklin. Its pretty
hard to see that in the film. I think it was missed, and would have added to all our
character’s development, further engaging the audience to care more about all five of us.
Some real smoochin’!!!

Riley: 
What do you think when you hear someone who truly believes after all these years,
that TCM is based on a true story?

Teri: 
It’s a SMH thing. I know we hear it all the time and all try to educate, especially the
younger generations of fans. Some are adamant it’s a true story. What can you do?

Riley: 
Did you ever see any of the other “Chainsaw” movies? If so, which one(s) did you
like/dislike? Me personally after the second one I didn’t like any of them.

Teri: 
I just thought the first one was entirely different than all the ones that followed, and
wished they had stuck to one continuing story, rather than all the different, yet similar
stories. I saw missed opportunities to strengthen the Sawyer family identity, and to
capitalize on the first film that had become a classic. It would have been interesting to use
all of the original cast (while we’re still alive!!) and include some new scenes with us
from that last day, leading up to their encounters with the family. We all looked very
much the same and would have drawn in the loyal fans to the original they loved. I prefer
my story that I wrote this year, “What Really Happened To Pam.” TCM fans have loved
it, and like the background details on each character, how they met, who they are, and
their relationships to one another that I provided. It came to me after so many fans and I
discussed the fact that the last time we see Pam, she is very much alive when she pops up
out of the freezer. Naturally, I’m partial to my stories:-) In case anyone’s interested, here
they are.
Pam Lives! - Part I

https://www.facebook.com/notes/pam-the-original-chainsaw-gal/what-really-happened-to-pam-part-i/411244449009215

Pam Lives!  - Part II
 https://www.facebook.com/notes/411254205674906/

Sally, Franklin, & Grandma and Grandpa Hardesty
A School of Delight
1951-1962
https://www.facebook.com/notes/pam-the-original-chainsaw-gal/the-hardestys-1951-1962/411257485674578

Riley: 
You also run “Trippi L.A. Tours”, which is a tour guide service you provide in the
Los Angeles area. (Details can be found at www.trippitours.com ) How did you get
started in that?

Teri:
I don’t do the Tour business anymore. It came out of the needs of all the tourists and
guests I met when I was managing Venice Beach Hotels. I do still provide a Self Tour of
LA that I literally sent thousands of people on. They loved it because i you see all of LA
and never get on a freeway. I miss it and you never know, I may just do it again!

Riley: 
How do you feel about the hobby of collecting autographs?

Teri: 
Fans seem to love collecting them, and when you realize that one day when we’re
no longer around, you understand it will be a cool thing to have. TCM is going to be
around a very long time, and generations to come will be glad to have our autographed
memorabilia. This applies to any iconic films or characters, of course.

Riley: 
If a fan wanted to obtain an authentic autograph from you, how would they go
about doing that?
I have an album of pictures on Pa’s Facebook page with information and instructions on
how to order.

Teri:
Yes, I have this album (below) for TCM fans to order.
https://www.facebook.com/pg/PamTheOriginalChainsawGal/photos/?tab=album&album_id=410799265720400
I prefer all TCM, Pam, horror, blood and guts, etc go to Pam’s page.
On a side note, if Pam fans go to my personal page, that’s all Me, and I post what
interests me, art, photos, what I support and believe in, lots of different things. I keep it
horror free, and allow only the occasional Pam pic, and I do announce my appearances
there. . I don’t get too political, and I never post something to change anyone’s beliefs,
but if I find something important I’m likely to share it, but always in good taste. A few
folks have tried to start arguments or rant on my page. I tell them to stop and go to their
own page to rant. I never argue or name call on other people’s pages. I would warn
anyone: don’t expect me to change my beliefs just because they like the horror film I was
in. LOL! There are many actors/directors I admire professionally that I certainly don’t
agree with politically. Pam’s page is building nicely, and I hope everyone will go there
and give it a Like.

Riley: 
Well Teri, that’s all we have time for today. I thank you for the time you have
given me. You are truly a great person. If you want to find out more information on Teri
or buy some “Pam” merchandise, be sure to check out Pam’s Facebook page at
https://www.facebook.com/PamTheOriginalChainsawGal

Teri: 
Riley, that is so sweet of you. I appreciate your questions and your interest. Thank
you so much.

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.