Celebrity Contact Inc

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Why Contact Celebrities?

Says New England Patriots Superbowl-winning Quarterback Tom Brady, "When you have something signed by someone who you admired as a kid, you feel like you have a little piece of them. Plus, the memorabilia is a neat way to decorate your house. Growing up, the only thing I ever wanted was packs of baseball and football cards. I remember whenever I go good grades in my classes, my mom would say, 'Congratulations, do you want to go to What's On Second?' an area sports collectibles store. I'd always say, 'Let's go!'”

Autographs used to be a way of proving that you’d met a famous person – kind of like a signature in a hotel guest book would prove that Abe Lincoln once slept there. But nowadays, most autographs that are collected either disappear into a drawer to one day be tossed as so much trash, or end up in collectible stores or online auctions like eBay. “The card market is pretty amazing,” says Brady, “It's just continued to grow, mainly because people seem to have a fixation; they like to buy baseball cards. We're asked to participate in a lot of card shows, and it isn't until you get there that you realized how big a deal the card industry really is. Shoot, the whole memorabilia industry is amazing now… to think that Luis Gonzalez's gum went for as much as it did. That's amazing to me. It's nuts, crazy."

Luis Gonzalez’s gum really did sell for a large amount of money on eBay – over $3000 – leading Seattle Mariners reliever Jeff Nelson to try to sell bone chips from his elbow on the website soon after. Unfortunately, eBay has a rule against selling body parts so Nelson’s auction was soon abandoned.

But an autograph can just as easily be junk as it can be treasure. Brady knows this from experience, having had to tell more than one memorabilia storeowner that a football in their possession that was supposedly signed by the marquee passer was actually a forgery. "When you talk about how big of a business autographs are,” says Brady, “and how much money is involved, you can understand why people are trying to cut corners. I know I'm a little apprehensive when you see older guys standing out, waiting for your autograph."

Truly the only way to be sure that your piece of memorabilia is genuine, whether it comes from an actor, sporting legend, wrestler or serial killer, is to make contact with the person yourself (well, maybe not the serial killer). This can be difficult with some celebrities, but others are very easy to track down and are more than happy to offer you something for your collection.

Ultimately, if you’re smart, sane, and prepared to do a little work, you can contact just about any celebrity out there and let them know you care. Step one is to choose who it is you want to get in touch with, then skip to the section of this e-book that deals with those people.


Normally $11.98, for a short time only you get this incredible highly acclaimed ebook for just $5.99! That's a 50% discount!

Buy our book today!
posted by Oz at 6:39 PM | link | 0 comments

Celebrities Talk About The Fan/Star Relationship

Many celebrities have differing opinions about the value of fans, the relationship with the fans that is acceptable, and the best way to approach them. Below, we bring you a sample of what some celebrities have said about their fans over the years:

Natalie Portman:
"I don't want to have visitors, to be completely blunt. I don't want to hang out with people I don't know. Some people may find that rude, because fans immediately think that they can be your friend. But that's not the relationship I want to have."

Tori Amos:
“When I was in my early 20’s I was raped. I turned that experience into my song “Me and a Gun,” and the reaction was so strong – so many letters came in from fellow survivors, and so many girls came backstage to tell their stories, that I co-founded the Rape and Incest National Helpline. It just seemed that I’d started something, so maybe I needed to take the next step and follow up on it. That response is so important, that you’re connecting with someone on that level. It’s so much more important than, “Hey, you’re famous, can you sign something?”

Kate Bush:
“I don’t feel like I deserve devotion from the fans, really. They’re great, they really get me back up when I’m feeling down, but it can be quite unnerving to think you haven’t really done anything and these people just adore you. Maybe that’s why I hate supermarket. They freak me out in general, but they can be tough when people recognize you and you’re just trying to figure out where the tampons are.”

Mariah Carey:
“The fans are very important to me; more than they are to most people in this business, I’d say. I really want to hear from them, meet them and even stay in touch with them. Of course you can get to a point where you need some alone time, but they’re so wonderful that you can’t ignore them.”

Jewel:
“I don't think kids listen to critics too much. The industry listens to critics, but it's just a bunch of people talking about what everybody's thinking. It's like being in high school again. It's just, you know, really I don't think about what people say or think too much, to be honest. I used to when my first record was out, I’d be so self-conscious that I’d think ‘how can I even walk on stage, look at these people staring at me!’ I'd become so self-conscious and then I realized, I looked at my fan mail and I was like, ‘ these kids get it, kids get what I'm about, they get what I'm honestly trying to say, they get my shortcomings, it's all fine.’ So now I just do my thing, be myself, and if someone walks up to me and says I make great music, I’m happy to hear it."

Neil Diamond:
“My fans are without any question the most loyal, wonderful, supportive fans that anybody could ever ask for. You don't go out and perform in a vacuum. There's a chemistry that has to happen and if the people in the audience are not willing to make that chemistry happen, no amount of beautiful notes or beautiful songs will create it. It's the combination of the two. I need them to do what I do. So I figure I can spend a little time afterwards giving something back."

Bruce Campbell:
“Look, no matter what you may have heard to the contrary, I'm just the poor slob next door. I may not be your neighbor, but I just want to be treated like one. I hate to break it to you, but us cheeseball actor types are no better than you. Heck, most of us can't even change the oil in our cars. What I would prefer is that we keep a basic unspoken agreement. I will respect you as fans by working as hard as I can to entertain you to the best of my abilities. For your part, you can 'value' me by simply doing what you have always done - watch the stuff I'm in. I know that sounds pretty darn simplistic, but I think it's a purer way to go. I do like to communicate with you folks. Those of you that are online can e-mail me. My e-mail address has been the WORST kept secret on the web for several years now. My answers are short and sarcastic, sure, but I'll respond to any non-ludicrous query. But I won’t do autographs. Talk to me, tell me something, let’s share the actor/fan experience up close and personal, but signing something for you so you can put it on eBay? That’s not my thing.”

Michelle Branch:
“Ninety-eight percent of the time I have really good fan encounters, but once I was in Germany and there was this creepy guy waiting outside for my autograph. He was standing there with one of his hands in his pants! As he came over, he pulled it out and went to shake my hand with the one he had down there. So we all quickly got into the car to leave, because there was no way I was touching him. Then someone in my band was like, “Oh, my God, check it out, he’s totally smelling his hand!” And he was! Some people are just not right.”

Courtney Cox-Arquette:
“I've had some creepy fans, but they're the kind of things you're not even supposed to talk about because that just gets them excited.”

Brad Delson of Linkin Park:
“We've had people show up and tell us that they're now going to be on tour with us for the next three weeks. I swear to you. I'd say, 'What do you mean you're going on tour with us?' and they'd come back with, 'Oh well, we quit our jobs and we're gonna now follow your bus around the Midwest in the freezing cold for three weeks.' Okay, man. Just don’t get too close…"

Kevin Costner:
“During the baseball scenes in For Love of the Game, extras heckled me, and I encouraged them. But after about 15 days of filming, somebody yelled something, and I snapped. I lost it. I don't remember what they said, but it was something that I didn't like. I stopped in the middle of the scene, walked off the mound right to the stands and said, "You...!" Everybody got really quiet, especially the person who got my goat. As I'm walking back, I'm thinking, "What a jerk you are, Kevin." It's like we had these great days together, and I am giving a whole baseball stadium full of fans one incident that's going to be in their minds forever. Actually, I came up with the idea of having two autograph seekers interrupt Kelly Preston and me on the sidewalk in the middle of a big emotional confrontation in that film because it happens all the time. People can be standing politely a few feet away, but they're looming nonetheless. I've been in moments where my heart was on the ground, and a man walks up with his son and wants you to sign something. You just try not to snap. You just try to be there for them because they're your fans.”

Kevin Spacey:
“It's not that I want to create some bullshit mystique by maintaining a silence about my personal life, it is just that the less you know about me, the easier it is to convince you that I am that character on screen. It allows an audience to come into a movie theatre and believe I am that person."

Sir Ian McKellen:
“Actors hope to entertain audiences by moving their emotions and shifting their perceptions. This only gets dangerous when stalkers get things wrong, confusing their fantasies with the effect that actors' performances have on them. I have had a bad case of being followed around many years ago but fortunately the misplaced enthusiasm faded once it was made clear that it was not reciprocated by me.”

Katherine Hepburn:
“I'll worry when they stop asking me for my autograph.”


Normally $11.98, for a short time only you get this incredible highly acclaimed ebook for just $5.99! That's a 50% discount!

Buy our book today!
posted by Oz at 6:27 PM | link | 1 comments

Do Celebrities Like Us?

By and large, yes. In fact, very few people who are celebrities don’t wish to be so. Oh sure, they’ll say that it’s boring and that they wish they could be anonymous again, but the reality is that they could make that happen if they really wanted it badly enough.

More often than not, a celebrity wants to be recognized, but they also don’t want to be hassled. They like it when you point at their limo, because if they didn’t, they could just as easily take a taxi. They like that you care who they’re dating, because it means you care about them, but they’d just prefer it if they could occasionally have some time to date that person in peace.

And they like getting correspondence from you… but man, it’s tough to hand-reply to 100 letters a week. Celebrities know, for the most part, that you’re the people who pay them the ridiculous money they’re making. If they treat you like crap, you’re likely to stop giving them that money, so they’ll do you a small favor if they can, most of the time.

So what’s the accepted convention when approaching a star in the street? Well, it varies. We’ll go into it in greater detail in later chapters, but suffice to say you can approach just about anyone, just as long as you do it right and don’t get all creepy and stalker-like. Remember, stalkers make it hard for everyone, so don’t be that person.

Whether you’re reading this book because you’re a celebrity freak (aren’t we all, deep down?) or an autograph collector, or a journalism professional, or you just want to know in case you have an urge to contact someone you don’t know, the important thing to remember is, “How would I react?”

“If I’ve had a rough day and I’ve got six things going at once and I just stopped in at this little diner to grab a sandwich and *I* was approaching with a pen in my hand… how would I react?

Celebrities love you when you’re real, and they love you even more if you’re sincere. Saying, “Hey Gillian Anderson, I really aren’t that big on your movies, but I think I could make a few hundred bucks selling your autograph on eBay so… Could you sign this?” – Probably not going to cut it.

But something like, “Hi Gillian. Great to see you looking so awesome, I’m sorry to interrupt you here but my daughter is an absolute crazy fan of yours, could you sign something for her?” – That’s probably going to get you a little success.

So read on, folks, and let’s learn what’s required from you if your favorite celebrity is going to open up to you and take in the following chapter, where celebrities talk about their experiences with their fans.


Normally $11.98, for a short time only you get this incredible highly acclaimed ebook for just $5.99! That's a 50% discount!

Buy our book today!
posted by Oz at 6:24 PM | link | 0 comments

Why Do We Like Celebrities?

Fame has always been alluring. Ever since we first learned how to send a smoke signal or tie a note to a pigeon, people have wanted to know who was the best, the fastest, the strongest, the smartest, the most successful, or the most alluring. Even back in the Victorian era, a young country girl by the name of Lillie Langtry decided she wanted to be known by all, so she had her portrait painted by noted artists in order that she could be seen on the penny postcards that were once sold around London. Langtry definitely achieved her wish, and as time rolled on, more and more people opted to follow her lead.

In the Wild West, gunfighters of renown were frequently followed by writers and artists, who would share their exploits with publishers for mass consumption. Centuries before that, wandering minstrels would tell stories of great warriors and beautiful princesses in return for food, lodging and the occasional drop of ale. People have always enjoyed hearing tales told about famous people, but it was Florence Annie Bridgwood, a Canadian girl from Hamilton Ontario, who was really responsible for the elevation of the cult of celebrity from a hobby to an international obsession.

Lawrence was the child of a vaudeville actress who made her way to Hollywood attracted by the rapid growth of the fledgling motion picture business. In 1907, at the ripe old age of 21, Lawrence made her first starring role, but in those days silent screen stars were largely unknown to the public. The people in movies were anonymous faces, and the studios kept them that way to ensure that wage demands didn’t get out of control. That is, until D.W. Griffith, the head honcho at Biograph Studios, saw one of Lawrence’s Vitagraph films and was smitten by the beautiful blonde girl on the screen. He made some enquiries, learned who she was, and set up a meeting where he offered ‘the Vitagraph Girl’ a $5 raise (to a whopping $25 a week) if she’d come make movies for him. It was the first ever case of a studio paying big money for someone the public might recognize, and soon that money was paying off big time.

Lawrence quickly gained popularity but because her name was never announced, love struck fans began writing to the studio for the girl’s name. Biograph Studios, her employers at this time, refused to give up the goods, instead only referring to their star as ‘The Biograph Girl.’ But others had bigger plans…

Soon Carl Laemmle, who would later found Universal Pictures, entered the motion picture game and lured Lawrence away from Biograph with a promise to give her name a spot on the marquee. But Laemmle was no stranger to the art of public relations, so before he’d allow Lawrence to announce she was working for the new company, he started a rumor that Lawrence had been killed in a collision with a New York streetcar. Once the media storm had erupted and her improbable fate was on everyone’s lips across the country, he then placed newspaper ads that declared she was alive and well, and was making a new movie for IMP.

Celebrity, as we know it, had arrived.

Today, celebrity rules the world. The movie industry is the biggest export that America has, and even the porno industry ranks highly on the list of North American exports. People are now prepared to do just about anything to become a celebrity, even if it means eating bugs on TV or going on a show designed to break up their relationship with their husband or wife.

When Sharon Stone gets a divorce from her husband, it’s major news. When John F. Kennedy Jr flies his plane into the sea, that’s worth fourteen pages of newspaper space, while a major flood in Bangladesh on the same day will be on page 37, running after the report on Kelsey Grammer’s wife seeking relief from irritable bowel syndrome.

Maybe this is wrong. Maybe it’s something we should be seeking to change. Maybe this obsession with celebrity is the beginning of the end of the world as we know it.

But darn it all to heck if Gillian Anderson isn’t one sexy mama! Let’s be honest, it doesn’t have to make sense. Sometimes the reason you want to contact a celebrity is personal, while other times it’s professional. Sometimes you’re inspired by a celebrity to do great things, while other times you simply can’t stop dreaming about them, fantasizing that maybe one day they could fall for you like you fell for them…

Go with it. If you simply must have a signed photo of Charlie Sheen, then go get one. If you can’t live in the knowledge that somewhere out there Pamela Anderson is unaware of your love for her, then by all means get in touch… but do it the right way.

And this book will try to ensure that’s exactly what you do – get in touch with your celebrity, establish a connection with them, and then turn that into either a personal or business relationship that will sate your needs.


Normally $11.98, for a short time only you get this incredible highly acclaimed ebook for just $5.99! That's a 50% discount!

Buy our book today!
posted by Oz at 6:17 PM | link | 0 comments

The A to Z of Contacting Celebrities

Did you know that among children in North America today, the most widely held goal is not to be rich, nor to be happy, nor to be successful in a career? No, in fact the number one ambition of our children is to be famous.

Of course, we could argue about whether or not that is a healthy situation all day long, but the reality is that celebrity is the new currency. Curing cancer might make you rich, but getting onto Survivor will make you famous, and that means that most of America will want to get their photo taken with you. This obsession with fame has spawned a variety of side industries, from nostalgia and autograph collectors to paparazzi photographers, fan-site webmasters to entertainment journalists, auction vendors to tour guides.

And it’s from people just like those that information in our incredible e-book has been brought together. We’ve spoken to collectors, fan club Presidents, agents, journalists, photographers and the stars themselves so that you can take advantage of the many years of experience these people have in dealing with celebrities.

Maybe you want to get a photo of your favorite actor, or perhaps you want to have your photo taken with your favorite singer, or maybe you’re looking to get your favorite baseball player to sign a jersey for your sick kid brother… whatever your celebrity need, this book will help you get there.

Of course, there are many tactics involved in contacting celebrities that may be questionably received by the celebrities themselves. I mean, if you approach them at their favorite lunchtime restaurant spot, they may well be happy to hear from you, but they may also be quick to call in security. The secret is to not push too hard, not ask too much, and ultimately to not be overly enthusiastic. Celebrities invariably like having fans around, just as long as those fans go about their business without being a pain; after all, if these people didn’t like having fans, why would they seek fame in the first place?


Normally $11.98, for a short time only you get this incredible highly acclaimed ebook for just $5.99! That's a 50% discount!

Buy our book today!
posted by Oz at 6:13 PM | link | 0 comments