Pricey Gift: MLB Offers World Series Film Set For $2,229

Major League Baseball has the perfect gift to bust a budget in a recession.

A 20-DVD set of World Series films can be bought for $2,299, and it contains authenticated autographs of 12 Hall of Famers, including Yogi Berra, Bob Gibson, Reggie Jackson and Mike Schmidt.

A limited edition run of 100 sets was put together by Major League Baseball Productions, A&E Home Entertainment and Mounted Memories, the companies said Friday.

There are 65 films from 1943-08 that run for more than 50 hours. The package also has autographs from Johnny Bench, Gary Carter, Bob Feller, Rollie Fingers, Carlton Fisk, Whitey Ford, Brooks Robinson and Bruce Sutter.

MLB spokesman Jeff Heckelman said the set is also available without the autographs for $179.99 on MLB.com and in stores with a suggested retail price of $229.

Source Link

American Royal Arts Seeks Court Action to Stop the Sale of 'Doctored' Signed Photographs

Posted at AutographAlert.com:

PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - American Royal Arts (ARA), a Florida based company and recognized leader in the rock n roll fine art and memorabilia industry, has once again stepped up to the plate in an effort to protect the industry's integrity and to protect the memorabilia fan, collector and consumer. On November 18, 2009, ARA filed a complaint in the Circuit Court of Palm Beach County, Florida, against Bruce Hall, d/b/a Gallery of Dreams. In the Complaint, ARA alleges that Gallery of Dreams, a California based company which has an established and continuous course of business dealings in Florida, sent to ARA and other similarly-situated companies, false provenance and altered/doctored photographs which it represented supported the authenticity and genuineness of the memorabilia it sold to ARA and others.

ARA's dispute with Gallery of Dreams began during a November 13, 2009 hearing in a lawsuit ARA filed in 2007 against Frank Caiazzo, d/b/a, the Beatles Autographs, for defamation, unfair and deceptive trade practices and unfair competition. During this hearing, ARA's president Jerry Gladstone, during a cross examination by Caiazzo's lawyer, was handed photographs of celebrities signing guitars that were "doctored". In a rather dramatic moment, (Someone from the Caiazzo camp notified the press) Caiazzo and his business allies thought they dropped a bomb on ARA. It was, actually, a dud. Mr. Gladstone vehemently denied having altered photographs or having any knowledge that the autographs were altered. He promised to fully investigate immediately following the hearing. In contrast, Caiazzo and his lawyers had "sandbagged" revelation of this seemingly legitimate concern with the photos to further their personal concerted smear campaign against ARA. Caiazzo and his supporters had no interest in immediately exposing their apparent discovery of the doctored photos to protect the public from further damage. No, there continued interests were self-centered and motivated by self-preservation, rather than for the good of the industry as a whole. In reality ARA did not tamper with any of the photos. In fact ARA is now aggressively seeking justice against Gallery of Dreams.

ARA takes these issues very seriously. ARA has provided the press with supporting information to confirm that it did not participate in any wrong doing and that it was defrauded by Gallery of Dreams, as alleged in the lawsuit.

A more dramatic point during the November 13 hearing was when Frank Caiazzo admitted, for the first time in an open forum, that he has no formal training what so ever to support his self-proclaimed status as a "handwriting expert." It was also disclosed in a deposition in that litigation that Caiazzo has placed his own Beatles material (bearing his own certificates of authenticity) for sale in major auction houses, including Christies, Sotheby's, Alexander's Auction, and eBay. When Caiazzo was asked who checks his work before it goes into auction his answer was "nobody." Only he, who admittedly has no formal training what so ever, authenticates these items!

Caiazzo was questioned about another document during the November 13 hearing, a Certificate of Authenticity he issued on a "Please Please Me" Beatles album. His own counsel had placed the item into evidence as a defense Exhibit! ARA counsel grilled Caiazzo as to whether this certificate authenticated as legitimate a "Please Please Me" album which was fabricated by transferring three Beatles signatures from a menu and one from a clip to the album. Caiazzo had already admitted to having certified a "Sgt. Pepper's" album which bore signatures transferred from another item to the album. In that deposition, Caiazzo testified, under oath, that it was ok to transfer signatures as long as one discloses it in the certificate. There was no such disclosure on the "Please Please Me" album that Frank Caiazzo certified on April 12, 2005. In addition "provenance" was included in that Caiazzo certificate. He represented that this Beatles album was signed by the Beatles for a young girl waiting for them outside a venue! During the hearing on November 13, Caiazzo testified that it was possible that his April 12, 2005, certificate was for the very same "Please Please Me" album. Chances are, it was, particularly if one accepts Caiazzo's own suggestion that only had a handful of Beatles albums exist bearing all four of their autographs.

ARA has been doing business for over 24 years with a stellar reputation. It has an A+ Rating from the Better Business Bureau. ARA was founded in 1986, and has held numerous worldwide publishing and distribution rights for MGM/Rocky, Apple Corp., Disney Studios, Frank Sinatra Enterprises, Twentieth Century Fox, Elvis Presley Enterprises, Warner Bros., DreamWorks, artist Joe Petruccio, Jefferson Airplane's Marty Balin, and photography from the Hulton Archive of London, MirrorPix, James Fortune Peter Simon and, most recently, the Rock n Roll Fantasy Camp. ARA will continue to do all it can to put an end to the unfair and deceptive practices and to eventually restore peace, honesty and integrity to this industry.

Jerry Gladstone
President
American Royal Arts Corp.
546 North West 77th Street
Boca Raton, FL 33487
Ph: 561-869-0602
Fax: 561-869-0602
e-mail: jgladstone@americanroyalarts.com
www.americanroyalarts.com

NOTE: Autograph Collectors Daily and staff officially state neutral status in any business or personal disputes reported on or referred to this site.

*********************

I am in the process of compiling data from collectors and dealers to determine which celebrities have been the best autograph signers for 2009. There will be a U.S./Canada celebrity list and a UK/Europe/Australia celebrity list. If you would like to participate, please send your list to this email Your Best Celebrity Signers For 2009. Please consider the signer's willingness to sign, their demeanor and how they signed. Celebrities from movies, music, TV, sports, etc. from any country can be included. Please limit your list to 10 celebrities in order of preference.

*********************

Autograph Collectors Daily updates are posted at Twitter. Signup today!

Source Link

Sarah Palin Quits Again! ...Refuses to Sign Hundreds of Books

Click for video

Angry crowd shouts at Sarah Palin at her book signing in Noblesville, Indiana on November 19, 2009 after Palin quits and refuses to sign books for around 300 families that spent over 3 hours in the cold and rain waiting in line.

How can this be? I thought Sarah was "tough" and "ready to serve"? Are my eyes & ears deceiving me?

People at the event first heard chants of “ONE OF US!” but near the end the angry crowd was chanting “SIGN OUR BOOKS!” before she ditched them.

Source Link

Mariah Carey Brings West London to a Standstill

Thousands of fans brought west London to a standstill last night as they waited for hours to meet American superstar Mariah Carey.

The 39-year-old singer was at the Westfield shopping centre to switch on the Christmas lights and sign autographs to promote her new album, Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel, and her third Elizabeth Arden fragrance, Forever.

"This is amazing, this is so much fun," she told the screaming crowd before flicking the switch.

Carey - without husband Nick Cannon - was an hour late for her appearance and the fans went crazy upon her arrival, with her bodyguards working hard to keep them back.

As she sang along to a festive hit, All I Want For Christmas Is You, the stage was illuminated by pyrotechnics.

Her publicist dismissed claims that the five-time Grammy award- winner had made extravagant requests for the event, which included 20 white kittens and 100 white doves.

"It's absolute rubbish and absolute nonsense," she said.

She also clarified stories that Carey had asked for a pink carpet (her favourite colour) and pink butterfly-shaped confetti, explaining that they were provided by Westfield without the star's input.

Source Link

Viggo Mortensen Signing Report

by Mike Sametz

Ah, this is one of those weeks where you have to pick and choose your battles. It is the week of the AFI Festival. This is shaping up to be a pretty interesting year. So far, from what I have hear and from personal experience as well, it has been rough to get anything signed. I got shut out by Drew Barrymore yet again, Bill Murray, and more… Tonight Erica, the fabulous M’Lou Elkins and I are heading out to Hollywood Blvd to the premiere of The Road at AFI fest. Erica really wants to get Aragorn himself Mr. Viggo Mortensen and I really want to get Ms. Charlize Theron. So, buckle up and get ready for a long evening out!

4:21 p.m. – Erica and I just got here. We met up with M’Lou at the Coffee Bean where she was having tea with Gene Simmons and Spider-Man. Only in Hollywood folks… only in Hollywood.

4:28 p.m. – There is literally no one here, it’s a tad shocking considering that the red carpet is supposed to start at 6:30 p.m. Anyway, Erica and I are going to take a walk down to Hollywood Book and Poster.

4:29 p.m. – M’Lou is going to continue her coffee session with Spider-Man. To be fair, Spider-Man is not literally at her table just next to her. I was hoping to have brunch with Jesus and Bart Simpson later on today, but I guess that will have to wait.

4:55 p.m. – We just got back from Hollywood Book and Poster and we didn’t find anything. Oh, Erica got a 24 mini poster. But all in all not much.

5:10 p.m. – So, now we are debating on where to stand. There is a spot on the Blvd to stand and then there's always the old standby across the street. I suggest the spot on the Blvd next to the premiere. Erica is saying across the street. None of us really know though. Honestly, it’s all a crap shoot.

5:15 p.m. – We are across the street.

5:20 p.m. – We just moved to the spot next to the premiere on the Blvd.

5:31 p.m. – It’s shocking but there are only maybe 15 people here. Usually for a premiere of this sort the barricades are filling up by now.

5:45 p.m. – The arrivals start at 6:30 ish and then there is another premiere right after for the new Nick Cage movie, Bad Lieutenant. I know that’s strange but that’s what they are doing!

5:59 p.m. – I brought my Lord of the Rings trilogy mini poster, and a magazine for a friend as well. I also brought a DVD insert of Return of the King for another friend of mine. I think that every friend of mine loves Viggo! LOL… Chicks, what can you do?

6:10 p.m. – I just noticed someone made a sign for Viggo and hung it across the street. It says, “The Road lead us to Viggo.” Lol, it’s kind of small but hopefully effective.

6:21 p.m. – Erica brought a Lord of the Rings book that she has a lot of people already on. I mean she has ¾ of the cast! Very impressive.

6:43 p.m. – It’s starting to fill up now, well at least behind us. There are a couple rows of people behind us now, across the street there isn’t anyone! Crazy times!

6:46 p.m. – People are starting to arrive, oh wait… that’s Charlize Theron! Everyone is going crazy for her. We are chanting and chanting… She is not even looking over at us! We are continuing to chant and chant and chant some more…

6:48 p.m. – Charlize is walking the carpet with her date and then runs back and walks the carpet by herself. Still she is refusing to look over here. Man that really sucks! I really wanted her… sigh…

6:51 p.m. – Wait, someone is signing across the street. Where did they come from? Holy crap it’s Viggo! He simply appeared, no one saw him arrive, and no one saw him cross. Crazy! He is signing up a storm, I ask Erica if she wants to run over there, but she says no and we stay here.

6:57 p.m. – Viggo is crossing back over and coming right over to us. Well, Erica is shouting her lungs off… you think she’s small but she is quite mighty and has impressive lung power when she wants too.

6:59 p.m. – Viggo is signing away. M’Lou took my magazine and I have the mini poster and insert. M’Lou just got him on the magazine and I got him on the poster. I tried to get the insert signed as well but Viggo looked at me and said, “You got one already.” Harrumph, it’s not like the dealers didn’t just get like seven each. Sigh… He is very nice though and quiet, and I’m not sure if this is the right way to describe it, but serene is what comes to mind.


7:02 p.m. – The other premiere is going to start soon, I think at like 7:30 p.m.

7:10 p.m. – They are just flipping the posters over on the carpet for each movie. That’s kind of lame I must say.

7:35 p.m. – Some people are arriving now; we were told Nicholas Cage is not going to show up. Sigh…

7:38 p.m. – There was some kind of party beforehand so everyone is coming back to back. Fairuza Balk just arrived… Oh and there’s Eva Mendez… No one is coming over. Sigh… to be fair people are not really yelling either.

7:41 p.m. – Oh, there’s Jennifer Coolidge! I love her! Nope, she’s not coming over either. Sigh… well, I’m getting disappointed, so it’s time to head home and get warm. Thankfully, Viggo came over. I’m very disappointed in Charlize I must say. Still, I’m happy with Viggo, a little upset the Erica got me to start a Lord of the Rings poster after I have avoided it for years... sigh… lol…

*********************

I am in the process of compiling data from collectors and dealers to determine which celebrities have been the best autograph signers for 2009. There will be a U.S./Canada celebrity list and a UK/Europe/Australia celebrity list. If you would like to participate, please send your list to this email Your Best Celebrity Signers For 2009. Please consider the signer's willingness to sign, their demeanor and how they signed. Celebrities from movies, music, TV, sports, etc. from any country can be included. Please limit your list to 10 celebrities in order of preference.

*********************

Autograph Collectors Daily updates are posted at Twitter. Signup today!

Source Link

Richard Petty Still Draws A Loyal Following

thestate - The sleek Dodge Challenger SRTA, painted its distinctive shade of blue, drew admiring looks from the auto racing fans who poured through the doors of the Mike Addy Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep showroom in Lexington at 6 p.m. Wednesday. But the car was not the reason most were there.

They quickly lined up, waiting their turn to meet Richard Petty, NASCAR's winningest driver and "The King" of his sport.

Petty, still trim at 72 and wearing his signature cowboy hat, jeans, boots and sunglasses, perched on a stool and patiently signed model cars, caps, photos, posters - even an oil painting of Petty and the late Dale Earnhardt with "autographs" of NASCAR's two seven-time champions.

"I had a guy do it for me" in 2001, said Lexington's Kevin Brown, then owner of a racing souvenir store. "But I didn't think the autographs were real, since Earnhardt died six weeks before I got the painting."

Petty grinned before affixing his looping signature. "NOW it's authentic," he told Brown.

Winner of a record 200 races and a member of the inaugural class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Petty was promoting a new project, Petty's Garage, which produces high-performance cars. The retro-1970s Challenger will be auctioned off in Scottsdale, Ariz., in late January, with proceeds going to the Petty Family Foundation.

"(Auction house Barrett-Jackson) auctioned off another car for $500,000, not one of mine," Petty said. "I doubt this will bring that much, but anything helps the cause."

This year has been busy for Petty. Besides sharing the Hall of Fame spotlight in Charlotte, he has overseen a merger of Richard Petty Motorsports with Yates Racing, set to take place in early 2010.

"When I started out running here in Columbia, in Cayce, you never thought about being in a hall of fame," Petty said. "You were just thinking about doing your job, and you went out and done it."

Petty said he would have preferred the first Hall class to be about the "first era" of NASCAR, and thought France Jr. and Earnhardt should have waited while Spartanburg's David Pearson should have been in the first class.

"Big Bill (France) started (NASCAR) and Junior (Johnson) was there when he started it, I was there, and Pearson was there," he said. "(France Jr.) and Earnhardt, that's another era.

"I thought they should've covered the first era, and the second era with the next crowd. But (NASCAR) did it like they wanted to, and I'm just fortunate to get in."

Petty's role with the RPM-Yates operation "won't change a lot," he said. The team will end its long-time ties with Chrysler and Dodge to run Fords in 2010. "We take over a program that's established with Ford, and we're established, so that should make us stronger and Ford stronger," he said.

Petty conceded NASCAR's move in recent years away from the Carolinas, "which is where it all started," has cost it ties with its roots.

"To get more sponsorships and fans, we had to go where they was at. They couldn't all come to Charlotte or Darlington; we had to go to New Hampshire and Chicago and Texas, Kansas City, California."

These days, Petty marvels at NASCAR's national profile. But he remains most at home with fans such as those on hand Wednesday.

"I had a pretty good career, and some (fans) appreciate that part of it," he said. "I know I appreciate what I got out of it, and hopefully they got something out of it, too."

Judging by the turnout, they still do.

Source Link