I am outraged and disgusted...

Varda Lady Of The Stars

Varda Lady Of The Stars

The Shire
at the Royal Albert Hall last night at their attempt to squeeze more money out of the audience by only letting people who had purchased the albums to get it signed by Howard Shore. As a dedicated fan I obviously already had the albums long ago from Amazon (at a reasonable price instead of the 25-40 poundsthat Albert Hall were asking) and wanted my programme signed like I did for the Fellowship of the Ring. Of course they needed to get the queue down but as a fan I'm not going to spend that much money on something I already have. I should've stayed there and refused to leave whilst the woman in front of me with her £40 box set asked her friend..."so who's Saruman and who's Sauron, aren't they the same person?" [mad] ANGRY!
 
They have to make Money but they should still make allowances for all fans - it's just nice and good business - it makes it that much more likely you'll return for other events if they are gracious to you when you are there!
 
and this was his reply:
I believe this is an ongoing 'battle' with the production company. (Note the quotes. No bad blood at all!) They try to limit who can get an autograph because they need to get out of the hall by a certain time in the evening in order to avoid being charged a huge overage (think six-figures). Howard, on the other hand, is more than happy to sign anything, and doesn't like the restriction placed on the fans. Nine times out of ten, he ignores the request anyway.

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It also seems that those of us who got RCMH programs signed were 'breaking the rules' and got lucky. Doug added:
PS -- I should point out that *technically* this was already the case for last year's FOTR concert at Radio City. Howard and I just ignored the rule. Well, Howard did, and I followed suit. I don't yet have the clout to take the lead on such things!

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Lucky us.

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You can read those replies in this blog entry: http://themusicofthelordoftheringsfilms.blogspot.com/2010/04/london-ttt-in-pictures.html
 
We were not turned away at RCMH (and there were three of us in a row, myself, my husband with Laerasea's program, and Rosie-with-the-Ribbons). I can't believe you were turned away by Howard which means someone turned you away before you ever got to them.

The official entity making the decision (which is CAMI, Howard's management company) was the same for both. So what was different?

It could be some entity between CAMI and Howard (the security people? the personal assistants?) were different or it could be that the line at RCMH was not so long as to be a problem but the one at RAH was.

The bottom line is, as disappointing as it is for the fans, one can understand that having to pay a penalty if one doesn't vacate the facilities in a timely manner would be an issue. Having been involved in events where a deadline for vacating exists, I know that a penalty is common.
 
On a broader note, I want to mention that these sort of rules anger me as well. Unfortunately, it's becoming more common as these sort of events become more commercial and less grass roots. I realize the need to thin the autograph line out, but there are better ways to do it. I know some celebrities are picky about what they sign, and I can understand that. But whether the person has previously purchased the item or if it is purchased at the event shouldn't make a difference. I know I sure as heck wouldn't purchase the same item I already have because the event or the person says only a new one will be signed. I think more than the autograph anyway, I enjoy spending the moment with the person and sharing my love for his or her work.


Celedor
jwbraun.com
 
I did a similar favor for Laerasea last Oct.

One item, one person. I got an autograph for my program (which apparently I wasn't rightly supposed to get in line with but no one told me differently) and my husband got in line with Laerasea's program.

Next Oct, I will have my program (presuming they let me get in line again) and my husband can have another. So... I can do the favor for one person. But there are other TORnsibs here that might be willing to stand in line for others. The program cost about $20US. My husband bought them so I don't know the exact price. And, because I am always clear, I'd have to buy the program w/o a guarantee that I would be allowed to get an autograph on one. But I can guarantee that I want one for myself so I will do my darnedest to get one.
 
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