Ok, full report time. Sorry for such a long, geeky post, but, I cant think of any other group of people who would give more of a shit than my buds on here. So, anyway:
It was me, my Wife, my Brother & his little daughter (Who is 4 years old & is OBSESSED with Superman. Thanks to me, lol).
The tickets to meet the celebs were to be given out free on a first come first serve basis in 2 sessions. 250 tickets total, 125 to be given out at 7am Friday morning & the remaining 125 at 7am on Saturday morning.
We arrived at Metropolis on Thursday night at around 9pm.
Checked into a nice hotel. Me & my Brother put the ladies to bed at the hotel & went on into town at about 10pm to get in line for the tix to be given out the next morning. We showed up & there were already 8 people in line. We had our collapsible chairs, a cooler with snacks & sodas & a portable DVD player with us to ride us out for the next 9 hours. But the majority of the time was spent talking to some fantastic fellow fans. We met some REALLY cool people from all around the country. A guy sitting next to us came all the way from New York, he drove 18 hours & was a blast to talk to. The next thing you know, we're all eating & watching the "Look up in the Sky" documentary on my portable. Good geek times.
Since we had our chairs holding our place in line, my brother & I decided to walk around town & see some sights.
I could tell right away that this was gonna be a great place:
My Brother felt like he'd been here before.....
Even Soda is cooler in Metropolis:
Some guy who owned a car that was all decked out Superman Returns style, had it parked at the statue for the duration of the celebration weekend.
He even had a toy of his own car in the trunk!:
By 3am, there were over 200 people in line, again, only 125 tickets to be given away at each of the 2 sessions. Thankfully, as I stated, we were very close to the front of the line.
By 6 am, probably 300 people. Shirley & my brothers daughter joined us in line.
By 7am it was time to get our tickets. News cameras were there filming all us geeks.
We got our tickets & went back to the hotel & grab a nap & a swim.
Saw ourselves on the news ;D
In the afternoon we came back to town to be all touristy & see the sights:
They have a new Bronze Noel Neil statue. Its quite nice & detailed in person:
Next we stopped off to pick up our copy of the local newspaper, at the newspaper itself:
In town they had the original Bat-Boat from the Adam West Batman TV series:
Pretty cool 90's Superboy costume:
Did Bane wear a fanny pack in the comics?
So, throughout the day, we faintly hear in the distance, someone yelling "What are you looking at? HUH?"
Then we finally saw him. Stumbling around & carrying a bottle of Johnny Walker & a bag of peanuts. He was randomly flipping peanuts into the air. This guy never broke character & his costume was amazing. Every time we saw him we yelled "You'll be great again!"
He was quite a nice kid & I couldn't resist this pic. Take
THAT Supes UF & Kev:
So, now it was time for the main event for my 4 year old niece. Metropolis has a guy to be Superman for the kids & photos. He's a really buff guy & looks the part & his suit is fantastic. She couldn't give a shit about or comprehend an actor "Playing" Superman. To her, he's as real as Santa & she couldn't wait to meet him. We didn't tell her she would, we told her that he "might" show up, if he wasn't busy saving people. So at around the time he was supposed to show, she was sitting on a bench with my brother & all the sudden he looks up & says "Did you see that? I saw a red streak in the sky!" She looks up gazing all around. At about that time, the guy walks out from behind the statue. I thought she was gonna pass out ;D Absolutely STUNNED. Couldn't speak at all. We walk over to him, & he picks her right up. She cannot believe what is happening. So, she usually smiles for pictures no problem. When I told her to smile for the camera, her head creaked around slowly & she couldn't even move the muscles to make a smile:
He then gave her a big pin badge that had a pic of him & the statue on it. We walked around for 5 minutes & she was still too stunned to speak. Then out of nowhere, as if she just snapped out of it:
"DID YOU SEE WHAT JUST HAPPENED!?!? HE FLEW DOWN & PICKED ME UP! LOOK WHAT HE GAVE ME!!!"Fuck Micky Mouse, this was Disney World to that little girl. Good Times.
It was now time for Lunch. Alligator Kabobs bitches!
You gotta love this kid.
As stated earlier in the thread, we met Mark Pillow.
REALLY nice guy. Surprised that he had fans. I asked him if he knew that he had been immortalized in a DC comic book. He had no idea. So, I pulled out the item that I wanted him to sign. We flipped through its pages for a minute or so. He was shocked & thought it was so cool. He loved the likeness. He said "Oh hey, theres that part where I turned into a missile, they cut that out!" Really cool encounter:
Next, it was time to visit Jim Hambrick's famous Super Museum. The single largest collection of Superman items on the planet. Guys, I knew this place would be cool, but I had NO idea it had so many actual props from the Reeve films. Prepare to be amazed & drool. Most of this stuff you could actually TOUCH btw. And I did my fair share. Btw, if Jor-L5150 had gone to this place, he would still be there now. He would leave his family & take a job sweeping the floor at this place:
Ye5man would LOVE this stuff. Actual props & costumes from the George Reeves series:
Get ready Gents, I just HAVE to share this shit with some like minds:
They have fucking
KRYPTON' S RED SUN:
Brando's Wig:
The Krypton Council's Chest Emblems:
Trophy from Jeff East's Clark bedroom:
Check THIS shit out!
Chris's wigs:
Complete all original screen worn Reeve suit:
Chris's flying harness. TOUCHED IT!
Page from Luthor's book:
Screen used flying model:
Cool store display for Vinyl Soundtrack:
Rare action figure from Spain was actually the first Reeve figure before now:
Zod & Ursa's boots:
Ursa's victim's suit:
LOVED seeing these!!!!!
Miniatures from SII
Seeing this meant the most to me for some reason. Getting to touch it & all.
SIV miniatures!
Props & costumes from Supergirl:
Seeing this was cool. The arm of the Demon from the end of the movie:
Superboy costume:
Jor, I took this pic for you & me. Its a Garcia-Lopez print, but with MUCH more detail than he normally does. In a word......Beautiful:
Lois & Clark:
Superman Returns stuff!
So, I noticed that Jim (Owner of the Museum) didn't have any props or suits of any kind from Superman Returns. So, I asked him about it. It turns out, that Jim helped the production team of SR out by providing access to his props & enormous wealth of stills from the Reeve movies. In exchange he was supposed to get props & costumes from Superman Returns. Sadly, he has yet to hear from them, even after he helped them out.
This is where I come in. I own a set of front and back Metropolis Automobile License Plates from the set of Superman Returns in Sydney. I only display one of them & the other sits tucked away in a box. I happened to have both with me. I intend to get one autographed by Brandon Routh & Sam Huntington.
I asked Jim to make me an offer. All the sudden it turns into an episode of Pawn Stars LOL! He plays hardball & says it all comes down to what something is worth to someone, yadda yadda yadda. He also tells me about the annual auction at the celebration. He tells me you can put a reserve on the item & that if it doesn't sell for that price or more, that you get to keep it. So, I ask him if it were him, what kind of reserve he would put on it. He says he would start it at $100. He just accidentally told me his first offer lol. At that point, I was pretty sure that it would fetch a good price at the auction, especially with Brandon being in town & all. However, I couldn't get Indiana Jones outta my head. "IT BELONGS IN A MUSEUM!" I hated that the museum didn't have any SR props. I LOVED the idea of being able to provide it with its first & only SR prop, displayed for all to see. So, I opted out of the auction. I went back to talk to Jim. He wasn't there. I told his daughter (Who runs the shop) that I would trade the License Plate to Jim for a Superman Returns Kryptonite Shard Prop Replica that I had been trying to track down for awhile. She said she would tell him & let me know. It's pretty expensive & only 1000 were made. It lights up & the Lex Shard is cast from the prop in the movie & is removable:
Later on in the day while I was walking about & seeing the sites, his daughter & other store helper approached me on 3 separate occasions to tell me that he accepted the offer & would love to make the trade. I eventually went back to the Museum & gladly made the trade. I got something I had been trying to track down for awhile & I got to provide the museum with its first piece of SR set memorabilia on the day that Brandon was in town. Good times.
It was now time for the main event.
Brandon Routh, Sam Huntington & some chic from Smallville would take part in a Q&A under a big tent by the statue & then the autograph sessions would begin later on in a big bank in town.
The guy who owned the Decked out Superman Returns car, drove Brandon to the Statue where he posed for photos with Sam & that chic. Check it Gazer:
It was now time for the Q&A. Crowed cheered when Brandon was introduced. Most of the questions asked were beyond lame. And the good questions were already answered on DVD extras & such. Though Sam had a great bit about seeing Brandon in the suit for the first time, which was cool. They must have had a couple of the people who got to ask questions pre-chosen, as a couple were special needs folks. Brandon handled their awkward inquiries like a true champ. Like Superman would. What a great guy.
They had time for one last question. The host chose me. Handed me the microphone.
This is what I stood up & said:
"Mr. Routh, It's an Honor to get to speak to you today.
This isn't so much a question as it is a statement of gratitude.
Ever since the triumphant return of Superman in 2006, there has been alot of incorrect internet revisionist history concerning Superman Returns.
Firstly, the reviews & reactions from critics & fans was very positive & remains so to this day, despite its few, but vocal detractors.
Secondly, the film made ALOT of money all over the world, even though it's budget was unfairly burdened with debt from previous attempts at making a Superman film.
Lastly, not only did the film have plenty enough action for my taste, but it also had the the most important ingredient that a Superman film has to have: HEART. And you Sir, are the Heart & Soul of that wonderful film.
People who need nonstop, mindless, shallow action in their movies can have the Zach Snyder movie. As for me, I like my heroes with emotional depth, & you brought that & so many new layers to the Man Of Steel. Thank you for giving us the Majestic & Thoughtful movie known as: Superman Returns."I had to speak rather quickly, as the Q&A was running late & the celebs needed to get to the Autograph location.
With that, the Q&A was over. Throughout the day I was approached by no less that 15 or so random people who wanted to tell me they liked what I said. My answer was always the same: "Thanks. It needed to be said."
Here now, is part of the Q&A. My statement begins at 6:20
After an hour or so, it was time for our autograph session.
My Brother's girlfriend couldn't be there & she is a HUGE Sam Huntington fan. He called her on the phone, & put Sam on the phone with her. Sam was TOTALLY cool with it & he was HILARIOUS. The girl couldn't believe it. The guy really is as funny as you think he would be. My Brother with Sam:
Next up, My wife & I approached Sam. He shouted to me: "I have been wanting to meet you all day ever since your speech at the Q&A!" I replied: "Well, I kinda wanted to meet you too, but I didn't wanna turn this into a big mushy mutual admiration society here in front of all these people." Sam laughed his ass off. I told him about our site & what were about, he was a really cool & funny guy & seemed genuinely interested in what people had to say. I had him sign my SR License Plate prop, which he thought was cool.
Me & the Wifey with Sam:
Next, my Brother spoke with & got an Autograph with Brandon:
Next, Shirley got to talk with Routh. She has this really rare & really pretty & girly cloth with the Superman Returns \S/ on it from the Philippines that she got him to autograph. She said "I bet you wont see another one of these" He said "Nope, not unless I'm in the Philippines." Funny guy lol
She also had a copy of the local Newspaper signed.
Also, this is cool, when you get something autographed, they put this numbered foil sticker on it & they catalog everything. You can then look it up on their website & see that its been authenticated.
Finally, I got to see the man face to face. First, he complimented on my rare shirt, as the \S/ is about as reliefed as it was on the actual costume.
Then, he told me
"I want you to know I really appreciate everything you said. It's always great to hear from someone who actually knows what went into making the movie & someone who is so passionate about the material. Really, thank you for saying those things, it meant alot." Fellas, I've met quite a few rock stars in my time. This was the first time I got a lil nervous. But I kept cool.
I said,
"Man, it needed to be said. It's nothing but the truth. I know alot was made out of the fact that the movie was a vague sequel, & that you bore a bit of a resemblance to Reeve, but it was so much more than that. You didn't just copy Reeve. You got to take what Reeve started & build upon it & you added so many wonderful, subtle, little nuances to the character that weren't explored before. Like all great art, you can learn from what came before, but you have to add to it, & you did. Thanks for such a great performance." He was gracious & humble as ever & thanked me for my words.
Each person was allowed to get
2 items autographed by each star. You could get the event program or the town newspaper signed for free, you could bring your own item at $30 per item, or you could buy glossy photos that they had for sale. I got him to sign the license plate:
For my second item, I had him autograph my Daily Planet Prop Replica Poster. Its the one in my AVATAR that reads "WHERE HAS HE GONE?"
He signed it in Blue: "Michael, I'm Always Around"
The ushers started to kind of move us on, so I said thanks & goodbye. He yelled for me to "
wait a second". He told the Usher: "
Hang on, this guy gets a free one."
He told me to pic any glossy photo I wanted. So, I picked one I didn't already have & that I liked very much.
Check out what he wrote:
As I said, we were only allowed 2 autographs. I got 3. tee hee.
The usher then told Brandon, "Ok, we gotta keep 'em moving". Brandon winked at me & said "Thanks".
I said "No, Thank
YOU".
And that was it.
Needless to say, I was a happy camper.
That night, we took our Niece to the Carnival in town.
And finally, it was time to leave Metropolis with some pretty Magical Memories intact.
Thanks to anyone who actually read this whole thing. ;D ;D ;D
Sorry to be so long winded. It was just such a good time, & I knew if anyone would understand, it would be some of you guys.
GOOD TIMES. 
