Monday, August 31, 2009

Chairman, schmairman

On her Twitter page just hours ago, Lacey Schwimmer posted this picture.

It's a publicity shot of the "Dancing With The Stars" hottie (formerly a "So You Think You Can Dance" hottie) posing with her newest "DWTS" partner, Mark Dacascos; you might know him as "the chairman" on the Food Network's wildly popular "Iron Chef." I don't wanna say that Lacey's just going through the motions when she's dancing with this guy, but seriously: Look at the look on her face. Does she look the least bit excited to be dancing with him? I think not. Heck, she even looked happier last autumn when she got teamed up with former *NSync-er Lance Bass. (Although, really, I think she was faking it there, too.)

But if ya want to see Lacey at her hottest, check out this pic from a couple years back:
Seriously ... how happy was Lacey to have met me after her first show on the "SYTYCD" tour? (Quite honestly, I just look for any occasion to show off this picture!) But c'mon, who makes a better pair: Lacey and me, or Lacey and "the chairman?" Exactly!

So good luck, Mark. Not only in the competition, but also in trying to make a better-looking pair than me and Lacey!

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

A fair supply of Air Supply

Any of my friends, or even anyone who's ever visited "Sean's Space" already knows this: I'm a sucker for a sappy love song.

So it should come as no surprise that not only did I drag my GF to the Dutchess County Fair to see Air Supply (they of such hits as "All Out Of Love," "Even The Nights Are Better," "Lost In Love" and the like) on Tuesday, but that we had a fun at the concert and even met the band after the show. After years of listening to the Australian duo on the radio, it was great to hear Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock live, playing all the hits I've grown to love.

The Aussies played 'em all: "Every Woman In The World," "Even The Nights Are Better," "Two Less Lonely People In The World" and more, for 90 minutes straight! (Not bad for free seats in the bleachers.) They both sounded just as good live as they do on their "Greatest Hits" CD, though there was no lip-synching here.
The pair even walked through the crowd (including the grandstand) for a song, making more of a personal connection with the fans. Moments after the finale, my GF and I got to meet Russell (seen here) and Graham, and added two more to our series of bad pictures snapped following concerts at the fair.

Even after decades of shows — not to mention leaving Dallas at 4 a.m. Tuesday morning and a long day of travel to reach Rhinebeck — the singers were extremely gracious, autographs for my GF, who even snagged a guitar pick from the group's manager.
With many of the fair's acts each summer being country musicians, it was nice to take advantage of one of this year's pop acts, especially one whose songs I've enjoyed for years.

For a group that's had countless hits and that's been making hit music for decades now, it was great to see the Air Supply guys didn't see playing a county fair in upstate New York beneath them. On the contrary, Graham and Russell embraced the Dutchess County Fair crowd, calling such county gatherings around America what makes our country great.

For at least two fair-goers, this night was better for having spent a few hours at the fair!

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Yeah, that's the (free) ticket!

Just while I'm reminiscing about the New Kids On The Block's summer tour (seen previous post), I thought I'd share one last tale...
See this ticket to the New Kids' June 16th show in Saratoga? Know how much it cost me? Get this: nothing! In fact, I got it directly (well, almost) from New Kid Donnie Wahlberg himself!

Throughout the tour, Donnie used his Twitter page to message us fans and tell us where we could score free tickets the day of the New Kids' shows. Donnie would give us a time and place to meet, and he'd send one of the guys' managers armed with stacks of free tickets.

For that June 16th show, Donnie sent out this tweet, telling us 200 free tickets would be up for grabs at the Wilton Mall, just across town from the concert venue. A loyal fan with time on my hands, I drove to the mall (even though I'd already bought a great seat near the stage) where I eventually ran into four or five more New Kids supporters. At the appointed time, Donnie's rep showed up with fistfuls of tickets, giving us as many as we needed. I only asked for one, as a souvenir of the scavenger hunt.

Sure, the tickets were probably unsold and it was an easy way to get more people in the building and buy concessions, etc. Still, it was some pretty cool interaction with our favorite group and a great story to share!

Friday, August 14, 2009

"Sean's Space" has "The Right Stuff"

So I was lamenting the end of the New Kids On The Block's summer tour the other day when I stumbled across this gem:
That's right! I got a personal mention on the official Web site of Joey McIntyre, the youngest member of the New Kids, my favorite group of all-time!!! They do know I exist ... who knew?!

There I was, checking some of the New Kids' individual sites when I came across both my name and "Sean's Space." That, coupled with my once-in-a-lifetime meeting with the New Kids, makes my two decades of fan-dom all worth it!

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Latest purchase: bought on a Lark

Feeding both my collection of celebrity autographs and my love for a certain TV show, "Saved By The Bell," I just had to make this recent eBay purchase.

Yes, that is a "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" trading card signed by ... wait for it ... wait ... former "Saved By The Bell" star Lark Voorhies!!! Apparently in 1995, the former "Lisa Turtle" of "SBTB" fame guest-starred on exactly one episode of the "Star Trek" spin-off, and more than a decade later, she was subsequently immortalized with this autographed card inserted into packs of the "DS9" cards. A huge "Star Wars" geek fan, I've never been into "Star Trek" — let alone any of its later incarnations — but I've got no problem adding this card of Lark, the only certified autograph of hers on the market, if it means adding to my collection of all things "Saved By The Bell."

Ironically, "Lisa" here will find company in my collection alongside someone she couldn't stand on the show.

Yup, frequent visitors here to the "Space" are well aware that I met "Screech" himself, the one-and-only Dustin Diamond, a few years back when he brought his stand-up comedy to Poughkeepsie. While he might seem like a jerk to some now, given his recent reality TV gigs, Dustin was very nice to fans following that stand-up gig, posing for pictures and signing one of my "SBTB" Season 1 DVDs.

For now, "Lisa" and "Screech" are the only "SBTB" autographs in my possession ... and it's only taken 20 years to get those! (That's — what? — an average of one autograph per decade?!) But it's alright, 'cause I've got patience and until then, I'm saved by the bell!