Should I meet SJC again?

[scenario]

Hey guys, I would like your opinion on something. So next month Stephen J. Cannell is coming around town promoting another one of his novels, "Cold Hit". I went to his booksigning last year and met him, do you think I should go again this year?

I only ask because honestly I don't want to come across like some kind of stalker nutball who only thinks about The Greatest American Hero to Cannell. Last year I went in with the attitude that I would limit my GAH questions and not ask anything too nerdy that would make even William Shatner roll his eyes. Unfortunately I kinda sorta did, I'm not sure how bad it really was though. This time if I go meet him, I'm may not even bother asking any GAH questions, or A-Team questions, or any old school TV show questions. Though I am tempted to ask why the 3rd season DVD will be so bare bones. Actually having him around is a great oppurtunity to get some of my GAH merchandise (like DVDs) signed, Cannell happily signed the base of my Ralph statue last year. But I don't know.

See the thing is, I'm pretty sure the man would vaguely remember me from last year, my first name (not the name I go by) is pretty easy to remember because it's sorta unusual and when he signed something for me when I went up to him again, he kinda teased me on my name.

Perhaps I'm making too much of nothing and I should go next year? What do you guys think?


-scenario-

[The J-Man]

scenario said:

I only ask because honestly I don't want to come across like some kind of stalker nutball who only thinks about The Greatest American Hero to Cannell...This time if I go meet him, I'm may not even bother asking any GAH questions, or A-Team questions, or any old school TV show questions...What do you guys think?

I say go for it! You'd be hard pressed to come across like a nutball compared to me; I set the bar pretty high. I only met him once, in 1999, but I bet I made a lasting impression (I tend to do that). I believe Mr. Cannell's exact words to me by the end of the book signing were: "You need to get help."

E-mail me for a picture of me and SJC that you can show him and ask him if he remembers me, and what he remembers about me.

[greenguy]

scenario said:

I went to his booksigning last year and met him, do you think I should go again this year?

Heck yeah go again! If I were you I would.

I went and looked at his booksigning dates. I thinkI can make one. If so..Mr. Cannell and I have alot to discuss....

[MrsMaxwell]

Thank you for this post, I was beginning to think I had a social disorder!

[The J-Man]

No one's saying you don't, Mrs. Maxwell. Just that there's a few more of us out there than you thought.

[Maxwell - F.B.I.]

I would ask him briefly about the altered music on the GAH DVDs and see what he says or (and I'm serious here) if he is even aware that changes were made. It's a 100% legit question, to be sure...

[scenario]

Guys!!!

Thanks for the words of encourgement!! I went to see Stephen J. Cannell again yesterday night, and let me tell you it was an awesome experience. The book signing that was done this year was done a bit more "event styled", with Cannell doing a signing in a movie theater....and get this....


Ready to crap all over yourselves?


They screened an episode of GAH on the freakin' BIG SCREEN!!!!

AND

The pilot episode of The A-Team!!!



Whoohoo!

I couldn't believe it!!!!! I actually got to WATCH an episode of The Greatest American Hero on the big screen.....WITH Stephen J. Cannell! Originally the man came and sat just one row infront of me, but then he got himself up and walked to the back where he took a reserved seat in the theater.

See at first, the theater billed the screening as the pilot episode of The Greatest American Hero, along with the pilot episode of The A-Team....with Cannell doing book signings before the screenings, then a Q&A session in the auditorium, and then another signing for anyone who didn't get their books or memorabilia signed. Whoohoo!! But then Cannell and the theater people realized that both pilots would run 2hrs each and they decided to show one pilot and maybey an episode of the other TV show. Cannell took a vote, and people mainly wanted to see The A-Team, but I did my best to voice my opinion that Hero should be a commodity worth seeing....as did a few others behind me. So Cannell picked the episode "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" (I kinda knew he would go with that one), and then after that they screened the pilot episode for The A-Team. Damn, I couldn't believe how awesome it all was. I just couldn't. It was too bad they didn't show GAH's pilot on the big screen as was originally planned, but I'm glad they at least showed one episode. There was a good moderate sized crowd in the theater too, I wish you guys could have been there.

It was at the Alamo Draft House in Houston, TX.....the cool thing about the Alamo Draft House is that they serve food and drinks in the theater, (as well as beer and liqour), so you can eat and drink (and drink!) in the theater on their tables while you watch a movie.

Was anyone who stops by these boards there? A couple of people asked GAH questions, so I know you guys must stop by here once in a while. I was the dude in the striped knit shirt...I asked Cannell to sign my DVDs along with his two books "Cold Hit" and "The Tin Collectors".

And no, SJC didn't seem to remember me at all. And J-Man, I didn't ask about you....but Cannell as usual wore the same damn black blazer, black t-shirt, jeans, and cowboy boots. You're right, he never seems to change his clothes, he's always wearing the same clothes or some variation of that style.

When I think back on it, the only draw back to yesterday's event was that Cannell didn't get to talk too much about his novels, especially "Cold Hit"....he focused on GAH and A-Team for the obvious reasons that they were being shown. So anyone who came there looking for the man to talk about his novels would have been dissapointed, he only briefly went over his Shane Scully series. That's a shame, because "Cold Hit" sounds like his most intriguing novel yet.

But otherwise, this was the coolest GAH experience I have EVER had. I only found about the screenings at the last moment, it's too bad I didn't know in advance, I kept thinking to myself....old time board regulars like Greenguy, J-Man, and MyTatou should be here....we could have made a mini convention of it. Unfortunatley I didn't ask him why the DVDs were such a let down starting with Season 2, I simply sat a bit towards the back, center aisle, and I just was having waaaay too much of a good time to get into a sour subject. But I did kinda crack up when they played that new country song over the original Willie Nelson MHHABC song.

I had a good time, especially with GAH and A-Team. I wasn't going to miss this. Some girl that worked there, probably 16 or 17 years old and born in 1989....did ask me what The A-Team was....I think SJC heard her because I was on my way to the restroom and he sorta turned around when she asked that. I soooo wanted to tell her that Cannell shows beats The O.C., Laguna Beach or whatever the hell she watches any day.

[Maxwell - F.B.I.]

Great that you got to experience all that. Too bad you didn't get a chance to ask Cannell about the changed music, but sounds like you were having too good of a time. Congrats!

I wonder if anyone would have been more likely to approach Cannell about the music changes had they actually showed the GAH Pilot, as it contained some of the biggest 'changes' of all...

[scenario]

^Thanks!! I wish you and everyone here could have been there! It was such a cool GAH experience.

Now it did cross my mind that I should represent our fandom and ask the man about the DVDs....but it's such a different story when you are right there infront of the guy. Plus, the "event" book signing at the Alamo Draft House was just too cool for words...I mean getting to see an episode of GAH and A-Team on the big screen? And watching them with Stephen J. Cannell himself? Man I was just having too much fun. I lost it, I was in nerd nirvana.

One dude did ask Cannell if he is to blame for the state of TV today, (aka because of all the violence in Cannell shows back in the 80s).....Cannell shrugged it off and said he didn't raise a generation. He wasn't being a d*ck with his response, he just shrugged it off. I asked Cannell about what got him started on writing, and how and why he explores the genre of "police dramas". I also asked him if the Shane Scully novels would ever be made into movies. The answer? Yes, Shane Scully will get some kind of film treatment. I did ask if GAH and A-Team will get to the big screen, and he said yes like he always does about film projects for those two. He repeatedly said that The Greatest American Hero, The A-Team, and 21 Jumpstreet would get big screen movies. Cannell continued to assert that GAH will be made by Disney. He said that GAH would retain the lighthearted fantasy tone of the TV series with a PG or PG-13 rating, but that A-Team would be more realistic with a likely R rating, and not so comic book cartoony as the TV series. I'm not sure if that's such a good idea with The A-Team, but whatever, it's his toys. I'm not sure if I even like what he said about the GAH movie. As fans, we have listened to him talk about this stuff for years, so now a day later I realize that I could have called him out on this stuff, but again it's tougher to do when you are there with the guy.

The most burning question on the subject of the DVDs would be the missing trailers, I can understand the music changes, but the missing teaser trailers just boggles the mind. Again, I was just so happy with last night that I didn't want to get into a sour subject with the man. But hey the guy isn't done with his book signing tour, I don't think any of his other stops will be as event styled cool as what he did here in Texas, but the guy is still going to be out there. Most everyone will have some reasonable shot of meeting him and asking about the DVDs. Just don't be like, "Hey f*ckhead, I wanna talk to you about these sh*tty DVDs your company released!"





-scenario-

[MelMac]

Thanks for sharing your experience, scenario. I wish I could have come, but it was just a tad too far for me. It must have been really neat to see "The A-Team" and "GAH" on the big screen, especially with the creator himself. Sounds like he made a good choice with "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" for the "GAH" episode. After the pilot, it's one of the best stories in the show, and would look great on the big screen.

I had a slight chuckle about the guy asking if Cannell was to blame for the state of TV today. True, there was a lot of gunfire and explosions in his shows, but it wasn't overly gratuitous. I also agree with you that Cannell's shows (at least the ones I've seen) are better than a lot of the shows on nowadays. Some of today's kids really don't know what their missing.

Anyway, thanks again for sharing.

[Maxwell - F.B.I.]

You know, with him showing the episode and watching it with the fans they way he did, it makes you wonder if he still appreciates what Stephen Geyer contributed to that show. I mean, just look at the episode he selected (My Heroes...) - one of the best moments of the episode is the scene between Ralph and John Hart, which ends with that AWESOME song Geyer wrote for the show, "Heroes Are Human". I wish someone would ask him why he doesn't continue to work with with 'original music' in his new material, as it was such a great and unique idea.

[HoudiniDerek]

I wish I could meet SJC and see the shows on the big screen. My television is not large enough for them all in their glory.
However, I would have had to quibble with the audience decision too: Who wants to see the A-Team pilot when they had that sh*tty guy playing FACE? It would be like watching a third season episode of the Greatest American Hero without Tony.
I think he must be losing his marbles to allow such idiocy...tyranny of the majority I guess.

[The J-Man]

You're lucky that it's ridiculously late and I have to wake up early tomorrow morning, because I could write an essay defending the pilot episode of "The A-Team" as the masterpiece that it is. Brilliantly, brilliantly written, on a par with "MHHABC" and "SoSB"; beautifully filmed by Rod Holcomb.

[HoudiniDerek]

I am not saying that the pilot was not great in its essence. However, the guy who played Face was not as good as Dirk Benedict. THAT is the reason I was not fond of the pilot.

[The J-Man]

To paraphrase Donald Rumsfeld:
You go into production with the cast you have, not the cast you want.

[HoudiniDerek]

Yes, because Donald Rumsfeld is the go-to guy for quotes.

And they could have had the best cast if they would have pulled their heads out of their keysters sooner and realized that he was a horrible actor AND that he looked too young to be a Vietnam Vet (the latter being the reason he was replaced officially).

[The J-Man]

houdiniderek said:

Yes, because Donald Rumsfeld is the go-to guy for quotes.

You ain't kidding: slate.msn.com/id/2081042