The Hollywood Show – The Ultimate Autograph Show

Going to The Hollywood Show has been a tradition for me since the first time I visited in 2012. In fact, The Hollywood Show was one of the channels that helped me create my blog about ‘80s and ‘90s pop culture. I remember one time I was just Googling celebrity autographs and a link came out and I was surprise to find, Antonio Sabato Jr. was appearing and Tracey Gold (Growing Pains), then I discovered Dean Cain as well! So, I was really excited. I grew up watching these people and they are part of my teen memories, so this was definitely my day.

Seeing stars that you grew up with is like being a kid in a candy store. I don’t think there are any other celeb fests that have a great lineup of stars and are as intimate as the The Hollywood Show. Each celebrity has a personal booth.  You can get in line, have a little chat and have a photo op with them. In my case, I’m killing two or three birds with one stone – chatting with them, having a photo op and interviewing them for my blog.

Lita Ford, lead guitarist of The Runaways who was part of THS last April mentioned about the intimacy of the event, “It’s been amazing and very nice. I really enjoy and love it. It’s good work for me because I get to know the fans and see them up front, give them a hug, talk to them about their kids and family.”

If you’re an ‘80s kid and loved the TV show “Charles in Charge” and “Baywatch”, this would definitely be a treat. I got to talk to former teen star Nicole Eggert of Baywatch and Charles in Charge who has been a regular at THS. Upon my interview with Eggert, she mentioned, “I’ve only done three autograph signings in my entire life and this is my second experience with The Hollywood Show. I see a lot of familiar faces; I see a lot of the same people so I’m kinda finally thinking maybe for some people, a sort of a lifestyle or a hobby. And I think it’s really neat and it’s really fun.”

Teen sensation of the ‘80s, Debbie Gibson said she loved being part of THS, “I love it. This is actually my first ever autograph convention and I think I started off with a bang. I’ve been meeting great fans. Everybody’s been really nice and respectful. It’s been really a cool day.”

One of my favorite attendees Virginia Madsen is an Academy Award and Golden Globe nominated actress in the 2004 hit film “Sideways” and starred in the classic teen ‘80s flick “Electric Dreams.” Madsen said, “It’s so much fun. When you do movies as opposed to stage you don’t get to hear the applause or see the audience so this is my chance to meet the fans and I just love it. It’s wonderful.”

In 2013, I brought my dear mom to THS because some of the cast of the prime time hit soap in the ‘80s “Knots Landing” were appearing including Donna Mills, Joan Van Ark, Michele Lee, and Ted Shackelford. My mom was all giddy when she saw the cast. My mom and I would literally watch every week and the day the show aired, we would have our dinner in front of the TV and just be engrossed with the show. She has always admired Abby’s (Donna Mills) beauty and thought she played a great vixen on the show. My mom was ecstatic when she saw Donna Mills in person and got to chat with her and have a photo op. She even told me, “Imagine, I was watching her on TV and now I got to talk to her.”

So four times a year my friends and I always plan to see the stars we grew up with. You just never know what experience you will have. As for me, not only did I get to see them but I even interviewed them and put the interview on my blog, popbuff.com. I love sharing the memories with my kids of the stars I grew up with.

The next Hollywood show will be on July 18th – 20th. Iconic TV stars like Barbara Eden (I Dream of Jeannie) and Shirley Jones (The Partridge Family) will be there to talk and have a photo op with the fans. For a complete list of stars and details about the show, go to hollywoodshow.com.