Terri Runnels Poses with Erin Moran, Bernie Parent and Johngy

The 2009 Ultimate Collectibles Show was such a blast. There were so many celebrities (wrestlers, actors, athletes and other notables). It was awesome to meet them, but also pretty cool to watch them interact with each other.
I met Terri Runnels there again. We talked for a bit and joked about Jay Leno. She even agreed to do a video promo for Johngy's Beat.
Later during the event, I saw Runnels posing with Erin Moran (of tv's Happy Days). Then I saw Runnels posing with NHL Hall of Famer Bernie Parent. I also saw Runnels with several others, including several of her former wrestling cohorts. Despite her interest in posing with celebs, I must admit that the picture of Runnels and me below was requested by me however, not her.
Runnels wasn't the only celebrity to pose with other celebs. I think it is pretty cool to see such intermixing. I also like that the celebs, whom I like to meet, also like to meet celebs.
I have to say that yours truly was even requested for a photo. Michele Mupo (aka Fuchsia) asked me for a picture of the two of us. Of course, I also wanted one, since this was our first meeting. I guess it just means you'll never know who you might see posing together at a convention.

Terri Runnels and Erin Moran in Oaks, PA-October 2009.

Terri Runnels and Bernie Parent in Oaks, PA-October 2009

Terri Runnels and me in Oaks, PA-October 2009.

GT in LA:Patrick Warburton

One week ago, I was in sunny Los Angeles with the rest of the Global Traveler staff. Thursday night we had the annual GT Tested Awards cocktail party.
Patrick Warburton, star of Seinfeld and Rules of Engagement, was the guest of honor and spoke to the crowd on behalf of Pencils for Kids, an organization dedicated to lifting children from poverty through education.
Warburton arrived early and immediately started to mingle with the growing crowd. Of course, I grabbed our photog and got my picture with Warburton right away. As a big fan of Warburton's, I was not going to risk missing this opportunity. As I approached him and began to shake his hand, he asked me if anyone ever had told me that I look like Jay Leno. I asked him in return if anyone ever told him he looked like David Puddy. He got a kick out of that.
It wasn't the first time I have heard the Leno reference. I hear it quite a lot. In fact, at this party, I heard it about 5 times. Warburton would be the most famous of the bunch. Previously, Terri Runnels of WWE fame had been the most famous to ask me about Leno.

Warburton was very approachable, about as laidback as could be. We talked about Family Guy, his kids, other voiceover work and Los Angeles among other things. He seemed to be one of the most down-to-earth celebs I have ever met.

Patrick Warburton and me in Los Angeles, CA-January 2009.

Interviews:2008

Here is the complete listing and linkage for all of my 2008 interviews.

I interviewed Rick Monday right outside the Dodgers' clubhouse at Dodger Stadium in June of 2008. We talked mostly about when he saved the U.S. flag from being burned. I wrote a piece about that for Global Traveler magazine's website. That GT piece was read by David Stein on Sporting News Radio.To hear the Rick Monday interview click hereTo hear David Stein read my piece click here


For another piece on GT's website, I interviewed wrestling personalities Al Snow, Terri Runnels and Scott Taylor separately at Wizard World in Rosemont, IL in August of 2008. We talked about travel, their current life and their future plans.To hear the Al Snow interview click hereTo hear the Terri Runnels interview click hereTo hear the Scott Taylor interview click here


I interviewed Mike Easler and Larry Bowa together during batting practice at Dodger Stadium in June of 2008. Easler talked about his favorite city, while Bowa wasn't quite as decisive about his. I also helped Bowa with fielding practice, although that is not part of the interview.To hear the Easler and Bowa interview click here


I interviewed Hall of Fame broadcaster Peter Gammons of ESPN on the field at Dodger Stadium in June of 2008. It was long before the game started and there were only a handful of people even there. We discussed his favorite cities.To hear the Peter Gammons interview click here


The last interview I got at Dodger Stadium in June of 2008 was with Ryan Dempster. Dempster had an unbelievable season after converting back to a starting pitcher after being a reliever for several years. Dempster was very loose and seemed happy to talk for a bit.
To hear the Ryan Dempster interview click here


I interviewed ESPN broadcaster Jon Miller at Dodger Stadium in June of 2008. Miller gave me over 3 minutes of his time, which is quite a lot for an unscheduled interview. He talked freely about a number of his favorite cities.To hear the Jon Miller interview click here


I interviewed Hall of Famer Joe Morgan right as he headed into the dugout moments before the game at Dodger Stadium in June of 2008. Morgan only had about 30 seconds, but I logged in another Hall of Famer!To hear the Joe Morgan interview click here

Doing some research for another GT website piece, I attended a couple of TNA wrestling events in the Chicago area. At the fanfest, i was able to interview Christy Hemme, Lance Rock and Jimmy Rave (collectively known as the Rock N Roll Infection). We talked about travel and the expansion of TNA.To hear the Christy Hemme, Rock and Rave interview click here


At the Walk for Hope 2008, in Glenview, IL, I interviewed actress Andrea Evans for a GT online piece. Evans discussed her return to tv's One Life to Live, her commitment to Walk for Hope, her partnership with Lather and her future plans.To hear the Andrea Evans interview click here