I really have to disagree here... This hinges on "the celebs owe me" line
of thinking. I have to admit that I thought that way years ago myself, but
the thinking is untrue. The only people that the celebs owe anything to is
the company that hires them to perform and the fans that pay to see them
perform (whether it's a live stage production or a movie). You are correct
that some do have promo photos, but it's wrong to automatically assume this.
If they are current hot stars, they may have company funded photos to hand
out. In my case, I like to write to more classic stars from older TV shows
and movies. A lot of them are retired or their careers aren't moving as
much as they used to in their prime. They can't afford to pay out of pocket
expenses for freebie photos or other give aways. A lot of these people
receive quite a bit a mail a week, if not per day. This can get expensive
very quickly if they give photos away for everyone. In my opinion, you have
to take this hobby seriously. You have to remember that you are writing to
an actual person and not just an image on the screen or a picture on a CD
cover. These people have their own lives that they live and families to
raise. They aren't just sitting around waiting for letters to show up. As
a collector, you have to be polite. Not just in the content of the letter,
but in the actual total request. When it comes down to it, the celeb is
doing you a favor by signing for you. I feel that the more convenient you
make the event, the better your chances of getting a success. They are
helping you out by adding their signature to your collection. You can't
expect them to also foot the bill for postage, envelopes and an item to
sign.

Please don't think that I'm jumping on you. I'm just expressing an opposing
view on the hobby. Not everyone is going to agree about everything. That's
nature. I'm just trying to provide both sides of the coin to new collectors
that may be reading this thread. I wish you continued good luck with the
hobby.

--

Mike
Gummby3

~~ Star Collector ~~
www.star-collector.net


"DebSer5" wrote in message
...
I know many people on this ng think sending out photos is polite and it's
rude
to ask a celebrity to send out one of there own promotional photos. But I
have
to disagree with this. One reason for promotional photos is to send them
to
fans who write to them. It has nothing to do with being polite or not
being
polite. They should be honored that you wrote to them in the first place.
Many
stars don't even pay for their own promotional photos, they have the
studios,
companies & sponsors that do that. And the stars that do pay for their own
photos, they either have the money to do it, or don't mind doing it.
Promotional photos are often very cheap, when bought in quantites.
Sometimes I
think people take this hobby a little to seriously(I do to). Although, I
must
admit I *occasionally* buy autographed photos from certain celebrities
with
sell their autographs through there website.


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