ride the lightning

OMG Mel you must go And take pictures! PLEASE!

~carnival-heights~

I too hope you went, Mel! I need to pick up a copy. I wonder if there are any juicy anecdotes about the show or cast.

Found some pics from tonight:

� Shannen Doherty – Signs Copies Of “Badass” in NYC (Nov 2, 2010) x 14HQ�by�The Beaver Pond

ride the lightning

Thanks for the pics Shanti! She looks great! Love her outfit and the book cover is stunning!

playgroundDiaries

I went.

Now I just gotta eat and charge my camera for several hours. The battery died LITERALLY the minute it was my turn to go up. I had kept it on and recorded stuff almost the whole time waiting. Must be fate telling me not to post pictures of myself on the internet, lol.

But anyway, she's really sweet and warm and saucy. The word accommodating comes to mind most, actually. You have to be ready for a bunch of possibilities at a book signing. Like, a deaf man came up and, BAM, Shannen is doing sign language. Who knew she could do that? And it was two people's birthdays so, for the first, she sang Happy Birthday, then had the whole crowd sing it for the next person (and I'm glad, too, cause she was a young and adorable fan). Honestly, after standing on line a while and staring at CD racks, I went from pure anxiety to like a drunk calm, LOL. We would've done anything.

So, after an almost awkward shy silence, I told her that her signature was really unique cause, looking down, it really is, lol. Then I told her that I just adore 90210, been watching for 20 years and still am. She smiled and was like, 'Aw, thanks/that's nice' or something, and then I said how it's really cool to see 'Brenda's smirks' and stuff so up close, gesturing and getting my adrenaline back, to which she was like, "Well, I don't know, am I smirking?", with a little laugh. Good god, I hope she knew I meant a positive Brenda smirk. And yes, she was doing a lot of it. Don't care what she says. Also a lot of nodding and, "Right, right. Of course." She hugged everybody. There were seriously equal parts men and women, and a lot of people who I would assume were too old to have watched the show even in the 90's, but apparently not. I happened to be behind the youngest fan, though, with the imprinted iPod and so much to say about how the spinoff could never compare to the original and even she can tell, which made me all too happy, lol. Another person brought the Brenda doll. I can't believe Shannen doesn't know they're sold on eBay. Our favorite stars live such non-BH90210 obsessed lives. And um ... yeah. Her expressions can switch on a dime, I noticed, so she'll get dead serious, concerned, cautious, then smile and laugh all really quick, often too quick to catch on camera if you're not expecting it. My only real surprise for the night is that I did it. I spoke to a castmember. Usually, I just watch, maybe get a pic, then walk out.

Please don't be let down if I didn't get any good close shots (/ or screencaps). Sometimes I think my camera sucks.

Flipping through a few times, I don't expect that anymore. It's more like a genuine self-help book for the Shannen Doherty obsessed, cause it includes scrapbook-like items from her youth. Like one thing I read was a poem she wrote in second grade, complete with childhood artwork. I bet the advice itself will be fairly obvious ('tip: be nice to waiters', etc), but if you just like Shannen and want to like her even more, it will be like a gift from heaven. And of course, for some, it's just a very reasonable admission price to meet the woman who played Brenda Walsh. I felt very strongly about just giving the original 90210 a shout-out. Other people mentioned Charmed, Little House, the whole nine yards ... but I think BH90210 deserves to stand alone. I'm prejudiced that way.

~carnival-heights~

N/P, Court.

Wow! Thank you so much for going into such detail about the event, Mel! So glad you got to talk to her personally! And nice to get first-hand confirmation of her generosity to fans of all kinds. Can't wait to see your photos.

That's interesting. I think I may know what you mean; I've seen her spontaneously burst into a hearty chuckle in many interviews.

Aw, that's cute. Yeah, I know she won't even think of gossiping about her castmates or any of their experiences on set in a negative light. Constructive life lessons from her 9-0 days would be more fitting and welcome...and badass (i.e. self-empowering) anyhow.

Same here. Shannen's done lots of great work throughout her career, but this show is by far and away the #1 reason for my enduring interest in her as an actress.

playgroundDiaries

I wonder how many people even asked questions about the book. When I was thinking of what to say, the item in my hand didn't even enter my mind. And I do want to know how long it took her to write it. It's so big and heavy that you'd think it's like 400 pages, but nope. More like a 250 page coffee table book/biography.

Clearly, she has her own definition of "Badass", which in this case just means leading a healthy life. And, clearly, I'm going to be tempted to count how many times the word is used. Seriously.

Yeah, there was a lot of that. Stupid heads of people getting in the way. And back in the start of the signing, when I really couldn't see or hear anything, there were a lot of moments where bunches of people were laughing. After an hour or more, I started to feel like she was as tired/dazed as I was, lol, and things were much more subdued unless you had an anecdote to tell. In great contrast to the early 90's, I'm sure, everyone waiting was orderly, respectful, no one fangirl screamed or cried or fainted, no one got upset over anything. Just a bunch of adults passing through and saying hello. Oh, some brought flowers. And I think one person talked about physical illness. Like I said, all possibilities.

Scarlet's Walk

Mel!

I'm just grinning like a little kid with your posts! You're such a lucky fan, you have no idea how much I envy you right now

Thanks so much for sharing it sounds like such a fun and sweet encounter! I loved that you mentioned the Brenda's smirk and I bet she'd never heard that one before Now that's something I hope she remembers lol.

???

(Lol...just kidding...)

*anxiously awaits for your pictures to be posted*

playgroundDiaries

Dude, I was waiting for you to see this! Sure was not how I thought I'd be spending today. (In fact, I was supposed to go with a friend to a cemetery ... this was a much better idea x10)

I hope you're right. How could she not have, though? My only comfort actually is that she won't remember me, cause I'm still ruminating on how things came off. Maybe she thinks I'm so zeroed in on B. Walsh that I barely have the sanity to realize these are her own expressions, LOL. I need to go to bed.

heyitsrachel

Thank you so much for sharing your experience, Mel. Great pics too. I flipped through a few pages of the book at my Borders store.

kika_m

Thanks for the pics, she's lovely and elegant!
And thanks for sharing your story, sweet moment!

ride the lightning

Mel that is so exciting! Thanks for writing all about it! She sounds lovely. I wouldn't have known what to say either haha. Can't wait to see the pics!

Seriously, that moment would have got me gushing. So playful

playgroundDiaries

Well, of the ones that came out, only a few aren't totally blurry. But the good news is I'm gonna make a video over the next few days. That's more real anyway.

heyitsrachel

Thanks for the pics, Mel. Can't wait for the vid.

~carnival-heights~

Nice pics. Thanks for sharing.

I've been perusing the book for a little while. The photos are probably my favorite part. Her Malibu house is still sooo gorgeous to me.

heyitsrachel

I absolutely her outfit.