L Anne Carrington

What I really love about Lori Ann Dennick, she who has multiple convictions for fraud and theft, and even did some prison time for her crimes, is that she loves to blog about scamming. In a righteous tone of voice, naturally.

Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Holiday Weekend Over…Back to Life
With the exception of yesterday, it rained most of the Labor Day weekend here; without saying, not much got done in the line of one final barbecue of the summer. There wouldn’t have been one at all this year if the weather hadn’t cooperated better yesterday.

Today was a bit more interesting. First I had just come from the styling salon after getting my hair cut and waiting for my ride, digging around in my purse and minding my own business in the meantime, when someone from the newspaper came up and asked for a quick interview and a photo. Naturally, I was both suspicious and curious, so I asked what the subject matter was.

OMG was our favourite plus size super model Loranden being recognised? She IS a celebrity, after all.

It turned out they were approaching people at random and asking about their most vivid memory of September 11, 2001. Of course, the thought of me just hearing about the crash in Shanksville, which is about 80 miles from my home, not long after the Twin Towers were hit, all came back to me. Anyway, she said the feature she was doing would be in this coming Saturday’s paper.

Amazing. She turns something as tragic as the devastating attacks on 9/11 into being all about her.

Next up, a telephone scam is now on the loose. How it works is that from an individual will call a person, identifying himself as an AT&T Service technician that is conducting a test on the telephone lines. This person will tell the person whom they are calling that to complete the test, the person who answered the phone should touch nine( 9 ), zero(0), the pound sign, and then hang up.

Sounds fishy, doesn’t it? Guess what? It is a scam. Upon contacting Verizon (my local carrier), I was informed, just as the person in the original message had contacted their own phone company had been told, that by pushing 90 and the pound sign, you give the requesting individual full access to your telephone line, which enables them to place long distance calls billed to your home phone number. This is a scam that is now being used by local jails and prisons, and if anyone asks you do do this…DON’T!

Anyway, upon passing this message on to as many as possible, it came across the desk of Aaron Saykin, the Call 4 Action reporter of WTAE Channel 4 (Pittsburgh’s ABC affiliate–Aaron’s bio can be found here) and he is interested in airing the phone scam story. He is supposed to be back in touch with me sometime after tomorrow to schedule an on-air segment with me. Maybe I should go back to consumer reporting after this….maybe. LOL

I hope you do! I hear convicted felons make great advisers.

On a side note, as it turns out as of today, I will not be making the LA trip after all. I not only have an interview scheduled for September 18 (they called me at earlier this morning and it’s a big PR firm), but the surgeon’s office also called a couple of hours ago and they want to schedule yet ANOTHER test, and the soonest I can get in on that is..yeah, September 19. Otherwise, I have to wait for November and I want all this stuff into the insurance ASAP.

Why would she be interviewing for a PR job? I thought she was running her enormously successful PR firm singlehandledly?

Yes, it’s been an interesting day…I knew I got up earlier than usual today for some odd reason.

Was it the cat brats? Did Noah and Spanky wake you before noon? Shame on them.

This one will make you pee your pants.

Sunday, September 03, 2006
9/3 Column: So You Want to Meet the Superstars
In this ever-changing world, it appears that there are new superstars arriving on a daily basis to join the ranks beside our current–and sometimes old–favorites that we all know and love (or love to hate, as it were).

Of course, some of these new faces could appeal to some of us, and naturally, our curiosity is piqued on knowing more about them and perhaps meeting them sometime in the future.

We have all either read or shared experiences about fans meeting superstars, some experiences good, others that hadn’t gone so well.

While we don’t know the actual reasons for the poor experiences, it could have been anything from the superstar being approached by a rude fan to the wrong timing for both parties.

There is also weighing in the factor that the superstar wasn’t what the fan(s) had expected them to be up close and in person; thus ending in disappointment on the fans’ parts.

As a result, no matter what the reason may have been, it appears that the stories of poor experiences tend to travel quicker than the good ones. Why bad moments tend to spread quicker remains to be seen is anyone’s guess

With that in mind, you are probably asking yourself the question, “How can I meet my favorite superstars and/or get autographs and pictures, without coming across as obnoxious or rude?”

There are many ways to make the meeting of our favorites good and memorable ones; those who have walked away treasuring their happy moments have had their own techniques, but what it all comes down to is both good common sense and old fashioned etiquette.

Here are some good ideas I have used from personal experience and, with my experience with both meeting (and in some cases, working for) people of such status in the past, from regional dignitaries to the internationally known, found to be quite effective.

First, I have found that stars hang out after their shows at cocktail lounges, restaurants, and maybe a coffee house or two. Some fans have also found them the lounges of the hotels where the stars stay.

But keep in mind wherever you get autographs, observe the following:

1. Don’t butt in when they are having conversations with each other.

2. Don’t bother them when they are on the phone or with their families.

3. NEVER interrupt when they are eating.

4. Always ask before getting autographs/photos. Don’t just shove cameras and/or autograph paper in their faces.

5. “Please” and “Thank You” go a long way, and never fail.

6. Don’t “throw yourself” at them. Think about it; would you like to have such a thing happening to you? Subtle flirting is one thing (and who hasn’t done this from time to time, really? Even I have been guilty of it), but doing things from everything to jumping into laps, pinching behinds, constant–and inappropriate–touching, and other things like this is not only crass and rude, it just makes the people doing it look desperate and pathetic.

7. Don’t ask outright for backstage passes, jobs, personal information such as phone numbers (and unless you are asked, don’t give your information, either), or try to weasel into something, such as a private party, unless you are invited. If this is all meant to be, you will be asked or offered such perks.

8. Don’t eat off their plates or drink out of their glasses, unless again, offered to share. This is just boorish otherwise.

9. A handshake, unless too limp or too strong, also leaves a good impression. So does a smile. It sounds corny, yes, but it always works.

10. If you are also an early bird like other fans can be (and that sometimes can be a good thing!), you may want to arrive at the venue two to three hours in advance. Usually after the lunch hour is the best time. Some of the talent will stop and sign autographs and/or take photos if time (and staying in character, if required) will allow them.

Don’t be disappointed if nothing happens this time; there is always another time to try once the show is over. Chances then are usually better unless they are pressed for time and/or are tired.

Nevertheless, the same rules apply as if you encounter them in the hotels, restaurants and lounges. The more respectful and polite you are, the better the reaction from them will be. Trust me!

And may you have that chance of a lifetime meeting your superstar, old and new. I’d love to hear about your experiences!

Why not just hang around Mckeesport and see if you can spot the superstar Loranden!

And yes, she reproduced her swanky article she wrote on Helium, for her blog. But it’s so wonderful, everyone needs to drink it in again Just don’t take her drink.