So I discussed this in another thread, but I'd make it it's own post so more people are aware that the playbills that were being sold for charity were not signed by Fran, but were in fact stamped-Tacky
Stamping Drescher
LOTS and lots of "stars" do this.
For the Charity Broadway Cares playbills?
Also, lots do not- most just don't sign or have a sec. do it. To do something like this for Broadway Cares is tacky- correct me if I am wrong, but I don't recall any other celebs doing this during collection time that I can think of.
This reminds me of when I saw Victor/Victoria with Julie Andrews. The night I saw it she didn't stop to sign anything she just came out the door and went to her car and everyone clapped for her. Then a staff member told the crowd if they would like their playbill signed they could send it to the theater. I did that and when it came back the signature was clearly a stamped signature. I'm not judging her for it...but other celebrities do stamp their signature.
Yes, they do- and many don't sign or have someone sign for them (Bette Midler). I was just letting people who had purchased these playbills that they were not actual signatures (fran's, the rest are real) and also I found it funny how according to her twitter replys, that's there isn't the least thing wrong with it and can't understand why a person would be disappointed.
You know what is tacky? The number of people who contacted her about this "issue"...
For crying out loud: when people give to Broadway Cares, they are making a donation, not buying a product. It's a rule, otherwise it could not be considered a (tax deductible) donation. You are not buying an autograph, you are not buying the person's time to sign. Get.Over.It.
Updated On: 5/22/14 at 07:29 AM
You can look at it that way, BUT in a way, you are buying a product. Why are the posters and Playbills being offered- to encourage people to buy them. If it were all about the donation, then these items would not be necessary or even need to be offered considered the amount of time it takes for the cast to sign all these things. People who are getting something that is falsely advertised should have a right to complain. For example, if you donated and were supposed to receive a signed playbill and what you received was a preprinted playbill (Which is not really signed) then you have the right to complain. I completely understand and respect you're opinion. But People do have a right to complain. I think what got people going was the fact that she kept trying to act like she was signing them, which was a lie.
I agree that this is tacky, especially given that this is for charity. And I'm a HUGE fan of hers. HUGE. Probably bigger than anyone else on this board.
As for BC/EFA, they ARE selling a product. What the money goes for doesn't matter, the fact is that they are offering you a product in return for your money and what they are offering you is not exactly what it is being described as.
Big deal. It's just a goddamn signature. What's more important is the charity.
It shows how Fran Respects her fans- she won't sign or anything at the stage door or even really get close to them, won't sign for them TTM or even for charity.
Of course. But when they're offering something that's signed, I still think it should be signed.
I remember that in Fran's Broadway Cares speech she said that the playbills were signed by everyone "including Carly and Me"- which was a complete lie on her part.
Yeah, I say tacky too.
It is tacky. But, it's also could be because she knows people will selling on EBay.
So what if they do sell it on eBay? Once someone buys something or obtains something, they're free to do what they want with it. I can't tell you how many signed posters/playbills etc. I've bought on eBay over the years since I couldn't get them signed myself. And seriously it's not like there are hundreds of people selling signed broadway stuff on eBay that invade the stage doors every night.
So if she's worried that 5 people will make $20 off her signature, than she has absolutely nothing else in her life to worry about.
And it's not as if those signed playbills will go on eBay for anymore then what you paid for it. There is not enough profit to even bother.
I honestly wouldn't have been able to tell that was a stamp.
The people badgering her on Twitter is grotesque. She's been very ill in the past. She doesn't want to compromise her immunity at the stage door and the smell of Sharpies make her sick. People are disgusting.
It's actually pretty easy to tell in person, as a friend of mine got one- Her signature looks way different then everyone else's on the playbill, it doesn't have to consistence or look of something that was actually signed.
I can see if you're a collector of these things (signed playbills, posters, etc.) how using a stamp would cheapen the value of the item.
Personally it wouldn't bother me but I'm not a collector.
I wouldn't go so far as to say she's disrespecting her fans, and I certainly don't think bashing her on twitter is called for.
But again, I can understand how it could be upsetting to a true fan/collector.
There is no excuse for it- plain and simple (unless she is disabled in some way). Everyone else does it so she should to- Not only that, but she's lying to entire Broadway audiences that she signed those playbills. It's tacky and Lazy.
"For crying out loud: when people give to Broadway Cares, they are making a donation, not buying a product. It's a rule, otherwise it could not be considered a (tax deductible) donation."
You are both legally correct and logically inaccurate, though.
Do you really think they would make as much money without the signed merchandise? That isn't just something people are getting for the same amount of money they would have donated otherwise.
I think the main offense here is that they are positioning the item as being signed by Fran (or anyone else who does this).
I would rather someone like Fran just refuse to sign AND not get a silly stamp to pretend to sign things.
She cannot have been the first "name" to take the easy route on signing a bunch of stuff. How is this different from a celebrity who just does a squiggly line that could've been done by anyone? Or a celebrity that has a personal assistant do it for them?
How can you absolutely verify that the signature on something is truly the celebrity sitting at a desk writing it out, unless you saw them do it?
You know, maybe she personally stamps them.
If sharpies make her sick then ink pads and stamps seems like a reasonable substitute.
Especially if she wants to help charity.
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