Live Report From Ken Kennedy Signing
WNW reader Courtney Barrios sent the following:
Hey, I went to the Mr. Kennedy signing at the Eaton Centre Best Buy Saturday, so I thought I would send in a live report.
It was a wristband policy effect event, so anyone wishing to attend the signing had to go into the store and get a wristband from the front security desk, where a guard was distributing the wristbands. They were available all day, so you could go early in the morning, get your wristband, and come back when they wanted everyone to start lining up, which was at 4. They were also letting everyone in by number, so if you were number 1, you got in first and so on.
One of the only downsides of the event, was when they wanted us to line up at 4, they made use wait outside in the freezing cold. However, they were nice enough to distribute hand warmers to everyone in line, to help keep our hands from freezing. They also had Kennedy's wikipedia profile printed out, and were asking trivia questions to those in line. And if you got the questions right, they gave you a free copy of the Behind Enemy Lines: Columbia dvd. They asked basic questions about Kennedy, such as who was his first win on SmackDown over, his first win on Raw, and so on. Everyone seemed to be at a loss for words, when it came to what high school sport did Kennedy used to announce for when he was in high school. Everyone was yelling out every sport but the one he actually announced for, which was basketball. Which I had known because I had read his wikipedia page last night. As well, they also asked in what country had they actually filmed the movie. Again, everyone had guessed every possible country in South America/the Caribbean, except the country they actually filmed in, which was Puerto Rico. Since I had just gotten a dvd, I told the kid next to me. And I think the guy doing the trivia didn't hear him well, or the kid didn't pronounce it right, but he told the kid he was wrong. I told the other lady next to me, and she got it right, and got a dvd. Eventually the kid told the guy that he had said the right answer, and the guy gave him a dvd as well.
When they finally started letting people inside, it was about ten minutes before the signing was scheduled to start at 6:00. They had a little set up inside the store, and were letting people in, ten at a time, before the area in front of the little set up was filled. The signing ended up starting about fifteen minutes late, mostly due to a false fire alarm. When he finally came out, everyone was yelling out Kennedy, in which he paused at the top of the platform, and yelled the second Kennedy. The line actually moved pretty fast, I think due to the fact that they weren't really letting people take pictures with him. Which I didn't see a problem with, because a) we stood out in the cold to meet him, and b) there was definitely, less than the 300 people they said could get into the signing. As well, they were saying only one thing signed, only one thing signed. But Kennedy signed as many things, and anything you put in front of him. He was really nice. I got to shake his hand, and get a picture taken with him. But there had to be this one security guard, who I heard was at the whole Score Christmas Bash debacle, who was being quite mean. When I leaned over the table to get a picture, he was grabbing my elbow, and was like no posed pictures. Whatever, Mr. Kennedy was all for taking pictures, and if he didn't care, dammit I was getting my picture. And Kennedy was signing what you gave him, and had a stack of Best Buy promo pictures he was signing and giving to everyone. Before I could get my picture, the security pulled me away, and told me to pick up my bag and jacket which I had put down. But I wasn't leaving until I got my signed picture too, which I ended up getting. They were also giving out promo posters for Behind Enemy Lines: Columbia to everyone as they left the line.
Overall, everyone had a great time, except for the whole standing outside in the freezing cold bit, and Mr. Kennedy was super nice to everyone, and signed anything and everything put in front of him. And seriously people, go out and buy Behind Enemy Lines: Columbia. I watched the movie last night, and it was awesome. Mr. Kennedy ... Kennedy was very good, and deserves all the support.
