In 1984, after the Washington Redskins lost the Super Bowl 38-9 to the Los Angeles Raiders, I wrote Redskins quarterback Joe Theisman a letter to tell him it was okay… I still liked him. The only address I had on the envelope was "Joe Theisman, Washington Redskins." A year (or, at least what seemed like a year to a nine-year-old) later, I received an autographed photo in the mail. I remember being pissed that it wasn’t personalized.
In the early ’90s, I sent a letter to the New Kids on the Block asking them if they would perform at my high school’s dance marathon because it benefited one of their favorite charities: United Cerebral Palsy. I couldn’t imagine them saying no (or that I would never get a response).
I know I’m not the only one who was that naive. My friend Karen once wrote a letter inviting Patrick Duffy (circa Man From Atlantis) to her house because she’d read that he liked antiques, which her parents had lots of. My friend Eva sent Rob Lowe (pictured, in 1984) an invitation for him and his then-girlfriend, Melissa Gilbert, to visit her at her house in Sweden. The plan: after reading that she had "graciously extended the invite to MG," Rob would see that Eva’s love was pure and leave Melissa for her. (Eva also mailed Ralph Macchio a hand-drawn map to her family’s home in Connecticut. God, I wish I knew her then.)
So now, PopWatchers, it’s your turn to share. We want to hear those sweet, delusional stories that only your closest friends know — and remind you of at least once a year. Also, feel free to join the debate I started earlier this week with a couple of coworkers — EW.com’s Helin Jung (who once received glossy photos back from John Cusack’s people) and EW’s Abby West (who wants it noted that it was "1983 or something" when she got her "autographed" picture in the mail from Michael Jackson). We’re wondering whether today’s tweens and teens — blessed with the Internet’s all-access pass to their favorite celebrities — even feel the need to write these kinds of letters anymore. Are they still naive enough to think that a home visit is a possibility? Or does the Internet’s false sense of accessibility actually have them demanding more when they take glitter pen to paper?
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They probably have all of their favorite stars in their top 8 on myspace and try and send them maps through there now.
When I was ten, I sent Bette Midler a fan letter because I liked Ruthless People. She sent me a picture that was signed but impersonal. When I was 20, I sent Howie (Backstreet Boys), JC (N’Sync) and Drew (98 Degrees) fan mail saying they could stay with me when they were in town. No response. I ordered Julie Brown’s Medusa: Dare to Be Truthful from her website, and i got a personal reply. Cool woman.
I think this might be the greatest post on Pop Watch EVER.
I got Muhammed Ali to visit my house. All I had to do was send him a letter telling him that I had a terminal illness. Of course, I had to act sick when he got there, but everyone figured out that I was faking. Oh well, I still got to meet the Champ. What a great day! Whachu talkin’ ’bout, Willis…
Mitch Gaylord, loved, loved, loved “American Anthem” as a tweener, saw it in the theater, wrote, received a personalized autographed picture, that I still have today, and hang on my fridge as a bit of a joke. Also, The Boston Celtics, every player from 1987-1989
Back in the early ’70’s, I used to write to David Cassidy and Donny Osmond every month. (Got the addresses from “Tiger Beat”). Before you judge me, please note that I was 13 or 14 at the time.
Awesome kid that I was, I deeply loved geography and acapella music. This, of course, made Where in the World is Carmen San Diego? my show. I wrote Rockapella a letter expounding on their coolness. They sent me an autographed picture and newsletters for the next five years. I was very excited, but none of my friends cared. This was the grown-up after-school special phase of life and only “little babies” watched PBS. Deeply crushing.
i wrote river phoenix a letter after ’stand by me.’ i even did a photo shoot for it…i’m not embarassed to say it. so sad.
When I was a kid I wrote Santa Claus and asked him if he could get me Optimus Prime’s address cause I wanted him to be my dad…I was angry at someone that day I remember, and I really wanted Optimus Prime…It is a bit geeky now, but I still remember me from that moment, and I wonder now if anyone read that letter…hmmm. I was 6 years old. I kinda still would like Optimus to come to my house…
I once sent a letter to the producers of MMC (The NEW Mickey Mouse Club) because I wanted to audition. I’d done musicals in school, so I most certainly was as good as that girl Britney, or that kid Justin, right? Well, I got a letter back, but it was an invite to join the fan club. I was so pissed. I threw it in the mail. Now I’m kinda glad I didn’t get cast. Florida is really humid. I hate humid.
The one and only fan letter I ever wrote was to my major pre-teen crush, Shaun Cassidy during his Hardy Boy days. I got sent back this slick package inviting me to join the “Shaun Cassidy Fan Club!”. I was maybe 10, but I distinctly remember thinking something along the lines of, “I can’t believe these people are trying to manipulate my true, pure love for Shaun into some money-making scheme!” I think the “hate” part of my love-hate relationship with pop culture began at that very moment. I did get a pretty decent 5×7 of him and Parker, though (complete with pre-printed autographs, which I also saw right through). The picture stayed on my bulletin board for many, many years, but I never wrote another fan letter again. Sniff.
In 6th grade, we actually had an assigment to write a celebrity or politician a letter. So I wrote a fan letter to Dean Cain (this was in his Superman days), and received an impersonal postcard in return. I distinctly remember the other boys wondering why in the world I would write to Dean Cain…oh, how innocent we all were =P.
I had a huge crush on Scott Bairstow(Lonesome Dove) his father just happened to play in the same Orchestra as a friend of our family, so I got a personalized 8×10 glossy of Scott!! I would still hang it on my wall… if I only knew where it went. My friend wrote a letter to the members of Depeche Mode asking them if they were gay… I wondered if she really believed they would answer her. Never found out if she actually mailed it or not though.
I liked Silver Spoons-era Ricky Schroeder and wrote him a fan letter. I got back a color, glossy photo (autographed? can’t remember) that I put under my pillow every night. I couldn’t have been more than 8 years old.
There was also the personally autographed Wil Wheaton poster that I received in the mail in high school that, after I got married, my husband made me throw away because “it’s worthless – there’s no way any famous person signs their own autographs.” I’m still mad at him (the husband), and I still wonder if it was actually Wil’s autograph.
I had this major obsession with Balthazar Getty. I sent him a letter with about 16,000 hearts that I had meticulously drawn on very un-fancy lined paper. You know what I got back? A signed picture, which was cool BUT there was also a impersonal letter that was trying to pimp his latest movie….something about cowboys. I went and saw that movie, and it was terrible. That was the day the love for Balthazar died.
During his “The Cutting Edge” days, I think I wrote D.B. Sweeney a fan letter and I got a signed photo in return.
I also had written a fan letter to crime author (and former cop) Joseph Wambaugh back in the day and I did receive a reply back.
When I was a little boy, I sent a fan letter to Boy George…I can’t remember how the letter went, but I am sure it was fawning. I wanted to be just like him
Like a year later, when I had already moved on to Madonna, I got a fan club advertisement. Boo 
The only piece of fan mail I ever sent anyone was to David Duchovny during his X-File days (*sigh, they were good, weren’t they?*). I was in highschool, probably 15 or 16 yrs old and I think I just gushed in the letter about how hot I thought he was and how much I love the show. (I also had a shrine to him in my bedroom, one wall was covered with magazine photos of him). One day after school I received a letter from Fox Studios and I was so excited I chased my girlfriends down the street to catch up with them (we had just walked home together). All that was inside was a cheesy looking postcard and a stamp/laminated half-assed ’signature’. No letter, nothing. I added the postcard to my shrine.
Gilda Radner, 1978 (I was 9 years old). Received in return a 8 by 10 glossy of Roseanne Roseannadanna.
I was completely infatuated with the show “The White Shadow” – specifically, with Ira Angustain, who played Ricky Gomez (also played Freddie Prinze in the TV bio). I wrote to him and one evening a couple of months later, the phone rang: “Hi, Amy, this is Ira Angustain from The White Shadow.” To this day, I have no idea what I said to him. He also sent an 8×10, signed in blue magic marker, personalized. Where is he now? I don’t know. All I know is he set the benchmark for classy and I never wrote to anybody after that – who could possibly top it?
I wote a letter to John Stamos in the mid – late 80’s telling hime that he should meet and date my older sister becasue they would be the perfect couple. I received 2 postcards back one addressed to me and one addressed to my sister.
I am SO glad I’m not the only one that’s ever done anything like this! My big celebrity crush was Tiffani-Amber Thiessen from “Saved By The Bell.”
At the wise old age of 12, I wrote her a letter saying what a big fan I was and how she should stop by my house if she was ever in Georgia. (I cringe just thinking about it.)
A couple of months later, I received a big yellow envelope – a pretty huge deal for a kid who never got anything in the mail. Inside was a black and white photo with a hand-written note that said, “To Josh, All my love, Tiffani-Amber Thiessen” and a standard “thanks for writing” form letter.
It was like I had died and gone to heaven. Whether it was actually her that autographed it I’ll never know, but it made my childhood. I’m pretty sure I still have it somewhere, actually.
My mom will kill me for telling anyone this, but she invited Neil Diamond to my brother’s bar mitzvhah and then my bat mitzvah four years later. She sent him the whole invite with the tissue paper insert and the RSVP card. Neil never sent back the RSVP card. No autographed pictures, nothing. You would have think she would have known he wouldn’t RSVP to mine after not RSVPing to my brother’s, but she’s persistant. She hasn’t felt the same about him since.
Oh my gosh Mandi! I loved NKOTB when I was in middle school as well. I wrote to Joe McIntyre specifically telling him that I never wrote letters like this but that I would really like to get to know him and that i thought he was cute. I thought if I didn’t write some freaky letter telling him I loved him he would think i was really cool and fall for me. Oh how foolish I was. Now he’s dancing with the stars and I didn’t even get an autographed picture like a lot of these other people. I should pick cooler celebrities to like. Then at least I could get something out of it. Instead, i’m stuck with my NKOTB dolls, bedsheets and tour jacket!
I sent a letter to the Solid Gold Dancers and got a gorgeous autographed picture back. However, it was signed “the Solid Gold Dancers,” not by any dancer in particular. Not even Marilyn McCoo! I also wrote a letter to Michael J. Fox and got back a signed (stamped) postcard that had him on the front looking all badass with spiky hair and a ripped up jean jacket. A far cry from Alex P. Keaton, that’s for sure.
I have a huge, huge binder all about the NBC soap SANTA BARBARA.
When I was a kid it was my favorite show and I dutifully wrote letters to EVERY cast member, they were all the same letter “I like your character bla bla bla..” I have probably close to 40 signed pictures, postcards ect but the ONE I really really wanted was Marcy Walker (Eden) but alas she never responded.
How, Arnold, that’s so funny! I did the same thing. I pretended to be deathly ill and sent a letter to Joe Namath. He showed up. How cool was that! My brother Greg also met Sandy Koufax once.
See, everyone, dreams DO come true!!!
Who didn’t i write to!!
1. NKOTB because I loved them.
2. Jonathan Brandis because he stuttered in IT and I stutter naturally and I told him that he was brave for having the courage to shine over his “disease” (i was a little obsessesed with my own “disease” at the time).
3. The MMC cast. Twice during The Party days. Call me, Damon!
4. Winona Ryder. Actually, I don’t know if I ever sent this. I went through a Beetlejuice phase and wanted to know why her character was so sad and if she had any tips for acting that way. See #2 for reasons why I would be a loner.
I only got a form letter from the NKTOB. Bastards. Guess I wasn’t tough enough.
I was a big fan of Elijah Wood when I was like 13, and we’re the same age so i guess that was the early 90s. Anyway, i sent him a letter and a postcard of the Beatles cause I’d read that was his favorite band. And the cool kid that he was, he actually sent me a personalized signed photo back, he even commented on some of the stuff I’d written in the letter. I still have it somewhere. My nephew thinks its so cool that I have Frodo’s autograph!
Much love Frodo.
I had 3 autographed pictures of Luke Perry. All real.
We grew up in the same town and a cousin of mine used to babysit for him long ago. this was what I used for leverage. We were practically related!