(HoundsTV – December 31, 2009) Since our list last year was so popular – we had to rate the BEST and WORST autograph signers in Canada for 2009.

Who was good about signing? Who was bad? What were the memorable experiences?

Some quick notes about our surveying method – which we admit is based more on qualitative opinion – than quantitative fact. As well, we don’t include the hundreds of small indie bands and C-list actors that travel through the country. They are personalities not usually hounded by the pros in large numbers. So we kept the list to the biggies – the A-list stars, big bands, and pop culture icons that managed to have their passports stamped “Canada” at sometime during this year.

It is the A-listers which get the paparazzi, autograph hounds, and fans out in big numbers. And from where we culled our reports and opinions. So after thinking back to the year that was in Canada and hearing the opinions of autograph collectors coast-to-coast HoundsTV presents its annual BEST & WORST LIST…

RELATED: Virgin Radio 99.9 interview about 2009 BEST & WORST signers list

BEST AUTOGRAPH SIGNERS OF 2009

1. GEORGE CLOONEY

George Clooney earns HoundsTV’s title of BEST Signer to come through Canada this year. Besides starring in perhaps the best movie of the year, Clooney came to Toronto during September for the International Film Festival and was a signing champion to fans and autograph collectors – never refusing a signature request. Now, normally that wouldn’t have been too surprising as George is one of the nicer guys in the business. But his signing prowess was even more impressive – considering he was in Toronto with a banged up and bandaged signing hand. Clooney could have easily gotten off the hook from signing and everybody would have understood – but there he was – wading into crowds and signing away, often ignoring the pleas not to by his own people, security and publicists for fear of further injuring the hand.

2. JONAS BROTHERS

For another year running, the Jonas Brother were no strangers to Canada. They toured across the country – and even spent six straight weeks at a hotel in Toronto while filming a movie. And for hardcore JB fans and autograph seekers – it became no big secret where they were staying and crowds of people would congregate outside their hotel every day waiting for them. But the Jonas Brother proved to be fan favorites as they would routinely step outside their hotel to greet fans and sign autographs – not even caring if that particular signature might eventually make its way for sale.

3. MICHAEL JORDAN

Known for usually turning up on WORST signers lists – Michael Jordan earned a change in status this year after a visit to Oakville, Ontario during July for a charity golf tournament. A very large crowd of autograph collectors and fans turned out for the day following Jordan’s every move. Word on the course being that he would sign after his round. While the crowd swelled to hundreds chasing Jordan for that elusive signature, Jordan shocked many when he spent a good TEN minutes signing anything the hounds managed to get in front of him just before he departed the course. To the many collectors who chased Jordan for years to get that elusive signature – a sunny day in July on an Oakville golf course will be a day not soon forgotten.

4. TWILIGHT CAST (NEW MOON)

There was perhaps nobody more hounded (or famous?) to spend time in Canada during 2009 then the cast of Twilight – especially Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. Since the pop culture phenom series is 90% shot in Canada the stars spent a lot of time in Vancouver and stories of autograph experiences with the cast are numerous. One collector extensively blogged from the scene of many encounters with the Twilight cast. While the main stars were often difficult to find – there is consensus that the signing habits of the cast was generally good during the filming of New Moon – the 2nd movie of the series (unlike the 3rd film – see below) Even Kristen Stewart when cornered by collectors outside a restaurant replied she understands the autograph hounds “had a job to do” and didn’t care about signing. As for heart-throb Robert Pattinson - he got good at speed-walking to sometimes avoid the crowds, but If you managed to get close – he was good about signing. Pattinson was even known to sometimes sign for the fans gathering at the filming locations (and that was after he had shot all day and night.)

5. SIDNEY CROSBY

It couldn’t have been a bigger year for Sid The Kid winning NHL’s top awards and the coveted Stanley Cup. No team had a bigger crowds of autograph collectors outside their hotel in whatever Canadian city they were in. Fortunately for the autograph hounds – Crosby was “doing it” more than not.

6. YUSUF ISLAM (CAT STEVENS)

Perhaps because he came to Toronto over the Christmas holidays – but Yusuf Islam’s (formally known as singer Cat Stevens) long-awaited return to Canada may have gone under-reported in the mainstream media – but his appearance in Toronto didn’t go unnoticed by the autograph hounds. It even brought a few top U.S autograph collectors to Toronto for the occasion. And Yusuf did not disappoint the astute collectors that managed to track him down. While he politely declined photo requests, Yusuf was kind and gracious in signing any and all memorabilia – even as most were Cat Stevens albums. He even would often add the inscription, “peace & happiness”

WORST AUTOGRAPH SIGNERS OF 2009

1. BRITNEY SPEARS

Ms. Spears graced Canada for a bunch of concerts across the country on her 2009 “comeback” Circus tour. We couldn’t find a single collector or fan that reported getting Brit’s autograph this year. Most hounds don’t even bother trying anymore as Britney continues to live up to her reputation of being terrible in public for signing autographs and greeting fans. For her multi-night stay in Toronto Spears was rarely even seen – using private entrances and decoys to secretly get her in and out of the hotel. As for getting Brit’s autographs? Not a chance – You would have been doing good to just spot her outside of the shows.

2. ELTON JOHN

Another tour with Billy Joel brought Elton John to Toronto and Montreal a few times this year. But numerous autograph collectors did report – it was the same old Elton. No signing for the “eBay guys” (as Elton likes to say.) The thought of his autograph being sold still seems to send chills up Elton’s spine – so he rarely signs them anymore. Too bad, if this list was for 1999 he would have been high up on the BEST side.

3. U2

Also former “BEST” signers that have slowly moved over to the dark side as each new tour brings the group to Canada. The tour years of 2001 and 2005 when Bono and Edge would stand outside their hotel for an hour greeting fans and signing autographs appears to be over. During their week in Toronto for the most recent tour saw the band staying at a private residence. Bono and Edge were routinely seen all over town – Bono signing very little. Edge nothing. Since Larry Mullen Jr. and Adam Clayton were practically ghosts and rarely seen, and refused autograph requests when they did appear – the consensus is that U2 have become BAD about signing autographs during their stop in Canada this year.

4. STEPHEN KING

A trip to Toronto during October for the reclusive horror icon Stephen King brought out the autograph collectors in droves. While King was in Toronto to talk about his new novel – he just wouldn’t sign any in public. King was approached many times by people with his book and pen in hand. He either refused to sign or simply ignored the request. Even at the event where King was reading from his novel the people in attendance were instructed that he would NOT be signing and instead, a lottery system was set up to distribute the few books King was willing to sign – away from the public and behind closed doors.

5. METALLICA

A wire story broke early in the year indicating a high percentage of Metallica autographs for sale on sites like eBay were fake. Reached for comment, the band said they were aware of the counterfeits and for that reason they don’t sign much anymore for people hanging around hotels and airports. Metallica later spent a few days in Toronto on their recent world tour. And while they were no strangers to walking the streets of Toronto. Autograph collectors reported that the main members of the group where very tough about signing (except Robert Trujillo – but you can’t really count him?) As for memorabilia like photos or albums – Lars and James just wouldn’t touch them on the outside. While 2009 may NOT have been a good year for collecting Metallica autographs – it was a good year financially for the band touring.

RELATED: Virgin Radio 99.9 interview about 2009 BEST & WORST signers list

6. TWILIGHT CAST (ECLIPSE)

After filming New Moon earlier in the year, the Twilight cast returned to Vancouver during summer to shoot the third film in the series – Eclipse. Autograph hounds reported the signing habits of most of the cast had changed – and for the worst. Collectors reported hearing things like this said by minor co-star Cameron Bright, “I am only allowed to sign one and I have to put your name on it” (words I’m sure Summit Entertainment executives put into the casts head.) As for Rob and Kristen, the media attention on them became so overwhelming they practically disappeared and were almost like ghosts when not filming. While reports of new cast members like Bryce Dallas Howard were cool about signing – there is no question, the supply of autographs coming from the Twilight cast shrinked considerably when shooting the third movie.

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Now, you might have expected a front cover Britney photo in the Toronto dailies come Thursday. But on that day all the papers ran very little coverage of Spears – and NO photos from the Toronto show.

Was the Spears story not big news in Toronto? Had newspapers cut back staff so severely there was nobody left to cover the show? No. And No.

HoundsTV spoke to sources at The Toronto Sun who said they certainly had plans to make Britney a cover story come Thursday – but “ridiculous demands” by the Spears camp towards the mainstream media on what could be done with the photos had every Canadian news outlet and agency saying NO THANKS. So Spears concert reviews ran in The Toronto Sun and Toronto Star print editions with no photos and the papers used old file shots for their Britney reviews on their websites.

What demands by the Spears camp could have pissed the papers off so much as to not send photographers to such a visual feast? After all, the editors know their papers readers don’t want to just read about Britney – they want to SEE Britney.

Its usually when the “journalistic integrity” of the papers gets a little threatened when the editors cry foul. Perhaps the Spears camp were demanding news photographer shots MUST run on the front page the next day. Quite possibly – the pictures captured by the photographers are said to be “For one-time use only. No re-use.” – which basically means the news editors can review the show and run a photo the next day. But the next time Britney does something dumb and is in the news (yeah… like what are the chances of that???) – the papers couldn’t run another shot from the concert to accompany that story.

Whatever the demands exactly were. The news editors didn’t like it and with the struggles of the paparazzi on the other side – it was suddenly very tough to get a good shot of one of the world’s most photographed woman.

Of course, come the next night in Montreal when some club paid the right price – all of a sudden Britney was in a mood to be snapped.