She Likes to Watch

As you may have heard, an earthquake hit Southern California a few hours ago.

According to the Associated Press, the 11:42 a.m. quake made buildings sway and triggered a few evacuations . However, there were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries.

The quake, estimated at magnitude 5.4, was centered 29 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles near the San Bernardino County city of Chino Hills, the AP reported.

As it so happens, the quake shook the very spot where Profiles in History is preparing for its huge movie memorabilia auction.

Superman’s suit. James Bond’s cuff links. The Holy Grail from “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” It’s all there.

Here’s an excerpt from the AP story by Robert Jablon:

Joseph Maddalena, who runs the historical documents and memorabilia dealer Profiles in History, was on the phone in his office in Calabasas, near Malibu, when the earthquake struck. He quickly put down the phone and ran to check on his 14-year-old son who had come to work with him as he prepared for a Thursday auction of 1,100 pieces of Hollywood movie memorabilia.

“Our building shook pretty good,” he said after discovering his son and his employees were unharmed and the building was fine.

“The window in my office kind of bowed out but it’s all right now. Everything is fine,” he said.

Pretty funny, huh?

Somehow I feel I might be responsible. I did write about the auction, after all.

It’s the Holy Grail of all auctions

Want to own a piece of Hollywood history?

This week, movie fans can bid online for props, costumes, scripts and posters ranging from The Lone Ranger’s pearl-handled revolvers (starting at $4,000 for the pair) to a mechanical Velociraptor from “Jurassic Park III” ($80,000).

The live Internet auction is being organized by Profiles in History of Calabasas, Calif.

How’d you like to get your hands on a phaser used by William Shatner in “Star Trek”?

What about a helmet from “CHiPs”? James Bond’s cufflinks? C-3PO’s feet from “Star Wars”? Or Lou Ferrigno’s prosthetic nose from “The Incredible Hulk” television series?

Even the Holy Grail used in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” is up for grabs. It’s a steal with bids starting at $20,000.

For as much as $50,000, you can purchase the “Ten Commandments” tablets that Moses himself (aka Charlton Heston) brought down from Mount Sinai.

Although most of the auctions items tend to run in the thousands of dollars, there are a few for relatively cheap. For instance, you could own a lobby card for 1962’s “Lolita” for a mere $200.

Click on this link for a closer look at the hundreds of items for sale. The auction ends 11 p.m. Thursday (Pacific Standard Time).

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You’ll notice that the same guy is modeling most of the men’s costumes up for auction, everything from Christopher Reeves’ “Superman” suit to the Sabertooth costume from “X-Men.” Lucky stiff.

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Photo courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com.