Another one of our favorite princess celebrates her birthday today: Barbara Steele. Never quite figured out if she was born in 1937 or 1938 but what the hell? Seems that her next movie comes out in January 2008, which has the charming title of Her Morbid Desires. Cassandra Peterson and Brinke Stevens are also supposed to be in it, so who knows? These Sirens are hard to put down…

I’m going to take the opportunity, since this is Cassandra Peterson’s birthday, to answer a question that has come my way thousands of time: have you ever actually met any of the Sirens that you talk about on your website?

To meet as many Sirens as possible is still a work in progress, but I admit that the chance to actually chat with one in person came my way in 2005, at the Toronto FanExpo. On the guest list was Cassandra Peterson and I couldn’t miss that chance. Some months before, I think I’ve failed to convince the person representing Tanya Roberts for her convention appearances to make his client a guest at the con, so I was consoled by standing in front of the Mistress of the Dark, au naturel without the Elvira costume.

The following photograph is immortal proof that I met Cassandra in person (what, don’t you recognize me on the left, in full convention battle gear?). Actually, I have no clue as to who took that picture, as I found it by pure chance on one of the Rue Morgue forums dedicated to that particular event (Rue Morgue being one of the main organizers):

Right then, I was probably telling some lame joke that was hitting the mark. When I admitted coming from Montreal, Cassandra fondly recalled her visit to my hometown on the Just For Laughs Festival in 2001, for the promotion of her movie Elvira’s Haunted Hills. She was charming, beautiful and full of wit. A memorable encounter.

So let’s celebrate Elvira’s 58th birthday (!!!) while keeping in my mind that her favorite holiday (Halloween) is on its way…