Sunday, July 30, 2006

Best wishes to the new bride on her marriage this weekend to Kid Rock. I met Pam Anderson this past May at the after party for the Rainforest Benefit concert in New York City. Although she was with a large entourage, she took time to sign autographs and pose for pictures.

Saturday, July 29, 2006

Let's see . . . a professional race car driver, a Heisman trophy winner, a professional golfer, and a supermodel. Not bad for a night's work. I captured photos with them at the July 27 stop in Springfield, Illinois, of the Kyle Petty Chick-Fil-A (I love Chick-Fil-A . . . Eat More Chicken!) Charity Motorcycle Ride. The caravan of over 200 motorcycles pulled up to the Hilton Hotel about 8 p.m. They had been delayed about two hours due to inclement weather earlier in the day.

As Kyle was making his welcome speech at the podium, I managed to work my way into the crowd and next to the podium to get my first shot, PGA golfer Davis Love III. In his 21-year career, he's managed to win over $33 million in prize money.

As soon as Kyle finished his speech, the cyclists dispersed to their bikes and the ride around
the corner to the parking lot. That's where I met 1982 Heisman Trophy winner and NFL running back Herschel Walker (in 1992 he was inducted into the NCAA Collegiate Hall of Fame and also named the second greatest college football player of all time, second only to the legendary Red Grange). Herschel looked splendid in his white jump suit, but took off the haz-mat looking apparel for the photograph.

Next up . . . super model Nikki Taylor. I waited for Nikki as she exited the parking garage. Nikki, who has graced the covers of Vogue, Cosmo, and several SI swimsuit editions, was more than happy to stop for a photograph and chat for a minute. I suppose it's not often you find super models who enjoy riding motorcycles.

Kyle Petty was final celeb of the evening. #45 was in a great mood after completing the day-long ride of over 500 miles. He signed autographs and took photographs with fans at a reception inside the Hilton.

Thursday, July 13, 2006

We spent the past week on vacation . . . taking in the Taste of Chicago (Lou Merlonti's deep dish pizza is to die for!), Milwaukee's Summerfest (don't wait until midnight to leave), and the Wisconsin Dells. While in the Windy City, I met actor/comedian Martin Short following the first night of previews of his new play, Fame Becomes Me, at the LaSalle Bank Theater (don't you just love corporate sponsorship?!?!). Martin was cordial to the small group of ten waiting outside the stage door as he signed playbills and posed for photographs. Martin's next stop is Broadway. His Broadway previews start July 29. You can also catch "Marty" next week on The Late Show with David Letterman.

Monday, July 03, 2006

Another neat surprise on tonight's episode of The Closer . . . John Billingsley! John played Dr. Phlox on Star Trek Enterprise and has been in numerous other TV shows and movies (including White Oleander). John played the role of a food critic who murdered the wife of a chef. I met John in May as he was leaving the Trump Hotel in New York City. He was kind enough to stop for a quick photograph, even though he was chatting on the phone. Too bad he's looking elsewhere.

Sunday, July 02, 2006

Superman Returns opened this past weekend and raked in a tidy $52 million. Here are the movie's leading ladies: Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane and Parker Posey as Kitty Kowalski. I met Kate at a movie premiere in New York City. I was close to the beginning of press row and called to Kate for a picture. She politely waved and continued. However, she remembered my request for a photograph! After completing her duties, she exited the theater and came over to say hello. I just love her pose . . . it's glamour and Hollywood all in one. My pose . . . "deer in the headlights."

I caught up with Parker in May 2005 before an evening performance of the play Hurly Burly in New York City. She came up the sidewalk on rollerblades with a Starbucks drink in hand. She promptly sat down on the steps of the theater to remove her blades and visit with us (my collecting buddies Jay and Mark). As I recall, she spent about 15 minutes chatting about various topics, including rollerblading, coffee drinking, and her cool shades.