Saturday, January 27, 2007

Last night, we "got-r-done!"

Larry The Cable Guy was in concert at The Center in Springfield. We asked for pictures and autographs as he exited his tour bus to enter The Center about 7:30 p.m. Unfortunately, he was carrying his young son and politely declined. So, we ducked inside with our "complimentary" tickets to enjoy the show. Near the last half of the show, we decided to move up front to take some pictures, and much to our delight, found two seats, dead center, in the first row. We enjoyed the remainder of the show from that spot. Larry even gave a mention to the Nebraska cap my friend, Mark, was sporting. As the show ended, Larry came to the front of the stage to shake hands. We asked for autographs, but he directed us to the end of the stage where he said he'd take care of us. A few minutes later, his tour manager emerged and took our items backstage for Larry to sign. After the items were returned, we headed outside to wait for an opportunity to get a photograph. About 45 minutes later, Larry emerged with the wife and kid and made his way towards his bus. We asked for a photograph and he agreed to come back after dropping off his bag on the bus. Sure enough, about two minutes later, he popped off the bus and came directly over to us. He thanked us several times for being such great fans and for attending the show. He posed for us and for two other fans and also signed a few more autographs . . . all the while managing to slip in at least three or four of his trademark "Git-r-dones."

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Last night's A Prairie Home Companion was broadcast live from the Fox Theater in St. Louis and I was there! Well, not actually inside for the show, but outside in the car and listening on the radio. Following the performance, I made my way over to the stage door to await the departure of the show's star Garrison Keillor. After about 40 minutes waiting in the cold, I discovered from some other fans that Garrison was meeting and greeting fans inside the "warm" Fox Theater. So, I made my way inside and got in line. I was not disappointed. As I got closer, I could hear Garrison chatting up each person, asking them a little about themselves as he signed autographs and took pictures. Upon arrival at the front of the line, he took a close look at my jacket and said, "WP, now what does that stand for?" I replied "Worldwide Pants, David Letterman's production company." He asked, "So, did Dave gift you with this beautiful jacket?" "No," I replied, "You've heard of Ebay." He smiled and said, "Ahhhhhhhhh, yes, Ebay." He then proceeded to place a very beautiful signature on my A Prairie Home Companion DVD (and a few other items).

Earlier in the day, I had the opportunity to meet novelist Barbara Taylor Bradford during a book signing at Harrah's Casino (I know, kind of an odd place for a book signing). Taylor Bradford's first novel, A Woman of Substance, ranks as one of the top ten best selling fiction books in history with over 20 million copies sold. She is on tour promoting her most recent novel, The Ravenscar Dynasty.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Back in the swing after some time off for the holidays.

St. Louis rap star and Grammy award winner Nelly was nice enough to stop for pictures and autographs as he was departing the Jamie Foxx concert at the Fox Theater in St. Louis.

The star of the evening, Jamie Foxx, opted for no photographs, but did take a a quick minute to sign one autograph for everyone . . . can't beat getting a graph from an Academy Award winner!