It's always good when you can get an autograph and picture "inside" when the temperature "outside" is below freezing . . . way below freezing. That was the case Saturday night as we "crashed the party" at the fund-raiser for the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival Scholarship Program at the Sheldon Concert Hall. The special guest was Academy Award winner Richard Dreyfuss. While we patiently waited to meet Richard, we dined at the dessert table and enjoyed a drink from the bar. After the initial rush subsided, we made our way over to his table. Richard was in a great mood and chatted us up while signing our items and taking pictures.

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."

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.

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!

James Brown . . . Rest In Peace.

This shot is from May 11, 2005, as James exited B.B. King's Blues Nightclub in New York City after the second of two shows that night. As with most of these encounters . . . it was just luck . . . we were in the right place at the right time. We were there less than a minutes when the front doors of the club swung open and out he came. He wasn't going to stop, but we mentioned that we were from the St. Louis area . . . home to Chuck Berry. That brought a smile to his face and got him to stop long enough for a quick photograph before he hopped in his stretch limo and departed.

What happens in Vegas . . . stays in Vegas. Not on this blog.

We vacationed in Sin City, November 13-18. We saw several shows (Love, the Beatles Cirque du Soleil show is a must see! It's by far the best show I've ever seen!), had lots and lots of great food (the desserts at the Bellagio, thai at Lotus of Siam, breakfast at the Paris, and lunch at the Wynn were tops!), and met a few celebrities.

First up was Don Rickles. The 80-year-old comedian was receiving a star on the new Ceaser's Palace Comedy Walk of Fame. Whoopi Goldberg was the presenter. Being Vegas, there were about twenty different entrances/exits to the event, so I decided to go for the photograph as he departed. Luckily, I got close enough to the roped-off area to ask Don for a photo as he came off the podium. He looked up, said "sure," and motioned for me to come over. That's when the Mrs. intercepted me and told me he had to go as he had a show in 25 minutes . . . all the while Don is motioning me to come over. Then security threw an arm up and blocked me also. Not one to give up, I worked my way back through the crowd down to the end of the sidewalk where he was leaving. Sure enough, here came Don lead by a costumed Ceaser's mascot, yelling "All hail to Don Rickles!" I quickly brushed by the mascot and approached Don for the picture. He wouldn't actually stop walking, so I had to snap the shot on the run.

The following night we had excellent 9th row tickets for the comedy and magic of Penn and Teller at the Rio. Michelle even got to share the stage with Teller and took home an autographed fish bowl as part of the act! Penn and Teller always take time to meet and greet fans after the show (and to sell the merch :--) ). We had a nice chat with Teller as he told us about one of his favorite Thai restaurants, Lotus of Siam . . . he even drew us directions on the back of our ticket stub. What a nice guy! By the way, the show was great too!

Friday was the jackpot day for pictures. During an afternoon walk to the Las Vegas Fashion Show Mall, I stopped and asked comedian Rita Rudner for a photo. She gave me the usual not now, I'm in a hurry line, but obliged after I asked a second time.

At the Mall, my target was famed pianist Roger Williams. He was attempting to break his own record by playing the piano for 14 hours straight, with only a small break every 45 minutes to one hour. After listening for about 40 minutes, Roger stopped and made his way to the sidelines where he greeted me and several other fans before retreating to his dressing room to soak his hands in ice water.

Next up was a stop for a meet and greet with comedian and rap artist Jamie Kennedy at the Comedy Festival. He was there to promote his new DVD and his new CD with Stu Stone. Everyone there got a free DVD, plus the chance to hang with Jamie for a few minutes. Jamie also gave me some good-natured kidding about requesting a "blue" Sharpie for the autographs. But like a true pro, he had several fresh "blue" Sharpies by his side.

Following the meet and greet, I headed inside Ceasar's Palace to hang outside the entrance to a celebrity poker tourney being held in conjunction with the Comedy Festival. I first spotted Steve Shirripa (Bobby Bacala from the Sopranos). He took a picture with me and we chatted about our previous meeting in May in New York at a children's fund-raiser. Steve's is one of Hollywood's good guys.

Speaking of good guys . . . Jeremy Piven is also near the top. Jeremy was more than happy to stop for a photograph and sign some autographs as he exited the poker tournament.

Oh, I might mention also that I saw Billy Crystal and the Mrs., not once, not twice, but three times. He was in too big of a hurry to stop each time. No problem though, I've got a great picture from NYC.

I concluded the evening with a picture with comedian George Lopez. I spotted George while strolling through the Forum shops at Ceasar's Palace.

Yep, they shocked the world!

Congratulations to the 2006 World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals! I was there for the clincher, well, sort of. I didn't have a ticket to the game (just couldn't bring myself to fork over $400 plus the scalpers were asking), but was just outside the gates with thousands of other Cardinal fans soaking up the atmosphere and trying to catch a glimpse of the game between the gates. After the final out, I rushed in to celebrate with the rest of Cardinal nation. Wow . . . what a feeling!

After the game, I ran into actor/comedian Kevin Pollack. He's friends with Cards manager Tony LaRussa and was in town for all three World Series games.

Plus, Cardinal/Fox Sports broadcaster Joe Buck was kind enough to visit with fans while waiting for his ride. He said he thought alot about his dad, Jack, during the game. He also replayed his game ending call for the fans who asked. And, no, I didn't touch his throat.

Finally, here's David Eckstein, your World Series MVP . . . from this past February at spring training in Jupiter, Florida.