It's almost over . . . birthday number 40 . . . a great day topped off with a wonderful dinner with Michelle at the Magic Kitchen . . . food doesn't get much better than this!

From this past Saturday's Andre Iguodala's Charity Basketball Game at LLCC in Springfield. I was looking to snag a pic with Allen Iverson, Andre's 76'ers teammate and all around NBA star, but he was a no-show. I did manage to capture shots with three key members of the 2004 Fighting Illini Final Four team . . . Dee Brown, Deron Williams, and Luther Head . . . all three were more than happy to chat, sign, and take photos with fans. Dee was especially pumped for the upcoming NBA draft.

I was pleasantly surprised to see Frances Sternhagen on last night's episode of The Closer (another one of my favorite prime time TV picks!). She was playing Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson's (Kyra Sedgewick a.k.a. Mrs. Kevin Bacon) mother. I met Frances, or should I say startled her, as she arrived for a Sunday afternoon performance of Steel Magnolias last May. She had her hood up and head down as she made her way to the theater. I suppose she wasn't expecting me to ask for a picture as she jumped and exclaimed, "Oh, my," when I spoke. You might also remember Frances as Norm's mom on Cheers.

Finally . . . a few minutes to share a couple of photos from the May NYC trip. It was a very productive visit, with over 150 pics added to the collection. There were lots of "A listers" on the trip. Here are my first three highlights.

I'm three out of four in meeting the Seinfeld cast. Jerry, Kramer, and now the lovely Ms. Elaine Benes! Julia Louis-Dreyfuss was hosting Saturday Night Live May 13 and I met her following the show at the show's After Party at McCormick and Schmicks. She opted not to do photos or sign autographs during the week of rehearsals, but was accommodating following the show, signing before and after the party. I also got to meet hubby Brad Hall, also a Saturday Night Live alum.

A decision to stop at the Mandrian Hotel for a few minutes after a tasty Mexican lunch at Rosa Mexicano (awesome food and guacamole made fresh at your table!) provided a house call by the doctor himself . . . Hugh Laurie! Hugh stars in "House," one of my favorite primetime TV shows. Plus, the good doc shaved for the pic! I can't begin to tell you how excited I was to meet him!

May 21 . . . 4:30 a.m. . . . Rockefeller Center . . . Kevin Spacey! Yep, just before sunrise, Kevin exited the Saturday Night Live After Party (he hosted) to sign, chat, and pose with those fans who were still awake. Don't know if you can tell or not, but Mr. Spacey had been enjoying the beverages all night "--).

More from NYC . . . stayed tuned.

Just back from New York City (after an unexpected night's stay at the Airport Hilton in Atlanta) with lots of celeb photos and stories. Plus, I finally got to meet a long-time autograph friend, informer, and Guns-n-Roses fanatic, Bob Pivoroff. Watch for an update this weekend.

This past Friday, April 28, I made my annual visit to Ebertfest, Roger Ebert's overlooked film festival, at the Virginia Theater in Champaign, Illinois. Friday night's screening was Ripley's Game, starring Illinois native John Malkovich. I did manage to squeeze in a brief conversation with John during my attempts to get a photograph. Unfortunately, John just didn't want his picture taken.

However, Roger didn't disappoint. He's always accommodating to festival attendees and frequently roams the lobby and theater. If you see a silver Lexus SUV with the license plates MOVIES, that's Roger.

Marni Nixon, Audrey Hepburn's singing voice in My Fair Lady, was in the audience for the Ripley's Game screening. She had lots of compliments for the Ripley's movie score during the Q and A session that followed. My Fair Lady was screened the day before, with Marni sharing stories about the movie and her other "singing" roles in feature films. Marni's son is Andrew Gold of "Thank You For Being a Friend" one hit wonder fame.


Finally, I spotted Scott Wilson in front of the Theater as I was leaving. Scott is one of the stars of the early 1980's movie The Right Stuff. He was at the Festival as part of the next day's screening of Junebug, a movie he co-starred in with Amy Adams. This was Scott's second trip the Festival.

Periodically, I'll post some of my favorite photographs and stories from previous years.

I attended the St. Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates baseball game last night in St. Louis. Chris Carpenter, the 2005 National League Cy Young Award winner, was the starter for the Cardinals. Even though he didn't have his best stuff, Carp managed to hang on for the win. This is a pic of us from spring training 2006. The photo was taken between practice fields 1 and 2 at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida. I told him he was on my 2005 fantasy league team, and I thanked him for getting so many points for me. He grinned and said, "No problem."

Rhoda Morgenstern is alive and well! Valerie Harper was in St. Louis this past Sunday, April 23, 2006, at the Fox Theater in a performance of Golda's Balcony. She arrived via taxi and was in a rush because the taxi driver couldn't remember how to get to the Fox. Even though she was in a hurry, she was gracious and stopped to sign an 8 x 10 and pose for this picture. Valerie was more relaxed following the show and signed two programs from her performance.