Last night in St. Louis it was three-for-three highlighted by an exciting encounter with socialite Paris Hilton as she arrived at Lambert St. Louis International Airport from Los Angeles. She was originally scheduled to arrive at 5:20 p.m., but inclement weather in St. Louis delayed her flight until 6:50 p.m. Paris and her bodyguard were some of the first people off the plane. Dressed in all black with a hood and sunglasses, she was barely recognizable as she came off the plane. Although talking on her cell phone, she took time to sign autographs and pose for photographs for myself and about ten other collectors as she walked to the baggage claim area. It was quite the scene as we followed her. It had lots of other passengers wondering what was happening and the identity of the celebrity. As Paris came to the baggage claim area, her bodyguard led her outside to the parking garage and her SUV. By the time she approached the car, she had ended her telephone conversion and continued to sign autographs and take photographs. She even signed an old Time magazine, featuring her grandfather, Conrad Hilton, on the cover, for my friend, Jay. Paris was more than generous with the autographs, signing three for me and as many as six for another collector.

Here's another shot with Paris as we were walking through the airport. The hand on her shoulder was the bodyguard. He kept a hand on her the entire time walking through the airport before relaxing in the parking garage. The shot above was taken by the car. By the way, Paris was in St. Louis to promote her new fragrance, Can Can, at the South County Mall today. $150 would have gotten you the opportunity to meet her and get a signed photo.

Next, we hit the interstate for Laclede's Landing and the Laugh Factory. Actor, comedian, and former Saturday Night Live star Tracy Morgan was appearing there this weekend. We only had to wait about 15 minutes before he rolled up in a Lincoln town car. As he opened the door, we couldn't help but smell the aroma of a wonderful herbal cigarette that he'd been enjoying on the ride to the comedy club. Tracy was very nice and stopped to sign a photograph and take this picture. We also pointed out to him that the name of the street on which the club was located is Morgan Street and the pub across the street was the Morgan Street Brewery (see the sign in the background). He thought that was "cool."

Earlier in the afternoon, we stopped by the Holiday Inn in Alton to get an autograph and photo with comedian Emo Phillips as he departed for his show at the Argosy Alton Casino. Emo was the executive producer of the movie Meet the Parents and also starred in the Weird Al/Michael Richards movie UHF. What a silly guy! The inscription on my autograph: "To Kevin: My 18th favorite mammal of all time. Love...Emo."

Timing is everything when it comes to photographs and autographs, and that was the case yesterday afternoon in St. Louis. As I arrived at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in St. Louis for a charity event (that was supposed to have Harrison Ford as its special guest), I spotted two tour buses along the side of the hotel. Knowing that Kid Rock was in town for a show last night, I was pretty confident that one of the buses belonged to him. Sure enough, about two minutes later, he popped out the hotel door sporting the latest in full-length fur coats. Although he didn't have much to say, he took time to sign autographs and take photographs for myself and three other fans.

Oh, that charity event . . . Harrison didn't show. He flies his own plane and decided the weather was too messy to make the trip :--(.

I'm back from a week in sunny Phoenix, Arizona, and here's a recap of my celebrity encounters:

First up is former NFL head coach, Sam Wyche. He stopped for a photograph after his presentation at the NFL Experience on Sunday, February 27. He's best known for developing the "no huddle" offense and for leading the Cincinnati Bengals to the 1988 AFC Championship.

A couple of days later, we attended a lecture and book signing at the Poisoned Pen book store in Scottsdale featuring television writer and producer Stephen J. Cannell. Cannell, who is best known for his work on the Rockford Files, A-Team, and 21 Jump Street (to name just a few), gave a in-depth and very interesting presentation on his life in television and now as an author. He detailed how he got his start and how he's dealt with his dyslexia. Following his presentation and a Q and A session, he sat down to greet, sign books, and take photographs with fans. And, you have to like a bookstore that provides the guest with the correct pen to sign . . . a blue Sharpie!

The next night, we stopped by the Barnes and Noble in the Desert Ridge Center in Phoenix for an acoustic performance and CD signing by Lisa Loeb. Loeb entertained the crowd of about 200 with a six song set and then followed up with a meet and greet. She gladly signed her new CD, The Purple Tape, for me along with a promo CD single of "I Do." And, she got up to pose for each and every fan!

After departing the book store, we headed downtown for dinner at Pizzeria Bianco. It was our second visit and it was just as good as the first! Without a doubt, it's the best pizza I've ever eaten! Chris Bianco is the owner and chef, and has won food's top prize, The James Beard Award. Chris gladly signed a menu and invited back to the kitchen for this photo.

My final celebrity encounter happened as we were walking the street surrounding the University of Phoenix Stadium, home of last Sunday's Super Bowl 42. There walking with his wife and grandkids was NFL Hall of Famer Jim Brown. Most football experts consider Brown the best running back of all time. While he declined to sign, he stopped long enough for me to snap this shot.