Mikhail Gorbachev, former President of the Soviet Union and General Secretary of the Communist Party, is in Peoria, Illinois, today to visit Eureka College as part of Ronald Reagan Day at the college (President Reagen was a 1932 graduate of the college) and to speak at the college's Ronald Reagan Day Dinner at the Peoria Civic Center. President Gorbachev worked with President Ronald Reagan to end communist rule in Eastern Europe and won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 for his efforts.

President Gorbachev stopped for this photograph as he was leaving his hotel this morning enroute to the college. My friend, Jay, spotted his interpreter a few minutes after we arrived at the hotel. He asked if it would be possible to get a photograph with President Gorbachev. With local police, state police, and his own security detail standing next to us, we waited patiently for President Gorbachev to arrive in the lobby. He was led into the lobby by another member of the security team. The interpreter immediately motioned for us to come over for the photograph, telling President Gorbachev (in Russian) that we were the gentleman who had been waiting for the photograph. I extended my hand to greet him as I approached for the photograph and he returned the handshake. He continued to hold a firm handshake as the photo was snapped. What was remarkable was the size of his hands. They were extremely large and thick (visible in photo above). He seemed to genuinely enjoy the quick interaction he had with us. After the photographs, his security team quickly moved him out the door and into a waiting Cadillac for his trip to Eureka College.

A throng of collectors from both St. Louis and other cities greeted Paris Hilton as she arrived at Lambert St. Louis International Airport Friday night for an appearance the following day at Macy's. Paris was just as nice Friday night as she was about a year ago when she made a similar stop in St. Louis. She signed and posed for pictures with just about everyone. Paris was especially interested in seeing her high school yearbook, which she signed for my friend, Jay. She probably would have continued signing longer; however, an overzealous collector displayed a copy of her infamous pornographic DVD. Upon seeing the disk, she promptly dropped the Sharpie on the ground and literally went skipping out of the terminal to her waiting car. That would have made some interesting video for TMZ!

Earlier in the afternoon, I got a photo and a signed book from comedian Steve Harvey at the new St. Louis downtown location of Left Bank Books. Harvey's book, Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, is currently on top of USA Today's best seller list. Although the book signing resembled an assembly line, Harvey did take a moment to look up at the camera for this shot. I'm happy I got this shot as we heard later from other collectors that he refused to pose for pictures as he left the book signing and at the hotel.

Unfortunately, I struck out on meeting any of the cast from the movie, Up in the Air, currently filming in St. Louis. I did manage to see Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, and George Clooney, but couldn't get close enough for a photo or an autograph. I also spotted director Jason Reitman. I watched Clooney film a late night scene at 8th and Walnut Street where he was riding in a taxi wearing a space suit, complete with a helmet and mask. The taxi drove about a block, stopped, Clooney got out and walked about 10 feet, stopping right in front of the camera. I'm not sure how that scene plays into the movie, but I'll be anxious to see if it makes the final cut.

Martha Stewart stopped in St. Louis Friday afternoon and she brought cookies!

Stewart was at Macy's in West County Center to sign copies of her latest cookbook, Martha Stewart's Cooking School: Lessons and Recipes for the Home Cook. While waiting in line, we were served some yummy sugar cookies and double chocolate chip cookies (Martha's recipes, of course) and bottles of San Pellegrino. Martha knows how to do a book signing!

As I approached the table, I noticed a sign outlining the usual book signing rules (no posed photos, no personalizations, no other items, etc.). As luck would have it, I was the next to last person in line, so I decided to ask for the personalization and for the photo and was rewarded with both, although the photo is the dreaded "bend and twist over the table shot." I don't imagine that would have happened if I was near the front of the line. Accompanying Martha at the table, sitting quietly on each side, were her two French bulldogs, Francesca and Sharkey.

As the signing concluded, she posed for a group shot with Macy associates and then headed to an office area to sign more books. About 15 minutes later, she emerged and browsed through her namesake collection in the linen department. As she left the area, I asked if she'd stop for a better photo and she politely agreed to take another.

Later in the evening, I caught up with pop singers Richard Marx and Matt Scannell as they arrived back at their hotel from their sold out show at the Argosy Alton Casino. Marx, a 2004 Grammy Award winner, signed a platinum record award for my collection. The award is from his first release, Repeat Offender. We chatted about his new disk with Matt and about a tour he did with Warren Zevon in the early 90's that I saw in Springfield, Illinois. Marx, by the way, has written 13 number 1 singles and 40 top 40 singles. That's quite an accomplishment! Scannell is the lead singer of the band Vertical Horizon.

The evening wrapped up at the Touhill Performing Arts Center with a new photograph with folk singer John Prine. Prine posed for this shot and signed a picture of the two of us from a encounter about a year ago in Springfield, Illinois. I forgot to ask if he played, "Let's Talk Dirty in Hawaiian." It's one of my favorite Prine tunes.