Restaurant Impossible Chef Robert Irvine was possible this evening at the Caseyville Cafe in Caseyville, Illinois. Irvine and his crew were in town to transform yet another failing restaurant in two days and with $10,000.

Irvine posed and signed a couple of 8x10s in the bar after taping the closing segment for the Food Network show. And, he posed for pictures with just about everyone else in the bar as he finished a couple of Coronas.

 
Here's the show's builder Tom Bury following the taping. Another good guy. Even invited me to have a beer with him.

Remember the Lexus SUV you see Chef Irvine driving in each episode? It was parked right by the front door.

Here is actress Carrie Fisher upon her arrival in St. Louis last night for an appearance later today at the St. Louis Jewish Book Festival. After taking her dog, Harvey, outside the terminal for a potty break, Fisher returned to pose and sign for those waiting.

Fisher, best know for her role as Princess Leia in the Star Wars trilogy, is promoting her newest book, Shokaholic, at the Festival. Read a great article about Fisher and mom, Debbie Reynolds, here in today's St. Louis Post Dispatch.

Here's Jackson Browne after his October 23 concert at Sangamon Auditorium in Springfield. He got a kick out of my Naked Ride Home crew shirt. And, he actually played the song tonight. Played LOTS of other obscure stuff. Awesome jam on Take It Easy for encore. Don't ask him to sign anything, though. His tour manager says if he signs autographs "he just ends up looking at his hands all the time." OK.

Here's Cal and Rob of the techno, hip-hop, pop duo Time Flies following their show last night at the Bruner Fitness Center on the campus of Illinois College here in Jacksonville. Their debut album, The Scotch Tape, was released last fall. Only 24 hours after its release, the album soared to #8 on the iTunes overall chart and #2 on the iTunes Pop chart. The guys took a few minutes to pose, sign some photos and tour posters, and chat about their music. Special thanks to Alex for the hook-up.


A week ago, I had the privilege of meeting former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver and NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin in St. Louis. He was in town for the NFL Network's coverage of the Rams game the following evening. He posed for this shot as he arrived at his hotel.


About an hour later, I caught up with Kris Allen, winner of season 8 of American Idol, following his concert at Off Broadway. Allen signed a couple of 8x10s and posed for this photograph. Amazing that there were only about 50 people at the show.

Here's Grammy-award winning rock guitarist, songwriter, and producer, Steve Vai, following his show at The Pageant in St. Louis, MO September 29. Vai, who got his start at a music transcriptionist for Frank Zappa and later had stints in the David Lee Roth Band and in Whitesnake, took plenty of time to visit with fans, take photos, and sign autographs. When he's not playing guitar or writing music, Vai is an avid beekeeper.


The following afternoon was the Beardstown, IL Fall Fun Festival and this shot with Grammy-award winning country artist "Spiffy" Joe Diffie. Diffie stopped for this shot as he exited his tour bus right before show time. Following his hour set, he took time to sign some 8x10s for the collection.

Here's Tony LaRussa, manager of the 2011 World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals, yesterday at Left Bank Books in St. Louis. The future Hall of Fame manager was signing copies of his new book, "One Last Strike."

Grammy-award winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Buddy Guy was in concert this past Friday night in St. Charles, Missouri. The legendary blues guitarist stopped for this photo and to sign an 8x10 as he departed his hotel for the show. Guy, a pioneer of the Chicago blues sound, is considered to be an influence on such other guitar legends as Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, and Stevie Ray Vaughn. Guy has a special award later this year; he's a Kennedy Center honoree in Washington on December 2.


While waiting for Guy, I was lucky to spot singer/composer Neil Sedaka as he arrived at the hotel after dinner. Sedaka was in town a day early in preparation for his concert on Saturday night at Lindenwood University. Sedaka posed for this shot after chatting for a moment. He was planning to catch the set by Guy's opening act, Johnny Lang. Sedaka has written or co-written over 500 songs in his 50 plus year career in music. His number one hits include Calendar Girl, Bad Blood, Breaking Up is Hard to Do, and Laughter in the Rain.


I wrapped up the evening with a trip downtown to the Old Rock House and this photograph with Colin Hay, lead vocalist for the Australian band, Men at Work. Hay performed an acoustic set as part of the venue's Listening Room Series. He signed autographs and posed for fans following the concert.

Love those one-hit wonders! I added another one to the list night: Maria Muldaur. Muldaur's 1974 hit, "Midnight at the Oasis," hit the top ten chart in 1974 and is a staple of those "sounds of the 70's" releases. She also served as a back-up singer for the Grateful Dead in the 1970s.

Muldaur was at the Blues and BBQ Festival in Springfield, IL tonight. She signed a couple of 8x10s after the show and finally (after asking before the show and twice after the show) posed for this shot.

I was in St. Louis today for lunch with St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Carlos Beltran.

The Carlos Beltran Foundation and Cardinals Care sponsored a kick-off luncheon, in the Champions Club at Busch Stadium, for A Night in Old San Juan, an upcoming fund-raiser for the Foundation. Beltran and his wife, Jessica, were on hand to meet and greet invitees and tell them a little bit more about the work of his Foundation to benefit the Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy. A delicious lunch followed.

Beltran posed for this photo prior to the start of the event and also signed a photo for my collection.

Special thanks to Caleb and Amelia at FreeMan Marketing for the invitation to the luncheon. 

Another television icon is gone. Sherman Hemsley, "George Jefferson," died today at age 74.

I met Hemsley outside the Peoria Civic Center Theater on September 19, 2006, as arrived to perform in a traveling play. He had his lunch and his wardrobe in his hands as he exited the transport van. He promised to come back outside after he dropped things off inside. Sure enough, about ten minutes later, he popped out to say hello, sign a couple of autographs, and pose for this shot.

One of the original nice guys in Hollywood is gone. Actor Ernest Borgnine died today at age 95. I had the privilege of meeting him twice.

The first shot is from an appearance in Peoria, Illinois, in 2008 to promote the Hallmark Channel, while the second shot is a year later at a collector's convention in Chicago. Both times he was gracious and took time to visit, take pictures, and sign the items I had brought. At the Chicago event, it was neat to sit a table away and see him have breakfast with another fellow Hollywood star, Mickey Rooney. They reminisced about the "old days" over scrambled eggs, bacon, french toast, OJ, and coffee. Classic.

Bands with multiple members usually means a night's work. And that was the case last Wednesday with Chicago. The band was opening their summer tour at Sangamon Auditorium on the campus of the University of Illinois-Springfield.

I was able to get photos and autographs with a little over half the band before the show and then the rest following the show. Unfortunately, founding member Robert Lamm was the lone "no" when asked for a photo. He said, "I just don't take pictures with people." He did sign a couple of photos, though.

In no particular order, here are James Pankow, Jason Sheff, Keith Howland, Lee Loughanne, Lou Pardini, Tris Imboden, Walt Parazeider, and Wilfredo Reyes.

This past Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, I was the host for an American running legend. Bill Rodgers, a four-time winner of the Boston and New York City Marathons, an Olympian, and a member of the Track and Field Hall of Fame, was the special guest of the 20th Anniversary Passavant-Powerade 5K and 10K. I serve as Race Director for the event.

Here's Rodgers in my office next to a poster he signed for me several years ago.

And, here is Rodgers with a group of my running friends after a 4-mile run Friday morning.

Here's Canadian singer k.d. Lang following her show at the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts May 17 in Bloomington, IL. It's funny how these meetings go down. We were told by security that they'd have to "hold us back" because they had instructions that Lang wouldn't be signing autographs. Funny, k.d. didn't get the message. As she made her way out the stage door and to the waiting transport van, she pulled a black Sharpie from her front pocket and proceeded to walk right over to me and a few other waiting fans to sign some autographs and take pictures.

She sings one of my top ten favorite songs. Here's a live performance from the UK's Jools Holland show.

On the way out of Bloomington, I noticed a group of tour buses at a local hotel and decided to take a look. The stop earned me this photo with Ivan and Jason from the metal band Five Finger Death Punch who were in town for a concert the following night.

Here's the only person to host The Today Show, The NBC Nightly News, and Meet the Press: Tom Brokaw. Brokaw was in St. Louis tonight to conclude the St. Louis Speaker Series at Powell Symphony Hall. He signed an 8x10 for the collection and posed upon his arrival.

Brokaw hosts a new show on the Military Channel beginning this fall. The show replays Brokaw's most famous interviews as he offers commentary.

Kevin Costner and Modern West were the featured guests at last night's 24th Annual Bob Costas Benefit for SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center at the Fox Theater in St. Louis. The two-time Academy Award winner stopped for this photo and signed a Modern West CD for the collection upon his arrival in town Friday night.


Earlier in the evening, luck was on my side as I only had to wait a few minutes to catch musician Leon Russell as he made his way to his bus following his concert at the Argosy Casino in Alton, IL. Russell posed for this photo and signed a greatest hits disk.

Actress Minnie Driver is in St. Louis, MO, tonight for the Siteman Cancer Center's Illumination Gala at the Ritz Carlton. Driver arrived in St. Louis Thursday, but not on her feet. A running injury (torn achilles tendon) forced her to a wheelchair as she made her way through Lambert St. Louis International Airport. While waiting for her luggage, she happily posed for this shot and added her signature to my Good Will Hunting DVD (already with Matt Damon and Robin Williams) and a couple of 8x10s.


I got a bonus as I turned around to find former St. Louis Cardinals slugger and current batting coach Mark McGwire waiting for his wife and her luggage (she was on the same flight). McGwire posed for this shot while waiting.


Earlier in the afternoon, actor/comedian Kevin Hart arrived in anticipation of his stand-up concert at the Scottrade Center and a screening of a new movie in which he appears, "Think Like a Man." Hart signed two 8x10s and took this photo.

Cal Ripken, Jr., "The Iron Man," was in St. Louis, MO, Friday afternoon to sign copies of his new novel, Super-Sized Slugger, at the St. Louis County Public Library.

The baseball Hall of Famer signed close over 500 copies during his 3-hour visit to the Library. Kudos to Ripken for an awesome book signing experience. He signed 25 books at a time, then stopped for a few minutes to take photographs with those who wanted a shot with the former Orioles star. Unfortunately, it was only books he was signing.

Later in the evening, the second day of America's Got Talent taping ended at the Fox Theater. While hosts Howard Stern and Howie Mandel made a quick get-away, host Nick Cannon was gracious with fans as he signed autographs and took pictures for a few minutes.

I had to follow the fourth member of the celebrity group, Sharon Osborne, to her hotel for this shot which she agreed to after telling an over-zealous group of hotel security dudes to back off. She said Ozzy's doing fine.

Here's the "King of Motown," Smokey Robinson just before he departed St. Louis, Missouri, "very early" this morning. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer was in town to sing at last night's American Heart Association "Heart Ball" at the Ritz Carlton. We chatted briefly about Bruce Springsteen covering a Miracles tune at his Apollo concert Friday night. Robinson will induct his band mates, The Miracles, into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame April 14.

Here's Steve Forbes, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief at Forbes Media, upon his arrival at the Creve Couer Club's Annual Washington Day Banquet at the Par-A-Dice Hotel in Peoria, IL. The billionaire, who ran for President in 1996 and 2000, signed an 8x10 for the collection. While signing, I asked how he was doing. His response, "Well, I'm really looking forward to my FREE meal tonight." Isn't that ironic.

His father, Malcolm Forbes, was an autograph collector. He specialized in signed documents relating to U.S. Presidents. He had over 4,000 documents in his collection, with an estimated worth of $40 to $50 million.

Ted Nugent, the "Moter City Madman," was in Springfield, IL last night as the special guest of the Sangamon County Republicans. And, he wasted no time speaking his mind. Here's the story. 
A few minutes earlier, he stopped to pose for this shot as he made his way from a meet and greet to the podium. Later at the airport, Ted took time to chat and to sign a greatest hits CD for my collection, proclaiming as he signed, "that's some good shit." Click on the photo to get a better look at the artwork on his Dickie's work shirt.
I headed back downtown and scored this photo with the star and director of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter: Benjamin Walker and Timur Bekmambetov. Both were in town at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum for a national movie critics preview of the June 2012 movie. Read The State Journal-Register's report. Both signed two stills from the upcoming flick. As he signed the first photo, Bekmambetov said, "I sign in Russian, OK?" Sure.

Here's actor/comedian David Koechner following his first set last night at Donnie B's Comedy Club in Springfield, IL. Koecher, who plays Todd Packer on The Office and Champ Kind in the movie Anchorman, signed several movie stills in addition to posing for this shot. Be sure to watch the clips too.

Luke Bryan currently has the number one song in country music. And, a couple of weeks ago, he stopped for this photo as he made his way into a St. Louis casino to do a little gambling. Bryan was in town to perform at former St. Louis Cardinal manager Tony LaRussa's annual ARF fund-raiser at the Peabody Opera House. In addition to posing, Bryan signed my "Rain is a Good Thing" promo disk and a couple of 8 x 10s.

Blues and soul legend Etta James died today after a lengthy battle with leukemia.

This shot is from May 2009 following one of her performances at B.B. King's in New York City. Her tour manager snuck her out of an alley door, but I managed to spot her as she entered her hotel a few doors down. Although she kept complaining about the cold, windy conditions, she stopped for the photo and signed an 8 x 10.

Here's the "tan one" George Hamilton upon his arrival at the Fox Theater in St. Louis, Missouri, for this afternoon's matinee performance of La Cage Aux Folles. In addition to posing for the shot, Hamilton signed two promotional shots from Love at First Bite.

 
A few minutes later, his co-star, Christopher Sieber, came walking up the street and stopped for this photograph. Sieber, a Broadway veteran and television actor, was one of the original cast members of Spamalot.

 
Lunch at Pappy's Smokehouse was next. They have THE BEST Q in the city! St. Louis Blues' defenseman Roman Polak was seated next to us and took this photo with me after he finished his ribs.