Lately, it seems as though my Facebook feed has seen a proliferation of photos of friends who are posing with celebrities. Many of them are backstage pictures with young country music performers (most of whom I've never heard of), or are along the lines of "Hey, we were walking down the street in NYC and ran into Alec Baldwin!"
Encountering a celebrity is an event one will usually remember forever. As an elementary school student, I remember the thrill of shaking hands with Carl Yastrzemski when he came to my hometown.
In junior high school, I'll never forget meeting Mr. Hockey, Gordie Howe, when he came to Brainerd Park for a softball game featuring the Whalers against the Enfield Police Department.
As a journalist, interviewing celebrities is commonplace; over the last few years, I have spoken with stars such as Michael Jordan, Bill Cosby, Joe Pesci, George Lopez and Kenny Rogers. I have almost become immune to the thrill of meeting someone with that status.
Almost.
I must admit I was a bit awestruck when I recently had the opportunity to share a few moments with Magic Johnson. When I was in high school and college, Magic was the man that seemed larger than life (before Air Jordan took over the sports scene), and his graciousness and humility during our brief interview showed him to be not just a world-class athlete, but a first-class person as well.
With all that said, we would like you to share your photos of encounters with the stars - athletes, musicians, political figures, actors. Upload them right onto the site, and include a caption telling us what you remember about the meeting (where and when it took place, any interesting circumstances surrounding it, etc.).
I am usually the one taking pictures, but once in a while the camera has caught me during an interview. Therefore, I have started the gallery with a few shots with some of my favorites.
