Who have you met

Marcy and I went to see a show the other night. I don't know if you watch NBC's Last Comic Standing or not, but it's a show I love. After the season is over, the top 5 finishers go out on tour together. They stop in Des Moines every year, but this is the first time I've actually gone to see them, thanks to Marcy who bought us the tickets for my birthday. The show was at Hoyt Sherman Place, which for you out of towners, is a really old house in downtown Des Moines. I don't know what the history of the house is, but it has a nice little theater for shows like this. The comedians were good, especially Louis Ramey and Marcus. There was an intermission where you could go out and meet them and buy their stuff, so Marcy and I walked around to check out this really old house and saw them in the room that had a huge line, to buy beer. Seeing them there, making them accessible to the fans, got me to thinking about the famous people I've met. Some of them are famous in a lot of places, some are famous in small circles and one is WORLD famous. In fact, there was a poll taken some years ago to find the most popular people, ever. The number one, I've never met and hope to put it off a few more years, that is Jesus. The number two person, was Muhammad Ali, who I've met. I see a flash back coming. I was in Washington, DC with a group of high schoolers, I had just graduated, from my church here in Urbandale, Iowa. We happen to be in a mall that was attached to the Marriott, just off of the Mall. A friend had been in the hotel lobby going to the bathroom, when she came back with a slightly perplexed look on her face. She said, and I quote, "There is some famous guy signing autographs in the lobby." I asked who it was, BUT SHE DIDN'T KNOW. She must have been living under a rock, how in the hell do you not know who Ali is in 1986, not that far off of his prime, or at least the peak of his fame? I wasn't in the mood to run all the way to the lobby to find out it was Richard Simmons, who she probably didn't know either, so I asked a few more questions. I asked what he looked like and what people were saying. She said she thought he was a boxer because he was signing a boxing glove. I immediately said "Muhammad Ali?" She said, "Yea, that's it." If a person's eyes can bug out of their skull, mine did. I don't remember the level of my voice, but by the looks of her face, it was quite loud, as I yelled "Give me some paper!" This was worthy of a RUN to the lobby, where who did I see standing there, but Ali himself. I swear I could have soiled myself. My heart was pounding like a jack hammer, Ali for pete's sake. I joined the crowed and stuck my meager piece of notebook paper and pen as close to him as I could. Then, the champ looked at me and asked, "What's your name." THAT"S IT, SHIT MYSELF! I now know what all those girls that were screaming for the Beatles felt like. I'm surprised I even knew my name at that point. I managed to squeak it out and he sign my paper and handed it back to me. I then protected that paper like a mother hippo. (If you know anything about Africa, you know that the hippo is responsible for more deaths and injuries than any other major animal on the continent, do mainly to their over protectiveness of their babies) He then proceeded to show us a magic trick, that this same girl who didn't know who he was, screamed out how he did it. I wanted to smack her. He was gracious enough to sign ALL of our stuff, then show us a magic trick, and she ruins it with the secret. I saw how he did it too, but I'm not going to tell, I'm mean, who wins here? Then I started to think about the other famous people I've met and was wondering who others have met. So here is my list, at least what I decided to put down, now you guys post who you've met.

Muhummad Ali (Boxer, of course)

Evander Holyfield (Boxer)

Michael Moorer (Boxer)

Jacques Cousteau (Oceanographer)

Mr. T (A-Team:)

George Stephenapoulos (now a political analist)

Peaches and Herb (Motown)

Many Washington Redskins from the 2006 team ( a bunch, including Clinton Portis, Rock Cartwright, Joe Gibbs, James Thrash and even owner Daniel Snyder)

A bunch of Christian artists, like Mark Hall from Casting Crowns, MercyMe, Jeremy Camp, The Afters, John Reuben (OK, that one is just significant to me and Makiah)

Who have you met? You didn't have to have dinner with them or even like them, but who have you spoken to or shook hands with?