Author of Sid the Sasquatch meets Andrew McCarthy

I don't fangirl often.  I've met too many celebrities to think much about it.  I lived in Los Angeles for six years and worked for Warner Bros.  Celebrities were everywhere.  There was never any grand moment, they weren't superhuman in any way... in fact a lot of them were disappointing in that regard.  You get to know these people as characters, and you nearly always forget they are not the characters they play until you are standing a foot away from them and you see just how normal they are, some of whom may even be jerks in real life.  Then again, to be fair, most of the time they're not jerks.  Sometimes they are incredibly charming and you can completely understand why they lead the life they do.  You can tell why they were chosen out of the vast sea of those who flocked to Hollywood auditioning for fame.  So, like I said, I don't fangirl often.  However, yesterday was one of those rare occasions.
 
Yesterday I had the privilege of going to a speaking engagement at the beautiful Woodneath Library to listen to Andrew McCarthy, best known for his roles in Mannequin, Pretty and Pink, St. Elmo's Fire, Less than Zero, Weekend at Bernies and known in the eighties as a member of the Brat Pack.  Andrew is the author of a new book titled "Just Fly Away."  He is currently travelling to promote this book.  When I saw the event listed at my local library, I jumped at the opportunity to go and listen to him speak.  I have a speaking engagement myself tomorrow that I am incredibly nervous about, so I had hoped it would be a learning experience for me.  I for one, HATE speaking in public.  Something I assume is far easier for him given his history in entertainment.  He was very eloquent and appeared to love talking about his book and his experiences.  Frankly, seeing him knock it out of the park like that just made me more nervous about my speaking event.  Ah well, I will get through it.  I haven't had enough opportunities to embarrass myself yet this year, so I'm long overdue! haha 

After the speaking event, the crowd lined up to meet Andrew and get their books autographed.  I lined up as well and watched the bizarre assembly line function its way towards me.  I've never done this sort of thing before, so I found it to be very amusing.  When it was my turn, I handed off my book to one woman and my phone to another (to snap a picture) and then walked up next to him for a quick awkward chat.  I know that he has a small child at home, so I wanted to give him my book, and I did (I hope his little boy likes reading about Sid!). Then he asked me if I was a Royals fan (as I was wearing a Royals jersey), to which I let him know that everyone here are Royals fans. I'm sure he doesn't know just how blue our blood runs in Kansas City.  That's ok though. I found him to be charming and personable, and I think he even got my sense of humor when I told him I was sorry he was a Yankees fan. Although it's entirely possible I offended him.  If I did, he didn't show it.  He laughed and jabbed me back about the Royals.
 
But I digress; I have not followed Andrew's career, I don't really know what he's been doing the last 25+ years, I know nothing of him at all except that he has written a book and acted in some movies I watched when I was a teenager.  So why, you ask, was I a fangirl today?  Well, I think it's a mix of things.  I think there is this nostalgia to it all, when I think back at the dozens of times I watched Mannequin (I mean, I couldn't get enough of that movie)-- and how I had such a school girl crush on him-- I think back to that and how if I could tell that 12 year old girl that in 25+ years you will get to meet him and give him your book, how that 12 year old girl would probably faint.  She wouldn't know what to do with herself knowing two things; she actually published a book; and she is going to meet Jonathan Switcher (his character in Mannequin - who actually shares her love for writing)!  I'm honestly not sure which she would be more thrilled to hear... because I've loved writing all my life and frankly crushes are fleeting.  Nevertheless, she would be thrilled... so I did this for my 12 year old self.  She's pretty happy with me for getting out of the house last night! ;)

Here you will see our photo, I felt terrible for not holding his book facing the camera (things moved very fast), so I worked a little photoshop magic and made sure it's there.  I've only read the first few pages so far, but I'm already hooked.  Looks to be a fantastic read!  Click on the picture below for a link to get a copy for yourself!