Celebrity Saturday--Matthew Broderick

OK, I have been saving these pics for a special Celebrity Saturday. I figured since it was my birthday week, that was pretty special! Wouldn't you agree?

Ferris Bueller's Day Off has been one of my favorite movies since I first saw it way back in middle school. It was one of the first movies I could pretty much quote word for word. Top Gun is another one. Funny--both of those movies came out in 1986, in case you didn't know. Can you believe it's been that long? I digress ...

So anyone who knew me back in the day (or has known me for any amount of time) ... understands how CRAZY EXCITED I was to meet Matthew Broderick. TWICE!!

Here's how it went down ... New York City. Early October, 2001. I was there post-September 11th. It was my last night in the city to do any touristy stuff. (I had another night in the city, but I had an event to work the next evening.) Some of us from work were walking around, just seeing the city, etc. We wandered down to Times Square and were hanging out in the theatre district. We were actually browsing around a shop when we heard a lot of commotion outside. Being the nosy person that I am, I was like, "Let's see what's going on!" (Remember, I was a journalism major--I am trained to be nosy.)

We wander outside and check out the crowd that has gathered nearby. The people seem to be waiting for someone or something to come out of a building. We quickly realize that it's the backdoor to the theatre where "The Producers" is playing. Nathan Lane comes out, and everyone goes wild. It was neat to see him, sure. But I soon realized ... "If Nathan Lane came out of that door, then there is a very good chance that MATTHEW BRODERICK will be coming out of that door, too!" I think I probably said to Chad, a colleague who was brand-new to the ministry, something like, "If Matthew Broderick comes out of that door, I will just die!" LOL! I am sure he was rolling his eyes.

Well, I am still here, so you know I didn't die. BUT ... BUT ... Matthew Broderick DID walk out shortly thereafter. He signed playbills for people and took a few photos. I hadn't been to see "The Producers," so I didn't have a playbill. What I did have was a split-second to be bold.

Literally, as Broderick was about to get in the shiny black car that was waiting for him, I tapped him on the shoulder (yes, I was that close, and I didn't even have to push or shove that I remember). To my surprise, he turned around, and I said in the sweetest, nicest Southern voice I could muster, "Could I have my picture made with you?" I think he said, "Sure" or something like that. I don't remember, but he was very nice. Co-worker Chad was standing right there, and snapped the above photo, which was my Christmas card that year. (The stories about the Christmas card will require a separate post.)

I was on cloud nine. I am sure my colleagues were sick of hearing about how I met Ferris IRL! Ha! It was really late at the time, but I called my sister (someone who might be up at that hour because she had a newborn ... and someone who would understand the significance of this chance meeting)--but she was asleep, so my BIL got to hear all about it. LOL! I know Matthew Broderick is just another person, but I think God allowed me to happen to meet him as one of the many surprises that He gives us as encouragement. At the time, I was questioning some things in my life, and a verse that meant a lot to me during this time (and still does) is Psalm 37:4--"Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart." It is true. Not that meeting Ferris was at the top of my list of heart's desires, but it was something that was fun and really cool. This is probably sounding really lame and shallow, but I guess you have to be me to understand. haha

A few months later, I was back in NYC for work. This time, Tanna was there, as was his friend Mike. We weren't even dating at the time, but we were able to run around the city with some of my friends from work while we were all there. It was Christmastime, and we made some great memories. Anyway, one night, Anne (a co-worker), Mike, Tanna and I had gone to see a show (42nd Street, I think). Afterward, we were making our way over to Sardi's and decided to swing by the ol' backdoor to see if any of "The Producers" stars would be coming out. Sure enough, we were in the right place at the right time and got a few more snaps. Great memories!

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it." --Ferris Bueller