Fantasy Turned Reality

    As a teenager, I was like every other girl my age. I was discovering boys didn't have the cooties and my walls were adorned with movie & rock stars who I idolized. My celebrity crushes at the time were Ricky Schroder, Corey Feldman, Corey Haim, Ralph Macchio, C. Thomas Howell and Patrick Swayze. I was also a big fan of Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, The Monkee's and Boy George, in fact I still obsess slightly over Boy George. However, never did I ever expect to meet any of these people, I believed it was a dream that would never come true. 

    Fast Forward 16 years and I discovered that dreams can and do come true. While living in Orlando Florida, I discovered that Corey Feldman and his band "The Truth Movement" were playing a small club nearby. To say I was excited is truly an understatement! I got in touch with a good friend of mine and asked if she wanted to go (She had never met an actual celebrity before, while I had already met 3 by this time), she said yes. Concert day arrived, my friend and I decided to make a day of it, makeovers, dinner and the Corey concert. Once in the empty club (we went early to get good seats), my friend being shy grabbed us a table in the back of the club, at least 50 feet from the stage. However, this was not going to work, so I grabbed the empty table that was inches from the stage where we could get up close and personal with Feldman. Once he made his first appearance on stage, I heard my friend mutter "Its really him", I smiled because she was so in awe of him. Corey gave a great concert, did some signature dance moves from his Michael Jackson era and the young girls in the front row started to throw their hands up to him where he would hold and release them. Despite my own shyness, I decided that I too could throw him my right hand only I wanted to document the occasion with my camera, so I waited until he made his way back to my side of the stage, he grabbed my hand and held it as he sang and with my left hand, I snapped a picture. Later in the night, we hung around for the chance to get his autograph and picture. If I had to sum up this night with just one word, I would say it was "magical".
   
   In the years to follow, Corey would not be the only teen idol I was able to meet, No, he was just my first. In 2011, I was able to meet C. Thomas Howell (The Hitcher), Billy Zabka (Karate Kid) and John Philbin (The New Kids & Night of the Living Dead). While these moments took place in a different environment then the Corey encounter did, the meetings were equally memorable and rewarding. When I hear someone say "dreams never come true", I simply show them my pictures and disagree. Here are a few of my most memorable "teen idol" moments.