After dinner, when the autograph and picture sessions began, I went and got Ted to
take my pix and anyone else's who needed a photographer. My table was one
of the last to line up, so we were rushed by the event runners a lot more
than the earlier fans. I'd noticed Michael was very natural and not
rushing anyone personally, so while I didn't take the time some earlier
fans got, it was great quality-time wise when I got to him. I was really
excited and I don't think I was very nervous; he sure doesn't make anyone
nervous, but I think some make themselves nervous over him! The night
before after the Emmys, I was a little nervous asking him if he'd mind if I
got a picture taken with him, only because I'd never seen a picture of him
with a fan and I was scared he might not want to have one taken and then
I'd feel bad for bothering him, but he said "Of course not." So this next
night, though I was clearly excited & about ready to burst out with "It's
really him! It's Michael Easton! It's Caleb!..." as can be easily
assessed by my pix, I still felt comfortable giving him a hug & talking a
couple minutes. He looked about 22 or 23 the whole time he was on Port
Charles, as he does in this picture; but I had just watched his movie
"Coldfire" where he really was about that age and looked more like 16 or
17! So I gave him my copy of "Coldfire" to sign and I told him that as
cute and young as he was in that movie, I preferred the man he was before
me at the moment! He thanked me and asked me if Kamar had seen my movie
since Kamar starred in it with him and that was when they became friends.
I told him I was about to get Kamar to sign it as well. One sweet moment
during the event Kamar de los Reyes had said that all those guys were his
friends, but that this was his best friend, as he put his hand on Michael's
shoulder. When I did get to Kamar later, he smiled and asked if Michael
had seen my "Coldfire" and I showed him where Michael had signed it and he
signed it there too. I think Kamar even said something to Michael about
it. Thorsten studied the video cover for a moment and walked around a
partition, to Michael, while pointing to a little young pic of Michael and
asked "What's this?" Michael answered "That's Kamar."! I think I forgot
to even ask anyone besides ME & KR for autographs when I got pix with them,
with the rushing. I had the event flyer, seen here, that I sholud've
gotten them to sign. J. Eddie Peck was on there but he didn't make it.
Michael also signed a shirt for me that had one of my favorite pictures of
him on it That's what he was signing in that great pic of his lovely dark
locks where he's leaning over with his hair fallen forward over his face
and I'm still grinning with my hand still on his back!
It's a real brain exercise talking to Michael when he's right there, like
he was at this event, because he is so extremely and uniquely handsome, and
his is the sweetest, most beautiful face! You listen and speak to him while in
your head you're thinking "You are SO BEAUTIFUL!". Like the night before, the whole night I kept thinking and saying "He is physical perfection!" I don't
think I'd ever said that or thought that about anyone else! And I kept
trying to explain to people that he just exudes inner beauty. A fan in the
group had reported seeing him in CA walking in a parking lot once and said
something CA-ish like he had this spirtuality about him. I recalled
thinking "She could tell that from a second in a parking lot?" After my
1st two, consecutive nights' encounters, I knew exactly what she meant!
With some people you can sense goodness, with some meanness, and with some
you just don't know till you are around them more. With Michael, you can
actually see or feel his kindness every time. Thankfully, I got the
picture to back this up, in mine and many other opinions. In the main pic
Ted took of Michael with me at this Sat. event, Michael had this sweet
little smile that in my view personifies his sweet heart and soul. It
remains one of my favorite pictures ever, though he's picture perfect every
time with a variety of expressions. On this one though, it was noticed by a model, more than a year after it was taken, because I keep my favorite
soap star pix visible in one of a couple photo purses I have. Ted and I
were at a mall in FL when, after I handed off my bag to Ted, a beautiful
woman asked to see it. I figured she was another soap fan and I went on to
what I was doing. When I returned, she seemed entranced with that pic of
ME. She pointed to Michael's face & smile and said to us "That's just how
sweet he is." I told her that was sure the impression I got every meeting
and that the amazing thing to me is that he is that sweet when life hasn't
always been so kind to him. Ted surmised she REALLY knew Michael when she
immediately responded by mentioning one of the things I was thinking of
when I said that. I didn't know if she was a friend or aquaintance of
Michael's or maybe just another well read fan, at the moment; but Ted had
spent a couple minutes with her earlier and figured out she at least knew
him better than we did. I've always wished we'd gotten her name, but they
said she was a Victoria Secret model and Ted heard her saying something
about "The Young and the Restless", so maybe she was on that show. Others
were getting her autograph, but we only got her picture with Ted. If
anyone has any ideas who she may be, feel free to email me for her picture.
Anyway, it just reinforces the fact that Michael is as good as he seems,
when people who are more than fans express my same good feelings and
opinions on his character. I love hearing the various always favorable
stories from his fans, co-workers and friends or whoever; and it's so cool
that these stories just come to me when I've got my ME/soap fan shirts,
buttons and bags on my person at soap events or in NYC especially. My
husband and others occasionally tease me about all my fan garb, but I just
tell them it's no geekier than their wearing their sports' garb, and the
results of getting many great shared experiences with other soap fans,
especially Michael Easton fans, is far more rewarding.
Hope you enjoy these pix from my great experience May 17, 2003! |
