Collecting Autographs In-Person

Spotting a celebrity at the mall or on the street can be an exciting experience. Just remember, for the most part, they are people, too. They’re not wild animals that have just escaped from the zoo although I’m sure they feel that way at times).

Here are some basic points to remember when you do spot your favorite celeb out and about:

Stay calm. You don’t want to frighten your celebrity away!

Smile. People always respond to smiles since it makes them feel more comfortable (unless you’re Jack Nicholson in Batman!)

Be informed. Know who it is you just spotted. If all you have in mind is, "Aren’t you the guy who played that guy…," then you should probably not approach.

Don’t interrupt. If the celebrity is on the phone, eating, in the bathroom, or talking to someone else, just leave them alone. If they happen to be with their children, don’t bother them (especially their kids) either.

Keep moving. Don’t hang around and freak them out. Step back and talk to someone else until you see there’s a lull in the conversation or they’re about to leave.

Be real. As J-Lo likes to point out, she’s still "Jenny from the Block." Whether you believe that or not, try and talk to them with respect and courtesy like they’re real people.

Stay low-key. If you talk loudly or cause a big scene, the celebrity will most likely be out of there faster than Gigli was out of the theatres.

Be creative. "Would you mind signing this for my kid" usually seems to work--even if you don’t have a kid. You didn’t hear that from me.

During the past few decades, there have been thousands of incidents of stalking turned ugly. Tennis star Monica Seles was stabbed by a German fan. A fan of Brad Pitt’s broke into his house, slept in his bed, wore his clothes, and was found with a book of witchcraft and a long needle with ribbons around one end. (We don’t want to know what that was for.) Madonna’s fan chose the wrong superstar to mess with when he climbed over the wall to her house and was shot three times by her security guard.

But you don’t have to be a complete psycho to be accused of stalking. Many people have been accused of invading a celebrity’s personal space for being just a little too persistent. The tips below will help make sure you don’t meet your favorite celebrity…in court.

Good: Spotting a celebrity on the street and asking if they’d mind having their photo taken with you.

Bad: Taking the celebrity’s photo without permission as he or she eats dinner at a restaurant.

Ugly: Taking the celebrity’s photo without their permission as they head into their plastic surgeon or therapist’s office.

Good: Sending a letter to a celebrity telling them about your favorite movies they’ve been in.

Bad: Sending 18 letters to a celebrity telling them about your favorite movies they’ve been in.

Ugly: Sending 18 letters to a celebrity telling them about the voices in your head that tell you to kill.

Good: Showing up at a book signing and purchasing the book that the celebrity recently wrote then asking them to sign it.

Bad: Showing up at a book signing with an unauthorized biography about the celebrity that he or she didn’t write and asking them to sign it.

Ugly: Spitting on the celebrity at their book signing because you disagree with his or her past actions. (This actually happened to Jane Fonda at one of her recent book signings!).

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