Celebrities seem almost divine to the average person. However, it is actually not as hard to meet them as you might think. Celebrity encounters are actually quite common today due to social networking services. Twitter and Facebook are useful when planning out how to meet a famous person.
Sometimes, meeting celebrities happens by pure luck. Sophomore Jack Dwyer met Justin Bieber in the Bahamas by chance. “I didn’t see him while he was walking out of a casino with his body guards,” he said. “I physically collided with him.”
Dwyer claimed he didn’t realize it was Bieber at first. However, he didn’t freak out when he met him.
He had another accidental run in with celebrities just a month ago. “A group of friends and I were at a hotel when two of my friends ran off,” said Dwyer. “When we were chasing them down, we found the entire Season 2 Glee Project.”
Dwyer said it was amazing to meet them. “They were some of the most down to earth people I’ve met,” he said. He also said that they sang to the group when Dwyer said that he wanted to be on the Glee Project one day. “They were supportive,” he claimed.
Another way to meet celebrities is by waiting outside events. This is probably the most common way to meet them.
Freshman Alexis Hamner met the band Hot Chelle Rae at a performance. “They weren’t well known, so I met them when they were signing autographs at the merchandise stand,” she said. “They spoke to us for ten minutes. They were so genuine.”
Sophomore Sarina Sutton was outside One Direction’s recording studio last June. “The security guards told me that Niall Horan was coming out to say hi,” Sutton said.
Niall Horan, Harry Styles, and Liam Payne, all members of the popular boy band, ended up going outside to chat and take pictures with all the fans. Sutton claimed they were all genuine and nice to everyone.
Last March, Sutton met her favorite actors. “Lanie Miliotes and I were outside Good Morning America in New York during spring break,” she said. Both girls are avid fans of the popular book series, The Hunger Games, and were excited to see the movie.
“We woke up early to wait outside,” said Sutton. “Liam Hemsworth even stopped to take a picture with us.” She said Hemsworth and his costars Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson respected the fans who came to see them, as opposed to Rachel Ray.
“Rachel Ray was there too, and she ignored us when we called her name,” Sutton said. “She was really rude to everyone there.”
Junior Maya Nair agreed that the best way to meet musicians is at their concerts. This is how she met Alex DeLeon, Alex Marshall, and Joey Thunder from The Cab. “They aren’t as well known as other bands, so they met fans after their gig.”
Nair said they don’t take anything for granted. “The Cab was really appreciative of all their fans,” she said. However, she said that even though they are famous, they didn’t act like they were better than anyone else. “I was really starstruck… meeting Alex DeLeon, who is my favorite,” she said. “He was the sweetest person ever. We had a conversation.”
Another opportunity to meet celebrities is by buying meet and greets or going to CD or book signings. Alexis Hamner has met many celebrities this way.
“I bought meet and greet tickets to meet Cody Simpson,” said Hamner. “My sister Bailey and I met his sister too.”
Hamner said that it is also possible to meet celebrities at free events. She said she waited an hour outside the AT&T store to meet Olympic gold medalist Ryan Lochte last month.
However, Jack Dwyer feels it is pointless to pay to for meet and greets “They’re just human beings.”
If you want to meet your favorite celebrity, here are a few things to remember.
“Most of them are really normal,” said Nair. “If you really want to meet them, you have to do research.”
She said that knowing what the celebrities are doing is how you can find them. Going to their recording studio or hanging around a concert venue is the most reliable way to meet them.
Waiting in lines and wasting a couple hours of the day to find your favorite actor or singer is definitely worth the time spent.
