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Traveling on foot for a quarter
of a mile in a seedy part of town at the ungodly hour of 2 a.m. should
have raised red flags for George Emmel, but the brawny, bushy autograph
collector was determined to crash the Hollywood bash to pin down
celebrities and snag some special keepsakes.
Approaching the nightclub, Emmel stumbled upon a live outdoor
show: boozers brawling in the street, girls gone wacko throwing punches
and pulling hair, and other insane persons scooping up bystanders and
slam-dunking them on top of cars. Suddenly the sound of gunfire rang out
in Emmel's ears. To avoid the various altercations (and especially the
bullets), our innocent hero headed for the hills. No celebrity was seen
in that twilight hour, and no hills were in plain view, either, so Emmel
did the only thing he could do: he hurled himself over a nearby wall.
During his rapid descent and just before hearing his large frame thump
onto the pavement below, Emmel thought to himself, "Oh, if only I hadn't
followed that darn paparazzi photographer here." The frazzled collector
finally rose to his feet, and with a beardful of gravel, dust and
concrete chunks, turned and saw a man lying in the gutter clutching his
abdomen - the victim's blood pouring onto the asphalt. Nearly a decade
later, an emotionally recuperated George Emmel remains the avid
autograph hound.
At a time when privacy rights issues are continually broached
in the news where celebrities ar concerned and particularly following
the death of Princess Dianna in 1997, one question surfaces: Are
autograph collectors fans or stalkers? "I don't followcelebrities home,"
says Emmel. "I just waylay them as they come out of public places. If
they don't want to grant an autograph or take a picture with me, I won't
persist or make them mad, not if I can help it." His phrase "not if I
can help it" takes on a deeper meaning as his story
unfolds.......................... |
