Chasing Elliot...literally

During my ongoing Taylor chase, I sunk to a pretty embarassing level of fandom when I literally chased Elliot Yamin through the Galleria Mall in Birmingham. Lucky for me, I'm not easily embarassed, though over time I've come to look back on that day and cringe. In one respect, I don't regret it. While I am by no means an American Idol fan (but that's a different blog for a different day), I think 2005's season gave some very talented people an opportunity to get their voices heard. Elliot Yamin is, in my opinion, one of the biggest vocal talents to ever participate in the show. He has been vastly underrated since then and probably has not had the best producers and managers, but that kid can sing. I don't regret telling him I thought so. What I saw in his face that day was genuine appreciation for the support he'd recieved from fans, and it's the reason I bought his just mediocre album. He's a stand-up guy and I hope he finds his niche in the music industry.

I knew from my network of Taylor fans there was a chance the Idols would be staying at the Wynfrey Hotel and spending the day shopping at the Galleria. While I figured Taylor would be elsewhere with his family, I thought I might catch a glimpse of some of the other stars, and I needed to get some shopping of my own done. So, I threw my camera in my purse and took off for a day of shopping and stalking. When at the end of the day I had only managed to track down Paris's stylist picking out clothes for her at Wet Seal, I felt a little defeated. I was about to give up the search when I spotted a familiar face on the level above me. My sister was walking next to me, talking about something non-Idol or Taylor related when I bolted. I jumped on the escalator, climbed the moving stairs three at a time and took off at a dead sprint. It took her a few seconds to realize I was on a mission, so by the time she caught up with me, I'd already yelled Elliot's name a couple of times and had him stopped in the middle of the mall.

I fancy myself a word person, and I've been writing since I was old enough to hold a pencil. I majored in English in college and minored in creative writing. But on the day I met Elliot, I forgot everything I'd ever learned in relation to expressing myself eloquently. The one and only word I could remember upon being face to face (well, face to forehead...he's rather short) with Mr. Yamin was "awesome." And so, I said it repeatedly. It was "awesome" to meet him, and I thought he was "awesome" on the show, and I hoped he had an "awesome" time in Birmingham.

Now at the older and much wiser age of 24, my chasing days are over, but I'll always have my picture with Elliot Yamin to remind me of my more aggressive days of fandom.