DENVER — I didn't have a clue who Jessica was; all I knew is that I was staring at her because she was a walking thing of beauty.
Perhaps that's why everyone else was going goo-goo, gaa-gaa over her, because they thought she was pretty, too.
I stumbled upon her innocently enough.
After working all week in downtown Denver at the sixth-floor office of The Denver Post as the Democratic National Convention unfolded, I finally got the opportunity to visit the scene.
My job as a guest editor at this sister newspaper was to serve as the early morning editor for convention coverage, starting my task at
6 a.m. each day. The Post's office is a couple of miles away from the Pepsi Center, meaning much of the action was seen by my eyes via words and photos on a computer screen.
Wednesday night, however, my opportunity arrived.
Given a special credential that allowed me inside the security perimeter being heavily guarded by an army of security forces, I was able to get off work early and observe things with my own eyes.
"Hey, this Pepsi Center is a big, nice facility," I thought to myself.
I was wearing my suit coat, walking with hands in pockets, when I rounded the turn outside the huge building and saw a few folks gathered by a back door close to a side street used only by security vehicles.
Curious, I stood there a minute, starring inside the glass doors and wondering who was speaking inside when a car drove up behind me.
I turned a-round to see
Only the next morning when I saw her picture in the paper did I learn the walking thing of beauty was movie star Jessica Alba, known for her staring roles in movies such as "Fantastic Four", "Sin City", "Good Luck Chuck" and the TV series "Dark Angel."
She's also well known for her many appearances on magazine covers. Most of them, I understand, are covers where she wears little cover, if you know what I mean.
* * *
Again, I had no clue who she was at the time, but obviously those around me whispering "It's Jessica! It's Jessica!" did.
So, curious, I stayed a few minutes.
Sure enough, another escorted SUV pulls up, and out gets actor Chevy Chase.
Chevy Chase, I knew.
Such as any veteran, professional journalist would do, I reached into my coat pocket and instantly whipped out my high-tech, first class, this'll-impress-them, bright yellow disposable camera.
So smooth was I that I coolly. under pressure, remembered to hit the flash button to charge the flash.
Got him!
We'll see how the photo turns out at Wal-Mart when I get home.
This was getting to be fun.
Here I was, with only a couple of dozen other folks at this backside entrance, so I chose to stay a bit longer.
A caravan of vehicles pulled up, and an entire entourage stepped out.
It was the family and staff with none other than boxing legend Muhammad Ali.
I never really liked Muhammad Ali, but I've always had to respect him for his heyday boxing skills and his since-then willingness to speak his mind.
Wal-Mart had better give me a good print of him, too, when we partner for these photos.
Another celebrity arrived who I recognized. But, I thought less of him as a movie star.
It was Ben Affleck.
I like Ben Affleck the actor plenty , especially in movies such as "Pearl Harbor" and several others in which he starred. But when he walked up to me, he looked like just another guy on the softball team.
I actually liked seeing him that way, as just another guy.
One thing about being a journalist and meeting famous people throughout your career is that you quickly learn, they're just people.
* * *
So, in summary, I took photos of Chevy Chase and Muhammad Ali as a natural human reaction to fame, but quickly found myself again when I almost asked Ben if he wanted to play some ball.
Most importantly, I realize I missed taking the photo that any other red-blooded American male would've probably died to take, and I probably could have made big money by selling it for a magazine cover.
Oh well, gotta go.
I'm not a fan, but Oprah Winfrey is downstairs in the newspaper's lobby.
Seriously.
Yep, such is the life of a journalist covering the big story, even for a desk guy.
Hey, anybody got a camera?
Troy Turner is the editor of The Daily Times and worked as a special teams editor for The Denver Post during the convention. He can be contacted at P.O. Box 450, Farmington, N.M., 87499; or at
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