The Secret Underground of Celebrity Gazing

At Sundance, there are a select group of us who do the celeb picture thing every year. After doing it so many times, we're now a small little group who share tips and exchange photos (so we can see what outfit a celeb might be wearing that day, or where they last were). It's a very small collective group and it's a lot of fun. There's a sense of unity in having people around you who enjoy doing the same things as you do. I'm not sure why I was suprised, but in LA (and the world over, I'd assume), there's an even bigger "Secret Underground' of those who seek out celebrities. Call them seekers, call them collectors, call them stalkers (although that's my least favorite), it all boils down to one thing: We're all at the same places waiting for the same thing. There are three distinctive groups: First we have the paparrazi, who are not our friends. In fact, we hate them. The ones who are freelance paparazzi are evil and will trounce a child to get the shot. I suppose there are a few nice ones, but in general they're the enemy.Next we have the autograph hounds, but even in this grouping, there are separate kinds. Some people get autographs as collectors items to keep in a binder or in their house; others get as many autographs as they can and sell them on eBay and the like. Personally I feel the latter is an exploitation of celebrity and it sickens me a little to have people take time away from those of us who are legitimate fans so that they can make a buck, but whatever. No judgements. Just my opinion. Maybe I'm just jealous. Who knows?The last group (and I'm sure there are more, but these are the groupings I've noticed) are those of us who try for pictures with celebrities. Oh, I'm sorry. Have I posted this picture before? My mistake. In this group, and maybe with all of them, you hear things like, "Have? Need? I got so-and-so last night." You get the idea. Of course, with anything, there are hybrids of all groups who do a little of both, but I still find the whole thing to be completely fascinating. Who knew there were so many people like me?