Meeting Spoken Word Artist and Former Child Star Malcolm Jamal Warner

I saw him standing onstage reciting poetry about women's kisses, legs and love, but I was having a hard time wrapping my mind around whether it was really the Cosby Kid I watched growing up. Malcolm Jamal Warner was wearing dreads pulled into a ponytail hanging behind his back. He had on a black dress shirt, gray pants and a black jewel necklace. He was dressed in casual but mature clothing, not too much flash and had the tricky feel of someone who you knew was wealthier than he appeared. And I was too nervous to walk over to say hello.

I am a firm lover of "The Cosby Show" and thought I'd be able to kick back, relax and chat it up with Theo Huxtable. I never missed an episode and cracked up at Theo's antics when it came to school, hip-hop, flirting with girls, friends (remember Cockroach?) and even when he became an onscreen teacher. But Malcolm Jamal Warner was a little different.

At the June 11, 2004 concert in Chicago's DuSable Museum, I knew he was coming. I purposely came to see him and a group I'd interviewed for Underlined Magazine whose name was Poetree. Considering I already knew Poetree from the voluntary reporting position, I immediately walked over to the spoken word group after the concert was over. But the lady I came with (Kemela, who was temping at a Vernon Hills, IL job with me) really wanted to meet Malcolm Jamal Warner. I introduced her to Poetree, she waved and scurried away. But then she yelled for me in line because she wanted to take a photo with him, and I was her involuntary photographer.

My reaction to meeting a celebrity is always extremely hot or ice cold. I'm not quite sure why I was so excited to meet comedian D.L. Hughley and had no problems telling him how cute he was. Or, even why I was the exact opposite and punked out of saying hello to Irma P. Hall (Mother Joe from the 1997 film "Soul Food") in a Chicago Walgreens on 95th Street. I do realize that celebrities are human beings like anybody else, and it's not a matter of being a groupie. Meeting a celebrity you've become a fan of is like finally meeting someone you've heard a lot of stories about. You're just happy to finally meet them in the flesh because you feel like you know so much about them through another person's interpretation.

However, in 2004, I did not want to walk over to Malcolm's museum table to talk to him. Outside of a couple celebrities (who will remain nameless minus my Spike Lee rant), I've had nothing but positive reactions when meeting famous ladies and men, but something about meeting a child star and watching him all grown up is just plain weird. On one hand, you want that person to be like the kid you grew up with. On the other hand, you admire who he's grown up to be.

But like Malcolm Jamal Warner stated on TV One's "Life After," he wanted Theo to be a little cooler and hipper than he was on the show. And Malcolm Jamal Warner in his band, Miles Long, is indeed a lot smoother than his Cosby character. For "The Cosby Show" experts, remember the episode when Theo had to decide whether he should date a student's parent and talked about sweet potato pie and coffee? Yup, that's Malcolm in person. He's more intriguing than his character as Malcolm on "Malcolm and Eddie." Physically he's more muscular with a baritone voice and pretty damn sexy. And unlike Hughley, he was closer to my age.

So what did I do? Kemela walked over and immediately wrapped her arm around his waist, he looked up at me holding the camera and grinned at the lens, I took the photo, handed it back to her and all but ran away. I didn't say hello or shake his hand. I later regretted it and while watching Malcolm on TV One's show on Monday, August 2, I thought about what I should've said.

Up until the show on Monday, I never knew he had a real-life relationship for five plus years with his television girlfriend character Justine (played by the late Michelle Thomas). I never knew he directed episodes of "The Cosby Show," "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air," "All That" and "Sesame Street." What I did know was he was a great bass player and all but made love to the microphone. I knew he was an opening act for Earl Klugh and the late Luther Vandross. I knew that he still had the same inviting, toothy grin and looks exactly like he does on television.

If the opportunity presented itself again, I'd immediately say to him, "Thank you for showing us that nice guys finish last. Can I hug you?"