Anderson Cooper (CNN and The Mole)

This story may not count as an encounter because I didn't actually meet the celebrity in question, but the story is too good not to share.

The week before my birthday last January, I was emailing with my husband and jokingly mentioned that I wanted pony rides for my birthday. He told me not to worry because CNN's Anderson Cooper (who I have a big crush on) would be bringing some ponies down from NY. This joke went back and forth for some time.

So, the day of my birthday, I came home from work and checked the voice mail. There was a voice mail message from Anderson Cooper, explaining why he couldn't bring the ponies.

Apparently my husband had emailed him earlier in the day and, without explaining the joke, told him to please call me and invent an excuse as to why he would be failing to bring me ponies. His message was hilarious - he blamed the cold weather in NY and the Michael Jackson coverage.

I actually emailed him the following Monday to thank him for playing along and got a really nice response.