Friend Encounters: Donny Osmond and Kevin Pollack

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends who have met celebrities.

I first became familiar with Kevin Pollack from Zooming the Movies, Facebook Live script reenactments via a Zoom call. I wrote about it at Zooming the Movies for Global Traveler. Kevin has also entertained Chicagoans for six years as part of The Blooze Brothers, a band honoring the music and spirit of the original Blues Brothers.

Since connecting with Kevin for the GT article, I have followed his career and what a career it is. Kevin is interviewing and working with some big names in entertainment. One such celebrity was former teenage heartthrob Donny Osmond.

While he was a teen idol back many years, Osmond has developed a fantastic career. He had a residency with sister Marie in Las Vegas and more recently, he has a solo show.

Go to BloozeBrothers.com for more info on Kevin. Follow Kevin on social media to get updates on all he is doing. With the way his career is going and the people he is meeting, I am sure I will feature him in future editions of Friend Encounters.

Donny Osmond and Kevin Pollack in Laa Vegas, NV-May 2022.

Friend Encounters: Dan Hampton, Steve McMichael and Kevin Pollack

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends who have met celebrities.

I first stumbled across Kevin Pollack on Facebook. Kevin is one of the creative folks behind Zooming the Movies, a project in which actors perform live script readings from various movies or television shows. I wrote more about it at Zooming the Movies for Global Traveler.

The first performance I saw was a reenactment of a Seinfeld episode. Since then, I have gone back and watched many of the older Zooming performances, as well as enjoying the new ones they have done. It's a lot of fun and hopefully once the restrictions loosen, Kevin and the gang will have live Zooming performances at venues in the area.

Kevin isn't limited to just Zooming the Movies. He is a multi-talented performer, including musical appearances. Such was the case a few years ago, when he appeared with some former Chicago Bears.

One of those Bears was Steve McMichael. Mongo was a star defensive player for a long time with the Bears, including their 1985 Super Bowl season. He went on to have a bit of a wrestling career, as well.

Unfortunately, McMichael recently announced he has ALS.

McMichale is only 63 and had a young daughter. It's tragic to see a once great athlete, or anyone really, struck down with this horrific condition. While McMichael has been active around the area, I hadn;t seen him lately. To see the change is truly saddening. It makes one think aboit one's own mortality. Any of us can suffer the same fate or worse.

There is a Team Mongo GoFundMe page to raise funds for McMichael's growing bills. Check it out to learn more about McMichael's battle and to donate if you are so inclined.

Also, check out Kevin's Zooming with the Movies on Facebook. You are sure to be entertained.

Dan Hampton, Steve McMichael and Kevin Pollack in Winfield, IL-August 2017.