We send Newsday Insiders to all sorts of cool events to meet celebrities, musicians, athletes, and all kinds of famous people! Here you'll see a collection of the photo recaps of these events. If you want your shot at meeting a famous face, then keep checking the Contests page--new ways to meet celebrities are added often!


SESAME STREET LIVE
Brandon Berman and his son Brian, from Baiting Hollow, along with Cristina Miller and her son Anthony, got to meet Cookie Monster and Rosita backstage at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum before these lovable characters performed in the Sesame Street Live show! Click here to view a photo gallery of these lucky winners meeting their Sesame Street friends!

 


DAR WILLIAMS AND SHAWN MULLINS
The Caputo family of Centerport met Dar Williams & Shawn Mullins at the Fillmore East in NYC on Saturday, September 27! Click here to view a photo gallery of the Caputos meeting Dar and Shawn!

 


METS FIRST PITCH 2008
Congratulations to Michelle D'Onofrio from North Babylon! She was the winner of the Mets First Pitch contest, and on September 25, she got to bring her guests--Janice D'Onofrio, Derek Tonne, and Jerry Hortsmann--to Shea Stadium to see the Mets take on the Chicago Cubs. Michelle got to throw out the first pitch of the ball game at one of the last games played at Shea Stadium, plus she got to meet catcher Robinson Cancel! Click here to view a photo gallery of Michelle and her guests at Shea Stadium, and click here to view video of the first pitch!

 


MEETING ELI MANNING
Tommy and Ryan Connors of East Meadow met Super Bowl MVP quarterback Eli Manning at Last Licks NYC on Wednesday, September 24, 2008! Click here to view a photo gallery of Tommy and Ryan meeting this football superstar!

 


GREAT BIG SEA
On Friday, September 19, loyal Newsday Insiders got to meet Great Big Sea and watch them perform live at Nokia Theatre in New York City! Check out some pictures of the concert and of Insiders meeting the guys from the band! Click here to view the photo gallery!

 


MEETING JEFF DUNHAM
Loyal Newsday Insider Marvin Terry from Merrick brought some friends backstage to meet comedian Jeff Dunham at Nassau Coliseum on September 19! Click here to view a photo gallery of these winners meeting Jeff Dunham!

 


TNA WRESTLING SUPERSTARS
Check out some photos of TNA Wrestling at the Capital One Bank Theatre at Westbury on Friday, September 5! Click here to view a photo gallery of the TNA wrestling superstars!

 


MEETING CHRIS ISAAK
View photos of loyal Newsday readers Jim Watson and Karen Mura meeting Chris Isaak at the Capital One Bank Theatre in Westbury! Click here to view a photo gallery of these winners meeting Chris Isaak!

 


DISNEY MUSIC BLOCK PARTY
View photos of Newsday Insider Karen Calabretta's children Anthony and Mackenzie meeting Disney Music Block Party performers Choo Choo Soul, the Imagination Movers, and Ralph (from Ralph's World) at Nassau Coliseum! Click here to view a photo gallery or Mackenzie and Anthony meeting some Disney friends!

 


MEETING THE WIGGLES
Congratulations to Edith Hendry of Farmingville! This loyal Newsday Insider and her very excited guests got to meet a friend from The Wiggles at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Saturday, August 16! Click here to view a photo gallery of these winners at the show!

 


BOSTON
On Tuesday, August 12, Boston and REO Speedwagon performed at Nikon at Jones Beach Theatre! Loyal Newsday Insider members Chip Herbst from Farmingville and Gary Cook won tickets to see the show from the stage. Click here to view a photo gallery of these winners enjoying their super-cool seats!

 


LEWIS BLACK
Catherine Maffetone from West Hempstead and her sister, plus Nichole DiBenedetto and Brendan Lustenring, got to meet comedian Lewis Black at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut!

 


GRETCHEN WILSON
On August 7, James Desmond from Dix Hills and his girlfriend Jeanne Valentine got to meet one of their favorite musicians, Gretchen Wilson, at the Capital One Bank Theatre in Westbury! View photos of James and jeanne with Gretchen Wilson by clicking here!

 


WALKING WITH DINOSAURS
On Sunday, August 3, Newsday Insiders got a backstage tour of the Walking with Dinosaurs show at Radio City Music Hall! Veronica Upton from Bellmore, Nancy Twaits from Bethpage, Victor Cutrone from Lynbrook, and their guests, all got up close and personal with the dinosaurs! View photos of the Insiders with the dinosaurs by clicking here!

 


LONG ISLAND COMEDY FESTIVAL
The Long Island Comedy Festival was at Martha Clara Vineyard in Riverhead on Friday, July 25. Click here to check out pictures of Craig Pine from Nesconset, plus his guests Kathy Pine and Bob and Diane Cook, meeting comedians Paul Anthony and TJ Garofalo!

 


THEORY of a Deadman
On Monday, July 21, Newsday Insiders got to see a special acoustic performance by THEORY of a Deadman at Looney Tunes CDs in West Babylon!

Click here to check out the photo gallery for highlights from the show!

Check out video from the concert by clicking here.

 


MEETING WEIRD AL YANKOVIC
Weird Al Yankovic played the Capital One Bank Theatre in Westbury in July 2008. Weird Al super-fan Michael Scott Ransom and his father Mark got to meet Weird Al after the show!
 


Meeting The Backyardigans
Loyal Newsday Insider member Samuel Sharin of Valley Stream brought his grandchildren Amy and Matthew to meet the Backyardigans on Saturday, June 14!


The Ultimate Doo-Wop Show
Loyal Newsday Insider member May Wong and her guests enjoyed the Ultimate Doo-Wop show...and they even got to meet some of the performers! View the photo gallery.


Newsday Insiders at Shea Stadium
On Sunday, June 1, Newsday Insider brought a bunch of Newsday Insider members and their guests out to enjoy a yummy dinner in the picnic area at Shea Stadium...and then everyone got to watch the Mets beat the Los Angeles Dodgers!

Click here to view video from the event!


Meeting Don Rickles!
On Sunday, June 1, Newsday Insiders Mary and Vincent Copelli met comedian Don Rickles before his performance at the Capital One Bank Theatre in Westbury!


Visiting with ARTHUR and friends!
Newsday Insider Adrienne DePierro from Fresh Meadows brought her daughter Sophia to see Arthur LIVE! and meet characters from the performance!


BACKSTAGE AT GYPSY
Loyal Newsday Insider William Stubb of Levittown, plus his wife Theresa, daughter Katelyn, and son William, got to go on a special backstage tour of GYPSY on Broadway!


BACKSTAGE AT YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN
Newsday Insider Kathleen Bicchetti and her mother Theresa and two daughters, Sofia and Alyssa, enjoyed a backstage tour of Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein on Broadway!


MEETING BLUE MAN GROUP
Newsday Insiders David and Amy Sacks, along with their children, Brittany and Jared, got to meet Blue Man Group at Nassau Coliseum on Saturday, May 3!


MEETING PETER NOONE
Newsday Insiders Mary Ann and Bill Himmel got to meet musician Peter Noone at the Capital One Bank Theatre in Westbury on Saturday, May 3.


MEETING LARRY THE CABLE GUY
GIT 'ER DONE!!! Newsday Insiders Sharyn and Rich Regan from Wantagh got to meet Larry the Cable Guy at the Nassau Coliseum on Friday, May 2!!


THE NY DRAGONS PRESS PASS CONTEST WINNERS
Newsday Insider Dennis Holland and his grandson James got to sit in the press box and talk to the athletes at the April 26 New York Dragons game!


CHRISTMAS WITH THE SMITHEREENS
Newsday Insiders got to meet the Smithereens after their concert at Newsday! The Smithereens performed a Christmas-themed show exclusively for Newsday Insiders.


HILARY DUFF
Hilary Duff played Radio City Music Hall on Monday, August 27, and some lucky Newsday Insiders got to meet her!





METS FIRST PITCH
Check out some Newsday Insiders at Shea Stadium. One of them even got to throw out the first pitch of the Mets game! Plus, click here to see the video of the lucky kid who got to throw the first pitch!


SPAMALOT
Newsday Insiders had a "knight" to remember while seeing Spamalot at the Shubert Theatre! Marian Hershkowitz of Plainview brought her husband Marvin, her daughter Susan Rose, and her granddaughter Stephanie along with her to the show. Check out pictures of them meeting some knights from the performance.


MICHAEL BOLTON
Michael Bolton played the North Fork Theatre at Westbury on Wednesday, August 29. Maureen and Richard Sasto of East Northport got to meet Michael!


DREAM THEATER
Kirt Burcroff is one lucky guy! He's a die-hard Dream Theater fan who won the fan experience of a lifetime from Newsday Insider! Kirt not only won a guitar signed by the band, a lithograph, a copy of Dream Theater's latest CD, and a pair of tickets for their Jones Beach concert on Saturday, August 25, but he also got to meet the band and take a picture with them at Looney Tunes CDs in West Babylon! Kirt, who has seen Dream Theater six--now seven!--times, was quite pleased to be able to talk to them up close and personal. Check out the photo gallery...


AMERICAN IDOLS
Newsday Insiders got an up-close-and-personal look at this season's American Idols! Jordin, Sanjaya, and the rest of the Idols crew played a show at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Saturday, August 25, and a few lucky Insiders not only got to see the show, but got to go backstage to say hi to their favorite Idols! Shel and Lori Basch of Lynbrook plus their guests, Liz and Sandra, look like they had a TON of fun at the show!



BALLOONFEST
A bunch of Newsday Insiders got to party like rock stars at the Metro NY Balloon and Music Festival in Shirley, August 10-12! They got to check out performances from Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Big Head Todd and the Monsters, Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, Senses Fail, Head Automatica, and Lennon! Plus, the Insiders even got to meet some of the bands!



THE WIGGLES
Congratulations to Erica Vozzolo! She and her guests got to check out The Wiggles at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, plus they got to meet Henry the Octopus! View the photo recap!



ISLANDERS VS. RANGERS
Newsday Insider member Joseph Dehler of Wantagh won a catered suite at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. It was an important night for the Islanders as they had to WIN to keep their playoff hopes alive. Joseph, a NY Islanders season ticket holder since 1972 brought his entire family with him into the suite. The Dehler family enjoyed great food, an exciting game that the NY Islanders won in a shootout, received complimentary massages and a special visit from Hockey Legend Mike Bossy.



LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM
Newsday Insider member Rick Ferguson from West Babylon has been a loyal Newsday Subscriber since 1996. Here's a photo of him meeting rock legend Lindsey Buckingham at the North Fork Theatre at Westbury on Friday, March 23, 2007.



ROGER DALTREY
View a photo of the grand prize winners who got to meet Roger Daltrey from The Who on Sunday, March 11, at the Nassau Coliseum.



LARRY THE CABLE GUY
View photos of the Grand Prize winners who met Larry the Cable Guy at Radio City Music Hall on Saturday, February 10!



JONNY LANG
View a photograph of Newsday Insider's grand prize winners with Jonny Lang.



CARSON KRESSLEY
Carson Kressley appeared at the Home & Garden Show at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Saturday, March 24, 2007. See Carson get cozy with Newsday Insider members.



NICKELBACK
View photos of Nickelback hanging out with Newsday Insider member Susan Tempesta and son Robbie of Farmingdale on March 5, 2007.



HANSON
Hanson played The North Fork Theatre at Westbury on Friday, September 21, and lucky Newsday Insider Sandy McDonough of Oceanside got to meet them!



MICHAEL MCDONALD
Lucky Newsday Insider Howard Posin from Long Beach brought his wife backstage at the North Fork Theatre at Westbury, and they both got to meet Michael McDonald! View the photo recap!



DITTYDOODLE WORKS
Garden City resdents Nicole and Chris Villoni, with their daughter Kimberly, got to meet the cast of Dittydoodle Works! Check out the pictures of them having fun with Sheira, Loli, and Bluedles on October 5!



SESAME STREET LIVE
Mr. and Mrs. Ruta, along with their daughters Emmalee and Megan, were lucky enough to get to meet Elmos, Abby Cadabby, and Roxy Marie from the Sesame Street Live show! View the photo recap!



COHEED AND CAMBRIA
Newsday Insider Mario Bove from Westbury and three of his buddies went to the 92.3 K-Rock Creep Show starring Coheed and Cambria...and they got to meet the band! Check out the photo recap...