THE PRICE OF ADMISSION
"He could play the guitar just like ringing a bell"

This has got to be thee-most surprising quote ever made by a celebrity living with a disease ... here are the words of Michael J. Fox in response to performing on stage last Wednesday with The Who:

"This is almost worth getting Parkinson's for!" Michael J. Fox declared as he took the stage to play guitar with The Who in New York City Wednesday night.

image: people.com

Wow - I gotta say, I love the guy's sense of humour. Big props to him for that.

It's kind of amazing to realize that no matter who you are or what you might be facing, we can all still go a little ga-ga for our favourite bands (or movie stars or whatever). Here's more of the story from People:

The actor – who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1991 – rocked out to the legendary band's "Magic Bus," trading licks and windmill guitar riffs with Pete Townshend.

The once-in-a-lifetime performance was the grand finale of Fox's annual A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Cure Parkinson's.

Ryan Reynolds – who recently ran the New York City Marathon in honor of his father, who suffers from Parkinson's – also attended the star-studded event, along with his new wife Scarlett Johansson. Also on the guest list: Rachael Ray, Julianne Moore, Ben Stiller and New York Yankee Derek Jeter.

Mmmm.... Ryan Reynolds. Can we just stop this blog for a moment to let our mouths fall agape and enjoy the hotness that is Ryan at a marathon?

image: Splash

AND... we're back.

The event was even more celebratory than usual, thanks to Barack Obama's presidential win the night before.

"I'm positive that one of the first things that [Obama] is going to do ... is revisit the [George W. Bush's] ban on stem cell research ...," Fox told PEOPLE at the event, which he attended along with wife Tracy Pollan and daughters, Schuyler and Aquinnah. "I'm really excited."

I gotta say, I also hope to see the same thing come from President-elect Obama. We ALL would benefit from exploring the possibilities inherent with stem cell research. LIFT THE BAN, indeed!

As for Michael J. Fox, while not a rabid fan of all of his work I do absolutely acknowledge his acting talent and his perseverance in life especially since is diagnosis way back in '91. I also feel a bit of - oh, I don't know - a 'connection' with him because I was born at the same hospital as he ... the Royal Alexandra Hospital to be exact.

That pic of him on stage with The Who reminds of that fun scene from Back to the Future where his character, Marty McFly, takes to the stage at the high school dance to perform Johnny B Goode and ends up rocking out so hard on his electric guitar - way before the actual days of real rock n' roll - that he completely freaks out not only his backup band but also all the kids at the dance. Watch it again with me, won't you? The BEST part is at :52 seconds into the clip!