Our first show in Charleston comes to a close, so we'll leave you with a few parting shots, and we'll see you back tomorrow.

Drew Katchen | msnbc.com

Fmr. Gov Mitt Romney, R-Mass., and 2012 GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney talks with Joe Scarborough, NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Time's Mark Halperin, and Mike Barnicle in the MSNBC hallway.

Mitt Romney pulled his campaign into Morning Joe today, and before his interview he chatted with Massachusetts' own Mike Barnicle, Joe, Mika, Mayor Bloomberg and Mark Halperin in the MSNBC hallway.

Drew Katchen | msnbc.com

Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J.,talks with Time's Mark Halperin and Mike Barnicle on the set of Morning Joe.

But before Mitt stopped by, we had Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J., on set to talk about why he endorses Mitt Romney for president and his thoughts on the payroll tax cut showdown in Washington.

Drew Katchen | msnbc.com

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Cornell University President David Skorton on their way into the MSNBC studio

And Mayor Bloomberg and Cornell President David Skorton joined us to a new partnership with Cornell University and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology to build a new applied sciences campus on Roosevelt Island.

Drew Katchen | msnbc.com

Regis Philbin talks with Mika Brzezinski on the set of Morning Joe

And perhaps most importantly...WE HAD REGIS!

Drew Katchen | msnbc.com

Singer/songwriter Carole King performs on the set of Morning Joe

Singer/songwriter Carole King dropped by Morning Joe to play some stuff from her new holiday record. The show will air the songs in the coming week, but until then you can get some behind-the scenes pictures HERE.

If you click on the image, it will take you to our Flickr page, where you can view a larger size of the image.

And I just have to say that listening to Carole King do these songs in our studio is pretty much one of the coolest things that's happened in my career..and life...thus far.

Drew Katchen | msnbc.com

Rep. Michele Bachmann prepares for her interview on Morning Joe

Rep. Michele Bachmann dropped by Morning Joe this week to talk about her campaign and her new book. While she was around the studio and the MSNBC floor, we took some candid shots of her before and after her interview.

Cruise on over to our Flickr page for all of the images.

Drew Katchen | msnbc.com

Actress Betty White in the Morning Joe green room.

What can I really say about this one other than it's awesome? Betty White. In the Morning Joe green room. It gets no cooler.

If you click on the image, it will take you to our Flickr page, where you can view a larger size of the image.

Happy Friday, everyone!

Let's take a quick peek behind the Morning Joe curtain, shall we? If you watched the show today, you saw something particularly fun happen. Donny Deutsch brought Mike Barnicle a tie. A nice shade of purple. It's shiny. Earlier in the week, Donny brought Mika a pair of spiky heels. It's not the first time he's done it, and it seems safe to say it won't be the last. He likes to apologize with shoes.

Today he brought the tie. And Barnicle seemed to like it.

Here he is modeling it for us:

Drew Katchen | msnbc.com

Barnicle models his new tie

And then Jeff Bridges stopped by, but he didn't bring Barnicle a tie. But that's ok, they still seemed to get on anyway.

Drew Katchen | msnbc.com

Jeff Bridges and Barnicle share a moment on the set of Morning Joe

Drew Katchen | msnbc.com

Operation Mend founder Ron Katz (l.) and Marine Corporal Aaron Mankin (r.)

Marine Corporal Aaron Mankin received the IAVA Veteran Leadership award Wednesday night in New York City, and he joined Morning Joe along with Operation Mend founder Ron Katz to discuss the award and the Operation Mend program, which serves Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans.

Meeting Cpl. Mankin was a complete honor, and he was more than willing to ham it up for the camera and be a joker for the camera. I ultimately chose this shot because it best depicts the vibe in the green room before his interview.

If you click on the image, it will take you to our Flickr page, where you can view a larger size of the image.

For more information on Operation Mend, go to their Web site.

Drew Katchen | msnbc.com

Former President Bill Clinton in the Morning Joe green room

This morning former President Bill Clinton dropped by the show to talk about his new book, Occupy Wall Street, the 2012 field, and a host of other topics. As I do with many of the guests on Morning Joe, I dropped by the green room before his interview and snapped a few images. I chose to post this one because I'm a big fan of calm, quiet moments. I like seeing people at ease and just doing their thing as if the camera weren't there at all.

If you click on the image, it will take you to our Flickr page, where you can view a larger size of the image.

Drew Katchen | msnbc.com

This morning we came to you live from Bronx Charter School for Excellence, deep in the heart of the Parkchester and Morris Park neighborhoods. The school is free public charter school that serves 440 students, and in the 2011-2012, the school's 3rd-6^th graders achieved a combined 93.5% proficiency level in English Language Arts and Mathematics. That's pretty darn good.

During the episode, we explored how the school has dramatically improved academic results and created a culture of excellence that serves as a successful model for schools across the nation. We even got the school's principal, Charlene Reid, and some of her students in on the conversation.

Here are some of the clips and pictures from today's episode:

Drew Katchen | msnbc.com

Drew Katchen | msnbc.com

Drew Katchen | msnbc.com

And click here for more information on how you can help support public schools.

Drew Katchen | msnbc.com

Fleetwood Mac's Lindsey Buckingham and actress Goldie Hawn meet outside of the Morning Joe green room

I like being what basically amounts to Morning Joe's house photographer. For a whole lot of obvious reasons. I get to interact with people I grew up listening to on my stereo or watching on my TV or reading about in the paper. And I get to capture moments like this one that happened earlier today.

Fleetwood Mac guitarist and vocalist Lindsey Buckingham joined the show today to discuss his new record "Seeds We Sow" and actress Goldie Hawn stopped by to discuss her new book "10 Mindful Minutes."

Buckingham had been relaxing in the MSNBC hallway for a bit when Hawn rounded the corner. And then they struck up a conversation. And I happened to be there to catch it.

This was a little bit before or around 8 a.m., and it seemed as if they'd never before met. When you think about it, that almost seems impossible. Both Fleetwood Mac and Hawn basically dominated the pop culture landscape of the '70s and early '80s. Didn't they ever end up at the same party? Maybe at Paul Simon's house? Maybe Woody Allen was there too?

I like this picture because it's just two incredibly famous people having a little chat before they go on national television.

You can see more from today's set and behind the scenes HERE.

Drew Katchen | msnbc.com

No. 22 Emmitt Smith in the Morning Joe greenroom...just after his two interviews.

Drew Katchen | msnbc.com

Actor Don Cheadle on the set of Morning Joe.

Actor Don Cheadle joins Morning Joe to discuss his new comedy "The Guard." Cheadle plays FBI agent Wendell Everett who is sent to Ireland to help with the investigation of a missing Irish police officer. The actor also discusses the "Not On Our Watch" humanitarian organization.