Taylor Swift: Reliving 'Once Upon a Prom,' from princess to queen | MARK HUGHES COBB

Sixteen years ago this spring, one of the shiniest stars in our celebrity firmament was still on her sw ... startling rise.

In April 2008, when Swifty, TSwift, T-Swizzle, Tay Tay, arrived in Tuscaloosa via tour bus at the home of Whit Wright, to take the pleasantly shocked young man to his Hillcrest High School senior prom, she'd released just her self-titled 2006 debut. The second disc, "Fearless," rolled out in November.

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"Taylor Swift" sold seven times platinum, and spent 24 weeks atop country charts. She won New Female Vocalist of the year from the Academy of Country Music, a Horizon Award from the Country Music Association, and was nominated for Best New Artist and Album of the Year at the Grammys.

Though still a teen, Swift bore the golden laurel: "superstar."

The 42-minute MTV documentary "Once Upon a Prom" showcases the almost supernaturally kind, long-legged girl with golden curls, who chose from Hillcrest students who had vied for a celebrity fix-up, not knowing who their star-date might be.

With MTV's badge, director Andrew Huang got access, taking viewers on the bus, and into Swift's Nashville home, then to Wright's school and home life. We see the 18-year-old getting his first mani-pedi, and a massage, but turning down a "detoxification" speculum that would go, as he noted, not in his mouth.

Talking to The Tuscaloosa News back then, Swift said “It is so cool to be here. I thought I was going to miss my senior prom because I was on tour. "

As the doc shows her receiving the pitch from MTV's Sway Calloway, Swift seems tickled. Later, Mom Andrea hands her a DVD with profiles of her would-be Hillcrest High suitors, saying "Taylor, it's here. Your future prom date."

Some seemed semi-cocky jocks, others shy, with a few, like Wright, somewhere in between, polite and hopeful. In his "promposal" ― I didn't make it up, and won't be typing it again ― Wright said he was new, and didn't have many friends.

Maybe before, but not so after. At the gym announcement ― Swift and since-ninth-grade-bestie Abigail Anderson cooed and ahh-ed, then wrote names down, and drew one from a hat — he seems Mr. Popular.

In a clever cut, the doc moves from Swift and Anderson touching up hair and makeup to Wright post-game earlier that afternoon, with eye-black stripes swiped across his cheekbones, Calloway calls Wright to say his date is ahead of schedule, so he needs to be ready by 4. It's 3:47 as he drives home. Wright rapidly pulls together a striking ensemble, largely in black, but highlighted with bold pink vest and tie.

Either Calloway was pulling his leg, or traffic jammed, or Wright moonlights as the Flash, but he's outside before the bus pulls in, carrying a massive bouquet, pacing: "Dang, I'm so nervous. I've never been this nervous in my life .... "

Swift notes the pink, and says "Oh my God, is he standing out there with flowers? That's the cutest thing I've ever seen!"

Sleight-of-friend: Abigail greets him first. There's a moment you can see Wright thinking: "OK, she's pretty, but ... who is she?"

"I have a surprise for you: You're actually going to to go on a prom date with my best friend," Anderson says.

Swift steps down with a warm "Hello." Like boys since time immemorial, on seeing his prom date primped and coifed, Wright gives out a "Woo!"

Together they enter the teeming Wright home: "I'm Taylor, nice to meet you guys." Either she is genuinely kind and self-effacing, or she's one heck of an actress. The rest resembles most prom prep: Families forcing poses, semi-clumsy pinning of boutonnieres and corsages, small talk.

"I just felt like the luckiest guy in the world," Wright says. "She's just a person you would wanna take to meet your parents."

At the Bama Belle (the now-defunct riverboat) pre-prom, Swift scores more cool points, recognizing guys from their DVD auditions, and not hesitating to chow down on fried chicken from the buffet.

Back on the bus, Wright explains the pink was for Aunt Joan, his "second mom," who'd been diagnosed with breast cancer. Swift goes into the back, and changes.

"Well, this is my bus, so I had a few dresses that I perform in sometimes," Swift says, "and I dug through and I found a pink one .... And now we match."

Even if she didn't write or sing, Swift could be a star.

"I could honestly see myself marrying her one day," Wright says.

Descending the prom's sweeping staircase, they're introduced to the crowd, which hurrahs as if for royalty. Swift says "That was the coolest thing ever!"

Who's the actual prom king, when you escort a teenage superstar?

She poses for endless picture requests, gives out hugs, dances with some of the other dateless young men, assuring them their auditions were adorable, or funny. She asks Chip, the least confident of those we saw, if he will dance with her. I don't want to overuse "sweet," but this:

"When I saw Chip, I lit up," Swift says. "I could have ended up going to prom with any one of those guys, and it was just the luck of the draw that I got to go with Whit, but Chip was hilarious in his tape. So different and so genuine."

"I transferred here as a senior, and didn't know anybody," Wright said. "Now I'll always be remembered as the student who brought Taylor Swift to the senior prom."

"Once Upon a Prom" has been viewed on YouTube 2.3 million times. Watching this week, as Swift's set to release her 11th studio album Friday, "The Tortured Poets Department," adds amusing perspective.

The doc's narrator: "We waved our magic wand, and found this Southern Cinderella a date .... "

As if they were doing the teenage superstar a huge favor, perhaps not guessing that, 16 years later, Swift could buy Tuscaloosa and MTV itself, should she be so inclined.

Mark Hughes Cobb is the editor of Tusk. Reach him at mark.cobb@tuscaloosanews.com.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Rewatching Taylor Swift's Tuscaloosa prom show | MARK HUGHES COBB