A Few Things You Didn’t Know About Me.
I used to be fun.
I let you know all kinds of stuff about me here on my blog. You know that I redid my whole house a few years ago, you know I have chickens, you even know when I have a yeast or bladder infection and what I do about it.
You know I’ve made my living as a television host and writer. I’ve let you know all this.
I’m a sharer. That’s what I am. Except food. I *hate* to share my food. Do NOT take a fry from my plate or I’ll pluck your eyeball out and shove it up your nostril.
However, no matter how much I share, there will always be things you don’t know about me.
Take a listen to this little diddy by The Four Horsemen from the early 90′s. If you listen veryyyyy closely at the veryyyyy end of the track … there I be. Clapping and (in an effort to distinguish myself from the other clappers) whistling. Yup. I’m a whistling fool. Go ahead … give it a listen.
Now, I realize that it’s very difficult to prove that the clapping and whistling is me, so you’ll just have to believe me. For one thing if I was going to make something like this up, I’d probably pick a more popular song to attach myself to. Like “Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road”. Although, looking back on it, this was the most popular song The Four Horsemen probably ever recorded. The song was recorded in a studio in Hollywood and I happened to be there at the time. The producer needed a bunch of people clapping at the end of the song, so we all stood around and clapped. (with me improvising a little with my whistle)
At one point, many, many years ago when I used to be … well … fun, I spent a bit of time in Hollywood with my friend and her fiancé. He was the lead singer in a band that was popular at the time. The band was called The Cult and the singer was Ian Astbury. You may have heard of them. Or not.
I haven’t seen or spoken with Ian in years, but I’m still friends with his fiancé. She’s the one who does my hair actually! She did his too back in the day. That’s why Ian Astbury always had beautiful, flowing, shiny black hair. Because of Renee.
During that trip to Los Angeles I can’t even begin to tell you the amount of people I met and went to dinner with and saw in concert. Lemme tell ya, you see a whole different Hollywood when you’re there with a rock star. I have it all written down somewhere because I knew I’d probably forget half of who I saw/met later. And I have. Elton John is one I remember. He was sitting on a bench in gymnasium type seating at a party for a band I can’t remember. He looked sad.
It was an experience I’m kind of shocked my mother let me take. I was youngish at the time and I’d really just met Ian and Renee. Mind you, this is the same mother who shoved me off to New York City when I was 16 with a friend. I didn’t want to go … she pushed me. So the two of us, 16 years old and stupid, boarded a plane and headed to the Big Apple. It was THERE that I saw a true icon.
I’ve met countless celebrities through my job. I was an entertainment reporter for 3 years and interviewed a plethora of bands and actors. None of them thrilled me like this random encounter.
My friend and I were in the store Fiorucci with her cousin, an artist … and there standing over to the right of the store was Andy Warhol. The cousin screamed, I swore because I wasn’t wearing my glasses and couldn’t see him well and my friend … she asked who Andy Warhol was. A year later Andy Warhol was dead.
So as we head into this weekend I thought I’d ask “Have you had a brush with celebrity?” And did they give you a yeast infection?
Have a good weekend everyone! Menu posted tomorrow, see you on Monday.
Cindy
I stalked Tom Selleck once — just kidding, he filmed Magnum P.I. near my home in Hawaii and I went across the street to get a photo with him. He’s the sweetest man. I was about 10 or 12 years old at the time. I still love Tom Selleck.
Jenn
A few years ago I was in San Francisco. As I crossed the street I noticed a man walking in the crowd toward me. He was tall, thin, wore a long leather jacket and leather pants, had massive burgundy dyed hair (it was horrid), and distinctive round glasses.
Then it hit me: holy crapola, that’s a famous washed-up rock star!
I must have been staring at him. All of a sudden, a voice rang through my head.
It said, simply, “piss off”.
I’d just had a telepathic moment with Alice Cooper.
Jenn
Oh, and John Ratzenberger watched me play with a dog at the airport (our friends had taken the same flight with their dog & asked me to walk the dog while they got their luggage). This was during his Cheers days.
It’s odd to know you’re being watched by a celebrity who’s used to being watched.
Karen
Jenn – It’s been a while, but believe me … it’s worse to be the person everyone is watching. I used to have people follow me into the bathroom and try to talk to me while peeing. One guy had me autograph his birth certificate. (not while in the bathroom) I don’t think that’s even legal. ~ karen
Karen
I love Alice Cooper. He’s so … Alice Cooper. Ironically, my friend Renee who I refer to in this post … I think her mother is friends with Alice Cooper! ~ karen
Jenn
Every time I’ve met a celebrity I try WAY too hard and wind up being a jerk. I took a year-long class with Edgar Martinez (former Seattle Mariner, delightful man, and beloved member of the Seattle community). I put my foot in my mouth so many times that I just stopped talking to him. I hate that about myself!
Tanis
The only ‘brush’ I’ve had was with Alice Cooper.
You may know he LOVES golfing. I was at my aunt’s house in Winnipeg which backs onto the 7th hole of a golf course. He hit his ball into the rough in her back yard. He was decked out in a great golf outfit (picture plaid pants and a beret).
My dad embarrased everyone by getting out his big ‘paparazzi’ zoom-lens camera.
Pati
I was in the San Diego airport back in ’79 when our plane broke down. In first class was Henry Winkler and his wife,agent and his wife’s mom. We all had to get off while arrangements were made for other flights so my husband sat me and the kids next to the Winklers. He was REALLY nice and REALLY CUTE back then and we all talked for about 45 min. He asked me where I was from so I told him my hubby was in the Navy and my mom was flying us home for our anniversary. (It was VERY OBVIOUS we had NO money.) His agent got him a cab to LA (which had a flat on the way !LOL) and so he bid me adieu…but ran back about 5 min. later and pressed a 20 dollar bill into my hand and said Happy Anniversary !! I fed my babies and us on the 20 the next morning. VERY nice guy…
Karen
Are you kidding? Are you making that up? That about brings a tear to my eye. I want to hunt Henry Winkler down and shake his hand. ~ karen
Claudine
That’s so sweet. What a great memory.
misskher
I regularly interact with Karen effing Bertelsen on Twitter! Seriously, I remember you from the Springer days and from MMM!
Karen
Yup. That’s the time period when people followed me into bathrooms and popped out of my front bushes to take pictures. ~ karen
Pati
That’s for REAL,Karen !! I found out he had a flat on the cab they took to L.A. thru the National Enquirer !!! LOLOL !!
Pati
And I even went to the ashtray where he stubbed out his cigarette and STOLE HIS CIGERETTE BUTT !!! He smoked Vantage in case anyone’s interested. LMBO !
Julianna
I’m mostly certain I had a mutual stalking with who I think was Steven Weber (‘Wings’) off the center of the square in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Eveytime I turned around to look for him, he was there. Something he was wearing was Orange (shirt?Hat?) and every time I see him on tv (which, granted, doesn’t happen all that often), it reminds me of the color. That may or may not have happened sometime in the mid 1990s. I mean, I think it happened.
Cora
I don’t have any good stories … or even any stories at all because I’m boring. But my aunt went to a funeral for a guy she’d known and he’d been Phil Collins’s roadie or something. There was a bar, she was making a drink (no bartender) and Collins asked for a drink. She mixed it, handed it to him, told him she wasn’t the bartender. He took a drink of it and said “Yeah, you aren’t.”
Doug
This morning, I was in the same jury pool as (former NY governor, better known as Client #9) Eliot Spitzer. He did not give me a yeast infection, but I would think twice about sitting in that seat.
Meanwhile, my wife was meeting Paul McCartney. She said he was a doll.
Valerie
The true “clapper’s” challenge:
Obtain the “UNSQUARE DANCE” by Dave Brubeck. Start it from the beginning.
See if you can clap, without hesitation or mistakes in rhythm RIGHT to the very end.
Amber
I can, and I have. But, I’m a percussionist, so I have an unfair advantage.
NotRealName
In 1998, Hubby and I were Jackson Square,New Orleans, eating Ben & Jerry’s (he had the Wavy Gravy. When they stopped making it, he died a little). It was consolation for Hurricane Mitch ruining our plans for VooDoo Fest. Off to our right, there’s a disturbance in the Force. Hubby says, “Look at this dude. Who does he think he is?” It was Lenny Kravitz, headliner for the festival, with his entourage and a wake of hysterical fans. He passed three feet behind us with some drunken white guy screaming, “DUDE, YOU’RE F’IN’ AWESOME! I GOTTA SHAKE YOUR HAND!” Lenny obliged. Then, white guy screamed, “YOU’RE THE SH!#, MAH N!@@AH!”
Yup, The ‘N’ word. You never heard such a deafening silence in a busy city street. Lenny was totally classy about it. Just smiled and waved and kept on walking.
Cindy
I took an elevator in my friend’s apartment building in Honolulu with Pat Morita of The Karate Kid. I didn’t let on that I recognized him, because he looked like he’d rather avoid the ‘fan’ thing.
KEL
Four years ago my husband & I were in NYC – we walked right past Tony Bennett in manhattan. I stopped dead in my tracks and looked, horrified, at my husband. “I thought Tony Bennett was dead!!”. Oops… Apparently he’s alive and well ;)
carey
Ian Astbury? Are you effing kidding me? Love the Cult and Ian! I have a whole new appreciation for everything Karen now. Oh, btw, did you see him perform with the Doors a few years ago? He was amazing! (wait, is that you clapping in the background?)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJ-FS0htyxo
Claudine
At a small Mexican restaurant in LA, Rob Lowe was ahead of my son and I, by a several people. Most were getting take out, but the place was full, and when we looked for a place to sit down, the only table was next to Rob Lowe’s. I smiled at him as we sat down, but my son acts and I know enough to let celebrities have their space, so we just talked together, essentially ignoring him.
But as he finished eating and stood up to leave, a busboy walked over to the table and said “Hey, I know you from something. Who are you?” We couldn’t help watching this unfortunate interchange. He replied, “I’m Rob Lowe.” The busboy then said, “Well, what have you been in?” and was told “St. Elmo’s Fire?” The busboy said he hadn’t seen it, and asked what else. “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me?” Busboy, “Oh, I guess that was it” and walked away.
I think my mouth was hanging open from shock at the way this boob was behaving. I know my son’s was. As Rob left, he put his hand on Josh’s shoulder, smiled, and said “Thanks for letting me enjoy my lunch.”
I’m sure he wouldn’t have interacted with us, if there hadn’t been such an obvious difference in how we treated him.
Trysha
Elisa from season 4 Project Runway almost ran me over with her cart in Target in Santa Fe.
I was about 4 months pregnant and she came around the corner and I didn’t realize it was her. My husband is the one who pointed out it was Elisa and told another woman was trying to see if it was her. My husband, who obviously loves me very much, stalked her in the store so I could get a picture.
I guess the best part was that my husband knew who she was. And all that time I thought he was only watching because of Heidi. He even remembered the clothes she made.
Janelle
K.D. Lang accidentally spilled a drink on my Dad on an airplane once, on account of violent turbulence. He was thrilled; she was very apologetic and bought him a drink!
I dont’ really have my own…unless fantasies about being trapped in an elevator with Clooney count.
Claudine
Oh, and Karen, nice whistling!
gloria
I hate professional wrestling. So it was really weird when I found out one of my Tampa childhood classmates (Terry Bollea) had grown up to be Hulk Hogan. We lived in the same neighborhood and were in the same classes all through school. You just never know.
And in an unrelated brush with celebrity, boarding a plane for London in 1972, I was asked if I was with the James Taylor party which was also boarding. Must have been my hippie outfit and the guitar case. But duh, I said no. He and his entourage were wisked off to 1st class while we were ushered practically back to the luggage department.
AmieM
YOU WENT TO SCHOOL WITH HULK HOGAN!! AWESOME!
ra
My hubby is a photographer and has been friends with many undergroundish rock bands. Because of this, we rode in a van in Santa Cruz down to the boardwalk with Fantomas. This might make some girls pee their pants, but not so much me, I was sitting across from Mike Patton. And yes, he is really that spazzy, all the time, it seems. Oh yeah, also Dave Lombardo, you know, from Slayer, was in the back with his super blonde, big-breasted lady friend. And this other guy some may have heard of, King Buzzo, aptly named. Lastly, Trevor Dunn, but sadly nobody pees for him ;)
Antonia
Not really a “celebrity”, but back in the 80′s when I was a young girl I got to shake hands with Princess Diana when she and Prince Charles visited Newfoundland! Great moment for me!
magali
that is awesome! I actually think that’s more exciting than any of the others!
Danielle M.
Um, heck YEAH, Princess Diana is a celebrity! That is quite fantastic!
coralie
Well, dang girl. You just stole my story, which is exactly the same as yours except it took place in Prince George, BC, not Newfoundland. But I bet it was on the same trip.
Nicole
the closest I’ve come to an encounter with a celebrity is when my sister and I got to go up on the (empty, abandoned) stage after the New Kids on the Block Christmas concert. somewhere, I have a zippy bag full of the white shredded plastic they used as snow.
growing up in Irving, TX, I met countless Dallas Cowboys, which only count as celebrities if you’re a) from Texas or 2) a football fan. Troy Aikman tips for shit.
Karen, I don’t get the accosting celebrities when they pee thing. Eminem has talked about that in songs, and I’m always SO confused. I love me some Eminem. I don’t want to hear him pee. Call me crazy.
ashton
I wish I had had a brush with a celebrity, but I have to live vicariously through my family: my mom grew up with Maya Angelou as her neighbor (this is after she was famous – I think it was in the 1970s). Maya and my Grandma used to get together for tea :)
And my brother is friends with Nick Diaz of wrestling fame – they met through a bicycling club of all things
Karen
Having a granny friends with Maya Angelou. That’s pretty good. ~ k!
Sebrah
I went to an after race party for F1 in Monaco.
I booked it for my husbands 30th birthday. We had an imaginary light sabre fight behind George Lucas, I peed in the toilet next to Naomi Campbell, danced next to Rod Stewart and Penny, chatted to Jenson Button and Danni Minogue at the bar and squeezed through the crowd of other F1 and English football/tv celebs. Perhaps we’ll do it again for his 40th :-)
Nicole le Strange
I’ve worked with many ‘slebs through my jobs in theatre (as in people acting on stage….not theatre as in cinema auditoria!) and PR, so I’m generally not at all fazed by meeting famous people.**
Having said that, I used to do a bit of photographic modelling too, and one ‘tog I worked for, who was a well known rock’n'roll photographer, received a sponsorship from Mobil Oil to do a photographic tour of the US, based on the Chuck Berry song, Promised Land. At the end of the tour, he gave a lecture at a university in Philadelphia (I think) about his work, and Chuck Berry was there (not least because he and Gus had been friends for years).
Part of the set dressing was a pair of 20ft high posters of me on either side of the stage! After the lecture, Chuck and Gus were chatting, and Chuck asked for one of the posters of me! Ha ha ha! So while I have never actually met him, I do think it’s quite fun that Chuck Berry has a poster of *me* (the uni kept the other one apparently)!
~~~
**Last Friday, I was on the step directly behind Matt Smith (the current Doctor Who) on the escalator at Euston station (London). To be ‘absolutely certain’ it was him (heheh), I surreptitiously stood right next to him on the concourse while he checked the train times (pretty sure we got the same train actually – his mum lives around the corner to me!)! I was inwardly squeeing like a teenage fangirl!
AmieM
I would have cried, on the inside. Matt Smith is awesome. And handsome. I know I would have whimpered something totally uncool like, can I be your companion? And then he would call the police.
Gayla T
My husband used to travel a lot with Armco Steel and I went with him a lot just so I could remember what his face looked like, he was gone that much. We were staying in a hotel in Des Moines Iowa at Thanksgiving and the weather was so bad we decided we couldn’t get home and back in time for an important meeting he HAD to attend. Our son was a toddler and was with us. Johnny Cash show was in town so we got tickets and attended and went back to the hotel and found out that they were all staying there, too. They couldn’t or wouldn’t leave either because of the blizzard so when we went to eat there in the hotel they were all there eating and doing a lot of drinking. The Carters were there and of course the entire band and there were not a lot of people there so they just kind of pulled everyone into the group and played guitars and sang and talked to everyone. I went to my room and got my program from the night before so I have all their autographs and memories that don’t even seem real. I had been really sad that we weren’t going to get home to our family dinner and it turned out to be the best Thanksgiving of my life. I have no memory of the one before and after that I did spend with my family but I will never forget that one we spent in Iowa. The party went on from about 1 pm when we went to eat and ended in the middle of the night. I was pregnant with my daughter and they helped us pick out a name for both a boy or a girl and some of the suggestions were hilarious. June Carter told me if it was a girl and we named it after her or her mama she would send her a guitar. I wish now that we had done it but we named her after our mothers. I can’t begin to tell all that was talked about that night but they were like family and like we had always known them. Sadly, we didn’t even own a camara in those days. I’d give anything for pictures. I’m not sure some of our family and friends believed us when we told them about it but some of the funny stuff written on the program pretty well verifies it. My husband died a couple of years later so it is one of the highlights of our short life together. I’m getting pretty teary remembering it. We also saw a beach movie being made in California about a month after we married but didn’t get to meet anyone.
Centi
The Cult? I’m so impressed. I really am.
I believe that I once was standing beside Andrew Eldritch at a rock concert. That was because my friend who was with me found this guy next to her spooky and switched places with me. Nice girl. And the spooky guy was Andrew Eldritch. At least that’s what I believe. ;)
Rosie
Mr. fabulous himself: Johnny Depp. It wasn’t *that* kind of encounter, but I’d like to address the last question and say that our meeting did not end in a yeast infection!
Violet
OMG, I LOVE IAN ASTBURY!!! So, what … after all that, Ian and your friend never got married???
It’s surprising how many celebrities I’ve managed to meet (for not even trying), some that I won’t mention because I’m actually friends with them now and don’t want them to come across this if they Google their names (LOL!). I accidentally met Jackie Chan once (really sweet guy, warm and friendly). I was once eating lunch in L.A. when members of Van Halen sat at the table next to me and ragged on David Lee Roth the entire time (of course I was eavesdropping, who wouldn’t?). And there was the time I was in line at the grocery store behind Kurtwood Smith (who played the father, “Red,” on That ’70s Show. That was particularly amusing, because I was staring at him, not because he was famous, but because I was thinking, “Where do I know that guy from?” and he was staring back at me like, “Yeah, you know me” so we were just standing there, staring at each other like idiots, not saying a word. And when I realised what I knew him from, I didn’t say anything because I knew the character’s name, but couldn’t remember HIS name to save my life, and I know it bothers a lot of actors when people call them by their characters’ names instead of their real names, and I didn’t want to be THAT girl. Oh, and I was also in line behind Danny Glover in the market (I knew he lived around here, but I was living here for nearly 20 years before seeing him), but I didn’t say anything to him because a lot of people were calling out to him and it was clear he just wanted to get his groceries and go. Very quiet unassuming guy.
But I think my most unusual brush is one that very few people in the world got to experience: I spent a day with Gilligan, the Skipper too, the millionaire and his wife, the movie star, the professer, and Mary Ann, all on Gilligan’s Isle. I was really young at the time and I watched Gilligan’s Island every week. My mom wrote a letter to the network, telling them it was my favorite show and I never missed it, and we got a personal invitation from creator Sherwood Schwartz to come down the studio and hang out on a rehearsal day. We were there the day they were rehearsing the episode with the giant spider in the cave, so I got to meet the exceptionally charming Frenchman who was in the spider costume, too. Anyway, the whole thing was intimate, because there was no crew or other people around at all — just me, my parents, and the cast. Because I was small and very shy, the cast completely doted on me, treating me like a princess. But what I remember most is wanting to swim in the lagoon really badly. It was a giant tank on a soundstage (the soundstage doesn’t exist any more, it’s a parking lot now), so it was actually kind of traumatic to have the fantasy that they were on an actual ISLAND dashed, but still, I loved swimming more than just about anything in the world and I wanted to go in that water because it was really just a gigantic pool in a big glass tank with a wave machine and fake sand and palm trees around the edge. The cast assured me I did NOT want to go in, because the water was freezing cold, but I stood there with my nose pressed against the tank, looking in at the water longingly.
Something ironic is that now, years later, I’m friends with the Skipper’s grandaughter, who I did not know was the Skipper’s grandaughter at first. When I found out, I said, “Guess what, I spent a day on Gilligan’s Island with your granddad!” and she got really excited and wanted to hear all about it, because by the time she was born the show had long ended and the soundstage was no more.
Oops, sorry for sucking up all this space! Your Ian story got me a little too excited.
Caroline
A few years ago the Dalai Lama and his entourage walked by us at the airport in Miami. He looked very smiley and sweet!
But my favourite brush with fame is that as a child I met (several times) my aunts brother Guy Sanche who was Bobino from the very popular french kids show Bobino et Bobinette which ran from the late 50′s to mid 80′s. Kinda like hanging out with Mr. Dressup and Casey! AND I had my own autographed poster hanging on my bedroom wall – i was the envy of all my friends!
Dominique
Bobino! My dad went to school with him in Hull, Qc!
I met him once and I still remember!:-D
Caroline
Oh, and how could I forget, my hubs and I took the kids to see Teenage Head the summer that Frankie died and he A. asked my daughter and her girlfriend “wanna go f@$#?” B. let my husband and I sign with him and C. when we met him after the show and we told him our son (12 years old)played the bass he put his arm around him and said “Nice to meet you you little f*&$er! You should drop out of school and be a rock star it’s f*&%ing awesome!” It was a memorable night to say the least!!
Caroline
*oops – that should say sing!
Susan
I have had a few opportunities to meet some very famous people and so not as famous ones. As I read these comments I realized it has been quite a few. I was in Toronto airport once and being the ditz that I am tried to go down an up escalator. Dan Hill was coming up … That’s how I know it was the up one…of course I ran smack into him! My daughter was horrified! I have met Burt Reynolds, Renee Zeilwegger, Paul Giomato, Richard Gere, Hilary Swank, Chris Potter, just to name a few thru the vintage cars that we use on the movie sets. I had my 50th birthday brunch with Don Cherry…his birthday is close to mine and we both ate at the same place and got talking and ended up getting pictures together… I will talk to anybody. Then 2 years ago I was meeting friends for dinner in Yorkville in Toronto and had a bitch of a time parking my car because the Toronto Film Festival was on. Therefore i was late and racing along the sidewalk as much as one can race in 4 inch heels and came upon a huge crush of people blocking the sidewalk. Screw this I thought and went thru the barricades that somebody had put right in the middle of the sidewalk! I was dressed to kill and everybody started taking my picture and shouting and I looked around to see what the commotion was all about and ran right into one of the Jonas Brothers who was coming out of the hotel that had the barricades up! I didnt have a clue who the Jonas brothers even were! That made me even later for dinner at Sassafras! Got there and then couldn’t get in because George Clooney and Matt Damion were having dinner upstairs and there was such a crush of people at the front! Sadly I never got to eat or even see them because they had a private room but I am convinced George would have thrown sticks at that Italian model and sure wouldn’t have taken on the wrestler if he had ever seen me that night! Convinced!! :-)
Holly
That totally sounded like your whistle to me. I sat on an airplane next to Orville Redenbacher once. He was in his little suit and bow tie. I fell asleep during the flight and when I woke up I had a yellow sticker on my sleeve that said, “I met Orville Redenbacher!”
Karen
Are you kidding!? THAT’s HILARIOUS. Love the sticker. ~ k
Lynne Knowlton
This year, at Christmas we went to NYC for a friends Birthday paaaartteeee. She turned 40. We booked a two night stay at the Greenwich Hotel. {total splurge}…
I didn’t know that Robert DeNiro owned the hotel. So there we sat, in the lounge…Robert DeNiro was there. Mary Kate Olsen too (could have been Ashley…I never can tell).
Next morning…Tom Cruise , Katie and Suri opened Christmas gifts with the parents by the tree in lounge. It took everything for me to not loose my mind and just pretend to be cool and NOT jump up and down. I sat there…with big internal flutters. That was good enough.
NYC was a blast. A blast of heart fluttering moments.
xx
Angie
When I was in high school, I worked at the front desk of the Holiday Inn at the Airport in the evenings. One evening I was checking a rather large party in under a random name. I looked up to see the spitting image of Meryl Streep. I said to her, you look sooo much like Meryl Streep. She smiled like, “You’re an idiot, darling”, and continued to her room. I learned about pseudonyms that night.
Karen
Back in the 80′s I worked at the cosmetic counter in Eaton’s Saskatoon… the Centennial hall was next door where at the big bands came to play at the time.. Seemed like who ever was playing there did their Saturday morning shopping at the Midtown plaza and I was lucky enough to have stars come to me! I waited on Burton Cummings, Joanie Mitchel, Meatloaf, And the most fun was all three Pointer Sisters at once!! My other lucky encounter was Caesars Palace Vegas about 2 in the morning.. only the older gals will remember him… Greg Evigan from BJ and the Bear asked me for change at a Slot machine… still think hes a hunk!
Bev
I never get a brush, but my golf loving hubby has *peed* next to some greats. It never fails that he will be playing at a course and some big golfer comes in. He regrets that he has never been able to shake any of their hands.
Darlene
I got lucky many times earlier in my life – I worked at a hotel in Baltimore called Cross keys Inn – I worked the front desk, this was way before the Inner Harbor was nice, probably in the late 70″s. Any improtant person coming in to perform, Diana Ross, Harlem Glboe Trotters, major league baseball and football teams all stayed there…One I do remember is what a jerk Reggie Jackson was!
Nicole2
I once saw Freddy Mercury walk by at Dorval Airport where I was picking up a friend. Just casually walking, nobody noticing him…
Then a few years ago, we were on a trip to California with our friends and our two daughters and their two daughters. We had rented this van and were driving in Beverley Hills in rush hour when we spotted Peter Falk driving beside us. Our friend tried to snap his picture, while driving no less, and engaged in his pursuit. You should see how fast and well a person can drive with just one eye. I guess celebrities learn to dodge paparazzi.
On the same trip, when we landed at Pearson, we saw the Jonas Brothers just outside the airport. They were here to film the movie Rock Camp, and they were barely starting to be famous. They only had one body guard and our collective four teenage daughters asked if they could take their picture with them and they easily said yes. A year later, I’m sure they wouldn’t have gotten anywhere near them. They made a lot of friends jealous.
Gloria Westerman
The only celebrity I know of is Elvis Presley….my Uncle work for him on his ranch in Mississippi….and I also worked at the clothing store he love to shop at…he would come in late at night with all the people he wanted to buy for…including himself….and just shop….
Karen
Elivs? You met Elvis? Your uncle worked for Elvis?! ~ karen
linda
Oh my. That tops it for me.
Stacy
I’m originally from Nashville, TN so I’ve managed to meet a lot of country music people over the years. In high school I was friends with Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s nephew. I’ve also met Wynonna Judd, Billy Ray Cyrus,and George Jones. All nice people. Back in the mid 90′s I got to go backstage with The Cottonmouth Kings and on the tour bus for 2 Skinny J’s. Anyone heard of them? THAT was an experience…
Joanne
We were lucky enough to be in a very small comedy club one night in NYC when the special guest of the night was Jerry Seinfeld, without advertisement. He just got finished with Seinfeld. It was our last night in NYC as we were moving, and I will never forget it.
Joanne
By the way, I want to be your like your mom and shove my girls off to NYC although maybe I will wait until they are 18. That takes guts man!
Michelle Wilson
I used to be “fun” too. I had the greatest job in Los Angeles and lived by the beach in Santa Monica. Lots of celebs hung out there… and you had to pretend they were just a part of the scene there. It was odd if you ever heard someone scream or run for autographs when someone ‘famous’ was in the room. I sat next to Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks at breakfast one morning. I was in a spinning class with Helen Hunt. Remember ‘Natalie’ from Facts of Life? She used to go to the same coffee shop as me. Oh and I pet Calista Flockharts dog before I realized I was petting Calista Flockharts DOG?!
Anyway- I used to be fun AND cool. Now I have 3 kids and live in Burlington Ontario. How’d that happen???
Jaime
One time Fred Penner came in to the HMV store I worked at. He bought an Albeniz CD and some other stuff. I remember being impressed with his taste in music, but I was always more of a Mr. Dressup kind of girl.
Alisha
This made me LOL – One of my highschool teachers always told us that Fred Penner was his brother. Didn’t believe a word he said after that.
Brian
I saw a star in the making over 20 years ago :) Also met Michael Jackson in Vegas. Now let me tell you that was different! I could really not tell if a star walked right passed me..Unless it was you Karen!..Well maybe still not..LOL
Have a great family day weekend!
Karen
Hah! You too Brian! By the way, Michael Jackson was the one celebrity I, for some reason, *always* thought I’d meet. Never did. I’d trade all my celebrity interviews and encounters to have met him! ~ karen
Design Love
Do you remember the band, “I Mother Earth” from the 90′s early 2000′s…..they are actually back writing and have 2 shows coming up again in Toronto in May. Anyways…Our children are in the same class and we have become great friends. Jag Tanna is the guitarist he is incredibly humble and very talented. Also, one of the fella’s from Kids In the Hall at the Prince concert! LOL
Cindy
Barb
I was teaching a classroom of eighth graders when I walked to the window and noticed two men walking down the street. One looked a lot like Paul McCartney who I knew was in St.Louis with his wife Linda who was promoting her organic frozen food line. Suddenly I yelled out his name and the kids came running to the window. I momentarily forgot I was the adult in the space and had time traveled to a hormonal fourteen year old. He turned around and waved and we went wild. I could later verify it was he because a mother of one of my students was out trying to catch her runaway dog and told me that Paul helped her to round him up. What a lovely bloke!
Danielle M.
I don’t know that this will count, but it is as close as I can get. I was in Israel during my college days and Paul Wiley was the male figure skater of the hour. One morning while we were at the hotel restaurant for the breakfast buffet, we noticed a short man who looked quite familiar getting food. One of my friends was bold enough to ask him if he was who we thought he was. Indeed. She walked away with a picture taken with him for her efforts.
Susan
My daughter worked in Hollywood for 4 years and she took me to the set of CSI NY where I met Emilio Estevez and Gary Sinese. We talked for a while and than Gary put on his cool CSI sunglasses and left. My overall impression was…..man he’s really really short.
Michelle
My husband and I met in high school, and on our first date (our freshman year), we walked a half mile down the street to the movie theatres. We saw the Charles Bronson movie, Breakout. I’m sure I covered my eyes through half of it! Fast forward to our 10th anniversary dinner, where we dined in a nice restaurant in South Lake Tahoe. Who was at the next table over? Charles Bronson! I’m sure we looked like two goof balls the entire rest of the meal.
Jules
I was standing next to STeven Tyler around 3am in an airport in a bookstore- bunch of people just half asleep trying to kill time..I realized he had 2 HUGE bodyguards ..one on the left of him and one on the right of me, I was directly in bw one of them and Steven.I looked at him and he happened to look down at me at the same time, I said “hi there”, he said “hi” back..and it was over..then my husband asked me when we got home, why I didn’t ask him to sign my boob….
Wendy @HerBallistic Garden
Oh so lucky! I’ve loved him since I was 13yrs old! Don’t think I had boobs then! Hahaha!
Sherri
Henry Kissinger and I had a moment to remember, but not the kind of moment that would give me a yeast infection. While attending a conference at a big Washington, D.C. Omni Hotel, he was on the down escalator; I was on the up escalator. I glanced up and saw Kissinger and two body guards riding down toward me. I blurted (pretty loudly), “You’re Henry Kissinger!”, to which he replied (without missing a beat), “Yes, I am.” A colleague/friend who was standing just behind me on the escalator leaned in and whispered, “Cool, Sherri…very cool. He’ll remember that conversation forever.” Btw, he really was a very short man.
Thera
I have had a couple of encounters. When I was very young our minister was dating Liona Boyd and my mother had them over for dinner. My mother also knew Anne Murray and there is a family rumor (never confirmed) about my middle name and Mrs. Murray loving it so much, it’s what she named her daughter. I went to the same school as, and dated a guy who was friends with some guys, now known as Blue Rodeo. Oh and when I was working as a receptionist at a firm, Jon Bon Jovi came in while on tour to deal with some business, but as it was a professional setting, I just sat behind my desk and kept peeking at him as he sat waiting to be seen.
Does being the long long long long lost 32nd cousin of Lord Baden-Powell count for anything? lmao
Diana
I`m working in a furniture store. One day the german actor Ralph Bauer came in and wanted to buy a table. He did and while he did, my mate said:” … he (sorry for the following words!) shits out of his ass like everyone else…!” I turned around and there he was- standing right behind me!!! It was sooo awkward;o(
I hope he never had the idea, that it was me, who was talking so bad. I think, he`s going to buy his new couch anywhere else…
AmieM
When I was 16, I met Adam Gregory, got my picture taken with him, and he grabbed my butt.
Doc Walker is from my home province, and I’ve been on the plane to Winnipeg a few times with their frontman Chris Thornsteinson.
I saw Mila Kunis when I was in LA.
And that’s about it.
Laura Bee
I met the Littlest Hobo when I was a kid! They were filming right by my grandparents place.
When I was a waitress, I served Joe Flaherty, Brett Lindros, and a few others. I always let them enjoy their meals. Any time I meet a famous person, I get shy & after, I think of all the things I could have said.
Laura Bee
And for the “someone who knows someone” part of the story ~ my aunt’s mom used to babysit Gordon Lightfoot.
Laura Bee
So funny how I keep remembering people I have met. I was the omelette girl at a place that did Sunday brunch & one of my regulars was Ronnie King from the Stampeders. He’d come in with his wife & baby. Great guy, very nice. Joe Rich from Cityline came in for dinner a few times.
I served a few experts from that show over the years. I was in Hollywood in ’87 & saw Loretta Swit drive by in a red convertible :) Fun memories & great stories, thanks!
Diana
I was at a restaurant for a friend’s birthday dinner and John Malkovich was seated at the table next to me. His group was all speaking French – the restaurant is in English-speaking Cambridge, MA. He had a bit of a utensil mishap, and his fork fell under my table and landed next to my foot. As he collected his fork, his hand grazed my ankle and he apologized for attacking me with flatware.
Gettinby
I had drinks with an old guy in Carmel, and he may have been famous. He was a complete gentleman, and said he was a dancer, like ballroom dancing, ect, from the good ole days of cinema. Now he judges. He looked familiar, but I have no idea who he was. All the townspeople did, though. Yeah, he was probably famous.
Lois
I ran into Yoko Ono – literally. In the l989 I was a grad student in NYU’s history of art department which is housed in the Upper Eastside in the old Doris Duke house. I was late getting to classes and was rushing, head down against the cold, and I bumped into Yoko Ono who was waiting for the light to change somewhere in Lexington Ave. She was with some huge intimidating guy and they both scowled at me.
Yvonne
I had my picture taking with Lassie (the dog) when I was like 10.. that counts huh? She/he was super soft :P
Patti
I love Hayden Desser, the Canadian musician, and met him after a concert once, but aside from that, I think my biggest celebrity run-in was with YTVs PJ Jazzy Jan in an Owen Sound Zellers when I was 7. I was completely star struck and couldn’t say anything.
My guy, however, meets serious musicians all the time. He’s a guitar repair technician at Folkway Music in Guelph. He is so casual about it, because he encounters so many musicians, but sometimes it makes me very jealous (like the time he texted me to tell me that my favourite actor in Rookie Blue, Ben Bass had come in and asked for him by name). When I see celebrities, I just blush and keep to myself because I don’t want to annoy them. haha.
Jake
Years and lifetimes ago, when I lived in England, my neighbour and I came a gateway between two fields at the Equestrian Centre @ Stoneleigh Abbey, Warwickshire. We were with our kids, they were in a little trap pulled by our donkey (Robin) on the other side of the gateway was this huge coach with six (count them 6) beautiful horses. Who was driving this setup you ask? well it was none other than HRH the Duke of Edinburgh. Our kids were taking part in a fancy dress parade and were wearing their costumes and were dressed as the Wombles (pop group, looked like Yettis (sp). HRH looked down from his great high seat and asked “what are those” that’s when my neigbour lost it. Cyril who was the mildest of men wanted to kill him. So after a standoff of about 5 minutes we moved aside and let HRH through the gate. What a horses ass he was/is. Not Cyril, HRH.
Christina
Funny, I see lots of celebrities but none that I love enough to stop on the street. They’re just trying to go about their day and I would feel lame bugging them. I swear I sat across from Carrie Ann Moss on the uptown D train but all I could think was,’What would she be doing on the uptown D?’.
Treva
Back in the early 90s, I lived in the Hammer while at Mac. My friend was dating a guy who was friends with Daniel Lanois’ tour manager. We ended up on a spontaneous trip to Ottawa for “Another Roadside Attraction” with backstage passes. I watched Apocalypse Now with Dan and his band on his tour bus and got a ride back to the hotel in it. It was a bit surreal.
Andrea in WI
When I was a kid my family and our foreign exchange student and we took a road trip out to CA. Taking a tour of Disney MGM studios, we saw David Moscow, of Big fame, while he was shooting Newsies. Christian Bale was probably there, too, but I didn’t get a pic of him. My mom got Muhammad Ali’s autograph when she saw him outside the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN in 1980. My dad still has the little scrap of paper. And I couldn’t get a picture or anything, but did see Johnny Depp when he was filming Public Enemies her in WI a couple years ago…that was big, big news for a tiny WI town!
Vere
I personally haven’t met any famous people, but my my in-laws met the pope ( Paolo VI)and the life of my mother in law was the basis for the movie “the most beautiful wife” and she was played by a very young Ornella Mutti
ashley
I met George Bush Sr. when his 1992 whistlestop campaign tour stopped in my tiny hometown.
Years later, I shared a plane with Jimmy Carter on the way to Las Vegas. The captain came over the intercom, announced that Jimmy Carter was on board, and then Carter came around and shook every hand on the plane before we took off. On one hand, I thought it was pretty classy, but on the other hand, I just wanted to get to Vegas, and Jimmy Carter was the only thing between me and the slots.
I went to a U2 concert in Hawaii once and at the end of the show, when people were filing out, I almost tripped over a small(ish) man and the woman he was there with. Turns out, it was Dominic Monaghan and Evangeline Lily. They are both so short. I was a huge fan of Dominic’s at the time, so I knew he’d just had a birthday – I probably freaked him out by randomly wishing him happy birthday as we filed out of the venue (“Why the hell does this random girl at the U2 concert know my birthday? Freak.”). But he was pretty gracious about it.
Jenni
I didn’t trip over Dominic Monaghan and Evangeline Lily but I did stand with them in line for Easter brunch. I was holding my daughter, who was 3 at the time, and Dominic offered her his juice and a chocolate.
I’ve also stood in line for a movie with Tom Skerrit, watched a movie in the row behind Minnie Driver, exchanged nods with Roderick Romero on the street (I thought I knew him, but didn’t realize why until just after we passed), stood beside a car at an airport as Anthony Keidis loaded his bags into it, and eaten supper at a table next to Ani DiFranco after attending her show. But in each case, respect and temporarily paralyzingly shyness kept me from saying anything, which I only regret in the case of Ani DiFranco.
liz a.
a long, long, long time ago, my girlfriend and i walked into a baskin robbins ice cream store in palm springs, california, and clint eastwood was in there, totally awesome. we were 18 year old teenagers in bikini’s! ack! too funny, but he was nice and smiled and said hi, we giggled! of course!
Tris
For 13 years, I worked housekeeping and the front desk at a little family owned budget hotel in a quiet suburb of St. Paul, MN. We were right down the street from one of the biggest night clubs in the tri-state area. Why they built it in a suburb instead of downtown, I’ll never know. Needless to say, we had lots of drunks and fans stay with us when there was a big headliner featured at the club.
One day, some smooth talking (greasy) man came in and wanted to use our best room as a dressing room for his client because they didn’t like the dressing rooms at the club. Sure, no problem, I thought. Couldn’t be anyone too famous if they needed one of our humble little rooms. About 20 minutes later, a smaller man all decked out in black came bopping in. My exact thought was “who in the he** does he think he is?” He was very upset that we didn’t have a bell boy to carry his luggage. I told him that he could use the luggage trolley parked by the front door. He was also ticked that we didn’t have coffee makers in the room. I sweetly informed him that the coffee station was right around the corner from the front desk and he could help himself whenever he wanted some. He was NOT happy! When I went to work the next day, the owners daughter was all in a tizzy because we had…wait for it…DAVE NAVARRO in our hotel. Psssshhhhh, whatever. I was snotty to a celebrity. Cool.
Laura
I used to be fun too! And apparently, one of my exes said I used to be hot too. Oh well, at least I used to be…he never was!
Anyway, I met pro-wrestler Dr. Death- Steve Williams in the Denver airport years ago. I was awestruck! Lots of gold chains and a long leather coat. I thought he was hot!
My parents stayed in a hotel room next to John Malkovich, would LOVE to meet him!
Oh, and I stood in the rain with Peter Coyote waiting on a cab in NYC. He shared his umbrella with me, super nice guy!
Korrine Johnson
First of all…how long is this engagement between Ian and Renee? I hate to brag, but I went to high school with one of the Back Street Boys (20 years ago, eek!). I ended up on VH1 Before They Were Rock Stars because he and I were both TV productions geeks and there was footage of us together. Don’t be jealous.
Jennifer
I used to be in a bowling league with Big Boi from OutKast, we’d play poker when it wasn’t our roll, and on two separate occasions, while a little intoxicated, I threw my foot up on the table for him to autograph my bowling shoes. The first shoe he was timid, but a few years later, he signed the other shoe… “7-time Grammy winner, Big Boi”! Somewhere along the way he also wrote my sister a little note, saying “you’re sister is the worst bowler”. She has it framed in her guest bedroom.
Diane Amick
I toured The Frick Collection in NYC on Christmas Eve 2011 with…..wait for it…Steve Martin!! We practically bumped into each other in front of the Picasso drawings. He’s shorter than I thought.
taria
When I was a kid Pat Nixon and her daughters came into the store I worked in. Lots of secret service guys too. I sold her a sale ice bucket! We ran into Roy Rogers in a medical office. He was old but handsome and quite polite. My ds had bad feet and RR had a really old shoulder injury from not a horse but a motorcycle accident years earlier. Dale Evans I saw in the dept. store here. She was so ancient someone had to point out to me who she was.
Peter Falk was in the Bob’s big boy in Laguna Hills when I was there a lifetime ago. Neil Diamond was spotted driving up the 5 in SD county 30 years ago. He was in a Volvo wagon if I remember right.
christine
i frequently waited on lyle lovetts table at a local family place. he went to college and waited tables with the owner and lived down the street. he was always sooo nice and tipped awesome. just dont grate chocolate over his cappuchino. his fiance was gorgeous, way prettier than horse mouth. also played in a charity poker tourney during spring training one year. lots of baseball players, notably barry bonds, what a jerk, he wouldnt talk to anyone!
Rebecca
I worked and lived in Hollywood for a few years and I never got star struck until I saw Roseanne at a Mexican restaurant. I just thought she was hilarious growing up. Also shook hands with Sara Gilbert once in New York and didn’t realize it was her until much later.
maggie
I haven’t really met many famous people, but I have had sightings. The one sighting that I remember the most was in the Denver Airport in what I think was the late 90′s. I saw Kelly Mcgillis ( Top Gun.) I did not recognize her because she was Kelly Mcgillis, I recognized her because she was super pregnant and she was smoking. Disappointing! I have met one famous person, it was last year at my 40th birthday dinner in Las Vegas. We were in a semi-private dining room and my awesome friend Kathy saw Jimmy Kimmel walking by our room. She yelled, “Hey Jimmy, it’s my friend’s 40th birthday come talk to her!” And he did. He gave me a big hug and let me take a picture with him. He was very sweet. John Krasinski from “The Office” was with him, but none of us could remember John’s name so we didn’t call hime over. I have felt guilty about that ever since!
Ruthy Sue
In college, my catholic university gave an honorary degree to the Dalai Lama. He spent two days on campus doing various events. For the degree presentation we held a large ceremony in the church. Being part of the dance department, I was part of the processional and also performed a piece during the ceremony.
Prior to the start there were about 5 of us stretching in the Sacristy. The Dalai Lama came up to us and asked what we were doing. He decided to stretch with us, then told each of us that we were beautiful and gave us a hug! I’ve never seen someone so full of joy before, it was pretty amazing.
Also throughout the ceremony (which was long), the Dalai Lama kept reaching over to the president of the university (who’s a Jesuit priest) and tickling him to make him laugh. All in all, the best day of my life.
Oh also, Oprah and Pierce Brosnan were there – only saw them from a distance, but they looked WAY different without all that stage make-up!
Karen
I’m most envious of this one. Who *wouldn’t* want to meet the Dalai Lama?! ~ karen
Louise
AND get a hug from him :)
Teri
Well my younger brother is a cinematographer so he works with stars /celebs all the time. He has filmed many movies…Battleships is the newest one that is coming out. But I digress…I saw and walked right past Susan Sarandon in a restaurant in Louisville KY called “Lynns Paradise Cafe”. She was in KY filming and stayed in Louisville and ate breakfast there. I saw Cher and Sonny in concert when they first started out…gymnasium type concert and had front row seats…could have touched her. My brother the cinematographer plays Words with Friends with Brooklyn Decker the model……I live vicariously through him….lol
Chrissy
When I lived in Fort Lauderdale, my girlfriends and I went out for drinks after work one day. A few drinks into our evening, a guy sits down next to me at the bar. He orders a plate of pasta from the waitress and asks if the owner is around. (He wasn’t.) My friend keeps insisting this guy is Eric Clapton, but I wouldn’t let her reach around me to ask.
So, this poor man spent his meal listening to me and my drunken friends giggle and quietly sing every Clapton song we could think of. I really didn’t think it was him, but I finally let my friend ask him… and he denied it. After he left, the waitress told us it was, in fact, Eric Clapton, and that he was friends with the restaurant owner. I would totally deny it too if some drunk chicks were butchering my songs.
Wendy
I go beet red and get all tongue-tied no matter how major or minor the celebrity. When I worked at Toys R Us as a teenager, the lead singer of Honeymoon Suite came through my cash with a friend – don’t remember what he bought, but I remember that even though I wasn’t a fan of the band, I was still star struck. All I can remember saying to his friend was, “Is that…?” and his friend just nodded his head. And about 4 years ago, I was organizing an event at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier in Ottawa and was walking through the lobby when there was a big commotion in front of me. This woman and her little girl stopped to talk to an old man…who it turns out was Tony Bennett! I was amazed by how small he was but being Canadian, I didn’t ask for his autograph.
gloria
I can’t believe I’m reading all these comments. Tells you something about my life–which USED to be FUN.
But I just thought of another one. Sort of a “celebrity by proxy” deal, or “through the bloodlines” maybe. My grandmother grew up with and dated Red Skeltons brother. They all hung out together in their Vincennes, IN. neighborhood, back in the day. GranGran, why the heck couldn’t you have married the guy? I suppose if she had, I never would have grown up in the same neighborhood as Hulk Hogan.
Life is like that, I guess. You get what you get.
Love the Orville Redenbacher sticker comment.
donna
Karen, wow! That is just great for you. I love adventure and have certainly had my share of it. I met Ozzie Osborne with Black Sabbath in Cincinnati, OH. He was freaky back then. In Minnesota, I met Shania Twain at the mall of america before she became a big star. She was so sweet and kind. Beautiful young woman. I also accidentally went to a party with Johnny Bench (catcher for Cincinnati Reds) and what a party it was. He was really quite the entertainer. My best friend and I went on many treks across the US to see new faces, spaces and places. I love those serindipodious moments in life. I ran into Burt Reynolds in Tampa, Florida at Malios where he met his wife after Lonnie. Pam was a waitress there. The very best moment was getting to meet in person, Rod Stewart and the Doobie Brothers while in concert in Tampa, Fl.
I really applaud your sense of wonder, curiosity and adventure. These are great things to have to keep yourself entertained and gaining knowlege. You rock, woman. Oh yeah, I also had a cousin who dated Liberace. Wow, now he was out there. Great entertainer and very lavish. Thanks for your post.
The Visual Vamp
I’ve had my fair share. Of celeb encounters. No infections of any kind. Great post. Keep on clapping. And whistling.
xo xo
Agnes
My boyfriend’s step dad went to school with John Lennon…but he says John was just a commoner then :p
Jan
MANY years ago, in the late 50′s, we lived for a couple of years in LA. Andy Devine from old western movies used to visit his son who lived in the same apartment complex we did. I probably didn’t really know who he was since I was about 6 yrs old. But I remember he was very nice. One time I was hanging around while he helped his son push a motorcycle side car out of the garage. It ran over my foot and really hurt!
Virginia B.
I used to work at the Tucson Mall in the late 1980s and we used to get a lot of celebs through the mall. I didn’t personally have any encounters with any really big names (I worked in a small niche furniture store – not a fancy clothes & jewelry counter) but I did once sell a toy to one of Bonnie Raitt’s back up singers and I worked for a while with Sonny Bono’s neice (she said he was a jerk.) I also had a friend who sold clothes regularly to Louis Gosset Jr., a friend who sold shoes to Barbara Bach (Ringo often came with her) and another friend who *almost* sold a bed to Steve Tyler.
Working in retail really kind of diffuses that whole “star-struck” silliness phenomenon. You have to treat all customers with equal respect and interacting about something as personal as shoes or dress shirts creates an atmosphere where the celebrity shows their true colors as either a raging diva or a decent, reasonable person just like the rest of us. (Turns out that all of the above mentioned people were just decent, reasonable people – no raging diva stories from my fellow retail working friends. I suspect that the raging divas were all shopping in more exclusive venues.)
Vere
I forgot I met Salma Hayek when she wasn’t all that famous, she was a mexican soap opera star, I met her at a disco and she was with a boxer named Julio Cesar Chavez, she is really short!! and swears like a sailor and drinks like one, too
christine hilton
There is nothing sadder than a rock star struggling to put sun tan lotion on his back so I did the Christian thing when I saw poor Iggy trying on Grand Cayman beach.He is ripped! Not bad looking either which came as kind of a shock.The man does not photograph well!
Ellen
I was on the same plane as Dennis Quaid a few years back on a flight from LA to Dallas. He was seated in first class next to his wife, I passed by him as I made my way back to coach and I tried not to stare. He was definitely trying to avoid making eye contact with anyone.
Nancy
Davy Jones of The Monkees lives a few miles down the road from me in Beavertown Pa..look him up on Facebook..he talks about Beavertown a lot..Yes I have met him at a yard sale he was having..he has been here a long time so he’s kinda a regular guy here now..I don’t like to bother celebrities but if I ever met you Karen..I would have to say hi..But I really don’t want to hear you pee…or get yeast infection..
Heather
Davy Jones died this morning. So sad. I saw him in concert a few years ago with a bunch of my siblings. We had so much fun!
Kathy
John Voigt asked me directions at a Zoo in Colorado Springs once.
I saw David Hasselhoff getting dragged out of a bar in Vegas.
I also saw that creepy looking country singer who is always on American Idol in Vegas. Travis something? I don’t know
Mary Jane
In the late 80′S my husband and I were travelling in Australia and went to stay on a small island on the Great Barrier Reef. It was the most memorable part of our four month tour, not because Herbie Hancock and his family were staying there, but because of the giant sea turtles that would come in at night and lay their eggs. That’s as close as I’ve ever gotten to a celebrity or a giant sea turtle.
christine hilton
Sorry,I meant Iggy as in Iggy Pop.There was also the time in Toronto airport I saw two handsome and what I thought were gay men because they had matching luggage.When I looked closer I realized it was Ricky and Julian,the Trailer Park boys.They were lovely and I had my picture taken with them.Ricky is pretty hunky without his “jelly roll”.
Karen
Christine – I didn’t even realize you didn’t mention “Pop”. I knew who you meant. There aren’t a lot of Iggy’s around. :) Love Iggy. ~ karen
jennifer
eeww! How fun to read all of these! I used to work at the front desk of a fancy hotel in San Jose, Ca. so I checked out a few celebs! Peter Frampton (i saved his room service check!) He was small and didn’t have much of his hair left. He was a little angry over the fact that I let his hairdresser (for the little hair he had left i guess) into his room while he wasn’t there. heh. ooops. He was a dick. But I would be too. I had him sign my Frampton Comes Alive album. I chatted up James Brolin once and fondled his amercian express card probably a bit too long. Ted Nugent was a really sweet guy. Cute too! Barbara Eden was friendly and super gorgeous! And I grew up with Brian Boitano! He lived just down the street from me. He signed my yearbook a few times. To Jennifer, Have a fun summer. Brian B.
Linda
Wow, I’ve actually met more people than I realised. I used to hang out with Kurt Cobain when I was a teen in the Seattle area (I met Courtney Love too. Not impressed by her). In later years I met Rob Zombie and all the guys from Anthrax, Ozzy Ozbourne, in 1999 I went to some ‘fest’ and met everyone from Poison (CeeCee Deville gave me his hotel key and told me to ‘come by and party’), Ratt, Great White and LA Guns. Later while living in Venice Beach, I ran into Tommy Lee at a cafe on the boardwalk. And most recently, Marilyn Manson. I’ve since gotten married and started a family so I don’t really spend much (any) time in the music scene anymore, but I have my memories!
Vanessa
Oh my goodness you met everyone in Anthrax?! I am SO jealous!!! Apparently my neighbor’s daughter used to date Joey Belladonna, but I was so young at the time that I had never heard of Anthrax yet.
Susan
Let’s see…Michael Jackson and the entire Jackson 5 (Michael was about 3′ tall at the time), Victor Borge, R Buckminster Fuller, Tom Selleck (he almost ran me over), Larry Manetti (different place, different time than Selleck), Jack Lord (the pancake makeup that man wore in public had to have been shoveled on), Booga Booga (James Grant Benton, Ed Kaahea and Rap Replinger), Credence Clearwater Revival, to name a few, plus some others whose names escape me at the moment. Someone van Patten, I think. I mentioned the Hawaiian ones for Cindy. No yeast infections.
Auntiepatch
James Franciscus was a friend of a family who lived 1/2 block away from us. My sister & I had the measles when he stopped to fisit our friends so we thought we would miss meeting him. When he found out that we were fans & had the measles, he walked down to our house with my mom and spent about 1 hour talking to us. What a class act! And handsome, too!
kelliblue
SHUT UP. SHUT UP. SHUT UP. IAN ASTBURY????????? OMG I was a RAVING fan back in the 80s–the Cult was one of THE defining elements of my 20s, and a big part of my new life on my own in Dallas (i mean, come on, who hasn’t heard ‘She Sells Santuary’ 5,000 times???) And yes, his hair was DEE-VINE! OK, that’s it, you are now officially my all time favorite blogger. EVAH. :)
Toward the end of the 80s I was the receptionist at a local ‘new wave’ Dallas radio station…where I got to meet The Smithereens, Peter Murphy (LOVE!), and the Ramones! (Joey Ramone? SCARY) And went to lots of great concerts for FREE! :)
Then around 1990, I dated the manager of the Improv comedy club here in Dallas. It was a very heady year. Through him, I got to meet *and hang out with* the following up and coming comedians (let alone future STARS): George Wallace; Andy Kindler; the fabulous–and gone WAY too soon–Bill Hicks; Jeff Foxworthy, and…*drumroll* Ellen Degeneres and Jerry Seinfeld!!! :-D Ellen was an absolute scream, and Jerry was very ‘Jerry’ and is much more slight in person, very slim, and not very tall. Seriously one of the most amazing, fun, intense years of my life.
Yeah, I used to be fun too. Now it seems I’ve gotten old and morphed into just another crazy cat lady. Boo. :(