It will probably not surprise you to know that I don't have very many stories like this. In fact, the only celebrity sighting story I have goes like this:
When I was in college, my friend Amanda and I went to Chicago for spring break one year. Not exactly Cancun, I know, but it was fun and I don't really like the beach. Plus, my aunt and uncle live there, and what college student is going to pass up free lodging?
ANYWAY.
We were walking along the path that runs along the shore of Lake Michigan when we passed an older guy with a much younger, very blonde woman. He said hello, as friendly strangers do when passing going opposite directions on a path and there's no one else in sight. We both responded automatically in kind, being the friendly stranger sorts ourselves. Then, about two seconds later, we both did an absolutely classic double take and looked at each other.
We had just said hello to Jerry Springer.
Yes, THE Jerry Springer, of the trashy talk show that was pretty much mandatory viewing in dorm rooms at 3 p.m. We resisted the urge to chant, "JERRY! JERRY!" after him.
In fact, he seemed like a very pleasant person, just based on his willingness to smile and greet perfect strangers, even though doing so could indeed result in some moron chanting at him.
And that's it. That's all I got. My one celebrity sighting, and probably the last one I will ever have, given the fact that not a lot of celebrities show up at the village library and I, um, don't really go anywhere else.
And now, duckies, it's your turn! Tell us all about the time you stepped on Pat Sajak's foot in line at Starbucks or whatever. Because everyone likes to hear a good celebrity sighting story.
21 comments:
I have meet General Norman Schwarzkopf, the "Fonz" and Data from Star Trek.
I was in Nashville on business and walked past Richard Petty (the KING of NASCAR!)
I was in a sushi restaurant when Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith came in and sat down for dinner. It was all I could do to keep from walking past and saying, "thank you for inventing the lime". =)
On the political side, I've seen President Bush (W) drive by in a motorcade and saw President Obama speak. Neither one were as exciting as Antonio!
I once sat two rows behind Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward in a NYC theater production of "The Chairs." We ended up in the aisle at the same time when the play was over. PN: "Go ahead." Me: "No, you go ahead [so I can follow you and stalk you]." They ended up leaving in their own town car just outside the door so no following and stalking occurred. Mary in MN
My high school band played at a campaign event for Ronald Reagan.
When I was in a Marine Corps band, we played at Bob Hope's 90th birthday party. Saw a bunch of people backstage. I only remember two:
1. Milton Berle was a dirty, filthy, freaking hilarious comedian. He did about five minutes of material and there were only two jokes that they could broadcast. Watching the show you'd wonder why people were laughing so hard at some pretty mild lines.
2. George Burns was booked to play Caesars Palace on his 100th birthday. At the Hope party Burns was 97, and it seemed doubtful he'd be doing any more headlining gigs.
He walked out on stage with a gorgeous blond on each arm. From behind, you could tell they were holding him up.
When he sat down and traded some banter with Hope, he got lost a few times trying to follow the cue cards. When he got a laugh on one line, he lit up and looked out at the crowd and asked, "You want to hear another one?" Huge round of applause and he went into a few minutes of his old act. His timing and delivery were still great.
Word verfication: duperkil -- better than a superkil, but not quite as good as a super-duperkil
When we were kids, we went on a family trip to the east coast, and got to go on a White House tour. My little brother ran into an older woman and nearly knocked her down. She proceeded to walk up to the guide and he introduced Barbara Bush... my brother thought she was "just some old lady".
We also sat at a table next to Jean Claude Van Damme at a resort in Hawaii when I was in high school. Very unattractive little man. My brother lifted weights with him while we were there.
Not my encounters, but my grandfather went on a double date with Howard Hughes and a couple gals (grandpa said that The Aviator didn't do him justice... That he was WAY more crazy) and my aunts dated a couple of the Stouffer brothers (Marty Stouffer produced/narrated Wild America).
Remember the group that sang that song No Diggity (that looks even more ridiculous than it sounds)? I stood in a huge line in front of them at the airport in Paris. We talked a little and they offered to carry my bags - all without me knowing who they were. A girl ahead of me told me later and I still didn't know them or their music.
Not a great celebrity story, but it's the only one I've got!
My college roommate met the Globetrotters at Walmart and took them out for a drink one weekend while I was away. THAT would have made for a great story...
Alyssa: Thank you for a very enjoyable few minutes I just spent on YouTube listening to that song. I couldn't remember the name of the group (Blackstreet), but I remembered the words. All of them. Awesome.
But I wouldn't have recognized them, either.
Stopping in to say that I have "No Diggity" on my iPod. Holla.
(Also, once I got to meet Lauren Bacall and she was a real jerk.)
I'm like you Kristen.. not too many celebs out here in the fly-over states. I did take the puddle-jumper home from Minneapolis with Joan Jett, her band and manager one time. I had no idea who she was, just some "rock band" on the plane, until I read the paper the next day and saw she was playing at the Nebraska State Fair that night. It was a boring flight and they all slept except the manager who was on his phone or laptop.
I love Jerry Springer! Not the show, but the dude. He was on Howard Stern recently and had the greatest interview. Before the interview I totally just wrote him off as this trashy talk show host, but after listening to his life story and POV, I was totally impressed.
The dude was the mayor of Cincinnati for godsake.
Cool sighting.
Took my shoes off with Robert Redford... (Utah's where it's at). Too bad the MiL wasn't with me that evening.
Spoke briefly with Steve Martin on the streets of Manhattan. LA&A Railroad
I met Jerry Springer when he did a talk at my college a few years back. He really did seem like a nice, dignified man. I was really surprised after knowing what kind of tv show he did.
A friend of mine is Brandon Routh's cousin (the most recent Superman). I met him once before he moved to CA to pursue movie stardom, and once during the filming of Superman he was back in town and the two of them crashed at my place. Sadly, I was out of town at the time, but I can say that he slept in my bed.
Okay, I'm dating myself here, but back in the early 70's, when I was a teenager, I went to dinner at a swanky place in downtown Toronto with my father and his then-girlfriend and sitting in the same restaurant was Alice Cooper. I was awestruck! He was having dinner with another man and two gorgeous women. I'll always remember he was dressed completely in white. I was waaaay too shy to approach him, so I just eyed him all throughout our meal. When we left they were still there.
Heh, i went and stood in line to meet Sheena Easton at one of her signings. I've still got her autograph'd picture somewhere.
I've also got a picture of myself with "Goddess and She" (female rappers and pop singers).
While many don't seem to remember them, I've met the country band, The Smokin Armadillos. My cousin and I went to a concert and snuck backstage. They were silly and goofy and flirtatious. Of course, she and I were 16 and smoking hot And they were all between 17 and 25 or so. lol
Also met a few other singers after concerts.
Best ever meeting a celebrity story was my dad though. He used to work for a delivery company out of Aspen, Colorado. He used to make deliveries to Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell's Ranch. The first time he did, she came out to meet him, covered to the hips in horse poo because she had been out cleaning the stalls. They became pretty good friends over time because he did most of the deliveries there.
I met and talked with Roy Jones Jr (boxer) after a wrestling tournament in the Atlanta airport. One of the guys I was on the team with went to High School with him. Great guy, no entourage (this was back in ’99 when he was the “pound for pound greatest fighter”), just sitting in the terminal reading the paper and talking with a few of us about the tournament we had just finished.
I’ve also ran into Johnny Van Zant (lead singer of Lynyrd Skynyrd) in the Jacksonville airport. I was sitting there on my computer waiting for the plane and he came up, asked if wouldn’t be a bother, and sat next to me.
Oh and I ran into Xzibit (and rapper and from Pimp My Ride fame) at the Octopus car wash on 22nd street. He chatted with all of the kids, and left them nice tips.
There have been several athletes and others that I’ve met, but probably one of the funniest, and unknown to me at the time, was at the Santa Monica church. I was there with you sister for a baptism and when we went to (pardon my non-Catholic knowledge) hold hands with fellow church goers, I had you sister had in my right and some guy from across the aisle in my left. Well come to find out that other guy was Azamat Bagatov (character), the creepy little “overweight” dude from Borat! His real name is Ken Davitian. I felt dirty is all I can say!!!
Word verification: Gentsub-British version of the $5 footlong at Subway.
Drove past Richard Gere when he was up making a movie in B.C. My friend who was in the car with me just about climbed out of the car window with the car moving. Also saw Sharon Stone walking from her trailer to the mall they were filming in.
My husband used to run a gym in Boise, Id. One day Clay Walker was there working out. I was doing abs and he ended up doing them right next to me!! We even talked for a few minutes
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