Random celebrity encounters?

[J.T.B.]

You sure CDs were commonly sold at that point? I seem to remember them as more of an early 90's thing. Not sniping--just curious.

I'm quite sure. I got my first CD player in mid-1987 and there were plenty of disc releases available in stores by then, including some back catalogue stuff. It was a big news story in '87 when the Beatles albums were finally given CD releases after much public demand (the release coincided with the 20th anniversary of Sgt. Pepper's, IIRC).

--Justin

 

[Misfit Toy]

Yeah, I got a CD player in '88, and I was late in adopting that technology.

 

[Gil T.Azell]

In 1994 in Vegas I rode the elevator with the late Steve Allen and his body/security guard.

 

[Nerdius Maximus]

I haven't, but my wife has. She lived in Austin for a few years and there were always people there either filming or attending film festivals.

George Bush jr(at a fundraiser when he was gov of TX. Laura Bush was there too. It was her fundraiser)
Sandra Bullock(Had drinks with her at a club, chatted for awhile, twice)
Matthew Mcconaughey
Vince Neil and Tommy Lee(in the parking lot at her job. They were staying in the hotel nextdoor. They asked her for directions to some restaurant.)
James Gandolfini(in a hotel lobby)
Peter Jennings(Sat next to him on an airplane)
Russell Crowe(He approached her while she was eating breakfast and asked if he could have her newspaper. She told him he'd have to wait until she was done with it.)

And there's many more that I can't remember. The only celebrities I've met are from Star Trek, at the autograph tables after conventions.
Well, actually, now that I think of it, we saw Eric Benet in a restaurant in New Orleans, but we didn't talk to him. She never initiates conversation with celebrities, anyway. I think they feel comfortable around her because she doesn't freak out and ask for autographs. She's just like, "Oh yeah, there's so-and-so."

 

[maneth]

When I worked in retail, I did bump into a few local celebrities, but I just served them, didn't initiate any personal conversations. I did bump into Michael Monroe and Andy McCoy of Hanoi Rocks fame in a bar, sometime in the early 1990s. Michael was nice enough even if we didn't actually talk, but Andy appeared stoned so I avoided him.

 

[The Fatman]

Working as a waiter here (Buffalo, NY area) over 10 years I met and waited on a fair amount of "celebrities". I worked overnights at a Denny's for a couple years that was right next to the Marriott hotel where a lot of professional wrestlers would stay in town. Without going into the whole list, I can say the nicest was by far the Rock, who had a LOT of people bother him all night and he always had a smile. The quietest was Scott Steiner, who came in with a ballcap and a heavy coat and sat facing the wall with his head down and I don't think said more than 3 words all night. The worst was Ric Flair and Arn Anderson who came in with a large ...posse... for lack of a better word, and were rude jerks to me and everyone.

Local Buffalo sports figures are very common to see here. NFL Hall of Famer Jim Kelly, despite his reputation, has never been anything but warm and gracious when I've waited on him. NHL goalie Dominik Hasek, on the other hand... :shudder:. No one in Buffalo misses him all that much, let me tell you.

I have also met a fair few musicians that have come thru on tour. I can say that the guys in Metallica is still one of my fondest memories, they were incredible to wait on. Harry Connick, Jr and his wife Jill were very distant, and horrible tippers.

Assuming waiting on people doesn't count, my only casual encounter with a celebrity was with Jack Osbourne in a video arcade in Columbus, OH years ago, before the osbournes show came on and hit it big. he was just a weird little kid boasting about who his dad was, and I didn't think he was telling the truth until the show came on and I'll be damned if it wasn't really Ozzy's kid.

 

[Jono]

Given I live in Australia it is no surprise that I've primarily run into a number of our sport stars. I'm not likely to hit huge International movie stars or TV personalities just chilling around the shops.

I shop at the same supermarket as a well know retired basketball player.

I nearly physically ran into a retired Australian swimming great, Susie O'Neil, at a cinema because I was mucking around with friends. Also ended up sitting two seats left of her, not by design as I didn't notice her the second time but was informed after the movie.

When I use to work in bars and clubs I ran into Paul Green (former NRL halfback), Elton Flatley (former Wallaby and Reds player) and a couple of other Reds players.

Oh, and it would have been October or November 2002 I ran into Steven Bradbury and congratulated him on his awesome gold medal win at Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.

 

[Alpinemaps]

Sandra Bullock(Had drinks with her at a club, chatted for awhile, twice)

That reminds me of an encounter my brother-in-law had with Sandra Bullock. Before she married Jesse James, when they were still just dating, my brother met her.

My brother worked on a race car team in Southern California, and Jesse James raced on the same circuit. My brother-in-law ended up in an elevator with her (they were going up to the viewing area - my BIL was going to be spotter for that particular race).

At that point in time, my BIL had *no clue* who Sandra Bullock was - he's not a movie person. They chatted, and went to their respective stations. The other people on the crew that saw him get off the elevator with her were excited, and my BIL just blew it off.

He met her a few other times, mostly in the pit area (and knows who she is now). He said she was nothing but nice, and had a real interest in getting to know the stuff that was happening in the pit.

 

[TheSeeker]

She probably really appreciated being treated like a normal person.

 

[LitmusDragon]

Do Chase Masterson's posts on the DS9 board count?

 

[Jonas Grumby]

I had a few "close encounters," but no really great stories from them, I'm afraid.

Tony Joe White was a regular customer at a music store I worked in way back during my semi-idle youth.

I got David Toma on the phone once when I was a Holiday Inn reservation agent.

Walked past Jerry Lee Lewis and Rick Nelson in conversation in the lobby of a hotel once, but I didn't bother them.

And I have occasionally exchanged an email or two with June Millington, ex-lead guitarist of the band Fanny and current artistic director of the Institute for the Musical Arts. She still plays a pretty mean guitar!

 

[Sector 7]

Prior to 'working in the biz', I had some encounters with celebrities:
- For those of you who remember My Three Sons, the girl who played Dodie was in my kindergarten class. I didn't know that at the time, just that she was always picked up in a big black car.

- In college, one of my jobs was as host for visiting speakers. In that capacity I met Congressman Jack Kemp, Richard M. DeVoss (founder of Amway) and many other influential people.

- After college I rented a small trailer/apartment across the road from a local B-movie studio. My best friend's parents bought his old home when he built his mansion. One day at the general store, a guy asked me if I knew a good place to go fishing since he wasn't from there. We made plans for me to come over and take him to my favorite fishing hole. When I met him again it finally dawned on me that they guy was Burt Reynolds. He was staying there while filming Stroker Ace.

-Shortly after that, I met my biological dad, who had moved here while working on a movie film... wait for it... you guessed it... Stroker Ace! While I was fishing with Burt Reynolds, my dad was hanging out with Loni Anderson. It really is a small world after all.

 

[Nardpuncher]

Yeah, I got a CD player in '88, and I was late in adopting that technology.

I don't really want to put a date on it but I'd really have to say 1988 was early for having a CD player.
Unless you were a rich kid in LA at the time.

 

[Sagart]

I met the late Richard Harris in the Virgin Megastore in Dublin back in the late 80's. Going by the long hair and beard, I guess he was filming 'The Field'. I noticed he was standing beside me in the video section and I asked him, jokingly, if he was looking for any of his own movies. He said that he would be looking for any of them to which I replied "Oh come on, they're not that bad!" He laughed and I went on my way.

I saw Colm Meaney entering the Savoy cinema in Dublin one day, just as I was leaving it. I normally don't annoy celebs for autographs but Trek actors are the exception. All I had was a copy of Starlog with Patrick Stewart on the cover. As I asked Colm for his autograph, he looked at the cover and said, "O Jaysus, Jean-Luc!" He did sign it though

 

[Nardpuncher]

^^ hah! Fantastic!!

 

[Eleanor_zhDarjel]

German ex-chanceler Gehard Schröder, german health minister Philip Rösler, german comedian Jürgen von der Lippe.

 

[sojourner]

Yeah, I got a CD player in '88, and I was late in adopting that technology.

I don't really want to put a date on it but I'd really have to say 1988 was early for having a CD player.
Unless you were a rich kid in LA at the time.

Nope, CD players were well established by then. heck, I had one in 87 my senior year in Highschool.

 

[ladyheather69]

A long while back when I worked for a record store in Gainesville, FL, I got to talk to River Phoenix. He was a member of the video rental part of the store, and his membership expired, and I told his brother that River had to come in personally and re up the membership(in my defense, my manager was there and was a huge stickler for the rules...otherwise I would have done it. If I had I would never have talked to him). He did come in and re up the membership, but he was kind of an ass about it.

I also had the distinct pleasure of having a Mr. Emmitt Smith in one of my classes in college back in the day at the University of Florida. He was very gracious when I asked him for an autograph(was when he was up for the Heisman), and he and I chatted for a few minutes with my husband. He didn't end up finishing the class, but the next fall was playing in the NFL . On a side note, I also had Trace Armstrong in one of my classes too.

 

[The Badger]

A story my parents tell me, I was a toddler at the time and don't remember the event myself. We'd gone ice skating in Manchester, I fell over, and was helped up by actress and singer Eartha Kitt, who was touring the country at the time.

So I can say I was once picked up by Catwoman!

 

[Nardpuncher]

German ex-chanceler Gehard Schröder, german health minister Philip Rösler, german comedian Jürgen von der Lippe.

German comedian?? Now I know you're joking.