<p>I keep forgetting other incidents. When I was in college, I served as a chauffeur for Alan Arkin. He was visiting campus, and the student body president who was supposed to do the job had opened his door in traffic and it had been torn off. My car, although no newer, still had 4 doors.</p>
<p>S1 was working at a restaurant when Ron Jeremy came in with a group of people. S1 called us to tell us, and I did get some street cred with his friends when I knew who he was. I think my exact comment was “eeeewww!”</p>
<p>When is was in junior high, I got a hand shake from stage by Mark Lindsay of Paul Revere and the Raiders as I went up to take a picture.</p>
<p>The fundraiser that we attended was the anti Landmine vegan (yuch) dinner and concert at the Century Plaza. There were about 800 people there. I know that they did a few other of these fundraisers that year, one in New York. </p>
<p>Incidentally the best auction item that evening? A signed guitar that was used by Paul (yes, we’re now buddies ) that sold for over $60,000. Jay Leno purchased a used dinner plate signed by Paul as well. (Alas, we were overbid on the one item that we could afford.)</p>
<p>from notrichenough above (I can’t do the quote thing either): “I was working in the stadium when Jim Palmer was filming one of his underwear commercials, but I couldn’t get near, they had it pretty well blocked off. I heard later he had to wear many pairs (like 10) of briefs to, shall we say, smooth out the bulges and get the commercial down to a PG rating.” </p>
<p>notrichenough – I swear I was only looking at his eyes (see my post #151 above) :)</p>
<p>Another Memphis story. . .H worked at a then famous BBQ place. Late one night someone called and asked if they could stay open extra late for a band and crew. The manager said, “Hell no.” (The place had been trashed before by other such “special guests” and the staff was tired and didn’t want to work until 2am.) The band H didn’t meet? The Rolling Stones.</p>
<p>When I was in high school, I worked at a car dealer. I talked on the phone with Cincinnati Reds baseball player Joe Morgan. He bought a Mercedes.</p>
<p>DH got in the tabloids because he hit Mark Wahlberg while playing in a charity golf tourney. Said Marky Mark was totally cool and the tabloid claims were “exaggerated.”</p>
<p>I’ve met Dee Snider and Kid Rock. Dee at a concert, and Kid Rock at a Red Wings hockey game. Both were really cool, especially Dee. My father was hellbent on humiliating me and said, “Hi Mr. Snider. This is my sixteen year old daughter and she’s your BIGGEST FAN!!!”</p>
<p>When my son was young(er) he was hit by a golf ball hit by a then not as famous Justin Timberlake. (He was a Backstreet I guess Boy, not the actor/singer that he is today). My son didn’t make the newspapers. Justin apologized profusely. He was very concerned and kind.</p>
<p>BIL’s elderly grandmother lived with the family, and she was beginning to suffer from dementia. One day, she somehow let herself out of the house. The family was frantic, called the police, and the five children (teens / young adults) scattered around the neighborhood to try to find grandma. BIL happened to be the one left at home. Door rings – it’s Donny Osmond with grandma.</p>
<p>It turns out that Donny Osmond (who had been in town for Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat) and his chauffeur were riding around town, and saw a woman who obviously looked confused and in need of help. He put her in the car; she couldn’t identify her name or street, so he had the chauffeur drive up and down the streets of the town for a long time until she finally recognized where she belonged.</p>
<p>My compliments to Pizzagirl for a cool story, and for keeping with the thread of
People we ALMOST met.
Perhaps a new thread might help those who actually met someone famous?</p>
<p>younghoss, If you look at the beginning of the thread, from the very beginning it has been talking about things like “chance encounters with famous people” .I think most of the examples are about meeting or running into famous people unexpectantly. The posts have been enjoyable and I hope people keep the fun examples coming!</p>
<p>Tom Cruise…he was doing press for Top Gun. He’s short.</p>
<p>I think a lot of actors- both men & women, are actually much shorter than we think they are. ( they look so big on the screen!)</p>
<p>I was in Santa Barbara @ the Huntington theatre a couple years ago to see Eddie Vedder on his solo tour. It is an amazing theatre- we have nothing like it in Seattle- with a Spanish courtyard & fountains and the interior is faux-Spanish villa, complete with balconies, windows & staircases on both walls. ( the ceiling is filled with twinkling stars).
I was in the third row, but way over on the side & giddy with anticipation. I had snuck my camera in ( despite being searched by someone my daughters age- I just gave her the old fish eye), but the bouncers were scary looking ( they weren’t there the night before when I saw the Seattle Symphony with Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg - who I briefly chatted with when getting her CD’s autographed) & I didn’t want to get kicked out.</p>
<p>I was puzzled when a rope came down over the balcony next to me, but I figured it must be something for the set. But then Eddie Vedder slid down it almost into my lap to make his entrance!
He is not tall- about 5’7" I would guess, but still that is taller than me.
Great show, & I was so enthralled that I didn’t even think about waiting outside after the show as some friends did, who eventually even got hugs!</p>
<p>We were on the Port Jeff ferry (Bridgeport, CT to Port Jefferson, LI) and who is there with his family but Dee Snider. Just like any dad on the ferry getting his family back to LI without driving through NYC. Then, just like any other dad, he had to deal with his daughter’s tooth coming out and all that goes with that. My DH, always the troublemaker, went into the gameroom where there were a bunch of teenage boys to announce that Dee Snider was on the ferry. When we went back to our minivan, there was Dee, also loading his family into a minivan. Some people (teens? I don’t remember) wanted photos – so while his family was getting into the minivan, he was posing with the teens (rock-on fingers, etc.) and, when done, went right back into dad-mode. After all, they are just regular people.</p>
<p>nj2011mom: hehe, now I know where you live!!..I won’t tell; my cousins are very good HS friends with Anne…</p>
<p>from my daughter: last year, she lived at the NYU dorms while completing her summer internship; the first night living in NYC, she went to Serendipity for dessert (acting like the tourist)…Tom Cruise and Suri sat down next to her and her friend; her friend was from the midwest and couldn’t breathe…had never seen anyone “famous” before ever…</p>
<p>My mother in law and father in law lived around the corner from Lynn Swann for a few years when he lived in their neighborhood for awhile during part of the time he was a Pittsburgh Steeler. This would have been the 70’s.</p>
<p>That reminds of a tall person I practically met. I almost tripped over Jack Sikmas’ legs getting to our table at a restaurant in Seattle,when he was a center with the Supersonics.</p>
<p>LOL, ellebud. Cool story. Justin Timberlake was a member of *NSYNC though. ;)</p>
<p>I don’t think I have ever met someone famous. I mean, I’ve gone to the Jerry Springer Show twice (such a cool guy), to Steve Wilkos show twice (and I asked him a question!) and to the Maury show once (he was standoffish), but that’s about it. </p>
<p>My sister was very close in middle and high school with Rakim’s (rapper) daughter and he took them go see B2K in like 2002 or 2003. Now, this was a HUGE deal because we were all obsessed with them! I was jealous. They got to meet them and everything.</p>
<p>My cousin went to middle and high school with Ray Rice and beat him up one day in the middle school library. LOL</p>
<p>My parents went to a Bronco concert (a Mexican band) and they got to meet the members. My mom was obsessed with them when she was younger so that was really cool for her.</p>
<p>Oh, I forgot these.
When we use to live in Westchester County, my oldest sister was very good friends with Wynton Marsalis Jr. IDK if she ever met his dad but they were very close friends. I vaguely remember hanging out with them. I remember not really knowing who his dad was until a few years later, I was watching the Daily Show and he comes on and I think, Hmm, that name sounds familiar.
Also, at my cousin’s graduation, my other cousin (his sister) sat next to Irv Gotti. I believe his daughter was graduating too. My cousin didn’t say anything and Irv Gotti kept waiting to be recognized. Oh, he was recognized all right, just no one cared. ;)</p>
) that sold for over $60,000. Jay Leno purchased a used dinner plate signed by Paul as well. (Alas, we were overbid on the one item that we could afford.)</p>
I remember not really knowing who his dad was until a few years later, I was watching the Daily Show and he comes on and I think, Hmm, that name sounds familiar. 