<p>The movie “One True Thing” was filmed in our town. Our church choir sang the “Silent Night” scene.</p>
<p>I ran into Julia Child in the grocery store in Montecito, CA. I don’t remember the year. I also ran into Bo Derek in Montecito outside a restaurant. Both times I literally almost crashed into them. Julia Child was as big as depicted in the movie. And Bo Derek - a teeny tiny woman.</p>
<p>I went on a high school tour (with S) with Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins. I swear she was shorter than me! And I barely make it to 5’4". During the question and answer session (there were maybe 5 people in my group), I was so distracted by their presence, I couldn’t think of anything to ask.</p>
<p>Maybe ten years ago, my family went on vacation together to a small resort. All the vacationers ate meals together which were served “family style”. There was one man who was especially gregarious. We had quite a few drinks together. Later that year, I opened the NYTimes to the front page and was surprised to see his photo right smack at the top. Turns out it was Henry Paulson.</p>
<p>just got a cell phone message from my daughter studying in London for the semester; she’s at a club with the cast of The Jersey Shore…</p>
<p>ewwwwww…grosss…yuchy</p>
<p>Tell her to watch her back and stay away from Snooki! She is a hair puller and brawler from the two seconds of that show I have seen.</p>
<p>ebeee: haha; I wrote back last night to stay far away from all of them; communicable diseases and all…</p>
<p>it’s really funny cause we all HATE that show…</p>
<p>Decades ago I was flying from Boston to Detroit. There was some sort of delay, and hanging around the boarding area I couldn’t help but notice all these smartly dressed young guys with their faces all bruised and cut and scarred. Wow, businessmen are tough in Boston, I thought. Eventually I figured out that they were the Calgary Flames hockey team. One very young-looking guy said to his colleagues, “…that was the best Italian food I’ve ever had.” And one of the older guys said, “That’s really saying something, because he’s eaten at some of the finest Italian restaurants in all of Saskatchewan.”</p>
<p>Have to bump this thread… just spent the entire day getting paid to be an extra on set of The Ides of March. Spent most of the afternoon with George Clooney, and also got to see Ryan Gosling, Phillip Seymour-Hoffman, Evan Rachel Wood, and Max Minghella.</p>
<p>I’ve met famous people before, but Clooney was different. He was so exactly like he is on tv and in movies that the sort of <em>surreal</em> effect of seeing celebrities irl was not even there, it just felt like watching tv. I also got an idea of how some celebrities get so bigheaded. Clooney was great, but he didn’t even have to try to say anything remotely funny to get everyone to burst into laughter. It was funny just because it was George Clooney.</p>
<p>Elevators seem to be a popular place for running into celebs! A few of us (3) college friends were in a Detroit hotel in 1983 and as we entered an elevator there was jazz musician Chuck Mangione with, who we assumed to be, his bodyguard. I was the only one of my group who recognized him immediately (he had on the signature hat and everything) and I simply said “hello”. Mr. Mangione nodded but looked pretty uncomfortable for whatever reason and stood very close to his bodyguard guy.</p>
<p>Ran into Donald Trump a few years back. He was coming out of a movie theater in Wellington,Fl. He was with two of his children (Ivanka was one and not sure which son) as well as a body guard / driver. This was back when he was still married to Ivana but the relationship was on the rocks. I had just read a book about Donald. In the book there was a description of a casual outfit that Ivana had insisted on buying for Donald. She wanted him to have something more casual to wear in Florida. The outfit described in the book - white pants, yellow blazer, white shirt, pale blue tie & white shoes. Guess what he was wearing at the movie? The white pants/ yellow blazer get up. He was gruff & grumpy!</p>
<p>I was standing in line at Market Bistro in Scottsdale, AZ yesterday, about to place my order, when the cashier looked beyond me and asked, “Would you like the regular, sir?” I was about to get angry for being bypassed in favor of a regular, when I heard my husband say, “So you think you get better service just because you’re a basketball player?” I turned and looked and it was Charles Barkley. “I used to be a basketball player. Now I’m just a fat man”, was his answer. He’s not fat, btw. Looks like he could be a football player, though. He ordered his “usual”, a salad, making me feel guilty about my pizza order.</p>
<p>A few years back, my father was able to spot an incognito Bruce Springsteen in a marina in Florida (my father is from his hometown and had met him several times before). It then became even more obvious, with the addition of a poorly disguised Clarence Clemons.</p>
<p>We took pictures with him and my dad agreed not to say anything loudly where others could hear while Bruce was still around.</p>
<p>I was a kid when Woody Allen was filming Manhattan. A bunch of girls walking to my school in the morning saw him around the corner and mobbed him. So he said that if we brought our principal to him, he would give ONE autograph to her. So we went and got the principal and when he saw her, he thought she was too young to be a principal and he didn’t believe she was a nun. Anyway, she got the autograph and ushured us all into school so they could continue working. She gave every student in the school a copy of the autograph.</p>
<p>Met Jill Clayburgh in a gas/food market where hubby and I worked early Sunday mornings.
Saw Micheal Douglas in town when filming Fatal Attraction.
Saw Peter Frampton’s wife in Danny’s Cheese shop.
Took care of Aaron Copeland when he was in hospital and I spoke with Leonard Bernstein on the phone when he called.
Met Joan Lunden when she was married to first husband and her first set of daughters were little.
Made eye contact with Arthur Ashe in La Guardia Airport. No one recognized him but me. He looked very sick had a baseball cap on. My nurse’s eye told me he had aids. 2 weeks later it was announced he had Aids. I’ll never forget the look on his face when our eyes met.
I went to a typical house party in early80’s and in walked a very cute Denzel Washington. This was before his fame on St Elsewhere.
Had breakfast next to Spike Lee in Martha’s Vineyard.
Went to cousin’s graduation from college in Atlanta and partied with Martin Luther King’s son.</p>
<p>I have a British friend (a teacher) who was at a country house party in France and ended up sitting with Mick Jagger & Jerry Hall. Apparently, his friend had gone to school with Jerry Hall.</p>
<p>Many famous people have passed through our store. I’d love to post their names, but I think it would be in poor taste.</p>
<p>Outside of our business, here’s a short list:</p>
<p>I will say that I exchanged small talk with Jimmy Fallon last summer. He was behind me at the deli counter and again at the checkout. He’s a cutey and very nice—not full of himself.</p>
<p>Peter Jennings was a good friend. His Christmas parties were a blast. One little thing you may not know about him is that he loved to drop the “f-bomb” behind closed doors. He was such a nice guy. When our kids were little, he sat them down and went through a copy of his “The Century” book. He explained to them the importance of learning and understanding history and emphasized to them the importance of education. He made them promise to him that they would study hard and go to college. They’ve kept their promise.</p>
<p>Saw Jon Bon Jovi at the beach. He looked like a typical Dad playing with his kids. What a cute smile!</p>
<p>It’s not a rarity to see Billy Joel on one of his retro motorcycles. He has some great bikes.</p>
<p>Saw Rudy Guliani and his wife shopping in TJMaxx. She was trying to talk him into buying a cashmere sweater.</p>
<p>Saw John Kenney, Jr. years ago walking down Main St.—hot, hot, hot.</p>
<p>Saw Barbara Streisand coming out of a clothing store in town. All I can say is thank goodness for makeup and good lighting.</p>
<p>My inlaw’s knew Truman Capote. He used to shop in their grocery/meat market. Boy, my MIL has some stories to tell about him (as well about many other famous customers they catered to).</p>
<p>Scarlett Johansen asked my husband for directions. He was standing outside our business and she got out of a car, ran over to him, and asked him for directions to a nearby town. He didn’t even realize who she was until after the fact. </p>
<p>It’s pretty commonplace to celebrities and other well-known people in our area in the summer. I think they like the fact that locals treat them like regular people. It’s the tourists in town that point, whisper, and try to follow them.</p>