<p>Taking off on my “I’ve Seen…President” thread cause it’s been fun to read…</p>
<p>How about famous actors/athletes??? Not just seen, but MET (talked to or shook hands, or sat at the same table with - use your best judgement. ) We’ve all probably seen them in airports, restaurants, etc. - but let’s hear your more intimate stories!!!</p>
<p>Mine - Apolo Ohno. Met, autograph, pictures, conversation and stalked him outside of his hotel room (long story - D had a major crush on him at age 13 - still does - we went to watch him race and happened to stay in the same hotel - his room was right across from the hotel candy machine/ice machine and he and his friends keep their door open all evening - we were VERY thirsty and hungry that night!!! )</p>
<p>Gordie Howe- Ate dinner with him a few times and hung out at a mall with him and his wife. Long story. Nicest people. I have a ton of autographed stuff from him. </p>
<p>I’ve met countless other famous hockey players. Osgood is probably the one I know best.</p>
<p>Sarah Michelle Gellar (sp?)- dated my uncle. Don’t remember her that much because I was young. </p>
<p>Worked with Val Kilmer and Adam Lambert during a musical. Adam is one of the nicest people I’ve met.</p>
<p>Lea Salonga (she sings most Disney songs in movies… You’d know her voice if not her name). She’s one of my aunt’s best friends and I know her quite well.</p>
<p>I’m sure there’s more but that’s a good start lol.</p>
<p>I dated two character actors when I lived in NYC after college. Brian Benben - HBO Dream On and now a regular on Private Practice and David Paymer - got nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in Mr. Saturday Night and is now one of the recurring Judges on The Good Wife. Also, had one date with Walter Cronkite’s son Chip. Chip was a drip and had no interest in a second date. Also, knew Walter’s daughter Nancy. She was a mess (lots of drugs.) </p>
<p>In Lake Placid at a exo ice show we got to go backstage after (it’s run by NYS and a friend worked for the division which ran it so we got special tickets) and we met Kristi Yamaguchi (she was pretty *****y,) the male ice skater who had gone to Harvard (forget his name, Paul something?) and Tara Lipinski, who was maybe 12 then and pretty much unknown. </p>
<p>My cousin married Ron Davis (Yankee relief pitcher) and their son Ike plays first base for the Mets. </p>
<p>DH and I were at a resort in Vermont one summer and Nike was having a thing for coaches and related sports business people. We played tennis next to Ahmad Rashad and at one point DH hit me with a ball and I screeched and slipped on the clay and Ahmad came over, helped me up and (jokingly) told DH if he did it again he better watch out. </p>
<p>DH was in 7th heaven all weekend surrounded by all these sports people and at one point had a long conversation with Lou Caresecca on the porch of the hotel.</p>
<p>Many of the men’s tennis coaches, who most of you probably never heard and last, but not least, Pat Rafter, many, many, many times. <thud></thud></p>
<p>“Intimate stories” >? Yikes!
Both H and I worked at movie studios when we first met.
Our lips are sealed.</p>
<p>BUT…through a job D had we were invited to a social function last year and we were very excited to finally meet Esa Pekka Salonen and the ever charming Placido Domingo. Two “local heroes”.</p>
<p>My sister was friendly with Jodie Foster at Yale and brought her home for our Passover seder. That was a huge thrill for me.</p>
<p>I went to (very small) high school with, and crossed paths in college with, various people who later became famous but they were not famous at the time, so it wasn’t as exciting.</p>
<p>I’ve been to a couple of Basketball Hall of Fame inductions and got to meet/shake hands/get autographs/speak briefly to Bill Bradley, Dave DeBusschere, Willis Reed, Dean Smith, Oscar Robertson, Jerry Lucas, Rick Barry, Jim Calhoun, and Jim Boeheim.</p>
<p>When DH was a teenager, he attended a charity basketball game and met Wilt Chamberlain (he said he came up to his waist).</p>
<p>“I’ve been to a couple of Basketball Hall of Fame inductions and got to meet/shake hands/get autographs/speak briefly to Bill Bradley, Dave DeBusschere, Willis Reed, Dean Smith, Oscar Robertson, Jerry Lucas, Rick Barry, Jim Calhoun, and Jim Boeheim.”</p>
<p>Ah, that reminds me. Went to high school with Danny Schayes and we were family friends so knew Dolph very well (or as well as a teen knows their parent’s friends.)</p>
<p>I had lunch with Stanley Kramer at McDonald’s in a mall by my house . He was quite taken with D when she was little. ( just happened to sit next to him, it wasn’t a business lunch or anything)</p>
<p>My senior year in high school I lived with George London’s family. He was a pretty well known opera singer whose career was cut short first by a paralyzed vocal chord and then later when he was director of the Washington Opera. I met a parade of well-known music people then with great stories about opera bloopers. (London was famous for having no sense of direction.) </p>
<p>I also met is MacArthur (genius) grant winner Peter Sellars - interestingly also best known for his work in opera. I had lunch with him through mutual friends and sat there in awe of his genius. He’s definitely the most charismatic and witty person I have ever met.
I went to high school with another MacArthur winner. She was very quiet. She studies butterflies.</p>
<p>Oh I had a roommate who was friends with YoYo Ma. Only met him once briefly. He seemed very sweet. That roommate was unfortunately busy having a nervous breakdown and left after a semester.</p>
<p>Goofy perhaps, but I was extremely excited to meet some of the cast of Sesame Street - it was always my DREAM to work on the show in any capacity since I am involved in Child Development/Early Childhood. I met and talked with Gordon, Maria and Luis - not to mention Cookie Monster. :)</p>
<p>I sat next to Vanessa Williams in high school orchestra for three years. She was unbelievably talented even then - vocally and on french horn. She was part of the theater crowd and not too warm to the non-theater younger students (me!), but nothing unfriendlier than her peers. Both her parents were public school music teachers and lovely people (her mom and mine volunteered a lot together). We all knew she would be famous someday. I am very happy for her. I admire the way she has raised her kids out of the spotlight and remained close to her family. Her little bro is also in the business - an actor. He played the sax very well!</p>
<p>I have traveled several times to road games with the New York Islanders. Flew on the team plane, bus to the hotel, morning skate, the whole thing–as if I was one of the players. Group of kids asked for my autograph as we entered the hotel.</p>
<p>Met Willie Mays at a Super Bowl party, he was not a nice guy.
Met Eddie Murphy and was actually in his house
Lifted weights in a gym with Joe Piscopo,he spotted me</p>
<p>Another one who’s met Wilt Chamberlain. (Give it a rest jym626, I was 10 years old! ;)) Among the other athletes I’ve met are Joe Willie Namath, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Nolan Ryan, George Brett, Reggie Jackson, Whitey Ford, Don Mattingly, Tom Seaver (was in his house and saw his Cy Young awards hanging on the wall!) and many, many others. I was very into sports from when I was a little kid and also was a part-owner of a sports memorabilia store as an adult.</p>
) We’ve all probably seen them in airports, restaurants, etc. - but let’s hear your more intimate stories!!!</p>