Meeting a celebrity...

Walking from Upper East side to Grand Central I noted a petite, lovely woman standing at the corner waiting for the light to change. She turns to me and asks, "Do you have the time?" I oblige her and the light changes and we cross. "Excuse me," she starts in again with me, "do you know where Bumble and Bumble is? ( it was the name of a salon that I did not know) "No, I'm sorry, I don't." And I am about to continue on my way as I realize who she is. Someone I had a huge crush on from her appearance in a certain music video, but at this point she was not famous enough for people the next day to know whom I was talking about. "Hey," I say, "you're Courtney Cox!" She says yes and shakes my hand. I ask her if she has a street address. Nope. A phone number. Nope. I suggest she pick up a pay phone (this was a long time ago) and dial 411- a free call- and ask them for the address. She asks me where she might find the nearest pay phone. Now I am trying to get to Grand Central and catch my train, and I have to be on my way. i point to the Citibank building as probably having a phone in their lobby and leave. Later, seeing she married a nerdy looking David Arquette who I sort of resemble, I wonder, was she hitting on me? Does she have a type? Was I it? Should I have stopped and offered to accompany her to find this salon? Maybe meet for a drink after her appointment? How could I have missed the signals? Oh, right, I was hurrying to get home to my wife and new born first child. Sometimes I wonder. Who knows where I would be now.
Honestly, with all the plastic surgery Ms Cox has had over the years, she has not aged as well as my wife.

Ran into Muhammad Ali once when we were both checking into a hotel at the same time. He was already suffering from Parkinson's disease (this was in the 80s) and looked exhausted. Had about 3 or 4 aides helping him. I felt sorry for the guy and moved away so they could get him checked in first.

I sat down in an empty chair beside a fellow at the airport waiting for the plane. We struck up a conversation, and as we talked I realized he was a famous movie star. Of course I'm bad with their names but I recognized the face. He was a normal nice guy, and didn't even seem offended when I introduced myself (first name) , just so he would say his first name !!
It was Tom Green.

A whole bunch of people have met me. I wonder why they aren't posting?

One more:
A few years ago, on a trip back from Asia, I connected through LAX to ORD. First Class upgrade since I had flown business overseas. Sat down next to Jessie Jackson. He was on his phone when I sat, and when the door closed, and when we taxied, and pretty much until the wheels left the ground. I was tired and fell asleep.

Needless to say, we did not talk.

Ironically, he was actually the commencement speaker at my college graduation (Northeastern University, 1978).

Sat next to Bobby Rahal on a plane back when he was an active driver. Talked a little, but I tried to let him be.

DW and I met Sheryl Crow at a concert, got pics with her, and she honored a song request from me at sound check (about 20 of us had VIP access). After a few songs, she asked 'any requests?' - everyone was too stunned to reply except me I guess, asked for Hard to Make a Stand - and they played the whole thing even though it wasn't on their set list, was several albums old by then.

Met and talked for a few minutes with Walter Cronkite purely by chance in Mystic CT. He was standing alone at the end of a transient dock one beautiful evening, we talked about what a pleasant night it was on the Mystic River. Again, tried to let him be.

I've met with several Senators (Lugar, E Bayh, Coats) and Representatives (Visclosky, Hamilton) for 10-20 minutes each, work related.

JFK's motorcade passed by my elementary school in San Antonio, and we were all out there to wave as they went by. He was assassinated the next day.

I've seen several other athletes (Johnny Miller, Craig Stadler, Michael Jordan), politicians (Quayle) and celebs up close - mostly in airports or on planes.

One week in the summer of 1987:

I taught Jane Goodall about rodeos.

I buried a two-time Nobel prize winner in the sand of a hotel beach pool. (I've written about that one here before.)

I talked 1-on-1 with Diane Sawyer for about 20 minutes. She's quite pretty on TV and is much better looking in person (as are most TV anchors it seems to me).

Also met Chuck Yeager, Francis Crick, Reinhold Messner, John Sculley, Barry Goldwater, and a number of others.

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On other occasions I have met J.R. Simplot, who lived here in Boise at the same time I did - although lots of people in Boise have met him.

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On average, IMHO, famous successful people are almost always extraordinarily gracious - I think it is part of what helps them be so successful.

SecondCor521 said:

One week in the summer of 1987:

I taught Jane Goodall about rodeos.

I buried a two-time Nobel prize winner in the sand of a hotel beach pool. (I've written about that one here before.)

I talked 1-on-1 with Diane Sawyer for about 20 minutes. She's quite pretty on TV and is much better looking in person (as are most TV anchors it seems to me).

Also met Chuck Yeager, Francis Crick, Reinhold Messner, John Sculley, Barry Goldwater, and a number of others.

...

On other occasions I have met J.R. Simplot, who lived here in Boise at the same time I did - although lots of people in Boise have met him.

...

On average, IMHO, famous successful people are almost always extraordinarily gracious - I think it is part of what helps them be so successful.

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My wife is friends with a local TV anchor so I have met a few. I think TV may add 10lbs, but it also removes 10 years.

About ten years ago, my wife and I were visiting New Orleans, and while trying to seek shelter from the rain moving from one building to another, I happened to find myself standing in front of John Ratzenberger (aka Cliff Clavin of "Cheers" fame). I couldn't remember his real name and all I could blurt out was a hearty "Cliff!"

Somewhat annoyed, he then told me: "My name's John. Do you have a made up name I can call you by?" I was taken slightly aback and couldn't come back with something smart like "call me Sam Malone".

We later saw him again later that day (believe he was filming his show "Made in America") and he actually remembered my name as he waved and said hello to us.

I met Darryl "The Chocolate Thunder" Dawkins.
It was a time after he stopped destroying backboards.
I asked him why he stopped doing it and he said the NBA started applying hefty fines for the smash so it kind of sucked the fun out of it. Nice enough guy.

COcheesehead said:

Couple things about Jenner. He appeared smaller than you'd think and he already had the nose job so he looked "fake", probably the best way to describe it.

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I ate lunch daily in college 4 years with Bruce Jenner's former wife and ex-girlfriend of Elvis Presley: Linda Thompson. She went on to marry the incredible music writer and producer David Foster. Nice gal.

I never met Elvis, but I did know his step-mother, Dee Presley. Her son, Rickey Stanley, had a Mustang GT convertible financed with us in her name and she refused to pay. I hated at the time to order the car repossessed, however she deserved it.

My former neighbor was the local channel 11 news anchor, also met many football and baseball players over the years: Frank Gifford, Kyle Rote, Tucker Fredrickson, Demarcus Ware, Phil Rizzuto, Gil McDougald, Don Stanhouse, Pudge Rodriguez, Juan Gonzalez, Rusty Greer, Rudy Jaramillo, Doug Melvin, Steve Busby, Josh Hamilton, Chris Davis, and David Murphy.

Summers between years at college I worked at a convenience store off the interstate. Charles Kuralt came in one day and bought two cartons of Lucky Strikes and an ice cream sandwich. I wasn't positive it was him so I said something or other to him that required a response. What a distinctive voice!

Sammy Davis Jr and Lionel Hampton. They used to do free shows at Nellis AFB while I was there

Chuck Yeager & Chappie James

Frank Rizzo. He was police commish' in Philly when my uncle died on duty. He showed up at the funeral

Someone mentioned Jenny mcCarthy. In the April 1980 edition of Playboy there was a spread that included an Airman First Class named Cindy I worked with and talked to every day at Tonopah. In the internet age you can find the pics online.

She did not go on to become a celebrity after being drummed out of the A.F.

In the early 80's my girlfriend (now my DW) had a female roommate who was a major league baseball groupie. The roommate would often hang out with the visiting players after games. I was hanging out at their apartment one night and in she walks with Steve Carlton and Tug McGraw. I was so in awe that I didn't get their autographs. Worse yet, my wife didn't know who they were.

Where do I start. I grew up in So Cal when many celebrities earned a high income but the gap between them and the rest of the middle class was only a small fraction of what it is today. Therefore they often lived in our neighborhoods.

I lived down the street from Dick Smothers. The race cars parked in front of his house kept we young boys talking for says. I went to school with Bob Crane's son. How sad was his dad's death. Dom DeLuise bought clothing at the Sears store I worked at. He was even funnier in person.

Most important to me was living down the street from Clayton Moore. He would let me ride with him on his horse. No, it wasn't Silver.

I went to a wedding in Houston once, and there was secret service around. They had those springy wires up to behind their ears and everything. That's because Hames Baker, then Treasury Secretary was attending. And there he was in the same room with us standing not very far away! I remember thinking it was so cool at the time because this guy's signature was on our money!

Student coop/intern met several space shuttle astronauts and spent a few hours working with (to be) first space shuttle pilots John Young and Bob Crippen while they worked with some equipment I built for one of the NASA simulators. I remember being amused that John Young wore reading glasses. (You know - pilots are supposed to have uncorrected 20/20 vision.)

18 months ago, traded seats on an airline flight with Bernie Sanders. Talked farming with him for about 10 minutes before we boarded.

DFW_M5 said:

My former neighbor was the local channel 11 news anchor, also met many football and baseball players over the years: Frank Gifford, Kyle Rote, Tucker Fredrickson, Demarcus Ware, Phil Rizzuto, Gil McDougald, Don Stanhouse, Pudge Rodriguez, Juan Gonzalez, Rusty Greer, Rudy Jaramillo, Doug Melvin, Steve Busby, Josh Hamilton, Chris Davis, and David Murphy.

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DFW as a former Dallasite, curious who was the news anchor?

Great stories.

In 1978 I met Ronald Reagan when he gave a rousing speech at my school. He had not yet announced his candidacy for president. Afterward there was a little meet and greet and after standing in a short line i was able to shake his hand and speak to him briefly, an amazing warm, grandfatherly man.

A few sports heros: Cowboys running back Calvin Hill (twice, we seem to use the same airports), Roger Staubach at a pickup basketball game, baseball great Ferguson Jenkins (he came behind outfield wall in old Arlington Stadium to retrieve a baseball, that my young friends and i were also chasing), baseball slugger Frank Howard i have met a few times, he lives near me, sports personalities Howie Long and Max Kellerman (airports).

More recently i met former Texas Governor and now Energy Secretary Rick Perry in a diner in Nashville. He was amazingly cordial and joined my family as we ate some barbecue. Vice President Mike Pence when he was a Congressman (through mutual friends), and going back Birch Bayh (Evan's dad), Lee Hamilton and some other folks that Midpack probably also met.

Just over a year ago, I met former NBA player/coach Don Nelson at our golf club, and finangled an invite to his poker game. Couple days after playing at Don's, he calls, says they are shorthanded, could I come over to Willie's? I go over and play poker with Willie Nelson, Woody Harrelson and Owen Wilson.

Reagan In 1976, I met Ronald Reagan several times. One time was at a relatively small luncheon when I was in law school. Later, I was a volunteer at the Republican National Convention that year. One time I was part of a group that he went through and shook hands with and said a few words. I had (foolishly) been wearing high heels the entire day, walking from hotel to hotel in Kansas City doing convention work and my feet were killing me, so I took them off and were holding them in my left hand when I shook his hand with my right.

The last time I saw him was...interesting. I was volunteering that day at the hotel for the California delegation and there was a battle going on for those delegates. So, Reagan came there to speak to the delegation. He was accompanied by Pat Boone (yes, he had white shoes) and Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.

There was security there and Secret Service, but the room was packed with media and they were trying to push through to question Reagan. So, I (and others) were asked to link arms to form a barrier for Reagan to walk on the other side of. When he walked in, the reporters pressed against us and literally knocked me in to him. So, for a time we were literally pressed together until the security got the reporters to move back. A very surreal moment.


Ron Paul Same convention. I traveled on a bus one evening with members of the Texas delegation. Ron Paul was in his first stint as a Congressman. He had the idea that we would go to the hotel where one of the delegations was and do some sort of protest (I don't even remember what about). So, we ended up getting the bus driver to stop and we marched through the street then went into the hotel and demonstrated in the lobby (nothing violent, just being loud). And, then we left. I had never heard of Paul before that, but he certainly didn't fit my picture of a Congressman!

George Bush the Elder - This was my husband, not me, but interesting. Bush was nearing the end of his presidency but was still president. We lived near Bush's Houston home and shopped at the same grocery store that he was known to shop at. My husband was at the store and realized when paying that he had left his wallet in the car. He was going to go out and get it. When he got to the door, Secret Service told him that if he leaved he couldn't come back in. The reason was that the Bushes were in the store grocery shopping so anyone in the store couldn't leave and come back in. So, he just waited until the Bushes got finished shopping before he left (George pushed the cart -- and yes he knew how the checkout worked).

Sightings - Celebrities I saw but didn't speak to. Shared an elevator with Magic Johnson at a hotel in Dallas. Saw Alan Arkin eating at a casual restaurant at the Beverly Hills hotel. Saw several different basketball players shopping at the Galleria in Houston.

Another one I had almost forgotten:

I worked as a counterman at a Howard Johnson's for a couple of summers in college. It was one of the last restaurants actually owned by Howard Johnson himself; most of the rest were franchises and controlled by his son.

Needless to say, during his annual visit everything was spotless and well organized. The rest of the time? Well, like anyone who has w*rked in a restaurant I could tell you some hair-raising tales!

Anyway, I remember HJ as a nice old man who pretended to be interested in the operation but really just liked hanging out. Had a black Cadillac with the license plate HJ-28 (the famous "28 flavors" of ice cream).

Eve Plumb (Jan Brady) was a regular visitor to our college dorm since her best friend lived there. I'll stop there since not much good to say.