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Brush with celebrity?

Re: Re: Brush with celebrity?

"BobV" said:
But, it was such a strong handshake that he walked with a limp from that day on.... :thu
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You may be on to something. He had to have hip replacement surgery a few years back.
 
Saw Mario Lemieux outside a Pittsburgh gas station. I asked him for an autograph and he said thanks for the support. Got in his car and left. :wtf
 
I see Mark Harmon in the mirror everyday, but besides that I have worked quite a bit of security over the years so being in Chicago, between the sports and the movies, there tends to be quite a few names around. Here's a couple things- of all the athletes from all the sports, hockey players were the most down to earth.
From working on movies, actors are REALLY short. I had protection for Richard Gere one day. Tiny and quiet. He wouldn't talk at all. Tommy Lee Jones - while filming US Marshals he would routinely disappear into a local establishment and have a pop or two. John Candy was one of the nicest people I ever. Met him during the Blues Brothers. I was on set as my uncle was one of the mounted police in the movie. I had to bodyguard Fabio at a signing. Guy was about 3-4 inches taller than me and all muscle. Very nice guy.
Shook hands with Stevie Wonder. Worked at the Ampitheater and was there when they recorded UFO's light's out album. Wow, That was way back

Like Mid says, eh. They're just people. Some nice, some not
 
"SAC69" said:
Honked car horn at Jerry Brown (Calif governor) and gave him the bird as he was on the sidewalk nearby on a cell phone but I don't think he saw me.
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Thank you, thank you, thank you so very much. Fracken moonbean :bomb

fd
 
I encountered with the infamous Ivanna Humpalot two months ago while shopping at the mens manhole supermarket.
 
Known Bill Engvall (blue collar comedy) for many years. Talked to Penn Gillette today to wish him, his wife and kids happy t-giving. Met Obama at a small fundraiser that my boss paid $50k for in 2008. Best I've got. Sorry.
 
I've met a pretty varied lot. Recently I met Biden when he was here prior to the elections. We escorted his motorcade to a luncheon he was attending. Afterwards he thanked all of us and did a photo with all of the escort officers. Political views of him aside, he is actually a pretty decent person to talk with. When they wer elining us up for the photo the Secret Service agents told us before he came out, not to talk with him. They said if we got him talking we'd never leave! Met Bill Elliott in the FBO at Daytona Beach (where the pilots of private planes go), when he down one year for winter testing. He was a really nice guy to chat with, as was his brother Dan (whom I met and chatted with at the Southern 500 in Darlington many years ago). I also got my pic taken in front of his war wagon on pit road. I got to meet Don Garlits, Jack Roush AND Don Nicholson at an IHRA Nats in Darlington one year. All three were actively racing then. I even got an autographed photo from Dyno Don. I met Shelby and got his autograph back in the 80's at one of the SAAC Nats in Charlotte. Got to meet the King of Jordan when we did a police motorcycle escort for him. Before he got on his plane to return to Jordan we had our picture taken with him. He then met with each of us, shook our hands and thanked us. I also got to meet Sam Skinner (he was the Secretary of Transportation under GWH Bush). I accepted an award from him for our air station's role in hurricane Hugo rescue/relief when I was in the Coast Guard. When I was a teen I got to meet the widow of Rep L. Mendel Rivers. He was a pretty famous (infamous to some, but revered here in SC by most), politician who has a nuclear sub named after him. His widow gave me the grand tour of their home and showed me a ton of memorabilia from his trips around the world. I got to meet him in person years before his death, though I was only about 7. My father met him while we were at a shopping center. The one thing i recall was this tall elderly fella bending down to shake my hand. He then gave myself and my brother a dime each. WOO HOO big money in those days to a 7 year old!! The last person I can recall meeting is Gen. William Westmoreland. I did a hit & run accident report for him and his wife. It was a pretty memorable thing and funny how it was assigned to me.

I had just gotten into work to begin an evening shift and was walking across the parking lot to go in for role call. The day shift supervisor say me and yelled at me. I walked over to her and asked what was up? She asked if I could do a hit & run accident report for some people waiting in front of the building. When I told her no problem, she said "okay, but just be advised. These are some pretty important people and just be really professional with them". I told it was no problem and asked who the people were. She said "well, have you ever heard of General Westmoreland?" I had to stop myself from being a smart ass and saying "umm isn't there a bridge around here named Westmoreland? (which, there is!). I simply told her yes, I knew who he was and I'd take care of it. They were wonderful people to meet, though it was kinda sad meeting the General. He introduced himself to me and I told him it was an honor to meet him. Since his wife had been driving I didn't need his ID, declining it when he offered it. While talking with his wife about what had happened in the accident, he offered his ID several more times before his wife had to kindly tell him I didn't need it. It was then I realized he was having severe elderly problems (to put it politely). They even sent me a "thank you" card later on for taking care of them!
 
I've met quite a few living here in LA and working in the film business but I have to say my best story was almost running down Tom Hanks.
I was showing my father-in-law around the Universal Studios backlot one year when my job was located there. I was driving in a golfcart and came around a corner to show him the area where they were filming Apollo 13. I guess I came around a corner too quickly and nearly ran Tom over. He practically had to dive for cover. Ooops.
 
Haven't met him,But James Starks from the Green Bay Packers was a local high school and college football hero around here. His Grandparents used to live down the at the other end of the street. Used to wave as he passed by in his SUV.

1993 met Doug Gilmour and Pat Burns from the Maple Leafs at a Junior A game during the the lock out.Various GM and coaches during that period that used to sit at that end of the building.

Best one was when Keith Primeau got pounded by Bob Probert in practice and showed up to see his brother play for Owen Sound. He gave these kids a hard time when asked for his autograph. Me and a couple of others got together and paid this one kid $15 american to over and ask him if he could get Proberts auto. Didn't go well,but we had a laugh about it.
 
We sold a house to Jerry Corbetta, lead singer for the band Sugarloaf. He/they are best known for the song "Green Eyed Lady".

Met Richard Carpenter as he was dusting off his '62 T-bird convertible at a car show in Fresno, many years ago.

My wife could give a long list of bay area athletes that she met when she worked for a big orthopedic surgeons office.

That's it! :bowdown
 
"PraireBronze" said:
We sold a house to Jerry Corbetta, lead singer for the band Sugarloaf. He/they are best known for the song "Green Eyed Lady".

Met Richard Carpenter as he was dusting off his '62 T-bird convertible at a car show in Fresno, many years ago.

My wife could give a long list of bay area athletes that she met when she worked for a big orthopedic surgeons office.

That's it! :bowdown
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Trivia that probably nobody GAS about, but the band Sugarloaf was named after a mountain up Boulder Canyon. We Boulderites thought we had a special connection to the band.
 
For the most part, my experiences are limited to "regular" people who happen to be in the area. For example, NHL player Mike Ricci lived in the neighborhood when he was playing for the Sharks and I recall running into him at the local Safeway as well as at the local Italian Deli when visiting the owner, a mutual friend. Another Sharks player, Joe Pavelski is one of my back fence neighbors now. Jeff Garcia, formerly of the the SF 49ers, lived a couple of blocks away and I would occasionally see him at one of the neighborhood watering holes. Norm Mineta, Secretary of Transportation under President GW Bush, and a local politico, lived in the neighborhood and his kids attended the same neighborhood elementary school as my kids.

A few years ago I was a guest in a luxury box at ATT Park, (home of the SF Giants) and recall standing at a urinal when Willy Mays came in and stepped up to the urinal next to me. Turns out his luxury box was two doors down from the box where I was a guest. What do you say to a legend? "Say Hey..."

I recall running into former Governor Edmund G. "Pat" Brown (father of current Governor Brown) at a school alumni event many years ago.

I also recall meeting Senator Alan Cranston at some event where my Dad was a participant when I was about 10 years old and somewhere there is photographic evidence.

Though somewhat esoteric, for those of you civil engineers, my ex wife's uncle, J. Barry Cooke, was a world renowned consulting engineer in the area of dam failures. This notoriety was brought home to me when, upon learning of the relationship, an engineer friend of mine exclaimed "'THE' Barry Cooke is your uncle????"

Even more obscure is my ex father in law, then an airline executive, was on the last flight out of Da Nang (baby lift) in 1975. Believe me, it was one hell of a story around the dining table when he got home.
 
I have a few stories from when i lived in London. I used to work in the Dorchester hotel which is where most of the celebs stay when they come to London. Alot of the movie launches were based in the hotels and one of my good friends worked in the "special visits" department so she dealt directly with many of the big names and co-ordinated all the interviews before the red carpet events. I was project managing the installation of a very hi-tech (at the time) interactive tv system in the hotel. I become the "Go to guy" whenver a guest had a problem with anything technological. I met many celebs and found most of them to be a$$holes but i never ever get star struck and consider famous people like any other person except their job gives them the opportunity to be in the spot light. My friend used to get tickets for the Red carpet premiers and would ring me at 4 in the day and be like "fancy going to the VIP launch of a movie in an hour?" heck yea....first to see the movie then epic party afterwards with all free drink and food. I went to Kill Bill 2, The Italian job remake and a Will Smith movie, think it was Bad boys II or Men in Black II. Its so funny when you arrive at the aftershow party and all the photographers are there. The door of the car opens and they are expecting an A-list celeb then i jump out....They just sigh and dismiss you.

Among the celebs i met or actually interacted with include Pamela Anderson, Liam Nesson, Tom Cruise, Hugh Grant, Will Smith, Lucy Lu, Peter Jackson, Russell Crow, Nicole Kidman etc etc I saw and passed by many others.

Some interesting stories....

Angelina Jolie used to live in the hotels for weeks on end before she bought her own place in England. This is going back 10 years when she was in her prime. Her assistant used to stay in the room opposite her suite and the doors were always left open. Her little son Maddox used to run out the door and up the corridors and you always knew you were in for a treat when you saw Maddox running towards you in a corridor on his own...it meant that Angela Jolie would be following shortly afterwards. Often in little shorts and a tight little t-shirt. :steer

Probably one of my personal favorite moments was when i wasn't working. I was out on a date and I brought my date to the bar in the Four Seasons in London, very swanky bar but cool for one or two drinks. I remember going to bathroom and noticing a huge black guy standing near the door and after working around celebs for a while you can spot a security guard a mile away. It was a very dimly lit bar and i looked around to see if i could spot a celeb but i was more interested in my date. There was a two piece jazz instrumental playing in the bar and they were out of view of our seats. I remember the music changing and thinking the live guys must be finished and they must have put a CD on. I looked around the corner and there was James Brown jamming with the two lads. It only took a few minutes for the whole bar to realize this and everyone gathered around. There was only about 20-30 people there at the time but he sang about 5-7 songs with them.....it was pretty amazing.

Then another interesting one was having lunch with Nelson Mandela. I went to college here in Ireland but my closest friend was from Mozambique and by chance he decided to come to Ireland to go to college. We both ended up moving to London after college and shared a house. His mother owned the only English school in Mozambique at the time and did very well from it. His circle of friend growing up would have been the kids of Politicians, presidents and the wealthy. One of his good friends was Nelson Mandela's step son's and he was coming to London to do a 3 month placement working directly with Richard Branson to see how Virgin is run. He naturally could've stayed in a city centre apppartment with security guards, car etc but he wanted to rent the crappy liittle room we had free in our crumby run down house. I suppose it was a bit of normality for him. He loved living with us because we treated him like normal, made him take out the trash, clean up, etc etc. All things he never or rarely ever did in his life.

Anyways, any time Nelson Mandela came to London he used to stay in Dorchester. Malenga asked me if I'd like to have dinner with his "parents". I had to go to my boss and ask him could i have lunch with a guest....which is not that abnormal but he nearly died of shock when i told him who it was. Anyways, the head chef of the dorchester cooked lunch for me and 5 other guests in a private dining room in the hotel. It was a little surreal at the start but by the end it was just like dinner with a friends family.

My aunt worked as the receptionist at the Abbey Road Studios when she moved to London back in the 60s....She has some pretty amazing stories to tell....Hung out and did "other things" with The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, The Who etc etc
 
"Ponyman66" said:
Yep, Johhny wins! But he should also have a new monicker....Johnny the E-Butler! LOL
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Yea, that would be cool....

(hope this reverse psychology stuff works) :guns
 
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