telophase | Brush with Greatness

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brush with greatness

Brush with Greatness

Most of us have, at one point or another, ridden a subway car with, been in the same restaurant as, passed in the street, or had some sort of passing encounter with some sort of celebrity. For whatever reason, I love hearing these stories. Tell me yours!

Define "celebrity" however you want. It's more about the stories than the definition of celebrity - if it's a scientist or sports figure or someone nobody's ever heard of that makes you squee, it counts. If it's someone you really don't like but who is notorious, that counts too. XD

Yeah, yeah, "greatness" is tongue-in-cheek, ripped off from a radio show about ten years ago I heard soliciting these stories. XD

As for me: I once sold a museum ticket to Randy Quaid. Didn't realize it was him, until the girl who was taking the tickets at the door came back to tell me - she said that he and his family came up to the door, and the security guard said "Hey, man, anyone ever tell you you look a lot like Randy Quaid?" His family dissolved into laughter and Quaid said that he was, in fact, Randy Quaid. The security guard didn't believe him and made Quaid show him his drivers license. XD

And while con stories tend not to be that big a deal, because those of us who attend and run cons end up running into writers and artists and actors that we like on a more frequent basis than non-congoing people do, there's the occasional squee! moment. I once picked up Terry Pratchett from the airport in Houston and drove him to College Station for a con. As was natural for someone just getting off a transatlantic flight, he was very quiet and I think fell asleep.

And along the lines of people-who-make-you-feel-slimed, when I was in Denver I once walked into a bookstore and ran right into one of the lawyers from the OJ trial, who was setting up a bunch of copies of a book that he'd written. I think he was in town and was doing the publicity thing, running from bookstore to bookstore to sign copies. He advanced on me with a smile and an extended hand, and I looked at him in a confused manner and escaped to the SF section, because I didn't recognize him. After he left, I went by the stand of books to figure out who he was, and immediately felt slimed.

This post prompted by someone on my friendslist having a BwG today, but I'll let her tell it if she wishes. :D

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rita moreno shops for christmas cards at my store. :D

also, as for con-brushes-with-greatness, sakurai shushushu, oh she of the vibrator company fame, once, in all her EGL fashion, made gestures at a group of friends and myself as to whether a room was open for discussion yet.

Hee! XD

I shook hands with Gen. William Westmoreland. Ugh. I was introduced to him by my father-in-law, whom I respect, so it wasn't as if the Cut Direct was appropriate.

Hee! I've unlocked the post in question (http://mscongeniality.livejournal.com/530854.html) so folks can check it out if they want.

In addition to that, (as mentioned in the comments of that post) I've also shared an elevator Harry Belafonte after the building we were in emptied for a small fire. He was, by the way, very charming and entirely tolerant of my coworker's fangirling of him.

I'm not going to bother mentioning all the 'fandom' type people I've met through I-Con except to say that Bill Mumy was my favorite media guest ever and Timothy Zahn was the most 'productive' guest we've ever had (he did Con setup and worked the registration table for a few hours ;-) ).

Oh! I forgot two other totally dorky cool people I've met through I-Con. My first one, when I was 18 years old, we had Deke Slayton and Georgi Grechko (who we flew in from the Soviet Union) to talk about well, being astronauts. They had both been on Soyuz missions in the 70s (though not together) and it was, in general, Just Plain Cool.

I even got to go to a special dinner at a very nice restaurant near campus where we were wining and dining Mr. Grechko. So...not only did I meet a fricking Mercury Astronaut but I had actual (if stilted) conversation with the guy who did the first spacewalk.

Oh, coooool! XD

*is a nerd*

When I lived in New Orleans, I worked at a nice little shop on Borbon Street. (No, really, it was nice!) Anyhow, one day a classy, petite redhead was browsing through the cookbooks, and I thought absently "gee, that looks like Dr. Crusher!" Sure enough, when she brought the book up to the counter her CC said "C Gates McFadden." I resisted my fangirl moment, because I figured she got enough of it at the convention and was out for a break, and just rang up the sale with a smile. The fellow I was working with didn't recognize her, and schmoozed her into buying a tape of jazz music. (This was in 1991, CDs didn't quite rule the world yet.) What was funny was not her - she was very gracious, and truly beautiful in person - but the look on my coworker's face when I told him who she was. I met other celebrities when in NOLA, but that was my favorite.

I also got to attend an event called the American Academy of Achievement when I graduated high school (1990). They awarded lifetime-achievement awards to people in all sorts of fields, from politics to the arts, and invited some high school students to harvest inspiration as well. It was a weekend-long event, and the students were encouraged to speak with the honorees. At one of the meals, I was seated at a table near George Lucas. Over the course of the meal, at least 15 different students approached George for his autograph. EVERY SINGLE ONE of them pointed out that they had figured out that Darth Vader really meant Dark Father. (Again, this was in 1990!) George simply nodded each time and told them they were right, and signed the paper...

I was drinking coffee and eating french fries in Chubby's, a local dive, when Keifer Sutherland walked in and bought cigarettes. He was playing pool up the street and they were out of his brand. This was years ago, mind you, Lost Boys era, and let me just say: Much much hotter in person.

You stole mine...but not really. ;D

The only celebrity enounter I've ever had I unfortunately don't remember, since it happened when I was about two or three. But, according to my parents, we were at a Basken Robins (in Kansas City) when I walked over to pet a couple's dog. That couple turned out to be Keifer Sutherland and Julia Roberts. Of course, my parents were shocked into a "HOMIGOSH" state, but I just wanted to pet the doggy. xD

In college, when I was working at the library, I checked out course reserves to Kellie Martin (from Life Goes On and ER--I didn't recognize her at the time, but a coworker told me who she was after she was gone. The next year I sat next to Claire Danes in my intro psych lecture. Mind you, this was a class with about 400 people, and this only happened because I had come late and was sitting in the back--and she got there even later, and took the seat next to me.

When i was in the SCA in San Antonio, Henry Thomas (of ET fame) was in it, too, so I attended several SCA events with him. :D

Henry Thomas went to Texas A&M.

Yup. He started at Blinn during the time I was in the SCA with him, and then he moved on to A&M.

Back when I was still in Sea Explorers we were at some boyscout function, and Dr. Red Duke hit on me. I was thrilled about it for days. Plus getting Bruce Campbell to sign me was freaking awesome.

James Worthy sat next to me at a sushi bar once, quite a few years post-Lakers. He just looked like a normal, good-looking guy until he stood up, and his head almost touched the ceiling. The person I was having dinner with was the one who recognized him.

I saw Quentin Tarantino at a restaurant once, alone and reading the paper. I was tempted to approach him, but saw a couple others do so. He was quite friendly and gracious, but I figured he'd really just gone there to eat and read a paper, so I left him alone.

The Mayor from Buffy auditioned for a show where I was working auditions. I saw a number of minor celebrities then, of course, but he was the only one I squeed at. He was very nice to my fangirl self.

Last but not least, when I was six years old my family went to some political function because we were staying with a family who moved in those circles, and I got hugged by Indira Gandhi.

I can't believe I forgot to post that when I was five, Jane Goodall came by the research station we were on in the Serengeti, and we had a reception for her and she escaped out onto the porch with us kids for most of it. XD

when i was a preteen dork with no life and no friends (not that much different than now ;D, i just watched a lot more television)

i totally saw richard bey shopping for produce next to me.

i was a fan and man, was i excited :D i was prolly like, 11 or 12.

Living in LA and having worked in the industry, I encountered a lot of famed actors types, but the only one who jazzed me was Fred Astaire, who was just walking out the first day I reported to MGM. I thought that was going to be my life there! Nope. But I still cherish his smile, his flick of the hand to the hat, the still graceful body, and the two-toned shoes.

Then there was the time I waited on Anton Le Vey at my restaurant. I said, "Do you really believe in Satan?" He tried to give me some Hegelian b.s., I stopped him and said "Don't give me Hegelian b.s.," he blinked and put me into focus (I admitted I was in grad school thus the familiarity with Hegel) and we argued happily about the universe, symbols, and lifestyles each time I brought food things over. He came close to admitting it was all a money-making scam, which is more than Hubbard ever did. Charming man. Left a big tip, too.

Anton Le Vey meets Sherwood Smith, now there's universes colliding! That's a great story.

I attended a reception for Lillian Gish in 1981 and stood six feet from her for half an hour saying not a single word. I was just soaking up the magic. :D She was tiny and exquisitely beautiful--practically emitting a glow--and wore the largest opal drop pendant I've ever seen, which suited her perfectly.

I've met a number of Star Trek-related people, most recently Kate Mulgrew and Robert Beltran--yes, I've been kissed by Chakotay! Dang, that man has a good facialist. :D I gave both of them pencil portraits of themselves, (http://www.loveboatfanfic.com/fanfic/lrbowen/artwork.htm) which used to be a hobby of mine. (Now I keep 'em for myself.)

Oh, and I sold gourmet cheese to Pete McCloskey (local member of the House of Representatives, now retired) and some years later saw Joan Baez window-shopping at Christmastime while I was working at another store in the same mall. Pete wrote a check, which was drawn on a Washington DC bank, and then asked if out-of-state was OK; I said something like "Look, Congressman, it's not like I have no idea who you are." :) He was a decent guy as legislators go, but these days I might ask for two pieces of ID...

MM

As a large woman who grapples with issues of self-esteem as much as issues of weight, actress Camryn Manheim is one of my HEROES. (I've loaned around my copy of "Wake Up, I'm Fat" to more people - people of ALL sizes - than I can count.)

A few years ago, on my birthday no less, a friend and I went bike-riding along Venice Beach. Afterwards, we went into a nice little bistro (C&O Trattoria - I highly recommend them) for brunch. We'd just sat down and who walks in but Ms. Manheim. I have a personal policy of never approaching celebs in their private life, but, well, it was CAMRYN MANHEIM. Thing is, since she and I were the only Large People in the bistro, she was already looking at me as I rose from my table as if she knew, in an act of Sister Solidarity, I'd approach her. We spoke for a few minutes, with me in embarrassing tears half the time, telling her how much she meant to me, and she was gracious and kind and everything I hoped she would be. In person, she's an imposing figure in ways completely unrelated to her size; plus absolutely stunning, with amazing skin. And oh all those earrings!

Living in the greater L.A. metroplex, I've had a lot of celeb sightings over the years, but that's probably the one that meant the most to me. And for days I teased my friend - who did know of my fondness for Ms. Manheim - over how she managed to arrange the encounter as a birthday present. ;)

Cool! I never watched anything she was in, but I remember reading an article about her at one point and it said in the law show she was on - whose title is escaping my mind, arg - the writers had her character introduced eating a doughnut, and she put her foot down and said no to that, which earned her my undying respect.

in the law show she was on - whose title is escaping my mind, arg - the writers had her character introduced eating a doughnut, and she put her foot down and said no to that, which earned her my undying respect.

"The Practice." That was an incident from the pilot, I believe, and she turned the scene on its head by her giving the donut to the skinny male lead to eat. Check out her book - the stories in there will amaze you, of how determined she's always been to NOT be defined by her size.

The Practice, yes! My brain was throwing up "L.A. Law" and I knew that wasn't it. I'll look up her book - it sounds good. :D

I sat next to Tiger Woods on a Southwest Airlines flight.

He was wearing a T-shirt that said, "Yes, I am Tiger Woods."

Poor guy was stuck in a middle seat.

Hee! XD

I bought a drink for John Rys Meyers at a Chili's in North Austin about 2 years ago. Didn't know who he was then, knew he was hot, Irish, and sitting at the bar. He asked me what I was writing, and that started it. [I was at my laptop.] Then I had to sit and listen as he talked about his problems with his girlfriend.

I walked past Antonio Banderas in Dulles a few months ago. Totally unmistakably Antonio Banderas, and the man is scorchingly hot. Didn't say anything as there were enough people there already and I was going the opposite direction and he looked tired and annoyed.

This isn't *exactly* an actual celebrity encounter, but when my high school class took a trip to NYC, we were in the top floor of FAO Schwartz staring at the really disturbing huge Barbie layout of doom, and a salesperson came over and apologetically said that everyone had to leave the area now. We asked why-- something structurally dangerous about that much pink plastic in one place?-- and the salesperson said, in tones of 'you're not going to believe this and I'm not sure I do', "We have to get everyone out of the Barbie section. Michael Jackson wants to buy it."

Two weeks ago I saw C. Everett Koop at the dr's office. He looked exactly like his photos. Could not stop giggling.

When Bruce and I lived in LA we lived next door to Elizabeth Dennehy, Brian Dennehy's daughter, who played Lt. Cmdr Elizabeth Shelby on Star Trek Next Generation. She was such a blast to live by, she would always bad mouth some actor she knew. I was sad when she and her hubby bought a house down the street. She was also adamant about her and her husband paying the bills, she would always tell me she never took handouts from her dad. I didn't care but I could not help but thing the lady protests too much.

One time I ran into her at the grocery store and we were catching up on neighborhood news when Alec Trabek walked by. It was so surreal. We both burst out laughing. I wish I kept touch with her when we returned to Texas.

Also, her husband James (also an actor) was best friends with Colm Meaney of Deep Space Nine fame. He would always visit when I when I was doing laundry dressed in sweats un bathed and looking like a homeless person. He would walk up the stairs as I was coming down. I would always be polite, but I secretly I would curse him for showing up when I was so nasty looking. By the way he is teh hawt and tall.

My earliest brush with fame was having Elton John spend the weekend hanging with my mom and and I. Reggie's (his real name)lover ended up spending a few weeks with us because he was tired of the hectic touring schedule. My mom said after his concert he wanted ice cream so they went to Ashbury's down the road and as they were eating a bunch of teenagers sat behind them saying how great Elton John's concert was and how they would so date him. Little did they know he was right behind them wearing wire rim glasses and overalls. My mom and he had a good laugh after wards.

Last but not least when Kevin Costner was filming JFK in Dallas he would come to the La Madeleine's where I worked and I was always rude to him. He loved it! He actually came up to me and thanked me for being so rude! I was embarrassed but honored. I'm not usually rude but he always seemed to show up at the wrong time, when I was out money or food. By the way I didn't know who he was, one of the customers told me. How embarrassing!

I'm still jealous of Stephanie, she hung out with Jane Goodall. How cool is that?

Oh yeah - forgot that you left a message some time ago askng me soemthing, and I enver got around to phoning you back. I think I was down in Houston or at some other place that was not conducive to phoning you back for a while. :D

Well, I was in the same room once as Alex Trebek - mostly because I was taking the test to see if I could be on Jeapardy. (I didn't make it. I was not surprised - I'm good, but I wasn't that good back then outside of my specialties.)

When I was five years old I got to sit in Adam West's lap.

When I was in 5th grade, I nearly got pwned by the Secret Service because the president of the US came to our school (this was when I was living in Europe; the school was central to the community of expats there) and one of the boys in my class kept throwing paper airplanes and pinning it on me.

also FWEE TERRY PRATCHETT. :D

*is so sad that her trip to England JUST misses the end of his UK signing tour for Wintersmith*

At MarCon this year, I found myself sharing an elevator with artist Jody Lee.

Loved her art with just about every Mercedes Lackey book I ever read.

Also got to meat Judy Collins when she was having a signing party at Olsson's Books and Records. Was a real thrill since I'd grown up listening to her.

Con stuff aside (chewing out Vic Mignogna at AKon and then seeing him three months later at a con in Canada and he recognized me (in costume no less) and my art made me squee...) working at Disneyland gave me a couple BwGs... The three most notable...

Dead of summer in the middle of Adventureland, we were up near Pirates of the Caribbean (which is a little higher than the pit of Adventureland, as I like to call it) and I glanced over and see, amid the mob of people, a guy being escorted by a Guest Relations cast member. What caught my attention most was the bright neon orange baseball cap pulled down over his eyes and the heavy leather jacket (again, it was easily over 100 degrees out). As they passed by, we realized, it was Nicholas Cage.

Working the shuttle area toll booth one evening (where we checked the buses and hotel shuttles coming in to make sure they had authorization to be parked on property and turn around cars trying to find the parking lot), a black SUV pulled in and the guy driving rolled down the window and asked how to get to Harbor House (the employee entrance.) It hit me, as I answered, it was John and Rebecca Stamos.

But my favorite....

When I was in the Character Department, we were doing shifts at the Plaza Inn for breakfast as Pooh characters (I was in ~~the wonderfully manic depressive jackass~~ Eeyore) and on break when a Guest Relations girl came in and asked if we'd be willing to do her a favor. Michael Eisner had wanted her to have Mickey Mouse present Truman Hanks (yes, Tom Hanks' son) with a baseball cap, but there was no way she was going to be able to keep it hidden long enough to get to Mickey's house in Toontown. So she asked if we'd be willing to do it. We jumped up, got into costume quickly (the saddest part was we were breaking with a Buzz Lightyear, but there was no way he could get into costume fast enough) and ran over to Security where they park their VIPs. Sure enough, there was Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson with Truman (who, btw, hated characters....he did all but kick Pooh. Scared more than anything really, and who can blame him? XD) He was very nice, shook all of our....hands, paws, whatever. :D

Okay....now that I've written a freaking novel... XD

I worked at the Mann Village Theater in Westwood when I lived in LA. Saw a lot of celebrities, but the incidents that stick out in my mind are selling a ticket to Malcom Jamal Warner (who is very, very tall and very, very hot), selling licorice ot Khrystyne Haje (who was so gorgeous in person it boggled all our minds), and pumping butter on complimentary popcorn at some premiere or another for Richard Dean Anderson, because there was a line at the butter pump for the guests, he smiled and asked me nicely, and he was friggin' MacGyver, the multi-generational crush of my entire household. I was one of the core group who worked premieres because celebrities don't turn my head so much, but I was giddy like whoa after that one.

I prefer the celebrities I meet at cons, though. Breakfast with CJ Cherryh lo, these many years ago, dinner with Rachel Caine this past week. Riding in the elevator with Gene Wolfe, who liked my tee-shirt (there were wolves on it, as there were on all of his at that con), and with Roger Zelazny, who was a perfect gentleman. Griping about mediocre doorstop epics to Dave Hartwell, who told me to send him my manuscript. Except I didn't have a manuscript and this was twelve years ago, so there you go.

I'm all kinds of jealous about the Jane Goodall thing.

My creative writing professor is an excellant poet and just recently won an award. (He is spending the $150,000.00 prize money to build a hospital in Vietnam.)
Also a few years back I chatted for about an hour and got an autograph of Jessica Calvello.

The only ones I can remember is seeing Shaq in a sandwich shop and seeing Mark the Draw Squad Guy while is Elementary School (boy, does that date me or what?)

Former: We were on a break from Driver's Ed, so we went next door to the sandwich shop for a quick bite before resuming. Out of the bathroom steps Shaq, who returns to his table and resumes eating. Took me a couple double takes to confirm I wasn't mistaken (though the height should have given it away). One of my classmates tried to get him to sign a napkin, but he declined (I mean, come on, the guy was eating). The classmate grumbled about it for the next hour, complaining about how much trouble would it have been to sign the thing. It was quite tempting to smack him upside the head, but alas, violent outbreaks are not my forte.

Latter: Mark Kistler did some kind of presentation at our school, much akin to what he does on his show. While nothing spectacular, it was highly amusing to me... but then again, at that age, anything drawing related was highly amusing.

When #2 Son was an infant, Freeman Dyson declared that he should be a poet when he grew up. Looks like he's going to be a musician--possibly a composer. Close enough, I say! :-)

I just remembered this - when I was a kid, I used to play with Juno Mak (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juno_Mak) a lot. He's infamous in HK for various scandals, but yes. I found the album with pictures of us together when I was about 3. Hee.

...Though I don't remember him at all, and I'm not too sure he remembers me. XDD;;

Heeeeeeeeee. XD

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Brush with Greatness

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Close encounter

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"This is for all the fat girls"

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