Friday, July 11, 2008

Running Into/Over Famous People!

Today's Wonder of the World is...Running Into/Over Famous People!
Woo hoo for bumping into celebrities!
Have you ever experienced this?

Hey! There's Al Roker! What's he doing here?
Allow me to explain.
Al Roker is here in my blog because the last time I was in the Atlanta airport, I was walking along my merry way, not paying much attention as usual, when my husband started muttering something to me, something I couldn't understand.
It sounded like this: "How rogue-er....... how rogue-er...HOW ROGUE-ER!"
Then, all of a sudden he jerked me out of the way of someone.

What the heck?

I looked at Todd, who just kept pointing. Then I looked and saw him and it finally occurred to me! I nearly ran over Al Roker!
And one of his kids! I nearly mowed down the two of them with my humongous tote bag!

Have you ever run over a famous person?

I started pondering this question last week on vacation.
Here's why.

We went to the Hard Rock Cafe at Myrtle Beach.


Actually, this picture of us is from last summer. We had such a good time there that we decided to come back this year.
The food is actually good and the souvenirs on display are amazing!
They have a cape from The King!

Who doesn't like Elvis? Or his bedazzled cape?

And near our table was a big old lace up black boot of Johnny Cash!

Johnny Cash!
The kids started talking about the musically talented limb of my family tree.
I'm supposedly related (distant distant cousins) on my daddy's side to this man

That's Ricky Skaggs.

And to Keith Whitley.
I've never met either of them, though I have been in Keith's mama's house.
But if you've ever heard my Aunt Patricia sing, you wouldn't doubt that talent is in our blood.
Except not in mine.
Oh well.

But I married someone who bumps into famous people ALL THE TIME!
It's because he travels for work so much.

Once he sat next to Julia Child in an airplane.

Hey Julia! We miss you!
And this will still be my favorite picture of you.

You look like you're dancing with the chicken. (and now the underline thing won't turn off. Sorry.)
He has also sat next to Robert Schuller.

Though he didn't kiss him.

Once in college, Todd wandered into Reynolds Coliseum and found Burl Ives warming up for a concert.

Burl sang him a song, just to have the company.
What are you saying, you young one out there? You don't know who Burl Ives is?
He's also this guy.

Now you know.

Another time Todd saw Tony Bennett at the Greenville airport. He was leaving for Atlanta after performing downtown.

What a smile!

On another flight, Todd sat across the aisle from this fine gentleman.

Woo hoo! It's Nature Boy Rick Flair!
He was reading a Wall Street Journal. How about that?!

I'm afraid I've not been as lucky star-gazing-wise as my hubby.

Though my next door neighbor and friend did become famous. His name is Peele Wimberley, and ever since our days at Martin Junior High, anytime our windows were open we'd hear him banging away on his drums. Peele's amazingly talented, and he's also a great person. So are his mom and daddy. His sister Carmen is probably great too, but she was older than me so I don't know her. Peele was the drummer for The Connells. Now he's a member of the L.A. band The Lamps.
Here he is with The Connells.

Peele's the one on the right with the hat. Hey Peele!

Oh, and I know someone else famous too!
Peyton Reed and Peele were both in my class at Broughton Sr. High. Peyton is the guy between Jennifer Anniston and Vince Vaughn. Peyton is a famous hollywood director!

Once on a beach trip my senior year, a friend of mine had a major crush on Peyton. So you know what I helped her do? I helped her do the only rational thing a high school girl would do at the beach to attract the attentions of a high school boy! We tied a dead shark to his hotel doorknob! (Yes I know. We were so skilled in the ways of love.)

So I'm dying to know...
Have you ever run over any famous people?
Or seen anyone famous?
Or know anyone who's seen anyone famous?
Spill your stories people!

And have a Wonder-full weekend!
Love, Becky

PS. Thanks to these flickr friends for making their photos public: a.shap, chrisglass, bedstuyguy2000, mss2400-Mark, pOberlin, grahammacindoe, and Arcada Center.

53 comments:

Terri Steffes said...

Yeah, I have had my run in experiences with Paula Poundstone (very sweet) and Keanu Reeves, who was so very cute. I crashed into Paula at the FAO Schwartz in NY and I saw Keanu in Colorado. I saw him playing blackjack or something and I said, "Hey, you're Keanu Reeves" or something brilliant like that and he laughed and said, yes I am!

Kat said...

Nope. No one famous. I'm cool like that.

Anonymous said...

Hi Becky
Yes, I have had some encounters with a couple of famous people. When I was in Nashville ten years ago, we went to a KFC convention where Colin Raye was performing and he grabbed my hand and tried to pull me on stage. I did have to eventually wash my hand! And when we lived in South Korea I had the honor of having tea with South Korea's first lady. Now does going out with the guy who holds the world record in lemon eating count?! Tammy Whitley

Suzie said...

I went out with Matt Dillon a couple of times before I met my hubby.I ran into him on my birthday three years ago and he didn't remember me at all just walked right on by. N-I-C-E!

Kalynne Pudner said...

Considering I don't recognize anyone on this list except Elvis (oh, and Burl Ives), it may be that I have run into famous people at various points in my life and am simply too dense to realize it. Or too old.

Gina M Smith said...

But, did you go to Hard Rock Amusement Park? Love reading your SC-NC posts. We go a couple times a year, and of course to Calabash and Ella's! But, I didn't even know there was a science museum in Sunset Beach! See how helpful your blog is!
Now you've got me trying to remember famous people I've met-you'd think it wouldn't be too hard to remember, wouldn't you?!
Was Keith Whitley ever married to Janie Fricke, or was that Lorrie Morgan. I think I've met Janie Fricke. I live in her backyard-almost.

LW said...

What a fun question…..

Many years ago I almost walked right into Dustin Hoffman at a country fair. I was walking along not paying attention and a young girl stopped Dustin to take a picture …my hubby grabbed my arm just in time… Dustin nodded, smiled and said Hi..
A really nice guy..

Fredric March an old Hollywood film star lived near me when I was a kid . Ok I am dating myself here..
I use to walk everywhere, Mr. March would always wave and smile when he
drove by, a friend and I got caught in a very bad thunderstorm and he stopped and
drove us to where we were going to…..

a few others …
Robert Vaughn the "Man from Uncle" at the grocery store ..
Mia Farrell at k-Mart getting Easter candy..
Gale King, Oprah’s best friend ..she is very pretty lady.

Louise

Anonymous said...

Hey Becky,

You are so sweet to say nice things about my singing! I feel like Adam got the biggest slice of the pie when it comes to musical talent though.

Rebecca Ramsey said...

This is fun!

Terri, I listen to Paula Poundstone all the time on NPR's Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. Cool. And I saw her on Sesame Street too. For a good while, that show was the only way I ever saw famous folks.

Kathryn, I like you just the way you are. Cool like that indeed.

Tammy, I'm curious. Is the guy who holds the record for eating lemons anyone I know? (And he was probably very kissable given the pucker!)

Suzie, you amaze me. You went out with Matt Dillon? Oh my gosh.

Kalynne, with nine kids and all that you do, I wouldn't worry about noticing famous people. You're pretty amazing yourself.

Gina2424, Keith was married to Lorrie Morgan. She was a real sweetie from what I've heard. And you live next to Janie Fricke? Does she sing in her backyard?

Louise, I never see anyone famous at my Kmart. But I'll be on the lookout next Easter. They've got to get their candy somewhere.
And I love Dustin Hoffman!

So who else folks?

Rebecca Ramsey said...

Hey Tricia!
Adam is amazingly talented, but I know where he got it!
I'll never forget that time when I rode in Dale's truck with y'all and you sang together. Do you remember that? You two were AWESOME!

couragetocreatewriteandlove said...

I love this post!!!
and it is funny but yes when you are paying the least attention you run into someone you never thought you would and that includes also all kind of people, right?
keep smiling and make us smile, oh yes!!!!

Unknown said...

Yep, I've had occasional run-ins or at least sightings. But I have worked with folks who ended up in prison! :) Maybe that comes from being in politics!

www.blondesherry.blogspot.com

Susan Sandmore said...

I am not the famous person magnet, but I have a sister who is. Remind me to share all her crazy stories with you, sometime!

A Paperback Writer said...

My parents ran into Robert Redford several times during the 70s in various restaurants in Utah, but I was never with them at those times.
My brother, a very successful businessman with a large international company, bears a strong resemblance to Harrison Ford. More than once, when he's been in an expensive suit on an airplane or at a conference center in a resort area (where a celebrity might be likely to vacation), he's been stopped by women wanting his photo -- and he's had to explain, "no, sorry, I'm not him."
My only claim to fame with stars is that Sir Sean Connery waved at me when I took his photo during a parade in Edinburgh in October of 2005. That was exciting.
Now, if it's AUTHORS you want: I can do better. I've met Neil Gaiman (oooh-- major hot author, there), Alexander McCall Smith, Debi Gliori, Stewart Hill, Liz Lochhead, Edwin Morgan, and Ian Rankin, to name a few. And I've walked past JKRowling's Edinburgh home many times (but I've never seen her).
Now, my friend Max, who blogs at L'adunata.blogspot.com, collects classic cars. One he bought recently came from a woman who used to rent out older model cars to Hollywood filmmakers. Hence, I have now ridden in a car in which Johnny Depp filmed a scene in Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas. Heidi over at Hick Chic thinks it's great that my butt has been where Johnny's once was.
Sorry this is so long. I got carried away.

Qugrainne said...

My son and I were doing the
"Beatles Walk" in London a few years ago, with our eyes gazing at the roof of the Apple building (hoping the ghost of a Beatle might pop up), and I almost ran over Peter Bowles who had just emerged from a bank. I had my mouth hanging open, so I was glad he didn't notice me.
My ex husband has a tiny roll in the new Johnny Depp film, so they got to breath the same air.....
Quite a few Irish musicians had a pint (or two) in my pub, but probably no one would recognize their names.
That's it for my moment in the spot light. Fun to think about!

Barb said...

Going back many years, we ran into Sting, Trudie and their kids at an airport. Our luggage was lost and they had taken us into a "private" area and there they were. I was very excited, the kids not so much!

Jeff (son) and I once sat by Joan Baez in the TWA lounge at JFK. That is going back many years also. Jeff started a conversation with her. He asked her what she did for a living. She said "I protest things". That was kind of cool.

hugs to you,
Barb

Danielle said...

I just found your blog through Nathan Bransford, and was quite surprised to see Myrtle Beach! I'm from Pinehurst, NC though I now live in Chapel Hill.

I've seen Wolf Blitzer in the airport, shook John McCain's and Janet Reno's hands (her handshake was firmer, probably because I've been corrupted by the SNL skits), and my personal favorite: partied with a man who has a TV show on Comedy Central (who I then ran into again later when I delivered something to his home for work).

Ada [The Duchess] said...

I've met two people in Canada who are famous. Rubin Hurricane Carter. A famous boxer who was wrongfully convicted. He signed for me, but I lost the slip he signed on. It's somewhere in my damn forsaken room. And I don't know if you watch DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION, but Adamo Ruggiero goes to my university. I see him on campus all the time. And the filmed a scene at my uni as well.

And a girl I work with was two feet in front of DAVID BECKHAM!

Unknown said...

LOL on the dead shark on the doorknob thing! You are so funny, Becky! My only famous encounters are that Kenny Rogers once asked me to go around the dept. store I worked at and help him pick out a few household items. He was very polite (he did that so that he didn't get mobbed by people when he shopped and he could go right to an item) and once I ran into Donny Osmond at a women's clothing store. I think he was buying something for his wife,(Debbie? I think is her name). That's all, nothing exciting.

Rebecca Ramsey said...

Hey Mermaid and Sherry! Sherry, I think I can come up with at least two SC politicians who are singing Jailhouse Rock right now. It wouldn't be them, would it?

Susan, don't tease me like that. Now I'm dying of curiosity!

Paperback Writer, I'd love to run into Robert Redford. Or ride in Johnny Depp's car. When we were in France I always hoped to run into/over him, but it never happened. And as for your brother, I have a similar story. My husband has been mistaken for Matt LeBlanc quite a few times and he just eats it up every time. I for one don't see the resemblance, but it sure makes Todd happy. I try not to roll my eyes. (Though my husband is just as handsome.)

Oh qugrainne, I want to do a Beatles walk! And you have a Johnny Depp tie too. Lucky!

Barb, that Joan Baez story is hilarious! And I'm not sure what I'd do if I ran into Sting. I'd probably just stand there with my mouth open.

Welcome to the blog Dan! I know Pinehurst. My husband is from Fayetteville. I'm sure if I met Janet Reno, I'd also have to stuff down those thoughts of SNL skits. They were SO funny.

Hey Adaora, no I don't watch Degrassi but I'll look him up. How exciting to have it filmed at your university. George Clooney and Rene z. recently made a movie here and we were all beside ourselves!

Tattingchic, Kenny Rogers and Donny Osmond? Wow. Did you have the urge to break into song?

A Paperback Writer said...

Oh, I didn't even THINK of Osmonds!! When you lived in Utah in the 1970s (and still do), the Osmonds don't count as celebrities! Funny!
My father owned the first silk-screen printing company in the SL valley. We did ALL the Osmonds tee shirts and such when they were a big thing. I'd totally forgotten about that.
Somewhere in a drawer, I still have a pillow case that says "Sweet Dreams, love Donny" -- printed in purple, of course.
Becky, if you're ever in Utah, I can arrange the ride in the car so you too can put your butt where Johnny's once was.
This has been a fun post.

Anonymous said...

Are you ready, these are all honest-to-God "seen them / met them / talked to them" Here goes:
-Francois Michelin -- came into my office and shook my hand back when he ran the Michelin company.
-Buzz Aldrin -- met and talked with him in person about physics along with a school teacher while people gathered around and started videotaping. I also talked about how my mother knew his first wife in her youth.
-7 of the 9 living NASA Apollo Moonwalkers -- met and talked with all of them.
-famous Space Shuttle astronauts and Aircraft test pilots -- ate dinner with Charles Walker who at one time was the most experienced S.S. astronaut with 3 flights to chalk-up, along with his invention that that has been used numerous times during Shuttle missions.
-several other famous NASA S.S.(STS) astronauts and mission commanders, NASA scientists, rocket/orbiter pilots, famous Aircraft test pilots -- met and talked with.
-Miss America 2006 - 1st runner-up, Monica Pang -- talked with her on the phone several times, had her to visit us in our home, and also got to do a 2-hour photo session with her (I know her Dad and worked on many photos & videos for him and some of Monica specifically).
-Fred Willard, tonight show regular comedian, and previously in TV's "Real People", and some movies -- met him and talked with him in the dugout at a baseball stadium at a Red Cross benefit celebrity softball game, when I was the Red Cross volunteer photographer for almost 2-years.
-Gregory Harrison, of TV's "Trapper MD" (after M.A.S.H.), at the same location above -- met and talked with.
-Chris Noth, one of the main characters in NBC's popular "Law and Order" -- at the same event above.
-George Clooney -- worked as an extra actor in his most recent movie "Leatherheads", though didn't get to meet him personally, I did receive verbal instruction from him at 10 ft. away, and saw him act and interact with other actors on the set during filming.
-President Ronald Regan -- watched him give a speech to us students at NC State Univ in Reynolds Coliseum. 3 helicopters brought him from RDU airport and landed in the middle of the track field on campus.
-President George H. Bush (senior) -- watched him exit AirForce1 at GSP airport outdoors after being interrogated and searched before allowed to get closer.
-Lance Armstrong, 7-time(?) Tour de France winner -- watched him take his 6th victory while spectating at the finish line on the Champs Elysees, on the first day of arrival with wife for a 3-week vacation in Europe.
-Eric Dickerson, famous NFL runningback, and his coach John Robinson -- met them and several other famous players on the then LA Rams (now St.Louis Rams) football team, while the team was leaving the Atlanta Falcon's stadium getting ready to enter their bus - that's when I was able to do as my girlfriend asked me - to go get autographs of these famous players while she takes photographs of me with them.
-Tim Morehouse, US Sabre Fencing champion, ranked 1 or 2 in U.S., ranked 15th in the world, and headed for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, one of 9 Olympians featured on PBS' 4th of July live TV program (1-1/2 hrs) called "Capital Fourth" located on the grounds of the US Capital Bldg. --he is my step cousin - and at 29 years old he is 21 years my junior, but we shared the same grandparents on our father's side - my father and his father are step brothers. My wife and I last saw Tim 9 months ago during our visit to NYC and ate dinner at an art club with him, his girlfriend and his parents.
-Michael Jordan, one of the best known sports icons -- saw him play college basketball an UNC's Carmichael Auditorium.
-Dean Smith, the winningest college basketball coach ever, until recently (I think), Bobby Knight may have surpassed him -- have seen him, used to ride bicycles and minibikes past his house, and also knew his son Scott Smith in Junior High.
-R. Tom Sawyer, deceased, but still referred to as "father of the gas turbine" (jet engine) -- he lived next to my grandmother in NJ, so we visited him & wife numerous times. When R.T. Sawyer was more famous than Buzz Aldrin, I have a nice 8x10 of them when Tom was high-up in A.S.M.E. nationally and would help to put on their events to share technology across our country. His final position with the national ASME was treasurer and he worked well beyond retirement years. He was an engineer through and through.
-Famous Musicians!!! -- too many to count, but have gotten within a few feet of them and their bands - specifically The Little River Band, The Moody Blues, and Crosby Stills and Nash.
-The Blue Man Group, famous for their ingenius percussion performances usually using tubes, drums and producing lighting and sound effects that are out of this world -- went to a performance in a small theatre in NYC, and talked briefly with one of them afterwards about buying the painting they created during that performance - and we bought it. You can see them at their regular shows in Las Vegas, NYC, and I think in Chicago, or when they are touring the US.
-A Real full-blooded Lifetimer CIA Agent, though not famous, but a lot of these folks deserve some kind of privately awarded medal of courage and patriotism -- a close relative of mine has been exactly this for all of his post-doctorate years in college. He was a genius and I believe he still is in his 60's. He has traveled the world and lived in many countries. I talk to him and occasionally and have the most fascinating conversations about anything and everything, except for anything confidential - which is most of his life! He has taught Physics and Aeronautics here and abroad. Amazing lives those people live - it seems they are allowed to speak of their public fun experiences, but nothing of work activities.
Thanks for jogging my memory and bringing back many wonderful ones, Rebecca! I'm going to snag and print this because this is the 1st time I've documented this topic.
Randy

P.S. - Rebecca, would you like me to send these type of long comments to your personal email, instead of posting them on your blogsite?

Susan said...

Oh, what a fun post. My husband is a local musician and rocker. He loves to meet musicians after concerts and get an autograph. I have been with him when we met Chuck Negron (Three Dog Night), David Coverdale (White Snake), I flirted with him like mad and he loved it. Hubby has met Heart, Blackfoot, Smashing Pumpkins, Cheap Trick, just to name a few. In fact, several posts back on blog, you will see my hubs with Edgar Winter. About ten years ago hubby met Spalding Grey in an office supply store and he got us into his one-man show with seats up front. He was a lovely man. My mom met George Lindsay, (Goober) and said "Judy, Judy, Judy" to him. How original, Mom. My sister met Yvonne Decarlo (Lilly Munster). My problem is the same as some, I could see someone very famous and would never know who they were. I'm in my own little world. That's just a few of the encounters that we've had . Thanks for letting us share.(Remember to visit me to see Edgar Winter)

Sherry said...

I love that photo of Julia Child with the chicken...OMG...she could be so funny on that show -- without even trying!!

Mostly for me it's been sports figures...couple of years ago we were in a hotel in Montreal and Ken Griffey Jr. was waiting for the same elevator as us. My guys were going nuts...I had no clue who he was..just a very tall, good looking man in yellow shoes!!! He was on his cell phone, looked at me, smiled and said "hey, how are you?" -- I just smiled I said 'hello, I'm good, and you?" and that was it. And my guys are going "mom, mom that was JR!!!" -- oh well. sure it was. :)

Rebecca Ramsey said...

P.Writer, if I'm ever in Utah, I'm so there in that car! And I would have loved sleeping with my head on that pillowcase. Ah the seventies!

Randy, that's incredible! And I'm happy to read your comments here. Did your face make it into Leatherheads? And I remember when Reagan came to NCSU. I didn't go see him, but I remember the secret service agents walking through my dorm, checking everything out.

Hey Susan! What a fun list. I love the Judy Judy Judy line. And I'm with you. Back during our time in France, we'd go to Paris for the weekend a couple times a year and I'd occasionally see groups of people mobbing someone famous. I could never figure out who it was.

Rebecca Ramsey said...

Sherry, he was wearing yellow shoes? Funny.

I loved Julia's voice. And her oopsie moments when she'd drop something. Todd said she was very nice--and really really tall.

Shakier Anthem said...

Airport/airplane-specific famous person sightings:

I saw once-teen-heartthrob James Van Der Beek (at the height of his Dawson's Creek glory!) waiting for a flight once.

My dad once sat next to character actor Robert Loggia on a plane and had a long conversation about golf.

My husband once sat next to/across from '90's one-hit-wonder group Nelson (both of them). Apparently, once was nice, and one was standoffish.

And speaking of almost running over weathermen at the airport, my sister once did almost the same thing to Willard Scott!

Rebecca Ramsey said...

Heather, I couldn't remember who Nelson was, so I just watched a youtube video of Love and Affection. Thanks for jolting me back to the nineties! How could I have forgotten twins with long flowing hair?

Sylvia said...

I'm related to John Wayne which has to be close to being related to Johnny Cash, right?

Anonymous said...

You always come up with winning topics for your posts! You had me scratching my head on this one and realizing my exposure to "famous" folk is darn near non-existent. I have but two. When I was pretty little, my parents took me and my sibs to meet Jimmy Driftwood at his home. I know you know who I'm talking about, but just in case some of your readers don't--he was the guy who wrote The Battle of New Orleans AND The Tennessee Stud. His recordings of them weren't famous, but other folks recorded them and made them very famous. He was from the same small town in Arkansas my folks were from. I also met Martha Stewart years ago when she was in KC for a business meeting. I was almost the FIRST in line at a local bookstore where she came in and did an autograph signing session. I just remember how beautiful she was and she had on a gorgeous suit in her signature "blue" color. That's it--dull, dull. But boy or boy, you've got some "celebrity meeting readers" out there!! ooh, ooh, I just remembered! I met Mary Engelbreit about 4 years ago at that same bookstore. I don't read that much, but I love autographs. :-)

Rebecca Ramsey said...

I'd LOVE to meet Mary Engelbreit. Her magazine Home Companion is my absolute favorite! I love their features of artists and their studios. The designs are so creative and the writing is really good too. Are you familiar with it?

Anonymous said...

Rebecca, yes my face and most of me is visible in a profile-view for about 3 seconds in sepia-tone, 25 minutes into the movie. That's when Clooney's heading to Chicago on his Moto w/sidecar, and he arrives at the Poinsett Hotel. Then he gets off his bike, and that's when you can see me walking away from the Hotel. You won't recognize me though because my beard is totally shaved-off and hair very short. Sometimes when I was with a group of Extras Linda couldn't recognize me! But I was happy to have seen myself, because so few Extras were able to. Throughout the movie Sepia-tone was used instead of full-color, and I felt strongly that it took away from the beautiful scenes in SC, and the car and clothing colors, etc. Like most Extras in Leatherheads, I enjoyed the filming much more than the movie. Being surrounded by everybody in 1920's wear, and Model T's and A's - hey maybe that's where the original "T's & A's" expression comes from with a slightly different meaning!
Randy

Susan Tuttle said...

Fun post! You've got me thinking about my encounters. I have met and conversed with James Taylor (very cool guy), Bobby McFerrin (he spent an afternoon with a class I took at Tanglewood),
Yo Yo Ma, Leonard Bernstein, studied flute with James Galway and asked Joshua Bell out on a date when I was 16. I also said hello to and got a wink from Josh Charles who got his start in Dead Poet's Society.

I also saw Joan Rivers at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

I read that Suzi went out with Matt Dillon - I know someone who also went out with him in the early 90's.

If you watch One Life to Live, you will know Michael Easton who plays John McBain. He is also a photographer. I tried to get him to be a contributor in my upcoming book. He declined as he did not yet know what he wanted to do with his photography - I got a very nice email from him that I will not delete - lol!

Susan
xo

Anonymous said...

Hi, great blog!

I had never met a single famous person until last year. For some insane reason my family and I went to Disneyland on spring break. Not the brightest idea! More than half way through our day and not a little tired and frustrated by the crowds my husband who has the eyes of eagles spots Christopher Titus a standup comedian we love coming toward us looking just as tired and frustrated with his family. I soooo wanted to stop him and tell him how much we loved him but with the flow of traffic and the seriously put out expression on his face we moved on. But of course there was regret. My husbad tells me don't worry I will keep eye out for him and we will see him again. I laugh,hard. There are thousands of people...no chance we are seeing him again. So come nighttime we are burned out and ready to go home but of course we need a souvineer. I am in a little shop trying to find the perfect coffee mug and my husband who was supposed to have followed me into the shop is no where to be seen. How can purchase the perfect mug without imput?? I leave the shop miffed that he has disappeared and find him chatting away with none other then Christopher Titus. Of course I forgive him right away for ditching me and he introduces me to the famous comedian. A wretched, hot, and tiring day becomes suddenly not so bad. He was very nice and we had fun talking about it for the rest of our trip.

Melody Ayres-Griffiths said...

Geoffry Rush. Coming out of Safeway. Twice.

Robyn said...

What a wonderful concept for a blog! Nathan Bransford sent me over and I'm so glad I came.

As for my famous people...my sister was on Double Dare as a child so I got to meet Marc Summers, and I skipped school as a teenager to stalk the set of Consenting Adults which was filmed in Atlanta. I got an autograh from Kevin Kline and a stern "stay in school" from EG Marshall.
Love it.

Rebecca Ramsey said...

Hey Susan. You've met some fun people! I once sat in the second row at a James Taylor concert in Denver back in'86. I had come hours early to buy my tickets, I guess expecting him to have the same crowds as back home in NC, and couldn't believe I could get seats that close! And I'd love to talk with Bobby McFerrin. Or just listen to him talk!

Funny story Reece! Disney is probably a great place to stargaze! All this talk about autographs made me think of the trip to Disney we took years ago, when getting the characters' signatures was all the rage for the kiddies. What a nightmare! A fun day at the park turned us all into Mickey stalking paparazzi! But that's another story.

Melody, Geoffrey Rush? I should hang around your Safeway! Did you say "Ahoy matey?" Probably not. But I would have wanted to!

Robyn, I remember Marc Summers. And Kevin Kline was incredible in French Kiss. He had the French body language down pat!

Anonymous said...

oh fun stories!

Humm, I have met Karch Kiraly famous volleyball Olympian and beach volleyball player. Even played some volleyball with him back my club volleyball days.

I also met Jason Kidd once (famous basketball player). Though that was when he had just started UC Berkeley.

Neither one would have a clue as to who I might be today and probably not then either. lol. :-)

e.marie said...

I don't live too far from Aspen, which means my whole family has had celebrity run-ins. My mom went to Aspen for a conference once, wasn't watching where she was going, and nearly mowed down Steven Spielberg. She said he looked startled ; ) And actually, in last last month or so, my dad was driving and realized Stephen Fry was driving the car next to him (an awesome original British taxi, no less). But I think airports are a great place to look for people--on my last trip I spotted Larry Winget of A&E's "Big Spender." I might not have recognized except, yeah, he dresses like that in real life : )

Rosemary said...

Hi Rebecca,
Cool post!!
I have stories that are too long for the comments portion.
My husband and I have to go to many charity functions for his work, so we get to meet famous people all the time. It's kind of fun, and interesting. We have pictures with some of them in our hallway. It's our hall of fame, so to speak.
One of the cutest and nicest was Pierce Brosnan, and Tom Selleck.
Have a great weekend!
Rosemary

Randy said...

I've had several over the years, so I'll just go with my favorite: John Wayne. I was about 12 and my family had flown to Catalina in my dad's small plane. All the way down the winding road from the airport, our van driver kept pointing out John Wayne's yacht in the harbor. Later, while we walked through town, my mom kept an eye out, and I thought...yeah, right. It's 9:30 on a Saturday morning in winter, and John Wayne's gonna be browsing through the men's shop. But he was! We waited politely to get his attention and finally another tourist asked permission to take his photo. Just as my mom and this guy were about to snap it, John interrupted and grabbed me and my brother so we'd be in the picture. We treasured it forever!

Life on the Edge said...

When I was a maid in a hotel in Pittsburgh during my college years, I stepped into an elevator with jazz musician Chuck Mangione. I stood there like an idiot, not realizing who he was, and the houseboy who was also in the elevator was going nuts, shaking his hand and saying how awesome it was to meet him.

While working in that same hotel, I met the group Rose Royce of Carwash fame, saw Crissie Hynd of the Pretenders poke her head out of her room, and then one of her bandmates came to his door in his tighty whities and asked me to get his clothes from the dryer in the hall. Polly Bergen walked past in the hallway another time, and I cleaned Anita Bryant's room, but I didn't get to meet her. She really did have Florida orange juice in her room! I also passed the group Def Leppard in the street on there way to the hotel. They were just getting started so not many people knew of them yet. On another occasion, the elder President Bush was staying in the hotel when he was running for the nomination for president. That was the year Reagan got it. I watched the motorcade.

As my hometown's mayor, my father had breakfast with Bob Dole who was the republican candidate that year against Bill Clinton. Dad was a die hard Democrat and almost skipped out on the breakfast, but he really enjoyed Bob Dole as a person and they had a lot to talk about.

This was a fun post! The world is smaller than you think.

Kady

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

I have met Kenny Rogers. And I used to be on committees with Tom Cruise's mom... lol
Penny

Anonymous said...

Your husband's a magnet Becky! I've seen some famous people, but I always kind of feel sorry for them so I look away instead of at them. Do you think that is weird? I would not want to be famous. Would you?

Have a great weekend!
xo
Constance

x said...

Um. Does this count? I once was buying fruit at a fruit stand in Greenwich Village next to a very famous model whose name I cannot recall who also played a cameo role as a shallow, superficial model in a Woody Allen movie, I can't remember which one, maybe Annie Hall.

x said...

Oh, wait, I knew a girl in my dorm in college who dated Dustin Hoffman and I'd see them together. But, really, some of the long lists here of people seen in performance up close, that's not exactly "bumping into" celebrities. If that really counts, I, too, have a very, very long list as I was a shameless groupie of many rock bands in my wild and exaggerated youth. Does sleeping with rock musicians count as bumping into? Just asking.

Anonymous said...

I just found your blog through Nathan Bransford, and thought I'd share.

Have I ever met anyone famous? It depends. You know those people on dancing with the stars? The judges who do ballrom? I've met them. Does that count?

Oh, and I went to the same High School as American Idol's David Archuleta? (although about 15 years before him) How about that?

Anonymous said...

Well I see that someone has already beat me to my little surprise (go visit my blog)... oh well, twice is twice as nice!!
Famous people... went to a party in Washington DC with a (then) fairly new rock group - Aerosmith (ok I am surely showing my age) - and 2 of my 1st cousins and their Mom (my aunt) were models for Norman Rockwell. Remember the painting of the little boy discovering the Santa suit in a drawer? Yep - my darling cousin!
Deb

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

Let's see... I met George Lucas once, on the monorail at Disney World. My husband had a long conversation with Bruce Springsteen in a pinball arcade on Sunset Strip. I've had dinner with Steve Martin, and met Lauren Bacall. That last one was a real treat.

Ada [The Duchess] said...

Hey Adaora, no I don't watch Degrassi but I'll look him up. How exciting to have it filmed at your university. George Clooney and Rene z. recently made a movie here and we were all beside ourselves!
You should he's totally awesome. He bundles himself so he isn't recognized, and he seems like a complete sweetheart. Yea it was pretty awesome. It was probably for the older character's university scenes. It'd a Canadian show (filmed in Toronto - where my uni is), and so it is pretty cool. Wow George Clooney? Did you die?

Rebecca Ramsey said...

Deannachase, I know what you mean. I'm sure Peyton wouldn't remember me (in spite of the shark.) Peele would, but that's because we kids ran around in a pack back then. Plus I liked to run my fingers through his hair.

E. Marie, Steven Spielburg? I would have gushed.

You met Tom Selleck! My sis-in-law Celeste would go crazy!

Randy, how sweet of John Wayne to put you in the picture! We're big on John Wayne around here. We went through a western phase where my kids could quote from "She wore a Yellow Ribbon."

Kady, what a list! Crissie Hynd and Bob Dole! That's quite a combo.

Hey Penny. Did you resist the temptation to ask about Tom Cruise?

And Constance, I don't think I'd like being famous. I don't like being photographed anyway. It would cramp my hermit lifestyle.

Writer nr, you'd see Dustin H. on dates? Cool. And shameless groupie stories! I hope you've written about them!

Shariwrites, of course that counts! How did you meet them? Do you do ballroom yourself? I've always wanted to try that, but I'm a clutz.

Vintage Moon, Aerosmith and the Norman Rockwell Santa suit boy! Very impressive. And I love that Norman Rockwell. I bet posing for him was interesting.

Pamela, dinner with Steve Martin? Wow!
And my husband would absolutely die to get to have a conversation with the Boss. He goes to concerts whenever he can.

Adaora, yes, I could hardly stand it. And he played basketball in our church gym on lunch breaks. There were lots of women peeking in the gym all week long.

Flassie's Fil'a said...

Michael Parks came to our door when I was a kid. He was staying with the family across the street.

I talked to Diana Muldaur on the phone while working for someone.

Kurt Russel came to the High School I went to with a friend
who was the son of one of my teachers. I seen him in two places. He called me by name when he said goodbye when I was leaving the classroom. I got his autograph three times. One for a friend.

One of my brother's ex's said Hello to Cedric the entertainer at the airport like she knew him. He invited her to his show. She never went though. I did give her a pen to get his autograph.

I knew someone who knew a lot of the oldie actors like Gene Kelly,Ruth Etting etc. Doris Day played Ruth Etting in Love Me or Leave Me. He stayed in Ruth Etting's home while visiting.

How cool to have sat by Robert Schuller.

So funny about HOW ROGUE-ER!
I love his voice.

God Bless You and Yours!!!

Rebecca Ramsey said...

Hey flassie's fil'a,
Cool! I love Kurt Russel. And I really love the oldies. We watched tons of old movies during our time in France, and Doris Day and Gene Kelly were a couple of favorites!

And yes, Todd said it was interesting to sit by Robert Schuller. He said they talked the whole flight and he really enjoyed it. And my hubby is not an airplane talker. He usually sleeps.
It's great to meet you by the way!
Becky