NewMexiKen’s readers, especially Tom and SnoLepard, have just about seen everybody famous ever. SnoLepard spotting Tonya Harding at K-Mart still takes the honors of what seeing celebrities outside their natural habitat is all about. (Tonya Harding’s natural habitat would, after all, be the skating rink, the court room or the boxing ring.)
32 comments and counting, a NewMexiKen record. And Jill and Emily, the originators of this idea, are traveling. We haven’t even heard from them yet.
How about you. What famous persons have you seen?
For NewMexiKen’s part, I’ve seen Santa Claus many, many times.
Okay, I’ll bite. 🙂
I used to work in “entertainment” and have met a lot of “famous” people.
Many moons ago, I worked for Hastings in Santa Fe. There I met Robert Plant, Tom Cruise, Jessica Lange, Sam Sheppard, Shirley McClain, Ram Das, Julia Roberts, and a bunch of others.
Poet Laureate Billy Collins and I shared a conversation about poetry at a convention I attended.
I’ve also met Maya Angelou (fierce woman and yet so very engaging and kind), Kerry Wood and Mark Prior of Chicago Cubs pitcher fame (did a book signing with them), Dr. Andrew Weil, David Sedaris, Sylvia Nasar (“A Beautiful Mind”), Linda Ronstadt, Barbara Kingsolver, Father Andrew Greeley, Kurt Russell (tell me, which one of these doesn’t match…lol), Ozzy Osbourne (he was actually sober), Alice Cooper, the boys of Bare Naked Ladies, kd lang, Brian Setzer, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Clint Black, Rodney Crowell, Roseanne Cash, Ann Rule (such a down to earth woman considering what she writes about), Bill Clinton, had a shot of tequila with Eddie Vedder when I was in Seattle, Courtney Love (nutso bitch!), Betty White (what a segue, lol), Jimmy Carter, The Judds (Naomi and Wynona), and finally, (brace yourself) Donny Osmond.
My personal favorite? I’m going to admit that Bill Clinton was my personal favorite as I thought he was an excellent speaker and incredibly engaging one-on-one. But I’m guessing that everyone in the nation already knows that about him. *snicker*
Those are the ones I can remember. Usually it involved some handshaking, drinks or dinner at conventions I attended, or actual seminar-type things.
I am no longer star-struck.
Although I think John Edwards is really cute.
🙂
OMG… I totally forgot about Tanya Harding. I was in Clackamas Towncenter mall in the early 90’s, sitting with my boss in the early morning hours having a cup of coffee. The mall is two levels; the top level has a food court and the bottom level, which is open to the top for viewing, has an ice skating rink.
We were talking and watching the skaters and my boss made a comment about all of the bad skaters on the ice. I said, “I don’t know. That one in blue is pretty good.” Well, duh, it was Tanya Harding.
One week later, the Nancy Kerrigan thing broke loose and the mall was inundated with news media. I saw Connie Chung, Diane Sawyer, that guy with the huge eyebrows (what IS his name?), and the like. Oh, Sam Donaldson… that’s it.
It was horrible as we were trying to open a new store and had just gone into the grand opening process. It absolutely killed our business.
It was fun to watch her practice while the media vultures swarmed.
How could I have forgotten that? Geez.
I’m late, but this is fun!
I used to grocery shop on the same schedule as Newt Gingrich, and it was right in the middle of his affair and subsequent remarriage. We were both predictable and we both liked to use the same bag boy (it wasn’t a store where you took the cart to the parking lot and everyone had to drive up to the entrance), so we had a few conversations. I once saw Tom Brokaw at the same store, but didn’t speak to him.
I met both Bill and Hillary Clinton several times because my friend used to get invited to White House events.
I golfed for several hours with Chi Chi Rodriguez (not that I golf, but I drove around on a golf cart with him and he gave me a couple of pointers…as well as the other 15 people who were there).
I spotted Phil Donahue in the Memphis airport, and rumor has it we were on the same flight though I didn’t notice while I was on the plane.
I have met handfuls of ex-Baltimore Orioles, but I don’t know that they necessarily count as “star sightings.” I suppose Cal Ripken, Jr. does but probably not many of the others.
I lived in L.A., so I could go on for days.
Did you know Andy Garcia is about 6″ tall? I was so disappointed.
I put my stepdaughter on a plane to London with Brian May of Queen once; he was in line right in front of us at the Delta counter. He has to be 6’6″ at least.
Alice Cooper is tall, too, but not like Brian May.
And Elizabeth Montgomery was a bar customer of mine. She drank tequila and tonic.
And then, I met Ginger Rogers- sat across from her on a flight to Palm Springs. Charming.
Frank Shorter- met him
John Nichols- met him
Steve Garvey- most embarassing. While dining with two women friends in Chicago, I spotted Steve Garvey in a booth closeby. My flirty friend obviously had not seen the popular San Diego bumper stickers of the time, “Honk if you are carrying Steve Garvey’s baby”. Responding to the overt eye batting, Mr. Garvey slid out of his seat, walked over, introduced himself, and politely sat back down at his table. He played it as if my friend were an adoring fan. Very gentlemanly.