Surprise in-person autos!

[earlywynnfan]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

If we're talking 'run-ins' there are aplenty as I live in L.A. and used to live in NYC. Some of the more memorable ones:

I am usually appalling at recognizing celebrities. Funniest one for me was a few years ago on Halloween. We were at some friends' house where the neighborhood has a giant block party and their family decided to have a party for the nursery school class where their kid was going. My brother in law and I were manning the door to hand out treats th the block party-goers and let in the kids from the school. A woman and her little girl came up, she and I talked for a bit, then she asked if this was the school party and I let her in. A while later my sister in law came over and asked what I was talking about with Annette Benning. I had no idea.

When my daughter was a baby we went to a holiday service and sat at the back with stroller and the rest of the baby crap so we could get out quickly if she started to cry. A while into the service Dustin Hoffman slips in and sits down next to us. He then proceeds to spill a bottle of water everywhere, which he ended up mopping up with my daughter's diapers.

A few years ago we were in NYC taking the shuttle from Grand Central to Time Square when a heavyset man walked in and sat down. It was Jeff Garlin, who I run into all the time around Studio City here in L.A. I asked him what he was doing in NYC. It was for the filming of the season finale of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Yoga is a great source of celebrity sightings here in L.A. The Bikram studio where I used to go was right in the heart of things in Studio City and got a pretty good mix of celebs. I've taken classes with Raquel Welch, Felicity Huffman, Mary Lynn Raskjub, Chuck Liddell and Joe Pantoliano, and my wife has taken classes with Rick Fox, Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore, and Anne Hathaway. Lady Gaga has also taken classes there.

OK, we're all wondering, so I'll ask: how did Raquel Welch look???

[shelly]

When I went to Ohio State we used to go to Newport Kentucky for a weekend. It really was more for the hookers than anything else. Ten dollars would get you a girl that would be a thousand today. Trust me when I tell you every thing was rea and a full set of teeth.
I love to shoot craps and I went to a casino that was owned by Sleep Out Louie Levineson. Who latter owned the Freemont in Vegas. I was at the tables and held the dice for almost forty five minutes. My profit was four hundred dollars. ( average bet 2 dollars)
There was a man standing next to me who made over twenty five thousand. This is in 1959. After the roll he came over and handed me five hundred dollars. I was stuned . I introduced my self and he said call me Happy.
Just as a side note. Newport was shut down by an ex football player by the name of George Ratterman.
Just for your knowledge the gentelmen that who introduced himself was the Govener of Kentucky A.B."Happy" Chandler.

[David Atkatz]

Originally Posted by shelly

I love to shoot crabs and I went to a casino that was owned by Sleep Out Louie Levineson.

I'm sure the hookers gave you a nice dose of crabs to shoot.

[Scott Garner]

Originally Posted by David Atkatz

I'm sure the hookers gave you a nice dose of crabs to shoot.

Good one, David.
I actually thought exactly the same thing when I first read Shelly's post, FWIW.

[shelly]

Now with a nine hundred in my hand I was able to buy blue ointment

[RichardSimon]

If you live in NYC you will see lots of celebs.
Here are a few I have seen in addition to my earlier post.

Robert Redford - theatre at Doubt
Peter Strauss - walking down Bway at 79th St
Art Garfunkel and son - walking up 79th St to Central Pk at 5th Ave
Walt Frazier - leaving Eli's at 80th and 3rd
Morley Safer - walking up Lex Ave at 78th St
Leonard Nimoy - theatre at Woman Under A Glass
Tracy Pollan - walking out of Eli's
Anthony Edwards - in Central Pk
Dennis Farina - Loews theatre 72nd St
Michael Strahan - sitting at Eli's cafe
Alec Baldwin - 98th St CPW after leaving Dr. W's office
Carl Bernstein - 79th St betw Lex and 3rd
Ted McGinley - at MSG hockey gm
James Lipton - at MSG hockey gm
Peter Strauss - at Trip to Bountiful
Catherine Zeta Jones - Central Park at Hernshead
Curtis Sliwa - 84th and 2nd
Eileen Atkins - Central Park at bird feeders
Howard Stern - jogging in Central Park
Marvin Hamlisch - near turtle pond in Central Park
Ted Turner - 46th St and 7th Ave
Michael Cervais - theatre at Waters Edge
Carol Kane - theatre at Waters Edge
Tom Berenger - theatre at Chorus Line
Abe Vigoda - 72nd and 3rd
Gov. Spitzer - 79th St entrance to Central Pk.
Stephanie March - stage door at Talk Radio
Kathleen Turner -deli across street from theatre where she was directing Crimes
Sara Ramirez - going into theatre for The Homecoming
Eliot Spitzer and wife - outside Central Pk
Timothy Busfield - 79th St and 3rd Av
Kirk Douglas - theatre at Osage
David Brooks - corner of 42/8
Angela Bassett - theatre for Thurgood
Courtney Vance - theatre for Thurgood
Audra McDonald - theatre for Hair
Tamara Tumie - theatre for Norman Conquest
John Malkovich - 79th St
Stephanie March - 14th St and 6th Av
Ted Koppel - 78th St and Lex
Richard Ravitch - Papaya King
Dominic Furmusa - A Normal Heart
Zeljko Ivanek - A Normal Heart
Andrea Martin - A Normal Heart
Bill Madden - Lombardi
David Duchovny - crossing 3rd Ave at 79 ST.
Lombardi cast - theatre for Bengal Tiger
Dylan Baker - theatre for Good People
Sam Rockwell - theatre for Sweet and Sad
Michael McKeon - theatre for Sweet and Sad
David Duchovny - theater at Sports Abridged
William Goldman - Barnes & Noble at Leonard Elmore's interview with Mike Lupica
Tom Brokaw - 79th St and 3rd Ave
Eli Wallach - Bway bus, getting off with us at Lincoln Ctr. big smile from him when I told him how I really liked his work.
Cynthia Nixon - 47th St heading into Stage Door entrance at Wit
Jackie Mason - 60th & Bway after doctor appt.
Dana Ivey - 79th St crosstown bus
Sara Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick - theater for My Children MyAfrica
Sam Shepard - lobby of Signature Theater
David Duchovny - 3rd Ave betw 81-82 St
Glenn Close and George Lucas - outside Beacon Theatre as we were exiting from a John Fogerty concert.

In addition, in a different life , I used to own a retail sweets shop on Madison Ave and 91 St. I was visited there by Diane Keaton, Paul Simon, Paul Sorvino, Robert Redford, Diana Ross, Carol Kane, Madeline Kahn, Gwyneth Paltrow (she was a very young child) with her mother Blythe Danner and Jade Jagger who went to Spence School which was around the corner from my shop.
Woody Allen and Mia Farrow used to walk past often but never came in. Vladimir Horowitz also walked past often but did not come in.

[Runscott]

Almost forgot my most interesting brush with a celebrity. In 1978 I was working at a Pizza Inn in a suburb of Denver. One weeknight, very near closing, two men walked in and I was the only guy working. They discussed the order over by the door, one of them sat down and looked toward the door, and the other guy ordered the pizza. The next morning I told my Dad that I had made a pizza for a guy who was a dead ringer for Jack Nicklaus (the guy basically hiding by the door). My Dad said, "well it was probably him - he's playing golf down the street at Cherry Hills."

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by earlywynnfan

OK, we're all wondering, so I'll ask: how did Raquel Welch look???

About 20 years younger than her actual age. She works her tail off; nothing but respect for her here.

There was a period during the holidays a few years ago when we kept encountering Michael Chiklis and his family; they live near us and must've had the same ideas about where to go with the kids. Restaurants, the aquarium, theater; everywhere I looked, "Vic Mackey" was staring back. My wife finally asked him whether he was following us.

[bbcard1]

Celebs are few and far between in WV and Southwest VA....

Wahoo McDaniel on the street in Huntington WV.
Ric Flair at an airport in Charlotte.

On the other hand, my profession has allowed me to meet a number of people like Chuck Yeager, Marcus Luttrell (Lone Survivor), Brooks Robinson, Ali Velshi, Jose Canseco, etc. Working on a deal to do a little project with Mr. T. Fingers crossed.