Accidental Encounters With The Rich and Famous?

It was the most exciting thing to happen to my old primary school since the war. Even more so than when Maxi Priest turned up in 1992.

What's funny about him is he appeared on Saturday Night Live and there was this sketch where he had written a tell-all book criticizing a bunch of political people and the names were all changed to protect anonymity. For instance, Bob Dole became "Dob Bole" and Steve Forbes became Teve Torbes. It was so funny! He kept making Teve Torbes out to be this verile cool guy when in real life Steve Forbes really looks and talks like a dweeby geek.

So when I saw him the first thing I thought was "Teve Torbes!" I didn't say anything, but he looked at me like he was excited that I was recognizing him, maybe.

After a few minutes of contemplation, Mark and Elinor thought better of it, and headed off. He did pause to admire a Mk 1 Honda Civic that was parked opposite though...

My mom, ticket agent at LaGuardia airport, had High-Pitched Eric as her baggage handler for a year or so. She has met way more exciting people than myself; she once had Mugsy Bogues call my brother and wake him up for school, asked Eric Clapton if she could play with his gameboy (declined).

Busta Rhymes almost hit me with his gigantic car outside of my house. I couldn't figure out why he looked familiar and concluded I must have gone to high school with him (incorrect).

When I lived in Salford, I saw him coming out of a bookies on the Lower Broughton Road a few times, always looking fairly glum, though I guess that's no firm indication of whether he'd lost a bet or not.

Incidentally, the train that I met him on ended up being a non-stop train to the wrong destination, so I had to ride the trains for an extra three hours.

Early summer last year, We all went up to Belsay Hall. As we have English Heritage memberships, we've done a fair amount of going round old houses/mansions, big paintings on the walls, racks of books in bookcases, furniture behind thick decorous ropes, you get the picture.

This was different, as instead they had invited all the top fashion designers to install an art piece in one room each. Zandra Rhodes, Alexander McQueen, Stella Mac, Viv West, nearly everyone you could think of created 'art spaces'. On entering one of the halls, Amber and Alice had spotted a sheepdog, not much older than a pup, tied to a rail. They made a fuss of each other, the dog called "Red" eager to please, doing the 'sit' 15 times a minute.

Anyway, at one of the smaller halls was one of the bigger rooms, with an exhibit of a horse, made by hanging curtains of scharovski crystals (with sponsorship signs dotted around), and quite spectacular with the one shaft of light from an uptop open window. Dawn nudges me and says "Isn't that Stella McCartney over there?" and it was. Now, we'd bought the souvenir postcard pack, and Dawn wondered about getting the horse card signed. I suggested that actually, as it's obviously a low key visit, and most people had either not noticed or were too shy, probably best not to. (I'd seen how the three from New Order that arent Barney went from being casually noticed at a J&MC gig to getting swamped after one person was braveenough to ask).

Anyhow, a little later, we were entering one room as Stella was leaving another, so Dawn 'whispered' "I love your horse by the way". "Oh, thanks!" smiled Stel, and hugged her quickly. Afterwards, Dawn asked me "Was that OK?" "Yeah, of course!"

Anyhow, further/later, I'd gone to the main gate to get a poster of the exhibition, but they'd run out. On walking down the hill, Alice says "Oh look, there's Red again", chasing a ball. Thats when I saw that Dawn, Stella and Amber were full in conversation while playing with the dog. We stayed chatting for about 10 mins/1/4 hour about all sorts. What struck me was how Stella and Dawn were quite similar in a lot of ways, both being the same age. She was very complimentary about Amber's hair, remarking that her sister was dark haired although she was red herself, a bit like Amber and Alice.

I heared her say something about how difficult it was getting a good photo of the horse, so I said, "Oh , I took one, let me check" getting my camera out. (I never really thought about it..) but on checking, I said "Ah, no it's not that good" and put the camera away. I think she wondered if I was trying to get a 'quick photo' but actually, the thought hadn't even crossed my mind, and in any case I wouldn't have anyway.

Amber was quite keen to throw the ball for the dog, so Stella showed her how to bat the ball a distance using the tennis racket she had. But, Amber is a girlie and cannot hit a ball ten paces, so Stella tried to show her how by standing in front and throwing the ball to her. There was a moment I thought Amber was going to hit her a glancing blow, but no. Although, it wasn't until much later that it occured to me that a black eye would probably have made the front pages (She'd only that day announced she was expecting).

Anyway, we said cheerio, and she went back to her Family picnic, and we went home.

I did wonder if she'd pick Amber as a name for her kid, and actually not wanting that! (It was a boy in the end).

So, more recently, she was in Heat mag with Gwinneth, and I pointed the pic to Amber saying "You remember Red the Dog, and the lady?" "Oh, she famous then?" so I told her about the fashion designing, and how she'd complimenter her hair, to which she felt quite proud of herself. Oh, and eventually, pointed out Paul in the film "Help" and said that was her dad.

The end.

that does not count

if james e l who started this thread accidentally encounters e l james who wrote 50 shades of grey i hope he will report it here.

If Michael JAckson's ghost even encounters the throbbing phallus of eternity I hope he learns his messon

This doesn't really count, i suppose, but I met a girl tonight who is totally Claire Danes' doppelganger. She's from LA too.

I once met Claire Danes' doppelganger's doppelganger.

(at a bowling alley in Detroit, no less)

i thought gabbneb's post was going to be more claims about his heigl-lohan girl.

Gosh I have met many famous people, I forget ...
The most recent.. My sister works backstage in a theatre, I went to the stage door to give her a lift home, I walk in and there is Gillian Taylforth. She smiles a hello, and I say, "Is amanda around?" (she points left and I go).

― mark g (mark g), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 13:36 (8 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Funnily enough, I got told about a year later, that after I left, G asks my sister "And who was that nice young man then?"

Wait, what was Claire Danes doing in a bowling alley in Detroit?

what do people do in bowling alleys?

They Bowl, Jasper my good friend...

otm

Wait, what was Claire Danes doing in a bowling alley in Detroit?

At the time (like 1997 i think), she was involved w/ indie-folk 90s dude Ben Lee, who had a gig that night at a club in the same building. I was w/ a friend killing time b/w bands at another gig in an adjunct club, and the four of us ended up in the same seating area, conjoined b/w two bowling lanes. She was nice, but didn't say a whole lot. Ben Lee was actually pretty supercool & funny, which I guess you'd have to be to look like he does and date Claire Danes for any length of time. All of us were indeed bowling, albeit poorly.

Wait, how do you have enough time between bands at a show for a whole game of bowling?

well, it's all in the same building - and you know, that was 1997. Folks had different priorities back then. If standing in a congested line to swap yr shoes back meant that you missed the first five minutes of the Ganger gig, well, we were prepared to live with the consequences of the choice that we made to bowl. And if in choosing to bowl, you end up bowling with Claire Danes, you might not even regret missing the first ten minutes of the Ganger show. That's only like half a song for them anyway.

Hahahaha, I would say fair enough, except I never got to see Ganger, so boo you. Bad priorities.

I met up with a high school/university friend last night who I've just gotten back in touch with after a couple of decades. He reminded me of something that I have no recollection of whatsoever (but he's very clear on this, and I have no reason whatsoever to question the accuracy): that as we left a screening of Apocalypse Now at Toronto's regal (and long-gone) University Theatre in '79 or '80, we passed Wilt Chamberlain leaving an adjacent bar or hotel.