"She Smelled Like Blueberries And Bourbon": Real-Life Celebrity Encounters

[TaraS1]

On 2/23/2020 at 2:18 AM, SVNBob said:

Thus explaining your profile photo. 😀

Yes indeed!  She was, and still is, an absolute dream.  

The only 'celebs' left on my bucket list are the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, but I won't hold my breath on that lol

[ByTor]

I have naturally curly hair & got my hair done by a curl specialist in NYC, followed by some shopping.  My sister & I had a lengthy debate over whether a guy in Henri Bendel was Richard Simmons.  He noticed and came running over in Richard Simmons mode, freaking out over my hair (I must admit, it did look pretty darn good LOL).  After that, he got serious and talked to us for a little bit, and I have to say he seemed like a really nice guy.

[Blergh]

37 minutes ago, ByTor said:

I have naturally curly hair & got my hair done by a curl specialist in NYC, followed by some shopping.  My sister & I had a lengthy debate over whether a guy in Henri Bendel was Richard Simmons.  He noticed and came running over in Richard Simmons mode, freaking out over my hair (I must admit, it did look pretty darn good LOL).  After that, he got serious and talked to us for a little bit, and I have to say he seemed like a really nice guy.

Just curious, how many years ago did this encounter happen? Mr. Simmons seems to have dropped off the radar for quite a few years now. Thus, I hope this was in more recent times so at least he can be believed  to be okay and independent even if he's no longer a public figure. 

[ByTor]

12 minutes ago, Blergh said:

Just curious, how many years ago did this encounter happen? Mr. Simmons seems to have dropped off the radar for quite a few years now. Thus, I hope this was in more recent times so at least he can be believed  to be okay and independent even if he's no longer a public figure. 

Unfortunately, I'd say it was 15-ish years ago.

[Callietwo]

10 hours ago, ByTor said:

I have naturally curly hair & got my hair done by a curl specialist in NYC, followed by some shopping.  My sister & I had a lengthy debate over whether a guy in Henri Bendel was Richard Simmons.  He noticed and came running over in Richard Simmons mode, freaking out over my hair (I must admit, it did look pretty darn good LOL).  After that, he got serious and talked to us for a little bit, and I have to say he seemed like a really nice guy.

Back in 1995, I headed to a mall with my small children where we saw a limo parked in the fire zone and I wondered who that might be... stores had about 20 minutes to open so I took the kids up to the food court on the 3rd floor to get a cookie. 

Just as my little one reached up for me to take a bite from hers, around the corner comes Richard Simmons on one of his famous Mall Walks, in his teeny tiny shorts and coordinating tank top with a a gaggle of fans following along. 

He marched over to me, grabbed my face and planted a kiss right on my mouth, with camera bulbs flashing.  I was beyond shocked and took off like a bat out of hell, so mortified that he'd singled me out that way... caught with a mouthful of chocolate chip cookie.  (I was quite heavy at that time and believe that to be the reason behind his actions.)  I can't imagine anyone doing such a thing these days and I definitely didn't consent to his actions.. never saw it coming.  I think he intended this completely different than it comes across when telling the story now.

My favorite "major" celeb meeting has to be Craig T.Nelson.. it was a late 90's Memorial day Lyme Rock race when he was the driver of the screaming eagle race car.. husband's boss was also a driver, and we had pit passes.  After the race was over, most of the drivers hung out with fans for about 15-20 minutes.  But Craig, standing in his fireproof race suit, sweating like crazy stood there taking pictures with fans, signing autographs and holding babies that were practically thrown at him for over an hour.. he didn't go into his trailer until all the fans that wanted to meet him did so.  My biggest regret that day was that I was the one taking the pictures of my family with him but didn't pass the camera over to someone so I could have one too.   Was so impressed that he stayed even though he had to be hot & exhausted.  He was laughing and chatting and seemed so genuine. 

I have tons and tons of less famous celebs that I've met in music circles. though.  These two above stand out just in how different they were.

[Haleth]

7 hours ago, Callietwo said:

My favorite "major" celeb meeting has to be Craig T.Nelson.. it was a late 90's Memorial day Lyme Rock race when he was the driver of the screaming eagle race car.. husband's boss was also a driver, and we had pit passes.  After the race was over, most of the drivers hung out with fans for about 15-20 minutes.  But Craig, standing in his fireproof race suit, sweating like crazy stood there taking pictures with fans, signing autographs and holding babies that were practically thrown at him for over an hour.. he didn't go into his trailer until all the fans that wanted to meet him did so.  My biggest regret that day was that I was the one taking the pictures of my family with him but didn't pass the camera over to someone so I could have one too.   Was so impressed that he stayed even though he had to be hot & exhausted.  He was laughing and chatting and seemed so genuine. 

That's nice to hear and I used to like him until he went on this rant.

[Blergh]

21 hours ago, ByTor said:

Unfortunately, I'd say it was 15-ish years ago.

At least you had a positive experience with Mr. Simmons- unlike CallieTwo's rather intrusive and unpleasant one he did with her! 

Callie Two,

If it's any consolation, I always thought his over-the-top verve seemed to be overcompensating for a sad,hurt person inside on his part.

Regardless, I hope somehow ,away from the public sphere for so long, he's finally found his peace. 

[Mittengirl]

Wasn’t Richard Simmons rumored to be held “hostage” by an agent or something a few years ago?  I don’t remember hearing any definitive outcome on that story.

Edited February 26, 2020 by Mittengirl

[Danielg342]

Richard Simmons never seems to have an "off" button, methinks.

[Was-MArsenault]

10 hours ago, Mittengirl said:

Wasn’t Richard Simmons rumored to be held “hostage” by an agent or something a few years ago?  I don’t remember hearing any definitive outcome on that story.

Yes.

[Callietwo]

18 hours ago, Blergh said:

At least you had a positive experience with Mr. Simmons- unlike CallieTwo's rather intrusive and unpleasant one he did with her! 

Honestly, I was so embarrassed when it happened that I took off and later I laughed it off but over time I came to realize that I shouldn’t have been, I didn’t do anything wrong.  
 

I've also played it off as something funny that happened but also as time goes on, I’ve realized it wasn’t really funny, was it?  
 

 

[Blergh]

6 hours ago, Callietwo said:

Honestly, I was so embarrassed when it happened that I took off and later I laughed it off but over time I came to realize that I shouldn’t have been, I didn’t do anything wrong.  
 

I've also played it off as something funny that happened but also as time goes on, I’ve realized it wasn’t really funny, was it?  
 

 

I get what you're saying. While it can't hurt to do one's best to find the humor in something that was completely out of one's control, OTOH it would be difficult if not impossible to rationalize much less justify Mr. Simmons's actions towards you at that time had he NOT been a famous person. 

 Well, I'm glad you made the best of what happened and it IS a good war story for you and your kids to tell!

Edited February 26, 2020 by Blergh

[GHScorpiosRule]

While it’s been my wish for the LONGEST time to meet Kevin Conroy, I know it’s a pipe dream. But. Though I’m not very active on Twitter, he wished me a Happy Birthday today! I’m content.🥰🥰🥰🥰

[littlewonder]

I met Dave Foley about 10 years ago.  He was gross.  Hit on me and when I pointed out my boyfriend, he propositioned us both.  A few drinks later, he dropped trou in the bar as if that would convince us. It did not.

[Blergh]

1 hour ago, littlewonder said:

I met Dave Foley about 10 years ago.  He was gross.  Hit on me and when I pointed out my boyfriend, he propositioned us both.  A few drinks later, he dropped trou in the bar as if that would convince us. It did not.

I have no idea or interest in how things went with your boyfriend because it's not my biz but I can't help but think that whatever bond you had with him at the time HAD to be a FAR better bond than ANY woman Mr. Foley may have been linked to at the time.  According to wiki, he was split from his 2nd wife 10 years ago but they actually remarried in 2016. Wouldn't surprise me if she's been seeking out a self-kicking machine ever since! 

YEESH! He seems foul enough to have not been raised by actual parents but as a frat house's mascot from Day One! 

I'm sorry to hear this happened to you and your boyfriend. Truly. UGH!

[littlewonder]

I forgot the best part of that Dave Foley story:

My bf at the time was also named Dave.  So when he first came over and we introduced ourselves, (before the grossness) I busted out "These are the Daves I know."  

No regrets.  😉

[topanga]

On 3/29/2020 at 9:38 PM, littlewonder said:

I met Dave Foley about 10 years ago.  He was gross.  Hit on me and when I pointed out my boyfriend, he propositioned us both.  A few drinks later, he dropped trou in the bar as if that would convince us. It did not.

At first I thought you meant Scott Foley, and I was so disappointed.

But yeah, that was gross. 

[kieyra]

Picking up my husband from a flight from LAX last year, I was standing by the baggage carousel when Mackenzie Davis was suddenly walking towards me. I stood there muttering under my breath, "Oh my god, it's Mackenzie Davis, oh my god, it's Mackenzie Davis", because of my love for her amazing run in Halt and Catch Fire. (She was also in the most recent Terminator movie, and the Blade Runner reboot.)

I was 100% starstruck and left her alone, but couldn't stop looking (from a distance). My husband was was like "Oh yeah, I saw her at the gate back in LA", all nonchalant. He was pretty bemused by how intensely I was fangirling from afar. He kept telling me to go say hi (it seemed like I was the only one there who recognized her), but I really didn't want to bug her after such a long-ass flight. 

(I also have no idea why she was flying to the Raleigh-Durham area. I think it was over Labor Day weekend, and she was with a guy. She's from Canada, so maybe her friend/possible BF was from NC ...)

My only other celebrity encounter was with Alison Mack, but that's kind of icky to think about now. 

 

[catlover79]

On 10/9/2019 at 2:28 PM, xaxat said:

The only time I was excited to meet someone was when author Daniel Yergin came in to sign his newest book. He had previously won the Pulitzer Prize for his book The Prize. It is one of my favorite books and I went total fanboy on him. Honestly, I think my enthusiasm might have startled him. He probably didn't meet many people who got excited talking about the history of oil exploration.

I love this story!!! 😊😎🤣😂

[Bethany]

I didn't actually meet Angela Lansbury so this is a more a six degrees of Kevin Bacon thing but anyway I was surprised last night to learn from my Dad that one of his work colleagues from back in the day (Dad is 87)  actually went to school with Angela Lansbury - called her Angie - and they had stayed in touch for years, meeting up when they were in the same city, exchanging cards, that kind of thing.  

[Shannon L.]

My husband worked with Angela on Mrs. Santa Clause and just loved her.  I met her briefly and she was so sweet. 

[Milburn Stone]

Bill Cosby sat in front of me on a flight. He was actually wearing a Cosby sweater! I did not see him put anything in anyone's drink.

[Sarahsmile416]

On 10/25/2019 at 12:16 AM, methodwriter85 said:

I never met her, but everyone I knew who met Tara Lipinski described her as a massive bitch.

This is years ago, but I just wanted to add to this.  I never met her either, but I lived in Delaware and knew several people who skated at the University of Delaware skating rink who knew her and yes, said she was a rude bitch

[methodwriter85]

2 hours ago, Sarahsmile416 said:

This is years ago, but I just wanted to add to this.  I never met her either, but I lived in Delaware and knew several people who skated at the University of Delaware skating rink who knew her and yes, said she was a rude bitch

Yeah, I was in a community play once with a girl who had been at the same skating club, and she basically said, "Tara Lipinsky is a BITCH!" lol

I actually knew a guy who said that Johnny Weir asked him to go to the prom. He's straight, but kind of regrets turning it down.

[Babalu06]

On 9/14/2019 at 7:00 PM, Bastet said:

 

Quote

I've met several politicians through my work, but my favorite encounter came as a young teen tourist.  I met John Glenn in the hallway outside his Senate office, and told him I'd written a 40-page report on the Mercury Seven in fifth grade.  He asked me to send him a copy when I got home.  I did (which involved taking my typed report to the copy shop, not just opening up a file 🙂 ), and got a nice little hand-written note back.

 

It took me a mere 5 years to find this post, but if I’d found it 5 years ago, I wouldn’t have a story to tell.

My favorite uncle died 3 months ago, and shortly thereafter I received a box of genealogical information, photos, and letters from my cousin. Among the letters was one to my grandmother from her childhood friend, Clara, who bemoaned the fact that her son had to move so far away because NASA was making him relocate to Houston. And that’s how I learned, over 50 years after her death, that Grandma was lifelong friends with John Glenn’s mother.

I never met John Glenn in person, but I did hear him give a speech to the mostly empty Senate chamber when I visited the U.S. Capitol.

Edited: this site and my devices aren’t working well today, so copied/pasted part of @Bastet‘s original post into a new quote box.

Edited September 29 by Babalu06

[Babalu06]

On 10/9/2019 at 12:03 PM, funky-rat said:

That’s awesome!  He talked at his show about how his parents were awesome, and they were academics.  They would have liked him to go on to use his brains (Peter was very smart), but encouraged him to follow his dreams.

Peter Tork went to my college for a year several years before I was there and was rumored to have flunked out. I’m glad he found success and even more glad he was a nice guy.

[Dimity]

I met Donny and Marie Osmond in Las Vegas a few years ago.  He was a total sweetheart and she was very genuine (and physically very petite which I wasn't expecting).  Anyway I am sure they both know how to make nice for the fans but even so they came across as warm and friendly and totally made my sister's day.

[andromeda331]

On 9/29/2024 at 1:36 PM, Babalu06 said:

 

 

It took me a mere 5 years to find this post, but if I’d found it 5 years ago, I wouldn’t have a story to tell.

My favorite uncle died 3 months ago, and shortly thereafter I received a box of genealogical information, photos, and letters from my cousin. Among the letters was one to my grandmother from her childhood friend, Clara, who bemoaned the fact that her son had to move so far away because NASA was making him relocate to Houston. And that’s how I learned, over 50 years after her death, that Grandma was lifelong friends with John Glenn’s mother.

I never met John Glenn in person, but I did hear him give a speech to the mostly empty Senate chamber when I visited the U.S. Capitol.

Edited: this site and my devices aren’t working well today, so copied/pasted part of @Bastet‘s original post into a new quote box.

That's so cool!

[Dimity]

The recent news about Ethel Kennedy having suffered a stroke reminded me that I had the chance to meet her years ago in Hyannis.  I was down there with university friends and we went to an Irish pub one night.  She was there with an entourage (well 8 or 10 people plus security) I recognized Buddy Hackett and there may have been other well known people but they weren't well known to this, then, 20 yr old Montrealer!  Anyway she was very nice and friendly and I recall now how thrilled my Mom was when I told her who I'd met on my travels!  I do admit though I thought she had died some time ago.

Edited October 9 by Dimity