OT: Who is the biggest celebrity that you've met?
To keep OT season alive and well, I'd like to hear any humorous or intriguing stories from you all on who've you met, where, and how did it all go down.
For me, I have a few:
1. Pee'd next to Jeff Daniels at the Midland County Civic Arena when his son was on my counsin's Domino Farms hockey team. It was the mid-90's but even as a kid, all I could do is vision his scene in Dumb and Dumber when he was on the toilet. I really wanted him to reenact it.
2. Met Mr. T at a bar in Bay City when I was really young. Not sure why he was there, but he kept telling me to be respectful to my mother. Pretty sure he was drunk.
3. Wife and I met Joe Girardi outside Trump International in Chicago at a Starbucks. His daughter and my daughter played for like 3 minutes. I played it off like what was happening was competely normal.
Share away...
Sadly the last time I spoke to him was right before the Yankees signed him so I never got to mooch or join in his entourage.
Saw Bo at the Ann Arbor Chop House on my birthday.
Vinny Johnson in Greektown back in 1985. Vinny was cool, signed my Pistons painters cap.
Halle Berry. Don King. Francis Ford Coppella. Differnt occasion but at the same place.
I never met the man but OP just made me realize how different his role on The Newsroom was compared to Dumb and Dumber. Great actor.
Probably Michael Jordan...but I feel like a dick if I give this thread too much thought or effort, so I'll leave it at that. If you're talking literally the biggest...Shaq. Massive man.
Met Shaq too. Also, at the same party my friend got stuck trying to fnd places in Downtown Detroit to park cars of the "Guests" Shaq decided to take back to his hotel room for the after party.
Partied with Donald Driver (outstanding individual, long story), Reggie White, Terrell Owens (quiet guy), Jeremy Piven, Colleen Shannon (if you don't know who she is google her), Brande Roderick (same, invited us back to the Playboy mansion until our drunk friend insulted her, we left him at the party alone in LA with no ride home), Carmella DeCesare (same x10), Jeff Garcia (lucky guy), King of Spain Juan Carlos, Brian McKnight (sang some of his songs at a party of 30 people with a boom box backing track).
Talked to Gordie Howe (just the two of us for 30 minutes at a party, he was my sports hero growing up), Steve Yzerman (nicest guy, after chatting for 5 minutes I kept trying to wrap up the conversation so I didn't overstay my welcome and he kept bringing up things to talk about for another 15 minutes), Brendan Shanahan (kept hitting on my friend while I was talking to Stevie), Keyshawn Johnson (ASSHOLE), Kwame Kilpatrick (and his Detroit police security detail at Super Bowl party in Houston), Dennis Archer, Sarah Michelle Gellar (hotter in person than TV), Freddie Prinze Jr., Seth Green, Sean Penn (his dog kept barking at us on the train ride to Edinburgh Scotland).
Drove Refrigerator Perry to a party as a favor for a friend (he pulled one beer after another from his jacket pockets for a total of 5 in the 30 minute ride to the party).
There's more but thats enough name dropping for one thread.
I read a while back (a serious foretelling of the apocalypse) that Juan Carlos was the antichrist.
Did you get any such vibe?
No. True story. I used to race sailboats and King Juan had a boat in the same class as us. He hosted a party after one of the races and as I walked in some guy came over and congratulated me (we won the race that day) and showed me where the bar was and told me he didn't want to see me without a beer in my hand the rest of the night. Turned out it was the King of Spain. So no such vibe unless the antichrist is an alcoholic.
I've got Jack Harbaugh's number in my cell phone. I'm terrified to use it again but I've got it.
It's like some other things in life: When it's time to use that number, you won't need to wonder if it's time. You'll know.
Not a celebrity, but this made me laugh because speaking of random numbers in your cell, it reminded me that I have Richard Bernstein's number in mine.
Natalie Portman
Milton Friedman
Charles Woodson
Ellie Kempner
Big from Sex In the City
Spent an hour listening to Bo and Anthony Carter tell stories in a U-M suite in NYC before Carter's induction into the College Football HOF. An unbelievable evening with less than 20 people -- count my blessings to have had that opportunity.
Interviewed Desmond Howard for The Daily.
Played in a pick up game with Glen Rice. Never touched the ball. Not once. Did set a screen for him and got totally run over. Yes, it hurt, and yes, he made the shot.
Also played in a pick up game with Pete Carroll when he was with the Jets. All elbows. Would like to see him play in a game with the Harbaugh family -- just as competitive.
Met Bill Bradley when working for a gubernatorial campaign in NJ.
Met freshmen Chris Webber and Jalen Rose, who came to my fraternity house at my invitation for a pep rally with Steve Fisher and captain Freddy Hunter.
Interviewed Evander Holyfield as an intern for SI.
Hung out with Conan O'Brien back stage after a show. Just as funny off camera. Also chatted with Max Weinberg for a while that same evening.
Bought Neil O'Donnell a beer after he joined the Jets following the Super Bowl year with the Steelers. He bought me and my friends a round in return and BS'd with us for a bit. Drunk as a skunk.
Sat between two members of Spirogyra on a flight once. Middle seat awkwardness, but they were pleased to know I knew their band.
Spent a lot of time talking to Bert Sugar and invited him to speak to the local U-M club in NJ (which he accepted). Tremendous story teller.
Lots of others in passing, but not counting a simple "hello". That seems like more than enough for now....
He's a rapper...
I'm almost embarrassed to say Sonny Elliot. I have to get out more....
Well, Charles IS the Prince of Wales, after all.
Me too, but not at the Royal Welsh Agricultural Show, but in Chicago, when he was making a tour of the U.S. I was selected (as a high school student) to meet him in a greeting line, and we were given the protocol on addressing a royal (don't speak first, but respond if he asks you a question, etc.). He drove up in a motorcade of Jaguars. This was before we all knew the truth about Princess Di, so I was impressed.
back in '91 in a Norman, OK restaurant. He hung out around Norman until the Cowboys hired him.
Paul Newman
Gregory Peck
Bill Bradley
Yvette Mimieux
Mike Farrell
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Georgy Arbatov
John Gardner
Milton Friedman
David Stockman
Jessica Lange
Twiggy
Gene Wilder
Marty Feldman
Diane Cannon
Michael Murphy (actor)
Michael Murphy (Esalen founder)
Dan Rather
William F. Buckley
Dom DeLuise
Tony Robbins
Lord Burke Trend
Sally Struthers
Harry Reems...
At least I think I met these folks. It was a long, long time ago.
Manute Bol.
you drank all night with Brian Johnson and not Bill Cosby.
Was Ted wearing just his loin cloth? Was it 1980? My first concert ever was Ted Nugent at Wings stadium in that year.
I've met a ton of celebrities in my life but, never really any A. list celebrities. I ran into Kevin Sorbo in a bathroom at Sea World in San Diego, he didn't wash his hands... ewww. Marla Gibbs from The Jeffersons and 227 was at Disney World when I went. It was amasing to me how much she acted like her characters from those shows.
The most interesting celeb story takes place at a Waffle house on the north side of Columbus. After a night of clubbin, a few friends and some ladies we had met that night all stopped into waffle house to eat. After eatting, our group started to leave but, in the parking lot this guy starts trying to pick up the girl I was with. Now, this story is 20 years old so I don't remember the exact words said but, it was a lot of name calling and shit talking lol. As we're squaring up I can't shake the feeling I know this guy. I ask the guy why do you look so damn familiar to me, that's Layzie bone mother f$%^er. So yea turns out the large group was Layzie Bone from bone thugs and some members of Mo Thugs an off shoot group they were producing. Turned into a crazy night from then on
-met him backstage at one of the early All Starr Band concerts in 1992. My wife (a journalist) was covering his sponsor, VO5 (Ringo was a hairdresser before he hit with the Beatles).
Charles Barkley- we go to the same gym, used to work out on adjacent machines. He keeps asking my wife "why is he still alive!?" so he can hit on her. He's as hilarious in real life as he is on TV. Will play golf with anyone...
Ted Williams- a friend of my father's by way of Florida Keys fishing guides back in the 60's. I actually went fishing with him as a ten year old. Taught me how to filet a fish, first by asking me "what the fuck are you doing to that thing?" To a ten year old.
Numerous musicians, at the NAMM show each January. Most famous? Stevie Wonder.
Garrett Hedlund (Tron, Troy, Friday Night Lights, Pan, Four Brothers, Georgia Rule, etc.). His mom and my wife worked together at AZ Republic newspaper. He graduated from HS early to move to LA to try to start a career in acting. We teased him that he would be eating Top Ramen and working as a waiter for years. Four weeks later he is cast opposite Brad Pitt in Troy. I guess it helps if you resemble Brad Pitt...!
I had a roommate in Los Angeles who said that her brother played for Michigan back when I was in school and that she was previously engaged to Charles Woodson... needless to say, I didn't believe her.
One night, she was out with friends and I was at home on the couch. She called me on my mobile and asked if I was still awake... it was 2am. I told her I was and she told me to stay up. Soon after that, I hear the front door being opened and she comes in and who follows her in?? Charles Woodson.
I proceeded to shake his hand and ask him if he wanted anything to drink. He replied, "Do you have any bottled water?"... to which I responded, "We have some that is mixed with barley and hops." Needless to say, he wasn't impressed by my humor.