Brushes with fame....a continuing thread from PattyL's post....

This was just WAY too FUN to pass up!  All you guys with your fun brushes with fame stories.  Here's mine -- I hope you'll post yours too!! I spent two days on the set of 'Bay Watch' with David Hasselhoff.  Yep, that's right!  Believe me I was not a hot babe in a swimsuit -- I was an extra and was more of the 'tourist' type.  I won a contest and David put me and my husband up at the Lowe's in Santa Monica and put us on his show as extras.  It was a hoot.  Hollywood is just so darn fake.  David was a pretty nice dude, though.  He joked around a lot.  He is like the tallest & skinniest dude ever!  My hubby is 6'2" and David towered over my hubby.  He's still thin too -- that's why he always wore that bulky leather jacket -- to make it look like he had a physique. The main character chicks were snobs but all the other gorgeous extras were awesome -- we had so much fun hanging out with them.  Most of the were putting themselves through college by being extras. While on that same trip, we also got to go to the 'Tonight Show with Jay Leno'.  Jay is kind of cold and a little arrogant.  We also went to a taping of the show "The Nanny" with Fran Dresher.  We ended up having dinner at Chez Jay (sp?) with Benjamin Salisbury (he played the boy on the show) and his family.  They were from Minnesota and felt at home with us.  They drove us all over L.A., Hollywood, etc. and kept us out until like 2 in the morning.  When they dropped us off at our hotel, they asked if they could pick us up and hang out with us the next night too.  We said, "why not!". So that's my story....what's yours????

This happened a long time ago.  I was working nights at my job and didn’t know that they were filming Dynasty.  As it turns out, I was making quite a racket while walking down the marble hallway in my high heels.  My place of employment is always busy, so you never know what you might see around there anytime of the day or night.  I didn’t even realize that they were filming until I heard someone scream “CUT, CUT, CUT !!!”.  Next thing I know, this guy comes up to me and starts to beg me in a serious pleading voice, “please, please, please lady, please take off your shoes, you are disturbing the filming!!!”.   Well, I didn’t take ‘em off.  Instead, I demanded to know who was filming.  I looked up and low and behold, I was looking straight into the faces of Ricardo Montalban, and Charlton Heston.  I told the guy that I would remove my shoes if I could get their autographs.  He replied, YES, YES, YES, just take off those shoes!!!. I got their autographs and Ricardo even wanted to chat a little, but I was too star struck to speak.  I just kept thinking, oh my God  - - he’s really a handsome man up close. 

My brushes with fame are nothing short of embarrassing!  But I don't mind telling...

When I was about 12 and wore pointy glasses and was famous for my multiple cold sores on my lips, I had my picture taken with Jerry Mathers (the Beaver) when he was doing some gig at a summer resort.  We both looked like dorks!

Years later, when Leave it to Beaver was in reruns, I took my kids to a book signing and Jerry Mathers signed our copy of the book that detailed all the episodes of his famous show.  My kids were VERY impressed that I had met him once before, but somehow Jerry didn't seem to notice.  Yeh, I was a chub by that time, but so was he!!!  For such a cute kid, he didn't turn into such a handsome devil!!

And then there was the time that a local news crew was filming a spot at the mall and me and my husband were on the sidelines watching.  For some reason I got all stuffed up and let out a GIANT sneeze and blew my nose LOUDLY, as usual.  When I looked up, everyone in the crowd AND the film crew were GLARING at me for ruining the shot!!!  My husband slunk away as though he didn't know me and they filmed the whole thing again..........

Hey, what can I say?  I wasn't meant to be famous!  So sue me!!

Ah, well, you get the hand you're dealt, right?    I LOVE being a non-celeb!

WOW!!!!  That is really some story.  Up close and personal with David!  I can't say I've got anything that good.

I have, however, had lots of "quickies" because I'm in the TV industry.  Jay Leno was actually pretty nice for the 2 seconds he shook my hand and said "Hi."  I usually fly in first class because I have lots of miles as a frequent flyer.  I rode to Vegas with 3 Doors Down, and they called my daughters on my cell phone to sing to them.  The creepy experience was going to LA with Neve Campbell and some nut job got all weird with her.  The cops were waiting for the guy when we landed.  In the midst of all this, my daughter asked her to sign her hat, and Neve did!   I thought that was really nice under the cir****tances.  The nicest star I've met was Jim Bulushi.  He took pictures with my camera phone, kissed me on the cheek, and talked for about 10 minutes.  He was at the consumer electronics show just walking around like a regular guy and I noticed who he was.  The nastiest was Mike Tyson who I met at an HBO promo just a few days before he bit Evander's ear off - go figure LOL!

I dunno if this counts, but I was in London for Princess Di's funeral, and Peter O'Toole was standing behind us....

Sunset Carson came to my school and did a shooting demonstration in the gym when I was 8 years old. I don't know if they still do, but Kirk Cameron's family used to come ot Callaway Gardens every summer for two weeks with his family, and they would host groups of terminally ill children and their families.  I worked there for three summers.  I never approached him, though, because he obviously wanted to spend time with his family and the families of those ill children and not be hounded by fans.   I have a friend who was on Broadway and in broadway tours.  I have pictures of me with Bernadette Peters, Cubby from the original Mickey Mouse Club, Tom Wopat, and Ann Margaret, all whom I met through him. I had a job at one point that brought me in the path of many celebrities.  I met Samuel Jackson, Angela Bassett, Phylicia Rashad, Carol Burnett, Gregory Peck, Richard Marx, Michael Kamen (composer), Whitman Mayo, Marla Gibbs and Bill Nunn while in that position. I used to attend many fundraisers for the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention during that time, too.  There I frequently saw Ted Turner and Jane Fonda.  (Ted also held the door open for me once as I was entering his "Ted's Montana Grill")  At those events I met Val Kilmer, Steve Martin, Julie Newmar, Mimi Rogers, Heather Graham, Lacey Chabert, Vivica Fox, and Billy Dee Williams. I ran into Matthew Perry on the Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles.  He was dancing around in the street to the music of some street musicians.  I took his picture, only to find a week later that someone else took pictures at that same time and sold them to the National Enquirer.  I could have made money off of those! Last year I met Jay Thomas in a restaurant in New Orleans.  We stopped and spoke to him and his female companion on the way out. I was at Bill Clinton's second Presidential Inauguration.  I have lots of great pictures of political figures and celebrities from one of the balls I attended.  But the funny story there is this very tall man brushed by me and I turned ot my friend and said, "Oh dear.  That poor man looks just like Bruce Hornsby."  Well - it WAS Bruce Hornsby. One year I was pretty poor and gave one gift to each family member - a book.  But each book was signed by the author.  I stood in line to meet Pat Conroy, President Carter, and (my favorite) - Richard Simmons!  I waited two hours to meet him.  By the time I got to the front of the line I was SO EXCITED!  He said, "Hello," and I practically screamed, "HI!!!!!!!!"  He laughed and said, "Why do I feel like we've met before?"  "BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  was my reply!!!  He loved me too after that, and told his handler to give me his card and told me to write to him.  I did write to him and he wrote back.  I love that man. I met Queen Latifah in Miami when I was attending a conerence next door to where she was preparing for a concert for Katrina Relief.  Gloria Estefan was there too, but we didn't ge to actually meet her. I also met David Trimble, who is a former First Minister of North Ireland.  The First Minister is the head of state there. And finally, I sang in a wedding once accompanied by a former acompaniest to Rosemary Clooney. I don't know why I have had all of these brushes with famous people.  I am certainly not famous, myself.  And most of this happened when I was in my twenties.  (I am now nearing forty.)   Laura

Hey Elizabeth!  Where did you work and when?  Maybe we met some time? Love Dennie

Awwww, well, probably not.  I had been a nurse for quite a while by 1999.  I've helped some friends a bit, but that's all.  When I worked for the Country Music Association, I kept trying to leave, but every time I did, they gave me more money, a better computer (I was the computer lady) and stuff like that.  It took me about 5 years to break OUT of the music business.  I haven't looked back, really. Love Dennie