Brush with greatness

SWTXBelle · #1 01-18-2009, 09:32 PM

The Obama in Baltimore thread made me think - have you met/been close to anyone famous?

My elementary school was dedicated by Betty Ford. I was chosen to speak - "I am somebody!" - and give her an eagle necklace. She was very nice, very drugged, and my brother who was in kindergarten got to play George Washington in the "play" we presented. My mother eluded the Secret Service (!!) and was able to see us.

I was also on "Jeopardy!" and "Win Ben Stein's Money". Alex is a jerk, and I LOVE Ben Stein.

What's your story?

icelandelf · #2 01-18-2009, 10:46 PM

I sang for Prince Charles when he visited San Antonio years ago, with my elementary school choir!

ETA--forgot one--I sat behind Nolan Ryan this last October when my dad and I went to go see the Red Sox at Rangers in Ft. Worth. My brother has box seats from his law firm. It was a lot of fun. Nolan talked to my 6 year old nephew about what plays to watch during the game.

DaemonSeid · #3 01-18-2009, 10:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SWTXBelle

The Obama in Baltimore thread made me think - have you met/been close to anyone famous?

My elementary school was dedicated by Betty Ford. I was chosen to speak - "I am somebody!" - and give her an eagle necklace. She was very nice, very drugged, and my brother who was in kindergarten got to play George Washington in the "play" we presented. My mother eluded the Secret Service (!!) and was able to see us.

I was also on "Jeopardy!" and "Win Ben Stein's Money". Alex is a jerk, and I LOVE Ben Stein.

What's your story?

Here is my list:

Charles Dutton at the Inner Harbor 1994
Whoopi Goldberg - 1987
Sammy Davis Jr (bumped into him literally while he was getting into his limo) 1985
Alonzo Mourning at BWI - 2002
Jonathon Ogden - Univ of MD Hosp 2003
Jim Palmer and Eddie Murray - 1983 (after the World Series)

and I forgot to add....I worked for Benjamin Carson back in 1995

PM_Mama00 · #4 01-18-2009, 10:55 PM

I shook Matt Lauer's hand. My brother refused to let Bachelor Bob Guiney into his party at our house when they were in high school. And I knew Chad from the first Shot At Love with Tila Tequila. He worked with and wanted my best friend. She thought he was gross. I thought he was hot. BUT... a huge tool. Met Danny from Real World Key West when he spoke at our school. HUGE douche bag.

KSUViolet06 · #5 01-18-2009, 11:13 PM

Jay-Z
LeBron James (quite a few times as we are from the same town)
Josh Cribbs (Cleveland Browns) He went to Kent and we had several classes together

AKA_Monet · #6 01-18-2009, 11:32 PM

My grandfather was "semi famous" during his time.

He shook the hand of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and met Eleanor Roosevelt
He worked for Mary McLeod Bethune
He has a picture of President Gerald Ford and him together.
I was told Aretha Franklin sang what is now BCU...

Yes, he spoke to MLK and that whole crew...

As for me... Let's up that ante a little, who have you seriously kissed that's famous...

At the time, he was on his way "down", lol... Stanley Richard, FS, broke a UT Austin record, was called the Sheriff...

Yeah, I use to roll like that...

SWTXBelle · #7 01-18-2009, 11:38 PM

Kissed? Andy Fickman, director of the new "Escape to Witch Mountain", "She's the Man", among others.

(He's a Sig Ep from TX Tech, btw)

agzg · #8 01-18-2009, 11:44 PM

I met Ben Rothlisberger while I worked at Target in pgh and he needed maple syrup. He's a fratty tool.

Kappamd · #9 01-19-2009, 12:18 AM

Lebron James more times than I can count (he comes to my school's basketball games, and I've volunteered for a few charity events and fundraisers he has held on campus).
Ron Howard and Tom Hanks were sitting in the suite above me at an Indians game.
I met John Edwards when he held a rally at my high school back during the 2004 election.

Not a whole lot of star sightings in Cleveland.

agzg · #10 01-19-2009, 12:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ADqtPiMel

Ben's a friend of mine from college. Not how I would describe him, but to each his own

If you found a guy playing with toys all over the back of the store then he runs up to you saying "maple syrup?" over and over you would think he was a fratty tool, too. To his credit, though, I guess, I thought a lot of the people that shopped there were tools. Why people can never say the full "excuse me where is the (item)?" I will never understand.

That Target had more Steelers come in - no one ever really bothered them though.

DreamfulSpirit · #11 01-19-2009, 12:35 AM

They used to hold a celebrity charity golf tournament at a golf course that my neighborhood was on and we would go over and meet celebrities and get autographs and what not. Here's a few that I remember meeting at the tournament over the years:

-2 of the members of Hootie and the Blowfish
-Todd Eldredge (U.S. Olympic Figure Skater)
-Shannon Miller (Olympic Gold Medalist- Gymnastics)
-Dennis Haskins ("Mr. Belding" from "Saved by the Bell")
-Charles Barkley
-members of the Carolina Hurricanes NHL team (since we're minutes outside of Raleigh lol)
-Sidney Lowe (current Men's basketball coach- NC State)

aephi alum · #12 01-19-2009, 12:37 AM

Just off the top of my head:

- I've met Richard Stallman, who launched the GNU Project and Free Software Foundation.
- I've met Dr. Ruth.
- I got comp tickets and backstage passes to a Cher concert through DH's cousin, who was her band's drummer. I didn't meet Cher herself, but I met most of the band.
- Then-President Bill Clinton spoke at commencement when I received my bachelor's degree.
- Through a tour arranged by my high school's English department, I've met a number of Royal Shakespeare Company members and gotten a private tour of the theatres.
- I have sung in a choir at Lincoln Center.

Also, when W was campaigning in 2000, he visited the company my husband worked for at the time. DH shook his hand and got an autograph.

Tippiechick · #13 01-19-2009, 12:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SWTXBelle

The Obama in Baltimore thread made me think - have you met/been close to anyone famous?

My elementary school was dedicated by Betty Ford. I was chosen to speak - "I am somebody!" - and give her an eagle necklace. She was very nice, very drugged, and my brother who was in kindergarten got to play George Washington in the "play" we presented. My mother eluded the Secret Service (!!) and was able to see us.

I was also on "Jeopardy!" and "Win Ben Stein's Money". Alex is a jerk, and I LOVE Ben Stein.

What's your story?

OMG, OMG, OMG. My dream is to be on Jeopardy. *Bows humbly at the feet of the awesome SWTXBelle* You must dish on everything... Everything, I say!

epchick · #14 01-19-2009, 02:10 AM

--I went to college with Johnnie Lee Higgins and Terrence Howard, both on the Oakland Raiders team

--Lupe Ontiveros (the lady that played Yolanda in Selena) graduated from my HS. She went to a pep rally my sophomore year and after the pep rally I got to walk with her. I was telling her how I was an aspiring actress and she gave me her phone number & email address so that she could help me try to break into the business. Of course being the idiot that I am, thought the paper would be safe in my pants and I totally forgot about it---the paper got washed and totally disintegrated before I could contact her

--Not me, but when my aunt went down to Puerto Vallarta (i believe), she met Anthony Quinn at the beach & got to hang out with him for a while. She said he was really nice.

AKA_Monet · #15 01-19-2009, 02:18 AM

I forgot, my friends and I were in Catalina years ago, and we met Ed McMahon... He was very drunk and trying to hit on my friend. He told us to sit in his booth while he talk to us, and since I was hella hella drunk, I asked where was my "$10 million dollars"...