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.

PM_Mama00 · #3 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 · #4 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 · #5 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 · #6 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)

DaemonSeid · #7 01-19-2009, 06:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AKA_Monet

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...

Damn..I forgot to add in:

- Sam Cassell and I lived in the same neighborhood and went to Dunbar Sr. High. We both graduated in 88.

- before he went to the School of the Arts, Tupac Shakur attended Dunbar in 86, he and my cousin were in the same homeroom, and no...he wasn't the deep thinking 'intelligent thug' that most people know and love...if you ever saw Juice, you can almost get an idea of how we was minus the toughness....hehe just imagine he ran around with a Gumby high top fade and a rat tail.

- Curly Neal from teh harlem Globetrotters also visted our school and gave a pep rally speech to our basketball team.

- I met Al Gore back in 1992 when he was still a senator as he stopped at Morgan State Univ. I got his pics some of which were published in our yearbook and I still have his autograph

DaemonSeid · #8 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

agzg · #9 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.

aephi alum · #10 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.

agzg · #11 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.

DolphinChicaDDD · #12 01-19-2009, 02:11 PM

My latest brush with greatness: Flava Flav. At the Sydney Airport earlier this month. You should have seen him trying to get through security.

DreamfulSpirit · #13 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)

Kappamd · #14 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.

Tippiechick · #15 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!