Everyone loves celebrity sightings. I understand why. The feeling you get is similar to when you run into someone from school that you haven’t seen in years. That rush of recognition and excitement over a familiar face. That “hey I know you!” in the middle of a crowd of strangers. Then you go home and tell your friends who you ran into that day. In a way, a celebrity of Generation X (or any other generation really but I’m speaking for me…) are friends who have been a part of your life via some form of media.
Living and working in Los Angeles, I met my share of celebrities. Some through work as they attended the events/press junkets/etc I planned and others from my nights out on the town. Today I’m not going to tell you about the celebs I know personally or anything personal at all about anyone really. Instead, following are some amusing anecdotes of random encounters that come to mind. As these particular memories are just a blur in my mind, I would be shocked if the celebs remembered them at all.
Steven Webber
Who says you can’t pick your friend’s nose?
In the late 90’s I was working as an event coordinator for the Fox Broadcasting Company. Every May we would travel to New York City to do the Upfronts, a live presentation where Fox executives, producers and actors would present the new fall television line-ups to the advertising industry. Each year, Fox has their presentation at the Beacon Theater. Back then the Beacon Theater didn’t have a sufficient space for a decent (or decadent) green room so we rented out the bar/lounge directly across the alley from the backstage door for our celebrities of Generation X. The lounge was nice but the location meant a lot of running back and forth for me.
After a long day of set up the show began and the real running back and forth commenced. To get to the lounge from the stage you actually had to cross afore mentioned alley and go down a steep set of stairs into a dark, crowded room. At one point I had been sent downstairs to find someone and was rushing down the stairs thinking only of my search.
Steven Webber, fresh from his final season of Wings, was there to promote a new show he would be starring in on Fox. He had the misfortune of walking up the stairs and running into me on that dark stairwell. Hurried, arms flailing and not looking where I was going, my index finger managed to jam itself directly up his nostril. I was mortified. To his credit he was very nice about it. Very friendly and calm, he laughed it off and made a joke about me trying to pick his nose. He made a young 20-something doing her best to get her job done right feel comfortable about what could have been a bad situation. In doing so, he made a fan for life.
Matt Groening
Another event I worked on while at Fox was the annual Simpsons premiere party. Often back then we would have parties at the House of Blues in Hollywood. It was always a big deal with great entertainment, food and open bar. Everyone who worked on the show was invited from the writers and artists to the voiceover talent. Even Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons, would attend. As usual, the special events team was on site to make sure the party we spent months planning would be properly executed.
Once again, I was sent to get someone. This time, that someone actually was Matt Groening. When I found him in the crowd of people he was busy talking to a small group of people. I waited politely for a break in the conversation so I could tell him that the press was ready to speak with him in a room that had been set up for that purpose. Eventually he noticed me. He asked me to hand him my access pass (a laminated card hanging around my neck to allow me into secure areas.) I wasn’t sure why he wanted it but I did as I was told. He proceeded to draw a picture of Bart Simpson, signed his name underneath and handed it back to me expecting me to go on my merry way. Awkwardly I had to explain to him that I wasn’t there for an autograph.
Judd Nelson
In the year 2000 I began work doing marketing and events for The Key Club on the Sunset Strip. I had been to The Strip prior to that to check it out but it wasn’t until then that I really began hanging out there. Soon I felt right at home at the mecca of rock n roll and haven for musicians, the Rainbow Bar & Grill (not the Rainbow Room, that is in New York.)
While I met many famous people and tons of characters there in general, one funny story always springs to mind. I met Judd Nelson there on a couple of occasions. The first time, we bonded over the fact that we were both Jewish. We got wasted and sang Hebrew songs together. I ended up inviting him to my upcoming birthday party. He said “I’m coming and I’m going to buy you a meaningful present. I’m going to buy you a book!”
Judd didn’t end up attending my birthday party but when I ran into him at the Rainbow the next time he invited my friends and I, including my then-boyfriend Bullet, to his home for an after hours party. “But you will have to use the upstairs bathroom as the downstairs toilet is broken…” he informed us. I don’t remember why Bullet and I didn’t end up going to Judd’s house that night (we probably got in a fight and went home) but I do remember hearing that a certain girl I knew hooked up with him that night in his car in the Rainbow parking lot.
Sebastian Bach
Actually, the thought of my ex-boyfriend Bullet and the Rainbow Bar & Grill reminds me of another funny incident. It wasn’t as funny at the time but it is now. The Rainbow had just closed for the night and kicked all of its highly intoxicated patrons out until the following day. Bullet and I stumbled across the street to the 9000 Building to search for his car where we would probably argue about who could drive his white Trans Am until one of us was actually sober enough to do so. Before we made it to the car, Bullet had made a new friend. A male friend with long blonde hair and, quite frankly, the dreaded “midlife spread.” They were hugging each other in that “I love you man” kind of way and singing songs by Skid Row. I looked a little closer and noticed that Bullet’s new BFF was actually Sebastian Bach, the singer of Skid Row. I let them have their moment for a little while but after a couple of songs I was tired and starting to get cold. I just wanted to go home. I crossed my arms across my chest and began looking at my watch and giving the annoyed girlfriend look to the guys. It was in that moment that I noticed that behind Sebastian stood another girl doing the exact same thing. Sebastian’s now-ex wife wanted to go home as well.
David Draiman
Once again at the Rainbow Bar & Grill for a friend’s birthday party. We turned two tables sideways and pushed them together to make room for everyone who joined us. It was quite a group. Somehow David Draiman from Disturbed, huge lip rings and all, ended up at the table with us. I handed him my camera and he managed to get a few good pictures of the birthday girl and I. From what I remember he seemed like a truly down to earth, nice guy. David, wherever you are thanks for the pics. 😉
Chester Bennington
A similar thing happened in Arizona with Chester Bennington. I went to Phoenix to see the NINJA Tour with my friend Shelly. The tour was Nine Inch Nails, Janes Addiction and Tom Morello’s side-project Street Sweeper Social Club. Tom Morello had put us on the list so we had amazing seats. The seats happened to be right next to Chester who was there with two of his kids. He asked Shelly to take a picture of him with his kids. Then I asked him to take a picture of Shelly and I. I didn’t ask him to be in it as I let him have his privacy. He was a super nice guy and it is a shame that we lost him so soon. At least I can look at the picture (that he is not in) and smile at a nice memory.
Tori Spelling
I’m going to preface this one by saying that we were both very young and going through that time of our lives known as our 20’s…
Wednesday nights at the Opium Den in East Hollywood were *the* place to be in the mid to late 90’s. This is back when the area was still desolate and the only light came from the one bulb over the door where the bouncer stood. We made friends with him one night when a friend of mine and I got chased by a bum trying to walk from the car to the front door of the club.
Inside the club on any given Wednesday you could find the cast of pretty much every Fox television show at the time (Party of Five, 90210…), a bunch of Hollywood elite and even a very young Leonardo DiCaprio. The vibe was really great though, not pretentious at all. Everyone would get wasted and dance to live bands and DJs all night.
One particular night Tori Spelling ended up in line in the bathroom behind me. She was even more drunk than I was at that point. She kept looking at me and then looking at herself. Mostly at our breasts. I’m pretty sure she was comparing hers to mine. Funny because I was always pretty flat-chested. So much so that I used the fact that I was also very skinny to my advantage by pulling off the then-popular “heroine-chic” look instead of getting implants. If size was important, Tori’s current boob job won hands down. I don’t know what it is about girls at bathroom mirrors but sometimes it can become pretty competitive. Now whenever I watch reruns of 90210 I can’t help but smile remembering. Not because I have a problem with her but because we shared a funny moment so very long ago.
Michelle Phillips
I met Michelle Phillips (from the Mama’s and the Papa’s for those who would otherwise have to Google her) at the bar of a Beverly Hills restaurant. It was owned by my then-boyfriend Matt’s roommate and childhood friend. She was there to watch her friend who was performing in a band there that night. I was there because it was a fun place to hang out, had amazing food from executive chef Keith Silverton and attracted the likes of Carrie Fisher and Jeff Lynne from Electric Light Orchestra.
Michelle and I drank a whole bunch of wine and got to talking. Somehow we ended up talking about her career. While the night is blurry in my memory, I know she said something to the effect of not feeling relevant anymore. I, lacking the state of mind to come up with something better, blurted out “oh no your an icon!” She laughed and said “well I don’t think I am an icon…” Then we drank more wine.
