RKMBs Forums .::Robegories::. Comic Books Legion Fans' Celebrity Encounters

Beardguy's hilarious run-in with Rip Taylor (details on the "Coming Out with the Legion" thread) made me think that perhaps there are others of us who may have celebrity encounters to share. They don't have to be gay-oriented so all of you lovely hets out there please feel free to join in.

Here's mine:

In 1992 I heard that a video was being shot in Toronto that was going to be aired on the next World Aids Awareness day. They were looking for volunteers to be in the video. I didn't have any background in music or theatre but I wanted to do something, having just lost a close friend to the illness. Anyway, with absolutely no experience I went down to the, aptly named, cattle-call
expecting to see tons of other gay guys in the line-up. Nope, by far the biggest representative group were little girls and their stage mothers (waiting for their moment to scream "sing out Louise".)
After a few hours wait, where we were all literally shoulder to shoulder in this tight hallway, some guys waded into the crowd and starting picking people they liked at random. "Pick me, pick me, pick me", I was repeating to myself over and over again when I heard "you in the vest come with us". From then on the second-hand Armani vest I had picked up for $2 at a yard sale would forever be known as "my lucky vest".
We were then asked to fill out a quick resume (sadly, kaorake was my only brush with showbiz) and have our picture taken. We were then ushered into a room in groups of 10 where we were to meet the director and star of the video...
Liza Minnelli!!!
She said a few words, introduced the rest of the judging panel, who had us follow a few rudimentary dance steps. As we were doing so, I noticed Miss Minnelli had left the podium and was wandering around the room. Suddenly I felt her presence extremely close by, staring at me intently. My instincts told me, "whatever you do don't look at her, she is testing you to see if you
can remain focused". She returned to the podium and we were all ushered out. A few weeks later I got the call - I was going to be in the video. We shot it a week or so later and to my surprise my late friend's mother had also been picked (I didn't even know she had auditioned). The video came out in December '92 - here was my big moment of fame. I purchased the video, threw it in the VCR and tried to spot myself - I never really did, but I think I recognized the candle I was holding - in the dark - way in the back.

When I was a kid, my sister was married to a professional wrestler named Mike Davis. He wasn't anyone famous especially, but he worked mostly as a babyface in various promotions in the Southeast from the late 70's up til sometime after he and my sister divorced. His closest brush with fame was as a member of a tag team called the "Rock and Roll R.P.M.s," I kid you not.

Anyway, at one point they lived in Charlotte, NC working in NC and SC back in the days of the old N.W.A. I got to meet a lot of the guys who were around back then, but the biggest thing was that one summer when I was staying with them I went with Mike to a tv taping. I was sitting there enjoying the show, when Mike calls me over during a break in the taping. The next thing I know, I was on camera with Mike and none other than Rowdy Roddy Piper! They were promoting a charity event for some kind of sick kids. Piper talks about it a little bit, grabs me by the arm, pulls me in front of him and says something like "this kid here's all right... okay kid," shoves me back behind him and keeps on with his spiel. I was like a deer in headlights the whole time, chewing gum with my mouth practically open.

The whole thing was broadcast for all to see. We taped it at the time, but I have no earthly idea whatever happened to it.

Liza Minelli and Rowdy Roddy Piper, together at last. Only on the Legion board!

My husband met Benji (the movie dog) once. They were filming in Old Montreal, where he had a store. There were actually 4 Benjis. My brush with fame, once removed.

Just you wait. Lash is gonna show up and declare himself the writer of the Liza/Roddy/Benji teamup/crossover with the Legion of Super-pets.

Well i think most of you know i met Olivier Coipel last year, which was very cool !!!

i've also met David and Victoria Beckham [ again last year ]

and i was sat next to David Charvet [ 'Baywatch' ] in a hotel, once ....

i'm sure there are some others, let me have a think !!!

Matthew.

I went to school with the frontman for WEEZER. He goes by Rivers Cuomo or somesuch now, but I knew him as Peter Kitts. He was a year ahead of me and I didn't know him really well, but I was friends with his brother Jim.

Horschack from Welcome Back, Kotter was a drama student at UConn, and has returned in theater productions from time to time.

Paul Newman runs the Hole-In-The-Wall Gang Camp in town, for seriously or terminally ill kids. I've seen him and his wife (and their limo ) around town.

DC's own Keith Champagne frequented my old CBS, and I had the pleasure of getting pointers from him, and just chatting.

Actually, meeting Rip wasn't my only
celebrity encounter.

Around Spring of 1983, the movie "Witness"
was being filmed. There were several scenes
filmed right here in Philadelphia.

I was walking home from Center City, Phila.,
one warmish afternoon. The sneakers I was
wearing were from a friend and they hurt my
feet.

I sat down at 30 th street station, next to
a woman dressed like an amish lady.

I saw a kid, whom I assumed to be hers, at
a nearby water fountain. He was playing with
the water as it came out.

" Looks like someone's discovered a new toy.",
I commented.

" Yes.", the womam said, quite reserved.

IT was about then I looked across the station and saw a TV camera.

" Oh," I said, " They must be making a film about the Amish. ", I stated, worried I had messed up their film.

" You could say that. " The woman said politely.

We chatted a bit more, then I got up and said goodbye to her. She was quite pleasant!

About a year later, I went to see the newly released movie, " Witness". I went alone.

I was surprised to see that I was IN the movie, and the woman I had had a pleasant chat with was
Kelly McGillis!!!!

You can see me in the movie, for about 8 seconds.
I'm next to Kelly, on her left. I had dark brown hair partway over my ears, glasses, a beard, a big jacket in my lap, and my legs are crossed, in a very nelly fashion, of course. ( You can see the crummy sneakers I wore for that day only...Hmmm, I had to rest my feet because of them, and got in the movie..Lucky break! )

They cut all my talking out. But there I am, in the scene when the amish kid ( Forgot who he was. ) was playing at the water fountain at 30 th street station.

Another brush with fame for me. :)

I know Paul Westerberg

I lived by one of the Real World houses during the filming of the show... and when the housemates were away, I snuck (well, I didn't really need to sneak; there was no security or anything) up to one of the windows and took a look inside. It was pretty weird seeing the same furniture, etc. on TV a little later. Also, the outside of the house had floodlights and other equipment all over, so it was pretty obvious to anyone who lived nearby that something was being filmed there... I also ran into some of the housemates at the local movie theater -- the camera crews even followed them into the bathroom!

Hey Stu... which cast???

And thanks, cuz this is a perfect segue to plug my The Real World: Legion Season game! Get the heck over there and vote, damn it!!!

:)

My brush with fame was getting to interview former Jefferson Airplane drummer Spencer Dryden for a JA/S website. His ex-wife, now a lawyer, read my bio of him and contacted me. One of the stories I had included in the bio was not quite true, she said. She even made a veiled threat of legal action -- and believe me, you've not lived until you've had a lawyer threaten you over something you've written!

Anyway, I smoothed it over with her and removed the offending material. She was actually pretty nice -- I guess she thought I was just some hack capitalizing on the JA story (not true; we're just fans who did the site for fun). She mentioned that she was still in contact with Spencer, so I casually asked if I could interview him. She said she would ask him and, a day or so later, responded with his phone number and e-mail address!

Spencer was quite a nice guy. He had surfed our site and had some positive things to say about it, especially about my "deep" biographies of all the band members. We chatted for about an hour -- I would have gone on longer, phone bill be damned! But, finally, he told me to send him an e-mail and we would continue the interview online. I did, but he never responded.

Oh, well ... what he did tell me was quite insightful, and it was an honor to get to interview him.

Oh yeah, I also urinated next to Aidan Quinn once.

He wasn't all that -- not that I was looking or anything...

Of course not.

I met X Men writer Chris Clairemont at a comic book convention around March or April 1983.

I was about 25 at the time. I wanted him to look at a Legion of Superheroes story that I'd written and drawn. I know my Artwork is nowhere near approaching professional standards, which he told me.

I really wanted an appraisal of my writing skills.

He red a page or two of my story, in which the Levitz era Legion had gone to another planet, and encountered a billion year old giant robot, which after a fight, remembered it's programming and informed them that his race had planted a Time Bomb in our sun, due to go off shortly after when humans from Earth found the robot.

The robot then evolved into an energy form, and disappeared before it could tell the LSH any more.
After the Robot left, the planet started to implode. The LSH tried full power in their Legion Starship to break away, but it took Wildfire's joining his Anti energy with the ships' engines to break away.

The LSH, about 9 members, met with five other members. The 9 on the mission were: Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Blok, Karate Kid, Princess Projectra, Brainiac 5, Wildfire, Colossal Boy and Ultra Boy. The 5 who joined them were Dawnstar, Starboy, Sunboy, Shrinking Violet, and Laser Girl, the last one I created..She could fire Laser beams and fly and walk through glass or other reflective surfaces.

Well, back to the story - The LSH members, all 14 of them, must travel to faraway Galaxy M31, to ask the alien race - Known as the Majars - to dis arm the bomb in Earth's sun.

They encountered black holes, super villians, and Wildfire's losing his powers and becoming human again..( This, due to exposure to the Black hole. ).... Well, They DO find the race, and have to fight THEIR CHampions to prove worthy enough to have the Bomb disarmed.

Oh, Yeah, in MY Legion stories>? Chemical King and Invisable Kid 1 do not die, and we learn that it was Andrew Nolans' twin brother, Douglas, who died to save the galaxy, not Andrew, so there WAS a Ferro Lad in the LSH, as well as some members I'd created.

And THESE Members and the rest of the LSH had to contend with The Fatal Five while the bulk of the teams' power was off on that mission!!!

To finish the Chris Clairemont Meeting : I asked what he thought of my story.

" It's Ok. " He said, as he handed it back to me and walked off.

I was crushed and pissed for a while after, though 20 years later, I laugh at this encounter.

I never finished the story I was telling you about. Any requests for the conclusion??

I saw Richard Nixon from about 50 feet away, at a campaign rally, in 1968. I've since known all the Libertarian Party presidential nominees since 1972, which was much more enjoyable!

I was about 25 feet away from Barbra Streisand at one of her New York concerts (the ducat was worth $350), in 1994. On that same New York trip: Linda Lavin, Tony Roberts, and (Ms.) Michael Learned on stage in "The Sisters Rosenzweig."

At various events I've met SF authors James Hogan and Larry Niven. Donald Harington, a 35-year author of superb novels based in his native Arkansas, is one of my closest friends.

I've run into both Roger Ebert (whom I resemble when I wear a pullover sweater) and the late Gene Siskel at the McDonald's equidistant from their newspapers in Chicago. Three flights down, late famed columnist Mike Royko, at the Billy Goat Tavern (evoked by John Belushi: "Chizborger chizborger chizborger! No Pepsi! Coke!").

At film-festival and comics events, I've met Frank Capra, George Cukor, Eva Marie Saint, Bob Gale, and Mark Hamill. Other comics pros: Jim Janes, Jeff Moy, and J.H. Williams and Mick Gray ("Promethea").

The director of the animated "Antz," Tim Johnson, was a dorm-mate and cartoon illustrator of my residential-college newsletter stories at Northwestern University. Where I quickly met Charlton Heston and Garry Marshall, fellow Wildcat alums and Homecoming parade marshals.

And that's about it!

Years ago, I met Sandra Bernhard at a book signing. I gave her a caricature I had drawn of her and Madonna as they looked when they appeared on the David Letterman show together. She was pretty pleased with the picture. I had two copies of the drawing, one to leave with her, and one to have autographed. A couple years after that, I saw her live show. I went to a nearby dance club afterwards(with friends) and saw her there, dancing. I went up to her and reminded her about the drawing. She said, "I still have it."

Similarly, I went to see (pop star) Jody Watley at some record store or another. The crowd was too intense, and I didn't think I'd get to really meet her. However, again, I had two copies of a caricature I drew of her. I had the security guard give her one. She looked delighted. I waved my copy at her, and she told the guard to let me closer. She autographed my copy and we exchanged compliments. Naturally, she was cool and pleasant, I was boyishly fannish and geeky.

Seems as if celebrities like it when you give them a drawing of themselves.

A few years ago, I got to wait on Jerry Lewis (in the fancy restaurant where I work). I was silly (egotistical?) enough to be worried that he wouldn't like me because my name is Dean! Anyway, he was with about 5 other people, and I was trying to give perfect service. They were eating their salad course, and I kept walking by to see if they were done, so I could serve their entrees. Jerry was telling lots of stories, so he hadn't been working on the salad. I walked by (again) and he made a hysterical, very Jerry Lewis goofy face, and pretended to chew super fast. I thought that was very generous of him. I never asked for an autograph or anything. Their dinner went flawlessly, and his manager paid. She was a good tipper, fyi.

Other celebrity sightings where I work...

Lauren Bacall told her (female) server not to call her and her (female) dinner companion "ladies."

Tanya Tucker sent back the calamari because it was too greasy. She was right, though it isn't normally. Just that day, when a *celebrity* had to come in and order it!

Pamela Anderson dined there in a large group, but all I did was walk by and gawk.

My manager spilled white wine (thank God it wasn't red) all over Senator Patty Murray. He was funny, he said, "Would it help you to know I voted for you?"

I'm sure there are other celebrity sightings at the restaurant, but I'm drawing a blank now...

One more brush with celebrity was seeing Madonna live in concert in 1985. I was in the 10th row.


Um, one more brush with celebrity was touching Robert Smith's shoe at a Cure conert.

Dean!!! Welcome to the Rob-ian zoo!

The artist who illustrated a story I wrote (as an LMBP OneVision cover) even before I could ask him to do so, that's the kind of mensch he is ...



... if you like this, click on it for a larger version

Working on Oxford St in London you get to see quite a few celebs. My favourite is seeing Tom Baker in a pub. I was too in awe of him to talk to him though.

i met the members of QUEENSRYCHE, autograph session and i was asked what i thought of dancing, i said it was gay unless your walzing with the honey.

Oh yeah, I went to high school with one of the actors on "The Shield," Walt Goggins. I remember him as kind of a pretty boy type, but I couldn't say whether we actually knew each other. We were in different cliques, plus it was almost 15 years ago and my memories aren't what they used to be.

I also work with Roger Ebert's niece by marriage, so that's a encounter by proxy. She's a nice lady and she say's he's a good guy too!

And I shook hands with then-Mayor of Atlanta Maynard Jackson when he was campaigning at the MARTA station I was at. I didn't tell him I was from the sticks and couldn't vote for mayor.

I went to high school with Jesse Martin from Law & Order and folk-rock singer Ani DiFranco.

Got drunk once with Goo Goo Dolls bassist Robby Takak.

I was the crew chief for the concert board in college and got to "roadie" for a bunch of bands, including the Ramones, Marilyn Manson and the Smithereens.

That's about all I can think of at the moment.

The closest I ever came to a celebrity encounter (besides meeting people after concerts) was my mother's cousin was married to the cousin of one of the members of the group Boston.

Hmmm... I guess that's kinda like being friends with the sister of the girl that does the hair of the gardener at the house of that actress

oh yeah
i met majel barret rodenberry
robin curtis(savvik from star trek 3)
and that girl from red dwarf

Stuey: Because you demanded it!!!!

The Conclusion of the Legion Story that I never finished!!

Before that, I asked Rob to put a Prince Planet Avatar up for me...and He did, and Now I have Prince Planet!!!! Go to the site Below to learm about Prince Planet:

http://www.8thman.com/vanpp.htm


Now, the Conclusion of : Race to save Earth!

The Fatal Five have attacked the 30 th century White House!

President Jones - He is not the first Black President of Earth, but IS the first black GAY president...Has been kidnapped by the Fatal Five! The Legion is called in to rescue him.

Roll Call : Mon - El, Phantom Girl, Cosmic Boy, Chameleon Boy, Polar Boy, Devlin ( The Kid who can reflect energy/Magic attacks from TMK era Lsh. ), Supergirl ( Yes!!! Kara Zor - El!! ), Superboy ( Kal - El, NOT Clone - El. ), Dream Girl, The White Witch, Ferro Lad, Invisible Kid 1 and Chemical King Take off to find President Jones!

Duo Damsel, Bouncing Boy, Matter Eater Lad, Comet Queen and Power Boy ( Jed Rikane ) are left to watch the clubhouse.

Invisible kid is a master at spying..Thru some paid snitches, he learns WHERE Earth President Jones is being held captive. The LSH Hits the Fatal Five's hide out with a 2 prong assault. Phantom Girl, Chameleon Boy and Invisible Kid free President Jones, then the Other Legionairres launch a frontal assault once he is safely away.

Superboy, Mon - El, and Supergirl smash through the hide out's solid steel doors easily. Chemical King uses his power to cause a steel wall to age so fast it actually bursts into flames, allowing he and the other Legionaires to enter the building from the side.

Tharok orders Validus to kill the Three super youths, but the 3 spread out, keeping the other 4 Fatal Five members between them and the huge monster. Ferro Lad takes on Persuader. Devlin, with his attack reflecting abilities takes on The Emerald Empress, who orders the Emerald Eye of Ekron to incinerate him, but the attack backfires once it hits the youth from Ireland, and both she and the Eye are out of the battle. Tharok grabs and threatens to kill Dream Girl, but the gutsy Naltorian knees him in..a sensitive spot. Ouch!
Tharok is down for the count.

The White Witch puts a spell on Mano that slows him down enough for Polar Boy to Freeze all but his hand, which kept away from the ice to ensure he doesn't melt his way free.

Cosmic Boy uses his Magnetic power to tie Persuader up with a few tons of solid steel after Ferro Lad stunned him with many blows from his super strong iron fists.

Mon - El , Supergirl and Superboy ram into Validus at super speed, clobbering the mighty behemoth.

The Science Police arrive to take the Five away to Ultra Secure holding cells.


Meanwhile, the OTHER 14 Legion Members are off on that mission to save Earth's Sun from exploding.

They head off to Galaxy M - 31, not knowing WHO or WHAT they will find when they get there.

To be Continued!!

I met a relative of the Dupont's ( A brother of a sister who married into the family. )

He gave me a ride in a 1950's Rolls Royce back in December of 1982. I love old cars, and it was my first ride in such a beautiful vehicle.

Also -

I was about 7 years old. It was 1964. Local Philadelphia Celebrity, Sally Star, who hosted a cartoon show on weekdays, was at a movie theater to meet kids and sign autographs.

I was too shy to talk to her, but she did walk right by me.

My best friend is a former ECW wrestler...
His name was Harbinger.

I guess I was lucky to have had all these
encounters with famous/semi famous people.

In many ways, I have done ok for a guy who
will be 50 in a few more years.

I re read you others encounters with Celebs..
Archangel Paulius, don't feel bad that you couldn't approach Tom Baker..I would not have known what to say to him, either.... Maybe I might've managed " Hi. ", had I had plenty of sleep the night before!( But not much more than that! )

He Who wanders - Wow! The Drummer For The Airplane! Cool! Love the Airplane!

Greybird - You met Larry Niven? Wow! I had always wanted to meet Robert Heinlein, he is my VERY favorite author..but he's been gone for many years now.... : ( You met Mark Hamill??? Awesome!

Deanlegion, waiting on Jerry Lewis musta been great! I saw him on tv recently, he looked pretty good, too.

I've met a bunch of celebs, mostly at cons. The most "direct" encounter, though, was when I almost knocked Ray Bradbury down a flight of steps.

I got autographs from James Doohan and Grace Lee Whitney at a Star Trek con in '79. I wanted to impress Doohan with my impersonation of his Scottish accent, but, when it was my turn to meet him, I froze up. Didn't say a word. (Probably a good thing, in retrospect. )

Comics celebs I've met have included Dave Cockrum, Steve Lightle, Steve Englehart, Marv Wolfman and Mark Waid. Like Beardguy, I was hoping for critique of my work, so I asked the latter three to look at a script I'd written:

-- Mark Waid said he would, took the script, and never got back to me.

-- Marv Wolfman refused, saying he didn't do critiques. (I respect him for that. Better to be up front with a fan than never get back to him. )

-- Steve Englehart took my script and responded with a short critique within a month! Recently, I went up to him at a con and thanked him. He remembered the script and invited me to send him the completed issue when done! (Which, at this rate, will probably be next millenium. But that's another story.)

John Randle (he was a tackle for the Minnesota Vikings then) stayed at the hotel I was a security guard at during the first Broncos/Packers Super Bowl in San Diego back in the 90's. Anyway, housekeeping left at midnight every night so it was up to the security guards to answer noise complaints, bring extra towels to rooms, help with luggage for anyone checking in late, etc, etc, etc. Well, it was also our job to bring a plunger to a room if the toilets mal-functioned/over-flowed. (I have no idea why they just didn't leave a plunger in each room--- is plunger theft really that big a deal in luxory hotels? ) Okay, at about 1:30 a.m. I get a call from the night auditor on my walkie-talkie telling me to take a plunger to room 205. So I get a plunger from storage and head up to room 205 and knock on the door. The door swings open and ta-DAH! my 2nd favorite Viking (I was still a huge Vikings fan at that time, so this was a pretty big deal to me) opens the door. I say, "Hello, Mr. Randle. I've got your plunger, sir." I then reach the plunger toward him. He scratches his head and kind of smiles, but he doesn't accept the plunger I'm offering him. We both are kind of standing there for a few seconds, and then he steps back from the door and motions toward the bathroom. Well, my mommy didn't raise any dummies so I deduce with my lightning quick mind that he wants ME to plunge his toilet for him. So I head into the bathroom and survey the damage with my trusty plunger in hand. And Egad! Ladies and gentlemen, the sight that greeted me was not a pretty one: that toilet was filled to the top and over-flowing with poo! Mega-POO! 300 + pound NFL all-star Tackle poo! And just let me add this and I'll say no more on the grisly matter: Mr. Randle appeared to have enjoyed a very high-fiber diet back in the mid to late 90's. After accomplishing my plunging duties I went back and told the night auditor about my harrowing brush with sports celebrity--- we howled our asses off for about ten minutes straight and then went to the laundry room to enjoy a couple of doobies he had found in the room of a life insurance salesman the night before. Ahhh, those were the days...

that's a funny one

You're too kind, Mr. Googoo.

Ewwwwww!!! Gross toilet!!

Poo with Sequins??? Whatta concept!!


:lol: