Yes, I’m stuck in the past. I don’t even know half the names of today’s celebrities.

I did take a ballroom dance class at the community college I attended in Orlando, FL, and Howie, from the Backstreet boys was in my class. This was before they became known all over. We participated in the same dance competition, though we weren’t partnered together. He was very good. And a really nice guy. I ran into him a few times afterwards, and he gave me his phone number, but sometime after the band became famous, he changed his number to an unlisted one and I never ran into him again.

I’ve met a famous Portuguese singer, Jorge Fereirra. When I was a teenager (living in CT), he and his band used to play often at the local Portuguese restaurant and I always went. I had several cassettes signed by him too.

That’s it for celebrities and me…Unless you count my cousin. She was once Miss Southern New England.

Debbie

I met Tommy Shaw, the guitarist for the rock band, Styx, back when I was in college. (This was the night of the infamous red leather miniskirt.) I might have gotten his autograph, but I know I got a kiss. On the cheek.

I met Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) after he appeared in The Nerd on Broadway. He was brilliant…as was Peter Reigert, who was also in the play. (He was in Animal House). We met him before the show and then afterward, he stopped by our table at Sardi’s to ask if we liked the show. We (my friend and I) were all of twenty-one, so I think we looked particularly cute. He was really nice.

I met Oprah Winfrey once, too…sort of. I was in a coffee shop in Chicago early one Sunday morning when a black woman with no make up, a hat and sunglasses came in and got herself a coffee. She was right next to me, putting cream and sweetener in her cup, when I realized who she was. I was with a friend who would have gone nuts and made a big scene, so I very quietly whispered to her, “Excuse me, but I just wanted to say I love your show.” She smiled and said a very quiet thanks. When she left, I saw she’d been driving a very hot red sports car and the valet outside the hotel next door was watching it for her. She was in and out in five minutes. My friend was so mad at me! But he would have embarrassed her and caused a scene. I know this because he did it when he went to the Superbowl with my husband and they met Tony Randall in the hotel lobby.

I hope Oprah was grateful!

Alison, thanks so much for blogging today. Great topic!!!

I have had a few celebrity encounters. Particularly when staking out stage doors in NYC. Met Bernadette Peters after seeing her in Gypsy (she was wonderful. Brooke Shields was also sitting nearby that night!) Met Hugh Jackman after seeing him in Boy From Oz (YUM!) Also met John Lithgow after Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Sat right in front of Gary Cole at Wicked, and after that show my family met Idina Menzel & Taye Diggs. My kids also met most of the cast of Spamalot, including Tim Curry (love him!)

I love New York.

Hubby used to see celebs at the space center when we lived in Florida. They filmed scenes from Space Cowboys right on his floor and he was in the bathroom with Tommy Lee Jones and watched Clint Eastwood & James Garner during filming. And they were right down the hall doing Armageddon and he was joking around with Ben Affleck and Bruce Willis! (Demi Moore and her kids were there with him when he was making that movie and all of them ended up at a Cocoa Beach church carnival, making all kinds of local headlines!)

I also confess to being star-struck when meeting some of my fave authors including Linda Lael Miller and Jayne Anne Krentz. Wow!