2.28.2006

The part where I talk about living near Movieland, USA

I was talking to someone the other day and commenting that it's interesting to live in this area because almost everyone you meet is related to or has met someone who's famous. So you start collecting these interesting stories about the famous and their behavior. Some of the best stories I ever heard were from a friend who worked as a personal shopper at Fred Segal. If you read any celeb rags at all, you know that the rich and famous practically LIVE at Fred Segal. My friend was the guy who used to gather up clothes he thought particular people would like and take them to their houses for the people to check out. He had interesting things to say about the Pitt/Aniston house, and also about Winona Ryder, Minnie Driver, etc.

So anyway, here are my few stories about the famous and infamous that I've met around here. Starting with the biggest.

--When I was 14 Arnold Schwarze....you know, the governor, was directing a movie called Christmas in Connecticut. They were using a Friends church in Arcadia for some of the scenes, and my dad took me up to watch the filming. We ended up being extras in the movie, and I got Arnold's autograph. He's short.
--My friend Elisa went to USC, and I visited her at her dorm once. She shared a suite with that kid from Growing Pains, the blonde one. Jeremy something. He wandered in when we were hanging out and seemed pretty cool.
--I have a great uncle who has an Oscar, earned for sound editting on Star Wars.
--Nathan and I happened to be hanging out at the Kodak Pavillion in Hollywood the night that Freaky Friday opened across the street at the El Capitan and Lindsay Lohan was escorted past us as she fled the paparazzi.
--I was shopping in Santa Monica one day and in one of the shops I saw Chad Lowe, who used to play Jesse on Life Goes On, but is really most famous for being married to Hilary Swank. He saw me recognize him and gave me a look like, "Please don't blow my cover." So I didn't.
--And the numerous friends over the years who have been in commercials.

So I haven't REALLY gotten to meet anyone super famous. But living around here is fun because there's always the possibility that you might. And one of my favorite things is running across movie sets around town. People film on Greenleaf in Uptown Whittier a lot, and on Third Street in Santa Monica. The best one I've seen was a night in Whittier when they were filming Father of the Bride 2, the scene where they're driving to the hospital. They had Steve Martin, Diane Keaton, Martin Short, Kimberly Williams, and that Culkin kid stuffed in an SUV on the back of a flatbed truck and were driving up and down Greenleaf over and over and over...

So, what famous people have y'all met? I want your stories to add to the collection....

P.S. Oh, and my grandma dated Mickey Rooney back in the 30s. Pretty cool, huh?

3 comments:

the cowells said...

I met Kareem Abdul Jabar ?Sp? at the supermarket in Hawaii. He seemed drunk and was smoking a cigar, but you could see his head over the top of the aisles. I was eight.
I met Kobe Bryant's wife when I worked at A Pea in the Pod. She seemed really nice, although I have heard she is not. Poor thing needed a formal gown when she was, like, eight months pregnant.

Kristy said...

I think I'd be pretty grumpy too if I were married to Kobe Bryant. And I think at 8 months pregnant I'd probably give up and just wear a sheet and try to make some kind of toga statement.

Barbara said...

I don't think you don't want to hear my famous people stories again. (cough*Britishroyalty*cough)

Remember Paul's roll question of "Who's the most famous person you've ever met?" I think that was my favorite late-to-class moment--waltzing in and answering "Queen Elizabeth" in all seriousness.