Encounters With Celebrities/Benicio Del Toro

I was sitting on a bench that was in front of the Mercer Hotel which is on Mercer Street in New York City so that I could rest my feet when I see a man who is sitting in this Lincoln Town car. I instantly recognized him because Benicio Del Toro has a distinctive face but what was funny was that he was looking at me too. What was also funny was the way he was looking at me... as if he was concentrating on my face. Isn't that funny? One of my favorite movies that featured him is Traffic. It's about drugs and cops in Mexico.

I didn't want to say anything to him while he was looking at me because I just wasn't in the mood but I guess that I could've. I guess that it was another encounter that would be similar to Lauryn Hill's encounter... and I do catch people while they are staring at me from time to time. It doesn't bother me but what I find funny is the fact that some girls seem annoyed when I'm staring at them. I'll always look at a woman if I find her attractive. I'll look at her body from the front to the back and from head to toe...... know what I'm sayin'?

Encounters With Celebrities/Elliot Smith And Rick Allen Of Def Leppard

Yes... you read it right... I've had encounters with members of Def Leppard...... but on two separate occasions! Rock stars seem to like Santa Monica because I've met or have seen a lot of them there.... maybe it's because they were on their way to Malibu. I was sitting on a bench in Santa Monica that was along side a street on Santa Monica Boulevard when I met Joe Elliot.

He's the lead singer and was driving a gorgeous metallic-colored Ferrari convertible.... which is what I would be driving if I had that kind of money.... but what struck me as odd was the fact that some dude was sitting in the passenger seat with him. He looked kind of gay... perhaps like a twink... but with a beard. Joe Elliot looked at me and I was looking at the both of them while trying to sum things up.... because it was kind of weird. I guess that rock stars have their quirks... I mean... they have to... since they lead such interesting lives.

The other member of Def Leppard was Rick Allen. He had an unfortunate motorcycle accident ....a few years back...that left him with just one arm and it's amazing that he can still play the drums! They designed a special drum kit for him that would allow him to use the snare drum... but I don't know how he does it. I met him on Wishire Boulevard in Santa Monica when he was with his girlfriend and I think that his girlfriend plays guitar because she was carrying one. I can't imagine Rick Allen playing one.

Encounters With Celebrities/Howard Stern/Robin Quivers

Howard Stern always does things to the maximum.... so to speak... so a few years ago... he had a promotion for his new show. His idea was....uh.... to give a way...... ten.... thousand..... radios... of good quality...mind you...with one year of Sirius service... for free! Wow! It was all done in Union Square which is in New York City. I think that about 15,000 people showed up instead so not everyone got a radio but....... I got one! 

It was a fantastic radio and I absolutely love Sirius... which is now SiriusXm. I didn't like Xm radio for some reason. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the different channels that were available. The encounter only lasted for about two minutes and I was grateful for receiving such a gift.... how generous of him... but the actual reason why I showed up to get the radio was because.... I absolutely love his show! 

I've listened to his show every morning for a few years when he was on terrestrial radio.... how hilarious it is! I would simply laugh myself into a tizzy. The crowd was fairly tame despite the frenzy. It seemed like the give-a-way was organized well. Howard Stern stood on a stage and quipped with the crowd as his staff helped to hand out the radios. I'm sure that people were thankful and that the promotion garnered numerous subscriptions.... know what I'm sayin'?

Encounters With Celebrities/David Duchovny

I met him back a few years ago when he had just started doing Californication on HBO which they are filming all over Hollywood now. I needed a cup of coffee so I asked him for seventy-five cents and he said no! Ugh.... it sucks when people with money don't help out but I was mad for just a minute. Besides..... he wasn't obligated to help me out. He was with some guy and they were both waiting outside on a bench for a table. Can you believe that? What celebrity do you know who waits for a table? I'm not a celebrity and I wouldn't wait for a fucken table.... fuck that! I guess that he was pissed about waiting and maybe that's why he wouldn't give me seventy-five cents..... who knows. I got the coffee anyway.... so pooh!

Encounters With Celebrities/Ron Welty

Ron Welty was the drummer for the Offspring for a few years before starting his own band called Steady Ground after being booted by the other members of the Offspring. I've actually met all the members of the band when someone invited me to one of their concerts in San Francisco back when they were steaming hot. I got to meet them backstage after the show. The singer is tall and the show was fantastic.

Little did I know that I would be auditioning for Steady Ground a few years later. I got an email response to my craigslist.org ad that expressed their interest in bringing me in to audition but the audition went bust when I was attacked three weeks prior and left with a sprained knee. The song that I had to sing was alright but it was difficult to sing with all the pain that I was feeling which made me feel rather insecure in front of one of the biggest drummers in the world. The Offspring have sold millions of records.

I did not get to join the band called Steady Ground but I did get to meet the drummer. It was cool to stand in front of him as he pounded away on his drum set. I think back about that audition and think about the oddities of life. Part of the reason why I'm mentioning these encounters is because of how I think of life and happenstances of it. I just love it when two and two go together.

Encounters With Celebrities/Bryan Singer

This one happened in West Hollywood a few years back. I had a great night out and was leaving someone's apartment when I see a plant that's on the street without a pot. My first instinct is to rescue it so I pick it up while attempting to keep it intact. I make a pit stop at a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf cafe and sit down at an outside table with a cup of coffee as well as the plant to think about what I should do with the poor plant when I realize that Bryan Singer is one table away from me with his staff of people.

At first I want to go to his table to say hello but feel like it's not a good idea to disturb him so I just sit at the table with the plant and cup of coffee to listen in on the conversation instead. It was hard to hear anything and I kept on glancing at him so I guess that I kind of freaked him out. Here's a guy who can make someone famous overnight..... know what I mean? They love to watch people and if they see someone who they think that they can turn into a star.... then believe me.... they'll approach you. It's usually not a good idea to approach them. I get the impression that they don't appreciate that..... but some successful people in the industry have done exactly that.

I guess that the group of people at the other table were kind of curious about the plant since it didn't have  a pot and I kept on pouring water onto it to keep it from drying up. Bryan Singer finally got up to get into his car when I hear one of his staff telling him that he has a new stalker and I had no idea of what they were talking about but I guess that's how some of those industry type think. I then got up and took the plant over to a supermarket that sold plants to give it to them. I told them to take care of it. Isn't that nice?

Encounters With Celebrities/Brian May

This encounter occurred a few years ago in Book Soup after a book discussion and signing. The signing was over by the time I had arrived but I still got to meet Brian May.......... while he was haggling with the store's employees about getting paid for the sales from the books. How funny is that? He stands at about six feet and three inches. He's also thin or waif-like and he still has those long curls.

Brian May recently obtained a degree in astrophysics and is a chancellor for a university in England. How cool is that? Most musicians have a high I.Q. because it's not easy to play the guitar so a high I.Q. is basically essential to the musician. I love Queen's music but it took me a while to warm up to them and it is unfortunate that Freddy Mercury did die but the man did live his life to the fullest extent. I'm sure that the band was devastated by the death.

Encounters With Celebrities/Benjamin Bratt

I walked into a store called R.E.I. a few years ago that is located in Santa Monica and the first thing that I see is this tall man who was dressed in synthetic fibers so I asked him if he worked there. I then realized that the tall man was Benjamin Bratt! He looked a bit annoyed when I asked him the question so I then apologized after realizing who he was. He was with his wife and kids.

How funny is that? I've had funny encounters like that before and sometimes I like to just play around with people. I'll ask a guy who works for UPS if he likes working for Fed Ex and vice versa. People can be touchy so I'm careful at times when talking to people on the street because you never know but they just might blow off their top on you. Ouch! I certainly don't want to be attacked by some crazed person.

Encounters With Celebrities/Heidi Fleiss

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Encounters With Celebrities/Erykah Badu

This particular encounter was exciting because of the way that I approached her.... which was from behind. The minute that I saw the wrap on her head was when I knew that it was her. She was sitting at a bar in West Hollywood on Sunset Boulevard and having a drink with a friend. I walked in and saw her and placed my arms around her waist while whispering her name softly to her into her ear. She didn't resist because she didn't sense any danger. I didn't think twice about approaching her and walked away after giving her a hug from behind.

Maybe I should have stayed.... who knows what might have happened .....but I figured that the hug was good enough. I go to the Sunset Strip from time to time but it's not what it used to be. There's the Viper Room which was bought from Johnny Depp and it kind of sucks now. Back then was when the place was alive and well with drum and bass nights that were attended by a snazzy crowd while the nights are filled with indie crowds now. They just don't excite me because to me me they seem contrived.

That sounds harsh but it's true. I was kicked out of the House Of Blues that's on the Sunset Strip for head banging. Someone complained because they thought that it was out of place when there was a rock band playing and I was enjoying myself to the fullest extent. Why should I hold myself back? Those types of instances are the reasons why I won't go to the Sunset Strip anymore but it was cool back in the '90's... before the World Trade Center tragedy.

Everything has changed since that day but maybe things will go back to the way they were now that the Al Qaeda leader has been assassinated. It seems to me that people are content with that military action and they also seem relieved. Maybe it's the music scene that's being micro-managed and causing people to act guarded in public but who knows. All I know is that I got to meet Erykah Badu in a sensual way. How many people can do that?

Encounters With Celebrities/Oksana Grigorieva

I met Mel Gibson's former girlfriend in Hollywood in a Subway store. I didn't recognize her at first so my reaction was subtle but there was a reaction from me because of her beauty. She was constantly in the news at that time and was holding their baby while ordering a sandwich. I held the door open for her thus encountering her..... but I would pretty much hold the door for anybody.... if I'm in a good mood and I was on that day.

It wasn't until a few minutes afterwards when I did a double take and finally recognized who she was. My immediate thought was to take a photo so that I could make a couple of hundred or thousand dollars....no... just kidding..... my immediate thought was that of sympathy rather. It's always unfortunate when a union is broken between a man and a woman with the child in the middle. Their baby's arms must be stretched out like Gumby's by now because of the tug-a-war for him.... I think the baby is a boy but I'm not sure.

I'm a fan of Mel Gibson's work and especially so ever since he came out with The Passion Of The Christ which was an incredible movie that he made a rightfully so fortune out of. Oksana Grigorieva is a musician and singer so my guess is that her career was helped by Mel Gibson since one of her songs was produced by him. She's rather tall and beautiful. If I was Mel Gibson then I wouldn't have any other way.

Encounters With Celebrities/Stevie Wonder

I was just leaving a Whole Foods supermarket in Beverly Hills today when I saw a man who had long hair that was braided with another man who was holding Stevie Wonder's hand. I instantly recognized the music artist because of the hair. His appearance just made people stop what they were doing to admire the man who wrote songs like Castles In The Sky.

I restrained myself from approaching him because it looked as if Stevie Wonder and his assistant were concentrating on walking through the parking lot to get to their Range Rover but I stopped myself to watch. It was kind of like an event because it's not everyday that you see a guy like Stevie Wonder out in public. I would imagine that he doesn't venture out much because of his stature and his blindness. He's also probably busy either making music or producing it.

He will be performing in the Monte Carlo Sporting Summer Music Festival http://www.rttnews.com/Content/EntertainmentNews.aspx?Section=2&Id=1614584&SM=1 along with Janet Jackson and Sting. His latest album was released about two years ago.... although I didn't like it much. He performed with John Legend after Michael Jackson died and stopped for a minute to cry in response the the late artist's death.

I would've too if I had did a song with Michael Jackson. They both did one that was called Just Good Friends and it was released in the eighties. I remember watching them perform it on Don Cornelius's Soul Train show which aired on Saturday mornings.

Encounters With Celebrities/Andy Dick

Yup.... I've met him as well... and I'm sure that a lot of people have. He's quite the character. Maybe he should do a show that's similar to what Charlie Sheen is doing and take it on tour. He was recently arrested for public intoxication but when I met him was when he seemed fine.

It was a few years ago when I was in a bar called Trunks in West Hollywood. It's one of those run of the mill types of places where regulars go to drink and to play pool.... but..... it's also the place where Sheryl Crow wrote her first hit song called All I Wanna Do. I can see why she wrote that song back in the nineties.

The bar was about to close when in walks Andy Dick. He then sits down at the bar and orders drinks for everybody...... how generous! I hugged him from behind because of that gesture. How many celebrities can you hug from behind?! Not many! I sort of followed him after the bar closed to see what else that he was going to do. He was social and just got into a car that took off.

Encounters With Celebrities/Jerry Seinfeld- Shoshanna Lonstein

This was one of more stranger encounters that I've had. It happened in 1996... I think..... in front of a Noah's Bagels in West Hollywood on a sunny day. I saw a gray Porsche and for some reason knew that it was Jerry Seinfeld who was driving it.... I guess it was instinct or something..... maybe it's a gift of some sort.... who knows.

I then left the place before I could actually see Jerry Seinfeld but came back a few minutes later because I guess that I wanted to get something from the place.... their bagels are delicious. As I was walking into the cafe..... him and his then girlfriend were sitting at a table and gave me the strangest look. I didn't know what to do but I got the impression that they were having a good time. They both looked at me as if they admired the way I looked... or something....I can't necessarily describe the look but it was a funny one nevertheless.

It was interesting time back in those days and it was also a time when Seinfeld was on television and doing extraordinarily well. It was an excellent show and I pretty much got the humor most of the time but what made it funny was the fact that the characters were vulnerable. The creator of the show who is Larry David will be in the new Three Stooges movie and he is playing a nun! Jerry Seinfeld went on to create an advertising agency and also produced an animated film about bees.... which I liked.

The movie made me like bees! How about that? Have you ever had a bee fly into your eye before.... though? I have had one fly into mine.... not fun. Ironically...... the restaurant where Jerry Seinfeld proposed to his current wife is the same restaurant where I ended up getting a job a few years later! Now..... I just need a show on television and it needs to be syndicated.

Encounters With Celebrities/Fiona Apple

I used to work in a Gap store that's located in Century City. My job there was to simply stock and fold clothing. It was a much better company back then because they had a haberdashery section with beautiful loafers that were made in Italy and stuff like that..... beautiful stuff. I was doing my job one day when a beautiful girl and her friend walked by me so I said to the beautiful woman that she looked like a soap opera actress.

She looked at me and told me to go fuck myself....... just kidding. She looked at me and said that I look like a soap opera actor and then I just smiled at her. I didn't recognize her which was odd but I found out who she was when her friend mouthed it to me. She just whispered her friend's name as to not cause a stir in the store. Lord only knows that had she said it out loud then it would've caused a riot.....not!

Another odd thing was that one of Fiona Apple's songs was playing in the store..... she might have come into the store for that reason but I doubt it because she seemed to be attracted to me and that was the reason why she entered the store..... maybe. It was another one of those encounters when I could've gotten the person's number and we could've ..... uh.....you know.....well.....just use your imagination.... okay?

Encounters With Celebrities/Donatella Versace

The first time that I saw her was when she was shopping in Santa Monica on the Third Street Promenade but that's not when I had the encounter with her. She had two huge bodyguards with her when I first saw her and one of them had an umbrella to fend off the paparazzi with. She looked amazing in a ski suit so I guess that she was going on a ski trip.....duh!

The second time that I saw her and actually spoke to her was in a Coffee Bean And Tea Leaf parking lot in Santa Monica. I saw that she had a cigarette so.... I asked her for one and she obliged. She was sitting in the back seat of a limo and her driver did not like it when I spoke to her but..... she calmed him down! How awesome is that! I walked away with the cigarette after thanking her and stuck my tongue out at the driver as if to proclaim victory!

I absolutely love the clothing and will shop in the boutiques that are owned by her when I do become successful. Gianni Versace's death was extraordinarily unfortunate. I'm sure that she was devastated but is doing a fantastic job of taking helm of the corporation because it is wildly successful. I've met one other designer as well and I'll write about that in another post.

Encounters With Celebrities/David Copperfield

The first time that I saw David Copperfield was at the opening of the ill-fated Fashion Cafe in Rockerfeller Center in New York City back in 1994. A former friend of mine named Jade had the ability to put herself onto a guestlist by fabricating a name of someone famous and that name would usually be of someone who had passed away. She wanted to meet Michael Stipe so that he could possible produce a movie out of a poem that she had written about River Pheonix.

There was no interaction between me and David Copperfield back then because he was with Claudia Schiffer who was his wife back then and he was not accessible. I encountered him again a few years later in front of a Marc Jacobs fashion show that was being done for the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in the Maritime Hotel in New York City.

I was at the entrance of the show while watching the models leave and he appeared so I walked with him in the hopes of him getting me into the afterparty but no dice. That's usually a trick that an unknown person could use to get into a private and high-profile party.

The show was located across the street from the projects in Chelsea and the kids were throwing rocks at the people as they were going to the private party which made for a big scene. The kids also stold some of the gift bags that were meant for the fashion show and private party guests which I found to be a bit funny because it was like the kids were saying that they desereved the bags. It was also funny to watch the huge bodyguards swatting these kids away while dodging the pebbles and rocks.

P.S: I love models.

Encounters With Celebrities/Robert Plant

Robert Plant likes to shop with his daughter named Carmen in Santa Monica on the Third Street Promenade. The first time that I saw him was when I didn't fully recognize him but now I can see that it certainly was him and he was going to an Urban Outfitter's store with his daughter. The second time around was on Superbowl Sunday and it was right before the Grammy's for that year but I forget what year it was. It was on Santa Monica Boulevard in Santa Monica and he was wearing a slight beard but I still recognized him.

I stopped him and said hello but he only wanted to shake my hand. I insisted on a hug as well and then he wished me cheers..... those British. He stands at six feet and was in excellent shape which I can't understand given the fact that he did all those things that he did back in the hey-day of those days that were dazed as well as confused....well... actually dazed because they knew exactly what they were doing. Nowadays is when people are dazed and confused..... indeed.

I had only discovered the music of Led Zeppelin two years before prior to meeting Mr. Plant when rockbands were auditioning me. I had to listen to their music because of the nature of the auditions but at first was when I didn't like the music! Could you believe that?! Now is when I am hooked on phonics with their music.... which is magical to say the least and sonic to say the most. Robert Plant is a magical person but you just might not recognize him because he blends in rather well with the public. If I was able to recognize Farrah Fawcett by her elbow then I was able to recognize him.... I guess.

Encounters With Celebrities/Lauryn Hill/Hennessey And Ingalls

I was sitting on a step that was next to a bookstore called Hennessey And Ingalls when Lauryn Hill walked out of the bookstore and stopped to look at me. I wasn't sure what the gesture was all about but I didn't say anything because I didn't know what to say. She then stepped into her ride..... but then the limo didn't move.... it just stayed there.

I thought about approaching the vehicle but felt awkward about doing so. What would've happened if I did? Who knows. It's interesting when a celebrity stops to look at you... it's happened to me twice. She might have been attracted to me or she might have thought that she knew me..... and I would've seized on the opportunity either way but I guess that I just wasn't in the mood to be social on that particular day. The bookstore is frequented by celebrities and the biggest one to shop there was Michael Jackson.

He showed up with his face hidden and a couple of towering bodyguards who were carrying umbrellas..... which would make for quite a scene...... but usually celebrities show up with no bodyguards and are left alone. I tend to leave them alone myself and never ask for an autograph but from time to time is when I'll have an encounter whereas I would interact with the person. There aren't any sexual encounters and if there were then I would not be writing about them. I don't kiss and tell.

Encounters With Celebrities/Farrah Fawcett/Elbow

June 25th of 2009 was one of the strangest days that I've ever experienced. I was walking by the hospital where Farrah Fawcett died but she hadn't died yet. There was a bunch of paparazzi standing outside while waiting for word. The hospital was called St. John's and it's in Santa Monica. A few hours later was when someone told me that Michael Jackson had a heart attack and then it was confirmed that he died as well. There was one other celebrity who died within the vicinity of that time but I can't remember their name.

I met Farrah Fawcett back in 1999 when I was in a friend's car and we were sitting in traffic. An elbow was sticking out of a Porsche Boxster and I told my friend that it was Farrah Fawcett's elbow. He didn't believe me at first so we then pulled up beside her and there she was. She looked at me and I asked her if she needed me to wash her car because it was dirty.

My friend was astounded by that. I don't how in the world that I did recognize her from her elbow but I guess that I have a talent for that. I wasn't a particularly a big fan of her work but I did admire her beauty. She had that cowgirl look to her. She must've been in a lot of pain when she died and was probably going through a lot because of her son's legal troubles. He is serving time in jail now but was given permission to leave the jail to visit his mom.