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

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

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.

Encounters With Celebrities/Wyclef Jean

This is one of the coolest encounters that I've had. I was living in Miami at the time and I would frequent a karaoke place that was Collins Avenue called Studio. I actually made it into the Miami Herald where they wrote an article that was about the place which I thought was cool. Wyclef Jean happened to be in Miami to shoot a video and came into the place with his entourage.

I had already been singing and took a rest. People were taking photographs of him but this was before cameras were prominent in cell phones. I took to the stage and told Wyclef Jean using the microphone that he better be bigger than Michael Jackson. I chose the song called The Loveboat which was the theme song for the show with the same title while Wyclef danced. How cool is it to have a celebrity dance while you are singing something?

He then took to the microphone after a few songs but I didn't dance. I just watched and listened. I would usually stay until closing which is what I did that night and had a good time! Miami rocks and I just might move back there. It's just one of the places where you can relax and have a good time. It's a place that is solely just for fun.

Encounters With Celebrities/Christina Applegate/Cameltoe

This encounter was one of the more intense ones. Christina Applegate owned a cabaret club with her mom called Villavekula and it was in West Hollywood. I would frequent the place to listen and watch this cabaret singer perform. The singer took a liking to me and took me home with her one night where we went at it for a long time...... I call those sessions or marathons.

She then gave me a gorgeous Yves St. Laurent shirt and took me to a private party one night. It was there where I met Christina Applegate. She was sitting at a table with her mom and dad. She stood up when she was me and we just stared into each others eyes as if we were studying each other's souls. I looked at her up and down while noticing a....uh.... distinct.... cameltoe. I think that she knew that it was there because the pants that she wore were tight.

I shyed away because of the intensity and ended up going home after that but it was memorable. I have never seen a cameltoe before and am always astonished when I do see one on a woman. Christiana Applegate looked fit as a fiddle on that night and I'm sure that she still does. The place ended up closing but the cabaret singer is still performing. I ran into the singer again about three years ago and she ended turning gay! How about that?

Encounters With Celebrities

I was once on TMZ because I was talking to a camera man who was standing outside of the Katsuya restaurant in Hollywood on Hollywood Boulevard. He found me interesting enough to film and I had just left a bar so I was a bit drunk. I don't remember what I said but the next day was when I was approached by a few people who told me that I was featured in the television show the night before.

I was shocked at first because I wasn't told that I was going to be on T.V. but I guess that they don't need permission if it's done on the street.... or something like that. I immediately contacted their lawyer and spoke with him because I thought that the clip would decrease my chances of employment. I was not able to see the video clip that I was in because it is owned by the Fox Television corporation so I was not able to present it to a lawyer who could potentially represent me in a suit.

I ran into Harvey Levin about a year later in Century City and mentioned that I was featured on TMZ with him  commenting about my state of mind then. I then told him that I was afraid that a potential employer might recognize me from that particular show and that it would hinder my chances of employment. He was in a hurry but he showed a bit of concern. He seems like a nice guy and he is a smart one being that he has practiced law in the past. His other show was the People's Court but I don't know if his company still produces that.

I don't feel like I was exploited because I came up with the conclusion that it wouldn't necessarily harm my image in the future after thinking about it. Numerous people were and are filmed to featured on TMZ as part of a story that usually consists of some sort of altercation but I was featured as part of a comical type of story on that day.

Encounters With Celebrities/Jermaine Jackson

This encounter was exceptional because we both had a lengthy conversation about music. It happened in 2006 in front of a Starbucks coffee shop in Beverly Hills and I was sitting at a table in front when he appeared. He sat opposite of me on the other side of the entrance at another table with his assistant so I said hello.

I told him that I was a singer and at that time was when I was in complete rock-mode. I had been ferociously auditioning for rock bands to sing with. He has..... or had a recording studio and produces music but I guess that I was slightly intimidated by the prospects therefore not hinting that I would be interested in working with him. I just simply thought that I wasn't good enough.

We talked for half an hour about music and people were recognizing him so he would wave to them on the street. It was cool running into him and I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation. I got up to leave and as I was doing so was when his assistant was ready to take down my number but I did not oblige. I did run into him again a few weeks later. If I were to run into him now then I would definitely work with him should he offer me the chance to do so...... who knows?

Encounters With Celebrities/Arnold Shwarzenegger

I worked for an ice-cream store called Cool Planet back in 1999 for a brief period of time. It was located in Santa Monica on the 3rd Street Promenade and it was fairly easy to get the job. I was hired on the day that I was interviewed and started immediately.

My job was to serve ice-cream dishes and I was in my 20's. I had an apartment in Koreatown and would have to take the bus everyday to get to work...... which was a terrible experience.... I hated doing it. I did not know who owned the place when I was first hired but found out when Arnold Shwarzenegger came in with his daughter to get some ice-cream and..... uh.... check up on things.

I was in the back and fooling around when another server ran to the back to inform me that he was there. I thought at first that I was going to get in trouble so I steadily footed myself to the front of the store to be present but he didn't even look up. All he did was lick his ice-cream and share it with his daughter before abruptly leaving which is when I heaved a heavy sigh of relief.

I then when back to the back of the store. Phew! I did see him again when he was governor about a year ago in an Apple store on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica and I pointed out to him that I used to work for him. He acknowledged it and I then left him alone so that he get purchase a laptop.

His daughter is about six feet tall now so I was bewildered because when I first saw her was when she was only three feet tall. It was cool to work in the ice-cream store because..... I got free ice-cream! Yeah! I love Haagen-Daz ice-cream best but will settle for anything creamy. Mmmmmm.

Encounters With Celebrities/ Steven Tyler

This encounter was one of the most interesting ones.... simply because of the way it occurred. I was working for a non-profit group and my job was to solicit signatures to put an initiative on the ballot.... which was successful. I was standing on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood when a Lincoln Town car pulls up behind me and I see a lot of hair as well as a cigar so I thought that it might be a woman smoking a cigar.

The person walks towards me and stands in front of me while completely ignoring me which was funny because I was just a few inches away from Steven Tyler.... but the reason why he was doing so was because he was busy listening to an aged homeless woman singing a song. She wasn't that bad and she didn't look dirty or anything like that. I was just standing there bewildered because I wanted him to sign the initiative sheet so that I could get paid. Solicitors get paid per signature if they are registered to vote and if they are not then you have to register them.

He ended up giving her a hundred dollars after hearing her and then just walked away. I thought to myself that it was funny because of the fact that he was completely ignoring me while standing in front of me. These two girls then ran up to me to ask me if it was him and I said.... yes. They were elated.... and I could imagine why. He's one of the most prolific rock stars out there.....yes... he still is. Rock stars are people who take it to the max in my opinion. That means doing the drugs and drinking the alcohol.

Rock stars are generally express angst and vent by using those substances. I admire that because it shows that they think outside of the box. The drugs and alcohol may destroy them but some of them do or did survive. It always amazes me when that charisma can lead to successful sales of an album and record concert box-office ticket sales. Pop stars are different. They are more emotional and expressive.... and yes... he still smokes cigars after the throat cancer.

Encounters With Celebrities

There was this one time a few years ago in the Max Protech gallery in Chelsea when I was exiting and this woman with a man walks in. The woman looked perculiar because she had on a wig and oversized sunglasses that you wear over your glasses..... but she had this gorgeous oversized calf-skin purse which the guy was also carrying on his shoulder. The woman's height only reached my shoulder and as she walked in was when she looked at me then the gallery exhibit before quickly exiting but when the guy who was massively tall smiled at me was when I figured out that it was Madonna.

It was one of those moments that when you had to do a double-take. I'm a big fan of Madonna.... but it was a bit late to say hi to her when I figured out who she was. I'm amazed at how celebrities appear in person after seeing them for the first time. It's amazing how technology can make a person appear on a screen. The disguise might've been clever but I was still able to figure out who she was. How many people walk around with a wig on their head and oversized sunglasses while wearing an oversized calf-skin purse? New York City is a vibrant place while it is expensive and the encounters that a person could have are spaztic to say the least.