One of the weird, energizing things about living in Los Angeles: occasionally, you’ll see someone who resembles a celebrity, and it actually is that celebrity. It gets so that you think you’re seeing a celebrity even when you’re not. For example, I went out for lunch last week and spent an entire sandwich half-convinced I was sitting next to Lizzy Caplan from Party Down. Was I? Probably not; I think we can chalk this one up to wishful thinking. 🙂
But it’s LA, so you never know, right? I’ve had a number of star sightings since my migration to the Left Coast. I thought it would be fun to share a list of the famous folks I’ve spotted since moving here:
Sarah Michelle Gellar. This was the most exciting one. Jenn and I were literally within staking distance. She was with a friend, and to this day I find myself wondering if it was Michelle Trachtenberg; maybe we were just too distracted by the Buffyness of the situation to identify Dawn?
Dennis Quaid. Saw him up in first class while I was flying out here from Iowa. When I deplaned, I looked at his seat: peanut shells everywhere. What?
David Carradine. The summer before he died, we spotted him outside the movie theater, smoking a cigarette. It was a crowded night, people everywhere, but there was a giant empty space around him, as if nobody wanted to fuck with him.
Michael Cudlitz. The character actor who’s been in just about every show ever made. I’ll always remember him first as Sergeant “Bull” Randleman in Band of Brothers. Spotted him at a movie theater.
Gary Cole. Ahhhh….yeah….saw him at a restaurant. Had to restrain myself from calling out “Bingo Bob!”
Jeri Ryan. Shopping at the supermarket, just like us normal people.
Danny Bonaduce. When our friends Samantha and Chris were in town, we spotted him strolling along the Walk of Fame in Hollywood with a reality TV crew following him around.
Eddie Jemison. At a movie theater in West Hollywood for a Q&A screening of the movie Bob Funk. Stood behind him in line at the concession stand; he thought I was somebody else and tried to hand me a box of candy.
Not a bad list, considering it’s not like I’m going out of my way looking for famous people! I may even be forgetting a couple. Ah, Hollywood — so close to fame and fortune!
UPDATE: Rather than do new posts, I thought I’d just gather all my celebrity encounters. Might as well keep them in one place. (These next three sightings are from early 2013.)
Matt Bomer. Standing in line behind us at a grocery store. Yes, he is one very handsome fella.
Scott Bakula. Only about seventy-five percent certain it was him, but it sure as hell looked like him…passing us on the stairs as we were leaving a clothing store.
Lena Headey. Absolutely positive on this one. Saw her waiting for her lunch order at a restaurant. She looked right at me…kinda freaked me out, like she either thought I was a terminator, or was planning to sick Joffrey on me.
UPDATE: January 2015.
Jay Duplass. Spotted in the Burbank airport while waiting for a plane to Seattle. Was tempted to tell him that he retweeted my review of his show Transparent.
