Crazy semi-famous celeb customer!

[Blueberry]

Oh I am the worst at recognizing celebrities! I have quite a few 'Hey didn't you know who you were helping stories?' and damn I felt pretty stupid after each time.
I'll tell you one.
It was Christmas and there was a pretty big line. I was cashing out this one guy and his wife when she realized they needed gift bags and took off to get some.
He smiled apologetically and said 'Sorry about that. I forgot to get them.'
Because he's being very nice and the line is no longer at a monstrous level, I smile back and say 'Well, it's best to get them now, you don't want to stand in that line again!'
And we have a laugh, she comes back really quick with 2 and I ring them through.
Then I noticed the back of his credit card is worn off and I can't see the signature.
'May I see your ID sir? The back of the card is totally worn off.'
He gives me a WTF look...But pulls it out, looking incredulous the whole time, and shows it to me.
IT WAS JASON PRIESTLY!!!!!!!!
I mumble thanks and have a good day and he leaves.
The events coordinator nearly died laughing that I didn't recognize him and that I had carded him...
I also meet Tommy Chong a few weeks ago!
Him I did recognize because my husband and his aunt are huge fans and have all the movies, etc.
He was really really nice when I asked him if he could sign a book for my aunt-in-law, said he loved signing the books. (My husband didn't get one since we only had one copy left and he said his aunt deserved it more) He bought some books about how to live with lots of books, some DVDs and left. For some reason he had been also looking at wilderness survival books.
My husband now wishes I had gotten him to sign one of our 'How to Make a Bong' books.

[ISellCars]

I've had 2 "semi-celebrity" encounters at my job. Both of them football players.

The first was Antrel Rolle... now the average joe probably won't know who the heck he is, but he's a starting CB for the Arizona Cardinals, and was an all-american for the University of Miami. He bought a vehicle from us before he got drafted..

And the second was a guy named Marcus Hudson, he's a backup DB for the San Francisco 49ers, he bought a vehicle from us about a month ago.

Both nice guys, I didn't think to get an autograph, but I talked football with Marcus for a good while and showed him the vehicle he bought.

My dad is a piano player, and about 6 months ago he found out Gene Hackman was in the lounge where he was playing and my dad met him and shook his hand. He said that was really cool.

[ominousoat]

Sir Ian is both built and hung.

[Insert "Gandalf's Staff" joke here.]

Or am I the only one?

[8itchyManager]

Steve Smith (AKA Red Green) is an absolute sweetheart. He comes in regularly, usually eats in and always gives a great tip.
Also, he is WAY nicer than I would be, regularly stopping eating to chat up or sign autographs for some of the rudest SC I've laid eyes on.

However the local newcaster feels he is special and should be allowed to walk in, and be served immediately regardless of how many people are in line, and gets downright pissy if I don't have 6 keel (center breast) for his two 3 piece meals.

[Geek King]

Well, I used a bathroom stall next to Walter Koenig when he was a guest at Origins one year. No, I didn't bug him (even though he looked like he expected to be accosted when I walked in. Talk about down sides to being well-known!).

I heard later that he's a gamer. He played some Battletech there at the con. I find that really cool, for some reason.

[draggar]

Bruce Sprinsteen snuck in like he was on a covert-op even though all of two people reconized him and neither wanted his autoraph and he started acting a little offended the staff wasn't tripping all over themselves.

That's not what I'd expect. My father in law used to go hunting with The Boss' cousin (Boo) and he even talked to him a few times. Seemed really laid back and talkative, even to some degree, starved of attention.

I mean, he wanted to talk about Guniea (sp?) hens since my father in law had some and the Boss wanted some.

[The cat whisperer]

Back at my old theatre Elton John would come in every now and then. Surprisingly to me it would just be him and his manager or maybe his significant other. No posse. Never one of those entitlement whores (which is the complete opposite of how he is rumored to be). Eric Clapton was polite the two times I met him while he was on tour and he came to watch a movie. I could kick myself though because twice I didn't realize it was him until it was too late.

At my new theatre a kinda cute older British guy was chatting with me about the fact we sell beer and how cool that was. I thought he was familiar, but I could not place him. When I got home that night my friend told me she was upset about missing the Billy Idol concert. Yes, I also blew a chance at Billy Idol's autograph, even though I probably would never had asked since he was on his personal time.

Big Boi is always a good tipper. Andre 3000 not so much (usually though 10-15%). And Ludacris doesn't tip at all (the staff joke that his tipping speech in "Crash" was all ad-libbed). Bruce Sprinsteen snuck in like he was on a covert-op even though all of two people reconized him and neither wanted his autoraph and he started acting a little offended the staff wasn't tripping all over themselves.

[JustaCashier]

(.......Our Mormon roommate didn't speak to us the rest of the year.)

Jealous little.......



Mike

[ShockQueen]

I've never served anyone famous, but have had run-ins with some.........

I met John De Lancie at a Star Trek convention back in '93, and he was a VERY nice individual when people asked him questions - the guy is STILL 50 feet tall when you stand next to him. ;-)

Had heard from a friend of mine many years ago that when George Takei was staying at the Sheraton here for Treasure Kon III, he was a whiny, entitlement snob. Guess he changed years later, thankfully. Would love to meet him now though!

I think the best meeting I ever had with anyone famous was with Mari Iijima. Met her at Nan Desu Kan in 2000 when I was living in Denver. I had been doing a fan site for her for a while, so when I learned she was coming, I had to go. I was working security that year, so I got to go in before anyone else to get a seat. It was so amazing just to see her in person when she was talking to people, I then found a seat up front and watched her warm up. She had recognized me from a pic I had sent her once, came up to me, and gave me a big hug while saying "I finally get to meet you". Yeah.........I pretty much melted right there. VERY nice lady, and very down-to-earth.

[Ree]

Peter Mansbridge, a Canadian news anchor who's pretty famous.

We have a letter from him commending us on our wonderful service.

He has a cottage somewhere in the area and was driving through.

[Jester]

She was really nice. One time she was buying about 5 copies of the (at that time) new Heart CD, Jupiters Darling (?)

Yes, that was the name of that CD. Pretty good, too.

Nancy walked up and asked me...

You've mentioned this story before. And I repeat what I said then....

I REALLY REALLY hate you!

So, those are the stories. Sufficiently lurid?

Not nearly lurid enough!

(Myself, I have seen one famous movie actress naked, but out of respect for her, I shall not name her here or elsewhere. It DOES pay to be nice to us peons.)

[RogueThinker]

Demand, meet supply

Okay, I feel kinda band 'cause this is totally thread-jacking and OT, but here goes:

There is no way to tell this story without anyone who lives in Vancouver figuring out the specifics, but anyway...

In the magical kingdom of Soviet Canuckistan there is a beautiful place known as Vancouver. On the far West coast of Vancouver there is a university campus. Below the campus is a nude beach.

On my first day on campus, a friend and I decided to take advantage of the warm September and check out the beach. We had fun, and on the way back up to campus, we passed two men. One got up to go into the water, the other was sitting quietly, wearing a straw hat and a smile. I whispered to my friend, "Hey, that's Ian McKellen!" She didn't believe me, so I walked up to him and very politely (after all, I am Canadian) asked him if he was, in fact, Sir McKellen.

Now, most celebrities, upon being confronted with public nudity by a young girl, would be understandably concerned that said girl might cause a scene, so Sir Ian looked rather chagrined when he said that yes, he was Ian McKellen. My friend and I, not wanting to be intrusive, thanked him politely and went about our business. (Our business was, at that time, to run at full speed back to our dorm and tell everyone we knew that we had seen Ian McKellen nekkid on the beach. Our Mormon roommate didn't speak to us the rest of the year.) And the second gentleman? Alan Cumming, of course. They were in town filming X2. And the best part? This story has now become not only a part of the campus tour, but Sir Ian has given interviews about how much he likes filming in Vancouver, because everyone is so cool about celebrities that even when he has run into fans at the nude beach, they don't intrude on his holiday! I love that man. I also feel it is my duty to inform people that, in comparison to other men of his age at the nude beach, Sir Ian is both built and hung.

As for Pierce Brosnan and Stuart Townsend, they both dropped by my old museum job. They both enjoy buying art, and were really polite. I actually think Mr. Townsend was very surprised I recognized him. A coworker of mine actually saved a copy of Mr. Brosnan's visa slip, so she wouldn't have to "impose" on him and ask for an autograph.

So, those are the stories. Sufficiently lurid?

[DesignFox]

I've met a few rockstars and hung out with a variety of local musicians. One of my neighbors (in my old neighborhood) is a fairly successful and well known local singer. I saw his band perform while I was in high school, thought they were amazing, and then a year later he moved in two doors down. I never got to know him very well, but he did take out an ad for my drama club's playbill my senior year. Very nice guy.

Closest I've come to serving a celeb at work was at my mall job. I was helping a woman and her son. The whole time I'm thinking... "this woman seems so familiar..." but I couldn't put my finger on it. I watch the store manager BSing with her, and the more she talked the more familiar her voice sounded. When she walked out, the Store Manager asked me if I realized who she was... turns out, she is the radio show host for one of our local radio stations. It was no wonder I recognized her voice seeing as I had listened to her every morning! She was a great customer, too. I had a blast dealing with her, and it made it so much cooler after I found out who she was!

[karl hungus]

If I was able to speak coherently to My Personal Goddess (Nancy Wilson of my favorite band of all time, Heart) :

I met her a few times when she was visiting her husband here in Louisville when he was shooting Elizabethtown. She was really nice. One time she was buying about 5 copies of the (at that time) new Heart CD, Jupiters Darling (?), to give to some friends.
A really cool moment was at the Elizabethtown movie premier party about a year later when I'm talking to some girl I had just met, Nancy walked up and asked me if I'd seen somebody that we knew in common and if they were still at the party. I told here that he was and she went to look for him. The girl I was talking to was like "that was Nancy Wilson, wasn't it?" Me: "uh, yeah, she was just looking for Jim James" Her: "Jim James from My Morning Jacket?!!" Me: "Yeah" I think I may have scored extra bonus cool points then.

[zzapp the witch]

Leann made Jerry Springer guests look like well-bred girls that had been to finishing school......oh, it was bad. Shoulda heard her badmouthing the town and everyone in it backstage....then going out and telling the audience how wonderful they were and what a beautiful town it was. One of the crew was actually thinking of putting a mic backstage so that everything she was saying would be broadcast over the speakers for the audience to hear. I almost wish he would have.

And hell, I can cuss up a storm, I can get vile, corrupt and vulgar, I can make bikers and sailors do double-takes and blush....but this girl....wow. And not the impressed kind of wow....the sad, pity for her kind of wow.