Just saw manny from modern family at a hot rod show in Houston.......
Setting the scene: I had NEVER watched even a single moment of "Gray's Anatomy" and had very little idea of who this guy is besides being a race driver. Standing under the awning at the Dempsey Racing trailer talking to team manager and, out the corner of my eye, I see a figure in the doorway of the transporter. A second later he's headed my way, hand stuck out in front of him and greets me with "Hi, I'm Patrick Dempsey, what's your name man?" We talked for a couple of minutes about Lime Rock and the homes and what people do in the area then it was time to get back to work. Seemed like a pretty nice guy and one of my female relatives was really impressed that I met him. Met PLN in similar fashion years ago and he was really cool since we were just having a normal conversation about racing. I did notice a group of people stopping and staring though and that's gotta get old real quick.
as my wife has aged she has been a similar look alike to a couple actresses. the one last several years has been Maggie Gyllenhaal. to the point a few stare, waitresses bring it up etc. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I like Regis but serves him right. It does seem like that's ALL he ever talks about, the famous he's palling around with ...
Donald Trump at the PGA Merchandise show in Orlando. He was there to speak on a panel about the 'state of the golf industry' as he owns several courses now. What a freegin' cheeseball. EDIT - Sorry for sideways photo upload?? From iPhone. Image Unavailable, Please Login
I met NASCAR driver Tim Richmond in a nightclub in Charlotte years ago. I won't say we became good friends, but he always had a few minutes to speak with me, and even offered to let me keep a boat at his home on Lake Norman. One Friday night Tim entered the club with a race queen on each arm, and he was visibly drunk. It was like a scene out of Stroker Ace. I walked up and asked, "Tim, what the hell are you doing?" "What do you mean?" Tim asked. I said, "This is a race weekend, and you're drunk as ****." He looked at me with a straight face and said, "Bill, don't you get it? I don't give a ****." that pretty much summed up the man. He was supremely confident, talented, and everything came easy to him. He was a great guy, but he also wasted a great opportunity.
He gets things done. He has at least 3 courses in the US and a very nice one in Scotland. His hotel in Hawaii has the best reviews by far even though a questionable location. Bottom line, he gets things done right. His daughter would be another example.
The mention of Regis just triggered a memory. Years ago I met both Regis and Kathy Lee. She seemed nice and was pleasant to everyone. Maybe she was faking it but it didn't seem that way. Regis, on the other hand, was rude and made it quite obvious he was bored and dis-interested.
The guy is all air and bad toupee's. For his few things that went right, he's got plenty of stuff that went wrong and he's screwed a lot of people over.
Tom Cruise with his 911, Jackie Chan with his Bentley , Jeff Fahey in his Jag conv. The rest I didnt see them with their cars.
I sat beside Chris O'Donnell (Batman) on a flight back from Glasgow to Cleveland. We were both at St Andrews playing golf, we chatted about our rounds. Cool guy!
I'm not much for celebrities either, but it is kind of fun when you run into someone. My wife and I were at a small intimate restaurant in Napa and Jason Stratham and his girlfriend sat down next to us...kind of place that tables were very close to each other, and have to have conversation almost whispering so people don't hear you. Left him alone. At Finali Mondiali in Daytona we stayed at the same hotel as the Ferrari notables and at breakfast were both Kimi and Sebastian. I said Hi to both and shook Kimi's hand when we were getting coffee at the counter, wished him luck with the season, and he took a photo with me for my son's benefit. He and the "handlers" laughed at me because I left my sneakers at the track the night before partying (long story) and was wearing black patent leather shoes with my shorts and Ferrari shirt..looked like a real fashion guru! Kimi was very nice and gracious...Sebastian actually fell over a stool trying to get away from us.
You'd be surprised at the number of famous names fly on the airlines. (or used to anyway) I met several during my career. Some wanting to stick their head in the cockpit to say howdy....some just wanting to act anonymous. One I remember being as nice as anyone I've ever met was Joe Namath. He stuck his head in the cockpit door and....you know a real person when you meet one. Just a great guy. One of those people that you immediately feel as if you've known all your life. A guy you know that likes to have a good time. William Shatner...."I just wanna be left alone today" Joe Montana..."Yeah....I know you know me so I'll be nice" (how could anyone that short be such a great quarterback?) Jay Leno....Not an exactly an easy read...but friendly and happy.
I work for Bose Corporation. Thirty three years...... We sponsored the Monterey Jazz Festival a few times a number of years ago. Clint Eastwood was there. I had an all access pass. I positioned myself in his path and as he walked by I simply told him that I admire him and his talent. He was extremely gratious. Later that day, he came by the Bose area and told us that he really like our products and allowed us to have a group picture taken. The following year, a very attractive well spoken woman came by the Bose area and was interested in a pair of our Noise Canceling headphones. She mentioned her "husband" a few times. Soon after, here comes Clint in a golf cart. He gets out and greets his wife. He was a real gentleman to her and again to the Bose team. A real class act. I've met my fair share of celebrity's over the years but meeting Clint was the most memorable. And by the way, he is a very talented composer and killer piano player for those who don't know.
I was in Italy with my daughter a few years back, we were having dinner at a small place when a scruffy American came up and the owner was fawning over him. He sat next to us, had a baseball cap and kept his head down. More people came by and seemed thrilled to see him. He was nice but quiet. When more people started noticing him he politely left. Saw him on the tonight show a few months later talking about Italy. Owen Wilson. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Similar story with me and Tom Cruise. My GF and I were seated next to him and Penelope and we tried not to disturb them but Tom reached over and started a conversation. We talked a few minutes and were all getting on (none of us mentioned anything about movies) so Tom pushed the tables together and we all four had dinner. It was a lot of fun.
Matthew McConaughey has a ranch an hour from where I live, one of my buddies saw a guy sitting on the floor in the middle of a hardware store aisle reaching for something in back of a lower shelf. He said "Does anyone ever tell you that you look like Matthew McConaughey?" The guy looked up, smiled, and said in that unmistakeable MM voice and cadence , "Aaaall the tiiime."
