Celebs both well known and obscure that you have met

O

otis

Moderator
Staff member
2022 $upporter Moderator
OK .... let me attempt to lighten things up a bit during the COVID down time.

Another Big East basketball message board I peek at from time to time has a lengthy thread where posters posted about their meetings or brushes with celebrities which provided a number of interesting stories.

So, let me ask you; have you ever met or crossed paths with a celeb and was the celeb nice or an a-hole ? Thanks.
 
[quote="otis" post=396919]OK .... let me attempt to lighten things up a bit during the COVID down time.

Another Big East basketball message board I peek at from time to time has a lengthy thread where posters posted about their meetings or brushes with celebrities which provided a number of interesting stories.

So, let me ask you; have you ever met or crossed paths with a celeb and was the celeb nice or an a-hole ? Thanks.[/quote]

Mike Jarvis
Sat behind me at Yankees game
A hole;)
 
Dave Winfield and Rick Sutcliffe both on the same night
Sat next to us at a WWF wrestling event at MSG
I took my brother there as his 14th birthday present in 1972
In those days, you had to be 14 to get in to a wrestling card at MSG
Winfield was really into it - banging the bottom of his seat supporting Pedro Morales
Also met Oscar De La Hoya - we were on the same red eye flight from LA to Vegas
He was with a busty blond - he was very friendly - autographed my ticket
 
Last edited:
I grew up with Wally Szczerbiak. He is always nice to me, but I have heard others posters have different experiences.

Met Bon Jovi who was super nice.

Frederik from Million Dollar listing was a jerk.

Jon Bernthal is a cool guy.

Met Tony Hawk a few times. Super nice guy.
 
Last edited:
From many years ago to the present:
Bob Dylan
Catherine Deneuve
Pele
Eusebio
Ed Koch
David Dinkins
Giulio Gallo
John Gotti
Joe Joe Corozzo
Lou Carnesecca
Brian Mahoney
Norm Roberts
Steve Lavin
Michael Bloomberg
Rudy Giuliani
Many Mets players
Many St. John's players
Tony Sirico (a friend)

In person, all were nice to me while stories about some tend to be negative.
 
[quote="gman" post=396925]I grew up with Wally Szczerbiak. He is always nice to me, but I have heard others posters have different experiences.

Met Bon Jovi who was super nice.

Frederik from Million Dollar listing was a jerk.

Jon Bernthal is a cool guy.

Met Tony Hawk a few times. Super nice guy.[/quote]

Hey Gman. I knew Wally's family, especially his mom and sister (from AAU where his sister was a teammate of my daughter). I can't imagine his parents raising him to be well mannered and a decent guy. They are a great family, but I can see how his dad could rub some people the wrong way. But all in all his dad is a really good guy. I know you didn't bash him in -the least, but when you know a family and know what they expect of their kids, you feel compelled to dispel negative comments.
 
Willie Mays - not warm and fuzzy
Tom Seaver - kind of an ass
Joe DiMaggio - regal and aloof, what you'd expect - impeccably dressed, what you'd expect
Mark McGwire
Jeff Francouer - incredibly nice guy, could still be w Mets and would make a great captain but stood up to Jeff Wilpon and was banished
Daniel Murphy - really nice to my kid
Julius Erving - nice guy
Pope John Paul II - had to bury it in here, PM me if you'd like
Newt Gingrich - incredibly smart, told me he is certain we had met before (he was wrong)
Chris Mullin - runs hot and cold
Jay Wright - my idol. just kidding, but he is an amazing person who makes you feel like a friend
Lou Carnesecca - what can I say that hasn't been said before, and all good things are true
John Starks - friendly
Walt Frazier - friendly
CMA - intensely nice guy
Mrs. CMA - he did really well for himself marrying her. such a nice, regular person :)
Johan Santana - kind of quiet
Bishop Barres - big Johnnies fan - great leader for our diocese. Approachable, warm, brilliant, great jump shot
 
[quote="Beast of the East" post=396928][quote="gman" post=396925]I grew up with Wally Szczerbiak. He is always nice to me, but I have heard others posters have different experiences.

Met Bon Jovi who was super nice.

Frederik from Million Dollar listing was a jerk.

Jon Bernthal is a cool guy.

Met Tony Hawk a few times. Super nice guy.[/quote]

Hey Gman. I knew Wally's family, especially his mom and sister (from AAU where his sister was a teammate of my daughter). I can't imagine his parents raising him to be well mannered and a decent guy. They are a great family, but I can see how his dad could rub some people the wrong way. But all in all his dad is a really good guy. I know you didn't bash him in -the least, but when you know a family and know what they expect of their kids, you feel compelled to dispel negative comments.[/quote]

Our sisters are very close. The difference is his sister is 6 foot and my sister 5 foot. His parents are very nice people.
 
Spoke with Paul Newman on the phone -- incredibly nice
Met Tommy Lasorda -- really nice, engaging and very funny
Met Mike Ditka -- Really nice (was surprised) has the biggest hands (shook mine and my hand disappeared)
Almost all of the mid 80's St. John's guys
 
For a year or so in the 80s I was best buds with the kid who played Chip on "Kate and Allie."

We were both really into comic books and Dungeons and Dragons.
 
Last edited:
My favorite celebrity encounter was with Julio Iglesias. I was not a fan but my wife was. I went to a concert with her at the Garden State and he was an amazing entertainer. Then spent about 40 minutes with him in a private setting and I'm not one to get star struck but this was close. Now occasionally I'll sing to my wife in Spanish... ;)
Weirdest encounter: Don Imus.
Charles Oakley. Cool but the guy I was with was a douche and kept trying to buddy up to him. I half expected "Oak Man" as he kept calling him, to pound him down...
Francessa: aloof, struck me as comically so. He was also wearing a ton of pancake makeup so this added to the comic affect.
Brent Mussberger. One of the few celebrities who seeing in person I was surprised that he was taller than expected. I guess always seeing him with big athletes on TV, made me think he was pretty short.
Several politicians. A bunch of business and technology celebrities. Many bishops and cardinals from around the world including members of the curia.
 
Last edited:
Francesa and Mad Dog bunch of times late 80s early 90s before they became famous. They were both real col to us as we were in WSJU doing games and met them at MSG several times
Met most of the Original FAN crew is we played them in a charity basketball game at Alumni Hall back either 90,or 91 or 92 I forget. Jody Mac was a dirty player

Wally see a lot or at least did before pandemic as we have mutual friends. He always asks how our Gman is doing

Tucker Carlson had dinner with him with some others. Great guy really funy

Sports guys a lot, I wouldn't say any really stand out either way. Lavin was great guy. Meet him once and he will remember your name no matter when you see him next but he is legit nice guy and so was his ex wife

Nat's list is a lot bigger than mine but the funniest story is there is a Spanish actors awards ceremony in the city and one of the guests of honor was one of the orange is the new black women. Nat had a quick scene in season one and was one of the finalists for the character who is the monther of the mother and daughter in jail. Anyway OINB asks Nat if she would consider doing stand in season 2 so she did it for a couple seasons and each day she would tell me about the OINB girls and eating with them and how nice they were. I figured ehhh whatever it's just small talk

At the awards ceremony Nat grabs me and tells me she wants me to meet her friend so she brins me up to the OINB actress and all the sudden before Nat even introduced me the woman is running over saying " Mike I finally get to meet you Nat tells us everything about you and your traveling etc ". Was pretty funny. Then I realize a lot of them are just like us. Sure some are total dicks probably but a ot of them are no different than us as people
 
I used to collect baseball memorabilia and regularly went to card shows to get autographs. I've met hundreds of former baseball players through the years.

Two of the nicest players I've ever met are Brooks Robinson and Ernie Banks. They were friendly and very accommodating (personalized signatures, posed for pictures with fans, etc). The biggest "dick" has to be Willie Mays, which kills me because I was a huge Giants fan when they played in NY. The Say Hey kid was my idol. Boy, was my bubble burst!! I've met him several times and he never failed to act like a Grade A jerk. For example, I saw him sign a ball for a young fan (for which he was handsomely paid), rolled the ball back to him, saw the signature smudge and smirked at him.
 
Amongst others:
Clint Eastwood: Great guy
Charles Smith: Incredible person
Lawrence Taylor: Complete asshole
Derek Jeter: Gracious but standoffish
Mickey Rivers: Warm and hysterical
Sid Bernstein: One it the nicest people I've ever met
Mike Maher: Couldn't tell, kept mumbling something about lobster rolls
 
Suzanne Vega since she was a little girl.
Lucky Luciano's bodyguard
Sam Levenson
Andrei Codrescu
Ryan Oneal when we were kids.
Frank Bolz (creator of NYPD hostage negotiation team)
 
[quote="Paul Massell" post=396940])
Weirdest encounter: Don Imus.
[/quote]
______

Paul... what is the wierd story about Imus ?
 
I should also mention Robin Givens as I was just telling the story about her recently. Brief encounter but not good. I actually believe the stories of her abusing Mike Tyson.

Also this guy was my business partner in three projects. He died a few years ago but I felt honored to know him. True gentleman and was not superficial or phony as politics tend to be. Told me a few candid things about Johnson and Clinton (who was Pres at the time). And for a guy who was CEO of a major international corp (Occidental Petroleum) and experienced so much, he was pretty humble and soft spoken. He had a different perspective on Pres. Johnson than is popularly portrayed. He helped get Kennedy/Johnson elected, was the first WH Chief of Staff for Johnson and later was Postmaster General of the US.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._Marvin_Watson
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top