Face-to-Face Encounters with Famous and Infamous people - Page 4

Acajack · #61 Posted **Feb 7, 2019, 1:54 PM**

I met Peter Ustinov when he spoke at the university I was attending.

JHikka · #62 Posted **Feb 7, 2019, 2:27 PM**

Probably the best remotely famous person I ever bumped in to was (then) former GG David Johnston when riding on a VIA Rail train. Just a genuinely nice and kind person and a pleasure to chat with.

Wigs · #63 Posted **Feb 7, 2019, 4:21 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by big T

As I was about to step into a bar/club at one of the Vegas casinos (I think it was Luxor - that was over 10 years ago so might be wrong), Eddie Murphy and a couple of guys appeared out of nowhere and got in right in front of me. So I got in and made my way through the crowd right behind them.

The DJ saw them and started playing Party all the time. Eddie smirked and waved at him. I thought it was pretty funny.

funny enough, the only reason that song was created is because Eddie Murphy was at Rick James' mansion on the outskirts of Buffalo, NY and they were snowed in by a blizzard. Mix alcohol, drugs (probably) and a full recording studio and in a couple of days that's what you got. Eddie Murphy's terrible song

Wigs · #64 Posted **Feb 7, 2019, 4:34 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by esquire

I wonder how many of our celebrity sightings actually involve doppelgangers?

I know a guy who looks like Hartley Richardson (to non-Winnipeggers, he is our number one billionaire business kingpin), right down to the towering height. He gets mistaken for him all the time.

is this the Richardson family in this 1992 NFB film about sculptor Leo Mol?
(about 13-ish minutes in)
https://www.nfb.ca/film/leo_mol_in_light_and_shadow/

Spocket · #65 Posted **Feb 7, 2019, 4:55 PM**

I met Jean Chretien once. Well, sorta. I shook his hand and he more or less carried on doing whatever important stuff he was doing.

esquire · #66 Posted **Feb 7, 2019, 4:55 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wigs

is this the Richardson family in this 1992 NFB film about sculptor Leo Mol?
(about 13-ish minutes in)
https://www.nfb.ca/film/leo_mol_in_light_and_shadow/

I couldn't find the segment of the clip you were referring to, but the odds are pretty good that they do make an appearance. The family is a huge supporter of the arts... Kathleen Richardson in particular is the A-1 heaviest hitter of local arts patrons. Where there is an arts venue in this town, chances are their name is engraved somewhere inside.

Impressive local Winnipeg knowledge, by the way

kel · #67 Posted **Feb 7, 2019, 5:24 PM**

I met lemmy from Motörhead at the Excalibur casino in Las Vegas. Was just walking in the casino and all alone playing a slot machine in the corner was lemmy, went up and said hi and ended up bullshitting with him for about 10 minutes. That was my meet a famous highlight.

J_Murphy · #68 Posted **Feb 7, 2019, 5:34 PM**

Razor Ramon.

I was at Universal studios in Florida when it began pouring rain. I ran to seek shelter under an awning in front of a restaurant. He then came out with his daughter. This was about 20 years ago, so he was at the height of his career and I was a big wresting fan. I took out my camera to get a photo, but dropped it and the batteries came out. I put them back in to get a photo, but the camera wouldn't work. I assumed I broke it but found out after that I just put the batteries in the wrong way. I guess I wasn't meant to get a photo with him.

That is my best celebrity story

MolsonExport · #69 Posted **Feb 7, 2019, 5:35 PM**

Jean Chretien was great. You can get the Shawinigan Handshake:

the star

• Video Link

Loco101 · #70 Posted **Feb 9, 2019, 6:39 AM**

Hmm, I live in Timmins so yes, I have met Eileen (Shania) Twain.

But in my travels, some that I can remember:

About 17 or 18 years ago, met former PM Joe Clark and his daughter Catherine at a Dairy Queen in Ottawa.

I was behind Marc Garneau (federal Liberal cabinet minister and first Canadian in space) in line for security at Pearson airport.

In 2004 in Miami Beach my wife and I were walking along on a side street heading towards Ocean Drive (the main strip along the ocean) and Shaquille O'Neal pulled up right beside us in an open-air Jeep. At first, I thought it was somebody who looked a lot like him but then it hit me that O'Neal had just been traded from the L.A. Lakers to the Miami Heat only days before so it was indeed him. A bunch of guys who only spoke Spanish approached him and gave him high-fives. He then walked into a nightclub right around the corner.

Razor · #71 Posted **Feb 9, 2019, 12:54 PM**

This is cheating, because it was before she became famous.

For myself, it was Shania Twain..Only because she was in a few of my classes in high school. I didn't really know her per say, but I did make small class mate type talk with her in those daze..Other then that, Daniel Alfredsson in a bar on Elgin Street after they lost to the Leafs that night.He was with Martin Havlat and a few other Sens players at that time..I left him alone, but just nodded to him in passing and said "good to have a few after" or something like that..He nodded back, and said "ya" and probably appreciated me leaving him alone after a rough game..Everybody in that spot were cool and pretty much left the players alone..I can't think of any others really.

le calmar · #72 Posted **Feb 9, 2019, 1:20 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Razor

Everybody in that spot were cool and pretty much left the players alone...

Didn’t Kanye West mention once that he would consider buying a house in Ottawa because people would just leave him alone there?

Hecate · #73 Posted **Feb 9, 2019, 1:49 PM**

Leo Mol. I haven’t thought about him in a while... He used to do his work in an old one room schoolhouse just north of Winnipeg, near the village of pine ridge. I lived just across the road. All the neighbourhood kids thought he was a scary old man. We used to play in the old schoolyard and when we’d see his wood panelled station wagon pull up we’d all scatter into the bushes... we were so scared of him... lol. I remember leaning old Pepsi crates against the side of the schoolhouse so I could climb up and look inside to see the sculptures. Ahhh the Memories.

kwoldtimer · #74 Posted **Feb 9, 2019, 1:51 PM**

[QUOTE=le calmar;8467459]Didn’t Kanye West mention once that he would consider buying a house in Ottawa because people would just leave him alone there?[/QUOTE

Sounds about right, although “celebrity culture” has probably chipped away at it. I know I’d certainly leave Kanye West alone if I came across him.

esquire · #75 Posted **Feb 9, 2019, 3:35 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Razor

This is cheating, because it was before she became famous.

For myself, it was Shania Twain..Only because she was in a few of my classes in high school. I didn't really know her per say, but I did make small class mate type talk with her in those daze..Other then that, Daniel Alfredsson in a bar on Elgin Street after they lost to the Leafs that night.He was with Martin Havlat and a few other Sens players at that time..I left him alone, but just nodded to him in passing and said "good to have a few after" or something like that..He nodded back, and said "ya" and probably appreciated me leaving him alone after a rough game..Everybody in that spot were cool and pretty much left the players alone..I can't think of any others really.

Ha. That reminds me of going to a Montana's location near the old Winnipeg Stadium after a Bomber game in which they got beaten down badly. It was in the late 90s when the Bombers were absolutely wretchedly terrible... Milt Stegall, who was one of the only bright lights on that team, came in and sat down a couple tables over. We left him alone because he seemed like was understandably in no mood to talk

I am jealous of the Shania encounters some of you had back in the day... what a babe. Don't know how you concentrated on your class with her around...

esquire · #76 Posted **Feb 9, 2019, 3:37 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Jean Chretien was great. You can get the Shawinigan Handshake:

the star

What a classic moment... it definitely reinforced Chretien's Shawinigan streetfighter image... he looks like a mob hitman taking somebody out

MonctonRad · #77 Posted **Feb 9, 2019, 3:58 PM**

In addition to the other celebrity sightings I've had (which I have already mentioned), here are a few others:

- Back in 1964, they opened the new Confederation Centre of the Arts in Charlottetown with a Wayne & Shuster comedy revue. My mother spotted Johnny Wayne wandering around the plaza of the Confederation Centre and dragged me over to meet him and get his autograph. He was quite pleasant about it. I would have been seven years old.

- In 1968, I inadvertently got within a couple of feet of Pierre Trudeau during his election campaign for Prime Minister. He was doing a walkabout in downtown Charlottetown, and Trudeaumania was just becoming a thing. There were thousands of people there, including quite a few screaming young women (it was almost like he was one of the Beatles). I was standing next to a car, which ended up being the one which had been used to transport him to the event. I was so close I could have touched him.

- In the early 70's during one of the royal tours that pass through PEI every 3-4 years or so, I similarly came within touching distance of Prince Phillip. Again I was standing next to his limousine, and was close enough to him to get a really good look. He was visiting Beaconsfield (the province heritage society building). The Queen was off somewhere else.

- I've seen the royals on many other occasions, but the only other time I got fairly close was with Prince Andrew and Fergie sometime in the 1990s in Borden PEI.

- In 1985, I was at a conference in San Diego, and Pete Rose wandered in after a game and sat down in the hotel bar not too far from us. My friend walked over to him to get his autograph for his son and Pete refused (and it wasn't a kind refusal either). What a jerk!

I'll try to remember some other encounters for a future instalment later.

O-tacular · #78 Posted **Feb 9, 2019, 6:18 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Jean Chretien was great. You can get the Shawinigan Handshake:

the star

• Video Link

I was gonna make the same joke.

What a cretin Chetien is. He assaulted someone and gets to cash in on it.

rousseau · #79 Posted **Feb 9, 2019, 7:32 PM**

Whatever you think of Chretien, at least you can say he never talked out of both sides of his mouth.

rousseau · #80 Posted **Feb 9, 2019, 7:47 PM**

Here's my favourite Chretien joke (needs to be done verbally in classic Chretien accent). Actually, it's one of my favourite jokes ever.

Jean Chretien goes to Moosomin to give a speech at a wildlife preservation society. It doesn't seem to go over very well, so he asks the organizer what the problem was.

Chretien: I give da speech, I tink it a good one, but nobody clap. What da problem?
Organizer: The speech itself was okay, but you were wearing a fox hat, which wasn't really appropriate. Why did you wear a fox hat?
Chretien: Well, when I tell my wife I go to Moosomin to give a speech, she say to me: Moosomin? Where da fock's zat?