Thursday 17 June 2010

Celeb-spotting....

Smitonius:

You know how it is, not a sighting of anyone famous (or even remotely z list) for ages and then three celebs are spotted one after the other. I hasten to add, though, that when I told a friend, she said: who? to the first two names, and then cried out in recognition at the third name, but it turned out she thought I meant someone else. Now, don't all of you cry out, who? at once!

First sighting: I am in passenger seat of our car, and being driven through Islington. There is a side street with a range of cafe's and restaurants with outside tables. At one such table I spot Will Young talking to a friend. For those who live outside of the UK, he won the first Pop Idol contest (a fore-runner of X factor). He is as cute in person as he is in the pics or on screen, but I didn't have a camera with me so you will have to trust me on that one.

Second sighting: I am in a pub in Devon and my partner says: 'look! it is that guy from The Restaurant, what was his name?' (the TV series where Raymond Le Blanc makes a chef and front of house combo do a million tests to see if he will open a restaurant with them). Anyway, his name was Alasdair and he is now serving in Jack in the Green (great restaurant, by the way). We start whispering discreetly, then partner's mother says loudly after he has served us: 'I know that face! Why do I know that face?'.

Third sighting: again, in passenger seat, leaving a service station off the motorway somewhere between Devon and London and we spot Rolf Harris. Now, you must know who he is, surely?

Anyway, which celebs/famous have you spotted either recently or ever?

15 comments:

Jane Lock said...

My greatest celeb-spotting moment was serving Paul Newman & Joanne Woodward in the V&A shop circa 1987 (they bought a poster of Sir John Gielgud). It's been all down hill from there. Most recently it was the wine-tasting bore from the Edinburgh edition of Come Dine with Me

Tania said...

Impressive indeed. Except for the second spotted celeb...WHO? I'm blaming you if 'Tie me Kangaroo Down' is still in my head by the time I make it to bed.

rachel said...

I saw Labour politican Robin Cook in an airport once. He looked rushed, and had a bunch of minders with him.That was it.

But oh, to have seen Paul Newman......! Sigh.......

Lesley said...

I saw Sigourney Weaver in a shop in New York and Kanye West in Los Angeles (but I had to ask someone who he was as a few people clustered about him).
Years ago, my father-in-law spent a couple of hours drinking in the Beverly Hills Hotel with Warren Beatty, completely unaware who that nice bloke was until the barman told him the next day.
He also flew from Vienna to London sitting next to Keith Richards and Anita Pallenberg, once again completely unaware who they were.
They had a good old chat, and when they landed, KR picked up and signed a Vienna tour booklet, handed it to my f-i-l and said, "Give that to your kids!"
On seeing my father-in-law look at him cluelessly, KR took back the book and wrote under his autograph, in brackets, "Rolling Stones"!

rachel said...

Oh no, have just remembered an embarrassing celebrity incident. I once saw some young boys in Newcastle airport's waiting area, approaching an old chap with white hair and a camel overcoat to ask for his autograph. I asked a woman nearby who he was. She looked at me with withering contempt, and said, in scornful disbelief, "Don't you know BOBBY ROBSON??" And for once, I lied. I said "Haven't got my glasses on...." and slunk away, crushed.

Friko said...

I've heard of Will Young, because I very nearly went to a show in which he was appearing. But then the crits were so bad, I gave up on the idea.
The second person I wouldn't know.
Rolf Harris I know of, of course. Is he still around then?

Living in Camden Town, I used to see celebs all the time, some in the street market, like Alan Bennett and Jonathan Miller. And plenty of starry sort of people at the TV studios there.

I've also met lots of famous singers and conductors at the ROH, when I was waiting for B. at the stage door. I remember in particular Pavarotti, the man mountain in a black coat and billowing white scarf.

I'm afraid none of the names I could chuck into the arena would be considered celebs in our here today gone tomorrow world.

My Farmhouse Kitchen said...

well, i must really be in California....nobody sounded familiar to me....huh?

and thanks for asking about me and Teddy....and YES!!!! this little guy has helped mend a very broken heart...we LOVE TEDDY !!!!!

so good to see you today

sending love,
kary and teddy
xxx

mountainear said...

'Nul points' here I'm afraid. Don't think I've ever spotted anybody knowingly. Did kiss Mike Harding once though.

Jinksy said...

Patricia Routledge, Christopher Timothy and Zoe Wanemaker were my spot-the-celeb encounters, and I'd forgotten all about them until you asked the question...I'm just amazed that I managed to come up with their names, as well as remembering their faces!!! LOL

monix said...

Thanks for leaving a comment on my blog earlier.

My only encounter with a celeb was years ago in a London restaurant. I hissed at the family - "That's Frank Ifield at the next table." They said WHO? as well.

lovethosecupcakes said...

Lauren Bacall in NYC, Ginger Baker (from Cream) in London, the actress who played Bev in Brookside on a plane from Barbados. Impressed?

Lucille said...

Terry Waite at Euston station shortly after he was released from his imprisonment in Beirut. Michael Palin in the queue in front of me at Neal's Yard Cheese shop. He had that bag he always carries on his travels. Oh and (barrel scraping noises) Alan Titchmarsh coming out of an art dealer's gallery with his daughter in a swanky part of London.

Liz Hinds said...

Oh I love Jack in the Green! It's fab!

Marcheline said...

Sorry, as I'm from NY I have no idea who those celebs were.

However, I've run into Patrick Ewing (New York Knicks basketball team), Aaron Neville (singer), Ray Liotta (actor, "Goodfellas", "Corrina Corrina"), the ice skating star Scott Hamilton, super model Christy Turlington, and singer Barry Manilow.

All while I was a flight attendant - famous folks fly!

Suse said...

John Hamble from PlaySchool in the Qantas lounge at Sydney Airport (only Australian readers will understand the momentousness of this sighting).

Also, I was Noelene Brown's "daughter" in a series of ads that aired on Australian tv in the 1970s. (Again with only the Australian readers ... etc)

My mother did hang up on Cary Grant once when he called the office she worked at (in the late 50s), announced his name, and she replied "Yeah and I'm the Queen of Sheba" and put the phone down. She's never lived that one down.