May 22, 2008
So last week, my stepdad says, "Hey, guess who I rode in an elevator with this week."
"Who?" I inquire. "Wait, first remind me where you were." (He travels for work sometimes.)
"Madison."
"Hmmm. Who?"
"Johnny Depp."
"What?!?!" was my first reaction. Then it was, "No way. In Madison? Johnny Depp? Are you sure?"
"Yes. He was surrounded by all these big bodyguards."
"Hm. No way, it's the Cannes Film Fest. He's in Cannes, not Madison."
Well, I should have known better, 'cause my stepdad is brilliant with celebrity sightings. I mean, he sees people all the time. He rode on an airplane with Boy George, and he's met (and recognized) numerous other celebs over the years.
So the next day, I did a Google, just to see if there was any chance he was right. And damn and blast if Johnny Depp isn't involved in a film that's being shot in Madison, Wisconsin, right now! He was supposed to be there in early May, so it's likely it was indeed Mr. (or should I say Monsieur?) Depp who rode, along with his bodyguards, in the elevator with my stepdad.
Sheesh.
So, do you have any celebrity sightings to report? Alas, my only experience was not getting to see The Fahbs at Romantic Times, and ogling Adrian Paul for a moment from a doorway.
I'm pathetic. 
Oh, wait! I lied! I forgot. When Music Man and I were on our honeymoon, we spent two nights in this posh hotel/spa in Sonoma and at dinner we sat next to Jessica Whatshername (crap) (played the wife in Rob Roy, and the love interest in Tootsie) oh, yeah, Lange, and Sam Shepherd.
So I guess I'm not as pathetic as I thought.
Whew.
May 22nd, 2008 at 3:26 pm
HOLY SHIZNIT BATMAN!! i got to see Depp at a coffee shop in aspen. ut from far away not standing right next to him. I used to perform (sing) a lot so i’ve met a crap load of famous musicians but cool!!! OH and I did meet Heath Ledger I was working on a movie set long time ago.
May 22nd, 2008 at 3:38 pm
Wow! Heath and Johnny?? Woo.
It just hit me. IN AN ELEVATOR WITH JOHNNY DEPP.
I would have DIED! (And wanted to get rid of those bodyguards so I could–er–guard his body. Heh.)
May 22nd, 2008 at 3:38 pm
Babe, at RT, I got to spend the night with Billy Joel. And the Clintons. Didn’t see any of them, though. But us lucky peeps bumped to the Omni … we could have!
May 22nd, 2008 at 4:03 pm
One of the cool things about when I lived in Tucson was the plethora of celebrity tennis & softball events they had. My favorite, I think, was Richard Dean Anderson (back in his General Hospital days).
May 22nd, 2008 at 4:12 pm
Day-um. I knew I missed out! I should have been at the Omni, where I wouldn’t have been awakened at 7 in the AM by pounding hammers. Or smelled the overflow of some bloody sewer.
And slept with Billy Joel and the Clintons.
Apparently, I need to hang with you more often, SHG.
Tori….oooh, Richard Dean Anderson. Very nice. Lucky you! Music Man lived in Phoenix for a couple years before we met, and he saw some people in Sedona.
May 22nd, 2008 at 4:49 pm
Judge Reinhold was in Little Rock last week. I saw him downtown and then went to get my hair cut and discovered he goes to my hair dresser when he’s here. Apparently his wife is from the area. I celebrated by watching Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
May 22nd, 2008 at 4:55 pm
I once saw Janean Garofalo in a Starbucks. I also saw Sofia Coppola in Newark Airport.
May 22nd, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Just a couple of weeks ago I went to get some Greek takeout and sitting there was OJ Simpson. I had to do a double take. Not sure what he was doing in San Antonio other than talking loud about the Greek church across the street. I’ve also met Ty from Extreme Home Makeover (when he was a newbie on Trading Spaces). Nothing as big as Johnny Depp.
May 22nd, 2008 at 5:30 pm
So Judge Reinhold lives in Little Rock part-time? Who’d-a thunk it.
Jane, I think Janean Garofalo is both hilarious and gorgeous. What’s she like in person?
OJ in San Antonio? Hmmm. Gotta wonder about that.
Oh, I forgot: here’s a near sighting. I mentioned a few weeks back we bought a new car…well, our salesman told us that he’d just sold Jeff Daniels a Prius the week before. Jeff is a local celeb, lives in Chelsea, MI, most of the time, and I’ve heard nothing but fabulous things about him and the way he interacts with the locals.
Very cool.
May 22nd, 2008 at 6:03 pm
I’ve met Viggo Mortensen, Gabriel Byrne and Eddie Izzard (who I’ve got tickets to see in Atlanta in June!! Whoooeee!!) My meetings with them are chronicled on my forum. Years and years ago (and I do mean years and years), I met Gene Simmons (before KISS had taken off the make-up). I’ve met a few other rock and rollers (but most folks wouldn’t even know who I’m talking about).
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:09 pm
Umm…I’ve never met any celebs, but my parents saw Little Richard in a hotel lobby. Johnny Depp has definitely been here in Wisconsin(live about an hour away from Madison) - too cool!!!
Holy crap - Viggo Mortensen, Gabriel Byrne and Gene Simmons…PLEASE share the other rockers you have met…we’ll probably recognize more than you think!!! 
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:42 pm
Lynn, I remember reading your story about meeting Viggo. And the pic you have on your website…gorgeousness. He looks delish there!
So, Kristin, are you saying that you didn’t feel the Johnny Depp vibe when he was an hour away from you? How disappointing!
May 22nd, 2008 at 11:00 pm
At least he didnt say the 21 Jump Street Guy
May 22nd, 2008 at 11:55 pm
What a terrible picture you put up of Ms. Lange!
She was so hot in The Postman Always Rings Twice.
I guess that was 27 years ago…
My only big celebrity sighting was Kim Basinger being escorted by three muscleheads away from a shooting of Bless the Child. It was neat only because of the scene: right downtown in my city with parked buses that shot water hoses up in the air to simulate rain. Basinger was drenched and seemingly off to her trailer. I felt like I would have been assaulted had I tried to say hi.
A life we all envy, but perhaps with trade-offs?
So have you ever been recognized in a normal, everyday moment?
May 23rd, 2008 at 12:36 am
OMG!!!!! Johnny Depp!!!!! (cry! jump around the room.) In an elevator…swoon. Faint.
He is my Favortie. I am totaly jealous. OMG!
May 23rd, 2008 at 2:27 am
I’m trying to think if I personally have had any contact w/ anyone famous? You’d think I’d remember. Oh, I’ve met some of the Portland Trailblazers (Terry Porter & Clyde Drexler…very nice, by the way). I’ve also met some of the Harlem Globetrotters. I’m tall, so these guys made me feel really, really short, which never happens.
When my brother was around 12, he was in a Boys/Girls club here in Portland & was taking a boxing class. He got to meet and get an autograph from Mohammad Ali.
My mom (back in the 60’s) was a huge Beatles fan and when they came to Portland, her dad took her & her brothers to PDX to see them. However, they got there too late (or so they thought) and decided to go up on the roof to watch planes take off.
A big black limo pulled up underneath them and George Harrison (I think…it was one of them), stuck his head out and looked up. He smiled and waved. My mom said her heart just about stopped.
And a friend of mine got her picture taken with Gerard Butler at some celebrity thing. She said he is the hottest thing since sliced bread and that he smells really good. LOL!
May 23rd, 2008 at 8:25 am
Ooh…your friend got her picture taken with Gerard Butler…and he smells good, too. *sigh* I would probably die on the spot!!!
Yeah Colleen - somehow I was wasn’t vibing on Mr. Depps whereabouts. Actually he’s been even closer than an hour away - the local newspaper and radio have kept us pretty well informed of his locations. It’s not that I’m not a Johnny fan, it’s just that if GERARD was around here…I’d probably have been arrested for stalking…not really, but ooh Gerard!
May 23rd, 2008 at 9:05 am
In 1988, I lit John F. Kennedy Jr.’s cigarette at the Democratic National Convention. And yes, he was as dreamy and magnificent as you’d imagine.
May 23rd, 2008 at 9:08 am
I once met Stephen Baldwin (yes, the Baldwin that was in Biodome, that Baldwin) in LAX during a layover on my way to Australia. He was shooting a scene for a made-for-tv movie (Mr. Murder, based on the book my Dean Koontz - decent book, bad movie). Rather than try and fight the crowd, the crew controlled them by letting them be “extras” and walk through the background of the scene when told by crew members (ha! I watched the scene in the movie and it was such an upclose shot, you couldn’t see any of us!) But anyway, I made friends with the one crew guy telling us when and where to walk by asking questions about the business, how he got into it, etc. So, when they called the scene and most “extras” started to leave and walk away, I asked the crew guy if there was anyway we could meet Mr. Baldwin. So he told me and a couple of my friends to wait with him until his boss left. Once his boss was gone, he led us right up to Mr. Baldwin and told him a few people wanted to meet him. I’d like to say I was completely cool, but starstruck won out and when he shook my hand and said “Hi, I’m Stephen Baldwin,” all that came out of my mouth was “I know.” Pathetic, huh? Oh well! I did get his autograph on a souvenir I’d bought in LAX. And at least I was brave enough to charm the crew guy so me and a couple of my friends could meet him in the first place.
On that same trip, we also saw Brad Pitt and Sheryl Crow kissing goodbye as Pitt dropped Crow off. Pitt was wearing all black, including black hat and black sunglasses finally noticed us oggling them through the window, he did started to slowly smile. It was adorable. We knew instantly it was him when he smiled! I hadn’t known they were dating, but when we got a chance when we got home from our trip, we checked a People magazine, and sure enough, it reported that Pitt and Crow were an item (this was about 10 years ago) and showed a pic of him in all black, including that hat we saw him in!
Finally, still the same trip, Keanu Reeves was on our plane to Sydney (in first class of course, so we caught only glimpses)!
Those are pretty much all my celebrity experiences, but they all happened on the same trip! Well, actually pretty much in a 24-hour period!
May 23rd, 2008 at 11:56 am
LOL Sparky. I’m not sure my stepdad knows 21 Jump Street…but he definitely knows Captain Jack!
Outburst, I picked that pic of Lange ’cause it was the most recent one I could find that she wasn’t all weirded out makeup or expression wise for a movie. I think she looks pretty good, although when I saw her, she was still a platinum blonde and looked gorgeous.
Kaitlin, great story about George Harrison! You know that pic of the four Beatles, that famous one of them in black and white with all their profiles? Well, in that pic, George is the spitting image of this guy I knew all through high school and college and always had the hots for–but we never hooked up. (The old flame that never flamed.)
So every time I think of George, I think of him. Briefly. (LOL)
MK you lit JFK Jr’s cigarette?? OMG. I am SO jealous. That is a story I must hear. What a hottie.
Andrea…to have been the recipient of a slow, Brad Pitt smile…wow. Lucky you. And maybe I ought to think about flying to Australia!
May 23rd, 2008 at 12:57 pm
Back to comment #9, Jeff Daniels. My sister moved to Chelsea, MI a few years ago and at the time one of her sons was a Junior in High School. He made the baseball team with Jeff Daniel’s son who was a Sophmore. Jeff chartered a bus for the entire team to go to Florida over spring break for spring training.
As a Senior my nephew played football, again with Jeff Daniel’s son. I went to one of the games. Pre-game Jeff and his family would bring their RV to the parking lot and tailgate. After the game we were walking next to the Daniels RV on the way to our car and all of the sudden Jeff opened the RV side door, looked right at me, gave a half smile, bent down and pulled up the steps, and then closed the door. He was really tall! It was very weird. I remember I just sort of froze.
I’d much rather have a Johny Depp sighting:-)
May 23rd, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Colleen - So, I worked as a runner for NBC in 1988 at both political conventions. Basically we did stuff like, answer the phones, drive the “on-air” talent around, etc. The day that JFK, Jr. visited the newsroom (he was a good friend of Tom Brokaw’s), a friend of mine was working at the reception desk. She called me and whispered into the phone, “I swear to God, John F. Kennedy, Jr. and Justine Bateman are headed to the newsroom!” So, I immediately picked up a phone that wasn’t ringing and pretended like I was on it. At the time, I smoked (and smoking was allowed in the newsroom — it was the 80s). When he walked in, I happened to be about to light up a cigarette. Brokaw came out to greet him, and he was standing about two feet from me. As I went to light my cigarette, he said…”Can I share your match?” and brought those dimples out in full force. I believe I stuttered something earth shattering like, “uh-huh” and reached over. He grabbed my wrist to steady it, and then lit his cigarette. He said, “Thanks” and turned around to talk to Brokaw again. I contemplated whether or not I could have my matchbook bronzed. For the longest time, it was stuck up on my bulletin board.
May 23rd, 2008 at 7:35 pm
Fun question, Colleen! Let’s see:
Once shared a flight with Pam Dawber (of Mork and Mindy fame). Spotted Don King in an airport. Was part of a formal dinner with one of the sultans of Malaysia while I lived there…
Saw the Queen of England from about 6 feet away when she visited my university here in Korea. Got kicked out of the Seoul Hyatt lobby once by the Secret Service so G.W. Bush could walk through it. My mother’s cousin also came to Korea, and the ONE DAY I couldn’t squire them around, they met Nelson Mandela on the street (they have a pic with him).
My closest encounter was with — Steven Spielberg in Korea! Really! (Close encounter, get it?) I was in a record store early in the day and I saw three middle-aged white guys with a TON of camera crews and reporters etc. It was Jeffery Katzenberg, Mike Ovitz and S.S., the Dreamworks moguls. The funny part was that the crowd blocked my exit, so while I was standing there waiting one of the bodyguards kept looking at me funny and then jerked his head a couple of times as if to say, “Hey, you’re the only other foreigner here so you must be with these guys, so get up there with them so I can protect you too.” I could’ve just walked up and introduced myself, but what was I going to say, “I love your movies?” Too lame. So I just shook my head and waited for the crowds to let me out. Besides, it wasn’t worth the risk of being tackled by another bodyguard who actually knew how to do his job!
I’ve met several Korean celebs by accident — one of whom I could even identify by her vagina, as we were both getting exfoliated at the same spa and I caught an accidental eyeful!!!!
May 24th, 2008 at 10:27 am
I’ll date myself here by adding Black Oak Arkansas and Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show (anybody remember those two?). I also met Michael O’Leary from the soap GUIDING LIGHT — my eldest was taking pictures while I was talking to him and told me I acted like I knew him and I said, “well, he comes into my house every day…” I’ve also met a couple of members of various STAR TREK shows.
May 24th, 2008 at 11:25 am
Let’s see…
Ray Bradbury
Harlan Ellison
Larry Niven
Jerry Pournelle
S. M. Stirling
Eric Flint
David Brin
Jonas Salk
and Groucho Marx
May 24th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Oh, yeah, Ray Harryhausen and members of the Chieftains and Cherish the Ladies.
May 24th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Strangely enough we see quite a few stars up here in the frozen north, especially film stars as Quebec City doubles for Europe all the time. We’ve been everything from Moscow (go figure) to Paris, London (yeah, right!) and a few places in between. Angelina Jolie signed my arm in felt tip pen. Talk about drama everytime I showered… just as well she didn’t tattoo my… well, nevermind!
May 24th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
With Johnny Depp in an elevator?!?!
*swoon*
Alas, I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting anyone famous . . . yet.
May 25th, 2008 at 12:05 am
So who else is wishing they’d got stuck in an elevator with Johnny Depp?? (big beefy bodyguards optional?)
May 25th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Hey Lynn…I know who the Chieftans are…I think I can even envision one of their album covers in my head. I asked my hubby and he is familiar with Dr. Hook!
May 25th, 2008 at 11:55 pm
I was an intern at Sesame Street when I first graduated from college and met the man who was Big Bird. I have everyone beat because come on, it is Big Bird!
May 26th, 2008 at 8:10 am
But did you meet Oscar?!!
May 26th, 2008 at 10:24 am
Lynn, a little secret- Oscar and BB are played by the same man
I also met Joey from New Kids on The Block twice and was a puddle of much because he was my big crush when I was a teen.
May 26th, 2008 at 11:30 am
Who doesn’t love Sesame Street…that’s really cool!
I always loved Ernie and Grover…aww! 
Every once in a while I’ll pop on You-Tube and watch a few of my favorite old clips…my absolute favorite is the two kittens in the dollhouse…aww…I must be overtired today!
May 28th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
How cool is that? What a great story.