(no subject)

[camwyn]

My office is in the Fox News building, as one of quite a lot of tenants that have nothing to do with Fox. This morning, as I was waiting for my elevator to arrive, I think I saw Bill O'Reilly. If it wasn't him, it sure as heck looked like him. (Does anyone know how tall Mr. O'Reilly is? That might narrow it down some.)

Despite having been Red Cross at a time when Mr. O'Reilly was tearing into the Red Cross with more claws than a cat in a full bathtub, I did not go over to the man and punch him. Nor did I ask if he was Bill O'Reilly with intent to punch. I just stared, and looked around for any pictures on the wall that might have had him in them- alas, the only Fox pictures visible nearby were of Hannity and Colmes- and looked back at him as he got into his elevator, then got onto mine.

For everybody who's asked me how many famous people I've seen since I started working in Manhattan? If that was actually him... two. (Peculiarly, the other one was also involved in TV news, but was rather more respectable and less frothtastic about his opinions. It was Walter Cronkite.)

Comments

[calluna]

I think he's 6'4"?

*uses fist-shaking CNN-shirt-wearing icon*

[camwyn]

If that's the case, then this was just a guy who looked like Bill. He wasn't that much taller than me- and I'm 5'10".

[calluna]

Yeah, Billo is super tall, from what I've heard/seen.

I almost went to one of his book signings so I could take a picture like this one and call it "My Conservative Friend Bill" but I had the feeling he'd probably toss me down the escalator if I tried that.

Buuuuut I didn't go. I think that was one of the wisest decisions I've ever made. XD

[sdelmonte]

I've seen so very few famous people despite living in Manhattan and working at a museum. I can say, however, that some years ago I saw Paul Newman twice (he and Joanne Woodward have an apartment a block north of the museum). His eyes really are that blue.

I've also met a good number of artists and reporters that are somewhat well known, but don't count as famous.

[camwyn]

I'm not sure people who ask that question realize that there's eight million freaking people in this city, and a good million and a half of them are on this one island. Increased famous person density doesn't mean all that much when you've got to sort through that many other people to see the famous ones.

[(Anonymous)]

You know what I always think is weirder than running into celebrities? Running into people I know from elsewhere. There's a girl I went to high school with who I've run into randomly no less than three times in this city - she lives in NJ now and went to college downtown, but we've seen each other randomly all. over. the place.

[viridian.livejournal.com]

... and that was me. Firefox is not my friend.

[bigscary.livejournal.com]

Word. Highschool friends on metronorth, middle-school friends coming out of Tiffany's (where she had just picked out her wedding ring); hell, kokoinai works with my best friend from high school.

[viridian.livejournal.com]

... somehow I had no idea you two knew each other.

[sdelmonte]

And yet...

Remember the RGB episode where Ray is looking for someone and sits down at a fountain in a town and waits? And tells Peter that if he stays at any spot long enough, everyone he's ever known will show up sooner or later? And sure enough an old elementary school teacher shows up?

That's life in the big city sometimes. You can run into eight unexpected old friends in a week. You can also run into eight famous faces in that same week, and then never again.

[lots42.livejournal.com]

Ah, Real Ghostbusters references. That's how you carbon date people.

[midnightlurker.livejournal.com]

Indicative. Highly indicative.

[ebony14.livejournal.com]

I would probably embarass myself publicly if I saw Walter Cronkite. He's one of my favorite people.

[camwyn]

I was Christmas shopping at the time, down near Carnegie Hall. I remember thinking 'wait, is that...?', then realizing it was him, then seeing he was with a companion (I think it was his wife) and figuring he probably just wanted to go about his daily business. Before I could think anything else someone came up to him all breathless about 'oh my God you're Walter Cronkite' and started asking for an autograph, so I went on my way.

[lots42.livejournal.com]

I once fetched the manager from Hulk Hogan. Weird. I didn't want Hulkamania to erupt all over my theatre.

[lasa.livejournal.com]

Most of the famous people I've met are the type who are exciting to nerds. No movie stars or anything like that, but there's a few musicians in there.

Shook hands with...
Colin Powell
Valcav Havel (very proud of that one)
Edward Teller

Saw speak in person...
Dali Lama
Buckminster Fuller (he was great!)
Gerald Ford

Danced on stage with...
Bruce Springstein (yes! Really! 1978, Born to Run Tour, Pittsburgh, Syrian Mosque)

Stayed at the house of...
Jeff (Skunk) Baxter (of the Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan)

[camwyn]

Oh, nice! I've seen the Dalai Lama speak, when he came to Central Park a few years ago. I've shaken hands with, and briefly spoken with, Elie Wiesel. When I was five years old I met Mayor Koch, but that hardly counts, since he was campaigning for re-election at the time.

[lasa.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I forgot. Prince Charles and Diana. Husband actually shook Diana's hand.

DC is good for things like that.

[lots42.livejournal.com]

Did he look like a zombie that had an accident with a pressure watcher? Then it was O'Reilly

[camwyn]

Enh. I figured it might just have been a case of not being in his camera makeup. Nobody looks good under TV lighting, so everyone's got to be done up before they start filming, y'know?

[lots42.livejournal.com]

I was three feet away from Mother Theresea once.

I find no fault with the television trope of 'I could tell he was a fighter from looking at him'. That woman's bodyguard radiated 'I will destroy you'.

[daniidebrabant.livejournal.com]

I always miss the cool people.

The only person, to date, that I've ever seen is, in fact, one of my own PBs. Walking down the street. I'd say I was nuts or imagining it except that I'd iconed the hell out of that man if I didn't know what he looked like, I don't know what anyone looks like. That's about it for me, though.

Sherri met one of the actresses from Law and Order SVU, though. She meets all the cool people.

[daniidebrabant.livejournal.com]

...I did see that there was a signing for Cassandra Clare's book in then Union Square B&N. I didn't go, though, because I would have caused an Incident when I asked her to sign as "The One Handed Typist" or something.

[sylveraven.livejournal.com]

Hey! You stole my story!

*pouts* Now I just sound braggy and repetitious.

[sylveraven.livejournal.com]

And hey! Don't forget your encounter with Val Kilmer!

... I need a paid account so I can edit my comments.

[wikdsushi.livejournal.com]

As a Keith Olbermann addict, let me just say how glad I am that Billo (if indeed that is his real name) didn't look at you with his Yellow Journalism Ray until you burst into flames.

[camwyn]

I will always remember being at a lunch provided for the hurricane response workers in a warehouse in Texas somewhere when, in the course of catching all of us up to date on the outside world news and warning us what to expect in terms of questions from the public, one of the Texas Red Cross managers firmly declared that "Bill O'Reilly is no longer an Irishman."

I have no idea what he meant by that, but it has a nice doomy 'Mog-ur has pronounced the Death Curse upon you, no one will see you, no one will hear you' feeling to it, doesn't it?

[midnightlurker.livejournal.com]

"He has no name! I took it away from him."

[sylveraven.livejournal.com]

I have been here slightly over a year and have run into.... 4 famous people.

I can't remember who three of them were now, but I do remember one of them was the chick who plays Olivia on Law and Order. She was nice, and helped me pick up some boxes I dropped while being clumsy and stepping off a sidewalk while trying to walk around their crafts services area. That was pretty cool.

Of course, that doesn't count the people who come to my office. I discover many of them are famous in their respective fields, after I get nosey and Google them. But the only ones I'd heard of before Googling were the Forbes'. And they're just all really old.

[sylveraven.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah! I also met Gigi Edgley, the actress who plays Chiana on Farscape. Apparently my boss knows her. But that was at a convention. Convention meetings aren't as awesome as spontaneously running into someone on a street.