#5. I Stalk Matt Damon. Three years ago in Chicago. Matt Damon is in town for a scheduled interview at a radio station to promote one of his upcoming movies. Using a little ingenuity, Mags, Bro and I finagle our way unto the list of “approved persons” allowed into the building on the day that Matt Damon is there by posing as interns. We stalk the building for hours and, later, while standing directly in front of Matt Damon at the elevator, I try to sound surprised: “Oh. My. God. It’s. Matt. Damon.”
#4. Chasing George Wendt. Long ago, in London, “Norm” from Cheers passes me and my group of Australian friends on the street. None of the Aussies know who he is. I start to explain but he’s slipping away from us. I turn around, break into a sprint and chase after him. When I catch up, I’m winded and sweating like a maniac. I don’t know what to say, so I point and yell, “Noooooooorrrm!” He looks scared & annoyed and he shoos me away.
#3. “Mad Dog” Albright. Last year, at a book signing in Washington, D.C., the organizers’ directions are very clear: WRITE YOUR NAME ON THE POST-IT AS YOU’D LIKE MADAME SECRETARY TO PRINT IT. But, I’ve been waiting hours; I want more than my name. I write my instructions for Albright in neat handwriting, “Stolie,” I want her to write, “you are a worthy successor. Signed, Mad Dog.” A friend snaps a photo of me and Albright at the exact moment that she finishes reading my note. The look on her face? Priceless.
#2. I Stumble onto the Set of Ocean’s 12 and Meet Bernie Mac & Andy Garcia. A year or two ago or so, I’m in Chicago and I’m running late for work. I dash out of my apartment’s front door and land directly unto a movie set. “What the hell is going on?” I ask a nearby police officer. “They’re filming a movie,” he responds although I’ve already gathered that much. I ask him which movie and he tells me, “Ocean’s Twelve.” My mind races. George Clooney, Bernie Mac, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Andy Garcia are going to be in my neighborhood?!?! I smile devilishly at the cop, “I’m soooo calling in sick today.”
#1. My Gym Crush on Nate Berkus. (This is my favorite story because I met him immediately before he blew up …) Years ago, in Chicago, my every-other-day gym schedule overlaps with that of an extremely handsome young man. We make eyes. I smile. He smiles back. We make small talk at the water fountain. He’s smooth. He’s charming. And, he has a way of making the ladies swoon. (Little did we know; or, maybe we knew and just didn’t care.) I tell Mags about the new hot guy at the gym and I describe him. She says she has noticed him as well. Much later, my phone rings and it’s Mags. “Turn on your TV. Turn on your TV!!!!” They are re-airing the Oprah show. Apparently, The Hot Guy from the Gym has just become Oprah’s New Favorite Designer.
Technorati Tags: Andy Garcia, Bernie Mac, funky brown chick, funkybrownchick, George Wendt, Matt Damon, Nate Berkus, Oprah
November 8th, 2005 | Print This Post
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| [15] folks got down with the Funky Brown
