Celebrity Encounters

Good morning folks.  As always, I’d like to thank you all for coming by for a read.  Just me knowing that I could possibly give you a nugget of goodness during your day as you sit in your cubicle (and for those of you lucky folk, at your desk in an office with a door that closes) brings me joy.  This is something I could do for free.  Wait a minute…I am doing it for free! Damn! Oh well.

Hey if you notice, to your right there is a link that says “Subscribe” that I had put in.  So do it…..Please?

Today’s post is not so much about me, but more so a forum for people to share their celebrity encounters.  People over the world go nuts for celebrities, whether they be pro athletes, actors and actresses, or music artists.  It’s funny because even though we know they are just people, we still behave like they are something other than.  I guess the whole mystique is because we either admire their talent and/or have a crush on them and wonder how they really are in person.  Well I’ve had a few encounters of note, just as I’m sure you have.  It’s funny how it happens too.  I don’t go out and actively try to meet a celebrity (well maybe one – Aaliyah).  I’ll just be somewhere and look up, and there they are.  I of course don’t want to squander the opportunity, so I say something (usually something dumb sounding), and after the moment is gone I think about all the things I should have said.  So here are a few of my stories.

Chilli

I'm her future baby's daddy

I’ll lead off with my most memorable, because I had a crush on her, and heck, still do.  Me and my boys were riding the MARTA to Lenox Mall.  This is back in the beginning of 96.  On the train on the way there we were talking about something or other, and ironically I said “Man, wouldn’t it be some sh!t if we saw TLC in the mall!”, which launched a conversation about which one we would most want to have as our woman (silly I know).  I think at the time I was sweetest on T-Boz, so I picked her, but Chilli was a close second.

So we get to the mall to walk around looking at girls and stuff that we can’t afford, except for music which used to give a broke college student a reason to at least carry a bag around (who buys CDs anymore??).  As we were rounding the corner of California Pizza Kitchen headed towards the food court, who other than Chilli is walking our direction with two of her girls that we didn’t recognize.  It caught us so off guard that the three of us said nothing and walked right past her.  After we did, my eyes went big and I was like “Oh Sh!t man! Why didn’t we say anything!?? Damn she was fine! Man if I see her again, I GOT to say something to her!”

We scarfed our food down and continued our mall stroll and were upstairs when we spotted a small group huddled around a little person.  It was Chilli and a couple people who were getting autographs.  It was an off day (like a Tuesday) so there weren’t too many people there to cause a big commotion.  So we went downstairs and I walked up to her with a crinkled up piece of paper bag from my Chick Fil A and a pen.  With a grin on my face I said “Excuse me Chilli, can I get your autograph?” (smooth I know).  She smiled and said “Sure you can!” Now she is a little little tiny woman. she had to be like 4′11 1/2″ and 87 lbs.  She had on a purple silk jogging suit and her hair was down and all wavy like it usually is.  She looks exactly like her pictures.  Simply beautiful, but oh so tiny!  I had to turn around and bend way down so she could sign it.  She held on to my other shoulder and as I was stooping down she said “Thank you baby!”  My day was made.

Now she was really really nice.  It could have been that this was before “Hot Sexy Cool” and the “Oooooh on the TLC tip!” fame and money had dwindled, but I’d like to think that she’s like that all the time. I lost the autograph, but I still have the memory!  Chilli if you’re reading this (yeah right), I just want you to know even though Usher didn’t want you (what a fool), I’ll keep a place in my heart just for you!

Usher

Ursh

Speaking of which, I didn’t really meet the dude, but my freshman year in the AUC I had to go to a music  performance (some orchestral thing) they were giving at Spelman for extra credit in my music class.  I got there late and the music hall was filled and they weren’t letting anyone else in.  I was lined up with the rest of the latecomers and I was standing behind Usher who was with his then girlfriend – Ben Vereen’s daughter.  Who knew Chicken George’s daughter would have so much donk!! I was 19 at the time so Usher had to be 16 or 17.  Chicken George’s daughter had to be my age or older.  Go head Ursh!  Hey, I guess he always had a thing for older women! From Chicken George’s daughter to Chilli to his wife.  All older.  Hey, I’m not mad at em!

Zino

This dude isn’t really a celebrity as far as I’m concerned but I think the story is funny.  I was on South Beach for Memorial Weekend and of course it was packed on that main street next to the beach (Ocean Side Drive I think) but there were so many people just packing the sidewalk I broke away to stand in between two parked cars to get a breather.  A dude did the same thing a few seconds later and stood right next to me.  I looked and didn’t think anything of it, just some yellow dude with cornrows and shades – nothing out of the ordinary.  Then I thought and turned to him and said “Oh! What’s up Sean Paul!”  He looked at me and said “Aww man I’m not Sean Paul….” I said “Oh sh!t! My bad!” and then he went on his way.  It didn’t occur to me until after he left that he was that cat Benzino, who at the time was still the owner of The Source.  I felt a little embarassed but I figured that he knew that he looks almost just like that Sean Paul dude so I didn’t feel too bad.

You be the judge:

Sean Paul

Benzino

So share your celebrity encounters and tell the class if they were like you thought they’d be!