Celebrity Sighting

Today while walking on Bleeker Street I had may latest celebrity sighting: the great Judah Friedlander.

Truth be told, I didn't stop to ask the man I recognized as Judah Friedlander if he really was Judah Friedlander, but then again, how many people would cultivate the Judah Friedlander look, except Judah Friedlander? Judah, if you ever google yourself and find this post, please feel free to confirm your whereabouts today.

For those of you scratching your heads saying, that's all well and good Mr. Surly, but just who the heck is Judah Friedlander, well Mr. Friedlandlander was Toby in the excellent American Splendor, about the life of cartoonist Harvey Pekar. He also appeared in How High, the second best stoner movie next to Half Baked. He also played the guy who hugs random people in a Dave Matthews Band Video.

Spotting a celebrity has inspired me to catalogue the other celebrites I have met or spotted, i.e. people I have bumped into on the street, etc. as opposed someone I paid to see at a concert or play. In no particular order:

Sean and Yoko Lennon
Tony Randall
Leslie Nielson
Metallica (all of 'em, walking shoulder to shoulder, on the street - they were very imposing!)
John Stossel (I spilled ice on his foot and he kinda mocked me when I tried to apologize)
Sara Gilbert
Gary Busey (notable for not doing anything weird while I saw him though his taste in clothes was a little questionable)
Mark Hamill (very nice guy)
Vincent Gardenia
Lisa Ling (very cool girl)
Anderson Cooper (very cool guy)
Brian Austin Green and Tiffany Amber Thiessen
Dustin "Screech" Diamond (almost as nerdy in real life as Screech)
Serena Altshul
Joan Lunden (fond of dirty jokes)
Bald Guy from Midnight Oil
Neil Patrick Harris (cool forever for playing himself in Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle)
Bjork (nice lady)
Paul Westerberg of the Replacements
George W. Bush
Gary Shandling
Evander Holyfield
Zach Braff (a good Jersey boy)
Martin Short
James Todd Smith aka LL Cool J (very nice guy)
Harrison Ford
Jerry Seinfeld
Judge Reinhold
Scott Baio
Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy
Eddie Murphy
Jay Leno
Michael Moore
Curtis Sliwa
Daryl Hannah
Morton Downey
Dick Cavett
Dr. Joyce Bothers
John McLaughlin
Gloria Vanderbilt (nice lady)
Brian Tochi of "Police Academy" and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" fame

Well, that's the short and eclectic list. I'm sure I have left a few people off. Small world huh?

One non-celebrity sighting I had worth mentioning is Boy George. It's a non-celebrity sighting not because Boy George is not a celebrity, though his star has certainly dimmed, but because I paid to see him in his musical "Taboo." Not the version that the world's biggest idiot Rosie O'Donnell produced on Broadway. I heard the Broadway version should have been called "Ta-bad". No, I saw Boy in his little show when it was in London and was a mildly entertaining show with some Culture Club tunes and most of all - cheap seats. On my way out though I just couldn't resist stating very loudly to Mrs. Surly what had been obvious: "My God Boy George got FAT!" Of course I was standing behind a woman wearing a very prominent - I shit you not - Boy George Fan Club button. She just kind of glanced back at me in horror. It was really funny.