Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Rubbing Elbows: My Brushes with Celebrities chapter 14

In 1993, I moved to a very tiny studio in Manhattan in 12 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. It was a great place to rub elbows with celebrities.

One day, I ran into Linda Lavin in the lobby. She was ringing a doorbell to be let in as I was leaving, so I let her in. "Why did you do that?" she asked me. "You don't even know who I am." "Of course I do," I told her. "I just saw you on Broadway in The Allergist's Wife and loved you in Alice."

"Oh, that show," she quipped. "But you're a doll," she added, pinching my cheek. "I had so much fun doing Allergist's Wife!"

She had come because there was a celebrity photographer living on the second floor and she had an appoointment with him.

A well-known photographer who worked for Andy Warhol's Interview and, later, Vanity Fair, lived on the ground floor.

On the street outside, I ran into Jon Stewart carrying his very young daughter. I said hello and told him how much I enjoyed his work on The Daily Show at the time. I also saw Sam Shepard, then together with Jessica Lange. I said hi but he just ignored me, though Ms Lange said hi back to me.. I also encountered Jon Voght and received a cold, dismissive reception as he stepped into his car service in midtown.

Susan Sarandon walked with a friend down 8th Street one afternoon. One morning, I saw Rupert Everett walking his dog. I never realized how tall he is (6'4") and he tried to pick me up. He probably tried to pick every guy up. Unfortunately for me, I was on my way to a dentist appointment. Damn, I should have cancelled the appointment!

That area of the west Village was a virtual celebrity magnet. Long after I left The Bottom Line, I spotted Mariah Carey on her way there, going to a performance produced by then-husband Tommy Mottola's show.

I also spotted Cybill Shepherd in SoHo but she totally snubbed me.

The area was rich in celebrity encounters and I appreciated it very, very much. Unfortunately, we inevitably had to part ways after so many rich years of encountering celebrities




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