Famous people you've almost knocked over - stories here!

[Rabrrrrrr]

I was just remembering the day I wasn't paying attention walking into a cafeteria and almost knocked Philip Glass over and/or pushed his tray of food into his chest.

oops!

And another time I came close to hitting Sigourney Weaver with a door.

How about you? Any close-call mishaps with famous people?

[Book Lover]

1. Yoko Ono

I will never forget - the spring after John was killed, I and a friend were roller-skating in Central Park. I crashed into her and almost knocked her over. She looked a bit shook up, poor dear.

Once I also tried to throw out Matthew Broderick from the Children's Museum of Manhattan - I was working the front desk-register and he came up asking for the bathroom. I asked him for his membership card, but before he could answer, some wellborn higherup fusted over and whisked him away....

[livetohike]

11. Bumped into John Forsythe

in a restauant in Malibu years ago. Two of my friends were walking close behind me and all three of us nearly fell on him, LOL.

[Champ]

2. Roy Jones Jr

I kicked his ass in a boxing match a few years back. ;)

[7th_Sephiroth]

56. i kicked Roy's ass

at basketball

[DenverDem]

3. I almost ran into Pat Boone in a crowded hallway backstage at a vid shoot.

At First Baptist Church in Dallas.

I rebounded well, though, looking down at his patented white bucks and said, "Nice shoes, Pat", he looked around and said "Thanks, man."

[Rabrrrrrr]

5. LOL!

That's great. "Nice shoes, Pat."

Love it!

[redwitch]

4. I once made Randy Newman get out of my chair

I had these great seats to a Randy Newman concert and when I got there (early) this guy was in my seat. I said excuse me sir, that's my seat and since I never get seats this good, I need it back. He smiled and said sure- and 20 minutes later walked out on stage. God, I am such an idiot!

[Rabrrrrrr]

6. ROTFL!

That's brilliant of you!

[jobycom]

7. My daughter almost ran over Zell Miller with a Beetle

She's five, and it's a toy beetle. We were going cross country, and stopped at a Cracker Barrel in Atlanta (on Jimmy Carter Blvd of all places), and Zell Miller walked in. My mother recognized him, and she stared at him all meal. She once voted for Reagan, but thanks to me, she now criticizes Miller as a sellout.

After the meal I took my five year old to play with the toys, and she had this little yellow VW New Beetle that was half self-propelled, and she let it go and I watched as it just missed running into someone's shoe. When I looked up, the shoe belonged to Zell Miller. He was very nice, and smiled sweetly at my child, which made me despise him less, at least in person.

[Rabrrrrrr]

8. That was recently, wasn't it?

I seem to remember a thread about that incident.

Very cute!

[jobycom]

17. Yeah, January

I posted a longer version of it not too long ago. I'm flattered you remembered.

[Rabrrrrrr]

45. It was too good a story to forget!

:-)

[Minstrel Boy]

9. Hey, I've done that!

A few years ago I wasn't paying attention turning a corner in Toronto's most snobbish grocery, Pusateri's, and almost stepped on the toes of Canada's prima ballerina Karen Kain. The look she gave me was cold.

Accidentally let a men's room door slam on David Cronenberg.

[ZenLefty]

10. John Elway. Almost ran him over in reverse.

Hey, at least I can say I tried. :o

[Rabrrrrrr]

14. Was that after you ran over him going forward?

:evilgrin:

[ZenLefty]

35. I had him in my sights...

But alas, it was my rear-view-mirror sights. Scared the hell out of him, too. Nothing like seeing the back end of a '71 Impala coming at you like a Transformer on crack. :o

[Champ]

41. I'm glad you didn't get Elway

Or else you would have 100,000+ Bronco fans mad at your ass. :)

[ZenLefty]

52. It would have been worth it...

...if it was a car I bought from his dealership. :o :evilgrin: :o

(Alas, at the time, the dealership hadn't been invented yet. I don't know what he did for a living then, but I think it was something during the week, since I heard he liked to go outside and play on Sundays.)

[Rabrrrrrr]

42. transformer on crack - great image!

[MaineDem]

12. Senator Olympia Snowe

I was coming out of the ladies room at a high school prior to a festival parade in northern Maine last summer. I pulled the door open and (almost) bumped right into Olympia. I was very surprised because I had been attending a Democratic event with the Governor and Congressman and I never expected to see a Republican there but she was riding in the parade - we were walking!

I don't dislike her as much as Susie Collins. Collins I would have knocked over. (Well maybe...)

[Spinzonner]

13. Ahnold

Several years ago I was walking through the Nordstrums in South Coast Plaza (Costa Mesa, CA).

This was when there was still a Planet Hollywood (restaurant) across the street - the chain he invested in and/or promoted with Bruce Willis et. al. I assume he was in the area visiting the restaurant.

Anyway, he was walking across the store with an entourage trailing and nearly ran into me. came within about two feet.

He was shorter than expected

http://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/recall/story/7640209p-8580625c.html

and I'm a bit over 6'1" with normal shoes.

[Burma Jones]

15. I DID knock Barbara Mikulski over

She was between me and a Beer at the Preakness in Bawlmer. I mean, she's under five feet tall for cryin' out loud. I must say though, she was a real sport about it and I have voted for her every time she's run 'cause she's a real no shit class act.

[TX-RAT]

16. Larry Holmes

Ran into him at Ceasars in Vegas, he didn't budge, i went back about 3 ft. He was very polite and apologetic, very much the gentleman.

[felonious thunk]

18. Mike McCurry on the Metro

I was standing there reading the paper, when we came to a rather abrupt stop, and I fell into this guy's luggage. After I apologized and recognized him I said "If anything in there belongs to your boss, please don't tell him I broke it." He chuckled (or humored me) and then I felt like an idiot for trying to make a dumb joke and got out at the next stop even though it wasn't mine.

[Penndems]

23. My former boss! :)

[soleft]

19. I almost ran over Chris Noth

But then I yelled out my car window, "My mother loves you"

I shocked Lili Taylor one day by yelling, "Hey, you're good!" as she was rushing down the street - um....I think that's it.

Oh, and I insulted Tyne Daly and made her spit on her fingers.

:(

[bowens43]

20. Al Sharpton almost knocked me into a pond in DC.

I was standing next a pond in DC during one of the anti-war marches and all of sudden the crowd parts and Al Sharpton surrounded by several very large guys comes rushing by. He bumped into me and I almost went into the water.

[flowomo]

21. Abby Hoffman...

we were playing a pickup soccer game at a park near the 1972 Republican National Convention in Miami and I rammed into him going for the ball.

[BurtWorm]

25. I'm impressed.

You knew him from Mass.?

[flowomo]

28. Nope, I was there with a team of people from Brandeis U....

to study the possible outbreak of violence (after '68 of course) and he was there to do his political thing and all the hippies were hanging out in... I think it was Flamingo Park

[Penndems]

22. You're not gonna believe this, but back in January 1994

I rear-ended Caspar Weinberger's son.

I was living in Reston, Virginia and we'd had one ice storm after the other here in Northern VA. I was driving down Wiehle Avenue to the intersection of Baron Cameron Avenue (two main drags through Reston). The light at the intersection has just turned red, so I braked . . . and slid on a patch of black ice. I felt the car slide and muttered something like "Oh, shit".

We pulled over, got out of our cars, called for an officer and exchanged insurance information. He saw the White House badge I had around my neck on the outside of my coat and exclaimed, "OMG, you work for BILL CLINTON?" LOL!

We had a nice talk while we waited for one of Fairfax County's finest. It was my first accident and I was scared to death I'd injured him. Turns out he liked Bill Clinton and actually voted for him. I asked him if he was anything like his old man; his response was, "Hell, no." He even asked me out for a drink (but, hey, it was 11:00 in the morning and besides, he was married, LOL).

I was charged with failure to maintain proper control of my vehicle and had to go to court. Believe it or not, Cap came with me (was I surprised!) and backed me up. (The judge was fawning all over Cap; "Are you O.K., Mr. Weinberger? Did you sustain any injuries?"). In the end, I had to pay $25 plus court costs, a total of $50. I did $500 in damages to his car (a Ford Taurus station wagon) and $1,500 to mine (at the time, I was driving a 1991 Plymouth Colt).

My court date came around when I'd left the White House and gone back to my home agency. When I asked my boss (a Clinton appointee) for the day off and explained to him why, the entire office roared. My boss said to me, "I hate that sonofabitch. I told him off at a fundraiser in San Francisco."

Everyone I tell this story to convulses into laughter, because they know what a big-time Democrat I'm am. Casper, if you're reading this, hope you're doing well!

[Sapphocrat]

24. You had to remind me? LOL...

Kathryn Grayson, in a hotel lobby. I was walking along, lost in thought, suddenly remembered something, stopped cold, whirled around to change direction, and bumped, uh, chest-long into Miss Grayson, who was right behind me.

James Darren, on the set of "Baa Baa Black Sheep." I was walking in, he was walking out, and boom. We excused ourselves, and I came away stunned by how short he was. (So was/is Robert Conrad; he can't be over 5'5".)

Fortunately, I've managed to refrain from stumbling into any other famous people. I've met literally hundreds, but have only literally "bumped" into two.

Rabrrrrrr, I want to hear your Sigourney Weaver story!

[Rabrrrrrr]

44. It was at a July 4 picnic

That's about all I can say...

She's very tall.

[Pillowbiter]

26. My freind has a picture of Souixie Souix's nostril

from when my freind was taking a picture of her and she didn't notice him and ran right into him.

And I have a picture of my freind getting knocked to the floor as Souixie looks startled.

PB

[Beaker]

27. Gene Siskel

I was driving the company pick-up between job sites, when Gene Siskel darted out from between two parked cars, running across my lane on Clark St. to catch a cab in the next lane...I had to slam on the brakes to prevent making him into a hood ornament.

[Shakespeare]

Sam Shepard and Eric Stoltz (not at the same time)

Shepard - coming out of a production of one of his plays at Papp's theatre in NYC in 1997; turned a corner and ran right into him. Dressed in his trademark jeans/white t-shirt/leather jacket, cigarette dangling from lips. Still a hottie at 60!

Stoltz - shopping at Cost Plus in Westwood, rounded a corner at the same time and bumped into each other. He wasn't terribly polite about it, either.

[matcom]

29. I Stepped On Billy Crystal's Foot

walking out of the IBM training building in Manhattan. walked out the revolving door and turned to my right whilst looking at a particularly lovely pair of female legs to my left (btw, those legs eventually made an ass....... - oh nevermind).

anyhoo Billy Crystal was walking up the side walk in a pair of jeans and sneakers and i stepped right down on the top of his foot (since i was otherwise distracted). he grabbed my elbow so i wouldn't lose my balance. before i could say i'm sorry he pointed to the cause of my distraction and said, "You have great taste"

:D

[GOPisEvil]

31. Chris Isaak jumped on my foot!

I saw Chris Issak at the lovely Gruene Hall back in the early 1990s. Instead of exiting the stage off to the side like most performers do, he jumped off the stage right in front and landed on my foot. I don't think he noticed, but that's ok. It was an accident and his show was great.

Then there's the time I peed in the urinal next to Oliver Platt.

[kcwayne]

30. I was drinking with Mike Wallace

at the Dallas Airport. We were waiting on the same delayed flight. It was extremely crowded and he was by himself, and he asked if he could sit at my table.

I struck up a conversation with him. He was a totally pompous ass. He was very annoyed that he had to rush up to Milwaukee to cover a scandal with the Catholic church up there, and he had to fly coach with all of us peasants. He didn't really want to talk to me since I was obviously a nobody. He was all about trying to get laid with the women that would come up and ask for an autograph.

The Falklands war was getting underway (spring 1982), the British fleet had sailed for the islands. I asked him why in the world the British felt it necessary to go to a worthless island and start killing people over terratorial rights of which they really had no interest.

"Honor" was his answer. I expected more from someone who was presumably informed. I wanted to spill my drink on him, but I just quit talking to him (not that he cared, he was busy hustling up "companionship" with some star struck bimbo)

[Penndems]

33. He's a Republican

Not sure if you knew it or not. That would explain the pomposity ;)

[LionInWinter]

32. Lady Bird Johnson

It was my first day at work at the LBJ Library in Austin & two co-workers & I came around the corner a little too fast with a document cart. Lady Bird was there & we just managed to avoid crashing into her. I thought her Secret Service agent should have jumped in front of us or something, but the dude didn't move!

[fudge stripe cookays]

48. balrog, have you ever read "Alamo House" by Sarah Bird?

If you haven't, find a copy! She captures 80s Austin perfectly!

The main character works at the library cataloging Johnson memorabilia. Her co-worker is in a band (that keeps changing names and incarnations throughout the book) and is always tired from the late hours he keeps.

He has a bunch of cardboard boxes set up for naps throughout the day. It's hilarious. YOU above all people would appreciate, it with your job history.

FSC

[ForrestGump]

34. Kenny Rogers and Axl Rose

Stepped on Kenny Rogers' foot (by the sound of it, I shouldn't have stopped there). When next I saw him on TV, soon after, he had a slight limp...don't know if he always had that, or if he already ahd it, but I like to think that I did my part.

Tried to occupy the same space as Axl Rose backstage and he won -- he was very rude. Probably should have crushed him like an ant (not that I generally crush ants, but I'd have made an exception in his case).

[THUNDER HANDS]

36. Al Franken

I was walking down 50th Street in Manhattan one day about five years ago, not paying attention to where I was going and I bumped someone. He said 'sorry' and I looked up and it was Al Franken!

I actually ran back the direction he was walking, ran past him, casually turned around and walked back again just to make sure it was him.

It was.

Oh, and I once shook Hillary Clinton's hand.

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[UnAmericanJoe]

39. I just about knocked over Grovelbot

Does that count?

[Rabrrrrrr]

40. I slammed onto Grovelbot at the Holiday Inn Smooth Tones Fern Bar

Our medallions got tangled up and I ended up getting a rip and hair gel on my silk disco shirt, but neither one of us dropped our Seven and Sevens.

[Champ]

49. Post on my thread in GD!!!

:hi:

[NewHampshireDem]

38. Dennis Johnson ...

former Boston Celtic great outside of Fanieul Hall a couple of summers ago. There was some big ESPN hubbaloo going on in and around Quincy Market with a bunch of sports celebs. Anyway, I was rubber necking, trying to take it all in when I brush into someone and hear, "Excuse me, sir." I turn to see DJ and what appeared to be his body guard beating a hasty retreat. One more step and I would have taken him out or his body guard would have taken me out! :0

[Commendatori]

43. George Brett

This was at a party house, he was one of about twelve major leaguers at this dinner (charity function), and was getting up to come aroung the other side of the table so as to shake the hand of a kid in a wheelchair. I came within inches of plowing into him because I didn't see him coming, and when I stepped out of his way I managed to knock over a waitress with a tray full of drinks. Very skillfully and impressively done, believe me.

[skippysmom]

46. Almost got run over by OJ

in the Fairmont Hotel lobby in San Francisco, circa 1985.

Also bumped into Mark Harmon in the Cooperstown, NY CVS once when I was living there.

[Zolok]

47. Mike Dukakis

whacked into him at the temporary red line station in Harvard Square back in 1980 when it was located in front of the J.F.K. School of Government (he was teaching therein, being in between gubernatorial gigs).
We exchanged apologies and hustled off to our respective classrooms-his at Harvard mine at a horrid little prep school in Boston's Back Bay.

www.chimesatmidnight.blogspot.com

[Jokerman]

50. Lee Corso

In the IU Memorial Union. I was distracted by a Friend & I ran right into him.

I also had Cliff Robertson hold a door open for me as I was making deliveries. Thanked him then did a double take, the store owner confirmed it was him.

[TrogL]

51. Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin

actually he was Finance Minister at the time.

I was at a Liberal Party campaign function and arrived late. The CBC cameraman let me stand next to him on the camera platform so I could see. Paul's entourage came in from the back and during all the pushing and shoving for him to get through the crowded room I almost got knocked off the platform and would have landed right on top of him.

[Donkeyboy75]

53. Bumped into Anthony Hopkins here on campus a few months ago

while he was filming "Proof." There's a coffee shop in the building, and I was leaving while reading a journal article. Ran smack dab into him. He was very nice, but I didn't even realize who he was until about twenty seconds afterwards.

[Rabrrrrrr]

54. OMG! They're making a film of "Proof"?!

And Hopkins is in it?

YOU JUST MADE MY DAY!!!!!!!

Assuming that it's the play "proof" about the mathematician and his brilliant daughter. Incredbile play. Saw it on Broadway and left feelings tunned with it's brililance.

Now we just need a film of the play "Copenhagen".

[Donkeyboy75]

64. Yeah, good play.

It was filmed here about six months ago; I heard it's due for release this autumn or winter.

[PAMod]

55. My dad knocked Grace Kelly on her "lovely...

a*s" (his words).

He and my Aunt Nancy were getting ready to board a train in Philadelphia in the early 1950's, and they were getting into a turnstile about the same time as Grace & family and my dad accidentally knocked her over, then helped her to her feet.

[dryan]

57. My grandfather almost ran over Albert Einstein

In the late 1940's, my grandfather picked up my aunt from her job in Princeton. It was at night. Just as my grandfather was pulling away from the curb, a figure came out from between the two cars parked on the curb just ahead of my grandfather's car. He put on brakes but the man turned towards the car so both my grandfather and aunt could see who it was.

[CrownPrinceBandar]

58. A buddy and me unintentionally ran Rex Reed off the sidewalk......

in the French Quarter. He wasn't happy about it, and we got a laugh. Sorry Rex.

[Bonhomme Richard]

59. I got in a fistfight with a golden gloves boxer once. Does that......

count?
I was a stupid drunk 16 year old and I thought the guy bumped into me on purpose coming off the boardwalk.
LOL I'll just say the fight didn't last long.

[bicentennial_baby]

60. Spilled sugar on Michael Keaton in Pittsburgh

I looked up and said "Whoa there Batman!". He was very polite.

[mitchum]

61. I almost ran over Michael Stipe last November...

Me: Damn that poorly-dressed transient is stepping right into my path...Ooops!...That poorly-dressed transient is the richest man in town.

[Westegg]

62. John Candy rammed my cart at "Vicente Foods"...

...circa 1989. Which, as any Brentwood homeboy knows, is THE great grocery. I was new to L.A. at the time, having just moved there, but I sure knew Candy thanks to Second City, "Blues Brothers," etc. He kinda snarled "Excuse me"---it WAS his fault afer all---and went on layering his cart with all manner of fattening foodstuff.

RIP John Candy.

[Melsky]

63. I asked Robin Williams to move

I used to work in a Record Store in San Francisco. Some guy was looking at magazines and blocking my way to get behind the counter. I said excuse me a couple of times. He finally looked at me and I said I need to get back there. He smiled and moved. When I got behing the counter, everyone was whispering that it was Robin Williams.

I had no idea.

[johnnie]

65. Mick Jaggar...Kind of

By a strange series of events I ended up working for Stones security last October or whenever it was. I was placed on the further end of the backstage. When the encore came Mick came running my way and it took me a second to realize he was heading my way. I had to pretty much jump back so I didn't collide with Mick. I wasn't aware there was an alternate entrance to the stage on my side.
We also ended up clearing the john and guarding it so Mick could piss during one of Keith's songs. Pretty bizarre night.
A month later I got to work for Dylan's show too. It was a little strange being within 5 feet of the guy. I'm not a starstruck kind of person BTW.