No, I am not stalking

The planets must be aligned in my favor, because I have had a few notable celebrity sightings lately. These events are mildly common for those of us that live here, and sorry tourists, they generally don't hang around Times Square (unless they are appearing on Good Morning America) so chances are you won't get any. In the account below, I will tell you where I have seen celebrities, but this does not mean that you need to call out the paparazzi or start stalking for your own sightings. I don't want my blog turning into the next Perez Hilton site. I only share these stories because people outside the city have asked if I have seen anyone famous.

In this blog I believe that I have mentioned that I have seen John Leguizamo and of course my attempts at Snow Patrol meetings, but most sightings have been few and far between. I think I saw Olympia Dukakis on the 1 train platform, and I am convinced that I saw Adrian Grenier (The Devil Wears Prada) on the subway. But that was a while ago. This past month has been a flood of celebrity sightings. The first sighting I had was Ted Allen (Queer Eye for the Straight Guy) at a promotional thing for Top Chef. I gawked and texted my best friend the news. (She is usually the first to know about my sightings.) Then I saw him again at the Taste of Summer event at Lincoln Center (more on that below). Last week at a Nokia event in Washington Square I saw Claire Daines and Hugh Dancy (up and coming Brit actor). Oh no, it does not stop there. Monday I saw Caridee (America's Next Top Model winner) in the fashion district, of course, and Wednesday I saw Debra Messing in Union Square.

It was pretty exciting, and I have to admit, I stared. It is really hard not to stare. The first glance is used to make sure we are seeing who we think we are seeing...but we continue to look. So I have a theory. We usually see these folks on screens or stages, and we stare at the screens. Thus are brains are then programmed to stare at those people. It totally makes sense.

Of course seeing a celebrity is loads of fun, but meeting them is twice as nice. I have recounted my failed attempts to meet Gary Lightbody, and I am pleased to announce that I have met and talked to a celebrity! Sadly, it is not the Irish singer of that popular Scottish band, but it was my favorite cast member of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy - Ted Allen. I like him because he was witty, and well, I'm a foodie and I liked his food tips. (I have even used a couple.) In the above paragraphs I mentioned that I saw Ted Allen at the Taste of Summer event in Lincoln Center. The event showcased foods from some the best restaurants in the city. The food was so delicious!! Nokia sponsored the event, so I was there working--taking pictures, eating, etc. I did think that it would be cool the meet the gentleman, but I was pretty sure that was not going to happen (I remember to well my attempts to meet Gary.) Towards the end of the evening the crowd cleared and I saw Mr. Allen not too far from me. We made eye contact, and I smiled. I was then worried that I had food in my teeth. Then, he came over to talk to me! I am not lying or remembering this wrong. I am not that brave. I am pretty sure he was not hitting on me. I think he came over because 1) he is a really nice fellow and 2) I was wearing a Nokia T-shirt. He asked me about Nokia's sponsorship of the evening's event and I must say that considering my lack of information on the subject I did really superb job of answering his questions, and I was charming. I admit, I gushed a little about the show and the stellar shirt he was wearing with his seersucker suit. All in all, I felt that he was a very nice fellow. I wonder if he needs an assistant. And this experience will hopefully give me the confidence I need next time I am seven feet from a rock star I happen to like.