A Night at the Grocery Store
Published May 9th, 2007 in It's Really Just All About Me..., Celebrity.
I don’t want to be one of those “spot the celebrity” bloggers, but I had to share this because it really kind of shook me… I got to meet Woody on Sunday, so I figured I was done for a while (you really can go a long time in L.A. and not meet any famous people. Really.)
After everyone was in bed, I realized there was no milk in the house. I ran off to the grocery store at about 10:30 last night to pick up a few things.
There were maybe 10 people in the whole store. I was zipping through the aisles grabbing the stuff I needed - like jelly beans, Flamin’ Hot Doritos, and pork rinds. You know… the necessities. Oh, and the milk.
I passed by one aisle and recognized veteran actor Martin Landau. The unwritten rule in L.A. is to politely acknowledge a famous person and move on. But I’m a dork and a huge fan of his work. I literally have grown up watching him.
I even told him I was a huge fan. “Hi, Mister Landau! I’m a huge fan!” See?
He turned away from the light bulbs, looked me up and down through his thick glasses, and nodded, “I can see that. From the size of you… you’re probably my biggest fan.”
I’m 6′3″ and 280 lbs. But at that moment, I felt like a little boy. He smiled. Started to turn back to the light bulb rack and stopped. Then he asked me, as though he didn’t believe that I truly knew his work, “What have you seen me in?”
I said, “Well, the first thing I saw you in was Space: 1999 and the last thing I saw you in was your stint on Entourage. And just about everything in between.”
He nodded his head and grinned. Then he asked me to put my height to good use and grab him a light bulb that was too high to reach. I gave it to him and he thanked me. I told him it was a pleasure meeting him and took off.
After I walked away, I started to feel bad for the guy. He was wearing makeup, so I was seriously hoping he had just come from a job. But I finished shopping and got in line. My line was the same one looking back up the aisle at the light bulb section. And he was still there. Sorting through them. Looking for the right one. At 11pm at night.
I’m sure of his marital status but, at that moment, I really hoped he had someone to go home to. It’s nights like this that make me feel very selfish and hope that L.A. Mommy lives longer than me…
20 Responses to “A Night at the Grocery Store”
- 1 Pingback on May 16th, 2007 at 1:37 pm
I often linger in the lightbulb aisle, hoping to get some good ideas. Ha ha ha… Uh, I hope nobody tries to steal that joke.
But seriously, maybe you really met the ghost of Martin Landau, and he hasn’t figured out how to move into the light.
Don’t you ever meet any female celebs?
Poor guy probably just needed a few things and was tired of being spotted during the day. Figures he’d bump into you.
don’t cry for the guy. if i remember correctly, the year he won the oscar for ed wood, his date was a young, busty thing.
probably researching a role as a broken down old man in search of a lightbulb. yeah, that’s it.
That was the sweetest closing sentence I have ever seen!!!!
AWWWWW….
Sometimes I wonder how many celebrities I miss spotting because I never look at people.
So your saying there’s something wrong with a guy wearing makeup while shopping at 11:30 at night?
Dude, obviously you haven’t been to the Pavillions over in W. Hollywood.
What’s the unofficial celebrity count at for 2007 anyway? You seem to be getting at least one a week.
Wow. You have the best stories.
Sounds like you have a wonderful wifey to come home to. Yeay YOu!
It was interesting that he wanted proof you really knew who he was.
There’s a story about spike milligan who was asked for an autograph in the street and initially refused saying autographs were pointless. After being pestered and pestered and told that the person would treasure it always Spike eventually relented on the condition that the man gave him his address.
Five years later there was a knock on the door and there was Spike demanding to see the autograph he had given him. The man had no longer got it. A rather awkward situation no doubt.
Of course none of you lot probably know who spike milligan was, but never mind.
And here I was, agonizing over whether to post about meeting Diane Lane and Josh Brolin and sitting next to Jim Brolin and Barbra (no last name needed) at my BIL’s play the other week, and you trump me with Martin Landau! You tricky tricky fellow!!
I have lived in L.A. for about 30 years. Saw Robert Redford at a restaurant in Malibu once.
Oh..and Vickie Lawrence from the Carol Burnett show.
And then there was the one time I saw the guys who played the tooth fairy in those toothpaste commercials, on a plane to NYC.
But Woody and Landau? Both in the same week? That’s something!
My most recent celeb encounter was with Hill Street Blues’ Daniel J. Travanti. He left LA and moved back to the midwest to my little burb.
Anyway, I had just walked into the supermarket when I literally ran into this guy. He looked at me with an odd shy “aw, gosh” look. A minute or so later I realized who he was.
His odd look was his well-honed “yes, I know you recognize me but I’m really just a guy” look. Too bad I didn’t recognize him at the time.
Being selfish myself for a moment, I must say that I am thrilled that with 147 credits to Mr. Landau’s name (according to IMDB), that I am not the only person on the third rock from the sun, who would first list Space:1999.
I met tons of music celebs back in the ’80s when I was on the road, but since then I haven’t seen zilch in the last 15 years. Of course I don’t get off my block much anymore either and for some reason there aren’t a lot of celebs hanging out in central MN. Go figure huh?
Do you count as a degree in the Kevin Bacon game if we have never personally met?
I loved Space 1999 - ran across some repeats the other night. And he was great in that Woody Allen film. And, Dan, I know who Spike Milligan was.
Sometimes, it’s kind of cool to go to an all-night store and buy lightbulbs. But I like the fact you said that kind of agnostic prayer in your head for him.
That’s pretty cool!
I’m no good at celebrity sightings. Actually, about five or six years ago Kobe Bryant came into my place of work and I, being the brilliant non-television-watching freak that I am, had no idea who he was. When I checked his ID, he gave me this Look and asked if I was serious.
You’re much better at it than me!!!
So are you haunting the lightbulb aisles hoping for a recurrence yet?
Hi!
did you really meat Martin Landau at a store? where? plz tell me i would love to meet him!! Anyway, i was actually looking for an address or e-mail address where to write to him when i found this page… if you know of any, please let me know.! thanks a lot , Helen