movie star events – IAMNOTASTALKER

February 10, 2012February 9, 2012

The “TimesTalks” Interview with George Clooney & Alexander Payne

This past Wednesday afternoon, the fabulous Miss Pinky Lovejoy, of the Thinking Pink blog, informed me that she had just scored two tickets to The New York Times “TimesTalks in L.A.” interview with actor George Clooney and his The Descendants director Alexander Payne. Pinky wanted me to be her plus-one for the event, which was taking place that evening at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, and, even though I have never been a huge George Clooney fan, I immediately accepted. Now don’t get me wrong, I loved Ocean’s Eleven and think GC (yes, there’s another one!) is a great actor, but, unlike most females on the planet, he has never been my end-all, be-all. I have always just kind of felt fair-to-middling about the guy. Oh, how that was all about to change! Pinky and I showed up to the event about an hour early and there were already a good 100 people in line. Thankfully though, we were able to snag some second row seats and Pinky was literally on the edge of hers the entire time waiting for the interview to begin. You see, George Clooney has long been Pinky’s “unicorn”. While almost all of her other stalker friends had managed to snag pics with him over the years, she had somehow missed him at countless events and was beginning to think the guy didn’t exist. So to make sure that this would not turn out to be yet another failed opportunity, she knitted George a scarf and wrote him a card, hoping that he would take pity on us and, in turn, pose for a couple of photos.

The interview got started right on time and when George Clooney walked onto the stage, I am pretty sure my mouth fell open about a foot . . . and I might have even drooled a little. In person, without the aid of professional make-up, lighting, and Photoshop, the guy still looked movie-star-perfect! Like WOW!

Unfortunately, the moderator for the event, who shall remain nameless, was beyond-words horrible! How he managed to make an interview with George Clooney and Alexander Payne boring is absolutely beyond me, but he did! About thirty minutes into it, I turned to Pinky and said, “I would rather stab a pen through my eye than have to sit here and listen to this guy any longer!” I swear, if Joel McHale and The Soup writers got hold of the video of the event, they would have a field day! At one point, when an audience member asked George and Alexander what movies had inspired them over the years, the moderator opted to also give an answer himself. Like, really?? I don’t think anyone was asking you! And while Alexander seemed annoyed with the guy (and rightfully so!), George (gotta love him!) was repeatedly trying to help him out. He continually attempted to lead the conversation in a much more interesting direction and gave beautifully-crafted answers to the many inanely-crafted questions. All I could think while watching him was, George Clooney is not just nice, he’s kind. I honestly do not think I would have been nearly as gracious in the same situation.

George was also EXTREMELY funny, witty, and quick to laugh, as you can see above. I can only imagine how dreadfully boring the whole interview would have been had he not been carrying it.

George also seemed incredibly down-to-earth. When the moderator opened up the interview to questions from the audience at the end of the evening and then realized there were no microphones set up in the auditorium, George immediately jumped out of his chair to help find one. Um, LOVE IT! And the tipping point for me was when a much older, slightly clueless, gentleman got up to ask a question, during which he told George that he had once submitted a script to George’s uncle, movie director Jose Ferrer, and that, in response, Jose had written him the kindest rejection letter he had ever received. He happened to have the letter with him and George immediately jumped off of the stage to accept it, then gave the guy a hug, and posed for a photograph with him for the press in attendance. The gentleman, who by that time was no longer near the audience microphone, then asked George if he wouldn’t mind moving a bit closer to him so that he could use the microphone affixed to George’s lapel to continue to tell his story (not kidding!), which went on . . . and on . . . and on. The whole thing was absolutely unbelievable, but George, once again, was beyond kind about it and never rushed the man or acted in any way uninterested in hearing what he had to say.

As soon as the interview was over, Pinky ran up to the stage and called George over to give him the scarf and card she had made. George honestly could NOT have been nicer, thanked her, and happily agreed to pose for a pic . . .

. . . which turned out ADORABLE! <3

Then I asked for a pic and George, once again, happily obliged. Pinky often says about the friendlier stars she has met over the years, “That celeb was so nice, he/she would have braided my hair if I had I asked!” Well, I am very happy to report that George Clooney was braid-your-hair nice.

Alexander Payne was also incredibly nice and down-to-earth and actually kneeled down on the stage next to me so that my picture with him would come out better. LOVE IT!

Pinky and I took the above photo as we were walking to our car after the interview, squealing like little schoolgirls the entire way! She captioned the pic on Facebook, “This is our ‘We just met George Clooney’ face!”

Watch live streaming video from nytimes at livestream.com

You can watch a video of the entire “TimesTalks in LA” interview with George Clooney and Alexander Payne by clicking above.

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Upon leaving the event, Pinky, ever the stalker, decided to search the WireImage website to see which stars were in attendance at the This Means War premiere that was taking place over in Hollywood that same night. And she just about flipped when she saw that Kristin Cavallari was there, because it just so happens that KCav is my unicorn! I absolutely LOVE the reality star and have not only missed her at several appearances, but when I did end up meeting her a few years back, the Grim Cheaper had a massive fail with our photo op. So Pinky and I immediately headed right on over to Hollywood to try to catch my unicorn! And while we didn’t end up seeing Kristin, we did get some pics with some other celebs including Holly Marie Combs (don’t we look like besties in the above photo? );

Perrey Reeves, aka Mrs. Ari on Entourage;

Melanie Lynskey – aka Rose, Charlie’s stalker on Two and a Half Men;

Ashley Jones, from The Bold and the Beautiful and True Blood;

and Francois Arnaud from The Borgias. All in all it was a FABULOUS night that I am still on a complete and total high from over 24 hours later! You can read Miss Pinky Lovejoy’s write-up of the evening on her blog here.

Big THANK YOU to Pinky Lovejoy, of the Thinking Pink blog, for inviting me to this event and for turning me into a huge George Clooney fan in the process!

Until next time, Happy Stalking!

Stalk It: Unfortunately, there is no stalking location for this one, but you can catch The Descendants in theatres now.

December 6, 2011December 5, 2011

The Landmark Screening of “The Way”

Last Wednesday evening, shortly before a ginormous wind storm took hold of Los Angeles, celebrity aficionado Pinky Lovejoy, of the Thinking Pink blog, and fellow stalker CB, of the Mike the Fanboy website, invited me to be their plus-one at a screening of the new movie The Way, which was to be followed by a question and answer session with the film’s director Emilio Estevez, star Martin Sheen, and producer David Alexanian. Because the event was taking place at the Landmark Theatre located all the way out in Westwood, though, and because The Way has a run-time of 115 minutes, and because this stalker is not a big fan of “films” – I much prefer “movies” to the typically pretentious art house fare usually found at indy theatres – I was not especially looking forward to attending. But I absolutely love me some Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez, so I decided that I would just have to bite the bullet and that is how I found myself heading out to the Westside last Wednesday night, just as 85-mile-per-hour winds were beginning to blow.

The Way–Preview

The Way, which you can watch a preview of by clicking above, turned out to be, by no stretch of the imagination, one of the best movies I have ever seen in my entire life! I honestly cannot say enough good things about it and was actually very hesitant to write this post as I knew it would take me quite a bit of time to put into words all of the fabulous things that I wanted to express. The film, which was written and directed by Emilio Estevez, is nothing short of phenomenal in so many ways – it features a completely unique and riveting story, a wonderful script, fabulously rich characters, incredible scenery, remarkable performances, and a touching and profound sentiment. I do not want to say a lot about The Way as I feel it should be viewed without much prior knowledge, but at its core is the story of El Camino de Santiago, a real-life 500-mile route through France and Spain that pilgrims, or “peregrinos” as they are officially called, walk (yes, walk!) on their way to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, where the remains of Saint James are believed to have been buried. The journey, which is just as much spiritual as it is physical, lasts about eight weeks with peregrinos walking about twelve to fifteen miles per day. At night, the travelers stay at refugios, small inns or hostels, where they are provided with a homemade meal and a bed. The refugios are just as much a part of the journey as the walk itself, as pilgrims break bread with the refugio owners and their fellow travelers, creating new friendships and learning local customs along the way. I find it unbelievable that prior to watching the film, I had never heard even a mention of El Camino de Santiago. I am now absolutely fascinated by it, as I am sure all those are who have seen The Way. If you have yet to see the movie, I cannot more highly recommend doing so. It is an uplifting adventure and historically-rich journey that you will not be sorry you took.

Immediately following the screening, Martin Sheen, Emilio Estevez, and David Alexanian walked to the front of the theatre and the Q&A session began. And I have to say that it was almost as fascinating as the movie itself. Martin talked about how in 2003 he had been approached by his then 19-year-old grandson, Taylor Estevez (Emilio’s son), to walk the Camino. Because Martin was filming The West Wing at the time, he did not have enough weeks off to walk the entire 500-miles, so Martin’s wife suggested that the two rent a car and drive along the Camino route. That way they could see how difficult of a trek it would actually be and prepare themselves for walking it someday in the future. And that is exactly what Martin and Taylor did. (Can I just say here how adorable it is that Taylor asked his grandfather to go on this journey with him? LOVE IT! Reminds me of the relationship I have with my grandma.) Things did not exactly go according to plan, though, as one night during their journey, while dining at a refugio, Taylor and the refugio owner’s daughter locked eyes and, as Martin said in the Q&A, “they’re still looking at each other”. Taylor ended up staying in Spain and marrying the refugio owner’s daughter and they are still together to this day. Their love story and the experiences Taylor and Martin shared on their Camino journey inspired Martin to ask Emilio to write a screenplay about it. The father/son duo, who live next door to each other, collaborated on the story and The Way is the result of their efforts.

The Way was shot entirely on location along El Camino de Santiago (in chronological order, mind you), with the crew using only the camera equipment and supplies that they could carry on their backs, which makes the behind-the-scenes story almost as amazing as the actual movie. So basically, while filming a movie about El Camino, the crew was actually taking the journey themselves. So incredibly cool!

Martin and Emilio honestly could not have been funnier, warmer, or more engaging during the Q&A and I love both of them even more now than I did before.

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After the Q&A, CB, Pinky, and I went up to Martin, who was EXTREMELY friendly and more than happy to pose for a pic with us. I was actually an extra in an episode of The West Wing about eleven years ago and had the pleasure of watching Martin perform firsthand. The man is a phenomenon and I will never forget coming home that night and saying to my mom, “I learned more about acting in one day of observing Martin Sheen than I did in four years of college as a theatre major!” My mom was not too pleased to hear that, being that she footed my college tuition, but it was absolutely true. The scene I was an extra in involved Martin’s character, President Jed Bartlet, giving a speech to his daughter’s college. The speech was LONG – at least five minutes of continuous dialogue – and Martin knew that thing backwards and forwards. The filming took over 14 hours (not kidding!) during which Martin had to repeat the monologue over and over and over again and, let me tell you, the guy never faltered or forgot one single word! And he had just as much energy during Take 1 as he did during Take 103. It was incredible to witness. Even more incredible was the fact that every time the director yelled “Cut!”, Martin would seamlessly shed his Jed Barlet persona to address all of the extras, regaling us with stories of his life and acting career. Once the director would yell “Action!”, Martin would once again transform into his character and continue on with his speech without missing a beat. I am still awed by it to this day!

Emilio Estevez also could not have been nicer or more friendly and I have to say that it was pretty incredible getting to tell Gordon Bombay himself that The Mighty Ducks was one of my very favorite movies.

After the show, Pinky, who I swear could spot a celebrity while blind-folded in a snow storm, saw actor Ed Lauter, who played Colonel Glenn in fave movie Girls Just Want to Have Fun. We, of course, asked Ed for a picture and he happily obliged. Yay! All in all, it was a fabulous night and I am SO incredibly glad that I went!

You can read CB’s write-up of the event and see some videos he took of the Q&A session on the Mike the Fanboy website here.

Big THANK YOU to Pinky Lovejoy, from the Thinking Pink blog, and CB, of the Mike the Fanboy website, for inviting me to this event.

Until next time, Happy Stalking!

Stalk It: There is no stalking location for this one, but you can catch The Way in theatres now and you can visit the movie’s official website here.

November 18, 2011November 17, 2011

The SAG Conversations with “Southland” Event

I would like to start off today’s post by announcing that my good friend, fellow stalker Owen, who is a copy editor by trade, has just started his very own blog which chronicles the various spelling mistakes and grammatical errors that he comes across in printed material on a daily basis. The blog is called When Write Is Wrong and, let me tell you, it is absolutely HILARIOUS! I strongly urge you to check it out and get your LOL on. You can visit When Write Is Wrong here. And now, on with the post!

Last week, I received an email from the Screen Actors Guild inviting me and a guest to a screening of the TNT television series Southland, followed by a Q&A with executive producer Christopher Chulack and cast members Lucy Liu, Regina King, C. Thomas Howell, Ben McKenzie, Michael Cudlitz, and Shawn Hatosy. And even though I had never before actually seen an episode of the show, once I saw the name Ben McKenzie I just about died of excitement! As I have mentioned several times before on this blog, this stalker absolutely LOVES herself some The O.C., especially its cutie former star, and I have been absolutely dying to get a picture with him for what seems like forever now! So I immediately RSVP-ed to the event and invited fellow stalker Mike, from MovieShotsLA, to be my guest as Southland is one of his favorite shows.

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The evening started out with a screening of the Season 3 episode titled “Fixing a Hole” and while my mom, who watches Southland religiously, had warned me that the series might be a bit too gory and gritty for my taste, let me tell you, I absolutely LOVED it. It was laugh-out-loud funny, extremely well-written and sharply poignant. I cannot wait to rent Season 1 and start watching from the beginning. Immediately after the episode ended, the stars of the show entered the room and my stomach literally did a flip-flop when Ben McKenzie came into view. He is even cuter in person than he appears to be on TV. Swoon! Because I am anal and always arrive at these types of events about 3 hours early, I secured some FABULOUS seats for me and Mike and we literally could have reached out and touched the actors. Sadly though, this particular venue did not allow any photographs to be taken during the Q&A, so I was unable to get any pictures of the actors onstage. But, let me tell you, the interview session was FABULOUS! The Southland cast is easily one of the most down-to-earth casts I have ever seen in person and, for such a dark, heavy show, the atmosphere between them all was extremely light and fun. They seemed to genuinely like each other and had an easy rapport. And although the jokes were flying out of everyone’s mouth, Michael Cudlitz (who plays Officer John Cooper on the show) was by far the funniest of the bunch. He is absolutely HILARIOUS in person – like stand-up-comedian funny. My favorite part of the Q&A, though, had to be when the actors talked about the fact that executive producers Christopher Chulack and John Wells do not allow any sides on the Southland set. For those unfamiliar with the term, “sides” are small portions of a script that contain only those scenes being filmed on that particular day and actors usually have them on hand at all times. John and Christopher banned the mini-scripts from the set from the very beginning so that the actors would be forced to do their homework and come to work prepared each day. The Southland cast all said that it was a phenomenal way to work and that they were better performers because of it. This policy especially resonated with me as it used to drive me absolutely batty in acting class when my fellow students would show up unprepared. Memorizing lines is the easiest part of acting, in this stalker’s never-to-be-humble opinion, and if you cannot even come to class with that basic part of your homework completed, how can you expect to be present and focused onstage??? But I digress.

Immediately following the Q&A, Mike and I, of course, approached all of the actors to ask for pictures and I am very happy to report that they could NOT have been nicer!! We met Regina King first and she was a complete and total sweetheart – a total 180 from the tough, brazen character she plays on Southland. Sadly, while we were talking to Regina, Lucy Liu walked by and because no one stopped her for a photo (most actors consider themselves to be above the whole fandom thing), she left before we could talk to her. As Miss Pinky Lovejoy, from the Thinking Pink blog, would say, “FAIL!”

After Regina, we hit up Shawn Hatosy whom I was familiar with from both Alpha Dog and Dexter. It is funny, but even though I had never watched Southland, I knew and loved each of the actors in attendance from other productions. Shawn was extremely nice and happily posed for photos with both Mike and me.

After posing with Shawn, I spotted Ben McKenzie and just about had a heart attack. Pinky Lovejoy had told me prior to the event that Ben was a total sweetheart and I am happy to report that she could not have been more right! SUCH a nice guy and, as I mentioned above, ADORABLE in person! SWOON! SWOON! SWOON!

After Ben, Mike and I got a pic with Michael Cudlitz, which we were both EXTREMELY excited about as he had played jock Tony Miller on fave show Beverly Hills, 90210. When I first walked up to Michael, I said, “You were Brenda Walsh’s prom date!”, to which he smiled and said, “That I was!” LOVE IT!

Last up was Ponyboy himself, C. Thomas Howell, who was a complete and total sweetheart! I chatted with him a bit about Rob Lowe’s autobiography, Stories I Only Tell My Friends (which is honestly one of the BEST books I have ever read – like in my entire life!!!!), and he told me that his wife had just read it and had also said it was one of the best books she had ever read. Ironically enough, a few minutes later Mike and I ventured into a nearby Starbucks (I know, shocker!) and who should be in front of us in line, but C. Thomas! He recognized us and I quickly said, “We are not following you, I swear!” I mean, I’m a stalker, but I’m not that bad! C. Thomas chatted to us again for a few minutes and then I headed off to use the restroom, but Mike told me that when C. Thomas left, he called out to him, “Later, bro!” and waved good-bye. How incredibly cool is that?? All in all, it was an AMAZING night and I am still pinching myself over the whole thing! As Pinky Lovejoy would say, “Win!”

And don’t forget to check out fellow stalker Owen’s new blog, When Write Is Wrong!

Until next time, Happy Stalking!

Stalk It: Unfortunately, there is no stalking location for this one, but you can catch Southland every Tuesday night on TNT. Season 4 is set to begin on January 17th.

November 3, 2011September 29, 2017

Halloween at Dick Van Dyke’s House

While doing research on the Strode House from Halloween a couple of weeks back, I came across a blog post about the extravagant yard haunt that actor Dick Van Dyke hosts every Halloween at his home in Malibu. And while you wouldn’t think it would be possible, being that I have lived in Southern California for well over a decade, have spent countless hours stalking, and am obsessed with all things Halloween and all things celebrity, until reading that post I had never before heard anything about it! And, let me tell you, I just about had a heart attack a few minutes later when I discovered that Dick Van Dyke lives inside of the gated Serra Retreat community because some of our good friends just (like literally weeks ago!) moved into that very same community! I immediately texted said friend to ask if she lived near Dick Van Dyke or knew him at all and started hyperventilating when she wrote back that not only are they next-door neighbors, but that the Grim Cheaper and I were welcome to come to his Halloween party! Talk about fate! I mean, do these things actually happen??? Days later, as I sit here typing this, I am still in a bit of shock and can’t quite believe that I was actually at Dick Van Dyke’s house for Halloween! And that right there is why I LOVE L.A. – one simply never knows what unthinkable adventure is waiting just around the corner! (The GC refused to dress up as Dylan again after already dressing up on Saturday night, which is why I am dressed like a flapper above. I am now thinking of changing his nickname to the “Grim Grumper”, by the way. )

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About two seconds after we arrived at our friends’ house on Halloween night, some trick-or-treaters knocked on the door and I just about died when I realized it was none other than James Cameron, dressed as a pirate, and his family! I kid you not! I was absolutely DYING inside as he introduced himself to our friends and welcomed them to the neighborhood. Like really? As I said above, does this stuff actually happen??? Oh, what I would not give to live in the ‘Bu and have James Cameron trick-or-treat at my door! HOW INCREDIBLY COOL! I did not ask James for a photograph as I figured it would have been a bit awkward, but I am kind of kicking myself about it now. As my girl Pinky Lovejoy, of the Thinking Pink blog, constantly admonishes me, when an opportunity presents itself, always, always ask for a picture! Ah well, maybe next Halloween! Anyway, shortly after James left, we all headed over to Dick Van Dyke’s house and, let me tell you, it was nothing short of AMAZING! For this Halloween-obsessed stalker, being there was the ultimate experience!

Dick had decorated the entire front of his property – like every single square inch of it – with a myriad of Halloween displays and contraptions and, let me tell you, it was like nothing I had ever seen! The whole thing was like being in the middle of a horror movie set! We were there for well over an hour and I still do not think I saw everything. The spooktacular was comprised of animatronic mannequins, some of which would jump out at people from hidden corners;

a talking statue, a la the talking statues in the graveyard at Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion;

a Pee-Wee Herman lookalike who was controlling an animatronic wolf that would jump out to “attack” each passerby;

and a video-rigged front door that had both a picture of Dick Van Dyke that would change from normal to scary depending on where you were standing and a “window” to an insane asylum in which an inmate with an ax tries to break her way out.

You can watch a video of the door by clicking above. Notice the marks that show up on the door when the inmate hits it with the ax! Simply incredible!

My favorite part of the whole thing, though, had to be the graveyard, which consisted of a myriad of tombstones, some of which moved and had animatronic corpses coming out of them. There was also an invisible screen set up at the back of the graveyard on which was projected a video of cartoon skeletons doing the “Thriller” dance! SO INCREDIBLY COOL! Sadly, the GC could not get a good picture of the video, nor could he get a photograph of the glow-in-the-dark monster footprints that had been painted in the street out in front of Dick’s house. AMAZING, AMAZING, AMAZING!

Because so many celebrities live in Serra Retreat, I was keeping my eyes peeled the entire time we were there and was beyond excited when I spotted Camille Grammer from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. As I have mentioned several times before on this blog, I absolutely LOATHE RHOBH star Kyle Richards (“hot, heaping hunks of hate!” as Jerry Stiller would say), and I don’t much like her sister Kim or their friend Taylor Armstrong, either. And while I used to like Lisa Vanderpump, after her high-school-like mean-girl behavior in the recently-aired “The Opposite of Relaxation!” episode, I don’t really care for her either. The only two on the show that I like are Adrienne Maloof-Nassif and Camille Grammer. So seeing Camille was especially exciting!

So I, of course, just had to ask her for a pic. I am very happy to report that Camille was a total sweetheart and even told me that I was beautiful!!! How nice is that? And she is absolutely gorgeous in person, far prettier even than she appears to be on TV. Love her!! Ironically enough, fellow stalker Chas later told me that Camille had been featured in an interview on TMZ TV on Halloween night in which she was asked what Halloween party she would be attending. Her response? “Dick Van Dyke’s and his is the best.” LOVE IT!

Shortly after I took the pic with Camille, Dick Van Dyke walked outside and I just about died. I, of course, also asked him for a photo and he happily obliged. Unfortunately, I did not get to talk to him at all, though, as he was extremely busy and had hoards of neighbors coming up to him, all wanting to say hi. All in all it was a magical evening and I still cannot quite believe it all happened! As I said yesterday, between meeting Matthew Lillard on Friday, dressing up as Brenda and Dylan on Saturday, and then spending Halloween night at Dick Van Dyke’s house, this was quite simply the Best. Halloween. Ever.

During the party, I also just had to run around the corner to get my picture taken in front of Britney Spears and Kevin Federline’s former house. 🙂

You can read a great blog post about decorating Dick Van Dyke’s house written by one of his Halloween crew members on the Disney Travel Babble website here.

Until next time, Happy Stalking!

Stalk It: Unfortunately, because Dick Van Dyke lives inside of Serra Retreat, a gated community that is not open to the public, there is no stalking location for this one.

September 13, 2011September 13, 2011

The Surfrider Foundation’s 6th Annual Celebrity Expression Session

This past Saturday, the fabulous Pinky Lovejoy, from the Thinking Pink blog, invited me and the Grim Cheaper out to Malibu to do a little stalking of one of her very favorite celebrity events – the Surfrider Foundation’s 6th Annual Celebrity Expression Session, an hour-long free surf contest which was taking place at First Point at Malibu Lagoon State Beach. Much to the GC’s chagrin, I accepted the invitation which is how the two of us found ourselves heading out to the ‘Bu bright and early Saturday morning. Although, as you can see in the above photograph, the word “bright” is somewhat misleading being that the skies were quite grey when we arrived on the scene. The day turned out to be one of the best of my entire life, though, and, in what can only be described as an amazing act of divine intervention, we were not only invited to visit and tour the residence used as the Cohen House on fave show The O.C. (on which the sets from the series were very closely based), but we also spent about five hours at the property! I promise to blog about that INCREDIBLE experience in the very near future, but, for now, on with the Surfrider event!

Joining me, Pinky, and the GC in our morning beach-capade were our good friends, fellow stalkers Mikey, from the Mike the Fanboy website, and Scotty, or as Pinky likes to call us, the Motley Crew. Despite the fact that it started raining heavily while we were waiting for the celebrity surfers to arrive, we had an absolute blast hanging out together. As I have said on numerous occasions, when it comes to these types of events, which involve hours upon hours upon hours of waiting around, it is all about the journey. And I can think of no one else I would rather share that journey with than Pinky’s Motley Crew.

The first celebrity to arrive on the scene was Eric Avery from the band Jane’s Addiction.

Also in attendance was Jesse Spencer from House (SO cute! Sigh!);

Chad Lowe;

Eric Balfour from The O.C.;

Tate Donovan, also from The O.C. and also my girl Jen Aniston’s former main squeeze;

John Slattery, from Mad Men, Desperate Housewives and Sex and the City;

Brian Geraghty from The Hurt Locker;

Ross Thomas from Soul Surfer;

and Krysten Ritter – ALL of whom were so incredibly nice and friendly it was almost unbelievable! I felt like we all truly had a special little moment with each of them. Pinky and I got to chat with Chad Lowe about how much we both enjoyed his brother Rob’s autobiography; we joked with John Slattery about his – ahem – shower requests on Sex and the City; Ross Thomas took off his hat and sunglasses in order to provide us with a better photograph; Tate Donovan almost fell over when Scotty quoted several lines to him from Space Camp . . .

. . . and, as you can see above, Krysten and Pinky even spent some time hanging out together in the surf. Amazing, amazing day!

And Mikey managed to snap this super cute pic of me getting his prop “Victor Lang for Mayor” t-shirt from Desperate Housewives signed.

Our main reason for being there, though, was, of course, to see Pinky’s sweetheart, Sam Trammell, who plays Sam Merlotte on the hit series True Blood.

Sam spotted Pinky immediately and, of course, came right over to her to say hi. I cannot even imagine if one of my favorite celebrities knew me by name and regularly came up to me at events to say hi! I would absolutely DIE! Heck, if ANY celebrity knew me by name and came up to me to say hi, I would die!!! The kicker was when Pinky told Sam that she had finally found a job, he congratulated her and asked where she was working. The fact that he knew – and remembered – that she had been unemployed the last time they spoke was enough to make me gasp. SO INCREDIBLY COOL! That is Sam autographing some photos for Pinky in the above picture – all of which he signed with “much love” or “xoxoxo”. SIGH!

The entire event was extremely low-key and relaxed and all of the celebrities conducted their media interviews right there in the sand.

The surf contest got started at noon and I cannot tell you how much fun it was to watch them all suit up and head out. (As you can see in the photograph on the top left above, Baywatch star David Chokachi was also in attendance, but since I had already gotten a picture with him at the Pedal on the Pier 100 Mile-a-Thon in June, I did not want to bother him for another.)

Before hitting the water, the group posed for a few publicity shots and, thankfully, the GC got right in there among the press photographers and started snapping away. I’ve taught him well, folks.

Because the GC has gotten seriously into photography as of late, this was one celebrity event that he actually did not mind being dragged to and he managed to snap some pretty fabulous action shots while there.

My favorite being the one pictured above, which reminds me of the movie poster for The Endless Summer. So cool!

Until next time, Happy Stalking and Happy Voting – don’t forget to vote for me to be the new face of About Me!

Stalk It: Malibu Lagoon State Beach, aka Surfrider Beach, is located at 23200 Pacific Coast Highway, just north of the Malibu Pier, in Malibu. You can visit the Surfrider Foundation’s official website here.