Mike Rowe knows DIRTY JOBS...

*Me and Mike Rowe from "Dirty Jobs"

Dr. Evil Odland & Seth Green...

*I'm doing my best impression of Dr. Evil while Seth Green poses as my son "Scott Evil"

Drive-by Adam Sandler...

*Adam Sandler rollin' in his Caddy. All I did was shout, "Hey, Adam!" To my surprise he pulled up.

I Knocked Up Seth Rogen...

*Me and Seth Rogen from Knocked Up (No, I didn't give him that script. Despite the fact that it looks like I just made a "deal" with him. HA!)

Tarantino in the "Grindhouse..."

Although it didn't do too well in the theaters, Grindhouse was one of only a few movies I have really been looking forward to this spring. From the time Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez announced that they were going to collaborate for the film, I have been counting the days. The project, create two films that pay homage to the popular low-budget action films that were shown in theaters around the country in the '70s and early '80s. I have long been a fan of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriquez's work. Between Tarantino's bloody heist movie Reservoir Dogs and the widely popular Pulp Fiction to Rodriguez's Desperado and From Dusk Till Dawn I knew that these two gore savvy directors could only take Grindhouse to the next level.

So the day finally arrived, April 6th 2007, opening day for Grindhouse. Me and several coworkers managed to get tickets for the show at Mann's Chinese Theater. As we arrived the line stretched down Hollywood Blvd. and around the block. We eventually got inside and took our seats. I got up to walk to the restroom, on my way back, I thought I saw a familiar face. At first I didn't pay much attention to it, but just as I reached my seat I realized who I had just seen. Rosario Dawson! I recognized her from her role in Sin City. It wasn't until I told a coworker sitting next to me that I found out she was actually in Grindhouse. Right then, several people inside the theater stood up, looked back and started cheering. After the confusion, I turned around, looked back and to my surprise, there he was. Quentin Tarantino, himself, was walking down the theater isle with both arms in the air, accepting the warm welcome. I couldn't believe my eyes, there he was, one of my idols, walking toward me inside the Mann's Chinese Theater. As you can imagine, it was pretty surreal. And if that wasn't enough, walking just behind him was another well-known director, Eli Roth. You may know him from his extremely gory films Hostel and Cabin Fever. Mr. Roth also directed one of the many fake trailers that are shown in Grindhouse.

As we sat there I couldn't resist to walk back and take a closer look at QT and the gang. So I walked back, and got within a few feet of the man while he talked to Rosario and snapped a couple of pictures. It's funny I managed to take pictures, because moments before I snapped a couple, some guy actually walked up to QT and asked him if he could take a picture with him. Quentin replied, "Of course you can't, we're inside a movie theater, what makes you think I'll let you take a picture with me? But thanks for coming out." I laughed out loud. It was totally something he would say. The picture I took is a little blurry, but you can tell it's him.

Right before the movie began, Eli Roth ran up to the front of the theater and gave an introduction to the film. He told the crowd how this was the first movie that Quentin Tarantino has done that premiered at the Chinese Theater. It was a pretty neat experience to watch a movie with the minds that thought it up and the actors that starred in it. Grindhouse was one of the most entertaining movies I have seen in a theater in a LONG time. It was so ridiculous that it was genius. Check it out if you haven't already.

*Location: CLICK HERE

King Leonidas and I....

It was just another day at work on the NBC lot, or so it seemed. Today there was a large group of employees gathered outside Studio 3, where they tape the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. This wasn't a typical occurrence in Burbank so I went up to the group and asked what all the hustle and bustle was about. It turns out that Gerard Butler, star of the upcoming action epic 300 was on the show and the group was waiting for him. Apparently Gerry had gained superstar status among women between the age of 30 and 50 years old because of a little film he did called the Phantom of the Opera. Mr. Butler portrayed the Phantom in the popular musical and ever since, had won the hearts of women around the world. I only know this because my mother IS one of those ladies crazy for Gerard. Well as it would be, he was on the show to promote 300, which is expected to be a huge blockbuster (300 would go on to be the largest March opening in film history.) and in a matter of moments he was expected to be leaving the studio to greet this group of middle-aged fanatics. So I thought, what the hell, why not wait and meet the guy? After all, I have seen a few of his movies: Tomb Raider II, Timeline, and even a tiny appearance in the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies.

It only took a few minutes before Mr. Butler made his appearance. As he walked toward his Limo parked only feet away from the rear studio doors, several women shouted out "GERRY!" He looked over toward us, began to walk over, as he approached he said, "Oh you guys want pictures?" He then made an awkward face and said, "Well you all can all go f**k yourselves." He laughed and walked over to the group with a big smile. Since I was already running a little late to my office, I hopped in the very front, cutting everyone off, of course. But they didn't seem to mind. I couldn't resist, I was, after all doing this for my mother.

As I approached I shook his hand told him that I was looking forward to seeing 300. Then I said, "My mother LOVES you!" He replied in his thick Scottish accent, "Well, tell her she has good taste!" I also mentioned to him that my mother's birthday is tomorrow, March 3. And he just so happened to be on the cover of the latest Men's Health Magazine. So, I asked him to sign it for my mother's birthday. He obliged and wrote "Barbara, Happy Birthday, Hugs & Kisses, Gerard Butler." Click here to see it. After he signed I took a couple more pictures with him and stepped back to watch the madness unfold. These women were literally in love with this guy. I will admit that for a celebrity, Gerard was extremely nice. He talked to every last person as if he knew them, or genuinely cared about what they had to say. I was impressed with his compassion for his fans. As long as I have been in LA, I have NEVER seen a celebrity that was so gracious to his fans. This short video I shot shows, just how nice he really is. Sorry, it was a little dark out at the time, but you get the idea.

And that is how I met King Leonidas...

"Waiting" sighting while waiting....

For those of you familiar with the 2005 Comedy "Waiting..." starring Ryan Reynolds and Justin Long, you might find my recent sighting as amusing as I did. It all happened when I was picking up some delicious food at the AROMA Cafe on my lunch break. As I was standing at the register waiting for my AMAZING grilled salmon sandwich I watched as people continued to flow in through the front door of the cafe. This place is always rockin' around lunchtime and for good reason. As my eyes scanned the folks in line they came to a sudden stop on this tall, dark and attractive middle-aged woman. It took me a moment to realize where I actually recognized her from and then it popped into my head. I was looking at Wendie Malick, not exactly the biggest star, but definitely recognizable. Most people may know her from her recurring role on "Fraiser" and NBC's "Just Shoot Me!" In my mind she stood out as Ryan Reynold's snooty mother in "Waiting..." In my opinion, one of the funniest mother-son dialogues in a comedy for years.



Livin' in LA is so much fun. You never know who you're randomly going to see. Another day another run in......

Peeing with a "B" Lister

Funny that I decided to start this blog today, because I fate would have it that I ran into three actors from both film and television. My first sighting of the month actually took place in an unpleasant setting, them men's room on the second floor. It happened just after lunch, I walked into the little boys room, here at work, stood in front of the porcelain to do my business and suddenly realized that Adam Goldberg, you know star of the critically made fun of "Hebrew Hammer," was standing right next to me. This is probably the most awkward of places to realize, that someone famous is very close. And I couldn't even acknowledge his presence without coming across as a pervert. So, I did the respectable thing, kept my mouth shut, did my business and left.

Sighting number two took place only moments later, and was far from as uncomfortable as the prior. Walking back down the hall, toward my desk, I saw someone approaching, as I always do. (Keep in mind, the hallways up here are straight and narrow and to make things worse they are extremely long. So you can really get a good look at someone as they approach, because in their mind you're just looking straight ahead. By the time the other person gets close enough to say something, you practically feel like you know them because you've been looking at them so long.) Anyway, as I said before, walking back to my office I saw in the distance a dark complexioned man walking toward me. From a distance, they guy looked pretty meaty. But as he approached he seemed to be getting smaller and smaller. It wasn't until he was about 15 feet away that I recognized him as Anthony Anderson. You know the guy from great movies such as Hustle and Flow, Scary Movie 4, and the upcoming Transformers. He kindly looked up at me (that's right, just another celeb that I tower over.), and said, "hey what's up brother." I replied, "doing well, how are you." He came back with, "good man!" Not the deepest of conversations, I know, but it still counts as exchanging words. I know, laugh all you want, it really isn't that great of an experience, but how many people can really say that they have interacted with a movie star.

The third and final sighting of the day, yes, it was a busy one, took no effort on my part. I was simply sitting at my desk when Thomas Cavanagh, the star of one time NBC hit sitcom "Ed," walked into the office. He kindly asked for directions to a certain room on the floor and was on his way.

I must say that working in LA does have many "perks". I might not be getting paid that much money to do what I do, but by golly, I get to meet and sometimes even talk to some pretty cool people. I'm sure I'll have another celeb sighting in the days to come. Stay tuned......

Hiro & I: HEROES making a difference...

*Me & Masi Oka known better as Hiro Nakamura from the NBC series "Heroes"