Meeting Celebrities in Cochise County

You're living your life and when you least expect it, you bump into a celebrity. It seems that everyone has at least one, "that time I met ______". We talked about that on the Facebook page on Val in the Morning.

I always love to hear stories about celebrities who were so much kinder and friendlier than expected. I've met a fair amount of famous folk over the years, and most were nice.

I suppose that's really saying something, because most of the famous people I met were politicians. To say they're friendly would be an understatement. It seems most politicians have their agenda to push in order to win votes. So, a keen sense of where the cameras are and the expectation for at least the appearance of friendliness is at the front of their minds. They were all polite, except one. But I'll leave him out.

I got to meet Senator John McCain many years ago when he joined an event held by then-governor of Arizona Jan Brewer. I met Gabby Giffords in 2010 after a debate here in town.

I've met many of our local city council members, like William Benning and our new Mayor Pro-Tem Carolyn Umphrey. They may not be internationally famous, but to us, they're local celebs. And in case you're wondering, they're gracious and kind.

When I lived in Southern California, I was a big fan of a world-famous alternative radio station there. When Richard Blade joined the lineup, I was thrilled. I remember watching Richard on Friday Night Videos, just before MTV took over the music video business. I was a huge fan!

The day I got married, we were winding up the reception and several friends and family wanted to keep the party going. So, we all headed over to a local dance club. Lo and behold, the guest DJ that night was Richard Blade! We got to chat with him and celebrate in a wonderful, unexpected way. He was so much fun, and the unexpected 'gift' made us feel really special.

Of course, this happened before the "photos or it didn't happen" era of ubiquitous cell phone images. The memory only exists in my mind and heart.

You've met a lot of celebrities, too, and as always, I wanted to know your take-aways. Michelle said she and her family have always been Beetles and Wings fans. When she was a kid, she was in Massachusetts. A big bus stopped by and out popped Paul and Linda McCartney! She said they were friendly and waved at everyone.

Frankie told us Josh Brolen stopped by the El Campo Tire on Fry Boulevard once in the early 90s. He was filming the TV series Young Riders on the Mescal Movie set. He stopped into El Campo to get a tire fixed. Frankie said Josh was a nice and enjoyed his stay in Cochise County.

Nancy once met Tom Selleck at Nick's Place in Nicksville/Hereford. Michelle met Harrison Ford at the Phoenix airport. He was trying to keep things low-key and asked Michelle not to make a fuss. She said it was a great moment!

Lola sat next to Chuck Norris at a basketball game but didn't realize it until her husband leaned and told her who was sitting there.

Lillian encountered Mario Lopez at Universal Studios with her family once. She said he was really nice and even stopped long enough for them to get a photo.

Only Evelyn told me she met someone who was not at all friendly. As a teen she met Leonard Tose, the owner of the Eagles football team at a grocery store. She said he was not very friend or sociable. Maybe he was just having a bad day!